Voyager's World July 2015

Vol XII

Issue IX

Pages 48

July 2015

Rs 60

Foreign Investment Blues in

Indian Aviation

Also Featuring ....

28, 29, 30 August 2015

03, 04, 05 September 2015

04, 05, 06 March 2016

4>>

The last thing from Pandora’s Box....

J

une ended with Greece facing a probable exit from the Euro amidst severe face-offs with creditors and the locals queuing up outside banks in utter financial chaos. The country, which has been inflicted by a massive economic blow, coupled with stringent measures, was languishing with calls to cut back even further in exchange for more loans, lest its financial system should break down. Understandably, this implies a much more expensive vacation in Greece. Travellers have continued to visit the country even during past ecnonomic crises there. What may actually help the country visibly is having more tourists going there. The bailout crisis has unleashed a whole lot of troubles for the aililng economy just like its own mythology of the ‘Pandora’s Box’ and we really do want the ‘last thing’ from the box to lend succour and help rebuild the nation’s economy.

In this issue, we have tried to find out why foreign investors have really not considered Indian aviation industry a prospective venture, why patients from the Middle East are increasingly preferring to visit India for their treatments, a fun-filled visit to Mauritius on an invitation from the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority as well as trends in the MICE industry.

Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

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Industry Buzz

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Cover story Scope of FDIs in the Indian airline industry

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Medical Tourism

27 45

How popular is the Indian medical industry in the Middle East?

22

Hospitality

MICE Point Role of associations in meetings, MICE venues

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Industry Buzz

6>> India persuades France to invest in aviation sector

Thailand taps Muslim travel segment

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T

ndia invited France to invest in the former’s aviation sector at the 51st International Air Show held in Paris in June. The delegation, led by Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, met Alain Vidalies, Minister for Transport, Marine Affairs and Fisheries of France and senior management personnel of Bombardier, Boeing and SAFRAN to discuss manufacturing, infrastructure and investment opportunities in aviation. The Minister informed them about opportunities in Indian aviation market.

he Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Mumbai organised a Fam trip for travel agencies from India, Sri Lanka and Maldives to show a different face of Thailand – Muslim friendly Thailand. The delegation was accompanied by Soraya Homchuen, Director, TAT Mumbai to Northern Thailand to highlight destinations that can help Muslims feel comfortable in terms of hotels catering to halal requirement, prominent Muslim landmarks, prayer rooms, amusement parks theme parks and Muslim communities in Thailand that have their own indigenous lifestyle. They joined the ‘Muslim Friendly Destination’ function with media and travel agencies from 13 different countries.

Delhi to be inaugural route for BA's Boeing 787-9

In addition to the above, TAT launched its first app designed specifically for Muslim visitors to find their way around the country. It was developed with the support of the Halal Science Centre of Chulalongkorn University, Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand, Halal Standards Institute of Thailand and the Tourism Council of Thailand.

TripHobo users can now utilize Zomato.com database

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ripHobo partnered with Zomato.com to enhance the former’s offerings to holiday planners as a one stop solution for all their trip requirements.

TripHobo users can access and utilize the extensive database of restaurants on Zomato.com’s network worldwide. It offers TripHobo users content and deals on restaurants as well as specialized recommendations based on their itinerary. TripHobo will now offer suggestions on unique places to eat along the route.

B Chandigarh welcomes Holiday Inn

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he InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened its 10th Holiday Inn in India in Panchkula, Chandigarh with 127 rooms at the foot of Morni Hills. Facilities at the hotel include eight meeting rooms and event spaces, a fitness centre, spa and an outdoor swimming pool, in addition to many dining options. Shantha de Silva, Head of South West Asia, IHG, said: “We are delighted to open our first hotel here under the Holiday Inn brand and are confident of delivering a great hospitality experience to guests visiting the city. This move is in line with our ambitious expansion plans to grow Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express across India – these brands currently make up more than 85% of our development pipeline in the country.”

ritish Airways’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, complete with a new first class cabin, will start flying to Delhi from 25 October 2015, thus making the capital the first route for the airline globally to benefit from the brand new aircraft and a new First class. To commemorate the launch, BA has launched a special fare offer of over 50% off for its customers travelling from New Delhi to London-Heathrow on the new aircraft in World Traveller (economy). Customers can take advantage of the discount for the sale period 14 July – 16 July 2015 and outbound travel period 25 October – 31 December 2015. The 787-9, the first of which is due to arrive with BA in September, is 20 ft longer that its 787-8 predecessor.

Sri Lankan Airlines extends service to Kolkata

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ri Lankan Airlines signed a codeshare agreement with Mihin Lanka, a Sri Lankan state-owned airline to operate flights between Kolkata and Colombo effective from 17 June 2015. The flights will be operated thrice a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and an introductory offer is on starting from INR 10,530 for Kolkata to Colombo flights and INR 18,950 for flights operating to Maldives via Colombo. The offer is valid until 31 December 2015 for tickets booked on or before 31 July 2015. Lalith de Silva, Regional Manager, Sri Lankan Airlines India, said: “It is the leisure and MICE market out of Kolkata, including wedding parties to Sri Lanka and from Sri Lanka to Kolkata. Initially it will be the pilgrim traveller segment to Gaya and Varanasi (Kolkata) being a perfect gateway and thereafter we plan on expanding further to attract the leisure segment as well.”

Ease of visas increases visitor arrivals to Philippines

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hilippines recorded a 26% increase in Indian tourist arrival between January – April 2015 with a positive growth every month compared to 2014. The growth may be attributed to a common spoken language - English, positive trade relationship and improved visa services. Indian travellers possessing a valid AJACSS UK visa (US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Schengen, Singapore and UK visa) do not require a visa to visit Philippines for 14 days.

SanJeet, Tourism Attache, Philippines Tourism Marketing Office, India said: “India has always been an important market for Philippines.

Philippine offers the most refreshing and thrilling itineraries. From beach hopping, shopping, volcanic ash spa adventure to exploring the rice terrace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has everything to offer for Indian travellers.”

Voyager’s World > July 2015

Industry Buzz

8>>

IRCTC to set up Facilitation Centre in Delhi

Blue Square Consultants to represent Best Travel in India

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he Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) plans to commence a unique Tourist Facilitation Centre in New Delhi to act as a ‘single window shop’ for all tourism products.

To be located in Connaught Place, the centre will offer rail, land and air tour packages for domestic and international travellers taking care of their itinerary — from air ticket to visa facilitation and insurance, from special train packages to customized tours, from food to accommodation, from cab and concierge services to sightseeing. The centre will cater to the travel requirements of ministries, government departments and PSUs besides clients in the corporate sector.

E-learning portal launched for travel industry

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ravel Gyaan, an e-learning travel portal, introduced innovative travel courses and online tests to facilitate tourism professionals. The information on the portal is categorized into destinations, hotels, airlines, cruises, adventure sports and Travel essentials. Nikita Rawtani, the founder of TravelGyaan, said: “Our purpose is to design innovative product and destination courses for the travel trade. Our Vision is to impart knowledge and create product and destination specialists that will enable the travel community to increase their sales.”

AirAsia India pauses overseas expansion

A

irAsia India halted its expansion plans for overseas flights as it waits for the Indian government’s approval. Yet, the airline will continue its expansion to India’s Tier 2 cities and invest more in marketing, said its CEO Mittu Chandilya.

As per the government’s rule, a carrier has to be five years old with a fleet of 20 planes before it can fly abroad. The rule aims at growing the nascent domestic aviation industry. The carrier planned to bring in a plane a month from March to build a fleet of at least 10 jets by the end of the year.

Thai AirAsia launches direct flights from Bangalore to Bangkok

SBI, MakeMyTrip.com announce strategic alliance

S

tate Bank of India and MakeMyTrip.com recently signed a MoU, identifying areas of cooperation to expand the market for online travel services in India. SBI aims at driving synergies between banking and various other aspects of a customer’s lifecycle including the travel segment.

T

hai AirAsia launched direct flights from Bangalore to Bangkok five days a week, except Wednesday and Saturday. As part of promotions, the flights from Bangalore to Bangkok had an offer at Rs. 3, 999 per way inclusive of taxes and extra fees.

Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO, Thai AirAsia said: “This new route will increase connectivity between Bengaluru and Bangkok. Travellers from Kochi, Goa, Pune, Jaipur, Chandigarh, New Delhi and Visakhapatnam will now be able to conveniently connect to Bangkok, making Bengaluru a central travel hub for those wishing to connect to Thailand or other countries in Southeast Asia.”

Voyager’s World > July 2015

lue Square Consultants was appointed as the sales and marketing representative for Best Travel, a DMC in Armenia.

Best Travel is a premier tour provider and licensed Armenian travel agent dedicated to providing the best travel experience to Indian travel operators. The DMC offers a wide range of customized and exclusive tours along with a team of highly experienced and knowledgeable guides. Their expertise lies in organizing tours with a flavour of Armenian culture for groups and MICE. From ancient cultural heritage to amazing natural attractions, Best Travel will help promote Armenia among Indian travellers.

MakeMyTrip is focused on expanding the travel market opportunity by driving the offline-to-online adoption in the hotels & packages business. The alliance with MakeMyTrip will work towards providing value to each of the stakeholder along the entire value chain of travel and tourism business, starting from hotels, travel agents, tour operators besides the end-consumers and our customer-base.

There will be partnership with Personal Banking Un it for EMIs on purchase of holidays & international travel, Forex cards and travel products; tie-ups with SME & Acquiring Business: MMT suppliers, such as 2-3 star hotels, franchisees, trade and travel partners will get access to SBI products, loans, bank guarantees, PoS payment instruments at preferential rates and tie-ups with cards for promoting card usage to push the agenda of a ‘less cash economy’.

Kuoni DVMS opens Bahrain e-visa service

K

uoni DVMS (Distribution. Visa. Marketing. Services) launched Bahrain Visa and Meet & Greet Services as a part of its product and service offerings. DVMS customers can now avail Bahrain e-Visa for business as well as visit purposes by approaching DVMS directly or through its affiliated agents. Both business as well as visit e-visa would be inclusive of Silver meet and greet services offered by DVMS partner Marhaba at Bahrain International Airport.

Customers would be able to avail of 14 days (multiple re-entry) business e-Visa Service and for visit e-Visa service they can apply for seven days (single entry), 14 days (multiple re-entry) and 30 days (multiple re-entry) for Bahrain visas. Apart from this customers would also be able to book additional meet and greet services at the Bahrain International Airport for such as Marhaba/ Awal lounge, limousine transfers, etc.

Singapore to host Lion Club's annual convention 2020

T

he Lions Clubs Singapore will partner the Singapore Exhibition & Conventions Bureau (SECB), a group under the Singapore Tourism Board to host the annual convention of Lion Clubs International The Lion Club International Convention 2020.

An International Parade of Nations which will be a half day walk around the city will offer a spectacle of city’s diverse culture will be held. People will be dressed in their national costumes accompanied by marching bands from local schools and parade floats. The event is expected to generate more than 58 million US dollars in tourism receipts and draw an estimated 20,000 foreign attendees.

Industry Buzz

9>>

Vistara to start weekend flights on Mumbai-Goa route from July

MoT to develop circuits of Rishikesh, Haridwar

D

r Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Tourism and Culture Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Government of India, has said that Rishikesh and Haridwar will be developed under the Spiritual Tourism scheme of the Centre. The central government is committed to development of Kedarnath and funds have already been sanctioned under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme, in addition to the Rs 100 crore sanctioned for reconstruction and redevelopment after destruction caused by floods. Dr Sharma said that the Government of India has always been committed to the development of Uttarakhand, especially after the destruction caused by floods in 2013. He said that the Central and state governments will work together to take tourism to new heights. MoT has already approved the development of tourism at and around Tehri, Dr Sharma added. Rawat spoke about the project of ropeways being undertaken by the state government to promote tourism.

USA titled 'India's Favourite Travel Destination'

T

he United States has been titled as ‘India’s Favourite Destination’ at fourth Lonely Planet Reader’s Choice Travel Awards ceremony held in Mumbai in June. 32 other destinations, hotels, resorts and attractions around the globe were awarded at the event.

The award was received by Sheema Vohra, Managing Director, Sartha Global Marketing which is the marketing organization for Brand USA in India .

V

istara will commence weekend flights between Mumbai and Goa from July 17, 2015. From September 14, however, the flights will operate daily. Bookings for the flights are open currently on the airline’s website and travel partners. With this addition, Vistara now operates 243 weekly frequencies connecting - Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bagdogra, Guwahati, Goa, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune.

VISIT FLORIDA launches 'Sunshine Contest' for Indian travel trade

V Odisha's Nabakalebar Festival to be promoted through Incredible India campaign

T

he Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India will promote the Nabakalebar Festival of Odisha under the Incredible India campaign for its international branding.

The Government of India will release Rs 50 crore for providing infrastructure and facilities for the festival, while the Union Culture Ministry will release a postal stamp and coin to mark the festival.

The Nabakalebar Festival will be celebrated on July 10, 2015 after a gap of 19 years.

ISIT FLORIDA has launched the second edition of the annual ‘Sunshine Contest’ for Indian travel agents and tour operators, stated a release. The contest will run from today till August 30, 2015, and two winners will get a chance to be a part of the next VISIT FLORIDA FAM trip. Each participant must complete the application in entirety to qualify for the grand prize. The team will judge each entry based on completion of the required criteria. The announcement of the winners will be made the first week of September. The PPT presentation, and the e-copies of the certificates from the VISIT FLORIDA specialist program and the Orlando Travel Academy, need to be emailed to visitflorida.in@aviareps.com.

Kenya introduces e-Visa facility

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enya has implemented major changes in its visa policy from July 2, 2015, stated a release. Unlike in the past when Indians were able to get their Visa on Arrival (VoA) in Nairobi or Mombasa, intending visitors will now have to apply for an e-Visa in advance, with processing taking as much as a week. Travellers have to apply for e-Visa via the dedicated portal— www.ecitizen.go.ke.

Upon vehement intervention from tourism stakeholders, a grace period has been extended for two months, during which time tourists and business travellers arriving at one of the two mentioned international airports can still get their Visa on Arrival. But effective September 1, this dual mode will be scrapped and only the e-Visa process will be in action.

Indian visitor arrivals to Australia up 25%

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ustralia welcomed 215,000 Indian tourists in the year ending March 2015, i.e. Financial Year (FY) 2014-15. This is a 25 per cent increase over the same period in the 2013-14 year. India is now the eighth largest inbound market for tourist arrivals in Australia, as per a release.

In the year ending March 2015, a high proportion of Indian visitors to Australia were on a leisure trip (145,000). Others visited for business (27,000), education (13,000), and other purposes (30,500). Leisure visitors were on holiday (56,000) or visiting friends and relatives (89,000).In March 2015, 23,400 Indians visited Australia, bringing the total for the three months to March to 61,800 - an increase of 42 per cent from the same period during the previous year.

www.voyagersworld.in

Cover Story

10>>

Foreign Investment bluesinvestors in Indian failed forays of foreign With a number of hits and misses in the Indian aviation space, there have been a number those from the Gulf to not invest in Indian carriers.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

I

ndia is the ninth largest civil aviation market and is predicted to become the third largest by the year 2020. This undoubtedly calls for considering investment projects and inviting foreign investors. As the present government is set to announce the new aviation policy shortly and take long overdue assessments and decisions, we can expect the future strategy to involve improved connectivity and more affordability in domestic air travel. It has been informed that aviation Secretary R N Choubey has wholly revised a draft policy that was announced by the ministry last December.

has to take a call on whether outgoing chairman Rohit Nandan, who has been empanelled as secretary along with director general of civil aviation M Sathiyavathy , should be asked to continue at AI or someone else be brought in here.

In addition, the ministry has also decided to fill the critical position of Bureau for Civil Aviation Security chief that had been vacant for almost three years now.”An IPS officer of additional director-general rank is going to be appointed as BCAS chief this month. All issues that had been stalling this appointment for a long time have been resolved,” said an official. The government is also going to decide on the next chairman of Air India by mid-July. It

With these developments on one hand, the Modi Government’s Make In India national programme seeks to facilitate investments and innovations across various sectors including aviation. As far as aviation is concerned, it leverages on the facts like• Total passenger traffic stood at 163.06 Million during 2013. India is one of the least penetrated air markets in the world with 0.04 trips per capita per annum as

Voyager’s World > July 2015

The task of finding AI chairman has been left to a three-member search panel headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha with Choubey and department of personnel and training secretary S Kothari. Rohit’s three-year term as AI chief ended last August and he has been here on extension since then.

compared to 0.3 in China and more than 2 in the USA. • Indian carriers plan to increase their fleet size to reach 800 aircrafts by 2020.

• The Indian aviation sector is likely to see investments totalling USD 12.1 Billion during 2012-17; USD 9.3 Billion is expected to come from the private sector.

As regards the investments, 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permitted for Greenfield airport projects under the automatic route. The new airports are permitted under the Greenfield Airport Policy 2008. Investment in airports is encouraged under the Public Private Partnership Policy of the Government of India.

Regional air connectivity policy offers attractive incentives in the form of exemption of landing, parking and navigation fees to airlines operating at designated airports in non-metro areas.

Up to 74% FDI is permitted for existing airport projects under the automatic route, above 74% and up to 100% permitted under government approval route.

Up to 49% FDI is permitted in domestic scheduled passenger airlines under the automatic route. 100% permitted for NRIs. Up to 49% FDI under the automatic route is permitted in Non-Scheduled Air Transport Service. FDI above 49% and up to 74% is permitted under Government approval route. 100% FDI permitted for NRIs. Up to 100% FDI is permitted in helicopter services and seaplanes under the automatic route. Up to 49% FDI is permitted in ground handling services under the automatic route. FDI above 49% and up to 74% is permitted under government approval route. 100% FDI permitted for NRIs. Up to 100% FDI is permitted in maintenance and repair organizations; flying training institutes; and techinical training institutes under the automatic route. It may be noted that the investments are subject to relevant regulations, approvals from DGCA and security and other conditions. Foreign airlines are also, henceforth, allowed to invest in the capital of Indian companies, operating scheduled and non-scheduled Air Transport Servic-

11>>

Aviation in indian aviation of reasons for foreign investors including

former may deny that the latter does not exercise control but it does. If the Gulf believes they can increase the seats, why do they need a partner?” he questions.

Seeking to differ from a common opinion as to why not encourage foreign investments into the sector, Jitender asks why the Indian government should allow itself to be arm-twisted?

“The past records have shown that. Earlier Air India was unable to compete with foreign carriers. Even private carriers are unable to compete with Gulf carriers.

They don’t give them more seats and exhaust the number of seats under the bilateral agreement. Why should we allow foreign carriers to prosper on a ground on which the legitimate hold should be with the Indian carriers actually? Our airlines have weak economics and finances. Let us wait for our national aviation policy to be announced,” he said.

Some months ago, Etihad Airways made operational and financial investments in India, so as to help bring tangible benefits to the country’s aviation and tourism sectors as well as the Indian economy in general.

In addition to investing in Jet Airways, the Abu Dhabi-based airline is working with key tourism and commercial bodies to bring air travellers to India and enabling the employment of thousands of Indian nationals.

Jitender Bhargava, Former Executive Director, Air India India is one of the preferred destinations for medical tourism.

The industry is growing at 30 per cent per year and is forecasted to generate at least US$2.2 billion a year in the near future.

es, up to the limit of 49% of their paid-up capital. Investments will be subject to government route.

The Airports Authority of India is responsible for developing, financing, operating, and maintaining all public sector airports.

Yet, one cannot help but wonder why lucrative investors from across the globe, like those from the Gulf have not really come forward to invest in the Indian aviation. Barring Etihad Airways, which re-

cently entered into a codeshare with Jet Airways, there have not been significant outlays from the region for our country in aviation.

In a telephonic interview with Jitender Bhargava, Former Executive Director of Air India, said that there was enough capacity given to the Gulf sector for all the Indians travelling abroad. “In fact, many a time, they have excess capacity. Jet Airways entered into an agreement with Etihad. The

The benefits of the partnership to Jet Airways include major cost savings and synergies in areas such as fleet acquisition, maintenance, product development and training, and the results are already showing that it is on target to break-even within the next three years.

Etihad Airways is also carrying more air travellers from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas to cities across India. This is helping drive economic growth throughout the country and not just the major metropolitan areas.

Latest data shows an unprecedented increase in the number of passengers booked from these key overseas markets to its growing Indian network, offering consumers better access, connectivity and choice.

In 2014 nearly one million passengers, who travelled on Etihad Airways’ India flights, began their journey from outside of the country, representing almost 70 per cent of total passengers who flew to and from India with the Abu Dhabi-based airline.

The boost in passengers flying from key network markets to India is set to grow even further during the coming 12 months as Etihad Airways adds more frequencies to its Indian flight network and deploys new widebody aircraft, including the Boeing 787, to destinations in India.

The Gulf carrier had also added a third

daily flight from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi and a new daily service from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi from February this year and a third daily flight will be added from New Delhi to Abu Dhabi from May. These extra services were apart from Jet’s daily services from Goa and Lucknow to Abu Dhabi. In addition to a network, which supports Indian tourism and commerce, Etihad Airways continues to be a major employer of Indian nationals at locations across India and at bases in Abu Dhabi and around the world.

