Express Travelworld (Vol.10, No.2) March, 2015

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CONTENTS MANAGEMENT Vol 10 No 2 MARCH 2015 Pages 56

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Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka Editor

Reema Lokesh* Chief of Product

Prabhas Jha Assistant Editor

Steena Joy SPEARHEADING ARAB TOURISM WHILE THE TOURISM POTENTIAL OF SHARJAH IS YET TO BE DISCOVERED BY THE WORLD, EVENTS LIKE THE RECENTLY ORGANISED SHARJAH LIGHT FESTIVAL IS CREATING AWARENESS THAT THE EMIRATE ON ITS OWN HAS PERHAPS THE MOST TO OFFER IN UAE TO THE NEW AGE GLOBAL TRAVELLER

Sr. Associate Editor

Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai

Kahini Chakraborty Rituparna Chatterjee New Delhi

Archana Sharma Kolkata

Joy Roy Choudhury DESIGN National Art Director

Bivash Barua Deputy Art Director

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Surajit Patro Chief Designer

Pravin Temble Senior Graphic Designerr

Rushikesh Konka Senior Artist

Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker

(22-40)

SCHEDULING & COORDINATION Sr.Executive

IN THE HEART OF INDIA WITH AN INTENTION OF EDUCATING THE BUYERS FROM CENTRAL INDIA ABOUT THE VARIOUS TRAVEL AND TOURISM OFFERINGS, GLOBAL PANORAMA SHOWCASE, CONCEPTUALISED BY JAGSONS TRAVELS HAS COME A LONG WAY

Rohan Thakkar Photo Editor

MARKETS

Sandeep Patil MARKETING Regional Heads

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

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UNION BUDGET 201516 GETS MIXED REACTION FROM TOURISM INDUSTRY

10

8

PHILIPPINES PROPOSES TO REMOVE ENTRY VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIA AND CHINA

11

FAITH TO ORGANISE GET-INDIA

12

MOSCOW PROMOTES ITSELF AS SOLO DESTINATION

Marketing Team

Sunil Dcosta Gunjan Chauhan Baljinder Singh Ajanta Sengupta CIRCULATION

YEAR-LONG FESTIVITIES TO INCREASE TOURIST ARRIVALS IN MALAYSIA

Mohan Varadakar

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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)

AIR INDIA, SPICEJET SAY BANKS NEED TO RECONSIDER LENDING TO THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY

P06 : EDITOR’S NOTE P48 : APPOINTMENTS P51 : WEEKEND

EDGE

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BONDING IN AFRICA MEETINGS AFRICA 2015, WHICH RECENTLY CELEBRATED ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY, IS EXPECTED TO BRING AROUND 54,000 CONVENTION DELEGATES GENERATING A REVENUE OF R ONE BILLION IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS

Copyright @ 2011 The Indian Express Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. *Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act

EDITOR’S NOTE

March Matters

T

his month seems to be truly action packed. From Berlin to Bali, tourism experts seem to be on the roll. March also brings with it high power post Budget analysis and discussions across sectors from tax consultants, finance experts to market analysts, and of course, the common man. Each sector tries to read between the lines and check what the Union Budget has in store, which charts the future course of action and investment decisions.

The tourism sector is no exception. Though this Budget has received some positive reviews from other sectors, the tourism sector seems divided in its opinion.

Though the Visa on Arrival decision to 150 countries seems to be a welcome move, tourism associations feel there are few a pertinent issues that have still not been addressed. IATO has been clearly stating that their plea with the government that Tourism Service Export be treated at par with physical exports has fallen on deaf ears. They had hoped for the tourism sector to be extended benefits that are being given to physical exporters, including exemption of service tax based on their foreign ex-

HEAD OFFICE MUMBAI: Express TravelWorld Sunil Dcosta The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division 2nd Floor, Express Tower, Nariman Point Mumbai- 400 021 Board line: 022- 67440000 Ext. 263 Mobile: +91 9821798612 Email Id: sunil.dcosta@expressindia.com Branch Offices : NEW DELHI: Baljinder Singh The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division Express Building, 9&10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi- 110 002 Board line: 011-23702100 Ext. 568 Mobile: +91 9868848013 Fax: 011-23702141 Email id: baljinder.singh@expressindia.com CHENNAI: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division

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New No. 37/C (Old No. 16/C) 2nd Floor,Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai- 600 014 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com BANGALORE: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division 502, 5th Floor, Devatha Plaza, Residency road, Bangalore- 560025 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com HYDERABAD: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division 6-3-885/7/B, Ground Floor, VV Mansion, Somaji Guda, Hyderabad – 500 082 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com KOLKATA: Ajanta Sengupta

“ Though this Budget has received some positive reviews from other sectors, the tourism sector seems divided in its opinion” 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

change earnings, which have not been met. Instead of doing so, the government has put an additional burden by increasing service tax rate from 12.36 per cent to 14 per cent, which will make tour packages costlier.

However, the focus on development of World Heritage Sites - churches and convents of old Goa, Hampi, Elephanta caves, Leh Palace, Varanasi temple town, Jallianwala Bagh, etc, to be developed to make them more touristfriendly seems to be forthcoming. What's also positive is the decision to invest in sanitation facilities, which is the critical need of the hour. I remember my appeal and question made to the government at the IATO Bhubaneswar conference in 2008, asking for basic hygiene and sanitation facilities for improvement of tourism, seems to have gained some voice.

Finally, our cover story this issue celebrates WORK, done with grit and grace. Enjoy the issue and let us celebrate the power that we all have within.

REEMA LOKESH Editor editorial.etw@expressindia.com AHMEDABAD: Sunil Dcosta The Indian Express Ltd 3rd Floor, Sambhav House, Near Judges Bunglows, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad - 380 015 Mobile: +91 9821798612 Email Id: sunil.dcosta@expressindia.com BHOPAL: Baljinder Singh The Indian Express Ltd F-102, Inner Court Apartment, 1st Floor, GTB Complex, Behind 45 Bungalows, Bhopal - 462 003 Mobile: +91 9868848013 Email id: baljinder.singh@expressindia.com JAIPUR: Baljinder Singh The Indian Express Ltd S2,J-40, Shyam GHP Enclave, Krishna Marg, C-Scheme, Jaipur - 302 001 Mobile: +91 9868848013 Email id: baljinder.singh@expressindia.com

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

Union Budget 2015-16 gets mixed reaction from tourism industry ETW Staff Mumbai THE UNION BUDGET 201516 has considerably focused on the tourism sector. The successful Visa on Arrival Scheme which was introduced a year back for 43 countries will be increased to 150 countries in a phased manner. Focus on development of World Heritage Sites - churches and convents of old Goa, Hampi, Elephanta caves, Leh palace, Varanasi temple town, Jallianwala Bagh etc to be developed to make them more tourist-friendly.

Let’s have a look at what the tourism industry has to say about this Budget.

Subhash Goyal, president, IATO said, “Even though the fi-

nance minister Arun Jaitley has announced Tourist Visa on Arrival for 150 countries, but by the time this is done, people who are trying to sabotage the PM's vision, have created a lot of damage to the growth of tourism by introducing biometrics for getting an Indian visa in many countries. So all efforts of the government are going down the drain. Even countries like Israel who have the maximum threat of terrorism, do not have biometric. We looked at the government to put forth a definitive time line for a nationwide roll out of GST. The tax regime should help us set off Service Tax giving a significant boost to the tourism industry and we are happy that GST will be introduced by April next year.”

Harmandeep Singh Anand, hon secretary general, TAAI said, “The Union Budget 2015-16 has not been a good Budget for the travel agents. We were already expecting the taxes to go up, but the new Swachh Bharat Tax of two per cent, has increased the service tax to 16 per cent. Instead, the government could have bought down the taxes by announcing an RCM, now we have to shell out extra four per cent from our pockets. The other initiatives related to tourism are irrelevant like the extension on Visa of Arrival to 150 countries, which had already been announced and does not co-relate to the Annual Budget.”

Madhavan Menon, managing director, Thomas Cook (In-

dia) said, “The Government’s pro-tourism strategic vision sees continuum and we applaud the vision and long term initiatives of Budget 2015 - 2016 including expanding the VoA scheme to 150 countries in a phased approach; focus on developing World Heritage Sites is of huge value given that many are in a bad shape and have received scant attention in the past. In addition to this, the investment of ` two lakh crore towards sanitation is critical for Incredible India’s image, overall.”

Rajeev Wagle, managing director, Kuoni India, “Proposals such as exemption to individual taxpayers, proposal to cut to 25 per cent corporate tax and a series of measures to boost consumption will allow

the travellers to consider holiday and travel options more favourably. ” Ajay Bhatia, vice president and chief operating officer, Mercury Travels said, “We can see around 30 per cent increase in tourist arrival. Short haul from neighbouring countries will get a boost. This will be a significant contributor to the Indian economy as well as driver of progress through creation of jobs.”

Vikram Malhi, managing director- Asia, Expedia said, “A major announcement that is likely to positively impact the OTA segment is the government push to create a cashless economy, by aiding digital coverage and debit, credit card penetration in the country.”

J&K govt to promote cruise tourism Declares 2015 as 'Visit Jammu & Kashmir' year Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai AS PART of its tourism revival plan strategy post the devastating floods last year, Jammu & Kashmir Tourism has chalked out various unique tourism experiences to offer to travellers this year.

The government of Jammu & Kashmir has declared 2015 as 'Visit Jammu & Kashmir' year.

Apart from the leisure and honeymoon segments, the department is tapping new segments such as Bollywood tourism, tv serial tourism, adventure tourism and MICE. Speaking to exclusively to Express TravelWorld on the new tourism offerings, Farooq A Shah, IAS– director

tourism, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, and managing director, J&K Tourism

Development Corporation (JKTDC) said, “We are keen to promote cruise tourism and

J&K TOURISM TO HOST KASHMIR TRAVEL MART IN APRIL J&K Tourism is all set to host the Kashmir Travel Mart in the second week of April, 2015 at the International Convention Centre, Srinagar.Tunda Nazir, president,Association of Kashmir Tour Operators said,“After the unfortunate disaster in Kashmir on September 7, 2014, the government did an excellent job in clearing the roads and rebuilding the damaged properties.

We are ready to welcome tourists to our state.This year the tourism board will be organising the Kashmir Travel Mart in a grand scale in Srinagar.We are expecting a large number of buyers and sellers both domestic and international.”

Akshay Kumar and Steena Joy

we have planned to start cruises on Jhelum river and Dal lake from April 2015. We have received many interest from private players and are finalising on the same. The cruises will accommodate 50 persons.” He added that the department is also developing golf courses in Ladakh, as well as promoting golf circuits in the region through golf championships. “MICE is another important segment for us, and our Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) is one of the best international conference centres in the region,” he informed.

The destination received 27 lakh Indian tourists in 2014 compared to 36 lakh tourists in 2013. In 2015, the state

tourism department is expecting to attract 50 lakh Indian travellers to the region.

For the same, Shah mentioned, “We have decided to open the Gurez Valley in Kashmir for tourists from this year. With Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal being our source markets from India, we will be aggressively promoting our destination in these states through publicity programmes, roadshows and food festivals. We will also continue to work closely with the travel agents and organise FAM tours for the travel trade and media, international rafting championships, adventure activities and undertake tourist friendly skills development programmes.”

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March 2015

MARKETS

March Market 2015 to be Philippines held in Wembley Stadium proposes to remove visa requirements for India and China ETW Staff Mumbai

EUROPEAN Tour Operators Association (ETOA) is all set to organise March Market (MAMA) on March 16- 17, 2015 at Wembley Stadium, London, UK. The two day show will have one day devoted to UK and Ireland, one day exclusively for London.

This year the event will witness up to 64 pre-scheduled meetings spread over two days.

ETOA is a leading trade association for tour operators

and suppliers with business in European destinations. Over 700 members contribute more than €12 billion of business within Europe and include tour and online operators, intermediaries and wholesalers, European tourist boards, hotels, attractions and other tourism suppliers.

ETOA has formed a partnership with UKinbound to cooperate on the promotion of the UK’s visitor offer to international markets. UKinbound promotes inbound tourism to the UK, rep-

resenting over 300 tourism businesses including tourist boards, hotels and attractions.

Martine Ainsworth-Wells, director of marketing and commerce, ETOA said, “The UK’s constantly developing tourism product, be it restaurants, attractions, retail or accommodation, are of great interest to ETOA’s network of international buyers. Innovation and developments in UK’s tourism sector will be showcased to this audience at MAMA by UKinbound members.”

Archana Sharma New Delhi STATEMENT ABOUT OWNERSHIP AND OTHER PARTICULARS OF EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD, MUMBAI, AS REQUIRED UNDER RULE 8 OF THE REGISTRATION OF NEWSPAPERS (CENTRAL) RULES, 1956 FORM - IV (SEE RULE 8) 1. Place of Publication 2. Periodicity of its publication 3. Printer's Name Whether citizen of India Address 4. Publisher's Name Whether citizen of India Address 5. Editor's name Whether citizen of India Address 6. Name and address of individuals who own the newspaper AND Shareholders holding more than One per cent of the total capital

: Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400 021 : MONTHLY : MS. VAIDEHI THAKAR : Yes : Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400 021 : MS. VAIDEHI THAKAR : Yes : Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400 021 : Reema Lokesh : Yes : Express Towers, 1st Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai-400 021 : The Indian Express Limited Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021 : Indian Express Holdings & Entp Limited Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021 : Mr. Viveck Goenka & Mr. Anant Goenka Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point Mumbai 400021 : Mr. Shekhar Gupta & Mrs. Neelam Jolly C-6/53, Safdarjung Development Area New Delhi 110 016

I, VAIDEHI THAKAR., hereby declare that the particulars given above are true and to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date : 1/3/2015

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sd/VAIDEHI THAKAR Publisher

THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DoT), Philippines has proposed to dispense away the entry visa requirements for Indian and Chinese visitors in an effort to simplify the travelling process from India and China to Philippines. According to Ramon R Jimenez Jr, secretary tourism, DoT, Philippines, “India is the 10th largest source market for Philippines, but the potential for further growth is tremendous. Even though the tourism sector suffered significant damage due to typhoon Haiyan, which hit in November 2013, Philippines hosted over 60,000 Indian tourists.” He also informed that the proposal was submitted in early December 2014 and should be decided by end of the first quarter of 2015.

