Express Travel World July, 2014

V0L 9 NO.6 PAGES 44

July 2014, `50

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CONTENTS Vol 9 No 6 JULY 2014 Pages 44

Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka Editor

Reema Lokesh*

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Chief of Product

Prabhas Jha

POINTS OF DISTINCTION

Assistant Editor

Steena Joy Associate Editor

Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai

Kahini Chakraborty Rituparna Chatterjee

n

Finest Cuisine at sea

n

Midsize elegant ships with very high luxury standards

n

Extraordinary high staff-to-guest ratio

n

Youngest fleet in premium/ luxury class cruising

Kolkata

Joy Roy Choudhury DESIGN National Art Director

Bivash Barua Deputy Art Director

ARE YOU THERE YET? (18-21)

Surajit Patro Chief Designer

Pravin Temble Senior Graphic Designerr

MARKETS

EDGE

Rushikesh Konka Senior Artist

Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker

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CHHATTISGARH TOURISM PREPARES BLUEPRINT PLAN FOR TOURISM

08

AIR INDIA JOINS STAR ALLIANCE

SCHEDULING & COORDINATION Sr.Executive

33

Rohan Thakkar Photo Editor

Sandeep Patil

THE IBEACON GATEWAY APPLES'S IBEACON TECHNOLOGY IS AN EFFECTIVE LOW-COST SOLUTION FOR BUSINESSES IN THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM SECTOR

MARKETING Regional Heads

Harit Mohanty - West Prabhas Jha - North Sanghamitra Kumar - East Dr. Raghu Pillai - South

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CARZONRENT FOCUSES ON LUXURY SELF-DRIVE SEGMENT

Marketing Team

Sunil Dcosta Gunjan Chauhan Baljinder Singh Ajanta Sengupta CIRCULATION

Mohan Varadakar

MANAGEMENT

LIFE

PRODUCTION 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)

IN TOUCH WITH TRENZ TRENZ 2014, BROUGHT INTO FOCUS NEW ZEALAND'S UNIQUE BLEND OF OFFERINGS

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

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Cruises in 2014

THE TIGER GUARDIANS AIRCEL IS STRENGTHENING ITS ‘SAVE OUR TIGERS' INITIATIVE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

P06: EDITOR’S NOTE P38 : APPOINTMENTS

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.

P39 : WEEKEND Oceania Cruises

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Tourism awakening

T

here is so much written and said about the untapped potential of the tourism sector especially in the Indian context that it is long overdue to give this industry the much needed respect and recognition it rightfully deserves. It is proven to be a potent source for socio-economic development, a valuable employment generator across categories, from highly skilled, semi skilled and unskilled personnel, contributing actively toward poverty elimination,which ultimately helps immensely toward nation building. I recollect how budget after budget, professionals connected to the hospitality and tourism sector would wait anxiously and if I may add patiently to hear some uplifting news in favour of the tourism sector but invariably the sector was left with only the crumbs after the bread has been distributed.

The industry is now waiting in the wings to hear what Arun Jaitley will announce, which will decide whether it’s celebration time for tourism or yet again a casual mention which goes unheard.

The industry seems quite upbeat about the forth-

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“The industry is now waiting in the wings to hear what Arun Jaitley will announce,which will decide whether it’s celebration time for tourism or yet again a casual mention ” The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division JL No. 29&30, NH-6, Mouza- Prasastha & Ankurhati, Vill & PO- Ankurhati P.S.- Domjur (Nr.Ankurhati Check Bus Stop), Dist. Howrah- 711 409 Mobile: +91 9831182580 Email id: ajanta.sengupta@expressindia.com KOCHI: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Ground Floor, Sankoorikal Building, Kaloor – Kadavanthra Road Kaloor, Kochi – 682 017 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com COIMBATORE: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd No. 205-B, 2nd Floor, Vivekanand Road, Opp. Rajarathinam Hospital Ram Nagar, Coimbatore- 641 009 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com

coming budget. Interestingly, the government has asked representatives from the hospitality industry to list down the archaic laws that are stifling development. The focus of the present government on skills development may also have benefits for the tourism and hospitality sector.

The industry thought leaders have come together and have drawn up a concise wishlist that will help place tourism on a fast track towards growth. Visa issues and concerns on taxes are part of the list.

There also seems to be a new momentum that is visible in the oldest body of the travel agents’ association - TAAI. Professionalism seems to be back at the association after a lull and though the president's place is yet in a limbo, the team within looks focused at resolving industry issues through the education route. Our anchor story will give you a complete picture. Finally, check out our cover story that speaks about technology, tourism and tomorrow.

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Important: Whilst care is taken prior to acceptance of advertising copy,it is not possible to verify its contents.The Indian Express Limited cannot be held responsible for such contents,nor for any loss or damages incurred as a result of transactions with companies,associations or individuals advertising in its newspapers or publications.We therefore recommend that readers make necessary inquiries before sending any monies or entering into any agreements with advertisers or otherwise acting on an advertisement in any manner whatsoever.

MARKETS

Chhattisgarh Tourism prepares blueprint plan for tourism Aims to attract three million tourists by 2015 Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai CHHATTISGARH Tourism Board (CTB) has ambitious plans to establish the destination as an eco-tourism and camping hub in India. With a blueprint plan ready for the same in line with the National Tourism Policy, the board is developing Gangrel Dam, the largest water body in Chhattisgarh as a mega watersports adventure destination. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Santosh Misra, managing director, CTB informed, “The Gangrel Dam project

work has already begun and it will take one year to be completed. We will be investing `25 crore on the project. Apart from leisure, activities for attracting MICE groups to Gangrel Dam will also be developed. We will be aggressively promoting Chitrakoot Falls as well. We are also focusing on developing convention centres and niche segments for camping and promoting caravan tourism at important destinations. In order to promote the destination as a camping hub, we will be highlighting Mainpat which is popular because of Tibetan settlements.”

The

tourism board is also open to adopting public private partnership (PPP) model for tourism developments. After receiving 1.5 million tourist footfall in 2012, the tourism board is aiming to attract nearly three million tourists by 2015.

Furthermore, the tourism board has received `113.5 crore project prioritisation from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. (GoI) CTB will be highlighting Sirpur as a Buddhist site for inbound tourists especially from South East Asian countries.

Sirpur-Kodar-Raipur-Tandula

will be positioned as a mega eco-tourist circuit. The board will also be promoting light and sound show at the sixth archeological site at Sirpur and Bhoramdeo, popularly known as Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh. Misra said, “This year our focus is going to be on projecting the destination's tribal and traditional art and craft, fairs and festivals.” He mentioned that the tourism board is likely to receive `200 crore investment support from the GoI and Chhattisgarh government.”

When asked about how is the board looking at working

closely with travel agents, he said, “Tour operators are key for tourism production. We have seen more than 25 per cent increase in travel booking numbers this year compared to last year. Going forward we intend to keep organising workshops, seminars and FAM trips for travel agents for better understanding of the destination.

By the end of the year we will be organising an eco-tourism and ethnic tourism seminar for travel agents pan India. We have invited travel agents from across the country to register with us and promote Chhattisgarh.”

TAAI moves aggressively to address service tax issue Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai TRAVEL AGENTS Association of India (TAAI) is aggressively undertaking a series of initiatives to create awareness and resolve issues related to service tax that has been plaguing the travel industry in India for years.

To create awareness on service tax regulations, the association recently conducted a series of presentations on the same across 19 chapters for its members. “Presently, the Indian travel agents are paying a service tax of 12.36 per cent from their commission to the central excise department. Currently, travel agents are unable to recover the service tax amount from the airlines. We should come to a consensus that this is an industry procedure which has to be followed and accordingly recover the service tax

from the airlines by raising an invoice and subsequently pay the amount to the central excise department,” stated Harmandeep Singh Anand, honorary secretary general, TAAI and managing director Jagsons Travels adding that these presentations have helped educate the consolidators and travel agents. “We are sending representations to our members and are telling them to put it on their letter head and send it to the airlines to recover the amount,” opined Anand.

Moreover, to provide an alternate solution to the service tax issue, a meeting was recently organised by FAITH, wherein the association made a proposal to Vinod Kumar, joint secretary TRU (II), Central Board of Excise and Customs, Government of India to implement reverse charge mechanism (RCM) in service

tax for the travel industry so that airlines can pay the service tax directly to the government. “There are around 100 airlines in India and we have around 3500 IATA agents and a million non-IATA agents. Instead of recovering the tax from these many agents, it is sound enough to collect it from the airlines directly, so that the travel agents are not required to pay the service tax from their profits,” stated Anand. Speaking on the same, Manish Gadia, partner, GMJ & Co Chartered Accountants stated, “We definitely support RCM since it will be beneficial to all the stakeholders – airlines, government, travel agents and travellers. If RCM comes into effect then there won’t be any extra hassle for the travel agents. Furthermore, the ticket cost will also lower, thereby proving benefi-

Harmandeep Singh Anand

cial to the travellers.” "We haven't taken any decision since we are presently in talks with various heads on the RCM matter," stated a spokesperson from Emirates.

Indigo was also contacted but they declined to comment on this issue.

In addition, the association has also proposed the exemption

of religious tours and outbound tourism from service tax. Moreover, the next initiative of TAAI is to educate and equip its members on new distribution channels. The initiative organised in association with InterGlobe will be held across all its chapters.

The association also has plans to form a new chapter in Lucknow in the near future. Speaking about its proposed convention, Anand said, “We may consider having two conventions, one in India and the other abroad.”

There are talks to host its convention anytime from September to December this year. TAAI is also exploring the opportunity of hosting their annual convention in 2015 in Edinburgh, Scotland. “We also want to get a CEO into TAAI and we would want to have one domestic convention and one destination learning experience every year,” he mentioned.

EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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MARKETS AVIATION

'Owning an aircraft is no more considered unaffordable' Unfriendly policies have had a crippling impact on India's business aviation industry. Capt Arun Sharma, MD, Aviators (India) talks about what the new government should do for the growth of the sector and highlights the game changing new trends. By Sudipta Dev What are your product / service offerings for the business aviation sector?

Aviators is focused on aircraft and helicopter sales, charter and management. We offer a turnkey solution from purchase to startup of operations for any individual or a corporate flight department. Having started out as an aviation products and services supplier, Aviators has today grown and matured into a fully fledged operations company covering the entire gamut.

Business aviation sector in India has been facing turbulent times for some time now.

How do you foresee the situation changing for the better in the near future?

I think we had almost touched the bottom in the past five years of non productive de-

cisions. A few years ago the projected growth of the aircraft was 1800 aircraft in five years.

However, due to the unfriendly policies it has now reduced the growth level to 900 aircraft by 2020. Most of the aircraft are under legal knots of their usage as defined in the laws that are not clear. This has led to numerous interpretations and most of the operators had their aircraft seized due to lack of clarity of ownership usage. The new government has a great opportunity to make things right. A few key topics that they should concentrate would be: streamlining tax laws for importing of an aircraft; increase in general aviation parking; mobilising usage of the 400 unused airports in the country; increasing the number of flight schools; cancellation of tax/ royalty on MRO and services

provided at airports; reduction in sales tax for ATF at all airports; aircraft handling charges – the current charges for general aviation is extremely high thus having a reverse impact on charter operations and operators.

I choose to believe that the new government will definitely take this issue up and ensure that they set things right for the industry.

Have you witnessed any interesting trends in recent times?

Yes, one emerging trend that we see today is that many smaller companies are pooling in their resources together to purchase an aircraft. Owning an aircraft is no more considered as an unaffordable affair.

Many small and medium scale companies feel that pooling in

their resources to get an aircraft is necessary, primarily because they feel the need to save time for their travel and are looking for management companies like Aviators for advise on setup and startup.

