ETV not enough, India needs more
Setting the tone for more friendly initiatives by the Indian government, Kevin Murphy talked about moving beyond just visa norms for garnering more revenues at the recently concluded PTM 2015 in Bengaluru.
Even though eTV facility has been introduced and extended to many nations, other visa facilities will be crucial to increase tourist footfall in the country, feels Kevin Murphy, Chairman, PATA. According to Murphy, India is limiting its options of tourism growth due to its stringent visa norms.
“Today, people don’t plan a holiday 18 months in advance and tourist destina- 2015, he added, “Over the years the Mart’s continued success has been due to its ability to continue to add further value for our delegates and members, while striking the right balance between quality and quantity for our registered buyers and sellers. This year’s event attracted 1,000 delegates from 61 destinations, including 242 buyers. The event being held in the city also means it will open up new tourist destinations in Karnataka to a worldwide audience.”
On what prompted them to come to Bengaluru for the 38th PTM, Murphy informed, “Going forward, the strategy of PATA will be to look at destinations with potential for tourism rather than already established destinations for hosting our PTMs. We were questioned on why we are coming to the IT city of India, but Karnataka has a lot of potential beyond just being the IT hub of India. Thus, coming to the city was a very strategic decision and is in line with our model.”