Visit Scotland recently concluded a two-week road show across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. The event was held to attract more travellers from the India market through increasing business ties with new travel agents. This year’s mission saw two-fold increase in the number of partners from Scotland. Known for its scenic routes, history, culture, castle and whiskey tours, the country welcomed an average of 29,000 visitors from India in between the year 2013 and 2015. The partners are also looking at India as a potential market in MICE segment.
Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Kirsten Spence, marketing manager – India, Middle East and Australasia, said, “There have been significant queries for MICE destinations in Scotland and we are happy to showcase some distinguished offers from the country. We can see equal amount of interest from both sides as more partners have joined us this year.”
When asked about the special MICE destinations, Spence added, “Cities like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Abadeen offer some unique locations and activities that can be added to the itineraries.” She further informed that Scotland offers a total of 12,000 rooms, out of which 2000 are based in Glasgow which is the centre zone for numerous activities like shopping, food etc.
However, Martina Majerova, assistant manager, emerging markets, Visit Scotland, stated that the country is also focused on the leisure segment. She informed, “Scotland received roughly 35,000 Indian tourists last year, though the actual number is bound to be more. Many times the travellers who drive in from neighbouring countries are not recorded which leads to less numbers.”
She added, “Scotland is looking at China and India as key markets for growth and has designated special teams to work on marketing strategies for the countries. Our partners have seen a positive growth from the market and see the numbers rising in the coming year.”
Some of the companies which participated in the mission were Cashel Travel (Edinburgh), Kandala Travel (Glasgow, London and Hyderabad), The Spires (luxury serviced apartments in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen), CHR Travel (Essex), Golden Tours (London), Go2 UK Travels (London), Worldwide DMC (London), Globus (London), Belmond (London, Edinburgh) and Nira Caledonia (Edinburgh based luxury hotel).