Date of Publication: 14/11/2015 RNI No. DELENG/2015/62794 Posting Dt. 12-17/11/2015 Postal Reg. No. DL(ND)-11/6180/2015-16-17
Vo lu m e 1. I s s u e 7. n ov e m b e r 2 015 . ` 5 0
linking stakeholders for developing the big picture
Will Bihar give the victory sign for tourism, too?
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rouncing his political rivals convincingly, Nitish Kumar is back at the administrative helm of Bihar for the third straight time. While tourism in Bihar did not exactly get its due share of attention in the past ten years, there is larger expectation that it would find more prominence
under his stewardship this time. His previous government is believed to have drawn an expansive plan to develop scores of circuits on which the proposed investment is upward of `5000 crore. Early this July, much before elections were announced, the CM in a review meeting with senior state officials had said that
Bihar tourism has to emerge as a stronger brand and bank finances should be made readily available to investors in the tourism sector. And this has triggered the hope that Bihar tourism may find a new direction during the course of next five years. It is also a time when most states have upped their attention to tourism. We
would like to believe Bihar will not like to be left behind. In terms of its tourism potential, the uniqueness of the Buddhist circuit remains largely unexploited. The Nalanda University has created a new product around it. We hope the incoming government will increase its commitment to tourism matters.
The ancient city of nirvana, dating back to 2nd century BC, Amaravati gets going.
Andhra gets a new capital and CM Naidu a second chance to build a city WTTC (II) writes to the PM seeking a fresh impetus for overseas marketing
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he overseas tourism marketing campaign has not happened over the last two years and is causing considerable lament in tourism circles. Overall, visitor arrivals are doing reasonably well but the pure tourism vertical has been languishing, some say that this could be down by as much as 20%. The government has been proactive in the introduction of highlights
WTTC (II) writes to the PM seeking his intervention on tourism matters. This government has voiced interest and action on upgrading of the tourism product. On the ground, promotions and PR activity has been inadequate. Some of our source markets like Russia and EU are having their own problems.
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handrababu Naidu has been known for his tourism-friendly ways. As CM of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, he was instrumental in hoisting Hyderabad on the tourist map. He was singularly responsible for the creation of modern Hyderabad. Now, having handed over the city to the newly-formed state of Telangana, Andhra is setting its horizons on a new capital of its own. Amaravati, the chosen city, has hundreds of years of history and the state has roped in both Japan and Singapore for creating the modern contours as a smart city since its inception. The foundation stone of the new city was laid among ceremonial rituals by the Prime Minister, along with the CM and other national and state leaders.
the e-visas. These needed to be backed up with extensive promotions and PR activities in key generating markets that have traditionally produced for India. WTTC (II) has highlighted some of these concerns in a direct communication to the Prime Minister. Happily, the PMO has responded and sought a meeting which is likely to happen soon. The leisure segment has not been doing well for some time. There has been a sharp differentiation between visitor arrivals and inbound tourism.
Photo courtesy: Le Monde.fr
The world grieves with Paris And with all of France and the world. We are a world united in disbelief, sorrow and pain. Such mindless and insensitive acts of terror leave us shell-shocked. With such acts of violence and bodies strewn across public stadia, the realization is that no city in the world is really safe, that every society and every nook and corner remains vulnerable. We mourn the dead and pray that larger sanity prevails and brings peace and prosperity on earth. Ironically, we have believed that tourism alone will bring greater understanding among people of the world, bring them together. It is acts such as these that will endanger tourism most of all.
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this issue : November, 2015
The beginning of Indigo 2.0?
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umerical growth notwithstanding, the upheaval in the Indian aviation market in the past ten years is quite a tale in itself. The airline run by a mighty corporate house which at one time was just inches away from the market leadership position went belly up. And another entity – a LCC – almost met the similar fate before the original promoter stepped in the scene again to divert it from the disaster route. His battle is still on. Not to forget, scores of regional carriers which came, saw the opportunity but ultimately fled realising that the game looks good only from the distance. Amidst such a scenario, Indigo’s meteoric rise almost appears out to be a fairy tale – too good to be true. Hardly given much of a chance ten years ago owing to its basic character of a LCC, the airline is a market leader in the country today, has a fleet size in the vicinity of three digit mark, is known for its on-time performance and has, by and large, stayed away from any financial troubles. Recently, it notched another distinction when it was enlisted at the domestic bourses with its IPO oversubscribed by 6.15 times. On the opening trading day, the share price of Indigo surged by 15 percent bringing smiles to those who have shown faith in the airline. Does it mark the beginning of Indigo 2.0 version? In terms of direction it will take and the larger ambitions it can afford to nurture? With a valuation of over $2 billion and over `3,000 crore of fresh funds raised, the Indigo story certainly promises to get more interesting. Following its successful IPO debut, the market is already inundated with speculations that major foreign carriers like Qatar may send feelers to the Indian carrier to pick up some stake and get into a strategic partnership. The market is also extensively guessing on the potential utility of mega 250 aircraft orders in the medium to long run given the fact that all of them can’t be absorbed in the Indian market. But going by their configuration, they can’t fly on long-routes either. Now that Indigo has landed at Dalal Street too, each and every move of the company is going to be more minutely analysed and the market would expect more clarity in its response on several fronts. One popular theory is that the company has made most of the leaseback model (well, for others too this option existed) to keep its neck above the financial waters. Some sceptics are also pointing at the hefty dividend distribution regime which the company has pursued so far. For instance, the company’s net worth fell to a negative `139.39 crore at the end of June 2015 which has been attributed to the payment of interim dividend. As against this, the net worth of the company was `426.22 crore around March end this year. These pointers notwithstanding, this clearly is Indigo’s moment of glory – the apt culmination of the first phase of its long journey which had begun in 2006 on a much lower scale. But considering its performance in the past, the stakes are too high for its future journey now that it is publicly enlisted entity. The success of Indigo on the stock exchange also gives hope to other domestic carriers to seek public money. For instance, the turnaround at SpiceJet and possible next round of funding that it will require, could become easier. Go Air is privately funded and could go for enlisting. With a new Civil Aviation Policy in public domain, there is greater hope for airline connectivity at all three levels – international, national and also regional. It may not exactly be happy days yet, but the hope has certainly been kindled by the market leader, that has clearly been Indigo on all accounts.
Navin Berry
Contents currents
04 FDI relaxed in 15 sectors to give new growth to business travel and hospitality 04 Enhanced bilaterals announced at ICAO to several countries increasing connectivity 05 WTTC writes to PM; more needs to be done for tourism as leisure traffic not happening
airlines & Airports 06 Government unveils draft Civil Aviation Policy: Will it be that ultimate panacea? 08 Kochi is world's first fully solar powered airport; paves way for smaller airports 09 Air India joining hands with states to improve regional connectivity 10 “If we had choice, Air Canada would have come back earlier”: Duncan Bureau
states/Destination 12 Hope for resurrection of unique village of temples in Jharkhand, at last
13 Andhra bets big with Amaravati; on course to an unprecedented infra boom 14 Outgoing Bihar minister says visibility and infrastructure our achievements 15 Infrastructure around the capital gets a push with both peripheral expressways 16 Billing hosts its first Paragliding World Cup; brings more footfalls and business 17 Noida’s connectivity to Agra remains unsold; focussed marketing could make it a leisure getaway 17 A strong cultural component must for a world-class city; promotion and outreach remain constraints for DIAF, says Parthibha Prahlad
culinary tourism 18 New policy to give a decisive push to culinary tourism, assures tourism secretary 19 CHEF Branding: Making the most of social media 20 Indian Cuisine: Finding the synergy between traditional and modern
Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi CM on the occasion of first maha-aarti on the banks of river Yamuna
There is a necessity to ensure that we join the hearts and minds of our city’s citizens with our Mother River Yamuna. It is the city’s main water source and its soul. People of this city must connect with their river… Let’s take a pledge today to clean our River Yamuna and ensure that we never make it dirty.
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Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister during his recent visit to Bhaderwah valley asking the government officials to link the region with HP and Punjab
Direct good road connectivity to Bhaderwah will be a boon for the tourism and we hope more and more tourists will be attracted towards this Valley.
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Taleb Rifai
UNWTO Secretary-General while recently releasing a global report on Public-Private Partnerships in tourism
This report clearly demonstrates that public-private collaboration plays a key role in advancing tourism’s contribution to inclusive development, particularly in emerging destinations where the sector can make a significant positive impact in local communities. I am confident that the findings will inspire effective cross-sector partnerships that can help maximize tourism’s development potential.
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Aditya Ghosh
A.P. Anilkumar
IndiGo's President in a conversation with media after Indigo’s IPO debut
Kerala Tourism Minister after getting central government’s nod on its proposal to improve infrastructure in the Pathanamthitta-GaviWagamon-Thekkady region
IndiGo has a battleready management and will overcome every challenge as in the past and will deliver much than what we have been delivering so far.
The country’s first 150-km mega tourism circuit would have a host of new facilities such as trekking, archery and rock climbing. It will be developed at a cost of `95 crore under the new Swadesh Darshan scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry.
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hotelscapes 21 Accor unveils Aerocity Pullman; plans deep forays with 45 hotels in the next three years
Global exchange 22 Scandinavia: Infrastructural integration and cultural distinctiveness key to Scandinavia’s unique positioning: Mohit Batra 23 Denmark: Young Indians attracted to Copenhagen’s night life, SMART city measures make it a safe and friendly destination, says Giuseppe Liverino 23 Sweden: Unique elements, showcasing ‘Swedish way of life’ our USP; Indian outbound growing by twenty percent 24 Georgia: Call from “cradle of wine” 25 Ireland: Heritage preserved unlimited
cruising 26 Cumbersome regulations limiting India’s international cruising experience
Navin Berry navin@tourismfirst.org contributing editor: ritwik sinha ritwik@tourismfirst.org features editor: Priyaanka Berry priyaanka@tourismfirst.org senior writer: Shashank Shekhar shashank@tourismfirst.org editor:
Tourismfirst is owned, published and printed by Navin Berry and printed at Anupam Art Printers. B-52, Naraina Phase II, New Delhi. It is published from 36-37, 3rd Floor, Indra Palace, H-Block, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110 001. Tel: 011-43784444. Total pages 28
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currents
FDI relaxed in 15 sectors to give new growth to business travel and hospitality
In the making over the last few weeks, as a part of opening up the economy and improving the ease of business, the government announced relaxation for FDI in 15 sectors.
Amitabh Kant, secretary DIPP; Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister; Ratan P Watal, finance secretary and Shaktikanta Das, secretary DEA at the press conference.
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ushing ahead with major reforms, the government just prior to the Diwali celebrations, announced relaxing foreign investment rules in 15 sectors such as civil aviation, banking, defence, retail, construction and news broadcasting and eased the process for approval of FDI. The FDI relaxation in aviation and construction are also slated to benefit the tourism industry. While the relaxation in investment in aviation sector is likely to expand the base of flyers, removing some critical bottlenecks for foreign fund infusion in the construction
business is expected to benefit Indian hospitality industry too. In the construction sector, the government has done away with entry and exit barriers. For instance, area restriction (20,000 sq m) and minimum capitalisation requirement of $5 million to be brought in within six months of commencement of business have been removed. Foreign investors can now exit and repatriate investments before a project is completed, but with a lock-in of three years. The lock-in period condition will not apply to hotels, hospitals, special
economic zones, educational institutions, and investment by non-resident Indians. The new norms also stipulate that leasing and rental activities will not come under the definition of real estate. On the aviation side, the government has opted for major relaxation – the FDI limit has been increased to 100% from 74% on segments like non-scheduled air transport service, ground handling services and credit information companies. FDI in regional air transport service will also come under the automatic route. This is much in line
with the recently released revised draft civil aviation policy where regional connectivity has been positioned as the topmost agenda. The government has also relaxed conditions for FDI in singlebrand retail and allowed 100 per cent FDI under automatic route in duty-free shops. The growth in FDI has been significant after the launch of Make in India initiatives in September 2014, with 48 percent increase in FDI equity inflows during October 2014 to April 2015 over the corresponding period last year. An upswing in FDI is generally believed to be a major trigger for business travel from overseas market and government’s recent FDI booster dose is expected to have a positive bearing on inbound arrivals too. The latest initiative also sends the message strongly that India has set afoot the process of doing away with the cumbersome procedural processes in investment. "The government's decision on liberalising FDI policy is a welcome step and is part of improving ease of doing business. These decisions come into force with immediate effect," Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said. "This is Diwali gift for investors. This is the biggest bang reform of the government,” DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant added.
Enhanced bilaterals announced at ICAO to several countries increasing connectivity
In the making over the last few weeks, as a part of opening up the economy and improving the ease of business, the government announced relaxation for FDI in 15 sectors.
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CAN (International Civil Aviation Negotiations), 2015 held in Antalya, Turkey from 19th to 23rd October, 2015 saw India entering into new bilateral agreements with over half dozen countries marking a major capacity addition to/from India. The conference was attended by 106 countries out of ICAO membership of 191 countries. The Indian delegation representing Ministry of Civil Aviation participated in the
Conference and negotiated with the delegations from 11 countries. A MoU was signed with Oman whereby, additional 5131 seats were granted taking the total capacity entitlements from 16018 seats per week to 21149 seats per week for both sides. In the negotiation with Kazakhstan, the two sides agreed to review the initialled Air Services Agreement (ASA) as per the latest Article 11 given by the Indian side.
Third country airlines code share and domestic code share operations to four points was also agreed to by both sides. With Kenya, India agreed to increase the capacity entitlements from 14 frequencies for each side to 21 additional frequencies and Hyderabad was allowed as an additional point of call for the designated carriers of Kenya. Domestic code share was agreed to from any 4 points by both sides. Kenya agreed to grant
one additional point, intermediate and beyond point with full 5th freedom rights in Africa to India. A similar agreement has also been inked with Ethiopia wherein the existing 21 frequencies per week has been enhanced to 28 frequencies. Ethiopia has been allowed to exchange Bangalore in place of Kolkata as a point of call. Three additional domestic code share points exclusively to code share with Air India were granted namely Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune. In the MoU between India and Finland, both the countries agreed to further domestic code share to 5 points in their respective territories. The domestic code share points for the designated airline of Finland are Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata. For the designated airlines of India, these additional points would be specified by India at a later date. In their negotiation with India, three Scandinavian countries namely Sweden, Norway and Denmark also agreed for a horizontal agreement which will provision for code shares, intermodal, routing flexibility and open sky on cargo. India accepted Norway’s request to bring Norway-India bilateral in line with Horizontal Agreement. Sweden, on the other hand, allowed India another new point namely Gothenburg for code share operations.
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currents Industry estimates suggest possibly even 20% drop in group tourism business into the country. Tourist towns such as Agra are under pressure.
WTTC writes to PM; more needs to be done for tourism as leisure traffic not happening
Recently, WTTC (II) has written to the prime minister, requesting his intervention to expedite the next version of Incredible India campaign. In the industry perception, leisure traffic has dipped considerably and both PR and advertising are required earliest. By navin berry
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TTC has noted some of the reforms in the tourism sector. It has applauded the Government of India on pioneering a path-breaking policy initiative - granting Electronic Tourist, Visa on Arrival to more than 117 countries in the span of the last one year. The prohibitive Visa Regime that India practiced was undoubtedly the biggest barrier for travel to India which regrettably does not feature in even the top 10 Asian destinations in terms of total tourist arrival numbers, lagging behind destinations such as Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan! “To illustrate our point, we opened the numbers of foreign tourist arrivals to the some of our Asian competitors vis-a-vis the Indian figures for the year 2014. It paints a dismal picture and this does not even include countries like France, Spain and Italy, which are global leaders in tourist arrival numbers”, says the note. Ease of travel has been a long-standing demand of the World Travel & Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII), and UNWTO and WTTC. This policy initiative, in natural progression, will propal tourism, which is, today, one of the world’s biggest generators of employment and export earnings, and a key driver of economic growth and development. Though its direct, indirect and induced impacts, Travel and Tourism contributes 9% of global GDP. India's primary challenge is to compete with even the n eighbouring c ountries, many of whom have considerably less to offer a tourist than India does. The letter noted the n eed to make tourists “Make to India” so we realize the immense potential that travel & tourism can add to India’s employment and GDP figures. As a key sector of the economy we want to help and be a part of India’s all-round growth story, said WTTC. In fact, some of the top ranked countries in this list have the core of their economies both dependent on, and sustained by the performance of the tourism sector. A marginal drop in tourist arrival numbers creates economic tremors for them and hence they have a number of proactive polices, schemes and institutionalized reform measures to tackle any such situation. The present government h as completed more than a year in office and the countrystill recallswith fondness the Manifesto with which t hisGovernment
assumed office. The Manifesto had said it would focus on ‘reviving’ Brand India with the help of our strengths of 5 T’s: Tradition, Talent, Tourism, Trade and Technology”. WTTC has specially mentioned some of its recommendations as follows: The Incredible India Campaign 2.0 reviving “brand India” Preceding the much lauded “Make in India” programme, there was the “Incredible India” Campaign, rolled out by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India which since the year 2000 has sculpted and scripted the public perception and image of India, and its myriad facets and fascinations. In a similar fashion, the landmark announcement about the Electronic Tourist Visa on Arrival needs to be communicated to the countries it has been extended to, and this must be a key component of the Incredible India Campaign 2.0. We have not communicated this so far in any of our key tourism messaging. This initiative is further complimented by increased international air passenger capacity to India from most of the key cities in the world. These salient facts need to be highlighted especially in the key source markets for India like the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the greater part of Europe, China and Asia. The Incredible India campaign has been dormant for the last few years. This campaign - “Incredible India 2.0”, has to be revived, recast and complimented in the same level as the “Make in India” programme. This would comprise of carefully planned public relation exercises keeping market sentiments in mind, along with airing of state-of-art commercials to be implemented on a war footing across print, digital and social media platforms worldwide. Image and Perception One of the first questions tourism industry faces as a destination, is whether India is safe and secure for an International traveller? The increasing and never-ending cases of harassment and abuse of women cause travellers to question whether the Government of India has a proper mechanism to address these crimes. As an industry, nobody has the answers. While the tourists who come to India have had a noticeable change in their perception, recurring incidents of crimes against tourists, especially women, highlighted by the international media leave indelible scars and tarnish
Quick steps needed to stimulate inbound leisure tourism into India
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ourismFirst caught up with Manav Thadani, chairman of WTTC (II) to seek his views on this representation. Manav said they were all very delighted with many of the steps the government had taken with regard to the roll out of the e-visa regime. There were positive steps on upgrading of the infrastructure and these certainly augur well for long term growth of the industry. What was worrying was that some of the steps within the purview of the Ministry of Tourism were not taking off, as was desired. Industry and government had worked over the last many months on a sustained PR exercise for the country. In view of the repeated hostile media reports in the western press, a concerted media effort was required to assure the tourists that indeed India was a safe destination. This has not happened. Our PR effort was conceived to counter the negative media attacks on India as a safe destination, and these needed quick on the ground measures in those countries. “The next version of the Incredible India campaign has been much awaited, to supplement the efforts of the industry in the generating markets. The general sense among the members has been that leisure tourism has declined and therefore those cities that are dependent more upon group business are suffering. This needs to be addressed quickly”, said Manav. There is also feedback among our members that at times there are considerable delays at immigration when tourists are checking at India’s airports. An efficient redressal system needs to be put into place. The government, Manav noted,
was quick in lowering the visa fees, which was a happy development. Conversely, the fact that India has now a liberalised visa regime needs to be given big publicity in the overseas markets. Manav said the response to the letter to the PM was most quick and encouraging. “We have been asked to come to the PMO later this month and we are very optimistic that some positive outcome will be achieved through these efforts”, he said.
