Chris Hemsworth is the new Tourism Australia ambassador. Credit:Getty Images "Our partnership with Atlantic Productions on David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef is a good example." In the new campaign, launched in New York on Tuesday morning Australian time, Queensland's unique aquatic playground is highlighted in a three-minute clip which will be promoted throughout the world. "In our new campaign Port Douglas features and the Whitsundays and Whitehaven beach," Mr O'Sullivan said. "Particularly in markets like the US, UK, Japan and China it is a must-see experience when they come to Australia."

Tourism Minister Kate Jones welcomed the spotlight being shone on Queensland for international visitors. "Queensland is enormously proud to play a starring role in this campaign which highlights the spectacular diversity of coastal and aquatic experiences in our state," she said. "In addition to having Australia's greatest natural wonder, the Great Barrier Reef, in our backyard, Queensland offers a range of unforgettable experiences including surfing on the Gold Coast, sailing the Whitsundays or taking a dip in the pristine waters of the Daintree." Local tourism bodies and conservation groups have welcomed the campaign's focus on Queensland's beaches and waterways. Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Simon Ambrose said that while the region might not feature in the campaign, they hoped it would help attract visitors to the northern coast.

"The new Tourism Australia campaign features water activities such as kayaking, beach driving, sailing and walking along coastal paths – and we offer all of this, plus a lot more, in the one destination," Mr Ambrose said. While the Australian Marine Conversation society hopes the campaign will help their efforts to preserve the reef. "The Reef is Queensland's greatest natural asset and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It supports a $6 billion tourism industry and 70,000 jobs," campaign director Imogen Zethoven said. "If we want to help the growing tourism industry we need to protect the Reef's beauty from rapid industrialisation along its coastline, global warming and farm chemical pollution and allow its threatened marine life, including turtles and dugongs, to recover." The campaign serves to introduce superstar Hemsworth as the new Tourism Australia global ambassador.

Hemsworth, who is one of Australia's most bankable stars after starring in a string of hit movies including the box office sensation Thor, splits his time between US work commitments and his Australian base in Byron Bay, and was on hand to promote his time to hundreds of guests at the New York launch. "I have always been so proud to be Australian and it's a pretty special feeling knowing that I will have a role in promoting my country to the world and encouraging more people to come down under and experience our amazing beaches and landscapes for themselves," he said. Mr O'Sullivan, a proud Queenslander himself, said he was happy to be sharing his love of his home state with people around the world. "Being a Queenslander you do have a natural affinity with your home state," he said. "I love Queensland, it's a great state and it has a great story to tell from a tourism perspective."