Knowledge@ASB: Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure: Tourism Takes a Celebrity Gamble

Will "the Oprah effect" save Australian tourism? With A$3 million being invested in bringing – arguably – the world's most famous woman and her TV production crew to visit some of Australia's most iconic locations, all eyes are on the outcomes. Increasing exposure through celebrity glitz will certainly deliver benefits, insist tourism sector experts. But, even if more travellers book long-haul flights and are undeterred by the robust exchange rate on the Australian dollar, will they concur with a British critic's recent description of the land Down Under as the "dumb blonde" of the world, "attractive, but shallow and unintelligent"? And, can Oprah turn that around?