According to the latest Australian Tourism Research data, India was the largest inbound business events market for Sydney in 2023, surpassing China for the first time.
Increased direct flights, a friendly visa regime and a slow recovery of the Chinese market were the main reasons behind India occupying the numero uno position in Sydney’s inbound business events market.
“I can’t disclose the number of business events from India that happened in Sydney last year, but I can say the number of business events delegates travelling to Sydney from India grew more than 20 per cent from 2019 to 2023.
“The direct flight capacity from India to Sydney has increased four times since 2019 with a total of 12 flights weekly at present. We are also in talks with Air India and Qantas to add more flights this year,” Joo-Rei Mathieson, associate director, global corporate & incentives, Business Events Sydney (BESydney) told TTGmice on the sidelines of his recent trade engagement in New Delhi.
Indian outbound business events to Sydney are primarily fuelled by incentive trips, with participation in global association meetings following closely.
Intending to further grow the business events market from India, BESydney has launched a Sydney Meeting Fund. This initiative has been designed to help groups from India offset a portion of their costs for business events in Sydney. It is designed for smaller groups of around 100 to 250 people, and the funding support is accessible through BESydney’s website.
“To qualify for support, the event must not have a confirmed location in Sydney yet. Additionally, the event should have a minimum duration of three nights and four days,” Mathieson explained.
Interested event planners should submit their applications by May 31, 2024, and the event needs to take place by December 31, 2024.
