TOURISM INDIA MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2014

www.tourismindia.travel

Vol. 16

No. 10

Thiruvananthapuram

www.tourismindiaonline.com

February-March 2014

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s a part of liberalisation of the visa regime, the government cleared two initiatives: visa on arrival and electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for all countries barring eight “prior reference’’ countries including Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka and China.

Mr. Rajiv Shukla, Minister for Planning, Govt of India said that the cabinet decided to implement the facility to tourist from 180 countries at 9 International airport including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Goa and Trivandrum from the next tourist session beginning in October. ETA will allow foreign travellers to apply for a visa from home and receive an online confirmation with in five working days.

“We have decided to extend visa-onarrival to tourists from 180 nations.We hope to implement this from the next tourist session beginning October. The

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facility will provide a major boost to the country’s tourism sector.

Both facilities are likely to be implemented by the end of the year.

India currently offers visa-on-arrival to tourists from 11 countries like Finland, the Philippines, Singapore and Japan. The decision was taken in a meeting convened by the Planning Commission that included representatives from the PMO, ministries of home affairs, external affairs and tourism. ETA will be available for a 30day period from the date of the tourist’s arrival in India while VoA will also be for the same period for a single entry. `The government’s decision to extend the Visa on Arrival (VoA) facility to 180 nations will be a great boost for India’s tourism sector. It will enable India to attract a large number of foreign tourists, especially from key source markets and this will build upon the existing policy where this facility

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ndhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Jointly Awarded National Tourism Award for Best State/ UT in the Category of Comprehensive

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

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has been in existence for 11 countries since 2011. In fact, last year the number of foreign tourists who availed of VoA increased by 26.2 per cent as compared to 2012, which signifies the importance of introducing this facility.

The next two years will be a game changer for India’s tourism sector, with Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) expected to cross the 8 million mark by 2015. With visa norms being relaxed and VoA facility made available at 26 major Indian airports, India is likely to be perceived as a more easily accessible and lucrative destination, as tourists can plan a trip to India on shorter notice.

Development of Tourism Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have been jointly given the award for the First Prize in the category of “Best State/UT: Comprehensive Development of Tourism.”

The second and third prizes in this category have gone to Kerala and Gujarat respectively.

Mr. A.P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala receiving the National Tourism award from Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister of State for Human Resources, Govt of India

The National Tourism Awards were given

by Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development at a glittering Award Ceremony in the national capital. Jammu & Kashmir was awarded in the category of Best State/UT under the North-East and J&K Region. Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, UP won the prize for the Best Civic Management of a tourist destination in Category ‘A’ city.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Mr.Hugh & Ms. Colleen Gantzer, who are an Indian, writer-photographer, Contd. on Page 04

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Fresh and enhanced ways to entice customers The tourism industry is looking for newer and better ways to reach out to customers, especially in the International market. New generation marketing tools and modes are the outcome of a constant search for enhancement. Timing, precision, and serration are the essentials of an aggressive marketing. While life is in fastlane, aptness and accuracy counts more with short spans of timing. The support of the good marketing strategies was very important in the present scenario.

New age social media platforms are emerging day by day, while 10 year of Facebook is introducing advanced marketing tactics. If we fail to identify the trend and move along in this segment, then our fate also will be very crucial in coming days. It is here that we have to realize and make the most of the power of the social media including Linkedin and Pinterest.

Kerala tourism already identified Scandinavian countries, Eastern European nations and Australia as new markets. This year onwards, Kerala is more focusing on these destinations apart from new markets like China, New Zealand and booming ASEAN countries. Air connectivity to Far East Asian countries are also expanding. The new campaign of Kerala Tourism has also catching up to the audience. The Great Back Waters, Gulf Market specific and Ayurveda

campaigns have clicked well.

Marketing of unknown destinations, products and services were never been so good. New age tools makes it possible for service providers to pass on information to customers all over the world in an extremely cost effective manner. New age marketing makes it possible to “better manage” business yield and revenue. Indirect online channels, provide efficient marketing platforms. However, for new age marketing to be successful, the company’s presence on the net must be authentic, fresh and up to date content and data. Simple branding is not enough, success comes when branding is converted in to business.

At the same time, traditional methods of marketing like print media, television and direct mailers also have distinct advantages. Advertising through print media has always ensured proved its potential bringing in more customers even before the advent of social media. In fact, research has shown that what is needed for successful business is an optimum mix of traditional and new age marketing techniques. It has been found that the social media and other online platforms to be a complimentary tool to traditional marketing.

Kerala, Andhra and MP scores better in National Tourism Award

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won the award for the Grama Panchayat Best Hotel in Five-Star won in the Civic Deluxe Category while Management of a the Best Heritage Hotel Tourism Destination in Grand category went in India category. to Fateh Prakash Palace, T h e a w a r d f o r Udaipur.

Kumarakom was Kumarakom Lake received by Grama Resort Kottayam was Panchayat president named the best five-star Smt Dhanya Sabu. hotel, Vivanta by Taj at Kumarakom, Kumarakom was the t h e f i r s t e v e r best four-star hotel and destination in India to successfully Mr. Paul John, CMD and Mr. Shelly Thayyil, Director-Operations of The Paul Brunton Boatyard in Fort Mr. Rajeev Kohli, Joint MD of Creative Travels New Delhi receiving the National Kochi the best three-star i m p l e m e n t Tourism Award from Mr. Shashi Tharoor Hotels & Resorts receiving the award for Kumarakom Lake Resort for Best Five hotel. ITC Maurya, New R e s p o n s i b l e star Hotel a population just around 5% of India’s husband-and-wife team. They launched the Delhi, won the award for Tourism, has set a model for the rest of India. population was able to attract 83 million first travel column in a national daily in India Best Eco-friendly hotel. Ms. Arti Thapa, Food Kerala Tourism, together with Kumarakom tourists which is almost 12 times of the in August, 1977.

Craft Institute, Hoshiarpur, won the award Grama Panchayat, has been bringing in foreign tourist inflow in India. He outlined The Lifetime Achievement Award in for Best Lady Chef. positive changes at the destination in the the number of steps that have been taken to the Hospitality Sector was given to the facilitate the entry of tourists to India. He historians Mr. Aman Nath and Mr. Francis expressed the hope that this would enable Wacziarg for their pioneering work in the share of India in the global tourism to creating international consciousness on the increase from the present 0.6% to 1% in the heritage of Shekhavati and also restoring year 2016. some 30 properties across 10 States in India.

“The awards are an honour for the state, The best Tourism Film Award went to Kerala Tourism and all its stakeholders,” said M.P.State Tourism Development Corporation Mr. A P Anilkumar, Minister of Tourism, TV Commercial “Rang Hai”. Rajiv Gandhi Kerala . “It is a recognition for our unceasing International Airport, Hyderabad was efforts to promote sustainable tourism awarded for the Best Airport (Class ‘X’ with the help of the local community even cities). Department of Tourism, Govt. of while we make use of the advantages of Kerala was awarded for Most Innovative technology,” he said. “In the coming years use of Information Technology/Website/ we will bring more innovations and newer Portal. Bangalore city Railway Station was products, and strive to remain among the Mr. E. M. Najeeb, CMD, Great India Tour Compnay and Mr. Ross Masood, Director, GITC receiving the National awarded for Best Tourist Friendly Railway Tourism Award from Mr. Shashi Tharoor leaders in tourism.”

Station. Andhra Pradesh won the prize for Trivandrum-based Great India Tour environmental, social and economical The National Tourism Awards are given best Film Promotion-friendly State.

Company won the award for the Best spheres. annually by the Ministry of Tourism to M/s Yatra Online Pvt. Ltd was awarded Inbound Tour Operator (Category VI).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shashi felicitate outstanding work both in the public as the Best Domestic Tour Operator (Rest of In the Niche Tourism segment, the award Tharoor said that tourism was a vital segment sector and the private sector under different India) category. Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, for the ‘Most Innovative to leverage our culture and our progress and fields associated with tourism.

Hugh and Collin Gantzer receiving the National Tourism Award

Editorial & Corporate Office: SRL C-36, Sankar Road, Sasthamangalam P.O, Thiruvananthapuram-695010, India Tel : +91.471.2315256 Fax: +91.471.2315197 E mail: info@tourismindiaonline.com Internet edition: www.tourismindiaonline.com

and Unique Tourism Project’ went to KochiMuziris Biennale. The first edition of the mega art event, supported by the Department of Tourism and held during December 2012-February 2013 had attracted nearly half a million visitors, including tens of thousands from outside the state and abroad.

Kumarakom

earn precious foreign exchange. He said that the huge variety of tourism opportunities in India as well as the variety of cuisine and cultural experience that India offered made our country “truly incredible”. Mr. Tharoor said that increasing the tourist inflow was a challenge considering the fact that a small country like France with Mr. Michael Dominic, Director of CGH Earth Hotels receiving the National Tourism Award

Managing Editor: Ravisankar K.V. Executive Editor: Rajani A. Art Editor: N. Bhattathiri Sub Editors: Rahul Krishnan, Anoop B. Special Correspontant: James Joseph Correspontant: Ganesh Mohan, Senior Layout Artist: Vijayagopalan G. Marketing: Fasiludheen Mob: +919947260531 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 © 2014

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Mr. Viren Sinha Chairman & Managing Director, BalmerLawrie

India, 4 associate offices including 1 in USA and is represented by 113 preferred partners. Within a span of 7 years of its inception, Vacations Exotica is today ranked among the top 5 holiday companies in India nationally.

This takeover is an endeavour to strengthen its foothold in the tours domain. BalmerLawrie Tours & Travel is the largest and oldest IATA accredited travel agency in India.With 88 touch points pan India including ISO certified branches in all major cities, it serve customers round the clock through its 24x7 call centre and an online travel portal.

This takeover will help BalmerLawrie to expand its value proposition and offer end-to-end services in the tours and MICE segment as Vacations Exotica brings with it a multi-talented work force and a wide range of holiday packages.

enya is a beautifully endowed country; with most beautiful sceneries, beaches and variety of wildlife. Kenya is an ideal honeymoon destination to celebrate your love and begin your life’s journey together.

Whether it’s spotting the real-life cast of the Lion King, exploring a big city, or roaming around on some of the best unspoiled beaches in the world, altogether it is a paradise for newly wedded couples.

You can have plush or rustic accommodations as you wish and almost all camps and small lodges have a “honeymoon tent” or “honeymoon suite”which ensures maximum privacy.

Its quintessential images of herds of elephants in front of snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro, hot air balloons above the Maasai Mara & the proud Maasai warriors has drawn honeymooners for years. It is the land which inspired Karen Blixen’s ‘Out of Africa’, a place of vast plains and abundant wildlife, coupled with endless white palm-lined beaches fronting the Indian Ocean. With every champagne toast at sunset, candle-lit beach dinner and every

almer Lawrie & Co. Ltd. first public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Govt of India with diversified business portfolios, announced the takeover of the premier holidays brand “Vacations Exotica”.

Vacations Exotica began operations in October 2007 and currently has a team with more than 118 people, 9 offices in

action packed game drive, a honeymoon in Kenya is sure to provide lasting memories.

The idea of candle light dinners in the bush, romantic walks, adventurous game drives, sundowners, hot air balloon rides, cruises, deep sea diving, snorkelling and much more are all available in Kenya and this makes it an ideal honeymoon destination.

Mombasa, Lamu, Diani, Watamu are some of the best & unspoiled beaches in the world, here you can expect to see traditional dhows sailing across shimmering waters, towns dotting the coastline featuring intricately carved doorways studded with brass, and white walls draped with bougainvillea. The fusion of Arabic and African culture combined with superb palm-lined beaches and azure blue ocean waters will entice any visitor to linger longer, especially when staying on Lamu Island. The Kenya coast and Lamu are the perfect destinations for a safari and beach honeymoon.

Explore the possibility of having your special moments sealed in this naturally endowed country where the sun shines through out and moonlight welcomes the sunset and sheltering sunshades that spell out nothing but pure Romance.

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homas Cook (India) Ltd, one of India’s largest Tour operators announced that it will merge its operations with Sterling Holiday Resorts India Ltd in a deal valued at 8.7 billion rupees ($139.5 million). The deal will be structured in a multi-stage process in which 100 shares of Sterling will be swapped for 120 shares of Thomas Cook (India).

Thomas Cook India said that it will first make a preferential allotment for 23.24 per cent of Sterling at about 1.9 billion rupees and will then purchase another 23.63 per cent of Sterling for Rs 2.7 billion. This will be followed by a mandatory open offer for buying up to 26 per cent stake for 2.3 billion rupees and Thomas Cook will also have the option to buy an additional 7.2 per cent for Rs 630 million.

The merger will give Thomas Cook access to Sterling Resorts’ 19 properties in 16 holiday destinations across India.

Antique Group acted as advisor and ICICI Securities Ltd acted as merchant bankers for the merger.

Mr. Ramesh Ramanathan, Managing Director of the Sterling Holidays, said that the merger with Thomas Cook will strengthen Sterling’s market position as there are multiple natural synergies which both companies will mutually benefit from.

Mr. Madhava Menon, Managing Director of Thomas Cook, said that this merger will reaffirm company’s commitment to investing in mutually beneficial partnerships that will broaden business services platform and which will in-turn increase shareholder value.

he Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has announced its 5th annual B2B exchange event, Focus Canada-India 2014 will be held in Kochi, Kerala. The vision behind the event is to enrich the profile of Canadian Tourism products in the region through a common platform.

This provides a unique opportunity for networking and enforcing relationship between Canadian travel industry partners and key travel agents from India.This provides a platform for bringing goods together

by Indian buyers and Canadian seller organisations and they can interact at business sessions.

