Tourismfirst february issue 2020

FEBRUARY 2020 l ` 50

MUMBAI 24X7: THE CITY NEVER SLEPT, NEW DECISION ONLY FORMALISES THE CITY’S USP

DESTINATIONS • HOSPITALITY • MEETINGS & EVENTS • EXPERIENTIAL • NEW-AGE DRIVERS

FIRST

PM HAS SET THE PACE, EMPHASISING DOMESTIC TOURISM

India’s inbound story needs to be re-visited with Government and industry intervention, says CAPA Report P-48

NEERAJ GOVIL HOSPITALITY

inside

MARRIOTT HOTELS UPBEAT ON GROWTH IN 2020 54

OUR TAKE

HARDEEP PURI: SMART CITIES ARE ON COURSE, AIR INDIA IS OUR NATIONAL ASSET

VISHAL DEV CITIES AND STATES

ODISHA SURGES WITH A NEW CAMPAIGN 26

tourismfirst

VINOD DUGGAL PURE TOURISM

DOMESTIC HAS BECOME INDUSTRY MAINSTAY FEBRUARY 2020

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BINOD CHAUDHARY INVESTMENTS

TOURISM HAS HUGE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL 57 28

2020 IPL FORMAT ROCKED CRICKET INTO A NEW ORBIT 18 t h E D I T I O N O F B I T B C O N C L AV E S

INDIA TOURISM SUMMIT & E X P O

SOLUTIONS

2020

WHAT WILL BE THE TOURISM EQUIVALENT? tourismfirst

18th MARCH 2020

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FEBRUARY 2020

3 EDITORIAL

TOURISM FIRST: PRO-ACTIVE HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT

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hy Tourism First? At first thought and glance, it appears a most improbable proposition.

Tourism is meant largely to be sair sapatta, fun and frolic, and perhaps equally a lot that is considered forbidden, like nightlife, booze, unnecessary spending and lastly, enjoyment! Since when has tourism become any first priority? And not at least in India, where a large part of our population remains under privileged and under nourished. The time has come to acknowledge how tourism can become critical to our economy; it should have come a few decades ago, but then everything has its own time and place, not only in lives of individuals but equally in the life of nations.

For starters, tourism is no longer sightseeing. It is not just hotels, which are facilitators for people to find accommodation on their travels. When you are out of your hometown, you need a place to stay, its an essential service, just like the mobile in your pocket, as much as the hospital and the telephone exchange, open 24x7. And doing yeomen service to society. Tourism is infact a 360 degree perspective of everything around us.

It’s no longer sair sapatta! It’s a serious business, one that gives jobs across economy and across salary scales, both for the educated and not so educated. It’s outreach in the hinterland, at the smallest investment cost, remains unparalleled. Arresting migration to the bigger cities is best done through the creation of hospitality services and creation of whatever is unique in that part of the country as a tourism attraction.

Even more importantly, we have come to realise that tourism is a great leveler in society, giving equal opportunities to enjoy experiences at varying levels of affluence!

But then you can always still ask the question, why Tourism First?

What do we aspire for in any city, across the nation? It must be clean, should be secure, with well-lit streets, adequate police patrolling, healthy air to breathe, green spaces, easy city transport, effective signages, affordable opportunities for time out for family and friends, events that are round the week and round the year, for people to mix and find friends. What you need as essentials in any city, for common city folks, are also the bedrock of what any visitor needs. When any city is ready for its locals, it is equally ready for tourism. Conversely, if you want to be tourist friendly, and receive visitors, ensure day to day facilities for your local people, and you will get tourists! ‘Tourism First’ is a worthy principle to chase.

– Navin Berry editor: NAVIN S BERRY navin.berry@bitb.org business: DEVRAJ SINGH RATHORE business@bitb.org Mobile : 7339864586

TOURISM FIRST is printed, published and owned by Navin Berry, on behalf of Cross Section Media Pvt. Ltd. and printed at IPP, C-4 to C-11, Hosiery Complex, Phase-II Extension, Noida - 201305. Published from 401, Surya Kiran, 19 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi – 110 001.

Editor: Navin S Berry. Website: www.tourismfirst.org Tel: 011-42341401. (Total pages 68)

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4 THE BIG PICTURE

THE PM HAS SET THE PACE: EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANCE OF DOMESTIC TOURISM

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5 THE BIG PICTURE

P Prime Minister Narender Modi has repeatedly spoken on the virtues of tourism, ever since he took charge.

No other PM has reiterated his faith in tourism, as much as he has. This last Independence Day, he spoke again and extensively on the importance of domestic tourism as a means to Indians discovering their own roots as much as an economic activity for the country.

However, for one reason or the other, his faith has not materialised equivalent gains for industry growth across the economy and society. There is an unspoken gap between promise and delivery. We at Tourism First, urge the government to create a small but compact taskforce to study where this gap exists and how to bridge it. It could lead to something bigger and more impactful for tourism, and for India’s overall development - NB

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rime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on the 73rd Independence Day has batted for tourism, even more vehemently than any tourism industry protagonist ever could! He used the word ‘tourism’ a dozen times, which in itself was remarkable for our industry that has come to accept that tourism is not meant to be mentioned. Because that has been the rule, more often than not. Such importancehas come as a shot in the arm for an industry that has continued to rue the absence of its importance. In his long address, he devoted substantial time to matters of tourism. Certainly not his first, but his statements on domestic tourism and tourism as a critical driver of national growth assume importance and must come as sweet music for all concerned stakeholders.

For it validates the industry’s view that tourism is beyond Sair Sapata and must assume a more serious standing in the national discourse.

First, let us recap what the PM said. He urged the country to join hands in pushing tourism as it “promoted maximum employment generation with minimum investment.” “It strengthens the economy of the country,” he said.

He asked the country to contemplate on how to boost the sector and attract a greater share of international footfalls.

Laying unprecedented emphasis on domestic tourism, he made a personal plea to citizens asking them to visit “15 destinations before 2022”, when India celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Independence. He noted that it was a great way to educate the younger generation about the nation.

“Which parent would not want their children to know their nation’s heritage, culture and roots better,” he asked. He also underlined the need for staying rooted, indicating that tourism could also play a significant role in shaping better individuals, and consequently a better society.

He asked people to visit destinations even if they provided limited boarding facilities and had teething problems and argued that investors and providers of services were going to follow soon after. “Sometimes, difficulties also help in life,” he philosophically reflected.

He asked citizens to devote 7-10 days in a year to the cause of promoting new destinations.

Possibly suggesting a roadmap for concerned stakeholders in the government, he batted for developing 100 destinations throughout the country which were frequented by tourists. “Why cannot we have 5-7-10 such destinations in each state,” he noted.

The Northeast found a special mention in his speech where he marvelled at the abundance of nature’s bounty in the region, at the same time putting universities in the dock, questioning how many of them took student excursions in the region.

The PM noted that citizens could help create new possibilities for destinations and make the world look at India from an entirely new perspective by aiding tourism. Important to note that he did not vilify international travel but asked people to give primacy to domestic travel.

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THE PM’s CHALLENGE: HOW SHOULD INDUSTRY RESPOND? The Prime Minister has set the pace with not only emphasising the importance of domestic tourism but also giving good reasons for doing so. We bring you a selection of senior leadership sharing their roadmap.

Vinod Duggal, former DG Tourism and Governor of Manipur, stresses the need for states to become pro-active.

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uring my tenure as DG Tourism in the Government of India, it was post 9/11 that we were all involved in the branding exercise around Incredible India. At that time, I vividly recollect one of the early meetings which Shri Jagmohan, our then minister for Tourism & Culture, took with senior officers of the Ministry at that time. His words of wisdom were that while you all do your best for increasing foreign arrivals, we must pay equal and in fact greater attention to development of domestic tourism.

As Governor J&K, the Minister had reshaped the access route, the facilities and the environment of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine which had resulted in big increase in tourist arrivals to the revered shrine and he quoted this personal experience. We all started paying attention to his advice which indeed, was full of merit and that is how several destinations such as Ajanta, Ellora, and others were rejuvenated and that is how a major chunk our budget which fortunately also got substantially increased from 2002 onwards, got allocated to domestic tourism sector.

Travelling down memory lane, I also had had a similar experience when I launched the “Raindrop Tourism” for Goa in 1986 to market Goa monsoon season nationally to attract domestic tourists promoting MICE, weddings and other segments which became a huge success over time and still continue to be one. Monsoon time which used to be an absolute bleak period for the hotel industry, became a parallel booming season and today one feels great to see the occupancy levels super high even though the number of rooms has increased manifold.

I do believe that continuous growth of domestic tourism is most important which contributes hugely to India’s economic growth and employment opportunities besides acting as an important tool for national integration. From a very low domestic tourists figures in the year 2000 we are now closing towards two billion tourists in a year or two. In 2017, for example, the numbers stood is 1.652 billion and tourismfirst

Hot Air Balloon Ride, Goa: Growing with Domestic Numbers increasing annually. Continuous growth is possible because of the product diversity in our country.

Each State and even regions within the States offer different experiences and adventures. It’s like you are visiting different countries in Europe. Food, heritage, culture, clothes, languages, physical environment, landscape all are different but equally enchanting. Besides family, religious, medical and other based travel; these are the attractions which will continue to motivate people for visiting different destinations within the country.

Having said that, however, achieving this objective will not be without challenges. Tourism being a state subject, each state has to have a clear cut objective and yet tourism friendly policy for this growth in conjunction with policies of both the Ministry of Tourism and other Ministries of Government of India. I think it’s time that besides small, medium and deluxe hotels, we promote “Home Stay” in villages and in small towns particularly where the tourists can have relaxed and enchanting times. Indeed health, safe food and other basic hygiene standards have to be maintained. But like it started in Europe and has become a huge success; so it can be in the India of the future. A beginning has been made and it’s time to take it to next level. The state governments have to support wholeheartedly these endeavours by middle/ lower middle class families. Imagine the goodwill it with create for governments and tourism sector professionals, promoters and companies.

FEBRUARY 2020

7 THE BIG PICTURE Subhash Goyal, Chairman - STIC Group and Hony. Secretary - FAITH lays emphasis on student and youth travel

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he Prime Minister’s speech has given a lot of boost to Domestic Tourism and it has inspired the tourism industry of our country to look within at Indian destinations.

I appeal to all the Outbound Tour Operators of the country to open a division especially for Domestic and Inbound Tourism because this will not only promote remote destinations in the country but also promote a better understanding between different regions of the country.

Domestic Tourism is a base on which International Tourism can be built. The easiest way for the country to do is that the PMO should issue instructions to all the schools and colleges that every year the students from South India should visit North India and the students from North India should visit South India.

Similarly, students from Eastern States of India should visit students from western states as a part of their curriculum. This will not only promote Domestic Tourism but also help in national integration and making succeeding generations aware of the touristic, historical, cultural and educational potential of other parts of their country.

All students should visit all the World Heritage sites in India, at least once, and students should be asked to write essays and articles on these heritage sites.

The scope of LTC should be increased to the private sector and these companies should get tax benefit on such programmes.

As tourism is a labour intensive industry, the government should use domestic tourism as a tool to eliminate local poverty, generate employment and economic growth, upgrade infrastructure and alleviate pressure from overcrowding.

Moreover, domestic travel helps address seasonality within regions, while also dispersing tourists to less visited rural areas, which tend to be overlooked by foreign visitors.

KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus, Radisson Hotels in India and South Asia, highlights how both domestic and International tourism are important for their own reasons.

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e have been greatly encouraged by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for the Indian tourism industry. Since he assumed office in 2014, the Prime Minister has consistently stated his backing for tourism and asked his team to focus on policies to stimulate its growth.

The PM’s speech on the 73rd Independence Day contained many sentiments that we concur with.

He recognised that tourism “strengthens the economy of the country” and asserted that we could “carve a place for ourselves amidst the major tourist destinations of the world”.

However, in my view, for India to become a truly global destination, besides focusing on domestic travel – we must at the same time increase our international arrivals. India is still lagging a long way behind in this area; we currently receive fewer international arrivals than Vietnam or Singapore, and only about one third of the number that visit Thailand. Although, India’s rank in the Tourism Competitiveness Index has jumped from 65th in 2013 to 34th in 2019, but we are still lower than Luxembourg and Finland.

The Prime Minister stated that Indian citizens should try to visit “15 destinations before 2022”. I am fully supportive of this; I agree that our children should learn more about their nation’s heritage, culture and roots. Also, from a practical perspective, it is only common sense that we should try to capitalise on our pool of increasingly affluent domestic travellers.

PM’s plan for developing 100 tourism destinations, including “five, seven, ten such destinations in each state.” This is a good idea, and we need to build upon it; maybe we can select one or two attractive destinations with proper infrastructure in each state which can be effectively promoted domestically and select few on the global stage. Indonesia has done this, with its plan to promote ten new tourism hotspots and ease pressure on Bali. India should consider this model, to encourage overseas visitors to look beyond Goa, Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle.

International tourism offers many benefits. Besides bringing dollars into the Indian economy, it helps to raise our standards of product quality and service, and it boosts overseas investment and international connectivity. Most importantly, it enhances global perceptions resulting in more international investments.

In his speech, PM Modi stated that tourism has the ability to drive “maximum employment generation”. This is true, but the statement needs to be ably supported by the government. They need to introduce clearer policies which can be executed and also accord required benefits for this highly capital-intensive industry.

PM Modi has always been a strong supporter of the tourism industry; I trust he will continue to recognise the benefits of both domestic and international travel in future, in order to achieve a strong, sustainable and well-balanced tourism economy. tourismfirst

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8 THE BIG PICTURE

HARDEEP PURI:

ON AIR INDIA, SMART CITIES, CAA AND DELHI POLITICS Seeking holistic development for India’s tourism, which we believe is increasingly all embracing, stretching across sectors of the economy and society, Tourism First interviews Hardeep Puri, who is presently holding independent charge of two critical ministries – Urban Development and Civil Aviation. Never before has any union minister held this combination. Cities are the lifeline to our tourism effort and civil aviation provides the essential transport connect. Following are the excerpts:

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hose familiar with college rivalries in Delhi will know how unusual it is for a Hindu College history graduate to end up as a lecturer at St Stephen’s. But then Hardeep Puri was obviously a born diplomat, always able to balance diverse interests.

In a 40 year career, he distinguished himself in several positions, as member of India’s delegation to the GATT/United Nations in Geneva on three different occasions; as ambassador to United Kingdom and Brazil, and as President of the United Nations Security Council in August 2011 and November 2012 and Chairman of the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in 2011-2012.

Inducted in the Union Cabinet in 2017, he took over as Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and has quickly added Minister of State (Independent Charge) Civil Aviation as well as one of the ministers of state in Commerce and Industry. Though he lost the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar, which has proved to be the BJP’s waterloo, he is proving to be one of the party’s most bankable MPs. Whether he is attacking Arvind Kejriwal’s model of governance at an election rally in Delhi or launching a book at a Capital soiree, he is articulate, forthright, and businesslike.

With his wide experience across the world, he has taken to his ministerial tasks with vigour and rigour. Never one to shy away from saying what he believes, he speaks to Crosssection Conversations on a range of issues, from protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act to his party’s prospects for the Delhi elections. tourismfirst

What are the challenges in urbanising a country of India’s magnitude?

According to the first Census of India in 1951, around 17% of our population, of approximately 350 million, lived in urban spaces. According to the latest Census of 2011, 30% of 1.25 billion lives in urban spaces.

According to a study conducted by consulting firm McKinsey, by 2030, 40% of India’s population, or 600 million Indian citizens will be living in cities. In addition, the same study indicates that for India to meet the demands of this rapid urbanization, we need to build 700 to 900 million square meters of urban space every year. This number is equivalent of one Chicago. Put another way, 70% of the India of 2030 is yet to be built.

For much of our post-colonial existence, urban space has been subjected to neglect which I have characterised as ‘criminal neglect’ even though cities contribute around 60% to our GDP. Our emphasis, perhaps rightly so, was on rural development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister to recognise urban development as a win-win proposition. His flagship programmes in the urban space when seen in conjunction with one another, make India’s quest for urban rejuvenation the most comprehensive and ambitious urban development project conducted anywhere in the world.

What are the plans for Swachh Bharat 2.0?

We have to ensure that gains made from 2014-2019 FEBRUARY 2020

9 THE BIG PICTURE are not lost. We are moving towards ODF+ and ODF++ frameworks - while the SBM ODF Plus protocol focuses on sustaining community/ pubic toilet usage by ensuring their functionality, cleanliness and maintenance, the SBM ODF Plus Plus will focus on achieving sanitation sustainability by addressing complete sanitation value chain, including safe containment, processing and disposal of faecal sludge and septage.

The Mission emphasizes that the ownership of houses constructed under the Mission should be in the name of the female member of the household or in joint ownership.

Nothing can be a more powerful articulation on the empowerment of women. A house under PMAY(U) becomes an insurance for her safety and security.

How about the progress of SMART Cities?

I am satisfied. But I understand why you have asked this question so let me elaborate.

How easy or difficult is it going to be to get The 100 Smart Cities were selected through a housing for all by 2022? Will the special focus process of competitive bidding. 90 of these cities on women mean a long-term transformation in are brownfield, i.e. areas within existing cities have society empowering women with some kind of been chosen and are now being rebuilt/retrofitted. property rights?

10 cities are green field, i.e. these are entirely new I have always maintained that in India there cities, built from scratch. is no dearth of financial resources to complete To safeguard urban development from competitive developmental projects, as long as the projects populist politics, a decision was taken that these themselves are bankable. And I would like to inform projects would be implemented through what is called the readers through this platform that ‘Housing for a Special Purpose Vehicle and a Project Management All’ or Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) is a Consultant. Now establishing a SPV and PMC takes great example of what is a bankable project. about 15-18 months. It is also important to note But before I delve into what has made the programme that the cities were chosen in tranches, with the first a success, let me share with you some data. Our target tranche announced in January 2016. under the mission was to The thumb rule is that it takes about 5 build 1 crore 12 lakh homes “Air India is a first class asset. It years from the date of announcement by the year 2022. Two years has landing rights in about 40 to complete all the projects. before the deadline, we have international destinations; it has I would like to here mention the role already sanctioned 1 crore 3 around 150 aircrafts on its books; of Integrated Command and Control lakh homes, 60 lakh are under and has an excellent safety and Centres (ICCC) in the Smart Cities construction, and over 28 security record, in part due to its Mission. The ICCC acts like the nervous lakh have been handed over excellent cabin crew.” system of a Smart City. For instance, to the beneficiaries. the delivery of all civic amenities is The earlier schemes mounted on a central system, which on urban housing had not is anchored in the ICCC. From the ICCC, one can achieved in ten years what PMAY (Urban) has done track whether garbage has been collected and disposed in less than 5. What separates PMAY (Urban) from properly; if traffic lights are being jumped; whether the earlier schemes? First, in earlier schemes, all street lights are working and so and so forth. We have housing project approvals were done at the central 32 ICCCs ready, and I am expecting 50 should be up Government level. In PMAY(U), these approvals are and running in a month or two. being accorded at the State Government level. This flows from the Prime Minister’s strong belief that What is your plan for Air India?

States must get the right to choose what is best suited I would like to state upfront that Air India is a for them. This is cooperative federalism in practice, first class asset. It has landing rights in about 40 silently acknowledging the rightful role of the elected international destinations; it has around 150 aircrafts Chief Ministers, away from the din of politics. on its books; and has an excellent safety and security The scheme through its four verticals of In record, in part due to its excellent cabin crew. situ slum redevelopment; Affordable Housing in Having said that, fact is, and I have stated this Partnership (AHP); Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme on the floor of Parliament, the Government of India (CLSS) and Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), can no longer run the airline simply because it has offers a bouquet of options to the States to choose accumulated too much debt. Why has it come to this what is best for their people. The Mission looks at situation, is an entirely different proposition, and one the daunting issue of slums; it focusses on affordable which I wouldn’t like to get into at the moment. housing; it provides for a very attractive interest But the fact remains that the precious government subsidy for those wanting to avail a housing loan; and resources, which can be used for developmental finally, it also provides assistance to those who already needs, can no longer keep the airline running. Which have a piece of land but find it difficult to bridge that by corollary means we have to privatize the airline. gap in their savings, to construct a house. tourismfirst

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10 THE BIG PICTURE September 2017, I had written to the Chief Minister You have been a vocal defender of CAA and have said of Delhi asking him what steps his government has the Nankana Sahib stone throwing is symptomatic of taken to give property rights to individuals living in why we need it. Could you explain your stand a bit? these areas. I was told that his government needs two There is a lot of misinformation going around regarding years to resolve the matter. Remember, the process of CAA. It is important to understand what the CAA is what finding a resolution of this issue began in 2008. it is not. I have written an article with this very headline.

When I was told that the Delhi government needs The CAA has no bearing on Indian citizens, including two more years, I took them at face value. This was our various minority communities. The Act in essence perhaps an error on my part because in 2019, when is a process of affirmative action - it seeks to confer the two years were up, citizenship rights on those the Delhi government, individuals who fled our in affidavit filed in the neighbouring countries High Court, said it needs on account religious another two years. This persecution. And given is when I said enough that these countries are was enough.

Islamic Republics, and by There are over 40 lakh definition cannot persecute citizens living in these Muslims, the Act seeks to colonies. How much safeguard the interest of longer do they have to six minority communities wait to get a claim on in these countries. It is also their property? important to note that Prime Minister the Act has a cut-off date Modi’s government of December 31, 2014, has not just regularized which means only those these colonies, but given persecuted individuals, the residents “Malkana who came to India before Haq”. They can now this cut-off date, are eligible leverage their right to for these rights. Any get loans and mortgages persecuted person, from and improve their living anywhere in the world, conditions. If it was up to the including Muslims from India’s “Prime Minister Narendra Modi Delhi Chief Minister, he would neighbourhood, are still eligible to is the first Prime Minister to have let these 40 lakh citizens live apply for citizenship using other recognise urban development as a in misery while he spent his time, channels, on a case-by-case basis. win-win proposition. His flagship money, and energy, on taking out Now on the violence that programmes in the urban space advertisements in newspapers. took place at the Nankana when seen in conjunction with Saheb Gurudwara. Do we need one another, make India’s quest What does Delhi want for the any more proof that minority for urban rejuvenation the most elections and beyond them? communities in Pakistan are comprehensive and ambitious The people of Delhi are persecuted, and this persecution urban development project tired of populist politics. They is violent in nature? As a Sikh, conducted anywhere in the world.” don’t want a start-up running I was aghast at what happened. the affairs of the city. From my The attitude of the Pakistani interactions I get the sense that establishment shows they do not they want mature politics and governance. care for their minority communities and give a free Let me give you one example. The Delhi reign to elements who use violence as a means of government recently announced they are making bus suppression. The CAA protects those individuals rides free for women. On the face of it, this sounds who fled from such violence and came to India. It is like a noble initiative. But reality is that the Delhi has a morally and legally just law. an authorization for 11,000 buses but only 4,000 odd ply on the roads. The Delhi government is not What was the idea behind regularising 20 sanctioning additional buses because they do not unauthorised colonies in delhi? is it linked to the understand the basics of governance – their idea of elections in delhi? governance is inspired by their populist politics. The Again, the linking of unauthorized colonies with people of Delhi are tired of such gimmicks.

Delhi elections is misrepresentation of facts.

When I joined the council of ministers in – by Kaveree Bamzai tourismfirst

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RAJAT GUPTA: THE INDIA STORY NEEDS TO BE TOLD BETTER Rajat Gupta is former CEO of McKinsey. His has been a notable face in the corporate world in India and in the US. In this interview he brings a holistic expression to all things travel and tourism.

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Beatles to Steve Jobs. We have a ndia is a perennial story of long tradition of pacifist thought and great potential, sometlmes Mahatma Gandhi is a global icon of we live up to it, sometimes non violence and sustainable living. we don’t. One area we clearly We have to make our heritage in this haven’t lived up to it is tourism. area accessible and well known.

We have the cultural diversity and India has a long history of world class attractions. By 2028, interacting with the world for trade international arrivals in India are and cultural expansion. Equally expected to reach 30.5 million. there is a young workforce eager to But in 2017, India was celebrating be employed in the services sector crossing the 10-million mark in which needs proper training and foreign tourist arrivals--even Dubai skill development. By 2027, in fact, gets more tourists than we do. In there Is an estimate that India will have the world’s 2018, for instance, the number of foreign tourist largest workforce, a billion people between the ages arrivals in Dubai was nearly 16 million. of 15 and 64.

We need to preserve our heritage. whether We gave to be able to meet the challenge of cultural, geographical or spiritual, and then we need quality and quantity in education, which is vital for to exploit it. Tourism is one of the largest sectors this workforce. We have thousands of engineering now in terms of economic development. In 2017, colleges, yet most of the the country earned over $27 graduates are unemployable. billion from tourism, a new high, There are lots of people around though still vastly lower than say “The problem is India is a well but they don’t know how to a nation like France which made kept secret. Except for Taj deliver the services in the right $61 billion in the same year.

Mahal, one of the country’s 30 way. That is a great failure The problem is India is a World Heritage sites, no one of our vocational education well kept secret. Except for Taj really knows our destinations. system and every aspect of the Mahal, one of the country’s 30 The world doesn’t know our education policy needs to be World Heritage sites, no one enormous biodiversity (we have enhanced. really knows our destinations.

25 biogeographic zones), our At the bottom of the ladder The world doesn’t know our multiculturalism, or our rich and at the top, there is a great enormous biodiversity (we have tradition of arts and culture. We shortage of talent. We don’t 25 biogeographic zones), our have to tell our story better.” train enough plumbers and multiculturalism, or our rich electricians. Nor do we have tradition of arts and culture. We enough adequately trained engineers and doctors. have to tell our story better.

We need to create more credible institutions in In terms of infrastructure development, we greater numbers. For a long time, for instance, need tremendous improvements. We also need we had only five IITs for such a big country. I am to keep alive our cultural heritage, the art forms a product of IIT Delhi so I know the quality of and the capabilities. We need to highlight our education imparted there. But I also know that we wellness potential given we are the home of yoga need many more such places. and Ayurveda. Yet more yoga is practised in the Only a combination of these factors can allow USA than in India. It is a huge industry. But India India to reach its tourism potential. should be the destination for yoga, for spiritual thought and for self discovery. We have an ancient legacy of seekers of spiritual growth, and we have (He spoke to Kaveree Bamzai on the sidelines of the attracted people from all over the world, from the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2020 in Kolkata.) tourismfirst

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SWACCH BHARAT: MORE TOILETS, BETTER SANITATION MEAN MORE TOURISTS Parameswaran Iyer has been PM Narendra Modi’s man, first as the champion of Swachh Bharat, and now on another project of national importance – the Jal Jeevan Mission. The 1981-batch IAS officer, secretary in the department of drinking water and sanitation, is undaunted by the challenge. Here he says why.

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former IAS officer returns from a great run at the World Bank to transform the country’s age-old problem of open defecation, builds 11 crore toilets in four years, and then i s gi v e n y e t a not h e r s e e mingl y impossible task by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – resolve the critical water crisis and provide piped water supply to every home by 2024. The champion of Swachh Bharat is now a man on another mission – Jal Jeevan Mission. But the 1981-batch IAS officer Parameswaran Iyer, secretary in the department of drinking water and sanitation, is undaunted by the challenge. Here he says why.

It has been six months since the creation of the Jal Shakti Mantralaya from the erstwhile Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the former ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Has it changed the attitude of working in silos which you said meant working across seven ministries and 10 different departments?

Absolutely. These last six months have been a welcome change for the water sector across the country. By integrating the former Ministries of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Drinking Water and Sanitation, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has empowered an integrated approach to the water sector.

In fact, in just a month since its creation, we launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan – a mission mode campaign in 256 of the country’s most water stressed districts for focused interventions for water conservation. This campaign was a joint effort, bringing together the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the Ministry of Rural Development, tourismfirst

the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, and even the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser.

Yo u h a v e s a i d t h e g r e a t e s t challenge to Jal Shakti is to integrate fragmented institutions and make water s e cu ri t y eve r yo n e’s b u s i n e s s .

Are there specif ic lessons from Swachh Bharat that can be implemented here?

A key factor in the effectiveness of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has been that it went beyond the mandate and became everyone’s business – a jan andolan. Water and sanitation are both such sectors which require community participation and ownership for sustainable implementation of schemes. While the Government is empowered to deliver at scale, it is the people who sustain interventions.

For this, there are four key lessons fr om the Swachh Bharat Mission, which we seek to replicate in the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the Government’s new flagship programme to ensure har ghar jal by 2024. These are: political leadership, public financing, partnerships and people’s participation. The Prime Minister announced the program from the ramparts of the Red Fort and the Cabinet has approved a substantial sum for the program over the next five years. For partnerships in the water sector for the Jal Jeevan, the above mentioned Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched. It was a massive drive to kickstart JJM with water conservation, through joint efforts not just by the Government, but in partnership with development partners, NGOs and the private sector. Meanwhile, the schemes for the JJM are being designed to be implemented and managed at the lowest appropriate level. This lays strong focus on engaging communities to own their own schemes, making water everyone’s FEBRUARY 2020

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business with widespread people’s participation.

The water crisis is a reality in cities and villages. What are the lessons from Swachh Bharat for Jal Shakti?

In our assessment, the biggest learning is that You’ve often said there are wonderful local people’s participation is most important for a examples of water management. You’ve cited programme like the SBM or the JJM to succeed.

Hiware Bazaar in Maharashtra, the Swajal The SBM has scaled up sanitation by involving all model of community-based drinking water in sections of society from film stars to sportspersons Uttarakhand, and in Dewas district in Madhya to religious leaders to the common man. Today, Pradesh. What are the learnings from them? alm ost every villag e has swachhag rahi s and These schemes require a large amount of millions of volunteers work for investment and maintenance. swachhata with no official titles.

In an ideal scenario, in SBM is a classic example of the groundwater rich areas, single Cleaning the Ganga again is power of the collective and the village, groundwater-based priority for all stakeholders. extraordinary results that can schemes with end-to-end Significant progress has been be achieved when people come source sustainability measures made to curb the discharge together for a common cause. are encouraged. These include of all forms of waste into the provisions for rainwater Ganga. All villages in the banks H ow do you p riorit ise t he harvesting through household of the Ganga have been declared water challenge--clean or community storage, which Open Defecation Free. And the d r i n k i n g w a t e r, e f f i c i e n t can also be used for recharging work towards a clean Ganga utilisation of water by groundwater. However, in will continue with increased agriculture, or reuse of water? water stressed areas, especially emphasis going forward.

Interesting question and the in the designated dark blocks answer is simple: we look at them and in areas affected by water in unison. The idea is to have an integrated approach quality issues, surface water based multi-village to water supply. What makes the JJM different from schemes need to be designed. every other water supply programme till date is Community participation in these schemes exactly this: that built into the scheme designs is the become even more important for their mandatory provision of source sustainability measures successful implementation. The models cited which includes water conservation as well as reuse and have shown encouraging results in community greywater management. led water conservation measures. For instance, one of those you mention, a good example of What is the way out for cleaning the Ganga, a local approaches to developing infrastructure project that has taken so long and cost so much? for storage of water is seen in Dewas district The Ministry of Jal Shakti is making significant in Madhya Pradesh. Here, through government efforts towards ensuring the cleanliness of the support to farming communities for building Ganga and other major rivers of the country. ponds as alternative storage and supply sources, Just like in the SBM, cleaning the Ganga again is the district has achieved a 6 to 40 feet rise in priority for all stakeholders. Significant progress the water table, even while increasing irrigated has been made to curb the discharge of all forms area by 120-190 per cent. tourismfirst

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There are several learnings from the SBM that we will apply to the JJM, many of which I have mentioned above. One additional learning is that the program will take off only once it becomes the priority for the state government, as water and sanitation are state subjects. And making sure that What are the job opportunities in this area and these become among the top programmes of state the skills needed to train students into water governments is our overwhelming priority. professionals?

We will continue to engage closely with the Opportunities in the water and sanitation sector States and provide them with the requisite technical is growing, especially given the Government’s and financial assistance and to clear focus on the delivery of achieve the goal of piped water basic services at scale. While Lack of availability of piped supply for all by 2024. leading institutions are also water supply hampers the We at the Department of providing degrees in areas overall economic potential of Drinking Water and Sanitation are related to the development any region, tourism included. focus on both water and sanitation. sector, the concept of ‘young However, interestingly India’s We are working towards ensuring professionals’ is also catching position on the tourism index ODF Sustainability, and that no one up fast and strong. In Swachh has been in the rise, and a part is left behind. At the same time, we Bharat Mission, we had the of this may be attributed to are working with the States to help Zila Swachh Bharat Preraks the increased availability of them plan their roadmap to achieve (ZSBPs), funded by the Tata toilets and sanitation facilities piped water supply to all by 2024.

Trusts. There were 500 of at public places, tourist spots, The ODF Plus comportment of these young professionals transport stations, highways the SBM-G includes liquid waste who were deployed in district and petrol pumps. management and reuse, which also across the country to be the feeds into the larger Jal Skakti goals.

Mission’s boots on the ground and to assist Collectors with What effect have India’s water issues had on the planning, implementation and monitoring of the our tourism? programme. This model is now being replicated in Lack of availability of piped water supply other Government efforts as well – in the Aspirational hampers the overall economic potential of any districts programme by NITI Aayog and even as part region, tourism included. However, interestingly of the POSHAN Abhiyan. A similar model may also India’s position on the tourism index has been in be considered for the water sector. the rise, and a part of this may be attributed to the increased availability of toilets and sanitation What was your own personal learning in SBM facilities at public places, tourist spots, transport that you take with you to JJM? and how will you stations, highways and petrol pumps. balance the two missions? Jal Shakti and SBM, especially in its new phase?

– by Kaveree Bamzai of waste into the Ganga. All villages in the banks of the Ganga have been declared Open Defecation Free. And the work towards a clean Ganga will continue with increased emphasis going forward.

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MUMBAI 24X7: THE CITY NEVER SLEPT, NEW DECISION ONLY FORMALISES THE CITY’S USP The decision to make Mumbai go 24x7 is only a ratification of the fact that the city never slept. We see it as a precursor to other metro towns going the same way, perhaps to begin with, in selected zones around the cities.

W

e welcome the new Maha Government’s decision to make Mumbai city go 24x7. It’s not a day too soon, that the city government, regardless of the party in power, has gone ahead and taken this most logical step. It’s taking the city forward, to say the least.

That Mumbai Never Slept is an old understanding of the city. It’s NOT about 5-star hotels, dance floors, nightlife as is usually understood, which invariably has a negative connotation, as something sleezy and corrupt and immoral. These are cliches and this decision must go beyond clichés. It’s not about malls, shopping and bars. These would have their own economies of scale and viability. Let them find their own levels. It is more about giving the license to operate 24x7, saying the provision exists, and we do know that there would be new opportunities opening up for the city.

A drive from one remote part of the city to the other, late into the night, is a testimony to common citizens going home, or running from one errand to another. In more recent times, our big cities, and not just Mumbai, have seen the rise of the new economy that has working shifts and people are keeping late hours. In between, they set out for a cup of coffee or a snack, and why not give them that little extra incentive to say, the city is with them. Its not about bars and night clubs!

It’s not meant to create a new law and order situation, and it’s equally not a given that this decision would give rise to rapes. This economy of night shifters, hanging out of commercial offices, and commuting already exists and around them consolidating it, and giving a new dimension to the city economy. It would certainly provide more jobs.

Naturally, built around local needs and local economy, the visitor will get additional opportunities to enjoy the city, creating yet another window for more jobs and recreation. It’s a healthy way forward.

There would be challenges, naturally, as any other forward-looking decision is bound to meet.

But there are solutions like bringing back of the city mounted police, for example. The state is already meant to police the city 24x7, and therefore why this panic? On the contrary, it could become a new instrument to maintaining a 24x7 vigil across the happening areas.

