Tourism Strategy Pivots to Film as Cairns Bets on Recovery

For Cairns residents, a battle for tourism recovery is playing out at an unusual venue: a glitzy marketing conference in their own backyard. Tourism Australia unveiled its post-pandemic campaign strategy this week, and the stakes for the region couldn't be clearer—one in eight jobs here depends on getting international visitors back on board.

The strategy centres on "Come and Say G'Day," a nine-minute film that represents a calculated departure from the short-form content arms race that dominates travel marketing. While competitors chase viral moments on TikTok and Reels, Tourism Australia's creative agency M&C Saatchi produced a longer-form piece designed to sell Australia as a complete experience rather than a fleeting impression.

The campaign launched at Cannes in Cairns, a three-day industry gathering held in the heart of the region it's designed to support. Against the backdrop of the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests, Tourism Australia's Susan Coghill laid bare the pressure facing the broader tourism sector. Australia's tourism industry comprises more than 350,000 small businesses—many of them family operations that have mortgaged their futures to operate reef tours, river cruises, and hospitality ventures. Tourism ranks as Australia's second-largest export, with one in 12 jobs nationally tied to the sector. But in Cairns, that reliance is far more acute.

The recovery strategy deliberately moves away from the approach that defined earlier eras. Paul Hogan's 1984 "Wonders Down Under" campaign stands as a watershed moment in destination marketing—iconic imagery, Australian charm, and distinctive visual identity. Yet that same campaign left gaps: it rendered Australia's First Nations invisible and sidelined the nation's multicultural identity.

The new approach aims for something different. It leans on Australia's most recognizable symbols—kangaroos and koalas, the Sydney Opera House, Uluru—but weaves them into a framework designed to be inclusive. Research confirmed what many might assume: international audiences remain enchanted by Australia's fauna. Kangaroos top the list, followed by koalas, the Opera House, Uluru, and cultural touchstones like Crocodile Dundee. The campaign harnesses these familiar anchors while deliberately shifting the narrative to reflect modern Australia.

For Cairns businesses and workers, the real test isn't marketing theory—it's visitor numbers at the dock and occupancy rates in accommodation. The reef tourism industry has weathered the pandemic, but recovery remains fragile. Every percentage point increase in international arrivals translates directly to employment and revenue for the region.

That's why the film approach matters more than it might appear to broader audiences. In choosing substance over viral novelty, Tourism Australia signalled that the industry doesn't see tourism as a fleeting trend to chase online. For communities like Cairns that have built their economies around hospitality, it's essential infrastructure for survival and prosperity.