Lessons in destination marketing from Tourism Australia

The challenge of marketing an entire country is fundamentally different from selling a product or service. When Tourism Australia set out to make the nation "the most memorable and desirable destination in the world," it discovered that success lay not just in showcasing iconic landmarks, but in understanding the emotional drivers that compel people to travel thousands of kilometres from home.

This insight has proven particularly powerful in India, where Tourism Australia has witnessed considerable growth. In the year ending June 2025, nearly 450,000 Indians travelled to Australia, spending approximately 2.7 billion Australian dollars and collectively staying 29 million nights. More telling than the numbers themselves is the trajectory, which notes that arrivals grew by 8%, spending increased by 14%, and length of stay rose by 21% compared to the previous year.

Driving the visits to Australia is the youth. The average age of Indians taking international holidays is steadily declining, reflecting a broader shift in when and why people choose to travel abroad.

This generational change is accompanied by what Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager – India & Gulf at Tourism Australia, identifies as an attitudinal shift from a savings-driven to a spending economy. "India is no longer primarily a savings-driven economy; it's increasingly a spending or 'splurging' economy," he notes. This evolution has given rise to what they term "globe-trotting" – travel motivated by social, cultural, and entertainment experiences rather than traditional sightseeing.

"As Indians, we tend to be quite emotional, so building a strong emotional connection between India and Australia is key. Tourism is ultimately about creating people-to-people links," explains Kashikar. This understanding forms the backbone of its latest campaign featuring Sara Tendulkar.

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Kashikar notes that the team has a strategic focus on event-based marketing. Whether it's the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, the Australian Open, or music festivals, it creates "FOMO-driven experiences" that travellers want to showcase on social media. The emphasis shifts from passive observation to active participation and social sharing.

It develops concentrated and domination-led approaches, leveraging digital ecosystems to identify and target high-yield travellers. Through platforms like Google and Meta, it segments audiences based on travel behaviour, spending patterns, and interests, ensuring the message reaches those most likely to convert consideration into actual bookings.

The digital nativity of this younger demographic also influences how Tourism Australia structures its content strategy. Beyond broad campaign films that build overall consideration, it has created "driver films".

“These driver films are usually short—ranging from 6 to 30 seconds—and are promoted on platforms like Meta. This way, we not only capture broad attention with the main film but also nurture interest through personalised, bite-sized content that resonates with specific traveller segments.”

If someone shows interest in adventure activities, they are retargeted with content about scuba diving or skydiving. Food enthusiasts receive content about Australia's culinary experiences. This approach is shaped by the knowledge that younger travellers don't just want to see destinations; they want to envision themselves actively experiencing them.

Partnerships with influencers to attract tourists

The four fundamental principles that guide the team’s destination marketing strategy include winning in consideration, offering distinctive and competitive experiences, being creatively ambitious while investing wisely, and making a meaningful impact through 'fame moments' such as cricket tours or major festivals.

But it's the adaptation of these principles that reveals the sophistication of modern destination marketing. While the framework remains consistent globally, the execution varies dramatically based on cultural insights and market dynamics.

For first-time visitors, the focus is naturally on iconic attractions. For repeat travellers, the strategy shifts to highlighting new and immersive experiences that they may have missed during their previous trip.

Kaushik is aware that a brand campaign cannot possibly cover all eight states or showcase every experience. Apart from a full-length film, it uses content-led initiatives to create awareness, highlight reasons to visit Australia, and showcase the experiences on offer. 

This is done through international media hosting programs, collaborations with OTT platforms, and other content partnerships.

Tourism Australia also partners with celebrities and influencers like Sara Tendulkar to reach out to consumers in the digital age. 

Each year, Tourism Australia hosts 20 to 30 influencers, content creators, and advocates in Australia, working with state and territory tourism partners to create authentic experiences. But the strategy goes deeper than traditional influencer marketing. The "visiting friends and family" segment represents a significant portion of Indian travel to Australia, with nearly a million Indians calling Australia home. Its tourism is amplified through word of mouth as well. 

Similarly, the Aussie Specialist Program encourages advocacy building. With over 3,000 certified travel advisors across India, the program creates advocates who can influence travellers at what Kashikar calls "the moment of truth" – when consideration converts to booking.

Modern travellers, particularly younger demographics, trust peer recommendations and authentic experiences over traditional advertising. By creating genuine connections and memorable experiences, Tourism Australia aims to build a marketing ecosystem that extends far beyond paid campaigns.

Measuring success: From awareness to advocacy

While this campaign, developed with agency Droga5 ANZ, is rolled out in India via connected TV, OOH, social and digital advertising platforms, the campaign’s success will be measured beyond traditional metrics.

Strategic KPIs track the fundamentals: arrivals, overall spend, spend per person, and repeat travel, measured quarterly through the International Visitor Survey and Australian Bureau of Statistics. Brand health metrics, monitored through continuous consumer research, measure Australia's awareness, consideration, intent to visit, and associations with key factors like safety, nature experiences, and infrastructure. Campaign metrics include share of search, cost per view, partnership ROI, and customer acquisition costs.

Over the years, this approach has revealed the effectiveness of its strategy. Australia has moved up nearly 10 places in India's preferred destination rankings over the past decade and a half, now standing at 10th place. More significantly, arrivals from India have grown at 11.1% annually over the past decade – significantly higher than the 7.6% growth in overall Indian outbound travel. 

Destination marketing isn't just about driving immediate bookings, but about building long-term preference and advocacy. In the connected world where travellers have countless options, the destinations that succeed are those that create genuine emotional connections and deliver experiences.

The Indian outbound travel market is projected to grow from 30 million to 80-90 million travellers by 2040. For Tourism Australia, this foundation of emotional connection and authentic advocacy is aimed at building lasting relationships with a generation of travellers who view travel as an essential part of their lifestyle.