Tap Asia & Eastern Europe market

Inbound tourism is showing signs of growth and in 2017, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Eastern European countries are some of the emerging source markets, points out Manheer Singh Sethi, Co-founder and Director, Holidays by Sahibji. He feels that visa on arrival has been an important development that gave a fillip to inbound tourism. “Educational seminars and destination knowledge workshops encourage FTOs and foreign travellers to explore Incredible India. Cruise, adventure and medical tourism are the growing segments in the industry. Cruise tourism is aggressively growing and luxury cruise brands are keenly promoting their brand and products in the Indian market,” he says, adding that adventure tourism is trending among the millennials and corporates in India. Best Tour Operator (East 2016) – Eastern Meadows Tours As the inbound tourism landscape is changing, unknown destinations are coming to the fore amongst travellers wanting to experience something new. “As I understand, the inbound market has huge potential and will grow manifold in the next few years. Places that will really benefit will include Darjeeling and Sikkim which are attractive and emerging destinations for inbound tourism. These two destinations have the potential to bloom,” says Sandipan Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Meadows Tours. Ghosh feels that tourism in general has tremendous potential in the North East though the concept of homestays and community tourism has caught the eye of most travellers to India. “One of the most exclusive and highly sought after tourism product in the region has been the Toy Train which is available at selected destinations across the country,” adds Ghosh.