And, finally, many of our cities have this night shift element, especially where there are call centres, and IT outsourcing happening. In Chennai, Bengaluru and in Gurugram, for instance. Hopefully, these cities will follow suit. Here’s wishing the Maha Government every success in this new decision!

– by Navin Berry tourismfirst

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NEW DELHI: REVAMPING THE CENTRAL VISTA In keeping with Narendra Modi’s vision of a New India, re-imagining the Central Vista Complex, existing around the Rajpath in New Delhi, is the birth of another city, known for its past seven incarnations, including the British and the Mughal. The present New Delhi is considered the eighth.

Apart from the symbolic value, this restoration will bring greater efficiencies in the government eco-system in the capital. This project is likely to be extended beyond Rashtrapati Bhawan, to Mother Teresa Crescent in the west and from India Gate to the banks of River Yamuna in the east. The project has acquired a sense of urgency as the government would like significant completion before 2024, the year when Independent India becomes 75!

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Archives will be remodelled. he central vista is likely to The Prime Minister’s residence be extended beyond the However, post-Independence will be shifted behind the existing Rashtrapati Bhawan to the construction that took South Block complex while the the Mother Teresa Crescent in the place in the vista didn’t have residence of the Vice President is west and from the India Gate to an inspiring vision behind it. proposed to be relocated behind the banks of the river Yamuna in There was no comprehensive North Block. the east, according to new changes planning. Today, the struc“Lutyens architecture was made to the plan to redevelop the tures are incoherent, there’s spectacular and there is no landmark Lutyens neighbourhood no grand plans of buildings doubt about that. However, that houses India’s legislative and and precious land is used in an post-Independence the conexecutive power. insufficient way struction that took place in the The central vista redevelopvista didn’t have an inspiring ment plan includes a slew of changvision behind it. There was no es to existing structures, with a new comprehensive planning. Today, the structures are Parliament building and a common secretariat for all incoherent, there’s no grand plans of buildings and central government offices among the most prominent precious land is used in an insufficient way,” chief new features. architect of HCP Design, Planning & Management According to presentations made by AhmedPrivate Limited, Bimal Patel, said. abad-based HCP Design – the agency selected to Patel’s firm was among the four firms that had been carry out the works -- a new triangular Parliament shortlisted for the project by the Centre. building will come up next to the existing complex, The sweeping redevelopment, which is being the North and South Block office complexes will be handled by the ministry of housing and urban turned into national museums, the Indira Gandhi affairs, is slated to complete a new Parliament by National Centre will be relocated, and the National tourismfirst

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Symbolic of the NEW INDIA, coinciding with our 75th anniversary year, 2024 cycling paths all the way up till the garden past the India’s 75th Independence Day in 2022, with the Purana Quila route,” he added. The government plans rest of the work scheduled to finish by 2024. to hold a design competition for selecting the structures “We have seven main objectives to accomplish that should be put up at the proposed garden, a senior with the project that include modernising Parliament government official said, asking not to be named. facilities, consolidating, rationalising, and synergising government functioning, providing adequate facilities for the Vice President and Prime Minister, NATIONAL ARBORETUM refurbishing and better equipping the Central Vista In extending the vista towards the west, the plan also avenue, strengthening cultural ininvolves a national biodiversity arstitutions in the vista, commemboretum on about 48 acres of land Among the major changes is orating 75 years of independence beyond Mother Teresa Crescent. converting the North and South and executing a large complex “If you look at the land beyond Block offices, which at present project such as this with ease,” the Crescent, which is essentially house some of India’s key minPatel said. forest area, we plan to carve out istries such as home, defence, To be sure, the plan is still a about 48 acres for a national biodifinance, as well as the Prime work in progress and the proposal versity arboretum which will have Minister’s Office, into national could undergo several glass houses inside that will house museums. The central governendangered plant species of India,” ment ministries will be shifted Patel said.

COMMEMORATING 75 YEARS

OF INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE

to a common secretariat. “These

blocks will be converted into On the proposed extended NATIONAL MUSEUMS national museums. It is proposed portion of the central vista, the Among the major changes is to make South Block a museum government plans to construct a converting the North and South showcasing India’s history up garden near the river Yamuna – a Block offices, which at present to 1857 and North Block can be “New India garden” -- to install house some of India’s key mina museum of India after 1857. structures commemorating 75 istries such as home, defence, These are just ideas right now. years of India’s independence. finance, as well as the Prime “Even Lutyens’s original plan was Minister’s Office, into national envisaged to extending the Vista museums. The central governfrom the Ridge to the river. Presently the vista is from ment ministries will be shifted to a common secretariat.

Rashtrapati Bhawan up to India Gate. One of the things “These blocks will be converted into national museums. we were asked was to see a possibility where that could It is proposed to make South Block a museum showbe done,” Patel said. “We will also set up walking and casing India’s history up to 1857 and North Block tourismfirst

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can be a museum of India after 1857. These are just ideas right now,” Patel said, adding that the objective was to convey a shift in India’s political ethos. “What comes to mind is the Louvre which was the palace of the king that was converted into a museum. These are grand symbols of authority which are being opened to people,” Patel added.

central government employees. “None of the new structures will be higher than the India gate. We have planned 10 symmetrical structures with modern offices. The plan is to also ensure they have courtyards in the centre for trees,” Patel said. “At present only 22 of 51 government ministries reside in the Vista,” he said.

CENTRAL SECRETARIAT

CENTRAL AVENUE

A total of 10 common secretariat buildings have been planned to serve as offices for about 70,000 tourismfirst

The area around Rajpath is being referred as the Central Avenue. Among the plans to redevelop it

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19 THE BIG PICTURE great vista. You want to allow motorists to also have the same experience,” Patel said.

CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

A plot of 15 acres has been identified by the Centre to relocate IGNCA near Jamnagar House. “We will utilise IGNCA land for building the secretariat complex while IGNCA will be shifted. There is currently 15 acres of hutments at Jamnagar house which will be removed to make way for IGNCA. The idea is that this plot which is right across Hyderabad House will be a symmetric mirror image of the building,” the government official said.

PRIME MINISTER AND VICE PRESIDENT’S RESIDENCES

According to government officials, about 90 acres of prime land has been “wasted” due to encroachment by hutments. This land will be reclaimed utilised to construct new residences of the Vice President and the

We will utilise IGNCA land for building the secretariat complex while IGNCA will be shifted. There is currently 15 acres of hutments at Jamnagar house which will be removed to make way for IGNCA. The idea is that this plot which is right across Hyderabad House will be a symmetric mirror image of the building Prime Minister. “For the PM, there are two plots behind South Block which has hutments and in that there will be PMO with a garden in front for functions etc connecting it to his residence so that it will be walking distance,” the official said.

PARLIAMENT

include setting up civic amenities such as toilets, benches and organised parking. “It has haphazard parking today, bad landscape, poor pathways and footpaths, it has ad-hoc vending spaces and inadequate facilities for national events and poor lighting...We will create pedestrian underpasses.

One of the decisions was on whether to put either traffic below or the people below, in this case we thought that the traffic should stay on top, because some of the people who come from outside get to cross just once and get that one shot to view the tourismfirst

The triangular complex proposed as the new Parliament Complex will be situated on plot inside the present complex. Contrary to his previous proposal of converting the old building into a museum, Patel said the plan now to utilize it for certain functions after going through remodelling and retrofitting. “We have gone through the old drawings and ancient copies of the old building while designing the new building...among one of the issues is a seating the MPs. One of the options we have narrowed on is two-people per bench seating arrangement where the central hall can seat 800 MPs and 1200 for a joint session,” Patel said. The plan also includes building of chambers for all MPs. - by Anisha Dutta in The Hindustan Times Reproduced here with permission

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NEW DELHI A recent seminar was organised by CII and Delhi Tourism in which senior personalities belonging to sectors like hospitality and heritage shared their views.

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he single biggest take-away from a panel discussion revolved around how to make Delhi, a tourism friendly city and how the tourists contribute to the economy of the city just by staying one more day. Things like how the economy of Delhi is doing better than the average Indian economy and how the government needs to maintain the not-so-famous historical sites, were discussed in the se ssion. Ma n i sha Sa xena , S ecre t a r y Tourism, Department of Urban Development and Tourism, Govt of NCT of Delhi, was the chief guest.

Vikram Bakshi, Chairman of CII-Delhi Tourism Conclave, set the context and talked about how the economy of Delhi is doing better than the average of Indian economy. He said that it is really fascinating that despite the decline in the GDP growth rate of country, as it has slipped down to 4.5%, the economy of Delhi is on a rise and the annual growth rate of GSDP of Delhi, which was 7.54% in 2016, is currently 8.1%.

A report on Delhi NTR (National Tourism Region)

by CII-JLL was presented in the inaugural session and Mansi Anand, Director-Marketing Investor Services, India JLL, shared the highlights from the report. According to the report, Delhi Tourism got a thrust after the Asian Games and with the Incredible India campaign by the Government of India, the tourism and hospitality sector of India got a significant boost.

The report also noted that the contribution of tourism and hospitality sector of India is 9.2% of the GDP of tourismfirst

Vikram Bakshi, Chairman, CII-Delhi Tourism Conclave sets the agenda.

India. During the last few years, there is a commendable growth in air transport infrastructure and India stands at 34 th position among 144 countries in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index, released by World Economic Forum this year.

The reason behind this uplift in the tourism sector, according to the report, is the rise in domestic travel as the millennials have shown a keen interest in traveling and exploring places. The advancement in the regional and global connectivity is also one of the factors behind the boost in the tourism sector. Delhi has marked itself in the global space in tourism and the construction of various expressways will ensure better connectivity to the city.

After the presentation of the report, Manisha Saxena, the chief guest of the event, talked about how the government is trying to improve the tourism sector in Delhi. She also talked about the condition of historical monuments in Delhi and the trending Heritage walks.

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WHAT WOULD IT TAKE VISITORS TO SPEND ONE DAY EXTRA?

Views of the panelists at one of the sessions.

“There are thousands of stories to be told in Delhi and we need young storytellers to do that. The heritage walks at the monuments of Delhi are in trend these days. The government is trying to develop the Mehrauli Archaeological Park as it has great potential to become the next tourist spot. Also, we have noticed that most of the unnoticed historical sites and monuments are desolate and not well-lit. The government is trying to fix that so that the tourists can feel more secure at those places.” said Manisha Saxena, Secretary Tourism, Department of Urban Development and Tourism, Govt of NCT of Delhi.

There were three sessions in the event about Delhi’s tourism, heritage and culture. The session on ‘Know Why a Traveler should spend an extra day in Delhi: Talk by Tourism Experts’ was moderated by Vikram Bakshi, and the panel included Dhruv Shringi, Co-Founder and CEO, Yatra; Rajan Sehgal, Chairman, Travel Agents Association of India – North India; Tejbir Singh, Holiday Moods Adventures Pvt Ltd; Sandeep Dayal, Sr Consultant and Advisor Business, tourismfirst

Incoming Tours, Mercury Travels and Navin Berry, Director, BITB. There are plenty of other places to visit in Delhi other than the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar which needs to be promoted. Dhruv Shringi emphasized on strengthening the core product and said it would be better if we could look upon the usage of the heritage sites of Delhi.

Rajan Sehgal talked about the pathetic condition of railway and bus stations and suggested to create awareness about untouched sites of Delhi.

Sandeep Dayal said that every city, which has become a brand, has a tagline of their own and as Delhi, as a city, is one of the oldest brands, it must have a tagline. He also talked about how business travel and leisure has come together to create a new term Bleisure.

Navin Berry suggested that every entry point to the city should have a visitor facilitation center as there are lakhs of visitors coming to Delhi by road. In the next phase, he said, that a theme park can also be created.

To make the visitors stay longer we need to provide FEBRUARY 2020

22 CIT Y WATCH Around 100 years ago, he sa id, Za far Hasa n made a list of the historical sites of Delhi and it was 3000. In 2010, this number reduced to 2000.

He said that within 100 years of time we’ve lost ab out a t hou sa nd heritage sites a nd t hat too because of lack of maintenance of these sites. He also raised an issue about MANISHA SAXENA VIKRAM BAKSHI toilets not being cleaned SECRETARY TOURISM, DEPTT. OF URBAN CHAIRMAN OF CII-DELHI TOURISM CONCLAVE at heritage sites. Sohail DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM, NCR OF DELHI Hashmi said that people, “It is really fascinating that despite the decline in the GDP rather than just watching “There are thousands of stories growth rate of country, as it has to be told in Delhi and we need t hese sites, shou ld a lso slipped down to 4.5%, the economy young storytellers to do that. The k now about t he histor y of Delhi is on a rise and the government is trying to develop attached to that location. annual growth rate of GSDP of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park Dr. Swapna Lidd le said Delhi, which was 7.54% in 2016, as it has the great potential to is currently 8.1%.” t hat instead of creating become the next tourist spot. a new mall, the government should restore the h i stor ic a l ma rke t s a nd the heritage attached to it.

Manjit Gill and Davinder Kumar talked about more facilities to them. He also suggested that a stophow food has played a crucial role in making Delover concept can also be considered as it would lure hi deliciously famous and we should be putting the tourists to stay longer and come again for a second i n more e f for t s to en ha nce t he qu a l it y of ou r trip, probably with their family. Tejbir Singh talked cuisines. about the betterment of Aravali range as it could be The last session of this conclave was about the major an add-on for people visiting Delhi. infrastructural changes which transformed Dilli into The next session was about the heritage and the Delhi.

RJ Rahul Makin moderated this session and culture of Delhi and had keynote speakers like SoYogeshwar Sharma, Executive Director, Select City hail Hashmi, Historian and Filmmaker, Swapna Walk, Nikhil Sharma, Area Director, Eurasia Region Liddle, Convenor, Delhi I NTACH chapter, Chef Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and JB Singh, PresManjit Gill, Founder President of the Indian Federaident & CEO, InterGlobe Hotels were the speakers. The role of Delhi Metro behind t he t ra nsformat ion of Dil l i to Del hi was discussed in this session. Nikhil Sharma said that it would be unfair if one does not mention the Delhi Metro while discussing Delhi tourism. Yogeshwar Sharma emphasized on catering the needs of the future of tourism and said that we have to start working from zero level as everything is changing rapidly and one doesn’t know if things take a complete U-turn in the future.

Another session in progress: meaty debates and constructive suggestions.

Other than that, the issue was raised about not opening of any new hotels in central Delhi regardtion of Culinary Associations, and Davinder Kumar, ing which JB Singh said it is because of the restrictions Vice President (F&B), Le Meridian, New Delhi. This in government policy which needs to be looked upon. session was moderated by Sourish Bhattacharyya, JB Singh emphasized the need to compositely consolFounder Honorary Secretary of Young Chefs Assoidate the tourism product of the city, bring it under ciation for Sustainable India. In this session, Sohail one umbrella and market it to the rest of the country Hashmi put forwarded some basic facts regarding Delhi and overseas. heritage sites.

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SOCIAL MEDIA: GROWING & INCREASING ITS TOURISM IMPACT Annual growth of social media outreach continues, Youtube remains the most used site followed by facebook, and Instagram is the fastest growing social media site. Compiled by Devraj Singh Rathore. > The number of mobile phone users in 2019 were 5.112 billion, up 2% year-on-year.

Share of web traffic by device highly favours mobile at 52%, whilst Desktop remains in second place with only 43% of device share to all web pages. > The number of internet users worldwide in 2019 were 4.388 billion, up 9.1% year-on-year.

The largest penetration of internet was seen in Northern, Western and South Europe and North America with between 88%-95% internet users compared to the total population. Of these, South Europe has seen the biggest increase in internet penetration, with a year-on-year increase of 11%.

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4 3 2 1 0

> The number of social media users worldwide in 2019 were 3.484 billion, up 9% year-on-year.

The global increase in social media usage is 9%.

Saudi Arabia had the largest social media penetration in 2019 at 99%, Outreach (in billions) which is well above the global average of 45%.

Other countries with the largest social media penetration include Taiwan, South Korea and 2018 2019 Singapore. Ghana, Internet Users Social Media Users Mobile Users Kenya and Nigeria have the lowest levels of social media penetration.

Social media and Travel/Tourism • Eighty-six percent of people said they’ve become interested in a specific location after seeing user-generated content.

Customers look through their mobile-phones, hungry for content that will inspire their next course of action. As indicated by a recent survey, the content that is really impacting them isn’t the brand-generated content from the travel industry or hospitality brands.

And, just 48 percent of people say that social content from a superstar or influencer has inspired them to make a trip to a specific destination. Rather, a whopping majority of customers said that natural, user-generated content (UGC) is the main source of tourismfirst

inspiration to them when settling on an excursion.

• Fifty-two percent of consumers say they’ve made plans to visit a GROWTH IN LAST specific destination based TWO YEARS on an image or video 60% they saw from friends, 50% 40% family or peers on social 30% media – up from 43 20% 10% percent in 2017.

0% 2017 2019 It’s not surprising that consumers are heavily Classification on the basis of generation influenced by the people in their circles. Usergenerated content fills in as a modern form of wordof-mouth marketing, and people seek advice from the people they know and care about. UGC can inspire 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% feelings — particularly Millennials All Consumers sentiments of FOMO (fear Gen Z of missing out) • When asked how likely they would be to post a photo or video on social media, 89 percent of people said they would post about a positive travel experience.

Social media has made it easy to share those positive travel experiences, and with consumers’ tendency to post, there’s a wealth of organic content at brands’ fingertips. Marketing teams need to capitalize on this authentic, influential content and leverage it across their brands’ social channels.

Percentage of people who would post about a positive travel experience on their social media.

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Leading travel brands, hotels and destinations of the world are leveraging the user-generated content that’s published across their customers’ social channels to drive their own content strategies – and they’re seeing results.

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VARANASI: DEV DEEPAVALI EVOLVES AS A NEW PRODUCT In the late 19th century, Mark Twain wrote that Varanasi was “older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend.” Over a century later, the enticement has grown multifold for this Indian city steeped in tradition and antiquity.

