Express Travelworld (Vol.13, No.6) July, 2018

V0L 13 NO. 6 PAGES 40

July 2018, `50

24X7 emergency medical assistance included

EDITOR’S NOTE

Stories of inspiration

T

he July issue of ETW can be rightfully termed as an inspirational one. The stories within are about achievers, entrepreneurs and organisations that touched their set goals, be it a personal or professional triumph. Well, as we all understand no venture big or small can set sail without the element of risk, uncertainty but the inherent tenacity to survive the storm.

Our ‘Spotlight’ section stories this issue is all about inspiration in different settings. In case of Ajeet Bajaj and Deeya Bajaj, the first father-daughter team to have scaled Mount Everest, they faced the storm quite literally. There was one time during their expedition they faced a bad storm on their way to Camp 2. At that point they thought they would never make it to the summit.

But as they say ‘Fortune favours the brave’.

The story of bravery may not be restricted only to the world of adventure travel but can be seamlessly related to the spirit of entrepreneurship. The story ‘Experience a place, one meal at a time’, is that of an entrepreneurial journey, when in 2014 six friends who were in Ladakh for a short holiday, never thought that one meal would become a life changing experience for them.

Their story is as authentic as their venture. Mumbaibased Authenticook is helping people connect with the diversity of India through dining experiences in local

“The stories within are about achievers, entrepreneurs and organisations that touched their set goals,be it a personal or professional triumph”

homes. This certainly stands out as a culinary tourism product that travel agents and tour operators can introduce in their itineraries to offer something unique to their clientele.

In the field of aviation, the story of Air Odisha is worth a mention. This airline is focused on connecting the under-served regions of the country. The airline saw opportunity under the Regional Connectivity Scheme of the Government of India and went ahead and flew high.

On ground, the cover story is on luxury trains that are no more viewed as only opulent carriers which takes one to various renowned locations but an all-inclusive destination in itself that offers unique set of experiences. It has become an ultra-comfortable stay in exquisite suites, personalised service, world-renowned and authentic delicacies along with a host of activities onboard that make the train journey so exclusive and special.

These stories of inspiration is what gives the tourism and travel industry the strength to reach greater heights of entrepreneurial success.

REEMA LOKESH Editor editorial.etw@expressindia.com

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July 2018

CONTENTS STRATEGY Vol 13 No 6 July 2018 Pages 40

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Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka Sr Vice President - BPD

Neil Viegas Editor

Reema Lokesh* Assistant Editor

Steena Joy

THE LAST MILE India is among the top five growing markets for Booking.com which has moved from being an 'accommodation only' travel metasearch engine to new areas of last mile connectivity taking the friction out of travel and enabling its customers to experience the world seamlessly

Sr. Associate Editor

Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai

Tanuvi Joe New Delhi

Shivasheesh Srivastava DESIGN National Design Editor

Bivash Barua

IN FOCUS

Assistant Art Director

Pravin Temble Chief Designer

Prasad Tate

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Senior Designer

Rekha Bisht Graphics Designer

Gauri Deorukhkar Senior Artist

Ratilal Ladani

LUXURY ON TRACK

DIGITAL TEAM Head of Internet

Viraj Mehta Web Developer

Dhaval Das SCHEDULING & COORDINATION

Santosh Lokare Photo Editor

Sandeep Patil MARKETING Regional Heads

Harit Mohanty - East & West Prabhas Jha - North

Luxurious journeys on trains is a niche tourism product that has always found takers among the well travelled cognoscenti across the world. The luxury trains of India are an excellent showcase of the country's glorious culture, but focused efforts are needed by industry stakeholders to promote this segment

(20-23)

Marketing Team

Debnarayan Dutta Ajanta Sengupta

MARKETS

#ENJOY THE SEAVIEW Signature Swarovski crystal staircases, the longest zipline at sea, the first-ever cruise ship restaurant by two Michelin starred Chef Ramón Freixa, and much more. Global cruise brand, MSC Cruises recently unveiled its swanky new waterbaby, MSC Seaview at a grand christening ceremony in Genova, Italy

SPOTLIGHT

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CIRCULATION

Mohan Varadakar PRODUCTION General Manager

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, 1st Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021.

(Editorial & Administrative Offices: Express Towers, 1st Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021)

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KERALA TOURISM INVESTS `500 CRORE FOR ADVENTURE TOURISM, PROMOTION OF NORTHERN DESTINATIONS

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INTERVIEW WITH SHAISHAV SHAH, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AIR ODISHA AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GSEC

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INTERVIEW WITH SHRUTI SHIBULAL, PROMOTER AND DIRECTOR STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT, TAMARA LEISURE EXPERIENCES

Interview with Padma Shri Ajeet Bajaj, founder, Snow Leopard Adventures and his daughter Deeya Bajaj, the first father-daughter team from India to have successfully scaled Mount Everest

P05 : EDITOR’S NOTE P36 : MOVEMENTS P38 : WEEKEND

Copyright © 2018 The Indian Express (P) Limited. 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

Kerala Tourism invests `500 crore for adventure tourism, promotion of Northern destinations Tanuvi Joe Mumbai IN LINE WITH its proactive efforts in the social media space, Kerala tourism’s facebook page has trumped other state tourism boards by climbing on to the top slot. The Kerala tourism facebook page attained first place in a ranking done by Facebook based on total engagement with tourists between the January 1 and December 31, 2017 time frame. The ranking comes at a time when Kerala Tourism has escalated the digital marketing budget to 15 per cent to communicate with the travel enthusiasts from across the globe in exciting ways.

This kind of engagment requires constant innovation in what the state has to offer to its travellers. For this reason, the

department is focussing on adventure tourism and is outlaying various activities for the same.

Kadakampally Surendran, minister for co-operation, tourism and Devaswom, Government of Kerala affirmed this saying, “ The 'Adventure Rock Hill' at the Jatayu Earth Centre, which is now operational for public in groups offers plethora of adventure activities to the tourists. Jatayu Earth Centreworld’s largest functional bird sculpture will be fully operational by July 4, 2018 to offer over 20 adventure activities such as paintball, archery, laser tag, rifle shooting, rock climbing and rappelling for adventure enthusiasts. Following a rigorous tourism development plan, we aim to rebrand the state as 'The Land of Adventure' to attract the adventure enthusiasts and

Kadakampally Surendran

the younger generation of travellers from across the world.”

While the peak season for visiting the state is mainly November to February, the

Tourism Department is also chalking out plans to attract tourists round the year. And for that, the Department has pumped in almost `500 crore in the area for tourism and infrastructure development.

Another area the department is looking at to promote are the the northern destinations of Kerala such as Wayanad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Malappuram and Palakkad. “In a bid to achieve the ambitious growth targets set by the tourism policy, the government has rolled out a mega river cruise project in North Kerala.

Christened as Malanadu-Malabar Cruise, linking eight rivers and backwaters of Kannur and Kasargod districts, the `325crore tourism project will commence soon with the construction of modern boat terminals

and jetties,” added Surendran.

To make sure all these activities run smoothly, the department has proposed to establish a Kerala Tourism Regulatory Authority (KTRA) which will ensure quality service for tourists and curb unhealthy practices in the tourism sector. The supreme authority would be responsible for monitoring the functioning of different stakeholders. Surendran also mentioned, “An investment cell would be formed to help potential investors, especially NRIs. The statutory body would have full legal powers to intervene and execute orders whenever there are complaints on tourist-related activities.”

The tourism department has also framed an action plan under the new Tourism Policy to promote the state as a 365 days destination.

V8 Hotel showcases car themed hospitality Sudipta Dev Mumbai THE NEW V8 HOTEL in Motorworld region Stuttgart opened earlier this year, to give a unique hotel stay to car lovers along with the existing V8 Hotel Classic. What's unique about V8 hospitality experience are the Car Themed Rooms which are a great attraction to guests of all age groups. Pointing out that Stuttgart is the birthplace of the automobile, Simeon Schad, hotel manager, V8 Hotel, said, “Our highlights are the Themed Rooms. Our guests can sleep in different cars in a unique atmosphere like a petrol station, race room, garage or car cinema. We

offer 26 of these rooms.” The Mercedes Suite is also designed as a themed room. Covering four floors, the personal rooftop terrace in this suite gives an expansive view of Motorworld. V10 Service Apartments are for long stay guests. The Design Rooms have historical cars on wallpapers and showcase a special design. According to Schad, a stay at the hotel will be of much interest to Indian travellers as they can enjoy an authentic experience of the world of automobiles.

Guests staying at V8 Hotel can visit the Mercedes BenzMuseum/factory, Porsche Museum. “In our hotel, guests are surrounded by more than 300 historic and sports cars. The

Motorworld is 24,000 meter square - the biggest lobby in Europe,” stated Schad, adding that interest about cars comes from

many countries, in particular from Asia and Europe.

Families staying at the hotel can opt for interconnected

rooms. “Especially for families we can offer more than 30 rooms. Some of them have connecting doors and some are big enough for five people. We have 187 rooms so it is good for groups / extended families. We also have excellent facilities for MICE and are also a great venue for weddings,” remarked Schad.

The Motorworld offers 14 different Congressrooms for MICE – from six delegates to 600 people. There are nine different car brands in the Motorworld showroom and garage - Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Bentley, Lotus, McLaren, Porsche and about 200 historical cars.

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IN THE NEWS

'WE TAKE GREATPRIDE IN BEING THE PIONEERS IN PROVIDING REGIONALCONNECTIVITYTO INDIA' Air Odisha was awarded the largest share of routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

Shaishav Shah, managing director, Air Odisha and executive director, GSEC, highlights how the airline is focused on connecting the under-served regions of the country

By Sudipta Dev What according to you have been the key milestones and achievements of Air Odisha?

Our primary key milestone was being awarded the largest share of routes under the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme wherein we had bagged 50 routes. We consider it a privilege to render air services to the common people of India and providing better connectivity to under-served regions of India. We have successfully started operation from Ahmedabad, Diu, Bhavnagar, Surat, Mundra, Jamnagar, Jagdalpur, Raipur and Vishakhapatnam. We are in the process to launch Bhubaneshwar, Ambikapur, Bilaspur, Rourkela, Jharsuguda and Ranchi sector in next 15 days. We have surpassed our anticipated targets.

What is your vision for the company?

The Civil Aviation indus-

with affordable air transport’ and expand our horizons by successfully launching our first phase of connecting over 34 routes spread across the country.

Shaishav Shah

try has ushered in a new era of expansion, driven by factors such as low-cost carriers, modern airports, Foreign Direct Investment in domestic airlines, advanced information technology interventions and growing emphasis on regional connectivity. Our vision is to ‘connect every part of the country

In a highly competitive aviation market, where do you see the positioning of airlines like your that focus on regional connectivity?

Air Odisha positions itself as “affordable air transport” airlines. Even in the highly competitive market, we take great pride in being the pioneers in providing regional connectivity to India.

How do you foresee Air Odisha taking a lead in the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme?

India’s aviation industry is largely untapped with huge growth opportunities, considering that air transport is still expensive for a majority

of the country’s population, of which nearly 40 per cent is the upwardly mobile middle class. With the right policies and relentless focus on quality, cost and passenger interest we plan on leading the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme and help India become the thirdlargest aviation market by 2025. We plan to homogenise our services across all the regional routes.

Which regions will be the focus of your expansion plans?

Our plan is to first make UDAN scheme the household air travel solution and flawlessly execute the same. And to do that we plan on spreading our services in the states of Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh,

Jharkhand and Union Territory of Puducherry and Diu. We will operate out of five bases Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Raipur and Bhubaneswar from where flight operations would be originated.

Any new upcoming routes planned for in the next one year?

In June, we were able to successfully launch our flight from Jagdalpur to Raipur inaugurated by prime minister Narendra Modi followed by Jagdalpur- Vizag flight in the same week. In July we shall start operations in Delhi and UP network and in August we shall be starting Chennai operations as well.

We would be soon commencing flight covering Central and East India. Besides anything that comes up, we shall be keeping the market and media updated.

Air India to increase New Delhi-Tel Aviv flights ETW Staff Mumbai FOLLOWING an overwhelming response on Air India’s newly launched New Delhi-Tel Aviv flight services, the national carrier has announced an increase in frequency on this sector, adding a fourth flight a week starting July 14, 2018. The airline will now fly on Saturday in addition to Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday every week on the 256-seater

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Speaking about the new development, Hassan Madah, director, Israel Ministry of Tourism - India & Philippines said, “We are pleased with Air India’s move to increase weekly flight frequency in light of the significant rise in tourist arrivals from India. The outbound numbers to Israel have grown exponentially in the last few years and this introduction will help meet the growing demand from India. India

is an important market for us and I am delighted to say that it has been one of the best performing markets in Asia with a 31 per cent growth last year over 2016 and 31 per cent between January and May 2018 over 2017. The Ministry of Tourism has consistently worked towards increasing flights and seat capacity into Israel and we are happy to see our efforts yielding positive results”.

Air India began its direct

flight operations from New Delhi to Tel Aviv on March 22, 2018. The maiden flight was welcomed by Yariv Levin, tourism minister, Israel at Ben Gurion Airport.

The aircraft departs from New Delhi at 16.50 pm and arrives in Tel Aviv at 21.45 pm (local time). On its return leg, the flight departs from Tel Aviv at 23.15 pm and lands in New Delhi the next day at 8.20 am.

With one way duration of 7 hours and 10 minutes, Air India

is currently the fastest nonstop flight between India and Israel taking a straight route between the two countries.

In addition to Air India, Arkia has also expressed interest to begin operations soon and introduce direct flights between Israel and India. Furthermore, the country has reduced its visa fee as well to INR 1,100 from its previous INR 1,700 charge for Indian citizens to encourage Indian travellers to visit Israel.

IN THE NEWS

'TAMARAIS DEEPLYCOMMITTED TO RESPONSIBLE TOURISM' Tamara Leisure Experiences recently launched Tamara Kodai in Kodaikanal. Shruti Shibulal, promoter and director - strategy and development, Tamara Leisure Experiences speaks about the exclusivity of her brand, focus on sustainable tourism and expansion plans

By Sudipta Dev What defines the brand Tamara?

Tamara stands firmly on its values of fairness to all stakeholders, transparency, sustainable practices, and corporate governance and embraces CSR activities through the SD Foundation and the Advaith Foundation. Tamara is also deeply committed to responsible tourism, respecting and supporting local culture and practices, and minimising intrusion on surrounding natural environment as little as possible. To this end, all Tamara properties are constructed with care and respect for the environment, aiming to create the experience of a Sustainable Good Life for every guest.

What is the unique positioning of The Tamara Kodai in the region's hospitality market?

