Tourism Australia has launched a campaign to lure more Indian tourists to Australia next year for the Women’s and Men’s ICC T20 World Cup.
With India having emerged as the fastest growing inbound market for the nation Down Under, Tourism Australia yesterday launched its dedicated campaign to drive Indian visitors for the sports spectacle – ICC World Cups 2020. This time around Australia is playing host to the Women’s as well Men’s World Cup from February 21 to March 8 and October 18 to November 15, respectively.
Following up on the momentum created by the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which was co-hosted by Australia and saw approximately 100,000 international visitors, the latest campaign is aimed at attracting a record number of visitors for the twin tournaments.
Moreover, the focus is also to generate massive interest for the Women’s tournament, and as part of this plan, Tourism Australia is working with Indian cricketer Mithali Raj. The final match of the Women’s World Cup will be held on March 8 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Tourism Board is looking to generate similar momentum and stadium presence by the audience enjoyed by the Men’s final.
The video campaign showcases the Australian way of life with its culture, food, nature, wildlife, coastal experiences, iconic locations and the 8 venues that will play host to the two tournaments – Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The campaign features voiceovers from Indian cricket commentator and Friend of Australia ambassador Harsha Bhogle; Indian singer, actress and anchor Shibani Dandekar; and Australian former cricketer Brett Lee.
Australia’s Tourism Minister, Simon Birmingham, said “Australia’s hosting of these two T20 World Cup tournaments has the potential to deliver huge benefits for our tourism industry and overall economy.
This campaign is all about encouraging Indian cricket lovers to book a ticket, pack their bags and head Down Under to experience the highs of world-class T20 cricket. Given India is our fastest growing tourism market and currently worth $1.8 billion to Australian tourism, the T20 World Cup provides an exciting opportunity for Australia to well and truly cash-in.”
According to Brent Anderson, Regional General Manager, South and South East Asia, Tourism Australia, “Australia and India have a strong bond through their shared love for cricket. While we have been witnessing impressive growth in terms of visitors and spend from India, the upcoming T20 World Cup provides us with a massive opportunity to take this to the next level. We look forward to welcoming our guests from India for an unforgettable cricket experience at our iconic stadiums and also giving them a flavour of our truly distinct way of life. As part of our plan to make this one of the largest sporting spectacles in the world, a range of offerings and packages are being introduced for travellers from India in partnership with the ICC, official ticketing agents and our key distribution partners.”
ICC has appointed five official ticketing agents and two sub-agents, including Bharat Army, Gainwell Sports, Fanatic Sports, Sports Konnect, Cutting Edge, PickYourTrail, and Medallin Sports to sell cricket packages in India.
With five consecutive years of double-digit growth, the 2020 arrivals goal of 300,000 Indian visitors was achieved in December 2017, three years ahead of target date.
Harsha Bhogle, Tony Huber – Australian Consul General (Mumbai, India), Shibani Dandekar, Brent Anderson and Nishant Kashikar – Country Manager (Gulf & India), Tourism Australia, and India Heads of the Australian State Tourism Organisations were present at the campaign launch in Mumbai.
