Voyager's World July 2016 by Editor

Vol XIII

Issue IX

Pages 48

July 2016

Rs 60

CHENNAI BANGALORE

29,30, 31 JULY 2016 5, 6, 7 AUGUST 2016

MUMBAI GURGAON

23, 24, 25 SEPTEMBER 2016 30 SEP 1, 2 OCTOBER 2016

PUNE HYDERABAD

25, 26, 27 NOVEMBER 2016 2, 3, 4 DECEMBER 2016

KOCHI KOLKATA

12, 13, 14 JANUARY 2017 24, 25, 26 FEBRUARY 2017

MUZIRIS PROJECT TO RECREATE GLOBAL INTERESTS IN THE SPICE ROUTE... KERALA TOURISMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BIGGEST GAMBIT

Also featuring...

Brexit..’Closing’ in on new openings!

ritain’s exit from the European Union set business and political fronts on a tizzy, leading to several opinions, fears and suppositions over what could now happen. The travel trade industry, too, was not spared of the resultant uncertainty, with stakeholders across the fraternity speculating about the implications on the industry. The top most conjecture was about the fall of the Pound and the shift in outbound travel from UK that may impact on suppliers’ bottom line. On the Indian front, however, industry players feel that the drop in the value of the Pound would mean travel to Britain would become cheaper and a consequent surge in leisure tourism. It would take some weeks to discern the changes, though. Of course, one must remember that only if there is an exit will there be room for something new to enter. The new Civil Aviation Policy, on the other hand, has been a welcome change. It is reckoned that travellers would have more reasons to choose air travel with reasonable refund policies and the plans to boost regional connectivity. In this issue, we have featured the ambitious Muziris and Spice Route Heritage project in Kerala on the cover. Other stories include trends in wellness tourism, hotel sales strategy, new apps for travellers, among others. 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

Priyamvadha Balaram priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Shyam Vishnot shyam@voyagersworld.in

06 10

Industry Buzz

Cover Story Muziris and the ancient Spice Route -Kerala

Irene Susan Eapen irene@voyagersworld.in

Rohith Pinto info@voyagersworld.in

Mobile +91-9844092150 advertising@voyagersworld.in

ADVERTISING & CIRCU LATIO N

Assistant Editor

Published By

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

Selvaraj Ramaswamy operations@voyagersworld.in

Hospitality

28 45

Hotel Sales Evolution, Wellness Tourism, Apps

MICE Point

Incredible India New players, tourism arrivals and destinations

Top Appointments

Latest trends in the MICE Industry and events

Printed by Pentaplus Printers Pvt. Ltd. #20/1, 5th Cross, 4th Main Raod, Industrial Town, Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560044. Ph: +91 98440 87068

Editorial & Advertising office # 245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India Ph: +91 - 80 - 4083 4103, Fax: + 91 - 80 - 4083 4101 | info@spheretravelmedia.com, www.spheretravelmedia.com All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2014. No part of this magazine may be reproducted without the prior written permission from Voyagers’s World

Industry Buzz

6>> Kerala Tourism wins big at Polish Film Festival

MBD Group to manage Steigenberger in India

erala Tourism won three awards at FilmAT, an international film festival dedicated to tourism, art and ecology, held in Lublin, Poland in June. Its responsible tourism initiative won the ‘Best Promotional Social Campaign’ and in the ‘Protection of Nature’ and ‘Eco-Food’ categories for the ‘New Worlds’ films Sowing the Seeds of the Future and A Taste of Life respectively. A fourth award, for ‘Best Editing’, was conferred on Kerala Tourism for the film The Great Backwaters of Kerala. The awards for Kerala Tourism were received by Jitendra Jadhav, Assistant Director, India Tourism, Frankfurt.

he MBD Group and German hotel chain Steigenberger Hotel Group

announced a joint venture to manage and franchise hotels under the brand ‘MBD STEIGENBERGER’ for the Indian territory. MBD Group will have a 51% stake while Steigenberger Hotel Group will hold a 49% stake in the joint venture company. The management will be in the hands of the MBD Group looking after the India-wide operations of the brand

AP Tourism rolls out packages for five hubs

while Steigenberger would be providing international sales and marketing support, training and brand standards to be

deployed in the Indian region to suit the expectations of a luxury traveller.

Global Destinations adds three products to portfolio

lobal Destinations added three new products to its portfolio, effective 15 June, 2016, namely Dorsett

Hospitality International; chehobo.com and Gray Line New Orleans.

'Zone by the Park' launched in Raipur

he Park Hotels enters Raipur, Chhattisgarh with the fourth property of its ‘Zone by The Park’

in June with 72 rooms. Located near the central business district of Raipur, it has the city’s largest

Pranav Kapadia, Founder, Global Destinations said “I

banquet space of 13,000 sq ft for events and

am extremely happy to be assigned the task of handling

meetings. The hotel will have three restaurants and

marketing, sales and public relations activities for Dorsett

the city’s first discotheque.

Hospitality International, Chehobo.com & GrayLine New Orleans.”

ndhra Pradesh Tourism announced 25 new packages that have been segregated into the five tourist hubs of the state – Visakhapatnam, Konaseema – Rajahmundry - Kakinada, Amaravati - Vijayawada, Tirupati - Nellore and Ananthapuramu – Kurnool - Kadapa. All the tour packages are already in effect. Neerabh Kumar Prasad, I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, said “The tour packages have been specially crafted for the holiday travellers to make best sue of. Convenience of traveller is of utmost importance for us and these packages have been designed keeping their comfort and convenience in mind.”

Abu Dhabi Global market, Etihad become global strategic partners

tihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) recently signed a landmark agreement that sees the airline become the official Airline Partner of ADGM. The agreement harnesses the roles of both entities as ambassadors of Abu Dhabi and key players in delivering on Abu Dhabi’s vision as a world-leading business, tourism, and cultural destination. The agreement was signed in the presence of HE Ahmed Al Sayegh, Chairman of ADGM, by the CEO of ADGM’s Registration Authority, Dhaher M Bin Dhaher Almheiri and Etihad Airways CEO Peter Baumgartner.

Indian Arrivals to Ras Al Khaimah grow by 37%

as Al Khaimah has recorded a growth of 37% in visitor arrivals from India during the period of January to April 2016, a remarkable surge over the same period last year, according to Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (TDA). The positive figures indicate that 2016 is witnessing a strong start from India, the fourth largest international inbound market for Ras Al Khaimah. In line with the current tourism development strategy, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Authority recently conducted roadshows and one-on-one interactions with Indian travel trade partners to educate them about the tourist offerings of the emirate.

Voyager’s World > July 2016

Industry Buzz

Djubo crosses 1000 Indian hotels client mark in a span of nine months

SpiceJet launches first-ever TV campaign

piceJet launches commercials with a daily life image to showcase unique offerings. Ajay Singh - CMD, SpiceJet, said “It is our grand vision to make every Indian fly which comes with the added responsibility of rephrasing ‘luxury’ for our customers. Underlining the minor details goes a long way in adding value to the ‘experience’ a brand renders and that is what our efforts are driven towards. We want to reach out to every Indian who is waiting to experience the red hot spicy affair with SpiceJet and our campaign adds a more exciting flavour to our sustained efforts.”

DoT Philippines to hold roadshows in August

he Department of Tourism (DoT), Philippines would return to India this year with a four-

city roadshow from 8 - 11 August, 2016 in Taj Bengal Kolkata, The Raintree Hotel Chennai, Vivanta by Taj Bangalore and the St. Regis Mumbai respectively. Representatives from DoT Philippines, along with a 20-member delegation,

New attraction opens in Phillip Island, Australia

ntarctic Journey - the newest attraction on Phillip Island invites Indians to a spectacular multimedia wildlife experience. Opened at the Nobbies Centre, it is as close as one can get to Antarctica without actually setting foot on the frozen continent. The interactive wildlife experience will be a highlight as visitors will see themselves on a giant screen, standing on an ice floe, patting a penguin or stroking a seal, with a cutting-edge sensory entertainment experience.

tarwood Preferred Guest loyalty programme and Club ITC, a loyalty rewards programme by ITC Limited, announced one of the richest reward collaborations in India. Under this joint initiative, Club ITC members who are SPG members or enroll in the SPG programme will be able to transfer their Club ITC Green Points to Starpoints, with a limit of 30,000 Starpoints annually. This will enable them to enjoy exclusive access to experiential holidays at over 1300 Starwood Hotels & Resorts worldwide. On the other hand, Starwood Preferred Guest members residing in India will enjoy new redemption options including Wills Lifestyle and ITC Hotels dining certificates.

Voyager’s World > July 2016

mice

Shopping

Myraid experiences, warm hospitality

Night market bargains to designer labels at a fraction of the cost

will take part in the event.

Starwood Preferred Guest partners with Club ITC

Travel Technology

8>>

Mercure Hyderabad KCP formally opens with 128 rooms

JUBO crossed over 1000 Indian hotel clients in a span of nine months of funding. They are managing daily bookings worth 1.1 Cr every day that amounts to approximately 1% of the entire hotel industry in India. DJUBO’s product combines the functionality of standalone products like Channel Manager, CRS and Booking Engine in one interface that helps hoteliers solve problems of under exposure, overbooking and rate parity issues that otherwise was not being solved by existing hotel tech. Hoteliers can make much easier online payments with a secure payment gateway that can be accessed via a mobile app at any given time.

TAFI's newly elected Managing Committee takes charge from 1 July

t the 22nd AGM of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) held on 30 June in Ahmedabad, Praveen Chugh from Business Travels P Ltd was elected President, while Pradip Lulla, Cupid Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd. is the new VicePresident. Aditi Bhende from Aarohan Tours & Travel Pvt. Ltd. is the National General Secretary while Jayesh Tharani from Hopco Travels Pvt. Ltd. was elected Treasurer. The new members of the Managing Committee include Basheer Ahmed (Chennai Metro Travel), Rajat Bagaria (Shrishti Tours & Travels), Urvashi D. Mohan (Delfly Travels), Bharat Shah (Sunbeam Travels (Baroda)), Darshan Shah (All Four Season Travels). Sanjay Gupta (Simran Travels P Ltd.) and Teddy Thomas (Oasis Xpress Travel & Tours) were co-opted. Their two-year term began from 1 July, 2016.

ercure Hyderabad KCP, which had a soft opening earlier this year in April 2016, officially launched on June 13. The 128 spacious guest rooms and suites are under the categories of Superior Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, Superior Lake facing rooms and suites. The hotel is home to three food and beverage outlets.

KTM 2016 to organise unique culinary festival

Dinesh Rai, the hotel’s General Manager, said, “We are excited and proud to introduce the Mercure brand to Hyderabad. Mercure Hyderabad KCP is designed in a style that is contemporary and modern, yet blends in perfectly with the local ambiance.”

23 - 26 September. The fest, to be hosted

he upcoming Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) this year in September, will

commemorate the Spice Route legacy

nature landscapes

Zipline into new horizons, experiences, that will leave you exhilarated

nightlife

Buzzing nightclubs, scintillating shows par excellence

Taiwan:

Asia’s Best

kept

Secret

Asia’s beating heart, close to home, is waiting to be discovered...

India

Taipei

5.5

hou

Taiwan

r-4 387 km

Foodie haven

Soups, noodles & dimsums; Taiwan has it all

Adventure

The new wave of adrenaline pumping action

with a Spice Route Culinary Festival from by UNESCO, Kerala Tourism and the Union Tourism Ministry in Kochi, will invite chefs from 31 countries on the historic Spice Route converging on Kerala to discover the gastronomy of the state.

THinK STRawBERRiES, Taiwan Tourism Bureau india Office: C-41, Gulmohar Park, New Delhi 110049 Tel: +91 11 2653 1733 l Fax: + 91 11 2653 1735 l Email: noel@ttbrep.in Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Singapore Office: 30 Raffles Place, Cheveron House #10-01, Singapore 048622

Cover Story

11>>

10>>

MUZIRIS PROJECT TO RECREATE GLOBAL INTERESTS IN THE SPICE ROUTE...

U V Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism This project would be a stepping stone for globally promoting Kerala Tourism. We have a new heritage offering to the world, a product whose history connects 31 countries on the ancient Spice Route.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

U V Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism and Shine Kollamparambil, Director, Muziris Projects Limited, talk about reviving the ancient port and presenting a whole new tourist product to the world.

erala Tourism’s prestigious Muziris Heritage Project, a gargantuan excavation task was commenced after they stumbled upon on archaeological findings that were believed to be from the ancient Spice Route linking India’s maritime contacts with contemporary ancient civilizations with as many as 31 countries. The first phase of the project was inaugurated by the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee in Kodungallur, Thrissur in February 2016. The Muziris project is the result of collaborative efforts by the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala, along with many other government departments, historians, consultants, etc. to preserve and present to the world a heritage that had flourished for over 3000 years; it was the time when Kerala was a thriving centre of spice trade with the ancient port of Muziris as its hub. The port was

the centre of trade between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean regions. The port of Muziris is mentioned in the 1st century travelogues, ancient Sangam texts and Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder’s encyclopaedic work, Natural History. Muziris mysteriously disappeared and researches point to the port’s location as the mouth of the Periyar River in Kodungalloor. Sangam literature describes Roman ships coming to Muziris laden with gold to be exchanged for pepper. Pepper, precious stones, silk, beads, Ivory and pottery were exported from here to West Asia and Rome in exchange of gold coins, glass, wine and wheat. For centuries, the land of Kerala mesmerised Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Arabs, Chinese, Roman and Greeks, welcoming them to come and do trade and even settle. Realizing the cultural significance of this ancient maritime trade route,

Kerala Tourism has launched the ‘Spice Route’ tourism initiative linking 31 countries in Asia and Europe with India, particularly Kerala. To reinstate the historical and cultural significance of Muziris, the Kerala Government had initiated the Muziris Heritage Project with active support of the Central Government. The Muziris Heritage Project includes built heritage like markets, forts, religious structures, palatial residences, archaeological sites and landmarks that represent over 3000 years of world history. After a lot of research, excavation works and consistent efforts to restore a lost heritage, the state has planned to open 29 museums. A hop onhop-off boat tour of the Muziris Museums has also been developed as a unique way to experience this remarkable heritage.

The history of Muziris has drawn attention to the ancient spice trade especially along the ‘Spice Route’’, which was one of the most significant trading routes that shaped the world trade, economy and balance of power. This initiative aims to revive cultural and academic exchange between these nations for the development of a multi-national cultural corridor. Kerala Tourism’s efforts to protect heritage and promote peace through the Spice Route initiative have been lauded by both UNWTO and UNESCO, which have agreed to extend all support in effective promotion and implementation of the same. From the 15th century, the shores of Kochi were closely linked to the maritime chapter of the ‘Age of Discovery,’ a tale of grit, greed and human ingenuity as a string of navigators had arrived there after

Paravur Market

Kottapuram

Marthoma Church, Azhikode

Kottapuram

This project has, sort of, filled the gap of heritage offering and it is of very high value. The whole trade is rejuvenated about the product. The project has been conceived in a way that it would contribute the maximum to the local community.

traversing large uncharted lands in search of spices and precious resources. Along the historic Spice Route, several places emerged as bustling centres of trade including the ancient port of Muziris and some of the today’s tourist hotspots like Fort Kochi and Kozhikode. U V Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism, says, “The port of Muziris disappeared in 1341 due to many natural causes including floods, etc. Over the centuries, a lot of efforts had been on to locate it but in vain. Since 1940, many archaeologists have been trying to find out the place. In later half of the year 2000, some element of archaeological evidence was found when a team from the Kerala Council for Historical Research (funded by the tourism department) were completing a project in Pattanam for excavation. That is where they found real evidence. After finding out the evidence, the place of Muziris was

confirmed. Until then, people were searching without much evidence. Then, we actually conceived a project for heritage conservation. We initially proposed for a small circuit project with a budget of 50 crore rupees; but the government made it a mega project with a budget of 100 crore rupees. The project site of Muziris is spread in two municipalities and 12 Panchayats - Kodungallur in Thrissur and North Paravur in Ernakulam defined across an area of 150 sq km. In 2006, a lot of researchers gathered and decided to go with the excavation. The excavation is one part of the project, but what was amazing about the whole journey of discovering it was that we also found many heritage structures in and around the site. Several shrines, churches, forts, synagogues, cemeteries, etc. were found. Some of them were completely destroyed or partially languishing in ruins.