Over 60 buyer companies across India will participate the event this year.. The participants are from Delhi and Mumbai as well as from II tier cities. Mr. Siobhan Chretien, Regional Managing Director-Emerging Markets, CTC, will be present at the event. The Canadian sellers will meet the Indian buyers over business meetings in a professional business environment. Thirty leading Canadian seller organisations are expected to take part in the annual B2B exchange event.

Mr. San Jeet, Representative, CTC India, said that“With this year’s edition of Focus Canada-India, we intend to increase our entry into the newer growth areas in South India. Our endeavour is to bridge the gap between Canadian sellers and Indian buyers through strengthening relationship activities which are aimed at boosting sales.”

The CTC India team will share their insights into CTC’s 2014 plan for engaging the Indian outbound tourist market as well as details of newly launched tourism products in India. Canada, a major player in the international tourism arena as well as in India, has been looking at unexplored cities in the country as a potential source of huge outbound tourist traffic to the country.

Focus Canada-India plays a significant role, year after year in driving tourism business to Canada. The event has been helping buyers and sellers exchange market intelligence and in turn boost awareness about Canada as a destination which caters to varied tourist interests.

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he Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) attended recently concluded SATTE at New Delhi to open the doors for Indian visitors.

“We know that Nevada is already a top destination for Indian travelers and that can only increase as the Indian economy strengthens in 2014,” Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, chair of the Nevada Commission on Tourism said. “With more than 50 million passport holders in India, and a large- and growing- middle class with a desire to travel internationally, India is primed to be the next big market for Nevada.”

Krolicki joined members of the international marketing organization Brand USA to address dignitaries and media in New Delhi while NCOT and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority attended SATTE, an international trade show joining destinations with more than 2,000 travel agents and tour operators in India.

The appointment-style trade show was an opportunity for Nevada to meet agents and tour operators who send travelers to the United States and encourage them to consider adding more Nevada destinations

to their tours.

“We know that trade shows such as SATTE directly increase tourism to Nevada, and this opportunity is strengthened by the cooperative efforts of Las Vegas and Brand USA,” Krolicki said.

Tourism is a $58 billion industry in Nevada, employing more than 450,000 Nevadans and generating $2.7 billion in tax revenue for the state. Las Vegas is a world-famous destination within Nevada. The contrast of Las Vegas’ exciting entertainment and nightlife with the state’s historic and natural attractions makes it an attractive destination for international travelers.

Visitors can experience the thrill of Las Vegas and the natural beauty and serenity of the mountains and desert in one convenient vacation.

“Research shows that Indian travelers want a destination with shopping, fine cuisine, entertainment, culture, adventure, and beauty, and Nevada has all of that and more,” Krolicki said.

For more information on Nevada and to download a Visitor’s Guide, please visit www.TravelNevada.com

ego, the leading travel meta-search site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, launched the Wego Affiliate Network - a powerful new platform and set of tools that enable travel and tourism website publishers to add flight and hotel search features and generate a significant new revenue stream from the resulting activity.

“For many years Wego’s travel metasearch technology has been used by major airports, national tourism boards and large travel portals who have customised and re-branded the Wego experience and offered it as a feature for their own users,” said AllisterBarretto, Director of Affiliate Marketing. “The Wego Affiliate Network (www.wan.travel) provides travel and tourism publishers a set of DIY tools to integrate airfare and hotel search capabilities into their sites.”

WAN.travel provides affiliates with a variety of skillfully designed and customisable IAB-sized embeddable search boxes along with a white-labelled version of Wego’s metasearch product. Simple point and click interfaces allow affiliates to theme, brand and localise the widgets and search result pages to suit their site.

More advanced travel publishers seeking a more bespoke integration can make use of the fast and powerful Wego Flights and Hotels APIs. A dedicated

development team is consistently adding new features and updates to WAN.travel, much of which is guided by feedback from Wego Affiliates.

Website publishers can monetise their travel-related content using the same powerful technology and comprehensive set of airlines, hotel chains and online travel agents that Wego is renowned for. Wego is perpetually incorporating new travel partnerships into site inventory, which translates into a more comprehensive shopping experience for users and better commercial terms for affiliates using the WAN.travel program.

“Affiliates who have been beta testing the new WAN.travel platform are seeing significantly higher returns compared to common text ads and static display advertising,” Barretto continued. “The gains have been even more significant for sites that attract a higher proportion of users who are in ‘shopping mode’.”

Travel publishers who join the Wego Affiliate Network enjoy the benefits of a dedicated account manager to support them throughout the integration and customisation process and provide ongoing optimisation assistance and recommendations.

The Wego Affiliate Network is available from today at http://WAN.travel

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aving recently participated at SATTE pool rated by Trip Advisor as the Best in Delhi, Zambia Tourism Board natural swimming Pool in the World.

(ZTB) is all set to tap the growing Indian It is right at the lip of the Victoria Falls market actively in 2014. Implementing providing a vantage and unforgettable a stronger marketing campaign in India view of the falls. Zambia also houses a will be the main focus for ZTB this year huge Indian community thus making it which will involve conducting road shows, easier to tap the Indian market.” organising workshops and familiarization Zambia Tourism debuted in the Indian trips for the Indian travel trade and media. market in 2013 when they participated at M r M a t o S h i m a b a l e , D i r e c t o r Outbound Travel Mart (OTM), Mumbai Marketing, Zambia Tourism Board said, and also won the award of ‘Best New “India is a very important Destination’ at the mart. market with great potential Zambia connects with as it is among the top ten India through Kenya in terms of arrivals. We Airways, South African have seen Indian arrivals Airways, Ethiopian of around 20,000 in the last Airlines and Emirates. two years and are looking Zambia is the new face at doubling the numbers of Africa and is a safe in the next few years. We and secure destination will work closely with our with one of the fastest India representative Blue growing economies in the Square Consultants to world. With 20 national improve the leisure arrivals parks, including South with increased destination Luangwa National Park awareness in the Indian and Kafue National Park, Mr. Mato Shimabale market. We feel Indians adventure activities like are looking at exploring new and exciting abseiling, bungee jumping, micro lighting, destinations and Zambia in Africa is a white-water rafting, resorts and hotels product they will love. The country has from budget to luxury, Zambia is an ideal tourist attractions like parks, lakes, rich destination for the perfect mix of business heritage and culture but the main USP of and pleasure travellers. The Travel Chanel Zambia remains the World Heritage Site of “Animal Planet” has recognised the South Victoria Falls, the only natural wonder of Luangwa as having one of the highest the World in Africa and the largest curtain concentration of animals in Africa. Zambia of falling water in the World. Another receives over one million arrivals every interesting feature of the falls is the Devil’s year.

alaysia Airlines, the national carrier customers, and is another step towards of Malaysia, announced the opening strengthening Malaysia Airline’s proposition of its new office space in New Delhi today. of being a 5-star airline. A larger and more Situated at Barakhamba Road in Connaught comfortable waiting area for First Class, Place, the office was formally inaugurated Business Class and Economy Class makes by the High Commissioner of Malaysia, H.E. it more conducive to meeting and serving Datuk Naimun Ashakli Mohammad in the guests with service excellence in a superior presence of the Mr. Azahar Hamid, Regional and modern environment. The reception Senior Vice-President, South Asia & Middle area has been carefully developed to provide East, Malaysia Airlines. detailed information on Malaysia Airlines The opening of the new office is in products and services and designed for line with the airlines’ better queue management. global move towards a It also has a special handling new corporate identity that room to manage and handle imbues both luxury and the special cases. essence of the ‘Malaysian Speaking at the occasion Hospitality’ that the airline Mr. Azahar Hamid, promotes - elegance, beauty Regional SeniorViceand more importantly, truly President, South Asia & Malaysian.

Middle East, Malaysia The new contemporary Airlines said, “Malaysia and stylish look has already Airlines is adapting to a been implemented at the brand new corporate award-winning Golden identity globally. Keeping an Lounge at Satellite Terminal, eye on the changing market KL International Airport, dynamics,the new office has and is also underway at been specially designed for Mr. Datuk Naimun Ashakli Mohammad, Malaysia Airlines offices High Commissioner of Malaysia to India user convenience, presented globally. inaugurating the new office Malaysia in a fresh, contemporary Located in the heart Airlines at New Delhi and elegant ambience. I of New Delhi, the new am confident that this new office is the first of its kind design will further strengthen Malaysia outside Malaysia to get this look. Besides Airlines’ commitment of providing worldaccommodating corporate, sales and other class service experience to its customers.” departments, the office will cater to all The office attends to customers from ticketing, reservation and allied needs of Monday to Friday from 9:00 Hrs to 18:00 passengers, all under one roof.

Hrs and Saturday from 9:00 Hrs to 13:00 Hrs. The new office has been designed www.malaysiaairlines.com to effectively meet the requirements of call 1300 88 3000.

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mirates Airlines has launched a new customer initiative in India in partnership with Visas of the World (VOTW). With VOTW, Emirates’ customers can now directly arrange their visas online at www.emirates.com/in for 10 international destinations at the click of a button.

This service is a first of its kind for any airline. As an introductory offer, Emirates will also be waiving the visa service fee for the first 100 visa

applicants.

Emirates’ customers can now log on to www.emirates.com/in to apply for visas to 10 destinations: UK, USA, Canada, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria and South Africa.

Emirates has always been committed to improving the convenience of its passengers by providing best-in-class services both on ground and on board.

Mr. Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Vice President India and Nepal said that VOTW is another initiative to make it even more easier for Indian passport holders to connect with friends, family and business contacts in 10 key global travel destinations The VOTW service will initially be offered from all ten of Indian gateways of Emirates namely, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cochin, Kozhikode, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram.

In addition, the VOTW service will be available in six cities where Emirates does not operate direct flights; Baroda, Pune, Goa, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mangalore.

ir Berlin, Germany’s second largest airline, will introduce a second daily flight between Berlin and Abu Dhabi starting 26 October 2014, building on its successful partnership with equity and codeshare partner Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

The two airlines will also expand their codeshare agreement from mid-February, with airberlin guests able to book flights to six Indian destinations served by Etihad Airways: New Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

Travellers in India will also benefit from improved connection options within the wider airberlin route network to destinations across Europe, such as Copenhagen, Krakow, Stockholm and Warsaw.

Air Berlin’s Berlin-Abu Dhabi route, which has been operated since January 2012, provides the only direct connection between Germany’s capital city and the UAE. It is operated using an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 19 FullFlat Business Class seats and 279 Economy Class seats.

As a result of the increased frequency, airberlin and Etihad Airways will operate a total of 56 flights per week between Germany and the UAE, including doubledaily connections from Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich.

The schedule has been optimised to provide maximum connectivity to the Etihad Airways network, increasing twoway connectivity from 19 to 43 destinations with Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi to the

Gulf Arabian region, as well as North Asia (Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo Narita), South East Asia (Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta), Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane), and six destinations in India. In addition, airberlin is planning to include Perth and Seoul in its schedule through an expanded codeshare with Etihad Airways.

Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Executive Officer of airberlin, said: “Thanks to the constant expansion of our partnership with Etihad Airways, we are taking greater advantage of our synergies and can offer our guests even more travel possibilities and convenience.

“The additional daily flight will significantly increase the capacity on our Berlin-Abu Dhabi service, offering our guests even better and wider access to Etihad Airways’ international network.”

Mr. James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “The partnership between Etihad Airways and airberlin continues to move from strength to strength, with 560,000 passengers flying across our two networks in 2013, a 74 per cent increase on the previous year.

“The Abu Dhabi-Berlin route is testament to this partnership’s success and often has seat load factors above 90 per cent in peak months. It is therefore crucial to build upon the success of the route and ensure that demand and capacity are better matched.

In addition, our increased frequency will provide even greater connecting options for guests in both directions via the combined networks of Etihad Airways and airberlin.”

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AE flag carrier Etihad Airways and Spanish airline Air Europa have signed a codeshare agreement which will see both carriers significantly enhance access to and from Spain, the UAE and to destinations across globe.

Under the terms of the agreement and subject to regulatory approvals, Air Europa plans to commence a three times a week direct service between Madrid and Abu Dhabi in late 2014. Etihad Airways will place its EY flight code on the new Airbus A330 operated flights, offering direct access to Madrid for the very first time through its global Abu Dhabi hub.

The two airlines will work together in the run up to the route launch, with Etihad Airways initially placing its code on Air Europa-operated flights to Madrid from Amsterdam, Brussels and Milan Malpensa and beyond Madrid to Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.

In return, Air Europa will place its UX flight code on Etihad Airways flights from Amsterdam, Brussels and Milan Malpensa to Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, during summer 2014, both airlines plan to expand the number of codeshare destinations to include new cities in Spain and South America via Madrid, and more cities beyond Abu Dhabi across the Gulf region, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

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Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: “The fact that Air Europa has chosen Abu Dhabi for the next wave of its international expansion, speaks volumes of what the emirate and our global hub have to offer.

“We have been keen to offer our customers direct access to the Spanish capital for a number of years, and doing this now in partnership with Air Europa makes perfect business sense. It is the right thing to do.

“The new route will support the growing trade volumes between the UAE and Spain, up 75 per cent over the last three years, introduce more Spanish business and leisure travellers to the world class city that is Abu Dhabi, not to mention, make access to Abu Dhabi, Madrid and numerous destinations across our combined networks easier than ever.”

Juan José Hidalgo, Air Europa’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We have chosen Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways as the gateway to India, China, Australia and other destinations served in the Far East.

“As one of the most important operators to the American continent, especially Central and South America via our hub in Madrid, for Air Europa the agreement between the two airlines is a step forward in a global market.

“Both airlines will provide an excellent link between America and Asia via Madrid and Abu Dhabi.”