Elaborating further, Jimenez Jr stated that South Korea is the top source market with over 1.2 million visitors in 2014, however, China is also among the top five markets with over 4,80,000 visitors in 2014. “However,

we are planing to make India as one of our top five source markets by 2016 and are expecting to host around 250,000 Indian tourists by then,” he said while adding that the target set for 2015 is to have around 150,000 visitors from India.

Highlighting the importance of tourism industry as a major source of revenue generation for Philippines, Jimenez Jr stated that on an average, tourists spend over US$ 100 per head daily and since the average length of stay has increased up to 10 days, the overall average spending is around US$ 2500 per visit.

Despite the disaster in 2013, the overall impact on tourist arrivals was minimal in 2014, with the country recording a growth of about six per cent in comparison to 2013 with 4.9 million tourists.

Jimenez Jr also informed that DoT is looking at establishing direct flight connectivity between India and Philippines. They are also looking at undertaking more promotional activities focusing on Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

MARKETS

FAITH to organise GET-India Archana Sharma New Delhi IN AN EFFORT to promote India as a global trade destination, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC), Government of India will be organising a Global Exhibition for Services of which tourism will be a major part and the Federation of Associations of Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has been given the responsibility to organise the Global Exhibition on Tourism – India, (GET-India). Elaborating on this, Sarabjit Singh, vice chairman, FAITH, stated, “The three day event will showcase not only the private stakeholders

About 250 tour operators and 175 exhibitors will be a part of this event but also various Indian states to international buyers.” GET-India, supported by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India is scheduled to take place from April 23-25, 2015 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. About 250 tour operators and 175 exhibitors will be a part of this event.

Also during the first media conference since their inception in May 2013, FAITH talked about some milestone achievements like the implementation of the e-visa, among others and the many recommendations that they have made to tourism and other related ministries.

Elaborating on their expanding role in various tourism and hospitality related policies, Nakul Anand, chairman, FAITH, stated, “For the first time an invitation was extended to FAITH and various tourism industry stakeholders

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for the pre-Budget discussion with the finance minister with regards to the Union Budget 2015-16, wherein we made var-

ious suggestions and recommendations, and will keep on following-up on the same. ” Addressing the civil aviation

and tourism development concerns, Aashish Gupta, consulting CEO, FAITH informed that FAITH is looking at organising

a joint meeting between various airlines spokespersons and the union ministries of tourism and civil aviation.

MARKETS

Moscow promotes itself as solo destination Archana Sharma New Delhi MOSCOW IS looking at promoting itself as a standalone destination to increase tourism arrivals from India.

Commenting on the same, Nato Chechelashvili, consultant, Committee on Tourism and Hotel Industry, Moscow City Government, stated, “Being one of the major upcoming outbound markets, we wish to promote ourselves better in India. And by participating in various exhibitions across the nation, we hope to receive positive feedback and establish Moscow as a solo destina-

tion for Indian travellers.”

Moscow recorded around 42,000 tourist arrivals from India in the first three quarters of 2014. “We are also looking into major investment projects to improve the infrastructure of Moscow City in order to facilitate more tourists visiting us,” informed Chechelashvili.

According to Tasneem Udaipurwala, director, Wingspan Group, the representative partners for Moscow Tourism in India, people can travel to Moscow not just for work but also for leisure and explore a lot of unseen tourist destinations. “Moscow has been par-

ticipating in Indian exhibitions for about eight to nine years.

And being a metropolitan city, Moscow can offer a lot to the tourists, from museums like Moscow Kremlin Museums, comprising of four cathedrals and four palaces to exhibitions,” she added.

Talking about the various developments to facilitate tourism better, Udaipurwala stated that Moscow can offer a lot of packaged tours, including weekend tours and they have also introduced the Moscow Pass card, combining admission tickets to Moscow museums, Moscow city tour, sightseeing bus tour, Moscow river cruise, etc.

Ethiopian Airlines to introduce double daily flights to Mumbai ETW Staff Mumbai ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES has finalised preparations to start double daily flights to Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport starting March 2015. The airline has been providing air service to Mumbai for over 43 years with the launch of its first flight in December 1971. The airline presently has daily flights to Mumbai and New Delhi. Both daily flights to Mumbai will be operated with the B787 Dreamliner aircraft, which offers passengers onboard, higher level of cabin air humidity greatly reducing

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fatigue, high ceiling, the latest in-flight entertainment system and much reduced noise.

With the double daily flights to Mumbai, Ethiopian Airlines aim to provide optimal connectivity options for passengers travelling between India and its 49 destinations in Africa. Speaking on this expansion, Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO, Ethiopian Airlines Group stated, “We are very bullish on the prospects of the Africa-India market. By increasing our frequency to double daily to Mumbai and expanding our codeshare agreement with Air India, fellow Star Alliance partner with

Africa-India traffic is witnessing a significant rise owing to the economic growth of the two regions and their increasing trade, investment and tourism ties the inclusion of domestic points in India and major destinations in Africa, we aim to become the airline of choice for travel between Africa and India by offering seamless and convenient connections through our main hub in Ad-

dis Ababa. Going forward, we plan to increase our current frequency to New Delhi and start operations to additional destinations in southern India.” Africa-India traffic is witnessing a significant rise owing to the economic growth

of the two regions and their increasing trade, investment and tourism ties in addition to the travel demand of the large Indian community in various African countries.

Ethiopian Airlines is a panAfrican global carrier serving 84 international destinations across five continents and operating the youngest fleet in Africa with less than seven years average, including the B737 Next Generation with Sky Interior to African points, the B787 Dreamliners, the B777-200LRs, the longest range commercial aircraft in activity and the B777-300 ER on its mid and long haul routes.

MARKETS

Year-long festivities to increase tourist arrivals in Malaysia Sudipta Dev Mumbai MYRIAD CULTURAL extravaganza awaits visitors to Malaysia this year with the celebration of Malaysia Year of Festivals (MYFest) 2015. A delegation led by Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, minister of tourism and culture, Malaysia, was in India recently to create awareness both among the travel trade and the public, about the year-long festivities. The theme of MYFest 2015 being 'Endless Celebrations', Dato Seri Mohamed said, “Our aim is to broaden the perception of Malaysia beyond the

scenic beauty to focus on our unique multi-cultural heritage.”

As many as 50 cultural events have been identified as part of MYFest 2015. Many new events have been lined up like the Malaysia International Mask Festival and the Aboriginal Art Festival.

Dato Seri Mohamed mentioned that the India market is very important for them as India is the fifth biggest contributor to tourist arrivals in Malaysia. The year 2014 witnessed increasing arrivals from India, which according to the Malaysian tourism minister, could partly be contributed to increased air con-

nectivity. The event in Mumbai also saw the international launch of Smart-i Travel Malaysia App and the unveiling of Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival logo. Launching the app, Dato Seri Mohamed stated, “We

can now share with travellers around the world what we offer.

It allows visitors to always stay connected.”

While Malaysia has always been a popular choice for family holidays, the wedding and the

honeymoon segment is the other focus area for Tourism Malaysia in the India market. Indians are now also keen to explore new destinations in Malaysia with places like Sarawak generating increasing interest. “Sarawak has always been popular with Europeans. When Indians started coming, it has primarily been Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Melaka, etc, but now we have taken Indian agents to destinations like Sarawak and we hope more Indian tourists start visiting these places soon,” said Dato Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, director general, Tourism Malaysia.

MARKETS

SilkAir plans to start flights to Pune Akshay Kumar Mumbai SILKAIR, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines is planning to start operations to Pune. The airline already flies to eight destinations in India namely; Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Visakhapatnam. It plans to expand its network to Tier II and Tier III cities in India.

Speaking about the new developments, Jagdish Ram Bhojwani, general managerIndia, SilkAir said, “In terms of the existing range of fleets, we can only fly to the south market, but we will soon get

our Boeing 737 Max which will give us a range of six to six and half hours from Singapore. Pune will be the next target city for us. Pune is a city which has both MICE and leisure travellers. Moreover, travellers coming to Singapore from Pune have to take a flight from Mumbai, which becomes hectic.”

When asked about the date of operation Bhojwani added, “Pune does not fall under the India- Singapore Bilateral Agreement. From our side we have intended to start operations.”

With the reduction of fuel prices the aviation sector has undergone a major transformation. “We have announced a fuel charge reduction effective from February. Passing

benefits to our customer is our main objective.”

Speaking about a new trend in the India market Bhojwani said, “We are present in almost all south Indian states, every market is different. With the division of Telengana from Andhra Pradesh, we have seen a rise in the number of inbound growth into Visakhapatnam.

Investors are very keen to target this particular city. Also we have seen an excellent demand from the Coimbatore market where we are operating since last eight years.”

SilkAir started its operations to India in 1999 and currently operates 36 weekly flights from eight Indian cities.

Air India,SpiceJet say banks need to reconsider lending to the airline industry Reema Lokesh Mumbai AT THE RECENTLY held Centre for Aviation (CAPA) India summit 2015 in Mumbai, Indian carriers were vocal about their thoughts regarding the banking sector not actively considering the airline industry with respect to providing leading facilities and working capital to meet their long term capital requirements. The aviation industry in India did go through its share of turbu-

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lences but the business environment is changing and there is an element of positive reforms that is bringing back the confidence in this sector.

S Venkat, director-finance, Air India, was vocal about his appeal to the banking sector to reconsider their decision.

He felt it is time that banks reconsider their decision and provide the necessary working capital and meet their long term capital requirements. He also said that the aviation industry today is on

the path of recovery with the drop in fuel prices and other supportive developments, the airline industry is trying to come back to break even. His appeal was also seconded by Sanjiv Kapoor, COO, SpiceJet. Both the spokespersons felt that it was not right for banks to base their decision on the tough times that the industry faced in the past and the banking sector should not be deterred by what happened to Kingfisher Airlines few years ago.

TAAI to launch Preferred Partner Programme at its 62nd annual convention Archana Sharma New Delhi WITH A VIEW to further empower and educate the travel trade fraternity in India, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), will be launching a Preferred Partner Programme at its 62nd annual convention to be held at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia from March 26-29, 2015.

Elaborating on this, Harmandeep Singh Anand, honorary secretary general, TAAI, stated that they are tying up with various National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) to host two days of B2B workshops and three days of educational tours.

“The programme will enable TAAI members especially from Tier II and Tier III cities to interact with the international travel trade and suppliers,” he said.

Announcing the theme, ‘Reflections: Redefining Relevance', of their annual convention, Sunil Kumar R, acting president, TAAI, stated, “With the rapidly changing tourism scenario and the Indian clientele considerably more knowledgeable with improving technology, the convention will deliberate on redefining the relevance of travel agents and enable them in adapting to further changes.” Looking at hosting

The prog will enable TAAI members from Tier II/III cities to interact with international travel trade over 700 delegates at Bali, Anand also hopes that the India Travel Trade Expo (ITTE) to be held on 27-28 March, 2015 will have participation from over 50 exhibitors.

Also coinciding with the convention is the 'Sahabat India' festival, being organised by the Government of India.

Kumar feels that the convention will provide a great opportunity to showcase Indian culture and heritage. Around 350 rooms have been booked at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali and The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali. Elaborating on the travel arrangements, Kumar said that TAAI is coordinating with Air India and Garuda Indonesia to operate charter flights for the convention.

MARKETS

Air Arabia looks to increase capacities on current sectors in India Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai AIR ARABIA, the largest lowcost-carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, is looking at increasing its seat capacities from the 13 airports in India that it already operates into. The airline is in continuous dialogues with the Indian government for offering them opportunities for growth. After successfully completing a decade of operations in the India market, as part of its expansion, the airline is looking at operating out of tertiary markets to offer direct connectivity to travellers to different regions of the world.

Speaking exclusively to Ex-

press TravelWorld, Adel Ali, group CEO, Air Arabia said, “It has been an excellent journey for us as we will be completing a decade of successful operations in the India market. Going forward, just as we have used our tactical approach in identifying our Tier II markets in the beginning of our operations, we want to expand into tertiary markets as well. We would like to grow further, but subject to the Indian government's approval to obtain approvals for more seats. We need increase in capacity from the airports that we already operate into. We will grow as much as the Indian government wants us to, and if they offer us opportunities we will grow.” The airline

Adel Ali

offers flights from its hub in Sharjah to Ahmedabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Coimbatore, Thiruvanathapuram, Hyderabad, Kozhikode,

Delhi and Goa. The airline has been unable to get clearances from the Indian government to operate on the Calicut to Ras al Khaimah sector, which has been pending for a long time.

Air Arabia achieved financial breakeven from first year of operations and has been profitable since then. Air Arabia’s net profit for the first nine months of 2014 stood at AED 498 million, up 46 per cent compared to AED 341 million reported in the corresponding period of 2013.

Talking about the load factors on the sectors that it operates into the India market, Ali said, “We have been seeing healthy load factors and we want to maintain our market share by

further expansion. Even when long-haul travel was affected last year due to the economic crises, Air Arabia did not witness any downfall in the load factors from the India market. That also could be due to our limited capacities. But as economies drive the ups and downs, these are all momentary. India is up for growth. For the Calicut-Ras al Khaimah sector, talks are still in the primitive stages and once issues are resolved between the governments of both the countries we will start operations.”

The airline will also be receiving delivery of six Airbus 320s this year and next year another six A320s, as part of its order of 44 Airbus 320.

