Tourism Australia’s global campaign, Come and Say G’day, has now been in key tourism markets around the world for one year, welcoming international travellers to Australia and supporting the recovery of our visitor economy.
Come and Say G’day is the ongoing instalment of Tourism Australia’s There’s Nothing Like Australia globalbrand platform. With travel being restricted for the last two years, Come and Say G’day is a joyful, creative and unmistakably Australian invitation to the world. The multi-channel campaign will introduce the world to two lovable CGI animated characters; Ruby, a souvenir kangaroo, voiced by Australian actor Rose Byrne, and Louie, a toy unicorn, representing international visitors, voiced by actor Will Arnett.
The Come and Say G’day campaign is set to run across Tourism Australia’s 15 key international markets from October 2022 and aims to support the tourism industry’s recovery by driving demand for travel to Australia. The campaign will capture the world’s imagination with a short film and television commercial (TVC) as well as print and high-impact out-of-home creative, social, digital, editorial and partner advertising. The music featured in the TVC is a re-interpretation of the classic Australian anthem Down Under, by up-and-coming band King Stingray, who sing in both English and Yolŋu Matha – an Indigenous language from North East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.
To celebrate the on year milestone, Brand Ambassador Ruby the kangaroo has hopped onto major billboards in New York, London, Singapore, Chengdu and Beijing with a warm and welcoming message for travellers while showcasing some of Australia’s most recognisable and stunning scenery.
Tourism Australia Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, said while Come and Say G’day is a long-term campaign, and its work is far from done, we can already see it has had a positive impact in Tourism Australia’s key markets.
“When Come and Say G’day launched in October 2022 visitation to Australia was at about 50 per cent of monthly pre-pandemic levels. The latest arrivals numbers for July 2023 show we have steadily climbed back to about 80 per cent, compared to the same month in 2019,” Ms Harrison said.
“This ongoing recovery is great news for our industry, and we are confident that our campaign will continue to drive more demand back to Australia, as we look to stand out in a very competitive global market. We know the campaign has already driven up global consideration for an Australian holiday, and our share of flight search is already up by 10 per cent globally, compared to 2019.”
“These numbers demonstrate that Come and Say G’day is working, and will play an important role, as we look to not only recover to 2019 levels, but to return to the sustainable growth our industry experienced in the decade before the pandemic.”
“As part of the campaign Tourism Australia has 190 campaign partnerships in market, including a variety of airlines and travel agents, and the feedback from those partners on the ground is they have seen a jump in interest in an Australian holiday since the launch of Come and Say G’day.”
Tourism Australia Chief Marketing Officer, Susan Coghill, said it is not a surprise Come and Say G’day is resonating internationally as it tested extremely well in markets ahead of the launch.
“Come and Say G’day has proven to be an incredibly versatile campaign that translates across English and non-English speaking markets and it can be adapted to capitalise on key moments such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™,where we were able to make the most of the global attention on Australia with a special instalment of the campaign,” Ms Coghill said.
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