Aiming at 300,000 arrivals
The Australian High Commission in India recently issued 150,000th visitor visa and celebrated the occasion in Delhi by felicitating the visa recipient.
Calling it a significant milestone for Tourism Australia in India, Nishant Kashiker, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, says, “In 2015, we crossed the 100,000 visa application mark and in just a year we have touched the 150,000 mark. Last year, arrivals went up by almost 19 per cent with 233,000 arrivals. Indian tourists contribute significantly to the Australian economy and last year the total spend went up by 38 per cent, which was a total of ` 5,500 crores. We have an overarching 2020 objective of reaching the 300,000 Indian arrivals to Australia, contributing over 1.9 billion dollars to the Australian economy.”
He insisted that growth has been constant in the last few years. “From being the 11th largest market to being the 8th largest market in Australia today, India is expected to be amongst the top five markets for Tourism Australia by 2025. And there are many factors behind this — right from a double digit growth in the arrivals; to the stability in the Australian dollar; improved aviation access between the two countries with Air India’s direct flight and Scoot commencing flights from Chennai, Amristar and now Jaipur; as well as the bilateral relations between India and Australia being at an all time high. The announcement for the launch of the electronic lodgement of visa applications and the pilot three year multiple entry visa applications are also going to encourage lot of Indians to visit and keep coming back to Australia.”