Chris Hemsworth named face of Tourism Australia campaign, Hollywood star to sell Australia
Updated about 3 hours ago
Australian movie star Chris Hemsworth will be the face of Tourism Australia's latest advertising campaign.
Federal Tourism Minister Richard Colbeck said the actor had been signed up to take part in the next instalment of the agency's There's Nothing Like Australia campaign, which will focus on Australia's coasts and aquatic experiences.
He said the signing was a huge win for local tourism and will help lift Australia's profile - particularly in the United States.
Hemsworth recently moved back to Australia with his actress wife Elsa Pataky and their three children.
The actor, who beefed up for this role in the movie Thor, has recently earned appreciation from fans across the world for his form, both on film - or while appearing shirtless at the beach.
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres shared a picture of the Hollywood star sans shirt with the audience, while accepting a gong at the People's Choice awards in the United States last week.
In a statement, Tourism Australia Managing Director, John O'Sullivan said Australia would still be "the star of this latest campaign", but Hemsworth would provide "an authentic Australian voice to tell the country's story globally".
"Chris truly embodies the Australian way of life and his love of his home country, with all its natural beauty, makes him an ideal ambassador," Mr O'Sullivan said.
"From learning how to surf on Phillip Island, fishing with his brothers in the Northern Territory and family beach holidays, Chris has grown up in Australia, in and around water, and his own personal experiences bring a truly authentic and influential Australian voice to our campaign."
Hemsworth praises Australia's 'incredible natural beauty'
Hemsworth said being in or near water was "a way of life for us".
"In Australia you're surrounded by the most incredible natural beauty," Hemsworth said in a statement.
"It wasn't a hard decision to move back to Australia, because this part of the world is such a special place.
"This is the place I want my kids to grow up – that's the world I want them to be part of.
"I'm really looking forward to launching this new campaign in New York and sharing with the rest of the world just how amazing this country really is."
This latest campaign follows controversy surrounding Tourism Australia's previous efforts to promote Australia as a holiday destination.
In 2008, Lara Bingle and the now infamous "Where the bloody hell are you" slogan earned the ire of many Australians before it was eventually given the boot, after failing to generate any major increase in visitor numbers.
Then in 2009, the Baz Luhrmann-inspired campaign, piggybacked off the film Australia was panned by a tourism industry group.
The two high-profile campaigns followed the famously successful 1984 Paul Hogan-centred push that was tagged with the line, "come and say G'day, I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for ya".
At the time, the Australian Tourism Export Council said the marketing push was doing nothing to help operators struggling to survive the global financial crisis.
Tourism Australia said Hemsworth would launch the new campaign on Australia Day eve in New York.
Topics: travel-and-tourism, industry, tourism, arts-and-entertainment, film-movies, australia, united-states
First posted about 4 hours ago
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