Adam Gilchrist and Son Harry Lead New WA Tourism Campaign in India

Australian cricket icon Adam Gilchrist and his son Harry are fronting a new tourism campaign targeting the growing Indian market, encouraging visitors to explore day trips from Perth.

Recently launched in Mumbai and Delhi, the campaign showcases the father-son duo enjoying adventures around Perth’s outskirts. Their itinerary includes four-wheel driving and sandboarding in Lancelin, stargazing at the Pinnacles, wine tasting in the Swan Valley, a dolphin cruise in Rockingham, and the thrilling Vertigo experience at Optus Stadium.

Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said, “Adam Gilchrist is a national treasure and an ideal ambassador to promote WA in India, where he is already a household name. With the Indian community’s strong connections to WA, we hope this campaign will inspire more visitors to reconnect with family or catch The West Test this November.”

“Our campaigns with Adam Gilchrist and Daniel Ricciardo are vital in showcasing WA as a must-visit destination,” Minister Saffioti added. “These efforts are revitalising our visitor economy and putting WA on the global tourism map.”

The campaign’s photos and videos will be featured on Indian social media platforms and Cricbuzz, a cricket news app with over 50 million users and 400 million monthly visits. Large billboards across Mumbai and Delhi will further promote the campaign, with travel deals available through Thomas Cook and Skyscanner.

This initiative aligns with the highly anticipated Australia-India cricket series, The West Test, at Perth’s Optus Stadium in November.

Rising Indian Tourism Boosts WA’s Economy

India has emerged as Western Australia’s seventh-largest tourism market, attracting 34,000 visitors who spent $128 million in the year ending March 2024. WA’s Indian community, numbering around 61,000 residents and 9,600 students, has played a key role in driving this growth.

Part of a Broader Tourism Push

The new campaign builds on the success of Drive the Dream, a global road trip initiative launched in September 2023. The original campaign featured Perth-born Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo exploring Australia’s Coral Coast and reached over 136 million people. Both campaigns align with WA’s tourism brand, Walking On A Dream.

WA recently outperformed other states in visitor spending, with tourists contributing a record $17.9 billion to the economy in the year ending March 2024, reinforcing WA’s status as a top travel destination.