Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Raki Phillips, a hospitality veteran, has been appointed as CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA). Phillips, who took over since June 2019, brings to the table wide-ranging industry experience, which will aid Ras Al Khaimah’s goal of becoming one of the fastest growing destinations in the world. According to RAKTDA Phillips’ appointment heralds the beginning of a new phase of tourism development for the Emirate. He will be responsible for implementing the authority’s recently announced Destination Strategy 2019-2021, which aims to attract 1.5 million visitors to the Emirate by 2021 and 3 million by 2025. In his new role, Phillips will also be supervising key projects, with notable development projects on Jebel Jais including multiple zip lines, adventure park hiking trails, the Bear Grylls Survival Academy and a luxury camp. Phillips, an American national, is fluent in Arabic and has been working in the Middle East since 2005 and specifically in the UAE since 2007. Prior to joining RAKTDA, he was working for the Dubai-based International Hospitality Consulting Group INHOCO, where he was Senior Partner and Senior Vice President of Development. Phillips is also the co-founder and CEO of Dubai’s first online dessert delivery bakery, SugarMoo Desserts, and co-founder of Earth Hotels, a sustainable, tech-savvy and design-centric hotel concept. Phillips has previously worked for Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Universal Studios Orlando. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an MBA in Organisational Management.

On the third leg of its four-city roadshow in India, Nepal Tourism Board formally launched its ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ campaign in the city of Mumbai and interacted with key outbound agents here. Robin Regmi, Officer – South Asia Unit, Tourism Marketing and Promotion, Nepal Tourism Board, who was part of the three-member delegation, said, “India is very close to us and to me personally. It is a major market for us and we have seen a steady increase in Indian tourist arrivals since 2015 after Nepal experienced a major setback. We are now back to normal and request the travel trade in India to help us regain our lost glory in terms of tourism.” He added that the tourism board is now actively looking at organising big sporting and Mice events as well as festivals to draw in the numbers. Among them is the Nepal Tourism investment Summit to be organised in January 2020. The team will travel to Bengaluru for a similar launch on July 15, 2019.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) conducted its destination presentation in New Delhi on 8 July at The Park hotel. The event showcased the country’s many tourism offerings, as the Board targets a 25 per cent growth in arrivals from India. By 2020, the government plans to operate two new international airports in Pokhara and Lumbini which will help boost tourism from India to Nepal and vice-versa. NTB will conduct the presentation in Ahmedabad at Courtyard by Marriott on July 10, at The St. Regis Mumbai on July 11, and then move to Bengaluru on July 15 where it will be conducted at the Shangri-La hotel.

Spain Tourism recorded 6.7 per cent growth in Indian arrivals in the first quarter of 2019, revealed Miguel Nieto-Sandoval, Tourism Counsellor (Gulf Region), Spain Tourism. Sharing details, he said, “India is an important market for us and we are hoping that we will grow more in this market. In 2016, we had 106,000 visitors from India and then we grew to 150,000 arrivals. In 2018 , we reached 206,000 arrivals from India and this year we expect to increase it further.”

Buzz Travel Marketing, New Delhi, is the new representative for Travel Nevada in India. A state in Western USA, Nevada, is famous for its natural landscape and various entertainment options. Besides this, the state is also famed for its museums, shopping hubs, desert canyons, ghost towns, hot springs etc. Speaking more on this, SanJeet, CEO, Buzz Travel Marketing says, “We are thrilled to represent Nevada in India. Our aim is to showcase the state beyond what people think it to be. We will begin this by educating the travel trade fraternity. We are surely hopeful of increasing the number of Indian travellers to this state and beyond the conventional attractions.”

