tourism australia ruby kangaroo

Tourism Australia slammed over new mascot: 'Our most abused wildlife'

Tourism Australia has unveiled the new star of its latest global campaign – but just hours after its release, the ad has already been met with fiery backlash.

Ruby the kangaroo, an animated character voiced by Aussie actress Rose Byrne, will lead the next instalment of   the ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ campaign, which is set to be launched next week.

A short animation of Ruby inviting viewers to ‘come and say g’day’ to Australia was launched overnight on billboards in Japan, Singapore, London and New York.

But at home in Australia, intense criticism has erupted online over the choice of mascot and reignited the debate over the treatment of kangaroos .

‘Ruby worth $15 for pet food’

The Victorian Kangaroo Alliance lashed out at Tourism Australia over the campaign, telling Yahoo News Australia there's another side to Ruby that the world should know about.

"We are struck by the irony that Ruby the Roo is being celebrated as our tourism mascot when, in reality, kangaroos are our most abused wildlife and the victims of the world's largest wildlife trade," a spokesperson said.

"If Ruby were real, the colonial mindset would see her as a pest and she would likely be shot. Her body would be sold for around a dollar a kilo and her joey bashed to death or left to starve.

"This is the grim reality we wish the world would understand when they see Ruby the Roo."

Others on social media shared the same sentiment, painting a disturbing picture of the reality for the iconic animal.

“WTF. Australian government allows largest land based slaughter of native animals "kangaroos" in the world... and now it's using a kangaroo as a tourism ambassador,” a Twitter user added.

“It's absolutely mind boggling!” he continued. “It's going to be embarrassing when people ask ‘so where are all the kangaroos’?”

Another pointed out that Ruby would be worth about $15 as pet food if she were real, while someone else accused the government of “cashing in” on kangaroos, saying a more accurate campaign would show “a gun pointed at Ruby’s head”.

Oh the irony that we use our most abused wildlife as our tourism mascot! If only the tourists knew what #Australia actually does to #kangaroos ! #seeaustralia https://t.co/AkigIUxrVW — Victorian Kangaroo Alliance (@VicKangaroos) October 11, 2022

Campaign works its magic among many

Despite the backlash, the campaign also served its purpose in making many viewers keen to visit Australia.

“G'Day from Kentucky USA! I can't wait to come back to this magical place again!” an American man wrote.

“Why is Australia so beautiful,” another said.

“Bucket list to get a pic like this of me, hubby and kids,” a future traveller added.

Kangaroo a ‘globally recognised’ icon

Tourism Australia’s Chief Marketing Officer Susan Coghill said the kangaroo was an “adorable” Australian icon that is “globally recognised”.

“The use of an animated character in Ruby was a deliberate move that aims to cut through the clutter of destination marketing internationally, and it is backed by research,” she said.

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“In Australia, we’re so lucky to have a globally recognisable and adorable icon in the kangaroo and to bring that to life through CGI animation creates a uniquely Australian Brand Ambassador in Ruby, who translates across both English and non-English speaking countries.”

The campaign will officially launch on October 19.

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Ruby the Roo revealed as face of Australia’s newest tourism campaign

A computer-generated kangaroo has been revealed as the new face of Australian tourism as anticipation builds for the rollout of the latest global campaign “Come and Say G’Day”.

Voiced by Australian actor Rose Byrne, Ruby the Roo will bound on to electronic billboards across the world over the course of next week in a bid to encourage overseas visitors to our shores.

Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell made the announcement in Tokyo on Tuesday, ahead of the full campaign launch in New York on ­October 19.

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Senator Farrell said the campaign was the next ­instalment of Tourism Australia’s “There’s Nothing Like Australia” brand platform.

“It will showcase Australia’s most iconic destinations and support our tourism industry’s recovery, by converting the pent-up demand for an Australian holiday into bookings,” he said.

The animated roo follows in the footsteps of Lara Bingle, Chris Hemsworth and Paul Hogan in fronting tourism campaigns.

Perhaps most famously, comedian Hogan, invited visitors to “come and throw another shrimp on the barbie” in the 1984 campaign where Tourism Australia used the phrase “come and say g’day” for the first time.

