A champion swimmer with size 18 feet has replaced cuddly koalas and bouncing kangaroos as Australia's lure to woo Japanese travelers Down Under.
World and Olympic champion Ian Thorpe is the face of Tourism Australia's new online advertising campaign in Japan. Thorpe has been popular in Japan since he won six golds at the swimming world championships at Fukuoka in 2001.
"He's going to be one of the stars of the Games," said Tourism Australia spokesman Grieg McAllan, who said the image-conscious Thorpe was an ideal face for the campaign.
"He's successful, he's tall, he's good-looking, he's modern and he's optimistic," McAllan said Wednesday. "But the one factor I think which has most resonance with the Japanese public at all ages and both genders is his humility."