GROWTH in the Indian outbound leisure market to Australia has been good despite the strong Australian dollar, say agents, although incentives may weaken next year.
Qantas Holidays business development manager-India and South Asia, Shobhana Gautum, said: “We closed the financial year ending June 2011 with an 80 per cent growth in India outbound to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, with more than 80 per cent going to Australia.”
Gujarat-based Anytime Hotels CEO, Rishi Budhadev, added that the volume of traffic to Australia handled by his agency in the last five months had already surpassed what was recorded for the whole of the last financial year. “Many Indian travellers have seen Asia, and want something new,” he said.
Delhi-based Uniglobe Indica Travels president Shiban Kotru said that while it now cost 30 per cent more to visit Australia, Indian travellers were “discerning enough to know the destination offers good value” and the disposable income of Indian consumers had also increased.
Tourism Australia projects tourism earnings from India to exceed A$1 billion (US$1.1 billion) this year, compared to A$844 million in 2010.
– Read more in TTG-PTM Official Daily – Day 2 issue
