TravTalk

A DDP PUBLICATION

Pages: 48 (Excluding cover)

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Vol. XXIV No. 20; October 2 nd fortnight issue 2012

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TRAVTALK

1

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OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

Industry welcomes the new Secretary

Grow with domestic tourism

Domestic tourists today, have evolved, demanding state-of-the-art infrastructure, Parvez Dewan has assumed charged comfortable accommodation and are willing to spend on wellness activities. as Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Sahai highlights the significance of domestic tourism in India.

Government of India. He is an IAS officer from Jammu & Kashmir, 1977 2010 as compared to an ness activities. This sector VIVEK SETHI increase of 11.8 per cent in offers immense potential cadre. He has taken the charge from 2010 over 2009. and the stakeholders in the n present times, the travel and tourism sector domestic segment continhis predecessor RH Khwaja.

“Tourism is no longer an needs to implant ways and ues to look upbeat with a

I

strong double digit growth in India. As per the recent data compiled by the Market Research Division of Ministry of Tourism, during 2011, the number of domestic tourist visits to the States and UTs touched 851 million as compared to 748 million in 2010 and 669 million in 2009. In other words, the number of domestic tourist visits to states and UTs registered an increase of 13.8 per cent over

elitist activity, especially, when you look at the burgeoning growth in the number of domestic tourists visits within India.

Primarily, the biggest chunk of Domestic Tourism is based on Religious Tourism. However, domestic tourists, today, have evolved.

Subodh Kant Sahai Union Minister for Tourism

They require state-ofthe-art infrastructure, comfortable accommodation and are willing to spend on well-

means to extend the stay or hold domestic tourists longer near these religious attractions,” said Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism on the sidelines of the recently held 4 th edition of International Hospitality Fair (IHF 2012) organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi.

Contd. on page 10

Go Goa this winter conducted an opinion poll on ‘Which is the most recommended domestic destination this winter?’

We received an overwhelming response. Goa took the lead as the most recommended destination leaving behind Kerala with a small margin. J&K was not far behind showing a vast divide amongst domestic tourists. Rajasthan stood fourth in the poll. Other popular destinations included Uttarakhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Utter Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

Parvez Dewan

RH Khwaja

Secretary, MOT

Former Secretary, MOT

See full story on page 38

Others

24% Goa

Rajasthan

29%

12% Jammu & Kashmir

15%

Kerala

20%

Others(according to position) : Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Punjab

BULLETIN

FHRAI prez for conducive policy The 56th AGM of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) elected Vivek Nair, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of Hotel Leelaventure as its new President. He listed critical measures that the govt. needs to take to increase India's share in the global tourism market.

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Demands on the list

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t the helm of the association for the second time for 2012-13, Vivek Nair - who was president of the association during 2003-04 - set the record straight as to what he, on behalf of FHRAI, wishes to achieve. He urged the government to facilitate a progressive and conducive policy framework for enabling the industry to viably undertake this massive additional investment.

Addressing the media, Nair highlighted tourism’s role in generating employment and listed some statistics. He said, “As per the report of the Planning Commission's

Among many desirables, FHRAI raised a few points: Granting 'infrastructure' status by

Promotion Board (HDPB) under the Chairmanship of their Chief Secretaries A liberalization of FSI/FAR norms is desired, for which FHRAI has submitted a detailed report to the Ministry of Urban Development during consultations for DDA's MPD-2021

2012. Also, the Indian hotel industry is poised to commit a capital investment of ` 1,27,600 core to bridge the projected shortfall of over 1,80,000 rooms in the country over the next decade.”

whelmed with the faith and confidence which my colleagues in the fraternity have reposed in me. I regard this opportunity to once again lead a venerable organisation such as FHRAI, particularly at this pivotal and exciting phase for our industry, as both a distinct privilege and a profound responsibility.”

removing the restrictive stipulation presently prescribed in the Harmonized List of Infrastructure Sub-sectors All state governments to accord the sector 'industry' status Each state must constitute an empowered Hospitality Development

Vivek Nair President FHRAI

Working Group on Tourism, the sector will directly support about 63.79 lakh jobs by 201617. WTTC estimates that the Travel, Tourism & Hospitality sector will contribute 6.5 per cent of India's total GDP in

At a press conference as the past president, Kamlesh Barot passed on the baton to him, he said, “I am over-

STATISTICS VIEWPOINT

Get Smart. Get Going.

U

se technology to be your partner in success, not your reason for defeat!

Is your company ready for the onslaught of the social and mobile media? Many are still confused about where to start and achieve tech success. Our over dependence on the web (only) is what is creating confusion for many small players. Investment in developing your own mobile sites and travel apps has become a necessity… Understand your traveller, get smart about the locations being sold by your company and be aware that online and mobile bookings are on the rise. People are now traveling with tablets, which keep them constantly connected, looking for solutions all along the way as they travel. Did you know that Asia has the largest number of mobile subscribers in the world? 2.1 billion with a growth forecast of 50% by 2020. We need to have the foresight to reach out to them.

Having said that, social media on the web is one of the tools for survival. It helps you understand the needs of the traveler through interaction on different social media sites. You can differentiate yourself with the solutions you offer, create curiosity and finally delight for your present and potential customers.

And the best thing, there is no small or big player in this field… everyone has the same strength and capability if the knowledge is built up to the optimum and timely service is rendered. Infrastructure costs are minimal so the playing field is open to all who are ready to understand and get there!

A one-size-fits-all approach does not work anymore. We need to move from a cost-based approach to value pricing. We have ‘smart’ clients out there, so our main focus of revenue management has to focus on the right price across all product segments at the right time. The needs of the global traveler, especially Asians with their growing middle-class, are focused on personal and high-quality experiences, not necessarily cheap but definitely high value. The potential of the right travel product delivered with ease is truly explosive!

Hotel ARRs to improve by 2013 In the recently released report titled ‘Indian Hospitality Story 2012 & Beyond’ conducted jointly by CII and Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), Average Room Rates (ARRs) are expected to improve in the next 12-18 months on account of stability in economy and expected growth in tourism in India.

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t’s challenging to keep average occupancy rates (AOR) increasing along with average room rates (ARR) in a market that’s consistently witnessing increase in supply.

In fact, in many of the popular destinations, there was a decline in AOR, primarily, due to addition of supply in major cities in H1 2012. However, the said report also bestows hope of increase in ARR.

Akshay Kulkarni Regional Director – Hospitality, South and South East Asia, Cushman & Wakefield

According to the report, the top six cities witnessed an average occupancy of 58 per cent with an Average Room Rate (ARR) of INR 5,400 in H1 2012. The current average records a marginal decline of 4 per cent in AOR and 5 per

cent in ARR over the average of 2011 (full year) performance. Chennai recorded the highest AOR of 64 per cent for H1 2012, followed by Mumbai (61 per cent) and Kolkata (60 per cent).

All the cities witnessed only a marginal drop in AOR when compared to the previous year 2011, while

2011

6,555 H1-2012

Delhi-NCR

6,280

Mumbai and Kolkata saw the maximum dip in AOR. The decline in AOR in popular destinations was due to a number of factors but primarily due to addition of supply in major cities in H1 2012. On the ARR front in H1- 2012, Mumbai recorded the highest ARR of `6,400, followed by NCR `6,280 and Bengaluru `4,915. While Chennai and Hyderabad witnessed marginal increase in ARR, all other cities saw the rates as either stable or softening over 2011.

SanJeet Publisher Rupali Narasimhan Editorial Director Deepa Sethi Editor

Editorial Ratan Kr Paul Vivek Sethi Megha Paul Devika Jeet Anita Jain Dency Mathew News-Editor Peden Doma Bhutia Desk-Editor Archana Sharma Sub-Editor Raina Mandal

Advertising Gunjan Sabikhi General Manager Karishma Khanna Sr. Manager Marketing Shailendra Shukla Sr. Manager Marketing Udit Pandey Sr. Manager Marketing Geetika Pathak Manager Advertising Amit Sarkar Asst. Manager Marketing

Average Rate 2011 Occupancy H1-2012 BENGALURU

CHENNAI

HYDERABAD

But, going forward, Akshay Kulkarni, Regional Director – Hospitality, South and South East Asia, Cushman & Wakefield is hopeful that ARRs will improve.

KOLKATA

“Occupancy rates may see an upward trend in the second half of 2012 keeping ARRs steady.

DELHI-NCR

MUMBAI

AVERAGE/TOTAL

Citywise Average Room Rate (INR)

2011\H1-2012 Average/Total

2011

2011

4,900

H1-2012

5,723 5,444

Kolkata

H1-2012

4,770 2011

3,790

Mumbai

H1-2012

3,830

Since a substantial supply is expected to enter the market over the new few years, the pressure on occupancy rate and ARRs will continue.

2011

6,395 Hyderabad

H1-2012

6,400

The phasing of the new inventory and gradual growth in demand for hotels will help

2011

4,700 H1-2012

4,900 Bengaluru

Hotel Supply ( No. of rooms)

Chennai

2011

5,740 H1-2012

4,915

Citywise Bengaluru Chennai Hyderabad Kolkata Mumbai Delhi-NCR Total

H1-2012 400 160 430 0 300 830 2,120

H2-2012 3,800 2,200 160 150 1,540 5,000 12,850

Upcoming 9,400 5,150 3,720 4,500 10,200 17,550 50,520

ALL Source: Cushman & Wakefield research

Vikramajit Chairman

Citywise average occupancy rate

Advertising (Mumbai) Suchita Saran Branch Manager Harshar Ashar Deputy Genral Manager Rishika Karra Sales Coordinator Advertisement Designers Vikas Mandotia/Nitin Kumar Design: Nityanand Misra Sudhir Mudgal Photographers Simran Kaur-Delhi Bharat Dangiya-Mumbai Production: Anil Kharbanda Circulation: Ashok Rana

TRAVTALK is a publication of DDP Publications Private Limited. All information in TRAVTALK is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regret that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract and/or in interviews are not necessarily shared by TRAVTALK. However, we wish to advice our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific

advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Contents of this publication are copyright. No part of TRAVTALK or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copyright or the article is taken from another publication. An exemption is hereby granted for the extracts used for the purpose of fair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sent to us for our records. Publications reproducing material either in part or in whole, without permission could face legal action.

The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material solicited or unsolicited nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged.

This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation.

All advertisements must comply with the Indian and International Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any damage or loss caused by delayed publication, error or failure of an advertisement to appear.

59% 57% 67% 64% 54% 53% 66% 60% 67% 61% 63% 58% 62% 58%

keep the rates at modest levels across the country.

However, going forward, we expect ARRs to improve in the next 12-18 months on account of stability in economy and expected growth in tourism in India. Also, with more and more international brands operating in the country, the market will move towards being more organised and standardisation of process including cost per room night,” said Kulkarni.

“Further, on back of interest from a variety of segments ranging from MICE, Wellness Tourism, Spiritual & Pilgrimage Tourism, apart from the traditional business or leisure travel, the top six cities of India are expected to see a total of 50,000 new hotel rooms across categories in the next 5- 6 years. This is in response to the steady growth the hospitality sector has recorded over the last few years. 2012 alone is expected to see 14,800 fresh keys by the end of the year.

Out of the total expected supply for 2012, 2000 new hotel rooms have already entered the market,” he added.

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STATES

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

TRAVTALK

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J&K showcase at the ADTOI Convention Jammu & Kashmir, once a sought after summer escape for Indian travellers, is doing what it takes to regain its share of the Domestic Tourism market as it plays host to the Annual Convention.

S H AYA N M A L L I C K

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t is important to note that India has a very strong domestic tourism market, which is likely to register strong growth in the coming years on the back of a strongly growing economy.

According to the Ministry of Tourism; Domestic Tourism contributes about threefourths of the overall tourism economy in the country. In 2010, 740 million domestic

Nawang Rigzin Jora Tourism Minister Jammu & Kashmir

Highlighting the various Adventure Tourism products will be one of our key focus areas during the convention tourist visits took place while the figure crossed the 850 million mark in 2011 and the trend will continue in the coming years.

It is in this backdrop that the sixth edition but the first ever Annual Convention of ADTOI (Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India) outside Delhi holds significance. Jammu & Kashmir, once a sought after summer escape for Indian travellers, is doing what it takes to regain its share of the domestic tourism market as it plays host to the Annual Convention.

Tourism in the state of Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed a rebound in the last few years. It received about 10 lakh domestic tourists last year as against just a few thousand foreign tourists.

Speaking about the ADTOI Convention taking place in the state, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Tourism Minister, Jammu & Kashmir said, “The ADTOI Convention is a very

important event for the state tourism. Tourism in the state has always been driven by the domestic market. And ADTOI being the national tourism body of tour operators, we have high hopes from the Convention.”

Jora said that the state tourism department will wrest this opportunity to showcase the domestic tour operators not only Kashmir but also the Jammu and Ladakh regions. He said, “Highlighting the various

Adventure Tourism venues will be one of our key focus areas during the convention.” He further explained, “We have an incredible range of adventure tourism products and the potential to promote these are immense

in the huge domestic market.” He stressed that the state is ready to welcome adventure seekers with products such as river rafting, heli-hiking, skiing etc. Apart from highlighting its various popular

tourist destinations like Pahalgam, Sonemarg and Gulmarg, Jora informed that the State Tourism Department as well as the local tourism trade will also showcase the lesser known destinations.

TIME MACHINE

ITDC to be revamped Cabinet Report Ready The government would take a decision very soon on restructuring the India Tourism Development Corporation hotels, many of which are acknowledged by the minister of civil aviation & tourism, in an interview with Travtalk, to be “in a total mess”. Following is the text of the interview: T.T.: You have been talking about creating tourism pockets all over the country. The tourism pockets that you plan to create will ultimately have to pass through certain main line areas. How do you plan to overcome the infrastructural obstacles like the varying tax structures in different states?

