Cricket World Cup drives record number of Indians to Australia
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Indian visitor arrivals to Australia surged 42% in the first quarter of 2015, as thousands descended on the country for the Cricket World Cup.
According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 62,000 Indians travelled to Australia in the first three months of 2015 – the quarter that coincided with the World Cup.
This boosted full-year arrivals, for the 12 months ending 31 March 2015, to 215,000 – up 25% year-on-year. As a result, India has risen to become Australia’s eighth largest visitor source market.
“It is very encouraging to see the number of visitor arrivals from India to Australia reaching an all-time high,” said Nishant Kashikar, Tourism Australia‘s country manager for India & the Gulf. “Australia is an all-year-round destination and has a diverse range of some of the world’s best tourism experiences. We look forward to working jointly with our partners to sustain this growth momentum during 2015 and beyond.”
And the rising numbers of Indian visitors are not being solely driven by the Cricket World Cup; for the 2014 calendar year 197,000 Indian tourists travelled to Australia, 17% more than in 2013. The World Cup, which was held in February and March 2015, is estimated to have attracted more than 9,000 Indian cricket fans to the country.
Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) remains the largest segment of Indian travel to Australia, representing 42% of total arrivals. Holiday travel (24%) was second, while business travellers accounted for 14% of visitors.
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