DRMumbai: On February 3, 2019, Swarovski Crystal Worlds hosted 150 tour operators and their families who experienced the Giant’s family friendliness first-hand at a “sparkling afternoon” in Mumbai. With a population of 1.3 billion, India is one of the most promising markets for the Austrian tourism sector. Swarovski Kristallwelten (Swarovski Crystal Worlds), in co-operation with the Austrian National Tourist Office, has been active in the Indian market since 1996. This targeted marketing is bearing fruit: the Giant in Wattens,Tyrol, welcomed over 100,000 Indian visitors for the first time in 2018, which makes India the third largest country of origin for visitors behind Germany and Austria.
Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens has doubled its number of guests from India over the last five years, and in 2018, the figure exceeded 100,000 for the first time ever.
Stefan Isser, Managing Director of D. Swarovski Tourism Services GmbH, is well aware of the significance of the Indian market, “With a population of 1.3 billion, India is one of the most promising markets for the Austrian tourism sector. As one of Austria’s most popular tourist destinations, Swarovski Crystal Worlds has been attentive to the Indian market for some time now – with noticeable success. Over the past ten years, we have turned ourselves into a European must-see destination for visitors from India. India has joined Austria and Germany as one of the most frequently represented countries among our visitor numbers; between 2010 and 2015 alone, we recorded a nearly 100-percent increase in visitor numbers from India. We are immensely proud of that and will continue to further refine our market development in 2019.”
The Austrian tourism sector has recorded an increase in the number of visitors from India every year. This growth is especially evident in Tyrol: a number of Bollywood productions, for instance, have been shot on location in Tyrol, with funding support from Cine Tirol (Tyrol Advertising), over the past several years. This naturally piques interest among Indians looking for vacation destinations.
Concerted marketing endeavors over a number of years of a select number of high-impact players in the tourism sector has also borne fruit: Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Tyrol, has doubled its number of guests from India over the last five years, and in 2018, the figure exceeded 100,000 for the first time ever. This means that the number of Indian visitors Swarovski Crystal Worlds has welcomed exceeds the number of (overnight) stays by Indian visitors in Vienna, Salzburg, or Tyrol.
Christine Mukharji, Market Manager for India at the Austrian National Tourist Office said, “From the Himalayas in the north to heavenly beaches in the country’s south: Indians are blessed with many attractive vacation destinations in their own country, but travel in India is hot and arduous. Thinly distributed transportation and travel infrastructure means destinations abroad can often be reached more quickly than domestic vacation spots. And living with temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius, Indians long for cooling off in regions with a more temperate climate. The most popular time to go on vacations is during the school break between April and July, which falls during Austria’s mid-season. This makes Indians, who tend to be very generous spenders, an interesting target group for vacations in Austria.
Even though the upper and upper-middle classes, who can afford to travel abroad, are relatively small, the size of the market means that even small changes can have a large effect on traveller numbers. While only two percent of Indian households are classified as middle class today, that number will double by 2025, which translates to more than 5.2 million people. The proportion of the population that is of working age will rise to almost 70 percent by 2026, which will serve to bolster lasting growth. According to the ETC, spending on travel will increase by 11.3 percent annually through 2020.
For marketing purposes, it is important to follow societal trends in India and gain a detailed understanding of the target group’s needs so as to maximize the great potential that is already there. By focusing on the development of innovative quality products that respond to the needs and desires of families, we will give ourselves a considerable advantage over our competitors. This is precisely why this Swarovski Crystal Worlds event is a highlight on the calendar of the Austrian National Tourist Office India.”
