Voyager's World June '17 by Editor

Vol XIV

Issue VIII

Pages 48

June 2017

Rs 60

CHENNAI 15, 16, 17 JULY 2017

BANGALORE 21, 22, 23 JULY 2017

DELHI 15, 16, 17 SEPTEMBER 2017

MUMBAI 22, 23, 24 SEPTEMBER 2017

PUNE 24, 25, 26 NOVEMBER 2017

HYDERABAD 01, 02, 03 DECEMBER 2017

KOCHI 18, 19, 20 JANUARY 2018

KOLKATA 23, 24, 25 FEBRUARY 2018

Feedback and expert analysis..

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4>> And it's not too late...

he forthcoming roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on 1 July this year, has expedited the travel industry's efforts to be prepared to incorporate the changes that come with the new taxation structure, with associations and its members and various related stakeholders undertaking sessions with financial and accounting experts to learn how to file the 37 returns that are required of them to do annually. While teething problems are inevitable in any new project, the move can be expected to pave way for lesser delays and more transparent tax collection and thus, in the long run, lead to an improved economy. We are speculating over something that was long implemented by several countries around the world. When we look at the bigger picture, eventually, more transparency in business in India will augur well for foreign investments. Having said that, the concept will gain more clarity only when it becomes effective next month, putting an end to speculations. In this issue, we have featured interviews with industry veterans on the anticipated impact of GST, besides carrying stories on visa-on-arrival, women travel and interviews with industry luminaries, among others. Happy Reading... Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Managing Editor

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Hospitality

Industry Buzz Cover Story GST and the industry's preparedness

Launches and expansions of hotels

Incredible India Self ride bike rentals

Women's Travel The changing landscape of Women's Travel

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Industry Buzz ITDC posts Rs. 12.05 cr profit for another consecutive year

he India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) posted a robust performance for the financial year 2016-17. The total turnover stood at Rs. 495.14 cr as compared to Rs. 465.69 cr in the last financial year clocking a growth of 6.32%. Revenue from operations stood at Rs. 473.15 cr as compared to Rs. 437.13 cr in the last fiscal. Corporation posted profit before tax (PBT) of Rs.17.52 cr and profit after tax (PAT) of Rs.12.05 cr in 201617 against Rs. 32.42 cr and Rs. 22.55 cr respectively in the previous year. The results were announced in the Board Meeting of the company held on 30th May at the Group’s flagship hotel, The Ashok, New Delhi.

6>> CKGS opens Algeria Visa Application Centre at six locations in India

ox & Kings Global Services (CKGS) opened the Algeria Visa Application and Information Centres (AVAIC) at six different locations including Mumbai. The main centre in Mumbai is located at Dalamal Towers in Nariman Point. The other AVAICs are based in Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa, Indore and Chennai respectively. The centres will cater to all categories of visa, accepting applications from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. The Mumbai VAC was inaugurated by His Excellency Mr. Hamza Yahia-Cherif, the Ambassador of Algeria to India in presence of the senior CKGS officials.

IHG opens National Sales Office for South West Asia

IndiGo introduces daily non-stop flight between Singapore and Bangalore

ndiGo will launch its first non-stop flight and fifth overall flight between Singapore and Bengaluru with effect from 30 June, 2017. Flyers can book tickets at an affordable round trip fare of INR 14242 Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “Both Singapore and Bengaluru are strong business and tourism hubs and attract significant passenger traffic. It gives us pleasure to introduce a direct flight on Singapore-Bengaluru route which will save flyers up to three hours of travel each way. We have been witnessing an encouraging traffic to Singapore from the cities in the south of India. There is a large Indian diaspora that resides in Singapore and regularly travels to their home to connect with their heritage and loved ones.”

Air India starts flight on Delhi-Gwalior-IndoreMumbai route

ir India’s, wholly owned subsidiary Alliance Air began its second flight service under Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme on Delhi-GwaliorIndore-Mumbai route starting 31 May 2017. The newly launched flight service will be operated by the 70-seater ATR 72-600 all economy class aircraft. Delhi-Gwalior, Mumbai-Indore and Indore-Mumbai routes will not fall under regional connectivity scheme while benefits of the scheme will apply on other routes that are Gwalior-Delhi with fare of INR 1830, Gwalior-Indore with fare of INR 2500 and Indore-Gwalior with fare of INR 2500.

he InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) launched the National Sales Office (NSO) in South West Asia (SWA) offering a central point of contact for IHG’s growing number of hotels in the region. The NSO team consisting of 28 associates will support hotel-based sales teams in SWA and corporate sales teams around the world, in growing business, loyalty and customer satisfaction in the market. The NSO is headquartered in Gurgaon and has team members located in key cities, including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Shantha de Silva, Head of South West Asia, IHG, said, “Following a successful pilot with positive feedback from owners and key account representatives, we have opened the NSO to provide clients with a central point of contact through which to book IHG hotels and raise brand awareness in this fast-growing market.”