M.S.: Basically all that we want to implement has to go through the state governments. They are the implementing agencies and everything really depends on the cooperation extended by them. We would be concentrating more on those areas which have shown a positive

Madhav Rao Scindia Union Minister for Civil Aviation & Tourism

attitude. The infrastructure and all that are really their problem. We can not force them at all. There is nothing we can do. Take this $10 entry fee for Taj Mahal, we can’t do anything about it. We can give them suggestions, we can provide guidelines but we can not force them to follow through.

T.T.: A lot has been said about allowing private airlines to operate in the domestic circuit. UB Air has one aircraft which has been grounded. If these kind of things keep happening, do you think private airlines will ever be able to take off?

M.S.: I have said time and time again that this is the policy of my predecessor and it is my job to ensure that the private airlines get a fair deal. But I am not a guarantor nor am I responsible for their balance sheet or how they operate.

The investment decision is theirs, how they operate is their problem – all we have done is, opened the skies for them.

New Visa rules for USA The US consular offices in India recently adopted changes in their visa application process. These changes create one worldwide standard for US visa application.

T T B U R E AU

Application form: All visa applicants need to log into the new website www.ustraveldocs.com/in and create an account. The application form needs to be filled online on this website.

Payments: Visa applicants will be able to pay fees using cash, electronic fund transfers or payment via mobile phone. Applicants will also be able to make payments at more than 1,800 Axis, Citibank and Bank of America locations throughout India, replacing the existing relationship with HDFC Bank.

Appointment:

A new online appointment system will enable the scheduling of both individual and group appointments. Travel companies will also have the option to purchase bulk appointment receipts, which they can use to schedule appointments as necessary. Each applicant will require two appointments, one for fingerprints/photos and one for the visa interview itself.

(Interviews can also be scheduled on the phone). Before appearing for a visa interview, applicants will go to a separate facility to provide fingerprints and photos (for the first-timers only). For those, who already have had visas before; need not go through this again.

Applicants will have a visa interview only after submitting fingerprints and photos.

These interviews will occur after 1-14 days after the fingerprint/photo visit.

Delivery: Visa applicants and their authorised representatives will now be able to collect their visas at no cost from one of 33 convenient and secure Blue Dart locations around India. Home delivery service will be available for an additional fee.

Interview Waiver: Effective immediately, Indian visa applicants renewing a Business/Tourism (B1 and/or B2) visa may apply for a waiver of the personal interview. B1/B2 visa holders with visas that are still valid or that have expired within the

past 48 months may request this interview waiver during the online visa application process. Under this new system, all documents associated with interview waiver applications can be submitted to 11 of the Blue Dart locations used for visa pickup. If your existing visa was granted after November 1, 2008, you may not need to go to one of the fingerprint/photo facilities, meaning one can renew their visa without ever visiting any of the US Consulates or the Embassy. Children of 7 years and below are not required to appear for a non-immigrant visa interview at any post in India.

Must Knows Each applicant will require two appointments, one for fingerprints/photos and one for the visa interview itself All visa applicants need to log into the new website www.ustraveldocs.com/in and create an account

EXHIBITION

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

TRAVTALK

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Reed to trade: Prepare to gain With 18 large trade events in its kitty, a team from Reed Travel Exhibitions flew to India to meet travel partners. Ways to extract more from Reed Travel Exhibitions T T B U R E AU

T

he objective of the team was to meet the stakeholders in the travel trade and apprise them about the recent developments, innovations along with the 8 best possible ways to ensure delegates gain most from Reed’s 18 travel exhibitions. The team comprised Shane Hannam, Key Account Manager, Reed Travel Exhibitions and Mark Cheney, Sales Manager, ILTM- Luxury Portfolio, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

Shane Hannam Key Account Manager Reed Travel Exhibitions

According to Hannam, “The delegates should plan participation early. Early participation decision provides a plenty of time to plan and work out elaborate strategies and meetings with the most relevant counterparts among the leading global players.

The companies should update

Mark Cheney Sales Manager, ILTM- Luxury Portfolio, Reed Travel Exhibitions

online profile, as buyers and sellers use them to plan their meetings accordingly. It’s important to meet all the deadlines, as they cannot be altered and speaks volumes about the commitment and serious intentions. The companies can also use PR and media opportunities; invite people they wish to meet, for instance, WTM My Invitation option that allows exhibitors to invite stakeholders they would like to meet in prescribed format and before a certain deadline. The participants should also attend all the speed networking events; network online through social

media and seek organisers’ help to make announcements on special plans.”

“We look at long-term commitments to the various markets, we operate in. India is one such market where we see immense potential and will

like to have a long term commitment. We are keen to play an important role in the Indian travel exhibition market and presently, we are in the bidding stage,” Hannam said responding to the query on the Great Travel Mart India.

Plan your participation early Update online profile, as buyers use them to plan their activity Meet deadlines, as they cannot be altered Use PR and media opportunities Invite people you wish to meet, for

instance, WTM My Invitation option

Attend all the speed networking events Network online through social media Let the organisers know about your special plans, who then can help in promoting it for you

INTERVIEW

APAC has to step up: Craigs Martin Craigs, CEO, PATA shares his thoughts on the importance of the Indian market, the future of the Asia Pacific region and the European aviation taxes during the PATA Travel Mart 2012 in Manila.

MEGHA PAUL IN MANILA

W

ith the spurt in tourist arrivals in the Asia Pacific region, Craigs says, “Even under the current constraints of the global economy, the APAC continues to produce strong performances in international travel flows.

The region is on track to reach our forecast of 450 million arrivals for calendar year 2012.”

To underline the 61-year old travel association’s relevance in the digital age, the CEO has called for aligned advocacy, mobile technology, business building events and crisis management readiness that will define the association’s new operational mindset called PATA Next Gen. “PATA Next Gen is ageless, neither old nor young. It is a state of mind, a commitment to speed, relevance, informality and getting things done on behalf of our members who want to build and defend their

Craigs Speaks Many Indian trips are familyoriented holidays with plenty of activities such as shopping, nightlife and theme/amusement parks for kids Thus, I see a continued rise of India as an outbound market We now look forward to promote Latin America to the Indian travellers

business in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

Citing PATAmPOWER, the association’s new mobile platform for integrated travel intelligence, as a major proof

Martin Craigs CEO PATA

point in PATA Next Gen delivery, Craigs remarks, “PATAmPower presents the latest travel industry insights and statistics in a user-friendly visual format that PATA members can access on their mobile devices 24x7, as long as they have an internet connection.”

Talking about the response to this new programme since its launch this year in April, he points out, “Going forward, we need to build awareness about the programme’s value additions. We have structured it in such a way that PATA members who pay more for their membership benefits get premier content.”

Predicting about the growth of tourism from India, Craigs feels, “The

average length of stay of an Indian traveller on vacation is 12-15 days. Many Indian trips are family-oriented holidays with plenty of activities such as shopping, nightlife and theme/amusement parks for kids. Thus, I see a continued rise of India as an outbound market. We now look forward to promote Latin America to the Indian travellers.”

Criticising the implementation of travel taxes in the UK, the PATA CEO laments that people in Britain are now taxed through the Air Passenger Duty for the permission to come on holiday in any country. “It is a moral outrage that the governments who advise other countries on full trade impose a detention tax on their own citizens.

The Asia Pacific region has to step up and take the message to the European Union that anti-travel taxation is not acceptable. This is a serious issue and it needs to be confronted.

These regulations impact on the people that PATA serves.”

12,000 Indians tour Australia in June Australia saw an overwhelming 12,000 Indian visitors in the month of June’12 which is a massive increase of 6.2 per cent relative to the same month previous year bringing up the total for six months till June 2012 to 80,300.

As always maintained by Tourism Australia, the figures attest that India is a key market and one that Tourism Australia is keen to nurture and develop. With a relatively strong economy, evolving lifestyle, and increase in discretionary money, India offers enormous potential for future growth in terms of visitor arrivals and spends.

India is also one of the world’s fastest growing outbound travel markets, with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation pre-

dicting 50 million outbound travellers by 2020. It is currently Australia’s 10th most valuable inbound tourism market, with 148,000 visitors spending A$867 million in 2011.

Some prominent highlights for the month of June’12 as shared by Tourism Australia in regards to Indian outbound tourist traffic to Australia: There were 12,000 visitors from India to Australia during June 2012, an increase of 6.2 per cent relative to the same month previous year The total for year ending 30 June 2012 is 152,500, an increase of 5.6 per cent relative to same period in 2011 The total for six months to June 2012 is 80,300 an

increase of 5.4 per cent relative to the same period in 2011 Tourism Australia has also recently unveiled a new strategy aimed at tapping into the future tourism potential of India. The India 2020 strategic plan identifies the main opportunities and sets out the approach required to build Australia’s appeal and to win future market share. This plan predicts arrivals upto 300,000 visitors and upto AUD 2.3 bn in Spends by the year 2020.

In alignment of this long term strategy, the campaign has been designed to be long-lasting and flexible, one that could evolve to stay relevant for target consumers in a highly competitive and fast-changing global tourism environment.

STATES

New age tourism in Kerala

Seaplanes, water taxis and cruises to woo tourists

AP Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala spoke exclusively to about issues hindering Kerala tourism and revealed plans of the government to enhance tourism in the state.

D E N C Y M AT H E W How do you plan to solve the most-talked about problems of Kerala Tourism: Hartals and Houseboat pollution?

Both of them are major issues affecting Kerala.

Hartals cannot be eliminated completely in Kerala as the state is very politically sensitive. There are some sectors exempted from hartals in Kerala like milk, newspapers and hospitals.

We are trying to get a consensus to move tourism from the zone of hartals too so that it doesn’t affect the tourists.

Regarding houseboat pollution, we plan to coach, conduct workshops and create awareness for houseboat owners and workers to help reduce the contamination and pollution caused by houseboats.

Kerala has been plagued majorly with cleanliness issues. Can the state overcome this issue?

We are aiming to be a ‘waste free’ destination. For this, we will be starting a new campaign from October 2 in Kovalam. This campaign is targeted to improve knowledge and promote a clean Kerala. The campaign will later be extended to places like Munnar, Kumarakom and Alappuzha. We have identified 1,400 houses in Kovalam to start a bio gas plant.

Also, the tourism department is spending ` 14 crore to solve the water supply problems in Kovalam.

Kerala does not have much to offer to tourists during the time 7 pm to 11 pm.Is this a conscious decision?

Kerala has traditions and rich culture and we have our own limitations.

A P Anilkumar Minister for Tourism Kerala

Bars, nightclubs and casinos are not our culture and will never be encouraged.

However, to meet the growing demand of a night life, we will open a night halting centre in Alapuzha. This will benefit the night traveller and the centre will also house a cafeteria, shopping arcade and have some entertainment.

But it will all be developed within our culture.

The state has a vast expanse of water. Any plans for further development?

We have not tapped our water bodies efficiently in the past. Now, we are looking at exploring it to the fullest. We are in talks with private parties to introduce seaplanes by February 2013. We will give these private bodies an exemption on fuel tax to start seaplanes. There are also plans to start water taxis and cruises from Cochin.

Any plans to promote Kerala tourism in any new international market?

Yes, Australia and Middle East was tapped last year through our roadshows.

This year, we plan to promote Kerala tourism in Russia. We are also in talks with some private parties to start charter flights from Russia.

What is the way forward for Kerala Tourism?

The next five to six years will be crucial for Kerala Tourism. The government is keen on promoting the unknown and unexplored parts of North Kerala.

Tourism activities in Kerala have been restricted from Trichur to Trivandrum, but we plan to extend it from Malappuram to Kannur. We have beautiful places in North like Wayanad, Bekal, Kannur and Kasaragod which has backwaters, beaches, hill stations and these products need to be highlighted. There will also be priority given for MICE events and Trivandrum and Calicut will soon have convention centres.

Sahai bats for domestic Contd. from page 1

IHF 2012 is an exclusive B2B event for the complete Hospitality related services, where Madhya Pradesh was ‘Focus State’ in the present edition.

“We at the policy front have initiated an ambitious project to create dedicated religious circuits across the country weaving together the places of religious attractions to different religious sects. We are also looking at giving a thrust to availability of quality budget accommodation by our proposal to

convert the numerous guest houses, wholly or partly into a budget hotel,” he added.

Further, from the statistical perspective, presently the top ten states garnered over 85 per cent share in the total number of domestic tourist visits during 2011. The top ten States in terms of number of domestic tourist visits (in millions), during 2011, were Uttar Pradesh (155.4), Andhra Pradesh (153.1), Tamil Nadu (137.5), Karnataka (84.1), Maharashtra (55.3), Madhya

Pradesh (44.1), Rajasthan (27.1), Uttarakhand (25.9), West Bengal (22.3) and Gujarat (21.0).

Domestic Grows The number of domestic tourist visits to the States and UTs touched 851 million as compared to 748 million in 2010 and 669 million in 2009 In other words, the number of domestic tourist visits to states and UTs registered an increase of 13.8 per cent over 2010

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Join today free of charge and start developing your Scotland knowledge!

VisitScotland is inviting all the travel trade professionals from India to sign up for the SCOTS programme, their award winning destination education programme and join the other 6,000 elite travel agents from around the globe who are already part of the programme.

It is a free online destination education programme that allows you to develop your product knowledge of Scotland and provide you with hints and tips to increase your Scotland sales. The programme consists of 6 educational seminars. Each seminar provides key information that will assist in selling Scotland to your clients. In addition, one of the seminars is tailor-made for MICE organisers and showcases Scotland’s USPs as a preferred destination for meetings, incentives and conferences.

Join today free of charge and start developing your Scotland knowledge!

Free benefits

Once you have registered for the programme, you will be able to access these invaluable business benefits which will assist you in increasing your Scotland sales.

