How long have you been holding tourism workshops in India and how has tourism to Queensland grown over the years?
This is the third consecutive 'Queensland on Tour Mission'. The first year we had 7 participants, last year 14 and this year it has increased to 25 suppliers who have come down from Queensland. This growth is reflected because of the enormous augmentation that is coming from Indian visitors, particularly to Queensland. Queensland is one of the most popular destinations for Indians visiting Australia.
We started having these missions only in two or three cities but this year we are covering Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

How has the response to Queensland been over the years?
Currently, there is a consistent growth of 15% in terms of Indian visitors coming in to Queensland. This increase is expected to continue till past 2013. This means that we will see more Indians coming to Queensland in the near future.

On an average how many nights does an Indian traveller spend in Queensland?
We have seen that an average Indian visitor spends about 8 nights in Queensland and generally the vistors stay in the Gold Coast region which is famous for its theme parks as well as the Sunshine Coast and up north they go to Cairns which is famous for its Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

According to you, which destinations in Queensland are of greater appeal to honeymooners and to families?
Gold Coast is certainly the most favourable destination for families because of its theme parks, shopping and other attractions. Likewise, for honeymooners we have a group of islands called the Whitsundays. Cairns, located up in tropical North Queensland, which is often referred to, as the 'Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef' is one of the favourite destinations as well.

From which countries do you get the maximum visitors into Queensland?
Apparently the No.1 country visiting Queensland is New Zealand due to the proximity, followed by Japan, the United Kingdom, etc. India probably stands 7th or 8th. However, we have seen a very positive growth out of India and we expect India getting closer to the top five countries that visit Queensland.

Do you a have specific target for the coming year as far as Indian visitors are concerned?
We don't focus purely on numbers. Our prime focus is the yield. And getting the yield up means increasing the number of nights the visitors spend in Queensland. So we are working towards it by encouraging the visitors to stay longer, especially in Gold Coast and Cairns. We are also promoting new destinations such as the Island Resorts, Sunshine Coast and even Brisbane.

What are the challenges that you face from the tourists?
Surprisingly, food is often seen as a challenge. However, as we have a very multi-cultural population, there are many Indians living in Australia and hence, we have a lot of good Indian restaurants. All the same, I am sure Indians will not want to eat Indian food every night. So we give them the opportunity to try different nationality-cuisines from a variety of restaurants such as Vietnamese , Thai , European and so on.

Tells us about the MICE (Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibition) segment. Which are the markets popular especially for incentives which is a fast emerging segment out of India?
We have seen great growth in MICE market. We have had some big groups coming to Gold Coast and Cairns over the last two years. There is a segment of ground operators who specially target the MICE segment. Gold Coast Tourism is the one in particular, that has actively been chasing the MICE market from India. Hero Honda and Asian Paints had visited Gold Coast recently.

Do you see a large number of repeat visitors coming to Queensland?
It's quite early to say. But I think as the market grows, people will discover that Australia is a big country and you can't see it all in just 8-10 days. So they might come back to experience the destination again.

What was your experience in dealing with the Indian market as well as the trade in India?
The trade in India has been very good to deal with. The workshops that we have been conducting stand testimony and the response has been exceptional. The turnout of the Indian trade to our workshops has been absolutely fantastic. This reflects the interest of the Indian trade in the destinations. Some of the operators in the market work independent of these missions and do sales calls, trying to encourage the trade to send business to Queensland.

Which is your favorite destination in Queensland and Australia?
Well, there is a beach spot, located towards the north of Brisbane, where I go for my family holiday due to its proximity. Obviously, in my job I get to travel to a lot of destinations within Queensland. However, I would say I have no favourites. All the destinations are absolutely fantastic. Besides, every city of Australia has something unique about it. So the visitors will surely enjoy their visits to Australia.

When it comes to attracting visitors, many tourism boards approach Bollywood. Has Queensland taken any initiative on that front?
We are always prepared to talk to Bollywood about the opportunities. A Bollywood film was recently shot in Gold Coast called 'Hey Baby', which is due for release in June or July. Further, if we get an opportunity to work with the film producers, we surely will.

Tell us more about the new initiative taken by you called the 'Queensland Specialist Program'.
'Queensland Specialist Program' is an online training program for the industry. All that needs to be done is log on to the website www.visit-queensland.com and thereafter click on the QLD SPECIALIST Program, this will bring up the introductory page which will take you through a training module. The module is very easy. Nobody fails; everybody gets certificates and a gift after they have completed the training module. Importantly, it gives you the confidence especially if you are a travel agent to know about the products that you can offer to your clients who plan visiting Queensland.

How long have you been associated with Queensland Tourism and what was your previous stint with the tourism industry?
I have been with Queensland Tourism for over 10 years now. Before that I worked with an airline, which was later absorbed by Qantas.

Which is your preferred destination in India?
I think just like Australia, every Indian city that I have visited is unique in its own way. I attended a workshop in Goa two years ago and I enjoyed my stay there as much as I enjoyed my visit to Cochin last year. Visits to resort destinations have been great and I also enjoyed the cities.

Your message to the readers.
I would just like to tell the readers that nothing would be better than looking at Queensland as their preferred holiday destination.

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