Australian tourism hoping for Ellen effect

The Australian tourism industry is preparing to reap the rewards of a second American talk show host heading Down Under, after fellow talk show host Oprah Winfrey caused a surge in Americans holidaying in Australia.

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Ellen DeGeneres will film several shows from Australia in March.

Official Australian tourism figures reported in December showed almost 75% of Americans holidaying in Australia were directly influenced by Ms Winfrey's 2010 trip when the media mogul broadcasted four shows from many of the country's most iconic sites. The subsequent rise was labelled the 'Oprah effect' by the Australian media.

And now Ellen DeGeneres, host of the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has confirmed she will be filming several shows in Australia in March.

National airline Qantas have joined forces with the show's sponsors to support the initiative, which Tourism Australia chief executive Alan Joyce has said is a 'great coup'.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show is one of the top-rating shows in the United States and screen in several key source tourism markets, making it a great platform to profile what Australia has to offer as a holiday destination," said Mr Joyce.

Ms DeGeneres made the announcement alongside one of her latest guests, Nicole Kidman - an outspoken advocate of tourism in Australia.

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