“We have restored several of these structures; we are developing 25 museums, out of which nine are operational, such as the Kerala Jews Historical Museum, Fort Kochi in Muziris, etc. The synagogue in Paravur has been completely restored and is now functioning as Jews Historical Museum. The one in Chendamangalam is now the Kerala Jewish Lifestyle Museum.” A number of museums, forts, waterfronts, mosques, old markets have now been developed. All of these are connected to waterways through rivers and canals. Now, we have hop-on and hop-off boat services. Museums in Muziris Heritage Zone 1. Kerala Jews Historical Museum (Paravur Synagogue) The museum will speak about the history of the Jews in Kerala, about how they came and settled here, their occupation, the deterioration

of the community and also about the present status of the people who left from this community 2. Kerala History Museum (Paliam Palace/Kovilakom) The Dutch built Paliam Kovilakom in 1663, as a gesture of gratitude to the Paliath Achan for helping them to conquer the Portuguese. This palace was once used as the residence of the Paliath Achans, who were the prime ministers to the former Maharajas of the State of Kochi. 3. Kerala Lifestyle Museum (Paliam Nalukettu) This classical structure was built by the elder member of the family in the year 1786, for the women and minor boys of Paliam. It has a big courtyard at the centre with rooms surrounding it. The family followed a style of ‘community living’ which continued till the partition of the joint family.

www.voyagersworld.in

Manjumatha Church

Upcoming museums: Sahodaran Ayyappan Museum: Themed around the life and times of Sahodaran Ayyappan, a social reformer and thinker of Kerala, this museum will highlight the social reforms that have transformed Kerala.

Vypeen Kotta Seminary

Kesari Balakrishna Museum: Erstwhile home of Kesari Balakrishna Pillai, fearless journalist and visionary who preached for establishing a single uni¬fied world without boundaries and barriers, will be converted in to a museum that will showcase his contributions to the society. National Movement Abdul Rahman Museum: This museum will celebrate the sacrifi¬ces and achievements of Mohammed Abdul Rahman, renowned freedom fi¬ghter. It will also pay tribute to the leaders and unsung heroes of the national movement.

Paliam Palace Museum

Kerala Islamic History Museum: The idea of this museum is to exhibit the Islamic traditions through displays accompanied by text and other Kerala History Museum (Paliam Palace/ Kovilakom) and was abandoned only after the East India Company took over the entire Malabar region. A memorial was erected in front of the fort in 1902 and stands to this day.

Pattanam excavation: miniature Golden axe

Gothuruthu Performance & Chavittu Nadakam Centre: This centre is renowned for the unique maritime theatre form, Chavittu Nadakam. This stamping theatre is believed to have been introduced by the Portuguese missionaries who came to Kerala in the 16th century, following the arrival of Vasco da Gama. The European form was merged with local performance modes, resulting in a new native art form with Biblical themes, aesthetic elements of European Opera combined the facial expressions of classical Indian form. Gothuruthu is also famous for its Portuguese-inspired cuisine which

Voyager’s World > July 2016

includes over 100 varieties of seafood recipes. Harmony Park (Jewish Cemetery): There are cemeteries associated with the Synagogues in the Muziris region, important among them is the one in Kottayil Kovilakom, near the Chendamangalam synagogue. According to Jewish belief, the dead rests in the cemetery. So till the resurrection day the graves should be protected, thus goes their belief. Kottappuram Market: Quite possibly one of India’s oldest markets, the Kottapuram market was established in 1790 under the aegis of Sakthan Thampuran, the King of Kochi. Built on the banks of the waterways, it was serviced by 2 boat jetties that allowed goods to be brought in on small country boats that plied the region. Even though it has lost much of its former glory, this once thriving nerve centre of Kerala’s foreign trade, still functions to this day, albeit in a more modern guise. The old waterways have now been transformed to allow leisure cruises and eateries dot the waterfront promenade, which also features a small amphitheatre. Paravur Market Close to the Jewish street and synagogue, the market is situated on the banks of the backwaters. One can still picture fresh produce unloaded on ‘Vanchis’, traditional Kerala boats that are used to this day, to ply the backwaters. We are thinking that this project would be a stepping stone for globally promoting our state tourism. The project as such is global but it is part of the great Spice Route initiative which is as old as 3000 BC. The Spice Route had connected 31 countries in ancient times. We have also approached UNESCO and the UNWTO which have shown strong interests in the idea. We recently attended a conference in China to propagate the idea of developing tourism along the Spice Route; the idea has caught the attention of many of the Spice Route countries. The upcoming Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) will organise a unique Spice Route Culinary Festival to commemorate the shared legacy of the over 2,000-year-old maritime trade way. The culinary festival, to be hosted by UNESCO, Kerala Tourism and the Union Tourism Ministry in Kochi from September 23-26, will witness leading chefs from the 31 countries on the historic Spice Route converging on ‘God’s Own Country’ to discover the famed

gastronomic delights of the state. The festival, the first-of-its-kind celebration of flavours and friendship, is a prelude to the ninth edition of the KTM, to be inaugurated on World Tourism Day, September 28. The three-day event, to be held at the Samudrika and Sagara Convention Centre, Willingdon Island, will run till September 30. “The festival will promote the KTM 2016 theme: ‘Muziris and Spice Route’. The threeday event will hold great appeal for foodies. There will be a competition in which an expert panel and invited dignitaries will rate dishes and select the best chef,” said Shri Abraham George, President, KTM Society. At the festival, leading chefs from across the Spice Route countries will sample Kerala’s cultural and gastronomic offerings, participate in cooking demos and culinary discussions, and showcase the choicest cuisines from their homelands in a tasting competition. Challenges Jose said that the first challenge they had was to confirm if the place was indeed Muziris. Historians had a lot of deliberations over it and it took a lot of time to verify the same. “Another challenge that we faced was about doing it with private participation and we were able to succeed in it. It took a lot of time to plan the project as there was no sketch available. This kind of a civil engineering task had no schedule and we had to take it up with the government to convince it, which involved a lot of procedure for approvals. At the end of it, it has come out extremely well; we have been able to restore the buildings to their original glory.” Shine Kollamparambil Shanmughan, Director, Muziris Projects Limited, says, “The ancient Muziris port was part of the Spice Route that was connected to different parts of the world. We are also proposing a war museum.” Stating that the monsoons do not favour excavation for the major part of the year, Shine says that excavation is done only from February to May every year. “The first phase of the project was inaugurated this year. We have renovated and restored many structures, palaces, forts and places of worship according to the UNESCO norms. I have been working with the Muzuris project for the last few years. Earlier, when the project was conceived, there was a lack of coordination and people worked at a slow pace. There are 21 state

government departments that are coordinating for the project, which in itself was a major challenge. Now, there is smooth harmonization among all the departments.

Shine Kollamparambil Shanmughan, Director, Muziris Projects Ltd.

“We used to have meetings every day for documentation while work was in progress simultaneously. The Kerala State Public Works Department and the KITCO Limited (formerly Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation Ltd.), were in the loop. There was no sketch available. For the Jewish synagogue, some of its parts were taken by Israel. We had to take the blueprint from the Israel Museum and reconstruct it. We had to solve many hurdles through special meetings. Making the master plan was comparatively easy but the implementation was difficult. But, we are being supported by the Tourism Department throughout. We had to approach some residents to relocate from the site of the Jewish cemetery. “For each and every museum that we had worked on, we had an expert committee. The Islamic History Museum is now in the final stage. There were many controversies, differences of opinions and arguments among the members of the expert panel. So, the outcome was less and it lagged behind for completion. Historians also had differences of opinion on the location of the site; some of them felt Muziris was not in the Pattanam area and that it was in Kodungallur area. But, we finally went past it and progressed. Right now, many international historians are coming down to participate in the excavation.” Returns for Kerala Tourism The project has been conceived in a way that it would contribute the maximum to the local community through local stays, employment and income generation. The travel agents are showing a lot of interest. Jose said, “So far, Kerala Tourism has been banking on tour products such as nature, wildlife, backwaters, Ayurveda, etc. We are actually looking for new products and this Muziris project has actually created it. It is a global one at that as it can change the landscape of the state’s tourism. Nationally, most of the tourists go to the North of India to explore heritage. Kerala had almost nothing to offer. This project has, sort of, filled the gap of heritage offering and it is of very high value. The whole trade is rejuvenated about the product. It may take four to five years to reap the benefits, but, I am sure it is going to be the product of tomorrow.”

We have come past several meetings, brainstorming, sketches, consulting, opinions and controversies to bring the Muziris project to shape. Making the master plan was comparatively easy, but the implementation took a lot of time. We have adhered to UNESCO’s norms to restore the structures. Today, many international historians are coming down to participate in the excavation.

Muziris Project- Paliam Nalukettu

4. Kerala Jews Lifestyle Museum (Chendamangalam Synagogue) The Jews in Kerala were very distinct from the Jews elsewhere. Unlike the other Jewish communities, the women had a prominent role and more liberty, and also the art and craft of these Jews were very distinct. This museum showcases Jewish customs in Kerala, the role of women in Jewish community, Jewish songs etc.

Hospitality

13>>

Hop on & hop off ferry services

12>>

Kerala Jews History Museum, Paravur

Hospitality

www.voyagersworld.in

Hospitality

14>>

Hospitality

15>>

Evolution of hotel sales and distribution... Trends and technology Hotels are constantly on their toes to innovate and introduce new ways to sell rooms. Sales and distribution strategies have evolved dynamically in the past decade. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Sunil Sikka, WelcomHeritage

Customer connect programmes are the latest trend in the hotel industry that help in engaging guests and making them loyal to the brand. These programmes help in driving sales because of the exclusive offers that the guests receive.

echnology and competition have been key catalysts in pushing hotels to continuously think of new and better ways to sell their hotels. While there is a proliferation of hotel distribution channels on one hand, OTAs and apps are mushrooming by the minute to make bookings easier. Some of the recent developments on the hotel selling front are as follows - winwinbooking partnered with the leading hotel technology provider eRevMax, thereby offering seamless 2-way connection between the RateTiger channel manager and its social booking site winwinbooking, available for travellers to book through the mobile app. winwinbooking is a social platform that allows travelers to book accommodations recommended by their friends, providing trustworthy opinion, instead of several reviews from strangers who most likely do not share the same taste and expectations. Post stay, the guest can recommend the hotel and earn commission for any bookings that generate due to the recommendation. - eRevMax had also recently completed integration with TripAdvisor. It will now offer TripAdvisor’s instant booking feature to its hotel partners, thereby facilitating direct booking opportunities. With this integration, TripAdvisor instant booking is now part of the eRevMax Channel Ecosystem, adding to the broad inventory of products available to our hotel clients. TripAdvisor’s instant booking

Voyager’s World > July 2016

functionality now allows travelers to make reservations directly with hotels without leaving the TripAdvisor website. The reservations are delivered to the hotels via eRevMax. Instant booking is a powerful way for hotels, especially independents, to cost effectively generate direct bookings, through a simple, commission-based model. - REVPAR GURU recently tied up with InnQuest Software to integrate the roomMaster property management system (PMS) into REVPAR GURU’s Yield Dynamic Price Engine (RMS). The REVPAR GURU interface will offer significant revenue management benefits to the thousands of properties worldwide that already use roomMaster’s powerful, flexible, easy-to-use and affordable PMS. The interface will eliminate the need to manually update changes in pricing between the PMS and RMS, as it facilitates two-way, real-time integration. The XML integration makes the data connection even more stable and allows a larger amount of data to be transmitted between the two systems. Because the data is shared in real-time, hotels have access to more accurate pricing intelligence, which will help to improve sales forecasting and improve control over RevPAR. It also enables more effective market segmentation analysis and tracking for historical and future data. And, in an age when Internet security is of optimal importance for all business, the interface is completely PCI compliant, ensuring that a property’s data is safe and secure at all times. Integration helps eliminate costly data entry errors and overbooking,

maximizes direct bookings and saves hotel managers a great deal of time, as they no longer need to manually enter pricing decisions into the systems. Sunil Sikka, Head - Marketing & Business Development WelcomHeritage, talks about how the sales strategy has evolved in the hotel industry in the past few years. How has the sales and distribution strategy evolved in the hotel industry in the last 10 years? The sales and distribution strategy in the hotel industry was only confined to the travel agents and direct phone calls to the hotels around 10 years back. There were not much of marketing and internet facilities as we have now. Over the years, we have a variety of options available that help in driving hotel sales. The traveller looks for the best deals and rates while booking a hotel stay and has an option to book through various mediums like online travel agents, mobile applications, online website bookings etc. With such facilities, the hotel industry is developing at a very fast pace which has now become convenient for the travellers and the hotels as well. Also, the internet and mobile bookings are likely to increase further in the coming years. WelcomHeritage Hotels are continuously adapting to the new sales and distribution channels as per the latest technologies and trends. The distribution channels that we use at present include the Domestic and Inbound Travel Agents, Online Travel Agents, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website Live Chat, Print media

including national newspapers and travel trade magazines and other marketing collaterals like holiday packages, tariff cards, newspaper leaflets etc. The Sales And Marketing channels are now diversified in all segments and we try to adapt to the latest trends as early as possible to offer the best to the guests. Customer connect programmes are the latest trend in the hotel industry that help in engaging guests and making them loyal to the brand. These programmes help in driving sales because of the exclusive offers that the guests receive. It is beneficial for guests and the hotel both as the guests get best deals and the hotels get the loyal guests that stick to the brand and spread positive word about the hotel. Loyalty programmes WelcomHeritage has its in house loyalty programme that is the Privilege Card Membership where in we give exclusive discounts and offers to the members. It does play an important role in our business as guests use our brand repeatedly helping us in generating sales. It also helps in cross branding of all our hotels because once a guest becomes a member, he aspires to stay and experience all our properties spread across 16 states of India. Technology Technology and internet connectivity has changed the way hotel sales work and how they target the right target audience. There was a time when there were no internet facilities and travellers would make hotel booking only through travel agents or phone calls. But now, we

have facilities like online portals where the hotels are listed with complete details, pictures and rates; online review sites like TripAdvisor, Trivago etc where a traveller can see other guest feedbacks before making the final booking; Live Chats which allows the guests to directly get in touch with the sales

team via their website; website promotions; emailers; online ads; mobile applications; booking engines and payment gateways for instant payments. Technology has served a number of options to the hotel industry which in turn generate business for the hotels.

Technology has evolved by leaps & bounds over the last few years. Everything can be done by click of a button these days. Introduction of affordable Mobile phone technology and internet has taken the industry by storm. Everything from a Hotel Room, to a Cab or a Jungle Safari can be booked in real time within

minutes. The technology has also facilitated Sales & Marketing as Social Media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest etc. have become free tools for Marketing any product & service. Such mediums have a wider reach than the conventional media like news paper ads and hoardings.

