Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

According to latest analysis from WTTC and ForwardKeys, the leading travel data and analytics company, international arrivals in France for the first half of 2024 are at 93% of the same period in 2019, with France cementing its position as the world’s most popular destination. Olivier Ponti, Vice President Insights at ForwardKeys, added: “With flight bookings on the rise and air carriers set to introduce a record number of seats, France enters 2024 in a strong position. “Capitalising on the successful hosting of the Rugby World Cup 2023 and on the growing exposure provided by the upcoming Olympic Games, the country is set to be one of most thought-after destinations this year for both regional and long-haul markets.”

Sharing insights on why India holds the key to Oman’s tourism success, Arjun Chadha, Country Manager-India, Oman Tourism, says that Indian tourists visiting Oman have surpassed the remarkable milestone of half a million, and the count continues to rise. As of November 2023, the official figures reveal a staggering 5,42,397 Indian arrivals, setting an unprecedented record as the highest to date.

India became the first international market to hit pre-covid levels for Australia says, Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager- India & Gulf, Tourism Australia. He adds, “Arrivals from India for year-ended Sept 2023 were 386,000, which were at par with 2019 levels. Total trip spend by Indian tourists for the year ended June 2023 was A$ 2.2 bn, approx. Rs 12,000 crore, which was 24% higher than pre-Covid.”

Concluding a tenure of 7.5 years as Regional Director (IMESA) at Singapore Tourism, GB Srithar, stated, “This year has been an interesting year for us. The arrival of Indian visitors has been steadily increasing post-COVID, month by month. As of November 2023, we have recorded 977,500 visitors and we anticipate surpassing 1 million by the year end.” He passes on the baton to Markus Tan from January 1, 2024.

Misha Gambetta, Director India for Switzerland Tourism, speaks about the India market and says that there are clear signs of a market that is not only recovering strongly after the pandemic, but with new trends. “There are now more individual travellers interested in staying longer in Switzerland, discovering new destinations and hotels, for a more active and quality holiday. The Indian market is strong, in buzz and oriented towards young, quality tourism,” he says. Switzerland Travel Experience India has just concluded where 23 Swiss partners had the opportunity to meet more than 450 Indian buyers during a week-long marathon in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

Key representatives from Tourism & Events Queensland along with Department of Tourism, Innovation & Sport, are in India this week to meet with aviation and trade partners. India is its fifth largest international tourism market and Queensland predicts that by 2032, India will contribute $408 million in international overnight visitor expenditure to the Australian state. The mission began in Mumbai and has so far included industry panels, roundtable discussions, a market update and industry networking events. Tomorrow the mission continues in New Delhi.

VFS Global, along with the Embassy of the Republic of South Korea, organised the India-Korea Harmony Cup Golf Tournament at the prestigious Delhi Golf Club to celebrate the 50-year milestone in diplomatic relations between India and South Korea. An impressive lineup of diplomats, prominent Indian and South Korean businesspeople, and key officials attended the event. The chief guest for the occasion was Shri Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and former CEO of Niti Ayog and he was joined by His Excellency Chang Jae-bok, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea to India Amitabh Kant actively participated in a round of golf, adding to the excitement of the event. His Excellency Chang Jae-bok presented prizes to the accomplished winners, rounding off the celebration of the enduring diplomatic ties between the two nations. Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, VFS Global, said, “India and South Korea are strategic partners, and it extends across businesses. VFS Global has been partners with the Embassy of the Republic of South Korea in New Delhi for the past ten years, offering visa services. We have recently opened Visa Application Centres in Chennai and Bengaluru and are committed to cementing it further. As a testament to our enduring partnership, we organised a golf tournament, symbolising the strength and longevity of the diplomatic ties between our two nations.” The India-Korea Harmony Cup Golf tournament was a fitting tribute to the strong and longstanding diplomatic ties between India and South Korea. This event marks an important milestone in the continued partnership and collaboration between the two nations.

Destinations looking to harness the full potential of the growing Indian market could consider tailoring their value propositions in alignment with one or more of the 5 key points that influence where travellers choose to go, as per the latest McKinsey report on India market. They must determine factors such as the attractiveness of the destination, visas, connectivity, affordability, and the overall travel experience.

Speaking at ITM 2023 in Shillong, Conrad K Sangma, CM of Meghalaya, stated, “The kind of economic growth that we’re witnessing in the northeast is unprecedented. There is a strong and special focus to ensure that the northeastern states progress in unison with the rest of the country and to ensure economic development reaches this region. In a small state like ours, with a population of 3.8 million people, roughly about 80,000 youths join the workforce every year. Therefore, the government must strategise to create job opportunities for these youths. These numbers will continue to increase in the future. Hence, all governments in the northeast and across the country face a tremendous challenge in generating job opportunities for our young population. Tourism is one sector that can create these opportunities for our youth. Therefore, as a state government, tourism has been one of the main pillars of our economic policies and programs.”

After Sri Lanka and Thailand, Vietnam may be the next destination to allow entry of Indian travellers without the need for a visa. Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism, Nguyen Van Hung has called for short-term visa waivers for major markets like India to drive tourism recovery. In the first ten months of this year, Vietnam received nearly 10 million international visitors, marking a 4.6-fold rise compared to the corresponding period in 2022 and surpassing the targeted goal for 2023.