VOL 8 | NO 9 | OCTOBER 2013 | PAGES 44
Chairman of the Board
CONTENTS
Viveck Goenka
PULLMANTUR CRUISES Spanish way of Cruising
Editor
Reema Lokesh*
Tropical Caribbean
Assistant Editor
St.Romana G St..LuciaG Barbodas G Martinique G St.Kitts G Tortola 2013-2014
Steena Joy Associate Editor
Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai
Kahini Chakraborty, Rituparna Chatterjee New Delhi
Niharika Shukla Kolkata
Joy Roy Choudhury MARKETING Deputy General Manager
COVER STORY
Harit Mohanty
WELCOME ABOARD | PAGE 19
Chief Manager
Emmanuel Fernandes
MARKET
Manager
ETAA to host first annual convention in Dubai
Sunil D'costa
OTOAI to bring out whitepaper on
CIRCULATION
economic benefits of outbound tourism
PAGE 06
Mohan Varadakar
Sports and wellness tourism focus of GDTB 2013
PAGE 08
PRODUCTION
K Chiranjeevi launches '777 days of Incredible
General Manager
Indian Himalayas' campaign
PAGE 08
B R Tipnis
Arzoo.com introduces DSA module
PAGE 09
Manager
IRCTC to tap new destinations for its outbound tour packages
PAGE 10
Cathay Pacific Airways to start additional flight from Kolkata
PAGE 11
Brand USA expects to attract one million Indian visitors by 2015
PAGE 16
Bhadresh Valia Layout
Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker Asst. Art Director
Surajit Patro
PAGE 06
Includes Charter Flight Madrid-Caribbean-Madri (Dominican Republic)
Sailing Period November 2013 – April 2014
Suspension of biometric for visa to boost large incentive group travel to France
PAGE 17
Chief Designer
Pravin Temble
MANAGEMENT
Senior Graphic Designer
Mission accomplished PAGE 23
Rushikesh Konka
British Columbia: Land of diverse
Photo Editor
legacy
Sandeep Patil
Rediscovering Rome
Express TravelWorld Reg. No.-MH/MR/SOUTH156\2013-15 RNI Reg. No.MAHENG/2005/15993
EDGE
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PAGE 25 PAGE 27
The power of apps
PAGE 29
Opening doorways
PAGE 30
LIFE Filling the void
PAGE 32
Editor Reema Lokesh* Copyright @ 2011
The Indian Express Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. *Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act
October 2013
REGULARS Editor’s Note
PAGE 04
Appointments
PAGE 33
Weekend
PAGE 44
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EDITOR’S NOTE
The luxury of water
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he last week of September witnessed a plethora of events in the name of tourism across cities, regions, both in the public as well as the private domain. The reason for this sudden outburst was understandably so to celebrate World Tourism Day (WTD) which is held on September 27 every year and there are organisations who truly put into action some strong, relevant and thought provoking programmes to commemorate the day, while there are the rest who do it as a ritual or a formality without any concrete action plan. However for a sector that is probably one of the most ignored, initiatives to highlight its importance is always welcome. This year’s theme also touched upon a very vital and depleting natural source - Water. The United Nations (UN) celebrated the WTD 2013 with the theme Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future, which was in line with the UN’s International Year of Water Cooperation. There is a lot that needs to be done on a rather serious note to both preserve water and promote tourism as water definitely gives a smooth flow to tourism. From cruising, both sea and river, to water sports to beach tourism and more, you cannot take away the role of water toward the growth of tourism. Island tourism, which in itself is definitely high-end and niche in form gains prominence under this year’s WTD theme. Today as we see it luxury is rather understated and selling luxury tourism is truly an art. It is not about the opulence, grandeur or style but it is rather subtle, classy and absolutely personal. A holiday on an island resort, which provides you an option of connecting with oneself, going through a digital detox therapy, makes sense to the today’s discerning traveller. Our cover story also touches upon this very meaningful way of promoting, presenting and selling luxury which is abstract and subjective. India is probably one of the best destinations to offer real time luxury be it in the islands of Lakshadweep or the tea gardens in the east.
TODAY AS WE SEE IT LUXURY IS RATHER UNDERSTATED AND SELLING LUXURY TOURISM IS TRULY AN ART. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE OPULENCE, GRANDEUR OR STYLE BUT IT IS RATHER SUBTLE, CLASSY AND ABSOLUTELY PERSONAL
Unfortunately, however much we promote the luxury element, it’s the accessibility to destinations of tranquility that can be dampeners for the discerning soul. The recent airfares on some interesting Indian sectors are really shocking. A Mumbai-Khajuraho-Mumbai during the first half of October displayed a figure that read approximately `57,000. Interestingly, these are cities of two adjoining states Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. But the flight goes to Varanasi and then to Khajuraho. So much for preserving our natural resources - as fuel like water is yet another depleting resource. Time to act and think right, I guess.
CHENNAI:
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W H AT ’ S INSIDE
MARKET THE BUSINESS OF TRAVEL & TOURISM
TFCI applies for licence to start bank for tourism sector PG 6
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Sports and wellness tourism focus of GDTB 2013 PG 8
PG 23
Arzoo.com introduces DSA module PG 9 IRCTC to tap new destinations for its outbound tour packages PG 13 ‘AISATS aims to redefine airport services to enhance passenger travel experience’ PG 14 USA expects to touch one million Indian travellers by 2015 PG 16 Suspension of biometric for visa to boost large incentive group travel to France PG 17
MANAGEMENT 19 EDGE 29 TRAVEL LIFE 32 October 2013
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M|A|R|K|E|T NEWSTRACK
TFCI applies for licence to start bank for tourism sector Licence approval expected in December STEENA JOY - Mumbai
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he hospitality and tourism sector in India can expect a bank set up exclusively for the sector very soon. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, B M Gupta, chief financial officer, Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) revealed, “We have submitted an application to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a licence to start a bank for the tourism sector so that the sector can get funds at cheap rates for funding projects. We realised that the sector as well as allied industries related to tourism can benefit from an exclusive bank. I think the preliminary screening of the application has started and we expecting to get the licence approved by December.” Describing the equity structure, Gupta said, “As per RBI guidelines, the minimum equity has to be `500 crore. Regarding a bank's structure, the entire bank's equity has to be held by a nonoperative holding company. This company will hold the entire equity of the bank initially. The equity will then be subscribed to by TFCI.” Commenting on how this bank will impact the tourism sector, he said,
“What we have contemplated is that tourism will be the mainstay of the bank. There are a lot of opportunities for financing of SMEs. This will be our main focus. TFCI has financed more than 700 projects related to tourism in the country. Some of these projects are in undeveloped areas, that are new like heritage projects, for example Mukundgarh Fort or Devigarh Fort these are not in main cities but outside the city limits. We will be making them anchor products for the bank and from there we will use the bottom up approach We would mainly like to fund the SME segment.” He added, “Until now we have been financing hotel projects but there are a whole lot of downstream and upstream projects associated with hotels and other areas which we have not been able to finance due to our existing structure. When we have the banking facility we will be able to raise resources at a cheaper rate and we will also be able to involve all the people involved in these downstream and upstream projects. This will give us a totally different approach - it will not just be a product development approach but also an area development approach.”
ETAA to host first international convention in Dubai RITUPARNA CHATTERJEE - Mumbai
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nterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) is hosting its first international convention in Dubai from November 29 to December 2, 2013. ETAA has partnered with Lama Tours, Emirates, Jet Airways and has received a monetary grant from Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), to offer a package of `29,900 to its members for attending the convention. Around 300 to 350 delegates are expected to attend the convention. The convention is aimed at being a deviation from the normal convention format which primarily comprises of a theme and a series of business sessions. Instead of business sessions, ETAA will include a tour around the city, desert safaris, dhow cruises to name a few with the aim to familiarise the destination to its members. Speaking on this, Karl Dantas, chairman emeritus, ETAA stated, “The main focus of the convention is definitely Dubai. We don't want to go to a destination and talk about everything else in the world. We are sponsored by Dubai tourism to study Dubai firsthand and therefore we are doing only a nine to 12 session on the second day with a Dubai certified programme.” Moreover, instead of a theme, ETAA has introduced a logo which goes with the tag line 'Dubai in your palm'. By the end of this convention, ETAA which currently has 436 members is expecting to touch 500 members. ETAA is also looking at having its domestic convention in the first half of 2014 followed by the next international convention in the second half of the same year. “For the domestic convention we are looking at Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal or the North-East. We are looking at the logistics and are seeing as to who will bring in the right kind of partnership. For the international convention, a lot of people from the tourism boards of Europe, the US, North America, Canada, Africa have approached us and we will start talking to international partners from January, 2014,” concluded Dantas.
OTOAI to bring out whitepaper on economic benefits of outbound tourism Forms Environment Committee and Women's Wing NIHARIKA SHUKLA - NewDelhi
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he Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) recently held its first annual general meet where Guldeep Singh Sahni, president, OTOAI informed about the commissioning of a whitepaper on the economic benefits of outbound tourism. The association has also formed an Environment Committee and Women's Wing. According to him the contributions of the outbound tour operators have not been recognised by the agencies of the govern-
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ment. This whitepaper will help the government agencies to have a clear perspective of the outbound segment. A panel discussion on 'OTOAI Vision 2014: Business – Way Forward', was also organised to look into the business of domestic and international tourism including the problems faced by tour operators in the industry. The panelists included Dhananjay S Saliankar, regional director, Starwood Sales Organisation South Asia; Ratti Dhodapkar, managing director, Abercrombie
& Kent Vacations; Vasudha Sondhi, director, Outbound Marketing; Romit Theophilus, director, sales and marketing, German National Tourist Office and Ankush Nijhawan, director, Nijhawan Group. The discussion was moderated by Sahni. “Even though the business looks positive we can expect to see a lot of drastic changes in terms of regulation. The meaning of outbound tourism is blurring a bit and changes are appearing in the way small agents do business. It is important www.expresstravelworld.com
for every business to have a marketing plan and be careful with the geography one is dealing with,”said Sondhi. Talking about the role technology is playing, Nijhawan said, “To reach out to a wide and tech savvy audience social media is the only solution. It is important that tour operators and travel service providers move towards technology and provide information through online media.” Taking the discussion further, Theophilus said, “Price plays a bigger factor when it comes to tourism in Europe. It is important to specialise in
products and services to maintain the business.” To improve the bargaining power of smaller agents with the suppliers in the tourism sector, the panel remained divided on the feasibility that the consortium holds. The panel discussion was followed by an Open Forum wherein Sahni urged OTOAI members to put across the issues being faced by them. Matters such as fraternity guidelines, service tax, training of agency staff members and overseas suppliers were brought into attention by the members. October 2013
M|A|R|K|E|T NEWSTRACK
Sports and wellness tourism focus of GDTB 2013 NIHARIKA SHUKLA - New Delhi
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he third edition of Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar (GDTB) recently held in the capital had sports and wellness tourism segments being taken up as key issues of discussion within domestic tourism. The event was organised by ministry of tourism, Government of India and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) supported by Association of Domestic Tour
LAST YEAR TEN INTERNATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENTS WERE ORGANISED WHEREIN AROUND 120-140 TOP GOLFERS FROM EUROPEAN AND ASIAN COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED
Operators of India (ADTOI). Parvez Dewan, secretary tourism, Government of India in his inaugural address threw light upon how domestic tourism plays a major role in developing the economy of a country. He laid emphasis on Jammu & Kashmir and north eastern as potential tourist destinations having lot to offer tourists. According to him, Tawang will be the next Ladakh where a major festival will be held in October to attract more tourists. The session on sports and wellness tourism had panelists such as Rajan Sehgal, president, India Golf Tourism Association; Abhimanyu Singh Rajawat, president, Club Golf 27 and Hemant Mendiratta, vice president, sales - travel trade, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts discussing how the two segments are develop-
ing as a new demand among domestic travellers. When asked about the emergence of sports tourism as a popular choice by tourists Sehgal said, “Today sports tourism has become a popular choice of tourists in the tourism sector. One of the reasons is the impact of IPL matches which have encouraged people to travel from different places to watch it. Another sport which has led to this change is golf. Last year ten international golf tournaments were organised wherein around 120-140 top golfers from European and Asian countries participated. What India requires is proper marketing for sports tourism to become one of the top choices of the traveller.” GG Saxena, managing director and CEO, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation;
Vivek Mathur, general manager, Madhya Pradesh Tourism; Jyotsna Suri, VP – FICCI, chairperson – FICCI Tourism Committee and MD and chairperson, Lalit Suri Hospitality Group; Soman S Pathy, liaison and nodal officer, Gujarat Tourism; Sarabjit Singh, chairmancum honorary secretary, ITTA and Subash Verma, president, ADTOI were some of the panelists who addressed the session on strategies, effective implementation and benefits to the industry. Each panelist representing their state brought out main features of attraction and the issues faced by their states regarding tourism such as access and connectivity, safety, infrastructure along with discussing the state governments and their initiatives for getting domestic tourism its share.
