Ti February 2013

www.tourismindia.travel

Vol. 15

Novotel

No. 10

Thiruvananthapuram

www.tourismindiaonline.com

February-2013

Pages 20+4

Reg. No. KL/TV (N) 432/2012-2014

Price: (India) Rs.50 (Overseas) US $5 £3 Dh10

GoAir

Deccan Odyssey

Fratelli Fresh

Thailand

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he Travel and Tourism world from the all corners of the globe will assemble at Berlin, the capital city of Germany, once again for another edition of ITB Berlin 2013, world’s biggest travel event, which will be opened officially on March 5, 2013 by German Chancellor Ms. Angela Dorothea MerkelAT ICC Messe Berlin. This is the first time German chancellor is attending the mega show.

Along with the chief guest, leading figures from politics and tourism from around the world including H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit and the Chief Executive Officer of Messe Berlin GmbH Raimund Hosch will attend the inaugural function. The partner country Indonesia will present a colourful display of traditional music and dance.

A brilliant multi-cultural introduction to this year’s opening event titled ‘Indonesia, The World’s Heart of Wonders’ will be provided by the Indonesian Conductor Aminoto Kosin honored with the “Oscar Peterson Award For Outstanding Musicianship” given by the Berklee college of Music, USA. Aminoto Kosin is proud to conduct the orchestra “Berlin string construction” and Indonesian traditional musicians from various regions. They will be followed by Indonesian singers, musicians and dancers, accompanied by multimedia shows featuring traditional aspects of the unique nature and culture of the world’s largest archipelago with its more than 17,000 islands.

The partner country of ITB Berlin will invite the guests to an outstanding culinary experience at Contd. on Page 06

r. K Chiranjeevi, Union Tourism Minister had submitted a proposal to extend Visa-on-arrivals to 16 more countries to Mr. Sushilkumar Shinde the Union Home Minister.

The Ministry of Tourism strongly felt that the “Tourist Visa – on – Arrival (TVOA)” Mr. K Chiranjeevi facility for those countries, which are potential source markets to India and where there have been no security related issues in the past or likely to be in future can be taken up under this scheme. Presently, the Tourist Visa – on – Arrival with a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility is being granted by Immigration Officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports to the citizens of eleven countries viz. Singapore, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Japan, Finland, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar.

An independent study conducted by the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) has noted that TVOA scheme has a significant and positive impact on the decision to travel to India. This scheme needs to be expanded to cover more countries and more ports of entry. The Ministry of Tourism had proposed extension of TVOA to Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Sweden and Norway to cover the European and Scandinavian countries which are key inbound markets, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to cover the emerging markets from the CIS countries, Brazil and South Africa to cover foster IBSA Cooperation and Trinidad & Tobago to foster our historical links, Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei to cover all the ASEAN countries which will be consistent with our look east policy. The Ministry of Tourism had also proposed extension of TVOA to more airports namely Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Goa, Bodhgaya and Trivandrum. Visa on Arrival is an attraction for potential tourists in key markets and at times also helps in tapping the people who make decisions at the last moment. The Ministry of Home Affairs is considering this issue of extending TVOA to the 16 countries as proposed by Ministry of Tourism.

Keeping in view the recent travel trends, the Ministry of Tourism has also proposed TVOA scheme for South Korea, which is a very important tourist generating market.

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Sky for all and keep Flying…

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ir travel is no more for the affluent and it has come handy for the common man. Government of India has projected an explosive growth in terms of domestic traffic. Today India records the 4th largest domestic passenger volume and targets for 3rd by 2020.

Though Director General of Civil Aviation is to administrate and control the *civil aviation* in India, it appears that the regulator is more concentrating on the Aircraft operation and safety only.

It appears that that the other services including the commercial activities and its terms in ticket sales, cargo sales, ground services have been totally ignored and not mentioned anywhere, which results in total chaos in the industry.

Travel agents play a vital role in travel and tourism sectors. They do ticketing and promoting tourism by extending professional services to foreign as well as domestic tourists. They are the extended arms of Airlines and Tourism and play a crucial role in generating revenue to the national exchequer.

But today, non payment of commission, impending weekly payment, disparity in fares, direct marketing by the airlines and stringent financial guarantee criteria etc are challenging the very existence and survival of the ordinary agents in India.

According to Mr. Biji Eapen, President of IATA Agents Association of India, Many of these are man-made issues by certain vested interests to monopolize and control the Indian travel trade and had succeeded by misleading and misinterpreting the IATA resolutions. Majority of neither Travelers’ nor Agents are not bothered or aware of IATA regulations and their privileges. Commission and Transaction Fee are two commonly used words in Indian Aviation Industry. As per Rule 135 and DGCA Order of 5th March, 2010, the commission , which is included in the FARE , are collected from passengers by the Airline, not paid over to the agent for the sale of ticket. *This amount is NOT disbursed to Travel Agents and NEITHER reduced on the Fares NOR discounted to the Traveling Public* At the same time in a recent development, many CEO of Domestic carriers unitedly opposed the

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013 marks the year of ‘The Gathering Ireland’ – a year-long celebration of all things Irish. Join in Ireland’s biggest party and soak up that famous Irish hospitality with a visit like no other. The Emerald Isle blooms this spring with a number of exciting events taking place on St. Patrick’s Day and throughout March: For the first time ever, St Patrick’s Festival invites 8,000 people to march through Dublin’s streets in the People’s Day Parade (17th March.) Dublin’s biggestever parade will pass by some of the capital’s most famous landmarks including Trinity College and Dublin Castle, with an electric atmosphere delighting throngs of visitors all celebrating St. Paddy’s! This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity offers visitors the chance to make history and experience the life and

new move of DGCA as per the apex court order to monitarise or regularize the current fare structure practice in the Indian skies. “We are of the prima facie view that given the wide range of base fares, it would be necessary for DGCA to give a fresh look at the tariff structure submitted to it by the airlines, particularly when in the said table there is no indication as to which fare band would be applicable when the ticket is booked in a period less than seven days in advance. Apparently, no information is made available on the websites regarding number of seats available in each of the bands,” the Supreme court of India order had said, in an order on January 23, had taken cognisance of fluctuation in airfares and asked DGCA to make pricing more transparent. The court was hearing a case filed by a customer challenging transaction fees charged by domestic airlines in India in case of online bookings, but expanded the scope of the case to cover airfares.

But many CEO of Domestic carriers expressed their concern and inability in this regard in a recently concluded high level meeting convened by DGCA at New Delhi. According to Economic Times reports, the top executives of the airlines argued that implementation of the order would be tantamount to regulation of airfares, something which the government has ruled out. Displaying the number of seats available at each fare level would foster unhealthy competition as each carrier would monitor who was selling how many seats on each route and slash or raise fares accordingly, the airline chiefs argued.

Moreover, the technology that airlines use to price seats would not allow fixing a certain number of seats at one particular price point, they said.

At last Foreign Investment promotion Board given the nod to fly Air Asia, Tata and Telestra consortium in our skies. Hope this will give more conveniences, flexibility and transparency for common travelers and travel industry in the coming days. Happy Flying…

soul of this vibrant city from its heart.

UK City of Culture 2013, Derry-Londonderry, hosts its own St Patrick’s Day Spring Carnival (16th March.) Concerts, dancing and storytelling all form part of the excitement at this family-friendly event.

And why stop there? Derry-Londonderry’s 2013 programme is rich in events during March with something on offer to suit most tastes. 4,000 ‘Annies’ will descend on Ebrington Square, 2 March 2013, as the Guinness World Record attempt for largest song and dance routine spins into action. Also on the calendar are the London Symphony Orchestra (18 March), Primal Scream (19 March) and the Royal Ballet (30-31 March), as well as a host of Irish-themed literary and cultural performances, all set to delight culture-vultures this March.

Berlin all set for ITB 2013 the subsequent gala reception, where Indonesia’s finest chefs will demonstrate the diversity of their exotic Asian cuisine.

First twop days d are exclusively dedicated for business session and third day onwards visitors will allow to see and inteact with trade partners from evey nook and corner of the world. Varios seminars, discussions, press conferences and other presentations will take place at different venues at Messe Berlin. Travel organized by the deaf for the deaf will be featured using a fascinating project in Tanzania as an example. This will be followed by a paper on “Accessible Tourism in India”, which aims to makes the Taj Mahal accessible to everyone.

