TOURISM INDIA JULY 2016

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Kerala Tourism Shines Again at PATA Gold Awards

Monsoon a Boon for Kerala Ramayana and Krishna CircuitExploring Roots

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Tourism continues to grow, a catalyst for peace and d evelopment

2016

started on a strong note for international tourism. International tourist arrivals grew by 5% between January and April 2016 according to the latest UNWTO statistics. Results were robust across almost all sub regions and many destinations reported double-digit growth. Prospects for May-August remain positive, with around 500 million tourists expected to travel abroad in the Northern Hemisphere summer holiday peak season.

Destinations worldwide received 348 million international tourists (overnight visitors) between January and April 2016, some 18 million more than the same period last year (+5.3%). This follows an increase of 4.6% in 2015, and could make 2016 the seventh consecutive year of above-average growth, with international arrivals increasing by 4% or more every year following the crisis in 2009.

The UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai added that results show a strong desire to travel and this continues to drive tourism growth. Destinations keep benefitting from solid demand across all world regions despite ongoing challenges, showing that tourism is a dynamic and resilient economic sector. Yet, despite these good results, the tragic events of recent months remind us that safety and security remain a major challenge for all. We must continue to work closely together to address this global threat and ensure tourism is an integral part of emergency planning and response at global, regional and national level.

By region, Asia and the Pacific (+9%) recorded the highest increase in international arrivals, with all Asian sub regions enjoying growth of 7% or above.

By sub region, Sub-Saharan Africa (+13%) led growth, strongly rebounding from previous years’ modest results.

According to the UNWTO Tourism Confidence Index, prospects for May -August 2016 remain positive and in line with the performance of January-April.

The Index shows confidence is highest in Europe, followed by the Americas.

On the positive side, Brazil is looking forward to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. A downside is that security concerns remain high on the agenda. Furthermore, the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union in the recent referendum (‘Brexit’) has raised uncertainty in the market and led to a substantial depreciation of the UK pound Sterling. However, UNWTO does not expect this to have a significant impact on international travel in the short term.

Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka in a message to the recently concluded UNWTO Conference on ‘Tourism, a catalyst for development, peace and reconciliation’ held at Sri Lanka said, Tourism can play a key role in building peace and supporting reconciliation processes while community engagement and empowerment, capacity building and training, and public/private sector partnerships are key factors in advancing a culture of peace through tourism in post-conflict societies. Tourism is a vehicle for trust and goodwill. Cultural understanding can change attitudes and build peace. Tourism’s role in peace building is also enacted through its contribution to poverty alleviation, cultural preservation and environmental conservation.

Ravisankar K V Tourism India | July 2016 | 5

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8 Kerala Tourism shines again at PATA Gold Awards

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6 | Tourism India | July 2016

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July 2016 Vol. 19 No. 3 Price: India ` 75 US$ 4.99 GBP 2.99

Kerala Tourism Shines Again at PATA Gold Awards

Monsoon a Boon for Kerala Ramayana and Krishna CircuitExploring Roots

Ramayana and Krishna Circuit -Exploring Roots

12

2015 registers a positive growth in Tourist visits

48

24

Monsoon a Boon for Kerala

AIRLINE Industry

Asian carriers fly high again at Skytrax ranking

16

DOWN MEMORY LANE

Aurangabad to host SAARC Tourism Summit Tourism India | July 2016 | 7

“The PATA Gold Awards 2016 winners reveal a variety of creative new ways that can be effective in advancing the tourism industry while following sustainable principles, in a valuable contribution to inspire good practices in the tourism industry in the Asia -Pacific.”

T

he Kerala Tourism has won two prestigious PATA Gold awards 2016 in Marketing Media categories for its Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter and Visit Kerala Broad cast campaigns, which was announced at Bangkok by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

Jetwing Hotels, Sri Lanka will receive the PATA Grand Award for Education and Training for its ‘A Journey of Hope and Progress by the Jetwing Youth Development Project’ and Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, for its ‘Sands ECO360°’ in the Environmental award category while the Heritage and Culture Award will be awarded to Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), for its ‘One and Only Project in Discover Thainess Campaign’.

The PATA Grand award for Marketing will be presented to Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) for its ‘Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations Campaign’ The awards luncheon and presentation takes place at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), Greater Jakarta, Banten Province, Indonesia on Friday, September 9, 2016 during PATA Travel Mart 2016.

Miss Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, said, “The PATA Gold Awards 2016 winners reveal a 8 | Tourism India | July 2016

variety of creative new ways that can be effective in advancing the tourism industry while following sustainable principles, in a valuable contribution to inspire good practices in the tourism industry in the Asia-Pacific.”

The PATA Grand Awards are presented to outstanding entries in four principal categories: Marketing; Education and Training; Environment, and Heritage and Culture.

“Winning four awards at such a prestigious festival is a significant achievement for Kerala. It speaks to our commitment to realising the state’s potential for international tourism in a responsible manner – always with the best interests of the people and the environment at heart,” said Mr. A.C. Moideen, Honourable Minister for Tourism.

“Since our campaigns are built upon an awareness of the uniqueness of ‘God’s Own Country’, they will undoubtedly have a positive impact and come in for more such recognitions,” the minister added.

Starring real people and site-authentic stories of tourists visiting local communities, sharing home -made meals, and watching and engaging in cultural performances, the ‘New

Worlds’ films reflect the idea that when the world comes to Kerala, new horizons open up.

“The films demonstrate the benefits of implementing Responsible Tourism initiatives, which have brought about a number of life-altering narratives that have now become the soul of the campaign,” said Principal Secretary (Tourism) Dr Venu V, IAS. “The campaign’s continuing success is an affirmation of both responsible tourism’s potential as a force of positive change and what it can do for the traveller, the local community, their traditions and culture, as also nature,” he added.

The stories of truly transformative experiences for the traveller are married to tales of local aspiration and conservation that are as inspiring as they are authentic.

“They are lessons for tourist destinations and tourism organisations to travel down the road to sustainability, which is a two-way street with a delicate balance of old ways and new frontiers; traditions and opportunities,” said Kerala Tourism Director Mr. U.V. Jose IAS.“Framing these twin themes in an intricate yet easily accessible manner is the reason for the campaign’s continued success,” he added.

Conceived and scripted by Stark Communications, Kerala Tourism’s creative and brand management agency and directed by reputed Malayalam filmmaker Anwar Rasheed, the New Worlds films are snapshot vignettes into one of the world’s best implemented Responsible Tourism campaigns.

PATA Gold Awards 2016

E

ducation and Training : A Journey of Hope and Progress - The Jetwing Youth Development Project by Jetwing Hotels, Sri Lanka Environment: Sands ECO360° programme by Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Heritage and Culture : One and Only Project in Discover Thainess Campaign by Tourism Authority of Thailand Marketing: Hong Kong New Years Countdown Celebrations Campaign by Hong Kong Tourism Board Marketing - Primary Government Destination : Total Solar Eclipse Indonesia by Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia Marketing - Secondary Government Destination : NSW South Coast Campaign by Destination NSW, Australia Marketing – Carrier : Match.com Brand Partnership by Fiji Airways, USA Marketing – Hotel : Ways to wow by Hotel ICON, Hong Kong SAR Marketing – Industry : Thailand Boutique Awards by Krungthai Card Public Company Limited, Thailand Marketing - Youth Travel : Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Horror Nights 5 by Resort World Sentosa, Singapore Corporate Social Responsibility : EXO Travel CSR Programme by EXO Travel, Thailand Education and Training : Introducing young TEC – New Zealand training future tourism leaders by Tourism Export Council New Zealand Environment - Corporate Environmental Programme : The TreadRight Foundation’s Wild Coverage across Planet by The Travel Corporation Environment - Ecotourism Project : Low Carbon Holiday Initiative Project by DASTA, Thailand Environment - Educational Programme : Eco Walk the Frangipani Langkawi Resort and Spa by The Frangipani Langkawi Resort and Spa, Malaysia Heritage and Culture – Heritage : Stone Houses, the heritage of Matsu Islands by Tourism Bureau, Chinese Taipei Heritage and Culture – Culture : Lalare Orchestra by Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia Marketing Media - Consumer Travel Brochure : Perfect Moments - Luxury Travel by SOTC by SOTC Travel Services Pvt. Ltd., India Marketing Media - Mobile Travel Application : Step Out, Macao Mobile App by Macao Government Tourism Office, Macao SAR Marketing Media - Promotional Travel Video :Visit Nepal after the Earthquake by Adventure Travel Trade Association, USA Marketing Media - Public Relations Campaign : Papua New Guinea’s Past, Present, Future Photo Exhibit Event by Tourism Papua New Guinea, USA Marketing Media - E-Newsletter : Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter by Kerala Tourism, India Marketing Media - Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media : Visit Kerala by Kerala Tourism, India Marketing Media - Travel Advertisement Print Media : 2016 Calendar: K-Food by Korea Tourism Organization, Korea (ROK) Marketing Media - Travel Poster : Landmark of Malaysia by Tourism Malaysia Marketing Media - Web site : Mekong Tourism.org Digital Platform by Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), Thailand Marketing Media - Social Media : Discover Hong Kong Facebook Fan Page by Hong Kong Tourism Board Travel Journalism - Destination Article : Da Nang Breathing Fire by Roderick Eime by Vacation & Travel, October/November 2015, Australia Travel Journalism - Industry Business Article : The New Glamorous, TTG Asia Luxury December 2015 by Mimi Hudoyo and Raini Hamdi, TTG Asia Media PTE LTD, Singapore Travel Journalism - Travel Guide Book : Thailand from the Air by Tourism Authority of Thailand Travel Journalism - Travel Photograph : Journey of the Wanderer by Handi Lakonso by Colours, Inflight magazine of Garuda Indonesia, April 2015, Agency Fish, Indonesia Honourable Mention - PATA Gold Award 2016 – Marketing : The RoadTrip: Asia 2015 by Contiki Holidays, United Kingdm.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 9

T

he “1st Meeting of National Committee on Ramayan Circuit and National Committee on Krishna Circuit�,

by Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, was held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Tourism & Culture Dr. Mahesh Sharma.

The Secretary, M/o Tourism Shri Vinod Zutshi, experts and senior officers of M/o Tourism were in attendance and presentations were made on Pan-India Ramayana & Krishna Circuit on the occasion.

Regarding the Ramayana Circuit, 11 destinations, belonging to 6 different states, were submitted, being them Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringhverpur & Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh); Sitamarhi, Buxar & Darbhanga (Bihar); Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh); Bhadrachalam (Telangana); Hampi (Karnataka); and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu).

Expert committee also suggested the inclusion of Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Nashik & Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Mahendragiri (Odisha) in the proposed circuit.

Under Krishna circuit, 12 destinations spread across 5 states have been proposed.

The destinations covered are: Dwarka (Gujarat); Nathdwara, Jaipur & Sikar (Rajasthan); 10 | Tourism India | July 2016

Kurukshetra (Haryana), Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon & Govardhan (Uttar Pradesh); Puri (Odisha). All of them were approved by the expert committee.

Further, projects worth more than Three Hundred Crores Rupees were approved in-principle in Uttar Pradesh in both circuits.

The Ministry of Tourism has launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 201415, with the aim of developing theme based tourist circuits in the

country. Its roots stand on the principles of high touristic values, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner, by synergizing efforts to focus on needs and concerns of all stakeholders, in order to enrich tourist experience and enhance employment opportunities.

