‘The Australia Effect’ has taken social media by storm, with working holiday visa holders undergoing a lifestyle transformation during their time in the country.
The phrase is a campaign tagline in itself, according to Tourism Australia CMO Susan Coghill.
“The advocacy our international visitors create by sharing their Australian holiday experiences is a powerful driver of ‘The Australia Effect’,” she said.
“This kind of advocacy is embedded in our marketing approach, and campaigns like ‘Come and say G’day’ help to bring it to life”.
The tagline began as a phenomenon wherein overseas visitors, mainly young Brits, on working holidays started to notice a physical transformation after spending several months in Australia.
Women noticed that they stopped wearing lots of makeup, styling their hair and having cosmetic interventions—instead opting for a natural look, enjoying golden highlights and freckles. Men went from pasty and flabby to tanned and muscular, sprouting mullets and moes.
Soon, social media filled with hundreds of 20-somethings visiting Australia from all around the world to share their transformations. They include reels, video and photos using the soundtrack ‘American Pie’.
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Tourism Australia’s marketing has long recognised the lasting impact an Australian holiday can have on international visitors.
“We love seeing the Australian Effect take-off and it’s a great example of something we’ve always believed in and built into campaigns like ‘Come and Say G’day’ – with experiences of travellers sharing their stories and the precious memories of an Australian holiday,” a Tourism Australia spokesperson said.
“The current talk about the Australian effect from young travellers who have visited, which is building momentum on social media platforms like TikTok, focuses on the visible ‘glow-up’. From a tourism marketing perspective, we know the lasting impact of visiting Australia is deeper.
“Our international visitors always remark on the warmth of the people they meet, the unexpected adventures along the way, and a spirit of openness and connection that stays with them long after they’ve returned home”.
Tourism Australia jumped on the ‘Australian Effect’ when the trend started kicking off late last year with the below post on its socials. The post from 11 November 2025 now has more than 531k views.
@australia The rumours are true 🤭 A little vitamin sea and a few “no worries mate’s” will bring on that unmistakable Aussie holiday glow ☀️ 📍: #Australia #SeeAustralia #ComeAndSayGday #AustraliaEffect #TravelTok ID: Text over video reads “The Australia effect” as the first frame shows the view from a plane over a harbour city, followed by a montage of scenes showing people energetically enjoying outdoor landscapes from breaches to mountains.
“We’ve loved watching travellers share their stories about how an Australian holiday changes them! The content they make speaks to a real truth about travel in Australia. Our ‘Come and say G’day’ campaign is all about how an Australian holiday can have a deep and profound impact on visitors, that can last a lifetime,” Coghill said.
“The authenticity of these stories of transformation is part of what makes them so powerful. The more we see, the more it helps to reinforce our campaign messaging.”
The New York Times even picked up the trend in an article published last month, asking “are they hot or is it the Australia Effect?”
“These working vacations often involve physical labour … the glow-ups frequently come with muscles and tans. But many attribute the effect to the more laid-back lifestyle and a sense of working to live, not the other way around,” the article wrote.
Although Robert Irwin, star of the ‘Come and Say G’Day’ campaign, which launched last year, has done much to boost Australia as a destination, creators are promoting the country for free.
Journalist Lee Tulloch wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald creators have “gifted Tourism Australia with a great opportunity”.
“Let’s face it, those young people on working holidays aren’t promoting Australia as a sophisticated destination. They’re partying hard. They spend all their waking time at the beach and in bars,” she wrote.
“They’re all working on getting a tan and figuring out what filter to use on their phone. Some claim they have even started liking Vegemite. Few of them are going to the opera or writers’ festivals.
“The Australia Effect is all about “hotness”. It’s only sunburn-deep. It’s about shedding the dreary old Geordie Shore-you and becoming Margot Robbie. But if Australia can work this voodoo on hundreds if not thousands of young people, that’s a great storyline for an ad campaign. Or a horror movie.”
Whatever the effect is, the trend is clearly promoting Australia as a destination for 20-somethings to enjoy sunshine and beaches, a welcome change from their homelands, and it’s got all the ingredients of a great creator-led marketing campaign.