Barrier-free travel is also one of the topics covered by the ITB Berlin Convention: on 8 March, the ITB Destination Day, Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UNWTO, will introduce the Keynote Panel on Barrier-Free Tourism.

Important advice about child protection is provided on the combined stand of ECPAT, whose initials stand for End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes, in Hall 4.1, where there will also be details about the Child

Editorial & Corporate Office: TC 9/1785, Anandam, P-99, Pullekonam Lane, Sasthamangalam Trivandrum, Kerala, India 695 010 Tel : +91.471.2315256 Fax: +91.471.2315197 E mail: info@tourismindiaonline.com Internet edition: www.tourismindiaonline.com

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Protection Code. ITB Berlin supports these multi-stakeholder initiatives, which are intended to help the tourism industry to develop measures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in tourism. On the morning of Friday, 8 March, this initiative will be represented on the stage, and in addition the ITB Berlin Convention will be addressing this important topic during the CSR Day, on 7 March.

Information about emissions compensation will be available on the small stage on 8 March while a paper presented

by Atmosfair, the compensation partner of ITB Berlin, and the participants in the panel from Lufthansa and Forum Anders Reisen.

The My Climate Awards will be presented in Hall 4.1 on the same day.

Valuable contacts can be made at the traditional ITB International Responsible Tourism Networking Event on Friday at ITB starting at 6 p.m. The Blue Yonder, the ITB Responsible Tourism Partner, is inviting entries to a social media competition “Inspiring Stories” about travel destinations which can be submitted on Facebook. The three winners will be presenting their stories live during the ITB Berlin Networking Evening. For two days, also in Hall 4.1b, The Blue Yonder

will again be holding its successful “RT Clinics”, where experts will be offering suggested courses of action on specific topics.

In Hall 4.1 Der Reiseveranstalter is creating an interactive “Alphabet of Responsible Tourism from A to Z” and everyone is invited to get involved to produce an international, joint vision of the future.

This year the Study Group for Tourism is attending ITB Berlin once again with a wide and varied programme. On 6th March the main stage in Hall 4.1 will be the venue for the presentation of the To Do! Awards, for outstanding international projects in the field of socially responsible tourism. On 9th March the TOURA D’OR Film Prize will be presented to filmmakers dealing with the subject of sustainable tourism. In addition the Study Group for Tourism will be presenting its latest publications in the series known as “Sympathie Magazines”. Over the years “Zwischenrufe”, an event organized by the Study Group for Tourism, has acquired an outstanding reputation and this year it is being held as part of the ITB Berlin Convention for the first time, when its subject will be crisis-stricken Greece.

Once again the ITB Berlin Convention will feature papers and discussions about various aspects of corporate social responsibility during the ITB CSR Day on 7th March 2013 in Hall 7.3, Europa Room. The International Delphic Council is organising the Delphic Festival for the fourth time at ITB Berlin. The Delphic Festival will be presenting artistic highlights from around the world and providing the crowning finale to ITB Berlin 2013: Malaysia in all its magiificent colours, Indonesia with the sounds of the angklung, a traditional bamboo instrument and a recognised UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, Azerbaijan with graceful and acrobatic dance performances, South Africa with the well-known African poet Zolani Mkiva, Nelson Mandela, and Greece with a duo called Aënaos.

The Annika-Bosch Quintet from Weimar and Die Töchter Düsseldorfs will be playing jazz, swing and ballads and the internationally famous Thüringer Folklore Tanzensemble Rudolstadt with its 165-member dance ensemble will be giving impressive stage performances. The grand finale of ITB Berlin will be taking place at the Palais am Funkturm on 10 March 2013 from 3.30 to 5 p.m.

Managing Editor: Ravisankar K.V. Executive Editor: Rajani A. Art Editor: N. Bhattathiri Associate Editor: P. Gopalakrishnan Sub Editors: Rahul Krishnan, Anoop B. Special Correspontant: James Joseph Senior Layout Artist: Vijayagopalan G. Marketing: Ravikumar.K. (AGM) Mob: +919847560531 Director - International Marketing - Theresa Van Den Dool Consultants: Baby Mathew (Hospitality) Ashokan C.V. (Technical) R. Bhadrakumar FCA& D Ravi FCA (Financial) P. Govardhan (Legal) Dr. S. G. Pandalai (Editorial) Business Offices: UK-England: T. Haridas (Advisor) 86 Tooting High St. London SW 17 0RN Mob:+447775833754 New Delhi: D. Anil Kumar Tel: +91 11-24634248, Mob: +91 98681 23311, Mumbai: K.V. Sathyanath Tel: +91 22 29209285 Kolkata: Jayasree Singh Tel: +91 33 24187750 Mob: +91 9433060333 Bangalore: Damodaran K. Nair Mob: +91 9035616040 Hyderabad: Premraj A. Mob: +91 9446514732, Pondichery: K.Ramasubramanian Mob: +91 98949 77161 No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of Tourism India Publications Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012

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n a world of continuing economic uncertainty, firms that trade internationally are reporting significantly better revenues and profits than those businesses sticking to their domestic market.

In India, 70% of firms which export say they’ve increased profits over the last 12 months compared with just 48% of companies which only trade domestically.

But a variety of worries are stopping even more businesses from operating abroad.

Building an image abroad, complicated foreign tax systems, property costs and paperwork, political instability and natural disasters such as flooding or earthquakes are real concerns preventing firms taking that big, and lucrative, step overseas.

And while South East Asia is the most profitable destination according to Indian business, the Middle East and Europe – despite all the continuing economic worries over the future of the Euro –are also seen as profitable markets.

Those are the main findings of the second Global Survey report on export from global workplace provider Regus

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atedApartments.com, one of the providers of holiday rentals, reveals its top few tips for saving your money when holidaying with your family and friends.

Rated Apartments has plenty of rentals all over the world to choose from to help you to enjoy a hassle-free holiday trip and save your money.

If your family is planning to stay with you on a holiday trip and you don’t have a room to accommodate them, you can easily opt for a luxury apartment for them providing a homely comfort instead of booking a hotel. What’s more, you need to minimise hassle on holiday trip with an optional cleaning service and you could even cook the dinner for all the family at their place.

If you are planning your holiday abroad with family then there is no need to book separate rooms when you can easily rent an entire house in less cost! The property which the Rated Apartments providing you is more spacious than the average hotel room and even it cost less than a hotel room. You can easily avail such apartments from all over the world via RatedApartments.com.

You can save your money and can take a advantage of having a kitchen. RatedApartments.com has plenty of rentals in city-centre locations nearby famous food markets, so for a really authentic experience you can live like a local and go shopping at the

which canvassed opinion from more than 20,000 senior business managers in over 90 countries around the world.

In India, over the last 12 months 70% of companies trading internationally said profits had grown compared with just 48% of firms concentrating domestically. In the same period, 74% of companies which export said their revenues had grown compared with 56% of firms focused domestically.

Four-fifths (80%) of firms says paperwork and property costs are the biggest obstacles to setting up a presence abroad. Risk management (38%) – including political risk and the possibilities of natural disaster such as earthquakes, typhoons or flooding – and building an image abroad (38%) follows.

Managing local taxation and regulation also concerns over two thirds of respondents at 34%. Operational staff recruitment is also a significant issue for many firms.

For Indian businesses, South East Asia is the most popular market with 41% of businesses rating it as most profitable. China (39%) and the Middle East (27%) are the second and third most popular with Europe (23%) next.

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ow visit and enjoy the bounty of Jordan is easy for the Indian traveler as they can avail of ‘Visa on Arrival’ if they are in a group of five persons or more, with confirmed return flight tickets.

Other facilities offered include: Uniform visa fees for all nationalities ,Group visasFree of charge when arranged through DMC’s or TO’s.

MICE groups and FIT groups from India don’t need to fill out any visa paperwork as they can avail of ‘Visa on Arrival’ when they land in Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport. Jordan offers modern infrastructure, resorts, convention centers, 4 and 5-star hotels in all its important landmarks and cities to encourage the meetings and incentives sector. Jordan is also a very family-friendly destination for a holiday and is also rated as one of the top romantic countries which makes it an exotic honeymoon destination.