• A monthly e-Newsletter which contains information on commissionable deals, product updates and the latest news from VisitScotland • Access to exclusive commissionable deals via VisitScotland’s travel trade site, www.visitscotlandtraveltrade.com • Access to a dedicated email address for assistance with your enquiries about Scotland (48 hour response guaranteed) • Online ordering facility for marketing materials including; posters, tour shells and a variety of brochures Once you have completed the programme you will be able to: • Download SCOTS logo to complement your own stationery and

•

you can also put it on your business card, website, letterhead and itineraries SCOTS agents are also invited to attend our annual B2B event expo which will be held on April 17 and 18, 2013. In addition, you will have the opportunity to participate in a FAM trip that will highlight the key products in Scotland

What’s new in 2013…

In 2013, Scotland will be celebrating The Year of Natural with lots of activity and events taking place throughout the country.

VisitScotland will be highlighting on some key themes like nature in our cities, natural landscapes, wildlife, built heritage and natural larder.

Below are some ideas to inspire you with great ways to encourage you clients to experience excellent outdoor activities, tasty local produce and much more.

Nature in cities

The cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are the bustling hubs of Scotland. They are rich in heritage, urban green spaces and vibrant in culture. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The capital boasts of various types of flowers and wildlife at The Royal Botanical Garden. Visitors to Glasgow can stroll in one of more than 90 parks and green spaces in the city and combine history with horticulture at the Kelvingrove Museum. It also boasts of the title UNESCO City of Music and is known to be one of the best shopping district, outside London.

Natural landscapes

Perthshire, in the very heart of Scotland, has some of the finest and most accessible rivers, lochs and waterways. Suppliers can offer, bespoke walking trips and coach tours to enjoy Scotland’s natural landscapes. On boat trips and island hopping tours, your clients can explore the diverse coastline of

the country, from the white sand beaches in the Isle of Colonsay to the iconic Old Man of Hoy seaclifts in Orkney.

Wildlife

Sell Scotland’s dramatic countryside, islands and coastal areas which are home to a range of wildlife. The Highlands live up to their picture-postcard images with majestic scenery where one can spot red deer and squirrels. Further north, Orkney and Shetland Islands offer tranquillity, nature and spectacular views. Looking out to the Atlantic Ocean, the Outer Hebrides stretches for 130 miles, with a striking mix of landscapes and some fascinating plant life.

Natural Larder

Offering a world renowned produce, Scotland’s natural larder is unrivalled. From traditional dishes such as haggis, to the nation’s most famous drink, whisky, your clients will enjoy award winning experiences.

The country boasts of no fewer than 25 Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as traditional farmers’ markets and food festivals. Get your clients to tour one of 500 whisky distilleries in Scotland and enjoy different flavours of the ‘water of life’ with a whisky tasting event.

Historic landscapes and built heritage

Scotland really is a vast culture squeezed inside a small country. Clients will fall in love with its monuments, castles and gardens which add character to Scotland’s unique landscapes.

Royal castles by lochs, as the most photographed one, Eilean Donan by Kyle of Lochalsh or Urquhart Castle at the banks of the legendary Loch Ness are spread all around the country, where your clients could experience Scotland’s fascinating culture and history.

Contacts

To learn more about Scotland sign up to VisitScotland destination education programme SCOTSagent at www. scotsagent.com.

For all your trade enquiries please visit the VisitScotland Trade website www.visitscotlandtraveltrade.com or contact Trade Marketing Team on tradepromotions@visitscotland.com.

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SCOTSagent programme

12 TRAVTALK

STATES

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

TSI receives laurels

MP to be a new address for MICE To chart a new growth track, Madhya Pradesh now looks forward to provide subsidies for converting properties to heritage hotels, for construction of budget hotels and for the development of convention centres.

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n a bid to give a fillip to tourism development in Madhya Pradesh, the state government has recently accorded an industry status to the tourism sector. The state cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh, has also approved amendments to the Tourism Policy 2010 that include provision for subsidy for converting properties to heritage hotels, development of convention centres and subsidy to investors for construction of budget hotels at religious places. This was

Mohan Yadav Chairman, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation

revealed by Mohan Yadav, Chairman, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC).

The MP Government is now giving sops to encour-

New policy on the anvil Travel Spirit International received the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Corporation’s Tourism Award for the year 2011-12 in the category of Best Tour Operator. This award has been conferred on World Tourism Day for an outstanding promotion of Tourism in Madhya Pradesh. The 1st award received by the company was in the year 2008-09. Those present on the occasion included Tukoji Rao Puar, Minister of Tourism, Sports and Youth Welfare, MP, SPS Parihar - Principal Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Tourism and - Raghwendra Singh, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism.

The state cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh, has also approved amendments to the Tourism Policy 2010 that include provision for subsidy for converting properties to heritage hotels, development of convention centres and subsidy to investors for construction of budget hotels at religious places.

age opening up of heritage hotels.“As per the provision to provide subsidies for heritage hotels in the amendments, if a private building is converted and operated as a heritage hotel, the owner or the investor will get 25 per cent subsidy or ` 1.50 crore, whichever is less, payable on capital investment expenditure,” he says. The subsidy will be given after a year of operations and being classified as a heritage hotel by the Hotel and Restaurant Approval and Classification Committee.

The MP government is also taking giant steps to develop convention centres at four important cities in MP – Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior. Permissions for projects worth ` 10 crore will be given by MP Trade & Investment Facilitation Corporation Limited (TRIFAC) to speed up the process.

Last year, Madhya Pradesh became the first state in the country to offer air taxi services. The air taxi service is a joint venture between Ventura Air Connect and MPTDC to link cities in MP. According to Yadav, since the first flight of this service took off from Bhopal to Gwalior, the revenue receipts in tourism has increased almost 30 per cent.

Spreading for MICE The MP government is also taking giant steps to develop convention centres at four important cities in Madhya Pradesh – Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior Permissions for projects worth ` 10 crore will be given

by MP Trade & Investment Facilitation Corporation Limited (TRIFAC) to speed up the process

NEWS

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

TRAVTALK

13

ITDC invites participation from states Riding on profits after two successive years of loss, the renewed enthusiasm of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is on display as it invites states and private players to invest in hospitality development through PPP where it could participate with them by lending its expertise in operations, online marketing, etc.

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s India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) evolves from the losses incurred in the recent years and gains a momentum on the balance sheet, it is also professing a new direction of growth (primarily inorganic) where it intends to enter into partnership with states to augur tourism. At the recently held press conference in the capital to announce its positive financial results following its AGM, in which ITDC decided to pay dividends to its shareholders, Shankersinh Vaghela, Chairman, ITDC said, “As a corporation, we are going to get better from here on as we have improved our operational efficiency, curtailed expenditures and increased our profitability.

We are also trying to venture into newer areas where we can form a partnership with states for hospitality marketing and development.”

According to him, ITDC is willing to extend its hands to the states if they wish to enhance its hospitality resources. Lalit Kumar Panwar, Vice Chairman & MD, ITDC said, “The first step has to be taken by the state tourism departments where scope of any hospitality project could be established.

The states can market ITDCowned properties and we can market the states through our properties and online efforts.”

State-run ITDC is also keen to bring about hospitality development in the various states with the interest of private operators through Public-

Etihad flying to Kerala For a limited period

Etihad Airways is offering additional flights to Kerala.

An additional 14 flights per week to Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram have been added starting from Sept 21, 2012 and valid for Travel until Nov 30, 2012.

Private Partnership (PPP) for which it has drawn up plans where existing properties will be upgraded in PPP mode.

Vaghela remarked, “We are

making efforts to upgrade our properties and also exploring the possibilities of attracting private investments in areas of additional product develop-

ment where states can play a very important role. PPP will come about by floating tenders for which our planning is underway.” The corporation is

(L-R): Lalit Kumar Panwar & Shankersinh Vaghela

also looking at Gir Forest in Gujarat and Bodhgaya in Bihar where it has such opportunities. It is also open to the idea

of partnering with private entities where ITDC can manage new facilities like convention halls and hotels.

AVIATION

Consistency key to success On completing 27 years in India, Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Vice President – India & Nepal, Emirates talks about its strategies, trends and way ahead for the carrier in the Indian market.

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ith the initial launch of two-city operations in India (Mumbai and New Delhi) on October 25, 1985, Emirates today operates 185 flights a week from 10 cities across the country. India is the top market for the airline outside Dubai in terms of operations and frequencies.

According to the latest report

by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the airline is contemplating a 52 per cent increase in its weekly frequency on the Indian routes.

Furthermore, indicating the impact of Emirates Airlines on the Indian economy, it was revealed that the airline has contributed USD 596 million to the Indian economy. It has brought in 5,29,928 foreign tourists into the country in FY 2010-11, as a result of which USD 1153 million has been contributed to the economy as Foreign Exchange Earning (FEE).

What are the key strategies to maintain a brand in a competitive market like India?

To start with, it is important to build a strong brand among the customers and consistently maintain its quality level.

Thus, ‘Consistency’ is the key word for every spectrum of service – customer service, technology, marketing, branding, promotions, unique initiatives, additional services, etc.

Always bring in the ‘new’ factor to increase the interest level of the customers, engage with them, get interactive on social media platforms and work on their feedback to further enhance the service level. Apart from that, work closely with the other service providers like tourism boards, hoteliers and ground handlers to offer attractive packages during off seasons and peak season to sustain profitability round the year.

Talking about brand recall value, Emirates is

always present among its customer segment through various modes of promotions and branding. We are consistently coming up with unique services like chauffer-drive pickups for our premium customers, meet and greet services, DVPC services, exclusive call-centre for Indian passengers, international airport lounges, dedi-

Essa Sulaiman Ahmad Vice President – India & Nepal Emirates

cated loyalty programme with unique benefits, tie up with hotels and various tourism boards to bring out the best for our passengers, etc.

How, as a legacy carrier, Emirates maintains the service standards and quality, offer competitive prices and at the same time manage to earn profits on yields. What’s the viable model of operating in India?

India is indeed a competitive market with increasing number of international airlines entering India and Indian carriers starting to spread their wings in international skies. In fact, healthy competition leads to improvement of quality standards and enhancing the overall economy of a country.

Be it a low cost or full service, airlines are trying their best to survive with a viable model suitable to their home market.

Cost is the most important component in the business and all our strategies are focussed on balancing cus-

tomer service and cost. Even on the B2B front, we work very closely with the travel trade partners as they act as the direct interface with the end travellers.

Any plans to expand operations in the Indian market?

India has always been the first international connection that Emirates has started that was on October 25, 1985 with flights to Mumbai and New Delhi. Both these markets have always been in the eyes of Emirates since the inception and growing from two destinations to now ten destinations with 185 flights a week. India has been growing from strength-to-strength and that’s why Emirates has been growing its business into India. India, for rest of Emirates network, has always been an excellent traffic as well. Even from other connecting markets into India, we are recording a good growth. India is now a good feeder market for Emirates for other international routes in US, Europe and Africa.

We, currently, have enough capacity for demand in the market. Both, the India and UAE governments, are holding talks about increasing the number of air-seats in the bilateral agreement. With an average of 80 per cent load factor on Indian routes, we think there is lot of scope for growth. India is a very positive market with growth potential for every domestic and international carrier.

Fast Facts Airline reported a net profit of USD 409 million for fiscal 2011-12; revenue of USD 17 billion and carried 34 million passengers It operates 183 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft and has orders for an additional 220 aircraft, worth more than USD 62 billion

Bus service from UK to India?

A new bus service will soon link Jammu and Kashmir in India to Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The 12-day bus journey will reportedly pass through seven countries, including Iran and Pakistan. Tickets

for this route will cost up to 130 pounds.

Birmingham hosts the largest percentage of Kashmiri expats in the world. Even then the news has been greeted with mixed feelings.

There is a concern over

the security and safety of the passengers on this route which will halt at Quetta, Pakistan. This area is located close to Afghanistan border where Taliban commanders are said to be in hiding. (in.news.yahoo)

AVIATION

Ahmedabad: 9th city for Etihad Etihad reinforces its commitment to India by launching flights, this November, on the new Abu Dhabi Ahmedabad route. The airline discusses its growth in India and highlights the importance of travel agents.

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t present, the airline operates 52 flights per week to eight cities across the country, namely, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Calicut,

Neerja Bhatia General Manager - India Etihad Airways

Cochin, Mumbai, New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram.

This winter, the airline will increase its presence in India, by adding another destination on their map. “Etihad Airways will start daily flights from Ahmedabad in November. The new route will be served by an A320 aircraft. It supports the airline’s aim to connect key strategic cities in India with its home base in Abu Dhabi and enhance commercial and leisure travel with the UAE’s capital city,” says Neerja Bhatia, General Manager India, Etihad Airways.

Etihad Airways began its Indian operations in

September 2004, with its first scheduled flight between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai. Over the years, the airline has grown by leaps and bounds but it hasn’t forgotten to give credit to the most important fragment on the industry, the travel agents.

Discussing the importance of the agents, Bhatia says, “Travel agents are a crucial component of the travel process in India. Corporate clients and travel agents contribute 85 to 90 per cent of the sale of flight tickets in the country.

Our trade partners are our brand ambassadors abroad, bringing our brand to a wider base of customers. They are crucial to the success of our business in India and as such we value these partnerships highly.”

Highlighting the marketing initiatives undertaken by the airline for Indian travel agents, Bhatia adds, “Trade incentive promotions are effective in cementing these partnerships. The most recent incentive programme was launched in February this year. Etihad Airways will pay a year’s cost of living for the winning agent.”

The airline has also been working closely with the UAE government to promote Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination. They offered complimentary 96-hour tourist visas to the Indian travellers transiting through the UAE. The visas were ideal for travellers making stopover visits en route to their final destination.

The airline’s expectations are large from the India market, “India is an extremely important market for Etihad Airways. Our strategy continues to get the right segment mix with corporate travellers, visiting friends and family, leisure and immigrant traffic and the right cabin mix. We currently operate 52 flights per week from Abu Dhabi to eight cities in India and average 80 per cent load factors on all Indian routes,” says Bhatia.

Strategy for India India is an extremely important market for Etihad Airways The airline’s strategy continues to be getting the right segment mix with corporate travelers, visiting friends and family, leisure and immigrant traffic and the right cabin mix

Qatar and Wipro for IT solutions In an aggressive airline market, technology plays a key role in driving greater efficiency – more improvements, enhanced customer service and faster decision-making, believes Qatar Airways. Thus, the airline has recently entered into a multi-year,

The engagement will leverage competencies of both organisations and create greater value and efficiency for the global airline. The solutions jointly developed within this partnership will enable Qatar Airways and its subsidiaries to pursue their

(L-R) Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways and Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Infotech

multi-billion strategic partnership with Wipro Infotech. The agreement was signed between Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways and Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Infotech.

aggressive growth strategies.

The agreement will further enhance Wipro’s capabilities within the aviation sector, as well as increase its commitment to the Qatar market.

Akbar Al Baker, CEO,

Qatar Airways said, “Through this agreement, Wipro will work with us to build new aviation IT solutions to meet our business needs in a fast moving environment to ultimately provide an overall enhanced customer experience and provide Qatar Airways with competitive edge in using the latest technology available.”

Under the new agreement, a lot of software development will be carried out by Wipro in South India.

Qatar Airways will be able to tap into Wipro’s vast pool of highly technical resources, as well as research and development centres to explore and take advantage of new technological solutions. The airline is one of the world’s fastest growing carriers, operating now in its 15th year with a fleet of 111 aircraft flying to 118 business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and US.

AVIATION

India in top 3 by 2020 In KPMG’s recent report on Indian Civil Aviation, the problems of the industry have been discussed and workable solutions have been suggested. The report questions the connectivity of our national carrier. abolition of import duty on aircraft spares. “The government, prime minister’s office, ministry of civil aviation and industry leaders have worked together to overcome all these challenges within a year and provide the industry a push in the right direction,” emphasises Dubey.

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he Indian aviation industry is struggling on several fronts. The current problems include sluggish economy, high airfares, high ATF prices, high airport charges, low traffic, slow progress on airport projects, aircraft maintenance repair overseas, hub traffic being lost to competing countries, connectivity to tier II and tier III cities being limited and miniscule tourist traffic compared to India’s potential.

“The situation requires urgent attention. Tourism and aviation are two sides of the same coin and aviation growth is imperative for tourism development,” says Amber Dubey, Partner and Head-Aviation, KPMG.

India’s Loss India has already lost traffic potential worth 130 million people per annum This impact resulted in the lost potential of 320 additional aircraft, investment of $30 billion and employment of 50,000 people (direct) and 300,000 people (indirect)

Amber Dubey Partner and Head-Aviation KPMG

India has already lost traffic potential worth 130 million people per annum and this impact resulted in the lost potential of 320 additional aircraft, investment of $30 billion and employment of 50,000 people (direct) and 300,000 people (indirect).

“We can ill-afford this loss. Growth potential from tier II and tier III cities is high and these areas need to be tapped. The general perception is that Emirates, with its extensive reach, is India’s national carrier,” adds Dubey.

Last year, KPMG highlighted the need for various policy reforms, such as opening of bilateral agreement to all Indian carriers, direct import of ATF, FDI up to 49 per cent by global airlines and

Though the aviation sector has opened up to changes, it still has a long way to go.

Some of the recommended suggestions that require serious efforts include implementation of hub strategy for India, adding ATF under a declared good, 10 years tax holiday for MRO, regulatory clarity for airport tariffs – especially for dual-airport cities and fiscal and monetary support for tier II and III airports.

Dubey underlines “Aviation is a team game – PMO, finance, home, tourism, external affairs, defense ministries, all need to work together for this sector to grow.

Our vision is to see India in the top three by 2020.”

China Southern flying high in India

China Southern Airlines organised a product presentation at Hotel Claridges, New Delhi. The event commemorated China Southern Airlines completing five years of online operations from India in October 2012

AVIATION

‘Break even is now a dream from India operations’ From the unreasonable fee hikes to the importance of the India market, Yeshwant Pawar, General Manager-South Asia, Air France-KLM discusses the Indian aviation sector.

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his winter, between Air France-KLM and Delta, there will be 32 flights a week from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The flights from Mumbai and Delhi are daily whereas Bengaluru will have six flights a week. India continues to be an important market for the airline and the airline hopes to see passenger demand soaring.

“India is a very important strategic market for us.

With a growing middle class, it constitutes a big market that has created an increased demand for travel and tourism. It has been estimated that the upside potential in Indian aviation is massive.

I see a rapid and continued growth in the market, as India gets bigger and stronger. The fast evolving Indian economy has given a big boost to business class travel; the Indian businessmen see it as an investment and essential for business growth. While larger companies are increasing travel in business class, the preference from the SME segment to travel in business is also on the rise and 34 per cent of revenue from this segment is high yield,” says Yeshwant Pawar, General Manager South Asia, Air France-KLM. 70 per cent of the business in India for the airline

comes from travel agents and they are seen as important business partners. “Apart from the performance-related incentives to our preferred partners, we are also acknowledging the support from small and medium agents via fun and learn events. The trade website AFKL.BIZ is also tailor-made

Yeshwant Pawar General Manager - South Asia Air France-KLM

for the agents to understand our product better so as to enable them serve their customers effectively. We have ongoing quizzes on this website with very attractive prizes for the trade,” adds Pawar.

Recently appointed to look after the India market, Pawar is “Very concerned with the unreasonable fee hikes implemented in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai. With the huge increase of airport user fee, the burden on the airlines and the customers

will increase, as it will lead to rise in airfares and cost of operations. Effectively, Delhi airport already is one of the most expensive airports in Asia. The additional cost to airlines and passengers will run into many millions of dollars. It may be expected that airlines even cease their operations in India due to the extreme cost factors. We strongly oppose this type of unrealistic and damaging increases and appeal to the Indian authorities to put a halt to this.”

The airline, at present, does not have any plans to increase operations from India and feels that the increase in aeronautical charges will effect all their future decisions.

“The absurd increase in aeronautical charges will definitely affect the decision of airlines to continue or increase their operations in India. The high fuel price will compliment this already heavy burden affecting the financials of the airline industry. Break even is now a dream from India operations due to this increase,” says Pawar.

Air France–KLM hosts agents in Delhi

Air France-KLM hosted a par ty to recognise and honour small and medium agents in New Delhi. The event was organised to promote goodwill amongst agents and their consolidators.

Similar events will take place in Mumbai and Bengaluru as well

HOTELS

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

TRAVTALK

19

The largest Sheraton in Macau Starwood added a feather to its global portfolio by launching the largest Sheraton property in Macau.

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he fact that the 75th anniversary of the Sheraton brand and the opening of the largest Sheraton in Macau were celebrated together on September 20, 2012, the moment became magnanimous. The opening of the hotel was celebrated across the Cotai Strip with fireworks sparkling the open sky. As Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central opened its one of the two towers for the public the property also marked a beginning of a new era for Macau,

Frits van Paasschen President and Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts

as it is the biggest hotel in the city. “The opening of Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central represents a historic milestone for Starwood, for Sheraton, and for the hospitality industry as a whole,” said Frits van Paasschen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “Boasting unparalleled brand recognition and a rich legacy in Asia Pacific, Sheraton is the ideal fit for this spectacular new hotel in Macau, as the brand continues to lead Starwood’s growth in the region,” he added.

The hotel scores on its inventory of 3,896 guestrooms which makes it the biggest in Macau. There are two towers viz. Sky (with 1,829 rooms, the 13,000-square-foot Sheraton Club Lounge, the Kashgar Grand Ballroom and additional meeting space) and Earth (having 2,067 rooms, as well as two more outdoor pools).

The latter is scheduled to open early next year.

MICE facilities Kashgar grand ballroom– offers pillarless space of 52,646 sq ft which can hold 5,000 people. The hall can be additionally creating 16 small breakout rooms through division 6 junior ballrooms with access to another three junior ballrooms with approx.

1,60,000 sq ft of space, and can accommodate from groups of up to 2,000 pax to intimate set up of 12 pax

India: A captive market

Dilip Puri, Managing Director, India & Regional Vice President, South Asia, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts, said that even before opening of this property, Sheraton has already got bookings for 5,000 nights for the remaining months of 2012 from Indian tour operators.

“Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central is the largest Sheraton

hotel in the world and Macau market is surely going to expect a change in terms of shift of occupancy,” Puri said.

Though there is a restriction in relation to direct flights to Macau as only Cathay Pacific, Jet Airways, Air India and Dragon Air fly to Hong Kong from India, the hotel expects a rise in chartered flights from India to Macau directly.

Dilip Puri MD, India & Regional Vice President, South Asia, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts

HOTELS

West Delhi new playground The West Delhi hoteliers feel that with the presence of new hotels in the region, F&B, banqueting and MICE business are now bouncing back...

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s the capital city of India now evolves from being a macro to a micro market in recent times, emergence of

six restaurants and bars. At 30,000 square feet, the conference and banqueting facilities at the hotel are among the largest in the city and accommodates up to

Rubal Chaudhry

Preet Inder Singh

GM Hilton New Delhi / Janakpuri

GM, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar

This year, we are targetting at least 33% incremental business from MICE business within the city and the NCR has been witnessed.

One of the areas which has now emerged as a new playground for hoteliers is West Delhi. The region now boasts of at least six branded luxury hotels. Interestingly, most hotels garner maximum business from its average room rate (ARR) component.

However, in the case of the West Delhi hotels, cash registers keep ringing due to other significant key segments -- F&B and banqueting. Hoteliers in the region unanimously feel that residents of this area are, to a large part, affluent business families. In the absence of options, they had no choice but to travel to Central and South Delhi for business and recreation. But this business has now bounced back in the region.

Rubal Chaudhry, GM, Hilton New Delhi / Janakpuri feels Janakpuri and the area around it offers a lot of potential that remains untapped and has not been explored by other hotel companies. “As Hilton New Delhi/Janakpuri has the advantage of being the only five-star hotel in the area, it has filled the lacuna by offering a complete array of upscale amenities and guest services, including rooms that start at a spacious 355 square feet and extensive dining options that include

Business remains in West Delhi as there are hotels supporting banqueting needs

Earlier this business would get diverted to South Delhi due to the lack of presence of good hotels. However, now the business remains in West Delhi as there are hotels to support the banqueting needs.” Incidentally, the hotel witnessed so much of prebookings for its banqueting facilities that Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar opened doors to its banquets much earlier than the hotel launch.

According to Kanchan Rizvi, Director of Sales & Marketing, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar, the recent presence of big hotels in West Delhi has helped in destination selling.

“Developing the culture of luxury hotels in West Delhi is of prime importance. The notion earlier was that West Delhi is too far. This is where we have the advantage as Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar is bang on the Outer Ring Road,” she says.

Kanchan Rizvi

Gurpal Singh Kalra

Director of Sales & Marketing, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar

GM, Premier Inn Shalimar Bagh

Developing the culture of luxury hotels in West Delhi is of prime importance 2,500 persons.” In 2011, the hotel’s revenue from MICE increased four-fold over the previous year. “This year we are targeting at least 33 per cent incremental business from MICE,” he adds.

Talking about the scope of banqueting in the region, Preet Inder Singh, GM, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar opines, “Between the five-six branded hotels in the proximity, we share almost ` 50-60 crore of banqueting business on an average for the entire year.

The market has seen a rapid increase in supply and today there are over 500 rooms Apart from luxury offerings, the region also has supply of branded budget hotels.

Talking about the evolution of the West Delhi market, Gurpal Singh Kalra, GM, Premier Inn, Shalimar Bagh points out, “When the hotel opened last year, the supply of quality bedrooms in the budget segment were 60 rooms. The market has witnessed a rapid increase in the supply and today there are over 500 rooms in the market.” For its first year of operations, the hotel closed at 55 per cent occupancy.

22 TRAVTALK

ADTOI SPECIAL

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

Support for the J&K Valley

The sixth ADTOI Annual Convention 2012 in Srinagar is being well presided by the Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism as the Chief Guest; Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister for Tourism and Culture, J&K is the Guest of Honour and Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India is the Keynote Speaker for the Convention on October 12.

Omar Abdullah, Chief

Minister, J&K inaugurates the exhibition and the B2B meeting sessions on October 13.

And, Talat Pervez, Director Tourism, J&K is the nodal point of contact for the convention. He is also one of the speakers for the second business session. Apart from the above mentioned delegates, the Annual Convention is being strongly supported by the following local associations.

Association of Kashmir Tour Operators (AKTO) – Nazir A. Mir, President Hoteliers Club – Mushtaq A. Chaya, Chairman Houseboat Association – Haji M. Azim Tuman, Chairman J&K Federation of Tour Operators – Sajad A. Madni, President J&K Tourism Alliance – G.M. Dug, Chairman Kashmir Hotel & Restaurant Owners Federation – Faiz A. Bakshi, President Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association – Showkat M. Chowdhary, President Pahalgam Hotel & Restaurant Owners Association Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK) – Rauf Tramboo, President Travel Agents Society of Kashmir (TASK) – Ibrahim Siah, President Urban Travel Agents Association – Jhan Mohammad, President

Srinagar Hotels: The roadmap ahead After an unfortunately poor performance for close to 20 years, Jammu & Kashmir has just got busier. The tourism industry has revived so vigorously in the state that from locals to industry watchers, everyone is stumped.

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ith ever-increasing footfalls to the state, Srinagar hotels have geared up to promote the destination.