All of the codeshare operations announced today will be implemented once regulatory approvals are received and the launch date of the new Madrid-Abu Dhabi service will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

athay Pacific Airways flights to and from Mumbai will now operate from the New International Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The first and business class passengers can check in at the Cathay Pacific premium check-in counters and can also use the fast-track counters for security and immigration clearance.

Mr. Rakesh Raicar, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager - South Asia, says, “We are delighted to finally operate from the new terminal which will add on to the passenger’s experience while flying in and out of Mumbai. It is a spacious and impressive terminal and is well equipped to provide our passengers with the comfort and ease of check-in, immigration and security before they travel.

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atar Airways will be the launch customer For The World’s Newest Aircraft. QR Anticipates The Arrival This Year Of The First Of 80 A350 Aircraft On Order and New Airliner Will Feature Unique Concept To Qatar Airways Qatar Airways’ highly anticipated arrival of its first A350 later this year was one step closer this week, as Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Mr. Akbar Al Baker visited the home of Airbus in Toulouse, France.

Qatar Airways continues to be a highly valued customer and partner with Airbus - especially as the prestigious launch customer for the new A350 - a relationship which has flourished since the airline received its first Airbus aircraft in 1997.

Today Airbus aircraft form an ever more essential cornerstone of Qatar Airways’ global operations with more than 200 aircraft directly ordered across all modern Airbus product families, from the singleaisle A320 all the way up to the flagship A380.

Mr. Al Baker took the opportunity during his visit to Toulouse to thank the Airbus staff, on behalf of everyone at Qatar Airways, for their efforts in working to fulfill the airline’s ambitious order for 80 of the world’s newest aircraft, in line with its aggressive expansion plans.

The Airbus A350 will be one of the world’s most fuel efficient airliners, offering state of the art design and comfort to all that will travel on forthcoming flights on Qatar Airways, consistent with the airline’s five-star service values. Combined with the latest materials and construction techniques, Airbus’s latest addition is set to revolutionise air travel.

Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “It is a historic moment to see this fantastic aero plane here in Toulouse and to witness all of the hard work that the team at Airbus has contributed into making this one of the finest aircraft in the world. Qatar Airways is proud to be the launch customer for this new aircraft, and we look forward to soon taking delivery of the first of 80 A350s.

“We remain committed to offering our customers the best possible experience when it comes to travelling with Qatar Airways, not only in terms of custom-built comfort features across all of our cabins, but with the continued expansion of our young and modern fleet.”

The visit precedes the first flight of an A350 to Qatar tomorrow, where it will be officially welcomed at the world’s newest global gateway, Hamad International Airport (HIA), by a select crowd of Qatar

Airways staff and VIPs, before it takes to the skies for an aerial display.

Qatar Airways has a robust range of Airbus aircraft in its fleet. In addition to the 80 A350 it has on order, the airline has a current Airbus fleet comprising the A320, A330 Freighter, A319LR, A321, A330 and A340 families. Qatar Airways is also a customer of the A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft, and expects to take delivery of its first A380 this spring.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operation and currently has orders worth over US $50 billion for more than 280 aircraft. The airline flies a modern fleet of 129 aircraft to 134 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

As part of its aggressive expansion programme, Qatar Airways will launch routes to eight new destinations during 2014. Sharjah (UAE) from March 1; Dubai World Central (UAE) from March 1; Philadelphia (USA) from April 2; Larnaca (Cyprus) from April 29; Sabiha Gokcen Airport (Turkey) from May 22; Edinburgh (Scotland) from May 28; Miami (USA) from June 10 and Dallas/Fort Worth (USA) from July 1.

February 2014

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Mr. Siddharth Verma

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he Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd (MEHAIR) launched the first seaplane service of Maharashtra in Mumbai today.

The company’s amphibian planes are intended to connect Mumbai with other Maharashtrian tourist destinations adjacent to suitable water bodies even though there are no runways at these destinations.

The service will save a lot of travel time for the users given that the aircraft will take a far lesser time to connect two points as opposed to road or rail journeys. MTDC has entered into an understanding with MEHAIR to launch the service in the state by extending its full support thus helping to engulf the vast vision and encumbrance of this venture. The service was launched by Mr. Chhagan Chandrakant Bhujbal, Minister (Tourism and Public Works), Government of Maharashtra Function presided by Mr. Ranjit Kamble Minister of State

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HG (InterContinental Hotels Group) one of world’s leading hotel companies announced their partnership with prominent real estate company in Eastern India , Jain Group to bring its popular and most recognized hotel brand, Holiday Inn to West Bengal. As a part of the agreement, the hotels will come up in Kolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur within the next two-three

(Tourism & Public Works), Government of Maharashtra. In the presence of Mr Sumit Mullick - IAS, Additional Chief Secretary & Chief Protocol Officer Government of Maharashtra, Dr Jagdish Patil - IAS Managing Director MTDC, Mr Satish Soni - Director (Tourism), Government of Maharashtra, Mr. Siddharth Verma Director & Co-Founder MEHAIR and Mr. Vivek Kumar, Executive Director Worker, Sahara India Pariwar and Chief Executive Officer Ambay Valley City and Hotel Sahara Star.

MEHAIR pioneered the launch of seaplanes in India three years back and its maiden service has been operational in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands since Jan, 2011. With the launch of the service in Maharashtra, the company has ushered in an exciting mode of transport to be enjoyed and availed by tourists & locals for a leisure experience as well as pointto-point connectivity.

Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal, stated,

years. The hotel will add to IHG’s strong pipeline of Holiday Inn brand family hotels, which represent more than 85% of the company’s growth in India.

• Holiday Inn Kolkata located next to City Centre 2 in New Town, will have 150 rooms, including four deluxe suites.

The hotel will be built on an area of one lakh sq. ft., and will offer three specialty

“Government of Maharashtra is pleased to announce the launch of seaplane services for commuters in Maharashtra. These services will provide ease to the tourist and locals who travel to various tourist destinations of Maharashtra. Mehair has come-up with this novel concept and we are happy that Maharashtra is the first state to have such a service in the mainland of India.”

Mr. Ranjit Kamble, Hon’ble Minister of State (Tourism & Public Works), Government of Maharashtra stated, “It is a proud feeling for me as it a gift from the Tourism Department of Maharashtra to the people of the state. We expect that this exciting mode of transport will be well received in Maharashtra.”

Mr Sumit Mullick, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary & Chief Protocol Officer, Government of Maharashtra said, “Situated in India, Maharashtra is a diverse landscape ideally suited to be connected by a seaplane service thus benefiting the tourists who come to Maharashtra from all over the world.”

Mr. Jagdish Patil, Managing Director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), said, “These services will boost tourism greatly. Seaplanes will turn vacation destinations into weekend destinations. The fatigue and expenditure involved in reaching these destinations will also come down drastically.”

Mr. Satish Soni - Director Tourism Government of Maharashtra, adds, “We welcome the launch of seaplanes in Maharashtra as it will add a new dimension to the tourism potential of the state. It would be a more scenic and faster travel option.”

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Vivek Kumar, Executive Director Worker Sahara India Pariwar and Chief Executive Officer restaurants, two floors of banqueting facilities, swimming pool, gym and a spa.

• Holiday Inn Durgapur will be the first internationally branded hotel in Durgapur, located next to NSHM Knowledge Campus in Muchipara on National Highway 2. Built on an area of 80,000 sq. ft., the hotel will have 100 guest rooms, three banquet halls, a 24-hour coffee shop, three fine-dining restaurants, swimming pool, gym and a salon.

• Holiday Inn Siliguri will be the first internationally branded hotel in the city and North Bengal area. Located on Hillcart Road near Darjeeling More, the hotel will be built on an area of one lakh sq. ft. with 80 rooms, three banquet halls, a 24-hour coffee shop, three specialty restaurants, swimming pool, health club and a salon.

On announcement of the partnership, Mr. Douglas Martell, Vice President Operations, South West Asia, IHG said, “It is a significant milestone for us today as IHG marks its entry into the eastern part of the country. Holiday Inn as a brand focuses on needs of both the business and leisure travellers and we are confident that these hotels will address the increasing demands of today’s consumers who are familiar with global standards of hospitality. We are delighted to partner with Jain Group for this important step of our growth plans and look forward to a successful partnership.”

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Shrayans Jain, Vice Chairman, Jain Group said, “We are pleased to join hands with

Ambay Valley City and Hotel Sahara Star said, “Seaplane services will add to the attraction of the Ambay Valley and will cater to the tourists, residents and property owners within Ambay Valley by offering a quick and exciting mode of transport from Mumbai.

MEHAIR plans to soon have a fullfledged commuter service from Juhu to Nariman Point which is the star attraction and is much awaited by the people jostling with the heavy traffic of Mumbai.” The first commercial flight will be flagged off to the tourist destination of Ambay Valley which is the first approved seaplane waterdrome in the mainland of India.

The seaplane service is being launched in Maharashtra with a Cessna 206 Amphibian and another Cessna 208 Amphibian aircraft will be inducted by Apr’14. Both these two models can accommodate 4 to 9 passengers respectively. “This is a new and exciting mode of transport which will provide the last mile connectivity to those areas where there is no airport but are popular tourist destinations. A seaplane is a quick, convenient and exciting mode of travel which will lend impetus to the tourism initiative of the Government of Maharashtra. This venture was only possible with the tremendous support from the MTDC” Mr. Siddharth Verma - Director & Co-Founder MEHAIR said.

In the first phase of its operations in Maharashtra, MEHAIR will gradually roll out its service to destinations like Ambay Valley lake, Gangapur Dam (Nashik), Mula Dam (Meherabad/Shirdi), Pawna Dam (Lonavla), Varasgaon Dam (Lavasa) and Dhoom Dam (Panchgani/ Mahabaleshwar). In the second phase of the operation MEHAIR will connect Mumbai with Konkan coast like Ganpatiphule, Harihareshwar, Tarkarli and Murud Janjira. This will be followed by flights from Mumbai to Marathwada and ecologically rich sector like Vidarbha.

Fliers can book seats on these exciting sectors exclusively on the official website of the company i.e. http://www.mehair. in/ with effect from 10th March 2014.

Mr. Shrayans Jain, Vice Chairman of Jain Group, Mr. Douglas Martell, Vice President Operations South West Asia of IHG and Mr. Rishi Jain, Executive Director of Jain Group

IHG, one of the biggest hotel companies of the world, for our first venture into the hospitality sector, with the Holiday Inn brand. We are investing over 300 crores in developing the properties. The Holiday Inn, Kolkata is expected to be operational by the end of this year”.

Mr. Rishi Jain, Executive Director, Jain Group said, “We have commenced work for all the three properties. While the Kolkata hotel will be the first Holiday Inn in Kolkata, the Siliguri and Durgapur hotels will bring international level of hospitality services for the first time to these cities. We look forward to the opening of the hotels as each of the three hotels are situated at premium locations and we are confident of their success.”

There are currently eight Holiday Inn hotels in India with presence in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Goa and other key destinations. Having started out as an inn in Memphis Tennessee in the US, the brand has become a well-recognized name across the globe for comfortable stay and guest services.

February 2014

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Mr. Sunil Gavaskar, Indian cricket legend enjoying the SkyWalk outside of the Sky Tower, 192 metres above Auckland with spectacular 360° panoramic views of the city

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uckland’s largest city is many things to many people, from the largest hub of Pacific culture in the world to a high street retail paradise of exclusive New Zealand designer labels.

A broad, spacious city that embraces sport, Aucklanders have enjoyed everything from Rugby World Cup finals to America’s Cup yachting in their backyard and love nothing better than a night out at historic Eden Park.

The Game Plan TransTasman rivalry will bring Eden Park to the boil when Australia and New Zealand square off on 28 February 2015.

South Africa plays Pakistan on 7 March while Zimbabwe takes on reigning world champions India on 14 March.

The country’s largest sports stadium hosts the first semi-final on 24 March.

All fixtures at Eden Park are day/night matches which means they begin in early afternoon sunshine and are completed that evening under lights.

Place in History The home of Auckland cricket since 1910, New Zealanders fondly recalls their team’s magic run at Eden Park in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. New Zealand’s “Young Guns” defeated arch rivals Australia in the tournament opener with captain and hometown hero Martin Crowe leading the way with a century.

Their next victory here, over South Africa, doubled as the first ever OneDay International between these two major cricket nations. Crowe’s hot form continued with an unbeaten 81 as they eclipsed the strong West Indies to make the semi-finals, which the New Zealanders lost to Pakistan despite a record fourth wicket stand between Crowe and Ken Rutherford.

The tournament remains regarded as a high point in New Zealand cricket history.

Curious Facts Eden Park once hosted what’s now known as the Commonwealth Games.

In 1950 they were known as the Empire Games and featured a young long jump champion named Yvette Williams.

Two years later Williams would become New Zealand’s first female Olympic gold medallist. Today Auckland is also home to current Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams.

The City and Region Shaped by ancient volcanic activity,

Auckland’s 50 graceful cones, including harbour showpiece Rangitoto Island, make it one of the most naturally beautiful cities in the world.

New Zealand’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, Auckland is the gateway to stunning white sand beaches stretching north and east and a black sand surf Mecca to its west - if you can tear yourself away from day-tripping the varied islands of Waitemata Harbour.

What to See Waiheke is Auckland harbour’s wine and food island with a clutch of noted vineyard restaurants.

Explore America’s Cup history in inner city restaurant precinct Viaduct Basin and compare Auckland’s best views at the top of the 192-metre Sky Tower - New Zealand’s tallest building, and 260-metre Rangitoto, reached by hiking through pristine bush and long-cooled lava fields.

Go one step further and throw yourself off the Sky Tower with SkyJump for the biggest buzz in the city.

