Indian travellers now make up the 5th largest number of tourists visiting Australia, up from 7th place in 2019 according to the country's tourism ministry.

"In January 2024 we did extremely well with 26,200 Indians travelling to Australia, compared to 24,700 during the same month in 2019, a growth of 6.07 per cent," said Nishant Kashikar, Tourism Australia's country manager for India and the Gulf, in an interview with PTI.

"If we calculate from February 2023 till January 2024, the total number of Indians visiting Australia has crossed the 400,000 arrivals milestone to reach 402,200."

This growth in footfalls is mainly attributed to Tourism Australia's joint endeavours with its airlines, key distribution partners and over 5,000 Aussie Specialist Agents in India to drive consideration and conversions.

"The number of airlines connecting New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai has gone up to 28 flights per week from eight flights in 2019," said Kashikar.

Moreover, the travel trend has completely changed for Indians after the COVID-19 pandemic as there is a generational shift with the age of travellers going down. The attitude of Indians has become more splurging and people have become globetrotters wanting to attend festivals, sporting events and concerts among others, Kashikar noted.

Another factor for the increase in footfalls is the electronic lodgement of visa applications, which has made the visa application process easy and more convenient.

"This resurgence of Indian tourists to Australia is a testament to the resilience and rebound of international travel, particularly from one of our most valued markets," Kashikar said.

"This is a clear indicator of the strong desire for travel and exploration among the Indian travellers, who are drawn to Australia's unique landscapes, wildlife and the multicultural vibrancy of our cities. Going forward in 2024, we expect the same momentum to continue from India."

With inputs from PTI.