K Chiranjeevi launches '777 days of Incredible Indian Himalayas' campaign Urges Himalayan states to brand and market themselves extensively NIHARIKA SHUKLA - New Delhi
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ith an aim to promote the snow clad mountains and boost adventure tourism segment, union tourism minister K Chiranjeevi recently launched the '777 days of Incredible Indian Himalayas Campaign' on world tourism day in New Delhi. The ministry of tourism also wants to launch adventure activities such as skiing, mountaineering and trekking. The agenda behind the campaign is to attract more domestic and foreign tourists making the Himalayas a 365 days destination for travellers and also to spread awareness that 73 per cent of Himalayas lies in the Indian territory. 'The greatest show on earth'and 'Life altering journey on Himalyas', two of the new promotional films were
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also launched by him along with a map of Himalayas on the occassion. The Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) is also collaborating with the ministry to promote this campaign and will be organising adventure activities - river rafting, Himalayan run and mountain and bike events. Also 50 per cent of the peak fee chargeable will be met by The Indian Mountaineering Foundation for the climbing expedition during the campaign, as decided by the ministry. The campaign also focused on how the six Himalayan states of India Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh can work towards promoting and developing the Himalayas as a tourist destination for domes-
tic as well as foreign tourists. Discussion were also held on how to promote, brand and market the Indian Himalayas to make it easily accessible and an adventourous tourist www.expresstravelworld.com
spot for travellers. It was also brought to light that most of the international tour operators do not include Himalayas in the destination points in India and
the entire focus is mostly on the Golden Triangle. This needs to be changed and awareness about what Himalayas can offer to travellers needs to be spread. October 2013
M|A|R|K|E|T NEWSTRACK
Arzoo.com introduces DSA module KAHINI CHAKRABORTY - Mumbai
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rzoo.com has introduced a new DSA (distributorship sales agents) module which gives region wise control to distributors to appoint their own preferred sales agents and
helps them in controlling the pricing, commissions and funds. Amal Purandare, head India operations, Arzoo.com said, “This programme has been launched pan India and we currently have 30 of our agents using the DSA programme and plan to increase
it soon.” Besides this, the company also has its franchisee programme wherein it has 100 franchisees and looks at increasing those numbers as well. With an aim to follow the agenda of retaining customers by offering cutting
edge services, the company has started offering travel packages also on its website. It is also focusing on gaining more hotel inventory on its portal. Commenting on the current scenario of online travel agents shifting focus to
hotel bookings, Purandare highlighted, “Hotels give higher margins than airlines while volumes are more in airline sales. The airline industry is going through a stagnant phase but hotels will definitely see more gain in the future.”
WBTDC unveils tour packages for Durga Puja JOY ROY CHOUDHURY - Kolkata
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est Bengal Tourism Development C o r p o ra t i o n (WBTDC) has unveiled tour packages to attract domestic and foreign tourists into the state during Durga Puja, the biggest festival in Kolkata. The packages include visits to major community puja pandals in the northern and southern part of the city, century-old pujas conducted by renowned families of the city, celebrating pujas on the
THE PACKAGES INCLUDE VISITS TO COMMUNITY PUJA PANDALS IN THE NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE CITY Ganges and a river cruise connecting Belur Math, Dakshineswar and the Botanical Gardens. Mamata Banerjee, chief minister, West Bengal is coordinating the efforts. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, minister-in-charge – tourism, Government of West Bengal said, “The state tourism department recently hosted a roadshow in New Delhi to promote Durga Puja.” Bhishmadeb Dasgupta, managing director, WBTDC, said, “We have received widespread response for this special package from different parts of the country.” October 2013
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EASIER CREDIT TO MSME SECTOR ADVERTORIAL
'UNION BANK OF INDIA TAKES PRIDE IN SHARING THE DREAMS OF ITS CUSTOMERS' DEBABRATA SARKAR, CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR, UNION BANK OF INDIA speaks about the evolving hospitality industry, the growth possibilities, the challenges and how the Bank can help this sector to meet their capital requirements
INTERVIEW With high capital costs and still higher cost of funds in terms of interest, hotel projects are struggling to survive and grow despite the growing demand for hotel rooms across the country. How does Union Bank plan to address this problem of the hoteliers? Room demand for premium segment hotels was sluggish in 2012-13 on account of the uncertain macroeconomic environment which impacted both business and leisure demand for the hotel industry. Also, there is an oversupply of premium segment rooms across key destinations in India. If one sees the evolving demand pattern as well as the supply pattern of hotels coming up across the length and breadth of the
country, there is considerable heterogeneity in the category of hotels and their service model. Taking these factors into consideration, one has to evaluate the viability of upcoming as well as existing borrowers in the hotel industry holistically. Further, there are some regulatory nudges to encourage credit supply to this sector. As per the RBI notification, three-star or higher category classified hotels located outside cities with population of more than 1 million are classified under Infrastructure Sector. In our Bank, the rate of interest for loans to hotel industry if classified under Infrastructure
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ranges from BR+1.50% to BR+3.00%. If it is not classified under infrastructure then ROI is in the range of BR+3.00% - BR+5.50% depending upon the credit rating of the borrower. The present Base Rate is 10.00% w.e.f. 08.07.2013. Further, in case of good and viable projects, we may also consider some concessions in applicable rate of interest to meet the high capital requirements of hoteliers. What are the Bank's strategies in terms of funding small and mid-sized (SMB) hospitality / tourism projects? In today’s scenario, the business model of hotel industry is such that the major portion of revenue is coming from banquets and food/beverage business and as such traditional strategies based on level of occupancy and average room rates have become less significant. Accordingly, the lenders have re-oriented their loan evaluation model while approving credit to borrowers. While
lending to hospitality projects, especially small and m i d - s i z e d hospitality/tourism projects, the following factors are taken cognizance of i. Demand/supply position of the city / location ii. Demand drivers for the city/ location iii. Prevailing and expected occupancy rates, average room rates and revenue per available room in the city / location iv. Location of the project v. Extent of Competition under hotels industry in the city / location vi. Food and beverage business in the city/location. These factors/parameters
are not exclusive but taken as complementary so that all available information is evaluated while processing any loan application. Current difficulties notwithstanding, which are in line with slowing income in economy, we see a lot of demand in hotels and hospitality industry. The small enterprise of today will grow to be medium and large enterwww.expresstravelworld.com
prise of tomorrow. We are very much vigilant to this macro-industry dynamic and have positioned ourselves accordingly. Though there is increased consciousness on quality aspects, our thrust is to tap the latent as also expressive demand of this sector. Tell us about the major loan
products of the Bank, which offers easier credit to this sector? There is whole bouquet of schemes being offered catering to the demand of the hospitality industry. Mostly it is a project specific financing to the industry. However, we have designed a product namely “Union High Pride” to cater to the October 2013
EASIER CREDIT TO MSME SECTOR ADVERTORIAL
need of mid corporate segment of the hotel industry who generally require credit facility in the range of Rs 5 crore to Rs 25 crore. “Union High Pride” borrowers also benefit from several amenities including multicity cheque books subject to fulfillment of criteria. There is a time frame for sanction/renewal of “Union High Pride” proposals- within 15 or 7 days respectively from the date of submission of proposal by the party for fresh and existing accounts. The borrowers having multicity trade dealing can utilise our CMS product on attractive terms.
Banks and financial institutions are often not willing to fund start-up standalone ventures. Is this also the case with Union Bank? If no, then how is the Bank helping in funding start-up standalone projects? Union Bank of India takes pride in sharing the dreams of its customers. We believe in enterprise and honor the entrepreneurs with a dream. We believe in growing along with the customers. Be it start-up standalone ventures or the seasoned players, we decide the proposal purely on merit and a on case-to-case basis. Like any other industry, the business specifics do need
to be attended while evaluating any proposal. In case of the hospitality industry, apart from the location where the hotel operates, the success of a hotel depends on tie-up arrangement for operations with the well known brands in the industry. Affiliation to key international and domestic brands ensures that the hotel can improve occupancies on the back of loyalty programs and distribution networks of the brand. We are also aware that the presence of a seasoned hotel operator (through a management contract) increases the prospects of hotel operations being carried out optimally.
The hospitality sector has been long demanding infrastructure status from the government to borrow funds at low interest rates to create capacity but the government is yet to accept their demand. As a seasoned banker, how do you think that such a move will help the hospitality industry to attract cheaper credit from banks? The hospitality industry is a very important sector if one sees its contribution to national income. Through its many backward and forward linkages, the sector is inalienably interlinked with economic life of a nation. Moreover, the sector is facil-
itator as also beneficiary. At present, three-star or higher category classified hotels located outside cities with population of more than 1 million are classified under Infrastructure sector. The difference between the lending rates to Infrastructure Sector and other general sectors is normally 1.50% - 2.50%. Thus, there are visible benefits if the sector earns an infrastructure status. We may further consider concessions in rate of interests in case of viable greenfield/brownfield hotel projects on a case to case and merit basis.
'UNION BANK' LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE LOAN SCHEME FOR SWEET-MAKERS IN WEST BENGAL Good news for the small and medium sweet-makers and traders, planning to make it big
Raman Aggarwal GM, Union Bank of India
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outh-watering 'Bengali Sweets' have enticed people of all age-groups for centuries. Travellers, be it on a leisure trip or on a business visit to Kolkata, make it a point to visit the famous sweet-shops and carry back home a box of sandesh or a container of roshogolla (rasgulla) or misti doi (curd). Bengali sweets have played an important role in attracting tourists to the state.
October 2013
Now, Union Bank of India has come forward with a noble initiative to give these small and mid-sized 'sweetmakers' a chance to make it big. The Bank has recently unveiled an innovative cluster specific loan scheme for 'century-old' sweet manufacturers and traders, strewn across the state of West Bengal to help them renovate and modernise their production units and refurbish their outlets. The Bank, thanks to the far-sightedness and acumenship of its Chairman &
lacking the on the hygiene and branding part. Brainchild of the CMD, the loan scheme will help these outlets to modernise their operations, conform to the latest safety and hygiene norms and embrace technology in a bigger way to gain economies of scale. Union Bank will offer loans ranging from Rs. 2 lakh to upto Rs 1 crore for procurement or replacement of plant & machinery, for renovation or for furnishing of new shops as well as to meet working capital needs.
Managing Director (CMD), Debabrata Sarkar, who observed during his several international stints that inspite of its world-wide fame and popularity, the Bengali sweet industry, which is an integral part of the Bengali culture was
The rate of interest varies between 10.5-11% for micro and small enterprises based on the quantum of the loan . To induce the millions of sweet-makers who keep on producing these delicacies day after day in dingy shops with
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little modern technological support or financial help. For these units, the bank has kept the rate at 10.25% a year for a minimum borrowing of Rs 2 lakh. Collateral or security is waived as the loans will be covered under the 'National Credit Guarantee Scheme'. If borrowers do not want the guarantee-cover to avoid paying an annual guarantee fee (0.50% of the outstanding loan), they have to give 100% collateral. The loans have to be repaid within a maximum period of 84 months or sevenyear including moratorium period in line with the projected cash flow.
