DRMumbai: Tourism Australia hosted the 17th edition of its premier trade event, Australia Marketplace India (AMI) (formerly known as India Travel Mission), in Kochi from August 8 to 11, 2019. The event aims at connecting Australia’s finest tourism experiences to key representatives of the Indian travel industry. The four-day event saw 77 Australian tourism businesses showcasing their products to a record 95 Indian travel companies, an endorsement of the growing popularity of Australia as a destination of choice amongst Indian travelers.
Australia Marketplace India in Kochi saw 77 Australian tourism businesses showcasing their products to 95 Indian travel companies, an endorsement of the growing popularity of Australia among Indian travelers
Australia Marketplace India is an ideal platform for Australian tourism to provide India’s top selling agents of Australian holidays with latest news on tourism products and destination updates while also strengthening business relationships. The participating Australian suppliers this year represented a diverse range of businesses including accommodation providers, attractions, experiences, cultural institutions and state and regional tourism organisations. The event received participation from 20 new Australian suppliers, supporting Tourism Australia’s objective of growing visitor yield from India by encouraging travel to new destinations, experiences and products. The Indian buyers were represented by companies from across 10 Indian cities.
Commenting on the event, Bob East, Chairman, Tourism Australia, said, “Our Indian travel partners have been tremendously supportive of Australia and they are some of our best advocates, who have played a big role in making Australia a preferred holiday destination amongst Indian High Value Travelers. As the host nation of the upcoming ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, played as two standalone tournaments for women and men, the coming year will be an exciting time for us, and we look forward to welcoming more Indian travelers to experience the Australian way of life”.
Brent Anderson, Regional General Manager, South & South East Asia, Tourism Australia, stated, “The exceptional year-on-year double-digit growth in visitors and spends from India is a result of the continued efforts of several stakeholders in the tourism industry in this important tourism market. The upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup also provides a great opportunity for both buyers and sellers to offer the Indian traveler a world-class product that is best suited to their needs.”
In addition to this flagship trade event, Tourism Australia’s distribution strategy for the India market includes an enriched trade engagement program. As pioneers of the Aussie Specialists online destination training initiative, over the years, Tourism Australia has received registrations from 3425 travel agents across India with 1954 agents completing their online certification to sell Australian holidays better. Tourism Australia has also introduced a second tier to its Aussie Specialist program in India with the launch of the Premier Aussie Specialist Program, inducting over 48 agents into this initiative. In addition, there are opportunities for select frontline staff and product teams to have a first-hand experience of Australia through global trade events like Corroboree and the Australian Tourism Exchange.
Visitors from India to Australia reached 3,67,000 during the year ended May 2019, growing 11 per cent compared to the previous year. Indian visitors to Australia spent A$1.7 billion (approx. Rs. 8300 crore) for the year ended March 2019, an increase of 12 per cent over the previous year.
To support increasing demand from India, Australia is gearing up to ensure visa processing is as fast and convenient as possible. Unlike other countries, Australia does not require a tourist to visit an office in-person to lodge an application, provide biometrics or attend an interview and there is no requirement to send the passport. Visa applications can be lodged online at the convenience of the traveler. The average time taken for an online visitor visa to be granted is only 15 days and business visa applications are processed within 8 days. Online lodgment offers other benefits such as electronic payment and the ability to check the status of application online.
Next year, Australia is bracing for a huge spike in Indian visitations because it is hosting the ICC T20 World Cup for both women (February 21 – March 8) and men (October 18 – November 15) – 68 matches at 13 venues and 8 host cities (Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Geelong and Hobart). 19 official ticketing agents have been appointed globally including five from India – The Bharat Army, Gainwell Sports, Sports Connect, Fanatic Sports and Cutting Edge.
“India is also playing Australia in an international series right after ICC T20 World Cup. So Australia will be host to a large contingent of Indian fans and it offers a great opportunity not only to showcase our world class cricketing venues but also other tourist destinations and experiences,” said Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia
The cricket events are scheduled for relatively softer months as far as demand peaks are concerned from an India perspective – May (school holidays) and December (Christmas-New Year & honeymoon travelers).
As on date about 7,00,000 Indian nationals and 90,000 Indian students live in Australia. “UnDiscover Australia and Signature Experiences of Australia campaigns resonated really well in India especially because of high degree of repeat visitors from India (52 per cent of total traffic is Visiting Friends & Relatives). Indians stay longer too and hence information around new attractions and experiences in other destinations apart from those in gateway cities was very relevant to them,” added Kashikar.
MICE has always been a focus even in India market though it’s a long haul destination for Indian travelers. “ICC T20 World Cup is a compelling Incentive opportunity too,” reasoned Anderson. “Electronic lodgment of visa has been a major trigger for improvement in MICE bookings and air connectivity is decent too with Air India flying daily direct non-stop on the Delhi-Sydney and Delhi-Melbourne routes.”
‘Friend of Australia’ program will see few new additions from Bollywood for the cricketing season. “We are yet to lock the names,” added Kashikar. It is learned that popular cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has been signed up; so is former PepsiCo chair Indra Nooyi who will be there to promote especially the Women’s ICC T20 World Cup.
A view of the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular, one of the four leading balloon events in the world. It is conducted at the lawns of Old Parliament House, Canberra and the next edition is from March 7 – 15, 2020, just after ICC T20 Cricket World Cup for women. For bookings, log on to www.visitcanberra.com.au/