What are your growth expectations for this sector?

Potential for growth surely exists. These are however dependent of stable policies and tax structure favourable for capital investment. If there is a fluctuation in the policies and tax structures, it becomes a hurdle for interested investors to plan out their venture. But now, with the new government in place, we are expecting the errors to be corrected and steps to be taken for improving investment environment for the aviation industry.

Aviators currently oper-

Capt Arun Sharma

ates a PC12 aircraft for charter which is being flown around 800 hours per year and now intend to add another aircraft to our charter operations. We also expect our aircraft sales to move up some more points than last year.

Air India joins Star Alliance ETW Staff Mumbai AIR INDIA HAS become the first airline from India to be inducted into the Star Alliance. On June 23, 2014, the Star Alliance Central Executive Board voted in favour of Air India to become its 27th member airline. Air India will start offering the alliance benefits and privileges to customers from July 11, 2014.

Air India operates to a net-

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work of 50 destinations in India and 33 international, covering 23 countries. Presently, the airline offers a total of 387 daily departures which include 289 domestic and 89 international, out of its primary hub Delhi and secondary hub Mumbai. Some of the benefits and privileges that will be available to passengers flying Air India are: A seamless travel experience across a vast global network, besides premium customer recognition and benefits

across member airlines.

By coordinating arrival and departure times, Star Alliance member airlines have optimised connections within the network and considerably reduced waiting times for passengers.

Through check-in, joint ticketing, check-in and baggage facilities, collocation and connection teams at key airports will all help offer a smooth travel experience.

Reciprocal frequent flyer benefits between Air India’s

Flying Returns programme and those of the existing member carriers. This will provide passengers with more options in earning and redeeming, upgrading and obtaining Star Alliance Gold status. Passengers holding Star Alliance Gold status have access to more than 1000 lounges across the global network. Besides this, member airlines of Star Alliance will now have an improved access to a region which includes the

world’s fifth largest aviation market.

Membership to the Alliance will bring Air India value in terms of revenue generation and cost reduction. Member carriers work on joint purchasing initiatives like fuel and fleet coordination and collocation of information technology projects.

Air India will have the benefit of adopting the global best practices, branding and global visibility.

MARKETS

'We are planning to take KTM outside Kerala' In an exclusive interview, Abraham George, president, Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) elucidates how he plans to extend the reach of Kerala's biggest platform for the travel business. By Steena Joy than any other state.

What will be the USP of KTM 2014?

Introducing new products like village experiences, wedding tourism and sports tourism will be the USP of KTM 2014.

The Kerala Government has cut luxury tax on convention centres and auditoriums with a daily rent exceeding `20,000 to 10 per cent from 20 per cent in the state budget announced in January this year. How do you see this sop as benefitting the Kerala MICE market?

Reduction in luxury tax

Any promotions to increase the reach and viability of KTM? Introduction of new marketing strategies and use of new age social media will definitely take KTM to new markets and expand its reach to more regions.

Abraham George

for MICE will definitely increase MICE business as Kerala can offer value added experiences better

Apart from the KTM held every two years, has the KTM Society ever considered conducting road shows in the alternate year to increase awareness and brand visibility?

Yes, we are planning to take KTM outside Kerala and organise road shows in partnership with Kerala Tourism.

To bring in huge volumes of MICE traffic, Kerala Tourism will need to develop new and unique MICE venues in the state.

Your comments.

There are new venues coming up in different centres of Kerala. Two big time convention centres are to be commissioned in the next two years time in Kochi, which will give a fillip to our MICE business.

Carzonrent focuses on luxury self-drive segment Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai TO CATER TO THE growing demand for self-drives in India, Carzonrent, an Indian car rental company, has ambitious plan to expand to around 1000 fleets under the self drive segment by end of 2014 of which 10 per cent would be in the luxury space.

In the self-drive segment, an investment of `400 crore would be made in the next three to five years. “This year we see many movements in the Indian economy like growing business and first class travel, influx of many A380s and larger hotel chains investing in the country. These changes will benefit the luxury segment and the takers for this product will increase,”

stated Sakshi Vij, executive director, Carzonrent (India).

She added, “Presently, we have 20-22 per cent of the market share and our revenue run rate is `350 crore and we are expecting to achieve `500 crore by 2015-2016.”

The company which entered into the self-drive segment under the brand 'Myles' in November 2013 with 14 cars across four cities has presently grown to offer a fleet of around 300 cars across 16 cities.

“The demand for luxury cars in this segment is mainly coming from young urban professionals aspiring to ride a Mercedez Benz, car junkies and we also expect a large number of SME's to avail this product. In addition, the pricing has also been kept afford-

Sakshi Vij

able at `900 per hour including fuel for 25 kilometres and `6500 per day excluding fuel,” added Vij. “Owing to the trend of international travel, growing awareness among Indian con-

sumers on how cars are rented, it was the opportune time for us to launch the selfdrive concept in India,” opined Sakshi Vij, executive director, Carzonrent (India). Initially the company offered SUVs, hatchbacks, sedans under its self-drive segment, but with the increasing demand for luxury cars, the company in association with Mercedez Benz recently entered into this space and is offering C- and E- Class models. Depending upon the market response, the company will go on to offer S-, L- and KClass models as well.

Presently, under the luxury self-drive segment, the company has a fleet of 20 Mercedez Benz cars across five cities – Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.

MICAto organise MDPfrom Aug 20-22 ETW Staff Mumbai MUDRA INSTITUTE of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA) is organising a threeday residential management development programme (MDP) on “Building High-Performing Service Businesses” from August 20- 22, 2014 at its Ahmedabad campus. The programme will be conducted by Dr. Kallol Das, associate professor in the

The programme is for companies dealing with consumer services marketing department and chairperson of the research committee at MICA. The programme is meant for participants from marketing, operations and human resource departments in companies dealing with consumer services such as hotels, travel and hospitality, airlines, health and wellness, etc.

Commenting on the programme, Professor Das, informs, "It has been designed to support participants in learning the relevant knowledge frameworks essential for building a successful service business, while enhancing their leadership and team-working skills essential to delivering high customer satisfaction and simultaneously helping them develop a service attitude, which is the key to success in this sector.”

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July 2014

MARKETS

Yas Island Abu Dhabi to open 3rd theme park,India priority market Abu Dhabi govt develops partnership programmes for travel agents Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai YAS ISLAND, ABU Dhabi is going to open its third theme park related to cinema in February 2018, after witnessing the success of Ferarri World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld. The third theme park is currently in the design stages and will be managed and operated by Farah Leisure, which manages and operates Yas Island. The company will also be appointing their marketing representative in the India market soon. Giving a perspective on the India market, Bruno P Wiley, director of sales, Farah Leisure informed, “India is a priority market and we receive about 30 per cent of our

business from this market for Ferarri World. We are looking at increasing our international presence and have been getting FIT, families, MICE and leisure groups. We received more than three lakh travellers from the India market to Ferarri World Abu Dhabi so far.” Yas Island houses attractions like the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Links Golf Course, du Forum, du Arena, O1NE Yas Island and Yas Beach.

Olivier Garaialde, vice president- theme parks, Farah Leisure said, “Travellers to Yas Island have been increasing continuously and we had double digit growth last year in Ferarri World even though we opened

Yas Waterworld in 2013. Going forward we intend to keep developing and offering innovative new attractions to travellers in phases. We are going to open a new attraction in Ferarri World by this year and by next year we plan to open seven new attractions with three major rides that will compete with the Formule One ride that we have already.

We are already working on developing new attractions in Yas Waterworld which might open in two years time. And because of the success that we are getting from Ferarri World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld, we will also be developing a third and fourth theme park in Yas Island. In November 2014, we will be launching the second largest shopping

mall in UAE at Yas Island. The world-renowned Louvre Museum will be opened at the Saadiyat Island in December 2015.”

Yas Island has over seven hotels ranging from the threefive-star categories. These hotels together have a capacity of over 2,000 rooms. Apart from working closely with its DMCs in Dubai, Farah Leisure is also working towards strengthening its relations with B2B travel agents and online travel agents in the India market. “We want to promote Yas Island as a multi destination experience and not just a one day excursion. Currently the length of stay among travellers is two nights but we want to increase it to three-four

days this year,” added Garaialde.

Wiley also informedthat the Abu Dhabi government is investing into developing its various offerings to promote the destination in the India market. The government has also opened Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority in New Delhi for promotion of the destination. “Apart from this, the Abu Dhabi government has also developed two partnership programmes targeting FITs which is called Access Abu Dhabi and the other one targets the MICE segment wherein if there is a booking for large groups with a certain number of room nights, then the Abu Dhabi government provides subsidised rates for activities,” said Wiley.

Singapore gears up for F1 Singapore Grande Prix Singapore Airlines launches exclusive offer for Indian F1 fans Akshay Kumar Mumbai SINGAPORE IS ALL set to host the seventh edition of Singapore Airlines Singapore Grande Prix 2014 from September 12- 21, 2014. This race is the only Formula 1 full-night street race in the world and is held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The complete race includes a total of 61 laps with 23 turns to increase the difficulty level. Apart from the race, the circuit park is hosting a series of entertainment events and stage performances to attract the audience.

Speaking about the race, Sarah Martin, director of operations and security, Singapore GP, said, “Singapore GP is the only night race in the world and the

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only street racing in Asia, this itself attracts a lot of fans. Last year we had an attendance of 87,509 spectators per night, in this seventh edition we are expecting even more numbers. We are also increasing the special entertainment events in the circuit park this time. Robbie Williams will also be performing this year.”

Previously, the circuit bay had six stages where various concerts and performances were held in the backdrop of the Formula 1 race, this year the number of stages have been increased to nine. The title sponsor of the event is Singapore Airlines, the flag carrier of Singapore.

Singapore Airlines has also introduced an exclusive pack-

age for the Indian Formula 1 fans. Passengers travelling from Mumbai and New Delhi on the Airbus A380 will receive 10 per cent discount on the base fare and economy class passengers travelling from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New

Delhi, Vizag and Trivandrum will receive 15 per cent discount on the base fare. This special discount is valid between September 11- 25, 2014.

Speaking about the new offer, David Lau, general managerIndia, Singapore Airlines, said, “The interest levels of the Indian Formula 1 fans are increasing.

Over the last six years there has been a number of Indian visitors attending the Singapore GP. This year we have decided to offer the Indians special packages and offers to further see an increase in tourism. Singapore Airlines has recently launched the A380 to Mumbai and New Delhi and we are offering a 10 per cent discount for passengers travelling to Singapore from September 11 to 25.”

When asked about the possibility of a codeshare operation with Air India, Lau commented, “Air India has now become a member of the Star Alliance. As of now we don't have any plans, but may be in the future we may have a codeshare agreement as we are also a Star Alliance member.”

MARKETS

DTCM promotes Summer is Dubai 2014

ETW Staff Mumbai WHEN SUMMER arrives in Dubai, it brings the essence of culture in the old souks. The Dubai Summer Surprises is an extraordinary festival for families, tourists and residents.

You can experience the Emirati hospitality and traditions at the Iftars and share the spirit of Ramadan. Undoubtedly one of the world’s most sought-after shopping destinations, Dubai offers luxury labels at world-class malls; eclectic shopping experiences in Karama or one of the amazing souks; and surprises at every turn. Dubai offers a unique opportunity to experience both traditional Emirati flavours and tastes from every region in the world. The city’s diverse cuisine offers the very best in fine dining and local restaurant delights, from the opulent Al Fanar and Zuma to the malls’ bountiful food courts and delicious street food. You can also dine while sailing through the creek on Bateaux Dubai. The city is also a haven of artistic masterpieces from

renowned artists at a selection of galleries in Al Quoz. The city offers many entertainment options for children with exciting edutainment at Modhesh World, Kidzania and SEGA Republic or an extraordinary aquatic experience at Aquaventure and Dubai Dolphinarium or a skiing experience at Ski Dubai.

