This is his second innings in the India market and Ignacio Ducasse Gutierrez, director, Tourism Office of Spain- Mumbai sees a noticeable change with respect to the outbound tourism scenario in India and especially in connection with Spain as a destination from then to now. He worked for Spain Tourism in the India market around 10 years ago and he candidly says, “It’s all about before ‘Zindagi na milegi dobara’ and after.” Undoubtedly so, the film was a turning point for Spain Tourism and did wonders in terms of brand building, tourism inflow and growth in general, both amidst the new and the experienced traveller.
Having said that, the tourism board is building itself from there and is ready to welcome and showcase Spain across demography and varied travel groups. The destination received encouragement from the India market with almost one lakh visitors in 2016, both in the leisure and MICE category. The demand for MICE in Spain is also on the rise, as the country is opening up new regions for MICE for the India market. Increase in aviation seat capacity has also provided further impetus to the tourism inflow. The travel agent’s fraternity too has been highly proactive, with around 260 experts on Spain and over 700 as active business partners in the Indian trade, giving the destination its much needed tourism push. The first quarter of 2017 (January to April) the destination has witnessed an increase of around 17 per cent in terms of tourism inflow from India, vis-a-vis the previous year.
To further increase its strength and brand, the tourism office will continue it’s promotional strategy and campaigns with an increased focus via different channels of the social media.
In an exclusive with Express TravelWorld, Gutierrez, said, “From culture, art, food to architecture, history and dance, the destination is vibrant in every way. Spain is a perfect destination for various sets of travellers from adventure lovers, to women travellers, honeymooners and families in general. We are keen to highlight the ‘fly & drive’ experience in the India market. Shopping is yet another interesting aspects for the Indian travellers, which is worth exploring. The India market has been responding very well and we can extremely excited about our work in the this region for the future. We are working closely with trade partners who promote various aspects of Spain.” Cox & Kings recently partnered with Spain Tourism for Tapas Day celebrations. Cox & Kings, presented it’s guidebook – ‘En-route’ that encapsulates the flavours and cultural offerings of Spain.