Express Travelworld April, 2014 by Indian Express

TOGETHERNESS REDEFINED. Indian travelers spend a record 6.5 days per visit to SouthWest Germany.

www.tourism-bw.com info@tourismus-bw.de www.hochschwarzwald.de

CONTENTS Vol 9 No 3 APRIL 2014 Pages 36

Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka Editor

Reema Lokesh* Assistant Editor

Steena Joy Associate Editor

Sudipta Dev

POINTS OF DISTINCTION

CONTENT TEAM

Finest Cuisine at sea

Midsize elegant ships with very high luxury standards

Extraordinary high staff-to-guest ratio

Youngest fleet in premium/ luxury class cruising

Mumbai

Kahini Chakraborty Rituparna Chatterjee Kolkata

Joy Roy Choudhury DESIGN National Art Director

Bivash Barua

RIDING

THE WAVE

(16)

Cruises in 2014

Deputy Art Director

Surajit Patro Chief Designer

Pravin Temble

MARKETS

EDGE

Senior Graphic Designerr

Rushikesh Konka Layout

Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker

LAKSHADWEEP EXPECTS 20% INCREASE IN TOURIST ARRIVALS

TRENZ 2014 TO BE HELD FROM MAY 18 TO 21

SCHEDULING & COORDINATION Sr.Executive

Rohan Thakkar Photo Editor

Sandeep Patil MARKETING Deputy General Manager

Harit Mohanty

Chief Manager

Emmanuel Fernandes Manager

Sunil D'costa

A TERMINAL TAKES OFF TATA ELXSI, ONE OF THE LEADING DESIGN COMPANIES IN INDIA, HELPED CREATE AN EXPERIENCE THAT ECHOES THE EMOTIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF PASSENGERS

BANGLADESH TOURISM BOARD TO OFFER EXPERIENTIAL TOURISM PRODUCTS

MANAGEMENT

LIFE

CIRCULATION

Mohan Varadakar

General Manager

B R Tipnis Manager

Bhadresh Valia Express TravelWorld Reg. No.-MH/MR/SOUTH156\2013-15 RNI Reg. No.MAHENG/2005/15993 Printed by The Indian Express Limited and published by Ms Vaidehi Thakar on behalf of The Indian Express Press, Plot No. EL-208, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai - 400710 and Published from Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021. (Editorial & Administra-tive Offices: Express Towers, 1st Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021)

THE FEMALE GLOBETROTTER A REPORT ON 'WOMEN ON THE GO', AN EXCLUSIVE ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION WE ORGANISED

A SHARK'S TALE SONU & EVA SHIVDASANI OF THE SONEVA GROUP JOIN AS AMBASSADORS FOR SHARK CONSERVATION

P04: EDITOR’S NOTE P29: APPOINTMENTS P33: WEEKEND

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

EUROPE 7 TO 12 DAYS Spain – Italy, Monte Carlo, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Scandinavia, British Isles ALASKA 7 TO 10 DAYS San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle

PRODUCTION

ROUND THE WORLD IN 180 DAYS Starts & ends from Miami and goes around the world. Smaller Voyages of approx. 30 days can be booked on this Round-the- World cruise.

NORTH AMERICA 10 TO 24 DAYS Miami – East West Caribbean – San Francisco etc. SOUTH AMERICA 12 TO 22 DAYS Valpariso, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador etc. FAR EAST 16 TO 24 DAYS Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, China etc.

Oceania Cruises Sales Agent in India Griffon – 4, Cusrow Baug, Colaba, Mumbai 400001. Tel.: (022) 22045014 / 22045019

EDITOR’S NOTE

Water wealth The Indian landmass is truly blessed. Richly endowed with natural resources and a canvas that boosts of unique water bodies ranging from pristine beaches and coastlines, to rivers, wetlands and a delta that is special to its region. There is a lot to explore and experience in terms of tourism options. However the question that arises is whether we are doing justice to the natural gifts, enjoying the specialities in a responsible and respectable fashion. I recently returned from the unique ATOAI annual convention which was held in Uttarakhand, a region known for its special rafting experiences. The convention was designed in a way to give its delegates an opportunity to experience an active convention rather than being confined to a conference set up. Rafting is what we did, with the water of the Ganges playing host to our adventure aspirations. The convention strongly addressed the pressing need to take up adventure tourism rather seriously especially unique activities such as rafting, angling and skiing amongst many other experiences. The ATOAI committee went a step ahead and listed the crucial guidelines for

HEAD OFFICE Express TravelWorld Sunil D’costa Business Publications Division, The Indian Express Ltd, 1st Floor, Express Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400021. India Tel: 67440496 Fax: 22885831 E-mail: sunil.dcosta@expressindia.com Branch Offices : NEW DELHI: Prabhas Jha The Indian Express Ltd, Business Publications Division, Express Building (Basement) 9 & 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi - 110 002 Tel : +91 - 11- 23465670, CHENNAI: Yuvaraj, The Indian Express Ltd, Business Publications Division,

EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

April 2014

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“Training programmes and strict regulations are a must for those in the business of water sports,be it river water activities or the ones that are beach and coast related ”

Hyderabad - 500 082 Mobile : 09849039936 Tel: 040-23418673 KOLKATA: Ajanta Sengupta, The Indian Express Ltd, Business Publications Division, No. 5, Pannalal Banerjee Lane (Formerly Fancy Lane), 2nd Floor, Kolkata-700 001 Mobile: 09831182580 Board No. +91-33-2213 8587, 2231 8879 / 80 Fax: 22138582 E-mail: ajanta.sengupta@expressindia.com KOCHI: The Indian Express Ltd, Business Publications Division, Sankoorikal Building, 36/2248, Kaloor, Kadavanthara Road, Opp. Kaloor Private Bus Stand, Kaloor - 682 017 Tel: (0484) 2343152, 2343328 Fax: 2343153

undertaking rafting in a safe and secured manner. Training programmes and strict regulations are a must for those in the business of water sports, be it river water activities or the ones that are beach and coast related. A special book has also been actioned giving teeth to this very vital requirement. Peninsular India has its well spread and diverse coastline from Gujarat to Orissa to West Bengal. The union territories of Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Diu and Daman have their own water offerings for tourism to flourish. There is a lot that can be achieved but all we need is serious political support to get things sailing and flowing. The private sector seems to be ready with a robust masterplan to give India a unique identity as a water sports destination. All we need is washing out of the bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensuring we put into place a safe and sustainable water sports experience. REEMA LOKESH Editor editorial.etw@expressindia.com

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MARKETS

Lakshadweep expects 20% increase in tourist arrivals New islands being explored to set up resorts Joy Roy Choudhury Kolkata THE UT OF Lakshadweep is expecting at least 20 per cent increase in domestic and foreign tourist arrivals in the coming fiscal. In order to strengthen its sales and marketing network in the country, Lakshadweep Tourism is appointing only IATO-accredited tour operators as their authorised marketing partners. “The administration has drawn up ambitious plans for developing tourism in the islands in the coming days. Various new islands are being explored for tourism

opportunities and setting up resorts,” said AM Hussain, assistant director, Department of Tourism Development, Administration of UT of Lakshadweep. The UT of Lakshadweep, through the Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports (SPORTS), a nodal agency under the Lakshadweep Administration for promotion of tourism in the islands, is focusing on promoting ecotourism. “The primary aim of SPORTS is to promote ecotourism and recreational activities in the islands in association with the Lakshadweep Administra-

(SPORTS), a nodal agency under the Lakshadweep Administration for promotion of tourism in the islands, is focusing on promoting ecotourism and recreational activities tion,” said Hussain. Various water sports activities are being promoted in a big way. Admitting that the connectivity to the islands is an issue, Hussain stated, “To im-

prove the connectivity to the islands, Lakshadweep Administration is exploring the possibilities of operating seaplanes to these islands. A preliminary study has already been

done for the seaplane operations. The administration is also planning to procure dedicated ships for tourists. Connectivity will also get a boost with the commissioning of two new passenger ships later this year.” There are also plans to increase the number of accommodation facilities in the coming years. SPORTS also acts as a hospitality and catering wing of the UT Administration. It operates tourist resorts at Kadmat, Minicoy and Kavaratti and also conducts package tour covering three islands – Minicoy, Kalpeni and Kavaratti.

Brazil gives free visa to FIFAWorld Cup spectators Sudipta Dev Mumbai BRAZIL WILL BE giving a special type of tourist visa, that is free of charge, issued on the basis of the presentation of ticket certificates issued by FIFA, as of the month of April. “Free visa will be given to any Indian citizen who can give proof of having purchased the FIFA World Cup tickets from the three authorised sales agents for FIFA in India, that is Cutting Edge, Cox & Kings and Match Hospitality,” said Maria Teresa Mesquita Pessôa, consul general of Brazil in Mumbai. Brazil expects 600,000 foreign tourists from around the world for the FIFA World Cup. One million Brazilians will also be travelling around the country during the event. The con-

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April 2014

Maria Teresa Mesquita Pessôa

sul general informed that till date 1.5 million tickets have been allocated, 57 per cent to Brazilians, the rest to international fans. In total, through all sales channels, 2.3 million tickets have been assigned. The top countries for ticket allocations include USA, Columbia,

Germany, Argentina, UK and Australia. India is not among the top ten nations. "Even though it is not fair to compare the number of Indian visitors travelling to Brazil for the World Cup in comparison to other countries owing to the fact that India is not participating in the World Cup, there has been a significant amount of interest from the Indian football fans and those numbers are increasing rapidly since 2009-10. This is supported by the fact that the Indian market has three official FIFA agents responsible for the sale of the World Cup packages in comparison to one in most other countries,” she stated, pointing out that the number of visas that the Consulate has been processing on a monthly basis increased gradually during the

year 2013 owing to the preWorld Cup preparations taking place on every front, be it the travel agents, officials or other relevant entities. “We will now see a very sharp increase as the World Cup approaches,” mentioned Pessôa. Brazil has been promoting the FIFA World Cup in India at

all its events. The most notable being he illumination of the Gateway of India on March 4, 2014, which marked the countdown of 100 days to the World Cup. "A promotion which could be realised thanks to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and Philips," said the consul general.

MARKETS

TRENZ 2014 to be held from May 18 to 21 ETW Staff Mumbai NEW ZEALAND’S annual international tourism event, TRENZ 2014 will be held at Auckland from May 18 to 21 with the theme ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ – Te Whenua o Aotearoa. This year TRENZ is expected to host more than 260 buyers and 300 exhibitors and will host targeted business appointments, industry work-

shops and networking functions. Through the event, exhibitors and buyers can connect over a targeted 15-minute business-focused appointments, allowing delegates to renew and build business relationships. The event will start with a series of insights into the future of New Zealand’s tourism industry. At the Auckland Airport Breakfast Speaker Series, tourism leaders will provide essential knowledge for

The event will host a programme of activities to sample New Zealand tourism experience, and innovative networking functions to taste the best of New Zealand's food and wine

any tourism business planning a successful path into an exciting future. The event will host a programme of activities to sample New Zealand tourism experience, and inno-

vative networking functions to taste the best of New Zealand's food and wine. Auckland’s exciting activities, from sailing the harbour to wine-tasting, are on show af-

ter lunch on day two. The concluding day will witness a spectacular final function with entertainment and unique culinary flair.

