British Columbia kick starts tourism campaign to woo Indian travellers

As the host destination for the first edition of TOIFA, British Columbia today organized the first of its two exclusive trade and travel events, in Mumbai, in collaboration with ET Travel. Present at the occasion to speak about the various offerings for British Columbia were Monica Leeck- Tourism Manager from British Columbia, Canada and celebrated Bollywood actor Neha Dhupia.

Back in Vancouver, British Columbia Premier Christy Clark said, “On behalf of the beautiful province of British Columbia, I am pleased and proud to welcome the Times of India Film Awards to Vancouver. Investors and travellers from India will feel welcome, as Vancouver is home to one of the largest and oldest South Asian communities in Canada. My sincere thanks to the Times of India Group for the honour of choosing us as their inaugural destination for TOIFA. As we celebrate the best of Indian Cinema, we look forward to showing India what B.C. has to offer."

British Columbia (B.C.), being the second largest destination for Indians in Canada, has facilitated a fruitful partnership that promises to engage the global audience with the Hindi Film Industry in a big way! From manicured landscapes to multi-cultured experiences, and an extremely business friendly environment, B.C. offers unforgettable experiences for everyone. The province is home to a geographical diversity that offers a vast array of activities and adventures.

The three day celebration for TOIFA 2013 will be watched by hundreds of millions of people in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and Vancouver will be center stage. Vancouver is a city that has been consistently ranked as one of the “Best cities to live in” and boasts of a rich heritage of films and entertainment, making it an ideal destination to host the Indian Film fraternity. The awards will mark the beginning of a new collaboration with the province.

TOIFA is a catalyst for creating awareness about British Columbia across Indian businesses, deepening relationships with the key stakeholders and enhancing trade activities. The event would also serve as a catalyst to create a long term year-on-year increase in tourism from India due to the awareness and positioning of British Columbia through this platform.

India and China are the emerging travel markets for B.C. and are currently enjoying positive growth. The 2012 visitor arrivals to B.C. were 46,565 (+7.2% increase over 2011) and for Canada were 146,652 (+5.3% increase over 2011). The forecast for Indian arrivals to B.C. in 2013 is +10%. The total international arrivals to B.C. were 4,219,669 visitors for 2012 (+1.2% increase from 2011) and Canada were 16,311,044 visitors (+1.8% increase from 2011)

Speaking about the TOIFA offering, Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia said “Indians love to travel and I personally feel that this is a really good opportunity to treat your eyes to a beautiful country that loves Hindi Cinema so much. TOIFA is a great opportunity in making the world a stage for Bollywood, and British Columbia is a beautiful and enchanting place that has always been a must-visit destination for me. I am looking forward to the TOIFA Awards weekend in Vancouver.”

TOIFA has also launched the first ever customized travel package “Holiday Amidst the Stars”, which will provide travelers an opportunity to brush shoulders with their favorite stars as they holiday in Vancouver and the surrounding areas of British Columbia. This package will be promoted in India with the help of Kuoni and other travel agents who will look after the operations and logistics of the tours that would be a part of the package.