Tourism Australia is the Australian Governmentagency responsible for promoting Australian locations as business and leisure travel destinations. The agency is a corporate portfolio agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,[3] and employs 198 staff (including 80 staff at overseas offices). [8] It works closely with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, the Australian Government's tourism policy and program agency, and State and Territory tourism marketing organisations.
Tourism Australia's objectives are to influence and encourage international and domestic travel to Australia, foster a sustainable tourism industry, and develop economic benefits to Australia from tourism.[1] The agency contributes to the implementation of the THRIVE 2030 national Strategy (The Re-Imagined Visitor Economy) issued in March 2022 which aims to return international and domestic spend in the visitor economy to pre-pandemic levels of $166 billion by 2024 and grow it to $230 billion by 2030.[9] The agency is active in 15 markets,[10] including Australia, where it aims to grow demand for the nation's tourism experiences through international and domestic promotions, advocacy and representation.[11] The latest international campaign uses Ruby the Roo to attract visitors in the "Come and Say G'day" campaign. [12]
Tourism Australia was created in 2004 by the Tourism Australia Act (Cth) as a merger of four existing tourism organisations – the Australian Tourist Commission, the Bureau of Tourism Research, and the Tourism Forecasting Council, and See Australia.[3] Tourism Australia describes itself as the successor of the Australian Tourist Commission, and hence celebrated what would be the commission's 50-year anniversary in 2017.[2]
In February 2019, Tourism Australia collaborated with Australian Traveller to launch a magazine in the United States, Australia. Jane Whitehead, regional general manager Americas, Tourism Australia, said "In collaborating with Australian Traveller, we set out to tell quintessentially Aussie travel stories, while highlighting some of the finest hospitality product, in a way that compels travellers to book memorable vacations."[13]
In January 2010 Tourism Australia displayed a caged kangaroo on a street in Hollywood. The kangaroo was filmed by a concerned member of the public who was reported as saying, "The kangaroo was there in a pen, like a 10 by 12 (foot) pen, straight on the concrete and it was really, really disturbing. It was just disturbing. There were kids who were really upset because this kangaroo was just rocking back and forth and back and forth and back and forth."[15] Australian macropod expert Tim Faulkner, after viewing the video of the kangaroo, said that it was clear the animal was not acting normally, "The animal is obviously distressed, there is no question about it. The sort of stress I see here suggests that it has endured long-term problems."[16]
In 2010, Tourism Australia launched its There's nothing like Australia campaign, sourcing its stories and photographs from the Australian public through a competition with strict licensing conditions.[17] The terms and conditions of the competition required the authors to assign all rights, including moral rights, to Tourism Australia and indemnify Tourism Australia against any legal action as a result of its re-using the works, which the Australian Copyright Council stated were extreme conditions and "particularly disturbing given that Tourism Australia is a government body".[18]
In January 2014, Tourism Australia announced it had appointed Fox Sports' Chief Operating Officer John O'Sullivan as its Managing Director.[27] In September 2019 Phillipa Harrison was appointed as O'Sullivan's successor, having been the Acting Managing Director of Tourism Australia since his departure in April 2019.[28]
