Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA), Brisbane Airport and Experience Gold Coast have appointed an in-market representative to convert rising demand into visitation - filling planes, boosting hotels, and supporting thousands of local jobs.

India is one of Australia’s top five international visitor markets with Queensland welcoming 77,000 Indian visitors in the year ending September 2025*, who spent $238.9 million. Brisbane saw 46,000 arrivals, up 0.4 per cent year-on-year, while Gold Coast welcomed 25,000 Indian visitors, up 35 per cent year-on-year.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said India was an increasingly important tourism market for the city.

“India is one of the fastest-growing travel markets in the world, and we want Brisbane to be top of mind for Indian travellers looking to experience Australia’s lifestyle capital,” Cr Schrinner said.

"Tourism is a huge part of our economy, bringing in $13.7 billion in visitor spending and supporting thousands of local jobs across our lifestyle precincts, tourism businesses, hotels, restaurants and more.

“This partnership is about working together with the Gold Coast to bring more visitors to South East Queensland, support local jobs and keep Brisbane’s visitor economy strong.”

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said India was a key market for Brisbane and represented a significant opportunity for tourism growth.

“Brisbane Airport is serviced by several airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, VietJet and Cathay Pacific, who provide connectivity into India.

“With Malaysia Airlines now also flying to Brisbane five times a week, and offering seamless connection to 10 major Indian cities, Queensland is more accessible to Indian travellers than ever before.

“Combined with our dedicated trade representation in India, we’re sending a clear message that Queensland is ready and waiting for Indian travellers to explore all that South East Queensland has to offer.”

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the partnership would drive demand and contribute to the growth of the Gold Coast’s $8.1 billion visitor economy.

“India is an important and growing market for the Gold Coast that presents huge opportunities for our city, and the region more broadly.

“This partnership will ensure we capitalise on that opportunity and is focused on driving incremental visitor and expenditure growth from India.

“The in-market representation will allow us to more effectively market our region and showcase the breath of experiences that South-East Queensland has to offer.

“It will help drive demand, supporting current inbound aviation capacity, while strengthening the potential to secure future aviation services to the region.”

Horus Development and Consulting, already representing Brisbane across South-East Asia, will expand its remit to lead trade engagement, marketing and PR in India. The program will be led by Ratna Rai, Horus’ Account Manager for India, recognising her industry expertise and strong trade networks.

Benoit Badufle, Managing Director of Horus Development and Consulting said the expanded partnership marks a strategic opportunity.

“We are thrilled to extend our work with BEDA into the Indian market, a tourism market close to my heart for the last 20 years.

“India represents a vibrant and rapidly growing segment of travellers seeking distinctive city experiences. Our goal is to ensure Brisbane is top-of-mind for Indian travel trade and consumers alike, highlighting the city’s thriving cultural scene, natural beauty, and unique experiences.”

Background

In January 2019, BEDA and Brisbane Airport entered a multi-million-dollar international partnership marketing program called the Enhanced Destination Marketing Program (EMDP) to drive awareness of the city as a global destination for leisure travel. Brisbane is represented in South-East Asia by Horus Development and Consulting, and in North America by Advocate Travel Marketing.

Discover more about Brisbane: https://visit.brisbane.qld.au/

Discover more about the Gold Coast: https://experiencegoldcoast.com/

*Tourism Research Australia data for year ending September 2025 (latest available).