Research by the company showed the kangaroo is the number one globally recognisable image of Australia and an unmistakeable representation of the country among international audiences

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New Tourism Australia campaign launches ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™

Tourism Australia is today launching a special instalment of its global  Come and Say G’day  campaign, which will feature around the world in key international tourism markets participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

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The new Holiday Highlights campaign will show international audiences, tuning in to watch the action in this year’s Women’s World Cup, the breadth and depth of unique travel destinations and experiences found in Australia.

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Don Farrell, said the new campaign highlights what Australia has to offer while the global spotlight is on our country for the month-long tournament.

“With the world’s attention turning to Australia throughout the FIFA Women’s World Cup, it is a perfect moment to showcase Australia and invite international travellers to come and experience our amazing country,” Mr Farrell said.

“This Holiday Highlights campaign will be seen in key Tourism Australia markets of countries competing in the tournament, including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, Japan and South Korea.”  

Tourism Australia Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, said the first Women’s World Cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere comes at an important time for Australia’s tourism industry.

“Major events, such as the Women’s World Cup, provide us with the opportunity to showcase Australia’s incredible tourism experiences to billions around the world and encourage people to plan and book an Australian holiday,” Ms Harrison said.

“This tournament comes at a crucial time, with Australia’s tourism industry steadily rebuilding from the impacts of the global pandemic, and we hope the Holiday Highlights campaign inspires football fans to visit Australia after the final whistle has blown.”

Tourism Australia Chief Marketing Officer, Susan Coghill, said it was important to harness a cultural moment that could build on the momentum of the Come and Say G’day campaign. 

“Once again using a distinctive character like Ruby, and recognisable destinations like Bondi Beach and the Great Barrier Reef, the campaign will remind consumers what they already know and love about Australia, whilst also extending a warm invitation to visit,” Ms Coghill said.

In the new Holiday Highlights broadcast ad (30-second and 15-second), Tourism Australia Brand Ambassador, Ruby the souvenir kangaroo, returns as a sports commentator reporting on the breadth of destinations and experiences on offer across Australia. The broadcast ad also features rising stars from Queensland Indigenous Football’s young women's team who are playing kickabout under a starry night sky on a Gold Coast beach.

The CEO of Queensland Indigenous Football Damian Munday is immensely proud to team up with Tourism Australia to showcase the warm Aussie welcome to the world and celebrate women in sport.

“It is incredibly exciting for our foundation and our young female players to be part of Tourism Australia’s global activity around the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This is also a unique opportunity to raise awareness of our mission to create more access to football opportunities for young Indigenous Australians,” Mr Munday said.

Holiday Highlights sees the return of Tourism Australia’s Brand Ambassador, Ruby the souvenir kangaroo, voiced by Australian actress and Tourism Australia’s Global Ambassador Rose Byrne. Ruby was introduced to the world via a live-action animated short film titled G’day "> G’day , and a multichannel Come and Say G’day campaign, which launched in 15 key international markets last October.

Campaign assets Further information about Tourism Australia’s global tourism campaign, including imagery and video, can be found  here .

For media enquiries, contact Beau Mitchem M: +61 413 254 708 E:  [email protected]

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We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Owners of the land, sea and waters of the Australian continent, and recognise their custodianship of culture and Country for over 60,000 years.

*Disclaimer:  The information on this website is presented in good faith and on the basis that Tourism Australia, nor their agents or employees, are liable (whether by reason of error, omission, negligence, lack of care or otherwise) to any person for any damage or loss whatsoever which has occurred or may occur in relation to that person taking or not taking (as the case may be) action in respect of any statement, information or advice given in this website. Tourism Australia wishes to advise people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent that this website may contain images of persons now deceased.

Creative Advertising

Ruby the toy kangaroo says 'g'day' in tourism australia's epic marketing film, the character has been revealed as the new brand mascot in the first global campaign since 2016.

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Australia wants the world to know that it is a place to see its incredible sights and make friends through the release of a global marketing campaign fronted by a toy kangaroo and unicorn who are on an adventure to explore the country.

Titled “Come and Say G’day”—the campaign from Tourism Australia is led by a nine-minute hero film featuring the adventure of the country’s new brand ambassador Ruby, who is voiced by Australian actress Rose Byrne and her companion Louie, voiced by Will Arnett.

