Australia's accommodation industry is confident there will be numerous benefits for the sector resulting from four just-completed screenings in the US of Oprah Winfrey's Australian show.

Seen by 46 million Americans and screened in 145 countries, the Oprah Winfrey show is expected to provide a much-needed boost to inbound tourism arrivals and occupancy levels across a large part of the country.

"The Gillard Government, Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Tourism Australia deserve high praise for getting the Oprah Winfrey Show down here," Hotel Motel & Accommodation Association Chief Executive Lorraine Duffy said today.

"While the Oprah visit on its own may not be the silver bullet our industry needs, we nonetheless expect a strong spike in Americans visiting our shores as a result of the publicity and Oprah's amazing siren call.

"It's money well spent by the federal and state governments and a terrific kick-start to Tourism Australia's goal of doubling overnight expenditure in Australia's tourism industry by 2020.

"Tourism academic Roger March has used figures from the US Office of Travel and Tourism Industries to estimate that Australia needs only to attract an extra 1350 travellers from the US to cover the $3m cost of bringing the show to Australia."

Ms Duffy said HMAA also hoped local destinations and attractions showcased in the Oprah series will convince more Australians to take a break within their own country.

"It's no secret that domestic tourism has suffered for a whole range of reasons, including the global financial crisis and the high Australian dollar," Ms Duffy said.

"Oprah's Australian shows are a timely reminder about the amazing experiences that this country offers visitors travelling from interstate or even within their home state or territory."

www.hmaa.com.au