According to the latest International Visitor Survey results released by the Tourism Research Australia, Indians visiting South Australia spent over AU$ 28million during the year ending September 2016. This is a 109 per cent increase over last year’s figure which stood at AU$ 13 million. Voted as the 5th Best Region to visit by Lonely Planet, South Australia has witnessed a steady rise in expenditure by Indians over the last few years. This is largely attributed to a growing interest in the State, leading to an increase in the number of nights spent by Indians, which saw an 18 per cent rise over the last year.
Indian tourists are among the top five biggest spenders from Asia following China, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, while holidaying in South Australia. According to recent travel reports Indians are increasing their travel budgets year-on-year and are now looking for new destinations and immersive experiences. When visiting South Australia, Indian tourists enjoy a variety of unique activities such as the RoofClimb over the iconic Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, hugging a koala at Cleland National Park in Adelaide Hills, a walk on the beach among wild sea lions at Seal Bay in Kangaroo Island or tasting wine of your birth year at Seppetlsfield Winery in Barossa.
Commenting on the visitor statistics Dana Urmonas, Regional Director-Southeast Asia & India, South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) said, “We are increasingly seeing Indians with a higher capacity to spend visiting Adelaide and the surrounds. Over the last year we have made significant progress through our consumer and trade marketing in getting Adelaide onto the itinerary of Indians visiting Australia. We are positive we will see many more Indians coming on holiday to South Australia.”
Currently, India is the 9th largest source market for Australia as a whole among the top 15 source markets for South Australia. The last year saw 11,000 Indian visitors to South Australia. According to the Tourism Forecasting Committee the number of arrivals to Australia is expected to see an average annual financial year growth rate of 6.4 per cent through to the financial year 2021-22. The SATC aims to capitalise on this and increase the number of Indian visitors to South Australia by 10 per cent in the coming year.
In the last year the SATC rolled out a number of initiatives in order to attract more Indian tourists. This included the recent collaboration with Star Plus and Balaji to shoot the popular series Ye Hai Mohabbatein in Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Barossa. Earlier this year the SATC also launched a new global campaign which showcases the best of South Australia’s unspoilt nature, premium food and drink and unique experiences through an ad film, which is now in its second phase via digital ad campaigns. Primary target markets include Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai and the core segments include families, honeymooners and independent leisure travellers in the age group of 25-55.
