The fourth-largest market for New South Wales is India; the goal is to meet demand by expanding capacity.Destination New South Wales (DNSW), the organisation responsible for promoting tourism in the southeasterly state of New South Wales, is currently in contact with many airlines, including Qantas and Air India, to expand capacity and offer direct flights between India and Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales.
The DNSW reported 140,000 leisure visitors to the state between March 2022 and February 2023, while Qantas reports high load factors of 90% on its flights serving the Bengaluru-Sydney route, indicating that there is certainly demand. India is currently the state’s fourth-largest market in terms of tourist arrivals and its fastest-growing market, according to the DNSW. However, the DNSW believes there is sufficient demand for the Indian tourism industry to displace the United Kingdom and become the third-largest market, trailing only New Zealand and the United States of America. This is because there are more direct flights to India and more capacity available. Additionally, in order to encourage more travellers to visit Australia, the visa application process has been made simpler.
The whole visa processing has been simplified and made entirely online without the need for physical documentation or biometric data, and it takes only up to 45 minutes which the DSNW reports is a game-changer for tourists arriving in New South Wales.
The existing connectivity
At the moment, there are 11 direct flights weekly between Sydney and India. This includes seven weekly flights between India’s capital Delhi and Sydney, which Air India operates using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The Australian carrier Qantas accounts for the remaining four weekly flights, connecting Sydney with the Indian city of Bengaluru utilizing the airline’s Airbus A330-200.
The DNSW is also currently in conversation with Air India regarding the possibility of the airline operating flights to Sydney from Bengaluru. Additionally, it is reported that due to the high load factors on their Sydney-Bengaluru route, Qantas may begin operating additional flights to boost frequency in the coming months.
With Qantas being a partner airline with India’s largest airline IndiGo, increased frequencies would enable more opportunities for passengers from all over India to access Sydney, Australia, via Bengaluru, and vice-versa.
Source: The Hindu
