Sports tourism is witnessing 10-12 per cent growth as Indians are showing more enthusiasm for visiting a country to attend sports event, according to industry experts. “Globally, sports tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry. According to estimates, global sports tourism was worth USD 7 billion in 2017. While it is a mature industry overseas, in India it is in infancy (stage),” says Karan Anand, Head of Relationships, Cox and Kings. The first love for Indians is cricket and they travel to watch the game, whether in India or overseas, he added. “There has also been a shift in the interest for other sporting events like the Soccer World Cup or the Olympics. We see 10-12 per cent growth in arrivals to these destinations, when a major sporting event takes place,” he said. Indians travel to Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England to watch cricket matches. However, over the last 10 years, there is a growing interest to watch the Olympics, the Soccer World Cup and Grand Prix Formula One motor events. The Olympics or Soccer World Cup are highlights for Indians and they love the atmosphere associated with the games, Anand said, adding that there are people who travel to specific sporting events during the Olympics or a few of them only travel for the opening ceremony. He said this segment is primarily dominated by men who come together to watch the sporting event. Source: PTI

The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) expects that the number of visitors from India will increase in anticipation of the upcoming cricket series set to be held between India and Australia in Adelaide in December this year. The Adelaide Oval will host the first Test Match, scheduled for December 6-10, 2018, which is expected to attract a large number of Indian visitors to Adelaide. In addition to focusing on attracting honeymooners, families and independent travellers between the age of 25-45 years in the primary markets of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, SATC is also working to attract cricket lovers this year. This will be executed through SATC’s influencer, media, marketing and trade partnerships throughout 2018. Commenting on the announcement, Dana Urmonas, Regional Director (India & Southeast Asia), SATC said, “We look forward to hosting Indian cricket enthusiasts and travellers for the Test Match. Adelaide witnessed a surge in Indian tourist arrivals during the ICC India-Pakistan World Cup in 2015 and we’re confident this December will be no different. The match gives us a unique opportunity to showcase Adelaide and its surrounding regions to Indian travellers and cricket enthusiasts alike.” Speaking on Adelaide Oval hosting the game, Laura Robinson, Tourism Manager, Adelaide Oval said, “Adelaide Oval has hosted some historic games in the past and we believe that this time will be no different. India and Australia have shared excellent cricketing ties over the years.”

The foreign tourist visit to all States and UTs has been increasing over the years and in the year 2016,the visits by foreign tourists registered a growth of 5.92 per cent over 2015, according to a statistics report by Ministry of Tourism. The report says that number of foreign tourist visits to States/Uts during last 13 years has been registering an increasing trend overall, except for marginal decline in foreign visits in the years 2009 and 2012. The top five states in foreign tourist visits in 2016 were Tamil Nadu (4.72 million), Maharashtra(4.67million), Uttar Pradesh (31.53 million). Meanwhile, the report says that, there has been continuous increase in domestic tourist visits to States/ UTs with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.03 per cent from 1991 to 2016. The top five states in domestic tourist visits in 2016 were Tamil Nadu (343.8 million), Uttar Pradesh (211.7 million), Andhra Pradesh (153.2 million, Madhya Pradesh (150.5 million) and Karnataka (129.8 million).

The number of foreign tourist arrivals to India during July 2017 amounted to 788,000, up from 734,000 during February the previous year. The largest number foreign tourist arrivals are usually seen in December and January during the winter season when temperatures are more bearable, according to a report by Ministry of Tourism. In 2016, December has been the peak month for FTAs in India, said the report titled “India Tourism Statistics 2017”. December was peak for countries like USA, UK, Bangladesh, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Russia and Singapore. The peak season is followed by November, January, February and March, the report said. The shares of FTAs in February, March, July, September and December in 2016 has increased as compared to 2015. For China, Japan and Germany, November was the peak month, the report added.  

The number of Indian nationals’ departures from India during 2016 registered a growth of 7.3 per cent over 2015 as compared to 11.1 per cent growth in 2015, according to a report by Ministry of Tourism. In 2016, approximately 21.87 million Indian nationals departed on outbound travels, up from 20.38 million the previous year. During 2016, top three air ports for departures of Indian nationals’ from India were from Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin airport. These three airports accounted for 51.93 per cent of total departures in 2016, the report said. During 2015, Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin airport had a percentage share of 21.96 per cent, 20.08 and 9.62 per cent respectively, the report added. The Indian nationals’s departures rose with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.17 per cent.

