Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Ras Al Khaimah recorded a 23 per cent increase in visitors from India during the first six months of 2016 compared to the corresponding January-June period last year, according to the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA).The positive growth trend during 2016 ranks India as the third largest international source market for the UAE’s most northern emirate-up from fourth last year. “Our new brand positioning emphasises Ras Al Khaimah’s natural assets, luxurious indulgence, range of activities for different types of travellers and authentic Arabian heritage and culture – our diverse destination pillars resonate well with Indian travellers,” said Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah TDA. In-line with the emirate’s international promotional strategy, RAKTDA recently attended July’s MICE India and Luxury Travel Congress (MILT) in Mumbai, the latest stop in a series of roadshows and familiarisation trips with Indian travel trade partners in the first six months of 2016. The promotional programme in India has targeted the country’s swelling MICE and luxury market, which has witnessed tremendous growth in outbound corporate travel in recent years as more and more corporates recognise the importance of MICE activities as a key driver to engage internal and external customers. “The constant increase in visitor arrivals from India is the direct result of strategic in-market trade missions and industry partnerships to boost market awareness of Ras Al Khaimah’s MICE and leisure offerings, highlight the destination’s diverse tourism proposition and forge smart partnerships with potential buyers,” added Mattar. “We’ve engaged close to 500 of India’s leading trade stakeholders to promote the destination as an ideal choice for the country’s business and leisure travel trade and these activities will continue in the second half of 2016.”

France Tourism Development Agency, Atout France has released an official statement on the security measures for tourism professionals post the July 14 attack. The release has a list of FAQs aimed at helping tourism professionals answer questions from their customers on the measures that have been taken to ensure the safety of the French population and foreign visitors. It says, “In spite of the events that occurred last year and at the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France remains the world’s most popular tourist destination (EVE survey1), with nearly 85 million visitors. The French authorities’ efforts to improve tourist reception and security will continue throughout the year under the state of emergency, which has been extended until January 31, 2017.” The statement also said that there are no specific measures concerning groups. Groups must nevertheless respect the general instructions given by the public authorities. It added, “There will be increased security checks and greater police powers. Police and gendarmerie reinforcements have been deployed throughout national territory. Inspections and staff levels have been increased in public transport and around sites receiving the public, including tourist attractions. All representatives of the tourism sector have announced the recruitment of additional security staff to ensure the safety of visitors.”  

Travelshop Turkey plans to launch charters in association with Turkish Airlines in a bid increase their portfolio of offerings, informed Murtaza Kalender, General Manager, TravelShop Turkey, at the first leg of their six-city roadshow in Delhi. “In cooperation with Turkish Airlines, we plan to start charter flights and aim for 200 charters by 2017,” he said. Commenting on the roadshow, he stated, “We are here with representatives from 12 different Turkish companies including airlines, hotels, and restaurants to inform the Indian travel trade about the different packages we have on offer. Between October to April, we are expecting at least 10,000 clients to visit Turkey, especially with the new arrangements we have provided. We are also focusing on weddings since Turkey is extremely popular among Indians.” The roadshow continues in Ahmedabad on Aug 2, Mumbai on Aug 3, Kolkata on Aug 4, Chennai on Aug 5 and Bangalore on Aug 6.

Ras Al Khaimah is promoting itself as an ideal MICE and luxury travel destination in the India market. Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA) highlighted the offerings in this segment at MICE India and Luxury Travel Congress (MILT) 2016, held in Mumbai on July 28-29, and forged smart partnerships with potential buyers from India. Shaji Thomas, Director-Destination Tourism Development, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and Mohamed Khater, Senior Tourism Development Manager, Ras Al Khaimah TDA, were present at the event. In the recent years, Ras Al Khaimah has successfully leveraged the appeal of its leisure offerings to international business travellers and has now emerged as one of the top destinations in the international travel market. Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah TDA, said, “Ras Al Khaimah is witnessing a positive trend from India, which has been identified as one of the fastest and strongest growing source markets in terms of visitor figures. We are focusing on promoting Ras Al Khaimah as a boutique destination for meetings, incentives and events. MILT provides a unique platform to meet high-end buyers and wedding planners looking for new destinations to promote. We are seeing a surge in interest in Ras Al Khaimah as an ideal location for events and weddings.”

