ETW Staff – Mumbai
“Queensland on Tour” was organised by Tourism and Events Queensland for the eighth consecutive year in India, offering participating suppliers a unique platform to showcase their products, educate Indian Trade representatives about the destination and negotiate future business deals. Realising the growing potential of Tier two cities in India, the trade delegates visited Chandigarh and Pune for the first time. The annual roadshow commenced in Chandigarh on January 13, 2014, travelled to Delhi on January 14, followed by Kolkata on January 15, Pune on January 16 and concluded in Mumbai on January 17, 2014.
The multi-city roadshow saw the participation of first time representatives in addition to industry veterans that have serviced the India market for years. The delegation represented a range of products Gold Coast Tourism, Village Roadshow Themeparks, Vibe Hotel, Outrigger Hotel, Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort, Kingfisher Bay Resort, Hamilton Island, Hayman Island, International Coaches & Tours and Wildlife Tropical North Queensland. The appointment of Ms.Lim Mui Khim as the New International Director South East Asia & India who will handle India was announced.
Joining the brand team, Lim Mui Khim, International director, South East Asia and India, Tourism Queensland said, “This is a great initiative which is highlighted by the number and quality from participants of Queensland as well as engagement from the Indian industry. I look forward to working more closely with this market in the future and growing the number of Indian visitors to Queensland”.
Talking about the overwhelming response received from the Indian market, Chad Croft, Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort said, “Coming back to India with Tourism Queensland and visiting these cities has been very beneficial and welcoming. It is very hard to cover the number of agents we do during the Tourism Queensland mission if we are doing sales calls on our own. The agents have been incredibly friendly and accommodating in their support and attendance of the event. We will return to the tourism Queensland mission in India again.”
Queensland, Australia has seen a 22.2 per cent growth in arrivals from India with 37,000 Indians visiting Queensland till September 2013. The growth of tourist arrivals from India has propelled a huge interest from Queensland’s tourism industry.
Over the years, Tourism and Events Queensland’s annual roadshow has received a huge response from the key metro cities visited in India. With a view to achieve a larger footprint in the Indian market, Tourism and Events Queensland in association with Destination New South Wales will also host a series of training workshops in March 2014 in Trivandrum, Surat, Ludhiana and Guwahati for the first time. The annual trade workshops help train front-line staff of travel companies on the destination, constantly innovating products and customising experiences for Indian consumers.
