26 June 2008

British, German tourists deserve better than “bloody hell” campaign

The 2006 'Where the bloody hell are you?' international television campaign has been described by the new Australian Government as an embarrassing attempt to boost tourism numbers. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told parliament the campaign was a "rolled gold disaster", says the Sydney Morning Herald, and believes the loyal British, German and Japanese tourists deserve better campaigns than that.

Model Lara Bingle starred in the commercial wearing a bikini and asking viewers 'Where the bloody hell are you?', while standing on a beach.  The commercial was banned in some countries, and the Tourism Minister eventually withdrew the campaign.  After the launch of the campaign, tourism numbers from Britain, Germany, and Japan to Australia dropped.

"This government is now seeking to re-examine that [campaign] because Australian tourism deserves better than that which (Liberal MP Fran Bailey) gave us when she was Minister for Tourism," Mr Rudd said. 

Australian tourism is undergoing major reform to attract emerging tourism markets such as China and India, and consolidate the traditional tourism markets from the UK, Europe, and Japan.  Recently, the Australian Government sent officials to the UK for a promotional tour to attract skilled workers and people interested in applying for an Australian working visa.

Anyone interested in applying for an Australian working visa should confirm their eligibility by taking Visa Bureau’s online assessment.

Anyone applying for skilled migration visa should begin by taking Visa Bureau’s online assessment to see if they meet the basic legislative requirements.