During January-June 2016, 25,181 Indian travellers visited Vienna representing a 32 per cent increase over 2015. Of the 3.1 million global visitors, over this period, tourists from India grew at the highest rate, followed by the Great Britain, informed Isabella Rauter, Manager-Media Management, Vienna Tourist Board. The number of Indian overnight stays grew to 55,628, an increase of 38.7 per cent over the previous year, corresponding to an Indian traveller spending an average of 2.21 overnights in the Austrian capital. “This not only reflects Vienna’s continued attractiveness, but also shows that our systematic internationalisation strategy of diversifying into many different markets is paying off,” explains Norbert Kettner, Director, Vienna Tourist Board. Vienna expects attractiveness among youth to get a further boost with the upcoming release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, a bollywood movie shot at the destination. “A popular destination for families and honeymooners, Vienna bewitched younger audiences to savour its romantic ambience. Young Indian couples are now beginning to forge wedding vows in the city, known for its love affair with imperial heritage and architecture,”says Rauter. The tourist board also informed that one in every eight visitors attended one of the 3,685 congresses, corporate events and incentives in Vienna in 2015, setting a new record.

Indian travellers continue to hold the record for highest number of overnights per stay at 5.3 days in SouthWest Germany, during January to May 2016. The number of arrivals from India increased during January-May 2016 to 13,126 travellers. Hector Dsouza, Director-India, SouthWest German Tourism, says, “India is miles ahead. It still has the highest number of overnights per visit, and currently its 5.3 days per visit. The international average for SouthWest Germany is 2.3 days. For the period ended October 2015, we recorded 162,843 overnights from India. We are now expecting 40,000 Indian visitors in 2016 doing 2,50,000 overnights, an increase of 25 per cent from 2015.” The total number of SouthWest German destination specialists across India now stands at 520.

The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) successfully concluded its two-city roadshow in Bengaluru and Mumbai with a delegation of 30 sellers that included hotels, special event venues, DMCs, and airlines. The delegation was led by Nooch Homrossukhon, Director (Meetings and Incentive), TCEB, with the top management of the Meetings and Incentive department. “The agenda for this roadshow was to promote newer destinations catering to the premium segment such as the riverside properties and the Silverlake vineyard in Pattaya. We also want to talk about options for CSR activities that Indian corporate companies can participate in, in Thailand,” she said. TCEB also hosted an exclusive networking dinner for corporate clients in Mumbai after the roadshow. The bureau recently launched its own location-based mobile application for corporates called ‘Biz Thailand’ that helps them find restaurants, attractions, entertainment, hotels, meeting spaces and convention centres around them.

Come August, TravelShop Turkey is organising workshops for the travel trade in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The 6-city workshop will begin with New Delhi on August 1, then move to Ahmedabad (August 2), Mumbai (August 3), Kolkata (August 4), Chennai (August 5), and Bengaluru (August 6). The workshops will showcase Turkey’s latest programs for the Indian market. Participants will also get an oopportunity to learn how to sell Turkey as destination, meet with Culture & Tourism Counsellor, TST staff, Turkish Airlines staff, meet with Turkish hotels, and win free Fam trips all around Turkey. “As we know Indian market is very sensitive, specially for food, jain, veg and non veg. thats why it would be good for you to come and get the latest information for visa, payment methods, guides, itineraries, activities, night life and transportation,” said Murtaza Kalender, General Director, TravelShop Turkey.

The Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Tourism First together organised Bosnia and Herzegovina tourism promotion session in Delhi at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Embassy for the first time. Dr. Sabit Subasic, Ambassador, Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina was in Mumbai with a similar event and he is likely to visit Kolkata next. He said, “We want more tourists from Delhi and this region of India to visit Bosnia. We get tourists from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bengaluru and Kolkata. I hope to receive around 15,000 tourists from India.”

Tourism Australia’s arrival statistics for May 2016 revealed the highest ever visitation in any given month from India to Australia. 27,400 tourists from India visited Australia during the peak school holiday period, an increase of 18 per cent vis-à-vis May 2015, signifying Australia’s rising popularity as a leisure holiday destination amongst outbound Indian travellers. Total arrivals for the year ended (YE) May 2016 were recorded at 238,000, an increase of 8 per cent relative to the same period last year, making India the 9th largest inbound market for arrivals to Australia. For the year ended March 2016, Indian tourists spent A$ 1.14 billion on their Australian sojourn, that saw an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year. A majority of Indian tourists (67 per cent) visited Australia for the purpose of leisure. The average spend for Indian visitors increased by 10 per cent to A$ 5,215. In addition, the average length of stay for all visitors from India was recorded at 65 nights, with a 47 per cent repeat visitation. Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, said, “We are delighted to announce our highest ever arrivals from India. It is a significant and momentous occasion for Tourism Australia to see such a great response from the Indian market. Our marketing activities in collaboration with our key distribution and airline partners, with an increased thrust on digital initiatives, improved air connectivity between the two countries, stability of the Australian dollar, introduction of the pilot electronic lodgement of visa applications program, have been key factors in boosting travel to Australia. By 2025, we expect India to be among the top five markets for Tourism Australia.” The Tourism …