Voyager's World November 2015

Vol XIII

Issue I

Also featuring...

Pages 48

November 2015

Rs 60

PUNE 27, 28, 29 November 2015

HYDERABAD 04, 05, 06 December 2015

KOCHI 14, 15, 16 January 2016

KOLKATA 04, 05, 06 March 2016

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‘MICE’ time for Indian travel industry

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t just seemed like we stepped into the new year and we are almost a month away from ushering in the new one. A lot of initiatives and proposals have gone underway this year on part of the tourism ministry. In so far as the MICE industry is concerned, it is a blooming time for the country with the Skal Hyderabad Chapter having won the bid for hosting the Skal World Congress 2017. Having concluded the SITE Global Conference in New Delhi recently, it may augur well for the various stakeholders of the travel trade to come together and work towards drawing more such international events in India. The Skal Congress bid is a plum catch for the newborn state, Telangana, as part of its efforts to build itself.

In this issue, we have seen what are the latest trends in in-room entertainment technology in the hospitality industry and about the feasibility of cruising in India, besides other stories on enhancing local experiences and launch of apps.

Happy Reading...

Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Chief Designer

Web Developer

Advertising & Marketing

Operations Executive

Rohit Hangal rohit@voyagersworld.in

EDIT

ORIA

L

Priyamvadha Balaram priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Shyam Vishnot shyam@voyagersworld.in

06 10

Industry Buzz

05

Flight Talk New MoUs signed by Civil Aviation Ministry

Irene Susan Eapen irene@voyagersworld.in

Rohith Pinto info@voyagersworld.in

Mobile +91-9844092150 advertising@voyagersworld.in

ADVERTISING & CIRCU LATIO N

Assistant Editor

Selvaraj Ramaswamy operations@voyagersworld.in

Travel Events Glimpses of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart, WTM London, etc.

27

MICE Point

Published By

Surinder Hakhu sanjay@voyagersworld.in & Rohit Hangal rohit@voyagersworld.in

38 45

Cruise Cruise holiday trends in the Indian market

Top Appointments

Event Venues, SITE Global Conference

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Travel Events

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IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 concludes on high note VW BUREAU

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T&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 came to a close last month with over 100 business, education and networking sessions successfully concluded. Delegates gave their thumbs up to highly satisfactory outcomes across board, from business appointments, to knowledge fulfilment, and networking engagement. Returning exhibitor Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events Manager South & South East Asia, Edward Kwek shared his positive experience about the high quality of buyers the team had met at the show. “We obtained fantastic leads with these buyers. The ability of IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific to connect us with such buying potential is the reason why we chose to return to the event because this is the platform that enabled us to achieve our business targets.”

Paul Counihan, Cluster Director of Sales & Marketing of Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort and AVANI Bangkok Riverside Hotel was elated with the impressive business leads he had garnered through this year’s exhibition. “We met with some interesting leads over the last two days; in total we had 37 business appointments. Hopefully we will be able to convert these leads into concrete businesses.”

On the education front, delegates expressed their satisfaction with this year’s stellar line-up of topics and speakers. First-time Association Buyer Dr. Edathil Vijayan, President and Emeritus Professor of Society for Biotechnologists India (SBTI) who attended both Association Day Forums and Campfire Knowledge Sessions, believed that the expertise and relevance of the speakers were very important. “The speakers were very articulate, and I gained new knowledge from each session I attended, which I can apply to my association.” Corporate travel manager Maria Theresa Toralba, Travel Analyst of Convergys Philippines Services Corp shared the same sentiments, “This is my first visit to CTW Asia-Pacific, and I am hugely impressed with the quality of speakers and the topics they presented. I will be able to implement what I’ve learnt on this trip, and share it with my colleagues.”

The highlight of the last event day was the announcement of the 2015 IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific Sticky Award winners, who were selected by their delegate peers for making an unforgettable impression with exciting exhibits, booths, functions, promotions, individual personalities and social media sharing. This year saw a total of 12 winners, with Korea Tourism Organization and Thai Airways taking the gold title of Stickiest National Pavilion and Stickiest Corporate Booth.

Other booth winners include Resort World Sentosa (Corporate Booth, Silver), Centara Hotels & Resorts (Corporate Booth, Bronze), Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (National Pavilion, Silver) and Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines (National Pavilion, Bronze). TPB Philippines took home double honours for also winning “Stickiest Function”, while Taiwan Convention & Exhibition Association walked away all smiles with the Stickiest Marketing & Promotion honour.

Henry Waltz, CEO/ Owner, Gecko Incentives & Events, Germany; Abhimanyu, Global Head, MICE & Travel Procurement HCL Technologies, India; and Hugo Slimbrouck, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ovation Global DMC, Belgium were named Stickiest Buyer, Corporate Travel Manager and Guru respectively. Hospitality News Philippines was named IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific’s firstever Stickiest Social Sharing winner.

Louies Paolo Abellanosa, Associate Editor shared his joy, “The social

media landscape is so dynamic. We are able to update our readers with the constant happenings at trade shows on-the-go. Being the first Stickiest Social Sharing winner at IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 is an honour. We are proud to be the pioneer.”

IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 confirmed that the number of international destinations, Convention Visitor Bureaus (CVBs) and corporate companies choosing to leverage on the event’s multiengagement platforms was at a record high. From sponsored networking functions, media briefing slots and education tracks, more organisations than ever before are acknowledging the value that these platforms provide in terms of fulfilling engagement and awareness building objectives to a captive audience.

Said Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, President of TCEB, “As the host of the Opening Ceremony, TCEB had the opportunity to present our 2016 global branding campaign “Thailand CONNECT… Our Heart, Your World”, and showcase Thailand as Asia’s top business events destination.

The Opening Ceremony represented the start of the trade show, as well as the beginning of many new relationships and partnerships for the delegates. In turn, the exposure we had received was tremendously beneficial.”

Six other destinations, CVBs and Corporates including Seoul Metropolitan Government, Dubai

Business Events, Frasers Hospitality, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, Oakwood and HRS have secured hosted luncheon, dinner and coffee break sessions today that delivered a curated attendance of buyers and media that fit their respective target profiles. In addition to that, Singapore Tourism Board is co-locating its hosted luncheon on 1st October, in conjunction with IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 to a select group of local buyers.

On the motivation behind their exclusive luncheon for 30 Southeast Asia buyers, Karina Lance, Senior Manager, Sales and Convention Services of Dubai Business Events said, “Dubai city is constantly evolving. Therefore, the Dubai Business Events sponsored luncheon is a platform for us to further develop relationships with our clients, and provide them with new updates on the offerings in the business events field. We look forward to connecting with Asian MICE meeting planners and decision makers during the networking lunch.”

Said its Chief of Marketing and Promotions of Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, Susan Del Mundo, “The sponsored dinner will be our platform to re-intensify our campaign and build a momentum for the Philippine MICE industry. We hope to garner more interest among the high quality meetings and incentive travel organisers to explore Philippines – currently positioned as one of the top Asian countries with emerging economy.”

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The Second edition of

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Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

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adhya Pradesh Tourism launched its second edition of ‘Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart’, Central India’s biggest travel event in Bhopal from 16 – 18 October 2015. This edition, set on a B2B platform with 200 registered buyers and media from over 20 countries exploring business opportunities for discerning travel and tourism products, made it one of the most sought after travel events in the country.

The mart was inaugurated by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in the presence of Surendra Patwa, culture and

Voyager’s World > November 2015

tourism minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh; Hari Ranjan Rao, IAS, managing director, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC); other representatives of MPSTDC and travel associations from India.

Other dignitaries present at the inauguration included Subhash Goyal, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Jyoti Mayal, Member Managing Committee , Chair person Airline Council, Travel Agents Association Of India (TAAI), Sarab Jit Singh, Vice President, Federation of Associations in Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), Jyoti Kapur, President, Association

of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Capt. Swadesh Kumar, Vice Chairman, Indian Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), Akshay Kumar, President, etc.

Speaking at the inauguration, Chouhan stated, “We want to focus on tourism and attract tourists from across the country and globally.

We will work towards removing roadblocks that hinders tourism growth.”

The Chief Minister said, “With 2015 being the Visit MP Year, the Government has initiated several projects to increase visitors to the

State to see some of the country’s best kept world heritage sites, amazing landscapes. The state also offers a safe and secure environment. With the Simhastha 2016 taking place from 22nd April to the 21st May, we will see one of the biggest gatherings of pilgrims in the country and we would like to invite the travel agents to promote this event in a big way.”

He then spoke about various initiatives being presently undertaken by the government in this direction. Chouhan opined, “We are creating a tracking system for tourists so that we can track the

ends with resounding success!!

kind of problems they are facing and can address them accordingly. We are also training guides in different languages so as to cater to a diverse range of international tourists.”

He also highlighted the need for improving air connectivity and expressed the hope of receiving assistance from Air India and also advised travel agents to leverage the Navratri festival and create packages around it to attract tourists.

Surendra Patwa, Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh mentioned about the various

proposals and schemes by the Madhya Pradesh Government to give a fillip to the industry in the state. Veera Rana, IAS, Secretary Tourism, gave details of the second edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart. Subhash Goyal, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators mentioned about the various facets of the tourism industry and how MP has been in the forefront of tourism marketing.

The event attracted buyers from Australia, South Africa, UK, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Bulgaria, UAE, Sri Lanka, Latvia, Bulgaria, Jordan, Egypt, Greece,

Ireland, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, South Africa, etc. Over 100 different products of MP as pilgrimage, heritage, adventure, corporate hotels, wildlife resorts, travel agents and tour operators, handicrafts, culture pursuits, etc. were showcased. The exclusive pavilion of Madhya Pradesh displayed the different facets of Madhya Pradesh such as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, festivals of Madhya Pradesh, Heritage Hotels, Buddhist Trails in Madhya Pradesh, Wildlife Resorts and National Parks, Medical Tourism, Destination Management Companies, Travel

Agents and Tour Operators, Religious Tourism, Handicrafts, Cultural Vistas, etc The event enlisted the support of major travel – trade and hospitality associations in India as ‘Association of Domestic Tour Operators Association of India (ADTOI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) etc.

WTM

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Indian Travellers Bank on ‘Cash-on-Delivery’ Payments VW BUREAU

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ravel firms are adopting ‘cashon-delivery’ payments to cater for the half a billion Indians without a bank account, says the WTM Global Trends Report 2015, in association with Euromonitor International.

“For many of these consumers, travel and online booking of tickets may appear an unrealistic dream, but the situation is slowly changing as travel companies reach out to the unbanked,” said the report.

Released today (Monday 2 November) at World Travel Market London, the report highlights the scale of the untapped market of India’s unbanked population, and how cash-on-delivery (CoD) models are evolving to serve these consumers.

CoD payments have been successful with online retailing, so several Indian travel companies have now adopted the service for ticketing.

Consumers book online, often using a travel agent or internet café, and a cash payment is collected, after which the ticket can be downloaded or delivered.

According to the WTM Global Trends Report 2015, in association with Euromonitor International, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary at WTM London 2015, more than two thirds of India’s population live in rural areas and only 7% of India’s villages have a bank.

These countryside consumers make up the majority of India’s unbanked – an estimated 500 million people in 2015.

Jet Airways has signed up with GharPay, which specialises in CoD payments, enabling customers to book online, and tickets are emailed after the payment is collected.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) established BookMyTrain.com, which allows passengers to book online, for the ticket to be delivered at home where the payment is made.

CoD is not restricted to transportation ticketing, said the report.

Travelguru, the hotel booking site, also offers this service, provided by doorstep CoD brand Delhivery.

Cleartrip, one of India’s leading online travel agencies, reported that 26% of online users and 18% of mobile users prefer to pay for all their travel bookings by CoD in 2015.

The report highlights the potential for significant further growth, commenting: “Internet access for India’s rural population and smaller cities looks set to expand dramatically, leading to over 320 million internet users by 2019.

“This improved internet access, combined with a growing availability of mobile phones, is likely to result in increased mobile payments and applications for unbanked consumers. “In August 2015, 11 companies, including Airtel and Vodafone, were granted licences for banking transactions such as deposits and payments.

“This move is hoped to bring mobile banking to India’s unbanked, similar to Kenya’s M-Pesa m-commerce, used by two thirds of adults in Kenya to make purchases, including travel.”

World Travel Market London, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “The sheer scale of this untapped market is staggering, so it’s great to see how technology is bringing travel opportunities to millions of consumers.”

Euromonitor International, Head of Travel, Caroline Bremner said: “For many emerging markets, these types of purchases can be seen as a way of creating trust in online bookings as payment and ticket delivery are carried out at the same time.

“It will make a dramatic difference to huge numbers of people who have previously been unable to enjoy benefits afforded to those in more developed economies – and open up many opportunities for the travel industry in India and around the world.”

wtm london travel tech shows sees giant players and startups VW BUREAU

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ints and advice from online giants for established players and startups alike ran through many of the sessions at Day 4 of the Travel Tech Show at WTM 2015, the largest travel tech event in the UK. A popular WTM-Travel Perspective session from Google UK Sales Director Dr. Bernd Fauser on YouTube held the audience’s attention with viewing demographics and the importance of video in the travel purchase.

He highlighted how YouTube reaches more ABC1s than any other online platform every month making it a dream channel for travel marketers.

Some of the top reasons people watch videos online are travel related – 27% to relax and escape, 45% to be entertained and inspired, 14% to pursue a hobby. In addition,

Voyager’s World > November 2015

almost 50% of travellers use online video in some shape or form before deciding where to go on holiday.

Attendees also heard how consumers are using video to make critical trip purchasing decisions – 65% when they are thinking about taking a trip, 67% when choosing a destination, 67% when looking for ideas for activities, 63% when deciding on accommodation and 26% when deciding which website to book on.

platform allows you to do that at a really low price point. Lots of companies use it to run different spots and see how people are engaging and what resonates.”

Samir Bhana, Twitter’s Sales Manager, UK/Ireland, Travel said tweets can be more informal than traditional company communications, so travel brands should give their social media account teams more freedom to react in real time.

Fauser said video plays a vital role for brands because most consumers are undecided about what companies to book with and find it hard to differentiate between them.

“We are about 20 minutes ahead of the mainstream news, so if you are on the ball, you can take advantage of that.”

When asked if there was a “secret sauce” for creating video he said: “The key thing is testing and the

At a different part of the show, start-ups were put through their paces during Digital Tourism Think Tank’s second Travel Start-up Pitch competition, which was won by

JustPark, a business which helps hotels maximise the revenue from on-site parking facilities.

Anhel Alickovic, Business Development, JustPark said “There’s lots of revenue management systems to help hotel sell rooms, we can help them sell parking spaces.”

The European Social Entrepreneurship and Innovative Studies Institute provided the prize – a mentoring cruise.

Attendees at the session were asked to vote on five different start-up pitches, with JustPark getting the highest number of positive votes.

However, the other four businesses – Roomer, VoiceMap, faralong.com and TourConnect – all getting the thumbs up with more positive than negative votes.

9>>

WTM

glimpses of india pavilion at wtm london 2015

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Industry Buzz

10>>

Oman included in AudioCompass app

Tourism Australia re-launches Specialist Programme in India

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ourism Australia launched the revamped version of its Aussie Specialist Program (ASP) in India last month. The programme aims to equip Indian travels agents with distinguished skill sets and knowledge to effectively promote and sell Australia among Indian travel enthusiasts. The online training programme includes a new digital platform as well as training resources which will be shared by Tourism Australia and all of its eight state and territory tourism partners. The three phase interactive programme will highlight the unique and varied tourism offerings available in Australia. The revamped version will consist of interactive training modules, itinerary suggestions, factsheets, destination FAQs and an interactive map. The site works across all tablets and mobile devices. Also, a team of Aussie Specialist trainers is being recruited to provide face-to-face training in key markets for frontline travel sellers.

he Ministry of Tourism, Oman in association with AudioCompass, included Oman on the AudioCompass, a mobile app that serves as an audio guide to travellers.

Available on iOS and Android, the application provides high quality, informative, detailed, curated, audio-based content for over 1200 tourist points of interest effectively turning travellers’ smartphones into personal audio tour guides. AudioCompass is integrated in holiday packages sold by MakeMyTrip, Thomas Cook, Yatra.com and Cox & Kings.

IATA-TCV's NDC Innovation Fund to invest in Executive Travel App

In Oman, AudioCompass will cover 80+ points of interest with informative audio content across major destinations including Muscat, Al Sharqiyah, Al Dakhliya, Al Batinah, Dhofar and Musandam.