Famous for its pristine beaches, Dubai is the place where you can try your hand at wakeboarding. Whether you’re a sports enthusiast or adventure junkie, there’s something for you in Dubai like watching falcons across the desert, strolling through

Dubai is where age-old tradition unites with iconic skyscrapers

the streets and beachfront promenades, enjoying a nature trip in Ras Al Khor or watching your favourite sports teams battle it out at Wild Wadi. You could race in a go-kart, go ice-skating or bowling, take off in a hot air balloon or even skydive.

From the dawn of day until the end of night, Dubai offers an array of entertainment options like watching your favourite artiste perform to dancing at many amazing jazz clubs or cocktail lounges. And if you’re a theatre enthusiast, DUCTAC offers you the very best of both local and international talent. Dubai is where age-old tradition unites with iconic skyscrapers. The architectural splendor of Jumeirah Mosque is set against the modern backdrop of Sheikh Zayed Road. You can explore the Palm Island, Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai, Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and The Dubai Mall. You can even unwind yourself at the spa with a simple foot massage to a full treatment or watch the latest blockbuster at a gold-class cinema around the corner.

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Pench Tiger Reserve introduces night safari MTDC’s Diwali celebrations at Times Square to be grander To conduct roadshows in Chicago and San Francisco Akshay Kumar Mumbai FOLLOWING THE success of the first edition, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is all set to celebrate the second edition of Diwali celebration at the Times Square, New York on September 20, 2014. Last year the recorded footfall was 4.5 lakh, this year MTDC is expecting a total attendance of around six to seven lakh. The budget for this year's event is INR three crore plus and also the area for the festival has been increased by 40 to 50 per cent. MTDC organises this festival along with ASB 360 Communications to showcase Maharashtra as a

365-day tourist destination.

Chhagan Bhujbal, minister of tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “Times Square is one of the most visited destination in the world, more than four lakh pedestrians visit this place every day. We want to showcase the culture, tradition and food of Maharashtra to the world and this is the best place to showcase it. I am very glad that Maharashtra Tourism has taken such a tremendous stride in opening itself up to the overseas market. Initiatives like this event at New York, has made a definite impact on the number of overseas tourists visiting our state.”

Maharashtra Mandals from across USA, Canada and Mex-

We will be organising a B2B roadshow in Chicago and San Francisco to make the US travel trade fraternity aware about Maharashtra

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ico and eminent Indian professionals from medical and legal fraternities will participate in big numbers. The event has been scheduled in September to ensure that foreign tourists are made aware of Maharashtra's festivals, and accordingly can plan their visit in October during Diwali. The cultural festival includes Indian food, dance, diya and rangoli painting, Indian arts and crafts, fashion show, photo booths with ethnic outfits, celebrity autograph and photo booth, dahi handi, mallkhamb and a lot more.

Speaking about their further plans, Bhujbal, said, “As we are celebrating this festival in such a large scale, we will ensure that the foreign tourists do visit Maharashtra. We will be organising a B2B roadshow in Chicago and San Francisco to make the US travel trade fraternity aware about Maharashtra. Also, some officials from London have shown interest in hosting such a fest in UK as well, but this is still at a very nascent stage.”

Akshay Kumar Pench PENCH TIGER Reserve located in the Chhindwara and Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh has recently introduced a night safari.

Currently launched on a trial basis, the night safari will be included in the routine packages only after getting a thumbs-up from the tourists. The safari is also known as the Wolf Safari as wolves are among the animals frequently spotted on this tour, along with jackals, spotted deer, sambar deer, nilgai and many nocturnal birds. Tigers and leopards are infrequently spotted.

“This safari was introduced in April last week and will be continued till the monsoons.

The tour will be made permanent only after we get good reviews from the tourists. To ensure safety and privacy of the wildlife, we only operate five jeeps every night. We also take necessary precautions so as to not disturb the ani-

mals during the night,”mentioned a local guide who conducts the safari.

The tour starts at around 7 pm in the evening and continues till 10.30 pm to 11 pm. It is strictly restricted to the buffer zone. Buffer zone is the periphery of the core area in the forest. The safari also covers a water hole in the buffer zone where tourists get the chance to spot the animals as well as get an excellent location for star-gazing.

When asked about the possibility of introducing a similar safari in the Maharashtra side of Pench National Park, M Srinivasa Reddy, field director and chief conservator of forests, Pench Tiger Reserve, Nagpur, said, “Currently the Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra does not have ample accommodation close by for the tourists. We have introduced many nature trails and jungle walks, but as of now we don't have any plans to launch a night safari here in Pench, Maharashtra.”

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Zurich Tourism to promote city as hub for day excursions Sudipta Dev Mumbai ZURICH TOURISM witnessed 6.5 per cent growth from the India market in year 2013, and expects eight per cent additional growth in 2014 - from 123,181 overnights in 2013 to 134,870 overnights in 2014. “We further want to promote Zürich as a hub for side excursions to the regions. So spend the overnight in the city and go on side excursions, for example to the Rhinefalls, Rapperswil, Alpamare water park, Titlis mountain, etc. All reachable within a day excursion,” said Esther Grob, area manager for Russia, India,

Japan, Australia, Zurich Tourism. She pointed out that the upcoming trends from India are incentive groups, honeymooners, FITs and mono Switzerland tours plus luxury and gourmet travel.

Highlighting on Zurich Tourism's engagement with the travel trade community in

India, Grob stated, “We have cooperation with Switzerland Tourism Mumbai. So they support us in presenting Zürich in India. Further we did participate at STE Switzerland Travel Experience workshop in India, February 2014.” Apart from week long sales calls tour to agents

India is for Switzerland a very faithful clientele for many years. So we appreciate them and want them to feel the most comfortable

in Mumbai and Delhi in November, Zurich Tourism also organises FAM trips for the travel trade to Zürich. “We have a close contact with the Switzerland specialised tour operators from India. As still most of the travellers from India book via trade, it is important to have a close contact with the trade and give them full support,” added Grob.

Zürich being located in the middle of Switzerland, the city is an ideal destination for exploring the whole country from one point. “India is for Switzerland a very faithful clientele for many years. So we appreciate them and want them to feel the most comfort-

Esther Grob

able when staying with us,” stated Grob.

Zürich has excellent flight connectivity with India, for instance Turkish Airlines flights from Mumbai/Delhi via Istanbul.

Bulgaria sees increase in MICE tourists from India Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai SINCE EARLY 2014, Bulgaria has been witnessing an increasing number of organised MICE tourists from India where previously, the country received Indian tourists largely from the unorganised tourism sector. “In beginning of last year, Bulgaria received its first organised MICE group from India. But since this year, the country has been receiving at least three organised MICE groups from India every month. The reasons being affordability of the destination as compared to other eastern European countries, presence of large convention centres; availability of organic cuisine; a range of shopping and

sight-seeing options; and a vibrant nightlife,” stated Stefan Ionkov, head of commercial and economic office of Bulgaria, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria adding that, the MICE groups are usually of 30-100 pax. The MICE destinations that have been attracting tourists include – Sunny Beach, Golden Sands, city of Sofia among some.

The southeastern European

country has also recorded a significant increase in tourism arrivals from India. In 2013-2014, Bulgaria welcomed around 5000 Indian tourists out of seven million international tourists, a 50 per cent growth in arrivals from the previous year. And this year, the Embassy is expecting the numbers to increase further. To cater to this growing numbers, Turkish Airlines recently

launched a flight from Istanbul to Varna, Bulgaria which is already effective from May 30.

The airline company recorded a 40 per cent increase in outbound tourists from India to Sofia in 2013. As for their marketing strategies for the India market, Ionkov opined, “We send educational newsletters to travel agents, organise FAM trips for media, corporates and travel

agents. This August we are organising FAM trips for top travel agents from northern and eastern India, since Mumbai and Delhi are our major source markets.” Moreover, the Embassy is also promoting other tourism segments like golf, Bollywood, spa and wine tourism.

“We are the oldest producer of wines in the European Union. Burgas, Varna are famous wine producing regions.

In addition, recently there has been a Bollywood film shooting in Bulgaria, through which we are expecting more visibility of the destination and increased tourism inflow from India,” mentioned Ionkov. Presently, tourism contributes 13 per cent to the country's GDP.

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Atout France to launch 'Chalo Paris' app for Indian travellers Indians to get French visa within 48 hours, from January 1, 2015 Akshay Kumar Mumbai ATOUT FRANCE in association with The Link India is set to launch the 'Chalo Paris' mobile application in September, exclusively for the Indian travellers.

'Chalo Paris' mobile app is integrated with three languages namely; French, English and Hindi and will further decide on including other Indian languages to make it more user-friendly for travellers. The app will mainly

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focus on promoting Paris as a destination in France.

Speaking about the new application, Tim Guillois, chief executive officer, The Links India, said, “France welcomes over 3,00,000 Indian visitors annually and the numbers have been increasing year on year, which shows that the Indian travellers constitute a big chunk of tourist footfall in France. We have created this new application, so that the Indian travellers can have a seamless experience

while they are in France. We have incorporated a language translator as well in the app, where one can translate French into English or Hindi and viceversa. As of now we don't have any plans, but in future we might also add other Indian languages and make the app more user-friendly. The application as of now is general and can be used by MICE as well as leisure travellers.�

The application includes features like geolocation

tracker, food search, places to visit, maps, currency convertor, translator, etc. Also one can save the information provided by the app and can later use it offline.

Also, visas for France will

be issued within 48 hours of application for Indian travellers with effect from January 1, 2015.

This latest announcement is one of the new measures to boost the number of Indian tourists visiting France.

MARKETS

Seychelles to conduct first roadshow in India ETW Staff Mumbai SEYCHELLES TOURISM Board is set to conduct its first roadshow in India to educate the Indian travel trade community about the destination and facilitate interaction between the Seychelles’ private sector and Indian travel agents.

A contingent led by the minister of tourism and culture, Alain St Ange will include Sherin Naiken, CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board and her director of marketing – RoseMarie Hoareau. They will be joined by destination manage-

We are ready to claim a fair share of the important Indian market.

The roadshow is just a start

ment companies, hotels and the National Cultural Troupe from Seychelles.

The roadshow will be held at Le Méridien in New Delhi

on August 4, 2014 and at The Trident in Mumbai on August 6, 2014. A delegation of the island's business community with links to India is

also expected to travel to India.

St Ange said, “We are ready to claim a fair share of the important Indian market.

The roadshow is just a start.

Our local business partners are ready to work with us and we are on the verge of making a big announcement that will bring to the front the new level of cooperation between India

and Seychelles. We look forward to the support of the Indian travel trade community in our efforts to promote Seychelles.”

The tourism board’s India office opened last year and since then has seen a positive response from the travel trade community and an increase in the number of Indians travelling to Seychelles.

Tourism Portugal lures Indian film fraternity to boost tourism numbers ETW Staff Mumbai AS PART OF the mandate to further enhance Portugal’s image as a top-end leisure destination, the Turismo de Portugal office has been actively in dialogue with Indian mainstream film producers, directors and location management agencies. With Indian cinema being a key driver that increases destination awareness and desire, Turismo de Portugal has been

active in reaching out to this segment.

Turismo de Portugal in association with ‘All Around Globe Services’ of India and ‘Cinemate’ - Portugal’s line services company has been responsible for the first Bengali movie to be filmed in Portugal. The movie named Bachchan is produced by Grassroot Entertainment and Reliance Entertainment. The film is scheduled to be released in October 2014.

