Voyager's World December'17 by Editor

Vol XV

Issue II

Pages 48

December 2017

Rs 60

HAVE

APP... WILL TRAVEL!

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A journey absolutely unique......

Car rentals, Self drive & Long term leasing

Specialized in High End Vehicles

Head Office: 58/3, 14th Cross, Ejipura, Vivek Nagar Post, Bangalore | Ph: 080 - 2570 4066, 2570 3946, 98453 10730 | Email: booking@rtt.co.in | www.rtt.co.in Branch Offices: Chennai: #114, Defence Colony, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai -600 032 | Mob: +91 74488 12337 | Email: bookingchennai@rtt.co.in Delhi: #5, 3rd Floor, Plot No. 11, LSC, SEC - B, PKT 7, Vasanth Kunj, New Delhi - 1100 070

SOUTH AFRICA’S GOT IT ALL

From Blue Flag beaches to Big Five wildlife safaris, buzzing city life, thrilling adventures, world-class shopping and spectacular surroundings, South Africa is the perfect holiday destination. We invite you, the trade, to be blown away by the variety of experiences and tourism products that our country has to offer at the 2018 South African Tourism Roadshow.

Date

Day

City

Time

Venue

12-Feb

Monday

Mumbai

11:00 – 16:00

Trident Hotel, Nariman Point

14-Feb

Wednesday

Kolkata

10:00 – 14:00

The Oberoi Grand

15-Feb

Thursday

Bangalore

10:00 – 14:00

Taj Vivanta, MG Road

16-Feb

Friday

Delhi

14:00 – 17:00

Le Meridien

19-Feb

Monday

Ahmedabad

10:00 – 15:00

Hyatt Regency

RSVP: Indiaroadshow@southafrica.net

SOUTH AFRICA

Surprise for second-thoughts on travel! The recent move by airlines announcing the revision of their cancellation charges is expected to bring some joy to passengers in this festive season. With domestic airlines having revised their cancellation charges, they shall now charge the base fare plus fuel surcharge or Rs 3000 per passenger, whichever is lower. With low fare wars and sudden deals having become common these days, this decision will bring relief to those flyers who book their air tickets well in advance to avail of such deals. This move will also be welcomed by those who face cancellation charges on tickets for short sectors and for fares that are lower than Rs. 3000. As we come to the end of yet another eventful year, it cannot be denied that apps, new age travellers and business with leisure have been talked about a lot in the industry whose operations also took a revamp post the implementation of the GST a few months ago. While we do not know if 2018 will usher in more reforms and changes in policies, we do know that this year's long and extended weekends have seen a surge in the number of families and groups planning getaways. As the travel industry and the traveller become savvier with technology, innovative concepts in travel will continue to shape up the idea of vacation in 2018 too, which is why we have featured apps as the cover in this edition. Until then, dear readers, here is wishing you the Season's Warm and Joyous Greetings and a Happy New Year with great prosperity and new trips checked off your bucketlist! Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Creative Head

Senior Designer

Rohit Hangal rohit@voyagersworld.in

EDIT

Assistant Editor

Irene Susan Eapen irene@voyagersworld.in

Shyam Vishnot Dinesh Kotian shyam@voyagersworld.in dinesh@spheretravelmedia.com

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Industry Buzz Hospitality

Cover Story Latest developments in travel apps

fro A m Po So st ut ca h rd Af ric a

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India Outbound Destination, interviews with NTOs

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SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

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JHARKHAND TRAVEL MART

19 - 21 January 2018 | Ranchi w w w. j h a rk h a n d t r ave l m a r t . c o m

The Jharkhand Travel & Tourism Exchange Eastern India’s leading Tourism Exhibition

19 - 21 January 2018

Mega Sports Complex, Hotwar, Khelgaon, Ranchi Invest in the Tourism Market of tomorrow! • • • •

Reach out to the Eastern India’s biggest B2B travel marketplace! A growing middle-class has made Jharkhand called 'The Retail Market of Tomorrow' Excellent connectivity to destinations across India! Enhanced Rail, Road and Air links 150 Hosted Buyers and media from all over India - Online Appointment B2B System

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For more information: ‘Jharkhand Travel Mart’ Secretariat Ews-63, Harmu Housing Colony, Harmu, Ranchi, India | Ph: +91 86031 76713, +91 88097 39793 | Fax: +91 80 4083 4101 info@jharkhandtravelmart.com | www.jharkhandtravelmart.com | www.jharkhandtourism.gov.in

Industry Buzz

6>>

Israel relaxes visa norms for Indians

NYC & Company unveils new global tourism campaign

srael simplified the visa rules for Indian passport holders who have availed visas of Schengen countries, USA, Canada, Australia or Israel and have completed their travel to these countries. For these travellers, documents include a valid passport, completed visa application form, 2 photographs, cover letter, traveller’s insurance and passport copy. Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism, India, said, “We are also working on an express service with VFS to be introduced soon. We are also working for e-visa processing and easing group visa process.”

YC & Company revealed a new global tourism campaign titled 'True York City' that showcases the culture produced

by the 8.5 million residents of New York City’s five boroughs. ‘True York City’ is running across 17 countries including the US this fall through next spring. Graphics include an apple (‘The Big Apple’), five noise lines to represent the boroughs and the lively, energetic sound of NYC, and a heart, in homage to the love for NYC as well as to the iconic ‘I Love NY’ logo.

IHG signs pact to open two hotels in Varanasi by 2021

Udaipur wins National Award by CN Traveller

ith the presence of many celebrities and other special guests from Travel & Trade, Conde Nast Traveller held a ceremony at Aerocity New Delhi, where Divya Thani, Editorin-Chief of the magazine gave away the runnerup award to Chhattrapal, Officer of Rajasthan Tourism, Rajasthan Tourist Information Centre, New Delhi. Besides being the Favourite Leisure Destination for tourists, Udaipur also serves as the Favourite Wedding Destination for them. It is to be noted that few days back Udaipur was awarded the ‘Best Wedding Destination’ as well.

Kerala’s first BOT model ecotourism project opens to public

‘

Adventure Rock Hill’ of Jatayu Earth's Center is now open to public. Located at Chadayamangalam in Kollam, Jatayupara Nature Park was renamed Jatayu Earth's Center. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Co-Operation, Tourism and Devaswom, Govt. of Kerala, said, “The tourism department of Kerala has always been keen to promote adventure to woo vacationers from all over the world.”

nterContinental Hotels Group recently signed a franchise agreement with the JHV group for two new properties in Varanasi. Both hotels are expected to be operational by 2021. Crowne Plaza® Varanasi will be situated closer to the commercial hub of Varanasi, catering to business & leisure segments and to premium, local social events. Holiday Inn® Varanasi will serve the Buddhist circuit due to its proximity to Sarnath and the airport, once the new bypass road is completed. It will have 180 rooms. Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG, said, “With these signings in Varanasi, we continue to be on track to having 150 hotels open or in our pipeline within in the next 10-15 years.”

Indigo enhances network with eight new flights

ndiGo introduced eight additional flights across its network between Hyderabad-Jammu and Jaipur-Jammu, amongst other routes with effect from 1 January, 2018. The airline will also add new frequencies from Hyderabad to Varanasi and Jaipur. The new flights are designed to cater to business and leisure travellers, with over 900 daily flights connecting 46 destinations.

Westin Hotels & Resorts debuts in Kolkata, Rajarhat

estin Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International Inc., opens its eighth hotel in India, The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat. The hotel features 314 guestrooms and suites. The hotel features over 50,000 square feet of function spaces for meeting, conferences, corporate events and weddings. Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President, South Asia, Marriott International said, “The opening of the second Marriott hotel in Kolkata, and the first under the Westin brand, marks a great milestone for Marriott International.”

Voyager’s World > December 2017

2 Nights Hong Kong & 2 Nights Macao Booking and Stay period: Now - 15 February 2018

Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central @ USD 421 The Parisian Macao

@ USD 451

The Venetian Macao

@ USD 511

Conrad Macao, Cotai Central

@ USD 498

Above mentioned rates are per person on twin sharing basis

Hong Kong Inclusions

Macao Inclusions

• Akquasun welcome kit with 1 GB internet sim card in Hong Kong for every paying adult • 2 nights accommodation in HARBOUR GRAND KOWLOON Hong Kong • Daily breakfast at the hotel. • Pvt coach transfer in Hong Kong (Airport - Hotel - Pier) • SIC Hong Kong city night tour - One Way Peak Tram to Victoria Peak, Star Ferry Ride from HK to Kowloon, Old Clock Tower, and Symphony of Light Show - During the visit in the Peak, we are now providing an option for guest to explore Madame Tussauds at own expenses • Ferry tickets (Hong Kong - Macao)

• • • •

Two nights accommodation for two guests Coach transfer in Macau by hotel free shuttle bus (Pier - Hotel - Pier) Daily breakfast or lunch at Sands Resorts Macao designated outlets One - Way Cotai Water Jet Cotai class tickets from Macao to Hong Kong; or Gondola Ride; or Entries to Qube/ Qube 2/ Qube Kingdom; or Entries to Aqua World; or Eiﬀel Tower Observation deck admission tickets; or Planet J admission for two guest • Macao Discovery tour; or Monkey King - China Show tickets for two guests; or Shopping and Dining dollars • Deluxe Privilege Booklet ( SANDS RESORT MACAO)

Terms and Conditions Apply Condition: Rate are subject to change without prior notice. Package is subject to availability. Supplement will apply for weekend & peak day arrival. Blackout dates apply.

AKQUASUN HOLIDAYS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

CORPORATE OFFICE : Options Primo, Unit No. 501/502, Cross Road No. 21, MIDC, Andheri (East), Mumbai-400093 INDIA. TEL : +91-22-6134 1515 FAX : +91-22-6134 1516 CONTACT: contact@akquasun.com WEBSITE : www.akquasun.com

AKQUASUN HONG KONG HOLIDAYS

CONTACT: it@akquasun.com

Industry Buzz

VisitScotland marks 20th anniversary of Bollywood Classic

8>> Ireland launches first tourism campaign in space

et-jetting fans of the iconic Bollywood film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai will get the

chance to follow in the footsteps of their on-screen heroes with a new guide produced by VisitScotland. A trip planner, taking in all Scottish locations used in the 1998 flick, was created for tour operators as part of VisitScotland’s recent travel trade mission to India and the UAE. Eilean Donan Castle, Blackrock Cottage, Glen Coe, Bass Rock and Tantallon Castle, Loch Tulla, Inchmahome Priory and Crossraguel Abbey featured in the movie and in the title song.

Golden Sarovar Portico opens in Amritsar

lanet Earth’s first interstellar tourism campaign has taken off – highlighting a destination that is truly out of this world. Perched above the earth in space, a billboard advertising “Earth’s Wild Atlantic Way” features Skellig Michael, an island off Ireland’s south-west coast – otherwise known as Luke Skywalker’s hide-out in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. As the world sits in anticipation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Tourism Ireland is celebrating the film’s release with the first tourism campaign in space.

VFS expands Cyprus VACs in four new cities

FS Global expanded the Cyprus Visa Application Centres in India with centres now launched in Thiruvananthapuram, Goa, Gurugram, and Jaipur. The centre in Thiruvananthapuram was inaugurated by His Excellency Demetrios A. Theophylactou, High Commissioner of Cyprus to India. The High Commissioner said, “The centre will work closely with the Consular Department of the High Commission to achieve the goal of timely and efficient issuance of visas.”

arovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. launched the Golden Sarovar Portico Amritsar in the hub of the city and close to the Golden Temple. The hotel is suitable for business travellers as well as tourists and pilgrims who travel to the city for visit to Golden Temple and JallianwalaBagh. Golden Sarovar Portico Amritsar offers all modern facilities including restaurant, bar, banquet hall, meeting room, fitness room and other amenities at par with international standards. Accommodation is categorized into Superior Rooms, Executive Rooms, Deluxe Suites and Presidential Suite. Dining options includ all-day dining Flavours, a lounge bar Chill and poolside rooftop restaurant Terrace Grill.

SA Tourism announces key appointments

outh African Tourism has promoted Hanneli Slabber as the Regional General Manager Asia, Australia and Middle East. Her new role is intended to bring better synergies to the tourism board’s operations in the region. With seven years of experience in SA Tourism’s India office, she will be continuing to guide and influence its operations going ahead. Alpa Jani has been promoted to the key trade relations and marketing role for the MEISEA region. She has to her credit seven years of experience as Trade Relations Manager at SA Tourism’s Mumbai office.

IDS Next completes 2-way integration of its PMS with Maximojo

Akquasun to organize roadshow in Chennai

DS Next Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd integrated its hotel property management system (PMS) with Maximojo’s channel manager platform. This integration would assist mutual clients of both IDS Next and Maximojo to extract real-time inventory related data from the hotel property management system in order to push the same to connected OTAs via Maximojo’s channel manager platform. “This integration helps our clients to manage the flow of inventory to multiple OTAs via Maximojo’s platform. Similarly, this integration enables Maximojo channel management solution to transfer bookings from OTAs to the hotel PMS,” said Binu Mathews, Chief Executive Officer at IDS Next.

Visit California leads maiden CEO delegation to India

delegation of 11 CEOs embarked upon their first California tourism CEO mission to India in November. Led by Caroline Beteta, Visit California President & CEO, the mission began on 13 November in Mumbai with meetings and events with key tourism and film industry officials before moving to New Delhi where it concluded with a press conference and media interviews. “We are very excited for the opportunity that the India market presents for travel to California and see this mission as an important step in introducing California to Indian travellers,” said Caroline Beteta.

kquasun Group will conduct roadshow on 18 January 2018 in Chennai. The roadshow is aimed to give participants an opportunity to connect with Akquasun DMCs from across the world, its hospitality partners and business to business online team.

Incredible India

10>>

Growing number of explorers prefer 'walking' it up and close! IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Dr. Sachin Bansal, Chief Explorer, Founder, India City Walks, notes the growing interest among travellers to experience a place first-hand by foot.

ndia City Walks is a unique citycentric travel initiative that aims to explore a destination on foot. It seeks to highlight a city’s distinct culture, history and heritage through first-hand travel experiences over an innate understanding of the traveller’s preferences.

