Australia to Launch Huge Ad Campaign to Lure Tourists Back

Have you heard the news, mate?

Australia is reopening its borders to international visitors next week for the first time in almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And if you haven’t heard, well, you’re about to.

Tourism Australia this week will launch a $40 million worldwide advertising campaign to lure tourists Down Under again, according to Business News Australia.

The marketing blitz will use the tagline “Don’t Go Small. Go Australia.”

“The world has been waiting two years to get Down Under for a holiday, and our latest ad campaign will remind them of what they’ve been missing,” Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said. “After COVID-19, the world is looking forward to taking a holiday, and we want that holiday to be in Australia. This new campaign is just the first step in a long-term strategy to restart tourism to Australia, with further investment in tourism marketing campaigns internationally to come in the second half of the year.”

The initial campaign will roll out in Australia’s two biggest markets for tourists – the United States and the United Kingdom. London’s Piccadilly Circus and New York’s Time Square have large billboards and other outdoor promotions. Television spots began Sunday night in Los Angeles and will continue through this second and final week of the Winter Olympics.

The campaign will feature traditional tourist sites like Sydney Harbor and the Opera House, but also the Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne and Uluru.

“We have chosen locations and activities to reflect the wide diversity of tourism experiences Australia has to offer,” Tourism Australia chief marketing officer Susan Coghill said. “We also considered the popular destinations and cities which have been impacted the most by the pandemic and put them in the spotlight.”