FAM trips for Indian tour operators
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) recently organised a series of FAM trips for Indian tour operators so that they could have a first-hand experience of the state’s tourism destinations and products. The trips were conducted for around 30 operators from Hyderabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata. According to Veena Raman, Deputy General Manager – Madhya Pradesh Tourism, New Delhi, the FAM trips are part of the MPSTDC’s annual marketing strategy, which it organises every summer.
She further added that the MP tourism office has conducted FAM trips for both domestic and inbound tour operators, as both are seen as potential clients. A total of five trips have been organised this year starting from March. Each trip until now has had an average attendance of six tour operators, consisting mainly of frontline staff. Discover India Tours, Trail Blazer Tours, Intrepid Travel and Le Passage to India were some of the travel agencies in attendance.
Referring to the main objective of these trips, Raman informed, “Firstly, these trips will support the promotion of MP tourism in a big way. Secondly, tour operators get direct exposure to facilities and tourism destinations in the State. In this way, tour operators will be able to develop customized packages for different tourist groups.”
Speaking about the FAM trip, Kartik Bora, Manager – Discover India Tours said, “We visited Orchha and Bhandhavghar along with a few foreign tour operators who were our clients. The trip has been a great experience where we could experience hotels, destinations and other facilities in Madhya Pradesh first-hand. Such trips will really support the promotion of Madhya Pradesh tourism.”
Elaborating about different source markets the tours operators handle, Raman explained, “Some tour operators handle Germany, while others manage Spain. Then there are tour operators who focus solely on domestic markets. Therefore, the operators need to develop tailor-made packages for their clients in different source markets. A FAM trip will help tour operators develop such tailor-made packages more effectively.” This year, the MPSTDC has organized FAM trips to wildlife reserves and several other destinations including Indore, Mandu, Orchha, et al in the state.
Lalit Bhisht, Director – Trail Blazer, who visited places such as Orchha, Bhandhavghar, Khajuraho et al, said “Unlike other tourism boards, Madhya Pradesh tourism is really working for the welfare of the travel and tourism industry. They use their money to upgrade their destination and hotels in a better way and their hotels are competent with private hotels. The overall trip was very nice.”
(source-travelbizmonitor)
