Category: Australia

India once again earned the distinction of being the fastest growing inbound market for Australia. Arrivals for the year-ended November 2018 stood at 352,500 – a growth of 18 per cent over the previous year. During October 2017 to September 2018, Indian tourists spent $ 1.6 billion on their Australia trip, a growth of 10 per cent over the previous year. India is now on track to achieve fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth in arrivals, as well as spend. Over the past few months, Tourism Australia executed few marketing activities to raise Australia’s appeal and attractiveness among the Indian ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: thefabulousscript.com Australia is expected to have around 10 million foreign tourists in the year 2019.  As per data analysis, the foreign tourist inflow is pointing towards a record number of guests in 2019, which spells good news for the economy and employment generation. Bessie Hassan from comparison website ‘finder.com.au’ said Australia is taking an ever-greater share of the global market, with arrivals rapidly growing over the past several years. “It is likely we will welcome more than 10 million overseas guests for the first time this year,” said Hassan “International tourists are pouring into the country, which is ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: scmp.com The number of Chinese visitors to Australia has grown 13 per cent in a single year, latest data showed. A record high 1.3 million Chinese people visited Australia in the 12 months to June 2018 as per the latest International Visitor Survey (IVS), released by Tourism Research Australia (TRA) on Friday 2nd November 2018. During this period around 1.3 million tourists visited Australia, who spent 11.3 billion Australian dollars (8.1 billion U.S. dollars) in the country, which is 15 per cent more than that of the previous year. According to the IVS, Chinese visitors accounted for 81 ... Read more

The West Australian state government plans to make its first major investment in attracting Indian tourists to WA, including appointing a full time marketing representative in Mumbai. Details of the programmes will be announced by Paul Papalia, Tourism Minister of WA, during his visit to India shortly; while the focus will be on cricket. A co-operative marketing deal has been arranged with Thomas Cook, offering travel packages to Perth for the first cricket Test match at Optus Stadium in December. “Our extraordinary State has much to offer Indian travellers, whether they’re visiting for business, education or leisure,” said Papalia. “But ... Read more

Etihad Airways has named Sydney and Melbourne as the next airports in the global rollout of new lounge brand ‘The House’, recently launched by the airline in partnership with No1 Lounges. Eligible customers of Etihad Airways, and those of its partner airline, Virgin Australia, travelling through Sydney will be able to experience The House from Tuesday October 23, while the new upgraded lounge experience will open for customers departing Melbourne on Saturday October 27, following the brand’s launch at Heathrow Terminal 4, on 5 October. The House is the result of a unique collaboration between Etihad Airways and award-winning lounge ... Read more

Fiji is aiming at enhancing its infrastructure to improve tourism in the country. It also plans to increase export to Australia. As per Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, Fijian minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Lands and Mineral Resources, Fiji is expanding infrastructure to boost tourism. It was disclosed by the minister while in a meeting with Mark Coulto, Australian assistant minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment in Momi Bay, at the Australia-Fiji Business Forum. “We are expanding our ports and making them more efficient. We are enhancing our national infrastructure to a new standard of climate resilience and we are extending essential ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: thefabulousscript.com Tourism Australia and Singapore Airlines have signed a three-year strategic marketing deal worth USD 7.93 million, reiterating their commercial ties. As per the agreement the two parties will jointly fund a range of tourism campaigns and promotional activities in eight of Australia’s key inbound markets – Singapore, as well as China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and the UK. “The renewal of the strategic cooperation with Tourism Australia underscores its commitment to Australia’s tourism and travel industry,” said Mak Swee Wah, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President Commercial. “Singapore Airlines has been bringing visitors to Australia for over ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Elle The Royal couple, popular as the ‘Duke and Duchess of Sussex’, is visiting Fiji and Tonga as part of an October tour that also includes Australia and New Zealand Considering the global interest in the Royal newlyweds, the tourism sector believes their visit presents a rare opportunity to sell the Pacific region on the world stage. “Our greatest advantage is the free publicity that we will get, and putting the Pacific on the map,” said Christopher Cocker, CEO of South Pacific Tourism Organization to the media. He said local tourist operators and businesses have a rare opportunity ... Read more

Tourism Australia has launched a new tourism promotion campaign in India and South East Asia, targeting high value travellers in India, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The latest chapter in Tourism Australia’s evolving There’s Nothing Like Australia campaign, UnDiscover Australia, challenges perceptions and stereotypes of what Australia offers as a tourism destination by showcasing unusual, unfamiliar and unexpected attractions and experiences. The campaign is being backed by Australia’s state and territory tourism organisations, airlines, and a range of other key distribution partners. India is currently Australia’s fastest growing market for arrivals and spend, achieving a fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth. ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: Gizmodo Tourism Australia has launched a campaign in South and South East Asia to crack the typecasts of what Australia has to offer and challenge common misconceptions. The campaign will cost around $10 million. The campaign consist promotional videos explaining what else Australia has to offer to the tourists, other than the stereotypes like Kangaroo, beaches etc. The videos are created by Clemenger BBDO Sydney and UM, with a tagline ‘Undiscover Australia.’ The campaign targets travellers from India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia by showing unexpected activities and experiences Australia has to offer. Each video shows a cliched activity ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: scmp.com Tourism Australia’s (TA) Business Events Australia Greater China Showcase 2018 will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 25 to 28 November 2018. The Event is designed to provide Australian industry with a platform on which to develop their relationships with incentive buyers from the China market, and to provide insights into market trends and customer behaviour. In 2018, the showcase will be held in Australia for the first time, providing incentive buyers from the China market with an opportunity to experience Australia’s offering first-hand. The 2018 showcase format will include face-to-face meetings with agents and corporate buyers. ... Read more

In mid-2017, the Department of Home Affairs (HA), formerly the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, extended online lodgement of visitor visa applications to all Indian nationals. The online application process provides a more convenient option for Indians looking to visit Australia, by allowing them to apply for their Australian tourist visa within the comfort of their home, without any biometric requirement or physically submitting their passport to the Department. In an age where travellers are increasingly self-reliant in planning and booking holidays, the e-lodgement facility allows tourists greater independence when planning a trip to Australia and has proved to ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: thefabulousscript.com As per the recent reports from the Australian tourism authorities, the country has received around 277,100 Indian tourists during the period from June 2017 to May 2018. This is 19 per cent more than that of the previous year. India has become the eighth largest inbound market for Australia, after China, New Zealand, the US, Britain, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. Average spending by Indian tourists increased by 14 per cent between April 2017 and March 2018, with visitors spending AUD 1.53 billion (around Rs 7,650 crore) in Australia. Last year it was AUD 1.33 billion. In terms ... Read more

Queensland, second largest state of the Australian province, is planning to issue a grant to a crypto start-up as part of their innovation funding. As per the government statement, the state government will grant over $8.3 million to TravelbyBit digital currency payments platform for the travel and tourism industry. It is part of their Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas funding, which supports entrepreneurs in Queensland in developing their businesses. “The role of the company will be to enhance the number of inbound tourists to Central Queensland through selling travel offers with cryptocurrencies and creating more jobs,” said Kate Jones, Innovation Minister. ... Read more

A massive earthquake of magnitude six hits Australia at a depth of 47 miles and about 295 miles north of Vanuatu’s island of Santo. There was no immediate tsunami warning or any reports of damage or casualties from the quake, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. Vanuatu is an island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia. A 4.7 magnitude earthquake has hit a remote part of Western Australia (Norseman) on June 20. Norseman had a series of earthquakes about 18 hours ago.