TravTalk March 1st 2014

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A DDP PUBLICATION

Pages: 76 (Excluding covers)

travtalkindia.com

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Vol. XXVI No. 5; March 1 st fortnight issue 2014

` 50/-

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TRAVTALK

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travtalkindia.com

MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

Making Incredible India credible

News Bulletin West Bengal mulls no ‘dry day’ policy See full story on page 9

TT B U R E AU he National Tourism Awards were given on February 18 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development, was the chief guest at the function and gave away the awards to the winners.

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Tharoor shared the dais with dignitaries, including Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism; Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary, MOT; Usha Sharma, Additional Director-General, MOT; Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary, MOT and AK Gupta, Additional Director-General (MR), MOT. Representatives of the states and other travel and tourism organisations were present to receive the awards.

Contd. on page 65

VoA: A historical move for tourism From calling the move ‘historic’ to ‘a new dawn in Indian tourism’, the decision to extend Visa-on-Arrival to other countries has been welcomed by all leaders in the industry and everybody has pledged support to the government.

TT B U R E AU

Parvez Dewan Secretary MOT Government of India

alling the VoA move historic, Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, said that

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while everyone’s talking about 180 countries being allowed VoA, they are actually talking of all the countries in the world, except the eight countries, whose visa applications

would be sent for prior reference to Delhi before the visa is given. Talking about working on VoA, he said that it’s now time to get down to the fundamentals. He informed that the

Planning Commission has said that the money for the infrastructure and staff will be provided, all that remains is to find a place at the airports.

Contd. on page 4

Promoting ‘Agra Beyond Taj’ See full story on page 14

LEADER TALK Taj expansion to continue: Bickson See full story on page 16

Summer Trends: Long hauls, new places See full story on page 36

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NEWS

Promoting J&K in Middle East The state tourism department has kicked off a campaign in the Middle East to promote Jammu and Kashmir tourism among leading travel agencies of UAE. It also aims to invite non-resident Kashmiris to invest in the J&K tourism industry.

M E G H A PAU L he Jammu and Kashmir government is looking at unveiling direct Srinagar-Dubai flights in the near future. This was revealed by Talat Parvez, Director, J&K Tourism Department. Parvez, who recently attended the promotional and marketing campaign

by J&K Tourism in Dubai, said, “The proposal to start Srinagar-Dubai flight service is in process. Once completed, it will be forwarded to the Union Civil Ministry for approval. The demand for direct connectivity (between Kashmir and the Gulf coun-

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J&K Tourism Department has launched a promotional and marketing campaign in Middle East. It aims to invite non-resident Kashmiris to invest in J&K tourism industry Talat Parvez Director, J&K Tourism Department

tries) has come up during the proceedings of this roadshow.”

launched a promotional and marketing campaign in Middle East starting from Dubai. The Throwing more light on campaign seeks to promote Jammu and Kashmir tourism this recent promotion in the among leading travel agencies Middle East, Parvez informed, of UAE. It also aims to invite “J&K Tourism Department has non-resident Kashmiris to invest in J&K tourism industry.” Tourists from Gulf countries have carved a niche among the ‘high-end’ category the world over. However, N Kashmir received more than Kashmir has failed to one million tourists in 2013 get its share from the N J&K is also targetting region, he laments.

Southeast Asia and Russia to promote Jammu & According to Kashmir as a tourist Parvez, Kashmir destination received more than

Fast Facts

one million tourists in

2013. Majority of this included domestic travellers. “We hardly get any share from the Gulf, owing to the unavailability of shortened air routes for it,” he pointed out. To combat this, the tourism department is also planning to introduce Arabic tourist hotline and text message service that will be available round-the-clock.

The state is also targetting Southeast Asia and Russia to promote J&K as a tourist destination. “The state offers great potential for adventure tourism with numerous activities such as trekking, paragliding, skiing, mountaineering, mountain-biking, cycling, rappelling, ice skating, snowboarding, white-water river rafting, cruising, camping, etc. Authorities have recently taken up resurrection and beautification of the Jhelum River in Jammu & Kashmir. So far, the drive has seen an expenditure of `3.33 crore in the drainage and development of a flood channel during the first phase,” he affirmed.

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NEWS VIEWPOINT

V A: For renewed inbound Contd. from page 1

Tourism’s online Avatar onvenience is the epitome of the Internet.

Getting information at your fingertips and doing your work in the shortest span of time is what sells today. While talking at an event in New Delhi, Parvez Dewan, Secretary MOT, GOI, got it absolutely right when he said the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for India, which will be in place soon, should be even more exciting than the Visa-on-Arrival (VoA).

ETA will be issued through an online system for a short visit. ETA holders can then get their Short Visit Visa at their port of entry into India.

VoA is something that we, in IATO, have been working on since the day we took office. We have had hundreds of meetings on this issue with the Ministry of Tourism, External Affairs and Home Affairs and have sat through many presentations on the terms and software to be adopted. This move by the Govt will truly be a game-changer. Plus, it will increase our business opportunities. We hope this will be operative in a few months. On behalf of my team, I want to congratulate each and everyone involved and welcome you to a new dawn in Indian tourism.

Subhash Goyal

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The tourism industry is probably the largest user of the Internet for marketing. For almost five years now the trend in Internet Marketing has been in the form of social media, it’s the new communication channel in the tourism industry (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and more). It’s a fabulous way of sending information in every direction instead of oneway or top-down. Trust and belief ride high when people generate and share their own content, with opinions and recommendations, which is vital for destination marketing, hotels, packages, etc. Blogging and Vlogging (Video Blog) are also becoming extremely popular for focussed marketing to push traffic to websites.

The Indian tourism industry is very quickly recognising the importance of the Internet. It is looking for people trained in this line to build interactive websites, to implement search optimisation and make destination videos to attract tourists to their countries, for leisure, health, pilgrimage, medical remedies, adventure, sports, festivals, business, incentives, etc.

It was said by many that the Internet would take away jobs as less people would be required to do the same work, but every advancement in this field of travel & tourism and hospitality leads to further specialisation, more employment, rural sustainability & development and growth of national economy.

Google has just released the first 360-degree online images of 30 iconic Indian heritage sites on Google Maps and Google Cultural Institute.

President IATO

The VoA move is an excellent step to promote tourism and increase foreign tourist arrivals in India. I would like to compliment everyone who has contributed to make this a reality.

However, to get the desired results, we need to make sure that the tourists are not burdened by various taxes. Hotel taxes should be removed and entry fees to monuments and other places of interest should be made reasonable for foreign tourists. The taxes on transportation should also be removed, and last but not the least, the process of burdening foreign tourists with double (or sometimes triple taxation) should be removed.

SanJeet Editor & Publisher Deepa Sethi Editor-in-Chief

Editorial

Advertising

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

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

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

Jyotsna Suri Sr. Vice President - FICCI and C&MD The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group

Iqbal Mulla President, TAAI

On behalf of FHRAI, I applaud the historic steps announced by the Central Govt to modernise India's tourist visa regime. We are particularly grateful that the Govt has accepted our proposal to adopt a system of Electronic Travel Authorisation, which will offer multiple advantages of speed, efficiency, convenience and flexibility, while minimising security-related risks. With the strong support from the Ministry of Tourism, FHRAI had been assiduously pursuing this issue with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. These measures to simplify visa norms will give a much-needed impetus towards leveraging tourism's intrinsic potential to spur job creation and boost our country's foreign exchange earnings. We look forward to extending our full support to the Home Ministry and other Government agencies, so that this initiative can be operationalised well before the peak tourist season this year.

SM Shervani President, FHRAI

We are delighted to welcome the Visa on Arrival and the Electronic Travel Authorisation facility that will be extended to visitors from 180 countries, when they visit India.

This is one of the most progressive steps taken by the Government in promoting tourism to India and will contribute significantly in enhancing the value of the Visitor Economy to India’s GDP. Necessary infrastructure to implement these facilities is being put in place and, in the next tourist season, visitors should be able to avail this facility.

Runeep Sangha Executive Director PATA India Chapter

Signing off while asking the industry to stay signed in!

Vikramajit Chairman

The new liberalised visa regime has the potential to make India one of the most favoured tourist destinations of the world. This is a well-timed move just as the next tourist season sets in. Instead of 11, travellers from 180 countries can avail VoA to India. The VoA facility will enthuse global participants to attend the forthcoming IITB. Despite ‘not-so-liberalised visa regime’ last year, India received 68.48 lakh foreign visitors.

It is a very good initiative by the Govt of India. With this, there will definitely be an increase in inbound tourism. Travellers from many countries find the process to get an Indian tourist visa very cumbersome, and this measure will encourage all to visit our country.

However, we also need to improve the infrastructure of places that are frequented by tourists.

Infrastructure at the airports is good enough; however, we need to improve the infrastructure of other places simultaneously. In the first year, I expect FTAs to go up by 10-15 per cent.

Despite the government’s best efforts, inbound had not been increasing the way we expected. Hopefully, this move will provide the necessary boost.

Zakkir Ahmed President TAFI

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 Aarushi Agrawal Design: Nityanand Misra Sudhir Mudgal Production: Anil Kharbanda Circulation: Ashok Rana

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ASSOCIATIONS

MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

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With VoA, FTA will grow by 40-50% While calling VoA for 180 countries a historical move, Subhash Goyal, President, IATO, says IATO is willing to support the government to help implement this move. IATO is also keen to promote the Buddhist circuit.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA What is your reaction to VoA for 180 countries?

With a lot of lobbying, we have finally been successful first to get the 60 day re-entry restriction removed, secondly the group landing permit, and finally the VoA for 180 countries. This is a historical step.

One of the biggest bottlenecks for inbound tourism was visa hassles. Now, inbound tourism should grow at least by 40-50 per cent, if not 100 per cent.

This would result in new hotels coming up, thousands of jobs

Subhash Goyal President, IATO

We have taken a decision to look at Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka for roadshows to promote the Buddhist circuit being created and millions of dollars worth of foreign exchange coming in. However, we need to reduce discrimination against tour operators in service tax to make our country competitive. If an exporter earns foreign-exchange, he doesn’t pay service tax, but the tourism industry has to pay service tax. Tourism alone can offset the imbalance of foreign exchange payments that we have, plus it can also wipe out the current account deficit.

How will IATO as an organisation support the government’s VoA move?

We have sent a message to all our members that they should let us know whatever problems they face. All our active members are recognised by the MOT, we are major foreign-exchange earners, and we know what the actual problems are and what the foreign tour operators want. Based on our interactions, we are giving inputs

to the government regularly and we will support the government in whatever way they want us to help implement this move. A lot of manpower has to be trained and we are willing to do this, not just for Delhi, but also for other gateway cities.

What about the impending IATO elections?

I have not given thought to the elections. I have a second term that is pending, but it all depends on what the public wants. I was reluctant to contest again, but a lot of members told me that VoA needs to be imple-

mented; the service tax issue is still there, so the whole team should go in for a second term.

If people want us for a second time, we’ll contest; and if they don’t want, we won’t contest.

The MOT now wants to organise roadshows to

ASEAN countries to promote Buddhist trails. How is IATO working on that?

The Buddhist circuit is one of the most important circuits in our country. We are surrounded by countries that believe in Buddhism and we have a lot of monasteries and

historical sites related to Buddhism. IATO has attended several meetings and given several suggestions. We have taken a decision to look at Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Myanmar and Sri Lanka for roadshows to promote the Buddhist circuit.

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MOT

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

News in Brief Special airfares for tourists visiting New Zealand Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) in association with Malaysia Airlines and Auckland International Airport, aims to provide competitive airfares to Auckland, New Zealand, making it more accessible to Indian travellers. As the Indian summer coincides with the New Zealand Winter, TNZ aims to make New Zealand an ideal holiday destination for Indian vacationers through this promotion.

The campaign, which is now online, provides special fares to those travelling to Auckland, New Zealand. The new special fares will be valid on Malaysia Airlines flying to Auckland from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai.

MOT for Buddhist circuit development The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) attempts to identify integrated tourism circuits in partnership with states, the private sector and other agencies based on India’s unique civilisation, heritage, and culture, including Buddhist Tourism.

T T B U R E AU he MOT has identified following circuits to be developed as Buddhist Circuits with the help of Central Government/State Government/Private stake holders:

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Circuit 1 The Dharmayatra or the Sacred Circuit - This will be a 5 to 7 day circuit and will include visits to Gaya (Bodhgaya), Varanasi (Sarnath), Kushinagar, Piparva (Kapilvastu) with a day trip to Lumbini in Nepal.

MOT provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for tourism projects, including projects for Buddhist sites, based on the proposals received from State Governments/UT Administrations which are complete as per the Scheme

Circuit 3

Guidelines, priority and subject to availability of funds. A loan agreement for Japanese Yen 7331 million was signed in 2003 with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for Phase II of Ajanta Ellora Conservation and Tourism Development Project. Its validity has been extended till July 2014.

The Ministry of Tourism, GOI, DoTs of the Governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and International Finance Corporation (World

Circuit 3: Buddhist Heritage Trails (State Circuits) O Jammu and Kashmir - Ladakh, Srinagar (Harwan, Parihaspora) and Jammu (Ambaran) O Himachal Pradesh - Dharamshala, Spiti, Kinnaur and Lahaul O Punjab - Sanghon O Haryana – Jind (Assan), Yamunanagar (Sugh) O Maharashtra - Aurangabad (Ajanta, Ellora, Pithalkora Caves), Pune (Karla Caves), Mumbai (Kanheri Caves), Pune (Bhaja Caves) and Nashik (Pandavleni Caves) O Andhra Pradesh - Amravati, Nagarjunakonda and Vizag (Borra Caves, Salihundum Caves) Bank Group) have entered into an agreement to cooperate in upgrading the quality of

O Madhya Pradesh - Sanchi, Satdhara, Andher, Sonari and Murulkurd O Odisha (Dhauli, Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri, Udaygiri, Langudi and Khandagiri) O Chhattisgarh – Sirpur

Circuit 2

O West Bengal - Kolkata (Indian Museum)

Extended Dharmayatra or Extended Sacred Circuit or Retracing Buddha’s Footsteps - This will be a 10 to 15 day circuit and will include visits to Bodhgaya (Nalanda, Rajgir, Barabar caves, Pragbodhi Hill, Gaya), Patna (Vaishali, Lauriya Nandangarh, Lauriya Areraj, Kesariya, Patna Museum), Varanasi (Sarnath), Kushinagar and Piparva (Kapilvastu, Shravasti, Sankisa) with a day trip to Lumbini in Nepal.

O Sikkim - Rumtek, Enchay and other Monasteries O Arunachal Pradesh –Tawang and Bomdila services and goods provided for tourists along the Buddhist Circuits in UP and Bihar.

This information was given

by the Minister of State for Tourism (I/C) K Chiranjeevi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

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STATES

MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

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Kerala beckons domestic travellers The State Government has announced new initiatives for attracting tourists, with special emphasis on the domestic sector at its 5th Partnership Meet for the year 2014, held in New Delhi on February 12. spoke to S Harikishore, Director, Kerala Tourism, to know details of those initiatives and future programmes.

