Industry veteran Tony South has been selected as the new chairman of Tourism Australia at a time when the sector is proving an increasingly important growth engine for the economy after the end of the mining boom.
His appointment follows the departure of his predecessor, former Qantas Airways chief executive Geoff Dixon, when his term ended on   June 30.
The tenure of Mr Dixon, who had been given the role by the Rudd government in 2009, was marred by a very public falling out between him and current Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce in 2012. 
That led the national carrier to pull all of its marketing spending from Tourism Australia and instead sign partnerships with individual states and territories.
However, Mr Joyce last month said he was interested in rebuilding relations with Tourism Australia when a new chairman was chosen, although the airline's spending levels would likely be lower than in the past because the deals with states and territories had proven effective.
Mr South, a chartered accountant with more than 40 years of experience mostly in the tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors, has served on the board of Tourism Australia since   July 2014. He has chaired the audit committee and has been acting as the interim deputy chairman.

Smooth transition
Tourism Australia managing director John O'Sullivan said he expected a smooth transition to the new chairman.
"Tony is obviously well-known to myself, Tourism Australia and to the broader Australian tourism industry, where he is well-respected and will bring a wealth of valuable industry experience to the role," Mr O'Sullivan said.
Mr South's appointment was announced by Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb at industry group Tourism & Transport Forum's Federal Summit in Canberra on Wednesday. It came as a surprise to some in the tourism industry following speculation Transfield Services chairman Diane Smith-Gander was likely to be awarded the role.
Mr Robb said Mr South brought excellent skills and experience to the job after having served in previous roles with InterContinental Hotels Group Asia Pacific, Tourism NSW and TTF. 
"His longstanding commitment to tourism means he will provide strong leadership to the industry more broadly," Mr Robb said. He added three new directors would be appointed to the Tourism Australia board in the near future.
Mr Robb is responsible for tourism as part of his portfolio, but many tourism industry players believe it would be more appropriate for the government to appoint a minister with tourism in the title to ensure it is viewed as a high-profile role. 
"As an industry that employs nearly 1 million people and generates $100 billion in [annual] economic activity, 'tourism' deserves to be acknowledged in cabinet," TTF chief executive Margy Osmond said.
"Tourism is a key economic portfolio and it must be given the attention that it needs. On the raw numbers, the sector is performing fairly well. But with the right policy settings in place, it could be doing so much better, which in turn would generate more economic activity and jobs."

Domestic travel spending
The latest domestic visitor survey published by Tourism Research Australia on Wednesday found Australians had spent $55.4 billion on domestic travel in the 12 months to   June 30, up 4 per cent from the prior year.
Spending on domestic holidays increased by 1 per cent to $27 billion, accounting for 49 per cent of overnight spending. However, the number of overnight holiday trips fell by 1 per cent to 33.1 million during the year, due largely to those aged 15 to 24 and family groups taking fewer trips for this purpose.
Growth in the number of Australians heading overseas was steady during the year after having risen by 130 per cent between 2006 and 2014.
"The lower value of the Australian dollar may encourage more Australians to holiday at home in the approaching summer holiday season," Tourism Research Australia said. 
Tourism Australia looks after the promotion of tourism to potential international visitors, but the states and territories are responsible for promoting tourism to the domestic audience and the New Zealand market.