India a key market for Mongolia

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ongolia considers India as an important partner for tourism, informed Gonchig Ganbold, Ambassador of Mongolia to India at an interaction held at Indian Merchants’ Chamber in Mumbai recently. “There’s great scope for tourism exchange between the two countries,” he stated. The mineral rich country sends many tourists to India; most of them come for religious purposes. “

HVS announces HOSI on April 4; HICSA on April 5-6, 2016

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VS Global Hospitality Services, a hospitality consulting firm recently announced the dates and venue for HOSI 2016 and HICSA 2016. The 4th edition of Hotel Operations Summit India (HOSI) 2016 will be held on April 4 at JW Marriott Aerocity, New Delhi. The 12th Hotel Investment Conference-South Asia (HICSA) 2016 is scheduled for April 5-6 at the same venue. Later next year, HVS will host the 3rd edition of THINC Indonesia on August 31-September 1, 2016 at Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort, Bali.

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he International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the first investment by the NDC Innovation Fund, a strategic investment fund supporting innovation in airline distribution using the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard. The NDC Innovation Fund is a partnership between IATA and Travel Capitalist Ventures (TCV). The Fund has agreed to invest in ETA, Inc. ETA, which stands for Executive Travel App, is a Silicon Valley-based start-up company developing a mobile application to support seamless travel shopping.

Air China launches Mumbai - Beijing direct service

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ir China launched its direct International flight from Mumbai to Beijing on 26 October, making it the first and only airline to fly non-stop between the two destinations.

Air China introduced Airbus A330-300 in its service to Mumbai. With a total capacity of 305 seats, the flight has 30-Businiess Class Fully Flat Beds, 16-Premium Economy & 259-Economy seats.

The flight will operate four times in a week - Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Passengers will also have a return flight service from Beijing to Mumbai four times a week - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

HITEC City Hyderabad welcomes Hotel Formule1

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otel Formule1 opened in Hyderabad’s HITEC city with 150 rooms. One of the unique features is its ‘green zone’, which is a part of Hotel Formule1’s commitment to Planet 21 and its endeavour to be a low carbon footprint hotel. Available at the ‘green zone’ are bicycles for the hotel guests. “The opening of Hotel Formule1 Hyderabad HITEC city is a significant milestone as it marks ourentry into the technology hub of Hyderabad which has huge potential in terms of corporate, SME and even leisure travel. With the addition of Hotel Formule1 Hyderabad HITEC city, the brand’s portfolio now includes seven hotels across India,” said Balvinder Sahrawat, Vice-President, Hotel Formule1 India.

Voyager’s World > November 2015

Flight Talk

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India-Oman pact grants 5131 more airline seats PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

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he Ministry of Civil Aviation signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with six countries at the recently concluded International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) 2015 held in Antalya, Turkey from 19 - 23 October.

for Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune.

An MoU was entered into by Denmark, Norway and Sweden with India by which code shares, intermodal, routing flexibility and open

sky on cargo, which is a mandatory requirement of Horizontal Agreement coming into force was agreed to by the three Scandinavian countries. India accepted Norway’s request to bring Norway-India

bilateral in line with Horizontal Agreement on receiving a letter to this effect from European Council.

Sweden allowed India another new point namely Gothenburg for code share operations.

The Indian delegation representing the ministry participated in the conference, which was attended by 106 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) member countries, and held negotiations with delegations from 11 countries.

It signed MoUs with Ethiopia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Oman, Sweden, Norway & Denmark and ‘Agreed Minutes’ with Serbia, Greece, European Commission and ‘Record of Discussions’ with Brunei Darussalam and Qatar.

As per the MoU signed with Oman, an additional 5131 seats were granted taking the total capacity entitlements from 16018 seats per week to 21149 seats per week for both sides. Kazakhstan and India agreed to review the validated Air Services Agreement (ASA) as per the latest Article 11 given by the Indian side. Third country airlines code share and domestic code share operations to four points was also agreed to by both sides.

The roomsXML mobile interface is fantastic. Finding and booking accommodation on the mobile is now a no-fuss job.

- Al Seraj | Saudi Arabia

The MoU signed with Kenya stated that the capacity entitlements had been increased from 14 frequencies for each side to 21 additional frequencies and Hyderabad was allowed as an additional point of call for the designated carriers of Kenya.

Domestic code share was agreed to from any four points by both sides. Kenya agreed to grant one additional point, intermediate and beyond point with full fifth freedom rights in Africa to India.

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No matter where you are, as long as you have a smartphone, you will have access to 88,148 unique properties around the world. Hotels & apartments that are available in real-time and at highly competitive net rates.

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According to the pact inked between India and Ethiopia, capacity entitlements were increased from the existing 21 frequencies per week to 28 frequencies per week for both sides. Ethiopia was allowed to exchange Bangalore in place of Kolkata as a point of call.

Three additional domestic code share points exclusively to code share with Air India were granted

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Industry Buzz

12>> Scandinavia to launch aggressive campaign

Visit Britain mulls culinary tours and Bollywood packages

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isitBritain plans to create some culinary tours and Bollywood packages for India, revealed Sumathi Ramanathan, Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific & Middle East,VisitBritain, at an event held to promote the tourism board’s association with Bollywood film, Shaandar. “We are currently promoting the country side of Britain. London is a well-known destination, we now want people to explore other parts of the UK. We are delighted with the support we receive from Bollywood directors and actors. We have been working very closely with them for over a period of time,” she shared.

S Air Canada gears to welcome Toronto-Delhi service

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ir Canada welcomed its inaugural flight from Toronto to Delhi on November 2. With the brand new Boeing 787-9 series aircraft to be deployed on the route, Air Canada has come up with a special fare offer across Business, Premium Economy and Economy. Arun Pandeya, Country Manager, Air Canada, said, “We are very happy to see the positive response from the market ever since we announced the flights. We are very keen to encourage more travelers to experience the new Dreamliner.”

Jaipur welcomes Hotel Crowne Plaza

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nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®) launched its 10th Crowne Plaza hotel in Jaipur today. Located near the airport, the hotel is spread across 19,500 sq. ft and has 218 rooms and suites. The banquet venues can accommodate up to 1200 guests for conferences, meetings and events. There are five dining options including Sirocco, an all-day dining restaurant; House Of Han offering Chinese fare and a high energy bar called ConneXions.

Kerala Tourism holds maiden roadshow in Japan

Kerala Tourism made its foray into the vast outbound tourism market of Japan, holding a first-time road show in Tokyo. As many as 55 leading trade participants from the Japanese travel and tourism industry participated in the road show in October.

The road show follows the assurance given by the Japanese government to support the state in promoting tourism during the meeting between Kerala Tourism Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao and Japan’s Ambassador to India, Takeshi Yagi, in New Delhi on October 6. The delegation included Ayurveda Mana, Eastend Hotels & Resorts, Kairali Ayurvedic Village, Kumarakom Lake Resort, Thomas Hotel & Resorts, Travel Planners. The road show was partnered by Singapore Airlines and Air India.

Voyager’s World > November 2015

candinavia Tourism Board (comprising Visit Sweden, Norway Tourism and Visit Denmark) is all set to launch an aggressive marketing and promotional campaign by the end of this year. Witnessing a consistent growth graph from the past 5 years, Mohit Batra, India Representative, Scandinavian Tourist Board, aims to enhance the awareness about the destination among the travel trade and potential travellers in India. He said this on the sidelines of the 3-city road show which recently covered Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai showcasing 20 suppliers.

Fxkart.com unveils mobile app

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xkart.com recently launched India’s first forex booking mobile app for exchange of foreign currency, loaded with all new unique features. The app is available on the iOS and Play store. International tourists can book it even before they travel to India and can get the deal upon arrival.

In the next update, customers will have an option to upload their documents. Customers can compare rates at transit destinations and if the rate is better they can easily book a deal and order it at the airport or at their hotel too.

Centre to strengthen tourism infrastructure

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s per a PTI report, the government is determined to strengthen tourism sector-related infrastructure as the industry has the capability to provide livelihood to the poor people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said recently in Tirupati. “Indian government is determined to provide such infrastructure that the tourism sector would be strengthened, because tourism is capable of providing livelihood to flower sellers, fruit-sellers, biscuit and chocolate sellers and tea vendors also. Tourism can possibly provide daily bread to poorest of poor also,” he said after inaugurating the ‘Garuda’ terminal at the airport.

The PM said Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models are also being followed to increase hotel accommodations in the country. “But, tourism will grow only when we provide infrastructure at global level.”

Berggruen Hotels unveils new brands

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erggruen Hotels Pvt. Ltd. introduced two new brands - Keys Prima and Keys Lite, besides re-positioning its flagship brand Keys Hotels as part of re-branding its overall portfolio. Keys Prima is a premium brand catering to the upper mid market segment, comprising upscale business and leisure travellers.

Keys Lite is aimed at economy travellers. This range will not compromise on the service standards and will offer the Keys guidelines of world class service excellence that includes clean rooms, free Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast and a worry free experience to deliver an absolute value for money. Keys Hotels will continue to offer smart services combining comfort with functionality.

Flight Talk

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76% of airline executives say brand awareness must on social media

In a recent report by SimpliFlying, customer service has overtaken brand awareness to emerge as the top social media priority for 88.5% of airlines executives.

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he link between social media and airline business goals has grown stronger — with customer service emerging as one of the top priori-ties.

Only 54% and 48% of marketing and corporate communications executives, respectively, rated driving brand awareness as a top priority for 2015-16.

II. Organisational structures have evolved in favour of a Distributed Team model, despite higher satisfaction scores from Dedicated Teams.

It is a similar story across different levels of management, with a slight twist. While the middle and junior level management is in sync with this trend, senior management seem to have missed the trend and continue to rate brand awareness as their top priority

III. There is a disconnect between the Senior and the Middle level airline executives about the challenges and the potential of social media. Middle managers need to be empowered.

IV. Business goals and challenges vary substantially between regions.

As social media becomes increasingly important for airlines, this report offers key insights and recommendations on how to evolve and benefit from the latest trends, while staying ahead of the competition.

Airline Social Media Outlook 2015 Social customer service is now the top priority for airlines. Despite substantially increased focus on driving loyalty and revenues, the biggest shift is in the rise of customer service as the top priority for airlines.

Airline executives have realised that in the age of the connected traveller, passengers expect realtime responses from airlines, via the medium they are contacted through. Filling out forms; waiting endlessly on phone lines; receiving responses after days are no longer acceptable communication means.

Today’s traveller expects a response within minutes. Social media has shifted power in the hands of the customers.

Interestingly, this change is most felt by people in the marketing department.

Over 76% of all marketing executives chose custom-er service as their top priority for 2015-16, an increase of 40% from last year. Brand awareness is no longer the top priority, as the impact of delivering good customer service on the brand perception is recognised.

Team structures are immensely important for both employee satisfaction and for achieving objectives. The Outlook Survey 2015-16 found a positive correlation of +0.513 between having the desired team structure and employee satisfaction. Hence, the happier the airline executives are with their team structure, the more satis-fied they are with their performance. Surprisingly, the most desired team structure is not the most prevalent — and this should be cause for concern.

3.1. Distributed teams are the most popular despite lowest satisfaction Currently, distributed teams appear to be the norm across the industry.

They are easier and cheaper to organise, and consequently the preferred choice at most airlines.

However as social media gets more deeply linked with core business objec-tives, distributed teams are becoming less useful by the day.

As mentioned earlier, there is a disconnect between what structure works best for airlines and what they have in place. Much of this is often because of interdepartmental differences. Different departments might want to influence the social media function differently. This leads to fragmented and ineffective distributed teams.

The best way to resolve this challenge is to spread awareness among different teams and to build consensus regarding the importance and the future of social media. This

initiative needs to be led by the senior manage-ment, who need to share the vision of a dedicated social media team and what it can achieve.

Lack of senior management’s support a key challenge The lack of support for social media teams from an airline’s leadership is reflected in the fact that the top chal-lenges that most airlines face would go away with an increased backing of the senior management.

Insufficient allocation of resources continues to be the top challenge that airlines face. 74% of all executives felt this problem compared to 59% last year.

However, the most prevalent demand this year is for more training. 47% more executives believe that lack of training is one of the foremost challenges facing them. Airline executives believe they need more training to deal with the rapidly evolving social media space, something they haven’t received senior management’s sup-port for.

In fact, the number of airline executives who feel that the lack of senior management support is a major chal-lenge has increased by 24%.

Senior management must empower the middle level management One of the key insights from the Outlook Survey 2015-16 is the

need to empower the middle level manage-ment. This is because the middle level management is close to the ground realities while being distant enough to maintain a strategic outlook. This is best represented by the fact that 20% more mid-dle level management, compared to top level management, recognise data and its analysis as a top priority. In a data driven future of social media (see Chart x), deriving value out of data is critical.

In addition to this, the middle level management is in sync with the needs of the connected traveler.

The middle and junior level management have listed customer service as their top priority in 201516, unlike the senior management who have listed brand aware-ness as their top preference. It is important to note that teams across different departments agree customer service is the top priority for the next year.

Additionally, the distance between the senior and the middle level management shows in their satisfaction with the current team structure. 90% of all senior level management were happy with the current team structure. However, just 69% of the mid-dle and junior level management shared their enthusiasm about existing team structures.

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Flight Talk

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will airline-agency relationship see friendlier days?

Courtesy: Tnooz.com

Speakers at a recent customer conference run by Travelport, the global distribution system (GDS) discuss if there would be a shift in the dynamics of the airline-agency relationship in the future.

For the past 15-plus years or so, airlines and agencies have been butting heads.

the lack of full content, suggesting that the playing field with the airline wasn’t level.

Yet technology is now letting agencies sell the high-margin products airlines want to sell the most. Might that technology shift the dynamic of the relationship between airlines and agencies in a more favorable way? The verdict was uncertain in a panel talk at a recent customer conference run by Travelport, the global distribution system (GDS), in San Antonio, with a United executive and representatives of travel agencies and travel management companies (TMCs).

The agency comments were in line with research from industry analyst Henry Harteveldt’s Atmosphere Research Group that found that 77% of agencies feel they are unable to compete effectively with airline websites to sell ancillary products.

The panelists touched on several of the hot-button issues that have popped up around the boom in airlines merchandizing products, such as whether airlines should compensate agents for the extra work involved in selling the seat upgrades, priority access to boarding a flight, and other new merchandising.

The agencies also complained about

Voyager’s World > November 2015

Like many airline executives, the United executive balked at the idea of compensating agents for additional work related to merchandising.

Yet the agents noted that, unless the sales process becomes automated, they will struggle to afford to be able to push the retail products as much as they might like.

All of the panelists hoped that new technology, whether it came from a GDS like Travelport or evolved out of a new initiative called One Order (which began to be publicly discussed by the airlines in recent weeks), might help address problems.

The conversation was moderated by Harteveldt.

Harteveldt:“Not knowing how to do something forces you to find your own path. Retailing is new for airlines. I started working at a travel agency in New York City where I grew up. After school, I did handwriting of the tickets and all of that, going through the OAG. The airlines, and I am a former airline guy having been at American with Bob Crandall, so I say this with respect, the airlines had to stumble into retailing.

Technology will enable all of us to be better retailers. Do you think that merchandising and retailing offer an opportunity for travel agents to better serve their customers and why?”

Steve Glenn, CEO of Executive Travel in Lincoln, Nebraska, and a 30-year industry veteran, said: “Merchandising, or retailing, is key for the agency future. As a company we view, actually we view an airline ticket as a commodity.

It’s an enabler to attaching a hotel booking, which is how we make our revenue. As a TMC, we make more

in hotel commissions than service fees, and what we want to do next is merchandising so that we can own that customer.

The key is, who’s going to own the customer? Are we going to let the airlines own that customer or are we going to own that customer?

We’re not going to make enough revenue off of the airline ticket.

That’s just an enabler to that traveler for all these other programs and products and we’re excited about the future.

The big elephant in this room is, quite frankly, the business model with the ancillaries and ancillary services does not align with the cost of labor. It’s not reasonable for the airlines to say, “Okay travel company, sell our services, but we’re not going to compensate you for it. It cost me $12 to have that agent spent that 5 minutes selling your seat, so you need to compensate me.”

If you don’t compensate me, the business model will not sustain itself, and it’s business: You can’t ask people to apply labor to sell

Flight Talk

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your product and not compensate them, yet that’s the United, Delta, American business model of today.