This year, Jammu & Kashmir is expecting to host more than two million tourists, beating last year’s record. In 2011, more than 1.3 million tourists visited Kashmir valley excluding the mammoth 6.33 lakh pilgrims who visited the Amarnath shrine. The rush is increasing with each passing day and hotels are running to full capacity.

Hotels are also not lagging behind when it comes to promote the USP of the destination. Srinagar, the gateway to the entire region has hotels that have geared up to promote the cause of J&K. The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar, recently celebrated its centennial anniversary. Earlier known as Gulab Bhawan, the histori-

Jyotsna Suri

Amit Amla

Chairperson & Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group

Director Hotel Broadway

Till date, our hotel has not been shut even for a day

Destination weddings are now picking up in Srinagar

cal palace is a landmark of Srinagar which was bought by The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group in 1998. Highlighting its historical significance and

how The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group has been successfully running and operating The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar from the past 13 years,

Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson & Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group said, “The hotel has not been shut even for a single day irrespective of the conditions that prevailed in the valley.”

Continuing the efforts to promote tourism not just in Srinagar but in the state of J&K, the group hosts The Lalit Suri Polo at the Viswanathan Stadium in Drass and Shikarathon in the Dal Lake annually.

Amit Amla, Director, Hotel Broadway pointed out that destination weddings are now picking up in Srinagar.

The hotel during April-July period was choc-a-bloc.

Currently, it is doing an occupancy of 75-80 per cent, Amla informed. The 41-year old property is undergoing renovation despite of being a running hotel. “The renovation is an ongoing process and will take about two years to complete,” he added.

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FAMILY ALBUM

WTTCII hosts Retreat in Bekal, Kerala The World Travel and Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) recently hosted a Retreat in Bekal, Kerala, on September 15-17, 2012. The Retreat in Bekal Kerala focussed on bringing the Southern State and the industry stakeholders to common meeting grounds with a common agenda for development of tourism in the southern region. Ideas were exchanged on various issues affecting inter state tourism circuit development, the new tourism products/ policies that each state is planning to bring to the fore, the necessary infrastructure, policy and other intervention needed to make these initiatives a success story. Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism, AP Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala, RH Khwaja, Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism were present on the occasion.

ADTOI SPECIAL

ADTOI to get 2 new chapters To increase its reach pan-India, the association which has around 600 members will now open two new chapters in Maharashtra and Rajasthan soon.

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o passport, no visa, no foreign exchange’. This is the mantra of Domestic Tourism for Subhash Verma, President, ADTOI. Apart from business and commercial reasons, Domestic Tourism is the best way to promote political harmony and national integration.

Domestic Tourism has got a boost in the recent times. “With the Indian states waking up to the potential of this kind of tourism, there has been a spurt in homestay accommodations and budget hotels and this is indispensable for Domestic Tourism.

The seasonal nature of foreign arrivals also means that Domestic Tourism is needed to ensure that that there is work for everyone all-year around,” he says.

But at the same time, the states need to concentrate on creation of quality tourism infrastructure in order to attract more tourists

Subhash Verma President, ADTOI

as infrastructure bottlenecks have often hampered the growth of tourist arrivals, he points out. “The soaring domestic airfare is also acting as a roadblock,” he adds.

According to Verma, it is not an easy task to move out of Delhi for its convention this year. “Hosting the convention in Srinagar this time has been a challenge. For the last five years, we had our Annual Convention in Delhi.

However, this time as we move out of Delhi, we will not only be promoting Srinagar but Jammu and Ladakh as

well,” he informs. Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir will inaugurate the exhibition and B2B meeting sessions on October 13 while Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of Tourism & Culture, Government of Jammu & Kashmir would grace the occasion on October 12 evening. ADTOI has plans to open two more new chapters – Maharashtra and Rajasthan in the next couple of months.

He reveals, “My term ends in March. Before that, ADTOI will open, at least one chapter.

Our target is to have a chapter in each state.

Since we opened the fourth chapter in West Bengal and North East this March, there have been more focussed activities in terms of promotion, development and support in West Bengal and North East along with better co-ordination with the state tourism agencies.”

Domestic spins profit With 850 million domestic tourist visits and the increasing pace of domestic tourism, all the states are now working hard to ensure the growth of tourism.

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he sixth edition of the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) Annual Convention is being organised by the association with the support of the Ministry of Tourism.

This year the Convention will highlight the role of Domestic Tourism in regards to national development.

“We have chosen the theme ‘Domestic TourismImpetus to National Growth’, which highlights the importance of Domestic Tourism and the role it plays in heralding national growth. The importance that the state of Jammu and Kashmir attributes to Domestic Tourism has motivated us to bring our sixth, but the first convention outside Delhi to Srinagar. At our 2012 convention, Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir himself has agreed to kickstart the proceedings at the ADTOI Annual Convention on October 13, which will also

PP Khanna Vice President, ADTOI and Convention Chairman, ADTOI Convention 2012

include a brief address to all the delegates,” informed PP Khanna, Vice President, ADTOI and Convention Chairman, ADTOI Convention 2012.

“India has a large population, which augurs well for the domestic tourism sector.

We have never witnessed situations where states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh compete

aggressively to bring home tourists. Domestic Tourism has also picked up due to the ease in accessibility. There has been commendable improvement in terms of roads, infrastructure, air and rail connectivity. Quality accommodation has also crept up across the country,” he added. Further, Khanna also highlighted that there has been a considerable increase in weekend travel packages.

“There will be two dedicated business sessions in our convention. The first one will be for the states titled ‘Shaping Domestic Insights’.

In this session, expertise from leading state tourism boards like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and many others, will shed insights on the various developments including new policy announcements and administration. The second business session will delve into the various opportunities and challenges prevalent in the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” said Khanna.

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ADTOI SPECIAL

Back to ADTOI 2011 Convention takes you back to the memory lanes of ADTOI Annual Convention organised in New Delhi in 2011. All the bigwigs marked their presence. Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism, inaugurated the convention. There were elaborate discussions on the importance of domestic tourism in India.

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ADTOI SPECIAL

Domestic Tourism leads in rank and profile Domestic tourism forms the backbone of the Indian tourism sector as it has successfully beaten global recession by registering sustainable growth. Despite challenges like poor infrastructure, high air fares, competition with South East Asian countries and being slapped by heavy service taxes, domestic tourism is growing by leaps and bounds. spoke to the ADTOI Executive Council Members about the latest challenges faced by the domestic tourism industry in India and gives out a few solutions to brave out those hurdles.

TT TEAM

P P Khanna

Rajat Sawhney

President, ADTOI Apart from business and commercial reasons, domestic tourism is the best way to promote political harmony and national integration.

Domestic tourism has been sidelined and needs to be taken up as a Subhash Verma national movement. With Indian President ADTOI states waking up to the potential of domestic tourism, there has been a spurt in home stay accommodations and budget hotels and this is indispensable for domestic tourism.

Vice President, ADTOI Fortunately, due to increasing awareness (created by both government and service providers), travellers are opting for domestic packages. Secondly, the time factor is also important as India is a last- P P Khanna minute booking market and the best Vice President option for this type of market is ADTOI domestic tours. However, there is a need to improve infrastructure and lower airfares to give further boost to this sector.

General Secretary, ADTOI ADTOI’s Convention will surely act as a catalyst to boost tourism in the state and in return the growth of economy. The aim of the convention is not to just promote the destination but also showcase the various cul- Rajat Sawhney tural aspects of J&K in terms of General Secretary cuisines, art and handicrafts. The ADTOI kind of access we had to all the VIP officials in minimal time reflects the state’s avid interest to upgrade itself on the tourism map of India. With the current trends being witnessed in the tourism sector in Kashmir, the tourist inflow is expected to boost in the coming days.

Ravi Luthra

Anurag Agarwal

Dalip Gupta

Joint Secretary, ADTOI Domestic tourism is registering growth every year without showing any impact of external events like global economic slowdown, currency inflation, etc. Thus, domestic tourism is more sustaining. However, there is a need for basic infrastructure at Ravi Luthra Joint Secretary all tourist destinations and better ADTOI infrastructure at major sites. State governments should become more proactive to promote their states in other regions of India and have more tourism-friendly policies. Apart from this, service providers like hospitality groups should develop hotels for every budget traveller.

Treasurer, ADTOI Transportation is the biggest need for smooth movement in tourist traffic, thus the necessity for infrastructure. That’s the government side of the issue which is not in our control.

On the other hand, being a private Anurag Agarwal operator, it’s important to maintain Treasurer the credibility of your company by ADTOI providing your best services and living up to your clients’ expectations. Understanding the product and keeping in mind the latest offerings in the domestic tourism market is a ‘must’ for service providers.

EC Member, ADTOI We have great places in India that need to be well promoted well and highlighted. Our Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir is as good as Switzerland, but the infrastructure in these places is quite bad. Bad roads, lack of good con- Dalip Gupta nectivity through trains and expensive EC Member ADTOI airfares keep domestic tourists away from these places. Even corruption in the country should be controlled so that the money is used for the right purposes. We have a lot of beauty in our country, but it needs to be well maintained and promoted.

Subhash Verma

Ajay Bhatnagar EC Member, ADTOI The key challenges that domestic tourism is facing is limited infrastructure, skilled and trained manpower and limited connectivity, both surface and air, resulting in a limited access to places of tourist interest.

Ajay Bhatnagar We need to leverage the huge potenEC Member tial that this country can offer by ADTOI developing places of interest, providing speedy and affordable connectivity, an efficient network of all season motorable roads and affordable packages.

Initiatives like ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ and ‘Hunar Se Rozgar’ have a long-term positive impact on growth of tourism India.

Amit Jain

Sanjay Aggarwal EC Member, ADTOI India needs to be more economically priced for Indians to travel domestic. Our spending power is more and thus many countries are tapping India’s outbound sector. By reducing the taxes on tourism servSanjay Agarwal ices and offering ‘value for money’, EC Members ADTOI players (government and private service providers) can earn additional revenue as more and more travellers will opt for domestic tours and spend on economical products. As a result, the sales will be high on volume which will increase the profit margins.

EC Member, ADTOI One of the major concerns for domestic tourism is the internal security of the country. This issue needs more attention and proper steps need to be taken to improve the country’s Amit Jain security. State governments need to EC Member be more active and promote domestic ADTOI circuits. We need to showcase and promote our various products and circuits in a better way.

On our part we are actively promoting Buddhist circuits

Associations Speak Iqbal Mulla

Pradeep Lulla

Riaz Ahmed

President, TAAI It’s well said that ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, domestic tourism is a great tool to drive infrastructure. Domestic tourism is important to make things happen, motivate all the service providers to be ready and accept Iqbal Mulla President challenges and bring in more TAAI tourism. Through bringing in more stability in domestic airfares, reducing taxes on services, improving basic infrastructure at tourist destinations and enhancing the transportation – road, rail and water in India; we can boost domestic tourism in India.

Gen Secretary, TAFI High fuel cost, expensive airfares are some of the major problems hampering the growth of domestic tourism in India. How can domestic tourism thrive when your airlines are dying? There is no concept of low Pradeep Lulla cost carriers in India, rather it is low Gen Secretary fares. LCC should have their own air- TAFI ports like in foreign countries. The government needs to give more impetus to local tour operators. Travel agents should also get loans at preferential rates.

The need of the hour is government intervention with proper regulation on national policies affecting domestic tourism.

President, Kerala Travel Mart Society Our domestic sector is losing out to cheaper international countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia. Lack of proper infrastructure is also hurting our country immensely. We have world class products in India, but they are not Riaz Ahmed promoted well. Also our internal President Kerala Travel Mart Society travel is very expensive. In places like Kerala room rates are also not very cheap leading to many Indians preferring other cheaper destinations.

NEWS

Caring for the ‘ignored’ Around 88 per cent specially abled people take a holiday each year adding up to 11 per cent of total tourism expenditure.

India’s rich heritage is mostly inaccessible to them, thus losing out on an important tourism segment.

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oday almost 1 in 10 persons in the world are over 60 years. By 2050, the figure will be higher than one in five, increasing from 673 million in 2005 to two billion.

“India is home to 29 world heritage sites which are visited by millions every year and a few millions are left out due to inherent physical barriers such as staircases, cobbled pathways, multiple levels and slopes.

Elderly and persons with disabilities have the wherewithal and time to enjoy leisure. People with reduced mobility have a right to, and do want to enjoy travel leisure experiences.

Barriers in access dissuade elderly and persons with disabilities from visiting or enjoying a heritage site,” says Abha Negi, Director, Svayam, an organisation working towards promoting dignity for people with reduced mobility.

As per an Australian research agency, 88 per cent of people with disability take a holiday each year and spend 11 per cent of the total tourism expenditure.

India is missing out on this tourist segment, as most places in the country are not catering to the needs of disabled people. “We need to recognise everyone as a

potential visitor and encompass an environment which is used by everyone regardless of age, disability, gender or background. Improving

Abha Negi Director, Svayam

access is one of the keys to a wider understanding, valuing and caring of heritage sites,” adds Negi.

Qutub Minar and Ajanta & Ellora Caves are among the few sites that Svayam and Archaeological Survey of India have made accessible to all including the elderly and the disabled. Recent reports suggest that after the Qutub Minar was made accessible, footfall of visitors has increased substantially.

The revenue earned through ticket sales at the Qutub Minar greatly increased, compared to Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb.

Discussing a way forward for making tourist hotspots more accessible, Negi says,

“We need to raise the profile of accessibility thereby making heritage sites reachable to the specially abled and elderly so that they do not feel isolated from the mainstream.

Incorporating accessibility at heritage sites allows disabled and non-disabled visitors to enjoy the experience together.

Fulfillment of this commitment, therefore, requires inclusive and affirmative policies as well as sensitive infrastructure planning based on universal design standards and effective implementation and enforcement.

