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Amid the hum of 60,000 meetings and catch-ups on the floor at the 45th Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison took a moment to share her take on where we’re at and where to next with Karryon’s Matt Leedham.
There’s a buzz running through ATE 2025 in Brisbane/Meanjin that you can feel as much as hear. Australia’s tourism sector isn’t just back, it’s crackling and popping with fresh energy, ideas, and opportunities.
A significant contributing factor is that international arrivals continue to rebound strongly, reaching 8.3 million in the 12 months ending February 2025 — up 9% year-on-year and a massive 82% compared to two years ago.
But if you ask Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director of Tourism Australia, now is not the time for navel-gazing. The real work, she says, lies in planning, shaping, and growing Australia’s tourism sector sustainably for the future.
Tourism Australia is forecasting an additional five million international arrivals over the next four years, bringing the total to a record 13.19 million by 2029, if the forecast is achieved. How, then, to make that happen?
“We know from our research that Australia is still on everybody’s list of places they want to visit,” Harrison said. “This is just that playing out. Everyone from our consumers to our agents to our wholesalers still has a long-term love affair with this country. It hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’s just got stronger.”
But staying on a wishlist isn’t enough; committing to booking is what matters. “It’s one thing being on people’s wishlist. It’s another thing being on their to-do list,” she said.
“Our job is to create a bit of urgency and get them to take that longer flight.”
Aviation: Australia’s growth engine
The Aviation Hub at ATE25 in Brisbane/Meanjin
To that point, obviously, aviation remains fundamental to Australia’s tourism ambitions. The good news is that air capacity in and out of Australia is now higher than it was in 2019 and continues to lift.
Looking ahead, Harrison pointed to Qantas’ planned Project Sunrise flights, which will fly directly from Sydney to New York, as game-changers for access, alongside new links between East Coast Australia and Istanbul, which unlock wider access to Europe.
Just as critical, she said, are the next-generation, narrow-bodied long-haul aircraft, such as the Airbus A321XLRs and Boeing 787-9s, which open up new secondary routes across Southeast Asia and beyond.
“These aircraft will allow us to unlock new city pairs that were simply unviable before,” she said.
While visitors from New Zealand, China, the UK, and the US remain solid at the top of the arrival chart, developing markets like India, Japan, and South Korea are next in line for significant growth.
“There’s so much opportunity to unlock in India, for example,” Harrison said. “There are ambitious carriers there, and that market is going to grow significantly over the next five years.”
Distribution disruption: Social commerce and AI
But aviation isn’t the only landscape shifting fast. “Forty per cent of online travel bookings are now coming through social media,” Harrison said, shaking her head slightly at the speed of change.
“In China, it’s 90 per cent. People are researching and booking experiences on platforms like TikTok. Even my 16-year-old daughter is planning an entire European trip that way.”
Regarding the role of AI, Harrison said, “The piece I’m really interested in for our ecosystem is what it means for distribution and how it can help our distributors be more efficient.”
Tourism Australia is adapting too, using AI to lighten operational tasks like translation and standardisation, giving its creative teams more freedom to focus on connection, not administration.
“AI handles the heavy lifting, but people still bring the magic, the curation and connection travellers want,” she said.
And that magic, Harrison believes, is where Australia’s opportunity truly lies.
Telling new stories through food and regional Australia
ATE25 in Brisbane/Meanjin
If a clear theme is emerging from Harrison’s vision, it’s that Australia’s future tourism success will come not just from its icons, but from authenticity, including food, people, regions, and deeper connections.
Tourism Australia’s new focus on agritourism helps tap into that shift. “There are a few key drivers for travel: nature, wildlife, heritage, and food and drink,” she said.
“Our opportunity lies in showcasing the purity and quality of Australian produce, and the incredible stories of our local makers.”
Food and drink trails, launching later this year, will encourage visitors to stray from the well-worn paths, spreading the benefits of tourism to regional communities without overwhelming them.
“Tasmania has done a beautiful job of it,” she said. “You meander along the road, stopping at a honey producer, a whiskey maker, a cheesemaker; it’s a seamless experience. That’s the kind of regional story we want to tell more widely across Australia.”
By focusing on food and drink trails (Itineraries) and not overburdening small producers, Harrison said the plan is to spread the benefits further, also aiding the tourism board’s challenge of regional dispersal.
“It blends sustainability, Indigenous culture, and regional growth beautifully,” she said. “And it allows us to show a different, deeper side of Australia.”
Beyond Brisbane 2032: Building a legacy, not just a moment
Of course, the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics are now rising shadows on the horizon. While promotional activity is scheduled to begin after the Los Angeles Games in 2028, Harrison’s eye is firmly set beyond the Olympic flame.
“It’s not about selling stadium seats,” she said. “It’s about the moment when the eyes of the world are on Australia. Our job will be to tell the story outside the stadiums, the breadth and depth of what Australia really offers.”
The opportunity is enormous. Harrison reminded us that after the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia enjoyed a decade-long tourism boost even with global shocks like September 11.
“We had a 10-year boost after Sydney,” she said. “Brisbane is growing fast, and this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
The next chapter for Ruby and the power of trade
Ruby pops into ATE25 in Brisbane/Meanjin
What’s next for Ruby, Australia’s famous and now multi-lingual animated Kangaroo?
Ruby’s journey continues, says Harrison. A forthcoming ‘Chapter Two’ marketing campaign will see Ruby share new, more locally inspired Australian stories, working with talent from key international markets to keep Australia’s story fresh in native languages.
“When we first reopened, it was about reminding the world what they already loved about Australia,” Harrison said. “Now it’s about moving them from the familiar to the fresh.”
Wrapping up our interview, Harrison offered a heartfelt thank you to Australia’s travel advisors, wholesalers, and frontline teams, who she says are the real storytellers who bring Tourism Australia to life.
“You are an incredibly important part of our ecosystem,” she said. “Thank you for telling the stories of Australian tourism. We can’t do it alone, and have gratitude that you are such an integral part of our ecosystem.”
For more, head to www.tourism.australia.com
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