& Founder of India City Walks, introduced its popular trails. “Our popular themes are India Food Trails, Old Delhi heritage walk, 1857 Mutiny Tour and Dastan-e-Delhi. We also provide customized Old Delhi Rickshaw tours, exploring the historical monuments of Delhi like Feroz Shah Kotla, Old Fort, Red Fort and Qutb Complex. Our specialties also include tours of heritages sites like Nizamuddin, Hauz Khas and Lodhi Garden and a host of cultural experiences which comprise a range of specialized itineraries for tourists to indulge in genuine cultural experiences and appreciate Indian festivities like Holi and Ramzan. We also have specialized offside travel experiences and bespoke travels for corporates.”

Dr. Sachin Bansal, Chief Explorer

“We have noticed that Indian travellers are better informed and travelled and have an exploration streak in them. People want to witness, explore and feel an emotive connect with the diversified beauty that is in India and its different cities, each having a different culture and history of its own.” “Travellers ranging from a 20-year old travel newbie who wants to experience the cultural and culinary diversities of a city to the 60-year old traveller who wants to relive the experience of an era gone by form an innate part of our tour groups. We focus on experiential tourism and thematic heritage walks of heritage sites, historical monuments, city tours, food trails and also provide specialized tour itineraries for

people wanting to experience the varied festivals and customs of India. Our themes are centered on heritage, spiritual trips, festivals, food, nightlife, bazaar, photography and rickshaw tours.” City Tours “Bespoke city-based tours have been a hit with the tourists. In 2016 and 2017, the specialized city tours have been a much sought-after tour category with people and we have seen tourist numbers growing substantially. There has been an overwhelming response to our tour packages and the young and the old alike have evinced interest in discovering city heritage and history. We expect the market to grow by leaps and bounds in 2018,” he concluded.

Women travel takes on new preferences and stay patterns IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

The spending and stay patterns of women travellers have visibly evolved, says Hetal Doshi, Founder, The Wander Girls.

he Wander Girls (TWG) is a platform that curates trips and travel experiences for the discerning woman traveller who wishes to explore a place with a like-minded woman. TWG’s Founder Hetal Doshi highlights special tours for women travellers, trends and growth patterns in

Voyager’s World > December 2017

the near future. “In the first half of 2016, we saw a good growth and then found it challenging from November 2016 post demonetization. Yet, we are back with an upward trajectory for 20172018. With the implementation of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) this year, we believe it is hard to predict the actual growth especially in standalone luxury hotel booking which a lot of women travellers picked previously for staycations.” On the relevance of social media today in promoting travel as an experience and not just a product that developed from a story one might have heard or gorgeous pictures, she says, “If your friends or family have been talking about it, then the inclination shoots off the

roof. So, we have a simple formula to create the online content through stories and pictures or videos that make people want to travel.” Client demographics There is an age to travel, avers Hetal, while noting a significant number of women travellers in the age group of 25 - 35 years in her clientele. For some trips though, the age of the participants varies from 18 to 65 years and some other tours have health and fitness tours as their main focus. Nowadays, a lot of younger women between 24-28 years opt for budget trips or weekend getaways, whereas women in the 30+ age group have more disposable income and the desire to travel beyond the borders.

On international trips, most women travellers prefer to stay at high-end hotels. Special tours TWG offers a variety of weekend getaways, domestic trips and international holidays. This year, it organized weekend getaway trips to Kaas Plateau in Maharashtra, trips to Kerala, Goa, Ladakh and Sikkim and international trips to Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Europe. “We try to include activities like sightseeing, shopping, trekking/ walking and exploring local cuisine. Besides this, our sister brand Tripcooker that specializes in MICE, senior citizen tours, food trails and tours for High Networth Individuals (HNIs) who are very selective about their travel experiences.”

KARNATAKA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL EXPO 2018 28 February - 2 March

Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Tumkur Road

Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka #49, 2nd Floor, Khanija Bhavan, Race Course Road, Bangalore 560 001 Tel: 080-2235 2828 | Fax: 080-2235 2626 info@karnatakaexpo.com | www.karnatakatravelexpo.com

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Hospitality

12>>

Kerala's backwaters see rising interest among MICE groups IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Satheesh Karunakaran, Chief Operating Officer, Backwater Ripples Kumarakom, talks about latest business travel trends in his property.

ackwater Ripples Kumarakom Kumarakom is rapidly growing to be an outstanding performer in terms of business volumes from MICE and corporate clients, both domestic and international. Notwithstanding the growth in occupancy and business on one hand, most of the developments and infrastructural and service facilities of properties, in

general, are dependent on domestic tourism, opines the property’s Chief Operating Officer Satheesh Karunakaran, while highlighting initiatives of Kerala Tourism to boost tourist inflow. “Some of the initiatives of Kerala Tourism as well as bodies like Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) have evoked a lot of domestic and international interest in Kerala. The supporting infrastructure in key tourist destinations, especially the condition of the roads and other civic amenities, needs further improvement.” “The use of new technology and social media, OTA and combination of traditional travel agents enabled us to sell rooms in a more convincing way to meet the expectation of guests and, in turn, helped simplify

the revenue generating process. We have noticed high spending patterns of Non-Resident Indians (NRI) tourists who are encouraged to stay longer with the experience tourism. The property is set to have 30 additional rooms by the end of 2018 in order to cater to the growing MICE demand. “Backwater Ripples Kumarakom offers the best convention facility, especially for companies and associations looking to organise business events. We are devising plans and programmes to be the MICE destination. We will continue with the campaigns for promoting honeymoons and destination weddings, special interest groups that are into responsible tourism activities based on cultural, agricultural and

gastronomic experiences. We have organized successful offsite training programmes with various associates for top level managements as well as middle level managers. The growth of CMI and other medical offsite programmes give us ample opportunity to serve better.” Guest demographics MICE, Weddings and Leisure are very important segments for a destination like Kumarakom. “After the recent ATOAI conference, we are planning to add a few more adventure-activities which will create opportunities for our guests to discover the hidden adventurespirit. We have also had travellers other than MICE groups. Families constitute 60% of our guests.”

Epicurean hospitality in the heart of Bangkok IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

The city's gastronomy will be keenly promoted by Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, says Jee Hoong Tan, Director of Sales & Marketing.

ocated in the heart of Bangkok, Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, the city’s only urban city resort has been closely working with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to promote the city’s shopping and gastronomical experiences. “Our hotel offers breathtaking views of the lush garden and the free-form swimming pool. The

Voyager’s World > December 2017

uniqueness of our property is the Cabana Room and Duplex Cabana, offering direct pool access from a private terrace,” said Jee Hoong Tan, the hotel’s Director of Sales & Marketing while talking about the hotel’s guest trends and future plans. “We have been working closely with TAT to promote Bangkok as a destination for shopping and gastronomy through Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, which is our signature modern-Thai restaurant and also by showcasing ourselves as a family getaway and a wedding destination.” “On an average, Indian travellers stay for two to three days at our property. We have had travellers who enjoyed savouring every moment of their stay in our hotel

regardless of whether they were on business trip or for leisure.“ The hotel organizes offsite tours and team outings. In addition to the classic cultural sightseeing tours, it has designed the ‘Bangkok by Food’ programme which offers private tours organized by its concierge to enable food lovers to relish the city's best local street

food. Expansion Plans “In 2018, we are opening properties in Bali and Yangon; while new hotels in Busan, South Korea and Kuala Lumpur will open in 2020. India has always been our targeted market and we are constantly looking for partners to work with,” he signs off.

Hospitality

13>>

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts unveils global development plans MAYAA V

Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, talks about the existing portfolios, expansion and anticipated growth by 2020.

arovar Hotels & Resorts has unveiled a target of 100 hotels by the year 2020. Ajay K Bakaya, the group’s Managing Director reveals the hotel’s expansion and promotional plans for the forthcoming year. “We will be undertaking promotional activities for positioning and branding of our upcoming hotel launches

in 2018 through introductory offers and other benefits. We will continue to carry forward our ‘Happiness at Sarovar’ campaign offering four tangible delights to our guests including Flexi Check-in/check-out, customized breakfast by our chef, takeaway breakfast with early check-out and complimentary high speed Wi-Fi access. While we are not partnering with any organization currently, we are likely to work on an exclusive campaign promoting our diverse portfolio,” he says. The group’s portfolio includes both the business hotels as well as leisure properties. While the majority of its guests are business travellers, its leisure clientele accounts for

approximately 40% of the total. In addition to this, it is also focusing on conferences and banquets which are growing exponentially. With a target of 100 hotels by 2020, Sarovar has signed new hotels already in smaller cities like Ajmer, Jhansi, Dibrugarh, Guhagarh, Junagadh, Gorakhpur and Dalhousie. The expected openings in 2018 include hotels in Raipur, Jaisalmer, MahipalpurNew Delhi and Bengaluru. “We are focusing on expanding our international footprint too. This year, our value brand Hometel made its international debut as we signed our fourth hotel in Nairobi. We signed another Sarovar Portico

hotel in Dar-Es-Salaam which is our second hotel in the city. Further, we have new openings expected in Zambia and Addis Ababa. “We have had an average occupancy rate of 65% throughout all markets. We expect the growth to be somewhere in the vicinity of 10% across our hotels.” Challenges in the market Ajay says the major challenge that the industry faces is the rigid regulatory environment. Citing a need to simplify the processes to get licenses and permissions, he remarked that regulations such as liquor ban, demonetization and GST had impacted business in the short run.

Indian FITs evince keen interest in Thai wines IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Heribert Gaksch, Marketing & Business Development (Hospitality), PB Valley Khao Yai Winery, comments on response from the Indian market to his winery. travellers; so, we are not expecting a tremendous growth in 2018.”

Indian market “We have noticed a few Indian tourists coming over to Khao Yai through the great efforts of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) offices in Mumbai and New Delhi, but the response has been slow. We do have some FIT bookings with mostly small groups of two to six persons only. Presently, beach destinations are attracting Indian

Wine Tours The winery offers five daily schedules for wine tours through the vineyard and the winery, followed by a wine tasting session. As an added attraction, it has recently introduced a new flower park over an area of 25,600 sq m which is now open during the high season. Other activities like the recent 3rd Hug Khao Yai Activity that attracted over 1,000 cyclists and our yearly harvest festival on 3 February 2018 will continue. It also has a mini Farmer Markets to enable small farmers from nearby areas to offer their produce.

Presently, the winery has five main crops of wines namely Shiraz, Tempranillo and Dornfelder under red wine category and Chenin Blanc and Colombard in the white wine category. Other wines such as the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Durif are still under development.

Wine varieties

Tourist demographics

“We have observed that about 40% of our tourists are Thai and about 60% are foreigners. The 60% foreign visitors are mainly from Singapore, Malaysia and Western tourists; some are from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia. We have also had small groups from Vietnam and Myanmar.”

www.voyagersworld.in

Cover Story

14>>

HAVE APP... WILL TRAVEL! IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

In the gamut of technology in the travel and tourism industry, applications or apps have radically transformed the travel and hotel booking experience.

Sanjay Mohan, Group CTO MakeMyTrip

Travellers are looking for apps that will help them simplify their travel needs end to end and provide access to reviews, purchase comparison and local recommendations. The travel apps will continue to play important role in the future of the travel industry as customers are increasingly looking for a more personalised service and local experience.

ravel apps are poised to be the next big thing to radically change the face of the travel industry with the proliferation of smart phone; a phenomenon that has transformed travel planning and booking. With algorithms and search patterns driving the features and product listings on apps, a travel app has become easy to manage oour preferences and make our travel payments online, be it booking a hotel or flight tickets or attending any travel shows. Travel apps are widely used across all age groups in an increasing rate for updates on their trip and are also convenient for users to check on the weather conditions, search for hotels, restaurants and nearby attractions, and transportation. Observing the spread of apps

Voyager’s World > December 2017

in the industry, Anil Goel, Chief Technology Officer, OYO Rooms, explains, “Travel apps have great scope for development given the pace at which the market for mobile apps is expanding and the various possibilities that they can offer users. The ease and expediency that travel apps have brought to travellers has led to a burgeoning growth of the industry, which in turn, can be supported and enhanced through even more technologydriven innovations.”

MakeMyTrip (MMT), believes that technology has been instrumental in transforming the way the travel industry operates. “From searching through travel-books to visiting local travel agents, today everything is available at your finger-tips,” Sanjay states.

“Given the array of advantages offered by mobile applications, their usage is growing by leaps and bounds, and expected to continue further with gross annual revenue from this market projected to exceed USD 189 billion by 2020,” he added.

Popular travel apps used in India Some of the widely used apps used in India include the IRCTC Connect for rail bookings, RedBus for bus bookings, OYO for hotels, Tripadvisor for on-trip recommendations and Booking.com and Cleartrip for travel-related services. Right from solo travellers to first-time tourists, more and more people are adopting mobile apps to search for solutions while on a trip given the convenience and speed of access.

Sharing a similar opinion as Anil, Sanjay Mohan, Group CTO

Anil says, “With the vast geographic and cultural diversity of India,

travel apps are a boon for travellers for solo trips, family vacations or corporate outings. The primary idea behind creating any mobile service is to provide accessibility to the customer. By incorporating the same into travel, we can provide a seamless experience which encourages more users to adopt the technology.” Impact of travel apps on growth in travel industry Sanjay notes that the exponential growth in smartphone usage has resulted in consumers preferring to use mobile apps over desktop platforms. As such, the trend has led to a much higher traffic and bookings through MakeMyTrip app. The main idea of launching the app was to provide customers with a better user interface and personalised options. He observes that with over 101

Cover Story

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million cumulative app downloads and 15 million monthly active mobile users, the number of people using MMT’s apps to book their various travel needs has grown phenomenally, from teens researching in-app and helping parents decide their holiday plans to older people planning their pilgrimage. “It is not only the consumers but also the suppliers who are preferring to use apps to monitor and track business growth on the move with the apps. By helping consumers research, plan, book and share their travel in-app, and focussing big on user experience we have seen close to 80% of our hotel bookings and 45% of flight bookings take place through mobile,” he adds. Anil states, “Travel apps offer customers customized solutions

at every step of their journey, from finding their preferred services to getting the best deals with the convenience of making payments online. Apps allow customers to remain updated at each stage of the trip, enabling a stress-free travel experience. In addition to these apparent benefits, mobile apps also help create a personalized channel of communication between service providers and customers. It is fair to say that mobile apps act as a key element in improving the overall experience of the user. OYO app is one of India’s most popular hotel-booking apps, with over 10 million downloads. More than 90% of OYO bookings are driven by our own platforms - website, mobile, call-centre and the app is a majority contributor to this. The app enables hotel-booking across 230 cities in India, Malaysia and Nepal in just three taps, in less than five seconds.

