The MoT has upped its promotional and marketing efforts and is participating in major trade fairs and travel marts overseas. The recently concluded Arabian Travel Market (ATM), 2013 witnessed the presence of a massive delegation from India, the biggest participation at ATM so far.
Speaking with T3 on the sidelines of the event in Dubai, Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, stated, “We are determined to place India on the top of the list. We want people to view India as one of the top leisure and niche destination in Asia. With more than 65 participants from India under the ‘Incredible India’ banner, we are showcasing the diverse tourism potential of the country.” The delegation at ATM included State Tourism Boards of Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand along with Air India, Tea Board of India apart from travel trade. He further added that one of the highlights of the India pavilion at ATM was the depiction of India as a multi-faceted tourist destination. “India is a kaleidoscope of diversity and culture and the country appeals to everyone; from bagpackers to high-end tourists.”
According to him, India has been witnessing a surge in arrivals from the Gulf and the Middle Eastern region over the last two to three years. The year 2011 registered an overall growth of around 14 per cent over the previous year. Countries such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and Turkey are emerging as major tourism generating markets in India from this region.
Vikas Rustagi, Regional Director (West Asia and Africa), India Tourism, commented, “India Tourism has set a target of increasing the share of India in world tourist arrivals from the current 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent by the year 2017. We have prepared a multi-pronged strategy to achieve this target,” he added.
Shankar also emphasised on promoting India as a 365 day destination. “In the summer months of May-July, Ladakh in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are popular tourist jaunts, while during winters in the December-Feburary period beach destinations like Goa and Cochin receive a massive footfall. The period between October and April is especially important for luxury travel since this is when all Indian luxury trains are in operation,” Shankar said.
According to him, medical tourism is a segment that is picking up at a fast pace in India. “As more and more people from the region travel to India for medical treatment, India is gradually becoming an established name in healthcare tourism. India is poised to become a hub for medical tourism because of several factors such as world class hospitals offering high end state of the art equipments; highly skilled physicians and surgeons, low cost treatment and also natural and traditional healthcare therapies including Ayurveda and Yoga combined with allopathic treatment,” Shankar opined.
Forty per cent of 6.65 million foreign visitors to India last year were women who did not report any major problems during their visit, informed Shankar, which clearly indicates that India remains a safe place to travel.
