Australias diversity attracts Indian travellers

Mumbai: Indian travellers are falling in love with Australia. Latest statistics from the Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) shows that for the year ended 30 June 2002, Australia welcomed 47,300 Indian travellers an increase of 22 per cent from the same period in 2000.

This double-digit growth in tourist arrivals from India to Australia, despite the uncertainty still facing the global tourism industry, is testimony to the countrys growing popularity with Indian travellers.

Commenting on the healthy growth, ATC general manager (South and South East Asia) Maggie White says: We were always confident that Australias popularity with the Indian traveller was increasing. This is a tremendous result given the hiccups that the world tourism industry has faced in the past 12 months, and we are very pleased with the progress.

Australias growing popularity with the Indian travellers was reinforced at the Australian Tourism Exchange held in June 2002 in Brisbane, Queensland, when buyers from India expressed their delight with the numerous products on sale.

ATCs commitment to the Indian market is one of the reasons for the love affair the Indian traveller is having with Australia. The NTO carried out a number of marketing strategies to ensure Indian travellers have the perfect holiday in Australia. These include:

• An in-depth consumer survey to find out what the Indian traveller wants out of a holiday to Australia.
• A campaign to talk direct to the consumer via targeted high-end print and electronic media. ATC focused on expanding consumer awareness of the range of nature- and city-based activities that travellers can experience along Australias east coast, from snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef to honeymooning on the Gold Coast, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and shopping in Chapel Street, Melbourne.
• Regular market visits to the travel trade, increased agent families to Australia, and a growth in the Aussie Specialists training programme.

Indian travellers now realise what a diverse destination Australia is. There are activities for children and extended families, beautiful tropical island resorts perfect for honeymooners, bustling cosmopolitan cities for the activity-oriented and eco-tourism products for the adventurers. Apart from being a shoppers delight, Australia is also a foodies paradise, with most restaurants offering vegetarian and fresh seafood to suit the Indian palate, adds White.

Australia can be accessed by a number of international carriers including Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Thai International and Emirates. Despite the March 2002 withdrawal of direct flights to Mumbai by Australias national carrier, Qantas, Qantas (manager India and South Asia) Khursheed Lam says the airline has not slowed down its activities on the Indian subcontinent.

Qantas continues to provide full service for its customers, in cooperation with a range of airline partners across India, such as Air India, Cathay Pacific, Indian Airlines and Royal Brunei. These partnerships enable us to offer a choice of travel options to and from Australia, via our hubs in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok. We can therefore continue to cater to the leisure market, both groups and individual passengers, by meeting their diverse requirements, he adds.

Very recently, we had a bumper summer season, which turned out to be even better than last year. It clearly demonstrates the growth potential of Australia, as a leisure destination. ATC is optimistic that Australia will continue to enjoy strong growth in holidaymakers from India in the medium to long term. Our commitment to growing this market remains firm, says White.

ATC is an Australian government statutory authority established in 1967 to promote the country as an international tourism destination. ATC is jointly funded by the Australian government and the private sector tourism industry.