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aranasi is by all accounts a colourful and visceral travel experience. More so if you coincide your visit with the annual Dev Diwali celebrated on Karthik Purnima. It’s believed that on this full moon night, the celestial Gods descend on earth to bathe in the River Ganges.

This year, Dev Diwali coincided with the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak on 12 th November. The dual celebrations attracted almost 10 lakh visitors thronging the ghats to experience the grand aarti and related religious festivities.

We were part of the four days Ganga Mahotsav celebration in 2015. On 25 th November, as the setting sun’s saffron rays split the rippling Ganges, the facades and riverfront steps of the 87 ghats were lit up by earthen oil lamps and strings of multihued electrical lights, as if to ward off the enveloping twilight.

The celebrations in Varanasi – which gets its name from the conf luence of the Varuna and the Asi, tributaries of the Ganges flanking the city’s northern and southern borders – had started at dawn, when devotees and sadhus came in throngs for the kartik snan in the river to wash one’s sins, and attain prosperity.

By even i ng, t hou sa nd s of colourfully attired devotees, holding flower-bedecked puja thalis, gathered to join in the ceremonies, culminating with the deepdan of lighted lamps to the Ganges. The prime, most elaborate attraction is the maha aarti, is held at the Dashaswamedh Ghat. The focal of attention are the 21 Brahmin priests holding aloft multi-tiered metal lamps of various shapes and sizes.

The fragrance of burning incense fills the air, chants of mantras reverberate, and drums beat rhythmically while 42 girls blow conch shells.

This year, pilgrims and visitors were slightly disappointed, as instead, the routine aarti was performed at the Dashaswamedh Ghat due to organisational issues.

Yet, the experience was heightened by the aartis and illuminations along the other ghats.

Interestingly, the annual Dev Diwali festival, steeped in history and tradition, has comparatively recent origins.

The tradition of lighting lamps was first started at the Panchganga Ghat in 1985. Subsequently, it continued as a relatively unknown annual festival. The 35-year old celebration has since received impetus in the past two decades by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism department and other organisations, which has since yielded impressive results.

As our double decker boat sailed on the river, under the full moon night, the magnificence of the illuminated ghats lit in honour of Ganga, the presiding goddess, is a tourismfirst

sight to behold! The steps of all the ghats, from Ravidas Ghat at the southern end to Rajghat, seemingly vie with each other for attention.

Creativity is at the fore as each decoration merits attention, and increasingly lit diyas are floated on the Ganges.

While each ghat has its own characteristic architecture and specific identity, the focal point of all related celebrations is Dashaswamedh (ghat of the 10 sacrificed horses). It is probably the oldest, and continues to be the most prominent and busiest ghat. Legend has it that Lord Brahma built the ghat to welcome Lord Shiva.

The first public boost for Dev Diwali came in 2000.

To celebrate the Millennium, and the Kartik Purnima festival, the Ganga Aarti was held on Dashaswamedh Ghat. The event was organised by the Indian Council of Religious Leaders, and by businessmen and film-producer, Dr. BK Modi, in association with the Ganga Action Parivar, Parmarth Niketan (Rishikesh).

“Our intent, almost two decades ago, was to bring awareness to the festival of Dev Diwali. And an opportunity for people to pledge to clean the Ganga. If aartis were held daily, the ghats would be swept and cleaned daily.

We wanted that at least once a year, on Dev Diwali, aartis should be held on all the 84 ghats of Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh Tourism has subsequently been doing an excellent job of promoting this festival, attracting lakhs of visitors annually,” says Dr Modi.

On 11 th November 2000, singer Anuradha Paudwal, enthralled the audiences with her aartis and popular songs. Among the audience of thousands, were Dr BK & Mrs. Veena Modi's global group of friends who joined the spectacular event. Again, on Dev Diwali, in 2015, Dr. BK Modi again hosted a large global group of family and friends to witness this festival.

The next morning, the freshly swept ghats were rather clean considering the crowds of the previous evening.

Some of the metal lamps could still be seen, scrubbed clean with river silt and shining in the sun.

Most Varanasi ghats were built in the 1700s when the city was part of the Maratha Empire. While the majority are bathing or praying ghats, a few like the Manikarnika Ghat are dedicated to cremations – epitomising a co-existence of life and death.

Yet, every Dev Diwali, the heavenly, cosmic and celestial stars descend on earth – and twinkle in Varanasi!

– Text by Amita Sarwal Photographs by Atmadeep Das, Photography & Ciné Club, Faculty of Art, BHU, Varanasi FEBRUARY 2020

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ODISHA REFRESHES ITS PRODUCT, RE-INVENTS THE WHEEL, WITH A NEW CAMPAIGN

Odisha’s new campaign is about being India’s Best Kept Secret. Indeed, this is the truth as the state has everything going for it, but perhaps lack of connectivity, infrastructure support, and inadequate funding for tourism have not allowed the kind of tourism centric growth that the state should have witnessed. There have been sporadic bursts of energy, one hopes this time around it would sustain and develop into a long term strategy of economic and social development. For this to happen, the private sector must become a more active participant. Tourism First speaks with Vishal Dev, the state’s Secretary for Tourism.

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W

e have seen a spate of activity, in your state, sensing it from sitting in Delhi.

The new shacks on your beaches, the camping site, the new logo and advertising campaign. Can you share the overall contours of this initiative?

With a view to enhancing the brand recall of Odisha as a relatively unexplored destination rich with diverse landscapes and experiences, the Department last year rebranded Odisha Tourism as “India’s Best Kept Secret”, while adopting the logo of the successful Sports Odisha campaign. This will help the campaign reach a wider audience and capitalise on the brand equity earned through the state’s watershed Sports Tourism events.

Experiences are at the core of any holiday or visit.

And every experience is set in a context of a landscape, and ambience, a culture and its interactions. This is precisely why we have rebranded Odisha as India’s Best Kept Secret. It is about revealing beautiful secrets at every corner, and every destination in Odisha has several of them waiting to be explored.

We realised early last year that Odisha’s beaches in general and the Puri Konark Marine Drive in particular, despite housing a beautiful synthesis of heritage, nature, artistic finesse and food, were largely a day tourism destination. Its potential as a premium beach destination was underexplored. Given the grave impact of cyclone Fani, we had fortified our vision with the principle of sustainability. But our quest to develop the destination as an experience rich beach tourism hub of global standards was undaunted.

Initial brainstorming sessions on beach camping, and comparative studies on emerging segments such as glamping made us hone in on this concept, which has worked wonders in destinations such as Kutch in Gujarat. Hence, we resolved, to undertake a project such as the Marine Drive Eco Retreat, which is Eastern India’s first tented city festival. While offering luxury stay just metres away from the sea waves, it also boasts of Beach Shacks with a vibrant ambience and delectable food accompanied by a wide range of beverages with a beach view that makes the most sought-after getaways pale in comparison.

How are these translating into numbers for the state?

The larger outcome of the campaign in numbers will be evident later this year after annual statistics are released. But we are confident of achieving over 12% rise in the footfalls despite the devastating impact of Cyclone Fani.

Particularly in terms of the Eco Retreat, the reception has taken us all by surprise. In terms of check-ins, we have registered an occupancy of just under 80% of cumulative room nights, with recent weeks registering almost 100% booking. By the conclusion of the Eco Retreat 2019 (by 15 Feb 2020), we should reach a cumulative occupancy of well over 70% of the total 2400 room nights.

We have online bookings through four aggregators including OTDC, Make My Trip, Go Ibibo and

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28 CIT Y WATCH products of the state, massive publicity campaign has been undertaken in Print and Electronic media.

In the past year, the Department of Tourism rebranded Odisha Tourism as India’s Best Kept Secret with a view to capitalising on its enigmatic appeal to the discerning tourist. Aggressive Social Media marketing was carried out this year on all known platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, besides reaching out to celebrities, influencers, and the tourist community.

With a view to promote Odisha Tourism in the domestic market in major metros, Out of Home Branding has been undertaken at Airports of Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru besides Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda.

Mumbai Metro train-wrapping has also been carried out.

To attract more domestic tourists, Odisha Tourism has organized nine Roadshows jointly with FICCI within the country inviting Tour operators and Travel Agents on B2B platforms for promotion of tourism, with five more scheduled this Financial Year.

To attract more tourists from abroad and create awareness about the State, Odisha Tourism participated in international tourism fairs and exhibitions such as WTM London and in domestic market, we participated in about 10 trade fairs & exhibitions along with the stakeholders of the State.

The Department of Tourism has lined up four Roadshows in South East Asian Countries and will participate in ITB Berlin 2020.

Dhenkanal Palace Heritage

Yatra. There is also a facility for offline bookings in the public area at the Eco Retreat as well as at the OTDC office in Bhubaneswar.

How are your stakeholders coming on board? One For bigger groups including and longer stays problem in your state has been the relative silent exceeding 5 room nights, we offer customised discounts. majority among the industry, as We also offer corporate compared to say Rajasthan and in packages.

In the past year, the Department Kerala? Any special effort to get In terms of the daily of Tourism rebranded Odisha them involved in any bigger and footfalls including day visitors, Tourism as India’s Best Kept Secret more sustained way? What has during weekends we witness with a view to capitalising on its been their response? over 5,000 visitors, with enigmatic appeal to the discerning Our strongest focus has been weekdays seeing footfalls of tourist. Aggressive Social Media on reaching out to prominent about 2,500 to 3,000 - coming marketing was carried out this hospitality brands and getting in to enjoy water sports, food year on all known platforms such them to initiate their investments stalls and having a good time as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter in the state. We are working hard at the beach shacks. and YouTube, besides reaching out to consolidate an investment ready to celebrities, influencers, and the tourism land bank of over 2000 There is no denying Odisha tourist community. acres in the next two years. In the has always had much to offer last year, we have conducted several for the tourists. How is this familiarisation trips and site visits for present effort going to create established investors and entrepreneurs. The results have a new awareness, in the international markets, and been very encouraging. Our outreach to watersports also within the domestic sector? and houseboat operators and investors have resulted in We are clearly prioritising our present focus on several proposals to initiate projects. Since the middle the national market, and in longer perspective on of 2019, four new watersports projects have been the international markets. We are hopeful of healthy operationalised – at Chandrabhaga, Gopalpur, Barkul numbers showing on our statistical dashboard.

(Chilika) and Tampara Lake.

For wide publicity and marketing of the tourism tourismfirst

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29 CIT Y WATCH At present, most of the new investments in the hotel sector are coming up in and around the Golden Triangle. The Department has also begun implementing its Development Masterplan for Talsari-Udaypur Beach which includes both luxury and budget hotels in its plan.

Among key investments coming up are Mayfair Hotels’ five-star deluxe resort including a golf course at Satapada, besides a complex with a world class Convention Centre and 250 rooms in Bhubaneswar.

The Swosti Group will be launching the Palm Beach Resort at Gopalpur by 2023.

Real Estate major DN Homes will be setting up two luxury properties at Gopalpur and Tampara respectively and are looking to begin oprations in FY23.

Eco Camp Satkosia

Vivanta by Taj Hotels should be operational in Bhubaneswar by mid 2020.

ITC’s investment in Bhubaneswar under its chain of WelcomHotels will also begin operations this year.

Wonderla Parks and Resorts, India’s largest amusement park developer and operator is set to initiate investment in its fourth amusement park after Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi in Khordha, 16 km from Bhubaneswar City Centre.

Accor Group will be setting up its maiden hotel under the Novotel brand in Bhubaneswar in the next 2.5 years.

Apart from the above mentioned, the Department is also in contact with prominent brands such as WelcomHeritage Hotels of the ITC Group, Taj Hotels, Lemon Tree Group, Wyndham, Marriott and many others for setting up 4-star plus luxury hotels and resorts across the state.

One problem within the government has been the lack of a coordinated understanding of tourism, given the fact that tourism involves so many verticals and therefore so many of your government departments. tourismfirst

How are you joining the dots together within the government, and what has been your success?

The under 5T (Teamwork, Transparency, Technology and Timeliness for Transformation) framework driven by the CMO, the Government in general and the Department of Tourism in particular have undergone a tremendous operational transformation in the recent months. We needed a successful template, which the Marine Drive Eco Retreat Project provided. We worked seamlessly among stakeholder departments and vendors, service providers and along the administrative hierarchy.

We are dedicatedly implementing the framework in every governmental intervention. The Ecotourism Board chaired by Chief Secretary Odisha has set a goal of increasing the ecotour room count from the present 300 odd to 500 in the coming years, while enhancing the overall hospitality experience through upgrades and the involvement of the private sector. The Departments of Tourism and Forest & Environment are working in perfect synchrony for this.

We are expediting the resolution of jurisdictional issues and increasingly working seamlessly to enrich the tourism experience and diversify our products and offerings as a state.

Connectivity has always been a concern for any destination. How are you resolving this for your state.

To get more numbers, you also need more flights?

How is international connectivity doing, if you want more people from the Far East to visit your state?

The State Government, led by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri. Naveen Patnaik is aggressively reaching out to national and global carriers to explore direct connectivity within Odisha, nationally to key cities as well as internationally. The Government has been very proactive in pitching in through viability gap funding to ensure that the virtuous cycle is initiated.

Recently, new flights have been operationalised by Indigo from Bhubaneswar to Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram, by Spicejet connecting Jharsuguda with Bangalore, and a Bhubaneswar-Surat flight by Air India’s Alliance Air connecting Jharsuguda with Kolkata.

Indigo is also slated to begin the Bhubaneswar-Varanasi flight by February end.

Air Asia is set to start flights connecting Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Air traffic growth at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport has been galloping at over 40% per annum, while early last year it also won the Award 2018 for Best Airport handling two to five million passengers per year, under Airports Council International’s (ACI) Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme. Operations at Veer Surendra Sai Jharsuguda Airport operationalized under UDAN-3 took off impressively, generating over 85% flight occupancy on an average. Responding to the State Government’s sustained campaign for boosting air connectivity infrastructure within Odisha, FEBRUARY 2020

30 CIT Y WATCH Puri Temple

the Government of India has sanctioned INR 160 crore under UDAN-4 for development and operationalization of Jeypore (Koraput), Utkela (Kalahandi) and Rourkela (Sundergarh).

Internationally, we hope to resume the Bhubaneswar – Kuala Lumpur Air Asia flight soon. We are also constantly in touch with SriLankan Airlines to initiate direct connectivity with the island nation. Most importantly, we are working overtime with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to boost international connectivity. I am sure our efforts will reap rich dividends soon.

Refreshing the tourism product is critical for any tourism city/state. We constantly need new products coming on stage. What has been your effort in this direction?

We are diversifying our tourism products which are geographically dispersed throughout Odisha. While the

and recreation, with about seven prime water-sports projects operationalised within a year at places such as Ramchandi, Tampara, Barkul (Chilika Lake), Gopalpur on Sea, etc. We have also joined hands with the Surfing Federation of India to revive the Surfing Festival.

Houseboats and cruise tourism are niche areas on which Odisha is betting big. Before the conclusion of FY21, we wish to see houseboats operating in Chilika, Hirakud and Bhitarkanika backwaters. We are working closely with IWAI and Inland Water Transport Department, Odisha Govt., who have identified several navigable stretches of National Waterways and other channels in Odisha for operation of cruises. In a special initiative of cooperative federalism, we are collaborating with KSINC (Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation) for receiving

Marine Drive Eco Retreat

state’s road network is excellent, we are working hard to complement it with air transport infrastructure.

Niche segments such as Camping, water recreation and Houseboat Tourism are being increasingly explored to geographically diversify tourism and decongest the Golden Tirangle.

We have made great progress in water sports tourismfirst

technical assistance in seeing the projects through.

An unknown aspect of Odisha is its royalty heritage of 51 properties in the state. We hope to operationalise 19 heritage homestays by 2021. We will also be roping in hospitality brands to scale them up as heritage hotels based on mutually agreeable modalities.

(As told by Vishal Dev to Navin Berry) FEBRUARY 2020

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AYODHYA: ON THE FAST TRACK, TO GET AN AIRPORT & MUCH MORE The Supreme Court returned a verdict on 9 th November 2019 paving the way to the construction of Ram temple. The temple would be ready by 2023 but before that, Uttar Pradesh government is adding other things to the menu like theme park, Sri Ram airport, Shabri Gardens, so that they could develop Ayodhya as a hub of tourism.

The Ram Nagari Ayodhya Project The Ram Nagari Ayodhya project is all about re-establishing the city of Ram with a modern context and scenario.

This project includes a 221-metre-tall statue of Ram for which the government of Uttar Pradesh has approved a budget of Rs. 450 crores. This budget will be used in purchasing 61.38 hectares of land in Meerapur area. Land belonging to nearly 200 individuals and organisations would be acquired for the mega Ayodhya Diwali Dipotsav project. Apart from this, the budget money will be used for tourism development, beautification of Ayodhya, digital museum, interpretation centre, library, parking, food plaza, landscaping, and other tourism facilities.

The budget raised from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will be used to build the Ram statue.

According to the officials, the statue will be built of bronze and while the height of the actual statue would be 151 metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 metres while the pedestal would be 50 metres. This would make this statue taller than the Statue of Unity which stands 182 metres high.

India’s Biggest Theme Park Other than the statue of Ram, the airport of Ayodhya is being developed and a budget of Rs. 640 crores is released by the government which are to be spent for land acquisition for the project and developing the airstrips. The government is aiming for the first commercial flight to land at Sri Ram Airport in Ayodhya by next year.

Also, India’s biggest theme park ‘Ramayana’ will be established in Ayodhya over 100 acres and it will be inaugurated in 2020. In this theme park, people would witness Ayodhya and Lanka as both of them are being designed inside. A Shabri Garden will be inside that theme park which, tourismfirst

according to mythology, is the same garden where Shabri fed fruits to Ram. Alongside, a Ram Setu will be built upon a lake with Ashok Vatika on the other side, where Sita was held captive. An international Ram Katha museum will complement all these.

What Else?

Another project which will be completed very soon is Bhajan Sandhya Sthal.

It will be used for all the religious events in Ayodhya. A digital museum will be housed under the Ram statue in Ayodhya. Along with these developments, the government has started Saryu River National Programme and released a fund of Rs. 600 crores to make Saryu clean again.

