TravTalk February 2nd Issuu

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A DDP PUBLICATION

Pages: 28 (Excluding covers) + 4 Pages Supplement

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Vol. XXVI No. 4; February 2 ND fortnight issue 2014

` 50/-

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VoA for 180 countries by October In an interview with , Rajeev Shukla, Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs said that Visa-on-Arrival facility will be available at 26 Indian international airports by September.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA n a bid to bolster visa liberalisation policies, the Government of India has now extended Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) and Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) facilities to 180 countries around the world.

This news comes as a massive relief to the industry as the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has been pushing for visa liberalisation policies for a long time now.

Following news reports of VoA being extended to 40 countries, Parvez Dewan, Secretary,

I

Rajeev Shukla

Parvez Dewan

Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs

Secretary Ministry of Tourism

MOT, had said, “Why just 40, we would like to extend this facility to all countries.”

Talking exclusively to , Planning Minister Rajeev Shukla said that by September

this facility will extend to all the 26 Indian international airports, making it the right time for the airports to receive tourists during the peak season starting October. Shukla said, “Yes, VoA and ETA are being extended to 180 countries for a period of 30 days from their entry in the country. Tourists need to log on to the Immigration Bureau’s website and pay the required fees. They will get a confirmation within 3 days, after which they can board their flight and get a visa after debarking.”

Talking about their expectation from FTAs in the country following the VoA move, he said, “We are not talking in terms of figures, but yes, we want the whole quantum to be augmented.

Also, we want tourism earnings to go up to US$ 50 billion, and accordingly, we are stepping up our efforts.”

The 8 countries that have been exempted from this facility include Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

Kerala slashes off-season taxes Industry leaders feel the concessions in the budget – 5% cut in luxury tax on hotels during the off-season, promoting MICE tourism and allocation of ` 206.65 crore for development will go a long way in promoting Kerala.

M E G H A PAU L

AP Anilkumar Tourism Minister, Kerala

TRAVTALK

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travtalkindia.com

FEBRUARY 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

ith the Kerala government announcing major tax concessions for the state tourism industry in the state budget

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2014, ‘God’s Own Country’ is poised to become a ‘round-theyear destination’ for travellers and an important centre for international conferences. The major announcement includes a reduction in luxury tax to five

per cent on hotels from June to August to promote off-season tourism. The step is expected to help reduce tariff in hotels and resorts in the state’s major backwater and hill destinations.

According to AP Anilkumar,

Tourism Minister, Kerala, the tax concessions announced in the budget will give a new fillip to the tourism industry in Kerala.

Contd. on page 6

News Bulletin DDA to raise FAR by up to 66% See full story on page 3

Dewan: Tap Germany & China markets See full story on page 5

New GT circuits in Haryana See full story on page 6

Air Asia, GoAir to start flights from Odisha See full story on page 13

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NEWS

DDA to raise FAR by up to 66% While some hotels like the Leela Palace in Chanakyapuri will benefit from the move, industry experts say most other hotels might not because the ground coverage has not increased, and older buildings may not be able to support extra floors. reports on Floor Area Ratio (FAR).

M E G H A PAU L n a recent development, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to increase the cap on total floor area for hotels by up to 66 per cent.

According to DDA, the Authority will increase the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) or Floor Space Index (FSI) — the ratio of the total floor area of a building to the size of the plot on which it is built — to 3.75 for hotels outside the Lutyens zone that stand on roads with more than 30-metre width, up from existing FAR of 2.25. This means the gross floor area across different floors of such a hotel can be 3.75 times the size of the plot. In the case of hotels next to roads with width of under 30 mt, again outside the Lutyens zone, FAR is being raised to 3.25, up 44 per cent.

While some hotels like the Leela Palace in Chanakyapuri will benefit from the move, industry experts say most other hotels might not because the ground coverage has not increased, and older buildings

I

SM Shervani

Sushil Gupta

President FHRAI

CMD Asian Hotels

Hotels will have to examine whether vertical expansion is possible given the strength of their buildings

Without extra ground coverage, it will be difficult to utilise this additional FAR

may not be able to support extra floors.

because the ground coverage has not increased.

Only some hotels will benefit from the move but other hotels might not

Talking about the development, SM Shervani, President, FHRAI, said,

Rajiv Kaul

President The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts

We will definitely find the best possible usage to render the move as most marketable “Hotels will have to examine whether vertical expansion is possible given the strength of their buildings as ground coverage has not been Contd. on page 12

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NEWS

Examining Pre-Budget hopes...

VIEWPOINT

Catapulting Tourism with VoA OT has been pushing for visa-on-arrival for maximum number of countries to increase tourism into India, and the recent sanction from the Home Ministry has been heartily welcomed.

On being asked why we would give the visa-onarrival facility to countries that don’t reciprocate, Rajiv Shukla, Planning Minister, GOI, has said very correctly that we need them more than they need us.

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If the government can match improved infrastructure, safety for women, and security then India is on its way to becoming one of the most preferred tourist destinations. MOT’s ‘Clean India’ campaign to sensitise all sections of society on the importance of cleanliness and hygiene at monuments and tourist destinations is being pushed through by the Ministry with persuasion, education, training, and by involving private and public stakeholders as a part of their CSR activities.

The airports will need to be well-equipped to deal with the increased number of tourists expected under this category. The advantage will be totally hampered if people have to wait for hours in queue. The eight months to October (the start of high season), when the VoA and electronic applications become a reality, should be enough time to move systems into place for this. We do have the experience of VoA for 11 countries already.

There is a sudden excitement in the industry.

International airlines are increasing their flights and the number of destinations they fly to in India. Hotels should speed up their unfinished projects and states need to market their tourist cities and festivals internationally to exploit the situation to its fullest. MOT takes part in many travel marts around the world, giving the industry an affordable option to promote their products. Tour operators, DMCs and OTAs need to now take maximum advantage of this opportunity.

Increase in tourism, both leisure and business, will not only benefit the industry but also help in increased employment and boost earnings for the country – not only through metro cities but also by sustaining small towns that hold the fascination for tourists.

Vikramajit Chairman SanJeet Editor & Publisher Deepa Sethi Editor-in-Chief

Editorial

Advertising

Ratan Kr Paul Megha Paul Devika Jeet Anita Jain Ramya JS D’Rozario

Gunjan Sabikhi Asst. Vice President Aarti Nagrath General Manager Karishma Khanna Sr. Manager Marketing Udit Pandey Sr. Manager Marketing Baljinder Singh Manager Marketing Geetika Pathak Manager Advertising Amit Sarkar Asst. Manager Marketing

News-Editor Peden Doma Bhutia Desk-Editor Archana Sharma Neelam Singh Sr. Sub-Editor Hritvick Sen Photographers Simran Kaur-Delhi Bharat Dangiya-Mumbai

Reactions from the industry regarding the India Budget-2014 can be termed as ‘lukewarm’ at best. Despite these hopes, many choose to stick to old needs like getting ‘industry status’.

Outbound tourism in India is growing, while the rise in inbound has not been the way we wanted it to be. I would request the Central Government to recognise the tourism sector and make sure that the Budget helps to improve the infrastructure. Also, the taxes should be removed. There should be exemption of entry tax for tourists. The entry fees at various monuments and places of interest should also be reasonable.

We want tour operators to get exemption from service tax. Also, because we are the foreignexchange earners for the country and we help to create jobs; we want the government to give us funds at reduced rates to upgrade IT facilities and other such measures. We want a tax break, if any of the tour operators invest in infrastructure development. Also luxury tax should be reduced and there should be uniformity of tax between the Centre and state.

Iqbal Mulla

Subhash Goyal

President, TAAI

President, IATO

We wish to see the service tax issue being solved. As this is Election year, there will be nothing new to look forward to in this budget. However, we would still hope the multiple taxation system is tackled. A clarity in taxation and a single-window system is the need of the hour.

There is no point in making a wishlist for domestic tourism. Until the taxation process is streamlined, no incentives will work. Also, as this is the election year, we are expecting no game-changers. Because there is tremendous potential in the segment, domestic tourism will grow with or without any incentives.

Mukesh Jagga

Praveen Chugh

Interim President, ADTOI

Vice President, TAFI

There are two fundamental issues that we need to take up: 1) Service Tax on rooms and food: With luxury tax already being charged for rooms, how can service tax also be charged to the guests? Today, because of these taxes, our room rates are higher than those of SE Asia. We are, as an industry, paying the Highest Taxes on F&B in India, compared to any other country in the world. With such taxes, I do not see the industry giving any growth to the exchequer.

2) Although infrastructure for hotels over 100 cr investment has been approved by the RBI, I fail to see how a hotel that chooses to spend less than `100 crore is not Infrastructure! This anomaly must be corrected and the benefits offered to the big hotels should also given to the smaller players in the industry.

Bharat Malkani Executive Committee Member, FHRAI

FHRAI president welcomes measures to liberalise visa norms “On behalf of FHRAI, I applaud the historic steps announced by the Central Government to modernize India's tourist visa regime. Electronic Travel Authorisation will offer multiple advantages of speed, efficiency, convenience and flexibility, while minimsing security related risks. A seamless and differentiated visa mechanism to encourage and facilitate foreign tourist travel is imperative to position India as an attractive and welcoming destination and enhance the global competitiveness of our tourism sector.

We extend our full support to the Home Ministry and other Government agencies to ensure that the requisite infrastructure is expeditiously put in place, so that this initiative can be operationalised well before the onset of peak tourist season this year.”

SM Shervani President FHRAI

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MOT

FEBRUARY 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

TRAVTALK

2014: Year of hard implementations Talking about the Government’s initiatives, Parvez Dewan, Secretary, MOT, said all efforts should be made to tap China and Germany markets for inbound arrivals.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA No visa for Maldivians on medical tourism Maldives has been given a major visa liberalisation measure. Maldivians can come to India for 90 days for medical tourism without a visa. It is important to note that this is a facility that India has given only to Nepal or Bhutan so far.

This is a major initiative by the Minister for Tourism, K Chiranjeevi. This move will help South India, as the hospitals of Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai will benefit the most from this, and so will the Ayurveda facility at Thiruvananthapuram.

Focus on Germany and China While we are delighted about our relationships with USA and Britain, there are two markets that we have not paid attention to. Germany has been the No 1 market for the world, but for us, it is No. 4. We should be making efforts to get more German tourists to our country. The other market is China. We are training Chinese guides at the rate of 200 a year. I encourage everyone here to get your employees trained for the Chinese market, he said. The other market that should go up is the Australian market. Thanks to Air India’s efforts, we now have direct connectivity.

Aviation sector flying high The number of international airports has also gone up. Three domestic airports have now been made into international airports, including Imphal which is a long-standing demand of the industry.

Soon we will be getting a new low-cost carrier, Dewan said.

MOT state initiatives A festival of South India is coming up in partnership with private sector. The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has committed to five south

Highlights

N Three domestic airports have now been made into international airports, including Imphal which is a long-standing demand of the industry

Indian states, including Puducherry, that we will support the Festival of South India, he said. However, we are concerned about the offseason i.e. mid May-mid September. The first of this initiative is 777 Days of The Indian Himalayas. Also, the tourism minister has

announced 50 per cent subsidy on the climbing fee and it became a reality in January 2014. Another initiative is planning a Buddhist circuit campaign for the off season as we are sitting on a major tourist destination – Bodhgaya - the mecca of the Buddhist world.

We also have a Northeast initiative in which we are promoting the 7 northeastern states and Sikkim and Darjeeling as the off-season destinations, he concluded.

The secretary was addressing the audience at SATTE 2014.

I feel that 2013 has been the year of decisions, 2014 the year of hard implementations and 2015 will be the year we will be benefitting from this Parvez Dewan Secretary Ministry of Tourism

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COVER STORY

TRAVTALK FEBRUARY 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

State’s blessing for ‘God’s Own Country’ Contd. from page 1

The government has also reduced luxury tax on convention centres and auditoriums with a daily rent exceeding `20,000 to 10 per cent from the existing 20 per cent, in a bid to promote MICE tourism, a niche category for facilitating national and international conferences, conventions and seminars. Other announcements for the tourism industry relate to substantial increase in allocation for marketing destinations and implementing special tourism projects. Suman Billa, Secretary, Kerala Tourism, said, “Kerala has always been a destination for travel throughout the year. By reducing luxury tax on hotels and resorts during June-August, the government is helping the state tourism sector to promote monsoon travel.” The luxury tax cut for convention centres and auditoriums is expected to directly help MICE tourism in Kerala. The reason quoted by many companies for not coming to Kerala for organising international conference, seminars and conventions was the high tax. Now with the

welcome the government’s decision for the sector and their decision to reduce luxury tax on hotels and convention facilities,” EM Najeeb, Chairman-Kerala Chapter, IATO, informed.

Suman Billa

EM Najeeb

Secretary Kerala Tourism

Chairman-Kerala Chapter IATO

By reducing tax, the state government is helping the sector in a big way

lowering of taxes, the state will attract more MICE travellers and companies from abroad, he affirmed.

“High taxation in segments like MICE and hotels

High taxation in segments like MICE and hotels has been a major bottleneck

According to Jose Dominic, MD & CEO, CGH Earth, Kerala’s success is focussed on three key principles - sustainable, inclusive and local. The state has demonstrated how tourism can

Jose Dominic

Saji Joseph

MD & CEO CGH Earth

General Manager Le Meridien Kochi

Developing destinations and promoting rural tourism projects are proactive steps

has been a major bottleneck in the growth of the tourism. The recession in Europe, competition in traditional markets and from Sri Lanka and a host of other factors have hit tourist arrivals in the state. Thus, we

MICE events generate overall development for all stakeholders

be a catalyst for community participation, empowerment, inclusive development and ecological preservation.

“Developing destinations such as Kovalam, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Fort Kochi, Munnar, Wayanad and Vagamon and rural tourism in Idukki are proactive steps,” he added.

As per Saji Joseph, GM, Le Meridien Kochi, this is generally the leisure off season period and any value addition given to the domestic customers will only encourage more visits and generate the visibility and viability of the destination. He added, “This is important for Kerala as all these MICE events generate extension of holidays to all the destinations in the state and create an overall development for all stakeholders.”

The Tourism Breather N 5% reduction in luxury tax on hotels for three months N `50 crore for prime tourist destinations

New circuits in Haryana The government will develop new Golden Triangle (GT) circuits from Panchkula to Mahendergarh; for which expenses will be borne by the MOT, Govt of India.

M E G H A PAU L nder the concept of Circuit Tourism introduced by the Ministry of Tourism, the Haryana Tourism Department has identified a Rural Tourism cluster to be developed in the Brij area of Palwal district. The government will develop new GT circuits from Panchkula to Mahendergarh for which expenses will be borne by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. This was revealed by Vijai Vardhan, Principal Secretary, Haryana Tourism and Vice-Chairman, Surajkund Mela Authority.

Vardhan was speaking on the sidelines of the 28th Surajkund International Crafts Mela.

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The circuits already developed under the scheme are Panipat-KurukshetraPinjore Circuit (Phase-1); Panipat-Kurukshetra-Pinjore circuit (Phase 2); and Yamunanagar-PanchkulaPaonta Sahib as a mega tourism circuit. Under the Circuit Tourism concept, introduced by the Ministry, development of infrastructure, upgradation, beautification and restoration of old monuments

Vijai Vardhan Principal Secretary, Haryana Tourism and Vice-Chairman, Surajkund Mela Authority

The 2013 edition of Surajkund Mela had created history with the highest footfalls recorded on a single day at 1,42,000 and places of historical and cultural importance are taken up for integrated development and financed by the Centre.

Talking about the evolution of Surajkund Crafts Mela as a Haryana Tourism product, Vardhan added, “For the first time, 10 per cent rebate will be given for online booking for the fairs. In 1989, the Mela had a footfall of 1.75 lakh, while 2010 saw 7.54 lakh visitors in the Mela. 2011 saw a 20 per cent increase in the number of visitors with 1,42,000 footfalls, creating a record.”

According to Vardhan, the department is expanding banqueting and conferencing facilities and several hotel managements, catering institutes and amusement parks are also being set up. “The Corporation had previously commissioned convention centres at Surajkund, Faridabad and at Tilyar Lake, Rohtak. A convention hall of 1000-person capacity is now being constructed at Red Bishop Tourist Complex, Panchkula,” he stated.

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STATES

FEBRUARY 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

TRAVTALK

7

MTDC’s Diamond Alliance for tourism In a bid to jointly promote tourism in the state, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has forged a ‘Diamond Alliance’ with key players in the travel trade and hospitality sectors.

S A U M YA T E W A R I he MTDC’s new alliance will create new tourism products and packages, while also promoting its travel trade partners. The alliance will have players from restaurants, resorts, hotels, tour operators, transport operators and air-

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Jagdish Patil Managing Director MTDC

From each sector, we will have three to four partners and we have reached that number for this year lines among others. Under this initiative, MTDC will be the nodal agency and will jointly help design new tourism products and packages. The alliance will become a reality soon as the state tourism authority signs the MoUs with the members.

Accor strong on Sofitel Contrary to a newspaper report about Accor’s divestment in its Sofitel Mumbai property, Accor has said that

it is not in talks with anyone to sell its stake in Sofitel Mumbai BKC. The hotel has seen significant improvement in its operating performance since its opening in 2012.

According to Jean-Michel Casse, Sr VP Operations, India, the group sees a steady increase in operating revenue and remains confident in the future of the hotel.

Jagdish Patil, Managing Director, MTDC said, “We invited the stakeholders from across sectors; and after holding two rounds of meetings, we have prepared the MoU. We will start signing it soon.

Hospitality players like Oberoi and Marriott have already become a part of the alliance.

Informing about the criteria of selection, Patil said that the members have been selected on the basis of pre-decided parameters. The players have been chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis. “From each sector, we will have three to four partners and we have reached that number for

this year. We will go on expanding it during the next year,” he added.

MTDC has been actively rolling out new tourism projects in order to promote states offering while easing out the clearance process for key tourism players. One of the

major breakthroughs in this direction is digitalisation of the clearance process.

Last year, the state tourism authority, along with Department of Tourism and Department of Urban Development, have appointed Accenture Management Consulting (AMC) to review

rules and regulations, licences, permits and the application procedures pertaining to the hospitality industry.

MTDC has recently announced to offer packaged tours in association with Dadasaheb Phalke Chitra Nagri (Filmcity - Goregaon), starting February 8, 2014.

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NEWS

China rises in the east The Inauguration Ceremony of Beautiful China, 2014 – Year of Smart Travel was held at South City Mall, Kolkata, recently.

T T B U R E AU ang Xuefeng, Chinese Consul General in Kolkata, Zhou Zengrong, General Manager of China Eastern, Delhi Office, and JP

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ed enormous footfalls during the Inauguration Ceremony, and the following two-day public promotion of China Tourism organised by the China National Tourist Office, New Delhi.

Tourism Administration (CNTA) during 2013, the number of Indian arrivals to the mainland China reached about 6.77 lakh, which was an increase of 10.9% over the year 2012. Plus, 2014 -

Inauguration ceremony for China Tourism promotion at the South City Mall, Kolkata, recently

Shaw, Regional Director (East) of India Tourism, SL Soni, Chairman of IATO Western Bengal Chapter, as well as some local tour operators were present at the event. The magic performance, public games and China tourism knowledge competition attract-

For the year 2014, the campaign of ‘Beautiful China’ will continue in the Indian market, targetting not only the Tier-I cities, but also the Tier II and III tourists-generating cities in India.

According to the statistics released by China National

Year of Smart Travel - is designated by CNTA to promote the optimal combination of information technology and tourism industry including travel products design, travel service upgradation and tourism market developments.

U’khand for yoga tourism The International Yoga Festival, an initiative of the Tourism Department of Uttarakhand (UTDB), is being organised along with the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam(GMVN). The festival will be held in Rishikesh from March 1-7, 2014.

K A N C H A N N AT H arhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam has signed an MoU with 14 hotels for The International Yoga Festival (IYF), and these hotels will be the accommodation partners

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HD Pandey, OSD, IYF, said that last year, the festival received 315 registered tourists, out of which 50 were foreign tourists and 260 were domestic. “After which, the festival was opened for the locals in Rishikesh,” he said.

This year, we are targetting 500 international and about 2,000 domestic tourists for the festival.

R Rajesh Kumar, MD, GMVN & Festival Chairman

ease or the other, it maybe hypertension, diabetes, or other lifestyle-related problems in India. In the West, emotional issues alone are so many that they just want some relaxation. That is why there is a huge scope for yoga, especially in Uttarakhand.”

The festival will be held at The Hotel Ganga Resort Rishikesh, right next to the bank of the Ganges. Classes will be held indoors, as well as outdoors.

What The festival Offers for the festival. Talking about the expected turn-out, R Rajesh Kumar, MD, GMVN and Chairman of the festival, said, “This year, we are targetting 500 international and about 2,000 domestic tourists for the festival.”

CM Bhandari, Advisor, IYF, said that the festival has been organised to attract international attention and to popularise Rishikesh as a destination for wellness and yoga. He added, “Most people today suffer from some dis-

Three hotel properties of GMVN offer a range of accommodation from dormitories to AC rooms. Schedule on the inaugural day includes Yog Yatra on bicycle, and a Rudra Shanti Maha Yajna, Ganga aarti and cultural programmes.

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AVIATION

FEBRUARY 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

TRAVTALK

9

Lufthansa’s focussed approach to India In an interview with , Wolfgang Will, the new Director of Lufthansa Passenger Airlines for South Asia, talks about the airline’s future strategies.

RAMYA JS D’R OZARIO ucceeding Axel Hilgers, who served as Lufthansa’s Director, India since 2008; Will moves to India from Mexico City where he was Director, Mexico and Central America.

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On the occasion, Will said, “We expect to continue our success and growth in the Indian market and will continue to invest and improve our products and services.” Thanking Axel Hilgers for his commitment in his tenure in India, Steffen Harbarth, Vice

Wolfgang Will Director, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines for South Asia

India is one of the most important intercontinental markets for Lufthansa President Asia & Pacific, Lufthansa said, “Despite challenges, we have introduced new products and services and it was the first market in Asia to receive our new Business Class in the B747-800.”

The airline is clearly focussing on reliability and providing quality products and services, than just witnessing higher growth rates. Harbarth added, “India is now our focus and we know we will work hard today to secure our success in the future.”

Will further added, “I am coming to a country 10 times bigger than where I had been, and it’s a challenge and commitment to maintain the airline's position in this market.

There is a lot of work to do since we are in a very competitive market.”

Regarding the A380, Harbarth said, “We have the

A380 on our list for India since years and we were one of the carriers wanting access to A380 operations into the country. We are happy that we can operate the aircraft now, however, we are still in the process of evaluating as to where and when we can

deploy it.” When questioned about the high ATF costs and airport fees, Hilgers added that the airline has been facing the increases at the new terminals since the past one and a half years, and obviously it is hampering the profitability of the routes. “If an

airport like Terminal 3 in Delhi is increasing the airport fees by over 340 per cent, it will decrease your profit margin. We consider this increase too high and not justified, which made us take the issue to the courts.”

Bidding farewell Axel Hilgers I had a lovely time in India. It was really intense for business and also very pleasant personally. I travelled a lot in India and I loved the last 5½ years here. India grew tremendously in aviation. Also, the domestic Axel Hilgers Director, and international sides have increased in Former South Asia, Lufthansa both capacity and frequency. My next position is in France. It is a difficult mission, where I have to restructure the team in France to downsize the organisation and make it more economical for us and bring in modern features into French airports.

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AVIATION

TRAVTALK FEBRUARY 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

Breather for hoteliers increased.

DDA had increased the FAR for hotels from 1.5 to 2.25 in 2008 to help increase the number of rooms in the city for the Commonwealth Games but at that time it had also allowed 10 per cent more ground coverage because of which some hotels had added rooms.”

built near the airport in the new hospitality district will not benefit because of height restriction. According to Sushil Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of Asian Hotels, which owns the Qutab Hotel and the JW Marriott at the Aerocity, “Without extra ground coverage, it will be difficult to utilise this additional FAR.”

Hotels in Delhi’s Lutyens Bungalow Zone like the Taj Mahal, Shangri La, Le Meridien, The Oberoi, Taj Palace, ITC Maurya and Claridges will not profit from the new rule because of heritage laws. Even hotels being

Rajiv Kaul, President, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, welcomed the move.

“This is extremely valuable real estate so we will definitely find the best possible usage to render it most marketable,” he informed.

Contd. from page 3

University tours for students The University Tours have been launched by Thomas Cook India in association with The Red Pen College Tours, USA and is aimed at helping Indian students better understand and shortlist suitable colleges for their studies. The company is looking at tapping the

large Indian student market with this initiative.

Thomas Cook India’s ‘Travel & Learn’ product team created specialised University Tours (for US).

The University Tours will provide a glimpse into university life experiences with visits to US colleges.

Emirates’ visa service for Indians In partnership with Visas of the World (VOTW), Emirates recently launched a new customer initiative in India, where Emirates’ customers can now directly arrange their visas online for 10 international destinations.

T T B U R E AU he first-of-its-kind service being offered by an airline, Emirates passengers can apply for visas to 10 destinations, namely – the UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Nigeria and South Africa. With VOTW, passengers will not have to physically visit a visa office to collect their application forms or check their documentation.

T

“Emirates has always been committed to improving the convenience of its passengers by providing best-in-class services both on ground and

Fast Fact N With VOTW, passengers will not have to physically visit a visa office to collect their application forms or check their documentation

Essa Sulaiman Ahmad

Vishal Suri

Vice-President India and Nepal Emirates

CEO Visas of the World

Emirates has always been committed to improving convenience of its passengers on board. VOTW is another initiative to make it even easier for Indian passport holders to con-

We will ensure that the services are of the standard that Emirates’ passengers are used to nect with friends, family and business contacts in 10 key global travel destinations,” said

Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, VicePresident India and Nepal, Emirates. “We are happy to partner with VOTW to offer a unique service that will assist many Indian customers to travel abroad with increased ease.”

“VOTW will be providing trained personnel to ensure that the service offered is of high standard that Emirates’ passengers are used to,” said Vishal Suri, CEO, Visas of the World.

The VOTW service will be initially offered from all 10 of Emirates’ Indian gateways (Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Kozhikode, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram).

In addition, the VOTW service will be available in six cities where Emirates does not operate direct flights - Baroda, Pune, Goa, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mangalore.

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Air Asia, GoAir to start flights from Odisha With the Biju Patnaik Airport (BBI), Bhubaneswar in Odisha having received international status, GoAir and Air Asia will soon start operations on the domestic and international routes, respectively.

RAMYA JS D’R OZARIO ndia’s domestic airline, GoAir will start domestic operations from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and Mumbai in May. AirAsia is also expected to start international operations in March from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur.

I

After having been accorded the international status, the Biju Patnaik Airport sought to increase international operations. Sharad Kumar, Director, Biju Patnaik International Airport, held a meeting on January 20, 2014 at the regional headquarter in Kolkata, where representatives from 10 airlines converged.

“This meeting focussed on the inclination of airlines to start flights to Bhubaneswar, discuss flight schedules, among others. flydubai, Air Costa, Silk Air, Air Arabia among others have shown interest in starting flights to the airport, however flydubai is waiting for government approval on traffic rights. These new flights are expected to commence from April 1, this year,” said Kumar.

“We want to market our airport. Thus, I made a presentation on the day of the meeting where we showcased our infrastructure. This type of an interaction with the airlines is a long process, where multiple agencies are involved,” he added.

SpiceJet, Thai Airways and Silk Air have even showed interest to fly to this airport in near future, he said. “We expect six domestic airlines and two international airlines to commence flights to this air-

India’s First Monorail India’s first Monorail finally made its debut in Mumbai in February 2014.

Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan inaugurated the service. The 8.9-km route connecting WadalaChembur stations on the northeastern fringe of the megalopolis is expected to ferry around two lakh passengers a month with four coaches having a combined carrying capacity of around 570 passengers at an interval of every 15 minute.

flydubai, Air Costa, Silk Air, Air Arabia among others have shown interest in starting flights to the airport Sharad Kumar Director, Biju Patnaik International Airport

port in 2014. Jet Airways also plans to resume flights in summer, this year. The VAT on the Air Turbine Fuel has even been decreased from 20 per cent to 5 per cent to attract more business.

Besides GoAir and AirAsia; SpiceJet, Thai Airways and Silk Air have also showed interest to fly to this airport in near future

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VisitBritain welcomes the travel trade To acknowledge travel agents as their extended arm in India, VisitBritain hosted an evening party for the travel fraternity at Le Meridien in Delhi. The evening was a fun-filled affair attended by important officials of VisitBritain and members of the travel trade.

WhatsApping to networking A travel trade party was organised by Pankaj Nagpal, Siddharth Jain, Ankur Kalra and Rohit Shorey from Delhi and Ajay Chabria from Mumbai at the Budapest World Cuisine and Bar on January 29. The event was originally supposed to be a small get-together of a few friends (30 to 40) from Delhi and Mumbai who are together on the Whatsapp Group named ‘Travel Synergies’ and ‘Travel Fraternity’. However the event soon became popular and more people from the trade joined in.

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NEWS

US Visa pre-clearance Etihad’s new pre-clearance facility will allow Indian flyers to the United States to arrive at their destination as domestic passengers, eliminating hassle.

T T B U R E AU ndian air travellers, flying with Etihad Airways to the United States of America can now clear US customs and immigration at Abu Dhabi Airport, enabling them to arrive in the US as domestic passengers. The pre-clearance facility allows passengers to be processed through US immigration and customs, public health, and Department of Agriculture inspections before boarding their aircraft, eliminating the need to do so on arrival in the US. Indian air travellers, flying with Etihad Airways, can now connect from cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram.

The flights will go via Abu

I

Etihad service from 9 cities

Indian air travellers, flying with Etihad Airways, can now connect from cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram

Dhabi, to international destinations like Chicago, New York, and Washington DC. The airline will continue to expand and build depth into its flight network in 2014

benefitting Indian air travellers, with flights to Jaipur to start in April, and Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth to join the network in June and December, respectively.

TUI increases stake in India Operations Having very successfully grown as a joint venture since 2005, Le Passage to India (LPTI) has entered the next phase following TUI increasing its stake in LPTI. Arjun Sharma will now assume the position of

President of the company and shall also be the Managing Director for Inbound.

On the occasion, he said, "It will be a pleasure to lead and be a part of the success story that is LPTI and TUI in the Indian sub-continent.”

Arjun Sharma Managing Director (Inbound) & President, LPTI

Valentine Vacations for 2014 HolidayIQ.com has recently released its ‘Insights: Report on Valentine’s Day Travel 2014’, which is an analysis of romantic holidays planned by couples on HolidayIQ.com for February 13 – 18, 2014.

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FITUR 2014 shows Hispanic resurgence The 34th edition of the International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2014, witnessed promising participation from over 50 Indian companies. Held in Madrid from Jan 22-26, this first global trade event for the year sent a reassuring message for the industry with 9,083 participating companies from 165 countries.

Contd. on page 20

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A spirited response from all quarters Contd. from page 18

Hola! Spain finally out of recession Over 50 Indian companies exhibited at FITUR 2014 reinforcing the importance of Spain for the Indian market. The Ministry of Tourism showed its commitment with a soon-to-be-launched Spanish website.

DEVIKA JEET FROM MADRID nternational Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR 2014, saw a total number of participants increased by 5.1 per cent to 2,17,780 and the number of visitors and buyers increased by nearly 4 per cent.

FITUR 2014 ended at a high note with participants feeling satisfied and hoping for a progressive year.

I

Luv Malhotra

Tejinder Grewal

Bharat Bhushan Atree

Chander Kant Abbott

Georgina De Leon

Joint Managing Director The Suryaa

Director Caper Travel Company

Managing Director Caper Travel Company

Chairman Vasco Travel

Ventas Orleviasa

During FITUR 2014, Ministry of Tourism laid special emphasis on the new Incredible India website which will soon be available in 10 different languages, including Spanish “The general sentiment is much more positive this year and travel to India is expected to increase. This positive sentiment is the key factor and will be the game changer compared to the last year,” felt

Luv Malhotra, Joint Managing Director, The Suryaa.

Tejinder Grewal, Director, Caper Travel Company, feels the same sentiment highlighting that, Caper

Travel has been present in this market for a long time and now finally they are coming out of recession. “The past couple of years were slow but now that they are out of the crises, we hope to see numbers grow.”

While Bharat Bhushan Atree, Managing Director, Caper Travel Company, agrees to the views he suggests that the real game changer will be visa-on-arrival for more countries. “The biggest advantage will be with the opening of visa-on-arrival for the Spanish market and

with that it will definitely increase the numbers from this market.”

for women and single travellers and promoting this is the need of the hour.”

Supporting a similar view, Chander Kant Abbott, Chairman, Vasco Travel, says, “Our biggest drawback is the visa process and it’s a tedious task. While the government is working on this, India tourism needs to be very aggressive to reach the masses in these markets and focus on India being a safe destination. The vibe abroad is still very sceptical about India being safe

India tourism guaranteed its commitment to the tourism market with a huge presence at FITUR. While different itineraries and travel options were discussed with the Ministry of Tourism, a special emphasis was laid on the new Incredible India website. Indeed remarkable, the website will soon be available in 10 different languages, including Spanish.

“The interest for India is definitely increasing in the Mexican market. Though they are big spenders and love to travel in luxury, a problem we face is that we don’t find too many Spanish speaking guides in South India,” says a renowned Mexican tour operator, Georgina De Leon, Ventas, Orleviasa.

Both the India and Spanish speaking nations left FITUR feeling the relief of the economy being out of recession, business hopes to soon show better results from this market.

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Agents to tap Tier-II cities for Nevada Brian K Krolicki, Chairman, Nevada Commission on Tourism, says that 60-70% of tourists from India to US, at some point in their journey come to Nevada, to Las Vegas.

T T B U R E AU ourism is a US$58 billion industry in Nevada, employing more than 450,000 Nevadans and generating US$2.7 billion in tax revenue for the state. Most importantly; Las Vegas, one of the most famous destinations in the United States of America, is within Nevada.

T

Brian K Krolicki Chairman Nevada Commission on Tourism

Because of the ease of language and the brand value of Las Vegas, we think that more Indians will feature the state in their itineraries Krolicki says, “We know that Nevada is already a top destination for Indian travellers and that can only increase as the Indian economy strengthens in 2014. Around 60-70 per cent of the Indian tourists to the US come to Las Vegas, Nevada at some point in their journey.”

Talking about the potential of the India market, Krolicki says, “With more than 50 million passport-holders in India, and a large and growing middle class with a desire

Brand Value N With more than 50 million passport-holders in India, and a large and growing middle class with a desire to travel internationally, India is the next big market for Nevada N Indian travellers want a destination with shopping, fine cuisine, entertainment, culture, adventure, and beauty, and Nevada has all of that and more

to travel internationally, India is the next big market for Nevada.” Indian travellers want a destination with shopping, fine cuisine, entertainment, culture, adventure, and beauty, and Nevada has all of that and more.

Nevada plans to promote itself in India aggressively and the tourism board will be visiting India again in September for a marketing tour. Krolicki further says, “This market is very important and it’s going to be more important to the interna-

tional tourism base. We want to involve tour operators, airlines, visa officers and try and get rid of any friction in the chain. We expect 50 million Indians to travel outside the country in the next 5 years. Though it’s far, the US is an attractive destination,

but because of the ease of language and the brand value of Las Vegas, we think that more Indians will feature the state in their itinerary.” Talking about the strategy, Krolicki pointed out that, “You start with the larger markets and penetrate as

the market grows. For this, the private sector, especially tour operators, are critical to capture and enter those markets. We are counting on smaller tour operators to bring those tourists from the Tier-II cities to US.”

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TECHNOLOGY

The advantages of SEO & websites The recent years have seen a voracious demand for e-commerce and online bookings. Today, the hotel website is becoming a key medium to communicate information about the brand and also a tool to share offerings and engage with the guest. Experts share insights on the importance of websites, SEO and SCM. K A N C H A N N AT H Avijit Arya, Chief Mogul, Internet Moguls, said, “It’s high time the hoteliers realise that their projected revenues will not meet the target, unless their brand website is delivering revenues.” Talking about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Companion Marketing (SCM) for hotels, he said, “I think search companies and search experts in India are shrinking.

Especially SEO for hotels, the experts are few and far in between. So, the scope for those who get it right is huge.”

Nikhil Sama, Cofounder, CEO, Snaplion, feels that the target audiences for hotels are mostly affluent consumers and corporate executives. This segment of the audience prefers saving time, and convenience, over deals and discounts. Websites and mobile apps offer these in routine tasks such as service discovery, reservations, ordering and concierge functions. “This is the key driver behind the growing relevance of websites and mobile apps for hotels today,” he says.

Vinnie Jauhari, Director IIMT, Oxford Brooks University, feels that there is a growing relevance of websites for hotels today. She said, “It is becoming a key medium to communicate about the brand and also, is a tool to share offerings and engage with the guest. The website creates a moment of truth and can communicate the philosophy around guestorientation giving online tours of facilities and also access to the city.

The website has to be attractive and also at the same time provide the functionality that the guest is looking at.” The guest expectations must be kept in mind when building in features or enablers on the website.

The website, by deploying applications, can offer value added services to the guest such as travel bookings or links to tours or other information that guests would be seeking for the destination. SEO is certainly very helpful if appropriate words are deployed and tagged, helping to bring guest traffic to the hotel website.

Raman P Rama, Vice President & CTO/CIO, JHM Hotels, feels that if a hotel does not have a website, they are losing exposure globally. International as well as domestic guests, business or tourists, are becoming more comfortable using technology for their research. If a hotel is not present online, customers will not be able to find them, thus losing a lot of potential business.

He added, “If a business link does not appear on the first 5 spots or at least on the first page, they tend to lose exposure.

Hence, the SEO is of utmost importance for customers to visit the site, know more about the hotel, and help them book a room based on their preferences of location, type of hotels, facilities and rates.”

Sajid Mailk, Chairman and Managing Director, Genesys International Corporation, feels that ensuring visibility in a crowded market has always been a tricky issue for the hospitality industry. “Technology makes this visibility a lot easier to manage, thanks primarily to search engine optimisation. Any hotel with an online presence cannot ignore the benefits of SEO when it comes to ensuring that more potential customers are made aware of the property's presence. Managing their social media presence is, however, becoming as crucial, if not more,” he shared.

PHD’s 3 India Heritage Tourism Conclave rd

The PHD Chamber of Commerce has planned a series of events for the travel & tourism industry in 2014. The Chamber announced that the 3rd India Tourism Conclave will be organised on Feb 21 at the India Islamic Cultural Centre in New Delhi, with special focus on all Himalayan states.

R ATA N K R P A U L peaking to ; Yogesh Srivastav, Senior Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that the Conclave will be inaugurated by Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Tourism, Govt of

S

India. It will be organised in association with the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and all the Himalayan states. This year, the Conclave will put emphasis on Himalayas as a sustainable destination round the year. This initiative is to strengthen the recently launched MOT’s campaign called ‘777 Days of the

Incredible Indian Himalayas’.

“We are also looking at releasing an extensive study on Himalayan Heritage Tourism at the Conclave,” Srivastav said.

He also informed that interactions would take place between Governments (both Central and State) and the private sector investors regarding issues and

India to see 65% rise in hotel rooms According to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, the Indian hotel industry will see a 65 per cent rise in the total number of hotel rooms by 2017.

Approximately 52,000 new hotel rooms are expected to come into the system in the next five years. The NCR is likely to contribute about a third of these with 17,000 keys, while Kolkata will see the highest percentage increase in inven-

tory by adding 3,813 rooms or 105 per cent more than the current supply. Pune will contribute the lowest portion of rooms at 41 per cent or 2,853 rooms to the existing 6,970 keys.

Akshay Kulkarni, Regional Director Hospitality, South and South East Asia, Cushman & Wakefield, said, "Even while India is considered to be an attractive market for both leisure and business travel,

there are some inherent deficiencies due to which hospitality projects have hitherto taken long to come up including aspects like funding and regulatory issues, which have either delayed or in some cases stalled projects. Despite a significant number of leisure travel both international and domestic, hoteliers are seen to be concentrating on business destinations, specifically NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru."

opportunities affecting investment in tourism sector in Himalayan states “By organising various events, we provide the industry a platform for meaningful discussions between the industry practitioners as well as with policymakers,” said Srivastav. He informed that the Heritage

Tourism Conclave will be followed by a Wellness Tourism Conclave in May in Uttrakhand, a Tourism Conclave in Bihar in November, Eco Tourism Conclave in Madhya Pradesh in November and Holiday on Wheels Conclave in New Delhi in December 2014.

Yogesh Srivastav Senior Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation, PHDCCI

First Conrad Hotel in Pune Hilton Worldwide has signed management agreement with Palm Grove Beach Hotels, a whollyowned subsidiary of the K. Raheja Constructions Group to open India’s first Conrad Hotel in Pune.

“Conrad Hotels & Resorts has a global portfolio of 23 properties and Pune is a key gateway destination,” said John TA Vanderslice, Global Head, Luxury and Lifestyle

Brands, Hilton Worldwide.

Conrad Pune will be strategically located at Mangaldas Road within the central business district of the city. Conrad Pune will feature 310 guestrooms with the latest in-room technology and six-fixture marble baths.

Guests at the hotel will have the choice of six contemporary and innovative dining outlets.

The 16,200-square foot (1,510-square metre) meet-

ing and event space at the hotel will include a grand 8,300-square foot (780square metre) ballroom divisible into three, a breakaway function room, spacious pre-function area, four boardrooms as well as a fully equipped 24-hour business centre.

Recreational options will include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, luxurious full-service spa and a salon.

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ACTE to host travel meets in September The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has decided to hold one of its annual international events called ‘Executive Forum’ in New Delhi and another one in Bengaluru in Sept 2014. Speaking to ; Benson Tang, Regional Director, Asia, ACTE, informed that global corporate travel spend is more than US$ trillion annually.

R ATA N K R P A U L CTE organises all meetings and education programmes for travel industry people, so that they can learn corporate travel market practices. With offices in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, Middle East and the United States, ACTE is able to provide support to its members in over 100 countries worldwide. This is in addition to the professional

A

Take-Aways N For Asia, the corporate travel expenditure is roughly a little bit more than US$ 300 billion.

N Therefore, emerging markets like China, India, Republic of Korea and Central Asia will be the focus area for corporate travel.

staff residing at the international headquarters near Washington, DC. As an international association representing corporate travel industry, ACTE provides global platform for its members and industry affiliates to network and to learn from each other internationally. “We believe best practice sharing and new trend forecast are the only ways to raise our corporate industry standard to a new horizon.

Hence, we organise a few hundred events around the world to make aware of global trends,” said Tang.

According to Tang, global corporate travel market will continue to expand. Currently, the corporate travel global expenditure is more than US$ 1 trillion and for Asia, the expenditure is roughly a little bit more than US$ 300 billion.

As a result, 30 per cent of the total global expenditure for cor-

porate travel base is in Asia.

Emerging markets like China, India, Korea and Central Asia will be the focus area for corporate travel.

In Tang’s opinion, India has huge opportunities for both outbound and inbound corporate travel traffic. “As one of the BRICS countries, the India outbound market remains very strong, particularly the business travel sector, where many India conglomerates are expanding

their business around the world,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, many international MNCs have moved their backoffices or data centres to India.

“There are huge business parks in Bengaluru in particular with major firms like IBM, HSBC, INTEL, Goldman Sachs and Fidelity. The trend will surely continue,” he emphasised.

es. “Many administrators or finance managers think that travel management is simply an operational expense management tools for cost-control. This kind of thinking is too limited. In fact, travel management can be a strategic HR tool for staff retention and morale boost. It can also be a tool for business generation,” Tang said.

Tang, however, underlined the importance of change in mind-set of corporate hous-

He also emphasised on industry-friendly government policies to encourage corpo-

The infrastructure needed to be upgraded.

The public transportation system in most cities is not as sophisticated, highways are also not world-standard and many cities have serious traffic problems Benson Tang Regional Director, Asia, ACTE

rate travel. For example, he pointed out that, though India is extremely attractive place for MICE, there are a number of bottlenecks. “The infrastructure needed to be upgraded. The public transportation system in most cities is not as sophisticated, highways are also not world-standard and many cities have serious traffic problems,” he maintained.

According to Tang, the 5 star hotel costs in India are as expensive as New York City, even a bit too expensive. Visa application, on the other hand, is an important issue. Many countries needs visa and visa form is very complex. “It might take more than two hours to fill everything in,” he said.

Moreover, for many MNCs, safety and security is an issue, which need serious attention of the government to develop MICE as well as corporate travel in this country.

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FAMILY ALBUM FEBRUARY NATIONAL 17 18 19 19 20 21

Delhi Chennai Bengaluru Mumbai Mumbai Ahmedabad

21 24

Bengaluru Chennai

Tourism Malaysia’s Sales Mission Tourism Portugal’s Roadshow Tourism Portugal’s Roadshow Tourism Malaysia’s Sales Mission Tourism Portugal’s Roadshow Canadian Tourism Commission’s Workshop Tourism Malaysia’s Sales Mission Canadian Tourism Commission’s Workshop Tourism Malaysia’s Sales Mission Focus Canada – India

24 Kochi 26-Mar 1 Kochi

Trade unites for IITT 2014 in Mumbai The first edition of India International Travel & Tourism (IITT) exhibition was recently held in Mumbai.

The three-day event was a mix of action-packed exhibition and power-packed business sessions. The event also witnessed participation from not only every segment of the Indian tourism industry, but also from travel trade associations.

INTERNATIONAL 18-19 25-26

Melbourne, Australia Johannesburg

NATIONAL 3 4 4 4 5 6 6 7 7 14-15

Delhi Mumbai Mumbai Chennai Bengaluru Delhi Delhi Mumbai Bengaluru Raipur

14-16 21-23 25 26 27-29

Chennai Guwahati Delhi Mumbai Ahmedabad

Asia Pacific Meetings and Incentive Expo (AIME) South Africa Tourism’s Meetings Africa

MARCH Kenya Tourist Board’s Roadshow Tourism Victoria’s Roadshow Four Seasons Roadshow Kenya Tourist Board’s Roadshow Kenya Tourist Board’s Roadshow Tourism Victoria’s Roadshow Four Seasons Roadshow Kenya Tourist Board’s Roadshow Tourism Victoria’s Roadshow Indian International Travel Exhibition (IITE) India International Tours & Travels Fair Holiday Expo Tourism Ireland’s Travel Trade Workshop Tourism Ireland’s Travel Trade Workshop Gujarat Tourism Mart

INTERNATIONAL 5-9

Berlin

ITB

17-19

Tokyo

International Luxury Travel Market

19-22

Moscow

Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT)

24-26

Abu Dhabi

GIBTM

26-28 Kiev 27-April 2 France

NATIONAL

UITT Atout France’s Rendez-Vous en France

APRIL

1 2

Mumbai Bengaluru

Tourism Poland’s Roadshow Tourism Poland’s Roadshow

3

Delhi

Tourism Poland’s Roadshow

4

Mumbai

MICE Travel Mart + Luxury & Leisure Travel Mart,

INTERNATIONAL 3-5

Azerbaijan

5-6 6-8 8-11 9-11

Ottawa Marseille Singapore Beijing

10-12 15-20 23-25

Siberia The Hague Sao Paulo

23-25

Kazakhstan

28-30

Cape Town

Azerbaijan International Tourism Fair (AITF) The Travel and Vacation Show Routes Europe Hotel Asia China Outbound Travel Tourism Mart (COTTM) SITT (TOURSIB) International Travel & Tourism Market World Travel Market Latin America Kazakhstan International Tourism Fair (KITF) IBTM Africa

For more information, contact us at: talk@ddppl.com

GoAir’s direct-daily between Patna-Kolkata Girish Nair, Chief Commercial Officer, Go Airlines (India), shared,

GoAir, one of India’s fastest growing airlines, has started a direct - daily flight service

between the two major capitals of Eastern India, Patna and Kolkata from February 4, 2014.

“This indicates the strong demand for travel in the region and is completely in line with our strategy to bring con-

nectivity between the metros and non-metros. Our network design is forward looking and places emphasis on routes that support the growth at destinations, connected through these flights. Apart from a strong movement for leisure, the two capital cities attract travellers for local businesses and trade.”

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Sofitel Mumbai BKC Mumbai Biswajit Chakraborty has been appointed as the General Manger of Sofitel Mumbai BKC. Chakraborty comes to Sofitel Luxury Hotels with over 25 years in the hospitality industry. Prior to Sofitel Mumbai BKC, Chakraborty has played the role of a General Manager for over a decade.

The two hotels the Yak and Yeti in Nepal, The Leela Kempinski Kovalam and Mumbai as well as the grand Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore are a few luxury hotels in India with whom he has worked.

MOVEMENTS Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park

Carlson Rezidor

Bengaluru

Chirodeep Chakraborty is the new Associate Director, Faiz Alam Ansari has been appointed as the General Manager of Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park. He has been associated with Starwood Hotels & Resorts since October 2006 and has over 20 years of experience with leading hospitality brands. Prior to moving to Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Park, Ansari was the Hotel Manager of the flagship Westin Hotel in India at the Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi.

The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa, Gulmarg Kashmir Aditya Mata has been selected to hold the post of Vice President & General Manager at The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa, Gulmarg. Mata honed his skills whilst working with world-renowned brands such as The Oberoi Group; The Inter Continental, Sahar in Mumbai; The Doha Sheraton, Qatar; Shangri-La Village Resort, Pokhara & Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Kathmandu in Nepal; The Grand Ashok, Bengaluru and Zuri Kumarakom Kerala Resort & Spa among others.

NCR Gurgaon Global Sales, South Asia for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. In his new profile, he will be directly responsible for all international hotel requirements for Carlson Rezidor as an entity. Before joining Carlson, Chakraborty has gained experience working with InterContinental Hotel Group, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi and The Westin Mumbai Garden City.

Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan Pune Kunal Dewan has been appointed as the Director of Sales of

Hemant Tenneti has joined Marriott International as the Hotel

the Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park. He has been associated with Starwood Hotels & Resorts since December 2011 and has over 10 years of experience with leading hospitality brands. He has been associated with some of the leading hospitality brands like Le Parker Meridien Hotel, New York, U.S.A, The Oberoi Group of Hotels & Resorts. Prior to being appointed the Director of Sales at Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Park, Dewan was a Manager at Starwood Sales Organisation.

Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan. With a career spanning over 15 years in the field of Food & Beverage and convention business, Hemant undertakes the responsibility of Courtyard Chakan from Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments where he was the Director of Food & Beverage.

The Fern Samali Resort, Dapoli

The Fern Gir Forest Resort, SasanGir

The Floatel Hotel

Dapoli

SasanGir

Kolkata

Basudev Mahapatra is a veteran hotelier with a 15-year career in

Debasish Muduli takes over as General Manager of The Fern Gir

Upal Sarkar is the General Manager at The Floatel Hotel, Kolkata,

the hospitality sector across India. He will lead The Fern Samali, Dapoli as the General Manager. Prior to this assignment, Mahapatra worked with prestigious hotels and resorts in Hyderabad, Goa and Bengaluru among others. Mahapatra has a diploma in hotel management from NIHMC, Bhubaneswar. With his experience, Mahapatra aims to renew bonds with existing clients, and grow the hotel’s business.

Forest Resort. The only 5-star resort in SasanGir, his goal is to maintain their ranking and create new guest experiences that are more rooted in the local environment. Apart from gaining experience through his career in hospitality, Muduli is also a diploma holder in hotel management from Orissa Institute of Hotel Management (OIHM), Rourkela.

India’s only floating hotel. A career hotelier with a post-graduate diploma in marketing and a diploma in hotel management, Sarkar will lead the landmark ship towards newer dining experiences. In his 20-year career, he has worked with respected hospitality names such as Fortune, Radisson, Absolute Hotel Services and Ambuja Hospitality.

Talking People is a special dedicated corner, created as a sounding board for who’s who of the Indian and International travel industry. With Talking People, it is our endeavour to bring you face-to-face with people.Contributed by: Megha Paul

EM Najeeb, Chairman, Air Travel Enterprise Group, starts his day with his daily prayers and a round of golf. “I like to keep myself updated with news and other happenings in the world and thus, browse through various newspapers. I prefer reading than watching news on television.” In his free time, he prefers watching TV, listening to music and spending time with family. His music preferences include soft, Arabic and old Hindi and Malayali songs. An avid reader, he is fond of reading all kinds of books.

Najeeb loves to maintain strong bonds with his near and dear ones.

“For me, this is seriously a stress buster,” he informs.

Rose-Marie Hoareau, Director-Marketing, Seychelles Tourism Board, baking is the most innovative experience. “I have a passion for baking. During my early days, I have made many disasters while making a cake but my quest for further knowledge and perfection kept me going. And now I bake really well,” she smiles. She likes gardening too. Talking about her travel journeys, she adds, “I love going to the US and Austria. In Delhi, I visited the India Gate, Red Fort and Khan Market and did lots of shopping and eating.”

Roberto Palais, Executive Manager, National Institute of Tourism Promotion- Argentina, loves to play football and go to theatre to watch movies. An avid traveller, he is fascinated

by Europe and its offerings. “My favourite destinations there include London and Paris. Every time I go there, I discover something new and in the process rediscover myself. This is my first visit to India and I have added this to my list as well now,” he chuckles. Reading also keeps him busy. “I like reading management books and reading about different philosophies. I admire Mahatma Gandhi and follow his principles,” he says.

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Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2012-13-14; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2012-14 for posting on 1st-2nd and 16th-17th of the same month at New Delhi P.S.O., RNI No.: 53492/91 Date of Publication:15-02-2014

HIGHLIGHT

9% hike in Indian tourists to UK Despite the depreciating `, Indian travellers holidaying in the UK increased by nine per cent during the first three quarters of 2013 led by a surge in leisure and corporate segments, reveals Sandie Dawe, CEO, VisitBritain.

M E G H A P AU L India ranks No. 1 among BRICS market It is the biggest of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) source market for Britain. It recorded 339,000 Indian visitors and GB£ 333 million in spending. Britain aims to attract 425,000 visits from India by 2016, which will translate into GB£ 380 million in annual visitor spend from the Indian market. “The funding by British government for UK Trade & Investment, British High Commission and VisitBritain in India has increased over the years, which shows our commitment in India,” she revealed.

The growth from India was driven by leisure that grew by 11 per cent and business travel that rose by 14 per cent.

Going forward, VisitBritain is looking at family, groups, youth and HNIs. She further elaborated, “Britain is India’s second-largest business partner, receiving about 50 per cent of Indian direct investment into Europe. Thus, business is an important and higher spending segment for us.

The average holiday visitor in Britain from India spends GB£ 504 while the average business visitor spends GB£ 1,419. We are working with Indian MICE operators to position Britain as a MICE destination for India.”

The ‘youth’ tinge Leisure and surpass VFR

MICE

Traditionally, the visiting friends and family (VFR) market from India has been good.

However, the VFR traffic went down four per cent in 2013.

By 2020, India is set to become the world’s youngest country with 64 per cent of its population in the working age group. This is a growing segment for the Board and will drive numbers from India. It

UK and Indian trade bodies join hands to boost tourism In accordance with the UK Government’s agenda for India as a priority market, VisitBritain on January 30, 2014, announced the signing of an MoU between UK and Indian Trade Associations.

The MoU between European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) was signed by Karan Anand, Relationship Head for ETOA and Praveen Chugh, Vice President, TAFI. The MoU between Outbound Tour Operator Association of India (OTOAI) and UKinbound was signed by Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, OTOAI, and Ashley Jones, Board Member, UKinbound. This is the first ever MoU between UK and Indian trade associations to enable a positive business environment for the travel industries of the two countries.

The signing of MoUs was witnessed by James Bevan, British High Commissioner to India and Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive, VisitBritain.

has been observed that growth is driven by young Indian travellers who

at

Hosted Buyers Marketplace in London in March 2014. We are also encouraging the trade to introduce

Sandie Dawe, CEO, VisitBritain

We are looking at segments such the honeymooners, single women, SINKs, DINKs, other youth subsegments and engaging them with digital programmes are technology-savvy, with purchasing power and are looking for experiential tours. “We are looking at tapping these segments and engaging them with digital programmes. It includes the honeymooners, single women, SINKs (Single Income No Kids), DINKS (Double Income No Kids) and other youth sub-segments,” she shared.

Partnering with the travel trade While talking about future trade plans, Dawe informed that VisitBritain has strategically scheduled B2B events to engage with the Indian travel trade. “Currently, we have 900 BritAgents in India. The tourism board will host 15-20 Indian travel trade partners

new itineraries that promote not only London, but a broader range of regions to consumers.

To target the fast-growing FIT segment, we will continue to engage with OTAs such as Yatra.com, MakeMyTrip, Ibibo.com and Expedia.com.

We are looking at introducing co-op campaigns and tie-ups with the Indian travel trade to incentivise sales of Britain packages. Recently, VisitBritain along with Mercury Travels kickstarted a year-long campaign. As part of the campaign, Mercury Travels has designed nine itineraries focussing on destinations beyond London including Manchester, Liverpool, York, Peak District, Birmingham, Belfast, Wales and Scotland,” she said.

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