World opens its arms to Indian tourists

By agencies   |   Tuesday, 17 May 2005, 19:30 IST
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BANGALORE: Indian tourists are the most preferred now. They stay longer, shop to their heart’s content, and spice up the economy. In fact, Berlin Tourism Marketing, which got less than 10,000 Indian leisure visitors last year, is engaging Bird Group to pitch hard for the German capital as it believes the potential is huge and it would not like to miss the bus. Similarly, the Singapore Tourism Board is not only launching India-specific campaigns, but has even evolved dedicated school travel programs with educational and innovative holiday content for the young ones. Just about every tourism board, be it Dubai, Malaysia, Switzerland or Australia has straddled together to fascinate the Indian tourist since there is nothing like an Indian holidaymaker unleashed. The archetypal leisure traveler loves good food, comfortable accommodation (usually 3-5 star), isn’t very excited about roughing it out and, most importantly, likes to shop, despite liberalization, which has made all international products available on the home turf. The last trait is common to just about all Indians, irrespective of whether he is on holiday or traveling on work. Hanns Peter Nerger, president & CEO, Berlin Tourism Marketing, said the average Indian visitor stays in Berlin for 2.9 nights against 2.3 days spent by other international guests and the visitor average of 1.6 days in Germany as a whole. The Indian visitor data pertains to those who stay in accommodations, which are in the three-star and above category. The few guests who prefer budget accommodations or even houseguests don’t get tracked. The spend levels in Berlin are close to €200 a day, including shopping, food, entrance fee to museums, exhibitions, etc. The potential of the Indian audience gets reflected in the type of holiday packages being proposed. For instance, a former Iron Curtain tour, which was a hit with American tourists, is now being planned for India. Called 7-stars of Central Europe, it takes the visitor away from the beaten track in Europe and comes when the memories are still fresh of the recent Soviet celebration of 60th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II. In the Far East, Singapore celebrated 4,71,000 Indian arrivals (up 25 percent) in ’04 and is now pitching for more visitors during the upcoming Singapore Sales Celebration. Bridget Goh, regional manager for the Singapore tourism board in India, said Internet contests are being held where winners get to visit Singapore for the event. Recent studies place Indian visitors at the top of the chart. The average length of their stay is 5.8 days, nearly double the global average. Along with a family, which is the traditional market, the Indian yuppie brigade is being targeted big time. Short weekend retreats are being proposed for them, especially with new carriers entering the market with attractive fare options. Schools in India are being approached with packages, which pack a big dose of educational exposure like museums, exhibitions, theme parks with fun for youngsters. Dubai also has a similar Indian experience. The Dubai Commerce and Tourism manager in India, Carl Vaz, said, Indian visitors are hot property. Placed fourth on the arrival list at 3,50,000 last year, Indians are spending over $1,500 during a five-day stay.