Restaurant Australia campaign to kickstart in Sept-Oct,2014 Special packages to be developed for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai TOURISM AUSTRALIA in collaboration with Tourism Victoria will launch their global campaign - Restaurant Australia, for another year. The campaign is part of their strategy to promote food and wine as a tourism product. The campaign will be run by Tourism Australia and is due to start in September-October this year. This world-wide campaign, promoted mainly through social media, will be tailored to individual countries. In India, the campaign will be focused more towards metros and Tier II cities. “From Victoria's pointof-view we have a strong focus on the India market. We are seeing a growing interest

Leigh Harry

among Indians towards niche products like food and wine,” stated Leigh Harry, chief executive, Tourism Victoria on the sidelines of their Super Trade Mission 2014, held in Mumbai. Furthermore, the Victorian Government will be developing travel packages to Melbourne

as part of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to be held across Australia and New Zealand from February to March 2015. The travel packages will be developed in partnership with major trade partners in India. To promote Melbourne, Tourism Victoria has launched a digital campaign for the India market, ‘Come Alive in Melbourne’ to engage consumers through social media. “Melbourne is now a destination of choice for Indian tourists, migrants, students and investors. It is a sophisticated, creative, surprising and romantic city, renowned for its restaurants, cafe culture, theatre and diverse art and cultural events. Victoria offers a variety of tourism experiences that are

Melbourne is now a destination of choice for Indian tourists, migrants, students and investors. It is a sophisticated, creative, surprising and romantic city, renowned for its restaurants, cafe culture, theatre all close to Melbourne, such as the spectacular Great Ocean Road and the iconic penguins at Phillip Island Nature Park,” opined Harry. When asked where India stands as a source market for Victoria, Harry stated, “India is one of the strongest markets

for Victoria. It is also one of Victoria’s fastest growing inbound tourism markets. For the year ending September 2013, there were 73,000 visitors from India to Victoria, an increase of 9.2 per cent from the previous year, with an associated spend of US$ 205 million in the state.”

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MARKETS

Bangladesh Tourism Board to offer experiential tourism products Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai FOCUSING ON TAPPING the cultural and historic ties between India and Bangladesh, Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) is looking at creating new tourism products for the India market. With an aim to highlight the destination's tourism offerings, the tourism board is targeting all travel segments and is working towards highlighting traditional festivals like Bengali new year, Durga puja, etc, religious and historical sites, as well as promote parental houses of eminent personalities like Jyoti Basu, who belonged to the communist party of India and was the chief minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000.

Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty, joint secretary, director, BTB said, “Nowadays travellers are looking for experiential tours and hence we are working on creating new tourism products to cater to the needs of discerning travellers. We have lot of cultural similarities in culture with the people of Kolkata. So apart from other foreign countries we are keen on targeting travellers from Kolkata too. Tourism has been increasing from the India market with the number of visa applications going up.” Presently, about 700 visa applications are being processed daily. There is also a new revised travel arrangement be-

tween Bangladesh and India this year to ease the visa process between the two countries. With this proposal, Bangladeshis will find it easier to visit India and Indians will find it easier to visit

Bangladesh. The tourism board is focusing on working closely with the travel trade industry in India. “With our B2B focus we will look at attending all the important travel trade

fairs, organise workshops, seminars, conduct FAM trips, etc. We will also work closely with the government to strategise on tourism promotion activities,” added Chakraborty.

Ireland Specialist programme launched for India market Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai TOURISM IRELAND recently launched their Ireland Specialist training programme for the India market during their India Sales Mission 2014 visit to Mumbai and Delhi respectively. The programme has been launched to improve the knowledge of the Indian travel agents on the destination, help them sell it effectively and keep them updated on the latest news and information. The programme offers six modules with two categories of certifications – Gold Ireland Specialist and Silver Ireland Specialist. On

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April 2014

completing the modules, those who score a 100 per cent will become a Gold Ireland Specialist, while the ones

Wild Atlantic Way is the longest driving route in the world. It is a 2500 km route from Donegal to West Cork

scoring slightly below will be a Silver Ireland Specialist. Elaborating more on the programme, Amanda Burns, general manager – Middle East and Asia, Tourism Ireland stated, “The six modules provide information on Ireland like available flights, visa, events/new activities taking place, etc. We are hoping to get 750 qualified Ireland Specialists from India this year.” The Ireland Specialist training programme was launched in GCC in January and South Africa in February, and will be launched in China in April and then Australia. “At the end of this year, we will be hosting a competition wherein the Gold

Amanda Burns

Ireland Specialists of all the countries will compete with each other to win a holiday to Ireland,” she added. Furthermore, Tourism Ireland has also launched two products – Wild Atlantic Way

and Causeway Coastal Touring Route – this year. “Wild Atlantic Way is the longest driving route in the world. It is a 2500 km route from Donegal to West Cork. This along with Causeway Coastal Touring Route can be experienced in sections or in whole through self-drives, organised coach tours, chauffeur driven cars, etc,” opined Burns. Speaking about the arrivals to Ireland, Burns revealed, “In 2012, we had 21,000 Indian visitors to Ireland. 2013 was a positive year and in 2014 we expect 24,000 arrivals from India, which would be a seven to 10 per cent growth in arrivals.”

MARKETS AVIATION

Bahrain Airport gives top priority to connect with 3 unserved Indian cities Sudipta Dev Mumbai CURRENTLY THERE are 25 scheduled commercial airlines flying into Bahrain International Airport in addition to 11 cargo flights. These serve 41 international destinations. The Indian market is extremely important as a contributor of origin and destination for Bahrain Airport Company, ranking second in the list after UAE. “We are focusing our 2014 route development strategy towards trying to secure direct services to unserved destinations such as Hyderabad, Kozhikode (Calicut) and Bengaluru. In terms of priority we are concentrating on regional destinations and these three will be the highest on our list when it comes to introducing direct services, whether by Jet Airways or Air India with whom

we have excellent relationship, or with some new operator,” stated Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah, CEO, Bahrain Airport Company. He mentioned that they have been in talks with airlines like Indigo for quite sometime. “We have had regular meetings with them in international route development events,” stated Al-Binfalah. Indians are the largest ex-

Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah

patriate group in Bahrain, with a significant percentage from Kerala. “Even though we have excellent services between Bahrain and the Indian subcontinent through the likes of Jet Airways, Air India and Air India Express, but there are certain destinations which remain unserved and others that are underserved,” pointed out Al-Binfalah. In its efforts to explore more opportunities with the Indian subcontinent, Bahrain Airport Company had actively participated in the Routes Asia event last year in Mumbai where it was given the opportunity to provide additional details to some of the carriers that it would like to see operating in these unserved routes. The most contributing destinations in the Indian subcontinent, he pointed out, are Trivandrum and Kochi. “Trivandrum is top of the list and I believe Hyder-

abad is in third position. There are other destinations that are served whose market is not as big as Hyderabad, so this is a prime destination for us,” said Al-Binfalah. Currently, there are no direct flights to Hyderabad. Work on the construction of the new airport terminal in Bahrain is expected to com-

mence at the end of this year and will get completed in three-four years. “There are two possibilities - expanding the existing terminal or develop a brand new terminal not connected to the existing ones, but these remain options that are yet to be evaluated,” stated AlBinfalah.

UK renews partnership with VFS Global Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai AFTER REGISTERING a five per cent growth in the number of visas issued to Indians in 2013, UK recently renewed its partnership with VFS Global and has opened two visa application centres (VACs) in Mumbai, at Nariman Point and Bandra Kurla Complex. The UK partnership with VFS Global has now been extended until 2019. “With an aim to provide enhanced visa application experience, UK has also launched a

mobile service centre in Goa and it intends to expand this service in some Tier II cities. It could also look at engaging with bigger corporate companies to provide seamless visa application process. We are also concentrating on opening more

VACs,” said Thomas Greig, regional director to Central Asia, South Asia and Turkey, UK Visas and Immigration. UK has also announced the extension of its 'passport passback' service, which allows applicants to retain their pass-

The UK Passport back service is in the pilot stage in Chennai and will be extended to the other centres in two months period across India

ports while visa processing. This service is in the pilot stage in Chennai and will be extended to the other centres in two months period across India. This is in particular to support business travellers needing to travel in the interim period, as well as others visiting the UK who also wish to apply for other visas. Presently there are 12 UK VACs across India - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. Sir James Bevan, the British High Commissioner to

India said, “We look forward to getting more Indians to UK this year. In 2013, we issued a total of 4,00,741 visa applications for Indians worldwide, with a five per cent increase from 2012. Visitor visas increased by six per cent to 316,857, work visas increased by 10 per cent to 53,598; student visitor visa increased by seven per cent to 13,608 and dependent visa increased by 11 per cent to 479. In order to enhance the visa application service, we have been constantly trying to improve our services.”

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April 2014

MARKETS TRAVEL INSURANCE

Travel risk management for Indian corporates Sudipta Dev Mumbai AXA ASSISTANCE and iJET International have initiated a joint programme for the India market focusing initially on organisations that have people travelling and operating globally. “AXA Assistance and iJET International have a global agreement to combine our expertise in medical, travel and

security assistance into a comprehensive, integrated programme for organisations and their people. AXA and iJET have co-located operations in a growing number of 38 country alarm centres around the world,” said Bruce McIndoe, CEO, iJet International. Travel risk management is a new concept in India. McIndoe explained how is it different from travel insurance,

Travel insurance offers the buyer economic protection only. Travel risk management (TRM) protects people and helps them avoid problems

“Travel insurance offers the buyer economic protection only. Travel risk management (TRM) protects people and helps them avoid problems. TRM is applying the risk management process to travel. Being proactive when a person books a trip, evaluating the potential risks around health, security, weather, etc, and communicating to the traveller what they should do about it, for example, getting proper vaccines, avoiding certain areas in the city, and preparing for extreme weather. Then, when the traveller is on the road, keeping them informed of new issues that may impact the trip or their person such as strikes, demonstrations, storms, etc.” Revealing his strategy for

engaging with the travel trade community in India, McIndoe stated, “We have global relationships with the major travel management companies including American Express, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and FCm who will be taking our combined offer to their clients.” With domestic organisations expanding globally, McIndoe expects great opportunities in the Indian market. “Organisations will be sending their top managers, knowledge-based employees and their families outside of India. These people will need the confidence to operate globally knowing that they are safe and secure,” he pointed out. The company will be focusing on educating organisa-

Bruce McIndoe

tions in India on how a small investment can make a major difference in the lives of their travellers and expats. “We will be conducting seminars and webinars around Duty of Care and Travel Risk Management,” mentioned McIndoe.

How analytics can retain customers Sudipta Dev Mumbai SPECIALISING IN loyalty marketing and customer relationship management, ICLP had started its operations in India eight years ago, initially as a back office processing unit serving its global clientele. "We want to change our business in India into full service loyalty agency and are looking at helping our clients and prospective customers understand their customers to cross -sell / upsell. We deliver end-to-end programmes for our customers,” said Mark Spicer, GM of ICLP, India. The company's clientele in the travel and hospitality space include Air India, Ethiopian Air-

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April 2014

lines, Biman Bangladesh, Cathay Pacific, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Hilton, Cafe Coffee Day, among others. ICLP does profiling and segmentation of its client's customers and then helps in understanding them from loyalty perspective - what needs to be done to ensure that they

come back. “We have found that a lot of companies here analyse how their product moved, but do not analyse who bought their product. That's where we can help with analytics and insights,” said Spicer. Spicer pointed out that while low cost carriers in India

We have found that a lot of companies here analyse how their product moved, but do not analyse who bought their product. That's where we can help with analytics and insights

Mark Spicer

are resisting loyalty programmes, in the Middle East LCCs are launching such programmes. He explained the benefits, "First you understand who is sitting on the seat, then what drives them, where do they come from,

tracking their travel plans. If you can give them free luggage or free food or an upgrade, that's the sort of service that people want. You can know what routes they fly the most and indicate to them that travelling on certain dates/ timings are cheaper. You have to know who your customers are and make sure they come back.” The company has a team of 80 people in Delhi and Mumbai. “We have identified that the skill set in India is particularly strong at analytics, data analysis and reporting. We have a really good team of statisticians and consultants who analyse all the data and spot the trends,” he mentioned.

