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About India Outbound Magazine

India Outbound is India’s only B2B travel media platform, that encompasses a print magazine, a website, an online TV channel and dynamic social media platforms, entirely dedicated to the promotion of foreign destinations and products in India. India Outbound is a niche platform not just for tourism destinations and products to promote themselves to the Indian travel industry, but also for decision makers to build/change their strategy in a context where the Indian outbound market is not only growing but changing with new dynamics. These trends, India Outbound analyse and predict them.

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OTOAI postpones its fifth Annual Convention

In light of the recent developments regarding the spread of the coronavirus outbreak all across the world, the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has decided to postpone its Convention. The Convention was scheduled to take place in Antalya, Turkey from March 15-18, 2020.

Riaz Munshi, the president of OTOAI shares, “It is unfortunate that we had to postpone the Convention but given the prevailing circumstances, we thought it is best to do so. The decision has been taken keeping the safety of our delegates in mind as we would never do anything that might put their health in jeopardy. I am sure that the effect and spread of COVID-19 will subside with time and once that happens, we will re-announce the convention with a fresh set of dates.”

“We would like to thank all the members of the travel trade, media and our partners in Turkey who have been extremely supportive. We look forward to your continued support in the future also and we are confident that as soon as the COVID-19 cases are curbed, we will announce the new dates of the convention,” elaborates Himanshu Patil, vice president, and convention chairman of OTOAI.

While Turkey has not reported a single confirmed case of COVID-19, the decision has purely been taken keeping the various travel advisories being issued in mind. Once things are back to normal, the OTOAI Convention will take place in Turkey with fresh dates.

Coronavirus affects the travel industry with major shows being cancelled or postponed

Due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), many major travel trade shows like ITB Berlin, ITB India, PATA Annual Summit and OTOAI Annual Convention have either been cancelled or postponed. Everyday announcements of cancellation of events are coming in and the list is growing. The coronavirus outbreak has caused much uncertainty around the world and the organisers are taking this major step to ensure the safety of exhibitors, buyers, and visitors.

PATA executive board and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) after much deliberation had announced that PATA Annual Summit 2020 which was scheduled to be held in Ras Al Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates from March 31-April 3 will no longer take place.

"We are extremely disappointed in making this announcement; however, we have been closely monitoring this continually developing situation and believe that it was best that we made this decision in a clear and timely manner," said Mario Hardy, PATA CEO and president while addressing PATA members with the announcement to cancel the PATA Annual Summit.

Oman to launch Muscat Airport City and National Travel Operator

As part of Oman’s National Aviation Strategy 2030, Oman has announced its plans to launch the Muscat Airport City to boost airport capacity and the National Travel Operator (NTO) with the larger goal of securing a bigger share in the international aviation and tourism sector market. The objective is to increase inbound travel, attract high-value tourists from key commercial markets including India.

The strategy will also boost job creation and increase the local skill base. The announcement also marked the two-year anniversary for Oman Aviation Group (OAG) – an umbrella company encompassing Oman Air, Oman Airports and Transom (until recently Oman Aviation Services) and the first such company in the world to represent a country’s entire aviation sector. Through these strategic and long-term initiatives, Oman Aviation Group (OAG) aims to expand commerce, investments and tourism from Oman’s key markets such as India.

“The National Aviation Strategy will revolutionise our sector in Oman by bringing forward new projects at every point in the aviation lifecycle. From a remodelled Oman Air bringing high-value inbound tourists to the Sultanate to a master plan for Muscat Airport City that will promote investment, job creation, and support SMEs, to the National Travel Operator offering for the first time a comprehensive tool to sell local travel services to international markets the strategy is robust.

Mustafa Al Hinai, the group CEO, Oman Aviation Group said, “The targets we’ve set are of course ambitious, befitting the trust put in us by the nation. But the region is well placed for logistics growth. And with IATA predicting there will be 500 million passengers flying to, from, or within the Middle East by 2037; the opportunity for Oman as a standout destination is clear.”

While the National Travel Operator (NTO) will serve as a ‘one-stop-shop’ to connect and grow Omani travel providers - from transport services, hotels, and airlines, to customers in the Sultanate’s target markets; the Muscat Airport City will offer dedicated spaces for all important areas of Oman’s aviation sector such as e-commerce, air freight & logistics, mixed-use business, aviation & passenger terminal and shopping & hospitality.

A comprehensive air freight strategy will help Oman maintain its air cargo market share and support key national industries, like fisheries, in global markets. A new services centre will help international companies looking to increase freight traffic through the Sultanate’s airports. The strategy also expands on the restructuring of Oman Air to become a destination business model airline.

Muscat Airport City will consist of five main areas: Muscat Airport Free Zone; Logistics Gate; Business Gate; Aviation Gate and Hospitality Gate. The plan aims to achieve the highest levels of utilisation of the new airport’s high capacity and the increasing air traffic. It also takes advantage of the land areas surrounding the airport to create a stimulating environment for the establishment of aviation-related projects. The contribution of the aviation sector to Oman’s GDP in 2018 was estimated at over 1.5 billion OMR.

Meetings Africa 2020 presents business opportunities in Africa

Meetings Africa 2020 took place from February 25-26 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg and brought together stakeholders within the business events and tourism industries.