‘Ayodhya Dham’ railway station is also being revamped at a cost of Rs. 100 crores and it will be unveiled by the next year.

It is being said that its entry gate has been shaped like a temple.

Employment Opportunities for Locals The abundance of development projects will certainly bring a good opportunity for the locals as the project and construction work would need workers and labourers in large numbers. Even after the completion of this project, Ayodhya will be a tourist hub where people from all over the world would visit and this would generate a lot of employment opportunities to the locals. Not only the unemployed but also those who has an established business in the city will get a boost from it.

This project can do wonders for the state economy if done properly. The state government will surely receive a thrust once this project gets completed and this would be a milestone in putting Ayodhya on the world map.

– Compiled by Mayank Jha FEBRUARY 2020

LADAKH TODAY LOOKS FORWARD TO PROGRESS IN ITS INDEPENDENT STATUS A month after the creation of Ladakh as a Union Territory, Amita Sarwal spent a week there.

She, met various Ladakhis, visitors, and tour operators. Each one had a similar concept – advocating and upgrading Ladakh’s charms!

S

tanding majestically on a hillock, is the circa-1820 Stok Palace, a recognised landmark in Ladakh. Residing here, in what has been turned into a boutique heritage hotel, is H.E. Raja Jigmed Wangchuk Namgyal.

The owner is well aware that the dynamics of development, hence forth are challenging. Yet he is optimistic about the future of Ladakh with its recently attained status as Union Territory.

Over a cup of coffee in Stok’s sunlit Chulli Bagh villas complex, surrounded by tall, slender polar trees and apricot orchards, Namgyal spells out his plans, pertaining to Ladakh’s prime USP – tourism.

“I have a Master Plan for overall development for the region of Ladakh. We also need to continue safe guarding our heritage for future generations.

One of the intents is to request Government of India to give tourism an industry status. This will decentralise the sector so that the people of Ladakh can get better job opportunities. It will also provide openings and prospects for equal growth to other destinations within Ladakh. Priority would be to create tourismfirst

world-standard infrastructure and facilities for travel, tourism and hospitality. In addition, related institutes should be set up for teaching and learning. Things are changing, but we now hope, as a Union Territory, these changes will come faster,” Namgyal, 50, states about a land mass which has so much to offer.

According to reports, 3,27,366 inbound tourists, including 49,477 foreigners visited Leh in 2018, marking an increase of over 50,000 visitors compared to the previous year. (Source: a senior official of the state tourism department.) “The Responsible Tourism CollecDry Fruit Seller tive Ladakh, under process of being formed, will comprise a group of businesses that are actively involved in, or pertaining to engage tourism-related activities. These would be well on their way to achieving a sustainable, responsible and ethical business approach. The Collective shall bring together various sustainability advisors to empower not only the business members but also the tourists and travelers to Ladakh’s respective destinations.

Attracting and expanding the FEBRUARY 2020

33 CIT Y WATCH Strategically located at the crossroads of important trade routes of a distant past, it is now opening its doors to welcome not only tourists but educationists, industrialists, developers, healthcare specialists and corporate professionals.

In the land of centuries old gompas, (Tibetan Buddhist monasteries), their interiors dramatically awash with colourful, intricately detailed hand-painted murals, whitewashed stupas and statuary of countless bodhisattvas. Bright, fluttering prayer flags share their spiritual messages metaphorically, while prayer wheels spinning clockwise, resound with the chanting of ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ and other eloquent mantras. Ribbon-smooth black bitumen highways lead to and from Ladakh – built to perfection by the numerous Army battalions posted across the land.

Despite a variation of temperatures from a warm 22 degrees in summer to a chilling -20 degrees in winter, and lying in a rain shadow area, Ladakh gets only 10-15 rainy days annually in June and July. Taking advantage of the brilliant sunny days, solar panels dot the landscape increasingly as an alternative, natural source of electricity.

“Living here has a different meaning in timelessness.

It is a privilege, an honour, and most importantly a sense of responsibility, to preserve, conserve and restore the rich, genteel legacy of Ladakh,” Namgyal signs off.

appropriate market of conscious consumers is our key objective,” affirms Namgyal.

The Collective’s threefold objective is:

• Market linkages/Promotions: Create direct market linkages showcasing these businesses to the right audience and end user.

• Sustainability enablement: Enable member businesses to incorporate, improve and maintain sustainability principles in the functioning of their practices.

• Policy advocacy: For advice on sustainable tourism practices and policies with local, national and international tourism bodies.

Further, Collective members could be classified into (but may not be restricted to) catering to Heritage or Adventure tourism, Restaurants, Accommodation and Experiential sightseeing. The Collective’s platform will enable responsible and sustainable businesses to exchange ideas and build a framework for activating other businesses, tourism stakeholders, policy makers and consumers to transition towards the same methodology.

Ladakh’s strong initiative will be given relevant exposure through media releases, social media, website, road shows and other marketing tools.

Realising the significance of education for this industry, Namgyal affirms the Collective will partner with educational institutions by offering a series of talks and lectures. Internship and volunteer opportunities will also be made available to students with an aim to raise awareness of the significant career opportunities within a responsible tourism industry.

In the distance, Ladakh’s spectacularly jagged, stark mountains embracing the mystical Buddhist ex-kingdom of, lying at a height of over 3,000 mt., also known as the cold desert, forms the highest plateau in the region.

The Stock Palace Heritage Hotel

Built by Ladakhi craftsmen, the Stok Palace continues to be the sheltered abode of the Namgyal Dynasty.

It traces its origin to its 10th century founder Lhachen Palgygon. With its 198 years of history that encapsulates the lifestyle of the rulers of Ladakh, the Palace was blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1980 when it opened its doors as an experiential heritage hotel for discerning global travellers.

Elegantly preserved, with H.E. Jigmed Wangchuk Namgyal personally and meticulously masterminding the restoration, he reveals, “We used traditional methods and elements, which helped revive a dying craft.

The original furniture and textiles were sen“As a contractor, hopefully, there will be more scope of work in every sitively reconditioned and are being used in government department. There will be sufficient funds to invest by the the guest suites.” government in new sectors of development. Now there will be no pending Aditya Mukherji, GM, Stok Palace Heribills, unlike in other states,” says 27-year old Jamyang Namgyal, Proprietor, tage Hotel then adds, “Tourism is changing Namgyal Tubewell and Drilling Co. the ethos of Ladakh, just as urbanisation does Entrepreneur Rigzin Yangjor, 26, who has shops selling school and college uniforms, fancy accessories, and also pets, says positively, “As a businessman in most places that it touches. Our endeavour I feel there will be many more good opportunities. Even unemployed youth, at Stok Palace is to create spaces and experiupon completing their studies, can consider becoming entrepreneurs because ences which leave our guests with more to of the rich resources available in Ladakh. But job protection is a must after think about and take back than just a pretty Ladakh becomes UT....” place. Tourism need not just be about the A teacher who prefers anonymity says, “Particularly government teachers sights and sounds, but rather encapsulate the are happy because in the foreseeable future there will be medical and engineerway of life of the destination. It is also an ing colleges being established as part of Ladakh University. Earlier we dealt with many issues. But are confident after becoming UT, higher education for understanding of a philosophy which can be students will improve and provide more options in Ladakh.” imbibed in our daily lives (that has been lost in our urban chambers). Our success lies in

LADAKHIS’ Optimistic Views

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According to reports, 3,27,366 inbound tourists, including 49477 foreigners visited Leh in 2018, marking an increase of over 50,000 visitors compared to the previous year.

Main market Leh.

providing a unique experience to our guests amidst the culture and heritage of Ladakh.

Mukherji then continues, “In comparison, the experience at Chulli Bagh, set amidst fruit orchards, offers a totally different holiday. Chulli Bagh villas are constructed using conventional Ladakhi building materials – stone, wood and mud – as used in the 200-year old palace. Staying in such a traditional building fitted with contemporary amenities, is an interesting juxtaposition of the old and new.” www.stokpalaceheritage.com

Gyapthago Heritage Home

Jigmet (Jimmy) Rafstan, 26, is the 7th generation resident of the two-century old Gyapthago home.

Located in Stok Village, about 17 km from Leh, six years ago his parents converted their ancient home into a heritage museum – and built a new homestay alongside.

“In 2013, we built a two storey home on our premises, conserving the Ladakhi architectural style using local materials and craftsmen. Yet fitted with contemporary conveniences. The

aim is to preserve and spread our rich and unique local culture and traditions,” says Tsewang Paldan, 51, his father.

Upon completing his graduation from Punjab University, Jimmy joined the family enterprise of further restoring and growing the Gyapthago business.

“I am now working on improving and upgrading the home-museum, retaining much of the original interiors as they were during the days of my forefathers,” says Jimmy.

Climbing up narrow steps over three levels, gave a peek into the lifestyle of a well-to-do Ladakhi family who lived here for generations. The central, spacious kitchen remained the focal gathering place.

Jimmy’s mother, Tsewang Yangzes, 46, takes care of the kitchen and serves delicious traditional Ladakhi meals for the guests in the homestay unit. “I am very happy to cook local traditional food for our guests.

The meal starts with butter tea, followed by local dishes for which we grow our own vegetables, and ends with a wet apricot dessert. I love interacting with, and meeting new people. It’s a joy for me to earn some extra

Courtyard view of Hemis Monastery. It was reestablished in 1672 by Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal.

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35 CIT Y WATCH money from serving these meals,” she says as she demonstrates making butter tea for us in a conventional, long cylindrical gurgur, which she served with snacks.

During summer months the front garden blooms with flowers and an abundance of vegetables, providing adequate fresh, organic provisions for the guests’ meals.

The authentic local cuisine served here has become so popular, that Gyapthago is now on the tourist circuit and draws a fair share of visitors coming for meals.

Jimmy says, “To run a small business like ours, there are challenges like paucity of accommodation. We are looking at building another home on the premises to add more rooms to cope with the demand. At present we have five rooms and can accommodate 15 guests simultaneously.”

“We are very happy at Ladakh being granted Union Territory status. But we are a bit concerned and fearful for our land, our environment and job protection. We hope our concerns will be kept in mind and everything will be for a good cause. The positive thing is that

Ladakh will develop at a rapid pace and provide more opportunities of education and employment for our young ones. Now we will get direct funding from the Central government and look at a future viewed through many perspectives,” sums up the patriarch, Paldan.

Tel: +91-9906881323, +91-9419218421/ +91-9622966413; Facebook: gyapthagoheritaghome Instagram: gyapthago_heritage

Homestays & Organic Manure

In early 2000, Delhi-based Royal Expeditions, a luxury, boutique in-bound operator had “pioneered snow leopard treks for international travelers in Ladakh that supported Snow Leopard Trust India, and its research work.

Subsequently, we started landscape photography tours,” introduces Managing Director, Vishal Singh.

“Ladakh’s fragile ecosystem has been suffering from over tourism thanks to Bollywood. We need to focus on shifting from irresponsible to responsible tourism,” says Singh, 49,

TEAM TIGER TOPS IN LADAKH

FORMER BUDDIES OF THE ERSTWHILE COMPANY REUNITE Early September, about 40 friends from USA, Europe, Australia, UK, Nepal and India congregated in Ladakh. The common link – all long-term ex-staffers of Tiger Tops.

Though Tiger Tops Indian operations closed down long ago, the bond created between colleagues in the formative years, has remained strong over the ensuing decades.

Tsering Angdu, an integral part of Ladakh Sarai and owner of The Golden Retreat Stok, hosted the five-days reunion, with co-host Raja Jigmed Wangchuk Namgyal, on whose land the original Ladakh Sarai once stood.

Time seemingly stood still during the reunion where the collective focus was just to raise a glass and say ‘Juley’! The group comprised former naturalists, trek managers, river guides and associates from erstwhile Tiger Tops’ Kathmandu and New Delhi offices.

“We had been ideating on this for over one year. It got in line once responses started coming in. For me, it was great to see everyone on board and reuniting with many after decades. Since we all are part and parcel of Hospitality, it creates opportunities to work together and promote Ladakh in the best possible manner through our chain of friends,” says Jigmed.

Tiger Tops, a small hunting lodge in Chitwan, Nepal, was taken over by Jim Edwards and Chuck McDougal, from its American owners in 1971. The duo turned it into a flag bearer of linking wildlife tourism with conservation in the Indian subcontinent. Subsequently, Tiger Tops and Col Jimmy Roberts’ Mountain Travel joined hands.

The Indian chapter started end-1970 when Col. John Wakefield (Papa John’s) set up the Kashmir and Ladakh operations.

A host of naturalists, trained in Nepal, opened almost all of Ladakh’s trekking routes still operational today. Among them are Alok Chandola, Jeff Campbell, Hashim Tyabji, Inderjit Singh, Shiv Kunal Verma and Rahul Sharma. tourismfirst

White water rafting on the Indus was set up by Ronesh Mehra.

Ashish Chandola (Anglia Films) and Shiv Kunal Verma (Project

Tiger television series for Sanctuary Films) have become reputed documentary film makers.

In 1979 Ladakh Sarai was set up in Stok village, initially, comprising Mongolian canvas and bamboo yurts (tents). Later, sun-baked Ladakhi brick structures were set up.

Reminisces Vineeta Hoon who managed the Sarai (1981-82), “I revisited the ground where Ladakh Sarai was. I visualised where the yurts, the common eco-toilets and baths, the kitchen, dining and common rooms stood. The hustle and bustle of people was gone. The truly, classy eco-experience remains a happy, exotic dream...”

The Tiger Tops’ guests’ High Tea at Stok Palace was followed two days later with a Ladakhi Musical performance and dinner.

The ambience was ideal for reunifying old friends – set among willow trees in the Chulli Bagh resort, under a star studded, crescent moonlit night.

- Text by: Amita Sarwal Photographs by: Tiger Tops’ Ladakh Gathering Group

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HE JIGMED WANGCHUK NAMGYAL

JIGMED (JIMMI) RAFSTAN

THE STOK PALACE HERITAGE HOTEL

GUAPTHAGO HERITAGE HOME

Priority would be to create world-standard infrastructure and facilities for travel, tourism and hospitality. Related institutes should be set up for teaching and learning.

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I am now working on improving and upgrading the home-museum, retaining much of the original interiors as they were during the days of my forefathers.

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a founding and current board member of TOFT (Tour Operators for Tigers India Wildlife Association).

He continues, “Ladakh’s water and trash management are concerns as the fragile trans-Himalayan ecology cannot sustain the burden. One such example – Leh town, like elsewhere in Ladakh, is highly dependent on spring water for domestic use. Of late, the town has seen an exponential rise in concrete hotels and guest houses – each with a modern toilet and showers, requiring 24x7 water supply. Next, tourism activity should strictly be green and clean with fees for adventure activity. For irresponsible campers and trekkers, funds generated can be used to clean up the area.”

Having customised itineraries for HNI’s, dignitaries, royal families and discerning travelers since 1993, Singh cautions, “While increased tourism will raise income levels and economic opportunity, communities will be challenged to accommodate visitors sustainably. This has to translate to a balance of minimal impact on resources, environment and biological diversity while protecting the surroundings. It is critical and perhaps. But it is possible.”

“Sustainable tourism means choosing boutique lodges or homestays offering traditional Ladakhi lifestyle, over large, contemporary hotels. For example, by using the traditional Ladakhi dry toilet, you save water, prevent further water pollution, and contribute to the most important ingredient in Ladakhi farm practice – dried human excreta used as organic manure,” Singh signs off.

Discourage crass commercial

“With Ladakh’s union territory status it is imperative that an empowered and well-funded QUANGO (Quasi Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation) is established to focus on tourism development. The past decade, tourismfirst

TSEWANG PALDAN GUAPTHAGO HERITAGE HOME

In 2013, we built a two storey home on our premises, conserving the Ladakhi architectural style using local materials and craftsmen.

Yet fitted with contemporary conveniences.

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word-of-mouth publicity from travelers has generated increased visitor arrivals year on year.

There is no gainsaying what a concerted effort would do,’ introduces Rajesh Ojha, 54, Founder Director, Banjara Camps; Retreats (estab. 1993). Ojah, a reputed pioneer in hospitality and soft-adventure travel for the domestic sector, operates five mountain lodges in Himachal Pradesh. He also runs customised jeep safaris and treks from Kashmir to Ladakh, and further in Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet.

Ladakh being Ojha’s passion, he offers experiential suggestions. “Except Leh, Kargil and Nubra Valley, most places have basic accommodation. It is important to concretise, and simultaneously discourage crass commercialisation.

Regulations on maintaining architectural integrity in emerging new properties; developing homestays with modern facilities, and monastery guesthouses should be priortised. Secondly, there are lacunas in wifi connectivity on long stretches on road trails and remote places. I feel, air fares to and from Leh are prohibitive.”

On promoting winter tourism, Ojha highlights, “Ladakh’s attractions are snow leopards and other exotic Himalayan fauna; walking on frozen rivers and lakes, and experiencing hot sulphur springs of Panamik.”

Finally, Ojha voices the industry’s concerns. “Ladakh must regulate a sustainable and eco-friendly model for future developments. The high tourism potential can usher prosperity in every nook and corner, but needs stringent management so benefits are long lasting. And it just doesn’t turn into a case of Cooking the Golden Goose.”

- Text by: Amita Sarwal Photographs by: The Stok Palace Heritage Hotel / Tiger Tops’ Ladakh Gathering Group / Gyapthago Heritage Home; Amita Sarwal FEBRUARY 2020

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RISHIKESH: TOURISM EMERGES AS A DRIVER OF DEVELOPMENT Five-star hotels are not islands of indulgence, as their critics would have us believe. They are creators of jobs and higher agricultural income, and catalysts of reverse migration. The experience of Taj Rishikesh.

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ore than 50 years after The Beatles put Rishikesh on the world map, the gateway to the Char Dhams is seeing a revival of interest in it in the global tourism market, and finding itself being back in the news as India’s premier yoga and adventure sports destination.

The recent opening of Taj Rishikesh, a 79-keys managed property developed on his family-owned land by Arjun Mehra, a young Indian Canadian from Montreal, triggered a barrage of publicity for the town, including a feature in the international edition of Conde Nast Traveller.