R ATA N K R P A U L he B2B Partnership Meet was divided into two episodes—one was in September-October and another one was in JanuaryFebruary. In SeptemberOctober 2013, Kerala Tourism organised the meets at 14 different cities, followed by the meets in Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Mumbai, Guwahati, Kolkata and Hyderabad in January-

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S Harikishore Director Kerala Tourism

We are heavily promoting MICE, wedding, seaplane, heritage and responsible tourism February 2014. The events were attended by a significant number of hoteliers, tour operators and allied organisations.

According to Harikishore, the Delhi meet was attended by 250 buyers consisting of travel agents, tour operators and allied service providers to interact with 50 tourism-related companies from Kerala. At this meet, Kerala Tourism unveiled two major new initiatives— ‘Seaplane Project’ and ‘Project Muziris’. The seaplane project is aimed towards improving last-mile connectivity by air to its destinations across state.

The plan is to provide service initially in the priority circuit, consisting of the three airports of Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin and Calicut and prime destinations like Astamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal.

The Muziris project is directed to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of

the legendary port of Muziris.

Related to this project, 11 new museums will be inaugurated

by February 2014 and another 14 will be ready by 2015.

Kerala Tourism has also announced some other signifi-

cant projects, which include ‘Spice Route Revival Project’ and soft adventure holidays programme called ‘Natventure’.

The state government is promoting the two millennia-old Spice Route that links the south-western coast of India to

Europe. The objective behind Natventure is to use key tourism products like wildlife, hill stations, beaches, backwaters and soft adventure.

Kerala Tourism is now focussing more on Tier-II

cities to strengthen domestic tourism.

Kerala Tourism is also promoting responsible tourism and exploring northern part of the state, which is hitherto untapped. And, to beef up the

new initiatives of Kerala Tourism the state government has allotted `207 crore for the FY 2014-15. The government has declared Sales Tax relaxation during June to August monsoon session to certain areas.

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EXHIBITIONS

RTE brings biz for India Reed Travel Exhibitions hosted the Indian travel and trade community in Delhi recently to a presentation highlighting how travel shows can help them transform business. The Secretary, MOT, was the chief guest at the event.

T T B U R E AU eed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) made a presentation to the travel trade community in Delhi on February 19.

Present at the function were Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, World

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ing the RTE platform to gain the maximum out of it.

Happy with the response to their first MICE event - IBTM India - in Mumbai last year, they informed that IBTM would now move to Chennai and would be held from September 3-5.

witnessed increases in all participant types and a record amount of facilitated business.

Asian and Indian exhibitors will benefit hugely from the success of WTM 2013, and I expect to see a record amount of business conducted by Asian and Indian exhibitors.”

Parvez Dewan

Simon Press

Shane Hannam

Secretary Ministry of Tourism

Senior Exhibition Director World Travel Market

Sales Director Key Accounts, RTE

At the World Travel Mart 2014, the Indian stall would be modelled on the Taj Mahal

Travel Market (WTM) and Shane Hannam, Sales Director, Key Accounts, RTE. With a special focus on WTM, the event served to highlight all travel and tourism exhibitions organised around the globe by RTE. While talking to the delegates from the Indian travel and trade community, they talked about leverag-

Asian and Indian exhibitors will benefit hugely from the success of WTM 2013 Talking about increasing participation, Press and Hannam said that, with a unique network of offices and international sales promoters, their market reach is extensive.

In 2013, over six million participants attended the events organised by RTE. Press added “WTM 2013 was a great success, which

IBTM would now move to Chennai and will be held from September 3-5 Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, who was the chief guest at the event, talked about his experience at WTM 2013. He was happy to share that the Indian booth at WTM was the most welcoming of all stalls. He shared that at WTM 2014, the Indian stall would be modelled on the Taj Mahal.

Riya Holidays awarded

Riya Holidays, the holiday division of Riya Travel & Tours India, has bagged the award for ‘Best Outbound Tour Operator-2011-12’ from Kerala state tourism department. The awards were announced by Tourism Minister AP Anil Kumar recently. GMJ Thampy, Chairman & Managing Director, Riya Group said, “We are extremely honoured to be receiving such an award.”

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STATES

MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

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West Bengal mulls no ‘dry day’ policy As the ‘dry day’ ban has a chain impact on the hospitality industry, tour operators, travel agents and other related verticals, the industry has welcomed the proposal.

T T B U R E AU n a bid to establish West Bengal in the tourist map of inbound travellers, the Tourism Department of West Bengal is looking at a plan to do away

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Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury Tourism Minister West Bengal

The dry day restrictions should not be applicable on the national holidays as the tourists try to plan out their holiday itineraries on and around these days with ‘dry days’ or no-liquor days in popular tourist spots of the state.

According to Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, Tourism Minister,

Malaysia Airlines’ new office in Delhi Malaysia Airlines, the national carrier of Malaysia, opened its new office in New Delhi. It was inaugurated by the High Commissioner of Malaysia, Datuk Naimun Ashakli Mohammad in the presence of Azahar Hamid, Regional Senior VicePresident, South Asia & Middle East, Malaysia Airlines. The new office is the first of its kind outside Malaysia. Besides accommodating corporate, sales and other departments, the office will cater to all ticketing, reservation and allied needs of passengers, all under one roof.

West Bengal, it makes no sense to clamp the prohibitory orders on alcohol in tourist spots of the state such as Darjeeling, Dooars, Digha and Sunderbans. Chowdhury has already mooted the proposal to Amit Mitra, Finance Minister, West Bengal, who also heads

the state’s Excise Department.

“The Finance Minister has welcomed the idea and we would be soon submitting a detailed proposal to the department,” Chowdhury said.

Once the proposal is cleared, liquor will be available

in West Bengal’s popular tourist spots round the year.

“The dry day restrictions should not be applicable on the national holidays as the tourists try to plan out their holiday itineraries in and around these days well in advance,” he added. As the ‘dry day’ ban has

a chain impact on the hospitality industry, tour operators, travel agents and other related verticals, the industry has welcomed the proposal.

Looking forward to its participation in ITB Berlin in March 2014, he informed, “The

Government of West Bengal is promoting the state as an ideal tourist destination with specialised tourism products. The USP of participation at this international travel forum is to market the tourism opportunity in WB to tour operators across the world.”

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AGENTS

Tapping the timeshare pie Seeing the potential of the timeshare concept, even tour operators and travel agents are looking at increasing their stake in the segment.

M E G H A PAU L hile the hotel industry in India didn’t look too optimistic in 2013, the timeshare concept has been evolving at the hospitality landscape. The concept has helped the industry tide over tough times.

Timeshares or vacation ownership offer the right to use a resort unit at different locations for a specific period (say, a week) each year for a specified number of years (say, 25 years). The apparent cost includes a one-time membership charge and annual maintenance fee. By paying an exchange fee, time-share owners could also opt to stay in resorts of other vacation ownership companies in India or abroad. If used consistently on a long-term basis, timeshares could work out cheaper than comparable hotel rooms.

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Seeing the potential of the timeshare concept, even tour operators and travel agents are looking at increasing their stake in the segment.

The TCIL transaction is expected to close by the fourth quar-

Madhavan Menon

Ramesh Ramanathan

Managing Director Thomas Cook India

Managing Director Sterling Holiday Resorts

It creates multiple avenues to grow our respective businesses

ple avenues to grow our respective businesses and to create valuable opportunities together,” he informed.

Ramesh Ramanathan, MD, Sterling Holiday Resorts

Arun Nanda

Rajiv Khanna

Chairman Mahindra Holidays and Resorts

Chairman Jukaso Group

This is a business in which long-term credibility is a must

ter of 2014, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. With this merger, Thomas Cook will gain access to Sterling’s network of 19 resorts in 16 holiday destinations across India. According to Madhavan Menon, MD, TCIL, the merger reaffirms the company’s commitment to invest in mutually-beneficial partnerships. “It creates multi-

There are currently only three lakh timeshare members in India

(India), pointed out, “Thomas Cook customers will have access to our pan-India network of well located, full-service, quality resorts which offer great holiday experiences. Sterling stands to benefit from TCIL’s iconic brand reputation and its large base of domestic and inbound travel customers. There is a scope to add value to Sterling’s vacation ownership

There is also scope to add value to Sterling’s vacation ownership members members through synergies between the two companies.”

Mahindra Holidays and Resorts will invest ` 500 crore in the next financial year 201415 in around seven properties across the country. “We will be adding 500 rooms every year over the next three years,” Arun Nanda, Chairman, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts (MMHR), revealed.

“This is a business where longterm credibility is a must and since the product has to be served for longer period, people are not comfortable with groups or companies with no track record,” he said.

The Jukaso Group has also announced its latest venture into timeshare business.

The group is working on acquiring vacation properties in destinations like London, Dubai, Goa, Mussoorie, Nainital and in South India. Rajiv Khanna, Chairman, Jukaso Group, elaborated, “There are currently only three lakh timeshare members in India, whereas the potential consumer base is over 100 million. With quite an extensive base of rooms to start with, we feel we have an edge in the market. Also, we are the only ones to offer properties in Europe to begin with for timeshare.”

What It Is...

N Timeshares offer the right to use a resort unit at different locations for a specific period each year for a specified number of years

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ASSOCIATIONS

IAAI to chalk out action plan in March The IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) has decided to hold its forthcoming AGM in Chennai on March 8 and 9.

Speaking to , Biji Eapen, President, IAAI, said that the association would discuss the future course of action regarding the commission and other burning issues at this meet. The following is an excerpt of the interview.

R ATA N K R P A U L What is the significance of the forthcoming AGM of IAAI? The forthcoming yearly AGM is very important for IAAI. First, the AGM has to ratify all our deeds and activities done in 2013. Then, we will have to present new activities and action plan for 2014. This AGM will be mainly focussing on the ‘factors affecting sustainability of agents’ providing more significance to the ‘commission issue’ and ‘weekly payment’ system.

• Implementation of Resolution 818g • Ticket stock withdrawal by airlines • APJC- India : induction of IAAI • New Distribution Challenges

What is the present scenario of travel agency business in India? What does the future hold for them?

Members’ comments, suggestions and criticisms are vital for us to streamline and formulate a strategy and to prepare the course of actions.

The zero commission has already closed few travel agencies and affected many. The present scenario of weekly payment will definitely wipe out another 30 per cent of ordinary agents. Indian travellers, especially corporate, avail maximum credit facilities.

Many times, the credit period extends up to one month.

Hence, agents will be in a dilemma.

• The AGM will be analysing the whole issue on agency commission from all angles.

What should be the future strategies of Indian travel agents for survival?

The zero commission model has already affected many agents.

The weekly payment will wipe out another 30 per cent of ordinary agents.

Biji Eapen President, IAAI

Agency commission should be the first task for all. We should ensure and enforce the law of the land, so that each travel agent in India gets his full remuneration from airlines operating in India.

They will have to reinstate the 5 per cent commission, which prevailed up to 2008.

We had already discussed with many foreign airlines and all are favouring commission, provided the national carrier implements the same.

Ultimately, the national carrier should take this initiative, which they won’t do, because of their membership entry into Star Alliance. Hence, we may have to force Air India and government authorities. The AGM will

discuss the process and action plan and accordingly we will formulate the strategy. Also, we have to ensure that every agent has stock of all airlines operating in India.

How would IAAI support travel agents to keep growing?

All these challenges that travel agents are facing today are purely man-made issues— like TAP, ADMs, reduction of commission and weekly payments. Here, it is pertinent to mention that weekly payment has been introduced and implemented by APJC-India. On Aug 20, 2012, APJC India passed a resolution (one airline opposed) to implement weekly payment, effective July 2015. Then it was sent to the Passenger Agency Conference, where it was circulated by them to all world airlines as an agenda to approve the same. But surprisingly, an

emergency meeting of APJC India was held on September 3, 2012 and unanimously decided to enforce weekly payment, effective from January 1, 2014. Now, think of the 7agency representatives in APJC-India. Are they working for the travel agents or airlines?

Debt-ridden countries like Greece still enjoy one-month credit. And Resolution 800x clearly says a weekly payment can be reversed or altered by an APC only. Then why did they approach Karnataka High Court?

To misguide or confuse agents? And now, when the Court dismissed the case, industry accepted the verdict with 4 letters – ‘FATE’. Where is the unity of agents? The Karnataka High Court on May 31, 2012 and February 12, 2014, mentioned that airlines are willing to open dialogue provided all associations meet them together.

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TECHNOLOGY

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TRAVTALK

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Budget products to benefit agents Increased numbers of corporate and leisure travellers are taking to the skies, particularly in India, China and Indonesia where demographic changes are creating massive domestic and international demand. In an interview with , Jeet Sawhney, MD, Abacus Distribution Systems (India), elaborates on the company’s strategies.

R ATA N K R P A U L ccording to Sawhney, deregulation and the expansion of many low-cost carriers are presenting new opportunities for all. He pointed out that India is the secondfastest growing air market in Asia-Pacific after Indonesia.

The Indian online air market is expected to expand by 62 per cent to $6.6 billion by 2015, representing 53 per cent of the

A

Jeet Sawhney Managing Director Abacus Distribution Systems (India)

Mobile travel technology in particular is enabling suppliers to reach Tier-II and Tier-III cities for growth

country’s total air market. “The result is a burgeoning distribution grid for travel technology suppliers like Abacus and the travel agents we serve,” he said.

In his opinion, mobile travel technology in particular is enabling suppliers to reach TierII and Tier-III cities for growth. At these locations, branded products, local tour agencies as well as online portals will do exceedingly well. “National tourism organisations have understood

Quick Facts N 39% of Indian business travellers are now making travel arrangements including bookings via mobile while on the move N 51% of all searches are related to travel N 54% searches are for accommodation N 27% searches are for air travel

the importance of these domestic feeder markets and are spending more on state and provincial marketing,” Sawhney underlined.

He also asserted that multi-national OTAs also are

likely to reap benefits in drawing traffic from new markets too, because of Abacus Customer Via.com’s expansion across Asia. According to him, OTA penetration of the total travel market presently is highest in the region in India.

“Inbound tour operators are also looking good for 2014, attracting business online from overseas,” he added.

Abacus’ strategy is to deliver world-class technology to India’s major travel technol-

ogy brands and to develop second-tier agencies so that they also mature and thrive.

“Essentially, we help travel operators attract new customers and scale their business with superior point-of-

sale, mid and back-office solutions,” he emphasised.

“In view of the fact that travellers are increasingly turning to solutions such as 3G and wireless broadband for mobile Contd. on page 68

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ASSOCIATIONS

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

Promoting ‘Agra Beyond Taj’ Debasish Bhowmik, President of the Tourism Guild of Agra, an apex body comprising professionals from hospitality, travel trade and other tourism ancillary industries, talked about Taj Nature Walk ) is a green area promoting tourism in Agra by creating a friendly environment, suggesting development and veryThecloswalke to(9thekm long Taj Mahal from the right bank East Gate. It stretches to the growth for improved tourism infrastructure and promoting new places of interest. ety of trees of the Yamuna and has a vari D E E PA S E T H I What is being promoted in Agra beyond the Taj? How are you directly involved?

In our endeavour to promote ‘Agra beyond Taj’, we

Patna Panchi Vihar has been developed and today this wonderful lake boasts of many species of migratory birds. We are also promoting lesser known monuments like Chini ka Roza, Tall Feroz Khan, Itmad-Ud-Daula,

promote the ‘Taj Nature Walk’.

We are also trying to develop Golf tourism in Agra in association with the Agra Club as we have one of the finest golf courses overlooking the beautiful Taj Mahal.

without getting into heavy traffic zones is still under active consideration. For now, the road into the city from Yamuna Kinara has been completed and traffic congestion has eased considerably.

How the Literary Fest promoted?

Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain was felicitated by Debasish Bhowmik

are actively involved in the promotion of places like Bateshwar (aarti) for its famous Shiv temples and the Maha Aarti held in the evening on the Ghats of River Yamuna. With active support from the forest department,

A still from the play Tumhari Amrita performed by Shabana Azmi and the late Farooq Sheikh

Swami Bagh, Marium Tomb, Roman Catholic Cementry (Red Taj) and many more.

Our latest effort has been to work very closely with the forest department and district administration to

Taj through ‘Street View’ people Now around the world will be able to explore the Taj Mahal and other national Indian monuments online through ‘Street View’.

With the support of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Google has released the first 360degree online imagery of 30 iconic Indian heritage sites, including the Taj Mahal, Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort and Agra Fort on

Is there a new road being built to connect the Yamuna Expressway directly to the Taj? The original plan of having an inner ring road to connect the Expressway to the city

Agra being

The 2nd Taj Literature festival was held in Hotel Clarks Shiraz on December 12-14, 2013. The has grown to unbelievable heights by the presence of many celebrities and stalwarts from the world of literature, like William Dalrymple, Sharmila Tagore, MJ Akbar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and many others like Shabana Azmi and the late Farooq Sheikh. There was a play on White Mughals by Williams Dalrymple and it culminated with a grand performance at Taj Nature Walk of the famous play ‘Tumhari Amrita’. Hotel Clark Shiraz is committed in partnering this festival in Agra in the

coming years and to make it grow into a bigger and a leading festival of India.

Which concerts were held recently in Agra and where? Do you think this will boost tourism to Agra?

We are closely associated with the concerned departments to organise elite cultural programmes; like concerts by Rajan and Sajan brothers, we also staged ‘Tumhari Amrita’ during the Taj Literature festival in December by noted artistes Shabana Azmi and late Farooq Sheikh. On January 15, tabla maestro Ustaad Zakir Hussain mesmerised the huge gathering at the ‘Taj Nature Walk’. We propose a series of events in future by renowned artists in this unique setting with the backdrop of the Taj Mahal.

Agra, unfortunately, is still used as a one-night destination, so we would like to highlight that there is much more to

high grass and is dotted with six nds provide mou s gras se The mounds.

Mahal from a unique view of the Taj rent times. different directions at diffe

Agra than just the Taj Mahal. There are also many night activities like the great dance performance ‘Mohabbat-e-Taj’ at Kalakriti, soon to be followed by another fantastic Indian dance performance, ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ at the same venue.

Taj Mahal is a symbol of India and is undoubtedly the best place for Indian Tourism.

Hence, Agra should be given more importance both by the Central and State governments to make it a clean and green city.

Infrastructural growth like a full-fledged terminal for domestic flights and an international airport is a must and we all are pursuing this very seriously. The people of Agra are united in their commitment in making this a dream city.

Expanding reach across India Foresee Aviation witnessed a growth of 20 per cent in the overall business.

The company had an impressive season in terms of inflow of FITs. T T B U R E AU

Google Maps and the Google Cultural Institute.

By allowing people to virtually explore them online, Google aims to help share more of Indian culture and heritage with people at home and abroad.

he year 2013 saw the aviation industry grappling with high ATF prices, slack demand and rupee depreciation. The latter is especially painful for a business in which 75 per cent of costs are dollar-denominated, said Santosh Kumar Sharma, Director, Foresee Aviation. As far as private aircraft are con-

T

Santosh Kumar Sharma Director, Foresee Aviation

cerned, almost every player increased the chartered rates by 8-10 per cent. “Due to this, we had to increase our prices too,” he added. In 2013, the overall business was pretty decent vis-a-vis 2012, since they cater to both corporate as well as travel trade. “We also cater to medical evacuation requirements from hospitals

and corporate houses. Though our main business comes from metropolitan cities, Tier-II cities have seen a remarkable growth in terms of private plane usage.” Cities like Surat, Indore, Rajkot, Lucknow, Pune, etc., have shown impressive growth, and they are currently laying down strategies to target these markets.

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EXHIBITIONS

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TRAVTALK

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India market is important for ITB Berlin David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin, in conversation with , presents his views on what makes the show special, level of participation of Indian exhibitors and what makes it an apt platform for the Indian tourism and travel trade fraternity.

T T B U R E AU What do you feel makes ITB Berlin different from all other travel and tourism exhibitions?

ITB Berlin is truly the world´s leading travel trade show: Not only are all sectors of the leisure market represented, but ITB Berlin is also staging the largest and most important convention of

David Ruetz Head ITB Berlin

ITB Berlin is the ideal platform where both exhibitors and attendees can cultivate valuable business contacts

industry experts in the world since 2004. Experts from every source and destination country in the world find out about the latest industry trends and discuss business strategies at the accompanying ITB Berlin Convention.

Has the participation in the India region increased this year?

As always, India´s participation is very important at ITB Berlin. There has been particularly high demand for places at the world’s leading travel show from India. But as the show is completely booked and space is limited at ITB Berlin, we cannot offer more sqm to Indian exhibitors.

Hall 5.2b, occupied by India, is again booked up this year.

For the first time, three Indian states, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal will be present with their own stand.

What makes ITB Berlin an apt platform for Indian exhibitors?

ITB Berlin is a platform where exhibitors can cultivate valuable business contacts. The volume of business negotiated and concluded at the show is in order of six billion Euros. This is

an impressive proof that ITB Berlin gives exhibitors’ business a long-term boost. In addition, ITB Berlin offers an ideal fixed costs’ ratio compared to the volume of business initiated measured against the number of buyers (cost per contact) and ideal services and infrastructure.

How would you differentiate between ITB Berlin and ITB Asia, keeping in mind the business generated from India?

ITB Berlin is the place where Indian exhibitors can do global business very effectively, whereas ITB Asia is the

perfect platform for the Asian travel industry.

What was the number of buyers visiting the show last year? What percentage of these buyers are interested in the India region?

Some 110,000 trade visitors came to ITB Berlin 2013, of whom 43 per cent were from abroad. We expect the number of trade visitors at ITB Berlin 2014 to be stable. About 25 per cent of buyers at ITB Berlin report to focus on Asia.

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TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

SUCCESS STORY

LEADER TALK

Taj expansion to continue: Bickson In an interview with , Raymond Bickson, Managing Director & CEO, Taj Group of Hotels, talks about the hotel industry and shares his business outlook along with discussing strategies about recasting Taj as not a single luxury brand, but as a multi-branded hotel group.

M E G H A PAU L 2013: A bleak year The hospitality sector faced unprecedented challenges on account of the sluggish domestic economy, fresh supply of rooms in the market and a weak economic environment in US/Europe, which are the key source markets for high-end hotels in India.

Even leisure arrivals have not been that great. Business travel also has not been good. With the depreciating rupee and the high cost of overseas holidays, the only increase has been in the domestic tourism segment. Taj, as a brand,

has witnessed occupancy levels of 68 per cent across its properties as opposed to the average occupancy

levels of 58 per cent across Indian hotels.

Rising competition on the home turf The hotel scenario in India has changed dramatically over the last few years.

Till a few years ago, the three big domestic hotel chains could afford to be complacent since they had a combined 60-plus per cent market share in

the absence of competition.

Now, there are over 50 big hotel brands with huge loyalty programmes. And since over 80 per cent of visitors to India are business travellers, chances are they would be drawn to these foreign brands. The challenge, thus, is to maintain Taj’s domestic market share. Acquiring land approvals is another challenge in the Indian market. While the demand for hotel rooms will grow this year; the continued

We have more outbound Indian travellers than inbound travellers. We need to cater to this market as well Raymond Bickson Managing Director & CEO Taj Group of Hotels

commissioning of new capacity across the key markets will put pressure on the rates.

Strategy for expansion The idea is to have an asset-light model via management contracts in order to get more market share. Despite the current pressures in the industry, the hotel chain has continued to roll out new hotels in the domestic markets with recent launches of Vivanta, Gateway and Ginger. The group, through the Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHCL), operates four brands – Taj (in luxury segment); Vivanta by Taj (in the upper upscale category); Gateway (for the upscale segment) and Ginger (in the economy segment) to have a large footprint across India. Going forward, it will be an important

growth vehicle for Taj and we are looking at quickly scalingup the brands to a large number of hotels across India. We opened one hotel every month last year. The most recent opening was The Gateway Hotel EM Bypass Kolkata in December 2013. For this year in 2014, we have 14 hotels in the pipeline, including the new Vivanta by Taj in Dwarka. As for luxury hotels, the cost of land is sky-rocketing. So that will see fewer openings this year.

Exploring the overseas market Our international expansion is through Taj, which is our most well-known brand.

Currently, we have some international properties of Vivanta

by Taj that include Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc.

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NTO

Maldives-Delhi charters soon Talking about attracting Indian tourists to Maldives; Hussain Lirar, Deputy Tourism Minister of Maldives, says that the national carrier Maldivian will be starting chartered flights to Delhi in another 2-3 months.

TT B UREAU What is Maldives promoting in India?

year. So, if more such resorts come up, it’ll benefit investors a lot and there’s a good chance that they may recover their

How do you plan to work with travel agents to promote the country?

Maldives has a lot to offer to tourists as we have numerous options for relaxation, dining, surfing, as well as wedding functions. In Maldives, the unique thing is that there is one island for one hotel, so there are no outsiders to disturb you. Also, the resorts have various activities to offer like diving, snorkelling, etc.

Hussain Lirar

What are the Indian markets that you are looking into? And which cities are in your radar?

Our focus is mainly on primary markets like Mumbai and Delhi, but we hope to cater to all the cities in the future, depending on how the Indian market reacts to the destination.

We are trying to target all the markets, but most of the resorts in and around Maldives are of five-star category. There are a few three to four star resorts and the interesting thing is that these resorts run full throughout the

visit the destination. Therefore, we need to promote Maldivian Tourism in India.

Deputy Tourism Minister Maldives

costs very soon. We acknowledge that there is a bigger market for three and four star resorts.

How are you planning to raise awareness about the destination in India?

During my interactions with various stakeholders from India, I have come to know that awareness is most important to popularise the destination. If people know that these are the facilities available in Maldives, they will definitely

We plan to do some destination knowledge programmes to acquaint them with the place. Through travel agents and tour operators, we plan to tap this growing group of travellers. In the coming five years, we are targetting 5 million tourists all across the world, and we hope India will contribute to a sizeable chunk. In 2013, we got around 33,000 Indian tourists. It’s a significant increase from 2012.

Connectivity is an issue for Maldives. How do you plan to counter this?

We do realise that connectivity is an issue. Very soon, our national airlines – Maldivian – will be starting chartered flights to Delhi. The company Island Aviation Services will also be looking to extend this facility to other cities.

Canadian MEVs for tourists Now, multiple-entry visas (MEVs) will be available to qualified travellers allowing visitors to come and go from Canada for six months at a time for up to 10 years without having to reapply each time. There will as well be a single fee of CAD $100 for the processing of either an application for a single- or multiple-entry visa. The fee for the temporary resident visa (TRV) programme will now be reduced from $150 to $100 for the processing of either a single- or multipleentry visa.

By harmonising the single- and multiple-entry visa fees, the visa application

process will become simpler for applicants and promote tourism a nd trade by increasing the number of eligible travellers who are able to make multiple visits to Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will increase other fees in the temporary resident pro-

gramme, effective February 6, 2014. These changes will reduce the burden on Canadian taxpayers and ensure that fees closely reflect the real cost of processing applications.

Every year, more than 35 million people visit Canada from around the world.

MOT state initiatives Union Tourism Secretary, Parvez Dewan, while talking about the MOT initiatives, expressed his concern about the off season mid May-mid September. He informed that along with the private sector, the government is working together to make sure that it gets better. The first of this initiative is the 777 days of the Himalayas. The Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi had announced 50 per cent subsidy on the climbing fee of the Himalayas few months ago and that became a reality in January 2014.

The Himalayan campaign is to attract international visitors to India in the hot months.

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AVIATION

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

Metros make most of airline flash sale Unlike other years, the recent airline flash sale in India announced discounts only on advance purchase, and even then, the sale gave OTAs and travellers enough reason to cheer. An increase of over 300% in visitor traffic for OTAs saw unprecedented advance bookings with minimum cancellations.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA ajesh Magow, Co-founder & CEO-India, MakeMyTrip, said, “The visitor traffic to our website went up by four times on January 23, which was the busiest day of the sale period.

Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore registered the maximum number of bookings, but some sectors became more popular during the sale due to the discounts being offered. For example, the Delhi-Bangalore route, which is not among the 5 top-selling sectors on normal days, was the second-mostbooked sector during the sale

R

Highlights N Goa and Srinagar - most popular leisure sectors N Bookings on the BangaloreDelhi route grew by 800 per cent

period.” He added that, “Bookings on the BangaloreDelhi route grew by 800 per cent. We saw maximum bookings of 22 per cent coming in from Delhi, followed by 17 per cent bookings from Mumbai and 13 per cent from Bangalore. The second round of sale also witnessed an enthusiastic response. The visitor traffic to our website went up to 51 per cent, while air-ticket bookings increased by 50 per cent, compared to the last weekend of December 2013.

This time, Mumbai led the ticket-bookings on MakeMyTrip with 18 per cent of total bookings during the sale-period.”

Yatra.com’s President Sharat Dhall said, “The discounted airfares launched by SpiceJet and Indigo have definitely brought good cheer to Indian travellers. With bookings having increased by almost 45 times over the past two days,

Rajesh Magow

Sharat Dhall

Noel Swain

Co-Founder & CEO-India MakeMyTrip

President Yatra.com

EVP – Suppler Relations Cleartrip

We saw maximum bookings of 22 per cent coming in from Delhi Jet and Air India also joined the race to leverage advance bookings. With the onset of

With the onset of summer vacations, we have seen higher traction from South India summer vacations, we have seen significantly higher traction from South India.”

During the sale period, we saw visitor traffic grow by 300 per cent Noel Swain, EVP – Suppler Relations, Cleartrip, said, “This time around, the

discount was available only for bookings made 30 days in advance. The results were, however, interesting on two counts. Firstly, the growth in number of bookings was the highest ever in a sale period and secondly, customers did not postpone their travel to avail the 30-day advance purchase discount. In fact, we saw a marginal increase even for travel within the 30 day period where flights continued to be available at non-sale fares.

This shows that airlines managed to create a new market for themselves within the leisure segment of travellers, without diluting the yield closer to departure. During the sale period, Cleartrip saw visitor traffic grow by 300 per cent. Besides the major metro cities, Goa and Srinagar were the most popular leisure sectors during this period.

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STATES

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TRAVTALK

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Need infrastructure for Chhattisgarh To strengthen its service sector, the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board is looking at inviting private investments or projects based on the Public Private Partership model.

