Blending artificial intelligence with authentic community knowledge, Namaste Westside is opening a new gateway for Indian visitors to experience the food, festivals, neighbourhoods and stories of Melbourne’s culturally vibrant west.

For many Indian visitors, Melbourne does not begin beneath the clocks of Flinders Street Station or beside the waters of the Yarra.

It begins at the airport arrivals gate, with an embrace from someone they have travelled thousands of kilometres to see. It unfolds around a crowded family table, at a wedding alive with colour, during a festival shared with the community, or through the comforting taste of food that feels like home.

Now, those visitors have a new way to explore the Melbourne that exists beyond the familiar city landmarks.

Namaste Westside, an innovative AI-powered tourism platform created especially for Indian visitors, has been officially launched by The Hon. Natalie Suleyman MP, Minister for Tourism, at Parliament House.

More than a website, it is a digital welcome mat to Melbourne’s west, bringing together an AI-powered travel assistant, a dedicated online platform and an accessible WhatsApp service. Visitors can receive instant, personalised recommendations for local attractions, restaurants, events, cultural experiences, businesses and community stories, all in one place.

In a region shaped by migration, enterprise and multicultural pride, the name feels fitting. Namaste is more than a greeting. It carries warmth, respect and recognition. It says: We see you. You are welcome here.

A Melbourne Beyond the Postcards
Research behind the initiative reveals that one in ten visitors from India to Australia travels to Melbourne’s west, highlighting the region’s growing importance within one of Victoria’s most significant visitor markets.

Yet many of these journeys do not fit the traditional image of tourism. Indian travellers frequently arrive to visit relatives, attend weddings, celebrate family milestones or participate in cultural and religious festivals. Between those moments, they are also searching for places to eat, shop and explore, and for experiences that connect them more deeply with the destination.

Namaste Westside has been designed to become that trusted local companion.
Western Melbourne Tourism Board Member and Maribyrnong City Councillor Cr Pradeep Tiwari said the platform recognises both the strength of the Indian community and the distinctive way visitors experience the region.

“Melbourne’s west is home to Victoria’s largest concentration of Indian communities and has become an increasingly important destination for visitors from India,” Cr Tiwari said.

“Many Indian visitors come to see family and friends, celebrate milestones, attend festivals, explore local neighbourhoods and experience the communities that make this region so special. Namaste Westside brings together the information, stories and local knowledge they need in one accessible place.”

For visitors, that could mean discovering a much-loved neighbourhood restaurant, attending a community celebration, uncovering a hidden local attraction or simply finding something memorable to do with family.

Where Technology Meets Community
While artificial intelligence powers the experience, it is local knowledge that gives the platform its heart.
Scott Chapman AM, Chair of the Western Melbourne Tourism Board, said Namaste Westside demonstrates how emerging technology can enhance tourism without losing the human connection that makes travel meaningful.
“This is more than a tourism website. Namaste Westside combines innovative AI technology with the lived experience and insights of local communities, creating an authentic insider’s guide to Melbourne’s west,” Chapman said.
“The platform helps visitors discover hidden spots, local businesses, cultural experiences and community events while strengthening connections between visitors and the people who call the west home.”
Importantly, the launch is not being treated as the completion of the project, but as the beginning of a continuing conversation.
“This launch is not the finish line. It’s the beginning of an ongoing conversation with our communities and a platform that will continue to evolve alongside the visitor economy,” Chapman said.

A Partnership Built Around Belonging
Namaste Westside was made possible through funding from the Victorian Government’s Visitor Servicing Fund, reflecting a broader investment in making visitor information more accessible, responsive and relevant to the communities it serves.

The project was delivered by Western Melbourne Tourism in partnership with Brimbank City Council, Hobsons Bay City Council, Maribyrnong City Council, Melton City Council, Moonee Valley City Council, Wyndham City Council, Victoria 

University and multicultural consultancy Culture Kite.

The collaboration brings together local government, tourism, education, technology and multicultural expertise across a region renowned for its diversity.

Culture Kite’s involvement has been particularly significant in helping shape a platform with cultural understanding at its foundation. As a multicultural consultancy, it brought an informed community perspective to the project, helping ensure Namaste Westside speaks to Indian visitors with relevance, familiarity and respect.

That distinction matters. A successful multicultural platform cannot simply translate information. It must understand how its audience travels, communicates, celebrates and connects. By combining technology with cultural insight, Namaste Westside has been created not merely for the Indian visitor market, but with a deeper appreciation of the people within it.

Together, the project partners have created something both technologically ambitious and deeply personal: a platform that understands travel is not only about seeing new places. It is also about finding connection within them.

For Indian visitors, Melbourne’s west already holds family, friendships and countless shared memories. Namaste Westside now offers an invitation to step beyond the familiar and discover the region’s many other stories.

Because sometimes the most unforgettable journeys do not begin with a tourist map.

They begin with a simple, heartfelt word: Namaste.

Namaste Westside is now live at namastewestside.melbourne.