Australia’s leisure destination Queensland had received 15 per cent more Indian tourists between September 2012 and September 2013 compared with the corresponding period last year.

According to Ryna Sequeira, Marketing Manager, India, Tourism Queensland, among other factors, introduction of Air India’s direct flight to Melbourne has been a contributor to the growth in Indian tourist inflow.

Air India had launched a Delhi-Sydney-Melbourne flight in August last year.

“We received 21,000 Indian tourists at Queensland in 2012-13, almost 15 per cent growth over the corresponding year,” Sequeira said here on Wednesday on the sidelines of a workshop organised by Tourism Queensland, a destination management organisation.

Queensland received about 37,000 visitors comprising business travellers, students, Indians working at the coastal state of Australia and other categories during the period.

ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in