Australia launches giant selfie service for tourists

 By 
Ariel Bogle
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Never mind your selfie sticks, Australia is now offering tourists massive selfies from hundreds of metres away.

Tourism Australia recently launched the oversized selfie service as part of a campaign to attract Japanese tourists to the country. To participate in what the agency is calling "GIGA Selfie" events, tourists will stand on a dedicated spot and use an app to set off a distant camera. They can then download a short video clip that starts as a closeup, but pulls away to reveal the surrounding landscape.

A video posted by Australia (@australia.jp) on Aug 27, 2015 at 3:34am PDT

Japan was Australia's sixth largest market for tourists in 2014, according to the agency, with more than 320,000 visitors.

"The 'GIGA Selfie' campaign will help to raise the level of conversation about Australia in Japan as people share their incredible experiences of holidaying here with their friends and family back home," Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan said in a statement.

The first two opportunities to take a mega selfie will be in the Queensland resort region of the Gold Coast on Sept. 5 and 6.

Consider your lame holiday selfies left in the dust.

A video posted by Australia (@australia.jp) on Aug 20, 2015 at 7:30pm PDT

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