The Tamara Kodai experience is one that combines the best of luxury with the uniqueness of heritage experiences and nature getaways. The property will raise the bar for luxury travellers in Kodaikanal with the first resort of its kind, offering large suites fitted with state-of-theart features and exquisite interiors, the first temperaturecontrolled swimming pool in Kodaikanal and culinary experiences that will redefine luxury for even the seasoned traveller. Added features like a sprawling lawn for wedding celebrations, top-notch conference facilities for corporate getaways, and an award-winning wellness centre makes The Tamara Kodai able to of-

Shruti Shibulal

fer a wide range of experiences for our guests.

Which segment of travellers are you looking at attracting?

How does your property cater to the changing profile and preferences of the new age Indian traveller?

We will be focused on reaching out to travellers coming to Kodaikanal predominantly from Tamil Nadu, followed by Bangalore, Kerala, North and West India, and finally, international travellers.

The segments are: honeymoon, wedding, leisure and tourism, transient population for Food and Beverage, wellness travellers, corporate groups.

The Tamara Kodai is well equipped to cater to the demands of the new age Indian traveller looking for wellequipped accommodation as well as unique experiences. In terms of facilities, the resort has 53 exquisite suites, a restaurant, a Bistro, a conference hall, a boutique store, an extensive lawn and an awardwinning wellness centre. It also

includes a kids zone, gymnasium, crèche and a skilled, trained and attentive staff to cater to any needs and desires of our guests. In terms of experiences, The Tamara Kodai brings together the best of nature and heritage. Kodaikanal is a region rich with history and some of the most beautiful shola forests in India. In-house naturalists will guide our guests through treks, to breath taking viewpoints and waterfalls, and off-road cycling for our more adventurous guests. We also offer tours of nearby attractions with activities like old-fashioned boating, cheese-tastings and horse riding in the nearby town. Within the resort itself, we also have fireplaces, a quiet library, indoor activities including chess, darts, cards and board games and outdoor activities such as archery. In this way, we hope to be a property that has a large range of facilities and experiences to offer each and every guest.

Your focus on promoting sustainable tourism, and how is it aligned with your

business strategy?

Sustainable and responsible business practices are the need of the day, in a world of growing environmental concerns. Both our Tamara properties – The Tamara Coorg and The Tamara Kodai – are placed in the heart of beautiful hills, rich in flora and fauna. We aim to help facilitate a deep relationship between luxury travellers and sensitivity towards our precious natural resources and set an example within the luxury tourism industry.

Your expansion plans for the future? Are you looking at going beyond South India?

Tamara Leisure Experiences currently runs properties across South India and Germany, aiming to expand, own, and manage 1000 keys globally by 2025. The following are some of our upcoming projects: Palma Laguna: This is a luxury holiday resort located in Vembanadu Lake at Ponnadu, Alleppey, Kerala. Palma Laguna has the additional charm of carrying traditional Kerala architectural elements at its heart.

Currently under development, this wellness-focused property, on completion, will comprise 19 guest rooms and five spa rooms.

Trivandrum Project: This business hotel located in Trivandrum, Kerala, will comprise of 150 rooms. The first phase will become operational with 80 rooms along with amenities including a convention centre, a specialty restaurant, an all-day dining restaurant, fitness centre, party lawn, and infinity pool. Construction is in progress and is expected to be completed in 2018.

Lilac: This mid-segment hotel will comprise of 20 rooms and a large meeting space, which will be located in Jayanagar, Bangalore. It is expected to be completed in 2018.

In addition to these immediate plans, we as a company hope to expand to other parts of India and internationally as well.

Would you like to highlight any other significant factor ?

As a company, Tamara Leisure Experiences is attempting to find a unique balance between many crucial factors - luxury tourism, responsible and sustainable business practices, wellness experiences, meaningful heritage and nature-based activities, and special events that may be significant to our guests such as destination weddings or corporate retreats.

In this way, the company hopes to set a new standard in hospitality and a new approach to luxury travel, which, we believe, is the need of the day.

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IN THE NEWS

Dubai's FIVE sees India's lifestyle market as a perfect fit for business

By Reema Lokesh Mumbai IT'S STRIKING and stately in it's character, both in terms of it's facade and flavour. FIVE Hotels & Resorts is all set to present this unique offering in the India market and is focused on tapping an audience that resonates with it's philosophy of responsible luxury and lifestyle. Five Hotels & Resorts is the hospitality division of Dubai-based real estate group, FIVE Holdings. FIVE Palm Jumeirah Dubai is a luxury lifestyle hotel that encapsulates aspects of elegance. Located on the iconic Palm Island

offering a clear view of the Arabian Gulf, each of the 468

rooms and suites offers its guests an experience that

spells comfort and indulgence.

The hotel has been tailor-made through modern design and state-of-the-art technology to provide it's guests a seamless experience.

The property has a range of dining, lounge, club and bar outlets: Chef Bing brings a modern twist of the authentic Chinese restaurant and bar at Maiden Shanghai, or one can choose Italian dining from the award-winning Chef Antonio Mellino's offerings at Quattro Passi. Take in fresh views at Elevate Lounge or the open air Penthouse on the 16th floor.

The Pool Bar excels with chilled cocktails while the soon-

to-open clubs, The Secret Room and Beach Club is interesting to experience. The Kids Zone is well equipped with qualified staff and teachers on board. The spa has some unique elements to it. The Quartz Bed treatment, hamman treatments, facials and few well designed treatments prove to be a perfect rejuvenation zone. As it's tagline goes: Live Life. Live FIVE. The FIVE Holdings have more to offer than it's maiden hospitality venture the FIVE Palms Jumeirah. It's all set to launch it's second hospitality and residential project FIVE Jumeirah Village, Dubai.

'It's a story that is unique to the hospitality business of the region' Jaydeep Anand, COO, FIVE Holdings and general manager, FIVE Palm Jumeirah, shares his views with Reema Lokesh on the expansion plans, experience offered and expectations from the market Can you elucidate on the new initiative within your product portfolio ?

FIVE's next venture FIVE Jumeirah Village, Dubai is scheduled to be a luxury five-star tower, which will feature 247 hotel rooms and suites, 221 one and two-bedroom hotel apartments and 33 four-bedroom hotel apartments all with private pools. Strategically located in close proximity to Dubai’s main arterial roads and a short drive from Dubai’s new Al Maktoum International Airport and Expo 2020 site, FIVE Jumeirah Village Dubai boasts excellent transport links across the city and beyond. The revolutionary design of the property, which was conceptualised in-house by FIVE, has been patented and registered as a trademark by FIVE in 168 countries, and has already won a string of industry accolades.

What is the business focus and

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plan for promotion of both properties ?

We focus on providing an ultimate hospitality experience. Both of our properties feature residential and leisure components allowing both guests and residences to enjoy our five-star facilities.

The Indian market offers a plethora of opportunities for Dubai’s hospitality sector. We would like to showcase FIVE Palm Jumeirah as a luxury leisure operator, developer and portray FIVE Palm Jumeirah as a destination for MICE and weddings amongst the Indian community.

How would you define the vision and brand ethos of FIVE ?

Our philosophy is based on the Five Elements; Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Consciousness. These keep us grounded in everything we do as we reshape what it means to be hoteliers. We understand time is the new luxury and at FIVE Palm this starts from the most basic service to the highest level of expectation. In this way, we hold ourselves accountable to provide a perfect luxury getaway for all our guests.

How would you describe the hospitality scenario in the ME market ?

I think the experiential trend is here to stay. Ten years ago, staying in a luxury hotel was about the material and physical experience but as global travel has become more accessible so too has the expectation of luxury. Experiences are just as important as the luxury. At FIVE Palm Jumeirah we provide luxury through the interiors, amenities and services that we offer but we also provide an experiences driven environment, which we are able to personalise and evolve depending on what it is our guests are looking for.

What is your focus for the India market ?

Jaydeep Anand

In the F&B space, travellers are becoming more conscious of what they are eating, even on holidays.

There is definitely an increase in demand for different food options that cover allergies as well as diet preferences. At FIVE Palm Jumeirah, we are addressing this trend by providing more variety in our menus. For example, our signature Chinese restaurant, Maiden Shanghai, only uses organic poultry while our Italian restaurant, Quattro Passi, has gluten free pasta options.

IN THE NEWS

MTDC focusses on making Maharashtra the premier medical tourism centre Tanuvi Joe Mumbai MAHARASHTRA Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is planning to recognise, develop and encourage 25 spots in the state that includes beaches, valleys, mountains, cultural and heritage sites. The virgin Konkan belt, coastlines of Sindhudurg and the state capital, Mumbai, will be amongst the 25 spots. After identifying the other places, a hub and model will be created for appealing the visitors.

Under this model, three important hubs like Mumbai, Aurangabad and Nagpur will be recognised and attractions surrounding these hubs will be encouraged. A business survey exhibited that one traveller can generate jobs for 16 people. Few measures are being undertaken by the MTDC to offer a more holistic experience to the visitors and create employment prospects for the local communities.

Vijay Kumar Gautam

Wine tourism in Nashik and wellness tourism in Igatpuri is gaining huge favour among travellers. Speaking about possibilites of similar plans, Vijay Kumar Gautam, principal secretary and MD, MTDC said, “Our focus now is on making Maharashtra the first-choice medical tourism centre because of its cost-effective treatment as compared to other countries across the world. Our aim is to offer best hospitals, medical

services and infrastructure in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and other centres to attract the medical travellers around the globe.”

Discussing about the possibilites of Junnar as a tourist destination, Gautam adds, “Junnar has a rich legacy of several dams, temples, caves, forts, forests and wildlife. MTDC has decided to make Junnar tehsil a tourist destination and has sent the proposal accordingly. Pune district officials will assist

MTDC to take forward this initiative. The proposal to develop Junnar as a tourist destination will generate job opportunities for the local communities and develop infrastructure facilities.”

When it comes to promoting the new 25 spots and the upcoming tourism hubs, the new airports in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri will prove to be a great facilitator in connecting travellers to these underserved regions. MTDC will also market

these spots through social media platforms and associate with flying partners like Jet Airways and Etihad Airways, hospitality partner like Airbnb, transportation partner like Ola and many more to create the visibility of these destinations.

“The state government will develop travel plans in collaboration with MTDC and the private entities to promote these destinations. Presently, 197 travel and tour operators are registered with MTDC across the state. Once the 25 spots are finalised they can use these hubs and models to widen their itineraries to fascinate visitors in the state, “ adds Gautam.

The state is also planning to finalise a first-ever comprehensive tourism development strategy to appeal domestic and foreign visitors to Mumbai. The estimated cost of the plan is `676 crores. MTDC has requested the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to send the proposal to the state for its evaluation and execution.

International Travel House (ITH) partners with TrawellTag Cover-More ETW Staff Mumbai ITH has joined hands with TrawellTag Cover-More to offer travel assistance and insurance for corporate travels. ITH is one of India’s leading travel management companies offering bouquet of travel solutions for last 34 years. TrawellTag CoverMore is one of India’s leading providers of travel assistance and insurance solutions to numerous business houses & corporate giants.

TrawellTag Cover-More will

provide corporate travel assistance services along with comprehensive medical & personal assistance services to the customer base of ITH. ITH being in the business of corporate travel solutions has allied with TrawellTag Cover-More for the seamless provision expert real-time travel protection.

Talking on the partnership, Ajay Kumar, CEO International Travel House quoted, “This partnership is a joint effort of both the groups to service our customers. TrawellTag CoverMore’s product offering goes be-

yond traditional travel insurance, we look forward to working with TrawellTag CoverMore.”

Elaborating on the collaboration, founder & CEO, India & Emerging Markets - CoverMore India, Dev Karvat said, “ITH desired for a product that is beyond traditional travel insurance, to serve their frequent corporate travellers. Our products being all-inclusive and concurrent with customers’ travel needs is a perfect fit for ITH’s requirement”.

Over the years, TrawellTag

Cover-More has been providing expert travel assistance and insurance services to different corporates. With cutting edge technology & advanced infrastructure, TrawellTag Cover-More will continue to offer best services to customer base of ITH. TrawellTag Cover-More is a part of the Zurich Insurance & Cover-More Group - world’s leading dedicated provider of medical assistance and travel insurance. As a group, it has a distribution network of more than 5000 representatives across 11

countries and 43 branches pan India. TrawellTag Cover-More offers global assistance including services like online tracking of lost luggage, medical and travel insurance, family protection, concierge assistance and ancillary products such as global SIM cards. With its fully integrated and in-house claims assistance service, TrawellTag Cover-More protects more than half million travellers in India every year and provides assistance to minimum five travellers everyday on travel emergencies when away from family.

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July 2018

IN THE NEWS

India is fourth largest inbound market for Victoria Tanuvi Joe Mumbai ACCORDING to a recent survey, the number of Indian visitors has grown significantly to 144,000 as of YE December 2017, a 22.6 per cent increase over the previous year. By 2022, India is forecast to be the second largest inbound market in terms of visitor expenditure for Victoria.

Carmen Smith, head, International markets, Visit Victoria discusses about how Visit Victoria is keeping up with the upcoming trends in the India travel market and

the activities its conducting to attract a large number of Indian tourist arrivals to Melbourne.

Smith said, “India is the fourth largest inbound market for Victoria in overnight visitor expenditure with $392 million, a growth of 22.3 per cent.

From these statistics, 51 per cent comes from the education sector. This compares to 43 per cent of visitor expenditure to Victoria from all international markets. Over the last five years, India education expenditure has grown on average 20.8 per cent per year.”

To further increase this

Carmen Smith

number, several initiatives are underway. Melbourne is all set to host Indians in 2018 for th eupcoming India-Australia Boxing Day cricket match. Melbourne will also play host to an Indian Cultural event, the first ever cricket community and cultural festival which will take outside of the MCG during the Test.

“In addition to this, Melbourne will also be a host to ICC World T20: Men's and Women's finals of the ICC World T20 in 2020. Victoria has always be called 'Australia's events Capital' or

'Sports Mecca' as it is home to an extensive sports and cultural events calender, including the Australian Open, Grand Prix and the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Hence we want to get this message out there to the Indian consumers and are organising as many events to increase the Indian tourist footfall,” she adds.

The India market is highly reliant on Visiting Friends or Relatives (VFR) segment.

72,000 visitors come to Victoria for this very purpose, representing 50 percent of all Indian visitors.

Wovoyage trains Indian women to break ‘unsafe India’tag for solo women travellers Tanuvi Joe Mumbai RASHMI CHADHA has been feeding her love for travel since childhood. Participating in sports events was just an excuse to let her travel to different cities and it is during this period she realised how many Indian women refrain from travelling due to safety reasons. And those who still manage to be brave, are stopped by the society’s unapproved look on solo women travel.

