Express Travelworld September, 2013

V0L 8 NO.8 PAGES 44

September 2013, `50

Market Tourism gets an infrastructure boost in D&N Haveli Edge Interview with Anish Goel, MD, Victorinox India

VOL 8 | NO 8 | SEPTEMBER 2013 | PAGES 44

Chairman of the Board

CONTENTS

Viveck Goenka

PULLMANTUR CRUISES Spanish way of Cruising

Editor

Reema Lokesh* Assistant Editor

Steena Joy Associate Editor

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Sudipta Dev

DIWALI Holidays Cruises.

CONTENT TEAM Mumbai

Kahini Chakraborty, Rituparna Chatterjee New Delhi

Niharika Shukla Kolkata

Joy Roy Choudhury Advisory Board

Ankur Bhatia, Vijay Chadda, Saroj Datta, Ashok Fenn, Subhash Goyal, Cyrus Guzder,

COVER STORY

Zubin Karkaria, Ashwini Kakkar,

IN THE LAP OF NATURE | PAGE 19

Khursheed Lam, Tej Sahni, Alok Sawhney, Prem Subramaniam

MARKET Interview: Jammu & Kashmir tourism minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir

PAGE 08

MARKETING

BAOA roots for consolidation in business aviation sector

PAGE 10

Deputy General Manager

MSC announces itineraries for South Africa, UAE and South America

PAGE 12

AmaWaterways looks to attract wedding segment from India

PAGE 12

Qatar Airways promotes Zurich as MICE destination

PAGE 14

Manager

HKTB looks at targeting youth segment

PAGE 14

Sunil D'costa

Scuba diving in Andaman gets a fillip

PAGE 15

CIRCULATION

Domestic market opens up to motorcycle tours

PAGE 15

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Emmanuel Fernandes

West Mediterranean BARCELONA - TUNIS - ROME – FLORENCE / PISA – GENOA -MONTE CARLO – BARCELONA

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September 2013

G7

EDGE Riding on the digital wave

PAGE 28

Interveiw with Anish Goel, MD, Victorinox India

PAGE 29

LIFE Learning curve

PAGE 30

REGULARS Editor’s Note

PAGE 06

Appointments

PAGE 31

Weekend

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Protect, Preserve and Prosper

T

he mood of our country is definitely sombre, as crucial factors such as socio-economic disturbances invoke a feeling of uncertainty. From industrialists to economists, from the rational to the pessimists there is a sense of staidness in the air. From safety and security concerns (unfortunately increasingly so for women) to that of financial concerns, there is a lot that needs to be put on track, which should be both concrete as well as in conscience. These times are tough for any business or sector, with tourism being no exception. In fact tourism is probably one of the only sectors that is highly sensitive to both manmade and natural upheavals.

Apart from tackling external pressures, the sector also faces its own internal challenges across the segment, be it inbound, outbound or domestic.

Taxation issues, transportation bottlenecks both on land and air, trained and skilled manpower needs to being in sync with technology, the tourism industry needs to have the 4 T’s strongly in place to tide over troubled times. The 29th IATO convention is making an attempt to address few of these issues and build awareness, namely the role and the relevance of social media to business, the growing link between technology and tourism and also the age old issues of taxation and infrastructure bottlenecks. Since tourism is nothing but a people’s industry, the role of trained and skilled manpower is probably one of the most sensitive aspects that need to be addressed.

The theme Innovation and Partnerships does hold meaning as one’s survival rests on them.

Keeping in view the dynamic and volatile socio-economic changes in the global space, survival depends heavily on innovation and the mantra seems rather clear - innovate or stagnate. Those who get it right and now will be the ones who will survive in the future.

PARTNERSHIPS WILL HELP THE SECTOR GROW STRONGER AND FASTER AND IT IS TIME THE FASHIONABLE WORD PPP IS PUT INTO ACTIVE AND AUTHENTIC WORKING ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY IN THE TOURISM SPACE

Education, product upgradation and in short being cutting edge tourism consultants is the need of the hour. Innovative and sustainable niche tourism ideas and products need to be made a reality. Plantation Tours is one such example, which has been covered in this issue. Of course, lastly the best of plans may fail without real-time team work. Partnerships will help the sector grow stronger and faster and it is time the fashionable word PPP is put into active and authentic working across the country, especially in the tourism space. Protect, Preserve and Prosper needs to be implemented wholeheartedly.

CHENNAI:

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September 2013

W H AT ’ S INSIDE

MARKET THE BUSINESS OF TRAVEL & TOURISM

Interview with J&K tourism minister, Ghulam Ahmad Mir PG 8 BAOA roots for consolidation in business aviation sector PG 10

DOMESTIC MARKET OPENS UP TO MOTORCYCLE TOURS

PG 15

MSC announces itineraries for South Africa, UAE and South America PG 12 Qatar Airways promotes Zurich as MICE destination PG 14 Scuba diving in Andaman gets a fillip PG 15 ADTOI launches Maharashtra Chapter PG 18

MANAGEMENT 19 EDGE 28 TRAVEL LIFE 30 September 2013

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'Tourism will last only if it is sustainable' Kashmir is seeing a return of tourism numbers though it's still a long road ahead for the state as it seeks to remake its image after twenty two years of armed militancy. Jammu & Kashmir tourism minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir is buoyant about increasing tourist footfalls and reveals that the new focus is on adventure tourism.By Steena Joy

SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai

The Valley is seeing a return of tourist traffic in recent months, comments.

Yes, we have been able to attract a good number of tourists to the Valley. Despite some incidents in the beginning of the year we held road-shows, interacted with the travel trade players across our trusted markets and we were successful in attracting tourists from these areas.

What kind of marketing strategy is the state government planning to bring the tourists back? k No it is a miss-norm, domestic tourists do come to the Valley to see the scenic beauty of Kashmir. But international tourists and young domestic tourists want to indulge in adventure activities. This year Kashmir festival was organised for this very purpose with main focus on adventure activities like rafting expeditions, paragliding events, cycling, skating, kayaking, trekking, etc. Our aim is to make Kashmir an adventure toiurism destination. We will like to participate in travel marts, travel festival at national and international level so as to make our presence felt.

Is point-to-point connectivity still an issue within the state?

Connectivity is no more an issue. Our state has a very good network of roads to all tourist destinations of importance. In fact some areas have excellent roadscourtesy tourism.

What kind of infrastructural development is needed to place Kashmir as a top destination?

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Tourism gets an infrastructure boost in D&N Haveli

routes are being once again being popularised.

INTERVIEW We have improved a lot but there is scope for doing more. We have limited accommodation when it comes to the high end tourists. We need to look into this issue. Similarly, we have less number of hotels of international standard.

However, investors are now showing keen interest in developing the tourist infrastructure in Kashmir due to which a few five-star hotels have come up during last couple of years and many more are in offing in the private sector.

Taking tourism beyond the Dal Lake.

We are already beyond Dal Lake. We are seeing tourists at other destinations as well. We will be emphasising on virgin areas like Dodpathri, Lolab Bhangus and Yousmarg besides other destinations to be explored as potential tourist destinations with huge infrastructure.

How is Kashmir being promoted as an adventure tourism destination?

Our state offers almost everything to adventure lovers. We have rafting expenditions regularly, sking is going on in winters at Gulmarg, we also organise ski tournaments, trekking,

How is J&K promoting the destination for MICE traffic?

We have a state of art facility for this segment at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convocation Complex (SKICC). Yes we need to have some more facilities in our state and we shall work in this direction.

Is the state promoting golf tourism in a big way?

We have some excellent golfing facilities at Royal Springs Golf Course, Pahalgam golf course has developed in a big way. We are looking forward to promote golf in a big way.

L

ocated 180 km from Mumbai on NH8, the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli is going through an active phase of developing its tourism infrastructure. “In Dadra and Nagar Haveli we are creating a river front on the Daman Ganga. Five acres of land have been allotted for a new state museum. We are developing a lake front in Dudhni. The lion safari is also being improved with three more lions being brought from Junagadh,” said GS Meena, special secretary tourism and collector, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. While Meena is in charge of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, he is also on the committee for Daman and Diu. He added that infrastructure development is taking place very fast, with widening of roads and beautification of the cities.

“Electricity, water supply and sewerage, everything is on the improvement track,” mentioned Meena. A marketing plan will be launched soon to highlight the many attractions of the destination.

He is hopeful that after the launch of the marketing plan both the industry and common public will know more about the area, this will also go a long way in attracting hospitality investors. Meena pointed out that

Your thoughts on sustainable tourism?

Tourism will last only if it is sustainable. Eco-tourism is an emerging field because of its sustainability. All our activities should be nature centric and we must be eco-sensitive.

How can J&K follow a sustainable tourism business model?

Our strength is our location, we are selling nature, we need to have some check and balance system in place which can manage waste generated at tourist destinations. Our activities don’t generate pollution.

We can follow a sustainable model.

Can Kashmir be developed as a transit point for neighbouring countries?

This is the dream of every Kashmiri. If the hostilities between the neighbouring countries stop, we will be glad to act as a transit point.

www.expresstravelworld.com

many hotels are coming up in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

“This year 150 rooms have been added. In Daman and Diu also many hotels are coming up. In Diu a golf course is on the anvil,” he mentioned.

Though not yet on the tourism radar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli is known for its many destinations of natural beauty, including the lion safari, deer park and natural beauties of Sahayadri Hills. According to Meena, there are no law and order issues. “There are not much taxes, and good environment for development of hotels there are no entertainment tax or luxury tax,” he stated.

While heritage structures are being restored in Daman. The 15th and 16th century churches are also getting a facelift in Diu. Daman is also getting an oceanarium and a museum.

September 2013

BAOA roots for consolidation in business aviation sector SUDIPTA DEV – Mumbai

B

usiness aviation sector in India had witnessed growth that started in 2004-2005 and peaked in 2007, when the growth rate was at 26 per cent. The last one and a half years have seen negative growth in the segment. According to Gp Capt RK Bali, secretary, Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA), the key factors for slowdown has ranged from policy decisions to infrastructure issues. The overall factors include high fuel costs and airport charges, high taxes and regulation issues. He points out that while non-scheduled operators and scheduled airlines have similar problems like high fuel cost, for airport

THERE ARE 135 NON-SCHEDULED OPERATORS IN INDIA , ALMOST 70 PER CENT OF THEM HAVE ONE-TWO AIRCRAFT charges the nomenclature is common, which should not be so, particularly for helicopters.

Then there are management issues. “There are 135 non-scheduled operators in India , almost 70 per cent of them have one-two aircraft.

You need to have full infra-

structure for one-two aircraft, while the same facilities can take care of five-six aircraft.

There is a consolidation problem,” stated Bali. BAOA has recommended allowing a professionally managed company to get registered, which can take care of at least seven to 10 aircraft. Bali pointed out that overseas there are many such professionally managed companies which significantly benefits the sector.

Consolidation will also help in manpower issues.

Now pilots are engaged by individual operators and are paid the full salary of `4-5 lakh per month despite the fact that they fly much less hours than scheduled aircraft pilots.

Regulatory factors also

Gp Capt R K Bali need to be addressed. “We are suggesting civil aviation to come out with requirements for business aviation segment. Our aim is to ensure sustainable growth.

The growth of hinterland in

India and regional connectivity was not thought of. There is nothing like a general aviation airport in India.” He is however optimistic of the growth potential. “Our first task is to change the mindset. We have a roadmap in front of us,” he added.

BAOA had recently met the directorate general of Civil Aviation to discuss the forward possibilities and safety concerns on the recent issue of non-schedule operators flying abroad. In a press statement Rohit Kapur, president, BAOA asserted that the ban on business jets should be lifted as soon as possible as it will result in significant losses not only for the sector but also for all enterprises using charter operations.

‘India’s business travel market is the fastest growing in Asia’ Welf Ebeling, VP, operations – Asia, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) talks about the launch of the India chapter and how this will benefit the Indian travel trade industry. By Sudipta Dev What is your perception of Indian business travel segment vis a vis other countries in APAC region?

India is in a similar situation with most other countries in Asia. Business travel has always been part of corporate life but structured travel management is still in its infancy and the role of the travel manager is still undervalued. When GBTA went global it merged existing travel management associations in Europe, South Africa, Australia and Latin America. However there were no similar associations in existence anywhere in Asia.

Do you think you are starting

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the Chinese within the next few years, we think this would be the right time to launch in India.

INTERVIEW the Indian chapter a bit late, or is it the right time?

As India’s business travel market is the fastest growing in Asia and set to double by 2015 with Indian business travellers being forecasted to become the second largest group after

How many members do you have from India and what is the target you are looking at in the next five years?

GBTA globally has 6,000plus members who manage over US$ 350 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. With the launch of the GBTA India chapter and the benefits this will bring to the Indian travel industry we are confident that numbers will grow rapidly and will position the GBTA India as an important group within the global GBTA community. www.expresstravelworld.com

Tell us about your certificate courses?

GBTA has its own Academy which offers training for corporate travel management, buyers and suppliers alike, around the globe. It is linked to some major US Universities such as Virginia U, University of Texas and the prestigious Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. We are currently offering 'The Fundamentals of Business Travel Management' Associate Level Certificate course which is designed as an entry level to the key facets of managed travel.

Participants are expected to take an exam at the end of

the course which underlines the value of the certificate.

What are the benefits of these programmes for the travel trade in India?

The Fundamentals course teaches participants to maximise cost containment, improve efficiency and create a managed travel culture in a company. Business travel expenditure is today the single largest controllable expense for most companies particularly in an export driven market such as India.

Participants will not only expand their own knowledge base and career opportunities but also offer significant benefit to their company.

September 2013

MSC announces itineraries for South Africa, UAE and South America Triple Bonanza offer, children free policy, Indian meals on board

M

SC Cruises in its short tenure has established itself as a reputed cruise liner in India with popular year round sailings in Europe. Considering the rising demand in Asian and African continents, MSC will sail in South Africa, UAE and South America besides year round sailings from Miami and its signature Mediterranean itineraries. “With children free policy, Indian meals on board and a distinct Mediterranean style of cruising, MSC has gained popularity and is

THE SHIP WILL BE DOCKED OVERNIGHT IN BOTH DUBAI AND ABU DHABI, MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR TRAVELLERS TO VISIT THESE CITIES, SHOP AND GET BACK TO ENJOY ACTIVITIES ON THE SHIP

expected do well on the newly introduced routings. MSCs Triple Bonanza offer makes it much more attractive to book a cruise now, under the offer traveller is getting a 50 per cent discount on companion, an added On Board Cruise Credit of upto US$ 100 per cabin and children sail free,” said Amit Mathur, country head – India, MSC Cruises.

MSC Cruises will have MSC Opera and MSC Sinfonia sailing in South Africa from November 2013 – March 2014. The ships will have a wide spectrum of itineraries ranging from two nights to five nights starting from Durban and Cape town and covering various African countries like Kenya, Nairobi, Mozambique and popular points within South Africa.

“The itineraries are ideally suited for incentive groups,

small groups and individual travellers who wish to have a taste of cruise during their holidays. South Africa is a popular destination and presents a good opportunity for travellers as the Rupee has strengthened against South African rand making it a much more attractive destination,” stated Mathur.

MSC also announced the arrival of MSC Lirica to Dubai.

The ship will have one week itineraries starting from Dubai, covering Abu Dhabi and Oman. “The ship will be docked over-night in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi making it possible for travellers to visit these cities, shop and get back to enjoy various activities on the ship. They will also assist travellers with the visa formalities through our Dubai office,” said Mathur. MSC Divina is the biggest and one

Amit Mathur of the latest ship in the MSC Fleet, the ship will be positioned in Miami for the whole of next year starting from this November. The ship will be covering both the Western and Eastern Caribbean in different itineraries to cover points in Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Jamaica, Mexico, Cayman islands, etc. “The destination is very popular amongst Indians and is expected to generate good response for MSC,” mentioned Mathur.

MSC has regular sailings in South America touching points in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. They continue to dominate the Mediterranean region and will have regular itineraries from Barcelona, Rome, Genoa, Venice, Copenhagen and various points in Europe in 2014.

AmaWaterways looks to attract wedding segment from India RITUPARNA CHATTERJEE Mumbai

A

maWaterways, a luxury river cruise line that operates across the rivers of Europe, Russia, Vietnam and Cambodia, and Portugal forayed into the Indian market last year in August primarily attracting the honeymooning segment.

Elaborating on the travel segments in India, Harry Francis, general manager of Western and Southern region, AmaWaterways stated, “Generally we get senior citizens and now we are getting a lot of honeymooning couple as they find river cruising to be a luxury. We have not done wedding on our cruises yet, but we are

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looking forward to this opportunity. Our ships have the perfect capacity for the MICE segment but the only difficulty we face is that the MICE segment requires three nights or four nights which we cannot accommodate. In addition, we are looking at tier II and tier III cities as they have money and are willing to spend.”

Commenting on the emerging concept of river cruising in India, Francis stated, “River cursing is still a novelty in India. People have not heard of river cruising and the cruises that they have heard of are Oceania Cruises and Star Cruises because they are the ones who have two nights and three nights which normally

river cruises do not have. All the river cruises are for a minimum of seven nights.”

Speaking on the USP of his river cruise and the facilities offered, Francis stated, “The USP of our river cruise is that all 75 to 80 rooms in our cruises are outfacing.

The cuisine on our ship is exotic and we serve complimentary wine and beer for lunch and dinner along with champagne for breakfast.

Shore excursion are all inclusive with a new city being shown everyday. We have internet and WI-FI access, 40 bicycles on board and guided tours. We also offer theme cruises like wine cruises where wine-tasting sessions are held, and tulip cruises from end of March to www.expresstravelworld.com

end of May. One of the important thing about river cruises is that one does not experience sea sickness and till date a river cruise has never sunk because they are flat bottom boats in four feet water.”

Since its entry into the Indian market, AmaWaterways has undertaken various promotional strategies like sending mailers, advertising in travel magazines and meeting 30,000 agencies which are into cruises atleast once a week. “Though it hasn't been a big splash for us, we have managed to bring about awareness in India. In future we are expecting this segment to grow,” concluded Francis.

Harry Francis

THE USP OF OUR RIVER CRUISE IS THAT ALL 75 TO 80 ROOMS IN OUR CRUISES ARE OUTFACING.THE CUISINE ON OUR SHIP IS EXOTIC September 2013

Qatar Airways promotes Zurich as MICE destination Airline extends Dreamliner route network to India from September 1, 2013 SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai

Q

atar Airways flies from 12 cities in India with 95 flights per week, connecting to various destinations in Europe, Middle East, North and South America via Doha. The airline is partnering with Zurich Tourism to promote the city as a MICE and leisure destination for Indian travellers.

A four-city roadshow was also organised recently for

NOWADAYS MICE REQUIREMENTS ARE CHANGING AT A SLOW PACE, WITH MORE AND MORE CORPORATES MOVING TO NEW DESTINATIONS IN SEARCH OF EXOTIC VENUES AND LOOKING FOR MORE POSSIBILITIES DURING A MEETING AND AFTER

this. “The airline provides excellent connectivity to Zurich on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The Dreamliner redefines luxury in the skies, employing new technologies that actual invigorates and promote comfort and health aboard.

We offer onward connection to Zurich via our hub in Doha, with 14 flights scheduled per week between Doha and Zurich,” said Henry Moses, country manager, Qatar Airways, adding that, apart from Zurich, the airline also operates connections seamlessly to Geneva, this provides another option for visitors to enter Switzerland.

Qatar Airways has daily flights to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Hyderabad, Kozhikode, Trivandrum, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, with 11-flights-a-week to Kochi

Henry Moses and double daily to the capital, Delhi. “We recently announced our plans to extend Boeing 787 Dreamliner route network to India with the launch of services to and from Delhi and Bengaluru starting September 1, 2013,” mentioned Moses.

Focusing on the attractions of Zurich an ideal host region for meetings, conventions and seminars, Esther Grob, area manager

Russia, India, Asia, Zurich Tourism said, “Nowadays MICE requirements are changing at a slow pace, with more and more corporates moving to new destinations in search of exotic venues and looking for more possibilities during a meeting and after. From traditional banquet halls to trendy hotels, and from ancient palaces to national art museums, Zurich offers a wide range of unique locations to hold events and conferences. In addition, options for post-event activities in Zurich are endless.

The city offers the most extensive and colourful nightlife scene in Switzerland.” She added that business people visiting Zurich can also discover and enjoy the city’s unique mix of pleasure, entertainment, nature and leisure activities.

HKTB looks at targeting youth segment RITUPARNA CHATTERJEE – Mumbai

H

ong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is promoting the destination through Durjoy Datta's latest romantic fiction 'Hold My Hand', with an aim to open up the city through different destinations mentioned in the novel by targeting mainly the youth apart from leisure and MICE segments.

