SAYONI BHADURI – New Delhi
“There were a lot of speculations prior to the games, but the destination got a lot of positive coverage post the Games and after that we have seen a definite surge in visitor numbers. We saw a hike of as much as 20 per cent in arrivals post Olympics,” said Shivali Suri, country manager VisitBritain India discussing the impact of the Olympic Games that concluded in London last year.
The immediate aim for VisitBritain is to capture the honeymoon market. “And with the new alliance with Yatra.com, we are also looking at attracting the summer vacation market as well,” she added. With a strategy for 2020 aiming to build on Britain’s image, increase distribution through travel trade in key markets, improve the range of product on offer where necessary, VisitBritain India has decided to launch a partnership with Yatra.com. “Yatra.com is a fast growing young company and was keen on growing their UK itinerary. They were happy to use their brand ambassador Salman Khan to launch the itinerary as well.” This is the first time VisitBritain has tied up exclusively with an Indian partner. It is a 50:50 joint partnership with both parties investing GBP 50,000 each. The campaign will be on till March 2013. “We are open to renewing this contract post March 2013. We are also open to similar alliances with different partners in the future,” said Suri
She further added that the strategy for 2013 is still being formulated, “One thing is for sure that we want a bigger association with our B2B partners.”
She added that VisitBritain is looking at a 40 per cent increase in arrivals from India, by 2020.
