Nepal as ‘Lifetime Destination’ receives positive response in West India
January 23, 2020 | Investopaper
Nepal reached out to showcase and promote itself as a Lifetime Destination to the high potential West India market through Sales Mission in Surat, Gujarat, on Jan. 20, and in Pune, Maharashtra, on Jan. 22, 2020. The third in a series of Sales Mission in India since early January 2020, 10 Destination Management Companies (DMC) participated in the programs at Surat and Pune. It was led by the Nepal Tourism Board and attended by almost 100 local tour operators in each city. The programs were ideal ones to reach out to the West India market especially the local travel trade with fresh communication and updates.
The programs focused on showcasing Nepal as a lifetime experience for travelers around the world and particularly for Indian travelers. Easy accessibility, value for time and money, and a wide variety of options offered by Nepal including luxury, soft adventure, spiritual getaways, entertainment were focused on during the presentations at both the cities. Both programs included interaction sessions with the audience and lucky draw through Nepal Quiz. Winners were presented with gift vouchers of “4-nights 6-days package for the couple” to Nepal. Private sector tour operators from Nepal at the Surat and Pune programs expressed confidence in the market and were positive about the turnover at both the events which they said would yield desirable results.
Around 205,000 Indian tourists visited Nepal by air in 2019, 17.17 percent of the total tourist arrival to Nepal by air in 2019. Air arrival number from India has increased dramatically over the years, with around 90,000 in 2004 to about 100,000 in 2014 and a hundred percent growth in 2018. Growing Indian outbound increased air connectivity in the India-Nepal sector, rising Indian economy, as well as Nepal’s increasing visibility as a destination, diversified products, and customized packaging, are said to have played a positive role in increasing the arrivals from India by air. Increasing the arrival numbers further from India is Nepal’s major priority for 2020.
Upgrade of the Tribhuvan International Airport, operation of Bhairahawa International Airport and the Pokhara Airport in 2020, is expected usher in a surge in tourist arrival from India in 2020 and the new decade. Similarly, air connectivity is growing in the sector; five-star properties are increasing in the capital valley, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini and the border cities of Nepal; tailor-made packages are curated by the innovative private sector of Nepal to cater to the market-specific preferences, and mega-events are planned in 2020 so that travelers from India can enjoy more of Nepal when they visit the country.
The Sales Mission in Surat and Pune, was the third leg of the Nepal Sales Mission in India which started early January 2020, from Amritsar and Chandigarh as the first in the series, Indore and Jaipur as the second, and to be followed by Trichy, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kochi in South India the upcoming week.
