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Tourist attraction: A file picture of a Buddha temple in Penang, Malaysia.

Anjana Chandramouly

Bangalore, May 27 International tourism boards, especially in Asia, seem to be at war to woo the four million Indian outbound tourists this Summer (April-June 2008). Sample these: The Jao Toh Jano holiday tagline by Tourism Malaysia to Mauritius Tourism Board’s ‘Refresh your Mind, Body & Soul’ and the ‘Escape Package’ from the Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau, not to mention packages to other destinations far and near.

A recent travel trends report from Travelocity.co.in, an online travel company, reveals that Singapore leads the top 20 destinations booked by Indian travellers for October-December 2007. Besides, many popular South Asian and South-East Asian destinations, including Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Phuket, figure in the list.

Mr Himanshu Singh, Managing Director, Travelocity.co.in, says, “Keeping this in mind, we are focusing on South-East Asia this summer. For example, air-return tickets for South-East Asia are available for Rs 19,064.” The portal also offers discounts and special benefits on hotel rooms in Singapore such as free Internet, complimentary breakfast and airport transfer, he adds.

Tourism Malaysia aims to target the ‘family holiday’ traffic. “This year, the new addition in our summer packages includes ecological attractions of Taman Negara, followed by the Highlands of Cameron and two islands of Langkawi and Penang with Kuala Lumpur being the common to all packages. For this summer season, we anticipate 1.8 lakh Indian travellers to Malaysia,” says Mr Manoharan, Director, Tourism Malaysia, India. The aim is to showcase the holistic diversity of Malaysia, and “efforts have been made to include activities for the entire family,” he adds.

Positioning Mauritius as a high-end eco-friendly locale, the Mauritius Tourism Board targets niche travellers. On offer are upscale holiday resorts and soft adventure activities such as ‘Walk With Lions’ and ‘Undersea Walk’.

Mr Rajeev Nangia, Associate Director, TRAC Representation, which represents various tourism boards in India, says, “Our present summer campaign will bring within the ambit of travellers high-end resort properties of Mauritius at a value proposition.” India continues to attract new hotel chains and properties from Mauritius, which only “highlights the spending propensity of the Indian traveller while on overseas vacations,” he adds.

The Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau’s ‘Escape Package’ hopes to cash in on the island-nation’s close proximity to India positioning it as an ideal weekend holiday getaway. Ms Madhuri Verma, Destination Manager, Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau, says that the aim was also to position the destination as a “value-for-money, eco-friendly locale”, providing travellers a wide array of choices and activities to indulge in. “From leisure to sporty indulgences, shopping and cultural heritage, coupled together to act as a catalyst in spurring the suave Indian tourists,” she adds.

The Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) recently announced the launch of its first National Tourism Office in South-West Asia at New Delhi. Positioning itself as a key gateway to the East, it aims to attract more than 75,000 Indian tourist arrivals in 2008.

Mr Ju Min Hong, Vice-President, KTO, said at the launch, “Understanding the growing prospects offered by the Indian tourism market, we are amongst the select national tourism organisations from the Eastern region to establish our base in India. From being a business destination, Korea is steadily emerging as an experiential holiday getaway for the evolved travellers from India who are focusing beyond the West.” The KTO will market its destinations under the ‘Korea, Sparkling’ tagline.

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