Express Travelworld (Vol.10, No.12) January, 2016

V0L 10 NO.12 PAGES 40

January 2016, `50

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EDITOR’S NOTE

The game changers ‘

W

hen the going gets tough the tough gets going', this phrase fits quite well to those who belong to the travel and tourism fraternity especially the tour operators and travel agents. If one has to decipher the conversations that were doing the rounds all through 2015 then there clearly seems to be two distinct thinkers who are part of the industry - the pessimists and the optimists. The general consensus for the former is that business has lost its sheen and is not as lucrative as it was in the past. The industry looks gloomy, without much to offer, with diminishing margins, the OTA power and more. The optimists feel the other way. They see opportunity in adversity and are ready to move ahead full throttle. They are working towards being the game changers and not being bogged down by the OTA giants.

The time has come for the travel agent to revisit this very definition. He or she needs to clearly stir away from being an agent to a consultant and a travel expert, whose knowledge on the product is razor sharp and his detailed and

HEAD OFFICE MUMBAI EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD® Ashwin Kamble The Indian Express (P) Ltd. Business Publication Division 2nd Floor, Express Tower, Nariman Point Mumbai- 400 021 Board line: 022- 67440000 Ext. 527 Mobile: +91 9833666558 Email id: ashwin.kamble@expressindia.com Branch Offices NEW DELHI Baljinder Singh The Indian Express (P) Ltd. Business Publication Division Express Building, B-1/B Sector 10 Noida 201 301 Dist.Gautam Budh nagar (U.P.) India.

Board line: 0120-6651500.

Mobile: +91 9999070900 Fax: 0120-4367933 Email id: baljinder.singh@expressindia.com CHENNAI Mathen Mathew The Indian Express (P) Ltd.

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Business Publication Division New No. 37/C (Old No. 16/C) 2nd Floor,Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai- 600 014 BANGALORE Ravindra Pawar The Indian Express (P) Ltd. Business Publication Division 502, 5th Floor, Devatha Plaza, Residency road, Bangalore- 560025 Mobile: +91 9632428272 ravindra.p@expressindia.com HYDERABAD The Indian Express (P) Ltd. Business Publication Division 6-3-885/7/B, Ground Floor, VV Mansion, Somaji Guda, Hyderabad – 500 082 KOLKATA Ajanta Sengupta The Indian Express (P) Ltd. Business Publication Division JL No. 29&30, NH-6, Mouza- Prasastha & Ankurhati,

“The trump card for success is also to respect the profession, the business and work as a united force in action rather than in words”

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 The Indian Express (P) Ltd. Ground Floor, Sankoorikal Building, Kaloor – Kadavanthra Road Kaloor, Kochi – 682 017 COIMBATORE The Indian Express (P) Ltd. No. 205-B, 2nd Floor, Vivekanand Road, Opp. Rajarathinam Hospital Ram Nagar, Coimbatore- 641 009 AHMEDABAD Nirav Mistry The Indian Express (P) Ltd. 3rd Floor, Sambhav House, Near Judges Bunglows, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad - 380 015 Mobile: +91 9586424033

in-depth research is unquestionable. The trump card for success is also to respect the profession, the business and work as a united force in action rather than in words. 2016 will surely bring into light the game changers in the trade and those who truly believe in the business will survive any form of competition, both internal and external.

Our first issue of 2016 brings to you some interesting stories from across India and the world. Check out the column titled 'Express Watch', which highlights what's going wrong with the upkeep of our heritage monuments.

Read through the section titled 'Insights', for some serious views shared by an industry professional. Our cover story takes you into the ASEAN world. The India-Myanmar-Thailand highway, set to be ready in 2016, will put into action a new tourism circuit to be explored. Here's wishing all our readers and associates, a progressive and positive 2016.

REEMA LOKESH Editor editorial.etw@expressindia.com

BHOPAL Baljinder Singh The Indian Express (P) 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 (P) 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 (P) 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.

CONTENTS MANAGEMENT Vol 10 No 12 JANUARY 2016 Pages 40

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Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka Sr Vice President - BPD

Neil Viegas Editor

Reema Lokesh* Chief of Product

Prabhas Jha ISLAND HOPPING IN INDONESIA A VISIT TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST ARCHIPELAGO, INDONESIA, UNVEILS NOT JUST THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF ITS ISLANDS BUT THE ESSENCE OF THE LAND THAT IS ROOTED IN ITS RICH HISTORY AND MULTI-CULTURAL TRADITIONS

Assistant Editor

Steena Joy Sr. Associate Editor

Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai

Kahini Chakraborty Rituparna Chatterjee Kolkata

Joy Roy Choudhury

DESIGN National Art Director

Bivash Barua Assistant Art Director

Pravin Temble Senior Graphic Designerr

Rushikesh Konka Senior Artist

Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker SCHEDULING & COORDINATION

Ashish Anchan Photo Editor

Sandeep Patil MARKETING

ASEAN: ONE COMMUNITY As the ASEAN Tourism Forum rolls out in the Philippines this month,Express TravelWorld explores the myriad tourism offerings of the ten ASEAN nations who have pledged to worktogether as one sustainable community (14-24)

EDGE

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MEANDERING ON THE MEKONG AS A VISITOR CRUISES ALONG THE MEKONG RIVER IN VIETNAM, HE GETS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE LIVES OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY FOR WHOM THE RIVER IS A LIVING LIFELINE

Regional Heads

Harit Mohanty - East & West Prabhas Jha - North Dr. Raghu Pillai - South Marketing Team

Debnarayan Dutta Ajanta Sengupta Baljinder Singh Mathen Mathew Ravindra Pawar

CIRCULATION

Mohan Varadakar

MARKETS

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DIU, GUJARAT TOURISM IN TALKS TO START DIU-SOMNATH-GIR TOURISM CIRCUIT

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MANILA SET TO HOST 35TH ASEAN TOURISM FORUM

LIFE

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CLUB MED TO REINFORCE ITS PRESENCE IN THE INDIA MARKET

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SHARJAH TOURISM FOCUSES ON FAMILY, MICE SEGMENTS FROM INDIA

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MICE AND BUSINESS TRAVEL TO FLORIDA GROWS RAPIDLY

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KERALA TOURISM FINALISING LAND FOR MARITIME MUSEUM

PRODUCTION General Manager

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B R Tipnis Manager

Bhadresh Valia Express TravelWorld® POSTAL REGD. NO. MCS/163/2016 – 18 RNI Reg. No.MAHENG/2005/15993 Printed by The Indian Express (P) Ltd. 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)

P04: EDITOR’S NOTE P35 : APPOINTMENTS

G(U)ARDING AGAINST DISASTER FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN INDIA, THE GET AIRPORTS READY FOR DISASTER (GARD) PROGRAMME WAS ORGANISED BY DEUTSCHE POST DHL GROUP AND UNDP AT GUWAHATI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

P36 : WEEKEND

Copyright © 2016 The Indian Express (P) 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

IN THE NEWS

Diu, Gujarat Tourism in talks to start Diu-Somnath-Gir tourism circuit Steena Joy Mumbai THE UNION TERRITORY OF DIU is in talks with the Ministry of Tourism and Gujarat Tourism to start a tourism circuit to boost tourism in the region. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Prashant Kumar, general manager, Omnibus Industrial Development Corporation (OIDC), and chief officer, municipal council, Daman informed, “The Diu

administration is in talks with both, the Ministry of Tourism and Gujarat Tourism to start a tourism circuit that will cover Diu-Somnath-Gir. Gujarat Tourism has in principle agreed. We are awaiting the MoT’s clearance for the same.”

The Diu administration has also launched a Diu Darshan bus that will cover all the important sightseeing spots in Diu like Naida Caves, Diu Fort, St Paul’s Church, Nagda Beach, etc.

Commenting on the ongoing three month long Festa de Diu, Asia’ longest beach festival which opened on December 1, 2015 and will run till February 15, 2016, Vikram Singh Malik, collector and district magistrate, Diu stated, “Yes, the response has been very good this year and we hope that with the holiday season round the corner even more tourists will make a beeline to Diu.” Kumar added, “The festival has evoked a very good response. All our hotels are al-

ready 50 per cent full for the entire festival. We have 60 luxury tents and in only three weeks of the festival they have sold out 2000 tented nights, out of the 4200 total nights.”

He also revealed that the Diu administration is planning to organise an international food and wine festival during the Festa de Diu in JanuaryFebruary. “We plan to rope in those countries which have a historical connect to Diu like Portugal, Spain, etc.”

Omnibus Industrial Devel-

opment Corporation is a multipurpose organisation performing diverse activities such as promoting housing, industrial estates, tourism, liquor, branded computers and providing raw material to the industrial units in the twin Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Recently OIDC has also been declared as Infrastructure Development Corporation and the administration has entrusted all the big infrastructure projects to OIDC.

Sudipta Dev Mumbai WOMEN IN AVIATION, International (WAI) is a nonprofit organisation that promotes women in the sector by providing them networking, scholarship and mentoring opportunities. The organisation that has 12,000 members worldwide, recently started the India chapter with 15 members.

Empowering and skilling of women in the industry being a primary focus, many initiatives are lined up by WAI India chapter. “India has never done a study of the number of women in the aviation industry here.

Now we are doing a study on this. There are many segments in the industry – apart from women pilots, stewards / attendants there are so many other areas where women are not to be seen, for instance law, mar-

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keting, trainers, cargo, etc,” said Radha Bhatia, chairperson, Bird Group who has been the driving force for starting the India chapter, which happens to be the very first in South Asia region.

WAI India chapter aims to bring a big change in the working conditions and idealogy.

“We have to spread awareness about what are the job opportunities. The training in aviation is also very fragmented.

We would like to go to various colleges, talk to students about opportunities in the aviation sector and encourage young people to join the industry,” stated Bhatia. They want to engage the airlines and other companies in the sector with support from the media. “For airlines trained manpower is always a big challenge, so I am sure they will support the initiative,” added Bhatia.

Courtesy: Rakesh Malhotra, American Embassy Photographer

WAI India chapter to conduct study on women in India's aviation industry

WAI India chapter inauguration

The membership is open to everyone. The registration fee is US$ 55. Acknowledging that everybody may not be able to pay US$ 55, Bhatia is looking at a realistic membership target of 50 in the first year. Along with the opportunity to get a global platform there are many

benefits for members including free scholarships.

WAI India chapter currently has members in Delhi and Chennai and is looking at opening centre representation in different regions. “We will be meeting every month. We are also planning two big events,

one will be on International Women's Day,” mentioned Bhatia.

The India chapter was inaugurated in presence of Richard R. Verma, US Ambassador to India and Rajiv Nayan Choubey, secretary, ministry of civil aviation.

EXPRESS WATCH

Heritage defaced How Lucknow's celebrated heritage structures are suffering the poster mafia.

By Sudipta Dev

T

he city of Lucknow is famous worldwide for its fascinating culture and beautiful monuments. Though the Government of UP is focusing on positioning Lucknow as a global tourism destination as a part of the much promoted Heritage Arc, there is a lot wanting at the grassroots level. One of which is of course convincing their own netas to not deface the walls of the city, in particular the heritage areas with posters. “Political posters seem to make the bosses happy, that is one reason why they never object to it and that is a reason enough not to have any rule in place in Lucknow.

Beautiful heritage areas like Hazratganj famous for its Victorian Walks is all patched up with posters with no government agency to claim or check this,” said Prateek Hira, president and CEO, Tornos Destinations (India), a leading tour operator in the city showcasing the heritage of Lucknow to tourists from across the world.

Pointing out that even heritage monuments like Bara Imambara are not spared by the poster mafia of the city, Hira mentioned that any tourist encountering these first forms an adverse opinion about the city. “A foreigner recently commented sarcastically about crazy honking on the roads and walls plastered with posters. My concern is that we are coining fancy words like 'smart city', 'Heritage Arc', 'heritage capital', 'Swachh Bharat','Clean Lucknow, Green Lucknow' et al but somehow we are not thinking of introspecting and understanding our collective and basic responsibility towards our cities.”

According to him the local police outpost/ police station should be made answerable and organisation /individuals pasting posters on walls be heavily penalised and ensure that repainting is done.

“But what we require is the will from our political classes who should stop being flattered by posters reading their names and hailing them,” asserted Hira. These advertisers do not also leave the radium painted road dividers which are also plastered with posters.

An NGO, the Lucknow Society, has been working hard to tackle this poster menace. Almost 1000 volunteers of the society are constantly on a lookout for unauthorised posters and take initiatives to get them removed. “Wherever we clean the posters they get put up again on the same spot. Then we call

the people whose posters have been put up and ask them to remove the same,” stated Shamim A Aarzoo, founder and CEO, Lucknow Society. He believes that social media has had a positive impact to tackle the menace. “We have more than 230,000 friends on Facebook, and to avoid a negative posting this has acted in a few instances in deterring political leaders – they have had to remove their posters,” added Aarzoo. Acknowledging that tourism cannot be promoted in Lucknow unless the heritage areas are clean, he mentioned that recently Lucknow Society had a meeting with the district magistrate who suggested that the volunteers should be involved with monuments. “We will do a recce and try to understand what is the nuisance associated with the area,” said Aarzoo.

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January 2016

IN THE NEWS

Bit 2016 to witness over Club Med to 100 buyers from India reinforce its Reema Lokesh Mumbai THE INTERNATIONAL Travel Fair, known as Bit (Borsa Internazionale del Turismo) to be held at Rho Fiera Milano, Milan, Italy from February 10-13, 2016, will for the first time witness a mega contingent of around 110 tour operators from across India.

Bit works as a meeting point for decision makers, professionals and buyers coming from different areas and industry fields. The India buyer's coordinator for Bit 2016, Vineet Gopal, head, Representation World said, “Bit 2016 will witness a record number of Indian buyers from across the country.

Vineet Gopal

The buyer portfolio will have specialists from the luxury, MICE, weddings and the corporate space. When we started

around four years ago, we had only five buyers with us from India. The number of buyers this year who are scheduled to travel to Bit clearly shows the interest the Italy market has in India. I think this should be easily the largest contingent from India to any tourism fair in Europe.”

Representation World has also added Bali Tourism Promotion Board to its existing portfolio of five entities.

The company represents the Reunion Island Tourism, Palazzo Versace Dubai, Anta Holidays Dubai and African Link Tour South Africa. The company offers both marketing and sales services as a representation company.

Discovery of dolphins expected to boost Sindhudurg tourism Mohit Rathod Mumbai BIOLOGISTS have discovered around 569 dolphins on the coasts of Sindhudurg, in Maharashtra. The finding is seen as beneficial for the growth of tourist activities in Sindhudurg, especially dolphin tourism, which is one of the major sources of income for local fishermen and hotel owners. Fishermen in the district operate ferry rides for tourists for dolphin watching, from which, a revenue of ` 4.5 crore is estimated annually.

The survey, conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Government of India and

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Global Environment Facility, was lead by a team of biologists who believe that the actual number of dolphins is higher.

The Indian Ocean Humpback dolphin (sousa plumbea) and Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (neophocaena phocaenoides) were particularly found in the waters of Sindhudurg, along with which, the blue whale and Bryde’s whale is also said to be sighted.

