When the campaign launched in October 2022, international visitation to Australia was half of what it was pre-pandemic. Visitor numbers to the end of July this year put international arrivals at 79 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Alongside this, the number of international travellers searching for flights to Australia is now 10 per cent higher than in 2019.
The campaign features a CGI kangaroo named Ruby, voiced by Australian actress Rose Byrne.
“A year on, it is clear that tourists are coming to say G’day, and returning to Australia in strong numbers,” said Australia’s trade and tourism minister Don Farrell.
“Tourism Australia’s campaign has ensured that Australia remains front and centre for travellers on the world stage, and it is great to see Come and Say G’day, and Brand Ambassador Ruby the kangaroo, are doing just that.”
Tourism Australia’s managing director Phillipa Harrison said the campaign was supported by a huge number of partnerships.
“As part of the campaign Tourism Australia has 190 campaign partnerships in market, including a variety of airlines and travel agents, and the feedback from those partners on the ground is they have seen a jump in interest in an Australian holiday since the launch of Come and Say G’day.”
Tourism Research Australia is predicting international visitor spend will exceed pre-pandemic levels next year and visitor numbers will do the same in 2025.
As Tourism Australia’s campaign rounds out its first year, the agency has 300 international travel agents in Cairns for G’Day Australia, which wraps up today.
The major workshop and famil event has made use of the just-opened expansion of Cairns Convention Centre.
“Major events like G’day Australia are exactly why the Palaszczuk Government invested $176 million in additions to the Cairns Convention Centre,” said Queensland’s assistant tourism minister Michael Healy.
Federal minister Farrell said events like G’Day Australia were an important part of ensuring travel demand for Australia internationally.
“International travellers are returning to our shores in droves. However, with global competition for tourists as strong as ever, we need to keep working hard to grow demand. Events such as G’day Australia, combined with Tourism Australia’s global Come and Say G’day campaign, will help to do just that,” he said.
“G’day Australia gives hundreds of travel agents the chance to see our iconic destinations and world-class tourism offerings for themselves, giving them greater inspiration to sell Australia’s huge variety of unique, high-quality tourism experiences to their international customers.”
Tourism Australia’s executive general manager of commercial and Business Events Australia, Robin Mack said as qualified ‘Aussie Specialists’, thanks to Tourism Australia’s program of the same name, agents attending G’Day Australia already know a lot about Australia as a travel destination.
“But there is nothing like experiencing the breadth and depth of our tourism offering first hand, to give the confidence to sell more, and that is what the familiarisation program does,” he said.
“When our Aussie Specialists have joined events like this in the past, 100 per cent of agents have walked away saying they intended to sell more of Australia and that is what we need as we work to encourage even more travellers to plan and book an Australian holiday.”
Tourism Australia’s work to stimulate business events demand is also in high gear at the moment, with Business Events Australia hosting the Australia stand at IMEX America in Las Vegas next week and Dreamtime, the agency’s signature incentive showcase in Australia taking place in under a month.
