Australia’s ‘Bloody’ Success

Travel Blog  •  Michael Yessis  •  03.16.07 | 7:56 AM ET

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When Australia rolled out it’s “Where the bloody hell are you?” campaign last year, more than a few people claimed to be offended. Thirteen months later, “Australia has become a success story on how to capitalize in the competitive global tourism market,” according to a story by Lee Berthiaum in Embassy, the Canadian Foreign Policy newsweekly. The key, Berthiaum writes, was emphasizing Australia’s personality.

“We’ve got beaches,” he says. “So do a lot of places around the world. We’ve got fine dining with great wine. So does Europe. Trying to convince someone from France to go to Australia to sample wine is a hard sell. So what we’ve really had to put our finger on is what we really offer.

“We really try to roll up the personality of the people because Aussies really like to welcome foreigners in the country.”