The Hindu Business Line : Gold Coast Tourism sets sights on Indian tourists

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Mumbai Feb. 3 Gold Coast Tourism Corporation Ltd (GCTC), located in Queensland, Australia, has set its sights on the travelling Indian.

GCTC has spent a year analysing the Indian market, said the CEO, Mr Pavan Bhatia, and will be committing AUS $1 million a year over the next five years as seed money to help grow Indian traffic to the Gold Coast region.

According to Tourism Queensland, 22,200 Indians visited Queensland for the year ended June 2006, with 57 per cent of those, or 12,800, visiting the Gold Coast.

Mr Bhatia insists that GCTC sees India as a long-term proposition, which is why the corporation is in the process of setting up a trade office in Mumbai.

"We are not looking for short term money," he said. "India has to be a long-term value based strategy."

Initially, the corporation will concentrate on Indian business tourism because the Gold Coast has been expanding its MICE (meetings, incentives, convention and exhibitions) capabilities, though leisure travel will have its part to play. Mr Bhatia is counting on the myriad range of activities the region offers — from golf to shopping to whale watching — to draw the eyes of the Indian corporate world. The 300 days of sunshine a year doesn't hurt either.

Mr Bhatia has set an initial target of AUS $3,00,000 a year in revenues and is confident the Indian market can deliver.

"Every medium to small company has a budget of Rs 25-30 lakh in incentives and brands," he said. "When you do the arithmetic, it is mind boggling."

Of course, he noted, the Indian consumer needs to be informed of these attractions first, as does the travel trade.