The Korea Mice Expo (KME), the nation’s largest trade show for incentive planners and meeting professionals, will take place on June 14-15, 2018 in Songdo ConvensiA, Incheon. The two-day event will provide a perfect venue for over 2,000 expected attending MICE industry professionals to engage with 300 exhibiting local service providers, including convention bureaus, unique venues, and travel agencies. To foster a business-friendly event, this year’s Korea MICE Expo will be in an unconventional format, ditching the usual sit-down gala dinner and forums. “We want this expo to be bigger and meaningful to all the participants. We will make KME 2018 a platform where buyers and suppliers can truly acquire business potentials,” said Chulbeum Park, Director, Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Meetings & Incentives Team. A standing networking party will replace the usual sit-down gala dinner to let guests interact freely. Also, convention bureaus will showcase not only their MICE expertise but also their local food specialties during the reception. For the first time, the Korea MICE Expo will have a theme ‘Hallyu meets MICE’ offering participants new venues, activities, and discussions related to popular Korean films, dramas, and music. A main highlight of the event includes the Opening Keynote by Soo-Wook Ahn, Executive Director of SM Entertainment, one of the leading entertainment groups in Korea.  

Visit Victoria has announced that India has now become its fourth largest inbound market with overnight visitor expenditure of $392 million and a growth of 22.3 per cent. During the end of December 2017, it recorded around 1,44,200 Indian visitors coming to Australia, a 22.6 per cent year on year increase. Speaking at the press conference Carmen Smith, Head of International Markets, Visit Victoria commented, “The Indian market has been very exciting for Visit Victoria just till December 2017 we had around 1, 44, 200 Indian tourist arrivals which is only till December while our year ends in June. Our target was to achieve 8 per cent growth from India while currently we are at a growth of over 22 percent so we have been very excited about the growth from India.” Indian visitors spent a total of 5.5m nights in Melbourne. Indian tourists have been visiting Victoria for various purposes including leisure holiday, business, visiting friends or relatives (VFR). 51 percent of the visitor expenditure from Indian visitors came from the education sector. The VFR segment recorded 72,000 Indian visitors travel  to Victoria. Melbourne is all set to host Indian in 2018 for the upcoming India-Australia Boxing Day cricket match 2018. It will also be hosting the ICC World T20 men’s and women’s final in 20020.

Alphons Kannanthanam, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism has said that India’s Tourism sector is fast growing and has got an emerging market for outbound travel and a tremendous potential for tourism co-operation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) region. He was speaking while attending the SCO Tourism Ministers’ conference in Wuhan in China. At the sidelines of the event on May 9, the minister also met Chinese Tourism and Culture Vice Minister Li Jinzao. The visit of the team headed by Kannanthanam was in continuation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s  recent visit to China wherein it was agreed to increase the co-operation between India and China in Defence, External Affairs and Tourism.  

India and Cambodia has agreed to  strengthen tourism cooperation, particularly with regards to start a direct air link between Phnom Penh and New Delhi. This decison was taken after a joint committee meeting between officials from Cambodia and India in Siem Reap, to discuss cooperation in the tourism industry as part of a high-level dialogue mechanism. Earlier this week, Phnom Penh hosted the ‘Incredible India Road Show’, which aimed to promote India as a destination for Cambodian tourists, as well as to create new partnerships between Indian and local companies in the tourism industry. Rashmi Verma, Secretary-Tourism, Government of India, said the committee is now working on a strategy to further collaboration between the countries in tourism. “Stronger cooperation in tourism will be beneficial for both countries in terms of economic growth and job creation,” she said. The flow of tourists between Cambodian and India has increased remarkably in the last few years, said Thong Khon,  Cambodian Minister of Tourism. He said many Cambodians travel to India to visit religious landmarks, while Indians like to visit the Kingdom to experience local weddings or as part of pilgrimages. “In many ways, both countries have a similar appeal for tourists, and both have huge potential for tourism. This is why we need to boost cooperation with India in the sector,” Khon said. Khon and Ms Tashmi said they are now conducting talks with civil aviation bodies to expedite the creation of a direct air link.

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has unveiled its line-up of flagship education and networking events in India for the year ahead. The GBTA Conference 2018 will be held in Bengaluru on June 15, in New Delhi on September 14, followed by Mumbai on October 12, 2018. These forums will discuss best practices across the business travel lifecycle through a mix of panel discussions and presentations. Each event will also feature a trade show highlighting the best-class solution providers within the business travel industry. “With India expected to become the sixth largest business market in the world by the end of 2019, GBTA felt it was crucial to host a series of conferences within this region,” said Gaurav Sundaram, President ProKonsul & Regional Director of India for GBTA. He added, “Each conference will be unique in its offerings of education sessions, speakers and content and will ultimately help educate the market on global best practices.” GBTA Conference 2018 Bengaluru will be held at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Center. The one-day event will feature a CXO roundtable moderated by Sundaram on generating the optimal ROI from business travel. The conference will also feature sessions focused on optimizing air contracts, managing workforce mobility, optimisation opportunities within business travel, challenging the status quo as it pertains to technology and processes, and more. Source ANI