Australia - An Indian Government travel warning for its nationals threatens to impact visitors of two Sydney-based exhibitions, Intermodal Asia and the Australian International Furniture Fair, after a series of attacks on Indian citizens in the country.
The spate of racially-motivated assaults started around six-months ago in both Sydney and Melbourne, with two Indian students recently being murdered.
“The number of such incidents has been on the rise in recent months, which has affected not only Indian students but also members of the larger Indian community in Australia,” announced the Indian advisory.
The Indian external affairs minister, SM Krishna, says the attacks would threaten bilateral agreements between India and Australia. Australia’s PM Kevin Rudd and the Victorian premier John Brumby both recently visited India hoping to mend ties.
The violence in Melbourne has seriously damaged regional Victorian tourism aimed at enticing Indian tourists to Geelong. Geelong Otway tourism chief Roger Grant says the attacks have hurt a campaign to lead Indian tourists out of Melbourne.
“Australians have always been seen as accepting, friendly and tolerant people and these attacks have changed that perception,” adds Grant.
In Mercer's 2009 Quality of Living ranking, Melbourne ranked 18th and Sydney 10th in the world. Its ranking covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments.
