• by Tanya Gazdik , January 26, 2016

Tourism Australia has hired Australian actor Chris Hemsworth as the global ambassador for its new $40 million campaign.

The campaign, including a global ad featuring Hemsworth's voiceover and virtual reality 360 footage, launched on Australia Day Eve, on Jan. 25.

The relationship with Hemsworth is initially for only a year, says John O'Sullivan, Tourism Australia managing director.

“But this is a relationship we hope to build upon,” O’Sullivan tells Marketing Daily.

Tourism Australia is evolving its global “There’s Nothing like Australia” campaign, first launched in 2010, to place renewed focus upon one of the country's key competitive advantages -- aquatic and coastal experiences (the first time Australia is highlighting its coastal offering in a campaign).

The campaign will roll out across all of TA's key international markets and will include a new broadcast ad highlighting examples of Australia’s world-class aquatic and coastal products and experiences, which will be used in broadcast, cinema and digital channels. 

The effort launches first in the U.S. and then across other key international markets, including the U.K., China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and New Zealand

Creative also includes aquatic and coastal video content for Australia.com, which will remain at the heart of the campaign.

Also featured is Virtual Reality, 360 technology, and User Generated Content (UCG) on a scale not previously seen in destination marketing.

The newly filmed creative features over a dozen distinct aquatic and coastal experiences representing every Australian state and territory. These include a helicopter ride over the 12 Apostles, a Sydney Harbour cruise, sailing the Whitsundays, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with sea lions and dolphins in South Australia, kayaking through Katherine Gorge and walking the Three Capes Track in Tasmania.

New print and digital advertising including interactive and “rich media’” banners. A social media campaign that draws on inspiring user-generated content shows how exciting, fun and welcoming Australia’s variety of interesting experiences are year round.

"Tourism Australia focuses the majority of its global marketing resources on those international markets which we believe represent the greatest potential for tourism growth, and help us achieve our Tourism 2020," he says.

The brand's key markets include: Greater China (China and Hong Kong), North America (USA and Canada), the UK and Continental Europe,  New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, India and Brazil.

"Tourism Australia's target audience varies by specific market, but we broadly focus upon a higher yielding traveler with the desire and the means to travel deeper into Australia, stay longer and do more (and spend more) during their visit," O’Sullivan says.