Speaking on the growth of the leisure segment in Hong Kong, Antony Lau, executive director, HKTB said, “In 2012, we welcomed close to 49 million people and in that about three to four million were MICE travellers and the rest were real vacationers. So we have people coming from different segments of the market. We are planning to promote the destination in a couple of areas. One is to find out new ways that creates a buzz and the book is one way. Also it is important for us

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L-R: Anthony Lau - Executive Director HKTB and Durjoy Datta to utilise the digital and social media.”

HKTB is also coming up with

attractive product offerings for Indian travellers. “Our representative here in India, Sunil Puri, MD,

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Mileage Communications (India) is working with all the airlines to come up with favourable, value for money packages year round to take advantage of all the events we have in Hong Kong,” said Lau. When asked about the marketing budget set aside to promote the destination, he declined to disclose the amount.

Lau further added, “A couple of years ago we were only marketing Hong Kong in New Delhi and now we are in five to six cities. We need to create awareness about Hong Kong among the Indian consumers and so we will continue to invest in this market and fine tune our marketing programmes to come up with innovative ideas like this.

HKTB has partnered with Whistling Woods to hold a short story contest inviting film students to produce snippets of the book.

The winning film will premier in December this year in India.

September 2013

Scuba diving in Andaman gets a fillip Country's first scuba diving live-aboard to showcase India as a diving destination SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai

M

umbai based Karina Tourism & Adventures has launched INFINITI, India’s first scuba diving live-aboard in the waters of Andaman Islands. The project is a labour of love for Sunil Bakshi, co-founder and director, Karina Tourism & Adventures, who had been diving for 17 years all over the

DIVING ENTHUSIASTS ARE NOW LOOKING FOR NEW DESTINATIONS AND WE CAN OFFER THEM THAT IN INDIA

world and always wanted to showcase India as a premier diving destination. “I have visited many such live-aboards in other parts of the world and wanted to build something like this for India. I believe that diving in India is at par if not better - in Andaman and

Sunil Bakshi

Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep,” said Bakshi.

He believes that in many ways Andaman is the last frontier for diving. “All the other diving areas have been explored by diving enthusiasts who are now looking for new destinations and we can offer them that in India,” he adds.

The advantages of Andamans as a diving destination are - pristine waters, 100 feet visibility, fantastic coral and marine life, and of course the leisure of diving in a relaxed environment.

“Normally, if you go to a diving destination, for instance Thailand, on a similar island, you will find eight boats are already there, with 30-40 divers underwater. Over here you are just alone along with your divers,” said Bakshi.

The five day packages

include pick-up from the airport, drop at the boat and in one hour guests are ready to leave Port Blair. The luxury live-aboard can carry 16-20 passengers, and has twin cabins, lounge, sun deck, dining area. The target clientele are both Indian and foreign diving enthusiasts. Bakshi has tied up with international tour operators who are specialised in live-aboard packages. “We have already started to get bookings. The season will start from September to May. In India we have PSAs, who are marketing for us,” he mentioned.

On aboard INFINITI training can be given from beginner to instructor. “We have a full dive team - a senior staff instructor and dive masters who assist in certification and training,” said Bakshi.

Domestic market opens up to motorcycle tours SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai

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ounded in 2006, Delhiheadquartered Vintage Rides conducts motorcycles tours for people coming to India. “In the last two years we have also seen an increasing number of people in the domestic market interested in such trips. There is a huge potential in the domestic market,” said Alexandre Zurcher, managing director, Vintage Rides. The last three months have seen 200 inbound tourists take the Himalaya motorcycle tours, along with 50 enthusiasts from the domestic market.

The destinations where Vintage Rides takes its clientele are - Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Nepal and Bhutan. “We are starting motocycle tours to Mongolia. We would love to have the first group of Indian motorcycle riders to Mongolia.

September 2013

Alexandre Zurcher We also have plans for outbound tours to USA and France,” said Zurcher.

For people going solo, Vintage Rides provides bikes, conducts mechanical classes for them and offers GPS itinerary. For those riding in groups, there is a complete package with itinerary, including the services of a tour leader.

Zurcher pointed out that there is marked difference between the inbound and domestic segment. “The inbound market mostly comprises of people

who are 40 plus, while the Indian riders are mostly young, middle class enthusiasts who do not necessarily want to spend on a professional organisation. Those Indians above 35 years of age are however keen to have more experiences and are willing to spend,” stated Zurcher, adding that, an increasing number of women are also interested in going for these tours.

Vintage Rides also organises one-day Sunday morning rides every month in Delhi.

There are also customised packages for two to three days. Travel planning and search website ixigo.com has an application 'On the Way' that is very useful for motorcycle trips. Aloke Bajpai, CEO, ixigo said, “This is a useful application for road hippies. It aggregates all interesting things to do on the road and gives information ranging from ATMs to medical stores and dhabas.”

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‘Rupee depreciation means that foreign travellers will get more value for dollar spent’ With today's customer using multiple devices for travel related bookings, Vikas Agnihotri, director-travel and banking, financial services, insurance, Google India talks about the current travel trends in the Indian market and new innovations in the offing.

By Kahini Chakraborty

INTERVIEW With rupee depreciation, has there been an adverse impact on the travel booking scenario among travellers in the India market?

We have not seen any change in the search volumes for overall travel and travel related elements. Search volumes for domestic destinations, both hotels and flights are holding good but given the state of affairs we will see some shift in international destination searches. The trend is that travellers who are looking for or planning their holidays will look at domestic options. This could be a boon for some of the regular holiday destinations like Goa, Shimla and Ooty, and also for some of the exotic destinations like Ladakh and Kashmir.

The rupee depreciation means that for the inbound travellers more value for the same dollar. It's an opportunity for suppliers especially hotels/agents to capitalise on this and offer foreign travellers options to extend their stay or see a little bit more and visit a city or two extra.

What is the expected growth of the Mcommerce segment in the Indian market for travel bookings?

Mobile is growing at a stupen-

dous pace in India. India is already the third largest country in the world behind China and the US for smartphones shipped (Source: IDC). By the end of 2013 we will have close to 70 million users (Source: KPCB) with a smartphone.

In a recent study conducted by Google in India through Ipsos, it is evident that today’s consumer is a multiscreen traveller, using multiple devices, being device agnostic during the course of his/her planning to buying (dreaming - researching booking) journey for travel related booking. Today’s consumer is researching more across travel elements and booking more using both desktop and mobile depending on their comfort and convenience for booking. Booking and transactions are picking up on mobile and with more players adding mSites and apps this space will continue to grow strongly. Some online travel agents already have mobile assets and they are seeing higher engagement levels.

Corporates today need quantitative measures tagged towards smart incentivising. According to you how has

India's MICE industry grown?

We anticipate this demand to grow over the next few years. There has been an increase in both domestic and international corporates who look at India for meetings, off-sites, conferences and so on. Given the huge increase in the number of hotels coming up, especially branded hotels, international chains adding inventory in India, and the fact that tourism facilities are being constantly improved by the central and state governments, this space is one to watch out for. MICE will offer hotels with a spike in revenues and hence is an important part of their design and growth plans. For multinationals looking towards 'Incredible India' as a destination now with the rupee depreciation, having conferences in India should be a compelling proposition. Researching for such options almost always starts online. Suppliers should look at augmenting their online assets to address such a demand.

Google was looking at launching Flight Search Engine in India as per reports?

There has been some misreporting and speculation on this. Flight

search is not available in India. We only offer flight status search in India. For example: If you type your flight number 9W 333 - we will tell you its departure and arrival time.

We’re constantly innovating to provide more value to our users through innovative product offerings. We also have hotel finder which makes it easier to compare and book hotels that are found across the web. Users can find hotels according to what is important to them, such as price, location, and user ratings.

According to you what are going to be the game changers in the travel sentiments among Indians?

Insights into consumer buying behaviour and understanding of the multiscreen options that he has will have a significant impact on how marketers reach out to their consumer. Mobile is definitely the largest game-changer given its adoption by all. Today's generation is hyper-connected and hyperinformed. Another game changer will be the growth in suppliers hotels as new airlines take off and new properties mushroom.

Marriott International launches free mobile travel game EH STAFF - Mumbai

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arriott International has launched Xplor, a groundbreaking mobile travel game celebrating adventure. A first in the hotel industry, Xplor engages people of all ages to virtually see the world by visiting five gateway cities and accomplishing varied sightseeing challenges along the way. Xplor was developed by Marriott International in partnership with Evviva Games, a division

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of Evviva Brands. It is the second social game offered by Marriott. In 2011, Marriott was the first global hospitality company to launch a social game with My Marriott Hotel.

The game was designed to attract potential employees to careers in hospitality by engaging them in the virtual experience of operating a hotel kitchen and attracted players from 138 countries in the first year alone.

“Social gaming is part of our innovation strategy to

THE GAME WAS DESIGNED TO ATTRACT EMPLOYEES TO CAREERS IN HOSPITALITY

BY ENGAGING THEM IN THE VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE OF OPERATING A HOTEL KITCHEN www.expresstravelworld.com

engage customers and attract the next generation of social, mobile travelers and employees to Marriott. With more than half a billion people playing social games globally— this is an exciting new channel for our company to promote travel and engage with people,” said David Rodriguez, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Marriott International.

“We see guests effortlessly blending work and play in a global, mobile world. They

embrace technology as a central part of their lifestyle,” said Stephanie Linnartz, executive vice president and chief marketing and commercial officer, Marriott International. “I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit behind this game, conceived by a group of employees who observed guests playing games to decompress between meetings, and convinced us to test a new way of engaging with guests,” said David Grissen, group president, Marriott International.

September 2013

ADTOI launches Maharashtra Chapter Likely to hold convention at Maharashtra in 2013 NIHARIKA SHUKLA – New Delhi

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he Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) recently launched its Maharashtra chapter in Mumbai. Abhijeet Patil, chairman, Raja Rani Travels, was appointed as chairman of the Maharashtra chapter and Parvez Dewan, secretary, Ministry of Tourism was the chief guest for the event. The Maharashtra chapter has been launched with the aim to increase the inflow of domestic tourists.

ADTOI's annual convention is also expected to be held in Maharashtra this year.

