South Carolina’s tourism focus

“This is our first trip to India. In fact, no one in my position has ever visited the country. I have been meeting some of the major tour operators and representatives of the travel trade here and my aim is to get their perspective on the market. Once we go back, we will sketch out our plan of action on how we can attract more Indian tourists to South Carolina,” Parrish said.

Among the companies he met during his visit were Thomas Cook, Vacations Exotica, and Abercrombie & Kent. Speaking about the segment of tourists he is keen on, Parrish said, “Firsttimers to the US usually visit the more popular cities like NYC and Chicago. We want to attract Indians who have travelled to the US, particularly those who visit the East Coast. We are looking at the middle and upper- middle segment of FIT and MICE travellers.”

He added that the main aim was make Indians aware of South Carolina and what it has to offer. The year 2013 saw about 35,000 Indians travel to the state and Parrish expects an increase of at least 25% by 2015.

“I’m building relationships with the travel trade right now before we make a splash in India. One of the feedbacks we received was to reach our travellers through e-media given the high number of smart phone users in India apart from print media. We will return in 2015 to do a follow-up and renew our relationships here,” Parrish added.