Stable, culturally rich and full of vivid landscapes – Jordan has many places and experiences that are counted as must-dos! From the stunning Petra, that is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and is recognized

by UNESCO as a world heritage site, to the Dead Sea, flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost otherworldly beauty.

T h e relationship between Republic of India and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan goes back a long way and both the countries share extremely friendly relations which reflects in every aspect such as political, economic and cultural. The Jordanian government, thus, in a move to encourage tourism offers ‘visa on arrival’ to Jordan for the Indian tourist!

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with familiarization trips.

VIA Rail carried a total of 4.1 million passengers in 2011 and also noticed a remarkable increase of 20% in the no. of Indian passengers travelling on board VIA. As a part of the India market approach, VIA plans on working with top travel agents in the market while also training them with product knowledge by conducting regular educational workshops across Delhi & Mumbai.

Addressing the concerns of vegetarian food and excess luggage faced by many Indian passengers, the company assures that their policies are well suited for Indians and such situations do not rise.

Indian passengers can just sit back and enjoy the quality of the on-board service, the world-class mobile Wi-Fi and the comfort of rail travel.

VIA Rail has up to 497 departures weekly, connects over 450 Canadian communities, transports 4.1 million passengers yearly and boast of 396 passenger cars and 78 active locomotives.

market for fresh, local ingredients.You can easily get access to such apartments in Paris, Sydney, London, etc. At an affordable price.

When booking your holiday rental choose the one that has plenty of amenities included in the price, so you don’t have to pay for any extras. Rated Apartments has thousands of such properties where Wi-Fi, phone calls, and laundry facilities are free, thereby saving you money throughout your stay.

cknowledging the rising number of India’s outbound travelers, VIA Rail, the National Passenger rail service of Canada has decided to extensively market itself in the India market in 2013. In the wake of the set up, VIA will be discussing its plans for the India market at a press briefing to be held on March 04, 2013 in Delhi. The event will also be followed by a ‘thank you’ lunch for the local trade partners in Delhi.

Mr. Pierre Santoni, Senior Director, Domestic and International Sales, Via Rail Canada will unfold the marketing strategies, the board plans on implementing for their latest venture. Realizing the importance of Indian tourism as an emerging sector, VIA plans to work on a consultative basis with India’s travel trade to provide extensive product knowledge and destination information. The national passenger railway service has a marketing strategy focused on partnering with the Canadian Tourism Commission to promote activities and engage the industry

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ovotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC) has recently won the ‘Best Garden Maintained’ award instituted by Government of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth year in a row. The award was conferred

by Dr. Jegan Mohan I.A.S (Commission of Horticulture) at a ceremony held at Peoples Plaza Necklace road. The award was received Mr. Jai Prakash (Executive Housekeeper of NHCC) along with gardening staff including Mr. K N Reddy, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Satya, Ms. Rajaeshwari and Ms. Kavitha.

The first prize has been granted to Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre for its continuous focus on adopting and following the best practices in maintaining landscape and horticulture. The hotel takes special initiative to ensure greenery is

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he Rayal Comforts enjoys a central location in the heart of South Bangalore at 4th Block, Jayanagar. Strategically located close to the major IT hub, Electronic City and Whitefield, it caters essentially to business guests, though it is also a popular choice among leisure visitors to the city.

Bengaluru airport is approx. 50 km. and the railway station and bus stand about 16 km. from this charming property.

You can choose from exquisitely decorated guest rooms, all featuring elegant furnishings and modern amenities like LCD television with satellite connection, DVD player, broadband Internet access,

maintained beautifully at the property.

The landscaping is done keeping in mind the environment aesthetics & sustainable development. Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre also strongly adheres to the principles of “Planet 21” (Special Sustainable Development program) an initiative for creating an ecological balance.

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J a i Prakash, Executive Housekeeper, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre said “The best Hotel Garden award is the accomplishment of the concentrated effort of our team who has worked hard to ensure a green & beautiful garden. We will continue to strive hard to maintain the ecological balance along with a beautifully landscaped property.”

safe deposit lockers, telephone with STD and ISD dialling, and attached bathrooms with running supply of hot and cold water, etc.

The Rayal Comforts Hotel is perhaps best Known for its homely restaurant plush interiors and cozy ambience, a melange of exotic chefs come together at the ‘Grand Attic’ Multi Cuisine restaurant with Bar. The Authentic signature Multi Cuisine roof-top takes you on a truly memorable culinary trip across India. You can Choose from the delicious Indian, Continental, Chinese & Thai Multi Cuisine for an inspiring breakfast, a filling meal or

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esna Tours, the New Delhi based Destination Management Company that specializes in educational, conference and business travel to India and the subcontinent has launched a new leisure division, named ‘The Red Dot’ after India’s traditional mark of welcome to visitors.

Focusing on the FIT, group and incentive market, The Red Dot is a perfect foil to services already offered by Vesna Tours, whose Director, Mr. Mishkat Ahmed, says, “The Red Dot is a natural growth for our rapidly expanding travel company. Our international offices, our clients across the world and our ground handling partners in India, Nepal, Sri

Lanka and the UAE have all encouraged this move and extended their immediate support to this exciting initiative”.

“The Red Dot will concentrate on bespoke and experiential travel across all of our destinations.” continues Mr. Mishkat.

“India is a great place to visit, a country where something new and amazing is to be found every day and we are excited about the huge potential of the bespoke and experiential travel offers that we can now provide.”

The Red Dot is based in Vesna Tours’ New Delhi offices and it already has overseas representation in the UK and the USA, with other countries and other markets to follow.

an exclusive dinner.

The two A/C Banquet halls, ‘Vaibhav’ and ‘Sabhangan’ are designed with Business requirements in mind. Vaibhav, a posh Banquet hall with modern wooden furnishing and acoustically designed interiors spread out over an area of 1250sq. ft. and Sabhangan, spread over 450sq. ft. equipped with all hi-tech modern conferencing arrangements, are ideal for conference, seminars, and all get together functions.

The Rayal Comforts offers many other facilities such as Fitness Centre, Doctor on Call, Travel desk, Car parking with Valet Service, 24-hour room service, Complimentary Buffet Breakfast, Complimentary Fruit plater & Cookies every day, Unlimited mineral water, FOREX, 24 Hours Check in/Check-Out, In-house Laundry, etc.

Contact: Tel. : + 91 80 2244 2283/84/85 Mob. : + 91 9019771359

Fax : + 91 80 2664 9911 E mail : info@therayalcomforts.com www.therayalcomforts.com

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ractical tips and information on social media, blogging and mobile travel services – eTravel World features events from Wednesday to Saturday for the first time – ITB Berlin programme highlights main bloggers’ events For visitors interested in the latest from the worlds of mobile travel services, social networking and blogging the eTravel World at ITB Berlin is the place to be to obtain in-depth web knowledge.

From 6 to 9 March 2013 the focus in Hall 7.1c is on social networking sites, online marketing and optimising search engines. Visitors to the panel discussions, lectures and workshops can obtain valuable tips from experts and practitioners on how to make the best use of social media and mobile travel services in the travel industry. Due to high demand, for the first time eTravel World events will also be taking place on the Saturday of the show (9 March).

From 1.30 to 2 p.m., Mariette Du Toit-Helmbold, CEO, Cape Town Tourism, will be talking about how tourism organisations cooperate with social media experts, local residents and travel bloggers in order to tell a destination’s story.

Managing changing user behaviour Social networking sites have long become an established part of many consumers’ everyday lives.

On 6 March, from 1.30 to 2.30 p.m., Adam Medros, Vice President Global Product, TripAdvisor LLC, Torsten Sabel, founder of the Customer Alliance and Benjamin Jost, CEO, TrustYou, will be discussing how this impacts on companies and their business strategies. At 4.30 p.m. the agency LBi Germany will be talking about the internet needs of the over sixty-fives and how to exploit this potential market for the online travel industry. On 8 March at 3 p.m., Dr. Ulrich Baumgartner of the legal offices of Osborne Clarke will be talking about German data protection law, the many new challenges which mobile apps pose to companies, and be giving practical advice.

Bloggers’ events On 8 March from 1.30 to 2 p.m., Sebastian Canaves of the popular travel blog off-the-path. com will be talking about how his travel blog began and how to establish an audience of fascinated readers in a short period of time.

