About India Outbound Magazine

India Outbound, a bi-monthly print magazine with dynamic web and social media presence focused on outbound travel from India, is published by Media India Group. Distributed all over India, and in all the top tourism events across the world, India Outbound caters mainly to the tourism professionals and is looking to develop new and innovative circuits and promote new destinations to the high-end travellers.

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TAT organises a golf FAM trip to Thai Golf Pass

A FAM trip to Thailand has been organised by Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi to explore the various possible ways to make Thai Golf Pass a grand success and the most exciting golf travel loyalty program for all the golfers out there! Direct flights of NokScoot Airlines from Delhi to Bangkok have made the travel much smoother and hassle-free!

The highlight of the event was the Thai New Year-the Songkran Festival. Ideally located more than 200 golf courses throughout the country, by the sea, by the mountains, by the lakes, inside the cities even besides the airports.

“I would like to congratulate all the partners of Thai Golf Pass, Anil Dev and his team for the success of this project. Amazing Thailand, Golf paradise with more than 250 International standard golf courses, professional caddies, warm hospitality, wellness, food and entertainment, we look forward Indian golfers to be part of this loyalty program and experience services, offers for golfers” said Isra Stapanaseth, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi Office.

“Our association welcomes this move which is a program unique to India. While hotels and airlines have loyalty programs this will be a first of its kind where a Country has created such a program. We support all golf tourism initiatives and are sure that this will really encourage golf travel. Golfing in Thailand is always great to experience with the quality of the golf course, well maintained, professional staff, connectivity and wonderful hospitality. Whenever golfing in Thailand it's a great moment for me’, said Rajan Sehgal, president, Indian Golf Travel Association.

‘We are delighted to support this FAM trip to promote the Thai Golf Passport loyalty program. NokScoot has recently launched new direct flights from Delhi to Bangkok, offering high service standards at affordable prices. We are hopeful to welcome more golfers from India to enjoy the amazing world class courses which the country has to offer, along with the famous Thai hospitality’, said Yodchai Sudhidhanakul – chief executive officer, NokScoot Airlines.

Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts conducts roadshow in India

Hong Kong’s Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts conducted a week’s sales and promotional activities, meeting and engaging customers to bring them the latest updates as well as future development of the group, from April 8-12. The hotel’s sales representatives met with more than 200 customers from corporations, professional conference organisers and travel agencies in Mumbai and Delhi.

“India is a key market for our hotels in Hong Kong. We like to bring to our business partner the latest updates and development of our group which include the recently renovated Harbour Grand Kowloon lobby with the ‘Prisms of light’ – a chandelier of 150,000 pieces Swarovski crystals. In the third quarter of this year, a new tower extension of the hotel with 360 brand new guest rooms and suites, all with a panoramic view of either the city or the harbour, will be opened. This will bring the total room inventory to close to 1,000, becoming one of the biggest 5 star hotels in Hong Kong”, said Priyanka, director of Nijhawan Group, GSA for Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts in India.

“We’re opening this fall a brand new hotel, which will bring the group’s total room inventory in the city to more than 9300 rooms. Hotel Alexandra, with 840 guest rooms, is well located at the North Point harbour front. The hotel is designed exquisitely melding sophisticated French neoclassicism with contemporary elements, a combination of timeless affluent elegance and modern concepts delighting even the most discerning travellers”, said P.C. Koh, director of Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

Tourism Malaysia, AirAsia conduct FAM trip for Indian wedding planners

Tourism Malaysia, New Delhi in association with AirAsia recently conducted a familiarisation trip for Eastern India wedding planners as AirAsia has daily flight from Kolkata to Kuala Lumpur. This familiarisation trip was intended to highlight Malaysia as a perfect wedding destination for Indian wedding.

The trip started with beautiful Langkawi Island, where the wedding planners got chance to explore hotels & resorts, suitable for Indian wedding namely Westin, St Regis, Meritus Pilangi Beach Resort and Ombak Villa. Westin and Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort have already witnessed few Indian weddings and they understand the requirements of Indian wedding. From Langkawi, the group moved to explore Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson which is one hour away from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson is a charming resort designed with a tropical touch that combines elegance and comfort.

Nestled in a cosy environment, every room and water chalet comes with balcony and bathtub. The trip ended with inspection of few hotels in Kuala Lumpur namely Seri Pacific Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa and Palace of the Golden Horses. The group also got opportunity to meet few Malaysian wedding planners in Kuala Lumpur to assist them in future wedding arrangements in Malaysia.

The House of Musical Arts opens its doors in the Royal Opera House Muscat

The House of Musical Arts that recently opened its doors in the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, is a remarkable addition to the opera house which was launched to promote the arts, intercultural dialogue and relationships with countries rich in heritage, and reveals Oman’s capacity to host world-class artistic and cultural events with the use of innovative technologies. Since the inauguration of the Royal Opera House Muscat, a wide repertoire of operas, concerts, musicals and other artistic and cultural events have been presented with huge success, both through collaborative relationships on an international scale and with the Royal Opera House Muscat’s own expertise.

