Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) has appointed Deveekaa Nijhawan to lead the International PR and Communications team, to assist in marketing the destination in key markets as part of the country’s strategy to become a world-leading tourism destination.   Her remit covers key markets including India, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and United Arab Emirates with a focus on engaging and penetrating travel trade and consumer media. Nijhawan is a senior PR professional with over 10 years’ experience in PR & Communications in the hospitality sector. Nijhawan says, “I am very excited to join QNTC and embrace this new challenge. I am looking forward to developing and implementing a holistic integrated PR and Communications strategy to position Qatar as a popular tourist destination, while promoting the country’s rich cultural heritage and diverse offerings.”   As part of the national strategy, Qatar National Vision 2030, QNTC is on a journey to welcome six million visitors a year by 2030, by improving and expanding the country’s tourism proposition with visitor experience at its core. Nijhawan will support the international marketing strategy, while Qatar continues to grow and improve tourism assets, enhance the end-to-end customer experience and invest in service excellence across every touchpoint.   She will execute QNTC’s tailored global communications campaigns, with a focus in key markets. Chief Operating Officer of Qatar National Tourism Council, Berthold Trenkel, says, “We are thrilled to welcome Deveekaa to the team. She will play a pivotal role in delivering our ambitious tourism development strategy. Her extensive PR and Communications experience and knowledge of global markets will help us engage with travellers as we prepare to welcome tourists back to Qatar.”   QNTC’s commitment to developing bespoke …

Mauritius will be opening for international travellers from 15 July 2021 in phases. The first phase, from 15 July to 30 September 2021, will enable vaccinated travellers to enjoy a resort holiday on the island. They must undergo a PCR test between 5 and 7 days before departure and a negative result is required to travel to the island. Travellers will also have a PCR test on arrival at the airport in Mauritius and on day 7 and 14 of their resort holiday, as applicable. If guests stay over 14 days and have negative PCR tests during their stay in the resort, they will be able to explore the island’s attractions. However, for shorter stays, they may leave the resort earlier and travel back home. A list of pre-approved Covid-19 safe resorts will be available from 20 June 2021 at www.mauritiusnow.com Travellers to Mauritius aged 18 years or over must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. For Phase 2, from the 1st of October 2021, vaccinated travellers will be allowed entry without restrictions upon presentation of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure. Unvaccinated travellers will be subject to 14 days in-room quarantine for both Phases 1 and 2 until further notice.

A total of six regions from South Korea will be showcased at the first virtual Korea Travel Expo which is to be held from June 22-24, 2021. The regions, represented by their RTOs, are Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Jeju and Gyeongsangbuk-do, revealed Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com, or call +91 9650196532.

The Korea Travel Expo, scheduled from 22-24 June 2021, will offer Indian agents a chance to meet around 9 DMCs. Some of the DMCs are participating for the first time in the India market and are excited to meet Indian buyers,” said Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email Jaspreet at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai continues with its webinar series exclusively designed for the Indian travel trade with one-hour webinars in June-July. The next one will be held today at 3pm IST and will focus on Valencia. Those who attend all three webinars and participate in the educational quiz stand a chance to win Amazon gift vouchers. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Korea Travel Expo, to be held from 22-24 June 2021, will mimic a real-life exhibition, says Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office. “It is a 3-day event, and the 1st day we have reserved for ‘by invite only’ buyers who we would be inviting personally. The next 2 days are open for all Indian travel agents who want to meet our Korean exhibitors. The platform offers the option of both pre-scheduled meeting as well as on-spot meetings by visiting the exhibitor booth as you would do in a physical exhibition. While people wait for their meetings, we will also have an interactive fun page where people can get interesting Korea related information, watch videos and participate in quiz/activities to win exciting prizes. We have kept everything very practical and business focused and avoided having any preloaded or live presentations or too many interactive features, which at times slows down the interface.” points out Choi. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

The Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai continues with its webinar series exclusively designed for the Indian travel trade with one-hour webinars in June-July. The next one will be held on Thursday, 10 June at 3pm IST and will focus on Valencia. Those who attend all three webinars and participate in the educational quiz stand a chance to win Amazon gift vouchers. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

Over 15 top Regional Tourism Boards, Attractions and DMCs of Korea are confirmed to exhibit at the Korea Travel Expo, to be held from 22-24 June 2021. This will include representatives from Seoul & Busan tourism boards, Jeju Convention & Visitor Bureau and Lotte World with its collection of theme park, aquariums and observatory. Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office, says that currently there are 16 confirmed exhibitors. “My office will also have a virtual booth so that makes it a total of 17 as of now. The exhibitors are a mix of Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs), DMCs and Tourist Attraction. Regions represented by RTO’s are Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gyeonggi, Jeju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. In DMC’s, some of them are participating for the first time in the India market and are excited to meet Indian buyers. For tourist attractions, we have the famous Lotte World, which will have a 3-people team and showcase their array of Theme-Park, Aquariums and Observatory. They are also exhibiting in India for the first time. In fact, 1/3rd of the delegation is coming to explore the India market for the very first time or after many years,” he adds. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email Jaspreet at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Young-Geul Choi, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office, has high expectations from the Korea Travel Expo, which is set to be held from 22nd to 24th June 2021. “Through this expo, Indian buyers can reconnect with Korean suppliers and start preparing their tour products and packages for sale in future. The response that we receive from this expo will set the tone for the kind of marketing activities we will do in the rest of 2021,” he says. Register at www.koreatravelexpo.com, email Jaspreet at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 9650196532.

Beginning July, on recommendation of Tourism Authority of Thailand, the government of Thailand has said that fully vaccinated international visitors to Phuket province of Thailand, or those who have tested negative upon arrival, will be allowed to enter. There will be no quarantine for international travellers who must remain in Phuket for at least 7 nights before travelling elsewhere, under the proposed Phuket Sandbox programme.