Tourism Western Australia has launched a new road trips campaign featuring Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist and his son Harry to drive visitors to Western Australia from India.
Central to the campaign is a short film featuring Adam Gilchrist and his son Harry on day trips from Perth, encouraging visitors to explore the destination further. The campaign includes partner deals offering packages to Perth, featuring tickets to the highly anticipated West Test between Australia and India at Optus Stadium in November, along with accommodation and tourism experiences.
The campaign, which features self-drive day trips tailored for the Indian market, is an iteration of the successful Drive the Dream campaign with Perth-born Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, aligning with the Walking On A Dream global brand.
The new campaign will be prominently advertised in Mumbai and Delhi through various channels, including social media, large format out-of-home billboards, and the popular Indian cricket score app, Cricbuzz, leveraging the strong cricketing ties between India and Australia.
In-market partnerships with Thomas Cook from mid-August 2024 to March 2025, and with Skyscanner from September to December 2024, will tactically drive WA visitation and ticket sales. The partnership campaigns will use Adam Gilchrist road trip assets to raise awareness in India and inspire 2025 trip planning, coinciding with the West Test starting on November 22, 2024.
Tourism WA Acting Managing Director Stephanie Underwood said the campaign encourages Indian travellers to fully immerse themselves in all that Perth and surrounds has to offer.
“By showcasing a variety of unique experiences and attractions, we hope to inspire longer and more engaged stays with visitors from the Indian market, which represents huge growth potential for Western Australia,” Ms Underwood said.
“Building on our highly successful Walking On A Dream global brand, which has been pivotal in elevating our visitor economy, Drive the Dream with Adam Gilchrist is the latest wave in WA’s evergrowing global presence.”
From four-wheel driving and sandboarding in Lancelin to stargazing in the Pinnacles, the campaign showcases a captivating journey through some of the region’s most otherworldly locations. It also highlights exciting attractions around the Perth and Peel regions, such as the rich flavours of the Swan Valley, a dolphin boat cruise in Rockingham, and the adrenaline rush of Vertigo at Optus Stadium’s Ozone.
India is a fast-growing tourism market for Western Australia. In the year ending March 2024, Western Australia welcomed 34,000 visitors from India, contributing $128 million in expenditure.
The Indian market has swelled from Western Australia’s 11th largest market in 2019 to the 7th largest in 2024, with the fast pace of growth driven by Indian travellers visiting friends and family in Perth and the Peel region.
Western Australia is home to a large Indian diaspora of 61,000 residents, including 9,600 international students.