Fiji Airways explores opportunity for codeshare with Air India Akshay Kumar Mumbai FIJI AIRWAYS, the national carrier of Fiji is exploring opportunities to have codeshare with Air India. Speaking exclusively with Express TravelWorld, Faiyaz Koya, minister for industry, tourism and trade, Government of Fiji said, “Currently, the traffic from India to Fiji is comparatively very small. As of now we do not see a possibility for a direct flight from Fiji to India. But we have had several talks with the Government of India for a codeshare between Fiji Airways and Air India. We want to increase

the connectivity between India and Fiji. Singapore Airlines is also one option we are looking at to have a codeshare.”

In 2014, Fiji witnessed an increase of eight per cent in the number of Indian travellers visiting the island nation. Speaking about the footfall, minister Koya said, “We have hit the 3000 mark in 2014 which shows a steady increase of eight per cent compared to 2013. In this year we will like to double the figure as India is an important source market for us. In 2015 we expect a growth rate anywhere between 15 to 20 per cent.”

Recently, Tourism Fiji

We have hit the 3000 mark in 2014 which shows a steady increase of eight per cent compared to 2013

launched an exclusive brochure for 2015 with Kuoni-SOTC for the Indian travellers. The brochure was unveiled in the presence of the Fijian delegation which included Faiyaz Koya, minister for industry, tourism and trade and Lorna Eden, assistant minister for industry, tourism and trade as well as Rajeev Wagle, managing director, Kuoni India; Vishal Suri, CEOtour operating, Kuoni India and Amod Thatte, head- product and innovation- tour operating, Kuoni India.

From white sand beaches to pristine natural environment, Kuoni- SOTC has included holiday experiences that are de-

signed to explore and discover the best of Fiji. Kuoni- SOTC also offers customised and escorted group holiday options to Fiji starting Summer 2015, which allows travellers to choose from affordable accommodation or exclusive five star resorts.

Suri said, “It is indeed a pleasure to partner with Fiji Tourism who continues to deliver a world-leading destination and helps us understand the wonder of Fiji. With the growing interest seen in Fiji as a holiday destination, KuoniSOTC brings to Indian travellers exclusive experiences in Fiji.”

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MARKETS

Bhutan Tourism celebrates ‘Visit Bhutan Year’ Archana Sharma New Delhi

Namaste Tourism represents Portugal based Osiris Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai WITH AN AIM to increase awareness about Portugal as a tourism destination in the India market, Namaste Tourism is now representing Osiris- a Portugal-based DMC that covers Iberian Peninsula-Spain and Portugal. Osiris is also tied up with Vila Gale, one of the largest chain of hotels in Portugal with over 18 properties. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld on the partnership, Ricardo Ferreira, Osiris Travel said, “We are a company of more than 20 years of experience and do inbound to Portugal and Spain. With India being an important market for us, the first important step was to tie-up with a well-known company in India, and we are glad to be associated with Namaste Tourism.

Through this partnership we are looking at positioning and promoting Portugal as an affordable destination for families, FIT,

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groups and MICE travellers.”

Explaining about the tourism offerings of the destination, Subhash Motwani, founder director, Namaste Tourism informed that Portugal can be said to be the Goa of Europe. One of the most important reasons to consider Portugal could be the tourism experiences associated to the famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo; for gastronomical delight – Algarve - southernmost region of Portugal which has about 25 Indian restaurants; unique olive and wine experiences in Duoro, Porto valley which is three hours' drive from Lisbon; Estoril for casinos; University of Coimbra, established in 1290, which is one of the oldest universities in operation in the world, can also be visited.

“One of the unique experiences that we can offer is to organise a programme called, 'Be a Ronaldo for a day' for all segments of travellers through

which they can visit the place where the footballer lived in his early days, the academy where he started to play as well as the stadium,” mentioned Ferreira.

“If Portugal tourism also takes the initiative and targets Bollywood tourism from India, Portugal as a destination can become a preferred destination for travellers heading to Europe.

Travellers can also opt for self drive and adventure holiday options. Osiris can offer end-toend solutions for travellers looking for unique experiences in Portugal and Spain. We could look at doing thematic weddings as well,” said Motwani, adding that, “We have spent time in educating the travel trade about Portugal as a destination and the feedback has been positive.

We are keen to continue organising workshops. For long-haul travel to gain momentum, destinations need to focus on areas such as- good tourism offerings, ease of visa process, flight connectivity.”

THE KINGDOM of Bhutan has come up with a calendar of events and festivals for 2015, to attract tourists to experience its culture and hospitality. Coinciding with the 60th birthday of Bhutan's fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the year 2015 has been named as the ‘Visit Bhutan Year’. Announcing the same, Damcho Rinzin, head, marketing and promotion division, Tourism Council of Bhutan, stated, “We have planned one big highlight event for every month and for better facilitation of the same, an easy to use website has been launched with details of the events, experiences, special offers of that time, etc.” The Tourism Council of Bhutan will also be working in partnership with the travel trade to create unique experiential packages around key themes like adventure, culture, wellness, nature etc.

Elaborating on the importance of India as a major source market for Bhutan, Rinzin said, “We get about upto 50,000 Indian visitors, making it the top source market and therefore, we organise about five-six events every year in India.”

Rinzin also informed that tourism in Bhutan is the second most important contributor to the revenue of the region after hydelpower and the largest foreign exchange earner. “We

Tourism Council of Bhutan will also work in partnership with the travel trade to create experiential packages have observed a 10 per cent increase in revenue from international visitors, whereas Indian tourists have increased their spending habits by 16 per cent,” he added.

Talking about the key events planned for 2015, Rinzin said that the Tour of the Dragon - Bicycle Race in September, the 60th birthday celebrations of HE Jigme Singye Wangchuck in November, and Druk Wangyel Tshechu at Dochula Thimphu in December are the main highlights. Rinzin also stated, “The events and festivals for 'Visit Bhutan Year' will be celebrated across the country, and therefore it would be ideal for travellers to explore the entire Kingdom, since Indian tourists largely confine themselves to the Western Golden Triangle of Bhutan, and don't explore the eastern and southern parts of the country.”

MARKETS

Tourism Toronto promotes itself as incentive destination in India Air Canada to start direct flights from Delhi to Toronto Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai AFTER SUCCESSFULLY hosting 4000 international delegates during the Amway Leadership Seminar last year, Tourism Toronto is now focused on positioning the city as an incentive destination in India. “Toronto has usually been perceived as a business city, but we are trying to position Toronto as an incentive destination for multinational companies headquartered in India that need to organise global sales conferences or trainings,” stated Mark Crawford, director, international

business development, Tourism Toronto. Incentive groups going to Toronto usually visit the Niagara Falls and the surrounding wine region famous for ice wines.

“Outbound MICE from India is growing because they are finding new places to go to apart from Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. The positive effects of the publicity that we gained from Amway coming in last year is still continuing. The awareness about what Toronto has to offer as an incentive destination is growing among corporate MICE agencies in India,” opined Crawford, adding that, during his

Mark Crawford

recent trip to India, six to seven incentive groups have shown interest in hosting their

next incentive programme in Toronto with group sizes ranging from 40 to 1000 pax.

Tourism Toronto is targeting different industries for incentive travel including cement, paint, insurance, electronics, multi-level marketing companies, to name a few.

As part of this promotional effort, Tourism Toronto will be rolling out a promotional incentive programme for corporates and a promotional achievement-oriented scheme for the travel trade by mid-March this year. “We are an organisation that offers incentives for certain corporate grou ps going to Toronto. We are aware that we

have a lot of competition in India and hence we are currently developing a promotional incentive programme for corporates, which will be in phased format starting with small groups. Also we are looking at ways to reward and inspire travel agencies through a promotional achievement-oriented scheme,” mentioned Crawford.

To help reduce air travel time between India and Canada, Air Canada will be starting direct flights from Delhi to Toronto from November this year. Also the airline is planning to start direct flights from Mumbai to Vancouver.

Japan looks to attract leisure and family segment from India Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai AFTER HAVING strengthened its image as a business events destination, Japan is now aggressively focusing on positioning itself as a leisure and family destination in the India market by promoting its lesser known regions like Hokkaido in northern Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki to name a few. Speaking on the sidelines of the recently concluded ‘Visit Japan Trade Seminar’ held in Mumbai, Hideki Manabe, executive director – Singapore, Malaysia and India, Japan National

Hideki Manabe

Tourism Organisation (JNTO) stated, “So far travellers to Japan have been business cum leisure but now the focus is to attract the leisure and family segment from India. Most people are usually first time visitors to Japan and they visit the Golden Route which is from Tokyo to Osaka covering Kyoto (the old capital). However, now we want to promote other regions like Hokkaido in northern Japan, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki, since many Indians are interested in the history behind these regions.”

To promote its leisure offerings in the India market, JNTO

has been participating in various travel trade shows and organising marketing campaigns.

“We have been working in a systematic manner to create awareness pan India. We are investing in B2C advertising like out-of-home hoardings, hosting FAM trips for the media and travel trade, participating in travel trade shows in the country, etc. We have been working in small markets like Chandigarh by participating in CII, IT&CMA, etc. We are also publishing an Indian food guide book and we want to show a short commercial on Japan at multiplexes prior to the start of a movie. Our purpose has been

to create more awareness and increase numbers.”

Japan recorded 88,000 arrivals from India in 2014 and a growth of 17 per cent in the FY 2013-2014. This year the tourism organisation is expecting 100,000 arrivals from India.

“Presently Mumbai and Delhi are our two major gateways with Air India, Japan Airlines and ANA offering direct connectivity. Since we have a small base our major concentration will remain in these cities.

However, travel trade shows like SATTE and OTM enable us to connect with travel agents from smaller regions of India as well.”

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ADVERTORIAL

R.O. No: 193/IPR/PUB/DIS/14-15,

Date: 23.02.2015

ADVERTORIAL

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ADVERTORIAL

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22 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD March 2015

(

THE MAIN FOCUS

SHEEMA VOHRA MANAGING DIRECTOR, SARTHA GLOBAL MARKETING

MY VISION

COUNTERING CHALLENGES I have had my shares of ups and downs in life. Times were extremely challenging but I always bounced back with a lot more focus and determination to succeed.

I have absolutely no regrets because I believe that my life’s experiences are an integral part in shaping me and helping me become the person I am today. Life has taught me some important lessons like learning to work with people and imparting what you have learnt. Nothing gives me more happiness to see those I have worked with progress and make a mark in their careers and society. My strength lies in my belief that there are no short cuts in life, hard work

will be recognised and positive attitude always yields positive results.

WOMEN @WORK

Sartha was primarily created to promote destinations and products of the US market, which I believe has a lot to offer to Indian tourists as an outbound destination. Even though there is still a need to create better awareness about what I believe is one of the most wonderful destinations in the world, outbound tourism from India to USA is growing tremendously. I hope to expand our professional footprint in future and as I believe in providing quality services with integrity to all our clients, and with the hope of doing the same in future as well, recognition and rewards will automatically follow.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE I am blessed to have support from the industry, my friends and so many people who have played an important role in my growth as a person and a professional and continue to be a part of my journey. In the recent years I have realised that all of us need to set aside some time to enjoy ourselves with our friends and family. I now ensure that I get some time off for myself and do all that I love to do. I am a professional and very driven at my work, but once I leave the office, I like to relax and do fun things. I enjoy partying and catching up with friends. I am also passionate about Indian music and am a student of semi-classical Indian singing. I also enjoy watching movies and going to the theatre.

INDUSTRY FORECAST Presently, the prospects of the tourism industry seems bright with the new government coming in and undertaking various initiatives and measures to promote India as a tourist destination. India has great potential which needs to be explored.

(As told to Archana Sharma)

TIMES WERE EXTREMELY CHALLENGING BUT I ALWAYS BOUNCED BACK .

I HAVE NO REGRETS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT MY LIFE’S EXPERIENCES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART IN SHAPING ME EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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RADHA BHATIA CHAIRPERSON, BIRD GROUP The Bird Group focuses on the corporate sector, leveraging its knowledge, leadership and operations to add lasting value for its stakeholders and investors. At present, it is growing into five verticals and I hope that they evolve as per the requirements of the present time and the various industries. The hospitality business is already growing and the ground development sector offers a lot of opportunities which should be captured. However, my effort s are going to be focused on the educational wing, which has been concentrating and expanding only on the travel, tourism and aviation sector, so far.

We need to start capturing the minds of our younger generation, and start developing, moulding and training them at an earlier stage itself, especially the underprivileged ones, as they are a part of our future workforce. I am also planning to retire in two years, if people let me and do only charity work.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES In my 40 years of experience, I have faced many challenges, starting from being a student to becoming a housewife and later a working professional. Working with your family isn't easy, especially your husband and can be quite challenging at times. But one needs to maintain a balance between their professional life and personal one, in order to manage such situations.

The Bird Group employs over 4600 people and like any other people oriented industry, it is important for the management to

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WOMEN @WORK

MY VISION

understand the capabilities of the employees and provide opportunities keeping them in mind. This not only helps in boosting the morale of the workforce but also helps in keeping the issues at bay.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE In my experience, one needs to devote not just quantity but also quality time to their professional life as well as to their family, as it helps in maintaining a balance between the different spheres of our lives. Also, one has to be mentally alert and present, both personally and professionally, to be able to prioritise whatever comes one's way.

INDUSTRY FORECAST With the new government and growing economy, the prospects of tourism in India are looking better.

Both the tourism and hospitality segments are growing at a faster pace, in comparison to earlier times, as the government has undertaken various initiatives and measures to promote India as a tourist destination. Being one of the oldest cultures of the world and with various and diverse destinations, India has immense potential, which is gradually being realised.

Especially with the 'Make in India' campaign and the new visa scheme of 'Tourist Visa on Arrival', which are already boosting the tourism sector, the Indian government is promoting the tourism sector globally. However, I do feel that India requires another campaign to promote holidays in India better, like 'Holiday in India', etc.