Currently 2,860 Indian nationals work at the airline representing 16 per cent of the total workforce. This figure includes 200 members of staff in India, 750 cabin crew, 160 pilots and 1,683 core staff at headquarters.

According to Jitender Bhargava, “With Etihad – Jet codeshare, one strong carrier of Gulf will dominate the scene with the capacity and fare at the moment. While we have at least one from the Gulf, the scenario is unlike few other international carriers like Singapore Airlines which has tied up with Vistara from day one and Air Asia India with Tata from day one. But none of them bought Foreign Direct Investment stake from a running airline.”

The reason for this, he feels, is because of the lack of belief in our policy. “Foreign carriers do not believe in our policy. Why will they put in money in a country where you are undecided?

India is a highly price sensitive market.

“When you are ready to pay an exorbitant cab fare to the airport from a metro like Bangalore and not complaining about fleecing, why do you complain about a mode of transport that is convenient for long distances and involves the deputation of an aircraft, ATF, maintenance and so many ancillary costs.”

The reason for so many setbacks in investments is because the Indian government lacks aviation expertise. “We have so much potential in our own country that is waiting to be explored. The opportunity need not be offered on a platter to the Gulf or other nations to invest. Foreign carriers have mastered the art of manipulating more seat capacity in the Indian sector. But this can materialize only when the operational costs are lowered and an environment conducive for profitability is created.

While the Indian aviation history has been a solid saga of misses (read: no hits), India’s air traffic has grown exponentially, for foreign carriers. They are not for Indians.

We have not been successful in creating a global hub for any airline all these years.

For the Indian aviation industry to create a favourable environment for investments, airlines have to ensure that the capacity and demand are not mismatched, in addition to lowering the operational costs and a robust infrastructure must be in place for the whole system.

www.voyagersworld.in

Medical Tourism

12>>

India route for Gulf medical tourism market..

Hotels and hospitals add value on how Middle East patients prefer India as one of the medical tourism destinations for top quality healthcare and services.

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Stanley Simon, Director - Marketing, Hotel Royal Orchid Medical tourism market in India is projected to hit $3.9 billion mark this year having grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 27% over last three years. In India, it gets maximum patients as the cost is considered lowest in Asia.

M

iddle East is one of the key markets of India in medical tourism. The Middle East patients prefer to travel to India for various treatments like heart surgery, knee transplant, cosmetic surgery and dental care, as India offers cost effective treatments, high quality healthcare and highly-skilled doctors from some of the well-known hospitals like Wockhardt Hospitals, the Medanta – The Medicity Hospital and RG Stone Urology & Laproscopy Hospitals. The hospitals in India have noticed the influx of Middle East patients over the years.

According to the FICCI-KPMG Report 2014 on Medical Value Travel, the Indian medical tourism market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 27 per cent to reach USD3.9 billion in 2014, from USD1.9 billion in 2011 with inflow of medical tourists expected to cross 320 million by 2015 compared to 85 million in 2012.

tremendously every year in India and is expected to outnumber the figures in the future.

Some of the hotels like Royal Orchid Hotels and Hilton Chennai have also witnessed the increase of Middle East patients to India. The length of stay of the patients in hospitals and hotels ranges from 5 days to 7 days depending upon patient’s treatment plan.

Prakash Viswanathan, Director of Business Development, Hilton Chennai said, “Hilton Chennai is located in close proximity to a number of renowned health care centers and we have observed an upward moving demand for medical facilities from Middle East citizens. On account of this rise in demand, medical tourism too is seeing a high tide. We have seen the rise in the influx of patients from South Africa and Middle East in Chennai as a result of superior quality medical facilities compounded with low cost of treatments.”

According to industry estimates, globally around 7 million patients are travelling each year to receive medical care. The global medical tourism industry was estimated at 10.5 billion USD in 2012. It is expected to grow at CAGR of 17.9 per cent from 2013-19.

Medical tourism as a segment is growing

Voyager’s World > July 2015

Indian market for medical tourism Stanley Simon, Director – Marketing, Hotel Royal Orchid, says that medical tourism market in India is projected to hit $3.9 billion mark this year having grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 27 per cent over the last three years. The medical tourism industry in India gets maximum patients for heart surgery, knee transplant, cosmetic surgery and dental care as the cost of treatment in India is considered to be the lowest in Asia, much lower than Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong. While Ayurveda tourism has scaled successful in the South, metro cities have seen a spurt of international spa operators working independently and partner hotels.

Duration of stay of Middle East patients In the opinion of Prakash, the duration of

Prakash Viswanathan, Director of Business Development,Hilton Chennai We have seen the rise in the influx of patients from South Africa and Middle East in Chennai as a result of superior quality medical facilities compounded with low cost of treatments. stay varies with the kind of treatment the patient is availing. The duration typically ranges between 15 days to 2 months at Hilton Chennai.

“Some of our hotels in the metros are located near large specialty hospitals.

Our hotels have noticed that the average length of stay ranges between 3 - 7 days,” Stanley added.

Extra facilities offered to the patients Stanley said that during reservations, we are usually given special instructions like dietary meal plans, city transfers, concierge services and airport assistance on arrivals.

Prakash says that in case the patient has dietary restrictions, the Chef is happy to work closely with the patient’s nutritionist to curate a well-balanced and customized menu. The certified fitness trainers at the Hotel assist the patient in improving fitness levels.

Medical tourism promotions “We keep close relationships with the neighbourhood hospitals and network of associations for doctors, medical specialists and pharmaceutical companies. Moreover, we have seen that many of our groups seeking accommodation come from specialized travel agents who share a connection with the hospitals and medical institutions in the Middle East. We had noticed this trend a couple of years and have been enabling many initiatives to reach out to this segment, most of them being more tactical in na-

ture through brochure, fliers and mailers in our partner networks, “Stanley added.

Prakash says that the Hilton Worldwide has 4,350 hotels across the globe with a significantly strong presence in Middle East. The loyalty programme for the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of hotels across the globe called Hilton HHonors is one of the most awarded programmes in the world. Most patients are aware of the programme and its benefits. A patient, who also may be an existing HHonors member, is able to redeem points to avail benefits when he moves from one Hilton Worldwide hotel to another.

Dietary patterns for the patients Stanley Simon, Director – Marketing, Royal Orchid Hotels said that we have noticed that the dietary patters usually refers to menus offering steam/ boiled dishes, low sodium and sugar, and liquidbased meals. These menus are usually supported by the physician’s prescription plan or special requests made by the guest during their stay.

Average duration of stay Stanley says: “The Middle East patients usually stay for around 3 to 7 days and 2-3 family members stay in a room during the treatment.”

Prakash concludes that the average stay of the Middle East patients is a fortnight.

Here is what the hospitals have to say about patients from the Middle East According to industry estimates, globally

Medical Tourism

13>> Dr. AK Dubey, Medical Superintendent, Medanta – The Medicity India is one of the preferred destinations for medical tourism.

The industry is growing at 30 per cent per year and is forecasted to generate at least US$2.2 billion a year in the near future.

around 7 million patients are travelling each year to receive medical care. The global medical tourism industry was estimated at 10.5 billion USD in 2012. It is expected to grow at CAGR of 17.9 per cent from 2013-19.

Zahabiya Khorakiwala, Managing Director, Wockhardt Hospitals says that India with its vast talent pool and advanced infrastructure has been at the forefront of global medical tourism industry with CAGR of 25%. The industry is set to grow at similar pace for next 5- 6 years. For Wockhardt the segment has been growing higher than the industry growth rate at CAGR of 75%.

We expect to further increase the segment with our new hospitals in Mumbai.

In the opinion of Dr. AK Dubey, Medical Superintendent, Medanta – The Medicity, medical tourism is an opportunity for patients to travel for medical care and take advantage of reduced costs, improved wait times and superior quality healthcare in the host country. India is one of the preferred destinations for the medical tourism.

“The industry is growing at 30 per cent per year and is forecasted to generate at least US$2.2 billion a year in the near future. Unlike many of our competitor nations in medical tourism, India has the technological expertise and infrastructure to maintain its market niche,” He added.

Avinash Ojha, Group CEO, RG Stone Urology & Laproscopy Hospitals says, “In the last decade, medical tourism sector in India has grown steadily and has been a topic of debate and discussions in the Indian healthcare Industry.”

“The RG Stone is planning to set-up its units in the Middle East region. Our plan is to have such units either on standalone basis or in a joint venture with local hospitals/ groups,” He added.

Figures of Middle East patients Zahabiya states that Middle East is one

Zahabiya Khorakiwala, Managing Director, Wockhardt Hospitals Middle East is one of the prime markets for India from medical care perspective. The segment has been growing higher than the industry growth rate at CAGR of 75%.

India with advanced infrastructure has been at the forefront.

of the prime markets for India from medical care perspective. With advancement in health care and quality care provided in India the flow has only increased. Different reports put the number of patients between 5-7 lacs however it is very difficult to ascertain a close number because a majority of the patients travel on tourists visa due to ease of visa procedure.

“Wockhardt has witnessed a surge in patient flow from Middle East countries, with the launch of our hospitals in Mumbai, we have been receiving patients on daily basis from countries like Yemen, Oman, UAE and with our concentrated efforts in the region the numbers will grow,” She added.

customize our offering for patient from Middle East like provision for Halal Food, language interpreters/ Arabic speaking staff etc at no extra cost to make patient stay more comfortable.

Dr. AK Dubey says: “Asia is attracting more than 1.3 million tourists per year to countries like Thailand, Singapore, India,South Korea and Malaysia. To be specific, patients from Middle East comprise of 35-40% of all international patients coming to Medanta – The Medicity in a given year. Given this quantum of international patients that the region contributes, it is considered significant populace in Medanta.”

Dr. AK Dubey says that India’s quality of healthcare is of international standards, and some Indian medical centres even provide services that are uncommon elsewhere. For example, hip surgery patients in India can opt for a hip-resurfacing procedure, in which the damaged bone is scraped away and replaced with a chrome alloy. This operation costs far less and causes little post-operative trauma than the traditional replacement procedure performed in the U.S.

Avinash said that while the affluent class of patients, the Emiratis are going to the US and Europe, the immigrant population which forms almost 80% of the total population of UAE and almost 30-35% of other countries in the region has conventionally preferred India over western countries.

“However it should be also noted that India faces tough competition from South East countries like Thailand for the Middle East market. Thailand Hospitals while provide decent services it is the support from government towards promotion of the country as tourist destination which provides edge. Indian government has started its tourism promotion campaign like Atithi devo bhav which need to be intensified,” She added.

Discounts on various treatments “The discounts are offered to patients depending on the category of bed and patient profile,” Avinash added

“India has top-notch centres for openheart surgery, paediatric heart surgery, hip and knee replacement, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, bone marrow transplants and cancer therapy, and virtually all of India’s clinics are equipped with the latest electronic and medical diagnostic equipment. Medanta Heart Institute and Research Centre in Gurgaon boasts off the best survival rate for Coronary bypass patients compared with patients in New York,”He added.

Advantages of medical treatments Zahabiya explains: Affordability and cost effectiveness, high quality healthcare, immediate service, culture resemblance, highly-skilled doctors, less travel time are some major factors for placing India as favourable location in Middle East. The hospitals like Wockhardt go extra mile to

Avinash explains:There are many advantages of doing medical treatments in India like Experience & Expertise- Indian hospitals have conventionally been doing huge volumes, and treating the entire array of patients from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.This naturally gives an advantage to Indian

clinicians in terms of experience and expertise. Affordability India is now well known as a destination providing quality treatment at affordable costs. India has the advantage of low cost and low maintenance infrastructure. Higher volume helps keep the treatment costs low. Cost of stay in India is also not high. Transport Facilities-India offers excellent connectivity to all key destinations in the Middle East. Moreover the travel time is just around 3-4 hrs and flight costs are low.

Culturally Close- India, for many centuries has been culturally compatible and close to people from Middle East.

Top five treatments Zahabiya says that patients normally travel to India for complex surgical treatments which are not performed in their own country. However with respect to Middle East countries at Wockhardt we have observed that huge numbers of patients are travelling for health evaluation and preventive check-ups. Believe less time to travel and highly cost effective evaluation schemes under skilled doctors drive this flow.

“Sometimes the complete check-up cost in India + travel is less than single test cost in local geographies of the patient.

In Wockhardt we see many patients coming for surgical procedures like Septal Defect, Cardiac bypass, Joint Replacement, Fibroid removal, Oncological surgeries and spine surgery,” She added.

Dr. AK Dubey said: These tourists seek a variety of services and they include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries, such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries.

Individuals with rare genetic disorders may travel to another country where treatment of these conditions is better understood. However, virtually every type of health care, including psychiatry, alternative treatments, convalescent care

www.voyagersworld.in

Medical Tourism

14>>

Avinash Ojha, Group CEO, RG Stone Urology & Laproscopy Hospitals Medical Tourism for almost a decade is growing steadily as almost 30-35% of other countries in UAE preferred India over western countries.

RG Stone is planning to set-up its units in the Middle East region either on standalone basis or in a Joint venture with local hospitals or groups. and even burial services are available at Medanta – The Medicity.

“The top 5 treatments in RG Stone Urology & Laparoscopy Hospitals include Kidney Stone treatment, Treatment for enlarged prostate, laparoscopic cholecystectomy ( Gall Bladder surgery ), Laparoscopic Gynaecology and haemorrhoids treatment,”Avinash added.

Length of stay of Middle East patients Zahabiya says that the length of stay of the patients totally depends upon pa-

tient’s treatment plan. In general the stay for patients ranges from 05 days to 7 days. The Wockhardt hospital uses state of art technologies for accurate and pin point diagnosis of the patient.

Our doctors are highly skilled for using minimal invasive techniques which allows patient to recuperate fast.

“The Wockhardt Hospital also works with Partners Medical International, US to improve on various clinical parameters like length of stay. Currently Wockhardt monitors and benchmarks its clinical param-

eters with global standards not only for its foreign patients but domestic as well. Culturally Middle East countries are similar to India where large families do accompany patients. We try to accommodate more people but due to hospital atmosphere we normally restrict to one attendant per patient in the hospital. We accommodate additional attendants in hotels near to hospital facility,” She added.

Dr. AK Dubey said: Since each case is different, the length of treatment and therefore the stay of the patient varies

depending on the complexity of the case.

However, to maintain the continuity of the treatment, Medanta offers telemedicine for regular consultation and discussions with the doctors so that the treatment of the patient continues even when he returns to his home country.

Avinash concludes that the average length of stay is 2-3 days for most of the treatments. One attendant is allowed for single room patients. If there are more attendants accompanying the patient, they can be accommodated in the nearby hotels.

medical tourism in india expected to reach $6 billion by 2018 Renee-Marie Stephano, JD, President, Medical Tourism Association The medical tourism industry in India is worth an estimated $310 million, the number is predicted to reach $6 billion by 2018. India is considered as one of the top destinations by medical tourism patients from around the world.

Medical Tourism Medical tourism remains a top national priority, one in which the government has announced establishment of the National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board to assist foreign patients seeking treatment in the country.

Across India, patients from all around the world including the United States flock to the country for its medical tourism opportunities, particularly for low prices and high-quality physicians. Some 1.2 million medical tourists are expected to visit India by the end of this year, and that number is likely to double by 2020. The medical tourism industry in India is worth an estimated $310 million. By 2018, that number is predicted to reach $6 billion.

Chennai has been termed India’s health capital. Multi- and super-specialty hospitals across the city bring in an estimated 150 international patients every day.

Other prime destinations for medical tourism within India, namely because of the proximity to some of the country’s first medical schools, are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, New Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. The top

Voyager’s World > July 2015

hospitals include Asian Heart Institute, Fortis Healthcare, Narayana Health and The Apollo Group.

Figures of Middle East patients India is considered as one of the top destinations by medical tourism patients from around the world, but nowhere is that traffic more pronounced than from the Middle East and North Africa. The Gulf Cooperative Council- a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman make up one of the fastestgrowing and, unfortunately, most unhealthy regions in the world. Not surprisingly then, almost half of all patients in the Middle East and neighboring nations are willing to travel outside their native countries to seek care for serious medical conditions and many choose India.

GCC nations account for 30 percent of all medical tourism patients to Apollo Hospitals, alone. Travel to Apollo Hospitals will gain added steam, thanks to an agreement with Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, which will connect international patients to quality

healthcare services in India.

As part of the joint venture with Emirates Airlines, patients and their companions from 19 countries across Middle East and Africa can visit the Apollo’s flagship locations in Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmadabad and Bangalore, where they can take advantage of sponsored fares for round-trip flights.

Advantages of doing medical treatments in India About 7 million people travel abroad each year seeking everything from dental work and weight-loss surgery to cancer treatment. For medical travelers, there are important factors that figure into choosing an international healthcare provider for treatment. Medical tourism is driven by price, quality and destination.

India has all three components – a “trifecta” of sorts -- that make the country a global destination of choice for medical tourism.

Money has a way of talking. This is especially true in the medical tourism industry. Consider the Medical Tourism Association Patient Survey which found

that nearly 80 percent of the demand for medical travel is driven by cost savings.

Then consider that procedures in India can be anywhere from 30-70 percent the cost of similar ones in the Middle East and North Africa. These prices are, aided, too, by the sharp depreciation in the Indian rupee.

Without compromising highly-skilled doctors, India offers treatments at low prices — a hip replacement can cost $7,000 in India, compared to about $12,000 in both Singapore and Thailand, where competition for Middle East patients is most fierce.

India boasts 21 healthcare facilities that are accredited by the Joint Commission International, the gold standard for quality healthcare. While the number of Indian doctors abroad remains substantial, many, encouraged by improved living standards and better medical technology at home, are returning to India following their education overseas. In fact, Apollo administrators say their national hospital chain now gets some 300 applications annually from healthcare professionals working in Britain, alone.

Medical Tourism

15>> The health-conscious travelers are also attracted to India because of its long history in alternative medicine including Ayurveda and holistic wellness. As overseas treatment options gain more and more acceptance and interest around the world takes hold, certification and training becomes that much more essential for India’s medical tourism stakeholders. Continuing education and training -the Medical Tourism Association®

offers a Certified Medical Tourism Professional™ and Certified Medical Tourism Specialist™ designations communicates a specialized expertise and commitment to best practices recognized by healthcare providers, insurance entities, government agencies and tourism and travel facilitators worldwide.

marrow transplant, cardiac bypass, eye surgery, in vitro fertility treatments, hip replacement and even cosmetology remain the most popular procedures in India. At Apollo’s facility in Chennai, oncology treatments featuring robotics and proton beam therapies are expected to gain wider appeal.

from the Middle East and North Africa

Top 5 treatments In addition to alternative medicine, bone-

Length of stay of Middle East patients Most of the medical tourism patients

Gulf countries. These allowances will

are likely to travel with a companion. The duration of their stay in India depends on the procedure. The government has made travel easier for some of these patients by removing restrictions on tourist visas that require a two-month gap between consecutive visits for people from likely boost medical tourism.

dental healthcare sees upward trajectory in india Like any other treatment, the cost of dental treatment on an average is also relatively lesser in India than any other country. Indian dentists are among the best and are very patient friendly, says V.S Venkatesh, CEO, Apollo WHITE Dental.

D

ental tourism, like medical tourism is a trending concept (practice) amongst the westerners seeking dental treatment. The primary reason for seeking treatment outside one’s own country is the mammoth cost of treatment packages with the local healthcare providers.

These patients travel to countries such as India, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, South Korea, and Singapore, where the cost of dental care is relatively inexpensive. Amongst the countries popular for dental tourism, India has been an attractive choice amongst the westerners for a variety of reasons.

Dentistry in India is governed by the Dental Council of India which regulates the standards of dental education and the profession of dentistry throughout the country. The cost of dental treatment on an average is also relatively lesser in India than any other country. It is true that the total cost including the travel expenses and the treatment availed works out much cheaper in India, than the cost of the treatment alone availed in the Europe or the Americas.

Dental treatments done in India can save up to 90% on the treatment expenses which is lesser than any other country like Malaysia: ~70%, Thailand: ~60%, Turkey: ~60%, Costa Rica:~60% , Mexico:~60%, Taiwan: ~50%, South Korea: ~40%, Singapore:~35%, Brazil:~25% .

Apollo White Dental constantly strives to spread oral care awareness. Apollo WHITE Dental (India’s largest chain of dental clinics, with over 70 centers across India having its presence in all major cities), has launched “HOLI-DENT” scheme to embrace travelers seeking dental treatment in India. Equipped with the latest technology besides offering treatment of highest quality on par with international standards, Apollo WHITE Dental, invites foreigners to travel down to India for their dental requirements.

The “HOLI-DENT” traveler’s scheme allows a patient to start with their treatment at any of Apollo WHITE Dental’s clinic and continue with their treatment at another clinic location of choice as per their travel itinerary. This way the patient can seamlessly integrate their treatment with the travel plan of exploring the riches of Indian tourism.

Dentistry has grown to an all new level where people visit the dentist not merely for treatment purposes, but also for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons. Cosmetic dentistry is one branch which has come up in a very big way in recent times.

