WITH the aim to educate the Indian travel trade and public about its tourist destinations, Argentina’s NTO Instituto Nacional de Promoción Turistica (INPROTUR) held its first-ever roadshow in New Delhi last week.
The country welcomed only 5,600 Indian tourist arrivals last year and is aiming for 10 per cent growth this year from its modest base, and to that end will promote in India destinations like Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, Mendoza, El Calafate and San Carlos de Bariloche.
“Argentina has been the first South American country to target the Indian market. In the past we have participated in trade shows like SATTE and organised training sessions and seminars,” Medha Sampat, director of Knack Marketing, the India representative for INPROTUR.
“It’s the first time ever we are organising a roadshow in India in which DMCs from Argentina are participating. Our main aim is to educate travel consultants on Argentina as a tourist destination because people are still not aware about it.”
The three-city roadshow includes New Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru and the delegation will participate in OTM Mumbai from tomorrow to Friday, through which INPROTUR hopes to connect with some 700 travel consultants in India.
The tourism board had conducted training seminars in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Mumbai last September and will do the same in Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Hyderabad in March and April.
“We are also looking to introduce an online training programme for Indian consultants around June this year to reach out to smaller cities. Last year we had MICE groups of 100-150 pax from India visiting Argentina. Apart from MICE our focus is to target high-end tourists from India. We will also come up with a joint marketing campaign with Indian travel consultants later this year,” added Sampat.