The canny will explore the timeless laidback vibe, wild scenery and history of the beach and bush over the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland’s west, not to mention dive the famous spots around the showcase marine reserve that is the Poor Knights Islands, further afield in Northland.

February 2014

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elta Corp Ltd, India’s only listed gaming and hospitality company, reported total revenue of Rs 105.21 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2013, with profit after tax (and minority interests) of Rs 15.33 crore.

The gaming and hospitality business in Goa continues to show consistently profitable growth. The core gaming business grew 82.6% to Rs 82.35 crore from Rs 45.11 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal, and 22.02% from the preceding quarter, underlining that the company’s long term strategy of focusing on gaming is the way forward.

Delta Corp is now also close to getting all the required approvals for its premium luxury casino resort in Daman, which is set to revolutionise the gaming and hospitality business in Western India.

“This quarter has proven to the industry as well as investors that we have established the Deltin brand firmly on the gaming landscape in India. The launch of the Daman property will only enhance our shareholder value as well as our position as the industry leader,” said Mr. Jaydev Mody, Chairman, Delta Corp Ltd. For the quarter ending December 2013, consolidated Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) was Rs 43.25 crore as compare to Rs 25.64 crore for the corresponding quarter last fiscal and Rs 37.17 crore for the preceding quarter. EBITDA margins have registered a sequential growth of 16% and year on year growth of 69%.

Consolidated Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) was Rs 156.25 crore for the nine months period ending December 2013 as compare to Rs 108.84 crore for the corresponding nine months last fiscal registering a growth of 44%.

Basic earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter ended December 2013 was Rs 0.68 (on face value of equity shares of Re 1/- each).

“The numbers from the December quarter are testament of our belief that Gaming business in India is slated for an impressive and exponential growth,” said Mr. Hardik Dhebar, Chief Financial Officer at Delta Corp Ltd.

February 2014

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Mr. Ali Asgar Pasha IAS, MD, KTDC , Mr. A.P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala, Mr. Suman Billa IAS, Secretary, Kerala Tourism and Mr. M.S. Venugopal, Deputy Director (Planning) addressing the media

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n a keenly fought online contest, 25 of the world’s top travel bloggers from a dozen countries have been selected for a trip on board the ‘Kerala Blog Express’ being organised the state tourism department.

The winners of the online voting were announced by Mr. A P Anil Kumar, Kerala Tourism Minister at a news conference in the state capital on Wednesday, February 26.

The ‘Kerala Blog Express’, a luxury bus carrying the winners of the competition, will be flagged off by Mr. Anil Kumar from Thiruvananthapuram on March 10. The

bus will travel along the length of Kerala from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod in a road trip lasting two weeks.

There are four winners each from the United States and India, followed by three each from Brazil and the Philippines and two each from Germany, Spain and Indonesia. The remaining five are from Denmark, Mexico, Poland, Italy and Portugal.

Shri Anil Kumar said it is one of the biggest tourism promotions to be undertaken by the state with the help of social media and hoped that the first-of-its-

kind event will go a long way in boosting tourist arrivals in the state in the future.

The selected bloggers are all internationally renowned with a reputation of swaying travellers’ choice of destination through accounts of their journeys around the world. During the two weeks on the ‘Kerala Blog Express’, the participants will be writing on their experiences of ‘God’s Own Country’, reaching an audience of millions of people.

“Social media is changing the way people make travel decisions, it has a tremendous influence on the tourism sector,” said Mr. Suman Billa IAS. Kerala Tourism Secretary. “With Kerala Blog Express we hope to leverage this power and promote our state globally.”

Many of the bloggers such as Inma Gregorio (Spain), Nelson Carvalheiro (Germany), Oscar Augusto (Brazil) and Gael Hilton (Philippines) enjoy a worldwide following and have been featured on international travel magazines like the National Geographic Magazine and Lonely Planet.

The luxury bus, branded specially for the campaign, will take the participants from Thiruvananthapuram to Kovalam before going to Varkala. The bus will also travel to the Great Backwaters of Kerala

in Alappuzha and in Kumarakom, where the visitors are expected to get a first-hand experience of village life.

The Responsible Tourism project of Kerala Tourism in Kumarakom had recently won the United Nations World Tourism Organization Ulysses Prize for Innovation and Excellence.

The bloggers will also visit Kerala Kalamandalam where they will be introduced to the classic art forms of the state. Other destinations on their itinerary include Thekkady, Bekal fort, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. They will also be introduced to the millennia-old traditional medicine of Ayurveda.

The bus will be equipped with cutting edge connectivity solutions throughout the journey to help them write and post about their experiences in real time.

The winners were chosen from over 600 entries from 80 countries. Netizens and fans of the contesting bloggers were given a chance to vote for their favourites on the www.keralablogexpress.com website.

Since the launch of the competition last month, the website has had more than 200,000 visitors from about 150 countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Brazil, Malaysia, Denmark and France.

February 2014

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ujarat Tourism’ announces the fourth and its biggest edition of ‘Gujarat Travel ‘Mart’, India’s biggest B2B travel event in Ahmedabad from the March 27 – 29 , 2014.

The state of Gujarat over the years has contributed towards being a large part of the India’s ever growing tourism arrival figures, both to within India destinations and overseas.

The Inaugural edition of ‘Gujarat Travel Mart’, is set on a B2B platform with over 285 registered Buyers from over 30 countries exploring business opportunities for discerning travel and tourism products, will make the event one of the most sought after travel events in the country.

The Hosted buyers will be invited from Netherlands, Kingdom of Bahrain, Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Israel,

Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, UAE, UK, USA, South Africa, India etc. The event is supported by major travel, tourism trade and hospitality association in India such as ‘Association of Domestic Tour Operators Association of India (ADTOI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and Indian Association of Tour Operators. The event shall be managed

by Bangalore based Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt. ltd., Gujarat has been one of India’s biggest tourist attractions with its wide arena of attractions. The exclusive pavilion of Gujarat shall showcase the different facets of Gujarat such as festivals of Gujarat, its beaches, the land of the Mahatma: Mahatma Gandhi oriented tours, Heritage Hotels, Buddhist Trails in Gujarat, wildlife Resorts and National Parks, Medical Tourism, Destination Management Companies, Travel Agents and Tour Operators, Religious Tourism, Handicrafts, Cultural Vistas, etc The Buyer Program at the last year’s edition of ‘Gujarat Travel Mart’ had for the first time in the country a refundable caution deposit system for all buyers to enhance the seriousness of the event. The amount will be refundable on the successful completion of the mandatory seller appointments. Buyer Registration forms are available on www. gujarattravelmart.com or mail at buyer@ gujarattravelmart.com

Mr. Parvez Dewan IAs, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, India and Mr. Shigeto Kubo, Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency, signing a memorandum between the Ministry of Tourism and Japan Tourism Agency

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ndia and Japan have entered into a Memorandum for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism. The Memorandum was signed between Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure , Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan in New Delhi on 22nd January, 2014. Mr. Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in his capacity as Director General, Tourism and Mr. Shigeto Kubo, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency signed the Memorandum.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shigeto Kubo, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency expressed the hope that the Memorandum would facilitate travel and tourist visits and further strengthen the tourism partnership between the two countries.

Mr. Parvez Dewan , Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India said that religious tourism in the form of Buddhist heritage sites is a great attraction for Japanese tourists to India. He said that Japanese tourists have been availing visaon-arrival in a major way and the highest number of visas on arrival were issued to the tourists from Japan during 2013, as in previous years.

Japan is an important source market for Indian Tourism. During 2013, India received 2.20 lakh tourists from Japan.

This Memorandum between India and Japan is intended to serve as the key instrument for greater action oriented cooperation and further strengthening the close tourism partnership between the two countries. The main objectives of the Memorandum are: a) To expand bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector; b) To exchange information and data related to tourism; c) To encourage cooperation between Tour Operators and tourism stakeholders including Hotel owners; d) To establish exchange programmes for cooperation in Human Resource Development; e) To exchange visits of Tour Operators/ Media/ Opinion Makers for promotion of two way tourism; f) To exchange experience in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management; g) To participate in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other’s country; and h) To promote safe, honourable and sustainable tourism.

February 2014

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uality Inn VIHA, Kumbakonam, Tanjore opens its door to welcome both international and domestic guests visiting South India. Choice Hotels International, one of the largest andmost widespread lodging franchisor of the world with over 6000 hotels across the globe had opened this luxury Hotel under its brand Quality Inn, in the previous year.

Quality Inn VIHA is strategically located in the heart of Kumbakonam,which offers guests an experience in authentic heritage, spirituality, culture and cuisine.Kumbakonam comes in the mid route of the South India tour starting from Chennai (viaMahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai) to Kerala, Proximity to all the UNESCO World Heritage sites viz Darasuram, Airavatheeswarar temple (5Km), ’ Tanjore Brahadeeshwarartemple(30KM), Gangaikonda Cholapuram (40Km)and being centrally located to all the Navagraha temples, Quality Inn VIHA has now become the “Best Luxury Hotel In Tanjore District”.

All the rooms are tastefully done in warm colours with elegant interiors having double/twin beds with a work desk, and are equipped with safety locker;bathrooms with shower cubicles, tea / coffee maker, mini-bar on charge & wired Internet access.

In addition to the above facilities Executive Suites have larger room size with a separate living & dining room, attached bedroom and

washrooms. These rooms are comfortable having cheery spaces.

The Restaurants at the hotel offer a variety of dining experiences ranging from South Indian to North Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines. Thanmayi an ethnic veg restaurant with separate kitchen,Cloves, a fine dine restaurant& Tavern roof top restaurant have all the lip-smacking varieties to choose from, which will make the guests feel very content. Kafe Bara 24 hr tea lounge at the lobby level has a tempting range of pastries, freshly baked cakes and fruit tarts with refreshing beverages.

The city center location also makes the hotel ideal for conference and banqueting, which is perfect for a MICE destination. Conference Halls (checkers, matrix and cubes) provides a charming address to host weddings, birthday parties or any fun get together which could accommodate up-to 300 people.

The hotel’s recreational facilities, includesspa &fitness centre designed for escape and relaxation. Bharathanatyam& other cultural entertainments are arranged to make the guests feel enticed.

Quality Inn VIHA invites you to experience their hospitality, which has been thoughtfully designed to suit guest’s myriad hospitality needs. Their friendly staffs are whole heartedly committed offering a diverse array of amenities to make their guests feel truly special and thus making the guests stay a memorable and delightful experience.

oetree Sarovar Portico’, a new resort in Thekkady, which seamlessly blends ethnic ambience with contemporary luxury, will open its doors to guests in May this year. The 50-room resort is located at Ottakathalamedu, 3 kms from Kumily, off Munnar Road.

Built along the natural contours of an elevated landscape, ‘Poetree’ is perched on a mountain top, offering a panoramic view of miles and miles of the unending Sahyadri range. A distinct attraction is the advantage of seeing the sunrise and sunset from the same point in the resort. Guests can also catch a unique 360 degree view of the enchanting silver ridges and wooded valleys. The resort is the brainchild of Mr. R. Reghunath, Managing Director of Travelscapes Hotels, which is the promoter of this project.

A luxury resort in complete harmony with nature ‘Poetree’ is part of Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, the third largest hospitality chain in India.

The full facility resort has a multi-cuisine restaurant, health club, amphitheatre, infinity pool, boardroom, banquet hall, activity room,

yoga deck, telescope deck and a rooftop restaurant. A Spa, operated by the renowned ‘Serene Spa’ brand, will offer the best in wellness/rejuvenation therapies. All rooms are air-conditioned.

‘Poetree’ has imbibed the best ecoconservation and sustainable practices while providing a superior resort experience. The emphasis on energy conservation is visible in the use of large glazed windows and solar powered water heaters. Water management is optimised through recycling and rainwater harvesting. Hundreds of fruit trees have been planted to attract birds. Three acres within the property have been strictly reserved for green vegetation and no construction has been undertaken in this area.

‘Poetree’ is not just another beautiful resort in Kerala’s hospitality landscape. It’s a testament to the idea that tribal architecture and practices can be successfully blended with ultra modern facilities to create an uncommon hospitality experience. Mr. R. Reghunath says, “A unique combination of earthy design coupled with contemporary luxury, makes ‘Poetree’ distinct from all other hotels in Thekkady”.

February 2014

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urrounded by a pristine sandy beach and an expansive turquoise lagoon, Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives is a brand new entry into the Maldives resort segment. The resort is a fusion of traditional and modern architecture, offering an overall contemporary feel with a Maldivian touch - privacy, comfort for a well-deserved holiday siesta. Opened in December 2013, the resort’s key tag line is “Affordable & Luxurious”!

The resort has introduced a uniquely exclusive Premium All-Inclusive plan – Platinum Plus, which covers over 85-90% of the total expenses a client might incur during a holiday in the Maldives. Located in the spectacular and sparsely populated Lhaviyani Atoll (35 minutes by seaplane from Male`), lapped by the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, Atmosphere Kanifushi

Maldives, is an elegant entry-level five star resort.

Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives is the first resort under the umbrella ofAtmosphereHotels & Resorts – an Indian Ocean resort brand. Embracing “Art of Balance” as the key brand essence, Atmosphere finely balances bliss, tranquility, fun and value. Promoted and marketed by Eon Resorts – pioneers in resort development within the Maldives, Atmosphere places guests’ emotions firmly at its core, crafting perfectly balanced, enriching experiences that intuitively respond to their individual needs and desires, whilst offering genuine value.

As perMr.DineshBhaskar, Director Sales &Marketing “Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives is truly Affordable & Luxurious!