Its simplified user interface makes the experience seamless.” Age group of travellers using the app While the usage of MMT app has been across all age groups at a very fast pace, the OYO app has been used by a cross-section of travellers to book hotels across the country. However, Oyo app has also seen a higher propensity among millennial travellers. The reason for this, Anil informs, is its offering of hasslefree affordable hotels on-demand ties in with the impulsive-planning behaviour of millennial customers. “We operate in the value economy segment and young customers looking for affordable holidays are among our biggest patrons. Other significant guest cohorts for OYO include first-jobbers in a different city, students travelling for exams and internships, and corporate travellers.”

Benefits to the industry Citing the relevance of apps for business and leisure travellers for their travel planning, booking and hotel reservations, Sanjay says the convenience of apps is required in today’s times. “Travel apps are helping the growth of the industry by offering ease and convenience to travellers in making their travel booking with just a few taps on the app. Travel mobile apps not only offers users the ease of hotel and flight bookings but also offer end to end solutions for all the travel requirements.” “Travel apps go beyond acting as mere e-travel agents. They allow users to check weather conditions, navigate, search for hotels, restaurants and nearby attractions and seek transportation, in addition to booking travel services. With respect to travel companies, mobile

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Cover Story

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Anil Goel, Chief Technology Officer, OYO Rooms

Travel apps are benefiting the travellers and also developing in a faster pace as mobile apps are expanding in the industry. The ease and convenience that travel apps have brought to travelers leads to a budding growth of the industry which can be enhanced through even more technology-driven innovations. new apps to look forward to this year a. LinCodes: When in a new city, getting lost is practically expected. That’s why a handy way-finding app is a necessary addition to your arsenal. Especially one that locates your location in as precise a manner as possible and generates a simple 12-digit numeric code for even the most complex address. Also, this app works offline! So now, you no longer have to worry about where you are, how to pronounce the name of the location or figure out how to communicate it to somebody. LinCodes will do it all for you. b. Smart 24x7: A security app that’s linked to the police! Sounds interesting? That’s the beauty of Smart 24x7! With a special panic button that connects directly to the police or to a pre-designated emergency contact, a feature that allows it to click photos or record audio/video of a particular situation and unique tracking features, this app has everything to keep you safe in a new place.

apps allow them the best possible avenue to assimilate data for their Customer Management System (CMS). This apart, these apps afford one of the best marketing platforms when it comes to reaching the target audience effectively. User adoption is a clear indicator of the success of mobile apps in this sector. Studies indicate that close to 70% of travellers use at least two mobile apps when taking a vacation or short trip, with frequent travellers using an even greater number of travel apps, clearly demonstrating their value. OYO, for instance, offers guests the OYO hotel booking app that allows them to secure a room of their choice in just three clicks,” said Anil. Marketing Plans Anyone using the OYO app for the first time is entitled to a 25% discount. Oyo’s recently launched ‘Tue Good

Voyager’s World > December 2017

Tuesdays’ promotion offers a mix of OYO Money and cash backs. It is also running a year-end holiday sale offering 50% off on select hotels. Trends Sanjay states, “Today’s travellers prefer apps that provide personalised offerings and deliver relevant and localized recommendations. I feel that apps will continue to play pivotal role in the future of the travel industry as customers are increasingly looking for a more personalised service and local experience.” Travel is more popular than ever before and everyone who travels has his/her own reasons, preferences and styles. Anil opines that the common belief that leisure and business reside at the epicentre of travel plans has

gone out of vogue. “Emergence of tech-powered solutions has enabled last-minute easy booking fuelling a new trend of impulse planning and same-city bookings, i.e., booking a hotel in the city of residence. Customers are choosing to make and execute plans on a real-time basis. We see many guests now booking an OYO for reasons such as late nights at work, to spend quality time with their loved ones and friends or just to avoid a long and stressful commute in case of heavy traffic jams." "This year, we have witnessed a growth in the share of same-city bookings. 58% bookings at OYO are made within 24 hours prior to checkin, in fact, 16% bookings are what we call ‘last-minute’ bookings, i.e., made just one hour prior to checkin. For our corporate users, the OYO app doubles as the platform for their

corporate bookings. All they have to do is shift between a toggle. Thus, we offer a seamless end-to-end experience to our customers with OYO app being the one-stop solution for all their travel needs.” In today's time and age, the mobile is here to stay and so are apps. Constant use of apps for travel bookings will eventually lead to an increase in brand engagement and customer loyalty. With the high surge in travel apps, there will be more competitive features aimed at providing the user an effective experience. In the days to come in a technologically young market like India, the travel industry will stand to gain with sustainable and userfriendly apps that can be understood and easily used by the smartphone users across the key metro cities as well as the Tier 2 and 3 cities and of course, the millennials.

Incredible India

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Cascading wonders of Jharkhand! VW BUREAU

The mineral rich state of Jharkhand boasts of a naturally picturesque landscape that is interspersed with many majestic waterfalls, streams and reservoirs that are great getaways for nature lovers.

Panch Ghagh Falls Located on the way to Simdega on the Ranchi-Chaibasa Road, it is about 50 km from the state capital. Being a series of five waterfalls in a row the destination is known by the name of PanchGhagh or even PanchDhara. It is an ideal picnic spot amidst lush greenery. The cascading water of Swarnarekha, foaming through the naturally occurring gradual terrain of the rock is a sight to behold. The place is usually frequented by the revellers on the New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve. It is in the vicinity of the Hirni Falls. Hirni Falls It is another fascinating waterfall with tranquil surroundings; it is situated 70 km from Ranchi on way to Chakradharpur. Situated amidst dense forests, River Swarnarekha, tumbles in wild abandon from a considerable height as a Hirni or wild deer. The cracks, crevices and the chasms across the mountain ridges or the tall trees that obstruct the general course of the river have split it into a number of miniature rivulets that restlessly meander their way down. It is however ideal for a day visit, given the dense forests around. Burudih Lake Flanked by hillocks, the Burudih Lake in the Ghatshila Block in East

Singhbhum is a favourite site for water sports. There are facilities for motor and pedal boating, with upcoming provisions for water surfing and banana rides. The hillocks surrounding the lake are a part of the oldest rock site in the world. The forests covering the low hills are a part of the elephant corridor from the Dalma range to Midnapur in West-Bengal. You may be lucky to spot trekking elephants, along the hills. From the railway station auto rickshaws are easily available for reaching Burudih Lake. Ghatsila is 136 km from Ranchi. Burudih Lake is 9 km from Ghatsila Block. Sarju Valley Sarju valley is located at Garu block of Latehar district in Jharkhand, India. It is situated 20km away from sub-district headquarter Garu and 25km away from district headquarter Latehar, If you are planning to drive to Netarhat via Latehar, you might come across Latehar -Sarju Road, which is an alternate route. Indra Waterfall The Indra Waterfall is near Tubed village of Latehar District in the state of Jharkhand. The area is covered by dense forests, mountains, and rivers. This is a wonderful 30-foot waterfall

that can be best seen during the monsoon season. You could also visit the tubed cave and tubed Dams, which are close by to the waterfalls. Usri Falls The untamed River Usri, gushes down from the Parasnath hill, about 40 feet high in three separate streams. It is located about 14 km away from east of Giridih Town. The National Highway 34 from Dhanbad to Giridih, branches in through a valley to rise up on a hill, midst a forest of Sal trees. Trailing this green forest road, you reach down slope, reaching the base of the falls. This is in the form of a broad stony surface, nearly 100 feet wide. The flow of the water in powerful torrents has sculpted the rocks and boulders in various shapes and sizes. They help you to balance your way in the midst of the waterfalls and bathe in its beauty. It is hard to resist the rocks, laced by wild greenery and flowers growing in abandon coupled with the foamy and frothy waters that surge forth to greet you. Not to forget, there is also a watch tower which provides a wide view of the falls, till the southern hills of Parasnath. It is a favourite picnic spot, which is thronged by the revelers during Christmas and New Year.

Suga Bandh Waterfall Suga Bandh Waterfalls near Baresand is located in Latehar District of Jharkhand. It is close to the Palamu Tiger Reserve and situated about 60 km from Betla. Moti Jharana This spot is considered to be a very beautiful picnic spot in the region. The place gained fame for its natural, scenic beauty, which serves as a good relaxation spot for many visitors and tourists. A natural stream said to be having its source in the Rajmahal Hills of Sahibganj district, flows quietly and adds to the allure and charm of the place. Moti Jharna is situated near the town of Maharajpur which is 9.7kms from Sahibganj. Sita Fall Through it is one of the lesser known waterfalls, none the less your trip of the waterfalls in Ranchi is incomplete without a visit here. Being close to Jonha, it is not difficult to reach either. The rocky gradient down where the water trickles, seems to have been sculpted by none other than Nature herself. The view caresses away both your physical and mental strains, leaving you recharged as the fresh and foaming waters of the falls.

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Incredible India

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recounting 'tails' wildlife PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

n the past few issues, we have been extensively featuring the lesser known and exotic attractions of South Africa along its famed Garden Route. On a familiarization trip organized by South African Tourism in September this year, a group of travel agents and media experienced several adventure activities and went up and close to the wildlife of South Africa. From the Birds of Eden and Monkeyland in the Plettenberg Bay to the various game reserves across the route, the safaris facilitated great close-ups with the jungle kings, winged and wonders as we learnt about how some of the species were actually rehabilitated. Birds of Eden The Birds of Eden shelters around 3500 or more feathered wonders of varied hues and sizes in 220 different types of species. The tour along the sanctuary takes about an hour and as the guide explained about the daily routine

Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > December 2017

and stories of the birds, one red parrot accompanied us throughout the tour. His innocence tempted us to touch and pet him and he was more than willing to hop on to our palms, but we were strongly advised to discourage the act so as to help the bird, who was once a music humming pet in an Australian home, forget his past. There were exotic and multi-hued birds that were quite at ease in front of our cameras. The guide told us that the new arrivals undergo a process of rehabilitation before they enter the actual sanctuary because most of the birds that arrive there have a caged past and some of them were also not used to flying or seeing other birds. The sanctuary aims to provide a stress free life for these birds in a natural habitat. Some of the birds included golden parakeet, pheasant, flamingos, African cranes, etc.

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from the heart of south africa's sanctuaries and game reserves... Monkeyland In close proximity to the Birds of Eden at a few minutes of walking distance, Monkeyland is the world’s first free-roaming multispecies primate sanctuary. For the first time, I saw more monkey species than I had previously in books and on television. There are more than 700 primates such as Lemur species; the Black and White Ruffed Lemur and the Ringtail Lemur, Spectacled Langur and the Hanuman Langur, Black Howler Monkey, Bolivian Squirrel Monkey, Geoffroy's Spider Monkey, Tufter or Brown Capuchin, Redbacked Bearded Saki, Vervet Monkey and Monkeyland's only ape species the White Handed or Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar). The one-hour walk across the sanctuary threw light on the history of many monkeys now under rehabilitation here. These monkeys lived in a somewhat quiet

harmony under the green canopy of Monkeyland. We were advised not to touch or go too close to the monkeys as many had just gotten over fearful and abusive pasts with humans. The walk was dotted by small puddles and ponds and a canopy walk that make for great photos. There is also a restaurant and a souvenir shop for tourists to pick memorabilia. Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve Located along South Africa’s Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape Province, Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve offered what I call the most rugged and thrilling wildlife safari experience that I had thus far. Into the reserve on the safari jeep, the cold breeze did nothing to dampen our spirits as the safari guide drove strenuously up and down the uneven terrains in the reserve. The ride to see the white lions

was across a stretch with sparse vegetation, muddy puddles with deep dents that the driver had maneuver through with all his grit. We saw several springbok deer grazing across the reserve, wildebeest, warthogs darting across. Once inside the lion reserve, we were instructed not to shout or stand up or stretch our arms out of the van at any instance. Lions and lionesses and cubs in brown and white lay relaxed as they saw our van. They couldn’t care less, we were told, as they were aware that only the white vans brought them their food. They were being fed by the reserve as there are not too many preys for them to hunt. Even though they were used to humans around them, it is needless to say that unnecessary pranks and histrionics would warrant their attention and put us at risk. We took a good 20 minutes to take various shots of the lions

even as we couldn’t help looking at a lioness who stared at us as her cub came near our jeep. After coming out of their enclosure, we had refreshments before we left the reserve. Inkwenkwezi‘s varying landscapes offered superb photography opportunities, many of them spruced up by springbok and wildebeest. There are tented camps and lodge accommodation available in the reserve for those looking to stay and explore at leisure. Photo Credit - Priyamvadha Balaram Clockwise from bottom Rhinoceros at Buffelsdrift; Blue Crane - Birds of Eden White Lions - Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve Squirrel Monkey - Monkeyland Red parrot - Birds of Eden Wild buffalo - Buffelsdrift

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Editor's Pick

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experiential travel sees steady growth in india KIRAN RAJ K

Jonty Rajagopalan, Managing Partner of Detours India, introduces the concept of Detours in the context of latest travel patterns in India. we focus more on the history rather than just the monuments. Our focus is on a traveller who is keener to discover the cultural aspects of the city in an interactive way,” says Jonty Rajagopalan, Managing Partner of Detours India. “Apart from offbeat historical monuments, we focus on food markets and interaction with people, etc.

etours India is an experiential tours company based out of Hyderabad. Focused on providing experiences rather than just locations, the concept of Detours serves its users in an interactive way. “Tourism in India is usually focused on monuments, so, we wanted to shift away from that and focus more on food, culture and crafts. When we do historical tours,

“We have seen a steady growth since we started in 2008. During the leisure season between October and March, we get slightly older travellers around 65 years of age. We focus only on FITs, so our average group size would be two. During the rest of the year, we get younger travellers who may have come to Hyderabad on business but wants to also explore the place.

The average age of such a traveller would be around 45 years.” “We have organised treasure hunts in the old part of Hyderabad and other parts of the city for corporates like HSBC, Novartis, Rockwell Collins, etc. We have combined team building activities using historical and cultural experiences. We have tried to do tours which help the guests understand and experience the city's culture as well.” The clientele of Detours India comprises mostly foreign visitors but in recent times, it has seen a rise in the number of Indians seeking its historical and culinary experiences. “I think overall people are increasingly becoming interested in getting to know the city better. Social

media is also playing a bigger role in influencing the way people travel and the desire to be the first to post unique locations/pictures, etc. is also a driving force behind people's travel and holiday plans.” Future plans Our annual 12-day food tour will start on 3 February 2018, emphasizing understanding the country through food across four cities. This time, we will cover Lucknow, Puri/ Bhubaneswar, Mumbai and Calicut. Keen on tapping Hyderabad’s appeal as an interesting destination for more travellers, Jonty said, “We would also like to do more in the space of using history and culture of the city and combining it with interesting team experiences for corporates.”

demand for affordable luxury car rentals on the rise MAYAA V

Raghav Belavadi, Founder & CEO – HYPE, talks about how the car rental service seeks to bring affordable luxury cars closer to the common man.

YPE offers affordable luxury car rentals with premium service and elite experience, ranging from Rolls Royce, Limousines to Mercedes Maybach in 25 cities across India. HYPE’s Founder & CEO Raghav Belavadi talks about utilizing technology to make luxury car rentals more accessible.

Voyager’s World > December 2017

“The idea behind HYPE stemmed from the increasing fascination and aspiration of the common man to experience a luxurious lifestyle. Although there are several luxury hotels, chartered planes and concierge services available, there was a wide gap in connecting them seamlessly, namely the luxury car segment. Also, today’s world is relentlessly propelled by technology and innovations in almost every nook and corner of our lifestyles. Rich or poor, technology plays a vital role in many aspects. However, ironical as it may seem, it has not been as advanced in the elite circle. You may raise your eyebrows in dismay, but it is mostly true. Most elites circle is still driven by concierge services, executive assistants and personal interactions. So, making it easier

for anyone to book her/his desired cars for special occasions became vital and critical success factor. Smartphone apps, websites that help people to pick and choose to rent luxury cars effortlessly were the need of the hour. HYPE is delivering that to its audience now.” While designing HYPE, both the customer and the traditional car agencies have been taken into consideration. HYPE offers simple and easy user experience in booking luxury car rentals. It removes the hassles of running around and talking to multiple agents. On its app customers can view the cars available in their location, the prices, etc. on their screen and book the car of his/her choice at the most competitive rates."

For the car agencies, HYPE reduces the waiting time to recover the charges from their customers [post trip] along with the state-of-theart software to streamline their inventory management system. There is also a star rating feedback system and performance review of their drivers. “We are partnering with several market leaders in chartered planes, luxury lifestyle businesses and elite clubs like Vogue along with press launches in different locations. At present, HYPE has over 2,500 luxury cars on its platforms and operating in 25 cities across India. Its apps are available only in India and for iPhone users. “We are launching the Android App and Web apps soon. The idea is to expand to other relevant cities in India before we venture overseas.”

India Outbound

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Thailand tourism aims to tap Gen Y and millennial in 2018 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Santi Chudintra, Deputy Governor for International Marketing Asia and South Pacific, Tourism Authority of Thailand, highlights promotional plans in India for the upcoming year. now set a growth target in tourism revenue of no less than 8% in 2018. “From January to September 2017, we received more than one million Indian arrivals with a growth of 15% compared to the same period last year. By the end of the year, we expect a growth of around 1.3 million tourists from India,” said Santi Chudintra, Deputy Governor for International Marketing Asia and South Pacific, TAT.

ollowing a record breaking performance in 2016, Thailand welcomed 26.10 million international visitors from January to September, showcasing 5.4% increase over the same period in 2016. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) targets 1.81 (50 billion USD) in tourism revenue for this entire year. The government has

The TAT has just launched a campaign Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018, for which we plan to conduct a four-city roadshow in India in Indore and Chennai in the south and Kolkata and Jaipur in the north. Destinations and activities For the Indian market, the focus

destinations in 2018 are Hua Hin, Cha-AM, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Krabi, Trat, Khao Ya for repeat travellers who account for over 50% of the arrivals. However, Bangkok. Phuket and Pattaya remain the main destinations for first time travellers. We are showcasing regions beyond Bangkok and Phuket for repeat travellers and encouraging first timers to visit all major attractions. The unique local experiences that we would like to promote are Thai cooking classes, Thai boxing, Thai spa and wellness, and communitybased tourism where tourists can experience Thai local lifestyle. “Some of the promising markets in 2018 are weddings and honeymoons. Couples can choose from a variety of ways to get married

- on the beach, underwater, in the midst of a rice field or plan their own style of wedding.” New products will include gastronomy tours highlighting the nation’s culinary heritage and ‘Luxperience of Thailand’ which has seen the emergence of elegant boutique resorts that offer privacy and well-equipped yachts and cruises in Phuket and Pattaya for island hoppers. “We will also focus on Gen Y and millennials who are driven by digital social media and customer-focused activities and lady travellers, by highlighting a huge range of activities like health, beauty and spa services; shopping malls, dining and restaurants; recreation and entertainment and lifestyle activities.”

Welcome to Holiday Expo another exciting brand to take your business to a level of growth and establish an opportunity to create a brand new market. Medium sized Indian cities have emerged as one of the fastest growing markets or quality leisure products and 'Holiday Expo' is just the perfect Travel Exhibition reachout to this very market,thus ensuring your product profits to its optimum potential.

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Holiday Expo Secretariat: Plot No. 15, H. No.: 3-41-374, 2nd Floor, Devi Temple Street Lakshmi Nagar Colony, Picket Secunderabad - 500 026 Tel: +91-40-4014 9950 | Mob: +91-97018 66695 Fax: +91-40-4018 9951 | Email: info@holidayexpo.in www.holidayexpo.in

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Adventure

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Comfort adventure travel poised to be new thrust for 2018 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Vaibhav Kala, Founder & Director - Aquaterra Adventures, foresees interesting developments in adventure travel for the upcoming year.

pecialising in treks and river rafting in the Indian Himalayas, Aquaterra Adventures offers to plan any kind of adventure in India irrespective of how uncommon or wild or difficult the trip seemed to be. With Indian Himalayas and niche overseas adventures continuing to dominate priority levels, Vaibhav Kala, Founder & Director of

Aquaterra Adventures, believes that India will be one of the upcoming destinations for adventure tourism, given the country’s diverse forests, lakes, high mountains, caves, skiing and aero sports. Running since 1995, the company believes that good equipment, food and guides are key to making an outdoor trip worth its while. Commenting on the growth patterns from last year, he says, “The year 2016 was a great year for us in terms of growth; but, 2017 is a bit sluggish due to demonetization and the introduction of high GST rates.” Anticipating the company’s ‘Comfort Series’ to lend an impetus to next year’s growth, Vaibhav says,

“Comfort adventure travel is going to be the new thrust for 2018, in which we will target guests who wish to savour the outdoors but with lesser rigors that are normally envisaged during the course of an adventure expedition. The Comfort Series include treks, river rafting and kayaking trips taken to your comfort zone. This series also offers personalized training programme for a duration of three months prior to the beginning of the trip.” The Brahmaputra River Rafting Expedition is taking place from 2 – 14 December 2017. “The tour is exciting as it is a different league of adventure. In a little known corner of the country, through thick rain-

forests and near-zero infra, the trip descends through two famous gorges,” he added. On India’s position as an adventure destination five years down the line, he expects more clarity on GST-related issues and foresees adventure tourism gaining more relevance given the fact the segment’s role in employment generation and tangible benefits on the economy of a region. “Also, there is a need to change the perception of people about Nepal being the dominant Himalayan destination of choice and the need to move away from the traditional forts, palaces and temples to showcase our natural heritage instead,” he signs off.

Social media serves as great influence over solo travel Priyanka Jain, Founder, Roaming Clan, notes how social media is driving solo travellers to explore new places. IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

oaming Clan, one of the latest entrants to the Indian travel apps scene, seeks to break the mental barrier of travelling solo, by encouraging people to connect with new people and experience destinations together with unfamiliar but like-minded persons. “It is a membership-based community and most of the travellers on our tours are between 20-40 years of age,”

Voyager’s World > December 2017

says Priyanka Jain, the Founder of Roaming Clan. Noting the growth in solo and backpack travel in India, Priyanka observes that there is, however, a discomfort among travellers to explore alone. “We have witnessed a tremendous growth in solo travel. Roaming Clan offers a solution by providing a platform to connect with likeminded travellers as we publish their travel plans in our weekly newsletters and website. Our Facebook group runs different online meet ups for cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, to enable travellers to meet and get to know each other.” With the Indian travel market growing exponentially both domestically and internationally, there has been a drastic change in the preferences

of travellers. Priyanka observes a radical change in the behaviour patterns of Indian travellers due to the influence of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc. “These days, many Indians want to experience new cultures and traditions. They want to travel to remote destinations, explore the places which are less crowded. We also have experiential trips curated by our experts such as a Banjarastyle tour in Rajasthan where one can stay in Havelis, camp in the Thar Desert or stay with the locals in a village near Jaisalmer. There is also a trip to Bali where the participants are taken to a remote backpackers island for scuba diving. “Individuals who do not like to plan their trips all by themselves can join the company’s group trips. Some

of the other destinations in our experiential group trips are in Spain, Austria, remote spots in Indonesia and Thailand. We also have trips to Sikkim and Rajasthan and weekend city trips to Amristsar, Jaipur, Pondicherry and Varanasi.” Roaming Clan has around 7000 members associated through meetups, Facebook and its website. By the end of this financial year, it plans to reach around 10,000 more travellers. “Our marketing plans are through social media ads, physical meet-ups, email marketing and unique campaigns to create awareness about our concept and products. We have a campaign called ‘#20before40’ to encourage people to travel to 20 countries before they turn 40.”

Online Travel

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Offbeat travel and stay choices in vogue among Indian travellers IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Utkala Mohanty, Founder, Holidayen, comments on the latest preferences of Indian travellers. of tourists ranging from young professionals on a weekend trip to retired vacationers traveling to multiple destinations in a single trip. Young urban couples and families make up the largest chunk of its clients.

any find travel planning a time-consuming process with a lot of time spent on searching multiple sites, itinerary suggestions and packages and, in the process, delay the final booking. Holidayen enables the traveller to plan and book his travel in a short span of time. Holidayen has had all kinds

Its Founder Utkala Mohanty talks about the company’s promotional plans and new trends to look forward to. “We have been running marketing campaigns on search engines Google and Bing as they allow refined targeting of tourists across various channels. We have also run promotional contests on social media during festivals in the past. We promote cultural trips that offer travellers a close-up view of the best attractions. Our main

destinations are some of the major European cities such as Paris, London, Rome, and Vienna as well as quaint villages like Cinque Terre and Mont Saint-Michel. We also offer personalised trips that highlight various aspects of the destination as historical attractions, food and drink, major landmarks, art and architecture. We also offer cruises, airport transfers and hopon hop-off tours to enable tourists to get around easily.” Indian outbound market for 2016 “2017 has been a good year for the outbound tourism industry and we have seen a growth for us with almost 50% in terms of the user base. We expect the industry to sustain the momentum gained so far

and have continued growth in 2018. The number of Indians travelling abroad annually is expected to grow 150% by 2020. Tourists are moving towards adventure travel and unconventional trips involving stays at short-term vacation homes instead of traditional hotels. “The number of travellers from Tier 2 cities such as Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, and Bhopal has increased significantly over the past few years and will continue to grow. Traditional destinations such as Thailand and Singapore will continue to attract large numbers of vacation goers. There is also a rising trend of outbound travel to exotic destinations like Bora Bora, Hungary and Fiji.”

Expert nuances imperative for niche wildlife experiences Alankar Chandra, Founder & CEO, Wild Voyager, highlights the company's purpose of using expertise to deliver refined wildlife experiences. IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

ild Voyager is a team of nature and wildlife photographers who help design exclusive journeys to the wilds in India, Sri Lanka, East Africa and Iceland. “We began exploring the natural and wildlife terrains in India and globally long before we launched this concept,” says Alankar Chandra, Founder & CEO, Wild Voyager, while talking

about the uniqueness of what he offers. “No two travellers expect the same thing out of a vacation, so it takes a combination of local destination knowledge, best guides in the business and thorough understanding of hospitality to help them design a trip of lifetime. When you surf the net, you come across many itineraries for a Masai Mara trip, for example, but it takes expertise and past experience to understand the finer nuances and customizing the trip for every traveller. So we are concentrating only on the limited niche destinations where we can safely call ourselves experts.” Marketing Though it is an early stage for the company, it has experienced an

overwhelming response so far. It estimates to grow by over 100% YoY for the next 3-4 years. “We do digital campaigns on Facebook and Google. Besides that, we work with bloggers and influencers for digital marketing. We have also been running activation programmes in key catchment areas of our target groups.” Wildlife tours Wild Voyager offers tiger safaris and bird watching tours for wildlife experiences in India. It suggests Kenya and Tanzania for seeing the big cats, birding and other East African mammals; Slovenia for brown bears and Sri Lanka for the leopards and bird watching. For nature lovers, we can customize tours to Iceland, Norway and Finland

for seeing the Northern Lights and the Balkan countries, Thailand and India for landscapes. Trends “Today’s urban traveller in India has already travelled to Dubai, Singapore and European countries as part of the signature foreign destinations. When we sell an Iceland trip for 10 days, for instance, first time travellers ask us as to why they would want to explore just one country in 10 days when they can see 12 different European countries in 10 days as that package is widely sold and popular in India. However when an experienced traveller talks with us and gets to the depth of the plan, they realise what kind of experience they can get by travelling around a single country for 10 days.”

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Travel Trends

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travel chronicles get new twist with web series IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Abhishek Jawkar, Founder, Travelove webseries- The Red Bulb Studios, talks about how the concept unravels travel stories in unique ways. locations, but also unusual hotel properties. In one of the episodes, we mentioned one such hotel in Goa.”

