In a bid to attract more and more Indian travellers to California, a delegation of 11 CEOs from the Golden State visited India on 13 November on the first-ever California tourism CEO mission. Leisure travel from India to California is projected to grow by double-digits for the foreseeable future and California’s tourism industry is intent on better understanding the Indian travel and consumer landscapes.

The delegation was led by Visit California president and CEO Caroline Beteta. This one-of-a-kind mission began in Mumbai with meetings and events with key tourism and film industry officials, before moving to New Delhi, where it concluded with a press conference.

In the week-long programme, the CEOs made invaluable relationships and built excitement around the Golden State’s commitment to the Indian market. The delegation illustrated the excitement surrounding the growth of outbound travel in the market and reflected the diversity of California experiences ~ from world-class cities, to breathtaking coastline, world-renowned wine country, luxurious destinations and accommodations.

“We are very excited for the opportunity that the India market presents for travel to California and see this mission as an important step in introducing California to Indian travellers,” said Beteta. “This visit has provided critical learning on how we can best prepare our state to welcome Indian visitors as the market continues to grow.”

Market education was the primary goal of this mission. Besides, California commands 27.5 per cent of the market share from the Indian outbound travel market to the US, accounting for 3.19 lakh visitors who spent 706 million dollars in 2016 in the Golden State.

Forecasts also show visitation growing by 41 per cent in the next five years, reaching 4.49 lakh visitors and more than 1 billion dollars in spending by 2021 ~ growth on par with that of China over the last few years.  Visit California also formalised an MOU with the Producers Guild of India during the mission. As two major hubs of entertainment production, Visit California and the Producers Guild of India see this co-operative agreement as one which can further increase the understanding of each other’s film production markets, promote tourism from India and increase mutual cultural understanding.

Tom Kiely, president and CEO of Visit WeHo (West Hollywood) said, “I have been to India many times over the last 20 years but for many of my colleagues this is their first trip. It has been really an eye-opening educational experience for us. This mission gave our delegation an oversight about the Indian travel market and we expect a significant rise in the number of travellers to California in the near future.”