Tag Archives: Director-India

Amit Ray, Director India, DACH markets & Italy and Head of Global Corporate and Strategic Sales at LOT Polish Airlines, has said that LOT Polish Airlines and India are a good fit. “Our engagement in India has been fruitful and we strongly believed in the Indian market from the beginning,” he said.

Switzerland Tourism, in an effort to catalyse tourism development across India, has introduced several new attractions, experiences and activities for both popular and lesser known destinations in Switzerland. The recently conducted annual roadshow in India across cities of Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Delhi witnessed over 900 participants from the travel and tourism trade industry. A special B2B session was held in each city allowing the Indian travel agents to meet and discusses business prospects with the Swiss delegations. Claudio Zemp, Director – India, Switzerland Tourism, said, “This year has been a remarkable year for Switzerland Tourism with Ranveer Singh coming on board and promoting the destination with his charm, unmatched energy and fun personality which thoroughly matches the image Switzerland Tourism wanted to portray. In terms of growth from India, we had a fantastic year with a year to date growth of 25.1 per cent more overnights. We are thankful to our partners for their continued support and we hope that we welcome more tourists for the upcoming season.” Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director, Switzerland Tourism, India, says, “In the past few years, Switzerland tourism has upped the ante to attract more tourists from India. Apart from the key metros, we are also penetrating into Tier I & II cities by conducting training sessions in these markets to ensure that the travel trade is well equipped to answer queries relating to our offerings.” ­­­­­­

In a bid to boost the tourism yields from India market and to expand its business, the Reunion Island Tourism Board has come up with their first-ever ‘Cash Incentive Program’ for the Indian travel agents and tour operators. Under this new scheme which is conceptualised in partnership with Representation World, the India representative of the Reunion Island Tourism Board, the agents will have to commit as well as deliver min 10 numbers of visitors from India market and upon successful completion of commitment, they are entitled to get the cash bonus which can go up to more than EUR 32,000*. This “Cash Incentive Program” is only valid post signing the official agreement with Reunion Island Tourism Board. The scheme is performance-linked and is valid with both Air Austral and Air Mauritius (flights operating from India to Reunion Island). Under the scheme, one travel agent can earn upto EUR 32,000 for 1751-2,000 pax (selling reunion Island as a standalone destination) and up to EUR 20100 for 1751-2,000 pax (in combination with any other destination) in one year. This scheme is valid from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018. “India market is an important market for Reunion Island and recently we have registered a growth of 175% from this market, which are an encouraging numbers for us. We are thrilled to announce this special scheme for India as it will undoubtedly help us to strengthen our position as a preferred holiday destination for Indian travellers through our trusted travel agents’ network in India,” said William Techer – Head of Promotion & Marketing India and Indian Ocean, Reunion Island Tourism Board. Vineet Gopal, Director India, Reunion Island Tourism Board, shared, “I welcome this …

Reunion Island has registered a growth of 175.5 per cent from the Indian market in the first quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period last year, according to official statistics shared by Airport Roland Garros, Reunion Island. India also tops the list of top 10 countries in terms of visitor arrivals during this period to the destination. “We have experienced the zeal of Indian travellers to explore new destinations which have unique offerings and have diversity of climate, nature, food, tourism products, like Reunion Island. I am very happy with these encouraging numbers and this wouldn’t be possible without the concentrated marketing efforts of our India’s Representative – Representation World,” said William Techer, Head of Promotion & Marketing India and Indian Ocean, Reunion Island Tourism Board. According to Vineet Gopal, Director-India, Reunion Island Tourism Board, “This figure didn’t come as a surprise to me as I was confident about the destination Reunion Island’s tourism potential and unparalleled support we received from the Head Office in Reunion Island & Air Austral. Furthermore, simplified visa process and free visa for Indian nationals travelling to Reunion Island for 14 days has really helped us to achieve this inspiring growth”. The tourism board has various marketing activities in the pipeline for the upcoming quarter to lure more Indian travellers to the destination.

The Indian market for Germany is growing strongly at 12.6 per cent till February 2017. India is on track to reach one million overnights by 2020, revealed Romit Theophilus, Director-India, German National Tourist Office (GNTO), on the sidelines of the 43rd Germany Travel Mart (GTM) being held from May 7-9, 2017, in Nuremberg, Bavaria. Speaking at the opening ceremony of GTM 2017, Petra Hedorfer, CEO, German National Tourism Board, said, “A lot has happened all over the world not all of it good. We in Germany stand for openness and tolerance. We welcome people from all nations with great respect from the bottom of our heart.” Emphasising how tourism can build bridges between people and nation’s, she adds, “Let us do everything to ensure that we continue to bring together cultures, people, nation’s from all over the world, wherever it is in Germany.” The event is hosted by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in cooperation with Bavaria Tourism-the official marketing agency and the Nuremberg Convention and Tourist Office. The mart is a high-calibre forum at which German providers can meet key buyers from the international travel industry.