Kerala Tourism signs MoU with SilkAir

he Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SilkAir in the presence of Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala. The initiative is to jointly promote tourism to Kerala from priority markets like Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Japan and Singapore through roadshows and other special marketing programs in the selected cities. The MoU will be effective for a period of one year from 26 April 2017 and will also cover a series of joint activities including brand advertising and promotional campaigns, tactical and digital marketing, familiarization trips, trade fairs, joint roadshows and product development.

Pacific Asia Travel Association elects new executive board

he Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) elected Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing Asia Pacific – TripAdvisor based in Hong Kong SAR as Chairperson of the Association’s Executive Board. She replaces Andrew Jones who was elected Chairman in May 2016 and who remains a member of the Executive Board as Immediate Past Chairman. During the PATA Annual Summit 2017 in Negombo, Sri Lanka, PATA also elected a five new members to its Executive Board including Dr. Chris Bottrill, Hiran Cooray, Jon Nathan Denight, Mohamed Sallauddin H.j. Mat Sah and Peter Semone.

Voyager’s World > June 2017

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Industry Buzz

8>> South African Tourism's Learn SA 2017 to launch in July

Thailand tourism generates 840 billion Baht

he 7th edition of Learn South Africa training programme this year promises to have new, exciting and useful sessions that will ensure a profitable South Africa business and repeat customers for travel agents who attend the training. Also for the first time, participants stand the chance of being invited to participate in marketing activities supported by South African Tourism. Registration is free and agents can sign up multiple participants. Learn SA will cover 17 cities to ensure opportunities for travel agents all over the country. The sessions will be from 6 - 29 July in Mumbai, Rajkot, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Chandigarh, Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Mumbai, Indore, Nagpur, Pune and Goa.

hailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports released figures showing that during the first four months of this year, 12 million visitors came to Thailand spending around 620 billion Baht, an increase of 4.71 per cent when compared with the same period in 2016. Domestic tourism is thriving too, with over 220 billion Baht being generated. The kingdom witnessed a growth of 17% from India compared to 2016. Soraya Homchuen, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Mumbai said, “Compared to 2016, this year witnessed a growth of 17 per cent from India. Thanks to the visa policies and extra international flight connectivity, we witnessed a phenomenal growth in the arrival numbers from India."

Yatra.com turns ‘India ka travel planner’ in new Ad Campaign

atra.com unveiled its latest advertising campaign featuring their new brand ambassador, Ranbir Kapoor to introduce its new brand proposition of being ‘India ka travel planner’, which resonates with its marketplace model. As a travel marketplace, Yatra caters to all types of travelers keeping in mind the change in behavior and evolving needs of the consumers. The ad film is set in a hyper-real realm taking the viewers into a world which is magical and invokes fantasy, which is what travel is all about. The film starts with the context of ‘Yatra’ which connotes travel and then seamlessly moves to individual products and preferences people have.

SpiceJet starts three new daily flights from Surat

RezLive.com Organizes Product Seminar in Bangkok

ezLive.com(A Product of Travel Designer Group) conducted the product seminar followed by Cocktail with Dinner, for the leading Travel Agents and Tour Operators of Thailand on 25 May, 2017 at Ambassador Hotel, Bangkok. It was attended by 80+ top travel partners of Thailand, wherein they were oriented about the latest offerings of 'RezLive. com' and 'Dubai Reward Trip', in which the travel partners who get qualified after making the set amount of Online/Offline bookings as per the *T&C specified will be taken to Dubai on a Reward Trip. Jaal Shah, Group Managing Director – Travel Designer Group, also facilitated the top 20 travel partners in Thailand Market.

piceJet recently launched three new daily direct flight services connecting Surat to Hyderabad, Goa and Jaipur. With these new flights, SpiceJet takes a step forward in its endeavour towards improving and strengthening connectivity from Surat. Surat will get its first ever direct connection to Hyderabad and Goa as well as their much needed daily flight to Jaipur. Jaipur and Surat have been the stronghold of diamond industries and contribute majorly to the jewellery industry in India. From 1 July 2017 a daily direct flight to Patna via Kolkata will also be introduced which will further connect the textile industry with Patna and Kolkata.

JNTO, KTO partner with Flight Shop

redBus.in launches pilgrimage packages

India International Travel Mart announces its 2017-18 Editions

r F

light Shop recently announced a jointpartnership with Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to offer combined holiday packages to Indian travellers. As both tourism boards come together for the first time, the collaboration intends to strengthen mutual relationships and expand their presence in the Indian market. Thejoint holiday package aspires to be a discerning traveler’s delight. Geographically close, Japan and Korea, when combined, offer a fantastic blend of manmade and natural splendors. Known for modern architecture and fast moving city-life, both destinations are full of fashion, endless street food and nightlife; yet offer diverse cultural experiences.

Voyager’s World > June 2017

edBus.in launched pilgrimage packages for some of the biggest religious destinations in the country. The newly-launched packages will be cover travel to Tirupati, Shirdi, Vaishno Devi, Guruvayur, Palani, Kollur, Rameshwaram, and Tiruchendur, while packages to other popular pilgrimages will also be added in the near future. This announcement is aimed at tapping the relatively underserved religious travel market in India and providing an unparalleled pilgrimage experience to its users. In addition to bus tickets and accommodation, the platform allows users to customize their packages by adding extra services like booking a puja, buying extra prasad, or booking a sightseeing tour.

ndia International Travel Mart is geared up for the 2017-18 editions of its travel trade exhibitions that will be held in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kolkata. With more than two decades of valuable experience, India International Travel Mart seeks to provide a comprehensive panorama of the best of what the travel industry has to offer. IITM is a pioneer in travel trade exhibitions and strives to foster a vibrant environment for business –to – business and business – to – client organizations, showcasing a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to Indian and International travel professionals.

India Outbound

9>>

New York City remains top favourite among Indian travellers IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

New York remains a must-visit destination for Indians and the recent stay and spending trends have been encouraging, says Christopher Heywood, Senior VP-Global Communications, NYC & Company. major attractions for visitors to the city are the ever-famous Empire State, Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. He adds that a few new attractions such as the One World Observatory has seen an increased interest from Indian visitors.

ew York City never ceases to surprise its visitors, be it first-time tourists or repeat visitors or the locals. The NYC & Company has observed that 84% of Indian travellers coming to the city spend on sightseeing while 81% spend on shopping. Christopher Heywood, Senior VP – Global Communications, NYC & Company, says that some of the

“Every September, the NYC & Company leads a tourism delegation to India mainly to promote travel to New York City. The Broadway Inbound, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises and One World Observatory were part of the delegation for last year in Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi. Some of the new attractions in Midtown Manhattan are the Gulliver’s Gate which was officially opened on 9 May, the National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey which will debut in October 2017 and the NFL Experience Times Square will opene in November 2017.”

Stay and Spending Patterns While the average spend in NYC is $1206 per person on a trip with a total in market spending of $350 million, the average stay is 11 days which is higher compared to the different markets. “We have had Indians who visit friends and relatives, which has been one of the key drivers of Indian visitation to New York City that currently accounts about one-third of India visitation, while 60% travelled for leisure that includes 32% VFR.” Visitor segments The NYC & Company, for the second time in row, has partnered with Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Official NYC Family Ambassadors to focus on family travel to NYC. After The Family Ambassador Program launch in 2009, family saw an optimistic growth in 2015 and the family visitation was 22%

of total visits to the city. We offer meeting destinations and new hotels, expansive meeting spaces, only in NYC incentives and infrastructure upgrades; Brooklyn and Bronx are known for MICE events. The U.S.-India Travel and Tourism Partnership Year kicked off in February 2017 to allow both governments and private sectors to increase travel and tourism between the two countries. NYC & Company is in discussion to partner with a city in India to develop a long-term City to City partnership to promote tourism. The NYC & Company office in India regularly conducts product training session to educate the travel agents regarding new and upcoming attractions. It is currently also conducting a three-city road show in Delhi, Gurgaon and Jaipur for the key travel trade.

VisitScotland Expo 2017 hosts very best in Indian buyers VW BUREAU

he VisitScotland Expo that took place this year on 26 and 27 April at the Glasgow SECC, saw quality Indian buyers coming to see the best of Scottish tourism, with the likes of Mercury Travels, Cox and Kings, Kesari, SOTC, Make My Trip and TAFI all expected to attend. The expo witnessed a total of 270 exhibitors and products showcasing the very best of Scotland and Scottish tourism. With around 635 buyers from across the globe attending, it offered opportunity for all companies with a Scottish tourism product to showcase their products, and services, to prospects and regular buyers. At the event VisitScotland also announced that it helped to boost the economy by £46million in 2016, thanks to providing new air routes, and their work with various airlines. This year the show was attended

by 271 Scottish Companies (286 in 2016). The Expo was moved from Hall 3 to larger Hall 4 for the first time. VisitScotland Expo 2016 has an anticipated net economic impact (direct) on Scotland of £2.5 million. 79% reported internationalisation benefits; 49% reported innovation benefits; 24% reported investment benefits and an inclusive growth by showcasing cross section of regional businesses offering accessible tourism. As part of the Team Scotland* approach to route development, the national tourism organisation worked through 2016 with airlines including Delta, British Airways, Air Canada Rouge and KLM to introduce 12 new routes from both short-haul and long-haul destinations, including Paris, New York and, for the first time, Seoul.

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India Outbound

10>>

Visa-on-Arrival schemes trigger Applying for a visa can often turn into a daunting process for travellers, which is IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

ountries offering Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) for Indians are reaping the benefits of the facility as a growing number of Indians are showing an inclination towards those countries. At the same time, the VoA facility is also providing the country’s travellers with the convenience of making last minute holiday plans, whether it is a short haul travel or a long haul travel. Travellers who generally opt for VoA are weekend travellers, business travellers and last minute planners. India is a potential market for most of the National Tourist Organisations (NTOs) that present this facility.

Speaking about the benefits of VoA, Soraya Homchuen, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand – Mumbai, says, "The visa-on-arrival option has always benefited the Indian travellers. According to the new visa regulation, travellers from India who apply for visas in advance are benefited as they do not have to pay visa fees. This policy is favouring especially the price-conscious visitors." VoA advantages India has been one of the fastest growing markets for Kenya and is presently the third largest key market after UK and USA last year. Chiranjib

Biswas, Destination Manager, Kenya Tourism Board says, "The visa on arrival is now being convenient and beneficial for the Indian travellers. We are hoping to make India as the number one source market in the future." Vivek Anand, Country Manager – Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, India, too agrees that the VoA is a great option for Indian travellers as they generally make last minute holiday plans. Shelly Chandhok, Country Manager, Visit Indonesia Tourism OfficeMumbai, says, "Indonesia is now

a popular destination for Indian travellers especially with the relaxed visa regulations." “We have realized the importance of the market, so we have major measures like Visa on Arrival and the Jordan Pass,” says Ashit Taneja, Country Manager, Jordan Tourism Board. Growth Towards the end of 2016, over 64,000 Indians travelled to Kenya and recorded 17,040 during the summer season. The NTO now targets 100,000 Indians by 2018. Mauritius received about 83,000

Ashit Taneja, Country Manager, Jordan Tourism Board

India is a big nation with millions of travelers travelling each year.Jordanians are very welcoming, warm by heart and extend the courtesies to the travelers.Indian travellers are popular worldwide for making ‘last minute’ holiday plans. India is one of the most promising and upcoming source markets for Jordan. It is an extremely important target market as there is a tremendous scope to increase the Indian arrivals into Jordan.

Shelly Chandhok, Country Manager, Visit Indonesia Tourism Office

The outbound segment in India is growing rapidly and with the Indian economy booming and increasing standards of living, travel is moving up the ladder. Indians mainly travel for medium to long holidays and are looking for experiential and luxury travel.

India Outbound

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bigger numbers from India why countries offering visa-on-arrival are welcoming big numbers from India. tourists from India in 2016 with an increase of 15% compared to 2015 and expects around 91,000 tourists in 2017, which would be a growth of 10% compared to 2016. On the other hand, the total numbers of Indian travellers to Indonesia in 2016 were 376,802 as compared to 271,252 in 2015. Shelly expects to record 550,000 arrivals from India in 2017. Having seen a phenomenal growth in Indian numbers, Soraya expects continued growth in footfalls. As per the latest stats received, the

visitor arrivals to Jordan are up by 39% from January – April this year, with Indian arrivals standing at 20157 in the aforesaid period, as compared to 14,469 at the same time last year. Traveller segments Kenya has seen a mix of Indian visitors ranging from leisure, Free and Independent Travellers (FITs), family, honeymooners, MICE groups, adventure seekers, photography lovers, golfers, culture and history lovers. Indonesia has seen a similar blend of Indian visitors like Kenya with

additional numbers coming from luxury and solo travellers. Thailand has mainly been popular among corporate travellers, business travellers and short time travellers who make last minute travel plans. “Jordan is a destination for the maturely evolved traveler,” Ashit says, while adding that the destination has had MICE groups, FITs and women only groups. “India is a big country with millions of travellers travelling each year. Almost 50,000 Indians visited Jordan in 2016.”

