Oprah Winfrey (centre) is bringing 300 audience members to Australia. (AAP: Harpo Inc)
Oprah Winfrey's decision to bring her talk show to
Australia later this year is a major coup for tourism, the Federal
Government says.
To celebrate her 25th and final season on air, Winfrey revealed
overnight she would be flying 300 audience members to Australia for an
eight-day, seven-night trip - Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure - in
December."We're going to Australia, we're going to Australia!" Winfrey told the audience who clapped, cried and hugged.
"You and you and you are going to Australia. We're going to Australia. Yay!"
Winfrey's show is syndicated to 215 TV stations across the US and 145 countries around the world.
Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson says Winfrey's visit has the potential to lift Australia's profile as a premier tourist destination.
"The decision of The Oprah Winfrey Show to actually come to Australia is a major coup," Mr Ferguson told ABC's NewsRadio.
"In announcing it in the US overnight, she described it as her 'dream destination' and that means we are going to get a major international opportunity to lift Australia's profile as a premier tourism destination.
"This represents a huge international audience," he added.
Mr Ferguson says Tourism Australia will spend $1.5 million bringing Winfrey Down Under, while the NSW Government will kick in $1 million.
"It'll actually build on Australia's international campaign 'There's Nothing Like Australia' because it's going to tap into new audiences around the world and encourage them to no longer just think about Australia, but come to Australia for a holiday," he said.
To help break the news, Winfrey recruited long-time Hollywood actor, Qantas ambassador and pilot John Travolta.
"John Travolta is actually a real Qantas Airlines pilot who's flown there many times," Winfrey told the audience.
"We have been secretly plotting, planning this trip of a lifetime for almost a year with everyone at Tourism Australia. They are ready to roll out the red carpet for all 300 of us."
Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy says Winfrey's visit will help sell Australia's tourism experiences to the rest of the world.
"For many people around the world, Australia is a dream destination," Mr McEvoy said.
"Today we turned that dream into a reality for some of Oprah's ultimate viewers.
"We are excited to show them and Oprah's global audience why there really is nothing like Australia."
'Oprah' House
During the trip, Winfrey will shoot several episodes of her talk show, including at the Sydney Opera House on December 14.The iconic landmark will be transformed into the "Oprah House" for the taping and thousands of Winfrey's Australian fans will be invited to sit in the audience.
"We'll sail Sydney Harbour, some will sample shiraz in Aussie wine country and others will shop 'til they drop in trendy Melbourne," Winfrey told her audience.
"We'll get up close with kangaroos and koalas, kick back on some of the world's most beautiful beaches and experience one of the seven wonders of the world - the Great Barrier Reef.
"Then we'll all meet at the spectacular Sydney Opera House, where thousands of our Aussie ultimate viewers will join us for an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime Oprah Show experience."
The NSW Government is hopeful Winfrey's visit will boost tourism numbers to the state.
"If you listen to Forbes magazine, she is the most powerful entertainer in the world. So the fact that she wants to come to Sydney is certainly a big coup for this city and for New South Wales," NSW Tourism Minister Jodi McKay said.
The Oprah Winfrey Show is set to end in May 2011.
Her Oprah Winfrey Network OWN will kick off on cable on January 1.