Australia welcomes 19% more Indians between June 2017-May 2018

Australia witnessed 19 per cent growth in tourist arrivals between June 2017-May 2018, with 3,30,700 Indians visiting the country.

Around 2,77,100 Indians travelled to the Down Under during June 2016 and May 2017, according to Australian Tourism data.

This has made India the eighth largest inbound market, after China, New Zealand, the US, Britain, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, according to the data.

Besides, even sightseeing Indians are also considered good spenders while travelling in the Down Under, it said.

Spending by Indian tourists grew by 14 per cent between April 2017 and March 2018, with visitors spending AUD 1.53 billion (around Rs 7,650 crore) on the Australian soil, up from AUD 1.33 billion in the same period in the previous year.

In terms of spending, India stood seventh after China, the US, Britain, New Zealand, Japan and Korea.

This is the fourth year where Australia has recorded double-digit growth in both arrivals and spend, indicating the destination's growing preference among Indians, Tourism Australia said.

The recent government move to extend online visitor visa applications to all Indians also helped boost the numbers, it added.

"In an age where travellers are increasingly self-reliant in planning and booking holidays, the e-lodgement facility allows tourists greater independence when planning a trip to Australia and has proved to be a strong catalyst for boosting tourist arrivals from India," Tourism Australia India manager Nishant Kashikar said, adding Indian arrivals have increased since the introduction of the new visa system.