D’Arcy faces Australian tourist pitch

The Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) is reviewing its global advertising account, held by D’Arcy.

The business is worth about &£2m in the UK and about &£5m globally.

ATC’s latest campaign, created by D’Arcy, is running on TV.

The review, which is statutory, will create a shortlist that is expected to include D’Arcy. The agency has held the global business since the ATC’s last statutory review, which happened in 1996.

A spokeswoman for D’Arcy says: “We will be taking part in a statutory global review within the next few months. We have held the account for 11 years and have successfully taken part in two statutory reviews during that time.”

Australia is set for its busiest tourism year ever after the success of last year’s Sydney Olympics.

The review comes as ATC’s London-based managing director, John Morse, prepares to stand down from his position in July.

The ATC is conducting a worldwide search to find a successor for Morse.