IDS Next offers technical support through Live Chat VW BUREAU

The company aims to take its customer service to another level by live chat support

DS Next Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd recently introduced Live Chat solution on its website to offer technical assistance to its 4000 plus Hotel ERP users across the globe. Through this, IDS Next becomes the first ever Hotel ERP vendor to provide technical support via Live Chat and aims to facilitate its clients gain instant access to the 24/7 Technical Support Centre. “As a strictly customer centric company, we efficiently help our customers increase revenue, reduce costs, improve operations and enhance guest experience,” says Binu Mathews, CEO at IDS Next. “Customers are looking for easier and less time consuming ways to avail technical support and Live Chat has emerged as a preferred channel with around 75%, of respondents opting for this medium. Live Chat solution will efficiently serve our clients who are tech-savvy and dynamic hotel managers,” he said.

According to Mr. Mathews, Live Chat solution implemented on IDS Next website will help clients in many ways. “Our website is mobile responsive. This means, clients get immediate access to our technical support executive using their mobile phones. Additionally, they can attach screen shots of the issue they are facing while chatting with our support executives. This speeds up the process of trouble shooting. We are here to offer our growing Hotel ERP users base a real-time, engaging and convenient support experience,” he added. IDS Next is one of the few Hospitality Technology providers to offer truly 24/7 technical support to hotels using their highly integrated Hotel ERP and the company has been receiving excellent service-ratings from its clients. The 24/7 TSC has achieved an excellent milestone of call abandon rate at 1.1%. While

84% customers rated the overall quality of service provided as ‘Happy to Excellent’, 91% of them said that IDS Next ‘Delivered as per commitment’ when it comes to adhering to the timeframe for resolving issues as per the SLA. “Customers world-wide have been connecting to us via phone, mail

or by logging-in to a self-service portal and we ensure 98% customer retention rate. We have again given top most priority our ‘customer first’ approach by introducing the Live Chat support on our website and we are the only hospitality technology provider to do so,” says Mr. Reeves Mathews, Manager – Technical Support.

www.voyagersworld.in

Hospitality

17>>

16>>

HOTELS AND THE WELLNESS AGENDA... GAME PLAN AHEAD!

the world. The wellness and medical tourism in India was projected in the range of Rs8000 Cr. – 13000 Cr by the year 2013.SRI International has projected India gaining by 205 annually and becoming the top wellness tourism destination in next five years,” she added.

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

“An estimated 21 million trips are made per year, generating $4.7b in revenue. At present, the vast majority of travellers are domestic, accounting for 20 million visits,” says Nikhil Kapur, Founder & Director, Atmantan Wellness Center.

Wellness travel is booming as Indian hotels are enhancing their products with unique experiences like Yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, now becoming a way of life for people.

The growth in Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda is increasingly on the international radar in India, principles in positive living and the popularity of Indian system of medicine.

ellness Tourism is one of the fastest growing concepts in hotels in India with Yoga and Ayurveda. With the urban lifestyle being hectic, wellness is now a way of living for the health conscious. India has recently been projected to be the fastest growing nation in the wellness tourism sector within the next five years, clocking over 20% gains annually through 2017, according to a study conducted by SRI International. The Wellness Tourism segment is estimated to grow nearly 50% faster than global tourism by 2017 and a significant contribution to this will come from Asia, stated a recent study. India is the world’s fastest growing destination for Wellness Tourism, with projected growth of 22% per year, according to a 2013 study by the Global Wellness Institute. India will be a prime

Voyager’s World > July 2016

destination for wellness tourism in a span of few years Wellness Tourism Shobhit Sawhney, General Manager, Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa states,” Wellness tourism has grown in the last decade with tourism boards. Wellness and rejuvenation has been grown tremendously with tourists flocking from all over the world, with the advent of unique experiences and offerings, this is a fast growing segment.” In the opinion of Imit Arora, General Manager, The Lalit Chandigarh,”India is one of the world’s true wellness Meccas and an ideal place to explore its ancient roots as they have yoga, meditation and Ayurveda. In recent years, wellness travel to India has exploded.”

Nishant Agarwal, General Manager, The Westin Pune Koregaon Park observes, “Spiritual rejuvenation and wellness tourism are one of the prime factors of domestic tourism in India.”

have modern luxurious design and a combination of western and traditional therapies. The popularity of spa facilities in hotels and resorts has exploded in recent years,” he added.

Anand Nair, General Manager, Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, Kerala – Vayalar explains, ”Spa culture is growing steadily in India over the past few years. The spa experience has become more accessible than ever before and we see more of health conscious travelers are utilizing the Spa. With India’s strong background in Ayurveda and Yoga, we have been receiving increased attention from foreign travelers for wellness treatments.”

“Wellness tourism in India has various components like Health Spas, Ayurveda Treatments, Yoga & Meditation Retreats, Naturopathy Centers, Unani/ Siddha Treatments options and medical tourism. The Ministry of AYUSH, GOI is proactively contributing in promoting wellness in India,” says Mahima Sharma, Director of Spa, Spa by JW, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar.

“India’s Spa industry is witnessing an increase in demand for indigenous Spa facilities which

“As international travel becomes cheaper and infrastructure becomes better, India offers cheaper treatment options as a wellness destination and is poised to be one of the top destinations in

Marketing and promotional plans Shobit says “We have recently introduced Wellness at the Park which are thoughtfully curated stay experiences revolving around wellness needs – rejuvenation, ant stress and weight management.” Anand explains, “In this highly competitive Spa Industry, proper

Mahima states “The Ministry of AYUSH gave a big boost to the wellness sector with recently celebrated International Yoga Day. The wellness businesses target both urban Indian and Foreigners for year around business.” Expected growth for 2016 Shobhit says,”We are looking at a positive incremental trend in 2016 and ahead owing to the increase in awareness among people both in India and overseas towards wellness as a way of living and not just a short term investment.” “In order to provide dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical Tourism, Wellness Tourism and Yoga, Ayurveda Tourism and any other format of Indian system of medicine covered by Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH), a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted. Therefore we look forward to the wellness industry growing well. Wellness or preventive healthcare nowadays is the attracting factor

Mahima Sharma, Director of Spa, Spa by JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar

Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, Kerala - Vayalar

Nikhil Kapur, Founder Director, Atmantan Wellness Centre

Atmantan Wellness Center - Atmantan

Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, Kerala - Vayalar

“The Atmantan Master Cleanse is a synergistic formula of resetting the organs and systems of the body through cellular cleansing and toxin elimination which meticulously assists the body in ridding of emotional and hormonal imbalance, you will discover that this cleansing ritual will not just facilitate the cleansing of your emotional knots and unclutter the mind, but will also lead you to benefits of improved sleep, increased immunity and permit your body to self-heal. The Taoist Chi Nei Tsang treatment is also known as the benchmark for detoxification worldwide,” he added.

strategy for marketing and promotion is vital. We are now focusing more on Digital Marketing as those will help us to reach out to a large volume of consumers. We have been prominent in trade fairs like ITB, Berlin which is a huge source market for Wellness programs in addition to maintaining relations with Agents who specialize in promoting Spa & Wellness packages.

India is a wellness destination of the world and the land of Ayurveda. The wellness businesses target both urban Indian and foreigners for year around business. India offers cheaper treatment options as a wellness destination and is poised to be one of the top destinations in the world.

www.voyagersworld.in

19>>

Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, Kerala - Vayalar

18>>

Nishant Agarwal, General Manager, Westin Pune Koregaon Park

Anand Nair, General Manager, Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, Kerala – Vayalar

Shobhit Sawhney, General Manager, Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa

Imit Arora, General Manager, Lalit Chandigarh

Wellness is the attracting factor for both domestic people and foreigners. Wellness tourism a holistic approach. The scope and opportunity of wellness tourism is much larger than the other.

A positive trend in 2016 leads to the increase in awareness among people both in India and overseas towards wellness as a way of living. for both domestic people and foreigners,” Nishant added.

mind and body,” Shobhit says

Anand states, “The growth story for 2016 is projected to be steady. The Arab market has opened up as a major source market for Wellness & Medical tourism. This segment is expected to perform very well for 2016. The traditional markets have been stagnating for some time and renewed vigor in marketing initiatives undertaken by the Tourism Department could assist in increasing the numbers from them.”

Imit stated, “As more people embrace an overall healthier lifestyle at home, we are now seeing these behaviours translate and integrate into their travel and vacation habits. For others, vacation provides an escape from the tedious daily lifestyle. As these two trends converge, we are seeing many people commit their vacation time and money to wellness travel, as it is evident by their increased spending and specific global destination choices.”

Trends in Wellness “The guests opt for healthy options and prefer smaller hearty meals rather than large traditional meals. There is an increased awareness towards the importance of simple Indian food as a path to wellness of

“We see that in recent past a lot of guests are keen to explore the Spa facilities. The Spaholics is gaining lot of popularity as people are now more conscious about wellness. We have noticed that majority of our guests look for healthy eating

Voyager’s World > July 2016

options across all our outlets,” he added. In the opinion of Nishant, “Power Yoga and some natural therapies still hold good ground in terms of getting patients in India. In 2014, about 20 per cent of the 230,000 foreigners who visited India as medical tourists were reported to have visited yoga or wellness centres. India also gets many business travellers from who undergo day-care procedures as well as wellness procedures.” Anand observes, “There is a growing interest in wellness and rejuvenation, the travelers are ready to compromise in all aspects, whether in the matter of food or the durations of various treatments. Since the organic food products are getting high demand among the wellness diet plans. Many resorts

specializing in Ayurveda have their own organic farms to meet these requirements. Customized diets are served in the restaurants, in order to satisfy the guests who want to focus on the goals such as weight loss, detox. The most important change we noticed is that Yoga and meditation has become a part of the daily routine for all the wellness enthusiasts.” Nikhil says, “Considering the fast growing trend of lifestyle diseases in India due to urbanization, it is highly crucial for Indians to modify their lifestyle and adopt the doctrines of our ancient medical knowledge. Most of the lifestyle diseases that are prevalent in the society can be reversed or managed by taking time to understand one’s personality trait and practice a more disciplined living. Ayurveda, Naturopathy and

The growth in wellness tourism for 2016 is expected to perform very well for 2016, a growing interest in wellness and rejuvenation changes the aspects of travellers in diet or the duration of treatments.

India is one of the world’s true wellness Meccas and an ideal place to explore its ancient roots. The wellness travel to India is exploding as people embrace an overall healthier lifestyle and integrating into their travel behaviours. Yoga believe in various principles of positive living. This is also one of the reasons why the Indian System of Medicine has got so much popularity these days.” “Indians have been realizing more and more on the importance of drugless systems in reversing the disease processes. Yoga has been globally recognized as a supreme body-mind-spirit practice. The awareness of these is fast growing in India. Most common lifestyle disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other metabolic syndromes are very well managed by practicing healthy eating,” Nikhil added. “The wellness patterns definitely show an inclination toward detox regimes, stress management, weight management and fitness,”

Mahima added. India a wellness destination Shobhit says, “With the increase in wellness offerings across the country and the rising awareness amongst people to embrace wellness as a way of life, this is definitely a good sign for the country and we must use it well to showcase Ayurveda a lovely legacy of our ancestors.” “India has great potential in wellness tourism in the world. Several factors such as low costs, scale and range of treatments differentiate it from other medical tourism destinations,” Imit added. Anand states, “India will to be a hot spot for tourists who seek travel that incorporate diverse

continue medical services wellness

packages, including those that couple medical procedures with spa indulgences, Ayurveda treatments or cultural immersion experiences. With the advent of high-end multispecialty hospitals and dramatically improved healthcare facilities, this segment is sure to show tremendous growth. Marketing campaigns focused on Wellness Tourism and its benefits in source markets across the world would help position India as a leading player in this segment and attract more curiosity from prospective clients.” Mahima explains, “Being the spiritual leader of the world and the land of Ayurveda India is already a wellness destination. A policy framework to standardize and infrastructure will help consolidate this position further.”

In the opinion of Anand, “The government should project India in international trade shows as a wellness destination and support the major players in the industry. The present taxation structure in wellness segment has to be revised and should eliminate the unfair tax elements implied like service taxs etc. The Visa procedure has to be made liberal so that we can get more international travellers.” “Wellness tourism has a holistic approach. The human society is getting excessively stressed, caused by lifestyle or professional pressure. One does not necessarily have to be a patient suffering from a disease to become a customer of wellness tourism. The scope and opportunity of wellness tourism is much larger than the other,”Nishant concluded.

www.voyagersworld.in

Hospitality

20>>

95% Indians use Facebook vis-à-vis other social media when travelling

Hospitality

21>>

bumblebee seeks to streamline hotel activities and efficacy

VW BUREAU

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker survey has revealed that 95% of Indian travellers use Facebook vis-à-

Sidharth Gupta, Co-Founder Treebo, talks about Bumblebee, a tablet-based property management

vis other social media apps when travelling.

system that optimizes all the activities of a hotel for a user for a better experience.

hile travelling, Hotels.com™ Mobile Travel Tracker survey has revealed that travellers spend 50% more time glued to their smartphone than to their sunbed. This global study of 9,200 travellers across 31 countries, reveals that while away on a holiday we turn into social media show offs, use mobile to search for our next meal and have Facebook Face-Offs with our travel companions. The survey further reveals that while on a holiday, 95% of Indian travellers a spend majority of their time on Facebook as compared to other social media channels. Indians choose smartphones over sunbeds while vacationing When you think of a vacation, you conjure up the image of spending

hours relaxing around the pool, or exploring the sights and attractions of a new city. The reality however, for global and Indian travellers is that, they spend more time glued to their smartphone than on their sunbed. On an average Indians spend only two hours a day topping up their tan, as compared tothreeand a half hours a day glaring at their mobile devices. Social show offs Mobile Travel Tracker survey by Hotels.com reveals that 40% of global travellers admit to uploading photos to social media just to show off and 27% admit to checking into places on social media just to make friends feel jealous. Indian travellers typically spend on an average of 2.5 hours a day on social media

channels, with Facebook leading the list. Instead of relaxing and enjoying themselves on a vacation, most travellers still have a real case of FOMO (fear of missing out) – which compels them to comment on friends’ posts. Facebook Face-Off The Mobile Travel Tracker* study reveals that 95% of Indian travellers spend time on Facebook as compared to other social media channels. While Facebooking, Indian travellers tend to engage in a ‘Facebook-Face-Off’with their travel companions which compels them to compare their social posts with that of their travel buddies. Searching for our next meal Food is a very important factor

for Indian travellers. Most Indian travellers admitted that their mobile device was their primary source of information while away. When it comes to searching for content,Indian travellers search for tasty food options over top attractions. The survey reveals that restaurants and food markets are the most popular searches (80%). We are a generation of foodie travellers, with twice as many people searching to find the best restaurant than the best beach. The most popular content searched by global travellerswhile away: 1. Restaurants and food markets – 63% 2. Tourist Attractions – 59% 3. Maps Directions – 53% 4. Public Transport – 33% 5. Local Beaches – 32%

Three Tips to Become an Online Superstar: revpar guru

reservations, check-ins, check-outs, F&B billing, etc. “The response has been great; the staff and the owners at our partner hotels, especially, have really appreciated the product that has made their lives much easier. About 70% of our properties are now using Bumblebee,” says Sidharth Gupta, Co-founder, Treebo.

Bumblebee tablet app Treebo Group of Hotels recently launched a tablet-based property management system for their hotel partners with 100 hotels in 20 cities called the Bumblebee tablet app. It is a Property Management System that allows the user to manage all the activities of a hotel including new

Bumblebee has several features in addition to check-in and checkout where you can make new reservations, you can assign or change rooms, you can do the billing for ancillary services like laundry and F&B; one can also auto-email and print invoices. Most hotels in the budget segment either do not use any technology at all - and use pen and paper instead - OR usea primitive desktop based system.