the country’s image. It is the same with natural disasters, acts of terror or incidences of health scares. For tourism, and for the country in general, we need to have polices on crisis management and damage control for bad publicity emanating out of these occurrences. The document states that while it is understood that an extensive stakeholder consultation has taken place prior to the finalization of both the Civil Aviation and Tourism Policy, the polices are still yet to see a formal launch. O ne of the primary needs of Tourism is easy access to a destination. The Civil Aviation and Tourism Policy must be linked to address this objective. Delineating or isolating both these functions will not see the desired growth. Further rationalization of bilaterals, tax sops in terms of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), parking and landing charges will all lead to greater connectivity. And connectivity will spur
tourism, Aviation and Tourism are both inextricably linked in their symbolic benefits for each other. Procedural delays at the Immigration Counters at the Indian Airports need to be audited and streamlined. Sometimes delays occur where it takes more than 3 hours for an individual tourist to complete the Indian immigration process. A seamless arrival experience is a critical positive first impression for a visitor to our country And we must ensure this occurs consistently. Travel & Tourism is a universal bridge connecting people, cultures and communities all over the world while also being a world leader in contributing to the global economy by creating jobs, generating wealth, and improving the quality of life of its citizens. Despite these benefits, the sector still lacks the appropriate level of political and economic recognition.
manav thadani Chairman, WTTC (II)
The sense that we are getting, and this is the cumulative feedback from our members, is that leisure traffic has not picked up as it should have.
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airlines & airports
Government unveils draft Civil Aviation Policy: Will it be that ultimate panacea? The revised policy paper has its major thrust in improving regional connectivity. But it hasn’t delivered clear answers on pertinent issues like foreign flying rights for Indian carriers and reduction in ATF prices.
by ritwik sinha
O
n 30th October, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) partially lifted the curtains on its muchawaited new civil aviation policy taking the aviation stakeholders a bit closer to the full view point. In a full-fledged presentation made before the media, the top brass of the ministry led by Civil Aviation Minister Gajapathi Raju released the Revised Draft National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP 2015) asking for the final feedback from all concerned stakeholders in next six weeks before it is sent for the cabinet ratification in December for the final clearance. “India has the potential to be among the global top three nations in terms of domestic and international passenger traffic. It has an ideal geographic location between the eastern and western hemisphere; a 300 million strong middle class and a rapidly growing economy. Despite these advantages, the Indian aviation sector has not witnessed the level of growth it should have and at present it is ranked 10th in the world,” the draft policy paper earmarks the crux of the new prescription in these words. The policy has suggested measures for as many as 22 segments linked to the aviation business ranging from safety, to bilateral rights, to Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) and also charter operations, just to cite a few. The major thrust of the policy, of course, is on revving up the regional connectivity segment making aviation growth in India all- encompassing rather than being restricted to a few centers’ play. And for this, it has also suggested a sound fiscal support mechanism. Indian aviation stakeholders have been repeatedly pointing out at regional connectivity as the next big frontier for the structural growth of country’s aviation business. And the draft policy seems to have adequately responded to this key challenge. It has provisioned for a specific Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) which will come into the effect from the beginning of the next fiscal (1st April, 2016). The policy stipulates fixing an air fare bracket (`2500 for a less than an hour flight) to make aviation services more affordable for the
highlights
ashok ganapathi raju civil aviation minister
We have aviation-friendly states, aviation unfriendly states and partially friendly in certain places and partially unfriendly in certain places. So we have an unusual mix. Now, the states don’t want ATF to be part of the goods and services tax (GST).
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potential travellers in the regional markets. In the past, irregular pricing pattern (mostly in the range which is not believed to be suitable to the pockets of regional travellers) has been cited as one of the key reasons for regional aviation not exactly taking off. Under the RCS, specific routes will be identified where the `2500 slab will be applicable. However, there is a serious rider with the scheme – RCS benefits will be available to only those routes where a serious adjustment in oil prices will be made with the participation of the state governments. “RCS will be made operational only in those states which reduce VAT on ATF at these airports to 1% or less,” the draft paper says. The Route Dispersal Guidelines will stay with the critical difference of more routes being included in the metro list (category 1). Going by the measures suggested in the draft paper, India will become a more open market for foreign carriers operating from a distance of over 5000 km from the Indian national capital. Furthermore, clear intentions have been expressed to further liberalise the bilateral rights regime and there will be an open sky strategy on a reciprocal
The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) will come into effect from 1 April 2016. MoCA will target an all-inclusive airfare not exceeding `2500 per passenger, indexed to inflation for a one-hour flight on RCS routes. RCS will be made operational only in those states which reduce VAT on ATF at airports within their jurisdiction to 1% or less. RCF will be funded by a levy of 2% on all domestic and international tickets from 1st January 2016 For foreign flying rights, 5/20 rule may continue. If it is abolished, Domestic Flying Credit (DFC) system will come into the play The government plans to liberalize the regime of bilateral rights leading to greater ease of doing business and wider choice to passengers The government will enter into an ‘Open sky’ pact on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries and countries with territory located entirely beyond a 5000 km 7 radius from New Delhi. Unlimited flights above the existing bilateral rights will be allowed directly to and from major international airports within the country as notified by MoCA from time to time Indian carriers will be free to enter into code-share agreements with foreign carriers for any destination within India on a reciprocal basis International codeshare between Indian and foreign carriers will be completely liberalized, subject to the ASA between India and the relevant country Service Tax on output services of MRO will be zero-rated Route Dispersal Guidelines to stay. Category I routes will be rationalized by adding more routes based on a transparent criteria The criteria proposed for a Cat I route is a flying distance of 700 km, average seat factor of 70% and annual traffic of 5 lakh passengers based on information available with DGCA Separate regulations for helicopters will be notified by DGCA by 1 April 2016, after due stakeholder consultation The government will promote the growth of Scheduled Commuter Airlines (SCA) for efficient regional connectivity. The eligibility criteria for SCA in terms of paid-up capital will be kept at `2 crore to facilitate easy entry of new players MoCA will coordinate with AERA, AAI, airlines, airport operators and other stakeholders to identify ways to bring down airport charges, while abiding with existing concession agreements and contracts AAI will take up new greenfield or brownfield airports subject to some conditions like project being viable or if unviable but strategically important, it will be get viability funding gap support from both the center as well as the state government
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airlines & airports
basis with countries in the SAARC region. Service tax benefits have been announced for the promotion of MRO business “The MRO business of Indian carriers is alone around `5000 crore, 90% of which is currently spent outside India – in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE etc. Given our technology base, the government is keen to develop India as an MRO hub in Asia, attracting business from foreign airlines,” the paper points out. The revised draft policy, however, has not made a clear statement on the issue of uniform lowering of the high taxation on the ATF prices – the key demand of the airlines to bring their operational costs down. Civil Aviation Minister Gajapathi Raju has been repeatedly saying from different public fora that convincing state governments is turning out to be difficult and the issue seems to remain unresolved. “We have aviation-friendly states, aviation unfriendly states and partially friendly in certain places and partially unfriendly in certain places. So we have an unusual mix. Now, the states don’t want ATF to be part of the goods and services tax (GST),” Raju said while speaking to a news channel a day after the unveiling of the revised policy. The draft paper is equally conspicuous in leaving the issue of allowing new Indian carriers to fly abroad open ended. The issue has clearly created a strong division among Indian Airlines. But on this pertinent point, the draft civil aviation policy stipulates continuation of 5/20 or its abolition and replacement by Domestic Flying Credit (DFC) system. “Domestic airlines will need to accumulate 300 DFC before commencing flights to SAARC countries and countries with territory located entirely beyond a 5000 km radius from New Delhi. They will need to accumulate 600 DFC before starting flights to the remaining parts of the world,” the paper earmarks. Interestingly, like 5/20, the idea of DFC has also received severe criticism in the past with leading aviation figure like Tony Fernandes (founder of Air Asia) equating it with the complicated Duckword Lewis rule in cricket. But going by the tone of the paper, either of the two schemes will be in place to facilitate foreign flying rights. The stakeholders have now six weeks to respond after which the MoCA will give it final shape and send to the cabinet. And going by the preliminary response from the aviation industry and other allied businesses (read the box item: Draft Policy Elicit Mixed Response), the policy indeed needs some serious modification. But as Raju assured in that television interview, the final policy will have a comprehensive framework meant to put Indian aviation sector on a firm footing. For those who share the dream of witnessing Indian aviation business breaking into that prestigious top three global markets league by 2030 (as per an IATA projection), this could well be a period of high suspense (till final policy is implemented) for the stakes are too high now.
Revised draft policy elicit mixed response
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he draft policy is in line with the Prime Minister’s directive that the policy should promote aviation in a big way and take flying to the masses,” Aviation Secretary R.N. Choubey had said while making a lengthy presentation while unveiling the draft revised civil aviation policy on 30th October. But the draft policy paper, however, does not seem to have enthused the stakeholders enough. While the stakeholders (on record) have welcomed it, the tone of their succinct response strongly suggests that prescription offered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation has left a lot to be desired. There are clear murmuring notes floating within
cost airports is an encouraging initiative. “The Draft Civil Aviation Policy 2015 has rightly addressed the key policy challenges in the sector with rationalization of jet fuel cost, thrust on regional connectivity, liberalization in open skies regime, repair and operations (MRO) through fiscal and regulatory concessions. The objective to make air travel affordable for masses is the highlight of the revised policy,” leading industry chamber CII said in its reaction. According to another noted industry chamber FICCI, the policy not only provisions for the expansion of passenger business but also paves the way for giving a boost to the
Kapil Kaul CAPA India head
Phee teik yeoh CEO, Vistara, Tata sia airlines
The government's ownership of the national carrier negatively influences policy decisions and has cost the Indian tax payer billions of dollar. Clarity on what the government plans to do has a massive bearing in the industry.
The Draft Civil Aviation Policy is a fairly comprehensive approach that will help unleash the potential of the aviation sector in India. We are optimistic that public discourse will help shape a pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-people policy that will catalyse the PM’s ‘Make-in-India’ vision.
the industry that the ministry should have taken some concrete stand vis-à-vis some pertinent issues. “We applaud the Ministry of Civil Aviation for being proactive and prompt in putting together a slew of recommendations to tackle the known issues that have been plaguing the aviation industry. The Draft Civil Aviation Policy is a fairly comprehensive approach that will help unleash the potential of the aviation sector in India. We are optimistic that public discourse will help shape a pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-people policy that will catalyse the PM’s ‘Makein-India’ vision,” Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara, Tata SIA Airlines said in a media statement. Speaking to a news agency, SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh dubbed the revised draft policy as “pretty progressive” and its focus on regional connectivity bodes well for Indian aviation sector. In a media statement, Indigo President Aditya Ghosh too called the draft policy broadly progressive saying that the setting of low
aeronautical activities. “The draft policy has also focused on promoting the Make in India programme and developing indigenous aero-related manufacturing with the help of global OEMs. We welcome the proposal of exempting Service Tax on output services of MRO and granting infrastructure status to MRO, ground handling, and ATF infrastructure co-located at airports to avail the fiscal benefits under Section 80-IA of the Income Tax Act,” A. Didar Singh, secretary general, FICCI commented. However, reservations have been expressed in some quarters on no final word on the critical 5/20 issue. “The issue of 5/20 should be settled keeping in view the level playing field for the players,” a senior official of Assocham said. The industry association has also asked to build a consensus between the center and the states on fiscal incentives which have been proposed in the policy. For instance, it has advised the proposed VAT concession to be brought in synch with
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A. Didar Singh secretary general, FICCI
The draft policy has also focused on promoting the Make in India programme and developing indigenous aero-related manufacturing with the help of global OEMs. We welcome the proposal of exempting Service Tax on output services of MRO and granting infrastructure status to MRO, ground handling, and ATF infrastructure colocated at airports to avail the fiscal benefits under Section 80-IA of the Income Tax Act.
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the GST regime. The chamber is also not in favour of generating funds to fill viability gap (on regional connectivity scheme) through imposition of a fresh cess. “The viability gap funding should be raised through other sources and not through levy of cess on long distance flights. That would amount to cross subsidisation,” he added. Global aviation think tank CAPA has pointed at another shortcoming- no word in the draft paper on the future positioning of Air India. “The government’s ownership of the national carrier negatively influences policy decisions and has cost the Indian tax payer billions of dollar. Clarity on what the government plans to do has a massive bearing in the industry,” CAPA India head Kapil Kaul has been quoted as saying in a news report. Kaul has also asked for more emphasis on addressing the issues like sales tax on ATF, service tax on fares, airport charges and withholding tax on aircraft leases which are contributing to the negative fiscal environment which industry stakeholders are facing. The draft policy has also not pleased the representatives of the business aircraft operators. The president of Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) Jayant Nadkarni in a statement has maintained that the draft policy has not responded to the critical issues like the irrational taxation on import of small aircraft. “It is disappointing to see that the policy has completely ignored the interests of business and general aviation in India, which forms an important part of the industry. We will submit a detailed response to the Ministry in days to come,” he said. The business and general aviation sector has been reporting negative growth in the recent years despite surging volume and reported profitability of some scheduled carriers in the recent quarters owing to a decline in the oil prices.
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airlines & airports
Kochi is world's first fully solar powered airport; paves way for smaller airports
CIAL, by achieving this remarkable feat, has paved way for other airports to look at utilizing solar power in their day-to-day operations. Such adaptations will help hundreds of smaller airports run efficiently, consequently helping improve movement across many cities and towns.
Solar power ideal for smaller airports; offset cost by escalating commercial activities, says K.Roy Paul
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Roy Paul, Member, Board of Directors CIAL and former K.Roy Paul secretary, Civil Aviation Member, Board of Directors, CIAL believes that with sufficient commercial It is true that solar power cannot be activities in the airport premises, airports used, in entirety, for airports with very can initial offset high investment in high carrying capacity, because their taking the solar route. He also seeks an power requirement is hefty. But, even if attitude change urging development of we can have a fraction of energy saved, we will make a dent for sure aviation infrastructure be looked from the prism of real estate development. Stating that the potential for utilization of solar power remained largely untapped in India, he says that installing solar capability could be ideal for numerous smaller airports in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. “It is true that solar power cannot be used, in entirety, for airports with very high carrying capacity, because their power requirement is hefty. But, even if we can have a fraction of energy saved, we will make a dent for sure,” he says. “Smaller airports like Jaipur, Jodhpur, parts of Gujarat and Maharashtra are ideally suited for this foray,” he tells us in an exclusive conversation. On the question of whether availability and high cost of land remained a hindrance in such ventures, he contests that it was not the case everywhere. And it remained on individual airport’s operating mechanism to offset such impediments. “There are many airports which can use extra available land and move towards commercial viability. It is time for individual airports to look towards commercial sustainability and it is no rocket science!” he asserts. “Airports can also opt to construct solar panels and have them fitted on roof,” he suggests. A major concern even for the staunchest of supporters of solar power is the high initial investment and periodic upkeep – which generates high maintenance cost. However, former aviation secretary argues that it is due to inadequate exploitation of resources that a majority of airports in India are finding difficult to attain financial viability in operations. He suggests a radical shift in outlook towards airports. “We have to change our outlook and look at airports from the prism of real estate development. Going commercial is not a sin and this mind-set must change,” he says. He points to the fact that many of our domestic airports are not in the heart of the city, allowing airports to make apt use of available spaces. “A number of international airports make more money from shopping and other customer oriented activities compared to flight operations,” he explains. Referring to a number of studies predicting a major drop in the cost of storing photovoltaic cells in the coming years – which will make taking the solar route significantly less expensive, he says that it should encourage government and individual airports to explore its possibilities.
