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Tourism Australia names new country manager of Malaysia

Tourism Australia names new country manager of Malaysia

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Tourism Australia has promoted its business development manager Karen Saw to country manager of Malaysia. In this new position, she will take the lead in driving Tourism Australia’s local market strategy.

In her new role, Saw is responsible for aligning the marketing and promotion of Australian tourism in Malaysia with Tourism Australia’s strategy. She will also be driving tactical conversion with aviation and distribution partners to target leisure consumers and business events opportunities.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Tourism Australia for more information. 

Don't miss: Tourism Australia and Qantas join hands on travel campaign blitz

Saw will continue to work closely with key stakeholders, from government departments and state tourism offices to airlines and industry partners, to develop products and experiences that drive tourism growth into Australia from Malaysia.

Saw joined Tourism Australia in 2009 as a marketing executive supporting PR, distribution, partnerships, trade events and corporate services activities. She then took on the role of business development manager in 2015, where she developed and grew commercial partnerships and a distribution network in Malaysia.

Prior to joining Tourism Australia, Saw worked for MSL Travel for five years, where she fostered a passion for Australia as a destination. According to the release, MSL Travel was one of the few travel agencies distributing Australia road trip itineraries at the time.

Tourism Australia’s South and Southeast Asia regional general manager, Brent Anderson, said Saw has not only demonstrated strong market knowledge over her extensive tenure, but also established herself as an expert on Australia as a tourism destination and what it can offer to Malaysian leisure and business travellers.

“At Tourism Australia, we believe in providing opportunities for growth and role expansion, especially for our long-standing employees who have delivered outstanding results. Saw has led some of the best performing partnerships with airlines and key distribution partners and has spearheaded effective conversion campaigns even while travel borders were closed during the pandemic," said Anderson.

“With Malaysia being our eighth largest source country, according to Australia Bureau of Statistics, we look forward to Saw leading our new strategy and growing demand for Australia tourism in Malaysia,” Anderson added.

Saw said she is excited to start what she expects to be an even busier year in her new role. The easing of travel restrictions back in 2022 has seen a surge in enquiries and bookings, and consumer travel sentiment increasing with passport applications and renewal seeing high demand.

Saw added, “Australia always stood out to me for its diverse range of experiences. It has been such a rewarding adventure to build Malaysia’s affinity for Australia as a destination over the years. I am optimistic that Australia will continue to sit high on the list of Malaysian travellers’ top destinations, and I am excited to continue to be a part of this growth.”

On a partnership front, Tourism Australia and Qantas partnered up for their "Come and Say G’day" campaign and invited Singaporean travellers to Australia. The multi-market partnership, which commenced in Singapore from 14 November 2022, will include a range of joint activities including a series of new co-created TVCs run on Mediacorp channels, followed by online channels including Viu, YouTube and Meta – all designed to inspire travellers to plan and book an Australian adventure.

Related articles: 

Tourism Australia debunks stereotypes SEA consumers have with AU$10m ad blitz
Breaking into the US market: How Tourism Australia tackled its conversion problem
Tourism Western Australia names country manager for MY and SG

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