Ben Southall can't believe his luck as he stays on in Queensland.
Ben Southall, the British winner of the Best Job in the World campaign by Tourism Queensland, is to carry on working for them, as a Tourism Queensland salesman.
His job as island caretaker on the Great Barrier Reef comes to an end on December 31st, a position that saw him paid $150,000 for 6 months. However, during that time he was criticised for not keeping his blog updated and was branded a ‘whingeing Pom’ after claiming that he would miss the British summer, because the caretaker job started in the Australian wintertime. That didn’t deter his followers though and the website and blog attracted more than 8 million viewers.
However the ad campaign saw tourism to Queensland double and many other countries tried to follow suit with a Paris based website advertising for the second best job in the world along with Aroha Island in New Zealand.
Now Tourism Queensland want to extend Ben’s contract and make him a tourism ambassador along with the other Best Job candidates. They will tour the US, Asia, Europe and New Zealand to promote Queensland.
Ben also looks set to stay in Australia, settling himself down in Brisbane. It’s not clear if he’ll apply to live in Australia permanently but he’ll certainly be based there for the 18 month duration of his new role. He’ll also star in a six-part documentary for the National Geographic on a exploration of the islands of Queensland.
In a statement released by Tourism Australia, the Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said it was publicity that “money can’t buy”. In fact Tourism Queensland estimated that the publicity generated by the campaign was worth more than $400 million.
Ben himself says he is excited to be given this new opportunity and was enthusiastic about sharing his experiences with the world: “This is going to be travelling to spread the message and to just tell people what I’ve done and what they can do,” he told AAP. “I suppose the big thing is the fact that it’s not just me who can have these experiences. Anyone can book it, anyone can come out here and do it”
If you’d like to find out more about Queensland, have a look at our state guides. We’ve also put together a list of the best places to go in Australia and what to do when you get there. Ben does have one thing right, Australia isn’t just a holiday, it’s an experience – don’t miss yours!
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