The premium All-Inclusive plan – Platinum

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r SalilPanigrahi, the founding partner, Director and the Chief Operating Officer of the EoN Resorts Group since 2003, is the Managing Director of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts.

Salil is a certified Chartered Accountant with nearly 20 years of hands-on experience within the hotel industry, with more than 15 years of hard core Maldives experience in various Senior Management capacities, including being the General Manager of Sonevafushi and Sonevagili, as well as being the country head for Six Senses in the Maldives. His astute focus to ‘attention to detail’and having a very creative mind & unique design sense, Mr Salil Panigrahi has helped him create some amazing & mesmeric resorts in the Maldives, which are currently operated by reputed brands like Jumeirah Group, Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, Constance Hotels & Six Senses.

Salilis today, widely acknowledged as a key pioneer in resort development within the Maldives resort industry. In this exclusive interview with Tourism India, Salil shares his views and future aspirations.

“Mr. SalilPanigrahi, as the mastermind behind the new business launch “The Atmosphere” Could you please explain the “Art of Balance?”

Balance is an essential element for any human being, in all walks of life. Balance is also fundamental to all aspects of life; it is the key to a successful &positive

state of mind. From a brand delivery perspective, we drive this core philosophy pro-actively and incorporate this basic doctrine into every aspect of our service and overall hospitality product, whereby the discerning customer clearly experiences this ‘Art of Balance’ cross all our resorts.

Based on this core brand essence of ‘Art of Balance’, Atmosphere brand finely balances Bliss, Tranquility, Fun and Value.

Plus is a fantastic holiday plan that allows customers to enjoy a true tropical Beach holiday in the Exotic Maldives,totally hassle-free!”

Every villa at Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives spreads idyllically along a two kilometer long, pristineturquoise lagoon, offering maximum privacy and a magnificent sunset view. Vast living spaces with accentuating Maldivian interiors, complemented by breath-taking views of the ocean, enhance the in-villa experience.

150 detached Beach villas on the Sunset

side of the island are idyllic for both honeymooners and families alike.

Atmosphere-branded retreats& resorts are expected to open in Sri Lanka, India and the Seychelles too, in the near future.

“Further to the successful launch of Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives, we are now expanding our portfolio within the Maldives. We have just signed up a new island in Male` Atoll, for a full resort development. This new five-star Luxury resort is expected to be fully operational by December 2015” adds Mr. Dinesh Bhaskar.

What are your brand philosophies?

Atmosphere is an exciting, new ‘Indian Ocean resort brand’ which is being promoted by the Maldivian resort development & research group – Eon Resorts.

Our primary objective is to deliver a memorable ‘Indian Ocean’ holiday experience to the discerning traveler, whereby the end result is a fully rejuvenated and refreshed human being. Atmosphere places guests’ emotions firmly at its core, crafting perfectly balanced, enriching experiences that intuitively respond to their individual needs and desires, whilst offering genuine value.

Marketing strategies to reach out to the discerning customer?

Our strategy follows a journey, from the first moment to the last. Whether in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India or Seychelles, every hospitality experience under the Atmosphere brand will embark the discerning traveler on an immersive journey through the rich cultures of the Indian Ocean region, offering them a memorable experience of its colorful traditions, passionate spirit and heartfelt warmth.

We will showcase the best of the natural beauty that surrounds us in this wonderful part of the world and finely balance it with smart design aesthetics and style, personalized quality service and a complete & enchanting ‘local’ experience.

What are the benefits of Platinum Plus for the customer?

Given the fact that a typical Maldives

traveler is marooned to an island resort for their entire stay, he/she fully appreciates the fact that in order to have a ‘Hassle-free’ beach holiday experience, at least 85-90% of their total expense should be covered upfront within one price. Platinum Plus does exactly that! It is a premium AllInclusive holiday plan, wherein most of the expenses relating to F & B, excursions, activities are fully covered within one single price upfront, whereby the customer enjoys a stress-free holiday without getting perturbed with the constant worry of high expenses towards extras during their stay.

This holiday plan is extremely popular now with various market segments including families and honeymooners alike.

Unique selling points of “the Atmosphere” ‘Atmosphere’ delivers a balanced & inclusive ‘Indian Ocean’ holiday with genuine value included and ensures a ‘Best in class’ Maldivian holiday experience!

What makes “Atmosphere” to stay apart from Eon’s other sole projects?

Eon Resorts, having developed many Luxury resorts in the Maldives that are currently operating under well established brands, has evolved in their complete understanding & appreciation of the specific needs of the discerning traveler.

‘Sense of giving’, clubbed along with ‘openness & transparency’, being the core values of Atmosphere, the brand strives to deliverfantastic value-for-money experiences, which caters to various demographic and market segments, cross various source markets worldwide.

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r. Kunal Chauhan has been appointed as the General Manager of The Leela Palace Bangalore

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r. Gajendra Singh has been appointed as the General Manager of Hive Alwar, a property owned by Tux Hospitality

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r. Mayank Pandey has been appointed as the new Head of Sales of Tux Hospitality, the Hotel Management, Operations and Marketing Company of Shipra Group

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s. Supakan Yodchun has been appointed as Assistant Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Mumbai Office, to oversees Western and Southern India

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s. Bitsy Kelley has rejoined s. Jasmine Tso has been s. Tammy Uy has been s. Sun Wong has been r. John Limper has been the Outrigger Enterprises appointed as the Vice appointed as Executive promoted to Corporate appointed as Vice PresidentGroup as vice president, corporate President, Global Brand Services Creative Director of Outrigger Director- Global Marketing of Sales and Marketing for Outrigger communications of Outrigger Enterprises Group Enterprises Group Outrigger Enterprises Group Enterprises Group ‘s

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he National Tourism Awards 2012-13 were given by Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development at an Award Ceremony in New Delhi. A total number of 86 awards have been given in various categories. The list of awardees is as below:-

Category Best State/Union Territory Comprehensive Development of Tourism (Rest of India) First Prize (Joint Winner) Second Prize Third Prize Best State Comprehensive Development of Tourism (North-East and J&K) Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination (Category A City) Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination (Category B City) Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination (Category C City) Best Heritage City Best Heritage Walk Excellence in Publishing – English Excellence in Publishing – Hindi

Excellence in Publishing -International Languages other than English Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime Achievement Award in the Hospitality Sector Atithidevo Bhava Award

Award of Excellence - Best Tourism Promotion Material (Private Stakeholder)–Joint Winner

Award of Excellence-Best Tourism Promotion Material (State Government/UT Admin) Award of Excellence-Best Film on Tourism Most Innovative use of Information Technology Best Airport (Class X cities) Best Airport (Rest of India) Tourism Friendly Railway Station Best Maintained and Disabled Friendly Monument Best Responsible Tourism Project Best Rural Tourism Project Most Innovative and Unique Tourism Project Best Film Promotion Friendly State Best Tour Operator Promoting Niche Segments Other than Adventure and MICE Adventure Tour Operator Best MICE Operator Travel Agents / Inbound Tour Operator – (Category I) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Travel Agents / Inbound Tour Operator – (Category II) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Travel Agents Inbound Tour Operator – (Category III) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Travel Agents / Inbound Tour Operator – (Category IV) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Travel Agents / Inbound Tour Operator – (Category V) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Travel Agents / Inbound Tour Operator – (Category VI) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Tourist Transport Operator – (Category I) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Tourist Transport Operator – (Category II) – First Prize Second Prize Tourist Transport Operator – (Category III) – First Prize Second Prize

Winner Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh Kerala Gujarat Jammu & Kashmir Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, UP Pachmarhi, Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh Kumarakom Grama Panchayat, Kerala Tirupati City, Andhra Pradesh Pune Heritage Walk Outlook Group for Outlook Traveller Getaways, Heritage holidays in India.

Department of Information & Public Relations (Soochna Evam Jan Sampark Vibhag), Government of Uttar Pradesh Chhattisgarh Tourism Ms. Colleen & Mr. Hugh Gantzer Mr. Francis Wacziarg & Mr. Aman Nath, Neemrana Hotel Sri. Md. Sardar & Shri. Srinivasa Raju, HMV Drivers of AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Le Passage to India Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka MPTDC for ‘Malang’ Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala Rajiv Gandhi Airport, Hyderabad Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur, Chhattisgarh Bengaluru City Railway Station Golconda Fort, Hyderabad ‘The Ladakh Eco - Tourism Initiatives’ Rural Tourism Projects in Sikkim Kochi Muziris Biennale Project, Kerala Andhra Pradesh Thomas Cook (India) Ltd Kash’ Venture Travels Pvt Ltd (KVT), New Delhi Creative Travel Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Le Passage to India Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Kuoni Travels (India) Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon M/s Thomas Cook India Ltd & its subsidiaries M/s SDU Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Caper Travel Company (P) Ltd, New Delhi Minar Travels (India) Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Yatra Online Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon GB Morrison Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Top Travel & Tours Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Travelite (India), New Delhi Midtown Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Erco Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Uni Crystal Holidays, New Delhi Adventure World (India) Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Razdan Holidays, New Delhi Great India Tour Company, Thiruvananthapuram First Tour India Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon Hi-Life tour & Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Parveen Travels Pvt Ltd, Chennai KTC (India) Pvt Ltd Bakshi Transport Services Pvt Ltd Ex Soldier Tourist Taxi Service, New Delhi Alwar Tourist Transport Service, New Delhi Bal Tourist Transport Service, New Delhi Shreya Travels, Nagpur, Maharashtra

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Domestic Tour Operators (Rest of India) – First Prize Second Prize Third Prize Domestic Tour Operators (North East Region including Sikkim) Domestic Tour Operators (Jammu and Kashmir) Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from United Kingdom Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from North America Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from Latin America Joint Winner – Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from Europe Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from East Asia Best Overseas Tour Operator to India from Australasia Best Overseas Charter Operator to India from Central Asia including Russia Best International Charter Operator for India Best Hotel (Five Star Deluxe) Best Hotel (Five Star) Best Hotel (Four Star) Best Hotel (Three Star) Best Hotel (Two Star) Best Heritage Hotel (Heritage Grand) Best Heritage Hotel (Basic) Best Eco Friendly Hotel Hotel providing best facilities for the differently- abled guests Best Standalone Convention Centre Best Hotel Based Convention/Meeting Venue Best Chef (4 to 5 Star Deluxe Hotels and Heritage Grand and Classic Hotels) Best Chef (1 to 3 Star, Heritage Basic & Standalone Restaurant) - Best Lady Chef

Yatra Online Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon Southern Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi Heat Travels & Tours, Siliguri Heat Travels & Tours, Siliguri Yatra Online Pvt Ltd Kuoni, UK SITA World Tours, USA & Canada Worldview Tours, USA & RAIDHO Tour Operator, Brazil TUI Travel PLC, Spain H.I.S. Company Ltd, Tokyo, Japan Adventure World, Sydney, Australia Tour Operator Kompas LLP, Kazakhstan Pegas Touristik, Russia Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kottayam Vivanta by Taj – Kumarakom Brunton Boatyard, Kochi Red Fox Hotel, Delhi Fateh Prakash Palace - Heritage Grand Gajner Palace, Bikaner ITC Maurya, New Delhi The Lalit, New Delhi Leonia International Centre for Exhibition & Convention, Hyderabad Jaypee Palace Hotel & International Convention Centre, Agra Mr. Ramasamy Selvaraju & Mr. Rajan Loomba Mr. Suman Sharma Corporate Chef – Eagle Group Ms. Arti Thapa

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o u r i s m Authority of Thailand (TAT) executive Mr. Thawatchai Arunyik, who became the new TAT Governor recently, has issued a broad statement of thanks to all visitors who are presently in Thailand, and all those who are sticking to their travel plans in spite of the present state of political flux.

“I am happy to be taking the helm of TAT at a very important stage of the country’s history,” said Mr. Thawatchai.

“I am confident the tourism industry will ride this through. Above all, I would like to thank all the visitors who have retained their confidence in the kingdom and maintained their travel plans. I hope their presence will encourage others to follow suit.”

Mr. Thawatchai will replace Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, who has completed his four-year term. Born in Phetchaburi province in 1955, Mr. Thawatchai is the 9th Governor of TAT. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science from the University of the East, Manila, Philippines, he joined TAT in 1983 and has since held a number of positions both in Thailand and abroad, as follows: Director of the TAT Central Region

Office Region 2 (1995 – 2000), Director of the TAT London Office (2000 – 2003), Executive Director of the Central Region (2006 – 2007), Executive Director of Europe Africa and Middle East (2007- 2010) and Deputy Governor for Domestic Marketing (2010 – 2013) Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Thawatchai thanked the TAT Board of Directors for entrusting him with the responsibility. He said he looked forward to working with all industry partners, both in the public and private sectors, in Thailand and abroad, to maintain the momentum and help travel and tourism meet its targets.

“Tourism is now well established as a leading driver of jobs, economic growth, income distribution and sustainability,” Mr. Thawatchai said. “All my predecessors and the entire staff of TAT have worked tirelessly over the years to build a strong foundation. My job is to build on that and implement the strategies and projects already clearly outlined in the Marketing Action Plan.”

TAT is anticipating visitor arrivals of 26.1 million in 2013, and projecting 28.01 million in 2014. Revenue projections are for 1.1 trillion Baht in 2013 and 1.326 trillion Baht in 2014.

He said he would work on further strengthening alliances with industry partners, boosting cost-effective communications via social media and ensuring that the industry never loses sight of the need for environmental sustainability.

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he second edition of MTB Kerala, an international mountain biking initiative of Kerala Tourism, hosted by Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) held at Pozhuthana, Wayand on 15th of February 2014. The event has inaugurated and flagged off by Mr. M.V.ShreyamsKumar, MLA. Mr. SumanBilla IAS, Secretary, Kerala Tourism welcomed the gathering while Ms. Asha Jose CEO, Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society presents the activity report of Kerala Adveture tourism scenario and MTB Kerala 2013. Ms.Linda John, President Pozhuthana Grama Panchayath presided over the function and Mr. MV Kunhiraman, Deputy Director of Kerala Tourism proposed vote of thanks.

