16 September 2008

Tourism NSW in India to launch new travel packages

Tourism New South Wales is in India this week to launch a high-level trade mission to showcase the range of tailor-made holidays for Indian tourists. According to SindhToday.net, Sydney and NSW is a top-choice destination for the fast-growing Indian tourism market because of its "clean" and "user-friendly" reputation, restaurant culture and surrounding harbour and beach environment.

The news provider said most Indian travellers to the country are on an Australian Tourist visa or Australia Working Holiday visa.  In the year ending June 2008, 55,600 Indian tourists stayed overnight in NSW, which was a 13.6 per cent increase on the year before.  The average Indian visitor to Australia spends 40 nights in the country (the most of any international visitor) and overall they spend AUD$173 million in NSW every year.

"It’s a fast growing market. Sydney is such a great fit for our Indian visitors; they love our fantastic range of shops, particularly international designer brands, and our array of stunning sightseeing opportunities and dining experiences," said Leslie Cassar, Chairperson of Tourism NSW Board. 

The showcase in India this week will promote two of Australia’s assets that appeal to Indians the most: cricket and nature.  The Grand Pacific Drive, the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk, Morton National Park, Bowral’s Bradman Museum of Cricket and Centennial Vineyards will be high on the promotional agenda, as well as BridgeClimb, Taronga Zoo, Sydney Showboats and Accor Asia Pacific.  Traditionally, the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley (wine region of NSW) and the coastline have proven to be the popular choice for Indian tourists in Australia.

The number of Indian visitors to Australia is predicted to rise from 95,000 in 2007 to 440,000 in 2017, an average annual growth rate of 16.5 per cent.

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The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people apply for an Australia visa.

Article by Jessica Bird, Australian Visa Bureau.