For Rashmi, things were different as her mother itself was her favourite travel companion.

The exposure to travelling alone and with women led her to identify several issues women can face during their trips and thus was born ‘Wovoyage’.

Wovoyage encourages women from India as well as abroad to embark on their solo journeys to the lesser known destinations of India without any fear or restrictions. From adventure tourism to business and wellness tourism, the

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company customises its trips according to what the traveller wants. Speaking about the initial fears the foreigners have, Chadha said, “First, they are concerned about their safety and the environment they are going to stay in. Hence, they come well prepared for their travel and conduct all the necessary research before coming to India and based on this, I’m asked things about preferred clothing, the language barrier, safety provided, etc. I even get asked about frauds and pickpocketing and how Wovoyage

can protect them from that.”

The company provides a checklist for the women with all the information in it. Chadha assures them safety by providing the details of the accommodation and location they will be staying in. “From their stay to the transportation, we keep them in the loop about everything and be as transparent as we can. My aim is to not only let the travellers have an enriching trip but also to portray India as a safe place from the pre-trip to during the trip,” she adds.

To further empower

women, Chadha conducts online training programmes to women of Puducherry, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Agra and Mumbai.

There are many girls in the country who have taken language courses in foreign languages but due to lack of opportunities don’t know how to utilise these skills for their betterment. Further emphasising on this, Chadha said, “There are even unemployed women who know a lot about the destinations people choose for trips and so through these training programmes, we train them on

how to deal with tourists ultimately leading to growth in female employment.”

When it comes to the government, she feels that the concept of ‘Atithi devo bhava’ needs to be taken more seriously and information centres for tourists should be set up in large numbers across India.

With over 1200 successfully completed tours and a million happy women travellers, Chadha hopes to further break the ‘unsafe tag’ that the Indian travel space has been stereotyped into.

IN THE NEWS

On the footsteps of Brothers Grimm on FairyTale Route Sudipta Dev Dresden THE FAIRY TALE ROUTE in Germany is named after the Brothers Grimm, who wrote popular fairy tales like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White. This is one of the most famous scenic routes in Germany. “The route begins in Hanau, near Frankfurt, which is a birthplace of Brothers Grimm. It goes up 600 km from the middle of Germany to the north to Bremen. There are about 60 little cities, mostly historic ones.

Many of the places are associated with the life of Brothers Grimm,” said Brigitte Buchholz-Blodow, marketing manager, German Fairy Tale Route. “Here they collected all

the stories and wrote down the fairy tales," added Buchholz-Blodow, pointing out that the Fairy Tale Route is yet to be discovered by Indian visitors and they are looking at popularising it in the Indian market.

From the old town of Steinau an der Strasse the location of Brothers Grimm House to Marburg, where the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm studied, it is an exciting discovery for people of all age groups. While Little Red Riding Hood is in the Schwalm region, Sleeping Beauty at the Sababurg Castle, in ReinhardForest, and the Pied Piper in Hamelin. “At Hamelin every Sunday there is an open air theatre of the Pied Piper. At Snow White House you can

see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There is also a Fairy Tale Museum at Steinau, a beautiful castle, a puppet theatre and every day there is a performance,” mentioned Buchholz-Blodow. The Travelling Musicians of Bremen conclude this fascinating route.

Brothers Grimm lived two centuries years ago. In Kassel they had collected their world famous fairy tales, and the Brothers Grimm Museum where they once worked, showcase memorabilia, manuscripts and their books. The personal copies of the Tales of Children and the Home written by them is a UNESCO World Document Heritage and are exhibited at Grimmwelt Kassel.

Churchill Cruises Canada looks at India's niche traveller to experience Arctic Greenland and around Reema Lokesh Nova Scotia CHURCHILL Cruises is all set to sail in the month of September 2018 to regions exotic and experiential in the Canadian Arctic water and Davis Strait off the west coast of Greenland. The first cruise starts with up to 214 passengers on September 2, 2019 from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland and ends on September 14, 2019 in Churchill, Manitoba Canada. The return trip starts from Churchill the same day and ends in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on September 26. One can cruise along the west coast of Greenland where passengers can get the opportunity to view some of the most iconic glaciers that have also been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

On the Canadian side, passengers will get an opportunity to experience the traditional Inuit arts, culture, heritage, world famous drum dancing and throat singing performances as well visit some of the unique historical and archaeological sites and homes dating back to some 1,000 BC. These voyages also offer the opportunity to view a wide variety of wildlife that call the Arctic waters their home like polar bears, seals, walrus, Beluga whales, Orca killer whales, etc. Given the right weather conditions, passengers will also get the opportunity to view the Northern Lights as well as the Midnight Sun. The hospitality and cuisine on board is tailored to suit each individual's taste,

Capt Narendra Mathur

needs and something that the guests will remember for a lifetime. The voyage is 14 days/13 nights with all meals, complimentary wine and beer during meals included. Capt Narendra Mathur, cruise ship managing director, Churchill Cruises – a project by the Kothari Group, is keen to connect with the right target segment in India and promises to offer the discerning travellers the opportunity to experience something extra ordinary.

Stated Mathur, “Our product offering is something that gives you an experience that is beyond luxury. We feel there is a definite target segment in India that is ready to explore this unique eco system of the world and we would be glad to connect with that niche group that will appreciate our offering.

Its the Arctic Greenland and more that we wish to offer. The safe and environmentally responsible ecotourism cruises to/from the Port of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada on-board luxurious mini passenger vessels is something that we are ready to offer the India market.”

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July 2018

IN THE NEWS

On World Environment Day, Bisleri launches 'Bottles For Change' supported byAditya Thackeray Tanuvi Joe Mumbai THIS WORLD Environment Day, Bisleri launched 'Bottles For Change', a plastic recyclying initiative that focusses on efficent disposal and recyclying of waste.

The launch was supported by diginatries like Ramdas Kadam, minister of environment, Govt. of Maharastra, Aditya Thakeray, president, Yuva Sena and Dr N C Saha, director, Indian Institute of Packaging.

Speaking about the necessity of such an intivative, Kadam said , “Tonnes of bottles are used and get thrown into waste each day. Hardly anything gets recycled. We are already facing global warming and the adverse impacts can be seen all around us. This new intiavtive will firstly take care of the plastic waste that gets generated and secondly will help the people who we call as rag pickers but it's only because of them, our city is clean and it's time to bridge that gap

and help these people out.”

Bisleri has partnered with three NGOs namely Parisar Bhagini Vikas Sangh, Sampurna Earth & Garbage Concern Welfare Society. This initiative pushes each person to follow the three R mantra – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Together with the NGOs, Bisleri is conducting plastic collection and educational drives for communities, corporates, schools, colleges, and other

institutions. Saha providing more statistics on India's position in the packaging market said, “India is on the third position when it comes to packaging preceded by Japan and China.

Accoring to research, by 2050, the plastic population will be higher than the fish population which is very alarming to hear. In the past few years, we have noticed a change in consumer attitude and consumer driven tech-

nology. The young generation is taking things in their own hands and are identifying the dire need for systematic disposal of plastic waste and setting it into motion.”

To support this systematic disposal, Aditya Thackarey released the 'Bottles For Change' poster, lauched the website, the helpline number and handed over the vehicle keys for disposal to the concerned person.

Speaking exclusively to Ex-

press TravelWorld, Thackarey said, “Previously over 10,000 crore plastic waste used to be collected. With the disposal system being adopted by around 60 per cent of households and societies, that number has come down to six and a half thousand crores plastic waste. We are also pushing for plastic waste to be used as compost waste which will drastically help the environment around us.”

Kiwi Link 2018 to see record participation this year ETW Staff Mumbai TOTAL VISITOR arrivals from India to New Zealand have doubled (from 33,000 to 66,000) in the past four years, with more Indians visiting the country than ever before.

In recognition of this incredible growth and increased interest in the Indian market from New Zealand tourism operators, Tourism New Zealand is expanding its annual travel trade event, Kiwi Link India, this year.

The new format will see the or-

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ganisation and partners hosting key buyers from around India in Mumbai from July 9 to 10, followed by frontline training in Bengaluru and New Delhi on July 12 and 13 respectively.

Kiwi Link serves as a platform for Indian travel agents, product managers and planners to interact with New Zealand operators and understand the new developments and market insights in the tourism sector. Kiwi Link 2018 will see participation from record 40 New Zealand operators, along with three airlines –

Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, Immigration New Zealand and 72 Indian delegates from 49 travel companies. More than 50 Indian participants are expected to attend the frontline training programme which will be conducted in the Bengaluru and New Delhi markets.

Speaking about the event, Steven Dixon, regional managerSouth and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand said, “This year we have a record number of New Zealand operators visiting India to participate

in Kiwi Link, which is a real reflection on the value we place on the market. The New Zealand industry has had a strong interest in India for some time and this has been further heightened by very robust current arrival growth (21 per cent year on year) and on future potential.

“Kiwi Link India is one of Tourism New Zealand’s premier trade training events and continues to facilitate the bilateral relations between the two countries. This event provides an opportunity for both new and experienced tourism operators to

develop an alliance with vital travel decision makers, thus enabling them to drive sales out of India,” he added.

Through the course of this week-long event, Tourism New Zealand aims to connect New Zealand operators with Indian travel agents to strengthen trade relations. The event helps travel partners highlight the destination’s unique range of offerings along with showcasing new products and services that are available for the selected travel trade sellers in the Indian market.

IN THE NEWS

OTOAI to hold 4th Amadeus partners convention in South Africa; with Adobe Experience Cloud signs MoU with African Link Travel ETW Staff Mumbai

Shivasheesh Srivastava New Delhi Outbound Tour Operators Asociation of India (OTOAI) will be organising its annual convention in Cape Town, South Africa. At a press meet in New Delhi recently an MoU was signed between OTOAI office bearers and African Link Travel, South Africa. Addressing the gathering, Mahendra Vakharia, president, OTOAI said, "We are excited that we have got this opportunity to host our fourth convention in beautiful Cape Town. It will be held from August 11, 2018, to August 14, 2018. It is also the centenary year of Nelson Mandela's birthday, so this year's convention in South Africa will be special from the tourism point of view. " Speaking on the occasion, Bunny Bhoola, director,

African Link Travel stated, "We are looking forward to having this convention in South Africa. This initiative will surely boost the diplomatic ties between both nations and also help to strengthen MSME in both India and South Africa."Alpa Jani, manager, trade relations, South African Tourism added, "It would be really exciting to have all the outbound travel agents in South Africa under one roof.

And this year being celebrated as centenary year on the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela, is also a great reason for the agents to be there in Africa."

Speaking about the agenda and highlights of the convention, Himanshu Patil, vice president and chairman-convention, OTOAI mentioned, "We have selected Cape Town as the venue for this year's convention as we want our agents to

explore this beautiful country of South Africa and be aware of its diverse tourism offerings.

We have selected almost 200 delegates from India for this convention, and looking at the response and interest shown by agents and operators I will have to request African Link Travel to increase the number of seats so that we can take more people. There will be pre and post-convention Fam tours to allow our delegates to explore the whole of South Africa.

They will get to explore Garden Route, Johannesburg, and Sun City. The B2B sessions will be focused on the agenda 'The Digital Way Forward' and will be based on the exchange of ideas, new concepts and more methods which will benefit our tour operators and agents."

Emirates and Ethiopian airlines are being looked at as airline partnesr.

AIRLINES are united across the world by two goals: to grow their customer loyalty and to create consistent high-quality experiences for their travellers. To address this, Amadeus recently announced the company’s partnership with Adobe to bring improved capabilities to airlines.

The combination of Amadeus solutions and Adobe Experience Cloud will enable airlines to deliver digital experiences to travellers across any device and throughout the entire journey. John Lonergan, director digital, Airlines at Amadeus says, “Imagine the kind of traveller experiences that could be created by combining the world’s leading airline technology platform with the world’s leading digital experience platform. Amadeus’ collaboration with Adobe Experience Cloud opens a world of opportunities for airlines to deliver truly personalised experiences to travellers

across any digital channel – be it on a laptop, an iPad at check-in, a smartphone, or even a video screen on the back of an aircraft seat – and essentially at any point throughout the customer’s journey. The sky’s the limit as to what this partnership will bring to our shared airline customers.”

Julie Hoffmann, head of industry strategy and marketing, Travel at Adobe comments, “Our goal in travel is to create and deliver to all touchpoints emotionally engaging experiences that transform and inspire. The world’s leading travel and hospitality brands rely on Adobe Experience Cloud, and this partnership with Amadeus will enable us to integrate further with airline brands and take that experience to the next level. Together, we’ll create lifetime value for travel brands, while leveraging a new form of intimacy on mobile from the anonymous to the known traveller. Shared airline customers will deliver on digital intimacy across the entire journey.”

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July 2018

IN THE NEWS

‘We don't want to restrict ourselves to being a business hotel’ Tanuvi Joe Mumbai

H

yatt Ahmedabad situated near Vastrapur Lake was established five years back, in the year 2013, and is an upper scale hotel. The general manager of Hyatt Ahmedabad, Somnath Dey brings to the hotel around 13 years of experience in the brand Hyatt itself.

Speaking about the hotel's location Dey said, “The hotel is very strategically located.

It's right in the centre of the city making everything accessible and whether it is transport, food or sightseeing, everything is in close range to the hotel.”

Looking out from one's hotel room window, one will notice one of the largest malls in Ahmedabad right in front of the hotel, the Ahmedabad One mall. The mall and hotel was built simulataneously by the same owner and it was done so to provide convenience to the people staying in the hotel, be it food or shopping options.

There is also an amusement park nearby and a ground where various cultural events are held.

Dey likes to call Hyatt Ahmedabad as an experiential hotel and emphasies on the products the hotel has to offer. “Each product here is customised according to the client's needs, for example, if one stays in a club room, they are entitled to access all the priviledges the club room offers. We have a fully equipped gym area, a refreshing pool out in the open for our customers to relax as well as one of the best spas in the country, where they can unwind away from the world's problems.”

Hyatt Ahmedabad wel-

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Somnath Dey

comes customers from leisure segments, but it is mainly a business hotel. And for this purpose, the hotel has well equipped meeting spaces, indoor as well as outdoor, board rooms and banquet halls. With over 178 contemporary guestrooms, which includes ten suites, the hotel also has 743 square metres (7,997 square feet) of conferencing space with a pre-function area. The hotel also offers 9955 square feet of banquet space which is ideal for business companies to host meetings and conferences. The flexible event venues can accommodate anything from a board meeting of 10 to a gathering of 800.

“The hotel houses Istana and Sabarmati, both are flexible spaces with partitions that have been designed with intimacy, luxury, technology and comfort in mind. The Istana ballroom can easily accomodate 525 seating space in theater style,and in total 220 people in classroom style.

Even a roundtable setup without stage can accomodate 240 people (considering 10 chairs per table),” added Dey. The hotel prides on having

experienced and good quality staff along with the use of latest technology making things easier for the MICE market to conduct conferences here.

Even the architecture of the hotel combines professional as well as contemporary design breaking away from the stereotypical feel of a business hotel. When it comes to dining options, the hotel offers a wide range of Indian and international cuisines.

Designed to be intimate yet open, Collage is an all-day dining restaurant in Ahmedabad which is located on the first floor, overlooking the Vastrapur Lake and its gardens.The restaurant offers an extensive spread of continental, North Indian and traditional Indian thalis.

Chocol'art is another elegant space dedicated to freshly baked sweet and savoury bakery items, sandwiches, pastries and cakes.

Stressing on the newly opened dining space, TG'SThe Oriental Grill, Dey mentioned, “A lot of research has gone behind opening this space. The concept revolves around a live kitchen concept as our research has shown that there is a growing trend of customers wanting an entire experience rather than just straight away eating their food. Since its opening, we have already noticed many customers visit this place, especially the young ground from IIM-A, etc. We don't want to restrict ourselves to being a business hotel but also open our dining options to the masses.”

With this new shift, Hyatt Ahmedabad is not only improving its facilities for the MICE market but is also opening up to the leisure market.

IN THE NEWS

Airlines preferred mode of transport in India: Survey ETW Staff Mumbai TURKISH AIRLINES recently released its Aviation Trends India 2017 survey in association with Nielson. The survey revealed the evolving demands of passengers for better experiences during mid to long-haul flights. Conducted online, the survey interviewed respondents to understand their likes and dislikes in the Before Flight, During Flight and After Flight phases of the journey.

The survey also reflected the growing acceptance of airline travel as a preferred mode of travel in India due to the growth of the sector with increased options in the form of airlines, routes and benefits. 50 per cent of the respondents preferred air-travel versus other forms of transport. 99 per cent of the respondents to the survey also expressed a willingness to take a long-haul flight in the next two years.

Business class travel also saw a rise with 44 per cent of the respondents travelling business class in the past two years.

Wish list of fliers The respondents also shared a ‘wishlist’ of services and amenities that they would like to see in mid to long-haul flights in the future. Free and fast internet access and increased seat comfort ranked the highest in the wishlist. A significantly higher percentage of business and first class travellers expressed a need for child care on board and an area for network generation, compared to economy and premium economy travellers.

Sharing his views on the survey and its outcomes, Ozer Guler, general manager, Northern & Eastern India, Turkish Airlines said, “The Indian civil

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aviation sector is on an undeniable growth trajectory.

Favourable government policies, economic growth, an upwardly mobile middle-class and competitive air fares have given a rise to a willingness for people to adopt air travel as a preferred mode of transport in India. As such, their expectations and demands for services and amenities have significantly evolved.

The Turkish Airlines Aviation Trends Survey 2017 gives us a glimpse into this changing landscape and allows us to better address our customers demands and needs.”

Key Findings of the survey Before Flight: Good safety record (98 per cent) and the good reputation of an airline are given paramount importance while booking a mid or long haul flight.

Good services on board in economy class, flexibility on luggage allowance and option of checking in at least one piece of luggage at no extra cost are especially important for passengers who have children.

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Own experience (71 per cent), close acquaintances and travel/comparison portals are the top three sources to trust for an airline recommendation. An easy to use website of an airline, travel bloggers/specialised online travel magazines, active digital sources of an airline, easy to use mobile application of an airline, advertising of the airline and reports on TV/radio were of a higher importance among business and first class travellers. All inclusive fares are an additional consideration factor for a majority of the respondents (74 per cent) as well.

Long queues at the check-in counter (75 per cent) and crowded waiting areas were the major pain-points for respondents. Insufficient information about possible delays also continues to be an issue for passengers.

Online check-in via mobile apps/smartphones and automatic check-in service are the top two expectations of travellers regarding the check-in process. Business

and first class passengers have higher expectations for automatic check-in services and early check-in opportunities.

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During flight Cleanliness of cabin/lavatory (97 per cent), quality of food & beverages (96 per cent) and friendly/attentive/accessible staff (96 per cent) are passengers’ prior expectations regarding a mid or long-haul flight.

Mobile phone calls and inflight connectivity ranked high on the preference list of respondents (73 per cent), with a majority expressing an interest in using the services only if charges were slightly higher than normal usage tariffs.

The majority of passengers wish presence of healthy food and the opportunity to drink water at any time during the flight. Also, choice of several menu options, multicourse menu and special food and drinks for children are other expectations of travellers from catering

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services on board.

For a majority of passengers (97 per cent), healthy food options were a key factor for them to choose an airline.

Also, choice of several menu options, multi-course menu and special food and drinks for children are other expectations of travelers from catering services on board.

Key among the expectation for pre-landing services are information about customs regulations (96 per cent), information about the expected waiting period for entry (94 per cent) and advice about travel options (92 per cent).

After flight Access to an arrival lounge (96 per cent) and a information desk in the baggage reclaim hall in case of lost luggage (96 per cent) are the two most important services on the ground for Indian travelers.

Satisfaction with airline services in difficult situations such as damaged luggage (66 per cent), lost luggage (64 per cent), delayed flights (58 per cent) and cancelled flights (55 per cent) were key consideration factors in airline choice.

Satisfaction with other services such as cabin lighting, cabin temperature, catering quality, in-flight entertainment, comfortable seating etc. are ancilliary deciding factors for passengers when considering an airline.

The online survey, conducted in partnership with Nielsen, reached out to a respondent pool comprised of individuals aged 18 years or older who have used flights as a mode of travel in the last two years and was conducted between February 16 to 26, 2018.

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NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Atlantic Water World A

tlantic Water World is New Delhi’s latest and only water park, and started operations in April, 2018. It is spread across five acres and can easily accommodate more than 3000 people, under the watchful eyes of a team of highly trained lifeguards located on the Yamuna waterfront near the Okhla barrage, it’s easily accessible for all the residents of Delhi, NOIDA and Faridabad. The outdoor entertainment hub comes with diverse attractions such as a wave pool, lazy river, water coaster and a family pool. The 'Aqua Funnel', which is created for the

first time in north India is the star attraction. The 'Tornado' is a ride where one will zoom down 60 feet while sitting on a rubber tube. Then there’s the 'Storm Eye' where one gets dropped down an elevated chute and spin like a fusili before splashing into a giant splash bowl. The park also has an exclusive kids zone.

Atlantic Water World has metro connectivity right at the doorstep. The theme park is also well-equipped with various restaurants offering an array of Indian dishes along with chaat, ice-creams and refreshing mocktails.

VITS Mango Blossom, Gurugram V

ITS Luxury Hotels has unveiled 'VITS Mango Blossom, Gurugram', a luxury corporate hotel located near Udyog Vihar Industrial Hub. Conveniently situated in the heart of the millennium city Gurugram, the hotel infuses a perfect blend of sophistication and functionality. Well-connected through railways, road and air to all major cities, the hotel offers ease of travel and transit to all the corporate travellers. The 37 guest rooms comprising of deluxe rooms and superior rooms presents a corporate sojourn with all amenities. Mirroring the aura of elite class living, each of the rooms boasts of tastefully adorned décor, upscale comfort, luxury ambience and exclusive facilities. There are diverse gastronomic options at Dalchini, the spiced multi-cuisine restaurant serving continental, oriental along with various regional Indian cuisines. The hotel houses a pure vegetarian restaurant, 'Kamats' that serves delicacies in South Indian, Punjabi and Mughalai flavours. The indoor banquet hall can accommodate 50 guests while the green outdoor lawn can host events for 100 guests.

ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad I

TC Hotels has announced the addition of ITC Kohenur in Hyderabad as the 12th hotel to join its luxury hotel portfolio, from June 1, 2018. Envisaged as a tribute to the traditions and distinct character of its locale, ITC Kohenur is a testament to the multifaceted rich heritage of the region. Located in the heart of Hyderabad’s new business district, overlooking the Durgam Cheruvu Lake, the hotel endeavours to create 'Rare and Price-

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less' experiences through its super-premium offerings; 271 high technology enabled rooms, suites and service apartments, six culinary brands reflecting ITC’s tradition of culinary excellence, state-of-the-art meeting and convention spaces, Kaya Kalp spa and well-being offerings, complemented by the customary warmth of ITC Hotels. A stand-out in-room tech feature is the amalgamation of all services through the E-Butler iPad.

The hotel features nine versatile and state-of-the-art meeting, banquet and conference spaces.

This includes the pillar-less Deccan State room, which can be divided into two separate halls, each with its own pre-function area. The hotel also boasts of two sprawling outdoor venues, the Pearl Deck & the Golconda greens that are perfect for a range of theme events, corporate functions, celebrations and parties.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road C

hennai welcomes its seventh AccorHotels property with the opening of Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road. The chic Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road is ideally and conveniently situated in the heart of the city within walking distance of many clubs like Madras Club and elite neighbourhoods like Boat Club. The hotel is well located for the local and international traveller as it is less than a 30minute drive from both the Chennai International Airport and the Chennai Central Railway Station. Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road is the first Novotel with a contemporary design and interior. The hotel

has been conceptualised by SODA, an international design firm known for creating fresh, innovative yet sustainable spaces. The contemporary feel starts at the entrance of Novotel Chennai Chamiers road, which has been inspired by various 20th century buildings of the city, giving it an earthy yet modern look. The hotel features around 100 well-appointed rooms including four suites, as well as rooms designed for the specially-abled. The hotel also boasts of four meeting rooms which can accommodate more than 100 guests for conferences, meetings, events and other social gatherings.

Regenta Central Hestia, Dahej

Nataraj Sarovar Portico Jhansi

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oyal Orchid Hotels has announced the launch of their new property Regenta Central Hestia in Dahej, Gujarat. Located at about 12 kilometres from Dahej’s Special Economic Zone (SEZ), the new property is located at a close proximity to the beautiful coastline of Gujarat, Gulf of Cambay. The hotel is connected to many key business cities of Gujarat like Surat, Rajkot, Bharuch etc., making it an ideal destination for transient and business travellers. This

four star property features 69 wellappointed rooms that are equipped with modern amenities and refreshing interiors that help travellers unwind from the daily hustle-bustle.

The hotel offers an all-day gastronomical dining menu at a multi-cuisine restaurant- PINXX to its guests.

The boardroom with its state-of-art infrastructure can host events ranging from group business meetings to social gatherings and corporate events.

Lords Resort Chotila L

ords Hotels & Resorts, Gujarat’s biggest mid-market hotel chain has announced plans of launching another new resort in the state. Currently under construction, the resort is expected to commence operations in the last quarter of 2018 making it the chain’s 16th property in Gujarat and overall its 29th. To be launched as Lords Resort Chotila, the forty-six rooms resort will offer accommodations to the pilgrimage tourists visiting the popular Chotila Mata Mandir.

Being a resort property it will host all kinds of recreational facilities which will serve as great holiday stays for the leisure tourists too. The develop-

arovar Hotels announced the opening of Nataraj Sarovar Portico Jhansi, consolidating the group’s further foray into Uttar Pradesh.

Sarovar Hotels has launched a 72 room hotel which is also the first branded hotel in the smart city. The aesthetically curated well-appointed rooms and suites with all modern amenities complemented with warm, attentive and personalised services, offer a truly memorable stay. The hotel also offers fully equipped conferencing and banquet spaces and facilities for up to 500 guests. One can dine at the hotel’s multi cuisine restaurant

'Flavours' or have cocktails, beers and other drinks at 'Lancers – The Bar'. A well-equipped fitness center, 24 hours in-room dining, swimming pool, salon and free hi-speed internet access ensures a comfortable stay. The hotel is nestled in the heart of the city, two kms away from the railway station, and is in the midst of palaces, forts and temples, IT hub, shopping Malls, etc.

Sarovar Hotels is targeting to have 100 hotels under its portfolio by 2020. Expected openings in 2018 include hotels in Jaisalmer, Somnath, Dibrugarh, Junagadh, Gorakhpur and Lusaka, Zambia.

ment is also in line with Lords Hotels & Resorts’ focus on capitalising on pilgrimage tourism, a segment which is one of the support pillars of the Incredible India campaign.

Other than offering luxurious rooms and suites, Lords Resort Chotila will also offer recreational facilities including waterpark with wave pool, multiplex, gaming zone, spa, gym and food courts.

While the resort will host all modern amenities and full-services to its guests, the room tariffs will be maintained at budget friendly prices. Guests will also be able to enjoy exquisite dining options at its multi-cuisine restaurant – Blue Coriander.

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cover story )

LUXURYON TRACK Luxurious journeys on trains is a niche tourism product that has always found takers among the well travelled cognoscenti across the world. The luxury trains of India are an excellent showcase of the country's glorious culture, but focused efforts are needed by industry stakeholders to promote this segment

By Tanuvi Joe

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THE MAIN FOCUS

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he tourism industry is constantly evolving and the market needs to stay up to date with the products and services it has to offer to the new age travellers. The growing demand for expereintial travel is leading to an interesting new development - luxury train travels are coming to the fore, in India and across the world, and are here to stay.

Luxury trains are no longer viewed as only opulent carriers that take one to various renowned locations but an all-inclusive destination in itself that offers unique set of experiences.

It has become an ultra-comfortable stay at exquisite suites, personalised service, worldrenowned and authentic delicacies along with a host of activities onboard that make the train journey so exclusive and special.

Diverse itineraries

“This year, efforts are underway to promote the Maharaja Express through popular travel marts in Russia and Japan” Rajni Hasija director, tourism and Marketing, IRCTC

Highlighting the various travel itineraries planned for guests on board the Maharaja Express, Rajni Hasija, director, Tourism and Marketing, IRCTC says, “IRCTC took over the management of Maharajas’ Express in 2012. At present there are seven itineraries with a mix of seven nights/eight days and three nights/four days. One of the famous ones which Indian and international tourists prefer is the Indian Splendour which takes them around Delhi – Agra – Ranthambore – Jaipur – Bikaner- Jodhpur – Udaipur – Balasinor and Mumbai. There are also others like the Heritage of India, Southern Jewels and Treasures of India.”

When one speaks about Rajasthan and its rich heritage, one cannot forget the splendid glory of the Palace on Wheels. Starting all the way back in 1862, the aesthetics and interiors of the train remind travellers of the royal past. “The seven days' journey embarks on a route to the seven beautiful cities of Rajasthan like Jaipur, Ranthambhore, Udaipur, Jaipur, etc,” states

H Guite, MD, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) about the itineraries the luxury train offers.