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by shashank Shekhar
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lobal efforts on utilization of solar power in large commercial undertakings have been vindicated by Kochi airport. CIAL, or the Cochin International Airport Limited, has etched its name in history by becoming the first airport in the world to operate powered completely on solar grids. The entire project is estimated to generate over 50,000 units of electricity daily – making the airport self-sustainable in power creation and consumption. The idea to venture into sustainable energy solutions was mooted, first, in 2013, by the airport authority when they first installed a 100kW solar panel on the arrival terminal building in February 2013. In November, driven by the success of the pilot project, it was decided to upgrade the facility to a 1MW unit. With the augmentation of power generation capacity, it is now capable of producing 12MW electricity. The project commissioned by Bosch, now, makes CIAL “absolutely grid power neutral”. Explaining how the idea itself was first mooted, V.J Kurian, MD, CIAL shared during the press interaction that "When we had realized that the power bill is on the higher side, we contemplated possibilities. Then the idea of tapping the green power came in. We consume around 48,000 unit (KWh) a day. So if we can produce the same, that too by strictly adhering to the green and sustainable development model of infrastructure development that would transcend a message to the world,” he says. Now this has become the world's first airport fully operates on solar power. In fact, we are producing a few megawatt of extra energy which is being contributed to the state's power grid” he added. Steffen Berns, President of Bosch Group India and MD Bosch Limited
highlights
Kochi airport becomes the first in the world to operate completely on solar power. Achieves a rare feat of becoming a ‘power-neutral’ airport. Spread in 45 acres and boasting of 46,000 solar panels, the airport will produce 18 million units of power annually- which is enough to keep 10,000 homes running for a year’s time. This achievement opens new possibilities for smaller airports dotted across tier-2 and tier-3 cities to become operationally feasible and attract more tourists. Kochi’s success to boost India’s mega solar push of achieving operational output of 100 GW by 2022.
also lauded the feat by commending the success of their largest Indian undertaking. “On installed capacity, CIAL is the largest project which has been executed by the Bosch Energy and Building Solutions team in India till date,” he said. “We draw strength from our broad based technical know-how and experience, pan-India presence and understanding of different regions in India, as well as strong local competence to deliver customized design and engineering projects. The combination of these factors helped us to resolve constraints imposed by on-site conditions,” he added. This development also makes a serious dent on CO2 emission figures. It is being estimated that the commissioned plant, with over 45
acres of area and 46,000 solar panels, will produce 18 million units of power annually- which is enough to keep 10,000 homes running for a year’s time. While, over the next two and a half decade, this mega solar project will save more than 3 lakh metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from coal fired power plants –which is equivalent to planting thirty lakh trees or not driving 1200 kilometers. As CIAL continues to successfully operate a ‘one of a kind’ venture, its wider impact on improving connectivity into Indian cities and towns can be phenomenal. Cochin airport by its own admission plans to cater to over twenty million domestic and over half a million foreign inbound by 2016. These are reasonably large numbers. Solar technology can be put to effective use at smaller airports, which also happen to be tourist destinations. Khajuraho, Jodhpur, Bikaner and many more are aptly suited for this foray. A number of states, especially in the western part receive fulsome sunlight and have
ample wastelands for implementing this technology. A functional, financially sustainable and environmentally friendly airport will add more lusture to the profile of our cities and towns. It will help generate more travel driven by movement of people and commodities. Detractors may point to land constraint – it being a touchy issue – and expensive initial inputs, but the long – term advantages of such undertakings are far too many to be ignored. There are avenues like PPP funding and enhancing commercial activities in the airport premises that have not been adequately explored, to offset such costs. This would also resonate with India’s quest for achieving an installed capacity of 100GW solar energy by 2022, as per the updated targets for National Solar Mission. Going beyond solar power’s domestic application, its success in commercial ventures bodes well for India’s solar power push. Kochi has shown the way, it is time for other airports to emulate this laudable achievement.
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airlines & airports
Air India joining hands with states to improve regional connectivity
Even as the draft Civil Aviation Policy highlights the need to improve regional connectivity, Air India has already jumped into the fray and promises to take early lead. by ritwik sinha
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t is as if Air India had pre-empted the mood of the civil aviation ministry mandarins vis-à-vis the new policy which is likely to become a reality soon. On 30th October, the unveiled revised draft civil aviation policy has placed improving the regional connectivity as the topmost agenda. And Air India, via its subsidiary Alliance Air, seems to be well geared up to rev up the regional sectors by connecting smaller cities and towns. For this, the national carrier has set afoot the process of forging alliances with the state governments. In a unique initiative, Air India for the first time has approached the state governments directly to provide connectivity to their destinations with smaller aircrafts of Alliance Air. The request for this kind of partnership had gone straight from Air India’s new CMD Ashwani Lohani. As per Air India’s suggestion, the connectivity to smaller towns will be provided under the viability gap funding (VGF) formula wherein states will have the leeway to participate in the fare related decisions if they agree to square off the losses. And nearly half a dozen states have responded positively to Air India’s regional connectivity gameplan which includes Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharastra and Andaman & Nicobar administration. “The response from some states is quite over-whelming and our negotiation with Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat governments is in advanced stage for the new regional connectivity routes. We expect this service will kick off anytime after the first half of December,” Anil Mehta, spokesman, Alliance Air told TourismFirst in a recent conversation. But there is a critical difference between the kind of operations which Alliance Air will be undertaking to connect smaller towns in Gujarat and other states which have responded to the new proposal. In Gujarat, the destinations like Bhuj and Jamnagar will be linked with Delhi whereas in other states, it is the state capital which will act as the hub for the new routes. For instance in Uttar Pradesh, the new services will be linking Gorakhpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Agra directly with Lucknow. In Rajasthan, it will be Jaipur which will act as the fulcrum of connectivity to Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Jodhpur. And in Madhya Pradesh, the direct flights operated by Alliance Air is expected to connect
Bhopal with Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur. “We may be covering some of these destinations right now on our own but not with the route plan wherein state capitals become the hub. Many of these routes like Lucknow and Agra remain unexplored. Our partnership with states will add a new dimension to regional connectivity in the country,” stressed Mehta. With a fleet size of ten aircrafts dominated by ATR72- 600, Alliance Air is presently connecting 30 destinations offering 1700 seats daily on its routes. The airline has reported an average load factor of 76 percent in the recent months. Among the states, the toss up for the new services triggered by Air India partnership with the state governments, seem to be between Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. “As per information available to us, Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav has already cleared the proposal. But our talks with Gujarat is also in an advanced stage. By the end of this month, we will be in position to reach to a final decision in terms of where this service will commence first. It could be either of these two states,” Mehta underlined. A moot point, however, is: will the new services of Alliance Air in partnership with states will conform to `2500 fare structure for all regional flights upto one hour? This is the major highlight of the revised draft civil aviation policy and in all likelihood will be retained in the final policy too. The new fare structure is slated to become operational from April, 1st next year and most of the routes which Alliance Air will eventually cover (e.g., Lucknow-Agra or Jaipur-Udaipur, etc.) as partners of the state will fall under this category. Mehta responded, “It is difficult to say right now. It will be a function of many factors. If state governments agree to bring down the landing charges, it would be quite possible.” Incidentally, the draft policy paper has laid down certain conditions for the states to reap the benefits of the regional connectivity scheme (facilitating `2500 fare structure). For instance, RCS will be made operational only in those states which agree to reduce VAT on ATF at their airports to one percent or less. Meanwhile, Alliance Air is set to witness a major fleet expansion in next two years which will play a critical role in terms of positioning it as a formidable force in the regional connectivity business – a segment where the focus is likely to be more than ever before in the future. “We
highlights
Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani writes to state governments to deploy Alliance Air aircrafts on new routes These services will be operated as per Viability Gap Funding (VGF) formula Over half a dozen states have responded positively to Air India proposal Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat seem to be in the forefront wherein the new services can kickstart A final decision expected before this month end Alliance Air fleet size expected to commendably expand in the next two years
Alliance Air further penetration plan has tourism component too
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hile Air India is quite keen to push Alliance Air in the forefront of giving a facelift to regional connectivity, it is also clearly looking for closely aligning its services to the larger need of tourists to reach out to smaller cities and towns. And here again, it has opted for state partnership route. The recently announced Incredible Air India Holiday Packages stand as a clear testimony to this tourism centric drive. The national carrier is in talks with states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Sikkim, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir wherein Alliance Air flights will be used to ferry tourists responding to a composite package offered by the airline. All components of the travel – airfare, ground transportation, accommodation, breakfast & lunches, etc – will be offered in a bundled form
the fare for which will be fixed by the state governments. Needless to say, Alliance Air will be collecting its share of charges for air transportation while the remaining amount will go to state tourism kitty. “It will be mostly in the form of two nights/three day packages and will be attractively priced. It is a win,win proposition for both Alliance Air as well as the states,” Anil Mehta said. The scheme will come into the play from the next month when Air India offers a package for visitors to Gujarat who wish to attend Kutch Festival. A similar package will be offered during the Diu Festival scheduled to commence early next month. “Other states too have shown willingness to join this new package programme which we are keen to push. And given its tourism benefits for the states, we are confident we will forge more partnerships in the coming months,” Mehta added.
are adding three more aircrafts before the end of this fiscal. In 2016-17, ten more aircrafts will be included and before 2017 calendar year end, we are expecting the further inclusion of a similar number of aircrafts. In between, some aircrafts will
also be phased out. So from ten aircrafts now, we are expecting to become a 28 aircraft (mostly ATRs) airline by 2017 end. Needless to say, it will provide us a major cushion to expand our wings further in the regional market,” Mehta pointed out.
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airlines & airports
“If we had choice, Air Canada would have come back earlier”: Duncan Bureau
Exactly ten years after pulling out of India, Air Canada made a comeback to the country on November 2nd when its recently inducted Dreamliner 7879 (with three class configuration) touched down at Delhi airport. A global aviation force (with over 300 aircrafts in its fleet reaching out to 195 destinations), Air Canada has commenced its Indian operations with four weekly non-stop flights between Delhi and Toronto which will be upgraded to seven by next September. Speaking to TourismFirst, Duncan Bureau, VP (Global Sales), Air Canada claimed that the airline has re-entered with a fair degree of confidence and it clearly has a long- haul plan for India this time. Edited excerpts:
by Ritwik sinha It took you almost ten years to decide to come back to India. Let me begin with a simple point: what is the mood within the airline? I must tell you, Air Canada and its thousands of employees are pretty excited to be back in India. This had really started with the visit of Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to Canada last year which had triggered the momentum. We were targeting to launch it around Diwali because we knew by then we will have 787-9 aircraft available for this route. So it was pretty exciting for all of us when it touched down at Delhi on 2nd November. You had started the booking process quite early for this service. How has been the response from the market? The response from the market has been fantastic. Our initial flights are completely sold out. We are looking at a load factor of over 85 percent for the rest of November. In December too, we are noticing many flights sold out. And I think this momentum will continue. We
have re-entered at the right time and we are extremely focused to develop this route. There are 600 Canadian companies which have some investment in India. The Canadian government too has strong business interests in India. Plus, there is a strong presence of Indians in Canada. All of this is reflecting in the growing aviation demand between the two countries. Today there is a demand of 1200 seats each day on both ways. And we see that growing further as the bilateral business between the two countries become more stronger in the coming years. Do you think your major USP is offering a non-stop product? There are many carriers who are connecting the two countries but not with a non-stop product. There are two things which need to be considered. First is the aircraft itself which is an incredible airplane. The business class is second to none. And we have provisioned for a premium economy class which is also best in its category. The other critical USP is as you take this flight, you also have easy accessibility to many other destinations not only in the US but also South America like Cuba and
highlights
Air Canada returns back to India after a gap of ten years On 2nd November, its recently acquired 787-9 Dreamliner touched down at Delhi marking the beginning of four weekly non-stop flights on DelhiToronto route The product offered on DelhiToronto route has three class configuration Air Canada reports extremely positive booking response, expecting over 85 percent load factor in November Air Canada targeting growing business visits and strong trend in VFR movements as the pillars for the success of this new service As Star Alliance partners, Air Canada will also rely on Air India to feed its Delhi-Toronto nonstop service with passengers from neighbouring countries in South Asia The service will become daily by next September Argentina. Just to give you a sense of our scale of operations in North America, we are connecting 52 destinations in the US. You are undertaking a rapid global expansion drive. Apart from coming back to India, you are commencing a non-stop from Dubai shortly, will have a similar product for Seoul next year and going by the market buzz you will be opening new destinations in Africa next year. What has propelled this kind of expansion plan? The financial health of Canada is better than it has ever been. We have a very strong balance sheet. We have already committed to invest over $9 billion in new aircrafts and we will have one of the youngest fleet in the next few years. We have made significant investments in making Toronto a super hub. We also now have a ten year long labour agreement with pilots which give us a lot of certainty in terms of deployment of our resources. We are signing a similar agreement with flight attendants which will come into the force very soon. We are probably the only airline on the planet which has a 10 year deal with the pilots and flight attendants
Duncan bureau Vice President - Global Sales, Air Canada
Now the aircraft which we have put in has three class configuration which allows us the right mix of passengers in order to be profitable. If we had this aircraft two-three years back, we would definitely have reentered into the Indian market and taken over some of the traffic which is going via the hubs in Gulf nations.
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and that means there would not be disruption in our work flow. And we are also indulging in a serious re-fleeting drive. We have our Rouge Airline, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Canada. It is one of the fastest growing airline in the world – with 25 light and 25 narrow body aircrafts. It has carried 4 million people and it’s a leisure based product. And it will be doing a lot of heavy lifting in terms of new markets which we are adding next year. Do you think you have re-entered in India at the most opportune moment? Or if you had a choice, you would have preferred to come back at least two-three years earlier? I am asking this question because some foreign carriers have become very strong in the Indian market. We were waiting for the right aircraft. We took the delivery of 787-9 couple of weeks ago and we are here. Now your question is: would it have made any difference if we had come back two-three years ago? My response is: in any market, it is advisable to enter prior to your competitors. But as I mentioned, there was no point in coming with any different aircraft because economics would not have worked. When you had pulled out in 2005, the commonplace feeling here was: your flights were not doing well. How would you respond to that? There are a lot of airlines which focus on high load factors. But load factors are not
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airlines & airports a determinant of profitability. You have to have the right mix of passengers and right mix of product. So if you look at our product which we had here historically – we had economy and we had business class. And we did not have a right mix. Now the aircraft which we have put in has three class configuration which allows us the right mix of passengers in order to be profitable. If we had this aircraft two-three years back, we would definitely have re-entered into the Indian market and taken over some of the traffic which is going via the hubs in Gulf nations. But that was not possible. However, this new service is extremely competitive with any other product – whether its Asian or any Middle-Eastern carrier.
Mumbai likely to be the next port of call for Air Canada
Since Delhi is your only port of call in South Asia, for getting traffic from India’s neighbouring countries, will you rely on Air India which has a reasonable sound base in this pocket. Both of you are members of Star Alliance. Of course. That is the reason you get into Star Alliance. As partners, we are supposed to help each other in growing volume. There is no doubt that we will work with Air India for this product as much as Air India relies on us to grow volume beyond our gateways. We will need that feed into Delhi from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or Nepal until we have our services to some of these markets. And that is unlikely to happen in the near to medium run – opening new markets in South Asia? Its fair to say that within South Asia, we are going to focus on Delhi. This service has to work. Once we prove to our shareholders that Delhi market is working right, then we can look at other markets. Can I get a sense of your global operational profile today? And what are those larger milestones which you intend to achieve in the next five years now that you are claiming that the airline is in a strong financial position and there is a guarantee of hassle free operations from the employees’ side in the next ten years? We are the 14th largest airline in the world, flying to 195 destinations carrying about 38 million passengers annually. By 2020, we will reach to 250 markets and our passenger base will grow to 50 million. And Asia is going to be a big part of that investment. We are heavily invested in Chinese and Japanese markets and with more 787s joining our fleet (by 2020, all 37 ordered 787 Dreamliners will be in place), our bond with Asia will grow stronger. When you decided to come back to India, was Delhi your only choice? And secondly, since you are claiming to have come back with a long haul plan, you will definitely look forward to add more destinations. When can that happen? Delhi was indeed the only choice we considered. And right now, we are only focused on Delhi. Our first priority is to convert this four per week service to seven per week by next September. We have to first ensure that this service becomes profitable. Of course, there are markets within India which are of interest for us. But right now, we are not even contemplating those options. So finally, can you say with a fair degree of confidence that this time you have come to India with unflinching commitment. The decision of any major carrier to completely pull out of a specific market sends a very wrong signal. I would not dispute this statement. And the big difference this time is the aircraft which we have deployed. Nobody should have any doubt, we are absolutely committed to the market.
