Tag Archives: promoting

Visa-Waiver: Sparks Excitement, Indian Outbound Travel Set to Surge

The outbound travel segment has received a significant boost, with the island nation of Sri Lanka, and the South East Asian neighbours of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia waiving off visa requirements for travellers from India.

The back to back announcements by each of these nations is a testament that economies heavily dependent on tourism are under pressure to outperform their peers, post Covid, and grab a larger share of the Indian outbound pie at a time when India has gained competitive advantage over China as a source market.

While the pandemic brought tourism to a complete halt, the post-Covid world saw soaring airfares, visa delays and cost of a travel package increase substantially. However, the Indian traveller has displayed resilience, and subsequently increased spend on niche and newer experiences, shopping and comfortable travel. In such a scenario, ease of travel, negating paper work or visa-free entry acts as a bonus move to improvement in travel.

According to Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), “We are already seeing an increased movement for Christmas and New Year holidays for these nations. This decision of visa-free entry to Indians will impact travel especially among last-minute bookers like the young travellers. Anything closer to home and free is an advantage when the destination is attractive, and offers all elements for a perfect holiday. Starting 2024, this will only accelerate movement from India to SE Asia. Since visa-waiver makes the tour easier on the pocket, this is beneficial for short-haul travel of minimum 3-4 night duration.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Riaz Munshi, President, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), said, “This is a positive development, and will benefit travel in the South East Asian region. Moreover, for a family of four, this brings down the overall cost of travel since entry is free, providing additional disposable income in the hands of the group for better spending during the trip. Moreover, destinations that are easier to access, and the visa process is smooth are preferred since a large portion of Indians are late-bookers.”

Munshi, however, is of the view, this is a short-term measure to fill the gap, and reach a certain demand-supply threshold. Within a few months, the visa requirement will be enforced again, he said.

 

Ajay Prakash, President, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), believes that a visa-waiver is set to see an exponential surge in outbound travel from India in the coming months, while the inbound vertical will lag behind. “A visa-free country is a great attraction, provided the airlines don’t jump on the bandwagon to increase fares.”

Prakash believes it’s crucial to prioritise the growth of the inbound segment as well. The industry can truly thrive only when both the inbound and outbound sectors grow in tandem. He said that the need of the hour is aggressive marketing, and ease of visa, even if it’s an e-visa, travel to India is a complex process. “With overseas tourism marketing offices shut down, the onus of promoting India as a favourable tourism destination lies with the missions abroad, and their efforts are clearly not enough. India needs to take a cue from its South East Asian neighbours to bring in more tourists to its shores.”

Mayal is of the view that the momentum of this development will spill over to 2024, and these destinations will gain advantage, giving a tough competition to their European counterparts.

With sentiments already upbeat about outbound movement from India in 2024, what will be interesting to watch out for is the re-emergence of established destinations as a choice of preference, over newer ones, among the Indian travellers.

Türkiye Promoting Responsible and Sustainable Tourism big way to Safeguard Its National Heritage

With its rich cultural and historical heritage, Türkiye has long been a top destination for travellers worldwide. To preserve and safeguard this invaluable heritage for generations, Türkiye is steadfast in its dedication to responsible and sustainable tourism practices. The country is determined to secure a prosperous and vibrant future for its cherished landmarks and traditions by nurturing a harmonious coexistence between tourism and heritage preservation.

To promote and showcase Türkiye’s unique heritage, the official tourism website, GoTurkiye, has recently launched dedicated sections highlighting the country’s cultural and historical wonders. These sections offer visitors valuable insights into the significance of the country’s historic sites and the measures being taken to preserve them.

Türkiye’s cultural and historical sites hold immense value, contributing significantly to the nation’s identity. Through responsible tourism initiatives, the country seeks to strike a balance between introducing travellers to these exceptional treasures and also safeguarding them for generations to come. Türkiye also offers diverse, sustainable experiences, including eco-friendly accommodations, cycling, and trekking, all aimed at fostering a deeper connection between the country’s heritage and the people who uphold it.

Aligned with these initiatives, Türkiye strongly emphasises promoting responsible practices that foster respect for historical sites, local customs, and traditions. Visitors are encouraged to be mindful of their environmental impact and actively engage in preservation efforts. Through collaborative efforts, Türkiye ensures that the country’s tourism growth goes hand in hand with preserving its rich cultural and historical heritage.

Preserving Türkiye’s heritage requires collective efforts and responsible choices from locals and visitors alike. Türkiye, therefore, urges travellers to be conscientious while visiting such locations and support the sustainability initiatives in place, to safeguard the country’s rich historical legacy.

UP set for promoting lesser-known tourist destinations; to appoint District Tourism Officers

Post-Covid, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Tourism is pacing up its promotional strategy by showcasing unique themes from each district, as well as unveiling new products to attract domestic and international tourists.

The state has been churning out new tourism products such as, Eco-Tourism, Water Sports activities at Ramgarh Tal, Gorakhpur, Buddhist Circuit, Bundelkhand Circuit, Braj Circuit, Awadh Circuit, Vindhya-Varanasi Circuit, Wildlife Ecotourism Circuit, Ramayana Circuit to be relevant in the highly competitive tourism market. UP Tourism plans to promote its lesser-known destinations through unique themes of food, religion, monument, art, and culture.

In a recent conversation at the Travel Tourism Fair 2022 Hyderabad, Ashwani K. Yadav, Tourism Information Officer, UP Tourism and Manish Srivastava, Tourism Information Officer, UP Tourism informed that the tourism department is focusing on the growth of district tourism by introducing a scheme where every district of UP will have a District Tourism Information Officer/ District Tourism Officer. “We are already in the process of recruiting people in line with the thoughts of our CM. The first project will consist of many phases, and now we are working on the first phase where a total of 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh will have 75 Tourism Information Officers,” Yadav said.

Elaborating further, Srivastava said, “There will be a team of 23 officers, where the President would be the DM, Vice President would be CDO and the Joint Secretary of the team would be District Information Officer and Cultural Department Officer. The team will also consist of Treasury Officers. The idea behind this team is to streamline the process of promotional plans.”

Srivastava informed that the aim of the Tourist Information Officers would be to identify a unique theme from their designated district and create a promotional strategy around it, so that domestic and international inflow of tourists increases, attracted by the experience of those unique themes. The idea behind this project is to promote lesser-known destinations to the world through their specialties, such as the famous black pottery from Azamgarh, Terracotta from Aurangabad, Banarasi Saree from Varanasi, Attar from Kannauj, and brass cravings from Moradabad, etc.