(As told to Archana Sharma)

ONE NEEDS TO DEVOTE NOT JUST QUANTITY BUTALSO QUALITYTIME TO PROFESSIONAL LIFE AS WELLAS TO FAMILY,AS IT HELPS IN MAINTAINING A BALANCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT SPHERES OF OUR LIVES

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VASUDHA SONDHI MANAGING DIRECTOR, OUTBOUND MARKETING Our vision in the first 10 years of business was to be among the top three tourism/hospitality sales and marketing companies.We achieved this well within the time frame set.We also underscored our vision with the philosophy of putting sales back in the representation business thus making us accountable for the numbers delivered.This was done while keeping the overarching brand philosophy of our represented hotel and tourism clients.

Our vision since the last one year has been to scale up the business through the process of acquiring associates and mentoring talent.We will be setting up associates and smaller regional outfits to assist hotels, tourism boards and tourism attractions, in India and internationally.

We will also enter into non conflicting B2C business which I hope to announce by mid year 2015.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES Unfortunately with the fast growth of the hospitality industry, we are forced to hire under circumstances where personnels are coming in jump jobs and at designations without a strong foundation or knowledge base.We have however started looking across industries to find the right people.

Lack of command over English, lack of general knowledge even at senior levels, lack of basic courtesies, poor body language are all challenges that we face. On a macro level we have players who are coming into the sales and marketing business (read representation business) without any knowledge or skills required for selling, positioning or branding.They undersell them-

WOMEN @WORK

MYVISION

selves and get clients on the basis of a low fee, clients who after a couple of years of struggle either change the company or worse still have a terrible opinion of our industry or Indians in general and leave the country.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE The verdict is out...there is no balance.

You just get lucky.Just like everything else, our needs change, our lifestyles change and after a point we are beyond caring. I have gone through managing a family, work, travel, illness of elders and so on. I cannot admit to being terribly structured or balanced. I very much wanted my career, got a good back up from my husband’s family. It made me prioritise and enabled me to give time to my family and work. But you do miss out. I was not around when my children had their first tooth out or when they learnt new skills or new words. I mean how do you balance all that? No pain, no gain. Life is all about choices.

INDUSTRY FORECAST For the industry, I would like to see the following: 1.There should be some government granted legitimacy to setting up of travel agencies and tour operations business.Today just anyone and everyone can set up the business and deliver mediocre services.

2.We need highly skilled personnel in the industry today. I think the tourism courses offered should include besides technical, in their curriculum some soft skills as well such as something that may be taught at a finishing school. I read a famous writer and in his words I quote that we need three skills - people, persuasion and

I WAS NOTAROUND WHEN MY CHILDREN HAD THEIR FIRST TOOTH OUT OR WHEN THEY LEARNT NEW SKILLS.I MEAN HOW DO YOU BALANCE ALL THAT? NO PAIN,NO GAIN.LIFE IS ALLABOUT CHOICES prioritisation.

People skills require courteousness and finally people deal with people they like. Persuasion requires the ability to convince, negotiate and influence to sell with integrity rather than with tactics which seem manipulative. Prioritisation leads to cutting down time spent wastefully and dealing with what’s important.

3. I would like to see more and more students opting for this industry as first choice because it offers so much - the satisfaction of seeing happy customers at a hotel, or the ability to create the most memorable holidays for clients, the opportunity to see the world and gain knowledge through interacting with various cultures and people, among others.

4. I would like to see this industry in India embracing excellence and best practices right from the small scale to the large companies.

(As told to Reema Lokesh)

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SABINA CHOPRA CO-FOUNDER AND EVP OPERATIONS, YATRA.COM Being associated with Yatra.com for over nine years, I have seen it create a major brand name for itself. My current role is about developing the hotel business in the corporate segment, since the companies or employees generally have to handle their own travel arrangements due to lack of a Travel Management Company (TMC) or centralised agency for hotels. I am now concentrating my efforts to start a new line and create a TMC only for hotels in India, making us the first of our kind in India. I also wish to see Yatra.com achieve the maximum potential in the online market segment and reach new heights, and with the potential of the tourism and hospitality sector unfolding, I am hoping for Yatra.com to achieve maximum growth with optimum profitability.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES My current role requires me to not just create new things but also understand the already existing concepts, and as a result there have been quite a few roadblocks in my way. The main issue was creating awareness about the online travel trade as there was no Online Travel Agency (OTA) present, when we had entered the market. Also the India market was more fragmented then, in comparison to recent times. I had to personally approach three and four star hotels and markets, as it was challenging to explain the entire concept about the potential of the online system to

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WOMEN @WORK

MY VISION

them. Also finding the right people for the job was extremely challenging and so was providing training to people about the online systems.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE Being married with two kids, I think I have been a bit lucky. However, I believe in prioritising and therefore have been able to create a middle path so that neither my professional or personal life has to suffer.

One has to understand that there is a limit to what the organisation will be willing to take and one cannot be unavailable during major projects. At times I have even compromised on taking leaves and holidays and worked even when sick.

Also, with the advent of technology, working from home has also become a convenient option.

I believe that the ability to multitask is a major part of maintaining balance and can be beneficial for all the different roles that one has, professionally or personally. It helps in switching channels between the various aspects of our lives. Also, family and spousal support is necessary, especially for working women. And lately, I think that things have changed to quite some extent as earlier working women weren't given much support from their families and men weren't that responsible in household matters, it was more of a female domain.

INDUSTRY FORECAST Travel trade is an open industry and both hotel and hospitality sectors are great supporters of female

I BELIEVE THATTHE ABILITY TO MULTITASK IS A MAJOR PART OF MAINTAINING BALANCE AND CAN BE BENEFICIAL FOR ALLTHE DIFFERENT ROLES THAT ONE HAS,PROFESSIONALLY OR PERSONALLY employees and has a large women strength and partnership from the beginning. I believe this trend will keep up and women won't have to struggle much professionally.

(As told to Archana Sharma)

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VEENA PATIL MANAGING DIRECTOR, VEENA WORLD Whatever we do, we need to work very hard to strive to excel. My vision is to keep growing the company in a healthy manner and make it more renowned. It should be a financially healthy company. I believe that the staff working for you should be happy as their support in the growth of the company is also vital. In my 30 years of experience in the travel industry, I feel happy that I have been able to establish a strong and trustworthy connection with my staff and travellers booking from the company for their travel holidays. It is due to this reason that we are able to get repeat travellers always. Ours is an emotional and commercial bond with the company and all the people are nurtured in this culture. We are a home-grown brand and I want the company to grow sustainably for smooth operations.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES The experience of starting afresh and establishing Veena World in mid 2013 after moving on from Kesari Tours was a tough challenge for all of us. We had about 200 employees who supported us which was a huge encouragement for us in tough times. When Veena World started we were able to book 78,000 travellers in the first year of operations itself. This shows the strength and support that we have as a team. And going forward, this emotional and trustworthy connect that we have with our people is going to be the growth driver for the company. In terms of travel

WOMEN @WORK

MY VISION

product offerings, we have been quite innovative whether it be our student tours, honeymooners tours, senior citizen tours, etc. We have started offering jubilee special tours wherein we are not just offering touring facilities but also building relationship with our travellers. I am thankful for all the support that our repeat travellers have rendered to us in whatever tour products we have been offerings. A financially strong background with emotional connect will help Veena World to progress even more in the future, and we in the company are striving hard towards reaching our goals.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE When I entered the industry I decided that I needed to have the support of everyone. We are a company of people without whose support we will not be able to move ahead. We should be emotionally strong, and fortunately I had the immense support of my parents, in-laws, husband and children. Women have to understand that they have to be health conscious and exercise to be fit in order to handle stressful situations.

It is important that we refrain ourselves from petty issues.

INDUSTRY FORECAST The travel industry is going to grow and as far as the company is concerned Veena World is also optimistic of its growth. We have to be concerned of increasing our domestic tourism numbers compared to outbound tourism. We have too much competition from the South East Asian and Middle East coun-

WOMEN HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THATTHEY HAVE TO BE HEALTH CONSCIOUS AND EXERCISE TO BE FIT IN ORDER TO HANDLE STRESSFUL SITUATIONS .

IT IS IMPORTANTTO REFRAIN OURSELVES FROM PETTY ISSUES tries, but we are blessed with abundance of natural beauty and tourism offerings. There is a need for infrastructure development for easy access to these beautiful locations in India where tourism can flourish. We have huge expectations from the centre and state governments on putting focus on tourism opportunity of India. We have to keep developing tourism offerings which continue to attract tourists to India and make it the preferred tourism destination.

(As told to Kahini Chakraborty)

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RATNA CHADHA CHIEF EXECUTIVE, TIRUN TRAVEL MARKETING

When we started the company, our challenge was to carve a niche for the cruise travel market in India. Today, Asia has become a huge source market and we see an opportunity for tremendous growth. Royal Caribbean International will have year round deployment from Singapore starting 2015, as also the basing of Quantum of the Seas, the newest and the most futuristic ship ever in China from June 2015, will definitely provide a fillip to our efforts. Additionally with Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises liners making intermittent stops at Indian ports in the coming months, we are forecasting a spurt in the number of Indian guests opting for luxury cruise travel. As India’s premier cruise counsellors, we aim to command a lion’s share of the cruise market and enjoy top-of-the-mind recall when people plan a cruise vacation. We thus hope to capture a sizeable share of the market as exclusive India Representative for Royal Caribbean Cruises with a portfolio of three of its cruise brands including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.

WOMEN @WORK

MY VISION

a woman is never easy, and more so in a male dominated industry.

But I have always believed in putting in my best efforts in each of my tasks and thankfully every challenge proves to be a learning one as I move ahead.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE The role of a contemporary woman in Indian society has changed with times. Nowadays, it is no longer enough to be a good homemaker or a successful professional but the secret lies in finding the perfect work-life balance.

My way of doing this is by compartmentalising each of these roles so they don't tread on each other.

INDUSTRY FORECAST India holds great potential for cruise tourism. As the middle and upper middle classes expand and purchasing propensities rise, the lifestyle aspirations are demonstrating a concomitant evolution.

Presently there are a little over 1,20,000 cruisers from India, and by 2018, we are expecting a significant rise in this figure on the back of relevant deployments in Asia and rest of the world.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES Running a successful business for

28 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD March 2015

(As told to Akshay Kumar)

NOWADAYS,IT IS NO LONGER ENOUGH TO BE A GOOD HOMEMAKER OR A SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONAL BUTTHE SECRET LIES IN FINDING THE PERFECTWORK-LIFE BALANCE.MYWAY OF DOING THIS IS BY COMPARTMENTALISING EACH OFTHESE ROLES

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NEELU SINGH COO, EZEEGO1.COM I aspire to make Ezeego1 a brand to reckon with, when people think of absolutely any aspect related to travel.

My vision for Ezeego1.com is to create multiple opportunities for consumers to operate efficiently in the online travel space and get the best possible results.A customer will not be loyal towards your brand unless he sees value in your offerings. Our vision is to bring this value to all our customers which would transform the dynamics of holidaying for them.

WOMEN @WORK

MY VISION

derstands that he is a key contributor in the house. For me, being committed to work is just as important as being committed to family.The key is being able to strike a balance. I have decided that I need to make my personal life as well as professional life work out well. Having said this, I do not pressurise myself unnecessarily.

Instead of dwelling on the issue, I tend to focus on resolving it. I believe that is what differentiates a helpless sufferer from someone who succeeds in life.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES

INDUSTRY FORECAST

Mentally I have never felt that there is anything that I cannot achieve. My mindset has always been that you can overcome any challenge that lies ahead of you. Because of this, I have never perceived a challenge to be a challenge.The only obstacles I have faced were primarily operational in nature, which are bound to emerge given how our industry is structured.

But there is very little that anyone can do about these things. In fact, it is only during difficult times that you learn to innovate and conquer the challenges in your favour.

India’s travel and tourism industry has a huge growth potential in terms of inbound as well as outbound tourism. Given the rise in number of global tourists and having realised India’s growth potential, many international hotel chains have invested in the tourism and hospitality sector.

Similar is the case with the aviation industry, as newer airlines in the low cost as well as full service space have launched operations from India.

We expect the short haul sector to grow further as short weekend trips become a trend amongst Indian families.We are coming up with exciting domestic as well as international products specifically targeted for this audience, which looks for a quick getaway every once in a while, just to break the monotony of everyday routine.Travellers are increasingly getting experimental about their holidays and now on the lookout for offbeat experiential travel, thus encouraging unexplored destinations to prosper, along with the established ones.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE My family plays a pivotal role in helping me manage both fronts efficiently. I make sure there is support at home. I have personally trained my staff to manage day-to-day tasks the way I would. I receive tremendous support from my 10 year old son, who is way more mature and responsible for his age. He understands that his mother is a working woman. Both my husband and I have invested a lot of time and effort in making him independent at a young age. He also un-

(As told to Sudipta Dev)

INSTEAD OF DWELLING ON THE ISSUE,I TEND TO FOCUS ON RESOLVING IT. I BELIEVE THAT IS WHAT DIFFERENTIATES A HELPLESS SUFFERER FROM SOMEONE WHO SUCCEEDS IN LIFE EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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ANJU TANDON CEO, ARK TRAVELS We are looking at maintaining our position at being the top seller of cruises in India. The focus is to develop new segments / events which can be held on cruises and educate and focus on our B2B partners so that they can grow the cruise market in their region. Star Cruises certainly remains the focus but since the demand for European and Alaska cruises is also on the rise, our team is successfully pushing sales for NCL for all their cruises. We are adding more B2B products such as Club Med, We believe the product has a lot of potential and we want to promote it with full dedication and fortunately we have been successful in penetrating the tip of the market for a start.

Ark Travels was established in 1981 as the manifestation of a dream. A dream, to provide India a world class, quality, and personal holiday service; that too at a time when travel, especially abroad, was still the privilege of a select few.