Bleaching or whitening of teeth, veneers, smile designing, tooth jewel are some of the very common cosmetic dental procedures that the younger generation is getting interested in. Implant dentistry is another major dental treatment option that is coming up. Gone are the days when people would go in for normal bridges to replace their missing teeth.

count for 50% of total dental tourism cases. Apollo White Dental has patients from South East Asian and neighboring countries reporting 30% inflow and European Union is reported to have 20% of patients coming to India. Also patients from countries in the South Asian region prefer dental tourism in India due to lack of medical technology and infrastructure in their countries.”

HOLI-DENT is turning out to be a booming market and accounts for 10% of the medical tourism market and is projected to garner a 30% growth YOY.

Newer advances and innovations in technology are encouraging people to opt for the best and most suitable option. Implants imported from European nations are the latest and finest available. When patients chose to go in for full mouth rehabilitation, we are more concerned in restoring the natural oral function that they once enjoyed. With the expertise that keeps us with international standards and with the help of high end technology, we ensure that all our patients enjoy the best of quality of service.

According to the Dental Tourism India Group, India is well equipped with quality hospitals and experienced dentists that assure reliable treatment. Many dental tourism providers in India offer you worthwhile dental packages. Most of them include the following dental surgery/treatment options - Intra mouth dental scanning, Extraction of normal/ fractured teeth under local anesthesia, Extraction of impacted wisdom teeth, Dental Tourism Benifits in India Dental Tourism In IndiaCeramic caps without gold under microscopic control, Maxillary Surgery, Dental Bridges, Porcelain/ Ceramic crowns, Bleaching, Prosthesis on the implant/ Dental Implants, Vertical and horizontal bone grafting, Gum Grafting/ Gums treatment, Palatal orthodontics, Fluoride treatments for children, Cosmetic dentistry, Smile designing, Root Canal, Teeth whitening, tooth contouring and reshaping, Dental Fillings.

V.S. Venkatesh, CEO, Apollo WHITE Dental, adds, “Indian dentists are among the best and are very patient friendly.

Treatments are cost-effective and our dentists are also known to be accessing the world’s best consumables and instruments. Availability of same in India at an affordable cost attracts many to choose India as their destination. It is seen that patients from Middle East countries ac-

There are different dentists and dental specialists of India - Endodontist for root canal treatment. These are really just dentists who just do root canal therapy; Periodontist are dentists who just treat gums. They are not really specialists; Orthodontist straighten teeth they are true specialists; Prosthodontist are dentists who do crowns and bridges and dentures. Dentists do these as well, so a

prosthodontist is a glorified dentist; Oral & maxillofacial surgeon. These are doctors, who are also dentists, and who are surgical specialists; Pedodontist again a general dentist who can’t deal with adults (or parents) and can only treat children Dental Tourism India Group came into existence with an aim to extend their support to uninsured international patients providing the best service at an affordable price not forcing them to spend more on their treatment than they could afford. India offers World Class Dental Facilities, comparable with any of the western countries. India has state of the art Hospitals and the best qualified doctors. The cost of various dental procedures has soared in western countries. While medical treatments may be covered by some insurance companies, many foreigners find themselves without any dental treatment insurance and have no choice but to pay for their dental treatments themselves. For the millions of un-insured people, dental tourism in India are a practical option. Some of the top cities offering dental treatments are Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Nagpur, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Chandigarh, etc.

Features that make Dental Tourism India the best among other healthcare providers in India are execution of your treatment plan without any delay, transport facilities, Surgery under Experienced and qualified doctors, top class and world renowned hospitals, affordable cost, language translators, foreign exchange, visa letter, etc. With the best infrastructure, the best possible facilities, accompanied with the most competitive prices, you can get the treatment done in India at the lowest charges. A patient will come to India where he will undergo dental treatment and along with that he can visit any Indian tourist destinations, as and when advised by the doctors.

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Online Travel

16>>

designer Indya to cater to luxury inbound indian holidays PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Jaal Shah, Founder, RezLive.com, Group Managing Director, Travel Designer Group, talks about the newly launched Designer Indya brochure, facing competition and significant services offered by it. of-its-kind brochure with detailed itineraries, complete destination insight, local market understanding, comprehensive travel solutions and expertise operations team, to name a few,” said Jaal Shah.

Following the success of its outbound segment, the company decided to replicate it in the inbound segment also and thus, was born Designer Indya, the gorup’s offline inbound product, catering to the growing inbound needs of its travel partners and giving clients a luxury inbound experience as per their needs.

D

esigner Indya, a new brainchild of Travel Designer Group, seeks to promote luxury inbound Indian holidays to international markets. With a dedicated team, Designer Indya caters to the needs of retail and B2B customers across the globe and also empowers, RezLive.com with 1600 + Indian hotels, while extending the facility to book Indian Hotels online. “Our USP will be 24*7 support, one

Meeting competition Jaal believes that local expertise, understanding of local market dynamics, direct contracts with hotels and land arrangement suppliers, 24*7 support, luxury travel experience at best net rates are some of the factors that keep them apart from the competition. Its team explores the whole country throughout the year, in order to present something new to the clients of its travel partners regularly.

The Designer Indya brochure, which was launched in Oman and at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai this year, will also be launched in other global markets through agent networking events. Furthermore, it will also look to have joint promotional activities with state tourism boards to promote inbound at large scale and promote tourism in the country.

“There were not much challenges that we faced, as everything was properly planned and the team executed the set strategies for the same very meticulously, keeping no room for error. The product is taken care by professionals who have years of experience in inbound and they are doing it very well to take the product to new heights,” Jaal stated.

Are you targeting only high-end travelers through Designer Indya?

Designer Indya is catering to the needs of retail and B2B customers all across the globe. We have packages that meets the need of every customer we cater to.

We have standard as well as customized itineraries, which the retail or B2B customers can choose as per their requirements. The itineraries are so magnificently designed that it doesn’t miss out on anything.

What are the significant services offered through Designer Indya?

Designer Indya is the first choice of travellers, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari & Bhuj to Guwahati, which excels in satisfying the needs of our Travel Partners with our exceptional and unmatchable services. Designer Indya also operates as an off-site travel department, helping our clients to plan and organize luxury travel according to their wishes. Through Designer Indya, we take care of all the inbound related travel needs of our retail and b2b customers from Hotel to land arrangements. With innovation of technology, Designer Indya has huge online presence, attracting large traffic of B2B as well as retail consumers, looking for customized Indian holiday experience.

rise in disposable income makes asia biggest travel market: erevmax

The mobile market in Asia had witnessed a double digit growth in gross bookings from $3.2 billion in 2012 to $6.4 billion in 2013.

VW BUREAU

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he rise of disposable income, high internet penetration, growth of mobile phones and the desire to travel have positioned Asia as the largest travel opportunity area in the world. eRevMax released an Infographic – ‘The State of Asian Online Travel’ highlighting key insights on changing travel behaviour, online travel penetration, usage of mobile, last minute booking habits and social media usage of Asian travelers.

Based on various market studies, the infographic shows that 71% travelers seek recommendations from family and friends for a leisure trip and 44% watch travel videos for inspiration. 46% travelers in this region prefer to book online with most trusting OTAs over hotel brand sites. The online travel market in Asia is projected to cross $155 billion by 2017, a 200% increase from $78 billion in 2012.

Voyager’s World > July 2015

The mobile market in Asia had witnessed a double digit growth in gross bookings from $3.2 billion in 2012 to $6.4 billion in 2013. With 3 in every 5 bookings coming from mobile, the platform has taken center-stage and now being considered as a separate channel for revenue generation for smart hoteliers.

The increasing ubiquity of mobile devices has empowered travelers to be confident enough of finding lodging option at their preferable rate at the very last minute.

As consumers become increasingly spontaneous with their smartphone for trip planning and booking, make targeted product offerings which appeal to his last minute segment to boost the bottom line. The infographic also shows that 70% of same day bookings are done on mobile and 29% book within twenty four

hours of their stay. eRevMax suggests hoteliers to provide target based product offerings to reach out to the last-minute travel segment.sdfdfi. In the survey, 71% of the respondents considered peer recommendation for leisure trip. 44% watch video to research on destination.66% of Asians are influenced by price and Thailand remains the most popular destination. 29% of the people said that they booked within 24 hours of their stay while 70% booked on the same day of their stay through mobile. 60% discounts offered by hotels at times on same day bookings.

As for the social media reigns, 57% leisure travellers check internet reviews to choose destination w hile 50% post social media updates while travelling.

What’s App is the most popular social network for sharing. 53% luxury hotel re-

views in TripAdvisor were posted by APAC travellers and 50% travellers use Facebook multiple times a day to research and plan a trip.

Given that research often begins at mobile, early adopters to mobile travel will have an advantage over hotels. 2/3rd hotel online sales goes to OTAs. 24% online travel penetration was found in Asia.

46% preferred to book online and overall, there was 200% rise in online travel sales. With mobile taking centrestage when it comes to online travel, hotels need to add rich visual content that ensures consumer spends longer engaging with their website. 30% of the population expected to have a smartphone by 2016 and 70% always carry their smartphones. 59% use their mobile to search for travel and 64% mobile bookings are controlled by OTA.

Your Gateway to Madhya Pradesh’s ONE & ONLY B2B Travel Market place...

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Meet, Mix, Market and Network with Indian and International Trade Over 150 Hosted-buyers and Media from India and Abroad Over 9000 business meetings in 2 days Select and Pre-schedule your appointments with Sellers and Buyers Seminars by well-known Industry Experts Grand inauguration and Gala Dinner (only by Invitation) Post event FAM trips National and International Media coverage

Incredible India

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ASSAM TOURISM brings prime attractions to indian metros

Assam Tourism brought alive its traditions and culture through myriad performances, while highlighting its products in the recently concluded three-city roadshow in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore.

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

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ssam Tourism recently organized a roadshow on 28 May in Ahmedabad, 2 July in Hyderabad and 3 July in Bangalore. The event highlighted on the tourism potentials of Assam as a destination with prime attractions like the serene Brahmaputra, lush tea estates and the majestic Kaziranga National Park.

The roadshow was presided by dignitaries Ashutosh Agnihotri, Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism Department, Government of Assam, Manoj Kumar Deka, Director of Tourism ,Government of Assam and Gaurav Gogoi ,Member of Parliament, Assam also attended the event.

During 2014-15, Assam’s domestic inbound tourist flows stood at 45,00,000 while overseas tourist flow was at 25,000.

The Assam Tourism Board brought alive its tradition and culture through folk dance performances, visual aids and discourses by officials from the Tourism Board, hotel and tour operators and an interactive session held in Bangalore.

Ashutosh Agnihotri, Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism Department, Government of Assam: “Assam Tourism is planning to ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways to start a tourist train for Assam and this will connect key destinations in the state that a tourist will want to travel to. This experience will be pocket-friendly, yet exotic. Assamese culture, the state’s wildlife, green golf courses, sprawling tea gardens and the majestic Brahmaputra make Assam truly matchless.”

“The place has immense tourism potential both for domestic and overseas travelers. Assam is a simple place that has so much to offer you where one can simply marvel in the natural beauty. We have noticed river cruise is getting more and more popular in Assam,” He added.

Highlighting the tourist destinations in the state, Manoj Kumar Deka, Director of Tourism, Government of Assam said: “Assam has a lot to offer right from the Kamakhya temple to Majuli Island, its tea gar-

dens, golf courses and national parks.

We have one of the oldest amphitheaters in the world and the mighty Brahmaputra. We are also promoting wildlife tourism, pilgrimage tourism, heritage tourism and monsoon tourism. Assam can be a beautiful place for Monsoon tourism in the month of April and May.” Giving an insight into Assam’s culture, Member of Parliament, Assam Gaurav Gogoi expressed: “The DNA of Assam is – love for simplicity, nature, wildlife, culture

and Brahmaputra. We want to unite the north-east to the rest of the country with music, art and culture.”

On behalf of the tours operators in Assam, Arijit Purkayastha, CEO, Koyeli Tours and Travels explained: “Domestic tourists is our strength, we have tourism opportunities all-round the year and we are well connected to the rest of the country. The city of Guwahati is connected to different cities along with direct flights from Bangalore as well.”

‘atithi devo bhava’ commercials emphasize hospitality to tourists

The TV commercials, that were launched along with the ‘India-The Land of Yoga’ brochure last month, seek to spread awareness on adopting honest and helpful means to welcome tourists.

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

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he Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma launched the new edition of “Atithi Devo Bhava” television commercials and a brochure titled “IndiaThe Land of Yoga” at a function organized in New Delhi last month. The four films, made on the theme of “Atithi Devo Bhava” spread awareness about ways to extend hospitality to tourists visiting India by adopting an honest and helpful attitude, as well as maintaining cleanliness and hygiene. Acor Aamir Khan is the brand ambassador for these films that have been directed by the eminent ad maker Prasoon Joshi.

While launching the brochure “India- The Land of Yoga” on the occasion of the ‘International Day of Yoga’ on 21 June, 2015, Dr Mahesh Sharma said that the celebration of International Yoga Day

Voyager’s World > July 2015

is a matter of pride for India and many countries of the world are supporting us in this endeavour. The brochure on Yoga includes details of Yoga destinations which will help to promote Yoga as a tourism product.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma thanked the Brand Ambassador Aamir Khan and Director Prasoon Joshi for making these films and helping in boosting the image of tourism in India. He said that security, hospitality and cleanliness are the main strengths of tourism in India and the Ministry of Tourism is working on a mission mode to achieve these objectives.

The Minister said that the Indian Government had launched a Helpline 1363 or 1800-111-363 to help the foreign tourists and guide them on their arrival in India. The helpline will be available in twelve foreign languages within a month

to facilitate the foreign tourists. Currently, the Helpline is available in Hindi and English.

Ramayana Circuit. These four circuits will be in addition to the five circuits already being developed by the Ministry.

The Minister also announced the setting up of s National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board to boost medical tourism in India. The Board will help to bring together and showcase on an international platform the various streams of medicine available in India including Ayurveda, Yoga, naturopathy, Unani and low cost allopathic treatments , Dr Sharma added.

He said that this will give an organized structure to medical tourism in India with participation of various stakeholders including the private ones.

The Minister said that it helps generate employment in addition to earning foreign exchange. It is for this reason, it is important to move beyond the concept of ‘tourist season’ and promote India as a 365 days tourist destination, he explained. Dr Sharma further said that this can be done by developing various streams of tourism like medical tourism, MICE, spiritual tourism, Yoga, etc.

Dr Mahesh Sharma announced four new theme based circuits under the Swadesh Darshan scheme that will be developed in the next year. They are Wildlife Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Desert Circuit and

The four films launched would be telecast on various TV channels to spread the message of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ across the country. The films would go a long way in educating people about the importance of tourism. This is a further step in augmenting the efforts made by the Ministry for promotion of tourism.

Rural Tourism

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Rural escapades gain strength IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Green Dreams - a farm stay

Agri Tourism Development Company

Rural tourism is witnessing an optimistic growth through real experiences in various parts of India.

Pandurang Taware, MD, Agri Tourism Development Company Agriculture Tourism is the subset of Rural Tourism that showcases rural agricultural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations and in villages in the natural environment. In the year 2013- 14 , the total tourists visited rural tourism center is 4 .14 lakhs tourists.

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ural Tourism as a segment in India is in the nascent stage in North East, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and few parts of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The growth of this segment is phenomenal these days especially with the tourists coming over to India for authentic rural experiences. This segment is likely to grow in numbers in 2015.

Rural tourism promoted in India Pandurang Taware, Managing Director Agri Tourism Development Company says, “In India, Agriculture Tourism or Agri Tourism is the subset of Rural Tourism any form of tourism that showcases rural agricultural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations and in villages in the natural environment. This segment helps the local community economically and socially, interaction between tourists and local population

for a mutually enriching experience.

Narendra Hebbar, Managing Director, Green Dreams-a farm stay explains: “Agriculture is the back bone of our country’s rural localities contract on agricultures and rural local bodies do not give much importance to rural tourism hence tourism is not much highlighted in the tourism circuit.”

Growth in Rural Segment Narendra states that rural tourism is more of marketing but not commercially at the same time and because of urbanization the village tradition has started disappearing and people are more attracted to modernization. Rural tourism has a lot of scope in future you can expect real growth in this particular segment. The growth of the rural tourism segment is phenomenal as the In-

ternational tourists coming to India are longing for the Authentic Rural Village Experiences , tourists are more interested in knowing the real country side along with heritage and culture , in the year 2013- 14 . The total tourists visiting these rural tourism center is 4 .14 lakhs tourists and generating the revenue is close to 15 crore,”Pandurang added.

Destinations promoting rural tourism Narendra said: “Rural tourism is prompted by North East, Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra not much in south India few parts of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka can be the future destinations.”

“Currently there are 318 Agri tourism centers across the country and majority more than 200 are in the state of Maharashtra, including Baramati,

Aurangabad,villages near Nagpur and tribal belt of thane district,”Pandurang added.

Promotional plans Pandurang says, Agri Tourism India will promote Rural Tourism in WTM 2015, also in SATTE and PATA tourism exhibitions, along with Domestic Tourism Exhibitions. ATDC is also conducting festivals to promote rural tourism like KITE festival in August every year.

Narendra concludes that the Ministry of tourism both central and state has to come with new polices and identify the places and recognition should be given depending on the reviews of the traveler. The Department of Tourism should come up with exclusive website and travel shows both nationally as well as internationally.

Narendra Hebbar, Managing Director, Green Dreams-a farm stay Karnataka is very active in agriculture activities as agriculture is the back bone of rural localities.Rural tourism offers a lot of scope in future and expect growth in this particular segment.

www.voyagersworld.in

India Outbound

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bhutan bets on easy accessibility to draw indian travellers

The Kolkata-based travel house offers interesting packages to explore the pristine attractions in the North-eastern part of India, besides offering daily Kolkata city tours.

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BTT is a professionally managed Travel House with the main office in Kolkata. It is a B2B consolidator of East and North East India along with Nepal, Bhutan & Andaman. It conducts Kolkata city tour programmes daily and play a pioneer role in tour operation with special emphasis on Odisha, North East India including Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland,and Manipur, West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman & Bhutan.

Siliguri based NBTT initially started off as North Bengal Tours & Travels, a franchise of ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation) in 2005. Our organization traversed to private limited in the year 2008 (NBTT Travel Solution Pvt. Ltd.) and in the same year the Kolkata office was established.

NBTT has been approbated by the Department of Tourism, Government of India & Government of West Bengal in the year 2009 & 2010 respectively.

It was a member of IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) - 2009; EHTTOA (Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators Associations) 2010-11 and TAAB (Travel Agent Association of Bengal) 2011-12.NBTT successfully handled over 4000 satisfied LTC tourists from all over the country during their visit to Darjeeling, Sikkim & Kolkata.

Bhutan is famed for its pursuit of happiness. NBTT offers packages that beckon travellers to be a part of the living culture of Bhutan. Festivals are spread through out the year in different parts of the country. It is a photographer’s paradise, rich in culture & environment, unique in tradition and architect. There are short day hikes following nature trails leading to monasteries and temples in exclusive peaceful environment. The country is easily accessible both by land and air. Some of the packages organised by NBTT to Bhutan include 6 days/5 nights, 7 days/6 nights, etc. which include vis-

Kiwi Link India 2015 to take place from July 13-16 in Mumbai & Delhi VW BUREAU

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ourism New Zealand’s annual travel trade event, Kiwi Link India will take place from July 13-16, 2015 in Mumbai and Delhi. Through the event, Tourism New Zealand aims to highlight the destination’s range of offerings to all the various segments of Indian travellers. The event also serves as an opportunity for operators from New Zealand to educate their travel and trade partners in India about the new products and services that are available at the destination, as per a release.

Kiwi Link India 2015 will seeing participation from 36 operators from New Zealand as well as four airlines and 80 Indian delegates. Following a new format this year, Tourism New Zealand will host key buyers from around India in Mumbai for the first three days of the event. New tourism operators attending this year’s event include XperieNZ Limited, Wai-OTapu, NTB TRAVEL, Hassle-free Tours, Vyom Journeys Limited, the Rees Hotel Queenstown, JUCY Cruise, while familiar participants include Hobbiton Movie Set, NZONE Skydive (Queenstown), the Helicopter Line, and AJ Hackett Bungy.

Kevin Bowler, Chief Executive, Tourism New Zealand, said, “Kiwi Link India is

Voyager’s World > July 2015

one of Tourism New Zealand’s biggest trade shows and is very important to us as India continues to be one of our priority emerging markets. The trade event serves as an ideal platform for us to strengthen relations with our stakeholders in the Indian travel trade industry.

Under the Tourism Industry Partnership, Tourism New Zealand signed an agreement in November 2014 with Immigration New Zealand (INZ), and six key travel agents from India. The MoU aimed to attract business events visitors through faster processing times and reduced paperwork to the destination. This agreement has given New Zealand a competitive edge and we have increased our focus on the business events segment in India seeing the positive response.”

Steven Dixon, Regional Manager – South and South East Asia, Tourism New Zealand, said, “We have seen a great response from the Indian market in the past financial year. With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and our initiatives in India around the event, we have seen a huge increase in Indian travellers visiting New Zealand. We hope to continue this momentum through more activities in the market and will be making some exciting announcements soon.”

its to Thimphu, Trongsa, Punakha, Paro, Phuntsoling, etc.