Mr. Peerapol Chawchiang kwang of Thailand has won the championship in the second edition of the Mountain Biking Challenge, MTB Kerala, 2014. Mr. Ajai Pandit Sehtri of Nepal was the runner up and Mr. Keerthi Sukprasart of Thailand stood at the third position. Mr. K. Aswish of Kerala bagged the championship at the national level and Mr. Daven Meetri of Manipur was

the runner up. Mr. Bhairv Vedri of Assam stood at the third position. The second edition has seen all the above 120 bikes including foreigners, negotiable step climbers and sharp descents tough hike and bike section covering a distance of 5 km.

This second edition of MTB was an exciting experience and a bourgeoning success with adventurers across the world pedalling their way through the rock terrains of Gods own country . Five kilometre circuit track with moderate skill level and international Cycling Union (UCI) standard. The track was prepared in a tea plantation, which belongs to Harrison Malayalam Limited, Pozhuthana, Wayanad. Mr. SumanBilla IAS, Secretary of Kerala Tourism Department gave away the prizes for the winners.

“The success of the previous year’s event has generated a great deal of enthusiasm. The event was a huge success and our aims was to tap the potential of the adventure tourism spots in the State and highlight Kerala as the future hub for International Mountain cycling events, said Ms. Asha Jose CEO, Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society.

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KTM office bearers and Executive committee members with Mr. A.P.Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism Kerala

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TM 2014, the 8th edition of the Kerala Travel Mart is to be held on 18th, 19th and 20th of September, 2014 at Samudrika Convention Centre, Cochin Port Trust, Willington Island, Kochi. It is the only Travel Mart in the country that showcases a single destination - Kerala. This Bi-annual event had become synonymous with Kerala’s Tourism initiatives. Ever since it started in 2000, it has drawn multitude agencies within India and internationally to this event. I t is a pure business show with entertainment thrown into in with registered delegates being hosted at the event. The Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala partners with the Kerala Travel Mart Society in hosting this mega event which brings together the business entrepreneurs behind the tourism products and services of Kerala on a single platform. It is perhaps the largest gathering in the tourism Industry of Kerala that facilitates the meeting and interaction of the Buyers, Sellers and the Media. Tour Operators, Hotels, Resorts, Home stays, Houseboats, Ayurveda Resorts, cultural art centers and many others will showcase their products at the Mart.

From its inception, there has been an overwhelming response from the national and international Buyers which has reflected in the steady escalation in the variety of tourism products and in the numbers of participants, both Buyers and Sellers. KTM 2012 was attended by more than 1250 Buyers.

Over the last 13 years since the first Mart, KTM has attracted over 1000 International Buyers who have established business partners among the various sections in the Tourism industry of Kerala.

KTM (Kerala Travel Mart) is held once in two years during September and the stupendous success of each Mart has inspired the KTM Society to innovate, think out-of – the box and take each Mart to the next level.

KTM 2014 will reach out to buyers from new markets like Australia, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden and USA. KTM 2014 will focus on raising their quality too.

The Mart will highlight innovative tourism products like village life experience, culture tours, and destination wedding

Chief Patron Minister for Tourism Patron Chairman - KTDC Chairman Secretary - Tourism Govt. of Kerala Vice Chairman Director - Tourism Govt. of Kerala Vice Chairman Mg.Director - KTDC Ltd Vice Chairman Past President - KTM Society General Convener President - KTM Society Convener Hony.Secretary - KTM Society Convener Vice President - KTM Society Jt. Convener Hony. Jt. Secretary - KTM Society Treasurer Hony. Treasurer - KTM Society

Chairman - Accommodation Committee Chairman - Airlines Committee Chairman - Buyers Committee Chairman - Buyer - Seller Co-ordination Committee Chairman - E-Marketing Committee Chairman - Exhibition Committee Chairman - Finance Committee Chairman - Marketing Committee Chairman - PR/Media Committee Chairman - Post Mart Tours Committee - North Kerala Chairman - Post Mart Tours Committee - Central Kerala Chairman - Post Mart Tours Committee - South Kerala Chairman - Programme & Cultural Committee Chairman - Reception Committee Chairman - Sellers Committee Chairman - Seminars & Workshops Committee Chairman - Social Responsibility Committee Chairman - Sponsorship Committee Chairman - Transportation Committee Member Secretary CEO - KTM Society

themes.

A big turnout of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) operators, Global wedding planners, Wellness and Adventure Tour operators, are expected at KTM 2014.

The Mart will project Kerala as the ideal destination for weddings and honeymoons along with conferences and exhibitions.

These emerging segments are being viewed very seriously by tourist destinations and KTM intends to increase Kerala’s market share to an additional 5,000 crores. Only

Mr. A.P. Anil Kumar Mr. Vijayan Thomas Mr. B Suman IAS Mr. S. Harikishore IAS Mr. Ali Asgar Pasha IAS Mr. Riaz Ahmed Mr. Abraham George Mr. Anish Kumar P K Mr. Gopalakrishnan M R Mr. Roy Chacko Mr. Jose Pradeep Mr. Jose Pradeep Mr. Ross Masood Mr. Riaz Ahmed Mr. Riyaz U C Mr. Hari Kumar. C. Mr. Sajeev Kurup V Mr. E.M. Najeeb Mr. Roy Chacko Mr. Baby Mathew Mr. Ravindran K Mr. Dilip Pottamkulam Mr. Janeesh J Mr. Gopalakrishnan M R Mr. Mathew C Thomas Mr. Jose Mathew Mr. Jose Dominic Mr. Abraham George Mr. Mathews E. V. Mr. Scaria Jose Mr. Mathew Philip

10 % of the national inbound tourist traffic reaches Kerala and KTM has set itself a target of 15% with arrivals from new and emerging markets.

The Hosted Buyer programme is a unique component of the show and it provides the Buyers an opportunity to meet with the exhibitors of their choice for focused one-to-one sessions with appointments.

Selected Buyers will receive complimentary accommodation, local transfers, a Post Mart FAM Tour and participation at networking evenings.

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estled in the heart of the city, just 10 views across an open courtyard. minutes from the Golden Temple Enjoy the warm Indian sunshine at the is Hyatt Amritsar, welcoming business outdoor swimming and vitality pool or and leisure travelers to enjoy luxuries of rejuvenate in one of eight treatment rooms 5 star accommodation coupled with the at The Spa. Hyatt Amritsar is conveniently located historical wonders, the city has to offer.

4 kilometres from the Golden Hyatt Amritsar has 248 Temple and JallianwalaBagh. elegantly appointed guestrooms including suites which are on The Wagah border is also 30 kilometers away, and offers the highest floor of the hotel guests the opportunity to watch to ensure panoramic views of the city. Rooms have a sleek the retreat ceremony of the contemporary design and guard ceremony at the Indounparalleled levels of comfort.

Pak border. The international Hyatt Amritsar keeps up the Mr. Bhagwan Balani airport is 25 minutes away, while the railway station is a eclectic standards in tickling General Manager the taste buds. ThaiChi has 10-minute drive. in store sumptuous Thai and Chinese cuisine whereas more for international and local Punjabi cuisine options with a flare, Collage is the ideal choice. When the sun goes down, head to The Lounge Bar for evening cocktails, soothing music and

Amritsar, the gateway city of India with international airport is becoming one of the sought after tourist destination by both Indians as well as International tourists and Hyatt delivers a holistic experience to their guests comprising the best in dining options and spa experience.

Designed keeping in mind the highest levels of comfort, Hyatt Amritsar is conveniently located 04 kilometres from the Golden Temple and JallianwalaBagh which is approximately 08 to 10 minutes driving distance, 25 minutes from the international airport and 10 minutes driving distance from the railway station. There is a mall next to the hotel which keeps the leisure tourist engaged. Hyatt is the convenient

option for destination weddings and conferences. www.amritsar.hyatthotels.hyatt.com

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hattekkad, the Bird Paradise of South India is first identified by late Dr. Salim Ali in the 1930’s during his ornithological survey of old Travancore Cochin State for the Maharaja of Travancore and Cochin. Later, during 1983 as per Dr. Salim Ali’s wish, Kerala State government declared a part of Thattekkad as Kerala’s First Forest Bird Sanctuary.

An area of 25.16 sq. kms.on the bank of river Periyar constitute the Bird Sanctuary. The Periyar valley irrigation project dam constructed across Periyar river during 1960’s submerged the river sides to form a lake. This is the ideal habitat for many specious of water birds seen in the Sanctuary.

Different types of forests present in the sanctuary are the ideal home for large number of forest birds.

Even though forest bird specious are more in number compared to water birds, the area is rich in both water as well as land bird population.

Situated on the Western Slope, almost at the foot hill below the highest point Anamudi, Thattakkad lies at an altitude ranging from 500 to 1500 ft MSL. The land surface is undulating with two high peaks called NjayappillyMudi and ThoppiMudi.

Old Aluva- Munnar road, which is now not in use passes through the western side of the sanctuary.

Even though there is no tribal settlement inside the sanctuary, nearly 9 Sq. km. inside the sanctuary is occupied by human habitation with or without title deeds. This area is either under cultivation, plantation or with other occupation like buildings roads etc.

Sanctuary is well connected with nearest town Kothamangalam by road and there is regular public transport to the sanctuary. Visitors to the sanctuary has only limited facilities for food and accommodation. One has to satisfy with home stays for accommodation and tea shops for food. Forest department facilities are very few for overnight stay except for a dormitory inside the sanctuary.

Like other sanctuaries, Thattakkad bird sanctuary is also divided into three areas such as core area, buffer zone end tourism zone. Tourists are permitted only to the tourism zone with a total area of 3 Sqkms of discarded Teak plantations, Moist deciduous Forest and Wetlands. Entry inside the tourism zone is from 6 am to 6 pm on all days with an entry permit costing Rs. 10 per adult and Rs. 5 for children. Foreign Tourist has to pay Rs. 100 per head for one day. Local guides are available.

The forest area of the sanctuary is rich in flora and fauna. There are many types of forests ranging from Riparan forests to open grass land inside the sanctuary. Many different varieties of plants are available inside the forests in the sanctuary. They include water plants, marshy vegetation, grassland vegetation, Huge tall trees with epiphytes and climbers on them and so on. There are nearly 21

specious of orchids, 37 specious of ferns, 5 specious of premative plants apart from mono culture like Teak, Mahagony etc. Large extent of Bamboo specious can also be seen in the sanctuary.

Even though Thattakkad is famous as bird sanctuary it has many other fauna related to birds.

In the large extent of water body many variety of water organisms like water insects, water snails, crabs, shells, frogs, fish etc. There are about 55 specious of fresh water fishes in the lake and river.

Over 21 specious of Frogs are recorded from the sanctuary area. Some of the Fishes and Frogs are endemic to western ghats and are very rare.

Reptilian fauna of the sanctuary include Lizards, Turtles, Tortoises, Snakes and so on. Snakes alone in the sanctuary is identified over 35 specious.

This include King Cobra, Python, Blind Snake etc.

The world of insects in the sanctuary is very big.

They include groups like Beetles, Bugs, Spiders, Ants, Bees, Wasps, Butter flies and Moth. Over 222 specious of butter flies are identified from the sanctuary. Some of the insects are rare and endangered.

Bird diversity of the sanctuary is very rich.

Over about 322 specious of birds, out of nearly 600 specious of Birds recorded from Kerala, is seen in the sanctuary. Around 40% of the total specious in the sanctuary is migratory. They include international migrants, long internal migrants and altitudinal migrants. Migration season for the birds in the sanctuary start from October and extent up to march next year. Peak of migratory season is by December and January and this is the best time to watch birds in the sanctuary. There are many specious of Western Ghats endemic birds in the sanctuary. Rare sp: of owls, Frogmouth, Night jars, Bird of Prey, Trogon etc. can also be seen in the park. Best time for bird watching is in the morning and evening hours. For maximum sighting of birds it is advisable to take trained local guides along with you.

Mammal fauna of the sanctuary is fairly rich. All major mammals of this region except Gaur (Bison) and Niligirilangor all other animals are present in the sanctuary. Elephant population is fairly high around (42). Tiger, Leopard, Bear, Sambar, Gient Squirrels, Bats, Rats, Pongolone, Loris, Monkey, Flying Squirrel etc are also recorded from the sanctuary.

There is an interpretation centre and Medicinal plant garden in the sanctuary. For further information contact the Asst. Wild Life Warden, Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, Njayappilly P.O, Eranakulam Dist.

Dr. R. Sugathan Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary

Photos: Biju PB & Thomson Saburaj

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India and Japan Enter into Memorandum in the Field of Tourism

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By Ganesh Mohan

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ne of the best hotspot to watch birds in India is undoubtedly Gujarat.

Particularly, the Great Rann provides great opportunity to bird watch to your heart’s content. The Kutch area supports around 200 bird species and is particularly rich in raptors, waterfowl, waders and larks.

This rugged landscape has such a variety and sheer abundance of birdlife is an exaggeration to call this place the “Mecca” of Birdwatchers.

Kutch is an erstwhile princely state of India. It is the largest district of the state of Gujarat and the second largest district in India covering an area of 45,612 sqkms. The land is virtually ‘an island’ resembling a tortoise “Katchua or Kachbo”, surrounded by seawater. Kutch was also known as the kutchdweep or Kutchbet.” The Great Rann of Kutch” which dominates a major portion of the district. The Great Rann of Kutch and the Little Rann of Kutch respectively-uninhabitable deserts which during the monsoon season (June to October) is often completely submerged by floods. The Rann of Kutch is a seasonally marshy region located in the Thar Desert biogeographic province in Gujarat state of northwestern India and the Sind province of Pakistan. The name “Rann” comes from the Hindi word ran meaning “salt marsh”.