The film, which bares comparison to the works of Pixar in its use of lovable CGI characters, sees the pair’s first meeting as they escape a souvenir store together to help Ruby explore the country on her t-shirt. Along the way, they visit some of Australia’s most stunning locations and bond as friends through their experiences together.

This is the country’s first global campaign since 2016 and follows the lengthy closing of its borders to visitors during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was created by M&C Saatchi Sydney and the film was directed by Michael Gracey, who helmed The Greatest Showman and produced by Finch. Global media is being handled by UM with digital activity overseen by Digitas and PR by Poem and Ogilvy PR. Social media activity will be run by Apparent.

Running across 15 key markets, Ruby will appear across the campaign assets from 60-, 30- and 15-second TV ads, alongside print, social media and digital content, as well as 3D billboard and out-of-home activations.

Susan Coghill, Tourism Australia’s chief marketing officer, described the new brand ambassador as both “a joyful way to showcase the warm and welcoming nature of Australia, and to instantly connect with international audiences.”

She added: “The use of an animated character, such as Ruby, was a deliberate move that aims to cut through the clutter of destination marketing internationally. Ruby is a versatile fluent brand device that can live across all platforms and channels.”

The launch of the film on YouTube followed in-market media and viewing events in New Yori, Tokyo, Singapore, Mumbai, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris and London.

“In tourism, advertising misattribution of destinations is extraordinarily high, and the use of famous and recognizable Australian icons, such as a kangaroo, Uluru, Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef throughout the campaign, ensures our assets are undeniably Australian. It reinforces existing memory structures with consumers and reminds them of what they already know and love about Australia,” added Coghill.

Cam Blackley, chief creative officer at M&C Sydney, added: “Campaigns of this scale and importance rarely come around, and we feel blessed to have been entrusted with the creation of another epic that will help rejuvenate the tourism industry. This campaign is purpose-built to work for audiences from east to west, above and below the equator and easily flex for cultural nuisances and sensitivities.”

What Tourism Australia Learned From Creating a Fake Dundee Movie That Promoted the Country

Film Director – Michael Gracey

Creative – M&C Saatchi Sydney

Production Company, Film and TVC – FINCH Company

Animation Company – Platige

TVC Music Score – King Stingray / Level Two Music 

Film Music Score – Jonathan Dreyfus and Amy Andersen, including William Barton, Frank Yamma, the Marliya Gondwana Indigenous Girls Choir and Iwiri Choir. 

Media – UM (Global team)

Digital – Digitas 

Public Relations – Poem (Global agency) / Ogilvy PR

Social – Apparent

Stephen Lepitak

• @stephenlepitak
• [email protected]

Stephen is Adweek's Europe bureau chief based in Glasgow.

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Australia’s new ‘ambassador’ revealed by Trade Minister

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An animated kangaroo has been named as Australia’s new “brand ambassador” as the nation’s tourism officials embark on a major revamp.

Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell unveiled “Ruby the Roo” on a billboard in the central Tokyo district of Shinjuku on Tuesday.

Senator Farrell introduced “Ruby” ahead of next week’s launch of Tourism Australia’s new campaign to woo international travellers after the scrapping of Covid-19 restrictions.

“We know the Australian tourism industry has been through the most challenging time over the past few years,” Senator Farrell told NCA NewsWire from Japan.

“This new campaign is vitally important as we look to build back the visitor economy and industry.”

Voiced in English by Australian actor Rose Byrne and Japanese actor Maryjun Takashi in Japan, the “Ruby” ad will also appear on billboards in Singapore, London and New York.

It was 16 years ago when Australian actor Lara Worthington appeared in a controversial but memorable ad to ask prospective tourists “So, where the bloody hell are you?”

Would-be visitors will now be encouraged to “Come and say G’Day” as Australia attempts to recoup tourists after shutting itself off to international visitors during the pandemic.

The campaign will launch on October 19 in 15 target markets and form the next instalment of Tourism Australia’s “There’s Nothing Like Australia” platform.

Japan is likely to be hoping for a reciprocal tourism boost after reopening to visitors this week after more than two years of strict pandemic border controls.

Senator Farrell was scheduled to cook an Australian-style barbecue for key Japanese travel partners to promote the tourist drive.

