ATC Announces New PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY IN India

The Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) today announced the appointment of Corporate Voice Shandwick, the India-based division of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, as the ATC's public relations agency in India.

The signing of the contract marks the first step in the ATC's new strategy of increasing activity targeted directly at Indian consumers with the ability and propensity to travel to Australia.

Regional Manager for ATC, South and South East Asia, Ms Maggie White said the new strategy reflects the results of extensive consumer research which highlighted a general lack of awareness of Australia as a holiday destination as well as a low understanding of the holiday options available.

Ms White said, "Our research shows that Australia performs strongly as a special reward holiday and is highly appealing to the Indian traveller. However, the awareness of specific attractions and activities is limited. Having set solid distribution channels through the travel trade, it's now time to talk directly to the consumers and decision makers of travel."

Ms White said there has been a marked growth in the outbound market from India over the past five years with Indian travellers now looking for something further afield.

Many travellers have already visited countries close to home and are now looking for new and exotic holiday destinations. Australia not only offers a range of unique attractions, but provides an unparalleled diversity of holiday experiences from dining in world-class restaurants to scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Furthermore, with the current exchange rate Australia presents excellent value, particularly for families and honeymooners.

The appointment of a PR agency in India is part of the ATC's restructuring in Asia which sees the emergence of the Kuala Lumpur office as a regional base for South and South East Asia, and an increase in senior resources to service India.

Additional staff including Public Relations Manager, Shelley Winkel, and Business Development Manager, Stephen Cheah, will ensure both the consumer and travel trade continue to receive a high level of service on a regular basis.

Corporate Voice Shandwick was founded in India in 1986. The company is a 40:60 joint venture between Weber Shandwick worldwide and MAA Group, one of India's leading Integrated Communications Groups. The PR agency has an extensive history of servicing travel and lifestyle clients.

India is a key emerging market for Australia. Preliminary data for the year ending December 2000 suggests that 41,000 Indians visited Australia, an increase of 20.5 percent over the previous like year.