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ven as Air Canada senior officials who were present in Delhi early this month to celebrate the comeback of the global aviation major in India after ten years spoke in an uniform voice that making Delhi-Toronto non-stop flight a major success is their sole priority for the time being, Gary Cross, Senior Director of Air Canada indicated that the airline may seek addition of new destinations in not so distant future. “Our decision to come back to India reflects that for us this is a strategically important market in this region. Following the success of our Delhi-Toronto service, we will at some stage look for adding more destinations in India and here Mumbai would be the obvious choice. But I don’t see happening for at least another next two-three years,” Gary told TourismFirst. For Air Canada management which is quite enthused with the booking trends in the initial months for the non-stop Delhi-Toronto service, the next big footprint in India to serve this entire region milestone would be to convert the For Air Canada and that entails we will have to become four weekly frequency into a daily management which is stronger in India in the coming years,” service by September next year. quite enthused with the Gary underlined. And it would be only at that stage According to Gary, Delhi-Toronto that they would begin considering booking trends in the offering is the seventh non-stop service their next move in the Indian initial months for the nonwhich Air Canada has initiated in the market. Going by the indications from Air stop Delhi-Toronto service, Asian market (some noted destinations in China and Japan are served with this Canada quarters, if things go well as the next big milestone service). “The very fact that we waited per their plans, further consolidation would be to convert the for Dreamliner 787-9 to join our fleet to would become imperative in the four weekly frequency kickstart this service reflects that we medium run. With Air Canada not into a daily service by wanted to put our best foot forward in a operating any flight to any South market which is going to be very important Asian countries, India is the center September next year. for us. Even in the configuration of the which they would tend to use aircraft, we have taken uttermost care that it serves all classes optimally to serve the region. Prior to resuming services to Delhi, of Indian travellers,” he added. The aircraft deployed on DelhiHong Kong was the nearest port of call to South Asia which is Toronto route has three class configuration – economy on the global route map of Air Cananda. “We have no immediate (228 seats), premium economy (21 seats) and business class plans to start any direct service to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal (28 seats). or any other country in South Asia. That means we would use our
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states / destination
Hope for resurrection of unique village of temples in Jharkhand, at last
Maluti village, suffering from administrative apathy for decades, could well bounce back as a major tourism product of Jharkhand. The village of temples is clearly a unique historical and cultural marvel. By ritwik sinha hen r estored with the required precision, it is billed to become a major feather in the cap of Jharkhand tourism in the years ahead. Lying for decades in a state of complete apathy, the unique Maluti site in Jharkhand which historically has gone with the popular tag of ‘village of temples’ now stands a serious chance of revival with the state government recently giving its green signal to kickstart the restoration drive. In fact, the restoration drive was formally kicked off by none other than the prime minister Narendra Modi himself on the occasion of his Jharkhand visit on 2nd October and this has sent the message that this time Maluti’s facelift drive would be real and not cosmetic as it has been on several occasions in the past. Jharkhand tourism has, in fact, awarded the restoration contract to Delhiheadquartered Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD) – an NGO which has expertise in conservation and nurturing of rural heritage for sustainable economic development. Given the general apathy in the past,
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there have been voices emanating from several quarters demanding the site to be designated as endangered heritage site. In fact, in a 2010 report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage, Global Heritage Fund had identified Maluti's Temples as one of 12 worldwide sites nearest of irreparable loss and damage, citing insufficient management as primary cause. And there has been a sound basis for the kind of concern which has been expressed by some noted heritage conservation agencies in the past. The place which is situated close to Shikaripara town in Dumka district (on Jharkhand- West Bengal border) is a historical and cultural marvel in its own unique way. According to a Wikipedia account, the place has 72 old temples, built under the Baj Basanta dynasty in the medieval period. These temples portray various scenes from Hindu mythology including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There is an interesting story behind the origin of this temple village – the kings of Baj Basanta dynasty developed a penchant for building temples instead of palaces. And even when the kingdom was broken into parts (tarafs), the group heads ended
Maluti Village can derive mileage from its proximity to Tarapith Temple
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or the proponents of Indian tourism who are looking at options for its next scale graduation, more emphasis on rural tourism products is clearly a viable option. And here the suggestion when presented with a microscopic analysis often veers round to the view that rural tourism products can’t alone become the major draw primarily because of the distance factor. They, therefore, need to be
developed in proximity to a known destination and offered as a bundled package. On this account, Maluti when its temples are restored, stands the chance to become a major rural tourism product because of its proximity to a tourism dynamo. In a geographical sense, Maluti as an attractive tourism product in the futuremay find it hard to draw its strength from its state capital connect
(obviously the main entry point for majority of tourists) which is over 200 km away. It imay be a better option for it to drive mileage out of its proximity to the noted Hindu shrine, Tarapith,which lies across the border in West Bengal. Tarapith is a small temple town near Rampurhat in Birbhum district known for its Tantric temple. The Tantric Hindu Temple is dedicated to the goddess Tara and is a recognised Shaktipeeth. Tarapith is flocked by thousands of tourists every year and a substantial chunk of its visitors include NRIs and foreign tourists. Thisfamous Hindu Shrine is just 20 odd kmaway. Once restored, this temple villagecan easily attract additionalfootfall from Tarapith.Tarapith because of its high tourists arrivals has a sound accommodation base comprising as many as 120 hotel units with some of them belonging to 4-star and 3-star categories.
highlights
Restoration drive initiated in Maluti, a unique village of temples in Jharkhand The restoration drive was formally launched by the prime minister on 2nd October ITRHD entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking this effort
S.K. Misra Chairman, ITRHD
It actually used to be a cluster of 108 terracotta temples. But as per our study, over 40 of them have either been vandalised or damaged by nature. So in our restoration drive which we have kickstarted, we are focusing on 62 remaining temples.
The entire programme is slated for execution within the next 5 years Once ready, Maluti village is slated to become a major feather in the cap of Jharkhand tourism
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The village is a historical and cultural marvel and quite close to the popular Tarapith temple in West Bengal
up bringing the competition in building new temples as well. And that explains the presence of so many temples in a single village. As per a blog account, the temples of Maluti are distributed in four clusters, belonging to the four great great grandsons of Baj Basanta. The first cluster belongs to the Madhyam Bari. The second and third clusters are clubbed together and belong to the Rajbari and Sikir Bari. The fourth and last cluster belong to Chhai Taraf. Apart from these there are several other scattered temples along with a few new temples, including the newly constructed abode of Goddess Mauliksha, after whom Maluti gets its name. Originally, the Maluti village cluster comprised over 100 temples but a substantial chunk of them can’t be restored now, damaged permanently by inefficient human management and natural apathy. “It actually used to be a cluster of 108 terracotta temples. But as per our study, over 40 of them have either been vandalised or damaged by nature. So in our restoration drive which we have kickstarted, we are focusing on 62 remaining temples,” S K Misra, Chairman, ITRHD told TourismFirst in a recent conversation. ITRHD had presented an elaborate plan to Jharkhand Tourism two years back which not only comprised the details of possible restoration drive which can be put in place but also giving a complete rejig to Maluti as a unique
tourism product for Jharkhand. “ This project has all the required characteristic to become a major rural tourism product,” Misra asserted. As per ITRHD estimates, the restoration drive of Maluti temple complex would be time consuming given its dilapidated state. “In our reckoning, it will take anywhere between 5-7 years to finish the exercise. About one-third of the existing temples in the complex are large structures and it will be take some time to get them back in fine fettle,” Misra pointed out. The site is under the administrative control of the archaeology department of the state government and till the restoration drive continues, ITRHD is also likely to assist in its management. The complete restoration drive is expected to cost around `6 crore (`25 lakh for big temples) and the state government has released preliminary fund to kickstart the restoration drive at the site. Apart from this, public sector mining major Coal India has also released some fund for the revival of Maluti complex on the recommendation of National Culture Fund. “Now that the project has kickstarted primarily with the state government funding, we believe more support to come from the corporate side. We hope that the Tata group, which has a significant presence in the region, will also come forward to provide financial assistance to this unique project,” Misra said.
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Andhra bets big with Amaravati; on course to an unprecedented infra boom highlights
Amaravati, an ancient Satavahana kingdom citadel, will be Andhra Pradesh’s new capital. As per the draft of the master plan, the core capital region will spread across 217 sq. kilometers, while the greater capital region will span to a whopping 7,325 sq. kilometers. Based on a unique concept of ‘navratnas, incorporated in its genesis, Amaravati will be a heady mix of knowledge city, financial city, health city, tourism city, government city, sports city, electronics city, justice city and education city – all wrapped into a sprawling megapolis.
A.P’s new capital Amaravati is an ambitious undertaking that may well become India’s smartest capital. This massive exercise, in collaboration with Singaporean firms, boasts of unique concepts and a massive scale. Its creation will also help Guntur and Vijayawada – the two suburbs of the new capital – strengthen business and tourist footfalls. By shashank shekhar
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fter witnessing years of political slugfest and one of the bloodiest divisions of Indian states, Andhra Pradesh is, finally, beginning to give shape to its new identity. The new capital Amaravati – which translates to ‘the city that never decays’ – has been named after historic capital of the Satavahana kingdom, will stretch across river Krishna. As PM Modi laid the foundation stone of this ambitious undertaking, which will boast of many firsts in terms of technological application and sheer magnitude, it has already begun attracting investors. With a unique concept of ‘navratnas’ incorporated in its genesis, Amaravati will be a heady mix of knowledge city, financial city, health city, tourism city, government city, sports city, electronics city, justice city and education city – all wrapped into a sprawling megapolis. Two firms from Singapore, with active participation from the Singapore government, are in the fray for this project, which has been planned in a phased manner – first phase of construction is expected to be concluded by 2018. Sembcorp Development and Ascendas-Singbridge are the two companies that are likely to get the
coveted job of designing this river-front marvel. Commenting on their pitch for the project, Sembcorp Development chief executive Kelvin Teo said that the company had extensive experience of handling crucial projects across Asia and Andhra Pradesh. “For over 20 years, we have been at the forefront of many government-supported projects. We have conceptualized 13 large-scale integrated urban development covering 11,000ha of land across Asia, and invested in more than 3,300MW of thermal and renewable power assets across seven Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh,” he said to a leading newspaper. While AscendasSingbridge, deputy chief executive Manohar Khiatani, who is also president and chief executive of Ascendas, shared to the media that Andhra Pradesh presented an exciting chance for their firm to deepen its presence in India. “We will study the master plan. When it is available, to identify areas where we could potentially participate in and contribute our expertise in urban development," he commented. Amaravati is slated to be a two billion dollars push, and the master plan has already been submitted by the Singapore government for the ‘Seed Capital Area’ of Andhra Pradesh. The plan consists
of creating an administrative capital of the state, along with residential towers, recreational facilities, water-bodies and much more. As per a presentation made by the Singapore government the capital city master plan moots a network of waterways stretching over 80km along river Krishna, covering 3% of the total area. Canal parks, island resorts, an island-themed park, an amphitheater, and a waterfront boulevard straddling 35km along river Krishna have been planned. The city will also be a transit hub with a dedicated freight corridor. It will further be connected to the capital via Hyderabad. The core capital region, itself, has been designed featuring a regional expressway and an outer regional expressway linking it to satellite towns. These developments will profoundly benefit neighboring Vijayawada and Guntur. A look at the Capital Region Master Plan document reveals that pharmaceuticals, integrated textiles and cement plants have been identified as strongest pegs for growth drivers for Guntur district. While integrated textiles and petrochemicals have been chosen for Krishna. Apart from these, food processing parks and modern industrial townships have been mooted for both.
New Integrated Terminal at Tirupati Airport will bring more employment and business into Temple town, says PM
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s PM Modi inaugurated a new integrated terminal building at Tirupati Airport, he stressed at the need for augmenting tourism related infrastructure at every tourist destination and transit point. Hoping that the newly constructed structure would help create a better experience for travellers, he said, “For the convenience of the tourists, both foreign and domestic, we will be setting up WiFi points, hotel accommodations (via PPP modes) and much more, to make their stay comfortable.” The importance of this development in creating
more employment opportunity was also not lost on him, who while reminiscing his past commented that, “Right from a fruit seller to a person selling biscuits, tourism destinations help people to earn something. Even a ‘tea seller’ can gain some money.” The new Integrated Terminal Building, as per AAI’s release, is capable to handle '500 domestic and 200 International Passengers at a go. A steel and glass structure with all modern passenger amenities', the terminal is spread in an area of 16,500 sqm with 5,500 sqm of
basement area. The design of the building has been based on 'Garuda' and it is equipped with modern energy saving mechanisms. Tirupati being one of the most visited spiritual centers in the country and considering the massive influx of devotees, the expansion in airport infrastructure is not only well-timed but a welcome move. As Andhra embarks on a never before infrastructural push, improving airport infrastructure will help it cater to more movement and consequently more business into the holy town.
Two Singaporean firms are involved in the process, ideas from Japan have also been incorporated in its creation. The capital is to be constructed in two phases, the first phase is expected to be completed by 2018. With massive investment in tune of two billion dollars in creating modern infrastructure and start-up ‘friendly’ environment, Amaravati is expected to accentuate business and movement to Guntur and Vijayawada – the two suburbs of Amravathi. State’s aviation infrastructure is under an unprecedented overhaul. Apart from a new integrated terminal in Tirupati, Gannavaran airport (in Vijayayawada), too, will be developed into an international airport. While, another airport is likely to be constructed in Karnool in Rayalaseema region. To meet its extraordinary land requirement, the state, to its credit, has put to use some innovative means by creating a lank bank of 3 lakh acres for the city, additionally planning to add 7 lakh acres for the planned industrial area With an aggressive impetus on attracting investment and creating new infrastructure to sustain its momentum of development, the state is also in midst of upgrading its aviation infrastructure. A new terminal was recently unveiled at the Tirupati airport, enabling it to handle code ‘C’ and ‘D’ types of aircrafts. Its spiral effect in generating employment and tourism was not lost on the PM, who noted at its inauguration function that, “Such is the power of tourism today, that it provides employment to the poorest of the poor.” Andhra's bid for a world-class city and major infrastructural augmentation is a laudable move, it will help India better grasp challenges in developing worldclass infrastructure. It also presents with itself a gamut of opportunities in creating more services and industries around them facilitating movement of people. India aims to construct 100 SMART cities, Amaravati may turn out to be one of them.
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Outgoing Bihar minister says visibility and infrastructure our achievements Javed Iqbal Ansari can be credited for kickstarting some long-stalled projects, apart from delving into PPP mode for setting up hotels at important tourist destinations. As he takes a look back at his eventful tenure, to his understanding, enhancing outreach and rejuvenating key tourism products have been his major accomplishments. By shashank shekhar
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have had the opportunity to lead the Bihar tourism department for one and a half years, and our efforts to propel state’s tourism offerings to a larger audience has been widely accepted and appreciated,” says Javed Ansari. Crediting CM Nitish Kumar for envisaging a road map for making Bihar visible to India and the wider world, he says, “we have taken earnest measures in that direction. Buddhism remains a chief peg of our tourism offering and we have focused on strengthening that aspect.” Sharing that lack of standard accommodation remained a major concern as he took over, he resorted to PPP mode to bring in much needed investments. “There were a lot of government hotels that were in shambles; lack of standard hotels to accommodate international tourists was all too evident. We rolled out a number of projects on PPP mode to ensure that quality accommodation is made available to our guests,” he says. “Projects in Bodh-Gaya and Nalanda are already underway. I have personally seen to it that land doesn’t remain a constraint in these activities. We are on our way to opening a five star hotel in Bodh-Gaya and in Nalanda – land has been made available for it. I hope that with our government again at helm, the process will be expedited and we will see to it that it finalizes soon,” he adds. Diversification of tourism products also remained high on his agenda, he told us. “We have also tried to diversify our
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Focus on creating standard hotels through PPP funding in Nalanda and Bodh-Gaya to help cater highend tourists in coming years Increased visibility and outreach of key events like Sonepur Fair helping draw international tourists Funding remains a major hurdle in executing projects. Lack of funds in state government’s kitty and meagre assistance from centre ordeals Resurrecting Vikramshila ruins and positioning tourism as a key industry for Bihar will be important future endeavors products by bolstering facilities at Valmiki Tiger Reserve. Be it improving connectivity between Patna and West Champaran or developing accommodation facilities there, we have done well,” says Ansari. “It is not a co-incidence that Valmiki Tiger Reserve is one of the best rated reserves in the country,” he adds. Further strengthening the spiritual tourism offering, construction of ropeway on Mandaar Mountain – which is a huge tourist draw and a spiritual getaway for Jains and Hindus – has also been initiated, he shared. “The tender has been awarded to RITES and an advance payment of four crores has already been made. I believe that the construction will commence from coming January and should be wrapped up in eighteen months’ time,” he told us. Hoping that this project would rejuvenate an ancient center of pilgrimage and help it grow as a major tourist attraction, he added that, “There are plethora of such activities that have been initiated.” However, to his own understanding, the biggest achievement of his tenure has been adding more visibility and outreach to traditional events like the Sonepur Fair – which now has an international feel to it. “We created a new attraction to our events which gave us much better footfalls than ever before. I do not recollect having so many foreign visitors attending our events. Previously, our events remained unnoticed, it is heartening to see that people are beginning to take note of what we have to offer as a state,” he says.
Funding continues to remain a major hurdle, little assistance from the center making matters worse
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t was not the dearth of ideas or products, but plain lack of funds to execute projects that stalled his undertakings, says Ansari. “Funding is a major roadblock for us. When I took over, a proposal for two hundred crores was forwarded to the centre for undertaking various activities. But, before the elections were announced, we received only twenty crores,” he says. “We have heard a lot from the centre regarding funds, but nothing as yet as materialized,” he adds. He further notes that although he had taken major steps in ramping up visibility of important products and events, a lot more needed to be done in this regard. “I admit that one of the glaring shortfalls of our department has been the lack of visibility. We have created a roadmap to address this deficiency, however due to time constraints a lot of it could not be
implemented,” he shares. “I hope that in the coming years we will fix these anomalies and our new government will carry forward the good work we initiated in the last term,” adds Ansari. Focus on creating basic infrastructure remained a top priority for the government and with so much ground to cover, tourism sometimes was forced to recede in the background, he reasons, explaining why expenditure on tourism remained relatively low in the state. “Naturally Bihar being a financially weak state, we had to prioritize our needs. We needed roads, electricity and hospitals first. A destination can never cater to visitors without basic infrastructural assets in place,” he argues. “A lot of ground has been covered in that direction. We will overcome these as I am sure that tourism will remain very high in the list of our government’s priority in the days to come,” he adds.
Identifying new products, positioning tourism as a chief contributor to state’s coffers key future endeavours
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greeing that a lot remained to be done and a number of destinations remained to be identified, leave apart market them, he says that it is a welcome challenge for the state. “There are a number of destinations in the state that have not been marketed and many even remain unidentified. Possibilities are endless, it will remain a welcome challenge for us to handpick and nurture them,” he says. He reckons that tourism, until now, remained a silent industry, but with growing awareness and its ripple effect in generating employment – people’s
perception about tourism as an industry is changing for good. “Tourism is creating employment in hinterland – Mandaar is an apt example of this transformation – and this is changing the mindset of masses that tourism is an elitist activity,” he says. “Shopkeepers, guides, rickshaw-pullers and lodge owners are all making decent money since we have focused on augmenting its infrastructure. Transforming tourism from a silent industry to a chief contributor to the state’s coffers is our biggest challenge and we are geared up to take it head-on in the years to come,” he says with
a degree of confidence. He shares that resurrecting the ancient ruins of Vikramshila remained a project very close to his heart. “It is a project which has implications not only for the state but for the nation. It is a national treasure and not only state’s asset. However, the sheer scale of project is so vast that it needs ample assistance from the centre. I think we need somewhere around 1,200 crore rupees,” he explains. “Now it is for the centre to help us with the same. We cannot carry forward the project on our own. We simply do not have the funds,” he adds.
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Infrastructure around the capital gets a push with both peripheral expressways
Among the stalled infrastructure projects around the capital were the two peripheral expressways, Eastern and Western that will help cargo trucks to bypass Delhi in their movement from one state to another. Both these got a headstart with PM Modi laying the foundation stone.
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n a mega- move meant to decongest India’s national capital and strategically important locations around it, the Prime Minister Narendra inaugurated laid the foundation stone of three major highway projects in Sonipat early this month. The 341 kms long three highways projects include Western Peripheral Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway and eight-laning of Highway section from Mukarba Chowk (Delhi) to Panipat costing a staggering Rs 13,802 crore.
The 136 km long Western Peripheral Expressway will cover Kundli-ManesarPalwal providing high-speed link to northern Haryana with its southern districts like Gurgaon, Faridabad and Palwal. Spanning five districts of Sonipat, Jhajjar, Gurgaon, Mewat and Palwal the project would be completed at a total cost of Rs 4,000 crore, an official release said. 135-km Eastern Peripheral Expressway, on the other hand, will provide signalfree connectivity between Ghaziabad,
Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida) and Palwal. The total cost of the project is estimated to be in the range of Rs 7500 crore and it is expected to be commissioned by July, 2018. These two projects are slated slated to help decongestion of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and reduce pollution tremendously as traffic from the northern parts of the country towards other regions would not need to pass through this area. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime
Minister said the Union Government is working towards removing bottlenecks and simplifying procedures to speed up implementation of infrastructure projects. He mentioned the PRAGATI interactions with various Ministries and States that he chairs every month, to resolve issues in pending projects. He also reiterated his vision of connecting 18000 unconnected villages with power supply within 1000 days, and ensuring 24x7 power supply to all parts of the country by 2022.
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Billing hosts its first Paragliding World Cup; brings more footfalls and business Billing has been hailed as the world’s best paragliding site in the world by professionals and observers alike. Its successful hosting of mega event has furthered potential of becoming the paragliding capital of the world.
By shashank shekhar
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ucked away in the lap of Dhauladhar range in Kangra district, with a measly population of 900 people, Bir and Billing are distant hamlets that barely saw a couple of tourists venturing into its by-lanes a decade ago. As it hosted the first paragliding world cup a couple of weeks ago, it is slowly being recognized as world’s best and highest paragliding launch site. The World cup, which featured 128 pilots participating from 31 countries, was organized by the state government and the Billing Paragliding Association – while Airports Authority of India (AAI) sponsored the title. The event was hosted for eight days that saw a considerable French contingent with 13 pilots, including numerous world cups winners. The event has been a success; foreigner observers and participants have unanimously hailed it as a ‘legend site’ for landing, as it features world’s naturally highest launching site at 2,400 meters. Its flat surface allows easy access and landing for choppers and clear passage between Bir and Chaughan village provides a breathtaking view of the Kangra Valley – which stretches to 200 kilometers. Some have even termed it as the best paragliding
site in the world. “I can tell you that many observers said they had not seen quite anything like this. It was wonderful to see professionals who compete at the highest echelons of sport thoroughly enjoying themselves,” says Praveen Thakur, Spokesperson and Treasurer of the Billing Paragliding Association. World-class safety equipment, winch choppers – to air-lift any injured participant –ambulances and team of doctors were stationed to ensure global safety practice. “Flawless execution of the event has also lend credibility to its international standards,” he tells us. Apart from professionals, a number of foreign visitors, too, came to Billing to witness this competition. “We hosted over two hundred foreigners and much larger number of domestic travelers. This is a big number for us considering we were not even on tourist’s radar ten years ago,” informs Praveen. This influx of tourists and growing awareness of Bir and Billing as adventure destination is helping locals generate employment. “We have seen markets and hotels come up. There was little work here. A lot of youngsters were forced to migrate to lower plains in search of work,” details Praveen. “Now, we have so many people coming here that it is sufficient for
Europe is the leader in paragliding sports; France tops with three world-class sites
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urope, thanks to its geography and massive investments in bolstering adventure tourism, leads with maximum number of paragliding sites in the world. While, Germany and Turkey have established sites like the Neuschwanstein Castle and Babadag (Olüdeniz) respectively, France remains the undisputed leader with renowned sites including Annecy, Treh, and Dune du Pyla. One of the prime reasons for Europe’s massive success in its positioning as the
Numero Uno in adventure tourism lies in strict enforcement of global safety measures – which has made it a safe destination for aficionados. As Billing successfully hosted its first paragliding world cup, it has demonstrated its capability of hosting an event of global stature. With ample media attention, it is likely to attract adventure enthusiasts from world over. Time is ripe for a concerted effort from all stakeholders to position Billing as a premier adventure destination.
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Praveen thakur Spokesperson and treasurer, Billing Paragliding Association
There is no match of Billing anywhere in Asia. With right marketing and adequate infrastructure to cater to world adventure enthusiasts, there is no stopping Billing.
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a hamlet like ours,” he adds. He shares that he had received many telephone calls from eager travelers who wanted to know more details about the place and activities. “We expect brisk business in the months to come. I have never witnessed such interest in our village and adventure sports. Our phone has been constantly ringing,” he shared. However lack of standard accommodation remains a concern. Many travelers prefer to spend the day and head back in the evening to McLoed Ganj which is almost two hours’ drive, we were told. It robs the locals of creating more employment and revenues. “We have small hotels, rather dormitories, so inadequate standard of accommodation is an area we will have to address,” he shares with us. “We could do so much more business if more guests halted for the night,” he added. Its potential lies in the fact that it has no parallel anywhere in the world. With no competitors in sight, in India and Asia at least, it may well become the Paragliding capital of the world in the coming years.
Billing has successfully hosted its first paragliding World Cup. Participants from 31 countries including 128 professional pilots participated in the event. Successful hosting of the event has given it international recognition; participants and observers have hailed it as the best paragliding launch site in the world. There is a steady growth in footfalls. Once an unknown hamlet, it is attracting foreign visitors and domestic travelers alike. Growing interest has helped generate employment and business for locals. Its potential for becoming a Mecca of paragliding can be realized provided adequate infrastructure, hotels and highway amenities are created, feel organizers of the event. Collective push from all stakeholders needed to market its unique positioning as an adventure destination in the world. Its proximity to Mc Leodganj, influx of Buddhist tourists from World over can also help create additional pull provided a collective push by stakeholders is taken in this regard. Lack of public amenities and food-joints on the highway are other issues that have to be addressed. “There is no match of Billing anywhere in Asia. There are a couple of sites in Europe but not as high and easily accessible as this. With right marketing and adequate infrastructure to cater to world adventure enthusiasts, there is no stopping Billing,” says Praveen.
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Noida’s connectivity to Agra remains unsold; focussed marketing could make it a leisure getaway In lack of adequate marketing, Noida's excellent road connectivity to Agra has not been commercially tapped. With a focussed promotion on its unique positioning by hotels, Noida can emerge as a new leisure getaway, believes Ramendra Pratap Singh, General Manager, Park Plaza Noida. By shashank shekhar
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oida’s ascent as a hot-spot of service industry, particularly IT and IT enabled industries, has made it a busy destination for corporate and MICE travellers. With diversification of industries, a number of commercial activities like banking, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing now register their robust presence here. Dozens of MNC’s have outsourced their businesses helping it steadily get placed on the world map. It is reflected in the fact that almost all the major hotels have corporate and MICE inbound as their key clientele. “There are many IT companies here and with a number of new projects initiated off late, which are underway, is triggering healthy domestic and international movement into Noida,” says Ramendra while overseeing the seventh anniversary celebrations of his hotel. “We are primarily a business hotel and almost 95 percent of our clientele are from corporate and MICE segment,” he shares. Apart from domestic inbound which is evenly spread across four metros and tier-1 cities, Noida has also developed a considerable international inbound – especially from countries involved in major projects here. “Noida is getting a decent number of global travellers who here stay on for a long period of time, in fact FIT’s are a crucial component of Noida’s inbound, and we get a fair share of them coming to
our hotel,” divulges Ramendra. However, it is also true that Noida has not lifted-off as it was expected too. Its growth has been slower compared to other important pockets like the Aerocity and Gurgaon, in the NCR. But, Ramendra argues that that his hotel had clocked an impressive year-on-year growth for seven consecutive years. “So, business is fine, says GM” But it is true that the pace of its
growth is not the same as it used to be in the initial years,” he says indicating that Noida has lost some of its steam. Constant revamp and addition of products are crucial to the success of any destination. Noida boasts of probably India’s best road network connecting it to Agra – which perennially remains a huge tourist draw. Noida could do well to market this unique connectivity asset and develop itself as a leisure getaway while continuing
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Noida’s inbound dominated by corporate and MICE segment. New collaborations and service sector leading footfalls. Domestic and foreign inbound, both, brisk Its robust connectivity – via The Taj Expressway – to Agra has not been adequately tapped. It can give Noida a unique positioning as a destination. This will help overcome its one-dimensional destination profile
to add teeth to its corporate offering, feels Ramendra. “As a destination is concerned, there lies a great opportunity for us to develop it as a leisure getaway. Because if you look at travelling from Noida to Agra it hardly takes a two and a half hours via the Taj expressway,” he says. He shares that it was a growing trend among his clientele to take a day trip to Agra. “A lot of our clients who stay with us take a day trip to Agra and come back by
Ramendra Pratap Singh General Manager, Park Plaza Noida
As a destination is concerned, there lies a great opportunity for us to develop it as a leisure getaway. Because if you look at travelling from Noida to Agra it hardly takes a two and a half hours via the Taj expressway.
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the night. So in that leisure space Noida has not grown as it should have. Hotels here have not been able to market this aspect adequately,” reflects Ramendra. “There could be various reasons, but the fact that it is connected by excellent road network to Agra is a huge angle that remains untapped,” he says. As reflected by various media reports, Noida has seen a spurt in activities with increased international commercial undertakings in the recent past. But, to ensure multi-dimensionality of its profile and bolster its tourism offering, it would be a welcome measure to position Noida as a leisure getaway. It will help Noida acquire new clientèle and tap into leisure segment with a better offering. Its success will not only help augment its tourist footfalls but validate the fact that constant innovation and assimilating new products are crucial to any destination’s long-term success.
A strong cultural component must for a world-class city; promotion and outreach remain constraints for DIAF, says Parthibha Prahlad Since its inception in 2007, Delhi International Art Festival has grown leaps and bounds, says the founder and renowned Bharatanatyam exponent Prathibha Prahlad. However, due to the lack of a concrete vision by the Ministry of Tourism to use these festivals as a tool to project capital’s offerings – its potential is yet to be fully realized. By shashank shekhar
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rt festivals are an important component of overall tourism offering of a city’s landscape. They create an enabling environment to showcase art, culture and music under one roof bringing the best of exponents to showcase their mastery over their art. International Delhi Art festival has a similar story to tell. It has grown exponentially in its influence all over the world, says Prathibha. “It is part of AAPAF (Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Festivals). Moreover, DIAF is listed as one of the most important festivals in the world in the International Festivals network. In India, everyone who is associated with the arts even remotely know about the Festival. We get hundreds of applications from all over the world, including India asking to be featured in the festival,” she shares. She says that its influence on other such festivals has been so profound that most of such cultural events have a similar model of organizing and presentation. Growing
in strength and stature, with almost 35 Countries participating in this year’s event, DIAF has become a serious platform for cultural diplomacy, says Prathibha. “The International segment of DIAF hada “Look East” segment with performances by the Chongqing National Opera from the Sichuan province of China, “Lovebird Spears”, an Opera, Martial arts and Chinese Drums from Taiwan, Taiwanese Bamboo Orchestra, LEGONG and SAMATRA dance from Indonesia, and a cross-cultural music Band from Singapore. “Look west” includedfamous bands from USA, Israel, Czech Republic, Poland & Turkey, Flamenco music from Spain, Salsa from Mexico, contemporary dance theatre from Portugal & France and Tap Dance from the United Kingdom,” she shares. The festival also boasted of a strong regional connect with performances from “Central Asia” including music and dance from Kyrgyzstan and Russia. “SAARC was represented by theatre from Pakistan, dance and music from Sri Lanka and an art exhibition by Preema Nazia Andaleeb
pratibha prahlad renowned bharatanatyam exponent
I met a lady from Norway -Ms.Ada, who had come all the way only to witness and engage with Delhi International Arts Festival. It gave me personal joy to see this lady tourist day after day of the Festival in several of our venues.I am sure many others had come too and these numbers will only increase if there is a concerted effort made by the Tourism Ministry and the tourism industry to promote the Festival.
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from Bangladesh,” she adds. Given the extent of participation, she feels that it can act as a strong pull for cultural tourists, however she bemoans the lack of support from the Ministry of Tourism and says that without the support in promotion and outreach, there was only that much they could do as organizers. “We have time and again asked the Ministry of Tourism to have a vision for India and promote the Festival
nationally and internationally to attract tourists and benefit the tourism industry. Other Countries that have similar cultural equities and Festivals promote them and ensure that they have a huge public outreach,” she argues. “Our Ministry of Tourism needs an overhaul. So long as petty small time bureaucrats are given enormous power and money to craft the India story, you know well where it will reach,” she shares her anguish. Despite these bureaucratic hurdles, there is no denying that DIAF has added to city’s tourism offering – giving it multi-faceted character. Its contribution in raising Delhi’s profile is significant to say the least. Sharing her vision of a world-class city, she says, “A world class city is one where people from all parts of the world and all sections of the society can engage in multiple offerings of the city – be it tangible or intangible heritage or cuisine or cinema or just a fun and free atmosphere. DIAF gives to Delhi a rich landscape of the arts in all its multicultural glory.” Adding that a city that offered rich cultural performances had to be a city driven by ideas and art. “It translates then to showcasing the people of the city as being peace loving, touched by the arts, civil and tolerant,” says Prathibha. It remains a fact that the immense potential of this festival remains untapped, it, indeed, has brought Delhi a step closer to the city of her vision.
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Indian Culinary forum 2015
culinary tourism
New policy to give a decisive push to culinary tourism, assures tourism secretary The new tourism policy slated to be in place before the year end will lay a major emphasis on India's unique cuisine offerings, a segment which is believed to have not found adequate attention in the past. By Ritwik SInha
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espite India having a rich culinary heritage emanating from its cultural diversity of centuries, its linkage with tourism still remains sketchy. In a geographically vast country where cuisine like language can change after every 100 km, its potential to give big-ticket push to tourism sector has by and large remained unexplored. There is larger realization highlights within the stakeholders that the promotion of diverse Indian cuisine palate can do Government’s new tourism wonders for tourism but the segment is policy to be unveiled before the yet to take a structural shape. This was the year end will have provisions to commonplace sentiment flowing through promote culinary tourism the inaugural session of the recently held Government wants more Indian Culinary Summit in Delhi. destinations with intrinsic However, tourism secretary Vinod cuisine strength to be promoted Zutshi who delivered the inaugural address, assured the industry stakeholders To bolster manpower scenario, that the scenario would significantly more IHMs have been planned change after the unveiling of the new Government also looking at the tourism policy. With the government option of converting some Food keen to diversify Indian tourism portfolio Craft Institutes into IHMs and pave the way for the entry of new growth dynamo in its list of major draws, Indian Culinary Institute to culinary tourism is slated to find a position become operational from 2016 of prominence in the forthcoming policy prescription. “The new policy is likely to The collective worth of Indian be announced before the end of this year Food & Beverage industry and it will have provisions to promote (F&B) presently estimated at culinary tourism,” Zutshi said. `2,50,00 crore. Projected to The tourism secretary emphasized that grow by leaps and bounds in a conscious approach has gone behind the next five years the idea of giving a fresh push to culinary tourism. With the government looking for options to enhance the experience quotients of tourists, improving cuisine linked amenities has become imperative. “We are aware that culinary and food catering are integral components of tourism experience. Hospitality is nothing without culinary. It is the basic need of all visitors and we are keen that cuisine delivered to tourists should also become a major highlight of their experience. A bad experience on this front spoils the chances of a revisit nad could also result in bad word by mouth publicity. Our objective should be to also brand India as a preferred destination for its cuisines,” he maintained. Emphasizing his point further, Zutshi cited examples from the country where specific popular cuisines have immensely added to the appeal of the destination. “We all know about Malpua of Pushkar, Rasgulla of Bengal and Kachauri of Jodhpur. These are success stories where linkage between cuisine and tourism has played out well. The popularity of these cuisines have strongly added to the experience of the visitors. We need more such examples.” Meanwhile, the decision to give a major push to culinary segment also seems to emanate from government’s realization that it could deliver multi-layered socio-economic benefits which would not only benefit tourism but could well go beyond it. “We are fully convinced that the promotion of this segment will also give a major push to that larger issue of employment generation, both directly as well as indirectly. We are noticing the home delivery segment coming up in a major way in our major cities adding more workforce. We have this larger objective of working decisively for women empowerment. There also promotion of Indian cuisine can play a major role. Both private sector and the government need to work in tandem to make our cuisines an asset,” underlined he.
