India woos tourists from ME

The e-Tourist Visa regime and lure of the year-round destination will propel the numbers from Middle East, say India Tourism officials at ATM 2017

Travel marts have been key in promotion of any destination and India has been a regular participant at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) since its inception 24 years ago. This year, the Incredible India delegation comprising 24 participants was led by H.E. Vipul, Consul General of India Dubai and Gyan Bhushan, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, who also inaugurated the Indian pavilion. The pavilion brought the spotlight on the ancient art of yoga which was demonstrated by a yoga practitioner in real time.

Commenting on India’s participation at ATM 2017, Vipul stated, “A total of 24 participants from India are here at ATM, including government agencies like IRCTC, ITDC, as well as a number of private tour operators. Two state governments Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala have put up stalls while officials from Madhya Pradesh are also participating. There has been a consistent and positive growth of tourists from this region to India over the last three years with 2016 having registered an overall growth of around 17 per cent over the previous year.” He elaborated that the simplification of e-Visa will encourage more tourists to travel to India and will be instrumental in driving the growth to greater heights.

Highlighting the country’s developments in the travel and tourism world, Bhushan said, “India registered a growth of 10.6 per cent in 2016, which is higher than the global average of about 4.3 per cent. Tourists can visit India whenever they like as it is an all-year-round destination. We have also climbed up 12 spots, from 52 to 40 this year in World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Global Competitiveness report which goes to show the development that is currently taking place.”

Bhushan also threw light on the world-class and economical medical facilities available in the country which range from state-of-the-art hospitals with latest technology; highly skilled Indian physicians and surgeons; cost effective treatment; quality of care and nursing; less waiting time for availing of medical services; traditional healthcare therapies like Ayurveda and yoga combined with allopathic treatment providing a holistic wellness destination.