Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Manoharan Periasamy, who previously held the position of India Director at Tourism Malaysia, has assumed the role of Director General at the tourism promotion agency, commencing today. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Senior Director for International Promotion (Asia & Africa) at Tourism Malaysia. Notably, he is the first individual of Malaysian-Indian descent to be appointed as the Director General for Tourism Malaysia. With a distinguished career, he has completed three consecutive terms as the Director of Tourism Malaysia for India. His contributions include pioneering the establishment of the inaugural NTO office in Mumbai back in 2001.

In a significant development for AlUla’s travel landscape, three major airlines Gulf Air, Royal Jordanian, and Saudia have announced new flight options, providing enhanced connectivity and accessibility to the luxury boutique heritage destination. Unlocking access for travellers seeking a unique blend of history, culture, and adventure, Gulf Air, the national carrier for the Kingdom of Bahrain, is expanding its footprint in Saudi Arabia with direct flights to AlUla. Starting 3rd February, Gulf Air will operate twice-weekly flights between Bahrain and AlUla. These seasonal flights will continue till 6th March and resume from 10th to 27th April. Royal Jordanian Airlines is set to launch direct flights between Amman to AlUla, with the inaugural flight scheduled for 16th February. Operating twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, this service will be available until 22nd December. Saudia has made AlUla even more accessible to Europe, with the relaunch of its seasonal flights from Paris. The first seasonal flight took off on 28th January, and the service will continue until 28th April. Flights will operate once a week, every Sunday, offering a convenient and direct link between the enchanting city of Paris and the historical wonders of the Saudi destination. Rami AlMoallim, Vice President of Destination Management and Marketing at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) said: “The introduction of new flight options connecting AlUla to Bahrain, Amman, and Paris comes as we experience a period of exciting growth and witness demand from global travellers wanting to visit this historic location. These new flight routes not only enhance the connectivity but also opening a gateway for travellers worldwide to experience the captivating charm of AlUla. We believe these new routes will play a pivotal …

Thailand is expecting around 2 million Indians in 2024 with a new marketing strategy focusing on PASS. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, TAT Governor, shares, “This includes Partnerships, Accelerating digitally, Subculture movement & Sustainability. New segments in focus include senior citizens and women travellers.”

Highlighting India’s potential, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – ME, India and Southeast Asia, South African Tourism, says that post Covid, she is seeing India’s outbound tourism market bounce back much stronger compared to rest of the world. “Given the immense potential that lies in the Indian market, it continues to remain among our top three focus markets for 2024 and holds a position of strategic importance,” she said.

New York City Tourism + Conventions led a delegation of six tourism partners along with Turkish Airlines (they were the part during the Mumbai events) and has concluded its annual sales mission in India, held from January 29th to February 3rd in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. Throughout the mission, New York City Tourism + Conventions and the partners participated in a series of events, appointments, and meetings, aimed at re-engaging the travel trade across the market. The initiative successfully strengthened ties with the Indian travel industry, positioning New York City as a premier travel destination. As part of this mission, representatives the NYC Tourism delegation engaged with key stakeholders and travel agencies in three feeder cities – including Ahmedabad (first time post pandemic) – across India and showcased the diverse offerings that New York City has for Indian travelers. “We were pleased to be back in India, a rapidly growing feeder market for New York City tourism, for our annual sales mission, said Makiko Matsuda Healy, Senior Vice President, Tourism Market Development for New York City Tourism + Conventions. “Recently, we introduced the Travel Trade Academy program, thoughtfully enriched with Hindi subtitles to ensure that the Indian travel trade can fully engage with the five-borough destination. By incorporating Hindi subtitles, we aim to empower the trade to adeptly respond to evolving consumer demands, providing a diverse and personalized array of NYC experiences that resonate with the preferences of the Indian audience.” New York City Tourism + Conventions partners participating in the mission include: Empire State Building, Trump International Hotel & Tower NY, Hudson Yards, Millennium Hotels, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, and Madame Tussauds. In Mumbai New York City Tourism + …

In a bid to boost number of incentives coming from India, Business Events Sydney has announced new funding available for travel agents and meeting planners in India. Kristian Nicholls, Executive GM, Client Engagement, BESydney, shared that applications to the Sydney Meetings Fund (SMF) are open for a limited time and can be used to cover/offset an event’s on-the-ground expenses in Sydney. This funding is designed for 100–250-person group and is accessible through BESydney’s website.

“This year we are forecasting India to be a £924 million market which would be approximately a billion-pound market from India! We are also predicting 695,000 visitors from India which is back to pre-covid levels. India has recovered and there is real excitement about the market. We also see an increase in spend per visitor – people are spending 30%-40% more than they were pre-covid,” VisitBritain CEO, Patricia Yates says.

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.”