Even if the technology for selling ancillaries more easily is in place, which it is and moving rapidly forward, am I going to want my agents to put 10 minutes selling an airline seat and we get no revenue on it?

No, but what I want, maybe, is Travelport to come out an email interface or a mobile interface that says, “Oh, and here’s a seat you can get.” That doesn’t cost me any labor.”

I see that as maybe the next stage for the industry. That the technology provider, Travelport, hopefully is looking into, is to allow agents and TMCs to sell airline tickets without a cost of labor.”

Christine Prescott, COO and owner of the agency Corporate Travel Planners of San Antonio (and a 32-year industry veteran), said: “Corporations are changing their

policies to allow their employees to buy upgraded seats and other ancillary services, and as TMCS it’s very important for us to be able to have access to those products and those specific seats or those specific rooms. One thing we know, the customers don’t want to pay us more in fees. It’s quite the opposite.

They want to drive down the cost of the transactions. But with airlines adding all these ancillaries, we have to be doing more to make a sale. If we can find a way to automate the sale of these products, then we’ll be okay. I think agencies in general, 40 to 50 percent of our overhead is our labor. It’s really scary that some of the most robust online book tools in our industry are just so far behind as well and don’t have integration into that full merchandizing content right now.”

Tye Radcliffe, director of distribution, payment and ticketing systems for United Airlines, said: “If the agencies are helping sell more of the ancillary products, I think the customer should compensate the agent or providing that service. That’s my

view.

Travel agents are there to provide the service to the customer and I think travel agencies in many case can do it better than I can, but the customer should compensate the agency for doing that.”

Harteveldt: “Tye, as an analyst and as someone who has worked for an airline, I have to respectfully say, I don’t think that’s the right opinion.

I don’t think that’s the strategy that is going to uphold going forth going forward. I think that in the research my consultancy Atmosphere Research did, agents’ expectations overwhelmingly were that the airlines should compensate them.

Now, we didn’t ask about how much or what form or anything like that. But the expectation was that the airlines are able to use agents to put their product on more shelves, perhaps at a better time in the life cycle, so that they can sell premium upgrades at the most opportune time, for instance. So the expectation is that airlines are somehow going to have to compensate the agencies.”

Radcliffe: “I’m not saying it’s not something that’s constantly under review with the airlines in general.

But I also think that an agent could get money from their traveler potentially as well as the airline.

It could come from both places, because certainly it is something that is value that’s being added.”

Harteveldt: “Steve and Christy, do you think that you’re going to be able to get more money?”

Glenn: “Our corporate philosophy as a TMC is that if the traveler can go to the airline’s website and get products, we want that access to that same content at that same cost. We don’t want our travelers to go direct to the airline and buy it cheaper.”

Prescott: “I think I’m a pretty good salesperson, but I think it would be a real challenge to get my customers to pay us for handling their luggage fees and blocking those premium seats. It is going to be tough to get customers to pay additional fees to us for selling airline ancillary

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Flight Talk

services. The exception might be with servicing C-suite level customers. But that’s it. I’m a pretty optimistic individual, but I don’t foresee airlines paying us to sell those.”

Glenn: “We try to be creative. For example, we looked up the other day, and we could send via UPS luggage to Miami cheaper than paying the $25 fee to check it on the airline on a particular route.

Think about when we’re in the position where we say, “Hey, we’ll pick it up at your door], ship it to your hotel for $19.25, and it’s in your room when you arrive” We make money on it, while delighting the customers with something extra.

If we can have additional services like parking or ground transportation available in the ordinary booking workflow, that= disruptive technology – hopefully coming from companies like Travelport — is going to force the airlines to open their platform and compensate for where they get revenue from.

They may not want to do it, but the technology that’s coming at us in the future is going to enable us to offer things to our customers we’ve never even thought about and make revenue from that.

So, it’s an exciting day before us and the airlines aren’t going to be able to opt to work just in a vacuum by themselves.”

Radcliffe: “One of the key things that I’m focused on is making sure is it

Voyager’s World > November 2015

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doesn’t take 12 minutes to sell my Economy Plus seat. The real labor add for an agency or TMC comes when when you have to take the credit card information and put it in and then you have to do the back office accounting room orders.

Then you have to do everything else that causes it to work through your mid- and back office processes.

That’s where I think the bulk of the 12 minutes of labor comes from.

So, if I can find a way to work with Travelport to make that simpler for the agency, that’s really what I would like to focus on, to streamline the process.”

Harteveldt: “How do you think it might change the relationship when agencies are empowered to sell, whether it’s individual products, bundles of products, whatever it is, do you feel that it might make it more of a partnership compared to how it has been, let’s say, for the past few years between United and its agencies?”

Radcliffe: “We are absolutely reliant upon TMCs and we see them as extremely important partners.”

Craig Banks, senior commercial director, air commerce at Travelport, (who is focused primarily on working with airlines in the United States and Canada) said: “The key is for us is to provide the technology to travel agencies that allows them to quickly and efficiency put these ancillary services in their work flow in the least amount of time possible, and

that’s exactly what we’ve focused on and done with Smartpoint.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a big change in Travelport’s conversations with the airlines. It is much easier to have a commercial conversation with an airline when you have products that enable the way they want to sell their products.

The discussions where they used to be about pennies and cents, it’s now about driving revenue and maximizing revenue. So I think it has already improved the relationship.”

Radcliffe: “If all the travel agencies went away today, I shouldn’t say this, but, can you imagine what would happen? I mean, how many hours would you be on hold? Could the website take all of the traffic? I mean, I don’t know that we’re ready to take on all of that. A lot of my focus is on improving United’s interaction with our partners, our agency partners. A huge percentage of our revenue, as you can imagine, comes through the agency channels.

Agencies deal with a lot of very particular customers whom you’re better at dealing with maybe than I’m equipped to at a direct airline website. Enhanced technology via the GDS would just make that even better in my view.”

Prescott: “We really enjoy partnerships with our airlines, so I think this would only strengthen that. Really, I think what all of us want is, we want full content. We want access to all of your content and everything that you have on your website that you’re offering

the consumer. If you as an airline do that, hands down, that is what makes a great partnership. We don’t want our customers going to the airline websites, getting something or seeing something that we don’t have access to. I would like to be the one selling my customer these ancillary options versus it coming from the airlines, an hotelier, or a rental car company.”

Radcliffe said: “I think that we’re in line with that view. Part of the problem is just the technology and the infrastructure that exists in the industry. An electronic ticket is a paper document that we turned into an electronic document. What if you wanted to put some new bit of information on the ticket? We would have to go to an IATA meeting for 6 months and then propose a change.

IATA’s One Order initiative is where airlines thinking about how maybe you don’t have a traditional passenger name record (PNR).

Maybe it’s more of a database record, and the travel agency has interacted with me like a retailer, like an Amazon, or someone like that versus we’ve got this very structured PNR.” Glenn said: “The other elephant in the room that hasn’t been addressed is, even when we have the technology to enable us to retail, and if we have our airline partners who say, “We want you to retail,” we still have the elephant that we can’t put those fees onto a] document and it all be bundled, so we’re prevented from retailing.

Flight Talk

17>> We’re still stuck in a non-retail merchant model where. I mean, imagine that if you go buy jeans at Target, they tell you “Well, the jeans are $12 and our trucking is $5 and the profit is $12 so your jeans are $59 total, and by the way, you get charged for each of those elements separately on your credit card.” No way.

everyone’s processes but still making progress?

To take it a step further, if I knew that one of my luggage handlers broke your guitar during your last flight, could I tell the travel agent via technology to offer that traveler a lounge pass for free or something — before they write a song about it that becomes an internet sensation?

We need not only the technology to retail, but we need infrastructure that only will come from the airlines who say, “We will allow you to be a merchant. We will allow you to retail by taking our product and putting that into the price model and allowing us to set the price. Right now that’s a major elephant that nobody’s addressing in our industry and I don’t know why. If we can do what we’re doing with technology to offer rich content and ancillaries, that ought to be on the table, too.”

There might be something that we can do together to try and prove that your relationship with the customer that I might know about a service I failed to provide or many other things about the customer.

You know, in resolution 787 there were some agreements on things like anonymous shopping. So, to be clear, I mean just tailoring the offer for the customer based on the information that you share, rather than trying to do nefarious things with that information.”

Radcliffe: “That’s what IATA’s One Order is all about. You hit the nail on the head. You said it better than I did.

That’s what we’re working on. Just announced 2 weeks ago. The airline group IATA has a committee on how we might go about simplifying the business.

Prescott: “Some of the things that our corporate customers don’t want is for us as an agency to ever market retail vacation travel to their travelers. I mean, they are very specific in their contracts. They say, “You’re not allowed to retail to our corporate customer base.” Hopefully things like that will change because it’s already happening through these other channels. If the client books out of policy or outside of the agency, the airline is up-selling them on retail vacations all the time.”

NDC has brought us to a certain level where we can communicate with each other using XML standards and it’s funny, if you speak with a technologist and you say, “Hey, we in the travel industry, we’re trying to go onto XML,” and they’re like, “That’s from like the early 2000s.

Welcome to this century.”Look, it’s a step in the right direction. NDC will take us to a level where you can communicate with each other and at standard I can send you pictures and videos and text and we can share information, but One Order is the next level on top of that. What if I’m in a world where I don’t have an e-ticket anymore? What if I don’t have a traditional PNR? This committee will write a requirements document to say, “If an airline is able to move away from tickets, to move away from this traditional way of doing business and have an offer and an order and a confirmation number, these are the elements that we’ll need in these XML messages to support and these are what system provide will need to think through.”

So the industry is inviting airlines, industry providers, travel agents, to come to the table and sit down and think, how do we do this together and move forward without breaking

to a travel agent, to a corporate, and to an end-traveler based on their frequent-flier status with the carrier. For example, again in our Rich Content and Branding displays, the corporate would be able to see the familiar brand that is specific to them along with the normal fare brand, so you can compare the differences, you can see the ancillaries that apply to each one of those…”

Glenn said: “I was excited to see the MTT purchase. We as an industry have this tremendous opportunity to build customer-facing mobile experiences for TMCs that’s very, very contemporary and positive.

The place where we’re furthest behind as an industry, that we need to address, is our TMC mobile offerings. They’re really bad and

compared to what’s out there in the contemporary space. Our mobile booking engines have the problem that they’ve build with corporate travel policy embedded into them, and they’re clunky and slow and where everything else in the consumer world is fast and pretty.

So we’ve got to think more fast and pretty.”

Hoteliers, airlines, car companies, I mean, they’re rounding third base on their way to home and we’re just getting off the box, if you will and heading to first, so I think we are behind.

With partners like Travelport we can catch up and hopefully beat them across the plate, but we have a lot of work to do in this area from a retail and mobile perspective.”

Radcliffe: “If we were to help provide you with information about the operation through folks like Travelport, obviously we used to have more information when we were hosted, but try to backfill some of those gaps, maybe then you could own that relationship more with being the single point of contact about ‘Your rental car’s purple and here’s your flight status information’.”

Banks: “We would welcome you back to our airline hosting solution, United. So on corporate travel and airline merchandising, I think there’s a lot of opportunities here. The comment that I want to make. I have a lot of onversations with airlines.

I always hear airlines say that they want to provide targeted offerings to travel agencies, to corporations, to end travelers, and what we’re doing right now is going to the airlines and working with them to load those offerings into our Rich Content and Branding system.

We have the ability today for an airline to make a specific offer

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Hospitality

18>>

The ‘in-room Entertainment’ strategy... hotels join the party!

Technology and in room entertainment advancing on a faster pace than ever before will increase the growth in the industry IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

T

he hospitality industry is witnessing an exponential change in terms of in-room entertainment and technology. In room entertainment is in different forms these days in terms of entertainment and offering a great experience for the guests .In-room technology focuses on connectivity for the traveler’s personal phone, tablets and computer. The latest technology has led to high speed internet connection, hands-free phone, LED lighting, in-room entertainment to digitalisation in the rooms.We will be witnessing for example- TiGi that is text it get it Emoji Room Service Ordering room service The growth has been increasing in the industry over the years with advancement of in room entertainment and technology, this has also helped to improve the customer loyalty and guest satisfaction this trend is likely to increase the growth rate in the future.

Voyager’s World > November 2015

Growth in the hospitality industry Vineet Verma, Executive Director, Brigade Hospitality states that the growth for the hospitality industry in terms of in-room entertainment can be captured in the form of promotions and marketing of various offers of the respective hospitality chain for the in-house guests from the moment they checkin till the time they check-out.

“The tech companies help hotels broadcast online content by leveraging the fact that guests nowadays always have smartphones and tablets on them, and they have utilized this fact to their advantage in unique way. They utilise cutting edge technologies such as cloud computing, dynamic and responsive UI to provide hotels with the ability to engage guests and enhance guest experience while effectively increasing their RevPAR.” He says.

“Websites have brought information closer tothe masses, apps on smart phones have given access to round

the clock hotel services to guests.

While the numbers keep pouring in for hoteliers who have shifted their attention to in-room entertainment amenities, it will be important to customize aswell as personalize the in-room technology experience to reflect the brand.

The personalized welcome messages with the guest’s name are one of the most simplistic ways to do so. Differentiators are the quality of personalization available for guests.

Guests have a completely unique and personalized experience at all Starwood properties across the globe. For example, with help of the upcoming app the guest would be able to set his / her preferences such as their desired room temperature, their favourite TV channels etc. from their own smartphone and the same will be automatically set in the room before they check-in.Having said that, the advancements inroom entertainment cannot alone contribute majorly to the growth of the hospitality sector but can

certainly help improve customer loyalty and guest satisfaction.”He added.

Manas Banerjee, General Manager, Hyatt Bangalore MG Road says that the growthcan be different for different types of hotel depending upon which segment they operate in. For a business hotel in room entertainment can be value add and a differentiating factor to pull in some extra revenues but for a resort location it may be a complete game changer and also result in more business .

Technology and entertainment boosts the industry Vineet said that today guests wish to have GUI (Guest User Interface), which provides direct access to them to use, control, choose and collaborate any traditional or old school methods of technology in hotels. A technology like iPad is a perfect example of simple GUI, making guests feels more efficient and in-control of their surroundings

Hospitality

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Vineet Verma - Executive Director, Brigade Hospitality In-room entertainment has grown by way of promotions and marketing of various offers for in-house guests from the moment they check-in till checkout. Hoteliers have shifted their attention to in-room entertainment amenities and will customize in-room technology experience to reflect the brand. and choices. Now, even iPads are equipped to work with customized applications.

“With more knowledge about technology, guests look for hasslefree connectivity as good as available at their disposal at home. Smart TV definitely will be a way forward in the times to come.Tech Companies utilise cutting edge technologies such as cloud computing, dynamic and responsive UI to provide hotels with the ability to engage guests and enhance guest experience thereby having a salutary effect on a hotel’s RevPAR.”He says.

Few more examples are: Cloud / Software as a Service (SaaS) asoftware delivered as a service, rather than held on premise is already a mainstream technology topic and despite being a new concept in the hospitality sector, it is already big news. Two main factors are behind this, firstly upfront investment is lower with the cloud as there are no initial hardware costs or associated expenses such as full

time, in-house IT staff to maintain the system. Secondly, hotels like the idea of taking the headache and distractions of IT off their site, leaving them free to focus on the day-to-day business of looking after their guests.

entities, mobile technologies may have minimal impact. However, this myth has been thoroughly laid to rest as tablets, mobile phones, smartphones and laptops have become critical tools on both sides of the check-in desk.

As well as the low capital expenditure of the cloud and the cultural “fit”, there is also the fact that implementation timetables can shrink from months to days, resulting in immediate and obvious benefits in obtaining time to value.

The sum total of these drivers is that cloud technology is no passing fad: for the hospitality sector it is going to be the new norm.

Social Media Social media has had a profound impact upon the hospitality industry.

Trip Advisor has become one of the main sources of information for people researching holidays, hotels and leisure facilities. Meanwhile, newer social tools like Facebook or Twitter are quickly becoming just as influential. For any hotel to not at least monitor social media is tantamount to willingly flying blind.The online reputation of a property is business critical. It does not however, stand alone as a marketing department concern, but relates directly to daily operations.

As such, social media monitoring MUST be interfaced with the hotel management systems so that swift, appropriate action can be taken.

Mobility Mobile is the new face of computing as devices such as tablets and smartphones revolutionise the way we interact with technology.