For an organised hotel chain, that is suboptimal because it hurts the customer experience as the time taken in these activities is too long when done manually and there is no systematic and live aggregation of data which makes revenue management harder. “We introduced Bumblebee to solve these issues and at the same time we also wanted to make the technology user friendly and simple, given the low skill-level in the budget segment. We designed the app on a tablet which is easier and familiar for hotel staff than the desktop.” Other services on this app The app allows all activities related to hotel operations. This includes new reservations, check-ins, checkouts, payments, invoicing, F&B

billing, catering to special requests of guests, house view, room assignment and changes, etc. Marketing Plans Treebo will continue to introduce new technologies regularly to transform the entire budget hotel segment. We will soon announce a new quality management tool, a customer app and many other revolutionary products. Contributing to hospitality industry Bumblebee is transforming the way the front desk of a budget hotel operates and is bringing in efficiencies that have so far been seen only in the premium segment. It also offers a better experience for guests and more streamlined operations for the hotel and staff.

Lords Hotels & Resorts plans to add 49 properties by 2020

VW BUREAU

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Jean Francois Mourier, CEO of REVPAR GURU shares tips to improve their bookings and revenue through

Rishi Puri, Vice President, Lords Hotels & Resorts, finds the mid-market segment very promising in the

the online booking channel.

country and projects an upward momentum in growth for the chain this year.

ike with any other distribution channel, there are very specific ways to increase your bookings and revenue through the online channel. This article will show you how you can become an online superstar, meaning that you can earn the most revenue possible, without relying 100% on the OTAs. Don’t forget about your own property’s website It is important to make sure that you are directing potential guests to your own property’s site instead of the OTAs in order to avoid the excessive commissions. Just like with pricing on the OTAs, hotels need to ensure that their pricing on the direct channel is optimized using the best revenue management system

Voyager’s World > July 2016

available. In fact, it can be even more important to have a sophisticated RMS managing your website rates because a property’s direct rates must be highly competitive to ensure that consumers are incentivized to book directly instead of through an OTA. Inventory management Inventory must be managed on the direct channel, just like it is on the OTAs. As rooms fill up, new allotments need to be distributed across all online channels. While this can be done manually, it is always more effective to use an automatic revenue management system that will update your inventory in realtime. A word of caution though… one of the biggest mistakes made

by revenue managers is to remove inventory from the OTAs when the hotel is approaching maximum occupancy. Many revenue managers theorize that if the property is already almost full, then they shouldn’t have to pay the high commission rates charged by the OTAs to sell the last few. So, they move all of the remaining inventory to the direct channel and hope that travelers will find the website on their own. Instead, revenue managers should maintain the property’s presence on OTAs, even as the property is approaching maximum occupancy. In a consumer’s mind, if your hotel is showing as sold out online then your hotel must actually be sold out. Instead of going to visit your property’s website to see if there are

rooms available, consumers will just book their stay somewhere else. Incentives I’m sure that you’re all familiar with the idea of sales incentives: giving away a free toaster for getting a bank account, a free TV for renting an apartment, a free room upgrade for booking direct instead of through the OTAs. Hotels should be offering incentives for consumers to book directly, especially since booking directly can often be more complicated and time-consuming than booking through an OTA. Consider offering room upgrades, free food & beverage, cash-back rewards, free airport transportation, etc. for any guests who book through the direct channel.

occupancy numbers of the chain have been showing signs of recovery since January 2016. “We have witnessed a spurt in our occupancy at 9.58% in this quarter against the same quarter last year across all Lords Hotels & Resorts properties,” says Rishi Puri, Vice President, Lord Hotels & Resorts.

ords Hotels and Resorts, the midmarket hotel chain in India, aims to make the most of the promising mid-market segment. The chain recently expanded its portfolio with a property launch in Agra – Hotel PL Palace. Despite the economic slowdown in the last couple of years, the

Expecting an upward momentum in this growth, Rishi informs that the chain has gone from 11 to 26 hotels in a span of only three years ever since it began aggressively expanding. The group’s brands offer a range of services that cater to all the segments including MICE, leisure and religious tourism.

Marketing and promotions With many marketing and promotional plans in hand, the chain’s uses its loyalty programme, in particular, to offer discounts on stays and free stays from time to time. Selected guests are also offered discounts on F&B. Plus, if one books an accommodation for a specific duration, the chain offers discounts or an extended free stay against the total duration. Expansion plans “In the last three months, we have added three new properties in Jammu, Agra and Kerala and are slated to add three more including one international hotel in Kathmandu in the immediate future. By 2020, we are looking

at having 49 properties under our umbrella. We are also in the process of developing an app for our guests.” Trends Commenting on the latest industry trends, Rishi says that the prospect of the mid-market segment looks very promising. “We have noticed that more and more domestic travellers have begun to take holidaying seriously. Besides, automation within the hotels and rooms is increasingly becoming the order of the day in most of the branded hotels. There is a change in how guests make a reservation as the bulk of the work is done online. Further, there is an increasing awareness towards environment conservation.”

www.voyagersworld.in

Hospitality

22>>

MySmartcheckin to optimize services in hotels IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Nilesh Bhattad, Co-Founder &CEO, MySmartcheckin.com, talks about how using the technology can help hotels serve their guests better.

he MySmartCheckin app was launched to help people check-in at the hotel smartly. This patented smartphone app seeks to address minimum wait time and extra staff requirement in lobby and front desk during busy check-in and check-out times.

“A hotel guest can share the check in information and the ID proof electronically using a smartphone before arriving and the hotel keeps the registration card ready along with the ID card copy before the guest arrives using this app,” says Nilesh Bhattad, Co-Founder & CEO of MySmartCheckin.com, while adding that it would ensure no wastage of time at the front desk. “In those hotels with NFC-enabled locks, the guest can use a smartphone to lock and unlock the door. During the stay, one can order food, laundry, check the bill and can make payments through the phone. He can also share his feedback to the hotel at the time of check-out. Hotels also can track the location of the guest.”

Currently, 50 hotels in India are using the MySmartcheckin technology. Benefits for Hotel The pre check-in benefits include a Web Check-in Button on the hotel’s website to help the guest easily locate the hotel, ancillary Upsells like Room Upgrades, etc. The hotel can know its guest well in advance through Public Facebook, Twitter data sharing. MySmartcheckin also optimizes the front desk operations through Check-in and no waiting is needed for the guest. Some of its other services are hotel booking, customer engagement, feedback, analytics services from its platform. Going by the phenomenal response from hotels as well as end users,

Nilesh says that the company is partnering with IT companies to promote it to their employees. It also plans to run social media campaigns. Future Plans In 2016, it plans to add around 1000 hotels on the platform; there are some American and Japanese companies who are interested in the technology. “We are planning to implement it in some US Hotels and Japan Hotels once we get enough traction in India. The R&D efforts are also going on to add new features like IOT to control all the devices in hotel room from smartphone, facial mapping of the guest face with ID Proof etc,” he concluded.

signature club resort eyes transit STAYS in bangalore IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

The newly opened Signature Club Resort at Brigade Orchards aims to attract transit passengers in Bangalore, says Vineet Verma, Executive Director, Brigade Hospitality, at the property’s launch.

he BCV Developers Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture of Brigade Enterprises with Classic Group and Valmark recently launched its Signature Club Resort at Brigade Orchards in Devanahalli. The resort offers 40 Executive and five Suite rooms. “Located in the outskirts of the city, it is an ideal getaway for people

Voyager’s World > July 2016

who do not have the time to travel anywhere; so we wanted to give them an experience of a resort right outside the city,” said Vineet Verma, the Executive Director of Brigade Hospitality. “This can be an ideal location for people within Bangalore and not only for residents in Brigade Orchards. We are in the category of affordable luxury. We want to give hospitality an angle that is high on experience.” Talking about the trends, he observes that the leisure segment is picking up with much shorter holidays. “The earlier trend of only business holidays has gone; now it is mix business with pleasure.” The property’s unique features are the semi-covered heated swimming

pool. It has multi cuisine restaurants like Tamarind and Pavilion Bar, two badminton courts, lawn tennis court, billiards and pool tables, a Squash court and a six lane swimming pool. The Club Resort provides ultra-modern gymnasium which is equipped with almost all the latest fitness equipment. The banquet facilities can accommodate up to 2000 guests; Jasmine can seat 30 guests, Silver Oak can seat 250 guests for big meetings and indoor events and the Silver Oaks Lawns can cater to a crowd of 1000 guests. “We want this location to be a destination venue for weddings and MICE events. Now there is a great demand for people planning their corporate getaways or off-site meetings, so they could look up this location for a wonderful

session,” he said. Expected occupancy Vineet expects at least 65 % to 75% in the first year of its operations and projects about 75% to 80% in 2017. The property will target the transit passengers from the airport, cruise travellers, people passing through Bangalore, corporates, residential conferences, wedding groups and some sustained business from the airlines. Marketing plans The property is already present in the social media and will be promoted through hoardings and banners. “Our marketing plans are focused initially on distribution of news through online media. We have plans to have some aerial and media campaigns.”

23>>

Incredible India

24>>

Incredible India

mice industry to drive new strategies in technology PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

As destinations and convention bureaus gear up to develop their MICE venues and products, the industry is poised to see new technology and more investments to drive business.

25>> The MICE industry’s increasing emphasis on improving its services through innovation and technological advancements only justifies the upward trajectory of the industry. For instance, Singapore has been making giant leaps in becoming a technology thought leader through a host of business events and is focusing on technology-centric MICE events that range from internationally renowned meetings to regional conventions making their debuts in Singapore. Melissa Ow, Deputy Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “As a city with a multitude of strategic industries, Singapore is delighted to welcome MICE events that further add to our economic vibrancy. Events that offer stimulating content and inspire further dialogue will also build up our ThoughtLeadership, which is important for our knowledge-driven industries.” Singapore is set to play a key role in the future of the Internet and cyber security with two pinnacle events in the field of Information Technology (IT) – the ISACA Cybersecurity Nexus (CSX) Asia Pacific in November 2016, and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) 100 meeting in November 2017.

ndia is currently the 10th largest business travel market in the world and in the next five years, India will be placed as one of the top 5 source markets for Corporate Meetings & Incentives! Numerous destinations, venues and other suppliers from all across the world have already put their right foot forward to take advantage of the potential from this strong market, by aggressively promoting themselves to attract MICE & Luxury travellers. According to the MICE India & Luxury Travel (MILT) Congress, around 1.5 million Indians travel only for MICE purposes leaving India as one of the strongest outbound MICE markets in the world over the years with its projected growth for the next five years placing it amongst the top five source markets for Corporate Meetings and Incentives. The destination wedding industry is flourishing with a huge number of Indian couples having their

Voyager’s World > July 2016

weddings abroad! Many destination weddings entail almost a weeklong celebration with expenses going over $150,000! Some of the popular destinations include Italy, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bali, Thailand and many more. Business travel spend is set to reach $45 billion in 2019 and leisure travel spend is expected to rise to $171 Billion in 2025. Yes, Indians have been known to negotiate prices. It’s a negotiating market. But if you want to be in this thriving economy with large volumes of business- this is the way forward! A recent study by Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s (CWT) Solutions Group found that 20% of business travellers take bleisure trips every year. This pattern has remained unchanged since 2011. The quantitative results showed that one in five business travelers take bleisure trips each year, accounting for seven percent of all business trips. In nearly half

of bleisure trips, the personal days occur at the end of the trip, in 34 percent at the beginning, while for the remaining 20 percent leisure occurs at both ends of the trip. To be tagged as “bleisure” a trip must be at least two nights long and satisfy at least one of the following two conditions: - Flight arrival at destination occurs on a Saturday - Flight departure from destination occurs on a Sunday For this research, it analyzed a data set of air transactions corresponding to business trips booked by Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) worldwide between 2011 and 2015. Most of the results are based on a subset of 7.3 million flights taken by 1.9 million business travelers during 2015. CWT’s definition of bleisure requires a Saturday night stay at destination either at the beginning or at the end of a trip, or both. Using this definition,

we find that every year 20% of business travelers take bleisure trips, and these account for 7% of all business trips. These values have remained largely unchanged since 2011, which indicates that this is not a new phenomenon. CWT’s analysis shows that for 46% of the bleisure trips the personal days occur at the end of the trip, for 34% at the beginning, while for the remaining 20% leisure occurs at both ends of the trip. It establishes that the percentage of bleisure trips, or bleisure rate, depends on the traveller demographic category: Female business travellers are more likely to take bleisure trips than their male counterparts: we measure an 8.5% rate for women vs 6.8% for men. Younger travelers are significantly more likely to take bleisure trips: for travelers aged 20 to 25, the rate is close to 15%

Both events are expected to bring in approximately 2,500 IT engineers and developers from all over the world to Singapore to explore initiatives on new Internet framework development and cyber security structure enhancements for Internet users worldwide.

spending from India expected to rise to $45 billion in 2019, stakeholders in the MICE industry can wait to witness bigger investments and innovations. The upcoming technology business events further attest to Singapore’s stature as a leading MICE destination in Asia. The city state welcomed about 3 million BTMICE (Business Travel and Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions and Exhibitions) travellers in 2015, and pulled in over $4.5 billion in BTMICE tourism receipts.

Singapore was crowned the top international meeting city of 2015 by the Union of International Associations (UIA) for the ninth consecutive year. It was also named the top international association meetings city of 2015 in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) for the 14th year running. Singapore also topped the inaugural event Top 25 Asia Pacific Destinations 2016 ranking, which was based on MICE events booking activity and the number of available event venues.

Added Ow, “We are proud that Singapore remains a prominent international MICE destination that continues to attract events with quality content. Although 2015 was a challenging year with various headwinds in the tourism landscape, Singapore’s MICE industry held up well with a good pipeline of business events. Nonetheless, we must stay ahead of the competition by constantly evolving our destination offerings and take the Singapore MICE visitor experience to the next level.”

Your Exhibition Design Partner! Plan your next Exhibition display with us!

Exclusive Designs and Cost-effective Executions International designs now in India!

Singapore’s strong destination attributes have also won over event organizers entering Southeast Asia for the first time – like the Asia Pacific MedTech Forum (November 2016) and the 14 International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services (Mobisys) (June 2016) and those who have made the city state their long-term home like Echelon Asia Summit (June 2016), InnovFest unBound (May 2016) and Tech in Asia conferences (April 2016). Into its second edition, the Asia Pacific MedTech Forum is a trailblazer in the medical technology community. The Forum was created following the formation of the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed), who identified the unmet need to advance the standards of patient care in the region and sought to address it.