“Japan and Australia have strong tourism ties and we look forward to welcoming more Japanese travellers back to our shores soon,” he said.

In 2019, Japan was Australia’s fifth largest market for tourists, sending 499,000 travellers who spent a cumulative $2.1bn.

Australia had 9.5 million international visitors each year on average, who contributed $45.4bn to the economy before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Albanese government has committed to following through with the tourism targets put in place under the Coalition.

The strategy seeks to return visitor expenditure to pre-pandemic levels of $166 billion by 2024.

It aims to increase revenue from visitors to $230bn by 2030.

While Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA face steep penalties, other retail heavyweights, including Bunnings and Chemist Warehouse, will not be covered by the code.

New figures released by the government have shown a big increase in the number of overseas doctors and healthcare workers relocating to Australia.

Legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld was seen leaving his Melbourne hotel following another show where he faced off with a group of hecklers.

Can Ruby the kangaroo bring Chinese tourists hopping back to Australia?

With tourism australia's $125 million global ad campaign that launched in china last week, chinese tourists are being wooed to return to a holiday destination they generously patronised before the pandemic. will australia get the bang for its buck.

Tourism Australia's new mascot, Ruby, waves from a 3D screen in downtown Chengdu, China, at the launch of its campaign last week. Credit: Tourism Australia

• Australia is no longer a government-approved group tourism destination for Chinese tourists.
• Home Affairs data shows over 25 per cent visitor visa applications from Chinese nationals were rejected in June.
• ABS data shows Chinese tourist numbers in April recovered by 33 per cent as compared to 2019.

Fifty-nine per cent of those who have viewed the campaign say it has made them more likely to take a holiday to Australia. Phillipa Harrison, MD, Tourism Australia

Off China's bucket list for now

Until Australia becomes an approved group tourism country by the Chinese government, it will be difficult for the Australian tourism market in China to recover any time soon. Dr Jun Wen

Now the cost of living in Australia has skyrocketed and lost its appeal for Chinese tourists. Christine Zhang, Travel agent

Obstacles to wooing Chinese tourists

Local market not ready

Why are many Chinese-Australian parents taking their children back home?

Jialong, 93, says he's living proof that there's no age limit on learning English

Will Australia say cheers to the world’s most consumed spirit?

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Home » News » “Ruby the Roo is off to a flying start!”: Industry responds to TA’s new campaign

“Ruby the Roo is off to a flying start!”: Industry responds to TA’s new campaign

Tourism Australia’s first global campaign since 2016, Come and Say G’day, is set to go live in key international tourism markets around the world from today to remind international travellers why there’s nothing like Australia.

Unveiled at a global launch event in New York, Tourism Australia’s new brand ambassador, Ruby the CGI-animated souvenir kangaroo, has been appearing on billboards around the world  in the past week, building anticipation ahead of the global launch.

According to tourism Australia managing director, Phillipa Harrison,  the campaign is unashamedly and unmistakably Australian, through the use of a globally recognisable icon in Ruby the kangaroo who goes on an adventure across the country to show all that Australia has to offer.

“After a challenging time around the world, our uplifting and joyful campaign will stand out in what is a highly competitive international tourism market,” she said.

“Ruby, who is voiced by Australian actress Rose Byrne, is joined on her adventure by a toy unicorn, Louie, who is voiced by Will Arnett. As a duo they bring both warmth and humour to the campaign.

“Another hero of the campaign is the remake of the Australian classic song Down Under by up-and-coming Australian band King Stingray, who sing in both English and Yolŋu Matha, an Indigenous language from Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.”

The campaign is a critical investment in rebuilding Australia’s visitor economy, reviving our Tourism industry, and, by default, bringing much-needed impetus to our outbound travel sector, according to Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) CEO Dean Long.

“Tourism Australia’s new global campaign Come and Say G’Day with its focus on Australia’s key tourism markets, a tagline with proven success which builds on Paul Hogan’s invite in the 1980s is already getting great coverage in international media,” Long said.

“More tourists coming into Australia is great news for our visitor economy and means more airline seats being filled and greater demand for flight capacity and frequency.

“For Australians looking to travel and for our member travel agents, travel management companies, tour operators, wholesalers, consolidators and cruise lines that’s very welcome news indeed.”