“

We have seen a lot of travelbased shows which are either syndicated from some TV channel or it just focuses on a particular city or location. Travelove was coined by friends exploring offbeat locales and experiencing the best part of travel. We are not just covering exotic

Focus for 2017 We are exploring all possible activities that a place has to offer like zip line, scuba diving, meditation, swim with the dolphins. Travelove will have 20 episodes by the end of the year. In terms of growth, the first episode opened with 10,000 viewers while the second one shot to 30,000 viewers. So we can safely conclude that the growth has been good. Destinations We have already explored seven

destinations like Thailand, Coorg, Goa, Tarkali and Gir and the eighth destination was Leh - Ladakh. Marketing plans We are doing a lot of tactical promotions like advertising on social media platforms, word-of-mouth publicity and cross promotions. There is no direct connection to boosting tourism in India or abroad because the objective is only ‘experience’ and not ‘promotion’. However, in the long run and eventually, there can be a marginal increase in tourism. India tourism India is a country which has everything to offer one like beaches,

snowcapped mountains, valleys, adventure etc. India is the entire world in itself. If locations like Mulsi and Tarkali are promoted well, it will definitely boost tourism in India. A travel trend that I have observed these days is that the younger generation is willing to explore and they like to pick places which are unusual and less travelled. The definition of tourism has changed drastically now. Future plans Travelove has big plans for the future, app being one of them. We are planning to make Travelove a 360-degree marketing experience.

Travel Events

Bengaluru to host 'India International Coffee Festival 2018' GOKIRTHA YOGANANTHAM & MAYAA V

The festival, which will also focus on coffee tourism, returns to the city after four years and will be held at the Lalit Ashok Hotel from 16 – 19 January next year.

he India Coffee Trust (ICT), in association with the Coffee Board, announced the 7th India International Coffee Festival (IICF) from 16-19 January, 2018. At a curtain raiser held in the Lalit Ashok Hotel recently, it was announced that the event would return to Bengaluru after four years and will be held at the Lalit Ashok Hotel.

during the IICF are aimed at empowering the coffee sector with new ideas and technologies and promoting domestic coffee consumption. Coffee tourism and coffee entrepreneurship will also be part of the objectives of the event.

The Minister for IT, BT and Tourism Government of Karnataka, Priyank Kharge was present to grace the announcement with Jagdish Patankar, Executive Director; Anil Kumar Bhandari-President of ICT; Srivatsa Krishna, IAS, Secretary, Coffee Board of India, Government of India and Sanjiv Sarin, CEO of ICT.

The event will have skill building workshops, international conferences, coffee expo, coffee awards, coffee quiz, café crawl, coffee trails and golf championship. The winners receive the awards on the basis on online voting. The idea behind this is to make coffee as a preferable drink and eliminate the mediators between farmers and the industry and create a healthy standard in the coffee world.

The various activities conducted

Priyank

Voyager’s World > December 2017

Kharge

said,

“The

Department of Tourism hopes to leverage IICF to promote Coorg, Chikmagalur and Sakleshpur as not only coffee growing district and also as tourist destinations as these districts have a great landscapes with unique culture and cuisines that can be experienced through homestay. We are supporting many startups which are offering unique coffee delivery and consumption platforms through the startup pavilion at IICF 2018.” Srivatsa Krishna said, “IICF is an excellent platform to showcase the coffees of India to the global coffee buyers. I also believe that new technologies like block chain, analytics and artificial intelligence based disease detection visually, bean to cup traceability and IVR

based extension service can play a significant role in the coming future of the coffee sector and we are already looking at this with great interest.” Anil Kumar Bhandari said, “The conference this year will be addressed by a plethora of international experts coming from countries like brazil, UK, USA, Columbia, Italy, Thailand, Switzerland, Germany, besides India. Global coffee leaders like Jose Sette, Executive Director, International Coffee Organization, Roberto Velez, CEO, Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, Sanjiv Chopra, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and renowned motivational speaker are some of the key personalities addressing the conference.”

Travel Events

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thailand tourism presents new shades for 2018! TAT organized the opening ceremony on Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018 Campaign and unveiled the new marketing concept ‘Open to the New Shades of Thailand, reports IRENE SUSAN EAPEN.

he Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in association with Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways and EVA Airways, organized a Thailand Mega Fam Trip 2017 for 300 travel agents and media from around the world from 13-17 November to educate them on the new marketing concept ‘Open to the New Shades of Thailand’. The concept was about experiencing the unique local experiences, ‘Thainess’ and the Thai people’s hospitality. The limelight will be on customer segments such as gastronomy tourism, luxury, weddings and honeymoons, families, female travellers and Gen Y. Along the lines of the Mega Fam Trip, TAT also launched the Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018 campaign at the Siam Discovery followed by a grand procession across Bangkok. The official event was presided over by H.E. Mr. General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, along with other dignitaries like Mr. Pongpanu Svetarundra, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Sports; H.E. Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports; Mr. Kalin Sarasin, Chairman of the Board of

TAT and Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor. This campaign highlighted on sustainable, quality tourism in line with the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy. The main focus of the campaign will be on weddings, honeymoons, medical tourism and wellness tourism which are definitely going to increase the economic growth for all parts of Thailand. Besides this, the new campaign aspires in increasing the average length of stay of the tourists and repeat visitation. The activities will include 13 categories like sports, gastronomy, maritime tourism, weddings, honeymooners, medical, wellness communitybased tours, leisure, green tourism, night tours, MICE trade fairs, B2B marketing activities and logistics. H.E. Mrs. Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said, “We will have a number of events all throughout the year that will promote Thailand as one of the preferred destinations for international travellers.” The procession featured six parades which joined a 3.5 km route from the National Stadium to Lumphini Park.

The first parade showcased the Lotus Goddess, a symbol of the ‘Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018’, signifying harmony and happiness. The Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018 campaign event also had a number artists and performers along with the beautiful floats in each parade. The second parade drew attention to the architecture and sculpture from each region of Thailand, including miniatures of Wat Phra That Sri Chom Thong, Chiang Mai of Northern Region, Wat Phra Mahathat, Nakhon Si Thammarat of Southern Region, Chon Buri’s Kong Kao or rice mould Festival of Eastern Region, Phrathat Phanom Chedi, Nakhon Phanom of Northeastern Region and the Mon Songkran Festival in Sangklaburi, Kanchanaburi of Central Region. The third parade was on a variety of food and ingredients of Thailand. The fourth and fifth parades showcased the various outstanding festivals and major sporting events to be hosted in 2018 and the sixth parade represented Thailand’s role as a gracious host. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor said, “Thailand is a very hospitable country and has welcomed international visitors with open arms throughout its history.”

Following a record breaking performance in 2016, this year, Thailand welcomed 26.10 million international visitor arrivals in the January to September period, a 5.4% increase over the same period in 2016. TAT’s target for the entire 2017 is 1.81 trillion Baht (50 billion USD) in tourism revenue. In recognition of how important tourism is for the national economy, the government has set a growth target for tourism revenue of no less than eight percent in 2018. Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, said, “The number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand increased to nearly 9% to 32.6 million in 2016, bringing in 1.64 trillion Baht worth of business, up nearly 13% from 2015. The growth will continue to grow this year by about 8% in revenue ranking No. 3 in the world according to UNWTO’s recent report on tourism receipts last year. The new marketing concept will be targeting on Gen Y and millennials who are driven by digital social media and customer-focused activities and the lady travellers. We also have a promotional video made from real footage shot by real travellers on this concept."

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Events

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Deputy Mayor inaugurates India International Travel Mart Pune 2017 VW BUREAU

phere Travelmedia & Exhibitions organized its 101st edition of India International Travel Mart (IITM) from 24 - 26 November at the Deccan College Ground, Yerawada in Pune. The event had 117 participants from over 10 countries and over 20 Indian states. The participants include travel agents and tour operators, DMC, Hotels & Resorts, National Tourist Organizations, Cruises, Airlines, Online Travel Portals, etc. Some of the International participants this year included exhibitors from Dubai, Mauritius, Nepal, Sri Lanka and many more.

The participants from state tourism boards were include Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Bodoland, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and many more. Maharashtra was the ‘Host State’ for IITM Pune. Gujarat was the ‘Partner State’ while Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Rajasthan were ‘Feature States’. The event attracted over 780 Trade Visitors, 4250 general visitors and 28 media during the three days.

Hyderabad hosts 102nd edition of IITM at people's plaza! VW BUREAU

phere Travelmedia & Exhibitions organized its 102nd edition of India International Travel Mart (IITM) from 1- 3 December at the People’s Plaza in Hyderabad. This edition was inaugurated by Shri B.Venkatesham, IAS, Secretary to Government of Telangana Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture Department, along with Smt. Sunita M. Bhagwat, IFS, Commissioner of Tourism, Government of Telangana, at the venue on Friday, 1 December, 2017. The event had 139 exhibiting companies from over 10 countries and over 20 Indian states. The

Voyager’s World > December 2017

participants included travel agents and tour operators, DMC, hotels & resorts, National Tourist Organizations, cruises, airlines, online travel portals, etc. Some of the international participants this year included exhibitors from Dubai, Mauritius, Nepal, Sri Lanka and many more. Telangana was the ‘Host State’ for IITM Hyderabad. Mauritius was the ‘Partner Country’ The event attracted over 594 Trade Visitors, 9461 General visitors and 45 media personnel during the three days.

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Incredible India

www.voyagersworld.in

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meeting and event planning set for dynamic changes in 2018 Industry players like Euromonitor and Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) foresee trends in the business travel segment in this season and the upcoming year. VW BUREAU

uromonitor International is excited to share new insights about the travel industry. Travel and tourism continues to remain on track, outperforming the global economy, with arrivals set to grow by 3.7% and inbound receipts at a stronger rate of 4.1% over 2017, compared to world GDP at 3.5%. Flaring up of geopolitical tensions weighs on demand Pricing pressure will remain in the near term as there are major uncertainties buffeting the world economy, namely the rocky Trump administration, Brexit, as well as the flaring up of regional tensions across the world with a stand-off looming with North Korea and Japan, and the United States. Value growth for 2017 is expected to be strong at 4.1% in 2017, decelerating to 3.1% in 2018, due to dark clouds gathering on the horizon as uncertainty escalates, and a minor economic deceleration is expected in China. World

Inbound

Tourism

Voyager’s World > December 2017

Performance By 2022, we expect that China will be the world’s largest source of outbound tourism demand, with 128 million trips, overtaking the US as the country with the highest propensity for travel abroad. Growth is set to be very strong, at 8.4% over the period 2017-2022. Outside of Asia, the US and France are likely to benefit the most, due to their China-ready approach. China is already the largest source of tourism expenditure, growing by 10.9% over 2017-2022, driven predominantly by GDP per capita, and the rise in middle-class households.

tour groups to South Korea, Chinese arrivals to the country fell 39% in 2017. Worsening relations with Taiwan has also led to a decline. Sound prospects for industry stalwarts Travel continues to be a two horse race with lodging and airlines dominating sales, which indicates the health of the global travel industry, where traditional components continue to deliver solid CAGR growth of over 3.3%, with airlines and lodging accounting for USD1.2 trillion worth of sales.

Japan saw the strongest increase in China arrivals growth over 2013-2017, with a CAGR of 54%, amounting to an additional six million Chinese arrivals thanks to simplifying the visa process and the weak yen.

Companies are seeking out new sources of emerging demand and new business models like low cost or short term rentals are acting as growth catalysts, rather than cannibalising opportunities, and finding ways to thwart pricing pressure.

Due to mounting tensions with China and the travel ban, where the Chinese government is restricting

UK hits an online ceiling but plenty of growth elsewhere For most countries, online travel

sales are increasing at a strong clip year-on-year. However, with this new dataset in Travel 2018, we’re able to see that in the most digitally ready markets, like the UK, that sit atop Euromonitor’s Digital Consumer Index, there is a ceiling to how far online travel sales can grow. UK online travel sales to residents started to plateau in 2015, and are not expected to exceed 70% of the total travel market over 20172022, with offline securing the remaining 30% share. Despite the appearance of an online ceiling, other traditional markets like Germany are way below the curve, and offer strong incremental growth, in tandem with the strong growth coming out of China, Russia and India. Luxury and budget benefit as consumers trade down and up Luxury categories are benefiting from consumers trading up from mid-market brands to luxury, whilst growth in budget remains popular

31>> but doesn’t bring vast returns, but budget players are faced with the challenge from consumers increasingly demanding a premium service at a lower price bracket. The trend towards premiumisation affects every price point, which also requires that luxury constantly updates to keep ahead of consumers’ expectations. Brand success from global footprint – and China China’s Shanghai Chunqiu operating in intermediaries enjoyed the largest incremental sales of any travel brand in the world, followed by Expedia and Southwest Airlines, enjoying an additional USD8 billion, USDD5.5 billion and USD3.8 billion, respectively. The largest travel brands worldwide are Ctrip and Booking.com, with Ctrip towering over all its rivals with sales of USD60 billion, compared to Booking.com’s USD33 billion in 2017. Carlson Wagonlit (CWT) - Global trends The global study, Driving Success in Strategic Meetings Management, conducted by CWT Travel Management Institute (TMI) in partnership with the BTN Group, provides unique insights into how to set up and grow a successful SMM program based on practical advice from experts in the field. Thailand is one of the top favoured destinations for Indian MICE movements. As far as the APAC region was concerned, business growth would be driven by China and India and more code sharing and LCCs dominating aviation. Some more Asian carriers are likely to join traditional alliances and long haul low cost carriers will also be emerging trends. Asia Pacific cities have the highest occupancy rates in the world for the upcoming year. The law of supply and demand will create interesting dynamics in India and China. In India, the excess construction of global chains has created too much supply, exceeding the demand, thereby creating opportunities for buyers for negotiations. The CWT report states that increased governance and focus on compliance is being driven by the pharmaceutical industry, prompting these companies to look for ways to gain the best control of their overall M&E programs. Overall, supply is growing in the region, which is helping to moderate the cost increases driven by growing demand. In particular, global

M&E clients with a presence in Asia Pacific are becoming more interested in SMM programs, but they seek to balance the improved control and potential cost savings generated by SMM strategies with local business needs. China will continue to experience a surplus of new supply from global chains and emerging brands for Chinese travellers but demand is expected to keep pace. Meetings and Events Projections The strongest overall growth will take place in Asia Pacific, with both group sizes and daily attendees sizes anticipated to increase. The demand will remain strong though supply vs. demand will vary according to the country. Though the adoption rates of smartphones and tablets are high in Asia Pacific region, only four in ten enable flight and hotel bookings on mobile. 33% of business travel companies have created a mobile web or native mobile app for smartphones for business bookings. Keeping aside the trends and expectations, let us take a look at the challenges that business travel is burdened with. Rising costs of travel and accommodation seem to be the biggest concern presently. In the last few years, airfares have gone sky-high, so also the room rates, thereby adversely affecting travel budgets. Going beyond complaining, the need to travel is still there.

travel concierge desk in their organizations. This kind of a set up not only eases the process, but also brings about a lot of deals and discounts in hotels and flights for the employees. Besides this, companies can also formulate a meticulous travel policy in order to keep a lid on costs. These policies can be about fixing a ceiling on the accommodation category like star hotels, guest houses or serviced apartments and also go on to limiting budget on first class travel and opting for economy class. Through this, companies will be able to effect a substantial cut in their travel spending. As for those who face disagreement on such conditions, the best alternative would be to re-look at their supplier vendor contracts. Business travel planners can reach a deal with longstanding suppliers and bring about contracts that reward loyalty while ensuring a win-win situation for both the parties. They can negotiate with the airlines and the hotels for a certain number of seats and rooms during a certain period and reach an amicable policy while drafting their request for proposals.

Other problems encompass increase in the number of new airlines entering the skies, growing passenger numbers, route expansion, need for trained manpower and infrastructure, all required to grow at the same pace. As for price sensitivity, airlines have become cost conscience more than just Passenger Revenue by changing the business models constantly. In so far as fares are concerned, Zero Frill Carriers are found to offer a reasonable alternative to the premier carriers. A successful LCC in India is very clear about what it promises to deliver. If the airline charges a fare without any frills, whilst promising a certain standard of service, with ‘Arriving on Time’ being their USP, then it stands to win hands down in terms of running full or almost full. Meals, water and other such add-ons have to be borne by the passenger. This kind of a policy is better than running a LCC and supplying a newspaper, a sandwich and a water bottle. Tiny supplementary costs can go a long way in adding to its overall cost. Business travel managers have implemented compound strategies

Employees demand access to first class travel and hotel arrangements; hence companies have to design their travel budgets in a way as to keep costs at a certain level. While people talk about technology pervading all levels of travel on the one hand, a lot of people still find it difficult to book a LCC flight. There are several issues pertaining to booking the seat, hand luggage, meals onboard, window seats and making reservations in the first 10 rows, for instance. With varying demands on part of the employees and rising airfare and different airline policies, it is quite a challenge for companies to draw up a cost effective, value for money travel and accommodation plan. Hence, it is not surprising that businesses these days are resorting to a single-window booking system to take care of all the booking aspects. Some of them also engage a separate

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in order to make sure the lowest reasonable fare is offered to the employee at the time of booking. Here is where policies such as a 7-Advance Purchase, business fare vs. retail fare, day trips and round trip fares are executed. With so many promotions happening every few months, these strategies ensure that the business does not lose out to the retail purchaser when it comes to negotiating bulk deals. Another hindrance faced by businesses while dealing with travel plans for their executives would be demanding and insistent travellers.

suppliers, using it as a baseline when negotiating. By rolling out preferred supplier programs and strategic partnerships—and establishing compliance KPIs— you won’t only get the best terms, you’ll limit your risk. And you’ll gain visibility to as much spend as possible for better negotiations and increased future buying power. Engage in strategic contract management By streamlining the process for managing all meeting related agreements, you’ll get a broader, more connected view of commitments and supplier use across your organization.

Plan ahead Lead time for registration and venue contracts continues to shrink. However, by increasing the lead time for larger events, you can boost your negotiation power, particularly if there is a shift to a buyer’s market in regions like Latin America. Look at your F&B costs Pressure on F&B continues to have a significant impact on cost per attendee per day. In the U.S., we’ve seen an increase of 2.9% year over year for F&B. Consider trading down on menu items that don’t heavily impact attendees (eg, moving to tap water vs. bottled) or reducing the number of breaks to contain or even save on F&B despite general cost increases. Limit your risk with hotels We’re seeing continued pressure on cancellation clauses while attrition remains relatively stable. To counter this, establish an addendum for desired cancellation terms with preferred

And you’ll ensure alignment with legal, by passing lengthy reviews for time-sensitive agreements. Additionally, you’ll benefit from efficiency and cost savings by aligning your company’s risk mitigation strategies, creating the foundation to roll out or negotiate master service agreements with key suppliers. Finally, consider developing customized negotiation strategies for high-volume markets to increase your buying power and ensure your rates are competitive. Looking ahead India still has a very adoption rate for business travel technology in comparison to western markets. An exhaustive travel solution is the need of the hour to ensure the most effective delivery of travel services, be it a simple individual package or complex group itineraries, domestic or international. With online booking tools offering user friendly booking ideas, people

Voyager’s World > December 2017

still tend to check with their travel concierge or a travel agent over the phone, simply with a need to understand technology by personal communication. While it was mentioned earlier that a single window booking system could alleviate booking hassles, what organizations look for are a comprehensive technology solution that covers all aspects of bookings. A solution that would be a onestop site listing all the types of travel and hotel choices quickly, including ground transportation, is likely to be adopted by a business. Having said that, today the proliferation of smartphones in our personal and professional lives, have necessitated us, employees to be able to have more access to information. More so, when it comes to dissemination of travel information. A new trend that we can look forward to business travel trends would be the emergence of tools that can monitor, predict and drive the performance of a travel programme on a global scale, 24/7. ATPI recently launched the ATPI Analytics tool early this year with an easy to use ‘dashboard’ of information, users can instantly filter, interrogate and gain valuable insights, capturing all travel data in one single platform, ending the reliance on static data reporting which was, historically produced on a monthly basis.

With increasing international travel and exposure to world class travel and accommodation standards, today travellers seek the best arrangements. Irrespective of the nature of the travel, work or the company policy, employees anticipate and desire a four or a five star hotel accommodation. Budget accommodation options remain at a secondary level. A business booking tool or an OTA usually facilitates the work. However, an inefficient and unproductive booking tool will not serve the process. One requires the complete booking options to find out the best and most ideal travel and hotel choices that would not only fit in their budget but also be of a certain standard. Overcoming challenges CWT recommends tips to help get better deals with suppliers consolidate for control and savings. An enterprise-wide SMM programme will help you realize cost savings while creating a big-picture strategy that drives efficiencies in other areas of your program. This holistic approach allows you to streamline M&E processes while creating fewer financial and legal risks for your organization. Additionally, you can deploy a consolidated hotel strategy that leverages meetings and business travel spend by identifying opportunities based on travel patterns, key markets and emerging markets. Doing so will also drive savings and operational efficiencies across both your M&E and business travel programs.

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'bleisure' to gain more prominence in corporate policy in near future An increasing number of professionals in India are now extending their business trips for leisure prompting new findings and recommendations for corporates to include 'bleisure' in their travel policies. VW BUREAU

CM Travel Solutions introduced the essential Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for Indian business travellers to manage their Business Travel recently. Phoenix, the online Self-Booking Tool by FCM for their corporate clientele, is the travel industry's most comprehensive and innovative online corporate travel booking tool, delivering the broadest selection of travel content through an intuitive and easy-to-use online experience. The tool gives users total control of their corporate travel program, by delivering travel content business travelers need while providing them with policy enforcement and robust global capabilities. Although, Phoenix has been launched in India and is currently catering to majority of FCM’s clientele, SAM will be launched in 2018 for both iOS and Android. The AI based Chatbot called ‘SAM

Voyager’s World > December 2017

(Smart Assistant for Mobile)’ will be FCM's 24-hour travel assistant designed to simplify life for corporate travellers by blending artificial intelligence with the expertise of a real FCM travel consultant.

growing work stress amongst employees or maintaining a worklife balance, but also a certain technological advances enabling “work from anywhere”, which creates a win-win situation for both employers and employees.

The advent of Bleisure Evolving as a significant tool, Bleisure (Business + Leisure) is changing the Indian workplace culture, where travel for work is perceived more as an experience rather than routine.

The study reveals that enhanced awareness about traveller behaviour and the need to balance business & employee needs is making corporates accept and document bleisure in their policies, however the acceptance is limited. Bleisure is becoming a tool for Indian business travellers to use their growing affluence for innovatively balancing the ever demanding work requirements with personal aspirations.

A report on India findings of FCM’s global survey on Bleisure Travel titled ‘The Bleisure Report, India by FCM’ reveals that an increasing number of professionals in India are now extending their business trips for leisure, increasingly blurring the lines between business and leisure travel. The key elements contributing to the rise of Bleisure not only includes

Drivers of bleisure in India • Increasing global and domestic travel from India • Business travel no longer a “CXO” trait

• Increasing share of tech savvy millennial working more v/s global peers • Longer business trip duration v/s global peers • Rising incomes and affluence levels of middle class Indian workforce Key traits of Indian bleisure traveller • Increasingly common across designations • More likely to “tag” with family v/s global average • Lesser bleisure trips v/s global average • Prefer managing leisure bookings themselves to maintain confidentiality • Not undertaking bleisure is more due to fear of compliance / policy issues Key Findings of Bleisure Survey Analysis, India • 65.5% of respondents said that

they are allowed by their company to combine personal travel booking with business trip • 29% of respondents who had taken 1-3 business trips had extended at least one of their trips for personal travel • At least half of respondents who have taken 4-10 business trips over past 12 months had extended at least 4 of their trips for personal travel • 44% of total respondents who added personal trip to their most recent business trip were most influenced by the opportunity to explore and experience the city they were visiting • 25% of respondents added personal travel to spend time with friend and family who live at the destination • Only 9% of respondents added personal travel with objective of saving money • A small percentage (3%) of respondents added personal trip so as to recover from jet lag before commencing business meetings • As per survey 31% of total respondents who combine business and personal travel always took a family member/ partner on the trip, while only 9% of respondents extended their trip with colleagues • 40% of respondents who take a family or member along stay in same accommodation where they stayed for work trip, while 43% of respondents who travel on their own stay at family or friends home if they can • As per survey 75% of total respondents agreed that the ability to combine personal travel with business trip is a perk of job • As per 41% of total respondents prefer to book all their leisure travel on their own where as 13% have their travel manager book all their business and leisure travel • All of CXO’s who took survey have taken atleast 11 business trips in the past 12 months Bleisure (Business + Leisure) as a trend, will continue to change the Indian workplace culture in 2018, where travel for work is perceived more as an experience rather than routine. The key elements contributing to the rise of Bleisure not only includes growing work stress amongst employees or maintaining a work-life balance, but also a certain technological advances enabling “work from anywhere”, which creates a winwin situation for both employers and employees.

Expedia’s report on Bleisure Expedia recently explored the rise of Bleisure travellers. According to the online travel agency, nearly half (about 43%) of all trips taken today are “bleisure” trips, with the focus on the “business” part of the travel enticing customers to also book their “leisure” part of the trip. In fact, according to the report, more than 70% of all business travelers tack on a leisure portion to their business trips. Expedia’s research, which was done in conjunction with Luth Research, also revealed the

following: • Bleisure trips resulted in an extension of a hotel stay from two nights to, sometimes, more than six nights. • Business travelers who are interested in bleisure travel research book their trips much faster than their business-only or leisure-only counterparts, mostly because of time constraints. •Location is also an important deciding factor in bleisure booking – where is the hotel located? What’s the proximity of the hotel to the business meeting? – but

flexibility is also listed as an important factor in determining bleisure booking. •More than 66% of all bleisure bookings are decided based on the destination, and the clear majority of said bookings are done in major metropolitan cities like New York City, Seattle and San Francisco. However, while this is certainly a growing trend in the market, Expedia’s Sue Spinney, senior director of owner services, doesn’t suggest that hotels, in particular, shift their focus to the strictly

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bleisure traveler. Rather, she suggests that the business traveler be incentivized to book a “bleisure” trip, and that amenities – such as high-thread count sheets – be offered for those who are booking a two-purpose trip. Moreover, an “Extend Your Stay” package that includes some type of value-add such as breakfast, parking, food and beverage or a spa/activity credit, can also prove to be beneficial for hoteliers to get their customers to stay longer. Millennial trends Millennials - a marvelously mysterious generation unraveled by global travel app, Skyscanner. Millennials are the largest generation on the planet, with over 400 million in India alone. Currently at the prime of their spending and decision-making years, Millennials are influencing trends across industries and institutions. Disruptive entrepreneurial ideas, living life through smart phones and a preference for brunching are common stereotypes of the Millennial generation, but what they prefer when it comes to travel has largely gone ignored. The Millennial Travel Study by Skyscanner touched the pulse of over 1000 Millennials from across

Voyager’s World > December 2017

the country, quizzing them on their preferred destinations, mode of travel, interests and much more. Here are some pathbreaking revelations about this trending peer group. Always on the move Ever enthused and excited about exploring new destinations, Skyscanner notes Millennials’ passion for travelling with 62% of them typically travelling 2 to 5 times a year; a lucky 10%, stated that they globe-trot between 6 to 10 times per year. International and multi-city lover! A whopping 80% of Millennial travellers prefer exploring international destinations over domestic locations. Making the most of their time overseas, 50% of Millennials plan to tick of multiple cities in one trip. Thanks to visa schemes such as Schengen, city hopping is a breeze for travellers with a thirst for seeing the world. Skyscanner also noted European destinations are a firm favourite amongst travellers of all age groups, with the United States and New Zealand also making appearances. There is always a Plan Contrary to the common perception

that Millennials are laidback, it turns out the younger generation are in fact methodical organizers who prefer time in hand to plan an efficient holiday – nearly half of the respondents (45%) book their tickets 3 months prior to their journey date. Convenience over cost The Millennial Travel Survey also observed that 86% of Millennial travelers prefer to pay more for convenience of flight schedule, irrespective of cost. This is in stark contrast to non-millennial travellers, 75% of who choose to book a cheaper flight even if is at an anti-social hour or involves a stopover. This is an interesting revelation especially in the light of Indians being such known fans of VFM Value for Money. Millennials are bucking the age-old trend and choosing convenience over cost. However, 88% of all travellers are still in search of a ‘good’ deal and are willing to shift the date of their travel plans for a better price. Going solo One trend still going strong is solo tripping, finding favour in about 30% of millennials compared to only 18% of non-millennials whose favourite travel companion

is family. Choosing independent holidays over ones with families, 40% of the millennial travelers get a chance to visit off the radar destinations, without the added consideration of others travelling with them. Experiential travelers Engaging in the new is a must on the millennial to-do list. According to the survey, 53% of the Millennials prefer to spend on activities and experiences as opposed to food and drinks, shopping and accommodation. Offbeat is the New Beat Vacationing in places off the usual travel checklist rates high among the millennials with 40% opting for less frequented destinations. Exploring exotic and unusual locations is a key factor for Millennials while planning their vacay. With Millennials at the helm of decision making, the travel industry has witnessed a sea change in consumer expectations. In today’s digital age, Millennials are influencing each other’s decisions as they put their lives on social media. The interest and pressure to travel frequently along with experiencing new and different destinations is quite high.

