Ouch! Australia is just a dumb blonde, says branding guru
Visiting British branding expert Simon Anholt, speaking at an education conference in Sydney, has questioned the worth of Tourism Australia’s decision to bring out US talk show host Oprah Winfrey and her audience for a series of programmes in December
Anholt said Australia was ranked best in the world for natural beauty and as a place to visit if money was no object.
But he said the success of Australia’s tourism promotion campaigns had produced an “unbalanced” view of the country.
”What you have is an image of a country that is considered to be very decorative, but not very useful,” he said.
Anholt, who has advised more than 40 countries on national identity and reputation, said Australia relied too much on ”logos and slogans” in its efforts to change people’s minds about the country.
Australia is viewed as the ”dumb blonde” of the world, attractive but shallow and unintelligent, he said,
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025