No World Cup, but hey, Australia’s got Oprah
Australia may not be getting the World Cup but it still has talk show queen Oprah Winfrey to flout its tourism credentials.
Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy this week cited figures showing media coverage of Winfrey’s visit to Sydney later this month had already generated $17 million for the Australian economy.
McEvoy backed up his optimism in a speech at the National Press Cub by saying that the December 14 visit to the Sydney “Oprah†House would encourage other wealthy American women to visit the country.
Oprah Winfrey Show viewers are typically women aged 25 to 54 with above-average incomes, he said.
“In the US, she rates better with people who earn more than 75 grand a year and even better with people who earn more than 90 grand.â€
The visit of Oprah and her entourage has been subsidised by the federal and New South Wales state governments, each spending $3 million.
McEvoy said it would be foolish to suggest the “Oprah effect†will be some kind of silver bullet to restore Australia’s tourism sector to full health.
He said the real issues to be addressed were increasing infrastructure and air capacity to attract more international visitors.
Ian Jarrett
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