A short film called G’Day will be launched alongside the campaign in New York, aiming to create an emotional connection to Ruby the kangaroo, by establishing her backstory and setting her up to be a long-term Brand Ambassador for Tourism Australia.

“This global tourism campaign is a critical step to rebuilding our visitor economy and supporting our tourism industry, which has been through the most challenging period in recent years,”  said Don Farrell, Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism.

Australian Tourism Export Council’s managing director, Peter Shelley, said the ad’s use of CGI technology will connect with a broad range of potential visitors, cutting across language and cultural barriers.

Shelley said international holidaymaker numbers were slowly increasing month on month but the real ground will be made over the coming year as airline capacity increases and the industry starts to re-establish its market presence.

“Traditionally there is a long lead time between customer engagement, booking and arrival in Australia and today’s campaign will be delivering the customer of 2023 and beyond.

“ATEC, and tourism businesses across the country, are excited to have Tourism Australia back to its focus of promoting our destination and helping to rebuild our valuable export industry.”

The multichannel campaign includes new broadcast advertisements (in 60, 30 and 15 second versions), print and high-impact Out of Home (OOH) advertising placements, as well as social, digital, and content marketing initiatives.

The campaign activity will be further amplified by partnership activity with airlines, State Tourism Organisations, and key distribution partners globally.

“Our ATAS agents, wholesalers and tour operators are ready to engage with this new campaign providing activation for this incredible brand campaign,” said Long.

“Travel (ie outbound) is actually one of Australia’s largest imports, with pre-COVID direct contribution to GDP in 2018/19 of $61.1 Billion so any measures to boost recovery are most welcome.”

“We’ve already seen the global power of animated Aussie characters with Bluey and Ruby the Roo looks like she’s off to a flying start!”

Email the Travel Weekly team at [email protected]

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Who's doing what in the world of commercial creativity.

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M&C Saatchi & Tourism Australia: Ruby, the souvenir kangaroo, shows the world around Aus

Tourism Australia and M&C Saatchi have launched a new campaign, Come and Say G’day , their first global campaign since 2016.

Tourism Australia managing director, Phillipa Harrison: “Come and Say G’day is unashamedly and unmistakably Australian. After a challenging time around the world, our uplifting and joyful campaign will stand out in what is a highly competitive international tourism market.”

Well, the first part of the statement is correct. The second is yet to be proven. Keep your eye on the news for the debates.

The campaign introduces new brand ambassador, Ruby, a souvenir kangaroo who is brought to life with CGI animation and voiced by Australian actress and Tourism Australia’s global ambassador, Rose Byrne.

The hero commercial, G’Day, was directed by Australian director, Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) and produced by FINCH. It follows the unlikely friendship of Ruby and Louie, a toy unicorn voiced by actor, Will Arnett, who is a symbolic representation of an international traveller, and their adventure around Australia.

Ruby will appear across a range of new campaign assets including TVCs (60-, 30- and 15-second), print, social and digital creative elements, including 3D billboards and high-impact OOH, across 15 key markets.

Tourism Australia’s chief marketing officer, Susan Coghill, commented, “The use of an animated character, such as Ruby, was a deliberate move that aims to cut through the clutter of destination marketing internationally. Ruby is a versatile fluent brand device that can live across all platforms and channels.

“In tourism advertising misattribution of destinations is extraordinarily high and the use of famous and recognisable Australian icons, such as a kangaroo, Uluru, Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef throughout the campaign ensures our assets are undeniably Australian. It reinforces existing memory structures with consumers and reminds them of what they already know and love about Australia.”

Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures feature prominently in the campaign, with a number of Indigenous Australian languages shared with audiences. A fresh new cover of Men At Work’s classic Aussie song, Down Under, was produced in collaboration with the band’s Colin Hay for the campaign. It is performed by up-and-coming Australian band, King Stingray, who sing in both English and Yolŋu Matha, an Indigenous language from northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

The global launch event was held in New York. Local in-market media and viewing events will occur in Tokyo, Singapore, Mumbai, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris and London.

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Can Ruby the Roo drive big-spending travellers downunder? Tourism Australia thinks it can

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By Danielle Long, Acting APAC Editor

October 26, 2022 | 9 min read

Listen to article 4 min

In the post-Covid barrage of destination marketing, Tourism Australia is banking on a CGI kangaroo - and its unicorn sidekick - to help entice travellers to take a holiday down under.