MARKETS CRUISES

Royal Caribbean offers new onboard entertainment for Indian holidaymakers ETW Staff Mumbai TIRUN TRAVEL Marketing has introduced an entertainment extravaganza on the high seas for Indian holidaymakers. The Barbie Premium Experience, is available on Royal Caribbean’s entire global fleet of 22 ships. Adding to the glam show are DreamWorks animation's popular feature-film characters Po of Kung Fu Panda; Shrek, Fiona and Puss In Boots of Shrek; Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, and the Penguins from Madagascar, on select ships.

Royal Caribbean International also features Broadway style shows and programmes for families and adventure lovers. On board, adults and kids alike, will be enthralled by the exclusive events and lively parades, dining room interactions and photo opportunities with the DreamWorks characters. Children can even participate in complimentary award winning Adventure Ocean children’s programme in a new lineup of activities, games and adventures rooted in the popular DreamWorks Animation movies, as well as meet their favourite characters at the

AquaTheater in an aquatic show full of acrobatics and high diving stunts or an ice skating show based on the film ‘How to

Train Your Dragon’. Ratna Chadha, chief executive, Tirun Travel Marketing, India representative for Royal

Caribbean International, commented, “We are proud to endorse the Barbie Premium and the DreamWorks experiences of Royal Caribbean International in India. Our aim is to encourage Indian vacationers to get a sense of the iconic fashion doll’s world along with their favourite animated stars from the much loved and celebrated house of DreamWorks Animation. These initiatives illustrate the fact that the leisure activities and recreational offerings on board are enjoyable apart from being first of its kind and can engage cruise travellers of every age.”

CAR RENTALS

Hertz opens branch at Etihad Travel Mall,Dubai ETW Staff Mumbai THE HERTZ Corporation has announced the opening of their car rental branch at the new Etihad Travel Mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The new branch is the 20th Hertz location in the UAE among a global network of approximately 11,555 locations. It is located in Etihad Airways' one-stop travel retail

and check-in facility on Sheikh Zayed Road, where guests can purchase tickets, drop off baggage and board an Etihad Express luxury coach directly from Dubai to Abu Dhabi International Airport. Speaking on this occasion, Michel Taride, president, Hertz International said, "This latest location in Dubai is symbolic of the seamless connection between Etihad Airways and

The introduction of a Hertz car rental location will provide even more convenient options for guests and complements the retail mix at Etihad Travel Mall

Hertz, and is one of the many ways we are continuing to work in close partnership with the fastest growing airline in the history of commercial aviation." Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer, Etihad Airways opined, "Etihad Travel Mall has received a very positive response from our guests since it opened last April and we are keen to build upon this success going forward. The introduction of a Hertz car rental location will provide even more convenient options for guests and complements the existing retail mix at Etihad Travel Mall, which includes outlets for Etihad Airways and our Etihad Holidays, Hala Abu Dhabi and Hala Travel Management subsidiaries."

Etihad Travel Mall is the first of several planned by Etihad Airways, which carried nearly 12 million passengers last year, a 16 per cent increase on 2012. The new Hertz location will capitalise on a daily volume of 100,000 motorists, while also providing a rental option for Etihad Airways guests arriving at

the Etihad Travel Mall from Abu Dhabi International Airport. To mark the opening of the new location, Hertz is offering a free Hertz Entertainer booklet with every monthly rental. Etihad guest members will continue to earn 500 miles on each Hertz rental globally as per the applicable terms and conditions.

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April 2014

MARKETS

Avant Garde brings Luxury Portugal Collection to India Reema Lokesh Mumbai THE INDIAN OUTBOUND market has always been attractive for prospective international tourism suppliers and luxury portfolios are making a steady inroad into the India market. Avant Garde Consulting recently held an intensive week long three-city (Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru) showcase, presenting four luxury products from Portugal to potential and strategic buyers in the respective cities. With an aim to position the destination as an unexplored jewel of Europe, the private luxury travel consortium of high-end tourism players in Portugal included Luis Sousa of Mr Travel Portugal (a luxury DMC ), Cristina Martins of the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon, Marta Santos of the Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel, and

Joana Melo of the Penha Longa Ritz Carlton, Sintra. “The networking sessions conducted over cocktails, hightea sessions and luncheons, garnered a positive response and there was the desire to further strengthen their position in the India market,” added Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw, of Avant Garde Consulting. She further mentioned, “Our strategy for the Indian market is to showcase Portugal's creme de la crème travel experiences for the discerning traveller on one seamless platform. We will work in close association with select travel agencies and experts as well as opinion makers in the publishing industry to showcase Portugal as a premier luxury tourism spot. In addition to traditional marketing methods such as familiarisation visits to give our travel partners and media persons first hand exposure

to our unique and select product profile, we will also deploy digital marketing platforms and bespoke experiential events which would serve as samplers and preludes to the eventual journey for our discerning travellers in association with our travel and media professional associates.” Speaking at the event, Luis

Sousa of Mr Travel Portugal, reemphasised their commitment to the India market and said their team is keen to work closely with their Indian buyers. He mentioned that Portugal is just right for the discerning Indian traveller, offering a plethora of tourism attractions including beaches, vineyards, palaces, his-

tory, culture, cuisine and natural diversity. A rich heritage of UNESCO sites dot the landscape of Portugal in a world class infrastructural setting. Temperate weather conditions through the year, easy accessibility and great value for money offerings are other highlights of the country.

Malaysia expects 8 lakh Indian visitors in 2014 Sudipta Dev Mumbai ON THE OCCASION of the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY 2014), Tourism Malaysia had recently brought a sales mission to five South Asian cities Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Bengaluru and Colombo. In response to questions regarding security issues in Malaysia following missing plane incident, Dato’ Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, director general, Tourism Malaysia, assured, “Security is always maintained through international standards and monitored through various bodies, I can assure you that Kuala Lumpur Airport handles 40 million passengers every year

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April 2014

and security is in place and visitors have nothing to fear.” He averred that while tourist arrivals from China has witnessed some postponement, but in other sectors it went

back to normalcy. In 2013, as many as 650,989 Indians visited Malaysia, and Dato’ Mirza pointed out that they expect close to eight lakh tourists from India this year.

He mentioned that Malaysia is also an ideal destination for single women travellers. “Malaysia is a very safe country, you can travel alone or with a small child, freely. English is understood by everyone, there are also great food options,” he said, adding that there are also many interesting events that would be of interest to women travellers. For instance the Malaysia International Shoe Festival. “If you come for F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix in March you can also see the shoe festival. For shopping, there is KL GP Sale for a month, to coincide with the F1 race. The Mega Sale happens in July, which ensures lot of bargains from 40 to 50 per

cent. Finally there is the yearend sale,” he added. Legoland theme park and Hello Kitty theme parks are popular holiday attractions for families in Johor Bahru. In June a new theme park is coming up - the Angry Bird theme park. “Johor is a short distance from Singapore, but if you have to stay at Singapore for a night at SGD 500 for the same amount you can stay for three nights at same category hotel in Johor Bahru,” said Datuk Tee Slew Kiong , chairman, Johor Tourism. Malaysia is focusing on promoting as many as 200 major events that happen around the year to boost foreign tourist arrivals.

MARKETS

Kerala Tourism sets up Adventure Tourism Promotion Society to focus on soft adventure sports Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai KERALA TOURISM is focusing on promoting soft adventure sports in three places Vagamon, Muzhappilangad (Kannur district) and Kattil (Kollam district). For this purpose, the tourism board has setup a Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS). Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, S Harikishore, director, Kerala Tourism stated, “In Vagamon there will be infrastructural development plus operations, while the other two places will have only operations. In these places we have appointed consultants to suggest the best methodology for operations like parasailing, paragliding, hot air ballooning. Simultaneously, we have ordered for hot air balloons, parasails for incubation purposes. We will buy the equipments, form a group,

train them and will give it to them for operations so that the group gets support and they can take it forward.” The second edition of MTB Kerala - International Mountain Cycling Challenge was held in February this year at Wayanad. Asha Jose, CEO, KATPS, informed that thirteen

countries participated in the event this year. The event was conducted with the technical support of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Cycling Federation of India (CFI). The top bikers were rewarded a total prize money of `10 lakh with `2.5 lakh for the winner in International and `1.5 lakh

for the winner in National category. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, former tourism minister of Kerala said that Kerala is gifted with geographical features that are most ideal for adventure tourism and the state must utilise this. Paragliding at Wagamon in Idukki and parasailing at

Payyambalam beach in Kannur are two well-established adventure centres of international standard in Kerala. Apart from these, eco-tourism destinations in Kerala are where tourists can enjoy adventure sports like trekking, mountaineering and kite flying.

Maraekat plans to launch new travel app Akshay Kumar Mumbai MARAEKAT INFOTECH, software solutions company, has plans to launch a travel application which will promote the unexplored destina-

tions in India. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Seema Varghese, director, Maraekat Infotech, said, “Our company has always been successful in catering to the latest technology in the market. We are planning

Technology has played a key role in this recession riddled market. Every industry is adapting to technology to decrease their cost and increase efficiency

to launch a travel app which will promote all the unexplored destinations. The plans are still at a very nascent stage. We will launch this new product by 2014.” Maraekat Infotech has been a pioneer in this industry since 1993 and has been successful in developing a series of travel and hospitality based software solutions. Recently, Maraekat has developed a new software for car rentals, which has not been so popular in India. Varghese Jacob, director, Maraekat Infotech, said, “Car Rentals is a globally famous concept, even in India the self driven vacations are now

Varghese Jacob

Seema Varghese

steadily blooming. We have come up with a software where one can track the car, which is GPS enabled and can be compatible with any smartphone.” Speaking about the tech-

nology in India, Jacob, said, “ Technology has played a key role in this recession riddled market. Every industry is adapting to technology to decrease their cost and increase efficiency.”