As a result of the Swadesh Darshan scheme, thirteen thematic circuits have been identified for development, namely: North-East India Circuit; Buddhist Circuit; Himalayan Circuit; Coastal Circuit; Krishna Circuit; Desert Circuit; Tribal Circuit; Eco Circuit; Wildlife Circuit; Rural Circuit; Spiritual Circuit; Ramayana Circuit; and Heritage Circuit.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 11

T

he Market Research Division of Ministry of Tourism compiles data on domestic and foreign tourist visits to States/ Union Territories (UTs) received from Departments of Tourism of various State Governments and UT Administrations. Following are the salient features of the compilation for 2015:

Domestic Tourist Visits to States/ UTs

• During 2015, the number of domestic tourist visits to the States/ UTs was 1432 million as compared to 1282.8 million the previous year, registering a growth of 11.63% over 2014.

• The top ten States in terms of number of domestic tourist visits (in millions), during 2015, were Tamil Nadu (333.5), Uttar Pradesh (204.9), Andhra Pradesh (121.6), Karnataka (119.9), Maharashtra (103.4), Telangana (94.5), Madhya Pradesh (78), West Bengal (70.2), Gujarat(36.3) and Rajasthan (35.2).

• The contribution of the top 10 States was about 83.62%

12 | Tourism India | July 2016

to the total number of domestic tourist visits during 2015.

• Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have maintained the first and second rank respectively in terms of DTVs in 2015. Andhra Pradesh has gained the third position, leaving Karnataka and Maharashtra at the succeeding fourth and fifth positions respectively.

• Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal have retained their previous rankings at sixth, seventh and eighth. Gujarat, showing significant improvement, has risen to rank ninth leaving Rajasthan at the tenth and causing Jharkhand to slip out of the top 10 most visited states.

Foreign Tourist Visits to States/ UTs

• During 2015, the number of foreign tourist visits (FTVs) to the States/ UTs was 23.3 million as compared to 22.3 million in 2014, registering a growth of 4.4% over the same year.

• The top ten States in terms of number of FTVs (in millions) during 2015 were Tamil Nadu (4.68), Maharashtra (4.41), Uttar Pradesh (3.1), Delhi (2.38), West Bengal (1.49), Rajasthan (1.48), Kerala (0.98), Bihar (0.92), Karnataka (0.64) and Goa (0.54). • The contribution of top 10 States was about 88.4% to the total number of FTVs in the country during 2015.

•In 2015, while the top 4 states retained their previous rankings, West Bengal improved by one rank to leave Rajasthan at sixth rank.

Kerala, Bihar and Karnataka retained their ranks at seventh, eighth and ninth and Goa re-entered the top 10 most visited states causing Haryana to drop out of the ranks.

T

he Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Qatar, with the focus of strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.

The main objectives of the MoU are: a) To create favourable conditions for long-term co-operation in the field of tourism for mutual benefits. b) To exchange expertise, publications, information/ data and statistics related to tourism. c) To encourage cooperation through the exchange of programmes, propaganda and advertising materials, publications, films, promotion and marketing of their tourism products

via media etc. d) To exchange visits of Tour Operators / Media /Opinion Makers for the promotion of a two way tourism. e) To encourage co-operation between tourism sectors, tour operators, travel agents and other tourism private sector’s firms and bureaus in the two countries. f) To encourage public and the private sectors to invest in tourism.

Qatar is an emerging tourism source market for India – it has received approximately 6313 Qatarians in 2015 – especially in terms of Medical tourism as it provides vast opportunity in this field.

The signing of MoU with Qatar will be instrumental in increasing arrival from this emerging source market.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 13

T

he Minister of Civil Aviation Mr. Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that his Ministry was committed not only to the growth of the Airline industry, but also to ensure that flying for most Indians is a pleasant experience. In keeping with this commitment and along with MOS Dr. Mahesh Sharma, he presided over a presentation made by DGCA with regard to Passenger Centric Initiatives. In the presentation, the first category of amendments has been made in CARs related to “Refund of Air Tickets”. The Ministry has proposed that the refund process should be completed Mr. Ashok Gajapathi Raju

14 | Tourism India | July 2016

within 15 working days in case of domestic travel and 30 in case of international flights. It also intends that in case of ticket cancellation, statutory taxes and user development fee/airport development fee/ passenger service fee shall be refunded. In this category, the Ministry has as well suggested that under no circumstances cancellation shall be more than the basic fair.

In the second category of CARs related to “Denied Boarding, flight cancellation and flight delays”, the Ministry has proposed that an amount equal to 200% of one way booked basic fair, plus airline fuel charge subject to maximum of INR 10,000/-, would be paid to passengers in case airline arranges alternate flight that is to depart after one hour but within 24 hours of the booked scheduled departure.

In the third category of CARs, relating to facilities to be provided to “Persons with reduced mobility”, Airlines shall develop a procedure for making advance request of stretcher and the same should be displayed on the airline’s website. Airport operators, security personnel, airlines, customs and immigration shall

conduct training programme, as per training module provided by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, directed to their personnel engaged in passenger services for sensitization and developing awareness for assisting people with disability or reduced mobility. Foreign carriers operating to/from India shall refund the tickets in accordance with regulations of their country of origin.

With regard to checking baggage charges, the Ministry has advanced that the Airline should restrict additional charge Rs.100 per kg for baggage between 15 to 20 kg.

The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Dr. Mahesh Sharma said that the Ministry will strive to take Indian Airline Industry to the third position from its present ninth position.

He also explained the salient features of the presentation in Hindi.

The proposal will be put up on the Ministry’s website for 15 days during which Stakeholders are free to give their suggestions and comments. After this the Ministry will finalize the proposed amendments and implement them very soon.

M

inistry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) on the basis of Nationality -wise, Port-wise data received from Bureau of Immigration (BOI) and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism on the basis of data available from Reserve Bank of India.

The following are the important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs from tourism during the month of June, 2016.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs): • FTAs during the Month of June, 2016 were 5.50 lakh as compared to FTAs of 5.12 lakh during the month of June, 2015 and 5.02 lakh in June, 2014. There has been a growth of 7.3% in June, 2016 over June, 2015.

• FTAs during the period January- June, 2016 were 41.86 lakh with a growth of 8.9% as compared to the FTAs of 38.45 lakh with a growth of 3.7% in JanuaryJune, 2015 over JanuaryJune, 2014.

• The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during June, 2016 among the top 15 source countries was highest from USA (22.20%), followed

by Bangladesh (20.69%), UK

(6.84%), Malaysia (3.90%), Sri Lanka (3.20%), Australia (2.63%), China (2.62%), Canada (2.60%), Japan (2.49%), Singapore (2.47%), France (2.35%), Germany (2.26%), Nepal (2.17%), Pakistan (1.33%) and Rep. of Korea (1.31%).

• The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during June 2016 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (24.69%) followed

by Mumbai Airport (16.76%), Haridaspur Land check post (11.99%), Chennai Airport (10.90%), Bengaluru Airport (7.74%), Hyderabad Airport (4.95%), Kolkata Airport (4.09%), Cochin Airport (3.68%),Gede Rail (2.57%), Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.86%), Ahmedabad Airport (1.69%),Trivandrum Airport (1.33%), Ghojadanga land check post (1.22%), Attari -Wagah Land check post (1.02%) and Hilli Land check post (0.68%).

Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from Tourism in India in Rs. terms and in US$ terms • FEEs during the month of June, 2016 were Rs. 10,732 crore as compared to Rs. 9,564 crore in June, 2015 and Rs.8,366 crore in June,

2014.

• The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms during June, 2016 over June, 2015 was 12.2% as compared to the growth of 14.3% in June, 2015 over June, 2014.

• FEEs from tourism in rupee terms during January- June, 2016 were Rs.73,065 crore with a growth of 14.1% as compared to the FEE of Rs.64,035 crore with a growth of 8.3% during January- June, 2015 over January- June, 2014.

• FEEs in US$ terms during the month of June, 2016 were US$ 1.595 billion as compared to FEEs of US$ 1.498 billion during the month of June, 2015 and US$ 1.470 billion in June, 2014.

• The growth rate in FEEs in US$ terms in June, 2016 over June, 2015 was 6.5% compared to the growth of 1.9% in June, 2015 over June, 2014.

• FEE from tourism in US$ terms during January- June, 2016 were US$ 10.865 billion with a growth of 6.5% as compared to the US$ 10.203 billion with a growth 4.4% during January- June, 2015 over January- June, 2014.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 15

The two-day summit is aimed at tapping FDI under Make in India and Make in Maharashtra schemes

16 | Tourism India | July 2016

I

n a bid to explore opportunities in tourism promotion, the ministry of external affairs has decided to hold the country’s first SAARC Tourism Summit in Aurangabad, the tourism capital of Maharashtra in the second week of October.

The announcement of the two-day summit, also being aimed at tapping FDI under Make in India and Make in Maharashtra schemes was made by Ms. Valsa Nair Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary

Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra at the Sensitisation Session on Aurangabad Tourism Development Programme organised by the State Government, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry in Aurangabad on Monday 4th July, 2016.

Highlighting the reasons behind the decision to host the summit in Aurangabad, Ms. Valsa Nair Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra said “The Ajanta -Ellora caves have always remained the biggest tourism attraction in the state among foreigners and Indians. The historical silk route and connect of the place with the Buddhist circuit across world, including China, is significant.

Ajanta also has one of the world’s best visitor’s centres with several life size replicas of Padmapani (sculptures of Buddha). All these are reason enough for Aurangabad to be the preferred choice. The conference aims at promoting Aurangabad and other destinations of Maharashtra.”

“The Department of Tourism (DoT) is trying to seek appointment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the event. On the first day, officials from SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries, which include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, would attend the conference. On the second day, the ministers of tourism from these countries and from Indian states would participate.” said Ms. Valsa Nair Singh.

The Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture added “The coming two years are very important for the progress and

prosperity of the tourism sector. The year 2017 will be celebrated as Visit Maharashtra Year and the year 2018 we will be celebrating completion of 200 years of the discovery of the world heritage Ajanta Caves by British officer John Smith. A campaign to promote tourism destinations of Maharashtra all over the world will be undertaken aggressively under Visit Maharashtra 2017. In 2018, many events will be hosted to attract international and domestic tourists to Ajanta and other destinations of the city.

There is a huge scope to organise Food Festival and Handicraft Festival in the city, apart from Golf Tourism. A proposal to set up Buddhist Centre on MTDC’s 900 acres land at Ellora is under consideration.”

The three-day Ellora -Ajanta Festival will be held with the help of the MTDC from October 14 to 16, said the principal secretary suggesting the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation to run an excursion bus to conduct City Tours connecting all the tourist places. She also underlined the need of enhancing the air connectivity of Aurangabad with cities like Jaipur, Udaipur, Nagpur and Pune other than Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.

Mentioning the need for hosting film shootings at Ellora, Ajanta and other important places in Aurangabad, Smt. Valsa Nair Singh commented “The countries like Switzerland and Spain witnessed a boom in tourism due to film shootings.

A beeline was formed to see the tomb of Mastani due to Bajirao Mastani film. The shooting of one big budget film featuring big stars like Shah Rukh Khan in Aurangabad will give a major boost to the tourism sector.”

Tourism India | July 2016 | 17

Mr. Cabral, also impressed on Goa Tourism’s efforts, made to augment tourism infrastructure, safety measures and hygiene for tourists visiting Goa.

W

ith the intention of promoting Goa’s tourism, the Indian Ambassadors in Croatia, Iceland and Israel have extended an invitation to the state so the travel and the trade ties between Goa and those states will soon be increased.

Interacting with the Hon’ble MLA & Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), all three Indian Ambassadors expressed the desire of promoting Goa Tourism in their respective countries in the wake of several commonalities of various aspects on the tourism 18 | Tourism India | July 2016

front.

Welcoming the initiatives for this exchange of tourism ties, Mr. Cabral elaborated on new tourism activities and initiatives recently launched by Goa Tourism that would interest the three countries.

