Special packages for students
The Austrian National Tourist Office is looking at tie-ups with tour operators for its special one-week packages for school groups covering Salzburg and Innsbruck.
India may not be the primary market for Austria in terms of numbers, but it is one of the primary markets in terms of marketing initiatives. This was revealed by Christine
Mukharji, Market Manager-India, Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO). “In 2013, Austria recorded 88,000 Indian visitor arrivals, which was virtually no growth over the previous year. But it was a tough year for all European destinations. In 2014, we look forward to receive more outbound travellers from India. This year will be good for Europe as exchange rate is becoming stable. I am looking at about 10 per cent growth from the Indian market,” Mukharji said.
Beyond showcasing and promoting Austria as a leisure and MICE destination in India, ANTO is looking at tapping the Indian student segment. It has designed special oneweek packages for school
We are looking at tie-ups with tour operators for promoting these packages, which ANTO will introduce in Mumbai in April this year
groups covering areas in Salzburg and Innsbruck. “We are looking at tie-ups with tour operators for promoting these packages, which ANTO will introduce in Mumbai in April this year. The package comprises four days of skiing and two days of cultural programmes,” Mukharji informed.
ANTO recently conducted workshops in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. The workshops witnessed participation of 13 stakeholders from Austria comprising delegates from local tourist boards, inbound tour operators and DMCs, attractions, hotels and resorts and railways and were attended by nearly 400 Indian travel trade members. Going forward, ANTO will conduct workshops in November this year in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad and the focus will be on promoting the Tyrol region. Five suppliers will participate in these workshops, she stated.
Talking about the new trends in outbound travel, she commented, “The metro cities in India, especially Mumbai and Delhi, are still the main source markets for ANTO but there is a new interest from Tier- II cities. Thus, the focus this year will be on Tier- II cities in Gujarat and South India. Also, we are witnessing interest for Austria as a wedding destination from this market. Salzburg, which is already popular as a honeymoon destination; hosted an Indian wedding of 400 guests last year. We will target this segment along with MICE, especially conferences and incentives.”