The stream of positive global publicity, in fact, for Rishikesh started picking up since last February, when the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) chose the town as the venue for its annual Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2019. It got the tourism world to start re-fousing its attention on the river rapids and trekkers’ trails, which Rishikesh has in plenty. This flurry of international interest is not only changing the face of tourism in the area, but also acting as a trigger for what Devraj Singh, General Manager, Taj Rishikesh, calls a “reverse migration”.

There’s also a cultural side to this symbiotic relationship. Garhwali cuisine, like the dialect and the headgear of the people, changes every 50km. Singh and his chefs have been documenting the region’s recipes by visiting families, attending local weddings, and interacting with cooks of the prominent local families. It is not only helping Taj Rishkesh develop what Singh calls a “hyper local, low carbon footprint menu”, but also preserving an important part of the Garhwali heritage

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39 CIT Y WATCH Singh, who has worked across India at Taj hotels over the last 26 years, brought home the phenomenon of ‘ghost villages’ by pointing to a solitary house perched on top of a lonely hill. That, he said, was the old family home of the Executive Housekeeper of The Oberoi in Marrakesh, Morocco. For the past ten years, it has been looked after by a family living in a house slightly higher on the hill.

The two houses surviving in lonely isolation are all that remain of what was once a well-populated village. It is one of many villages in the region that have been abandoned by successive generations seeking employment in the plains.

Most of the men from the Garhwal hills have been drawn either to the army, or to the hospitality sector. Being a hotelier, Singh believes the industry must now repay the debt it owes to the hills that have provided so many talented young people to its work force.

The unveiling of the Taj, the first big-ticket five-star hote to openl in Rishikesh (its predecessor, The Roseate, is a 15-villa boutique property), has revived the stunningly beautiful traditional wood-and-stone architecture style known locally as kathkuni (and given employment to artisans practising it). More importantly, the newbie hotel has provided jobs to 150 people, who are on the rolls and would otherwise have most likely migrated, and an additional 400 (from vendors and house owners to taxi drivers and gardeners) are dependent on it for at least a part of their livelihood.

“Eighty per cent of our associates are local residents,” Singh said.

“They would otherwise have been a part of the migratory outflow.”

Singh gave the example of the pandits who conduct the Ganga arati every evening at the hotel’s private beach. They are from another neighbouring village with a rapidly dwindling population. Thanks to the tourismfirst

Local food thaal

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Devraj Singh, General Manager, Taj Rishikesh

hotel, they have not only got an additional source of income, but also been able to preserve an age-old tradition.

Another association that Singh believes will grow into a major force of social re-engineering is one between the local farmers and the hotel’s chefs. By showcasing Garhwali cuisine and driving its popularity among the hotel’s guests, Singh’s F&B team has created a market for the local deals, rajma (kidney beans) and herbs (from jhakia to timoor, which can stand up any day to the famed Sichuan pepperccorns).

“Do you know the region produces more than 200 varieties of rajma?” Singh asked. “Imagine the demand we can create and the downstream effect it would have if all the Taj hotels started procuring their rajma and dals from Garhwal.” The Taj Rishikesh has Garhwali tapas and a thali on its 24x7 restaurant’s a la carte menu, and it has just opened a Himalayan cuisine restaurant named The Riverside. Already, the effect of the demand created by the hotel can be seen in the return of the younger tourismfirst

members of the five or six families of farmers to cope with larger volumes.

There’s also a cultural side to this symbiotic relationship. Garhwali cuisine, like the dialect and the headgear of the people, changes every 50km. Singh and his chefs have been documenting the region’s recipes by visiting families, attending local weddings, and interacting with cooks of the prominent local families.

It is not only helping Taj Rishkesh develop what Singh calls a “hyper local, low carbon footprint menu”, but also preserving an important part of the Garhwali heritage that would have otherwise faded away with the passing of the present generation of mothers and grandmothers.

The good news is that the development of the Char Dhams ranks high on the to-do list of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Uttarakhand government. As a result, the Jolly Grant Airport of Dehra Dun, which already receives 16 flights a day, including ones from Delhi, Mhmbai and Hyderabad, is in the middle of a major expansion to enable it to receive Airbus A-320 planes. The Rishikesh railway station too is being revamped in a big way because the line, in a major civil engineering feat, is being extended to Karna Prayag, very close to Badrinath.

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41 CIT Y WATCH Chef Sayantan Chakraborty with local ingredients.

Local Pujaris do the Rishikesh Aarti, reliving the local flavours

These infrastructure developments, Singh believes, will bring more affluent domestic tourists to Rishikesh. Already, the town, at present a magnet for International yoga aficionados, mainly from Russia and Israel, is seeing a growing presence of western tourists travelling with children -- a new demographic for the region -- and families from Delhi and Mumbai, and Gujarat and West Bengal, either just visiting for short breaks.

KathKhuni architecture, inspired from local traditions

Chefs recruited and trained locally in Garhwal

Buoyed by the changing profile of tourists in Rishikesh, Singh is actively targeting companies for their offsite business and also the wedding market. In mid-February, in fact, Taj Rishikesh will host its first big wedding.for a West Bengal family.

Traditionally, Rishikesh gets busy during the pilgrimage months, April-end to August, or the river-rafting season, October to June. Singh believes Rishikesh can become an all-year destination, attract more five-star hotels and aim at higher occupancies if it is actively promoted in the corporate travel, MICE and wedding markets.

Not surprisingly, he is aiming at moving the ratio between domestic and international tourists at his hotourismfirst

tel from 20:80 at present to 40:60. That would make a real difference to the popularity of his Garhwali thali and pan-Himalayan restaurant. And its effects will be felt in the ghost villages on the Garhwal hills. – by Sourish Bhattacharyya

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JAIPUR: JLL 2020 CONSOLIDATES AS A NEW-AGE TOURISM DRIVER The Jaipur Literary Festival has indeed become as integral to Rajasthan’s already vibrant annual calender, so much so, it is now vying for space amongst tourists as its legendary festivals. Precursor to some 200 more such festivals, its best tribute must be the clones it has fostered in India and overseas.

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ounded in 2006, it is described as the world’s largest free literary festival. That’s not too difficult a feat given it is in India, but there is little doubt that the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), now prefixed by its controversial main sponsor Zee, has put the capital of Rajasthan on the global cultural map.

Presided over by Festival co-directors, the expansive Pasha-like figure of author William Dalrymple and the grande dame of Indian English writing Namita Gokhale, and supervised with artful carelessness by Teamwork Arts’ Managing Director and Festival producer Sanjoy K. Roy, JLF has become an international brand that has spawned many copycats--at last count, as many as 90 literary festivals all over India.

It has put a somnolent 1860s palace right in the heart of high art. All one has to do is to sneak into the author’s lounge, unless one is a speaker in which case it is a free pass, to endless cups of coffee and lots of conversation. In a corner there will be the venerable actress and chef Madhur Jaffrey taking a quiet nap. In another, Sonali Bendre will be catching up on gossip with her girl gang. Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje will be rushing in while former Union minister Jairam Ramesh will be rushing out. Rachel Dwyer, Sanskrit scholar and professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, doesn’t bother to go to Delhi or Mumbai when she visits JLF on her trips to India. “I meet everyone I know here,” she says.

Indeed, though there are enough selfie-seekers and autograph-hunters among the thousands who attend, there are also those who listen patiently to the ideas and iconoclasms on display. It could be, as it tourismfirst

was this year, Elizabeth Gilbert talking about why marriage is a terrible idea for women, with statistics to prove. It could be Shashi Tharoor talking about anything at all and leaving his fans drooling. Or it could be Suketu Mehta preparing to speak at length about Gujaratis and their love for migration – perhaps holding some special lessons for two Gujaratis at the helm of affairs in Delhi. Or even The New Yorker columnist, young Anand Gopal, who shared war stories from Afghanistan and Syria.

JLF as a brand represents Jaipur, Rajasthan and India, and its diversity, colour, heritage and celebration of culture, says Sanjoy K. Roy of Teamwork Arts. BN Goswamy, the eminent art historian who, among other things, discovered the Pahari painter Nainsukh which the world now cannot get enough of, has been coming here for some years now, this time braving the nine-hour train journey from Chandigarh to Jaipur, quite an arduous task for an 87-year-old. He finds the festival “energising” not just because he can meet fellow authors but also because of the young people who come in droves.

“Even if they are here for social media posts,’’ he says, “at least they will learn something.”

Not to say that these are the only considerations. Sometime the most difficult decision can be to choose which party to attend, to drink at the City Palace’s swanky restaurant Baradari or to eat Indian Accent worthy food at Mita Kapur’s old haveli -- one of the urban legends about the food there is that several women get together for four days to shell peas to feed the many who attend the party.

Jaipur was always known for its heritage hoFEBRUARY 2020

43 CIT Y WATCH reimagining it as more tels and for its smart than a weekend getaway maharajas and mahafor shopping and eating ranis who discovered for Delhi. the taste for royalty Some have been has outstripped the coming to JLF every stripping of privy year since the inception. purses, but JLF Writer Shobhaa De is has added a culturamong them, and she al class to it, makis as enthusiastic as she ing it a new artistic was when she came here hub. Apart for Diggi 12 years ago. The womPalace which hosts an who wrote about JLF, there is now the society princesses and Jawahar Kala Kenageing tycoons much dra, a Charles Corbefore it became fashrea built space that ionable, in an India that now hosts art exhiwas in the midst of openbitions and cultural ing up, endorses the fesevents. There is the tival’s spirit.

Sculpture Park at Author Sandip Roy, Nahargarh Fort. And a regular who opted there is the shopping, out this year, says he which can range from has heard friends in Enbargain hunting at gland talk about seeing Johri Bazaar to looking India travel packages for Nicole Kidman worthat have added the Jaithy earrings at Jaipur’s pur Literature Festival to the golden triangle itinvery own Oscar brand, Amrapali. erary alongside the usual staples like Taj Mahal.

JLF hosts at least 300,000 visitors every year, ‘”I’ve seen Rajasthan tourism promote the lit fest as and the city’s second generation entrepreneurs are Festivalsthan. And cerkeeping pace with the tainly it’s always filled cultural demands, with with foreign tourists enunique brands whethjoying not just the talks er it is bespoke luxubut also the music stage ry watches by Gaurav and they certainly see a Mehta or custom made bit more of Rajasthan motorcycles by Vijay than just JLF and shop Singh Ajairajpura of for more than books Rajputana Customs. at Jaipur which is why There are swish restauyou see so many folk rants and kitschy cafes.

Elizabeth Gilbert, Leïla Slimani, Avni Doshi, John Lanchester and Howard art craft vendors line Nand Bhardwaj, JLF’s Jacobson in conversation with Damian Barr the route to Diggi Palregional consultant, has ace which you certainly don’t see at other lit fests. witnessed the change in the city over the 12 years of I mean it’s certainly true as a Chinese American JLF. He says the city has developed a liking for litwriter once told me, literary life is usually at best erature which was hitherto unexpected. “There are, cheap wine in some library conference room not exof course, dangers of growing commercialisation,’’ otic cocktails at Rambagh Palace. The latter is really he says. But overall, he feels it has established Jaipur something straight out of a tourism brochure.’’ as a cultural beacon, especially for those who have Its best endorsement though come from the fact seen it since its inception. that it has managed to outlive three regime changes, This transformation of Jaipur is precisely what from Ashok Gehlot to Vasundhara Raje to Gehlot drew Boulder, Colorado, to JLF. The city which again. There is much talk of the festival moving from is better known for its access to ski slopes is more Diggi Palace to a new convention centre. The vibe sporty and less cultural, and the idea behind invitthere might be different but the content will remain ing JLF was to grow the culture of the mind. The the same, and perhaps even better. reinvention of Jaipur has made its younger genera– by Kaveree Bamzai in Jaipur tion more aware of its heritage and its possibilities, tourismfirst

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TIPPING POINT FOR THE RE-INVENTION OF THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY

istribution Re-wired: From IATA’s 202020 – 20 of IATA’s Leaderboard airlines to achieve 20% of their sales via the NDC framework in 202020; to Marriott and Expedia’s wholesale distribution agreement; to Amazon and Super Apps – Grab and Go-Jek – emerging as prominent platforms for travel companies to take notice of, the “old guard” is constantly being challenged by new approach and designs of distribution.

Real Efforts towards Sustainability: The travel industry is actively pursuing sustainable efforts, not only from a corporate responsibility perspective but also because travelers are demanding so. From over-tourism to wildlife-related experiences, carbon offset credits to the threat of flygasm, food and toiletries wastage at hotels, brands around the world are taking measures to address a more environmentally-conscious breed of travelers and local communities.

Hospitality: From Airbnb to OYO, brands redefined what hospitality is and should be. They continue to recategorize assets and classifications, reset quality extourismfirst

pectations and perceptions across the various lodging options.

Transportation of the Future: From aircraft to cars, manufacturers and intermediaries are racing to make autonomous tech mainstream. Besides, the infrastructure and technology supporting electric and flying cars, hyperloop, supersonic aircraft, etc. continue to surprise us.

New Decade, New Identities and Leadership: Finally, 2019 dramatically altered the travel landscape. From corporate development (e.g., Trip.com gaining majority control of MakeMyTrip & entering a strategic partnership with TripAdvisor, Cendyn acquiring The Rainmaker Group, Ebix scooping Yatra.com & several others, Sabre-Radixx acquisition, etc.), to sizzling capital raises (TripActions’ $250M, Vacasa’s $319M, Softbank Vision Fund backing GetYourGuide, Klook, OYO, etc.), and finally several high-profile exits and changes at Expedia, Boeing, Alphabet, etc.

– By Chetan Kapoor, Co-Founder and COO, Videc FEBRUARY 2020

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AIR INDIA: BID DOCUMENTS ARE OUT, INDIANS HOPE IT WILL REMAIN AN INDIAN CARRIER The multiple task of remaining Indian, flying the flag, sustainability and viability, and promoting India’s name and tourism globally would be a daunting task, but an achievable one.

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he govern ment has Air India’s 787 Boeing Dreamliner invited fresh bids for a 10 0% sta ke i n A i r India. Apart from Air India, a l so on sa le a re A i r I nd ia Express and a 50% stake in ground-handling company Air India Singapore Airport Terminal Services. courts. But it is also true that Air India cannot conThe proposed sale does not include Alliance Air, the tinue to operate the way it has been doing. The sale large holdings in lands and buildings, and the huge art is imperative and it should run its logical conclusion. collection that the airline acquired over the past many As we understand, once you remove the assets, and decades. The government has tweaked its norms after leave only the cost of aircraft, remove the legacy debt factoring in all the feedback from its ten roadshows and transfer to the new owners only the current account overseas, and also the lessons learnt from the earlier liability, with its rich asset base of routes and slots at unsuccessful effort to sell the airline two years ago. airports around the world, Air India becomes a prized On offer with the airline is its debt slashed to Rs 23,286 asset indeed. With this understanding, we believe that crore from the original and overall Rs 62,000 crore. The the government ought to reach out to an array of Indian difference the government will take upon itself, adjusting it investors, say Anand Mahindra or ITC or Bajaj and their against assets owned by it. Of the 100%, about 3% will be likes, and extend a special privilege transparently to them. offered to employees as stock options by the new owners.

The big take away, learning from international expeThe government has clarified that the sale will provide rience, is that every airline operates upon a commercial no extra privilege to any foreign airline bidding for Air Inconsideration, with its first accountability to its sharedia and the bids would be under the existing FDI (foreign holders. No airline, in the modern democratic world, direct investment) rules and the SOEC (Substantial Owncan fly on subsidies, a few countries being exceptions. ership and Effective Control) norms. Under these norms, But any Indian carrier must make profits, sustainabiloverseas ownership can’t exceed 49%. Also, an airline’s ity is the first principle. An Indian entity can achieve chairman and two-thirds of its board must be Indian. this just as much as any foreign one. But it is equally India’s minister for civil aviation has stated that “Air important that we can forget the responsibility to fly India and Air India Express are a great asset and the the flag for India! average age of aircraft in Air India, Air India Express As the tricolour features prominently on every airis eight years”. “Any private investor can turn it around craft, we must continue to belong to the airline. by bringing financial efficiencies. Government has Our belief is that we want more players up in the limited financial resources and the private sector can sky, and a country of the size of India, must truly bring required capital. All land, building assets includalso continue with a national airline, totally in Indian ing paintings (are) not part of the transaction.” The hands. Only an Indian airline can also continue the debt left with the company has been pegged to writtask of promoting Indian tourism, which Air India as ten-down value of the 82 planes that Air India owns. done most admirably over the past decades.

What next is the question, and who will bid for it?

The multiple task of remaining Indian, flying the While it is all wait and watch, every Indian will want flag, sustainability and viability, and promoting India’s the ownership and operations totally within Indian name and tourism globally would be a daunting task, hands. It is an emotive issue for us all, and dissenting but an achievable one. voices, like those of eminent BJP MP Subramanian – by Navin Berry Swamy have already started saying they will move the tourismfirst

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INBOUND: INDUSTRY RESPONSE INADEQUATE, TOURISM NEEDS A MORE REALISTIC MISSION, SAYS CAPA REPORT CAPA India, in association with PATA India Chapter has released an extensive report on the inadequacies of the industry response to the challenges in promoting inbound tourism into India: The Honourable Prime Minister is India’s leading tourism ambassador.

At every Indian and global forum he inspires the entire Indian tourism industry to take step changes to achieve its potential, and to move away from an incremental approach.

The response of the industry and related institutions has been inadequate relative to the vision.

Based on CAPA’s research in India andglobally, India needs a tourism mission which is realistic, achievable and implementable. It must factor in: • institutional infrastructure, including governance and delivery • physical infrastructure (consisting not only of hotels rooms but also civic infrastructure, public transport, urban mobility, competitiveness, cleanliness, tourism

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experiences) with a focus on carrying capacity • modernisation of our heritage attractions • environmental sustainability • gender sensitivity and safety of female travellers The culture of change, in line with the Honourable PM’s change, must start with clear definitions (FTAs, FTAs by air, ITAs, which range between 8m and 17m) and better collection of data. Only then can we achieve clarity on our targets.

