Category Archives: NTO (National Tourist Offices)

Concluding a tenure of 7.5 years as Regional Director (IMESA) at Singapore Tourism, GB Srithar, stated, “This year has been an interesting year for us. The arrival of Indian visitors has been steadily increasing post-COVID, month by month. As of November 2023, we have recorded 977,500 visitors and we anticipate surpassing 1 million by the year end.” He passes on the baton to Markus Tan from January 1, 2024.

Misha Gambetta, Director India for Switzerland Tourism, speaks about the India market and says that there are clear signs of a market that is not only recovering strongly after the pandemic, but with new trends. “There are now more individual travellers interested in staying longer in Switzerland, discovering new destinations and hotels, for a more active and quality holiday. The Indian market is strong, in buzz and oriented towards young, quality tourism,” he says. Switzerland Travel Experience India has just concluded where 23 Swiss partners had the opportunity to meet more than 450 Indian buyers during a week-long marathon in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

Key representatives from Tourism & Events Queensland along with Department of Tourism, Innovation & Sport, are in India this week to meet with aviation and trade partners. India is its fifth largest international tourism market and Queensland predicts that by 2032, India will contribute $408 million in international overnight visitor expenditure to the Australian state. The mission began in Mumbai and has so far included industry panels, roundtable discussions, a market update and industry networking events. Tomorrow the mission continues in New Delhi.

VFS Global, along with the Embassy of the Republic of South Korea, organised the India-Korea Harmony Cup Golf Tournament at the prestigious Delhi Golf Club to celebrate the 50-year milestone in diplomatic relations between India and South Korea. An impressive lineup of diplomats, prominent Indian and South Korean businesspeople, and key officials attended the event. The chief guest for the occasion was Shri Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and former CEO of Niti Ayog and he was joined by His Excellency Chang Jae-bok, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea to India Amitabh Kant actively participated in a round of golf, adding to the excitement of the event. His Excellency Chang Jae-bok presented prizes to the accomplished winners, rounding off the celebration of the enduring diplomatic ties between the two nations. Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, VFS Global, said, “India and South Korea are strategic partners, and it extends across businesses. VFS Global has been partners with the Embassy of the Republic of South Korea in New Delhi for the past ten years, offering visa services. We have recently opened Visa Application Centres in Chennai and Bengaluru and are committed to cementing it further. As a testament to our enduring partnership, we organised a golf tournament, symbolising the strength and longevity of the diplomatic ties between our two nations.” The India-Korea Harmony Cup Golf tournament was a fitting tribute to the strong and longstanding diplomatic ties between India and South Korea. This event marks an important milestone in the continued partnership and collaboration between the two nations.

Destinations looking to harness the full potential of the growing Indian market could consider tailoring their value propositions in alignment with one or more of the 5 key points that influence where travellers choose to go, as per the latest McKinsey report on India market. They must determine factors such as the attractiveness of the destination, visas, connectivity, affordability, and the overall travel experience.

Speaking at ITM 2023 in Shillong, Conrad K Sangma, CM of Meghalaya, stated, “The kind of economic growth that we’re witnessing in the northeast is unprecedented. There is a strong and special focus to ensure that the northeastern states progress in unison with the rest of the country and to ensure economic development reaches this region. In a small state like ours, with a population of 3.8 million people, roughly about 80,000 youths join the workforce every year. Therefore, the government must strategise to create job opportunities for these youths. These numbers will continue to increase in the future. Hence, all governments in the northeast and across the country face a tremendous challenge in generating job opportunities for our young population. Tourism is one sector that can create these opportunities for our youth. Therefore, as a state government, tourism has been one of the main pillars of our economic policies and programs.”

After Sri Lanka and Thailand, Vietnam may be the next destination to allow entry of Indian travellers without the need for a visa. Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism, Nguyen Van Hung has called for short-term visa waivers for major markets like India to drive tourism recovery. In the first ten months of this year, Vietnam received nearly 10 million international visitors, marking a 4.6-fold rise compared to the corresponding period in 2022 and surpassing the targeted goal for 2023.

Business Events Australia’s signature incentive showcase, Dreamtime, kicked off in Adelaide, which saw around 10 Indian  business events planners in attendance. This is the first Dreamtime to be held since 2019. Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director, Tourism Australia, said, “Over the next two days 80 international buyers will meet with almost 90 Australian industry sellers at the Adelaide Convention Centre and events across the city, and we hope the relationships formed will drive real business outcomes for the industry right around Australia.”

The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved a proposal to grant free visas to travellers from seven countries – India, China, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia – with immediate effect as part of a pilot project till 31 March. Tourists from these countries are now entitled to free visa.  

Booking.com has released its first ‘How India Travels’ report which provides insights into the evolving nature of Indian travellers. The report reveals an intriguing trait of Indian travellers – with an average window of just 29 days, they showcase remarkable spontaneity in their trip planning followed by Japan (57 days) and USA (63 days). It adds that food is now a priority and there is a surge in demand for alternative accommodation options. The 2020s: A Decade Owned by Indian Travellers, Ready to Explore Again Pre COVID-19, Indian travellers spent a total of USD 150 billion on travel marking India as the sixth largest global spender. With a strong economy, a growing middle class and travel-loving youth driving more tourism revenue in India than ever before, it is anticipated that by 2030, total expenditure made by Indian travellers will soar to an impressive USD 410 billion making India the fourth largest global spender and registering the quickest COVID recovery globally across key regions. Due to prolonged travel restrictions, especially in China, Japan and South-East Asia, tourism in Asia remained muted through 2022. India led the way on tourism expenditure recovery in 2022 by reaching 78% of 2019 levels, vis-à-vis 52% for Asia. The number of aggregate trips is expected to increase from 2.3 billion in 2019 to a staggering 5 billion in 2030.