Carolyn Turnbull, Managing Director, Tourism Western Australia talks about the strategy for India market
Tourism Western Australia continues to work with key tourism trade partners in India to further promote its diverse product portfolio. Excerpts from interview:
How important is India as a source market for Western Australia (WA)?
India is Western Australia’s fastest growing inbound visitor market and represents an enormous growth opportunity for the state’s visitor economy. Pre-pandemic, India was WA’s ninth largest tourism market by number, with more than 30,000 Indians visiting Western Australia in 2019 and spending more than AU$63 million in Western Australia. It has now grown to become the fourth largest international visitor market with around 24,800 arrivals during March 2022 to February 2023, reflecting a recovery of 80+ per cent of pre-COVID levels.
The huge growth potential of the Indian inbound market is one of many reasons why the Western Australian Government’s mission to India last year was one of its first international trade missions after the pandemic. Led by the Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism, Roger Cook, I was delighted to join this mission to support reconnecting Western Australia and India and explore new and growing tourism opportunities between our two destinations. I also joined a WA Government delegation led by the Minister for Tourism in March 2023 to attend CAPA India Aviation Summit.
Additionally, Tourism WA has recently upscaled our investment in India with the appointment of international marketing agency T&A Consulting Private Limited, to drive our state’s trade marketing and public relations operations across the country. All of these efforts reflect the importance of the India source market to our state.
You started targeted promotion in India in 2018. Then there was Covid-19 and you returned in 2022. What is your short-to-medium-to-long-term marketing and promotional plan for the India market (including digital marketing)?
Western Australia’s new global tourism brand, ‘Walking On A Dream’, is inspired by our state’s unique Aboriginal culture, and invites travellers to visit WA to explore the attributes that make WA a wondrous and dreamlike place.
With this new brand, Tourism WA continues to target the High Yielding Traveller around the world and in India. High Yielding Travellers have an adventurous spirit and seek authentic experiences beyond the well-known.
Tourism WA’s marketing in India continues to show High Yielding Travellers all the dreamlike experiences available in Western Australia. Tourism WA continues to work with key tourism trade partners, including MakeMyTrip, Thomas Cook, Pick Your Trail, EaseMyTrip, and TBO, to further promote Western Australia through our new global tourism brand.
Tourism WA is also working with key influencers and celebrities from India to showcase the best of Western Australia, including Bollywood Actress Barkha Singh and the Indian Cricket Team, who have highlighted to Indian audiences their incredible experiences in iconic Western Australian locations like the beautiful Rottnest Island. We look forward to continuing to roll out campaigns that reflect our new global tourism brand to drive more consumer and trade interest in our state.
You have taken the cricketing route to promote WA in India with, Adam Gilchrist in 2019 and Brad Hogg in 2022 present during your India roadshows. Do you have any plans to appoint other cricketers as brand ambassadors?
Our vision is for Western Australia to become one of the top event capitals in South East Asia, and WA tourism advocates like Adam Gilchrist and Brad Hogg remain important spokespeople. We were also pleased to be able to work with Australian cricket legend Mitchell Johnson recently on an international campaign encouraging working holiday makers to ‘Come Follow the Sun’ to Western Australia and work and travel across our state.
We know that hosting world-class cricketing events in Western Australia offers a major drawcard for leisure visitors from the Indian market. Last October, when the highly anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches took place in Perth, there were almost 20 per cent more arrivals into Western Australia from India than in October 2019.
Do you have any plans to tap the India MICE & corporate segment?
The Western Australian Government recognizes that not only is the business events sector a significant financial contributor to WA, but that Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) events also elevate WA’s reputation as a leading business destination and knowledge centre, by showcasing our facilities and considerable intellectual capital.
In support of the sector, the WA Government has committed $32 million, through Business Events Perth, to be spent over four years from 2022 – 2026 to attract MICE events to our state from all over the world. As many as 108 national and international events have been secured for WA up to 2029, representing $107 million in economic impact for the destination. To ensure that delegates have an exceptional experience in our state, the WA Government has invested millions of dollars into revitalizing the Perth CBD, and in growing accommodation offerings across Perth.
Securing a direct aviation route from India to Western Australia is a key aviation priority for the Western Australian Government, WA Tourism Minister Mr Roger Cook said last year. Has there been any development on this?
India remains WA’s largest international market unserved by a direct air service and securing such a non-stop route between Perth and either Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru or Chennai is Tourism WA’s top aviation priority.
The WA Government, through Tourism WA, continues to work with our valued airline partners to grow our aviation capacity, and with Perth Airport as ‘Team Perth’ to secure a non-stop service between Western Australia and India. I was delighted to meet with key aviation stakeholders at this year’s CAPA India Aviation Summit in New Delhi, to explore flight opportunities and further strengthen the state’s travel and trade relationship with India.