Speaking on the current position of tourism, Dewan stated, “Maharashtra is second in domestic tourism after Gujarat. Hotel developments are increasing in India because of the rise in domestic tourism which acts as the economic strength for our country. As compared to 2011, domestic tourists rose to 102 crore from 85 crore in 2012,” he said, adding that, “as compared to other states of the country, tourism in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East

needs to be promoted on a larger scale to make people aware of the safety measures being taken for the security of tourists.” While talking about Tawang as the new destination for tourists today, he also threw light upon the festival to be held in Tawang in October which will showcase the international travel mart wherein around 25-26 countries will also experience the culture of Tawang.

On this occasion Subhash Verma, president, ADTOI stated that domestic tourism is a tool of poverty alleviation and employment generation for the country and it will bring in national integration and lay the foundation for incoming tourism.

The event was attended by association heads of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Adventure Tour Operators of Maharashtra (ATOM), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) and other officials from state tourism boards and hospitality industry apart from the executives of ADTOI committee.

Della Resorts to attract MICE, wedding segment New luxury resort in Lonavala's unique mixed used project SUDIPTA DEV -Mumbai

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onavala got a new fivestar luxury resort with the opening of Della Resorts. Following the success of his first extreme sports adventure park, Jimmy Mistry, chairman and managing director, Della Tecnica has added another feather in his cap with this new launch. Considering the fact that Della Adventure had hosted 650 corporates in the last one year, the MICE segment continues to remain the focus of Mistry's strategy.

“We have been hosting seven to eight corporate groups every week from across India. Our presence in digital media is very strong,” stated Mistry. The company also

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Jimmy Mistry

has its own online booking engine. The sales team however approaches the corporate client directly.

Along with MICE, Mistry

is also targeting the wedding segment. “We are already doing 70 per cent occupancy in the new resort,” pointed out Mistry. Della Resorts has 19 banqueting locations (both indoor and outdoor) that can accommodate 750 people. Mistry acknowledged that having done business with large companies in the last two decades he has a good understanding of what corporates want. “When they come here we try and provide the best facility in terms of hospitality and service,” he stated.

The resort has 44 executive rooms overlooking the adventure park. There are 48 superior rooms, which are across two levels and also have personal sit-out. Yet to www.expresstravelworld.com

be inaugurated is the 2000 sq ft Presidential Suite and the luxurious Della Suite.

There are five restaurants, three lounge bars and nightclub. These include Café 24 (24 hour coffee shop and multi-cuisine restaurant), PNF Restaurant & Bar (for Indian, Malwani and Oriental

cuisine); Crème Della (a pure vegetarian restaurat); Carbon Café (a QSR); Gaming Street (indoor gaming food joint); and P18 Nightclub & Lounge that will be launched soon.

For recreation, the adventure park now has more than hundred activities, informed Mistry.

September 2013

W H AT ’ S INSIDE

MANAGEMENT INSIGHT INTO THE TRAVEL MARKET

Interview Subhash Goyal, president, IATO PG 23 ‘Tourism will be successful if it is experiential and qualitative’ : E M Najeeb, chairman, IATO Kerala Chapter PG 24 We are back in Kerala after eight years: Lally Mathews, co-chairperson, IATO convention PG 24 Interview with Arun Anand, IATO convention chairman PG 25

IN THE LAP OF

MARKET 7 EDGE 28 TRAVEL LIFE 30 September 2013

NATURE From the tea estates of Darjeeling and Assam to coffee plantations in Coorg and spice gardens in Kerala, plantation stays are emerging as a niche tourism product that is attracting the evolved traveller who wants to truly experience the soul of the land. Accommodation options ranging from colonial bungalows and heritage homestays add to the unique experience. By Sudipta Dev

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F Cherian Ramapuram

Christine Jamal

Vaivhav Todi

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or the new age traveller who has roamed the world and has experienced many of its glitzy sights and sounds, the new attractions are more simple – the joy of picking leaves in a tea garden, watching the evening sunset from the verandah of a century old bungalow, or living the life of a planter for a couple of days.

There are many unique experiences that plantation stays offer to the discerning traveller. Interestingly, these experiences are not just marketed as a tourism product, but as an eco tourism experience to an evolved segment of clientele.

Apart from the eco tourism aspect which is at the heart of a plantation stay experience, the fact remains that a holiday in a tea estate or a spice farm or a coffee plantation is the unique attraction of unspoiled version of nature at its best – from nature walks and bird watching tours to Orchid spotting. The accommodation is also a highlight – from heritage homestays in spice gardens of Kerala to colonial bungalows in Darjeeling's tea estates.

“Plantation stay becomes unique because it is a combination of an exclusive lifestyle, while touching the soul of the land. It also gives one an opportunity to see the precious commodities that they buy or use in the day-today life. Apart from this it is a very exclusive experience which can be enjoyed only in a plantation,” says Cherian Ramapuram, director – sales, Orange County Resorts & Hotels. Pointing out that his

property in Coorg promotes 'exclusive local experiences', Ramapuram adds that guests are offered a unique experience of living like a planter for a day, going on a plantation trail, and this is what a discerning traveller looks for.

Guest profile has also shown a continuous evolution.

“Today's guests have more educated tastes and is more refined as they have travelled around the world,” he concedes.

Those interested in plantation stays include travellers looking for experiential holidays, nature lovers and adventure seekers, and retired people. Yet another significant category are corporate executives who wish to get away and senior corporates who are interested in using the setting for their strategy meets, small meetings and conference.

“The key trend we are observing is that travellers are seeking experiences rather than just ‘sightseeing’. Concepts such as voluntourism and experiential holidays are gaining popularity in India which is further supported by a general consciousness to the idea of using their recreational time to contribute to the socio economic/ environmental causes they believe in,” states

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Christine Jamal, consultant, Tata Coffee Plantation Trails.

Plantation lifestyle experience Tata Coffee’s Plantation Trails offers its guests 'an authentic plantation lifestyle experience' in its eight colonial and heritage bungalows spread across Coorg and Chikmagalur. According to Jamal it is a unique holiday proposition, combining the grace and grandeur of a bygone era with contemporary comforts and warm service. “History and heritage blend gently here with the fragrance of fresh coffee and the cool mountain air to provide our guests an unforgettable experience. Nestled amidst the lush plantations and cradled by the verdant hills of south India, the bungalows create the perfect destination to refresh and rejuvenate,” she states.

Not only do the guests stay in original planters’ bungalows located amidst lush plantations, but even the food and service is in true plantation style. The staff are also from plantation workers’ families. There are guided coffee tours - guests drive in a jeep through the coffee plantations and receive firsthand informa-

tion on how coffee is processed from bean to cup.

Other activities include a ninehole golf course, badminton, table-tennis, trekking, boating, and white water rafting.

Coorg, acknowledges Jamal, is one of the fastest growing destinations in India. “Our focus continues on providing the guests with the local plantation experience. In the process, we continue to work with local communities towards improving their quality of life,” she adds.

With a special focus on south India, Keralavoyages (India) promotes special experience tours in connection with the tea plantations in Munnar, tea making experience in Periyar, tea plucking experience in Munnar, cardamom plantation walks near Periyar and coffee plantation trails in Coorg and Chikmagalur. “We are basically into inbound markets and we have a strong base in Europe especially in German speaking countries namely Austria, Germany and Switzerland. We also have regular clients from countries like Poland, Denmark,USA, Canada, Australia and UK,” says George Scaria, director Incoming Tours, Keralavoyages (India). He

September 2013

avers that only the high end domestic travellers appreciate plantation tourism initiatives.

Marvel Tours is focused on two types of plantations tours - first is based on the spices and rubber and the second on fish farming and paddy cultivation. Tea plantation tours are also conducted along with tea tasting. Sejoe Jose, managing director, Marvel Tours explains that majority of the guests are from cities and most are not aware of which products come from which plant. “Stay in plantation house is also called farm house stay where the guest along with host experience the life as a farmer. The farmer could have products like rubber/spice/paddy depending on the area the guest wishes to stay. This will not only help guests to understand the farm but also to know the different traditions and customs followed in different villages,” he adds.

Tea tourism The popularity of tea tourism has given a fillip to plantation stays in the north east. For almost two decades Help Tourism, an ecotourism organisation, has been working to promote tea tourism in the Eastern Himalayas. Raj Basu, founder, Help Tourism and his team have managed to convince a significant number of tea gardens and estates to look at tourism as a product.

“The basic idea had come from wine tourism and the key mission was to lead tourists to explore the 'actions behind a cup of tea'. The people involved, the landscape and the heritage. The best part was the hospitality, a culture which developed during the British in India, the Dak Bungalow of the tea estates, which we now call the Tea Bungalow,” says Basu.

The first tea estate to start tea tourism was Phaskhowa in the Buxa Tiger Reserve area of Dooars. “The most successful tea tourism till date is Glenburn. The first to show the way in Assam is by the Jalans at Mancotta, while the most responsible model till

September 2013

THE POPULARITY OF TEA TOURISM HAS GIVEN A FILLIP TO PLANTATION STAYS IN THE NORTH EAST. FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES, HELP TOURISM HAS BEEN WORKING TO PROMOTE TEA TOURISM IN THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS date is Makaibari,” states Basu, who is also the coordinator of teatourindia.com, a project of Help Tourism to support tea tourism in east and northeast India. The tea estates that have been surveyed in Darjeeling and Dooars include Damdim, Rangapani, Looksan, Bundapani, Lankapara, Phanskhowa, Marrionbarrie, Makaibari, Selim Hill, Glenburn, Takdah, Tukvar, Margarete's Hope, Tumsong, Singell, etc. In Assam, the tea gardens include names like Balipara, Sangsui, Rehamabad, Mancotta, Limbuguri, Padumini, etc.

“This is a fast growing sector and has added activities like golf and horse riding to the luxury hospitality. The Tea Bungalows though isolated are safe places even for visit of

all women groups and individuals because of the age old culture,” he mentions. The homestays at labourer houses mainly are used by voluntourists.

Assam-based Greener Pastures is extensively promoting experiences in tea plantations. Guests stay in heritage bungalows which are a reminiscence of the rich heritage of the early British tea growers. “Plantations such as that of tea have a very rich history. Growers, since the time of Britishers, have always been enthusiastic people who live elegant and charming lifestyles devoted to their passion of planting. Staying in a plantation gives the guest a chance to experience this piece of history, while at the same time live in a place of serenity and learn about plan-

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tation processes," states Vaivhav Todi, director, Greener Pastures. Apart from serene walks in lush green tea gardens, visitors can also learn more about tea production by visiting a factory and get to taste the various grades of the finest Assam tea. Other activities include visiting the villages of the tea tribes and Assamese people, safaris in nearby wildlife areas, cooking lessons and cultural programmes.