Located along the main complex of the Royal Opera House Muscat across the street, the House of Musical Arts is an elegant building connected to the Opera Galleria by the iconic pedestrian bridge. The House of Musical Arts was established to accommodate further works of art and musical performances. The role of the stage is to support Royal Opera House Muscat programming and provide a suitable venue for a myriad of cultural events and opera masterpieces. With its state of the art acoustic controls, fully configurable stage, advanced scenery control and other stage mechanics, the House of Musical Arts is able to meet the requirements of any international or local performance. The building also includes a music library, an extensive archive facility, and a cultural centre, in addition to the permanent exhibition and halls dedicated to hosting touring exhibitions.

ATM Holiday Shopper to offer a world of deals

ATM Holiday Shopper, a new consumer show part of line-up of special focus events taking place at ATM, is offering package holidays to destinations around the world. Visit the first ever ATM Holiday Shopper where hundreds of exclusive travel and tourism deals will be on offer for one day only. With itineraries for thousands of hotels and resorts across the world, Middle Eastern holiday website Holiday Me, will be providing 20 pc off package holidays to the first 100 visitors to its stand. While, Holiday Factory, a leading tour operator in the UAE market, will be offering 10 pc off package holidays to 25 destinations across the Indian Ocean, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

“Taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre on Saturday 27th April – the day before the official opening of Arabian Travel Market – travel agencies, hotels and far-flung destinations will be offering a wide range of incredible deals to consumers attending the show,” said Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market. “The event will feature a number of talks and presentations in a relaxed environment - designed to provide travellers with an in-depth knowledge on a range of travel destinations and tour packages that cover all major attractions within any one country - as well as information on visa compliance and travel insurance,” Curtis added.

The launch of Arabian Travel Week, an umbrella brand comprising four co-located shows including ATM 2019, ILTM Arabia, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa – a new route development forum and new consumer-led event ATM Holiday Shopper. Arabian Travel Week will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 27 –May 1, 2019.

Visit Brussels and Wallonia Belgium Tourism organise a tourism training event

Wallonia in India (AWEX Mumbai), Visit Brussels and Wallonia Belgium Tourism jointly organised a Tourism Training event in association with Maratha Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture and TAAP in Pune.

Introducing Wallonia to the audience, Emmanuelle Timmermans, Trade and Investment commissioner, AWEX said, “This event was organised, as we realised that even regular visitors to Belgium are not always aware of some of the hidden gems of Belgium. One of those is the new sensational city of Dinant, which was voted one of Europe’s Best Destinations in 2019.”

She further highlighted the most popular tourist attractions in Wallonia. SPA is one of Belgium’s main tourist spot. It is famous for its several natural mineral springs. It is also the location of water producer and where the term “spa” originates from. Wallonia is well known for its castles, one of the major attractions is “Radhadesh” is a spiritual place which has an impressive castle turned into a temple complex called the ISKON Temple. Wallonia is home to the second largest cave in the world called, “Caves of Han” is also an excellent option for MICE Tourism and Family segments. Educational Tourism is also growing rapidly since a few years and Euro Space Centre experiences large amount of Indian tourists including all major Indian Schools.

Talking on Belgium’s promotional goals for 2019 and 2020, Emmanuelle Timmermans said, “We would like to attract an increased number of visitors from India to our Region. Wallonia tourism is truly “Hidden Gems” as many truths are unknown to the world. I have seen tourism trends are changing now, tourists believe more in unique experiences such as amazing activities, beautiful memories, mysterious places. Wallonia is one destination for all generation groups and for all type of tourism interests let it be, FIT, Luxury, family, MICE or educational tourism, Wallonia has lots to offer to everyone.”

'Game of Thrones' tourism – an emerging trend among Indian travellers

With the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones (GOT) premiered on April 14th, anticipation and excitement among its loyal fans is at an all-time high. The much loved and critically acclaimed HBO series is well known for its overarching plotlines, captivating mythos, and fantastic, larger-than-life settings in exotic locations. As a result, a new kind of emerging tourism trend, i.e. ‘GOT Tourism’, has been gaining momentum over the last few years, ever since the series first premiered, with a steady rise in Indian travellers keen to visit the locales and often re-enact the scenes of their favourite characters! Thousands of Game of Thrones fans have been flocking to the real-life locations the series was shot at, eager to be a part of the majestic experiences themselves.

In light of the upcoming premiere of season eight, as well as this unique GOT Tourism trend, Thomas Cook India has observed a 30 pc surge in Indian millennial travellers opting for holidays to these regal, exotic locations, including Northern Ireland, Croatia (which has also recently garnered immense popularity following the FIFA World Cup last year), Iceland, Spain, Scotland and Morocco. These destinations have witnessed strong uptake, especially with India’s Gen Z and millennial segments, also HNI (high net worth individuals) travellers, not just from metros but also from mini metros like Pune, and Tier II and Tier III cities like Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad who have been planning trips to exotic GOT destinations.

Today’s new age travellers, GOT fans are able to escape India’s sweltering summers by travelling to GOT’s cool locales, as also relax at the beaches of the many islands the series has been shot at. Post airing of the season finale, it is expected that there will be a further surge in travel to GOT destinations, as fans reeling from the end of the series look to experience the world it was shot in.

India Outbound is a publication of Media India Group