Tourism Australia opens global media tender

Tourism Australia will launch an open tender to appoint a global media planning and buying agency, putting incumbent agency OMD on notice.The national tourism organisation’s current contract with OMD will expire on 30 June 2016, after a period of five years. The new contract will also be for a period of up to five years.The tender will be two-phased: an initial expression of interest process aimed at better understanding the changing media landscape and informing its future requirements; and the second phase, which will involve a request for tender with those shortlisted agency partners identified through the first phase.A Tourism Australia spokesperson said the two-phase process would help better inform its future media requirements and identify the right partner or partners to help drive the execution of its global marketing strategy.“As a government agency, and for a contract of this size and importance, Tourism Australia is required to conduct an open tender process.“OMD has been a fantastic partner since 2011. With the term of the existing contract approaching its end, this two-phased tender gives us the opportunity to better understand the changing media landscape and the agency partnership structure we require to deliver on our future media requirements."