M E G H A PAU L he Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) has adopted various measures to provide good infrastructure facilities to tourists and promote the hospitality industry of the state.

These include the creation of tourist circuits, rural tourism projects in its tribal villages and the development of Rajmergarh (Amarkantak) and Mainpat as hill stations and Sirpur as a major Buddhist centre. “We have already invested ` 200 crore in infra-

T

Santosh K Misra Managing Director Chhattisgarh Tourism Board

The state is visited by foreign tourists mainly from France, Germany, the US and the UK and the inflow is growing steadily

structure development projects, right since the state was bifurcated from Madhya Pradesh. We are now more focussed on providing safer and more comfortable accommodation for tourists. We are working on developing resorts in more picturesque locations with better facilities,” Santosh K Misra, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, revealed.

According to the MD, CTB is planning to double its visitor inflow in the next two years. The Board is also looking for Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to strengthen its tourist service sector. “Our state has an abundance of natural beauty and is rich in minerals. To keep it intact, we don’t want to attract crowds, and therefore, we are targetting HNIs. We want to strengthen our service sector,

for which we are looking at private investments or projects based on the PPP model,” he added.

The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board is aggressively promoting the state as a

retreat. “At present, a large number of tourists visit the state for its religious destinations. However, the board is trying to build Chhattisgarh as an environment and ecology retreat. The state is visited by foreign tourists

from France, Germany, the US and the UK and the inflow is growing steadily,” Misra revealed.

The Board had earlier initiated a campaign tapping various social media platforms

such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc, with the aim of highlighting the lesser-known facts of Chhattisgarh. With regular updates and constant engagements, it has been able to acquire considerable fans and followers. Commenting on

the strategy, he affirmed, “Social Media helps to connect with people beyond geographical boundaries. Through this initiative we have successfully managed to tap a large audience and the numbers are still growing.”

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TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

NTO

Philippines eyes Tier-II cities in India R Glen Agustin, Chief Tourism Operations Officer, India Market Development Group, Philippine Department of Tourism, talks about how Indian travellers to the Philippines have been growing and how they are now focussing on other cities like Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, besides Delhi and Mumbai.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA How was the response from Indian travellers to Philippines in 2013?

In 2013, we had 52,206 travellers from India, in 2014 we hope to grow more.

What are your plans for 2014?

R Glen Agustin Chief Tourism Operations Officer IndiaMarket Development Group Philippine Department of Tourism

We will expand our participation in fairs and organise more FAM trips. Apart from Mumbai and Delhi, we are trying to tap other cities like Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

In the first week of August we will be hosting roadshows in South India. We are also participating in Locations, a film tourism event, to gain the support and encourage the Films Development Council of the Philippines to participate in Locations.

hold a valid and current AJACSSUK - US, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, Schengen, Singapore or UK visa or permanent resident permit. We are also working with the Philippines embassy in India and the bureau of immigration to make the country a more accessible destination for vacationers.

Philippines has much to explore How happy are you about the response of the Indian travellers to Philippines?

The Indian population is getting aware of Philippines as a destination, we have witnessed a 12.5 per cent increase in the number of people visiting the Philippines, year-on-year. We would like to invite more people to the country. An ideal destination for business and leisure, the country offers a lot of exciting opportunities. Besides Manila, there are many places to explore in the Philippines, like Cebu, Palawan, Bohol and Boracay.

Maria Agnes Cervantes Minister and Consul General Philippine Embassy, New Delhi

How has the ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign helped attract Indian travellers to the country?

this campaign and it has helped us a lot in branding the Philippines as a fun destination and also to attract Indian travellers.

The campaign tries to distinguish the Filipino trait of being a fun loving nation from the rest of Asia. In 2011, we launched

Connectivity is an issue when it comes to promoting the Philippines in India, how do you intend to tackle this?

Connectivity issues are certainly a challenge. In June 2013, we had Philippine Airlines pulling out of Delhi.

Fortunately, other carriers have taken on the challenge and improved connectivity from the Philippines. They have also improved the number of flights from weekly to daily. Malaysian Airlines, Cathay Pacific with

Dragonair, SilkAir with Singapore Airlines, are helping us in a big way.

Do you see any improvement in visa issues?

The visa scene for Indian travellers is much better in the Philippines than any other ASEAN countries. We allow visa-free entry for Indians who

Are you also targetting the MICE crowd?

Apart from the family crowd, we are also ready for the incentive travel movement. The MICE travellers are also responsible for the growth in tourism figures. In the past, we only had small groups but now we are getting more and are growing in terms of specialists focussing on Indian travellers. We also hosted the OTOAI Convention in December 2013 and we want to host more such meets in the Philippines.

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FAMILY ALBUM

RTE: Maximising benefits of travel shows Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) made a presentation to the travel trade community in Delhi on February 19. Present at the function were Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, World Travel Market (WTM) and Shane Hannam, Sales Director, Key Accounts, Reed Travel Exhibitions. Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, was the chief guest at the event.

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EXHIBITIONS

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TRAVTALK

23

Gujarat theme state for first IITB in Delhi With an objective of retaining the flavour, commitment, purpose and structure of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB), which was earlier organised by FICCI in Jaipur, the Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Tourism and India Tourism Development Corporation are co-organising the first Incredible India Travel Bazaar (IITB) 2014 on April 8-9, 2014, in New Delhi.

R ATA N K R P AU L t is pertinent to mention that the 2013 edition (sixth edition) of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar had more than 8,000 B2B meetings between 258 foreign buyers from 50 countries and 269 registered Indian sellers from across the country.

I

According to the organisers, with the sharp focus on inbound tourism and Gujarat as the theme state, the USP of the Incredible India Travel Bazaar-2014 would be the intensive buyer-seller meet spread over two days. It will result in significant transacting and capitalising of business opportunities between international buyers and Indian sellers.

The travel bazaar would have sellers offering a wide range of products covering heritage, adventure, wildlife, healthcare, leisure, eco-rural, MICE, pilgrimage and other segments.

The travel bazaar would have 216 booths from where 205 Indian sellers will be showcasing their products. All foreign buyers and Indian sellers will have structured, prescheduled B2B meetings fixed before the event. The B2B meetings will take place at the booth/booths of the registered Indian sellers. About 9,000 prescheduled and on-the-spot B2B meetings are expected to take place between the Indian sellers and foreign buyers in

Hopes From IITB N About 9,000 pre-scheduled and on-the-spot B2B meetings are expected to take place between the Indian sellers and foreign buyers.

N Around 250 foreign buyers from 55 countries will attend the event.

N Over 1,500 delegates from India and abroad will attend the Incredible India Travel Bazaar 2014 N The travel bazaar would have 216 booths from where 205 Indian sellers will showcase their products.

two days. Around 250 foreign buyers from 55 countries and over 1,500 delegates from India and abroad are expected

to attend it. The two-day event will be inaugurated by Parvez Dewan, Tourism Secretary, MOT. The inaugural function

will also be addressed by Jyotsna Suri, Senior VP, FICCI and CMD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group.

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FAMILY ALBUM

Philippines in the City of Joy The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) held a roadshow in Kolkata on February 7, 2014.

The event was attended by R Glen Agustin, Chief Tourism Operations Officer, DOT and Luisa A. Llave, Member, India Market Development Group, DOT. The event brought together travel and tour operators, like Shroff International Travel Care, Blue Horizons Travel & Tours, The Peninsula, Manila, Discovery Suites, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

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NEWS

IIGT Summit in October Chauffeured through Europe The first-ever international event on golf tourism, GI rentals provide tourists the option of renting chauffeur‘Incredible India Golf Tourism Summit 2014’, will take driven luxury vans across Europe. Travellers can choose from the Mercedes Benz Viano and the Mercedes Benz Sprinter. place from October 8-10 at The Lalit in New Delhi.

T T B U R E AU he summit will culminate with an Incredible India Golf Tourism Award, Incredible India Golf Tournament and FAM trips to golf courses for

T

the hosted golf tour operators from across the world.

In his speech, Parvez Dewan, Secretary, MOT, underlined huge potential of golf tourism market in India, thanks to the development of a significant number of world class golf courses in the coun-

TT B U R E AU try. According to him, India is capable of wooing a huge number of international tourists by offering combined packages which include golf and other tourism products for up-market

segment. "The Ministry of Tourism will extend all support to the industry people to promote inbound golf tourism," said Dewan. The Summit will be jointly organised by MOT and FICCI, in association of India Golf Tourism Association.

The Curtain Raiser event was also addressed by Jyotsna

Suri, Sr. VP, FICCI and CMD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group; Anand Kumar, JS, Ministry of Tourism; Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI; SC Sekhar, MD,

Landbase India & Sr. VP, ITC Hotels; Sanjeev Rampal, VP-Operations, Jaypee Green Golf Resort; Greesh Bindra, GM, Crowne Plaza Gr Noida; Padamjit Singh Sandhu, Director, Professional Golf Tour of India and Chitranjan Bakshi, Business Head, Pash India.

Swiss company and subsidiary of GourmIndia Services, GI Rentals provide travellers the option of renting chauffeur-driven luxury vans for family or group journeys across Europe. Travellers can choose from the Mercedes Benz Viano and the Mercedes Benz Sprinter. The luxury vans will have features such as interchangeable seats, navigation system and in-built microphone and experienced English speaking European drivers with EU license.

age GI Rentals in their itineraries.”

A

Maison de Voyage, a Division of Zaka Group is the GSA of GI Rentals in India.

Speaking about the newly introduced product, Jenaifer Daruwalla, General Manager – Maison de Voyage, said, “Our current focus is on the B2B segment, which means primarily members of the travel trade fraternity. We want

The service is available throughout Europe, including prime destinations like France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany among others. The pricing of renting luxury vans will come down with the increasing number of days.

Jenaifer Daruwalla General Manager Maison de Voyage

We want to work closely with the travel agents so that they can package GI Rentals in their itineraries to work closely with the travel agents so that they can pack-

“This is the first year we are introducing the product in the market. We are getting a good number of enquiries on a daily basis. Since, the bookings will start only after March such interest from the market is quite encouraging,” she added.

Availability N The service is available throughout Europe, including prime destinations like France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Germany among others

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NTO

Leisure is the way to go Zagreb targets MICE sector Oman has witnessed 10 per cent surge in tourist arrivals The capital of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb is one of from India in 2013. This was driven by leisure arrivals the oldest European cities with its history going back to that grew 35 per cent during the last year. the 11th century AD. reports...

TT B U R E AU itnessing a steady growth in Indian arrivals, Oman is focussing on tapping the outbound pie from the market.

“From the time we set up office in 2010 in India, we have seen a good year-on-year growth from this region. For instance, we saw a huge jump in 2013 over 2012. This was driven by leisure arrivals that grew 35 per cent. In 2013, there was a 10 per cent surge in tourist arrivals to Oman from India,” Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative - Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman said.

W

Going forward, leisure travel and MICE will remain huge segments for Oman. It has also turned its attention towards Indian weddings over the past few years, and is positive that this trend will further drive tourist traffic from India to the destination. According to Sheerazi, Indian weddings and

Lubaina Sheerazi India Representative Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman

Oman is a shorthaul destination with excellent connectivity with India. We want to tap this market and increase tourist arrivals from here honeymoon are two very important markets that Oman

needs to capture. “The Indian wedding industry is worth a whopping US$ 25 billion a year and is enjoying a 20 per cent year-on-year growth. Oman is a short-haul destination with excellent connectivity with India. We want to tap this market and increase tourist arrivals from here. Muscat serves as an excellent venue for an Indian wedding, with several world class hotels and resorts in its vicinity,” she added.

Talking about the importance of travel trade in India, she informed, “In order to give a firsthand experience to Indian outbound travel agents, the Ministry of Tourism, Oman in association with Oman Air recently, conducted a FAM trip for senior management of tour operators from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Delhi. The travel trade has remained our primary focus. We are expanding our presence to Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad also.”

T T B U R E AU alking about positioning Zagreb as a MICE destination for the Indian market, Amelia Tomasevic, CEO, Zagreb Tourist Board & Convention Bureau, informs that Zagreb will be a new MICE destination for India. The Zagreb Convention Bureau has participated in workshops organised with European Cities Marketing in Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi recently. She adds, "In 2012, we had 120 per cent more overnights and 67 per cent more arrivals than 2011.

This was driven by leisure arrivals. However, interest for incentives and meetings is also growing, and I think that in the near future, Zagreb will be recognised as a great destination for Indian business travel."

Regarding the air connectivity from India, Zlatan Muftic, Director, Zagreb Convention Bureau, reveals, "The connections to Zagreb

T

Amelia Tomasevic

Zlatan Muftic

CEO, Zagreb Tourist Board & Convention Bureau

Director Zagreb Convention Bureau

Zagreb will turn out to be a great destination for business travel are excellent via Frankfurt, Vienna, Munich and Istanbul (Austrian, Turkish Airlines,

There are good connections to Zagreb via Frankfurt, Vienna, Munich and Istanbul Lufthansa), and other hubs from where Croatia Airlines is flying to Zagreb."

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NTO

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

Travel trade indispensable for Argentina The outbound traveller in India seeks consultation, airfare booking support and information about new itineraries from the travel trade fraternity. Thus, INPROTUR is looking at working with the trade in India to capture a share of business and leisure travellers from India.

T T B U R E AU he first South American country to have ventured into India, Argentina is aggressively marketing itself through travel agents in India. According to Roberto Palais, Executive Secretary, National Institute of Tourism Promotion in Argentina (INPROTUR), almost 80 per cent of the bookings for Argentina from India are done through travel agents.

“As Argentina is a new destination for the India outbound market, the consumer here seeks consultation and airfare booking support along with information about new itineraries from the travel trade fraternity. Thus, we are looking at working closely with the trade in India to capture a share of the ballooning numbers of business and leisure travellers from India,” he says.

T

Roberto Palais

Medha Sampat

Executive Secretary INPROTUR

Founder Knack Marketing

We are targetting the leisure travellers, honeymooners and adventure seekers as Argentina is a niche destination

Our destination training sessions are aimed at educating and enabling agents to create itineraries and advise travellers

Talking about the growth in outbound segment from India, he elaborates, “We have witnessed a tremendous increase in Indian arrivals to Argentina, from 3,500 in 2011 to 5,000 in 2012. Even in 2013, despite the depreciating rupee, around 5000 outbound visitors came to Argentina. We are primarily targetting the leisure travellers, honeymooners and adventure seekers as Argentina is a niche destination. However, last year, we received impressive MICE visitors from India, including a 150-member MICE group into Buenos Aires.

ICCA has ranked us as No. 18 in the world for MICE. According to the ICCA, Argentina is the most visited country in South America. We hope to tap more MICE visitors from India as well.”

Argentina is also the gateway to Antarctica and this

has opened a whole new cruise tourism opportunity for Argentina and generated interest in the Indian market. “We want to promote the nature, culture, vineyards, nightlife, handicraft and festivals of Argentina to the Indian market,” he adds.

Regarding the positioning of Argentina in India, Medha Sampat, Founder, Knack Marketing, opines, “We would like Indians to explore Argentina as a mono destination. The average length of stay of an Indian traveller is five days as Argentina is usually combined with other South American destinations.