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MARKETS

Karnataka Tourism showcases Bidar at ITB Berlin ETW Staff Bengaluru KARNATAKA TOURISM has been participating at ITB Berlin for the past 13 years, each year showcasing a new fact of the multiple attractions that the state offers to tourists. This time the focus was the historic city of Bidar. “At ITB, we get an excellent opportunity to present new destinations and experiences. Last year, we presented Karnataka’s exquisite handicrafts in our pavilion. This year, we showcased Bidar, which has very recently entered the Watch List of the World Monuments Fund. This is an important indication of the potential of the area,” said Arvind Jadhav, additional chief secretary – Tourism, Government of Karnataka. Bidar is a relatively unexplored city compared to the neighbouring heritage sites like Hampi, Pattadakal and

Mysore. “With the destination's proximity to Hyderabad, Bidar also opens a perfect doorway for us to promote the entire North Karnataka circuit. Uptill now, we have been promoting this region where we advise people to travel from Bengaluru and reach Bidar via Hampi and Pattadkal. But now, we are offering an entire circuit that crosses the Deccan all the way to Goa (after touching Gulbarga, Bijapur, Hampi and the like) as an exit point. Both Hyderabad and Goa have international airports, and quick connections via some of the Middle East airports could possibly attract travellers,” mentioned Jadhav. The Bidar Fort, Takhat Mahal, Rangeen Mahal, the Bahamani Tombs, Chaubara and the Papanaash Temple are among the important monuments. Bidar also has a forest area of over 40,000 hectares, which protects the endangered

blackbuck. There is a property called The Blackbuck Resort in the Honnikeri Reserve Forest, which is managed by one of India’s largest resort chains promoting wildlife and ecotourism, the Jungle Lodges and Resorts. So there’s something for those who seek adventure as well,”

added Jadhav. “The more places we have to showcase, the closer we are to our slogan of ‘One State. Many Worlds.’ We are trying to live up to that line and ensure that we have enough for anyone who wants to have an interesting tryst with nature, heritage

and culture. This means there is an opportunity to attract more people than we currently do. It also means there are more challenges to surmount, like quality of accommodation and other facilities. But we are getting there,” stated Jadhav.

West Bengal generates interest at ITB Berlin ETW Staff Mumbai WEST BENGAL TOURISM, which had a separate stall for the first time at ITB Berlin 2014, focused on promoting major tourist destinations

such as Sunderbans, Darjeeling and Kolkata during the Durga Puja Festival. More than 50 media representatives attended the press conference organised by the tourism department to showcase the state during the event. Speak-

Tourism destinations from West Bengal have been well accepted. During the course of ITB Berlin, West Bengal received about 60 business enquiries

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April 2014

ing on the event, Umapada Chatterjee, director tourism, Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal, who headed the West Bengal delegation said, “Tourism destinations from West Bengal have been well accepted at the tourism trade fair where tour operators from across the world congregated. During the course of ITB Berlin, West Bengal received about 60 business enquiries through B2B meetings. The interest was also evident with the participation of 150 travel and tour operators, with special interest in India and Asia travel programmes, attending a tea

party organised by the state tourism department.” The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation and other inbound tour operators from

the state who participated at the state pavilion sold tour packages to international tour operators of different countries.

MARKETS

WTTC announces big-name line-up for 2014 Global Summit ETW Staff Mumbai THE WORLD TRAVEL & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2014 Global Summit which will be held on April 24-25 in Hainan, China, will examine the role of the industry as a force for good in the world, with headline contributions from Kofi Annan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Yao Ming, economist Dame DeAnne Julius as well as many industry leaders. WTTC’s 14th Global Summit will explore ‘Changing world, new perspectives’. Public and private sector leaders from outside and inside the industry and government ministers from all continents will attend the summit to explore and challenge current received wisdom and their relevance for the near future. They will look at travel and tourism from a new angle and define a new proposition that goes beyond the economic agenda, identifying how businesses can benefit from this new way of thinking. The Global Summit will be headlined by Kofi Annan, founding chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation and secretarygeneral of the United Nations, 1997-2006; Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO and co-founder of DreamWorks Animation SKG, will be interviewed by Geoffrey Kent, founder, executive chairman

and CEO, Abercrombie & Kent; Yao Ming, former NBA Star, will be interviewed by Kathleen Matthews, executive vice president and chief global communications and public affairs officer, Marriott International; Dame DeAnne Julius, economist and chairman of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (2003-12), will provide an opening keynote on the world economy. David Scowsill, president and CEO, WTTC said, “We have another outstanding line-up of speakers at our Global Summit in Hainan who will help us to answer some big questions: Can we rely on middle class growth in Asia to drive our industry forward globally? Are the industry’s perceptions of China still relevant in the face of China’s phenomenal economic and social developments? As travel and tourism increasingly has to compete with other industry sectors for natural and governmental resources, is the economic message the right one? What is the role of travel and tourism in the trade agenda? Or as a driver of peace, mutual understanding and security? There is a lot to talk about, and some outstanding speakers to help us address the biggest global issues affecting our industry.” Other confirmed speakers/attendees include: Raymond Bickson, managing

Public and private sector leaders from outside and inside the industry and government ministers will attend the summit

director and CEO, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces; Chen Feng, chairman of the board, HNA Group; Ken Chu, chairman and CEO, Mission Hills Group; DUAN Qiang, Beijing Tourism Group; Edouard Ettedgui, group chief executive, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; Fan Min, vice chairman

and president, Ctrip International; Jennifer Fox, president, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; Michael Frenzel, chairman of the supervisory board, TUI Deutschland GmbH and TUIfly GmbH, chairman, WTTC; Zhang Guanghui, president and CEO, Beijing Capital International Airport; Federico

González Tejera, CEO, NH Hotels; Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports Corporation; Christophe Jouan, CEO, Future Foundation; Henrik Kjellberg, president, Hotwire and chairman of eLong; Clement Kwok, managing director and CEO, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels; Gerald Lawless, president and group chief executive officer, Jumeirah Group; Alan Leibman, CEO, Kerzner International; Christopher J Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton Worldwide; Yu Ningning, president, CITS; Masaru Onishi, chairman, Japan Airlines; Taleb Rifai, secretary-general, UNWTO; Jeff Rutledge, president and chief executive officer, Travel Guard Worldwide; David Scowsill, president and CEO, WTTC; Richard Solomons, CEO, InterContinental Hotels Group; Arne Sorenson, president and CEO, Marriott International Inc.;Michel Taride, president, Hertz Europe; Brett Tollman, president and CEO, The Travel Corporation; John Walker, chairman, Oxford Economics; Adam Weissenberg, vice chairman and global leader of the travel, hospitality and leisure segment, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu; Gordon Wilson, CEO, Travelport; XIAO Qianhui, general manager, Shanghai Spring International Travel Services (Group); CC Zhuang, co-founder and CEO, Qunar.

Country to host first Incredible India Travel Bazaar 2014 ETW Staff Mumbai THE MINISTRY OF Tourism, Government of India, India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are co-organising to host the first Incredible India Travel Bazaar 2014 from April 8 to 9, 2014 at The Ashok New Delhi.

The travel bazaar will focus on inbound tourism and will offer opportunities for transacting and capitalising business opportunities between international buyers and Indian sellers. Over 1500 delegates from India and abroad are expected to attend the Incredible India Travel Bazaar 2014. The travel bazaar would have sellers offering a wide range of products covering

heritage, adventure, wildlife, healthcare, leisure, eco-rural, MICE, pilgrimage and other segments. The event will pres-

ent an opportunity for foreign tour operators interested in the rapidly growing Indian tourism market to create and

Around 250 foreign buyers from 55 countries will be attending the travel bazaar. As many as 9,000 pre-scheduled and on-the-spot B2B meetings are expected

expand their business portfolio in India. Around 250 foreign buyers from 55 countries will be attending the travel bazaar, which would have 216 booths. The B2B meetings will take place at the booth/booths of the registered Indian sellers. As many as 9000 pre-scheduled and on-the-spot B2B meetings are expected to materialise between the Indian sellers and foreign buyers.

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With more and more travellers opting for newer experiences with thrills, watersports, a niche segment within adventure tourism, is seen to be gaining in popularity and the operators are also bullish on this segment BY KAHINI CHAKRABORTY

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THE MAIN FOCUS

ndia, a country as vast and varied in its geographic offerings, offers itself as a perfect adventure destination to test a traveller's mental and physical endurance to its extreme limit. Water sport adventure activities, a niche aspect within the niche adventure tourism domain, is a profitable option for these tour operators as clients are willing to experience new thrills and would not mind paying top dollar for the operator's expertise and the activity. Mandip Singh Soin, founder and managing director, Ibex Expeditions opines, “The adventure tourism segment has been being growing at 10-15 per cent yearon-year combining both inbound and domestic travellers. And with more states opening up to adventure activities the growth potential is huge in the future.” With the country having a coastline of over 7,500 kilometers, covering three sides of the peninsula with picturesque beaches, it is important that this still under-utilised sector be promoted more aggressively. A decade ago, water adventure sports were considered as a luxury product, as the number of water sports operators were less and the sport used to be expensive. Notwithstanding even state government bodies did not give much attention to this segment, but now slowly states like Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andaman and Nicobar, Kerala, Lakshadweep, are seen to be taking advantage of their coastlines. It is important to clear the many misconstrued presumptions about the different kinds of water sport activities that people show keen interest to experience. Vaibhav Kala, founder and director, Aquaterra says that sailing, rafting, kayaking, sea kayaking, are the main activities that would qualify as water sports. Putting perspective to the same, Shakeel Kudrolli,

“Scuba diving and snorkeling too has seen a huge response across the country” Jagdish Patil, Managing Director, MTDC

founder and managing director, Aquasail India says, “Water sport as the name suggest is a sport activity in water having an adventure element. The initial water sport which presently exist are entry level jet ski, parasailing and banana boat rides, leisure fishing which strictly construed are not within the realm of water sport but thrill rides which have adventure element but in the realm of passive leisure as there is not acquired skills nor any element of competition, etc. Having said that, water sports in the active leisure space include kayaking, swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, water skiing, wake boarding and river rafting in the rapids. These activities can be enjoyed without a competition element and can be in the active leisure space but require an acquired skill which is now starting to take roots in India.” From a state tourism board perspective, Jagdish Patil, managing director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) highlights, “There has been a shift from the rather normal jet skiing or para-sailing to more adventurous watersports like diving off platforms both man-made and natural, white water rafting, kayaking,

canoeing and windsurfing. Scuba diving and snorkeling too has seen a huge response across the country.” Agreeing to the same, Nikhil Desai, director tourism, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) adds, “These activities are now gaining popularity in India. Until now people would choose to indulge in them abroad but slowly people are becoming more open to the idea of trying their hand at these sports in India as well. Safety and availability of qualified instructors and equipment are the prime concerns among enthusiasts.”