Hospitality is no exception to this revolution, in some cases leading the way.There has often been the expectation that because hotels are, by their very nature, fixed

Personalised systems Customers expect their experience within a hotel to be totally personalised for them: from the welcome message on the television screen and food preferences to additional services such as personal training or flowers in the room.

This quickly creates a huge range of valuable customer preference data that needs to be fed into the hotel management system in order to deliver a personalised, high quality service for each return visit.

This is not just a case of linking the customer relationship management system into the hotel operations - it is embedding the process of capturing guest preferences and proactively using that data.

Integration Hotels span many functions - from accommodation and event catering to specialised facilities such as golf or health spas. Each of these areas has, traditionally, operated an individual software system. Whilst this approach has delivered specific

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Hospitality

functionality, it has also led to silos of information.

Integrating these systems can provide more comprehensive management information, faster reporting and a truly comprehensive view of profitability. In the case of Hunley, integrating the hotel management system with the restaurant point of sale application (Squirrel) means that the hotel has a comprehensive view of revenue per guest or event. The hotel can also pull together truly holistic reports for management information and customer communication.

“Room Entertainment and technology has made things easier and accessible. “Manas added.

Exponential change in hotels in a span of five years Manas says, “We have witnessing exponential change in hotels down the lane.”

Vineetstates that there will be many big revolutions in the coming years the way the technology is developing and becoming part of the daily life.

We will witness for example-TiGi that

Voyager’s World > November 2015

20>>

is (text it get it) Emoji Room Service Ordering room service has never been so colorful or, well, so graphic.

Emoji Room Service, the world’s first emoji-only room service menu in New York City can simply text an emoji of what they want to the hotel’s front desk and within minutes, the delivery is made.

“The TiGiEmoji Room Service menu will launch with six specialty kits, each with essentials that can easily be conveyed via emoji. To order, guests simply text the corresponding emojis from the in-room TiGiEmoji Room Service Menu to the hotel’s dedicated TiGi number and include their room number. Tech-forward incubator brand: A leading hotel brand made history in August 2014 when it became the first major hotel brand to hire a robot, Botlr, for both back and front of house duties.” He says.

“Other innovations include the world’s first truly mobile, keyless entry system; piloting Apple TV services; mobile-controlled guest experiences, and more. Most recently, the same brand announcedthat it is testing innovations such as Mobile

Controlled Lighting and Wake Up Preferences as well as Virtual Reality experiences in its Concept Rooms at Global Headquarters for rollout within the next year.”He added.

Latest trends in room entertainment and technology In the opinion ofVineet, “Hotel properties are striving hard to provide guests with the most intelligent technology, ensuring maximum satisfaction, not just in rooms and suites, but everywhere in the hotel.

High-speed internet connection, hands-free phone, LED lighting, inroom entertainment to digitalization in the bathrooms have defined a new era of in-room technology.

Enhancing the mobile and online devices that are already being carried by an increasing number of guests, we provide customers a TELEDAPT panel in all rooms – the latest technology that offers plug and play connectivity - with the chance to use/connect their own iPod, laptop or online content to the devices available in hotels. Whether a guest decides to watch a film they have previously downloaded, or play their own music, their own content

has now been enabled for them to use in-room.

“Exclusive Video on Demand entertainment option for full length movies across different languages and genres and many more. Device and entertainment autonomy Hotel guests travel with an increasing number of personal devices and their own information and entertainment content. A Smart Brief poll showed that 45% of hotel guests travel with two devices and 40% with three or more. When we think about technology, we think about designing a room that enables you to move and be mobile anywhere you want to be in that room. We are thinking about those things so guests are comfortable with any devices they bring to the space.”He said “Service automation some guests prefer to interact with hotel staff through technology rather than picking up the phone. The digital signage replacing printed signs of how digital technology is replacing traditional printed signage and information boards in hotels.

Meeting spaces go high which allows

Hospitality

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Manas Banerjee, General Manager, Hyatt Bangalore

Technology is changing both the expectations of patrons and the way in which the hospitality industry conducts business. The trends show great improvements and savings in the industry; the key to success is to adapt these changes faster to benefit the hotel, guests and associates. meeting planners to electronically communicate with hotels where they’ve scheduled events. “It allows the meeting planner and the Red Coat at the hotel to connect in real time, before the event the planner gets a link to the customized Red Coat Direct application, which the planner can use to make requests before they arrive on-site.” He says.

“The latest trends would be something like device and entertainment autonomy, office away from office with guests carrying a lot of gadgets , free WiFi and social hub, use of televisions for check in , checkout , room service order etc. , controlled environment and services through technology, digital signs replacing print signs , meeting spaces going hi tech and service automation.” Manas added.

LED TVs (40 inches & above) with cable and satellite channels, Wifi / Broadband internet connectivity and TELEDAPT panel- latest technology that offers plug and play connectivity .Now hotels are advancing to allin-one console concept where the television is the focal point.

Installation of a smart television in rooms makes it a single point access for the guest not only to surf channels but takes the term ‘inroom entertainment’ to a whole new level. Even inclusions of internet/ WIFI charges in the standard room rate with no additional charges gives the guest liberty to access an array of entertainment options available to all on the world wide web, from music videos, podcasts, and streaming movies online is all just a click away .”

Future of the hospitality industry Vineet says, “The in-room entertainment forms are a crucial part in creating an entertaining and memorable experience for all guests checking into a hotel. The inroom entertainment is user friendly interface. Most hotels are generally equipped with large screen LCD/

“The television will become a standard feature for hotels where a guest is able to access in-room dining menus, offers available at respective F&B outlets of a property, 360 degree detailed walk-through of the property and many more features to add to the kitty.” He said.

“Technology, notably WiFi and

Bluetooth, will increasingly make rooms more ‘open’—both literally and virtually. For example, mobile technology will allow guests to unlock and enter their rooms (keyless using app). And after they are in their room, guests will open their room to the virtual world with customized entertainment content and room management. “He says.

“Travellers have their own mobile devices, it enables hoteliers to provide them with technology that makes their stay smarter and simpler—‘smarter’ thanks to WiFi and Bluetooth and ‘simpler’ by facilitating their use of personalized content in movies, television and music.In-room technology will focus on connectivity for the traveler’s personal phone, tablets and computer. Guest-provided media will stream to TVs, USB outlets will be within an arm’s length away from the bed and desk in every guestroom.”

He added.

Manas said that the future of in room entertainment depends upon the type of entertainment and the cost associated with it.

Vineet states that the Smart TV is the upcoming way in the technology arena, enabling hotels to differentiate themselves with new internet-based amenities. With a mainstream shift in communication and guest entertainment methods, hotels have to elevate their options to accommodate the new era of large screen view for online games, live streaming, radio, social networking sites, etc.

Manas concludes that the technology is advancing at a faster pace than ever before, and this is changing both the expectations of patrons as well as the way in which the hospitality industry conducts its business.

“Some of the trends in industry are leading to great improvements and savings for hospitality industry companies; while some are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management structure and staffing requirements. They key to the success is to adapt these changes faster so that they benefit the hotel , guests and associates .” He added.

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Hospitality

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Local experiences to enhance growth in the Industry IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Siddharth Savkur, General Manager, Alila Diwa Goa, says a special local experience can emotionally tie a guest to the hotel and play a big role in influencing loyalty.

Local Experiences Alila Diwa Goa focuses on different aspects of Goa - its culture, cuisine, history, adventure activities and relaxation. Some of the local destination experiences include one can indulge in buying your choice of the morning‘s fresh catch, then head back to the resort where you can learn to cook up a local delicacy in Alila Cooking School.You can also spice up your senses by enjoying a tour of a 200 years old local spice

Voyager’s World > November 2015

plantation, learning about the many different spices grown in this region and immerse in their wonderful aroma. You can meet the podher the local bread man and join him as he works with a mixture of flour, yeast, water and lots of heat. Our Leisure Concierge team will assist with creating a private and romantic setting for you and your loved one complete with a bonfire, fireworks, wishing lanterns etc. Plan a private dinner to surprise your loved ones, on anniversaries, birthdays, proposals etc...

Product and service levels being equal, the ability of one hotel to offer guests unique opportunities to immerse in the local culture can help differentiate from its competitors

Local experiences the key for growth in the industry With the increase in hotel room inventory in most destinations, operators must look at driving guest preference and loyalty towards themselves. The local experiences are a great way of doing this. The

Increases the loyalty of the next generation It is an accepted fact that experiences are more likely to stay on in memory than a purchase. A special local experience can emotionally tie a guest to the hotel and play a big role in influencing loyalty.

It is difficult to quantify the percentage of growth, but there are more guests today querying about unique, off-the-beaten-path local activities. Guests also do a fair amount of homework before reaching their destination and have a good idea of what they would like to experience.

Benefits of Local communities This enables the hotel to create stakeholders from the local community who can work together for the success of the destination, which is also beneficial to the hotel itself. Using local partners also ensures the authenticity of the experience and gives guests a true feel of the destination.

Hospitality

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RoomCentral App launch for property owners IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

RoomCentral, designed for small and medium properties, helps sell, manage and distribute inventory in real-time on a single, easy to use interface, says its CEO & Founder, Atul Prabhu. room inventory in real-time by unifying all the property’s functions on a single, easy to use interface.

HOSTRA Systems recently launched RoomCentral App in Bangalore the simplest and most flexible booking engine and property management system designed specially for small and medium sized properties.

HOSTRA Systems has raised $2 Million to launch their powerful cloud-based booking engine with PMS capabilities – RoomCentral.

RoomCentral concept for the hospitality industry RoomCentral is a cloud based booking engine with PMS capabilities designed specially for small and medium sized properties.

RoomCentral allows properties to sell, manage and distribute their

We have been in the technology space and we realize that a lot of hotel owners were looking for having a solution that enables to get booking on their website directly a solution like this is a booking engine which empowers the property to get bookings on the website seamlessly from their guests. We went ahead

try to build a solution which was the core idea of RoomCentral as we moved forward we also realized from the other hotel owners that making booking was one part of it.

The other part was to manage the reservations which in the hospitality terms called the PMS. So our ideology was not to develop the PMS but the requirement demanded. We looked at what are the key features that demanded PMS, a PMS is a property management system it is more like the ERPS for the hotels it includes a lot of modules and a lot of options to manage their properties, while we looked at setting up PMS we wanted to keep it simple for first time owner who are not part of the industry. The whole idea was to give a powerful PMS. RoomCentral is not a consumer

based website but a b2b website we empower property owners to get a booking engine. If you are a property owner we give you the tools to make the bookings. We launched the product about 6 months back the response has been excellent. We have over 50 properties using room central most of our properties have been in business for a year.

Expectations We are expecting RoomCentral to be the world’s number one app for property owners. The market is massive we see a few number of properties who are not in this system we see a wide ocean out there. RoomCentral app for property owners to sell their rooms and manage rooms, we should be going international by end of this year in the next of three months.

Vista Rooms plans to be International in 2016 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Vista Rooms sees a huge demand for budgeted travel options in Tier 2 & 3 cities, which would be its main focus, says its Co-Founder & Head of Partnerships, Ankita Sheth. to double in the next 6 -12 months.

We have seen an excessive demand for budgeted accommodation at tourist destinations such as Coorg, Ooty, Lonavala, Udaipur due to upcoming the festive season. The budget accommodation industry is highly fragmented with a bunch of players trying to provide the best value for money experience. There is a huge demand for budgeted travel options in Tier II and Tier III towns and our focus has been these locations.

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ista rooms was officially launched in August 2015, we are present in 70 cities and 500 odd properties. We expect the number

Marketing plans We have formed alliances with some of the top service brands in the country like Uber, Cleartrip,

Tripda, Wicked Ride, Savaari etc. to provide our customers with unique attractive offers which will play a major role in attracting more customers. Besides this we are launching innovative social media campaigns which will revolve around raising brand recall amongst existing and potential customers.

Expansion plans We have maintained a lean, operational and smart pricing when it comes to acquisitions which allow us to upscale rapidly. We plan to be present in over 100 cities and aim to go international next year. We will expand our team in Mumbai and

open offices in multiple cities soon.

Competition We have maintained to keep our operational cost lower than what our competitors are doing which allows us to scale rapidly. We invest in technology which is helping our hotel partners and creating a win win situation for both of us.

Challenges The budget accommodation segment is highly fragmented with increasing number of players of all sizes, acquiring and retaining talent, inconsistent and evolving market scenario.

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beatific properties beckon for a luxurious stay in mauritius!

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

While Mauritius comes across as a fun-filled destination with plentiful to do for honeymooners, leisure and MICE groups alike, it is home to a number of stunningly located properties that offer a luxurious experience at seemingly affordable place, as I found on a recent trip to the island destination.

Outrigger, Mauritius This stunning deluxe property 181 sea-facing rooms and is located in the nature reserve of Bel Ombre, blending the tradition of an early 18th century sugarcane plantation with modern amenities. The hotel offers an absolutely breathtaking beachfront location alongside the turquoise lagoons of the Indian Ocean. Approximately 47 kilometres, or a 45 minute drive, South West from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU), at the village of Bel Ombre. All rooms and suites boast stunning sea views from a private terrace or balcony with glorious views of the beach.

Maritim Crystals Beach Resort We checked into this hotel first upon our arrival in Mauritius. This new 4-star property, part of Maritim Hotels, is located on the East coast of Mauritius in the attractive setting of Belle Mare on a half mile stretch of sandy beach. It is a contemporary property with an architecture and interior design inspired by the sugarcane. The hotel has 181 luxurious rooms including ‘‘Deluxe Family’’ rooms of 95 sqm with a separate room for children or teenagers, a large living and bathroom with stand up bathtub, all with stunning sea views. There are also private kayaking, kite surfing and canoeing activities offered to guests.

Blumarine Attitude Situated along the north coast of Mauritius, Blumarine Attitude hotel, nestled in a beautiful tropical garden overlooks the very wide lagoon of Anse la Raie and the northern islands. Blumarine Attitude is a 4 star hotel with a unique concept in Mauritius: two hotels in one, ideal for a family holiday or a romantic escape. 182 rooms, among which, 41 situated in the wing -Blumarine Attitude - The Boutique, exclusively reserved for adults. Activities offered here include excursions at sea on board the hotel catamaran, kitesurf, a sea-facing massage, scuba diving underwater wedding, etc.

InterContinental Resort, Mauritius This seren resort hotel in Mauritius surely took my breath away when we checked in at around sun set. The property is located on pristine white sands overlooking the Bay of Balaclava. Noteworthy amenities include an outdoor sea front infinity pool, tennis courts, a full-service spa and a selection of five restaurants from Asian Fusion to Mediterranean cuisine. This hotel in Mauritius is the ideal family base to discover the natural wonders of snorkelling or diving the Baie aux Tortues, shopping for handmade crafts in Port Louis or exploring the Grand Baie district.

Voyager’s World > November 2015

Hospitality

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direct bookings key in room distribution: pHocuswright VW BUREAU

In Europe, independents control an estimated 67% of room supply, whereas in the U.S., independents control only about 30% of rooms.

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ndependent properties vary widely in terms of their size, structure and resources. They are in the minority in the U.S., but dominate the European hospitality market. A new report from travel industry research authority Phocuswright – in partnership with h2c – undertook an extensive study of the independent lodging marketplace in six major markets: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. In Europe, independents control an estimated 67% of room supply, whereas in the U.S., independents control only about 30% of rooms, according to Phocuswright and h2c’s Independent Lodging Market: Marketing, Distribution and Technology Strategies for NonBranded Properties.

Despite differences in room supply, they share some distribution difficulties. Independent properties in the markets consider direct web to be their most important channel, but are more reliant on intermediaries for their online bookings than are chains. Independents in Europe and the U.S. are also concerned with the rising cost of third-party reservations, but many lack the tools and resources to make effective pricing and distribution decisions.

“Although most independents would like to drive an increased percentage of bookings directly, many are limited by tight budgets,” says Peter O’Connor, Phocuswright’s senior market analyst. “While they devote the majority of their marketing budget to online channels, its

effectiveness is clearly limited.

Most are failing to proactively reach out into the marketplace.” Bound by the common desire to remain independent, most lack the tools, resources and expertise to make

strategic decisions and compete effectively with chains. How they adopt and implement technology solutions and manage multiple channels will determine how and if they continue to prosper.

