Business Events Sydney (BESydney) announced the appointment of Devanshi Parikh to represent the destination in India.
Parikh’s appointment is a response to increased growth in the number of Indian corporations enquiring about Sydney for their next incentive destination.
Likewise, her placement demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to supporting clients across the country.
BESydney CEO Amanda Lampe remarked: “India is a Top 3 source market for international incentives choosing Sydney, with the number of business events delegates travelling to Sydney from India growing by more than 50 percent since 2019, proving Sydney’s appeal to the most discerning travellers.”
Lampe added that the growth was fuelled by the quadrupling of direct flight capacity into Sydney since 2019, as well as the streamlined and much improved visa process.”
Destination NSW CEO Karen Jones added: “India is one of NSW’s most important visitor markets, with strong cultural and social ties through sport, the arts and Sydney’s large Indian diaspora. NSW is also the nation’s number one state for business events – a sector forecast to contribute more than $192 million to our visitor economy this year – so there’s significant opportunity for further growth from the Indian market. I’m delighted that the strategic partnership between Destination NSW and BESydney has secured an in-market representative to generate new business events opportunities for Sydney, and I congratulate Devanshi on her appointment.”
This strategic move underscores BESydney’s commitment to global engagement and its mission to position Sydney as the pre-eminent Asia-Pacific business visitor destination.
The right person for the job
With regard to Parikh, Lampe said: “Devanshi’s on-the-ground expertise and market knowledge will be instrumental in responding to our growing Indian client base and expanding our reach and impact”.
Parikh brings over 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the travel and tourism sector, having worked with leading agencies across Mumbai.
A graduate of The International School for Tourism in Zurich, Switzerland, she most recently founded and led her own boutique travel agency, Explorience, from 2016 to 2024.
Based out of the New South Wales Government’s Destination NSW (DNSW) Mumbai office, she will initially work closely with major MICE travel partners highlighting the exciting program of new developments across Sydney to surprise and delight their clients.
Over time, her role will broaden to support both DNSW’s leisure travel initiatives as well as BESydney’s business events strategy, reflecting the natural synergy between the two sectors and their shared partner networks.
She said of her assignment: “India loves Sydney’s action and adventure, sport, shopping and dining. There is much anticipation for the India Cricket tour later in the year, especially when Australia faces India under lights at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in a potential series-deciding third match of the One Day International series. We have so much more to share, with annual events like the Vivid Sydney festival of lights, food, music and ideas, a new 24-hour international airport opening next year, and exciting event spaces like The Cutaway in Barangaroo and International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney. I look forward to working with the MICE industry to continue to strengthen the bonds between Australia and India.”
