Some 83 per cent of Australians are proud of how the nation is promoted to overseas countries, the results of a new survey show.
The Australian Tourism Exchange is taking place in Sydney this week (from Sunday May 14th to Thursday May 18th), with the Mood of the Nation survey results published to coincide with the event.
These show that almost all (94 per cent) of Australians believe that international tourism is good for the country, with many attributing the recent boom in visitors from overseas to Australia to Hollywood actor Chris Hemsworth.
Hemsworth, star of blockbusters including Thor, The Avengers and Ghostbusters, has been an ambassador for Tourism Australia since last year. Almost half (48 per cent) of the country's residents believe this to have been a 'very good' move for the country, although 80 per cent said they support the decision to place him in this role. A further 32 per cent of respondents said they thought having Hemsworth as an ambassador was a 'good' idea.
The actor is the voice of Australia's coastal and aquatic campaign and regularly posts about his love of the country on his social media channels, tagging the tourism board in his Instagram and Twitter posts, thereby promoting the nation to his more than 11 million followers.
It can be seen that Hemsworth's love of Australia is genuine and not just an advertising gimmick, as the actor has chosen to remain living in the Byron Bay area of the country, despite now doing much of his filming work in the US.
Since being appointed to his role with Tourism Australia, more than 4,500 articles have been written across various media about his connection with the country, generating an estimated advertising value in excess of $137.6 million, as well as approximately 268 million social media hits.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, federal tourism minister Steve Ciobo stated: "He's a great ambassador for our country and tourism industry. He's doing Australia proud and helping to attract more tourists down under.
"He has an incredible ability to sell Australia without even trying. His passion for his homeland is effortless and resonates with people from around the world."