LIVE OS SEEKS TO BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIP WITH HOTELS VW BUREAU

LIVE OS is a single sign on solution that will help thousands of hotels globallyl to access multiple technology providers on a single easy to use platform.

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RevMax, the leading provider of hospitality technology and distribution solutions is going to unveil the latest features of its next generation LIVE OS and Partner Program at WTM 2015 stand #TT550 from 2 - 5 November 2015 at ExCel London. LIVE OS is a single sign on solution allowing hotels to access multiple technology providers such as revenue management, central reservation systems, distribution channels, market intelligence tools, property management systems, guest management platforms and other services from one “easy to use” platform.

taking that philosophy leaps forward by making it simple for hotels to manage their technology solutions with just single sign on and instant access, eliminating the need to log into multiple systems, and pull disparate data and business intelligence. More than thirty (30) technology partner applications have joined in the Partner Program, and technology providers such as BookingForce, PriceMatch, AvQuest and Howzait are among others to have completed integrations to be available on LIVE OS. These partners will be meeting hotel clients on the eRevMax stand at WTM.

eRevMax pioneered the concept of channel management and business intelligences, saving hotels’ time, resources and money. LIVE OS is

“We are looking for more hotel providers to partner with LIVE OS to add more value to our hotel clients. We have been receiving very

positive feedback and welcome all providers at WTM to join us at our stand and take advantage of a great opportunity to have more access to global hotels. The objective of LIVE OS objective is to help its travel partner to offer services to more hotels with easier integration process,” said Reuel Ghosh, Chief

Executive Officer, eRevMax. The LIVE OS platform makes it easy for hotels to access the providers they work within one solution with single sign on. The provider retains a stronger relationship with the hotel and will help reach thousands of hotels globally through the built in marketplace in LIVE OS.

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Biz travellers use extended stay: GTBA Courtesy: International Meetings Review

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early half (48%) of all U.S. business travelers have used an extended stay accommodation in the past 12 months when traveling internationally for business, according to new research from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).

The study, Extended Stay Accommodations: Awareness, Supply and Demand, produced in partnership with WWStay, also revealed differences across age groups when it comes to extended stay accommodations. Millennials (18-34) use extended stay accommodations more than any other group, with 72% staying at one for international business travel in the past year. Only 48 of Gen Xers (35-54) and an even smaller 26% of Baby Boomers (55+) used an extended stay accommodation during the same time period.

In

addition,

60%

of

business

travelers who use extended stay accommodations book it themselves with many of that group booking through an online travel site (41%) or directly on the extended stay website (38%). Booking outside of a company tool could potentially mean the traveler is not compliant with company travel policy. More importantly, the company may not be able to locate their traveler if an emergency occurs.

Preferences and Challenges The top reasons business travelers said they prefer extended stay accommodations are fully equipped kitchens (45%), amenities (40%) and the residential feel (36%). However many U.S.-based international business travelers note that they have challenges booking their own extended stay accommodations with minimum stay requirements (29%), limited number of accommodations (21%) and lack of reviews from previous guests (20) topping the list of woes.

Satisfaction An overwhelming majority of business travelers (91%) are very satisfied or satisfied with their lodging experience on their last international trip of five or more days regardless of what type of lodging was used. Major differences

are revealed however, when looking at satisfaction levels by type of extended stay accommodation, with much higher satisfaction levels at extended stay hotels (94%) and corporate furnished accommodations (87%) compared to accommodation rentals (74%).

OTAS PLAY SURROGATE FOR BRANDS Lorraine Sileo, senior vice president of research for Phocuswright Inc. asks if independent hotels can loosen the grip on OTAs? VW BUREAU

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hen we think of the lodging industry in the US, many of us think of chains – those big brands such as Marriott, Hilton, and Choice that drive distribution trends and website bookings. With household names such as Holiday Inn and Best Western that appeal to the US road traveler, chains also make a nice payday for online travel agencies (OTAs). Though they seem to dominate the market – and they DO – there’s another, more elusive set of properties that is less frequently tracked, and even less understood.

We’re referring to the independents, or what we call “the other 30%” of the US lodging landscape.

While it’s true that 70% of all room supply in the US belongs to chains, that still leaves us with 1.2 million rooms operating on their own. According to Phocuswright and h2c’s Independent Lodging Market: Marketing, Distribution and Technology Strategies for Non-

Voyager’s World > November 2015

Branded Properties, independents will generate US$68.1 billion in room revenue this year. Although this represents less than 30% of all hotel revenue, that’s still a significant volume – bigger than car rental, tour and cruise combined.

Despite their size, independent lodging suppliers operate at a disadvantage.

Many lack the resources, tools and expertise to compete with chains and each other. Their makeup is quite fragmented (inns, B&Bs, resorts, hotels/motels), making it hard for properties to band together for the greater good and consolidate marketing and distribution. In many cases, independents are on their own when making important pricing and channel management decisions, and that often means being left behind.

OTAs play surrogate for brands Without the branding and operational support of chains, it’s

little surprise that independent properties seek (reluctantly) the assistance of OTAs. Only a small minority have implemented such helpful tools as a channel manager or a threvenue management system, so they often look to OTAs to make those decisions for them.

As a result, OTAs will represent 58% of US independent properties’ online volume this year, compared to a 48% share for chains (see Figure 1).

While independents account for 28% of total hotel gross bookings, their share of OTA hotel gross bookings jumps to 40%, or roughly $10 billion. That means that Expedia and Booking.com can rely on a steady stream of independent business for years to come, regardless of what chains do in the long term.

Pinning hopes on OTA alternatives With so much reliance on intermediaries, it’s no wonder that independent properties cited rising

third-party costs as a top marketing and distribution concern (see Figure 2). Just like chains, independents want to drive all their business direct, preferably to their websites.

While that’s not realistic without proper tools and expertise, hotels won’t stop trying to detach themselves from OTAs. Most are pinning their hopes on TripAdvisor to help drive direct bookings via TripConnect and Instant Booking. All suppliers want to wean themselves off OTAs eventually. But for independent lodging suppliers, is it necessary? With offline revenue factored in, OTAs represent less than 30% of independents’ total business and that percentage is not expected to grow. OTAs can assist properties with global reach, while guaranteeing them an important mobile presence.

Because independents can’t keep up with distribution and marketing demands, they always will need partners.

Event Venues! Not just a ‘banquet business’ anymore!

ROHIT HANGAL

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here there is an opportunity, there stems a devil! The country simply loves to celebrate!

With made-to-order occasions created out of thin air or a six-month long meticulously designed wedding, hotels in India never had it this good.

The Indian hospitality industry’s unique revenue trait, where Food & Beverage (F&B) contributes more to the kitty than the segment is credited. The Meetings industry’s might seldom goes challenged with the discerning Indian finding more occasions to celebrate! Events to celebrate and of course, the big fat Indian wedding all bring cheer to the table! We are not talking about corporate events, yet, that bring in the big moneybags.

The Indian Event Space: The ‘Indian Convention Promotion Bureau’ mentions that of a total of 8,294 events tracked, India has a market share of 1.1% (Asia & Middle East has 19.5% share) with an estimated size of the MICE industry in India around Rs 4,000 – 5,500 crores. Still a very miniscule part of a global market space of over USD 65) Billion!

Personal Events: Unique Indian Perspective What goes into a family in selecting a suitable venue to create an event out of an occasion and do hotels strategize to woo this burgeoning

segment. Having been in the industry, before the evolution of the term Event Management to now ‘Event Activation’, I have hardly come across hotels creating a specialized marketing centre to add commercial value to their event spaces, apart from a few branded five-star hotel chains. In most hotels the banquet management team, is not necessarily your event marketing team. The revenue stream can just bigger with inputs of F&B, rental of AV equipment, hall rental charges, accrued business from rooms, etc.

As for the new era hotels that seem to be flooding the market with imported standards from Europe and US, they seem more interested in achieving the magic number of 100 properties in India than creating a right variation to their product to suit India. Service and amenity standards currently being enforced in the name of global parity is absurd.

There have been investments made in crores to create a profitable entity, and have left Indian hoteliers in the lurch, not necessarily due to the economic situations we endure.

One set of hotels in Bangalore with a combined inventory of 500 rooms, a couple of International brands to make the owners feel proud, has meeting room infrastructure of a banquet hall measuring 2500 square feet! How do you explain to a prospective client, who wishes to

book a hotel for his mega residential conference or wants to host his big fat Indian wedding, that he can take his room business, but has no venue to host the banquet! Indians, by trait need any excuse to get a gathering on to host a lunch or dinner, whether it is for a baby naming ceremony or an anniversary party. The scorn for Food and Beverage sales is not justified, when in India, sometimes F&B sales constitute up to 50% of revenue. It should do well for hotels to broad base their client profile. For city hotels, corporate business is welcome, business on weekends is priceless!

What does it take to position your event spaces amid your glowing hotel brand? If your event spaces F&B contribute to over 30% of your turnover, get it a branding strategy! A hotel brand brings with it standards and total recall, but the right unique brand identity for your event space will make it stand out amid hardened competition. In an era when hotel projects are more often part of a multi-use facility with retail, residences and commercial spaces thrown in, event spaces will have to strive its own unique niche. A day when you will have branded and franchised event spaces is not far.

Creating and managing an ‘Event Space brand’ will bring in Event standards, improved guest feedback and enhanced occupancies.

Creating unique brand identities and focus for event spaces will also take on branded hotels especially in the four and five stand segment.

It is not far ahead that, with the increased demands with regard to technology, enhanced client requirements, the era of specialized companies managing event spaces is not far behind! Outsourced Venue Management!

Somehow, hotels have always been reluctant about a radical shift in branding strategy. But in an era where competition gets fierce, specialization takes over,.

It is never too late to reinforce branding standards on individual profit centres as event spaces, health clubs & spas and one may be tempted to add laundry services to the list!

Updated revenue management strategies has virtually taken over decision making with regard to functioning of sales. Marketing event space is still left untouched by new era revenue managers due to the customization it requires. In an era where technology will soon engulf decision making, the role of venue managers will be that of facilitation than to create opportunities to build working relationships! It is almost like not foreseeing the trap..Well they said the same thing of ‘growingup’ as well!

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India shines as incentive venue at SITE Global Conference 2015 VW BUREAU

Technology and in room entertainment advancing on a faster pace than ever before will increase the growth in the industry

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early 300 global incentive travel professionals from 36 countries came together at the SITE Global Conference 23-25 October in New Delhi, India for three extraordinary days of networking, education, celebration and cultural experiences.

“The conference was truly an experience of a lifetime,” said Rhonda Brewer, SITE President. “ The warm welcome from the Indian community, the amazing service provided by the SITE India Host Committee, Taj Palace, Oberoi and Kingdom of Dreams, and the exceptional education and cultural experiences were recognized by everyone. This was an incentivequality event that will be remembered forever and will have a very positive impact on the future of incentive business to India!”

Anup Nair, Conference Chair and President, SITE India Chapter shared that more than 200 attendees were international delegates, 90% of whom had never visited India. “We were overwhelmed with the number of top decision

Voyager’s World > November 2015

makers from global incentive travel companies that came to the conference. Many of them told us that this was the best conference that they’ve ever attended, and that’s saying something. It was a long cherished dream to bring the event to India and I’m grateful to the Host Committee, the SITE India Chapter and our sponsors for going the extra mile to deliver the best conference ever.”

During the conference Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel Pvt. Ltd., accepted the gavel as the first SITE President from Asia.

“We had two very specific objectives: 1) to bring the SITE conference back to the glory, passion and excellence it used to have and, 2) to make India shine as an incentive product. We exceeded my personal expectations on both. The reactions of our members to the educational content, social programing and cultural experiences have been ecstatic. Our entire destination team came together as one cohesive community to pull off the best industry event I have ever seen hosted in India in my 21 years in the

business. I am brimming with pride on all aspects to have been a part of this historic event. SITE is ending 2015 on a new high and I see us moving towards greater things in the year to come.”

The conference’s unique and diverse education sessions included topics on industry trends, technology, business ethics and social media, presented by leading industry professionals from around the world. Author and mythologist, Devdutt Pattnaik fascinated the audience with his keynote speech on how mythology relates to business; and Amithab Kahn, the brain behind the India government’s “Make in India” campaign, shared fascinating facts about India’s position as an economic powerhouse. In another session, “Doing business in India: The Mind Shift”, three experts discussed the challenges facing suppliers wishing to obtain a slice of India’s incentive and meetings business.

The program also featured an ‘unconference’ session that gave attendees the opportunity to set the topic on the spot, facilitated by

those at the table.

The well-attended sessions received high marks for the quality of content and diversity of speakers.

At the Crystal Awards luncheon, hosted by IMEX Group, seven companies were recognized for creativity in program design, marketing, corporate social responsibility, and — most importantly — business results.

The recipients included tourism organizations, incentive agencies, destination management companies, and their clients, from a variety of industries worldwide.

This year’s Chapter and Member award winners were honored during a spectacular Gala Awards evening, sponsored by ibtm events, at the magnificent Kingdom of Dreams, where India’s art, culture, heritage, craft, cuisine and performing arts were brought to life with technological wizardry.

Panama City, Panama will host SITE Global Conference 2106, 4-6 November at the Westin Playa Bonita.

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what you see is what you get... right branding key for m.i.c.e venues PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Like any other service/product industries, the MICE industry is characterized by its brand image and it is imperative that venues convey the right message to market themselves and deliver what they convey.

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he average retailer and small time hawkers have their sense of speech to sell their products and services; imaginably he is the brand ambassador for his goods and relies on the name, the tangible product and its uses for marketing them. A brand, as defined by the American Marketing Association (AMA), stands for ‘name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.’

The meaning and the function of the word ‘brand’ have a cumulative nature as the price of the product increases. The bigger the event, the longer the scale of branding and promotional activities and when it comes to the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry, this five-letter word gains importance in a snowballing effect.

Right from the word go, the MICE industry is characterized by its brand image, which as marketing author Philip Kotler outlines as a set of beliefs held about a particular brand. While this piece, dear reader, only does touch upon various facets

of branding in the meetings industry, it mainly seeks to find out how can the destination and the M/I/C/E mutually brand each other.

branding brings with it for marketing leisure packages are more or less the same for meetings or business tourism too.

A recent and emerging example would be that of the World Travel Market (WTM) Latin America.

Although WTM, by itself, is a brand, it would be right to say the event has helped further boosting the image of the destination. The Southern American region is fast catching up as the slow but steady turtle in the fresh destination market and the likes of WTM only help.

When a destination wins the bid to host a M/I/C/E, the preparation of the marketing activity entails drafting a certain branding image so as to convey the destination as a whole to the sellers, buyers and other stakeholders who have a vested interest in the event. It narrows down the options in the sense that it draws attention to the overall attractions of the country/ region and whilst hosting the event, it prepares an itinerary that would showcase the best of its attractions, including sightseeing, hotels and local culture.

When it comes to marketing a destination, a challenge faced by travel agents and tour operators is on the choices front. They find too many different options to offer to the customers and the customers also want to know a lot of options before deciding on where they want to go. Hence, the process of decision making becomes all the more complex. This apart, destinations involve a lot of money and the higher the package cost, the longer the customer dilly-dallies over making a decision on making the booking. The advantages that

This way, branding actually helps reduce the choice as well as proves useful in communicating the reality or physicality of the experience that the destination is capable of offering even before visiting the place. This is because the venues and packages are intangible and require a high financial investment. The entire package detailing what the meeting group or the company can look

forward to while visiting the venue.

When an incentive event is held at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps or aboard a luxury cruise for a large group, the branding helps in breaking down the different facets of the destination. This marketing exercise plays a key role in cutting down the risks common to the end customer satisfaction.

The bigger the event means the higher the purchase value, more the number of buyers. The need for the right branding exercise can be derived from the fact that business tourists spend few times more than other category of tourists; their spending on Wi-Fi, usage of the business centre at the venue and other meeting requirements are few examples. MICE means the coming together of people from different nationalities and cultures and hence, there is a need to ‘meet’ the international standards of quality.

In today’s times, national and state tourism boards do not just restrict their focus on the main sightseeing attractions as part of their branding.

They also place a lot, if not equal,

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importance on other aspects of the place such as shopping districts and wellness spas in the area. Of course, in the present times the destinations are being marketed as business venues alongside tourism.