Chiranjib informs that Kenya is considered to be a dream luxury vacation by Indian travellers and holiday seekers. The leisure travellers, on an average, stay there for six nights, while the corporate or MICE travellers generally stay for four nights, on an average, combining their business or conference activities. “The outbound segment in India is growing rapidly nowadays and with the Indian economy booming and increasing their standards of living and travel as a segment is ultimately on a rise. Most of the Indians travel for short or long

Chiranjib Biswas, Destination Manager,Kenya Tourism Board

India is one of the fastest growing markets and the 3rd largest key source market for Kenya and our aim is to reach the magical figure of 100,000 Indians by 2018. We hope to make India number 1 source market.

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India Outbound

12>>

holidays to Indonesia for six to seven days as they want to experience a variety of destinations and diverse experiences,” says Shelly.

family segments mostly like to visit Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket for the beaches, shopping, outdoor parks and zoos.

Adding that travellers are now planning their holidays based on events and go on to extend their stay to explore multiple cities, she added that the VoA facility and the on-thetop free visa access has attracted Indians mostly to Bali during extended weekends.

Soraya reveals that the repeat visitors to Thailand generally prefer exotic destinations like Ko Samui, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Rayong, Phuket, Bangkok and Khao Lak, all of which are considered to be well known for weddings, honeymoons and bachelorette parties. Some new destinations in the country include Koh Chang, Chiang Rai, Khao Yai, Koh Kood, Kanchanaburi and Trang.

Besides long weekends, the nation’s travellers also like to take off during festival seasons and summers for short holidays, especially during Diwali and Christmas. Indian travellers spend around five to seven days in Thailand on an average. The first time travellers and

Ashit recommends at least 10 days to visit the whole of Jordan which is best enjoyed during March and October. While in Jordan, he suggests visiting its manmade

attractions like the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum, Petra and the Red Sea. Promotional Plans Kenya Tourism Board has been focusing on the Tier 2 and 3 cities to increase its arrivals from India. The NTO recently tied up as the Associate Sponsor of the IPL cricket team Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) to reach out to Indians. “Destination Kenya targets a year-onyear growth of 25%. Kenya Tourism Board facilitated the RPS players and also created an opportunity for the Maasai Cricket Warriors to have a go at the RPS, in a super-over game. KTB is also running online promotions whereby participants can win trip to Kenya, Match Tickets and Signed Cricket Merchandise,” he says.

Leveraging on its association with the RPS team, Kenya Tourism Board also launched a consumer campaign themed #ChaloKenya primarily on the digital platform to engage with potential travellers. A whole lot of enthralling activities and contests on social media have been initiated. It has partnered with Odyssey Travels and Thomas Cook for special promotional deals to book Kenya this summer. Main Segments Some of the attractions of Kenya are the 60 national parks, conservancies and marine parks which offer diverse safari and wildlife experience, tea tourism, eco tourism, bird watching, photography and filming. Kenya also offers a beach holiday experience in Africa.

Vivek Anand, Country Manager – Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority

Mauritius witnessed 83,000 tourists from India in 2016, an increase of 15% compared to 2015. We are expecting around 91,000 tourists in 2017, a growth of 10% compared to 2016 Indian travelers seek now offbeat destinations with unique experiences.

India Outbound

13>> Thailand has always appealed to the first time International travellers. Some of the segments will continue to contribute in terms of arrivals although the market mix has changed in favour of the FITs. Women travellers to Thailand are growing rapidly and it is something that the TAT is also focusing on. Trends Consumers are now actively using social media to express themselves and share opinions, while also being influenced through word-of-mouth promotions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in their choice of planning and choosing a destination. Chiranjib notes that Indians are now looking for new experiences like visiting a tribal village while