Thus, our destination training sessions are aimed at educating and enabling agents to create itineraries and advise travellers who are looking at experiencing Argentina as an all-in-one tourist destination.”

ITB Berlin Bloggers Speed Dating event

This year’s ITB Bloggers Speed Dating event will be taking place for the second time. For exhibitors and bloggers, admission to this event on 6 and 7 March is free of charge. The ITB Bloggers Speed Dating event will not only provide hotels and tourism destinations such as Australia, Finland, Florida, Kenya, Jordan and Portugal with a platform for meeting travel bloggers from around the world, but a number of federal States such as Lower Saxony and Thuringia as well. The aim is to show exhibitors new possibilities for marketing their products and services.

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FAMILY ALBUM

The YEATS motto: Catching them Young YEATS (Youth Education and Tourism Services), a tourism event targetted at the youth took place in Mumbai on February 5-6, at Hotel Sea Princess in Juhu. The event provided a unique opportunity for Tourism Boards, DMCs, Tour operators, Embassies, Consulates and other allied services to come directly in contact with students, school and college principals, parents and the young travellers of India. The event was inaugurated by celebrated Filmmaker and Chairperson, Children’s Film Society of India, Amol Gupte.

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ANALYSIS

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Summer 2014: Long hauls, new places With a comparatively stabilised economy, industry experts predict a positive summer holiday season which will witness travellers taking long holiday breaks.

S A U M YA T E W A R I The summer season might bring cheer to the tourism

industry with 2014 being touted as a ‘comeback year’.

With the devaluation of the Indian Rupee against the US

dollar, rigid taxation issues and policy level decisions, 2013 was comparatively a grim year.

However, experts across inbound, outbound and domestic sectors believe that people will be travelling more

this summer season. spoke to industry stalwarts on how the Indian General Elections will impact the

summer holiday season, the popular destinations worldwide and the upcoming new tourist spots.

Inbound

Outbound The year 2013 was marginally down, and I believe, we will witness a turnaround this year. New destinations like Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands and US are attracting lots of interest. Italy, Philippines, South Africa, Maldives, Abu Dhabi are some of the upcoming destinations.China is showing a lot of interest in the Indian market. Earlier, Canada was synonymous only with Toronto and Vancouver. Now, people want to go to Alberta and Alaska in Canada as well. People also want to visit Brazil and Chile.Travellers are skeptical about visiting Thailand, but the unrest is primarily restricted to Bangkok and the rest of the country is safe to travel. People are travelling and shopping from places Koh Samui and Phuket, however the volume may not be comparable to that of Bangkok.

Guldeep Singh Sahni MD, Weldon Tours and Travels

The last two years haven't been that rewarding, but I believe there will be a boom this year. One of the developments has been the Thailand unrest, but as a destination, the country hasn’t really gone down.Travellers are now willing to explore new destinations in South-East Asia.

Popular destinations this summer would be Italy, Burma and Canada. Europe would also entice tourists and there will be takers for experiential offerings in Antarctic/Arctic cruises.

Ratti Dhodapkar MD, Abercrombie & Kent Vacations

2014 will be a good year for domestic and international travel. Kashmir will continue to charm tourists. People are willing to explore destinations like Kasauli and Darjeeling, beyond popular spots like Shimla and Manali.

Travellers are again showing an interest in Uttarakhand’s tourist spots like Valley of Flowers. The tourism industry will boom if the upcoming elections go peacefully as travellers prefer a secure and peaceful country.

Subhash Goyal Chairman, Stic Travels

We are expecting less amount of growth in the inbound sector this summer season. This is largely due to the unstable political scenario in the country.

Around 50 per cent of travellers coming to India with a dual purpose; they seek investment and business opportunities in the country while holidaying. I believe this segment will be hesitant in visiting the country due to the existing uncertainty in the political set-up. In terms of destinations, South India and Rajasthan will show better growth than last year. New upcoming tourist spots will also include Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand.

Praveen Chugh MD, TSI Yatra

Domestic The domestic tourism market will be on a rise. The only roadblock could be the impending General Elections which are expected around the summer holiday season. The travellers have become quite mature, and they prefer to visit less number of places in one vacation. The trend of people exploring new destinations is there, but any new tourist spot will take at least 10 years to develop as a proper destination.

Mukesh Jagga Director, Viva Holidays Tours & Travels The summer outbound trend is looking quite positive.

2013 was not that great for both inbound and outbound.

South Africa is picking up as new destination. Spain has been a popular destination and we are still getting lots of queries on it. Late last year, the outbound industry suffered because of the turmoil in Thailand but, as a destination it is still immensely popular. 2014 would witness an upward trend with more people travelling to different countries.

Jatinder Taneja MD, Travel Spirit International

I think popular spots like Kerala and Goa will always be good attractions. The other destinations that are fast becoming popular are North-East states like Sikkim, Darjeeling and Gangtok, due to good connectivity and durable pricing.

I think the General Elections will not have any major impact on the season. I believe off-beat destinations are there, but usually they have less accommodation space and connectivity issues.

Rakesh Lamba Director, Prakriti Holidays

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NEWS

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

Ethiopian to fly to Chennai Adding the Portuguese touch Ethiopian, the national carrier of Ethiopia, flies to two cities in India, Delhi and Mumbai. However, come winter 2014, the airline hopes to fly to Chennai if the requisite permits are received.

T T B U R E AU

operating margins remain low and competition intensifies, airlines are identifying factors other than price to attract customers. In-flight entertainment and connectivity are key points for airlines to achieve differentiation, at least at the moment.

he carrier flies to India, connecting Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Bangui, Johannesburg, Entebbe, Mombassa, Zanzibar, Khartoum, Lagos, Abidjan, Contonou, Harare and Ndolu.

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India has a lot of potential and is a growing economy, said Tekeba H Selassie, Regional Director - India sub Continent, Ethiopian Airlines. “The Airlines has been operating into India for more than four decades and envisages future market growth. India is one of the airline’s major destinations,” he said.

With the Indian aviation industry facing stiff competition from foreign and domestic airlines and with the price war continuing, Selassie believes this is a healthy competition. As

Tekeba H Selassie Regional Director - India sub Continent Ethiopian Airlines

In-flight entertainment and connectivity are key points for airlines to achieve differentiation

The airline has been a Star Alliance member since December 2011. Serving a network of 80 passenger destinations, 16 domestic and 17 freighter, the airline pins great importance to its in-flight entertainment.

A luxury consortium, The Private Collection of Portugal, came to New Delhi this February. With the objective of initiating a productive dialogue with key players from the luxury segment of Portugal, the consortium hosted a brunch at Cherie One with select agents to interact with them about their offerings.

Completing a 4-city roadshow

Quick Fact N Serving a network of 80 passenger destinations, 16 domestic and 17 freighter, Ethiopian Airlines pins great importance to its in-flight entertainment.

Grayline Latin America organised a multi-city roadshow from January 27-31 in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Over 400 product planners and frontline staff were trained in all the four cities. This is the first time a Latin America roadshow such as this was held covering countries like Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Peru. The roadshows were supported by Proexport Colombia and Latam Airlines

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ATTRACTIONS

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Things to do in vibrant and eclectic Berlin Berlin, the capital of Germany, is one of the most vibrant faces of Europe, with events, festivals, gourmet delights.

The city is famous for its museums, vibrant nightlife and many festivals such as the Berlin Film Festival and Carnival of Cultures.

Do not miss the dazzling glamour of Berlin With modern music, elaborate lights and contemporary dance culture, SHOW ME is an outstanding entertainment set on the biggest theatre stage in the world.

Subtly poetic moments are juxtaposed with excellent wow effects, including 60 dancers in futuristic LED suits and an over 20 metre high waterfall.

Recommended minimum age – from 12 yrs Duration – approx 2.5 hours, including a 25 min break Tickets can be booked online.

The range starts from € 20 to € 200.

NEELAM SINGH

Must see in Berlin Brandenburg Tor (Gate) is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Europe. The gate was built in 1788-1791 to enter the city. Visiting the gate puts you front and centre for several other historic landmarks. On one side, and a block up, you have the Reichstag and special stones in the ground which indicate where the Berlin wall once ran.

Find traces of the Berlin Wall throughout the city. Its former path is embedded in the street and sections still stand today to serve as a reminder to visitors.

Where to Shop?

Berlin has a thriving record shop scene centred around places like Oye and Hard Wax. More conventional shopping can be found on Kurfustendamm in the west, with an Apple store and flagship Uniqlo opened recently. In the east, Friedrichstrasse offers a similarly up-market selection, but with slightly younger fashion at places like the Quartier206 store. For cutting-edge designers, head to the area around Mulackstrasse in Mitte, where you will find interesting boutiques or try Das Neue Schwarz, for haute-couture at knockdown prices.

With over 60,000 sqm of selling space, the Ka De We or Kaufhause des Westens, is claimed to be the largest department store in Continental Europe. Spread over 8 floors, it hast everything from designer labels and jewelry to cosmetics. Don't miss the legendary gourmet department on the top floor.

Tip: Don't expect to do much shopping on a Sunday.

Museum Island or Museumsinsel located in the Spree River is home to 5 world-class museums. Check out part of the Ishtar Gate at the Pergamon Museum or the Bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti at the New Museum.

Explore Berlin in just € 18.50 The Berlin WelcomeCard offers unlimited travel within the public transport network for 48 hours, 72 hours or 5 days in Berlin and allows discounts of up to 50 per cent on more than 200 tourist attractions and cultural highlights.

And the best part? It´s available for only €18.50!

Visit the Castle In Berlin, one must visit nearby Sanssouci, the favorite castle of King Friederich the Great, built in 1745-1747.

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STATISTICS

Inbound-2013: Picking up speed Foreign tourists have surely taken a fascination for India and even though the first half of the year 2012-2013 was a little slow what with the economic downturn and the fall of the Rupee. However, things are picking up now and everyone in the industry is hopeful of a great 2014, here’s wishing we reach that elusive figure and inbound shines.

6.58 million Foreign tourist arrivals which visited India in the year 2012

` 94,487crore

US$17.74 billion

The foreign exchange earnings from tourism Source: MOT

Contd. on page 46

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STATISTICS

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Gliding towards higher tourism stake Contd. from page 44

FTAs From Top 3 Markets

1.65%

(Numbers in million and Percentage share)

USA

UK

1.040

0.788

0.487

(15.81%)

(11.98%)

(7.41%)

The share of India in International Tourism Receipts

Bangladesh

India’s rank in World Tourism Receipts

FTAs in India from different regions of the world 2010-2012 Region/ Country

No of Arivals 2010

2011

Proportion to the Total 2012

2010

2011

2012

% Change 2011/10 2012/11

Western Europe

1750342

1838695

1853066

30.31

29.14

28.17

5.0

0.8

North America

1173664

1239705

1295968

20.32

19.65

19.70

5.6

4.5

South Asia

1047444

1139659

1171499

18.14

18.06

17.81

8.8

2.8

South East Asia

439043

521755

540914

7.60

8.27

8.22

18.8

3.7

East Asia

411947

475951

535622

7.13

7.54

8.14

15.5

12.5

West Asia

235317

278773

290996

4.07

4.42

4.42

18.5

4.4

Eastern Europe

227650

274598

312686

3.94

4.35

4.75

20.6

13.9

Australasia

210275

233165

244511

3.64

3.70

3.72

10.9

4.9

Africa

204525

232386

261428

3.54

3.68

3.97

13.6

12.5

Central & South America

62728

60988

63699

1.09

0.97

0.97

-2.8

4.4

Not Classified elsewhere

12757

13547

7356

0.22

0.21

0.11

6.2

-45.7

5775692

6309222

6577745

100.00

100.00

100.00

9.2

4.3

Total FTAs in India

41

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NEWS

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Luxury@BRYS Hotels

Visa power for travellers

The group has unveiled two properties in Jaisalmer and Imran Khan, Director, Visa Master, says that the members in Jim Corbett in the last two years and is looking forward to his team are well-equipped to guide travellers to the best of their ability so that they get their visas hassle-free and on time. opening its third property in Sahibabad soon.

T T B U R E AU RYS Hotels is aiming to take leisure and business travel to the next level. A part

B

legendry Rajputana grandeur, BRYS CAVES is an ultra-luxurious resort with soul of the wild. The group is shortly coming up with BRYS Elan in

BRYS CAVES

of the BRYS Group, the BRYS Hotels’ portfolio includes BRYS Fort in Jaisalmer and the recently launched BRYS CAVES at Jim Corbett. While BRYS Fort encapsulates the

Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh to support the MICE segment as well.The flagship property of the group, BRYS Fort, Jaisalmer offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Golden

City. Spread over nine acres, BRYS Fort has been built to carry forward the magnificent architectural legacy of the Rajputana Royalty in a different league.

The second property of the group is the recently unveiled BRYS CAVES in Mohan. It is a luxury resort, nestled amidst lush greenery in Jim Corbett. The resort welcomes the traveller to enjoy the sound of silence embraced by the luxurious caves, designed on the concept of Paleolithic Stone Age with the novelty of modern interiors. The destination attracts weekenders, honeymooners, inbound, corporate, MICE, and vacation segments.

So far, the company is witnessing a good response for the newly launched property.

T T B U R E AU How do you work to ease visa processing?

In our organization, we have employees who have been handling visa queries for a long time and are experienced in this field. For each country, we have an expert team looking into

they do not miss out on any of the formalities.

With visa outsourcing, how has visa processing changed in India?

How does it help travel agents?

Earlier, getting a visa to a particular country from their embassy was an extremely tedious and time-consuming process. However, outsourcing has now changed the game. All travellers need to do is contact agencies like us and we can guide them, check their documents and submit it for them.

We also provide them with a one tracking ID so that they can track the status of their visa online.

We provide travel agents with timely updates and inform them in case there is a change in the visa norms of a particular country. We also make sure

For us, technology allows us to help our clients. It provides an easy way to know about visa status and helps them apply for a visa online.

Imran Khan Director, Visa Master

every detail to help consumers get their visas in a snap. The members in this team are well equipped to guide the travellers to the best of their ability so that

that we share proper guidelines about filling up documents and forms, so that there is no discrepancy and their clients get their visas on time.

How helpful is technology for you?

Technology has the great advantage that it allows service industries to replace expensive human labor, not only reducing costs, but also avoiding issues of customer service. Yet, technology may sometimes also produce a whole new set of unintended consequences.

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AGENTS

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Putting a new spin on inbound tourism Tourism Enterprises helps destination management companies promote themselves to B2B travel partners in efficiently marketing their products in India.

T T B U R E AU ndian outbound has grown substantially over the years and many global brands are eyeing to tap this emerging market. In a bid to facilitate their entry in the country, Tourism Enterprises provides quality marketing and advice to B2B travel partners to efficiently market their product in India.

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Ravi Gusain Managing Director Tourism Enterprises

There is a lot of interest in Romania among MICE operators because of its location and hotel prices The company was set up last year by a team of Indian professionals having over 20 years experience in the tourism industry. It works in various fields relating to tourism viz. marketing, promotions, research, product development, public relations and product development etc.

Talking about the company’s focus, Ravi Gusain, Managing Director, Tourism Enterprises said, “We have set up this company to promote DMCs, hotels and tourism boards to the B2B market in India. So far, we are getting good response from the outbound market and agents are supporting the initiative.”

