Australia has welcomed over 277,100 Indian tourists, making India the 9th largest inbound market for tourist arrivals. This increase also marks a double digit growth for the fourth consecutive year.
Commenting on the tourism statistics, Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, said, “Over the years, we have undertaken several focused campaigns as part of our consumer outreach efforts. Our collaboration with Zee Marathi’s popular show, ChalaHawaYeuDya, over the past two years, has definitely helped us to not only build awareness, but also drive visitation from our number one state. We also work closely with our key Aussie Specialist Agents and airline partners to offer a compelling reason for potential travellers to choose Australia as their next holiday destination. Visitors from Maharashtra are looking forward to experiences, including aquatic & coastal (beaches), self-drive, nature, wildlife and adventure on their Australian sojourn. With a growing penchant for travel, we expect growth from our top metro cities to continue over the years to follow.”
As per the report, the state of Maharashtra ranks as the leading source market for Australia. For the year ended June2017, over 59,000 tourists from Maharashtra Pradesh visited Australia spending AUD 310 million (approx. Rs.1,550crores) on their Australian holiday. Maharashtra contributed to a growth of 18 per cent and 41 per cent in arrivals and spend respectively, for the year ended June 2017.