Boosted by a unique offering, India is tapping into one of the fastest growing sectors in international tourism, wildlife tourism.

Experiencing a year on year growth of 15-20% over recent years, the broad appeal of wildlife tourism to every kind of traveller combined with strong growth in global tourism has created significant opportunities for India.

Australian India Travel and Tourism Council (AITTC) chairman Sandip Hor, along with founder of boutique travel company Mantra Wild Adventures, Reena Tory, hosted an intimate evening in Sydney to showcase the wildlife offerings of India.

Wildlife like Indian elephants, rhinos and of course the Royal Bengal Tiger, coupled with an existing image as an all-round attractive destination provide India with the perfect backdrop to increase visitation from Australia for wildlife tourism.  

"Now Air India fly direct between Australia and India;several domestic airlines cover every nook and corner of the country, road infrastructure has improved significantly and accommodation options at all national parks are of high international standards,” Hor explained.

Wildlife tourism represents one such opportunity for AITTC to facilitate growth in tourism between Australia and India.

The evening was a way of bringing major tour operators, hoteliers, airlines and media together to explore new opportunities in travel.

Through their collaboration, AITTC and Tory hope to increase awareness in Australia of the challenges for Indian wildlife and promote the travel of Australians to India on conservation-based trips, to the benefit of both nations.