Under the theme, “Shared economies”, Meetings Africa looked at collaborative African growth, connecting people and ideas, and the continent’s value proposition within the global economy. In his trade floor opening address, South African Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona, said one of the key objectives of Meetings Africa is to encourage and stimulate the rotation of meetings on the continent. “It is a platform for the regional business events industry to engage in a bid to attract more global and regional business events to Africa.”

This year’s event had 329 exhibitors and 321 buyers that include 205 international hosted buyers and held nearly 8,000 meetings. Nonnie Kubeka, the head of the Gauteng Convention & Events Bureau said that the quality of buyers invited to this year’s Meetings Africa was high. “What was exciting with the buyers themselves is that they gave the request for proposals that are between 2024 and 2028. So we have to go back and work very hard to bring together all the information that they require for them to make a decision to bring their events to Gauteng.”

For Kubeka, Meetings Africa gave her group the opportunity to showcase less popular destinations such as Cradle of Humankind, Sedibeng and Ekurhuleni. Additionally, most of the buyers Gauteng had met were first-time visitors to South Africa. “Their expectations were met because they were not expecting the infrastructure they had seen.”

Jamaica Tourism Board unveils new brand positioning of the destination

The Jamaica Tourist Board unveiled ‘JAMAICA, Heartbeat of the World’ as the new destination brand positioning, recognising Jamaica’s outsized influence on the world. Strengthening the island’s position as a global culturally relevant brand, ‘Heartbeat of the world’ extends beyond tourism and encompasses all elements of Jamaica’s rich and vibrant culture including music, cuisine, sports, adventure, nature, and wellness.

“We are excited to launch ‘Heartbeat of the World’ which reinforces our position as a global leader among travel destinations and establishes Jamaica as the single destination every traveller must experience,” said Donovan White, Jamaica’s director of tourism.

“On the map, Jamaica may seem like a small dot in the Caribbean Sea. But her influence on the world culture is the size of a continent. We are a cultural giant and we continue to have an indelible impact on the world’s food, music, sport, and literature while offering larger-than-life bucket list experiences with extraordinary, talented people,” he added.

Nigeria & Tanzania tourism come together for African Tourism Board

The African Tourism Board had a consultative visit with the United Republic of Tanzanian High Commission in Nigeria and held high-level discussion with Benson Alfred Baba, the high commissioner, and Elias Nwandobo, counsellor to the Commission. The discourse underpinned the promotion and facilitation of tourism products of both Nigeria and Tanzania.

As part of the discussions, proposals for Tanzania/Nigeria Travel Week 2020 were set forth, which will project Tanzania as the indisputable home of the Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and the Serengeti, and Nigeria as the two world’s largest black nation. The event will also host tour operators, travel and tourism professionals, airlines, hotels, stakeholders, buyers, media, tourists. The United Republic of Tanzania High Commission and the African Tourism Board are quite looking forward to the dividends of this productive partnership and the positive results it can portray both countries and Africa as a whole.

Morocco plans new roadmap to boost tourism

The tourist arrival to Morocco has seen a growth of 5.2 pc between 2018 and 2019 as it recorded 13 million tourists, as revealed by the National Confederation of Tourism (CNT). They presented the 2020 roadmap for tourism which aims to make Morocco an authentic destination “offering a diversity of experiences to share.”

The main action of the plan revolves mainly around the public-private partnership, creation of a tourism academy, digital development, regulation of the sector and promotion of internal tourism. The roadmap will also provide support to SMEs to go digital, reorganising the Tourism Observatory and improving the observation and the analysis system.

CNT president Abdellatif Kabbaj while addressing journalists in Marrakech said French tourists remain the largest group of visitors to Morocco, with around 1.99 million French nationals visiting the country in 2019. The number of nights spent in Morocco’s tourist accommodation has also increased by 5 pc between 2018 and 2019. Strengthening air transport and investing in infrastructure are the keys to promote Morocco as a tourist destination, said Kabbaj.

Kempinski Hotels conduct roadshows in India

Kempinski Hotels recently organised a three-city roadshow in India. The roadshow was held in the cities of Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi to strengthen relationships with the leading travel agents and tour operators to boost Indian travellers to various Kempinski properties around the globe.

Kempinski’s expansion plans involve more than 100 luxury hotels in operation by the year 2021. In the near future the luxury hotel chain will be opening new properties in Ibiza, two in the Caribbean, one in Tel Aviv, Tbilisi, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Brazzaville and Almaty.

The roadshows witnessed participation from key luxury agents, top tour operators, DMCs, event and wedding planners of the Indian market. The roadshow gave the Indian travel trade the opportunity to have one to one interactions with 13 participating Kempinski hotels from the Middle East, Thailand, Switzerland, Munich, Doha, Singapore among others.

Amanda Elder, the chief commercial officer & member of the management board of Kempinski Hotels SA, said “As India is one of the fastest growing outbound tourism markets in the world; it is becoming more important to us year by year. We highly appreciate to interact personally with top travel agents and luxury travel advisors in order to clearly understand their needs and the needs of their demanding clients. To attract especially the luxury traveller, opulence alone is not enough anymore. Luxury now carries a more multi-layered meaning and increasingly centres around personalised experiences and not simply on just visiting a new destination.”


India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group