Mumbai: Tourism Australia hosted the 17th edition of its premier trade event, Australia Marketplace India (AMI) in Kochi from August 8 to 11 and the event aimed at connecting Australia's finest tourism experiences to key representatives of the Indian travel industry.
The four-day event, formerly known as India Travel Mission, saw 77 Australian tourism businesses showcasing their products to a record 95 Indian travel companies, an endorsement of the growing popularity of Australia as a destination of choice amongst Indian travellers.
AMI is an ideal platform for Australian tourism to provide India's top selling agents of Australian holidays with new news on tourism product and destination updates while also strengthening business relationships. The participating Australian suppliers this year represented a diverse range of businesses including accommodation providers, attractions, experiences, cultural institutions and state and regional tourism organizations.
The Indian buyers were represented by companies from across 10 Indian cities.
Commenting on the event, Bob East, Chairman, Tourism Australia, said: "India is currently Australia's fastest growing inbound market and events like AMI provide a fantastic opportunity to reaffirm Australia's appeal amongst the trade and for our industry to capitalize on India's potential, ensuring sustained growth in visitation and spend from India."
"As the host nation of the upcoming ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, played as two stand-alone tournaments for women and men, the coming year will be an exciting time for us, and we look forward to welcoming more Indian travellers to experience the Australian way of life."
Visitors from India to Australia reached 3,67,000 during the year ended May 2019, growing 11 per cent compared to the previous year. Indian visitors to Australia spent 1.7 billion dollars for the year ended March 2019, an increase of 12 per cent over the previous year.
To support increasing demand from India, Australia is gearing up to ensure visa processing as fast and convenient as possible. Unlike other countries, Australia does not require you to attend an office in-person to lodge your application, provide biometrics or attend an interview and there is no requirement to send the passport.
Visa applications can be lodged online at the convenience of the traveller. The average time taken for an online visitor visa to be granted is only 15 days and business visa applications are processed within eight days.