In Thimphu, the capital, travellers can visit the Memorable Chorten dedicated to the third King of Bhutan, the Textile Museum & Folk Heritage Museum that provides a fascinating insight into the Bhutanese material culture and way of life, the 15th century Changakha Lhakhang spectacularly localted on the

spur. They can also visit the Tashichho Dzong; the main secretarial building which houses the throne room of His Majesty the King of Bhutan and also the head seat of Chief Abbot of Bhutan.

In Paro, one can drive to the end of the valley to Drukgyel Dzong to see the peak of Jomolhari which forms the border with Tibet and provides magnificent background to the ruined Drukgyel Dzong.

Silk Road tourism ministers to promote Visit Silk Road VW BUREAU

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t the seventh UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism, it was agreed to advance travel facilitation, promote a Visit the Silk Road Programme, and step up efforts to develop tourism routes and enhance human resources. Jointly organised by UNWTO, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), and the People’s Government of the Shaanxi Province, the meeting, which was held recently in the ancient Silk Road capital of Xi’an, addressed topics such as capacity building, marketing and promotion, heritage management, and travel facilitation as a means to build an integrated tourism market along the land and maritime Silk Roads.

Dr Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UNWTO, said: “It is now 21 years since 19 countries gathered in Uzbekistan and adopted the Samarkand Declaration on Silk Road Tourism, which called for a peaceful and fruitful rebirth of these legendary routes. We have come a long way over the years, yet we still need to address a number of challenges that continue to ham-

per a stronger tourism growth on the Silk Road, namely visa facilitation, and connectivity,” he added.

Li Jinzao, Chairman, CNTA, opined, “Tourism is a window for opening up an engine of development and a bond of peace. Let’s work together to champion the spirit of the Silk Road in this new era and create a bright future. The number of exchanges between China and other Silk Road countries has already exceeded 30 million.”

Participating in the meeting were tourism ministers and tourism board representatives of over 30 countries, as well as representatives from UNESCO, BBC Worldwide, University College London, TripAdvisor, Ctrip, Hainan Airlines, Finnair, and the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance.

The first Tourism Ministerial Meeting of Countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt, hosted by the CNTA in collaboration with UNWTO, gathered the ministers and vice ministers of tourism of nearly 20 countries to discuss opportunities for tourism.

India Outbound

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Zanzibar Tourism Promotion Centre sees steady growth from India IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Jilesh Himat Babla, Director, Zanzibar Tourism Promotion Centre-India says that Zanzibar is a popular destination for divers and water adventurists. The destination is expecting a steady rise in visitor arrivals from India.

Air connectivity Zanzibar is quite accessible for Indians with connectivity through Qatar Airways, Oman Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and Fly Dubai. The Emirates & Air Seychelles fly to Dar-Es-Salaam which is 15 minutes by domestic flight and 1 hour 10 minutes by luxury ferry from Zanzibar.

Visa-on-arrival facility is a boon and passengers can avail of this facility. Visa can also be taken prior to departure at the Tanzanian Embassy in New Delhi.

Indian market We have been witnessing limited tourists from India to Zanzibar. The business travelers include traders and exporters.

The Indian Expatriates working in Zanzibar and Tanzania are much larger in number. Zanzibar has always been looked as a destination to end the safari and a great destination with immense offerings in terms of beauty and history and one can also indulge in activities like diving, adventure, water sports and golfing. We are expecting that we will have a steady rise in the visitors from India after we have begun promotions in April 2015. We are also noticing a rise in the inquiries of group movements. We are very economical in our offerings and hence worthwhile considering for a visit.

Zanzibar as a destination Zanzibar is a destination divided into 2 islands - Unguja and Pemba. Unguja is the main island which we are currently promoting in the Indian Market while Pemba is the favorite holiday spot of European and high end tourists due to its serene and untouched environment. Zanzibar also offers one of the best International Diving Spots in the world and is hugely popular as a destination for divers and water adventurists.

Apart from this visitors can combine their tours with a Safari to Northern or Southern Tanzania Game Reserves and Parks such as the World famous Serengeti Plains or Ngorongoro Crater in the North OR Selous and any of the other parks in the South of Tanzania.

Some of the Zanzibar tours offered are The Stone Town Tour- Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa.Due to its heritage, Stone Town is also a major visitor attraction in Tanzania, and a large part of its economy depends on tourism-related activities. Follow the trail of the Sultans, slaves and explorers in the winding streets of Stone Town. Your guide will tell you of the events that shaped Zanzibar, leading

you through the buildings where it all happened, such as the former Slave Market and Anglican Cathedral, the House of Wonders and the Sultans’ Palace Museum, the Old Arab Fort and the Dispensary. The Prison Island Tour-Changuu Island also known as Kibandiko, Prison or Quarantine Island is a small island 5.6 km north-west of Stone Town, Unguja, Zanzibar. More recently the island has become a tourist resort and houses a collection of endangered Aldabra giant tortoises some of which are about 100 years old.

The prison island tour is one of the most sought attractions for tourists, especially children and one can also swim and snorkel while at Prison Island. Zanzibar Spice Tours where one can walk through the spice farm with your guide, touch smell, taste different spices and tropical fruits.

The Blue Safari a full day excursion on traditional sailing dhows, safari blue starts from Fumba and on to explore Menai Bay - an official Conservation Area.

Home to beautiful uninhabited islands, the area is stunning, frequented by humpback and bottlenose dolphins.Zanzibarhas mouthwatering local delicacies to offer all.One of the most visited eateries is the Forodhani Market located in the Forodhani Gardens.

Promotional plans We have already commenced interactions with the travel fraternity through the Travel Trade Associations as well as showcased ourselves at G.E.S New Delhi. We had organized a travel agents familiarization tour in June 2015 and are very happy with the response we have received so far. We are looking forward to invite the Indian Entertainment Industry - Television and Films to consider Zanzibar as a destination for their locations and hope that the Indian population will see much more of Zanzibar and Tanzania in the months to come. We are also working on more familiarization / awareness tours as well as roadshows and workshops early next year.

Main segments Zanzibar is a diverse location and has much to offer to families, sports & adventure enthusiasts, small & medium corporate MICE movements and wellness tours. Zanzibar is also a great destination for weddings and honeymoons.

Average stay of Indian travellers Average stay of Indian travellers is 4 to 6 nights in Zanzibar and some combine with a safari to the Serengeti Plains and Ngorongoro Crater. One can travel to Zanzibar for as low as 1000 US$/person all inclusive.

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www.voyagersworld.in

Hospitality

22>>

kerala hotels select commeasure’s direct booking platform VW BUREAU

With this cloud based technology platform, these hotels can now directly distribute inventory on their own branded website and other online channels.

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outh Asia’s Hotel Booking Platform Commeasure, has signed 50+ hotels as its customers in Kerala. Some of these hotels include Deshadan Cliff and Beach Resort (Munnar), XL Home Stay (Kochi), Misty Green Homestay (Thekkady), South Regency (Kochi), JJ Cottage (Munnar) and San Mike Homestay (Kochi).

With Commeasure’s cloud based technology platform, these hotels can now directly distribute inventory on their own branded website and other online channels, further, ensuring that customers have a seamless experience while making a booking.

es to invest in technology to seamlessly distribute their inventory online and lower their cost of distribution by providing them a bouquet of services. We aim to level the playing field between small chains/ independenthotels, making the hotel’s own brand web and mobile sites as good as the ones operated by multi-national hotel chains and large online travel agents.

Besides, we offer a success-based model where our hotel customers are charged only on the basis of the business generated via the Commeasure platform. Kerala is an important market for us and we see high demand here”, said Amit Saberwal, CEO, Commeasure

“Kerala is one of the top and a pleasing tourist destination. As the influx of tourists increases here, smaller hotels find it difficult to compete as they do not have online presence to engage with their customers directly. The Commeasure platform enables smaller chains and independent hotels, which lack in resourc-

“Customer dynamics are changing rapidly in our industry owing to the changes in user behavior brought about by technological advancements. Commeasure’s plug and play solution is a must have for the hotel owners to maneuver their way through the changing landscape and to focus on their real task at hand, which

is customer bookings. With Commeasure, we’ve seen an increase in our online bookings – both from third party booking sites as well as our own hotel website”, said Mrs. Maggie Felix, Misty Green Homestay Thekkay.

Commeasure’s solution addresses a growing challenge that hotels face with customer acquisition and retention. With customers checking for hotels and prices online, customer acquisition for smaller hotels is complicated. Current solutions are either too expensive or offer only part solutions. Commeasure’s result based, transparent and success-oriented offering lets hotels distribute their property on OTAs as well as their own website and mobile channels, without only being reliant on third party distributors.

Commeasure’s platform has all the tools that are must for a hotel to distribute and manage their digital presence thereby lowering their cost of distribution and

increasing direct reservations. The platform’s design is affordable, highly scalable, which is built on cloud with the latest technology stack. Deeply aligned with the success of the hotel, Commeasure requires little training and comes with step-by-step guidance.

Its booking engine comes with an incredibly smart promotion engine that allows you to show different prices by geography, mobile devices and include or exclude IP address from promotions. The highly optimized booking funnel provides all the relevant information to guests while minimising distraction and increasing conversion resulting in a dramatic increase in your overall bookings and profits.

It has an integrated payment gateway which allows users to pay at the site or pay at the otel. It has the ability to collect partial payments at best possible rates using multiple payment options including debit or credit cards and net banking.

over 70% of hotel inventory in india belongs to independent space PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Saurabh Rai- Area Managing Director of South Asia and Middle East, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, talks about what the company does in the space of independent hoteliering. tages by being part of a global umbrella, an umbrella or platform that provides the infrastructure of an international scale for sales, marketing, quality assurance and electronic distribution,” says Saurabh Rai. “India is a great market for us to be, but at the same time, it has the limitations in terms of the size.”

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referred Hotels & Resorts is a representation platform for independent hotels which could be singular hotel companies like the Imperial Hotel New Delhi or the Avasa in Hyderabad or the Raintree in Chennai or a small regional hotel brand like the Leela Palace & Resorts, ITC Hotels, Zuri Hotels, etc. “We are relevant for any hotel or hotel company that could approve very tangible and distinct advan-

Voyager’s World > July 2015

He says that out of the total inventory that is available in the Indian market, the majority actually belongs to the branded supplier – which means it is out on management contract on the global web page of brands. “I am only talking about four and five star hotels here. In this space, internationally if you take a city like Dubai, all this evolution and explosion of supply in the three, four and five star space, largely skewed towards four and five, over 70% of the inventory is independent. Only 30% is with the global brands. The independent space is the opportunity space for us.

We are a solution for the independent hotels to compete with the brands. We

deliver the same services internationally as the brands.”

Criteria for choosing hotels The brand/ownership has to be committed to the business of hospitality and be in it for the long run. “We want to be assured of that while assessing a partnership opportunity with any of the property we want to work with – the intent and the commitment of the business is important. The owner still would run and operate the hotel under the name that he or she decides to. We are more like a soft brand or a brand pedestal that takes a very successful, accomplished regional brand to a global stage.”

Opportunities to the hotels There are five major pivots of its partnership and all those are of the sort that an independent hotel or even a regional hotel group would not find financially plausible to invest in even if they have the money. “The services are global sales,

international marketing, e-distribution, quality assurance and brand reputation management and cost savings. We have nearly 650 hotels across 85 countries.

We have got 36 sales offices, close to 60 sales directors worldwide who actually do fierce sales and international business contracting with corporates, tour operators, meeting planners, etc. on behalf of our hotels. During a partnership for Leela or the Imperial instantly 36 offices worldwide get activated. Plus, they get access to the events and trade shows worldwide that we organise. “We create these plugin play templates where whichever markets are relevant, hotels can come and participate. They don’t need to worry about the logistics, stand design, F&B and appointments; we do all of that.”

The brand looks for pedigree operating capability, long-term intent, desire to create a brand legacy, aiming to eventually become one of the top five consumer hotel brands in the world.

Hospitality

23>>

hotels are opening up to prospects of revenue management PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Hotels are increasingly resorting to adopt revenue management as a service, particularly the four and five star hotels, says Mike Kistner, CEO, RezNext Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd. “We have our revenue management product for over a year now. A lot of hotels are now looking at revenue management as a service. About a year ago, we started a Creative Division which we launched recently.”

Category of hotels preferring Revenue Management Service Mike says that four and five star hotels use revenue management as a product and to a certain extent use it as a service, while adding that even three star hotels are considering revenue management not.

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ezNext’s Revenue Management technology offers an easy-to-use and costeffective system that can be accessed via an internet web browser. ReV is an industry leading solution that has a two-way integration with the RezNext intelligent distribution platform.

Mike Kistner, Chief Executive Officer, RezNext Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd, said:

Challenges “Earlier, the main challenge that we faced was educating the value of revenue management to hotels. We were constantly endeavouring to demystify the distribution systems, return on investments, booking real time, etc. Revenue Management is an ongoing education process.

People are trying to see its value now. It

is a matter of continuing the ongoing education,” he says.

“We are doing a lot in terms of reputation management information. We have fulltime revenue management staff, proper tools and software to advise hotels to take up the product from start to finish.

We are working on property management including business intelligence and also looking at expanding internationally. We have done demos in Middle East and Africa as well as Southeast Asia,” he concluded.

Key features of the system -Automatically extract and process all transactional data from the property management system - Produces detailed forecasts by market segment, rate category, room type, length-of-stay, and arrival date; evaluating and controlling reservation requests at a micro-market level - Generates the optimal daily mix of rates

and lengths-of-stay by customer segment and distribution channel to maximize profits; not just room revenue - Supports both demand-based and competition-based “Best Available Rate (BAR)” strategies - Integrates competitive rate data to give complete revenue management picture - Automatically delivers availability controls to distribution channels - Comprehensive group forecasting that takes into consideration budgeted and/ or current blocked rooms for definite, tentative and prospective groups - Monitor and manage group blocks with automated group alerts - Powerful Group Evaluator assesses financial impact of group blocks and suggests a minimum group rate for it.

Complimentary rooms, alternative dates, ancillary revenues, profit margins and transient displacement are considered.

- Customizable to allow any combination of central, cluster and/or regional control of revenue management strategies.

IDS digitizes hotel reservation with cloud app SkyRes VW BUREAU

With SkyRes, chain and group hospitality properties can now leverage a robust, end-to-end reservation solution.

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DS Next Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd recently launched a new product, SkyRes. Their cloud-based central reservation system has been crafted for the niche needs of chain and group hospitality properties.

SkyRes is the first product that has been introduced as part of the company’s Sky Suite of solutions and has been built on Microsoft Azure platform. With SkyRes, chain and group hospitality properties can now leverage a robust, end-to-end reservation solution.

ervation system for hotels enables users to centrally maintain room types, rate codes, market segments and business sources for all the group’s properties.

Binu Mathews, CEO at IDS Next said, “The multi-property itinerary in SkyRes enables chain and group hotels to efficiently centralize and streamline the reservation process. It also introduces flexibility on location of personnel, simplifies installation and maintenance, and has advanceddata security.”

SkyResis seamlessly integrated with IDS Next Hotel ERP and offers reservation staff real-time visibility into room availability across hotel chain and locations.

Some of the key features of this central reservation system are real-time booking console for sales agents and instant booking confirmation for guests via email. Hotels using SkyRes can have access to global distribution system (GDS) and other online distribution platforms from a single window as well. This res-

Since large hotel chains work closely with travel agents, SkyReshas a special login for travel agents to make real-time reservations, amendments, cancellations, re-instate cancellations, and inquire into bookings, all over the internet. Travel agents can also generate arrival reports, booking reports, and sales office details.

They can view guest history, guest visit report and search by guest profile.

Speaking on the expanding features of

SkyRes, Jacob K.I, Vice President – Business Development at IDS Next says, “This scalable central reservation system goes beyond just centralized booking and is designed to enable hotels to boost revenues by selling non-room items such as meal plan, tours, spa treatment and other offerings. On the analytics front, SkyRes enables users to generate a host of actionable reports and look-ups other than property-wise reports.”

Srikanth Karnakota, Director, Server and Cloud Business, Microsoft India said, “We are excited to see IDS Next develop the ingenious solution, SkyRes, on Microsoft Azure. The scalability, robustness, flexibility and efficiency of Microsoft Azure, makes SkyRes the next generation solution for the hospitality sector. We believe that this solution will provide the fast growing hospitality sector in India the desired technology boost.”

www.voyagersworld.in

Destination

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mauritius:

tropical bliss expressed through its PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Seakarting at Grande Riviere Noire

asela

e Lion, C

n with th

Interactio

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ristine beaches, pleasant weather and a striking parallel to the people’s way of life resulting from a history of migration portrayed Mauritius as a destination with a multi-faceted charm.

The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority organised a familiarization trip to the destination in June for the travel trade media from India. The temperatures hovered around 21 – 22 degrees Celsius, making it the best time to visit the place, despite it, surprisingly, being the low season for tourism. Yet, we could not help but notice several newly-weds heading straight out of the altar to the destination.

We took an early morning flight from Mumbai via Air Mauritius and reached the destination in about five hours and a half. We landed at the Sir S. Ramgoolam International Airport at about half past eleven to views of sugarcane fields and picturesque mountains. Mauritius offers visa-on-arrival facilities for Indian passport holders and the exchange rate per rupee is at 1.8 Mauritian Rupee.

The drive from the airport to our hotel took about an hour and 15 minutes. Sugarcane formed one of the main sources of revenue for the country, said the chauffeur, as we wound our way through roads flanked by the fields. We checked into the Maritim Crystals Beach Hotel located in the eastern part of the island. After lunch and a property tour, we stepped outside for some water activities available at the hotel’s private beach, including kayaking, stand-up paddling and kite surfing. As the winds were not favourable for kite-surfing,

Voyager’s World > July 2015

View outside Casela

we decided to give stand-up paddling a try instead.

With life-jackets on and oars in hand, each of us got on to the stand-up paddle boats precariously, not knowing what move of ours could topple us down. The guide gave us instructions to move, stop and turn the paddles as we propelled them gently along the waters. After a couple of rounds filled with fear and uncertainty, we mustered enough courage to continue paddling. One of my comrades ventured further into the sea and it took some while before she could turn around the paddle.

As the sun began setting, we quickly switched to kayak boats for a brief round, before it was time to call it a day.

The next day, we had planned to do the submarine activity, which had to be, postponed to the next day due to rough weather. Not letting the change of plan deter us, we made our way to the Botanical Gardens in Pamplemousses, which is not very far away from the submarine location. The garden boasts of verdant collections of flora and many trees planted by world leaders during their visits to Mauritius, including those planted by our late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, the late Nelson Mandela, to name a few. The garden also houses few animals like tortoises and ducks, which posed happily to our cameras.

After spending about an hour at the garden, we went to l’Aventure du Sucre

Seven coloured earths of Chamarel

(Sugar World), a museum dedicated to the history and manufacturing of sugar in the country. The museum, which was opened in 2002, covers over 5000 sq m inside the rehabilitated old Beau Plan Sugar Factory. The factory had stopped its industrial activity in 1999 and all the original machinery used for the production is housed there. The exhibits depict the lives of communities that devoted their lives to sugar, the sole livelihood of their country at that time, through interactive screens, texts, pictures, animated models and large albums.

with ndezvous Segway re sela Ca h, ic tr an os

any knowledge of swimming or diving. A motorboat takes you from the centre of Grand Baie to a platform inside the lagoon at the north of Mauritius in about 20 minutes. There are qualified guides who take you through pre-departure instructions on hand gestures for easy non-verbal communication once under water, safety procedures and the underwater walk.

The following day, we set off early for the Undersea Walk in Grand Baie (Grand Bay) for a solar sea walk. The Grand Bay is located in the north; the north part of the island, per se, is noted for the number of water sports activities like windsurf, water ski, undersea walking, parasailing, etc.

As soon as we reached the spot, we were handed rubber shoes and belts to fasten ourselves to help us stand on the seabed which is about three feet deep. As we got off the platform, they placed helmets with a transparent visor on our heads; these are connected to a special apparatus that allows us to breathe comfortably under the water. As soon as we set foot on the ocean bed, we sensed ear clogging briefly like one might experience during a flight take-off. There were three diving monitors; two of them to support and accompany us under the sea with breadcrumbs to entice the multi-coloured fishes and one life guard to monitor our movements from above. Our walk was marked by an extraordinary silence, sporadically broken by noises from the apparatus. The whole experience felt like walking on the moon as we treaded absorbedly holding each other’s hands, discovering the gorgeous sea life, corals and schools of multi-hued fishes that spouted in front of our helmets as we held breadcrumbs in our hands.

The activity was filmed completely and given to us to reminisce later.

The undersea walk is a must-try for anyone visiting Mauritius. The whole activity lasts about an hour. It does not require

After we reached the shore, we headed off to the Blue Safari Submarine experience, not too far away from Grand Baie.

Besides the museum, the property houses the Village Boutik and ‘Le Fangourin’ restaurant. Visitors can taste at least 12 varieties of unrefined sugar at the Village Boutik besides tasting rum manufactured directly from sugarcane.

