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Airline and hotel companies are tempting Indians to travel and stay abroad with discounts and buy-one-get-one-free deals at a time outbound travel from China has ebbed.
Airline and hotel companies are tempting Indians to travel and stay abroad with discounts and buy-one-get-one-free deals at a time outbound travel from China has ebbed.
Most of the world has focused on Indians since outbound travel from China, once the largest source of tourism revenue globally, remains disrupted despite the lifting of most pandemic restrictions. China sent out about 12 million outbound air passengers every month in 2019.
Most of the world has focused on Indians since outbound travel from China, once the largest source of tourism revenue globally, remains disrupted despite the lifting of most pandemic restrictions. China sent out about 12 million outbound air passengers every month in 2019.
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Last month, SriLankan Airlines launched ‘Dil Full of Sri Lanka’, a marketing campaign part of its SriLankan Holidays business. The airline is bundling one plus-one tickets for Indian flyers along with four and five-star hotel stays at lower costs to travel till the end of May. Packages are available for as low as about $800 for two people, including stay, meals, and travel.
“We operate our largest airline flight load to India with connection to nine cities. Indian travellers were the most important travellers we always had,” said Saminda Perera, general manager of marketing at SriLankan Airlines. “Even before the pandemic, the largest number of travellers came from India. And so, after our economic crisis, we decided to create a marketing offer, especially for India. We wanted to revive tourism from India, and since we are just a few hours away, it was a way by which we could showcase that our country was open for tourism and safe. We feel Indians can make quick trips here and also keep coming back. And also, at the moment, our top five-star hotels are much more affordable than Indian leisure hotels,” Perera added.
The airline received thousands of enquiries since the offer was launched through channel partners and on its website, and tickets were sold out for travel up till the end of May.
Indians are always looking to save costs while travelling, said Daniel D’Souza, president and country head of holidays at SOTC Travel. “Hence, to attract more Indians, many destinations, airlines, and cruises have introduced attractive offers like special buy-one, get-one offers. For instance, sailing on the popular Genting Dream, Norwegian Cruise Line and domestic cruises in Cordelia are available on this offer right now,” D’Souza said.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific airline is offering a limited number of round-trip tickets to Hong Kong globally in phases, D’Souza said. Domestic airline Go First has introduced a range of offers, like international fares starting at ₹6,599 all-inclusive, with zero cancellation and rescheduling charges. Taiwan is planning to offer cash rewards to tourists and tour groups to visit the island.
Rajeev Kale, president and country head of holidays, MICE, visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, which also owns SOTC Travel, said its holidays business has been witnessing an accelerated rebound, and it has entered into multiple partnerships with tourism boards, both at a country and at a provincial level.
Singapore Tourism Board recently announced 40 complimentary new experiences for Indians, while its airline Singapore Airlines is offering a 50% discount for children. Saudi Arabia is offering a 96-hour free stopover visa and one-night free hotel stay when visitors travel using the kingdom’s Saudia airline. Vistara is offering special fares for two adults travelling together to Mauritius, Colombo and Male.
Bhutan’s tourism board, meanwhile, is considering a limited-time offer for Indian travellers. “In the short run, such offers help us create a little excitement about the destination and help bring in the desired numbers. We are considering some discounts or offers in the coming days for Indian travellers,” said Dorji Dhradhul, director-general of the department of tourism, Bhutan. The board is yet to roll out any offers.
Next week, Flipkart-owned online travel platform Cleartrip will launch its ‘NationOnVacation’ marketing scheme offering discounted international fares. It is offering international flights to Bangkok at ₹4,999, Male at ₹6,499, Paris at ₹24,999 and London at ₹27,999.
According to data collected by RateGain-owned Adara—a platform that processes data on travel intent— Indians are increasingly looking to spend on expensive hotels and are picking destinations like the UAE, US, UK and Australia. Additionally, Singapore and Thailand have regained the top spot for couples in the past year.
Outbound trips from India are expected to account for $42 billion by 2024, with approximately 80 million passport holders and a growing population being major contributors to the increase, according to a report by consulting firm Nangia Andersen LLP and the Ficci lobby group. It said Indians spent $22.9 billion on outbound trips in 2019, and Europe receives a large chunk of traveller traffic from India at 20%. Another 10% goes to Australia and New Zealand, and the rest goes to Southeast Asia.
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