| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 22/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 33 |
| Copyright: Other |
INDIA
Culture vultures: Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa are still the favourite tourist destinationsAfter two years of slow sales, bookings to India are now picking up with operators reporting significant growth for tailor-made itineraries.
Bookings to India are picking up after sluggish sales last year when cheap deals to the Far East lured tourists away from the Indian subcontinent.Visitor figures from the Government of India Tourist Office show that numbers fell last year to 345,085 from 376,513 in 1998 but it claims that the first four months of this year are up on the same period last year and operators are once again optimistic about the destination.
Planning director at Bales Worldwide Roy Davies said: “We have had two years of slow sales but the destination is picking up. There are not so many cheap deals to the Far East now so the prices to India look more competitive.”
The biggest growth area for Bales has been its tailor-made itineraries which have seen a 30% increase, a sign that UK holidaymakers are becoming confident about organising and travelling on their own as opposed to part of a group.
As with the group tours, Rajasthan remains the most popular option for Bales’ tailor-made clients and the operator is planning to expand its coverage of the state with the introduction of more heritage properties on four pages of its Worldwide brochure rather than two. It is also introducing a new tour, Himalayan Journey, to its group tours programme. The 14-day itinerary covers the Kullu Valley and Simla, staying in a mixture of palaces and hotels. Prices were not available when Travel Weekly went to press.
Cox and Kings is also reporting healthy bookings, up 10% this year, and is adding new regions to its group tours and individual journeys for next year, including the foothills of the Himalaya, Ladakh, adventure and wildlife in India and Nepal, Gujarat and the Deccan plateau in central India.
Product manager Charlie Ridout said: “People are booking for the autumn and for January and February next year.”
Another operator experiencing strong tailor-made sales is British Airways Holidays. It will be devoting a whole page to tailor-made itineraries in its next Worldwide brochure.
Group tours have been less popular this year and Somak in particular says bookings have been disappointing.
Managing director Stuart Britton said: “There is no real reason for India not selling. Price isn’t an issue as the cost of tours are not going up and there is not a problem with the country itself. I think it’s just that India is not flavour of the month at the moment.”
However, he said Goa is selling well and wants to introduce the destination as part of a tour as well as a beach-only product for next year.
First Choice marketing manager Denise Hibbert said its Goa programme, which appears in both its main brochure and its new Indian Ocean brochure, is selling extremely well with its classic premium service with Monarch to Goa proving popular. This year First Choice added La Goa Azul a three-star bed- and-breakfast property which leads in at £459 for one-week bed and breakfast. It has also introduced another all-inclusive property, the Heritage Village.
Manos said its programme runs from November to April but due to high demand, the first edition of the winter 2000/2001 brochure will run from November this year to October next year.
It introduced the resort of Marari in Kerala to its 1999/2000 programme and it is selling the resort as a two-centre option with a week at the resorts of Poovar or Kovalam or four nights in Goa. Prices for seven nights on a half-board basis at the Marari start at £639.
While Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa remain the most popular destinations in India, the tourist office is keen to flag up new circuits. These include Darjeeling, Gangdok in Sikkim and Kalimpong in the northeast and the Kallu Valley in the Himachal Predesh.
UK director Alka Kohli said:”We will be inviting journalists to visit these areas to create publicity and trying to persuade operators to add them to their programmes.”
The ministry of tourism in India has also launched four CD-ROMs featuring railways, the northeastern states, convention facilities and adventure and wildlife for operators and media to use as reference material.
As part of its drive to lure holidaymakers from other regions of the UK, the tourist office is linking up with Kuoni for a series of roadshows next month visiting Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool.