Leonardo Boto of Argentina National Institute of Tourism Promotion, shares his plans for India
Argentina National Institute of Tourism Promotion believes that there is a huge opportunity to tap the potential of the evolving Indian traveller and they are very keen on working closely with the Indian travel trade to make Argentina popular in India. Speaking exclusively with T3, Leonardo Boto, Executive Director, Argentina National Institute of Tourism Promotion revealed that, with 15 million Indians travelled abroad, Argentina intends to attract a percentage of this number.
“Even though our presence in this market has just begun, we notice a growth of almost five per cent between January and June 2012, as compared to that same period in 2011. Indeed, the new air connections to Argentina make it a more attractive destination for Indian tourists who want to visit the country. We currently have three weekly incoming flights from South African Airways, daily flights from Qatar and Emirates; and by the end of the year, Turkish Airlines will begin operations to Argentina, among others. Indian travellers today are interested in finding new destinations and we know they are attracted to South America as a whole with an Argentinean focus,” he said.
Speaking on their marketing and promotional activities in India, Boto revealed, “It’s the first time Argentina is entering the Indian market and with the diversity the destination offers it is important to educate the trade on the destination. We will commence with training the trade and then continue with mono Argentina road shows, before we can commence targeting the consumer.
“We are looking at developing the market with a long-term perspective. We are currently hosting a FAM trip with the top travel agents in India. Our India representative Knack, headed by Medha Sampat, will encourage agents and assist them in packaging various products that can be offered to the Indians. This year, for the first time, we participated in two trade fairs that took place in Delhi and Mumbai. The response was very encouraging.”
