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IN a bid to lure more international visitors to Australia, a new campaign has been launched highlighting the country's aquatic and coastal experiences.
The latest ad, which is part of Tourism Australia's global There's Nothing like Australia campaign, was officially unveiled at an event in New York on Australia Day eve and features a voiceover by Australian actor and new Tourism Australia global ambassador Chris Hemsworth.
Tourism Australia managing director John O'Sullivan says the new campaign focuses upon one of Australia's key competitive advantages.
"Already 70 per cent of our international visitors enjoy an aquatic or coastal experience as part of their trip to Australia, so this is a campaign we know will resonate strongly across all our key markets," he says.
"While Australia is known for its natural beauty, the world still doesn't have a full appreciation of the breadth, depth and quality of our aquatic and coastal experiences. They've always been an important part of our destination story but they've never before taken centre stage."
O'Sullivan says Hemsworth's voiceover for the new broadcast ad provides an authentic and influential voice to help tell the country's story and demonstrate to the world that Australia is 'a place you feel'.
"I have always been so proud to be Australian and it's a pretty special feeling knowing that I will have a role in promoting my country to the world and encouraging more people to come down under and experience our amazing beaches and landscapes for themselves," says Hemsworth.
The newly filmed campaign features over a dozen distinct experiences representing every Australian state and territory.
Tourism Australia chief marketing officer Lisa Ronson says the campaign will be brought to life using virtual reality technology and user generated content on a size and scale never before seen in destination marketing.
"The world of destination marketing is increasingly competitive," she says.
"Australia has always had the advantage of being a highly desirable destination.
"The challenge is how to create a sense of urgency to visit that counters those perceived barriers such as time, distance and cost.
"This campaign has been designed to be incredibly immersive and capture what it feels like to be in Australia and to experience for yourself being on, in or near the water."
Tourism Australia will spend $40 million over the next six months rolling out the new campaign - starting in the US with a joint campaign with Virgin Australia and then across other key international markets, including the UK, China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
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