Tapping the niche With the segment growing rapidly, Major S K Yadav, managing director, Wanderlust Travels points out that apart from leisure, corporate clients are also opting for adventure activities as part of incentive travel which they use for team building exercises. “The segment saw a growth of 22 per cent in 2011 and has been growing since then. India receives nearly 1.5 million inbound tourists for adventure activities,” he mentions. To cater to the demands of discerning travellers, the market has a number of operators who deliver products and services for

the niche segment. Mumbai based Karina Tourism & Adventures launched Infiniti, India’s first scuba diving live-aboard in the waters of Andaman Islands. The project is a labour of love for Sunil Bakshi, co-founder and director, Karina Tourism & Adventures, who had been diving for 17 years all over the world and always wanted to showcase India as a premier diving destination. The Infiniti Live-aboard offers yacht-based holidays and provides adventure activities such as : scuba diving (main specialisation), surfing (seasonal), angling, snorkeling or general cruising and island excursions. “I have visited many such liveaboards in other parts of the world and wanted to build something like this for India. I believe that diving in India is at par if not better - in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep,” says Bakshi. He believes that in many ways Andaman is the last frontier for diving. “All the other diving areas have been explored by diving enthusiasts who are now looking for new destinations and we can offer them that in India. We offer diving at remote islands in the Andamans such as Barren Island or Narcondam Island - these are the spots with the best diving in the Andamans,

“Goa Tourism understands that safety is of prime importance and this is why we have in place strict measures” Nikhil Desai, director tourism GTDC

“With more states opening up to adventure activities, the future growth potential is huge” Mandip Singh Soin, Founder and Managing Director, Ibex Expeditions

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“The mushrooming came in the mid 2000s” Vaibhav Kala, founder and director, Aquaterra

“Corporate have used sailing for networking regatta, team building, mice groups etc” Shakeel Kudrolli, Founder and Managing Director, Aquasail India

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April 2014

in terms of underwater landscape, corals, marine life (Manta Rays), visibility etc,” he adds. In Tarkali, MTDC started snorkeling in the year 2006, which receives around three to four lakh tourists annually. “The Tarkarli region has lot of caves, underwater coves, tunnels and walls which are indigenous only to this region. Andaman and Lakshadweep has one of the most beautiful coral reefs, which cannot be matched with the other parts of the country,” says Dr Sarang Kulkarni, a marine biologist and scuba diving expert. While Aquaterra Adventures organises water sport adventure activities in most number of rivers in the country today from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. Along with river base camps on Ganga and Tons rivers, the company also organises treks and climbs in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and have their first 'activotel' Atali Ganga in Rishikesh. Then there are sailing clubs in the country which focus on sailing for competition. While Mumbai-based Aquasail India, has had over 18,000 sailors who have sailed with them, Kudrolli states, “Corporates have used it for networking regatta, team

building, mice groups etc and individual have used it for courses, fun experiences etc and based on our experience of providing these through our three sailing centres there is immense potential for holiday sailing.” With the influx of the western culture, even globally recognised sports like surfing are slowly gaining popularity in the country. But the biggest challenge for surfing in the subcontinent is the geographical structure. For an ideal surfing destination, the beaches should have a sudden depression, which helps the waves to swell, which is quite not the case for India. Still a selected few locations are popular for this sport and enthusiasts are exploring various locations to promote this sport on a large scale. If state tourism boards have been busy promoting this segment, the travel agents have also not been late in developing new products for discerning travellers. To capitalise on the youth segment, Thomas Cook (India) launched a youth-centric travel product range - ‘Rock-On Holidays’. As per their customer analysis, an emerging trend that was highlighted was that almost 45 per cent of its individual holiday

With the influx of the western culture, even globally recognised sports like surfing are slowly gaining popularity travellers are youth and the segment is poised to grow at a rate of 25-30 per cent. The product team of Rock-On Holidays has designed itineraries to destinations for young travellers starting from `35,000.

Evolution stage Giving a perspective on the evolution of the segment so far, Kala states, “In the early 90’s the industry was small and there were few operators. Even though equipments were unavailable clients were well aware of what they were signing up for. The mushrooming came in the mid 2000s, when safety equipment became accessible, the internet finally arrived, and the customer base grew. As the number of outfits grew, the customer base mushroomed and the industry size, supply and demand rose dramatically.” On the other hand, Dr Kulka-

rni states that earlier adventure activities like scuba diving and snorkeling were popular only amongst the elite class, but now the trend is changing and everyone wants to try these activities. Everyone wants to learn something new and exploring the marine life is the emerging trend for Indians. “Tarkarli and Sindhudurg have water-sports activities, the state tourism department has taken the initiative to start snorkeling activity in Sindhudurg and launched its first scuba diving school in Tarkarli,” adds Kulkarni. Adding to the same, Patil says, “The coast around Sindhudurg and Ratnagri has warm clear waters, and interesting and varied diving and snorkeling sites and MTDC guarantees some of the best scuba and snorkeling activities. Whether you are a first time diver or a certified diver, Tarkarli in Sindhudurg and

( Ratnagri is the ideal location for this activity with the assistance of our experienced PADI instructors. We have planned guided snorkeling trips, pro snorkeling trips, and the Discover Scuba programme where anybody above the age of 10 can participate. Also we have planned training courses in diving which starts at the basic level and one can graduate to become a dive master.” Goa has a huge market for water sports adventure activities. “One of the biggest advantages that Goa has is that it is blessed with a huge coastline and this, is the main attraction for tourists who come here. Apart from the coast, there are also several rivers and backwaters which provide the perfect backdrop for these activities. Over the years we have witnessed a rising number of people willing to try these water sports activities. This has led to the mushrooming of several operators and diving schools across the state. However, Goa Tourism understands that safety is of prime importance and this is why we have in place strict measures to ensure that tourists have a safe, and an unforgettable experience,” adds Desai. But as per Kudrolli, although there is a great latent demand for water sports like swimming,diving and river rafting in addition to thrill rides have quite a demand, but more sports based activity in the active leisure still have not met its full potential. Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) has been promoting white water rafting and water sports at the Maharana Ranjit Sagar Dam and the Pong Dam. Rajasthan is looking at promoting lakes in Bundi and Udaipur for water sports activities and promoting river cruises and water sports in Chambal. The rivers of Arunachal Pradesh well known for river rafting are Bhareli or Kameng and Siang or Brahmaputra. Another river called the Subansiri or Kayaking also has rafting facilities. However, the best option for rafting in the state is the Brahmaputra.

THE MAIN FOCUS

Lack of a regulatory body for watersports, need for more skilled professionals, availability of good quality equipment and updation of safety norms seem to be the major drawbacks In India, the first surfing festival was held in February 2012 wherein as many as 30 stand up paddle (SUP) boards were provided to the different boatmen’s associations in the Chilika lagoon by the Odisha government as flat water surfing. This festival was organised by the Surfing Yogis in association with Orissa Tourism Department. The three-day festival started with as many as 31 surfers from nine countries and 44 counterparts from six states of India. Lakshadweep Islands is a high growth water sport destination. A M Hussain, assistant director, department of tourism development, Administration of UT of Lakshadweep informs, “We are promoting these islands as a unique water sports destination among the domestic and foreign tourists and expect a 20 per cent increase in tourists inflow this year. Nearly, 5500 domestic and foreign tourists visited the islands last year.” A scuba diving academy has been established in Lakshadweep with dive centres at Kavaratti, Kadamat and Mini-

coy offering PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certified scuba dive courses. A number of islanders have also been trained up to instructor level.

Many challenges Top notch equipment, safety first, experienced guides are the benchmark of every trip along with detailed communication to all guests. “One of the major challenges is of having locally trained instructors and experts. But MTDC has taken up this challenge and is starting an institute named Indian Institute of Scuba Diving and Aqua Sports at Tarkarli,” mentions Patil. Lack of a regulatory body for watersports, need for more skilled professionals, availability of good quality equipment and updation of safety norms to be at par with the rest of the world, seem to be the major drawbacks. Adding to the same, Kala strongly points out that low entry barriers ensured that all kinds of companies came into the fray. “Most did what they could do comfortably without putting themselves and clients

into a safe comfort zone. As supply grew, the activity became more accessible, prices dropped, the internet brought each company within an arm’s reach of the customer. Cheap flights and online bookings arrived as well, and it also put an edge of ignorance towards safety and the demands of responsible adventure travel. This led to companies wanting to change the level playing field, mass trekking programmes arrived all over the Himalayas.” Patil also strongly feels, “With the trend of homestays picking up in the coastal region the potential of tourists visiting these spots, and indulging in adventurous activities has gone up. We have identified 26 beaches where we have planned to raise infrastructure like showers, toilets, changing rooms, and cafes to promote tourism and water sports activities,” he adds. “Of course, this is also subject to us keeping ourselves updated with the latest technology, safety standard and skill sets in this field,” Desai sums up.

“I believe that diving in India is at par if not better” Sunil Bakshi , Co-founder and Director, Karina Tourism & Adventures,

“India receives nearly 1.5 million inbound tourists for adventure activities” Major S K Yadav,

With inputs from Joy Roy Choudhury & Akshay Kumar

Managing Director, Wanderlust Travels

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EXPRESS EXCLUSIVE

The female globetrotter 'Women on the Go', an exclusive round table discussion held on the occasion of International Women's Day witnessed interesting insights being shared by six women experts of the Indian travel industry on issues concerning the women travellers of today, the latest trends in this segment and many more By Rituparna Chatterjee

N THE OCCASION of International Women's Day this year, Express TravelWorld organised an exclusive round table discussion titled 'Women on the Go' at Express Towers in Mumbai. The discussion focused on the increasing number of women travellers travelling both for leisure and business and the way the travel industry is responding to this growing trend. The hour long discussion went on to highlight and address issues that concerned women travellers of today including safety and security of women on the go, the growing demand for adventure tourism among women, emergence of new travelling segments, need for medical and travel insurance, and so on. Moderated by Reema Lokesh, editor, Express TravelWorld, the round table discussion witnessed participation from six industry women experts from the travel fraternity in India - Veena Patil, founder and managing director, Veena World; Stuti Das, head – central procurement, Kuoni Travel India; Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw of Avant Garde; Namrata Dal-

wani, director, Krisia Holidays; Parul Mehta of Destination Globe; and Anaita Elavia, associate vice president – product development, Vacations Exotica. The discussion started with Patil sharing the reasons that led to her conceptualising the 'My Fair Lady' tours exclusively for women travellers in India. “Ladies who were on tours with their families weren't able to enjoy since they would be busy managing the family and their requirements. I took the first tour to Kashmir but I was dissatisfied with it since the needs of the women were not coming through because of socio-cultural pressures. Hence, I thought of taking the women abroad so that their needs could be fulfilled,” she highlighted adding that, this thought led her to take a group of women to Thailand where the women were engaged in various fun activities like dancing and singing, which helped them shape their personality and eventually change the family's outlook towards them. “Now the family understands the importance of the woman going out. The family

has seen changes in her thinking level, her overall grooming. Through tourism, somehow we have been able to solve some of these socio-cultural problems,” she quipped. As to the challenges faced while taking a diverse group of women on a tour, Patil added,

We can either have an all women's tour for all the female members in the family or have a woman with her daughter holiday - since these segments can be touched upon and have growth potential

20 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD April 2014

EXPRESS EXCLUSIVE “The women travellers are ready to accept the group disciplines. Through our videos and columns we are trying to educate the women before their holidays. We prepare ourselves, anticipate the inhibitions, make sure they do not feel awkward. Hence everyone in these tours are on the same level.”

Emerging trends The discussion highlighted interesting trends in the market like the emergence of a niche segment among women travellers. “The mother and child is a growing sector abroad since they want to spend more time together. Hence we can either have an all women's tour for all the female members in the family or have a woman with her daughter holiday - since these segments can be touched upon and have the potential to grow,” stated Elavia. Another striking trend that has been gaining a strong foothold in the India market is the growing demand for adventure tourism among women travellers. “One of our clients - a group of 20 women whom we have been serving for the past 12 years – are very adventurous,” revealed Das. Adding to the same was Patil who also spoke on this emerging trend wherein more and more women in India are opting for adventure tourism. “Women have become more adventurous now. Our advertising is also focused on adventure activities – like showing a lady wearing skiing clothes. This is the transformation that is happening and we need to change accordingly. The lady is out of the house and now we need to take the next step. Adventure tourism is the next big thing,” reasoned Patil. However there is a challenge that needs to be overcome. “Ladies want to opt for adventure activities but do not know how to do them. Hence, the next step is to find out new destinations, the changing trends, what to do next and so on,” suggested Patil.

Selling effectively Though the segment of women travellers is comparatively smaller in India, they are

Veena Patil

Stuti Das

Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw

Namrata Dalwani

well travelled, urbanised and demanding. Hence the challenge is to have adequate knowledge about the products in order to sell them better. “Our client base is very niche. They are well travelled, urbanised and demanding, and hence we have to do a lot of research of the product,” opined Mehta. Adding to this thought was Dalwani who stated, “Changing the women's mindset is very difficult. They are systematic in handling, educated, far more aggressive when it comes to the price, wellresearched, tech savvy, and talk amongst themselves and figure out what they want.” However, one of the ways to overcome these challenges would be to focus on more activities that might interest the women travellers. “There is a change in the mindset of women and therefore they are able to pitch their holidays. We have started to think of women as a separate segment and hence we focus on women-centric activities like spa treatments, wine tasting excursions, bachelorette parties,” opined Munshaw.