The Deccan Odyssey was launched in 2004 by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) with the Indian Railways. In 2014, MTDC appointed Cox & Kings to operate and manage full on-board and off-board services, sales, marketing and operational activities. Arup Sen, special advisor, Cox & Kings elaborates on the scenic destinations the train covers like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Telangana, Goa and Karnataka. “Guests are escorted to some of the most charming destinations in India including iconic Hampi, Ellora Caves, Sasan Gir, Rann of Kutch, Udaipur and many more. Some of the itineraries include the Maharashtra Splendor which covers Mumbai – Nashik – Aurangabad - Ajanta - Kolhapur – Goa – Sindhudurg and the Maharashtra Wild trail where travellers can explore Mumbai – Aurangabad – Pench (Ramtek) – Tadoba –Ajanta and Nashik among others,” mentions Sen. With an excellent network of luxury trains running across the country, tourism boards, tour operators and travel agents have cashed on this unique travel experience attracting tourists from all over the world.

Changing trends For the Deccan Odyssey, majority of foreign customers are from UK, Germany, South Africa and the US. “Domestically, metro cities remain our source markets including Mumbai, Delhi, Surat, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bengaluru among others,” mentions Sen. Giving his views on changing trends in the luxury train segment and how this can affect the market in a huge way, he shares, “Rail journeys find itself on the bucket list of many across the world. The popularity is an outcome of the unique travel experience it offers and also its speed and swiftness in traversing through tourist destinations while you stay completely comfortable. The millennials are the new luxury admirers on the block. The experience of the Deccan Odyssey is fast catching up among youngsters (25-35 years), especially in the western nations, contrary to the belief that only the ardent train-journey lovers belonging to a senior age category opt for it.”

Also breaking through these stereotypes is the Palace on Wheels and internationally the train has recorded high tourist arrivals from Britain, America, Australia and New Zealand.

RTDC is more focussed on enhancing the experience of the travellers inside the train and

leaving them with a train vacation that is novel, bringing them back for more.

The Maharajas’ Express is also predominantly booked by international travellers including NRIs. “We host a number of nationalities on the train, with the highest number originating from USA, UK and Australia.

The top five countries in the last five years (season wise – SeptOct to March-April) are USA, UK, Australia, Russia, Japan and Canada,” mentions Hasija.

Weddings onboard luxury trains is an interesting new trend. Sen states, “Being one of the most significant ceremonies of life, would-be couples have been looking out for creative ways that can make their special occasion truly memorable. Deccan Odyssey opens its doors to the bride and groom to let them into the epitome of luxury and exchange their wedding vows with service that can be best described as regal.”

Apart from marriages, the concept of meetings onboard is also becoming an appealing option against the conventional methods of meetings and incentive programmes of corporates.

Companies are taking interest in luxury trains by looking to organise their important meetings in a royal setting onboard as the attendees are gifted with a lifetime experience of

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cover story) “Getting married onboard and arranging corporate meetings are some of the rising trends in this segment” Arup Sen special advisor, Cox & Kings

travelling in a luxury train.

After taking over the Maharajas’ Express, IRCTC has experienced several changes over the years. Hasija discusses these changes and the impact it is having on the number of tourist occupancies on the train, “One of the foremost changes that we have observed is the short horizon to book i.e. earlier guests used to book several months in advance which has now changed. We are seeing more bookings coming at short notice sometimes even a week before the scheduled departure. I believe that the liberal visa norms have a role to play in this. “ One more aspect observed is that guests are wanting to have real experiences like visiting a primary school in a village or interacting with the local habitants on the streets in addition to the usual sightseeing programmes and this has encouraged IRCTC to include such experiences in the itineraries.

International market

“The aesthetics and interiors onboard the Palace on Wheels reminds travellers of the royal past making them come back for more” H Guite MD, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC)

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India outbound is also signing up for train journeys across the world and experience luxury in different cultures and traditions. The Ghan train offers the Indian traveller a different way to see and experience the central part of Australian outback and its vast stretches of landscape that is completely different from the rest of the continent. Melbourne based Safir Tours, a bespoke DMC, is promoting Great Australian Rail Journeys for 2018-2019 in the Indian market.

Speaking about the experiences the train has to offer, Nayaz Noor, CEO, Safir Tours states, “The train offers a unique journey that is unmatched. It combines luxury with the rugged scenic beauty of the Australian red soil terrain. Most of all it offers the Indian traveller bragging rights to have done a journey in Australia that is once in a life time and so different from the others. With a continent as large as the USA, train travel on the Ghan and Indian Pacific gives a different perspective to the experience one encounters.”

The Eastern & Oriental Express is one such luxury train that never stops to fascinate travellers. It was built in Japan

in 1970, and was previously operated in New Zealand as the Silver Star. James B Sherwood (founder and chairman Emeritus) bought the train in 1991 and shipped it over to Singapore, to become Belmond's third luxury sleeper train. Valentin Waldman, general manager, Eastern & Oriental Express emphasises the train’s long history, “This train made history on its launch in September 1993 as the first train to travel the whole length of the 1,943 km from Singapore to Bangkok, linking the railway systems of both Malaysia and Thailand.”

Belmond's Eastern & Oriental Express largest client base comes from the UK and US with the Asian market growing steadily. “As our brand continues to build traction, awareness of Belmond's unique travel portfolfio is increasing worldwide.

And the recent trends in the industry has pushed us to innovate and come up with new products.

Overall, luxury travellers are seeking perfect service, great food and unique experiences, for which Belmond's Eastern & Oriental Express is renowned. Passengers want to make sure they experience the authenticity of the destinations they travel to, so our journeys are tailored to this, from the food we offer to the experiences on and off the train,” says Waldman.He further stresses on how guests are invited to embark on journeys of

discovery, adventure and excitement and the train experience offers them the chance to disconnect from the mundane world.

Exclusive experiences The Ghan train makes sure that the F&B offerings are not just met but are beyond expectations to accommodate and make people of all cultures feel at home. The train has Platinum and Gold Class services each with their own lounges and restaurant area for the guests.

Three course meals for Gold Class and five course for Platinum. All beverages including wines and spirits are included.

Noor remarks, “Taking the overnight journey from Adelaide to Alice Springs, breaking journey to see the West MacDonnell Ranges and then continuing to Uluru for a few days to see Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta rounds up the itinerary that is a total contrast to visiting just the cities in Australia. Travellers also learn about the indigenous culture in the off-train excursions allowing one to become a part of it in some ways.”

The Eastern & Oriental Express recently celebrated 25 years of iconic rail journeys and to mark the occasion, Belmond launched Art & Fashion in Motion 2018 – a collaboration with local artists to bring guests closer to contemporary Asian culture. “We are also currently

working on the new grand suite and spa car for the Eastern & Oriental Express, following the success of this addition to its sister train, the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, earlier this year.

We have also enhanced the guest experience on board and improved the Wi-Fi as well as updated the excursions to include a wider range of options from immersive travel experiences to active and wellbeing activities,” mentions Waldman. Last year, the company launched South America's first ever luxury sleeper train in Peru, the Belmond Andean Explorer.

Focus on promotion Luxury trains as an experience needs to be promoted extensively to not only attract the family travellers but also the solo experiential millennials. IRCTC has thus chalked out several strategies for promoting the Maharajas’ Express to various consumers and travel agencies, nationally and on a global level.

Hasija explains how the company has been consistently participating in international travel trade fairs to promote the train.

“In addition to the routine exercise, this year there are planned to focus on the Russian and Japanese market and efforts are underway to promote the train through popular travel marts in these countries. Maharajas’ Express has also been inviting journalists/TV crews from the

(

world over to travel on the train and share their experience through their magazines/journals/news articles/TV programmes/blogs etc,” she adds.

With an aim to diversify its offering, the Deccan Odyssey has welcomed corporates to host their meetings and incentive programmes onboard the award-winning luxury train. It has even announced redesigned compact journeys of five days to tap the domestic market. The

Susegado Goa, its shorter journey received phenomenal response in 2017. Sen further explains how these recent additions help in keeping up with the evolving change, “The majestic train can now also host weddings with its special capability of organising medium scaled lavish events. The train also wears a new look with the authentic Warli art which is one of the most cherished art forms of Maharashtra. Many design and

interior modifications have been carried out to reflect the erstwhile history and culture of Maharashtra.”

The international market is huge and it requires concise and consistent campaigns to maintain the brand recall. The national luxury trains also want to reach out to masses which can considerably increase the footfall and at the same time tap potential agent networks. “Thorough message percolation can

THE MAIN FOCUS

be achieved through groundagents. This applies for both domestic as well as international markets. Price play and experimenting with itineraries can also help achieve an appealing product-mix. While luxury is demanded by a certain market, there is a segment that shall come onboard on availability of discounted trips,” affirms Sen. Apart from road shows, RTDC also participates in international tourism events. Guite says, “This is done so as to raise awareness about the experiences the train has to offer especially in Spain, UK and USA. Regular meetings are also held with the GSAs to make sure the target audience is achieved and have had a great story to go back and tell in their home countries for more people to come visit.”

Luxury train travel is the best way to explore diverse cultures, landscapes and experiences like no other travel package can.

With concerted and integrated efforts of various stakeholders including central and state governments, tour operators and the hotel industry, India can emerge not just as a leading destination for train travel but rather for luxury train experiences.

(With inputs from Steena Joy)

“Luxury travellers are seeking perfect service, great food and unique experiences and they want to make sure they experience the authenticity of the destinations they travel to” Valentin Waldman general manager, Eastern & Oriental Express

“Travellers also learn about the indigenous culture in the off-train excursions allowing one to become a part of it in some ways” Nayaz Noor CEO, Safir Tours

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STRATEGY

The last mile India is among the top five growing markets for Booking.com which has moved from being an 'accommodation only' travel metasearch engine to new areas of last mile connectivity taking the friction out of travel and enabling its customers to experience the world seamlessly

By Steena Joy

A

s one walks into Booking.com's headquarters in The Bank building in Amsterdam, one is struck by the seamless open concept, quirky office decor, numerous break out spaces, gaming areas, green meeting rooms and amazing views of the city (including a windmill!) from the terrace that even has an old clock tower. Every booking.com office - they have 14 of them in Amsterdam and 198 worldwide - has incorporated into its design one element of the city they are based in. Not surprisingly, the HQ has a cycle track inside the office because Amsterdam is known for its cycling culture.

Booking.com also has a multi-cultural workforce there are around 100 nationali-

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ties working in this office alone.

And this is where CEO Gillian Tans is spearheading Booking.com's new revenue streams. She says, “Our aim is taking the friction out of travel.

We keep the customer at the centre of everything we do. We are always creating and testing new products that enable people to experience the world seamlessly.”

From an accommodation only company, Booking.com is now moving into new areas in last mile connectivity like ground transportation, airport transfers/shuttles, experiences, ticketing for events, services of the property (like say a guest wants a goldfish in a bowl in his room). “We don't believe in copying others. So we will first build the supply and then see how the experiences can be in-

novative. The key is how to create customer value and execute smarter than the others,” reiterates Tans.

Presently the company has introduced activities/experiences in 44 cities including Barcelona, London, Paris. Its car rental service has also been integrated into the Booking.com platform as Booking.go.

Last year Booking.com gave its employees GoPro cameras to record their travels and showcase them. They became ambassadors for their company and its products. “We travel everywhere to help you travel everywhere. Booking.com has also introduced an AI-enabled Booking Assistant, which can answer questions from customers after they have reserved their

Gillian Tans

Ritu Mehrotra

STRATEGY accommodation. The chatbot is available across different devices and platforms. The assistant can handle queries on issues such as payment, transport, arrival and departure times along with date changes and internet availability. Nearly 30 per cent of customers’ interact with the chatbot. In future, we plan to take that to 50 per cent,” says the CEO. Presently, the Booking Assistant is available only in some countries and around five to six million customers in English. The company will introduce the next five languages soon.

US-based Priceline acquired Booking.com for US$ 135m in 2005 and is now one of Priceline’s best performing units. It is about to change its name to Booking Holding.

Pepijn Rijvers, CMO, Booking.com reveals, “Nearly 85 per cent of our gross profit is generated outside the US and through Booking.com. We do a lot of last mile work unlike other technology companies.

We sell on an average 1.55 million room nights a day. We are an incredibly customer oriented company because the better we understand our customers, the better we can service them.”

James Waters, global director, customer service, “We have nearly 8,000 customer service employees – bilingual staff supporting multiple languages.

The biggest challenge is payments, refunds, etc because both customers and hotels are not used to a particular way of payment. This is where the Booking Assistant will be a great help.”

India among top five growing markets With 47,500 Indian properties listed on its website, Booking.com sees India among its top five growing markets.

“With more than 47,000 listings, it clearly shows the amount of investment our company is making in the India market. It is a market that is fast growing and it is one that we have prioritised,” says Tans.

She went on to add that the

BOOKING.COM IN INDIA Top Indian cities by global bookers in 2017 New Delhi Mumbai Bengaluru Chennai Jaipur Top cities by domestic bookers in 2017 New Delhi Mumbai Bengaluru Chennai Hyderabad

Jaideep Bansal and Paras Loomba of Global Himalayan Expedition

Top five most popular property types booked

by Indians in 2017 Hotel Resort Guesthouse Hostel Bed & Breakfast Meenu Vadera (left) of Sakha Consulting Wings

biggest change she saw in the India market is that more and more consumers are finding their way online. “Companies like MakeMyTrip have really helped open up the market.

Even in the non hotel segment, a lot of models like Oyo Rooms have emerged which have professionalised the category.

They have standardised the segment and bring a quality layer online,” she said.

Boosting sustainability Booking.com also seeks to contribute to the health of destinations worldwide so that future generations can continue to enjoy them for years to come. The Booking Booster, Booking Booster Labs, the Booking Cares Fund and its employee volunteer programme are part of this mission to make a positive impact globally. Marianne Gybels, global manager - CSR, Booking.com says, “We have the responsibility that destinations remain healthy and happy for future generations to enjoy. In a survey we found 86 per cent of people want to travel sustainably. In India, 98 per cent want to travel sustainably! In Copenhagen, we use homeless people as guides. In Mumbai, our volunteer programme or-

gansied a cleanliness drive at the Gateway of India and an eco tourism workshop. In Bengaluru we spread awareness of heritage sites like Tipu Sultan's Palace and Fort and an elephant conservation area near Jaipur.”

The company has also launched the Booster Labs for early-stage ventures and the Booking Cares Fund for bold, disruptive, dream projects to further expand the commitment across various layers of the sustainable travel industry.

