Luhrmann to head Aussie tourism push

Australia - Tourism Australia has hired film director of Baz Luhrmann and his Bazmark production team to spearhead A$50 million international campaign to promote Australia.

The "special campaign" will run from October until the middle of next year and will be used until newly appointed creative agency DDB develops its own brand campaign for the national tourism body.

Australia's minister for tourism, Martin Ferguson, said the campaign will be loosely based around Baz Luhrmann's forthcoming movie Australia, but will not be about the film itself.

The TV, cinema, print, and online campaign will be rolled out in major markets in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Earlier this year Tourism Australia appointed DDB as its creative agency. The media component is still being decided between incumbent Carat and the Havas-owned MPG. A decision about the media business is expected to be imminent.

"These are challenging times for the tourism industry and I hope this campaign will motivate people around the world to visit Australia," Ferguson said.

"The Government is committed to addressing the supply-side constraints presently affecting the industry through the development of a National Long-term Tourism Strategy, as well as supporting the work of Tourism Australia as our national tourism marketing agency."