India to highlight Yoga and Ayurveda to attract more US tourists
India plans to have road shows to emphasis alternate therapies like Yoga and Ayurveda to attract more tourists form the US. The tourists from US have been one of the largest contributors of income in the tourism industry, UK being the second foreign contributor. Recently, in the leadership of the tourism minister Alphons Kannanthanam, a road show under the theme ‘Incredible India’ has conducted in New York and Chicago.
In 2017 India has received 1.4 million US tourists, which was 6 per cent more than that of a year ago and around 25 per cent more from 2014. Meanwhile, UK tourists counted 986,296 in 2017, 4 per cent more than last year and 17.6 per cent up from 2014. These figures depict the stronghold interest of US tourists in Indian tourism.
Facilities to have eVisas and the progress in unilateral business between the two countries also contributed to the arrival of Americans to India on a large scale.
“Massive marketing programs have conducted in the US with promotional videos of Yoga and Ayurveda,” said Alphons. More than 25 tour operators participated in the promotional programme as delegates and made presentations on Indian tourism industry. The team could have interactions with the tourism companies and other prospective stakeholders in New York, Chicago, Houston and St Louis.
“St Louis and Housten could be new potential market for Indian tourist companies,” said an official delegate. The participants were amused by the presence of a Union Minister in the road shows to promote tourism in a foreign country, which was unlikely.
“The US was one of the earliest countries to be included under the e-visa programme, before UK. Furthermore, growth in direct flights to the US and the growing business between the two countries has also contributed to growth of US tourists to India” said another delegate.
US were the second biggest source of market for Indian tourism In April, second to Bangladesh, with an 11.2 per cent share of the total foreign tourist arrivals. In 2015, India had received about 1.2 million US tourists and 867,601UK tourists.
As part of the India-US strategic and commercial dialogue, a series of activities are undertaking between the two countries. Tourism is one of the important subjects among them.