Commenting on the findings, Santosh Kakade, owner, Sanjana Travels, said, “Dolphin tourism had started around seven-eight years ago, but in the last two years, it has seen a huge growth.

This update will attract more tourists into Sindhudurg.

Businesses of local fishermen

and hotels will also benefit from it. A lot of people are still not aware about Sindhudurg as a dolphin-watching destination. I hope the authorities will promote tourism in the district.”

According to the report, coastline between the villages Bhogwe and Mhapan, and Vijaydurg creek were indentified as the hotspots of Humpback dolphins.

The biologists interacted with the local fishermen and hotel owners to understand the significance of dolphin tourism, and are also working on creating awareness among them and tourists.

The report also reveals that Devbag and Tarkali witness maximum dolphin tourism, among the 35 tourism units.

presence in the India market Reema Lokesh Mumbai THE CLUB MED team is all set to make a focused impact in the India market in 2016 and beyond. The concept of an all inclusive premium family holiday is the USP of this brand with resorts spread across continents. India, Indonesia and Myanmar are part of the emerging markets. Presently, the group is working closely with 11 channel partners in India, few designated specifically for the B2B and B2C markets.

Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Manoj K Upadhyay, head of sales, Club Med India said, “The India market fits perfectly well to explore the Club Med product offering. We are keen to strengthen this market and work with our partners to build greater awareness of the brand. We will aggressively continue our plan to educate the B2B segment and create awareness in the B2C market.”

The number of visitors to the Club Med Kani in Maldives has grown. Keeping this in view, Club Med has decided to set up a live Indian cuisine station in its buffet restaurant to cater to the Indian palate. The live counter will be in operation from March 2016. “Once the inflow of visitors increase to other resorts, the Club Med Kani in Maldives as an example can

Manoj K Upadhyay

be replicated in those areas as well,” added Upadhyay.

Though the metros in India are its primary target audience, the group also aims to build awareness in India's top line Tier II cities. Further, its family resorts in Phuket, Bali and Bintan are also ready to welcome Indian guests. Club Med India sales office is also targeting the luxury segment of Indian travellers to its Finolhu resort in Maldives and Albion resort in Mauritius.

Apart from premium family vacation offers and luxury resort offers, the group is also ready to welcome corporate houses to conduct their team building activities, theme parties and more. “Our properties in Turkey and Greece are also worth exploring apart from the others as each property has a certain USP attached to it,” added Upadhyay.

IN THE NEWS

MICE and business travel to Florida grows rapidly Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai THE INDIA MARKET has started looking at long haul destinations for family vacations, thus catering to this sector has become a priority for Visit Florida. MICE and business travel to Florida has been growing rapidly. Alfredo Gonzalez, vice president of international sales and global development, Visit Florida told Express TravelWorld, “The growing disposable income of Indians is another contributing factor to the increasing leisure travellers from India. 58,000 Indians travelled to Florida in 2014,

which is a 21 per cent increase compared to the previous year.”

He added, “In Florida, Orlando remains the favourite destination among Indians followed by Miami. Other destinations that are picking up fast are Tampa Bay and Space Coast, which includes the Kennedy Space Centre. The experiences that they typically engage in include visiting beaches and theme parks.

Apart from these, Indians also enjoy shopping and indulging in culinary experiences. Further due to the ease in the issuance of US visa, more and more Indians are now planning their US holiday.” When

Alfredo Gonzalez

asked about how is the tourism board looking at working closely with the Indian travel agents, he stated,

Other destinations that are picking up fast are Tampa Bay and Space Coast, which includes the Kennedy Space Centre. The experiences that they typically engage in include visiting beaches and theme parks. Indians also enjoy shopping and indulging in culinary experiences “We often conduct training sessions for agents along with our own roadshows held across various cities in India.

We also work closely with Brand USA by participating at their roadshows as well as travel mission.”

SouthWest Germany targets 40,000 Indian visitors in 2016 Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai SOUTHWEST German Tourism is looking to attract 40,000 Indian visitors in 2016. From January to October 2015, SouthWest Germany received 27,615 Indian visitors thereby recording a growth of 23.3 per cent. To attract more Indian visitors to the destination, the tourism body is focusing on positioning SouthWest Germany as a solo destination and for the same will be promoting new events and popular attractions of the region in 2016. Speaking about In-

dia's present positioning, Hector Dsouza, director - India, SouthWest German Tourism, stated, “India is the second fastest growing market to SouthWest Germany in percentage terms. India also recorded the highest number of overnights per visit, i.e. 5.9 days per visit, as compared to the international average of 2.3 days. For the period ended October 2015, we had 162,843 overnights from India. By the end of 2015, we expect 200,000 overnights and aim to reach 250,000 overnights in 2016, an increase of 25 per cent from 2015.”

India is the second fastest growing market to SouthWest Germany in percentage terms.

India also recorded the highest number of overnights per visit, i.e. 5.9 days per visit, as compared to the international average of 2.3 days Some of the new events that SouthWest German Tourism will be promoting in 2016 include – the 500th anniversary of the German

Beer Purity Law; 10th anniversary of the MercedesBenz Museum; 125th anniversary of Germany’s first ski club (Feldberg, Black Forest’s

highest mountain); 50th anniversary of Upper Swabian Baroque Road (one of the 10 driving routes in SouthWest Germany linking villages and churches with Baroque and Rococo architecture); 60th anniversary of the Stuttgart TV Tower; and 200th anniversary of the bicycle in 2017. While some of the popular attractions that will be promoted include – Europa Park, Heidelberg Castle and the Old Town of Heidelberg, Lake Constance region, The Romantic Road (from the Mainz River to the Alps), Black Forest Nature Reserves, and Freiburg Minster.

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January 2016

IN THE NEWS FUTURE NEXT / RITESH AGARWAL CEO AND FOUNDER, OYO ROOMS MY SUCCESS MANTRAS

MY STRESSBUSTER

Striving for perfection in the small stuff - building blocks lay the foundation of a strong business. Looking out for new lessons to learn and new milestones to achieve. Recruiting the smartest people - those who challenge you are the ones who will help you make a better product. Cultivating an eye for detail. Staying agile.

Cycling and yoga.

MY FAVORITE MANAGEMENT BOOK Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience by Jonathan Tisch.

MY DREAM DESTINATION I really want to travel and see the Northern Lights.

MY BIGGEST LEARNING If you are genuinely passionate about solving a problem then you have to get behind it and give your 100 per cent.There should be passion and conviction in your approach and the fear of failing should not stop you from taking chances. Even a failed attempt will leave you with a lesson.

MY INSPIRATION IN LIFE Peter Thiel and Elon Musk. Both are true visionaries of our generation with a courageous ambition to think big.

USP OF OYO ROOMS OYO Rooms has enabled standardised and predictable hotel accommodation to create the largest branded network of hotels in India.Travellers can access our standardised experience, service and amenities across more than 40,000 rooms in over 160 cities in India, at affordable price-points. Every OYO room comes with an assurance of cleanliness and hygiene, free Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast and 24x7 customer support. Using the OYO Rooms app, one can

search and book a room in three clicks and five seconds! Guests can use the OYO Rooms App (over 2.5 million downloads so far) to search and book rooms, request room-service (food, beverages and laundry), book a cab and also search nearby restaurants. Hotel-owners partnering with OYO Rooms see a significant increase in occupancy levels, get access to the world’s first tablet-based property management apps and become part of a brand that is recognised and loved by travellers nationwide. Our tech offerings help run operations more efficiently and also power a convenient revenue-management solution. Our existing hotel partners have witnessed a boost in their occupancy and profits along with a visible reduction in operational cost.

VISION FOR MY COMPANY Our vision is to become the most preferred and trusted hotel brand in the world.

Ritesh Agarwal

MYADVICE TO GEN-NEXT Research well when you think of a potential business idea. Put yourself in the customer's shoes.

You should be trying to solve a real problem that will make the customer's life better.That is how you can make a way into their lives, their minds, and their hearts.

(As told to Sudipta Dev)

Manila set to host 35th ASEAN Tourism Forum ETW Staff Mumbai HOST CITY MANILA – the country’s capital of fun and gateway to the rest of the Philippines – is all set to welcome some 1,600 international delegates Host city Manila – the country’s capital of fun and gateway to the rest of the Philippines – is all set to welcome some 1,600 international delegates In January 2016, the ASEAN Travel Forum (ATF) returns to the Philippines for

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the 35th installment of the event. The theme of ATF 2016 is ‘One Community for Sustainability’. ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) brands its 10-member nations as one regional destination in tourism.

Manila will welcome international delegates including ministerial officials, exhibitors, buyers, media and other travel industry professionals from some 50 countries for the week-long event.

Manila’s Entertainment City will be home to key ATF

activities including the threeday TRAVEX travel trade mart from January 20-22, 2016. This gaming and entertainment district is one of Manila’s latest attractions, and features the capital’s premier SMX Convention Center where the main events of ATF will be held. The Manila Eye, a gigantic ferris wheel observatory is also part of the district’s iconic landscape.

Ramon R Jimenez Jr, tourism secretary, the Philippines, said, “The Department of Tourism (DOT) is hon-

oured and proud of the Philippines’ hosting of ATF 2016. To all the delegates, we welcome you to our home, the Philippines. We hope that beyond the conference walls of this meeting, you experience our country in different ways – from our diverse natural wonders to our rich cultural heritage and the warmth of the Filipino people. And while this forum will allow for the exchange of ideas for the progress of our economies, we also hope that these meetings will build stronger friendships between our na-

tions.’’

TTG Events, secretariat of ATF 2016’s TRAVEX event, announced that participation interest across the board has been encouraging.

A total of 400 buyers will be fully hosted by the event. In addition, more than 500 booths from travel suppliers across Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, are forecasted to fill the expansive hall of the SMX Convention Center.

IN THE NEWS

Sharjah Tourism focuses on family, MICE segments from India Mohit Rathod Mumbai THE SHARJAH Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), along with its airline partner Air Arabia, focused on family and MICE tourism, in its five-city roadshow held in Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. SCTDA’s primary focus in 2016 will be attracting families through Sharjah’s cultural and heritage offerings.

HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman, SCTDA, said, “Sharjah is the third largest emirate in the UAE, with a population of one million. Sharjah is offering something different; we are a cultural city, which has a lot to do

with culture, heritage and authentic experiences. We are a family destination. Recently Sharjah was declared as UAE’s first baby-friendly city by the ruler of Sharjah HH Shaikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi – this is one of the ways we try to bring more Indian families to visit Sharjah. We want to attract families and business tourism the most. Sharjah is just two-three hours away from most of the Indian cities.”

“In terms of strategies, we have not set targets, but we expect around 10 million tourists from across the world by 2021.

We will use our PR resources and conduct roadshows to promote Sharjah as a tourist destination. India is an important

market for us and we will put efforts to promote Sharjah here,” he added.

Air Arabia, which operates 112 flights between Sharjah and India, is one of the most preffered airline by Indian travellers due to its economical fares. In 2014, outbound tourism from India to Sharjah witnessed a growth of 41 per cent over 2013, with around 123,000 visitors. This also creates a huge market for Sharjah’s hospitality fraternity.

Sheena Randhawa, account director, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa, said, “India is definitely a big market for us, which is the reason we are here – to come together with Sharjah Tourism. Sheraton is a

Recently Sharjah was declared as UAE’s first baby-friendly city by the ruler of Sharjah HH Shaikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi – this is one of the ways to bring more Indian families to visit Sharjah well known brand. We will make our guests aware about our new products, facilities and price structure. A product is needed to cater to the market, and we have the product now, so we are looking forward to receive support, especially from India.”

“We haven’t decided strategies for specific markets. We are extremely popular with Russia, Germany, China and then we have India. We would be looking forward to certain areas to strategise the India market by working with local agents,” she added.

Increase in interest among Indian travellers for Indochina destinations Sudipta Dev Mumbai HEADQUARTERED in Hanoi, Vietnam with offices in India, Spain, UK and Kazakhstan, Victoriatour and General Commercial Company is a specialised DMC/supplier for Indochina destinations like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Acknowledging that there is an increase in interest among Indian tourists to visit these four countries, Chien Van Nong, director general, Victoriatour said, “The country that has seen the maximum growth in Indian arrivals is Cambodia, followed by Vietnam, then

Myanmar and Laos.”

Conceding that there is not much awareness regarding Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar in India, Van Nong is optimistic about the future and foresees more interest among both travellers and the Indian travel trade. “The tourist bureau of these countries have not been very active in the India market. Vietnam tourism conducted its first road show in India in Jaipur, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad,” he stated.

Highlighting the uniqueness of the tourism products / experiences / attractions of these destinations Van Nong mentioned, “Cambodia is fa-

mous for the Angkor Wat temple. Vietnam for its war memorial, beaches, night life, and all four destinations i.e Cambodia, Vietnam, Myan-

mar and Laos are culturally rich with Buddhism.” He believes that along with FITs, many more segments from the India market can be

tapped, for example weddings, MICE, honeymooners, anti-ageing spa treatment package, beach lovers package, family groups, golf tours, Vietnam rice terrace field tour, coffee plantation inspection, industrial visits, student groups, etc. Van Nong expects maximum growth from FIT and leisure segments, while MICE is the upcoming sector.

Disclosing their promotional strategy in the India market, Pruthi Ranjan, marketing manager for Victoriatour in India, stated, “We are participating in trade fairs and doing other marketing activities.”

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IN THE NEWS

Joint Bank Guarantee scheme makes a return Mohit Rathod Mumbai

Kerala Tourism finalising land for Maritime Museum To submit Spice Route final report to UNESCO Steena Joy Mumbai KERALA TOURISM is in the final stages of acquiring land for the Maritime Museum which is part of the Muziris heritage project. The 50 acre land bank is estimated to cost `10 crore and is located at Paravoor in Kollam district of Kerala.

Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Anupama T V, additional director (general), Kerala Tourism, revealed, “Kerala Tourism is finalising the land for the Maritime Museum. Once the land is acquired, the construction will be given to a government agency. The Maritime Museum will cover information about the boats and ships used on the Spice Route and will be more like an interactive journey. We have signed up with UNESCO for the Spice Route project and on our behalf UNESCO will invite all the countries who were on the Spice Route to contribute artefacts to the Maritime Museum.

We will submitting the final report of

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the Spice Route project to UNESCO.” Meanwhile the Pattanam Museum, one of the museums in the Muziris Project is expected to open in the first quarter of 2016.

Commenting on the hop-on-hopoff service started by Kerala Tourism a year ago, Anupama informed that the response has been encouraging.

“The hop-on-hop-off boat and water taxi service presently operates in the backwaters of Kochi and in the Muziris region (which is an integral part of the Spice Route), and we expect the visitor numbers to increase in the coming months. Presently, the service is being operated by Kerala Tourism Infrastructure (KTIL) and uses three boats and two water taxis.

The tour starts at Paravoor and ends at Kottapuram and stops at all the eight jetties en route. There is one tour every 45 minutes. After a year, the service will be handed over to another operator selected through an open tendering process,” she added.

TRAVEL AGENTS ASSOCIATION of India (TAAI) has announced that the Joint Bank Guarantee (JBG) scheme has been approved by Passenger Agency (PA) Conference, which will be effective from January 1, 2016. This scheme which was discontinued in December 2013, was considered beneficial to TAAI's membership.