Challenges 88% of people with disability take a holiday each year and spend 11 per cent of the total tourism expenditure India is missing out on this tourist segment, as most places in the country are not catering to the needs of disabled people

Tree of Life plans expansion Himmat Anand, launched The Tree of Life Resort & Spa in 2010 in Jaipur. “I knew that one day I would build and operate a resort which would not necessarily follow traditional hoteliering norms and the Jaipur property was the fructification of that dream and desire” says Anand. Having set the structure and procedures in place over the last two years of operations, Himmat is now looking to take the Tree of Life brand to its next level.

“My son Akhil, who has worked with me at the Resort for close to two years is now more in charge of operations along with the team, while I am involved at the macro level. This gives me more time to think about our next moves.” Anand has now launched a company

which will identify and search for unique properties on a management contract and operate it on behalf of the owners.

“There is a misconception that small cannot be profitable. With just 14 villas in Jaipur, we met our operating costs from the first year itself,” he says.

The Tree of Life brand will look at managing properties with a maximum of 20 to 25 keys. In addition to Himmat Anand, this team has Santosh Choudhary - Vice President Operations who was earlier an Executive Chef, Anjana Das - Head of HR and a Head of Sales will be joining

Himmat Anand Founder The Tree of Life Resort & Spa

shortly. “We will keep a tight structure of a few people who have high quality experience and a passion for doing things differently” says Anand.

There are also plans to build another property of their own. “I have a very interesting concept in mind and will hopefully be in a position to launch my second hotel in early 2013,” he concludes.

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ADTOI SPECIAL

SKICC is a global MICE centre: Ahmad SKICC, hosting the ADTOI 2012 Convention, had earlier also hosted the ATOAI Convention and the ICPB Board, serving as an important marketing tool.

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he Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) has lately emerged as a preferred choice for hosting MICE events in the northern

region. It is playing host to the ADTOI 2012 Convention, which will witness close to 400 dedicated domestic tour operators.

“Trade events are prestigious opportunities and a marketing tool for us. Like

the present ADTOI 2012 Convention, we had also recently hosted the ATOAI Convention and board members of ICPB. These events, which are attended by leading tour operators through word of mouth, help us attract more MICE busi-

ness,” said Shahnawaz Ahmad, Research Officer, SKICC (J&K Tourism).

“Our trade partners, who attend these prestigious events like the ADTOI Convention and similar events, become our brand

ambassadors. This has helped SKICC to emerge as a global choice for key MICE events.

Another USP of our venue in addition to state-of-the-art convention facilities and post event possibilities, is the pleasant temperature during summers which make us the

only viable MICE venue in the northern region. Here, the delegates can easily organise outdoor events, meetings and excursions,” he added.

Further, SKICC has tieups with the best hotels and transport providers and the

Shahnawaz Ahmad Research Officer SKICC

Trade events are prestigious opportunities and a marketing tool for us delegates can enjoy the packages provided by SKICC, apart from offering easy access to all the tourist attractions across the state.

“The year 2011-2012 had been very satisfactory.

Moreover, there are a plenty of global and domestic events lined up for the coming months, which will include delegates from US, Europe and many other parts of the world,” said Ahmad.

Revamping hotels Tourism Gujarat Development Corporation (GTDC) is planning to revamp the infrastructure of its hotels and resorts. It aims to upgrade over 15 of its hotels to three-star category in order to attract more tourists to various spots in Gujarat. GTDC has 274 rooms as part of hotels, guest houses and resorts across the state. The hotels will be revamped to make them like star-category hotels with modern facilities. GTDC will also embark on a cleanliness drive of various temple towns in Gujarat to boost the state for Religious Tourism.

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ADTOI SPECIAL G UJARAT

Navratri

A festival of nine nights One of the world’s longest and most participatory festivals, Navratri, is worship in the form of dancing, singing, praying and fasting to evoke the blessings of the Goddesses. Celebrated with flamboyance and splendour in Gujarat, the State is a must visit during this festive season.

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avratri is a Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms.

The nine days have great religious significance and this year, the festival will be celebrated from October 16 to 24, 2012. The most flamboyant and renowned Navaratri celebrations can be seen in western India, throughout the state of Gujarat.

Navaratri is celebrated with nine nights of dancing. The traditional dances of Gujarat, known as garba and dandiya raas, are performed in circles with dancers dressed up in colourful clothes. Small, decorated sticks called dandiyas are used in the dandiya raas. Gujarat is the only state that erupts into a nine-night dance festival, perhaps the longest in the world.

Each night, all over the state, villages and cities alike, people gather in open spaces to celebrate divinity.

Regardless of their religion, age or dancing skills, anyone can be part of the Garba and dandiya. Worship not in the form of hushed chants or reverent humility, but in a burst of dance which differentiates Navratri.

Each night, people drenched in infectious fervour gather in open spaces to be a part of hypnotic, circular folk dances. Together, dressed in their colourful attires, the dancers present a kaleidoscopic spectacle.

For the nine nights, the village or urban neighbourhood gathers to perform a prayer to one of the nine forms of Goddess. It is a time to celebrate fertility and the monsoon har-

vest, represented by a mound of fresh soil in which grains are sown.

After the puja begins the music; it is unmistakable to those who are familiar with the style and irresistible to many. People begin to dance in a circle, whirling away till late into the night. It is not uncommon to find dancers with swords or lit flames and other spectacles.

During Navratri, Gujarat is a blaze of colour. Women wear chaniya cholis – odhni sets comprising a skirt, blouse and veil respectively. The streets and markets of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and other cities of Gujarat are lined with costumes and ornaments. Preparations for Navratri begin long before the first day of the festival.

Vadodara is considered the cultural capital of Gujarat, and the most sought after location for celebrating Navratri.The city is a good place to find the full range of these styles, traditional to modern, acoustic to amplified, simple to complicated, each one representing in its extreme somewhere in the city.

Religious pilgrimage in Gujarat during this festival focusses mainly in the Shakti Peethas; Ambaji, Pavagadh and Bahuchraji near Mehsana. There are also major celebrations in temples such as Ashapura Mata-no-Madh in Kutch, Khodiyar Mandir near Bhavnagar, and Chamunda Mata Mandir at Chotila on the Ahmedabad-Rajkot National Highway.

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FAMILY ALBUM

KTM 2012: Bigger and better Spread over four days (Sept 27- Sept 30), KTM attracted a lot of sellers and buyers nationally and internationally. It showcased the different dimensions and products of Kerala Tourism like houseboats, homestays, farm stays and more.

Considered one of the biggest travel and trade fairs in India, KTM 2012 was definitely bigger and better!

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ANALYSIS

India’s North East: Paradise Unexplored With North East all set to establish itself as the next tourism hot spot, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised a conference in partnership with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern region (DoNER), North Eastern Council (NEC) and Association of Tour Operators of North East India (ATONEI) in Delhi recently.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA

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he tourism sector is one of the key sectors identified in the NE vision 2020 towards achieving an encom-

passing development of the region. With this vision in mind, TATA Consultancy Services, in consultation with the North Eastern Council, prepared an integrated mas-

The East-west corridor is going to be completed by next year, and even though the air connectivity has improved, we still need more air connectivity.

We have been discussing the situation with the civil aviation ministry. About the safety of tourists, let me assure you that Chandan Brahma we are ready to provide every Minister of Transport and kind of security to the tourists.

Tourism, Govt of Assam Foreign tourists are now looking for new destinations in India to explore and NE has the potential to be that new destination for them. All we need to do is to develop the infrastructure.

The Assam government is coming up with a tourism policy and a slew of initiatives such as river taxis, caravan services, a golf course and a luxury cruise with 5-star facilities on the Brahmaputra river. We have great potential to develop tea tourism and golf tourism. The Assam International Tourism Carnival that will be held in January next year at Guwahati is a great way ahead for the region as more than 20 countries are expected to participate in the carnival. Also, it is important to note that public private partnerships are the way forward for tourism development and we are keen to implement such partnerships.

-Chandan Brahma, Minister of Transport and Tourism, Govt of Assam

North Kerala to be the new focus In an attempt, to become a destination for tourism throughout the state, Kerala Tourism will now aggressively promote its northern region. After successfully attracting tourists to south of Kerala, Kerala Tourism hopes to generate the same interest and attract tourists to its northern parts like wayanad, kozhikode and bekal. The government will improve the infrastructure in these areas and conduct roadshows to promote them.

ter plan for the region. As part of the 10-year plan, which was unveiled at an event in Delhi recently, the region will now have a new marketing tagline of its own: Paradise The Northeastern states have tremendous potential for development of tourism but that potential remains untapped for various reasons like infrastructure bottleneck, lack of capacity building and poor marketing efforts. The whole of the North East suffers from acute air, rail and road connectivity problems and there are not many good hotels, tourist lodges and restaurants in most of the places in the region. The telecommunication network is also not as good in comparison to the rest of the

Unexplored. The key objective of the workshop was to explore and brainstorm short term actionable agenda based on the comprehensive study done by TATA Consultancy

AS Lamba Secretary, DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Ministry, GoI

country. Water and electricity are also not available throughout the day in most places. Transport services and human resources also need to be significantly

Services. Experts at the workshop deliberated on the development of tourism sector in the region and discussed infrastructure, policy integration, skill develop-

ment, capacity building and destination promotion to promote North East as a potential tourism hub and explore ways to position North East on the tourism map of the country.

improved. Nobody can deny that there are formidable problems that need to be addressed in the shortest possible time frame if the states of North East India are to derive maximum benefits from the unparalleled scenic beauty, the rich flora and fauna and the culture that the region has been blessed with. In order to enable the government at the centre and states to formulate appropriate policies and action plan to draw up a scheme as well as to debilitate the factors of weakness in the region, we have got a

comprehensive tourist master plan prepared by TCS. The masterplan can be fully implemented over a period of 10 years depending on actual availability of financial resources. During phase 1 of implementation of the master plan, nine tourist circuits have already been approved, 2 for Tripura and one each for the other states.

-AS Lamba, Secretary, DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Ministry, GoI

In 2008 at the meet of the tourism ministers of Northeastern states in Gangtok, the participants deliberated and came to the conclusion that for some reason, the Northeast was unable to jump into the bandwagon of the campaign known as Incredible India. That campaign UK Sangma was a huge success and we had a Secretary, North Eastern great inflow of foreign tourists in Council, Government of India the country but they only went to places like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, for some reason the North East was left out. But then there were many reasons for this as things like Inner Line Permits needed to be secured. It also suffered from lack of infrastructure, lack of information and lack of a campaign. Even though most of the states had their own tourism master plan, there was no common tourism master plan for the North East, so the ministers decided that we should all come up with a tourism master plan for the region. And then the identified circuits as per the master plan should be developed. Also, we need to remember that tour operators form a very important part of our campaign and they play a significant role in popularising tourism spots of the region.

The northeastern region presents great potential for tourism. It is endowed with great natural resources and bio diversity and is one of the 18 hotspots of the world.

Having learned that tourism is an important tool for employment generation, the states decided to develop tourism as an industry model.

However, despite their best efforts, Laeta Umbrey MLA and President tourism could not pick up in the Association of Tour Operators desired manner. So, to promote the of North East India growth of tourism in the region, the tour operators got together to form Association of Tour Operators of North East India (ATONEI). We are confident that the master plan will be a guiding principle for the future of tourism in the region. Tourism has to be developed to its potential in the region and the infrastructure should be developed to meet international standards. Also, for better coordination among all states, tourism experts in the various states are suggesting the immediate formation of a North East Tourism Board. The tourism industry’s development is closely inter-linked to other economic zones. We have major projects in the pipeline that will help bring a boom in the NE tourism.

-UK Sangma,

MLA and President - Association of Tour Operators of North East India

Secretary, North Eastern Council, Government of India

-Laeta Umbrey,

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COVER STORY

Big expectations from the new Secretary Parvez Dewan had earlier served the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs from December 24, 2011 – September 21, 2012. He has also served as the Chairman & Managing Director of ITDC from April 5, 2006 – December l, 2009. He has taken his charge in Ministry of Tourism from October 4, 2012. speaks to industry to know about their expectations.

ESOI

President, Subhash Verma states, “Dewan is not a new figure in the tourism industry. He is from the Jammu and Kashmir 1977 cadre. This year's ADTOI Convention is taking place in Srinagar to promote the cause of tourism in the region.

Thus, I expect full support from him as the keynote speaker during the convention.”

ATOAI President, Tejbir Singh Anand says, “I have high hopes from him. He is not new to this industry and will grasp the situation quickly. I am very optimistic that he will do a good job and will be a great mover and shaker for the industry.” Khwaja has done some great work for this industry. He streamlined the work and with his persona and working style, achieved results.

Founder President, Mandip Singh Soin explains, “I have worked with Dewan. I know him on a personal level and have confidence in his abilities and work. He is very skilled.” Khwaja was very supportive towards the ecotourism society and its initiatives.

He supported our workshops and worked closely to influence policy especially towards sustainable tourism practices.

IATO

ITTA President, Sarab Jit Singh says, “I had interacted with the new Secretary a few times in various capacities. He is a very positive gentleman. I am sure the new Secretary will take forward and address all the issues that impede the growth of tourism.” The best thing about working with Khwaja was his dedication and willingness to devote time to listen to the various issues impeding the growth of tourism

OTOAI President,

ADTOI

President, Subhash Goyal states, “Dewan is a great administrator and I have immense regard and admiration for him. I know that he is a complete gentleman and am sure that under his dynamic leadership all the problems of inbound tour operators will be addressed.”

Guldeep Singh Sahni states, “We have very high expectations from Dewan. He will help us in clearing out the mess that the industry is in; especially the outbound industry.” ”Khwaja was a good listener and heard our issues regarding the industry. He would hear us out and take our opinion on possible solutions.”