"Small-scale sweet shop owners will benefit the most if they use the finance in improving their production facilities, safety & hygiene issues and packaging of the products," said Raman Aggarwal, Field General Manager, Kolkata. The Bank has already sanctioned 117 loan applications amounting to Rs. 8 crores and another 90 are in the process of getting the approval from the Bank, which again amounts to Rs. 8 crore. Though the quantum of loan is small but it has made a huge difference to hundreds of small and mid-sized sweetmakers in Bengal. “The Bank has formed a team of officials, who are visiting the field to create awareness about the scheme. Our thrust will be on renovation, hygiene and proper packaging and marketing of the Bengali sweet industry,” said Aggarwal. “The Bank has even relaxed the norms to overcome the gaps in the maintenance of financial records by these small entrepreneurs.” EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD
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M|A|R|K|E|T INBOUND
IRCTC to tap new destinations for its outbound tour packages KAHINI CHAKRABORTY - Mumbai
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he Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has diversified into offering outbound and domestic tour packages. As far as outbound tours are concerned, the corporation already has stabilised itself in four countries - Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Rahul Himalian, additional general manager, IRCTC informed, “IRCTC is now looking at exploring and developing long itinerary packages for new destinations - Europe (eight days/seven nights or 12 days/11 nights), Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Greece, South Africa, Mauritius. Later in the last quarter the corporation will also tap South American and North American countries.” Reasoning the diversification plan, he said, “We are a government company so tourists booking their
packages have more faith on government owned services. For our foreign tours, we are competing with Thomas Cook, Cox & Kings and have already got an established client list of senior citizens.” On the domestic front, IRCTC is also entering into MoUs with various state governments. “With Madhya Pradesh we crossed the figure of more than 100 trains which we started from September 3 this year. The eastern zone is doing Chhattisgarh while the north zone is doing
IRCTC IS ALSO ENTERING INTO MOUS WITH VARIOUS STATE GOVERNMENTS AND HAS ALSO DEVELOPED COACH RELATED PROGRAMMES
Rajasthan. We are also looking at doing the same with Maharashtra and Gujarat,” Himalian added. The corporation has also developed various coach related programmes. Himalian informed, “We are running Tirupati chartered coach every Friday from Mumbai which facilitates Mumbai and Pune travellers. We have crossed the 1000 persons figure last year. We are also looking at Bengaluru, Mysore, Ooty, Kerala and Hyderabad.” “We are trying to tie-up with Ramoji Film City. So around 20 packages are being developed for domestic tourism which are coach based and berth based including Malwan, Ganapatipule, Shirdi, Tirupati, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh. Besides this, we run trains like the Dakshin Darshan from Ahmedabad which covers seven cities - Tirupati, Goa,Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Trivandrum and Kovalam. It carries 1000 persons at one time,” he added.
COMPANION TRAVEL FREE OFFER ON BUDDHIST CIRCUIT SPECIAL TRAIN IRCTC has come up with an exclusive offer for Indian nationals to experience the rich culture and spiritual heritage of India and travel in the footsteps of Lord Buddha. IRCTC has introduced a companion travel free offer for Indian nationals travelling on the national tourism award winning – Mahaparinirvan Express – Buddhist Circuit special train for trip commencing on October 5, 2013. The all inclusive price for two people would now be `70, 000 for AC First Class and `57,000 for AC Two Tier Class. This comprehensive tour package of seven nights/ eight days begins and ends at Delhi Safdarjung railway station. The package includes journey by an exclusive tourist train, hotel accommodation, road transportation in AC Deluxe buses, all meals, sightseeing, entrance fee, tour guide service, travel insurance, onboard security, etc. The journey covers world famous Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir, Sarnath, Varanasi, Kushinagar, Lumbini (Nepal) Sravasti and Agra. Tourist and pilgrims from over 30 countries have travelled on this special train in the last six years and have enjoyed the unmatched hospitality offered by IRCTC. Ideal for persons looking for Buddhist pilgrimage in India.
FHRAI Convention highlights the need to push inclusive tourism and sustainable practices STEENA JOY – Kochi
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he 48th convention of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) held in Kochi recently focused on tourism for inclusive growth and urged the hotel and restaurant sector to adopt sustainable practices
October 2013
to ensure long term growth. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr K Chiranjeevi, Union tourism minister announced that 29 mega tourism projects have been identified for implementation under the PublicPrivate Participation model in Kerala. One of them, the mega Alapuzha Backwater
Development Project, was launched by the tourism minister the same day. A provision of `47.62 crore has been made by the tourism ministry towards this project. Guest of honour Sitaram Yechury, MP, chairman, Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism and
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Culture said that there was an acute shortage of qualified guides and urged the industry to “create curiosity about our civilisation and then create infrastructure to host the visitors who give in to that curiosity.” Explaining how Kerala is a model for Sustainable and Responsible Tourism, which was the theme of the convention, K P Anil Kumar, minister of tourism, Kerala, in his keynote address said that despite economic crisis, the state has gained `500 crore from tourism in the last two years. Suman Billa, secretary, Kerala Tourism made a presentation on Kerala's responsible tourism model and how it has put India on the global map. He informed that Kumarakom has been shortlisted as one of the two sites
for a Global Observatory on Responsible Tourism. Vivek Nair, president, FHRAI, said that the convention was an opportune forum for wide-ranging discussions and sharing of best practices on the industry’s strategic and competitive response to today’s challenging environment. Commenting on hosting the convention for the first time in Kerala, Jose Dominic, joint honorary secretary, FHRAI applauded the success story of Kerala in terms of tourism and hospitality, focused on three key principles - sustainable, inclusive and local. The inaugural session also saw the release of a coffee table book 'Responsible and Sustainable Tourism: The Kerala Model' brought out by Express Hospitality from the Indian Express Ltd. EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD
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‘AISATS aims to redefine airport services to enhance passenger travel experience’ Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS) is a 50:50 joint venture between Air India and SATS, providing airport services in ground and cargo handling in five airports in India. Willy Ko, CEO, AISATS talks about the growth in operations and key achievements. By Sudipta Dev How would you describe the growth story of AISATS? Since the start of our operations in 2008, AISATS has been providing superior, hassle-free and comprehensive services to its customer airlines in international airports at Bengaluru, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Mangalore and Trivandrum. As a premier airport services company, we offer end-toend ground handling services which include passenger and baggage handling, cargo handling, ramp handling, aircraft interior cleaning, load control and flight operations. We also operate a modern, state-of-the-art, fully equipped 200,000tonne cargo terminal in Bengaluru. In the last 12 month period, AISATS has bagged ground handling contracts for more than 20 new airlines, a majority of which are international airline customers. AISATS has also gained a reputation for handling chartered and non-
customers and their passengers can enjoy consistent and good quality service in as many airports in India.
scheduled flights. What has been your significant milestones? Since the commencement of our services, AISATS has accrued a number of firsts to its credit. AISATS’ Bengaluru cargo terminal has the honour of being the first Air Cargo Terminal in India, Middle East and Africa region to be awarded a TAPA (Transported Asset Protection Association) Class A certification. We have also been pioneers in implementing the Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) and COSYS software in our operations. As one of the most reliable names in ground handling in the country, AISATS has maintained an overall turnaround time of 45 to 60 minutes for its airline customers. What is your expansion strategy for the near future? Will you be also looking at tier II / tier III city airports in India?
Willy Ko
AISATS’ ambitions are not limited to the five airports that it is currently operating in. We are keen on expanding our local footprint in new and emerging markets in accordance with our joint venture agreement. The company endeavours to implement innovations in the airline industry, to further enhance services and create value for our airline customers and the local community. Our ambition is to provide services at all the six metro airports and key tier II airports, so our airline
Are you also looking at expanding the range of services that you are offering to your client airlines? AISATS aims to redefine airport services to enhance passenger travel experience by implementing best global services and innovative technological practices. Besides ground and cargo handling equipment, AISATS places strong emphasis on employee training and development, safety and security procedures and enhancing customer service culture within the company. As part of the company’s vision of exponential growth in the cargo and ground handling sector we look forward to expanding our services to add and create value to the business of our airline clientele and their customers. Some of the plans in the pipeline include
lounge services, one-stopservice for comprehensive handling and customised cargo service offerings for special handling. What is your vision for AISATS in the next decade? AISATS’ vision is to be a prominent airport services company in all six metros, key tier II airports and emerging markets in India, which exceeds customer expectations. We envision the company as the employer of choice where each employee can perform to their potential. We would like to witness the company growing to become the first choice for airline customers, contributing significantly to the communities and the localities in which it operates. In the years to come, AISATS will be a pioneer in redefining airport travel experience and will be renowned for its continuous efforts in ensuring the provision of high quality services.
Cathay Pacific Airways to start additional flight from Kolkata To introduce Premium Economy cabin on all routes SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai
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ndia is amongst the top ten markets for Cathay Pacific Airways group and is an important part of the airline's overall strategic plans for the future. “We are continuously monitoring market demand and exploring new opportunities. At the same time many factors have to be taken into consideration such as traffic rights, resource planning and arrangement etc,” said Rakesh Raicar, regional sales and marketing manager South Asia, Cathay Pacific
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Airways. He revealed that Cathay Pacific has utilised all its traffic rights and is constantly reviewing new routes that can be profitable in the future. Cathay Pacific recently announced an extra flight service from Kolkata effective October. “Our new products and the Premium Economy cabin have made an appearance on our flights from Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad and will soon be introduced in other routes as well,” he said. The airline's passenger loads to and from India have
Rakesh Raicar been healthy with an average of 80 per cent. Talking about the airline's six decades old operations in the country, Raicar reminded that Cathay www.expresstravelworld.com
Pacific first set up office in India in 1952 at Kolkata and started flight operations in 1953 from Hong Kong to Kolkata via Bangkok. In 1976 Cathay Pacific Airways relocated its head office in India to Mumbai. “In 2012, we have increased frequencies between Chennai and Hong Kong from four flights a week to daily. Cathay Pacific Airways commenced its new four-times-weekly service to Hyderabad in December and Dragonair has commenced its new four-times-weekly service to Kolkata in November,” he mentioned.
Pointing out the advantages of Hong Kong as a hub for Indian travellers, Raicar said, “Cathay Pacific Airways in essence is a network carrier offering passengers excellent connections to their onward destinations through our hub in Hong Kong, which is not more than five hours away from half the world’s population. Apart from its geographical location, Hong Kong boasts of the award winning Hong Kong International Airport that has been winning awards since its inception in 1997.” October 2013
A state of diverse beauty Situated in the heart of India, Madhya Pradesh has fascinating experiences to offer, from rich diverse wildlife to breathtaking dense greenery across three different destinations – Bandhavgarh, Pench and Kanha
Bandhavgarh Covering 448 sq km, Bandhavgarh is situated in Shahdol district among the outlying hills of the Vindhya range. Bandhavgarh boasts of a small national park with the highest density of tiger population in India. This is the original home of the white tigers which have been found in the old state of Rewa for many years. Apart from tigers, Bandhavgarh is densely populated with other species like sambar, barking deer and nilgai, which are seen in the more open areas of the park. At the centre of the park is Bandhavgarh hill surrounding it are a large number of smaller hills separated by gently sloping valleys. These valleys end in small, swampy meadows, locally known as 'bohera'. The lowest point in the park is at Tala. The vegetation is chiefly of Sal forest in the valleys and on the lower slopes, and mixed deciduous forest on the hills and in the hotter, drier areas of the park. Bamboo is found throughout. On the highest point of the hill stands Bandhavgarh Fort which is thought to be some 2000 years old. Scattered throughout the park, and particularly around the fort, are numerous caves containing shrines and ancient Sanskrit inscriptions. October 2013
Prior to becoming a National Park, the forests around Bandhavgarh had long been maintained as a Shikargah, or game preserve of the Maharajas of Rewa. In 1947, Rewa was merged with Madhya Pradesh and Bandhavgarh came under the Regulation of Madhya Pradesh. The Maharaja of Rewa still retained the hunting rights of Bandhavgarh and no special conservation measures were taken until 1968, when the areas were constituted as a National Park.
Pench Nestled in the southern slopes of the Satpura ranges of Central India, Pench Tiger Reserve lies in southern Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharastra. The Pench National Park which constitute the core of the tiger reserve was notified in 1983 and was brought under Project Tiger in 1992. The park comprises the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park and the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary. Pench National Park gets its name from the Pench river that flows through it, dividing it into western Chhindwara block (141.61 sq km) and the Eastern Seoni Block (145.24 sq km). Over 1200 species of plants have been recorded in
PRIOR TO BECOMING A NATIONAL PARK, FORESTS AROUND BANDHAVGARH HAD BEEN MAINTAINED AS A GAME PRESERVE OF MAHARAJAS OF REWA the area including several rare and endangered plants as well as plants of ethnobotanical importance. Pench offers a heterogeneity of mixed forests, shrubs and grasslands and provides a favourable condition to harbour a dense population of cheetal and sambhar. Pench Tiger Reserve has the highest density of herbivores in India, 90.3 animals per sq km. The area is especially famous for its huge www.expresstravelworld.com
population of the Indian Bison, cheetal, sambhar, neelgai, wild dog and wild pig. Pench Tiger Reserve is also among the best areas for bird watching. Over 285 species of resident and migratory birds including Malabar pied hornbill, Indian pitta, osprey, grey- eaded fishing eagle, white-eyed buzzard are found here. Four species of the endangered vulture, white- rumped, longbilled,white scavenger and king vulture can be seen in good numbers in these forests. In winter, thousands of migratory water fowl including the brahmini duck, pochards, bar headed geese and coots come to the Pench reservoir and the tanks within the park. The best time to visit Pench is summer as animals come out in search of water.
Kanha Kanha’s sal and bamboo forests, rolling grasslands and meandering streams stretch over 940 sq km.