The company has already signed up with DMCs in Srilanka, Dubai, Brazil, Peru-Ecuador, Panama, Morroco, Malyasia, Spain and Romania. Its focus is on both metropolitan as well as Tier-II & Tier-III cities.

“All DMCs we are promoting are leading agencies in their respective destinations and are trustworthy. At pres-

ent, we have been receiving regular queries for Srilanka, Dubai and Spain. Brazil, South America and Romania are some of the upcoming destinations. There is a lot of interest in Romania among MICE operators because of its location in Europe with moderate prices

for hotels and tours,” he explained.

Tourism Enterprises focus on marketing and promotions where as all operations and pricing are done directly with these DMCs. The company is regularly studying and understanding the need of Indian travellers,

which helps in bringing new destinations to India.

Informing about company’s future plans, Gusain said, “We have seen growth for all our destinations in 2013 and we are quite hopeful that this year it will continue to grow at

a good pace. We have plans to organise workshop, seminars and destination promotional activities in 2014 for B2B market on regular basis. This will enable us to educate outbound operators and generate more interest for our destinations.”

What It Does...

N Tourism Enterprises focusses on marketing and promotions and all operations and pricing are done directly with these DMCs.

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HOTELS

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

IRCTC guest house at Katra Jodhpur bets big on MICE The train link to Katra and the hotel complex at the Though the hospitality industry in India is passing through IRCTC station are significant landmarks for the people testing times, the performance of hotels in Jodhpur and not only of Jammu and Kashmir, but for others also.

Indana Palace Jodhpur, in particular, has been satisfactory.

A N I L M AT H U R hen the long-awaited train link to Katra, in Jammu and Kashmir, opens

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complex is called, has over a hundred beds, spread over a range of accommodation, including a/c rooms and a/c and non a/c dormitories, and

T T B U R E AU

Rakesh Wazir Operator Vasishnodevi IRCTC Guest House

soon, the passengers, pilgrims and tourists alike will be delighted to see a plush, real railway hotel right at the station, welcoming them. The Vasishnodevi IRCTC Guest House, Food Station and Shopping Lounge, as the

a 200 cover food outlet, offering wide variety of cuisine. Rakesh Wazir, who operates the complex, is excited at the prospects of the train passengers, as also other visitors to Katra, going to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno

his season, Jodhpur has witnessed a large number of weddings, which brings in a good share of revenues for the hotels, being it a year round market. “Jodhpur is a perfect destination which provides splendid wedding experience.

Hence, this city is a much sought after destination for weddings, thus giving a fair share to all the hotels,” Poonam Gundecha, Director, Indana Palace Jodhpur, pointed out.

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Devi, enjoying the comforts at the hotel at reasonable rates.

The tariff, ranging from `184 to `2,200, includes complimentary breakfast, mineral water bottle and pickup and drop from the bus stand and Banganga starting point for the trek to the shrine.

The hotel is in close proximity to the bus stand, helipad and the main market.

It commands a panoramic view of the holy shrine and the mountain range.

Hotels in Jodhpur have witnessed an incremental growth from domestic market over the inbound. Plus, they took advantage of receiving business from the extended itineraries from the Jaipur Literature Festival. Polo and Sufi festivals are also fast gaining grounds for attracting tourists.

Commenting on the performance of Indana Palace

Poonam Gundecha Director Indana Palace Jodhpur

It is no longer about selling a product, but selling an experience Jodhpur, she appeared to be quite satisfied. “Since it was our first year of operation, we have performed well and almost met with our budget.

Indana Palace Jodhpur has been accepted by the people as a property which offers a palatial experience with modern comforts,” she maintained.

And, she expects weddings and MICE segment to continue as strong potential for Jodhpur. “Indana Palace Jodhpur supports this segment by providing a set up of 10,000 sq ft pillarless hall, perhaps the largest in Jodhpur, with an attached 40,000 sq ft landscaped lawn to host large groups, meetings and conference arrangements,” she highlighted.

Poonam also informed that Indana Hotels is coming up in Jaipur and Udaipur to strengthen its footprints in Rajasthan. “We strongly believe that it is no longer about selling a product, but selling an experience which has become far more important,” she concluded.

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TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

FAMILY ALBUM

7,107 reasons of success At OTM-2014, Philippines, while showcasing its 7,107 islands, won the best booth in the outbound medium in Delhi and Mumbai. R Glen Agustin, CTOO, India Market Development Group, Philippine DOT, and SanJeet, Tourism AttachĂŠ, India, Philippine Tourism, were awarded the Most Influential Persons in the travel industry.

Kerala turns towards domestic tourists At the 5 th Partnership Meet for 2014 held in Delhi on February 12, officials of the Kerala Tourism interacted with the travel agents. New initatives and future programmes for attracting domestic tourists were also tabled at the roadshow.

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CRUISE

Regal Princess to debut in May The year 2014 has started on a positive note, with a lot of cruise queries and bookings, which have already been confirmed in the first six weeks of the year. vacation spend. Though outbound travel is increasing, passengers opting for cruises from Tier-II and Tier-III cities is still low due to lack of awareness and presence of proactive travel agents.”

T T B U R E AU ccording to Nishith Saxena, Director, Cruise Professionals, the year 2014 looks promising for the cruise industry. Talking about new products, he says, “For Princess Cruises, we have a new ship – Regal Princess – debuting in May 2014. Also, Princess Cruises has become the first luxury liner to introduce a large deployment for cruising in Japan.” Regal Princess would be deployed in Europe for the entire summer season. After sailing on three-week long itineraries, she would be deployed on Princess’ famous 12-day Grand Mediterranean itinerary, sailing between Barcelona and Venice. Regal Princess moves to the Caribbean later in the year and would be offering seven-day itineraries to choose from.

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Regarding the growth in the cruise tourism from India in the last year, he affirms, “The

Saxena adds, “There is an increase in passengers opting for long-haul destinations such

Scandinavia, Mediterranean, China and Japan.” Cruise Professionals have been conducting product updates and roadshows in metros and minimetros to enhance the cruise market share. “One of the key differentiators we offer to our travel agents is Cancellation Fee Waiver programme on Cunard and Princess Cruises,

MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

The group’s primary goal is to make the traveller experience a unique journey, which leave behind an unforgettable memory. The objective of SenKay Tours and Travels is to make travellers experience the real spirit of India comfortably with the highest level

Regal Princess

Anil Kumar

We are witnessing a demand for newer destinations and exotic itineraries last two years have been extremely challenging with respect to growth in overall

Director-Marketing, Product Development Operation and Contracting, SenKay Tours and Travels

as Alaska, French Polynesia, South America, etc. We are also witnessing a demand for newer destinations and exotic itineraries in existing destinations like

which saves passengers from high cancellation fees, in case of cancellation of bookings up to three working days prior to sail date,” he informs.

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SenKay bets big on inbound

Nishith Saxena Director Cruise Professionals

TRAVTALK

of priority to customer service. Talking about the USP of the company, Anil Kumar, DirectorMarketing, Product Development Operation and Contracting, SenKay Tours and Travels says, “One of the key strengths of SenKay is to be distinctive. Our primary goal is to

make the traveller experience a unique journey, which leave behind an unforgettable memory. The choice of routes is important, but not more than its content.”

“In the last two years, we have achieved a decent growth, not only in our business volumes but also in our credibility in the domestic and international market.

The knowledge and understanding of the present day travellers help us to analyse and work out our marketing strategy,” he adds.

Regarding the challenges in promoting India for inbound tourists, he laments, “We keep on hearing about the changes in the visa issuing procedures. However, in reality there is a lot that needs to be done. These are challenges in promoting India as a safe destination for the inbound guests.” The group is participating in ITB Berlin Fair this year to introduce and promote new destinations and directly interact with FTOs.

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AGENTS

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Offering international sporting experiences With niche sectors cropping up in the tourism industry, Fans On Stands Sports (FOSS) offers a unique proposition. Being one of India’s first sports marketing company, it aims to bring the best of international sporting experiences to audiences in India.

R A M YA JS D’R O Z A R I O stablished in late 2009, FOSS has three basic offerings: premium and hospitality ticketing, where they provide access to major sporting events around the world; specialised holidays based on sports; and corporate events centred on sports events. In short, it provides a one-stop sports tourism service. Thus, the firm offers

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Arun Raghu Co-Founder and Director FOSS

Northwest India posts good opportunities as cities, such as Nagpur, offer a strategic sports hub across Central India Indian public an easy access to international sporting events such as MotoGP, Royal Ascot, Grand Prix, etc.

Based in Bengaluru, the key target markets depend on the fan base. The Tier-I cities that offer a large client base are Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, etc. “North West India posts good opportunities as cities, such as Nagpur, offer a strategic sports hub across Central India,” said Arun Raghu, Co-Founder and Director, FOSS. According to Raghu, sports tourism gradually evolved in India. “After the 1983 World Cup, Indian media started publicising sporting events manifold. And, with the advent of cable TV era, Indian public was exposed to a variety of international sporting events. Also, with the influx of 24x7 sports channels, corporate houses realised that such events could be used as a

platform to advertise and promote their brands.” These three key elements led to the evolution of sports tourism in India, he explained. The company also offers customised

packages for MICE groups. If FOSS receives the rights for a particular event, then no extra fee is charged from the customer. However, if no rights are bought, then a

service fee is charged.

International sports tourism market has strict touting laws and as a company they do not indulge in secondary market.

Challenges Sports tourism in India faces lack of involvement by corporates and the government. With transport and hospitality costs being so high in India, international events offer a cheaper and qualitative product. “The Singapore Grand Prix has witnessed a repeat trend every year. Almost 300 to 400 Indians go to Singapore for three days. There is immense government participation, ample infrastructure and support which give tourists more reasons to come back every year.” The Indian government must think along these lines, and plan accordingly to effectively sell India as a sports tourism hub.

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FAMILY ALBUM

FICCI tees off golf tourism in India Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, announced at a curtain-raiser event recently held at FICCI House, New Delhi, that the first-ever international event on Golf Tourism called 'Incredible India Golf Tourism Summit 2014' will take place in October at The Lalit in New Delhi.

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NEWS

Developing religious tourism After the Mahaparinirvan Express, IRCTC now flags off the Panj Takht Special train in a bid to bolster the development of religious tourism.

T T B U R E AU ontinuing its bid to focus on religious tourism, IRCTC has come up with a special train for Sikh pilgrims.

The Panj Takht Special includes a 9-night/10-day

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The train will have a round trip from Dhuri to Dhuri and will take tourists to the famous Takhts situated in various parts of the country like Sri Hazoor Sahib at Nanded, Sri Patna Sahib at Patna, Sri Damdama Sahib in Bhatinda,

elderly passengers, onboard security and housekeeping services have also been provided. Tour escorts accompany the tourists during the visit of the Takht Sahibs at various destinations. The train has 7 sleeper class coaches and one pantry car. The all-inclusive cost of the 10-day trip is `8,250 per person.

Passengers can book their tickets online at IRCTC’s tourism portal www.railtourismindia.com. At the function, Rakesh Tandon, MD, IRCTC, announced that on March 21 and April 18 more Panj Takht Special trains will run.

package tour, ex-Dhuri, in Sangrur District, Punjab. Vijay Inder Singla, MP from Sangrur, who flagged off the Panj Takht Special Train, said "This train will be taking the devotees to the Panj Takhts, which have a great significance for Sikhs. Through this, the 10-day journey to the sacred Takhts which are located in three different States can now be covered at a low cost, which was not possible earlier.”

Sri Harmandir Sahib (Sri Akal Takht Sahib) at Amritsar and Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib.

This package will enable devotees to visit and worship all the sacred Takhts, which are scattered over three different States of the country, in a single trip. Special arrangements were made for the night stay for passengers at Takht Sahibs, wherever required. Keeping in mind the

Singla also informed that the new Sri Ganganagar to Jammu Tawi train (announced in the recent rail budget) will run via Dhuri. He further stated that he has requested the Railway Minister to extend the Andaman Express to Katra, once the Udhampur - Katra section is operational to have direct rail connectivity with Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. At present, Andaman Express travels between Chennai and Jammu three times a week via Lehragaga, Sunam, Sangrur, Dhuri and Malerkotla.

(E)Xperience in U’Khand Xperience India Hotels & Resorts have launched two new properties in Uttarakhand in Mukteshwar, and a camp-site located at Gujjar Dera, Marine Drive, Rishikesh.

T T B U R E AU oth the properties are strategically-located and offer two entirely different yet enticing experiences. Speaking to , Ashok Kumar, Director, Xperience India Hotels & Resorts, says, “We are projecting Cottage Nirvana as a spiritual retreat. Travellers, who are seeking peace of mind and break from their hectic schedule, should come here.”

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Kumar says that they are aiming to reach 55 per cent occupancy for Cottage Nirvana and activities like the yoga retreat for occupants will be organised to provide them with spiritual and calming experience. The other property of the company ‘River Connect’ is the

(L-R) Satyendra Marken & Ashok Kumar

only campsite on this location, says Kumar, which is a USP of the property. It has 20 deluxe rafting camps which overlooks the Ganga and mighty Himalayan Mountains.

“Rafting is a seasonal activity, hence we are targetting 80 per cent occupancy

currently. Although, Rishikesh has many rafting campsites but ‘River Connect’ provides unique experience as it is one of the longest campsite on the bank of Ganga River and we are the sole operator on this location. Also, we have ensured highest level of safety for our clients,” says Kumar.

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NEWS

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Polio vaccination: A must for travel As India celebrates its victory on polio, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, recently announced that all travellers coming to India from seven polio endemic countries and those with polio virus circulation, will be required to take a dose of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) following importation.

R A M YA JS D’R O Z A R I O ndia has completed three years without wild polio virus being detected. However, the virus continues to circulate in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. There have also

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Subhash Goyal President IATO

We have tried to eradicate the disease in various areas. This is similar to the policy that requires travellers to get yellow fever vaccination when travelling to certain countries been recent outbreaks following importation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Syria.

Since 2000, more than 45 countries that were earlier polio-free had wild polio virus importations. Thus, India faces a risk of importation of polio virus importations. To mitigate this risk, all such travellers are required to take a dose of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).

Tallest sand castle of India in Goa Sand Cult, in association with Goa Tourism, presents Goans and visitors to the state with a visual treat – a chance to see the 20-foot tall sand castle which has been put up at Calangute Beach.

The sand castle at Calangute Beach will be open to public till May 31, 2014.

These mandatory requirements for travel will be effective from March 1, 2014.

An OPV vaccination certificate will be issued after this additional dose, and will be valid for a period of 1 year. Indian residents travelling to these seven

countries are required to take a dose of OPV at least four weeks prior to departure, regardless of age and vaccination status. Passengers in transit through polio-infected countries do not need additional OPV dose.

“I have, on behalf of Rotary Club, tried to eradicate the disease in various areas.

This is similar to the policy that requires travellers to get yellow fever vaccination when travelling to certain countries,” said Subhash Goyal,

President, IATO. All District Immunisation Officers (DIOs) in India have been designated to arrange vaccination with OPV and issue a certificate to travellers. The OPV and certificate will be provided free of cost.

