Press Release

Germans chant Incredible India!

An audience of over 200 people was enthralled by the Special Indian Evening at the Embassy of India, Berlin on the opening day of the ITB, world’s leading travel and trade show. India was showcased in all its glory to an audience of German tour and travel operators, travel writers, friends of India and the Indian travel sector through a magical cultural performance by an Indo-German dance troupe, presentations on the opportunities to the trade and travel businesses in India and a quiz contest.

Sanskriti, an Indo-German dance troupe from Dresden, Germany had the audience singing and dancing along with them, as they celebrated the variety of festivals through a fusion of dances. They performed Odissi, Manipuri, Kathak, Thiruvathara Kali and Bhangra and had the audience yearning for more of India! Cultural India, a tourism destination like no other!

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Gurjit Singh encouraged the German nationals to translate their love for India by actually ‘going to India’ and experience first-hand the colour and diversity of India. He urged the tour operators to focus on experiences while travelling to India, which offers not just myriad regions and landscapes but experiences of wellness, food, history, culture and anything one can imagine. Germany is India’s best friend in Europe, which needs to be translated to tourism into India, he said. He stressed the importance of efforts such as the Special Indian Evening to link the travel trade with real tourists and agents to foster tourism in India.

Speaking at the occasion, Shri Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism highlighted the various steps taken by Indian government towards improving the overall experience of Foreign Tourists going to India. Making a presentation to the German Tour Operators, he listed many niche locations in India for emerging sectors in Tourism.  

Shri Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Maharashtra, who was also present at the occasion highlighted the uniqueness of Maharashtra and the gamut of holiday experiences it offers to tourists. The German tourists seemed compelled to try the experiences of the landscapes, the food, the culture and the Indian wine that Maharashtra has on offer.

A quiz contest covering the vastness of India from classical dances, to festivals, to sports and Bollywood kept the audience in an upswing right till the end of the show. Everyone was a winner with having learnt more about India and the winners going home with traditional Indian crafts. The highlight of the evening were the two mega prizes which are actually pulling Germans to India. A Deccan Odyssey tour worth more than 8,000 USD was given as a prize by Hon’ble Minister of Tourism (Maharashtra), Mr. Jaykumar Rawal and two return air tickets by Air India from Frankfurt to India. The crowd was literally chanting Incredible India!

As Ambassador said, it was time to ‘go to India’!