Green Pastures provide accommodations in three different tea estates across Assam. “Plantation stays deserve popularity because of their uniqueness and rich heritage. It is not everyday a guest can experience a grower's lifestyle and the breathtaking beauty of large plantations.

This segment certainly has a lot of potential as the experience offered is something of value and is a good getaway for families and couples living in cities and other urban areas," adds Todi.

George Scaria

Sejoe Jose

Goel family

Unique accommodation Plantation stays are attracting those people looking for different stay options other than hotels and resorts.

Namastay.in offers travellers the option to stay on plantations - accommodations on its network are small independent places offering anywhere between two to 10 rooms. “We do not work with large hotel chains, so our experience is a lot more intimate. People are moving away from the hotel experience and are actively seeking something new. Most of us living in cities crave to see an expanse of greenery.

Plantations are ideally suited to offer that and when you live in a homestay or a bungalow on a plantation, there is not a better sight to wake up to. That, coupled with a cool climate, quiet and serenity make plantations an ideal getaway for overworked city dwellers,” says Rekha Goyal, co-founder, Travacco/namastay.in. She reveals that the interesting thing about those who opt to spend their getaway at plantations is that

Rekha Goyal

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they come back to experience it again in a different season.

“Repeat clientele is high and they do the best marketing for us, which helps in attracting like-minded people,” adds Goyal.

There are different types of accommodation options in plantation retreats. The basic ones are like more of a homestay attached to the small farm owners home. For example, Pepper County and Elathottam at Periyar. “These kind of accommodations are run by the family members and like a home only. The next level may be a kind of guest house accommodations in estate bungalows like Cherakara and Talapoya in Wayanad district of Kerala or Coffee Plantations Bungalows of Tata Coffee in Coorg and Chickmagalur. Also, the Windermere estate in Munnar is a unique plantation theme resort set in the midst of a 40 acre cardamom plantation,” says Scaria. The next level is luxury and theme resorts like Orange County in Coorg, Serai in Chikmagalur(both in Karnataka), Carmeliya Haven in Vandanmedu in Kerala,

Elephant Valley in Kodaikanal in Tamilnadu, etc.

Some of the properties promoted by Marvel Tours are - Shembaga Villasam (located in 500 acer of farm in Pollachi); Parayil homestay in Kerala – the biggest prawn cultivation centre near Kochi; Elam Thotam - a homestay giving the experience of staying in a rubber plantation which is located in Kanjirapaly, in Kottayam district; Nelpura – a homestay on an island in Allepey district which is in the middle of paddy fields. “There is a lot of interest in plantation homestays with rise in occupancy by 15-20 per cent. In the beginning our target clients were British in particular. But today the trend has changed as we have now people showing interest from Europe and the US,” states Jose. The NRI crowd is another interested segment. Indians visitors from metro cities are also interested in the concept in particular to educate their children.

Many challenges Despite its vast potential plantation tourism has not

developed as a sector due to many factors. Scaria rues that operators like him are not been able to choose a steady marketing of plantation tourism products because of government orders to close down the bungalows. “They also come out with regulations restricting the planters from doing any other commercial activities other than farming. In states like Kerala, the Land Reforms Act etc does not permit the plantation owners to utilise their land for any other commercial activity. If the idea is formulated in a better way with proper licensing and strict monitoring, it can bring a good volume of foreign currency to the country,” says Scaria.

Lack of policy for tea tourism is the biggest handicap for the sector. “We have been lobbying to bring in an amendment that the existing bungalows in no or less use in the tea estate should be allowed for tourism, which means that if all the tea estates agree, there will be more than 2000 quality room nights available for North of West Bengal (Darjeeling Hills and Dooars),” said Basu. They have a demand that all Tea Bungalows with four or less rooms should be exempted from any taxes, service or luxury as such infrastructure are not as profitable to make it a business for tea estate owners.

Photo courtesy: namastay.in

Sustainable practices

TEA BUNGALOWS WITH FOUR OR LESS ROOMS SHOULD BE EXEMPTED FROM ANY TAXES, SERVICE OR LUXURY AS SUCH INFRASTRUCTURE ARE NOT AS PROFITABLE TO MAKE IT A BUSINESS FOR TEA ESTATE OWNERS 22

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Eco tourism is an integral part of plantation stay experience, with many of those involved in developing and promoting plantation stays actively involved in sustainable tourism practices. Mojo Plantation spice farm and the Rainforest Retreat are located in Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka state.

Mojo Plantation and the Rainforest Retreat fund the activities of the WAPRED Research Foundation (Worldwide Association for Preservation and Restoration of Ecological Diversity), an environmental NGO. “At Rainforest Retreat, we welcome travellers from different parts of the world.

Most express their desire to learn more about sustainable living, ecological agriculture, sustainable farming practices.

All our crops here are grown organically under the canopy of the rainforest trees. We bring out all aspects of the ecological agriculture through an interpretive plantation tour to our guests,” says Sujata Goel, who calls herself a farmer. The Goels also grow fresh fruits and vegetables which are used for creating meals for the guests. “They often participate in several plantation related activities as well,” says Goel.

Since its inception in 2000, Rainforest Retreat has attracted ecologically-aware clientele who seek to enjoy the forests and learn about sustainable living and farming practices.

“This category of visitors has grown in the past few years.

We do get more school and university students now as we host more programmes and workshops customised towards their learning through experience,” informs Goel.

The activities at Rainforest Retreat include treks in the local hills with a trained guide; birding and orchid spotting with an in-house naturalist.

Help Tourism's proposal for eco tourism at Makaibari was first accepted by Raja Banerjee, the owner of Makaibari Tea Estate, which is a biodynamic tea garden with 40 per cent natural cover. “We initiated the first eco tourism committee in Makaibari Tea Estate by the name 'Hum Tera', we thirteen, a 13 member committee from the five Labour Lines,” says Basu, adding that, labour quarters were identified as homestays and an alternative livelihood was started for the youths of the tea estate for the first time.

Now after six years, many volunteers from Europe are staying at these homestays from four to 12 weeks, who support social activities.

An extremely niche product, for a segment of travellers plantation stays are an attractive new holiday option, which provides excellent diversity in terms of destination, accommodation types and experiences. Social media and word-of-mouth publicity have been very effective in highlighting this segment.

With inputs from Steena Joy

September 2013

‘There are major challenges which keep our tourism figures stagnated at 6 mn plus since last 3 yrs’ Subhash Goyal, president, IATO is upbeat about the association's annual convention to be held in Kochi and hopes the industry will use the platform to address critical issues to bring back tourist confidence in India.

By Reema Lokesh How has IATO as a organisation evolved over the years?

Founded in 1982 IATO, one of the earliest trade bodies has pioneered huge number of far reaching promotional activities that has brought India tourism trade under one umbrella. IATO progressively became the national apex body for the tourism and travel industry providing a common platform. India’s tourism scene has changed in a big way since IATO formed partnerships with central and state governments and IATO even now is playing a leading role. The association with its sincere efforts revamped the markets with all stakeholders and has grown into authoritative players globally with cross sector membership from 10 plus in 1982 to 1200 plus in 2013 and pan India presence with chapters in states.

Sub-committees were formed to look into various segments of the industry: sustainable tourism issues, tourism policy and taxation matter, grievance and legal matters. Thus in every area, there is a focused professional approach. It is now termed as a Think Tank for the ministry and also acts as extended hands of the ministry of tourism for tourism promotional efforts and policy matters. Some of the other problems that the association has successfully addressed include: market-

September 2013

ing development assistance scheme, enhanced budget for ministry of tourism for its overseas promotional activities, streamlining of visa and increase in the number of visa on arrival, human resource and skill development, reaching new markets, bilateral MoUs. What are the challenges of tourism of today?

Some of the challenges in the tourism industry include: Visa facilitation (which is the most important bottleneck in tourism scene; accommodation in tier two and tier three cities which have become popular with low cost airlines air-connectivity, safety standards and specially safety for women tourists, cleanliness and hygiene in India, highway facilities en route to many tourist places, well trained language speaking guides to meet the need of tourists coming from new markets like China, South Korea, Arab countries and Russia etc, tax rationalisation in all respects related to tourism. Till now the tourism sector is overloaded with taxes like Service Tax, Luxury Tax, VAT, Sales Tax (on ATF by all states) Excise duty on alcoholic drinks, Toll Tax, entertainment tax, etc. The other issues are: no priority to tourism sector, no proper budget for tourism, lack of trained manpower in all

segments of tourism, railway stations, airports need upgrading (though operation of flights have increased from those airports), ASI monuments need proper up keep and maintenance. Also road tax needs to be rationalised, incentives to tour operators are bare minimum.

Negative image of India in global markets with national calamities, corruption, political events, socio economic uprisings. But the government has no crises management policy and tourists prefer to avoid India with advisories issued by overseas countries.

These are some major challenges which keep our tourism figures stagnated at six million plus since last three years. There are many more such bottleneck areas where we need to take action on top priority like cheating, fraud, foreign exchange, etc.

What is the main highlight of the convention this year?

The main highlights of

this year’s convention include 'Greater Interactive Interphase' at each session among speakers and members rather than just speech from the experts. The topics for the business sessions have been well-thought of to meet the growing needs of the members, viz. how tourism professionals in India can create a captivating and compelling social media; preference to attract new customers and build valuable business connections. An expert from overseas Philip Calvert (UK) has been invited to deliberate and interact.

The media and Indian tourism know how our industry was negatively impacted with global press reports on safety (specially of women tourists). A session will focus on highlighting the ways in which we can handle PR effectively and how the press can also play a responsible role.

Similarly sessions will be on leadership, branding entrepreneurship, bilateral, management, manpower

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relations, communications and direct relations with whole sellers (airlines/overseas tour operator’s challenges from online travel service operators, rupee fluctuations and government’s new directives about Collective Group Landing Permit, etc. Making India an aviation hub and use of technological inventions.

State presentations will be very educative to have product update on different states. We have tried to give a totally rejuvenating experience with a bit of everything like the IATO Run for Responsible tourism, auction wall for fund raising for a charity cause.

What is your message for the convention?

Let us make IATO Convention the 'Best Platform' for industry stakeholders to come together to deliberate and strategise the future action plan. Besides, let us work together to rebuild India’s lost image as a tourist destination with recent spate of negative events which dampened the spirit of tourists to visit India. Let us form partnerships with all hotels, transport, civil aviation, media, hospitals and wellness centres, MICE establishments and boost our niche products and adopt technology for global marketing with a team spirit.