While speaking to Express TravelWorld, Sunil Kumar, president, TAAI, said, "The JBG scheme has been of immense help in many ways. The previous scheme offered members to do away with the hassles of liaising with banks for a bank guarantee.

Banks charge heavy on a bank guarantee and also seek collateral, which was a burden. Those who preferred insurance scheme, in addition to the payment of insurance premium, found it difficult to get their capping increased due to seasonal sales or group movement."

"The scheme served as a simpler way to have an agency covered and also offered flexibility on sales limit. The bigger benefit was that the entire deposit received from members was banked in a fixed deposit and the entire interest was considered profit for distributing back to members, in case there were no defaults," he added.

Kumar further said, "In the current context as well, these will apply.

Airlines will be monitoring sales of our member agencies with far more limitations attached, especially when the sales of the agencies go beyond the cover amount. Despite sev-

Earlier, it was easier for travel agents due to low premium; it also protected airlines. There have been defaults too, but it was a good scheme altogether eral members opting for higher insurance covers, insurance companies did not honour all members with this facility. The growing premium rate is another concern. Thus the problems are same and the scheme serves as a good option."

Ajay Prakash, CEO, Nomad Travels and former president of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), said, "When the scheme was first introduced, it helped the travel fraternity in numerous ways. Earlier, it was easier for travel agents due to low premium; it also protected airlines.

There have been defaults too, but it was a good scheme altogether.

Now the premium is increasing. I am not sure how much popular it will be in the future. Most people are now buying tickets from consolidators. Let's see how many people will join," he added.

India is the first country in the world to offer Joint Bank Guarantee scheme as an alternate mode of financial security to IATA.

AVIATION

Baron Aviation launches online booking platform for private jets in India Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai BARON AVIATION recently launched 'BookMyCharters', an online booking platform for private jets in India. The platform has pooled in more than 12 private jet operators with a combined fleet of over 40 aircraft. Five private jet operators and 10 aircraft are expected to be added to this portfolio.

BookMyCharters is an air charter marketplace which is integrated with the operator's dashboard giving real time information to the customers.

Speaking about this launch, Rajeev Wadhwa, chairman and CEO, Baron Aviation stated,

“BookMyCharters was registered on September 28, 2012 and went live on December 2015. The idea was to create an auction platform where a private jet operator on ground can quote the lowest price to attract customers. Through BookMyCharters, we plan to integrate over 60 per cent of the Indian private aircraft over the next eight-12 weeks and also bring 30 per cent new customers to the Indian charter market.”

Elaborating on this platform, Wadhwa added, “BookMyCharters can cover 149 airports and serve 22,000 routes. The platform presently is India centric and we would cover interna-

Rajeev Wadhwa

Pranav Parikh

tional destinations in the near future. The air charter space in India mainly constitutes offline operators and agents. Through

BookMyCharters, we aim to counter the inefficiencies of this opaque system.”

When asked if the company

would work with travel agents in India to promote this platform, Pranav Parikh, director, Baron Aviation stated, “We would want to identify and create packages with tour operators in the coming future.”

The profile of customers opting for private jets in India include – the entertainment industry, political parties, corporates, youth and women, international travellers and ultra HNIs and NRIs. Giving his views on the future of this industry, Wadhwa opined, “Presently, the total charter market in India is pegged at `1800 crore and it is expected to grow to `5000 crore by 2020.”

India tops inbound tourism in Uzbekistan Mohit Rathod Mumbai UZBEKISTAN, a central Asian country, is directing its efforts to lure in more Indian tourists. Currently, India ranks first in Uzbekistan’s inbound tourism market, with the highest number of more than 25,000 tourists every year.

Uzbekistan Airways, along with Aeeroworld Aviation, has been actively involved in promoting the destination through roadshows across India. During their recent promotional event, Uzbekistan Airways, which currently operates flights only from Delhi and Amritsar, has revealed its plan to connect Mumbai with Uzbekistan with flights from Tashkent to Mumbai. This move is said to increase the

number of Indians visiting Uzbekistan. The airline flies five and four flights from Delhi and Amritsar respectively.

While speaking to Express TravelWorld, Rustam Kurganbaev, chief, tourism division, Uzbekistan Airways, said, “With more than 25,000 Indian tourists visiting Uzbekistan each year, India ranks first in Uzbekistan’s tourism market. Before that, France was on the top, with 17,000 tourists. More and more Indians are visiting Uzbekistan every year, so we are very happy.”

“We conduct two to three roadshows every year; this has made Uzbekistan popular among Indian travellers and it will continue to do so,” he added.

P Somnath, director,

Uzbekistan Airways, along with Aeeroworld Aviation, has been actively involved in promoting the destination through roadshows across India. The airline, which currently operates flights only from Delhi and Amritsar, has revealed its plan to connect Mumbai with Uzbekistan Indian operations, Aeeroworld Aviation, said, “Our main focus in this event is to create awareness about Uzbekistan among Indian travellers. Indian tour operators can directly interact with tour operators from Uzbekistan; this makes the market

more smooth. Currently we fly five flights every week from Delhi and four from Amritsar, but we also plan to have flights to Mumbai. This year has not been as good as the previous year. Arrivals have reduced this year because of the Rupee devaluation. MICE

activities have also not been good as the previous year, but I hope that things will turn better by next year.”

Uzbekistan’s location is strategic as it facilitates combined tours to Central Asia and Russia, bringing more tourists to the country. During the event, Kurganbaev also highlighted Uzbekistan’s cultural, historical and heritage attractions, along with nature and adventure activities.

Tolik Odilov, chairman, tourist.uz, said, “We had around 30,000 Indian tourists this year. It will be more in the next year. India is very close to Uzbekistan; it takes around two and a half hours from Delhi to Uzbekistan. When Mumbai will be connected, it will become easier for everybody.”

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ASEAN ONE COMMUNITY As the ASEAN Tourism Forum rolls out in the Philippines this month, Express TravelWorld explores the myriad tourism offerings of the ten ASEAN nations who have pledged to work together as one sustainable community

PHILIPPINES I INDONESIA I MYANMAR I CAMBODIA I BRUNEI I THAILAND I SINGAPORE I LAOS I MALAYSIA I VIETNAM

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he Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world. It has a rich history combining Asian, European, and American influences.

Prior to Spanish colonisation in 1521, the Filipinos had a rich culture and traded with the Chinese and the Japanese. Spain's colonisation brought about the construction of Intramuros in 1571, a 'walled city' comprising European buildings and churches, replicated in different parts of the archipelago. In 1898, after 350 years and 300 rebellions, the Filipinos, with leaders like Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo, won their independence.

Philippines is blessed with many unique places worth visiting.

Because of its high altitude, Banaue is often described as 'where land merges with the clouds to meet the heavens' with the rice terraces as 'the stairway to the sky.' During the day, tourists can indulge in activities such as strolling, biking, and trekking. A leading tourism destination in Asia, the Banaue rice terraces start from the base of the Cordilleras and reach up to several thousand feet high. Its length, if stretched from end to end, could encircle half of the globe. In the village of Batad, the terraces take the shape of an amphitheatre and can be reached by a 12-kilometre ride from Banaue Hotel and a two-hour hike through mountain trails.

Natural heritage The Chocolate Hills is a series

of 1,268 symmetrical, haycockshaped hills that rise some 30 metres above the ground. A National Geologic Monument, these unique rock formations were cast after million years of evolution. Spread out in the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, the hills are so-called because they resemble chocolate bonbons when their grass cover turns to brown at the onset of summer.

Two of the hills have been developed and provided with facilities, including a view deck, a youth hostel and a restaurant.

Its an easy atmosphere in Boracay coupled with many leisure activities calendared throughout the year and amenities offered by some 350 tourist establishments. Cebu is a traveller's fantasy of a tropical island. The island-province of Cebu was where the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan planted the Cross of Christianity in the name of Spain in 1521. But even before Cebu became the occidental gateway to the Orient, it was already a popular entry point among Asian merchants. Cebu's 166 islands and islets are fringed with sandy beaches and sapphire-clear waters teeming with marine life, perfect for divers.

'Kadayawan sa Dabaw' is Davao City's premier festival and showcases the natural and cultural bounty of the land. A movable feast in August, the week-long merrymaking highlights the manifold tribal cultures of the region which are vividly expressed in traditional songs, dances, games and crafts. It is also on this occasion when a lively trade fair, capped by a flower-andfruit float parade, takes place.

Street dancing and popular entertainment complete the celebration.

The capital of the Philippines its heart and soul - is Manila, which

was born out of the ashes of a once flourishing Malay settlement by the banks of the Pasig River. In 1571, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established the Ever Loyal City of Manila which, until 1898, was the seat of Spanish colonial rule in Asia. He built the city within walls and called it Intramuros. An anchor tourist destination, Manila is the core of the 7,000 times more islands that make up the Philippines. It is a centre for performing arts in Asia.

Vigan, with its century-old edifices, is a living reminder of what was once a royal city. One of the earliest Spanish settlements in the country, Vigan was founded in 1572

by Juan de Salcedo who patterned its design to that of Intramuros (Old Manila). It became the seat of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia and was called Ciudad Fernandina in honour of King Ferdinand. The St Paul's Cathedral was built by the Augustinian friars along the distinct 'Earthquake Baroque' style of the Ilocos region and features NeoGothic and pseudo Romanesque motifs. Standing on an elevation west of the cathedral is Plaza Salcedo, the oldest monument in Northern Luzon. The Archbishop's Palace is a rich repository of religious artifacts from the Ilocos region.

Meet for business The development of the Philippine convention industry became official government policy in 1976, a milestone year that marked the establishment of Southeast Asia’s first full-fledged convention centre, the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC); and the creation of the Philippine Convention Bureau (PCB) as a government corporation dedicated to the promotion of Philippines as a meetings

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and convention destination. An architectural landmark on its own, housing works of various Filipino master artists in painting, the PICC offers facilities for meetings, conventions, exhibits and special events – a plenary hall that can seat more than 3,500; a reception hall, exhibit areas and other meeting rooms. The country's newest and largest privately-run exhibition and convention centre, SMX is a world-class venue for international exhibitions, large-scale local trade events, major medical and other industry conventions and corporate functions. With future development plans for hotels and a 12,000-seat arena, the Mall of Asia Complex is envisioned to be the 'New Convention Destination in Asia.'

The World Trade Center Metro Manila is the first worldclass exhibition centre which was inaugurated in November 1996.

The Cebu Convention Center (Cebu International Convention Center, CICC) is a structure built by the Cebu Provincial Government in time for the 12th ASEAN Summit in January 2007 and the second East Asia Summit.

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he Republic of Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world comprising thousands of large and small tropical islands fringed with white sandy beaches, many still uninhabited and a number even still unnamed. Among the most well known islands are Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kalimantan (formerly Borneo), Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), the Maluku Islands (or better known as Moluccas, the original Spice Islands) and Papua. Then, there is Bali with its enchanting culture, beaches, dynamic dances and music. But Indonesia still has many unexplored islands with grand mountain views, green rainforests to trek through, rolling waves to surf and deep blue pristine seas to dive in where one can swim with dugongs, dolphins and large mantarays.

Indonesia is blessed with the most diverse landscape, from fertile ricelands on Java and Bali to the luxuriant rainforests of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, to the savannah grasslands of the Nusatenggara islands to snow-capped peaks of West Papua.

The wildlife here ranges from the prehistoric giant Komodo lizard to the orangutan and the Java rhino, to the Sulawesi anoa dwarf buffalos, to birds with exquisite plumage like the cockatoo and the bird of paradise.

This is also the habitat of the Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower, wild orchids, an amazing variety of spices, and aromatic hardwood and a large variety of fruit trees. Underwater, scientists have found in North Sulawesi the prehistoric coelacanth fish, a 'liv-

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INDONESIA ing fossil' fish, predating the dinosaurs living some 400 million years ago, while whales migrate yearly through these waters from the South Pole. Here are hundreds of species of colourful coral and tropical fishes to admire.

Culturally, Indonesia fascinates every visitor with her rich diversity of ancient temples, music, ranging from the traditional to modern pop, dances, rituals and ways of life, changing from island to island, from region to region.

Yet everywhere the visitor feels welcomed with that warm, gracious innate friendliness of the Indonesian people that is not easily forgotten.

Intangible heritage In 2009, UNESCO recognised Indonesia's Batik as World Intangible Cultural Heritage, adding to the earlier recognised Indonesia's Keris (the wavy blade dagger), and the Wayang shadow puppets.

Further being considered as World Heritage is the Angklung bamboo musical instrument from West Java, being uniquely Indonesian.

Indonesia's culture is rich in arts and crafts. In textiles, Sumatra produces some of the best gold and silver-thread woven sarongs, known as songket; South Sulawesi women produce colourful handwoven silks, while Bali, Flores and Timor produce some of the best textiles from natural fibers using complicated motifs. In wood craft, Bali artisans produce beautiful sculptures, as do the Asmat in Papua, both traditional and modern, Central Java craftsmen produce finely carved furniture, while Bugis shipbuilders of South Sulawesi continue to build the majestic phinisi schooners that ply the Indonesian seas until today.

World-class facilities Indonesia has many of our luxurious and unique hotels which have constantly been listed as some of the best in the world, located on white sandy beaches, overlooking green river valleys, or situated in the heart of busy capital Jakarta.

Cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya or Makassar are a hive of activities for business and leisure and a paradise for shoppers, offering upscale boutiques selling top brand names, to local goods at road-side stalls. Here gourmets can treat themselves to the many regions’ delectable spicy cuisine or dine sumptuously at international restaurants. And for sheer relaxation, Indonesia spas are second to none to reinvigorate both body and mind.

Convention centres are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, as many top international conferences and exhibitions are held in Jakarta, Bali, Manado, ranging from the Global Climate Change Conference in Bali to the World Ocean Conference in Manado, to trade and investment exhibitions and tourism trade shows in many provincial capital cities.

Jakarta, Bali, Medan, Padang, Bandung, Solo, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Makassar are connected by direct international

flights, and many regular and low cost carriers fly passengers to Indonesia’s towns or remote locations.

Highlight 2016 One of the highlights of 2016 is the total solar eclipse which will be visible for two minutes 55 seconds at Sulawesi. A total solar eclipse is a rare and spectacular event that can only be experienced along a relatively narrow strip over the Earth’s surface.

The path of the sun eclipse shadow in 2016 will cross Indonesia, starting at the Indian Ocean, west of Sumatra. Then the shadow will move across Indonesia and out into the Pacific Ocean, with maximum visible duration of just over four minutes to the southern part of Guam and will end north of Hawaii. Luckily, Indonesia is the only significant landmass where the eclipse passes over.

In order to celebrate the total solar eclipse, the Solar Eclipse Festival 2016 will be held starting from March 7-16, 2016. The celebration will take place at Ngata Baru, in the Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi, the highest spot where people will have a vantage point to observe and enjoy this rare total solar eclipse.

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yanmar is known as the 'Land of Pagodas', but there are more than just pagodas to delight the traveller.

This historic wonderland has just about everything that makes for a memorable cultural experience: colourful bazaars, classic handicrafts, magnificent pagodas and stupas, traditional tribes, exquisite gems, enchanting festivals and dances that bring to life the legends of old.

