Australia’s Visa Bottleneck Jeopardizes Luring Cricket-Crazed Indians for World Cup Next Year
Photo Credit: India is fanatical about World Cup cricket play. Flckr / Tourism Victoria
Skift Take
Claims that Indian travel agents are discouraging clients from going to Australia may be overblown. But they do not detract from the key issue: Australia must streamline visa processing better, especially if it wants to attract Indians to the Cricket World Cup 2020.
An Australia tourism watchdog says the country’s visa processing bottlenecks have forced India’s travel agents to stop recommending the destination despite strong demand from Indian visitors.
It further warns that unless these processing delays are rectified, Australia could lose the chance of welcoming an influx of cricket-crazy Indians to the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, which it is hosting next year.
The Australian Tourism Export Council, a body that advocates for policies that strengthen tourism’s future, said while official data from Tourism Research Australia shows the Indian market grew 18 percent in 2018, it believes the rate has softened in the current year. The council has revised growth expectations down to between 10 and 12 percent, figures last seen in 2016.
“The Australian tourism industry is hamstrung by visa processing bottlenecks and we are particularly concerned about the potential impact this situation will have on next year’s ICC T20 Cricket World C