Three songs of the movie

We will have many projects coming here in the near future. We look at spending over EUR 100,000 per movie in Portugal

which were filmed in Portugal, will bring the country’s untouched locations to the Indian audience. One of the three songs has been filmed in the city of Lisbon and Porto backdrop and the other in Algarve, Aveiro and Ericira.

Amit Jumrani, producer, Bachchan, commented, "An

important thing to know about movie making is to bring new and unexplored locations around the world to the Indian audience. We are happy to find them here in Portugal."

Rengarajan Jaiprakash, director, All Around Globe Services, said, “We find Portugal to be the most shooting

friendly country and people are very happy to welcome us.

Portugal is very cost effective and efficient to shoot small budget and regional movies.

After the great success of 'Balupu' which we shot last year, we managed to get Bachchan to Portugal. With Bachchan we open the gates of the Bengali film industry to Portugal. We managed to shoot three songs ( Music video) in seven days. We will have many projects coming here in the near future. We look at spending over EUR 100,000 per movie in Portugal.”

In the recent past South India’s blockbuster movie titled Balupu starring Ravi Teja and Shruti Hassan, filmed their main title song along the streets of Lisbon with some additional sequences in Algarve, the southern region of Portugal.

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World Tourism Day 2014 to focus on community development ETW Staff Mumbai ‘TOURISM AND Community Development’ is the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD). The theme underscores the potential of tourism to promote opportunities for communities around the world, as well as the role that community engagement has in advancing sustainable tourism development. The official celebrations will be hosted by Mexico in the city of Guadalajara on September 27, this year.

This year’s WTD theme is timed to contribute to the debate on tourism’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN development blueprint after 2015, which places a high pri-

We are contributing to a long value chain that creates jobs, provides livelihoods ority on local participation.

Taleb Rifai, secretarygeneral, UNWTO, said, “Each time we travel, use local transport at a destination or buy products from a local market, we are contributing to a long value chain that creates jobs, provides livelihoods, empowers local communities,

and ultimately brings in new opportunities for a better future. Tourism can only prosper if it engages the local population by contributing to social values such as participation, education and enhanced local governance. At the same time, there can be no real tourism development

if such development damages in any way the values and the culture of host communities or if the socio-economic benefits generated by the tourism sector do not trickle down to the community level.”

The official celebrations to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, include a high-level

Think Tank bringing together ministers, development experts and key tourism representatives to address the relevance of a community based tourism approach as conducive to sustainable development.

Now Indians can visit Ireland and UKwith a single visa ETW Staff Mumbai THE MINISTER for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, TD, has announced that the ‘British Irish Visa Scheme’ between Ireland and the United Kingdom will commence this autumn starting with India and China.

The British Irish Visa Scheme will allow for travel to and around the Common Travel Area (CTA) on a single visa. As matters stand, many overseas tourists and business visitors who wish to visit both Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland,

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need separate Irish and UK visas.

The objective is that visitors from India will be able to travel freely within the CTA using either an Irish or UK visa. This will mean that tourists, business visitors etc.

will be able, for the first time, to visit both Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland, on a single visa. Tourism Ireland has welcomed the launch of a joint visa initiative between Ireland and the United Kingdom, which will

The British Irish Visa Scheme will enable both countries’ immigration systems to work in tandem to promote and facilitate tourism

commence this autumn with India.

Niall Gibbons, CEO, Tourism Ireland, said, “The launch of the British Irish Visa Scheme is good news, making it easier than ever before for visitors from India to visit the island of Ireland. It is a significant step in helping us to grow visitor numbers from these markets – whether they wish to travel to Ireland for sightseeing, golf or as business tourists.”

Gibbons added, “Given that visitors from these markets are travelling a considerable distance, and often want to include more than one desti-

nation on their itinerary, it makes sense to make it as easy as possible for them to visit both Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland, on a single visa.”

“Building on the success of the Irish Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme introduced by the Government in July 2011, the British Irish Visa Scheme will enable both countries’ immigration systems to work in tandem to promote and facilitate legitimate tourism and business travel to Ireland and the UK while also strengthening the external borders of the CTA,”concluded Gibbons.

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Speedwings Aviation Academy receives IATA award ETW Staff Mumbai SPEEDWINGS AVIATION Academy was honoured with the 'TOP 10 Authorized Training Center' award among the 468 training centers all over the world, at the recently held sixth IATA Global Training Partner Congress event in Montreal, Canada. Yves Lalumiere, CEO, Tourism Montreal, officially opened the conference by welcoming over 150

participants from 43 countries.

Biji Eapen, chairman and CEO, Speedwings Aviation Academy received the award from Victor de Barrena, director, ITDI and Ismail Al Baidani, head global partnership and learning innovation, IATA. Speedwings Aviation Academy has been at the forefront in training aspirants for the aviation industry for the past 20 years. The academy is authorised ATS of IATA to conduct classes on 23 IATA authorised

The academy has also become the Premier Circle Member of IATA for the sixth consecutive year

courses. The academy has also become the Premier Circle Member of IATA for the sixth consecutive year.

Speedwings Aviation Academy is the authorised training centre, providing training in IATA travel and tourism, cargo and aviation sectors. The institute provides specialised IATA courses in Passenger Ground Services, Aviation Security Awareness, Cargo Handling, Dangerous Goods Regulations, Live Animal Regulations, Shipping Perishable Cargo, Load Control and Ramp Safety. The new course in Shipping and Logistics has been introduced for the first time in Speedwings.

More than 10,000 students have been placed in various airports and airlines through the placement cell of Speedwings.

Riya Group opens outlet in the Middle East ETW Staff Mumbai RIYA GROUP Enterprises has announced the opening of its first branch is all set to tap the Middle Eastern market.

The new branch office is located in Deira on Port Saeed Road in Dubai; a well known landmark. The branch hosted an opening celebration which commenced with the ribboncutting ceremony by Khalid Saif Humaid Al Shamsi, legal advisor, Dubai Health Authority along with GMJ Thampy, chairman and managing director, Riya Group Enter-

prises. The Dubai branch will be the conglomerate’s 10th branch in the international domain.

Thampy said, “For Riya Group Enterprises, the Middle East market plays an important role in our international business expansion plans. The establishment of our first branch in Dubai complements the deepening of our presence in the international arena. Constant requests from our clients based out of UAE are one of the key aspects that have prompted us to expand. With the support of our partners, clients,

customers and other associates we look forward to playing a key role in the development of the economy as a core travel solutions provider whilst ensuring that we exceed the expectations of all those who work with us.”

George Thomas, Middle East head, Riya Group Enterprise, said, “Dubai is the first step in our expansion plans for the region. The Middle East in general and UAE in particular plays a key role in our future growth plans. We will soon open more offices in the Middle East.”

Lulu Group International looks at new markets for hospitality projects in India Rituparna Chatterjee Bengaluru LULU GROUP International, the UAE-based hypermarket chain and retail venture, has aggressive plans to expand its footprint in the hospitality sector in India. For the same, the group is looking at venturing into new markets like Trivandrum, Chennai and Bengaluru to setup its properties. Each of these locations will have one property and these projects are expected to be completed by 2020.

Presently, all of the group’s properties are concentrated in Kerala.

Speaking on this expansion plan, Jose Sebastian, general manager, Lulu International Convention Center & Garden Hotels (LICC) stated, “We have already completed the process of procuring land in these markets. We now have to acquire permissions and sanctions. This expansion is part of the first phase, wherein the properties will be located in Trivandrum, Chennai and Bengaluru. Once the first phase is completed, we will move onto the second phase wherein we will look at other destinations in south India.” The group will be tying up with international hospitality management companies to manage these properties.

“After analysing the hospitality scenario of these particular markets, we will accordingly tie up with international hospitality management brands since saleability and competition are major factors,” opined Sebastian. When asked about the investments being made, Sebastian declined to comment.

Presently, the group’s properties in Kerala include – LICC in Thrissur and a 100-room Courtyard

by Marriott near Kochi Airport. The group also has a flight kitchen at the airport which is managed

by Lufthansa and has a capacity to take up to 10,000 meals per day. Currently two projects are underway in Kochi – a 300 room Marriott property to be operational by October 2014 and a second convention centre to be operational in the next three years.

The Marriott property has an estimated investment of `500 crore, while the convention centre will involve an investment of `1500 crore. “The convention centre will be managed by Hyatt and probably will be called the Hyatt International Convention Centre. The convention centre will have a capacity of 7000 pax and will have around 300 rooms and few serviced apartments,” mentioned Sebastian.

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cover )

The last five years have witnessed rapid progress in technology, making it the most preferred medium for travel and tourism companies to reach out to their prospective travellers. But do travel companies have the bandwidth to stay ahead in the game?

BY KAHINI CHAKRABORTY

“Earlier personalisation efforts by most ecommerce companies were to leverage transaction data alone”

“Providing only real-time information is no longer sufficient” Rabih Saab,

Samyukth Sridharan, Chief Operating Office r, Cleartrip

President and Managing Director, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Travelport

“Companies are making huge investment in mobile technology to keep pace with the market” Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com

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THE MAIN FOCUS

w

hether it's that last minute plan or a pre planned well structured itinerary on your bucket list, irrespective of the time zones across the globe, quintessentially it has always been your travel agent who has come to your rescue, ensuring each of your travels have been memorable. Earlier, the need for travel agents to be able to make instant bookings and check seat availability in realtime was originally driven by the airline industry to better serve its travellers. But now acting as the catalyst and responding to those million searches worldwide for either flight bookings or hotel availability, real-time inventory upgradation has been of prime importance to agents to ensure that they serve their customers better at each step. An increasing number of travel companies are introducing interesting phone applications like virtual guides and planners, interactive websites to assist the traveller right from the planning stage. It is very important for

breadth of travel content they need in real-time, whilst providing capabilities to enable agencies to work faster and more efficiently.”

What's trending

every travel company to get on to the social media platform.

While planning a holiday, travellers tend to research online about the destination and the travel company.

If seen geographically, in India, urban Indians with good internet access are driving a lot of this activity. Apart from retail, the convenience of online shopping is what makes it so attractive. Its the reason that online travel agents penetration is highest of all Asia Pacific here in India, climbing to 15 per cent next year, according to PhocusWright.

Real-time information has

been leading to higher rates of conversion, with travellers committing more to fares and seats or hotel rooms that are confirmed, especially when based on offers. However, the constant challenge for travel technology companies has been reaching into every travel community with the new real-time technology tools. And as the government makes an effort to increase internet penetration in these areas, online sales is expected to grow manifold. Putting perspective on this, Rabih Saab, president and managing director, Middle East, Africa

and South Asia, Travelport points out, “Travel agents need fast and accurate information to service the needs of their customers. Hence providing only real-time information is no longer sufficient.

Due to the vast amount of data, agents require enhanced capabilities such as intelligent search to help them sort through and search for the relevant content they need to sell, as well as a streamlined platform to efficiently fulfill bookings. Addressing this need is our core desktop solution – Smartpoint – enable agents to have access to the

With all of the technological advancements taking place on the sidelines, it is the mobile technology which is seen to be trending as the key priority area as more people are moving to mobile devices to access online content. According to PhoCusWright research, mobile will be the fastest-growing travel distribution channel in India between 2012 and 2015. Mobile travel gross bookings is expected to surge to US$1.2 billion between 2012 and 2015. New technology and technology enhancements must be designed with mobile capability in mind.