This year, ITB Berlin has compiled a list of events on its website recommended for bloggers.

They include panel discussions, workshops and events of interest to bloggers both from Germany and abroad, for example ITB Travel Massive on the eve of ITB Berlin, a matchmaking event for exhibitors and bloggers on 7 and 8 March, and lectures at the ITB Berlin Convention.

Expert knowledge in practical form On 4 March, coinciding with ITB, the latest edition of the Mobile Travel App Guide will appear in the ITB Library. Published by mvolution GmbH, it is available both in hard copy and online: ITB Library.

The following are partners and sponsors of the eTravel World at ITB Berlin: AdCloud, Animod, B2Perfomance, Cancelon, DRV Service GmbH, Faktor3 AG, Giata GmbH, Michael Müller Verlag, Schleifenbaum, TBEX, TNOOZ, Tourias Mobile, Touristiklounge and Visit Berlin.

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r. Venu V. IAS, Joint Secretary in the Union Culture Ministry, has assumed charge as Director General of National Museum, one of the country’s most prominent cultural landmarks.

A Kerala-cadre IAS officer, Dr. Venu is credited with combining culture and technology with the nature’s large repository to propel ‘God’s Own Country’ as one of the top tourist destinations in the world while he was Secretary of Tourism and Culture of the Kerala government.

In his capacity as Director General of National Museum, Dr. Venu will also function as Vice Chancellor of National Museum Institute, a prestigious Deemed University offering rare courses in museology, conservation and art history.

Under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Culture, the National Museum in New Delhi is one of the important museums in the country, housing over 200,000 works of art.

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oAir, “The Fly Smart Airline”, owned by the Wadia Group, has taken delivery of its first Sharklet equipped A320 aircraft financed by ACG (Aviation Capital Group) under a sale and leaseback arrangement which will see the Aircraft added to ACG’s growing portfolio of Airbus A320 family aircraft. The aircraft is part of an order placed by GoAir for 20 A320neo in 2006.

So far 13 aircraft have been delivered to GoAir making the first Sharklet equipped A320 the 14th to join the fleet. All subsequent seven deliveries will be equipped with Sharklets.

“We already operate one of the youngest and most fuel efficient aircraft fleets anywhere in the world and the introduction of the Sharklet will add further efficiency. Our investment in latest technologies like Sharklets, and also the A320neo, is a demonstration of our commitment to our customers and to the growth of our valued airline,” said Mr. Giorgio De Roni, CEO, GoAir. Mr. Denis Kalscheur, CEO, ACG said, “We are delighted to be partnering GoAir with their fleet expansion and the introduction of the fuel saving Sharklet. We strive to always have the most modern aircraft in our aircraft portfolio and the A320 equipped with Sharklets is a perfect fit.”

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alaysia Airlines is now officialy a part of oneworld, adding one of Asia’s leading airlines to the global airline alliance that aims to be the first choice for frequent international travellers the world over.

From its first flight on February 1, 2013 – MH386, from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai Pudong – the national airline of Malaysia started offering oneworld’s full range of services and benefits. Another key focus flight for the airline was the first departure by the first of its aircraft featuring the full oneworld livery – an Airbus A330-300 operating flight MH 129 to Melbourne from Kuala Lumpur .

For Malaysia Airlines, joining oneworld completes yet another successful phase of its Business Plan.

Becoming part of the world’s premier global airline alliance will strengthen its competitiveness, enabling it to offer customers an unrivalled alliance global network served by partners including some of the best and biggest airlines in the world. Malaysia Airlines, which serves more than 60 destinations in almost 30 countries, will substantially expand the alliance’s network in one of the world’s fastest growing economic powerhouses, South East Asia.

Malaysia Airlines connects 16 new destinations and one country – Brunei – to the oneworld map. More significantly, it will strengthen the alliance’s connectivity between many key business cities in Asia and other parts of the world. Its addition expands oneworld’s global coverage to 842 destinations in 156 countries, served by some 9,000 departures a day operated by a

“The Sharklets deliver up to four percent fuel burn reduction on longer sectors, and this translates into impressive cost savings,” said Mr. John Leahy, COO – Customers, GoAir. “GoAir passengers can also be confident that on board their Sharklet equipped A320s, they’ll be flying the world’s greenest single aisle aircraft,” he added.

Due to the very strong customer demand for Sharklets, all Airbus’ single-aisle final assembly lines (FALs) will be engaged in building A320 Family aircraft with Sharklets. These FALs are located in Toulouse (France), Hamburg (Germany), and Tianjin (China) and will soon be followed by an additional A320 FAL in Mobile (Alabama, USA).

Sharklets are an option on new-build A320 Family aircraft and offer operators the option of an additional 100 nautical miles range or increased payload capability of up to 450 kilograms. Sharklets are standard on all members of the A320neo Family. In 2011, GoAir placed an order for 72 A320neo aircraft. The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle aircraft family. To date, over 9,000 aircraft have been ordered and over 5,400 delivered to more than 380 customers and operators worldwide.

combined fleet of some 2,500 aircraft, carrying nearly 340 million passengers a year, with annual revenues of US$ 110 billion. Add oneworld’s other members elect – Qatar Airways and Sri Lankan Airlines – and the alliance network will reach 860 destinations in 159 countries.

Currently three of oneworld’s active member airlines serve three points in Malaysia, with Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Royal Jordanian flying to Kuala Lumpur, Cathay Pacific operating to Penang and its Dragonair regional affiliate to Kota Kinabalu.

Malaysia Airlines’ addition to oneworld will make travel to Malaysia from all over the world much easier, by seamlessly connecting its network to those of its new oneworld partner airlines. To encourage travellers to experience the world renowned Malaysian Hospitality throughout the country, the airline and alliance have launched their Visit Malaysia pass, offering attractive discounts on regular published fares for domestic flights bought in conjunction with a flight on a oneworld carrier to the country.

The 2 million members of Malaysia Airlines’ Enrich loyalty programme will now enjoy the full range of oneworld frequent flyer benefits when travelling with any oneworld member airline worldwide – airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finn Air, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and around 30 affiliated airlines. Enrich members will be able to earn and redeem miles on any oneworld flight. In celebration of the airline’s addition to the alliance, they will receive double Enrich award miles when flying on Malaysia Airlines’ oneworld partners between 15 February 2013 and 15 April 2013 on tickets bought from 1 February 2013 to 15 April 2013.

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tihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has returned to a two-class A320 aircraft on its service between Abu Dhabi and the South Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram.

The daily flights will each feature 16 Pearl Business Class seats with electronically controlled recline and lumbar support, a personal in-built seat massager, generous leg and foot rest extensions, individual PC power supplies, 10.6 inch touch screens and in-arm meal tables.

Pearl Business Class guests travelling on this route will be treated to new chef-inspired culinary signature menus on board amenities, lounge and frequent flyer benefits.

Ms. Neerja Bhatia, Etihad Airways’ General Manager in India said: “Thiruvananthapuram is one of the fastest growing cities in Kerala and serves as a major trade and business hub. Since 2007 we have carried more than 450,000 passengers on this route. The Pearl Business Class experience was reintroduced to cater to growing business, corporate and high-end leisure demand to Abu Dhabi and beyond to our fast-expanding global network.”

Etihad Airways currently offers 63 flights per week connecting Abu Dhabi directly to nine key cities in India, namely Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram and most recently, Ahmedabad.

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mirates Skywards, the award-winning frequent flyer programme of Emirates Airline, announced a significant enhancement to its offering with the introduction of ‘Platinum’, a new tier which sits above Blue, Silver and Gold. The Platinum tier has been developed to enhance the travel experience for frequent travellers and to offer additional benefits to members who have earned over 150,000 Miles.

For the first time, Platinum members will receive exclusive benefits usually reserved for First Class passengers, including First Class check-in, baggage delivery and access to the First Class lounges in Dubai with a guest. They can continue to use all Emirates Lounges around the world, also with a guest, and they will receive 20kgs of additional baggage, regardless of their class of travel.

To enable Platinum members to share their benefits with the rest of their family, a Gold ‘Partner’ card has been introduced, which means that family members can enjoy Gold privileges even when travelling separately.

