Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority will conduct a five-city roadshow in India from February 27 to March 4, 2017,  covering Chandigarh, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. The roadshow will enable Indian trade partners in each city to interact with Mauritian delegation comprising airlines, resorts, attractions, DMCs, among others. Vivek Anand, Country Manager, MTPA India, said “We are conducting this Roadshow so that the Indian tour operators, MICE companies and wedding planners learn more about the destination and have an opportunity to meet and explore ways to collaborate with the Mauritian suppliers”.

Austria recorded a total of 147,300 arrivals from India in 2016 which amounts to 25 per cent increase over 2015 and 271,100 overnights registering a 25 per cent increase over 2015. “According to our statistics, which assesses 55 countries across the globe, India was identified as the highest growing market for Austria. Also, Indian outbound market is expected to grow at 8.2 per cent and by 2021, 21.5 million Indians are expected to travel abroad. It is interesting to note that 44 per cent of Indians stayed in 4-star hotels and 19 per cent stayed in 5-star properties,” informed Christine Mukharji, Marketing Manager, Austrian National Tourism Office. Austria Tourism Board conducted its annual roadshow in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. Vienna, the capital city received a record 53,522 Indian arrivals corresponding to 32.6 per cent growth as compared to 2015. A total number of 111,531 bed nights were recorded, which is an increase of 28.9 per cent. “We are expecting an increase of nearly 20-30 per cent from India in 2017. India climbed to the 29th position from 42nd last year in terms of source markets in 2016 and we hope to see India in our top 10 source markets soon,” said Isabella Rauter, Team Manager-Media Management, Vienna Tourist Board. The city of Innsbruck recorded 51,000 Indian overnights in 2016 corresponding to a 5 per cent growth over 2015. “With an increase in number of Indian arrivals to Innsbruck, we are now the second most popular destination in Austria after Vienna for Indian visitors. We have some very exciting projects with Bollywood coming up in Innsbruck. The Yash Raj Film-Tiger Zinda Hai, featuring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will be shot in …

Tourism Australia and Singapore Airlines have joined hands with the Australian States of Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Northern Territory, to offer Indian travel enthusiasts subsidised airfares to Australia. The offer features an all-inclusive return economy fare from India starting at Rs. 60,000, with an additional S$20 Changi shopping voucher redeemable during transit, and an A$30 voucher redeemable at Brisbane airport for the first 150 passengers to fly into the city. Aimed at driving visitation to Australia, the campaign will be promoted across television, print and digital platforms. The tactical offer will be live until 15 March 2017 for travel between March 1, 2017 and February 15, 2018, subject to applicable terms and conditions. Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia said “We at Tourism Australia have always perceived air connectivity as one of the strongest pillars for tourism growth, and this has led us to continually focus on our relationship with our airline partners. Singapore Airlines, one of our strongest long standing airline partners, with a significant market share, is indeed a strong partner to promote Australia as a preferred holiday destination, and the campaign devised with them successfully showcases Australia’s myriad of tourism offerings as well as Singapore Airline’s extensive flight network. This initiative is sure to entice Indian travellers to book their next trip Down Under.” Singapore Airlines connects India to key Australian gateways such as Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The campaign also involves a tie up with SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines (SQ), which provides connectivity to Cairns and Darwin. Australia has witnessed a continued growth trajectory in tourist arrivals from India. For the year ended (YE) November 2016 …

The Indian market has reportedly shown good numbers for South Africa during 2016 as it closed the year on a successful note with a 27 per cent growth in arrivals that clocked at 81,429 by the end of the third quarter. Overall spends from India crossed ZAR 1,100,000,000 by the end of the third quarter and average spend per leisure traveller was placed at Rs 590,000 indicating that South Africa attracts a variety of pocket-sizes. Market intelligence delivered by trade partners tells the tourism board that the destination sells to travellers with an Rs 1.5 lakh budget as effectively as it appeals to travellers with Rs 10.5 lakh budget. Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism– India, said, “We want to sustain this growth and also attract return travellers. Going forward, we are going to focus on increasing the geographical scope of the market – our biggest sources are Mumbai and Delhi, followed by Bangalore and Chennai. The average number of nights spent by Indian tourists in South Africa is now at 11 days for holidays and 19 days for business travellers. I reckon that they’re taking some time off to explore South Africa after the conclusion of their work in SA.  VFR is at 21 days average stay.” The global campaign for 2017 will be rolled out in India through joint marketing campaigns with travel agents, a brand-new Facebook page (Visit South Africa India), television and outdoor advertising campaigns. The Facebook page and all other campaigns will be tailored for India. Travel agents will also undergo destination training and all the aspects that make South Africa amazing through a 17-city Learn SA programme slated for mid-2017.

South African Tourism showcased its new global campaign ‘Wow in every moment’ for the Indian market at their annual roadshow in Delhi. The 4-city roadshow has on offer 65 products and around 120 delegates to discuss business opportunities with the travel trade in India. South Africa recorded 27 per cent growth, with 81,429 arrivals from India by the end of third quarter.  Elaborating on the new campaign, Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism – India, said, “We want to sustain this growth and also attract return travellers. We are also promoting smaller cities, which have got as many activities, allowing travellers to enjoy the experience, rather than wasting time in commuting.”  