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‘Tourism will be successful if it is experiential and qualitative’

'We are back in Kerala after eight years'

South India is a self-contained destination region that has witnessed marked growth. As the 29th IATO Annual Convention gears to roll out in Kochi, E M Najeeb, chairman, IATO Kerala Chapter affirms that one of the main objectives of the convention is out of the box thinking and innovation. By Reema Lokesh How would you define the growth of tourism sector in South India and especially in Kerala?

India as a whole is developing as a choice tourist destination because of its uniqueness in many areas like heritage, history, culture, flora and fauna, natural attractions and the very people of the country. India has set an objective of promoting tourism and to double the tourist inflow during this planned period. Many measures are taken by the ministry of tourism, Government of India supportive of inbound tourism. The visa on arrival facility announced also gives an impetus to inbound tourism to India.

South India also is benefited by all these measures initiated nationally. It is a self-contained destination region with good connectivity. It has so many attractions unique in nature. It has beaches, backwaters, wildlife, cultural sites, history, heritage, art, plantations, hill stations, vibrant cities and towns, and serene villages. South India is ideal for cruise tourism as it has good ports on the eastern and western sides. Kerala Tourism has always been in the forefront promoting tourism in the state from the 90’s. The brand ‘Gods Own Country’ is well established as a popular destination brand.

What do you feel is the success of Kerala tourism?

Success of Kerala Tourism is primarily because there is a willing government that understands the need for developing tourism in the state and a very active and vibrant private sector tourism industry operating in the state. There are clear policies pronounced by the government namely ‘Kerala Tourism Policy’ as to how the tourism in the state has to be developed.

There is a great amount of interactions and interfacing between the government and the private sector. Kerala is a pioneering state that advocated and implemented responsible tourism, which is an absolute sustainable model of tourism. The natural attraction of the state, good weather, educated public, high literacy rates, resorts, hotels and other facilities developed across

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the state are components for the growth of tourism in the state. Kerala has come to the world access primarily because of the good international connectivity.

What is the main highlight of the convention this year?

IATO National Conventions are occasions for the tour operators’ community in the country to get together at one place with the purpose of familiarising, discussing business, deliberating on issues in the industry and voicing demands and putting forth suggestions to the government and all other concerned agencies. This year the state of Kerala is lucky to have the 29th IATO Annual Convention in Kochi which will give an impetus to the tourism industry in Kerala. The convention and its outcome will be closely watched by the government and the media so that the opinions generated in the convention will attract attention and support. Moreover, one of the main objectives is to have the cream of the tour operators’ community from all over India to visit Kerala and familiarise with its products.

SUCCESS OF KERALA TOURISM IS PRIMARILY BECAUSE THERE IS A WILLING GOVERNMENT THAT UNDERSTANDS THE NEED FOR DEVELOPING TOURISM IN THE STATE AND A VERY ACTIVE AND VIBRANT PRIVATE TOURISM SECTOR

What is your message for the convention?

The 29th IATO Annual Convention taking place in Kochi from September 8-11, 2013 will be held under the theme 'Tourism Innovations & Partnerships'. Tourism is a service industry, which is developed through relationships, networking and out of the box thinking and innovations.

Tourism will be successful if it is experiential and qualitative. The visitor delight should be the highest objective. For delivering customer satisfaction, we have got to extend innovative services. Technology innovations also are changing the nature of the industry so much. In fact, the convention would proclaim excellent thoughts and ideas, on networking and innovation, for the tour operator’s community and for the future. My message to the tour operators community and the tourism stakeholders will be the same as the theme of the convention. Be Innovative and stand together to tide over the challenges of our industry.

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Lally Mathews, co-chairperson, IATO convention IATO is going to Kerala after eight years and during this span of time Kerala Tourism has undergone a lot of development. New tourism circuits and zones have been added. This will be a perfect opportunity to showcase the state back again to our delegates and members. The convention this year has received a fantastic response and the posttour options are also popular. Since the theme this year is on innovation and partnerships, we will be organising a session on tourism marketing and increasing importance of social media as one of our key session highlights.

The Kerala government and Kerala Tourism team have gone all out to help make this convention a success. They are working as partners to ensure all goes well.

Kerala is a success model in tourism and this is well reflected as one can visibly witness a drift toward southern states for tourism amongst the travellers.

September 2013

‘IATO had been very active in promoting South India with new destinations, products’ Tourist destinations in the north and west India have always been popular among travellers but with a wide variety of new and attractive destinations and products being offered, cities down south have become preferred options for many travellers, says Arun Anand, IATO convention chairman How would you define the growth of the tourism sector in south India and especially in Kerala?

South India has been the main growth sector in Indian tourism scene through PPP. It has established the image that India is beyond DelhiAgra-Jaipur. ChennaiBengaluru-KochiThiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad have become major entry points to India.

The state of Andhra Pradesh stands to be number one state in terms of largest domestic tourists (over 16 crore domestic tourists) and private partnership hotels of

September 2013

international standard have been developed in Kochi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Even new destinations like Puducherry, Coorg in Karnataka, Wayanad in Kerala, Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Ooty have become the most sought destinations for tourists, both domestic and international.

What has been the role of IATO in south India?

IATO had collaborated with Kerala Tourism and with other states of south India (promotion of Puducherry) during the movie 'Life of Pi' to promote MICE tourism.

This had a huge impact and we will continue to to boost south India with this present convention in Kochi. Kerala has made its own mark as the choicest destination in

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India. Even Agra, Varanasi, Goa, Rajasthan, Ladakh which remained popular in the tourist itinerary have become low in demand now compared to south destinations with Kerala as the prime choice. Even connectivity is much better from many traffic generating markets. The state offers some unique products like Ayurvedic resorts with wellness tourism, yoga meditation, water sports, backwater drive, unique cuisines and cultural diversity, eco-friendly environment, unique festivals. Kerala also offers a package with beaches,

palaces of Travancore, wildlife in Pinyar, Kathakali and heritage, houseboats, lakes, waterfalls, spice in highlands, rural tourism experience, agro tourism in spice and tea gardens, Ayurvedic resorts (stress management therapies), museums, cave paintings, B&B establishments (homestay) in a package. This unique combination is not possible in the north. This awareness has been spread in the market through IATO members during their roadshows as well as through participation at international exhibitions.

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Shaping God's Own Country, the PPP way Since the inception of public-private-partnership (PPP) in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, this model of partnership has sufficiently contributed to major infrastructure development worldwide. In India, Kerala is a perfect example of success in this collaborative business model. By Steena Joy

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ith two projects worth over `5,500 crore, Kerala is the frontrunner among states that have projects under bidding in the public-privatepartnership (PPP) model in the ports sector, said a study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

As per the report titled 'Port Developments in India', the Kerala projects represent a share of 40 per cent in value terms. While two projects worth over `6,200 crore are under construction in the state, one completed project, worth over `700 crore, has been put to service delivery, the study said.

Kerala has adopted the best method to draw investment to the state especially in sectors where investors fear to tread alone. Suman Billa, tourism secretary, Government of Kerala affirms, “Some projects do not straightaway attract investment but which also have the potential to catalyse the growth of tourism in Kerala.

We take up these kind of projects on PPP model. We are planning waterway transport on the backwaters, ropeways in hilly terrains and an holistic health resort with all services like spa under one roof. For all these ideas we will support private participation.

Hopefully we will soon have one international convention centre in Thiruvanathapuram based on the PPP model.”

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International Airport (CIAL) stands as a fine example of a pathbreaking idea where NRI investors joined hands with the Government of Kerala and the airport service providers to build an international airport. Spread over 1300 acres of land and developed at a total cost of around `2,830 million, the airport is praised by many experts including World Bank and is still a study/research subject at Harvard University. CIAL is the fourth largest in India in terms of its international pas-

CIAL – A pioneering idea

qualify to benefit from the PPP model. However a concrete guideline is necessary to be followed for the success of the project. Intensive PPP can also be exploited for sustainable and organised urbanisation. The PPP business model is an excellent way to involve private sector in the national mission of urban development.

The idea to float an airport under PPP was first mooted by then district collector of Ernakulum, V J Kurian, IAS. Today the Cochin

Kochi can proudly claim to have the first Indian international airport built successfully on the PPP model. It is now high time to replicate this success. Experiences in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and Ireland, have shown that other sectors of urban development such as education, waste management, water, transport and road sector can also

SOME PROJECTS DO NOT STRAIGHTAWAY ATTRACT INVESTMENT BUT WHICH ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CATALYSE THE GROWTH OF TOURISM IN KERALA. WE TAKE UP THESE KIND OF PROJECTS ON PPP MODEL

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senger volume and as far as infrastructure facility is concerned, it is in the seventh largest position among airports in India.

A helping hand The state government had set up Tourist Resorts Kerala (TRKL) to help incubate certain key sectors that were earlier not attracting private investment like hospitality.

Anilkumar S

“Unlike now when many hotels are being set up in Kerala, we did not have quality international hotel brands coming to the state due to high land costs, etc. So TRKL was set up to help private investors build hotel projects here.” TRKL has a 33.3 per cent stake in a joint venture, Taj Kerala Hotels and Resorts (TKRL) which operates three properties: Gateway Hotel at Marine Drive, Vivanta by Taj at Kumarakom and Taj Gateway at Varkala.

Now TRKL has been rechristened as Kerala Tourism Infrastructure (KTIL). The focus has now shifted from PPP to the macro sector of infrastructure, so the new name connotes this shift in focus.

Not surprisingly, KTIL has been entrusted with the state government's prestigious seaplane project. It is apt as Anilkumar S, managing director, KTIL has been

September 2013

director, hydel tourism for almost a decade and has been instrumental in expanding hydel tourism beyond the hills of Munnar. Anilkumar says, “Kerala has some God given advantages like our backwaters and natural breakwaters which make perfect waterdromes for the introduction of sea planes.

An added advantage is that maintenance for sea planes operating in our fresh water bodies will be phenomenally lesser compared to those operating in a saline environment.” Another project KTIL

will be implementing is the Veli Tourism project. “The Veli project will also be planned on the lines of the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) with a group of stakeholders including NRIs.” KTIL will be launching soon Travel Hubs along the highways and in major destinations under the name Take-a-Break. “We will be using pre-engineered structures using galvalium sandwich panels so that they are easy to assemble and are also maintenance free. Sanctions have come for the first one

on the NH-MC Road Link Bypass at Santhigiri. There is a lot of tourist traffic here due to the ashram.To make the wayside amenity revenue generating, we have incorporated a food court, information kiosk, gaming consoles and restrooms with recliners, etc. along with toilet clusters and bath cubicles.”