More than 100 happy customers from India and abroad

Get in touch now

DESIGNS SPHERE

Email: vinay@designssphere.com info@designssphere.com Mobile: +91 99993 93061

C-57, U/G/Floor, Back Side, Chatter Pur Enclave New Delhi - 110 074, Tel.: 011 6466 4100 www.designssphere.com

With the outbound business travel

www.voyagersworld.in

26>>

Incredible India

expertise, budgets, local support indispensable for mice industry

27>>

South Korea – Now Top 2 in UIA’s Global Meetings Ranking VW BUREAU

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

The end-to-end aspects of a meeting includes everything from the local vendors to the venue, all adding

Seoul, the nation’s capital, moved to the third position with 98.4% increase in the number hosted meetings

to the successful completion of an event.

and the country ranks first in Asia and accounts for 7.5% of all meetings held worldwide.

orea has been ranked the world’s top 2 destination for global congresses hosted in 2015, according to the latest International Meetings Statistics Report, released this week by the Union of International Associations (UIA). The findings show Korea achieving 2nd place behind the USA with 891 meetings – a 40% increase over the previous year. This also places it first in Asia and accounts for 7.5% of all meetings held worldwide across the same period. The results reflect continued strong interest in Korea, helped by the rise of its diverse regional Korean meeting destinations. Seoul, the nation’s capital, also notably improved its long-standing

ICE buyers from across the globe are the key decision makers who would set trends in increase in budgets and impact the services of suppliers and give way for new ones at that. The MICE industry is now one of the forerunners in generating revenue and wealth in travel and tourism. The system of a meeting includes everything from the local vendors to the event space, all adding to the economic growth of a destination. Thus, the undertakings of the MICE industry are gaining increasing importance in the growth of the economy internationally, going beyond cultures, nationalities, nations and business practices. Meetings and events bring in a lot of knowledge resource and aid in professional enhancement in the area where the meeting is being held, while also creating job opportunities and helping small vendors. In a sense, it can be said that the MICE industry is supportive of ancillary businesses as well. From the time huge events and conferences are planned, going on to the stage of bidding for the venue and execution of work, the MICE industry aids in investment, technology and communication. They also bring in the best of ‘all worlds’ i.e.; attracting and inviting the top-notch talents

Voyager’s World > July 2016

and experts together, not to forget the networking advantage that this far-reaching industry provides. In addition, today’s meetings have gone a step ahead to promote sustainable green meetings as part of their corporate responsibility towards the environment. Hence, the various advantages brought in by the MICE industry are the ones that the travel industry must take into consideration. In today’s highly driven world, often flanked with an unpredictable, fluctuating economy, a key area that those interested in the MICE industry must not ignore is the investment area. The bigger the meeting, the fancier the venue and the more important MICE Point knowledge, investment and local economy boost mice industry the objective, the bigger is the investment requirement. Right from the planning stage, as mentioned above to the promotional stage, the huge infrastructure and the facilities require humongous funding. MICE organizers should take stock of the normal trade visitor database that they already have before zeroing on the destination or the availability of the convention centre. For every delegate, there are so many people organizing things and providing services, such as the transport coordinator, public

relations and communications coordinator, group in-charges, etc. Then there are the exhibitors and sellers who put up stands and stalls to exhibit their products and services to the buyers, visitors and other delegates who have a vested interest in the event. 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 WiFi, usage of the business centre at the venue and other meeting re-quirements 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. However, as attractive as the financial returns are from the meetings business, these are often far outweighed by broader community and economic development benefits. Meetings and conventions essentially take place for the purposes of business, professional and scientific development as well as sharing knowledge and expertise -so it’s not surprising that both the events themselves and the people who attend them have a lot to offer

to the host community. From an economic development perspective, meetings and conventions attract people who are much more likely to be business decision makers – and this can generate not only local business prospects but trade and investment potential as well. Events also inevitably act as showcases for local products and services, if only because these will get exposure during the course of the events and the related social, educational and entertainment activities that take place around them. But there is an even broader benefit to the host community. Events in any area of discipline – particularly major national or international events – often attract literally the very best expertise in the world, which means local access to a high level of knowledge transfer and international exposure for local professionals. In areas like medical practice, this can have huge implications for how local skills develop – which creates, in turn, big benefits for the quality of service in the community. All these factors combine to create a strong and diverse return on an investment in the business events sector – and that is exactly what many governments are looking for today as they seek to build a more robust local economy in the face of lingering global financial challenges.

top-5 UIA city ranking, moving from 5th to 3rd place with 494 meetings held in 2015; a 98.4% increase over the 249 meetings hosted in 2014. Meanwhile, Busan, Korea’s second-largest city, attained a global city ranking of 11 with 150 meetings, while renowned UNESCO World Heritage resort island Jeju accounted for 112 of the year’s meetings, achieving a global city ranking of 19. Nationwide infrastructure growth has played a key role in boosting Korea’s MICE competitiveness, including expanded facilities in future Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics host Gangwon Province, and ongoing expansions to recent Korea MICE Expo host Songdo

Convensia in Incheon’s International Business District. Brand-new regional convention facilities include the new Asia Culture Center in southeastern city Gwangju and Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO) in the southwestern UNESCO capital of Gyeongju. Korea’s annual convention profile regularly includes various international congresses, each of which benefit from a wide range of support programs specifically catering to large-scale meetings from the Korea MICE Bureau (KMB) division of the Korea Tourism Organization. This includes complimentary city tours for delegates, airport welcome messages, customized event banners and souvenirs, on-site cultural

M.I.C.E SCAN

TCEB unveils strategy to expand mega-size events

August 02, 03 Myanmar Hospitality & Tourism Conference (MHTC), Yangon Myanmar

24, 25 Hospitality Investment Conference Indian Ocean (HICIO), Colombo, Sri Lanka

hailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) unveiled its strategic direction for 2016 to attract more large-scale meetings and incentives (M&I) under the Thailand Big Thanks! campaign. The Thailand Big Thanks! campaign was created to drive the M&I travel sector through a financial subsidy scheme of upto two million baht (US$257,740) for eligible events with over 2,000 international delegates staying at least three nights in Thailand.

According to Byungsun Lee, Director Korea Tourism Organization “South Korea is a country with a wealth of destinations all featuring their own unique attractions and venues for the MICE visitors. With our strength in infrastructure, we are positive to list our position amongst the top and most preferred MICE destinations of India as well. ”

CALENDAR 2016

Dubai wins bid to host World Real Estate Congress in 2018 ubai Business Events (DBE) and the Dubai Real Estate Institute (DREI) announced that the Emirate would host the 69th World Real Estate Congress in 2018. The annual event organised by the International Real Estate Federation, FIABCI, will make its debut in the Middle East and is expected to attract over 1,000 real estate professionals from over 60 nations to explore the ‘Future of Cities’.

experience booths, and many other enhancements. Recent major events that have utilized KMB assistance include 2015’s ICN Conference & CNR, 7th World Water Forum, and 25th World Road Congress Seoul, and last month’s Rotary International Convention, attended by 50,000 participants, 21,000 of which came from overseas.

September 05, 06 Meeting Planners Russia, Moscow, Russia

First Entry Level MICE Training Program by ICPB

ndia Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) organised its first entry level training programme for 2016-17 on 17 - 18 June in New Delhi. It attracted over 70 participants from ICPB members and non-members from hotels, PCOs, agents, tour operators, etc. There were four sessions with presentations from learned speakers of the industry on vendor management, PCO-hotel interaction, venue selection, space management and relevance of social media.

Singapore tops city rankings in Asia Pacific: ICCA

he latest city rankings by International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) on the number of annual international association meetings placed Berlin at the top with 195 meetings hosted in 2015. Paris came second with 186 meetings, followed by Barcelona with 180 meetings. In the Asia Pacific region, Singapore still ranks the top with 156 meetings held and it is the only Asia-Pacific city that counted in the top 10 global city.

27, 28, 29 IT&CM Asia, Bangkok, Thailand

October 13, 14, 15 MICE Industry, St. Petersburg, Russia

24, 25, 26, 27 Sports & Events Tourism Exchange, Pretoria, South Africa

www.voyagersworld.in

Incredible India

28>>

standardized solutions are need of the hour to revamp bus experience IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Tushar Gagerna, Founder & CEO, WOOBUS, aims to transform a bus journey by offering an experience on par with flights, whilst ensuring standardized measures for safety, hygiene and efficiency. comfortable journeys, the startup also provides trained staff, GPS tracking, clean interiors, an app for a personalized In-bus experience, sobriety test for drivers, first aid kit, hygienic midways, neck pillow and eye masks.

OOBUS, an Indian startup launched in July last year, is the first Indian startup focusing on uplifting bus journeys in India. Citing a National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC) report, Tushar Gagerna, Founder & CEO of Woobus, says that buses are the top mode opted for transportation and the most fragmented industry. Aiming to standardize the inter-city industry by partnering with bus operators and ensuring safe and

“Our app serves various options like free movies for passengers to enjoy movies of their choices without connecting to the internet. With the user-controlled Midway, passengers can decide which midway the bus can stop at based on a voting system; it ensures hygienic food and safety and aids the driver in notifying passengers about stoppages and midway.” On long routes, it has the option for in-bus gaming wherein users can play games like rummy with other passengers by connecting

to free Wi-Fi. The Fuel Efficiency feature with devices will monitor fuel consumption. Addressing issues Some of the major issues pertaining to bus travel are overcrowding, safety concern for women, accidents caused by drunken driving, inability to locate buses, cleanliness, staff behavior, unhygienic midways, etc. Tushar says that Woobus is trying to offer an experience on the lines of a flight for budget travelers, while focusing on controlling pollution by encouraging people to opt for buses instead of cabs or their personal vehicles. He also goes on to add that it engages bus auditors to audit the vehicles daily to maintain consistency and ensure that everything is up and running. “Our team on field talks to bus

VADODARA NAGPUR VIZAG AMRITSAR COIMBATORE

: : : : :

commuters very often and educates them about the services we provide; this personalized marketing also helps us to learn and grow.” Operations Woobus is currently present across five cities - Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Coimbatore and Trivandrum. Its longest route is from Bangalore to Trivandrum. “The bus market is currently $ 10 billion in India out of which only $ 3.2 billion is organized. The private bus operators own $2.8 billion of the total market. This is projected to grow by 40% in two years. The online penetration is not even 10% of the total market which is still growing by 80% year-onyear.” Dealing with both online and offline sectors, Woodbus plans to expand the service throughout the country. It aims to achieve a growth target of at least 200%.

Discover the world

19, 20, 21 August 2016 14, 15, 16 October 2016 4, 5, 6 November 2016 16, 17, 18 December 2016 20, 21, 22 January 2017

£2.5

Billion

of new business

5,000** exhibitors

from across the world

49,273** attendees

from 182 countries

Official Media Partner

Discounted Travel Please visit wtmlondon.com/discounts Voyager’s World > July 2016

* Source: Independent research by Fusion Communications, January 2016 **ABC audited figures, February 2016 World Travel Market, WTM, RELX Group and the RE symbol are trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties SA, used under license.

Incredible India

30>>

maiden karnataka tourism awards sees overwhelming response!

us$ 1.537 billion forex earned through tourism in May 2016 PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

The Department of Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka, in association with the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FKCCI organised the maiden edition of Karnataka Tourism Awards.

s. 10, 285 Crore Foreign Exchange Earned Through Tourism in May 2016 . 3.7% growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in May 2016 over the same period in 2015. Bangladesh accounts for highest share of tourist arrivals followed by USA and UK in April 2016. Rs.10, 285 crores Foreign Exchange earned through tourism in May 2016. The following are the important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs from tourism during the month of May, 2016. Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs): • FTAs during the Month of May, 2016 were 5.29 lakh as compared to FTAs of 5.1 lakh during the month of May, 2015 and 4.65 lakh in May, 2014. There has been a growth of 3.7% in May, 2016 over May, 2015. FTAs during the period January- May, 2016 were 36.36 lakh with a growth of 9.1% as compared to the FTAs of 33.32 lakh with a growth of 4.0% in January- May, 2015 over JanuaryMay, 2014.

The welcome address was given by Tallam Dwarakanath, President of FKCCI, while Prakash Mandoth, Chairman of Tourism Committee, FKCCI cited his observations. Shri. Priyank Kharge, Minister for Tourism, IT&BT, Govt. of Karnataka, as well as Dr. E.V. Ramana Reddy, I.A.S, Principal Secretary to Govt., Department of Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka, addressed the audience. The awards were given to players who outshone their peers under various categories such as Best Luxury Hotel, Best Wildlife Hotel, Best Heritage Hotel, Best Tourist Guide, Best Medical Tourism Hospital, etc. St. Mark’s Hotel won the award for Best Hotel in the mid-segment. The

Voyager’s World > July 2016

Taj West end won the Best Luxury Hotel Award while Hotel Formule 1 won the Best Hotel -Budget. The Best Leisure Hotel was given to Hyatt Place Hampi while the Best Wildlife Resort was conferred upon Jungle Lodges & Resorts Ltd. The Kali Tiger Reserves (KTR) won the Best Eco-Tourism Hotspot. Kamat Ecotours won the Best Adventure Tour Operator while Chilipili Home Stay won the Best Home Stay. Royal Orchid Metropole was lauded as the Best Heritage Hotel. Fortis won the award for the Best Medical Tourism Hospital. Nagaraja from Shivamogga won the Best Tourist Guide Award. The award for the Best Tourism Marketing Initiative was given to Safe Wheels Group of Companies. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) won Certificate of Appreciation. Addressing the gathering, the new Karnataka Tourism Minister, Shri. Priyank Kharge said, “The Department of Tourism, under my predecessor Shri R.V. Deshpande,

has grown tremendously and I look forward to take forward his vision. Safety is a concern among international and domestic tourists and we intend to address it. Hence, we have deputed ‘Tourist Mitras’ in various tourist destinations in the state who will work in coordination with the local police stations.” “We have provided two lakh subsidies for unemployed youth for procuring ‘Pravaasi Taxi’. These were given to emphasize an increase in employment through tourism. We have also improved the last mile connectivity to 72 spots by spending 310 crores. The Department has also established 115 Yatri Nivas and 29 dormitories.” He added that the ministry had ensured a special thrust to develop coastal tourism and has undertaken the development of 23 beaches. Effective steps will be implemented to develop other circuits such as adventure, wildlife, pilgrimage, and so on. “We have approved 111 projects in the last two years. When the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart was held in

Bangalore last year, the Department signed 13 MoUs.” “Tourist arrivals to Karnataka have grown by 300% over the past decades with numbers at nearly 100 million. The year 2017 is very crucial for the Department as we are hosting ‘Pravaasi Bharat’ in Gujarat for the first time. We shall be focussing on encouraging NRIs and other prospective investors to participate in the event.” Emphasizing the importance of tourism in generating employment, Dr. E.V. Ramana Reddy, I.A.S, stated,”About 10 years ago, it was said that growth would be a precursor for generating jobs. Today, the apt phrase for development related to many industries would be growth ‘without’ jobs as the increased use of technology, mechanization and robotics has reduced the need for manpower in industries like IT, etc. Fortunately, it is not the case in the travel and tourism industry as it is a labour-intensive one.” The awards function was followed by a light music programme and dinner.

• The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during May, 2016 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (20.48%) followed by USA (15.68%), UK (7.56%), Malaysia (3.74%), Sri Lanka (3.39%), China (3.24%), Japan (2.69%), Canada (2.62%), Germany (2.48%), Australia (2.42%), Singapore (2.23%), France (2.14%), Nepal (2.06%), Pakistan (1.73%), and Oman (1.66%). • The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during May 2016 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (26.37%) followed by Mumbai Airport (17.30%), Haridaspur Land check post (11.78%),Chennai Airport (9.03%), Bengaluru Airport (7.54%), Kolkata Airport (4.66%), Cochin Airport (3.89%), Hyderabad Airport (3.71%), Gede Rail (2.73%), Trivandrum Airport (1.76%), Ahmadabad Airport (1.68%), Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.67%), AttariWagah (1.38%), Goa Airport (0.82%), and Ghojadanga land check post (0.65%).

2016 were Rs.10,285 crore as compared to Rs.9,505 crore in May, 2015 and Rs. 7,936 crore in May, 2014. • The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms during May, 2016 over May, 2015 was 8.2% as compared to the growth of 19.8% in May, 2015

THE YOUR GATEWAY TO THE OUTBOUND TRAVEL MARKET

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

he Department of Tourism, Govt. of Karnataka, in association with the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FKCCI) organised the maiden edition of Karnataka Tourism Awards to felicitate outstanding players in the state’s travel and tourism industry.

