India’s outbound MICE demand surges as travel restrictions ease

The demand for outbound incentives from India will continue to surge this year – buoyed by the Indian government’s recent decision to ease travel restrictions – and both tourism boards and travel consultants have taken notice.

“The lifting of restrictions on scheduled international flights has proved to be a huge booster to outbound travel intent, especially for MICE. We believe that groups are more than ready and are raring to travel,” said Neliswa Nkani, hub head – MEISEA, South African Tourism. “In fact, we recently booked a group of 800+ pax from a renowned pharmaceutical company in India.”

Australia is one of the destinations in demand among India outbound incentive groups secured by SOTC Travel; Melbourne pictured

The NTO recently hosted Indian buyers at the 2022 edition of Meetings Africa in Johannesburg – the African continent’s largest tradeshow for the business events industry. The NTO is also planning to host Indian travel buyers at Indaba 2022, a trade fair by the African Travel and Tourism Association scheduled from May 3 to 5.

Currently, about 28 per cent of all Indian visitors to South Africa are corporate travellers.

Iyad Rasbey, executive director, destination tourism development, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, has similarly noticed that incentive group travel from India is “ready to make a comeback”.

“Insurance, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and FMCG industry are sectors that are driving the demand for incentive travel. DMCs are creating programmes that include Ras Al Khaimah for activities and nature-based adventures for incentive groups,” he added.

The tourism board will be conducting two roadshows next month in New Delhi and Mumbai to raise awareness about its various tourism products and experiences for different verticals, including the business events market.

S D Nandakumar, president & country head – B2B & foreign exchange, SOTC Travel, concurred with Rasbey’s observations.

He said: “Over 85 per cent of our corporate movement is incentive-driven and we have multiple groups ranging from 40 attendees to over 4,000 lined up, from varied sectors inclusive of pharmaceutical, insurance, cement, textile, FMCG, paint, automobile, banking, finance, and agriculture.”

For these groups, shorthaul destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka and Australia rank the highest, while Europe remains popular for longhaul groups.

Joining the destination marketing frenzy in India is Tourism Australia, which held a Business Event Australia Showcase in Mumbai from March 10 to 11. India’s top 15 MICE agents were invited to interact with business events stakeholders from Australia.

On Australia’s event calendar this year is the T20 Cricket World Cup from October 22 to November 13, which the NTO expects to draw a strong incentive travel demand from India.

“This tournament is going to be a major game-changer from a MICE perspective as there are a lot of corporates that are showing interest to host their dealers and employees during the sporting event,” Nishant Kashikar, country manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia, told TTGmice.

Meera Charnalia, senior vice president and head – MICE, Thomas Cook (India), said: “Corporates are displaying a keen interest in outdoor and experiential activities for team bonding sessions, masterchef classes, and exploring hidden local gems, water sports, and exclusive sundowner events.”

He added that most companies have held back on spending for the last two years, resulting in a growing appetite for “exclusive experiences” along with an increased budget.

Thomas Cook (India) has also noticed keen interest in organising events at luxury hotels, with clients ready to splurge on Michelin-star dining experiences.

“We have a robust pipeline of group sizes ranging from 50 to 600. On average, budgets we are seeing this year range between Rs. 75,000 (US$983) to Rs. 100,000 per delegate for a stay of three nights at a shorthaul destination, to approximately Rs. 175,000 to Rs. 250,000 at a mid- or longhaul destination,” Charnalia revealed.

Popular shorthaul destinations Charnalia’s clients are keen on include Thailand, the UAE and the Maldives, while longhaul destinations include France, the UK, and Switzerland.

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