Phillipa Harrison will leave Tourism Australia in August after eight years with the organisation as both managing director and previously as executive general manager International. She is taking up an overseas appointment.
In a farewell message, Harrison said while the travel industry had faced tough times, “This adversity has produced some of our best work”.
She cited Tourism Australia campaigns encouraging Australians to ‘Holiday Here This Year’ to welcoming the world back to ‘Come and Say G’Day’.
Harrison noted that in the past year Australia has received more than eight million visitors – for the first time in five years – at a time when total visitor expenditure also grew to a record A$48.4 billion (US$31.4bn).
Sally Cope has been appointed as executive general manager industry. Cope was most recently Tourism Australia’s regional general manager for the UK and Northern Europe.