FHRAI Immediate Past President, Kamlesh Barot feels, “Dewan should represent our industry with the Ministry of Finance to remove the archaic thinking of multiple taxation.

He should invoke Special Tourism Zones to create night market destinations, free of last order issues under complete safety and security.”

TAAI President, Iqbal Mulla explains, “Dewan is an experienced gentleman and brings with him vast experience spread across tourism, foreign affairs and many other key portfolios. Being from the State of J&K, he understands the importance of tourism as a means of propelling national economic growth.” I had limited experience of having met RH Khwaja. But, we wish him all the best in his future endeavors

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Launching direct air-connectivity Maldivian Airlines, an airline division of Island Aviation Services, announced the launch of direct flights to Chennai and Mumbai from Male, effective November 15 and November 16, 2012 respectively.

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ith Indian legacy carries stressing on route management by flying only on profitable routes, international carriers are gaining through expanding in India.

Best example being Maldives, where Air India is the only Indian carrier offering direct flights to Male from India (Bengaluru and Thiruvananthanpuram). Even the cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines had plans to fly

Abdul Harris Managing Director Maldivian Airlines

Mumbai-Male direct in 2011.

However, due to minimum air-connectivity, Maldives is more or less out-of-the-way for Indian travellers. To tap the growing need of Indian holiday makers and make Maldives more accessible, Maldivian Airlines, an airline division of Island Aviation Services, announced the launch of direct flights Chennai and Mumbai to Male from November 15 and November 16, 2012 respectively. The three times a week service on Chennai (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and Mumbai (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) route will be operated through A320 with a capacity of 152 passengers.

The airline has appointed Sharaftravels as their GSA for central and western India sales and Spencer’s Travels Services in Chennai for south India sales.

Talking exclusively to , Abdul Harris, Managing Director, Maldivian Airlines said, “It is important to provide convenience and accessibility for high-end travellers for an exclusive and premier destination like Maldives.

With more and more Indians opting for Maldives as their holiday destination, the demand for direct flights is increasing.

Currently, Indians either come directly via limited route options offered by Air India or via Colombo, Dubai or Gulf. However, considering the distance between India and Maldives, the best option is direct

Building the product Sharaftravels, the GSA for Maldivian Airlines for central and western India sales will approach it’s sub-agents’ network and educate them about the product. The company will not only assist travel agents in selling Maldives through Maldivian Airlines but also encourage them to develop packages.

flights. Thus, looking at the need, we planned to introduce three weekly flights on Mumbai and Chennai route.

Later, if needed, we will increase this frequency to five times a week. Moving on,

by March, we also have plans

to launch direct connections on New Delhi – Male route.”

The carrier is expecting a load factor of minimum 70 per cent on both these routes in the initial six months and moving on to an average of 80 per cent later.

NEWS

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

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Are banks the new travel agents?

With customers increasingly booking travel products online, major banks across India are tapping on the opportunity by tying up with major travel service providers, such as, OTAs, hotels, airlines.

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ven travel insurance is becoming one of the key products booked online by customers. In a bid to tap this

Parag Rao Senior Executive VP – Business Head – Credit Cards and Merchant Acquiring Services, HDFC Bank

Credit/debit card holders from metros and mini metro cities are now booking travel and lifestyle products online more frequently growing segment of travel product buyers, India’s second largest private sector bank – HDFC Bank is now aggressively working on var-

Nidra for MICE The second property of Nidra Hotels opened in New Delhi in the last week of September. Situated on National Highway 8 near the Indira Gandhi International Airport, this 70-room midmarket city hotel brand of Shanti Hospitality is spread over an 11-acre land. New Delhi is the second destination for the brand in India

Sunil Ghadiok President - Operations, Nidra Hospitality

after the first Nidra Hotel opened in Vadodara in Gujarat in December 2010.

Talking about the new development, Sunil Ghadiok, President - Operations, Nidra Hospitality said, “Nidra is a four-star hotel that would match a five-star hotel in terms of services.”

ious business strategies. To start with, the bank has tied up with multiple OTAs and hotels to provide cash-back, discounts and benefits for HDFC credit/debit card holders. Furthermore, the recently launched HDFC Bank Diners Club International

Credit Card for premium customers is focussed on travel and lifestyle products.

Talking exclusively to Travtalk, Parag Rao, Senior Executive VP – Business Head – Credit Cards and Merchant Acquiring Services,

HDFC Bank said, “The credit/debit card holders from metro and mini metro cities are now booking travel and lifestyle products online more frequently while the small city customers are still skeptical about the online card usage. Slowly the trend is

changing as banks are coming up with more secured online payment solutions.

Interestingly, booking for travel products is increasing online, especially domestic air tickets. To give out the figures, close to 20 per cent of our total online transactions

(amounting ` 50,000 crore) consists of travel products.

Through unique tie-ups with airlines and hotels, we work out a solution where all the participating parties (service provider, bank and customer) benefits out of the deal.”

AGENTS

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

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Tapping the last-minute Indian bookers Thomas Cook India has launched a new product in the outbound travel segment – 48H Holidays. The new product is targetted on the weekend travellers who decide to book their travel packages at the last minute.

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ith every association and travel convention stressing upon the need of innovation in products and unique services, Thomas Cook India has launched a new product in the outbound travel segment – 48H Holidays. The new product is targetted on the weekend travellers who decide to book their travel packages at the last minute. According to Madhav Pai, COO – Leisure Travel (Outbound), Thomas Cook India; due to little awareness about Visaon-Arrival (VoA) facility in other countries, Indians tend to opt for domestic vacations. Through the new

Madhav Pai COO – Leisure Travel (Outbound) Thomas Cook India

product, the company is going to offer packages for more than 15 countries offering VoA for every kind of traveller. Thomas Cook is not only encouraging its Gold Circle partners but also their PSAs (Preferred Sales Agents) and sub-agents to sell their various products and win exciting incentives, discounts, educational FAMs or even a Honda City!

Talking about the product innovation, Pai said, “Understanding the need of the market, we realised that there is hardly any awareness about VoA countries among Indian travellers.

India is a lastminute booking market and hence, it is necessary to educate travellers about their travel options and not just offer them domestic tour packages.

Through this new product, we are not only just spreading awareness about these countries but are also offering some exciting packages for weekend travellers and last-minute travel booking passengers.” He further informed that the company

Yet another innovation: Regional tours Thomas Cook India has recently announced summer packages for 2013 for Marathi-speaking travellers. In these packages, the tourists will not only have marathi-speaking guide but also cuisine depending on their cultural needs. It plans to introduce these kinds of packages for other regions like Gujarat, North India, South India, etc.

has registered a growth of 100 per cent year-on-year with their strong brand and support from their trade partners. When asked about managing profits even on low prices offered on international packages, Pai said, “They

are not low but affordable prices that will benefit our volumes. We encourage our Gold Circle partners, PSAs and sub-agents in every possible way. We are the only travel company in India, offering educational tours to

our performing trade partners to destinations like US, Europe, South Africa and Australia. We also come up with ‘double commission’ scheme for certain timeduration for further increase our sales.”

44 TRAVTALK

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

ADTOI SPECIAL

Punjab: Religious tourism on fast track The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) will flag off the Panj Takhts Yatra Express. aims at targetting the upscale luxury segment in India along with visitors from source markets such as UK and Canada.

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luxury train covering all the leading Sikh shrines in the country will be flagged off in December this year. An agreement has been signed between the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) to run this train, VB Kumar, Executive Director, PHTPB informed.

According to Kumar, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has approved the name of the train as Panj Takhts Yatra Express. It would flag off in December this year.

Attempting to attract two fast-growing population segments in India — followers of Sikhism and a fast expanding inbound tourism market in India, the initiative

Panj Takht Darshan launched

VB Kumar Executive Director PHTPB

The train would cover Akal Takht, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Takht Sri Patna Sahib and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib

The train would cover Akal Takht in Amritsar, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib at Talwandi, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur, Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Patna and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib at Nanded in Maharashtra.

Starting from Amritsar, the train will embark on a nine-day journey via Delhi, Agra and Gwalior and culminate at Nanded.

Throwing light on the new agreement, Kumar revealed, “The IRCTC agreement with PHTPB is for three years. According to the pact, the train will see a minimum of at least two runs in each financial year. The first trip of FY 2012-13 will be tentative in December.” The second trip will soon follow suit

In a bid to boost pilgrimage tourism for Sikhs, Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, on August 6 launched the Panj Takht Darshan project, under which devotees will visit the five seats of Sikhism across the country by tourist train and by air. Launched by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) along with the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board, the Panj Takht Darshan will offer a week-long journey covering the Akal Takht and Golden Temple in Amritsar, Takht Keshgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, Takht Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, Takht Patna Sahib in Patna and Takht Hazur Sahib in Nanded (Maharashtra). The package will also help pilgrims visit other Sikh heritage spots and gurudwaras in Punjab, Delhi and other places.

Green Signal The train would cover Akal Takht in Amritsar, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib at Talwandi, Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur, Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Patna and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib at Nanded

around March 2013. The launch dates, however, need to be finalised by the railways department, he added. This train is the same train that is running on the Buddhist circuit as well. We have chartered the same train for the journey to the five Takhts. The train will be a Rajdhani rake type with

a capacity of around 240 seats. Hence, the owner and operator for both the religious circuit trains is IRCTC. “We are the marketing partner for IRCTC. Going forward, PHTPB has also roped in a private marketing firm – The Luxury Trains – for this endeavour,” he confirmed.

HOTELS

4.63 mn FTAs in 8 months

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

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Taste of Malaysia in Delhi

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during Jan-Sept 2012 crossed the 4.63 million mark with a growth of 5.9 per cent.

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s per the recent statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism, the Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during the period JanuarySeptember 2012 crossed the 4.63 million mark with a

First Park Hyatt in Chennai T T B U R E AU

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fter Park Hyatt Hyderabad and Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, the group is now foraying down south with the Park Hyatt Chennai. The first in the city and the 30 th in the

Yann Gillet General Manager Park Hyatt Chennai

group’s portfolio, this property is targetting business travellers in the vicinity.

Park Hyatt Chennai is located next to the Governor’s residence and is also adjacent to the thriving green area of the Guindy National Park. The hotel features 201 luxury guestrooms, includ-

Hotel facade

ing 20 suites. “The opening of Park Hyatt Chennai is a great day of pride for us,” said Yann Gillet, General Manager, Park Hyatt Chennai. “The hotel is truly a reflection of this great city, with the art and design thoughtfully encompassing Indian heritage and culture.

We are thrilled to join the Park Hyatt portfolio as the 30th hotel in India and look forward to providing guests with an ambience of sophistication with service that is gracious and truly personalised,” Gillet added.

growth of 5.9 per cent, as compared to the FTAs of 4.37 million during JanuarySeptember 2011 over the corresponding period of 2010. FTAs during the month of September 2012 were 4.15 lakh as compared to FTAs of 4.02 lakh during September

2011 and 3.70 lakh in September 2010. There has been a growth of 3.2 per cent in September 2012 over September 2011 as compared to a growth of 8.7 per cent registered in September 2011 over September 2010.

Tourism Malaysia hosted a 10-day food festival - 'Rasa Ria Malaysia' for its prized delegates and travel trade officials at the Le Meridien in New Delhi.

46 TRAVTALK

NEWS

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

Switzerland taps MICE in India OCTOBER 17-21 New Delhi

2012 Preferred Group of Hotels Annual Conference

17-19 Singapore

ITB Asia

19

MOT Roadshow

Singapore

18-19 France

MAP Pro Le Monde A Paris

19-21 Canada

The International Tourism & Travel Show

20-29 Noida

India Travel Mart

22

Kuala Lumpur

MOT Roadshow

22

Rome

MOT Roadshow

22-23 Mumbai

TAAI’s India Travel Trade Expo (ITTE)

23

Torino

MOT Roadshow

23

Bangkok

MOT Roadshow

24

Milan

MOT Roadshow

27-30 China

China International Travel Mart

28-31 Guwahati

Annual Convention of ATOAI

29

Sao Paulo

MOT Roadshow

30

Alegre

MOT Roadshow

India becomes the second biggest source market of MICE for Switzerland. A delegation from Switzerland Tourism was recently in India to meet the top performing travel trade partners and understand the changing market needs and trends.

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uring the visit in Mumbai, Urs Eberhard, Executive VP – Markets & Marketing, Switzerland Tourism informed that there is a special focus on MICE segment from India which is growing at a great speed. At present, Switzerland is one of the most visited European countries by Indians for holidays. Over 19,000 business events were organised in Switzerland last year and to further tap this segment, Switzerland Tourism is investing enormously on infrastructure and facilities like Congress Centres, additional hotels and resorts and working closely with MICE operators in the country. Considering the

potential of MICE segment in India, the tourism board is planning to increase the budget for this market and deploy at least a team of one person (to start with) dedicated for MICE sales.

Talking exclusively to , Eberhard revealed that France is the number one source market for MICE followed by India which has claimed the second position.

