Tourism Industry Demands Visa-On-Arrival For Indians In Australia

In a bid to further strengthen the trade relation between India and Australia, the tourism industry has suggested that Australia should also introduce visa-on-arrival facility for Indian tourists visiting the country. India has already initiated the process of extending visa-on-arrival to Australian tourists.

"Tourism plays an important role in cementing the bilateral trade between the two countries. A lot of Indians visit Australia every year and hence, we should be extended visa-on-arrival facility by the Australian government," Subhash Goyal, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) told BI India.

According to a report by Tourism Australia, India is expected to contribute anywhere between $1.9 billion and $2.3 billion every year by 2020. In 2013, India was the 11th largest inbound tourism market, with Indian tourists spending $0.7 billion in Australia in 2013.

"India is one of the world's fastest growing outbound travel markets, with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation predicting 50 million outbound travellers by 2020. The industry estimates that visitor arrivals from India will increase by 6% in 2014-15, with an annual compound growth rate of 7% expected until 2017-18," stated a report on Australia's bi-annual tourism forecasts by Tourism Australia.

"Starting from a low base of 41,000 in 2000, Indian arrivals have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 12.3% to reach 148,200 visitors in 2011. In the Tourism 2020 projections, India has the second fastest rate of growth, behind China, however from a much smaller base," the reported added.

Interestingly, India, too, witnessed a surge by 29% in the arrival of Australian tourists in 2012 while an estimated 2,20,000 Australian tourists flocked India in 2013.

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