Tourism Australia registers remarkable growth from West Bengal

Tourism Australia registers remarkable growth from West Bengal

A whopping 29% growth in arrivals was recorded from the State during 2016

West Bengal has, over the years, been steadily gaining momentum as a key source market for Australia, with travellers from the State showing a heightened penchant, not just for international travel, but for Australia as their preferred holiday destination. Tourism Australia’s latest arrival figures for the year ended (YE) September 2016 have reflected that over 7,100 tourists visited Australia from West Bengal, registering an impressive 29 per cent growth in visitor numbers from the State. These tourists contributed AUD 29 Mn (approx. Rs. 145 Crores) to the Australian economy, with an average spend of AUD 4,125 (Rs. 2.06 lacs) per person.

Mr. Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, said, “Over the years, West Bengal has emerged as an important market for Tourism Australia, with the growth seen at YE September 2016 being the second highest growth trajectory recorded from any Indian market during that period. This further cements the State’s position as a focus market for us.

“Tourists from West Bengal have been opting for self-drive holidays, culinary tourism, cruises, soft adventure, cultural showcases, and shopping excursions, among other experiences, when visiting the destination. Over the years, we have undertaken several focused campaigns as part of our consumer outreach efforts in this market, and work closely with our key partners to tailor itineraries keeping these consumption patterns in mind so as to provide the travellers the best experiences on offer Down Under. With India’s increasing travel potential for all purpose holidays, we are expecting visitation from the State to continue growing over the years to come.”

Tourism Australia regularly collaborates with it’s key distribution partners and Aussie Specialist Agents in the State including Club 7 Holidays, Pristine Holidays, Gainwell, A Travel Duet, Alt Air, Club M, along with the regional offices of national players such as Thomas Cook, SOTC, Mercury Travels, MakeMyTrip, for cooperative marketing campaigns. Product development and training initiatives of front desk staff are also undertaken to equip them with the tools and knowledge to sell the destination better. Tourism Australia’s online training platform, the Aussie Specialist Program, has over 350 agents from West Bengal currently registered. Indian travel enthusiasts can visit www.australia.com/offers to check out some exciting itineraries to explore Australia.

Total arrivals from India for YE November 2016 were recorded at 256,400, an increase of 11.5 per cent relative to the same period the previous year, making India the 9^th largest inbound market for Australia.

The Tourism Forecasting Committee (TFC) has predicted 265,000 visitors from India for the Jul 2016 - Jun 17 period, a 9.6% increase over 2015-16. Arrivals from India are expected to perform well with an average annual financial year growth rate of 6.4 per cent through to the financial year 2021-22.

Source for Visitor Arrivals Data - International Visitor Survey, Tourism Research Australia, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Overseas Arrivals & Departures, 3401.0.

Plan your next holiday to Australia, visit www.australia.com/offers

About Tourism Australia

Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for promoting Australia to the world as a destination for business and leisure travel.

Tourism Australia’s purpose is to increase the economic benefits to Australia of tourism, supporting the industry’s Tourism 2020 strategy, which aims to grow the overnight annual expenditure generated by tourism to over A$ 115 billion by 2020.

The organisation is active in around 30 key markets, where it aims to grow demand for the destination’s tourism experiences by promoting the unique attributes which will entice people to visit.

Tourism Australia’s activities include advertising, public relations and media programmes, trade shows and programmes for the tourism industry, consumer promotions, online communications and consumer research.

For more information visit www.tourism.australia.com | www.facebook.com/seeaustralia