Hello everyone, it is fantastic to be here in Tokyo with you all.
Firstly, can I say that Australia has warmly welcomed visitors from Japan for many years. The relationship between our two countries and peoples goes from strength to strength.
Next year, we are looking forward to commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, an opportunity to elevate our relationship to even greater heights.
In my home of Cairns, we have a particularly loving relationship with Japan – with a large Japanese diaspora, and many Japanese visitors coming to enjoy what Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef has to offer.
Northern Australia has long been the destination of choice for our Japanese friends – and we look forward to strengthening this over coming years.
What better way to enhance our relationship than to have even more Japanese visiting Australia and more Australians visiting Japan, for leisure, working holidays, study, and visiting friends and relatives.
Australia has had a tourism presence in Japan since 1968 with the opening of the Tourism Australia offices.
Since then, we have been introducing Japanese travellers to Australia's exciting experiences, excellent food and wine, and natural beauty - and warmly welcoming them to Australia's cities, towns and regions.
Of course, quite a bit has changed in the travel industry, and now in 2025, we have even more channels through which to market the Australian travel experience. From searching and booking online, to the use of AI to research the best and most popular things to do, to social media.
What has not changed is the importance we place on this market, the friendship we have together, and the great opportunities ahead of us. In the past year alone, Australia has welcomed around 400,000 Japanese visitors.
And we look forward to welcoming even more visitors from Japan in the future.
I want to thank those who have chosen Australia to visit, it is through the support of you that we can continue to grow our incredible tourism industry and the jobs it supports.
As for much of the world, Australia's tourism industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
I witnessed my community struggle through immense uncertainty, as international visitation ceased, and domestic tourism slowed down massively.
Though we are bouncing back, we still have a way to go. And that is why we are inviting the world to Come and Say G'day.
It was almost three years ago that the first chapter of Come and Say G'day launched in Japan with our Brand Ambassador - Ruby - the friendly souvenir kangaroo.
In the time since, Ruby has been at the heart of this campaign and extending our warm welcome to Japanese travellers to encourage them to visit us in Australia.
Australia – and Ruby – have so much to offer.
From UNESCO World Heritage locations of the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest – sites I am lucky enough have in my backyard in Cairns – to the Sydney Opera House and Blue Mountains, and across each state and territory of Australia, we are excited to tell you about what's new, and also what's been a feature of our land and Indigenous culture for tens of thousands of years.
Of course, we know how important sustainability is to Japanese visitors, and Australia is leading sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism includes protecting and restoring our natural environment, and helping to conserve Australia's natural wonders and cultures, so they can be enjoyed today and by future generations.
Simply visiting the Great Barrier Reef funds management and research for the long-term resilience of the reef, while many tourism experiences, both on water or on land, play key roles in contributing to protecting the diverse environments and fauna of the region.
We also know Japan loves sport! And Australia is embarking on the Green and Gold runway toward the 2032 Olympics. A decade of the biggest sporting events in the region kicking off next year with the AFC Women's Asia Cup, where Nadeshiko Japan will play their Group C games in Perth. And of course, the Rugby World Cup in 2027 which will be contested across seven cities.
Along with the Come and Say G'Day campaign, we are pleased to announce that Abareru-kun, the marvellous Japanese comedian, is joining us to share with Japanese audiences his own special tours of key World Heritage locations, across four amazing episodes.
We know that World Heritage is of enormous interest in Japan. And there's no one better to tell the story and inspire others to seek out these experiences than Abareru-kun, who has recently successfully obtained the highest level of qualification in World Heritage knowledge, the "Meister".
So, without further ado I am pleased to officially launch the second chapter of Come and Say G'day here in Japan.
Thank you.