Spain offers a mosaic of value-for-money travel experiences
It doesn’t matter what the motivation is for travelling to Spain. Art, culture, museums, monuments, beaches, cities, fiestas, routes, cuisine, and natural spaces, you will find them all in this exotic country of Europe. Elisa Robles Fraga, Director, Tourism Office of Spain in Mumbai (Embassy of Spain in India) shares some of the current motivational factors for outbound travel from India to Spain.
Spain is a destination for everyone. Whilst there have been popular cities that people tend to commonly visit during their trip to Spain, the new highlights and experiences that are packed for an upcoming fascination great trip to Spain are the celebrations of the Xacobeo 2022 (Jacobean Holy Year), Picasso 2023, Unique Accommodation Settings of Paradores, Wellness Tourism like Spas and High-end Fitness Centers, Adventure Tourism activities like Skydiving, Scuba diving, and finally, the Spanish Fiestas are back with a bang. Some of the most popular ones are the La Tomatina of Buñol, San Fermines (Running of the Bulls of Navarre), Las Fallas of Valencia, and Los Carnavales (Carnivals) of the Canary Islands, amongst several others.
With outbound travel showing strong recovery, Spain Tourism is maximising its efforts to unlock the potential of India’s leisure and business travellers. Elisa says, “Spain Tourism has always tried to employ a variety of channels to promote the destination. During the difficult phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we promoted the destination through online campaigns, highlighting various tourism products such as gastronomy, art and culture, shopping, and leisure, among others, to keep our beautiful destination at the top of the mind of travellers. Having realised the importance of such campaigns, we will continue our efforts in that regard. Now with the situation
of pandemic coming under control, we are also looking forward to bringing back other marketing activities such as physical events with media and travel trade, familiarisation trips to Spain, in addition to those already underway like online training programs, online campaigns, webinars, among others.”
To facilitate travel to Spain, the Spanish Embassy and the Spanish Consulate General in Mumbai continue to make improvements to make the visa process faster and more efficient. Also, with commercial international air travel being resumed this year, they are witnessing more and more travellers interested in traveling to Spain. “Spain has regained its normalcy in this era of the ‘new normal,’ with all the tourist spots ready to welcome visitors, albeit some basic health and safety measures are still in place,” points out Elisa.
According to Elisa, Spain is a more value-for-money experience for Indian tourists. She explains, “Spain suits all tastes and budgets, it is a high-value proposition destination compared to most other European countries, thanks to the competitive accommodation options offering great quality and comfort, cutting-edge infrastructural facilities, easy and reliable commute options, economical in-destination activities like exploring famous touristy places, rich and varied gastronomical options at affordable pricing, shopping of brands at the most competitive cost and full VAT refund benefit on shopping, favourable weather, and sunshine throughout the year.”
“Spain, a year-round travel destination, has something for everybody in Spain, from fascinating museums to top-of-theline luxury and shopping, from enthralling flamenco performances to unique small towns full of history and culture, from delicious gastronomy to rich and colorful festivals. This offers the traveller something unique in this post-COVID era, the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of experiences without having to travel to multiple countries,” shares Elisa. Spain will continue to maximise their product offerings via various promotion projects that are currently in pipeline.
Understanding the Indian outbound travel market is important for tourism boards to chalk out their marketing plans. Sharing her observations about the Indian outbound travel market, Elisa shares, “India is indeed a large country with a rich and wide variety of culture and traditions which in turn reflect in the variety we observe in the needs and preferences of the Indian outbound traveller. Unlike in many other outbound markets, one single success formula cannot be applied to the entire Indian market. For instance, some travellers try to explore history, art, and culture while visiting another country while there are segments that are more interested in luxury and shopping or sports (including adventure sports. Then again, the travel cost sensitivity differs among different segments. So, it’s important to offer a customised mix of tourism products and experiences that would appeal to each segment of this market.”