If you listened to Australian businesses you could be forgiven for thinking there aren’t any other countries left in the world that matter – aside from China that is.

Indeed, at the launch of Australia’s latest global tourism campaign recently in Shanghai, it would seem our tourism sector still only wanted to tell their China story to the media.

Sure everywhere else seems to be lurching in and out of crisis with most countries only hope being a German or Chinese (again) bailout but there are good stories to tell. A case in point is India’s economy, which has leapt ahead in recent years although this year it has begun to worryingly slide.

While this year’s slowdown is a cause for concern, the country with its over one billion consumers has a burgeoning freshly-minted middle-class keen on exploring beyond their own borders.

In the hope India’s slowdown is short-lived, Tourism Australia recently launched a new strategy aimed at tapping into the future tourism potential of India.

Tourist hotspot... the Sydney Opera House

The India 2020 Strategic Plan, developed by Tourism Australia in consultation with industry and Government stakeholders, is seeking to secure a greater share of the 50 million Indians expected to travel overseas by 2020.

The Plan, unveiled by the Federal Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, identifies the main opportunities but also sets out the approach required to build Australia’s appeal and to win future market share.

Ferguson said the India market is different to China and other markets and requires a strategic approach tailored to this unique and growing market.

“The proportion of Indians travelling to Australia for a holiday is smaller than other markets with many Indian tourists preferring short haul destinations.

“Driven by India’s rapidly emerging middle class, the time to invest and stake Australia’s claim to a share of this growing market is now to position ourselves for when long haul leisure travel becomes more common from Indian tourists,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said the plan will also be supported in coming years under the $61 million Asia Marketing Fund announced in the 2012 Federal Budget.

“This plan will help Australian operators understand the market better, particularly identifying where the best opportunities for growth are, both now and into the future, and will be instrumental in growing both arrivals and value to Australia,” he said.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said the India 2020 Strategic Plan would harness new research, adopt a targeted approach and increase resources by doubling Tourism Australia’s marketing spend in India in 2013 financial year.

“India is a market of strong future potential for Australian tourism given this nation's rapid rise through this Asian Century," McEvoy said.

“With today over 70 national tourism organisations active in India, the time is right for Tourism Australia to invest more to both maintain our presence and enable our industry to better leverage a future competitive advantage.”

McEvoy said one of the keys to unlocking India's long term tourism potential is improved air access and capacity, acknowledging that the market is currently under-served by direct non-stop flights between India and Australia

He said the Singapore Airlines/Virgin Australia alliance, Malaysian Airlines, the Qantas Group and Thai Airways, through their respective South East Asian hubs, supported the bulk of existing air services on the Australia-India route.

“Preliminary analysis suggests we’ll need an additional 345,000 seats from our existing position to meet the expected demand for Australia from India out to 2020. Working with those carriers which represent the best opportunity to support Indian travel to Australia is therefore one of our top priorities under this plan,” McEvoy said.

He said Australian tourism must be ready to fully maximise the “India opportunity”, which means investment in new products and experiences, as well as adapting aspects of service culture.

The Daily Telegraph

Comfortable ... Mumbai's Novotel Juhu Beach

Earlier as I wandered through the hotel’s deserted marble foyer with its smashed chandelier, blinking downlights and wires hanging from the ceiling past abandoned luxury goods concessions, I had noticed the lifts still worked. Rather stupidly I stepped in to see if the hotel really was what it seemed – a horror film waiting to happen. I walked in and out of old rooms where everything of value had been taken out except for stained mattresses and beaten wooden bedheads bolted to the walls.

From the abandoned rooms I picked my way along deserted hallways by mobile phone light until I found the exit to the terrace halfway up the hotel tower. In front was Juhu Beach and from below came the pulsating rhythm of dance music.

I take the lift down into the hotel’s basement and the music is even louder but it’s exceedingly dark and my mobile which has been fairly useless as a communication device is fast losing its ability to be of any other use. A stream of light trickles through a couple of doors and I head towards them.

Pushing the doors open I blinkingly confront an extraordinary explosion of colour. A Sikh wedding party has taken up residence in the old ballroom and the unbridled joy of a wedding day coupled with the music and the flood of vivid colour is the sort of pure Indian moment you fly halfway around the world for. Even better, I’m immediately mistaken for a guest and I’m showered with rose petals and handed a drink. This is why I love India.

Mumbai’s vivacity doesn’t come from standout architecture or mind-blowing natural wonders, it comes from its people – swirling, lurching mass of consumers striving 24/7 for a better life. It’s a brutal city but every day it freshly mints 1000s of new western-style consumers.

I’m actually staying just down the road from the Tulip Rose at the Novotel Juhu Beach. They’re comfortable digs made more so by its friendly staff. Manager Xavier Cappelut has helped create one of the city’s more upscale hotels on the beach, popular with Bollywood stars, the young and uber-wealthy.

The Gadda Da Vida bar sitting right on the beachfront is one of Juhu Beach’s best bars and pumps with Mumbai’s smart artistic set nearly every night of the week. In many ways, this part of Juhu Beach is Mumbai’s Malibu – film stars, big houses and it reeks with money. What set it apart from its stateside equivalent is the simple fact that this is India. Extreme poverty and a patina of filth sit cheek by jowl against extreme Croesus-like wealth. It jangles the senses but it also makes for one of the most vibrant metropolises on the globe.

Mark Eggleton

Novotel Juhu Beach
Balraj Sahani Marg
Juhu Beach
400 049 MUMBAI
INDIA
Tel (+91)22/66934444
Fax (+91)22/66934455
E-mail h6926-re@accor.com