Platinum members will be guaranteed an Economy Class or Business Class commercial seat at Flex fares and receive access to an Economy Class or Business Class ‘Last Seat’

Flex reward.

Gold Emirates Skywards members who are eligible for Platinum status will be automatically upgraded to the new tier and will start receiving benefits from 1 April 2013.

To qualify for Platinum status, members need to earn 150,000 or more tier Miles within a rolling 12-13 month period, compared to the existing qualification criteria of 50,000 Miles for Gold members. Based on current figures, it is estimated that the top five per cent of Emirates Skywards’ Gold tier will be eligible for Platinum status. Skywards has 8.6 million members worldwide.

Emirates Skywards continues to develop its programme across all membership tiers with recent enhancements to its reward offerings including partnerships with Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and easyJet, TAP and more in the pipeline for 2013.

To start taking advantage of opportunities to earn and redeem Miles with Emirates, travellers are invited to join Emirates Skywards at www.skywards.com . Membership is free and Emirates Skywards members receive Miles and benefits every time they fly with Emirates.

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mirates SkyCargo – the freight division of Emirates airlines, recently hosted a special event at the Taj Hari Mahal in Jodhpur to recognise its top agents for their efforts and achievements that have contributed to the airline’s outstanding performance in the past year.

The airline congratulated the top performing cargo agents from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad at the gala dinner for their dedication throughout the year, contributing to the growing success of Emirates SkyCargo “Agents are vitally important to us – their success is a key part of our success at Emirates SkyCargo. Working as partners, they form an integral part of our overall accomplishment in achieving growth across all of the markets that we operate in,” said Mr. Pradeep Kumar, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Cargo – Revenue Optimisation.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our agents for their invaluable

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contribution to our business. It is due to their consistent efforts that we have are in such a prominent and well regarded position in the industry today.”

Emirates SkyCargo carries over 1,500 tonnes of cargo weekly from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, including leather goods, pharmaceuticals, readymade garments, textiles, electronics, engineering goods, spare part, valuables and perishables. Additionally, the airline operates two weekly freighter flights, with a capacity of over 200 tonnes on the DubaiMumbai-Dubai and Dubai-Chennai-Hong Kong-Dubai routes. Overall, the airline carries more than 3,000 tonnes of cargo from India across the Emirates SkyCargo network, worldwide every week. ‘e-freight’ technology, which has made it more efficient for agents and customers to deliver and receive cargo on time is also introduced The winners from Delhi region are M/s Agility logistics pvt. Ltd., Amrit seair

hailand has achieved record-breaking visitor arrivals, crossing the 22 million mark for the first time in 2012. Figures tabulated by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports for January to December 2012 show total arrivals by nationality of 22,303,065, up 15.98 percent over 2011.

Commenting on the performance, Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, TAT Governor said, ”We are overjoyed to have achieved this result in the year the people of Thailand commemorated the 85th birthday of His Majesty the King. It is also a tribute to the cooperation and creativity of the entire Thai travel & tourism industry for the huge effort that has been made to ensure that travel & tourism remains a leading industry for job creation, distribution of income nationwide and contribution to culture, heritage and environmental preservation.

The governor said that the primary contributor to this result was the prevalence of global, regional and local peace and stability. Last year, the world was generally at peace and there were no major geopolitical, economic, environmental or natural disasters and no health pandemics.

“Travel & tourism can only flourish worldwide if the underlying conditions that support it remain free of disturbance and disruption. That is one of the most important lessons for the entire industry to learn worldwide”, he said.

The highlight of the results was the fact that six countries, five of which are within the Asia-Pacific region, are now producing more than one million annual visitor arrivals. These are Malaysia, China, Japan, Korea, India and Russia.

Visitors from East Asia totalled 12,502,194 (+20.84%), Europe 5,617,817 (+10.12%), the Americas 1,080,148 (+13.40%), South Asia 1,289,641 (+11.36%), Oceania 1,046,753 (+12.13%), Middle East 604,659 (+0.58%) and Africa 161,853 (+17.36%). East Asian visitor arrivals to Thailand comprise the biggest market share of all visitors. Of the 22.30 million arrivals in 2012, a total of 12.50 million (+20.84%) were from East Asia regions.

express pvt. Ltd., DHL lemuir logistics pvt.

Ltd., Freightwings & travels pvt. Ltd., Gac logistics pvt. Ltd., Indair carriers pvt. Ltd., MGH logistics pvt. Ltd., S. A. Consultants & forwarders pvt. Ltd., Schenker india pvt. Ltd. And DHL express pvt ltd., while M/s Dachser India Pvt Ltd., Dhl Lemuir Logistics Pvt Ltd, East West Freight Carriers Ltd., Eastern Cargo Carriers (I.) Pvt. Ltd., Jet Freight Logistics Pvt Ltd. , Modern Cargo Services Pvt Ltd, Shriswami Samarth Airfreight Pvt Ltd, Skyways Air Services Pvt Ltd., Freightwings & Travel Pvt Ltd. And Kuehne & Nagel bagged the top prize

from Mumbai region.

From Ahmedbad region M/s Dachser India Pvt. Ltd., DHL Lemuir Logistics Pvt. Ltd., East West Freight Carrier Ltd., Hellmann Worldwide Logistics India Pvt. Ltd. and Penta Freight Pvt. Ltd won the top honours. M/s DHL Lemuir Logistics Pvt. Ltd. , Envisage Air Express, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics India Pvt. Ltd. , UT Worldwide (India) Pvt Ltd, UT Worldwide (India) Pvt Ltd and Agility Logistics Pvt. Ltd. are bagged the top honours from Kolkata region.

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ndian’s are no longer stranger to the Luxury Travel offered by national and international travel trade. A premium class of society is enjoying the luxury of foreign tours by flights and by cruises. However, there is always a strange magical appeal about long rail journeys that excites both young and old. A sense of adventure stirs the soul once you step onto a train, sit comfortably in your cabin and gaze intensely outside, as people and places whiz by. All over the world the luxury trains journeys have become truly popular. In India after Rajasthan, Maharashtra was the second state to introduce the most luxurious train “The Deccan Odyssey”. In terms of standards of excellence, it is at par with the best of train’s all over the world over.

Seven night journey on this Silky Royal Blue colour Train Deccan Odyssey will be unique life time memorable experience.

Travelling in 5 star luxury train comfort gives entirely a new meaning aboard the Deccan Odyssey. Trains sheer luxury is a sight to behold. The plush interiors,

delectable cuisine and great site to see make this journey truly memorable.

On Wednesday, the 20th March 2013 come aboard with Families and Friends.

MTDC has announced whopping 40% discount on printed tariff just for this tour. Journey invites you to travel across proud land of Maratha and Portuguese.

On leaving Mumbai on Wednesday, next 7 nights & 8 days train takes you through exotic destinations namely Sindhudurg, Goa, Vasco, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Ajanta and Nasik.

7 nights/8 days package in Deluxe cabin for a Person will cost INR 147420 against the actual tariff of INR 245700. If you opt double occupancy in the same cabin will charge INR 113400 and triple sharing cost will be INR 96390/per person. While presidential suite cost will INR 215460 for Single occupancy and INR 181440 per person for twin sharing.

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s part of it’s year-long 20th anniversary celebration, TIRUN Travel Marketing - India Representative of Royal Caribbean International recently announced an exciting surprise for Indian travelers. ‘When Two become One’ is a limited-period couple’s special bundle that absorbs one person’s cruise fare and also allows for a complimentary overnight stay in Singapore. Elope with your loved one for this romantic 5-Night Cruise to Bangkok and Ko Samui aboard Royal Caribbean International’s innovative glass wonder - Legend of the Seas. The world is your oyster and you can pamper the love of your life with special „Romance Packages’ on any of Royal Caribbean International’s 22 innovative ships, calling on more than 270 destinations in 72 countries across six continents. Plan romantic surprises like chocolate covered strawberries, champagne and vanilla cupcakes, special flower arrangements, 100% Turkish cotton „His and Her wraps and slippers, a keepsake framed portrait and much more. Enjoy breakfast in bed, elegant canapés before dinner, delicious petit fours after dinner and create bonding moments with flexible dining and pre-booking options. Whether it is a quick break to connect with your loved one or an extended vacation to celebrate your retirement, a honeymoon or a renewal of vows, a Royal Caribbean

International cruise brings excellent bonding opportunities for couples and is the perfect vacation to spend quality time together. There is never a dull moment on a Royal Caribbean International cruise and couples are spoilt for choice with the vast variety of romantic experiences available onboard. ‘When Two become One’ gives you a chance to save on your stay in Singapore and provides a whopping 50% discount on the cruise cost so that you can shower your loved one with countless luxuries and surprises.

