"Chalo!" Says David Warner as He Invites Indians to Visit Australia

Tourism Australia has released a new social content series starring former Australian cricketer David Warner in a bid to invite Indian travellers to the land down under.

'G'Day India!'

Tourism Australia unveiled its new social media video series at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, on November 11, 2024. In the clips, the cricket superstar can be seen walking the viewers through some of his favourite Australian holiday destinations and experiences in Sydney, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast. The four-part series, to feature on Tourism Australia’s Instagram account, has been launched in India just weeks before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in hopes that the love for cricket mingled with exciting destinations will rope in more visitors to the country. The five Test series between Australia and India begins in Perth, Western Australia on November 22, 2024.

Inviting Indians

David Warner, stating how "immensely proud" he was to be partnering with Tourism Australia for the new social content series, invited Indian visitors to explore his "backyard".

“From our unique wildlife to our coffee culture, and icons like the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia has so much to offer to travellers from India, and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to show off our backyard.”

Tourism Australia's managing director, Phillipa Harrison, at the event, stated that it has been great to team up with the former Australian opening batsman to highlight to cricket fans across India what Australia has to offer as a holiday destination.

“In the video series, David Warner issues a warm welcome to Indian travellers to experience some of his favourite holiday destinations in Australia including Melbourne’s iconic laneways, Sydney’s world famous Bondi coastal walk and the Gold Coast’s amazing wildlife," said Harrison.

"We know the former Australian opening batsman remains an incredibly popular figure here in India and we are confident once travellers have seen his recommendations they will want to book a holiday to Australia to see for themselves what our destination has to offer.”

Harrison has travelled to India with a delegation of 15 CEOs from the Australian tourism industry to meet with senior officials from the Indian tourism industry and strengthen ties with key partners in New Delhi and Mumbai.

“There is no doubt that India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies and with a population of more than 1.4 billion, the country will play a vital role in global tourism over the coming decade,” she added. "We are already seeing Indian travellers visit Australia in greater numbers than ever before and with improved aviation links between our two countries we want to see that continue to track in the right direction.”

Harrison stressed upon Australia's game plan for India and hinted at Tourism Australia's new campaign (which is currently in progress but will be out around July 2025), which will feature a known Bollywood figure. She added how India and Australia, having just signed a new trade pact, "have never been closer" and how India has evolved to be the fifth biggest travel market for Australia, all thanks to added flight routes, a large number of Indian students studying in Australia, exciting MICE programmes for Indians in Australia, and increased number of Indian visitors.

"For us, leisure travel and MICE opportunities are equally important, and the way India is poised today, we see all segments contributing to this particular growth. In MICE, India is growing at almost 7% year-on-year and beyond. There are multiple sectors that are going to contribute to this, whether it is banking, financial, insurance, infrastructure, steel, pharmaceuticals, automobiles etc. We organise a lot of programmes with airlines where we meet corporates, and showcase them why there is nothing like Australia for business events," added Nishant Kashikar, country manager - India, Tourism Australia.

Between November 11-14, 2024, the Australian CEO delegation will meet with airline partners, Air India & IndiGo, and key distribution partners including MakeMyTrip & Thomas Cook to reinforce Australia’s commitment to the Indian market.