Safety first Parul Mehta

Anaita Elavia

The Gen X is the next big niche market. They are tech savvy but still would want a travel agent for support

Though times have changed and an increasing number of women are seen travelling either for leisure or on business, the concern that dominates the mind of today's women travellers is the safety and security issue. Giving an insight into this, Das spoke on the various points that needs to be considered while designing a travel itinerary for a woman. “We need to do adequate research, and do airline bookings based on whether a male is sitting on the adjacent seat of the lady traveller or not and give her a seat accordingly. While for hotel bookings, thought should be given on to the location of the hotel, the room where the lady travellers will be staying, etc. The woman needs to be a smart traveller and that is how we need to design our product, ” mentioned Das. The same was reiterated by Munshaw who spoke on the need for travel agents to take precautions. “As

long as you take basic precautions, then it is safe. The staff in hotels and airlines are attuned to the safety and security of women.” Also travel agents need to educate the women travellers especially foreigners visiting India on the safety norms. “This is the only way to travel alone within India. India has great tourism potential but it is being destroyed since the country is not safe for solo women travellers,” added Patil. Despite the precautions being taken by the travel agent, at the end of the day the woman traveller needs to be prudent and alert when it comes to her safety and security, which was reiterated by all the speakers. Also the need for medical and travel insurance was highlighted by all which is part of the travel package. “Medical and travel insurance are important for everybody. Women are taking these insurances and we also insist on the same,” stressed Elavia.

Future growth The discussion concluded with a rapid fire round wherein all the speakers shared their views on the future of all women tours in India. “It is a growing market and will stay for a long time. As far as the product is concerned, women tours are highly emotional. However, the all women segment hasn't been tapped oversees,” pointed out Patil. Stating the same was Munshaw who opined, “Since this segment is going to grow, everyone should tap this segment. Product knowledge needs to be more on the travel agents part to give the woman traveller niche things. We also need to have all women FAMs to show how safe these destinations are for them.” Giving another perspective was Dalwani who spoke on the emerging Gen X market segment who are settled oversees, well-travelled independent travellers and well-educated. “The Gen X is the next big niche market. They are tech savvy but still would want a travel agent for support since Indians by nature are always looking for security,” she added.

EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

April 2014

STRATEGY

ENGLAND'S ICONIC MICE VENUES The cities of Bath and Bristol offer many iconic MICE venues offering bespoke experiences. From holding a conference in a county cricket club to a cocktail reception in museum surrounded by Renaissance masterpieces – the ambience, the food and activities are all tailor-made for high level corporate gatherings By Sudipta Dev

Thornbury Castle

ITHIN THREE hours from London, are two destinations in England that are well positioned for MICE events with unique venues that are as diverse as interesting. Bath and Bristol are two cities that might be just a 15 minute train ride away, but as destinations both offer distinctively different attractions that remain quintessentially English. The many historic locations of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bath are venues that will find no match anywhere else in the world – in terms of the atmosphere and character of the places, which are perfect for intimate high level meetings. For a city that takes great pride in its historical architectural legacy, there is no dearth of interesting offbeat locations for holding conferences with modern facilities. The Grade 1 listed Assembly Rooms dating back to 1771, can host events of varying sizes. Its many halls (Ball Room/Tea room/Octagon/Card Room) can accommodate large events in the Ball Room, while the Tea Room can host smaller gatherings. Impressive crystal chan-

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April 2014

deliers dominate each room, lending a touch of grandoise to any event. The Fashion Museum that is also located in the building, is an absolutely unique location for a drinks reception or product launch. The museum has one of the finest collections of garments in the world – from the Victorian era to modern times (including dresses worn by Princess Diana), and rest assured there can be no shortage of conversation points here. While thousands of visitors throng the Roman Baths during the day, from seven pm onwards the 2000 year old site can turn into an almost surreal location for hosting a reception. The Pump Room that is a fashionable restaurant in day time, famous for its afternoon teas, is a dinner venue of distinction for corporate events. Catering at Pump Room and Assembly Rooms is done by well known catering company Searcys and a lot of meticulous focus goes into the client's requirements for an event. Located in Sydney Gardens, Holburne Museum is rented out only for bespoke experience. With its enviable collec-

tion of rare artefacts – from Renaissance masterpieces to porcelain, miniatures, gems, and other bric-a-bracs, it is an ideal location for corporate events with few delegates. While a large section of the exhibits are on permanent display, the museum also holds many temporary exhibitions, so for repeat customers, the venue always offers something different. Curated tours of the exhibits are organised by the museum for these corporate guests. No 1 Royal Crescent, one of Bath's most famous historic buildings, is yet another location for intimate corporate gatherings, suited particularly for cocktails and canapes. John Wood's residence, which also has living quarters for the servants, gives an interesting insight into the lives of the haves and have-nots of that era. The recreated dining room for servants has an interesting ambience and is often hired for small group meetings. For a city that is famous for its thermal baths, it is rather unthinkable to visit it without taking a dip in its world famous waters. The Thermae Bath

Roman Baths

Holburne Museum

STRATEGY Spa, with its multiple pools, offers its guests the opportunity to go in for a relaxing treatment or take a swim in the rooftop pool soaking in the fascinating skyline of Bath's magnificent architectural edifices. The historic Cross Bath, across the road, can be rented for exclusive private events. Corporate delegates can also participate in activities like learning a cocktail masterclass at Circo or pickup the art of vegetarian cooking at Demuths Cookery School. MacDonald's Bath Spa Hotel is a popular conference hotel in the city. This property, along with Royal Crescent Hotel, are among the best known hotels in the city located in heritage buildings.

Bustling Bristol Located a short train ride from Bath, Bristol is a bustling city with a different environment of its own. The fact that the city has always attracted artists and performers has attributed to its bohemian atmosphere. It's divergent attractions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from historic sites to modern marvels, has made the city a MICE destination with a difference. The At-Bristol Science Centre is an unusual conferencing space overlooking the cathedral on one side and the planetarium on the other. One of the highlights of organising a corporate event at the science centre is the dining options available in terms of food offerings, and painstaking effort put in by the team of chefs in providing organic, locally sourced culinary delights. The planetarium space can also be hired after public hours, so you can have a meeting or a wedding under the stars. A non-profit organisation, the money made from conferences helps fund scientific workshops and classes for young children in the region.

Brunel's ss Great Britain could well be one of the most unusual locations for organising a corporate event. The ship that was launched in 1843 and has seen many important events, rests on a dry dock - a sea of glass. For Indian MICE groups, the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, would undoubtedly be an exciting venue, particularly since on August 25, 2014 the grounds will witness the India-England one dayer. It will be a big day for the county club which hosts only one international match a year, with 16,000 spectators expected to turn up on that day. The conference facilities at the county club can host upto 300 delegates, apart from breakout rooms for 80 people. All meeting rooms overlook the cricket grounds. While on an international match day no conferences are allowed, on the fourth day of a county match conference delegates can get to watch a match after the meeting gets over. A popular conferencing destination, the many hotels in Bristol, and in the outskirts, have a focused strategy for the MICE segment and are looking at expanding their market base. Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel is a heritage building that has an astoundingly beautiful conference hall with stained glass ceiling, statutes and balconies (the venue was earlier Michael Cain's restaurant). The Thistle Grand is a 205year-old structure in the old part of Bristol, the hotel has been getting some business travellers from India. The Bristol Hotel (a member of upmarket The Doyle Collection) on the waterfront has nine conferencing rooms. The Aztec Hotel and Spa has 22 meeting rooms. This property has also introduced the interesting concept

Brunel's ss Great Britain

of Conference Cafe that serves throughout the day fresh pizzas, soups, ice cream, smoothies and a tuckshop for sweets. The innovative concept of Pods will be introduced soon, where people can have small meetings. Old Down Manor in the outskirts of Bristol city is an events and wedding venue of distinction, in its own country park, a farm shop, and a cafe that turns into a popular restaurant in the evening. Clay pigeon shooting, archery, and team building exercises are corporate activities organised by many of the properties. Berwick Lodge was built in late 1890s and has two dedicated conference rooms - for 20 to 80 people. It is popular for both day and residential conferences. Thornbury Castle, the only Tudor castle in England that has been turned into a hotel, and has its own helipad. The Tudor Hall and the Baron's Sitting Room are perfect locations for high level corporate meetings. The fact that Henry VIII visited the castle twice, once with Anne Boleyn, has been attracting guests from around the world, including high-end experiential travellers from India.

For Indian MICE groups, the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, would be an exciting venue, particularly since on August 25, 2014 the grounds will witness the India-England one dayer

Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

At-Bristol Millennium Square view

EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

April 2014

EVENT ROUNDUP

The 2020 goal Set against the backdrop of the iconic Wembley Stadium in London, the 2014 Hosted Buyers Marketplace (HBM), VisitBritain's annual gathering of Britain’s travel trade, was a meeting point for UK’s buyers and suppliers to gauge the familiar and the not so familiar products the country has on offer By Steena Joy

HIS IS THE THIRD year that the HBM was organised in association with ETOA (European Tour Operators Association) and with 228 international buyers attending from 22 of UK’s key inbound markets, it is now the biggest trade event hosted by VisitBritain, the national tourism agency for marketing Britain overseas. Last year Britain witnessed its best year for inbound tourism, with around 32.9 million people visiting and spending £21 billion. Sandie Dawe, CEO, VisitBritain stated, “It’s our ambition to welcome 40 million visitors annually by 2020, with 2014 kicking off that pursuit with a record 2.4 million, a rise of eight per cent from the same period in 2013.” The venue of HBM this year, Wembley Stadium has played host to hundreds of some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment. The home of English football, the 90,000 seat stadium sees regular football matches including the FA Cup Final, the most famous domestic cup competition in the world. It has also seen the final of EURO '96, and the 1966 final of the FIFA World Cup all played on its pitch. The legendary player Pelé has said, "Wembley is the cathedral of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football.” Inside the meetings space of this sporting venue, HBM 2014 had over 245 delegates from 210 UK companies on the

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April 2014

floor and a total of nearly 8,500 appointments from morning to evening.