Kanha National Park forms the core of the Kanha Tiger Reserve created in 1974 under Project Tiger. The park is the only habitat of the rare hardground Barasingha. In the 1930s, the Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar of 250 sq km and 300 sq km each. Though one of these was subsequently disbanded, the area remained a protected one until 1947. Depletion of the tiger population in the years that followed led to the area being made into an absolute sanctuary in 1952. By a special statute in 1955, Kanha National Park came into being. The best areas of the park are the meadows where blackbuck, chital and barasingha can be seen throughout the day. Bamni Dadar, known as Sunset Point, is one of the most beautiful areas of the park, from where the sunset can be watched. The dense forest of Kanha can be seen from here. Kanha has some 22 species of mammals. Those most easily spotted are the striped palm squirrel, common langur, jackal, wild pig, chital or spotted deer, barasingha or swamp deer and black buck. Kanha also has some 200 species of birds. Water birds can be seen near the park’s many rivulets and at Sarvantal, a pool that is frequented by water birds and the area in front of the museum. The best season to visit the park is from mid October to June.
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Brand USA to attract one Rupee devaluation milln Indian visitors by 2015 no impact on Dubai outbound
NIHARIKA SHUKLA – New Delhi
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rand USA recently conducted its second India Travel Mission in Mumbai and New Delhi respectively with an aim to promote USA as a major tourist destination among Indian travellers. About 46 representatives from 31 US companies were present at the event. According to Jay Gray, vice president - global partnership development, Brand USA, an online and digital campaign for tourism promotion will be launched soon and are expecting tourism numbers to rise to one million by 2015. As per statistics 7.25 lakh Indians visited the US in 2012 as compared to 6.63 lakh visitors in 2011. Despite the downfall of the economy, the growth in the first quarter of 2013 was 14.7 per cent because of the recent developements in VFR traffic. When asked about the current problems and strategies being adopted to increase Indian tourist inflow to the US, Gray added, “Earlier tourist visits to the US were low but then President Barack Obama
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started national programmes specifically for the development of tourism and travel industry. Today there are more travellers to the US than the airline routes. Hence we are getting in touch with the airlines so that the frequencies of routes can be increased. Other than this we are also planning to come up with FAM trips, trade fairs and roadshows to increase the opportunities for people to know the destination better.”
Present amongst the Brand USA delegates was also a delegation from Las Vegas. A lot of interesting factors about choosing Las Vegas as a destination were brought out. Apart from casinos and clubs, Las Vegas also has many adventure activities that are being organised-Flight Lines, Ferrari race track, Sky Diving etc. Apart from that Las Vegas offers Michael Jackson shows, comedy shows, a variety of dining options to name a few.
n 2012 Dubai saw 763,000 Indians staying in its hotel and hotel apartments. There was a growth rate of over 10 per cent over the corresponding year of 2011. In 2013 the first half was extremely encouraging, mentioned Carl Vaz, director, India Representative Office, Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai. “We had over 460,000 odd Indians staying at hotels and hotel apartments in Dubai. These are excluding the VFR and transit visitors. There was a growth rate of almost 15.8 per cent. This is almost 16 per cent over the corresponding first half of 2012. So 2013 is already on a good growth track. We expect the momentum to continue in the leg end of 2013,” he added. The rupee devaluation in fact has not had an impact on the Dubai market as a lot of long haul travellers have converted into short haul. “The depreciation of the rupee versus the dollar was for a very short time, and we as a short haul destination were not affected,” remarked Vaz.
The continued growth, according to Vaz, is on account of several factors Dubai enjoys a close relationship with India. Indians play a vital role, not only in Dubai's economy but in the tourism segment, being the second largest market. “Over and above that we have good airline connectivity and good promotions, for example, the recently concluded Summer is Dubai campaign that had promotions for the family where with two adults two kids below the age of 13 could stay and dine free,” pointed out Vaz. Then there was the Ramadan Dubai campaign, the Back to School promotions. “Because of the frequency of these events we had a very good turnout. Going forward, in Q4 this year we are tapping the wedding segment, and we are also aggressively looking at the MBA programme (site visits for students, etc),” he stated. The three-city roadshow this year saw several new tour operators and destination management companies. The Oberoi Hotel in Dubai, came for the first time.
Spain hopes to restart their advertising campaign 'I need Spain' next year RITUPARNA CHATTERJEE Mumbai
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pain is looking forward to restart their advertising campaign – I need Spain – by mid or end of 2014. Spain which is going through a financial crisis had stopped its advertising cam-
paign for the last two years after the success of the Hindi film – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara – that opened Spain as an ideal travel destination resulting in 35 - 40 per cent increase in tourist inflow every year. Though the positive effect of the movie is still continuing, Spain tourism
THE CAMPAIGN IS BASED ON EXPERIENTIAL SPAIN, SPECIFICALLY BASED ON LIFESTYLE AND THE FOCUS IS ON THE IMMATERIAL PART OF TRAVELLING LIKE ENJOYING THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS OF LIFE 16
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Arturo Ortiz Arduan department is looking at increasing the number of visitations further by restarting their advertising campaign - I need Spain – that is being www.expresstravelworld.com
targeted at the FIT segment. Speaking on this, Arturo Ortiz Arduan, tourism counselor, Embassy of Spain Tourism Department stated, “We entered into a financial crisis in Spain and we had our budgets cut along with our advertising campaign. But the movie kept its good image and even now people keep talking about the movie and about Spain. The economic situation of Spain is improving, but we can't say now that everything is out of the crisis. As far as budgets are concerned, the budget for advertising in the past was 200,000 euros but we do not know about next year's budget. Our idea is to restart
our advertising campaign 'I need Spain' which we used to have. The campaign is based on experiential Spain, specifically based on lifestyle and the focus is on the immaterial part of travelling like enjoying the beautiful things of life.” The advertising campaign will focus on all the destinations in Spain and will try to create a global image of Spain. Apart from FITs, Spain is targeting the MICE segment through other initiatives. “We are trying to be present in MICErelated magazines and we are trying to interact directly with corporates and travel agencies promoting MICE,” concluded Arduan. October 2013
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Suspension of biometric for visa to boost large incentive group travel to France SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai
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or Atout France, one of the key developments has been the suspension of biometric for getting visas in Mumbai. Catherine Oden, director, Atout France India believes that this will help in attracting larger MICE groups from India. “The suspension of the biometric will help in a major way. We used to not have groups of over six hundred but now this suspension will
help us welcome bigger groups,” stated Oden, pointing out that, while the biometric was only in Mumbai it was unfortunately having an effect on whole of India as when a company would hear about biometrics in Mumbai, it would opt for another destination. “We had a major loss and now we want to catch up,” asserted Oden. While most of the groups have been from Delhi and Mumbai, there have been some groups from south markets as well.
THE GROWTH FROM THE INDIAN MARKET FOR PARIS HAS BEEN REGULARLY AVERAGING BETWEEN FIVE TO TEN PER CENT YEAR ON YEAR. PARIS CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU HAVE BEEN VISITING THE INDIAN MARKET FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS
Catherine Oden Atout France is focused on positioning Paris as a MICE destination. Oden informed that this year has seen some 400 pax incentive groups going to Paris from India. “There is a lot of interest in this market, we had the small difficulty of the biometric system, which is now behind us,” stated Oden. The other MICE destinations being pushed in this market are
Nice, Cannes, and Bordeaux for smaller groups. The recent annual B2B workshop 'Rendez-vous in France' which took place in New Delhi and Mumbai had delegations from Paris as well as other French regions/cities. “We also make the suppliers aware of the demands of the Indian market as it is important for them to welcome Indians in hotels, shopping establishments, etc,” said Oden. The growth from the Indian market for Paris has been regularly averaging between five to ten per cent year on year. Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau have been visiting the Indian market for quite sometime now, that is for more than ten years. “Obviously we consider the Indian market important. We are happy that the Indian market is increasing every year. Paris gets all types of Indian
visitors - FITs, families, youth, MICE groups and corporates,” said Patricia Barthelemy, marketing manager, Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, adding that, the focus for them is to understand the evolution of the market and that is why they come here every year. She also asserted on the importance of understanding the expectation of the clientele in order to adapt the tourism products in Paris, to have more FITs and incentive groups. She pointed out that among the new highlights is a city tour on bicylces. There are companies organising bicycle tours on different themes - historical, artistic Paris, etc. There are english speaking guides. “It is a new experience in Paris. There are also bicycles with three wheels. The Indian travel trade has shown interest in the product,” said Barthelemy.
Luxury cruise segment to grow with maturing market SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai
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ith the gradual maturity of the cruise travel segment in India, the luxury cruise market is expected to grow at a healthy pace. “Indian consumers (being generally highly brand-conscious) seeking luxury cruise vacation are maturing on product understanding while not compromising on their basic environmental parameters,” said Sumit Banerji, founder and country head - India and South Asia, Cruise Masters. He believes that concerted and focused efforts by the brand representatives and the trade partners will have a positive impact on the YOY business bottomline. “I’ll be pleased to see a CAGR of 20 per cent in line with the forecast for Indian luxury market, in the next five years,” added Banerji. Known as the world’s most inclusive luxury cruise October 2013
Sumit Banerji line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers suite-only accommodation with private balcony and unlimited space for 700 guests onboard three mid-size ships, attended to by up to 445 international crew members. "The ships enjoy certain distinctions in accommodations, service, dining and amenities that elevate them to the lofty vantage point of an enviable
six stars. They halt at ports that are generally inaccessible by large ships, with many itineraries offering 'overnight stay' at the port allowing guests to experience the destination’s nightlife,” said Banerji, adding that minimum cruise duration is of seven nights, many of the itineraries being one-way. He informed that this 'Suite Life At Sea' expewww.expresstravelworld.com
rience includes many interesting highlights like unlimited shore excursions at exotic port-of-calls; dining at specialty restaurants and offering exquisite haute French cuisine; in-suite dining, served course-by-course during restaurant hours; marble-appointed in-suite bathroom with L’Occitane amenities; and exciting onboard activities, etc.
“Guests seeking exclusivity, space, luxury ambiance and most-inclusive product during their vacation, are our target clientele. They are matured travellers, who seek out experiential vacation without compromising on their basic necessity of exclusivity and space. They include the HNWIs and affluent families of the society,” mentioned Banerji. EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD
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World Tourism Day 2013 focuses on Tourism and Water
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he 27th of September marks the United Nations´ calendar day highlighting tourism, a sector that is driving socioeconomic growth and development all over the world. The World Tourism Day 2013 was dedicated to 'Tourism and Water – Protecting Our Common Future' in line with the International Year of Water Cooperation, wherein stakeholders called for greater global efforts in water preservation.
The call by Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general, United Nations on the responsibility of tourism sector to safeguard and intelligently manage water was echoed by Taleb Rifai, secretary-general, UNWTO, “As one of the world’s leading socio-economic activities, the tourism sector must take a leadership role and ensure companies and destinations invest in adequate water management throughout the value chain.”
