Following Holland’s growth of over 19 per cent in Indian arrivals from January to March this year, Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions (NBTC) hosted an India sales mission in collaboration with Amsterdam Airport Schipol, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Jet Airways. The three-city sales mission was held to meet over 300 travel trade partners and expand their knowledge about Netherland’s tourism offerings. Some new partners were seen at the road show including Blue Boat Company, Efteling, Henri Willig, ITO Tours and Madurodam.
Speaking at the event in New Delhi, Carola Muller, global travel trade manager, NBTC, stated, “India is a growing market and very important for Holland’s tourism industry. We have met with the agents to understand their demand in the MICE and wedding segments apart from leisure trips. Currently we are promoting Holland by dividing it in the form of districts or storylines which combine destinations. The Dutch Golden Age, The Water Trail, the Van Gogh Art, Flowers of Holland among many others are being promoted under the same concept.”
Seeing the growth of Indian travellers to Netherlands, Jet Airways announced its third daily service to Amsterdam from Bengaluru. Ragini Chopra, vice president, corporate affairs and public relations, Jet Airways, informed, “Starting October 29, 2017, Jet Airways will be launching its third daily service connecting Amsterdam to Bengaluru. Being the IT hub of the country, Bengaluru has the third busiest airport in the country. This connection will further boost the growing popularity of Holland as a business and leisure destination.”
This sales mission brought forward some new leisure and MICE products that could cater to India’s growing outbound market. Bjorn van Gelder, sales manager, Blue Boat Company, informed, “We have 15 boats for canal cruising, each can host upto 80 people. It gives a unique outlook of the city and is best way to explore Amsterdam.” Similarly, Efteling is a fantasy themed amusement park near Amsterdam which can be a unique day destination. Jack van de Vliert, head, sales leisure, Efteling stated, “The park is the most visited attraction in Holland which was visited by five million people last year. Open 365 days a year, it offers some unique interactive experiences for families. The restaurants also serve some vegetarian dishes which shall suit Indian visitors.”
Holland targets to achieve 16 million global visitors by 2020. Seeing India’s 19 per cent growth From January to March this year in comparison with last year, NBTC is keen on increasing these numbers by offering new products and targetting specific segments.