The relevance of branding a destination in the context of business and meetings industry cannot be ruled out as it helps develop the economy of the destination. In India, places like Bangalore or Hyderabad, which have cosmopolitan attractions but not necessarily enough to stand alone as tourist getaways, the meetings industry has helped in revenue generation. The Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) and the various multi-national hotel chains that have sprung in these cities have projected them on the global MICE venues. The brand image that these cities enjoy is that of an IT-backed cosmopolitan business centre, with easy connectivity to the nearby tourist spots.

to that destination and geographic and other social attributes that are unique to the cities themselves, thereby procuring them a distinct international status.

Tiger economies like Thailand were intelligent enough when the nations embarked on their development activities in the early 1990s, having a futuristic vision while doing up their countries. The development of tourism-related infrastructure took place together with the rest of the expansion plans. Today, a place like Phuket is as important a leisure destination as is a business venue.

As mentioned earlier, the meetings industry brings about different needs for the business tourists by way of the size of the venue, the meeting/conference facilities, infrastructure, easy connectivity, cultural similarities, size of the destination, safety, economic progress and the overall topography.

Therefore, developing a brand promotion on these lines will tell the prospective clients about what to look out for while coming there for a meeting. In fact, the leading metros of India- Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad as well as Tier 2 cities like Goa, Jaipur and Ahmedabad have re-defined their wealth status through investments in developing the cities as business destinations resulting from the travel linked with attending the meetings, exhibitions, etc.

Brand image attributes Even as the actual experience that a place has to offer along with the culture and other attractions in the itinerary, the preliminary communication about itself comes from the brand logo and its tagline.

Kerala Tourism has been successful in establishing quick brand recall through its log with the ‘l’ in its name represented by a coconut tree that is native to the state and so has Goa Tourism with a blue colour used in the font along with a beach background.

Tourism boards and Destination Marketing Companies (DMCs) can develop a comprehensive yet easy-to-recall and appealing brand association exercise for the cities by making positive brand images related to the cities, the characteristics, the local lifestyle, the people, the celebrities who belong

Given that a logo represents the destination in the tourism business, it must be able to exactly depict the essence of the destination and endeavour to create brand association and expectations for the business visitors who might be coming there for the first time.

Yet, the creative team must ensure

Voyager’s World > November 2015

the logo illustrates nothing but the reality. While creating fonts and graphics distinctive of the destination is the norm, it may be mentioned that the brand logo must try to focus on one or two biggest attractions of the destination as part of the association rather than racking one’s brains on trying to bring in many features of the place into the logo. Those can always be marketed through the USP line or the detailed packages. But just because the logo makes the first impression it is not necessary to fill it with too many details to prove a point.

The logo of Switzerland Tourism, for instance, is very simple and crisp.

It has made use of its red flag with a white cross at the top right hand corner of a rectangular box encircled by a yellow flower and the whole box is filled with red. Its tagline ‘Switzerland get natural’ says it all about what it has in store, thus avoiding unnecessary clutter in the logo.

Of course, one can create a logo that seems to have no meaning at all; just a simple design that need not necessarily stand for something about the destinations.

Sometimes a meaningless logo still ends up achieving a quick recall in the minds of the travellers. The end objective is thus met with the immediate recollection and wrong associations with another destination. From the perspective of MICE marketing, it would prove advantageous, not mandatory, if the destination created a parallel and a logo somewhat similar to its leisure counterpart.

The next characteristic is that of the slogan. Even if the logo is the same for marketing the destination to tousists. In the process of differentiation, besides an inspiring

name and an attractive logo, brands can rely also on slogans to send their brand message in a more efficient and consistent way.

A slogan is more important when the name is not saying too much to the external stakeholders. In the case of destinations, a place name is previously fixed in time, related to the geographical region or history, and cannot be easily changed.

Therefore, in this case the slogan and the logo would be attached, together with their meanings and attributes, to the name of the destination creating a set of associations for the destination image.

According to Pike (2005), a slogan is a necessary public articulation of a destination’s brand positioning strategy, providing a link between brand’s identity aspired to by DMOs and the actual brand image held in the market. In other words, the slogan has to “point out what the destination stands for or desires to transfer to external stakeholders” (Wagner and Peters, 2009). Pike (2005) suggests that slogans should be a succinct message focusing on one or a few brand associations.

This small and effective rule can be quite hard to follow as places are complex and multidimensional.

Destination branding was mainly researched by academics more from a leisure tourism perspective. There are just a few researchers who tried to approach the business tourism field, like Anholt, 2006; Hankinson, 2004; 2005; IMD, 2005 (according to Balakrishnan’s Therefore it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.

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social media in meetings industry: joining the conversation Courtesy: Incon

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asak Gurbuz Basak Gurbuz, Project Leader of Serenas Group, a Turkey-based PCO, talks about how communication tools are evolving in the context of meetings.

Our ways of communication have changed. Today there are powerful communication tools at our disposal which make it possible to reach an audience greater than we can ever imagine.

their social media efforts. Of the 930 meeting specialists surveyed at the INCON Cyber Cafe over the three days of the tradeshow, 46.5% identified Facebook as their first choice of social media while LinkedIn was deemed next most popular choice at 29.4%.

Other important platforms included Twitter, blogs and Youtube.

Interestingly, these findings support the data gleaned from INCON’s third annual survey of the global association conference market which was unveiled at IMEX 2011.

Social media is an increasingly

important part of the conference marketing mix, changing the way that conferences are promoted and executed.

Incorporating social media into conference planning can increase content relevance, drive participation and positive return on investment.

Social media is part of the Web 2.0 revolution, the use of web based channels and mobile technologies to turn communication into interactive dialogue.

While social media is fast, interactive and accessible, it is also a cost effective way to communicate directly with a target audience. Social media tools help distribute content in ways that print media can never achieve. Social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter help organizations to distribute their message, promote their brand and create awareness of events. The power of social media Social media makes it easier to access information, people, brands, companies, events etc. Social media tools allow us to contribute the content and make it more relevant and meaningful. Who we are and what we say is more important than ever.

The key differentiation from traditional marketing is that companies now need to be part of the conversation as opposed to simply broadcasting their message with no feedback or interaction.

How to use social media A successful social media strategy Social media shares the same goal as conferences and events; gathering people around a certain topic. Social media has the potential to impact greatly on the lifecycle of an event. Associations are creating Facebook pages around conferences to promote awareness and generate community before the event starts. Social media tools enable information sharing and networking during the event. And once it has concluded, the conversation continues.

Social media and meetings industry Social media and INCON research A survey conducted by INCON at IMEX 2011 revealed that Facebook and LinkedIn are the platforms which most meeting and event companies are using to concentrate

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meticulous travel policy helps keep lid on corporate travel costs VW BUREAU

A sharp surge in corporate/business travel prompts us to look at the present business travel situation in the country to gauge its stance in the MICE market.

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ndia’s growing interest in organising meetings and incentives abroad have encouraged the tourism boards of various countries to devise interesting meeting concepts and offerings for the discerning Indian business traveller.

The Melbourne Convention Bureau, for instance, and the Thailand Conventions and Exhibitions Bureau are going all out to woo Indian MICE organizers. Thailand is one of the top favoured destinations for Indian MICE movements.

The frequently travelling business traveller hops on and off flights and checks in and out of hotels in a frequently evolving industry, struggling to keep pace with technology and other trends that strive to make business and travel easier for him.

The sliding rupee, rising fuel costs, soaring ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) prices, user development fee at airports, excess baggage, hotel loyalty programmes, flying miles and other ancillary costs.

According to various forecasts, China will be the leader in terms of growth at 8.0% projections. 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.

As for the hospitality industry, 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.

China will continue to experience a surplus of new supply from global

Voyager’s World > November 2015

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.

Car rental prices will increase modestly though options are limited by local restrictions in some locations that prevent foreign visitors from driving without a local driver’s license.

In those countries, such as China, car rental is typically chauffeured by local drivers. China’s continually developing high speed rail infrastructure will garner strong interest from travel buyers in 2014, who are increasingly interested in using this option instead of air travel where applicable.

Challenges A survey by Abacus last year identified some key trends that are anticipated to have an effect on business travel in the next few years.

97% of respondents received instructions to further tighten business travel policies. There is no relaxation of the rules in sight, despite the more favourable economic outlook acknowledged by all. 73% reported business clients implementing policies to decrease the number of business trips. Six in ten clients are extending economy class thresholds to reduce business class travel.

47% of travellers were also then encouraged to opt for lowerstar accommodation. 43% of respondents felt that their role had recently shifted more in favour of business procurement. 73% of business clients have increased their preference to use low cost carriers. Other parameters in

the policy include the flight time, booking channel, trip changes, etc.

73% of business travel companies have implemented a business booking tool (CBT). 64% of respondents agreed that a good number of travellers wants to deal with travel management companies and agencies, with 55% perceiving business travel itineraries to be too complex a task to undertake themselves.

Over 83% of travel management companies and agencies felt that smartphones would have a moderate to significant impact on business.

Only 33% had implemented any mobile web or native applications for smartphones, leading with a simple mobile itinerary tool. 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. 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 costeffective, value for money travel and accommodation plan.

Hence, it is not surprising that businesss 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 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 suppliervendor 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

33>> the business models constantly. For instance, carriers generate revenue on sale and lease back (wet lease).

Indigo 89 % planes are on lease. Jet Airways is 90%, SpiceJet is 69% and GoAir is 93%.

It is expected that the near future capacity will increase in the domestic market. As of today, the entire industry in India is 62 million passengers annually; but the market will add 40 million passengers over the next four years. LCCs have paved for a new trend with the industry going for adding capacity in short haul segments that are usually more profitable. On an average, a Mumbai-Delhi flight is sold at INR 8 /Air Mile and in comparison Mumbai-Ahmedabad is sold at INR 12/Air Mile.

Airlines in India are following models like Air Asia and Southwest Airlines by charging extra for specific seats like by the window or the aisle seat, reducing baggage allowance and increasing cancellation of ticket and no show charges. Indigo is expected to add nearly 10 aircrafts a year over the next decade or so mostly to operate domestic segments.

In so far as fares are concerned, Zero Frill Carriers are found to offer a reasonable alternative to the premier carriers.

plans for their executives would be demanding and insistent travelers.

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.

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 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 one-stop site listing all the types of travel and hotel choices quickly, including ground transportation, is likely to be adopted by a business.

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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 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 businesss while dealing with travel

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when technology harnesses the meetings industry....

Courtesy: INCON

Bannie Kim, President & CEO, MECI Korea, shares expert insights on how the events industry can weave technology for optimum benefits.

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cross the world today, ubiquitous and digital information based technologies are becoming an increasing part of our lives. As their application becomes more widespread across society in general, so does their impact on the meeting industry. Harnessing the latest in cutting edge technology has improved efficiency in conference administration including registration processes and session room operation, often with cost effective and environmentally friendly implications.

The meeting industry is also experiencing great change in the area of internet networking. It may not be long before face to face meetings will be replaced by video conference or 3D web meeting for the sake of cost savings. International meetings via web conference technology will be mainstream, not only to save expenses but for sustainability reasons too.

Where there may be gaps in new technologies, appropriate investment in training, upgrades and education will allow such technologies to benefit the meetings industry immensely.

However, in order for this advancement to occur, PCO’s will have to embrace its various applications. Change of Convention Techniques Improvements in information technology means that many aspects of convention planning are now online; advertising, social

Voyager’s World > November 2015

media marketing, management of B2B suppliers and CRM for participants & suppliers.

Meeting planners, conference sponsors and participants are increasingly taking advantage of new technology application with ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) software. Video conferencing is assisted by WAN Application Delivery (WAD) technology while Cisco, Polycom and Tendberg have practical cost efficiencies when interviews, questionnaires and staff meetings are needed. Ubiquitous Technology of Convention Information technology is increasingly used to create a ubiquitous computing society whereby necessary information can be accessed by anyone, anytime, anywhere through the convergence of advanced, unobtrusive technology, particularly wireless, and the internet.

Some of the applications of ubiquitous technology with direct benefit to the meeting community include: 1. Radio Frequency Identification RFID systems transmit the identity of an object or person wirelessly using radio waves. It is increasingly used with biometric technologies for security.

2. Wireless Local Area Network (LAN) Users can access the Internet at high speed by PDA or laptop computer through the LAN and/or

IrDA (Infrared Data Association) in every possible AP (Access Point).

This is particularly useful with temporary networks that are typically available at conventions and exhibitions.

3. WAN Application Delivery Wan (Wide Area Network) Accelerator is a solution to accelerate the speed of data transmission of websites connected to broadband (B-ISDN). It is very helpful to improve data transmission without extra infrastructure, enhancing some functions like video conferences, various registration devices and inand-out control.

4. Mobile Service systems for exchange of data Mobile service as a part of urban life facilitates the exchange of data in an interactive way via the internet. As its service rapidly grows, customers can share and retrieve copious amounts of information.

5. Zigbee Wireless network system Wireless network for the next generation, Zigbee, which was derived from the zigzag type dance of a bee, is a technology for ubiquitous computing & LAN communication within a 10-20 m boundary. The Zigbee gadget can either transmit or receive small amounts of information like on/off commands and temperature level adjustments.

When applied to the convention industry, it enables the elimination of cables, in-and-out controls, antiintrusion, electrical installations,

emergency controls and real time global positioning checks on Indoor LBS function.

6. Video Conference System VCS enables meetings to convene by means of camera or live internet streaming, saving time and expenditure in travelling and also lessening the impact of global travel and carbon emissions 7. Virtual Reality Conference VRC is advanced technology for video conferences; by transmitting holograms users feel like they are located in the place where their message is being delivered. Prince Charles for example sent a 6 minute hologram message with a 3D image from Clarence House to the attendees of the Global Conference for future energies in Abu Dhabi, UAE. In conclusion, digital technologies are now impacting on the entire life-cycle of meetings and events, from the online registration, the promotional activities and the delivery of the meeting itself, right through to the reporting and analysis of its success. Its influence can be seen in all aspects of planning, delivery and analysis of any meeting or event. While technology can never replace the importance of face-to-face meetings in building contacts and generating business opportunities, it will allow people to connect and engage with each one in new ways, ultimately enhancing the personal connections made.

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peak incentive season in india found in to be in haze International Meetings Review

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alaysian agencies handling MICE groups from India are being affected by the haze in the current peak season and fear that arrivals in the coming years will drop due to bad experiences this year.

The haze is a result of uncontrolled fires raging in forests and peatlands in parts of Indonesia, coupled with the extended dry weather caused by a longer El Nino season this year.

deduct payment for the teambuilding activities which were not carried out as planned,” said Nanda.

World Avenues executive director, Ally Bhoonee, said his company had a tough time convincing the organisers of two incentive groups

from Mauritius and Morocco not to cancel their programmes in early October, which included twinning Kuala Lumpur with Singapore. “It will also be a challenge for me to convince agents at the World Travel Market (next month) and Arabian Travel Market to bring incentive

groups to Malaysia from August to October next year. My fear is if it recurs with the same intensity next year, all my effort and money spent on marketing Malaysia overseas will be wasted. Agents will lose faith and confidence in this destination,” he said.

Luxury Tours Malaysia senior manager, Arokia Das, said: “For the first time, our incentive business to Langkawi was affected due to the thick haze on October 4 and 5. On October 4, we had to cancel outdoor activities such as mangrove tour and island-hopping for an incentive group of 250 people. However, we were still charged for the boats.

“Then on October 5, Langkawi International Airport runway was closed for three hours due to poor visibility. Flights could not land or take off. Departures for Kuala Lumpur were affected and the group had to wait at the airport until services resumed.

“There was a gala dinner in Kuala Lumpur that night and about 70 people could not make it on time.

Word of this event will definitely spread and I am deeply concerned that Malaysia will lose incentive business from India to other destinations such as Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Bangkok due to the haze.”

He added MICE organisers from India had asked for assurance the haze would not be present when their group arrives in November. “We told them that the haze is beyond our control and they should look at city destinations (where there are indoor options) and avoid going to islands,” he said.

Hidden Asia Travel & Tours managing director, Nanda Kumar, fears an incentive group from India which the company is handling will take legal action. “Their programme was disrupted when their flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi was delayed for five hours and outdoor teambuilding activities had to be done indoors.

The MICE organiser wished to

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FESTIVALS OF 22 February, 2016

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n the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Meh, also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, attracts singletons who throw oranges into the sea in hopes of finding their true soul mates.

The day is celebrated similarly to the day before Chinese New Year is celebrated –with much joy and festivity. During Chap Goh Mei, families gather over a grand meal which includes Yuan Xiao (glutinous rice balls) and homes are beautifully lit with red lanterns. At the temples people offer prayers to the God of Prosperity.

