Let’s travel together.

US Consulate Mumbai encourages business travel from India

The Western Region of Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI) organised an exclusive session on visas, especially B1 and B2 visas, under the outreach programme of the US Consulate in Mumbai. Addressed by Rachel Sunden, ACS and CIU chief, US Consulate Mumbai along with Gregory Taeves, commercial consul – Mumbai, US Department of Commerce, the session highlighted MICE opportunities in the US and provided clarified information about US visas.

TAAI was represented by Sampat Damani, chairman, TAAI Western Region; Marzban Antia, vice president, TAAI; and Jay Bhatia, treasurer and Tourism Council chairman, TAAI.

Sharing insights, Taeves revealed that international visitors contributed US$ 21 billion to the US economy last year. Whereas Indian visitor arrivals to the US have been marked at 1.1 million in 2015, spending US$ 11.8 billion, with an average individual travel spend of US$ 6,800. The US is now focusing on driving two million Indian visitors this year.

Furthermore, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker has also announced 2017 as ‘US & India Travel and Tourism Partnership Year’. At present, alongside India, only China has this partnership with the US.

“Travel and tourism is US Government’s priority. Our focus in India is on leisure, MICE, Bollywood and healthcare segments. We work with TAAI to grow travel from these segments. There are some challenges and myths, but the US Mission in India is dedicated to overcome these through its outreach programme, even outside Mumbai,” said Taeves.

This is fourth year of US’ focus MICE in India, which also covers Tier II cities. The MICE 4.0 campaign of the US aims to double groups attract Bollywood travel, alongside encouraging travel for trade, investment and education.

Sunden shedded light on the visa norms and answered various questions raised by TAAI members. She said, “Travel agents are valuable partners for us. We have an interview based system, not document based, which makes it easier, faster and more efficient.”