Yangon, the capital, also considered as the Garden City of the East is the gateway to Myanmar. It is also a growing bustling business centre. Yangon's not-to-be-missed attraction is the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda atop Singuttara Hill, considered by many as the greatest and most impressive Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar today.

Originally 8.2 metres tall, now it stands close to 100 metres in all its glory through successive renovations by Myanmar monarchs. The pagoda, more than 2500 years old, enshrines strands of Buddha's hair and other holy relics. The Maha Wizaya Pagoda was built on the Dhammarakkhita (Guardian of the Law) Hill which faces the famous Shwedagon Pagoda. An image of the Buddha which was a royal gift from the King and Queen of Nepal is enshrined within the pagoda. Another important attraction in the city that sits surrealistically on the Royal Lake is the Karaweik. With its double bow depicting the mythological Karaweik, a water bird from Indian pre-history, and a many

tiered spire carried on top, the Karaweik represents a fine work of traditional Myanmar architecture.

A must visit for visitors is Bogyoke Market, which is the largest and liveliest of Yangon's markets. The market has a diverse range of goods, from groceries to handicrafts, and antiques to the latest wear.

The second largest city of Myanmar is Mandalay, where you come closest to the real Myanmar of old. With a population of 700,000, here lies the cultural heart of Myanmar where the most refined arts, traditions of dance, music and drama live on. Mandalay is also known for its fine gold and silver crafts, wood and marble carvings, silk thread weaving and ancient tapestry. The last capital of the Myanmar kingdom, Mandalay not only offers wonderful sights to behold, but also has a number of nearby attractions, most historical and fascinating, all within a 3.2 kilometre radius - from cool hill resorts

to nostalgic market places, from an ancient palace to a river ride up the famous 'Road to Mandalay', the Ayeyarwady River, or a ride in unique trishaws or horse-drawn carts. Interesting journeys to nearby attractive sights include the following destinations - the three ancient cities of Amarapura, Sagaing and Inwa, up-river Mingun and cool-country Pyin-Oo-Lwin.

Land of traditions For every visitor to Myanmar an essential part of the itinerary is the traditional Myanmar theatre, which happens to be one of South East Asia’s most captivating shows.

The locals love to watch a classical 'from mid night-to-sunrise' drama known as Zat. This all-night-long drama is usually held during the pagoda festival. Another intriguing drama is the Yamazat - a Myanmar version of the Ramayana epic.

Classic products of an ancient heritage with an enduring charm, are the arts and crafts of the

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2016 Special

MYANMAR Golden Land. Among Myanmar’s many crafts are silk and cotton weaving, lacquerware, gold and silver work, wood, bone and marble carving, tapestry and pottery each a world of knowledge and a learned art form. Lacquerware is an ancient craft, yet very much alive in the regions of Bagan (Pagan) and Pyay.

Wildlife tourism While Myanmar is known for its cultural tourism offerings, the country has many fascinating options for wildlife enthusiasts.

Myanmar's diverse forests and green landscapes which host a large variety of wildlife species, 7000 plants, 300 mammals, 360 reptiles and 1000 bird species, provide an ideal setting for eco tourism. There are many wildlife national parks and sanctuaries.

Alungdaw Kathapa National Park is situated 95 km to the northwest of Monywa. The journey involves some 27 km of tough trekking and elephant ride besides the trips by road and water. It is recommended especially for those keen on adventurous walks in a jungle.

Hlawga Wildlife Park, just 45 minutes drive from Yangon, is inhabited by more than 70 species of herbivorous animals and 90 species of birds. Popa Mountain Park is an extinct volcano over 1,500 metres in height. Lying in the centre of the Dry Belt, Popa Mountain Park covered with recently-grown forests is like an oasis in the desert-like Central Myanmar. Lumpi Marine Park has great potential for both marineand land-based eco tourism.

Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Minbu forest division, on the western edge of the Myanmar dry zone, between Mann and Mone streams.

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he dominant features of the Cambodian landscape are the large, almost generally located, Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and the Bassac River Systems and the Mekong River, which crosses the country from North to South. Surrounding the Central Plains which covers three quarters of the country’s area are the more densely forested and sparsely populated highlands.

The capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, is located at the confluence of three rivers - the Mekong, the Bassac and Tonle Sap. The city is divided into three sections - the north, an attractive residential area; the south or the French part of the city with its ministries, banks and colonial houses; and the centre or the heart with its narrow lanes, markets, foods stalls and shops. Over the past four years, the city has undergone tremendous changes - businesses are springing up constantly and tourism is once again booming. Cambodia has one of the most liberal investment laws to further boost tourism. It has also managed to retain its charm and character - broad boulevards, old colonial buildings, parks and green spaces that reminds one of the country's French heritage, and above all its people who always have a smile.

The Royal Palace is built on the site of the Banteay Kev, a citadel built in 1813. The palace grounds contain several buildings: the Throne Room of Prasat Tevea Vinichhay which is used for the coronation of kings, official receptions and traditional ceremonies; the Chan Chhaya Pavilion which is a venue for dance perform-

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CAMBODIA ances; the king's official residence called the Khemarin; the Napoleon Pavilion and the spectacular Silver Pagoda. This pagoda is worth exploring. It owes its name to the 5,000 silver tiles weighing one kg each which cover the entire floor.

Architectural masterpiece The Angkor temple site in Siem Reap is one of the most important archaeological sites in South East Asia. Angkor Wat, the largest monument of the Angkor group and the best preserved, is an architectural masterpiece. Its perfection in composition, balance, proportions, reliefs and sculpture make it one of the finest monuments in the world.

Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century. Estimated construction time of the temple is 30 years by King Suryavarman II, dedicated to Vishnu (Hindu) and is a replica of Angkor Thom style of art. Wat is the Khmer name for temple (the French spelling is 'vat'), which was probably added to 'Angkor' when it became a Ther-

avada Buddhist monument, most likely in the 16th century. After 1432 when the capital moved to Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat was cared for by Buddhist monks. It is generally accepted that Angkor Wat was a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II and oriented to the west to conform to the symbolism between the setting sun and death. The basreliefs, designed for viewing from left to right in the order of Hindu funereal ritual, support this function.

Even though Angkor Wat is the most photographed Khmer monument, nothing approaches the actual experience of seeing this temple.

Diverse attractions Cambodia is a destination that takes great pride in its diverse attractions which hold great fascination for the matured segment of global travellers. Ratanakiri province offers wonderful opportunities for eco tourism in Cambodia.

A sparsely populated province, it is renowned for its unique natural beauty and wealth of natural

resources. The physical and environmental characteristic of the province forms an impressive range including undulating hills and mountains, a level plateau, watershed lowlands, crater lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Forest cover varies from area to area, from the dense impenetrable forest in the northern reaches, which are still rich in wildlife, to the drier and sparser forest, found in the southwest.

Mondulkiri has natural beauty, with thickly forested mountains and waterfalls. Add to that the communities of hilly tribe people who are not affected by mass-tourism and you have an area that is very attractive to the adventure traveller.

The town of Sen Monorom is the best base camp for travellers who want to explore the surrounding areas. A quiet but beautiful town nestled in the hills, it has a lot of potential to develop into a centre for non-intrusive eco tourism. At present, it is undeveloped, which gives a feeling of going somewhere off the beaten tourist trail. Also interesting is the variety of languages being used - Khmer, hill tribe language, Vietnamese and Laos.

Sihanoukville is Cambodia's premier beach town. Sihanoukville's white sand beaches and warm Gulf of Thailand waters combine with a laid back atmosphere to provide a great little tropical getaway. Sihanoukville is a place to unwind by the beach, enjoy the fresh from-the-ocean seafood, take in a snorkeling or scuba trip, and generally slow-down, lay back and chill-out.

Kratie is home of freshwater dolphins. It is a picturesque sleepy Mekong River town situated on the east bank of the mighty river. Kratie is a nice place to spend a night or two.

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runei, a small nation on the island of Borneo, is famous for its beautiful sunsets, warm tropical climate and stunning mosques. However, there is much more to the destination that travellers can explore from mosques and galleries to unspoilt beaches, birdwatching sites and diving locations.

Art and culture Brunei’s heritage is evident everywhere in the country, its 700 years of history can be traced through many of the landmarks, giving visitors a sense of its strong Islamic influences in the rich culture.

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque sits at the very heart of the capital city and the country's Islamic faith.

Built in 1958 and named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei, it is one of the most impressive mosques in Southeast Asia. Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is an ornately decorated mosque, built in 1994 and surrounded by landscaped gardens and fountains. This mosque is a fine example of Islamic architecture.

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Exhibition Gallery, which was officially opened in 2001, is one of the landmarks of Bandar Seri Begawan that contains His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's personal collection of hand-written Al-Qurans, a range of walking sticks and prayer beads dating from early Islamic periods to the late 19th century. Another unique gallery is The Kampong Ayer Cultural and Tourism Gallery. Here visitors can learn about the settlement, watch a craft demonstration or pick up a

souvenir.

Built along the banks of the Brunei River, the Arts and Handicraft Training Centre was established for the preservation of traditional handicrafts with displays of beautiful brocades called Jong Sarat, hand-woven baskets, silverware, brassware, woodcarvings and replicas of the asymmetrical daggers called 'Keris'. Other notable attractions include - Malay Technology Museum, Royal Regalia Museum, Maritime Museum, Mausoleum of Sultan Bolkiah, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Islamic Exhibition Gallery, among others.

Natural paradise With more than 70 per cent of the country under tropical rainforest cover, Brunei is a nature lover's paradise, offering a variety of green adventures - from picnics in the park to jungle treks and longboatrides into the heart of a pristine rainforest. Located in Jalan Tutong, the kilometre-long Persiaran Damuan Park is a favourite among joggers, for it has pleasant walkways bordered by shrubs and sculptures made by artists from ASEAN countries. The park offers a view of the royal residence, Istana Nurul Iman, as well as Pulau Ranggu, an island in the middle of the rover. Other similar tranquil getaways include - Tasek Lama Park, Bukit Subok Recreational Park, Bukit Shahbandar Forest Recreation Park, Luangan Lalak Forest Reserve Park, Mendaram Waterfall, among others.

Borneo has long been a top diving destination, attracting divers, naturalists and photographers with its stunning aquatic life, beaches, and warm, tropical climate. Brunei waters cover around 41,188 square kilometres but only about 50 square kilometres of it is covered

with coral. In recent reef studies, coral ecologists have discovered that this small area holds more than 400 species of coral.

Brunei is also home to one of the most pristine rainforests in Borneo and home to around 622 species of birds, of which 49 species are endemic only to Borneo, making Brunei rainforest one of the most species rich habitats in the world. Here thousands of species of plants and insects abound, together with hornbills, barbets, babblers, sunbirds, spiderhunters, leafbirds, trogons and floor dwellers like pheasants, picas and wrenbabblers.

Brunei also boasts of kilometres of unspoilt beaches like Muara Beach, Meragang Beach, Serasa, Jerudong Beach, Seri Kenangan Beach, Tungku Beach, among others.

Shopping destination Brunei may not be an international shopper’s paradise but there are plenty of interesting places to shop at. Outdoor markets in Brunei sell anything from local food to handicrafts and many of the shopping complexes offer clothing, electronics and cosmetics all under one roof. For instance, Bandar, the equivalent to the Central Business District or Downtown, offers a good mix of eclectic and high-end shops.

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Gadong is Brunei’s own premier shopping area and home to the biggest and grandest mall in the country, The Mall, Gadong. The latest shopping precinct and the busiest, Kg Jaya Setia is full of life on any day. A little further away from the other shopping areas but definitely worth the trip is Plaza Abdul Razak, which has a diverse selection of shops while the neighbouring Plaza Athirah building – an old favourite with the locals – has a big selection of textile shops.

Medical tourism Brunei Darussalam has some of the best medical facilities in Borneo, all located in the Jerudong vicinity. The Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) is a private specialist hospital in Brunei Darussalam. JPMC offers a spectrum of services catering to families and organisational needs.

The National Cancer Centre currently within the JPMC hospital, with its day care treatment facility, is a specialist centre for the treatment of cancer patients.

Gleneagles JPMC, which is located within the same compound as JPMC, is a tertiary medical centre specialised in treating cardiac diseases. The centre provides screening and diagnostic services as well as interventional cardiology and heart surgery.

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hailand, located on Southeast Asia’s Indochina peninsula, is known for its tropical beaches, royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of the Buddha. The country's spectacular natural, cultural and historical attractions can be found across several destinations like Bangkok, Hua Hin, Samui, Krabi, Pattaya, Satun, among others. From families and FITs to MICE and corporates, Thailand boasts of a plethora of tourism attractions to appeal to every traveller visiting the country.

One of the most visited and remembered landmarks of Thailand is the Grand Palace in Bangkok, which is the utmost architectural symbol of the country. The construction of the Grand Palace began in 1782 during the reign of King Rama I, the founder of Chakri Dynasty, to become a royal residence.

The Grand Palace served as a significant royal residence until 1925 and is now used for ceremonial purposes only. Another popular attraction of Thailand is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimonmangkalaram or Wat Pho, built in 16th century and regarded as the royal temple of King Rama I. The temple is famous for two things - its 46-metre-long Reclining Buddha built in 1832 featuring the feet beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearls and the Thai massage. Wat Pho is also regarded as the country’s first public university.

The Chiang Mai Zoo is another must visit attraction where over

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200 types of Asian and African mammals can be found. It is located at Doi Suthep foothills, next to Huay Kaew Arboretum. Doi Luang Chiang Dao, a limestone hill in the area of Chiang Dao Wildlife Reserve and at a height of 2,195 metres from sea level, is the third tallest peak in Thailand after Doi Inthanon and Doi Pha Hom Pok. The peak is a great spot to soak up spectacular views of a fog sea while the nearby area is home to rare highland flowers, birds, and butterflies. The 700-acre Prommitr Film Studio in Kanchanaburi was created to serve as a filming location of Thailand’s historic trilogy movie The Legend of King Naresuan. Visitors can actually spend the whole day wandering around the set featuring stunning buildings, learn the history of the ancient kingdoms through exhibitions and lectures, and try putting on ancient-style clothing and have a photograph opportunity.

National parks Thailand boasts of a significant number of national parks which offer a variety of ecologically, economically and scientifically valuable plants and animals. For

instance, the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiang covers a 262square-metre verdant forest and mountain ranges in three districts of Chiang Mai. Attractions in this national park include Huai Kaew Waterfall and Kru Ba Sri Wichai monument.

The Huai Nam Dang National Park, a 180-square-kilometre national park in Mae Taeng district, is equally blessed with mountainous terrains and verdant forest, which rises to the top of the Huai Nam Dang Viewpoint at Doi Kiew Lom to overlook a stunning scene when the peak of Doi Chiang Dao emerges from the sea of fog in the morning. Nearby attractions include Pong Nam Ron Tha Pai (hot spring) and Namtok Mae Yen (waterfall), all located in Mae Hong Son. Another attraction is The Doi Inthanon National Park covering an area of 482.4 square kilometres in three districts of Chiang Mai province. Cool climate lovers should visit the park during December to February to see Siamese sakura flowers blossoming all over the area. Situated some 65 kilometres from Kanchanaburi along Route 3199, this 550-square-kilometre Erawan National Park is best

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known for its seven-level Erawan Waterfall, which is one of Thailand’s most famous, and most beautiful waterfalls. Among all levels, the second level of the fall features a vast, picturesque pond ideal for swimming while trekking trails to the upper levels are also favoured by adventure lovers.