Tourism Australia has pulled out all the stops for its new global advertising campaign. From a live-action film featuring voiceovers from Hollywood stars, a remake of the iconic Down Under song, and the return of the 'Come and Say G'Day' slogan, made famous by Paul Hogan in the 80s – the campaign is unmistakably Australian.

It's Tourism Australia's first global campaign since 2016, and chief marketing officer Susan Coghill hopes it delivers mass awareness to bolster the country's visitor arrivals to pre-pandemic levels.

Speaking to The Drum from New York City following the campaign launch, Coghill says the brief to its agency M&C Saatchi was to ensure the campaign would stand out in a "seas of sameness" and cut through the immense competition as the destinations fight for tourists.

"We wanted to remind the world of what a wonderful warm, welcoming place Australia is, and we wanted to do it in a light, joyful and charming way," says Coghill.

"The marketplace is more competitive than ever, there's a lot of destinations out there, and we're all fighting for the same slightly smaller pool of high-yielding travellers. So, we needed an idea that was uniquely, unmistakably, and distinctly Australian.

"The tourism category is a sea of sameness, fraught with cliches, and we know there's a lot of places in the world that have great beaches or great food, we think ours, of course, is the best, but we needed to tell that story in a way that is unmistakable."

Enter Ruby the Roo; a CGI Kangaroo voiced by Aussie actor Rose Byrne, who is languishing on a souvenir shop shelf, dreaming of travel until she finds herself on an adventure around Australia's most famous destinations, accompanied by her new sidekick Louie, a "magical" unicorn, voiced by Canadian actor Will Arnett.

The nine-minute film forms the centrepiece of the global campaign, running across key markets, including the USA, Canada, UK, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, India, France, Germany, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong. It is supported by TVCs, print, social, digital and local activity.

Tourism Australia is looking to lure visitors to Australia – but not just any visitors – TA wants to attract the big-spending travellers who stay longer, spend more money and value Australia's unique offering. And it wants lots of them.

Since reopening its international border in 2022, visitor arrivals have been growing, but they are still far off pre-Covid levels. In August this year, Australia welcomed 348,400 international visitor arrivals, which is 44% of the volumes for the same month in 2019.

Overall, Australia welcomed 9.5 million international visitors in 2019, who spent $45.4 billion. Those visitors placed Australia 41st globally for international visitor arrivals; however, it ranked seventh for visitor spending and was number one for spend per visitor.

The focus on big-spending tourists is not a new strategy for Tourism Australia. The immensely popular Dundee campaign , which launched at the 2018 Super Bowl, primarily targeted big-spending American travellers. It worked, and the US remains a key market; however, Tourism Australia is hoping to also attract more high-spending visitors from Europe and Asia.

"We are 100% continuing to focus on those high yielding travellers," says Coghill.

"By the nature of our geography, being a little further away from the rest of the world, we are a more premium destination. It does cost a little bit more and takes a little bit longer to come down. And therefore, we focus on travellers who are not daunted by a slightly longer journey.

"We may not have the mass numbers that France have, but we do tend to get these high yielding travellers who stay a little longer and spend a bit more."

The post-Covid Traveller

However, are travellers willing to invest the time and money to travel long-haul in the current climate? With the tourism industry still limping back into shape after Covid, the widespread staff shortages, lack of flights pushing up airfares, increased fuel costs raising car hire fees and the cost of living crisis impacting the price of food, drink, and well, everything, how appealing is long haul travel?

"The airline airfare issues, the talent shortage issues, they are all global problems. They aren't just impacting Australia; although they're certainly a challenge here. But it's getting better."

Coghill says international inbound seat capacity levels for Australia are currently at 59% and are scheduled to reach 69% by December and 76% by next March.

Explore frequently asked questions

"Coming out of the pandemic, there's no doubt that people are travelling a little closer to home and taking slightly shorter breaks, which poses a challenge for us. However, countering that is the type of holiday that high-yielding travellers, in particular, want, and we have the open-air, outdoor nature of our cities and our unparalleled nature and wildlife.

"Also, Australia offers much more meaningful travel for people who want to get closer to genuine, authentic experiences and experience the things that matter in life. The opportunity to meet and engage with the oldest living culture in the world is pretty amazing," Coghill continues.