Papori Bharati has recently been appointed the official India Representative of VISIT LEVI-a pristine destination of Lapland Finland. Papori has been in the travel and tourism sphere for the last 28 years in different verticals. She says, “Levi is truly a hidden gem of the Finnish Lapland and has its own airport- Kittila. The destination is well connected with Finnair flights. It is 170 kms above the Arctic Region and Rovaniemi. More known for the ski resorts and the slopes in the winter, Levi summer is also very beautiful and the midnight sun is seen at its best and for a longer period. Keeping Levi as a base, one can easily travel to all the places around the Finnish Lapland. With vast space all around, the northern lights are more visible in the winters.” Papori will work closely with the pan India travel trade in terms of sales calls, training programmes , joint campaigns etc. and ensure all possible co-operation to have Levi as an unusual and must visit destination for those travellers keen to travel in the Nordic Region. She is accessible to come and meet agents interested in promoting this gem of a destination and sharing details of this Region, as this is truly a bucket list destination.

Speaking on the launch of Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign by NTB, Suraj Vaidya, National Coordinator, Visit Nepal 2020, says, “We will be conducting the first Nepal Tourism Investment Summit in January 2020. We are doing it as a strategy to bring Nepal back in the forefront. Also, about the Visit Nepal Year 2020- the last one was held in 2011, and since then, probably the world knows Nepal through a very negative picture. It is just not the numbers that we are looking at from India, but also the products. We want to show much more of Nepal, primarily, beyond its conventions- Mt. Everest and Lumbini.”

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) launched the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign in New Delhi on June 12. The event has been organised to help Nepal receive two million tourists by 2020. Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Nepal Tourism Board was present at the event. Commenting on the increase of more than 25 per cent in tourist arrivals from India in 2018, SanJeet, Director, Buzz Travel Marketing India, says, “The Indian market continues to be one of the most important contributors of international visitors to Nepal. Over the years, there has been a steady increase in both MiCE and FIT movement to Nepal from India, a trend that led to the double-digit growth in arrivals in the previous year. Friendly relations between the two South Asian nations and Nepal’s growing focus on tourism from India have helped cement the bond even further.” Nepal is also set to add 4000 rooms in the four and five-star categories, in Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara. A number of international hotel chains, including Hilton and Marriott, are expected to operate properties in Nepal in the coming years. These positive developments coupled with the innovative approach of the government and the tourism board are sure to make 2020 a riveting year for tourism in Nepal!

Visitor arrivals to Mauritius from India went down -24.3% in May. Speaking to Tourism Breaking News, Vivek Anand, Country Manager- India, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), says, “The reason tourist arrivals from India has declined is because of the decrease in the number of flights flying from the various Indian cities to Mauritius. Earlier, there were 32 flights flying out, now there are only 22.” The total number of Indian visitors to Mauritius in the month of May were 10,463 compared to last year’s  13,815.

Aiming to foster closer ties between Thailand and India, ‘Namaste Thailand Online Quiz’ asked questions about Thailand covering various aspects from cuisine, culture, way of life, history, geography, to modern politics. The quiz is the longest running and most successful social media campaign by an embassy in India. After its success, seven other embassies in New Delhi have followed suit and organized similar projects. This year’s quiz was held under the theme ‘Thailand and the World’ which highlighted Thailand’s role at the international stage, today and in the past. The Award Ceremony was attended by esteemed dignitaries including H.E Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India, Thirapath Mongkolnavin, Minister, Royal Thai Embassy, Thamanoon Kuprasert, General Manager, Thai Airways International, India, Aso Lori, Marketing Officer, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi Office, Embassy Diplomats, Quizcraft team and the contest’s Grand Prize Winner and amazing participants along with their families. The award ceremony commenced with a presentation of report of the Namaste Thailand Online Quiz 2019, then H.E. Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand to India, congratulated the winners and conveyed his appreciation for the interest Indians have in knowing Thailand and ASEAN. He talked about how social media, being a powerful medium, helps promote closer ties between the peoples. He hoped that from the Quiz, the participants have learned more about Thailand and realize the similarities and linkages between Thailand and India, and hoped that the students will continue to be active supporters of Thai-Indian friendship, as the people-to-people relation is an important foundation of the bilateral relations. The winners and participants were felicitated with certificates along with gifts from the Royal Thai Embassy, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Thai Airways. Sai …