Tourism road shows abroad

With the number of foreign tourists visiting India dropping due to global recession and heightened security threat post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the Union tourism ministry is organising road shows abroad to reach out to new markets and interior cities.
The countries where a series of road shows were held recently include Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan and South Korea. Road shows will be held this month with Japan and Korea as target markets.
Similar shows are planned in South America and Europe as well.
These tourism ministry sponsored shows were held in collaboration with Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) and India tourism offices in the respective countries.
“With these road shows, we could educate the local tour operators about our niche products and create awareness about special offers available under the Visit India Year 2009 scheme,” said the IATO president, Mr Vijay Thakur.
“Though economic recession has hit the travel industry, we need to try to overcome it by experimenting novel formats to boost sales. Road shows are the best way to be with direct contacts with the tour operators who create business for us,” he added.