Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) has made a foray into the Indian market starting 2017 to tap the increasing Indian outbound travel segment. The tourism board recently participated in a travel show in Mumbai to jumpstart its three-year-strategic plan. GNTO’s target is to create increased destination awareness about lesser-known cities of great geophysical, historical and cultural importance and to position Greece in the top five list of European destinations, for Indian tourists. Elena Kountoura, Honourable Minister of Tourism of Greece, says, “With the entry of Greek Tourism in the Indian market we aim to associate with the travel trade industry and offer our audience a customized product. Our strategy aims to promote 365 days tourism in Greece and we are confident that we will see a positive boost in the number of Indian arrivals to Greece with our initiatives. India is a promising market for us and this year we plan to reach out to affluent Indians through a well planned marketing and advertising campaign. GNTO is looking at promoting Greece as an ideal destination for film tourism, destination weddings and celebrations, apart from the existing popular segments like honeymoons, MICE and FITS.” Dimitrios Tryfonopoulos, Secretary General, Greek National Tourism Organization, adds, “Establishing a GNTO Office in India is the ultimate aim. Until then we will associate with our Indian counterpart to bring out the dynamic perspectives of Greek Tourism in the market of India. We are in talks with representatives of large air carriers such as Emirates, Qatar, Etihad and Jet Airways to improve the connectivity to Athens from India.” Greek Tourism recorded a double digit growth in 2016 from India. It is currently represented in India by …

The Russian Information Center in India recently announced an ‘India Friendly’ program to provide features and services that are required by Indian tourists when they are travelling in India or internationally. The program strives to ensure that the Indian traveller feels at home in Russia. Paresh Navani, Head of Russian Information Center in India, reveals, “The program covers various needs of the Indian traveller like Indian food options in the menu and for breakfast, electric kettle or hot water service in the hotel, bottled water in the room, English signboards, English-speaking staff, special vegetarian meals, sanitary requirements like water in toilets and many others.” The program is voluntary and will be provided by hotels, restaurants, cruise liners, museums and any other enterprise that provides tourism services in Russia. Certification will be provided by Russian Information Center in India post a series of tests for staff and audits conducted on-site in Russia. Already 25 hotels in Russian regions Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and Crimea have joined the program with brands like Park Inn, Radisson and Marriott. Navani adds, “Tourism to Russia is poised for the leap forward noting the interest and enthusiasm the travel trade showed for initiatives like the ‘India Friendly’ program, the reduction in the cost of visa fees by almost 40 per cent for Indian tourists by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, coupled with destination presentations we conduct for the travel trade to promote Russian tourism options. We aim to increase tourist flow from India by 50 per cent in this coming year.” Tourists from India in the nine-month period of 2015 was 39,832 which jumped to 47,152 in 2016, indicating a growth of …

In 2016, Thailand welcomed 1.19 million Indian travellers, as per the recent numbers released by Department of Tourism, Thailand, and for 2017, the target is 14 per cent increase in revenue and eight per cent increase in footfalls expected from India alone. This was revealed by Soraya Homchuen, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai. “The focus destinations this year will be mainly the local communities along with Chiang Mai, Krabi, Trat and Bangkok. While Thailand is a thriving modern nation that offers luxury and comfort of the 21st century, it’s the unique Thai traditions and attractions that are often most memorable for visitors. In 2017, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) aims to offer ‘Value for Experiences’ to travellers coming to the Kingdom by focusing on ‘Unique Thai Local Experiences’. On a global scale, India is ranked sixth in terms of tourist arrivals in Thailand,” she revealed. TAT has announced the theme for 2017 – ‘Discover Unique Local Experiences’. The objective behind this campaign is to promote Thailand as a wealth of cultural heritage with a competitive edge in the travel and tourism sector. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and the South Pacific) and brand ambassador Anusha Dandekar attended the event. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and the South Pacific) said, “India has always been one of the significant markets for us as each year we see an increase in the footfalls. This year too we are expecting a phenomenal growth of 8 per cent. When you visit Thailand, you always discover something new and unique which makes you want to visit the kingdom time and again. This year, with Discover Unique Local …