Anilkumar also informed that KTIL plans to start a Tourism Incubation Centre to promote young entrepreneurs to become stakeholders in niche areas like adventure tourism, caravan

tourism, hot air balloon, local crafts, etc.

Kerala has also used the PPP business model in education. Housed in a palace on a five acre lush-green campus at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Institute of Tourism & Travel Studies (KITTS) has completed 25 years of tourism education. Commenting on how the private-public partnership with the state government helps in synergising training and skill development, Dr Rajashree Ajith, director, KITTS says, “The association with Kerala Tourism helps stu-

dents in getting exposure in training and sharpening their organising skills by being part of tourism events conducted by the department. The institute also plays a major role in conducting research studies on behalf of the department of tourism and participates in policy development in tourism. The private sector participation helps in organising training programmes, refresher programmes, and industry-institute partnership in orienting manpower for delivering quality service etc.”

SUMAN BILLA, TOURISM SECRETARY, GOVT OF KERALA SPEAKS ON THE STATE’S PPP SCENARIO Your comments on Kerala's success in implementing the PPP model in tourism.

The phenomenal growth that tourism has seen since it was declared an industry in Kerala in 1986 has largely been due to the successful synergy between private and public sectors. The Government’s efforts have been directed towards creating an environment to facilitate private investment, which in turn is vital to the development of tourism infrastructure and services.

Do you think other states in the country should adopt the PPP module for tourism projects?

The growth model we have adopted for Kerala Tourism is customised for our specific conditions and our needs. It is a fact that PPP has been quite successful for our state. However, each state will have its own requirements with regard to tourism development, promotion and marketing. It should be up them to decide which model works best.

You are also chairman, KTIL. What is the role of KTIL in PPP? Kerala Government’s tourism policy encourages private investment, especially small and medium level investment, adhering to the state’s principles and practices on sustainability. KTIL, whose mandate is tourism investment promotion and infrastructure development, supports projects that are in keeping with this policy.

KTIL, in its original avatar as Tourist Resorts Kerala (TRKL), pioneered the PPP model in tourism infrastructure development in Kerala. Today, we also function as facilitators of partnerships between resident entrepreneurs and non-resident Keralite (RE-NRK scheme) to strengthen businessto-business interactions within the private sector. KTIL is also engaged in building up fully government-owned projects such as the Sarovaram biopark at Calicut, Heritage Tourism Circuit in Thalassery , the sea plane project, etc.

What kind of investments do you see in PPP projects in Kerala Tourism in the future?

Development of destinations, setting up basic infrastructure at existing

September 2013

and new destinations, and projects such as theme parks are areas where we expect to see PPP models implemented in the future. The goal is to ensure the quality of infrastructure and services, and provide world-class experiences to tourists without causing detriment to the environment or the social and cultural fabric of Kerala.

Tell us about the Ente Naadu NRK Meet initiative.

Ente Naadu Resident Entrepreneur – Non Resident Keralite (RE-NRK) is an innovative partnership model that leverages the investment power of Kerala’s 10 million-strong community of expatriates.

As a facilitator, KTIL uses its expertise to identify investment-worthy and feasible projects from entrepreneurs within the state and presents them to NRKs who may be interested in investing.

The Ente Naadu meet was first held by the Government of Kerala in Kochi in 2008 to provide a platform to bring entrepreneurs and investors together. More than 500 participants, from India and abroad, attended the meet which showcased potential investment opportunities to benefit from the tourism industry.

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W H AT ’ S INSIDE

EDGE THE CUTTING EDGE IN TRAVEL TRADE

'India will soon emerge as one of the largest markets for Victorinox globally' PG 29

IN FOCUS

Riding on the digital wave Recognising the potential of leisure travellers and evolution in the products sold online, travel industry experts say that there is still a need for technological innovation and quality information content. And with different types of customers in the future, there will always be a reason to grow as companies.

By Kahini Chakraborty

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he Singapore Tourism Board for the first time organised the Travel Forum in India in Mumbai as a lead-up to the fourth edition of TravelRave 2013 which will be held from October 21-25 in Singapore.

With an aim to create a platform to gain better insights into the travel and tourism industry, the board organised a panel discussion on 'Online Travel Trends in India: Crossing the Technology Edge to Drive Business Growth' which had leaders such as Madhavan Menon, managing director, Thomas Cook India; Rajeev Wagle, managing director, Kuoni India; Stuart Crighton, managing director, Cleartrip; and Mohit Gupta, chief business officer (Holidays), Makemytrip.com.

The panel discussion was moderated by Neeta Lachmandas, assistant chief executive, business development group, Singapore Tourism Board. McKinsey & Company is the official knowledge partner for Asia Travel Leaders Summit as part of TravelRave.

Kickstarting the discussion, Gunjan Soni, partner, McKinsey & Company said that the company forecasts that India has the potential to

triple its internet user base to about 330-370 million internet users and the GDP contribution of the internet will double to about 3.3 per cent by 2015.

Elaborating on the statistical report on how travel businesses in India are riding on the digital economy and harnessing the power of technology to drive business growth, Soni added, “Travel search is on an accelerated phase in the online space and is leading the game as information on products and services has been increasing. Time spent online is also increasing disproportionatly to tablet and mobile among 25-45 year old individuals who are heavy internet users.” However, limited infrastructure, high cost, low user

THE GROWING REACH OF DIGITAL TRAVEL PLATFORMS IS RESHAPING THE WAY INDIANS CONSUMERS ARE RESEARCHING AND PLANNING THEIR TRAVEL www.expresstravelworld.com

engagement and unfavourable business environment act as deterrents from the consumer's side.

Taking the discussion forward, Lachmandas highlighted the UNWTO Barometer 2013 report which states that Asia Pacific is expected to grow by five-six per cent and by 2020, two out of five travellers would come in from Asia. Replying to the question raised on the growing reach of digital travel platforms reshaping the way Indian consumers are researching and booking, Menon opined, “Indians have evolved and the retail market is a perfect example of this change. Our belief is that it is the first time travellers that outbeat the repeat travellers.

Assumptions are market driven but even today first time travellers need hand holding for their travel planning even after they have researched online.” Adding to the point, Gupta said that it is a myth that Indians are slow to adapt to changes. “Consumers are becoming multi model and we need to build experiences on these devices. But there seems to be inadequate amount of good content which needs to be addressed,” he pointed out.

Even though a third of Asia's growth is out of India,

the travel industry has not yet fully capitalised on the potential of the internet.

Depreciation in rupee will have a slight impact on the fringe companies. “As people want real time information we are seeing a rise in the do-ityourself travellers who use the online amendments. Because of the accessibility of tool, travellers are using these to see value for the price they pay,” observes Crighton. From a development perspective the need seen is towards strengthening the mobile, tablet applications and then addressing desktop experiences, he added.

“We believe that it is important to engage customers even after the bookings are done. We are not into component selling. I don't believe that itineraries will grow hence we try to customise packages to give the comfort level to travellers,” replied Wagle. For ease of finding information and return strategy of travellers, planning applications for mobiles are important.

India is a diverse opportunistic market for travel and the industry is looking at convergence more than divergence in the current market scenario.

September 2013

E|D|G|E SPOTLIGHT

‘India will soon emerge as one of the largest markets for Victorinox globally’ When Karl Elsener opened a cutlery workshop to deliver a soldier knife to the Swiss army in 1884, what he invented became a legend: the original Swiss Army knife. Today Victorinox is more than a knife manufacturer, it has evolved into a complete travel gear company, says Anish Goel, MD, Victorinox India. By Steena Joy

INTERVIEW

Since 1884 when Karl Elsener invented the legendary Swiss Army Knife, how has Victorinox evolved as a travel product company?

In the year 1999, the travel gear line was launched in Switzerland. Embodying the spirit of the Swiss Army knife, Victorinox travel gear reflects the company’s motto of functionality, design, innovation and quality like every other Victorinox product.

Since then the travel products have been developed keeping in mind our consumer’s needs and demands.

How does Victorinox view the Asia Pacific market and India in particular?

India is a very important market not only for Victorinox, but also for most of the leading global brands. While most of Europe is battling an economic slowdown, these brands are looking towards countries like India to fuel their growth. That is the reason why we have seen an influx of international luxury brands in recent years, which has coincided with the growth of luxury retail space in the country.

Victorinox has chosen not to go through the traditional route of signing up a brand ambassador from India followed by a blitzkrieg of television advertisements to make its presence felt. We have worked towards expanding our retail presence and have concentrated on targeting consumers through a combination of advertising in select publications and con-

September 2013

ducting BTL activities.

We also view India as a huge market for e-commerce, as the internet savvy population of India is more than the total population of many countries. Victorinox has worked towards expanding its online presence and today we are present in all of the top online shopping portals in the country.The growth we are witnessing year on year makes me fairly confident that India will soon emerge as one of the largest markets for Victorinox globally.

Do you think international travel exposure has made Indians more brand conscious?

Yes of course. A combination of world travel and exposure to Western popular media has made the Indian consumer not only brand conscious but also quality conscious. Indian consumers according to me are very smart shoppers, and are willing to spend money where they see quality. The Indian consumer today pays as much importance to the shopping experience and it is essential to provide them with a point of sale which is of an international standard.

How do you see the travel gear market in India?

In the last few years, we have seen huge transformation in the travel gear market in India. Bags have started looking smarter with increased fashion quotient.

Hard-side bags have been introduced with break-resistant shell while at the same time they have become

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lighter than ever before.

Luggage bags are now available with four wheels, ensuring better movement. People have started using trendy colourful bags which can be seen on the conveyer belts while collecting the baggage at the airports. We have also witnessed that more and more international brands are now targeting the business traveller with their collections, as these are the people who have the spending power, are frequent flyers and are very conscious of the aesthetics and functionality of their luggage. We have constantly been expanding the product line to target different profiles of consumers and also expand our network of chain stores and partnerships across the country.

Your reasons behind starting your own company Basecamp?

How is the company evolving?

Established in 2003, Basecamp is a one stop shop for all the travel needs of the discerning traveller.The store has a blend of various products that make travel convenient and easy for the adventurous, leisure and business traveller. Basecamp offerings include overnight office bags, laptop bags, and trolley bags for the business traveller and even high utility ones for the adventure and leisure seeker.

