Destination NSW appoints first Manager of India office

The Mumbai office will be the seventh in Destination NSW’s network of international offices and will manage the development of Indian inbound tourism to NSW.

Ms Chipchase said Mr Bawa’s knowledge and experience in the international tourism sector will be a great asset to Destination NSW, coming from his most recent role of six years as Regional Manager of VisitBritain’s Indian and Middle Eastern operations.

“This appointment is a major commitment to boost our direct involvement in this important market,” Ms Chipchase said.

“I welcome Mr Bawa to the Destination NSW team. His contribution in the Indian market will be crucial in achieving our target to double overnight visitor expenditure in NSW by 2020.

“In the year ending March 2012, NSW welcomed 70,000 Indian visitors who spent $160 million in overnight stays, making India our tenth largest source of visitors.

“Indian visitors also spend one of the longest average lengths of stay of all our international visitors.

“The expected growth of visitors from India to Australia in 2020 is expected to grow by more than 100 per cent, so it’s important we have an experienced, knowledgeable representative proactively engaged in the Indian market.

“Mr Bawa will work closely with airlines, travel trade, media and business event organisers to keep Sydney and NSW top-of-mind for holiday visitation.

“He will also be representing Business Events Sydney to promote Sydney as a preferred destination for meetings, incentive, travel reward program, conferences and our key exhibitions.”

CEO of Business Events Sydney, Lyn Lewis-Smith, said the new role will help realise the potential in the Indian market for business events.

“We are looking to grow our successful corporate incentive business and engage more closely with the Indian association and professional events market. There are strong opportunities to strengthen our relationships and to encourage not only visitation, but also trade, investment, innovation and collaboration with NSW,” Ms Lewis-Smith said.

“From our experience in other countries, we know in-market presence is valuable. Having someone on the ground allows us to build relationships that deliver long-term results and boost our success in the Asian market - a market that already accounts for almost 50 per cent of the economic impact delivered by business we secure for NSW.”

Ms Chipchase added, “Having Mr Bawa work with both Destination NSW and Business Events Sydney makes sense, given our close working relationship and equally ambitious targets, particularly for the Asian region. We welcome him to our global network.”

Mr Bawa has over 20 years’ work experience in tourism, export, marketing, business development and general management. He speaks four languages and has a Commerce degree and MBA in International Marketing.

He will take up his new appointment in the Mumbai office in July.

Media contact: Alan Valvasori (02) 9931 1569