Business travel Apart from leisure travel, Thailand also boasts of a wide array of convention facilities for corporate and MICE travel. For instance, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Thailand's first convention centre in Bangkok, can host meetings, conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, concerts and special events. While the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre has been hosting international trade exhibitions, world congresses, and a wide variety of MICE events since 1997. For large events, the Pattaya Exhibition And Convention Hall (PEACH) is the best MICE venue outside of Bangkok. This world-class multipurpose 'one stop convention venue' offers complete versatility and flexibility for any meeting needs.

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ingapore, often referred to as the Garden City, is a cultural melting pot and a blend of oldworld and new architecture.

This island state is also a land of contrasts – Chinatown and Little India, both gastronomic and shopping hubs, represent the ethnic diversity of the country. For nightlife, visitors can explore the Long Bar at Raffles Singapore or head to Clarke Quay for a picturesque eating and drinking experience.

Dining and shopping Singapore's famed Marina Bay showcases the city's most spectacular side. The Marina Bay Sands Singapore is the focal point of the bay, and visitors here can explore the ArtScience Museum, Sands SkyPark, various shopping, dining and nightlife options, among others. At eight in the evening a spectacular light show is organised at Marina Bay, wherein the water as well as several iconic landmarks are illuminated. Clarke Quay is a beautiful riverside development packed with bars, restaurants, boutique shops and nightclubs. Visitors can head under the futuristic, jellylike roof to explore some great shopping options and several bars.

Chinatown is another iconic spot offering a great shopping experience, plethora of attractions and plentiful food joints for tasting authentic Chinese food. Visitors can learn about its history from the Chinatown Heritage Centre on Pagoda Street. Little India is a colourful and exciting area located east of the Singapore River. Upon entering this area, visitors are welcomed by the exotic aromas drifting out from family kitchens,

restaurants and shops selling different types of Indian food. Famous for the busy Mustafa Centre, a market that stays open day and night all year round, this neighbourhood is an attractive destination not only for shopaholics but also for lovers of Indian cuisine.

Iconic structures The Raffles Singapore, a luxurious colonial-style hotel dating back to 1887, is one of the most important landmarks of Singapore. The hotel has hosted several famous personalities including Queen Elizabeth II, late Elizabeth Taylor and late Michael Jackson. The Raffles Singapore boasts of 18 Raffles Inc State-room Suites, 66 Courtyard and Palm Court Suites, 12 Personality Suites, five Grand Hotel Suites and two Presidential Suites along with eight distinctive restaurants and bars.

The Merlion is more than just a statue but a mythical symbol of Singapore. The Merlion Park where the half-fish and half-lion Merlion resides, is a place where visitors can experience some incredible views and the city’s most sought after photo-op. Although the waterspouting Merlion is the main focal

point, visitors can also relax on the terraced seating area, which boasts of some great views across the water to Marina Bay Sands. The Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest observation wheel (outside the United States). Standing at a stunning 165 metre from the ground, the Flyer offers breathtaking, panoramic views of the Marina Bay, island city and beyond.

Gardens by the Bay is a large, colourful, futuristic park located in the bay area of Singapore. Gardens by the Bay captures the essence of Singapore as the premier tropical Garden City with the perfect environment in which to live and work.

The famous Supertree structures offer an impressive skywalk over the Gardens and there are hundreds of trees and plants to discover, making this destination ideal for both kids and adults.

Fun attractions The Universal Studios Singapore is the first-of-its-kind to open in Southeast Asia. The park has more than 20 attractions in themed zones including the Lost World, Ancient Egypt, New York, Hollywood, Madagascar, Sci-Fi City and Far Far Away.

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2016 Special

SINGAPORE Singapore Night Safari is a unique attraction and is one of the leading conservation and research centres in Asia. It offers a glimpse into the nocturnal animal kingdom, with more than 59 exhibits and 1,000 animals to be seen from around the world. These include the Himalayan griffon vultures, greater one-horned rhinoceroses, wildebeests and gazelles.

Convention facilities When it comes to corporate and MICE events, Singapore boasts of some of the best conference venues worldwide. The venues combine state-of-the-art technology with Singapore's cosmopolitan atmosphere. The conference venues vary in shapes and sizes, with a capacity to accommodate up to 19,000 people with anywhere from 850 square metres to 100,000 square metres of space. The Singapore Expo is Asia’s leading conference centre with 10 convention and exhibition halls totaling over 100,000 square metres of space.

The Marina Bay Sands Singapore is another large and versatile exhibition space. The Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre incorporates business events with state-of-the-art technology, service and entertainment. This venue boasts of spacious meeting rooms, ballrooms, galleries, halls and additional spaces. Combining the modern with the luxurious, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore features a full spectrum of meeting venues. A team of certified meeting professionals are there to plan and host the perfect meeting, event or conference.

Other notable venues include Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, Raffles City Convention Centre, Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, Orchard Hotel Singapore, Mandarin Orchard Singapore, among others.

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ocated on a curve of the Mekong River, the Vientiane capital has a recorded history that stretches back to around 1,000 AD. The area was originally settled because of the fertility of the surrounding alluvial plains, and Vientiane became the capital city of Laos around the mid-16th century. Vientiane capital is the home to the most significant national monument in Laos: That Luang (Great Stupa), which is the symbol of Lao and an icon of Buddhism in Laos. Of the many beautiful Wats in Vientiane, a visit to Wat Sisaket is a must; built in 1818, this is one of the oldest temples in Vientiane. Other Buddhist holy places are Wat Ong Teu Mahavihan, known for its 16th century bronze Buddha sheltered by a carved wooden masterpiece, and Wat Si Meuang, the site of the Lak Meuang or pillar-stone of Vientiane. Wat Si Meuang is also home to the guardian spirit of the city. Hor Phakeo, across the street from Wat Sisaket houses a collection of Buddha statues, including traditional Lao style of the 'Calling for Rain' and 'Offering Protection'.

The Lao National Museum, displays an interesting mixture of revolutionary and contemporary exhibitions. Wat Xieng Khouan, better known as the Buddha Park should not be missed. Shopping for handicrafts is easy in Vientiane capital; visit Talat Sao (morning market) for a wide range of colourful textiles including silks, wall-hangings and other decorative pieces. For very fine handicrafts, there are many upscale

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LAOS galleries in the city centre. The place is also famous for traditional wood carvings, mulberry paper and a variety of basketry made from bamboo and rattan. The nation’s signature dish, tam makhung (spicy green papaya salad) is worth the try along with laap (spicy minced meat salad) and ping kai (fried chicken). For its size, Vientiane capital is multicultural and has French, Indian, Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants that serve both Lao and specialty dishes. Luang Prabang town offers several unique insights into the history of the region, through Buddhist temples, museum and a variety of Lao, Tai-Lue, Burmese, Chinese and Tai architecture at the Night Market. Luang Prabang sells a large variety of traditional goods.

Famous foods in Luang Prabang are 'Aur Lam' (a thick stew made with the forsted herb), 'Sakhan', (meat and eggplants), 'Jaew Bong', (a sauce made with hot chillies and buffalo skin) and 'khai Pan' (dried river weed lightly fried with sesame seeds and garlic).

Some of the most visited sites in Luang Prabang Town are Wat Xieng Thong, Mount Phou Si, Wat Visounnarath, (the former Royal Palace) and Wat Manolom. Equally beautiful are the lesser known temples across the Mekong River in Chomphet District. Travellers should also visit Tad Kwang Si Waterfall, Tham Ting Caves, Ban Xang Hai Village and the tiered waterfall Tad Sae. Further out is Muang Ngoi Kao, a quiet village located on the banks of the Nam Ou River surrounded by high mountains and limestone cliffs.

The small town of Vang Vieng is located 150 kilometres north of the Vientiane capital. This place has a landscape of bizarre limestone mountain peaks and scenic

cliffs with the Nam Song (Song River) bisecting the town. At the base of the town’s limestone mountains are a network of caves. There are a variety of well-developed tourism services in Vang Vieng and a wide range of accommodations.

Water sports such as kayaking and tubing are popular and rock climbing is also a growing pastime. Vang Vieng also offers some places like several 16th and 17th century monasteries and the small Hmong villages. Just off route 13 north are two of Vientiane Province’s well known attractions: a small man-made reservoir known as Nong Nok near Ban Sivilay which is a bird watching site; and the ancient Vang Xang Buddha images and sculptures that are carved into the side of a sandstone escarpment. Khammouane is located in central Laos bordering Bolikhamxay and Savannakhet provinces. Khammouane covers about 16,000 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 330,000, mostly engaged in agriculture. The Mekong River Valley in the west is framed by the Annamite Mountain Range which separates Khammouane from Viet-

nam to the east. The Limestone Mountains are honeycombed with countless caves, some of which for years concealed forgotten treasures. The Buddha Cave (Tham Pa Fa) was discovered in 2004 and houses 229 priceless Buddha images. Kong Lor Cave is perhaps the most well-known in the province. It is 7.5 kilometres long and as high and wide as 90-100 meters in some places. The province has three national protected areas (NPA) that cover an enormous area about 6,295 square kilometres in total.

Phou Hin Poun NPA encompasses much of the limestone forest and has 43 recorded species of bats. The Hin Namno NPA is located in the area where the Central Indochina Limestone meets the Annamite Chain, and as a result, has prominent limestone escarpments and caves. In the Pakse area, there are about 62 tourist sites: 32 natural, seven historical, and 27 cultural. There are many French colonial style buildings remaining in the city. From Sedon Bridge, often called 'old bridge' by the people of Champasack, travellers can walk around to see the old French style quarter.

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alaysia's multiculturalism has made the destination a gastronomical paradise and home to hundreds of colourful festivals.

Geographically, Malaysia is almost as diverse as its culture - 11 states and two federal territories (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya) form Peninsular Malaysia which is separated by the South China Sea from East Malaysia which includes the two states (Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo) and a third federal territory, the island of Labuan. One of Malaysia's key attractions is its extreme contrasts which further adds to this theme of ‘diversity’.

The late Jacques Cousteau, a world-renowned oceanographer, once described Sipadan Island as an untouched piece of art while divers around the world have voted it as one of the top five dive sites in the world. Declared a bird sanctuary in 1933 by the Colonial Government of North Borneo and re-gazetted in 1963 by the Malaysian Government, the dense vegetation on Sipadan Island supports a large variety of tropical birds that include sea eagles, kingfishers, sunbirds, starlings and wood pigeons. Exotic crustaceans including the coconut crab roam the beaches and scurry among the undergrowth.

Encounters with turtles, resident schools of jacks, bumphead parrotfish and barracudas are almost assured when diving around the tiny coral island. Pu-

lau Redang, located 45 kilometres off the coast of Kuala Terengganu, is the largest of a group of nine protected islands dotting the South China Sea off the Terengganu coast. Pulau Perhentian, meaning 'stopover island', is not to be missed. Situated 21 kilometres off the coast of Terengganu, it consists of the islands of Pulau Perhentian Besar and Pulau Perhentian Kecil.

About 56 kilometres off the coast of Pahang lies Tioman Island, an alluring holiday paradise in the South China Sea. Acclaimed as one of the best island getaways in the world, Tioman was the location of the Hollywood musical, 'South Pacific' in 1959. According to legend, this island is the final resting place of a mythical dragon princess. The warm waters and good visibility make Tioman a paradise for divers.

Kota Iskandar, Johor State Administrative Centre was opened in April 2009 and is now one of the must see places in Johor. Inspired by Moorish-Andalusian and Johor Malay designs and motifs, Kota Iskandar is Malaysia’s first experiential parliament where visitors through guided tours are allowed to enter Johor’s beautiful state parliament hall and get immersed into Johor’s rich culture and history while understanding the symbolisms and abstract interpretations in true style and splendour of Kota Iskandar- Johor’s Living Legacy. The Langkawi Island, off the coast of Kedah is a cluster of 99 islands offering the best of many worlds: beautiful beaches, world-class infrastructure, mangroves rich in flora and fauna, ultra-cheap duty-free shopping and legends.

The Batu Caves is a an iconic

and popular tourist attraction in Selangor. It is a site of a Hindu temple and shrine, and attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists, especially during the annual Hindu festival, Thaipusam.

Next attraction is the Mulu Caves National Park which is home to one of the longest networks of caves in the world. Here lies the world's largest underground chamber, the Sarawak Chamber, capable of accommodating 40 Boeing 747 airplanes.

Furthermore, the destination is also blessed with a lot of cultural attractions. St Paul's Hill (A'Famosa) was built when the Portuguese colonised Melaka from 1511 to 1641. As Melaka was the centre of struggles between super powers of the time, and suffered the constant threat of attack, the A'Famosa fort was critical in Portugal maintaining its colonial foothold in the Far East.

Also known as the Temple of Supreme Bliss, Kek Lok Si is said to be the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia, and one of the most famous in Penang.

Malaysia is also famous for its other important events like 1 Malaysia Year End Sale, RFCRainforest Challenge, Sibu Bike Week Sarawak and Royal Cup Muay Thai Championship.

MICE facilities Malaysia is fast emerging as a

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choice destination for international conventions and exhibitions. Malaysia's modern infrastructure includes a wide range of well-equipped facilities, accommodation and settings to cater to all types of meeting requirements. Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) is a non-profit organisation established in 2009 by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia to grow the country’s business tourism industry. The inception is in line with Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to elevate the country to developed - nation status by 2020. MyCEB aims to further strengthen Malaysia’s global appeal and position as the leading destination for international meetings, incentives, conventions, trade exhibitions and major events. The bureau identifies potential business event leads, facilitates bidding processes, promotes government and industry collaborations, as well as provides event support and marketing services. Established in 2006, Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) is the brain-child of the Sarawak State Government and is a non-profit organisation whose goal is to bring Sarawak to the forefront of international meetings.

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he name Viet Nam is a variation of Nam Viet, a name that can be traced back to the Trieu dynasty of the second century BC. Known for its beaches, rivers, Buddhist pagodas and bustling cities, Vietnam has a rich cultural heritage that flows from its 54 ethnic groups, each with its own traditions.

The diversity of the ethnic groups is apparent in the many traditional arts including sculpture, painting, ceramic and casting, made from materials such as paper, clay, stone, bronze, steel and wood .

Vietnamese sculpture has been heavily influenced by the three traditional religions - Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism - which come from neighbouring countries China and India.

Vietnam's largest city, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon and later renamed after the nation’s iconic Communist-era leader) has French colonial landmarks and beautiful buildings, displaying a combination of Vietnamese, Chinese and European influences.

These include the Notre Dame Cathedral, Nha Rong (Dragon House Wharf), Xa Tay (Municipal Office), Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theatre as well as many pagodas and churches. Nearby are the Cu Chi tunnels, used by Viet Cong soldiers during the famed Vietnam War. Many rivers run through the city, the biggest being the Saigon River.

The Port of Saigon, established in 1862, is accessible to ships weighing up to 30,000 tons, a rare advantage for an inland river port.