However, it was precisely this pioneering vision, one where every Indian would have an opportunity to experience a world class vacation, that propelled Ark to persevere. Over the years, many innovative strides were made to realise this dream. We diversified our services portfolio by offering a bouquet of options hitherto unavailable in India. Cruise vacations, which was one such addition, quickly became our core focus.

Our commitment to the retail travel trade and to the discerning holidaymaker directly, is on equal terms.

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Our painstaking efforts have borne fruit; that we are today, one of the largest sellers of Star Cruises not just in India, but among the top sellers in the world, is testimony to that hard work. Work, which for us, is a labour of love.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES I think online is a challenge and also an opportunity. Every one has to grow and develop their online presence and business. Offline will always be the backbone even for the online, so we are working on improving our services so that the knowledge and the quality of service is unmatched. Client comes with too much half baked knowledge / or too many attractive offers ( he thinks) thus keeping everyone on toes. One needs to be on top of things to be in a win-win situation.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE This is a tough one especially in India where work timings extend to your private time, no one is willing to wait, and everything has to be done now. I think personal discipline is essential but ultimately for a woman all spheres are equally important - be it work, home or social commitments. One is always walking on a tight rope and in the end I think it is our personal hobbies and preferences which take a back seat. Keep some time for yourself to keep your sanity.

(As told to Kahini Chakraborty)

I THINK PERSONAL DISCIPLINE IS ESSENTIAL BUT ULTIMATELY FOR AWOMAN ALL SPHERES ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT - BE IT WORK,HOME OR SOCIAL COMMITMENTS. KEEP SOME TIME FOR YOURSELFTO KEEP YOUR SANITY

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PUNAM SINGH MYVISION I am currently wearing three hats.

First, as the executive director of OTOAI – (Outbound Tour Operators Association of India); second as director at VKonect, a foremost, outbound focused B2B events platform and recently, as the representative – India & SE Asia for Golden Tours, UK. I have joined OTOAI with a clear remit to ensure their focus remains outbound promotion through a desirable mix of active members, to promote destination knowledge and learning amongst the member tour operators, to ensure integrity in OTOAI functioning, to coordinate member arbitration, to facilitate all the Fam trips and OTOAI Convention and to spearhead the efforts towards government recognition of the outbound travel industry in India.

VKonect has already broken industry barriers in quality presentation of their luxury event last October which was an unprecedented success with a superb ROI. One plans to make this the foremost trade events platform amongst others.

Golden Tours is a superb option for those wishing to upsell experiences, coach tours and capsules in London, Britain and the continent asides of having a dedicated DMC arm to handle bespoke leisure, FIT, group and MICE requirements which we hope to make the first choice of sale for agents for that destination.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WITH OTOAI (OUTBOUND TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA), DIRECTOR WITH VKONECT, REPRESENTATIVE INDIA & SE ASIA FOR GOLDEN TOURS, UK COUNTERING CHALLENGES Speaking for myself, this key has been honed over the years to be a judicious mix of focus, delegation, prioritisation and to see the challenges as an opportunity to excel further.Too often, we can’t see the forest for the trees.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE This is the single most important balance which all of us must strive for - to remain healthy, happy, for nurturing important relationships, for making space for what is important for ourselves and definitely, for me, to make the world a slightly better place for myself and others.And, it is constant work in progress.

What works for me is also a sense of humour, compassion, gratitude for what the universe bestows on me, my spiritual beliefs and the practice of Nichiren Buddhism which grounds me and gives me courage and fortitude.

INDUSTRY FORECAST The travel industry in India is in an unimaginable state of flux. OTAs, digital marketing, Google,Trip Advisor, direct selling by airlines, offloading inventory online by hotels, the constant breaking of destination boundaries, shrinking timelines, disappearing IATA commissions, a knowledgeable and demanding market, huge amounts of disposable income, changing trends

THIS KEY HAS BEEN HONED OVER THE YEARS TO SEE THE CHALLENGES AS AN OPPORTUNITYTO EXCEL FURTHER.TOO OFTEN,WE CAN’T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES in travel temperaments, the influence of films, books,You Tube, etc., in destination choices and experiences, cutting edge marketing campaigns, hyper activity of over 70 overseas tourism boards in India, a plethora of travel trade events both pan India and overseas,VOA for 43 countries into India and so much more – sometimes it is difficult to stay still and take stock.

Currently the India outbound industry numbers at 17 million plus outnumber the inbound figures at 6.7 million almost three fold.The Indian travel trade has to get more inventive, creative and enlarge their outbound destination basket of offerings, working effectively through select DMC’s and choosing to up sell experiences and tours in a wide variety of options.Their buyers are generally much better informed than the agents and in a highly price conscious market what will clinch the deal is the knowledge, service, variety, speed and also, exclusivity of your offerings. Else, it is increasing your inventory through quality partners, good delivery and quick selling mechanisms with healthy retentions.

(As told to Sudipta Dev)

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RITIKA MODI REGIONAL PRESIDENT UNIGLOBE TRAVEL (SOUTH ASIA) At present we are collectively at a turnover of over `2000+ crore. As we expand our membership over the next couple of years, we will be crossing the 100 location mark which ensures strong presence across the market. The aim is to grow the group’s combined turnover to `5000 crore which we are very confident of achieving and that means buying power for us and sales power for our preferred suppliers. And that’s really the win/win of UNIGLOBE Travel. Our members are in business for themselves, but not by themselves. And that is why I brought UNIGLOBE Travel to India.We will eventually look for members in Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives which are part of our region. The expansion plan in the South Asia region is to invite participation that grows the network to a 100 plus locations.

The Modi Group operates the regional master franchise of UNIGLOBE Travel in the South Asia region that covers India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives. The South Asia region began operations in 2002 and currently has over 55 agency locations across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with an annual sales volume of `2700+ crore, making

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UNIGLOBE one of the top five travel management companies in India. With presence in over six continents, UNIGLOBE is the world’s largest single brand travel network. By adding the UNIGLOBE brand to your name, you gain business power at two distinct levels – sales power and buying power.

Sales power gives you big player credentials to compete with big players, the OTAs, and even the airlines. At the same time, our buying power brings you better- thanmarket deals and helps share costs for technology, marketing and advertising.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES I have been working in the industry since I was 18. There was never a challenge that could not be resolved. In fact, I take challenges in my stride.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE I think it’s important to have a good work-life balance. I like to spend my spare time playing golf and reading books. I am an avid reader and my current read is 13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck by Ashwin Sanghi.

(As told to Reema Lokesh)

I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY SINCE I WAS 18.THERE WAS NEVER A CHALLENGE THAT COULD NOT BE RESOLVED. IN FACT,I TAKE CHALLENGES IN MY STRIDE.I THINK IT’S IMPORTANTTO HAVE A GOOD WORK-LIFE BALANCE

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SUSIEBEN SHAH FOUNDER, PRIYADARSHINI TAXI SERVICE

It is our endeavour to make our service more viable, visible and available.

To achieve that we are in talks with a leading international corporation which specialises in travel and logistics business with a view to grow our fleet in Mumbai and take the concept to other cities in India. Priyadarshini Taxi Service has tied up with leading medical tourism service companies for providing specialised services as per the requirements of the patients coming from around the world.We not only provide the drop and pick service from airports but the Priyadarshini women also cater to the varied medical needs during their treatments. Our services are also used by call centres, corporates, travel agents, hotels, etc for their women employees and customers, who feel more comfortable if the taxi is driven by a woman. Our service assures them with the much needed safety, security and comfort.We are the only service provider who has been granted permits for women drivers by the Government of Maharashtra. Our short term goal is to have 75 taxis on road by the end of this year and 200 by the end of 2016.With growing urbanisation and ever growing women participation in the work force, Priyadarshini Taxi Service, would definitely emerge as a safe and secure alternative to working professional and/or a regular commuter.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES Priyadarshini Taxi Service is born in

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the gullies and chawls of Mumbai.As the president of Stree Shakti Kendra, I have helped implement welfare schemes of the government for the poor, old and destitute men and women of Mumbai.While visiting them, I came across lots of young women, who had a twinkle in their eyes and a hunger to reach out and succeed.What they lacked was the opportunity and path / direction to realise their dreams.We took this mantle and enrolled women who wanted to enter the male dominated profession of driving taxis in Mumbai.

Our focus was those women whose family income was less than `10,000 per month.We received more than 100 applications and conducted interviews with the candidates and their families because it is very important that when a woman is on the road for 10 / 12 hours, the family supports them.This means and counts a lot to the lady driver.We conducted extensive training for three months which of course included amongst others, training in skillful and efficient driving.The aim of the comprehensive training programme is to ensure that the participants come out more confident, empowered and smart - ready to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Many of our drivers are widows, single mother and from the minority community. Many of them are the sole bread winners of their family.

This paves the way to a definite shift from the patriarchal family to a matriarchal family, where the head of the family, the decision maker, is the

Priyadarshini woman. Further, it must be stressed that the income so generated is used for a better standard of living, health and education of the family.

Priyadarshini Taxi Service, like other business entities, had competitors in the segment of its business operations.

However, unlike others, Priyadarshini Taxi Service enjoys the reputation of providing women driven taxi services for all passengers, not necessarily only women, which makes it a distinct entity among its competitors.Thus, the company is naturally blessed with the advantage of near absence of any competitors in its segment of business operations today.

WORK- LIFE BALANCE Basically all women are born planners and very good at multitasking. I am proud to say that I am a woman in the true sense having a passion for my work and deep-rooted love for my near and dear ones. I am blessed by a very good professional team and supportive family members who are the biggest pillars and motivation for my work.At the home front, my family members who believe in my passion for women empowerment are always there to extend their help and support to me in all my initiatives.

A capable professional with well-knitted team members at work helps one entrust the greatest of responsibilities on the team members with instructions to handle them independently and derive the highest level of results from them. I am a strong believer in team work, multi-tasking and evaluating work accomplished by others with compassion.

With rapid advancements in technology and availability of more sophisticated, state-of-the-art gadgets, it has now become more easier to accomplish work responsibilities with ease and beyond the physical boundaries of office/home at the same time. Extended long hours of working and busy work schedules arising out of sheer passion for work surely affect personal life and health. However, my regular physical exercises and routine morning walks help my body to cope up with stress and keep me physically fit to undertake more strenuous work responsibilities.Although having to share multiple roles like of a housewife, a mother and lastly as a director at work place, I enthusiastically accomplish these responsibilities associated with all the three portfolios without having to encounter any sort of difficulties.

(As told to Kahini Chakraborty)

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GIRIJA CHANDRAN FOUNDER DIRECTOR AND CONSULTANT, HAMMOCK HOLIDAYS

Hammock Holidays was started in 1996 (four years before the term 'Domestic Tourism' began to be officially used) with the intention of providing domestic holidays for Indians.

'India for Indians' was our real objective. The travel industry since then has gone through a sea change, with the arrival of online travel facilitators and availability of data on the web.

My vision for Hammock is to further professionalise and grow our core competence of delivering custom made travel solutions for the discerning traveller who prefers to see the value of using our expertise and the personal touch; at the same time branching out into niche areas in travel, ensuring that profitability is maintained. As a founder director, my personal vision also includes a dream that eventually the key employees will also become stakeholders. For the industry, my vision or wish is that we gain strength from the technology available now instead of seeing it as a threat and reposition and reinvent ways in which a brick and mortar agency is still relevant for the traveller.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES When we started, travel was an industry ruled by credit. Most agencies were primarily ticketing agents and they worked on a credit of up to even 90 days. So, when we said 'No Credit' – we were the laughing stock of the industry at that time.Today, I am so happy and proud to say that the industry has come around to our position. Later, it was the advent of online

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travel portals that posed the biggest challenge. We use this to our advantage (as information is available at the click of a mouse) and retain and build up our loyal client base by providing consistently creative and innovative ways of servicing their travel needs. To counter the menace of random enquiries, we brought in a system of taking a service fee upfront to provide specific data or reservations.As a woman in this sphere, I have not encountered any major challenges. I am by nature not afraid , be it travelling alone, meeting people or addressing a group. I have usually been the one to explore a new destinations before we present it to our clients. I believe that if we truly relate to the other person as a fellow human being without judgement, they will reciprocate the trust. Fear brings out the worst in the other.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE Yes, this has been the main challenge.

I have just one daughter and during her school years, I tried to be available at home most days when she came back from school, as that was the time she would open up and share her experiences of the day.Then, once she went off to play I would return to work.

For this reason, we used to live near the office. Between me and my husband, we ensured that one of us was available at home when the other had to travel on work. Simultaneously, I had nurtured the spiritual side and today, that strength ensures equanimity in all spheres of life – personal and professional.

(As told to Reema Lokesh)

I BELIEVE THAT IF WE TRULY RELATE TO THE OTHER PERSON AS A FELLOW HUMAN BEING WITHOUTJUDGEMENT, THEYWILL RECIPROCATE THE TRUST. FEAR BRINGS OUTTHE WORST IN THE OTHER

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JYOTI MAYAL DIRECTOR, NEW AIRWAYS TRAVELS (DELHI) I think to be a woman is God’s blessings. It is beautiful, graceful and a great achievement by itself.

A woman who walks in purpose doesn’t have to chase people or opportunities. Her light causes people and opportunities to pursue her. My vision towards both my personal life and my work has always been a challenge to myself. I have always kept my goals higher than what I wanted to achieve. In my personal life, I wanted to be a lovable wife, a caring friendly mother, a good friend and a responsible and selfless human being. I have always been the one to take my life in my stride and have great faith in God and his doings. I have tried my best to adhere to all these and I think after self retrospection am happy with what I have achieved.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES At work the goals are different, one wants to achieve respect and recognition from the industry one works in. I was an interior designer by profession and entered the travel industry without having the knowledge of travel.

Each day was a learning experience. It was a challenge to face new people and trying to grasp new knowledge. I took baby steps exploring ticketing, fare structuring, making reservations, learning sales and trying to gain knowledge to the utmost. It was a challenge to gain knowledge and simultaneously meet clients and get new business. I loved meeting new people and made friends whom I cherish even today. I cherish my journey and can now discuss business to quite an extent and can even speak on

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forums and also be a friend and guide to my colleagues of the industry. I have achieved awards from various bodies under different heads.To name a few which have been conferred on me in the last few years are Young Woman of Substance & Leadership Award, Best Entrepreneur, Most Influential person, was also included in the India’s Incredible woman’s list. I am sure I have my shortcomings but that is for the industry to decide.

Life itself is a challenge and every human being should know how to cope with the same. Everyone commits mistakes but one needs to learn from them and not drown in them. I have learnt to smile and laugh through all my road blocks. It is frustrating if you keep it within yourself. I am a vocal person and call a spade a spade. I just cannot silently take anyone saying or doing wrong. I cannot take relate to anyone who is not good to others. If I think someone is harming others I retaliate. I think being a woman doesn’t mean you succumb to any behaviour which you do not feel is befitting.The world has its share of bad wolves, one should learn to put them in place and have a no nonsense attitude towards them. Do not let any one step on your toes. One should respect oneself and in turn make others respect you.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE For every woman to balance life at work and home is a challenge because whatever you do you feel you are not justifying the other.Thus guilt starts setting in. It happened with me too when my children were small. I sat down and with a cool mind gave it a thought and came to a conclusion

LIFE IS A CHALLENGE AND EVERY HUMAN BEING SHOULD KNOW HOWTO COPE WITH IT.EVERYONE COMMITS MISTAKES BUT ONE NEEDS TO LEARN FROM THEM AND NOT DROWN IN THEM that I have to achieve this balance without hurting my work or my family and I did achieve it. I was always there for the family and I justified my job too.Yes, being in my own business was a great help and to have a sporting and sympathetic husband was God sent. If your priorities in life are right you will never suffer, you could be bogged down by difficult situations but you will always be able to overcome the same if you have a clear vision and you are truthful to yourself and your surroundings and to top it all a positive attitude.

(As told to Reema Lokesh)

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JAHNABI PHOOKAN DIRECTOR, JUNGLE TRAVELS INDIA

Jungle Travels India (JTI) was started on a budget of `1000 as house rent, by a husband-wife team along with two peons, 25 years ago in Guwahati, the then sleepy capital of Assam. Today JTI is a family owned, professionally run entity of over 150 people. We were the first IATA travel agent of the northeast. We are also the only active IATO travel agent in the northeast and the only winner of the National Tourism Award based out of the northeast, to date .

The key is to explore the unexplored and carve out one's own path. When everyone said it was impossible to navigate the River Brahmaputra, we went ahead and proved them wrong. Assam Bengal Navigation Company in 2003 went on to pioneer long distance river cruising in the country. This put India on the international cruising map. Our third ship ABN Rajmahal started in 2014 was the first vessel of her size to sail past the ghats of Varanasi upto Chunar. We are confident that with the new government in the centre, the waterways will open up all the way to Allahabad. Likewise, take our foray into the hospitality sector. The Government of Assam in 2004 was only too happy to lease out their 16 roomed hotel property in Manas National Park to us, as their only guests for 20 years had been the CRPF fighting insurgents.

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Bringing in foreign tourists into Bansbari Lodge of Manas National Park ushered in tourism into this area and paved the way for many new tourist resorts there, thus leading to economic growth in this hitherto neglected but beautiful part of the state. Sustainable development and eco tourism are the latest mantras these days but it was our creed since our inception. As the DMC for eastern India, and northeast in particular, I believe that the time for the east has come.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES When I started working 25 years ago, in Guwahati, there were societal pressures of why I needed to work at all. No one had coined the buzzwords of woman entrepreneurship and women empowerment back then. Having said that, I must mention that my gender in the workplace did not matter when one had the product knowledge and work integrity in place.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE Being passionate about one’s work meant looking forward to going to work each day. Since the last 25 years, we have raised our three children along with this baby and today, there is no greater satisfaction than seeing JTI being run by our team of like minded professionals now.

(As told to Reema Lokesh)

NO ONE HAD COINED THE BUZZWORDS OFWOMAN ENTREPRENEURSHIPAND EMPOWERMENT BACK THEN. HAVING SAID THAT,I MUST MENTION THAT MY GENDER IN THE WORKPLACE DID NOT MATTER WHEN ONE HAD THE PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

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VASUKI SUNDARAM FOUNDER, WINGS TRAVEL AND TOURS My company Wings Travel and Tours was founded in 1991 with a vision of being a one stop solution for all travel requirements. In those days, travel agents used to either be ticketing agents or tour operators or foreign exchange dealers or handle only cruises, I was one of the few who offered all the services at one call. That was always my vision of a travel consultant, that any traveller should be able to get all his requirements at just a call. This includes, insurance, Forex, railways apart from cruises, tours, trade events, etc.

My company evolved along these lines and given my artistic background I started the art camps where we had top painters from India, France, Sri Lanka travelling to a destination and painting.

We had then covered destinations like Morocco, Mexico, Turkey, China, Spain, Italy, Japan, France, Ireland, when these destination were not much known, I am talking of 1997.

I always believed agriculture is the backbone of our country's economy. I was enthusiastic to learn about its basic tenets which led into starting of another vertical for my organisation since then. We worked with farmers and took them to Isreal on agro tours and also within India. We have worked with several industries and carved a niche on special industry tours. The vision of my company was to customise travel as per the need of the client and make it an experience. Our tag line 'Your bespoke travel companion' conveys it all.

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Later, along with two great senior travel professionals, Rani Bachani and Chitra Bhatia who are more like an extended family, we started Travel only for Women.

Bachani was the brainchild behind starting Travel only for Women which we deliberated during one of our travels and created a vertical for the shaktis of this world naming it 'Women Explorer'. Lot of women travel within India and abroad with us and we have been extremely successful with our venture 'Women Explorer'. Though now we see a lot of such groups for women mushrooming.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES Challenges help you grow and see things in a different perspective. Of course I have faced the gender challenge when I was part of an association. Somewhere, the lady needs to prove herself to be taken seriously, whereas the male counterpart by virtue of being a male gets the red carpet treatment. For a person like me who never believed in towing the line who spoke her mind and walked her talk was not a common occurrence. As time passed people around realised that I walked my talk and things got sorted. True I am assertive but not desperate to fight or do anything to prove a point. I just live my thoughts and act on it. I look at any challenge as an opportunity, as growth for me it is more like a director of a film getting the best out of you.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE I love this industry and its different

I LOVE THIS INDUSTRYAND ITS DIFFERENT FACETS AND ENJOY MYWORK AS A LOT OF MY LIFE'S LEARNINGS LIKE ART,MUSIC,TRAVEL HAVE TRANSLATED INTO MY DIFFERENTVERTICALS facets and enjoy my work as a lot of my life's learnings like art, music, travel have translated into my different verticals. I have my two sisters Bharathi and Sumathi, and with Sonali who has been with me over 15 years, these three ladies handle the operations extremely well. This gives me the freedom to travel and explore new destinations for my company. Women add the extra zing and a perspective to this wonderful industry.

INDUSTRY FORECAST Tourism is going to be one of the biggest sectors in India and being the executive member of International Institute for Peace through Tourism (India), I can see how tourism as an industry is being viewed globally. One can see, tourism is being considered to galvanise the people, it is a tool being used to promote peace, to give employment, to sustain the culture and embrace other cultures. It is clearly a platform to expand one's horizon and give oneself the thrust to enhance one's industry. Travel is an integral part of most industries and plays a defined role in their growth.

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SEEMAA P MAKHIJA MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRAVEL VOYAGES

Our vision is to grow the company to other cities. Service is of utmost importance which we have been providing to all clients. I have just been elected as an advisory board member of Lufthansa City Centre from Asia Pacific. Our focus is more on leisure and to look at minute details while servicing our clients. I am working with a dedicated team of professionals who are my main support, and hope to expand this operation.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES I feel the main challenge for a travel planner is to remain innovative and competitive in products and pricing. The Indian traveller is a last minute decision maker, so you need to be cool to accept changes till the last minute and deliver service. Here strong overseas partners are a must, who understand your clients. Today you have to be able to give round the clock service to clients, this is not a nine to six job.

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It is easier to maintain a work-life balance with an understanding family and a dedicated team who accept calls round the clock and work like you. Once you have accepted that you are in the service industry then you know that you are going to get calls any time, have meetings at late hours, these are all part of this industry and has to be accepted.

INDUSTRY FORECAST Tourism is set for an upswing both inbound and outbound - the current central government has made tourism one of the focus areas.

Though a lot needs to be done, steps are being taken such as - e-visas,Visa on Arrival.With the rise in disposal income, more Indians are taking holidays both within and outside India and this trend is set to grow. Budget fares have also fuelled air traffic.

Tourism should boom and hopefully the government will do something to improve infrastructure.The world wants to visit India, what better time than now.

I FEELTHE MAIN CHALLENGE FOR ATRAVEL PLANNER IS TO REMAIN INNOVATIVE AND COMPETITIVE IN PRODUCTS AND PRICING.THE INDIAN TRAVELLER IS A LAST MINUTE DECISION MAKER, SO YOU NEED TO BE COOLTO ACCEPT CHANGES TILLTHE LAST MINUTE AND DELIVER

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SHOBA MOHAN FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, RARE – DESTINATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

RARE has always believed in crusading for new routes, destinations and experiences. Even with much being attributed to the online space, for promoting the intimate, personal and niche, we believe small owner running hotels and experiences need a strong voice that passionately talks about the stories. We believe awareness campaigns such as events, festivals and promotions will go a long way in inspiring people to travel to off-beat places and also encourage values like conservation and inclusiveness. We exist for those few who value niche vs mass, those that work towards conservation, art, community progress, wellness, sustainability and so on and those handful of people who wish to make a visible difference.

Soon luxury has to have a heart, premium will have to tell its story and every hospitality product should involve and uplift the people who power it, and service will have to smile so that it reaches the eyes and endears the spirit. Travel will no longer be mindless and selfgratifying, but evolve to be a personal learning experience, a change maker.

COUNTERING CHALLENGES One of the biggest challenges for a business like ours is to spread the web of awareness far and wide to

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people in every corner of the world, to look beyond the star hotels and come and stay with real people, people with stories to tell and skills to impart, people who will turn mundane programmes into exquisite memories. We will eventually have to look at the online space to spread information about RARE and the hotels we promote, however our offline will always co-exist.

What can be better than to hear the story of a heritage haveli or a crumbling fort in a remote village in Rajasthan, restored with personal money of the owner having given up a lucrative career and the swinging city life to go back to his roots. RARE is proud to have a team that is as dedicated and driven as we began years ago.

Work-life balance I am proud to state that what I am today is what my travels have made me. A poet, a writer, a crusader, a bird nut, an animal lover‌. all of this from travels - ever changing, ever moving, ever learning.

Every professional demands its pound of flesh. Hence the balance especially in the last few years has tipped heavily towards work. However I am grateful that RARE provided me the opportunity in its initial growth phase to be with my children and go through their difficult years of childhood and youth.

There are certain perks and jolts that come with every profession,

WE BELIEVE AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS SUCH AS EVENTS,FESTIVALS AND PROMOTIONS WILL GO A LONG WAY IN INSPIRING PEOPLE TO TRAVELTO OFF-BEAT PLACES for travel it is the many days that you have to spend away from home. But then I always think about the places and people I have taken my children to, the rich experiences they have had. And I remember as small children they asked me, if a hotel they like was a RARE hotel, it was a moment of bliss!

(As told to Reema Lokesh)

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RANI BACHANI MY VISION My company Vice Regal Travels was set up by me in 1995 and many changes have taken place in the travel industry in these last 20 years. I constantly strive to keep my company updated to the changing trends in the industry and make my agency a source of travel ideas and information that my clients can tap into. I want my agency to provide ultimate travel experiences to my customers. The travel industry will get better and more profitable if the agents can give their customers new experiences and ideas. I have started a travel club exclusively for women and its called WE [Women Explorers]. It gives women the opportunity to travel and see the world and make new friends and gain confidence by travelling independently.

As these women travel on their own they enjoy it so much since it is a pure holiday for them without having to take care of their spouse and children. They learn to express themselves and get a chance to do whatever they like. I find this WE club to be a great idea and I want to get women from all over the world to join and travel together and learn from each other.

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WOMEN @WORK

VICE PRESIDENT, VICE REGAL TRAVELS & RESORTS Countering challenges The biggest challenge for a woman in the travel industry is to prove that she can be as good if not better than her male counterparts and can run a successful business. The Internet is another challenge to everyone who is in the travel business. It is up to us to prove to our customers that finally direct human contact is more valuable and worth the extra money, when they have a problem the Internet cannot help them, it is only an agent who will come to their help.

Work-life balance Being in the travel industry is a 24x7 job. It is important to make sure that you are not all work and no play. We have to keep enough time for our families, children and hobbies and must learn to switch off after office hours or there is the danger of getting burned out. We have to educate our customers that though we are there for them in case of any emergency, we are not available 24x7 for trivial matters. I make sure to do my yoga in the morning, zumba thrice a week and my Sundays are exclusively for spending time with family and friends.

(As told to Reema Lokesh)

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR AWOMAN IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY IS TO PROVE THAT SHE CAN BE AS GOOD IF NOT BETTER THAN HER MALE COUNTERPARTS

SPOTLIGHT

SPEARHEADING ARAB TOURISM While the tourism potential of Sharjah is yet to be discovered by the world, events like the recently organised Sharjah Light Festival is creating awareness that the emirate on its own has perhaps the most to offer in UAE to the new age global traveller

By Sudipta Dev

J

UST HALF AN hour drive from Dubai is the emirate of Sharjah, which for many travellers is known as the hub for Air Arabia flights rather than as a tourism destination. The government of Sharjah is making concerted efforts to showcase the potential of the emirate as a global tourism destination. With Sharjah being selected as the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2015, these efforts will create a lot of awareness in the near future. Sharjah has a rich cultural legacy that is well presented in its 16 museums, along with a grand architectural heritage and many more attractions that could be a great draw for tourists from across the world.

