Exclusive: Welcome the ‘Swami Army’ — this summer’s tour by the Indian cricket team is the kick starter to an inbound tourism boon worth up to $2.3 billion by the end of the 2020.

Tourism Australia is aggressively cashing in on India’s burgeoning middle class and is striving to be a major beneficiary of the winds of change that has created record number of visitors and spend.

Yesterday, on the second last day of the second Test, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released figures showing Indian visitor numbers are up by 18.4 per cent, with the tourists staying a staggering 58-nights on average and spending $4783 spend per trip.

Social media has played a big hand in tourism numbers with captain Virat Kohli alone attracting more than 25 million Instagram followers, and the combined Facebook following of the India Test team exceeding 74 million.

The team’s Instagram following is over 49 million.

THE POSH AND BECKS OF INDIA
But it’s Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma, the Posh and Becks of India, with more than 100 million followers on social media and a net worth estimated at $120 million that are really helping to sell Australia to a new confident and affluent India.

Tourism Australia are also targeting a number of prominent Indians, including Bollywood star Parineeti Chopra and celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, as ambassadors to promote Australia.

They join the likes of former Australian player Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist, both now part of Fox Sports all-star cricket crew, as Tourism Australia advocates.

With the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne to come and Sydney next up from January 3-7, Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Simon Birmingham said there is huge potential for even further growth from the Indian market.

“Through Tourism Australia’s Undiscover campaign we’re looking to lure even more Indian visitors to some of Australia’s lesser known tourist destinations,” he said.

“Undiscover is about showing prospective Indian travellers that Australia has even more to offer than our beautiful beaches, the outback and icons such as the Sydney Opera House. “Whilst we still want travellers to visit our hot spots, we also want them to spend an extra few days or week to visit some of our more untapped regions such as the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia or the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

“These strong traveller numbers out today really show the strength of cricket as a powerful marketing tool as well as our Undiscover campaign starting to cut through.”

The demographics of India are rapidly changing with more than half the country’s population — 600 million — aged 25 or younger.

SWAMI ARMY FLOCKS TO SYDNEY
The largest hotel-owning company in Sydney, the Schwartz Family Company, said there has been a distinctive spike in India traveller numbers in January.

The Schwartz group runs nine hotels in Sydney, and hotels within walking distance of the SCG, such as Mercure Sydney and Rydges Sydney Central, have seen a distinct spike in Indian-related bookings coinciding with the final Test in the series.

The hotel group has increased its specific Indian-oriented services, such as an increased range of Indian dishes on their menus, as well as Indian media channels and Hindi-language services.

Rydges Sydney Central in Albion Street, Surry Hills, is one of the best positioned hotels for SCG attendees and the strong Indian performance in the series is already delivering an increased flow of bookings in January.

“We saw a spike in bookings after the first Indian Test win, and the reservations coming through are certainly suggesting there is going to be a big Indian contingent supporting their team for the Sydney Test,” said Rydges GM Andrew Mackenna.

“We were all concerned that our January figures would be well down on last year compared to the Barmy Army contingent following the Ashes in 2017/18, but it looks like the Indians might have just as much support coming in from the ‘Swami Army’.”

‘SO MUCH TO LOVE HERE’
Indian T20 specialist opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan said Australia was an “easy sell” to his home country because of the people, quality of attractions and our natural beauty.

“There is so much to love here … that is why we stay so long. There’s beaches in the summer, snow in the winter … the people are friendly and everyone here cares about the environment,” Dhawan said.

“The sky is so clear here and pace of life so much slower than home.”

Dhawan is married to Indian-born, Australian raised Ayesha Mukherjee who is an amateur boxer and runs their home decor brand.

She is among India’s cricketing WAGS who the Indian community in Australia, and back home, follow every movement as the Indian team travel around the country.

In launching the Indian Economic Strategy last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said India “offers more opportunity for Australian businesses over the next 20 years than any other single market”.

India is already the fastest-growing large economy in the world and within two decades, it will become the world’s most populous country.

INDIA’S CRICKET TOURISM IMPACT: BY NUMBERS

— 348,000 visitors, up 18.4 per cent year on year

— $1.5 billion in spend, up 5 per cent year on year

— $4,783 average spend per trip

— 58 nights stayed on average

— 49 per cent first time visitors; 51 per cent return visitors