The Indian tourism industry is largely oblivious to the critical role that aviation play despite the fact that 97.5% of tourists (excl. Bangladesh) arrive by air.

Current international capacity constraints (post 9W closure) is resulting in load factors>90% and high fares may be resulting in tourism arrivals being displaced – this has not been quantified.

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Conclusion: A step-up change in FTAs will require the highest levels of strategic determination, commitment and coordination by the aviation and tourism industries, to develop the capabilities and to implement the actions require to achieve the objective.

• The institutional infrastructure - in terms of policy, skills, expertise, strategic planning – must be aligned with India’s ambitions, whilst ensuring the competitiveness of the sector and keeping in mind the carrying capacity of the country as a whole, and of individual tourismfirst

locations/attractions to ensure sustainability.

• A new governance architecture needs to emerge, to encourage a professional and results- oriented approach to tourism marketing and development. The Government should focus only on oversight and outcomes in line with the national interest.

• Air access will remain a key strategic barrier to achieving the target of 20mn FTAs. The bilateral policy settings need to be aligned with the tourism targets and a viable and profitable aviation industry needs to exist.

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J MARRIOTT: CONSISTENT WITH REVENUES & GROWTH Marriott Hotels have grown significantly in India, especially after their buy-out of Starwood Hotels. In the last two years, a further steady growth in number of hotels and rooms and brands, has ensured a diversified portfolio.

How has the year been for Marriott? I realise as a foreign entity, you work as per calendar year.

2019 was a busy year for Marriott in India. A good year, all things considered, with some 3000 rooms added, new brands introduced, and our portfolio only got more enriching. Consolidation in some cases, new locations in others. If we divide the year into two halves, the first half saw a strong market share in the business, with double digit growth in RevPar; the second half saw high single digit growth. In the F&B segment, we saw high single digit growth.

We redeployed our sales around a highly successful BonVoy, our loyalty program. We saw our Associate members focused on customer care.

We created a new infrastructure support centre in the South, our first one. Typically, this involves extending support in operations, global design, IT, engineering and culinary skills to our hotels in that region. Earlier, we had only two in India, one in Delhi and the other in Mumbai.

NEERAJ GOVIL SENIOR VP - SOUTH ASIA, MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

Like I said, we have to fish where the fish is. We have to increase our market intelligence, ensure we are delivering our brand promise. And possibly, as hoteliers, will need to sweat our assets more, by constantly re-evaluating market needs, becoming nimble footed – constantly look at facilities that are needed and those that are not.

,,

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How did this growth in properties pan out, India-wise?

Our location presence during the year was considerably strengthened. We have had significant strength in cities like Delhi and NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune. But in Tier 2 cities such as Kochi we now have 5 properties; in Lucknow, from 2 we will soon have 3; in Ahmedabad we have 5; Indore we have 3 already with a Marriott, Sheraton and a Fairfield. And similarly in Goa and in Jaipur, we have seen our portfolio grow across brands.

Where do you see the gaps?

As we grow, we are obviously keen to go to relatively under penetrated areas such as the North East and in many of the resort locations. Incidentally, we have properties coming up in Coorg, Madurai, Shimla, in Nashik and in Mahabaleshwar.

How does this growth compare with growth in the Asia Pacific region?

In performance alone, in terms of RevPar, India is one of the leading markets in the region. Comparison with other countries becomes diffi-

55 HOSPITALIT Y Courtyard Amritsar

Le Meridien, Hyderabad

cult because you could have another country with much fewer hotels and rooms doing a better RevPar. But in totality, India is among the star performers in our region.

Sheraton Indore

continue to do better than most other countries.

How does 2020 look? Going ahead, do you see the growth remaining steady?

We are living today in an unpredictable world, so its Is this growth satisfactory? One can always ask for very difficult to say. Except that we do know that the first more, and never get satisfied? quarter of 2020 will not be as good as the first quarter of You can always say we could have done more, but overlast year. Yet, it will grow in high single digit numbers. We all, I can say we had a good year. see lot of robustness in pockets such as Mumbai, Goa, Pune and HyderHow do we plan for sudden A good year, all things considered, eventualities? Especially in a abad. I won’t go out and make any with some 3000 rooms added, world where volatility is increasbig predictions, though. new brands introduced, and our ing and travel and tourism can portfolio only got more enriching.

As an Industry, what is your adbecome sudden casualties?

Consolidation in some cases, new Within Marriott, we have a sayvice? How can we as an industry locations in others. If we divide the insulate ourselves better? ing that fish where the fish are! Look year into two halves, the first half Conversely, I can only say that around for where the business is! Plansaw a strong market share in the we as hoteliers today have to be very ning is the key to such situations, a business, with double digit growth responsible, and true to our target better sense of anticipation, perhaps. in RevPar; the second half saw customers. Like I said, we have to fish Especially, when the world over, dehigh single digit growth. where the fish is. We have to increase mand patterns can be shifting and our market intelligence, ensure we are changing, often without any warning. delivering our brand promise. And possibly, as hoteliers, will need to sweat our assets more, by How is the Indian market growing for you at your constantly re-evaluating market needs, becoming nimble properties? footed – constantly look at facilities that are needed and Currently, our Indian component of the overall octhose that are not. cupancies are over 80%. This is growing exponentially.

We see Leisure as the market of the future, with Indians How is Marriott engaging with the industry, both becoming more discerning, with more propensity to within hospitality as well as tourism forums? explore, take more but shorter holidays.

Marriott continues to play its part in leadership and industry summits and events. We are constantly evaluating How does this compare with industry performances market opportunities and remain sufficiently and adequately during the year? engaged with industry. Our belief is that as industry, susI cannot say on the industry performance, except that as a country and as an industry, we continue to be under tainability of our businesses is most critical, and there is this supplied. We see robust occupancies across the country. big need to tackle industry issues together.

People may have expected more business, but we in India – Interviewed by Navin Berry tourismfirst

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HOSPITALITY: EASE OF DOING BUSINESS IS CRITICAL Indian tourism and Indian hospitality industry in particular is seeking a greater ease in doing business.

We bring you two prominent hoteliers to speak on what is desirable in the system. These are most constructive suggessions which would significant transparency in how we build hotels across the country.

JB Singh, president, Interglobe Hotels: Ensure a sustainable business eco-system to bring more investments.

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• DOT Norms – While develtepping up hotel infrastructure is pivotal in refining the standards opment costs are increasing every of tourism and hospitality in the year, the star categorisation for hotels country. This is possible provided we indicates larger construction spaces tackle the following issues: which need to be developed for higher • Reformation of prevailing category hotels, which in turn push norms relating to parking, building, the sustainability aspect of a project. and circle and stamp duty is needed.

The DOT norms need to be revised There exists an ambiguity in these to control the carbon footprint and norms and practises which dampen inbetter utilise spaces which would help improve the sustainability aspects. frastructural investment in hospitality: • NBCC Norms – NBCC is a • Parking norms: Pan-India governing body, yet the •• Parking norms in most states interpretation of their guidelines in India are archaic, unrealistic, and J B SINGH is different in every state. Byelaws, prohibitive for hotel development.

PRESIDENT, INTERGLOBE HOTELS standard procedure and understandThey are often linked to the numParking norms in most states in ber of rooms rather than to banquet ing by the local authorities vary India are archaic, unrealistic, and spaces which is the main user of the with every location. prohibitive for hotel development. provision. With economy hotels (with • Infrastructure status They are often linked to the smaller room sizes), the same plot •• Currently, only those hotel number of rooms rather than to yields a much larger number of rooms projects costing over the threshold banquet spaces which is the main and small banquet/meeting spaces limit of INR 200 crores get infrauser of the provision. (as these hotels are not operationally structure status. equipped to cater to large functions).

•• This limits the applicability This, however, results in a larger reof the infrastructure status to only luxury hotel projects and is biased against the economy and quirement for the number of parking slots which costs more mid-market hotels as they rarely cost over INR 200 crores. and remains largely unutilized.

• Circle rates: •• In cities like Thane, hoteliers are asked to provide as •• Many cities in India have unrealistic circle rates which much as one car park for every 1 room, plus additional car are higher than the prevailing land prices, making acquiring parks for the public areas and banquet spaces. So, for a 200land for hotel development unviable. room hotel, one would need to provide a 300-car parking •• New Delhi, for example, has circle rates which are slot. A more logical way of calculating parking space for sometimes as high as twice of the current market price for hotels would be to link it to the total built-up development hotel / commercial plots. or FSI space constructed of the hotel project only.

• Approvals and licenses: • Building norms:

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57 HOSPITALIT Y •• There are numerous licenses and approvals (can add up to more than a 100 in some states) that are required to operate a hotel in India leading to loss of time, effort and resources. A single-window clearance and faster approval process could shorten the lead time of opening a hotel by as much as 6 months.

•• Liquor license – hotels have faced a challenge with even acquiring Liquor license as it varies from state to state. The hotel categorisation, types of liquor served and even the definition of star categories which vary with toilets sizes, room sizes and the even locational aspect make it a major challenge. The central government should create country-wide guidelines that is followed by all states could be a good way forward.

• Time-Bound Approval – a straightfor ward way to ensure t i mely approva ls wou ld be to place a time-bound procedure for the ‘single-window system.’ Once documents are uploaded on the portal, a process of clearance within a certain period would make it a very feasible process.

• Land acquisition challenges: •• No credible benchmarks are available for land prices and the owner’s expectation is almost always unrealistic. This makes land cost range between 45-50 per cent of the project cost, though any cost steeper than 25-30 per cent renders projects infeasible.

•• Provision of public domain information – provision for public domain information such as geological data of soil conditions, weather, water resources and chemical composition of land etc. which helps during the assessment of land parcels should be available.

•• Lack of centralised database – There is a need for introducing a centralised database of digitised records with a single authority for title information. Property records are different for all regions even in states and it is an arduous task to understand land details due to the lack of transparency and a centralised database.

Given India’s Potential, Much More Investment Should have Come Already

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Binod Chaudhary, Chairman, CG Hospitality Group

resenting a uniquely insightful perspective of the industry scenario from an international standpoint, as a hotelier with serious interest in India, its constituent regions and beyond, Binod Chaudhary is a leading collaborator with Taj Hotels, with hotels in Kathmandu, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and the safaris in India.

“Admitting that there is a problem is the beginning of correction”, he elucidated.

The comparatively enabling environments of countries such as Spain and Thailand, or South Asian countries such as Sri Lanka and Nepal, have managed to propel tourism revenues considerably despite adverse political and economic circumstances over the years. Sri Lanka had over two million foreign tourist arrivals annually which BINOD CHAUDHARY should have meant that India should be CHAIRMAN, CG HOSPITALITY GROUP having over 120 million arrivals, if comIndia also boasted of repared hypothetically on a proportionate markable examples of cities basis. Similarly, Nepal had over 1 million performing tremendously well foreign tourist arrivals which should have in the hospitality segment reported for Indian arrivals at over 60 milincluding destinations such as lion foreign tourists.

Kerala, Udaipur and Goa. But He also aptly underlined the vitality he also believed that the inof the tourism sector in India, contribdustry needed to grow beyond uting 9% of the country’s GDP but also them and percolate into other expressed concern over the dearth of proregional markets as well. ductive investment in the sector which barely amounted to a fraction of a percentage of the GDP. The lack of understanding as shown by the government, perceptible via its abstinence from important industry forums was, which only went on to project a poor state of lobbying capacity of the industry, as a whole.

Counter intuitively, India also boasted of remarkable examples of cities performing tremendously well in the hospitality segment including destinations such as Kerala, Udaipur and Goa. But he also believed that the industry needed to grow beyond them and percolate into other regional markets as well. He provided anecdotes of his company’s experience in attempting to initiate hospitality projects in India which hadn’t proved viable. They had purchased land in Kochi, Noida and Surat for the purposes of hotel development, but by the time that they were able to secure the required government approvals, the entire feasibility dynamics of the venture had altered and they had ultimately decided to sell off their properties and exit, as by then, this was the only option which made the best business sense.

Contrastingly, he presented the Nepal tourism model to be an ideal, high functioning and efficient example of hospitality exuberance, which had performed exceedingly well in sectors such as adventure tourism, trekking and mountaineering expeditions. Hence, he sincerely wished for more conducive circumstances to evolve in the Indian hospitality segment as well, so that he, and many other investors from overseas like him, could further investment agendas fruitfully in future and share in the vast potentialities that the country invariably offered.

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MARKETPLACE: ECONOMY & TOURISM IMPACT NUMBERS India’s leading hospitality consulting, asset management and investment advisory, Hotelivate, in its recent report on 2018/19, says growth was muted, occupancies were higher but not the rates.

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eviewing the 2018/19 peris true; in fact, more than two-thirds of the hotels that averaged more than formance of hotels across 80% occupancy have over 150 rooms. the length and breadth of It is also noteworthy that more our country, we were pushed to than one-third of the hotels presented wonder what was causing them to in this report achieved an occupanbe ‘stuck in orbit’. Why was it that despite the demand-supply equation cy between 70% and 80% last year. favoring growth across most marThat’s a promising statistic, and an opportunity in waiting. The last kets, the nationwide numbers (both time our industry saw a meaningful occupancy and average room rate) growth in the nationwide average daibarely moved, yet again? Yes, growth was recorded across all performance ly rate (ADR), almost three-fourths metrics; however, it wasn’t reflective of the hotels were clocking 70% plus MANAV THADANI of an up-cycle the way one would exoccupancies. The industry will truly FOUNDER, HOTELIVATE reap the benefits of this up-cycle only pect. So, we decided to get to some Evidently, close to 15% of the when a large majority of existing hoold-fashioned slicing and dicing. As 1,068 branded hotels tracked in we dug deeper, our hypothesis that tels consistently push their rates, and this survey averaged more than ‘we are just not making offers that subsequently, revenues northward.

80% occupancy in 2018/19. The can’t be refused’ became firmer. We Hotelivate, a comprehensive easiest conclusion one may draw are not alluding to simply dishing hospitality consulting firm offering is that these hotels are in very strong markets, with negligible out great deals or attractive packages. specialised services to clients across weekday-weekend seasonality.

We refer to the crux of how we apthe Asia Pacific region, is proud to present the results of The 2019 Indian proach the very principles of revenue Hospitality – Trends & Opportunimanagement.

Simple as it may seem, may we ties Report. The current participation urge you to ask yourself these questions: Are we far too base of 1,068 hotels, with a total inventory of 1,33,359 focused on selling rooms at the highest possible rate on rooms, offers a comprehensive coverage of the country’s the busiest days, while paying scant attention to how that branded hospitality landscape, enabling better incisive analmay interplay with demand during the shoulder and valley yses of national trends, performance of major hotel markets, periods? Is stark weekday-weekend seasonality real, or just and demand and supply forecasts than any other survey of a a convenient excuse? Must we assume that hotel occupansimilar nature.

The results of the Trends & Opportunities Report have cies always peak in the early- to mid-70s or is there merit been presented in this report at an All-India level, by star in the argument that some hotels across India are actually category and by 13 major hotel markets, indicating the best doing something different and breaching 85% to 90% and the worst performers and identifying reasons for the occupancies? same. Furthermore, a detailed review of the existing and Evidently, close to 15% of the 1,068 branded hotels tracked future supply has been conducted at macro and micro levels to in this survey averaged more than 80% occupancy in 2018/19. facilitate a better understanding of the growth in the number The easiest conclusion one may draw is that these hotels are in of branded rooms in the country across positioning. We have very strong markets, with negligible weekday-weekend seasonalso offered additional perspective and insights within various ality. However, the fact is that all of them are based in urban sub-sections of this report for those seeking a deeper analysis corporate markets, where the industry’s claim has traditionally of the demand-supply dynamics as well as future trends and been that weekends are lean. Yet, these hotels ducked the trend opportunities in a rapidly evolving marketplace. and performed well on weekends, without which achieving an Preceding the discussion of survey results is a brief review occupancy in the high 80s or 90s as a year-round average is of the performance of the Indian economy in the past fiscal not mathematically probable. and that of the tourism sector, in particular, that have a direct Other arguments that one may present are that these hobearing on the health of the Indian Hotel Industry. tels either sell rooms at ‘rock-bottom’ rates or that they have a low room count, making them easier to fill. Well, neither – by Achin Khanna & Gautam Tyagi

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GOA: CROWDS COULD BRING LOSS OF DOMESTIC NUMBERS Goa’s veteran hotelier, Sunder Advani, CMD, Renaissance Goa Resort began his innings in the state in 1990, and has been keenly involved with the state’s tourism sector ever since.

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hen Su nder Gu rdas fast dwindled because they could not Advani opened the Rastomach the dirty beaches and the lack of privacy. As they abandoned mada Renaissance Goa Goa, Britons, Russians and Israelis Resort on a 24-acre, palm-speckfilled the void, but today, domestic led swath of Varca Beach in 1990, tourists rule the Goa market.

Panaji was just a stopover for the Econom ic crises back home single flight from Mumbai to Kocaused the Russian and British numchi. Today, as many as 87 flights take off and land in Goa. bers to dwindle. The British inflow In the 30 years that have lapsed, was also hit because of the collapse of the resort has seen three identity Thomas Cook. The Israelis are holdchanges. From the Ramada Reing on, although many of them are following the Britins and Russians to naissance Goa Resort (Advani was SUNDER ADVANI Gokarna in Karnataka.

Ramada UK’s first Indian franCMD, RENAISSANCE GOA As a result, to quote Advani, Goa chisee), the sprawling hotel was This time around, upscale, gets “too many domestic tourists” renamed Ramada Caravela Beach high-spending Indian tourists will drawn either by the casinos – he had Resort Goa in 2003, after Marriott be the ones leaving for quieter desopened Goa’s first, but the Sunshine International took over the brand tinations because of people from State has six today – or the crowded Renaissance and decided to run neighbouring states descending in calendar of weddings and conferall the properties that flew the Rebuses on even the quieter beaches ences. Advani believes that the Goa naissance flag. Finally, after Advani and spoiling their serenity with market is headed for yet another ceased to represent Ramada, it betheir loud music and louder parties. shakeout. This time around, upcame the Caravela Beach Resort.

