Australia Marketplace North America 2025 is underway in Los Angeles this week, bringing together U.S. and Canadian buyers, sellers and media to meet with key representatives and stakeholders from Australia.
Here’s what’s new Down Under.
The “Come and Say G’Day” Campaign Gets a Sequel
Tourism Australia’s wildly successful “Come and Say G’Day” marketing campaign, which debuted in 2022 featuring the fictional “Ruby the Souvenir Kangaroo” character, is ready for its next chapter — and a new sidekick.
The campaign, which launches in the U.S. today, will debut in Australia’s top U.S. markets (Texas, California and New York) ahead of the season premiere of Dancing With the Stars. The reality competition show will feature wildlife conservationist (and “Dancing” contestant) Robert Irwin, son of the late conservationist Steve Irwin, alongside Ruby.
Tourism campaigns have traditionally used one spokesperson across key international tourism markets, but this iteration of the “Come and Say G’Day” campaign incorporates several spokespeople, like Irwin, who vary across Australia’s other tourism markets (including China, India and the U.K.), according to Chris Allison, vice president for the Americas and New Zealand for Tourism Australia.
For those who have already seen the first iteration of the campaign, there is a 15 percentage-point increase in consideration for visiting Australia, compared to those who haven’t, Allison said. Those points illustrate that the campaign resonates well and continues to be effective in promoting the destination.
The "Come and Say G'Day" campaign is entering a new era.
Credit: 2025 Tourism Australia/Angel De LeonU.S.-Australia Visitation Numbers Remain Steady, But Spending Is Up
In total, Australia welcomed more than 8 million international inbound visitors over the last year, comprising $52.6 billion in consumer spending.
Of those 8 million inbound arrivals, 713,322 came from the U.S. between last July and this past June (contributing a 10% increase in spend, year over year, to $5 billion). The number of total visitors remains flat compared with 2024, due to some soft demand in the last quarter (April–June), Allison said. However, July 2025’s numbers are more promising, showing a 19% increase year over year from July 2024.
When looking at leisure travelers specifically, Australia saw 564,372 travelers (up 1% from 2024), representing $3.9 billion in spend (up 2% year over year).
Australia is not immune to bigger shockwaves in the larger economic landscape, Allison said, citing a dip in awareness and consideration in the brand equity funnel back in March (when tariffs were announced) before a rebound in April.
There are several key economic factors at play when looking at these figures, including a slowing of cross-border trade, concerns about inflation due to tariff announcements and a softening labor market (although the unemployment rate remains low).
“Despite some of the softness we’re seeing, we can’t underestimate the continued importance of the U.S. market to the leisure market,” Allison said, noting that it’s the largest market for Tourism Australia, above both the U.K. and China.
Allison also notes that consumers are still prioritizing travel spend (with monthly spending intentions hitting a four-year high), financial confidence (60% of U.S. consumers feel good about their current financial situation) and consumer confidence, which has been stable and above 2024 levels.
“The message from me, in terms of the U.S. market, is [to continue] business as usual,” Allison said. “Although we continue to keep watch on what is going on."
New Airlift Creates Opportunities for North Americans to Visit Australia
Currently, there are 163 nonstop flights per week to Australia, which by January 2026 will represent an 11% increase year over year. This shakes out to about 204,000 seats per month; by 2026, this will represent about 95% recovery from pre-pandemic levels.
But compared with pre-COVID-19 times, aviation capacity has become more seasonal, with approximately 25–30% fewer seats available in the northern summer periods, compared with northern winter periods, Allison said.
New and notable air routes include a new LAX-to-Melbourne route launching Dec. 3, 2025, via Delta Air Lines, and a new United Airlines route from San Francisco to Adelaide on Dec. 11, 2025. Both routes will operate three times per week.
Altogether, travelers from the U.S. have several options to get to Australia. They can depart from Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne; Honolulu to Sydney and Melbourne; New York to Sydney (via Auckland); Vancouver to Sydney and Brisbane; Houston to Sydney; and San Francisco to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Sports, Art and Entertainment Are Influencing Traveler Choices
Sports tourism isn’t just a pastime for Australians — it’s in their DNA, according to Georgia Harman, director of PR and communications for the Americas for Tourism Australia, who noted during a media conference that several key sporting events in the next few years will be luring travelers Down Under.
Notable events include the annual Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Victoria; the LA Rams heading to Melbourne in September 2026; the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games in Queensland; and SailGP in Sydney and Perth, Western Australia, in early 2026.
Set-jetting (when travelers’ destinations are influenced by screen productions) is also trending, with nearly 30% of travelers citing it as a reason to visit. Films and television shows featuring Australia include Anyone But You, Territory, Somebody Feed Phil and Zootopia 2.
Other trends include culinary tourism, with 78% considering food and beverage experiences as a key factor in their travel decisions. Solo travel is also trending; the market grew to $482 billion in value in 2024, and is expected to triple by 2033.
Travel Advisor Outreach Continues
This year, Tourism Australia has trained more than 15,000 travel advisors in its Aussie Specialist Program, a 15% increase over last year.
Upcoming travel advisor events and resources include two fam trips (one for U.S. advisors and one for Canadian advisors) in September and October 2025; specialty-topic webinars on a variety of experiences across Australia; State and Territory Spotlights; and G’Day Australia in Darwin in October 2026.