Greater Rann of Kutchh is land of vast salt marshes and semi-desert areas. The marshes are also a resting site for migratory birds, and are home to over 200 species of birds including Grey Hypocolius, Grey Napped Tit, Small Minivet, Common Iora, Lesser & Greater Flamingos, and

Painted Sandgrouse etc. Banni Grasslands is an area spanning 3500 sqkms having a large shallow lake of 80 sqkms. This area is best accessible from Nakhatrana and is part of Chari-Dhand Wetland Conservation Reserve. The vast area is virtually uninhabited except sparsely populated 46 villages.

This makes the area haven for birds for nesting and for bird watchers to spot them. This area of Great Rann of Kutch lies on one of India’s most important avian highways (both the birds flying from the southward in winter and the few species migrating eastward from the middle-east and Africa stopover in this area) are a top site for birding with waterfowl congregations at CharriFulay lake, grassland and scrubland birds, as also characteristic desert species seen in the vicinity. This is also one of India’s most likely sites for Grey Hypocolius. Tawny and Bonneli’s Eagle breed in the area, and there are good-sized roosts of aquila eagles. Chinkara or Indian Gazelle and desert rodents are easily seen and wolf, hyena and desert cat are possible

sightings. Lala Bustard Sanctuary here once was home to Great Indian Bustard (now rarely sighted), this sanctuary is good for watching larks, chats, sandgrouse, etc.

The Stoliczka’s Bush Chat and Whitenaped Tit are globally threatened species that could be seen here, and this is also a good site for viewing Marshall’s Iora, Syke’s Crested Lark, White-bellied Minivet and Black Francolin. The coastal creeks to the north of the sanctuary are good for close-views of flamingoes, herons, egrets.

Chinkara, Nilgai antelope, Indian Wolf, Indian and White-footed Desert Foxes, Jackal are possible sightings, and Ratel has been seen.

Little Rann of Kutch is renowned for its population of Wild Asses and visited for being the haven for bird watchers.

The Little Rann of Kutch Wildlife sanctuary spreads over 4950 sq km in area comprising range habitats from saline desert plains, arid grasslands, rocky and thorn scrub to lakes and marshes. Among the Birds, Crested and Sykes larks, Oriental skylark, bimaculated lark, greater shorttoed lark, singing and Indian bushlarks, ashy-crowned and black-crowned sparrow-larks, are likely sightings and greater hoopoe lark is possible. There are more than 200 varieties of birds that can be spotted in areas around Dasada / Dhrangadhra and Zainabad. There are many lake and marshland areas such as Nava Talao and Kharagoda that offer opportunity to witness a spectacle with hundreds and thousands of Flamingos arriving there in winter. Along with

Flamingos there are many much vaunted birds such as Pelicans, Painted Stork, Grey Lag Goose, Gadwall, Gargany, Avocet, Marsh Harrier, Short Eared Owl, and Spoonbill etc. that can be spotted within a few hours around the lake.

Stay recommended JP Resorts, Greater Rann of Kutch JP Resort is a mid-segment ethnic resort at Nakhatrana offers guests a resort with ethnic character and provides a comfortable base to explore Greater Rann of Kutch.AthithiDevoBhava’ (The guest is God) has been preached since ages in India,Hotel JP puts this belief in practice.

Hotel JP gives you an authentic traditional experience with its amenities.

The accommodation options consist of Rooms and Traditional Bhungas. Hotel JP offers range of amenities like Banquet & Conference Hall. Restaurant serves you traditional kutchi food and finest choice of Chinese and Punjabi Food.

How to Reach, Transportation options Hotel JP is located at Nakhatrana 50Kms drive from Bhuj.

Bhuj is well connected by Road, Railway and Air Services JP Resort- prakashpatel 9428080097 www.hoteljpkutch.com info@ hoteljpkutch.com Desert Coursers,little Rann of Kutch From 1984 Desert Coursers providing access to the wildlife and culture of the Little Rann of Kutch. They having ecofriendly cottages, well equipped with modern amenities and serve freshly prepared local cuisine. Their goal is to provide guests warm hospitality and access to the wildlife and local culture.

Safari’s and custom tours are designed to provide you with unmatched experience that will leave breathless.

Desert Coursers: The Real Kutch Experience Camp Zainabad, District Surendranagar, Gujarat - 382 765, INDIA Tel: +91 27572 41333 Mob: +91 94263 72113 +91 94270 66070 Email: zainabad@hotmail.com

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ourism New Zealand (TNZ) announces its latest joint venture with Malaysia Airlines and Auckland International Airport.

The venture aims to provide competitive airfares to Auckland, New Zealand, making it more accessible to Indian travellers. As the Indian summer coincides with the New Zealand Winter, TNZ aims to make New Zealand an ideal holiday destination for Indian vacationers through this promotion.

With India being a priority emerging market in Tourism New Zealand’s three year marketing plan, TNZ views its partnership with Malaysia Airlines as a key initiative in lifting Indian visitor arrivals to New Zealand.

Announcing the promotion, Mischa MannixOpie, Regional Manager South & South East Asia, Tourism New Zealand said, “We are pleased to announce this new promotion with Malaysia Airlines and Auckland International Airport. India is a priority market for all three of us so this partnership is a natural fit. The travel period for this promotion (over the Indian summer) assists balancing our seasonality of visitor arrivals and we believe that a market like India offers strong potential to our tourism industry.”

The campaign, which is now online, provides special fares to those travelling to Auckland, New Zealand. The new special fares will be valid on Malaysia Airlines flying to Auckland from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai.

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ap-N-Go is Mysore based tour operator who specializes in Ashtanga yoga and spirituality retreat packages and corporate trips. Mysore is the world capital of Asthanga yoga where famous yoga gurus like Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar learnt yoga. Map-n-go helps tourists

“Our Ambition 2020 Asia strategy outlines a target of 68,800 Indian visitors per year by 2020, which is more than double the current annual number of Indian visitors to New Zealand,” says Glenn Wedlock, Auckland Airport’s General Manager Aeronautical Commercial. “If we compare December 2013 with December 2012, overall Indian passenger arrivals have increased by 15 per cent, with holidaying Indian visitors up by 12 per cent,” he added.

Commenting on the co-op campaign, Mr. Azahar Hamid, Regional Senior Vice President - South Asia & Middle East, Malaysia Airlines said, “It is our pleasure to be a part of this campaign. India has always been a major source market for us and in conjunction with this campaign we are introducing attractive promotional fares.

Customers can now enjoy award winning MH services with value added services for Indian market. Be it new Indian menu or on board entertainment or increased baggage allowance. We provide seamless connections from six Indian cities to Auckland via Kuala Lumpur.”

This limited period offer can be availed by people who are travelling to Auckland

by Malaysia Airlines. Malaysia Airlines increasing its flight frequency to Auckland from 6 to 7 flights weekly via its home base Kuala Lumpur effective 30 March 2014 onwards.

in selecting the best yoga schools, accommodation close to the shalas they choose, short trips and sightseeing during long stays in shala, and organize all that needed for a yogi’s stay comfortable

Mr. R. S. Nair, MD of Uday Samudra Resort Kovalam receiving Mr. Chiranjeevi, Union Minister of Tourism, Govt of India in the presence of Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister of Sate for Human Resources, Mr. A.P. Anilkumar, Kerala Tourism Minister and Mr. Suman Billa IAS, Secretary, Kerala Tourism at Kovalam, Kerala

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ith the aim of making Kovalam more tourist friendly, the Kovalam Development Project was launched by Union Minister Shrichiranjeevi. Union Minister for Tourism has promised all assistance from the Centre for infrastructure facilities to make Kerala a leading tourism destination. Laying the foundation stone for a Centrally-sponsored Rs. 9.5-crore integrated tourism development project for Kovalam on Harbour Road here on Sunday, the Union Minister praised the State for the commendable work it had done to build infrastructure facilities. “The State should continue with the good work and we are ready to extend all support,” he added.

Mr.Chiranjeevi said better infrastructure facilities were needed to attract tourists to Kerala, which had emerged as a major destination for tourists from all over the world. During the 12th Plan period, the State had been allocated Rs.78.26 crore for six tourism projects by the Centre in 2012. In the current fiscal year, the Union Ministry had till date provided Rs. 13.65 crore for four tourism projects submitted by the State. Mr.Chiranjeevi said the beach resort of Kovalam would become a popular

spot for water sports and surfing after the development of the Light House beach and Samudra beach. “The development works at the beach resort, which is accessible and well connected by road, rail and air, will enhance visitors’ experience,” he added.

Minister for Tourism A.P. Anil Kumar, in his address, said the State would provide a matching amount for the Centrallysponsored project that was kicked off for the overall development of Kovalam.

The Minister said Mr.Chiranjeevi had agreed to give clearance soon for the seven tourism projects submitted by the State.

Kovalam had been given top priority in the development initiatives undertaken by the department. Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development ShashiTharoor, who presided over the function, said the benefits of tourism should reach the locals and the community.

The Union Minister said the International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vizhinjam would take off this year.

The four-laning of NH 66 bypass from Kazhakuttom to Karode would commence soon, he added.

and hassle free. Map-n-go helps to explore the history of Yoga in Mysore and how Mysore style of yoga went on to be so popular in the west. They conduct yoga and Ayurvedic retreats covering major centers in South India.

Apart from that they have backwater packages, specialty accommodation packages like cave houses and tree houses, nature trails and trekking, volunteer tours or vacation with a cause,

Ayurveda packages, and wine tours. They have a proven track record on corporate trips. Map-n-go acts as a reconnoiter, narrator, local expert for an unperturbed travel. They will take you where you want to go, bring you closer to the action and make sure every moment of the vacation is one you’ll remember for a lifetime! It is not the destination that matters but the journey too, so they have tailor-made travel packages which suites everyone’s economy. For more information: www. themapngo.com or info@themapngo.com.

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alkers looking to experience a unique slice of natural New Zealand should look no further than Rotorua’s newly opened Tarawera Trail. Just 20 minutes from the busy tourist town of Rotorua, the Tarawera Trail is predicted to become one of the best walks in New Zealand, attracting upwards of 30,000 visitors per year.

Around 15km of the trail from the Te Wairoa car park to the popular tourist spot of Te Rata Bay (Hot Water Beach) is now complete, making the geo-thermal beach on the edge of Lake Tarawera accessible for walkers and hikers for the first time.

Journey of discovery The Tarawera Trail leads walkers on a journey of discovery around the historically and geographically significant area that was dramatically changed by the devastating volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera. The 1886 eruption buried the Maori Village of Te Wairoa and destroyed the natural marvel of the Pink and White Terraces, once New Zealand’s most famous tourist attraction and hailed as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’.

Highlights of the trail include views of Lake Tarawera, the largest of the series of lakes that surround Mount Tarawera. Waterfalls, native New Zealand forest, wildlife and free flowing streams are also encountered as walkers make their way through Katukutuku Bay, Hawaiki Bay - a pretty picnic and comfort stop -and Te Hinau Bay. The lookout point at Rotomahana allows visitors to catch their breath and take in the beauty of the geothermal area, before descending into Te Rata Bay where boiling natural waters trickle down a small stream and into the lake. Man-made rock pools trap some of the warmer water allowing visitors to bathe, but tourists are advised to take care as some patches of sand can be extremely hot.

Educational trail The walk takes visitors through Lake Tarawera Scenic Reserve and across private land. Panels along the trail offer information about the history and ecology of the water and land around Tarawera, an area that is of special significance to the Tuhotangi, Ngati Rangitihi and Ngati Ninemihi Maori tribes.

The idea for a world-class multi-day track around Lake Tarawera was born nine years ago with the Tarawera Trail Trust aiming to bring opportunities to the tangata whenua (people of the land) and Rotorua locals.

Finally, after a successful partnership with

Department of Conservation (DOC) and local landowners that vision has become reality, helped along with the aid of the local community. Around 1,000 native trees had to be planted to put the finishing touches to the trail carpark and, with 300 left to plant, locals rallied to contribute some muscle to the project.

Great asset Tarawera Trail Trust trustee Te Ohu Mokai Wi Kingi said the opening of the trail is a great asset for Rotorua.

“The volcanic backdrop, geothermal features of the lake, surrounding bush and the cultural and historic stories make this trail one of a kind.”

“The trail is a perfect addition to the region as it has a low impact on the environment and ensures tangata whenua, as kaitiaki [guardians] of the area and continues the stories of their forefathers.”

The one-way walk is expected to take moderately fit walkers around 4-5 hours to complete. Those undertaking the trail are advised to book a water-taxi for the end of their journey in order to get back to the Tarawera Landing.

Transport options There are several tourism operators in the area giving visitors a range of choice. Lake Tarawera Water Taxis provide daily services to and from Te Rata Bay, and Clearwater Cruises operate cruises and charters on Lake Tarawera and the surrounding lakes.

There is also a popular DOC campsite at Te Rata Bay, on the south shores of Lake Tarawera, near the Waimangu Volcanic Valley - another must-see thermal attraction. The Tarawera Trail is a great addition to the already thriving Rotorua tourism industry that has plenty to offer those who are keen to enjoy New Zealand’s great outdoors. The Tarawera Ultramarathon, part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour, passes through Tarawera Forest as competitors make their way from Rotorua to Kawerau.

Rotorua is also home to Te Ara Ahi - a 74km, two-day ride that takes cyclists on a journey of nature, culture and history, and is one of New Zealand’s Great Rides.

