Increasing competition on India`s international air routes means that inbound tour operator exhibitors at London`s World Travel Market in November this year will be pointing to a new boom in tourism to the region over the next two years.

Vivek Angra, director of London`s India Government Tourist Office said: Air links with the UK, India`s largest international market, improved dramatically in May when British carrier, BMI and Indian airline, Jet Airways, launched flights between London Heathrow and Mumbai.

Jet, which has built its reputation on excellent service over an extensive Indian domestic network, will use World Travel Market to extend its recognition among buyers as an international carrier.

The predicted rise in arrivals will be a key message for delegates at the Indian stand at World Travel Market, which takes place at London ExCeL between Monday 14 and Thursday 17 November. Organisers forecast that World Travel Market will be 4% larger this year with more than 190 countries participating.

Rick Saggar, Jet Airways` head of sales and marketing for the UK and Ireland, said: We are now an international airline and will use World Travel Market as the stage from which to promote that message.

Apart from the new Mumbai-London route, Jet launched flights between Singapore and Mumbai in April and between Kuala Lumpur and Chennai in May.
The carrier has made it clear that it wants to move to a twice-daily London-Mumbai service as quickly as possible while also launching daily flights to Delhi.

Saggar also said that the US was on the airline`s radar and it was hoped that the North America link could be added by the end of this year.

A Rosy Outlook

New Delhi-based inbound tour operator, Travelite, will be at World Travel Market this year spreading a message of profound optimism. Managing director Sarabjit Singh said the tourism industry in India was delighted with the new opportunities that additional international flights offered.

The international market has been strong over the last few years but I believe it has still being held back by high air fares, said Singh. Now I think that the new airlines will result in competition in fares, and with international air ticket prices coming down, tourism will flourish.

Although the Indian government was predicting a15% increase in international tourism this year, Singh said he believed that his company`s growth would be more like 25%.

Rajeev Kohli, marketing director for Creative Travel, also from New Delhi, said his visit to World Travel Market this year would serve to reconfirm existing business relationships while also offer a platform for prospecting for new business.

With considerable activity in within the Indian tourism sector resulting in new hotels and other tourism product, Singh said there was much for international buyers to consider.

While the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur continued to draw most attention from international visitors, alternative tourist options, such as the southern region of Kerala, were beginning to make an impact.

Concluded Mr. Angra, at London`s India Government Tourist Office: We are also seeing more interest in visiting sites of cultural or religious interest such as the holy cities of Haridwar and Varanasi.

Visitors can also go on safari in wildlife areas of Uttar Pradesh and with more and more people looking for health and wellness treatments while on holiday, India is well equipped to satisfy demand.