He said, “India is doing exceptionally well for Switzerland in the MICE field. Our SCIB (Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau) department, which handles RFPs (Request for Proposal) from across the world, received eight confir-

Delegation visiting India NOVEMBER 3-6

Argentina

FIT America

5-8

London

World Travel Market (WTM)

12-15

Portugal

International Golf Travel Market (IGTM)

12-15

Morocco

PURE Life Experiences

14

Switzerland

MOT Roadshow

15-18

Shanghai

China International Travel Mart

23-25

Pune

India International Travel Mart

27-29

Spain

The Global Meeting and Events Exhibition (EIBTM)

28

New Delhi

PHD Chamber 2nd India Heritage Tourism Conclave 2012

30 -2 Dec Hyderabad

India International Travel Mart

DECEMBER 3-6

Cannes

International Luxury Travel Mart

5-7

Panama

MITM Americas: Meetings and Incentive Travel Market

6-9

Turkey

Travel Turkey Izmir Tourism Fair & Conference

7-9

Lucknow

India Travel Mart

7-9

Guwahati

Holiday Expo

8-16

Paris

Salon Piscine & Spa

10-12

Guangzhou

Guangzhou International Hotel Equipments & Supplies Exhibition

12

Gurgaon

World Travel Awards Grand Final 2012

12-13

Brussels

Brussels Travel Expo

13-15

Dubai

Dubai International Outdoor Show

15-17

Hong Kong

Diving & Resort Travel Expo

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

The delegation from Switzerland Tourism included Juerg Schmid, CEO; Urs Eberhard, Executive VP – Markets & Meetings and Jorg Peter Krebs, Director IMEA (India, Middle East and Africa) while Stephan Heuberger, Director – India and Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director and Media Manager, Switzerland Tourism accompanied the delegation during the meetings.

mations from India and 26 from France from January – August 2012. However, the size of delegation is bigger from India as compared to France, thus the volumes are higher. France is leading India by less than 100

Urs Eberhard Executive VP – Markets & Marketing Swistzerland Tourism

nights with a total of 6100 nights while India registered 6008 nights during the mentioned time period.

With Indians spending approximately 300 Swiss Francs a day, we recorded revenue of close to two million Swiss Francs from India. By end of this year, we

will most probably reach roughly 15000 overnights from India with RFPs handled by SCIB.

With the increasing number of Indian MICE groups opting for Switzerland and the country investing more on the facilities, we expect that India will become the top MICE source market for Switzerland in next two years.”

However, there are many MICE groups which directly go to the DMCs, suppliers or hotels with involving SCIB. Thus, the total will be around 10 per cent of the total Indian room nights in Switzerland which would be roughly 50,000 room nights, estimates Eberhard.

Focus on experiential tourism: OWH The Old World Hospitality (OWH) Group remains committed to its travel trade partners, who supply substantial number of guests to its properties and MICE business to its convention facilities.

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he Old World Hospitality (OWH) Group, which has interest in the hospitality space with accommodation options available at Hotel Broadway (26 rooms), The Manor (15-room boutique hotel) and Habitat World (58 rooms) and also has a growing stature in the MICE business with state-of-the-art convention facilities at the Indian Habitat Centre and Epicenter, is focussed on experiential tourism.

“The travel trade is very important partner. We receive over 20 per cent bookings for our Manor property and over 35 percent business for

Hotel Broadway through our travel partners. Moreover,

we get substantial MICE business for our convention facilities through our travel partners,” Janesh Khanna, Vice President– Sales, Old World Hospitality.

“The MICE segment has evolved in a big manner with rapid increase in demand for quality space for corporate, social and exhibition events. Like the Habitat World, we had witnessed our Epicentre, which has 40000 sq. ft exhibition hall–

became a preferred MICE venue having hosted major property, lifestyle, education, and telecom shows since its inception in 2008,” added Khanna.

Going forward, the group will continue to focus on experiential tourism and even recommend it to their travel trade, who now very well realise the growing demand for experiential travel.

“We firmly believe that India, as a destination, has immense experiential tourism potential. In fact, we recommend that our travel trade partners should focus on promoting experiential tourism and the travel trade partners

Janesh Khanna Vice President– Sales Old World Hospitality

should also make use of our recently started premium outdoor catering services, to make their guests experience the authentic Indian and global cuisines created by our experienced and talented team of chefs and managers,” added Khanna.

Lufthansa offers Internet on Indian routes Further underlining its commitment to invest in India, Lufthansa is introducing FlyNet on India Germany routes. This high-

speed on-board internet service allows Lufthansa passengers, in all three classes, to enjoy the freedom of broadband communica-

tion during their flights between Germany and India. Initially, FlyNet will be available on some Indian routes. Services can

be found on equipped aircraft on Delhi – Munich, Mumbai – Frankfurt, Mumbai – Munich and Chennai – Frankfurt routes.

CLIPBOARD

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

TRAVTALK

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48 TRAVTALK

OCTOBER 2 ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2012

MOVEMENTS

Indana Hotels & Resorts Mumbai

ITC Windsor Bengaluru Virender Razdan returns to ITC Windsor, Bengaluru as the General

PC Verma is the new Senior Vice President of Indana Hotel

Meera Pahwa has been appointed as the Vice President of

& Resorts. Verma comes with a wealth of experience with more than 40 years in the hotel industry. Before moving on to his current assignment, he was with Hotel Sea Princess in Mumbai. He started his career with Viking Hotel, Oslo, Norway, a five-star hotel and then went on to work with other prestigious hotels in Canada. He moved to India in 1979 and had successful stints with hotels like the Centaur Group of Hotels and The Resort.

Marketing & Sales for Indana Hotels & Resorts. She has over 29 years of experience in hotel sales with various hospitality brands. In her present profile, Pahwa will be responsible for overall sales and marketing strategy for the Indana group. Prior to this stint, she held the position of Regional Sales Manager (West India) in Sarovar Group of Hotels where she was successfully selling different hotel brands and properties, managing both corporate and leisure sales.

Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi

China Eastern Airlines New Delhi

The Westin Pune Koregaon Park Pune

Aditya Singh has been appointed as the Director of Sales & Marketing for the upcoming luxury hotel, Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi. In this new profile, he will be spearheading the Room Sales, Catering Sales, Marketing and Revenue divisions.

Singh comes in with over 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Prior to this, he was the Director of Sales & Marketing at JW Marriott Chandigarh where he led the sales and marketing team since the pre-opening to ensure a successful launch.

Zhou Zengrong joins China Eastern Airlines as the General Manager – India. He brings with him rich and versatile experience of 20 years in the aviation industry. Prior to this, he held the position of a General Manager at Osaka office in Japan for China Eastern Airlines. Zengrong comes with an excellent expertise in sales & marketing in the aviation industry. He replaces Edward Zhu Xuenin.

Megha Ajgaonkar has been promoted as the Director of

Manish Nambiar is appointed as the new Hotel Manager

Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport

Pravin Lembe joins The Westin Pune Koregaon Park as

for the upcoming luxury Hotel, Kempinski Ambience Hotel Delhi. Fluent in six languages including French and Arabic, Nambiar brings in over 16 years of hospitality. In this new role, he will be responsible for directing the pre-opening activities relating to finance, marketing and guest services at the upcoming property. He will also be conceptualising restaurant themes and designs, developing vendors and operating supplies and equipment (OS&E) identification and procurement for the first Kempinski hotel in India.

Sherman Almeida has been recently elevated as the Director of Food and Beverage (F&B) at Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai International Airport. In his present profile, Almeida will overlook the kitchen operations of the hotel and the functioning of all the food outlets. He will also administer the banquet facilities, events and conferences at the hotel. With over 8 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he joined the Marriott family in 2003 with Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Convention Centre where he began his career as a Food and Beverage Hotel Operational Trainee.

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

Contributed by: Vivek Sethi, Megha Paul & Devika Jeet

Kanchan Rizvi

Usha Sharma, ADG, Ministry of Tourism, says, “My hobbies include music and reading. For love of travelling, I had travelled extensively and have visited most of our Incredible India. Europe is my choice for the most preferred overseas holiday option, after having seen many other destinations. I am blessed with two sons and my husband is also an IAS officer. I believe that if we are emotionally attached to our work and take pride in the opportunity being given to serve the country, work only leads to satisfaction and leads to a healthy work-life balance.”

Usha Sharma ADG Ministry of Tourism

Director of Sales & Marketing Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar

Manager of the hotel. After pursuing a hotel management degree from IHM Srinagar, he commenced his career at Hyatt Regency Delhi. Following a fruitful tenure with Hyatt, he moved on to renowned Hospitality chains like Hilton and Oberoi’s.

Razdan brings with him an amazing knowledge on Food & Beverage, adroit people skills and a cheerful temperament. Apart from running the core management of ITC Windsor, his expertise lies in Wines. He is one of the proficient wine connoisseurs not only in the city, but also across the country.

Sales & Marketing for The Westin Pune Koregaon Park. She has been with the hotel for almost 2 years. Ajgaonkar has an experience of almost 10 years and counting in the hospitality industry. She boasts of a remarkable career and has led a number of departments in 5 star properties in Mumbai. The departments being, Front office, Concierge Services, Restaurant Manager and Assistant Manager- Commercial Sales.

the Director of Finance. He comes with 21 years of experience out of which he has spent 11 years in the hospitality industry. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Lembe joins the property from Oakwood Premier where he was the Director of Finance. He has been previously associated with Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Orchid, Le Royal Meriden, Oakwood Residences.

Kanchan Rizvi, Director of Sales & Marketing, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar, born and brought up in Dhanbad in Jharkhand, reminisces about her childhood days. She says that life in smaller towns is so beautiful. "Dhanbad had extreme summers but there were pleasant breezes all the time. We grew up where there were ample gardens. There were times we slept on the rooftop. We never needed ACs back there," she says. Currently residing in Delhi, she is extremely proud of her driving skills. "In Delhi, the common notion is that women are rash drivers. However, I started learning driving when I was 12. I would go up the hills in Ranchi with my father. This experience comes handy when I am on the Delhi roads," she laughs. Rizvi has earlier worked in Mumbai and feels at home in Mumbai.

Hector D’souza, President L’orient Travels, set up the travel agency in 1986 and achieved success in the industry. D’souze is also a qualified Ashtanga Yoga instructor and enjoys weekend getaways, “Honestly, I imagine myself to be travelling all over, however, this is not always possible. Once every couple of months I take a weekend break to interesting destinations.

Free time at home means reading and spending time with my daughter.

Having a huge collection of travel and yoga books means there's always a lot of reading material. I love writing and have written reams on Indian destinations, my perception of Indian tourism and challenges we face. Early morning hours are spent either jogging or practising yoga. It’s a fascinating world, over time I hope to see, absorb and learn more.”

Hector D’souza President L’orient Travels

Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2012-13-14; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2012-14 for posting on 1st-2nd and 15th-16th of the same month at New Delhi P.S.O., RNI No.: 53492/91 Date of Publication:14-10-2012

HIGHLIGHT

Largest market share for ITQ InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) has laid strategic plans to release path breaking applications to garner the largest market share in the GDS space, which is backed by adept manpower. JB Singh, President and CEO, InterGlobe Technology Quotient talks to and shares his future plans.

VIVEK SETHI

I

n line with the changing times, it’s important to nurture and train manpower for a company that wants to grow its market share and command the leadership position.

InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) is leading in this department by enhancing the outlay for training its manpower to make them excel amid the fast changing world.

“The macro picture suggests that it’s unlikely that the West will bounce back immediately, while the good thing is that it has started to stabilise. However, my projection on the Indian scenario is stable and bullish in the long run. We have had a very meaningful run in the previous year despite

“It’s an important opportunity for all the stakeholders in the travel trade to curtail costs and streamline processes. We have maintained a stable growth amid the capacity shrinkage in past few months. In fact, we have utilised the past 18 months to streamline processes, curtail costs, and increase the outlay on training our manpower to ensure superior performance,” said Singh.

“The manpower is the back bone of every business, especially, in the fast changing travel industry that is being

Tripling the growth numbers The number of hotel properties available in its Travelport Rooms and More hotel booking engine has more than tripled since launching the tool in 2011. With new content recently added from leading hotel aggregators, Hotelzon and Tourico Holidays, over 700,000 supplier offers are now available on more than 340,000 unique hotel properties. Travelport Rooms and More, which was launched just over a year ago, formed part of Travelport’s heightened investment and focusses in the fast growing hospitality sector. The booking engine combines meta search functionality from Sprice.com - which was acquired by Travelport in May 2010 - with Travelport’s core B2B expertise, to deliver a completely integrated hotel booking platform. It is now available in over 70 countries and six languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish). challenging business environment and had retained all our key accounts. Moving forward, we look forward to more client acquisitions,” says Singh.

To enhance their client experience as it heralds

changing technology should make it easier to service the client lifecycle, should be easily accessible and create incremental business opportunities,” said Singh.

into more optimistic future, ITQ has strengthened the skill set of its help desk, technical staff and had also undertaken software up gradation.

ruled by innovations in technology and changing consumer buying behaviour. We, at ITQ and Travelport, believe that under such circumstances, it’s important to upgrade the skill set of our manpower, who will

JB Singh President and CEO InterGlobe Technology Quotient

We, at Travelport and ITQ, believe that the world is changing fast and there is continous need for innovations in technology then be in a far better position to deliver enhanced results,” he added.

In the GDS space, the key elements that will determine the future of leadership include technological innovation and content. In this regard, ITQ had already laid strategic plans to release path breaking applications to garner the largest market share backed by adept manpower.

“We, at Travelport and ITQ, believe that the world is changing fast and there is continous need for innovations in technology. The

“We have lined up many innovative applications customised as per the unique requirements of the Indian travel industry.

Travelport Rooms and More will be one such application to be launched in 2012 that is presently under pilot testing and will be shortly released in the Indian market. It will bring about 2.5 lakh worldwide hotels in the reach of the travel agent in India.

Gradually, it will represent over 7.5 lakh worldwide hotels,” said Singh.

Going forward, Singh highlights that plenty of the new set of opportunities will be found in the Tier II, Tier III, and even Tier IV cities. “The quantum increase in quality accommodation across the board and especially in the smaller cities, backed by the enhanced air-connectivity, make them ripe markets that will yield handsome growth for all stakeholders in the travel trade,” said Singh.

In fact, Singh has also lined up an interactive guest presentation at the sixth ADTOI Convention being organised by ADTOI at SKICC, Srinagar on O ct 12-13, 2012. The presentation will apprise the delegates of many lucrative opportunities and the effective use of technology to grow business.