Incredible India

31>>

LY M

U LT

over May, 2014.

over January- May, 2014.

• FEEs from tourism in rupee terms during January- May 2016 were Rs. 62,333 crore with a growth of 14.4% as compared to the FEE of Rs. 54,471 crore with a growth of 7.3% during January- May, 2015

• FEEs in US$ terms during the month of May, 2016 were US$ 1.537 billion as compared to FEEs of US$ 1.491 billion during the month of May, 2015 and US$ 1.337 billion in May, 2014.

EST

INA

TIO

U LT

ITY

EUROPE EDITION 16 - 24 January 2017

Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi

GLOBAL EDITION 5 - 11 February 2017 Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai

MIDDLE EAST EDITION

19 - 22 March 2017 Dubai, Kuwait, Doha

Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from Tourism in India • FEEs during the month of May,

www.voyagersworld.in

Incredible India

32>>

west bengal: reminiscing india’s spiritual culture

Travel Technology

33>>

NOW AN APP for effective time management at airports

VW BUREAU

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

West Bengal is the birthplace of the worldwide spiritual movement called the Ramakrishna movement,

InTRANSIT social networking app allows you to connect with fellow-passengers for both business and

spearheaded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna.

social connections, says Vig Kannan, Managing Director, NANNAK Technologies-inTRANSIT. app will soon go live on iOS.

i Belur Math The Calcutta Belur Math was founded in 1938 by Swami Vivekananda, the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, paying homage to his guru. It is situated at a distance of about 6.4 km from Howrah Station on the banks of the Hooghly River. Belur Math of Kolkata, India is a very important pilgrimage place. It houses a beautiful monastery, several temples and also has the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission. This international tourist attraction place is based on the principle of religious fraternity, as was advocated by Ramakrishna Paramhansa. This is also reflected in the architectural design of Math, which exhibits a blend of temple, church and mosque patterns. The centre became the hub of spiritual excellence with the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, the chief apostle of Sri Ramakrishna. He had stayed here in a two-storied house. The house is auspiciously maintained for visitors to have a look at the personal belongings and other interests of Swami Vivekananda. The temple is visited by scholars of many fields from all over the world for their profound admiration to the Hindu prophet. Cossipore Udyanbati Historically significant house, this ‘Udyanbati’ is a sanctimonious place for Hindu Pilgrimage since Sri Sri Ramakrishna went into deep meditation with the state of ecstasy to become ‘Kalpataru’ – in memory of which every 1 January is celebrated with religious fervour. Sri Sri Ramakrishna, with his few disciples, spent the last part of his life here and his mortal remains were left in the form of ‘Mahasamadhi’. This ‘Udyanbati’ has been declared as a branch of Ramakrishna Math in 1946. Since then, this Udyanbati has been successfully carrying forward the great legacy of Sri Sri Ramakrishna. House of Swami Vivekananda Situated at 3, Gour Mohan Mukherjee Street, the ancestral house of Swami Vivekananda is another sacred destination of Hindu pilgrimage, characterized by aweinspiring look and grandeur. With the patronage of both the centre and the state governments, this house is a ‘seat of learning’ in its diverse form of research and cultural activities. Scholars both from abroad and here can conduct research work on the relevance of Vivekananda’s messages on Vedanta, Upanishads and on metaphysical aspects of spiritualism in the context of cultural renaissance in the 19th century and today. Dakshineswar Kali Temple The Dakshineswar Kali Temple was founded around the middle of the 19th century by Rani Rashmoni. Rani Rashmoni was a Mahishya by caste and was a well known philanthropist. In 1847, Rashmoni prepared to go on a long pilgrimage to Kashi to express her devotions to the divine mother. She was to travel in 24 boats, carrying relatives, servants and supplies. The night before the pilgrimage began, Rashmoni had a vision of the Divine Mother, in the form of Goddess Kali in a dream and reportedly said “There is no need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges River and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place.” Profoundly affected by the dream, Rani immediately looked for and purchased a 20-acre plot in the village of Dakshineswar. The large temple complex was built between 1847 and 1855. The 20-acre plot was bought from an Englishman John Hastie and was then known as Saheban Bagicha, partly an old Muslim burial ground shaped like a tortoise. It took eight years and Rs. 900,000 to complete the construction and finally the idol of Goddess Kali was installed on the Snana Yatra day on 31 May 1855, amid festivities at the temple formally known as Sri Sri Jagadishwari Mahakali, with Ramkumar Chhattopadhyay as the head priest; soon his younger brother Gadai or Gadadhar (later known as Ramakrishna) moved in and so did nephew Hriday to assist him. On 31 May 1855 over one lakh Brahmins were invited from different parts of the country to grace the auspicious occasion. The next year, Ramkumar Chhattopadhyay died and the position was given to Ramakrishna, along with his wife Sarada Devi, who stayed in the south side of the Nahabat (music room), in a small room on the ground floor, which now has a shrine dedicated to her. Here, under a huge Banyan tree, namely ‘Pachabati’, Sri Sri Ramakrishna got his spiritual attainment through deep meditation. From then on and until his death 30 years later in 1886, Ramakrishna was responsible for bringing much in the way of both fame and pilgrims to the temple. Rani Rashmoni lived only for five years and nine months after the inauguration of the temple. She seriously fell ill in 1861. Realizing that her death was near she decided to handover the property she purchased in Dinajput (now in Bangladesh) as a legacy for the maintenance of the temple to the temple trust. She accomplished her task on 18 February 1861 and died on the next day.

Voyager’s World > July 2016

nTRANSIT is the world’s first airport social networking app that allows one to make the most of those long hours in airport departure lounges. The inTRANSIT Lounge, the social networking component of the app, allows a traveller to connect with fellow passengers for both business and social connections. Launched on Android in February 2016, the

“There are two types of solo travellers globally - the business travellers and leisure travellers that include younger social backpackers who can make friends all around the world. We have had over 1500 downloads and hundreds of social connections and retail searches till date,” says Vig Kannan, Managing Director, Nannak Technologies, while adding that the response from the airport merchants that it has partnered with has also been tremendous. The app enhances a passenger’s end-to-end airport experience through shopping within inTRANSIT’s retail module. With over 9000 store listings across 100 international airports, inTRANSIT is a one-stop shop to find deals, offers

and discounts with retailers. Further, if you ever get lost at an airport, you can find your way around the maze of stores at the tip of your fingers. With a lot of airports challenging to improve passenger experience, given the number of flight delays and long layover hours, the app’s features are aimed at becoming handier for the passengers for an end-to-end airport experience. “While airports are focusing on improving business processes (check-ins, security, immigration, etc.) and providing additional services such as more retail options, through inTRANSIT, we are also able to understand a lot more about customer behaviour and preferences over the course of many trips.”

Usage network Currently, inTRANSIT is available at 100 international airports and in Mumbai and Delhi airports. By the end of 2016, Vig expects it to expand to over 200 airports including Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Marketing plans Currently, our main marketing campaigns are run through social media and predominantly Google Adwords. It also reaches out through partnerships with travel agents and hotels. “In the near future, we intend to reach out to our users at multiple points in their travel journey, including when tickets and hotel reservations are made, on the journey to and from the airports as well as within the airports themselves,” he concluded.

SOCIAL NETWORKING COULD SET TREND FOR INTERESTING TRAIN JOURNEYS IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Vikas Jagetiya, Founder, OMitra, aims to redefine train travel through social networking and keeping the passenger updated on the train’s services at any given point of time during the journey. Jagetiya, the app’s Founder. “OMitra helps connecting co-passengers on the same train, downloading the food menu on the train route, setting a wake-up alarm at 30 km before one’s destination, downloading the train’s route offline which will automatically update its status every 15 minutes, etc. This is specially useful for elders.”

he OMitra Train Social App is the first company in India to bring social togetherness for train travellers. It comes with many features as seat change, taxi/autosharing, networking, discovering friends, etc. “We are focusing on students and solo travellers for networking with passengers and are open to new ideas,” begins Vikas

Users must enter their PNR numbers to use this functionality on OMitra and will automatically connect with passengers of the train. This is similar to creating a WhatsApp group. For privacy purposes, the user can choose to share his details only with friends, friends of friends, all or none. One can also complain about the security and amenities of the train through the app.

Currently, OMitra has 43,000 users and above and the numbers are growing every month at 10%; all of them are referred by existing users. Vikas expects to achieve four lakh users more and plans to add more innovative social features only in India by end of 2016 like My Travels Buddy Alerts, discovering friends and acquaintances on the train and

many more services. OMitra plans to change the way people coordinate travel journeys. Observing the number of travellers to be at 500 million annually, Vikas says, “In this shared economy, a rail traveller’s contribution is zero. Through OMitra’s innovative product/service idea, we want to make a system where a user can earn while on his regular travel.”

www.voyagersworld.in

India Outbound

34>>

INDABA 2016 AFRICA concludes with resounding success!

India Outbound

35>>

seychelles set to tap wedding & honeymoon market in india

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

South African Tourism organised a trip to cover INDABA 2016, a three-day event, marked by colour and

The tourism board is keen to tap the wedding market in the country by leveraging the influence of

vibrant culture that reflected the essence of the country’s tourism.

Bollywood, coupled with picturesque venues and locations. Air Seychelles, Constance Ephelia Resort, AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa, Sainte Anne Resort & Spa, Banyan Tree Seychelles, Le Relax Hotels - Seychelles, Enchanted Island Resort, Ethiopian Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Akquasun Group. Sherin Naiken, CEO of Seychelles Tourism Board was present too.

H A

frica’s Top Travel trade show, INDABA, took place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban ICC) from 7 to 9 May and was attended by a total of 7 292 delegates. Seventeen countries from across the African continent exhibited with 96% of the space available utilized efficiently. There were exhibitors from 18 countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, etc. all under one roof. The entire event was a colourful mix of key buyers and sellers from across the globe. By the end of this three-day show, 3000 more meetings were held as compared to last year. With the number of hosted buyers and exhibitors also up, close to 6 000 meetings took place on the opening day of the INDABA while the second day saw over 5 000 meetings held. In total 14 000 quality meetings were held over the three days of the show. “INDABA is a world-class event that is about offering exhibitors an opportunity to do business. This significant increase in meetings shows that our strategic aim of putting the exhibitors at the forefront of business success paid off. We are pleased with the quality of meetings held as this is an indication of the potential that tourism has to contribute to the economy through the connections made at INDABA”, says Acting Chief Executive Officer at

Voyager’s World > July 2016

South African Tourism, Sthembiso Dlamini. Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager – South African Tourism, India also said that, “INDABA 2016 was one of the most successful trade engagements for us. INDABA is the largest platform for our trade partners to learn about the great products and iconic experiences that South Africa has to offer. As more and more Indians put South Africa on their itinerary, it is essential that our travel partners have access to resources that will enable to deepen their destination knowledge and hone their expertise. South Africa offers visitors numerous activities and experiences, and there’s something for everyone, right from wildlife to adventure, culture & lifestyle to indulgent luxury. INDABA is always the best place for our partners to witness the breadth and depth of our offerings. We’re certain that INDABA has helped equip our partners to better sell South Africa by providing tailor-made packages to Indian tourists.” One of the trade partners,Ms. RanjanaJetley, Director at Universal Must Take Holidays Pvt Ltdsaid, “INDABA was a great window, for people in thetravel industry, to explore, connect and promote tourism in South Africa. The themes of culture, wild life and adventure provided a 360 degree perspective, for pan African tourism opportunities

to be utilized to its maximum.” For the first time this year, there was a dedicated Hidden Gems Zone that showcased 70 Small Medium Microsized Enterprises (SMME) services. The hosting of the 70 SMMEs is significant as it serves not only to empower the small business by giving them market access but also to enhance and broaden South Africa’s tourism offering through showcasing the lesser-known products and services to buyers from across the globe. Dlamini adds that “A big part of our mandate is to make sure that we are a leader in the tourism industry by creating and facilitating profitable opportunities for the South African tourism industry. It is therefore gratifying to see that some of the SMMEs that we brought to INDABA signed deals at the event. The importance of this global platform for SMMEs cannot be emphasized enough as it also adds to strengthening our domestic tourism which is the backbone of the sector.” Speed marketing sessions also gave exhibitors an opportunity to take center stage to sell, their products and services to international buyers throughout the three days of INDABA. Another trade partner, Mr. Siddharth Jain, Director at Click to Travel

in Delhi expressed that, “Speed marketing was a great way to network with so many stakeholders and owners in a short time. The meticulous planning and a balanced selection of exhibitor’s, gave us (buyers) an opportunity to witness a variety of suppliers, which was indeed commendable work by Team INDABA. It definitely is one of the top 5 events and exhibitions I like, out of the many I attend.” With technology leading the way in the tourism industry, the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) announced progress made on the Tourism Analytics Programme (TAP). This program takes the classification process to the digital/social sphere, and entails integration of content from some key online travel review websites like TripAdvisor, Bookings.com, Trivago into the TGCSA’s grading system. The insights from the TAP program enable TGCSA assessors to offer holistic assessments of accommodation and conferencing establishments. “We would like to thank our tourism industry for their continued support and participation at INDABA. It is only when we work together that we can continue showcasing the best of our destination and ultimately increase tourist arrivals to our country and to the rest of our continent,” concludes Dlamini.

.E. Alain St.Ange, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Seychelles, visited Bangalore and Chennai as part of a two-city roadshow to showcase the island destination to the travel trade in the key South markets. The other participants who were part of the delegation were Holidays Box, Kempinski Seychelles Resort, Eden Bleu Hotel,

“We are keen to work to increase the visibility of Seychelles here in India, not just in Mumbai and Delhi – we are strong in the national capital and in Mumbai market due to the air connectivity -yet, we are looking at positioning ourselves as a dream destination in the south market. Chennai has a special connection with Seychelles as we have a sizeable population of the Tamils

settled in our country,” says H.E. Alain St. Ange. Why Seychelles? Presently, wedding groups, Free & Independent Travellers (FITs) and the film industry form a major part of the visitor traffic from India to Seychelles. The tourism board is looking at how it can open itself for Bollywood. “Actor John Abraham’s upcoming movie has been shot here. We aim to woo wedding groups, honeymooners and those wishing to celebrate anniversaries. Seychelles is known for its friendliness and beautiful islands.” He goes on to add that Seychelles is impeccable when it comes to safety, at a time when planes go missing and bombs go off in tourist spots, besides being disease-free. “You can plan a trip to

the place even at the last minute as we are a visa-free country. We have a room inventory of 11,000 beds, ranging from extra luxury to normal categories and average holiday establishments.” Marketing plans for the year The tourism board has planned a mix of activities for the Indian market which has a large population base. It is engaging on social media too as it is a cost-effective platform to reach the target directly. “Tourism is the bread and butter of our economy. It contributes 26% of the GDP directly and 60% indirectly. All the activities such as financial institutions, agriculture, transport, construction, etc. are inter-related and inter-linked for tourism. Our survival depends on the industry,” he signs off.

britain’s exit from eu throws open speculations amid indian travel trade VW BUREAU

The Brexit outcome has created a lot of speculations and uncertainty about the long-term repercussions on the travel and tourism business. Here is what some of the travel industry players had to say.

he travel industry is abuzz with myriad opinions, comments, uncertainties, predictions and speculations as to what could happen to outbound travel on account of Britain’s exit from the European Union. Some of the industry players share their views on the same. Sharat Dhall, President Yatra.com says, “Brexit has resulted in a big drop in the value of the Pound and if this trend remains then we could see a surge in leisure tourism to Britain, as it will become significantly cheaper. However, it is too early to establish that this drop in the Pound will be sustained and we are yet to see any surge in travel bookings to the UK. A drop in the Pound could

also result in an increase in students from India choosing the UK as a destination as it will make education significantly cheaper there.” Rakshit Desai, Mananging Director India, FCM travel Solutions & Flight Shop, said, “With the peak leisure season behind us, we don’t foresee very discernible impact of Brexit on global travel to U.K, at least till the next summer. However, for those planning a vacation in the immediate future, the exchange rates are expected to provide for 5-7% savings in package costs. Also, as the British summer is still going strong, we would advise any travellers planning an international trip in the near future, to consider U.K. as a destination. We don’t see

any immediate effect on ease of travel, since there are no changes in aspects like visa processes. It is probably in the next couple of years that any further developments on this front would play out. Madhavan Menon, Chairman & MD, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. said, “Currently travellers need separate visas for the United Kingdom and Europe and this is unlikely to change anytime in the foreseeable future. Our various businesses at Thomas Cook India, including the foreign exchange business remains fully hedged. The current volatility will not impact our core business in any way, however we will witness wide spreads in the currency trade for the short term and expect that the market

will settle down and currencies will find their own levels. On our product strategy, we constantly review prices in line with the input cost and that will remain unchanged,” said. Members of the Society for Incentive Excellence (SITE) from around the globe share their perspectives on how the decision may impact the industry in the short term. “It is critical that our industry maintain a keep calm and carry on approach in order to minimize any potential impact on incentive travel programs and other business events,” cautioned Paul Miller, SITE past president and managing director, Spectra DMC headquartered in London.

www.voyagersworld.in

Flight Talk

36>>

punjab, gujarat to get non-stop flight to meet extended ‘pop’ulace in uk!

