Key facts

• Tourism Australia’s new destination campaign created by internationally renowned filmmaker Baz Luhrmann is rolling out across Australia from this weekend.
• The domestic campaign includes cinema and in-flight screenings of the Luhrmann-created television ads, print ads featuring the ‘Arrived and Departed’ creative as well as promotions running in major newspapers, magazines and online.

Key quotes

• "An Australian holiday offers the chance to rejuvenate, reconnect with family and friends and feel transformed by escaping the grind of everyday life. This campaign conveys how a holiday in Australia can make you feel" Geoff Buckley, Managing Director, Tourism Australia
• "The campaign will leverage off the extraordinary buzz Australia the movie is generating and aims to inspire Australians about what an Australian holiday has to offer" Geoff Buckley, Managing Director, Tourism Australia 

Full story

Australians are being urged to holiday in Australia with Tourism Australia’s new destination campaign created by internationally renowned filmmaker Baz Luhrmann rolling out across the country from this weekend.

The new campaign began in the United Kingdom last month and now it’s Australia’s turn. Tourism Australia Managing Director Geoff Buckley said the campaign has tested very positively with the target audience in Australia – called Experience Seekers.
 
“In the initial testing 70 per cent of Australian Experience Seekers agreed the campaign inspires them to explore more of Australia,” Mr Buckley said. “Now we want to capture that inspiration so it translates to Australian holiday bookings.

“The campaign will leverage off the extraordinary buzz Australia the movie is generating and aims to inspire Australians about what an Australian holiday has to offer.

“An Australian holiday offers the chance to rejuvenate, reconnect with family and friends and feel transformed by escaping the grind of everyday life. This campaign conveys how a holiday in Australia can make you feel,” Mr Buckley said.

Mr Buckley said Baz Luhrmann’s Australia was already generating an enormous ‘buzz’ and massive exposure for our country around the world.

“This week we have seen the stars of Australia appearing on major American talk shows such as Oprah and Good Morning America, providing very powerful endorsement for our country,” Mr Buckley said.

“Oprah’s show attracted six million viewers in the US alone with millions more expected to view the program worldwide. This kind of exposure demonstrates how powerful the movie publicity can be in generating excitement about Australia internationally.

“The knowledge that this level of publicity would be generated by the film was one of the factors which convinced us to link with Baz and the film to promote the country.

“Tourism Australia’s own public relations team has been working closely with Fox worldwide to incorporate destinational imagery and story angles into their movie publicity.

“And with our destination advertising campaign we hope to convert the massive excitement and interest in Australia into business for our tourism industry - and Australians themselves are front and centre of our target audience.

“We believe a movie of this magnitude, with evocative imagery of our amazing landscapes, will give Australians the desire to experience this country for themselves,” Mr Buckley said.

When Australia the movie opens nationally on 26 November, Tourism Australia’s advertisement will screen before the movie begins, inviting Australians to come walkabout, to leave the pressures of everyday life behind and rediscover themselves.

The domestic tourism campaign includes: cinema and in-flight screenings of the Luhrmann created television advertisements; print advertising featuring the ‘Arrived and Departed’ creative, as well as promotions running in major newspapers, magazines and online.

Mr Buckley said domestic tourism was a critical asset for the Australia’s $85 billion tourism industry.

“Domestic leisure travel is worth $46 billion annually so it is vital that we encourage Australians to go walkabout in their own country and discover one of the many incredible holiday experiences on offer.”

For more information about Australian holiday experiences visit www.australia.com
For more information about the campaign visit www.tourism.australia.com

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