Social media influencers have been paid thousands of dollars to make Instagram posts and YouTube videos about Australia.
Seven European influencers were paid a total of $70,000 by Tourism Australia over four months to promote destinations in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory, according to the Daily Telegraph.
They include British beauty blogger Emily Canham, who has more than 680,000 Instagram followers.
Seven European influencers, including British beauty blogger Emily Canham (pictured) were paid a total of $70,000 by Tourism Australia over four months to promote Oz
British fitness influencer Chessie King, who has 706,000 Instagram followers, made four posts from the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park. She was paid $13,055 for the posts
Ms Canham was paid $5,229 to travel across Queensland for two weeks in September.
She posted seven Instagram pictures, and countless live stories, in places such as the Whitsundays and Mossman Gorge.
Ms Canham simply tagged her Instagram posts with the official Tourism Australia Instagram and her live stories included the word ‘ad’ to inform her followers it was an advertisement.
British fitness influencer Chessie King, who has 706,000 Instagram followers, made four posts from the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park.
She was paid $13,055 for the posts.
Meanwhile Bruno Maltor, a French travel influencer with more than 245,000 followers on Instagram and 141,000 on YouTube, and German prankster Simon Will, who has 888,000 subscribers, were given $49,00 to showcase Australia.
Ms Canham was paid $5,229 to travel across Queensland for two weeks in September as part of Tourism Australia’s influencer campaign
She posted seven Instagram pictures, and countless live stories, in places such as the Whitsundays (pictured) and Mossman Gorge
Bruno Maltor, a French travel influencer with more than 245,000 followers on Instagram and 141,000 on YouTube, showed videos from Victoria walking down Melbourne’s iconic graffiti laneways and sampling food and in Queensland going whale watching and hiking
Mr Will shared videos of him taking part in surf lessons and scuba diving with turtles.
Mr Maltor showed videos from Victoria walking down Melbourne’s iconic graffiti laneways and sampling food and in Queensland going whale watching and hiking.
At the bottom of his videos he put ‘video produced in collaboration with Tourism Australia’.
Nick Pescetto, a content creator from Italy, was paid $2,676 to tour Western Australia, where he shared shots of himself surfing in Broome.
In the 2018-2019 financial year Tourism Australia splashed out more than $500,000 on social media campaigns.
A spokesperson told the ABC this month that all candidates face a rigorous process when they are chosen to promote Australia.
Nick Pescetto, a content creator from Italy, was paid $2,676 to tour Western Australia, where he shared shots of himself surfing in Broome
German prankster Simon Will, who has 888,000 YouTube subscribers, posted videos of himself taking surf lessons
The spokesperson said all influencers are checked by two managers before they are paid a fee.
In 2017 the South Australian Tourism Commission partnered with travel blogger Brooke Saward from World of Wanderlust.
Her blogs were read close to 23,000 times and received 377,500 engagements.
In 2017 the South Australian Tourism Commission partnered with travel blogger Brooke Saward from World of Wanderlust
‘As a direct result of her social posts and blogs World of Wanderlust created an awareness for South Australia and derived an interest in South Australia from her readers,’ a post about her campaign said.
‘She was able to nurture leads with readers now considering and intending to travel to South Australia.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tourism Australia for comment.