In 2017, the company launched Booking Booster to support startups in sustainable tourism. Booking Booster is a three week accelerator programme consisting of a series of lectures, hands-on workshops and coaching that culminates in a final pitch for early stage sustainable tourism startups to win a grant of upto 500,000 euros to scale up their businesses. This year's winners were unveiled recently in a grand ceremony at The Tobacco Theatre in Amsterdam. Two Indian sustainable tourism startups, Global Himalayan Expedition and Sakha Consulting Wings, both of which promote sustainable development using tourism as a driver, won the

highest grants in the programme. While Sakha won a grant of 325,000 euros, Global Himalayan Expedition won a whopping 400,000 euros.

There were a total of 10 startups shortlisted and all of them received some part of the grant.

Founded by Paras Loomba and Jaideep Bansal, Global Himalayan Expedition leads tourism expeditions to remote Himalayan unelectrified villages and sets up solar microgrids to bring them out of darkness. Sakha Consulting Wings, Women on Wheels, was founded by Meenu Vadera with the aim of providing safe transport solutions by empowering women with necessary training to become self sustained personal drivers and chauffeurs.

“The vision and passion that we’ve seen from all the startups this year has been truly inspiring. I was especially impressed with Sakha’s commitment to empowering women in India to take control of their livelihoods and of course with how GHE is literally bringing light to remote mountain villages through their Himalayan expeditions.

We’re all looking forward to seeing how their plans unfold over the coming weeks and

months as we work together to bring their vision for a more sustainable travel industry to even more destinations worldwide,” remarks Tans.

Last year, an Indian startup called Authenticook

by Ameya Deshpande won a grant of 200,000 euros. The Mumbai-based startup helps travellers get a taste of authentic homemade cuisine, by connecting home chefs with tourists online (see story on page 30).

“With Authenticook taking out one of the highest grants at last year’s inaugural Booking Booster event, it’s clear that India is an important source of talent when it comes to startups. We are delighted that two startups from India with great ideas focused on sustainable tourism were a part of the grand finale this year and both have received a combined total grant of 7.25 lakh euros. Our aim is to build a network of like-minded organisations and individuals that are leveraging technology to create a more sustainable future for destinations worldwide as such initiatives further expand our commitment to make a positive impact globally,” says Ritu Mehrotra, country manager India, Booking.com.

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DESTINATION OUTBOUND

Funtastic Philippines From exotic island vistas to exciting adventure tourism, from rich architectural heritage to colossal shopping malls, Philippines with its multifarious tourism offerings is a destination that holds great appeal for all segments of Indian travellers

By Sudipta Dev

T

he archipelago of Philippines comprises about 7,641 islands. Palawan, which is the largest province in the country, is popularly known as the last frontier and has as many as 1780 big and small islands. The jewel of Palawan is the breathtakingly beautiful El Nido with its 45 islands and islets. El Nido has become world famous for its pristine beaches, exotic corals, craggy cliffs and hidden coves. A lot of effort has been made by stakeholders of the tourism industry, from the government to resort operators, to ensure responsible and sustainable tourism in this part of the country. This was evident at the Miniloc Island Resort, in El Nido. The resort, which offers all-inclusive stays for its guests, is a little paradise, and is a great place to explore the surrounding area.

Spectacular nature While the spectacular views from the Airswift flight from Manila to El Nido, prepares a traveller to what lies ahead, island hopping on a traditional bangka boat is an exhilarating experience of discovering the natural beauty of the destination. There are stunning views all around as you pass through the rocky islands dotting the sea. The towering Cadlao island is the largest in El Nido, while Helicopter Island does look like a chopper has landed on water.

The highlight is definitely the as-

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toundingly beautiful small lagoon, which can only be accessed in a kayak because of its small entrance. The emerald green waters of the lagoon are surrounded by vegetation like cactus, wild orchid and vines.

The big lagoon was earlier a cave, and the sights of stalactites and stalagmites are indicative of this. This area supports a lot of marine species and commercial fishing is not allowed.

The Cathedral Cave is a highlight of island hopping in El Nido, and the cave gives one a feeling of a sacred space crafted

by Mother Nature. The spectacular rock formations, look like spires of a cathedral and are a sight to behold. Visitors have to wade through waist deep waters and crawl through a small opening to enter the Cudugnon Cave.

This was an ancient burial site and artefacts have been found here. This mysterious cave was also used by the locals to hide from Japanese during World War II. A popular destination for snorkelling is the Snake Island, which has a naturally L shaped sandbar.

Guests can take a break from island hopping and enjoy a picnic lunch at Entalula Beach Club. Waiting for the food to be served they can go for a swim, do snorkelling or just laze around on a hammock. El Nido is a great destination for minimum three nights and attracts repeat visitors because of its untouched natural beauty and many activities.

DESTINATION OUTBOUND Land of adventure Legazpi City in Bicol, is a perfect hub for those who are interested in adventure tourism.

The city, which is almost synonymous with the towering Mayon Volcano, is located at its foothills. The adventure activities in fact start from Mayon itself, an exhilarating three hours ATV ride across water canals, streams and dense vegetation – the Green Lava Trail.

The other adventure activities here are zip lining, sky diving and water sports. Another popular activity which attracts visitors from across the world is swimming with the whale sharks. An hour's drive takes one to Donsol in Sorsogon, interaction with this magnificent mammal is best possible between March and May. At night the Ogod river in Donsol turns into a mystical world, as trees lining the river are lit up by thousands of fireflies. The Firefly River Tour is popular among tourists and should not be missed.

For some adventure on the palate, try out the famous Sili ice cream, in which the bird's eye chilli grown here is the main ingredient. There are four levels to the ice cream, the redness increasing with the quantity of chilli. Caramalised pili nuts demo is another local delicacy, and visitors are advised to buy various flavours for their families back home.

The still standing bell tower of the 16th century church is part of the Cagsawa Ruins Park.

A short distance from Cagsawa is the serene Sumlang Lake.

This area is one of the best examples of community based tourism, from aesthetically crafted seating on the bamboo rafts against the picturesque backdrop of the lake to the excellent food served in the restaurant, which you can enjoy in the floating dining area, Sumlang Lake is a must visit.

And so is Our Lady of the Gate Church in Daraga, Albay. The church is also known as Daraga Church and is built with volcanic rocks.

Mesmerising Manila Founded by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de

Legazpi in 1571, Manila is today divided into 16 administrative areas. For all visitors, the major attraction is undoubtedly the historic centre, the walled city of Intramuros. The highpoint of which is a visit to the Manila Cathedral. June is the time for weddings in Philippines and despite the rains, the area has a festive atmosphere with the countless weddings happening at Manila Cathedral and the nearby St Augustin Cathedral.

Adjacent to the old walled city is the expansive Rizal Park, reportedly one of the largest urban parks in Asia. It is in honour of national hero José Rizal, who ignited the flames of Philippines revolution against Spanish colonialism.

Philippines is a shopping haven for Indian travellers, a wide range of quality products are available at affordable prices. And those who love to bargain will seldom be disappointed. From South China Sea pearls and handicraft items at Greenhills Shopping Centre to the the best international brands at the SM Mall of Asia.

Philippines is in fact a shopper's paradise having three of the 10 largest malls in the world.

A popular holiday location near the capital city of Manila is Tagaytay. Tour operators from India should include a day at this destination which is famous for the Taal Volcano and Taal Lake. It is also called Atlantis of the Philippines as some earlier settlements have been found here. The beautiful vistas are breathtaking and tourists can go up to the crater of the volcano on horses.

For those not seeking much adventure, the best option here is half a day spent at the Nurture's Wellness Village, where the resident wellness chef will give a demonstration of cooking healthy recipes and juices. The traditional Hilot massage is recommended for all age groups.

Tagaytay Convention Centre makes it a MICE destination of distinction. The coffee shops here are famous for the local brew. The Puzzle Mansion museum in Tagaytay has the largest collection of jigsaw puzzle, which is recognised by Guinness Book of World Records.

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IN FOCUS

#Enjoy the Seaview Signature Swarovski crystal staircases, the longest zipline at sea, the first-ever cruise ship restaurant by two Michelin starred chef Ramón Freixa, and much more. Global cruise brand, MSC Cruises recently unveiled its swanky new waterbaby, MSC Seaview at a grand christening ceremony in Genova, Italy.

By Steena Joy

F

or the third time in the last one year, famed Hollywood actress, Sophia Loren made her way to a MSC ship christening. MSC Cruises, the global cruise brand recently unveiled its latest product MSC Seaview, the largest ship to be built in Italy's Fincantieri shipyard. At a grand christening ceremony in Genova, Italy, Loren, who is godmother to all MSC ships, cut the ribbon to open the ship to the public.

MSC Seaview is the second of two identical ships in the Seaside generation. At 323 metres long with a GRT of 154,000 tonnes, the ship can accommodate a maximum of 5,429 guests.

The christening ceremony was hosted by TV stars, Swissborn Michelle Hunziker and Lorella Cuccarini and saw a performance by ‘father of Italian blues’ Zucchero Fornaciari and Italian children’s choir Piccolo Coro Dell'Antoniano as UNICEF ambassadors. Also taking to the stage was Matteo Bocelli, son of the world-famous Andrea Bocelli, and the Officers’ Parade, an important tradition to honour the crew from the ship. MSC (Mediterranean

28 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD July 2018

Shipping Company) was founded in Naples by sea captain Gianluigi Aponte. Till today, MSC remains a family run company, with several generations of Apontes overseeing the growing cruise division and its operations.

Speaking on the sidelines of the christening, Angelo Capurro, executive commercial director, MSC Cruises said, “There is an incredible wow effect when we see our ships.

First we had MSC Meraviglia, then in Nov 2017 we had MSC Seaside and now her sister ship, MSC Seaview. So we have had three ships in one year and that is something amazing for us.

The prototype of the Seaside and Seaview ships is different from our other ships in terms of design, exteriors, and features.”

'Smart' sailing Inspired by a pioneering beach condo concept, the ship will bring guests and the sea closer, with special design elements that make the most of the warm weather where she will be sailing. Guests will be able to spend time outdoors eating, drinking and relaxing in the sunshine with some of the best

sea views in the world. They will also enjoy an increased number of balcony cabins and public areas. Another unique feature is the impressive 360°promenade with glass balustrades that runs around the entire ship. Interestingly, all the decks are named after a sea or an ocean. Deck 7 is named after the Indian Ocean.

On Deck 21 is The Bridge of Sighs, a glass bottomed pathway that gives you stunning views of the pool deck below.

Like its sister, MSC Seaview is also a 'smart' ship with a a host of features like the MSC For Me app, a interactive digital navigator that allows guests to find their way around the ship and access relevant information on different areas of the ship, the weather, virtual reality shore excursions, interactive photo walls and wristbands designed with NFC (near field communication) that allow guests to access on-board facilities and tracking devices to help parents geo-locate their children on the ship. The ship has luxury suites with private whirlpool baths, specially designed combinable cabins for families and groups of up to 10 people, two full-sized bowling

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises with Sophia Loren (third and fourth from left)

alleys, a dedicated family restaurant, an interactive, multi-storey water park featuring five different water slides, an AquaPlay area designed for tots and an adventure trail. In

addition, MSC Seaview boasts colourful kids’ play areas created in partnership with LEGO and Chicco and the high-tech Odeon theatre to enjoy Broadway-style shows. The ship

IN FOCUS houses an impressive six specialty restaurants, like Asian Market Kitchen by Chef Roy Yamaguchi, while Spanish chef Ramón Freixa serves up inventive seafood dishes at Ocean Cay. For those wth a sweet tooth there is Venchi Chocolate Bar formed in partnership with the 140-year-old Italian confectionary company. There is also Butcher's Cut and L'Atelier Bistrot, a french brasserie.

MSC Seaview will be deployed for summer in the Mediterranean (Genova, Naples, Messina, Valletta, Marseille, Genova). Capurro added, “This is pretty interesting for the India market as the Mediterranean itineraries are popular with Indian guests.

Later in the winter, MSC Seaview will move to South America, not exactly a common destination for India market looking at the numbers now. But we have a sister ship out of Miami which will focus more on the India market.”

India ahoy!

In an exciting development MSC Cruises will soon be starting a 11 day long cruise from Dubai which will touch New Mangalore, Mumbai and Goa in India this year end. The cruise company will deploy MSC Lirica, one of its oldest ships, on this itinerary, he informed.

Capurro said that the new cruise starting out of Dubai is a trial to develop the India market. “I believe that the potential for the India market is huge.

Starting this year MSC Lirica will be deployed for a 11 day long cruise out of Dubai which will call on Indian ports. Compared to our competitors, we have a culture to have different nationalities on our ships. On an average, we have nearly 117 nationalities on our ships. This is part of our DNA. The atmosphere aboard our ships is truly international. The cruising experience is completely different because of this diversity,” he said.

MSC is working with the local market in India with Kunal Sampat, general manager, spearheading the effort. “We are working on increasing awareness about our product and are doing FAM trips for trade and

Kunal Sampat and Angelo Capurro

media to explain our product.

We are a very young fleet, all our ships are not more than 15 years old vis a vis other cruise companies. This is the information we want to pass on to our customer, the kind of quality that we have,” informed Capurro.

He said that India is not a huge number at present but growth in the last year is really important. “India is a market where we want to grow much more than what we did in the last year. We are looking at a growth of at least 28 per cent in the company keeping in mind the capacity, so we need to grow in India at least 28 per cent, not less. With eight new ships from now to 2020, MSC Cruises needs to discover new areas, new destinations. For sure we will be reinforcing our present markets where we have our ships deployed, but we are also looking at new areas and India should be one of them. India is a strategic market for us, not a tactical one. We have a different product and we are not looking at short cruises,” he stated.

Sampat added, “The most interesting thing about the India market is that the opportunities which can be created in this market cannot be created elsewhere, like a wedding group or spiritual groups on board. As per statistics, the average age of a guest on board an MSC cruise is around 45 years. So the perception that cruising is for the elderly people is a myth. The best way to describe MSC Cruises is that it is an affordable luxury - it has something for a budget traveller and can also satisfy the needs of a pampered traveller. This is important as

India is a price sensitive market.

We are able to customise everything and that's the best part. If we look at our Cabin categories, we don't classify them as Inside View or Ocean View cabins like other cruise companies do. We have experiences because no two customers are the same. We want to give the customer what he wants. That's been the main reason and strength why MSC has been growing in the India market.”

