After two years of the pandemic, and only a few months after the opening of the borders, is India ready to welcome international travellers?
With this in mind, the Indian incoming agency SITA, Vistara Airlines and The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts 5 French organised a FAM tour for agents from France to (re)discover the destination from 1-8 May, 2022, organised along with Le Bureau Parisien.
This opportunity – two years after the pandemic and only a few months after the opening of the borders was organised to “discover the extent to which the destination is ready to welcome travellers in terms of infrastructure, but also to feel the vitality and enthusiasm of the players on the ground for a new tourist season full of hope.”
All the more so as the entry procedures have been simplified aswell; (online e-visa for a cost of 10 USD; negative PCR test of less than 72 hours on the Air Suvidha form).
“All the planets are aligned to make India a major destination for winter 2022-2023.”
The 5 invited professionals (Kavita Pardeshi – Voyageurs du Monde, Clément Aït-Ali – Les Ateliers du Voyage, Valentine Rémery – Explorator, Mélanie Thiaudiere – Marco Vasco and Pierre Jamet Fournier – Partir) were able to experience Vistara’s Premium Economy class. Vistara operates the Paris – Delhi route twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays, in a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Tri-Class (fares from €598 including tax in Economy class, €1,113 including tax in Premium Economy class, and €2,159 including tax in Business class).
Seasoned professionals ready to welcome us with open arms
On site, the tour was organised and operated by SITA, with a visit to the must-see sites combined with new, immersive and interactive experiences in order to discover the culture and history of the country from a different angle.
Purnima Estève who organised it via Le Bureau Parisien was also part of the FAM. “This tour was an opportunity for us to refresh our knowledge, but also to see how ready the country is to welcome travellers again. Everywhere we went, hotels, restaurants, tourist sites… we always met seasoned professionals ready to welcome us with open arms,” comments Jean-Noël Estève, SITA’s Sales Director, North France.
The tour was also an opportunity for participants to attend the Très 2022 show, which is an invitation-only event that lasts two days. Très is an exclusive showcase of some of the most unique boutique hotels, retreats, lodges and immersive experiences in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
“The show was a highlight of the journey as well, with an exciting vitality and buzz amongst the tourism professionals. We look forward to sharing our experience and putting India back on the map,” said show organisers.
During the course of the FAM tour, the attendees were hosted at The Leela Palace New Delhi, The Leela Palace Jaipur and The Leela Palace Udaipur which is voted the world’s best brand for the second year in a row by Travel & Leisure USA World’s Best Award 2021.
“Each of these palaces, whether in the North or South of the country reflect the India of today, looking to the future while magnifying the past.”
What did they think?
For the participants, this eductional tour was a “pleasure to rediscover the treasures of India, notably the City Palace of Udaipur to experience once again the warm interactions that make this country a must-see and to see that the destination is ready to welcome international travellers,” said Pierre Fournier of PARTIR.
For Mélanie Thiaudière of Marco Vasco, “this first discovery of India was an opportunity to enrich my knowledge of the destination and in particular the diversity of the charming addresses on offer there.”
Valentine Rémery from Explorator was “delighted to have gone to India, to meet a population with a really touching welcome.
Clément Aït-Ali from Les Ateliers du Voyages, was, “impressed by the beauty of the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur and invites travellers to go to India to discover this fascinating culture for themselves.”
Source: https://www.tourmag.com/Reouverture-de-l-Inde-cinq-tour-operateurs-a-la-re-decouverte-de-la-destination_a114037.html
