The government of Western Australia, the largest state of Australia, has held talks with the top management of Air India, Vistara and IndiGo.
During his visit to New Delhi and Mumbai, Western Australia’s Deputy Premier Roger Cook met airline top executives and Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to connect with Perth to boost tourism from India.
Cook, who is leading Western Australia’s biggest trade, investment and education delegation, highlighted that Perth is also the host to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup later this year. In a local media interview he said:
“I met Tata Group chairman N. Chandrasekaran and requested him to consider Perth as a route for Air India or Vistara which are part of the Tata Group. Our officials had also met with top executives of IndiGo.”
Cook says that he received positive feedback from these airlines but the common concern is adequate load factor. He added:
“At this stage, given the post-pandemic recovery efforts, securing a direct aviation route from India to Western Australia is a key priority for the state’s government. This would bring the much-needed Indian international students, tourists, investors, and new skilled migrants to the Western Australian shore.
Western Australia has allocated AUD 167 million for 2022-23 just to promote tourism globally. Cook told media that Western Australia covers nearly one-third of Australia and would suit Indian tourits. He added:
“Tourism Western Australia’s research indicates travellers from India are especially interested in nature and wildlife, stunning coastlines, beaches and marine wildlife, local cuisine and a family-friendly destination – Western Australia has all this to offer and much more.”
India ranks 11th in terms of footfalls and 10th in terms of spending in Western Australia. The state has seen the return of visitors from India with arrivals in May reaching more than 90 per cent of pre-COVID levels and forward bookings for July and August even higher than before the pandemic.
At present, Qantas and Air India have direct flights to India, connecting Sydney and Melbourne with New Delhi. Qantas is launching its first direct nonstop Bengaluru to Sydney flight in September 2022.
