Opening doors for Indian tourists

By Diana Uy

IT is often said that when God created the Philippines, He added 7,000 more. But as far as our Indian neighbors are concerned, the Philippines is a little known group of islands in the southeast —nothing more.

Apparently, most of them have no clue where it is. In a survey conducted by the Department of Tourism , of visitor arrivals in the Philippines by country of residence (January to December 2006), India clocked in an estimated 22,000 visitors, which captures only 0.8 percent of the pie. It did not even make it to the top 12 of our foreign regulars!

Such is the dilemma of the Department of Tourism who are now on an aggressive campaign to lure Indians to come visit the country.

“Most of them don’t have any idea where the country is,” shares Alex Stutely of Blue Horizons Travel and Tours Inc., the only travel operator who participated in the recently concluded Outbound Travel Mart held at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai India, “I had to show them a map [to show] where the country is located.”

In agreement, San Jeet, of the Buzz Travel Marketing India Pvt. Ltd. and India representative of DoT, interjects, “Indians know of the Philippines. They’ve heard of Manila and Cebu, but nobody knows what to see and do in those places.”

A sliver of hope

The tourism department, under the helm of Secretary Ace Durano remains optimistic. And Durano may have reason to be.

According to Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr., they noticed that every time people talk about China, India is not so far behind.

“At times, they even talk of China and India as leading economists that are going to change how the rest of the world will behave,” observes Jarque.

The South Asian region disperses about 200,000 to half a million Indian tourists to favorite destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong in a year. The total Indian outbound Indian tourists amount to 8.5 million and the rate grows at 20 percent a year.

Indian visitors can spend an average of $1,200 per visit!

San Jeet says Indian tourists can serve as fillers from April to June (off season for Western visitors).

Consequently, DoT, in cooperation with Singapore Airlines, tested the waters and invited three journalists from India’s top media outfits including the no. 1 daily, The Times of India. These journalists were then toured around some of the best destinations in the country including Boracay.

DoT found out that though Indians loved our beaches, it was shopping that thrilled them the most—from the upscale Greenbelt to the frenzied 168 and our underground version of SoHo, which is the Recto underpass, the journalists and lifestyle writers couldn’t just get enough!

With the success of DoT’s little experiment, the tourism department decided to set up an office in New Delhi appointing San Jeet and his team, Damini Sinha and Poonam Makhija, as Philippine representatives to India, and participating in the Outbound Travel Mart last Feb. 10 to 12 in Mumbai.

“The aim is to make India the new China [when it comes to tourist arrival],” enthuses Jarque recalling the incredible turn of Chinese tourists to the Philippines after DoT’s incessant tourism campaign to the region.

Travel exchange

Department of Tourism also organized the First Philippine Tourism Conference to jumpstart its participation in the OTM. More than a hundred tourist operators and members of the Indian press attended the travel exchange held on Feb. 9, at the Taj Land’ End.

Participated in by more than 300 wholesalers and agents, the OTM is considered to be the biggest travel show in India.

Countries as far as South Africa, Jamaica to Europe competed against each other in terms of gimiks, national costumes, size and color of posters and booths, and brochures.

With breathtaking Philippine scenery as backdrop, a huge flatscreen tv, and the scene-stealing Bayanihan, the Philippine booth was considered a favorite in the OTM. In the end, the Philippines walked away with the Most Promising New Destination Award.

A call for the private sector

Though the Philippines is predicted to be the next big thing for Indians, San Jeet still expresses concerns about the challenges ahead. Various sectors have already emphasized on the need for more effective and intensive awareness campaigns; speedy Visa processing; and low-cost airfares. However, the actualization of let’s say, half a million Indian tourists coming to the country, still relies on the private sector and not only of the outside help or of the government.

“Travel agents in the Philippines must come forward. They must have a one-to-one relationship with the clients. Until then, there’s no point moving ahead.”