India Tourism & PATA hit the road

The many travel draws of India were on display as India Tourism and PATA India welcomed the industry to the second date of their annual road show.

Seventeen Indian travel suppliers met one-on-one with approximately 70 travel agents in a speed-dating format during the Toronto event, following an appearance in Montreal the previous day. The show moves on to Chicago and Houston next week. Suppliers represented a cross-section of the Indian travel industry, including tour operators, hotels and DMCs.

Anil Oraw, director of India Tourism Toronto, told PAX that the annual event comes as new developments, such as the recent electronic tourist visa and Air Canada’s upcoming Toronto-Delhi service, are making travel to India more accessible for Canadians – and subsequently, a more attractive destination to sell.

“All of these things are making it very comfortable for people planning travel to India and this is the right time,” Oraw said. “The agents and the suppliers are very happy right now and our objective is to reach out to every corner of Canada.”

Pronab Sarkar, managing director of Delhi-based Swagatam Tours and a member of PATA India’s executive committee, also applauded these recent developments. Established in 1974, the India chapter of PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) now includes 236 members representing the country’s tourism industry.

“The government wants more Canadians to visit,” Sarkar said. “We have come to create awareness that India is a very lively country where people can enjoy things such as sightseeing, cuisine and culture.”

In addition to suppliers, government officials representing various destinations throughout the country were on hand at the event, including the southernmost region of Tamil Nadu, boasting a combination of ancient architecture and monuments and a thriving medical tourism industry according to spokesperson R. Kannan.

Also represented was the recently-established Indian state of Telangana, which was founded June 2, 2014. Telangana Tourism representative BP Acharya told PAX that the region is actively courting travellers, benefiting from the recent designation of its capital city Hyderabad as a must-see destination in 2015 by National Geographic Traveller. While the city’s renowned IT and medical sectors have created a significant MICE travel segment, Acharya wants to increase the state’s leisure market as well.

“We have the best of the north and south,” he said. “Everyone goes to Agra and Rajasthan and now, it’s time to come to Hyderabad. Our challenge now is to turn business travellers into leisure tourists.”

PHOTO: Anil Oraw, director, India Tourism Toronto; BP Acharya, principal secretary planning department & tourism and culture department, Government of Telangana; Dr. R. Kannan, additional chief secretary, tourism & culture, Government of Tamil Nadu.