Thailand was the most chosen destination amongst Indian travellers in 2015 with three places finding a prominent spot in the top 10
Mohamed Zakraf Shafee, director, Exotic Global Holidays, which has hosted Mice groups as large as 500 in the past, said:
“Sri Lanka offers a wide range of programmes for Mice groups and the journey to reach the island is short and easy for Indian travellers, meaning the travel costs are attractive and the cultural differences minimal.
Tshepo Rox Sikwan, director – Trianon Convention Centre, Mauritius said, “Mice organisers have hundreds of destinations to choose from, but the discerning Mice organiser is looking for a location and venue where they can be confident the delegates have a world class experience.
Middle East continues to remain as one of the top destinations selected by Indian travellers. “TCA Abu Dhabi’s strategy is to extend India’s growing importance as a lead source market for international tourism guests and destination attributes which appeal to the Indian market,” said Mubarak Al Shamisi, director, Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, the dedicated division of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) which champions the emirate as a dynamic global business events leader.
“The Convention Bureau has been very successful in helping the Mice organisers with various value propositions, helping Indian buyers attract groups from India of over 1,200 passengers. Our location and ease of access makes Abu Dhabi a superb meetings and conventions choice where delegates can arrive fresh and ready to get down to business.”, Mubarak added.
France has also implemented a stategy to enhance the country’s positioning as a luxury and incentive destination. In support of this statement, Sheetal Munshaw, director, Atout France in India, said: “We have been very active in our interactions with Indian buyers. India’s biggest incentive movement to France took place in December 2015 which saw an approximate of 2,200 delegates from a reputed multinational visit the city of Paris. This has has set a healthy precedent for a slew of other incentive movements that have taken place in France over the last year.”
Shedding light on why tourism authorities are partnering with the Milt Congress, Sunil Mathapati, country manager, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority said that the one to one meeting format of the Milt Congress is very encouraging as they can personally address what Bahrain has to offer and also look into requirements of any buyers who meet them.
Meanwhile on domestic scale, Delhi and Mumbai continued to occupy the top two spots, Hyderabad switched places with Jaipur thereby bagging the sixth position as compared to 2014. Destinations such as Goa, Bengaluru and Chennai retained their third, fourth and fifth positions respectively. Ahmedabad replaced Agra known, making its way to the list ranking 10th.
