Funding boost to lure more Indian tourists to T20 World Cup

Tourism Australia will ramp up its marketing efforts in a bid to get more Indian tourists to Australia for October’s men’s T20 cricket World Cup tournament, thanks to a $1 million funding boost from the Morrison Government.

Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham announced the $1 million funding injection at an event in Mumbai to promote Indian visitation to Australia for the tournament later this year.

“In the wake of the recent bushfires, getting the message out there that Australia is open for business and that our tourism industry want Indian travellers to visit is critical,” Minister Birmingham said.

“India is one of our fastest growing tourism markets and with the women’s T20 Cricket World Cup on right now and the men’s tournament on later this year this, we will be encouraging Indian cricket fans to book a ticket, watch a few games, and also get out into our regions to explore the incredible tourism experiences on offer.

“We know that many Indians, like many Australians, are cricket mad and will travel overseas to support their teams.

“Ticket sales out of India have almost reached 20 000, and with six months to go until the men’s tournament, there is huge potential to boost sales even further.

“We know from the experience of the 2015 men’s 50 over World Cup that Indian visitor numbers to Australia spiked by 46 per cent. Similar spikes in numbers for the men’s tournament in October would boost visitor expenditure by hundreds of millions.

“Maximising visitor numbers for an event like this isn’t just about a few days, as we know these visitors will become ambassadors for Australia across social media, with family and friends, helping to drive increased visitation for years to come.

“That’s why the T20 Cricket World Cup offers such a great opportunity to not only shine a spotlight on the women’s and men’s tournaments, but to also encourage travellers to take the time to explore Australia and pay a visit to those regions that need extra support at the moment.”

Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck said Australia had earned a reputation for hosting stellar international sporting events and with the Women’s World Cup underway and the men’s competition around the corner – it makes enormous sense to leverage interest from overseas.

“Visiting Australia will be a guaranteed highlight for Indian cricket fans who, like Australians, are numbered among the most passionate in the world.”

This $1 million funding boost is in addition to the $5 million provided to Tourism Australia last year for T20 World Cup cricket campaign activity in India.

Tourism Australia, together with Visit Victoria, will host a delegation of influential guests from India at the upcoming T20 World Cup women’s final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 8 March in support of the ICC’s goal of setting a new world record for attendance at a women’s sporting match on International Women’s Day.

Among the delegation will be Indian women’s test cricket captain Mithali Raj, chef and television presenter Sanjeev Kapoor, award-winning actor Mithila Palkar, female sports commentator Mandira Bedi, veteran sports journalist and writer Ayaz Memon, and Harsha Bhogle, who will each take part in a tailored itinerary of tourism experiences around Victoria and Australia.