Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Destination Canada in partnership with Air Canada has branded 350 radio taxis in New Delhi. The promotional campaign was inaugurated at the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi by Rupert Peters, Regional Managing Director, Europe, Australia and India; Jess Dutton, Acting High Commissioner of Canada to India, and Margaret Skinner, Director, Sales -EMEAI, Air Canada.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA) recorded a 22 per cent rise in Indian hotel guests between January and September 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. During September, visitors from India increased by 61 per cent against the same month last year. With India ranked as the emirate’s fourth largest international source market, Ras Al Khaimah TDA has overseen extensive trade and promotional activities to ensure continued growth from the Sub-continent. “Ras Al Khaimah is perfectly positioned to attract more visitors from India, and is only 45 minutes from Dubai International Airport. The destination boasts unique natural landscapes including 64km pristine beaches, desert, mountains, and adventure, together with world class hotels in a safe environment – we have everything that the outbound Indian market looks for in a destination,” said Haitham Mattar, CEO of RAKTDA. As part of its strategy to seize new opportunities and further nuture Indian arrivals, RAKTDA hosted pre- and post- familiarisation trips to coincide with the Travel Agents Association of India’s (TAAI) 63rd Annual Convention & Exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, where Mattar participated on a panel focusing on key travel trends affecting the Indian outbound market. A total of 72 of India’s leading travel agents, ranging from first-timers to repeat visitors, were hosted on a bespoke itinerary designed to highlight the range of luxurious properties such as Marjan Island Resort & Spa, Rixos Bab Al Bahr, Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Resort and Spa Marjan Island, and Hilton Al Hamra Beach and Golf Resort. Conceived to provide agents with first-hand experience of the emirate and develop knowledge of the destination’s diverse tourism products, the itinerary included a luxurious …

As part of their concerted efforts to make inroads into the Indian market, Picardy Tourism has launched a special travel website especially for the Indian market. The aim is to make Picardy more accessible to the travel agent and the potential visitor. This comprehensive marketing tool provides practical information on different aspects such as sightseeing, restaurants, places to visit and frequently asked questions. From information on group tours to suggestions for customised FIT holidays to MICE experiences and videos, the website serves as a comprehensive one stop guide for those planning to include a Picardy experience in their French itineraries all replete with a dash of the Indian element. The website also provides contact details of Lucie Rousseau, Business Developer for India, who has an in depth understanding and knowledge of Indian specificities. Lucie elaborates, “The website is a good marketing tool and facilitates quick access to information about the destination. The idea is to inspire travel agents to include Picardy in their travel itineraries and at the same time provide information that is useful for a client visiting our destination. We’ve included testimonials from travel agents who’ve travelled to Picardy and we will keep updating the website with information on celebrity visits such as promotions centred around the eagerly awaited Bollywood movie Befikre shot entirely in France including our region Picardy.”

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) was recognised for its contribution and support extended to the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Convention. The destination was appreciated by the travel agents attending the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI ) Convention who were taken on a pre-post familiarisation tour to the emirate. Ras Al Khaimah offers a variety of tourism products to its visitors from adventure, landscape, leisure, honeymoon products and now is even targeting the weddings and MIC segment from India. The tours were aimed to inform and educate the travel agents about the various tourism products that the emirate offers and also helped them understand the various segments of clientele that they can do business with at this destination.

January-August 2016 saw 1,17,897 Indians visit Bali, recording a growth of 61.57 per cent as compared to the same period last year which saw 72,969 visitors, according to the Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BTPD). With this, India scored the highest growth rate followed by China at 35.06 per cent. The increase in Indian visitors has pushed the country’s position as the fifth most important source market, with Australia, Europe, China and Japan occupying the first four ranks. Accordingly, India contributed to 3.69 per cent share of the total tourists in Bali which is 3.19 million during the same period.