The Austrian capital Vienna received a record number of travellers from India in 2016, contributing to 115,531 overnight stays, a 28 per cent increase from 2015. Home to legendary composers like Mozart and Beethoven, this smart metropolis with an incredible musical heritage attracted a host of music lovers, families, honeymooners and conference attendees from India during the year, according to the Vienna Tourist Board. “A young traveller choosing to visit Vienna can lose herself in music. Should she want to step back in time to imperial history, she can. Should she want to go bungee jumping by day and dance all night, she can. All of this adds to the typically Viennese blend of tradition and innovation,” says Isabella Rauter, Public Relations Manager for Vienna Tourist Board. “Vienna provides the experiences of a metropolis without the stress factors of a big city. Vienna looks forward to welcoming 20 to 30 per cent more young Indian travellers, looking to experience the contemporary and vibrant facets of life, in 2017.” says Isabella Rauter. A favourite destination for Indian honeymooners, Vienna has hosted many Indian weddings, including at the Belvedere Palace, one of the palaces of the former imperial family of Austria. The palace now serves as a museum and an event location. Vienna also attracts more than 3,500 conventions and corporate events a year, Vienna is one of the world’s leading meeting destinations.

In a move to boost Indian arrivals, Malaysia has launched a 15-day e-visa for travellers on a short visit. This was announced at a press conference in New Delhi by Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz. “India and Malaysia share great relations that go a long way back and we want to foster these ties. We decided to launch this e-visa for the benefit of travellers who visit the country for a short while and since it takes only 48 hours for approval, it is also useful for those who require it urgently,” he said. The e-visa includes a single-entry and costs $20. Tourism Malaysia and leaders from TAAI, TAFI and OTOAI also signed a commitment plaque fortifying each other’s commitment to promoting travel from India.With a focus on sustainable tourism, Malaysia is also pushing its special interest packages for premium shopping, luxury travels, sports tourism such as golf, and Malaysia as a wedding and honeymoon destination. India is the sixth top tourist generating market for Malaysia with a total 722,141 Indian visitors recorded in 2015. Last year, from January to October, Malaysia received a total of 540,530 Indian tourists. Malaysia hopes to achieve 1 million arrivals from the India market this year.

India ranked third among the top growth markets for international visitor arrivals in Singapore in terms of absolute growth in 2016, registering a growth of 8 per cent. While China (+36%) topped the growth markets, Indonesia (+6%) finished a close second. The growth was due to more visitor arrivals from Tier-I and Tier-II cities in China, India and Indonesia, where STB had intensified its marketing efforts. India also overtook Australia to become Singapore’s 4th largest source market for visitor arrivals. The largest declines in visitor arrivals were posted by Hong Kong (-12%), Malaysia (-2%), Australia (-2%), South Korea (-2%) and Japan (-1%). From January to September 2016, there was good growth in tourism receipts across Singapore’s top ten source markets. For the second consecutive year, China (+41%) ranked top in tourism receipts, followed by Indonesia (+14%) and India (+37%). Both visitor arrivals and tourism receipts exceeded forecasts to hit historical highs in 2016. While visitor arrivals grew by 7.7 per cent to 16.4 million, tourism receipts rose even higher by 13.9 per cent to $24.8 billion. The strong tourism receipt results came on the back of visitors spending more on Food and Beverage, Shopping and Accommodation. On the business tourism front, STB supported more than 410 business events held in 2016, a 15 per cent year-on-year growth. These events garnered around 343,000 visitor arrivals, and generated approximately $611 million in tourism receipts, a 20 per cent and 28 per cent increase year-on-year respectively.