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VIETNAM Natural heritage Designated as a World Heritage Site in 1994, Ha Long Bay is known for its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone (karst) islands topped by rainforests. Junk boat tours and sea kayak expeditions take visitors past islands named for their shapes, including Hon Dau Nguoi (Human Head Islet), Hon Rong (Dragon Islet), Hon Canh Buom (Sail Islet), Hon Trong Mai (Cock and Hen Islet).

The region draws scuba divers, rock climbers and hikers, the latter favouring mountainous Cát Bà National Park. The beauty of Halong Bay lies not only in the shapes of its islands and the colour of its waters, but also in its diversely rich network of grottos and caves, each a grandiose architectural creation of nature.

Another World Heritage Site, Hoi An is a little port town with its old streets bordered with ancient houses and assembly halls, pagodas, temples, ancient wells and tombs. The city has four museums highlighting the history of the region. These museums are managed

by the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation.

One of the most scenic destinations of Vietnam thanks to its cascading rice terraces, is Sa Pa which has many natural sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Silver Waterfall, Rattan Bridge, Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave. Sa Pa is also the starting point for many trekkers who want to reach the top of Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 metres.

Vietnam also has many pristine beaches. Considered one of the jewels along Vietnam's long coastline, the seven kilometre white sand beach of Nha Trang is often called Vietnam's Mediterranean Area.

Unique MICE venues Vietnam offers some unique MICE venues like the Reunification Palace. This ex-presidential palace in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, offers 95 rooms, and the Great Hall can hold 600 guests, the historic Presidential Office 200 guests, the Banquet Hall 250 guests and the Cabinet Meeting Hall up to 200

guests. The venue also offers 20,000 square metre of courtyard space and 2,000 square metre that can be used for exhibitions.

The Ho Chi Minh City International Exhibition Centre (HIECC) has three column-free halls of 2,378 square metre per hall. The outdoor exhibition area is approximately 1,000 square metre. Saigon Exhiibition & Convention Centre (SECC) has four indoor exhibition halls totaling to 40,000 square metre, additional outdoor exhibition space of 15,000 – 20,000 square metre, one 2,000 seat convention centre, a four-star hotel of 600 rooms and a five-star one with 400 rooms.

Another extraordinary venue is the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House.

This classic, colonial-style Opera House in central Saigon offers facilities like the main auditorium for large meetings, and conference rooms to intimate rooms that are ideal for smaller meetings.

World renowned cuisine Vietnam' cuisine is popular among tourists who may have sampled its famous rice paper and spring rolls in their own countries. Rice, noodles, fresh vegetable and herbs all play a big role in Vietnamese cuisine, making it one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. The people here love noodles. Exotic meats such as dog, turtle and snake are also common. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef or chicken. The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Vietnamese basil, mint leaves, lime and bean sprouts.

Vietnam also produces several varieties of rice wine known as Ruou. However, bottles of Ruou usually contain a pickled snake apparently to impart health-giving elements. Vietnam is also well known for its street food.

OUTBOUND DESTINATION

Island hopping in Indonesia A visit to the world's largest archipelago, Indonesia, unveils not just the natural beauty of its islands but the essence of the land that is rooted in its rich history and multi-cultural traditions. By Sudipta Dev

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he island country of Indonesia offers diverse attractions that are as varied as its eclectic culture. From Bali to Labuan Bajo to Komodo Island to Lombok, each destination is unique in terms of the tourism offerings.

Bali, which has been India's favourite outbound destination in 2015, taking into consideration the high growth rate, continues to spellbound even the repeat visitors. With a population of four million, 95 per cent of them being Hindus, one the highlights in Bali are the many Hindu temples, which are distinctively different from those in India. There are thousands of big and small temples ranging from the clifftop Uluwatu temple to the Goa Gaja temple in a cave and innumerable family shrines that are found within the premises of local homes.

There are in fact four types of temples – the family temple; functional temple (for example in rice paddy fields); village temple; and public temple (like Uluwatu). This sea temple, which is in the south western tip of Bali is dedicated to Rudra.

The area is famous as one of the best surfing locations in the world. Equally famous (read notorious) are the local denizens (monkeys) who have a reputation of taking off with the belongings of visitors. It is best to visit the temple at a time to catch the breathtaking view of the sunset from the viewpoint.

The Goa Gajah temple near Ubud is also called the Elephant cave. The ninth century temple has a vast precinct. The en-

trance to the cave is marked by intricate carvings. As you walk into the cavernous mouth of a demon, inside the dark cave the sanctum sanctorium has lingas of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva on one side and a black Ganesha statue on the other.

Ubud is of course like a veritable open air gallery with its many handicraft shops, woodcraft showrooms and curio stores. Not surprisingly, Ubud is the best place to buy artefacts

and other bric-a-bracs. It is equally important to bargain hard. A Barong dance performance, representing the eternal fight between the good and the evil, is a necessary part of the itinerary.

The celebrated terraced paddy fields of Bali continue to spellbind visitors with its picturesque vistas. Even if you are unable to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is a few hours drive away, paddy fields of

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Tegallalang village in Ubud is an option that should not be missed.

The Kuta area in Denpasar is popular for beach sunset and nightlife. Some of the best hotels, including those popular with the conferencing crowd are at Nusa Dua. Tanjung Benoa in Nusa Dua is a paradise for water activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, para sailing, etc. Tourists from other locations in Bali come here for water sports. The government of Bali has a masterplan for tourism development and is developing beach areas for dolphin watching, diving sites, etc.

As the focus here is cultural tourism, there are no high rises in Bali in keeping with the environs. The guide also proudly points out the famous Bali Tourism Institute that churns out human resources for the sector in Bali and the country.

Land of Komodo dragon Labuan Bajo in east Indonesia is the hub for trips for an encounter with the legendary giant reptiles – the Komodo dragons that inhabit Komodo Island and Rinca Island. Endemic to the region, there are many interesting stories associated with these dragons which are known to be the largest lizards on the planet.

These lizards have lived in perfect harmony with human beings who inhabit Komodo Island.

The people here are descendents of former convicts. Visitors have an option of choosing the long, medium or short trail.

Either way they do get to see quite a few of these amazing reptiles in the national park. All the

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walks end at the rangers' canteen which interestingly is one of the favourite haunts of the Komodo dragon, which turns up here sometimes to get food.

From Labuan Bajo, it takes an idyllic four hours by boat to reach Komodo Island. There are many small islands along the way including a few where pearl cultivation happens. Kanawa Island is famous for snorkeling.

This island has a resort which is a haven for those who want to escape from civilisation for a few days and spend their time discovering the colourful world of corals around these islands. Not too far is the Pink Beach, which is another picture perfect location for snorkeling. There are daily flights from Denpasar, Bali to Labuan Bajo. The seas port at Labuan Bajo has also been improved and attracts cruise ships with tourists keen to see these dragons. Pelni ships ply from Bali to Lombok to Labuan Bajo.

Ferries also bring tourists here from different destinations.

Picturesque Lombok Visitors can reach the picturesque island of Lombok in just 35 minutes by flight from Bali and 3.5 hours by ferry. The island has won awards as a halal tourism getaway. Though Lombok is an ideal destination for honeymoon, it is also an emerging MICE location. The largest city here is the capital, Mataram.

While the island is predominantly inhabited by Muslims, before the advent of Islam the inhabitants were primarily Hindus and Buddhists. There are still

many historic Hindu temples like the Batu Bolong temple which is built on a rock. The destination is also home to people practicing Wetu Telu, which is a mix of Islam, Hinduism and animism. Tourists can visit with the Sasak village of Sade in Lombok, where people practicing Wetu Telu reside. They can take a walk around the village, buy local craft items and also watch a cultural performance. Sasak Traditional Tour is a combination of nature and culture including visit to museum, pottery making village, beach, etc.

Mount Rinjani is an active volcano in Lombok, which is one of the major tourism attractions and a highlight of adventure tourism activities that the destination offers. The Kuta beach here is considered one of the best surfing destinations in the world. Even for those not interested in any activities, Lombok is the perfect getaway to relax and unwind and spend hours reading a book or lying on the beach soaking in the rugged landscape and clear blue waters.

SPOTLIGHT

In Rhythm with nature When you build your dream venture with a passion it shows. Rhythm Lonavala in Maharashtra is the expression of Ashok Jatia who bought the land from a freedom fighter's family and built his dream on it without cutting a single tree in the premises. Reema Lokesh walks through Lonavala's all-suite resort, which reflects an Asian colonial style of architecture

T

he story of this Rhythm dates back to India's pre-independence era.

Ashok Jatia, chairman, Rhythm Resorts and Spa, bought the land from Jawahar Mulraj, the grandson of Kersondas Mulraj, an unsung freedom fighter of India. Interestingly, he was named after Jawaharlal Nehru, which was revealed in a letter, now in the safe custody of Jatia. The Jatia family are also custodians of authentic documents and letters of that era, which triggered their decision to build a resort, which was not just a luxury abode but a place that reflects heritage and character of the bygone era, but in sync with nature.

The property has been built around a family of trees that are over 70 years old. “While surveying the property before its purchase, my father (Ashok Jatia) felt a calming vibe, which he attributed to these trees and promised himself that notwithstanding any development he may undertake on the land, the trees would remain in their place. At the design stage of the project, we undertook a massive tree mapping exercise and planned the entire flow of the structure around the trees. We paid close attention to the location, girth of each tree, height and also the spread of the branches. Even after taking these into account it was very difficult to judge the spread of the roots and we had to keep improvising during the execution stage to adjust for the spread of the roots. This natural legacy is the ethos behind our ‘tree of life’ logo and our efforts to re-unite

us with nature,” says Vaibhav Jatia, MD, Rhythm Resorts and Spa, with pride.

Handpicked design elements Apart from nature and heritage, the resort has its own distinct style in terms of its architecture and facade. Though located close to the old Mumbai-Pune highway, NH 4, the resort is designed in a way that ensures a tranquil experience.

The logo of the property is an abundant, well rooted tree, which is rather distinct as it welcomes you to a property that is simplistic and uncluttered. The elements of nature seem to be well balanced with

light, water and space rightly utilised. The entrance and lobby area also leads you into a tastefully designed lounge or library room, which serves as a

meet and greet enclosure as well.

However, what catches the eye in the lobby zone is a large decorative unique boat struc-

ture that has been hand crafted by tribal artisans from the Timor Islands of Indonesia.

This rare artefact is unique since the entire piece is made

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SPOTLIGHT

from one single bark of wood.

The element of nature is also carried forward in the rooms.

Round wooden artefacts adorn the walls of the bedrooms - remains of a huge tree within the property which fell during heavy rains. Ashish Jatia, director, Rhythm Resorts and Spa, adds, “Inspite of our best efforts this tree could not be saved.

However, we felt it would be right to give it a new life and meaning by using slices of the bark as decorative artefacts in all the rooms. Each section is from a different height of the tree trunk and is our tribute to the beauty of Mother Nature."

Apart from the walls, the floors, too have a story to share.

All the tiles in the lobby and rooms are custom-made her-

itage pattern tiles. The designs, pattern, colours have all been hand-picked personally by Ashok Jatia.

According to Ashish Jatia, “These type of tiles can still be found in old bungalows and some heritage properties today.

The origin of these tiles dates back to the 1920s in India when they were used as part of the Swadeshi movement as a contribution to India’s economic independence by producing tiles of international quality to replace imports. After installation, the tiles are required to be polished seven times to bring out the unique pigmented colours that gives them a natural feel."

Food and facilities When it comes to the palate, the

Apart from the walls, the floors, too have a story to share. All the tiles in the lobby and rooms are custom-made heritage pattern tiles. These type of tiles can still be found in old bungalows

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team at Rhythm is ready to offer their clientele a satisfying gourmet experience. The Treehouse Cafe offers guests an all day dining experience. The Courtyard Poolside Bistro has its own charm amidst a natural setting, while those who like to relax over a drink and some music, the Cedar Lounge & Restaurant is your place to be.

For your pampering ritual, the resort has an in-house spa facility and a small spa outlet around the pool for a quick relaxation experience. The resort is also well equipped to cater to the MICE business as it offers a pillarless banquet facility called Grand Oak, with around 4,000 sq ft space. This can be also further divided into three smaller conference rooms. Apart from MICE, the resort is ready to welcome the wedding business as well, as its open lawn options can cater to both the segments.

The resort with it's 42 Cypress and 42 Banyan Suites is ready to give its clientele a novel experience in Lonavala, being the game changer in the highly popular hill station in the Sahyadris.

CORPORATE FILE

On the goodwill path Founded by Maitreyee and Mahendra Vakharia, Pathfinders Holidays was concieved from the sheer need of providing highly personalised and refined tours for clients, especially during an era when the concept of group and coach tours ruled. A tete-atete with the couple reveals what keeps them going

By Reema Lokesh

T

he journey of Pathfinders Holidays, headquartered in Ahmedabad, began in 1997. The name of the company was an inspiration for the Vakharias as they believed that whatever the situation or challenge, they will find a path and design a quality holiday for their customer. After working as tour directors for a substantial amount of time, especially on the European sector, Maitreyee and Mahendra Vakharia were pained to see how people would holiday on a group tour. They saw the entire discomfort rather closely - from the wake up call at 6 am, to the hopon-hop off experience in each city, to long distance coach travel for 500-600 km at a stretch.

This did not seem like a holiday to them.

Though there was undoubtedly a regular demand for group tours, they decided to go the FIT way almost 18 years ago. From then on itself, they promised to provide their clientele a highly personalised holiday offer with a team that is dedicated to meet the customer needs 24x7 especially on ground, with 100 per cent involvement from the founding members themselves.

With expertise in both, the outbound and domestic space, the couple prefers to define the company as a catalyst, helping convert aspirations of clients into reality by using their knowledge and expertise of the destination, coupled with the support of network partners around the world.

The couple and their team were guided by the four way test of a rotarian, before starting any business: 1. Is it the truth? 2. Is it fair to all concerned? 3. Will it

build goodwill and better friendship? 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned? And this they feel makes them special.

Making memories The journey since the company's inception has been interesting in more than many ways. What keeps them going are the small notes of gratitude and gestures of appreciation. “The sheer joy and pleasure of a client sending a two line email of appreciation or saying a thank you for recommending a particular hotel and room with a view to make their holiday memorable, makes our day,” says Maitreyee Vakharia.

Elaborating on one of her experiences, she recalls, “We have made many special memories for our clients, but we would like to share our experience of one of our clients, late Mihir Majumdar and his wife. Our company managed to organise 10 holiday trips for them and each holiday was to one international destination and for about 35 nights visiting only four towns/cities. The only requirement of this client was that the town/place should be surrounded by nature, have a good library and away from a crowded touristic spot. Once while staying in Weggis (Switzerland) we organised a surprise birthday for the lady.

Her son was visiting the destination for his official business trip, and he wanted to surprise his mother and wish her in person.

We made this happen for him with a plan well crafted by our team. Our gift was her tears of joy and an overwhelming thank you note. What was touching was the fact that their personal diary (which late Mihir Majum-

dar shared with us) and their travel memoirs had Mahendra and myself mentioned in it and how we made their holidays special with memories that did last their lifetime. Such incidents and clients make us believe that we are doing something right.”

sure to online deals and is also well travelled and informed. So if the agency is not updated with the correct sourcing, price and the knowledge of the product, it will be a failure.”