Living legacy It is evident that Sharjah is a

destination that takes great pride in its heritage and culture the concept might be new, but the true essence of the land is beautifully interwoven in the thematic presentations. So whether it is the spectacular visuals of the Sharjah Light Festival on heritage buildings in the city or the Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum, every tourism attraction presents a flow of continuity from the past to the present. Sharjah could in fact be called a city of museums.

The aquarium acquaints visitors with the marine life found in the waters of the region – from the ocean to rock pools and lagoons.

It also highlights the life and times of the traditional fishing communities. Located nearby is the Sharjah Maritime Museum that is an interesting showcase of the emirate's maritime his-

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SPOTLIGHT tory. The grandest of all is the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation, which is housed in an impressive building that complements well the rich repository inside. A visit to the museum is a must and gives an interesting insight into Islam, history of its spread across the world, the art and science associated with it, and many lesser known significant facts that very few people are aware of.

The other 14 museums include Sharjah Calligraphy Museum, Sharjah Heritage Museum, Sharjah Science Museum, Sharjah Archeology Museum, Sharjah Classic Cars Museum, Sharjah Discovery Centre, and others.

The emirate also has many mosques – from the large Al Noor Mosque to many smaller ones, where the faithful congregate several times everyday.

These mosques in many ways define the skyline of Sharjah – most are beautiful beige coloured structures with large domes and towering minarets.

One of the most magnificent is the Al Noor Mosque. It has been inspired by the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. As many as 2200 people can pray in this mosque at one time. Inside the mosque, one of the interesting features is a suspended arch with calligraphy.

There is a decorative mehrab, with another wooden one in the front, so that the Imam could be closer to the congregation.

Heart of Sharjah is the oldest part of the city where homes built with corals brought from the creek in olden times have been painstakingly restored to give the modern visitor a peep into the life in those times. Adjacent to it is the Souq Al Arsa, which is the oldest market in Sharjah, where you can buy interesting bric a bracs. The Central Souk is another heritage precinct, where tourists can buy gold and souvenirs. It is a perfect place to strike a bargain.

The Cultural Square has five beautiful buildings around it – all perfect examples of modern Islamic architecture. Another architectural highlight of Sharjah is the impressive lineup of buildings at the Sharjah University.

The university is a township in itself and a drive through the

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AIR CONNECTIVITY Air Arabia flies from Sharjah to 13 destinations in India.The cities include Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Trivandrum, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru,Jaipur, Goa,Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Nagpur and Coimbatore.

area is an eye opener to the emergence of the emirate as a premier education hub in the Middle East.

Choice of activities

The emirate also has many mosques – from the large Al Noor Mosque to many smaller ones, where the faithful congregate several times everyday. These mosques in many ways define the skyline of Sharjah – most are beautiful beige coloured structures with large domes and towering minarets

For those interested in outdoor activities, Sharjah has multiple options as a destination. Topping the list is of course the desert safari. Dune bashing is followed by a falconry show. Falconry has been practised in the region for as many as 2000 years. Bedouins used falcons to hunt for food. They used to catch wild falcons and trained the birds to catch food. From the 70s, after oil was discovered, there has been a ban on hunting.

These days falcons are bred in captivity. A visit to the Sharjah Equestrian Centre will bring you up-close with pure bred Arabian horses. The Arabian horse show is an opportunity to witness these magnificent animals in action. Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club has a nine hole flood lit golf course where amateur as well as professional golfers can play in the evenings. The complex also has one of the best paintball parks in the Middle East. Shooting and archery are the other popular activities here. Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club is a perfect location for MICE group activities. Conferencing facilities are also available here.

If the weather is fine or in the evening, a stroll along the Al Majaz water front is a rejuvenating experience. The Sharjah Eye offers an exhilarating birds-eye view of the city. Al Montazah amusement and water park is where families with children can spend a few enjoyable hours.

The other important attraction for families is the Arabia's Wildlife Center which houses animals that are found in the Arabian Peninsula.

EVENT ROUNDUP

In the heart of India With an intention of educating the buyers from central India about the various travel and tourism offerings, Global Panorama Showcase, conceptualised by Jagsons Travels has come a long way. This year was the second edition of the event and third as an event organiser for the company

By Kahini Chakraborty

W

ITH THE THEME, 'Explore the heart of India', this year's Global Panorama Showcase, the brainchild initiative of Jagsons Travels, was successful in filling the gap of building awareness of the buyers from central India on various tourism destination productsinbound and outbound that could be offered to their potential traveller from the Tier II and Tier III markets. The event held at Hotel Centre Point, Ramdaspeth, Nagpur from February 8-10, 2015 was inaugurated by Jasbir Singh Anand, founder chairman, Jagsons Travels along with Gulshanpal Singh Anand, chairman, Jagsons Travels; Sunil Kumar R, CEO, TravelWorld, and president, TAAI; Dhananjay S Saliankar, regional director, Starwood Sales Organisation South Asia; Vasudha Sondhi, managing director, Outbound Marketing; Sanjay Sondhi, CEO, OM Tourism; Anil Parashar, president & CEO, InterGlobe Technology Quotient; Rajiv Duggal, senior vice president – tourism, hospitality and education, Lavassa Corporation; Harmandeep Singh Anand, managing direc-

tor, Jagsons Travels and honorary secretary general, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI); and Rishiraj Singh Anand, joint managing director, Jagsons Travels.

At the opening ceremony, Harmandeep Singh Anand informed that the event received confirmed table bookings from 120 exhibitors, while more than 350 buyers were expected to attend the event. Jagsons Travels hosted close to 120 buyers from central India and the remaining from other parts of India. Tourism Malaysia was the major event partner for GPS 2015 and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) was the state partner. About 12-14 tourism boards participated at GPS 2015 including: Malaysia, Spain, Thailand, Bulgaria, Canada, Indonesia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Oman, New Zealand, Germany, Philippines, Swiss and many more. “The main focus of GPS is to educate and empower the agents from Tier II and Tier III cities of central India and give them a larger exposure to available products and services to cater to their clientele in a much professional and organised manner. The work-

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EVENT ROUNDUP shops are interactive and allow participants to ask questions relating to destinations, products and visas that will help them in creating itineraries and explaining to their customers better,” he said.

Reminiscing about the conception of the event, he added, “GPS is a project that was conceptualised in the year 2007, and it took almost six years for Jagsons Travels to organise the event which became a success in 2013. It was thereafter that it got rechristened as 'Showcase Jagsons'. Last year GPS did a total of `1.5 crore business revenue and in this year's event we are expecting the do ` five crore business revenue.”

Unique aspect Apart from the destinations, the event also had local and international hotel chains, airlines, DMCs, cruise liners, travel insurance, visa service providers and other ancillary service providers. The unique aspect of GPS 2015 was that the first day was open for B2C interactions, while the second and third day had B2B events.

The company had tied-up with York University in Canada as their global education partner.

Fansonstands.com was the sporting events partner. The technology partners included InterGlobe Technology Quotient and Travelport and global destination partners were Outbound Marketing and OM Tourism. Trawell Tag was the travel assistance partner.

Madhu Saliankar of EntReps Solutions was the marketing partner for the event. The company also organised post familiarisation tours to Pench National Park and stay at Tathastu, was the post tour partner for the media and Interserve Group.

Speaking about the potential growth of the Tier II and Tier III cities, Sondhi said, “As part of our 10th year celebrations of the company we decided to target Tier II and Tier III cities. Our observation during the workshops that we held in about 30 cities, was that travel agents did not have information on certain

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destinations. Hence it became important to educate these agents so that they have a plan to market tourism products, expectations, etc. The travel industry could see a double digit growth and even though there are behavioural changes among travellers, luxury travel has seen a huge buying traction in the market.”

From a hotel's perspective, entering into tertiary markets is also something that has been gaining momentum. “We are looking at bringing in our new brands in the secondary market. We have seen marginal growth in Nagpur for our brand, as there is still a need to educate the agents.” While on an optimistic note, Kumar, opined that trends will change in the the next five years. The economy class option is still more preferred than a first class option. Hence I feel that there are products still meant for the masses. Having said that there is huge potential in smaller cities and there is a need for luxurious properties.

Supporting the opinion, Duggal also said that Tier II and Tier III cities have been supplying increasing number of travellers since the last 10 years.

Gaining momentum According to Gulshanpal Singh Anand, earlier for anything or event related to the travel industry they had to depend on the bigger cities, but now the company is providing a platform through GPS 2015 for the travel fraternity to showcase the products and get educated with the latest trends and products in the market. “Our main motivation is to equip and educate the agents locally so that they are at par with their counterparts from metros and other major cities.

Ever since we started organising GPS we have tried to bring all the best of suppliers in the travel fraternity under one roof. Besides this, now with the growing middle-class spending capacity and interest to visit new destination, Nagpur as a market has a lot of potential for growth,” he mentioned.

On the challenges of the

travel industry, Rishiraj Singh Anand opined, “With more number of travel agents entering into the market, the environment has become quite competitive and hence for survival in the market, it is imperative that travel agents focus on upgrading their knowledge on various products and skills, as well as look at providing ancillary services while keeping a close watch on the changing dynamic trends in the market.”

Participating for the first time at GPS, Ibrahim Eraky, sales and marketing director, Lady Egypt Tours said, “Seeing the potential in the Nagpur market we are participating in the event for the first time. We are looking at attracting more local travel agents and educating them about the destination and building business relationships.” While Swati Chopra, manager, Orange Tourism Solutions opined that the industry is transforming and going online for their travel bookings. “We are wholesalers and we are giving it our best shot to tap agents from smaller cities and luckily we are seeing an increasing interest in knowing more about the destinations we handle to do business,” she added.

Giving another perspective, Anju Tandon, CEO, Ark Travels stressed that inspirational travel is growing. “For Star Cruises, agents in the metro cities are aware about the products, while here there is a need to educate the agents to enable them to sell better. We have high expectation from smaller cities,” replied Tandon.

As the name of the game is growth, with metros being saturated, smaller cities have gained prominence for the potential that it holds. Shawn Mendes, director strategic planning and new product development, Discover the World said, “We have to keep a huge gestation period when we enter smaller cities. In the last two years, even the Tier II cities have tapped the online social media platform and a lot of the bookings are through the internet. The agents here are making the effort to reach out and learn more.”

EVENT ROUNDUP

REINVENTING TOURISM IN UP The maiden Uttar Pradesh Travel Mart (UPTM) witnessed for the very first time a focused initiative by the UP government to showcase before the world the great tourism potential in the state beyond the Taj Mahal and the Ghats of Varanasi

By Sudipta Dev

T

HE VERY FIRST Uttar Pradesh Travel Mart (UPTM) that was organised in Lucknow from February 22-24, 2015, saw as many as 73 international tour operators from across the world, and many leading domestic operators, get a new awareness of the lesser known destinations in the state that have immense tourism potential. Organised by the UP government in association with FICCI, it is for the very first time that a north Indian state has held a travel mart to promote its diverse attractions that could be a great draw for both inbound and domestic tourists. The focus of the travel mart was to promote The Heritage Arc on the banks of Yamuna, Gomti and Ganga, covering three distinct regions, that is Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi.

The effort is not only to concentrate on the cities but the many nearby places of interest that are not so well known.

The colourful inaugural ceremony showcased the myriad cultural diversity of the state.

The inaugural ceremony was organised in La Martiniere College grounds, against the backdrop of the iconic school building. Inaugurating the travel mart, the state chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, said, “Tourism is a priority for us. The Heritage Arc was suggested to me by someone from the travel industry and we decided to promote the same. It is the travel trade industry that understands tourism, so please give us your suggestions. Our tourism potential is hidden, we need to showcase everything.”

Amrit Abhijat, secretary, tourism, Government of UP, explained that The Heritage Arc is not just about monuments but

life along the three rivers, the lifestyle of people and their culture.

Among the major new initiatives taken by the state government is the Agra-Lucknow Express Way which will be the longest in the country, intra state air connectivity, (LucknowAgra-Varanasi-Allahabad) which is starting soon, Lion Safari in Etawah (incidentally the CM’s pet project), beautification of Gomti river in Lucknow, a Lucknow Eye and many other projects.

The travel mart is focused on promoting inbound tourism into UP. Jyotsna Suri, chairperson, Committee on Tourism, FICCI averred that while the prime minister of the country understands tourism, it is the chief ministers of different states who have to drive the initiative. Pointing out that UP has much beyond the Taj Mahal and Ghats of Varanasi, Rahul Chakravarty, director, FICCI, said, “We have assembled here to give identity and shape to the chief minister’s vision.” The tourism attractions in the state range from wildlife in Dudhwa National Park to the heritage of Lucknow to river tourism. “There are more tigers in Dudhwa than any other national park in the country,” added Chakravarty.

Promotion of Lucknow Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has been rejected on the tourist map, and there was a general consensus that this should be rectified. There is a concentrated effort to brand Lucknow and promote the city in a way which will make tourists feel that they are in the land of the nawabs. Efforts are being made by Uttar Pradesh Hotel

and Restaurant Association to popularise Awadhi cuisine. The association’s hotel management institute in Noida will train young chefs in the nuances of this cuisine. “We want to promote Awadhi cuisine across India,” stated Surendra Jaiswal, president, Uttar Pradesh Hotel and Restaurant Association, adding that the focus on tourism has energised the hospitality and travel industry in the state.

Meanwhile, in another major development, regional air connectivity will witness a fillip, post Holi, with launch of flights between Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi. Jaiswal mentioned that they have always been demanding for this. “The roadways also have to be improved in The Heritage Arc regions as this will particularly benefit the budget tourists,” he said. The many tourism associations in the state were hopeful that in the future UPTM will become as successful as Kerala Travel Mart and other important travel marts organised in the country.

