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It might have worked for Brisbane and Townsville, but one Queensland tourist destination has rejected the suggestion giant lettering could help lure influencers seeking the perfect shot.
Key points:
- Cairns Regional Council has no interest in creating its own version of the "Brisbane" sign
- The peak tourism body for tropical north Queensland says other forms of public art are more effective
- Amsterdam shifted its sign five years ago after concerns it promoted mass tourism
Then-US president Barack Obama and German chancellor Angela Merkel were greeted by the first iteration of the now-famous "Brisbane" sign when they jetted in for the G20 leaders summit in 2014.
It was a hit and became a permanent installation the following year.
A petition to Cairns Regional Council asked for one to be installed along the tropical city's esplanade but councillors on Wednesday unanimously rejected the idea.
One councillor, Brett Olds, described public art as being "good in small doses".
Another, Brett Moller, said his immediate thought on reading the proposal was: "Please say no."
Better options
Tourism Tropical North Queensland strongly advised the Cairns council not to pursue the idea.
Its chief executive, Mark Olsen, said the city already had a symbolic piece of public art in Brian Robinson's woven fish sculptures.
"If public art is unique to an area it can create a strong local identity, much more than a sign can," Mr Olsen said.
Amsterdam was one of the first to launch the concept in 2004 with its now-iconic "I Amsterdam" signage.
But it has not survived almost two decades without controversy.
In 2018, the Dutch city's local government moved the red-and-white lettering from outside the Rijksmuseum out of concern it was promoting mass tourism and "individualism".
The letters now move around Amsterdam, including to some spots off the beaten path where the city would like to increase visitation.
A one-stop shop
Cr Moller said his city's esplanade was already "an iconic selfie in itself".
"We know how to frame Cairns: it's where two natural iconic wonders, the Great Barrier Reef and the world's oldest living rainforest, meet," he said.
"And I'm not going to continue to compare Townsville.
"I think they've done a good job with The Strand and the foreshore down there but it's still where brown meets the sea."
Townsville got its sign in 2018 courtesy of funding for that year's Commonwealth Games.
Townsville Enterprise chief executive Claudia Brumme-Smith said the signage was a proven winning formula around the world.
"People start looking for it when they come to Townsville," she said.
"Whether it's influencers or it's visitors and friends and family coming to Townsville, they use it as the one-stop shop to get that iconic photo in.
"We do see on Instagram what visitors and influencers are sharing and that's how we can see that the sign has been used quite a bit in the past couple of years."