Australia witnesses 15% increase in Indian travellers for year ending June 2014

India has emerged as the tenth largest inbound market for Australia for the year ending June 2014. The average length of stay of Indian visitors in Australia was 55 nights, and they spent AUD 752 million, which makes India the 12th largest inbound source market in terms of expenditure. According to Tourism Australia, the most common purpose of visit for Indians was leisure.

Indian Visitor Arrivals to Australia There were 17,000 visitors from India during June 2014, bringing the total for the six months to June to 99,500, an increase of 19.3 per cent relative to the same period previous year. Total arrivals for the year ended (YE) June 2014 were 184,720, an increase of 15 per cent relative to the same period previous year. Leisure arrivals during this period increased by 27 per cent. This makes India the 10th largest inbound market for arrivals as at YE June 2014.

Forecast Arrivals

• The Tourism Forecasting Committee (TFC) is forecasting 190,000 visitors from India for 2014-15, a 6.4% increase over 2013-14. There were 164,000 actual arrivals in 2012-13, 7.5% increase over 2011-12.
• Arrivals from India are expected to perform well with an average annual financial year growth rate of 7.2 per cent through to the financial year 2021-22.

Visitor Expenditure

• For 12 months ending June 2014, Indian visitors contributed A$752million to Australia’s total expenditure.
• India is the 12th largest source market in terms of expenditure
• Average expenditure for Indian visitors was A$4,349.

Duration of Stay

• For 12 months ending June 2014, Indian visitors spent a total of 9.4 million nights in Australia.
• The average length of stay for all visitors from India was 55 nights
• Indian leisure visitors stayed an average of 47 nights.

Australia’s Competitive Advantage

• The findings of the target customer research and Consumer Demand Project (CDP) have revealed that the top five Aussie attractions that appeal to Indian travellers are the Australian beaches, iconic landmarks, wildlife, food & wine, and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
• The research also shows that Indian travellers rated Australia’s Food & Wine as the best in the world. There is a diversity of available cuisines in Australia, including vegetarian options.
• Diversity of experiences.
• Australians are seen as welcoming, warm and friendly.
• Faster visa processing under the Preferred Agency Scheme (PAS).

Target Markets

• Mumbai & Delhi (Primary).
• Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata (Secondary).

Target Segments

• SEC A, aged 35 – 54 years, average household income over US$ 45,000 and residing in Delhi & Mumbai.
• Corporates and BE agents for Business Events segment, across various industries.

Flight Options to Australia

• Air India operate their direct, non-stop services on the triangulated Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne route.
• Regular, one-stop flights from key cities in India to key ports in Australia via Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Emirates.
• Qantas also has a code share agreement with Jet Airways via Singapore.

Aussie Specialist Agents

• Participants in the Aussie Specialist Program are all identified as strongly promoting and developing Australia as a holiday destination.
• As of June 2014, ASP figures were as below:

Total qualified ASP agents: 900 Total active ASP agents: 3597

• As of June 2014, agents under the Preferred Agency Scheme (PAS) run in collaboration with DIAC were as below:

Total agencies participating: 93 Total active agents: 167

Tourism 2020 Potential

• India’s overnight visitor spend has the potential to reach between $1.8 billion to $2.3 billion.
• Visitor numbers from India have the potential to reach up to 300,000.

For more news and updates, assistance with your visa needs or for a Free Assessment of your profile for Immigration or Work Visa’s just visit www.y-axis.com