Victoria is sharpening its India focus with an bold purpose: to double annual customer arrivals from India from 220,000 to 450,000 over the following few years. In an unique dialog with ETTravelWorld, Steve Dimopoulos, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Main Occasions, Authorities of Victoria, outlined the state’s multifaceted technique to strengthen its presence in India, improve air connectivity, and construct lasting commerce and cultural relationships anchored in tourism, occasions, and enterprise exchanges.Throughout his official go to to India, Dimopoulos revealed that Victoria presently welcomes 223,000 Indian guests yearly who contribute $810 million to the state’s financial system. The federal government’s goal is to succeed in 450,000 arrivals, aligning with Tourism Australia’s broader imaginative and prescient for the Indian market.
Through the unique dialog, he outlined an bold roadmap to double Indian customer arrivals to the state, leveraging Melbourne’s world-class occasions calendar and tapping into India’s quickly increasing outbound leisure journey market.
Relationship constructing on the core
“A part of it’s precisely what we’re doing on this journey, which is being in India. In such an enormous nation, with many states, many languages, it’s a must to be seen. You need to be current,” Dimopoulos emphasised, highlighting the long-term relationship-building strategy that distinguishes Victoria’s India technique.
“India will not be a transactional market — it’s a relationship-driven one,” Dimopoulos added. “For Victoria, displaying up constantly, being seen and genuinely engaged, has been key to constructing belief with Indian companions. It’s about friendship earlier than enterprise.
The minister famous that Indian individuals worth relationships over transactions, which is why Visit Victoria and the Victorian Authorities have invested years in constructing real partnerships with commerce companions within the nation.
Deepening the India connection
Victoria’s relationship with India has matured over the previous decade, with the state authorities and Go to Victoria constantly investing out there via long-term partnerships and cultural collaborations. India is now Victoria’s fastest-growing supply market, pushed by leisure, pupil, and MICE journey.
Dimopoulos stated the most recent India go to by the Victorian delegation — following final yr’s journey by the Premier — alerts the federal government’s seriousness about increasing this relationship. “We’ve made it a precedence to be current throughout a number of Indian cities. It’s about understanding not simply the tourism traits but in addition India’s cultural rhythm — its festivals, household journey patterns, and the brand new technology’s aspirations,” he stated.
To that finish, the Victorian Authorities has established an Indian Journey Academy, designed to equip native Victorian operators with the information and instruments to successfully have interaction with Indian journey commerce companions. The academy offers structured coaching on outbound and inbound journey, serving to operators graduate via specialised modules targeted on the Indian market.
“That is about sophistication in engagement,” Dimopoulos defined. “If our operators are going to promote authentically to India, they should perceive the nuances of the market — the motivations, the cultural expectations, and the various areas vacationers come from.”
Air connectivity: Unlocking the following section of progress
Connectivity stays central to Victoria’s progress ambitions in India. At the moment, Air India and Qantas function flights linking Melbourne and Delhi, however restricted capability has constrained progress. The Victorian Authorities is in talks with a number of carriers to develop choices, together with exploring the entry of Indian carriers comparable to IndiGo, which is aggressively increasing its long-haul community.
“Flying instantly from India to Melbourne is turning into more and more enticing,” Dimopoulos famous. “We’ve seen arrivals bounce from 180,000 to 220,000 within the final yr alone. The demand is clear — now it’s about making certain the availability of planes matches that urge for food.”
He added that elevated one-stop connections via companions comparable to Singapore Airways, Thai Airways, and Malaysia Airways have additionally performed a key position. “Each extra route makes Melbourne extra accessible, and that’s important if we need to hit 450,000 guests within the subsequent few years,” he stated.
Occasions as a world showcase for Victoria
A trademark of Victoria’s tourism technique is its unrivalled main occasions calendar — a mix of sports activities, leisure, and cultural showcases that double as worldwide advertising platforms. From the Formulation One Grand Prix and Australian Open Tennis to international concert events like Coldplay and Ed Sheeran, Melbourne continues to cement its place because the “Occasions Capital of the World.”
Dimopoulos underscored how India-focused occasions have amplified Victoria’s attain within the subcontinent. The India–Pakistan T20 cricket match on the Melbourne Cricket Floor (MCG) drew 100,000 spectators on-site and reached a staggering 600 million viewers throughout India. Equally, Kabaddi tournaments and AFL broadcasts in Hindi have showcased Victoria to huge Indian audiences.
“For us, these occasions work on a number of ranges,” he defined. “They appeal to guests, construct commerce relationships, and generate international visibility. When 600 million Indians watch a cricket match held in Melbourne, it’s an unmatched branding second for Victoria.”
Victoria’s long-term offers with international sporting our bodies such because the ICC and the Formulation One Group guarantee continuity. “We’ve locked in multi-year occasion partnerships — seven years with ICC, 12 years with Formulation One, and prolonged commitments with the NFL and Boxing Day Check. This consistency provides vacationers confidence to plan visits years prematurely,” Dimopoulos added.
Driving leisure and MICE progress
Whereas Victoria’s ties with India have lengthy been anchored by training and visiting pals and relations (VFR) segments, the leisure market is now main progress. The phase has expanded by practically 20% prior to now yr and accounts for the biggest share of customer spend.
“Leisure journey is the heartbeat of the Indian outbound market, and we’re seeing a generational shift,” Dimopoulos noticed. “Youthful Indians are actually extra experience-driven — they’re assured, globally conscious, and need to uncover every little thing from Melbourne’s espresso tradition and music scene to its coastal trails and vineyards.”
The federal government can also be eager to strengthen MICE (Conferences, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism, the place India has emerged as probably the most dynamic post-pandemic markets. Victoria, which holds a 51% stake in its Conference Bureau, is aligning enterprise occasions with key financial priorities comparable to expertise, medical analysis, and digital innovation.
“We’ve seen nice success with occasions like Sports activities Subsequent, the place Indian audio system showcased their management in sports activities expertise,” he stated. “There’s no motive why we are able to’t host a digital innovation or medical analysis discussion board in Melbourne with India’s brightest minds.”
The highway forward: Readiness & resilience
International journey is poised to surge, with forecasts suggesting 2 billion worldwide journeys throughout the subsequent 5 years. India alone may generate 90 million outbound journeys by 2035. For Victoria, this represents an enormous alternative — and preparation is vital.
“We’re planning not only for gradual progress however for an inflection level,” Dimopoulos emphasised. “As soon as aviation capability expands, we’ll see a pointy rise in Indian arrivals. The excellent news is that Melbourne is prepared — we now have over 26,000 lodge rooms within the CBD, greater than 24 million room-nights yearly statewide, and occupancy ranges that permit flexibility for growth.”
As Victoria strengthens its partnerships with Indian airways, tour operators, and digital journey platforms, Dimopoulos stays assured that the state can’t solely meet however exceed its targets. “Victoria’s customer financial system is strong, various, and resilient,” he stated. “Our focus now’s to seize the hearts and minds of Indian travellers — not only for one go to, however for a lot of.”
