Carat last defended the account in 2008, when the board called a statutory global creative and media review that saw incumbent M&C Saatchi lose the business to DDB in a final shoot-out.

The tender was issued last month and the board is currently processing requests for information. It is being run out of Tourism Australia's head office in Sydney.

The board focuses its advertising spend on the US, The UK, Europe, New Zealand and Asia, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and China.

Tourism Australia's most recent campaign was conceived by creatives at DDB Sydney and featured the strapline, 'There's nothing like Australia', and TV advertising featuring a song of the same name.

The campaign collected testimonials from Australian citizens, detailing why they love their country. More than 30,000 people uploaded their stories on the site Nothinglikeaustralia.com.

The entries have been used to create an interactive digital map of Australia, made up of the things Australians think are special about the country.

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk.