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A DDP PUBLICATION
Pages: 48 (Excluding cover)
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Vol. XXV No. 6; March 2 nd fortnight issue 2013
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12-03-2013 TT MARCH_2ND 2013 FINAL_2:TT Layout 3/18/2013 12:23 PM Page 1
TRAVTALK
1
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MARCH 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013
blues for tourism sector The Union Budget 2013-14 has left the travel trade disappointed. More taxes on restaurants will continue to hurt the hospitality sector. talks to veterans to know more... No rewards for performance
Budget discouraging
Tourism neglected again
It is disappointing that the budget does not hold much for our industry – travel and tourism. We have contributed ` 94,487 crore in terms of foreign exchange last year and are also responsible for generating approximately 8% of employment opportunities in the country. Despite this, we are not given any incentives. We are a highly-taxed industry. However, I welcome new initiatives related to safety and women upliftment that were announced in this year’s budget.
Budget 2013 has been very discouraging for travel industry as a whole and outbound travel in particular. Much expected relief in service tax for outbound travel sector did not come. Despite representations from OTOAI to the Tourism Ministry and Finance Ministry, neither Service Tax from outbound travel has been abolished nor increase in abatement passed. There is a lot of confusion regarding multiplicity of service tax on tickets, etc which the Finance Minister should have rationalised.
IATO is upset over neglect of tourism sector in Budget 2013. We expected that the budget will bring some relief to our mounting woes by reducing the Service Tax. It is unfortunate that the government is systematically killing the goose that lays the golden egg. How long you can tax the same sector. This taxation part has made India very costly. However, in this budget, there is some high plan allocation for infrastructure which will bring benefits to tourism.
Jyotsna Suri Vice President, FICCI
Guldeep Sahni
Subhash Goyal President, IATO
President, OTOAI
Contd. on page 5
Summer flavour: Asian short hauls ’s recent poll regarding the most popular holiday destination for this summer concluded that a majority of Indians will choose a short-haul Asian destination this summer. The top three preferences are Thailand, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Other popular countries included Switzerland, UK and Greece in Europe; Hong Kong and Macau in Asia; and Australia, Canada and USA for/in the rest of the world.
Rest of the World Rest of Asia
15%
14%
Thailand
23%
Europe
15%
Singapore Sri Lanka
15%
18%
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BULLETIN
VoA to 16 more nations to be a reality K Chiranjeevi, Minister of State for Tourism, recently met Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Home Minister, and submitted a proposal to extend Visa-on-Arrivals to 16 more countries. T T B U R E AU
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he Ministry of Tourism strongly felt that the ‘Visa-on-Arrival (VoA)’ facility for those countries,
K Chiranjeevi Minister of State for Tourism
which are potential source markets to India and where there have been no security related issues in the
past or likely to be in future can be taken up under this scheme. Presently, the Visaon-Arrival, with a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility, is being granted by Immigration Officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports to the citizens of eleven countries viz. Singapore, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Japan, Finland, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar. An independent study conducted by the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) has noted that VoA scheme has a significant and positive impact on the decision to travel to India. This scheme needs to be expanded to cover more countries and
VoA in more cities MOT had also proposed extension of VoA to more airports namely Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Goa, Bodhgaya and Trivandrum. The Ministry of Home Affairs is considering this issue of extending VoA to 16 countries as proposed by Ministry of Tourism. Keeping in view the recent travel trends, the Ministry of Tourism has also proposed VoA scheme for South Korea, which is a very important tourist generating market. more ports of entry. The Ministry of Tourism had proposed extension of VoA to the following markets: (i) Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Sweden and Norway to cover the European and Scandinavian countries which are key inbound markets (ii) Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to cover the emerging
markets from the CIS countries (iii) Brazil and South Africa to cover and foster IBSA Cooperation and Trinidad & Tobago to foster historical links (iv) Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei to cover all ASEAN countries which will be consistent with India’s Look East policy.
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STATISTICS VIEWPOINT
From Adoption to Orphanage
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he world has understood the role of tourism in boosting the economy of a country… Why does the Indian government not understand this? The tourism sector received an enhanced amount of ` 1297 crores, an increase of ` 87.66 crores, however allocation of funds for building infrastructure, developing tourist spots, cleaning India, introducing visa-onarrival schemes will come to naught if tax structures are not reduced and the benefit given directly to the tourist. Tourists will simply overfly India because of the soaring cost of hotels, restaurants, entrance fees to heritage sites and transportation (due to increase in fuel prices and now increased import duty on high-end cars). Tourism has to be seen holistically and with farsightedness, not like a milking cow, where you only take immediate benefits but lose out on long-term large earnings. Is this some sort of rocket science that can’t be understood? Reduce direct costs and attract the tourist to earn more from indirect spend! For years now, associations from the tourism sector have been fighting for reduction in service tax but it’s really like a lone child throwing a tantrum. Until the industry gets together and fights the battle systematically, like the technology industry or the export industry, we will keep banging our heads against a wall. And the strange thing is, as an industry we just seem to accept whatever is doled out to us, with a little squeak, and then just try to make a go of it. Pushovers? Why don’t the associations stop their infighting and get together with the airlines, airport companies, travel agents and all other industry stakeholders and fight a joint crusade to gain an actual advantage? We fought for visa-on-arrival – we got their attention, we asked for better infrastructure and more hotel rooms – we got it, the Northeastern states jointly showed how they can improve inbound tourism – they have got an increased budget. Why is an industry sector, contributing to more than 6 per cent of the GDP and 9 per cent of employment - with a potential to grow manifold, get put on the back burner budget after budget? Are we not presenting a strong enough case? We need answers…
Vikramajit Chairman SanJeet Publisher Deepa Sethi Editor
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
Advertising Gunjan Sabikhi General Manager Karishma Khanna Sr. Manager Marketing Shailendra Shukla Sr. Manager Marketing Udit Pandey Sr. Manager Marketing Geetika Pathak Manager Advertising Amit Sarkar Asst. Manager Marketing Photographers Simran Kaur-Delhi Bharat Dangiya-Mumbai
Travel set to play a bigger role The latest annual research from WTTC shows that the sector’s contribution to GDP grew for the third consecutive year in 2012. The direct contribution of the sector to GDP was `1,919.7bn (2.0% of total GDP) in 2012. T T B U R E AU
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he travel and tourism generated 25,041,000 jobs directly in 2012 (4.9% of the total employment) and this is forecast to fall by 0.6% in 2013 to 24,899,000 (4.8% of total employment). This includes employment by hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services (excluding commuter services). It also includes, for example, the activities of the restaurant and leisure industries directly supported by tourists. By 2023, this sector will account for 30,631,000 jobs directly, an increase of 2.1% pa over the next ten years. This figure (4.8% of total employment) may seem impressive in isolation, but it pales out when you notice travel and tourism’s direct contribution to employment (-0.6 %) which is lesser than the world average (1.3%). It is ranked way below the list which is topped by Thailand (10.1). The shocking bit is that Bangladesh is ranked at 4.4% and even Pakistan (2.3%) scores more. Leisure travel spending (inbound and domestic) generated 72.3% of direct travel and tourism GDP in 2012 (Rs 3,675.4bn) compared with 27.7% for business travel spending (`1,411.6bn). Business travel spending is expected to grow by 9.3% in 2013 to ` 1,543.4bn, and rise by 7.5% pa to ` 3,192.1bn in 2023. Leisure travel spending is expected to grow by 5.5% in 2013 to ` 3,879.1bn, and rise by 7.9% pa to ` 8,273.4bn
Travel & Tourism’s Total Contribution to Employment Countries 2013 % Growth Thailand 9.4 Cambodia 6.2 Malaysia 5.1 Indonesia 5.0 Bangladesh 4.2 Vietnam 3.6 Pakistan 3.0 World Average 1.7 Sri Lanka 1.4 China 1.0 India -0.2
Advertising (Mumbai) Suchita Saran Branch Manager Harshal Ashar Deputy Genral Manager Priyanshu Wankhade Asst. Manager Advertising Rishika Karra Sales Coordinator Advertisement Designers Vikas Mandotia/Nitin Kumar Design: Nityanand Misra Sudhir Mudgal Production: Anil Kharbanda Circulation: Ashok Rana
in 2023. Domestic travel spending generated 80.3% of direct Travel & Tourism GDP in 2012 compared with 19.7% for visitor exports (ie foreign visitor spending or international tourism receipts). Domestic travel spending is expected to grow by 6.1% in 2013 to
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` 4,331bn, and rise by 8.3% pa to ` 9,573.4bn in 2023. Visitor exports are expected to grow by 8.7% in 2013 to ` 1,091.5bn, and rise by 5.7% pa to ` 1,892bn in 2023. Overall, with such resilience in demand and an
ability to generate high employment, the importance of travel and tourism as a tool for economic development and job creation is clear. Less restrictive visa regimes and a reduction in punitive taxation levels would help it to contribute even more to broader economic development.
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COVER STORY
MARCH 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013
TRAVTALK
5
Tax woes continue as Budget applies no brakes Contd. from page 1
Tax to impact restaurants
Our efforts have failed
Our voice unheard
The Budget has been extremely disappointing for the hotel industry and instead of scrapping the Service Tax totally, it has been extended to air conditioned restaurants exceeding 2,000 square feet which do not serve liquor. This would severely impact the restaurant industry throughout the country.
The Budget shows that the efforts being put in by the private sector in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism have failed to bear any fruits. It seems that the govt still doesn’t reckon the potential of pro-poor tourism industry that has the highest propensity to create additional jobs.
I am gravely disappointed with the budget. It’s shameful that there is not even a mention of the tourism industry. We gave so many suggestions to the MOT and nothing has been incorporated. It’s disappointing that the finance ministry did not even hear our voice and mention us in the budget. Our contributions have gone unrecognised and we have been undervalued.
Vivek Nair President, FHRAI
Sarab Jit Singh Senior Vice President, IATO
Subhash Verma President, ADTOI Contd. on page 11
Allocation for Tourism up by ` 87 crore Keeping in view the importance of tourism sector, the allocation for Ministry of Tourism in the Union Budget presented recently has been hiked by ` 87.66 crore.
The allocation for the Ministry this year is ` 1297.66 crore while it was ` 1210 crore in the Union Budget 2012-13 and `1110.96 crore in the Union Budget 2011-12. The Budget allocation for Plan projects/schemes for the benefit of North East region and Sikkim has been hiked from ` 121 crore to ` 129 crore. The allocation under this head in the Union budget 2011-2012 was `110 crore. The allocation under tourist infrastructure is for the creation of infrastructural facilities on construction of Budget accommodation, wayside amenities, tourist reception centres, refurbishment of monuments, special tourism projects, adventure and sports facilities, sound and light shows, illuminations of monuments, providing for improvement in solid waste management and sewerage management improvement of surroundings, signages, procurement of equipments directly related to Tourism and Rural Tourism projects etc. This provision also relates to the large revenue generating projects, getting revenue through levy of fees or user charges like tourist trains, cruise vessels, cruise terminals, convention centre, golf courses etc.
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STATISTICS
Biz travellers prefer travel agents As per Nielsen India Outbound Travel Monitor, the first preference for business travellers is to use the services of travel agents (28%), while one in five respondents (19%) uses OTAs and travel websites. T T B U R E AU
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ccording to an AC Neilsen study, the average travel expenditure for the leisure traveller is US$3,894; and for a business traveller, an average overseas trip costs US$2,175. Around 64 per cent leisure travellers and 56 per cent business travellers cite search engines and travel websites as the preferred source of information for their travel plans. The Nielsen India Outbound Travel Monitor is a biennial study carried out across leisure and business travellers in 10 cities in India, with over 2,500 respondents across Tier-I and Tier-II cities. Explaining it further, Dinesh Kapoor, ED, Nielsen India, highlights that easily-accessible information via the internet makes it a preferred source of information for travellers today to explore a destination across budgets for where to stay, what to see and do, with user-generated reviews, travelogues and tourism websites. This knowledge also helps them to negotiate on the best deals for their holiday from ticketing to hotel itinerary. “Tour operators are still important in planning group holidays, where the actual planning and organising of the trip is taken care of,” he added According to the study, the average travel expenditure for the leisure traveller is $3,894; and for a business traveller an average overseas
trip costs $2,175. United Kingdom is the most expensive travel destination for both categories of travellers - for business, a visit is approximately $6,000, and for leisure travellers, it can cost up to $10,000. Business travellers spend higher share of total travel expenditure on shopping (20%), flight tickets (22%) and communication (10%). For
one in five (21%) leisure travellers, a major cost component is package cost, followed by shopping (20%). Noticeably, the survey also highlights that, while Singapore continues to be the most-visited destination, it has dipped in preference for leisure and business travellers from India. Only 16 per cent leisure travellers and 11 per cent business travellers
India and Canada push bilateral tourism
K Chiranjeevi, Minister of State for Tourism with Independent Charge met with Maxime Bernier, Minister of Tourism, Canada at Transport Bhawan on February 26, 2013. Both sides have resolved to strengthen cooperation and jointly identify new opportunities in tourism sector. It was also agreed that Tour Operators and Travel Agents of both the countries will interact with each other in order to promote bilateral tourism between India and Canada.
have visited Singapore in the last year, as against the 23 per cent for leisure and 15 per cent for business in 2010. Countries like Nepal (11 per cent), the United States of America (6 per cent), Bangladesh (6 per cent) and United Kingdom (5 per cent) are the gainers as compared to 2010, on the basis of the countries visited last year. Malaysia (8per cent),
Thailand (7 per cent) and UAE (3 per cent) have dropped as visited destinations, while Switzerland comes in as a new entrant in this category. Countries that show a rise in Business Travel are the US (8 per cent), Malaysia (8 per cent) Australia (5 per cent), and UK (5 per cent). The survey also points at the willingness of the Indian leisure traveller to
explore new destinations in Europe, shifting from destinations in South East Asia. As per the survey, 15 per cent of the respondents aspire to travel to Singapore, and 14 per cent to Switzerland. The United Kingdom (10 per cent), Spain (3 per cent) and New Zealand (3 per cent) are new entrants as aspirational destinations.
“While cities in South East Asia will continue to be popular owing to relatively shorter, economical travel, and currency conversion –Europe is gaining popularity as well. This may be attributed to increased exposures via media channels, cross-marketing via films and television shows, and tailoring packages that appeal to a cross-section of travellers from different parts of the country” said Kapoor.
Domestic air traffic declines by 5 per cent in January According to IATA’s air traffic analysis, Indian domestic air traffic declined by 4.9 per cent in demand and 5.3 per cent in capacity during January 2013.
impact of high fuel prices "exaggerated by excessive taxation." The IATA analysis showed that domestic air travel expanded by 1.1 per cent, slightly behind a capac-
Without naming anyone, it said the decline was caused by "one of the major domestic players" effectively exiting the market, apart from weak economic growth, rising infrastructure costs and
ity expansion of 1.4, while the passenger load factors averaged 76.4 per cent. However, "after seasonal adjustment, the load factor reached a record high, exceeding 80 per cent."
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ASSOCIATIONS
Making India ‘Incredible’ Close on the heels of an uninspiring Union Budget, David Scowsill, President and CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council, highlights the virtues of relaxed visa processing and taxation, and investments in skills and infrastructure. T E E N A B A R UA H The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has been investing in economic impact research for over 20 years. Its’ ten-year forecasts are unique in the information they provide to assist governments and private companies plan policy and investment decisions for the future. How crucial is this for an economy like India? India is at an exciting stage in its development. It is growing quickly and its politicians are making important planning and development decisions that will help form the future of the country. When it comes to travel and tourism, however, politicians often take it for granted and don’t understand enough about how it works. Governments worry about industries like financial services, agriculture and other industries but WTTC has recently produced research (available on our website) which compares our industry with others like automobile manufacturing, chemicals and financial services. It shows consistently that in every country, Travel & Tourism is larger than auto manufacturing in terms of the number of people it employs. Getting irrefutable research about jobs and economic contribution from Travel & Tourism in the right place and to the right people means that better decisions can be made to help the industry grow and meet its potential.
Could you sum up this year’s report highlights for ? Travel & Tourism outperformed the global economy in 2012 with the industry’s contribution to GDP growing by 3% compared to 2.4% for the world economy as a whole. This means that last year US$6.6 trillion came from Travel & Tourism and the industry supported 260 million jobs - a year on year increase of five million jobs. For the first time, one in
every 11 jobs in the world is supported by the industry.
spread throughout other sectors.
In India in 2012, Travel & Tourism directly contributed over ` 2billion to the economy, but if jobs that support the industry are taken into account, then that figure increases to over ` 6 billion. In terms of employment, 5% of all jobs in India (25 million jobs) are directly within the Travel & Tourism industry –
By 2023, Indian Travel & Tourism will account for 30,631,000 jobs directly, an increase of 2.1% pa over the next ten years. In a sector which is already facing shortage of trained staff, how will we meet this mammoth requirement? Do you have any solutions to suggest?
David Scowsill President and CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council
jobs in hotels, tour guides or travel agents for example, but that increases to nearly 8% (40 million jobs), if one were to include jobs that support the industry such as the jobs for those people who build the hotels.
WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Research shows that growth in world Travel & Tourism was robust in 2012 despite many economic challenges. However, according to it, Indian Travel & Tourism’s share of total national investment will fall from 6.2% in 2013 to 5.1% in 2023. Even the present budget indicated this. How will this impact the tourism sector? Over the past few years, there has been huge investment in non-defence aviation in India leading to a higher proportion of overall capital investment going into Travel & Tourism. Over the next ten years, we are still forecasting investment of over ` 1.5 billion and a very strong growth, but the overall proportion falls as investment is
This comes to the crux of why our research is important – it shows to governments around the world the value of Travel & Tourism both in terms of its economic contribution to GDP, but also in terms of employment. Of course, for development to happen on the scale it is projected, there needs to be significant investment in skills and training. This needs to happen at all levels of education and of staff already employed. Governments need to work closely with industry to find the best solutions and take advantage of the skills training that the industry can provide.
What are the current challenges for the Indian Travel & Tourism industry? It is very important for the Indian government to relax visa processing. Creating a system to provide Visa-on-Arrival is the first step, but the costs also need to be reduced. India should ultimately work towards an electronic visa processing system like Australia, but there is a lot of work to be done by the interior ministry and security forces for that to happen. A second important issue is taxation. The Indian government is taxing the airline industry too high which is counterproductive and the government needs to be careful in order not to stifle growth. A third area of challenge is more of an opportunity, and this is to continue the progress around the infrastructure needed for Travel & Tourism; to plan and build effectively for the growth that is projected to come both from international travellers and the growing domestic market.
Air Arabia makes a record Latest statistics released by the airline show that it carried a total of 492,847 passengers in the month, an increase of nearly 15 per cent as compared to a year earlier. This represents the highest number of passengers that the airline handled in a month since inception.
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GUEST TALK
From agents to planners Now is the time when travel agents need to be smart and savvy. They should know how to make the transition from being a travel agent to a travel planner. 1 Specialise Pick a few destinations or activities and resolve to be a better expert at travellers than anyone else. They now have access to so much travel information, particularly at their fingertips via the Internet that they have themselves become ‘generalist travel agents’. When they seek help, they’re seeking a true specialist.
2 Personalise Differentiate yourself from self-service online solutions – and give clients highly personalised service, recommendations, etc., right from your very first interaction with them — whether online, by phone or in-person.
Develop expertise with unique experiences and 3 special access It’s all about selling experiences. The more unique, the more value you’re adding. The more you can get clients access to special events or people, the more differentiated you are.
4 Go upmarket Segment the market into two traveller types: Those with more money than time, and those with more time than money. Agents can only compete for the former segment’s business. Travellers with more money than time value purchasing a travel agent’s expertise and ability to handle every aspect of the trip.
Work on competitive pricing rather than just working on 5 commission model Segment the market into two traveller types: Those with more money than time, and those with more time than money. Agents can only compete for the former segment’s business. Travellers with more money than time value purchasing a travel agent’s expertise and ability to handle every aspect of the trip.
6 Constantly do a self-check: Am I delivering the best value? The market’s constantly changing. For all your products and services that you offer, are you competitive? Do you have a variety of strategies to get your clients the most value?
7 Master your pitch Have you perfected your pitch if clients ask: “Tell me about yourself and your agency,” or “What makes you different from other agents?” What are the top three messages in your pitch? Memorize them.
8 Develop a trusted reputation and brand Get yourself or your agency written up in the media. Get clients to write you endorsements on Trip Advisor, Facebook, Tweeter, LinkedIn etc. Build your reputation with real traveller reviews on a referral service.
9 Have a good website Many agents have websites that do them a disservice. Agent websites need three key things: good design + compelling content + easy to maintain/update.
10 Know when to ask for a fee I don’t believe there’s a cookie cutter answer on when to ask for a planning fee, management fee or good faith deposit. Make a judgment call on this for various types of clients.
11 Don’t sell deals: Sell expertise! Many agents advertise deals on their website and send the message that they can find the best deals. It’s tough to beat deals on the Internet, and will be even tougher going forward. Transform your business and your message to sell expert advice and personalised service.
And lastly….Be a lifelong student of change This industry has changed tremendously and the pace of change will only accelerate. Be a constant student of best practices and be ready to adapt and adopt new ways of doing things….no matter how many years you’ve been in the industry. We all have good intentions and willing to change but Dhananjay Saliankar Regional Director- Starwood Sales the key to it is execution, execution and execution. Organisation South Asia
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COVER STORY
We want more: Industry Contd. from page5
Please don’t ignore travel industry Year after year, FHRAI has presented the pre-Budget memorandum relentlessly and tirelessly to the Finance Ministry, but seldom does it pay heed to all the efforts put in by the industry. The only mention that comes about tourism or the hotel industry in the Union Budget, is as a source of revenue stream by way of imposition of an unwarranted tax or an increase in an existing tax, which is sought by the Finance Minister. Otherwise, post-liberalisation era, the Government has forgotten its main objective of being a facilitator. Rewinding the past decade's budgets, it is obvious that the governance has become a hurdle in Tourism promotion. Like our keynote speaker at the previous FHRAI Goa Convention, the IH&RA President Dr. Ghassan Aidi suggested the Tourism Minister, to please leave this Tourism industry alone and see how it will flourish. However, with the elections around the corner, is the Government suggesting us hoteliers to franchise them out?
Kamlesh Barot Former FHRAI President
Taxes killing demand The effect of the budget on travel and tourism can be dissected from two different angles – the short term effect and the medium to long term effect. In the short term, the budget is negative for the tourism sector and may lead to a demand pullback. Across the board, increase in taxes on luxury products will hurt demand for luxury travel in the short term as the additional expenditure on luxury products will reduce disposable income of high net worth individuals for discretionary purchases such as travel. Having said that the budgets have traditionally been disappointing for the travel and tourism sector as the subsequent governments have failed to recognize and encourage the potential of this industry. In fact there is a long pending demand of the industry for a ‘priority industry sector status’ for travel and tourism which yet again has failed to find favors.
Sumanth Kapoor Founding Member, OTOAI
Budget is pragmatic The Budget is very pragmatic and stays committed to the path outlined by the Finance Minister towards fiscal consolidation. The GDP growth rate is expected to be substantially better than the decade low rate of 5 to 5.5% achieved in 2012-13. With major tax reforms like DTC and GST on the anvil, we can expect buoyancy in tax revenues in future. The travel industry looks forward to this growth-oriented budget to improve its fortunes in the next year.
Rajeev Wagle Managing Director, Kuoni India
Luxury hotels will be hit by Budget The budget is more of a bad news for hospitality industry. Inflation factored in, there is less spending power and more expensive dining because of additional taxation, this would naturally mean Food & Beverages outlets in hotels will face a downfall. On top of it, budget had very little to offer at new investments and fresh investments and which will result in initiation of sluggish manufacturing industry activity. We however believe that luxury hotels will witness a harder hit than mid-segment hotels.
Pradeep Kalra Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Sarovar Hotels
Budget is a big flop The much-awaited last budget of the UPA government before elections has been a big flop. Much was expected from the new Tourism Minister to suggest and incorporate various issues concerning the travel trade and more so the outbound travel trade in conjunction with a Finance Minister. Though there has been no increase in the rate of service tax, some sops expected in service tax for travel trade were not announced. Rather the budget proposals put pressure on the Indian Rupee as a result of which there was further devaluation of Rupee viz-a-viz US Dollar and other currencies, thus making the outbound travel more expensive. This will certainly dent the pockets of Indians travelling abroad and will affect the outbound travel. The Finance Minister has given us a lollypop to lick by increasing the baggage rule allowance and bringing out an Amnesty scheme to forgive errent tax payers who don’t have their service tax returns and who have not paid their service tax dues from 2007-2012.
Rajeev Sabharwal Chief Executive, Gaurav Travels
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STATES
32 countries to attend GTM Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary, Gujarat Tourism, talks about what makes the Gujarat Travel Mart, one of the most sought-after travel events in the country and about how they plan to develop various tourist amenities along the highway. P EDEN D OMA B HUTIA
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fter the successful hosting of Vibrant Gujarat, the state is all set to host the Gujarat Travel Mart, which is said to be the biggest ever Inbound Travel Event in the
istered buyers from over 32 countries exploring business opportunities for travel and tourism products, making the event one of the most sought-after travel events in the country.” The tourism department certainly seems to be on a roll, no wonder then that in acknowledgement of the fact that the ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ campaign is continuing to boost the image. Gujarat Tourism has been selected for the India Pride Award 2013 as a state PSU
Kutch and the pilgrim sites of Somnath and Dwarka too have become major draws. Mittra informs that a budget of ` 654 crore has been earmarked for tourism infrastructure and that existing as well as new and upcoming destinations have been identified. After determining their potential, various development projects have also been undertaken. “Dwarka, Somnath, Ambaji, Kabirvad, Saputara, Nalsarovar, Shamlaji, Pavagadh etc are some places where develop-
Mandir se Masjid tak Vipul Mittra Principal Secretary Gujarat Tourism
Awards are recognition of the fact that our work has been noticed and appreciated, and is bearing results country. Talking about the mart, Mittra says, “Gujarat Travel Mart is aimed at bringing together trade, hoteliers, and other stake-
Gujarat Tourism’s next promotion as part of the ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ campaign will now be shot at an Islamic monument, the world heritage site of ChampanerPavagadh, built by the Gujarat Sultan, Mehmood Begada. Ahmedabad’s heritage walk, which starts from the world’s first Swaminarayan temple in Kalupur and ends at Jama Masjid, will also be a part of this campaign and has been aptly called ‘Mandir Se Masjid Tak’. under the category ‘India Image Enhancement-A Global Brand’. Talking about how awards augur them to move forward, Mittra says, “Awards are recognition of the fact that our work has been noticed and appreciated, and are bearing results. It also helps us understand our strengths, and fortifies the image of Gujarat as a new
More countries coming Buyers from Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Fiji Islands, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zimbabwe, etc are slated to visit Gujarat for the Gujarat Travel Mart holders from India and abroad. Gujarat, over the years, has contributed towards being a large part of the India’s ever-growing tourism arrival figures, both to within India destinations and overseas. The Gujarat Travel Mart is set on a B2B platform with over 200 reg-
emerging tourist destination. In fact, every award is an indicator that we are on the right track.” They definitely seem to be on the right track. The Gir sanctuary has seen a 30% jump in tourists in two years. The Rannotsav festival in
ment work is being undertaken. Some are beautification of existing destinations, while others are new attractions. There are also plans to develop various tourist amenities along the highway in Gujarat. Another project, ‘Rama trail’ will give a taste of the journey that Lord Rama, Sita and Laxman undertook as part of their 14-year exile, and locations like Sita Van, Ram Sarovar, Unai and Shabari Dham in Gujarat would be developed,” Mittra adds. However, he acknowledges that the private industry also has a major role to play in developing tourism. Talking about the expectations from the private players in Gujarat, he says, “According to the industry estimates, there will be a requirement of around 1 lakh hotel rooms in Gujarat in the next five years. This is a good business opportunity for the private industry. They should cash in on the increasing number of tourists and set up tourism-related infrastructures. Also, lesser explored avenues like adventure sports, niche tourism, etc can be initiated.”
Google Glass: Future of Travel? The new wearable computing piece of technology from Google has created waves in the travel world. Travel players, especially airlines and destinations, see big implications of the technology and product if it ever becomes mass market. For travel agents, Glass promises new heights of social buzz, with instant shoot-and-upload capabilities and sharing features.
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‘High luxury tax bane to hospitality growth’ While the Economic Survey said that issues such as high taxes need to be resolved, the Budget this year once again has proved to be a dampener. Following are the excerpts of the Survey: T T B U R E AU
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alling tourism in India a goldmine of opportunities, The Economic Survery 2012-13 has highlighted the need to address issues, like high luxury taxes on hotels by states, to give a big boost to this sector. It also said that an urgent image makeover and higher investment in infrastructure is required for the Indian tourism sector. This includes taking initiatives through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode to capitalise on opportunities provided by overall growth in world tourist arrivals The survey tabled in Parliament said, “With world tourist arrivals expected to increase by 43 million every year on an average from 2010 to 2030 and Foreign Tourist Arrivals in emerging countries expected to grow faster than in advanced economies, a goldmine of opportunity in tourism is waiting for India, which, at present, has a paltry share of 0.64 per cent in the world tourist arrivals.” On the PPP model of investment in infrastructure development, it said,
“Even user charges could be levied if monuments or tourist sites are developed by the private sector or through PPP.” The Survey said refunding VAT as done in countries like Thailand and Singapore can also help the tourism sector. Domestic Tourism is also an important contributor to the growth of this sector with a 14.34 per cent compound
Dilli Haat in Mumbai Mumbai will soon get its very own Dilli Haat. Having identified a spot near Race Course for the market, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has submitted the proposal to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for land clearance. The market will showcase craft items and food from different parts of the country. However, the main focus will be on Maharashtra’s culture, cuisine and craft.
annual growth rate of domestic tourist visits from 1991 to 2011. During 2011, there were 851 million domestic tourists, the survey noted. The hotels and restaurant sector, with a 1.5 per cent share in India's GDP in 201112, is an important sub-component of the tourism sector.
As per 12th Five Year Plan approach paper, India's travel and tourism sector is estimated to create 78 jobs per million rupees of investment compared to 45 jobs per million rupees in the manufacturing sector, the survey said. “As per Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) data
2009-10, the contribution of tourism to India's GDP was 6.8 per cent (3.7 per cent direct and 3.1 per cent indirect) and its contribution to the total employment generation was 10.2 per cent (direct 4.4 per cent and indirect 5.8 per cent),” it added. To promote tourism, the gov-
ernment has taken many policy initiatives including a five-year tax holiday for two, three-, and four-star hotels located around all UNESCO World Heritage Sites (except Delhi and Mumbai) which start operating with effect from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2013.
Job Statistics The hotels and restaurant sector, with a 1.5 per cent share in India's GDP in 2011-12, is an important sub-component of the tourism sector India's travel and tourism sector is estimated to create 78 jobs per million rupees of investment compared to 45 jobs per million rupees in the manufacturing sector
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AVIATION
Double MBA for aviation execs A new part-time MBA in Aviation management is a German-designed programme especially for the Indian aviation industry and is being offered at subsidised rates. T T B U R E AU
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double-degree MBA under the European Union-India project, ‘Institutional CapacityBuilding for the Civil Aviation Sector in India’, is being financed by the EU Grant and has been designed to improve career chances for aviation executives. “The programme delivery will be unique in India as executives do not have to leave their jobs. The students will take leave from work during the weekends, from Friday noon until Sunday evening, and undergo intensive training. Project work is assigned to each student during non-teaching periods. While at work, they can always remain connected through the E-learning platform, and interact with peers and professors,” says Yvonne Ziegler, Dean Faculty of Business and Law, University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt. An MBA in Aviation Management is designed to prepare those who already hold leading positions. The course contains elements of international management and leadership and is based on essential areas of aviation seen from the perspective of the sector’s key players, namely, airlines, airports, and air traffic controllers.
Yvonne Ziegler Dean - Faculty of Business and Law, University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt
The MBA has been developed jointly with German Aviation companies such as Fraport AG, the Frankfurt Airport operator, the airport Munich and DFS, the German ATC Ziegler further highlights, “There are several special aspects about the content of our study programme. First, it is industry-focused. The MBA had been developed jointly with German Aviation companies such as Fraport AG, the Frankfurt Airport operator, the airport Munich and DFS,
the German Air Traffic Control. Second, it is that we are not only lecturing business and management theory, but are also focusing on personality development of the students. We have got 360 degree feedback at the beginning and at the end of the programme. It is used as a development tool and includes direct feedback from an employee's subordinates, peers, and supervisor, as well as a selfevaluation. So the students get a feedback and can work on lagging aspects of their leadership behavior.” This two-year programme is sponsored by the European Union. In Germany it costs € 22,900 for the four semesters. In India, the initial batches will only have to pay € 2,900 for the four semesters. Students will be awarded a dual degree from Frankfurt’s University of Applied Science and the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies. Admissions are for young and future executives with a minimum of two-year work experience.
Educational Edge This two-year programme is sponsored by the European Union. In Germany it costs 22,900 for the four semesters In India, the initial batches will only have to pay 2,900 for the four semesters
SeaDream Yacht Club in India SeaDream Yacht Club (SDYC) will foray into the Indian market in October 2013 with a series of voyages in Asia which will include stopovers in Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Port Blair. SDYC has appointed In Rhythm, a Destination Marketing Company as their sales and marketing representative in India. SDYC is a luxury yacht cruise company that offers cruises to the Mediterranean. Sudesh Kishore, President, SeaDream Yacht Club India/Corporate Chef, SeaDream Yacht Club said, “Indians have turned into global citizens and want to experience the best in life. They are aware of the luxury travel options available and therefore, we decided to enter the Indian market to offer our luxury yachting voyages to Indian clients.
Our decision to include Indian destinations in our itineraries was prompted by demand from the Indian travel trade fraternity and our loyal Club members. Mumbai, Goa and Kochi have
Sudesh Kishore President, SeaDream Yacht Club India/Corporate Chef
also been chosen as strategic ports to showcase SeaDream to travel agents and tour operators from India.” SeaDream II will sail to Asia after completing her 2013 Mediterranean season. The voyage will depart Athens, Greece in October 2013 and include a transit of
the Suez Canal before arriving in Mumbai. From Mumbai, the yacht will sail to Singapore and the Far East, planning to offer 18 unique voyages in the region. “The average length of voyages is 7 to 15 days long, but most may be combined as a back-to-back voyage for a lengthier holiday. SeaDream yachts are also available for charters,” informed Kishore. Scheduled to stay in Asia until April 2014, SeaDream II’s destinations will include Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, East Timor, Northern Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. SDYC has adopted a strategic sales and marketing approach for India. Kishore stated, “A strategic approach to educate the Indian travel trade and target segments will be implemented to create awareness for SeaDream Yacht Club in India.
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‘Best Stand Award’ to India Tourism in AIME
Now, OTOAI bats for industry status
essence of the country and product. Other awards presented this year included Best Stand over and under 36m², Best New Exhibitor Stand and Best Environmentally Sustainable Stand, as well as a new award for Best Innovative Stand. Adi Ben-Nesher, Managing Director of Event Skills, judged the best innovative stand. The winner of the inaugural award was Business Events Sunshine Coast. The Best Stand 36m² and Under was awarded to Spicers Retreats Hotels & Lodges for taking the concept of luxury hotels to the next level with a visually exciting stand and a team who committed to the theme by dressing in luxe bathrobes.
As OTOAI completes a year of operations, President Guldeep Sahni speaks about seeking industry status, recognition for outbound tourism from the government and rationalisation of service taxes.
The 2013 winners of the coveted Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) Awards have been announced, recognising excellence in stand design and presentation. Craig Moyes, Portfolio Director for Reed Travel Exhibitions and Karen Bolinger, CEO of the Melbourne Convention
Craig Moyes Portfolio Director Reed Travel Exhibitions
Bureau, presented Roslyn McLeod, Managing Director of Arinex with the Industry Person of the Year Award at the AIME CEO Summit recently. India Tourism took the Best Stand Over 36m² Award, recognised for creating a welcoming and eye-catching display that captured the
Best New Exhibitor Stand went to City of Sydney for their bright and impressive backdrop which stood out from the competition as well as the overall atmosphere of the stand inviting visitors to engage with the highly professional team.
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s various forces influence outbound tourism – the suppliers, customers, new technology, competition and new entrants, OTOAI is moving ahead aggressively to extend and restructure the scope of the industry in India. According to Sahni, the association is engaging with the Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Government of India to get recognition for outbound tour operators in India. The association is proposing a National Award Category for outbound tour operators in the country. It is also seeking the support of the MOT to take up taxation and infrastructurerelated issues with the concerned ministries. It is also asking for the setting-up Joint Working Committees, with active participation of representatives from OTOAI. "We have roped in Ernst & Young for preparing a white paper to take up Service Tax issues
related to outbound tourism. OTOAI has also filed concerns with the relevant Ministries, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Civil Aviation," he says.
Guldeep Sahni President OTOAI
In any economic slowdown, tourism is the first sector to get affected. But Indian outbound tourism has proved to be an exception. Even when there was an economic slowdown in India, the number of outbound tourist is rising year-on-year. "In percentage terms, India
is one of the fastest-growing outbound market in the world. Yet, the government regards the outbound tourism industry as an outflow of money from the country, which is wrong. We attract foreign players – airlines, tourism boards, hoteliers to invest in our country. The government is continuously levying multiple taxes on us and hindering our growth. The allocation to tourism is marginal even in this Budget," he laments. OTOAI has also taken up the issue of simplifying and standardising the visa application process with various embassies and consulates. Throwing more light on the recent development, Sahni reveals, "Recently, the Philippines Embassy has agreed to register OTOAI members for submission of group visa applications to the Philippines Embassy. The embassy will also be listing quality and prominent suppliers from Philippines, who, in
turn, will confirm the group and the visa will be granted." The association, which currently has three chapters – Western, Southern and Eastern, is looking at spreading its wings by enrolling more members. It will appoint city coordinators to work with their regional chapter heads in order to expand and strengthen its regional presence. The 214member group will also host its first international convention this year around September end or October.
Proposed Moves The association is engaging with the Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Government of India to get recognition for outbound tour operators in India The association is proposing a National Award Category for outbound tour operators in the country
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NTO
India in top five for S Africa South Africa is positioning itself among all segment of travellers, with every budget and looking for variety of experiences. A N I TA
India is expected to be among the top three global economies. We are promoting South Africa in India since 2005; focussing on film, fashion, sports, food and wine and most importantly on our pure wildlife.
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ost TAFI (Travel Agents Federation of India) annual Convention in Durban last month, South African Tourism is confident to record 10-15 per cent growth in India arrival figures in 2013. According to the latest arrival figures, the country received 79,306 Indian tourists from January to September in 2012, an increase of 18.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2011. According to Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, Tourism Minister, South Africa, the country could attract more than 1,00,000 Indian tourists
Marthinus Van Schalkwyk Tourism Minister South Africa
focus on further developing and exploring opportunities in this market. South Africa is hoping to strengthen the relationship through numerous campaigns aimed at India.
Old Connect Van Schalkwyk emphasised the strong history of mutual respect between the two countries, with cricket being an example of a powerful common denominator. He said, “It was to India that South Africa's international cricket team travelled for the first time after the end of apartheid, in 1991. India then became the first touring team to play in a South Africa in 1992, recognising India's role in the fight against apartheid and the country's readmission into international sport.” by 2014. India is among the top five tourism source markets for South Africa and therefore, there is a growing
Van Schalkwyk said, “India's economic growth is expected to continue over the next 40 years, and by 2050,
India was identified as a core market of tourism for South Africa in 2010 and today it is not only a source market for us but also an emerging travel market with massive growth potential. Emerging markets are important source markets, but even more importantly, we are emerging destinations bound to change travel patterns around the world.” He strongly believes that emerging destinations would become the centre of the universe for international tourism flow. “We recorded over 18 per cent growth from India in 2012. We are certain to receive over 100,000 Indian tourists by end of 2014,” adds Van Schalkwyk.
100% growth from India on the Talking to sidelines of the Bulgarian National Day celebration, Stefan Ionkov, Head of Commercial and Economic Office of Bulgaria to India, said, “Bulgaria can offer different experiences: seaside resorts bordering Black Sea, 1,600 mineral springs, convention centres, 378 km long coastline, magnificent mountains, spas, nice wines, golf, streets full of restaurants, culture, never ending nightlife, casino and rose valley tour. A seven nights and eight day trip across top sight seeing destinations in Bulgaria will cost about ` 28,000 all inclusive.” As the Indian market is emerging as one
of their preferred markets, the country is looking at attracting all segments of Indian travellers. “Therefore, we have started
ever summer where groups from India will visit Bulgaria for summer holidays,” informed Ionkov. The country will
How to reach... Visa procedure: Bulgaria now lets you visit the destination on a Schengen Visa. Also, if the tour operator registers with the Bulgarian embassy, he will be able to process visas easily and safely. Airline connections: There are no direct flights from India to Bulgaria. Austrian flights takes off at 1.40am from Delhi and touches Vienna at 7am local time, arriving in Sofia at 9am. Connecting flights on Qatar Airways, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines with stopovers in their respective hubs are also available. organising group trips from metros as well as smaller cities to Bulgaria. The summer of 2013 will be the first
continue promoting destinations like Sofia, Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo.
FTAs up by 11% in Mizoram The number of foreign tourists in Mizoram has gone up from 658 in 2011 to 745 during 2012. Of these, 138 were from the US, 104 from Britain, 78 from Australia and the rest from various parts of Europe and South East Asia. Now with restrictions such as protected Area Permit for foreigners etc. being gradually eased, the state can look forward to more visitors in 2013.
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Focus Canada grows in strength The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) recently hosted its annual business-to-business exchange in India at the Fairmont Jaipur from February 27 – March 2, 2013. Maxime Bernier, Canada’s Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, was present at the show along with Michele McKenzie, President and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission. Also present at the event were Siobhan Chretien, Regional Managing Director, CTC, Stewart G. Beck, High Commissioner of Canada and Sidney Frank, Minister and Immigration Program Manager, Canadian High Commission.
Contd. on page 34
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£2 million for promotions in India India, being one of the rapidly evolving priority markets for Visit Britain, will get a substantial share of funds for extending new itineraries and attractions. speaks to Keith Beecham, Director Overseas Network, VisitBritain. VIVEK SETHI
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he person leading the annual India sales mission in New Delhi recently was Keith Beecham, Director, Overseas Network, VisitBritain. During his visit, he brainstormed with captains of the travel trade industry in Mumbai to make Visit Britain realise its Vision 2020 in the Indian market.
travellers to Britain, as per our Vision 2020 from the present 350,000. From our perspective, India is
Here are selected excerpts The outbound travel market in India is evolving rapidly and at a much faster rate than those of developed economies, when they were going through the same stages. Initially, the outbound travel is strictly packaged in terms of leisure travel and corporates. India is among one of the high-potential markets, which includes USA, France, Germany, Gulf and China. It has been the best performing market and is projected to supply half a million
Keith Beecham Director Overseas Network, VisitBritain
way ahead of even the Chinese market.
B2B partnership In a strategic initiative, VisitBritain had announced a partnership with Yatra.com in New Delhi, which is a one-of-its-kind initiative in the Indian market. The joint promotional initiative will focus on promoting five new itineraries spread across 5-
Touching half million mark by 2020 O
n the back of record arrivals in 2012 from India, the national tourism agency of Britain has geared up to increase its bonding with the Indian travel trade. According to Keith Beecham, the agency will unveil the Thematic Module of the BritAgent Programme in India by May this year. The BritAgent Programme was initiated two years ago to educate the Indian travel trade fraternity about destinations and travel prod-
ucts of Britain. Currently, there are 500 BritAgents in India. "We would like to take qualified agents to the second level by introducing the Thematic Module. The programme will focus on presenting a better understanding of Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. Britain recorded 145,000 Indian arrivals from April-June 2012, making it the best performing quarter in ten years for Britain. “While one-third of
Indian outbound is leisure, another one-third is VFR. Business visitors constitute another 28 per cent of the arrivals in Britain,” he says.
12 days, which can be customised further and will deliver on the Indian aspiration to visit tourist attraction beyond London. We are willing to work with all the large, medium and small players, provided they nurse the same ambition of promoting Visit Britain. In fact, we have earmarked over £2 million marketing and pro-
motion budget in 2013, which is part of our global Great Britain campaign.
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extend new itineraries, we are keen to work with the travel trade in India and facilitate interactions with their counterparts in Britain.
Our destination is wellknown in the Indian market. The task at hand is to leverage the advantage of our destinations, which is presently London-centric, to include other places. In our pursuit to
In this direction, the India Sales Mission held in February 2013 provided UK suppliers with the opportunity to meet over 200 agents from across India. Our research also
Going forward, VisitBritain is targetting to touch the half-million mark in Indian arrivals by 2020. "For 2013, we are concentrating more on travel trade. Our ambition is to achieve a 30 per cent year-on-year growth from the Indian market. It is in this context that we believe the B2B
segment in India will be our extended arm. We are increasingly meeting the Indian travel trade, understanding the market to work closely with them to showcase our products and present Britain as a price-competitive market." he points out. The agency will also host 15 top Indian travel agents at the biggest B2B event, Hosted Buyers Marketplace (HBM) at Wembley Stadium in London from March 18-19. suggests that potential visitors want to see more than just London and the Indian Trade mission will succeed in educating the industry, making sure they know all there is to know about Britain. To foster the relationship with the travel trade in India, we will be taking 16 Indian companies to the Marketplace Event in Britain in March 2013.
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A South African sojourn for TAFI Moving beyond wilderness, South Africa became host to the TAFI Convention in 2013. The country is geographically ideally situated to become a hub in developing trade relationships, particularly between the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) group. Durban witnessed the TAFI International Convention from February 24-26. This forum saw the who's who of the travel fraternity from India coming together to brainstorm on the challenges and way forward in the industry.
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A workshop of fun and learning
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Of smiles, networking and good cheer
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ANALYSIS
Corporate travel speeds up While exhibitions have been put on hold, smaller incentive groups are still predicted to be the growth driver this year. reports more on the trends. due to which many agencies are involved in single bidding. This is keeping margins minimal to close a deal. In both ways, the industry is getting hit badly. Don’t think there is any scope coming up for reduction of airfare, taxes, etc which may worsen things.”
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orporate cut backs on travel –introduced during recession – are now picking up. Undeterred by the global slowdown. When the bigger corporate sector is spending big time on travel, it is the smaller companies where MICE have largely taken a hit. Recession-induced conservatism continues to plague the airline industry, as corporate bodies take time to clamber back onto the travel wagon. While exhibitions have been put on hold, smaller incentive groups are still predicted to be growth driver this year. In the challenging times, even corporate entities are adapting themselves and moving forward cautiously, The year 2013 will see a flat growth in the segment and business is expected to pick up only next year. Vicky Soin, Assistant Vice President Outbound (MICE), Abercrombie & Kent India, said the industry was expected to grow, but not too much. “The slowdown meant that regular companies cut
Vicky Soin Assistant Vice President Outbound (MICE), Abercrombie & Kent India
Business is bound to happen but on a limited stretch, making it very competitive limited stretch, making it very competitive, he said. Throwing light on the challenges of the industry, Soin explained, “When it
The resultant negative sentiment brought changes to policies like cutting down on trip frequency Indiver Rastogi Vice President & Head - Global Enterprise Business
Reiterating the sentiments, Indiver Rastogi, Vice President & Head - Global Enterprise Business, Thomas Cook India revealed, “The subdued economic outlook in Europe on account of the Eurozone crisis, the flat economic growth in the US and overall global slowdown has had a direct impact on both large corporate firms and SMEs; with T&E budgets being the first to be hit. The resultant negative sentiment saw them making changes to travel policies – reducing entitlements for higher class travel, cutting down on the frequency of trips, etc.” Lingering customer caution on business travel spends continues with travel polices now reflecting an increase in economy cabin travel; with extended approval chains for international travel. Corporate travel business at Thomas Cook India has bucked the trend of 2012 registering good growth. However, the fact remains that while our large corporate houses continued to travel unabated, the smaller enterprises did execise caution.
Good Time Returns down on their corporate travel last year. But this year, we are expecting a revival in incentivised travel and corporate meetings,'' he said. Business is bound to happen but on a
comes to MICE, the costs today have gone beyond corporate budgets which had planned some trips and incentives. Corporate firms are negotiating very hard,
When the bigger corporate sector is spending big time on travel, it is the smaller companies where MICE have largely taken a hit.
Mounted Cavalry Review for tourists On the initiative of the Tourism Minister, Bina Kak, the Jaipur-based 61 Cavalry, the only operational horse cavalry regiment in the world, presented a ‘Mounted Cavalry Review’ on March 9 at the Rambagh Polo Ground. On the visit of the Chief of the Army Staff, General Bikram Singh to Jaipur recently, the Minister had earlier requested him to clear the proposal which had been sent by the Tourism Department to the South Western Command for the ceremonial mounted parade with full pomp and ceremony. The Minister said that this will be for the first
Bina Kak Tourism Minister, Rajasthan
time ever that the army will be organising the elaborate cavalry drill for both the foreign and domestic tourists as well as the general public. This will go a long way in fostering harmonious and congenial relations between the army and the civilians, she
said. The Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot has also been apprised of the event, she said. The event was jointly organised by the Department of Tourism and the SouthWestern Command of the Indian Army. The Minister further informed that the ‘Mounted Cavalry Review’ is one of the most attractive mounted ceremonial drills of 61 Cavalry – and perhaps nowhere in the world is it organized on the same scale as in Jaipur. However, the ‘Cavalry Review’ till now was restricted to selected audience within the army area.
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Training for the year ahead with CTC Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) recently organised a workshop and orientation experience for its key travel agents in Delhi. As per their strategy for 2013, they will be spreading their campaign to newer growth areas of the Tier-II cities in India. The tourism board will continue to focus on FITs along with visa awareness. “Trade partners can market Canada better with our Signature Experiences Collection,” says Tina Singh, Asst VP, CTC India.
Hilton Garden Inn in Gurgaon The Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square hosted a grand gala on March 1 to mark its formal launch. Located near prime corporate, commercial and residential districts, the 201-room upscale business hotel opened its doors to guests on January 15. The hotel is easily accessible via Sohna Road, Golf Course Road, Golf Course Extension Road and NH-8. Hilton Garden Inn, Gurgaon is owned by real estate major Baani Group. The event was attended by major corporate bigwigs of Delhi, officials from Hilton and Baani and patronised by celebrities like Sunanda
Tharoor, Anupama Verma and Atul Wassan to name a few. “The group forayed into the hospitality sector with the opening of its first venture in form of this 201-key business hotel in Gurgaon managed by Hilton under the Garden Inn brand. We built a hotel that gives business travellers the warmth of a home, a lifestyle that compliments their profile and service and comfort of a luxury hotel”, said Virendra Bhatia, Promoter & President, Baani Group. “Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square features the brand’s signature offerings that include complimentary WiFi, 24-hour busi-
ness centre services and remote printing. The hotel also features the 24-hour Pavilion Pantry convenience mart”, said Rajat Sethi, General Manager, Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square. The four Meeting Rooms can accommodate from 20 to 150 people. The 18,000-sq. ft. conference and events space includes lush lawns and a courtyard, perfectly suited for business events, social gatherings, private receptions and weddings of up to 400 people. Recreational opportunities at the hotel will include a rooftop swimming pool and a 24-hour fitness centre by Precor.
An evening with travel agents
Travel Designer Group, in association with Atlantis The Palm Hotel, Dubai, organised a networking meet with the Travel Agents in Ahmedabad on February 25, 2013. Over 150 travel agents across the city witnessed an exciting and fun-filled evening at Hotel Pride where they were appreciated for their continuous support to Travel Designer Group with exciting prizes.
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‘Let’s showcase contemporary India’ Indian tourism industry rarely showcases the contemporary India, focussing, instead, on monuments, palaces and arts/crafts. That’s the void Parul Sinha, Director of Treya Consulting and Board and The Red Dot Tours hopes to fill with her recent collaboration with Vesna Tours. T T B U R E AU
“W
e are showcasing India today, without discounting our culture, history and art. It’s important for our generation to change how our country is perceived, which is neither the Slumdog
Parul Sinha Director, Treya Consulting and Board and The Red Dot Tours
The face of Indian travel agents is changing as more professionals are joining the sector Millionaire nor the BPO perspective. People don’t know what kind of consumer-driven country we are and how many opportunities are here. We want our guests to come back to India, not just for a holiday, but to do business here,” says Sinha. Her business partner, Mishkat Ahmad says, “This is a great partnership. The Vesna sales team, is now able to offer our business, educational and corporate clients a wonderful new range of cultural and leisure experiences that have been researched and developed by The Red Dot.” The company now targets inbound travellers in the mid to high-end segment, in the UK and US markets.
Modus Operandi The group functions through a network of about 170 Red Dotters spread across India, UAE, Bhutan and Nepal There are artists, doctors, lawyers and photographers who would meet tourists for a cup of coffee or a dinner, lead walks; historians who would lead a tour; and even authors spending an afternoon reading from their latest release
Vesna works with 250 business institutes throughout the world. They function through a network of about 170 Red Dotters spread across India, UAE, Bhutan and Nepal. “There are artists, doctors,
lawyers and photographers who would meet tourists for a cup of coffee or a dinner, lead walks; historians who would take you to a museum; authors spending an afternoon reading from their latest release; or even a chef planning a chef’s table for
you. We customise all our holiday packages, unlike bigger travel houses who offer set itineraries,” she says.
Challenges There’s a shortage of trained manpower in the travel segment, insists
Sinha. “A lot of people enter it by accident and then excel in it. But it’s still not a business you aspire for. And this is more of an image issue. The moment you tell someone that you are a travel agent, they assume that you are restricted to
selling tickets… The face of Indian travel agents is changing as more professions are joining the sector.” Also, the government spends a lot of money on marketing and everything else is left to private initiative, she points.
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Via Rail Canada chugs its way to India VIA Rail is encouraging Indian In the country to announce its foray, Pierre Santoni, Senior Director, visitors to use the passenger rail Domestic and International Sales, Via Rail Canada, talks about doing more service as a preferred mode of travel. marketing and media initiatives for the Indian market. T T B U R E AU
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hat India is increasingly becoming more significant as a major source of potential travellers to Canada was evident when VIA Rail Canada announced its foray into the Indian market. The national passenger rail service on behalf of the Government of Canada introduced its exotic train journeys for Indian visitors at a press conference in Delhi on March 4. The announcement is part of VIA Rail’s plans to create awareness about its services in India. While showcasing the vast portfolio of exotic destinations that one can visit while travelling on-board, Pierre Santoni, Senior Director, Domestic and International Sales, Via Rail Canada, also shared strategic insights into the passenger rail service’s plan for engaging the Indian outbound market. Speaking on the occasion, Santoni said, “We
realise the importance of the outbound tourist market from India. Canada recorded 1, 62,000 tourist visits from India in 2012. We are looking at tapping a major chunk of our Indian visitors this year by encouraging them to use VIA Rail as a preferred mode of travel while visiting Canada. We plan to work on a consultative basis with the travel trade community in India to provide extensive product knowledge and destination information.” As a part of the Indian market approach, it will also network with top travel agents in the market while also training them with product knowledge by conducting regular educational workshops across cities like Delhi and Mumbai. VIA Rail’s marketing strategy will also focus on partnering with the CTC to promote activities and engage the industry with familiarisation trips.
PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA What is your expectation from the Indian market? I don’t think the Indian market is going to grow as fast as the Brazil market. I
Pierre Santoni Senior Director Domestic and International Sales, Via Rail Canada
think the Indian market will grow at the same rate as the Chinese market has grown. With bigger populations you tend to assume that you’ll get a bigger market, but right now, since a lot of Indians live in Toronto and Vancouver, we are getting a lot of VFR
(Visiting Friends and Relatives). I think VFR will spread the word of what’s available in Canada and VFR will help us grow.
How do you intend to tap the Indian market? We are not doing anything specific for any of the markets, be it China, Brazil or Russia. It is a Canadian product, people are coming for a Canadian experience so while things like food, for instance, may be a problem for some markets, it’s not a problem for the Indian market. Fresh food is served in the trains and all trains have vegetarian offering.
Are you planning any tieups with Indian private players? We are starting tie-ups, like Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC). We too are a crowned corporation, so we follow them as we are not experts in emerging markets or in tourism. Once
the CTC signifies that a particular country is an emerging market then slowly the funds starts flowing in to these markets. But the growth of these emerging markets like India, Brazil and China, is much below that of the core markets like US and England, Australia, Germany Japan, so we tie up a lot of money with the core markets. The problem is how do you pull up the emerging markets without taking a lot of funding from the core markets. The fear from a marketing perspective is if you take money out of the core market, what will happen if the core market stops performing; what if you lose out on one tour operator who perhaps gives us a business of 3000 travellers a year?
How do you intend to partner with the CTC in India to promote activities and engage the industry? The engaging of the industry would be through the
media for now. We are trying to do more marketing and media initiatives. But we can’t do it alone as I only operate within Canada, I need an air partner and a hotel partner. The first issue is connectivity. If there are no flights available it’s very difficult to get people in the country. Also, when we have travellers coming via the US, we tend to face competition from US destinations.
How different is it catering to Indian travellers? Of the three emerging markets, the Indian market is the easiest one to cater to. There’s no language issue as everyone speaks good English. From the size perspective, India, Brazil and China all understand big countries and you understand several time zones, you understand that the East Coast and West Coast don’t look the same, a lot of smaller countries don’t understand that. I think the Indian market is the easiest to speak to.
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‘42 flights a day to Srinagar from April’ With hopes of a healthy tourism season this year, J&K is focussing on domestic tourist arrivals and upgrading facilities to accommodate more visitors. D E V I KA J E E T
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ver 200 participants from Kashmir took part in tourism fairs across the country this year, highlighting the importance of tourism in the State and promoting the destination within the domestic and international market. “Our private sector with young and dynamic members are showcasing their products at tourism fairs and promoting the J&K on a large scale,” says Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Tourism Minister, Jammu and Kashmir.
Ghulam Ahmad Mir Tourism Minister Jammu and Kashmir
We are also focussing on new golf courses, adventure tracks, and promotion of skiing, water sports, etc. Already the numbers are looking up as the minister confirms that the arrival of domestic and foreign tourists in Kashmir has gone up. He describes the state as the ideal tourist destination and assures that J&K is as peaceful as any other part of India. “Today, the atmosphere is fit for tourism. Tourists see a risk factor, but I would like to assure that the state is as safe as any other part of the country. Domestic tourism will help boost and support our tourism industry and will help in maintaining peace and tranquility,” he adds. Mir also requests the hotels in the state to upgrade their existing facilities and open new properties as he expects a large number of tourists this year. “I appeal to hotels to upgrade their facilities as we will receive quality tourists, as even the corporate sector is getting attracted to Kashmir. 42 flight landings a day are expected in Srinagar airport from April 1, and the government is also
working to improve facilities for tourists.” J&K government is taking all necessary steps to upgrade and provide world-class tourist infrastructure at varied destinations across all the regions and promote new destinations at Yousmarg, Doodipathri, Lolab, Bangus, Drangyari,
Bhaderwah, Kishtawar, Rajouri and Poonch.
sports and developing of new leisure promotions,” he says.
Mir feels that there is tremendous scope for adventure, sports, heritage and pilgrim tourism. “We are also focussing on new golf courses, adventure tracks, conservation of historical monuments, promotion of skiing, water
For domestic travellers, the Tourism Department has now provided more facilities, such as eateries where they can enjoy different Indian cuisines from across the country. Lastly, the state will continue to promote itself
through Bollywood and hopes to attract more movie productions in the state, “I have discussed the issue of Bollywood shootings in Kashmir with
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, and a meeting of all stakeholders is likely in Mumbai next month,” he explains.
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STATES
Well done MP! All projects completed The State Tourism Department implemented its 51 projects on time and utilised funds worth ` 162.76 crore released to them under 11th Five Year Plan (up to 2010-11). Madhya Pradesh has completed all its projects as per the guidelines of MOT and has provided infrastructure and improved connectivity in the state. D E V I KA J E E T
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he Government of Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to fully utilise Plan funds released to them by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for the development of tourism infrastructure at various tourist sites in the State.
Om Vijay Choudhary Chief General Manager Madhya Pradesh Tourism
“It’s a matter of great pride that MPSTDC has utilised all the funds of grant given by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. In addition to the utilisation of funds, all projects have been completed as per the guidelines of Ministry of Tourism. These projects were visited from time to time by the officials of Ministry of Tourism and they praised the quality of work and completion of projects within the stipulated time,” says Om Vijay Choudhary, Chief
infrastructure at various tourist destinations in MP. It improved the connectivity and tourists were provided better facilities which resulted into unforgettable experiences. The facilities provided include public conveyances and last mile connectivity,” adds Choudhary.
General Manager, Madhya Pradesh Tourism. The State Tourism Department implemented the projects on time and utilised its funds released to them under the 11th Five Year Plan (up to 2010-11). According to a Planning
Commission report, this includes 51 projects and funds worth ` 162.76 crore. In the last year of this 11th five year plan, the amount was raised to ` 203.19 crore and 59 projects. “The fund was used for projects to provide basic
Madhya Pradesh is thus the first state to have submitted all utilisation and completion certificates and has achieved ‘zero pendency’ of Government of India funds lying with them, thus fully complying with the directions issued by the Ministry of Finance on the utilisation of funds.
“MP developed tourist destinations such as Mandu, Vidisha, Shivpuri, Burhanpur, Maheshwar, Datia, Indra Sagar, Mandsaur, Handia, Betul and Chitrakoot. Tourism development at these sites has increased footfalls and the sites are becoming popular with domestic and foreign tourists. The state government has now come up with plans to develop more destinations with potential to attract tourists to sites such as Bhopal, Indore, Nagod-Maihar, Noorabad, Nemawar and Vindhya in Phase II. These destinations will be taken up for the integrated development of tourism infrastructure from 2013-14 onwards,” he highlights.
Malaysia via TravelOptionz
Showcasing Germany
Celebrating five years of operations, TravelOptionz Holidays, in association with Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines, recently organised an exclusive presentation for TravelOptionz Holidays’ sub-agents in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Ahmedabad. The presentation theme was ‘Malaysia – Unchartered Routes, Unrivalled Luxury’ wherein offbeat travel products covering rainforests, adventure activities, beaches, shopping and cultural aspects of Malaysia were highlighted.
The Germany India Pool road show, which is part of German National Tourist Office sales activity week 2013 was recently organised in Bengaluru and Mumbai. Both Metro cities have always had an excellent response from the travel trade for the India Pool Road shows & in addition to the existing India Pool members, some new members have also joined. Started in 2008, today India Pool brings in all the major suppliers and regions to India to meet the trade and media. This year, two news members namely Lufthansa and Baden Baden joined the mission taking the total number of German suppliers to 18.
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AGENTS
Air booking simplified MyFareBox recently launched three new products to simplify air bookings, namely MyFareBox Back Office, MyFareBox One Point and MyFareBox XClusive. T T B U R E AU
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n a bid to further enhance the B2B platform, MyFareBox, a global air ticketing platform offering the lowest SOTO/SITI airfares on over 900 + airlines across more than 51 countries has recently launched three variants to simplify air booking experience for agents. Available in 22 countries, the platform allows users to search and book a ticket at best rate from anywhere to anywhere across the globe. With this, travel agents can avoid the hassles of searching multiple GDS's, managing multiple consolidators in different countries, currency exchange losses, multiple bank guarantees, cash deposits with multiple vendors and so on. Preetham N, CTO Mystifly said, “Developing MyFareBox has revolutionised the way airline consolidation works. This platform empowers the travel agents and travel management companies to offer the best travel options and maximise their revenue. The intelligent rules engine takes care of the pricing strategies of the airfare consolidation and distribution. MyFareBox is one stop for full service and low cost carriers. It is designed to do more with less people.”
MyFareBox BackOffice: For traditional agents, MyFareBox is available as a back-office platform with an account code, user name and pass-
Preetham N CTO Mystifly
The platform empowers the travel agents and travel management companies to offer the best travel options word protection. Agents can benefit with the vast inventory of lowest airfare deals on over 900 airlines including low cost carriers from over 51 countries on this single global B2B platform offering the best SOTO deals. It is available in per user license model as well as yearly subscription model.
MyFareBox OnePoint: The XML version of MyFareBox allows OTA's to search, extract and publish the anywhere to anywhere air inventory from MyFareBox onto their web portal on real-time basis for their
Experiencing Morocco by Qatar Qatar Airways, in association with TAJ Group of Hotels, recently organised a fam for select travel trade partners to Morocco. Covering Casablanca in Moroccco, the familiarisation trip was a part of promotion to enhance tourism in Morocco while experiencing five star award winning service on board Qatar Airways. The participants on the fam got a glimpse of Atlas Mountains, City of Marrakesh and Casablanca. A tour of the Qatar Airways Hub Doha was also a par t of the journey, where delegates got an opportunity to see Qatar Airways hub and experience the city of Doha.
customers.MyFareBox OnePoint is the perfect solution for travel companies which seek to merge their unique travel applications with Anywhere-to-Anywhere content. OTA's can search and publish best airfare deals from multiple suppliers and GDSs onto their portal. Those with varying business models and greater need for connectivity can effectively utilise the internet to implement this lowcost, quick link between MyFareBox OnePoint and third-party applications, Internet Booking Engines (IBEs), back-office systems and more. Preetham adds, “Upgrading our technology to an XML web services platform has been a key investment in the context of an increasingly competitive marketplace. MyFareBox OnePoint has enabled us to integrate our platform front with the back office function of our customers.”
MyFareBox XClusive: This solution is tailor made for startup entrepreneurs and existing offline companies looking to harness the power of internet connectivity. MyFareBox XClusive is a white label solution, through which Mystifly not only serves as the largest source of airfare inventory, but also provides a customized white label for the travel professionals. This will enable them to search and publish the best airfare deals online and take advantage of low costs and high savings for booking made using MyFareBox.
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FAMILY ALBUM
Work and play go hand-in-hand@CTC Contd. from page 22
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More steam for Railways The Indian Railways is all set to woo patrons with steam heritage tourism as it brings the old-world steam locomotive on track. talks more about the new segment originating in the tourism sector… that the concept of industrial heritage is not fully established in India so far.
PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA
T
rains have always lent a quaint charm to our trips, and a journey on the old-world steam locomotive is an experience that cannot be forgotten in a hurry. Giving more steam to the heritage tourism plans of the Railways, special steam trains will now be running for tourists. Explaining the concept of steam heritage tourism, Ashwani Lohani, Divisional Manager, Indian Railways' for Delhi, says, “Steam heritage tourism is a segment that is built around steam locomotives. Appreciating standing or working steam locomotives, visiting steam locomotive depots and travelling in a train hauled by steam locomotives is what this segment is all about. This segment took root in India with the running of the Fairy Queen Steam Locomotive in 1997 that fetched the nation a Guinness World Record. We intend to take this segment forward by bringing into focus the lines where steam locomotives are already running, injecting more steam locomotives in the existing as well as new lines, promoting Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed and organising events associated with steam locomotives.” When asked about the routes on which these trains
Ashwani Lohani Divisional Manager Indian Railways
For steam heritage tourism products, we shall keep the tour operators adequately informed would be running, Lohani says, “The five hill railways should have steam locomotives for regular runs/charters over short identified sections. We are working towards that.” Lohani says their target audience is primarily foreigners. Even though more and more Indians are evincing interest in this segment, their numbers are still small at present. He also pointed out
But compared to the United Kingdom, which boasts of 1000-odd steam engines, India hardly has a handful, so is India ready for this kind of tourism? While acknowledging that there are issues that are akin to what all those who attempt to position heritage centre stage face, Lohani points out, “India has set a Guinness World Record by running the Fairy Queen, the oldest working steam locomotive in the world. It has also positioned Rewari as the finest steam heritage tourism destination on the planet. It also organises an annual event ‘National Steam Congress’. Even though the number of steam locomotives is small, we are attracting international attention due to our efforts. I am certain that this segment shall rapidly grow in the future.” When asked about the role of tour operators in popularising this segment, Lohani says, “For all such products, we shall keep the tour operators suitably and adequately informed. Our new website - indiansteamrailwaysociety.in - will be the medium to keep them informed of what is happening in this arena.”
IRCTC sets a record; books 5.02 lakh tickets in a day After 8 years of operation, the e-ticketing website of the IRCTC - www.irctc.co.in has booked more than 5 lakh tickets in a single day. The website has also taken a slew of measures for smooth running of its system. After complaints of slow speed and failure to cope up with the peak hour rush, the e-ticketing website of the IRCTC - www.irctc.co.in - has now gone ahead to make a record booking of 5.02 lakh tickets on March 1, 2013. For the first time, in the nearly 8 years of the e-ticketing history in the Indian Railways, www.irctc.co.in has gone ahead to book more than 5 lakh tickets in a single day. The earlier highest was 4.96 lakh e-tickets on July 7, 2012. IRCTC, in this endeavour, has recently invested
` 3.5 crore in enhancing the concurrent connection to its Firewall from around 10 lakh to more than 80 lakh. Another ` 3 crore has been invested in enhancing/augmenting the software licenses and Storage Area Network. Most importantly, the system is now being upgraded with more powerful Hexa Core servers (with 64GB RAM) from the earlier Dual Core servers (with 8GB RAM), which costs nearly ` 4 crore. With the above investment/upgradation, IRCTC hopes to achieve around 40%-45% increase in the booking during the Tatkal hours. The initial two hours of the Tatkal booking, starting from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, bears the maximum rush and the system
books around 40,000 tickets per hour during this period. With the upgradation, this is likely to go up to 60,000 to 63,000 tickets per hour. IRCTC has also taken a slew of measures for smooth running of its system like blocking of the agents during the initial two hours of booking of ARP tickets (0800-1000hrs) and Tatkal ticket booking (10001200hrs) respectively, implementing CAPTCHA for preventing faster and illegal booking through automated software by unscrupulousindividuals/tous and thus making the system available only to the individual users during this period, which draws the maximum rush.
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TAFI Convention shows Power of Today The annual TAFI Convention at Durban, South Africa successfully showcased the Rainbow Nation in its true colours. The convention brought in well-known international speakers to bring a global travel perspective on local issues. Anita Jain talks to a few delegates to share their overall experience the convention. The TAFI Convention in Durban was great to network, re-establish contacts and make some new ones. In that way, my needs were met. However, I must say the pre-handling was in a bit of disarray with information delayed and missing. The content and topics are now a bit trite and the quality of speakers could have been much better. KwaZulu-Natal & SATSA put up a great show, but, unfortunately, the speeches reduced some entertainment time. However, hopefully, we have learnt our lessons, and am sure that TAFI Convention in 2014 will shine.
Rayomand Choksi Regional Director, Titlis Cableways & Hotels
The business sessions at TAFI Convention 2013 were well-organised, keeping in mind the participants coming from different sections of the Indian travel, hospitality and aviation industry. But the highlight of the convention for me was the keynote address by Rahul Bhatia – an excellent speech. In fact, the presentations made by the speakers (both international and Indian) were very informative and provided the latest updates in facts and figures.
Dhananjay Saliankar, Regional Director – International Business India & South Asia, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
The best thing at TAFI Convention this year was the way business sessions were organised – first half of the day focussed on business session, post lunch focus was on exhibition and networking, late afternoon time was on our own or city tours and evening showcased one of the other attractions of Durban via dinner parties. The international speakers at business sessions brought along their knowledge on global travel market which helped the Indian travel trade to understand the overall market situation and learn from other markets.
Our key focus for attending this convention was networking. And we did it as TAFI Annual Convention 2013 organised in South Africa provided an excellent platform for us to not only meet new partners but also catch up with our old industry pals and business partners. We met with fellow travel agents from different parts and regions of India which otherwise is quite difficult to manage at single platform.
Smeeta Gulvady,
Rakesh Raicar,
Vice President & Head – Centre of Learning, Thomas Cook (India)
Regional Sales and Marketing Manager – South Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways
The overall experience at TAFI Convention was good. The keynote address by Rahul Bhatia was excellent and hard hitting. It also focussed on increasing competition, opportunities and the role of encouragement. Bhatia introduced the industry about the soon coming future for which the industry needs to get ready. However, the business sessions were more focussed on the topics which will not affect the travel agents for next three to four years or not hamper the agents at all. The business sessions could have been more engaging focussing on issues which are currently faced by the travel trade fraternity. They should have involved the attendees, engaged them and asked them to talk instead of making it more like a presentation format session.
Manoj Samuel Director – IT & HR, Riya Travels
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IAAI Convention dwells on 5% commission The 5th biennial convention of the IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) with a theme ‘Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in Aviation Industry’ witnessed a wide spectrum of deliberations that include new avenues and commission issues. R ATA N K R P A U L
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he biennial convention called ‘ICON 2013’, which was held from March 1-3 in Mumbai, was addressed by several travel & tourism trade practitioners and experts to discuss the challenges as well as opportunities before the travel agents in India. Prominent among them were Biji Eapen, President, IAAI; Subhash Goyal, President, IATO; EM Najeeb, Chairman, ATE Group; Parag Diwan, VC, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies; Sanjay Kaul, Commissioner, Department of Tourism, Government of Gujarat and RK Maheshwari, Rtd. Joint DGCA. Addressing the gathering Eapen outlined the direction of the 5th Convention. “Travel agents play a vital role in travel and tourism sectors. But today, non-payment of commission, impending weekly payments, dispar-
Biji Eapen
RK Maheshwari
President IAAI
Rtd. Joint Director General of Civil Aviation
Nonpayment of commission, and other issues challenge agents’ survival ity in fares, direct marketing by the airlines and stringent financial guarantee criteria are challenging the very existence and survival of the common agents in India,” he
The only thing you have to do is to continue your fight unitedly said. He appealed for continuing the fight for the legitimate right (read agents commission from airlines) and simultaneously find new avenues for their survival.
Taking cue from Eapen, Goyal expressed solidarity to the issues faced by Indian travel agents. However, he maintained, “Change is the need of the hour for survival and growth of travel agents. They should not depend only on the commission from air ticket selling. Najeeb emphasised on development of quality services and skilled manpower to make the importance of travel agents invincible. “Today travel agents have a greater role to play—from ‘travel agents’ to ‘tourism agents’. Their prime emphasis should be on getting commission from tourism-related products,” he argued. Maheshwari, on the other hand, kindled the hope more emphatically, about a positive conclusion to the impasse pertaining to agents’ commission from airlines. He underlined the importance of the Aircraft Rule 1937, where commission has also been included in the fare. The Rule says, ‘Tariff’ means any fare,
IAAI Team for 2013-15 Biji Eapen
S Saldanha
-National President
(Maharashtra)
V L Jaghannathan
R Churiwala
- General Secretary
S Saldanha - National Treasurer
Director Board:
Biji Eapen (Kerala)
V L Jaghannathan (Tamil Nadu)
rate or charge collected by an air transport undertaking for the carriage of passengers, baggage or cargo, including the commission payable to the agents, and the conditions governing such fares, rates or charges. He also highlighted the importance of DGCA orders of March 5, 2010 and December 17, 2012, and Supreme Court Order of January 23, 2013 that favour agents fighting for commission. “There are still reasons to hope. The only
(Kolkata)
Surinder Kumar (Delhi)
Naresh Rajkotia (Maharashtra)
T.K. Gopakumar (Tamil Nadu)
thing you have to do is to continue your fight unitedly,” he suggested. Eapen informed that the new IAAI Board, which was formed at the 10th AGM held during this convention, would intensify the fight for their demand for 5 per cent commission with the help of the legal support. Meanwhile, IAAI published a ‘White Paper’ to make travel agents aware of the facts related to commission issues.
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HOTELS
Gurgaon marks Taj century The Taj Group launched its 100th hotel in India with Vivanta by Taj, in the Millennium City of Gurgaon on March 7. T T B U R E AU
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he new-age mantra of ‘Work hard, play hard’ is the force behind the Taj Group’s 100th hotel in India - Vivanta by Taj, in Gurgaon. Launched on March 7, this hotel takes the overall portfolio of Vivanta by Taj – Hotels & Resorts to 26 properties. Speaking at the launch, Raymond N Bickson, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Indian Hotels Company Limited,
Raymond N Bickson Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Indian Hotels Company
Designed to deliver vibrant experiences to its guests, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts is a brand with a contemporary, energetic and vivacious twist said, “It is a proud moment for us to be part of this occasion. With the launch of Vivanta by Taj – Gurgaon, NCR, not only have we expanded the footprint of the brand into the business district, but also accomplished a significant milestone in the group’s journey, by adding the 100th hotel in India in our ever-growing portfolio. It further reinforces our commitment to expand our service offerings to newer destinations in the country. It also supports the company’s objective of achieving growth through domestic dominance. Vivanta by Taj is a testament to the dynamism and innovation that the Taj is renowned for.” Deepa Misra Harris, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, said, “The occasion marks a distinct celebration for the group and inspires us to achieve even greater milestones. Reaching our 100th hotel mile-
stone in India and a total of 117 globally, reinforces our faith in our guests across geographies, who have amplified their preference for our brands across all locations we are present in. Designed to deliver vibrant experiences to its guests, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts is a brand with a contemporary, ener-
getic and vivacious twist.” "We are excited to be present in the Millennium City – Gurgaon. The Vivanta brand is growing at a rapid pace. With its strategic location and the Vivanta brand features, this hotel is best poised to service the global traveller looking for a unique and contemporary experience” said
Veer Vijay Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts.
Major Milestone With the launch of Vivanta by Taj - Gurgaon, the portfolio has grown to 26 Vivanta properties
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TITC’s new board elected The Turkish India Tourism Council (TITC)has a new board to lead the tourism council for the next three years. Ilke Durmay - Geo Tourism Board Member TITC Founder Emin Çakmak with new has been elected as the president Ilke Durmay new President, with Güven Engin from Kanon Tourism and Turabi Aydın from Perpax Tourism as vice-presidents. The outgoing founderpresident Emin Çakmak thanked the Indian travel trade fraternity for helping TITC nurture the tourism from India over the years from 4,000 to numbers like 100,000 in 2012. He also thanked the fraternity for supporting him in his double tenure over the six years. The new TITC Joint Secretary is Ahmet Aras of Dubb Restaurant.
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HOTELS
70% MICE from trade With over 70 per cent of their MICE business coming through travel partners and adding up to nearly 30 per cent of their total room nights, Westin Mumbai focusses on the growth of this segment. finds out. TT BUREAU
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ocated in the city's business district, the Westin Mumbai Garden City is an ideal choice for business travels. “We are a business hotel and most clients that we serve come for work. Our location supports that and we also dabble in MICE and a little bit of leisure,” says Anuraag Bhatnagar, Area General Manager, Westin Hotels Mumbai & Pune. MICE, a growing segment for the hotel receives special privileges, such as adequate banqueting space and a separate check-in portal. “We have also identified a few floors that cater to the needs of typical MICE guests who come in for three to four days of convention. We have a good tie-up car fleet management services and coach operators who ensure support to MICE operations. We have also earmarked a part of our team that focusses on this segment and help logistically support any MICE movement,” he adds. The hotel’s proximity to the Mumbai exhibition centre and the NMRDA Ground also makes them a preferred choice. “We can cater to large requirements and a typical group size can differ from 75 to 200 rooms and anything between three to five days. MICE are a very significant
Anuraag Bhatnagar Area General Manager Westin Hotels Mumbai & Pune
India is becoming a very MICEcentric destination and occupancy of NMRDA and the exhibition grounds remain very high part of our overall market segmentation.” This Mumbai hotel caters to approximately 20,000 room nights a year for MICE, from the total of 75,000 room nights. “Around 25 to 30 per cent of our total business comes from the MICE segment, out of which 70 per cent comes through travel partners,” adds Bhatnagar. The hotel also offers special MICE-centric packages and brochures.
“India is becoming a very MICE-centric destination, especially Mumbai and the occupancy of our exhibition grounds is very high. We have catered our facilities and services around this. We also have a sales resource who is dedicated to this sector and we build long-term relations with our customers. We share our calendars by highlighting the availability of the rooms, banquet facilities and boardrooms. We deal with all teams and especially the destination management companies,” he adds. Westin Hotels across India are known to be preferred business hotels in key destinations and the group plans to continue this with new properties on their way. Starwood hotels also have a MICE advisory board consisting of field experts that advice and helps improve MICE facilities.
New Start This Mumbai hotel caters to approximately 20,000 room nights a year for MICE, from the total of 75,000 room nights The hotel has a good tie-up car fleet management services and coach operators who ensure support to MICE operations
Pride Hotels to invest ` 1,000 crore this year The Mumbai-based Pride Group of Hotels is looking at investing ` 1,000 crore in the country by the end of 2015. The hotel chain will unveil four new hotels this year in Delhi, Goa, Indore and Chandigarh.
“The group is aiming at four new properties, apart from the expansion of our existing properties. Among these is our Delhi property, a property in Indore and a forest resort.
By 2015, we are looking at around 30 properties and 3,000 rooms. Of this, 12 properties would be owned by Pride Hotels, and roughly 18 properties will be management contracts,” Satyen Jain, CEO, Pride Hotels revealed. According to Jain, the investment will be generated around 50 per cent through internal accruals and 50 per cent by debt. Speaking about 2012 in terms of business and revenue generated, Jain said, “Due to the economic slowdown, the first half was not as good as we expected. However, things picked up post-Diwali. Overall, we have done better as com-
pared to the previous year and business looks good as of this quarter.” The company was earlier looking towards an IPO, but has decided to wait. According to Jain, Pride could go for it in the next two to three years. “We had filed for an IPO last year in SEBI and had also got a valid card. During that period, many IPOs were being floated in the market. Most of them were not doing well, so we decided to hold our plans at that time and wait from the market to revive,” Jain said. At present, Pride has 14 hotels in its portfolio, of which six are owned hotels, and eight are management contracts.
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STATES
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A new kid on MTDC’s product list With excellent response from the domestic market, Snow World, an amusement park in Mumbai, is now gearing up to tap the international segment by working with MTDC and global travel trade operators. A N I TA J A I N
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ith the mercury hitting new highs every year, India is becoming a seasonal
Our main focus is MICE and groups, and thus we are keen to work closely with travel agents and operators Prasuk Jain, Director, Snow World
destination for international travellers, especially among its core markets like US and Europe. In a bid to attract inbound tourists and provide an international experience to domestic travellers, Mumbaibased Snow World is in talks with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to highlight the attraction in the state’s tourism brochure and website.
Cool Facts Opened last year in July, the amusement park receives over 500 footfalls everyday from Mumbai and nearby regions like Pune, Nagpur, Surat, Vapi, Nashik, etc. The park will soon shortlist in the top-performing tourism markets (both domestic and international)
FEE from tourism rises to US$ 1.89 bn in Feb ‘13 FEEs during February, 2013 were ` 10,186 crore (US$ 1.89 billion) as compared to ` 8,502 crore (US$ 1.54 billion) in February, 2012. The growth rate is 19.8 per cent. Foreign Tourist Arrivals during February, 2013 were 6.88 lakh as compared to FTAs of 6.77 lakh during February, 2012. The FEEs from tourism in India grew from ` 45,524 crore in 2007-08 to ` 83,607 crore (provisional) in 2011–12 at a CAGR of 16.41%, during the 11th Five Year Plan.
Opened last year in July, the amusement park receives over 500 footfalls everyday from Mumbai and nearby regions like Pune, Nagpur, Surat, Vapi, Nashik, etc. The park will soon shortlist in the top-performing tourism markets (both domestic and international) for the state
and will then work with MTDC to rope in travel trade partners to increase sales from these markets. To start with, it is focussing on Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka markets and is in talks with top travel operators from these markets to bring in families, VFR traf-
fic, groups, MICE, FITs and even school kids. Once the domestic market is consolidated, it will focus on international markets like UK, US, France, Germany, Singapore, Korea, etc. Talking about the focus for this year, Prasuk Jain,
Director, Snow World said, “With 18,500 square feet of area, we can accommodate 250 guests at any given point. Our main focus is MICE and groups, and thus we are keen to work closely with travel agents and operators. We have started approaching agents in the
domestic market by spreading awareness about our product, including Snow World in their Mumbai travel itinerary and assisting them with promotional material. We are also offering attractive incentives and commission rates to agents for booking with us.”
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Looking beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg As the largest country in the world, Russia is a nation of enormous diversity and tremendous vitality. Besides Moscow & St. Petersburg, Indian tourists now want to explore Golden Ring, Trans Siberian Train Journey and Lake Baikal. Keeping their interest in mind, Salvia Travels is coming up with innovative packages. explores. T T B U R E AU
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oday, Russia is working towards increasing the Indian tourist inflow through innovative marketing activities. The Federal Agency for Tourism and The Russian Travel Association, ‘World without Borders’, with cooperation of Salvia Travels, recently participated at OTM in Mumbai. It showcased the highlights of the country with a presentation for travel trade targetting an increase in the Indian tourist traffic by another 60 per cent this year.
YS Rawat Head Corporate Sales & Operation Salvia Travels
According to findings, the positive results could be attained by educating the travel trade on Russia and emphasising on the growing business market of the country for all kind of travellers. In 2012, Indian arrivals to Russia shot more than 95 per cent as compared to 2011. The Russian Travel Association, World without Borders, appointed Salvia Travels to promote Russian inbound tourism from India. The initiative aims at working closely with the Indian agencies for smooth travel operations and satisfactory experience of all Indian travellers. According to YS Rawat, Head, Corporate Sales & Operation, Salvia Travels, Russia with its advanced technology, offer facilities, warm hospitality and personalised services and
New Horizons Salvia is one of India's fastest growing destination management companies and works in close association with leading Russian tour operators and Embassy of Russian Federation in India. Salvia Visa Facilitation Services has been authorised by The Embassy of the Russian Federation for Russian Visa facilitation services in India
has therefore become a good alternative for MICE destination. He further added, “Now beyond the two major cities of Russia, Moscow & St. Petersburg, Indian travellers are willing to explore sites of The Golden Ring, Lake Baikal, the Trans Siberian Railway
journey and Krasnodar Region. We also promote Sochi, the Black Sea Resort which is also the home to the 2014 Winter Olympics.”
improving flight connections from India to overseas countries, India has become a promising outbound market to tap.
Due to the growing GDP, spending power of the middle class segment and
The company is targetting well-travelled tourists, family travellers,
business travellers & MICE segment from India. It will also hold promotional activities with trade partners in India to double the Indian travellers. Aeroflot provides direct flight connections from India (New Delhi) to Russia
(Moscow) and there are connecting flights from there to all cities of Russia. Some major airlines are already operating flights to Russia with suitable connections like Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Air Arabia, Finnair, etc, he adds.
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NEWS MARCH 15-17
Raipur
17-19 21-24 21-24
Mumbai Paris Sweden
25-27 27-29 27-29
Abu Dhabi Ahmedabad Ukraine
Indian International Travel Exhibition (IITE) Routes Asia Le Monde A Paris Swedish International Travel & Tourism Trade Fair (TUR) GIBTM Gujarat Travel Mart Ukraine International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (UITT)
APRIL 4-6
Azerbaijan
8-9
Cape Town
8-10
Abu Dhabi
9-11
Beijing
11 11-12 11-13
Abu Dhabi Dublin Russia
11-14
Hyderabad
14-16 15 17-19
Jaipur Delhi Shanghai
18-19
Bhopal
18-21 19-21 21-24
Hanoi Barcelona Auckland
23-25
Brazil
23-26 24-26
Riyadh Kazakhstan
25-28 25-28 25-28
Italy Bangkok Bangkok
Azerbaijan International Tourism Fair (AITF) International Luxury Travel Market Africa (ILTM Africa) WTTC Global Travel & Tourism Summit China Outbound Travel Tourism Mart (COTTM) PATA Hub City Forum - Abu Dhabi CAPA CEO Summit 23rd Siberian International Travel & Tourism Exhibitions (TOURSIB) Conference of United Nation's World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Regional Commission for South Asia, East Asia and Pacific countries Great India Travel Bazaar PATA Hub City Forum - New Delhi Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings China (IT&CM) Bhopal International Conference on Sustainable Tourism Vietnam International Travel Mart Salo International del Tourisme Tourism New Zealand TRENZ 2013 World Travel Market Latin America Riyadh Travel Fair Kazakhstan International Tourism Fair (KITF) Leisure Italy 2013 PATA Annual Summit The 22nd PATA Foundation Silent Auction
MAY 5-7 6-9 9-11 11-14 12
Germany Dubai Shanghai Durban Maldives
12-14 12-15
Budapest Ottawa
13-15 15-16
Kuwait Bangkok
16-18 21 24-26 24-27 28-29
Switzerland Moscow Kolkata Taiwan Singapore
German Travel Mart Arabian Travel Market (ATM) World Travel Fair Indaba Expo World Travel Awards Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony Routes Europe 2013 Canadian Tourism Commission’s Rendezvous Canada Travel World Expo 5th Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference Meeting Luxury 2013 PATA Hub City Forum - Moscow India Tourism Fair Taipei Tourism Expo 9th Travel Distribution Summit Asia
For more information, contact us at: talk@ddppl.com
Luxury gets a new address in Vizag Inaugurated in November last year, Hotel Ambica Sea Green is looking at cashing in on the sea view location of the property. T T B U R E AU
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dding flavour to the hospitality landscape of Vishakapatnam is the newly launched Hotel Ambica Sea Green. The property that was unveiled on November 10 last year is located just a few steps away from the INS Kursura
Highlights The hotel has 34 rooms in different categories These rooms have an aquarium beneath your foot with glass floors and whole marine life. The hotel also offers other amenities such as the Marina - the banquet hall, with the capacity of around 200 pax
Submarine Museum, which preserves the Kalvari class submarine. The group will cash in on the location of the property. “Our location offers an unrivalled panoramic view of the sea, sky and shore besides being Lighting the lamp ceremony during the inauguration of the hotel within easy reach of hall, with the capacity of Talking more about the restaurants and shopping around 200 pax, High Tide – USP of the hotel, the GM areas. The high hospitality, board room, Panorama - the elaborates, “The hotel has discreet and friendly-service multi-cuisine restaurant, 34 rooms in different catecombines to create an atmosCrazy Sky - barbeque restaugories. One of the room catphere beyond compare. rant and gym and spa at roof egories is the Aquarium Ambica Sea Green is a place top. The Ambica Group type. These rooms have an where beauty and service plans to recreate the aquarium beneath your foot unite to create a hotel which success it achieved with its with glass floors and whole continuously delights and flagship property, the 100marine life. The hotel also enthralls,” R. Kalathinathan, room Hotel Ambica offers other amenities such General Manager, Ambica Empire in Chennai. as the Marina - the banquet Group of Hotels says.
