Visit California recently brought its largest delegation to date to the fifth annual Brand USA India Mission. The annual mission is a platform for California’s travel trade industry to connect with key media and select corporate houses in India, while showcasing the diversity of California’s travel product.
Nine California tourism businesses travelled to Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi to engage in buyer-seller meetings, VIP networking and media events.
In a release to media, Caroline Beteta, President and CEO, Visit California said, “India is an important emerging market, and we see tremendous opportunity to increase visitation to California in the coming years. The Golden State offers an unparalleled diversity of unique experiences for Indian visitors — world-class cities, cutting-edge culinary experiences, the great outdoors and family fun. The India mission allows us to build on existing relationships and create new collaborations with the Indian travel industry.”
More than 258 million visitors travelled to California in 2015 from every corner of the world, 291,000 of them from India. Indian travellers stayed an average 18.5 days on their trip, spending $1,785 each, making them a valuable target for California tourism businesses. Air India’s nonstop flight from Delhi to San Francisco, which launched last year, has created seamless access for Indian travellers to experience the diversity of the state. The route has proved so popular that the airline recently announced plans to increase its frequency.