Mr. Cabral, also impressed on Goa Tourism’s efforts, made to augment tourism

infrastructure, safety measures and hygiene for tourists visiting Goa. He said, “We would also like travel and tour operators from Croatia, Iceland and Israel to visit Goa to witness and experience the various tourism facets so that they go back and enthuse their nationals to visit this State.

Goa is now a 365 day tourist destination. We have recently launched a new interactive Website and Mobile App which enables tourists to access information on Goa and plan their vacations accordingly at the click of a button.”

The three Indian Ambassadors were also shown a brief documentary film on Goa Tourism giving insights on the State’s bountiful aspects.

Mr. Sandeep Kumar, Ambassador of India in Croatia said, “Croatia wants to expand its tourism sector and we are looking at an exchange of concrete ideas in promotion of tourism and cultural ties between Croatia and Goa and furthering it with business retreats and investment opportunities in Goa and India.”

Mr. Rajiv Kumar Nagpal, Ambassador of India in Iceland said, “We see a huge prospect of collaborations on the tourism front between Goa and Iceland with focus on cuisine and food

considering the fact that there is a sizeable Indian population in Iceland.”

Mr. Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India in Israel said, “There is a lot of commonality between Israel and Goa with regards to pilgrimage and heritage tourism and we can collaborate on these aspects to further tourism ties between the two sides.”

Representatives from the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) were also present for the interaction session where several suggestions and ideas were shared on promoting tourism and cultural ties between Goa and the three countries, such as the Carnival or the Goan Cuisine. Insights were also given into monsoon tourism and night life in Goa. Also present for the interaction session was Director of Tourism, Mr. Sanjeev C. Gauns Dessai, Director of Agriculture, Mr. U.B. Pai Kakode, OSD- Dept of Tourism, Mr. Arvind Khutkar, Deputy Director, Mr. Rajesh Kale, Assistant Tourist Officer, Ms. Fernanda Vales, Deputy General Manager GTDC, Mr. Gavin Dias, PRO GTDC, Mr. Deepak Narvekar and others.

The delegation from TTAG was led by Advocate Francisco De Braganca. Members from the SLMPC included Mr. Ralph D’souza, Mr. Gaurish Dhond and Mr. Sanjeev Mendes and GTDC BoD members included Mr. Jayant Jadhav and Captain James Braganza.

The Director of Agriculture, Mr. U.B. Pai Kakode, also present, shared views of promotion of horticulture and floriculture between Goa and Israel.

Mr. Gavin Dias earlier welcomed the distinguished dignitaries and presented Goa Tourism mementoes to them.

U

SA continues to occupy top slot followed by UK and China amongst countries availing e-Tourist Visa facility during June 2016 A total of 36,982 tourists arrived in June 2016 on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 15,557 during the month of June 2015 registering a growth of 137.7%.

Commencing from 27th November 2014 e-Tourist Visa facility was available until 25th February 2016 for citizens of 113 countries arriving at 16 Airports in India. The Government of India has extended this scheme for citizens of 37 more countries w.e.f 26th February 2016 taking the tally to 150 countries. Status of achievements in respect of e-Tourist Visa availed by International tourists visiting India last year in 2015 has been surpassed in the first 06 months of the current calendar year 2016.

The following are the important highlights of e-Tourist Visa during June, 2016: (i) During the month of June, 2016 a total of 36,982 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 15,557 during the month of June, 2015 registering a growth of 137.7%. (ii) During January- June 2016, a total of 4,71,909 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 1,26,214 during January-June 2015, registering a growth of 273.9%

. (iii) This high growth may be attributed to introduction of e-Tourist Visa for 150 countries as against the earlier coverage of 76 countries. (iv) The percentage shares of top 10 source countries availing e-Tourist Visa facilities during June, 2016 were as follows: USA (23.22%), UK (14.16%), China (6.91%), Australia (5.59%), France (4.10%), Germany (4.03%), Canada (4.02%), Singapore (2.62%), Malaysia (2.53%) and Spain (2.40%). (v) The percentage shares of top 10 ports in tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa during June, 2016 were as follows: New Delhi Airport (42.15%), Mumbai Airport (22.94%), Bengaluru Airport (9.95%), Chennai Airport (9.80%), Hyderabad Airport (3.76%), Kochi Airport (3.52%), Kolkata Airport (2.72%), Ahmadabad Airport (1.16%), Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.15%) and Trivandrum Airport (1.08%).

Tourism India | July 2016 | 19

Mr.

Prasad Manjali takes over as the Director of Vythiri village, a 5 star luxury resort in Wayanad after a successful 6 years tenure at UDS group, more specifically at Uday Samudra leisure beach resort and Spa, while his predecessor Raj Iyer returns back to UDS Kovalam.

Vythiri Village Resort currently with 114 rooms is in the process of adding 200 more rooms to make it 314 rooms by the end of 2017. A resort with a state of the art convention centre, it is owned

by Mr N K Mohammad, a veteran entrepreneur of the Kerala tourism who is also the chairman of the Oriental group of hospitality institutions in Wayanad – one of the most prestigious hospitality and culinary training schools in Asia. The group is also in the process of creating a chain of organic restaurants branded as Spice Bowl restaurants.

Mr Prasad Manjali, a

20 | Tourism India | July 2016

charming Hotel professional in the Kerala tourism industry, is moving out with multi fold increase and turnover of the company, having been part of the expansion projects of the UDS group, owned by Mr. R.S. Nair, a Mumbai based hotelier.

UDS Kovalam was upgraded to 5 star and now is the second biggest resort in terms of room inventory after Marriott Kochi. The group also commissioned Uday Suites, an all suite hotel at Shangumugam in Trivandrum.

Uday Sky Kitchen has also started operations in full swing with new clients such as Air India, Maldivan, etc. Mr Prasad was instrumental in creating innovations like the India International Waiters Race, operation helmet, world’s largest ginger bread village at UDS, among others. It was also during his tenure that UDS Kovalam bagged a number of awards and recognitions, including the World Luxury

hotel awards 5 consecutive times from 2011 onwards and also won the best hotel award of the Kerala Tourism.

Mr. Iyer was running his own hotel management company Raj Hospitality at Bangalore, after his term ended at UDS Kovalam. During this period, he managed La Classica Hotel, Atibelle, Bangalore, Spice Grove, Peerumade, Thekkady and a couple of other properties under various hotel brands of Raj Hospitality. He won many national and international awards, including Best Hotel Manager of Kerala

by Kerala Tourism Department, etc. He was responsible for the world record of the largest sandwich when he was at UDS. He anchored many culinary shows in various South Indian TV channels . The main challenge of Mr. Iyer when he will be taking charge of UDS Kovalam again is to sustain the previous occupancy level and ARR.

Mr.

Ravi Khubchandani has been appointed as General Manager of Novotel Hyderabad Airport Hotel. Ravi, with his extensive experience and domain expertise in hospitality industry, will steer the hotel to scale greater heights of success. In his new role, Ravi will focus on enhancing overall guest experience at Novotel Hyderabad Airport, bringing about stellar growth in revenues, and develop a talented and committed team to manage the hotel operations in a fast evolving business environment.

An AccorHotels veteran with over a decade of experience in the industry, Ravi started his career with AccorHotels in 2003 in Wellington, New Zealand. Over

C

hef Mahesh Padala was recently appointed as the Executive Chef at Bengaluru Marriott Hotel, Whitefield. He will be responsible to take the property’s remarkable food legacy forward and add his signature cooking style of authenticity to the F&B outlets. Chef Mahesh, who is vastly accomplished in the culinary world with over 10 years of experience, will usher in the simplistic style of cooking and amplify the existing offerings at the

the course of his career with AccorHotels in New Zealand, he worked across various verticals and locations, including MICE, Corporate, Boutique and Airport hotels.

His tenure with AccorHotels in India began in 2011 as the Hotel Manager for ibis Pune

property.

Chef Mahesh believes in keeping the cooking style simple and authentic. His conviction comes from the simplicity of homemade food, which he learnt at an early age.

His favorite childhood dishes are his grandmother’s “Garelu” (lentil wadas) and country chicken curry. Not surprisingly, he attributes his prowess at blending spices expertly to his grandmother, who was the reason for the chef’s interest in the culinary arts.

and in 2012 he was appointed as the General Manager of ibis Gurgaon. In 2015, Ravi was recognised as the “General Manager of the Year” at the Hotel Operations Summit India (HOSI) by world renowned hospitality body, HVS. This was in recognition of his exceptional performance in a very challenging market.

Ravi Khubchandani holds a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from Wellington Institute of Technology, New Zealand. He was also part of AccorHotels’ prestigious International Hospitality Management Program (IHMP), run by Academie Accor – Singapore.

Ravi enjoys exploring new destinations & cultures and is fond of road trips with his friends and family.

Owing to this robust training from a young age, Chef Mahesh doesn’t believe in incorporating too many ingredients.

The chef takes delight in cooking sea food and European cuisine and his signature dish is “The Grilled Salmon”, which is now served at Marriott’s M Café and Alto Vino. His professional career also draws extensive inspiration from his personal life.

After completing a craft course in food production by the Government of India in the year 2002.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 21

Mr. Praveen Chugh, elected again as the President of TAFI, thanked the members for reposing their confidence on him and the new Managing Committee.

Mr. Praveen Chugh, Managing Director of Business Travels Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai has elected again as the President of Travel Agents Federation of India ( TAFI) at the 22nd Annual General Body Meeting held at Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad on 30th June 2016, the following were elected to serve the Association for the term 2016-2018.

Mr. Pradip Lulla (Cupid Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd.) elected as Vice President and Mrs. Aditi Bhende( Aarohan Tours & Travel Pvt Ltd) as National General Secretary while Mr. Jayesh Tharani 22 | Tourism India | July 2016

(Opco Travels Pvt Ltd) will the new Treasurer.

Management committee members includes A. Basheer Ahmed (Chennai Metro Travels Pvt Ltd ) , Mr. Rajat Bagaria ( Shrishti Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd), Mrs. Urvashi D. Mohan ( Delfly Travels Pvt Ltd), Mr Bharat Shah (Sunbeams Travels (Baroda) Pvt Ltd.) and Mr. Darshan Shah ( All Four Season Travels) Mr. Sanjay Gupta ( Simran Travels Pvt Ltd) and Mr.Teddy Thomas ( The Oasis Xpress Travel & Tours) are also co-opted to the committee and Mr.Zakkir Ahmed(Trust Travel & Tours Pvt Ltd) will attend in the committee in the capacity of Immediate Past President.

Mr. Praveen Chugh, thanked the members for reposing their confidence on him and the new Managing Committee.

He stated that it is a huge responsibility for his team, but that, with cooperation, support and understanding of one and all, he was confident that there will be many achievements for the good of the members.

He admitted that the Travel Trade was going through challenging times as the market is so competitive. With

so many avenues open to the customer, travel agents and tour operators need to innovate and explore new ways of staying in business. As technology is currently such a powerful medium, travel agents need to better equip themselves to face their competitors. This indeed is a tough and uphill task, but if we work together and tap each other’s resources, all could be in business and earn a decent remuneration.

The Tourism & Aviation Industry are equally striving to reach greater heights. With plenty of Hotel properties opening up in two and three tier cities, the potential for business is ever increasing.

Similarly, on the aviation front with more and larger aircrafts in the skies, and cheaper fares being available, possibilities of selling seats has become an attractive proposition and we need to exploit it.

The new term has begun with the implementation of the Joint Bank Guarantee Arrangement starting on July 1st. It is a big step forward for 139 members who have opted to participate in the JBGA and grow in business.