South Korea recorded an increase of 27.3 per cent in Indian arrivals in 2016 as compared to 2015. A total of 195,579 Indians travelled to South Korea last year. According to Byungsun Lee, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, “South Korea will be more accessible to the Indian traveller now. With the positive growth trend, our focus this year will be to promote affordable packages from Delhi and Mumbai with our partners. We shall also seek association with neighbouring tourism boards to jointly promote both destinations and create a win-win situation.” The constant efforts made by the Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office on educating the travel trade partners to promote the destination and proactive business approach from the Destination Management Companies (DMC) have been the key factors in the result. Connecting with the end traveller through tactical media platforms and increase in the airline connectivity from Delhi will play as game changer this year.

Japan crossed the 100,000 mark in Indian arrivals in 2016 and witnessed a total of 123,000 Indian visitors, informed Masahiko Sakamoto, Senior Director, Tourism Division, Bureau of Industrial and Labour Affairs at Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s first promotional activity on January 30 in New Delhi called Tokyo Wonderland. He said, “We are focusing on improving the arrival numbers from India through such promotional activities to showcase the culture and tourism products of Tokyo. 2020 is the year we host the Paralympic Games and are expecting a large inflow of tourists too.” He informed that places like Ginza and Shibuya are undergoing an infrastructure transformation and are some of the things to look forward to, apart from the cuisine, shopping, numerous nature parks and theme parks. The event showcased the city and its different attractions under five themes ‘Unique Culture’, ‘Excellent Dining’, ‘Exciting Shopping’, ‘Delightful Stay’ and ‘Comfortable Nature’ and also organised a Japanese tea ceremony for the attendees to experience.

The Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines will be conducting training sessions in Ahmedabad and Delhi this February, in conjunction with the DOT’s participation in OTM 2017 in Mumbai. The training sessions will be conducted by top suppliers from the Philippines in Ahmedabad on February 24 at Hyatt Ahmedabad and on February 27 in Delhi at The Lalit New Delhi. The objective of the workshop is to educate, interact and establish commercial ties with Indian trade in these cities. Representatives from DOT Philippines along with a 14 -member delegation will interact with over 400 key travel agents and tour operators, MICE and up-market leisure operators. SanJeet, Tourism Attaché, Philippines Tourism, said, “India being an important source market for Philippines tourism, such training sessions ( our first of 2017) will provide an excellent platform to showcase the destination’s products and services. The Indian travellers’ palate has become experimental and therefore, through our numerous trade initiatives, we envisage the influencers of the Indian travel market to sell the destination more effectively to the end consumers.” The programme for the workshop will include presentations by officials of DOT Philippines, DMCs and hotels from the Philippines in addition to Q&A, detailed networking sessions, entertainment by Filipino artists and a special lucky draw for the participants.

Tourism Australia has yet again witnessed noteworthy growth statistics from Maharashtra, retaining the State’s position as a key tourism source market in India. As of year ended (YE) September 2016, Maharashtra has recorded an increase of 25 per cent in tourist arrivals, and a remarkable increase of 18 per cent in spend. The state witnessed 53,800 visitors to Australia, contributing A$232 mn (Rs. 1,160 crores) to the Australian economy, with an average spend of Rs 2.15 lacs per person. Total arrivals from India for the year ended November 2016 were recorded at 256,400, an increase of 11.5 per cent relative to the same period the previous year, making India the 9th largest inbound market for Australia. Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, said, “We are extremely delighted that all our focused consumer and distribution initiatives in Maharashtra have paid off, resulting in a stupendous increase in arrivals and spend from the state. Going forward, we are positive that our extensive analysis of the market, in tandem with our key distribution partners and airlines, will provide us with the requisite insights to modify and transform our approach to cater to the requirements of travellers from Maharashtra. We will continue to reach out to our audience through a mix of traditional and evolving communication platforms. Maharashtra has undoubtedly been our fastest growing market and we will put in our best efforts to keep up the momentum and further drive visitation to Australia.” Tourism Australia has undertaken several focused activities in Maharashtra. One such successful association was that with Veena World. As part of the collaboration, eminent Marathi television and film stars who travelled to Australia for MAAI (Marathi Achievers …

Seychelles continued to impress Indian tourists, recording a 42 per cent annual increase in tourist arrivals from India in 2016 compared to 2015. Around 11,000 tourists from India visited Seychelles in 2016 compared to around 8,000 in 2015 and as a result India broke into the list of top 10 source markets for the tourism board. This increase can be attributed to the India tourist office’s committed focus on promotion of the destination, interest and efforts from the hotels and DMCs to capture the Indian market, increased customer awareness due to Bollywood associations and innovative digital presence along with an increase in Air Seychelles daily flights from four to five times a week. Sherin Francis, CEO, Seychelles Tourism Board said, “We are thrilled with the interest created in the market about Seychelles that made it possible for the momentum of success to continue. We have seen a phenomenal increase in arrivals since we opened office three years ago. The increase in arrivals from India was 42 per cent making Seychelles one of the top choices for a holiday. This would not have been possible without the constant support of Air Seychelles, the DMCs and the hotels who walk with us hand in hand in going the extra mile to ensure year on year success. It is this passion due to which we have been able to position Seychelles as a destination which is meant for all- families, couples, small groups, celebrations and MICE.”