By Mata Press Service
Canada is not the only nation with an excited interest in the year 2010.
As Canada gears up for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver/Whistler, India has its sights set on doubling its tourist target to 10 million foreign visitors annually by the time the 2010 Commonwealth Games open in New Delhi.
To that end, India’s Ministry of Tourism is rampingup its overseas outreach efforts on several fronts,
Director, Ronjon Lahiri
enticing new and returning visitors with a raft of fresh travel initiatives including adventure tours, expanded pleasure cruises, honeymoon packages, homestays, B&B options and environmentally-friendly holiday packages tailored to the green-minded globe trotter.
Promoting his country’s ‘Incredible India’ initiative, Ronjon Lahiri, the brand new director of Indian Tourism in Canada, hit the ground running at a press luncheon at Surrey’s upscale Bombay Se restaurant last week.
“The passion comes because I’m passionate about my country,” remarked Lahiri, as he eloquently sang the praises of a nation that boasts some of the richest cultural heritage and diverse natural wonders on the planet.
Last year, 192,000 Canadians visited India. In total, a whopping 5.1 million people vacationed in India in 2007 — a figure that does not include an estimated three million Indian passport carrying Non-resident Indians (NRI’s) who return home to holiday each year.
“Canada is ranked third behind U.K. and the U.S.,” said Lahiri, who has worked for India Tourism for the past 24 years. “I want to overtake those markets.”
To that end, Lahiri, based in Toronto, is tossing out the traditional tourism game book wherein India’s myriad wonders are resold to overseas Indians, and is instead actively courting new markets in Canada. Among his targets, Canada’s ethnic communities, with Chinese Canadians his first order of business.
The Tourism Guru has already bombarded the Chinese community in Canada with a Mandarin-language advertising campaign.
“We have breached the Chinese community and they are interested in visiting India,” he says, with unwavering confidence.
Next on the agenda, says the U.K.-born, Sweden-educated travel ambassador, Canada’s Italian, Greek, Portuguese and Eastern European communities, as well as young adventure seekers looking for a life-experience holiday beyond the deck rails of a sun-baked booze cruise.
“I’m going to play at their feelings,” he says, of his plans to tap the burgeoning youth market.
Of course, with the flying public currently forced to absorb skyrocketing fuel prices at the airline ticket counter, long-haul destinations like India need all the Ronjon Lahiris they can muster.
India’s distance-cost factor has traditionally worked to India’s advantage when it comes to foreign-sourced tourism, particularly from North America.
“We have found that foreign tourists spend a minimum of 14 days in India, 28 days on average . . . compared to three days in places like Singapore,” Lahiri explained, adding India’s heritage draw cannot be completely dismissed as a factor in the country’s $11-billion annual tourism industry.
“You see a person bathing in the Ganges 5,000 years ago, you see the same thing even today,” he explained.
Reminded that several sexual assaults involving female Canadian tourists at Indian beach resorts last year were met with shock and disgust in Canada, and that Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs currently has a nine-page travel advisory related to the dangers — including warnings about armed robbery, kidnapping, and terrorism — in various regions of the country, the Tourism Guru didn’t skip a beat.
“It is human nature to blow up the negative aspect,” he told the South Asian Post. “There is the good and there is the bad, any place.
“A tourist going to any destination always faces the reality that they are a target to undesirables,” he added. “When tourists do come to India, for example the women tourists, they have to avoid going out alone or meeting up with unsavoury characters. Sometimes we bring calamity upon ourselves.”
Lahiri said that India’s 2010 Commonwealth Games infrastructure is is “coming up fantastically” and he plans on continuing his push for Tourism India in British Columbia.
“This is my first visit and hopefully it will be the first of many visits here,” he said. “I’m looking at the long-term perspective.”
India : The Bucket List
Planning a holiday to exotic India? Check out “The Bucket List” compiled by seasoned traveller Mahmood Poonja, Chief Explorer with Burnaby-based boutique travel agency Bestway Tours & Safaris.
According to Poonja, these picks of places in India to most definitely see before you kick the bucket are “personal opinions based on my individual interests which are more on culture, history and scenery, in that order.”
1. VARANASI - Ganges
2. AMRITSAR - Golden Temple
3. AGRA - Taj Mahal, Agra Fort
4. AURANGABAD - Ellora & Ajanta Caves
5. DARJEELING - Toy Train, Tea Estates, scenery
6. RAJASTHAN - Desert life of the rich and not so rich, architecture
7. KERALA - House Boats, scenery, people
8. DELHI - Humayun’s Tomb, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple
9. WESTERN & SOUTHERN INDIA COASTLINE - Fishing Villages, temples, people (Gujrat, Goa, Malabar, Kerala and Tamil Nadu)
10. TRAIN TRAVEL - Heritage On Wheels, Palace On Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Shatabdi’s
links
The north face Masters, a three-stop north pole clothing tour, is the first north face boots competitive snowboarding tour specifically tailored to fill a competition gap in the sport of Big Mountain north face sale Snowboarding. With a majority of the snowboarding population drawn to the freedom of expression found on the north face jackets open expanse of natural the north face backpacks mountain terrain, Big Mountain snowboarding is all about pushing personal limits in this pure environment. Big Mountain snowboarding is a test of a snowboarders creativity, athleticism and ability to push north face arctic jacket themselves through personal limits.
As Seen On TV have completely broken must As Seen On TV Discounts choose a good place to make the operation concept of existing circulation. No need of huge merchandising As Seen On TV Promotions counter,Fix It Pro Pen,As Seen On TV Store storage warehouse, also need not powerful shop sales team. In the management of the link to and manufacturer, ellipsis, middle and reduce As Seen On TV Products the cost. Due to the reduce middlemen, As Seen On TV?can provide consumers with more affordable prices, Snuggie blanket with television, telephone, Internet access, logistics and distribution of rapid development, people can As Seen On TV Infomercials buy gratified Snuggie convenient and safe. As Seen On TV?is the future trend of new shopping!
The government’s links of london bracelet support has been crucial. The chancellor and the transport secretary have publicly endorsed the railway links of london charms jewellery. Indeed, links of london necklace Ruth Kelly said links of london earrings Crossrail was ‘a links of london bangle landmark project of links of london ring major significance to London and the whole country. It will generate jobs and economic growth, help revitalise some of blanket with sleeves
our most deprived areas and deliver major improvements for the travelling public.’
You probably spent quite a
You probably spent quite a bit of money on your ugg boots, so it’s important bailey button ugg boots take care of them properly to ensure they last for a long time. uggs No one wants to run around in a pair of boots that look classic tall ugg boots and ugg sale, so here are a few classic short ugg boots you can do to make sure your ugg boots sale keep that brand new look for as long as possible.classic cardy ugg bootsDo NOT wash your cheap ugg boots. If you should find classic mini ugg boots been stained you should attempt ugg australia spot treat them before you do anything metallic ugg boots. You may need to scrub the entire winter boots if spot treatments do not work, but this is not something you should do on nightfall ugg boots regular basis.Are you looking a discount ugg boots online? There are various places an individual can purchases sundance ii ugg boots. The most popular is to purchase ugg boots 2010 online. There are a ultra tall ugg boots of popular websites that cheap uggs preferred amongst users due to its reliability.ultra short ugg boots can also could be worn by older children. Many kinds of colours of uggs on sale are available for kids, and their stylish design makes sure kids will like to wear the australia ugg bootsas they will be seen as the most fashionable kids in the playground,while you can rest assured that your children are warm enough.
Write comment