INDIA
India remains ‘Incredible’ for those looking for sumptuous palaces and forts, colourful festivals, beach holidays but also fulfi lling and often- life-changing experiences, says Debbie Ward
I
ndia Tourism has launched the latest phase of its long-running ‘Incredible India’ campaign with the strapline
‘Find What You Seek’. The new advert slots, unveiled in the
UK at World Travel Market last month, focus on consumers and the diverse and fulfi lling experiences they can have in India. Among the individual poster straplines are ‘Watch a Camel Race’, ‘Escape the Rat Race’ and, accompanying a mountain image, ‘Discover New Heights… Discover a New High.’ Most fi rst-time visitors to India take a beach holiday in Goa or Kerala or tour the heritage sights of the ‘Golden Triangle’, starting with India’s capital Delhi, home to the famous Red Fort, and taking in the palace and Amber Fort at Jaipur and the Taj Mahal at Agra. However, there are plenty of opportunities for more experiential adventures. For example, the country’s colourful festivals are a great hook. Among those coming up are Tamil Nadu’s Chennai music and dance festival in December, followed by Holi, the coloured powder and water throwing spring festival celebrated across India in March. Multicultural Gujarat is known as the
Land of Festivals. Its packed calendar includes an event dedicated to kite fl ying and nine nights of dancing to mark the Hindu celebration of Navratri. The state is also well-known for handicrafts including India’s popular mirror-inset embroidery. Indus Tours, Trans Indus and On the
Go feature festival tours while Mahindra Homestays highlights festivals in places where it has hosted accommodation. India’s Ministry of Tourism is also keen
to promote the wellness niche, with the destination hosting the Global Health and Wellness Summit in 2013.
India is the home of yoga and ayurveda and has long been associated with meditation. Among hotspots for tourists seeking wellness holidays is Kerala. The state best known for beach holidays and backwaters cruises is where ayurveda originates from and it boasts many health and spa centres.
The Himalayas is a key area for luxury spa retreats such as Wildfl ower Hall, Ananda and Centara’s Moksha. Indus Experiences is among operators offering specifi c wellness holidays.
Further promotion for the country should come from the new fi lm Life of Pi, based on the acclaimed book by Yann Martel. It tells the story of the son of an Indian zookeeper cast adrift in a lifeboat with assorted animals that include a Bengal tiger. Early scenes in the movie were fi lmed in Kerala and Pondicherry. The chance for tourists to see real
tigers in India has been revived with the lifting in October of a ban on visiting Rajasthan’s popular Ranthambore National Park and other tiger-spotting areas. The controversial measure had been intended to help protect key tiger habitats with conservationists arguing that tourism helps deter poachers.
What’s New Jet Airways has added
a business class cabin on domestic fl ights. It’s also offering online upgrades for a nominal fee on a fi rst-come basis. Meanwhile Qatar Airways, which added its 12th Indian destination, Kolkata, this summer, has launched a new onboard menu with renowned chefs including
Vineet Bhatia, Michelin-starred for his Indian cuisine. Financially-troubled Kingfi sher Airlines was grounded in October and is trying to restructure. Chennai has just gained the luxury sea- facing Leela Palace Chennai. The hotel features a rooftop Italian restaurant and some renowned contemporary art. Taj Hotels has opened a Vivanta by Taj at hill station Madikeri, and in early 2013 will debut another at Gurgaon, Delhi. Travel Indochina (
www.travelindochina.co.uk) has reduced prices on all its small group journeys to India for 2013 by an average of six per cent. The trips, which average 12 people and never more than 16, will also include more heritage hotels like Ranbanka Palace in Jodhpur.
Tourism Talk RAJ KUMAR SUNANI
Assistant Director, India Tourism “Our new ‘Incredible India’ advertising campaign ‘Find What You Seek’ aims to highlight the diverse range of experiences India has to offer, from adventure to romance, history to culture and affordable to luxury. “In the UK we started in print
advertisements and on electronic media with TV ads to come. Our UK arrivals are doing well: we saw a 4.1% increase in 2011 on the previous year.
“We have some February road shows planned in London and Manchester for agents to highlight what India has to offer for adventure travel.
“The recent Best Exotic Marigold Hotel fi lm was good for us in inspiring people to visit India so hopefully the movie Life of Pi will have a similar effect.”
From the Front Line MICHAEL CREIGHTON
Product and Purchasing Manager, Africa, Travel 2 “India is selling very
well for us. Our six-day India’s Golden Triangle Tour continues to be our best seller but new tours like the nine-day Spicelands of Kerala and fi ve-day Shimla
www.sellinglonghaul.com • December 2012 49
selling tip
“Prepare clients: India has five-star hotels that are second to none but the poverty can be a culture shock for many.”
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