Tourism Australia has released a ‘Future of Distribution’ report to support the visitor economy in its response to rapidly evolving consumer dynamics and trends in the global travel distribution landscape.

The research project was undertaken in partnership with Deloitte with the aim of exploring post-pandemic complexities in travel distribution.

Travel distribution, which is the process of making tourism products and experiences available and accessible to potential customers through travel distributors or intermediaries, is experiencing change.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said: “Since the pandemic, the current nature of the distribution landscape has been a frequent topic of discussion across the tourism industry. Industry report seeing both consolidation and fragmentation across the distribution ecosystem happening concurrently, creating even greater complexity.

“Booking conditions have also become more complex with travellers demanding greater flexibility and value in response to economic pressures and changing preferences.”

A second report, ‘Future of Distribution – Market Insights’, explores the 15 priority markets that have historically delivered 80 per cent of visitors to Australia.

View the reports here.

Destination NSW joins India delegation

The ‘Future of Distribution – Market Insights’ report highlighted that arrivals from India have recovered to 12 per cent above their pre-pandemic level, with visitor spend up 29 per cent on 2019.

Destination NSW CEO Steve Cox joined a delegation of Australian tourism and business events leaders this week on a four-day mission to India to strengthen ties with the key partners in the market.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison led the delegation, which included CEOs from state and territory tourism organisations and state convention bureaus.

The group met with stakeholders and distribution partners in New Delhi and Mumbai from 11-14 November 2024, including Air India, IndiaGo, MakeMyTrip and Thomas Cook.

Cricketer invites Indians to visit Sydney

A four-part social content series starring Australian cricketer David Warner was also launched during the visit to India.

Timed to coincide with the Australia-India Test series, the videos will be amplified on Tourism Australia's Instagram channel.

The cricketer issues a warm welcome to Indian travellers in the videos and highlights some of his personal favourite Australian holiday destinations, including Sydney.

“We know the former Australian opening batsman remains an incredibly popular figure here in India and we are confident once travellers have seen his recommendations they will want to book a holiday to Australia to see for themselves what our destination has to offer,” Ms Harrison said.

Watch the Sydney video here.