What you need to know:

• Tourism Australia has commenced a week-long $5m domestic tourism ad campaign.
• The push includes event sponsorships, publisher-created content and in-program editorial integration alongside TV, online and print and 2,500 outdoor ads.
• Tourism sector, including many small firms, set to lose $55m this financial year.

Tourism Australia's $5m blitz targets marketing firepower on areas hit hardest by last summers bushfires as well as those hurt most by Australia's closed state and national borders. Tourism Research Australia says spend set to decline by $55bn this year as a result, half of which is due to domestic declines.

“Summer is typically the busiest time for our tourism industry, with many operators relying on the revenue generated during this period to support them throughout the year," said Tourism Australian Managing Director Phillipa Harrison. 

"But as a result of the challenges that we’ve continued to face across the country, for many tourism businesses this holiday season, unfortunately, hasn’t gone to plan so far."

As part of the nationwide initiative, Tourism Australia is also encouraging the industry to coordinate an aligned advertising push across their own marketing and social media channels during the same period.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said the campaign was part of the Morrison Government’s ongoing support for the tourism industry.

“Domestic tourism is worth $100 billion to the Australian economy and our tourism industry supports more than 621,000 local jobs," Tehan said.

“My message to every Australian is do yourself a favour and start planning your next holiday in Australia because you’ll have the time of your life and you’ll also be supporting a lot of Australian jobs and businesses.”