Chap Goh Mei, Malaysia

5 - 13 March, 2016

T

he annual PHS Philadelphia Flower Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center is the world’s oldest and largest indoor flower show.

Attracting more than 260,000 visitors each year, the Flower Show features incredible large-scale floral displays, elaborate gardens and overthe-top floral creations. Now in its 186th year, this year’s Flower Show is going to Celebrate the Movies with themed displays, special events and more in celebration of the silver screen. In addition to amazing floral designs, the Flower Show hosts a variety of special events including live entertainment.

Philadelphia Flower Show

14 - 17 March, 2016

14 - 24 January, 2016

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he Monte-Carlo International Circus always aims to be innovative and avant- garde. The 39th festival will focus on creativity and modernity. The festival includes the awarding of the Clown d’Or (Golden Clown) award as well as awards for other circus skills. A permanent venue, the Chapiteau (circus tent) de Fontvieille, was built especially for this festival.

39th Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival Voyager’s World > November 2015

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t. Patrick’s Festival, Ireland’s National Holiday celebration, celebrates the best of Irish and international talent. Visiting the Emerald Isle at this most ‘green’ of times (often even the beer and rivers are dyed green) offers the unique opportunity to enjoy an extravaganza of music, film, arts, dance, culture and fun, based in Dublin but resonating across the entire island. 2015 will be a yearround celebration of one of Ireland’s best-loved poets WB Yeats. The St. Patrick’s Festival Parade, takes place on 17 March.

St Patrick's Festival, Dublin

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THE WORLD 2 - 6 March, 2016

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tarting from Anchorage each March and ending eight to 15 days later in Nome, the Iditarod is one of the great endurance tests in sport with competitors mushing sled dogs across 1,150 miles of snow in temperatures as low as 40 below zero. The Iditarod Trail began as a mail and supply route from Seward to Nome for gold miners. In 1925, one of its legendary dog teams, led by the great Balto, became national heroes after rushing diphtheria serum to epidemic-stricken Nome.

The Iditarod, Anchorage, Alaska

13 - 16 February, 2016

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agaur bustles with life during the annual cattle fair, one of the largest in the country, usually held from 30 January to 2 February. The Nagaur bulls are renowned for their fleet footedness and attract buyers from all over; however, livestock such as camels, goats and cows are also on display. There is a lot of excitement as the people take pleasure in the tug-of-war, camel and bullock races, cockfights that are organized in this festival. Late in the evening the people can also take pleasure in the festive atmosphere as there is folk music and dance performances.

Nagaur Cattle Festival, Rajasthan

10 - 29 February 2016 22 -31 January 2016

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he San Francisco Beer Fest has evolved into a top international destination event that features some of the world’s finest beers at 600 events hosted by renowned breweries, acclaimed restaurants, bars, and retailers. SF Beer Week 2015 kicks-off the 10 days of festivities with a grand Opening Gala, where more than 3,000 craft beer enthusiasts will unite for the ultimate tasting celebration. The sellout event will take place on Friday, January 22, 2016, at Pier 35 in San Francisco.

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isitors to Hong Kong can enjoy some spectacular moments at the harbour front in the form of a 3D light show with exciting audiovisual effects. The Hong Kong Pulse 3D Light Show demonstrates the unique glamour, vibrancy and festive ambience of Asia’s World City. It is taking place during the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, Hong Kong WinterFest and the Chinese New Year Celebrations. The stories and visuals for the three time periods are different to suit the theme of each event.

Pulse 3D Light Show, Hong Kong San Francisco Beer Fest 2016, California www.voyagersworld.in

Cruise

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cruise holiday trends in india see favourable ‘winds’!!

The steady growth in the Indian market has been encouraging cruise liners to come up with more promotional activities to develop cruising as a holiday option.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

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he encouraging figures of inbound and outbound traffic in the Indian market in the recent times, against the backdrop of a notso-good global economy, have only prodded the Ministry of Tourism, the State Tourism Boards and other parts of the Indian travel fraternity to introduce newer initiatives to boost and sustain tourism revenue.

These developments may also be attributed to the growing middleclass segment, better disposable income, increased media exposure and a desire for newer travel experience.

The cruise sector, too, is no exception to these changes. In India, the idea of taking a cruise vacation seems to be slowly catching up as cruising features a number of options all in one product – multiple destinations, accommodation, meals, amenities and activities, thus giving more value for money.

In case of India, we have an advantageous coastal topography to boast of; a coastline that has seen the evolution of trade, economy and colonial regime from a historical

Voyager’s World > November 2015

perspective. The coastline of India stretches from the Gulf of Khambhat in the west along the Arabian Sea down to Mangalore, Malabar and then Kanyakumari along the Indian Ocean and through the Coromandel Coast along the Bay of Bengal jutting towards the eastern most area near the Sunderbans. This enables India to command a strong position as a hub for international cruise liners.

However, this travel product has only been able to create ripples on the shores of the Indian market.

The cruise segment is still in its nascent stage, while it is safe to state that the demand for cruises will definitely grow with awareness and exposure. The cruise vacation segment will only grow in the Indian marketplace as this option was non-existent till we pioneered the concept 20 years ago. Despite the fact that Indian travellers have to fly overseas to take a cruise vacation due to the absence of ships sailing along our coastline, the India outbound story is emerging. In fact, an annual year-on-year growth at an average rate of 15-18% per annum has been noticed and over 70,000

Indians opt for cruise vacations annually and remains optimistic that the numbers will only grow based on various factors including ships based in the Indian waters.

Cruising as a vacation style has been growing at a very promising rate.

In today’s world Hotels & planes are but a regular feature of one’s lifestyle, so the heart of experiencing something off the block is where cruising is starting to gain its popularity. Cruising hotspots in the Indian market are most popularly the South-East Asia routes, followed

by Europe, Alaska, Baltic, Caribbean and South Americas. However this chronology is mainly due to the cost factor, proximity and duration of vacations.

India and Asia as a whole are still at a very nascent stage for cruising.

Globally 20 million people cruised last year and India contributed around 100,000 cruisers. Together all stake holders need to join hands to create more awareness about cruising as a vacation option.

India is a very young and growing

market for cruise tourism. However, cruising is now popular in the metro cities and there is a small spread into the semi-metro cities. The nation is a huge market for cruise lines like the Royal Caribbean, Star Cruises, etc. and cruise lines have been recording encouraging growth in recent years. Guests from middle and upper middleclass segments are frequent travellers experiencing cruising as a new alternative to their travel options.

It is primarily the affluent and the individuals belonging to the High Net Worth (HNW) bracket that account for the maximum clients opting for cruise vacations. The order of demographics of Indians opting for cruises may be grouped as the Affluent class :$ 200K HH Income; HNW: $2MM +; Mature: 50+; Married; Empty Nesters (with no children in household) and professionals and retirees.

80% of the cruise travellers are from North and West India and the rest from south/east India. Apart from the major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai etc., Cruise

Cruise

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lines have been seeing growing interest from tier 2 cities. However, there is still substantial untapped potential in the major markets as cruise vacations are only just beginning to reach out to the new generation aspiring and affording travellers.

Low penetration In general, there is a question of whether the cause of low penetration of the cruise segment in the Indian market is due to step-motherly treatment towards promoting cruises or a prevalent luxury prejudice about the concept.

and supply. The trend in India has been slow but steady and the country as such has proven to be a potential market for outbound travel only in the recent years. In the past Cruise companies were saturated with their own base markets like U.S, U.K and Europe so the effort was less aggressive. Now that the companies are growing as well as their base markets are shrinking there is more visibility of cruise products in our markets. The majority of the Indian Market has some prejudices like Luxury cruising is a very costly affair & also as mentioned earlier that Indian Tourists view cruising as only a nautical experience.

The reason for this kind of a behavior could be attributed to the untapped potential which is yet to be seen. Also the concept of cruising is yet to sink in to the minds of an Indian tourist who looks at cruises as a purely nautical experience rather than a style of vacation which is seeing the world in comfort and luxury, not to mention packing & unpacking just once.

The low penetration can also be due to both the luxury prejudice and inadequate marketing but the situation seems to be changing.

Given that the tier 1 cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata are logical mature source markets and now the tier 2 and 3 cities are maturing to the concept of cruising with exposure.

However, the strength of a market is shaped by the economics of demand

Thus far, the Indian trade had been focused on selling air tickets and in

the current scenario needs to move beyond the conventional travel bouquet and sell other products. In fact, the cruise product is the easiest to sell off-the shelf, given the fact that it is inclusive and managed by a single entity which ensures greater standards of delivery and highest customer satisfaction. It caters to a robust family holiday market.

Now, things are progressing on an optimistic route. Cruise companies are interested in Indian travellers and are also willing to do an extra service in welcoming them. However, cruise is always not the first option for new travellers. It is for more matured traveller. Indian travellers have now reached this stage hence there was low penetration in the past.

Despite the fact that we do not have any cruise ship based in India the market is still growing. Other countries in Asia such as China, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia have ships based in their country and they have also heavily invested in infrastructure and build world class cruise ports for passenger ships.

This is a positive development and will grow cruising in the region. South East Asia has got potential to become the Caribbean of the East and India will continue to be important source market for the region. From a travel agency perspective, it is easy and beneficial to sell cruises to clients.

However, the knowledge is still quite limited to a few cruise liners, and as the market grows, more and more specialist players will enter this segment.

Recognizing the importance of the geographical positioning of a country, regions that have experienced the highest growth in cruising are typically those markets where there is consistent visibility with cruise ships in port. That kind of a visibility creates an overall awareness of cruising, and a sense of curiosity in the luxury consumer.

What is that ship and where is it going? That looks intriguing. The more brand awareness we can create for the overall value of cruising will lead us to more success in cruise sales across a wide range of product offerings. Since cruising is relatively new still to the Indian

www.voyagersworld.in

Cruise

market, we have much education to do on mass market to luxury differentiating factors. Each cruise brand offers a range of experience similar to cars or hotels.

It may be important to mention here that any new concept takes time to develop and be accepted by the consumer. Yet, the steady growth registered in the Indian market has been encouraging cruise liners to come up with more promotional activities to develop cruising as a holiday option.

There is a very compelling case for cruising as both a supplement and competition to land holidays. The concept of cruising is very unique as it has something to offer to all age groups. Mass cruising will continue to grow and has tremendous potential for volume. At the same time there is a growing interest in the premium and luxury cruise market.

More demand can be created by educating travellers and travel agents on the value of cruising.

Indian travellers are educated on Holidays through websites, for new destinations. Agents send cruise itineraries of specific destinations like crossing the Panama Canal, Arctic & Antarctic expeditions, by email to customers. The joy of experiencing a destination without the hassle of having to pack and unpack, seek restaurants and do multiple methods of transportation makes cruising very attractive. Also,

Voyager’s World > November 2015

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for guests to know they have a wide selection of choices in destination, service and experience, that luxury is available to fit their style.

Suitability of the Indian coastline for large liners On whether the Indian coastline is suitable for large cruise liners or sufficient only to serve as ports-ofcall, it can be concluded that there is a lot that the Indian coastline can offer. Asian itineraries have generally proven very popular amongst Western cruisers. There is a lot more than just the coastline that will bring the ships to our ports. The port infrastructure needs to be improved dramatically, and so does air connectivity to the seaports. Currently, Mumbai is the only conceivable home port for a ship based in India in view of its air connectivity globally, and with the rest of the country.

India has the potential of being Home ports for large liners given the right support from the Government; even if logically viewed, India is centrally located between the Asian Nations and the Middle Eastern and South African Nations. This strategic location has more potential compared to Dubai or Singapore which are on extreme ends. Home Ports prefer markets which have huge traffic of cruise passengers, India has the potential to produce those numbers. This showcase should highlight exotic destinations rather than just South east Asia.

It is here that India’s geography

comes across as a beneficial factor.

Her positioning in South East Asia and proximity to famous cruise destinations like Phuket, Singapore, Penang and other places in the South East Asia belt are important to create several short-haul cruise itineraries for the Indian market.

The ideal ports would be Kerala, Goa, Mumbai and Chennai, for further development of cruise tourism not only for international cruises but also for the domestic segment. In the current scenario, however, there is limited destination opportunity despite an extensive coastline. India requires developing its coastline as cruise destinations which can then be marketed to the appropriate audiences. At present, the existing ports can only continue to serve as ports of call.

While a cruise shipping policy with a focus on providing adequate port infrastructure was set up in 2008 by the Ministry of Tourism, five major ports – Goa, Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai and Mangalore were identified for development of cruise terminals by a steering committee chaired by the shipping secretary and including officials of Shipping and Tourism ministries then. However, much more needs to be done in terms of destination development, infrastructure, facilitation and ancillary services with training for International cruise lines to deploy cruise ships in these regions, which has a geographical strategic advantage.

The Cruising segment is more looked as a shipping segment rather than a tourist segment. This view changes approach, outlook, coordination & infrastructure that a tourism segment needs to thrive.

A mere marketing event would get the agents of the cruise ship to obtain permission from the Port Authorities, C.I.S.F, Customs, Excise (If you wish to serve Alcohol), Local Police Station (If entertainment is involved) and the Indian Navy or Coast Guard (Depending on their proximity to the venue).

The government can play a significant role by investing in infrastructure and changing taxation policies. These steps will go a long way in attracting cruise companies to base their ships in India, which will help grow our inbound and outbound cruise market.

Developing river cruises in India to support cruise tourism As a prelude to as well as a complement to cruise tourism, river cruises, another shy tourism segment in the country, would play a significant role in developing the sector, given India’s growing domestic tourism sector. Just as the coastline, India’s terrains are interspersed with so many long, deep and wide rivers giving way to a prospective inland waterway holiday option. Our country’s rich heritage and wildlife product offerings can be further enhanced by tapping the river cruise segment. Unlike the case of cruises, rivers are not

Cruise

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very deep and the river cruises need to be long and narrow to suit the depth of the rivers. They also offer the advantage of numerous ports-of-calls and easy navigation.

Factors that influence the course of developing river cruises include the depth of the river, its courses, the duration, the size of the ship and the connectivity of the river bank to nearby destinations.

River cruises in India can also be used to promote rural tourism and adventure activities to support the locals and aid in sustainable tourism. Apart from the Kerala backwaters, Sunderbans waterways and the Ganges, there are some other rivers that hold the potential for river cruises.

It may be mentioned here that the Indian Government has so far declared five waterways as National Waterways while identifying the development of Inland Waterways as a powerful area, namely, the Allahabad-Haldia stretch of the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system; Dhubri-Sadiya stretch of Brahmaputra River; KottapuramKollam stretch of West Coast Canal along with Udyogmandal and Champakara Canals; KakinadaPuducherry stretch of the canal along with designated stretches of Godavari and Krishna Rivers; and designated stretches of East Coast Canal, Brahmani River and Mahanadi Delta. The Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch of the Barak River would be the sixth National Waterway.

Some river cruises could be linked to adventure activities like white water rafting, sailing and river crossing etc. while others could offer refreshment, picnics, cuisine, local sightseeing and forest treks.

The cruise industry has seen poor penetration in India in the past. The reasons for this are multifarious.

First, cruises were extremely expensive and seen as a luxury – which kept the large Indian middle class away. Second, most cruises were available in Europe and America and the air travel to these destinations added to the costs.

Thirdly, there was a general lack of awareness about cruises due to poor marketing. However, this is rapidly changing and a lot many customers are expressing interest in cruises.

Geographical areas and rivers that offer maximum viability for cruises in the country According to a survey by AMA waterways on the rivers of India in the year 2006 with the objective of starting river cruises in India, their findings revealed that the rivers in India were not suitable for river cruising as they are of unequal width and depth and the water level also varies with maximum during monsoons and drying up towards summer. The rivers in India are, therefore, not suitable for river cruising. River Cruising is limited on the Brahmaputra and the Ganges during a specific period of time.

There is still a lack of awareness as far as cruises are concerned. We need to invest heavily in marketing so that the average Indian tourist is aware of this option. The travel agents are very happy with the compensation, which is a positive sign, as they are our business partners and they have the power to influence their clients in favor of our product

by itself. The more tourism product a cruise terminal is able to offer within the shortest possible time, the more successful it can be as a ‘port destinations’. However, these require huge manpower resources and investments that may not see returns immediately but they are essential if India has to be projected as a ‘Cruise destination’.