L-R: Arvind Pradhan, director general, Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC); Clarence Fernandes, co-chairman - Travel and Tourism Committee, IMC; Pradip Madhavji, chairman - Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Committee, IMC; Ernest Rwamucyo, high commissioner, Rwanda High Commission – New Delhi; Shailesh Vaidya, president, IMC and Jitendra Sanghvi, deputy director general, IMC graced the World Tourism Day celebrations organised by IMC held in Mumbai
Students of Happy Home and School for the Blind present the welcome songs at the event
IndiaTourism Mumbai office celebrates World Tourism Day
Kiran Mehra Kerpalman, director, United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC) lighting the lamp at Amity University's 10th annual convention held on World Tourism Day in Noida
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Kiran Soni Gupta, principal secretary to government - Literature, Art and Culture, and CEO, Amber Development and Management Authority going around the photo exhibition by Padam Sharman along with the visitors held on the occasion of World Tourism Day at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur
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October 2013
W H AT ’ S INSIDE
MANAGEMENT INSIGHT INTO THE TRAVEL MARKET
Mission accomplished PG 23 British Columbia: Land of diverse legacy PG 25 Rediscovering Rome PG 27
MARKET 5 EDGE 29 TRAVEL LIFE 32 October 2013
Looking beyond the concept of staying in hotels, Express TravelWorld brings you an overview of high-end accommodation in luxury trains, cruises and caravans – each redefining the experience of luxury vacations, in India and overseas
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T rains are one of the oldest modes of mechanical transport and key factor for the success of the industrial revolution. It has been since those early days that the element of comfort in this particular mode of transport was looked for. It was the royalty at that point who had the privilege and the resources to have fully equipped luxurious coaches to their disposal. Slowly it became accessible to those with spending ability. The Orient Express has a network of luxury trains, cruises even hotels. But perhaps its most well known venture is the trans European train The Venice Simplon-OrientExpress (VSOE). It was on October 4, 1883, VSOE started from the Gare de Strasbourg in Paris bound for Romania. With around 40 passengers it was the Orient Express conceptualised by Georges
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Nagelmackers of Belgium. In 1906, the Simplon Tunnel connecting Italy to Switzerland became operational and later that year the Simplon-Orient started. It is the SimplonOrient of the period 1907 to 1914 which was partly emulated by the 1982 venture, but it is fair to point out that the Edwardian train was neither so grand nor luxurious as the one which has been refurbished as the VSOE. The train’s popularity is propelled by the film ‘Murder on the Orient-Express’, the truth is that author Agatha Christie never wrote a book with that title - she called it ‘Murder in the Calais Coach’. In 1982 the restored version of the VSOE departed from Victoria Station bound for Venice. Today the train offers guests authentic vintage carriages, evoking the era of European rail travel in the 1920s and 30s. Travelling in private cabins, passengers are
attended by cabin stewards. Each cabin is decorated in mahogany panels inlaid with individual marquetry patterns. Passengers can choose from two types of compartment: Double and Single. The VSOE has three restaurant cars. All meals are freshly prepared onboard by French chefs; lunch consists of three courses and dinner consists of four courses. Breakfast and afternoon tea are served in the cabins. The Canadian Rocky Mountaineer is a younger train but offers great experiences as it passes through the untouched Canadian hinterlands. On offer are over 45 Canadian vacation packages and four rail routes through British Columbia (BC) and Alberta. The product has been in existence for 20 years now but has been majorly promoted in the US, UK and Australia. Considering the growth opportunity from India
TRAINS ARE PERHAPS WHERE INDIA HAS EN EDGE OVER THE REST OF THE WORLD. INDIAN RAILWAYS WITH STATE TOURISM BOARDS HAS TAKEN ON THE MANTLE OF RUNNING LUXURY TRAINS ACROSS INDIA SUCCESSFULLY
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among the BRIC nations, Canadian Rocky Mountaineer is now being promoted here. The packages launched in India include Rail and Cruise Vacations, Rail and Winery Tours and City Stops in four routes. Trains are perhaps where India has en edge over the rest of the world. Indian Railways with different state tourism boards has taken on the mantle of running luxury trains across India and that too successfully. Taking the lead was the Palace on Wheels - the coaches of the train belonged to the rulers of princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India. After independence, these coaches were parked and remained so till in 1981-82 the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) and Indian Railways launched Palace on Wheels. State government and the Railways brought infrastructural changes in the coaches while maintaining the aesthetics of the interiors alive. These coaches were later replaced by the air-conditioned broad gauge new train. Using this as a prototype Maharashtra and Karnataka also have their versions, Deccan Odyssey and The Golden Chariot, respectively. The popularity and advance booking on the Palace on Wheels was such that RTDC and Indian Railways had to introduce Royal Rajasthan on Wheels. Recently a group of 24 Indian tourists boarded Palace on Wheels from Safdarganj Railway Station, Delhi. This particular tourist group belongs to the Sadabhar Association of Hyderabad, consisting of leading business families. Vinod Ajmera, managing director, RTDC has played a crucial role in motivating this group of Indian tourists , as this will go a long way in promoting the business of Palace on Wheels in the domestic market. In the 30 years history of this luxury train starting from 1982, for the very first time a group of Indian tourists was on board. There has been a myth prevailing among domestic Indian tourists that the Palace on Wheels accepts its tariff in USD and it is not possible for
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Indian tourists to travel on this train. Madhya Pradesh had approached the Indian Railways to work out a feasibility study to run a luxury train. The state's coordination sub-committee, together with the Hotel & Restaurant Association (Western India), had put forth the concept of having a luxury train called the Malwa Odyssey. There have also been some failures like The Royal Orient, a joint venture between the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat and the Indian Railways, which ceased operations in 2004. According to sources from Gujarat Tourism, the train had an attractive itinerary covering the most interesting tourism spots of Gujarat. However, it had to be discontinued as it was metre gauge line and there was demand to change the route to a broad gauge one. Most Indian luxury trains are listed in the most popular luxury trains lists. These trains now also offer business requirements like board rooms and conferencing systems. The aim now for these trains should be to reach out to different target audiences and not just the baby boomers.
There were talks with Rail Europe and IRCTC to bring these trains under Rail Europe’s network to reach out to wider audiences. there is a huge demand for Indian luxury trains in the global travel and tourism market. The demand comes from countries like Japan, Australia, Korea and South American nations.
Chugging away to luxury The Palace on Wheels, rated as one of the top ten luxury train journeys in the world, offers a seven days trip across the forts and palaces of Rajasthan. Also added is the Taj Mahal in Agra. The train has 14 saloons, two restaurant cum kitchen cars, one Bar cum Lounge and four service cars. The train also has a wellappointed lounge, library and bar. The saloons have four cabins each attached with bath and shower. The newly introduced spa saloon, offers ayurvedic massage, other services include laundry services and doctor on request. The government of Maharashtra and MTDC in a joint venture with the Indian Railways started the luxury train Deccan Odyssey. The train has 21 coaches out of which 12 are passenger cars
accommodating eight people per coach (10 passenger cars, four couples per coach and two presidential suite cars, two couples per coach) one conference car, two dining cars, two generator cars with luggage storage, two staff spare car, one spa car, one bar car. The present capacity of the train is 80 pax. The journey covers some of the best places in Maharashtra namely, Mumbai, Sindhudurg, Tarkarli, Goa, Vasco, Kolhapur, Aurangabad and Nashik. The stone chariots of Hampi is the inspiration behind The Golden Chariot. A joint venture between Karnataka State Tourism and Development Corporation (KSTDC) and the Indian Railways, The Golden Chariot has two itineraries - Pride of the South and Splendour of the South. Pride of the South covers destinations like Bengaluru, Kabini, Bandipur, Mysore, Hassan, Hampi and Badami in Karnataka, while Splendour of the South covers temple towns of Tamil Nadu and backwaters of Kerala along with destinations in Karnataka. The coaches have been named after erstwhile princely states of the south.
THE AIM NOW FOR THESE TRAINS SHOULD BE TO REACH OUT TO DIFFERENT TARGET AUDIENCES AND NOT JUST THE BABY BOOMERS.THERE WERE TALKS WITH RAIL EUROPE AND IRCTC TO BRING THESE TRAINS UNDER RAIL EUROPE’S NETWORK October 2013
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There are a total of 26 twin bed cabins, 17 double bed cabins and one cabin for the physically challenged. On board are also two restaurants, lounge bar, business centre, gymnasium and a spa. RTDC had been receiving overwhelming responses for Palace on Wheels. Owing to the demand RTDC introduced the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels. The train is newly built and designed in a contemporary royal style. The train, in a seven day trip, starts from Delhi and explores Jodhpur, Udaipur, Chittor, Sawai-Madhopur and Jaipur. From Rajasthan the train moves on to Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh, then Varanasi, and ends at Agra. The coaches are divided in two categories – Super Deluxe Saloon (Emerald and Diamond) and Deluxe Saloon (Ruby, Sapphire and Pearl). There are two resto-bars, Sheesh Mahal and Swarn Mahal as well as a lifestyle spa. The Maharaja’s Express offers five luxury train tours. These tours explore Balasinor, Khajuraho, Jaipur, Bikaner, Taj Mahal, Udaipur, Varanasi and much more. There are 14 guest carriages including one presidential suite. The luxury train features two fine dining restaurants that each seat 42 persons and everyone on board dine together. There are two bars - Safari bar and lounge-cum-bar Rajah Club. This Indian luxury train is owned and operated by IRCTC.
Sailing as far as the horizon If it hadn’t been for Vasco Da Gama and his voyage, India would have remained undiscovered for a few more centuries. Gama and his crew’s sea-faring abilities were the reason why he landed in India. Cruises as a business has picked up tremendously globally, and luxury cruises have further made a niche for themselves. Companies like Cunard, Silversea, Crystal and Oceania offer services that might make five-star hotels green. Melvyn Yap, regional director for Asia, Silversea Cruises says, “To date, Silversea has one of the highest space-to-guest ratio in cruising, and nearly one to one staff-to-guest ratio. Silversea changes with the times, while retaining its old world elegance. Apart from having your very own butler to attend to your every need,
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the suites are also customisable – from the size of the bed (twin or queen), the type of mattress (soft or firm), the kind of pillow (there are nine varieties available onboard), bathroom amenities (Bvlgari or Ferragamo, or hypoallergenic products), to the Pratesi bed linen, the cruise is the epitome of luxury.” The need to stay ahead and offer something new is the reason for Silversea to announce Galapagos as a new destination. “We have also announced the 2014 World Cruise 2014, an incomparable 113-day odyssey from Los Angeles to Barcelona aboard Silver Whisper, from January 6 to April 30, 2014,” adds Yap. Another luxury cruise company, Prestige Cruise Holdings and its Oceania Cruises in 2012 launched the Riviera, which features Bon Appétit Culinary Centre, a Canyon Ranch SpaClub, suites by Dakota Jackson, Ralph Lauren home-furnished owner’s suites, and a grand Lalique staircase lit from above by a custom-made chandelier. Her distinguishing features include a museumworthy collection of fine art focusing on the works of some of Latin America’s most accomplished and admired contemporary artists and an Artist Loft with hands-on instruction. Indians have taken to cruising like fish to water. Amit Mathur, country head India, MSC Cruises says, “Luxury segment in India is growing at a compounded rate of 20 per cent and is currently estimated to be approximately US$ 5.8 billion. Studies published have estimated India to have 1,53,000 HNIs with a liquid asset base in excess of US$ one million. An aspiring middle class with rising disposable income coupled with FDI retail investment and government keen on reforms will help in overall growth of the segment. With an international trip high on the To Do list, cruising offers a unique experience to these travellers.” He further adds that the cruise industry is the fastest growing sector within travel and is set for a compounded 15 – 20 per cent growth annually in India. “With time, more and more people are getting aware of cruises, the interest in an only cruise holiday is growing, this is evident from the growing FIT numbers. Having said that, cruising is still nascent in India and an Indian traveller prefers clubbing a few nights
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STUDIES HAVE ESTIMATED INDIA TO HAVE 1,53,000 HNIS WITH A LIQUID ASSET BASE IN EXCESS OF US$ ONE MILLION. WITH AN INTERNATIONAL TRIP HIGH ON THE TO DO LIST, CRUISING OFFERS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE TO THIS SEGMENT of cruising in his over-all holiday package. In the coming years cruising will gain more popularity, we will have to keep innovating and maintain high standards of service to delight our customers,” he says. MSC Yacht Club is a private club ambience and signature butler service. In August 2011 RCI launched its Cruise Exchange Programme in India to offer timeshare owners dream holidays on the high seas. RCI members can exchange their timeshare week for a discount on the price of a cruise on up to four cabins per exchange booking. Alternately, if a member has already used their deposited week, they can still save on their cruise holiday with RCI’s special members-only rates. To tap the Indian market further local companies and GSAs are going all out. Vivek Jain, director, Griffon Travels who is a GSA for Louis Cruises in India says, “We have built a very extensive website of all the various cruises of different categories we represent. In this website you can see ocean cruises options, ferry cruises, river cruises etc of different standards. We are constantly promoting and educating the trade and travellers about it. In addition to this we do email broadcasting, brochure mailings and trade show.” These are signs of the evolution in the Indian market, but very few projects have
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taken off in India and international cruise companies are skeptical of Indian cities as ports. Louis Cruises which ventured into the Indian market in 2010 with sailings from Kochi eventually stalled operations. According to representatives of the company, the charges for a single call at Kochi port were US$ 25,000. Compare this with the fee at Maldives - US$ 2,500 for 24 hours or Colombo - US$ 4,000. In comparison Indian river cruises have had a better luck but a lot more needs to be done. Indo-British joint venture Assam Bengal Navigation, that had started its operations in 2003 offering long-distance cruises on Brahmaputra in Assam, initiated its river cruises on the river Hooghli in 2007, extending it to the Ganges in 2010. “Experience counts for everything here, and our expertise in the field of river cruising on both waterways is unrivalled,” states Ashish Phookan, managing director, Assam Bengal Navigation, adding that majority of the company's clients are from Europe. In recent times Assam Bengal Navigation has had an increasing share of clients from Australia, North America and Japan as well. The company currently has offices in Guwahati and the UK. Vivada Inland Waterways offers cruises throughout the
year ex Kolkata. M V Nath, chairman and managing director, Vivada Inland Waterways says that India has a vast river length and coastline which has great potential. Four important cities are on the river cruise maps – Kolkata, Varanasi, Guwahati and Kochi. Seven major state capitals can get connected with coastline Kolkata, Port Blair, Chennai, Lakshwadeep island, Kochi, Goa and Mumbai. “Further, waterways through Bangladesh offer an excellent cruise opportunity to the Sunderban area and to the remote areas of the north east. If the protocol of trade and cargo is extended for tourism by cruises, both countries will stand to benefit and strengthen Indo-Bangladesh relationship,” states Nath.
One for the road In 2009, in an effort to further utilise Indian roads for tourism, MoT GoI announced guidelines for caravan tourism. Under the guidelines, the caravans would be popularised and promoted by developing caravan parks in PPP mode. Madhya Pradesh Tourism has taken upon itself the onus to run and manage caravan coaches in the state. Promoted as 'Holiday on Wheels', there are several packages that the state is promoting in three circuits with base in Jabalpur, Indore and Bhopal.
October 2013
M|A|N|A|G|E|M|E|N|T EVENT ROUNDUP
Mission accomplished Tourism Australia’s India Travel Mission 2013 witnessed encouraging participation from both buyers as well as suppliers with few new players entering the scene. Reema Lokesh reports on the highlights of the event
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he dollar dance apparently has not affected the business down under as Tourism Australia official records have some positive notes to share. The recent figures showed encouraging growth as their June 2013 statistics revealed that there were 14,300 visitors from India during June 2013, a 20 per cent increase over June 2012, bringing the total for the year ended June 2013 to 164,000, an increase of 7.6 per cent relative to the same period previous year. The Tourism Forecasting Council predicts 176,000 arrivals from India to Australia in 2013/14, a growth of 7.3 per cent.
Tourism Australia recently completed year one of the India 2020 Strategic Plan that was launched in June 2012. Since the launch of the plan, leisure spends and arrivals from India have grown by 22 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. India is one of Australia’s fastest growing inbound markets and now sits amongst the top 10 source markets for Australian tourism. Visitor numbers to Australia from India grew 7.5 per cent in 2012, reaching 159,400 for the year, and worth AUD 786 million in overnight expenditure. The India Travel Mission 2013 which has held during the end of August 2013 in
THE INDIA TRAVEL MISSION 2013 IN GOA,WITNESSED PARTICIPATION FROM AROUND 50 AUSTRALIAN SUPPLIERS AND 100 BUYERS FROM ACROSS INDIA.THE MISSION CLEARLY TRIED TO REINFORCE ITS FAITH IN THE INDIA MARKET October 2013
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Goa, witnessed participation from around 50 Australian suppliers who interacted with close to a 100 buyers from across India. The mission clearly tried to reinforce its faith in the India market with an increased focus on luxury, gourmet and high end leisure experiences. Karyn Kent, regional general manager - South/South East Asia and Gulf Countries, Tourism Australia, was very clear when she mentioned
that Australia is being promoted in a unique way focusing on experiences and introducing new untapped regions of the country. From food and wine trails to that of promoting the destination through films, they have their strategy well laid out she reiterated. “Recent arrivals from India have been extremely encouraging, especially with the consistent growth in leisure visitors. The expected airline capacity increase with the
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launch of Air India’s non-stop flights to Sydney and Melbourne is likely to provide a further boost to travel from India to Australia. To sustain our efforts in this market, in addition to the India 2020 strategic plan, Tourism Australia has undertaken comprehensive research initiatives for a greater understanding of our target audience in India to help us reach out to them in more effective ways. We are optimistic about India’s continued growth as one of Australia’s top 10 inbound markets,” says Kent. The three-day event featured scheduled appointments between each Indian buyer and Australian seller, in addition to round table networking sessions to facilitate interaction with
Australia’s state tourism representatives. India Travel Mission (ITM) 2013 also witnessed increased presence from airline partners such as Singapore Airlines, Silk Air, Virgin Australia, Malaysia Airlines and Air India who shared details of their increased frequency. At the event, the Indian buyer delegates also received an audience with officers from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) at the Australian High Commission, to increase their understanding of the visa application process. DIAC and Tourism Australia run the ‘Preferred Agency Scheme’ (PAS) for easy facilitation of visas from shortlisted travel agencies. On June 2013, there were 108 PAS agencies in India.
ITM IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY AND PROVIDES A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIAN AND AUSTRALIAN TRAVEL TRADE REPRESENTATIVES TO MEET AND EXCHANGE BUSINESS INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES
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Nishant Kashikar, country manager – India, Tourism Australia said, “ITM is an important aspect of our distribution strategy and provides a fantastic opportunity for Indian and Australian travel trade representatives to meet and exchange business information and opportunities. We are very pleased with the response and feedback that the event has generated. As part of our trade initiatives ITM will be supplemented by our training programme throughout six cities during September and October 2013, and our ongoing efforts to train agents through the online Aussie Specialist Program. On the consumer front our integrated brand campaign across high visibility media platforms and our co-op initiatives with travel and airline partners is expected to give Australia top-of-mind recall in the booking periods for the upcoming holiday seasons.” The suppliers were of the opinion that the Indian traveller is asking for more and they have to offer innovative products to cater to the demand. Nayaz Noor of Safir Travels was confident that what will sell in the future are only out of the box itiner-
aries for the discerning Indian travellers. Sudhir Warrier of the Australian Cruise Group who has been in the business for over two decades was also highlighting the importance of product enhancement and offering new specialties as he is constantly trying to offer something new through his products. A new high-end product, which is wanting to strongly make inroads into the Indian market is the Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa, which was also a part of the delegation. Some light moments were witnessed at the opening event of ITM 2013, during which a team building cooking competition was held for all the participating delegates. The event, aptly titled OzChef, was judged by celebrity chef of Australia, Matt Moran, in his inimitable style that has been so popular on television shows such as Masterchef Australia. Moran emphasised the popularity and diversity of food and wine experiences in Australia and encouraged the Indian travel trade to send more Indian visitors to indulge in uniquely Aussie experiences including its culinary delights.
October 2013
M|A|N|A|G|E|M|E|N|T DESTINATION OUTBOUND
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BRITISH COLUMBIA
Land of diverse legacy For the first time visitor to British Columbia in Canada the most striking factor is its vibrant cultural ethos - from the legends of the First Nations communities to the original Chinese immigrants who settled in the region to the new immigrants who have made the cities their home. By Sudipta Dev
October 2013
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n a modern western world nation, British Columbia epitomises a region that holds close to its heart its ancient heritage the First Nation, a terminology used for the original inhabitants of the land. Home to as many as 203 First Nations communities, the diversity of aboriginal art, culture and languages is reflective in many aspects of everyday life. The Royal BC Museum in the capital city of Victoria poignantly showcases the history of the land through the centuries. Acknowledged as the one of the top ten museums in North America, the third floor of the museum houses the First Peoples gallery. From the dramatically crafted original totem poles to the model of a typical aboriginal village to the story of the Nisga'a, people of the Nass River, the exhibits bring to life a vibrant culture that has lost many of its legacy to the passage of time. Victoria is on the southern tip of the Vancouver Island surrounded by water on three sides and therefore has a mild weather. It is the gold rush in Alaska that helped Victoria grow as a port and a city – ships would stop on the way from Alaska and many of those who returned settled in Victoria and went back to their old trades. Tourism is big business in Victoria with 210 cruise ships coming in every summer, in some days the harbour witnesses the docking of as many as three cruise ships in a day, each disembarking as many as 2000 passengers. The Chinatown is one of the most interesting areas in the city and a must visit inclusion in tourist itinerary. Incidentally, this is Canada's oldest Chinatown and the highlights include the Gate of Harmonious Interest, Dragon Alley, and numerous restaurants and shops.
Garden City On way to another tourism highlight of Victoria – the Butchart Gardens, you will be passing through many of the 13 municipalities of Victoria, each with its own mayor, council and police department. Bucharest is Gardens was
originally a limestone quarry owned by the Butchart family who turned it into a garden – they brought flowering shrubs from around the world and converted it into a 55-acre attraction which includes a Japanese Garden, a Rose garden, Sunken garden, fountains, ice skating rink, etc. The garden draws 1.25 million people in a year. A large number of visitors come during the 12 days of Christmas celebrations. The quaint restaurant at Butchart Gardens is an excellent location for afternoon teas. Also, known as Canada's Garden City, some of the other green landmarks in Victoria include the Abkhazi Garden, Beacon Hill Park, Hatley Park, Victoria Butterfly Gardens and others. Interestingly, the most imposing landmark in the city happens to be a hotel — overlooking the harbour, The Fairmont Empress is a striking structure with its ivy covered exterior and elegant architecture. The Government Street is the converging point in the city where visitors and residents alike soak in the languid atmosphere, watching the sea planes take off for Seattle or Vancouver or boat load of tourists excitedly going for a whale watching tour. The waters along Victoria's coastline attract two types of killer whales (orcas) – the resident which eat salmons and the transient whales that eat seals. Whales travel almost 100 km a day, there are many who come to these waters for a day or two and go back to the sea. Between the months of May and October, visitors going on whale watching tours can see many of these killer whales that frequent the waters.
Vancouver highlights While the city of Victoria relishes in its old world charm, Vancouver takes great pride in its cosmopolitan culture. Vancouver is the gateway to Alaska via the Inside Passage, which offers much more beautiful scenarios than the Outside Passage taken by Seattle departures. The Canada Place on Vancouver's waterfront is a major hub in the city – it houses the Pan Pacific hotel,
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the old convention centre and a busy cruise ship terminal. The Canada Place now also has the latest attraction in Vancouver - FlyOver Canada. Visitors get a chance to go on an eight thrilling minute thrilling flying ride across some of the most fascinating sights in the country, along with the special effect of wind and mist. One of the most fashionable areas of Vancouver is Gastown with its Victorian architecture and cobbled streets. While the key landmark is Gastown's famous steam operated clock (incidentally the world's first), in recent times it is the trendy boutiques and shops that are the greatest attractions in the locality. Quite differently positioned is the Granville Island and its famous food market with its mélange of sights and smells that captivate the senses. The sky ride to the Grouse Mountain gives visitors the chance to see its most famous inhabitants – the grizzly bears. Apart from the scenic vistas that Grouse Mountain offers, the other highlights for tourists include an interactive lumber jack show and Birds in Motion show. The area is also popular among the adventure buffs for various activities like mountain ziplining. During winters, skiing is the favourite activity in these mountains. The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver’s North Shore area offers much more than its famous suspension
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MEGA INITIATIVE For the very first time the Canadian Tourism Commission conducted a Super Familiarisation Tour that brought together 203 travel agents from 14 countries, including UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Mexico, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Brazil. The travel agents were hosted by the tourism departments of different provinces and toured across the country, finally meeting at the Niagara Falls. British Columbia hosted 21 travel agents from 11 countries. The British Columbia team came second in a presentation competition for all travel agents, with team Yukon bagging the first prize.
bridge cliff walk and tree top adventures. Its history is a fascinating tale of passion and determination of the personalities who had the vision to create a tourist landmark like this more than a century ago. The colourful totem pole collection and other artefacts are
fascinating showcases of the creative art of the First Nations people. For an immersive experience of connecting with the land, its history and ancient culture, the aboriginal canoe excursion in Cates Park, North Vancouver should not be missed. www.expresstravelworld.com
October 2013
M|A|N|A|G|E|M|E|N|T DESTINATION OUTBOUND
Rediscovering Rome The Eternal City has much more to offer than St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, the Colosseo and the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and Michelangelo. As one meanders up and down the slopes of this modern city built on top of the ancient one, you are amazed at the way its glorious past has shaped its cultural present. By Steena Joy
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n the drive from the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport to the centre of Rome, a visitor will pass St Paul's Basilica, the only one of the four ancient major basilicas or papal basilicas (others being St John Lateran, St Mary Major, and St Peter's) that lies outside the walled city. Inside the Aurelian walls, built to protect Rome from barbarian invaders, lies a rich and centuries old culture that has continued to fascinate visitors from around the world. As headquarters first of the Roman Empire and then of the Roman Catholic Church, the city itself retains layers of buildings spanning over two millenia.
Of hills, piazzas and fountains The Capitol, the southern summit of the Capitoline Hill, was the symbolic centre of the Roman world and home to the city's three most important October 2013
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temples. Below the Capitol lies the Roman Forum, once the focus of political, social, legal and commercial life and the central area around which ancient Rome developed and the Colosseo, the centre of entertainment where gladiator fights used to sometimes last for days. According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 BC by twin sons Romulus and Remus who were raised by a she-wolf. Overlooking the Forum is the Palantine Hill, where Romulus is said to have founded Rome and emperors lived for over 400 years. Julius Caesar ruled for a time as dictator, and his nephew Octavian became Rome's first emperor, assuming the title Augustus. As one passes the Largo di Torre Argentina or Argentina Square where Caesar was assassinated, and the amazing Pantheon which houses the basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres dedicated to St.