37>> And while they seem spontaneous, Millennials are much more organized than they let on. In search for good yet comfortable travel deals, Millennials are planning to spend their money wisely. These are nuances of a very large global fraternity which have a direct impact on the way travel is shaping for the rest of the consumers. The insights from the survey will help not only understand this generation but also prepare for the upcoming travel trends. Findings by Yatra.com Yatra.com conducted its annual winter survey amongst 1592 respondents, out of which 43% who responded were millennials. In the survey conducted, it was found that 71% respondents are keen on travelling this winter season, building onto the festive travel trend. Interestingly, it was seen that while 31% of the people were willing to spend over INR 50,000 on a trip, the preferred choice of accommodation remains budget hotels, which reveals that travellers

are preferring experiences over comfort. Travellers are also embarking on domestic travel for shorter yet frequent trips as 66% respondents said that they are looking to travel for less than seven days. The data further suggests a hike in advance bookings with almost 38% respondents planning to make bookings 1-3 months prior to the travel date. With a rapid increase in internet penetration, the Indian traveller is well versed with the latest technology. This is validated by 92% respondents who prefer to book online in comparison to only 8% who still look out for services from offline agents. While the hill stations continue to top the list of places to visit, there has been a notable rise in travel to beaches as well. Another takeaway from the survey has been that 62% people prefer to book their flights and tickets separately over group or customised packages. There continues to be a large number of travelers, about 52%, that want to spend less than INR 2,500 per

Commenting on the findings from the survey, Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C), Yatra.com says, “The Indian traveller is not just constantly evolving but also seeking enriching and exploratory experiences. Holidaying has become more frequent and that’s a trend that has been confirmed by 46% travellers who are looking to travel 2 - 4 times a year. Our survey further highlights that contrary to the usual preference of international destinations in the winter, we have seen a number of travellers opting for domestic destinations this time around.” This winter there has been a stark increase in families planning for holidays together with almost 40% opting for family vacation closely followed by preference of traveling with spouse/partner. The survey also finds that almost 61% Indians believe that the choice of possible activities is highly important while planning holiday.

M.I.C.E SCAN Industry Leaders Signal Optimism at 1st Dubai Association Conference

he inaugural Dubai Association Conference took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 11 and 12 December. At the conference, the leaders of the Dubai Association Center expressed optimism about the future for associations in the emirate. The two-day programme focused on building the association community, skills development for association executives and sharing best practices from around the world. Attendees included international association executives, government representatives, university faculties and students, as well as professionals who were interested in forming associations.

Indian delegation to participate in 10th World Potato Congress

or the first time, the 10th World Potato Congress (WPC) and the 28th Latin American Potato Association (ALAP) Congress will come together in Cusco, Peru and will be celebrated together from 27-31 May 2018. Indian authorities are looking to partake in the congress. Today, India ranks as the world's third largest potato producing nation, with production in 2017 of around 47 million tonnes, according to the National Horticulture Board. The ‘aloo’ is not primarily a rural staple but a cash crop that provides significant income for farmers.

IHTC 2018 to take place from 16 - 17 February in Bangalore

he International Healthcare Tourism Congress (IHTC) will organise its 2018 edition at Le Meridien on 16 and 17 February. Organised by CIMGlobal, this yer's congress will bring together 200 hosted international delegates from Southeast Asia, Middle East and North Africa region. The delegates will represent fields such as the army, police, hospital heads from other countries, insurance agents and medical tourism facilitators. The event aims to establish India as a medical tourism destination brand where tourism experts and medical marketing heads will discuss the most recent developments in the industry. .

Sultanate of Oman hosts 2nd UNWTO/UNESCO Culture and Tourism Conference

Key Highlights: • More than 51% of the respondents prefer budget hotels, followed by 4/5 star hotels (28%) and homestays (11%) • The trend of advance booking is still on the rise with 38% booking their tickets 1-3 months in advance. 29% of the respondents said that they book tickets 15days – 1 month in advance • 31% of the respondents are willing to spend above INR 50,000 on the holiday. 30% and 24% are willing to spend between INR 10,000 – 25, 000 and INR 25,000 – INR 50,000, respectively • 67% of the respondents prefer using credit/ debit card while travelling. 28.5% said that cash is their preferred mode of payment while on the vacation. • On a lighter note, sunbathing, trekking & skiing have emerged as the favorite activities to indulge in during the vacation, whereas scarves and boots are the ‘must have’ accessories for the winter travel

night on accommodation. The survey also revealed that people are willing to spend on authentic experiences that delve into the culture, history, and people.

he 2nd UNWTO/UNESCO Culture and Tourism Conference took place on 11 and 12 December 2017 in Muscat, Oman. The conference brought together Ministers of Tourism and Ministers of Culture of different countries to identify key opportunities and obstacles for a stronger cooperation between tourism and culture and to discuss sustainable development that strengthen the socioeconomic links, reinforce mutual engagement in the promotion, protection and safeguarding of culture and heritage, relevance of culture and tourism in urban development and creativity and exploring cultural landscape in tourism.

The concept of Bleisure is definitely going to develop a separate segment itself in India in the future.

CALENDAR 2017 January 2018 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 FITUR Madrid, Spain 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 ASEAN Tourism Forum Chiang Mai, Thailand

February 2018 20, 21 Asia-Pacific Incentive Meeting Expo (AIME) Melbourne, Australia 26, 27, 28 International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Tokyo, Japan

March 2018 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ITB Berlin Berlin, Germany 12, 13, 14 Associations World Congress Antwerp, Belgium

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Destination

38>>

ooty...abounding with timeless appeal in all seasons! GOKIRTHA YOGANANTHAM

The writer reminisces her trip to the Queen of hill stations in South India who never fails to delight her visitors, first timers or repeaters.

he cold winds beating against my face as I trekked arduously up Ooty’s hills did not deter my spirits in the least as I prodded on further. The recollections of my trip to Ooty are marked by pleasant bicycle rides and memories of sipping hot tea at the wayside tea stalls, relishing homemade chocolates and the famous Varkey snack.

destination. We boarded the train from Coimbatore to Mettupalayam. Our co-passengers included all kinds of travellers – young and old, locals and outsiders, first timers and repeat visitors. The view from the train was a real delight as it chugged slowly up the hill. The train halted briefly to let deer and elephants cross the tracks smoothly.

Actually known as Udhagamandalam, it was monikered as Ooty by the erstwhile British in the Madras Presidency who made the hill station their summer seat. Ooty is located in Tamil Nadu at a height of 2,286 meters on the Nilgiris hills. Enriched with tourist- activities and experiences round-the-year, Ooty was discovered in 1819.

Some of the must-visit attractions in the hill station are the Ooty Lake, the Pykara falls, Doddabetta Peak, tea gardens and the Botanical Gardens. As soon as we disembarked in Mettupalayam, we took local transport to reach the Botanical Gardens. The garden has thousands of varieties of flowers and plants against the backdrop of beautifully landscaped paths. The place has been a popular venue for movie makers and the locals often come here for picnics. We later left for the

I went to Ooty with my friends and family recently in the month of May, the peak tourist season for the

Voyager’s World > December 2017

Ooty Lake and took the boat ride and enjoyed the sun’s rays gently glistened on the azure waters. Apart from the boating, people also come to the hill station for fishing, hiking, horse-riding, etc. After we finished our evening tea, we went to the hotel to relax before a long activity session the following day. We started the next day with a trip to the Doddabetta Peak which offers stunning views of the destination. There are plenty of hawkers selling fruits and snacks along the path. One must try the various varieties of teas and the Varkey, a flaky snack that Ooty is known for. Varkey is a great combination for a hot cup of tea. After savouring on these local delights, we went to a local tea factory that is flanked by tea plantations. We saw how the green

leaf underwent a metamorphosis before becoming the favoured beverage that we all drink. The factories also sell tea varieties. After lunch, we went to the Pykara falls just to listen to the gush of water as people jostled to take selfies with the waterfall as the backdrop. Later we went on a drive around the city and its shopping hubs before we had to head back to Coimbatore. But it wasn’t before we filled our bags with delicious varieties of homemade chocolates in different flavours, spices and Eucalyptus oil, not to forget packets of Varkey to take back for our friends back home. Ooty never ceases to charm her visitors regardless of how many times they have visited. The entire trip makes for a charming experience that is marked by great views and simple lifestyle of the locals, away from the hustle bustle of the plains.

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FESTIVALS OF January 2018 Ati-Atihan Festival, The Philippines The Ati-Atihan Festival of Aklan is called the Mother of All Filipino Festivals. It is held in January in Kalibo in The Philippines for 14 days and ends on the third Sunday of the month. The Ati, also known as Negritos, are indigenous people who have distinctively black skin and curly hair. Hence, celebrants of the Ati-atihan Festival paint their faces with black soot and shout Hala Bira! Every Filipino knows this phrase, but not its origin.

25 January, 2018 Driftwood & Sand Beach Sculpture, Hokitika, New Zealand Driftwood & Sand Beach Sculpture is a summer celebration of art that will take place on 25 January in the West Coast region on the South Island, Hokitika beach. It is a unique festival where artists express themselves with the materials that are available on the beach and the sculpture competition is judged at the end of the festival week. Hokitika has a fascinating history of gold miners and pounamu hunters.

November - February Flora Park Festival, Thailand 26 December 2017 - 27 January 2018 Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai The Dubai Shopping Festival, organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment {DFRE}, features a number of promotions and sales offering deals with discounts, as well as the opportunity to win prizes from luxury cars and gold to cash at the daily mega raffles. It consists of shopping, entertainment, concerts by international and regional stars, spectacular fireworks shows, range of free-to-attend family-oriented activities in malls, retail activations under Beauty & Perfume, jewellery and apparel and fashion platforms.

Voyager’s World > December 2017

Come November, the Flora Park Festival opens to public with 100,000 flowers of different species with five themed zones to explore. The Jim Thompson Farm Tour is offering Thai local experiences. The picturesque pink cosmos field, the giant pumpkin patch and colourful flower field are few good attractions. The visitors can visit ‘Jim Market’ for vegetable, fruit, pot flower and other fruit orchards. The park has 9,999 marigolds in the shape of Thai number nine, honouring the King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

THE WORLD 18 -28 January 2018 International Monte-Carlo Circus Festival, Monaco The 42nd International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo will take place from 18 to 28 January 2018. It is the celebration of 250 years of circus with the latest artists. Since 1974, artists from all over the world have been coming to entertain circus lovers. The epic 10 days of circus will take place at the Chapiteau de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Espace Fontvieille marquee with the presence of acrobats, animal trainers, trapeze artists and clowns.

22 -28 January, 2018 Monte Carlo Rallye, Monaco The Monte Carlo Rallye, a thrilling sporting event, will take place from 22-28 January in the Principality of Monaco. It is one of the oldest major rallies in the world that encourages drivers to perform better than that of the previous year. It has been a part of the WRC (World Rally Championship) since 1973. Before the beginning of the race, onlookers can have a look with the cars at the Place du Casino, following which the intense sporting activity kick starts.

27- 29 January Tamaki HerengaWaka, Auckland 20 January, 2018 National Tulip Day, Holland The Tulip season begins on 20 January 2018 at the Dam Square in Amsterdam. The event is organised by Dutch tulip growers in a huge garden with thousands of tulips. This transforms Dam Square into a sea of colour, where people can pick free bouquet of flowers. The tulip season is inaugurated on National Tulip Day and it lasts till the end of April. Thousands of tulip variants find their way from auctions in Holland to vases around the world.

The Tamaki HerengaWaka will take place from 27-29 January in Auckland, showcasing the unique Maori history, heritage and contemporary culture of Tamaki Makaurau. This is an alcohol and smoke-free festival that includes performances by established and emerging contemporary Maori artists and Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top kapahaka groups. The event consists of workshops and talks, display of Maori art and crafts, Maori kai, traditional games and healing. The on-water programme includes tribal waka races, have-a-go waka experiences and sailings.

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Happenings

Novotel Hyderabad Convention Center & HICC celebrate 50 years of AccorHotels

o mark its 50th anniversary, on 19 November 2017, AccorHotels honoured everyday heroes – men and women, such as social workers, volunteers, firefighters, nurses and teachers – who work each day to serve their communities, by inviting them in more than 2,000 establishments around the world, including over 500 hotels in Asia Pacific and 53 hotels in India. Celebrating the occasion on 20th November, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & HICC hosted a luncheon for the local heroes from city NGOs, schools and community based care centre, where these heroes were felicitated for their significant contribution to the society.

Jumeirah Group India Roadshow targets India's luxury travel

umeirah Hotels and Resorts conducted a two city roadshow in Mumbai and Delhi to strengthen the brand’s ties with the Indian travel-trade fraternity. The roadshow was part of Jumeirah’s newly enhanced focus on India as a source market for its hotels in the UAE, Europe and the Maldives. Linda Lewis, the Vice President for Global Sales Middle East and Asia Pacific, Jumeirah Group, said, “The India market has witnessed a considerable rise in outbound luxury travel in recent years and India is a key source market into the UAE and a number of our other destinations including the UK and Maldives. We are focusing on expanding and consolidating our ties with the FITs and the luxury travel segment to reach out to a larger audience and gain a higher market share. MMT’s reach and presence in India goes above and beyond Tier 1 states. With this in mind, our visibility on this platform will help to increase brand awareness and gain new consumers.”