A

irAsia’s #GREEN24 movement which aims to create climate change awareness in the region has won the Green Leadership award at the prestigious Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards (AREA) held in Singapore recently.

The #GREEN24 movement is part of the airline group’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, and was launched last November as a regional effort to raise the profile of climate change effects.

Among some of the significant efforts which the airline group has successfully carried out include the implementation of precision navigation services, flight data analytics, and fuel management services which was first initiated back in 2012.

In 2015 alone, the airline has reduced 22,602 tons of CO2 emission as result of the carefully engineered

initiatives.

Apart from that, AirAsia has conducted at least 40 #GREEN24 activities throughout the region to conserve energy, further raise awareness on climate change effects and educating the public on environment sustainability since the inception of the #GREEN24 movement in November 2015.

Aireen Omar, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad said,”We started the #GREEN24 movement with the intention to bring more people to understand the reality of climate change. We are grateful to receive such a notable industry award for the project. It’s encouraging to see our project being recognized as we continue to work hard and take proactive steps to ensure that our operations as well as our internal practices are moving towards the direction of environmental

sustainability; apart from creating external programs that will reach out to the communities that we serve.”

The prestigious Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards (AREA) recognises and honours Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship in six categories, which are Green Leadership, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Social Empowerment, SME CSR, and Responsible Business Leadership. The awardees were thoroughly evaluated from over 300 CSR projects from 15 Asian countries.

As Asia’s leading award for responsible entrepreneurship, AREA aims to inculcate a culture of ethics and universal justice in the running of businesses as part of a sustainable entrepreneurial framework.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 23

AirAsia has conducted at least 40 #GREEN24 activities throughout the region to conserve energy, further raise awareness on climate change effects and educating the public on environment sustainability.

Prof. M C Vasisht

T

he heavy Monsoon, starting in June and ending in August, is a unique peculiarity of Kerala. This south west monsoon rain getting all over the state is a blessing. The etymology of the word Monsoon is from the Arab word Mosim which means

24 | Tourism India | July 2016

season. It is the Monsoon wind coming through the Eastern coast of Africa which causes rain in Kerala. The Western Ghats blocks the monsoon wind and the pressure variation caused by those results in the rain. Therefore, Kerala becomes a rare area in the world where rain stay for three months continuously.

Monsoon has a lot of influence in the cultural and socio-political area of the state. The greenery of Kerala is

due to the monsoon rain and the houses of Kerala are built with sloped roofs because of its influence. The historians of Travancore stated that the invasion of Tipu to the Southern part of Kerala was thwarted by the monsoon rain in the year 1789.

It was the Greek Traveller Hippalus who claimed to have realised the direction of

Monsoon wind. By this discovery, the journeys through the Arabian Sea became easier for foreigners.

The big boats, with the help of monsoon wind, safely took them from the Gulf of Aden to the coast of Kerala within a short span of forty days. The monsoon became the dearest friend of the foreign traders who were in search of Kerala spices and its wind was advantageous mainly to the traders of Egypt, Syria, Greece, Rome and Arabia.

Even though the Monsoon rain starts by June, the wind starts blowing a little earlier.

The travellers who reach

Kerala usually spend about four months for their trading purposes and, after that, they would go back to their native along with the return wind.

During the rainy season, and besides their collect of spices, foreign travellers also engaged in other trade activities. As they keep their commodities and boats, it is evident that they received help and support from local rulers.

The identification of Monsoon wind was the main reason for the increase of foreign trades in Kerala. During the first and second centuries of AD, the trade between India and Western Roman Empire flourished abruptly. These trades were not in day to day consumable items but in the

luxurious ones of the elite class of Rome. As they were big enthusiasts of black pepper, there is a synonym in Sanskrit of this item: “Yavanapriya”, which means “liked by Romans”.

From times immemorial the ports developed along the coast of Kerala was the creation of foreign trade activities which was facilitated by the monsoon wind discovered by Hippalus. Muziris (Kodungalloor) is one of the famous ports which were discovered recently. The location of other important ports such as Thindees,Bares and Nelkinda are still in

Tourism India | July 2016 | 25

dispute.

During the Perumal era (800 AD-1124 AD) Kurakkeni Kollam, Muyirikkode and Panthalayani Kollam were the important ports. But in the medieval period the importance of Kodungalloor began to diminish and in that place emerged other two ports: Kozhikode and Kochi. The African-Arab traveller Ibn Bathutha was the first foreign traveller who described the Kozhikode port and the first reference about Kochi is seen in the description of Ma-Huvan, the Chinese traveller.

Along with the Monsoon wind not only the foreign trade came to Kerala, but also their religions. Jewish, Christian and Islam religions first reached the southern state, but soon spread all over India.

As per the belief of Jews, the migration of that community to Kerala was after the Diaspora – a word derived from the Greek and means “to part away” – of 70 AD. The Roman army, by the order of Nero the Emperor and under the leadership of Vespasian 26 | Tourism India | July 2016

and Titus, attacked and destroyed the city of Jerusalem which was occupied

by Jews.

As a consequence of those attacks and to save their lives, the Jews parted away and

migrated to different parts of the world.

One set of these Jews reached Kerala with the help of the Monsoon wind. It is believed that their first worship centre, known as Synagogue, was built in the

ancient port of Kodungaloor.

However, in the Syrian Copper Plates of 849 AD there is already a signature in Hebrew and a reference of Anchuvarnam, which is the Jews’ traders group, supposing they were present in Kerala in

the 9th century.

Although there is a mention of Christians in Kerala in the Cosmos Indico Plates of the 6th century AD – Cosmos was the Christ saint of Alexandria, Egypt and Indico Plates means Indian Traveller – the Syrian

Photo by Subha Nair

Copper Plates of 849 AD are the first authentic historical record which refers to the Christians in Kerala.

It was after the evolution of Islam religion that the trade between Kerala and Arabs flourished. Sulaiman, the Arab traveller who reached Kerala in 851 AD, did not mention anything about the Muslims in Kerala. But other Arab travellers such as Masoodi of Bagdad, IbinKarthaba and Abusaid of ninth and tenth centuries, described a lot the trade between Kerala and Arabia.

By 14-15 AD, the Muslims had emerged as an important trade sector and their local contribution to the development of Kozhikode was crucial.

With the presence of Jewish, Christian and Islam religions, Kerala became a land of diversity. They all live in harmony, being another peculiarity of its society.

In brief, the contribution of Monsoon wind for the formation of a Kerala with diversity was very important.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 27

The development of better regional connectivity including capping of fares and the liberalization of bilateral rights and code share agreements can eventually push India into becoming the third largest in the Global Aviation market by 2025.

T

he Government of India’s new National Civil Aviation and the FDI Policies of 2016 augur well for Indian Aviation.

The scrapping of the 5/20 Rule combined with development of better regional connectivity including capping of fares and the liberalization of bilateral rights and code share agreements can eventually push India into becoming the third largest in the Global Aviation market by 2025.

The new National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) is albeit silent on many aspects and segments of airline operations like fare structuring, safety & security, standard and quality of airport/ground handling services, etc. that are in violation of relevant Indian 28 | Tourism India | July 2016

Aircraft Rules and IATA Resolutions. This has led to lack of quality and losses being incurred by the travelers and the Passenger Travel Agents alike, deprivation of Travel Agency Commission, apart from causing huge losses of Revenue to the Government of India by way of Service Tax and Income Tax evasions.

IAAI’s Committees that deal with the Government, IATA & Industry Affairs have identified the various factors that are the root causes and drawn up a comprehensive list of certain suggestions to rectify the same from which some of the prime ones are listed below a) Minimizing and standardizing ATF prices all

over India enabling airlines to economically benefit with enhanced payload. b) Enforcement of the statutory right under Aircraft Rules – each passenger can carry a checked-baggage free of cost. c) Restrict usage of IATA Tax codes YQ or YR for fuel charge – Airline when required to show operating fuel under “fuel surcharge” must only use tax code “Q” enable same to merge with base fare on ticketing. Usage of fuel price under YQ and YR” will allow airline to evade and deprive agent’s commission and government taxes. d) Regulatory Audit and Monitoring to tighten the

Safety & Security requirements under Aircraft Act 1934 and Aircraft Rules 2003, on carriage of dangerous goods in passenger carry-on and check -baggage. e) Standard and skilled quality services at airport are a vital factor for developing Tourism. The scope of ground training requirements detailed in Section 8 of the CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements) should be amended to incorporate all categories of services in the ground operation services must be technically qualified with IATA certification categorically in their respective nature of jobs, employed by an airline or ground handing company or agent f) Regulatory control over airport fees and taxes Illegal collection of ‘convenience fees’ by LCCs g) Fare capping requirement on all domestic segments to control fare hikes and seasonal pricing with Regulatory control so as to

sustain domestic tourism h) Economic viability and sustainability of LCCs vis-à-vis apex fares and other financials - Counter guarantee from the Aircraft Operator i) Regulatory control on LCCs not to charge fares higher than those of the FSCs operating on the same route j) Agents’ Remuneration – Implementation and execution of the statutory right under Aircraft Rules 1937, Travel Agency Commission having been defined as an integral part of the fare which forms the airline tariff . k) Formation of a Regulatory Committee with Aviation Industry experts / stakeholders to monitor scheduled airline operations Mr. Madhava Reddy, Chairman-IAAI Ad Hoc Committee for AP, and Co -Chairman, Mr. Padhi Srinivas, met with Shri Ashok Gajapati Raju, apprised the Hon’ble

Minister for Civil Aviation of IAAI’s findings during the discussions and handed over a formal request for incorporation of the suggested changes into the new National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) impressing on the urgent need to address the issues.

Mr. H.S. Chawla and Mr. Jagdeep Bhagat, IAAI Director & President of the Northern Region respectively, in a follow-up action, would be meeting with Mr. Jayant Sinha - Hon’ble Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mr. Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary-MoCA and Ms. M. Sathiyavathy, Director General – DGCA, in New Delhi for further discussions on the matter.

As the matter is in the best interests of the country and its citizens, on behalf of the entire Travel Agent Fraternity, IAAI has earnestly requested the Hon’ble Civil Aviation Minister Shri Ashok Gajapati Raju ji to look into the suggestions to be effected into the NCAP that would require strict adherence and compliance by all carriers operating from/to/through India.

Mr. Biji Eapen President IAAI

Tourism India | July 2016 | 29

T

he International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced industry performance statistics for 2015 showing that, among the world’s largest domestic markets, India had the fastest domestic passenger growth in 2015. With annual growth of 18.8% (in a market of 80 million domestic passengers), India’s performance surpassed that of Russia (11.9% growth, in a market of 47 million domestic passengers), China (9.7% growth, in a market of 394 million domestic passengers) and the United States (5.4% growth, in a market of 708 million domestic passengers).

This information was included in the recently released 60th Edition of the World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), the yearbook of the airline industry’s performance.

30 | Tourism India | July 2016

“Last year airlines safely carried 3.6 billion passengers— the equivalent of 48% of the Earth’s population—and transported 52.2 million tonnes of cargo worth around $6 trillion. In doing so, we supported some $2.7 trillion in economic activity and 63 million jobs,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

Passenger

System-wide, airlines carried 3.6 billion passengers on scheduled services, an increase of 7.2 % over 2014, representing an additional 240 million air trips Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region once again carried the largest number of passengers.

The regional ranking (based on total passengers carried on scheduled services by airlines

registered in that region) is: 1. Asia-Pacific 34% market share (1.2 billion passengers, an increase of 10% compared to the region’s passengers in 2014) 2. Europe 26.2% market share (935.5 million passengers, up 6.7% over 2014) 3. North America 24.8% market share (883.2 million, up 5.2% over 2014) 4. Latin America 7.5% market share (267.6 million, up 4.7%) 5. Middle East 5.3% market share (188.2 million, an increase of 8.1%) 6. Africa 2.2% market share (79.5 million, up 1.8% over 2014).