Multiple whirlpools, a glass canopied solarium, an adultsonly pool, a plethora of entertainment options, multiple bars and lounges without a cover charge, Casino Royale® and a host of other innovative amenities await you on the Legend of The Seas. Rejuvenate with a couples massage in the Vitality SM Spa, discover new highs on the rockwall or simply relax and admire the breathtaking views.

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travel industry and celebrated its Silver Anniversary recently in glittering function at Fio, Garden of Five Senses. Travel Spirit International, which started with one employee in 1987 now has over hundred staff, multiple branch offices in India & abroad and involved in promotion of Inbound Tours, Outbound Tours, Ticketing, Tourist Transport and other allied services of travel. On the occasion, various distinguished guests from Travel Trade industry, Friends and Family attended the function and graced the occasion. The dignitaries who were present at the party were – Mr. Anand Kumar IAs, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Ashwani Lohani, Mr.

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ravel Spirit International Pvt. Ltd, one of India ‘s leading Tour operators

head quartered at New Delhi has completed 25 years of its existence in the

Sujit Banerjee, Mr. M.P. Bezbarauh, Mr. Shilabhadra Banerjee, Mr. Vinod Kumar Duggal, Ms. Priya Paul, Mr. Ashok Chand, Mr. Inder Sharma, Mr. Subhash Goyal, Mr. Vikram Madhok, Mr. Guldeep Sahni, Mr. Subhash Verma, Mr. Ajeet Bajaj, Dr. Trilochan Singh, Mr. P. S. Taneja & many others.

During the event, the traditional lamp was lit by the dignitaries and a new brochure for TSI Luxury Holidays was released.

Mr. Jatinder Taneja, MD, TSI thanked all the dignitaries. He thanked the Tour Operators abroad, the clients, the media, whole trade fraternity for their friendship and recognition extended to him and to TSI.

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ratelli Fresh, the Italian specialty restaurant of Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel has won the distinction of being The Best Restaurant in Italian Category by The Times Food and Nightlife Awards recently. This accolade is an addition to the numerous recognitions won by the restaurant since its launch in October 2008.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Saeid Heidari, General Manager, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel commented, “I am extremely proud of the recognition that the restaurant has won.

The fact that the restaurant houses more than 3000 Italian and new age wines, its contemporary and chic style, the open interactive kitchen and the beautiful view from the restaurant overlooking the Powai Lake and the skyline of Hiranandani are few of the reasons behind the win. The wine bar boasts of not just big names like Gaja and Antinori, but also boutique Italian wineries. It is the only restaurant in the city to offer different vintages of two Italian

wines that are very highly rated by wine spectator. Fratelli Fresh and the Wine Bar has witnessed several noted and high profile wine events. Tommaso Cavalli, the son of the legendary fashion house/ designer, Roberto Cavalli launched his wine premium wine label Cavalli wines at Fratelli Fresh in November 2009.”

Fratelli’ is inspired by the concept of brotherhood to portray the warm family atmosphere and Fresh’ - the emphasis on freshest produce and ingredients is ingrained into the essence of this specialty restaurant. A small garden patch – kitchen garden; growing herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, aubergines and cabbage is where the Chef hand picks ingredients for select use in the kitchen. The emphasis on authentic fresh flavors is tantamount to the kitchen. It’s Sunday brunch - Festa Italiano is the most sought after offering a variety of seafood, choice of meat, salads, fresh pastas and hand tossed pizzas followed by an array of deserts. The restaurant also offers a private dining area for guests.

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village. Under starlight, try the fondue dinner, enjoy live music and then ski down donning a headlamp.

Similarly the A-list celebrity famous, Whistler/Blackcomb is a must for all skiing lovers. Less than two hours from Vancouver, Blackcomb has more than 200 trails and more skiable acres than any other resort on the continent. The après scene is alpine chalets, big open patios and awardwinning dining with a European touch.

Just bring your gear camera or ski and get ready for a stunning holiday in any season.

rom champagne powder to epic drops, to terrific après ski, ski resorts in British Columbia, Canada are sure to leave you dazzled.

Locals try to keep it a secret but Fernie Alpine Resort is the champagne powder, dynamite and fuse of the Kootenay Rockies. Five alpine bowls, epic chutes, knife ridges, and the new Polar Peak Lift, offering 1,082 metres (3,550 feet) of vertical are the attractions which make it irresistible to the vacationers.

Other activities to keep you coming back include cat skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, Nordic skiing and heritage tours.

Don’t miss the spectacular view and fun at the TELUS Terrain Park, tubing park and the skating rink while you enjoy dogsled tours, sleigh rides, ice-climbing tower and mini snowmobiles.

Another great alternative would be the Sun Peaks Resort, a family whoop-up renowned for great powder, quick lifts and short line-ups. Take your pick of 122 runs across 3,678 acres, the second-largest skiable terrain in BC. Off the slopes you can poke around the lively European-style

n a bid to attract more tourists from newer growth markets in India, the Department of Tourism, Philippines (DOT) in coordination with the Philippines Tourism Marketing Office in India held a roadshow in Kolkata. The roadshow was designed to present DOT’s plan to promote its 7,107 heavenly islands as an extension of the It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign in the city. It aimed at penetrating the outbound tourist market in Kolkata and raise awareness about the Philippines’ vast portfolio of tourism products.

Led by Raymund Glen Agustin, Head, Team India, DOT and Susan Del Mundo, DOT-Tourism Promotions Board, the delegation including Arturo Boncato Jr., Director, DOT Region XI gave an overview of the booming tourism industry in the Philippines. The event brought together leading travel and tour operators of the Philippines (Shroff Travel Care International, Blue Horizons Travel & Tours, Inc.), airline company (Philippines Airlines)to interact with local travel partners and buyers in B2B sessions.

Speaking on the occasion, Agustin said, “The Philippines clocked 42,844 tourist arrivals from India last year and posted a growth of 8.29% over 2011 arrival

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figures. It is a direct result of the DoT’s marketing and promotional efforts for the Indian market. In 2013, we are looking at a 50% growth over last year’s arrival figures and we expect to capture a bigger market share of outbound tourists from key tourist markets like Kolkata.”

The delegate from the Philippines shared presentations with the attendees and shed light on the It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign, which received an overwhelming response in both international as well as its domestic markets. DOT recently celebrated the first anniversary of its success in January 2013. The success of the campaign as well as the recently announced visa-free scheme for Indian travellers with valid AJACSS UK visa, has helped boost the number of Indian arrivals to the Philippines.

Del Mundo said, “Kolkata is a major focus in our tourism promotional calendar for this year. We will highlight our premier destinations and work with our local travel partners in the city to attract more tourists to the Philippines this year.”

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with a wide variety of accommodation choices and recreational pursuits, is located just 20 minutes from the Phuket International Airport with daily direct flights from several international carriers or an 80 minute domestic flight from Bangkok.

According to Ms. Lubaina Sheerazi, Head, Blue Square Consultants, “We are pleased to announce our association with Laguna Phuket and we are confident we will establish the name in the Indian travel industry one that resonates luxury. A destination as beautiful, with services very few can match, Laguna Phuket surely is one brand we are proud to be associated with.”

umbai-based marketing specialist Blue Square Consultants has been appointed to promote Laguna Phuket, Asia’s finest destination resort with public relations and marketing activities in the Indian travel marketplace.

Laguna Phuket is a holiday paradise of nine deluxe hotels and villas on 1,000 acres of tropical parkland along an eight kilometer stretch of pristine beach at Bang Tao Bay on Phuket’s North West coast, in Thailand. The partnership with Blue Square Consultants is aimed at gaining maximum visibility and market share from the Indian travel industry Laguna Phuket, an integrated resort

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pipeline and the quality of developers, projects and commercial terms are the finest they have ever been in the company’s history.”