“The government should authorise private hospitals to administer the vaccine to travellers prior to their travel, rather than depend on the government hospitals alone,” he added.

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FAMILY ALBUM

Felicitated with a nation’s applause The National Tourism Awards were given away on February 18 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. In his welcome address, Parvez Dewan, Secretary, MOT, thanked the attendees and congratulated the winners.

Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for HRD stressed on making Incredible India a credible place for tourists to visit. He commended the government’s efforts for undertaking various initiatives like the collective landing permit, 90-day free entry for Maldivians visiting India for medical tourism and the Visa-on-Arrival facilities.

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FAMILY ALBUM

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TRAVTALK

Rewarding a year’s worth of labour

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FAMILY ALBUM

Soaked in golden glory...

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AWARDS

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Winners of National Tourism Award 2012-13 Contd. from page 1

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n his welcome address Dewan thanked the attendees and congratulated the winners.

Regaling the audience with his speech, Tharoor stressed on making Incredible India a credible

place for tourists to visit. He commended the government’s efforts for undertaking various initiatives like the

collective landing permit, 90day free entry for Maldivians visiting India for medical tourism and the Visa on

Arrival facilities for 180 countries. He also highlighted the fact that the tourism industry is one of the most

rapid employment generation sectors. The event concluded with Shankar’s vote of thanks.

List of Award-Winners 2012-13 Best Travel Agents/ Inbound Tour Operator Category-I 1st: Le Passage To India Tours & Travels, New Delhi 2nd: Kuoni Travel (India), Gurgaon 3rd: Thomas Cook (India) Category-II 1st: SDU Travels, New Delhi 2nd: Caper Travel Company, New Delhi 3rd: Minar Travels India, New Delhi Category-III 1st: Yatra Online, Gurgaon 2nd: GB Morrison Travels, New Delhi 3rd: Top Travels & Tours, New Delhi Category-IV 1st: Travelite, New Delhi 2nd: Midtown Travels, New Delhi 3rd: Erco Travels, New Delhi Category-V 1st: Uni Crystal Holidays, New Delhi 2nd: Adventure World (India), New Delhi 3rd: Razdan Travels, New Delhi Category-VI 1st: Great India Tour Company, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 2nd: First Tours India, Gurgaon 3rd: Hi-life Tours & Travels, New Delhi

Best Tourist Transport Operator Category-I 1st: Parveen Travels, Chennai 2nd: KTC India 3rd: Bakshi Transport Service Category-II 1st: Ex Soldier Tourist Taxi Service, New Delhi 2nd: Alwar Tourist Transport Service, New Delhi Category-III 1st: Bal Tourist Transport Service, New Delhi 2nd: Shreya Travels, Nagpur

Best Domestic Tour Operator (North Eastern Region including Sikkim)

1st: Yatra Online, Gurgaon 2nd: Southern Travels, New Delhi 3rd: Heat Travels & Tours, Siliguri

Jammu & Kashmir

Heat Travels & Tours, Siliguri

Best Domestic Tour Operator (J&K Region)

Best Hotel Providing Best Facilities for the Differently Abled Guests The Lalit, New Delhi

Best Heritage City Tirupati

Best Standalone Convention Centre

Yatra Online

Best Heritage Walk

Best Adventure Tour Operator

Pune Heritage Walk

Leonia International Centre for Exhibition and Convention, Hyderabad

Best Website/Portal

Best Hotel Based Meeting Venue

Kash Ventures, New Delhi

Best Tour Operator Promoting Niche Segments other than Adventure and MICE

Department of Tourism, Kerala

Thomas Cook (India), Gurgaon

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad

Best Airport (Class X Cities)

Jaypee Palace Hotel & Convention Centre, Agra

Atithi Devo Bhava Award

Kuoni, UK

Swami Vivekanand Airport, Raipur

Md. Sardar & P. Srinivasa Raju (HMV drivers of APTDC; for timely act of bravery in saving tourists’ lives)

Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from N. America

Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination

Sita World Tours, USA & Canada

Best Tourism Promotion Publicity Material (Pvt. Stakeholders)

Category ‘A’ City Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, UP

Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from UK

Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from Latin America Raidho Tour Operator, Brazil

Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from Europe Tui Travel Plc., Spain

Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from East Asia HIS Company, Tokyo, Japan

Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from Australasia Adventure World, Sydney, Australia

Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from Central Asia including Russia Tour Operator Kompas llP, Kazakhstan

Best International Charter Operator for India Pegas Touristik, Russia

Best State Best Domestic Tour Operator (Rest of India)

Best State/UT: Comprehensive Development of Tourism

Rest of India 1st: Andhra Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh (Joint Winners) 2nd: Kerala 3rd: Gujarat

Best Airport (Rest of India)

Category ‘B’ City Pachmarhi, Distt Hoshangabad, MP Category ‘C’ City Kumarakom Grama Panchayat, Kerala

Best Hotel Five-Star Deluxe Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur

Le Passage To India Tours & Travels, ‘India Passionate about Golf’ &; Thomas Cook (India), ‘Luxury Rail Journeys’

Best Tourism Promotion Publicity Material (States/UTs) Karnataka

Best Tourism Film MPSTDC, TV Commercial ‘Rang Hai’

Tourist-Friendly Railway Station

Five-Star Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kottayam, Kerala

Bangalore City Railway Station

Four-Star Vivanta by Taj, Kumarakom

Golconda Fort, Hyderabad

Three-Star Brunton Boatyard Cochin, Kerala Two-Star Red Fox Hotel, New Delhi

Best Maintained & Disabled Friendly Monument Best Responsible Tourism Project ‘The Ladakh Eco-Tourism Initiatives’ Department of Wildlife Protection, Leh, Ladakh

Best Rural Tourism Project

Best Heritage Hotel

Sikkim

Basic Gajner Palace, Bikaner

Best Innovative and Unique Tourism Project

Grand Fateh Prakash Palace, Udaipur

‘Kochi Muziris Biennale Project’, Department of Tourism, Kerala

Best Eco-Friendly Hotel

Best Film Promotion Friendly State

ITC Maurya, New Delhi

Andhra Pradesh

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NTO

Russia beckons Indian travellers

Swiss fam for agents

In a bid to increase the Indian tourist traffic, Russia intends to educate the travel trade about the country and emphasise on the growing business market of the country for all kind of travellers.

T T B U R E AU o increase the Indian tourist inflow through innovative marketing activities, the Federal Agency for Tourism, The Russian Travel Association - World without Borders, in co-operation with Salvia Travels, recently participated at OTM in Mumbai. They aimed at educating the travel trade about Russia and emphasising on the growing business market of the country for all kind of travellers.

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Despite the economic slowdown and rupee depreciation, the growth of tourism to Russia this year is more than 20 per cent.

The Russian Travel Association ‘World without Borders’ appointed Salvia Travels to promote Russian inbound tourism from India.

Beyond the two major cities of Moscow and St Petersburg,

The six-month-long Swiss Pass SuperStar Program, launched in India by Switzerland Tourism in collaboration with Rail Europe and Swiss Travel System, hosted a fam for 18 travel agents in Switzerland. The trip had two groups that visited two distinct regions Group A visited Lucerne, Basel & Zurich and Group B visited Geneva, Zematt & Zurich.

KLM introduces payment via social media

Indian travellers are now willing to explore sites of The Golden Ring, Lake Baikal, the Trans-Siberian Railway journey, Krasnodar Region. Sochi, the Black Sea resort and the home of 2014 Winter Olympics is also becoming popular.

Russia is targetting welltravelled tourists, family travellers, business travellers and MICE segment from India.

Salvia Travels will also hold promotional activities with trade partners in India to double the visitor traffic. Aeroflot provides direct flight connec-

tions from India (New Delhi) to Russia (Moscow) from connecting flights to all major cities of the country. Emirates, Turkish, Qatar, Etihad, Air Arabia, Air Astana and Finnair are some of the major airlines already operating flights to Russia.

In the first of its kind initiative, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has developed a method of payment which enables customers to pay via social media.

Customers using Facebook or Twitter to book or rebook a flight, make a seat reservation, or to arrange extra baggage, can now pay through these channels.KLM sends a link

to the customer in a private message on Facebook or Twitter. The customer can then select their preferred method of payment and complete the transaction. The social media service agent at KLM then receives a message to say that payment has been received and the customer, in turn, receives confirmation of the payment.

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Automating workflows Contd. from page 13

content, Abacus is the first GDS to introduce mobile solutions for travel agents, with personalised web-based and wireless technology,” Sawhney added.

Commenting on the yield management for customers during tough times, he said, “Reducing costs and making our agent customers more profitable is our primary goal. For example, Abacus WorkSpace includes a low fare search capability that allows users to present the best available fare instantly.”

Abacus also has a single PoS (Point of Sale) access to shop and book multiple types of content, such as air insurance and hotels.

Abacus has wide portfolio of budget airlines in Asia/Pacific, many of which have their sights set on the Indian outbound market.

Folding in more domestic hotel content is also a priority to maximise cross-selling and upselling potential for agents looking to strengthen their yields and bottom lines.

Mumbai T2 amongst the world’s Best The new integrated Terminal 2 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, has officially commenced all international operations. An icon for modern India, the terminal will set new international standards across the board. gage reclaim and arrivals’ forecourt. Level 1 comprises Ground services, arrival bus gate lounges and baggage handling systems.

T T B U R E AU he transition of all international flights from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai’s existing terminal to the new Terminal 2 began with the arrival of an Air India flight from Singapore. The first departing flight from T2 was the Jet Airways flight to London. GVK MIAL’s Executive Chairman, GVK Reddy and Managing Director GV Sanjay Reddy welcomed the passengers of the first departing international flight at the terminal’s check-in hall.

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The new terminal comprises four levels: Departure Level 4 comprises common check-in facilities, international security & immigration, international departures retail, duty free and food & beverage. International departure gates are located at this level. Level 3 comprises

Gaurang Shetty Sr. Vice President Commercial, Jet Airways

The new terminal opens up immense possibilities for economic development

security for domestic passengers, domestic departures retail, F&B and the domestic

Rakesh Raicar Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, South Asia, Cathay Pacific

It will add to passengers’ experience while flying in and out of Mumbai

departure gates. Level 2 comprises Arrivals corridor, Customs & Immigration, bag-

A full-fledged Traffic Control Centre with CCTV coverage for the new T2 Roadways is fully operational.

It provides state-of-the-art operations, control, monitoring and responses, especially during emergencies.

Jet Airways, Cathay Pacific, Malindo Air and Singapore Airlines have shifted their international operations to this terminal. Jet Airways, with a fleet of 112 aircraft, offers an average of 25 international services to/from Mumbai to the Gulf, Far East, Europe, and North America.

Gaurang Shetty, Sr. VP Commercial, Jet Airways, commented, “The new terminal opens up immense possibili-

ties for the economic development of this region, as airlines will now be able to offer seamless connectivity.”

Rakesh Raicar, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, South Asia, Cathay Pacific said, “The new terminal will add to the passenger’s experience while flying in and out of Mumbai. It is a spacious and impressive terminal, and is well-equipped to provide passengers with the comfort and ease of check-in, immigration and security before they travel.”

Quick Facts N India’s largest 9-level car park with a capacity to handle 5,200 cars N 7,00,000 sq ft of retail, F&B outlets and lounges N 52 passenger bridge N Capable of handling 40 million passengers annually

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HOTELS

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

Delhi Mumbai Mumbai Chennai Bengaluru Delhi Delhi Mumbai Bengaluru Raipur

14-16 21-23 25 26 27-29

Chennai Guwahati Delhi Mumbai Ahmedabad

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

INTERNATIONAL 5-9

Berlin

ITB

17-19

Tokyo

International Luxury Travel Market

19-22

Moscow

Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT)

24-26

Abu Dhabi

GIBTM

26-28 Kiev 27-April 2 France

NATIONAL

UITT Atout France’s Rendez-Vous en France

APRIL

1 2

Mumbai Bengaluru

Tourism Poland’s Roadshow Tourism Poland’s Roadshow

3

Delhi

Tourism Poland’s Roadshow

4

Mumbai

MICE Travel Mart + Luxury & Leisure Travel Mart,

INTERNATIONAL 3-5

Azerbaijan

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

Ottawa Marseille Singapore Beijing

10-12 15-20 23-25

Siberia The Hague Sao Paulo

23-25

Kazakhstan

28-30

Cape Town

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

MAY INTERNATIONAL 2-3

Cape Town

World Travel Market Africa

5-8

Dubai

Arabian Travel Market (ATM)

9-11 10-12 11-13

Shanghai Durban Stuttgart

World Travel Fair Indaba Expo German Travel Mart

18-21 20-22 27-30

New Zealand Frankfurt Vancouver

Trenz IMEX 2014 Canadian Tourism Commission’s Rendezvous Canada Korea World Travel Fair

29-Jun 1 Seoul

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

Travel trade gives a ‘Grand’ boost Being a standalone hotel, The Grand New Delhi sees tie-ups with the travel agent fraternity as an important part of the marketing strategy. The contribution of travel agents to the hotel’s bookings is a lot more than its own website and OTAs. T T B U R E AU

making process is faster as we are action-oriented,” Amit Modi, Vice President, The Grand New Delhi, said.

pening in 2000 as the first Grand Hyatt property in the country and then being

O

We get 100 room nights from travel agents to 80 room nights from OTAs.

Amit Modi Vice President The Grand New Delhi

operational as The Grand New Delhi since 2002, the hotel has come a long way.

One of the few standalone hotels in Delhi, The Grand New Delhi sees this proposition as a huge advantage.

“Being standalone is a great advantage for us. As we are not affiliated to any hotel chain, there is great flexibility in our operations and sales staff. There are no pre-decided procedures. The decision-

Interestingly, the hotel bets big on its association with the travel trade fraternity.

According to Modi, the standalone proposition makes travel agents indispensable. “In fact, the contribution of travel agents to our bookings is a lot more than our own website and OTAs. As far as the ratio is concerned, we get 100 room nights from travel agents to 80 room nights from OTAs,” he affirmed.

Located conveniently near IGI Airport and New

Delhi’s most upscale luxury shopping malls – DLF Emporio, DLF Promenade and Ambience Mall – the luxury-cum-MICE hotel is betting big on its strategic location. “Despite the fact that we started operations much before the malls came in, one of the biggest USP of our property is its proximity to them. Thus, we have started complimentary shuttle service to the mall for all our in-house guests,” he pointed out. Designed for the savvy corporate guest, The Grand New Delhi offers over 65,000 sq ft of indoor and outdoor meeting areas and exquisite banquet space, he added.

‘2014 looks brighter for inbound’ Ishank Ahuja, Director, Indian Zing Tour, says that though 2013 was a mixed bag of good and bad times for the Indian inbound industry; 2014 is expected to be a good year, especially due to the emergence of newer source markets.

T T B U R E AU How is the Indian inbound industry growing?

In recent years, India inbound tourism industry has gone through its highs and lows. We saw new products, niche travel segments and new source markets coming up, at the same time we also witnessed a lot of uncertainty with some unforeseen situations and problems arising that hampered the overall inbound

Need To Know N Offbeat destinations like North East have seen growth and so did the backpacking adventure travel, luxury and wedding segments N Increasing countries for VoA is a welcome move

growth. To overcome these problems, the government is shunning their stringent visa and taxation policies making travelling to India relatively easier than the past few years. An additional boost to the inbound numbers came through India’s Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) scheme for select countries at many gateway cities. Amongst the travel trends, offbeat destinations like North East have seen growth and so did the backpacking adventure travel, luxury and wedding segments.

