Carl Vaz, CEO & Strategy Director, Destination Canada in India, shares the reasons for a renewed focus on travel trade in India
Canada, which received 287,000 Indian visitors in 2018, expects a double digit growth in 2019. Destination Canada, which provides intelligence, tools and resources that help the Canadian tourism industry reach international markets, has adopted a new approach to further woo Indian travellers.
You have started working with as many as five associations in India majorly focusing on b2b. How has the response been so far?
Our primary strategy for India is to develop the trade in terms of content and knowledge so that the right itinerary is populated and then disseminated on pan India basis. We have formulated a threefold strategy in order to engage with trade: Knowledge through webinars, content through the brand Canada image bank that we populate with all members who attend our webinars and to conduct destination specific trainings with particular themes across cities of India with the support of these associations. This is the reason that we tied up with Travel Agents Association of India, Travel Agents Federation of India, Enterprising Travel Agents Association, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India and Skal and we will continue this process even in the next year.
What percentage of your marketing budget for India you spend with B2B?
A significant portion of our activities are covered in trade development. Hence, a large part of our budget is apportioned towards trade development. We are developing the trade through events, linkages with associations, webinars, knowledge sessions and panel discussions and a lot of our funds are deployed in these activities. We deploy more than 60 per cent of our spend in these areas.
What is the strategy for the second phase?
We will continue with our process of investing in the trade development strategy throughout 2019 and continue to do so in 2020. We will review the progress towards the mid 2020. Thereafter, we will decide about course correction, if it is required. Based on these findings, we will decide our final strategy towards 2021.
So, what is the goal in terms of drawing more Indian numbers?
We have a clear definition of two business objectives. The first is to get Indian travellers to travel to Canada during Spring and Fall. We want to promote the Spring concept and the Fall colours of Canada and this is our primary business objective. This objective encapsulates getting Indians to stay longer and spending more in Canada. The second objective is to bring Indians to other parts of Canada during the winter period. The idea is to get them experience more Canada in winter.
Where do you see Canada in terms of Indian arrivals in next 3-5 years?
While Canada is a very established destination, it is also enjoying currently the fruit of being a new destination in the way we are populating the content. It is an established destination. People know Canada and some of them aspire to travel to Canada. But, at the same time, we are creating knowledge and education through the trade which will come out with new itinerary. By this definition, it is a new destination and still getting explored. People have historically gone to Toronto, Niagara, Victoria and Rockies. We are now saying Indian travelers to explore Eastern Canada like Montreal, Quebec city, Fall season in Yukon, Northern territory and experience the Northern Lights i.e. the Aurora Borealis. We are also encouraging Indians to go during the Spring season and opt for self drive across the province of Ontario or Quebec or across British Columbia into Saskatchewan. There is newness coming through these products.
Are you focusing on tier II Indian cities?
Apart from metros, we are focusing on tier II cities such as Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Nagpur, Lucknow and Chandigarh amongst others. We are taking our educational, marketing and promotional activities to 20 major source cities in India. In 2018, we had 287,000 Indians visiting Canada and we hope to have a double digit growth.