Starwood’s pipeline in developing markets is at the highest levels ever, including signed hotel deals in the vast majority of the most significant fast-growing economies.

For example, notwithstanding recent concerns about the pace of macroeconomic growth in China, Starwood’s footprint expansion continues unabated and the company expects to celebrate the opening of its 125th hotel in China in 2013. Starwood also continues to see meaningful, quality growth in mature markets, including sustained, strong levels of hotel conversions. Approximately 20 percent of the deals signed in 2012 were conversions of existing properties, of which 12 opened during the year.

Starwood reinforced its luxury lead with significant openings in 2012. St. Regis experienced one of its strongest years for openings around the globe, including hotels in Bal Harbour in Florida, Mauritius and Doha. The Luxury

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tar wood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that, despite ongoing macroeconomic and geo-political uncertainty, 2012 was a year of the most deal signings since before the global economic crisis. Before year-end, the company expects to have signed in excess of 125 new hotel management and franchise agreements, surpassing last year’s deal signings by approximately 13 percent.

By year end 2012, Starwood expects to have opened 71 new hotels, representing approximately 18,500 rooms in 20 countries, strengthening its global lead and expanding its footprint particularly in developing markets. Since 2007, Star wood has added over 100,000 gross new hotel rooms to its system.

“Starwood’s nine highly sought-after brands, powerful systems, unmatched portfolio and established local operating teams around the globe set us apart from our competition and position us well for sustained balanced footprint growth in both mature and developing markets,” said Simon Turner, President of Global Development. “Our agile and creative development approach allows us to adapt our growth strategies based on specific geographic markets or brand needs. 2012 was a year of strong deal momentum for us throughout the world and we are encouraged by a continued high level of developer interest in working with Starwood.”

Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO of Starwood, added: “Rising wealth and a growing middle class around the world are creating new demand for infrastructure, including new hotels, and Starwood is well positioned to take advantage of these trends. Our annual deal signings have increased progressively since 2009. Furthermore, the size of our overall cumulative

Collection opened more rooms in one year than ever before in Starwood’s history, including two hotels in the Blue Mountains in Australia, Metropole Palace in Serbia, and Twelve at Hengshan in Shanghai. W Hotels also had a strong year of openings with the brand’s debut in Paris, Bangkok and Singapore.

Sheraton, Westin and Le Méridien, Starwood’s upper upscale brands, enjoyed a strong year of growth with the opening of a flagship Manhattan property, The Westin New York Grand Central, and the addition of nearly 7,000 rooms in China. Openings included the Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central - the largest Starwood hotel to open worldwide in 2012 and, upon completion, the largest hotel in Macao. Conversions increased during the year in North America and Latin America, and included the openings of The Westin Lake Las Vegas, Le Méridien Arlington, The Westin Snowmass Resort, Sheraton Vitoria in Brazil, and Le Méridien Mexico City in Mexico, among others.

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r. Chiranjeevi, Union Tourism Minister has announced that his Ministry will conduct comprehensive study on impact of taxation on tourism

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uropeans looking to escape the winter chill are being invited to Kerala to bask in its gloriously sunny weather, travel through scenic tropical landscapes and enjoy a visitor experience that justifies the state’s moniker of ‘God’s Own Country’.

Kerala’s Tourism Department stepped up its campaign targeting visitors from Europe with a series of road shows that travelled the cities of Brussels in Belgium and Lyon in France before concluding in the Italian capital Rome yesterday. The timing of the campaign was perfect too: while most of Europe continues to shiver through the cold snap, Kerala is enjoying its mildest weather of the year.

Mr. A P Anil Kumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala who led the delegation from the state, said the tremendous response from buyers to the road shows in each of the three cities showed that the state continues to be a prime destination for European tourists.

“We will certainly plan more activities for this market in the future,” the Minister said. “I’m sure our efforts to promote

sector. Speaking to a delegation of the Executive Committee of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) in New Delhi today the Minister said “The Ministry

environmentally sustainable projects and responsible tourism will attract more travellers from Europe.”

In Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union, Mr. Dinkar Khullar IFS, Indian Ambassador to Belgium was the chief guest at the programme in which around 90 buyers took part.

They interacted with representatives of Kerala Tourism trade to explore business opportunities. The turnout was similar at the road show in the historic French city of Lyon, where Mr. Rakesh Sood , India’s Ambassador to France was the chief guest.

As many as 86 buyers participated in the event in Rome where Kerala showcased its tourism products and services, including the latest offerings in Ayurveda, Heritage, Wildlife, Adventure tourism etc. A “Go Kerala” prize draw was held in each of the three cities in association with Qatar Airways.

Ms. Rani George IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism, who made presentations to the invited guests, said travellers from Europe are also likely to be interested in new

will immediately conduct the study of comparison of the impact of excessive taxes on Tourism Industry viz-a-viz Export Industry and also the comparative analysis on the tax structure on Indian Tourism Industry with the competing neighbouring countries”.

Earlier during the meeting, the president of IATO Mr. Subhash Goyal highlighted the problems and issues being faced by the tourism industry. The delegation requested the Tourism Minister that wherever Visa on

Arrival is not possible, E.visa should be issued for travel to India. The delegation also stated that Indian Tour Operators are being discriminated as the export industry is exempted from Service Tax whereas the Tourism industry is not. This is resulting in discrimination not only against the exporters but also against tour operators in neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal etc. who are not paying any taxes and the business for India is being routed through them.

products designed to promote historically and culturally significant destinations in the state. “Our history and heritage are opening up new avenues for tourism. For visitors from Europe and from elsewhere, these will offer new ways to discover and explore Kerala.”

Trade participants from Kerala included

Ayurveda Mana, CGH Earth, Eastend Hospitality, Hi Tours, Intersight Tours & Travels, Oriental Routes, Pepper Tours, Pioneer Personalized Holidays, Somatheeram Ayurveda Group, SITA, Spiceland Holidays & Entertainments, The Blue Yonder, Kumarakom Lake Resort and Vythiri Resort.

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elta Air Lines, Inc. and Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced a comprehensive new partnership that offers exclusive new benefits to Delta SkyMiles Medallion members and Starwood Preferred Guest elite members. The program, called Crossover Rewards, begins March 1 and provides elite members of both loyalty programs reciprocal benefits.

Crossover Rewards allows Delta and Starwood elites to share program benefits and earn more miles and Starpoints. SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members will have access to added benefits including

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he city of Mumbai has a rich heritage of history and architecture. When there are many colonial monuments in Mumbai, now one more unexplored gem is opened for the tourists and which is the building premise of the Mumbai High Court.

Owing to the protocol, the entry in the building is restricted. Following the efforts of Mr. Jayant Kumar Banthia IAS, Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, had sought necessary permissions from the Chief Justice of Mumbai High Court for the ‘Heritage Walk’ at the High Court Building, the building will now be accessible for a visit to the Mumbaikars and tourists.

‘Heritage Walk’ on weekends will be facilitated by TOGA (tour guides association) only when it is not a working day at the High Court. MTDC has now received the required permissions and soon the ‘Heritage Walks’ will be devised.

Dr. Jagdish Patil IAS, Managing Director, MTDC, said, “It is our great privilege to have the opportunity of organising the Heritage Walk at the High Court. The beautiful building premises are indeed a rare sight for visitors and not many get the opportunity to visit it. The Mumbai High Court is a monument of great significance, history and heritage.

We are thankful to the chief Justice for allowing us to arrange Heritage Walks at the High Court. ” However, the enthusiasts will have to be disciplined and to adhere by the High Court’s guidelines. The Heritage Walk will be in the presence of Police authorities and the Court Keeper between 8.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays of every month except Court’s working Saturdays.

The visitors will have to maintain decorum in the premises, while visiting the Court Rooms. Visitors will have to move around in small batches (1 5 to 20 Heritage Walkers at a time). Visitors would have to maintain discipline while moving around in various Court Rooms as well as on the veranda (front and rear). Photography of the interiors of the Court Rooms or High Court Building will be prohibited. Visitors will have to be cautious that no disturbance what so ever shall be caused in the court rooms, departments and in the precincts of the Court.

priority check-in, 4 p.m. late checkout and free in-room internet access when staying at Starwood Hotels and Resorts. All Delta Medallion members also will earn one mile per dollar spent on eligible room rates when staying with Starwood in addition to the Starpoints usually earned for their stay. In turn, SPG Platinum members will receive one free checked bag, priority check-in and priority boarding when flying Delta. SPG elite members will earn one Starpoint per dollar spent on eligible flights in addition to the miles usually earned for their flight.

