BANGALORE, India—Do travel to India this year, but not alone: bring a friend or partner, because their air passage will be free. This is the gist of the complimentary packages India’s Ministry of Tourism has begun rolling out for foreign tourists under the ‘Visit India 2009’ scheme.
The promotion will be available from April 2009 through to the end of the year. The aim is to resurrect the country’s ailing tourism industry, which was badly hit by the Mumbai terror attacks and global recession.
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture is spearheading the campaign, in collaboration with airlines, hotels, and tour operators. Besides a complimentary air passage for every traveling companion, all other services paid for will also receive one complimentary service as well.
A tourist couple, for example, will therefore effectively receive one night’s free hotel stay for every night booked. They also get a complimentary local sightseeing tour in any city for every one booked, and one complimentary rural eco holiday anywhere in the country.
Three airline companies, including Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines have signed up to the deal, as well as the Hotel Association of India, and the Indian Association of Tour Operators, according to the Indian Express.
Foreign tourist inflow is a major contributor to India’s foreign exchange earnings, and suffered a 22 percent dip in December with large scale cancellation of bookings following the Mumbai terror attacks. Hotels reported cancellations of up to 50 percent after the attacks, prompting government intervention to improve the situation. Previously, in November, it had also experienced a negative growth of 2.1 percent.
The Ministry of Tourism and industry associations could not be reached for comment through the telephone numbers available on their websites at the time of publication.
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