The top five airlines ranked by total scheduled passengers carried (domestic and international) were: 1. American Airlines (146,5 million) (Note 1)

2. Southwest Airlines (144.6 million) (Note 2) 3. Delta Air Lines (138.8 million) 4. China Southern Airlines (109.3 million) 5. Ryanair (101.4 million) (Note 3) The top five international/ regional passenger airport -pairs were all within the Asia-Pacific region: 1. Hong Kong-Taipei (5.1 million, up 2.1% from 2014) 2. Jakarta-Singapore (3.4 million, down 2.6%) 3. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi -Hong Kong (3 million, increase of 29.2%) 4. Kuala Lumpur–Singapore (2.7 million, up 13%) 5. Hong Kong-Singapore (2.7 million, down 3.2%) The top five domestic passenger airport-pairs were also all in the Asia-Pacific region: 1. Jeju-Seoul Gimpo (11.1 million, up 7.1% over 2014) 2. Sapporo-Tokyo Haneda (7.8 million, up 1.3%) 3. Fukuoka-Tokyo Haneda (7.6

million, a decrease of 7.4% from 2014) 4. Melbourne Tullamarine -Sydney (7.2 million, down 2.2%) 5. Beijing Capital-Shanghai Hongqiao (6.1 million, up 6.1% from 2014)

Cargo

Globally, cargo markets showed a 2.3% expansion in freight and mail tonne kilometers (FTKs). This outstripped a capacity increase of 5.8% decreasing freight load factor by 1.6% pp The top five airlines ranked by total freight tonnes carried on scheduled services were: 1. FedEx Express (7.1 million) 2. United Parcel Service (4.5 million) 3. Emirates (2.5 million) 4. Cathay Pacific Airways (1.6 million) 5. Korean Air (1.5 million) Airline Alliances Star Alliance maintained its position as the largest airline alliance in 2015 with 23 % of total scheduled traffic (in RPK), followed by SkyTeam (20.4%) and oneworld (17.8%)

Tourism India | July 2016 | 31

IDS Next aims to take its customer service to another level by live chat support.

I

DS Next Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a globally leading hospitality technology solutions provider introduced Live Chat solution on its website to offer technical assistance to its 4000 plus Hotel ERP users across the globe. Through this, IDS Next becomes the first ever Hotel ERP vendor to provide technical support via Live Chat and aims to facilitate its clients gain instant access to the 24/7 Technical Support Centre.

“As a strictly customer centric company, we efficiently help our customers increase revenue, reduce costs, improve operations and enhance guest experience,” says Mr. Binu Mathews, CEO at IDS Next.

“Customers are looking for easier and less time consuming ways to avail technical support and Live Chat has emerged as a preferred channel with around 75%, of respondents opting for this medium. Live Chat 32 | Tourism India | July 2016

solution will efficiently serve our clients who are tech-savvy and dynamic hotel managers,” he said.

According to Mr. Mathews, Live Chat solution implemented on IDS Next website will help clients in many ways. “Our website is mobile responsive. This means, clients get immediate access to our technical support executive using their mobile phones. Additionally, they can attach screen shots of the issue they are facing while chatting with our support executives. This speeds up the process of trouble shooting.

We are here to offer our growing Hotel ERP users base a real-time, engaging and convenient support experience,” he added.

IDS Next is one of the few Hospitality Technology providers to offer truly 24/7 technical support to hotels using their highly integrated

Hotel ERP and the company has been receiving excellent service-ratings from its clients.

The 24/7 TSC has achieved an excellent milestone of call abandon rate at 1.1%. While 84% customers rated the overall quality of service provided as ‘Happy to Excellent’, 91% of them said that IDS Next ‘Delivered as per commitment’ when it comes to adhering to the timeframe for resolving issues as per the SLA. “Customers world-wide have been connecting to us via phone, mail or by logging-in to a self-service portal and we ensure 98% customer retention rate. We have again given top most priority our ‘customer first’ approach by introducing the Live Chat support on our website and we are the only hospitality technology provider to do so,” says Mr. Reeves Mathews, Manager – Technical Support.

M

arriott India is celebrating its’ first M-Day for 2016 with a week full of activities focused on guests, associates and other stakeholders. The underlying message of this M-Day is to walk our guests through the ‘Marriott India Story’ and thank them for making us who we are besides promoting themes such as women empowerment and women in leadership. M-Day stands for more; more in terms of guests, business closures resulting in revenues, associates and opportunities.

Marriott India has launched version 2.0 of M-Day this year.

M-Day 2.0 is an initiative to drive revenue by engaging guests in activities that will build closer partnerships and result in long term business opportunities. The initiative aims at establishing a catalogue summarizing best practice events for Marriott India. All participating hotels will be implementing breakthrough guest engagement initiatives to please all stakeholders in the most innovative way. The property or market with the most unique initiatives will be recognized by Marriott India for setting a benchmark in guest service and employee appreciation.

Speaking about this initiative, Mr. Manish Tolani, Area Director of Sales & Marketing – South Asia at Marriott International, quoted,

“The M-Day 2.0 Making it happen! initiative is a unique way to show the brand’s quest to excel in guest service and employee satisfaction. It will help our employees to connect and engage with the Marriott guest better, go beyond the call of duty and pause to build relationships outside the usual dynamics of work. It is also a way of letting our guests know that we constantly strive to add more value to their business by our innovative

client engagement approach.”

The theme of ‘Women Empowerment’, M-Day 2.0 will see all 32 hotels engaging the lady guests and employees in luxurious activities such as pool yoga, cooking classes with the chefs, special hi-tea sessions in the wilderness, souvenirs and thank you memorabilia. All experiences will be captured on the social media platforms of each of these hotels.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 33

An initiative to walk our guests through 17 successful years, 32 remarkable hotels, a promising future and to thank them for making us who we are today!

T

“Tourism for he United Nations World All – Promoting Tourism Organization from Universal 1980 onwards has been Accessibility” celebrating World Tourism Day on September 27. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

The UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai in his message said that ‘tourism has experienced a revolution in the past 50 years. In 1950 there were 250 million international tourists; today there are around 1.2 billion people travelling the world. Travelling has become a huge part of many lives.’

15% of the world’s population is estimated to live with some form of disability.

That is 1 billion people around the world who may be unable to enjoy the privilege of knowing other cultures, experience nature at its fullest and experience the thrill of embarking on a journey to explore new sights.

Accessibility for all should be 34 | Tourism India | July 2016

at the center of tourism policies and business strategies not only as a human right, but also as a great market opportunity. With the world’s population ageing, all of us will benefit sooner or later from universal accessibility in tourism.

Mr. Taleb Rifai urged to the world that let all the citizens in this world have the right to experience the incredible diversity this planet has to offer. He added that all countries and destinations, as well as the industry, to promote accessibility for all in the physical environment, in transport systems, in public facilities and services and in information and communications channels.

Meanwhile, HE Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand said that tourism is a key economic development strategy and a catalyst for the growth of the country, while at the same time tourism is also a significant contributor to job creation and then provides an opportunity to work with people in local communities,

giving them the tools to adapt to the needs of a modem day traveler. Thailand is now improving and developing human resources from the very people who know and understand the culture and who are able to spread the charms of Thainess, while at the same time locals have to understand the meaning of quality tourism and sustainability.

Thailand carries this year’s theme as “Tourism for All – Promoting Universal Accessibility”. The Minister said that ‘it is indeed a challenge for Thailand and the world to recognize the necessity of accessibility in the world of tourism and to accommodate everyone everywhere they may travel to, and we feel that it is time for us to turn our attention to accessibility for all and the message must be, all are welcome.’

It is the right of every citizen to explore the world and know its culture. Now the world is on the path of setting up an easy accessibility platform for “Universal Accessibility”.

“The Luxury Travel Awards represent the pinnacle of hospitality achievement, championing the best in their respective fields.

T

he very chic and breezy boutique resort, Alila Diwa Goa has been awarded Luxury Resort of the Year - India at the Luxury Travel Awards 2016. Set amid lush paddy fields, the resort blends the best of contemporary Goan architecture with rich cultural traditions to showcase unique and refreshing destination experiences in the picturesque Majorda.

“Our team is honoured by the prestigious Luxury Travel Awards. We strive to present authenticity in our guest experiences - be it through our Leisure Concierge, our Detox Detour residential wellness programme or the delicious, eclectic mix of local and international flavours at our restaurants and bars. This award is testament to our team efforts in delivering the Alila Experience.” says Siddharth Savkur, General Manager of Alila Diwa Goa. Kerry Payne, Account Manager, at Luxury Travel Guide added: “The Luxury Travel Awards represent the pinnacle of hospitality achievement, championing the best in their respective fields.

Therefore, to come out tops as Luxury Resort of the Year India is truly an achievement to be proud of.”

The judging panel for the European Awards included TV personalities Anthony Melchiorri (Hotel Impossible, Five Star Secrets) and Shane Green (Resort Rescue), luxury travel photographer Antonio Cuellar, as well as the in-house team at Luxury Travel Guide.

The hallmark of Alila is the combination of innovative

design and luxury in unique locations, set apart by an unprecedented level of private space, personalised hospitality and destination experiences.

Alila means “Surprise” in Sanskrit, which suitably describes the refreshing character of our properties and the reaction of our guests when they stay with us. In support of sustainable tourism, Alila hotels adopt EarthCheck operating standards, integrating the natural, physical and cultural elements of their environments. To stay at any of Alila’s hotels or resorts is to embark on a learning journey. Whether recreating the flavours of the local cuisine, enhancing your well-being through ancient healing arts, tasting the thrill of adventure sports or participating in volun-tourism, you’ll find life at Alila an inspiration. Re-discover the luxury of living at Alila.

Siddharth Savkur

Tourism India | July 2016 | 35

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t’s said that the most difficult thing on earth is to travel with a child, and most mothers do believe that, but it’s really not true.

To begin with though, I wouldn’t recommend travelling very long distances, especially if your children are very young.

The more experienced travellers have been there and done that, but if this is the first Nidhi Batra

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time for you, try travelling to a destination that’s closer to home to test the waters with something that’s familiar and comfortable. A two-three day trip to Karnala, Matheran, Mahabaleshwar or Lonavala might be just what’s needed to ease you in.

If you’re travelling to Karnala, for instance, a fun camping trip is the best way of bonding with your children, while giving them a whole lot of interesting activities to keep them busy. Setting up your own tent, learning to barbeque, trekking, walking along the forest trails, bullock cart rides, fun activities, the list will never end.

Another advantage of such a trip is the complete peace and quiet, along with a chance to commune with nature. The sound of birds singing, the happy sight of lush greenery and the thrill of seeing a

waterfall; this will be an experience your kids won’t forget easily.

“When we first thought of Little Nirvana Excursions, I wanted to start a travel segment that would create that feeling of comfort and generate a love for travel in parents and kids alike,” says Nidhi Batra, Little Nirvana Explorers’ co-founder. “This vertical was an offshoot of our love for travel and we enjoy making kid-friendly itineraries and always ensure that kids have a good time. That’s why; we’re also coming up with a unique weekend getaway to Karnala, on 13, 14 and 15 of August. Packed with treks, walks, bonding activities, like learning to pitch tents, games and fun things to do, this camping trip will definitely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.’

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hen you start a new business, there’re really only two ways of going ahead.

Either you beg, borrow, steal and pour in the funds, or you work with as little money as possible. We suggest the latter, and here are some things to keep in mind while you’re at it.

