DRMumbai: Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist has joined the head of the Western Australian Government, Premier Mark McGowan, in India to promote Australia’s largest State as a holiday destination. Premier McGowan said his Government, through Tourism Western Australia, would invest an additional $1 million to encourage more Indians to holiday in WA. McGowan also introduced Gilchrist as Western Australia’s new tourism “opening batsman” to help promote the State as a holiday destination.
- Western Australian Premier on inaugural visit to India to strengthen economic ties and boost tourism
- Cricket legend Adam Gilchrist joins Premier Mark McGowan in India
- McGowan Government to invest $1 million to promote Western Australia in India
The Premier and Gilchrist’s visit has included meetings with Indian media, travel trade representatives and airline representatives in a bid to increase leisure and business visitation to WA, with a focus on encouraging Indians to travel to WA for next year’s ICC T20 World Cup.
The additional $1 million funding will also raise awareness of WA as a holiday destination in the lead up to the cricket and help to encourage direct flights between India and Perth. It will be invested in cooperative marketing campaigns, trade education, consumer awareness, media and public relations activities.
The visit has also seen McGowan and Gilchrist take part in a charity kids’ cricket clinic for the Magician Foundation, which uses sport to promote education and important life skills to children living in India’s poor communities. The Premier donated cricket kits to the foundation, on behalf of the people of Western Australia, to help its expansion to cricket.
India is a growing tourism market for Western Australia. In 2018-19 there was an 11.1 per cent overall growth in visitor numbers from India to 30,900, with leisure visitors increasing by 15.3 per cent to 14,100.
Tourism Western Australia committed funds to market Western Australia in India for the first time just over 12 months ago.
The initial wave of marketing activity coincided with the first-ever cricket test match to be played at Perth Stadium in December 2018.
Premier Mark McGowan said: “Growing the number of Indian people visiting Western Australia is a priority for the State Government and we’ve committed an additional $1 million to our marketing efforts to help achieve this goal. Having cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist on the team as ‘WA’s Opening Batsman’ is a great opportunity to help promote our great State in the lead up to the T20 Cricket World Cup matches in Perth next year. We know India loves cricket and Gilly is a living legend over here and he’s been a major asset in promoting WA. Visitor numbers are up so we know there is an appetite for people in India to visit Western Australia and there are huge possibilities to grow this market even further.”
Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said: “Western Australia has so much to offer Indian travellers, whether they’re visiting for business, education or leisure. We know they are interested in nature and wildlife, coastlines, beaches and marine wildlife, good food, wine, local cuisine and a family-friendly destination – everything WA has to offer in spades. Our capital city boasts some of the best hotels in Australia, an ever-growing restaurant and bar scene, thriving entertainment precincts and is a launchpad to a diverse range of stunning regional destinations. Perth is also only five hours from and on the same time zone as Singapore, making it easy for Indians to travel to Western Australia. India is a very important market and we will be focusing our efforts, through this new marketing investment, on further increasing visitation to WA in the lead-up to the India versus South Africa World Cup match at Perth Stadium.”
Adam Gilchrist said: “Western Australia is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I’m lucky to have called it home for more than 20 years. I am happy to be working with Tourism WA to get the word out in India and encourage people to come and see our magnificent State.”