Tourism Australia has commenced a fresh phase of its marketing initiatives across the television, digital and print platforms. At the helm of the campaign is a television commercial (TVC) featuring a glorious montage of stunning locales, scenic coastline and incredible tourism experiences Down Under. The TVC showcases the pristine Great Barrier Reef, Kangaroo Island, Great Ocean Road, Sydney Harbour Bridge and much more with its enchanting visuals highlighting the beauty and natural landscape of Australia. The commercial will be rolled out across 30 television channels including English entertainment, infotainment, lifestyle, news and select Hindi General Entertainment channels. Tourism Australia will also capitalise on the upcoming India – Australia cricket test series through various media initiatives. In addition to television, high impact advertisements will be featured in the print space in collaboration with key distribution partners, including SOTC, Mercury Travels, TUI, Flightshop, D Pauls, Kulin Kumar Holidays, among others. Another major focus of the tactical, offer-driven campaign will be on digital, consisting of regular display ads and content, with aspirational destination imagery and creative renditions, all inviting travel enthusiasts to book a holiday to Australia at unbeatable prices. Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager – India & Gulf, Tourism Australia said, “Our latest campaign showcasing Australia’s aquatic and coastal scenery has truly captured the attention of the Indian traveller, and reaffirmed our research indications that international visitors enjoy our aquatic or coastal environments in some way – from snorkeling to simply going to the beach. In our upcoming marketing activities, we will leverage uniquely Australian experiences to entice more travellers to choose Australia as their next holiday destination.”

Since the last two years, Indonesia recorded a growing number of Indian travellers. Data shows that in 2014 there were 237,990 visits to Indonesia which increased to 336,575 by the end of November 2016. Andriyatna Rubenta, Deputy Director of Sales Mission for Asia Pacific, Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia, said, “The India market is booming and therefore a steady promotional effort is a logical step to keep the trend growing. Thus, it is relevant that the Ministry set a high target for Indian market of 546,000 visits by the end of 2017 or increasing 56 per cent from last year’s target of 350,000.” He was leading a sales mission to India organised jointly by the Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia and the Consulate General of The Republic of Indonesia in Mumbai. “India is currently the sixth source market for foreign tourist arrivals and the numbers have been steadily growing. Especially now with Garuda Indonesia connecting Jakarta and Mumbai, we are optimistic about this year’s progress,” he said. He informed that they are looking at initiating additional air routes to connect more Indian cities since the response to the commencement of the Garuda flight has been strong. The leisure segment was the strongest in 2016, followed by MICE and a strong demand for weddings as well.

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority will conduct a five-city roadshow in India from February 27 to March 4, 2017,  covering Chandigarh, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. The roadshow will enable Indian trade partners in each city to interact with Mauritian delegation comprising airlines, resorts, attractions, DMCs, among others. Vivek Anand, Country Manager, MTPA India, said “We are conducting this Roadshow so that the Indian tour operators, MICE companies and wedding planners learn more about the destination and have an opportunity to meet and explore ways to collaborate with the Mauritian suppliers”.

Austria recorded a total of 147,300 arrivals from India in 2016 which amounts to 25 per cent increase over 2015 and 271,100 overnights registering a 25 per cent increase over 2015. “According to our statistics, which assesses 55 countries across the globe, India was identified as the highest growing market for Austria. Also, Indian outbound market is expected to grow at 8.2 per cent and by 2021, 21.5 million Indians are expected to travel abroad. It is interesting to note that 44 per cent of Indians stayed in 4-star hotels and 19 per cent stayed in 5-star properties,” informed Christine Mukharji, Marketing Manager, Austrian National Tourism Office. Austria Tourism Board conducted its annual roadshow in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. Vienna, the capital city received a record 53,522 Indian arrivals corresponding to 32.6 per cent growth as compared to 2015. A total number of 111,531 bed nights were recorded, which is an increase of 28.9 per cent. “We are expecting an increase of nearly 20-30 per cent from India in 2017. India climbed to the 29th position from 42nd last year in terms of source markets in 2016 and we hope to see India in our top 10 source markets soon,” said Isabella Rauter, Team Manager-Media Management, Vienna Tourist Board. The city of Innsbruck recorded 51,000 Indian overnights in 2016 corresponding to a 5 per cent growth over 2015. “With an increase in number of Indian arrivals to Innsbruck, we are now the second most popular destination in Austria after Vienna for Indian visitors. We have some very exciting projects with Bollywood coming up in Innsbruck. The Yash Raj Film-Tiger Zinda Hai, featuring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will be shot in …