Australia will always hold a special place in my heart since it was the country that made me fall in love with travel. When the movie Crocodile Dundee came out, I was a senior in high school, and I became infatuated with the land Down Under. At the same time both of my sisters were living in Australia, so I talked my mom into planning our first international family trip so we could visit them. I used ads for the movie and Paul Hogan to convince her.
In the end, despite my getting my mom to agree, we didn’t make it to Australia that year due to some personal problems of mine, but seven years later I finally did go. By now, I’ve been about seven times total. I simply love Australia and its people, and so when the recent bushfires were burning I was especially bummed. As we wrote here, the damage from the fires was very real. But I’m happy to report that Australia is recovering BIG time and the fires only affected a small portion of the country (see more here). Most Americans don’t seem to realize that Australia is about the same size as the continental U.S. is. And if Florida were burning, you wouldn’t avoid going to New York, Chicago or Los Angeles…right?
You wouldn’t know it with all the inaccurate media coverage, but most of the country didn’t burn. And even the parts that did are open for business. Right now, the country needs our support more than ever. So if you’re thinking about going on holiday this year, please consider Australia—not because you feel sorry for them but because it’s an awesome place to visit.
More on the “Australia Is Open for Business” video
Here’s a Tourism Australia representative’s statement to JohnnyJet.com on the video and the situation:
“Australia has been overwhelmed by the incredible outpouring of support from around the world and is extremely grateful for the generosity expressed in the wake of the fires. To say thank you, Tourism Australia has created a new video featuring a handful of operators from the Australian Tourism Industry with a message to come and visit soon.
“There are large areas of Australia that, though unaffected by the bushfires, are suffering the knock-on effect of cancelled bookings. Many of the areas impacted by the bushfires rely on tourism to sustain their local economies. This means tourists are vital in rebuilding local communities and helping to send a message to the rest of the world that Australia is still welcoming visitors. Tourism Australia encourages visitors to keep their travel plans and refer to Australia.com for the latest updates and inspiration.”
