Tourism Australia collaborates with Balaji Telefilms

Tourism Australia and South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) have collaborated with India’s leading production house, Balaji Telefilms, to inspire Indian travel enthusiasts to book their next holiday Down Under. Balaji Telefilms’ top rated television show ‘Ye Hai Mohabbatein’, which airs at 7.30 pm and 11 pm, Monday toSunday , on India’s top Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC), Star Plus, recently shot 10 episodes in South Australia. 

Shot at iconic locations in Adelaide and surrounds, the story track based in Australia is definitely set to grip the viewers’ attention with interesting twists. India’s leading online travel company, MakeMyTrip, has further strengthened this initiative by tying up with Tourism Australia and SATC as the preferred travel partner for the project. As part of this partnership, a special travel package to Australia for the viewers of Ye Hai Mohabbatein is being advertised during the show and on MakeMyTrip’s web and social media platforms.

Ye Hai Mohabbatein features popular Indian television actors Divyanka Tripathi, Karan Patel  and Anita Hassanandani. The lead actors along with Ruhanika Dhawan who portrays the character of Pihu, Aditi Bhatia who plays Ruhi andSiddharth Makkar, who is introduced in the latest track as Vidyut, had flown down to Australia for the shoot. Viewers can see iconic locations such as the Rundle Street Mall, vineyards of Barossa Valley, scenic Kangaroo Island and the iconic cricket stadium Adelaide Oval on the show.

Tourism Australia has a decade long association with Balaji Telefilms, with popular shows such as Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and Bade Ache Lagte Hai being shot in Australia for a series of special episodes.

“We are pleased to have collaborated with Balaji Telefilms and Star Plus to showcase Australia on Ye Hai Mohabbatein. India is a rapidly growing market for Australia. It is currently the ninth largest source market for the destination and is well positioned to achieve goals set out in the India 2020 strategy. To sustain the momentum of increasing visitor arrivals from India, impactful distribution and media partnerships such as this not only showcases the destination, but also provides attractive tactical deals to potential travellers,” said Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia.

“We are extremely thrilled to be collaborating with ‘Ye Hai Mohabbatein’. The popularity of the show and its beloved stars make for an ideal platform to reach out to our target audience. We are excited about broadcasting the many sights and attractions of South Australia to millions of Indian viewers. This is a huge step forward in increasing the number of Indian tourists to Adelaide and the surrounding cities,” said Dana Urmonas, Regional Director, Southeast Asia & India, South Australian Tourism Commission.

South Australia was recently awarded the fifth best region in the world by Lonely Planet – the only Australian destination to be included in the prestigious ‘Best in Travel’ list. With a vibrant capital city, crowd-free beaches, up close wildlife encounters and world-class food and drinks, visitors get the complete Australian experience within one State.

For the month of September 2016, Australia welcomed 19,800 Indian visitors, recording a growth of 21% over September 2015. Total arrivals for the year ended September 2016 stood at 249,200, an increase of 9.6% over the previous year.  

Tourism Australia recently unveiled its latest aquatic and coastal campaign which features travel packages starting at Rs. 129, 000. A high proportion of Indian travellers are expected to be Australia bound for the year-end holiday season. For great deals, visit www.australia.com/offers