Having received encouraging response from the India market since 2010, British Columbia (BC) has doubled its India budget in last three years. This was informed by Monica Leeck, Market Development Manager Asia, Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training British, British Columbia. According to her, British Columbia has come up with a two-phase plan designed especially for the Indian market. “Phase 1 will be operational in 2013 and will see British Columbia lay focus on major metros like Mumbai and Delhi and phase II, which will be put in action in 2014, will focus on Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and major Tier-II cities.”
India and China are the most important emerging travel markets for BC and are currently enjoying positive growth. “In 2012 Indian visitor arrivals to BC were 46,565, a 7.2 per cent increase over 2011. We expect this number to increase by 10 per cent in 2013. Currently, India is the 11th largest international market for visitors to British Columbia,” she said adding that British Columbia is the second largest destination visited by Indians in Canada. There is a budding market for the leisure segment and BC is concentrating on attracting a combination of honeymooners, FITs and group travellers.”
Highlighting the importance of the Indian travel trade, Leeck opined, “The Indian travel trade is a major driver in establishing British Columbia’s presence in India and 95 per cent of our business comes from them. We are conducting many joint promotions with the travel trade, which involves a 50-50 investment from each the agent and ourselves.”
To increase the average length of stay in the province, British Columbia in conjunction with the travel trade has come up with special itineraries and packages that include new products and tourist attractions. “BC would like to develop the staple itinerary by promoting new products such as wine touring in the Okanagan, wildlife viewing (e.g. whales and grizzly bears) on Vancouver Island, honeymoon destinations such as luxury lodges on the Pacific Coast, and outdoor soft adventure (think New Zealand but bigger). In addition, we will start introducing the concept of “winter fun in the snow”. Enjoy winter like a Canadian: take a ski lesson, take the family dog sledding, snow tubing or snowshoeing; and combine this with the VIA Rail snow train to the Rockies, or Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) viewing in the Yukon,” she said.
