Whakarewarewa Village takes its message to India's tourism market

Whakarewarewa Maori Village is heading to a major international fair on the subcontinent, as part of a strategy to stimulate Rotorua tourism in the Indian market.

Whakarewarewa's head of Asian marketing, Vishal Sharma, is spearheading the trip to the Surajkund International Mela, organised by the Haryana Tourism Department, and hopes it will stimulate cultural exchange between the two countries.

Having spent time in India in December scoping the market, Mr Sharma was offered the opportunity to attend the Mela.

He described the opportunity as a great platform for Rotorua tourism.

"All states in India and 20 countries will be in attendance.

"It's in the heart of the country, people come and they want to learn a lot about different cultures."

Vishal Sharma is heading to India to promote Whakarewarewa Village and Rotorua. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

While the aim of the trip is to represent Whakarewarewa, a large part will also include selling Rotorua as the cultural capital of New Zealand.

Speaking Hindi, Punjabi, and English made Mr Sharma a "good tool" for Whakarewarewa as it aimed to make connections with the Indian tourism industry.

"I'm feeling so comfortable with the type of people and the type of crowd I will be with," he said.

Whakarewarewa chief executive Blair Millar has spent more than a year creating an initiative to connect with the Asian market.

"We want to meet with people who could truly assist with growing not only Whakarewarewa but Rotorua as a destination."

They will be hosting a booth, with photographs and carvings from the village.

"From a Maori business perspective it's all about the culture, the people, and the connections around that," he said.

"The festival allows us to go in from a cultural perspective and say, this is who we are at Whakarewarewa."