Oprah Winfrey's Australia visit fails to boost tourism

The internationally-televised tour, which included 300 fans whose holidays were paid by Australia's tourism agencies, was tipped by Tourism Australia to be worth $360 million (£237 million) in global publicity. But the flailing economy and the rising Australian dollar appear to have dented the impact of the much-touted "Oprah effect".

British viewers seemed particularly unaffected by Winfrey's series, Ultimate Australian Adventure. New Government figures showed visits from Britain dropped 4.6 per cent in the first five months of the year, while those from the US fell 0.8 per cent.

Andrew McEvoy, the head of Tourism Australia, was further embarrassed after bungling the visitor numbers and proclaiming that the Winfrey impact "comes from now" – a claim his organisation has been forced to retract.

The high-profile tour last December, which led to a four-part series that aired in 145 countries, has also set off a feud between interstate tourism officials. One executive reportedly claimed the tour focused excessively on New South Wales and Queensland and "reinforced the old stereotype of tropical beaches, koalas and the Harbour Bridge".

Several analysts in Australia have criticised the Winfrey tour, saying tourism bodies should be trying to lure visitors from China and south-east Asia.

Source - telegraph.co.uk