1. Start selling immediately Whether you’re selling a product or a service, it’s important to get it out the door as fast as possible. If you generate revenue from the very beginning, you can use those sales to finance your startup. This way, you’ll also realize at a very early stage what works and what doesn’t.

2. Set goals early, but keep them flexible It’s essential to set goals, and know what you want to achieve in your business. But it’s equally important for them to be flexible. If your goals don’t change as your business grows, your company may stagnate.

3. Understaff In the beginning of a company’s life cycle, the entrepreneur must be the chief salesperson, chief marketing officer, chief fulfillment officer, chief financial officer and even the person in charge of cleaning up every day. To bootstrap successfully, entrepreneurs must do all of the jobs that previously had been done by a

large support team.

4. Forecast backwards When you’re bootstrapping, decide how much you want to make during the first year of your business, in advance.

Forecasting from the bottom up gives you the ability to meet sales goals and control your startup costs and growth rate.

5. Traditional business plans won’t work When you’re using your own funds, getting money in as fast as possible should be your priority. Hence, a detailed business plan isn’t necessary, and may in fact, waste time that would be better spent in generating sales. While it is essential to have a business plan in mind, with fixed goals, it’s not important to spend time writing it down in great detail.

6. Always keep it simple Never make things more

complicated than they absolutely have to be. If one employee is enough, don’t go for two. If your parent’s extra room will suffice, don’t go out for a commercial space. Always These are just some of the ways of bootstrapping successfully, but there are so many more out there, and the only way of really discovering them is through trial and error.

“When I first started Safari Getaways, we had innumerable obstacles to overcome,” says Viren Batra, Safari Getaways’ co-founder. “Though it wasn’t a startup in the traditional sense, having branched off our established travel brand, Nirvana Excursions, it was an immense learning experience.

Firstly, our target audience was extremely specific. With Safari Getaways, we are catering to an extremely elite and niche audience, so this was quite a different experience as compared to Nirvana Excursions. Then, we concentrated on exotic locales and experiences, and they came with their own set of challenges. But it’s been a fantastic journey so far, and we are looking forward to many more”.

Viren Batra

Tourism India | July 2016 | 37

A travel segment that would create that feeling of comfort and generate a love for travel in parents and kids alike

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ndia’s top batsman Rohit Sharma, on a late honeymoon with his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, is living it up in Monaco, exploring heritage spots, partying at the Principality’s luxury nightspots and enjoying sumptuous delicacies, for instance the couple stopped by at the Maya Bay, a popular Oriental restaurant in Monte Carlo, for lunch.

Talking about his wonderful experience, Rohit said, “Arriving by helicopter was a great start to our journey to Monaco. It is a truly luxury & style retreat, if you want to experience the high life and complete privacy as well safety. The Fairmont Hotel where we stayed lies in the heart of the golden square and the famous hairpin bend of Monaco F1 circuit. The destination is a perfect blend of classic heritage and the modernity. We enjoyed the spa pampering at the Odeon Sisley

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Spa. We had a delectable fine-dining experience at the famous Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris, which was the highlight of our visit to Monaco and also must mention a great lunch experience at the chic Maya Bay.” He further added, “We feel Monaco is very romantic with the sights of mountains and Mediterranean Sea, which made it a perfect choice for our honeymoon, and we hope to be back soon.”

Some of the other places the in-love couple visited are the Prince’s Palace, Monte Carlo Casino, designed by Charles Garnier and the Old Town in the more traditional part of Monte Carlo that features numerous classy bars and restaurants. The cricketer and his wife even visited the Larvotto Beach, Monaco’s most popular-and only-beach, popular with beachcombers for its pebbly sandy along the Mediterranean Sea. Another highlight for the lovely couple was a visit to the Champions Promenade, on the seafront of the Principality, which is dedicated to the greatest players in the history of football and to their footprints. The cricketer also posted picture of the footprint of his favourite football player, Zinedine Zidane on Facebook.

The celebrity couple felt that Monaco is truly romantic with the sights of mountains and Mediterranean Sea, which made it a perfect choice for their honeymoon, and hope to visit again soon.

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he first edition of Travel Wedding Show 2016, a B2B meetings platform for buyers and suppliers of the wedding segment, witnessed participation of 28 suppliers and an equal number of buyers, comprising wedding planners, travel agents who specialize in weddings, corporate and tour operators.

With pre-scheduled meetings between handpicked buyers and sellers, the event took place recently at Le Meridien, Gurgaon. The participants saw an influx of opportunities in the immensely popular ‘destination weddings’ segment.

Explaining the concept behind this one of its kind show, Punam Singh, Associate, Travel Wedding Show, said, “We left no stone unturned to

make the Travel Wedding Show a return-on-investment event, promoting knowledge-sharing, networking opportunities and ensuring visibility to participants. It was a conscious decision to keep it open exclusively for the renowned wedding planner buyers on the first day. The tour operators met on the second day, thus enabling suppliers to speak at ease with each of them.”

Sarika Bhambhani Rawal, General Manager, Travel Wedding Show, said, “We consciously streamlined both the days with different agendas to enable the suppliers understand the unique needs of the wedding buyers and tour operators separately. We are hopeful that the wedding industry partners will envisage this

exclusive platform. The Travel Wedding Show provides the business environment for both these industries to join hands and do serious business in a convenient place and manner.”

Tourism India | July 2016 | 39

“Kiwi Link India is one of Tourism New Zealand’s biggest trade shows and is very important to us as India is one of our priority emerging markets.”

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ourism New Zealand’s annual travel trade event ‘Kiwi Link India’ which was held in Mumbai from July 11th to July 13th met with spectacular success as it saw participation from 35 operators from New Zealand, 4 Airlines, Immigration New Zealand and 80 Indian delegates. Tourism New Zealand also hosted key buyers from around India for the event.

The event served as a platform for New Zealand operators to interact with

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Indian tourism product managers, planners and owners through full day workshops and frontline training followed by a fabulous gala night.

Mr. Kevin Bowler, Chief Executive, Tourism New Zealand, said: “Kiwi Link India is one of Tourism New Zealand’s biggest trade shows and is very important to us as India is one of our priority emerging markets. Having a well -informed travel trade is critical to converting interest into bookings. This event provides an ideal platform for us to strengthen relations with our stakeholders in the Indian travel trade, supporting their ability to sell travel to New Zealand, particularly during the shoulder seasons”.

Mr. Steven Dixon, Tourism New Zealand’s Regional Manager-South and South East Asia, was also in attendance at the event and was seen interacting with the participants. He also shared his experience of his home country with the participants and urged the Indian agents to experience New Zealand themselves.

Mr. Steven said, “Tourism from India to New Zealand is on a rise and we are very confident to keep this momentum going for our new financial year as well. The experiential nature of Indian travellers has also put the country at a high rank for New Zealand operators. In a pre -budget announcement during TRENZ 2016, the Prime Minister John Key confirmed an additional $8 million over four years for Tourism New Zealand to target visitor growth opportunities in the USA and India. The additional funding will help us up-weight

the training of travel agents to support their ability to sell travel to New Zealand during the shoulder seasons. This includes increasing our focus on the New Zealand Specialist Programme, in-market trade training and hosting Tourism New Zealand led events, such as Kiwi Link India that will help connect the New Zealand industry with the Indian travel trade. To add to that, the association with our Indian brand ambassador, Sidharth Malhotra has helped drive awareness and preference for the destination.”

Tourism India | July 2016 | 41

Not just the beauty of the land that is very seductive, but the dynamic spirit of the people. I had never felt a connection to a place that strongly before.

The event served as a platform for New Zealand operators to interact with Indian tourism product managers, planners and owners through full day workshops and frontline training.

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ames Cameron and his wife chose New Zealand as their second home four years ago.

Now the Hollywood filmmaker wants to show to the world why he is so passionate about the place he describes as ‘my kind of country’.

James Cameron is sharing his love for New Zealand, fronting a new video that gives the world a glimpse of what it is about the country that captivates him like nowhere else.

Cameron’s personal connection with New Zealand stems from his very first visit in the mid-nineties. “I came as a stranger, I knew very little about New Zealand, and I left in love with it. Not just the beauty of the land that is very seductive, but the dynamic spirit of the people. I had never felt a connection to a place that strongly before. And I never really lost that dream.”

In collaboration with Tourism New Zealand, Cameron and his wife Suzy

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Amis Cameron spent four days filming, taking in the natural wonders of New Zealand’s spectacular South Island. The couple walks on the Tasman Glacier, kayak through a Dart River canyon and take in the sweeping views of Blanket Bay by helicopter. They hike on the alpine Route burn Track, cycle beside Lake Pukaki and visit Mount Alfred in the Glenorchy area near Queenstown.

The Cameron family has a coastal estate north of the capital city, Wellington, where he is immersed in the development of the next Avatar. They divide their time between New Zealand and California. He says: “There is so much to see and experience and you can do it all because everything is so close together.

We go on hikes, cycle the incredible trails, kayak in the ocean and walk through the forest. If you enjoy the outdoors and you enjoy a sense of adventure, you’re not going to be able to beat this

place anywhere in the world.

“If you happen to like helicopters like I do, you could see ten of the most stunning places you’ll see in your lifetime in a day. If you are driving, an hour and a half or two hours, the country just unrolls toward you like an IMAX film.”

A world renowned explorer and environmentalist, Cameron is passionate about discovery. “When you see something you have never seen before, it’s a wonderful experience. It’s like a living painting; it’s never the same view two days in a row.”

The Cameron video will roll out in Tourism New Zealand’s key markets around the world and Chief Executive Kevin Bowler is confident it will inspire more people to visit New Zealand. He says: “Having someone of the calibre of James Cameron sharing his personal stories and insights while exploring some of New Zealand’s most beautiful

Ocean Park is also presenting various “Get Closer to the Animals” places is of immeasurable programmes, value for New Zealand. James including the and Suzy have chosen to have a time-limited home in New Zealand and summer edition continue to be inspired by our of Grand beautiful landscapes and Aquarium welcoming, creative people.

Exploration, ‘‘I am sure that this video, which takes which perfectly captures guests on a James’s passion for memorable exploration and his curiosity, marine will inspire many more people adventure. to travel to New Zealand and discover the country for themselves.”

Daniel Borgman, the Auckland resident and New Zealander who directed the video says: “Having been born and bred in the South Island, it has been a poignant moment in my career to be telling its story through the eyes of James Cameron. As one of the most respected filmmakers of our time, to have him in front of the camera has allowed us to create a really special and atmospheric piece of content we are all extremely proud to share.”

Tourism India | July 2016 | 43

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he annual Ocean Park Summer Splash is set to immerse the city from 1 July to 28 August in water fun with a galore of exhilarating water -themed attractions, scrumptious dishes and “Get Closer to the Animals” activities. Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Square Pants and his friends Patrick Star, Squidward Tentacles and Mr. Krabs are visiting from Bikini Bottom to engage with guests and fans from all over the world in the city’s first-ever SpongeBob Water Party. Fans of the adorable character can collect limited-edition souvenirs and enjoy SpongeBob-themed healthy vegetable delicacies and cooling dishes. Ocean Park is also presenting various “Get Closer to the Animals” programmes, including the 44 | Tourism India | July 2016

time-limited summer edition of Grand Aquarium Exploration, which takes guests on a memorable marine adventure.

A second wave of summer surprise will start on 15 July, with around 800 prizes being given out every week to guests through the Ocean Park Mobile App. Drenching Water Party and Challenging AMaze-ing Lasers The first-ever SpongeBob Water Party in Hong Kong transports guests into the wondrous world of Bikini Bottom, letting them enjoy a range of immersive water attractions with SpongeBob Square Pants and friends, as well as fun photo and video opportunities for sharing with friends and family. Another major highlight is AMaze-ing Lasers, a brand new ride brought over from the United

States for the first time.

