OUTBOUND traffic from India to the UK is expected to grow by 15 to 20 per cent this year, according to some Indian buyers who attended Destination Britain & Ireland APMEA in Bangalore, which concluded yesterday.
Ludhiana-based Systematic Air Travel director, Anand Jhamb, who has been promoting the UK for about five years now, said the number of his customers travelling to the UK had grown to about 15-20 per month now. The clients stay for an average of eight days, combining London with a few other cities in England and Scotland.
Jhamb said he was expecting the number to grow even further, by about 15 to 20 per cent this year, in light of the expected buzz around VisitBritain’s recently-appointed goodwill ambassadors, especially Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar. (TTG Asia e-Daily, 18 May 2011).
Jay Joshi, online support manager of Travel Designer India’s global reservation system RezLive.com, said Johar was a famous personality in India, and that his endorsement would help to attract more Indian travellers to the UK.
Gurgaon-based Dejavu Holidays director, Jaspreet Chopra, said the buzz around the recent royal wedding, and next year’s Olympic Games in London and Queen Elizabeth’s 60th anniversary on the throne, are also expected to increase outbound traffic to the UK by 15 to 20 per cent both this year and next.
By Sirima Eamtako