Any new products Victorinox is introducing specifically for the India market?

In India, we have customised a few Swiss Knives

with the imprint of Qutub Minar and Taj Mahal on the knife handles. They have proved to be a hit amongst the foreign tourists as souvenirs to be taken back to their country. We have also launched a YouWeCan Swiss Army Knife, in association with Yuvraj Singh and his foundation. This is the first time Victorinox has tied hands with an international cricketer. Victorinox also customises its products for corporate gifting.We have clients across various sectors like banks, telecommunications, automobiles and pharmaceutical companies.

Which of the divisions (timepieces, Swiss knife, cutlery, fashion or fragrances) contributes the most to revenues?

The Swiss Army knives – pocket tools and cutlery top the list in terms of revenue generation followed by travel gear and timepieces. We have just done a soft launch for fragrance and fashion. We plan to expand these two product lines in the near future.

Do you see a surge in the number of young Indians opting for adventure activities?

The Indian youth has become more independent and travel oriented. I see a lot of youngsters these days going on trekking and hiking trips to the Himalayas. Our endeavour is to engage the Indian youth in backpacking and adventure activities and also to cater to their travelling needs, all under one roof.

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Travel

Life

CAMPUS NOTES

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ith an experience of over 10 years in the education industry, Kuoni Academy's prime agenda has always been to provide internships for all its students with an aim to expose students to the practical side of how the travel industry operates. In a competitive market, apart from good educational qualification, what counts is, the students' communication skills, confidence, exposure to practical knowledge, content that has been covered in their course and the brand value of their institutes.

Keeping these prerequisites in mind, Brendan Crasto, head, Kuoni Academy says, “Apart from visiting faculties from the industry who are invited to familiarise students with the intricacies of the travel and tourism industry, our course has been created by staff from within the travel industry. This gives our students an edge in the market.”

Over the years there has been an increase in the number of students opting for professional degrees from reputed institutions in the tourism industry. “On an average around 15,000 to 20,000 students apply for various courses around the country which includes private institutes in both organised as well as unorganised segments,” he points out, adding that, “students today are enthusiastic about professional programmes being offered by leading institutes in the industr,. which have an experience in travel and tourism industry as they believe that such institutes will offer them experiential learning and practical knowledge of the industry.”

Quality knowledge IATA is a popular course amongst students aspiring to

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LEARNING CURVE Launched in 2003 by Kuoni India, Kuoni Academy has accomplished itself as one of the leading travel companies in India providing quality education through professionally conceptualised courses. Brendan Crasto, head of Kuoni Academy speaks about how the insitute is empowering aspiring students.By Kahini Chakraborty pursue a career in the travel and tourism industry and is priced below `50,000. The one year course in travel and tourism management which is highly sought after by students is competitively priced at around `one lakh. Kuoni Academy's courses are recognised and accredited by C&G, UK. “ We are a premier authorised IATA centre pan India. We also have alliances with some of the leading GDSs like Galileo, Abacus and the international MBA offered from Fondazione Campus in Lucca, Italy. Our hospitality programme has a tie-up with IHM Aurangabad, India. All our students who

Brendan Crasto undergo the one year and international MBA programmes are encouraged to complete a project as part of the curriculum under the guidance of expert faculty members,” he stressed.

Depending on their performance in the interviews,

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students opt for ticketing profiles, tour agency operations, sales, product development, tour managers, KPO and BPO industry opportunities.

When asked on the reasons behind students opting for a travel and tourism course abroad, Crasto replies, “The ability to opt for a degree from abroad still remains with those who have the money to invest in an overseas education. A degree from abroad serves two purposes, one education as a route for migration and second to get a better perspective of global tourism.” But he also agrees that an international management degree

does have an edge as these degrees focus more on management and revolves around in-depth knowledge of the industry being specialised.

Kuoni Academy has a full fledged placement desk for all students across India. “Our placement cell strives for internships and project presentations of our students and also connects with various industry players to recruit our students,” he adds, as the industry faces challenges of generating good manpower.

“This industry needs to attract people by offering higher entry pay scales and a more promising career,” he strongly advocates.

September 2013

T|R|A|V|E|L| L|I|F|E

Make My Trip

AirAsia India AirAsia has appointed Vijay Gopalan as CFO for AirAsia India. Gopalan is a chartered accountant with over a decade’s experience and is a holder of Advanced Diploma in Marketing and Sales from the National Institute of Sales. Prior to AirAsia, he was attached to the Compass Group India and Ernst & Young and has worked in the United States and United Kingdom with experiences in various industries including oil and gas, and hospitality.

Amit Singh has been appointed as director of flight opera-

Sabre Holdings Tom Klein, president of Sabre Holdings will succeed Sam Gilliland as the company's CEO. Klein will serve as CEO and president, while Gilliland will continue to serve on the board of directors. Klein has been with Sabre Holdings for over two decades serving in a broad variety of leadership roles in Latin America, North America, and globally.

He assumed the role of president of the company in 2010.

September 2013

tions. Singh has 20 years of airline experience, with the last seven years dedicated to developing and managing budget airlines and was actively involved in the launch of IndiGo in 2006.

Rajesh Magow has been promoted to the position of CEO, India, MakeMyTrip. Company founder, Deep Kalra, will remain the chairman and group CEO and will continue to lead the group’s strategic developments and overall execution excellence. Magow is a co-founder of MakeMyTrip and has held the role of CFO since 2005. Prior to joining MakeMyTrip, Magow was CFO and acting CEO for the India operations of eBookers.com, now part of Travelport.

Ganpathy Sampath has been appointed as the head of engineering for AirAsia India.

Sampath has over 30 years of aviation experience having served at HAL, Jet Airways, Honeywell Aerospace and Go Airlines, where his career progressed from engineer to general manager.

Air France-KLM

Hicham Lahkim Bennani has been appointed as director commercial, Indian subcontinent of Air France KLM. Bennani will be responsible for all commercial related activities for passenger business on the Indian sub-continent. Prior to this, Bennani was district manager in Abuja, Nigeria, where he introduced a new daily Air France flight between Paris and Abuja. In 2009, he joined the Air France-KLM Delta Alitalia joint venture group based in Amsterdam, Netherlands as an inventory manager for the North Atlantic routes.

Silversea Cruises

Silversea, which operates a fleet of six ships, has promoted Margrith Ettlin to the position of captain.

It is the first time in its nearly 20-year history, that a female captain is at the helm of a Silversea ship.

A Swiss national with extensive maritime experience in remote regions, including the Arctic and Antarctica, Captain Ettlin assumed control of the 132-guest expedition ship Silver Explorer on August 7 in Reykjavik.

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Korea Tourism Organisation

Myong Kil Yun has joined Korea Tourism Organisation, New Delhi branch as the deputy director. He has more than 13 years of experience in the field of marketing. Prior to joining the New Delhi branch, he has worked in the outbound tourism centre of Korea Tourism Organisation in South Korea and with LG. In his new position, Yun will focus on strengthening the position of Korea as a tourist destination for Indian travellers.

Air Serbia Dane Kondic has been appointed CEOfficer of Air Serbia, and will lead the airline formerly known as Jat Airways, upon completion of regulatory approvals. Kondic has gained his experience in roles across the aviation industry, including positions at Malaysia Airlines and Qantas, as well as in the agency, wholesale and content areas of the travel business.

Canadian Tourism Commission

The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has appointed Jon Mamela as its vice-president, International.

His primary role will be to oversee CTC’s marketing and sales activities in its key international markets. Before this, he was global director of customer experience marketing and partnerships for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

IDS NEXT Business Solutions

Binu Mathews has been promoted to the post of CEO, IDS NEXT Business Solutions. His major achievements leading up to his promotion have been his active role and leadership in helping launch start-ups RezNext and RoomsTonite.

Additionally, Mathews was also instrumental behind materialising several major partnerships with international players.

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September 2013

Express TravelWorld Business Avenues

September 2013

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EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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Express TravelWorld Business Avenues

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EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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September 2013

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Celebratory feast

Brand visibility

L-R: Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures; Lubaina Sheerazi, country head, ministry of tourism, Sultanate of Oman; Milan Luthria, director; actors Sonakshi Sinha and Akshay Kumar at the unveiling of a cobranding campaign with the makers of 'Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobaara' movie to attract tourists held in Mumbai

Cathay Pacific Airways hosted an Iftar dinner at The Park Hyatt for the travel fraternity in Hyderabad

Racing against time

Fascinating experiences

L-R: Thomas Dold, Elite Male Winner and Thomas SchmittGlaeser, general manager, China World Summit Wing (CWSW) at Vertical World Circuit (VWC) champions event in China L-R: Brand Ambassador of South African Tourism Jonty Rhodes with Sajid Khan, country head, South African Airways and Hanneli Slabber, country manager-India, South African Tourism at the launch of 'My Travel Escapades in South Africa' travel guide written by Jonty Rhodes in Mumbai

New openings

Love for Africa Vasant Davkhare, deputy chairman, Maharashtra Legislative Council at the launch of Kuoni- SOTC store outlet in Thane

Love for Africa, one of Zimbabwe’s leading DMC in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, hosted a nine member delegation of tour operators from Mumbai and Delhi for a tour across Zimbabwe

September 2013

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Celebrating culture

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organised 'Dahi Handi Tours' for international tourists in Mumbai to promote the state and its cultural activities

Easier arrivals

Proud moment

Oommen Chandy, chief minister, Kerala reviewed arrangements at the special tourist visa-on-arrival counter which became operational recently at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. He was accompanied by AP Anil Kumar, minister for tourism, Kerala and VS Sivakumar, minister for health, Kerala and other senior officials

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L-R: Smeeta Gulvady, vice-president and head – Centre of Learning, Thomas Cook India; Stephan Heuberger, director, Swiss Tourism in India; Madhavan Menon, managing director, Thomas Cook India; Andreas Banholzer Dire, director, The Lake Geneva Region; Adrian Williams, head-human resources, Thomas Cook at the convocation ceremony of 2012-13 students batch held to felicitate its 220 students in Mumbai

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September 2013

REGD.WITH RNI UNDER MAHENG/15993/05, MH/MR/SOUTH-156/2013-15 PUBLISHED 11th OF EVERY MONTH AND POSTED ON 12, 13 & 14 OF EVERY MONTH POSTED AT MUMBAI PATRIKA CHANNEL SORTING OFFICE.