Mary and all the Christian martyrs, the baroque architecture, the huge columns of marble brought from different continents especially Africa, the larger than life sculptures of gods and goddesses, it is not just a reminder of the skilled craftsmanship of the golden era of the Roman Empire but a cauldron of art and culture that has been restored and painstakingly kept alive. A short walk from the Pantheon, you will find Piazza Navona, an oblong square with three fountains. In the centre is the Fountain of Four Rivers by 17th century sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, where each of the four rivers (Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio del Platas) represent the peoples from the different cultures of the world as the Romans knew it then. The other two fountains are the Neptune Fountain and the Moor Fountain, at both ends of the piazza. Piazza Navona EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD
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takes its oblong oval shape from the Stadium of Domitian, built by Emperor Domitian in 86 AD. The stadium was known as Circus Agonalis (competition arena), which then became ‘n'Agona’ and eventually Navona. In addition to a market, processions and spectacles were held here – including ‘naumachiae’ or mock naval battles when the stadium was flooded with water. Another short walk and you reach the famed Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, which were constructed in the 1720s. The steps lead to the Piazza di Spagna where to the left, you'll see the Keats Shelley Museum, an homage to the two poets, who spent their final years in Italy. Right across the piazza is the beginning of Via Condotti, perhaps Rome's most famous shopping street where Bulgari, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Prada and other global brands can be found and also homegrown Italian brands like Kiton, famous for their customised suits. Nearby in the centre of Piazza del Popolo, site of the one of ancient Rome's northern gate you'll see an ancient Egyptian obelisk, brought to Rome in 10 BC by Emperor Augustus. The two baroque churches that rise up on either side in perfect symmetry were designed by Carlo Rainaldi and finished by Bernini and
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Carlo Fontana in the 1600s. The highlight of the piazza is the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo which was the setting for author Dan Brown's preDa Vinci Code novel, Angels and Demons. A unique tourist stop is the La Bocca della Verità or the Mouth of Truth, a marble sculpture of a man-like face, located in the portico of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin opposite the Temple of Hercules on the banks of the river Tiber that flows through the city. The sculpture is believed to be part of a first-century ancient Roman manhole cover, portraying one of the pagan gods, probably Oceanus or as most Romans believe, the ancient god of the Tiber. It was believed that if one told a lie with one's hand in the mouth
of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. The Mouth of Truth was made famous in the 1953 film Roman Holiday starring Katherine Hepburn and Gregory Peck.
Roman ruins – a peep into the past Rome is an archaeological delight and one can spend hours walking around ancient sites that have been restored and opened to the public. Vicus Caprarius or The City of Water is one such site just south of the Piazza di Trevi which was uncovered in 1999 during construction of the Cineteca Nazionale's Sala Alberto Sordi in the former Cinema Trevi. Archaeologists have excavated 4,300 square feet of ruins of what used to be a fourth century Roman mansion (built on the site of www.expresstravelworld.com
two insulae, or apartment buildings), and a section of an aqueduct - the Aqua Virgo that connects to the nearby Trevi Fountain. A must see for any history enthusiast. On the outskirts of Rome is another of Rome’s hidden treasures, Ostia Antica. It was the ancient harbour city built on the banks of the Tiber. The well preserved remains of ancient insulae, an open air amphitheatre and shops (with intricate tiled mosaics in front) where commercial business was transacted gives an insight into life in ancient Rome. The ancient city is mentioned in the 2000 film Gladiator, when the protagonist Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) learns that his army is camped at Ostia and awaiting orders. Ostia also has a beautiful beach where the view of the Mediterranean Sea is scenic. Inside the city, you find the Villa Borghese estate and gardens, a gift from Pope Paul V to his nephew Scipione Borghese. The Villa houses the Galleria Borghese where we can find one of the most important collections of sculpture and paintings in the world including works by Bernini and Raphael. The statue of Scipione’s wife Pauline (Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister) has been in the villa since 1838. Many of the art collections from the Villa were sold to Napoleon and now consti-
tute the Borghese Collection in the Louvre. In 1903 the city of Rome obtained Villa Borghese from the Borghese family and opened the park to the public. A visit to Rome will not be complete without seeing the famed Roman baths. The baths provided two basic functions for ancient Romans they were necessary for sanitation as most of the population of Rome lived in crowded tenements without running water or bathrooms. At the same time the baths provided an opportunity to socialise. A recent archaeological find is the Terme di Caracalla or the Baths of Caracalla named after Emperor Caracalla. The Baths of Caracalla like all bathhouses in ancient Rome included three basic rooms: frigidarium (a cold pool), the tepidarium (a lukewarm pool) and the calidarium (a hot pool). These baths could have held up to 1600 bathers. The Baths also had two libraries and extensive gardens. Before leaving Rome, a walk on Via Veneto must be included. Named to commemorate the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the street was designed at the end of the 19th century with many cafes and shops lining it. Via Veneto is home to the famous Café de Paris and Harry's Bar, immortalised in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, the favourite haunt of celebrities in Rome. October 2013
W H AT ’ S INSIDE
EDGE THE CUTTING EDGE IN TRAVEL TRADE
Opening doorways: IATO Convention Kochi PG 30
IN FOCUS
The power of apps The mobile phone and social media is transforming how new age travellers are researching, transacting and giving feedback on their travels. Companies like IMImobile and Blue Star Infotech are powering many innovative applications for their customers in travel and hospitality space. By Sudipta Dev
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he mobile phone and tablet PC is redefining the way people are doing their research, planning and booking. India has a mobile subscriber base of 867 million. A study done by Ipsos for Google proves that 87 per cent of travellers used mobile phone to research their trips and 66 per cent booked a trip based on this. “The versatile use of mobile phones is pushing travel technology players to not only provide ticketing or destination research apps but a holistic technology that enables the traveller to research, get reviews; plan and book tickets at one go. The mobile device is further playing the role of a hospitality manager during the course of the journey,” says Vishwanath Alluri, founder and executive chairman, IMImobile. IMImobile's solutions for mobile travel space are powered by DaVinci Evolved Service Platform (ESP) and the DaVinci suite of products. DaVinci ESP is a unified and fully integrated platform that supports the creation, delivery and management of applications and services across mobile and social channels. “It enables us to offer solutions that leverage the full spectrum of mobile capabilities – SMS, MMS, USSD, OBD, IVR, missed calls, smartphone applications, mobile web portals, In-App Push Notifications to name a few,” states Alluri.
MANAGEMENT 19 MARKET 5 TRAVEL LIFE 32 October 2013
Vishwanath Alluri
Douglas Gray
IMImobile has worked with customers like American Airlines for which the company has developed a solution to allow their most loyal customers to get notified about the best travel deals. For the city of London, IMImobile has powered an app which was made available during London 2012 Olympics. IMImobile also recently powered National Rail Enquiries iPad app in UK to deliver a streamlined customer experience. One of the concerns is the fact that most service providers have a fragmented approach to technology. Alluri believes that such a fragmented approach cannot result in a unified and seamless experience for customers. “Our DaVinci platform is designed from the ground up to orchestrate end user experience
across multiple touch points,” he states.
THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY TREND THAT IS EMERGING IS THE POWER OF PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS.WI-FI AND GPS ENABLES THE COLLECTION OF DATA ON TRAVELLERS TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOURS AND ACTIVITIES www.expresstravelworld.com
Innovative applications Blue Star Infotech is offering two mobile applications for the travel and hospitality industry — Mobile Vacation Planner (MVP) and SmartRetreat. Douglas Gray, chief solutions officer, Blue Star Infotech, says, “Sites like HotelTonight are exclusively mobile app only platforms for booking last minute hotel stays. For younger travellers, WeHostels helps youth traveling abroad find great deals at hostels world-wide. Even online travel agencies, like Expedia, now offer a downloadable mobile app.” The MVP is a consumer-oriented travel planning app that enables travellers to access and explore rich travel content organised by geography and things to see and do. Gray informs that it also has option to read reviews, ratings and recommendations by other similar minded travellers to help them intelligently plan their next holiday or vacation. MVP deploys on the Apple iPad and provides graphical user interface that permits the user to specify their prefer-
ences to describe the type of travel experience they want to create. SmartRetreat is a hotel concierge mobile tablet computer-based app that enables the hotel guest to serve themselves, for example, order room service, book a spa treatment or golf tee time, or explore the hotel amenities as well as the things to do and see in the hotel’s surrounding environs. “Hotel guests have the freedom to entertain themselves using SmartRetreat to watch movies or listen to music via their tablet, as well as set the hotel room environmental controls to their preference, including heating and air conditioning, TV, and lighting,” adds Gray. The target segment for MVP is travel service providers including travel agents and OTAs, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, vacation clubs, convention and visitors bureaus, etc. For SmartRetreat, the target segment is moderate to upscale hotels and resorts. The most revolutionary trend that is emerging in the near future is the power of predictive analytics. Wi-Fi and GPS enables the collection of data on travellers to know about their behaviours and activities. “With this data, coupled with predictive analytics models and algorithms, it is possible to predict what the traveller may want at any given time and place, e.g., meal time in the entertainment and dining district, and make meaningful recommendations to the traveller to provide them with viable options,” states Gray, adding that, for service providers, the offers and promotions made to travellers have ten times greater likelihood of being acted upon when compared to offers that are not based on or supported by analytics. EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD
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E|D|G|E EVENT ROUNDUP
The 29th IATO annual convention was an interesting spectacle of discussions. From modernising airports throughout the country to diversifying tourism products in Kerala, the varied business topics sought to provide a solution to every problem that is negatively impacting the tourism industry
Opening doorways T
he 29th Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) annual convention which was held from September 8 -11, 2013 at Le Meridien, Kochi, Kerala focussed on the theme 'Indian Tourism Innovations and Partnerships' with an aim to provide solutions to the current problems plaguing the tourism industry. The convention was attended by 1200 delegates which comprised of senior central and state government officials from various ministries, IATO officials, media members, invited guests and delegates from India and overseas. The annual convention was inaugurated by Oommen Chandy, chief minister, Kerala in the presence of Prof K V Thomas, minister of state - IC for consumer affairs, Govt. of India; K C Venugopal, minister of state for civil aviation, Govt. of India; P Anilkumar, tourism
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minister, Kerala; Usha Sharma, additional director general – tourism, Govt. of India; Vijayan Thomas, chairman, KTDC; Suman Billa, secretary tourism, Kerala; and S Harikishore, director, department of tourism, Kerala. The event started with lighting of the lamp by Chandy and distinguished guests. In his welcome address, Arun Anand, chairman, IATO 29th Convention, thanked the chief minister for his presence and briefly introduced the IATO programme for the convention. He specially mentioned value additions like IATO Run for Responsible Tourism wherein 300 delegates participated and Silent Auction to raise funds for charity. In the presidential address, Subhash Goyal, president, IATO mentioned that India Tourism needs to take special efforts to have visa relaxation, improved infrastructure and to look for new markets like Brazil, October 2013
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Africa etc. Air connectivity and budget hotels are the need of the hour to make India competitive. He also reiterated that only tourism alone can solve India’s problems of foreign exchange balance of payment, current account deficit, employment and poverty eradication. During the convention, K V Thomas recalled how Kerala tourism prospered in a systematic manner and how it has proved beneficial in state’s economy and employment. Venugopal in his address spoke about the civil aviation policy decisions to modernise various airports in India, improving connectivity from various traffic generating markets, liberal aviation policy and opening air sky to boost international tourist arrivals. Kumar in his address talked about state governments positive marketing strategies which have been drawn up to boost international tourist arrivals in Kerala and strong partnerships developed with all stakeholders.Vijayan Thomas addressed the delegates and highlighted the diversification of tourism products in Kerala and marketing strategies. Sharma in her address talked about the new thrust areas in Indian tourism focusing on safety, cleanliness, infrastructure October 2013
development and global publicity and how the ministry has formed partnerships with stakeholders and how IATO is involved in decision making process at every level. Billa in his brief address threw light on the new initiatives taken by Kerala Tourism and which were further quantified by Harikishore. The vote of thanks was given by Lally Mathews, secretary, IATO. During the valedictory address, the tourism minister of Jammu and Kashmir who was the Chief Guest extended an invitation for holding IATO’s next convention in Srinagar and assured all support from the state government. On this occasion IATO’s Hall of Fame award was bestowed upon Dr P Mohamed Ali, chairman, GALFAR (Middle East and MAFR Group, India) for extending his service to the tourism and hospitality industry. E M Najeeb, chapter chairman of IATO and president of Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry, was also honoured for his constant coordination with state government and trade to make the event a success. This award ceremony during the valedictory session recognised the support from the state governments by presenting IATO mementos to the winners of the
Marketing Innovation Competition. Coinciding with the IATO Convention, a travel mart was also organised on September 9, 2013 with over 60 booths wherein most of www.expresstravelworld.com
the states and tour operators, hotels and resorts got a platform to showcase their product and interact with buyers and suppliers. After the convention, post-convention tours were organised
to Munnar, Kumarakom, Wayanad, Kovalam and Thekkady which facilitated members to gain knowledge on the tourism products of Kerala and introduce such packages to their clients. EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD
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Travel
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CAMPUS NOTES
Filling the void Working towards proactively facilitating talent management for the travel industry and creating a platform for individuals to build their career in the travel and tourism sector, Smeeta Gulvady, vice president and head – Centre of Learning, Thomas Cook (India) talks about the courses that the institute offers, challenges and career prospects. By Kahini Chakraborty ith the rising demand in new destinations, unique experiences, special interest tours, foreign exchange needs and more, the travel and tourism industry needs more manpower, highly skilled and trained professionals to cater to the demand. Centre of Learning Thomas Cook India understands this need of the industry which is facing an attrition rate of 15-30 per cent and hence strives to effectively provide the industry with a unique inflow of well trained and highly skilled professionals, ready to be absorbed into the workforce, thereby adding value to the organisation through their well rounded knowledge and training. Smeeta Gulvady, vice president and head, Centre of Learning -Thomas Cook India says, “There is an increase in awareness of the travel and tourism industry. Students are more demanding, and some of them are focused on their career path. Hence vocational education has assumed a greater significance as it can help youth soar in fulfillment of their aspirations.” The Centre of Learning (COL) offers a range of programmes from basic to advanced levels for travel aspirants, students and working executives, ranging from four months to two years duration. It also offers a variety of post graduate courses including a three month certificate course in World Tour management; a one year Travel Professional
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Programme - a diploma in travel and tourism management inclusive of an internship and a two year International Tourism Business Course in association with the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). The training institute also provides an array of IATA under graduate and post graduate courses. “The Travel Professional programme - a post graduate diploma in travel and tourism management, which is for one year including a paid internship, has its selected candidates undergoing comprehensive training on the various facets of the travel and tourism industry. The curriculum has been designed keeping in mind the needs of the dynamic travel industry. Thomas Cook (India) provides 100 per cent placement assistance to all students,” Gulvady boasts of. Keeping in mind the needs of the industry with cruise passengers growing multi-fold, the cruise module is an integral part of their programme. “Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with a fleet that includes the world’s largest
cruise ships. This tie-up is the first of such initiatives in India. RCI is a premium cruise brand and we are proud of this partnership,” she says.
