Bad timing: Surfer and shark attack survivor Mick Fanning is unveiled as the face of an Australian tourism campaign – a DAY after a British backpacker has his foot bitten off
- Two British tourists were mauled by a shark off Australia’s east coast on Tuesday
- Alistair Raddon, 28, from Southampton, had his right foot bitten off in the attack
- Danny Maggs, 22, from Plymouth, suffered severe lacerations to his right calf
- The attack was just a day after Tourism Australia launched a new campaign
- Campaign features surfing sensation Mick Fanning who survived shark attack
Surfer Mick Fanning, who famously fought off a shark, has emerged as one of the faces of an Australian tourism campaign – a day after a British backpacker had his foot bitten off by a shark.
Tourism Australia’s latest campaign, which promotes Queensland’s reefs and beaches to an international audience, was launched on Wednesday.
Fanning, who was attacked during the J-Bay Open World Surf League event in South Africa in 2015, is one of many famous faces involved in the $38million project.
The awkward timing of the campaign release comes just a day after British tourist Alistair Raddon, 28, from Southampton, had his right foot bitten off by a shark while snorkelling in the Whitsunday Islands, near the Great Barrier Reef.
Danny Maggs, 22, from Plymouth, has been pictured smiling and giving a ‘hang loose’ hand gesture to the camera as he was loaded into a helicopter after being bitten by a shark
Fanning was competing at the World Surf League Championship Tour in the J-Bay Open in July 2015, when ‘things got interesting’
His friend Danny Maggs, 22, also had his leg badly bitten in the same attack.
They were flown to Mackay Base Hospital in a ‘serious but stable’ condition, where they have both since undergone surgery.
The attack happened at 10.17am while the pair were swimming in the ocean off Hook Island, part of Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands, which is a popular spot for tourists.
Tourism Australia’s ‘Come Live Our Philausophy’ campaign centres around Australians laid back attitude and sense of adventure and Queensland is featured significantly in the three-year campaign.
Fanning and Terri Irwin are among the celebrities involved in the campaign promoting Australia to the rest of the world.
Fanning (pictured right), who famously survived being attacked by a shark during the J-Bay Open World Surf League event in South Africa in 2015, is one of many famous faces involved in the $38 million project
Mr Maggs (right) was swimming alongside friend Alistair Raddon (left, pictured a day before the attack took place) near the Whitsunday Islands when the attack took place
‘The Reef, Gold Coast and Mossman Gorge will take centre stage in Tourism Australia’s newest campaigns as we bring to life some of the state’s iconic tourism offerings in a bid to lure more travellers to Queensland,’ Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham told the Courier Mail.
‘At its core, Philausophy, is about giving travellers from around the world a taste of what makes Australia such an enjoyable destination by shining a spotlight on the people, lifestyle and personality that make Australian experiences so memorable.’
A spokeswoman for Tourism Australia said the global travel market was cluttered and competitive an they needed to ‘cut through with a unique selling point that distinctly sets Australia apart from its competitors’.
Mr Raddon (pictured) had his right foot bitten off during the attack, which happened when he was play-fighting in the water with Mr Maggs
‘Australia being perceived as a once-in-a-lifetime destination which can be put off for another day because of rational factors such as time, distance and cost.
‘Lack of fashionability is due to limited knowledge of Australia’s offering outside of iconic experiences which leads to consumers feeling they’ve seen and heard it all before.’
Other big names in the campaign include actor Chris Hemsworth, comedian Adam Hills and writer Kathy Lette.