The roadshow was held over three days, from February 5-7 in Mumbai and New Delhi
Ramping up its activities in India and days after the first visit by its new Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti, Western Australia conducted its first India Roadshow in the post-pandemic period.
According to a press statement by the tourism board, the roadshow of the largest State in Australia was held over three days, from February 5-7 in Mumbai and New Delhi.
Carolyn Turnbull
The statement adds that the roadshow, which was run in collaboration by Tourism Western Australia (WA) and Business Events Perth, saw 16 hotels, attractions, experiences, and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) from the State present their product to more than 300 Indian agents in the two cities in India.
According to the statement, Tourism Western Australia Managing Director Carolyn Turnbull says India is a priority market for the state, representing an enormous growth opportunity for the State’s visitor economy.
“India is one of our fastest recovering markets post-pandemic, and now is a crucial time for us to strengthen our relationships with in-market agents to leverage this potential and ensure we are maximising the growth of this market,” says Turnbull.
In 2019, India was WA’s 11th largest visitor market, with 31,000 visitors spending an estimated AUD 63 million (USD 41 million) in the State.
The statement adds that by September 2023, visitor numbers had recovered to 87 pc of pre-Covid levels, and India grew to become WA’s seventh largest international market by visitor numbers, with 27,000 visitors spending an estimated AUD 91 million in the State, driven by an increase of nearly 50 pc in the spend per person.
Tourism WA Executive Director Marketing, Melissa Forbes, who led the India Roadshow, says trade events form an integral part of Tourism WA’s in-market strategy.
“This Roadshow presented a great opportunity for West Australian suppliers to showcase their product offering and to build business relationships with Indian agents,” says Forbes.
Gareth Martin
“Our visit to India also represented a great opportunity for us to understand the current travel trends in this key market,” she adds.
Business Events Perth Chief Executive Officer, Gareth Martin says as the Western Gateway to Australia, international markets are integral to securing business events that diversify WA’s visitor economy.
“Our focus sharpens on India as a key market, with the country’s proximity to Western Australia playing a pivotal part and providing us a unique platform to showcase Western Australia’s business event offering,” says Martin.
The statement adds that attending the roadshow from WA’s tourism industry were RTOs Australia’s Coral Coast, Australia’s South West, and Destination Perth.