Career prospects As a professional, one’s prospects of a robust career growth in the travel and tourism will be extensive. “Besides being in the travel operations field, sales, marketing, he can join the aviation sector or even work as a travel counsellor, corporate desk. An individual can also explore career opportunities
Smeeeta Gulvady
WE EMPHASISE ON EXPERIENTIAL TRAININGS THROUGH FIELD VISITS, WHEREIN STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT REPORTS BASED ON THEIR VISIT. THERE ARE ASSIGNMENTS, INDIVIDUAL/GROUP PROJECTS BEFORE THE CERTIFICATION IS AWARDED www.expresstravelworld.com
in corresponding fields like event management, adventure tourism and teaching amongst others. The professional can look at launching his own travel agency,” she highlights while elaborating on the job profile that students can choose after completing a travel and tourism course. Since the key to success is the quality of teaching faculty, the institute has drawn in experienced faculty from academics and the industry. “Our own faculty is equipped with requisite qualifications and industry experience. We draw from a pool of internal COL resources - visiting faculties from IITTM, South Asia’s best Travel & Tourism Institute, regular guest lecturers from the industry to give students a perspective of the industry. TCIL has also initiated 'Disha' a platform which invites research papers in the field of travel and tourism; this initiative has been taken due to the paucity of research in tourism,” Gulvady highlights. When asked on the reason behind students opting for a travel and tourism course degree abroad, she opines, “The most significant reason for opting for a tourism course abroad is the global exposure achieved. However India being the fastest growing destination in terms of tourism, there are immense career opportunities for travel and tourism aspirants here and quality training centres for pursuing them.” So does a foreign degree enable a student to command higher
salaries than their counterparts competing for a course in India. “This is not necessarily true,” she exclaims. The institution provides intensive industry-centric training with internships as an integral part of their programmes. The learning is not restricted to classroom training. Study tours to understand and observe the finer nuances of travel is also undertaken. “We emphasise on experiential trainings through field visits, wherein students are required to submit reports based on their visit. There are assignments, individual/group projects before the certification is awarded. The purpose behind launching management courses in travel is to be able to provide a platform for individuals to build their career in the travel and tourism sector,” she mentions. On successful completion of the course, students receive an opportunity to work within Thomas Cook India based on their performance during the course. “We have always believed in our objective of proactively facilitating talent management for travel industry,” she adds. Here students are, trained to take up challenging and careers in the travel and tourism industry. “The industry requires a healthy combination of articulate, highly skilled and trained professionals. COL aspires to bridge this gap by proactively facilitating the talent management in the travel industry,” she concludes.
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Tourism New Zealand
Sun International
Sun International Hotels and Resorts has appointed Rajan Kalra as associate director of sales India for Southern Africa. He will be based in Mumbai. Before his current appointment, Kalra was responsible for sales of Sarovar Hotels .
TripAdvisor
Marc Charron has been appointed as president for the business division of TripAdvisor. He will report to CEO and co-founder, Stephen Kaufer. Charron will be based in London and will be responsible for the continued growth and innovation of TripAdvisor. Prior to joining TripAdvisor, Charron served as VP product marketing, SquareTrade in San Francisco and was MD at QXL.com, Getz International Travel and Danube Travel.
October 2013
Reema Gurung has been appointed as sales manager North and East India for Sun International Hotels and Resorts in Southern Africa. She will be based in New Delhi. Gurung comes with experience ranging from airlines and destinations to a hotel in Macau. Gurung previously worked as assistant manager of Snow Leopard Adventures.
Russian Helicopters Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of Rostec State Corporation, has appointed Alexander Mikheev as CEO. Mikheev previously served as deputy CEO of Rosoboronexport. Russian Helicopters' outgoing CEO Dmitry Petrov will continue to work within Rostec.
Neha Bola has been appointed country manager for the Mumbai office of Tourism New Zealand with effect from October 15, 2013. Prior to joining Tourism New Zealand, Bola was general manager innovation and fulfilment, Kuoni India. She has over 12 years of experience in business development, product development, contracting, sales, operations, and CRM. Her past assignments have been at TUI, Cox & Kings and SOTC.
Amadeus Asia Pacific
Angel Gallego has been appointed as president of Amadeus Asia Pacific. Gallego replaces David Brett who has been with Amadeus for 23 years. Gallego will direct the company’s strategy for Asia Pacific, with a focus on distribution and new business opportunities in the region. Another key priority would be to ensure that the travel industry continues to have the latest technology to meet the increasing demands of today’s traveller in Asia Pacific.
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Tourism New Zealand has appointed Nisha D’souza as marketing communications manager for its Mumbai office with effect from October 14, 2013. Prior to her current appointment, D’souza was marketing manager, Blue Square Consultants where she was responsible for managing the marketing activities for Oman and Thailand in India.
Naomi Lobo has been appointed as public relations manager for the Mumbai office of Tourism New Zealand. Lobo is from Beehive Communications and was previously responsible for public relations activities for Korea Tourism Organisation throughout India, and trade relations with travel agents and customers for western region of India including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa.
Air Canada Air Canada has appointed Kevin Howlett as senior vice president of regional markets with overall responsibility for strategic direction of Air Canada's regional operations and the relationship with current and future regional carriers operating on its behalf. In his new role he will be based in Vancouver and will work in association with Derek Vanstone, VP of corporate strategy, industry and government affairs to strengthen regional business and community relationships.
Arielle Meloul Wechsler has been appointed as VP of human resources for Air Canada. In this role, Wechsler will assume responsibility for all aspects of human resources with the exception of labour relations. She has been with Air Canada since 1997. Prior to assuming her employee relations function in 2011, she was assistant general counsel and director of legal services at Air Canada. In 2005 she was seconded to Aeroplan where she led the external legal team through Aeroplan's initial public offering.
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October 2013
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Toll Free: 000 800 100 7947
www.ethiopianairlines.com
October 2013
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Whether you are seeking a laid back gateway or an exciting vacation. The Residence Maldives has something for everyone. Outbound Konnections Pvt Ltd 305 - B Wing, Twin Arcade, Military Road, Andheri East, Mumbai - 400059. Email: anjum@outboundkonnections.in tr@outboundkonnections.in Mobile: +91 9820879052
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October 2013
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Club Med... More happiness than you can imagine!
P
eace and calm or thrills and spills, fun and frolic with your family or discovering the world with your friends, whatever your idea of happiness is, you will find it at Club Med. Club Méditerranée, popularly referred to as Club Med, is a French holiday resort company, which has a chain of 80 unique resorts located at prime, exotic destinations across the globe, designed to bring a sense of tranquility to the body, mind and soul. This is exactly what you need to get away from your daily grind, vacation in style and have an exclusive travel experience. Our premium all-inclusive holidays includes everything you can possibly think of to make the most of your holiday -gorgeous location,
choice of accommodation, all meals, unlimited beverages, host of sports activities, specialized kids club, daily entertainment shows and so much more. The allinclusive formula is elegant, generous and à la carte, where you can savor every moment with absolutely no danger of going over budget.
October 2013
Indulge in international gourmet fare and a choice of more than four or five different cuisines besides local specialties served in a large buffet spread offering a range of delicacies to suit every taste. Enjoy the choicest of unlimited beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, served along with light bites all day long. Our chefs ensure everyoneleaves feeling delighted and pampered with their gastronomical experiences. Being worlds biggest sports clubs offer an amazing range of activities from snorkeling, sailing to skiing to flying trapeze to windsurfing. The list of activities is endless where you can take your pick from a wide range of sports/activities on land, water and air. Try a sport that fires your imagination, in total safety & expert tuition, and discover a whole new world of thrill! Leave your child at the Children’s Club with facilities designed to care for your child’s end-to-end needs. Our certified GOs (Guest Organizers) engage and care for your child while you are away at the spa or at a romantic meal with your partner.
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The core value of this chain is ‘happiness’, hence, you may find a touch of heart warming service at every corner of the property, in every meal and with the Guest Organisers or GOs. Our enthusiastic and friendly GOs heartily welcome guests into a truly global and multicultural environment. Your clients would thank you for offering such an unique product where they can discover the fine art of holidaying and find what ‘heaven on earth’ really feels like. The most popular resorts amongst Indian clientele are Kani, Maldives,
Bintan & Bali, Indonesia and Phuket beach resort. The other options in Asia are our nature resort in
Cherating, Malaysia or luxurious La Plantation D’Albion, Mauritius. Whether your customer is looking for a romantic getaway to celebrate a special occasion, or simply planning a family vacation, there is no place else you’d rather be. For sales enquiries, call our India team at +91 22 2605 7828/32 or visit www.clubmed.co.in to check out the exotic Club Med properties all around the world.
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October 2013
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French update
The Maharaja wings to Sydney
Air India's inaugural direct flight to Australia touches down in Sydney
Atout France recently conducted its annual B2B workshop titled 'Rendez-vous in France' in New Delhi and Mumbai
Business in the Gulf Hamad bin Mejren, executive director, Business Tourism, DTCM received the Gulf Business Industry Awards 2013 after being named as the 'Travel & Hospitality Company for the Year' Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) India recently held a roadshow in Mumbai which had 22 member delegation developing closer working relationship with key members of the travel industry
On Gujarat’s roads
L-R: Neeraj Gupta, MD and founder, Meru Cabs, Meru chauffeur, Neha Dhupia Bollywood actor; Siddhartha Pahwa, CEO, Meru Cabs at the launch of Meru's operations in Ahmedabad October 2013
Florida calling
VISIT FLORIDA recently organised a VIP networking event for the travel trade in Mumbai
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GLIMPSES OF FHRAI 48TH CONVENTION IN KOCHI
Mesmerising Manhattan
Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organised a promotional event at Times Square New York
Exhilarating experience
Constance Hotels & Resorts in a joint initiative with Sri Lankan Airlines organised a travel agents’ FAM trip to Constance Halaveli and Constance Moofushi in Maldives
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A Taiwan story
L-R: Sophie Chang - visa officer, Taiwan; Chung-Kwang Tien, representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India; Noel Saxena, country head, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, representative office in India at a press conference in New Delhi
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October 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.