Tourist body starts £30m agency hunt

Tourism Australia is looking for its first global advertising agency to handle &£30m-worth of business.

The tourist body is also looking for a global media planning and buying agency. The pitch will be run from the Sydney office and will not affect the status of the UK incumbent agencies Grey London and MediaCom.

Tourism Australia is looking for networks with a strong presence in Australia, New Zealand, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Los Angeles and the ability to service other markets.

Tourism Australia, formerly the Australian Tourist Commission, handed the &£6m UK account to Grey London in June last year. However, Whybin/TBWA of Australia created the first phase of the “Australia: A Different Light” television campaign, which ran in the UK last year.

Tourism Australia managing director Scott Morrison said: ” We are seeking to appoint two global agency networks with a strong presence in all our key regions, including the UK, which will complement our international and domestic marketing activities.”

In a statement, the tourism body says that it wants “to achieve greater consistency and integration” in its agency arrangements.