CANBERRA needs to sell itself to the world and, not surprisingly, needs a public servant to get the job done.
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The official in the newly created role with Australian Capital Tourism will partly work with Tourism Australia as it launches its campaign to surprise foreigners with the choice of food and wine available in this country.
The Welcome to Restaurant Australia campaign was devised after research found only 26 per cent of travellers who had never visited Australia associated this country with good food and wine.
The senior officer employed by the territory government and paid between $90,000 and $96,000 a year will not only work with Tourism Australia but also investigate how Canberra can run its own campaigns to lure travellers without re-creating what is being done by the national tourism body.
Separate research completed late last year found Chinese travellers would be extremely interested in the food and wine on offer.
New Zealanders and Singaporeans, while also interested in wining and dining, but to a lesser extent, would be attracted with images of families enjoying themselves at Questacon and riding Segways around Lake Burley Griffin.
All three countries were interested in adventure and outdoor activities such as mountain biking at Mount Stromlo and bushwalks in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.
Australian Capital Tourism director Ian Hill said Canberra could use the surrounding region accessible within a two-hour drive, particularly the south coast, to attract visitors.
New Zealanders were particularly interested in having a coastal experience.
Mr Hill said a greater effort to engage with overseas visitors must be made now before the touted international flights between Canberra and Singapore took off.
''It's really important we're around the table with Tourism Australia,'' he said.
Part of the Welcome to Restaurant Australia campaign is expected to bring influential people from the global food and wine industry to Australia.
In this way it is similar to the ACT's Human Brochure campaign, which brought to the territory visitors who then created an extensive web of advertising about Canberra's delights on social media.