Destination NSW targets Mumbai, China
Destination NSW has announced its first ever manager appointment in Mumbai, alongside the launch of its seventh international office in the city.
Announced last week Paramjit Bawa has been appointed as the inaugural manager, a move Destination NSW chief executive Sandra Chipchase said will develop Indian inbound tourism to NSW.
Mr Bawa’s experience in the international tourism sector comes from his recent six year role as regional manager of VisitBritain’s Indian and Middle Eastern operations.
NSW welcomed 70,000 Indian visitors in March this year, who spent $160 million in overnight stays. The tenth largest visitor source, Indian’s stay longer on average than any other international visitors.
Mr Bawa will work closely with airlines, travel trade, media and business event organisers to achieve the expected growth of 100% by 2020.
Representing Business Events Sydney will also give opportunity to grow the Indian MICE market in NSW, as Mr Bawa can engage more closely with the Indian association and professional events market.
“Having Mr Bawa work with both Destination NSW and Business Events Sydney makes sense, given our close working relationship and equally ambitious targets, particularly for the Asian region,” Ms Chipchase said.
As part of a comprehensive strategy to also capitalise on the flourishing China tourism market, Destination NSW is set to launch an innovative smartphone application called Welcome to Sydney.
Allowing Chinese visitors to access a complete guide for their trip and planning information on where to go when in NSW in their own language, the app is an important tool to combat the language barrier for Chinese visitors.
“As well as engaging with the growing Chinese outbound tourism market, we continue to strengthen our efforts to ensure Sydney is accessible and attractive destination for visitors across China and Asia,” Ms Chipchase concluded.
The app will be available in August 2012 for both Android and iOS platforms.
Destination NSW also launched a free iPhone application for Global tourism buyers, sellers and media representatives at this year’s Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) in Perth.
Called ‘Team NSW’, the app was developed to assist international delegates at ATE to connect with New South Wales tourism industry representatives and Destination NSW staff by giving access to delegates’ names, their photographs, short company profile and website address.
AccomNews is not affiliated with any government agency, body or political party. We are an independently owned, family-operated magazine.