Tourist arrival figures from India into South West Germany has shown an increase of 29.9 per cent increase for the period January-February 2017 versus the same period last year. Revealing this is Hector Dsouza, Director-India, South West German Tourism, says, “As compared to 2,784 Indian visitors for the period of January-February 2016, the state of Baden Wuerttemberg received 3,645 visitors from India in January-February 2017, representing a 29.9 per cent increase for the year 2017. This percentage increase is the highest as compared to tourists from other countries visiting South West Germany. India is now the fastest growing country in percentage terms, symbolising the tremendous potential India, as an outbound market holds for South West Germany.” Indian visitors continue to hold the record of the highest number of overnights per visit which is 5.2 days, as compared to the average of 2.3 days per visit in Europe. India now ranks 15th in terms of total overnight visits. The most favored destination for Indian visitors is the Stuttgart region, Black Forest and Heidelberg.

Germany recorded 748,737 Indian visitor overnights in 2016 corresponding to a growth of 8.1 per cent over 2015. Buoyed by this steady growth, the destination is expecting to see a 3-5 per cent growth in Indian visitor overnights in 2017, informed Romit Theophilus, Director-India, German National Tourist Office (GNTO), India. Sharing some details, Theophilus said, “The average spending per trip abroad by Indian travellers in Europe is approximately €1,852 while in Germany alone travellers spend approximately €2.375. Also, 53 per cent of Indian visitors preferred to stay in first class hotels. A whopping 48 per cent of Indian travellers are newcomers, 46 per cent are repeat visitors while 5 per cent are regulars to Germany.” The destination’s vision for 20130 is to attract 2 million visitor overnights from India. On the trade front, Theophilus informs that the destination is all set to roll out its online training module in 2017 aimed to educate and update the travel trade on the latest offerings in Germany. This will be coupled with regular online webinars for operators in Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Continuing its destination promotions through theme based marketing, Germany is promoting ‘Palaces, Parks and Gardens’ in India while it will focus on ‘Luther 2017-500 years since the Reformation’, as its global marketing theme. In addition to this core theme GNTO will also be promoting its theme parks, smart luxury, barrier free travel and active holidays in Germany.

Switzerland Tourism has named actor Ranveer Singh as the first Indian ambassador for Switzerland Tourism. Claudio Zemp, Director – India, Switzerland Tourism said, “Being a versatile energetic and adventurous personality, Ranveer explored and enjoyed all that Switzerland has to offer. His passion and excitement for the country is what compelled us to request him if he would take on the mantle of Brand Ambassador to which he enthusiastically agreed. Switzerland has always made for a picturesque and mesmerising holiday experience with its terrific natural beauty. With Ranveer on board we would like to showcase the multifaceted holiday experience that is Switzerland.” The actor indulged in a variety of experiences on his recent trip to Switzerland and will now be in charge of promoting Switzerland Tourism’s campaign for 2017 – Nature wants you back! Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director, Switzerland Tourism India, said, “Switzerland is a perfect place for a complete holiday experience that will leave you spellbound for days. Tourists look for a blend of sightseeing, relaxation and adventure together with easily available accommodation and good food and welcoming hosts.  And that is exactly what Switzerland offers with its, snow covered mountains, crystal clear lakes, various nature excursions, it’s superb public transport system, it’s boutique cities and culinary indulgences. This is already well known to the Indian tourist but what Ranveer discovered is the other more active side of Switzerland with its many heart thumping experiences like sky diving, heli-skiing, kitesurfing, river rafting, canyoning etc.”

Indian travellers continue to hold the record for highest number of overnights per stay at 5.3 days in SouthWest Germany, during January to May 2016. The number of arrivals from India increased during January-May 2016 to 13,126 travellers. Hector Dsouza, Director-India, SouthWest German Tourism, says, “India is miles ahead. It still has the highest number of overnights per visit, and currently its 5.3 days per visit. The international average for SouthWest Germany is 2.3 days. For the period ended October 2015, we recorded 162,843 overnights from India. We are now expecting 40,000 Indian visitors in 2016 doing 2,50,000 overnights, an increase of 25 per cent from 2015.” The total number of SouthWest German destination specialists across India now stands at 520.