Delhi enters last leg for heritage tag INTACH, together with various other agencies, including Delhi Tourism, will organise exhibitions, workshops, lectures, competitions, etc, to create awareness as a run-up to the World Heritage City nomination process in the coming months. T T B U R E AU
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n a fillip to boost heritage tourism in the state, Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister, Government of Delhi, has called the students and youths to come forward for the conservation of Delhi’s rich heritage.
“It is the responsibility of the youth in the city to conserve the city’s heritage for posterity,” she said during a function organised by INTACH Delhi
Chapter and Delhi Tourism for the release of Tourism Literature as part of the process of nominating Delhi as a World Heritage City. She urged INTACH and Delhi Tourism to prepare a detailed list of monuments that needed urgent attention. The Tourism Literature released on the occasion was supported by World Monuments Fund (WMF) through their Sustainable Tourism Initiative. The literature offers comprehensive information on network of heritage monuments identified
by INTACH across seven Heritage Routes in Delhi. According to AG Krishna Menon, Convenor, INTACH Delhi Chapter, the agency has compiled a detailed dossier for UNESCO World Heritage City status and the same has been submitted in January, which was the scheduled deadline. “INTACH, together with various other agencies, including Delhi Tourism, would organise exhibitions, workshops, lectures, competitions, etc., to create awareness as a run-up to the World Heritage City nomina-
tion process in the coming months. It’s not an automatic process. We have to do a lot of ground work as part of the process,” Menon pointed out. The economy of the city could benefit from the status as it would bring in more tourists, he added. However, he has urged for more synergy between various civic agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and New Delhi Municipal Council towards upkeep and cleanliness, which are integral to win the coveted World Heritage City status.
FCM wins World Travel Awards again First Indian wedding on the high seas
Naren Nautiyal, CEO, FCM Travel Solutions India, FCM Travel Solutions receives the World’s Leading Travel Management Company awards from Graham Cooke, President & Founder, World Travel Awards. FCM, a leading global corporate travel management company, has operations across all major cities in India and is the only one to offer airport facilitation as a unique service in India.
As a first for an Indian wedding on the high seas, TIRUN Travel Marketing, the India Representative of Royal Caribbean International, booked a wedding group of 220 guests onboard Royal Caribbean International’s cruise ship ‘Legend of the Seas’ for a 3-night cruise from Singapore to Penang and Kuala Lampur, Malaysia in December 2009. The wedding events were customised as per the bridal couple requirements including the great Moghul King & Queen ‘Jodha Akbar’ theme for one of the festive evenings onboard the cruise ship! Other celebrations on board were the thread (janiyu) ceremony. A ‘Bollywood’ theme evening marked the singing and dancing, and finally, the reception was a poolside party with more Bollywood music to dance in celebration under the stars on the deck. Needless to say most other guests on the cruise were enthused and seen to be keenly observing and filming the festivities.
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MOVEMENTS
TRAVTALK MARCH 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013
Carlson Rezidor
ibis
New Delhi
Navi Mumbai
K B Kachru has been promoted as the Chairman of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group in South Asia. In his new role as Chairman, Kachru will continue to drive the growth of the company’s hotels in South Asia. He will be reporting directly to Simon Barlow, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Before joining Carlson, Kachru was the head of Ashok Group of Hotels, owned by ITDC. Kachru holds a Diploma in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management, New Delhi.
Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre Ahmedabad
Jean-Philippe Lagarde has been appointed General Manager of ibis Navi Mumbai. Before assuming responsibility of ibis Navi Mumbai, Lagarde had a fruitful term as the General Manager Manager of Novotel Madrid Campo de las Naciones Spain for 6 years. He has been associated with the Accor Group for 20 years in various countries and brands.
Le Meridien
Hyatt Regency
Jaipur
Gurgaon
Sanjay Gupta has been appointed as the General Manager of the Le Meridien, Jaipur. Prior to joining Le Meridien Jaipur, Gupta had been instrumental in establishing Le Méridien Coimbatore. Having spent almost 19 years in the hospitality industry, he has also worked at The Royal Orchid Group of Hotels in Bangalore. In his previous roles, he has worked with The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts and Trident Hotels, Mumbai in the capacity of Food & Beverage Manager. Gupta has also been associated with Grand Hyatt, Radisson Hotel, Hilton and Hyatt Regency in Delhi.
Federico Mantoani has been taken on as the General Manager of the the first Hyatt Regency property in Gurgaon. Mantoani will play a pivotal role in establishing Gurgaon’s largest MICE hotel as the preferred choice for both business travellers and the city’s discerning guests. During his career, Mantoani has worked with many Hyatt properties the world over for over 15 years. In his previous assignments, he has worked with Grand Hyatt Dubai, Grand Hyatt Amman, Grand Hyatt Muscat, Hyatt Regency Le Barsey, Brussels and Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi.
Vini K. Gupta has been appointed as the new General Manager for Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre. He was transferred within IHG to Ahmedabad from the Soaltee Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal. Gupta is a very well established hotelier and has over 28 years of hotel experience from USA. Prior to joining the Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre, he worked at the Soaltee Crowne Plaza in Kathmandu, Nepal. In 2005-06, he was Vice President of Operations for Bharat Hotels Ltd in India, overseeing a portfolio of seven five-star hotels.
Sandit Shah was appointed as Director of Sales and Marketing for Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre on September 17, 2012. Prior to his current appointment, Shah was Director of Sales and Marketing with Swissotel, Kolkata. He was associated with the group from October 2011 till September 2012. Prior to that, Shah was associated with Holiday Inn Cochin. In 2001, he joined the Taj Group of Hotels working with them at Ahmedabad, Chennai and Chandigarh with a stint.
The Westin Mumbai Garden City Mumbai Aadil Kazi has been appointed as Maintenance Manager at The Westin Mumbai Garden City. His prior appointments include Assistant Engineer, The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace and Executive Engineer at Inter Continental The Grand, Mumbai and Supervisor at Le Royal Meridian. With over 13 years of experience, Kazi has completed his N.C.T.V.T from Mumbai University and is pursuing Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.
Siddharth Anand has been appointed as the Pastry Chef in the Pastry and Bakery Department at The Westin Mumbai Garden City. With over 9 years of experience in the industry, Anand has completed his Diploma in Hotel Management from Institute of Advance Management, Kolkata and Degree in Hospitality Management from Queens Margaret University College Edinburgh, Scotland. His last assignment was Pastry Chef at Park Hyatt, Hyderabad.
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: Peden Doma Bhutia, Megha Paul, Teena Baruah
Pierre Santoni Senior Director, Domestic and International Sales Via Rail Canada
Pierre Santoni, Senior Director, Domestic and International Sales, Via Rail Canada, says that while he may have not have had a chance to travel in any of the Indian luxury trains so far, he had a great time travelling by train to Agra from Delhi and then from Agra to Jaipur. “I did part of my MBA in Bengaluru and I felt bad that I haven’t taken a train journey so far. However, this time, while travelling to Jaipur, I took the train and I loved the train journey.” He also confesses to being a big fan of Indian food. So far, I’ve only had tandoori chicken. This time around, I had tandoori lamb and loved it.”
Parul Sinha, Director, The Red Dot Tours says, “I am a trained pastry chef. But since I don’t believe in baking in a microwave, I rarely bake at home. But I cook a lot, it’s therapeutic. It’s like you are talking to the ingredients and they are responding back with fizzes, aromas and splashes. If I Parul Sinha am not happy nothing that I cook Director The Red Dot Tours will taste good, even if I am following a recipe to the tee. Last year I hurt my back during my exercise regime and couldn’t cook anything for a really long time as I couldn’t remain standing for more than 15 minutes. It was pretty depressing.”
Kedar Bobde is the Executive Chef for Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre. He has worked with the prestigious The Emirates Tower – Jumeirah Beach in Dubai as C.D.P – Jr. Sous Chef and was a part of their pre-opening team. In 2001, he returned back and joined LeMeridien, Mumbai as Sous Chef – Chef Manager wherein he was a part of opening team. Bobde later joined the InterContinental The Grand, Mumbai as Sous Chef - Executive Sous Chef and was transferred within the group to InterContinental the Grand Resort, Goa.
Keith Beecham, Director - Overseas Network, VisitBritain, says, “I came to India for my honeymoon. I was staying in Japan back then. So I went back to Britain and then came to India with my wife. India was part of the three countries we visited on our honeymoon. The sojourn included Jaipur, Delhi and Agra. I really Keith Beecham Director - Overseas wished to go to Kashmir then but in Network, VisitBritain those days, the region was still unsafe,” he reminisces. “As a British, my national diet is all the spicy and yummy Indian curry and chicken tikka masala. I eat a lot of meat but when I am in India, I turn vegetarian. This is thanks to the incredible range of vegetarian food that is available in India.”
Pooja Chhabra, Director of Business Development, Double Tree by Hilton, says travel and music have been two enduring passions in her life. “The long drive home allows me to listen to some of the old Hindi classics by Kishore Kumar. Silsila is an all time favourite number and lakdi ki kathi is what I sing to my two-year-old son. Travelling whether it’s work or holiday is always a pleasure. We try to travel at least three times a year, including one with the entire joint family,” she says speaking about her hobbies. Pooja Chhabra Director of Business Development, Double Tree by Hilton
“Though I have travelled extensively across Europe and South Asia, my favourite destination remains Hong Kong. The country fuses the old and new very well and offers lovely food,” she adds.
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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:14-03-2013
HIGHLIGHT
Promoting two-way tourism In a freewheeling discussion with , Maxime Bernier, Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, Government of Canada speaks on improving bilateral relations between Canada and India through tourism. M E G H A PAU L
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ccording to Bernier, Canada and India have long-standing bilateral relations, built upon shared values of democracy and pluralism and strong people-topeople links. “Indian travellers represent a significantly growing market for Canada. Our government is
Maxime Bernier Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, Government of Canada
It has been agreed that tour operators and travel agents of both the countries will interact with each other in order to promote two-way tourism between India and Canada working with the industry to welcome even more Indian travellers, creating jobs and growth in Canada while strengthening our relationship with the Indian visitors,” said Bernier, during his recent visit to Jaipur for the Focus Canada-India 2013 event, hosted by
the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC). Under the aegis of Stephen Harper’s government, the Canadian Tourism met with his Indian counterpart K. Chiranjeevi. The two tourism ministers have vowed to promote joint venture investments in the field of hotel management and tourism. “Both sides have resolved to strengthen cooperation in the tourism sector. An MoU between India and Canada will also be signed by the end of this year,” the candid minister revealed.
“In addition, both sides will explore the possibilities of promoting joint venture investment in the field of hotel industry and tourism infrastructural sector. Now that hotels and tourism sector has been opened for Foreign Direct Investment up to 100 per cent on automatic routes, Canadian investment in tourism infrastructure in
Bengaluru. This should come up by September. We strive to issue visas and permits as quickly as possible to facilitate travel for visitors and students and to benefit from the economic spinoff they bring to Canada.”
India could be one of the major areas of cooperation,” he added.
study permits to Indian citizens. “This represents a 58 per cent increase in visas and a 530 per cent increase in student permits since 2004, which reaffirms the fact that Canada continues to be a destination of choice for Indian travellers and students. New Delhi is our largest office abroad and processes visas faster than any other Canadian office in the world,” he added.
Bernier highlighted the fact that in 2012, Canada issued more than 130,000 visas and more than 13,000
As part of Canada’s Federal Tourism Strategy, the government will continue to work towards positioning the Canadian tourism industry to become more competitive and seize new opportunities in the emerging travel markets like India. According to Bernier, the vast majority of bookings for outbound travel are still made through traditional travel agents, suggesting a vital need to promote Canada among the fraternity. “The CTC’s strategy in India is about building relationships with the local travel wholesalers and retailers. The majority of its investment in India for 2013 is directed at trade co-op advertising, business events, and helping retailers sell more Canada,” the minister said. Going forward, it has been agreed that tour operators and travel agents of both the countries will interact with each other in order to promote two-way tourism between India and Canada. The possibilities of promoting more package tours in either of the countries could also be explored by the travel trade of two countries.
One of the challenges to bridge the gap will be to enhance air connectivity between the two countries. Currently, there is no direct connectivity between Canada and India. With Canada witnessing an upsurge of Indian tourists, there is a possibility that national carrier Air Canada might introduce new flights to meet the growing demand in the near future, the Minister revealed, without divulging further information. Regarding the smoothening of the Visa facilities for Indians, Bernier informed, “Recent actions taken by the Harper Government have made it easier for Indians to visit Canada. In November 2012, the PM announced plans to open a new consulate in
In 2012, Canada received a record number of Indian travellers. In recent years, Indian travellers have been among the top-10 international travellers to visit Canada and ranked eighth last year. Canada had witnessed a 9.2 per cent spurt between 2010 and 2011. International travel and tourism research predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound travellers by 2020, he remarked.