The area is also crisscrossed with many other walking/ hiking, and bike trails to explore.

The Tarawera Trail is the first of the proposed network of trails, planned for development in the future, involving DOC and Maori private land owners to connect the 14 Te Arawa lakes in the area.

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he Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Mumbai Office is getting geared for its annual road show, which will take place in Bangalore (10 February), Chennai (12 February) and Ahmedabad (14 February).

The road show will assemble more than 30 key travel partners from Thailand under one roof in each of these important gateway cities. “We have brought together a sizeable contingent of the most relevant hotels, DMCs

and attractions to arm the travel agent for the year ahead,” says Mr. Sethaphan Buddhani, director, TAT Mumbai Office.

The industry-connect event also promises to bolster confidence among travel agents amidst protests in Bangkok. There have been little or no cancellations reported out of India and with the Thailand elections completed on February 02; tourist confidence is expected to increase in the coming weeks.

travel agents reveal that Travel agents will also gain soft-adventure activities macro-level insights into such as ziplining, TAT’s tourism strategy for parasailing and snorkeling the coming months. Mr find their way into almost Pichai Raktasinha, director every Indian itinerary. of ASEAN, South Asia Moreover, tourists – 60 and South Pacific Market per cent of whom are Division will address return travelers – no attending members of the longer restrict themselves travel trade at the event. to Bangkok alone. The A preview on TAT’s Indian market is moving new strategy: Besides beyond Bangkok, Phuket traditional markets which and Pattaya. Chiang Mai, continue to serve the Mr. Sethaphan Buddhani Chai Rai, Koh Kut, Krabi, destination well such as budget-seekers, groups of young people who Hua Hin and Koh Samui are seeing rapidly visit for its nightlife and first-time travelers, escalating demand.

The three-city roadshow is the latest Thailand is also looking to attract the luxuryseeker and the well-travelled tourist that among a host of B2B initiatives in Ahmedabad, could be drawn by unexplored facets of Thai Bangalore and Chennai. For instance, given culture and heritage, such as Muay Thai (Thai the Gujarat market’s focus on Indian food kickboxing). TAT is also creating awareness while on holiday, TAT has worked to ensure about its biggest festivals as part of cultural that travel agents are equipped with names promotions. Songkran; Thailand’s New Year and locations of Indian restaurants across the and Loi Krathong; best recognized by its Kingdom. Meanwhile, consumer-connect floating lanterns are already a big hit among activities promoting niches such as golf and biking trips in Thailand have been a Indians who have experienced them.

For the luxury-seeker, TAT is engaging persistent practice for Chennai and Bangalore travel agents in promoting yacht excursions, markets. TAT has escorted groups of golfers limousine transfers and jet rides, high end and bikers to the destination. Additionally, hotels and exclusive dining, shopping and across all three markets, TAT has been hosting wedding planners on familiarisation entertainment experiences.

Niches such as rural tourism, trips to Thailand.

India remains among Thailand’s top voluntourism and golf tourism are picking up from India. Culinary travel is seeing inbound markets, having crossed a million a large number of takers even if only as a arrivals during 2012. Meanwhile, even component of a larger itinerary. To attract as skeptics anticipated sliding outbound India’s gourmets, TAT is also hosting a Thai numbers in 2013 due to the unstable dollar Food Festival at The Four Seasons, Mumbai and falling rupee, numbers to Thailand remained strong at 1,049, 856 arrivals which from April 8 to April 15, 2014.

Another noteworthy trend is the corresponds to nearly 4 per cent growth expanding scope of Thailand itineraries: over 2012.

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-QUAL Accreditation is celebrating the Ms. Katherine Droga, Tourism people and the passion that represent Australia’s Executive General Manager of Australia’s symbol of tourism quality, Destination Development, says this next the T-QUAL Tick, through its ‘Q-Factor’ phase will provide domestic travellers campaign launched on January 22, 2014. with a behind-the-scenes insight into some The campaign puts the spotlight on quality of the outstanding Australian tourism tourism by showcasing some of the unique operators who are championing quality in personalities at the heart of the tourism the industry by carrying the T-QUAL Tick. industry.

“With more than 10,000 tourism Some of the great Australian tourism businesses around Australia currently operators that will be featured in the T-QUAL endorsed, this campaign is a campaign include: Sydney great way to showcase Coast Walks (NSW); tourism operators that Alto Hotel on Bourke deliver outstanding quality (VIC); Australian Wine experiences to local and Tour Company (VIC); international visitors,” Ms Saffire (TAS); Pennicott Droga said.

Wilderness Journeys “As we celebrate our (TAS); Matteo’s (VIC); BIG4 great nation in the lead-up Cairns Coconut Resort to Australia Day, we’re (QLD); Reef Magic Cruises proud to recognise the (QLD) ; Skyrail Rainforest people who make our Cableway (QLD); Exmouth tourism industry worldCape Holiday Park (WA); class,” Ms Droga said.

Ms. Katherine Droga Ningaloo Ecology Cruises Having experienced (WA); Jacobs Creek Visitor Centre (SA); the calibre of people working at T-QUAL and Nitmiluk Tours (NT). endorsed businesses around Australia Since the Government launched on the T-QUAL Tick Tour; renowned T-QUAL Accreditation in April 2011, chef Matt Moran knows better than most Tourism Australia has run two successful the devotion it takes to create a quality campaigns to promote the T-QUAL Tick experience for visitors.

– including: the T-QUAL Tick Tour with “I had the pleasure of meeting some Matt Moran in 2012 and the world’s first fantastic personalities on the Tour, whose blogger race around Australia in 2013.* passion and energy for what they do was

absolutely contagious. Just as the good memories from a delicious meal, a comfy hotel bed or a spectacular scenic trip makes you want to come back and do it all again, so too does the experience of being looked after by these incredible tourism operators,” says Moran.

The T-QUAL Tick helps consumers to make more informed choices by being able to readily identify Australia’s quality tourism products and services.

Tourism businesses that carry the T-QUAL Tick have undergone rigorous assessment to ensure they deliver a quality experience. These businesses are members of quality assurance schemes that have met the requirements of T-QUAL Accreditation.

There are thousands of great tourism operators that carry the T-QUAL Tick which are easy to find at www.tripadvisor. com.au/tqual * Tourism Australia has run two successful campaigns to promote the T-QUAL Tick and at the end of each campaign has conducted consumer research to measure the campaigns’ effectiveness. This research suggests the campaigns have been very successful, achieving up to a 31% consumer awareness of the T-QUAL Tick.

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‘THE TOWERS’ gives easy access to the

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hotel within a hotel’, the all-new “THE TOWERS”, opens its doors to guests for an unparalleled experience in gracious living. Located in the fashionable Boat Club neighborhood of Chennai, Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers has proven to be an icon within its distinguished surroundings.

This landmark property echoes the city’s effortless amalgamation of heritage within a modern metropolitan reality.

With the reputation of being one of the most sought after luxury Hotel’s in Chennai, the exemplary Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers adds a new dimension to its offering with the launch of the stylish and contemporary exclusive residential facility - ‘THE TOWERS’.

The expansion and renovation of the Sheraton Park has been planned as an enhanced luxury space with the vision that ‘THE TOWERS’ will create an exclusive destination for global business travelers.

While the city of Chennai continues to grow at a rapid pace establishing itself as a business & financial destination; the newly revamped ‘THE TOWERS’ represents a distinguished urban retreat and a fitting tribute to the city’s fast evolving landscape.

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“This strategic extension cements the Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers positioning as a leading 5 Star hotel in the city” says Mr. R.Bhandari, VP-South for ITC Hotels.

Design & Facilities As one steps into the Lobby, a dazzling designer chandelier catches the eye. Suspended from the ceiling, this masterpiece, sourced from Austria, along with rich toned walls, provides a welcoming delight. The urban design ethos is reflected in every facet of the structure as well as the accommodation facilities making “THE TOWERS” a much sought after destination for travellers.

A new façade with gleaming perforated screens allows for maximum natural light and lends a bright and cheerful look to the central Atrium. Envisioned as a comfortable lounge, where one can enjoy a delectable array of Hors d’oeuvres from the patisserie the Atrium is the focal point of ‘THE TOWERS’. The Atrium’s relaxed communal atmosphere and comfortable seating combined with the ability to remain connected to the world through the Link @ Sheraton makes it a uniquely designed social destination for guests to interact. For resident guests, the upscale Towers Club, houses an exclusive Lounge and an elegant Bar providing a more intimate setting for a social rendezvous.

Mr. N Krishnan, General Manager adds, “the refurbished ‘THE TOWERS’ is an aristocratic new addition to the city’s long-standing iconic landmark, Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers. The contemporary design theme of the structure aims to attract the business globe trotter and create an extraordinary and contemporary experience. Complete with the Sheraton class of service and facilities, this new destination is sure to earn distinction with business and leisure travellers. With “THE TOWERS”, we will continue in our endeavour towards providing authentic hospitality to guests.”

Guest Rooms and Spa Accommodation at ‘THE TOWERS’ comprises the Grand Presidential Suite,

which epitomizes luxury, is a sprawling haven complete with an outdoor terrace offering one of the best views of Chennai’s skyline. The Luxury Suite and 19 Corner Suites offer the comforts of space and comfort with Sheraton’s renowned service standards and a round-the-clock butler service to cater to guests’ needs.

The 125 Towers Rooms are tastefully designed keeping in mind the unique requirements of the business traveler with comfortable and contemporary sound proof rooms, luxurious beds, a smart Wi-Fi enabled work area and plush bathrooms with ample space.

Additionally for relaxation and rejuvenation, the ‘Kaya Kalp’ spa offers a

r. V.S. Sivakumar, Minister for Health and Family Affairs, Govt of Kerala lighting the traditional lamp to inaugurate the Health Tourism programme of Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Resort kovalam in the presence of Mr.S. Harikishore IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism, Mr. K.N. Satheesh IAS, District Collector, Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. R.S. Nair, MD of UDS group and Mr Prasad Manjali, Corporate Director of UDS. The Health Tourism project has started in association with Muthoot Health Services and Crowning Glory Dental spa to promote Health Tourism in India and abroad as part of their corporate Social Responsibility programme.

Sheraton Park Hotel allowing one to avail of a variety of accommodation options, smart meeting rooms, large banqueting and conference facilities, a choice of 3 restaurants, a cozy bar, a hip nightclub and a reputable International grill.

Offering a world of comfort and luxury with responsibility at Chennai’s leading 5 star hotel, ‘Where service is anything you want to be’, The Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers’ aims to cater to the every need of its discerning guests.

Sheraton Park Hotel and Towers, Chennai T.T.K. Road, Chennai 600018, Tamil Nadu, India Tel : (91) (44) 24994101 Fax : (91) (44) 24997101, 24997201 Email : reservations.sheratonpark@itchotels.in

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ivanta by Taj Malabar Cochin, UDS Kovalam, CGH Earth Hotels, Somatheeram Ayurveda group, Rainbow Cruise and Riya Travels are among the winners of prestigious Kerala State Tourism Award 2012-13, instituted by Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. Kerala state tourism award for the year 2012-13 announced at Triavndrum by Mr. A.P. Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Kerala in the presence of Mr. Suman Billa IAs, Secretary, Kerala Tourism, Mr. Ali Azgar Pasha IAS, MD, KTDC and Mr. M.S. Venugopal, Deputy Director( Planning) of Kerala Tourism Department at Hotel Mascot, Trivandrum on Feb 26, 2014.

The award for the Best Inbound Tour Operator went to Lotus Destination Management Company based at Cochin while Riya Travels Cochin bagged the best out bound operator award. Vivanta by Taj Malabar Cochin won the best five star deluxe hotel and Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kumarakom and Uday Samudra Kovalam

bagged the best five star and four star hotels category. Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom, The Marari Beach, Mararikulam and Rainbow Cruises Alleppey repeated their winning streak in the Best Heritage Hotel;

Best three star and Best House Boat category respectively this year also. Somatheeram Beach Resort, Kovalam won two award this year for best approved and classified Ayurveda Centre and most innovative use

of Information Technology in Tourism.

Oriental School of Hotel Management, Lakkidi, Wayanad won award for the best hotel management institute.

Most Innovative project in the field of Tourism award goes to Kottayam MEB Residents Association & Tropical institute of Ecological Sciences for their “Evening breeze at 4pm” . Mr. Subramanian, General Manager of Marari Beach Resort, Mararikulam won his second Kerala Tourism award in the Best Hotel Manager category and Wonderla Kochi bagged the Best Destination award.

The other award winners are Mr. Sathyan, Additional Sub Inspector of Police Kannur and Mr. Sanal Kumar, ASI at Cochin (Best Tourism Police), Mr. N.R. Ajayakumar, Thalassery, Kannur and Mr. Subair Elamkulam, Kalpetta (Best Tourism Guides.), Aluva St. Xavier’s Women’s College (Best tourism club) , Ms. Unnimaya, Aluva St. Xaviers Women’s College (Best Student coordinator of Tourism Club), Mr. K.G. Ashokkumar ,, Kottarakkara Thamarakudy Shiva Vilasom Higher Secondary School (Best Teacher coordinator of Tourism Club), Mr. Charlson, Kannur (Best Tourist Life Guard), Mr. B. Muralikrishnan ( Chief News Photographer, Mathrubhumi, Kochi) and Mr. Ajosh Parakkal, Kochi (Best Tourism Photography). Best tourism report award won by Mr. K.C. Krishnakumar of Mathrubhumi Yathra Magazine.

Online version of your favourite Tourism India Magazine now updates two times daily.

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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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February 2014 Vol. 16

No.10

February-March 2014

RNI. No.: KERBIL/1998/7642

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