We checked into Hotel InterContinental for the next two days. The property is in the northern part of the island and we were lucky enough to have sea facing rooms on the ground level and the best part of the room was that we could just open the patio door and walk to the beach.

Destination

25>>

waters, wildlife and history “Stand calm and keep rowing,” said the stand-up paddle coach looking at me trying to ascertain the ocean depths, during a week-long trip in Mauritius, which was filled with plentiful water sports, rendezvous with wild animals and other activities...

Submarine

experience

The fleet of Blue Safari Submarine consists of two submarines and both of them provide a different vision and experience.

They can dive together to more than 35 meters of depth. We were taken to the middle of the ocean on a motorboat before we climbed down into a submarine.

The one-hour experience begins with the captain descending down in parts before finally going 35 m deep, showing us ship-wrecks, corals and myriad marine life. The submarine moves at a very slow pace, enabling us to take in the tranquillity of the world underneath through our eyes and the lens. Once, we came back to the surface, we were given refreshments to help counter possible bouts of nausea or sea-sickness, before bidding us adieu with a diving certificate!

The next day, we set off to explore the wild attractions of Mauritius at the Casela Nature & Leisure Park, whose main attractions include interacting with lions, quad biking and segway to have a closer encounter with wild animals. We began our tour of Casela with a one-hour practice on segways, a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicle that requires some rehearsal before setting off on the rough terrains of the park. A line of 10 persons followed a guide who took us across the forest to chance on ostriches, wild bucks, zebras and giraffes. My most memorable experience was looking in the eye of a female ostrich right in front of me as she customarily posed for our cameras and a little while later, I was petted by a zebra that just didn’t seem to want to let go of me, much to our amusement.

Stand-up paddle at sun rise, Beach at Maritim Crystals Beach Hotel

Before heading out to lunch, we set out to meet the lions for a photograph and interacting opportunity. The escorts give tourists staffs that are supposed to be kept in front of us always and we were warned not to scream or do anything to provoke the big cats. While one guide stands beside the lion, people can touch the animal and take a photograph beside it. We ended our tour with a short bus safari, followed by lunch.

Sea-karting was our last water activity during the trip in Grande Riviere Noire (or the Black River) on the South West Coast of Mauritius. After being briefed on safety and operation, we set forth in pairs in a V-shaped line. The sea-kart is easy to operate. After a few minutes of fear, my partner and I got used to the jolts caused by the waves before it sped forth. Our guides were on a security boat ahead of us to direct and film the ride. The adrenalinepumping ride is sure to send you hooting in excitement each time the waves push up the sea-kart, leaving you wondering if you would topple, which you won’t, as this world-exclusive seakart is unsinkable and its specific turbine propulsion prevents any screw propeller danger. Each Seakart can accommodate two adults and one child. We slowed down twice during the one-hour activity to swap seats and click photographs. your guide will make several stops at various points of interest, such as the spectacular Crystal Rock, the unspoiled Bénitier’s Island and the magnificent Le Morne Brabant mountain, The changing colours of the lagoon waters, stunning gorges and the coastline render the outing thrilling.

ting at Rum tas rld o Sugar W

Later, we went to Rhumerie, wherein lies, in the heart of a fertile valley, seven ‘Coloured earths of Chamarel’, that are a result of a volcanic eruption. The route is bordered by vast sugarcane plantations and tropical orchards. We had lunch at Rhumerie, followed by a visit to the distillery and rum tasting session there. Our last stop for the day was at the Curious Corner of Chamarel, a gallery of interesting illusions and art, like the mirror maze, upside down room and the laser music room.

On our last day, we checked out of the hotel before heading to the Château de Labourdonnais. It was originally an old concession obtained in 1777 by two young orphans, Mary Louise and Henriette Tréouart de Longpré. The site was bought in 1821 by Jacques de Chasteigner Du Mée, who expanded the estate and named it after Labourdonnais. It then became the property of two sisters - Ladies Bourgault and Aubin. In 1854, Christian Wiehe, married to a daughter of Bourgault, purchased the domain.

An agriculturalist, he further developed the estate and completed building it in 1859. The Château has two levels built in neo-classical Italian style. The estate is surrounded by lush trees, endemic plants and fruit orchards, besides housing a boutique, rum tasting bar and a restaurant. After touring it, we drove to Le Caudan Waterfront, not wanting to miss the shopping experience. It is a commercial hub in the destination, with many malls and entertainment options. There are many local art and craft souvenirs that one can take back home. However, it

Enroute to

submarine

may be mentioned that business comes to standstill by 5pm every day, leaving you with fewer, shopping options in the evenings. The best time to shop would be in the mornings and afternoons. Our last stop before going to the airport was at the Crocodile Park, which has a fascinating number of crocodiles, insectsm turtles and monkeys.

Our entire trip was made even more enjoyable by the weather with June being winter there. Winter lasts until September and the temperatures stay at around 21 – 25 degrees Celsius. It is advisable to carry light pullover or jackets for cooler evenings. Debit cards issued by banks in India are valid and one can withdraw currency at the ATMs upon landing. There is no need to carry foreign currency if one has an international debit card. Local SIM can be purchased en route to the hotel. Wi-Fi is free at almost all places including hotels. With a sizeable chunk of the population comprising people whose forefathers were immigrants from India, Indian cuisine and vegetarian options are not a problem here. Mauritius celebrates many Indian festivals like Diwali, Holi and Shivaratri on a grand scale.

The locals leave a lingering impression of a home away from home, as their lives are interwoven with influences from the Indian sari, Bollywood , Hindi, Tamil and Bhojpuri. Mauritius is much more than a honeymoon destination; it has plentiful attractions waiting to be discovered by people of all sizes and ages, at any time of the year.

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Trends

26>>

EMERGING BUSINESS TRAVEL TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN INDIA PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

MICE, the new and prospective segment for travel and corporate industry stakeholders, is undergoing dynamic changes, in tandem with fluctuations in prices, ATF fuel costs, technology, etc.

T

he United Nations World Travel Organization (UNWTO) forecast the growth of the Indian market to reach 50 million outbound tourists by 2020 over the current 1.8 million. In 2010, many of the foreign national tourism boards had recorded a double digit growth in Indian national tourist arrivals under this segment with nations like Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong registering positive growth.

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

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

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

The sliding rupee, rising fuel costs, soaring ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) prices, user development fee at airports, excess baggage, hotel loyalty programmes, flying miles and other ancillary costs, The forecast for travel prices for last year showed that India was expected to hit a growth rate of 6.0% while China would be the leader in terms of growth at 8.0% projections. Citing projections Carlson Wagonlit Travel projected, during an ACTE panel discussion held last year, that as far as the APAC region was concerned, business growth would be driven by China and India and more code sharing and LCCs dominating aviation. Some more Asian carriers are likely to join traditional

alliances and long haul low cost carriers will also be emerging trends.

strong though supply vs. demand will vary according to the country.

As for the hospitality industry, Asia Pacific cities have the highest occupancy rates in the world for the present year (2015).

The law of supply and demand will create interesting dynamics in India and China.

Future Ground transportation projections and trends Carlson Wagonlit Travel studies and found that car rental prices will increase modestly though options are limited by local restrictions in some locations that prevent foreign visitors from driving without a local driver’s license.

In India, the excess construction of global chains has created too much supply, exceeding the demand, thereby creating opportunities for buyers for negotiations.”

China will continue to experience a surplus of new supply from global chains and emerging brands for Chinese travellers but demand is expected to keep pace.

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

Meetings and Events Projections The strongest overall growth will take place in Asia Pacific, with both group sizes and daily attendees sizes anticipated to increase. The demand will remain

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

VADODARA NAGPUR VISHAKAPATANAM COIMBATORE

Voyager’s World > July 2015

: : : :

07, 08, 09 August 2015 09, 10, 11 October 2015 06, 07, 08, November 2015 22, 23, 24 January 2016

Travel Trends

27>> 97% of respondents have received instructions to further tighten business travel policies. There is no relaxation of the rules in sight, despite the more favourable economic outlook acknowledged by all.

73% reported business clients implementing policies to decrease the number of business trips. Six in ten clients are extending economy class thresholds to reduce business class travel.

47% of travellers were also encouraged to opt for lower-star accommodation.

43% of respondents felt that their role had recently shifted more in favour of business procurement.

companies to draw up a cost-effective, value for money travel and accommodation plan.

Hence, it is not surprising that businesss these days are resorting to a single-window booking system to take care of all the booking aspects. Some of them also engage a separate travel concierge desk in their organizations. This kind of a set up not only eases the process, but also brings about a lot of deals and discounts in hotels and flights for the employees.

73% of business clients had increased their preference to use low cost carriers.

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

Besides this, companies can also formulate a meticulous travel policy in order to keep a lid on costs. These policies can be about fixing a ceiling on the accommodation category like star hotels, guest houses or serviced apartments and also go on to limiting budget on first class travel and opting for economy class. Through this, companies will be able to effect a substantial cut in their travel spending.

73% of business travel companies implemented a business booking tool (CBT).

64% of respondents agreed that a good number of travellers wants to deal with travel management companies and agencies, with 55% perceiving business travel itineraries to be too complex a task to undertake themselves.

As for those who face disagreement on such conditions, the best alternative would be to re-look at their suppliervendor contracts. Business travel planners can reach a deal with long-standing suppliers and bring about contracts that reward loyalty while ensuring a win-win situation for both the parties.

Over 83% of travel management companies and agencies felt that smartphones would have a moderate to significant impact on business. Only 33% had implemented any mobile web or native applications for smartphones, leading with a simple mobile itinerary tool.

They can negotiate with the airlines and the hotels for a certain number of seats and rooms during a certain period and reach an amicable policy while drafting their request for proposals.

Though the adoption rates of smartphones and tablets are high in Asia Pacific region, only four in ten enable flight and hotel bookings on mobile. 33% of business travel companies have created a mobile web or native mobile app for smartphones for business bookings.

Keeping aside the trends and expectations, let us take a look at the challenges that business travel is burdened with.

Rising costs of travel and accommodation seem to be the biggest concern presently.

In the last few years, airfares have gone sky-high, so also the room rates, thereby adversely affecting travel budgets. Going beyond complaining, the need to travel is still there. Employees demand access to first class travel and hotel arrangements; hence companies have to design their travel budgets in a way as to keep costs at a certain level.

While people talk about technology pervading all levels of travel on the one hand, a lot of people still find it difficult to book a LCC flight. There are several issues pertaining to booking the seat, hand luggage, meals onboard, window seats and making reservations in the first 10 rows, for instance.

With varying demands on part of the employees and rising airfare and different airline policies, it is quite a challenge for

Other problems encompass increase in the number of new airlines entering the skies, growing passenger numbers, route expansion, need for trained manpower and infrastructure, all required to grow at the same pace.

As for price sensitivity, airlines have become cost conscience more than just Passenger Revenue by changing the business models constantly. For instance, carriers generate revenue on sale and lease back (wet lease). Indigo 89 % planes are on lease. Jet Airways is 90%, SpiceJet is 69% and GoAir is 93%.

It is expected that the near future capacity will increase in the domestic market.

As of today, the entire industry in India is 62 million passengers annually; but the market will add 40 million passengers over the next four years.

LCCs have paved for a new trend with the industry going for adding capacity in short haul segments that are usually more profitable. On an average, a Mumbai-Delhi flight is sold at INR 8 /Air Mile and in comparison Mumbai-Ahmedabad is sold at INR 12/Air Mile.

Airlines in India are following models like Air Asia and Southwest Airlines by charging extra for specific seats like by the window or the aisle seat, reducing baggage allowance and increasing cancellation of ticket and no show charges.

Indigo is expected to add nearly 10 air-

crafts a year over the next decade or so mostly to operate domestic segments.

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

A successful LCC in India is very clear about what it promises to deliver. If the airline charges a fare without any frills, whilst promising a certain standard of service, with ‘Arriving on Time’ being their USP, then it stands to win hands down in terms of running full or almost full. Meals, water and other such add-ons have to be borne by the passenger.

This kind of a policy is better than running a LCC and supplying a newspaper, a sandwich and a water bottle. Tiny supplementary costs can go a long way in adding to its overall cost.

look for are a comprehensive technology solution that covers all aspects of bookings. A solution that would be a one-stop site listing all the types of travel and hotel choices quickly, including ground transportation, is likely to be adopted by a business.

Having said that, today the proliferation of smartphones in our personal and professional lives, have necessitated us, employees to be able to have more access to information. More so, when it comes to dissemination of travel information. While one may have travelled on a particular international airline once, with the booking done by a business, the regular emails and mailers on the flying miles that one accumulates is sent to the end-user by the airline; again a resultant benefit of access to data.

Business travel managers have implemented compound strategies in order to make sure the lowest reasonable fare is offered to the employee at the time of booking.

When he uses the same flight the next time, he can utilize these regular miles information to seek upgrades.

Here is where policies such as a 7-Advance Purchase, business fare vs. retail fare, day trips and round trip fares are executed. With so many promotions happening every few months, these strategies ensure that the business does not lose out to the retail purchaser when it comes to negotiating bulk deals.

Again the use of smartphones varies from person to person. Not all employees use a smarphone to communicate booking information. Some would much rather prefer the nitty-gritty of travel to be taken care of completely by the company and only the necessary information be communicated to them. Plus, there is the concern of international roaming charges when one is on foreign shores.

Another hindrance faced by businesss while dealing with travel plans for their executives would be demanding and insistent travelers. With increasing international travel and exposure to world class travel and accommodation standards, today travellers seek the best arrangements.

Irrespective of the nature of the travel, work or the company policy, employees anticipate and desire a four or a five star hotel accommodation. Budget accommodation options remain at a secondary level.

A business booking tool or an OTA usually facilitates the work. However, an inefficient and unproductive booking tool will not serve the process. One requires the complete booking options to find out the best and most ideal travel and hotel choices, that would not only fit in their budget but also be of a certain standard.

India still has a very adoption rate for business travel technology in comparison to western markets. An exhaustive travel solution is the need of the hour to ensure the most effective delivery of travel services, be it a simple individual package or complex group itineraries, domestic or international.

With online booking tools offering user friendly booking ideas, people still tend to check with their travel concierge or a travel agent over the phone, simply with a need to understand technology by personal communication.

While it was mentioned earlier that a single window booking system could alleviate booking hassles, what organizations

In such cases, organizations must look out for those solutions that offer customized or personalized itineraries, like an exclusive app for travel to a particular country. This can help the concierge and the management to effectively be in touch with the executive who is travelling, in real time on their smartphones.

For this, they require a cost-efficient, lowcost and secure mobile access platform.

The downside of this is that these complications can lead to the organization deciding to go for video-conferencing or tele-conferencing in order to cut down travel. This would mean fewer trips.

Alternatively, they can review their expenditure and budgeting. Issues surrounding last minute cancellation, refund, meals, combining more meetings in one trip for maximum value for money, and per diem can all be re-worked to amend the total trip cost.

One can look at serviced apartments for a change instead of star accommodation. These apartments offer a lot of convenience like more space, fully furnished kitchen and though they may be on par with a luxury hotel, they give a homely ambience during one’s stay.

On a concluding note, it may be ssaid that in order for the company to identify the most optimum OBT, it must know what it requires, outline all the deliverables in terms of solution and savings, identify the right OBT, measure the performance and either adapt or re-measure.

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Trends

28>>

travel Technology: most wanted!

VW BUREAU

Travel companies have to look out for the best global methods of distribution so as to increase their business volumes while reducing costs.

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he dependence on technology in the travel industry is dynamically evolving by the minute, changing the ways in which people think and book their travels. Airlines, hotels, online travel portals, mobile applications and the like have shown new influences on travel choices.

Technology and model changes are something that travel companies must watch out for and quickly adapt to what suits them best. They have to look out for the best global methods of distribution so as to increase their business volumes while reducing costs. Right from the points of sale, managing real-time inventory to the overall merchandizing, a good technologically-forward distribution channel will shape the end sale of the travel products.

The company is now using its communications infrastructure to provide video conferencing to its clients as an alternative to travelling.

As for the hospitality industry, with the help of Hotelicoper’s hotel shopping and booking technology, leading hotels like the Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and Wyndham had implemented a hotel shopping service called Room Key backing all their properties. All of their properties can be displayed in many ways. The Room Key display allows guests to check the prices, read the reviews and also evaluate other properties.

Travel management and expense reporting company Concur was promoting its Open Booking tool. Through this tool experienced travellers make their bookings with the supplier of their choice. The booking procedure entails corporate offers, discounts included. The individual bookings are collected and assembled into a single itinerary using TripIt technology (which Concur had recently purchased).

Last year, Accor had implemented a digital solution that revolutionizes guest welcome in its hotels worldwide. The main idea is to use digital technology to offer customers a unique personalized welcome. It seeks to ensure that guest welcome is less devoted to administrative formalities, making the hotelier entirely available to greet guests, cater for their individual needs or simply help them save time.

Accor places digital technology at the service of its guests at every stage of their hotel experience – before, during and after their stay – adapting its hotel services to the new modes of consumption which are more mobile and connected.

As per a study conducted by PhocuWright on travel technology trends revealed during WTM London 2013, UK-based travel management company Portman Travel uses UC as a key part of its customer service strategy. Using UC to link 17 sites and 550 users, Portman has brought down the call waiting time to under three seconds and achieved a £30,000 ROI.

In the aviation sector, several international airports have introduced holograms in the form of avatars to assist travellers, especially in the USA and the UK. Holograms are ‘virtual assistants’ who are video-projected creating the illusion of a real person to assist passengers at security checks. US-based Delta Airlines offers real-time luggage tracking to pas-

Voyager’s World > July 2015

sengers on their mobile phones. American Airlines provides flight attendants with tablet computers to help them refer to and record food preferences, passenger names, frequent traveller data, and other special requests.

Other important technology trends in this industry include the role of social media and that of big data. As per a 2012 survey by the American Society of Travel Agents, just 39% of travel agents employ social media in their business processes.

Among those, 49% use Facebook and 44% use LinkedIn. Of travel agents using social media, 15% consider these services essential to their business, 29% are still learning how to use social media, and 20% say social media is still unproven as a marketing channel.

Big data is the current development through which the tourism industry will try to make travel easier. When talking big about data, quality is the quintessential element. The company will be valued if it is able to provide information before a trip on the number of people travelling on a particular flight, considering that even a single drop-out can have an effect.

In 2014, Amadeus had revealed some key trends in travel technology for this year from content marketing, exploring new markets to personalization of services. They are: - Ancillary in indirect channels: A few implementations of ancillary have already taken place in the indirect channel, but this is now ready to break through. So far this year, we have implemented 14 airlines for Amadeus North American customers, and have development projects

underway for several major U.S. airlines.

We are also pursuing ancillary services distribution with a large number of additional international carriers.

- Reaching new markets: Flight search technology continues to evolve and we are seeing some interesting business models evolving. This will continue to create new and ultimately larger markets for flight search. One of the most interesting new business models is Options Away; another is GetGoing, both Amadeus customers. Entrepreneurs will continue to evolve the consumer shopping experience utilizing the increasing breadth, speed and versatility of search services.

- Personalization: Targeted offers always beat non-targeted offers. As data platforms evolve and marketing/acquisition battles get more fierce, suppliers and intermediaries will make large investments to ensure they have the tools to win this marketing arms race. Billions of dollars are spent annually in online travel marketing – and a small improvement in efficiency goes a long, long way.

- Content marketing: Content Marketing/ Airline, Content Marketing/Cruise Line, Content Marketing/Travel IT; Amadeus had predicted that 2014 would be the year seeing some very interesting twists in this model. The battle for eyeballs was fierce as individuals mix personal, leisure and professional content in their Facebook and Twitter feeds. How does a marketer compete with everyone’s friends, families and hobbies? Content must become even more engaging, entertaining, moving and inspiring to emotionally reach people.

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For Further Details Contact

‘MAHARASHTRA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL MART'

MITM Secretariat: 701/ 706, Shree Kedarnath, Opp. Gokul Anand Hotel, Western Express Highway, Dahisar (E), Mumbai- 400 068.

Tel:+91-22-6457 1700 - 15 (16 lines), Fax:+91-22-2892 0471.

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Travel Technology

30>>

guiddoo: personal guide for

informed travel experience AANCHAL SALECHA

Vineet Budki, Co founder of Guiddoo, talks about the key features and progress of the app since its launch in 2013. visited destinations”: added Vineet.

T

aking a break and travelling to the neighbouring city or country is a common phenomenon today. Consequently, the tourism industry is also progressing at a rapid pace with start-ups pitching in an innovative solution every day. Addressing the issue of lack of information on key monuments and tourist destinations, Guiddoo was launched, which is an outcome of a personal experience of the founder, Nidhi Verma. On her trip to Paris, she was unaware of the timings of a monument and hence could not tour it and hence, ideated this app.

“Guidoo is an in-destination service app featuring curated audio, visual and

textual content of a particular location.

With this app we want to get away from the tedious brochure culture and offer an enriching experience to travellers through their smartphones”: explained Vineet Budki, Co-founder of Guiddoo.

The app enables the user to gather tourist essential information such as hotels and restaurants in the vicinity, activities, history and timeline, monument timings, weather and information on tickets of the tourist spots. “We currently cover four cities in South East Asia – Hong Kong, Bangkok, Pattaya and Singapore and Dubai from the Middle East. The aim is to cover about 25 countries across the world providing information on the most

Sources of revenue “Guiddoo has so far invested INR 80 Lakhs on the development of the product which includes content generation, translations audio and technology. We are expecting to reach our break even in the second year of our operations,” said Vineet. The company generated revenue of 15-20 lakhs in the last six months, primarily from the B2B subscription model.

“Our revenue is generated from different sources. First, is the audio guide sale which is 1.99$ per location. Second being B2B subscribers and third is funding by investors,” he said. Guiddoo has investors from overseas as Pawan Borle, Senior VP - Human Resources, Fly Dubai and Abrar Ahmed, Partner, Travel Capitalist Ventures and Indian investors include Vishal Shah, Founder AcFin Consulting.

“We have raised $200,000 which we plan to invest in expanding our business and add more content on the app.”

Target Audience Guiddoo is targeting the international and individual travellers mainly within the age group of 18-34 years. due to the comfort level of certain geographies to pay the amount. With this specific target-

ing we have seen a conversion rate of 3-5% from free users to paid users.”

Market response Guiddoo has 1 lakh downloads already. It is not looking at expanding its customer base at the moment but at enhancing the whole user experience. As revealed by its statistics, the app is able to engage a customer for an average time of 3 – 4 ½ minutes. Highlighting the key features of the app, he said: “Unlike, the apps in market, Guiddoo is a personal guide which can be used offline also. It tells you what you can do at a particular destination.

Expansion prospects Divulging the next plan of action, Vineet expressed: “Our primary aim now is to reach the 25 countries target followed by regionalisation of the app by adding more languages.” Stating further he said: “We are in talks with the OTAs in Middle East and Spain to make the app available in languages of Arabic and Spanish respectively. Our aim is to cover the most sought destinations across the world first.

Hence, our focus on India is limited. But we have partnered with Make My Trip to upgrade the app to Indian languages and will gradually expand our base in India with a different revenue model.”

smarter transport is new mantra for indian commuters: mastercard VW BUREAU

A

ccording to a new report from the Future Foundation, commissioned

by MasterCard, Indians in bigger cities likes Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai feel that the local governments could be doing more to leverage new technology to improve urban transport services.

Traffic congestion and pollution arising from the use of private cars has become unsustainable throughout the country.

The provision of real-time travel information will be key factor in encouraging the use of public transport over private.

37% of Indians and 34% of Chinese surveyed already use smartphone travel apps at least once a month. In addition, in India, 59% of respondents mentioned that they are using cars less often for journeys. The focus has shifted towards public transport and the success of Bus

Voyager’s World > July 2015

Rapid Transit (BRT) in Ahmedabad has encouraged other Indian cities to adopt the system. As payments have a critical role to play in BRT system, the respondents acknowledge that contactless payments and innovation in the fare collection system can help ease congestion by incentivizing travel at less busy times.

The report, ‘Connecting Cities - Mobility: Unlocking Potential in Emerging Markets,’ unveiled that the governments of emerging markets like India are recognizing the importance of data in providing better services, while over half of urban residents are happy to share their user data to improve transport in their city. It also shows how effective mobile devices can be in aiding more efficient travel, through mobile payment, realtime travel updates or map services.

64% of the respondents from India said they will be interested in a smartphone or tablet app that provided realtime travel updates. Over half of urban residents surveyed are happy to share their user data to improve transport in their city, with Chinese (59%) and Indian (53%) residents most keen.

- 8% of city residents surveyed in China did not want to share their behavioural data in any circumstances, less than in India (13%) and Brazil (19%).

- Appetite for a service that monitors a travel route and advises on suitable alternative travel options was strongest in India (90%), with Brazil (85%) and China following closely (77%).

- Use of travel apps is growing rapidly; 37% of Indians - Residents in India and China’s biggest cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Shanghai,

Beijing, and Hong Kong) felt the local governments could be doing more to make improvements to the city using new technology.

- Desire in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong for a bike and/or car sharing scheme that can be booked via smartphone.

- 65% of respondents in China claiming to have increased walking, cycling and public transport. 59% in India and Brazil said the same.

Vikas Varma, Executive Director, South Asia, MasterCard, said: “Our report shows that people want local governments to take better advantage of technology to improve services. We hope the report will encourage governments and transport operators in the country to unlock the power of data when developing new services and adopting technology.”

Associations play catalyst to buzzing convention market How do associations serve the purpose when it comes to conventions?

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

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ike all other organizations, associations can learn from each other when it comes to organizing conferences and meetings. The great advantage of the association sector is that there is much less competition between associations than the competition that naturally exist in the commercial business sector.

The common purpose behind all associations is to bring together people as members sharing similar interests and opinions on a particular subject and provide a forum for them all to concur on issues related to the subject. And when there is a convention held involving an association or a group of associations, the role of the convention offers many advantages, besides the crux of the matter being connecting with like-minded people and encouraging membership.

An association-centric convention allows to really focus on strategic and relevant issues for associations, and not just one element (meetings, venues, convention management).

Associations abroad, in most of the developed countries are dynamic and well organised with close associations with members. At this point of time, very few Indian organisations have such a mechanism of touching base with members. Activities stimulate more membership and in an annual convention of this type, we

listen to what many organisations do to make sure that the society and members gain benefits.

Practices adopted by different organisations are not well known to many of those in the professional circles. There are very successful organisations while there are many upcoming ones. Hence, conventions and meetings centre around associations help the new ones from reinventing the wheel and save time, energy and resources.

Benefits for stakeholders By participating in association centric meetings, delegates can learn from overseas experiences and are exposed to best practice in other countries. Suppliers to a particular market, as represented by the relevant association, are able to showcase their products and services in front of an international audience.

The participation would make stakeholders more responsible and knowledgeable about the role they need to fulfill as professional managers of associations, serving with their board and members.

There is tremendous knowledge gained through these conventions. Individuals in the company/organisations represent in associations and thus, bring tremendous level of knowledge and experiences.

There are associations that hold elec-

tions to elect the new office bearers and committee members, purely based on professional excellence while some others on ‘political’ basis. Strategies of each organisation are different and cannot be copied but there is plenty of learning.

Learning is gaining!

Bottlenecks in creating awareness to enroll in a common association Associations need to create awareness among prospective members about the advantages of having a membership.

Associations need to be reminded that there are alternative sources of information and knowledge being offered on the Internet, so they must continually strive to prove the value of joining. Monitoring of laws and regulations is a first step, but influence is also important. The association can serve as an excellent organizer of statistics, knowledge and promotion towards new changes. So it is not only a re-active but also the pro-active duty of associations to represent the overall industry or profession.

Associations must deliver what is expected of them by the members who are often institutional members. It has to be ascertained whether the institutional members run associations or individuals. Some individuals excel in visioning an association to the logical end while some come and go with very little impact.

Organizations would want to witness re-

sult orientation. There are companies that view membership in an organization as a trade union activity detrimental to its very existence.

In the Indian market, rulemaking will need to adapt for new realities and liberate from red tape for joining or leaving an association. It is important that they focus on telling the members what they can expect in the association in terms of value and learning.

There are regular reviews of legislations pertaining to management of associations in many countries. They primarily focus on responsibilities and accountability besides transparency. They promote true representations and ensure regional representation to prevent one sided or imbalanced views and decisions making. In India, it has been noticed in several legislations that poor implementation mechanism is adopted. When a member raises dispute, the whole associations come crumbling down without any activity being performed. In a country like India, conformity to the laws and rightful practices are a challenge. Accreditation bodies linked to some incentives could help in establishing accountability. In a global organisation, with so many stringent provisions for ensuring conformity to the laws and guidelines issued with punitive actions for deviations and with associations not wanting to

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deviate on moral grounds, it does make a lot of sense to have legislations to promote and sustain healthy associations.

Advantages of being a global association member Everyone wants to learn, unlike the past when we used to learn from reading books and magazines. Today, the world wants to see, believe and understand and also innovate, which is enthused by observations and interactions during such global events. Learning is made available in the doorsteps. Networking is established through such global association to connect amongst the countries and within the regions. Representations to the governments are made easier with the knowledge gained through countrylevel participation.

United Nations, the international governmental body has a provision for the global and national level associations to represent their views and needless to mention that civil society organisations are given official role in such meetings of inter Governments, though they are not extended a voting right. It is important that they society’s views are that of its stake holders - members. Accountability is important for members to gain respect of the Governments.

All active members of an organisation would greatly benefit by mixing with their counterparts in various countries through a global association. The things that bind associations together are much greater than national differences that invariably occur due to legislation, culture or geography.

Being a member in a global association will help the member to exchange with peers in global regions, or knowledge of other techniques or innovation.

Voyager’s World > July 2015

Role of local vendors in organising meetings When a huge meeting of an international stature is being held, the significance of local vendors cannot be ruled out; it is here that outsourcing contributes towards reducing the burden of the organisers.

The knowledge of someone who understands the area the conference is being held can be very valuable in ensuring the optimum outcome for the delegates.

Vendors are key partners and hence, there has to be a proper representation in an association’s management and it must include vendor representatives so their interests are protected. Leadership can be rotated by practice or by constitution to ensure that vendors assume such key roles. Exhibitions in congresses are common sight world over and they add to the bottom line of the associations.

As associations continue to expand and grow globally, meetings become a key strategy for organisations to open and penetrate international markets, especially the emerging ones which show a huge thirst for latest content offered through multiple products and services.

Meeting revenues mainly come from two sources – participants and industry partners in terms of sponsors and exhibitors.

However, with more and more meetings taking place, content being made available in digital forms and through various online portals, and shrinking travel budgets, it becomes extremely important that associations have the right strategy behind their meetings when expanding in international markets, especially when they are new markets. Below are 7 key areas to look into when planning international meetings, as per a study by INCON.

Content While working in international markets, organisations need to ensure their content is more locally relevant. Having the same content might not be a successful strategy as it might not address the local audiences. A good strategy will include customisation of the content or having the content presented with local relevance and connections so the participants find it most useful and wish to attend the meeting.

Marketing and promotion One of the major challenges faced by many associations when expanding into new markets is developing a locally relevant marketing and promotion strategy.

From print marketing to social media, each industry and market responds differently and it is crucial to understand the triggers of that market before launching the strategy. One way to do this is to connect and discuss with counterpart organisations, local suppliers or, at times, even international members.

Pricing strategy Whilst most markets can adapt and work with a consistent and similar pricing strategy, there are certain countries where organisations need be careful in defining the sponsorship/exhibitor values and registration prices. It is essential to look into this at the start when working on the event plan. If there are reasons for having lower prices, then the event costs have to be managed accordingly to ensure financial objectives are met and there is no last-minute compromise.

Stakeholder involvement and support No meetings are successful in international markets if the local/regional stakeholders are not sufficiently engaged.

They need to be involved in defining the content, pricing strategy and in gather-

ing the right support from local authorities and industry. This will not only help in bringing in direct revenues but also in assisting in elevating the meeting brand that eventually will attract more participants leading to increased revenues.

Audience engagement Having the potential participant engaged right from pre-event marketing is the best way to ensure they attend the meeting. Audiences today can be engaged in developing content and choosing the speakers through voting. Social media and digital tools also help connect them into forming a community, so today it is very easy to have your audiences engaged at reasonable cost. These communities can then be used to generate revenues by connecting the industry partners to them in various forms post event to start an industry conversation.

Partner involvement When working in international markets, having a local on-the-ground partner helps associations to address local challenges. Costs are reduced through better contracts, knowledgeable management of local stakeholders and partners as well. These could be conference organisers and/or destination management companies who can also provide insights into the marketing mix and local market relevance.

Value-added services A lot of organisations do not pay attention or focus on the value-added services desired by participants assuming the meeting is focused on local and regional participants. Services like offering accommodation, industry meetings, or offsite activities do influence the decision of a participant to attend the meeting.

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venue safety, local culture, site inspections add to event success INCON, a provider of conference, event and destination management by combining global presence and local expertise, enlists effective measures for successful international meetings.

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NCON, a partnership of companies providing conference, event and destination management by combining global presence and local expertise, enlists effective measures for successful international meetings.

Consult the Destination Experts, Convention and Visitor Bureaus Develop a relationship with international convention bureaus. Attending industry events and tradeshows, both at home and overseas, as a hosted buyer is a cost effective way of researching the meeting offering of a range of international locations. Some trade events to consider are IMEX America, Las Vegas, AIBTM, Baltimore, IMEX Frankfurt, EIBTM, Barcelona AIME, Australia, CIBTM, China Destination Management Companies (DMCs) DMCs specialize in the organization of meetings, incentives, conferences and events for incoming groups. As well as offering impartial destination advice a good DMC will have established excellent relationships with local vendors and suppliers. Take advantage of their local knowledge (more information in Step 6).

Global Hotel Chains Research the hotel chains in your event location. Many international chains have National Sales Offices who can assist with the RFP process. Remember to research regional hotel chains as well as iconic local properties which may not be part of a global structure.

Get paperwork in Order Ensure all event participants are aware of passport and visa requirements for the destination in question. Passport Did

you know that only about 30% of Americans have a passport? It may seem obvious but out of a group of 50 conference delegates who do possess passports it is quite probable that at least one passport will be out of date. In addition, many countries require visitors to have at least six months remaining on their passport in order to be allowed entry. Engage with delegates at the earliest possible opportunity and again before travel to ensure passport ownership and validity. Visa Be aware that even if all your attendees are traveling from the United States they may not all be US citizens.

Therefore they, and you, must know the requirements for entry to the country of your meeting that relate to travelers from their home countries. Is a VISA required? Can it be purchased on arrival (e.g.Turkey) or must it be purchased in advance (e.g. Russia). Costs can vary from $5 to $140 so plan for this. Allow sufficient time and resources to arrange visas prior to departure as they can take multiples of weeks to process. Suggest that delegates make photocopies of their passports and travel documentation and keep in a safe place. So if a passport or luggage does get lost then important information is readily available.

Safety First Crisis prevention is important for any meeting. Many destinations around the globe are as safe, or safer, than the United States but in today’s world security considerations must be of paramount importance. No matter where your event is taking place, it is vital to assess the safety risk. The political and financial sta-

bility of a destination can change daily but there are a number of considerations which will go a long way towards reducing the risks.

Michael Kern, Executive Director, Dekon Group, says: “Event insurances are usually for the time of the event only, but when taking the insurance make sure all pre-and post events as well as setup and dismantle days are included. When it comes to choosing the right insurance, then the question is what you want to cover. There are not only participants who can hurt themselves, they can hurt others or damage things. There is your own staff, but also suppliers who can damage floors and walls while building up your stage, or the exhibition hall. It’s always advisable to consult a specialist, who is familiar with the local jurisdiction, especially if you organize like us meetings worldwide. We run within the next four weeks congresses in the Netherlands, Hong Kong, the United States and France, and believe me, the needs are different in all destinations.

He says: “First of all, walk the event through with open eyes and open mind.

Walk it through like a participant of the event, put yourself in the role of the average participant. You will find all risks easily.” Also very important is to check the emergency plans of the venue.

Nothing is more confusing than conflicting emergency plans (your own and the venues). Then have a clear line of command prepared beforehand, who is in charge of what. We always prepare a complete scenario of the event for each team member, where we list each indi-

vidual function in all details and also the team member in charge. This includes of course also safety measures. Risk management is increasingly becoming a bigger focus area. Conference organizers are facing questions by participants and event owners about increased security measures for the events, and people are also becoming more cautious about daily risks.

Factors to take into account before taking an event insurance First of all, who should be insured, exhibitors, participants, organizers…? What’s the local jurisdiction, what is needed in the country the event is held? How risk averse is the event owner? One can’t insure each possible risk, insurances can quickly become a big cost factor in the budget if every risk is taken care of. Most of the time it’s is much more important to negotiate well with the venues and hotels to mitigate the risk instead of paying an insurance. Well negotiated attrition and cancellation policies can save you a fortune in case of an imminent crisis.

And there should be already an insurance for the venue in place, check that before getting an insurance.

Bringing the delegates to destination Most national airlines are part of alliances whereby they cooperate with other carriers. Globally, the three major alliances are StarAlliance (1,160 destinations), OneWorld (916 destinations) and SkyTeam (871 destinations). The benefits are many to you as a meeting planner. You can establish a single point of contact for multiple carriers and travel routes, secure discount fares and

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Michael Kern, Executive Director, Dekon Group Event insurances are usually for the time of the event only, but when taking the insurance make sure all pre-and post events as well as setup and dismantle days are included . When it comes to choosing the right insurance, then the question is what you want to cover. provide end to end solutions for your event attendees. Marketing support may be available if the airline is chosen as the official carrier.

Accommodation Determine the type of accommodation which best suits your meeting or event.

Consider a range of options to suit different budgets. Many frequent travelers favor the familiarity and consistency of service delivery at global hotel chains which can be sourced relatively easy via the local or regional sales network.

Others prefer hotels with a sense of local history and heritage. Know your hotel groups and also your hotel marketing groups e.g. Preferred Hotels, Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). Build relationships with your local national office contacts. Apart from hotels other accommodation providers might include; • Serviced apartments • Bed and breakfast/ guesthouses • University (outside term time) Choosing Suitable Destination Management Companies A DMC will act as your ‘’eyes and ears’ on the ground particularly in an unfamiliar location. Your delegates may be making the trip for business but DMCs can be a great source of help with services including social programs, ground transportation, excursions and tours, gala din-

Voyager’s World > July 2015

ner and themed events. With access to unique venues, DMCs can create experiences travelers couldn’t have on their own. Broadly speaking there are three categories from which to choose from; 1. Global DMCs Wholly owned DMCs like Allied/PRA, Kuoni or Ovation will offer a single source solution at an extensive number of destinations.

If you run international meetings on an ongoing basis then you can expect to benefit from the convenience and time saving perspective in that existing relationships can be leveraged over multiple locations. From a financial point of view, working with fewer DMCs may mean better value. Actual services are still delivered by local experts. 2. A global network of DMCs Many local DMCs will operate as part of a strategic network. Some of the best known are Euromic, Hosts Global Alliance and Global Event Partners. Members of these networks may vary in size and range of service offering but will have been selected as a leading DMC in their destination. 3. An independent local DMC Operating in a specific location only with a fat rolodexes of local contacts, a local DMC can provide a wealth of on the ground insight and support.

To date there are no internationally accepted standards for DMC accreditation.

The Society of Incentive Travel Executives (Site) www.siteglobal.com offers its Certi-

fied Incentive Travel Executive program to individuals and this designation indicates high levels of competence. The Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME) www.adme.org has done the same. Consider the company’s level of engage Anticipate Communication Anomalies Establish a language for written and verbal communication early on. English is the most commonly used language of business. In most international cities and venues that routinely deal with international business, English is spoken by the sales and conference services teams. If visiting a more remote location where English is not first language or commonly spoken, then it may be worthwhile to hire an interpreter. Being able to communicate in the language of the country will make your event experience smoother.

Finances Understand the intricacies of foreign exchange rates. Talk to your Accounting Department colleagues for advice on international currency conversion matters and the safeguards you can put in place to minimize exposure to currency fluctuations. Consider the implications of negotiating payments in US currency to eliminate currency uncertainty. Meetings often take months, maybe years, of planning. It may be worth locking in at dollar

exchange rates to have the stability of knowing what the event costs will be up front. The downside is that with lackluster dollar exchange rates you may end up paying more in the European Union than if you paid in Euros. Without a crystal ball you cannot know for sure what political or environmental factors may affect the exchange rate and in turn your final event costs.Explore the duty, customs and excise charges of the meeting location country and the impact on the event budget. For meeting supplies and room gifts, avoid shipping costs and duty by purchasing at the destination. Custom brokers can be consulted to provide detailed and specific advice on local customs and regulations; appropriate rates, etc.

Local culture Your destination of choice and the profile of your event attendees will dictate how much research you need to do on local customs and cultural immersion.

Site inspection A site inspection trip will allow you to foster relationships with suppliers and/or DMCs, build the event team and create engagement, present your event objectives, experience the destination, build a bank of local knowledge and see for yourself how the meeting infrastructure actually works locally.

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Search engine rankings key to effective event marketing campaigns Courtesy: Dekon Group

Anastasia Vatsika , an INCON partner and Managing Director of AC&C International S.A, talks about how to develop successful web marketing campaigns

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he objective of digital marketeers and corporates engaging in online campaigns is to capture a spot on top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Appearing on the top results of search engines will help place their brands and businesses ahead of competition and help reach the desired target audiences.

All kind of businesses, regardless of their nature and size, must strive to increase their online visibility to their respective ttargeted audiences and they can do this effectively by embarking on a local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign.

always be the first step. As competition in the marketplace intensifies, communicating your message to this target audience can no longer be taken for granted.”

Anastasia Vatsika, an INCON partner and MD of AC&C International S.A lists top steps to bring about an effective web marketing campaign. She says: “Indepth knowledge and understanding of a congress market is key to developing a successful marketing strategy. Defining the key target audience, monitoring competition and setting clear objectives will

Search Engine Optimisation SEO tactics must be put in place to ensure that the congress website scores high in the search engines rankings. Reviewing the website content and structure, compiling an extensive list of keywords and exchanging links with other related websites ensures that your website features on one of the millions of searches

A user-friendly website Often the first port of call, the congress website must be designed in an attractive and user-friendly way offering visitors the most updated information available and allowing them to get involved (download congress material, plan their personal event schedule, network before the event, watch the event in live streaming etc).

performed daily on the net. An excellent and inexpensive way to further promote the congress website rankings is by using online congress directories. Submitting a congress for free can result in benefiting from popularity of the directories within the target audience.

sult in high rankings for your website.

Decide the geographical target regions of the congress, compile a list of keywords, select the maximum daily budget and the congress website campaign will be running live attracting even more potential delegates.

Banner Campaigns anner campaigns are another way to get the congress website recognized over the internet. For example by liaising both with the online congress directories the congress has been submitted in and the congress supporters a mutual exchange of banners and thus double the publicity can be achieved. Sponsored banners in the websites of major associations or networks relevant to the congress can also be considered according to the marketing budget.

Social Networks Social networks now attract users in their billions and offer an inexpensive platform for your web marketing campaign. After all, the more channels you create for people to learn about the congress, the more successful it will be. Build the congress’ profile/community/fan group and leave users to spread the word! At zero cost and time the congress will enjoy an extensive list of potential delegates who can interact and network before, during and after it. Manage the congress list of users and select groups for targeted marketing campaigns and at the same time drive up congress revenues by offering sponsors & exhibitors a new platform to promote their services.

Sponsored Links When dealing with a rather popular topic, sponsoring a search engine link can re-

ACTE hosts networking reception with Student Fellowship PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

The Around the World in 80 Hours Programme handpicks university students from across the world and trains them on global business travel management.

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he Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) hosted an evening of networking in Bangalore on 26 June at the Hilton Bangalore in view of the Student Fellowship participating in the ‘Around the World in 80 Hours’.

The event began with a presentation by two students about their experiences thus far on the tour, followed by cocktails and dinner. Some of the corporates that attended the occasion were from BCD Travel, Unilever Ltd., Roam1, Via.com, Eco Rent-a-Car, dnata, WW Stay, Thai Airways, Thomas Cook, Accenture, CGI, etc. Amarnath Lal Das from Accenture, said that ACTE’s aspiration was to bring hte Global Corporate Travel Conference (GCTC) to India in the near future.

The participants in the study tour undertook a self-funded cultural tour of Mysore upon arrival in Bangalore. Their agenda during the next few days in the city included a market update on the Multinational

Service Centre (MSC) India, Visa landscape in India presentation by Thomas Cook, a Travel Managers Roundtable, Airlines landscape in India presented by Etihad, a property tour of Vivanta by Taj MG Road, a presentation by Voyager’s World on the Travel Trade media landscape in India, ground transport landscape in India, hosted by ECO Rent a Car and TMC landscape in INdia by HRG, dnata.

The ‘Around the World in 80 Hours’ programme is a certified, hands-on, global immersion training and development programme focused exclusively on global business travel management.

Travel professionals gain additional market knowledge within select cities and regions via a customized itinerary that includes as many destinations as your schedule allows.

University students select an individual destination or apply for the com-

prehensive training programme. Each programme includes practical training/ internship opportunities in addition to the activities below. Enrollment is competitive and a limited number of Student Fellowships are available.

- Economic, industry, cultural briefings - Networking events with industry VIPs - Professional development opportunities - Site visits to key suppliers of business travel products and services - Optional cultural activities

Each destination includes: -Immersion training on corporate travel management

All participants earn the ACTE Global Travel Executive Certification upon completion of the programme.

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Tourism Minister to inaugurate 8th Conventions India Conclave VW BUREAU

The Union Minister of Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma will inaugurate the eighth Conventions India Conclave (CIC) - ‘Unleashing the Potential’, that is set to be held from 7 - 9 August in Greater Noida.

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he Union Minister of Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma will inaugurate the eighth Conventions India Conclave (CIC) - ‘Unleashing the Potential’, that is set to be held from 7 - 9 August in Greater Noida at the India Expo Mart Ltd. The Union Minister of Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma will inaugurate the eighth Conventions India Conclave (CIC) - ‘Unleashing the Potential’, that is set to be held from 7 - 9 August in Greater Noida at the India Expo Mart Ltd. The conclave will provide attendees an opportunity to interact with the Bureau’s members who are specialists in meetings and conventions and also suppliers who would showcase their products during the conclave.

The conclave will have a dedicated exhibition area to showcase MICE facilities, infrastructure, services and products.

There will be a special invitation for

spouses to attend the opening dinner on 7 August. There are Door Prizes by ICPB member hotels for hosted buyers (which will be announced after each business session in a lucky draw).

Participants from overseas would have an opportunity to join the post conclave tour being organised to give them an opportunity to inspect the infrastructural facilities and also to view the diversity of India – its sights and sounds along with its colours, tastes and the unique aromas. Buyers from overseas can meet suppliers from India’s MICE industry and experience the products for themselves.

This year, ICPB has arranged exhibition booth/stall of 3 x 3 sq m at a very concessional rate, where the companies can display their products and interact with buyers/customers.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma- Honorable Tourism Minister, said: “The Indian Economy is

growing at a phenomenal rate, and along with it so is the MICE industry. India presents a unique and budding opportunity for not just the domestic, but for the international organisations as well. We see a bright future for the Indian MICE sector – constant improvements in infrastructure and a healthy demand will facilitate the next big steps for India.”

vides various marketing opportunities for the members by meeting buyers who have the potential to bring large number of Conferences to this country, and also Skill development where we are inviting Experts from national and international level. We look forward to seeing all our buyers and suppliers under one roof and to showcase India’s MICE abilities.”

Suman Billa (IAS) Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Chairman- ICPB, commented: “ICPB is the APEX body for the MICE sector in India. Our purpose is to act as a catalyst for the growth and improvement of India’s MICE sector. With each interaction of the Conclave, ICPB takes one giant step towards transforming the MICE sector and making it realise its potential.”

The India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) NOT ONLY disseminates information about infrastructural facilities and related services for planning / organising of meetings, incentives, conventions & Exhibitions / Events BUTalsoassists the Indian Tourism Industry to market them globally. This Conclave is a unique event for the participants to create an excellent sharing and learning opportunity. The speakers at the Conclave are active MICE industry professionals, enjoying high levels of creative experience and would offer participants a focus on the challenging and changing future.

Capt. Swadesh Kumar- Vice ChairmanICPB, stated: “The Conventions India Conclave is the perfect opportunity for the participants to network and share their expertise with one another. It pro-

gbta: Single-Use Virtual Accounts Gain Popularity in Business Travel Courtesy: International Meetings Review

A majority of travel suppliers are accepting single-use virtual accounts and this gain in popularity likely stems from an increase in marketing and educational efforts by the industry.

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new study by the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association, has found that an estimated 20 percent of American businesses today pay for travel using cardless single-use “virtual” accounts, up from 13 percent last year.

Meanwhile, the survey found that a majority of travel suppliers are accepting single-use virtual accounts—53 percent.

This gain in popularity for a relatively new payment method likely stems from an increase in marketing and educational efforts by the industry.

The Buyer and Supplier Outlook on Virtual Payment Solutions study, sponsored by U.S. Bank, surveyed more than 220 U.S. travel buyers and travel suppliers to gain a better understanding of which types of business travel payment solutions they prefer. The results confirm the growing popularity of virtual payment solutions, with those buyers who have adopted

Voyager’s World > July 2015

single-use account solutions reporting satisfaction with the controls, compliance and data reconciliation benefits that the technology delivers.

Unlike more traditional central billing solutions such as Central Travel Accounts, single-use virtual accounts use a unique account number created and authorized for a specific transaction amount, date of use and merchant category. When a traveler makes a booking, the travel supplier receives a unique account number, and must charge the account within a designated time frame and for a designated amount. Following payment, an automated reconciliation process matches the travel booking with the transaction. The process reduces paperwork, potential errors and labor costs while producing a transparent view of travel spend for supplier and buyer alike.

Although usage is growing, the findings

suggest opportunities for process enhancements that would drive greater adoption. Approximately one-third of travel buyers still report a lack of familiarity with single-use virtual account solutions.

Suppliers who don’t currently accept single-use account payments express concern about confusion at the point of sale, indicating a need for the industry to find a better way to transmit account information from booking systems.

Key Findings Travel buyers tend to use more than one type of payment method, with 82 percent using two or more payments and about two-thirds using virtual payment methods alongside corporate card programs.

Although a minority of travel buyers use single-use virtual accounts currently (20 percent), among those who do, they tend to be satisfied. Some travel managers are particularly satisfied with elements such as controls and compliance, data recon-

ciliation and management capabilities and security and protection from fraud/ misuse. By comparison, a larger percentage of Travel Suppliers accept single-use virtual accounts (53 percent) and are also satisfied with the process.

Future Opportunities for Single-Use Virtual Accounts Among non-users, travel buyer familiarity with single-use virtual accounts is on the upswing. In the 2014 study, only 23 percent of travel buyers said they were “familiar” or “very familiar” with this type of account. Today, that number stands at 39 percent and with increased education and marketing there is an opportunity for that to continue to increase.

According to the survey, if buyers’ rates of implementation of single-use virtual payment accounts increases to match suppliers’ adoption rates, we could see marked growth – possibly in the near future – in this industry segment.

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LVCVA expects to receive multi-million dollar boost in 2015 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Michael Goldsmith, VP of international marketing, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, says that Las Vegas is recognized as the world’s premier meeting and convention destination for meeting spaces.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). In addition to approximately two million square feet of exhibit space, 144 meeting rooms (more than 241,000 square feet) handle seating capacities ranging from 20 to 2,500. A grand lobby and registration area (more than 225,000 square feet) efficiently link existing exhibit halls with new exhibit and meeting rooms, and allow simultaneous set-up, break-down and exhibiting of multiple events.

Best Convention Centers The Las Vegas Convention Center offers a 3.2 million square foot facility located within a short distance of more than 100,000 guest rooms, operated by the

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) have more than 22,000 meetings and conventions held annually.

Las Vegas is the world’s premier meeting and convention destination, with more meeting space than any other city on the globe especially for organizing a major international convention.

Marketing activities The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has unveiled two new advertising campaigns, One of the campaigns is titled “Entertain You” that targets the business-to-consumer market of C-suite executives and then the complementing campaign, called “Neon Signs,” focuses directly on the businessto-business market segment of meeting and event professionals.

With more than 22,000 meetings, events, conventions and trade shows a year, Las Vegas is already top-of-mind for industry professionals. The campaign seeks to fortify Las Vegas’ popularity through a two-part approach, building on the destination’s many strengths in hosting meetings.

Expected Growth The Las Vegas economy is expected to receive a multi-million dollar boost this year with the addition of new convention business and the return of several rotating shows. A total of 12 new and rotating conventions and trade shows consisting of more than 10,000 delegates are scheduled in 2015. Combined, the shows will draw an estimated 242,000 attendees generating nearly $315 million in local non-gaming economic impact. Nine of these shows will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

New trends The International attendance to Las Vegas-based trade shows are growing, as much as 20-30 percent of total attendance for some of the biggest shows, and this trend is expected to continue as it becomes even easier to travel to Las Vegas.

atpi group launches new specialist brands for events market

The new brands have been developed to ensure that clients will reap the benefits of a consistent standard of service, specialist tools and expertise across all global regions of operation.

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he ATPI Group announced details of two new specialist brands for the events market, ATPI Corporate Events and ATPI Sports Events. Originally within the ATP Event Experts division, the new brands have been developed to meet specific requirements of clients in the corporate and sporting sectors.

This follows the development of an enhanced management team and wider rebrand of other divisions as part of the Group’s continued growth and evolution.

ATPI Corporate Events is the new dedicated brand for the corporate MICE and group travel sector.

Creating and delivering events via its global network of offices the new brand will offer expertise in project management of incentive programmes, meetings, group travel and product launches with experience for some of the world’s leading brands to enable corporate clients to meet their objectives.

ATPI Sports Events is the new specialist brand for clients with operations in the sports market to deliver a whole host of services including managing transport, accommodation and touring schedules for teams including football clubs. This is in addition to supporting strategies on behalf of event organisers, managing travel for teams or associations, corporates and sponsors for major international sporting events including the 2014 Commonwealth Games, UEFA Champions League, Rugby World Cup 2015 and both Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

Peter Bost, Head Of Global Events For The ATPI Group said: ““As we have continued to grow and develop our offering it made sense to diversify our brands within our events business. Our clients and especially those from the sporting world have increasingly specific requirements and as a result we have developed two bespoke brands with a team of qualified experts to meet these and ensure that

our events offer and expertise grows in line with our client’s needs and the market.”

ATPI Group also unveiled new for its specialist divisions. This follows the recent acquisitions of Voyager Travel in Australia and Griffin Travel in 2014, and the announcement of an enhanced global management team earlier this year as part of the Group’s continued growth and evolution.

The new brands represent a revised and focused structure for the ATPI Group.

They have been developed to ensure that whilst they represent the individual specialisms of each area of operation, clients will reap the benefits of a consistent standard of service, specialist tools and expertise across all global regions of operation.

Offering market leading technology for large corporate organisations, ATPI Corporate Travel is the specialist brand for

those whose operations requiring a combination of complex tailor-made itineraries and an effective time-efficient online solution on a global basis.

ATPI Griffinstone brings together the expertise of both ATP Instone and Griffin Travel who will now offer dedicated services for the shipping, energy and offshore sectors under one banner. ATP Instone and Griffin are both long established specialists in shipping and energy with the expertise and state-of-the-art technology to manage the complex travel requirements of travellers in this challenging sector.

To meet the demands of the clients from the sporting world ATPI has divided its events operation into two separate divisions. ATPI Sports Events offers clients specialist teams to manage travel, event logistics, corporate hospitality, ticketing and sponsorship activation for global sporting events, clubs and associations.

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FESTIVALS OF 31 July - 2 August, 2015

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he Spraoi Festival is Ireland’s specialist street theatre and spectacle event, taking place in medieval Waterford. Founded by the Vikings in 914, Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city. Major attractions as the Viking Triangle, the House of Waterford Crystal, the Waterford Museum of Treasures that includes the historic sites of the Bishop’s Palace, Medieval Museum and Reginald’s Tower, are well worth experiencing after Spraoi time. The festival is about live music, street theatre and the main event, the Spraoi Parade, one of the most anticipated outdoor arts performances in Ireland. The parade lights up Waterford with a colourful mix of fancy dress costumes, exotic floats and impressive special effects.

International street arts, Ireland

15 July - 31 August, 2015

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ome August and Salalah Tourism Festival will add to the festivities in the Sultanate of Oman. Beginning from the second day of Eid al Fitr, the official festival will continue till 6th September, 2014. It is during this time when Salalah in the governorate of Dhofar receives rains prompting tourists from all around the world to visit the region to enjoy the unique cool weather. Dhofar witnesses its best period, clothed in lush greenery and its hills surrounded by white fog. The festival is also popularly known as ‘Khareef Festival’ as Khareef means monsoon. Technology, food, crafts, fashion and cultural events are there at the festival.

Salalah Festival, Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman

6 September, 2015

26 August, 2015

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he “Tomatina” is held on the last Wednesday in August in the town of Buñol. This unusual fiesta brings together crowds of people every year, ready to have a great time of laugher and fun, hurling tomatoes at each other. Participants at this joyful pitched battle have a wonderful time throwing tomatoes at anything that moves. It gets underway at 9am, in the town square, with rolls and pastries provided for breakfast by the Town Hall. battle. At 11 o’clock a shot is fired to announce the start of the fight and the first truckload of “ammunition” appears.

La Tomatina Festival, Bunol Spain Voyager’s World > July 2015

T

he Regata Storica or Historical Regatta is a spectacular sporting event that takes place along the Grand Canal in Venice to mark the welcoming of Caterina Cornaro, wife of the King of Cyprus in the 15th century. Several Venetian rowing boats with rowers and the locals in period costumes parade on the waters to commemorate the welcome. There is also a competition involving several coloured boats and people setting about in the Venetian lagoon. Out of the four races in many categories, the main event is the men’s caorline (broad, snub-nosed lagoon vessels) contest. The races start in Castello and proceed west up the canal to the former convent of Santa Chiara, where the boats turn around a paleto (pylon) to pound back to the finishing line at Ca’ Foscari.

Regata Storica, Venice

39>>

THE WORLD 24 - 26 September, 2015

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f you love the likes of Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and so on, The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz is a festival made just for you. Being Johannesburg’s biggest annual jazz festival it is an ideal family outing, featuring a range of musical styles but with a strong emphasis on jazz. Celebrating its 16th anniversary in 2014 The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz has a fantastic line up of top international and local artists. This year international artists hail from America, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands.

Joy of Jazz, Johannesburg

13 September, 2015

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he Bromo Marathon 2014 is returning to highlight the magnificent Mount Bromo in East Java on 7 September 2014 participated by hundreds of runners. The event will feature three categories of competition, including: the Full-marathon distance, the Half marathon distance and 10 kilometer run.

The start and finish line for the event will take place in the Village of Wonokitri - in the heart of the Tenggerese culture in East Java. The Bromo Marathon works alongside community members to provide an event which aims to improve education, health, and economic prosperity throughout the many low-income, low resource communities inhabiting the region.

Bromo Marathon 2015, Indonesia

28 August, 2015 19 September - 4 October, 2015

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he world renowned Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held in Munich in Germany every year, starting last late September to first week of October. Enormous quantities of Oktoberfest beer are consumed then and tourists can also enjoy several traditional, tasty dishes. Traditionally, festivities begin on the dot of noon on the first Saturday after 15 September, when the mayor of Munich taps the first keg and yells ‘O’zapft is!’ Once the Oktoberfest is officially open, a 12-gun salute signals to the bar staff to get the beer flowing and then there’s no holding back. There is a wide range of entertainment besides beer like carousels, merrygo-rounds and shooting and throwing galleries. There are beer tents and several kiosks that sell sweets, ice cream, non-alcoholic beverages and souvenirs.

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nam is Kerala’s harvest festival celebrated in the Malayalam month Chingam, from end of August to beginning of September. The festival falls in the Malayalam month of Chingam and marks the commemoration of the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali during the Vamana incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the pre-Vedic period. People put flower mats in front of their houses, to welcome King Mahabali. Celebrated for 10 days, the festivities comprise beautiful flower carpets, ‘Sadya’ or traditional lunch, snake boat races, ‘Puli Kali’ and Onappottan, Atthachamayam, Thrikkaakarayappan, Thumbi thullal, Onavillu, etc.

Onam, Kerala

Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany www.voyagersworld.in

Islamic Travel

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Islamic travel - Festive Holiday gains market A niche segment in tourism is being fast developed to cater to Islamic travellers across the corner. With Ramzan around the corner, let us see the present global Muslim traveller trends and figures.

VW BUREAU

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he Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched its first app designed specifically for the growing number of Muslim visitors to find their way around the country. The App for iOS and Android is both an online and offline guidebook that will help Muslim visitors find mosques, halal restaurants and hotels, shopping centres with prayer rooms, and other facilities of cultural importance to Muslim travellers.

Halal tourism will meet and transact business during this summit.

This is just one example of the rising attention paid to this segment on the tourist demographics front. TAT’s app is right now available in English and Thai but will be expanded to include Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia later. It also has a search and navigation feature to help quickly locate specific places and estimate the time it will take to get there from a users’ current location. It was developed with the support of the Halal Science Centre of Chulalongkorn University, the Foundation of the Islamic Centre of Thailand, Halal Standards Institute of Thailand and the Tourism Council of Thailand.

He emphasized that it was important to find new source markets, encourage demand and add new marketing ideas so as to draw Muslim travellers from across the world. Halal tourism accounts for 10% of global tourism revenue with an estimate worth of $14.7 billion (Dh54 billion), says a report by the United National World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

In the Middle East, Abu Dhabi’s hotels and tour operators are fast gearing up to tap Halal tourism, following encouragement from industry experts to utilize the Emirate’s targets to become a hub in the Halal sector.

The Emirate is all set to host the first World Halal Travel Summit and Exhibition in October from 19 – 21 this year, in tandem with the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. It is anticipated that at least 6,000 Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) travel agents, hoteliers, investors and key decision makers from

Voyager’s World > July 2015

“Our ambition is to become a leader in the global Halal tourism market and gain a greater share of the global market, which is estimated to be worth $140 billion, rising to $192 billion by 2020,” said Sultan Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director of Tourism at Abu Dhabi’s Tourism and Culture Authority.

CrescentRating, an authority on Halalfriendly travel, while acknowledging the importance of the rapidly growing Muslim population, observes that it is expected to become 26.5% of the world’s population by 2030. It informs that the majority of the Muslim population comes rapidly developing countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and the Gulf.

influencing their purchasing decisions.

They are searching for products and services that take into account their faith based needs. This has been illustrated over the last decade by the accelerated growth of Halal food, Islamic banking and lifestyle sectors. The typical Muslim consumer is now younger, educated and with a larger disposable income which has precipitated an increased propensity to travel.

This means travel and hospitality, and its various sub-sectors, is now one of the biggest markets within the Muslim consumer space. This study revealed that in 2014 this segment was worth $145 billion, with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10% of the entire travel economy. This is forecast to grow to 150 million visitors by 2020 and 11% of the market with an expenditure projected to grow to $200 billion. Muslim travel will continue to be one of the fastest growing travel sectors in the world.

Even TAT’s strategy behind creating the app is to aim at the 240 million-strong Islamic populations of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, which are expected to grow strongly after the ASEAN integration process advances from 2016 onwards.

Given the significance of this segment, MasterCard and CrescentRating brought about the Global Muslim Travel Index that will provide travellers, destinations and travel services, as well as investors, comprehensive benchmarks across a number of important criteria, to track the growth of the segment. This year’s MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015 looks at in-depth data covering 100 destinations, creating an overall index.

Muslims are now becoming an important consumer market for the entire world and their contribution to this segment cannot be ruled out. Faith is increasingly

Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015 Results Against the backdrop of a new set of criteria Malaysia topped the 2015 In-

dex with a score of 83.8. It was followed

by Turkey at 73.8 and UAE at 72.1. It is the fifth year in a row that Malaysia has ranked number one having topped the previous rankings produced by CrescentRating since 2011.

Although OIC destinations have a distinct advantage due to having Muslim friendly facilities and services by default, there is a still a requirement to create a clear and coherent strategy across every level to fully maximise their attractiveness to Muslim tourists. It is a commitment that Malaysia, and to an extent Turkey, has embraced wholeheartedly over the last decade. In 2014 Malaysia and Turkey attracted 13% of total Muslim travellers.

Other destinations in the top 10 also have the potential to target this segment to increase their visitor arrivals. NonOIC destinations have been much more proactive in looking at this segment and are developing services and capabilities specifically to attract this audience.

Commendable mentions must be given to Asian destinations such as Japan and Taiwan who have fully embraced this growing sector by dedicating resources and influencing tourism policy.

Given that many of these destinations already have excellent tourism products and infrastructure, for some it will only require small adaptations and adjustments to fully cater for the needs of Muslims.

Singapore comes out on top for the nonOIC destinations. Over the last few years it has invested in attracting this sector by adapting its offering to the Muslim tour-

41>> ist. It currently boasts some of the best Halal food environments in non-OIC destinations, even when compared against OIC destinations. In addition, it has invested and embraced processes that provide greater transparency to the sector. An example is the well established and dedicated Halal certification body.

From a regional perspective, Asian destinations lead with an average GMTI score of 53.98.

Safe Travel Environment A safe and secure environment is key to attracting any tourist to a destination.

Historically, empirical studies reveal a very high correlation between a safe travel environment and the number of tourist arrivals to a particular destination. Two primary factors were considered when calculating the scores- travel alerts issued on a particular destination by UK, US, Australia and Canada and Muslim traveller safety.

Islamic Travel Furthermore, any food which does not use meat or meat based ingredients or alcohol in its preparation is considered permissible to consume. There should also be no risk of Halal food being contaminated with non-Halal food. Given the complexity of the food industry, an independent Halal assurance of a food outlet by a Halal certification body puts Muslims at ease when choosing where to eat.

Halal is easily available in most of the OIC destinations. The availability of Halal food in non-OIC destinations has also being growing in recent years. One example is Taiwan, where the last two years have seen the number of Halal certified outlets double. The certification body is part of the China Muslim Association.

Singapore has by far the best halal food environment among the non-OIC destina-

tions. With its well established Halal certified body, MUIS, it has close to 10,000 halal certified food outlets.

Ease of Access to Prayer Places The prayer could be performed at any clean location, but most Muslims travellers would prefer a mosque or a designated place for prayers. Hence, ease of access to prayer facilities in the tourist destination will make Muslim travellers comfortable.

Airport Services and Facilities Airports provide various facilities and services that cater to the diverse needs of travellers from around the globe and witness large number of passengers throughout the year. To cater for the growing number of Muslim travellers passing

through, it is crucial that airports are able to cater to their specific needs. The two most important services to cater for the needs of Muslim at airports are prayer facilities and Halal food availability.

Most OIC destinations provide all the necessary airport services and facilities at the airport for Muslim travellers. In non-OIC destinations, an increasing number of airports are now providing multi-faith prayer rooms. However, many still lack proper ablution facilities. Furthermore, there is also a large shortage of Halal food outlets in many non-OIC airports. There is an indication that many non-OIC destinations are making inroads in this area. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International stands out as an airport which provides comprehensive prayer and Halal food facilities.

Travel alerts issued about tourist destinations were used as the primary indicator to ascertain the general security situation of a particular country, especially for travellers. These travel alerts not only covers the general safety and security situation of a country, but also other factors such as natural disasters and health epidemics.

For the Muslim travel safety metrics, extensive online research was done to check for incidents reported against Muslims. Many Muslim female tourists wear traditional Islamic clothing which can include the Hijab. In some cases the face covering, Niqab, is also worn. Any resentment prevalent at the destination for such clothing is also taken into account.

Muslim Visitor Arrivals One of the biggest indicators of the popularity of a destination is the volume of Muslim visitor arrivals. It is the first time this criterion has been included in the Index. The Muslim visitor arrival figures have been extracted by applying CrescentRating’s proprietary Muslim Arrivals calculation model to the overall visitor arrivals as reported by UNWTO. This study revealed that in 2014 total Muslim visitor arrivals was 108 million representing 10% of the entire travel economy. The visitor arrivals used for this study are the total non-resident tourists who have entered the national borders of each selected inbound destination. The travel and tourism data provided by UNWTO is the primary source of data.

In 2014 30 destinations accounted for 80% of Muslim visitor arrivals. The top country was Saudi Arabia. This included religious travel to Saudi Arabia Dining Options and Halal Assurance Availability of Halal food is one of the most important aspects when it comes to catering for Muslim travellers. Muslims are required to only consume Halal food. The main criterion for meat is that it has been slaughtered in a Halal manner.

Your gateway to the Indian Outbound Travel Market

13 – 21 JANUARY 2016 Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi Email: otrindia@otrindia.com www.otrindia.com

www.voyagersworld.in

Happenings

RezLive.com hosts Iftar roadshow across UAE

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ezLive.com hosted back-to-back Ramadan IFTAR roadshow with travel agents and tour operators of UAE from 21 - 24 June in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah. Over 200 people attended the roadshow across the four places.

“In accordance with our marketing activities and to commemorate the Holy month of Ramadan, this was a good platform to communicate with the Travel Partners and to further express our commitment, to fortify the relationship and to thank them outside the normal work environment. Their role, affection and continuous support is extremely essential for us to maintain our status of Leading Global Wholesaler in the UAE market.,” said Jaal Shah – Group Managing Director, RezLive.com.

French Ambassador's Travel Awards Soiree in Mumbai

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.E. François Richier, Ambassador of France to India had launched a unique initiative in April to appreciate travel agencies that had programmed France in their published travel itineraries, promoting France as a mono-destination with a minimum of 5 nights there. This culminated in the French Ambassador’s Travel Awards soiree in Mumbai on 25 June. Close to 100 itineraries were received, out of which 10 itineraries were shortlisted and judged by an eminent panel of jury members associated with the travel and tourism industry. Five winners were then selected with prizes divided into the Best Promotion of France through Travel Itineraries (Platinum, Diamond and Gold Awards) and Winners of the Exemplary Achievements in Visa Issuance (Diamond and Gold Awards).

In addition to the awards ceremony, the evening, which was powered by VFS Global, was also the occasion to bid farewell to Ms Catherine Oden, Director - Atout France in India, who will be soon leaving India to take up her next assignment in China.

Voyager’s World > April 2015

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Yet another Indian wins at Dubai Duty Free!

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n Indian national based in Dubai, Bijukumar Rajan joined the list of Dubai Duty Free’s dollar millionaires as his ticket in Series 192 was drawn at the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire Draw last week at the Sheikh Rashid Terminal. The Millennium Millionaire Promotion was launched in June 1999 and to date, Dubai Duty Free has announced 192 winners. There are total of 89 Indians in the list of the Dubai Duty Free millionaires. Dubai Duty Free also conducted a Finest Surprise draw directly after the Millennium Millionaire and announced winners of the luxury car and a motorbike.

Rajan, who has been residing in Dubai with his family since 2008, purchased his first ever ticket in the Millennium Millionaire Promotion. “This is the first time I’ve won anything in my life and I would like to thank Dubai Duty Free for making my day a very memorable one,” said Rajan on his win.

'Best State for Cultural Destination' honour for Punjab Tourism

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unjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) won the Lonely Planet Reader’s Choice Annual Travel Award for ‘Best State for Cultural Destination’ at a ceremony in Mumbai in June. The award was received by Basanta Raj Kumar (Executive Director) and Razit Bhandari (marketing head) Punjab Tourism.

Punjab has given a lot of attention to soft infrastructure and product development - creating an opportunity for tourists to interact with the local community through farm tourism, appreciate the rich heritage through heritage walks, culinary tourism, craft walks and product streamlining. The work comes under recognition from the travel enthusiast effective and strategic marketing approach adopted by PHTPB by creating awareness and involving travel trade to experience new products packaged by Punjab Tourism.

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Kerala Tourism sets first foot in BITE 2015

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erala Tourism embarks on a new path to boost foreign tourist arrivals from China to the state as it participates in Beijing International Tourism Expo 2015 (BITE) and furthered its ‘Visit Kerala’ campaign themed on backwaters and ‘Kalaripayattu’.

The Kerala pavilion was jointly inaugurated by Chang Hong, Beijing Vice Mayor and Wang Xiaofeng, Vice Chairman the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), a tourism authority in China with Jiji Thomson, State Chief Secretary, Ashik K Kantha, India’s Ambassador to China and G Kamala Vardhana Rao , Kerala Tourism Secretary. During the expo, Kerala Tourism conducted Kalaripayattu – a Kung Fu fusion and a Kathakali performance and a roadshow were held in Shangai showcasing the culture of Kerala. The delegation from Kerala and its trade partners held meetings with their Chinese counterparts and trade operators including International Travel Service, HuangJia International Travel Services, China Cyts Outbound Travel Services and Beijing Global Tour International Travel Services with an agenda to establish a collaborative partnership.

The roadshow in Shanghai, which came close on the heels of BITE, was held on 30 June at Hotel Jinjiang Tower with 70 buyers from the Chinese travel and tourism industry. We were encouraged by the warm welcome China has given us,” said Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anilkumar. “The active presence of the Chinese tourism industry leaders and also the media to cover the event shows their interest and eagerness to know more about Kerala,” he added.

Indian travel agents experience Zanzibar

Sri Lanka Tourism beckons Bangalore travellers

South Korea honoured at Lonely Planet awards

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The Ramayana Trail was highlighted during the presentation, in addition to talking about the country’s beaches, heritage, hill country, MICE, adventure, wildlife, etc.

Byungsun Lee said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all travel trade partners and voters as well as the Indian travellers, who have always loved and supported the destination. I deeply appreciate the instrumental support of the Indian media and especially the support of Lonely Planet Magazine as a publication, which has made way to the destination’s popularity.”

anzibar Tourism Promotion Centre (Z.T.P.C), conducted its first familiarization tour for Indian travel agents in association with the Travel Agents Federation of India’s (TAFI) Western Region Chapter. It was jointly conducted with the Ministry of Information, Culture, Tourism & Sports, Government of Zanzibar; Zanzibar Commission for Tourism, Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors and the Zanzibar Association of Tourism Operators.

10 persons from six travel agencies visited Zanzibar from 11 - 15 June and carried out sight inspections of 15 hotels and resorts and enjoyed sightseeing at Stone Town, Spice Village and the Dolphin Tour.

he Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (Ministry of Tourism & Sports) organised a roadshow for the travel trade fraternity and the media in Bangalore on 8 July to showcase the various tourism aspects of the island nation. The delegation was led by His Excellency, M.K. Pathmanaathan, Deputy Chief of Mission from Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission and Mr. Indrajith De Silva, Director/Destination Social Responsibility, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.

outh Korea won the ‘Best Emerging Destination’ (International) by Lonely Planet Magazine India Travel Awards. Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) was represented

by Byungsun Lee (Director, New Delhi Office), who received the award from the Bollywood actress Jaquline Fernandes and LPMI editor.

www.voyagersworld.in

Association

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TAFI disappointed over Lufthansa’s additional surcharge

Lufthansa Airlines announcement of charging travel agents with 16 Euros for each GDS reservation, has led to dismay in the travel trade fraternity in the country.

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he Managing Committee of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), in consultation with its chapters, members, and key stakeholders all over India, are unanimously of the view that the announcement by the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Swiss International Air Lines) of implementing Distribution Cost Charge (DCC) is detrimental to the industry, hurting both the agents and the customers.

TAFI, in a statement, has said that in a move to redirect their commercial strategy and safeguard the percentage of revenue generated from the sale of flight tickets, the Lufthansa Group has decid-

ed to add a fee of EUR 16 to every GDS booking starting September 1, 2015.

“The DCC, however, will not be applicable if tickets are purchased from their own website, service centres or ticket counters at airports,” the statement notes.

“Our members ticketing any of the four Lufthansa Group carriers through the GDS will be affected. This is sheer discrimination by Lufthansa, which is only going to add to the fare with no benefits accruing to the travel agents or customers. Such a move will drive leisure and business travellers seeking to avoid the 16 Euros surcharge to the walled gardens of LHG’s websites where comparison-shopping does not exist and where

LHG would generate higher yields—especially from unsuspecting, infrequent travellers. For managed-travel programmes, the surcharge represents an indirect price increase. It also wants to use its dominant market position to price Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) out of the market and out of business, as many OTA customers would be unwilling to pay 16 Euros when LH.com is free,” TAFI says.

TAFI says in the statement.

“If the DCC is implemented where the cost is passed on to the agent, or the agent is forced to use an alternate booking platform, could possibly result in our members reducing/off selling the airline, which would have a negative impact on the airline, which presently has a strong support from the agent community,” the statement reads.

The Association is of the opinion that implementation of the DCC will be another hidden cost passed on to the consumer, and an attempt to make fare transparency and comparison more difficult. There is indeed no comparison possible, when the consumer goes on the LH website,

Zakkir Ahmed, President, TAFI, said: “This is indeed a grave issue that needs to be addressed. TAFI is open to a dialogue with the Lufthansa Group to arrive at a win-win situation for all stakeholders –airlines, travel agents, and customers.”

ETAA South India chapter forms new committee

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The training programme of this event was conducted by well known corporate trainer Mr. Aman Kaushik which was sponsored by TRAWELTAG – Cover More .

ETAA as an organization always supported and empowered its members by conducting professional training programs.

The program was rich with gracious presence of members from ETAA National Board . Mr. Jagat Mehta – National Presi-

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he Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) South India Chapter has recently completed its 3 years of un matched performance and celebrated its 3rd year anniversary on 12 June 2015 with its members . The venue was Hotel Citrus, Cunninham Road , Bangalore.

The event was conducted in the evening from 1800 hrs onwards and the same was rich its participation from the members and dignitaries.

With reference to the participants , the same program was an eye opener by learning extra selling techniques - up selling , need based selling as well as cross selling. ETAA Agents were trained to promote their products in a better way.

dent ETAA as well as Mr. Abhijeet Khadilkar – National General Secretary wer e present for this beautiful occasion . ETAA 3rd year celebration was rich with the presence of Mr. Ram Kumar – President , KTF ( Karnataka Tourism Forum ) as well as media .

As part of our destination learning program , a presentation was conducted by the second sponsor of the event - Mr. Vijay from Royal Holidays, Srilanka . It was an eye opener for the members as the presentation has emphasized the importance of untouched tourist spots

of naturally beautiful Srilanka. Outgoing committee members from ETAA South india chapter were honored at this occasion for their wonderful contributions to the fraternity led by out going chairman Mr. Patrick George . The new committee has been formed and was announced during the occasion . The new 5 member committee will be led by the Chairman – M.P . Joy. The official event was followed by cocktails and dinner . It was an excellent experience of all 75 participants of the ever memorable event.

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

Voyager’s World > July 2015

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

Top Appointments

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Somusundaram Thevar

Rahul Pandit

General Manager, Keys Hotel Mumbai

Chief Executive Officer, Roots Corporation Limited

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oots Corporation Limited (RCL) appointed Rahul Pandit as the CEO. He has over 20 years of experience and had begun his career at the Taj for six years. He was also one of the founding members of Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd across operations, HR, technology and sales. He spearheaded the company to develop and grow into three distinct Lemon Tree brands with 27 hotels across 16 cities in India.

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eys Hotel Mumbai has appointed Somusundaram Thevar as the General Manager. He has spent over 15 years in the industry. He began his career with the Oberoi and has since worked with the Taj and the Royal Caribbean across Food & Beverage, hotel operations, administration, budgeting and statutory compliance processes. He joins Keys Hotels from Royal Palms.

Amit Midha

K Mohanchandran

General Manager, Conrad Pune

Area Director - Hyderabad and General Manager, Taj Krishna

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mit Midha has been appointed General Manager of Conrad Pune that is scheduled to open in Q4 2015. Amit has over 16 years of experience in opening and operating luxury hotels with the Oberoi Group, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Hotels and the Jumeirah Group. Most recently, he held managerial positions with Courtyard by Marriott and Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort.

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Mohanchandran has been appointed as the Area Director – Hyderabad and General Manager at Taj’s iconic hotel Taj Krishna. In his new role,his responsibilities would entail overseeing operations and business of all Taj Hotels across Hyderabad.

With over 25 years of experience he began his career with the Taj Group and worked in its properties in Udaipur, Mumbai, Sydney and Kolkata.

Shailesh Srivastava

Mansi Sadhu

Head Sales, Keys Hotels

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eys Hotels has appointed Shailesh Srivastava as the Head of Sales. He brings a wealth of experience and has worked with ICICI Bank, GE, Fullerton India Credit and Reliance-ADAG group in various roles across geographies. Most recently he worked for Reliance Communications where he was responsible for managing online, alliances and channel sales businesses at a national level.

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ansi Sadhu has recently been appointed as corporate communication executive of TGB Group (The Grand Bhagwati) Ahmedabad. She comes with two years of experience in PR, marketing and corporate communication in GTPL Gujarat television Pvt. Ltd. At TGB Ahmedabad. In her new role, she will be responsible for heading the branding and corporate communication.

Aijaz Ali

Umang Narula

Chief Operating Officer, Golden Jubilee Hotels Limited, Hyderabad

Chairman and Managing Director, ITDC

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ijaz Ali has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Golden Jubilee Hotels. Ali has a rich experience of 36 years in hospitality covering operations, project development, asset management and owners representation. Prior to this, he served as CEO of Hilton Chennai (Empee Hotels Ltd) and he has also served in ITC Hotels, JB Hotels Hong Kong, Ista Hotels, Viceroy Hotels amongst others.

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Corporate Communications – Executive, TGB Banquets and Hotels Ltd.

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mang Narula is the new Chairman and Managing Director of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). Prior to this, he was the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir. He was also Deputy Secretary in the Department of Culture in 1998-2002; Director in the Ministry of Home Affairs. In J&K, he was Deputy Commissioner in Kargil and later shifted to Anantnag district. He also served in Industry & Commerce, Rural Development, etc.

Reji Thomas Mathew

Pryank Sharma

Chief Executive Officer, Oasis Holidays Group

Head of Sales for Northern India, Empire Aviation India

eji Thomas Mathew has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Oasis Holidays Group. He has over 24 years of experience in travel & tourism industry in Australia, Dubai & India. He was working with VisitBritain (British Tourist Authority) for marketing Britain in South India. In his new role, he will be responsible for strategy & growth of OHS India Group that has six offices in India and two overseas offices.

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mpire Aviation India appointed Pryank Sharma, as the new Head of Sales for Northern India.

Bringing 14 years of experience, he was previously with Air Works India and also held senior positions with major commercial airlines. In his new role, he will lead the development of new relationships with private aircraft owners looking for professional aircraft management services.

www.voyagersworld.in

NETWORKING IStHe THE networkIng Is ke KEY y July

August

September

October

November

July2015 16, 17 The Travel Industry Exhibition Sydney

17, 18, 19 India International Travel Mart Chennai

23, 24, 25 Cebu International Travel Expo Cebu, Philippines

August 2015 7, 8, 9

September 2015 03, 04, 05

Holiday Expo Vododara

India International Travel Mart Gurgaon

7, 8, 9 Conventions India Conclave Greater Noida, Delhi NCR

20, 21, 22, 23

06, 07, 08 PATA Travel Mart Bangalore

25, 26, 27

IATO Convention 2015 Indore

FHRAI Golden Jubilee Convention Bhubaneswar

28, 29, 30 India International Travel Mart Mumbai

28, 29, 30 Maharashtra International Travel Mart Mumbai

October 2015

November 2015

7, 8

02, 03, 04, 05

International Medical Travel Exhibition & Conference Dubai,UAE

WTM London UK

9, 10, 11

17, 18, 19

Holiday Expo Nagpur

IBTM World Barcelona, Spain

13, 14, 15

27, 28, 29

imex america Las Vegas

16, 17, 18 Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart Bhopal

IITM Pune

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