Flight Talk

37>>

scoot keen to utilize untapped opportunities in indian aviation

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

(Nino) Navdip Singh Judge, Chairman and Principal of POP, dwells at length over the soon-to-be-launched

Scoot aims to leverage on its cost-effective fares, coupled with premium product offerings, to attract

aircraft that will connect the Indian diaspora in the UK and Amritsar and Ahmedabad.

Indian travellers, says Bharath Mahadevan, Country Head, Scoot, India.

The needs of the VFR and leisure/ tourism markets will be met at affordable prices and at service levels that will ensure market penetration by word of mouth.

OP (an acronym for ‘People Over Profit’), the new low-cost, longhaul airline, is aiming to be the only current operator of non-stop flights between the UK and Amritsar and Ahmedabad. The operations are

expected to begin from the final quarter of this year. “We are aiming for an October launch. Unless we get delayed, we hope to commence operations then with three weekly flights. The airline’s office will

The Travel Agency Accounting Software

Switch Your Manual Accounting to

Travel Soft Faster I Easier I Accurate Enquiry and Feedback Reminder System Invoicing and Package Tour Vouchers Cash and Bank Entries Service Tax and TDS Calculations Credit Notes for Cancellations Exhaustive MIS Reports

For Free Demo and Purchase Call: Pushkar - 09371021669 E mail: enquiry@travelsoft.in

Voyager’s World > July 2016

be headquartered in Stansted,” says (Nino) Navdip Singh Judge, Chairman & Principal of POP. Nino says that the idea to start the airline was sowed in January 2013. “It was my original idea to start a lowcost, non-stop airline between the UK and Amritsar and Ahmedabad. Graham Hovard, our COO, who has a huge amount of experience in the airline industry put all the numbers together to check the proposition.” Presently, it is engaging in a rewardsbased crowd funding to launch the airline, which involves the offer of Gold Passes, each priced at £500, which come with eight VIP benefits. POP will offer the first 7000 people to receive a Gold Pass this first benefit - a return seat to any POP destination; with the next 3,000 people being offered an off-peak return seat. Other benefits that would be of particular interest to the UK Punjabis and Gujaratis planning traditional weddings, is that they are entitled to free and unlimited name changes on all tickets bought with a Gold Pass and an extra luggage allowance of a third 23kg suitcase. It also makes it easy for guests to attend such occasions. Nino reveals that funds have started to come in from Indian and British investors. In addition, these new routes will enable the parties living in the UK to make pre-wedding trips for wedding shopping. The visiting friends and relatives (VFR) and leisure/tourism sectors are one of India’s fastest growing aerospace markets. POP directly targets these while offering the business sector two new routes with a tailored, non-stop service.

Business model Further to its acronym, ‘People over Profit’, the airline has a ‘caring capitalist’ business model. The airline will donate a minimum of 51% of its profits to charities in both the UK and India. By flying with POP, they will be contributing to the improvement of the Punjabi and Gujarati communities in both countries. “We are actually providing not only business and revenue opportunities but also charities.” “We are advertising in local newspapers and we are doing it through cable channels and are starting a radio campaign as well. We will use the same mechanism to sell tickets. We will definitely utilize the online platform – OTAs for selling tickets and also engage one selected GSA.” “Currently we have one A300 in our fleet and we plan to add one new aircraft every six months. Later, we aim to increase our services to six days a week. In our 13th month, we hope to commence operations to Kolkata and Goa. In the second year, we also want to get one aircraft to connect the travellers to Toronto and New York through Stansted.” Hoping to start the bookings from 1 August, 2016, Nino says that the Gold Pass is a five-year loyalty programme in which you get one free return ticket that can be redeemed any time during the five years. In addition to serving non-stop flights, he opines that this airline would indirectly benefit tourism. “We also anticipate that the tourism industry would be revitalized as our services to Amritsar and Ahmedabad will serve as gateways to tourist attractions like Delhi and Shimla. That way, we are also targeting the leisure market,” he sums up.

affluence of the middle class, Bharat Mahadevan, the Country Head of Scoot -India, believes that with its services to Chennai, Amritsar and Jaipur, India will become the number two market for the Singapore Airlines group in terms of the destinations, after China. For Scoot alone, India will become the third market after China and Australia.

coot, which launched its services from Singapore to Amritsar and Chennai in May, intends to offer Indians the option to fly internationally at affordable fares with superior product offerings. Citing the largely untapped growth opportunities in the Indian aviation industry, backed by by a strong GDP growth, a burgeoning young population and the rising

“We have received positive responses from Indian guests and are seeing strong load factors since our launch. Scoot’s travel proposition combining affordable value airfares with superior product offerings, along with a stringent focus on safety, is resonating strongly with our Indian guests.” “Guests from India can now fly

to amazing destinations in our Asia-Pacific network through the Singapore hub, as well as onward with Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Tigerair. The SIA Group offers the second largest international reach out of India in terms of offering direct international flights out of Indian cities. We also have interline partnerships with Virgin Australia and Nok Air, the latter being our joint venture partner in NokScoot.”

Focusing on the leisure market, Scoot’s strategy includes targeting both independent and group travellers, depending on the originating market. Its 787 Dreamliner is a spacious aircraft with premium and economy class, in-flight Wi-Fi and in-seat power which have proven to be strong differentiators for Scoot in the budget space.

91% airlines plan to invest in cyber security programs: sita Courtesy: Tnooz.com

A study by SITA shows that airlines are investing in programmes over the next three years to enhance their cyber security measures.

irlines are making cyber security a higher priority with 91% planning to invest in programs over the next three years. The latest Airline IT Trends Survey from SITA shows the figure is up from three years when only 47% said they were making “advanced preparations to manage cyber risks.” The study shows almost half of airlines (48%) think they are prepared for the common types of cyber threats compared to three years ago when only 17% believed this was true. In addition, almost a quarter (24%) now see themselves as “robustly prepared” to deal with any type of cyber threat compared to only 5% in 2013.So, why such a hot topic now?

You only have to look at headlines in recent months to see the increase in cyber attacks and added to that, experts say the growing number of devices used in and around airports means an increased risk.

times a year. At the same session, Faye Francy, executive director of the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Center added that it “costs little to create a really disruptive event.”

And, as attacks increase, trust in brands from consumers decreases. Aviation and security experts gathered at the recent ATIS 2016 said that “in 2016 it’s not about if you’re going to be hacked, it’s when.”

Los Angeles World Airports information chief Dominic Nessi, shared a 10-step plan which includes elements such as sharing information and sponsoring research and development in the area.

A gloomy thought perhaps but one of those experts, Dr. Simon Moores pointed out that last year half a billion records were stolen which, he said, suggests that businesses could suffer an attack up to three

Cyber security is not the only hot topic to be highlighted in the latest Airline IT Trends report with further insight including: -68% of airlines are investing in IoT programs in the next three years -46% believe IoT investment in

connected aircraft will mean a better experience - Today 37% operated connected airlines rising to two-thirds by 2019. Passenger services via smartphone and tablet are top areas for investment with 79% of carriers planning major investment in the former and 71% in tablets. Wearables continue to gain attention albeit with slow progress and smart glasses and watches are seen as having the most potential. As per the above slide, 40% of airlines plan to invest in wearables for staff in the next five years. In addition, almost 40% plan investment in wearable-enabled services for passengers in the same period of time.

www.voyagersworld.in

Flight Talk

38>>

new civil aviation policy to lend impetus to regional connectiviy PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

The steps are expected to enable greater regional connectivity and subsequently increase domestic travel, boost tourism and improve economy.

he Minister of Civil Aviation Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju released the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 in New Delhi last month. This is the first time since independence that an integrated Civil Aviation Policy has been brought out by the Ministry. Speaking on the occasion Shri Raju said that the centre-piece of the policy is to make regional air connectivity a reality. He said that the policy aims to take flying to the masses by making it affordable and convenient, establish an integrated eco-system which will lead to significant growth of the civil aviation sector to promote tourism, employment and balanced regional growth, enhance regional connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure development and enhance ease of doing business through deregulation, simplified procedures and e-governance. The policy is very comprehensive, covering 22 areas of the Civil Aviation sector. Its salient features are as follows: Regional Connectivity Scheme • This scheme will come into effect in the second quarter of 2016-17 • Airfare of about Rs2500 per passenger for a one-hour flight This will be implemented by way of: • Revival of airstrips/airports as No-Frills Airports at an indicative cost of Rs.50 crore to Rs100 crore •Demand driven selection of

Voyager’s World > July 2016

Airports/airstrips for revival in consultation with State Govts and airlines • Viability Gap Funding (VGF)to airline operators • RCS only in those states which reduce VAT on ATF to 1% or less, provide other support services and 20% of VGF • Concessions by Stakeholders • There will be no airport charges • Reduced Service tax on tickets (on 10% of the taxable value) for 1 year initially • Reduced Excise duty at 2% on ATF picked at RCS airports • State government will provide police and fire services free of cost. Power, water and other utilities at concessional rates • Creation of Regional Connectivity fund for VGF through a small levy per departure on all domestic flights other than Cat II/ Cat IIA routes, RCS routes and small aircraft below 80 seats at a rate as decided bythe Ministry from time to time Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) • Category I to be rationalized based on a transparent criteria, i.e., flying distance of more than 700km, average seat factor of 70% and above and annual traffic of 5 lakh passengers • The percentage of Cat.I traffic to be deployed on Cat.II, and IIA will remain the same while for CATIII it will be 35%. Routes to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh included in Category II

• Revised categorization to apply from winter schedule of 2017 • There view of routes will be done by MoCA once every5 years • Withdrawal or revision of domestic operations to and within North East Region etc, subject to full compliance of RDG, can be done under prior intimation to MoCA at least three months before withdrawal or revision of the service Bilateral Traffic Rights • GoI will enter into ‘Open Sky’ ASA on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries and countries located beyond 5000 km from Delhi • For countries within 5000 km radius, where the Indian carriers have not utilised 80% of their capacity entitlements but foreign carriers /countries have utilised their bilateral rights, a method will be recommended by a Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary for the allotment of additional capacity entitlements • Whenever designated carriers of India have utilised 80% their capacity entitlements, the same will be renegotiated in the usual manner. Ground Handling Policy • The Ground Handling Policy/ Instructions/Regulations will be replaced by a new framework. • The airport operator will ensure that there will be three Ground Handling Agencies (GHA) including Air India’s subsidiary/JV at all major airports as defined in AERA Act

• At non-major airports, the airport operator to decide on the number of ground handling agencies, based on the traffic output, airside and terminal building capacity • All domestic scheduled airline operators including helicopter operators will be free to carry out self-handling at all airports through their regular employees • Hiring of employees through manpower supplier or contract workers will not be permitted for security reasons Aviation Security, Immigration and customs • MoCA will develop ‘service delivery modules’ for aviation security, Immigration, Customs, quarantine officers etc in consultations with respective Ministries/Departments • Allow Indian carriers to provide security services to other domestic airlines subject to approval of BCAS • Encourage use of private security agencies at airports for non- core security functions to be decided in consultation with MHA • Such agencies should be registered under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005 and will also be separately accredited by BCAS • Subject to minimum benchmarks being met, security architecture at the different airports will be proportionate to the threat classification and traffic volume.

IITM EVENTS 2016 - 2017 Chennai 29, 30, 31 July 2016

Pune 25, 26, 27 November 2016

Bangalore 05, 06, 07 August 2016

Hyderabad 02, 03, 04 December 2016

Mumbai 23, 24, 25 September 2016

Kochi 12, 13, 14 January 2017

(Delhi) Gurgaon 30 Sep, 1,2 Oct 2016

Kolkata 24, 25, 26 February 2017 Supported By

Organised By

SPHERE TRAVELMEDIA & EXHIBITIONS PRIVATE LIMITED #245, 7th Main, Amar Jyothi Layout Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India

Phone : 080-4083 4100 Fax : 080-4083 4101 Email : info@iitmindia.com

Visit our Website for more Details

www.iitmindia.com

40>>

FESTIVALS OF THE WORLD 22-24 July

5-7 August

Bavarian Beer Festival, Munich

San Francisco's outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

he Bavarian beer festival will be celebrating their 500th anniversary from 22-24 July in Munich with locals and guests from all over the world. Some 100 Bavarian breweries will be presenting their best beers in the area of the Feldherrnhalle and Odeonsplatz. Thousands of visitors can enjoy the beer diversity of Bavaria at the beer benches between white pagodas and high-class tents. The event highlights the traditional Bavarian Folk music, the unique diversity of Bavarian beers and delicacies from Bavaria.

he San Francisco’s outside Lands Music & Arts Festival takes place from 5-7 August, a 3 day event showcasing on expect music, art, comedy, shopping, and gastro magic, fills the park’s meadows and glades with a platinum-album lineup of rock and other music royalty. The Grammy winners including Phish, Arcade Fire, and Kings of Leon have all rocked the stages here, along with impressive up-and- comers. The Outside Lands is also known for swanky food and wine options.

11-24 July

1st July-7th August

he Galway International Arts Festival is celebrated in Galway on the Wild Atlantic Way that takes place from 11-24 July, the festival features hundreds of performances and exhibitions in a convergence of arts and arts aficionados, creating one of Europe’s most important cultural events.The fortnight of arts will showcase an international programme of theatre, dance, music, talks, comedy and visual arts in a city like Galway known world over for its friendly people, culture, shopping and nightlife.

Galway International Arts Festival, Galway,Ireland

Taiwan Balloon Festival, Taiwan

he Balloon Festival a famous festival that takes place from 1July to 7 August in the country. The festival includes flying shows, mooring activities, balloon rides, a night glow music concert, balloon wedding celebrations, and a summer camp. The Balloonists from around the world come over for this colorful festival. The hot air balloon trend promotes the local tourism and this is an attractive activity for the tourists and can get a glimpse of this splendor.

