Inbound business, a mixed bag
Calling the eVisa facility to 43 nations, the biggest achievement of the tourism industry, HS Duggal, Managing Director, Minar Travels(India), says the tourism industry has to battle issues ranging from government red tapism to pervasive security threats.
The tourism industry in India is expanding. Inbound business has been a mixed bag. In spite of fall in numbers from some countries, the overall scenario is encouraging and by the end of 2014, we will have done better than for the corresponding period last year.
Now with eVisas being opened to 43 nations, how has the reaction to that been?
The eVisa is the biggest achievement for tourism industry in India. In the first month, more than 10,000/ tourists from 43 countries in the first list of eVisas have obtained their visas. With this facility, in place for 43 countries presently, the number of arrivals is bound to increase.
What are the challenges in promoting inbound tourism? How do you plan to counter them?
On paper, India should be a tourist powerhouse. The country has all the right ingredients - good food, rich culture, beautiful historic monuments, spirituality, and diver- sity - to lure travellers from all over the world. Yet India lags behind Asian tourist hubs like Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and China. The reasons for India’s struggle to attract visitors are many, say tourism experts, ranging from infrastructure to formalities and security concerns, among others. The govern- ment should make one, two, and three star hotels a priority. The tourism industry has to battle issues ranging from government red tapism to pervasive security threats in pitching this populous South Asian destination.
The Aviation industry in India also poses a challenge to our incoming tourism. The connectivity to some remote areas in India needs up gradation and so do the fares, With sad news about SpiceJet, other players have sensed the opportunity to skyrocket the air fares. India being a big and diverse country, low airfares play a role in inbound tourism.
What are your plans for 2015? Are you planning any new marketing initiatives?
We are identifying more markets, which could compensate us for drying markets such as Italy, Spain and Russia
At Minar Travels, we recognise the fact, that while the source markets are saturated, we are concentrating on new and developing markets. We have already opened representative offices in Seoul, Beijing and Argentina. We are identifying more markets, which could compensate us for drying markets such as Italy, Spain and Russia. India with its varied menu options is getting its share of MICE. We are strengthening this segment and hope to get good response. Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) is holding its global conference in India, which should create awareness within this community about MICE in India.