Elucidating on the MICE segment, Sampat informed, “We have been doing good amount of MICE groups every year, from small to big. Spiritual groups have been good too. Last year we did a spiritual group of 1300 passengers on board MSC Musica. The seven night cruise was in the East Mediterranean out of Venice. We are not only able to provide Indian cuisine to groups but we also ensure the same is done for individual passengers. So the way MSC is evolving, the support we have got from the India market and the numbers are quite encouraging and and I am sure with the new ships coming I think we can only go up.”

Talking about the plans for the travel agent community, Capurro said, “We have an intensive plan - like roadshows, FAM trips and training on our systems. From the feedback we have got from across the world, MSC Booking for the B2B segment is easy to manage. Mainly, we want to develop the distribution. We are also introducing an e-learning platform for different levels from experts to novices.

We will first launch it in UK, Germany and Italy. This will

also be for the India market. It will be one of the first to adapt the platform in the next few months.”

Commenting on the port infrastructure challenges in India, Capurro affirmed, “We are moving in the right direction. We have started discussions with

the cruise industry. Looking at India as a port of call, the challenge is not the infrastructure, it is the itinerary. We have passengers coming from all over the world so the difficulty is in designing itineraries which are in line with the demands of these passengers.”

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IN FOCUS

Experience a place, one meal at a time Mumbai-based Authenticook is helping people connect with the diversity of India through dining experiences in local homes. A culinary tourism product which travel agents and DMCs can use to differeniate their itineraries

By Steena Joy

I

n 2014, six friends who were in Ladakh for a short holiday never thought that one meal would become a life changing experience. Reminiscing on that moment, Ameya Deshpande, co-founder, Authenticook, says, “We (six friends including Aneesh, Priyanka and myself ) noticed that most of the food places in Leh market were serving pizzas, burgers and pastas and there was very little local food available. It was then that we thought to ourselves - what if we had an opportunity to just sit with a local family and have an authentic, traditional meal with them? It could have been the simplest of meals but there is so much we would have known about their way of life just by interacting with them and eating the food that they would normally eat.”

And thus was born Authenticook. The Mumbaibased company helps travellers get a taste of authentic homemade cuisine and that too, in the chef's homes. Deshpande adds, “India is blessed with a very rich cultural diversity and we believe this diversity can best be experienced through the medium of food. Imagine coming to Mumbai and enjoying a food experience with the original inhabitants of Mumbai, the Kolis (fisherfolk community) or going to Fort Kochi in Kerala and enjoying a cooking class with a local family in their 80 year-old beautiful, heritage home. We believe

30 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD July 2018

that the culinary diversity in India is unmatched and we want to introduce India on the global culinary map.”

The concept was the challenge The road however was not easy. The biggest challenge was at the very concept level.

“Since nothing like our business existed on a fairly large scale, people were not aware of a concept like ours. We often got asked if we were a restaurant, and still do! We also had to create a lot of awareness of the various cuisines in India and the uniqueness of each of these.

While this was a challenge, it also became an opportunity and opened up an entire local customer base for us in large cosmopolitan cities,” he said.

Also, they were about to launch a food travel business which would be run on a tech platform but none of them had much of a tech background and hence didn’t know how to code websites. But luckily there were some really good digital agencies out there who helped them in building a website.

Another major challenge they faced was finding homechefs to host diners in their homes. Deshpande recalls, “There was this initial tentativeness to host strangers at home. But as more and more people started coming onboard to host, the confidence in the concept started growing and today most of our host enquiries are in-bound.”

Authenticook is currently

Aneesh, Ameya and Priyanka winning at Booking.com’s Booster Program last year

IN FOCUS present in 20+ cities including Mumbai, Pune, Kochi, Jaipur, Goa, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Lucknow, etc. It has almost 250 hosts on its platform, most of whom are women homemakers in the age group of 40-60 years old.

Deshpande adds, “They love cooking and most of all enjoy meeting new people and their love and warmth comes through in their food as well.

Our diners consist of both tourists as well as Indians (in their own cities as well as tourists). Most of our diners are young adults and families.”

Authenticook received a funding of EUR 200,000 from Booking.com as a part of its first Booster Program in Amsterdam in 2017. It was the only Indian company to be selected from 10 global start-ups and one of only two start-ups to get their complete funding.

The funds have been used towards building a team along with marketing and technology enhancements. Before receiving the Booking.com funding, the company was self-funded.

Commenting on how the company chooses its home chefs, Deshpande informs, “We get a lot of inbound enquiries through social media and references. As a host, the primary requirement is a passion for meeting new people and cooking and sharing stories around your food. We do not have any professional cooking qualification requirements. On the contrary, most (almost 98 per cent) of our home-chefs are not professional chefs, many of them have been cooking and hosting family and friends for numerous years. In terms of how we select our hosts, each of our hosts has been onboarded on our platform, which basically means we or our representatives/partners have met them personally, tasted their food and visited their homes. We have a fairly exhaustive on-boarding checklist including parameters like ease of commute, their willingness to share food stories etc.”

Local spread Authenticook is seeing a steady growth in tourist numbers for the dining experiences. Today, most tourists come to India to experience the rich cultures that exist here and as Deshpande reiterated earlier, the best way to experience these cultures is through the food and an interaction with a local. He proudly states, “We are ranked #1 in Mumbai for classes on TripAdvisor and have received very heartening feedback from tourists for our hosts and the food experiences.”

As far as the travel agent community and the hospitality sector is concerned, Authenticook is interested in working with both the segments on a sustained basis. Currently, the company's association with these partners is on a sporadic basis but with its growing

presence across most visited tourist locations, it hopes to enter into long-term partnerships with travel agents, DMCs and hotels. “We believe that our experiences would be the differentiating factor when it comes to travel programmes created by different travel agents. At the end of the day, the sites that each of them take their guests to would be somewhat the same. With hotels, we are looking to develop some really interesting programmes around cooking classes for their guests which are not being offered by anyone today. We hope to see a very significant business being generated through this offering,” says Deshpande.

Authenticook is also looking to tap the MICE segment, though it has done only a couple of group experiences. The original challenge was that

the experiences are done at homes of hosts, which can accommodate only up to 10-14 people in most cases. However, the company has recently done a couple of MICE segment experiences at unique locations outside of the hosts’ homes.

Deshpande is also very focused on social media. “We are very active on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Our strategy is to keep focusing on them and use content as a means of creating awareness,” he informs.

In terms of regional focus, Authenticook's immediate future plans are to focus on India and be a pan-India experience provider. “We are working towards launching other forms of local experiences related to local artforms, heritage walks, etc. We

are also looking to expand our existing partnerships with restaurants, something which has already started in Pune and Mumbai. In these cases we do restaurant pop-ups, celebrating regional cuisines of India whereby our homechefs along with the kitchen staff of the restaurant will curate a menu and provide a unique dining experience.

This would form our focus for the next 12 months and then we may look at launching international operations for the experiences vertical,” reveals Deshpande. And his advice to new entrepreneurs? “Patience is the key. Stick to your core principle for the business, for us it was authenticity of the food and the experience around it. Be open to taking expert advice but build the business on the back of your own vision,” he sums up.

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SPOTLIGHT

In aid of global business travellers With a worldwide presence in 96 countries, International SOS provides travel security solutions to global organisations. Joël Gosset, general manager India, International SOS Services (India) speaks about the emerging trends in the India market, including the fast growing outbound segment

By Sudipta Dev

S

INCE THE LAST 33 years, International SOS has been helping global business travellers visiting different countries.

Established in 1985 in Jakarta, it is headquartered in Singapore with 11,000 client organisations. “The original idea was to bring international standard of care in countries that were developing rapidly in South East Asia, and the level of care was not adequate for business travellers. This is how the company started, by mitigating the medical risks and security risks of those organisations when they were deploying their personnel abroad. We grew Asia centric for a decade and India was incorporated 20 years ago,” says Joël Gosset, general manager India at International SOS Services (India). The company's focus has been supporting the US, European, Japanese and Australian clients in their ventures in India - bridging the gap of available care and sometimes, questions of security.

India scene In recent years, with Indian groups going overseas, there has been a reverse stream, with the focus going

32 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD July 2018

outbound. “The percentage is 50:50, earlier it used to be 8090 per cent inbound, now it has balanced out. We actually consider that outbound business will be a major part of our duty,” mentions Gosset, adding that India has developed rapidly in the last 10 years. He points out that the level of care that one gets in Tier I cities in India is up to international mark, so there is no need for them anymore to complement that.

“We still have a lot of value when it comes to Tier II and Tier III cities,” he adds.

With the Indian business travellers frequenting everywhere on the planet, according to Gosset, there are two trends - Indian companies going to Africa where there is degradation of medical services and security, and the IT companies sending thousands of consultants to Europe and the US, which are supposedly low risk countries. But since the last five years, with the terror attacks in Europe and shooter incidents in the US, companies now have to monitor carefully the risks at these destinations. “Large IT companies might have 10,000 20,000 business travellers in those countries. When they were operating in Nigeria and had 50 guys, it was easier to monitor, but when you have a few thousand it is

We train the business travellers, we have tracking tools and aggregate all PNRs from travel agents that our clients use and give them back on a consolidated interface so that the company knows who is where/who will be where/who was where?

Joël Gosset

difficult,” remarks Gosset.

The company has 300 employees in India. In Mumbai there is an assistance centre that serves business travellers' requests. The command centre is in Mumbai.

The business travel trend is growing very rapidly in India.

Indian companies are focused on operating in a secured environment. “We see the trend of security being extremely high. The proximity of Indian MNCs and international groups, the benefits are catching up – Indian companies are catching up with standards of multinational companies,” he says, adding that there are elearning mod-

ules for business travellers, and travel advisories.

Risk assessment International SOS provides preventative solutions and helps companies to assess risk, and information on the medical and security risks at the destination. “We train the business travellers, we have tracking tools and aggregate all PNRs from travel agents that our clients use and give them back on a consolidated interface so that the company knows who is where/who will be where/who was where ? If there is a car ramming incident in London, with our so-

lution the security head/ mobility head, can just connect online through his iPad and iPhone and in two clicks can understand who is in London. Two more clicks and he can send notifications to them – Are you safe ? Do you need help ?,” informs Gosset.

There is also the feature to geo locate. Travel itineraries can theoretically tell where a traveller is if there is an incident, whereas geo location can pin point if he /she is in the radius of the incident or outside somewhere. “Our services comprise about 80 per cent preventative solution to 20 per cent urgent risk mitigation, where we

SPOTLIGHT have to organise urgently access to security/care, logistics to get people to hospitals, this is where we come with boots on the ground to evacuate, give access to hospitals – cashless / seamless / bed to bed,” affirms Gosset.

MICE is also a part of the business, in particular events support. Gosset states that there is a concentration of risks when those events happen. For instance, if there are 1000 people in a resort and food poisoning happens, 50 people have to be taken care of together. Real cases like these have happened (in South of France). “A lot of our clients engage us for these kind of events, depending on the activities they are conducting. This segment is not much developed for outbound, but for international groups inbound for board meetings, offsites, sales conferences, etc,” he says, adding that the exposure to risk is greater if they are going to remote campsites, than in a big city hotel.

The service focuses on the needs of corporations. “Our clients need us in countries including Nigeria, Sudan, Ghana, Sudan and Afghanistan, and others.

When you send somebody abroad the company is responsible for the person 24X7. It is difficult for corporates to fulfill their Duty of Care, outside their home office/home country. This is where we come in,” he adds.

The solution, a mix of high tech and high expertise – is the core of what the company is - medical and security expertise. “Half of our workforce is medical and security professionals. We have 11,000 employees across the world.

We have 5,500 doctors, surgeons, paramedics and security officers. We are able to give unified services across the board. We manage more than 90 languages, even local languages, which makes a huge difference to our clients,” says Gosset.

Every year the company comes out with a business resilience study which also highlights myths against reality.

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SPOTLIGHT

'AFTER 10 YEARS OFVARIOUS EXPEDITIONS TOGETHER,WE BOTH KNEWEVERESTWAS SOMETHING THATWE WANTED TO DO' This interview is not about just adventure tourism but about life and its varied essence.

Padma Shri Ajeet Bajaj, founder, Snow Leopard Adventures and his daughter Deeya Bajaj are the first father-daughter team from India to have successfully scaled Mount Everest. That's big news indeed. But what's bigger is their spirit, the aim to spread the word that the girl child is powerful and that the word conquer can never be used in conjunction with Mother Nature

By Reema Lokesh Ajeet Bajaj What triggered this decision to go ahead as a team to scale the highest peak in the world?

Deeya and I have been going on expeditions together since she was very young. The first major expedition we did together was when she was 14sea kayaking in Greenland. After 10 years of various expeditions together, we both knew Everest was something that we wanted to do. Doing it together not only seemed like the logical option- but of course the more fun and meaningful option as well.

What was the training involved at all levels - physical, mental and emotional ?

There was a lot of training involved. We dedicated a year solely focused on climbing Everest. While we were in Delhi we would spend about three hours everyday doing some form of cardio (running, cycling, swimming and cross trainer) and resistance training. We also did four practice expeditions before going. Two in Ladakh, one in Nepal and one in France. These expeditions were vital as we focused on technical skills and also ensuring that Deeya and I were on the same page mentally.

What was the most defining moment of the journey? Was there any time that you decided to not go further and return may be ?

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There was no time that we decided to go back, but there were definitely times where I was worried especially because I was climbing with my daughter. There was particularly a bad storm that we encountered on our way up to camp 2, the winds speeds were high and our tent was shaking violently through the night. I was afraid that the tent would either tear or be blown off the mountain. At that point I thought if the weather conditions remained this way, there would be no way we could make it up to the summit.

Thankfully, by 5 am in the morning the wind died down and we could continue climbing up.

Anything particular you learnt from your daughter on this life-changing climb ?

Deeya is always very upbeat, and that always makes it a pleasure to climb with her.

Even when the going gets tough, or we've had a very hard day - she's always ready with a joke. She also cares a lot about all the team members, always taking care of everyone. As you can tell I'm a very proud dad.

What are the five things you learnt and unlearned on this super trip ?

Having been on many expeditions before I think the both of us have learnt a lot with reference to the outdoors.

Always be prepared: There is no substitute for the amount

Deeya Bajaj and Ajeet Bajaj

of training, research and organising that goes into a major expedition like this. You have to be thinking about the company that you're going with, equipment, food, evacuation procedures. You have to constantly be thinking a step ahead, especially while you are on the expedition.

The power of positive thinking: There are so many moments when you're out on these expeditions where it feels physically impossible to go on. It's in those moments that being positive is very important. The minute one starts to think negative, the battle is lost.

We humans are so small and insignificant compared to the vastness of the mountain. The forces of nature are incredible, and you really have to be humble Humility: People talk about conquering mountains, and I strongly believe that the word conquer can never be used in conjunction with mother nature. We humans are so small and insignificant compared to

the vastness of the mountain.