Organised by the UP government in association with FICCI, it is for the very first time that a north Indian state has held a travel mart to promote its diverse attractions EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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SPOTLIGHT

BONDING IN AFRICA Meetings Africa 2015, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, is expected to bring around 54,000 convention delegates generating a revenue of R one billion in the next two years

By Rituparna Chatterjee

T

HE BUSINESS travel, meetings and events industry continues to evolve and so does Africa. In recent years, Africa has been able to establish itself as one of the most sought after business events destinations in the world.

Meetings Africa, a business events trade show, has been showcasing Africa’s diverse offering of products and services, and providing a platform to African associations and African meetings industry professionals to network and partner. Since the first Meetings Africa in 2005, South Africa has seen significant investment in its business events infrastructure including the opening and expansion of a number of convention centres. It has also seen the establishment of the South African National Convention Bureau (SANCB) in 2012, setup to attract more business events to the country.

This year, Meetings Africa 2015 celebrated its 10th anniversary and was held at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from February 23-25, 2015. Meetings Africa 2015 opened with an interesting line-up of events on the Business Opportunities Networking Day (BOND Day), which offers meetings, workshops and seminars to empower delegates with information, skills and networking opportunities. This year's events held on the BOND Day included Event Greening Forum AGM and Conference; Council of

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Event Professionals (CEP) Africa Summit; IMEX-MPIMCI Future Leader Forum Africa wherein tourism students representing tertiary institutions from the Tourism Educators South Africa competed for the international university challenge; AIPC Africa Summit; and Association Day (in collaboration with ICCA).

This year's Event Greening Forum Conference at Meetings Africa 2015 highlighted the need for hosting sustainable business events to reduce environmental impact. Emilie Hagedoorn, sales manager, Fair Trade Tourism, spoke on the need for making sustainable choices like creating sustainably conscious conference packages, hosting business events at sustainably designed venues, being selective about the choice of suppliers, sourcing local vegetables, using bottles for branding, getting guests involved by creating awareness, among some. While Geoffrey Shute, managing director and event master, Event Masters advised the audience to replace traditional energy systems with sustainable ones. “Event managers have to look at sustainable energy, which is essentially using power derived from sources which are not going to run out.

We need to make intelligent choices. For instance, nine hours of meetings with traditional devices would use upto 30,000 watt hours. The solution would be to use LED lightings and appliances, etc which will consume less than 3000 watt hours per day, thereby reducing power consumption by almost 90 per cent.” 'Going green – Saving or Luxury', addressed the

Derek Hanekom

Thulani Nzima

Ruby Mathang

Since the first Meetings Africa in 2005, South Africa has seen significant investment in its business events infrastructure including the opening and expansion of a number of convention centres

SPOTLIGHT

challenges of running an ecofriendly hotel. “Four years ago we heated our solar farm, invested in water cycling, etc. We have new projects coming up like PV panels, geothermal energy, biogas digesters, etc,” mentioned JP Valverde, owner, Valverde Eco Hotel. The conference also highlighted the significance of ISO 20121:2012 which specifies requirements for an event sustainability management system for any type of event or event related activity, and provides guidance on conforming to those requirements.

Another highlight of the BOND Day was the CEP Africa Summit – Advancing Africa together with Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa (EXSA), International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) Africa, Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) and Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE). CEP Africa is currently looking at introducing three certifications such as event director, event manager and event coordinator. This year’s CEP Africa summit witnessed participation from 11 speakers representing IFEA Africa, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), SITE, SAACI, Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), South African Airways, Botswana Tourism, Nigeria Tourism, Zimbabwe

Tourism, and Arc International.

The second day witnessed the inauguration of Meeting Africa 2015 by Derek Hanekom, minister of tourism, South Africa, who spoke on the future potential of the business events sector in the country. “The African business events sector has grown from obscurity to becoming a promising sub-sector hosting global business events which have contributed to job creation and to the country’s tourism growth. South Africa will be hosting 177 major international association meetings for the next five years thereby attracting a quarter of a million delegates with an estimated economic impact of R 3.5 billion.

The 184 hosted buyers at Meetings Africa 2015 is expected to bring around 54,000 convention delegates generating an expected revenue of R one billion in the next two years. Moreover, 40 per cent of conference delegates to South Africa return in the next five years as tourists,” stated Hanekom adding that 60 per cent of the qualified buyers at this year’s event are from India, USA and Canada, and China, which are South Africa’s major source markets.

Rapidly improving infrastructure and accessibility are some of the major reasons for the growth of the business events sector in South Africa.

Speaking on the list of international events lined up this year, Ruby Mathang, economic devel-

opment, member of the Mayoral Committee, Johannesburg opined, “Meetings Africa is a great platform to unlock the economic potential of the entire continent. Johannesburg is a world-class event destination.

We have a calendar full of international events lined up like a summit on health and ageing, while another event is expected to host around 5000 delegates, these are just to name a few.

South Africa is focused on increasing visitor arrivals and spend.” The opening ceremony was followed by the Global Media Face Off which highlighted ways by which this particular sector can be grown like easening the VISA process, building up on content, outcome and legacy being created by the previous events, to name a few.

At the end of the second day a gala dinner was hosted for stakeholders and exhibitors of Africa’s business events sector at Sandton Convention Centre to celebrate 10 years of Meetings Africa. Gracing this occasion was Hanekom along with Thulani Nzima, CEO, South African Tourism. Speaking at the occasion, Hanekom opined that South Africa is bullish about the future of the business events sector. The final day of Meetings Africa 2015 concluded with the Local Corporate Buyer Event hosted by Unique Speakers Bureau (USB), a corporate B2B speed marketing session, and the Green Stand Awards.

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MOVEMENTS Kuoni Business Travel India CLEVIO MONTEIRO has been appointed as business head– DVMS, in the Kuoni Business Travel division of Kuoni Travel India. As a part of the divisional leadership team at Kuoni Business Travel, he will grow and establish DVMS’s market share, drive operational profitability through improved processes, deeper market penetration and focus on higher customer satisfaction. He has over

finance equity partners, Hüttmeyer will directly report to James Rigney, chief financial officer Etihad Airways, and will have a matrix reporting line to Bruno Matheu of Etihad Airways. Hüttmeyer joined airberlin in February 2006 as chief financial officer. He served as an executive director of airberlin PLC from 2006 to September 30, 2012 and was a member of the management board from October 2012.

Saeed Mohammed

Clevio Monteiro

Yousuf Mohammad Ali

22 years of experience working with travel, aviation and technology solutions companies in various functions. He has worked with companies such as Air Sahara, InterGlobe Technologies and Suvidha Infoserve.

In his last assignment with Go Airlines, he managed a pan India responsibility as general manager for their online business and consolidators.

ior vice president for procurement and logistics where he led a team of over 130 procurement specialists before his promotion.

Ali joined the company in 2011 as vice president procurement and logistics taking on the responsibility for its non-aircraft services for the Emirates Group. He was responsible for planning and implementing the group wide strategy for best practices in procurement and logistics methods to maintain Emirates’ leadership in the industry.

Emirates Group The Emirates Group has made the following two appointments to its senior management team.

SAEED MOHAMMED has been appointed as chief executive officer, Emirates Flight Catering. He will be succeeded

by YOUSUF MOHAMMAD ALI, who has been appointed as senior vice president procurement and logistics for Emirates Airline and Group Services. Mohammed, is now responsible for all business functions at Emirates Flight Catering. He was divisional sen-

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Etihad Airways Etihad Airways has appointed ULF HÜTTMEYER as senior vice president (SVP) finance equity partners, effective April 1, 2015. The new role will see Hüttmeyer work closely with Etihad Airways’ equity partner airlines, and lead the profitability analysis in Etihad Airways and build key relationships with global suppliers. As SVP

Etihad Airways has appointed JOHN FRIEL as general manager for South Africa. Based in Johannesburg, he is responsible for leading Etihad Airways’ commercial operations in South Africa as it continues to grow its presence and operations across the region. Friel, a 16-year veteran in the travel sector, has a strong understanding of managing the challenges and opportunities within the industry having worked for a number of leading international airlines, where he developed contacts and worked closely with the tourism industry and across the aviation and travel trade, both in South Africa and abroad.

LINDA CELESTINO has joined Etihad Airways as vice president, guest services. In the new role, she will be responsible for 6,000 cabin crew to ensure safe, inspired, consistent and innovative services, both on-board and across the airline’s global lounges. She has more than 25 years of experience in the airline industry having held senior positions in her native Australia and the Middle East, as well as being president of the New York-based Airline Passenger Experience Association.

Etihad Airways has appointed JORDI PORCEL CORTES as general manager for Spain.

Cortes will be based in Etihad Airways’ new Madrid office, where he will lead the airline’s Spanish commercial operations. The appointment comes as the airline prepares to launch direct flights between Madrid and Abu Dhabi on

AirAsia X AirAsia X Berhad has appointed CHEOK HUEI SHIAN as chief financial officer, effective immediately.

Reporting directly to Benyamin Ismail, acting chief executive officer of AirAsia X Berhad, Huei Shian will be responsible for corporate finance, treasury, financial planning and analysis as well as investor relations. Huei Shian joined AirAsia in 2004 and has held senior leadership roles across the group. Prior to AirAsia, Huei Shian was with Ernst & Young in the Financial and Advisory Service Department.

March 30, 2015. He previously worked for Vueling Airlines, where he served as chief sales officer, responsible for sales for the past three years. Prior to joining Vueling Airlines, he worked in various managerial positions at British Airways, lastly as regional commercial manager Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

airberlin ARND SCHWIERHOLZ will become airberlin's chief financial officer (CFO), effective April 1, 2015. He has already held the position of deputy CFO at Germany’s second largest airline since the end of October 2014. Schwierholz takes over from Ulf Hüttmeyer, who has had the role of the chief financial officer for nine years and will now work in a new position with enhanced responsibilities for Etihad Airways. Schwierholz’s professional background includes positions within UBS Investment Bank, experience as a company founder and as head of mergers and acquisitions for Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Before joining airberlin he was CFO North America for LSG Sky Chefs.

Virgin Atlantic Cargo Virgin Atlantic Cargo has made the following two new senior management appointments to focus on its increasing transatlantic services and the development of its international network covering Asia,

Australasia, the Middle East and Africa.

STEVE HUGHES will transition from his role of regional vice president sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to the newly-created post of vice president sales, transatlantic. In his new role, he will be responsible for the airline’s sales in the UK, US, Canada and Mexico, as well as developing Virgin Atlantic’s transatlantic joint venture with Delta Air Lines to offer more choice and benefits for its customers.

In Hong Kong, NEIL VERNON has been appointed as vice president sales international, a role that includes his current Asia and Australasia focus and is now extended to incorporate additional responsibility for sales in Dubai, Nigeria and South Africa.

Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg SUJITH HERBERT has been appointed as general manager of Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg. Prior to his current role, he was general manager - India head at JHM Interstate India Hotels & Resorts. In his earlier assignments, he has served in different capacities at Hilton in Delhi, Danat Hotels & Resorts in Abu Dhabi, Accor Hotels in Dubai and Le Meridien Mina Seyahi in Dubai. He has spent almost 21 years in the hospitality industry, with a strong background in revenue management.

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E V E N T S

CULINARY COOK-OFF Kuoni Business Travel brought together top executives from various corporations to cook their favorite dishes in a Corporate Cook Off at Palladium Hotel, Mumbai

BUDDHIST HERITAGE (Left) Naveen Patnaik, chief minister of Odisha addressing the inaugural session of the '3rd International Conference on Buddhist Heritage of Odisha' held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha

TOURISM NIGHT H E Ton Sinh Thanh, ambassador of Vietnam to India addressing the audience at the Vietnam Tourism Promotion event organised by the Embassy of the S R of Vietnam in association with Accor Hotels, OM Tourism, Vietnam Airlines and Jet Airways under the theme 'Vietnam – Amazing destination for Indian tourists' at Novotel Hotel & Residence in Kolkata TOP HONOURS L-R: Rukzen Godrej with winner Chirag Doshi at the 15th annual edition of the Mercedes-Benz golf tournament held at Willingdon Sports Club, Mumbai

WINNING GLORY (Left) Abraham Alapatt, chief innovation officer and head marketing, Thomas Cook India at the Thomas Cook Travel Quest India, a travel quiz for school students which recently concluded its City and West Zonal Finals at the Indian Education Society, Mumbai

EXTRAVAGANT WELCOME Europa-Park, one of Europe’s first theme parks, recently welcomed its 100 millionth visitor Monika Wilke from Neckarsulm by gifting her and her family an all-inclusive package for the day

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March 2015

weekend

E V E N T S

CRICKET FRENZY L-R: Australian cricketer, Shane Warne and John Eren, minister for tourism, sport and major events at the welcome event hosted by Tourism Victoria at Eureka 89, Melbourne ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2015 tournament launch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE L-R: Olivier Cauquil, SVP procurement, Airbus Material

FACILITATING INTERACTION The third edition of India International Film

INTERESTING SHOWCASES (Right) Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra taking a virtual tour of the bullet train at the Visit Japan stall at OTM Mumbai

Tourism Conclave (IIFTC 2015), now rechristened as ‘IIFTC Locations Show’, was recently held in Mumbai under the guidance of the apex trade body of the Indian film industry – Film Federation of India (FFI)

and Parts; Dr Srinivasan Dwarakanath, MD, Airbus India; and Udayant Malhoutra, CEO and MD, Dynamatic Technologies at the signing ceremony between Airbus and Dynamatic Technologies

THAI HOSPITALITY

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai Office recently hosted a high tea at OTM Mumbai for the Indian travel trade to showcase new regions and provinces to be promoted as part of the 2015 Discover Thainess campaign

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EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

March 2015

(Centre) Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, minister for tourism and sports, Thailand at the recently concluded Thai Trade Investment and Tourism Roadshow held in Mumbai

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.