TravTalk India Online Magazine
TT BUREAU
Eckard Kremer, Asia Head, Munich Tourist Board
The year 2017 has been really good for Munich as far as the Indian arrival figures are concerned. The highlight of the year was Munich’s participation in various travel trade shows with the Jewels of Romantic Europe. Besides, Munich was earlier considered as a gateway destination for Eastern Europe but now with its increasing popularity, it is also being looked at as one of the upcoming MICE destinations in Europe.
SanJeet, Tourism Attaché, Philippines Tourism Marketing Office India
The year 2017 was excellent for the Department of Tourism of Philippines in India, with a remarkable and consistent growth of 22 per cent over the previous year. The Department of Tourism is targeting to close the year with 100,000 arrivals from India. PHILINDEX 2017, a multi-city roadshow conducted in four cities; trade/wedding planners familiarisation trips and multiple participation across roadshows like GPS, Travel Shows, etc. are some of the highlights of the destination.
Romit Theophilus, Director—Sales and Marketing (India), German National Tourist Office
In 2017, we recorded 8-10 per cent growth in Indian overnights to Germany. Till September 2017, Germany recorded 638,000 Indian overnights. There was an increase in MICE and group travel to the destination with cities like Berlin, Stuttgart, Cologne and Munich recording a significant growth. We have also launched our German Expert programme which will offer the travel agents an insight into the destination and what to sell from Germany.
Sunil Mathapati, Country Manager – India, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority
The year 2017 was the best year for us so far as we were fortunate to have one of the big fat weddings from India in Bahrain. This wedding has opened up a possibility of Bahrain being the next wedding destination for the coming years. In fact, this year, we managed to attract Indian passengers for ring ceremonies, birthday celebrations and small MICE moments which has put Bahrain on the bucket list of every planner and tour operator
Kirsten Spence, Senior Manager- Emerging Markets, VisitScotland
The year 2017 was all about growth for Scotland from the Indian market. We recorded an average growth of 37 per cent growth over three years in trips taken to the destination by Indian travellers. 2017 alone saw about 8 per cent YOY growth. VFR segment has been very strong in Scotland but we have registered a significant growth in the leisure market as well.
Steven Dixon, Regional Manager, South and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand
The year 2017 has been remarkable for Tourism New Zealand in the Indian market. Indian arrivals are growing and for the year-ending October 2017, total arrivals from India were up 17.5 per cent (58,704 arrivals), while holiday arrivals are up by 6.5 per cent (27,184). This year also saw an evolution in the messaging of our campaign to highlight New Zealand’s experiences. We also announced our partnership with Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand for Indians.
Shelly Chandhok, Country Manager, VITO Mumbai
2017 has been very productive for us. We have witnessed a growth of 44 per cent month on month so far. To promote Indonesia as an attractive tourism destination in India, our marketing strategy will be to be more visible to the consumers through consumer promotion campaigns, food festivals, and tactical promotion. We plan to organise more Fam trips for media, tour operators, and wedding planners to showcase diverse offerings of the destination.
Zubin Karkaria, Global CEO, VFS
Today, VFS manages 57 governments across 129 countries of the world and we do around 25 million visa applicants every year. Hence, we have become a very important catalyst in terms of travel and tourism. The year 2017 turned out to be a very good year for us, and we have always seen growth in double digits. There have been a lot of activities and we offer many services like the premium lounge, mobile to mobile service, home to home service, express and premium service as well.
