Tourism Australia’s arrival statistics for May 2016 has revealed record visitation from India to Australia, with 27,400 tourists from India visiting Australia during the peak school holiday period, an increase of 18 per cent vis-à-vis May 2015.
Total arrivals for the year ended May 2016 were recorded at 238,000, an increase of eight per cent relative to the same period last year, making India the ninth largest inbound market for Australia. For the year ended March 2016, Indian tourists spent AU$ 1.14 billion on their Australian sojourn, that saw an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year. A majority of Indian tourists (67 per cent) visited Australia for the purpose of leisure. The average spend for Indian visitors increased by 10 per cent to AU$ 5,215. In addition, the average length of stay for all visitors from India was recorded at 65 nights, with 47 per cent repeat visitation.
Nishant Kashikar, country manager, India and Gulf, Tourism Australia, said, “It is a significant and momentous occasion for Tourism Australia to see such a great response from the India market. Our marketing activities in collaboration with our key distribution and airline partners, with an increased thrust on digital initiatives, improved air connectivity between the two countries, stability of the Australian dollar, introduction of the pilot electronic lodgement of visa applications program, have been key factors in boosting travel to Australia. By 2025, we expect India to be among the top five markets for Tourism Australia.”
The Tourism Forecasting Committee (TFC) is estimating 245,000 visitors from India for July 2015- June 2016, a 12 per cent increase over 2014-15. 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.
Source for visitor arrivals data: International Visitor Survey, Tourism Research Australia.
