Australia Marketplace India Witnesses Record Participation

Tourism Australia hosted the 17th edition of its premier trade event, Australia Marketplace India (AMI) (formerly known as India Travel Mission), in Kochi from 8 to 11 August 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.

The participating Australian suppliers this year represented a diverse range of businesses including accommodation providers, attractions, experiences, cultural institutions and state and regional tourism organizations. 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, Mr. Bob East, Chairman, Tourism Australia, said, “India is currently Australia's fastest growing inbound market and events like Australia Marketplace India provide a fantastic opportunity to reaffirm Australia's appeal amongst the trade and for our industry to capitalize on India's potential, ensuring sustained growth in visitation and spend from India. 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 Travellers. 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 travellers to experience the Australian way of life”.

Mr. 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. We aim to sustain this growth trajectory and pursue an even more ambitious target off the back of our unmatched holiday experiences. 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 trained more than 3,500 travel agents across India with expertise to sell Australian holidays. The registered agents receive special access to a resourceful online toolkit to sell Australian holidays and a chance to participate in innovative programs and competitions like the Aussie Specialist Ambassador Program. Tourism Australia has also introduced a second tier to its Aussie Specialist program in India with the introduction of the Premier Aussie Specialist Program, inducting over 48 agents into this program. Trade partners are also regularly engaged through webinars and e-newsletters. 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 367,000 during the year ended May 2019, growing 11% compared to the previous year. Indian visitors spent A$ 1.7 billion (approx. Rs 8,300 crores) for the year ended March 2019, an increase of 12% . India is the 6th largest source market in terms of expenditure for Australia.

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 you to attend an office in-person to lodge your application, provide biometrics or attend an interview and there is no requirement to send us your 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 your application online