The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia — generally known as the Visegrad Four — have launched a joint marketing initiative to pitch their countries as MICE destinations and to attract more leisure travellers from India.

Being pitched as the ‘European Quartet – One Melody’ venture, representatives from the individual tourism boards are on a five-city roadshow in the country to promote their respective nations.

Kicking off the campaign in Pune, Jan Herget, Director, Foreign Office Department for the Czech Republic, said tourism promotion of the V4 in the global market was primarily focussed on distant nations such as the US, Russia, China and Japan. India and Brazil were added in 2010.

In 2012, the Czech Republic received 7 million visitors, 25,000 of whom were from India, making it the top V4 destination for Indian tourists. With an emphasis on the country’s 700 castles, 200 of which are open to the public and opulent chateaus, the Czech Republic is targeting an increase in the number of business and leisure travellers from here.

Hungary’s famed thermal water sources and spas, and Warsaw, Krakow and the Wielenzka salt mine in Poland are amongst the places of interest in the V4.

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