General News
7 October, 2025
Come say G’day Japan
JAPANESE funnyman and media personality Abareru-kun is the face of a new $130 million ‘Come and Say G’Day’ campaign targeting the Far North’s biggest source of tourists.
Tourism Australia has launched the second chapter of its Come and Say G’Day campaign for the Japanese market, showing why Australia is the place for the world to Come and Say G’day when choosing where to holiday.
Federal assistant tourism minister Senator Nita Green launched the campaign in Tokyo last week to inspire Japanese travellers to plan and book an Australian holiday.
The rollout in Japan is a key part of a $130m worldwide campaign featuring Abareru-kun, who has a deep passion for World Heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef.
The campaign is set to run for the next two years and is targeted at attracting international arrivals to Australia, which are expected to reach a record of 10 million in 2026.
The Japanese market is growing year on year with 400,000 arrivals over the last year generating over $2.1 billion for the Australian economy. Over the coming years, the market is expected to grow by more than 50%, reaching 600,000 visitors annually by 2029.
Ms Green said Japan had long been an important tourism market for Australia and one that remained a strategic priority for our visitor economy.
“As someone who lives in Cairns with the Reef and rainforest in my backyard, I know just how much Australia loves our World Heritage sites. But they are not only precious to us – they’re bucket list items around the world,” she said.
“We want to welcome the Japanese market to see those sites especially. And having Abareru-kun, who holds a certificate in World Heritage, feature at the Great Barrier Reef is part of that pitch. This latest chapter of Come and Say G’day builds on the success of the first by sharing the iconic places and lasting impression of an Australian holiday with a funny, warm and memorable campaign to encourage more Japanese travellers to visit.
“This campaign will help support the future growth of Australian tourism, which is the lifeblood of so many communities across the country and in turn supporting more than 700,000 jobs and 360,000 businesses.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said Japan and the Tropical North had a longstanding connection lasting 50 years.
He said about 60% of Japanese visitors to Queensland came to the Tropical North and around 27% of Australia’s total Japanese visitors made the Far North a destination.
“Japanese visitors have a really strong association with Australia already, especially Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, there are around 4200 Japanese expats living in Cairns and, for our Japanese visitors to Cairns, it is about the connection as well as the beauty of our place,” Mr Olsen said.
He said humour and education was the focus of the new campaign, capturing a sense of connection and community.