AirPortr, a London based travel technology start-up, in partnership with British Airways, has launched AirPortr + Bag Check-In, a ‘game-changing’ new service for airline customers, which allows them to check in their luggage from anywhere in London. AirPortr + Bag Check-In allows those travelling with British Airways to travel straight through the airport completely luggage free until they reach baggage reclaim at their destination airport. AirPortr will deliver any size or weight item of luggage to London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London City Airport with bags checked in from a London address. Prices start from £30 for the first bag from Central London and £10 for each additional bag. The new service can help reduce travel costs and travel times by enabling travellers to use public transport bag free.

Honorable Mayor of Paris and Yash Raj Films launched the Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor starrer ‘Befikre’ at the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris on October 10 evening. Set entirely in France, ‘Befikre’ embodies the French freedom of expression through a contemporary story of two young protagonists. Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw, Director Atout France India – France Tourism Development Agency, said, “This is the first ever Bollywood movie to have been truly “Made in France” right from romancing at myriad locations in Paris, Picardy and Cannes, to personifying the quintessential French lifestyle. It has been a delightful experience for us to have been a part of this journey right from handpicking and showcasing locations in France with the Yash Raj team to now embarking on this path breaking launch pad of releasing the film’s trailer in Paris as hospitality partners alongside Accor group of Hotels. To showcase the film to a diverse audience, Atout France in association with Accor group of Hotels and Yashraj will organise a special screening for the travel trade fraternity and select media in December. We hope travel companies are motivated to create a Befikre trail which includes destinations shot in the movie such as Picardy, Cannes and Paris which will spur the avid traveller to embark on a new Befikre experience in France.” Full of Parisian spirit, the movie celebrates love – sensual, carefree and focused on living life to the fullest celebrating the renowned French art de vivre or unique way of life. The ‘Befikre’ cast touched down in France in early May and shot the film entirely Made in France for 52 days. The movie is slated to be released in India on December …

Senior delegates from Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), Economic Development Board and Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority recently held productive discussions with a number of potential airlines from India, as it looks forward to seeing Bahrain added to their expanding network. The delegation was attending the 22nd World Routes Development Forum held in Chengdu, China from 24–27 September 2016. Last year, The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) supported the ‘Little India in Bahrain’ initiative to celebrate and document the contribution of the Indian community to the history and progress of Bahrain and to boost cultural tourism in the kingdom. BAC is building a new passenger terminal at the Bahrain airport scheduled to be completed by 2020. The expansion is expected to increase the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers a year from the current nine million passengers a year.

Russia Tourism has signed a five-party agreement to promote the destination for tourism more aggressively in India. The document was signed on 30 September 2016 in St. Petersburg between: Northwest Regional Office of the Russian Union of the Tourist Industry (RUTI); co-founders of Russian Information Center (RIC) in India – Ekaterina Beliakova and Paresh Navani; Adviser on development projects coordinator ‘Visit Russia’ (Federal State Unitary Enterprise National Centre for Marketing Tourism Rostourism); Director-General of the Union of national and international tourist information organizations (SONATO); and St. Petersburg State University of Economics. The agreement focuses on increasing outbound tourist traffic from India to Russia and creation of comfortable conditions of stay in the country of Indian tourists. Navani, Co-Principle, RIC, explains, “RUTI will help RIC in organising the ground services when we roll out the India-friendly policy later this year. The university on the other hand will offer the training and certification to all service providers in Russia once RIC draws up the framework of the India-friendly policies, which is in the process.” The India-friendly policy will involve the tourism and hospitality industry in Russia.

Optimistic by the increasing number of tourists from India, the Department of Tourism (DOT) Philippines along with Her Excellency, Ma. Teresita C.Daza, Ambassador, Republic of Philippines to India launched 135 branded taxis in New Delhi as part of a promotional campaign. Through it, the country attempts to raise awareness of the lesser known places, as well as the popular cities. Speaking at the launch, the ambassador said, “This is one way of raising awareness about the Philippines as each taxi displays various destinations from the country. We hope to encourage more and more Indian travellers to visit the country. The Philipppines has a lot to offer and its slogan, ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ has been very helpful in attracting more tourists.” Additionally, 100 radio cabs were branded in Ahmedabad and Pune earlier this year in an attempt to promote the destination. 2015 recorded a growth of 22.36 per cent over the previous year with 74,824 Indians visiting the country.