A pioneer in the all-inclusive concept, Club Med has just completed 67 years of operation. In India Club Med has been marketing aggressively since 2014, and the numbers have been growing. “We have seen a tremendous growth in terms of Indian customers. In India, educating the customer comes first. Being a traditional travel agency driven market we have to educate the travel agent about the product and its USP, so that they can push this product to the customers. There is a great scope,” said Manoj K Upadhyay, business development manager – India, Club Med. For Indian market the popularity of Club Med ranges from ski resorts to beach resorts. “We have resorts in South East Asia region where more than 60 percent of the Indian travellers go. We also have resorts in Japan, China and Europe. Product wise we have everything to offer to the Indian consumer. Our route is B2B, doing roadshows, talking to travel agents, telling about the product,” added Upadhyay.
Bintan Island in Indonesia is a short ferry ride from Singapore. Youssef Tobrouki, GM (Chef de Village), Club Med Bintan Island, who was in India recently stated, “When you come to Club Med it is not everything about bed and breakfast, it is all inclusive, including food, drinks, alcohol and activities. The activities range from those for kids, sport/ water activities.” Since last two years with more Indians coming now there is an Indian chef at the 304 keys resort.
Bintan is a golfer’s paradise and offers many activities as a destination. “Numbers from India to Bintan is increasing and that is why we feel there is a great scope for us to put Bintan as an add on destination to Singapore. Club Med is targeting the Indian market for two resorts, for the MICE segment – Bintan and Cherating,” mentioned Upadhyay, adding that as the resorts are spacious they are perfect for team building exercises. There is an in-house team to create an event for them. Bintan Resort International, which is the promotional board for Bintan is also focusing on
promoting the destination in the Indian market as a MICE destination.