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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Taiwan hosts roadshows to showcase Taiwan as an ideal travel destination
The Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) hosted its trade colleagues at a series of roadshows held in New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad during May 16-22. The events brought workshops where attendees learnt more about what Taiwan had to offer to both leisure and MICE travellers. They also interacted with workshop delegates, who included TTB officials and its airline and DMC partners.
In his opening remarks, Dr Trust Lin, director, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Singapore office, revealed plans to promote Taiwan as the ideal travel destination. Among the plans include partnerships with the Times of India Group to roll out radio and TV campaigns, as well as print advertisements in publications like Lonely Planet and The Economic Times.
“In the coming months, we will have more coverage for online and offline exposure, such as social media and programmatic online advertising to target outbound travellers,” said Lin.
Besides advertising, TTB will also work more closely with airline partners for more joint marketing campaigns to bring more Indian tourists to Taiwan. To boost tourist numbers, TTB earlier this year unveiled its new vision titled “2 20:20”, a strategy which will target two percent of India’s high-income earners and, by cooperating with the top tour operators in India, aim to drive tourist arrivals up 20 pc by 2020.
The next set of roadshows in Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai will be held between August-October 2019.
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Israel Ministry of Tourism appoints Sammy Yahia as new director of Tourism in India
Israel Ministry of Tourism announced Sammy Yahia’s appointment as the new director of Tourism for India & Philippines markets effective from June 3, 2019. He will be responsible to lead the tourism board’s initiatives in India while overseeing the development of policies and strategies to strengthen Israel’s reputation as a world-class tourism and travel destination.
Commenting on his appointment, Sammy Yahia said, “I am delighted to take on this new position and look forward to working closely with various partners in India by building on existing partnerships alongside initiating new ones. India has a rich heritage, culture and history, similar to Israel, and is an exciting market for me to take charge of. I foresee ample opportunities for us to push boundaries and reinvent the ever evolving and dynamic Indian traveller”.
The new director brings great expertise and know-how to the role with extensive and holistic experience in tourism marketing, strategic government relations and investment facilitation. He will be instrumental in integrating the ideologies of the Israel travel industry with the Indian market to facilitate effective marketing strategies for the destination in India. Being at the helm, Sammy Yahia will help maximize all opportunities to achieve continued growth in tourism arrivals from India.
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Macao records 12 pc rise in Indian tourist arrivals in 2019
Macao has recorded a 12 pc increase in Indian tourist arrivals from January- April 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.The destination also welcomed the arrival of nearly 14 million tourists from around the world in the first four months of 2019.
Talking about this positive growth, Arzan Khambatta – head, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said, “India has always been an important source market for Macao. The growth in the tourist arrivals can be attributed to a blend of well-thought-out strategic marketing and trade campaigns conducted during last quarter and this year. Last year, Macao was designated as ‘Creative City of Gastronomy’ by UNESCO, which gave us an opportunity to promote Macanese cuisine. We also conducted highly successful consumer engagement event called ‘Experience Macao Festival’ in Mumbai and Delhi. The festival aimed at introducing various attractions and events, cultural and gastronomical aspects of Macao on an experiential level to consumers including showcasing the destination through VR. We plan to continue to explore innovative campaigns and working closely with Trade to help continue this momentum of growth in Indian arrivals.” This year is an important year for Macao as it marks the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR.
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Its lights on for Vivid Sydney 2019!
Sydney will be awash with breathtaking colour and special effects for the next 23 nights, with the lights officially turned on for Vivid Sydney on May 24 by Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
The largest event of light, music and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere will transform the city into a colourful showcase of illumination, sensational sounds and creative thinking from May 24-June 15, 2019.
“Vivid Sydney is an incredibly important event drawing millions of visitors to the city in May and June each year, many of whom have gone on to explore regional NSW as well,” said Berejiklian.
Australia’s largest event brings Sydney to life, as well as to light, by encouraging locals and visitors to enjoy Sydney’s wonderful food, exciting attractions and excellent shopping during winter.
Stuart Ayres, minister for Tourism said, “Vivid Sydney is more than just a captivating light, music and ideas festival. Last year Vivid Sydney, with 2.25 million attendees across the 23 days, we saw a record 185,887 travel packages sold to domestic and international visitors which was a 37 pc increase on 2017.”
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VFS Global introduces Thailand e-visa on arrival for Thailand
VFS Global, an outsourcing and technology service has introduced e-visa on arrival (E-VOA) for Thailand. The service is at this moment available to nationals of selected 18 countries.
Travellers who are eligible to use the online E-VOA service provided by VFS Global will receive their travel authorisation from the Immigration Bureau of Thailand prior to their departure from their country of origin. The new Thailand e-visa on arrival means pre-authorised travel to Thailand and is applicable for the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueng airports in Bangkok, as well as at Phuket and Chiang Mai airports for flights by Thai Airways as well as other airlines.
Travellers will need to fill up the application details and upload the necessary documents online on the E-VOA website and no physical passport submission is required. Upon successful completion of the payment and once the application is processed with the pre-approved E-VOA code, travellers can download and print out the E-VOA application for reference and may even keep a copy of the file on their mobile phones.
VFS Global said travellers will receive their pre-departure travel authorisation online before the trip within 24 to 72 hours.