Problems and prospect Notwithstanding the huge scope of cruise vacations in India, there still are a number of challenges to be addressed by all the parties that have a vested interest in it, the government included. At the outset, there is a need for a comprehensive, sustainable and smart development of infrastructure with a defined foresight for dedicated cruise terminals at prime harbours like Mumbai, Cochin and Goa, in addition to upgrading smaller ports like the ones in Kandla, Vishakapatnam, Pardip and the Andamans.

The government and all the related stakeholders should study the target markets domestically and abroad, not to forget, the viability of the coastline for huge cruise liners. A thin coastal strip may not be suitable for huge cruise liners as it faces a danger of shore erosion.

Once the customer segments are identified, they need to undertake extensive marketing and promotion activities to create better awareness among Indians based on their demographics and the region they belong to.

A defined foresight is mentioned thus in order to keep pace with our international counterparts in terms of the global standards for infrastructure, water laws, amenities and services akin to those offered at airports. This is because a cruise terminal forms a point of entry for tourists, foreigners in particular, and creates a brand image for our country in a way. Provision of worldclass facilities at the terminal and excellent connectivity to nearby tourist destinations will aid in making the port as a destination

In a nutshell, a well-calculated development plan over the next five10 years supplemented by prudent marketing can help utilize India’s natural advantage and tourism strengths for establishing cruising as a holiday experience by itself.

The more brand awareness we can create for the overall value of cruising will lead us to more success in cruise sales across a wide range of product offerings. Since cruising is relatively new still to the Indian market, we have much education to do on mass market to luxury differentiating factors.

www.voyagersworld.in

Happenings

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Air Arabia, Georgia keen to explore Indian market

ACTE Bangalore Forum delves into global risk profile

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ir Arabia organised a two-city roadshow in New Delhi and Mumbai on 29 and 30 October respectively, along with Georgian National Tourism Administration to explore the diverse aspects of the carrier and Georgia‘s tourism offerings. Sachin Nene, Regional Manager - India, Air Arabia and George Chogovadze, Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration were present in the roadshow. The show was based on a thorough presentation of Air Arabia and Georgian National Tourism Administration. Georgia has witnessed 81% growth in Indian tourists visiting the country during the first nine months of 2015 (January-September) as compared to the same period last year, said a top official of the Georgian National Tourism Administration.

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RCI timeshare conference, FastForward 2015 in Agra

Dimaz organises Russian Fam tour for travel agents

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he RCI timeshare conference, FastForward 2015 was held in Agra from 6-7 October at the Jaypee Palace Convention Centre, bringing together existing resort owners, hoteliers, timeshare marketing professionals and industry body representatives to interact with the senior leaders of Wyndham Worldwide. There were presentations given by Steve Holmes, Chairman & CEO, Wyndham Worldwide. Discussions were held on global and Indian timeshare markets, growth scenarios and industry regulation which gave abundant insight to industry professionals to FastForward their businesses to the next level.

Club Mahindra properties in Thekkady, Baiguney, Munnar, Ashtamudi, Kandaghat; Heritage Ajit Bhawan, Club Mahindra Baiguney, Sterling Holiday Resorts, Goa Averina Beach, Waterfront Shaw, Rajasthan Ratan Haveli and Orange County coorg won awards from RCI.

Voyager’s World > September 2015

he Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) organised an education forum in Bangalore on 13 October. The topics discussed at the panel sessions included global risk profile, payments best practice for India and abroad for corporate travel and the next mobile wave including invisible apps, network arrival notifications, location-driven content auctions and sponsored data. Speakers included Suresh Makhija from CWT, Sanjay Verma, APAC Amadeus, Srikanth Siddi, HDFC Bank, Ashish Kishore, dnata, Suraj Nair, TravelSpends, Gaurav Sundaram, Business Travel Intelligence, Salil Nath, Etihad Airways, Rajdev Bhattachharya, Wipro adn Bindi Dominic from Cisco System.

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he Dimaz Group organised a familiarization trip to Russia for travel agents from 2 - 7 October. Manish Synghal, CMD Dimaz Group, accompanied the agents who arrived in Moscow and visited several prime attractions in the capital such as the Kremlin, Manezhnaya Square, Ivan the Great Bell Tower, etc. On the second day, the visited the the Red Square, the heart of Moscow. Indian travel agents visited the Memorial Complex at Poklonnaya Hill and Victory Park, Triumphal Arch, Kutuzov Avenue, New Arbat, Boulevard-ring, Tverskaya Street, etc. On the third day, the group departed by the Sapsan high speed train to St. Petersburg and took a city orientation tour including the Palace Square, the largest square in the world and the Hermitage Museum. On the last day, the group visited the Peterhoff Gardens and Palace by means of a one way hydrofoil (a boat which rises above water, when it travels fast).

Happenings

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France effectuates biometrics in India

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rance, in line with all the countries in Schengen, began issuing biometric visas to Indians from 2 November to facilitate travel throughout the Schengen Area and help issue long-term visas more easily. The French Embassy in India will offer a large number of 3- or 5-year circulation visas to frequent visitors. Eight new VFS centres have been opened in India. All visa applicants will be asked to come in person at any listed VFS centre to register their biometric data; children under 12 years are exempted from the procedure. The recorded biometric data will be stored for 59 months (almost 5 years), obviating the need for applicants to come again for renewal. , the biometric data recorded by France will be valid during this period for all Schengen Area countries (similarly, the data recorded by any Schengen Area country will be valid for France during a period of 59 months). The biometric data will be stored in a secure system - Visa Information System (VIS)- which can be solely accessed by all the Schengen Area countries.

Visas issued prior to the introduction of biometrics will remain valid.The transition to biometrics will not impact the visa issuance period, which, for India, is a maximum of 48 hours in keeping with the commitment of the French authorities (in cities where a consular office exists: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Puducherry; 72 hours in other cases). Similarly, transition to biometrics will not impact visa fees, which will remain unchanged.

MoT aims to draw one million UK visitors by 2020

TAAI's Sunil Kumar elected UFTAA President

ETAA organises knowledge session

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inod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, who headed the Indian delegation at WTM London 2015, said that India was aiming to attract one million UK visitors by 2020 through proactive initiatives. He said that many of the new initiatives would form part of India’s proposed new National Tourism Policy. Following the launch of the E-tourist visa scheme last November, proposals are already underway to extend its validity from 30 to 180 days in 2016.

Proposals are also in place to make it available in 150 countries ensuring multiple or double entry. A Medical Tourism Board and Golf Promotion Committee will be created.

unil Kumar, who was recently elected as the President of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), was unanimously elected as President of UFTAA (The United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations) at the Annual General Assembly of UFTAA held in Brussels on 8 and 9 November. Yossi Fatael of ITAO was elected as the Vice President and S.G. Kaka of KATA, was elected as the VP Finance. The UFTAA Board which comprises nine elected officers, will soon assign portfolios and committees. Sunil sought members to re-visit goals to get UFTAA its pioneer status. UFTAA invited affiliate membership from individual agencies at an annual fee of 100/150 Euro from across the world.

he Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) organised a knowledge session for its members with corporate trainer, Bhushan Lawande and his team from E4 Development & Coaching Ltd., presenting ‘Customer Sensitivity and Employee Engagement’ in Mumbai on 24 October.

The session, which was attended by 30 members, updated the members about the latest developments in the travel industry. The speakers shared insights on satisfying employees and retaining them for a long term, while also ensuring customer satisfaction for repeat business.

www.voyagersworld.in

Editor’s Pick

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53% indians likely to raise travel budget in 2015: tripadvisor VW BUREAU

A study by TripAdvisor reveals that against the favourable economic situation in India currently, travellers and hoteliers alike are optimistic about travel trends.

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ripAdvisor announced the results of the TripBarometer1 study, the world’s largest accommodation and traveller survey. Conducted on behalf of TripAdvisor by independent research firm Ipsos, the TripBarometer study is the analysis of more than 44,000 global responses from travellers and the hotel sector, with 1037 respondents from India.

The TripBarometer ‘Global Travel Economy’ report reveals worldwide travel trends at country, region and global levels, highlighting year-onyear changes in consumer spending plans and trip planning, as well as hotelier confidence. Commenting on the findings Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India said “Against the conducive backdrop of general optimism about the prospects of the Indian economy, both travelers and hoteliers are expressing clear intentions that paint a positive picture for the Indian travel sector in 2015. Significantly, this optimism looks set to translate into a sharp spike in the number of Indians travelling abroad this year.

At the same time, Indian hoteliers ranked 2nd on the global hotelier confidence index, resonating their own confidence in the economy’s prospects.”

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Travellers twice as likely to increase rather than decrease travel spend in 2015 Globally, two in five travellers

are planning to spend more on travel in 2015 than they did last year, with travellers twice as likely to increase rather than decrease their travel budgets. 41% percent of travellers globally plan to up their travel budgets in 2015, while 23 percent say they will decrease their spending.

More than 53% Indians will increase their travel budget in 2015. Of those planning to increase their travel spend, 52% indicate that they plan to do so because they feel vacations are something they or their family deserve and 46% say it is because they are going somewhere on their ‘wish list’ this year. On the other hand, only 23% Indians say they are decreasing their travel spend this year and that is largely driven by financial factors. 37% of those cutting spend this year say they do not have enough money saved, while 33 percent are planning a shorter trip and 27% plan to visit less expensive countries.

Travellers from India reported spending an average of INR 202,500 on their holidays in 2013.

Looking at 2014 spend, this number increased by 8% to INR 217,800.

However, the current study reports a more positive trend, with Indians planning to spend an average of INR 255,100 on travel in 2015, up 17%

year over year. International trips on the rise but domestic travel still steals the show Indians have their sights set on foreign shores with the average number of international trips set to increase by 45 percent which far exceeds the global average of 15 percent. Other than India, travellers in Turkey and New Zealand are showing the highest increase in the average number of international trips they are planning this year, 58% and 39% respectively.

On the contrary Russians, Thais and Austrians are decreasing the average number of international trips they will take in 2015, 9 percent, 6 percent and 4 percent respectively. Globally, however, domestic travel still outpaces international travel, as nearly 60 percent of all trips planned in 2015 will be taken in travellers’ home country. Domestic tourism sector to get the biggest piece of the travel spend pie The 2015 TripBarometer looked at the correlation between the type of trips travellers plan to take in 2015 and how they will spend their travel budgets. The study reveals the estimated portion of each nationality’s travel budget that will be spent in their country of residence.

For Indian travellers, the average estimated travel budget for 2015 is INR 255,100. Considering that

67 percent of their planned trips will be taken domestically in 2015, this could amount to an estimated INR 170,917 average spend per traveller in India this year. Time and money biggest obstacles in seizing that ‘dream holiday’ Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand and France are the top dream destinations for Indian travellers in the next 24 months, if money were no object. 61 percent Indian travellers say they are saving money to go on their dream holiday, 37 percent are waiting until they have more time to explore the destination properly and 27 percent are waiting for prices of flights to improve.

Only 11% Indians (vs 16% global travellers) say exchange rates are a barrier for hoping to visit their dream destination. Hotel sector confidence goes from strength to strength. Since the inaugural TripBarometer study two years ago, the results have shown a growing confidence in hotels. In 2013, two in three businesses globally (67%) felt optimistic about their profitability for the year ahead. This year, that proportion rises to nearly three in four (73%), and is driven largely by more hoteliers feeling ‘very optimistic’ about their profitability for 2015. Similarly, optimism is riding high in India’s hotel sector with nine in 10 hoteliers (87%) feeling positive about their profitability in 2015.

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Voyager’s World > November 2015

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Top Appointments

45>> Amish Desai

Arif Said Khan

Honorary Secretary , Travel Agents Association of India Karnataka Chapter

Director of Sales & Marketing Taj Krishna

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mish Desai was elected the Honorary Secretary of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)- Karnataka Chapter. He is the Director of Beleast Travels P Ltd. Bringing 18 years of experience, Amish had served as the Hon Treasurer of TAAI– Karnataka Chapter from 2011 to 2015. He will hold his new position in TAAI from 2015 - ‘17.

rif Said Khan was appointed the Director of Sales & Marketing of Taj Krishna recently. In his new role, Arif’s responsibilities are driving revenues, marketing and revenue maximization for the hotel. He is a seasoned hotelier having worked in many markets with the Taj group in India and Middle East.

Kaushik Vardharajan

Jayakrishnan Sudhakaran

Vice President, Development – India Hilton Worldwide

Director of Sales & Marketing, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort

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ilton Worldwide appointed Kaushik Vardharajan as the Vice President, Development – India. He leads the expansion efforts of Hilton Worldwide in India and will be based out of Gurgaon. His career spans nearly 15 years in North America and Asia. Most recently, he was Partner Managing Director - Asia Pacific, HVS Hospitality Services.

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ccorHotels appointed Jayakrishnan Sudhakaran as the Director of Sales and Marketing of Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort.

He comes with over 12 years of experience.

Prior to this, he was with Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa.In his new role, Jayakrishnan will be responsible for leading all aspects of the sales and marketing.

Srinivas Srirangam

Kapil Raina

General Manager, Novotel Imagica Khopoli

General Manager, The Sahar Pavilion

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rinivas Srirangam was appointed as the General Manager of Novotel Imagica Khopoli. With 20 years of experience, Srinivas’ expertise includes MICE, leisure and wedding properties in Dubai, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. He was also part of the opening of Novotel Hyderabad Airport and Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences.

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apil Raina was appointed the General Manager of the Sahar Pavilion. He brings with him more than 11 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He was earlier the Director of Sales in Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bangalore, Clarks Exotica Bangalore and Associate Director of Sales in Lemon Tree Hotels in Bangalore.

M.S.Raghavan

Sanjeev Tandon

Chairman - Travel Agents Association of India, Karnataka Chapter

Director of Sales and Marketing, Grand Hyatt Mumbai

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.S. Raghavan, who is the Chairman of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) is the Managing Director of Passion & Pleasure Travels And Tours. He has been in the industry for 24 years. He is a Member of TAAI’s Managing Committee. He is Member of Hotel Classification Committee and of Tourism Committee in Dept of Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka.

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anjeev Tandon has joined as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Grand Hyatt Mumbai and Area Director – Sales and Marketing, West India, Hyatt Hotel Corporation.

In his new role, he will oversee the sales and marketing of Grand Hyatt Mumbai and assist the seven West India hotels in Mumbai, Pune and Goa and soon to open Hyatt Place Goa.

Sunishchal Parasnis

Nikita Gonsalves

Director of Sales, Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa

Director of Sales, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar

unishchal Parasnis has joined the Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa as the Director of Sales. He has been associated with Hyatt India for nine years and most recently worked at Grand Hyatt Mumbai in various roles. In his new assignment, Sunishchal will support the sales and events team of the hotel in Mumbai and Goa.

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W Marriott Mumbai Sahar appointed Nikita Gonsalves as the Director of Sales. Prior to this, she was working with the Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa. With nine years of experience in pricing, weddings, MICE, catering, business transient, her portfolio includes brands like the Marriott Group, Taj Hotels and the Hilton Group.

www.voyagersworld.in

NETWORKING ISThE THE nETWoRkIng Is kE KEY Y November 2015

December 2015

November2015

January 2016

February 2016

March 2016

02, 03, 04, 05 WTM London UK

17, 18, 19 IBTM World Barcelona, Spain

27, 28, 29 IITM Pune

30, 1 - 3 December International Luxury Travel Market Cannes, France

December 2015

January 2016

03, 04, 05

22, 23, 24

Chengdu International Travel Fair Chengdu,China

Holiday Expo Coimbatore

04, 05, 06

14, 15, 16

India International Travel Mart Hyderabad

09, 10 Brussels Travel Expo Brussels

10, 11, 12, 13 Travel Turkey Izmer Tourism Fair & Conference Turkey

India International Travel Mart Kochi

20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Fitur Madrid,Spain

28, 29, 30, 31 Emitt Istanbul- Turkey

February 2016

March 2016

9, 10, 11

4, 5, 6

IBTM Arabia Abu Dhabi

India International Travel Mart Kolkata

11, 12, 13

9, 10, 11, 12, 13

BIT Milan, Italy

ITB Berlin Berlin,Germany

13, 14

17, 18, 19, 20

The Vancouver Golf & Travel Show Vancouver, Canada

Int’l Tourism and Travel Trade Fair Sweden

17, 18, 19

29, 30, 31

Routes America San Juan, Puerto Rico

World Travel Market Latin America Sao Paulo, Brazil