The forces of nature are incredible, and you really have to be humble when faced with situations such as storms in the mountain. Those who go out believing that they can

SPOTLIGHT contend with it are often the ones who are grievously injured.

Team: The other thing that I have learnt is that it is very important to be a good team player and support your team in anyway possible. In these expeditions, there are so many situations where your team members literally hold your life in their hands. If anything happens to you, the rescue will be conducted by your team members. So it is vital to build a sense of camaraderie and trust right from the very beginning.

Honouring nature: I believe that our natural heritage is something that we hold in trust for our future generations. Having been to the North and the South Pole, I have first hand seen the effects of global warming and feel sad when I think about how we humans are ruining so many of the beautiful places on our planet due to pollution and inadequate waste management systems. I have learnt that being on these expeditions, and being one with mother nature, can teach you a lot and it is important that the future generations get to do so as well.

Any message you wish to share with the society on adventure tourism or otherwise ?

My two daughters are the best thing that has ever happened to me. In a country where the girl child is not given the importance that she deserves, going on this climb with my daughter was significant as we both wanted to spread the message that given the right opportunities our girls can do anything that they set there mind to.

Deeya Bajaj What was the first thing that crossed your mind when you achieved your goal ?

It was a mix of happiness and relief. It was an extremely emotional moment for both of us, as the past year had been solely focused on climbing the mountain, and being up on the

going on these expeditions with my father is that he never preaches or gives me lectures while we are outdoors (when we're in the city however - that is a totally different situation) instead, he always leads by example. He is always ready to help anyone and everyone, he is always taking care of all of our team members- carrying extra food and water in case anyone needs it and further if he sees someone doing something dangerous he will never hesitate to speak up. It's those small gestures that makes the biggest difference on the mountain, and the biggest compliment for me on an expedition is when someone says I'm exactly like my father.

Any message you wish to share with the society on adventure tourism or otherwise ?

Growing up as a girl in India I was very fortunate to have parents who always supported me. My gender was never a reason for me to not do something. It is unfortunate that this does not hold true for all families in India.

So often, even when a girl is bright and motivated, she is not given an equal access to the resources that boys have.

I strongly believe that families need to support their girls, because if they do so, we girls will take India to the greatest heights.

summit together was overwhelming. It was an extremely proud moment for us to unfurl the national flag on the summit, especially thinking about the message of female empowerment message that we wanted to spread. These feelings quickly gave way to a feeling of apprehension however, because we were climbing up in the dark and reached the summit just as the sun came

out. All of a sudden we could see the huge drops that we would have to contend with while making our way down.

What kind of training did you undertake which was different from your father's?

We had very similar training routines, however while we were in the city we would have different timings. Dad would of-

ten wake up and start training at 5 am, I would be awake and start training by about 7 am.

Is there something special your father told you while enroute that was hard hitting ?

Dad has been my mentor in the outdoors ever since my first hike with him, I learn a lot from him each trip that we do together. The best part about

Do you have any message specific for the millennials ?

We live in a technology driven world where people begin to feel anxious if they don't have their phones on them 24/7. One of the most significant things that I have learnt from the outdoors is the importance of spending time with yourself, and your friends disconnected from technology.

Spending time together in nature is a great way to do that. The type of connections you make and conversations you have when you're in the outdoors, and away from all the distractions of the city make memories that last a lifetime.

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July 2018

MOVEMENTS GoAir GoAir has appointed CORNELIS VRIESWIJK (Cor) as the new chief executive officer effective June 4, 2018.

He will be reporting to the chairman, managing director and the board of directors of GoAir. Vrieswijk is a seasoned global executive and a consultant with over 25 years of experience in aviation and travel industry. He has rich experience in driving ventures, transitions, turnarounds and large-scale projects for diverse and multifaceted organisations with emphasis in aviation/travel and aircraft maintenance industry on a European Stage. He has

Asia Pacific. Effective September 2018, he will be managing and directing sales activities of the Lufthansa Group Airlines (Lufthansa German Airlines, SWISS and Austrian Airlines) and also Brussels Airlines, in Asia Pacific. Chisari has held several key positions in the airline industry over the last nearly 20 years. For the last five years he served as chief commercial officer and member of the management board at Edelweiss Air AG, the sister company of Swiss International Air Lines. Prior to that he was head of external relations & alliances and head of leisure sales Switzerland at SWISS. He also held various positions with Delta Air Lines in Germany, Austria, South Africa and the UK after he had worked in corporate sales functions at British Airways and American Airlines.

World Travel & Tourism Council

Cornelis Vrieswijk

significant expertise in international business development, operational streamlining, aircraft engineering & maintenance and process automation.

In the past, he has contributed to the high growth of major aviation brands like Thomas Cook Group, EasyJet Airline Company and Transavia Airlines through various roles. At EasyJet, he led significant operational performance improvement during a period of high growth, as well as crafting innovative solutions to business mergers. Prior to joining GoAir, he was board advisor, One Tour Operator Transformation with the Thomas Cook Group PLC, UK.

Lufthansa Group Airlines Lufthansa Group Airlines has appointed ALAIN CHISARI as its new vice president sales

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July 2018

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has appointed GERALD LAWLESS, former CEO of Jumeriah and immediate past chairman of WTTC, as WTTC ambassador. The Ambassador programme identifies global travel industry leaders with proven records of success in key markets to work alongside WTTC, bringing strong experience from careers in the Travel & Tourism industry. Selected by Christopher J. Nassetta, chairman WTTC and president & CEO, Hilton, and Gloria Guevara, WTTC president and CEO, Lawless will work closely with WTTC to expand the Council’s presence, voice, and influence in key markets, working collaboratively on behalf of WTTC. He started his career with Forte Hotels which culminated in him setting up and growing Forte’s operations in the Middle East. After a 23year career with Forte Hotels, he joined Jumeirah in 1997 and helped establish it as one of the premier luxury hotel brands in the world. He was the chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council from April 2016 - April

2018. He was also the recipient of the 2017 Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has also appointed KATHLEEN MATTHEWS, an award-winning journalist, global hotel company executive, and tourism advocate as WTTC Ambassador. Matthews, former chief global communications and public affairs officer, Marriott International, joined the business after a 30-year career in broadcast journalism, where she was a news reporter and anchor of the evening newscasts for the Washington, D.C., ABC- affiliate station WJLA-TV, and host of other programmes, including the nationally syndicated 'Working Woman' programme. Under her leadership, Marriott launched their Global Green Council and worldwide sustainability strategy with goals to conserve energy, water, build LEED certified hotels and convert Company headquarters to LEED Gold. Working with Conservation International and a Brazilian NGO, the company invested $2 million to preserve an endangered section of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest the size of Delaware through sustainable economic growth rather than clear-cutting forest and jungle.

In Asia, she spearheaded a successful effort to help conserve China’s water resources. In Africa, she launched a partnership to provide hotel jobs for young Rwandan women, and similar programmes in India, Haiti and the U.S. to bring disadvantaged youth into hospitality careers. She also led a fouryear initiative with the Clinton Foundation to open a Marriott hotel in Haiti, fostering opportunity and economic development in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

Clarks Exotica Convention Resort & Spa Clarks Exotica Convention Resort & Spa, has announced the

Carlson Wagonlit Travel Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the global travel management company, has appointed NIKLAS ANDRÉEN as executive vice president and chief traveller experience officer, effective September 2018. Based in London, Andréen will report to Kurt Ekert, president & CEO of CWT, and serve as a member of the CWT Executive Leadership Team. He will oversee worldwide Traveller Services, which is being rebranded as Traveller Experience to align against CWT’s 3.0 digital strategy and an holistic approach to customer experience across all channels. He will take over these responsibilities from Matt Beatty, who has decided to leave the company later this year. Andréen is currently senior vice president & managing director of

hospitality, Car, Digital Media, Corporate and Digital (Beyond Air) at Travelport, and held several other leadership roles there including leading the integration of Travelport’s digital assets into their business. He also founded two businesses and held consulting positions with Accenture, Connecta and Monitor Company earlier in his career.

ministration from IHMCTAN, Mumbai. He also completed Taj Management Training Programme and later completed his MBA in Hospitality Management from NIM, Mumbai.

Lords Hotels & Resorts

Varun Sharma

promotion of VARUN SHARMA as its new director of operations. In his new role, Sharma will be responsible to foster synergy and provide operational excellence. He was formerly the director of food & beverages at Clarks Exotica and has more than 13 years of experience in the F&B and hospitality sector. He joined Clarks Exotica as an executive chef in 2014 and has been responsible for improving the food and beverage production and service standards since then. He holds a BSc in hotel & hospitality ad-

Lords Hotels & Resorts has appointed industry veteran and hospitality specialist PRADEEP VAID as its new general manager (GM). With over 40 years of experience in the field, Vaid holds a Master’s

Pradeep Vaid

MOVEMENTS degree in hospitality and served as the GM of Madhuban Group of Hotels prior to joining here. A specialist in managing and operating large commercial and convention hotels across all star categories, Vaid is also well versed with the complexities of running a multifaceted hotel chain operation.

With proven track record in generating business, meeting operational goals and achieving business targets at Lords Hotels & Resorts, he will be responsible for driving implementation of change initiatives across customer services, F&B, and staff development and training among other key areas. He began his career in the hospitality sector at The Oberoi and since then has worked with many of the reputed hospitality brands including the Taj Group, Sarovar and Carlson & Holiday Inn Group among others.

cation management with a specialisation in brand management from Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad.

Her strengths are building effective teams, driving brand strategy and innovation, and creating compelling marketing communication. Her knowledge around both conventional and unconventional ways of brand building has contributed to some of the most disruptive and fastest growing brands in the country.

Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia Resort

The Lalit Golf & Spa Resort, The Kenilworth Resort & Spa, Radisson Blu and Park Regis.

Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan With more than 17 years of experience in Hospitality sector, VIJAY RAJIWADE has been appointed as Loss Prevention Manager with Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan since May 28, 2018. His career so far is associated with Marriott only with his earlier assign-

VISHAL KHOSLA has been appointed as the general manager of Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia Resort. He brings over two decades of hospitality and management experience to his role at the new Novotel Goa

Novotel Hotels & Resorts, Goa AccorHotels has appointed GAGANDEEP SINGH HANJRA as the new director of revenue for Novotel Hotels & Resorts, Goa. In his role, Hanjra will be supervising the revenue management and distribution strategy of the hotel along with managing day to day yield operations. A seasoned hotelier, Hanjra has been in the hospitality industry for over eight years. Prior to joining Novotel Hotels & Resorts, Goa; he was the director of revenue at Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre. His deep understanding of the hospitality industry is critical to his role as the director of revenue at Novotel Hotels & Resorts, Goa. After pursuing

AccorHotels India AccorHotels has appointed APOORVA MAHESHWARI as the director of marketing for AccorHotels India. In this role, Maheshwari will be responsible to lead the marketing activities for the growing portfolio of brands in the country. She holds close to a decade of rich and diverse consumer and brand marketing experience across industries including FMCG and E-Commerce. She has managed brands and led marketing campaigns for multinational and Indian firms including P&G, Lodha Group and Zivame in varying capacities. Maheshwari holds a postgraduate diploma in communi-

Apoorva Maheshwari

Vijay Rajiwade

Vishal Khosla

Dona Sylvia Resort. He is responsible for spearheading operations at the beach resort, and ensuring growth with innovative strategies. His strong team building skills, expert approach towards business development, comprehensive knowledge of international standard service procedures and a resilient background in hospitality, provides strategic and tactical depth to the hotel. He brings international experience spanning the UK, UAE and India. Khoshla has been associated with prominent domestic and global brands like Hilton, Glasgow, UK Radisson SAS Hotel & Holiday Inn Aylesbury.

Previously, he has also worked with various hospitality brands in Goa including The Club Mahindra Resort, Varca Beach,

ments being at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu and Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel. Rajiwade expertises in loss prevention domain of the hospitality industry and his roles include safety and security of guests and associates, implement guidelines on loss prevention consistency review, brand standard audit, fire and life safety systems and controllers audit checklist for loss prevention operations.

Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway has announced the appointment of VIKALP RAJ as director of sales and marketing. Vikalp comes with over 12 years of experience in sales and marketing domain with commendable knowledge and expertise. He will head sales & marketing vertical at the hotel. He will be responsible for managing sales

Vikalp Raj

activities and proactive sales efforts and executing sales strategies, along with innovative marketing concepts in order to meet business goals. Prior to Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, he was with JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru for over five years where he joined as the director of sales and was involved in all stages through pre-opening, during the launch and post-launch of the property.

his MBA degree from Institute for Integrated Learning in Management Institute, Gurgaon, he started his career with leading hotel chains like Vivanta by Taj Goa, The Lalit Hotels and The Leela Palaces and hotels.

sales and marketing. During a remarkable career that spans over a decade, Chowdhury has spent the last two years working with the hotel as the director of sales. In his new role, he will delve deeper into understanding the client base, devise and implement strategic plans to achieve maximum revenue, promotional coverage and marketing opportunities for the hotel. Prior to joining The Westin Mumbai Garden City, Chowdhury worked at The Renaissance Marriott Mumbai Convention Center Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments, where he led the team in generating FIT and MICE for all 28 Pan India properties.

The Westin Mumbai Garden City The Westin Mumbai Garden City has appointed SAURABH CHOWDHURY as director of

Saurabh Chowdhury

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E V E N T S

FULFILLING WISHES ONE DISH AT A TIME - Sofitel Mumbai BKC fulfilled the wish of a 14-year old child suffering from Thalassemia Major by making him a 5 star chef for a day with the help of executive chef, Neeraj Rawoot

SWACCH HOTEL ABHYAN - Waterstones Hotel initiated a Swacch Hotel Abhyan as the hotel would be prone to water clogging due to garbage collection

SEYCHELLE S MEETS INDIA Fashion designer duo Shivan and Narresh chose Seychelles as an inspiration for their latest resort wear and destination wedding wear collection after their maiden trip to the islands

DIVE INTO MAHARASHTRA - The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) awarded MTDC Tarkarli Resort as a five star dive resort for scuba diving in Maharashtra concerning the safety of tourists

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FUELLING A GREENER FUTURE - Cathay Pacific welcomed the newest member to its fleet as the first of its 20 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft prepared to fly from Toulouse, France to the airline’s home of Hong Kong on a blend of biofuel

RECOGNISING EFFORTS - Clarence Fernandes, chairman, Rwanda Renaissance, was conferred with the 'Indo Global Lifetime Achievement Award' for his contribution towards promoting investments and tourism into Rwanda

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.