NEW DELHI: Australia has reported 20% increase in number of Indian visitors in past one year. While most countries are seeing higher footfalls from Indians, Australia says the increase is also due to the visa application process changes it made last year when it had made the same online.

“In December 2017, Australia achieved its Tourism 2020 strategic goal of over 3 lakh arrivals from India, three years ahead of target. India is currently the 8th largest inbound market, with 3.3 lakh tourists visiting Australia during the year that ended May 2018, a growth of 19% over the previous year. For the year that ended March 2018, Indian visitors spent 1.5 billion Australian dollars (about Rs 7,650 crore) on their trips, an increase of 14% over the previous year. This is the fourth year where Tourism Australia has recorded solid double-digit growth in both arrivals and spend, indicating the destination’s growing preference among Indians,” Tourism Australia (TA) said on Monday.

Australia’s department of home affairs had mid last year extended online lodgement of visitor visa applications to all Indian nationals. “The online application process provides a more convenient option for Indians looking to visit Australia, by allowing them to apply for their Australian tourist visa within the comfort of their home, without any biometric requirement or physically submitting their passport to the department… Since the introduction of this new visa system, arrivals from India to Australia have surged by 20%,” TA said.

Tania Gerlach, Chief Migration Officer, Department of Home Affairs, said: “Australia has a long history of innovation in its visa services. The expansion of online lodgement to Indian applicants is an important step in managing the large number of visitor visa applications processed in India. Processing times for these visas are now faster, as both applications and supporting documentation are immediately available to the processing office.”

