Total visitor arrivals from India to New Zealand have doubled (from 33,000 to 66,000) in the past four years, with more Indians visiting the country than ever before.
In recognition of this incredible growth and increased interest in the Indian market from New Zealand tourism operators, Tourism New Zealand is expanding its annual travel trade event, Kiwi Link India, this year. The new format will see the organisation and partners hosting key buyers from around India in Mumbai from July 9 to 10, followed by frontline training in Bengaluru and New Delhi on July 12 and 13 respectively.
Kiwi Link serves as a platform for Indian travel agents, product managers and planners to interact with New Zealand operators and understand the new developments and market insights in the tourism sector.
Kiwi Link 2018 will see participation from record 40 New Zealand operators, along with three airlines – Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, Immigration New Zealand and 72 Indian delegates from 49 travel companies. More than 50 Indian participants are expected to attend the frontline training programme which will be conducted in the Bengaluru and New Delhi markets.
Speaking about the event, Steven Dixon, regional manager-South and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand said, “This year we have a record number of New Zealand operators visiting India to participate in Kiwi Link, which is a real reflection on the value we place on the market. The New Zealand industry has had a strong interest in India for some time and this has been further heightened by very robust current arrival growth (21 per cent year on year) and on future potential.
“Kiwi Link India is one of Tourism New Zealand’s premier trade training events and continues to facilitate the bilateral relations between the two countries. This event provides an opportunity for both new and experienced tourism operators to develop an alliance with vital travel decision makers, thus enabling them to drive sales out of India,” he added.
Through the course of this week-long event, Tourism New Zealand aims to connect New Zealand operators with Indian travel agents to strengthen trade relations. The event helps travel partners highlight the destination’s unique range of offerings along with showcasing new products and services that are available for the selected travel trade sellers in the Indian market.