The South American destination, National Institute for the Promotion of Tourism of Argentina (INPROTUR) in India is looking to tap the Indian market by being more reachable, regular and proactive with the Indian travel trade. “Last year, Indian arrivals to Argentina were approximately 5,000 as compared to 3,000 in 2011 which is a very encouraging number. Argentina is still a very new destination entering the Indian market and such a growing interest proves that Indians are now looking towards the unexplored,” said Leonardo Boto, Chairman, INPROTUR, adding that Argentina’s participation at SATTE 2013 has gained them a number of inquiries for Argentina and they hope they can convert the same to strong business ties.
Boto further opined, “Our most important focus area will be to educate the travel trade. Support and proper training will be provided to agents to help them package various products that can be offered to their clientele. We will start by targeting agents in Mumbai and Delhi and will gradually move to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai.”
Agreeing with Boto, Medha Sampat, Director, Knack Marketing & India representative for Argentina Tourism, said, “We will start with training the trade and then continue with conducting Argentina road shows in various cities. We are looking at developing the market with a long-term perspective. We will participate in trade shows, work closely with media, conduct seminars and trainings, and organise FAM trips to promote the destinations.”
Argentina will focus on the experimental and experienced traveller mainly from the FIT and MICE segments. “We want to position Argentina as a mono destination. The average length of stay of Indian travellers is five days, and we want this to increase to 7-10 days. We want to promote the nature, culture, vineyards, nightlife, handicraft and festivals of Argentina to the Indian market,” Boto said. Argentina is also looking at destinations and tourist attractions such as Iguassu falls, El Calafate, Ushuaia, the beautiful wine regions in Mendoza, Patagonia and Buenos Aires to tap MICE, honeymooners and families in India. “We also want to start promoting the various festivals and events such as the Dakar Rally, Argentine polo, Tango Festivals, food and wine festivals including the national harvest festival, among many others.”
According to Sampat, Argentina is picking up pace due to the good flight connectivity to Buenos Aires. “Argentina is well linked with airlines like South African Airways, Qatar, Turkish Airlines and Emirates.”