Voyager’s World > December 2017

42>>

Switzerland Tourism presents new products in five-city trade show

witzerland Tourism organised a multi-city roadshow in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Delhi. The Aletsch Arena, Luxury hotel from Villars Chalet Royale were the new participants. Other partners were St. Moritz, Davos Klosters, Interlaken, Gstaad, Lucerne and Lake Geneva Region. Claudio Zemp, Director India, Switzerland Tourism, said, “In terms of growth from India, we had a fantastic year with a year to date growth of 25.1% more overnights. Switzerland welcomed 23.9% more Indians in 2017 compared to same period in 2016.” Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director, Switzerland Tourism, India, said, “Switzerland has also been accredited as one of the world’s most luxurious destination as it has an abundance of luxurious offerings and experiences.”

6th International Tourism Mart held in Guwahati

he Union Ministry of Tourism, along with the Northeastern states organised ‘International Tourism Mart’ (ITM) in Guwahati, Assam from 5-7 December. It was inaugurated by Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam and K.J Alphons MoS (IC), Ministry of Tourism & MoS, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Union Secretary Rashmi Verma and other dignitaries. As the majority of Northeast states share international borders with ASEAN and BIMSTEC Countries, the session also identified geopolitical drivers of tourist flows in the future in view of India’s increased focus on ‘Act East’ policy.

Happenings

43>>

Sunil Kumar re-elected as TAAI President for 2017-19

he newly elected members of the Managing Committee and the office bearers of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) for the term 2017-’19 were announced at the association’s 66th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 28 November at The Lalit, Mumbai.

Sunil Kumar (Travel World, Secunderabad), the current President of TAAI has been re-elected for the same post for the third time. Sanjay Narula (Apex Travel and Tours, New Delhi) is the new Vice President; Jyoti Mayal (New Airways Travels (Delhi) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi) is the Honorary Secretary General and Imtiaz Qureshi (Viceroy Travels Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad) is the Hon. Treasurer. The Managing Committee members include Anil Kumar, Acma Travel Tours Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru; Anoop B. Kanuga, Bathija Travels Pvt. Limited, Mumbai; Bhagwan T. Ramnani, Vensimal World Travel Agents Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata; Devaki Thiyagarajan, Avocet Tours & Travel Private Limited, Chennai; Gurmeet Singh Vij, Nova Tours & Travels, Nagpur; Rajan Sehgal, Airborne Travels Pvt. Limited, New Delhi; P. Saravanan, Viking Tours & Travel, Chennai.

Goa Tourism organises networking gala at IITM Pune

oa Tourism organised a road show on 24 November 2017 at the Pride Hotel against the backdrop of the Pune edition of India International Travel Mart (IITM) that was held from 25 - 26 November at the Deccan College Ground, Yerawada. The roadshow witnessed a 'Goa Evening' gala with cultural performances organised for the travel agents and tour operators who attended the event and interacted with a delegation from Goa Tourism, comprising tourism department officials and private tourism members.

Atout France successfully organises Ambassador's Travel Awards in Mumbai

nder the patronage of His Excellency The Ambassador of France to India M Alexandre Ziegler, the third edition of the Ambassador’s Travel Awards took place on 13 December in Mumbai. This edition introduced the Best Journalist Category to award media. The event was graced by His Highness Shriji Arvind Singhji Mewar of Udaipur and was attended by decision makers from trade and media domains. In the visa domain, Thomas Cook India Ltd. Cox & Kings were the winners. Amazing Vacations, Mercury Travels Ltd. and Destination Globe won for best published itineraries and Gustasp and Jeroo Irani won the Best Journalist Award.

VisitBritain, ACP organise educational trip to UK for Indian travel trade The national tourism organisation of Great Britain has launched a B2B campaign with ACP Rail in India. This educational trip is a part of this campaign. Agents started their educational in Edinburgh, before travelling north for a 2 day tour of the Scottish Highlands. They then headed across the border into Northern England, finishing their trip in the medieval town of York. The most cost effective way to explore Britain by train is with a BritRail Pass. With a BritRail Pass visitors can travel anytime and anywhere on the national train network.

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Cruise

44>>

More ships are scheduled to set sail in 2018: CLIA VW BUREAU

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) releases 2018 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook and Cruise Travel Trends

ruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has released the 2018 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook. The report offers an in-depth look at the cruise industry’s overall global economic impact as well as the trends impacting cruise travel in 2018. Current data shows cruise travel is steadily on the rise with a projected 27.2 million passengers expected to set sail in 2018. In 2017, an estimated 25.8 million passengers cruised compared to a confirmed 24.7 million passengers in 2016, an increase of 20.5 percent over five years from 2011-2016. To meet ongoing demand, more ships are scheduled to set sail in 2018. CLIA Cruise Lines are scheduled to debut 27 new ocean, river and specialty ships this coming year.

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Managing Director of CLIA Asia, Joel Katz, said “With annual source market growth of more than 40%, Asia is emerging as one of the most significant cruise destinations and cruise source markets in the world. Cruising is expected to capture a much larger percentage of the Asian population in the near future, which could catapult Asia’s share of the global market.” As part of the 2018 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, CLIA has forecasted the top nine cruise travel trends for the coming year. All Budgets Will Cruise – The soon

to be released, 2018 Cruise Travel Report found that almost all income brackets are cruising. In fact, a third (33%) of the cruisers surveyed who have taken a cruise within the past three years, have a household income less than $80K. While the data shows cruising does skew a bit more to the affluent consumer than other types of holidays, the report indicates almost all levels of income enjoy cruise vacations. Transformational Cruise Travel – The next evolution of experiential travel sees travellers taking a step further and seeking “transformational” experiences. From cultural immersion and voluntourism to extreme adventures, those returning from a cruise will have shift in perspective and a sense of accomplishment. Some upcoming cruise itineraries include the opportunity to indulge in local cuisine, guided tours through small villages and even visits inside private homes. Thrill-seekers can fill bucket lists with chances to swim with sharks in South Africa, ride a Harley Davidson in Alaska or mingle among penguins in the Arctic. Sustainability at Sea – In the coming year there with be an even greater focus on sustainable tourism. Travellers can look forward participating in sustainable practices both onboard and off from

recycling and waste management to popular voluntourism initiatives that focus on creating a positive environmental and social impact at destinations around the globe. Millennials Take to the River—River and small ship cruising continues to gain traction among travellers, specifically the Millennial set. With ever-expanding itineraries and destination experiences that reach far beyond walking and coach tours and endless options for the perfect “Instagram moment,” the younger generation is embracing river cruising. Skip-Gen Cruising – Multigenerational cruising is projected to increase in popularity, as forecasted by CLIA’s Travel Agent Cruise Industry Outlook in April 2017. But there’s a twist: “skipgeneration” trips, with grandparents and grandchildren traveling together without their parents, are predicted to be highly popular in 2018 and beyond. Travellers Warm to Chilly Destinations –The coming year is projected to see an increase in popularity of colder climate destinations including the Baltics, Canada, Alaska, and Antarctica. With an array of unique excursion options, from penguin watching to ice fishing, these winter wonder

destinations are drawing in both new and repeat cruise travellers. Healthy Doses – Travellers are seeking health and wellness trips more than ever before and the cruise industry is responding with services and experiences for the mind and body. Today’s cruise travellers can participate in onboard health wellness seminars led by popular health experts, custom fitness programs, stress management, and spa services. Smart Travel Technology— The coming year there will be a rise in traveller-friendly onboard technologies. Several cruise lines are introducing wearable technology for cruise guests that provide a personalized and seamless experience while onboard. Ranging from keychains to bracelets to necklaces and more, wearable technology on cruises interacts with sensors on the ship in order to do everything from turning the lights on as a cruiser approaches their cabin to acting as a security agent. Tapping Travel Agents – Travel agents continue to see a steady demand from consumers in planning and executing holidays. Some of the largest factors behind continued popularity of travel agents? Ease of planning, valued expertise, and affordability.

1 Year, 12 Issues Rs. 800 (Inclusive of Rs. 200 for postage) 2 Year, 24 Issues Rs. 1,600 (Inclusive of Rs. 400 for postage) 3 Year, 36 Issues Rs. 2,400 (Inclusive of Rs. 600 for postage) Name Designation Company Name Address City Pin State Tel. Fax E mail

Voyager’s World > December 2017

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Top Appointments

45>>

Ujwal Wal

Rajesh S. Bhande

Director of Sales & Marketing, Sheraton Grand Bangalore, Brigade Gateway

General Manager U Tropicana Alibaug

ajesh S. Bhande is appointed as the General Manager of U Tropicana Alibaug. He brings with him an experience of over 26 years . He has worked with the Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai ,ITC Grand Central, Four Points by Sheraton and The Grand Mercure.Prior to this Rajesh worked as the General Manager at the Prakruti Resort Vadodara.

jwal Wal has been appointed as the new Director of Sales & Marketing of Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. He has worked with brands like Taj Group, Marriott International, IHG Hotels and IHHR Hospitality Group. Prior to this, he had served as the Complex Director of Sales & Marketing for Courtyard & Fairfield by Marriott, Bangalore.

Ashish Kishore

Vinay Raina

Managing Director for India, American Express GBT

General Manager, The Promenade & Le Dupleix, Pondicherry

inay Raina is the new General Manager of The Promenade and Le Dupleix, Pondicherry. He brings with him an experience of over 13 years. Prior to this, he had worked with the Trident, Jaipur as the F& Services Manager. He had also worked with the Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels and The Claridges.

merican Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has appointed Ashish Kishore as the Managing Director for GBT, India. He joins GBT from dnata. Previously, he was Vice President at Yatra.com in product development, sales & marketing in hotel and holiday division and prior to that, he was National Sales Head – FIT Leisure at Kuoni. In his new role, Ashish will be part of the Asia Pacific team.

Vivek Bhalla

Keshwar Bhagat

Regional Vice President, InterContinental Hotels Group

Director of Sales - India, Global Sales Office, Dusit Hotels & Resorts

eshwar Bhagat has been appointed as the Director of Sales of the newly opened Global Sales Office (GSO) of Dusit Hotels & Resorts in Mumbai. She brings with her rich experience and had worked with Promosalons: The Global Partner Network of French Trade Shows, Atout France and most recently with the Akaryn Hotel Group.

nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) has appointed Vivek Bhalla as the Regional Vice President, South West Asia, effective 1 January 2018. In his new role, he will be responsible for spearheading the strategic growth of the company. In his last role, he was the Director of Operations of SEAK. Previously, he had handled the operations of IHG’s 30+ hotels across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines

Ashwani Nayar

Binny Sebastian

Multi-Property General Manager, Westin Gurgaon, Westin Sohna Resort & Spa

General Manager, Alila Fort, Bishangarh

shwani Nayar joins The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi and The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa as the Multi -Property General Manager. He brings with him 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry in various positions like Area Director North India and Nepal. He has also worked with Le Méridien Resort & Convention Centre and Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort and Spa.

lila Hotels &Resorts has appointed Binny Sebastian as the General Manager of Alila Fort Bishangarh. He will be managing the operations of the resort. With 20 years of global experience in hospitality, Binny brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge in the luxury hotel segment.

Arohi Tambe

Pankaj Kumar

Director of Marketing InterContinental, Chennai Mahabalipuram Resorts

nterContinental, Chennai Mahabalipuram Resorts appointed ArohiTambe as the Director of Marketing. In her new profile, she will be responsible for marketing leadership and undertaking the innovative marketing activations. She has almost a decade’s experience in marketing & communications with the Marriott group and The Westin.

Director of Food and Beverage, The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, Pune

ankaj Kumar has joined the Westin Pune Koregaon Park, Pune as the Director of Food and Beverage. He has over 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He started his career with Grand Hyatt Mumbai. Prior to this, he had worked with hotels as Hyatt Regency Mumbai and Taj Lands End.

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NETWORKING ISThE THE nETWoRkInG Is kE KEY y December 2017

January 2018

December 2017

February 2018

March 2018

April 2018

29, 30 Nov, 1, 2 Dec Chengdu International Tourism Expo Chengdu, China 1, 2, 3 India International Travel Mart Hyderabad 8, 9, 10 Greek Tourism Expo Athens,Greece 11, 12 Brussels Travel Expo Brussels, Belgium

January 2018

February 2018

8, 9. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Outbound Travel Roadshow Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi

5, 6, 7 IBTM Arabia Abu Dhabi - UAE

11, 12, 13 India International Travel Mart Kochi

11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Outbound Travel Roadshow Dubai, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman

19, 20, 21 Jharkhand Travel Mart Ranchi, Jharkhand

23, 24, 25 India International Travel Mart Kolkata

26, 27, 28 Holiday Expo Coimbatore

28 Feb. 01, 02 March Karnataka International Travel Mart Bengaluru

March 2018

April 2018

28 February -1, 2 March Jeddah Intl. Travel & Tourism Exhibition Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

3, 4, 5 WTM Latin America Sao Paulo,Brazil

7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ITB Berlin, Germany

5, 6, 7 17th Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair Baku Expo Center,Azerbaijan

21, 22 British Tourism and travel Birmingham, UK

11, 12 Visit Scotland Expo Glasgow

19, 20, 21, 22 Outbound Travel Roadshow Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi

20, 21, 22 B-Travel Spain

India’s Premier Travel & Tourism

EXHIBITION

ENSURE YOUR PLACE IN THE MOST HAPPENING DESTINATION OF TRAVEL... • A Spectacular showcase to stimulate the Domestic and Outbound travel industry. • More customers, business improvement strategies, star status, wide audience and extra mileage. • Everything to lead your business to non-stop activity - only at IITM • Discover a great new potential and reap greater profits. • Real excitement, as you've always desired!

IITM 2018 EVENTS CALENDAR KOCHI: 11, 12, 13 JANUARY 2018

DELHI: 20, 21, 22 SEPTEMBER 2018

KOLKATA: 23, 24, 25 FEBRUARY 2018

AHMEDABAD: 28, 29, 30 FEBRUARY 2018 MUMBAI: 04, 05, 06 OCTOBER 2018

BANGALORE: 28, 29, 30 JULY 2018 CHENNAI: 03, 04, 05 AUGUST 2018

HYDERABAD: 23, 24, 25 NOVEMBER 2018 PUNE: 30 NOVEMBER, 01, 02 DECEMBER 2018

Supported By

Partner Associations

Member

SPHERE TRAVELMEDIA & EXHIBITIONS PVT. LTD. # 245, 7th Main, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bengaluru - 560 071, India P: +91-80-4083 4100 | F: +91-80-4083 4101 | E: info@iitmindia.com www.iitmindia.com | www.spheretravelmedia.com