"Yes, there's no doubt that we are facing challenges. But we believe what we have to offer is so appealing.

"We also have to take the long view; we know that when you don't feed or water your brand tree, so to speak, it won't fruit over the years. So we're making sure that we are continuing to build our brand and ensure we've got awareness, consideration and relevance with our high-yielding travellers. And, as they start to think about their next long-haul holiday, be it three months, six months, 12 or 18 months - whatever it may be, we have put in the hard work, so they are considering and ultimately booking Australia.

"So, whilst some of the activity that we have now certainly is conversion work that we do with partners to capture immediate demand, we are certainly playing the long game. It's classic Bidet and Fields, the long and short of it. We're making sure that we've got that mental availability, as well as that physical availability in the short term, to help people know when and where to book," says Coghill.

Creating awareness, engagement & longevity

Against this backdrop, it's clear why Tourism Australia has leant heavily on brand cues to ensure it builds mental availability and creates strong consumer memory structures. The deliberate decision to use the country's most iconic and recognisable assets: kangaroos, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House and Uluru, is accompanied by emotive storytelling, engaging soundtracks and humour. Unsurprisingly there's been a tremendous amount of research, data and testing around the campaign, and early testing and feedback were overwhelmingly positive.

"There's an Ipsos study called 'The Power of You, that talks about the importance of distinctive brand assets. And it ranks the power of branded colours, logos, audio devices, etc. Branded characters are amongst the highest, if not the highest-rated, branding device. And if you think about things like the M&M's, the Compare the Market Meerkats, and Bundy the Bear, these are characters that have grown and developed over time and stood the test of time because they do work.

Coghill says TA also wanted to balance robust branding devices and characters with engaging storytelling and create a robust platform that could continue to be built on and repurposed over the years.

"We just wanted to lean into really great storytelling and do it in a way that was distinctly Australian. I think there's a universality to any great story, particularly a buddy story."

Tourism Australia took inspiration from the popularity of CGI animation storytelling as well as Christmas advertising and the highly emotive brand-building storytelling that takes place during this period to create a platform they hope will have longevity.

"We want to be able to run this campaign for at least two years across our markets. We will do little extensions and freshen-ups as we go through that period. But we have invested in developing and producing the campaign and assets in the past year. We now want to put as much of our marketing budget as we can to be in the market, pushing it out to consumers through paid media, content, partnerships, PR, etc., and making sure that we get longevity out of it.

"I think we all know that marketers get tired of their advertising much more quickly than consumers do. And I want to reverse that trend. I want these characters to evolve and do new and different things and get better and better over time."

There's already a growing fan base for Ruby, Coghill says she's received a lot of requests from people wanting to buy a toy kangaroo.

"We haven't made them... yet. But I think we're gonna have to," says Coghill.

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‘Ruby the Roo’ revealed as Australia’s new tourism mascot

The world of tourism has been given a sneak peek at Australia's next brand ambassador – ‘Ruby the Roo’.

The animated kangaroo has been voiced by Australian actress Rose Byrne, promoting Tourism Australia's latest campaign 'Come and Say G'Day'.

Australia's ski season is on a downhill slope, but new data shows there's an off-ramp

Everyone on the Australian ski slopes loves to chat about the weather conditions, and it's getting harder to avoid climate change in those conversations.

Away from the sunburnt beaches, hot dusty gums, and red deserts, news for the ski fields, sitting at remarkably low altitudes by global standards, hasn't been good for years. 

The fear that reports of declining snow will drive tourists away runs deep.

A new report released this week highlights just how vulnerable the region is to climate change, showing the length of ski seasons will decline by 2030.

But there's some hope: if the world drastically cuts emissions, by 2080 the snow season can actually bounce back as the climate recovers.

The report was commissioned by climate advocacy group Protect Our Winters (POW), which was started by American professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones after he noticed the impacts of climate change on the mountains he loved.

Looking at the existing research covering the Australian Alps and using weather station data, the report forecasts how temperatures and rainfall will change in a hotter world and the effect that will have on the lengths of ski seasons.

Then it offers predictions for different climate scenarios: if the world significantly cuts emissions, or continues on a higher trajectory.