More IHMs on the anvil
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ike other segments of tourism, hospitality and culinary too have a huge manpower challenge considering the growth projections earmarked for the medium run (read the box item: F & B business growing by leaps and bounds). According to tourism secretary, the government is fully aware of the challenge in hand and is taking necessary steps to ensure that the personnel shortage issue is effectively tackled. “We know that hospitality education needs a fresh impetus. Even as we have a network of hospitality institutes and have effective programmes like Hunar Se Rozgar Tak which are helping the future workforce in picking up the required skills, there is a massive gap between the demand and supply of workforce in all tourism verticals. And the biggest gap is in culinary segment. We are taking steps to deal with this challenge – more IHMs are on the way as we have planned to convert some Food Craft Institutes and designate them as IHMs,” Zutshi mentioned. Among the possible manpower centric (in
hospitality and culinary) major developments in the near to medium run, there is a strong possibility of four Food Craft Institutes in Rajasthan to be converted into IHMs. Zutshi confirmed that the Ministry of Tourism and Rajasthan government are working on this proposition which may become a reality soon. Furthermore, Indian Culinary Institute which is slated to become the fulcrum of cuisine related education in the country is likely to become operational from 201617 session. In the initial phase, the institute will have two centers – Tirupati and Noida. “This institute will go a long way in creating trained manpower pool for the Indian culinary business,” Zutshi said. Speaking on the occasion, Zutshi also urged the industry stakeholders to contribute their bit in dealing with the manpower issue. “The industry must come forward and encourage in-house skill development activities. To tap the potential of culinary tourism in the country, we significantly need to improve variety and quality of our offerings for which we need trained manpower. The private sector should not ignore this point,” he stressed.
F&B : Growing by leaps and bounds
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or the Indian Food & Beverage (F&B) business, its clearly the case of firing on all cylinders if the growth trajectory notched in the recent past and projections for the near to medium run are taken into the account. And according to market observers, the phenomenal growth trend makes it more imperative to ensure that it does not miss out on the qualitative quotient. Speaking early at the inaugural session, noted industry observer Anil Bhandari strongly underlined that the time has come for giving a structural shape to Indian culinary tourism and the larger cuisine business. The trigger, as he pointed out, comes from its growing dimensions. “The worth of Indian Food & Beverages industry presently stands at `2,50,000 crore and it is slated to become a `4,50,000 crore business in the next five years. But the share of the organized sector is only
30 percent and we need to improve this if the experience quotient has to be enhanced,” he pointed out. Projections on employment generation also confirm the big-ticket push potential of the segment as the volume of the workforce in the organized sphere of F&B business is expected to more than double in the next five years – from 20 million now to 45 million by 2020. “We have to be careful in pursuing our objective to derive advantages (tourism and others) from our cuisine strength as there are serious issues. For instance, in our offerings, should we opt for modern food or traditional? Furthermore, to sustain our authentic offerings, we must kickstart the exercise of documenting our recipes like the French do. Our cuisine should not get confused with Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisine in the international markets. We will lose our appeal,” Bhandari warned.
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culinary tourism
Indian Culinary forum 2015 highlights
CHEF Branding: Making the most of social media
The world has seen the emergence of many celebrity chefs on the horizon with the deft use of diverse media platforms in the last three decades The explosive growth of social media in the recent years has added new dimension to the chef branding exercise Traditional PR tools becoming redundant due to onslaught of social media platforms The practitioners in the game strongly recommend furnishing original content to sustain the interest of millions Staying away from social media is not an option for the generation next chefs
Chefs are no longer the unsung, backroom boys. With the growing reach of media platforms, particularly the social media, they have the golden opportunity to develop a larger connect. By Ritwik sinha
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amie Oliver (UK), Thomas Keller (US), Mario Batali (Italy) and Anthony Bourdain (US) are the top notch names in the list of global celebrity chefs. But this is not the single common string which they share. Their list of similarities also include the strategy they adopted to build their individual brands – by using the popular media platforms (books, television shows and now social media) to the hilt. Jamie Oliver, for instance, has been a popular television personality for last 15 years and today has over 3.5 million followers on Twitter, 1.8 million on Google+, 1.7 million on Facebook, and over 1.3 million on Instagram. Anthony Bourdain is one of the biggest names in culinary television, with over 1.5 million followers on Twitter and 300l + on Facebook. He also has some culinary best sellers to his credit. The success stories of Thomas Keller and Mario Batalia are no different. They too have huge fan following around the world. In Sanjeev Kapoor, India too has found its response to the growing tribe
of celebrity chefs who stay connected not only with connoisseurs of food but also the commoners almost on a 24x7 basis with television, books and most importantly through online platforms. Kapoor’s fan following is no less impressive than any other celebrity chef in the world today and he is considered as a pioneer in the country in reaching out to the larger mass with an individual brand equity which is an eye opener for wannabe chefs. In a country like India which saw a huge addition of 100 million internet subscribers in the last one year, the path of instant recognition is now clearly open for the next gen of kitchen captains who were merely looked upon as backroom boys till recently. But to keep scores of followers engaged on a consistent basis is easier said than done as it requires meticulous planning and execution. A special session at the recently held Indian Culinary Summit saw the masters of the game sharing their experience in managing the social media with the gathering emphasizing the strict do’s and don’t of the play. “The social media is now a very powerful and vibrant medium for
Being original is the cardinal rule
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ccording to Sanjeev Kapoor, the basic rule of his engagement drive via diverse media platforms has been simple: to reach out to the larger mass and not just a selective audience. “When I began appearing in television shows, my primary task was to teach commoners the new recipes and not just the community of upcoming chefs. And I have followed the same principle, in my social media interaction too. My advise to any youngster who would wish to follow this path is: create something which has a worth and then share it.” But even as social media is growing by leaps and bounds, it is clearly not shorn of its share of pitfalls. Somewhere along its glorious and phenomenal journey (in terms of expanding ambit) in the recent years, it has also emerged as a cluttered space (including content which could just be hollow in nature) where it becomes difficult for the end-user to separate wheat from the chaff. “Social media has also become a lot about pretensions and this will never work for you on a sustainable basis if you don’t have a strong product,” warned Chef Sabyasachi Gorai. “You can start small but you have to be original and use your language and tone very carefully because you are talking to people whom you don’t know,” he added. Persistence is another key rule of the game because in a cluttered space, there is no guarantee that your offering will get enough eyeballs instantly. “I know of an internationally renowned chef who did not receive very positive response when he switched to the online space. His first 200 videos (culinary classes) uploaded on youtube did not get much eyeball. But he persisted and today his online shows are followed in all corners in the world,” Arya presented an example.
professionals in travel and hospitality businesses. But one has to be very particular in selecting the nature of the content if he has to grow big. Being original is the most important rule of the game,” opined Avijit Arya, the CEO and Founder of Internet Moguls, a leading internet marketing firm. According to Sanjeev Kapoor, the use of internet in creating brand equity is part of the larger marketing drive which if used efficiently can do wonders in terms of staying relevant. “Social media has created a reach which nobody can
ignore. It helps us in staying relevant. To create relevance, we look for branding and then for medium. And here social media has become very effective,” Kapoor pointed out. Kapoor was, in fact, the first one from the world of Indian culinary to jump on the internet bandwagon when he had launched a website in 1996 (even Times of India did not have a web presence then, he proudly claims today). And this engagement has only enhanced in the last two decades.
The inevitability of technology alignment
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he era of food and restaurant chain online reviews has already ushered in India and according to market observers, it has begun to make an impact at least in the metro centers. And this trend is slated to become much stronger in the coming years wherein online reputation management would be quite an exercise for people in the food business. But the emerging trend is also expected to flare up new entrepreneurial drive within the cuisine industry. “There are hundreds of things which technology can do vis-à-vis interaction between the cuisine industry and the consumers. Reliance-GIO is setting up country’s biggest optic fibre network. We can make use of it in myriads of ways. I am still waiting for someone to come forward and set up. food platform, much on the lines of. com for online interaction,” Kapoor said. According to Sabyasachi, with the big bang arrival of online options, death knell has already rung for the traditional promotional tools. “For a recently launched restaurant, we have used e-platforms to announce our arrival.
We tied up with Zomato and have aggressively promoted the restaurant on facebook, google+, instagram, etc. And results have been quite encouraging. I think, from the standpoint of F&B industry in the future, traditional PR tools may not be required in the future.” While emphasizing that technology connect of Indian culinary industry will grow stronger, Arya pointed out a new trend which is likely to be visible on the surface soon. “A big challenge for those who are in the technology support side to the culinary industry is how to create an instant buzz? For events like a weekend party. I think, it will happen soon given the growing dimensions of internet applications.” The bottomline message of the debate was delivered by Sanjeev Kapoor who minced no words in underlining that avoiding technology is not an option now. “Many people are still non-believer. But to win, you have to be in. So adopt technology as quickly as possible,” his advise was greeted with thunderous applause by a gathering which comprised upcoming chefs too.
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Indian Culinary forum 2015
culinary tourism
Indian Cuisine: Finding the synergy between traditional and modern
In the rush to cater new and modern food items, unmindful experimentations with authentic recipe is not good for Indian cuisine tradition. The subtle advise from the masters to wannabe chefs is – develop expertise in regional cuisine first before venturing out to serve what goes out in the name of international cuisine.
By Ritwik SInha
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highlights
odern vs traditional is a The expansive Indian culinary perpetual debate sweeping art has evolved over last 5000 across all streams of life. years and has 2500 plus Quite obviously, the world of original recipes gourmet is no exception. The rich and The Indian recipe is varied universe of Indian cuisine – a quintessentially attuned direct offshoot of country’s rich cultural to the basic principles of heritage – is probably at the cusp of a gastronomical science, each major global recognition resulting from ingredient having a wellness the new age global trends wherein the implication world is shrinking thanks to the growing significance of the soft power. The Lack of documentation of the growing prominence of Indian diaspora original Indian recipes is a major all across the world is also believed hurdle to be significantly contributing to the Many food and restaurant larger acceptability of Indian cuisine. chains going with Indian Needless to say, the growing global tag in the overseas markets exposure has also fuelled the spirit of are indulging in bad experimentation – in catering new and experimentation modern dishes primarily streaming out of the available time-tested Indian Some forgotten original Indian recipes. But while experimentation recipes like Rajasthan Khar is the pillar of evolution, are they Cuisine and Atta Chicken have happening in the right spirit? What been brought back from the will happen to the basic Indian brink of extinction with subtle cuisine ethos if in a hurry to cater modifications new dishes, the traditional models are badly tampered? How should the Practitioners strongly advise next generation of Indian chefs stay gen next chef to develop away from the resulting confusion? expertise in the regional cuisine The issue was prominently discussed first before graduating to at the recently Indian Culinary seminar national and international items with the veterans of the game strongly advocating that the basics should not be forgotten. From a layman’s perspective, the thin line between the traditional and modern may not be that easily discernible. “I am not sure if there is such a strong distinction between traditional and modern food,” observed noted journalist and food writer Vir Sanghvi who moderated the session. But according to the veterans of Indian cuisine such a distinction is there even as the modern often emerge as the badly executed experiment on the traditional base. In the opinion of Manjit Gill, Chief Corporate Chef, ITC the quintessential Indian cuisine has a strong philosophy behind it. “The culinary particularly in a country like India where it has evolved in 5000 years is based on wellness philosophy. I am not against experimentations in cuisine but food has always been considered as auspicious here. Every ingredient used has a meaning related with the wellness. This basic character has to be maintained,” Gill stressed. He strongly advised the next gen Indian chefs not to forget the four basic pillars of Indian gastronomical science. “When you are cooking, you must be aware of characteristics of each ingredient you are using, you must feel and touch the food, your mind must be focused and there should be space for only good thoughts when you are preparing a meal. The kitchens should be treated as temples, that is the basic Indian ethos,” Gill elaborated. But much beyond the basic Indian philosophy behind Indian cuisine which advocates the cardinal rule of equating kitchens with temples, there is another world which is opening up swift and fast. Restaurant chains operating in popular global destinations like London and New York with claimed specialization in Indian offerings are believed to be creating waves. But can they be considered as the real ambassadors of centuries old Indian cuisine? Hemant Oberoi, former grand executive chef of Taj Hotels, responded strongly. “If there are 9800 restaurants in London going with the Indian tag, I am ready to vouch that what 9750 are catering in the name of Indian food is rubbish. People who are running them have no idea about Indian cuisine. They are selling rosemary flavoured Chicken Tikka which can never be an Indian dish. These are bad examples in the name of modern Indian food,” he underlined.
Preserving the sanctity of Indian cuisine
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ome of the Indian restaurants in global hotspots may have topped the popularity chart but Oberoi vouched that he himself will never like to be their guest (he recounted visiting an Indian restaurant in New York where the head of the kitchen was a Russian chef). But then experimentation will always be there, as constant a factor as the change itself. In a dynamically evolving marketplace, those who are in the catering business will always come across consumers’ craving for something new, something delectable and not tasted before. India cuisine pundits, however, strongly believe that in a country where there are 29 different ways of preparing popular Rogan Gost item, there is a subtle way of indulging in experiments to derive something new. “Indian cuisine palate is like a huge treasure trove. With subtle modification, you can do
wonders. For instance, Rajasthani Khar Cusinie had almost become a forgotten art a few decades ago. We brought it back from the brink of extinction by devising new pots to prepare it. Similarly, Atta Chicken (a Punjabi cuisine) was going out of vogue not so long ago. But it has been revived with some minor modification,” explained Oberoi. “Dam Pukth Biryani served in ITC is not particularly Lucknawi. But it seems to have been invented in the right way. Similarly Varqi Crab offered in Taj is one of the greatest Indian cuisine invented recently,” Sanghvi pointed out. According to Manjit Gill, it would be a fallacy to believe that traditional Indian recipe does not leave much scope for experimentation, something that has delivered defining new cuisines. “Indian food does not mean you can’t change the spice. It can easily be attuned to the local climate, flora & founa and is quite open to the use of technological applications.”
Three tier learning system for the upcoming chefs
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o amidst the traditional vs modern debate, which the wanna be chefs may even find confusing, what is that basic prescription from the masters? “There are 2,500 odd recipes available in India. They should be documented and adopted by the generation next. There is nothing wrong in pursuing the modern cuisine but even to do that, you have to grasp the basics,” advised Oberoi. According to Chef Gill, with India being such a vast country with abundant cuisine diversity, the learning process should begin close to your own roots. “My simple advise to the next generation of chefs is that they must master their own regional food and then look for developing expertise in food items uniformly popular across the country. All the regional foods in India are attuned to the basic Indian gastronomical science and they could be good starting points for those who want to make a difference in the world of Indian cuisine.” If the suggested line of learning has to be compartmentalized in a structured module, then the key advocacy looks like this. “First learn regional, then Indian and after mastering them, you could think of experimenting for devising new Indian cuisines which could go international. You simply can’t be international if you can’t be Indian,” Singhvi summed up.
Manjit Gill Chief corporate chef, itc
My simple advise to the next generation of chefs is that they must master their own regional food and then look for developing expertise in food items uniformly popular across the country. All the regional foods in India are attuned to the basic Indian gastronomical science and they could be good starting points for those who want to make a difference in the world of Indian cuisine.
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hotelscapes
Accor unveils Aerocity Pullman; plans deep forays with 45 hotels in the next three years
Accor’s presence in the Aerocity has been bolstered courtesy the launch of first Pullman in India. As Accor sets itself for an unprecedented expansion in the coming years, its deep commitment in India is reflected in its long-term aim of becoming a leading employment generator in the nation. By shashank shekhar
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highlights
n a glittering ceremony which saw the participation of a plethora of dignitaries ranging from the Union Civil Aviation Minister and French Ambassador to India, The Accor group officially launched its 100th Pullman and its first in India. Located in the Aerocity, the latest launch is expected to boost Accor’s positioning in this MICE stronghold – it already has a Novotel and Ibis in the vicinity. Aimed at tapping the MICE segment, the hotel offers one of the largest boardroom spaces available in the capital apart from 13 meeting rooms and options of tailored solutions for varied corporate needs. Themed on a peacock, the hotel offers vibrant colours, interesting patterns and unique dining options – ranging from Organic food to Asian street flavours. Speaking at the occasion, Gajapati Raju, Civil Aviation Minister hoped that such endeavors would be beneficial in not only generating employment in the service sector, but also help strengthen ties between the two nations. While, French Ambassador François Richier opined that Accor’s engagement would help bring top hospitality experience, credible CSR initiatives and help generate skills in local youth creating more employment. Currently boasting of a portfolio which includes 34 hotels, it has plans to launch 45 new properties in the coming three years. Incidentally, Novotel, too, will complete 10 years in India in 2016.