“Crossover Rewards allows Starwood

and Delta to extend loyalty outside of our hotels and beyond the window seat by giving our respective elite members reciprocal benefits and earning power,” said Mr. Frits van Paasschen, president and CEO of Starwood. “This enriches the experience for our most valuable travelers, and gives both Delta and Starwood an opportunity to target frequent travelers who aren’t already part of our programs, enabling us to capture greater share of the global, high-end traveler.”

“Crossover Rewards is another example of Delta’s commitment to making the travel experience more beneficial and enjoyable for our customers,” said Mr. Tim Mapes, Delta’s senior vice president - Marketing. “For our loyal customers, hotel accommodations are a vital component of the travel experience, which makes this new alliance with an innovative company like Starwood a strategic addition to the SkyMiles program.”

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ego, the leading travel meta search engine in the Asia Pacific and Middle East is establishing a dedicated fullservice operation in Dubai as part of its global expansion strategy following a year of record growth in the region. Wego has launched the world’s first comprehensive Arabic language travel meta

search site (www.wego.ae) last April, in recognition of the desire amongst travellers to compare their travel options and book online.

Internet users across the Middle East and North Africa have since adopted the site in huge numbers, already equivalent to the total from the company’s mature European

sites.

The company operates over 50 websites in 30 languages around the world, managing many millions of flight and hotel searches each month.

Travellers in the Middle East and North Africa now account for one in every seven searches on the site. Given the scale of the demand, Wego has established new regional headquarters in the prestigious Dubai Internet City, appointing travel industry veteran and entrepreneur Mr. Mohamad Ibrahim Masri to further develop the strategy and lead the team as Managing Director - Middle East and North Africa. He brings 16 years of regional experience to the company, in sales, marketing and management roles with some of the industry’s leading brands, including Singapore Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.

Mr. Masri also founded BizGate, the consulting firm that has represented Wego throughout the initial launch phase.

“Essential to the continued expansion and success of Wego

in Middle East and North Africa is strong management, along with an established relationship with both the business and travelling communities which is why we’re very excited to have Mohamad join our executive team. We look forward to working in partnership with the Governments and suppliers in the region to broaden access to travel online,” said Mr. Ross Veitch, Co-Founder and CEO, Wego.

“Wego’s expansion to the Middle East provides great leverage for our operations in Asia and India in particular.

Being Emirates’ number one destination, India accounts for over one in every 5 international flight searches and one in every 8 international hotel searches from Dubai. The Middle East contributes to a significant 30% of India’s inbound hotel guests on Wego, and hence the market is of immense significance to us”, said Mr. Jackson Fernandez, Country Manager, Wego India.

“Arab travellers embrace Wego as a means to gain control of their travel plans and enjoy

greater value for money. The travel comparison shopping concept has huge appeal among Internet users in the region, who are almost universally regular travellers,” commented Mr. Masri. “We are working with the flagship carriers, hotel brands and online travel agents across the Middle East, but the priority is going to be further integration and customisation to meet the burgeoning demand right into the longtail,” he added.

Collectively, Middle East and North African travellers using Wego today are exploring options at over 3,500 destinations. Their searches include the inventory of 600 full service and low cost airlines, 350,000 hotels and resorts, as well as 400,000 recently integrated vacation rentals. Wego compares over 700 travel sites to present its comprehensive results. Wego Dubai joins a network of offices across Asia Pacific as the company scales its operations in new premises in Singapore, Bangalore, and Jakarta.

The company currently employs 75 specialist staff speaking 35 languages.

the elderly, also benefit from barrier-free arrangements.“ The economic importance of this market is huge: US adults with disabilities or reduced mobility spend around 13.6 billion dollars on travel every year. In Germany, turnover in this market is estimated at around 2.5 billion euros and in the UK at almost two billion pounds. “In the future these figures may well rise“, said Lilian Müller. In recent years, around 37 per cent of disabled people in Germany have decided not to travel due to a lack of easily accessible facilities. However, 48 per cent would travel more if the necessary arrangements existed.

60 per cent would even be willing

to pay higher travel costs for better accessibility.

According to Ms. Lilian Müller, barrier-free tourism should no longer be a niche market: “Accessibility arrangements must be part of every single travel package. There is also a demand for specialist operators to offer services for customers with greater mobility needs“, she added. The internet represents an important platform for achieving a barrier-free future. That means tour operators and travel agencies making their internet information accessible to blind and deaf persons. According to a survey

by ENAT, in 2011 only 10 out of 39 websites could be accessed by the disabled.

niche products. This makes it all the more important for us to provide a platform at the show where exhibitors can network and exchange views with international bloggers.“ Taking place parallel with ITB Berlin, the ITB Berlin Convention will also be providing numerous ideas on how to confront future challenges. On 6 March 2013, at the PhoCusWright@ITB event, held in English, analysts from PhoCusWright will be offering valuable suggestions. Taking “Pivot Point” as its theme heading, this year’s event will discuss important recent technological

advances and their impact on travel industry strategies. This event will be followed by the New Media Summit, whose focus is also on technology and innovation and which will also feature its own session for bloggers.

On 8 March 2013 at the ITB Marketing and Distribution Day the topics discussed will be online reputations and the return on investment from mobile marketing and social media. The Innovation Forum will showcase new developments in the travel industry that have the potential to change market structures in the long term.

arrier-free tourism is a vastly underrated market whose economic importance will increase drastically over the years and decades to come. Around the world, despite having the time and money to travel, millions of people with disabilities or reduced mobility are unable to do so due to a lack of facilities. What is more, because of the demographic

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change in many countries and the growing desire of the elderly to travel, potential demand in this market will rise significantly.

These are the findings of the latest ITB World Travel Trends Report, compiled by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin.

According to Ms. Lilian Müller, President of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT),

the most recent statistics reveal that in Europe alone there are 80 million people with disabilities: ”Global estimates range from 600 million to 900 million.“ That means that with world’s population now at seven billion, about ten per cent require barrier-free and easily accessible facilities.

Commenting, Dr. Martin Buck, director of the Competence Center Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin, said: “It is important for the global travel industry to exploit this potential, as removing barriers enables not only the disabled to enjoy stressfree holidays. Other groups, for example families with young children, accident victims and

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world and encourage partnerships between them and industry members in attendance. Michael Hodson and Ayngelina Brogan, two travel bloggers integral to the formation of the association, will be speaking at eTravel World on the topic of “Finding and Working with Travel Bloggers.” They will also highlight the excellent search engine provided by the PTBA to industry members to find travel bloggers to work with. The Association will be providing all exhibitors at ITB Berlin 2013 free access to the search engine for the first two weeks of March, so they can explore its benefits. The newly

formed, non-profit association of travel bloggers from around the world is dedicated to the advancement of travel blogging as a profession, and in assisting travel bloggers and travel industry members in coming together.

“Within the travel industry bloggers have become recognised as important opinion-formers“, says David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin. “They know how to engage with their readers. More and more bloggers focus on particular types of travel, which makes them valuable opinionformers for operators marketing

logging is on the increase: from 6 to 10 March 2013, for the duration of the show, ITB Berlin will feature numerous events that will enable visitors and exhibitors to engage with international travel bloggers, as well as discussion rounds, workshops and lectures at the eTravel World and the ITB Berlin Convention. Overall, ITB Berlin expects around 250 bloggers from Germany and abroad to attend.

The Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) is honoured to be partnering with ITB Berlin to help showcase leading travel bloggers around the

Edited, Printed and Published by Ravisankar K.V. for Tourism India Publications Pvt. Ltd., Printed at Arsha Offset Graphix Sreehari, TC 9/2519-1, Janvilla Lane, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019 and Published from TC 9/1785, Anandam, Pattanikkunnu Lane, Sasthamangalam P.O,Thiruvananthapuram-695010. Editor: Ravisankar K.V.

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Vol. 15 No.10 February-2013 February-2013

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