18 June -17 July

16 July

inabayo Festival is celebrated in honour of St.James in Dapitan city Philippines on 16th July. This annual event attracts tourists in large numbers. The main attractions of the event are the reenactment of the different battles during the Spanish era. The event also includes the street carnivals, performances at dusk as well the local trade fairs. The tourists can also enjoy the motocross competition as well as the exciting Jet Ski exhibition parties and experience a perfect blend of culture.

Kinbayo Festival, Philippines Voyager’s World > July 2016

atariki festival is celebrated throughout New Zealand from 18 June to 17 July in the major towns and cities with cultural performances, workshops, talks and demonstrations. Matariki is also known as the Pleiades star cluster or other names in Africa, Asia, South America and the Pacific.The rising of the star cluster Matariki has always been an important time for Māori population that historically marks a time for remembrance, a time for celebration and a time for planning the year ahead.

Matariki winter festival, New Zealand

End July-Beginning August 22-24 July

omorrowland is held from 22-24 July in the Boom ambience from Antwerp, Belgium the biggest electronic dance music festival, entertaining more than 180,000 people every year. The event highlights lively music, unforgettable experience, camping, unending party atmosphere. This year’s main stage feature live performances of some of the famous figures like David Guetta, Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman, Afrojack, Steve Angello, Alesso. Tomorrowland is all set to feature a live video connection from Tomorrowland’s main stage along with live DJ.

he two-day Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival is held in Cary, North Carolina around the end of July and early August that features different types of beers and bourbons with plenty of barbecue. One should get ready to pile your plate high with succulent pulled pork, saucy ribs and savory brisket, accompanied by traditional sides like potato salad, coleslaw and baked beans. The festival also features live music and seminars given by bourbon distillers and barbecue pit masters.

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival, North Carolina, USA Tomorrowland, Belgium

Happenings

42>>

43>>

Dr V Venu is new Kerala Tourism Secretary

Signature Club Resort at Brigade Orchards

Karnataka Tourism appoints licensed 'Tourist Guides'

he BCV Developers Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture of Brigade Enterprises with Classic Group and Valmark recently launched its Signature Club Resort at Brigade Orchards on 26 June. The resort offers 40 Executive and five Suite rooms in Devanahalli. The event was inaugurated by R.V Deshpande, Minister of Industries and Infrastructure, Pilla Munishamappa, MLA – Devanahalli, along with Jaishankar, CMD Brigade Group, Amar Mysore, VP, BCV Developers Pvt Ltd and Vineet Verma, Executive Director, Brigade Hospitality.

1st Meeting of National Committee on Ramayana Circuit & Krishna Circuit held

RezLive.com organized FAM Trip to Sri Lanka and Maldives

Stayzilla.com signs MoU with Uttarakhand Tourism

Wyndham Hotel Group Regional VP wins accolade

VFS Global launches Czech Republic VAC in Bangalore

he newly elected Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala brought back Dr. V Venu, IAS, as the new Tourism Secretary for the state. A Kerala cadre IAS, Dr Venu was Tourism Secretary in the State during the last Left government between 2006 and 2011. By bringing back an expert officer in the department, the new government has made its intention for tourism in the state clear. The election manifesto of the Left Front has unequivocally stated its target to double tourist numbers in the next five years. Dr. Venu was behind the Kerala Tourism’s popular Rural and Responsible Tourism initiatives, which received global acclaim in recent times.

he ‘1st Meeting of National Committee on Ramayan Circuit and National Committee on Krishna Circuit’ under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism held by the Ministry of Tourismunder the chairmanship of the Minister of Tourism & Culture Dr. Mahesh Sharma in June. The Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Vinod Zutshi, experts and senior officers were present. Presentations were made on pan-India Ramayana & Krishna Circuit on the occasion. Under Ramayana Circuit, 11 destinations spread across 6 states were proposed. The destinations covered are Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringhverpur & Chitrakoot; Sitamarhi, Buxar & Darbhanga; Jagdalpur; Bhadrachalam; Hampi and Rameshwaram. Under Krishna circuit, 12 destinations spread across five states were proposed. They are Dwarka; Nathdwara, Jaipur & Sikar; Kurukshetra, Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon & Govardhan and Puri.

ezLive.com organized a Fam trip for Indian travel agents to Sri Lanka and Maldives, in association with Sri Lankan Airlines, Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, Lily Beach Resort & Spa Maldives and OZO Colombo & Kandy Sri Lanka, from 15 -21 June. Jaal Shah, Group MD– Travel Designer Group & Founder – RezLive.com, said, “The fam trip was a good opportunity to let the agents experience the hotels along with other popular attractions in the city, which will help them advise clients planning a trip to Sri Lanka and Maldives accordingly. The group enjoyed the trip and was very satisfied with the properties visited, Sri Lankan Airlines on flight service and local sightseeing. We plan to host more familiarization trips in future as this is a great way to promote the city and receive more visitors from the region.”

he Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, issued Guide Licence & ID cards to new ‘Tourist Guides’ in June in Bangalore. The new ‘Tourist Guides’, who have completed the Comprehensive Guide Training programme at various universities, will be available at various tourist destinations in the state to provide information to tourists. The Department of Tourism tied up with five universities across the state to provide comprehensive guide training programme. 111 students completed the training programme successfully and were handed over the guide licence & ID card on the occasion. Under this training programme the selected candidates are taught about tourist places, with good communication skill and friendly behaviour. Apart from history of the places, students are also trained in soft skills and any one foreign language like French, Russian and German for seamless communication with respective foreign tourists. Also, on the occasion, the second and third batches of ‘Tourist Mitra’, consisting of 298 home guards were also inducted. 84 female Tourist Mitra’s were part of this induction ceremony. In the second batch a total of 174 Home Guards out of which 66 female home guards were trained and in the third batch 123 home guards out of which 18 female home guards were trained under this programme.

tayzilla.com and Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) signed an MoU to jointly promote and market homestays in Uttarakhand. The MoU was signed in the presence of the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Harish Rawat, Shailesh Bagauli, Secretary Tourism & CEO, Uttarakhand Tourism and Ankit Rastogi, Vice-President, Marketplace, Stayzilla.com. Under the MoU, Stayzilla will support verification procedures and jointly boost homestays across Uttarakhand. All homestays registered with UTDB will receive technological and operational support to run the homestays.

eepika Arora, Regional Vice President, Eurasia, Wyndham Hotel Group, was named as ‘Indian Affairs Innovative Woman CEO of the year 2016’ at the India Leadership Conclave Power Brand Awards 2016 held on 1 July in Mumbai. Deepika Arora was felicitated for her outstanding work and efforts in expanding the Wyndham Hotel Group’s footprint in the region with the Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn and Howard Johnson brands. Under the leadership of Arora, the Group has also transitioned the regional business offering from a pure franchise model and is preparing to introduce hotel management services to owners across Eurasia.

FS Global launched the Czech Republic Visa Application Centre in Bangalore in June. With this, applicants no longer have to travel to Mumbai or Delhi to apply for Schengen visas if the main country of their travel to Europe is the Czech Republic and can submit applications in Bangalore. HE Mr Milan Hovorka, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to India, said: ”It is my honor and privilege to inaugurate officially the third Visa Application Center of the Czech Republic in India. This step is yet another example of the importance the Czech Republic attaches to the case of expanding peopleto-people contacts between our two great nations.”

www.voyagersworld.in

Ground Travel

44>>

Top Appointments

45>>

myles CAR RENTALS to go LIVE in 50 CITIES BALAKRISHNA. G

Sakshi Vij, Founder & CEO Myles, talks about their growth in the last few years and the demand for selfdrive options in the country.

ith more and more Indian consumers looking at renting cars rather than buying them, the idea of self-drives could be the way forwrad for business travel and daily commute requirements. Sakshi Vij, Founder & CEO of Myles, talks about the latest trends in the segment. What inspired this segment? We saw a huge opportunity in the transportation industry which was much larger than the opportunity in the taxi industry that was being disrupted by multiple players across the world. It was a chance to disrupt the personal car ownership market. According to the Cars Online survey conducted by Capgemini in 2014 across 10000 respondents around the globe, it was observed that 59% Indians looking to buy a car were open to the idea of an alternative mode of ownership. This was primarily because of the need for greater flexibility, convenience and lower financial burden.

Subscription Form

The average usage of a car in a

year is less than 150 days. Over 200 days a year, a personal car sits in your garage depreciating in value and appreciating in cost owing to the maintenance and parking requirements. With this understanding, Myles was born. We started Myles after I had studied the growth of car sharing, self-drive services and technology enablers in the global landscape. While the initial idea was to start with a few cars and test the market, we received early success. We started with 14 cars and three cities in November 2013. We were sold out for the next one month in the first five days of our putting those cars on our platform. This proved the fact that the time was finally right for self drive rentals to grow in India. Within a year of launching Myles in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, we have expanded to over 1200 cars in 22 cities. There was, in fact, a latent demand from travellers in India who would love to explore Indian roads but did not really think it was possible to find a self-drive rental in the country. Sakshi predicts that self-drive would be the next engine of growth for travel in India. With the growing individualism and my space phenomena, we introduced MYLES, our self-drive option for all discerning users. The concept has seen a huge traction in the last year. With a few clicks on the mobile, one can now drive away with a car of

their choice for a price as low as Rs. 50/hr. This being a fraction of the cost of actually owning a car across categories, we see the product changing the car usage patterns by the young urban populations. Competition We are challenging the car ownership model and enabling aspiring youth to choose their drives as per the occasion. It has been established that weekend gateways, short trips and vacations are increasingly getting popular. A young professional drives to work in his sedan but may want a four-wheel drive for adventure holidays. Myles gives one the liberty and flexibility to choose from 38 car models depending on the occasion, mood and requirement. We are seeing a surge in demand from the Tier-2 cities as well. Myles is unsettling the fundamental behaviour of ownership and the shift has been observed where more and more customers prefer renting a car over buying one. The aim is to connect the user to a car and one an alternative method of transport which is cost-effective, saves time and based on need. Long before creating a demand for our service, we were credited for introducing self-drive as a category in India. We have expanded our services to 10 leading airports in the country to enable domestic and international travellers to hire a car right from the

airport. Whenever an international traveller is looking to travel to India, he can book his road travel in advance. In times to come, we are determined to expand this network. We have seen a surge in the demand from customers who are tourists, NRIs, young urban professionals and solo female travellers. Searches on our website have grown to over 8 lakhs a month from 95,000 a year ago. Our services have attracted interest in Tier-2 cities like Jaipur, Coimbature, Udaipur, Pune, Mysore and more. The positive response has encouraged us to expand the operations to smaller cities and new markets. Upcoming plans We have a concept called the Myles CafĂŠ in different cities every month to bring together our existing and potential consumers and share travel and car sharing stories. Besides that, we intend to take our referral campaigns to new level. With the help of technology, we are connecting the car owner to the user + ancillary services. To further cater to the growing demand for self-drive, we are ramping up our fleet to 5,000 Myles cars over the next one year. In the next four years, we would like to bring together a fleet of 50,000 cars in 50 cities spread across over 5000 locations. We want to provide a Myles car every 400 metres in a city. We are currently a community of more than 150,000 Mylers. We hope to get around five million members in the next five years.

City Pin State Tel. Fax E mail

Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > July 2016

Cheque/DD to be drawn in favour of Sphere Travel Media & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. Payment must accompany order with Enclosed herewith is my Cheque/DD Cheque/Draft No. Drawn on No 245 Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560071 Phone: 080- 4083 4100 editor@voyagersworld.in www.voyagersworld.in

Sascha Lenz

General Manager Grand Mercure Bangalore

Executive Assistant Manager Food and Beverage, Grand Hyatt Goa

he Grand Mercure Bangalore appoints Gaurav Shiva as the General Manager. He started his career with the Taj Group of Hotels and later moved to the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. He brings with him an experience of 17years in the hospitality industry and has worked in Europe, America and Asia.

rand Hyatt Goa appoints Sascha Lenz as the Executive Assistant Manager who will be responsible for planning, organizing of the food and beverage division .With over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry.He has been associated with hotels such as the Sheraton and the Mandarin Oriental,Grand Hyatt Berlin, Hyatt Regency Ekaterinburg.

Shul Ambwani

Namit Bhavsar

Director of Rooms Hyatt Pune

Director of Sales & Marketing Novotel Imagica Khopoli

hul Ambwani is appointed as the Director of Rooms of Hyatt Pune. He has an experience of over a decade. He started his career in 2005 with Taj Banjara, Hyderabad and followed by his association with brands like Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa, and Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, Hyatt Pune.

amit Bhavsar joins Novotel Imagica Khopoli as the Director of Sales and Marketing who will be responsible for improving all aspects of the sales, social and digital marketing communications. Prior to this, he has worked as the Associate Director of Sales at The St. Regis, Mumbai.

Rakesh Ramola

Ameet Wagh

Food and Beverage Manager Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa

General Manager-Sales (West) Sarovar Hotels

akesh Ramola has been appointed as the Food and Beverage Manager of the Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa. He brings with him more than 13 years of expertise in the hospitality industry. He has also worked at Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Hyatt Place Pune Hinjewadi, Hyatt Regency Mumbai and Grand Hyatt Doha.

1 Year, 12 Issues Rs. 800 (Inclusive of Rs. 200 for postage) 2 Year, 24 Issues Rs. 1,600 (Inclusive of Rs. 400 for postage) 3 Year, 36 Issues Rs. 2,400 (Inclusive of Rs. 600 for postage) Name Designation Company Name Address

Gaurav Shiva

meet Wagh joins Sarovar Hotels as the General Manager of Sales (West) . Prior to this, he has worked with Sun-n-Sand Hotels. He has also worked with various hotels like Sterling Holiday Resorts India, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, Intercontinental The Grand Mumbai, and Intercontinental Marine Drive.

Sanjiv Kapoor

Zubin Todiwalla

Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer Vistara

Rooms Division Manager Sofitel Mumbai BKC

ofitel Mumbai BKC appoints Zubin Todiwalla as the Rooms Division Manager for the hotel. In his new role, Zubin will be responsible for the overall functioning of the rooms division. He brings with him an experience of over 12 years of hospitality experience and has worked with Oberoi, Hyatt and InterContinental Hotels.

anjiv Kapoor is appointed as the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara. He will be responsible for managing commercial functions and inflight services. Prior to this, he has worked as the Chief Operating Officer at SpiceJet Limited and has an experience of over 19 years in the airline industry.

www.voyagersworld.in

NETWORKING ISTHE THE NETWORKING IS KE KEY Y July 2016

August 2016

July2016

September 2016

October 2016

November 2016

16, 17, 18, 19, 20 GBTA Convention 2016 Denver, USA

21, 22 Global Panorama Showcase Kolkata

28, 29 Global Panorama Showcase Chandigarh

29, 30, 31 India International Travel Mart Chennai

August 2016

September 2016 8, 9, 10

5, 6, 7

ITE HCMC Hochiminh City, Vietnam

India International Travel Mart Bangalore

21, 22

19, 20, 21

MICE Asia Pacific Exhibition Singapore

Holiday Expo Vadodara

23, 24, 25

26, 27

India International Travel Mart Mumbai

India Association Congress New Delhi

30 September, 1, 2 October India International Travel Mart Gurgaon

October 2016

November 2016

13, 14, 15

4, 5, 6

TTG Incontri Italy

Holiday Expo Visakhapatnam

14, 15, 16

7, 8, 9

Holiday Expo Nagpur

World Travel Market London

19, 20, 21

13, 14, 15, 16

ITB Asia Singapore

ICCA Congress 2016 Malaysia

28, 29, 30, 31

25, 26, 27

Reisen & Caravan Germany

IITM Pune