The Australian High Commission in Delhi has granted over 1.5 lakh visas to Indians during the 2015-16 program year, underlining the fast expanding links between the two countries.
Australia's High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, said, "It is a landmark achievement. This is the first time ever that we have reached the 150,000-mark in visitor visa approvals in India for a year."
He said the development is a sign of the growth of the relations between our two countries.
"I welcome it as a positive milestone. The achievement underlines the fast expanding links between Australia and India. More and more Indians are travelling to Australia for business, tourism and to study in our universities, as well as visit family," Mr Sidhu said.
There were a record 2,33,000 arrivals from India during 2015, a growth of 19 per cent, which represents the highest growth in the past seven years. India's ranking improved from eleventh to eighth largest inbound tourists destination for Australia.
By 2020, Indian tourist arrivals are expected to be around 3,00,000. Tourism Australia expects India to feature in the top five inbound markets for Australia by 2025.
