The Middle East market for inbound travel is becoming more important as these are short- haul markets and the growing interest in new destinations and products offered by the tourism industry specially Medical Tourism industry in India, the Senior Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Tourism, told ETTravelWorld, on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market (ATM2023).
With the global industry’s recovery gaining momentum, and a growing preference among global travelers to explore India, coupled with India’s success in growing tourism over the years, the Ministry of Tourism is on a mission to unlock the untapped potential of tourism in India. The goal is to make India a 365-day destination, while celebrating 2023 as “Visit India Year” as part of its ‘Incredible India’ campaign.
The Ministry of Tourism is promoting India as a year-round destination with a diverse range of products to attract inbound tourists from its traditional source markets, including the Middle East. To increase inbound travel to India from the region, the Ministry of Tourism participated in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, which is held from May 1 to 4, 2023 in Dubai, UAE.
“The Middle East market for inbound travel is increasingly significant due to its proximity to India and the growing interest in new destinations and tourism products,” said Gyan Bhushan, Senior Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Tourism. He made these comments to ETTravelWorld during the ATM conference.
According to him, India’s tourism industry has experienced a significant surge in tourist traffic, especially in segments such as luxury tourism products offered by IRCTC, specially medical tourism, and eco-tourism. He further emphasized that events like ATM provide an excellent platform for stakeholders in the Indian tourism industry to connect with the global travel trade and promote India.
India’s participation in the Arabian Travel Market 2023 is a significant step towards promoting India as a preferred travel destination among the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets.
The MoT officials participated in various networking events, B2B meetings, and media interactions to promote India as a tourist destination and establish partnerships.
The Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that over 65 state tourism departments/UTs, tour operators, travel agents, hotel chains, and airlines participated in the Arabian Travel Market 2023.
To ensure the safety and security of tourists, the Ministry of Tourism is promoting a 24×7 toll-free tourist helpline which has been launched in 12 languages, including Hindi and English, as well as 10 international languages such as Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. This service offers assistance to travelers during times of distress while visiting India.