What are the sectors that you specialise on?

We specialise in all the classic Indian sectors such as the Golden Triangle, Rajasthan, India with Nepal, South India, Kerala, Central India, Bhutan with Sikkim, Trans Himalayan, Ladakh and Srilanka.

launched new strategies like VoA at gateway airports and India Travel Mart to promote India as a 365-day destination.

Ishank Ahuja Director Indian Zing Tour

How has business been this year? How do you think will 2014 be?

Though in the first 9 months, we saw a good 13 per cent increase in the FTAs as compared to the 5 per cent of 2012, but the overall growth was not on expected lines. The economic slowdown and Uttarakhand floods contributed to this. To offset these, the Indian tourism ministry

The outlook for 2014 looks bright as the benefits of devaluation of the rupee are taking effect. It is also expected to be a good year, especially due to the emergence of newer source markets, and new traveller segments like senior citizens, last minute travellers and the youth.

How do you receive the news of VoA for 180 countries?

Increasing the number of countries for VoA facility is definitely a welcome move. It is sure to give a boost to the inbound numbers making India a well sought after and easy to arrive at destination in the coming future.

IN MEMORIAM Francis Wacziarg Co-chairman and founder of Neemrana Hotels, Francis Wacziarg, who pioneered heritage hotels in India, passed away in New Delhi on Feb 19. He had been battling blood cancer for the past 8 years. Originally from France, Wacziarg arrived in India 40 years ago and fell in love with the country. Just a day before his death, Wacziarg along with Aman Nath, had been awarded the Life Time Achievement Award by the MOT for their work in promoting heritage tourism. Their transformation of the 500-year-old Neemrana Fort Palace from ruins to a flourishing property inspired several heritage owners to do the same.

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NEWS th

10 Park Plaza opens in Zirakpur A 104-key full service hotel, the upscale Park Plaza Zirakpur is the Sarovar Groups’ 67th property in India and 5th property in Punjab. brand does not have banqueting, but we added the same in Chandigarh; because in Punjab, banqueting is a big business.”

K A N C H A N N AT H ther Sarovar hotels in the state include two hotels in Chandigarh - Park Plaza and Hometel, and two properties in Ludhiana Park Plaza and City Heart Sarovar Portico.

O

The Park Plaza Zirakpur is located 6 km from the Chandigarh Airport and 9 km from the railway station. It is located on the Ambala-Chandigarh Puneet Saigal, GM Park Plaza Zirakpur; Anil Madhok, MD, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts and GS Virk, National Highway-21, which Owner, Park Plaza Zirakpur at the launch. also connects Zirakpur with Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and (i.e. Chandigarh, Mohali and away, which is one of the Himachal Pradesh.

Panchkula).” biggest businesses in Punjab.

Zirakpur is a rapidly-developing Anil Madhok, MD, Talking about other satellite township of Chandigarh. In addition, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, Sarovar properties in Punjab, Zirakpur is also known as the speaking at the launch, said he said, “In both the hotels, we wedding capital of Punjab, and “We intend to look at the MICE find that banqueting is doing Park Plaza will offer the largest market and product launches. very well and is an extremely banqueting facility in the tri-city We cannot let weddings go important market. Our Hometel

Puneet Saigal, GM, Park Plaza Zirakpur, said that the hotel has 104 keys with three categories: Deluxe, Superior and Residential suites with multiple onsite dining options. “We have a capacity to handle 10 to 3,000 guests.

The USP of the hotel is its largest banqueting space in the tri-city.”

GS Virk, Owner, Park Plaza Zirakpur, said that it’s been a three year journey for them to build the hotel and they are looking forward to increasing the brand-value of the hotel.

Jammu meet on job creation The National Tourism Entrepreneurship Development Summit (NTEDS), held in Jammu from January 30-31, 2014, was unique in more ways than one. It was organised by the newly set-up Department of Tourism and Travel Management, Central University of Jammu.

A N I L M AT H U R he focus of the summit was job-creation and Foreign Exchange Earning capacity of tourism. Deepakraj Gupta, Head, Department of Tourism and Travel Management, CUJ, said that the true potential of tourism can be reached by being entrepreneurs, and not just job-seekers. Dinesh Awasthi, Director, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, said that to meet the growing requirements of the tourism industry, good entrepreneurs are required. MI Parry, Director, Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute, asked the youth to be 'change agents'.

T

SC Bagri, ViceChancellor, Himgiri Zee University, Dehradun, gave several examples where tourism-related ventures had been successful, in fields like eating places, books, guides and other activities.

SS Bloeria, ViceChancellor, CUJ, said that people are on the move and have to

be looked after. Eco-tourism and health-tourism are among the areas worth exploring, VC said.

G Anjaneja Swamy, Professor, School of Management, Pondicherry University, added a new dimension to the subject by exploding some myths connected with entrepreneurship.

Himmat Anand, founder of Tree of Life Resort and Spa, near Jaipur, gave up his lucra-

tive job to set up his own venture. He asked the youth to put full commitment, consistency and communication skills to be successful. Use of social media was very important today, as was the will to succeed, he advised. Gour Kanjilal, Executive Director, Indian Association of Tour Operators, and a former tourism official, asked the youth to have a global outlook, with the rise of the internet.

Rajive Gupta, VC, asked the

youth to develop ideas, have high standards, ethics and repay society. Some of the projects prepared and presented by the students included - heritage village in Sandhara, in Himachal Pradesh, rural tourism project in Kashmir, Dogri culture and cuisine in Jammu, Tehri Dam rural development, Ocean Hamlet near Puducherry, an old hotel concept near Ajanta, and agro/rural projects near Mumbai.

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74

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

OPPORTUNITY/CLIPBOARD

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CLIPBOARD

MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

TRAVTALK

75

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MOVEMENTS

TRAVTALK MARCH 1 ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014

Hyatt Pune

The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata

The Lalit Jaipur

Pune

Kolkata

Jaipur

Vishal Singh is the General Manager of Hyatt Pune. Singh comes

Rakesh Mitra has been appointed as the General Manager of The

Piiyush Kapoor has been appointed as the new General Manager

with about 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry. This is Vishal’s second stint with Hyatt. Previously, he had worked with Hyatt for seven years.

Singh started as the Conferencing & Banqueting Manager at Hyatt Regency Delhi and was promoted to Assistant Director of F&B there. Then, he was the Assistant Director of F&B at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, and the Director of Food &Beverage at Park Hyatt Goa. Vishal’s last assignment was as Director Operations with DoubleTree by Hilton, Gurgaon.

Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata. His experience in the hospitality industry spans over 17 years, which includes 5 cities and two continents, India and Australia.

Prior to joining The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, he was associated with several other properties under The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group such as Intercontinental The Lalit Mumbai, Intercontinental The Grand Goa Resort and The Lalit Temple View Khajuraho. He was also associated with The Leela Goa, Sarovar Park Plaza Hotels in Goa, Chennai, Bangalore and Raffles Merchant Court Hotel in Sydney.

at The Lalit Jaipur. His experience in the hospitality industry spans over 21 years. Prior to this, he was associated with hotel chains such as InterContinental Hotel Group IHG, Wellworth Hotels, ITC Welcome Heritage, Jaypee Hotels, Hyatt Regency and many more. In his new role, he will uphold The Lalit’s brand position in Rajasthan region and will carry forward the innovations in services and F&B section of the hotel.

Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum

Radisson Blu Plaza Hyderabad

Novotel Hyderabad Airport

Thiruvananthapuram

Hyderabad

Hyderabad

Manish Garg has been appointed the General Manager for

Rajneesh Malhotra has been taken on as the General Manager of

Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum. He brings with him over 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Garg has held several positions in Food and Beverage Operations, as well as Conference and Events with Four Seasons and Marriott Hotels & Resorts in India, Australia and the United Kingdom. Garg joined Hilton Worldwide in July 2011 as the Director of Operations for Hilton Chennai.

the Radisson Blu Plaza Hyderabad. He has over 23 years of experience working with hotels and restaurants in India and United States of America.

Prior to this posting, Malhotra led the opening teams and managed operations of Radisson Blu Suites Gurgaon, Radisson Blu Indore, Radisson Blu Nagpur and Park Plaza Noida as the Executive Director of Bestech Hospitalities.

Maverik Mukarje has been appointed as General Manager of Novotel Hyderabad Airport, effective February 2014. Befoe this, he was the Area General Manager of ibis Hotels, Maharashtra, managing four Accor Hotels (Ibis Mumbai Airport, Ibis Navi Mumbai, Ibis Nashik and Ibis Pune). Before this, Mukarje has also extensive experience of hospitality in New Zealand. He has a Diploma in Hotel Management & Catering Technology from IHM, Bhopal.

Radisson Hotel Khajuraho

The Grand New Delhi

Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park

Khajuraho

New Delhi

Bengaluru

Arun Kumar Manikonda has been appointed hotel manager for

Ashima Besoya has been appointed as Manager – Marketing and

Shiv Bose has been appointed as the Executive Assistant Manager

Radisson Hotel Khajuraho beginning February 14. Manikonda brings with him 11 years of experience in hospitality, having worked for Carlson Rezidor, Fortune Park Hotels, Golden Tulip Hotel and Taj Hotel Group. He has two degrees from Allahabad University in Visakhapatnam: master of business administration and bachelor of business administration.

Communications at The Grand New Delhi. In this position, she is responsible to implement The Grand New Delhi’s overall Marketing and Media Strategies and help support the company’s aggressive growth plan in the region. She also holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from FORE School of Management, New Delhi and B.com (Hons) from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi University.

of the Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park. Bose comes with over a decade of experience in the hotel industry, with his most recent and successful stint at Starwood Hotels & Resorts as Operations Manager- South Asia. He has also held prestigious appointments at Trident Hotel, Mumbai and at Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

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

Wolfgang Will, Director South Asia, Lufthansa, has just recently moved from Mexico to India (Delhi). He feels there are a lot of similarities in the two countries. His wife is presently looking for a suitable accommodation.

Being vegetarian, he is thrilled to be in India, where he does not have to explain why he and his wife don't eat meat. And, they love their food spicy.

Will is health conscious, enjoys cycling and running. He also likes reading and has a love for golf, which he is looking forward to pursuing during his tenure in India.

Seema Pande, Group Director- Sales and Marketing, The Address Hotels+Resorts, says, “I realised long back that one should do what he/she enjoys doing. If you can make your hobby your vocation, nothing can be better than that. And this is my primary job. So my work does keep me going all the time,” she reveals.

She has two grown up kids, who are 15 and 17 years old. “This is the 19th year of my stay in Dubai.

But as Dubai has changed so much, it feels like I have been in 10 different countries,” she laughs.

Ryna Sequeira, Marketing Manager India, Tourism and Events Queensland, says, “Because I live in a city as hectic as Mumbai, I love getting out. I have done 2-3 road trips last year, too. I love exploring new places, meeting new people. I love watching the sun rise behind the mountains and set on the beach. I love travelling in India as there is so much to see and explore in India.

I drove to Gokarana for my birthday last year in the rains, and everything was so beautiful. McLeodganj is another favourite destination of mine.

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Postal Reg. No.:DL(ND)-11/6044/2012-13-14; WPP No.:U(C)-178/2012-14 for posting on 1st-2nd and 16th-17th of the same month at New Delhi P.S.O., RNI No.: 53492/91 Date of Publication:28-02-2014

HIGHLIGHT

The road ahead for Iqbal Mulla After being elected TAAI President for a second term, Iqbal Mulla talks to about Indigo Airlines’ effort of giving 2% commission by way of transaction fee and how he is working to ensure 5% commission for agents.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA How do you look Q upon your leadership as TAAI President in your first term?

During my last tenure as the President of TAAI, I put in a lot of effort to achieve success on several fronts. The deferment of weekly settlements was one of them. I have also been negotiating for the commission issue, and it has also come to a concluding stage. The efforts that we have been making for the last several years in Bengaluru for weekly settlement have finally borne fruit; our request has been recognised by the Bangalore HC and they have put on interim order that the weekly settlement should not be implemented. The weekly settlement is not a part of our plan and what they have been insisting on, is wrong.

What will you work on now, that you have been chosen President a second time?

Q

I'm here to look after the welfare of the travel fraternity; they should be able to survive and reap success. My management is insisting that I should continue whatever I

Major Issues N

To reduce the insurance premium for our members

N

Credit card through

N

To look into the new financial criteria from IATA

N

Providing training to newcomers

pass-

have been doing for the last two years; I'll try my best to ensure that the entire travel industry should benefit by getting a minimum of 5 per cent

‘travel agents’.

These are my goals and with the support of my managing committee and members, I hope to achieve all this.

Iqbal Mulla, President, TAAI

Airlines should understand that agents cannot survive without them, and they too cannot survive without us. It’s a symbiotic relationship commission. The New Year has given good news to us, thanks to Indigo Airlines’ effort of giving 2 per cent commission by way of transaction fee. Issues like high insurance premium is also something that I want to work on. We have to reduce the insurance premium for our members. Credit card passthrough is another issue I'm working on. The new financial criteria from IATA also have to be looked into so that it doesn't burden the travel community. Training is another very important issue, there are very few youngsters coming into the travel industry for a career. When we don't have revenue for ourselves, how can we pay our employees?

So now, I’m trying to train our members and others as well, to convert themselves into ‘travel consultants’ instead of

You laud IndiGo Q Airlines’ effort of giving away 2 per cent commission. How do you hope to achieve 5 per cent commission for agents?

What IndiGo has done is taken baby steps; I’ll also be talking to other airlines, like SpiceJet, GoAirways, Jet Airways, etc., about the same. Airlines should understand that agents cannot survive without them, and they too cannot survive without us.

It’s a symbiotic relationship.

In a month's time, I’m meeting all the airlines.

The deferment of weekly settlement is also of great help to airlines, it’s not just for the benefit of travel agents. If the amount at stake is very large and the money cannot be arranged in that short peri-

od, there will be a default which means a further delay of 6 months. I'll talk to each and every airline to understand our situation and they should remunerate us for our hard work and dedication. It’s a good sign that the airlines are willing to sit across the table and talk it out. Even the government seems to have realised that commission should be a part of the travel fraternity's remuneration. We have taken this forward and I’m sure the airlines will also follow. With other airlines coming up, there is a lot of competition in the market.

Cooperation is the only way and we need to sit together and resolve issues amicably.

Have you made any Q decisions about the TAAI Convention for 2014? Will we get to hear anything from your side soon?

We have been getting plenty of offers for the TAAI Convention. The US is on the cards, Egypt too, however, it all depends on the decision of the managing committee and it depends on how connectivity is taken care of. This time, we want to announce the convention early. If everything works out, we'll announce it very soon.

The convention will be different this time. It will not just be going around and meeting people, we want to sign a few MoUs during the convention and make sure that there are solid results out of the convention. The convention, henceforth, should be a winwin situation for everyone.

After these conventions, people should get something in return to take their business to the next level.