“While earlier, personalisation efforts by most e-commerce companies were to leverage transaction data alone e.g., Amazon’s ‘people who bought this also bought this’ prompt, we have extended the paradigm to suggesting, 'We understand you and think you’ll like this',” mentions Samyukth Sridharan, chief

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cover ) “Smaller and niche travel operators are seen to be launching their own sites” Jeet Sawhney, Managing Director, Abacus India

“We are making a lot of investment in our data centres as well as in creating fast 7 scalable software architectures ” Sanket Atal, Chief Technological Officer, MakeMyTrip

“It is essential to customise websites for mobile surfing and develop applications for smartphones” Daniel D’souza, Head of Sales- Tour Operating, Kuoni India

20 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD July 2014

operating officer, Cleartrip, adding, that the technological investments to achieve this next wave fall in three categories, a) storing b) understanding and c) experimenting.

As technology keeps changing, one has to be ready to make these changes to stay ahead in the business, opines Sharat Dhall, president, Yatra.com, stating that companies are making huge investment in mobile technology to keep pace with the market. Agreeing to this point, Jeet Sawhney, managing director, Abacus India reveals that about 39 per cent of Indian business travellers are now making travel arrangements including bookings via mobile devices, which projects as a huge opportunity for travel and tourism practitioners. Another interesting trend that the company sees is with smaller and niche travel operators launching their own sites, introducing new content with a degree of dynamic packaging. “We expect to see a lot of innovation around specific groups of travellers and their preferred forms of engagement such as via tablets or smartphones and social media integrated,” mentions Sawhney, while stating about Abacus Mobility Suite which offers an an array of products and apps designed for wireless travellers, connecting them to their travel management company.

As a result of the constant growth in customer base, there is a need to scale the application and hosting of architecture.

Sanket Atal, chief technological officer, MakeMyTrip, points out, “We are making a lot of investment in our data centres (hardware, management software, security) as well as in creating software architectures that are scalable and fast. We have also acquired many companies and are investing in technical integration of all MakeMyTrip companies worldwide.”

What to leverage on Having the right technology directly impacts business growth, especially for small time agents competing with mid- or

larger scale agencies. They can build their business with superior point-of-sale, mid and back office systems competing with much larger companies. As an example, Abacus has been using its technology to help tier two agencies expand locally and nationally or develop their niche focus. Saab opines, “Smaller agents have the ability to provide a more personalised experience for their customers.

Through industry-leading technology such as Smartpoint, ePricing, Universal API, smaller

agents can gain access to the latest technology and travel content that is focused on improving agency efficiency, enabling business growth.” Putting in a recommendation, Sawhney says, “Smaller agents should look at opportunities online and on the potential of mobile applications.”

Offering another choice, Atal mentions that small time agents can utilise the Opensource software as it is a great way to proceed since there is minimal barrier to entry and there are many

companies offering services to customise the software as per your needs. “This can be used for things like CRM and financial systems as well as for creating a website for your company to get customer requests online,” he says. Big Data is a pipedream for small businesses currently due to the investment in both tech and talent involved.

“A lot of travel agents already use platforms such as ‘Agentbox’ from Cleartrip to deliver their core services and automatically benefit from the

In the next ten years people will be using wearable technology (equivalent of Google Glasses, Smartwatches) for having all information at one’s fingertips, conduct online transactions and also controlling equipment (cars, stereo systems, etc)

(

investments we make,” mentions Sridharan.

Daniel D’souza, head of salestour operating, Kuoni India agrees, “Many travel agencies have had to make considerable adaptations to remain solvent and relevant to reach out to their prospective travellers. With more and more travellers starting to make their bookings online, it is essential to customise websites for mobile surfing and develop applications for the smartphones. The mobile platform also enables travel agents the convenience and ability to make bookings and interact with their customers even when out of the office. Kuoni- SOTC introduced a mobile app in association with Microsoft to introduce Kuoni -SOTC offerings to upcoming Windows 8 user base.”

While Amit Madhan, chief operating officer – IT & E Services, Thomas Cook (India) says, “Mobile and social media have become an integral part of our lives. In terms of leveraging it for business, it’s all about how to monetise and capitalise on that changing behaviour. The technology behind mobile phones is changing constantly and the challenge is to adapt quickly. At

Thomas Cook India, we want to understand the behaviour of a user on a mobile site and place all those learnings into an app.

Therefore, the mobile site is helping us increase customer engagement and leads rather than just transactions.”

Capital investments and gains Based on rapid technological changes that have taken place in the last few years, bigger changes happen once in 15-18 months while the smaller ones happen within six-eight months.

Dhall states that depending on the market and competition- in case an organisation is lagging in technology and the investment happens at that point in time, there might not be any major change in the market share. But in case an organisation is investing to be ahead of the curve there can be substantial cost reductions as well as increase in the market share.

In the last five years, Travelport has invested over US$400 million in research and development to provide solutions that meet the business needs of its customers and reduce their overall cost of revenue. The com-

“Mobile and social have become an integral part of our lives. In terms of leveraging it for business, it’s all about how to monetise and capitalise on that changing behaviour” Amit Madhan, Chief Operating Officer – IT & E Services, Thomas Cook (India)

pany has invested into Smartpoint and Travelport Merchandising Platform which has redefined the way airlines sell their fares and ancillaries through the travel agency channel. “Whilst

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we are not able to disclose percentage share numbers, Travelport as a company has experienced a five per cent year-on-year growth for the past few quarters,” says Saab. As for Abacus, the company in India grew by 50 per cent last year and expects to double its size in the next three years. “Our investment in technology will result in an increased market share,” points out Sawhney, adding that, Abacus WorkSpace heightens productivity by 25 per cent and with better content aggregation, makes booking 40 per cent more efficient.” For Cleartrip, technology affects all aspects of their business - their marketing spends have become up to 100 per cent more efficient.

Conversion rates (the probability of a user to book once they have searched) has improved by up to 100 per cent for some products. “We can segregate users to provide differential levels of customer service to our most valued customers. It is part of our fundamental value proposition,” says Sridharan.

Future needs The world is moving towards everything mobile at a very fast

pace. Atal predicts that in the next ten years people will be using wearable technology (equivalent of Google Glasses, Smartwatches) for having all information at one’s fingertips, conduct online transactions and also controlling equipment (cars, stereo systems, etc). “Yesterday’s science fiction is today’s reality and today’s science fiction will be tomorrow’s reality,” he feels.

Use of Big Data in India could also be a possibility, with the industry leveraging much more on personalisation and predictive analytics to serve travellers even more relevant content.”Crossselling, particularly of hotels is still in a relatively early stage.

However, it is safe to say that technology is going to become even more integrated in everyday life and continue to shift the way people live and do business.

“From a travel perspective, we will see more ‘smart’ technology or integration of artificial intelligence into travel technology. For example, in the future technology will have the ability to predict where the traveller wants to go for his or her next vacation, before the traveller types it in to the computer,” says Saab.

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IN TOUCH WITH TRENZ Trenz 2014, brought into focus New Zealand's unique offerings, blending the established along with the new, the famous along with the unexplored. Reema Lokesh, comes back with interesting findings from Kiwiland

N

EW ZEALAND as a destination has surely come of age and clubbing it with its counterpart Down Under may not be the most desired combination any more. The destination is getting out of being a combination destination to that of attracting Indian business as a solo attraction. Though undoubtedly honeymooners are the most sought after clientèle by most product suppliers and vendors, the destination is making interesting inroads as an incentive destination as well. Indian FMCGs, cement companies, pharmaceutical establishments have already taken the journey to the region. Mischa MannixOpie, regional manger, south and south East Asia, TNZ, who has worked closely with the India market, felt that India is a special market and has shown encouraging growth. The department is constantly working towards upgrading its global specialist programme, increasing the number of KiwiLink India programme and adding two

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cities to its list. The aim is to also strengthen ties through cricket. However, the focus will continue to bring in the high value Indian tourist into the region.

Trenz 2014 played host to around 260 New Zealand tourism businesses amongst which around 14 players were first time exhibitors with diverse portfolios. From a brewing company to a movie based visitor experience product, to that of boutique hotels and luxury products; they were all part of the buyer seller event. India is definitely considered to be a potential source market for inbound tourism and most sellers are reaching out to the Indian buyers and are also making an effort to understand the Indian clientèle better. Lisa Bondmanager marketing, Whale Watch Kaikoura and Derek Melnick, business development manager, NZone Skydive, have placed faith in the Indian business. Like them a host of tourism suppliers are understanding the demand of the Indian traveller and making room for their requirements. Sharon O’Loughlin of Tourism

Dunedin also received an encouraging response from the Indian market. From exploring the steepest street in the world called Baldwin Street to that of visiting the Cadbury world, Indians are ready for all this and more. Loren Heaphy of Nelson Tasman Tourism and Lucii Williams of Destination Coromandel were also excited about the Indian inbound business.

From adventure to luxury, from winery trail experiences to that of thermal spring dips the Indian clientèle is ready to explore and experience the place in all forms. Russell Alexander, general manager, Hobbitontours, Matamata, said that they have understood the food requirements right. The attraction has also added dinner evenings from June 2014 which he felt would be popular amongst Indians as well.

Apart from the private sector’s initiative, the government going all out to strengthen tourism in the country. For New Zealand the commitment towards tourism seems rather clear as the country's Prime Minister John Key also holds the tourism portfolio. He ad-

EVENT ROUNDUP dressed a special gathering at Trenz 2014, highlighting his government's commitment towards tourism and its future growth plans. This dedication towards tourism seemed to have percolated across levels as the human resource associated with the cause of tourism enhancement seemed to speak the same language. His address clearly stated that all industry stakeholders need to work together. The tourism think tank needs to come up with concrete ideas that can be effectively implemented for a stronger future. The sector has put into action a comprehensive and focused vision titled Tourism 2025, Growing Value TogetherWhakatipu Uara Ngatahi (as per the local dialect).

Tourism 2025 In March 2014, New Zealand's tourism industry unveiled its goal to contribute US$ 41 billion a year to the New Zealand economy by 2025, which is stated to be up from the present US$ 24 billion figure. Tourism 2025 is a framework to unite New Zealand's large and diverse tourism industry and ignite strong aspirational economic growth. It is an industry commitment to increase value by working together for the benefit of tourism. Grant Lilly, chairman, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) reiterated the tourism vision by emphasising the importance of achieving the mentioned tar-

get. He said, "Each one needs to work on it and build the business. We need to improve competitiveness, increase volume and value and invest in tourism." It was also mentioned further, for tourism to grow, international tourism needs to grow at a rate of six per cent year on year and domestic tourism at a rate of four per cent year on year. The vision clearly states that the focus is on value rather than visitor numbers. The tourism department has also laid down five themes, namely - Insightprioritise insight to drive and track progress; Target- target for value; Visitor Experience drive value through outstanding visitor experience; Productivity - productivity for profit; and Connectivity- grow sustainable air connectivity. The tourism sector is also clear that growth can happen through the collective effort of both public and private sector. Interestingly the brand vision also takes into account the dissatisfaction feedback from customers as it feels this will help them undo the wrong and offer its visitors a satisfying tourism experience. The tourism sector is also aware that due to its geographic positioning that of being an island nation away from their target markets, improving air connectivity is crucial for its tourism performance.

Air New Zealand is considered their crucial partner and together they are focused on developing new air routes and

open business in new markets.

The department is also aware of its challenges especially understanding the fact that the country experiences quiet winters and hence is focused on improving business during off season. Productivity for profitability was clearly stated as part of the plan. The plan is to focus on the MICE business during the off season to keep tourism business on track. The tourism sector also aims to focus on the cruising industry and special, interesting markets, namely golfing, cycling, etc. The plan is also to target the student fraternity and their families to explore tourism in the region.

Working as partners Apart from witnessing a consortium of tourism buyers and sellers in the product space, the event witnessed active support and participation from Air New Zealand, Auckland Airport, Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development and other niche industry stakeholders.

Christopher Luxon, CEO, Air New Zealand, spoke about the need to go beyond with ruthless focus. He said that the airline is concentrating on providing the best visitor experience, bringing in new aircraft, and is further investing in fleet expansion. The plan is to also upgrade the airline’s mobile application facility. He further said that the airline needs to be in the right markets, with the

VOICE OVER “We are optimistic about India,” says Kevin Bowler, chief executive, Tourism New Zealand India is a very important market for us and has shown consistent growth year on year.There is a natural connection between the countries with the commonwealth links and also a common language.With India we have always worked closely in the field of trade, education and tourism and are always optimistic about this region.The luxury business is rather positive from India and we do focus on the high value visitor.The Indian clientèle is ready to explore and is experimenting with a lot of activities. From adventure to luxury, Indians do it all. From large groups to extended family travel and honeymooners, there is a lot the destination has to offer to each segment. Indians also enjoy shopping and we constantly get feedback regarding shops closing rather early in the region. Indians today are also enjoying wellness experiences in New Zealand.We are also increasing our budget for the India market.

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INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ARRIVALS MAY 2014 Year End Total

33,280

11.1%

Year End (Holiday)

15,904

12.1%

Month End Total

4,384

20.7%

Month End (Holiday)

2,560

31.1%

Total Stay Days*

1,542,112

Total Stay Days (Holiday)*

201,744

Average Length of Stay*

46.3 days

Average Length of Stay (Holiday)*

12.7 days *calculated over 12 month period

right partners and right channels. He also spoke about the importance of highly engaged and skilled staff in the airline business and the role of training and development. When asked about its plans for India, Luxon, emphasised, “We are very happy with our partnership arrangement with Singapore Airlines, servicing our Indian sector. It serves our present requirement keeping the cost factor into account.

We believe that collaborations and partnerships are important to make the business viable.” Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand also signed an MoU with a US$ 10 million each commitment toward the promotion of the destination. Adrian Littlewood, chief executive, Auckland Airport, also highlighted the importance of organic growth and the relevance of the Asia market to the business. New Zealand is also preparing itself to offer to the world a new air-

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port by 2019.

Apart from air, the picture on the ground also seems rather solid. Brett O’Riley, chief executive, Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development highlighted what is in store in terms of events and MICE tourism. The region is committed towards brining in major events. They aim to increase their spend from US$ 2.4 billion in 2010 to US$ 4.23 by 2021. From cruise and yacht tourism to that of setting up more hotels in the region, the organisation is committed to ready Auckland for the future.

Developing new attractions, such as a white water park, to that of an amusement park are part of the developmental work.

More experience based tourism in the region is something that will be constantly encouraged such as the guided tour zip attractions, scenic flights on the golf courses and also trips to the Waiheke Islands. Speaking specifically on the India market,

O’Riley said, “We have a large Indian population in Auckland and Diwali is celebrated as a public festival. We also understand the strong connect with India and their love for cricket.

For the ICC World Cup 2015, we have concrete plans in place to attract the right crowd. We aim to target Indian expats and the Indian workforce who are working in companies such as Microsoft, Google, TECH Mahindra, HCL, Wipro, TCS, etc.”

Catherine Bates, director, leverage and legacy, regional engagement, World Cups Office Sports New Zealand, spoke about open spaces, open hearts, open minds, as their theme to attract people into the region for the cricket sporting event. The focus will be on the UK, Australia and India. Martin Snedden, director, NZ Cricket and the ICC and Auckland World Masters Games 2017 also highlighted the importance of sports tourism.

EXPRESS EVENT

A SHOWWITH NEW BEGINNINGS The 23rd edition of Food Hospitality World had many firsts to its credit this time - an awards ceremony certifying authentic Italian restaurants in India, an honour event felicitating 12 iconic hospitality brands from southern India and a creative cooking bloggers' challenge

BY RITUPARNA CHATTERJEE

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T

HE 23RD EDITION of Food Hospitality World (FHW) opened to business at KTPO Whitefield in Bengaluru on June 12, 2014. The three-day B2B food and hospitality tradeshow, held from June 12 to 14, was inaugurated by Ugo Ciarlatani, consul general of Italy in Mumbai. Other dignitaries present at the inauguration were R Anand, vice president, The Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IICCI); Cesare Saccani, vice president, IICCI; Mel Shah, managing director, Hannover Milano Fairs India to name a few. Also present at the exhibition was B Venkatesh, member, steel consumer's council, ministry of steel, Government of India who spoke on the significant contribution made by such trade exhibitions to the food and hospitality industry in India. “The whole experience of the FHW exhibition was good in terms of the quality of exhibitors. FHW is the perfect one stop platform for B2B networking and also gives a big boost to the investors in the food and hospitality industry. The exhibition has managed to live up to the expectations of Bengaluru,” opined Venkatesh. The highlight of the exhibition was a series of maiden events this time.

FHW exhibition in association with IICCI hosted the Ospitalita Italiana awards for the first time on the inaugural day. Ospitalità Italiana, an initiative which aims to certify authentic and quality Italian restaurants globally, was developed by Unioncamere in collaboration with – Federazione Italiana Pubblici Esercizi – and with the support of IS.NA.R.T. – Istituto Nazionale Ricerche Turistiche. At the 23rd FHW exhibition, the awards felicitation was done by prominent Italian diplomats and members

The demand for Italian food is increasing in India. However, India needs to work on simplifying the regulations regarding labelling of food products. India needs to attract international companies of the IICCI. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Ciarlatani stated, "India and Italy have the same commitment to promote food and food machin-

ery. The demand for Italian food is increasing in India.

However, India needs to work on simplifying the regulations regarding labelling of food

products. India needs to attract international companies in sectors where the country is not a producer like sparkling water. We want to

increase our presence in India and India can export more products to Italy."

Another debut event at the exhibition this year was Hospitality Trailblazers, held on the second day. The hospitality industry in Southern India has served up many iconic hotel brands that have set benchmarks and blazed a trail for others to follow. At this year's exhibition, 12 of these Hospitality Trailblazers to have made a unique distinction in the southern hospitality space were honoured.

The honours were given under five categories - Sustainability, Wellness, Heritage, MICE and Homegrown brands. CGH Earth, The Windflower Resorts Spa and The Green Path were felicitated with the honour under Sustainability; Our Native Village and Soukya under Wellness; St Mark's Hotel Bangalore, The Taj West End Bangalore and ITC Windsor Bengaluru under Heritage; Lulu International Convention Centre and Hyderabad International Convention Centre under MICE; and Orange County Luxury Resorts and Abad Hotels and Resorts under Homegrown Brands.

Apart from these special events, FHW also hosted Hospitality Think Tank, a panel discussion on the topic - The business of catering: what's on the table? The discussion highlighted and addressed some of the issues plaguing institutional catering and hotel banqueting ranging from manpower issues to efficient waste management practices and the challenges of sourcing ingredients among many.

On the final day, another event that made its foray for the first time into the exhibition was the Cornitos Food Bloggers Meet Season Two, a competition wherein food bloggers showcased their culinary skills by creating different kinds of innovative

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toppings on nachos. The competition was divided into three rounds and witnessed participation from 30 food bloggers. Each round witnessed participation from 10 bloggers and went on for a duration of an hour. The first round was judged by Chef Vicky Ratnani, corporate chef at Aurus and Nido, cookbook author and TV show host.

The second round was judged

by Chef Ramaswamy V and the third round by Chef Varun Bajaj, application chef, Rational. Speaking about the competition, Vikram Agarwal, director, Greendot Health Foods stated, “Through this competition we want to create awareness about healthy snacking and the use of nutritious dressing. Overall the competition was good and we got a good response.”

The three-day exposition

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witnessed exhibitors coming from different segments of the food and hospitality industry like F&B, interiors, kitchen equipment, housekeeping, bakery to name a few. Spread across 10,000 sq mtrs of KTPO, Whitefield, the exhibition hosted approximately 200 national and international participants this time and consisted of theme pavilions from different countries. The exhibition aims at providing solutions to various industry-related problems faced by hoteliers, restaurateurs, facility managers, prospective students and distributors. Organised by Global Fairs & Media – a joint venture between Hannover Milano Fairs India and The Indian Express, this year's edition in Bengaluru set new benchmarks through these special events.

EXPRESS EVENT

Blazing a trail The highlight at this year's FHW Bengaluru was a special honours evening, where 12 hospitality brands of south India were felicitated for having set benchmarks and blazed a trail for others to follow

Our 12 Trailblazers (from L-R front row): Tharun Giri, Windflower Group of Hotels; Tejus Jose, HICC; Vinita Bartlett, ITC Windsor, Bengaluru; J P Menon, St Mark's Hotel Bangalore; Jose Sebastian; Lulu International Convention Centre; C B Ramkumar, Our Native Village (from L-R back row): Dr Sateesha Ranganagi, Soukya; H R Jayaram, The Green Path; V Rajagopal (Chief Guest); Riaz Ahmed, Abad Hotels and Resorts; Michael Dominic, CGH Earth; Cherian T Ramapuram, Orange County Luxury Resorts

A

T FHW 2014 Bengaluru it was debut time for an event that in itself was epoch making. For the first time in its 23 years, India's leading B2B hospitality trade show took the lead in honouring on one platform, 12 iconic hotel brands, each for carving a unique space for itself in the southern hospitality space. The event called Hospitality Trailblazers was held on the inaugural day of the three day trade show.

The honours were listed under five categories - sustainability, wellness, heritage, MICE and homegrown brands.

The honours were given away

by V Rajagopal, CEO, Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-bip).

CGH Earth, Windflower Group of Hotels and The Green Path were felicitated with the honour under sustainability.

Each of these brands were recognised for their contributions toward sustainable and responsible tourism, being respectful of nature and local ethos. Some of them have introduced organic farming, created viable plantations and set

For the first time in its 23 years, India's leading B2B hospitality trade show took the lead in honouring on one platform 12 iconic hotel brands

up market mechanisms, such as purchasing produce from the local community. Our Native Village and Soukya were felicitated under wellness. Both brands have grown into benchmark models for holistic living and not just as healing centres.

Under the category of heritage, three brands - St Mark’s Hotel Bangalore, The Taj West End Bangalore and ITC Windsor, Bengaluru were honoured.

All three properties have retained their colonial charms and their ambience amidst the hustle and bustle of Bengaluru city.

Lulu International Convention Centre and Hyderabad In-

ternational Convention Centre (HICC) were honoured in the MICE segment. Both the brands have been successful in placing new regions on the MICE map - Hyderabad and Thrissur - despite skepticism and today they have scripted their own success story in the MICE space.

FHW also decided to honour two trailblazers - Orange County Luxury Resorts and Abad Hotels and Resorts - under Homegrown Brands, for their product innovation and efforts in building new destinations like Coorg untouched by international brands.

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Sustainability: CGH Earth

Sustainability: The Green Path

Sustainability: Windflower Group of Hotels

Wellness: Our Native Village

Wellness: Soukya

Heritage: ITC Windsor, Bengaluru

Heritage: St Mark’s Hotel Bangalore

Heritage: The Taj West End Bangalore

MICE: Lulu International Convention Centre

MICE: Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC)

Homegrown Brands: Abad Hotels & Resorts

Homegrown Brands: Orange County Luxury Resorts

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SPOTLIGHT

Clubbing at Kumbhalgarh Adding an interesting facet to Rajasthan's palatial history, the Kumbhalgarh region and fort has its unique story and narration. The place has its own character, which can be easily enjoyed by stationing yourself at the well equipped Club Mahindra resort at Kumbhalgarh. Reema Lokesh savours the experience of the place at the resort

I

F YOU ARE THINKING of a weekend getaways from Mumbai, Delhi, Bhopal or any other place easily accessible to Udaipur then it is worth heading towards the historic city of Kumbhalgarh which is around 90 kilometre away for Udaipur airport.

Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India has placed their flag firmly in the region by offering its members a well defined property loaded with activities both indoors and outdoors. The drive from the airport to the resort itself is truly scenic. The landscape offers a unique panoramic view of the Aravallis which overwhelms you. This explains the ancient history of the region that speaks of courage, valour and honour.

The entire region looks like a well guarded secret and the geographic positioning of the place adds to its character. The drive also reveals a new colour palette of Rajasthan that is visibly green rather than the pre-

dictable earthy brown that is synonymous with the state.

Adding to the experience, Club Mahindra resort's driver who drove me to the property was a local and he provided me with some interesting folklore associated with the place. En route we passed through the historic region of Haldighati, which proudly reflects the valour and courage of the famous warrior Maharana Pratap and his equally famous house Chetak.

Those interested in stories of bravery, loyalty and courage of the bygone era, this place is a must visit on the way to Club Mahindra Kumbhalgarh Resort.

Club calling After an approximately two hour drive, we reached the resort, a structure and architecture that is a reflection of Rajasthani art and style. The property is spread over an area of around two acres which houses 68 rooms and eight

tents. The Club Mahindra Kumbhalgarh Resort was a greenfield project, which was developed in line with the Club Mahindra philosophy of opening up regions for hospitality and tourism that are reasonably off-beat and unexplored, while keeping the commercials and profitability in mind. After a traditional welcome, I was ushered into a lobby area which had its own charm. A small sit out tucked away on one side works as a mini reception, with its striking turquoise facade. After the initial formalities, I was given two options, either head to my room and order for room service or savour some flavours at the eating outlet - Jeeman. I opted for the later to get to experience of dining at Jeeman, an interesting name which Dinesh Gupta from the F&B department explained, that it was more to do with the local culture of sitting and eating together as a family.

The food offered was elaborate

En route we passed through the historic region of Haldighati, which proudly reflects the valour and courage of the famous warrior Maharana Pratap and his equally famous house Chetak EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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SPOTLIGHT

Kumbhalgarh Fort, the walls of which is claimed to be the second longest continuous wall after the Great Wall of China. As a suggestion do not miss out on the dramatic light and sound show at the fort during dusk and after similar to any resort like cuisine experience but what broke the monotony of the pasta, pizza and Punjabi food fare was the distinct local cuisine on the menu as well as the traditional Rajasthani sweets along with the Tiramisu and cheese cakes.

Vishal Purohit from the Club Mahindra team shared some interesting notes on the Club Mahindra experience and the time share business in general.

The concept had shown growth over the years and even a place such as Kumbhalgarh, which is not traditionally known for tourism, looked active and buzzing even on a weekday during the non-peak season. I was informed that all the rooms, apartments and tents were occupied and they were going full house. The family buzz across the property was proof enough. Purohit also informed me that they make a conscious effort to cater to most tastes, as the very concept of Club Mahindra is to cater to the Indian traveller who travels with the family, along with senior citizens. Kids and special food requests are catered to with ease. This kind of a demand is quite regular in the time share business as one avails room nights as active

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members, which comes with an apartment providing the member to even cook as per individual tastes and preference.

While dining at Jeeman, Purohit also pointed out to a terrace setup, which they use for guests who have special requests and demands like that of a princely dining experience.

My lunch experience was reasonably elaborate and which does lead you to a siesta but I decided to give that a slip and opted for a walk around the property instead. While on my walk, I discovered a mini super market within the premise, which stocks up all kinds of quick food and ready to make options for guests who have opted to cook within their own space.

The resort is definitely a treat for members who have children as there is a plethora of activities to choose from.

From indoor sports and creative activities to that of soft adventure, the club has a list for children to explore and experience. From swimming in the pool to playing cricket on its lawns, from enjoying pottery making to witnessing some Rajasthani art and cultural performances in the evening, there are all these

and more for the live-in guests. For spa lovers, Svaastha spa, can help you relax your tired feet after walking around the visually appealing Kumbhalgarh Fort, the walls of which is claimed to be the second longest continuous wall after the Great Wall of China. As a suggestion do not miss out on the dramatic light and sound show at the fort during dusk and after. Come back for a moonlit dinner at the open air dining venue called the Gazebo. If you are lucky, you will experience surreal view of the moonrise. I did get to see that breathtaking sight unfold. Match that up with some ‘Ker Sangri' and other local cuisine offerings and the experience gets all the more memorable. Another interesting detour from the property is the Ranakpur Jain Temple. It is worth taking the spiral drive down the mountain to view the architectural splendour of the temple in white marble.

Club Mahindra is scripting a story of its own in the timeshare space and is confident of opening up more hospitality offerings in the future, giving the time share business increased recognition in India.

IN FOCUS

The iBeacon gateway Apples's iBeacon Technology is an effective low-cost solution for businesses in the travel and tourism sector - from airlines and hotels to theme parks and museums - to attract their target clientele and help them make informed decisions.

By Sudipta Dev

Aditya Haripurkar

Harsh Sharma

B

EACON-IN is a technology startup based in Singapore that offers iBeacon based solutions, a readymade platform for services and merchants to deliver the iBeacon interactions. iBeacon Technology has a lot of potential in the travel and tourism industry with the technology being adopted in museums, theme parks,

hotels, airports and airline lounges. “Our product and service allow businesses to send contextual based information to its users, thereby providing a unique user engagement model. The technology has been adopted by leading brands and services in the United States and Europe such as Virgin Atlantic, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Apple Stores and Major League Baseball.

The technology has also been used in festivals such as Coachella and Cannes Film Festival,” says Aditya Haripurkar, founder and CEO, The Socialmill. iBeacon Technology is the name of the Apple patented technology that would be installed in the premises of the clients. It is a brand new technology introduced by Apple last year, and works with both Android and iOS. There have been many interesting installations of this technology - iBeacon is being installed in Regent Street, London which is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, and Dutch theme park Fluwel’s Tulpenland is the first in Europe to install the technol-

ogy to attract more visitors. An iBeacon prototype was recently created in the Antwerp museum - The Rubens House.

While Virgin Atlantic has installed this technology at Heathrow Airport, American Airlines has launched a sixmonth pilot at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The James Hotels, with locations in New York, Chicago and Miami have also introduced the James Pocket Assistant based on this technology. iBeacon Technology in a nutshell is proximity based alerts and contextual based alerts. “So as and when you walk past, say Chinatown in Singapore, you get a video alert about the history behind Chinatown, or if you pass by a museum artifact, you get to know how the artifact was created.

How the technology works is that a small beacon device communicates with your smartphone application and works on Bluetooth,” explains Haripurkar.

The instrument is installed at the destination and it communicates to the traveller's smartphone. No data, no Wi-Fi is required, just the Bluetooth function has to be on. "The

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SPOTLIGHT beauty of this is that the user has the choice of whether he wants to receive these messages. So if I am at a museum and I want to know what each of the objects around me are, I can get the information. The beacon will get smaller with the advancement of technology. It is not visible to the user and sends out the alerts,” mentions Haripurkar.

There are two requirements for the technology to work - the application should be downloaded and the Bluetooth should be switched on.

The content is uploaded on the backend. “We can push images, video, maps, text, content, locations, whatever the establishment using this technology wants to push. While newsletters, promotional emails and SMSes annoy us, with this device you have the option of what you want to access,” points out Harsh Sharma, strategy and design head, The Socialmill. The plan is to partner with tourism boards who can deploy the technology all across the board. It is a unique user engagement model wherein both the user and business benefits.

For instance, in a souvenir shop, the user can go and purchase the object after getting complete information about it.

People can understand more about the object if it is tourism related.

Betting on Bluetooth The name of the technology is BLE 4.0, that is Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0. It will be in all the latest smartphones. “One of the reasons why we are betting on Bluetooth is that a whole wave of smart devices are going to come, and everything can be communicated over Bluetooth - from home automations to smart wearables.

We believe that Bluetooth is going to make a comeback and all interactions will happen over Bluetooth. It will be the natural thing for users to switch on to Bluetooth,” says Haripurkar. In Chinatown Singapore Wi-Fi is already installed, but the technology does not work on Wi-Fi so a lot of people have asked for instal-

34 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD July 2014

Beacon-In's strategy is that the brand they tie up with should proactively promote the technology through its social media channels, provide incentives to users to use it lation of Bluetooth technology.

“We have built our own platform based on iBeacon Technology but what we also do is if Chinatown has its own application we give them something called SDKs which they integrate in their application and we give the beacon devices to the establishments that are interested,” he adds.

The company provides its clients the technology, the backend, however they can provide the front-end as well.

“We can also provide them creative services, the content.

However we have seen that most of the clients want to have control over the content.

It can be completely customised how the business wants it and it is as easy as updating a Facebook profile,” states Sharma. Another important aspect is that a business can change the messages that it wants every minute and can tailor the messages. For

example, the proximity of the beacon is 50 metres so when a visitor or customer enters the region he gets an alert and when he exits the region he gets a separate alert.

India market Beacon-In is among the first few players not only in India but Asia as well, providing end-to-end iBeacon solutions.

“It is a niche concept in India, we would play a consultancy role in telling travel and tourism partners how to adopt this technology - from travel agencies to hotels, if they want to install the beacons,” says Haripurkar. Pointing out that a lot of people are experimenting with the technology in the West, he mentions that he is working with a travel agency in Singapore - whenever a group of travellers stop at a particular location they receive an alert on the significance of the place. Even on hop-on hop-off

bus tours, tourists can be directed towards the relevant areas of interest for them.

There are lot of use cases of the technology at airports.

“We are looking to partner with airlines in India, for instance from the time of checkin to the lounges, and even while sitting inside the plane as the technology does not interfere with the equipment of the plane. In India our strategy is to make it very niche. We are speaking to Jet Airways to adopt it in their lounges where the business class passenger can get his boarding pass on his mobile phone. They can send relevant information, e.g. who is going to be serving, what will be served,” informs Sharma.

Currently there is awareness of this among the tech community but nobody has developed something concrete.

“The number of people using smartphones in India is hu-

mongous. Our next challenge is to get them using this technology. That will happen trough demonstration effect, that is why we are using case studies in Singapore and showing them here. That's what we are building upon and aiming at,” explains Sharma.

Beacon-In's strategy is that the brand they tie up with should proactively promote it through its social media channels, provide incentives to users to use it. “At the end of the day it helps the users make more informed decisions.

That's the approach we are taking initially. In due course in iOS system you can get an alert on what's a popular app in your area, for instance if an iBeacon app is popular in a museum they just unlock it and takes you to the app. That is what we have introduced to the next version, which is iOS 8,” says Sharma, adding that down the line as per patents submitted by Apple payments can be made using this technology. “Our whole focus is on banking upon this technology as it will take off. It is effective, low-cost and can be used using the simplest of phones,” he asserts.

Beacon-In's business model is based on licensing model, the beacon is given free. The market price of the devices is US$ 30, which is cheap compared to outdoor advertising options like digital signage or billboard images. “Currently we are building in the backend, the software to upload indoor maps. It can create heat maps and you can know which part of the museum is attracting maximum visitors. Even for a conference organiser the technology is very useful - they can get updates on the people who have already checked in the meeting room, those who have not checked in are sent alerts to join the meeting. We are building the backend platform and integrating analytics into that,” says Haripurkar.

The user does not have to download thousands of individual apps, everything is there on one app, one platform. It will be a directory of iBeacon interactions.

