Switzerland Tourism to target Indian tier 2 and 3 cities

Switzerland Tourism, expecting its business from India to grow by 10 percent in 2014, will be extensively targeting tier-two and -three cities which account for nearly 40 percent of tourist inflow.

"We are expecting the hotel overnights to grow by 10 percent to reach 550,000. While the major cities are always on our radar, this year we will focus more on tier two and three cities which account for nearly 40 percent of the tourist inflow from India," said Ritu Sharma, deputy director of Switzerland Tourism India.

"Among the target cities are Bhopal, Nagpur, Guwahati with special emphasis on the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat from where a big chunk of the tourist come," said Sharma.

With India among its top five strategic growth markets, Switzerland, aiming to increase the Indian tourist pie, has also enhanced its presence on social media platforms.

"Of late, travellers from India have been coming in large groups and a fair amount of them prefer lodging in service apartments which are cheaper compared to hotels. So we have also been improving the infrastructure so as to cater more to section of the tourists," added Sharma.