SUDIPTA DEV – Mumbai
The recent appointment of Knack Marketing as the official representative of the National Institute for the Promotion of Tourism of Argentina (INPROTUR) in India is in response to the growing interest of Indian travellers in the South American destination. “This year from January to August there has been 25 per cent growth in tourist arrivals from India. One of the most important reason is that we have good connection with India through different airlines. Then our consulate in Mumbai and Embassy in Delhi have been working to help us,” said Leonardo Boto, chairman, INPROTUR, adding that they are looking at similar growth in the future as well.
“Argentina is just entering the Indian market and we are quite excited to see the interest. There are a number of inquiries for Argentina and we hope we can convert the same. The Indian traveller is looking for new bold experiences. The experience that Argentina will offer to the travellers is completely unique and exclusive. Our focus will be on the experimental and experienced traveller from the FIT and MICE segments,” added Boto.
Being an emerging destination for India outbound, one of the key focus areas will be educating the travel trade. “The focus of the training will be to introduce and educate the trade on the destination. We will commence with targeting agents in Mumbai and Delhi and will gradually move to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai,” said Boto.
Assistance will be provided to agents to help them package various products that can be offered to their clientele. “It is the first time Argentina is entering into the Indian market and with the diversity the destination offers it is important to educate the trade on the destination. We will commence with training the trade and then continue with mono Argentina road shows, before we can commence targeting the consumer. We are looking at developing the market with a long-term perspective. The trade will be made to experience the destination and FAM trips will continue,” said Medha Sampat, director – Knack Marketing, India representative for Argentina Tourism. Recently a FAM trip was hosted in Argentina with leading Indian travel agents.
Some of the key attractions in Argentina are the Iguassu falls (recently named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World), El Calafate – the progressive Perito Moreno glacier, Ushuaia –the end of the world, the beautiful wine regions in Mendoza, the capital city of Buenos Aires, etc. There are also many interesting events to attract the Indian traveller. “Argentina is always buzzing with activity such as the amazing Dakar Rally which includes 9000 kilometers of adventure, Argentine polo features three of the highest handicap tournaments in the world, Tango Festivals as Buenos Aires is the Tango capital of the world, food and wine festivals including the national harvest festival, etc,” mentioned Sampat.
One of the important factors for Indian tourists is good flight connectivity to Buenos Aires. South African Airways, Qatar and Emirates are some of the airlines, besides many European carriers that offer easy access into Buenos Aires.