Players will get the chance to unleash their wits and agility in traversing the laser grids within a pitch dark chamber, as if they were playing an action hero. Each player will receive a score when they press the buttons at different corners of the chamber, making it possible for friends to compete in reaching higher scores.

MegaGush offers the greatest cooling sensation as guests stand below a huge water bucket and feel the incomparable cascading chilling pleasure. Jumbo Bubble Playground, another brand new attraction, allows guests to create giant human -sized bubbles alongside SpongeBob-themed decorations, making it a colourful photo backdrop. The must-visit Rainbow Fountain

cools guests with its fancy waterspouts synchronised to colourful lights and rhythms.

Guests of all ages alike will be mesmerised by the strong beats and dynamic lighting at the Wild Foam Zone.

Near the Water Party zone, friends can target each other with water bombs at the Super Splash Battle, soaking each other in a fun and festive atmosphere. Kids would want to join the Kids DIY Workshop at Whiskers Harbour to take home their masterpieces such as SpongeBob keychains, Patrick Star catapults and fish and panda dolls made with rainbow-coloured clay.

Exclusive SpongeBob x Ocean Park Merchandise & Themed Dishes Fans will want to roam the Park to look for SpongeBob and his friends in different summer looks and be prepared for a surprise appearance by SpongeBob who will interact with them. During Summer Splash, guests can visit the limited-time SpongeBob Pop-Up Store near Applause Pavilion to shop for a wide range of limited-edition Ocean Park X SpongeBob SquarePants merchandise, including umbrellas, beach mats, T-shirts and water bottles. Fans looking to spread the fun may take advantage of the face painting service and camouflage themselves as SpongeBob and his friends. In addition, a series of SpongeBob-themed healthy vegetarian dishes are available at various in-park restaurants and food kiosks featuring decorations of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Tom Mehrmann, Chief Executive of Ocean Park, said, “As one of our signature seasonal events, Summer Splash has become a favourite

summer activity for students and a popular outing for the entire family. Riding on our successful experience of introducing popular characters into our festive events in recent years, we have invited SpongeBob who lives in a pineapple house under the sea to join our Summer Splash this year to offer guests of all ages a wonderful summer party experience. Through the SpongeBob Water Party, vegetarian delicacies and time-limited Pop-up Store, we hope to satisfy our guests’ appetite for fun, shopping and food in one go.”

Cool Snacks and Lakeside BBQ Add to Summer Fun Cooling snacks such as iced pineapple and mini water melon will also be available at food kiosks to help guests beat the summer heat. Ocean Park is also launching its first-ever Lakeside BBQ Carnival, where guests can savour scrumptious skewers and barbequed food including Grilled U.S. Beef Ribeye Cubes, New Zealand Mussels in White Wine and Herbs, as well as assorted skewers and sausages along with special cool drinks, pushing the party atmosphere to a climax.

Summer Edition Grand Aquarium Exploration with Two-person Discount Available Water sports enthusiasts would not want to miss the summer-only edition of Ocean Park’s unique snorkeling experience inside the Grand Aquarium. Guests are led by a professional diver to encounter colourful coral and coral fishes, such as Shy Butterfly fish, Painted Triggerfish, Blue -stripped Snapper, fusilier and

angelfish. The adventure also includes an exclusive tour of the coral breeding room and back-of-house facilities.

Participants can learn about how the Park provides the most suitable environment for corals, thereby deepening their knowledge about protecting corals and marine life while raising awareness of the importance of marine conservation. Participants should be aged 10 or above

(children under 12 need to be accompanied by a paying adult to join the programme), non-swimmers are also welcome. A two-person discount is available for this summer edition offered during the Summer Splash period.

Guests can register online at the Ocean Park website.

Starting on 15 July, Ocean Park is giving away a wonderful array of prizes to in-Park guests through its app (To receive the prize-giveaway notifications and dining coupons, guests must connect their mobile device to Ocean Park’s official Wi-Fi network).

“Surprise e-Coupons” will be given out at 11:30am and 1pm on each event day. The first specified number of guests to hit the “Get” button will win prizes such as: a complimentary ticket for joining “Summer Edition Grand Aquarium Tourism India | July 2016 | 45

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he Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will stage the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon for the second year on 25 September 2016. As the anchor event of Hong Kong Sports Month, this year’s cycling event is the biggest ever of its kind in Hong Kong, welcoming cyclists from Hong Kong and all over the world.

A highly international line-up racing on a course with three tunnels and three bridges The Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon features four races and five cycling activities this year, many of which have been enhanced by a range of brand -new elements: 4 International Criterium: More top cyclists and teams from Hong Kong and overseas have been invited to compete in this race, including Lampre-Merida, a celebrated UCI World Team, which has confirmed its participation. The route for the race has been slightly 46 | Tourism India | July 2016

modified and improved by reducing the number of turning points to allow high-speed racing and a strong finish.

4 Challenge Ride: This route has been extended to 50km, covering six districts. It is the first cycling activity in Hong Kong to feature three tunnels and three bridges, and the new Ting Kau Bridge and Eagle’s Nest Tunnel sections will add challenge and excitement to the ride.

The quota will also be

increased in view of the enthusiastic response from the public.

4 Community Ride: This route has been extended to 30km to include the testing Stonecutters Bridge.

Dr Peter Lam, Chairman of the HKTB, said: “The extended route will cover a number of iconic buildings and main roads in Hong Kong, and is expected to draw a greater number of avid cyclists from around the globe. We look forward to showcasing the city’s scenic views to a bigger international audience through local and overseas coverage of the event. The Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon is the anchor event of the HKTB’s Hong Kong Sports Month, during which a series of sports mega events, including the FIA Formula E – Hong Kong ePrix and Hong

Kong Tennis Open, will be promoted as a bundle to draw visitors to Hong Kong. By attracting them to these exciting sports events, we hope to generate more business for Hong Kong companies.�

Enhancements made to improve the event’s arrangements Drawing from experience in the first Hong Kong Cyclothon last year, the HKTB has made a number of enhancements to improve the experience for all cyclists and minimise disturbance to the public. The enhancements include the following: Cycling arrangements 4 The starting time between the Challenge Ride and Community Ride will be lengthened from 30 minutes last year to 2 hours and 45

minutes this year to avoid overcrowding.

4 The HKTB will provide cyclists with comprehensive information and safety guidelines ahead of time to ensure a smooth-running event.

4 Clearer directions will be given at the venue and during the races for the benefit of all cyclists.

Traffic and road arrangements 4 The event will start earlier than last year to make sure the roads can be re-opened as scheduled to minimise the inconvenience to other road users. The Tsing Ma Bridge will re-open at 8am that morning.

4 Signage will be placed at the access points to the temporarily closed roads to provide adequate directions to other road users.

4 The HKTB will announce the

road closure and traffic diversion routes through various means so that other road users can plan their travel arrangements in advance.

Online registration opens to the public on 27 June 2016 Online registration (http:// register.hongkongcyclothon. com) for the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon will start at 10am on 27 June 2016 (Monday). The quota is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure safety, all participants, except for racing members of the Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China Limited, members of recognised cycling associations and those who have taken part in similar races (including the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon 2015), are required to pass a cycling technique assessment by the organiser to be qualified for any race or other cycling activity.

Cycling for a good cause This year’s event will maintain its charitable element. Part of the enrolment fee from the various activities (Individual: HK$100, Team Time Trial: HK$600 and 50km Team Challenge Ride: HK$5,000) and all the enrolment fees from the CEO Charity Ride will be donated to charity.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 47

Emirates voted the World’s Best Airline by customers at the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards

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t was a proud movement for the Asian carries as most of the flights from this region got the top prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards for the year 2016. Putting a whole lot of European Airlines way behind, the Asian flights strived to their best to gain the top ranking.

Malaysia based AirAsia maintained it’s dominance as the World’s Best Low Cost Airline - this is eighth consecutive year that AirAsia has achieved this top position.

Emirates voted the World’s Best Airline by customers at the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards held at Farnborough Airshow.

This is the fourth time Emirates has won this top prize in the awards history. The airline also won the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment award.

Qatar Airways was second in the global ranking and won a range of top awards being named the World’s Best Business Class, the World’s Best Business Class lounge and Best Airline Staff in the Middle East. Third placed Singapore Airlines achieved top success winning the award for Best 48 | Tourism India | July 2016

Airline in Asia, as well as the title for the Best Business Class Airline Seat. Cathay Pacific Airways was ranked No 4, with the airline also declared the World’s Best for Cabin Cleanliness.

ANA All Nippon Airways achieved repeat success, ranked No 5 in the world in the

global results and also securing the awards for World’s Best Airport Services and Best Airline Staff in Asia for the second successive year. Etihad Airways was ranked No 6 worldwide and won three awards. The airline was named as having the World’s Best First Class cabin, Best First Class seat and Best First Class

catering.

Turkish Airlines ranked No 7 in the world were yet again named as the Best Airline in Europe. The world’s newest 5-Star airline EVA Air ranked No 8 in the world and named as the Best Transpacific Airline.

In ninth place, Qantas was dominant in the Australia & Pacific region winning the Best Airline in Australia / Pacific for the fourth successive year and also taking the award for Best Airline Staff in Australia & Pacific and Best Premium Economy Catering.

Completing the world’s Top 10 airlines, Lufthansa was again successful being named as the Best Transatlantic Airline for the fifth time and also winning the Best Airline in Western Europe award.

Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia achieved a most significant success securing the top prize of World’s Best Cabin Staff for the third straight year.

Hainan Airlines secured the top awards for Best Airline in China, in addition to the Best Airline Staff Service in China. Thai Airways won a major award being named as the World’s Most Improved Airline.

For the second successive year, Virgin America was named the Best Airline in North America. Air France again celebrated success with the airline’s First Class cabin securing 2 top awards. Asiana Airlines Economy Class cabin achieved a clean sweep winning the awards for World’s Best Economy Class, Best Economy Class seat and Best Economy Class catering.

Air New Zealand (for the fifth time in awards history) took the top position for World’s Best Premium Economy Class, in addition also securing the award for Best

Premium Economy Seat.

Austrian Airlines secured an excellent victory being voted by customers as having the Best Airline Staff in Europe.

Bangkok Airways was named as the World’s Best Regional Airline for the second time. Finnair continued their run of success winning the Best Airline in Northern Europe for the seventh successive year. The airline also successfully entered the global top-30 airlines. Norwegian secured top prizes winning the Best Low Cost Airline in Europe for the fourth successive year,

in addition to the award for Best Long Haul Low Cost Airline - for their expanding long haul operation.

Aegean Airlines was voted Best Regional Airline in Europe continuing their dominance in this category winning this award for 6 consecutive years.

Aeroflot Russian Airlines was crowned the Best Airline in Eastern Europe. South African Airways retained its Best Airline in Africa title continuing to be the only airline to hold this title in the 14-year history of the awards.

Air Astana was named Best

Airline in Central Asia & India for the fifth consecutive year, in addition to being voted as having the Best Airline Staff Service in Central Asia & India.

LAN Airlines continued their run of success winning the Best Airline in South America for the third successive year. Porter Airlines was a repeat winner of the award as the Best Regional Airline in North America.

Australia’s Jetstar Airways won the Best Low Cost Airline in Australia & Pacific for the fifth successive year. IndiGo was in seventh heaven as it won the Best Low Cost Airline in India & Central Asia for the seventh time in as many years.

Azul Brazilian Airlines came out top for staff service.

Thomson Airways was named as the World’s Best Leisure Airline. Panama based Copa Airlines took home the award as the Best Airline in Central America & Caribbean. Hawaiian Airlines was a first time winner securing the top prize of Best Airline Staff in North America.