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Experience the magic at Disneyland Paris
Immerse yourself in the world of Disney stories and soak up the Disney magic at the theme park with over 50 attractions, breathtaking parades and shows. You can take to the seas with Pirates of the Caribbean, head into the skies with Dumbo the Flying Elephant or reach the stars with Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain!
The park also gives you spectacular Disney Illuminations shows to gaze at Sleeping Beauty Castle as Mickey leads you through a display of classic and new Disney stories. You can even meet the Disney characters from Mickey and Minnie to Goofy, Captain Hook, Jack Sparrow and Belle.
There are a range of entertainment arrangements for all the family at Disney Village with restaurants, an IMAX cinema, shops and one of the world’s biggest hot air balloons to enjoy. When you're at Disneyland Paris, you should be sure to plan a visit to Paris to show your children the Eiffel Tower or enjoy a peaceful stroll along the Champs-Elysées. Organised bus tours including museum visits and other attractions can be booked at Disneyland Paris.
There are even more activities and leisure options just minutes away. Visit La Vallée Village Chic Outlet Shopping or Val d’Europe Shopping Centre and the Aquarium SEA LIFE Paris Val d'Europe, a fascinating underwater world with 5,000 marine creatures.
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Statue of Liberty Museum is now open for public
The Statue of Liberty Museum on Liberty Island opened to the public following a dedication ceremony presented by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. and the National Park Service. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation chairman of the board Albert Bellas and president and CEO Stephen Briganti, as well as campaign chairperson Diane von Furstenberg delivered remarks at the ceremony, which also included performances from Broadway stars and the Manhattan Girls Chorus.
"America needs this museum and what it represents now more than ever. Immigration defines us, and New York is the ultimate city of immigrants. The Statue of Liberty represents our core values – we embrace diversity, support our neighbours, and believe everyone should have a fair shot to live the American dream," said Mayor de Blasio.
“Today, we share in the American people’s gratitude for this remarkable contribution to the legacy of the Statue of Liberty, and for ensuring her story will continue to be told to this and future generations,” said superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island John Piltzecker.
The 26,000 square foot museum features three gallery spaces, each one meant to inspire visitors and educate them about the Statue of Liberty in interactive ways. The experience culminates with an up-close view of Liberty’s most iconic symbol, her original torch, held high for nearly 100 years.
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Flight bookings from India to UK surge ahead of Cricket World Cup
Analysis1 conducted by Travelport, a travel commerce platform, suggests India will have the most travelling fans at the Cricket World Cup 2019, which started on May 30 in the United Kingdom (UK).
As of Tuesday May 21, 2019 flight bookings overall made through all global distribution systems (GDS) to the UK for the period of the tournament, plus two days either side (Tuesday May 28, 2019 to Tuesday July 16, 2019), had increased by 47,939 (3 pc) compared to the same period the previous year.
Out of the countries that are participating in the Cricket World Cup 2019, the greatest growth in flight bookings to the UK had come from India (+17,505). South Africa (+2,654), Bangladesh (+1,565) and Pakistan (+1,449) has also seen a significant uplift.
Stephen Shurrock, chief commercial officer, Travelport, says, “We’re pleased to see the Cricket World Cup is attracting more people to visit the United Kingdom, with overall flight bookings up by more than 45,000 during the event. With two previous Cricket World Cup wins to its name and a hugely passionate supporter base, it’s no surprise to see there has been a significant surge in flight bookings from India.”
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Avis India reveals USA to be the most booked self-drive destination from India
Avis India, provider of safe and reliable mobility solutions, has recently released its Self-Drive International Booking Trends 2018 report where it has mapped the change in international travel preferences of Indian consumers by identifying key trends pertaining to international self-drive bookings in 2018. The report was compiled using the booking data on the Avis India platform.
Departing from the usual perception of proximity being a factor when choosing self-drive, the survey revealed that USA was the most traversed international self-drive destination from India, accounting for 37 pc of the total self-drive international bookings in the year. The maximum number of self-drive international bookings were made by users hailing from leading metro cities such as New Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
In the survey, Avis India also highlighted the peak travel times to various destinations. According to the report, Europe accounted for 34 pc of the total bookings, most of which were made for the period between April-June 2018. The European destinations that witnessed the maximum arrivals from India included Spain, Italy, France, and Switzerland. The UK alone accounted for 6 pc of the total bookings.
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‘Summer in Qatar’ package brings great entertainment and adventures for all
Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) announced exciting new products as part of its ‘Summer in Qatar’ programme, to run between June 4-August 16. Outdoor activities for adventure seekers, combined with offers in travel, hospitality and retail provide experiences for all tastes and budgets. With visa-free access to citizens of over 85 countries, a 25 pc discount on all inbound flights from Qatar Airways to Doha, up to 25 pc off at numerous luxury hotels across the country, and authentic cultural experiences - Qatar checks all the boxes as a perfect destination for the summer holidays.
Rashed Al Qurese, chief marketing officer at QNTC, said, “We are excited to launch our biggest Summer in Qatar programme yet. This year’s offerings are geared towards people of all ages and interests. From culture to outdoor adventures and indoor family entertainment, there’s something for everyone. With a range of fantastic travel and hospitality promotions, we are excited to welcome visitors from all over the world to Qatar for summer holidays.” From resorts by the beach offering a plethora of activities, to excursions beyond, ‘Summer in Qatar’ has something for everyone.
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