Australia’s got a new tourism ‘Philausophy’

Tourism Australia has rolled out its “Come Live Our Philausophy” campaign that firmly puts people and personalities at the centre of the three-year global campaign effort.

Celebrity chefs, comedians and a billionaire businessman are among the campaign’s ambassadors chosen to encourage visitors to immerse themselves in “Australians’ informal approach to life”.

The new campaign will spotlight the “people, lifestyle and personality that make Australian experiences so memorable”, building on previous efforts that branded the destination by its key strengths in nature and food and wine.

The campaign is part of a A$38 million (US$26 million) investment targeting 15 key markets over the next three years to attract more international tourists to the country, according to Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham.

“Our A$143 billion tourism industry is such a vital part of our economy and in order to grow the industry further and create more tourism jobs, we need to find new ways to sell Australia and differentiate ourselves,” Minister Birmingham said.

“We know the unique nature of Australia combined with the welcoming and fun-loving nature of Australians sets us apart, and it is this combination that will form a powerful platform for our next wave of exciting new campaigns.”

Australia has previously fronted campaigns with famous personalities from comedian Paul Hogan to actor Chris Hemsworth, who was “integral in embodying the Australian character for our audiences”, said Phillipa Harrison, managing director of Tourism Australia.

The campaign was informed by research that found 70% of “high-value” travellers believed Australians had a different perspective on life and 73% found the Australian lifestyle appealing.

Australia received 8.6 million international visitors in the 12 months to June 2019 - 3% more than the previous year.

China continues to be the biggest source of international visitors with 1.32 million tourists followed by New Zealand (1.27 million), United States (764,000) and United Kingdom (674,000).