Ethiopian Airlines was judged to have the Best Airline Staff Service in Africa by customers.

Shanghai based Spring Airlines was named as the Best Low Cost Airline in China.

Plaza Premium Group was a first time winner securing the top prize for the World’s Best Independent Airport Lounge for its Heathrow Terminal 2 facility. Royal Air Maroc continued their run of success by winning the Best Regional Airline in Africa for the third year, while Chilean regional carrier Sky Airline completed a hat trick by winning the Best Regional Airline in South America award. Star Alliance was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance, and also secured the Best Airline Alliance Lounge award for the second successive year for its Los Angeles Airport facility.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 49

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his is one garlic-infused weekend that you’ll never want to miss. Go, at least once, to this unforgettably odiferous and one-of-a-kind event. See how creative chefs can be when it comes using this iconic flavoring: you’ll find garlicky stir-fried shrimp and chicken, breads slathered with every kind of garlic butter, and addictive garlic fries—as well as more adventurous offerings, like garlic ice cream. Besides the plethora of garlicky foods, the festival has the Miss Gilroy Garlic competition, lots of other live cooking competitions, as well as over 100 arts and crafts merchants to be enjoyed by your whole family!

The heart of the Garlic Festival is Gourmet Alley, the gigantic outdoor kitchen where the world-famous “Pyro Chefs” put on a spectacular flame-up show while preparing 50 | Tourism India | July 2016

garlic-laced calamari and scampi in huge iron skillets.

Other Festival favorites include pepper steak sandwiches, pasta con pesto, fried calamari, and sausage sandwiches, as well as Gilroy garlic fries and garlic bread. And don’t forget the only-in-Gilroy garlic ice cream! You’ll also find live entertainment on three stages, cooking contests and demonstrations, arts & crafts, wine tasting, and a fun Children’s Area too.

The world’s greatest food festival is taking place on July 29, 30 and 31st this year. It is the 38th annual Gilroy Garlic Festival on July 29, 30 and 31, 2016. Known as “summer’s ultimate food fair,” the three -day celebration draws visitors from around the globe!

Blurb: Gilroy Garlic Festival Known as “summer’s ultimate food fair,” the three-day celebration draws visitors from around the globe!

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ith some 65 microbreweries, Portland, Oregon, is making a run for beer capital of the U.S. The Oregon Brewers Festival, held on July 27-31, marked the perfect time to sample more than 80 craft beers from local and nationally known brewers.

Beer lovers, look no further — in Portland, you’ll find 53 breweries (more than any other city on earth), scads of annual beer fests, brew ‘n’ view movie theaters, beer pairings at fine restaurants and tap lists galore. Since the early 1980s, Portland brewers have been hard at work, pioneering the craft beer movement with fresh local ingredients. Along

with bustling brewpubs and a calendar overflowing with beer-themed events, their innovative, tasty brews help the city to continually earn its “Beervana” nickname. Beer lovers travel from all over the world to attend this event and join the 70,000 plus attendees that shows up to celebrate tasty beers and great weather.

In Oregon, one way they celebrate July is by proclaiming it Craft Beer Month.

Throughout the state, Oregonians and visitors celebrate the burgeoning craft beer scene at sunny summer festivals. And during the last full weekend of July, the Oregon Brewers Festival marks the culmination of the month with a four-day event that draws visitors from all over the world.

Blurb: Beer lovers travel from all over the world to attend this event and join the 70,000 plus attendees that shows up to celebrate tasty beers and great weather.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 51

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ourney into The Ritz-Carlton’ is a portal into the hotel company’s travel expertise and has launched at journey. ritzcarlton.com. Travel experiences and memories from around the world are inspired by the desire to create memories that last a lifetime.

The storied hotel brand has brought together a collection of truly unique experiences and moments that range from Balinese weddings on white sand beaches through to fabulous cocktail recipes from

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chic rooftop bars.

“Our expertise is in crafting travel experiences that are so unforgettable and unique that the memory of the journey stays with the guest long after the trip ends,” says Lisa Holladay, Vice President of Brand Marketing. “This digital platform allows us to become part of the planning and inspiration process when guests start to think about their next adventure.”

‘Journey into The Ritz -Carlton’ presents visuals that

enable guests to truly see themselves in exotic and lush destinations. Through these beautiful visuals, visitors to the site will be inspired to seek new destinations and glimpse into the adventure that awaits them. Featuring more than just beautiful destinations, visitors to Journey can see how weddings take place at different Ritz-Carlton properties around the world with the Real Wedding section of the site. By bringing in subject matter experts, Journey into The Ritz-Carlton introduces the Ladies and Gentlemen of the hotel company as guides on how to develop everything from a perfect cocktail to packing for a week in the Caribbean.

“We hope guests who visit Journey into The Ritz-Carlton are able to picture themselves in these incredible destinations and are inspired to seek new adventures,” finished Holladay.

Tourism India | July 2016 | 53

An exclusive offer for guests travelling to Imagica, off the Mumbai-Pune expressway in Khopoli, they can save Rs. 400/- when they travel to Imagica

by Ola outstation.

and current visitors enjoy the experience of a memorable visit.

Jordan is a part of a United States lead coalition along with several European countries, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. It is conducting distant air strikes that havelargest no la Cabs, India’s cab implication on the territories service has recently tied up of theImagica, coalitionfor countries. with Ola Because Jordan for cab outstation, thecares intercity service offered by Ola. Visitors travelling to Imagica, India’s favourite holiday destination, from Mumbai or Pune can take benefit of this association.

As part of an exclusive offer for guests travelling to Imagica, off the Mumbai-Pune expressway in Khopoli, they can save Rs. 400/- when they travel to Imagica by Ola outstation. All they have to do is book Imagica Theme Park, Water Park or Snow Park tickets from www. adlabsimagica.com select Ola Outstation as an add-on for their travel arrangements and book the outstation cab via the Ola App. Once the journey is complete, guests need to send their trip details in an email to olaimagica@olacabs.com, post which they will receive vouchers worth Rs. 400 which can be used for their next trips in an Ola Mini or Prime cabs.

Mr. Harjeet Chhabra, CMO, Adlabs Entertainment said, “Imagica is a family

O

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human souls Jordan defends its citizens and visitors with all the power it can to preserve human lives.

The Jordan Tourism Board and the Federation of Tourism Associations are ready to address any concerns which tourists might have.

Jordan is entertainment destination waiting open arms whichwith guests love to to visit with serve and provide a first their loved ones.

Withclass less than experience to allfrom visitors and and 2 hours away Mumbai tourists.

Pune, we want our guests to have a relaxed journey with Ola so that they can have maximum fun at our parks.”

Starting from 8th July, this offer will be exclusively available for a month to all customers who plan their trip to Imagica.

Adlabs Imagica is a project of Adlabs Entertainment Limited (AEL), promoted by Mr. Manmohan Shetty. Imagica is one of India’s leading holiday destinations and offers a gamut of interesting experiences in one place through its theme park, Water Park, Snow Park and hotel. The group has assembled an experienced team for development and implementation of the projects. With Imagica, Adlabs Entertainment Limited has created an ‘all weather entertainment destination’ that provides unique experiences to its guests.

Y

oga is a 5,000-year-old physical, mental and spiritual practice having its origin in India and that aims to transform both body and mind. high-level Kerala delegation at On 11th Dec. 2014, the United BITE 2016. Lead by Mr. U.V. Nations General Assembly Jose IAS, Director of Kerala declared June 21st as the Tourism, the team saw International Day of Yoga. 175 judicious representation from nations, including USA, Canada the state’s leading hoteliers, and China co-sponsored the Ayurvedic resorts and tour resolution and it had the operators. highest number of co-sponsors According to Mr. Jose, the ever for any UNGA Resolution state “aspires to augment the of such nature. strong destination pull it Ministry of Tourism already enjoys”. “The modern undertook following activities traveller in general and the for publicity, promotion and to Chinese visitor in particular, is market Yoga and its benefits always expanding his/her worldwide: horizons, seeking out ever Publicity Division: newer experiences,” he said.

4Creative posters, Standees “The objective of such etc. are being sent to India tourism facilitation initiatives Tourism Offices – Domestic and participation in such and Overseas for high-profile industry events is production, in order to to highlight the wondrous promote International Day possibilities on offer in Kerala,” of Yoga. the official added. “In this 4The Ministry of Tourism is respect, China is a top priority re-printing ‘India – The Land for us because its citizens are of Yoga’ brochure, the soft worldly and, more to the point, copy of which is being sent especially well-versed in Kerala to the India Tourism Offices and its offerings.”

To this end, the expansive

Kerala pavilion sought to renew the focus on the state’s rich legacy of martial arts, holistic medical traditions, the beauty of its backwaters and its snake boat races. Driving home the point where attractions from the private partners: Eastend Hotels and Resorts, Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort, Poovar Island Resort, Somatheeram Ayurvedic Resort and Spiceland Holidays.

As was the case last year, the display was an instant hit with the hosts, resonating deeply with Chinese visitors who enjoy a similarly bountiful heritage. The stand saw an impressive number of footfalls as also inquiries particularly about Ayurveda, underscoring the great overseas for production/ potential of its products, distribution. therapies and wellness 4The Ministry will also packages in a market promote International Day welcoming to alternative of Yoga through Social medicine.

Media.

“It speaks to the successful Overseas Marketing branding and marketing of Division: Kerala that most of the visitors Ministry of Tourism to the state pavilion knew celebrated the 2nd about our Ayurveda, International Day of Yoga on Kalaripayattu and our 21st June 2016 by hosting a backwaters,” Mr. Jose said.

FAM Tour for a group of 50 “That they wanted to know foreign delegates consisting of about our intellectual Tour Operators/ Travel Agents/ attractions like the Kochi Media Persons/ Opinion -Muziris Biennale and our film, Makers/ Scholars from 20 culture and dance festivals countries which are source speak also to the worldliness markets and the ones that of the Chinese traveller.” matter for the promotion of Yoga and Wellness. This group Mr. Bandaru Wilsonbabu, of 50 delegates will split into 2 First Secretary of the Indian groups, which will participate Embassy in Beijing, visited the in Delhi and Chandigarh on Kerala pavilion and offered the 21st June, 2016, separately. mission’s full support in Both the groups will then helping to promote the state in follow a tour program China. Tourists from China are including visit to the wellness considered the highest & spiritual centres in Haridwar, -spending in the world. In 2014, Rishikesh, Trivandrum, Cochin, Chinese tourists to India Neyyar (Kerala), Pondicherry & numbered nearly 2 lakh. The Chennai. same period saw an increase of Chinese tourist inflow to Kerala.

As well, following a visit to Kochi last year by the Chinese Ambassador to India, the city became the first in India to gain membership to the Beijing-headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation Council, a 135-member league of leading tourism cities from across the globe.

An honour for the state that should pay immediate dividends: Foreign tourist arrivals to Kerala in 2015 have been provisionally tallied at nearly 9.8 lakh over the previous year’s figure of roughly 9.2 lakh.

With visitors, inquiries and interest in Kerala on the rise, the state’s star looks to soar in the Middle Kingdom.

Edited, Printed and Published by Ravisankar.K.V on behalf of Tourism India Publications Tourism Pvt. Ltd, PRL A 14/1, Tourism house, India | June 2016 | 23 Panickers lane, Sasthamangalam P.O., Trivandrum, Kerala, India 695010 Printed at Arsha Offset Graphix, Janvilla Lane, Sasthamangalam P.O., Trivandrum 695 010 Editor: Ravisankar.K.V

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Tourism India

Vol. 19

No.03 July 2016

RNI. No.: KERBIL/1998/7642