The Gujarat market

Mahendra Vakharia feels that the challenges are manifold in the business of travel and lists down, some of the biggest challenges he feels that needs attention.

Since there is no entry barrier to start a travel business, anybody and everybody can start one, whereas the fact remains that this business is highly technical/knowledge based and specialised. Time and again there are reports of fly by night operators who have duped customers of money and not delivered the services. Challenge is to educate the consumer to work with only reputed/accredited agencies.

The online sphere is another challenge. There is no logic and parity in rates offered by the same seller (hotel, airline, resort

Business has grown over the years and the nature and demand of the clientele has also refined with time. With globalisation came a new understanding in the travel space. The Gujarat market has a strong outbound focus as an inherent nature.

Those living in the diaspora known as the global Gujarati are in favour of travel and tourism in general. Their business has witnessed a steady growth also due to references of satisfied clientele and the 'word of mouth' power does work for the company.

However, the company is also constantly working on product development as they feel the local market is extremely price sensitive and alert. He opines, “The market has a sound expo-

Meeting the business challenges of today

,etc) to its authorised distributors, retail rates and the rates offered on its own website to direct consumer, thereby undermining the strength of its own product/price. Also there is no central agency to authenticate, verify and confirm if the content offered online is genuine and factually correct.

Many times reviews on various travel sites are more subjective than factual. The challenge for agencies like us is that clients expect our professional and knowledge based personalised service 24x7, but at the online price (which is without 24x7 backup and no human touch).

For those new in the business, complete product knowledge is a must and cannot be compromised upon. It is important to go through the grind. Understanding tourism also extends one's knowledge of the geo-political situation of the world when recommending a destination for holiday. Due to the internet, the present day customer is well aware of the destination/product and sometimes don’t even need a holiday expert to help him with his holiday. In such a scenario, if the holiday expert agency staff is not updated with her/his knowledge of the product, it will be a complete disaster.

However, keeping all challenges in mind the team at Pathfinders Holidays has complete faith in their business.

Their vision is to keep creating memorable and unique holiday experiences for their clients and strive to be the best in the business and expand into areas other than leisure holidays.

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DESTINATION WATCH

Meandering on the Mekong As a visitor cruises along the Mekong River in Vietnam, he gets a rare opportunity to reach out and touch the lives of the local community for whom the river is a living lifeline

By Steena Joy

I

MPACTING the lives of 70 million people, the Mekong River is one of the world’s great river systems, flowing 4,909 km through six countries: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The river's seasonal variation in water level and the range of wetland habitats inundated makes it a great productive source of livelihood. Not surprisingly, the Mekong River Basin’s immense biodiversity is fundamental to the rural livelihoods of people living in the Lower Mekong Basin and a tour of the Mekong Delta offers the discerning traveller a unique insight into their life on this unique waterworld.

Accessible from Ho Chi Minh City (a three hour drive on the National Route 1A freeway), a tourist's first impression of the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is a vast maze of tributaries, swamps and islands, and villages surrounded by rice paddy fields and houses on stilts hugging the riverbank. Giving colour to the scene is an amazing business idea - floating markets. Boats in the Mekong Delta are not only the main means of transportation, but they are also used to sell fruits, flowers and vegetables.

Many of the vendors live on these boats, family et al.

One of the most famous is the Cai Be floating market.

Locals say that earlier about 15 years ago, there were around 15 big floating markets in the Mekong Delta but now their numbers have de-

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creased. The reasons are twofold. Firstly, earlier local people used canals and waterways in the Mekong Delta for travel but being a developing economy, infrastructure has improved so less people are buying boats; instead they are buying trucks or cars using the road rather than the river.

Secondly, unlike previously, most parents want to educate their children so they send them to Ho Chi Minh City or Can Tho, the main city in the heart of the delta and once they finish their education they do not want to return to traditional occupations. Disturbed by the declining num-

ber of floating markets, local authorities are working on finding a solution to preserve these markets. These markets are at their best in the early hours of morning.

As you cruise further along, a huge Catholic cathedral on the riverside catches attention amidst the lush green landscape. The tour then halts at a village on the riverbank.

Experiential tourism At the village, smiling faces greet you and friendly villagers make tourists feel welcome. Here one can get a glimpse into the traditional

occupations in the Mekong Delta like bee keeping and making coconut candies. Local families do everything themselves: they husk the coconuts and then extract the coconut milk. This milk is then combined with salt and sugar and the mixture is heated in large pans to make the candies. Peanuts, chocolate and other ingredients are then added for different flavours. They are then packaged into little squares. Visitors can sample these candies and are encouraged to buy these local products to support the community.

Moving ahead, at a village

house local fruits like jackfruit, rambutan are served while locals played music on traditional instruments like the dan bau, a one stringed instrument that dates back to the 18th century and is made from wood and water buffalo horn. The word bau means gourd and refers to the dried gourd fastened to the handle, surrounding the string at the point where it connects to the handle. In the past, this gourd may have served as a resonator, but today it is just a decorative feature.

Later, a ride in traditional canoes rowed by oarsmen or women in the trademark

DESTINATION WATCH conical Vietnamese hats takes visitors down a tributary into swamplands and marshlands that dot the delta landscape.

Back on the boat, the next stop is another village where bicycles can be hired for touring the countryside, winding the way along rice paddy fields, fruit orchards and swaying coconut palms.

A visit to the giant brick kilns shaped like huge pagodas along the river is also a must. Though polluting, brick making was a thriving industry in the delta region because the river made it easier to transport heavy materials like clay. However, most of these family owned enterprises are now shut down due to lack of demand from cities and newer less polluting methods of brick making. The next stop is at a local mat weaver. Mat and roof thatching are other sources of livelihood for people in the Mekong Delta.

Mekong's rice secrets Known as the 'rice bowl' of Vietnam, Mekong farmers produce about 7.1 million tons of rice a year. The dramatic expansion of rice production and exports in Vietnam has stimulated investment to modernise the rice milling sector and build new largescale rice mills, particularly in the Mekong Delta. Huge boats carrying tons of rice make their way from different regions of the country to the Mekong Delta for milling and processing. So visitors should not miss the opportunity of taking a tour of a rice mill to understand the importance of rice in the delta region.

Villagers on the Mekong River, have also found other rice-related businesses. Visitors are sure to notice a lot of thin round wet paper-like discs drying on bamboo screens everywhere. These are banh trang or thin rice papers, used in making spring rolls, a popular Vietnamese food. The making of banh trang is an industry in itself giving local farmers and their families a chance to earn money. Rice paper is made using white rice flour, tapioca

flour, salt, and water. The tapioca powder makes the rice paper glutinous and smooth.

Banh trang is usually sold dried in thin, crisp, translucent round discs, which when dipped briefly in water becomes soft and can be wrapped around savoury or sweet fillings. Rice paper was a central feature in the opening scenes of the American TV show Kung Fu, where the young Kwai Chang Caine rolled out a long length of rice paper and walked on it, trying to leave behind no trace of his passage.

The villages along the Mekong River also make pop rice, a Vietnamese version of Rice Krispie Treats. The taste is somewhat close to popcorn and as no oil is used, pop rice is healthy. The process used is very similar to that in India.

Rice is heated in a wokshaped cooking vessel with hot black sand. After all the rice finishes popping, the pop rice is put into sieves hung from the ceiling to remove the sand.

Homestay on the riverbank Located right on the bank of the Mekong river, the Ba Duc homestay is ideal for a stopover to discover and experience the customs and culture of people in the Mekong Delta at a leisurely pace. Built in 1850 and reconstructed in 1938 by Phan Van Dang, the house has a colonial look combining two architectural styles: Vietnamese and French. It is only one of the few houses on the bank that has been built on a higher foundation to protect from flooding in the rainy season.

Guests can wander around the three-hectare precinct full of ornamental plants and fruit trees. Some of the activities guests can indulge in are bicycling tours into the nearby village, paddy sowing and scoop ditch fishing or fish slapping (a unique way of fishing where you wade into a narrow and shallow mud filled water ditch, set up your net and slap the water driving the fish into the net).

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IN FOCUS

A floating Star The flagship cruise liner of the Star Cruises' fleet in Asia, the SuperStar Virgo boasts of a wide range of entertainment options, luxury duty free shopping and multiple restaurants serving cuisines from around the globe to appeal to today's discerning traveller

By Rituparna Chatterjee

S

U P E R S TA R VIRGO, the flagship cruise liner of Star Cruises' Asian fleet, is a destination in itself. Built in 1999 and after a recent US$ 25 million refurbishment, SuperStar Virgo has successfully positioned itself as an ideal on-board destination catering to a diverse group of travellers – be it MICE, corporates or families looking to explore China's Pearl River Delta, Hainan's Sanya, Vietnam's Halong Bay and Da Nang. With a passenger capacity of 1,870 in 935 cabins, the cruise liner features a wide range of entertainment options, luxury duty free shopping and restaurants serving cuisine from around the globe, including Italian, Japanese and Southeast Asian. Giving his perspective on the Star Cruises brand and the global cruise market, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman and CEO, Genting Hong Kong, a global leisure, entertainment and hospitality enterprise operating Star Cruises, states, “Since we started Star Cruises we have developed it into an international brand and we are familiar with the three principal markets – luxury, contemporary and premium.” Thay goes onto highlight the need for developing fly and rail cruises from China, adding that, “Worldwide, 60 per cent of cruising in the US is fly cruise from Miami and various other ports. Here we have the opportunity to develop fly cruise from China. We will be acquiring the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany to

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develop it into the most efficient cruise shipyard for Star Cruises and our other brands.”

Global experiences Guests on-board the SuperStar Virgo have the option of choosing from its 10 restaurants and bars serving different cuisines from across the globe including Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, western and international. Some of these restaurants include – Blue Lagoon (24-hour dining outlet serving Asian specialties), Café Gelato (outdoor ice cream bar), Genting Palace (Chinese restaurant), Mediterranean Buffet (serving international buffet), Noble House (Chinese restaurant), Palazzo (serving modern Italian/western cuisine), Taipan (Chinese a la carte restaurant), Samurai Restaurant (Japanese restaurant), Taverna (poolside themed snacks bar) and The Taj (Indian buffet restaurant).

Adding to these food and beverage offerings are the diverse on-board entertainment and karaoke facilities which includes the Activity Centre, Galaxy of the Stars (live music, dance lounge and cocktail), private Karaoke room, Starlight Video Arcade (video arcade games, WII and Xbox) and The Lido (show lounge). In addition to these are – Aquaswim, Oscar's Salon, Parthenon Pool, Star Track (jogging circuit), Universal Gym, Canopus Watches and Jewellery, Library/Writing Room, Ports O'Call (souvenirs and shopping area), Reflexology Lounge and The Aces Club.

The big Dream Genting Hong Kong recently

launched its premium cruise brand Dream Cruises to target specifically the Asia market and further cement its position in the Asia-Pacific region. The tentative date of sailing for Dream Cruises is November 2016. Dream Cruises is the third cruise brand of Genting Hong Kong, apart from Star Cruises and Crystal Cruises. Thay stated, “Dream Cruises will be Asia’s premium cruise brand. The ship will be bigger than SuperStar Virgo and the price point will be higher as well. We would finalise the price point in January.” The itineraries of Dream Cruises will include a two night cruise (Pearl River Delta); a five night cruise (Vietnam and Sanya); and a seven night cruise (starting in Guangzhou/Nansha Port).

The ship will boast of 1700 staterooms accommodating 3400 lower berth guests; sectional meeting space; 35 restaurants and bars; various enter-

tainment areas like Zodiac Theatre, Bowling Alley, Zouk, etc; outdoor adventure; relaxation and rejuvenation facilities like The Gentlemen’s Barber, Aeris Spa Cafe, etc, among others. The ship will also have the Genting Club, a boutique hotel within a hotel. The Genting Club will have 142 suites wherein guests would receive exclusive privileges, including priority access, European butler service, among oth-

ers. An investment of US$ one billion has been made for this cruise. Speaking about the target market for the Dream Cruises brand, Michael Goh, senior VP – sales, Star Cruises stated, “The major target market for Dream Cruises will be Asia. 40-50 per cent would be domestic clientele and the rest would be international comprising of Indian, European, American markets among others.”

INSIGHTS

How can David still win?

Y OU ASK ANYONE, from consumers to travel professionals, about the travel industry status and they will say that the online travel agents (OTAs) will not allow the traditional travel agents to survive.

Some even go to the extent of saying that travel agents will be totally wiped out. This is a ridiculous viewpoint, without any basis. Let me prove the opposite viewpoint and also demonstrate how the travel agents – David - can and will survive against the Goliath.

Whether they (OTAs) are travel agents or not is another point which I will cover later in this article.

If you consider USA and Europe as the most advanced internet penetrated markets then the market share of OTAs is only 44 per cent and 37 per cent respectively. And that too an unhealthy percentage of the turnover is for low profit margin products like airline tickets and hotel rooms.

After almost 15 years of heavy spending on marketing, client acquisition, discounting, etc, the OTAs have not achieved a majority market share. Most of the OTAs are yet to show a profit, let alone pay a dividend.

In a recent financial publication a noted venture capital’s (VC) fund manager commented that he cannot see a large India based OTA surviving in its present avatar due to continued losses and existing source of revenue streams. He predicted that they will either be gobbled up by a larger company or will be shut down.

In OTAs’ favour it has to be said that non-technical products like point-to-point airline ticketing and single destination hotel bookings have migrated to OTAs mainly due to ease of booking and sheer buying power funded

by VC/PE organisations.

However, when it comes to

extended complicated multidestination itineraries and destination expertise, the travel agents have a substantial lead over OTAs. And it is this lead that the travel agents have to capitalise on to exist in the tourism industry.

The OTAs have stated publicly that for them to achieve profitability, they will have to generate revenue from packaged tours and other ancillary products. Now these are products that the travel agents are already an expert on and haveexisting revenues in substantial numbers. The return on capital employed (ROCE) of travel agents would put any OTA to shame.

So why do the travel agents not capitalise on their existing advantage is a million dollar question.

The answer is the same million dollars that the travel agents lack for marketing and basic up to date infrastructure.

VC/PE funds have been chasing OTA fund raising rounds repeatedly. They are ignoring the power of the travel agent and the travel agent in his/her blinkered mind is scared of the OTA shadow and is not willing to think outside the box.

Disruptive technology is an often used excuse by the VC/PE professionals for not looking at the bricks and mortar model.

However, I beg to differ. Technology is a tool that has to be harnessed by one and all. By itself technology cannot be disruptive.

The OTAs are new business models that are using technology to distribute travel products.

Hence, I refuse to call them travel agents. They can easily switch, with change of winds, from travel products to laptops and mobile phones to real estate.

But they can never develop the skills required to sell high end travel products with the customer care that is required and offered by the travel agent.

It is true that travel agents who insist on surviving on tradi-

Launching a company page on social media will not suffice.

