Monaco, the second smallest country in the world, promises to offer an exclusive experience of French Riviera on the Mediterranean. Its exclusivity, however, has proved to be a hurdle for Monaco to rope in Indian tour operators.
Mr Guillaume Rose, president, Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Authority, said, “We had earlier tried approaching the big travel agents in India but they were not too keen on promoting Monaco as a travel destination as they primarily cater to the mass market or popular destinations. Monaco is more targeted towards high-end travellers focusing on five experiential aspects which include culture and event, spa, gastronomy, night life and casino. So we decided to work with regional agents as they cater to such niche clientele.”
Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Authority plans to tie up with regional travel agents in the four metro cities of India in order to enhance its footprint, create awareness and to draw more number of Indian tourists to the country.
Close to 2,000 Indian tourists travel to Monaco on an annual basis and the number has been growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 20-25 per cent over the last four years, Mr Rose said.
The Monaco tourist bureau, which has an office in Delhi, will work with regional travel agents in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata in the first phase. This will later be extended to two more cities by 2013.
Mr Rajeev Nangia, India director for the tourist bureau, said that it has already identified a few agents and talks were in advanced stages with a few of them.
“Monaco is more of a luxury destination so we will talk to local agents who have clients looking for quality travel. We will roll out custom made packages for the Indian travellers which will offer complimentary airport travel by helicopter, free entry to museums and other discounts,” Mr Nangia said.