GREAT going VisitBritain’s current focus is the design and delivery of its biggest ever marketing programme - the GREAT Britain campaign – which looks to attract visitors to the UK over the four years from 2011-2015. This four-year, £100 million matchfunded marketing campaign is running in key markets globally. VisitBritain has also received funding to mount an image campaign in selected priority markets. Dawe informs, “As part of this, we have just launched a new TV and interactive online advert to inspire the world to choose Britain for their next holiday. ‘Sounds of GREAT Britain’ is a £2.5 million global film campaign, running across key markets like the USA, Brazil, China, India, Gulf states and throughout Europe. We are also launching soon ‘Countryside is GREAT’ series. The new campaign will roll out in early 2015.” Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, she said, “The demography of Indian visitors to Great Britain is changing. There are now more first-time Indian visitors to the UK. Also we have seen an increase in the number of younger independent travellers, not only from the big cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata but also from the tier II cities." She attributed this to the

Sandie Dawe

increased connectivity of not only British Airways but also Indian and Middle Eastern airlines. Passengers on BRIC routes showed a 6.9 per cent increase in 2013. While London continues to remain the main draw, other gateways like Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol too have shown increased traffic. Currently the tourism economy is worth £127 billion to Britain and forecast to grow £257 billion by 2025 - 10 per cent

of the UK’s GDP. In 2013, VisitBritain launched a growth strategy for inbound tourism to Britain, with an ambition to reach 40 million visitors by 2020. The strategy shows how aligning marketing and government policy can deliver an economic legacy, building on Britain’s successful hosting of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Supporting some three million jobs throughout the UK in 2013, tourism accounted for one third of net increase in UK jobs between 2010 and 2012 (175,000 additional jobs) - and forecast to grow to 3.7 million jobs by 2025. London remains a key destination for inbound visitors to the UK, with 15.5 million visitors spending time in the capital in 2012. The rest of England attracted 12.8 million inbound visitors, Scotland 2.2 million visitors and Wales 900,000. Some 1.8 million visitors from overseas made 'day trips' to the UK. Provi-

sional data for the first three quarters of 2013 show that visits to London grew by 12 per cent, the rest of England by seven per cent, Scotland by eight per cent and Wales by four per cent. Looking at a 2014 PWC forecast, there will be a two per cent increase in room supply outside London (8,200 rooms) while in London an additional 5,600 rooms are set to open, representing a four per cent rise in the number of available rooms in 2013. PWC also forecast that there will be growth in occupancy rates in 2014, up 0.4 per cent in the regions to 71 per cent and up 0.9 per cent in London to 82 per cent. In terms of seat capacity during 2013, Heathrow handled a record number of passengers of 72.3 million. It was followed by Gatwick (the world's busiest single runway airport, with 35.4 mlln), Manchester (20.68 mlln), London Stansted (17.8 mlln),

EVENT ROUNDUP

Edinburgh (9.8 mlln), London Luton (9.7 mlln), Birmingham (9.1mlln), Glasgow (7.4 mlln), Bristol (6.1 mlln) and Newcastle (4.4 mlln), according to figures from the Civil Aviation Authority.

India connection Most of the buyers from India were attending HBM for the first time and were happy with the pre-fixed appointments. This year a new format was followed where the buyers were sitting at the tables and the suppliers visited them instead of vice versa. What did the Indian delegation feel about this format? “It’s a good format. However the time allotted was very less and there were too many appointments to attend. Thus mashing it all up at the end and actually it became difficult to remember the conversations held,” opined Samir Kachwala, senior manager, personalised holidays, leisure travel

(outbound), Thomas Cook India. “It’s a good format which helped us in focusing on the appointments rather finding the tables of the next appointments,” felt Ashish Chitnis, general manager sales – leisure, Mercury Travels. Manav Jaggi, GM – Europe products, MakeMyTrip.com agreed that it was well managed and appointments were perfect on time. According to Jay Bhatia, director, Tulsidas Khimji Holidays, “This is an excellent system, wherein it was easy for the buyers to communicate and spend special 12 minutes on a one to one basis without any disturbance.” Mahendra Vakharia, managing director, Pathfinders Holidays also agreed that this was a nice format and that it should be continued. Shruti Bhogle, senior executive - VIP division, Kuoni India opined, “This way we had our appointments in place and we met with only those suppliers

This year a new format was followed where the buyers were sitting at the tables and the suppliers visited them instead of vice versa

who we needed to meet. And also the open appointments allowed us to meet other suppliers who were not on our appointment list.” Most of them took back fruitful business learnings. Kachwala met quite a few new hoteliers/DMCs and excursion providers which would be difficult sitting in an office. “Here we have a face to the co mpany we would be working with. It’s an opportunity to look at local market offerings for our clients visiting Britain,” he said. Jaggi added that now it’s time to take them on board and to benefit from it. Bhatia agreed, “I gained fantastic insight and knowledge on various new as well as existing products in the UK market. It has tremendously helped the business.” Srikanth G, senior manager, Riya Travels pointed out, “We came to know about unexplored destinations and also how to market those destinations to our customers back in India.” For Bhogle too it was definitely a learning experience. “In future I can tap these suppliers to grow company’s business,” she added. However, quite a few of them like Chitnis felt that some of the suppliers were not briefed on the Indian market and did not have products for the market.

EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

April 2014

SPOTLIGHT

A terminal takes off From designing experiential services for various consumer touch points at T2 in Mumbai to blending aesthetics with technology and future proofing the design, Tata Elxsi, one of the leading design companies in India, helped create an experience that echoes the emotional requirements of passengers By Rituparna Chatterjee

VK'S RECENTLY built Terminal 2 (T2) in Mumbai has redefined the image of international airports and air travel experience in India by combining design, architecture, infrastructure and operational efficiency with rich Indian heritage and culture. Tata Elxsi, one of the leading design companies in India, associated with GVK to enhance the overall passenger experience across various consumer touch points at T2. “The aim was to enhance operational efficiencies at the same time meet the emotional needs of the passengers throughout their stay and journey at the airport,” states Satish Patil, chief designer, user experience, Tata Elxsi. The design team of the company worked on a range of touch points such as entertainment zones, customer service zones, general and lifestyle seating areas from security to boarding gates. Other elements included designing pay/help phones, charging stations, ATM/vend-

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April 2014

ing machine housing, internet workstations/kiosks, mobile charging stations amongst others.

Challenges faced However, designing these touch points involved numerous challenges. The primary challenges faced by the company were to ensure that the experiences designed fit the overall architectural environment in terms of its aesthetic sensitivities, complex passenger movements, patterns to define the passenger flow and locations for the touch points functionally. The company also had to ensure that the customer experience was comfortable as well as that the proposed solutions could be engineered effectively. “Our first challenge was to design the visual language for all the elements while keeping in mind the overall theme of the terminal design. Through a comprehensive creative process we defined and shortlisted few key elements of the design such as a typical motif, proportions, overall design theme and materials,” states Patil adding, “Once the core product and visual design theme were in place, the next

Functionally also, we had to solve many challenges across the design cycle such as comfortable access, maximum visibility, finding right material specifications, studying the overall architectural plans, defining the appropriate locations and manufacturing processes

Satish Patil

challenge for the design team was to interpret it appropriately to all the touch points ranging from customer service desks to kiosks.” Detail design of these touch points involved defining overall ergonomic parameters, smooth functioning of elements and

products, interesting spatial layout and planning, taking care of passenger needs like storage, accessibility, to name a few. “Functionally also, we had to solve many challenges across the design cycle such as comfortable access, maximum visibility, finding right material specifications, studying the overall architectural plans, defining the appropriate locations and manufacturing processes to ensure effective assemblies. The designs had to also retain the aesthetic qualities, as well as cater to the performance parameters such as reliability, overall life span, servicing requirements, etc,” mentions Patil. Lastly, the team had to define the zoning of the layouts for spaces like retail and leisure based on typical passen-

ger activities and needs as they traverse from check - in points to their respective boarding gates. “It involved defining plans for retail spaces, seating systems and defining styles and layouts of various furniture elements which will naturally map to the passenger needs,” he adds.

Enhancing experience Design and technology play a crucial role in defining and realising the solutions which provide holistic customer experiences. For instance, while designing effective consumer experiences there is a need to first understand the consumer's psychology, spaces and architecture, ergonomics and manufacturing. “Most of the time passengers spend about 45 minutes to two hours in the terminal building

SPOTLIGHT

CONNECTING T2

Combining design with technology to reiterate the brand image was an important factor of the project. Hence, while designing the experiential services they drew inspiration from the MIAL brand identity – the peacock feather before boarding their flights. How passengers spend their time is largely based on the nature of travel (domestic/international) and their cultural backgrounds. It is thus crucial to gain consumer insights to understand the requirements and thereby define passenger experience, as well as generate the required revenues to maintain and grow the airport infrastructure. Thus a detailed research and analysis of typical passenger activities through the terminal helps establish the zones for identified touch points,” explains Patil. While designing the experiential services for T2, the layouts and details were designed considering parameters like customer behavior and needs, anthropometric data, space available, planning of utilities like power and network connections, etc. “Considering the extended life span and use-case scenarios, high quality appropriate mate-

rial selections were done to meet defined performance criteria, and lastly latest manufacturing processes were used to build these products,” he states.

Drawing inspiration Combining design with technology to reiterate the brand image was an important factor of the project. Hence, while designing the experiential services they drew inspiration from the MIAL brand identity – the peacock feather. “The peacock feather is the most significant part of the visual DNA which was incorporated in many forms and ways across the environment, right from the sculptures to the pillars. Our design team took this theme to the next level without overplaying it. It is used across many consumer touch points such as pay/help phones, charging stations, TV or internet workstations,” states Patil. The team also ensured that the expe-

riences designed fit the environment and blends with the architecture of T2. Similarly they had also explored advanced materials required to make the customer service desks to achieve a luxurious and unified look and feel even on complex surfaces. “We ensured that all the consumer touch points developed blend with the MIAL brand identity and was in line with the architectural beauty and opulence of the T2,” he adds. In a mammoth project like T2, future proofing of design and techological elements was also of crucial importance for the team. “While designing the several consumer touch points, we ensured that the solutions developed can address the future needs of passengers. We designed robust and sleek designs which can accommodate future technology while maintaining the integrity of the overall design language,” opines Patil. For in-

Tata Teleservices has partnered with GVK led Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) offering end-to-end voice and data services at the recently inaugurated T2 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). This partnership is a seven year contract wherein Tata Teleservices will be the exclusive telecommunications provider for MIAL for the said period. As a part of this part- Vishal Rally nership, the company has provided fixed voice and data services over a secure platform. “For connectivity, we have done exclusive fibre rollouts for connecting the airport terminal to our infrastructure. The rollouts have been done at three layers with each having a multi-protection path. In the last mile, which connects to the terminal, we have provided a multipath fibre/ring protection. As for the top layer, which is the core network where the date moves in, we have provided protection through Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON),” explains Vishal Rally, regional COO (west), enterprise business, Tata Teleservices. The company has also provided a range of connections under voice services which includes centrix and walkie connection to name a few. However, incorporating the fibre rollouts were a challenge since it had to be done without disrupting the ongoing services at the existing airport he states. “Since there was an existing airport, we had to do live-live connectivity so that there was no disruption of the earlier services. For this we rolled out the services at the new terminal and when both the terminals were working the transition took place,” opined Rally adding, “We also had to plan for scalability while rolling out our services. Hence the capacity buildup is almost 10 times the capacity that is required presently since over a period of time operations will increase with increasing airlines coming into India and through international traffic buildup.” As for future proofing the technology being incorporated into T2, Rally mentions, “In terms of last mile connectivity the fibre is nearly future proof since all the fibre is underground. The existing technology that has been incorporated can be upgraded to the latest one in the premises itself without disrupting the operations. The fibre rollouts have multiple fibre ranges creating multiple paths so that even if one stops working the others keep working. Plus, all the fibre paths are being remotely monitored at our data centre 24/7.”

stance, the mobile charging stations have been designed keeping in consideration possibilities for wireless mobile charging in the future. The infrastructure development in India is growing at a very rapid pace be it the growth of public infrastructure like roadways, airports, railways, metros, Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS), or private infrastructure which includes commercial retail spaces,

IT/technology, hospitality, healthcare amongst others. “The urban infrastructure will continue to grow in the coming years which will require design, technology and engineering expertise. Tata Elxsi being in the space of design, are helping clients deliver design and engineering services across areas, be it airports, metros, MRTS to designing experiences for commercial and retail spaces amongst others,” concludes Patil.

EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

April 2014

CONSERVATION

A shark's tale Soneva Fushi in Maldives is now the regional headquarters for FINished with Fins, as Sonu and Eva Shivdasani of the Soneva Group join as ambassadors for the shark conservation campaign in the luxury travel and tourism industry

HE LARGEST worldwide campaign with the sole purpose of shark conservation, FINished with Fins can boast the support of over 100 of Hong Kong’s taste makers and opinion leaders, 150 celebrities from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and China and now the owners of the world’s leading luxury resort operators, Sonu and Eva Shivdasani of the Soneva Group. Jonn Lu, regional director, Asia Pacific for Shark Savers, who was instrumental in founding the FINished with Fins movement, flew to the Maldives to sign up husband and wife, Sonu and Eva Shivdasani and Soneva Fushi to the cause. More than just pledging their support and saying “I’m FINished” with shark fin soup, Sonu and Eva have offered their award-winning resort in the Maldives, Soneva Fushi as regional headquarters for the shark conservation campaign to help lobby against illegal shark fishing in their local area as well as offer their support on a global stage to help recruit other corporations to support shark conservation. Together with Sonu and Eva Shivdasani; Soneva Fushi recruits the help of its inhouse marine biologist, Frederica Siena as well as its Free Diving expert Ken Kiriyama to help assist in plans to help thwart il-

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April 2014

legal catchment of sharks by poachers in Maldivian waters. Sonu Shivdasani says, “Back in 2000, our waters were teeming with sharks, however as the years have gone by the shark population has depleted significantly. This led to the Maldivian government commendably introducing a ban on shark fishing in all its waters in 2010. The ban was a great step forward for shark conservation however it only prevented fishermen from hunting sharks in up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) off the atoll coasts. This has led to poachers shark fishing and trading outside of the perimeter. We would like to see the perimeter extended further to make it a lot more difficult for shark fishing and trading to take place and try and put a stop to it once and for all.” He adds, “Another area where I believe we can help is by partnering with other resorts in the Maldives to work together to say the Maldives travel industry is FINished with Fins. The Maldives epitomises the ultimate in holiday destinations and therefore we have access to a number of influential corporations and holidaymakers who I am sure would be keen to get on board and help protect sharks, an animal that is so intrinsic to our ecosystem that their continuing decline in population will have a

Sonu & Eva Shivdasani

Sharks play a key role in our ocean’s food chains. As apex predators, sharks help keep the world’s marine ecosystems balanced.Yet sharks are being depleted worldwide dramatic on life to us all.” Lu from FINished with Fins explains, “Sharks play a key role in our ocean’s food chains. As apex predators, sharks help keep the world’s marine ecosystems balanced. If shark populations are depleted, a critical link in the maintenance of global marine ecosystems will be disrupted, not only directly affecting the viability of commercial fisheries around the world but also life on earth. Our oceans cover over 70 per cent of the earth’s surface and houses 80

per cent of life on earth, maintaining this ecosystem is crucial. The oceans help absorb excess carbon dioxide and heat energy from the atmosphere, controlling our climate and keeping our air safe to breathe. Yet sharks are being depleted worldwide, just to feed the unsustainable demand for shark fin soup. The exponential growth in consumption of shark fin soup is responsible for alarming shark population declines. Expressing his delight in signing up Sonu and Eva Shiv-

dasani as ambassadors for the campaign, he states, “We not only look to work with celebrities but opinion leaders who can help us reverse the shark fin consumption trend in Asia and the rest of the world. By securing ambassadors, such as Sonu and Eva we can garner support from the luxury travel and tourism industry to help us turn people’s view on wanting to consume shark fin soup and help protect an animal that is so intrinsic to our way of life.”

MOVEMENTS Airbus India DR SRINIVASAN DWARAKANATH has been appointed as CEO of Airbus India and CHARLES CHAMPION, EVP - Airbus Engineering and a member of the Airbus

Dr Srinivasan Dwarakanath

executive committee has been appointed as chairman of Airbus India. The existing Delhi Airbus liaison office will remain under the leadership of Ajay Mehra. Dwarakanath was responsible for setting up Airbus’ industrial footprint in the region including the Airbus Engineering Centre India (AECI) and Airbus Training India (ATI) located in Bengaluru.

Lufthansa WOLFGANG WILL has been appointed as director India of Lufthansa. Based in Gurgaon,

as close working knowledge of international markets, having previously served at the airline’s offices in Austria, Congo and Venezuela.

Etihad Airways JAMES MUELLER has been appointed to the position of senior vice president – sales, Etihad Airways. With more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry, Mueller joins Etihad Airways from United Airlines, where he worked for five years in various senior roles, including vice president Asia Pacific and vice president sales Atlantic and Pacific. Prior to this, he was employed for more than 15 years at Northwest Airlines / Delta Airlines, where his position was vice president cargo sales.

Hawaiian Airlines HING CHEONG KWOK has been appointed to the position of country director – China, Hawaiian Airlines, with responsibility for overseeing all sales initiatives and product distribution in China. Kwok has 50 years of sales experience in the aviation industry. He started his career in 1964 handling regional cargo sales at Pan American World Airways followed by United Airlines.

Boeing Commercial Aviation Services

Wolfgang Will

Will will be responsible for overseeing the airline’s commercial activities in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He moves to India from Mexico where he was director Mexico and Central America. He brings vast cross-functional experience at Lufthansa as well

STAN DEAL has been appointed as SVP of Boeing’s Commercial Aviation Services. Deal, who joined the company in 1986, recently served as vice president and general manager of supply chain management and operations for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, with responsibility for the overall leadership of supplier management, fabrication, propulsion systems and quality. The supplier management, fabrication, propulsion systems and quality organisations will report directly to Ray Conner, president and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Travelport MARK MEEHAN has been appointed as managing director - Asia Pacific of Travelport. Meehan brings a customer-focused experience to the role, having held a number of high profile positions at Travelport over his 15 year tenure with the company. He will take up his new position, which will be based in Singapore, in early April and will report directly to Jason Clarke, managing director – global sales.

Ghana Tourism ABRAHAM TETTEH has been appointed as tourism fund manager, CHARLES OSEI BONSU as executive director of Ghana Tourism Authority and SAMUEL ATTAH MILLS as managing director, Ghana Tourism Development Company. Tetteh is a member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Incorporated Public Accountants (IIPA), Ireland. He holds a Master of Science degree in Financial Management from the University of East London, United Kingdom and Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Tourism from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.

Lion Air RUDY LUMINGKEWAS has been promoted to the position of CEO at Lion Air and will report to Rusdi Kirana, who retains his position as CEO of Lion Group. Lumingkewas has been an instrumental part of the airline's management team. He joined Lion Air in 2001 and was Lion Air's district manager in Medan. He was then promoted in 2002 to general manager of sales and marketing.

Perth Convention Bureau Perth Convention Bureau (PCB) announced this month the appointment of CAITLIN CRAIG to the position of direc-

Global Sustainable Tourism Council The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) has announced the appointment of RANDY DURBAND as its new CEO. Durband brings significant management experience to GSTC, having served 20-plus years in senior leadership positions at many US tour operating companies followed by five years as a sustainable tourism advisor, consultant, and speaker.

tor of community relations. The new community relations division to take effect July 2014, will focus its efforts on local conveners, ambassadors and convention services. Previously senior business development manager at PCB, Craig has a background in tourism with more than six years of success at the Bureau.

Cayman Islands government The ministry of district administration, tourism and transport has a new DCO and new CFO. In his new role as DCO, JONATHAN JACKSON has specific responsibility to deal with policies concerning District Administration, National Weather Service, and Sister Is-

Jonathan Jackson

lands Affordable Housing and will primarily direct and advise ministry staff and heads of departments on the implementation of policies in relation to his

Neyka Webster

areas of responsibility. NEYKA WEBSTER will move to her new post as the ministry’s CFO from the portfolio of the Civil Service and the Cabinet Office, where she is acting CFO.

Evason Ana Mandara MICHAEL BAO HUYNH has joined Evason Ana Mandara as the resort’s executive chef. In 1982, Huynh headed to New York and lived with an upstate family that owned an Italian restaurant. He trained and worked there, moving up the ranks from sous-chef to executive chef. Three years later, and still at his chef post, Huynh decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and study architecture. In 2001, Huynh opened his own restaurant, named Bao 111. Soon after, he added Mai House restaurant to his portfolio.

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Youngest fleet 200 Daily flights More than 79 destinations in 5 continents 21,900 Star Alliance network connections Winner of Prestigious Awards www.ethiopianairlines.com Toll Free: 000 800 100 7947

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E V E N T S

CULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA Brand USA recently organised an interactive

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP Virender Aggarwal (third from left), CEO, Ramco

evening called ‘Experience America’ for the travel trade, airlines, US consulates and select media at the Tote on the Turf at Mahalaxmi racecourse in Mumbai

Systems, and Azhari Mohd Dahlan (second from right), CEO, engineering and maintenance, Malaysia Airlines at the signing ceremony between Malaysia Airlines and Ramco Systems held in Kuala Lumpur

SPREADING AWARENESS Tourism Malaysia recently embarked on a sales mission to Sri Lanka and India as part of its efforts to raise awareness on Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 globally

PICTORIAL PRESENTATION Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) felicitated Prakash Thosre on World Forest Day for his works on Maharashtra’s wildlife and his book ‘The Wild Mammals of Maharashtra’ was released by K Sankaranarayanan, governor of Maharashtra in Mumbai. Also present at the occasion were Sumit Mullick, additional chief secretary and chief protocol officer, Government of Maharashtra; Praveen Pardeshi, principal secretary forest, Government of Maharashtra; Jagdish Patil, managing director, MTDC and other dignitaries

BUSINESS CONNECT The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) recently organised a workshop and orientation session for travel agents in Delhi and Mumbai

MEMORABLE DEBUT The debut event of the Turkish Airlines' World Golf Cup was held at Bombay Presidency Golf Club in Mumbai

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E V E N T S

DELIGHTING CUSTOMERS Changi Airport in Singapore was voted as the

SCALING HEIGHTS L-R: Karan Anand, head-relationships, Cox & Kings; Bruce

World's Best Airport by air travellers for the second year in a row at the 2014 World Airport Awards held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Barcelona, Spain

Poon Tip, founder, G Adventures; and Neelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1.com at the launch of 'Grab Your Dream' contest held at Trident Nariman Point, Mumbai

STAR-STUDDED NIGHT L-R: Edward Tracy, president and CEO, Sands China; Janet Tracy; Kevin Spacey, American actor and Best Buddies supporter; and Anthony Kennedy Shriver, founder and chairman of Best Buddies International walked the red carpet at The Venetian Macao, before attending The Venetian Ball 2014: A Night of Glitz and Glamour, where Tiffany & Co was the presenting sponsor. The event raised funds for Best Buddies Macao â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a chapter of Best Buddies International

NEW CHAPTER Rajiv Duggal, senior VP - tourism, hospitality and leisure, Lavasa Corporation received the PATWA international award for emerging destination in India for Lavasa from Taleb Rifai, secretary-general, United Nation's World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Sagar Ahluwalia, secretary general, PATWA

JOINING HANDS

Travelport and AirAsia recently announced a partnership which will see AirAsia distribute all of its fares and ancillary services through the Travelport's GDS (global distribution channel) for the first time

34 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD April 2014

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.