Scotland lures Indian tourists with Bollywood & more
Edinburgh, Nov 28 (IBNS/NITN): This week sees a plethora of exciting Scottish industry and governmental activity happening across India. VisitScotland, the national tourism organisation for Scotland, is hosting an influential group of travel business leaders as they journey to Mumbai and New Delhi for strategic business development workshops in partnership with Emirates.
This is aligned with an official visit from Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney, who is enjoying a vast programme in India, including co-hosting a St Andrew’s Day reception in New Delhi, holding an industry round table, and conducting high level meetings in Bangalore and the country’s capital.
Five star hotel Gleneagles, travel experts Cashel, luxury Edinburgh holiday apartments The Spires, and the newly refurbished Caledonian Sleeper train, all have representatives in India this week, holding fruitful conversations with tour operators and industry leaders.
"India continues to be an important growth market for Scotland with spend and visits by Indian visitors increasing by almost two thirds in the past 10 years. This Business Development Mission will give Scottish businesses an opportunity to engage face-to-face with tour operators in-market, to help develop future products for Indian travellers. With India’s luxury travellers and the fast-growing middle-class traveller market having a propensity to travel outside of the main visitor season, India plays an important role in marketing and developing Scotland as a year-round destination," VisitScotland chief executive Malcolm Roughead said.
Scotland's deputy first minister John Swinney said, "Scotland has a long and deep rooted history with India and we are welcoming more visitors from the country than ever before."
Latest available figures reveal the total amount of spend by visitors from India to Scotland has risen by 60 per cent in the past 10 years to £17.6 million. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Indians visiting Scotland; a 92 per cent rise from 2016 to 2017, paired with a 65 per cent increase in spend for 2017.
This October, Bollywood classic Kuch Kuch Hota Hai celebrated 20 years of its release. With the release of a new map, VisitScotland invites Bollywood fans to visit Scotland and relive some of their favourite scenes in Scotland’s majestic landscapes and vibrant culture.
Earlier this year, VisitScotland embarked on its first ever social media campaign in India, targeting 25-55 year olds in key cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The online campaign reached more than 10 million people, it claims.
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