Just like the property, designed scale, high-spending Indian tourists by the same firm of architects that will be the ones leaving for quieter created the famous Sun City, The destinations because of people from Atlantis and The Venetian, Goa’s market, too, has seen neighbouring states descending in buses on even the dramatic changes. And Advani, who built his first hotel quieter beaches and spoiling their serenity with their -- Holiday Inn, Juhu, in 1972 -- has seen them all. loud music and louder parties. Goa, Advani concluded, The hotel industry veteran was in Delhi recently to desperately needs a new master plan to undo the damage receive the SATTE Lifetime Achievemrnt Award. Speakwreaked by unbridled growth and to take the state back to it’s old glory days. ing on the sidelines, Advani pointed out that the German backpackers were the first to discover Goa. Their number – by Sourish Bhattacharyya

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CALIFORNIA COMES CALLING WITH ITS SALES MISSION

Napa Valley is one of the hugely sucessful products that Indians are lapping up, given their interest in Californian wine.

California has been pro-active in the Indian market with its annual sales missions now becoming an event that the industry looks forward to.

The vitality of the entertainment segment as a conflu‘Visit California’ is the official tourism phrase for ence of diverse cultures that Hollywood and Bollywood California! A non-profit public private partnership which film industries represented, was also brought to light. blankets over 20 thousand investors with offices spanning It sought to catalyse its relations with Indian directors across 14 countries; the initiative strives towards boosting and producers in order to attract greater cross-cultural international tourism footfall to the state. The press conexchange through cinema. The delegation arranged for ference showcased presentations from among 25 eminent meetings with the producer’s guild delegates representing choicest locaof India to work towards providing tions in California, underlining the The ‘PEOPLE’ of two of these incentives for Indian filmmakers to various options available to travellers largest democracies, acting as a shoot Bollywood movies in Caliin terms of retail shopping establishboiling point for socio cultural fornia. The California Film Comments, hospitality, entertainment exchange, were projected as missioner addressed the gathering and numerous other recreational the epicentre of this ‘Visit India’ by stating that it was imperative to activities. One to one interaction programme, rather than just a one productively realize the potential with the delegates was also encour- dimensional business venture. that films could initiate in the deaged to attain a deeper insight into velopment of culture, economy and their offerings for travellers from tourism. She also mentioned that it across the board. The relevance was an evolutionary time for TV and film globally, as never of the Indian Market was emphasised repeatedly, while before had it been so accessible and vast in measure. She conferring it the status of ‘the first overseas market’ that said that we still needed an answer to the primary question the Lieutenant Governor and the delegation from bay area in this regard, being, ‘how can we collaborate?’. Telling chose to invest in. It reiterated its belief that the Indian stories, she said, was an instrumental means to maintain market was lucrative on multiple fronts including tourism, peace and prosperity in both the countries and such should agriculture, entertainment, technology and employment. be facilitated with renewed attention.

It also stated that tourism in California was witnessing Technological exchange between Silicon Valley and 9 consecutive years of record growth in spending which Bangalore, being of paramount importance in attracting currently stood at $140 billion annually. The international business travel, international employment and improved portfolio including India contributed to over 20% of this connectivity, headlined the second front of discussions spending. Hence, the delegation was keen on augmentaimed towards the growth of tourism in California. It was ing investments to the Indian market spanning leisure, stated that there was no secrecy regarding the favourability business and group travel segments as it aimed to attract of Tech giants towards recruiting skilled professionals from a sizeable chunk of the 40 million tourists travelling out India, owing to their superior talent and abilities and such of the country annually. tourismfirst

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61 INDIA OUTBOUND path, could be grasped as their core moto, as explained should be further channelized towards promoting business through an engaging audio-visual presentation by the travel to the state as well. The role that airline partners host of the popular TV show ‘Autocar’. could play in strengthening connectivity to California Following this, were the addresses by delegates was also elucidated as there were 265 one stop flights representing Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly between India and California currently, which could be hills and Santa Barbara. While the hospitality segment progressively enhanced to include more flights. of Santa Monica with reference to fine dining, spa The ‘PEOPLE’ of two of these largest democracies, (ayurvedic amenities) and entertainment infrastructure acting as a boiling point for socio cultural exchange, were was showcased, the immensely convenient setting of projected as the epicentre of this ‘Visit India’ programme, West Hollywood in terms of connectivity (walkable) rather than just a one - dimensional business venture. to Beverly hills and Santa Monica was also explained.

Leisure travel patterns were also highlighted as instruBeverly Hills was portrayed as a destination which mental in providing valuable information regarding key transcended its pre conceived image of being just a haven focus areas for growth. Increasing the level of spending for five-star luxury. The delegate wished to break this to cross $1.5 billion by 2023 was also mentioned as a stereotype and asserted that there was something for evkey target. Facilitating foreign arrivals from India being ery appetite including boutiques, wedding venues, kids’ a primary concern, the delegation seemed curious to help activities etc. Huge investments by Louis Vuitton in hosreduce the difficulties attached to acquiring a US visa pitality and the inauguration of Gucci’s first US restaurant, for Indians and assured putting in concerted efforts to formed a part of the reduce visa wait time. expansion efforts in They claimed that the region. Santa Barthe situation has imbara, reputed as the proved in this regard ‘American Riviera’, in many cities such was showcased as a as Kolkata where the much sought-after wait time has been coastal resort destisuccessfully reduced nation, with towering from 80 to 18 days. mountains, natural However, they also splendour through admitted that more whale and dolphin work needed to be From L – Tom Kiely, President & CEO, Visit West Hollywood, Misti Kerns, President sighting opportunidone, in collaboration & CEO, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, Colleen Bell, Executive Director California ties, wine making and with the US federal Film Commission, Caroline Beteta, President & CEO Visit California, Kathy Janegatasting, tours through agencies to realize the Dykes, President & CEO Visit Santa Barbara and Julie Wagner, CEO Beverly Hills boutiques by reputed desired circumstances Conference & Visitors Bureau at the first ever Visit California Sales Mission to India. fashion designers and in future. The 2017 a hotspot for celebrity get- togethers as well. The world reCEO mission provided initiation to attracting collective nowned guided studio tour of Hollywood on the 14 person focus to the Indian market which already consists of a tram, was demonstrated beat by beat, stating that it gave great share of US travellers. tourists a deep insight into the realm of cinema production The goal of this initiative in converting consumer through experiential activities such as re-enactment of popular sentiment to action was recalled time and again, television series scenes such as that of ‘Central Perk’ from while stating that the business travel segment formed ‘Friends’ or the apartment from ‘The Big Bang Theory’. It a major share of the revenue but leisure travel also also showed the process of turning a movie idea from script needed similar escalation. In the midst of cut throat to screen through the Stage 48 studio tour. Be it walking competition, the delegation was keen to promote the on the sets of ‘Casablanca’ or recreating the magic of ‘Harry entirety of the destination experience that California Potter’ to sitting on the coveted ‘Bat Mobile’, Hollywood had to offer in order to educate travellers efficiently. was portrayed as a world in itself.

Millennials and millennials with kids were stated to Lastly, the media and trade components were furbe their core target market, laying special emphasis ther accentuated as the means to educate the Indian on experiential tourism covering music, festivals and consumer about California in its robust offering. The sports. Luxury travel market, being the most profitable delegation staunchly propagated the need to receive of the lot, was expected to witness maximum growth. the right information about the right destinations, to Educational channels and social media along with trade the right people. It also promised to facilitate certain channels were underlined as the primary sources of probusiness incentives for various industries that could motion and distribution, for example - partnership with further their effort in systematically increasing tourist popular NBA teams to demonstrate sporting prowess. footfalls to the state from India.

Exploring the authenticity and diversity of the California terrain, while starkly deviating from the beaten – by Siddharth Shaw & Harsh Siddhanta tourismfirst

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OUTBOUND: CAPA SEES GROWTH IN COMPLEXITY & DIVERSITY But India is not a single, homogenous market. It varies significantly by city, income levels and demographics. National tourism board’s that fail to recognise this diversity or do not invest in understanding the behaviour and preferences of different segments are at risk of losing out, says a recent CAPA report.

Air Connectivity

• International routes to/from India were already capacity constrained prior to the suspension of Jet Airways’ services, with many airlines reporting year-round load factors of close to 90%, and experiencing spillage during peak months.

• This situation has been further exacerbated by the exit of Jet, which has resulted in higher fares, especially during peak seasons. Prior to the suspension of services, Jet had the largest share of international capacity to/from India, accounting for just over 12% of seats. Several Middle Eastern and Asian carriers are unable to expand capacity because of bilateral restrictions.

• Only around 50% of the capacity deployed to/from India is available for the Indian point of sale, despite the fact that the outbound potential is much higher than inbound. Foreign carriers, in particular, tend to prioritise offshore sales which are viewed as being higher yield.

• Foreign airlines tend to focus less on selling individual destinations and instead prefer to capture business and VFR travel, which represent high volume, low hanging segments that can drive traffic across their networks.

However, there is a significant and growing segment of potential higher-yielding leisure travellers ex India, if national tourism boards and airlines are prepared to invest in appropriate marketing and product development.

• New international services, particularly those launched by Indian carriers, have stimulated significant growth in visitor numbers in overseas markets. In recent months, Indian visitor arrivals to the Maldives and Turkey have seen tremendous growth after deployment of additional capacity.

Market segments

• CAPA estimates that only around 5 million unique individuals in India travel overseas for leisure in any given year. This is insignificant relative to the potential, given that close to 100 million people live in households that are estimated to have the purchasing power to travel overseas, at least to a short haul destination. There is a huge market that is simply not being tapped.

• The first-time traveller market ex India will continue to grow for decades to come, as economic growth propels more and more households above the income threshold at which they can afford to travel overseas. These travellers tourismfirst

will tend to focus on destinations such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the UAE. Travel experience and increasing affluence will see them graduate over time to longer haul destinations such as Europe, Australia/NZ, Africa, and North America.

• However, there is already a growing market of sophisticated, frequent travellers who are seeking new experiences off the beaten track. This has resulted in rapid growth, albeit off a small base, to diverse, upcoming destinations such as Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Georgia, Iceland, Israel and Peru.

• There is a tendency by some foreign destinations to commoditise the Indian traveller. But India is not a single, homogenous market. It varies significantly by city, income levels and demographics. National tourism board s that fail to recognise this diversity or do not invest in understanding the behaviour and preferences of different segments are at risk of losing out.

• But for those that take the time and effort to do so, there are significant opportunities to grow traffic and to develop a wide variety of market segments beyond the standard tourist packages e.g. MICE, destination weddings, female travellers, cruises, events-based travel, special interest e.g. golf, diving, culinary tours etc.

Distribution

• As the market becomes larger, more diversified and more sophisticated, tour operators and travel agents (particularly frontline staff) will need to enhance their knowledge of destinations and travel products. This will likely drive increasing specialisation.

Cultural Sensitivity • Differences in culture will need to be understood by both sides. To attract more Indian visitors, destinations and their tourism ecosystems will need to be sensitive to issues such as dietary preferences, language, service expectations, value consciousness etc. At the same time, Indian travellers will need to be educated on customs and behavioural norms in other countries, to ensure that some do not hurt the image of Indian tourists.

There were more than 26.3 million departures from India by Indian nationals in 2018. However, the outbound resident market is smaller than this.

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• Historically, the industry has considered the number of international departures by Indian nationals to represent the size of the outbound market from India. In 2018 there were 26.3 million such departures.

• However, this is not an accurate representation because this measures movements by nationality rather than by residence. There are a large number of NRIs who live overseas. When they travel to India for a short-term visit and then return home, they are captured in the ‘Indian national departures’ category. As a result the size of the market has been over-estimated.

Indian residents are estimated to have made 19.4 million overseas trips in 2018 Penetration of outbound travel from India remains very lowIndian residents are estimated

residents is estimated to have been 19.4 million in 2018.

• The resident outbound market has grown at a CAGR of 10.8% over the last 4 years.

• The number of unique individuals that travel overseas in a given year will be less than this as some residents travel overseas more than once per annum.

• Almost 70% of this travel is for the purpose of employment, business or visiting friends. Only just over 30% is estimated to be for pure leisure.

Penetration of outbound travel from India remains very low

• 2018 Indian Leisure Departures 6.2mn (estimated) • 2018 Unique Leisure Travellers ~5.2mn (estimated) These travellers represent only around 5% of the high income population and only 0.4% of India’s population.

The most popular leisure destinations for Indian travellers in 2018 Only for leisure • Destination : 2018 Arrivals (mn) • Dubai 1,319; Thailand 1,190; Singapore 620; France 486; Malaysia 360; Sri Lanka 348; Indonesia 345; Italy 305; US 248; Hong Kong 220.

As a high value discretionary item, international travel is sensitive to economic conditions and trends in disposable income to have made 19.4 million overseas trips in 2018

• After removing NRIs from the traffic data, the estimated size of the international outbound market amongst Indian tourismfirst

• As a high value discretionary item, international travel is sensitive to economic conditions and trends in disposable income.

• National GDP growth has been declining since 2016

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and there has been a marked slowdown in the last few months.

• However, as at present it is not clear that this is slowing the outbound market. Factors such as the general election, closure of Pakistani airspace and bilateral restrictions have curbed international traffic below its natural rate.

• But this appears to have impacted inbound more than outbound. As the data in the following slide shows, Indian visitor arrivals to a cross-section of destinations appears to be relatively buoyant. The sharp decline to Sri Lanka is due to the Easter terrorist attack. Although Dubai, the largest outbound market from India has seen a decline.

Key to unlocking market potential

How to convert increasing ability, interest and desire to travel: tourismfirst

• Deliver value – LCCs will play a key role • Provide more non-stop connectivity • Increase capacity – bilateral rights are a constraint • Liberalise visa requirements • Enhance customer segmentation/marketing • Improving aircraft technology and new business models

Potential to achieve 20mn Indian leisure arrivals by 2025

• Preliminary forecasts indicate a CAGR of 12.4% to 2025 • Leisure departures of 14mn, generating 20mn arrivals • Spending of USD35-40bn, excluding airfares • Long haul LCC stimulation could add 2mn departures Growth could be sustained for decades.

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DIGITAL: SIGNAGE IS THE NEW COMMUNICATION CHANNEL Digital technology is changing the way we communicate. In this article, we talk of the changing dynamics in the business. By Indraneel Basu Majumder, Vertical Head – Hospitality Business, Information Display Division, LG Electronics

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verything in our life is being digitalized. While the digitalization function merely meant the digital transformation of analogue information in the past, its definition has expanded gradually. In fact, every aspect of our life is saved digitally, and everything in everyday life is interconnected in a network. As a result, the worldwide information exchange came to a reality.

Among this process of digitalization, business has faced a new phase. As customers become more informed, companies have lost control over their relationship with the customers. On the other hand, more and more business stakeholders such as providers, partners, and employees have become more diverse and distributed, and as a result, they felt the need to maintain their relationships and to interact with one another.

One of the solutions that business has found for this challenge is Digital Signage.

Digital Signage is a system installed as various forms in various places, including outdoor, shop, public and transit, in order to transmit information by connecting with network. In the past, digital signage was used to convey and advertise information.

However, as the digitalization accelerates, its role as a communication channel is expanding due to the new needs of business.

To meet the business needs of providing vivid viewing experiences in addition to simple delivery of information, high resolution technologies are applied to reproduce images more clearly, and products that enable images to flow so naturally that the viewers do not sense the transition between screens have been introduced. Display bezels are becoming thinner, and the use of high definition image displays is growing over time.

Few Key Needs by End Customers identified as “Clear Image, “User-friendliness”, “Durability”, “Convenient Maintenance”, “Cost Savings”, “Improved Brand Image”, “Flexibility of Installation/Management “ etc. By providing Unique solutions to address these core needs are boosting the Digital Signage Economy in India.

From specialized spaces including hospitality, broadcasting studios, airports, and control rooms as well as outdoor stadiums to corporate offices, lobbies, and flagship stores, any business that is seeking enhanced customer experience are adopting Digital Signage Solutions.

Retail has transitioned from the focus on luxury brands to the universalization of fashion goods. Companies are also re-evaluating its reception/lobby oriented application as a component of the building and a substitute for tourismfirst

projectors in board room / meeting room. The various use of Digital Signage in automobile sales channels will continue to increase in Improvement of store operation with data analytics.

Digital signage has become thinner, lighter, and more robust to adapt to the evolving customer environment, and is available in variety of forms. As a result, its role as a digital communication channel has expanded in various industries. LED Signage using LED modules has led these changes. The biggest reason why LED signage is attracting attention is the potential of various designs. It is bezel-less, light and expandable, so one can go beyond the traditional stereotyped size / design framework, from very large installations to curved screens. It can be tailored to the customer environment and the needs of users. It is especially useful for customers who are looking for uniqueness or specialty. For instance, a super wide display that surrounds stadium stands, an arched display designed for the arc-shaped shopping mall hallway, or a display that is hung down from the ceiling of the lobby are the examples of the innovation brought by LED Signage.

As technology matures and price tolerance increases, LED signage will meet the needs of businesses that maximize presentation experience and collaboration-based business performance with its superior image quality, colour reproduction and easy content sharing ability. With the development of technology, LED Signage market has grown at the annual average rate of at least 10%. Especially, due to the scale-based economy, price barriers are lowered and LEDs are becoming more popular in various industries.

As a result, there has been a noticeable change in the vertical industry segment within the LED market. While the outdoor market such as stadiums consisted the majority of the market in the past, the share of indoor market has been gradually increasing.

In addition, Digital Signage will continue to lead the next-generation of communication by converging various IT technologies to develop digital participation. For instance, the sensor and data analytics technique extracts data and insight from signage users, and provides customized content through AI technology.

In the future, analyzing the facial expression of people in front of signage will be possible. Furthermore, collecting various kinds of data such as emotions and human statistics information using voice recognition will be possible as well. Since it shows the potentials for developing unlimited forms of advertisement, every business and market is paying attention to digital signage.

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