Report author Ruby Olsson from the Australian National University said the modelling considered both the ability of ski resorts to make snow, and a minimum depth for skiing of 30 centimetres.

"It takes into account that you need certain temperatures and certain dryness of air to create snow, and that climate change is reducing the available snowmaking hours for resorts.

The findings aren't pretty. By 2050, on average, the ski season will be around 40 days shorter under the current trajectory.

"So really dramatic impacts from climate change on what is already a kind of unreliable and variable snow area," Olsson explained.

Despite the relatively bleak outlook for the years to come, the research, however, clearly shows how doubling down on efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions will see ski season lengths recover, especially in lower altitude areas such as Mount Selwyn.

"The low emission scenario is really positive, it's only going to be 28 days shorter and even less so for higher-elevation resorts," Olsson said.

"There's good news in that if we can continue to ramp up our transition to a renewable economy, then we can save our alpine areas." 

When snow turns to rainfall

Climate change has already taken its toll on the alpine ecosystem and the ski industry, according to Olsson.

"The contraction in the ski season length is already between 17 and 28 per cent," Olsson said.

"From an alpine tourism perspective, ski resorts are already having to increase their snowmaking dramatically to deal with reduced snow depths and reduced natural snowfall."

University of New South Wales professor Matthew England agreed, saying there was "certainty" Australia's Alps were warming.

"These greenhouse gases that we're increasing in concentration trap extra heat and it's going to affect the alpine regions," he said.

"These regions will be warmer in the future."

For the Australian ski industry, an increase in global temperatures by a few degrees will be disastrous.

"It's no good having a dump of rainfall that normally would fall as snow, in a warmer climate, just falling as rain," Professor England said.

Billion-dollar industry at stake

Unreliable conditions are bad for business and on the annual opening of the ski season, tourism operators were reluctant to openly discuss how climate change was altering the industry.

It's similar to the tension playing out between tourism operators and climate organisations over coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef.

"As the climate warms due to climate pollution, we'll see more and more inconsistency in our seasons where we'll get still get bumper seasons, but we'll also get seasons that are really hard to operate on," POW's Sam Quirke said.

"It's a $3.3 billion economy across New South Wales and Victoria and 26,000 jobs are employed in the winter tourism economy."

In its statement to the ABC, the ski industry's peak body, the Australian Ski Areas Association (ASAA), highlighted the progress of snow-making technology.

"From grooming to snowmaking, Australian ski areas are some of the best in the world at snow management which is why skiers and snowboarders at Australian resorts are in general enjoying more days on the slopes, not less, compared with 40 years ago, despite the challenges of climate changes."

ASAA said the industry "understands and accepts the unpredictability that comes with the alpine environment."

Alpine Resorts Victoria, which operates Falls Creek and Mount Baw Baw, said the sectors generated "in excess of a billion dollars" for the Victorian economy.

"So, understanding and adapting to a changing climate is central to everything we do," Alpine Resorts Victoria's CEO Amber Gardner told the ABC.

"The alpine sector is reliant on the natural environment so has long planned for and actively worked to mitigate the impact of climate change on the landscape."

But POW's Sam Quirke believes there are limits to how much the industry can depend on artificial snow. More artificial snow also increases running costs.

"At the end of the day, we still need to be hitting low temperatures to be able to make snow," he said.

"With more and more snowmaking … more electricity is required to power snowmaking and also significantly more water."

Embracing summer mountains

The ANU report recommends the industry start preparing for a warmer future by diversifying its offerings and boosting summer tourism to help mitigate the bad ski seasons.

Some resorts are already doing this with mountain biking and outdoor recreation, but the report's authors believe there needs to be a coordinated, government-led approach for the sector.

"We will need some level of adaptation, the Alps are already changing. We need to support alpine tourism, other businesses, regional communities to adapt," researcher Ruby Olsson said.

Her next project will study the dieback of snow gums, another victim of climate change.

"We absolutely need dramatic reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions," she said.

"Because if we do that, there is a great chance for all of our alpine tourism and regional communities and high-country ecosystems, and the cost of adaptation will be much less."

"I'm still quite optimistic about the future of the Alps. I really love the Alps and I know so many other people do as well. So I think that we can make positive changes to maintain what we value."

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