Everyone is doing that. What is your differentiator? Perhaps being part of a larger network would instil operational discipline, become a mutual self-help group and also allow bulk buying of products

Jayesh Asher

tional revenue channels are running towards their business career graves. For the travel agent to survive, they will have to concentrate on their following strengths: 1. Develop expertise either on destination(s) and/or products There are travel agents who have done well for themselves by acquiring knowledge of destinations that offer higher profit margins by visiting these places and exploring these on their own. Many tourism boards also welcome travel agents to join them at their roadshows and educational trips. South African Tourism is one of the most active boards in this respect. Products like destination weddings, soft adventure tours, honeymoon packages, family breaks and corporate events and meetings are some areas where a travel agent can develop expertise. Inbound tourism is also a sector that can be developed with extremely profitable results. Within our group we recently launched motorbike tours to Australia, South Africa and Oman with plans to add more destinations very soon. The basic theme of this is promoting soft adventure opportunities using a superbike (600 cc and above) as a mode of transport.

2. Product development on

regular basis keeping in mind current market trends The demographic dividend that our PM talks about is most relevant to the tourism business.

The young Indian is always ready to explore new destinations and experiences.

the latest technology tools. This does not require them to develop their own portal. In fact I would advocate strongly against this move. However, an informative mobile friendly website which is maintained on a regular basis (if not daily) would be a very useful tool.

3. Personalised client service In a recent interview Purvi and Jyot Jhaveri said that the first meeting with the client is more like being a psychologist; as they first learn about the clients’ mindset and preferences before tailor making an offer to them. This approach has paid them handsome dividends.

7. Unique sales and marketing processes Launching a company page on social media will not suffice.

Everyone is doing that. What is your differentiator? Perhaps being part of a larger network would instil operational discipline, become a mutual self-help group and also allow bulk buying of various requirements and products. I urge the VC/PE community to consider the small ticket travel agents’ expansion projects rather than put all their eggs in a selective few high risk cash guzzling baskets. The smaller travel agent will seldom fail you and your expertise in selective areas (marketing, technology, professional business process techniques) can ensure that he/she does not.

4. Nimbleness of operations This can be achieved with continuous training of self and team members. It is very essential to train key team members to multi-task and see the big picture on a regular basis. Periodical team briefs play an important role in this process.

5. Personal contact base This has to be developed by attending networking sessions and social events. There are several professionally run networking organisations like BNI that should be utilised.

6. Harnessing technology Travel agents have to ensure that they are up to speed with

The author is MD of Pearl Traveuk which comprises of Pearl Travels, Adventure Bike Tours, Heritage India Tours, Extreme Events and Extreme Lounges. He has the experience of operating in UK, USA, Middle East & India

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DISASTER MANAGEMENT

G(u)ARDing against disaster For the very first time in India, the Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) programme was organised by Deutsche Post DHL Group and UNDP at Guwahati International Airport.

RS Subramanian, senior VP & country manager, DHL Express, India explains what the programme entails and why the North Eastern gateway was chosen as the first Indian airport for the workshop

By Sudipta Dev

G

et Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) programme prepares airports in disaster prone areas to better handle the surge of incoming relief goods.

Introduced in 2009 by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Deutsche Post DHL Group, so far GARD has been adapted at 30 airports worldwide. In December 2015, it was organised at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati with support of Airport Authority of India.

“The workshop covers group exercises, airport assessment and airport report writing. Participants at the training include airport authorities and staff who manage the operations, logistics and are responsible for seamless coordination, as well as representatives from international organisations (such as WPF) and disaster management,” says RS Subramanian, senior VP and country manager, DHL Express, India.

There are many factors why Guwahati was chosen as the first airport in India for this programme. While the airport was nominated by the AAI, Subramanian points out that India’s North East region is among the most seismically active region and considered as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the

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world. “Guwahati being the gateway to the North East India is the nerve centre for evacuation of people and arrival of relief material during a calamity. Thus, it was necessary to conduct the training in this particular airport before the programme moves to other airports in India,” he adds.

Interestingly, Patna is the next location nominated by the Airport Authority of India for the GARD programme.

The achievable aims of the training includes developing a blue print for the region and the airport in terms of response procedures to be followed for increased efficiency at an airport in times of a calamity. According to Subramanian, the training also aims to make airport authorities and staff efficient in their response to provide relief and supplies to residents of the affected areas. “It also determines surge capacity assessment criteria that can be applied to that particular airport. A structured report is compiled on the airport’s surge capability and management structure in order to have a streamlined process,” he states.

Acknowledging that India as a country has a robust disaster recovery plan, Subramanian mentions, “Our role as one of the leading players in international express, is to help en-

L to R: R S Subramanian, Sr VP & country manager, DHL Express, India; Carl Schelfhaut, head of disaster management, Asia Pacific, DHL; RK Srivasatava, chairman, Airport Authority of India and Jaco Cilliers, country director, UNDP India

able airport staff to reach the levels of proficiency required to execute those plans. What is needed is a common understanding among all parties involved in disaster management in the country. The GARD programme helps facilitate the process so that all parties are well aware of their individual roles and responsibilities which will result in a more seamless approach through the three different phases - disaster preparedness, response and recovery.” The recommendation is to leverage the knowledge of the

private sector which has expertise in this area and integrate a set of well-defined logistic capabilities. “Overall the aim is to facilitate smooth operations between all parties during an unavoidable natural disaster,” asserts Subramanian.

The participants were a mix of staff from the airport's terminal management team, including cargo handling, operations, communications, navigation services, electric, civil and electric engineering, fire and security services, immigration, customs and district officials. Organisa-

tions involved in disaster relief like the National Disaster Management Authority, Assam State Disaster Management Authority, the Indian Air Force and the International Organisation for Migration also participated in the workshop.

GARD programme has been organised so far at airports of following countries - Indonesia (2009, 2011 and 2012), Nepal (2010), Bangladesh (2011), Lebanon, Turkey (2012), El Salvador, the Philippines, Panama and Armenia (2013), Peru (2014) and Sri Lanka (2014).

MOVEMENTS India Convention Promotion Bureau

consul for the Republic of Cyprus since 2002.

SUMAN BILLA has been elected as the chairman of India Convention Promotion Bureau for 2015-17. Billa also holds the post of joint secretary, tourism, Government of India. A 1996 batch IAS officer, Billa studied at the Madras Christian College, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and has been a British Chevening Gurukula Scholar at the London School of Economics. Billa has served as sub collector, Devikulam, in Idukki District; director of civil supplies; director of Kerala Tourism and district collector, Palakkad. He has also served as private secretary to the ministers of state for External Affairs and Defence.

Amadeus

Jet Airways AMIT AGARWAL has been appointed as the chief financial officer of Jet Airways. As CFO, Agarwal will be responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of the company’s business. He will join the operating committee that has been tasked by the board of directors to lead the airline's growth and strategy.

Agarwal has been a chartered accountant with more than 24 years of experience having held positions in India, Europe and North America.

Republic of Cyprus, Maharashtra RANA KAPOOR, managing director and CEO, YES Bank, has been appointed as the consul general of the Republic of Cyprus, Maharashtra. The promotion of Kapoor as the consul general is expected to help strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two nations. HE Demetrios A Theophylactou, high commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, made the announcement during his recent visit to Mumbai. Kapoor has been the

Amadeus has appointed FREDERIC SAUNIR as head of corporate IT in Asia Pacific, reporting to Florian Tinnus, global head of corporate IT. Saunir will be further increasing Amadeus’ regional focus on the segment through direct sales and channel partners, with a portfolio of online solutions and bundled GDS offerings. Prior to his move to the region, he has been a part of Amadeus for a number of years as the sales director with Amadeus France. Prior to that, he worked for Air France-KLM where he held various positions in France and the UK, most recently as head of global strategic corporate accounts.

SITAOnAir DAVID LAVOREL, currently SITA’s senior vice president for corporate development and CEO office, has been appointed as CEO, SITAOnAir, effective January 1, 2016. Lavorel joined SITA in 2000 holding pivotal roles as head of the France Telecom Partnership management and as vice president – mergers and acquisitions, before being appointed as senior vice president for corporate development and CEO office in 2012.

Alitalia Alitalia has appointed CRAMER BALL as a member of its board of directors, designated to be appointed as CEO from early March 2016.

Ball has more than 20 years of aviation experience. He has served as CEO of Jet Airways and Air Seychelles. As CEO of Jet Airways, he led the Mumbai-based airline to reduce substantial losses. Prior to this, Ball was regional general manager – Southeast Asia for Etihad Airways based in Bangkok, and before that he

was general manager – Australia and New Zealand for the UAE’s national airline based in Sydney. He performed a similar job for Gulf Air and he was also manager of strategic corporate programmes for Qantas and commercial sales manager for Ansett Australia.

Kuoni Group DHIREN SAVLA, chief information officer (CIO), VFS Global, and senior vice president and head of Global IT, has been appointed as group CIO of Kuoni Group. In this role, Savla will be based in Dubai and will also continue his current VFS Global role.

Between 2004 and 2010, Savla worked as chief technology officer and later as CIO for Kuoni India and South Asia, including VFS Global. From 2011 until January 2012, he also held the responsibility for emerging markets for Kuoni’s travel businesses in addition to being CIO of VFS Global.

Fiji Airways Group RAJESH PUNJA, director, Punja Group of Companies and SHAHEEN ALI, permanent secretary for industry, trade and tourism have been appointed as chairmain and director of Fiji Airways Group respectively. Punja and Ali will replace the current chairman and director, Nalin Patel and Stefan Pichler. The appointments are a part of the changes in the company's board of directors. The three existing board directors who will continue for another term are Aslam Khan, retired executive; Sharvada Sharma, solicitor general; and Andre Viljoen, managing director and CEO.

Air Canada Leisure Group CRAIG LANDRY, currently vice president of marketing, Air Canada, has been appointed as president of Air

Department of Tourism, Goa SANJEEV C GAUNS DESSAI has taken over as the new director of Goa's Department of Tourism.

In his new role, Dessai will oversee the department’s role in the maintenance of the state’s beach cleanliness and safety, tourist policing, master plan and other tourism policies.

Dessai belongs to the Goa civil service cadre and was the deputy collector (revenue), North Goa, before his promotion to senior scale and appointment as the new director of tourism.Dessai was promoted to senior scale of the GCS on November 27, 2015. He was inducted in

Canada Leisure Group. In his new position, Landry will be responsible for the integrated leisure group, which consists of the Air Canada Vacations tour operator business and the leisure airline Air Canada rouge. Landry was appointed vice president, marketing at Air Canada in August, 2010.

Prior to that, he was senior vice president, commercial, Aeroplan Canada, Air Canada's loyalty reward programme, and later senior vice president, corporate development for Groupe Aeroplan. He began his airline career at Air Canada in 1994 where he held various positions primarily in pricing, yield management and network planning.

Emirates Holidays Emirates Holidays, the touroperating arm of Emirates airline, has appointed ROBIN PARRY as vice president. In his new role, Parry will oversee the company’s financial growth and performance for operations in 37 countries around the world, including the company’s hub market, in

the GCS junior scale in 2004 and was the deputy collector (revenue), South Goa as well.

the UAE. An industry veteran, Parry has 25 years of experience in travel and tourism. Before joining Emirates Holidays, he spent five years in management positions at Gold Medal Travel Group as interim managing director, and marketing, product and commercial director. During his time at the company, Parry oversaw the firm’s transition of ownership from Thomas Cook to dnata, and also led the company to consistent yearon-year profit growth.

Nordic Aviation Capital Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) has appointed SØREN M OVERGAARD as CEO. Overgaard has played a key role within NAC’s senior management team for the past three years, joining in 2012 as chief financial officer. He previously held senior positions with blue chip transportation companies, the AP Moller Group, Maersk and Damco Europe. Overgaard succeeds Kim Graven-Nielsen.

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E V E N T S

CLEANLINESS DRIVE In line with Prime Minister’s Clean India initiative, Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management (AIH&TM) recently organised a cleanliness awareness campaign at Qutab Minar for domestic and foreign tourists

KOREAN NIGHT 200 members of New Delhi’s travel trade and media converged at Hyatt Regency Delhi to celebrate South Korea at the ‘Korean Night 2015’

NEW ADDITION IndiGo took delivery of its 100th Airbus A320 aircraft at Terminal 1D Delhi

RIDING SEASON Musical artists performing at the fourth Northern HOG Rally, held from New Delhi to Chandigarh, and hosted by Harley-Davidson India

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

Hospitality professionals from the Kerala tourism industry celebrated Christmas at Casino Hotel, Willingdon Island

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The Skal Club of Bombay and Biswajit Chakraborty, GM, Sofitel Mumbai BKC, invited fellow Skal members and their spouses for Christmas cocktails and dinner at L’OH Pool, Sofitel Mumbai BKC

weekend

E V E N T S

BEING NICHE On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia and Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, Mumbai, VITO India organised the 'Top Niche Market –Eco Tourism Event' at St Regis Hotel, Mumbai

COLOURFUL EXTRAVAGANZA Glimpses of the Konark Festival organised by Odisha Tourism at Chandrabhaga Beach, Konark, Odisha

MAIDEN LANDING Qatar Airways' group chief executive, HE Akbar Al Baker, recently celebrated the landing of the first Airbus A350 in the US

SPECIAL FARE L - R: Teh Yik Chuan, director, sales and marketing, Tigerair; Lim Thuan Kuan, high commissioner of Singapore; Raj Shekhar, district magistrate of Lucknow; and Yuemin Li, area director, North India and Bangladesh, Singapore Tourism Board unveiling the special return fare for Tigerair from Lucknow to Singapore in Lucknow

PROMOTING ROMANCE Flemingo Duty Free Shop, a travel retail and duty free operator, recently announced a tie-up with Bollywood-movie, 'Dilwale', wherein a consumer contest was run across all its Duty Free stores in India

DIVERSE EXPERIENCES Tourism New Zealand recently hosted a group of four travel industry professionals from India to New Zealand, covering regions across the North and South Islands

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SHOWCASING EUROPE Trafalgar recently organised an agent FAM trip for its

ON-ROAD PROMOTION Rajshree Birla (second from right), consul general

Asian partners to the Eastern European cities of Budapest, Prague and Vienna

(AH), Consulate of Republic of Philippines, inaugurated the taxi branding campaign for the Department of Tourism, Philippines, in Mumbai

EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS VISITFLANDERS recently organised a series of ‘Fabulous Flanders’ educational seminars for travel agents in Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Pune

TRAINING SESSION Tourism New Zealand organised a training session in Mumbai for 50 MICE staff from various branches of Thomas Cook across India

CREATIVITY GALORE Tobias Degsell, renowned curator from the Nobel Museum of Sweden, was in Mumbai recently to launch a photo exhibition on Swedish Innovations and Indian Interpretations and conduct a workshop on the importance of creativity and innovations

THE NEXT CHAPTER Turkish Airlines signed a global sponsorship deal with UEFA EURO 2016 in Paris, to become the first airline partner in the 55 years history of the European Football Championship

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REGD.WITH RNI NO. MAHENG/2005/15993,POSTAL REGD. NO. MCS/163/2016 – 18,PUBLISHED ON 11TH EVERY MONTH, POSTED ON 12TH,13TH,14TH OF EVERY MONTH, POSTED AT MUMBAI PATRIKA CHANNEL SORTING OFFICE,MUMBAI – 400001.