As Tourism Australia moves into the final stages of its long-awaited creative and digital pitch pitch, the national tourism body has moved to officially appoints Melinda Walters to the role of General Manager, Digital & Marketing Operations. 

Walters has been acting in the role for over a year prior to her official appointment. She first joined Tourism Australia in 2020 as Global Manager Media Partnerships as the organisation navigated the challenges posed by the pause in international travel due to the global pandemic. She spent a two year stint as Global Manager Planning and Operations before stepping into the Acting role in April 2023.

The appointment comes as Tourism Australia nears the deadline for its highly anticipated appointment of new creative and digital agencies of records. The pitch, which has been ongoing since September, is understood to be down three, with Clemenger Group, Publicis Groupe and Accenture each offering up their global assets.

The five-year contract is due to take effect from July 2024, with the second round of pitching originally poised to wrap up in April – per Tourism Australia’s approach to market. Mi3 understands a formal outcome could come as late as June.

Mi3 has contacted Tourism Australia for comment.