Accor unveils its 100th Pullman, first in Delhi. It gives the group presence in all four metros. With its official launch it tightens its grip on the Aerocity hotel space – with Pullman, Novotel and Ibis all in the vicinity. The new hotel boasts of massive boardroom space – one of the biggest in Delhi/ NCR, unique restaurants and seamless connectivity making it an ideal MICE hotel. It also accentuates Aerocity’s profile as a MICE getaway. The group plans massive presence in India, 45 hotels slated to be launched in the coming three years, says the Chairman. Skill development programs core to its engagement in India, Accor intends to become one of the biggest employers in the country. Its expansion not just limited to India. Accor launching one new property in every two days, says Chairman.
We want to become India’s biggest employment generator in hospitality Sebastian Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive officer, Accor Hotels has planned big on India. He intends to aggressively increase Accor’s foot-prints by launching 45 new properties in the coming years apart from creating ample employment opportunities by skill augmentation.
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alling India strategic to Accor’s growth in the region, Sebastian Bazin expressed joy over inaugurating 100th Pullman and first in the capital. “India is strategic to our growth in the region. With a growing network of 34 hotels in India, AccorHotels is well positioned to take a leadership position in the upscale and midscale categories and to confirm its position as first operator in terms of convention space in India,” he said. He shared with the gathering that Accor was on course of opening one new property every
two days and it intended to carry on with its aggressive expansion plan. Terming Accor’s relationship with India an everlasting one, he revealed that the company was planning to more than double its number in the coming three years. “We have around 45 new hotels coming up in India, in the next two-three years. It demonstrates our seriousness with which we will engage with India,” he said in the interaction. We are looking at the next 50 years, that’s how serious we are about India,” he added. Linking these development with possibilities in employment generation in the country, he revealed that Accor intended to become one of the leading employment generators in the Indian hospitality sector. Stressing on the need for adequate skill development facilities, he shared that creating trained hospitality workforce in India was one of their important missions. “We owe it to this country. We already train over 1, 00,000 people around the world every year. It will be an important cause for us to train uneducated young men and women acquire skills to find suitable employment in hospitality industry,” he said.
MICE key focus; but want the hotel to be known as a F&B destination Tristan Beau de Lomenie has been associated with the project since its inception. An ideal MICE getaway, given its sprawling convention capability, he now intends to carve a niche for the hotel by offering unique F&B experience making it a destination for culinary delight.
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iven the elaborate meeting halls, lavish sitting spaces, cafeterias and lounges, Pullman’s positioning as a one stop MICE hotel is a certainty. However, as much as a MICE hotel, it is also gearing up to station itself as a F&B destination.
In a bid to diversify its offerings, the hotel has come up with innovative concepts boasting of restaurants like Honk serving Asian street food! Tristan tells us that he had a clear vision for creating a top-notch culinary experience and he wanted it to be a unique offering. “If you want to do well as a hotel in Delhi, you have to excel in F&B. If we only concentrate on rooms, we will fail. One has to be creative and that was the mission I gave to my team – to come up unique concepts and be good at them,” he says. “We want guests from all over the city to find an F&B destination in our property and enjoy our hospitality,” he adds. Strong on concepts and uniqueness, a walk in the newly constructed Pullman in the Aerocity
reveals that the hotel has been themed on peacocks. A number of patterns depicting peacock feathers and its vibrant colours can be found on carpets and ceilings giving it a rustic Indian vibe. “In certain ways it’s a fusion of French hospitality with Indian feel and vibe,” says Tristan.
“The credit goes to our wonderful designer who conceptualized the idea of a theme and you will find it everywhere. From designs of the floor carpet to peacock feather shaped glass hanging from the ceiling – Colours and patterns are ubiquitous. Talking about his strength as a hotel and its intended standing, he shares that he wanted to position it primarily as a MICE hotel. “Facilities of this hotel are almost perfect. It is ideally suited for the MICE market. We have one of the biggest ballroom space in the capital that can hold very large convention,” he says. “In addition to this, we have combo brand i.e. Pullman and Novotel – which is closely linked to Ibis. So having these brands gives us a great opportunity to cater to a wide range of market
and strongly position ourselves in the MICE segment,” he reasons. This development has a positive bearing of Aerocity which has found hard to realize its proposed development plans. As Pullman unveils its 100th hotel, it will augment Aerocity’s MICE credentials. Tristan shares that the ultimate objective of all the hotels here was to make Aerocity itself a thriving MICE destination and believes that collaboration with other hotels was one way to do it. “Large conventions can sometimes, comprise of over a thousand delegates and we only have 670 rooms. We also need to keep some rooms for our regular visitors. In such a situation, collaboration with neighbours is a way out. So, it’s very co-existential space we work in,” says GM.
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global exchange
Scandinavia
Infrastructural integration and cultural distinctiveness key to Scandinavia’s unique positioning: Mohit Batra Scandinavia is a shining example of regional integration backed by robust rail and road connectivity, apart from putting in place hassle-free visa norms. Despite no direct airconnectivity between the two, it is growing as a preferred getaway for young travelers – who are increasingly bypassing regular European destinations to experience its diverse offerings. Mohit Batra, Scandinavia Tourist Board shares with us latest trends, reasons for its success as a destination and much more. By shashank shekhar
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candinavia – a trio of three nations including Denmark, Norway and Sweden – is seeking to position itself as an alternative to the usual European getaways. Extending north of the pristine Arctic Circle, it hosts some of the most fascinating wilderness, longest surviving monarchy and offers nightlife that have emerged as its strong pull factors. Growing Indian interest is evident by increase in footfalls. While, Denmark registered a noticeable increase of thirty percent in year-on-year outbound, Norway too notched up decent numbers. Although the tourism connect between the two is primarily driven by leisure travel; Sweden, in particular, has had substantial business presence in India. The only impediment to this promising relationship is the lack of direct air-connectivity between India and Scandinavia. And, the need is to have either of the governments’ have a direct stake in the process to ensure earnestness in improving bilateral footfalls. Mohit Batra, Scandinavian Tourist Board says that, “It remains a fact that as of now we do not have direct air-connectivity between
India and Scandinavia. But, it is wellconnected via Finland and Fin-Air has direct flights from India. We have got Emirates and Qatar Airways flying into the three capitals via Dubai. A number of European airlines like the Lufthansa and British Airways too fly to these cities. You can reach Scandinavia faster than you reach London on an indirect flight from Delhi. So there are multiple ways to access these countries,” he contests. “However, it does not stop us from hoping that we will have that sometime soon. We are aware that if we were to have a direct flight that will lead to an exponential growth in bilateral numbers,” he adds. Sharing that back-channel efforts were on to examine the possibility of having either of the national carriers fly between countries, he mentions, “these negotiations have been on for some time now. But, all of this will take some time to materialize. So, we want to make use of the best available resources and increase Indian movement to the Scandinavian shores.” India is close to clocking 2,00,000 room nights per annum in these three countries, according to the latest figures. Mohit tells us that apart from the regular travellers seeking a vacation
highlights
Mohit Batra Scandinavia Tourist Board
It remains a fact that as of now we do not have direct air-connectivity between India and Scandinavia. But, it is wellconnected via Finland and Fin-Air has direct flights from India. We have got Emirates and Qatar Airways flying into the three capitals via Dubai. A number of European airlines like the Lufthansa and British Airways too fly to these cities. You can reach Scandinavia faster than you reach London on an indirect flight from Delhi. So there are multiple ways to access these countries.
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in Europe, they have also been able to tap first time young travellers who have been impressed by its scenic beauty and word of mouth publicity. “We get a lot of young Indians who come to Scandinavia impressed by its striking pictures, wilderness, and rich culture. Lot of people just do the capitals tour – it has some beautiful cities,” he says. Giving an insight to the Indian travellers psyche, Mohit reveals that most of the Indian travellers preferred a two week holiday, which also helps them cover the entire region and yet yearn for more. “It gives them the time to soak in the high-flying capital life, fine-dining in a plethora of Michelin star restaurants, go fishing, kayaking or just enjoy the wilderness. We know that we will get a repeat traveller,
Denmark, Norway and Sweden – the trio which form the Scandinavian countries – are increasingly becoming a tourist draw for young Indian travelers. Its appeal as a ‘new’ destination beyond the usual European getaways like Paris, London and Berlin is making it an attractive prospect for the outbound A heady mix of tradition and modernity, some of its cities have, extensively, put to use SMART city mechanisms . Copenhagen is often dubbed as the world’s cleanest city and most honest too Lack of direct air-connectivity remains a hindrance in realizing the full potential of bilateral tourism. Either of the governments’ must have a stake in the process to ensure earnest efforts in boosting mutual movement of goods and services Scandinavia’s robust regional connectivity – boasts of a wide network of rail and road infrastructure, and hassle-free movement within the borders of three countries. Demonstrates the effectiveness of regional co-operation in tapping global business and travel simply because the landscape has an unmatched recall. So the duration of stay works well for us,” he says. Another factor that makes it a unique region, different from the rest of Europe, is variety of offerings it stores, says Mohit. “Much of the Europe is monotonous.
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global exchange Whereas, Scandinavia has varied terrains. All the three countries have different languages, currencies, yet they maintain a great homogeneity in quality of experience. You will not find that elsewhere,” he tells us. Relaxed visa norm enabling guests to visit all the three countries at a go on a single visa enables travellers to visit the entire region. Excellent road and rail connectivity, coupled with daily luxury cruise service ensures that the movement is smooth and contributes to the economic growth of entire region. “Indians generally like travelling the whole region and our visa policy allows them to do exactly that. You can sleep on luxury yacht in Copenhagen at the night– which plies daily – and wake up next morning in Norway. The connectivity is just amazing, allowing visitors seamless travel experience,” he explains. Scandinavia is shining example of the collective efforts on the part of countries seeking to bolster movement by projecting a region as one entity, yet maintaining its distinctiveness. India has been a strong votary of robust regional connectivity, integrating SAARC countries into a web of interlinking infrastructure has been one of the important priorities for the present government. The lesson from Scandinavian success is worth emulation and can work wonders for the entire region generating ample employment and revenues. “It is indeed a concept that came to light in the past two decades where organizations and, increasingly now, nations have begun to realize that one can only grow by integration and linkages. Hopefully, sooner or later more people and nations will understand that too and it will trickle down to the rest of the world,” he opines. Sharing that apart from having a seamless connectivity within these countries they were also very well connected to the western part of Germany and Finland. “On the other hand Russia is not so far off either. So possibilities are many,” he tells us. “How we use these opportunities will be determined by individual nation's resolve in pushing towards new frontiers in terms of connectivity and seamless movement. Hopefully, we will get there one day,” he concludes.
Denmark
Young Indians attracted to Copenhagen’s night life, SMART city measures make it a safe and friendly destination, says Giuseppe Liverino
Giuseppe Liverino Project Manager, Wonderful Copenhagen
We understand that Indians are travelling more looking for newer experiences. This phenomenon also correlates with India’s economic rise in the recent past.
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Giuseppe Liverino, Project Manager, Wonderful Copenhagen, believes that Denmark could be the next big draw for Indians given its abundant offerings. Calling Copenhagen one of the safest cities in the world, he says that young Indians are increasingly getting attracted by its fascinating night life and quality of experience on offer.
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enmark is a heady mix of tradition and modernity. On one hand it offers a breathtaking view of palaces, dungeons, and fascinating art. While, by imbibing most modern technology and measures to run the city – locals and travellers are experiencing high ‘quality of life’ in equal measure. Copenhagen, its capital, has long been at the very top in the coveted list of being one of the cleanest cities in the world. Its fame is steadily making it a popular destination among young Indian travellers looking beyond the usual European getaways. “We understand that Indians are travelling more looking for newer experiences. This phenomenon also correlates with India’s economic rise in the recent past,” reasons Giuseppe. Referring to the fact that Indian market remained competitive, he said, “We are in a crowded market where every country is
Sweden
Unique elements, showcasing ‘Swedish way of life’ our USP; Indian outbound growing by twenty percent
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nown for its natural beauty and wilderness, Sweden’s offering is also supplemented by Stockholm’s culture, lifestyle and fashion – which remains core to its tourism draw. It is the pull of experiencing the Swedish ‘way of life’ which has firmly put it on world map. Sweden enjoys a unique positioning in the Scandinavian tourism landscape. On one hand it has to offer one of the most pristine wilderness, it also packs a punch with a plethora of offerings aimed at attracting the quintessential city traveler. High on fashion, culture and lifestyle, its pull has resulted in Indians visiting Sweden in large numbers. Sweden can actually be called a country of stark contrasts explains Thomas Bruhl, representative, Sweden Tourism Board. “High on fashion, the city has a strong cultural aspect as well – which is a unique combination in many ways. There are
archipelagos, pure nature and wilderness that can only be experienced and not described in words. One can call it exotic quietness. It is one of the most pristine locations in the world,” he says. While, Stockholm awaited a completely different experience for visitors – the city experience, he tells us. “Whether you are travelling with family, friends or backpacking alone, Swedish lifestyle is something that will attract you. The quality of life, engagements on offer and simply soaking in the ‘Swedish way of living’ – there is so much to see and experience,” he details. Explaining the reason behind this marketing push in India, he reveals that apart from China, India remained high on their radar as an important market in the global context. He shared that the feedback from engagements in India were positive and cited decades old Swedish
vying for young Indian traveller’s attention, but our offering make us very unique.” He termed India an upcoming market sharing that a number of Indian couples and youngsters came to Copenhagen for a few nights before venturing into neighbouring Norway and Sweden. “They even go to other European countries from there. But, the fact remains that even three days are not enough to completely soak in the experience on offer,” he shares. Denmark’s constant push for sustainability as a city and a destination means that it is just a little shy of becoming the first country to attain the ‘carbon-neutral’ status. “Sustainability and the idea of environmental-friendly development is very important to us, it forms the core of what we have to offer to our visitors. It is one the cleanest cities of the world,” he tells us. “A quarter of our energy needs come from windmills, so we are sensitive in maintaining our pristine environment. In fact, Denmark is on course of becoming the first ‘carbonneutral’ nation in the world,” he informs. Stressing on the ‘quality of visitor experience’, he cites that Copenhagen also happens to be the cycling capital of the world. One of the pioneers in creating dedicated cycling tracks and related infrastructure, these tracks has now become pivotal to city’s daily traffic movement. “A whopping 55% of the city residents ply on bicycles every day for their daily chores. The city is unmatched
corporate connect with India to lend weight to his case. “Tourism connect has been an old one, driven by corporate movement as many Swedish companies have stake in Indian market – that have been working with India for a long time,” he explains. He further says that Swedish government and companies were interested in investing in India. We are working with our government with joint investment from public and government bodies to promote Stockholm in India. We are very keen on an aggressive marketing of our destination,” says Thomas. There is a reason for this profound optimism. In the past year Sweden has witnessed a twenty percent jump in Indian travelers coming to its shores and he believes that think numbers will be similar for this year too. “India is an interesting market for us,” he says. Sweden now intends to explore the possibility of having a direct airconnectivity between the two countries. Its trigger effect in augmenting movement between India and Sweden was not lost on him. “We are analysing the market now, and we are in touch with different airliners to see if we can have a direct flight between the two countries,” he revealed. Sounding confident that a
in terms of extensive cycling lanes – which are exclusive in nature. A dedicated 350 kilometres network of lanes ensure that our visitors and citizens virtually travel to any part of the city with ease,” shares Giuseppe. Apart from being the cleanest, it has also been one of the safest cities in the world. “It is one of the most honest city you will find. There are no security issues, law and order problems. You do not have to worry about theft or burglary,” he says. But what is actually driving Indian youth to this beautiful city is the unmatched night-life it has to offer, explains Giuseppe. With dozens of bars dotted across the length and breadth of the city, visitors have plenty to choose from. “Copenhagen has one of the wildest night-life to offer. And, I can tell you that young Indians, who are increasingly taking to us in good numbers, love to experience it. The hospitality and ease with which you can blend with locals and enjoy yourself is our USP,” he tells us. He sounds confident of the Indian market, banking on city’s diverse offering. “We have registered a noteworthy thirty percent rise in year-on-year footfalls, which makes us very optimistic. In the coming years we are poised to explode in terms of numbers,” he asserts. “People have seen Paris, Berlin, Rome and London. Today’s traveller is yearning for new destinations and experiences, and Copenhagen perfectly matches all these needs of our Indian guests,” he concludes.
thomas bruhl representative, sweden tourism board
We are analysing the market now, and we are in touch with different airliners to see if we can have a direct flight between the two countries. This will definitely help feed leisure tourists looking for a vacation in Sweden.
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breakthrough on this was possible in the near future, he says, “This will definitely help feed leisure tourists looking for a vacation in Sweden. In the coming years we intend to increase our investments in social media campaigns substantially to further penetrate Indian market creating sufficient brand visibility,” he signs off.
