For many years, Australia's tourism profited mainly from American and British visitors; with the crises upon these countries, local tourism struggles and authorities have found a new target: Asia.
Australia was for many years an immensely popular destination for American and British tourists. In fact, visitors from these countries were responsible for a considerable part of the tourist-generated income there. The wonderfully diverse country has never had a reputation of being budget-friendly and unfortunately, this has become a major issue now. The global crises hit hard and many travelers have been continuously forced to reconsider their holiday plans. Instead of flying half-way across the globe, they seek out less expensive destinations and Australia is losing out.
Local tourism needs a significant boost and recent years have shown some promising numbers. It appears Australia is growing on Asian travelers. The number of visitors from countries like China, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam is on a steady increase and an opportunity has arisen which local government plans to use. It is the Asian economies which are experiencing significant economic growth and targeting this market may turn out to be an ingenious move. Promotion campaigns are already being carried out.
On the other hand, Australia still hasn't forgotten about its American fans. 'The Queen of daytime television' Oprah Winfrey is planning to finish her popular show by shooting the last episodes in the Sydney Opera House. 6,000 tickets have been sold out and the grand finale will feature some of the most glamorous stars, including Hugh Jackman, Jay-Z and Cate Blanchett. Oprah is a godsend for Australia - her show is watched all over the world and surely, she will manage to draw the slightly faltering attention back to this striking country.
