Oprah Winfrey Visit to Cost Australian Taxpayers $3M

[Teacher Mark 53]

Oprah Winfrey announced this week that she's taking a plane full of fans on a trip to Australia, where she'll be taping several episodes of her talk show and shuttling her guests to various sights. The total cost of the trip is unknown, but Australian taxpayers will help foot the bill -- to the tune of $3 million ($2.7M USD), the nation's tourism minister said Tuesday.

The trip is being carried out in conjunction with airline Qantas and will be partly financed with funds in the annual tourism budget.

"I think it's money well spent," Martin Ferguson told reporters after making the announcement in Sydney. "This truly represents an amazing opportunity to showcase Australia, the warmth and hospitality of our people and the depth and breadth of everything our country has to offer visitors from around the world."

The government of New South Wales, the state where Sydney is located, will fork over between $1 million and $2 million of the country's investment in the trip.

http://www.popeater.com/2010/09/14/oprah-winfrey-australian-taxpayers-3-million/

[Ban Hammer 13,469]

what utter nonsense. booyah showcases australia for free!