Australia bets on Indians to triple tourism revenue

14/10/2011 0 Comments read Business and Trade, Travel

Gold Coast Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 14.10.2011 (Business Standard): Tourist arrivals declined by 6% in Australia after attacks on Indian students. Australia is luring high-spending Indian visitors to triple its tourism revenue from AU$820 million to AU$2.3 billion by 2020.

Australia’s image as a welcoming country suffered a setback following attacks on Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney, and subsequently tourist arrivals declined by six per cent to 17,565 in 2010. However, Tourism Australia is now determined to bring back Indian tourists to its shores.

Tourism Australia’s 2020 India Strategic Plan launched today at the annual Australian Tourism Directions Conference in Canberra aims to triple the growth of inbound Indian travellers, including students, from around 145,000 to 400,000 in the next 10 years.

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Egypt beckons tourists to explore the ingenuity of the Pharaohs’ creations

04/04/2011 0 Comments read Travel

The Pyramids of Giza Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Cairo, Aswan & Luxor, 04.04.2011 (The Hindustan Times): It was meant to be a leisurely exploration of the celebrated monuments of the Nile Valley, but we found ourselves enmeshed in Egypt’s tumultuous events that created political history, marking the end of Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year dictatorial reign.

“It will be a while before travellers return to Cairo”, our guide, Hesham Aref, had told me on Skype in March. International tourist arrivals saw a decline of 45 per cent in the first quarter of 2011, but tourists are gradually returning to Egypt. This augurs well for the country’s ensuing political and social stability. Tourism is one of the four main revenue earners besides the Suez Canal and oil and gas exports. As the leading foreign exchange earner and representing one in every seven jobs, tourism is a crucial factor in Egypt’s economic recovery. In 2010, tourism accounted for 11.5 per cent of the GDP. As many as 14 million international tourists visited Egypt last year, generating nearly US$13 billion in international tourism receipts.

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Down Petticoat Lane in Penola

02/08/2010 1 Comment read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Penola (South Australia), 02.08.2010 (The Hindu Businessline): Nestling amidst pine forests, farms and vineyards in South Australia is the town of Penola known for its Petticoat Lane. Unlike London’s famous markets, this Petticoat Lane is known for its historic stone and timber cottages and the women who resided there.It is said that at one time there were so many petticoats hung on the clothesline that the street came to be aptly called `Petticoat Lane’.

The frills and fragrance associated with the name are evident in the many businesses run by women in the lane today.

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