CSR

The tiger guardians India's tiger tourism is one of the major contributors to the tourism sector. However, the country has been witnessing a stark decline in the national animal's population since decades. With the view to tackle this issue, Aircel, had launched 'Save Our Tigers' initiative in 2008, which the company is strengthening further through partnerships. By Akshay Kumar

E

ARLIER, INDIA was known as the land of the Royal Bengal tiger with a healthy number of tiger population in the country. But due to excessive deforestation and poaching issues, the tigers of the country are in the verge of extinction. Tiger tourism is also one of the most important aspects of the tourism sector in India, which has been affected significantly. Conservation of this species has become extremely important to save it from extinction and also revive tiger tourism. As part of its corporate social responsibility,

since 2008, Aircel, a telecommunication company in India, is doing its bit to save the ecosystem by conserving tigers, one of the most important animal at the apex of the ecosystem.

Brinda Malhotra, head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) division, Aircel states, “Tigers are at the apex of the ecosystem or the food chain.

Tiger is an animal which can survive in every setting, the only thing it needs is an area to mark its territory. A tiger on an average needs around 60 to 100 square kilometres of land to survive. If we have to protect

tigers, indirectly we have to conserve the forest land, trees, other animals for the food chain to function smoothly. So this initiative 'Save Our Tigers' not only conserves tigers, but indirectly the whole of nature.”

Aircel has actively deployed its CSR team to spread awareness about tiger conservation in most of the sensitive tiger reserves and villages around them and they are also closely working with reserves such as Ranthambore, Dudhwa, Sundarban, Bandipur and Pench. This year with the help of their partners, Aircel has created a new tiger agenda

S. Name of the No. Tiger Reserve

State

Year

Central provided Assistance (Rs in lakh)

Amount spent by States (Rs in lakh)

1.

Corbett

Uttarakhand

2008-09

93.00

–

2.

Dudhwa

Uttar Pradesh

2008-09

93.00

-

3.

Ranthambore

Rajasthan

2008-09

93.00

-

4.

Simlipal

Odisha

2010-11

30.00

30.00

2011-12

240.00

-

S.No.

Name of Tiger Reserve

State

1.

Dudhwa

Uttar Pradesh

2.

Corbett

Uttarakhand

3.

Ranthambore

Rajasthan

4.

Pench

Madhya Pradesh

5.

Kanha

Madhya Pradesh

6.

Bandhavgarh

Madhya Pradesh

7.

Pakke

Arunachal Pradesh

8.

Bandipur

Karnataka

9.

Pench

Maharashtra

10.

Tadoba-Andhari

Maharashtra

11.

Mudumalai

Tamil Nadu

12.

Kaziranga

Assam

13.

Simlipal

Odisha (Source:PIB)

(Source:PIB)

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CSR which has six key demands: ● Involve local communities in conservation ● Strengthen and modernise the forest department to step up protection ● Improve man-animal conflict mitigation measures ● Increase protection in buffer-zones and corridors ● Zero tolerance approach to poaching ● Make political parties accountable for loss of biodiversity.

Inspiring young minds To further strengthen its

years. Taking this commitment forward, we are happy to be partnering with Sanctuary Asia to work in and around Pench National Park. The objective to organise the KFT National Camp is to nurture our young generation and develop a positive mindset whereby these kids become the champions of the cause in future.”

Special protection In 2008, Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan lost all its tigers to poaching, that was the time when Aircel along with its partners launched a massive

Based on tiger abundance and vulnerability, 13 tiger reserves in the country have been identified for raising, arming and deploying STPF initiative, Aircel has partnered with Sanctuary Asia and organised 'Kids for Tiger' (KFT) National Camp at Pench National Park from June 13- 15, 2014. Children from different schools across India were selected to attend the national camp. These children were selected on the basis of their contribution towards spreading awareness and their commitment towards the cause. The children were exposed to complexities of wildlife, nature and environment, and also got the opportunity to interact with the forest department officials and other tiger conservationists.

The selected children were called 'Tiger Ambassadors'.

Speaking on this, Malhotra states, “Aircel has been working diligently towards tiger conservation since 2008. Tigers today, are among the 10 most endangered species in the world and need active protection. Aircel initiated the ‘Save our Tigers’ campaign, which has been very successful in spreading awareness on tiger conservation over the last six

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signature campaign to save the tiger. They collected around a million signatures which was then presented to the prime minister asking him to take urgent measures to save the national animal. This movement led to the announcement of the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF).

Karnataka was the first state to create STPF in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Under the ongoing centrally sponsored scheme of Project Tiger, 100 per cent central assistance is provided to tiger states for raising, arming and deploying STPF in sensitive tiger reserves. Based on tiger abundance and vulnerability, 13 tiger reserves in the country have been identified for raising, arming and deploying STPF. However, under this centrally sponsored scheme of Project Tiger, central assistance is provided to all the tiger reserves for anti-poaching measures. This includes deployment of local people as well in protection to complement the field staff.

BUSINESS AVENUES

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MOVEMENTS Korea Tourism Organisation BYUGNSUN LEE has been appointed as director of Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) India. In his new role,

currently serves as managing director – LAX.

GBTA MAGGIE WU has been appointed as manager, operations – China of Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). Wu will be responsible for delivery on the China objectives from a wider - Asia Pacific strategy and continuing on the current activities with events, research, membership and education in China.

Tourism Australia Byugnsun Lee

he will be responsible for promoting Korea as a tourist and MICE destination and will also be in charge of building and maintaining relationships with the travel trade in India and Korea. Lee has 23 years of experience in the tourism industry working with KTO in Moscow, KTO’s overseas marketing department, Busan Promotion Office, Busan Convention Bureau and Busan Tourism Promotion Committee.

Etihad Airways ROBERT DOUGLAS has been appointed as general manager of Etihad Airways for Armenia. Douglas, who takes up the role immediately, will lead the airline’s Armenian sales and marketing operations from its new Yerevan office. Douglas’ aviation career spans more than 30 years and prior to joining Etihad Airways in 2005, he worked in more than 10 countries with British Airways and partner airlines.

American Airlines JEFF PLANT has been appointed as the new leader of American Airlines' team at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Plant will move from Los Angeles where he

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Malaysia Airlines

MICHAEL NEWCOMBE has been appointed as regional general manager of South/South East Asia and Gulf in Tourism Australia. He will be based out of Singapore.

Newcombe, who is an experienced aviation executive with a strong background in commercial operations will take up the role shortly.

JATA HIROMI TAGAWA has been elected as the 10th chairman of JATA, while three vice chairman - Jungo Kikuma, Katsuhisa Yoshikawa and Kazuaki Maruo have been appointed as chairman of outbound travel executive committee, chairman of domestic travel executive committee and chairman of inbound travel executive committee of JATA respectively. Under the new management leadership, JATA will further develop three fields of travel (outbound travel, domestic travel and inbound travel) and will continue its efforts to establish Japan as a tourism nation from the position of the private sector.

IATA AKBAR AL BAKER, CEO of Qatar Airways, has been reelected onto the chair committee of International Air Transport Association (IATA). Baker was elected to serve on the chair committee

Akbar Al Baker

for a one-year term and has been re-elected to serve for a second one-year term until the end of IATA’s 71st AGM, scheduled to be held in Miami in June 2015.

GLYN HUGHES has been appointed as global head of cargo, IATA. Hughes joined IATA in 1991 to enhance and expand the Cargo Accounts Settlement Service, growing it from 35 to nearly 100 operations while maintaining low levels of agency default and decreasing overall operating costs for members. In recent years, he has led IATA cargo’s initiatives, embracing industry management and relationship building, including being part of the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group steering committee.

CALIN ROVINESCU, president and CEO of Air Canada, has assumed duties as chairman of IATA's Board of Governors, a one-year term, effective immediately. Rovinescu succeeds Richard H Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines.

Rovinescu joined Air Canada in 2000 as executive vice president, corporate development and strategy. IATA’s Board of Governors has also appointed Andres Conesa, CEO, Aeromexico to serve as chairman from June 2015 following Rovinescu’s term.

AMIT MEHTA has been appointed as area manager – north and east, Malaysia Airlines. Mehta has been working with Malaysia Airlines since 2007 as sales manager- north India region and brings with him seven years of experience in sales. In his present role, Mehta will focus on boosting Malaysia Airlines' presence in the Indian market, driving global partnerships and strategic alliances. He will be taking charge of GTM strategy and sales operations for the north and east region of India.

reer at MBDA (previously Aerospatiale Missile) before spending three years as a lawyer at Baker & McKenzie in Paris. In 2002, he joined the legal affairs direction of Airbus, where in 2007 he became vice-president legal affairs for purchasing and intellectual property. At the end of 2010, Castelbajac joined the commercial direction of Airbus as head of contract negotiations.

Hilton Worldwide, India

JW Marriott Mumbai STEPHANIE D’SILVA has been appointed as director of sales and marketing at JW

SAMIR KANT AVASTHI has been appointed as director of sales - ISO, India, Hilton Worldwide. In his new assignment, Avasthi will be responsible to establish a loyal and committed

Stephanie D’Silva

ATR PATRICK DE CASTELBAJAC has been appointed as CEO of ATR. Castelbajac started his aeronautical ca-

customer base within India and position Hilton Worldwide as a long term business partner.

Avasthi has over 11 years of experience in sales, and before joining Hilton Worldwide he was with The Explorers, a destination management company based in New Delhi.

Samir Kant Avasthi

Marriott Mumbai.

In her new role, D’Silva will be in charge of organising and directing all sales and marketing efforts to achieve objectives and operational goals for the property.

weekend

E V E N T S

LEARNING EXPERIENCE German National Tourist Office recently organised a familiarisation trip for travel agents of Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to five cities in Germany

RIDING HIGH A motorcycling event was recently held at Lavasa to commemorate World Motorcycling Day wherein around 100 motorcyclists drove from Chandni Chowk to Lavasa

INCREASING BASE R-L: Tony Chammany, mayor of Kochi, M G Rajamanickam, collector of Kochi and Daniel D’souza, head of sales tour operating, Kuoni India inaugurated the Kuoni –SOTC branch office in Kochi

FOOTBALL FIESTA The FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015 local organising committee, the Embassy of Brazil and Wellington City Council organised The 'Fiesta of Football' event at Wellington as a lead-up to the FIFA U-20 World Cup being held across New Zealand in 2015

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Dr Mukund Rajan, brand custodian and chief ethics officer, Tata Sons; Shankar Venkateswaran, chief of Tata Sustainability Group; Raymond Bickson, MD & CEO, Taj Group; Vasant Ayyappan, director of corporate sustainability, Taj Group and Stewart Moore, CEO, EC3 Global and EarthCheck along with the senior management of the Taj Group and winners of EarthCheck Gold Certification

MUNICH INSIGHTS The Munich Tourist Office recently held a multi-city roadshow in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi to showcase the destination's tourism product offerings for leisure, corporate meetings and incentive travels from India

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weekend

E V E N T S

ARABIAN DELIGHT The Club Mumbai recently organised 'Summer is Dubai', a 10 day Middle Eastern food festival for its members

NEW ADDITION Atlantis, The Palm’s newest attraction, Sea Lion Point offers Sea Lion Discovery programme for guests

STRATEGIC COLLABORATION L-R: Santosh Kushe, manager – training, B THE RIGHT SHOT The Indian travel trade partners of Virgin Atlantic bagged the third position at the 2014 edition of Virgin Atlantic’s International Golf Tournament held at St Andrews, Scotland

Abacus; Jeet Sawhney, managing director – India, Abacus; and Rajan Dani, director, Trade-wings Institute of Management at the MoU signing ceremony between Abacus and Trade-wings Institute of Management for training students of the institute on the use of Abacus technologies across its 40 centres in the country

SHARED HISTORY

The 'Kalinga – Lanka Foundation', an initiative which aims to promote studies on the Kalinga – Lanka shared history and culture and academic cooperation between institutions of the two regions, was recently launched at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi

40 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD July 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.