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Australia has become the most popular country on Instagram, and that’s bloody fair dinkum if you ask us.
Tourism Australia’s @australia page just hit five million followers on the social media platform, making it the most followed national destination page in the world.
And with spectacular images such as the below, who can blame the rest of the world for loving us?
The number more than eclipses the followings of other popular destinations with Canada’s 1.8 million followers, New Zealand’s 1.1 million, Japan’s 516k, England’s 409k and the USA’ 225k.
What’s their secret? According to Susan Coghill, Tourism Australia’s chief marketing officer, posts featuring Australia’s unique and ultra-cute wildlife are consistently among the most double-tapped images.
“Our Aussie animals are always sure-fire favourites on our social channels and the cheekier the pic, the more likely people are to take notice,” Coghill said.
“Some of our best-performing posts of all time have been kangaroos scratching their bellies and koalas lounging about.
“And that’s not to mention the wombats with their booty shakes!”
She’s talking about this year’s most popular post on the page; a video of a wombat scratching its butt on a branch that attracted a whopping 4.5 million views.
Last year, followers around the world showed support for Australia’s struggle against 2020’s catastrophic bushfire season, with the Sydne Opera House’s tribute to Australian firefighters amassing more than 463k likes.
Having started the page now over a decade ago, the team behind @australia has posted a total of 10,665 pictures to the feed – equating to around two to three posts a day – showing consistency is also key.
But the real secret recipe for the page’s thumb-stopping content is the hours the Tourism Australia team spends scrolling through thousands of pieces of content submitted through the hashtag #seeaustralia – by travellers and tourism operators alike – to source these spectacular images and videos.
Tourism Australia’s managing director, Phillipa Harrison, reckons this achievement proves that Australia really is one of the most desirable travel destinations in the world.
“The page now has more than five million followers who are all keen to catch a glimpse of Australia’s most breathtaking tourism destinations and our most adorable native animals,” she said.
“Instagram is just one way Tourism Australia continues to ensure Australia remains top-of-mind so travellers around the world return to our shores as soon as borders reopen.”
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