on a safari or going to Lamu to experience the old Swahili culture and the unexplored beaches of Kenya.”We also noticed the trend of ‘Do It Yourself ‘picking up for holiday planning and the consumers prefer to do self- selection and make their own reservations as well.” “We have noticed that Indians are moving towards experiential activities like bungee jumping, skydiving, scuba diving, deep sea diving, zip lining, hot air ballooning. They prefer off beat destinations that offer unique experiences. Some of the important categories are the new middle age group, working women, small family groups, couples and incentive groups. Destination weddings are very popular, especially with

millennial travellers who are looking forward to tie their knot at exotic overseas destinations. Golf is another growing segment with golfers travelling to play on world class championship golf courses,” explains Vivek. Shelly observes that experiential and luxury travel are fast gaining importance among Indians who view them more as a status symbol in their high networth individuals (HNI) circles. With the new age traveller wanting to explore new destinations along with a more human touch to their travel experience, many of them are opting for food trails to savour the local cuisines in the places they visit. Thailand Tourism is focusing

on the theme of ‘Discover Unique Local Experiences’ to beckon travellers to experience the local culture. Remarking about the shift in tourism trends every year, Soraya predicts this year’s trend to hover around culinary tourism, solo female travellers, soft adventures and culture tourism. “In the current robust tourism market, change is always afoot and we are building on several trends that are in sync with the global tourism trends." With the passport application procedure having been simplified, countries offering visa-on-arrival will keep on their appeal to Indian in the years to come.

Soraya Homchuen, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai

The visa on arrival option benefits the price-conscious visitors. Thailand noticed a phenomenal growth in the arrival numbers from India. The new age traveler wants to explore new destinations and move beyond the ones that are already popular.

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Cover Story

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GST Impact - Feedback and expert analysis.. read on! PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Professionals from the accounting and financial industry as well as the tourism industry share their insights on the GST taxation that is just round the corner.

he Goods and Services Tax (GST) that is slated to come into effect in the country from 1 July this year, has set a host of concerns, speculations and suppositions as to what the new tax structure would entail for businesses and the consumers alike across all spheres. Experts and professionals in accounting as well as the travel industry talk about what to expect and how the industry can prepare itself for the new change. Om Prakash, Director, In ORBIT Tours Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, says, "We welcome the initiative of the Government to simplify the tax structure on an all-India basis for all commodities and services. The objective of introduction of the GST is to rationalise the tax, to generate higher revenue and to encourage the business community and the people of India at large, especially from the travel trade angle." When asked if the GST is designed to meet the above objectives or is it designed to increase the tax revenue, Om Prakash reveals that a large number of personalities from travel fraternity have been expressing their concern about the outcome of GST. "There has been a mixed reaction so far. However, the majority members are concerned that GST will impose additional burden on the travel trade, which will impact in a negative way, hence the objectives of Govt. is a one-way traffic to increase tax revenue and not to encourage the travel industry." "It is evident that the travel trade and the hospitality industry will have to bear with additional taxation burden. This in no way will provide any boost but it will certainly impact the travel trade as a whole and the tour operators in particular. The upper limit of hotel rooms at Rs.5000/is in no way suitable to the travel trade. Therefore, the inbound tour operators will be compelled to cost their hotels in the 28% tax bracket. This will make the Indian inbound much expensive compared to the competitors of neighbouring Asian

Voyager’s World > June 2017

countries. In long term the inbound travellers will select the countries with competitive cost and with better facilities, thereby make India as their un-preferred choice." In his longstanding career of over 40 years in travel trade and having travelled all over the world, Om says that he is unable to understand as to why our policy makers and Government administrators miss the business angle and why not they put them in the shoes of the travellers, who have ample choice of countries and destinations to choose from. "Our Government is interested to squeeze the travellers and travel trade to collect more revenue, but ignore the fact that multiplication of tourists’ numbers can generate more revenue even at a lesser rate. It can increase India’s foreign exchange earnings and can create higher employment." "As a result of GST application at its declared rates, it will make travel, hotels, transport more expensive. A small country like Thailand gets one million Indian travellers, so is Dubai and Singapore. France gets 80 million inbound tourists. Our Indian figures are 5 – 6 million even after 70 years of Independence. Why are such figures not noticed by our tax experts? Why don’t they accept the challenge to increase our inbound from 5 – 6 million to at least 20 million? Just imagine the revenue figures even at a reduced rate for 20 million tourists." He does not foresee a good future for the travel trade with the imposition of GST and says that they would have to actually struggle hard for their existence. "I hope that the experts in Government will view the tax collection in a broader angle and device GST which can provide a boost to the entire travel, hospitality and aviation industries.” CA. H.M. Talha Rahman, