Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Tourism Malaysia Mumbai in association with Akbar Holidays has announced a five-city product briefing seminar. It is scheduled to be held in Bhubaneshwar on May 14, Raipur on May 16, Bhopal on October 15, Nagpur on October 17 and Kochi on November 6, 2019. The seminars aim to highlight Malaysia as a value-for-money destination and showcase its product offerings and attractive packages. Its tourism offerings range from million-year-old rainforests, islands and beaches to shopping and luxury holidays. Product partners of Tourism Malaysia i.e Resorts World Genting, Legoland and Lexis Resort, Swiss Hotels, Air Asia and Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) will be present to showcase their products. Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Director Tourism Malaysia Mumbai said, “We are happy to announce our five-city seminar in Bhubaneshwar, Raipur, Bhopal, Nagpur and Kochi. We look forward to a fruitful association with Akbar Holidays to boost Indian tourist to visit Malaysia and this will help us to promote our Visit Malaysia 2020 vision. Malaysia is a bio-diverse country with rich traditions and culture. Our natural environment surrounded with rich flora and fauna, pristine beaches, theme parks, adventure activities, nightlife are very appealing to Indian tourists. They can enjoy luxury at an affordable price in Malaysia.” India tourist arrivals recorded an increase of 8.6 per cent with 600,311 in 2018 as compared to 552,739 in 2017.

Continuing to remain as one of the most popular destination among Indians travelling abroad, Destination Germany witnessed 921,123 visitors overnights in 2018 making for a 8.1 per cent growth in comparison to 2017. Owing to the steady growth, the German National Tourist Office (GNTO), India forecasts a 6-8 per cent growth in visitor overnights in 2019. With experiential travel becoming the most sought after genere in leisure travel, GNTO will promote the destination with the core theme and worldwide campaign on ‘100 years of Bauhaus’, as part of the centenary celebration of foundation of legendary Bauhaus movement in Weimar,” said Romit Theophilus, Director, German National Tourist Office, India. The famous Bauhaus art school opened in Weimar in 1919, and during its short lifespan, it moved to Dessau and then to Germany. “With more and more travellers visiting Germany, we want to promote the country as a stand-alone travel destination. We are looking to focus more leisure segment than business. Northern Germany is still unexplored by the Indian travellers, so we want more and more Indian travellers to go and experience Germany in a new way,” further said Theophilus.

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), with an aim to increase Indian tourist inflow into Japan, has appointed Blue Square Consultants as its India representative through its associate K&L Communications India to enhance the trade and media outreach for destination Japan in India. Kenichi Takano, Executive Director, Japan National Tourism Organization, Delhi office, expressed, “India has been an important source market for us owing to the emergent disposable income groups and changing lifestyles. We have recorded a growth of 14.7% amounting to 154, 029 Indian tourist arrivals in 2018, and we are expecting the market to perform even better in the forthcoming years. Banking on the favourable dynamics, we are keen on augmenting our targets by a higher margin through strategic positioning of Japan in key metro cities. We are confident that Blue Square Consultants will help us in reaching out to the right stakeholders with innovative channels of communication. Through this association, we hope to bring out the best of what Japan has to offer and weave a unique experience for aspiring Indian travellers.”   Lubaina Sheerazi, COO, Blue Square Consultants, quoted, “We are elated to be appointed as the representative of JNTO in India. The tourism industry is undergoing an exponential shift wherein new age platforms are acting as catalysts to influence the next generation travellers. It is a privilege to represent a technologically advanced yet culturally rich country like Japan. We look forward to bringing out the best of the destination through our gamut of services and achieve fruitful results for JNTO.”

Wallonia in India (AWEX Mumbai), Visit Brussels and Wallonia Belgium Tourism jointly organised a destination training workshop in association with Maratha Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture and TAAP in Pune recently. The presentation highlighted the hidden gems of Belgium. Introducing Wallonia to the audience, Emmanuelle Timmermans, Trade and Investment commissioner from AWEX, said, “We realised that even regular visitors to Belgium are not always aware of some of the hidden gems of Belgium. One of those is the new sensational city of Dinant, which was voted one of Europe’s Best Destinations in 2019.” She highlighted the most popular tourist attractions in Wallonia. Talking on Belgium’s promotional goals for 2019 and 2020, Timmermans said, “We would like to attract an increased number of visitors from India to our Region. Wallonia tourism is truly hidden as many truths are unknown to the world. Tourism trends are changing now, tourists believe more in unique experiences such as amazing activities, beautiful memories, mysterious places. Wallonia is one destination for all generation group and for all type of tourism interests let it be, FIT, Luxury, family, MICE or educational tourism, Wallonia has lots to offer to everyone.”

The Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) has signed an MoU with the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) to boost outbound traffic numbers from India to South Korea with a special focus on MICE. With this MoU, OTOAI will prioritise South Korea as a focus country for 2019. This took place on the sidelines of Tourism Travel Mart being held in Mumbai. Nine DMCs and four regional tourism organisations were participating in the mart apart from Korea Film Commission and Seoul Film Commission.

Foreign tourist arrival in the Philippines continues to increase, with Indian arrivals in the archipelago witnessing a double-digit growth. According to an official statement by Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines received 26,189 Indian tourists between January and February 2019, resulting in a 13.6 per cent growth. At least 1.49 million foreign tourists have visited the Philippines over the first two months of 2019. South Korea continued to be the top market for Philippines in the number of tourist arrivals, with a jump of 1.72 per cent from the same period in 2018.

A three-city workshop organised for Reunion Island and its tourism suppliers took place in the key cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai in the first week of April. Organised with Atout France, this initiative formed part of Reunion Island’s strategy of developing close synergies with the Indian market and augmenting Indian visitor arrivals to the Island. A delegation of seven suppliers helmed by the President of the Reunion Island Tourism Board, Stéphane Fouassin and Lydie Sangarin, Market Manage, showcased the island’s tourism offers to members of the trade in the three cities. The delegation comprised the national air carrier Air Austral, destination management companies, hotels and a helicopter ride attraction. A presentation on the island made by the Reunion Island Tourism Board followed by meetings with the suppliers led to an in-depth understanding of the island, its experiences and how to best showcase their products in India. Stéphane Fouassin, President, Reunion Island Tourism Board, said, “India is an important source market for us and we believe that Reunion Island is a perfect fit for visitors wanting to enjoy a holiday by the sea coupled with adventure experiences. An array of diverse activities ensures that the island perfectly caters to the needs and requirements of its visiting families, couples, friends on a holiday and adventure enthusiasts”. Sharing her thoughts, Sheetal Munshaw, Director Atout France in India, said, “We are extremely pleased to showcase Reunion Island – a French overseas department and its array of experiences to the Indian travel trade. We are confident that this workshop will pave the way for more Indian arrivals to the island. In addition, the visa access policy for stays less than 15 days certainly increases …

Tourism Australia has recorded Indian arrivals to Australia for the year-ended December 2018 that stood at 357,700 – a growth of 18 per cent over the previous year. India once again was named as the fastest growing inbound market for Australia. During the year-ended December 2018, Indian tourists spent A$ 1.7 bn (approx. Rs 8,300 crore) on their Australia trips, a growth of 21 per cent over the previous year. In fact, 2018 was the fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth, with arrivals and spend growing at a CAGR of 16 per cent and 19 per cent respectively over the 5-year period.

A two-day Korea festival showcasing Korea’s rich art, culture and heritage will take place on April 13-14, 2019 at High Street Phoenix, Mumbai. Organised by Korea Tourism Organisation, the two-day extravaganza aims to popularise South Korea as an emerging destination among Indian travellers by giving a glimpse into the Korean culture. The aim is to acquaint Indian tourists with famous South Korean tourist destinations, delicacies, local culture and the country’s modern legacy. The festival will have food sampling sessions to give a taste of the local Korean snacks to serve Indian taste buds, managed by AT Centre and the traditional Bibimbap rice dish, Sujeonggwa drink tasting session organized by KTO. With an aim to meet the rapidly increasing Indian travel passenger demands, the Indian Travel agents will offer special discounted packages to the visitors. Speaking on the Korea Festival, Park, Jeong ha, Vice President KTO, said, “Indian outbound travel to South Korea is on the rise. In 2018, approximately 100,000 Indian travellers visited South Korea and the numbers are growing with an average rate of 10-15% year on year. While the number of Indians travelling abroad has increased three-fold in the last one decade, there are a lot of offerings from South Korea which are still unexplored and unexperienced. Such festivals help in a great way to fortify and deepen the understanding.” The experiences like Traditional Hanbok wearing, face and mask painting, VR experiences, Korean calligraphy name writing, display of Famous Korean TV Drama, Movies and K- Pop music and traditional games like Tuho (Pitch-pot), Ddakji (Slap Match), Jegichagi (Shuttlecock) have been specially arranged for Indian audiences. The highlights at the event include live stage performances at the festival by …

Destination DC, the official destination marketing organisation for Washington DC, organised three-city sales mission in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi. Connecting with over 300 travel partners in the three cities, the organisation shared plans to promote the new tourism developments and unique offerings of the District.  “With a 32 percent increase in visitation, India has proven to be one of our most successful growth markets, ranking fourth globally. We see immense potential among Indian travellers. Through this roadshow, we aim to establish strong partnerships and continue to market not only the key attractions in the city, but also its dynamic neighborhoods that reflect the ‘DC Cool’ brand,” said Mr. Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC. In 2017, Washington DC welcomed 135,000 visitors making India as the 4th largest overseas market for the destination. From 2015 to 2017, visitation to DC increased by 67 per cent.  The National Cherry Blossom Festival (held from March 20 – April 14) was the theme of the sales mission. More than 1.5 million visitors descend upon Washington, DC every year to admire the 3,000 cherry blossom trees in full bloom. With $11.2 billion in development underway. There are 18 hotels in the pipeline adding 3,987 rooms to the city, including recently opened Conrad Washington, DC and Hilton Washington DC National Mall, anticipated to open in April 2019.  The International Spy Museum moves to L’Enfant Plaza on May 12 and the Washington Monument reopens this spring. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s “Fossil Hall” reopens in June.