Move over Thailand, Malaysia and the Maldives. The wanderlust of
Indian travellers has attracted even countries as far apart as Romania,
Tanzania and Peru to promote their country as an attractive travel
destination.
"We get very few Indian tourists," said Razvan Marc,
director Britain, Middle East and India, National Authority for Tourism
Romania.
"We want to attract more Indian tourists because they
want to explore new destinations and we (Romania) have the best scenic
and cultural bonanza for them," he added.
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| Romania |
Located between central Europe and southeastern Europe, the country
with 19.59 million population has a mix of traditional and cultural
rhapsody, with vast areas of true wilderness and ever-fresh beauty of
the Danube delta to discover.
And who can forget this: Transylvania in central Romania is where Dracula originated.
Similarly,
Justice Muunbe, manager community conservation of Ngorongoro
Conservation Area, Tanzania, said they want people of India to know that
there is more to Africa than Kenya and South Africa.
"Indian
tourists are not many in Tanzania, but they travel a lot to Kenya and
South Africa. We don't offer just safaris, but offer a bouquet of
wildlife, nature and culture. You can meet local people, see wild life
and do a lot of sightseeing," said Muunbe.
"As the visa is on
arrival, it will make travel easy," he added, saying one can meet people
from the Maasai tribe, trek to Mount Kilimanjaro and soak in the
breathtaking scenic beauty.
Marc and Muunbe were in the capital for the OTM travel trade show, a platform for stakeholders to meet and interact.
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| Lion in Tanzania |
According to the Indian tourism ministry, 14.92 million Indians
travelled abroad in 2012 against 13.99 million in 2011 and 12.99 million
in 2010. These figures are, however, much lower than China, which saw
82 million outbound tourists in 2012, making them the number one global
travellers.
For 48-year-old banker Sanjeev Khanna, exploring new
places is a passion, and though he has travelled to Europe and Southeast
Asia, he is always on the lookout for new destinations.
"Travel
fairs help you to connect with private tour operators of foreign
countries or their tourism heads. While they are still exploring a setup
in the country, they give you an idea about what new they have to offer
and what the package is," said Khanna.
"So, I go to these fairs to get the best offers," he added.
This is just what a Greece-based private tour operator is looking for- "potential travellers" who want the "best deals."
"In
2013, Greece had 18 million tourists, though we are a nation of 11
million people. So, you can understand how much people want to visit us.
Unfortunately, out of these figures there were only 35,000 Indians,"
said Alec, who uses only one name, from a private tour company.
"Many
Indians think Greece is expensive. We want to break this myth. It is
not at all expensive and you can have a romantic three-day holiday in
just 200 euros (Rs.17,000)," he added.
While Marc was at the fair
to create awareness about Romania, Alec was looking for a tie-up with
local tour operators to reach out to more people.
And the common
thread, according to Alec, between India and Greece is that they have
similar cultures, thus helping in fostering a better tourism
relationship.
If Europe and Africa have shown keen interest in India's "potential", Latin America too isn't far behind.
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| Peru |
"Come to Peru and you will see (15th century Inca site) Machu
Picchu," said Jose Torres, general manager of Journey Travel Company. Lamenting
the fact that distance between the two continents is a major deterrent
for Indian travellers to discover archaeological and historical marvels
of this South American nation, Torres is optimistic about seeing more
Indian tourists in future. "If one can travel to the US, why not Peru? It is a great place to be in," he added.
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