24
global exchange
Georgia
The call from “cradle of wine” Georgia, which was part of the erstwhile Soviet Union block, is a relatively unknown destination in the Indian market. But the small country lying in what is loosely called Eurasia zone is a unique example of reaping rich dividends out of its wine tourism offerings. By ritwik sinha
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eorgia which lies at the cross roads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia (formerly part of the Soviet Union block which was liberated in 1991) truly has a quintessential tourism orientation and this is well reflected in this basic statistic. It is one of those rarest destinations in the world which get more visitors than its actual population. According to Georgia Tourism Board data, the country had received about 5.5 million tourists last year – a hefty 1.8 million more than the actual population of the country. And this year, it is expecting a modest jump of around 10 percent in arrivals, touching 6 million mark. The awareness about its tourism assets are clearly low in India as the arrivals figure show – a little less than 4000 last year. There has been some encouraging signs this year with Indian arrivals in the first nine months amounting to over 6000 which marks a jump of around 80 percent. “We know that not many Indian leisure travellers exposed to the noted global destinations have come to our country. And that is primarily because they do not have much information about Georgia. We are determined to change that,” George Chogovadze, Head of Administration, Georgian National Tourism told TourismFirst on the sidelines of its debut roadshow in India which was organised in Delhi early this month. While the roadshow had its own share of usual enthusiasm and fanfare, there was a clear distinction which appeared
out in Georgian Tourism presentation. There are many countries in the world which have wine tourism as an important attraction of their invitation card but they usually project it in a bundled format. But in the case of Georgia, it was the most prominent calling card. A country which has made quite a sound progress on the road to modernity and has diverse tourism products to boast of today has wine tourism as its most prominent offering. And this primarily emanates from consistency of a tradition which has strong roots in the ancient era. “Georgia has been producing wine for 8000 years and wine making is part of Georgian lifestyle. And it has huge tourism implications. In fact, it has been a traditional draw for the tourists from the neighbouring countries and now we are exploring other markets in the world,” Chogovadze emphasised. Georgia takes pride in being called the “the cradle of wine” and wants to further tap this asset by getting in improved numbers from countries like India where the outbound number has gone up consistently in the recent years. And details stemming from Georgia Tourism presentation clearly underline what makes wine tourism in Georgia so special. Many historians believe that Georgia was the birthplace of wine as exemplified by discovery of ancient wine vessels made of clay, bronze and silver; golden wine cups; wine barrels dated to the 2nd or even 3rd millennium BC in the last few centuries. Wine making has been a traditional economic mainstay especially for Georgians in the hinterland
Georgia becomes accessible for Indians with Air Arabia partnership
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ith India becoming the fastest growing outbound market (in percentage terms), Georgian tourism is also eyeing to garner a bigger slice of the pie. In 2015, it is expecting to get over 7000 Indian travellers which is too low a number considering the projected 6 million footfall in the Caucasian country this year. Apart from low awareness in the Indian market, the lack of direct air linkage has also been considered as a major hurdle. But this is likely to change with Air Arabia stepping in the scene. Georgia Tourism and Air Arabia have now forged a partnership wherein the global LCC major will provide easy access Sachin nen to Indian travellers to Georgia from its Sharjah Regional manager (india), Air Arabia hub (Air Arabia had partnered the roadshows organised by Georgia Tourism in Delhi and Since Georgia is on our route map, Mumbai early this month). With 112 weekly we felt that we can join hands and frequency covering 13 Indian destinations, Air promote the Georgian tourism in the Arabia is the second largest airline operating countries where we are strong and they in India offering around 80,000 seats. And in are seeking to make a mark. India is October 2014, it had also brought Georgian clearly one such country. Indians can capital Tbilisi on its global route map. “Since now easily reach Georgian capital using Georgia is on our route map, we felt that we can connecting flights from our Sharjah hub join hands and promote the Georgian tourism in which is just three hours away the countries where we are strong and they are seeking to make a mark. India is clearly one such country. Indians can now easily reach Georgian capital using connecting flights from our Sharjah hub which is just three hours away,” explained Sachin Nene, Regional Manager (India) of the airline.
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highlights
George Chogovadze Head of Administration, Georgian National Tourism
Wine is part of our culture and is in Georgian DNA. Even for our tourism business, it is a major pillar and that is why it is the lead element of all our promotional drive. Our tourism stakeholders know it well.
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and there hasn’t been much of a change in its prominence in the recent times. As a result, Georgia today produces over 500 varieties of grapes and its warm climate and moist air from the Black Sea provides ample support to make innumerable varieties of wine. “Wine is part of our culture and is in Georgian DNA. Even for our tourism business, it is a major pillar and that is why it is the lead element of all our promotional drive. Our tourism stakeholders know it well and their offerings are attuned to make the most of this natural strength,” Chogovadze pointed out. High up in the foothills of Georgia’s Caucasus mountains, there are many dedicated pockets which expose the entire gamut of Georgian wine making to the tourists. For instance, there is Kakheti region where vineyards have been in existence since 5000 BC. Kartli Province is equally famous for its wine making culture Those in the business of managing and guiding tourists in Georgia have dedicated tour programmes for these places where visitors have the unique experience of not only
Georgia, a small country with 3.5 million population in Eastern Europe, received 5.5 million tourists last year Wine tourism is a critical strength of Georgian tourism There are pockets of excellence within the country showcasing Georgian expertise in wine making Wine tourism offerings is the major component of Georgian tourism promotional drive as it seeks to tap new markets beyond its immediate neighbours Georgia expects 6 million arrivals this year tasting wine but also participate in scores of events and festivals which are quintessentially local in nature. “While our unique varieties of wine are available everywhere in the country, tourists like to visit vineyards as it is quite experiential. Our tourism stakeholders do take care of creating local activities around them so that the visitor should go back with unforgettable experience,” said another senior official of Georgian Tourism. Even as Georgia is getting more visitors than its actual population, its major source markets continue to be its immediate neighbouring countries. “Our major source markets are Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan with whom we share our borders. The other big markets are Russia and Ukraine. Wine is one of the major draws for visitors from these countries since they are exposed to our unique offering because of geographical proximity. However, we are taking this ‘cradle of wine’ message to the new markets aggressively and we are hopeful it will result in incremental footfalls in the coming years,” commented Chogovadze.
Georgia plans to push MICE in a major way
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hile wine tourism has been a traditional draw for Gerogia, the country also has a diversified profile both in terms of other historical assets and attractions which have been developed in the recent decades. Its unique UNESCO sites include the ancient capital city of Mitskheta which comprise the massive cathedral complexes of Bagrati and Gelati. The country also is a hotbed of adventure sports with well developed facilities
for winter ski resorts and mountain trekking. Georgia is now eyeing to make it big in the MICE segment. “Our MICE business is growing and we are supporting it in a big way. We have set up a new convention bureau. We are setting up a new Congress center. So we are acting fast to enhance our MICE base,” Chogovadze pointed out. Most of the convention activities in Gerogia are presently centered around its capital Tbilisi catering mainly to
corporate clients coming from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Poland. But the country is now aggressively targeting Western European market to push its MICE business to the new stage. “Due to our natural assets and also plenty of adventure avenues, MICE is a segment which will work very well for us. We are keen to open up new markets for our MICE offerings and that is why we are promoting it quite aggressively now,” Chogovadze explained.
25
global exchange
Ireland
Heritage preserved unlimited With its innovative initiatives and offerings, Ireland is proving the point that nothing matters more in the tourism business than offering unique experiences. By Jyoti Balani
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ondonderry in Northern Ireland is a city of unparalleled beauty and a uniqueness that makes it well worth a visit. This city has undergone a compelling transformation that has seen it emerge from a long and colorful history to showcase its brilliance to visiting tourists and is known as Ireland’s historic Walled City. A melting pot of history and heritage, activities and adventure, Londonderry’s calendar is crammed with festivals and events that draws visitors from far and wide. Consistent efforts put into preserving such cities, restoring and beautifying them can ensure that they become a part of the living heritage for international tourists and a matter of pride for locals and Londonderry is one such fabulous example. The tourism board has taken initiatives such as organizing a bus tour and walking tours for tourists. While in Londonderry, it is a great idea to go on a hop on hop off bus tour for sightseeing. The bus stops at seven important landmarks such as the City Walls, Guildhall Square, the Free Derry Corner, the Ebrington Square and offers multilingual commentary in Spanish, French, English, German and Italian. Those who prefer to go on a walking tour can sign up for one. The city’s transformation has ensured that there is something to attract everyone whether it is a food enthusiast or a shopaholic or even a fashionista. With a range of restaurants and bistros that are renowned for delivering a unique culinary experience, whether it is delicious scallops, mussels, cod and wild salmon caught fresh from the Atlantic or locally sourced beef, pork and lamb from neighboring farms, LondonDerry has restaurants that serve a range of mouthwatering produce with spectacular quality and artistic inventiveness. As one sets out to shop, it is obvious that the city offers a shopping experience which fuses the past to a vibrant present. The short distances between High street stores, family owned businesses, designer boutiques and markets make it convenient for shoppers to explore everything within a day. There is a choice between Foyleside and Richmond Shopping Centres for all the best known high street names or the artisan shops in Derry’s Craft village. The Craft Village has all the characteristics of a bygone age and is the ultimate refuge for curious visitors seeking distinctive delights away from the bustling city. Derry houses Austin’s department Store, the oldest independent department store in the world which is renowned not only for its high street fashion but also for its impressive range of Irish crystal, giftware and linens. It also helps that The City Hotel Derry; one of the best hotels in this city is located ideally perched on the banks of the River Foyle within five minutes of walking distance of the historic Derry Walls. It was really convenient to visit Londonderry’s attractions most of which are within walking distance from this hotel. A fun way of attracting tourists to a city is organizing a food tour that showcases the best of the region, while in Belfast I went on one such food tour which was a revelation of sorts. Food is a great way to connect with a region’s culture and ethos. The tour started in St Georges Market which is a weekend market and is filled with colourful stalls selling various local arts, jewelry, crystals, scarves, crafts stalls, antique stalls, meats, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. Culinary enthusiasts will be thrilled to see various cuisines both local and international cooked fresh here in the market making this a learning experience along with an enjoyable one. Friendly and well informed food guides lead these tours and spice it up with anecdotes about Irish food which makes these tours
a great way to connect with the soul of the city. Most of these tours have 15-20 members and by the time the food tour ends, everyone is on friendly terms with each other. My food tour started by sampling a variety of teas, followed by bread, coffee, sausages, cheeses, ciders and various local delicacies. Later we stepped out of the market to visit a few pubs, a chocolate boutique, a coffee bar, and lastly to a restaurant. Through this tour I got the opportunity to spend time with locals as well as tourists in Belfast. The second half of my Irish tour was in Ireland’s Ancient East, a region that showcases the soul of a beautiful country. A tour around the new Wexford Opera House, an attractive building which hosts the internationally renowned Wexford Opera Festival every October was a great place to start. A model of discreet modernity and as cutting edge as the one in Oslo, Wexford Opera House has perfect acoustics with all the comfort, style and sophistication that is expected from an opera house of high standards. Wexford was earlier known as just a fishing town but the opera house has put this small town on the global map, with its 780 seater space, crystal clear sound and spacious stage. Kilkenny City, a vibrant medieval city which displays a wonderful blend of the old and new, dating back to the 6th century, with its various structures and buildings highlighting the many periods since then was a feast for the eyes as I discovered during my Irish sojourn. A regular winner of Ireland’s tidiest town awards, the city’s lanes and bylanes have
rows and rows of beautiful flowers. As we entered the town of Kilkenny, my first thought was, ‘What a gorgeous town full of rows and rows of colourful flowers in full bloom.’ Kilkenny is of substantial size by Irish standards and boasts of several heritage sites and beautiful areas, add to it that this town is always spick and span, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that it is a tourist’s delight. The Keep Kilkenny Beautiful group along with committees and residents’ associations in the city work very hard to maintain the town’s cleanliness and beauty. Areas such as The Parade, which has changed completely in recent years to become more welcoming to those who want to just sit and watch the world go by add to Kilkenny’s attraction. The bridge near Kilkenny River Court Hotel looks gorgeous with the addition of the floral theme along the riverbank and is a favourite with couples in love who stroll by often. Kilkenny has so much to offer visitors whether it is top of the line arts, sports, culture, food and accommodation, heritage and adventure. The opening of the Smithwick’s Experience in July last year has added yet another attraction and is preferred by several tourists. These initiatives have not just been taken by the Irish government or the tourism board but also the local communities and citizens of neighborhoods who put constant efforts and invest time to ensure that their surroundings are beautiful throughout the year. Not just to attract tourists but it is also to inculcate a sense of pride in their own culture, identity and roots, this is a vital lesson we could learn from the Irish!
FIT’s driving tourism; growing MICE outbound a good sign
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reland is finding increasing traction among Indian outbound. Lead by self-drive groups – Indian driver’s license is valid there – and small family groups, it is receiving healthy number of Indians seeking a unique Irish jaunt. “The majority of Indian travellers to Ireland are FIT travellers. However, we are seeing a significant rise in MICE movements to Ireland as well,” tells Beena. “The honeymoon segment numbers have also risen over the last few years as well,” she shares. Crediting excellent air-connectivity for increased footfalls between India and Ireland, she says that air connectivity from India to Dublin and Belfast was excellent from India with Europe and Great Britain being the main access points. “One-stop connections are also convenient to Dublin and are serviced by multiple European carriers. Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines have daily connections with stopovers at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul respectively,” says Beena. Ireland has also benefitted from an integrated marketing and promotional approach adopted by the United Kingdom and Ireland. The launch of British Irish Visa Scheme in 2015 – which enables visitors to travel to both the countries on a single visa – has also been received well by Indians, we were told. “Additionally, Indian food is also easily available which makes it a popular destination among Indians who like to eat at least one Indian meal per day,” she shares. Apart from conventional means of promoting a destination, cinema and TV, too, have played a crucial role in creating Ireland’s destination recall. Movies like Ek Tha Tiger and popular TV series Games of Thrones have marketed it far and wide, helping Ireland reach out to global audiences. Sharing that Ireland has been a long-time favourite for cinema
Beena Menon Representative India, Tourism Ireland
The majority of Indian travellers to Ireland are FIT travellers. However, we are seeing a significant rise in MICE movements to Ireland as well. The honeymoon segment numbers have also risen over the last few years.
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shooting she says that, “The island of Ireland is perceived as a scenic destination offering a variety of landscapes, making it a popular filming location for movies shows such as Harry Potter, P.S I Love You, Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan as well.” “In 2015, a film which stars Himesh Reshammiya and Shekhar Kapur and directed by Vivek Singhania has been filmed in Ireland and is scheduled to hit screens worldwide in 2016 which we hope will give Indian travellers a further impetus to visit Ireland,” she further adds.
Interview by shashank shekhar
26
cruising
Cumbersome regulations limiting India’s international cruising experience Sudesh Kishore, President, SeaDream Yacht Club believes that lack of appropriate infrastructure and too many security regulations are hindering ultraluxury yacht market – which has steadily grown over the years. An excerpt of the interview: By shashank shekhar
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ow mature is the Indian luxury market? How has been your experience of the Indian market in almost three years of your operations? India has seen growth in luxury consumption in the last few years. Accounting to this is the fact that the number of millionaires in the country
has risen from 1,96,000 to 2,50,000, an increase of 27%, in only the past year. The country has already been introduced to high-end brands and luxury lifestyles. From cars, watches to seeking experiential holidays and unique holidays, the Indian market has surely gotten accustomed to the taste of sophistication and big buys. SeaDream Yachts is exactly the experience the affluent Indian traveler is looking for.
Since SeaDream India’s operations, in FY2013, we have seen a steady elite segment being carved out for
the luxury yachting experiences. SeaDream’s intimate, experiential, meticulously created ambience and 5-star cuisine at sea is being appreciated by a growing breed of well-travelled elite individuals, who are willing to spend for a fresh take on vacationing. What is your USP? What is it that you have to offer to the Indian Customer? SeaDream Yachts are chic and stylish. Their 56- stateroom twin yachts are favoured for their elegant informality, state-of- the-art facilities, personal service provided by a crew of 95, inclusive open bar and gratuities, ocean view accommodations, luxury spa and world class cuisine. Whether you are a golf enthusiast, a race car lover, a nature's person or a food and wine person, SeaDream has voyages to suit everyone. Club Members who wish to book their next voyage while sailing onboard the yacht can make use of the special privilege packages. As I see from your website, most of your cruises are in the Transatlantic or in the Caribbean. But nothing in the Asian seas, why is that? Which route is most sort after by Indian consumers? We plan itineraries based on feedback received from loyal club members and global travel trade. In keeping with their preferences, the company introduces voyages in select destinations. We made our maiden visit to Asia, in FY2013. We will plan to revisit the region, once we have received feedback from our global guests and trade. For now, we continue to sail in the popular Mediterranean & Caribbean destinations. Are you bullish about the Indian luxury market in the coming years? How has been the response so far? We believe the India luxury market will continue to grow. The luxury market is set for an eternal relationship with the country and its people. With this, we look forward to increased business opportunity for SeaDream and having more elite Indians sail aboard our ultra-luxury yachts. What is your take on the Cruise and Yacht industry in India? It is flourishing in Dubai and Singapore. India has an extended coastline and plenty of seas. Why haven’t we done well? What is your take on the issue? Currently, the ultra-luxury options for international yachts/cruises in India are limited. This is primarily due to the lack of appropriate infrastructure and stringent security regulations, which makes it difficult for International Cruise/ Yachts to come to Indian shores. The Tourism Ministry is taking adequate steps to change that which will give International yacht and cruise companies a reason to look at India in a much more serious light.
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