TravTalk August 2nd 13

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A DDP PUBLICATION

Pages: 44 (Excluding cover)

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Vol. XXV No. 16; August 2 nd fortnight issue 2013

` 50/-

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TRAVTALK

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AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

‘Decentralise medical tourism’ Though inbound medical tourists help raising standards, there is a need to look at the domestic share for promoting Medical Tourism. The answer lies in opening hospitals in state capitals and non-metro cities.

News Bulletin Weak ` to aid wellness tourism See full story on page 7

Press T for Travel with India See full story on page 12

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Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism lighting the lamp at a national conference organised by PHDCCI in New Delhi

e make the mistake of assuming that medical tourism only comes from international tourists or inbound as we call it. If you go to any Delhi hospital, a good number of people come from J&K and the North East. Hence, medical tourism in reality would be a lot of internal domestic medical tourism, said Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism,

Government of India. Dewan, who was addressing a national conference titled, ‘Medical & Wellness Tourism in India’, hosted by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, feels Medical Tourism in India is concentrated in a few major cities. Talking about the creation of subsidiary hospitals in state capitals and the need to decentralise the segment, Dewan elaborated, “We made a mistake when we concentrated on the call centres

around Delhi, Gurgaon and Bengaluru where wage levels were already high. As a result, the call centre business shifted to the Phillippines. We should not make the same mistake in the case of medical tourism. We should spread it throughout India. Why should someone take so much effort and come to Delhi from Tawang or Itanagar?”

Contd. on page 17 (Please also read page 6 for more)

£3,000 cash bond for UK visa Britain’s Home Office has confirmed that it will demand a £3,000 (US$4,630) refundable bond for visas for ‘high-risk’ visitors from India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ghana.

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ritain said in a statement that it will go ahead with the pilot scheme despite the outrage, charges of discrimination and warnings of retaliation. The Home Office statement, sent

by email, did not say when the scheme would start. British Home Office said that if the scheme is successful, Britain would like to apply the bond ‘on an intelligence-led basis on any visa route and any country’. Britain’s Home Office said it hopes the bond

system deters overstaying of visas and recovers costs of foreign nationals using public services. spoke to industry leaders and travel trade fraternity members on how this is going to affect outbound travel to the UK. Contd. on page 18

1 Britain’s Home Office said it hopes the bond system deters overstaying of visas and recovers costs of foreign nationals using public services 2 If the scheme is successful, Britain would like to apply the bond “on an intelligence-led basis on any visa route and any country”

Understanding the new Indian Traveller See statistics on page 25

The tightrope of sustainability and tourism See full story on page 41

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BULLETIN

ADTOI to unveil its fifth chapter Abhijeet Patil, CEO, Raja Rani Travels will be the Maharashtra Chapter Head. The association office-bearers share more details…

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o boost domestic tourism and increase its existing members in the state, ADTOI is all set to launch the fifth chapter in Maharashtra in the third week of August.

Abhijeet Patil, CEO, Raja Rani Travels will be the chapter head. However, the date and venue of the launch event are yet to be finalised. This information was provided by PP Khanna, Vice President, ADTOI. The chapter is being launched to strengthen ADTOI's activities in Maharashtra and across India. According to Khanna, as per the criteria, only states that have at least ten active ADTOI members are eligible to have an exclusive chapter.

Maharashtra has approximately 25 active members out of a total of 43. Post this development, ADTOI will

unveil chapters in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, he informed.

The Association currently has chapters in Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Kerala and West Bengal & North East.

Abhijeet Patil CEO Raja Rani Travels

Regarding the increase of ADTOI members in the country, Subhash Verma, President, ADTOI revealed, “The association recently formed 10 subcommittees. One of them is

the membership development committee. In July, we launched our membership ID cards. The sample for this was approved in our last general meeting. The first batch of cards was made for the officebearers and EC members.

Now, it is being made for all our members. The idea is to recognise our members and target an increase in membership pan-India. Currently, we have over 700 members, both active and allied. We are looking at increasing this number to about 800 by the end of this year.”

Talking about the ADTOI convention this year, Verma pointed out, “The last ADTOI convention was organised in J&K. For the first time, ADTOI had stepped out of Delhi to host this event. This was a milestone achievement. It gave a boost to domestic tourism

in the state and was a welcome step. Back then, we had decided we should promote other states and host our conventions in different regions. This time, we have shortlisted three states – Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. By October, we will finalise the venue and dates as well.”

Facts & Figures RULES: Only states that have at least ten active ADTOI members are eligible to have an exclusive chapter. Maharashtra has approximately 25 active members out of a total of 43.

UPCOMING:Post this development, ADTOI will unveil chapters in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

The Association currently has chapters in Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Kerala and West Bengal & North East

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TIME MACHINE VIEWPOINT

September 1991 | Vol 1 | Issue 1 | Page 3

Bail out the UK Visa!

, 23 years back, had featured a story on Visa Nightmare. Even after these many years, the issue remains a big challenge for the travel trade.

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ourism is playing an important role in the world economy. Amid volatility in the world economy, with an additional 39 million international tourists, up from 996 million in 2011, international tourist arrivals surpassed 1 billion (1.035 billion) in 2012. In fact, at the first T-20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting held in Johannesburg, the communiqué acknowledged that as the world economy re-energises following the recession, the tourism sector’s contribution required for the global economic recovery stretches far and wide.

The central aspect of travel to any destination is the official permit, or the socalled visa. Of late, many countries have liberalised their visa regime to ensure tourists get a valid visa in the shortest possible time, at an affordable price and that too keeping the visa applicant’s convenience in focus.

For long, the Indian visa regime had been considered unfriendly to the applicant.

However, lately, India had come back and started the Visa-on-Arrival facility to 11 source markets. It’s presumed that the Government is keen to further the Visa-onArrival facility to newer destinations.

On the other hand, the entire travel agents’ fraternity has been shocked to hear about the UK visa security bond scheme to be made applicable from November.

Creating unnecessary impediments for grant of visa in the six markets including India for the bond scheme, will result in irreversible damage to the UK as a destination.

It comes as an aberration, especially when India is the second-most important outbound source market after China. All the countries are wooing Indian tourists, who are one amongst those leading the charts for spending most on overseas trips. If, UK still goes ahead with its security bond policy; Indian travellers for sure will prefer European destinations and other long-haul destinations over the United Kingdom.

Living Through Visa Nightmare Rajen Bali

You think you are ‘somebody’ with values of human dignity?

Forget it, if you are in the capital of India, an Indian citizen and if you wish to travel abroad.

Travel abroad requires visas.

Everyone knows that. But many may not know about the trials and tribulations of acquiring a visa or what one is made to feel unless one belongs to the ‘privileged minority’.

Apart from physical discomfort of having to stand in long queues and after as long as five hours being curtly told, “come tomorrow, your interview cannot be scheduled today.” The attitude of the visa section staff of embassies and high commissions is to be experienced to be believed. If the sahibs and memsahibs are condescending and ‘firm’, the Indians working in these places behave in a manner which

can only be described as ‘generally abominable’. The treatment dished out to the majority of visa-seekers, who are illiterate village folk, or working class people and raw students is as if they were criminals.

It is not difficult to see ‘fear’ stamped on the face of the visaseekers. All because they wish to visit a relative or want to go and work abroad, they have to undergo almost inhuman treatment – such is

the rude behavior.True every country has the right to admit only those whom they wish to enter, but reasons like “lack of adequate staff” and “too many applicants” are hardly a licence to bad behavior.

Bad behavior apart, there is hardly any thought given to the physical comfort or dignity of the applicants. There is no place to sit except on the roadside, in front of the embassy of one of the most cultured countries. One gets a dirty piece of cardboard with a number scrawled upon it and ‘lounges’ on the pavement till your number is called. Similarly, it is like a courtcall to get your passport back.

One high commission wants you to list all your brothers and sisters in a long questionnaire. There are many irritants.

Is it possible to improve things in the ‘visa section’?

Editor comments: Can’t the industry mobilize opinions to persuade the government of India which can take up the matter with foreign missions. Or do we also similarly treat visa-seekers at our embassies?

Excerpts from the OTOAI letter on cash bond for UK visa 02 August 2013 His Excellency Sir James David Bevan The High Commissioner, British High Commission, New Delhi.

Outbound Tour Operators Association of India sends regards to the British High Commission After receiving news items in various sections of Press, we are approaching your office for clarifications and to lodge our protest and disapproval to The UK government plans to seek GBP 3000 refundable bonds from Indians applying UK visa from 01 November 2013. It could certainly impact the Indian traveller to UK in a big way.

What is conflicting is that on one side your government is investing huge moneys to promote tourism through Visit Britain on other side these measures are creating hurdles to that intention. Tourism industry from India has invested huge sums on advertising, brochures, inventory, man power, offices, infrastructure etc to promote your country in India and in UK and this discriminatory measure will be counter productive.

First of all it will be important to understand who will be impacted and will be not. Of course there are elements who misuse the systems and break law, your Immigration department’s staff is well trained and geared up to deal with them.

Another monetary based way of dealing with them will never stop them as they are ready to pay any price to get entry into a country. So the genuine traveller will be the one who will have to bear the brunt.

Outbound tourists consist of a very large numbers of honeymooners. They are from middle class to rich families. Most of them have not yet started their businesses or careers and for them to show assets and bank balance is difficult.

Next, there are middle class families who have started getting richer and their first want and desire is to travel. Then there are a huge number of small scale business owners who travel, sometimes alone, at times with families.

Contd. on page 42

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

Editorial Ratan Kr Paul Vivek Sethi Megha Paul Devika Jeet Anita Jain News-Editor Peden Doma Bhutia Desk-Editor Archana Sharma Sr. Sub-Editor Hritvick Sen

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EXHIBITIONS

AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

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Preparations on in Tawang for ITM

As Arunachal Pradesh gets ready to host the second edition of the International Tourism Mart, Sonam Chombay, Secretary, Tourism, Arunachal Pradesh, says preparations are in full swing to make the event a success.

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e have been having several meetings at the state level. We are expecting 125-150 foreigners from 23-26 countries as well as leading travel agents from within the country,” Chombay said.

Sonam Chombay Secretary, Tourism Arunachal Pradesh

We are expecting 125-150 foreigners from 23-26 countries as well as leading travel agents from within the country While he confirmed that the mart is on from October 18-20, he, however, said that he would be able to comment more clearly on things only after a few weeks.

Sales tax reduction on ATF in W Bengal In order to enhance air connectivity and travel to Kolkata, Cooch Behar and Bagdogra, the West Bengal (WB) government has announced a reduction in sales tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), stated a release. WB has decided to give 50 per cent rebate on sales tax on additional ATF sold to any airline from Kolkata Airport, compared to corresponding ATF consumed by the airline in 2012-2013.

Thus, effective rate of tax on ATF on excess quantity of ATF consumed would come down from existing 30 per cent to 15 per cent. Further, airlines will be exempted from paying sales tax on ATF sold from Cooch Behar and Bagdogra airports for three years. The existing sales tax rate on ATF in WB is 25 per cent. An Additional Sales Tax of 20 per cent on sales tax is also levied. Thus, the sales tax rate on ATF is 30 per cent.

Chombay, along with the district administration, including Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Dev and Tourism Director Taru Talo have also inspected the probable venue for the event, the status of accommodation, tourist sights to be included in the technical visits for the for-

eign delegates participating in this event.

About the successful hosting of the event, State Tourism Minister Pema Khandu had said, “With the tourism industry likely to increase to USD 275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4 per cent annual growth rate in

India, it is high time for the union tourism ministry to shift the focus to the North Eastern states, particularly Arunachal Pradesh, which is endowed with huge potential for all kinds of tourism including the popularly growing niche tourism.” Khandu had also said that the successful host-

ing of the event would also depend on resumption of helicopter service from Guwahati to Tawang. He had appealed to the Centre for relaxing the provision of Protected Area Permit (PAP) and Restricted Area Permit (RAP), which was a major hurdle in foreign tourist flow to the state.

About ITM DATES: The International Tourism Mart is on from October 18-20 SUCCESS FORMULA: The state tourism appealed the union tourism ministry to shift the focus to the NE states to ensure successful hosting of the event

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TRAVTALK AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

MEDICAL TOURISM

Medical tourism faces hurdles in India In a seminar organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry titled ‘Medical & Wellness Tourism in India’, industry leaders pointed out the gaps and glitches in making the sector a money-spinner for the travel industry.

TT B U R E AU Khurshid Ahmed Ganai

Suman Jyoti Khaitan

Ndubuisi Vitus Amaku

Arye Kumar Jagessur

Additional Secretary (Foreigners), Ministry of Home Affairs

President PHD Chamber of Commerce

High Commissioner of Nigeria to India

High Commissioner of Mauritius to India

Apart for the recent easing in tourist visa, the government has put a detailed medical visa regime for foreign nationals whose sole purpose is to get medical treatment in the country. This facility is available to all foreign nationals and such medical visa can be granted for up to a period of one year or the total period of treatment, whichever is less with a maximum of three entries during one year for all foreign nationals, except Pakistan. There is also a grant for medical attendant visa. The Indian government, on a bilateral basis, granted medical visas to Bangladeshi nationals with three entries and permission of multiple entries in February 2013.

With only a handful of hospitals and doctors reaping benefits, the medical tourism sector is highly unorganised as of now. Given the existing infrastructure, highly-skilled doctors and low-cost health services, the sector may see a five-fold increase in its contribution to GDP from less than five per cent contribution as of now. This is if the potential is fully tapped. Many serious issues are posing a threat to the sector - no transparency in billing system, low patient flow, no common platform available to promote country’s medical tourism as a whole, inadequate and limited patient documentation, etc.

Nigeria is a major patron of the medical and wellness sector in the country. Almost half the tourists from Nigeria visited India in 2012 for medical purposes.

Unfortunately, hospitals are now getting commercialised and indulging in malpractices. This might prove to be a deterrent in the growth of medical tourism here. The prospective medical tourists from Africa are mostly non-Englishspeaking people.

Using interpreters is neither comfortable nor efficient. The tourists have complained about the incompetence of the medical and paramedical staff, and most have been disappointed with the available boarding facilities.

Though the world considers India to have good medical facilities, medical charges are very high.

Patients travel to India for superspecialised treatments that already costs a lot and in such situations, medical and wellness tourism becomes unviable. The government must reassess the medical visa policy. A medical visa allows three entries per year and there should be a gap of two months in between two entries. A medical tourist, who travels for consultation with doctors, has to wait two months for treatment. India is losing a big chunk of potential medical tourists to Thailand due to this cumbersome visa regulation.

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MOT

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Weak ` to aid wellness tourism As India will host the 7th Annual Global Spa & Wellness Summit for the first time in October 2013, MOT invites FICCI to partner the event. reports more on the current developments.

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he wellness segment has been given emphasis among various other niche segments identified by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT), highlighted Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India at FICCI’s 5th Conference on ‘Wellness in India-Sustainable Growth & Future Roadmap’.

Girish Shankar Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

The three Cs required to promote wellness tourism are competitiveness, credibility and consistency “Wellness Tourism is one among our priorities when it comes to promoting niche tourism segments. In fact, we have been promoting India as the best wellness destination in strategic overseas markets.

People, at times, get confused between medical tourism and wellness tourism,” said Shankar. “Medical tourism in India is a growing segment, which also opens various

New Terminal Passengers of Spicejet, IndiGo and Air Australia will be the first to use the new international terminal in Chennai from August 7.

Other airlines will shift their departure to the new building in subsequent days.

However, international arrivals will continue from the existing Anna international terminal for the time being. Airport authorities have installed display boards and pictographs to guide passengers to first floor departure area.

opportunities for selling wellness tourism. Presently, due to the devaluation in rupee, India is better positioned to sell wellness tourism competitively. The three Cs required to promote wellness tourism are competitiveness, credibility and consistency,” he added.

Shankar also said that the MOT extends support to accredited wellness centres to attend various wellness-oriented shows and events under its market development scheme. India will be hosting the seventh edition of the Annual Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) for the

first time. It will be held in Gurgaon from October 4-8, 2013, bringing international experts and other leading stakeholders to deliberate on various business possibilities with their Indian counterparts.

He also invited FICCI to partner GSWS in India.

In fact, as per the findings of the FICCI-PwC report released by Shankar on ‘Imperatives for Growth - The Wellness Industry’, it is expected to touch ` 1 trillion by 2015, growing at CAGR of 15%-17%, from ` 700 billion in 2012. Also present at the inaugural event were

Dilip Chenoy, MD&CEO, National Skill Development Corpo-ration (NSDC), Naina Lal Kidwai, President, FICCI, Sandeep Ahuja, Chairman, FICCI - National Wellness Committee and MD, VLCC Healthcare and P Rashmi Upadhyaya, Associate Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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HOTELS

Budget hotels see an PK Mohankumar, Managing Director & CEO, Roots Corporation feels that budget hotels have untapped potential within big cities.

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oots Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), is in a ramp-up mode.

The Ginger Hotels, which currently has 28 operational

P K Mohankumar Managing Director & CEO Roots Corporation

properties in India, is looking at unveiling 43 hotels in the next three years, said Mohankumar. “We are looking at ramping up operations.

Whatever we have achieved in the last seven years, we want to do it again in the next three years. Thus, we are looking at 28 hotels now to

70 hotels in the next three years. We are receiving a whole lot of investor interest, management contracts. We will expand through all the channels,” he said at the recent launch of its 28th property in Noida. Located in Sector-63 Noida, the 83-room Ginger Hotel Noida is the fifth Ginger property in the Delhi NCR, with the others being Ginger New Delhi, Ginger Faridabad, Ginger Manesar and Ginger East Delhi. Designed as per the Smart Basics design concept of the Ginger brand, it features a multi-cuisine restaurant, business centre, gymnasium and free Wi-Fi. The group is also looking at family-owned nonbranded hotels that might be facing difficulties in operating and are looking for tieups. “We could also look at a large number of uncompleted projects by putting in our equity, besides management contracts with builders as well as lease opportunities.

The company is also looking to tie up with corporates

such as IT companies to manage their guest houses,” he added.

Talking about the performance of the company in times when the hospitality sector is not doing well, he affirmed, “The entire sector has shown a decline but budget hotels have shown an upward trend. We want to penetrate the market by volume route. Ginger is all in the volume game. Our Q1 results are encouraging. On a yearon-year basis, we have grown by about six per cent in terms of revenues, largely due to our well balanced ARRs averaging around ` 1,700.

The entire range is from ` 1,500 to ` 2,500. The increase in ARR has, however, been very slow.”

What He Said OCCUPANCY: Budget hotels require an average 80% occupancy. That can only happen in key major cities, which receive international as well as domestic corporate travellers

ARRs take a hit in Gurgaon The ARRs in the region have witnessed a drop. In the last six months, the city saw an ARR of 5300-5400, from a high of around 7,000-7,200.

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lot has changed in the last one year, feels Kanika Hasrat, GM, Courtyard

by Marriott Gurgaon.

Talking about the changing scenario in the NCR, she lamented, “We all talked about a boom in the hospitality sector in Gurgaon back then and that was the reality. The ARRs in the region have witnessed a drop. In the last six months, the city saw an Average Room Rate (ARR) of 5,300-5,400.

During the first six months of 2012, the ARR was around 7,000-7,200. We have dropped about nine per cent on our ADRs at the hotel. The last one year has surely seen a decline in terms of ARRs.” However, the good news is that demand has not decreased. “It has just led to more competition with the increase in supply and inventory in the area,” she added.

Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon has seen an increase in occupancy as compared to the same period in the last year. While occupancy has

Kanika Hasrat General Manager Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon

The hotel is currently witnessing occupancy of 71 per cent grown, the ARRs have gone down. The hotel is currently witnessing occupancy of 71 per cent, she revealed.

Gurgaon has traditionally been a corporate hub. But now more people are choosing it as weekend getaway option with leisure offerings.

Reacting to the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Investment for the setting up of 13 hotels in the Delhi Aerocity region, Hasrat said, “With the JW Marriott in that region, it will be a great boon for MICE in the city. It is a great opportunity for so many high-end brands to co-exist together in the same space. However, a number of the brands that were supposed to open are still being cautious and looking at how the other hotels perform and then step in.

This will only delay the establishment of the area.”

“Delhi Aerocity as a whole can function successfully only when everything is in place. I don’t know how many people will like to stay in the hotels with construction in the vicinity but of course, travel will become more convenient. So let’s wait and watch. Business might not shift completely from Gurgaon but it will surely cause dilution in the city. The ripple effects will be surely felt in the industry. But how much, only time will tell,” she said.

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HOTELS

AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

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63 operating properties by year-end The new Sarovar properties are set to open in Solapur (Maharashtra), Thekkady (Kerala) and Bhiwadi by the latter half of this year. The company will also add its second Chennai property by 2013-end.

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espite the sluggish growth in the hotel landscape, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts is bullish on its growth strategies for the year. The group has 20-odd projects under development in India currently. After unveiling its most recent property in Srinagar in Kashmir recently, it is set to open in Solapur (Maharashtra), Thekkady (Kerala) and Bhiwadi by the latter half of this year. The company will also add its sec-

Ajay K Bakaya Executive Director Sarovar Hotels & Resorts

We already have three properties in Bengaluru, Hosur, and Chennai. We are adding two more in Chennai ond Chennai property by 2013-end. According to Ajay K Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, the group has 57 properties operating in India currently. By this year’s end, the group will have 63 properties. The group is also focussing on expansion in South India.

“We already have three properties in Bengaluru, Hosur, and Chennai. We are adding two more in Chennai. Apart from business travel, the region has always had a strong route for religious trips and hotels play an important part ensuring quality accommodations. Also, South India has always had a lot of promise as a resort destination, especially Kerala with its tranquil backwaters.”

Upbeat about the growth opportunity in Africa, the group has strengthened its foothold there by signing up with The Premiere, Nairobi in Kenya. The upscale hotel is slated to open in

2015. “This will be the group’s third property in Africa after New Africa in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania and The Heron Portico in Nairobi”, Bakaya said, while talking about Sarovar’s expansion plans in the overseas market. Currently, the existing two properties wit-

ness almost 15 per cent outbound travellers from India.

Talking about the challenges of hotel management companies in India, Bakaya feels, “Firstly, every single unit of the hotel needs to be profitable, unlike a company that owns most of its assets.

So whether it is a 50-room property or a150-room property, we are answerable to all the parties involved.

Secondly, we need to build enduring and long-term understanding relationships with property owners. If you can’t do that, a hotel management company will not be

able to sustain itself in the long run.” The group owns three hotels- Hometel in Roorkee, Hometel in Chandigarh and Sarovar Portico in Indore. “We will add some more hotels, but we will remain a hotel management company,” he added.

Into the Crystal Ball COMING UP: The group has 20-odd projects under development in India currently IN THE WORKS: It is also signing up with The Premiere, Nairobi in Kenya

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STATES

New policy for Gujarat The state plans to focus on involving private players with the support of the government in order to boost tourism in the state…

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n a bid to improve the tourism infrastructure in the state, the Government of Gujarat plans to introduce a new tourism policy by the end of the year. The policy

Khushboo Gujarat Ki The Gujarat senior tourism officials were speaking on the sidelines of a roadshow organised in Mumbai recently by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited. Over 40 suppliers from Gujarat comprising travel agents, tour operators and hotels and resorts participated in the roadshow. The state tourism board has also held similar roadshows in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune. This year, the Gujarat Government will invest `90 crore in the campaign. The third phase of the campaign is set to roll out this September.

Intra-state air services

Vipul Mittra Principal Secretary – Tourism Gujarat

In order to encourage intra-state services, the Government of Gujarat has also reduced taxes on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 30 per cent to 2.5 per cent recently. Mittra stated that intra-state air services would provide better connectivity to visiting tourists as well as provide a boost to tourism. He also revealed that there had been several parties showing interest in launching intra-state air services in Gujarat despite Deccan Shuttles, the non-scheduled intra-state chartered flight service of Deccan Charters Ltd suspending its operations in the state within just eight months of its launch.

Aggressive focus on Maharashtra

Coastal Tourism

Over 18.80 lakh tourists from Maharashtra visited Gujarat in 2013, approximately 35 per cent of the total visitor numbers to the state. The Gujarat Tourism Department, therefore, is planning to aggressively target visitors from the state. Among the festivals lined up to attract tourists are the Monsoon Festival, which begins on August 3, 2013; Tarnetar Fair to be held from September 9 to 11, 2013; the Navratri Festival and the Rann Utsav. The monsoon festival is held in Saputara which is on the Gujarat-Maharashtra border. Besides Mumbai, Gujarat Tourism will also focus on tapping Pune, Nagpur and Nashik in Maharashtra.

With a coastline of over 1,600 km, the Government of Gujarat has set ` 120 crore for the development of coastal tourism. The Tourism Department of the Government of Gujarat has mooted the plan to launch a cruise-liner service between Mumbai and Porbandar by the end of this year. The plan is to introduce a cruise ship, to be run by a private operator, which will take tourists from Mumbai to Porbandar and Kutch as part of a 3-day package. Mittra said, “We have already invited Expressions of Interest from interested private players and we hope to roll this out by year-end.”

will focus on increasing the partnership of private players in the tourism sector as well as developing tourism infrastructure in the state. The government also plans to lease land to private players on a long-term basis for tourism purposes and that the regulations were being worked out.”

Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary – Tourism, Civil

Domestic Power NUMBERS: Gujarat recorded 2.54 crore domestic visitor arrivals in 2012, an increase of 13 per cent compared to the previous year and expects over 3 crore visitors in 2013.

The state received over 5 lakh foreign tourists in 2012 and is targetting a 22 per cent increase in 2013

Aviation, Pilgrimage & Devasthan (Industries & Mines Department), Govt of Gujarat, said that the private sector is interested to invest in Gujarat and that 39 projects had already been chosen for development.” Saurabh Patel, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Gujarat informed, “Since last few years, tourism has become a priority and therefore, we will be introducing a new policy for investment in tourism later this year.

In terms of visitor arrivals, we are seeing 13-14 per cent growth per year to Gujarat, but we still have a long way to go before catching up with the country.”

The Gujarat govt has outlined over ` 450 crore in FY2013-2014, an increase from ` 250 crore in FY20122013 to develop tourism infrastructure as well as to promote the state. Our goal is to catch up with other states over the next couple of years.” Patel also said that though the state is keen on attracting more inbound tourists, its main focus would be on the domestic tourist segment.

Hilton comes to Pune Hilton Worldwide recently announced the launch of DoubleTree by Hilton Pune Chinchwad, the first international hotel brand, to open in Pimpri - Chinchwad. Located in the heart of Pune’s information technology and industrial belt, the 115-room property boasts upscale accommodations and amenities, including four food and bev-

erage venues, an executive lounge, 24-hour business centre, versatile meeting and events spaces, pool, fitness centre and spa.

DoubleTree by Hilton Pune - Chinchwad is located near more than 8,000 of the area’s key businesses and manufacturers, including Hyundai, Force Motors and

DaimlerChrysler, and offers easy access to Pune Airport, Mumbai-Pune National and Express Highways and the Pune city centre and railway station. Nearby are some of the region’s most soughtafter tourist destinations, including the hill stations of Lonavala and Khandala, and the ancient Buddhist caves of Karla and Bhaja.

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ASSOCIATIONS

AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

TRAVTALK

11

Tourism: Innovations and Partnerships The Indian Association of Tour Operators’ (IATO) Annual Convention always creates a lot of optimism. finds out more about the theme and more importantly, the hopes it generates...

VIVEK SETHI The theme for this year’s convention is very apt. Globally, the promoting countries are forming partnerships for marketing, sharing databases, and development strategies. This partnership is also visible in research partnership, investigating tourism as a social-ecological system, civic governance and tourism in the face of uncertainties created by global warming and peak oil pricings, etc. PPPs are becoming increasingly important in tourism infrastructure development, and these will be explored in course of the business sessions.

Subhash Goyal President, IATO

Lally Mathews Co-Convention Chairperson, IATO-2013 Convention

Annual Our 29th Convention’s theme highlights how the marketplace has become dynamic, and which requires a vibrant new approach. The social media promotions and marketing is one such space that interests the tour operators’ fraternity a lot. We are trying to get a speaker from overseas who would explain all nitty-gritties of the social media wave.

Moreover, the business sessions spread over the course of the convention will highlight various innovations required, and possible partnerships, to ensure all our delegates are geared to benefit from new opportunities.

E M Najeeb Co-Convention Chairperson, IATO 2013 Convention

Tourism is a hospitality industry that is based on relationships, partnerships, and innovations in technology, product development, creating customer delight and visitor experiences. There will be expert speakers talking on different dimensions of this theme, and we expect active deliberation by the participants. Apart from that, there will be participation by the tourism departments of various state governments, other allied sectors of tourism industry, etc. conducting the National Convention of IATO in Kerala.

We had asked our members to communicate their opinion on the the best theme for the IATO Annual Convention in 2013. On basis of their suggestions, we have finalised the Convention theme as ‘Tourism: Innovations and Partnerships’.

Today, our tourism industry needs to rapidly innovate and form new partnerships with all stakeholders as to grow the business pie.

Hence, according to the theme, we expect to push world-class innovations to grow inbound tourism in India. We hope with 2013 Convention, the inbound segment in the entire southern region including Kerala will get a major boost.

Arun Anand IATO Convention Chairperson 2013

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IRCTC to revamp website by early 2014 The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) is planning to revamp its train ticket booking website and relaunch it by early next year.

Press T for Travel with

Managing Director IRCTC

Currently, the website books 2,000 tickets a minute. The new site, to be built at an investment of more than Rs 100 crore, will be able to make 7,200 transactions a minute. Vasu MS, Additional General Manager, Software, IRCTC said that some tweaks such as separating search and booking functions, and an e-wallet system that will cut banks' sites out of the booking process were being made to make the current site faster.

India

Vikas Agnihotri, Director - Travel & BFSI, Google India, talks about how internet has revolutionised the travel industry and why everybody now needs an online presence.

P EDEN D OMA B HUTIA How do smartphones and tablets affect the travel industry?

Rakesh Tandon

TECHNOLOGY

Almost one-third of the queries which are related to travel are coming from smartphones, queries from smartphones in itself are growing to almost 400%, 397% to be exact on a yearon-year basis. This itself will have a significant impact in the decision-making process as far as the travel industry is concerned. In terms of the five stages of travel - there are dreaming, researching, booking, experiencing and social phases. In the dreaming and researching phases,

people going to move across devices and smartphones is one of them. In the initial stage, when you are planning a holiday and sometimes when you are not even planning a holiday, there is an external stimulus that triggers you to take a holiday.

That external stimulus may come from the smartphone, and this is all because of the computing power it has.

How do you think has the internet revolutionised the travel industry, and what do you think does the future hold in store?

The future’s good; there are more and more people who want to search for their

holidays and plan their trip better and already research shows that more than five elements are researched and searched online as compared to two elements offline.

This shows that when a consumer is planning a vacation, he has a range of information needs and that is only available online to him. I don’t think he can get his

Irrespective of the fact that whether you are a travel agent or own any other business, you need to have an online presence because in today’s day and age, if someone wants to search for any information, he/she will go online

answers as conveniently from any other source, other than an online source, so to that extent I think online will play an important role.

With internet being the future for everyone, do you think travel agents also need to concentrate on going online?

Travel agents have adapted to the change.

Some travel agents are already doing it. But irrespective of the fact that whether you are a travel agent or own any other business, you need to have an online presence because in today’s day and age, if someone wants to search for any information, he/she will go online. If you

are not on the net, you’ll not be found. In India, Google runs a portal called India Business Online. Here we encourage people to come online and set up a free business URL. There have been many success stories as people are discovering what kind of business they can be in and what’s in store for them.

Which category of travellers use technology to the maximum for their travel needs?

The age group of 22-45 are users of smartphones. Travel, per se , is a very mature segment where people have been booking their tickets online. In any economy when people move online the first thing that you see is through travel, the second phase is through e commerce and third goes into banking and financial services and other services.

Travel is already a very dominant factor online.

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AVIATION

Air India Holidays Air India, India's national carrier, has launched its Holiday Package product in partnership with MakeMyTrip.

T T B U R E AU

T

he partnership between Air India and MakeMyTrip offers users access to an unlimited holiday product with the USP enabled by Air India’s vast network, and MakeMy Trip’s expertise.

It enables India’s national carrier to tap into the leisure market even as we play our role in tourism development Rohit Nandan, Chairman & Managing Director, Air India India to tap into the fast growing leisure market even as we play our role in tourism development as India’s national carrier. We are particularly happy to partner with MakeMyTrip, who bring to the initiative their expertise and domain knowledge of the online travel and leisure market.”

Keyur Joshi Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, MakeMyTrip.com

MakeMyTrip is committed to delivering these value based holiday offerings to Air India customers Air India’s Chairman & MD Rohit Nandan said, “Air India Holiday offers customers a unique valueadded product, leveraging the strength of our network and the credibility of the Air India brand. It enables Air

Speaking on the development; Keyur Joshi, CoFounder and Chief Commercial Officer, MakeMyTrip.com said, “Being the pioneering and leading travel portal in India, we leverage our customer insights, market knowledge and supplier-relationships to provide travellers the best, value-based holidays. We are committed to delivering these offerings to Air India customers and look forward to a long and fruitful association.”

About 150 packages to 73 domestic and 2 international destinations are currently available in standard and deluxe variations, covering select three- to fivestar properties. More packages and destinations are being added to cover all destinations served by Air

India's flight network. While booking the package, one can avail the unique benefit of real-time seat availability and price, and online booking and confirmation, as MakeMyTrip harnesses the online platform to offer the twin benefits of convenience and choice. A typical package would include accommodation on twin-sharing basis, meals, airport transfers, sightseeing and intercity travel as applicable.

The Air India Holidays page can be accessed through the Air India website, by clicking the ‘Holidays’ tab.

Served Up VARIETY: About 150 packages to 73 domestic and 2 international destinations are currently available in standard and deluxe variations, covering select three- to five-star properties CHOICE: More packages and destinations are being added to cover all destinations served by Air India's flight network

Lufthansa’s new family Check-in Area The new “Family Check-in Areas” are for families traveling with children up to 12 years old and conveniently

dropped off, are easily found in the terminal by parents and children alike. Designed with a family-friendly atmosphere,

little friend Cosmo are Lufthansa’s two mascots.

These two young cranes experience many adventures together, travelling the world and having loads of fun.

Logbook revival for little flyers

located at both Frankfurt and Munich Airports. Under the motto “Your youngsters are the greatest“, the special counters, where boarding passes and luggage can be

the path to the counters looks like a runway, past monitors displaying “Lu” & “Cosmo”, known for welcoming the youngest passengers to Lufthansa flights. Lu and his

A legend is coming back to the cabin: A new logbook for kids will be handed out on all flights by the crews to our youngest guests. All the kids need to do is fill in the logbook with the information on the boarding pass or from the airshow. Naturally the logbooks can be signed on every flight by a member of the crew. For the kids it’s all about entering the flights one after the other. After the 12th departure they will be presented with the sought-after Junior Pilot certificate, signed by the captain himself.

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TRAVTALK AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

FAMILY ALBUM

VisitBritain showcases new offerings

VisitBritain hosted a workshop on UK destinations and visa process in New Delhi. The presentation facilitated networking with the travel trade in the city and enhanced awareness about UK destinations and informing travel trade professionals about new products, destinations and activities in Great Britain. The workshop was attended by key travel trade professionals from Delhi and the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

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COVER STORY

Domestic way for wellness Contd. from page 1

Giving the example of Goa, Dewan pointed out that it has evolved as a great destination for cosmetic surgery. “Do your surgery and then relax on the beach. That is the way India should go”, he added.

Diversifying these hospitals first to the state capitals and even in the small states and reserving few beds for medical tourists is the solution, he suggested.

“If our domestic base is strong, it will directly lead to an increase in our inbound exponentially. At every international roadshow, MOT promotes medical tourism in India.

Thought Process SUGGESTION: Diversifying the medical services first to the state capitals, and then to small states and reserving a few beds for medical tourists is the solution NEED MORE: India is getting just two per cent of the world’s wellness and medical tourism currently

We emphasise that India scores over most countries such as the UK, US or Singapore (except Thailand) in terms of price competiveness when it comes to medical treatment,” he confirmed.

As per PHDCCI estimates, India is getting just

India a good bet. Some of them come on company scheme as well. The company that is trying to cut costs might send them to India for medical treatment. From India’s point of view, this is brilliant as it raises our standards and increases the num-

Industry leaders along with Dewan release the new report on medical & wellness tourism prepared by the Yes Bank during the event

two per cent of the world’s wellness and medical tourism currently. Reacting to this, Dewan reiterated, “I would say that it is still three times better than the share of Indian tourism as that as a whole is only receiving 0.64 per cent share of global tourists.” India gets patients not just from Africa and developing countries but also from the developed countries.

These people typically are those who are not insured in their own country. They find

ber of medical tourists in the country, he articulated.

On whether MOT will ever rate hospitals, Dewan replied, “The star rating that we give to the hotels is completely voluntary for hotels.

Even hotels cannot be forced to come to Ministry and seek MOT accreditation. This is an issue of the health and medical department of the government. But if as a body the hospitals come to our department, we can consider and go ahead with it.”

Oman: Wedding destination The Oman Tourism Board is including Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad in its target cities. Besides weddings, it is also aiming to attract Bollywood film-makers.

T T B U R E AU

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n a bid to increase tourist footfalls from India, the Oman Ministry of Tourism plans to position the country as a wedding destination in India. Lubaina Sheerazi, India

Lubaina Sheerazi India Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman

Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman said, “Based on the feedback and requests we have been receiving, we plan to promote Oman as a wedding destination in India. It’s an apt destination for weddings, due to

the widespread availability of Indian food and easy proximity to India.”

The Oman Ministry of Tourism also plans to conduct road shows in Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad in the first week of September.

Sheerazi informed, “During the first three years of our presence in India, we focussed heavily on Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai. Now, we want to expand our focus to other major markets such as Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. SpiceJet is launching flights to Muscat from Ahmedabad from August-end 2013.” Sheerazi also revealed that the tourism board was keen on tapping Kolkata as well, but the lack of direct flights to Oman was a stumbling block. She added, “As far as engaging with the Indian travel trade is concerned, we conduct regular fam trips, including specialised fam trips for wedding planners and Bollywood producers. We also conduct offline training pro-

grammes for Indian travel agents and tour operators and we also plan to relaunch our online training programme ‘Discover Oman’.”

Sheerazi was speaking on the sidelines of a co-branding event with the Bollywood movie, Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobaara. She stated, “Bollywood is an important segment for us to highlight.

We’ve already taken the first step and we want to attract more Indian film-makers to Oman. We hope to create good brand visibility and build awareness about this destination. We want Indians to recall Oman as a leisure destination. We have not yet set up a Film Board, but we are moving slowly and steadily towards it.”

Quick Numbers Oman received 221,623 Indians on a tourist visa in 2012, an increase of 35 per cent over the previous year.

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COVER STORY

TRAVTALK AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

Is Namaste London passé for India?

Contd. from page 1

The decision of the UK Govt to go ahead with its pilot 3000-pound bond scheme would ‘create reservations’ in the minds of Indian tourists about visiting the UK. It could also divert many others to more tourism-friendly European countries. The scheme is not in accordance with the spirit of special relationship that India shares with the UK. London should relook and consider removing India from

this pilot scheme. In the second week of August, British High Commissioner to India Sir James Bevan went to Agartala to meet Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar Panda and discuss the collaborative scope in various sectors between Britain and India. Britain is keen to collaborate in energy, tourism, infrastructure and agro-based industrial sectors in India's Northeast

and is also willing to extend technical support for developing the region, he said.However, it seems there is a mismatch here, with the recent visa regime that will be imposed on the "highrisk" visitors from India. The industry has reacted strongly opposing the move. OTOAI has written a protest letter to Bevan and CII has warned the UK of decline in outbound, if it goes ahead with the new regime.

AGENTS TALK Vineet Gopal, Managing Director, Engee Holidays The price hike would definitely have an impact on tourism to UK. Clients are going to find it on the high side. I am sure there will be some repercussions. We are still not sure whether this hike will only be for students or not. So the entire travel fraternity is waiting eagerly for a clarification.

Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, OTOAI This development comes at a very wrong time. Rupee has already been at an all-time low. This anyways has hurt outbound tourism. Now this UK rule could certainly have a negative impact on outbound tourism to the UK. When UK conducts its largest visa operation in India with over 400,000 applications a year, this surely is not a welcome step. A segment which could be impacted big time is the honeymooner segment. These are generally high-end clients but they are the ones who have recently joined their family business. So they obviously might not have the right documents and requirements. They might be vulnerable at this juncture.

Ashley Monteiro Managing Director Pathfinders Destinations Actually the possibility of this move by the Conservative-led coalition government under Prime Minister Cameron who had pledged to build a “special relationship” with India as one of its key foreign policy priorities, comes as a shock. If Indians have to cough up £ 3,000 ($4,630) as a security bond to secure a six-month UK visitor visa, I think that it will deter and impact at least 50% of the Leisure and VFS segments which put together to up to 67% of the market, from visiting the UK. They can probably look at fallout of about one lakh Indians deciding to spend their money in other European destinations rather than the UK.

VisitBritain and UKVI address travel trade In a first initiative of its kind, VisitBritain has tied up with the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) to organise workshops for facilitating networking with the travel trade and enhancing awareness about UK destinations. The first of the series of workshop was held in New Delhi where travel trade professionals were informed about new prod(L–R) Andy Dallas, Entry Clearance Officer, UKVI, Thomas Greig, Shuja-Bin-Mehdi, ucts, destinations and activ- Shivali Suri, Country Manager, VisitBritain India ities in Great Britain. In addition, VisitBritain addressed queries on UK visa.

According to Thomas Greig, Regional Director-South Asia, International Operations and Visas from the British High Commission, India is UK’s biggest Visa market. Currently, there are different schemes for tour operators in three different regions of India, namely, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. “We are working on a scheme, which will be nationally applicable to all travel agents,” he said. The workshop in Delhi will be followed up by more such Visa seminars in Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru, Shuja-Bin-Mehdi, B2B & PR Support Executive– India, VisitBritain, said. The idea is to target the metro cities and then move on to the Tier II cities as they have a lot of potential.

Om Prakash Director, InOrbit Tours The mooting of this new visa regulation is contrary to the announcement by the UK Prime Minister David Cameron on his visit to India recently where he promised easier visa processors. The visa will most likely be for highrisk applicants and I do not expect genuine applicants to be affected.

However, it might deter travel to the UK and I expect a drop in numbers with travellers, especially those in the leisure segment, opting for other European destinations such as France and Switzerland instead.

Indian tourists have already been badly hit by the depreciation of the rupee and the possible introduction of this new visa regulation could be another blow.

Nagsri Prasad Head-Outbound, Mercury Holidays If this clause is going to be mandatory for every client travelling, I am quite sure the number of applicants will certainly drop. It is quite an unrealistic clause and makes no sense to put this forth for every visitor visa that one applies for. VisitBritain should take this up with the highest authority and ensure that they refrain from applying this on the normal tourist visa. Otherwise, they should identify UK specialist agents who can vouch for their clients’ return and thereby exempt them from this clause, if it cannot be completely done away with so that the tourist numbers can rise.

Inputs from Lyandra D’Souza

Celebrating its travel partners TIRUN Travel Marketing is honouring its travel trade partners by launching various initiatives this August. The exclusive India Representative for Royal Caribbean Cruises announces August as a month of celebrating its travel partners. As part of this campaign, starting on Ratna Chadha August 1, TIRUN Travel Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing shall provide various Marketing, India Representative surprise gifts to all travel partRoyal Caribbean Cruises ners who contact their offices pan-India, extending this exciting offer till August 31. Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing, India Representative - Royal Caribbean Cruises, said, “This new campaign is one of our many trade engagement programmes and its purpose is to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our nationwide travel partners. We intend to distribute various exciting gifts to them over the entire month as a token of our appreciation and a reflection of the innovation, fun and vibrancy of our brands.” The campaign is equal and open to all, whereby each travel partner is rewarded with a surprise gift during the month when they first call any TIRUN office. What’s more, towards the end of the campaign, TIRUN plans to extend the fun and celebrations, with some delightful surprises being brought to their partners’ doorsteps.

An evening of networking The Hotel Acura BMK recently organised a networking meet-n-greet dinner for its travel partners and important clients. It was a colourful evening, with quizzes and jokes being spread around as guests mingled and connected with each other.

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STATES

Wayanad makes a ‘SPLASH’ impact The success of the fifth SPLASH Monsoon Festival, held at Kalpetta in Wayanad district of Kerala, can be gauged from many sides. However, the main angle is that it provides a lesson in expanding the ‘season’ and working jointly as a team. gives an insight.

AGENTS TALK

A N I L M AT H U R

S

ince the first event was organised here, there has been a constant growth in occupancies which shows that pointed attention pays dividend sooner than later.

EK Bharat Bhushan Chief Secretary Government of Kerala

EK Bharat Bhushan, Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala who has had the experience in tourism and civil aviation at the Centre also, set the tone by pointing out that Wayanad was the next big thing that is going to happen in Kerala. The destination is ideal for growth because of pristine nature and the entrepreneur skills of the people would ensure that

more and more people come to Wayanad from within and outside the country. He quipped that the tourism umbrella was getting wider and asked the players to take advantage of this.

Joint efforts of the stakeholders had a significant role in growth of tourism. “Projects and policies were helping this,” said S Harikishore, Director, Tourism Department, Kerala referring to seaplane and trekking projects.

This confidence was also reflected in the fact that many hotel chains, such as

Vythiri Village and Vythiri Resort, were adding facilities and capacity to cater to the Middle East and other markets for yoga, spa and Ayurveda offerings.

SPLASH-2013 attracted 350 buyers and 80 sellers, all of whom had laudable comments on the organisation as well as on the concept of Splash monsoon tourism. Incidentally, the Wayanad Tourism Organisation itself is a unique body, set up 13 years ago by stakeholders who may normally be considered as competitors, but it fights and works for common causes.

For Tony Marwah, CEO, India Travel Promotion, it was the first Splash that he attended and it was a 'real eye opener. 'For someone who has not visited the area before, it was educative and 'will help me in promoting the area with my overseas principals.' It has immense potential as the region is still not spoilt, he quips. Marwah says that the WTO efforts are laudable for bringing buyers and sellers together but the quality of buyers could have been better.

For Pronab Sarkar, Director, Swagatam Tours; attending SPLASH 2013 was a great experience. In four years since his last visit to the area, he could not imagine the changes that have taken place in good roads and new resorts. It was an eye opener to see the facilities and the arrangements made were excellent, with visits to heritage village and caves being some highlights. He feels that with proximity to places like Mysore, Coorg and Ooty, Wayanad was an ideal destination, best in North Kerala.

Sanjay Razdan, MD, Razdan Holidays, felt that Wayanad region is beautiful and can easily be promoted as a two-night destination with foreign tourists.

WTO did a great job by bringing many agents and buyers from many parts of India. “We exchanged many ideas with the local hoteliers and shared our experiences on the needs and requirements of an inbound tourist.”

Lally Mathews, Director, Vacation Travels and Tours, and Secretary of IATO, says, “With over 70 suppliers at the B2B, it was a good opportunity to educate myself at Wayanad camping sites, homestays, rafting options and trekking routes. I am already promoting Wayanad with my overseas agents. After this event, I see more products and ideas that I can offer.

TripAdvisor Connect to launch in September 2013 Travel portal TripAdvisor has recently announced its plans to launch TripAdvisor Connect in September 2013.

It will be an online platform that enabling independent hotels and B&Bs to access services previously available only to major online travel agencies (OTAs), booking engines and hotel chains.

Jean-Charles Lacoste, TripAdvisor’s Vice President of Direct Connect Solutions

said, “Major OTAs and hotel chains have been able to bid for traffic on TripAdvisor for many years, and we have provided channels for review collection. TripAdvisor Connect will give accommodation owners the ability to manage their online promotion themselves.

Owners will have access to simple online tools that help them analyse their advertising results as well as to encourage more user reviews through

To be eligible to participate, owners must be TripAdvisor Business Listings subscribers and must be able to provide real-time availability Jean-Charles Lacoste, Vice President of Direct Connect Solutions, TripAdvisor automated post-stay review collection emails via their Internet booking engine.” To

be eligible to participate, owners must be TripAdvisor Business Listings subscribers

and must be able to provide real-time availability and the ability to book via a certified Internet booking engine.

Elaborating on the marketing plans for TripAdvisor Connect, Lacoste said, “We intend to rely on CRM and other online as well as off-line marketing channels to create awareness of TripAdvisor Connect. We believe the product is a very powerful proposition for hoteliers and word-

of-mouth will play a big role in marketing this platform. We will also provide educational materials such as tip-sheets, videos and How-to guides to equip hospitality businesses with the information they need to maximise their presence on this product.” To help property owners make the best of their presence on TripAdvisor, the company will also host a series of seminars.

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FAMILY ALBUM

AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

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PHD hosts medical and wellness seminar Aimed at organising the large, disjointed Medical and Wellness Tourism sector, and creating a framework for better marketing and efficiency of the sector, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a conference on Medical & Wellness Tourism in India in New Delhi at the PHD House. The event saw a huge gathering of government delegates, international ambassadors and stakeholders of the travel trade fraternity.

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RESEARCH TALK

Flying steadily higher: Aviation today Month-wise number & percentage share of FTAs in India during 2009-2011 Month

Foreign Tourist arrivals (Nos.) 2009 2010 2011

January

481308

568719

622713

February

489787

552152

627719

March

442062

512152

535613

April

347544

371956

446511

May

305183

332087

383439

June

352353

384642

405464

July

432900

466715

475544

August

369707

422173

428490

September

330707

369821

417478

October

458849

507093

559641

November

541524

608178

669767

December

615775

680004

736843

5167699

5775692

6309222

Total

Source: MOT

Seasonal Fluctuation Weather conditions at different tourist destinations are one of the important determinants of tourist arrivals. In the past, seasonal variations have been observed in FTAs to India. The table gives the month-wise FTAs in India during 2011 as well as comparative figures for 2010 and 2009. During the year 2011, December has been the peak month for FTAs in India followed by November, January and February. May has been the leanest month.

The what, why, where and when of Indian Tourism

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RESEARCH TALK

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Understanding the new Indian Traveller

Home-stay continue to excite the Indian traveller with more Indians preferring home-stays (26%) to service apartments (18%) More Indians (21%) prefer service apartments when booking globally than in India (18%)

97% Indians prefer going online to book their hotel – two-thirds of them (65%) prefer their OTA over the Hotel website (32%)

1 An interesting finding is that Indians favour 3

& 4 star hotels over luxury properties both in terms of preference and for actual booking in India and overseas.

2 More Indians prefer a luxury property when booking overseas (23 per cent) than in India (20 per cent).

Source: MakeMyTrip

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ATTRACTIONS

I

t’s not just a park. Majestic rocks stand silhouetted against the sky, others lie strewn upon the ground in a casual, yet alluring display of nature's sculptural genius. The Garden of Five Senses is a space with a variety of activities, inviting public interaction and exploration. The project, developed by Delhi Tourism Transportation Development Corporation, was conceptualised to answer the city's need for leisure space.

Such spaces add atmosphere and life to a city and cater to all sections of the society. The 20-acre site is extremely close to the Saket Metro Station. Located at Said-Ul-Azaib village, it is close to the Mehrauli heritage area in New Delhi and was inaugurated in February 2003.

The garden itself is divided into distinct areas. On one side of the spiral walkway is the Khas Bagh, a formal garden patterned on the lines of the Mughal Garden. Slow-moving water cascades in channels along its length, while flowering and fragrant shrubs and trees line its paths. The Central axis leads to a series of fountains, some of which are lit up by fibre-optic lighting systems. Encapsulating the expression here is the sculpture of A Fountain Tree.

GARDEN OF FIVE SENSES THE PROJECT, DEVELOPED BY DELHI TOURISM TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, WAS CONCEPTUALISED TO ANSWER THE CITY'S NEED FOR LEISURE SPACE.

Away from the heart of the garden, on the other side of the walkway, is the food and shopping court. A series of terraces provided with seating arrangements face the food court. The heady Trail of Fragrance leads away to a rocky ridge to the north, where elevated amongst the rocks, a sculpture in stainless-steel, inspired by a pin-wheel, dances in joyous abandon. Wander down the meandering paths to Neel Bagh, a pool of water lilies encircled by pergols covered with climbing plants of different colours and textures.

Delhi Tourism organises ‘The Garden Festival’ in the month of March in the Garden of Five Senses.

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HOTELS

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Constance to tap luxury travellers The Mauritius-based hotel group’s strategy for this year is to form partnerships with Indian travel partners, to make its presence felt in the Indian sub-continent. gives details.

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n a bid to tap the growing number of Indian visitors to destinations such as Mauritius and the Maldives, Mauritius-based Constance Hotels is planning on tapping the Indian luxury segment.

The hotel group plans to form strategic partnerships with key tourism stakeholders from destinations, which have a presence in India like Mauritius, Maldives and

Siegfried Espitalier Noel Chief Marketing Officer Constance Hotels

The Indian travellers’ needs are among the most dynamic and ever-changing.

They want something new and unique to do Seychelles.

Siegfried Espitalier Noel, Chief Marketing Officer, Constance Hotels said, “The Indian travellers’ needs are among the most dynamic and everchanging. They want something new, unique and experiential to do. Similarly, the idea of a vacation has now become synonymous with international destinations.

Keeping in mind these changing trends, we hope to see a lot of interest from the India market. Our strategy in 2013 will be to strike partnerships with key travel agents on the B2B platform, work closely with Tourism

Size Matters NUMBER ONE: India is the 8th largest source market for Constance Hotels, with the Belle Mare Plage, Mauritius attracting the highest number of Indian visitors REACHING OUT: Constance Hotels also organised its second road show in India in Mumbai and Delhi recently. Alongside the luxury segment, it will also target the golf, honeymoon and family segments from the Indian market

Boards from destinations which have presence in India and come out with joint tactical promotions.”

Talking about the strategy to work with the travel trade in India, Noel said, “There is a lot of ground work that has to be done for the brand in India. Thus, we

intend to work at the grassroot level, and gradually move ahead. We have product trainings, road shows, trade fair participations and direct B2B meetings as a part of our strategy. We are also putting together a strong marketing campaign.

Although in a nascent stage

of planning, we hope to do some sponsored events. We are also planning fam trips to educate the travel trade, MICE and wedding planners about Constance Hotels and Resorts. We look forward to a very promising 2013. We are also enhancing the visibility in tour operator outlets

through brand collaterals and merchandise, regular sales visits, product trainings, etc.”

Constance Hotels also organised its second road show in India in Mumbai and Delhi recently. Alongside the luxury segment, it will also target the golf, honeymoon and family segments from

the Indian market. In the first year of its presence in India in 2012, the resort group focussed on trade development from the metro cities, while in 2013, Constance Hotels’ aim is to target the Tier-II cities of Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Jaipur, etc.

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NTO

New Zealand triples its budget for India NZ Tourism triples marketing budget for India, and aims to lift New Zealand up in the Indian travellers’ wish-list of places to go…

A NITA J AIN

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ith an aim to lift New Zealand as a destination in travellers ‘must-travel’ list, Tourism New Zealand has tripled their budget for Indian market to NZ$3.5 million. The country is soon going to announce a New

Country Manager and depute a Communications Manager as well. Apart from expanding the team size in India, the tourism board is also intensifying their marketing activities in the country.

With special focus on Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai for

media campaigns and marketing activities, the engagement with the travel trade will be pan-India. It just concluded its four-city training programme (Mumbai, New Delhi and for the first time in Bengaluru and Kolkata) wherein 26 suppliers from New Zealand had flown in to

educate the Indian travel trade about their products.

The country received nearly 30,000 visitors in the financial quarter ending June 2013. Tourism New Zealand said, apart from the Indian honeymooners, it is also looking at business travellers to drive the growth as it

A joint Australia-New Zealand visa?

New Zealand Tourism is expecting a boost from the Indian market during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The first game will be held in Christchurch (New Zealand) and the final in Melbourne with 47 matches split between both the countries. Under current rules, international tourists planning to attend matches in both countries will need to apply for separate visas which will be costly and time-consuming. Thus Australian Tourism and Transport Forum is proposing to create a system where by visitors fill out one application form for visas to both countries. This means one process, one decision, one payment... but two visas.

focusses on Meetings, Incentive, Conventions & Events (MICE) segment.

According to Mischa Mannix-Opie, Regional Manager (South East Asia), Tourism New Zealand; India is one of the emerging markets, along with Indonesia and Latin America, for New Zealand. “Since India is

Mischa Mannix-Opie Regional Manager (South East Asia) Tourism New Zealand

important, we have tripled our budgets for this market and expects to see long-term results in the coming years,” says Mannix-Opie. As per a market research done by the tourism board, New Zealand is a popular destination among Indians, but the travellers are clueless about the activities which they can indulge in there. She said, “Through our marketing campaigns, we will highlight the story of New Zealand, the activities, and the experiences they can have in there.”

Talking about the engagement with trade, she said, “We got to know that Indian trade cannot make the travellers understand the difference between a European and a New Zealand holiday experience. Thus, our focus will be on training and educating trade as they are really important to us. We need their support to bring up New Zealand in Indian travellers wish-list.”

The increasing spending power of Indians is also making them an attractive target. On an average, a visitor from India spends NZ$3,428 per visit, excluding airfare. This is well above the global average of NZ$ 2,300, informed MannixOpie. Also, an average length of stay of an Indian traveller is 12-15 days.

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TECHNOLOGY

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Indian OTAs have a great future ahead A year after its debut in India, Ross Veitch, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wego, Asia Pacific and Middle East’s leading travel meta-search engine, talks about Wego’s plans for the Indian market.

P EDEN D OMA B HUTIA What brings you to India?

We’ve had an operation in India, based in Bengaluru, for more than a year now.

India is an important market for Wego, so every quarter, I try to go out in the market and speak to some of the partners, stakeholders and also spend time with the team. In this trip, we are

Ross Veitch Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wego

planning to scale up the promotion part and work out the best way to bring Wego to the attention of the people.

You launched your India operations in May last year with wego.co.in. How is it going?

We’ve had quite a warm reception from Indian consumers. So, on a given month, we get between half a million and one million Indians coming to Wego India’s site to shop for their travel, but it depends a lot on seasonality. We have in place partnerships with the who’s who of the online travel space in India, all the big OTAs and the second-tier ones as well. We have good relationships with most of the airlines directly and our global partners who are active in India.

We are generating a good demand from this market. It’s early days but its going fine so far, the trick now is how to ‘10x’ the business.

What are your plans for India?

We are always on the lookout for people, we are in hiring mode. We are doing product specialisation specifically for the Indian market. To be a major player, we need to be tuned to the nuances of Indian market. So, there’s a lot of work going on in the moment. We are also working on mobile apps, and we think it’s important in the Indian market space as most people work mostly from their smartphones and tablets. This is a very big market, so we need to find ways to officially get the word out. Wego.com has raised US$17 million in Series C funding. This funding will take the total funds raised by it to US$36 million. A

significant portion of it will be invested in India.

What do you make of the Indian travel online business? How has it changed?

When I started coming to India, in 1998-1999; e-commerce was in its infancy, now there has been a lot of invest-

ment ploughed into the ecommerce area, specifically online travel. This investment has been spent in educating users about how it’s safe to book online, so a lot of consumer education has already happened in the marketplace.

Also, a lot of the infrastructure that wasn’t here 10 years ago

is now present, mobile connectivity options and internet speed is a lot better than it was. In the travel space, there are a lot more players in the market space and they are bringing interesting products to the market. The hotel chains and airlines are also investing in e-commerce

strategies as they want to bring customers directly to their website. One big change is going in the hotel space, 10 years ago there was a great shortage of supply, so from a consumer point of view, it’s getting a lot more competitive. Indian OTAs have a great future.

What He Said INDIA ENTRY: We are also working on mobile apps, and we think it’s important in the Indian market space as a lot of people work from their smartphones and tablets.

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FAMILY ALBUM

Pre-convention luncheon meet by IATO Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) conducted a pre-convention luncheon meeting with its members, where Lally Mathews, Co-Convention Chairperson, shared the convention details. Subhash Goyal, President, IATO invited all members and urged them to register early to avail attractive packages for the convention.

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NTO

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Nepal: Adventure+weekend destination The country will be focussing on western India, along with repositioning itself as leisure, adventure and a MICE destination. It presently is known for pilgrimage circuits and as a mountain trekking destination.

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he Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), along with Nepal Association of Tour & Travel Agents (NATTA) Regional Association, Pokhara is undertaking activities on the B2B level to reposition itself among Indian travellers.

Known for Hindu pilgrimage circuits in India and as a mountain trekking destination, Nepal is now underlining its offerings for leisure, MICE and adventure travellers from India. By holding a road-

Udaya Bhattarai Senior Assistant Manager, Tourism Products and Developments, NTB

India is a significant market for Nepal covering almost 1/3rd of the total market share in tourism. It is important in terms of volume show in Mumbai and Goa comprising 35 tour operators and hoteliers, NTB and NATTA aimed at increasing tourist traffic from Western India and educating the travel trade about their product offerings.

Nepal received 164,680 Indians by air in 2012 which is an increase of 13.3 per cent over 2011.

According to Udaya Bhattarai, Senior Assistant Manager, Tourism Products and Developments, NTB; no visa requirement, good air connectivity (close to 76 flights a week on India-Nepal route), easy accessibility by road and favourable exchange rate for Indian currency are some of the major factors that contribute to Nepal’s popularity among Indian travellers. He said, “India is the most significant market for Nepal covering almost 1/3rd of the total market share in tourism. It is important in terms of volume and value. Apart from highlighting our top tourism products, we are also offering excit-

ing adventure packages especially focussed for Mumbai and Goa markets.” NTB will be promoting destinations including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, Manakamana and Muktinath; hill-stations including Nagarkot, Dhulikhel, Daman, Bandipur and Tansen currently

for Indian market. Soft adventure activities such as whitewater rafting, biking, fishing, rock climbing, paragliding, ultra-light aircraft and bungee-jumping were also endorsed during the roadshow.

For adventure travellers, the Great Himalayan Trail across East/West mountainous belt of

Nepal has been introduced.

NTB is also focusing on exclusive and luxury tourism products in terms of casinos, golf, dining, nightlife, shopping of indigenous handicrafts, woodworks, pashmina carpets, clothing, souvenirs, jewellery and electronics. weekend breaks, spiritual weekends.

A roadshow organised by Nepal Tourism Board

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STATES

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AP for promotions with all border states Andhra Pradesh is keen to partner its border states to step up tourism promotion jointly. Having signed an MoU with Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh is now in advance deliberation to partner Tamil Nadu as part of its strategy.

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ndhra Pradesh is bordered by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the North; the Bay of Bengal in the East; Tamil Nadu to the South and Karnataka to the West. In fact, it has recently signed an MoU with Maharashtra.

Chandana Khan Special Chief Secretary Tourism AP

“We have recently signed an MoU with Maharashtra. We are also in advance deliberations with Tamil Nadu. Going forward, we would like to conduct joint promotions with all our neighbours and expand our partnership with other states,” said Chandana Khan, Special Chief Secretary, Tourism, Andhra Pradesh on

Increase flights to Nagaland During the recently-held National Conference of Tourism Ministers in New Delhi, EE Pangteang, Minister of Tourism, Art, Culture and Election, Nagaland urged the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to withdraw the protected area permit (PAP) from Nagaland because of the peaceful environment prevailing in the state. According to him, the permit has hampered tourism prospects of Nagaland to a large extent.

However, due to the state government’s policy of promoting the annual Hornbill festival, the inflow of foreign and domestic tourists in the state has touched four-digit figures. He also appealed to the union tourism ministry to increase flight frequency with direct flights from New Delhi to Dimapur airport in Nagaland to cater the demand of tourists and sought central assistance to develop the region as a ‘differently-abled tourist-friendly destination’. There was also a suggestion of setting up a regional promotion council for the northeast in the form of travel circuits.

the sidelines of the State Ministers’ Conference in New Delhi.

Moreover, in addition to partnering other states, Andhra Pradesh has also taken a strategic leap forward to broadbase its tourism projects through an ambitious public private partnership

(PPP) projects to upgrade its tourism infrastructure. The programme is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, which has already sanctioned ` 221 crore.

The various strategic initiatives include building coastal corridors along

the Vizag-Bheemunipatnam sea front and VizagVizianagaram-Srikakulam Regional Circuit with ` 175 crore investment, and eight new beach properties in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, East Godavari, West Godavari, Prakasam and Nellore districts.

“Today, the state has much more to offer in terms of virgin locations. We are sure that the new tourism infrastructure will delight the new-generation visitors. We are keen to promote Andhra Pradesh as the most desirable round-the-year tourist destination in India,” added Khan.

Working Together PARTNERS: Andhra Pradesh has recently signed an MoU with Maharashtra. It is also in advance deliberations with Tamil Nadu and would also conduct joint promotions with all its neighbours

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ANALYSIS

Hitting the right string to tap MICE MILT 2013 underlined the potential, trends, opportunities, challenges and best practices to tap the growing outbound MICE and luxury travel segment in India. reports...

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ccording to a few statistics shared at the recently held MIC India and Luxury Travel Congress 2013 (MILT), a large number of Indian

Karthik Ramamurthy

Andy Campbell

Head AIM (Africa, India, Middle East), IPSOS Business Consulting

Chief Marketing and Branding Officer, Reliance Industries

The key to growing the market is understanding the drivers to motivate the Indian mind

at Ipsos Business Consulting, estimate the current market at around USD 750mn growing at 15 per cent annually. Our analysis also indicates that one of the key catalysts to emergence of new destinations has been Bollywood. In the short term, we anticipate a negative impact of the weakening economy and the Rupee, but given the large headroom of the

organisations are using travel incentives as a strategy to boost bottom-line results. It showed that India had 6.2 million outbound MICE travellers in 2012, of which 1.5 to 1.8 million travelled only for

Investing only on luxury for the most senior leadership will not suffice

MICE, 30 per cent of which was for incentive travel. The trend of incentive travel is seen growing with major corporations who believe that such MICE activities contribute to the overall bottom line results. Organised by Dubai-based conference organiser QnA International LLC, the congress provided an exclusive platform to maximise opportunities and minimise business cycle time, without the challenges that accompany mainstream and large-scale exhibitions.

According to Karthik Ramamurthy, Head AIM (Africa, India, Middle East), IPSOS Business Consulting,

there are not many places on Earth where an Indian does not travel. He said, “There is a new found enthusiasm amongst Indians in the last decade to explore offshore destinations. This enthusiasm at a consumer level along with the emergence of Indian corporates with transnational operations has gradually spilled over to the MICE market where overseas events are becoming more acceptable.

But, the very key to growing the market is understanding the drivers and catalysts to motivate the Indian mind.”

Explaining the emergence of MICE in India through figures, he said, “We,

appreciate the value of investing time, effort, and resources on their staff. Investing only on the luxury of the most senior leadership will not suffice.

It must permeate to grass roots and become an inherent way of working in which welfare and reward are integrated with development and service. Ruchi Aggarwal, Director – Partner Strategy

Indian corporate outlook towards overseas travel as an incentive is changing with challenging times Ruchi Aggarwal Director – Partner Strategy and Marketing, Microsoft India Indian market, this can be made up by innovative marketing and packaging.”

Andy Campbell, Chief Marketing and Branding Officer, Reliance Industries, indicates that only companies who really care about building and embedding a rewarding internal brand culture will

and Marketing, Microsoft India further adds, “Indian corporates outlook towards overseas travel as an incentive is changing with challenging times. Return on every dollar is getting increasingly important.

SMART incentivizing is gaining ground.”

Berggruen Hotels unveils new upscale brand Keys Klub Berggruen Hotels, which owns and manages the Keys Hotels brand in India, recently unveiled its newest brand Keys Klub. The new brand is targetted at the affluent class of business traveller. Sanjay Sethi, Managing Director & CEO, Berggruen Hotels said, “These hotels target senior level business travellers. This move is in the direction of turning Berggruen Hotels into a holistic hotel company which can cater to all categories of customers. Adding a new brand will help us grow faster and ensure that we

have a strong presence across key potential hospitality segments.” Sethi also revealed that Berggruen Hotels was

currently in discussion for conversion of a property to the Keys Klub brand. He, however, declined to provide

Current Plans Berggruen Hotels which was incorporated in September 2006 and is promoted by US-based Berggruen Holdings currently has 14 hotels in operation, 6 of which are owned by the company. The company has 21 hotels under development as of date, of which 6 are scheduled to open in FY2013-2014. Keys Hotels currently has presence in Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram with Keys Business Hotels while Mahabaleshwar, Goa and Delhi with Keys Resorts. The Keys serviced apartments are operational in Whitefield, Bengaluru.

further details on the same.

Keys Klub hotels will focus primarily on metros , namely,Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Located in the city centre and high-end business districts, each Keys Hotels will be over 100-room property with development costs per key (excluding land costs) at ` 45 lakh. Sethi also said that the Keys Klub properties would be either owned, managed or franchised. However, Sethi clarified that the franchise option would be entered into

Vision 2016 The company’s strategy aims to have 75 hotels with an inventory of 6600 rooms across the country by 2015. Sethi added, “We plan to add at least 2 Keys Klub Hotels into our bouquet every year in our target cities in Pune, Mumbai, NCR, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Kolkata and Hyderabad. By 2016, we are expecting combined revenue of ` 410 crore from the owned and managed hotels.” Berggruen is also exploring the possibility of expanding internationally and is targetting Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives for further expansion of the mid-market Keys Hotel brand. with great caution to ensure that the values of the brand were adhered to.

Four brands currently exist under Berggruen Hotels

– Keys Klub, its mid-market brand Keys Hotels, Keys Resorts and Keys Serviced Apartments.

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AGENTS

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Foraying into the B2B space Red Apple Travel records growth in inbound business from India in its offices based in Asian markets.

The company, this way, has been supporting the Indian travel trade to grow their business.

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fter recording a growth of 40 per cent in inbound business to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Dubai from India in the first quarter of 2013, Red Apple Travel has forayed into B2B space by launching a website dedicated to travel trade partners.

Now B2B partners can book their FIT travel programme online with massive savings.

The personalised service will be different from any of the other online travel portals Suneet Goenka Managing Director, Red Apple Travel

With the launch of its new B2B portal, the company intends to further enhance its inbound business and also provide an extensive support system to its travel partners.

According to Suneet Goenka, Managing Director, Red Apple Travel, the new portal (www.redappletravel.com) will be a substantial and vibrant booking

Kerala Tourism announces 24hour emergency response number In a first kind of travel advice, the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, has cautioned visitors to Kerala against travelling to Munnar and other hilly terrains of Idukki district for the next few days in view of the potential roadblocks following heavy rains in the region.

It has also advised tourists to contact the nearest tourism information centre before embarking on any essential travel to hill stations in Idukki district. For any assistance and information, one can call the 24-hour emergency response number 1800425-4747.

engine which will handle all inbound tour business online including accommodation, leisure activities and Destination Management Company (DMC) services under the Red Apple portfolio. He said, “This 100 per cent web-based online booking system is designed for our

agents worldwide to have instant booking confirmation, instant vouchering and invoicing system, easy payment gateway and many more extraordinary booking facilities. Now B2B partners can book their FIT travel programme online with massive savings. The personalised

service will be different from any of the other online travel portals.” According to him, inbound recorded 35-40 per cent growth in the first quarter of this year itself for the company, and it is expecting a healthy increase in passenger numbers towards the year-end as well,

by adding Bali and Dubai in its portfolio.

Goenka said, “We promise to deliver the highest levels of quality and personalised service, every time a local or international partner chooses to work with us.” The group is a Destination Management

Company (DMC) in Asia with its operational set-up and owned offices in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, India, Bali, Dubai, Egypt and UK. “Our forthcoming project for 2014 is to cater the inbound traffic for China, UK and Europe,” concludes Goenka.

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INTERNATIONAL

TRAVTALK AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

Half of world’s top 10 airports to be in Asia Asian airports will account for half of the world’s top 10, according to a growth forecast by OAG. It also predicts that Beijing will have become the world’s largest airport by seat capacity within three years.

OAG’s August FACTS (Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics) report reveals the world’s current top ten airports by seat capacity and, using growth trend data for the past three years, extrapolates from this month’s ranking to show the potential situation in August 2016.

Under OAG’s projections, world leader Atlanta will be overtaken by current number

two Beijing, while Jakarta, Singapore and Hong Kong will enter the global top 10 alongside current Asian member Tokyo Haneda.

is forecast to make a dramatic debut in the 2016 leader-board as the world’s thirdlargest airport.

Asia’s projected gains will be principally at the expense of the United States, which will see its share of the global top 10 slip from four to two airports. Europe is expected to see a smaller reduction, from three to two airports, thanks to the rise of Istanbul, which

John Grant, Executive Vice President, OAG, says: “We know the balance of economic power is shifting Eastwards, but our threeyear projection shows how dramatically Asian air transport is growing. This month, Atlanta still has a lead over Beijing by 465,000 seats,

but by 2016; Beijing will have surged ahead.

Furthermore, we expect to see new entrants Jakarta, Singapore and Hong Kong push out established leaders Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Europe’s blushes will be spared only by the extraordinary rise of Istanbul, which we expect to rocket from almost nowhere into the number three slot only three years from now.”

Top 10 largest airports by seat capacity for August 2013 and their potential in August 2016: 2016

2016

2013

2013 Beijing

2016

2016

Istanbul

Atlanta

2016

2016

2013

2013

Los Angeles Dubai

2016

Jakarta

2016

2016

2013 Tokyo

Singapore

2013 2016

2013

London Paris Hong Kong

2013 2013

2013 Chicago

Frankfurt

Dallas

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ASSOCIATIONS AUGUST

NATIONAL 16-18 20 22 23

Ahmedabad Chennai Delhi Delhi

24

Kolkata

23-25 25-28

Surat Goa

26

Mumbai

30-1Sept Mumbai

NATIONAL

Travel & Tourism Fair Ahmedabad German India Pool’s B2B Event German India Pool’s B2B Event Polish Tourist Organisation’s Roadshow Polish Tourist Organisation’s Roadshow Travel & Tourism Fair - Surat Tourism Australia’s India Travel Mission Polish Tourist Organisation’s Roadshow Travel & Tourism Fair - Mumbai

SEPTEMBER

2-3 2 4-6 4 6 6-8 6-8 8-11 12-14 13

Delhi Pune Mumbai Ahmedabad Hyderabad Mumbai Pune Kochi Mumbai Mumbai

13-15 16 17 18 18-21 19 24

Delhi-NCR Bengaluru Chennai Kolkata Kochi Delhi Mumbai

25

Bengaluru

25 26

Mumbai Delhi

27 27-29

Delhi Delhi

Atout France’s France Promotion Oman Tourist Office’s Roadshow Atout France’s France Promotion Oman Tourist Office’s Roadshow Oman Tourist Office’s Roadshow IITM Mumbai TTF IATO Annual Convention IBTM India European Quartet’s (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary) Roadshow IITM Gurgaon European Quartet’s Roadshow European Quartet’s Roadshow European Quartet’s Roadshow FHRAI Annual Convention European Quartet’s Roadshow Tourism Office of Spain’s B2B Workshop Tourism Office of Spain’s B2B Workshop Love For Africa Roadshow 2013 Tourism Office of Spain’s B2B Workshop Love For Africa Roadshow 2013 Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar

INTERNATIONAL 2-4 8-11 10-12

Beijing Prince Edward Island Seoul

12-15 15-17 24 24-27

Tokyo China Ukraine Paris

25-27 Kazakhstan 27 Almaty 30-3 Oct Mexico

NATIONAL 4-6 22

Indore Delhi

23

Mumbai

24

Chennai

29

Delhi

31

Mumbai

INTERNATIONAL 1-3 14-18

Bangkok China

23-25

Singapore

CIBTM Canadian Tourism Commission’s Canada Go Media World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) The Asia Summit JATA TABIHAKU PATA Travel Mart 2013 Luxury Travel Market International French Travel Market Top Resa Astana Leisure Luxury Travel Market International Luxury Travel Market Americas (ILTMA)

Responsible Tourism on mind Sustaining tourism is a challenge which India Tourism & Hospitality should address. Therefore, The FHRAI Convention will create a platform to raise, discuss and find solutions... for effective and responsible tourism.

T T B U R E AU

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he 48th Annual FHRAI Convention will be held during September 18-21 in Kochi. Slated to be held at the

Focus segments in FHRAI Convention O Responsible and Sustainable Tourism initiatives O MICE O Online marketing O Investment opportunities in the Hospitality Industry O Franchisee model of business in restaurants O Defining standards in hospitality

Le Meridien Resort & Convention Centre, the Convention this year is themed on ‘Sustainable & Responsible Tourism’. Talking about it, Jose Dominic, FHRAI Convention Committee Chairman informed, “Minister of Tourism K. Chiranjeevi has been invited to inaugurate this prestigious event. The convention will witness the participation of a veritable who's who from the hospitality and tourism sector, besides a number of dignitaries from the highest echelons of the Central and State Governments.” According to him, a series of structured and interactive business ses-

entrepreneurs, on wide-ranging issues of contemporary interest to the sector.

Delegates will have ample occasions to network and bond with peers from the hospitality fraternity, in a leisurely and congenial atmosphere,” he added.

Jose Dominic FHRAI Convention Committee Chairman

sions have been planned for the delegates. “We will have a compelling opportunity to engage with key policymakers, industry icons, renowned experts and inspirational

Another highlight of the Convention, he mentioned, will be the ‘Hospitality Expo’, which will showcase products and services of utmost importance to the hospitality industry. It will also feature a unique ‘Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Pavilion’, which will see the participation of exhibitors from across India.

Hospitality industry welcomes Aerocity decision F

was conceived as an integral component of the ambitious modernisation programme of the Delhi International Airport. Therefore, I am extremely grateful to the Prime Minister and Senior Ministers of the Union Cabinet for expeditiously accepting FHRAI's request.”

HRAI President Vivek Nair has welcomed the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) to grant approval to 13 hotels being set up in DIAL Aerocity.

On behalf of the industry, Nair had vigorously pursued the matter of an inordinate delay in the issuance of certain requisite clearances to these hotels, many of whom are either ready for commissioning or in advanced stages of construction. The FHRAI President had met with Union Minister for Home Affairs Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ajit Singh and Minster of Tourism, K. Chiranjeevi, and sought their personal intervention in this regard.

Vivek Nair President, FHRAI

After the Cabinet Committee on Investment's decision, Nair said, "Any prolonged and unwarranted uncertainty on receiving final regulatory approvals for the upcoming hotels in Aerocity, would not only have caused colossal financial losses to the individual developers, but also put in peril the vision of establishing a vibrant worldclass hospitality hub, which

Nair further added, “These hotels in Aerocity are being developed at a combined project cost of approximately ` 8,000 crore. The Delhi Aerocity project will together contribute more than 5,000 much-needed additional rooms to the capital city's limited inventory of 11,000 rooms in the branded segment. This will also generate direct employment for thousands of people in the NCR.”

SP Jain, Managing Director, Pride Hotels said, “Delhi Aerocity hotels have got the Cabinet Committee on Investment approval which will see hotels opening up soon. The latest DIAL guideline directs hoteliers to look after the security

SP Jain Managing Director, Pride Hotels

arrangements of their hotels’ surrounding areas in the Aerocity, and we are going to comply by it.”

Puducherry to speed up tourism projects

OCTOBER Indian International Travel Exhibition Scandinavian Tourism Board’s Seminar Scandinavian Tourism Board’s Seminar Scandinavian Tourism Board’s Seminar Austrian National Tourist Board’s Roadshow Austrian National Tourist Board’s Roadshow IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific Canadian Tourism Commission’s Showcase Asia ITB Asia

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

Puducherry Lt. Governor Virendra Kataria called on K.Chiranjeevi, Minister for Tourism, Government of India on August 2, 2013. The Governor has requested to expedite the release of Central Financial Assistance to various tourism infrastructure projects in Pondicherry. This was during the review meeting held with the officials of Ministry Of Tourism, regarding all tourism projects relating to Pondicherry in the 11th Five Year Plan. Both of them have agreed on an action plan for the speedy implementation of the various projects.

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The tightrope of sustainability and tourism There are a few places in the world which can be conferred with bragging rights. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have this unique distinction. It has pristine reefs, crystal clear water, colourful fish and kaleidoscope corals in an underwater tropical forest.

D

ue to rapid rise in the number of tourist footfalls in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the delicate balance of this ecosystem is being strained. In 1988, noticing that the ecological balance of the islands was being threatened, the local conservator of the forest requested the ITC Bay Island (now Fortune Bay Island) to address the declining situation.

We took up the responsibility and decided to invest in public engagement through multiple touch points. In the taxi stand outside the airport, big hoardings were put up with the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of the islands. Other messages were displayed to initiate and encourage responsible tourism, such as ‘Planting trees is every individual and every organisations’ responsibility.’ By displaying messages in different spaces, we hoped to generate thinking around issues of sustainabil-

Some of the Dos and Dont’s for travel agents O Develop small inputs for the tourists, informing them about the culture of the country in gen-

Niranjan Khatri

ity amongst tourists and thus internalise the need to take responsible action.

In addition to hoardings, messages were written on the packed lunch boxes ¬which guests were given on day trips to other islands.

These messages said: ‘Please do not break the corals’, ‘Leave corals for the fish’, ‘Carry picnic litter back to your hotel for disposal.’ Boat operators were trained to

eral and then specifically about the places they are visiting. This will enable tourists to be sensitive to local realities and respond accordingly. For example, if the tourist is going to a forest, the Dos and Don’t’s of the visit will touch upon the appropriate dress code—colours that will merge with the forest and not red which disturbs animals. It can also include information on suggested types of shoes for that terrain/activity, medicine that could come in handy and other ‘must haves’ such as sun protection lotion, mosquito repellant, etc. Such mini-modules can be sent while confirming reservations.

O Tour operators also have an equal role to play in reducing emissions from transport. Some simple steps can be adopted to address this. Bus drivers often keep the air-conditioning on when tourists have gone for sightseeing. The tour operator should switch off the air-conditioning when no one is in the bus and turn it back on 10 minutes before the tourists are due to arrive back in the bus to ensure that their comfort is not compromised. Parking the bus under a tree can also help in reducing the AC load. Simple, good practices can reduce the tour operator’s operating cost and the depreciation of the bus in addition to enhancing its operational life. announce to tourists when they went to remote islands to bring the litter back to the boat. If a tourist did not comply with this request, the operator would not start the boat for the return journey.

In the small airport lounge, we put up a pictorial

boards of the different 'storeys' of a forest—the top layer, emergent layer, under storey, small bush and finally the carpet of dry leaves. It is through these different layers that the rain falls, permeates into the soil, and hence pre-

vents soil erosion. Studies have revealed in Cote d 'azure in South America that in forested areas, soil erosion is 38 kg per annum

in comparison to non-forested areas where it is 138 tonnes for the same area of land. By creating and enhancing visitor’s knowledge about natural capital, we hoped to build long-term sustainable practices among tourists.

We also installed boards citing travel distances from Port Blair to different tourist spots on the island and within the town such as cellular jail, the museum, etc. The rationale was to empower tourists with information so that taxi drivers could not short change them. A tourism guild was also formed to collectively address the challenges facing the local industry. Against this background, we have to examine how in the current context, we can create a tourism model which reduces the tourist footprint for the long-term benefit of all stakeholders, and thus Contd. on page 42

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TECHNOLOGY

Payments made painless:Ezeego1 Online travel portal Ezeego1 has recently introduced credit cards for the travel trade in exclusive partnership with Axis Bank. talks to the industry to get their views on the new offer.

Travel Agents Association (ETAA) which have a tie-up with Ezeego1.

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eelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1 said, “The new facility is available to travel agents and tour operators who have signed up with Ezeego1’s B2B channel. The main objective was to support the trade with credit facilities in the face of the constantly changing BSP cycle. With travel agents finding it difficult to meet shorter credit cycles, we see more of the industry players, much like Jet Airways, encouraging the trade to transact through credit cards.”

The credit cards will offer travel agents a number of benefits such as no annual or maintenance charges, 51 days credit on the card, zero bank charge for all advance payments made to Ezeego1 and a bank charge of 1.80% for all payments which are not in advance. Available across all of Ezeego’s business verticals, the card will also be offered to members of the Enterprising

Win-Win Deal The benefits to the cards are no annual or maintenance charges, 51 days credit on the card, zero bank charge for all advance payments made to Ezeego1 and a bank charge of 1.80 % for all payments which are not in advance

Speaking of the sales and marketing strategy for the credit card, Singh added, “This credit card will be aggressively marketed by our sales team. Additionally, all travel agents who have tied up with our B2B portal will be offered this card facility.

The bank will follow a due

Neelu Singh COO Ezeego1

diligence system as well as the Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India before issuing these credit cards. These cards will also help us to smoothen our administrative and collection processes as our goal is to push all travel agents who have signed up with us to take up these credit cards.

Travel Agents Feedback

Jay Bhatia

Pradip Lulla

Om Prakash

Chairman TAAI Western Region The benefits depend on the terms and conditions offered by the credit card, especially in the air ticketing segment. On the whole though, I am of the opinion that if airlines accept credit cards for ticketing transactions as Jet Airways has done recently after its talks with TAAI, such credit cards will be a boon for the travel agent.

National General Secretary TAAI It all depends on the travel agent being offered greater value through these cards. With more and more suppliers reaching out directly to consumers, it is important that the identity and integrity of the travel agent be preserved. If a long-term view is taken for these cards, then they will definitely prove to be beneficial to the agents.

Director InOrbit Tours This initiative by Ezeego1, if adopted, can definitely increase the credit facilities of the travel trade and provide them with greater flexibility in transactions. While the terms and conditions have not been specified, it will definitely give the industry a boost and I hope other suppliers too undertake this initiative and give travel agents a fillip.

Tourism in tune with environment Contd. from page 41

maintains the delicate ecosystems in which we live. In the last few decades, millions of people have started travelling nationally and globally.

According to UNWTO, last year, one billion people travelled globally—a watershed year for the tourism industry.

According to India's department of tourism, 800 million people travelled within India.

This is due to the increasing number of double income, middle class families, with aspirations to travel. As income levels increase, there

is a consequent desire to travel first to neighbouring countries and gradually to distant countries. This poses a great challenge to the environment— whether it is in the use of oil, water or other resources.

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation is a good example of how to protect the natural heritage of the country and involve tourists in conservation efforts.

Understanding the strain that a high number of tourists can put on the ecosystem, the Department has restricted the

number of independent walkers on popular walking tracks such as the Milford Sound in the South Island to 40 independent walkers per day during the peak season. In addition, strict rules are adhered to on the tracks. There is no provision for dustbins or any form of waste disposal.

Instead, all visitors have to carry out everything they bring in to the national park and dispose it once they are outside the park premises.

The Airline Industry is also under the scanner of the

global community to reduce air craft emissions because of its impact on the atmosphere. As a result of these pressures, in new generation aircraft, weight and noise levels have been reduced.

One of the steps that tour operators can take is to employ professionals to explain how different aspects of the environment function and are connected to each other.

(The writer is the General Manager, WelcomEnviron Initiatives - ITC WelcomGroup)

Contd. from page 4

Then there are students who may come from affluent families to middle class. This middle class bracket may find it difficult to invest more money which is non-productive. There are retirees, elderly, and many more middle class segments. The Outbound Tour Operators fraternity is upset and fearful that this measure will be adding fuel to already slow market conditions. UKBA policies are always towards commercial aspect rather than towards enhancement or attraction of tourism to UK. The multiple entry visa for 10 years costs Rs.80,000 approximately which is way expensive than any other country and this becomes deterrent to multiple travels to UK. This decision will impact on tourism in a big way for UK. We would like to lodge our protest through your office and request you to please ask your government to reconsider the measure and remove India from this list which will be directed towards building of mutual interest and relationship of the two countries.

Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, Outbound Tour Operators Association Of India

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MOVEMENTS

TRAVTALK AUGUST 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013

Air France-KLM

The Sheraton Bangalore Hotel

The Orchid

New Delhi

Bengaluru

Mumbai

Hicham Lahkim Bennani has been appointed by Air France-KLM as its new Director Commercial, India Subcontinent. Bennani will be responsible for all commercial related activities for passenger Business on the Indian sub-continent.

Prior to taking his role as Director Commercial of India Subcontinent, Bennani was District Manager in Abuja, Nigeria, where he introduced a new daily Air France flight between Paris and Abuja. He began his career with Air France-KLM as a Trainee in the pricing department in Paris after which he held several positions in the revenue management department.

Saurabh Bakshi has been appointed as the new General Manager of The Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. Bakshi has an extensive background in the hospitality industry and has held several senior management positions prior to being in Sheraton with various reputed hospitality brands like Hotel Leela Kempinski and Grand Hyatt across the country. He has a General Managers’ Programme from the Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration Ithaca, USA.

Rajesh Kr Gupta has joined as the General Manager of The Orchid, Mumbai. Earlier, he was working as the CEO of Oye Hospitality Solutions–Jaipur. He has been associated with the hospitality industry for the last 16 years and has worked in various capacities in some of the best hospitality brands. Gupta started his career with Sofitel Dubai and thereafter worked with Brands like Hyatt/Grand Hyatt/IHG/Taj. Gupta was also associated with The LaLiT Hospitality Group for seven years and in his last assignment, launched The LaLiT Jaipur as its General Manager.

Singhotel

JW Marriott Bengaluru

ITC Hotels

Port Blair

Bengaluru

Gurgaon

Tanveer Singh is now the Director of Sales and Marketing of Singhotel. Having trained in the group, while studying Hospitality Management at University Lesroches Switzerland, Singh is a qualified MBA. Singh has revamped the group website and social media network, beefed up the marketing team in Port Blair and has also tied up with agencies on a pan-India basis.

Prakash Viswanathan has been on as the Director of Sales and Marketing for JW Marriott Bengaluru. A Graduate in Hotel Management from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Viswanathan brings with him a strong backing of sales and marketing skills which contributes significantly to his newly appointed role. In his professional experience spanning over nine years, Viswanathan has worked with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces.

He began his career with Marriott as a Hotel Operations Trainee at JW Marriott, Mumbai and has also worked with Courtyard by Marriott, Chennai.

Jasmine Saini has been appointed by ITC Hotels as the Head of Business Development. An alumnus of Hindu College; she started working with ITC Hotels as the guest relations executive. Saini opted out after two years for higher studies and then specialised in International Business Management. She has worked with the Somani Group and the Hinduja Group before rejoining ITC Hotels in 1999. After a while, Saini moved to travel and tourism with her last posting being the head of travel industry sales. She will now be responsible for business planning of new hotel projects.

Hyatt Regency Mumbai

Marriott International

Courtyard by Marriott, Bhopal

Mumbai

New Delhi

Bhopal

Pankaj Wadhwa has been appointed as the Director of Sales and Marketing at Hyatt Regency Mumbai. With over 14 years of experience, Wadhwa will be responsible for the planning and induction of sales and marketing strategies, while tapping into relevant national and international market segments, among others. An alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management Ahmedabad, Wadhwa began his career at The Trident Udaipur in the food and beverage department. His first appointment with Hyatt Hotels Corporation was in 2000 at the then Grand Hyatt Delhi, he then moved to the Park Hotels.

Ramesh Daryanani is the newly appointed Area Director Sales & Marketing-South Asia at Marriott International. In his new role, Daryanani will look after all sales and marketing efforts for the existing Marriott properties along with developing core strategies for the upcoming properties across South Asia.

In the past, Ramesh has held leadership positions with Accor Hotels in Australia and started his career with Taj Hotels.

Originally from Darjeeling, Daryanani holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and Masters in Management from Bangalore, India.

Amit Vashist has recently joined Courtyard by Marriott, Bhopal as the Executive Chef. Chef Vashist comes with over a decade of experience in the food and beverage industry and his core expertise lies in European and Indian cuisine.

Prior to joining Courtyard by Marriott, Bhopal, he was associated with Oberoi Group of Hotels, where he headed kitchens at Trident Jaipur, Trident Udaipur and prestigious Oberoi Clarkes Hotel Shimla. In his most recent assignment, he was the Executive Chef at Dream Hotel, Cochin (Vikram Chatwal Hotels).

Rajeev Duggal, Senior Vice President - THL, Lavasa Corporation claims to be a workaholic 24X7,

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: Vivek Sethi, Sanjeev Bhar, Anita Jain & Lyandra D’Souza

but when it comes to weekend, Duggal shuts down the professional world and enjoys with his family and friends. He moved on from the renowned global travel company sometime back and moved to Lavasa Corporation - building the tourism side of the city. At the age of 47, he is happy to learn new things and often feels like a college kid who is learning new subjects and business management strategies. Also, his close friends sometimes call him 'Car Freak' as he spends minimum three hours washing his cars and cleaning them. Working in a developing city like Lavasa, when asked if he likes animals, he said, "I've had dogs all my life and I love them and I equally hate snakes. The day I spot a snake in Lavasa, I will quit my job."

Rajiv Mehra, Director, Uday Tours and Travel says, “I love travelling. Kerala is my most preferred destination in India and overseas I love coming back to Switzerland. I am deeply involved in giving back to society at all possible levels. Hence, I am active at association level to even my residential blocks committee. I have started with SITA in 1977 and went on to launch my company in 1993.” Times have changed, but he recommends all youngsters to stay equally interested in learning through the practical way, which teaches the dynamics of life much better then computers.

“My wife and daughter are also involved with me in the business.”

Sushil Wadhwa, Chairman and Managing Director, Platinum World Group says that he’s lucky to have a job that allows him to travel and meet new people. “During my free time on travel, I love adventure activities such as scuba diving, sky diving. I love fast cars, so I often rent a super car to drive. Next on my list to do is to fly a fighter jet, a MIG29 in Russia.

One of my favourite destinations in India is Ladakh. When I’m in Bombay, I love to spend time with my wife and two children.”

Kenneth Scott, GM, Pride Hotel, Kolkata has his second stint with the city and therefore, understands Bengali well. Scott loves to remain fit. In fact, he timed 2:43:36 during the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in November 2011. Loves spending time with wife and daughter who are in Ajmer still and will be joining him soon in Kolkata once the latter completes her Class XII exams.

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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 15th-16th of the same month at New Delhi P.S.O., RNI No.: 53492/91 Date of Publication:14-08-2013

HIGHLIGHT

US gives more ‘visa power’ to India It considers issuing more temporary visas and Green Cards for highly skilled Indians; targets to double the Indian arrivals by 2020…

A N I TA J A I N

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ith a focus to enhance trade relations between India and the US, Joe Biden, Vice President, US recently made a four-day visit to India travelling to New Delhi and Mumbai. During his visit, he focussed on India-US engagement on a broad array of issues including economic growth, trade, energy and climate change, security and investment in innovation and education. He informed that over 7,20,000 visas were issued from India in 2012 and the country is expecting higher figures for this year. It also aims at doubling the numbers by 2020.

He informed that close to 720,000 visas per year are issued from India for the US, including 100,000 students visas.

"We have an incredibly full agenda and aim at doubling the students’ visa number by 2020, and also tripling the number of Americans studying in India by the same time."

He further added saying, “We welcome Indian businesses investing in the United States. We’ve already benefitted from the investment of human capital.

Indians receive more skilledworker visas to the United States than any other country in the world. And the legislation our Congress is considering increases the number

Growing Bond O Over 7,20,000 visas issued from India in 2012 O This number also include 1,00,000 student visas O Now the United States of America expects higher figures for this year and beyond

of temporary visas and Green Card availability for highly skilled Indians to come and work in the United States.”

Lauding India as "a rising power", Biden said trade between India and the US grew five-fold to touch USD 100 billion in the past 13 years. “We see tremendous opportunity and there is no reason that if our coun-

tries make the right choices, the trade cannot grow fivefold or more,” Biden said.

Welcoming the relaxation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms in certain sectors, Biden felt that a lot more was needed to be done to

bilateral investment treaty and policies protecting innovations.” He also attended a roundtable conference with Indian business leaders, visited Indian Institute of Technology and visited the new premises of the US

We have an incredibly full agenda and aim at doubling the students’ visa number by 2020, and also tripling the number of Americans studying in India by the same time Joe Biden Vice President, US remove the trade barriers.

He said, “We have to do a lot of work on a wide range of issues like limits in FDI, inconsistent tax system, market access barriers, civil nuclear cooperation,

Consulate at Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

Biden’s visit instilled a sense of optimism in the travel trade community and the public at large. However, the future will ensure how the US makes the visa process smoother to get high numbers from India.

Outlining Obama’s commitment to India ties During the visit to India, Biden outlines US President Barack Obama’s ‘personal commitment and interest’ in expansion of India-US relations, and said India’s ‘Look East’ policy was complementary to America’s ‘re-balancing towards Asia’.

According to him, India has made a very impressive journey to state the obvious. He said, “Twenty-two years ago, you took bold steps to start opening your economy. And the results were almost immediate, and they were remarkable. Over the past decade, you have lifted 160 million people into the middle class. In 1991, India had 5 million total phone lines; now you have 900 million. In 1991, you exported US $20 billion in goods each year. Now that's over US $300 billion. India is no longer an economic island -- and a rising, rising economic power.”

He assured of America’s confident that India will continue to rise. He said, “We Americans are confident that India will continue to rise because we believe you will take the additional steps necessary to spur further growth and enhance your economic influence around the world, and in the process lift the whole world. We want to be your partner in that venture, in lifting the economy of the world.” He seemed pleased that India-US has re-engaged themselves in talks towards a Bilateral Investment Treaty.