Record Indian travel trade participation in Australian Tourism Exchange 2015

MUMBAI: Over 25 Indian travel companies participated in the recently concluded Australian Tourism Exchange 2015 in Melbourne, showing the growing popularity of Australia as a tourism destination for Indians. Companies like Thomas Cook India, SOTC-Kuoni, MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Abercrombie & Kent, Chariot World Tours, Fountainhead, amongst others represented India at ATE 2015, in a bid to further promote Australia as a travel destination.

Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for promoting Australia to the world as a destination for business and leisure travel.

Organized by Tourism Australia, with Tourism Victoria, ATE is Australia's annual business-to-business tourism travel trade event, which brings together travel wholesalers and agents from 30 countries to meet and do business with 1,500 Australian tourism seller delegates from 500 companies.

"Arrivals into Australia from India have seen a significant rise and initiatives like the ATE provide a wonderful platform for the trade to understand the destination better which in turn helps them to sell it to their consumers," Nishant Kashikar, country manager - India & Gulf, Tourism Australia said in a press statement.

In 2014, 1,97,000 Indian tourists visited Australia, registering a 17% increase over the same period of the previous year.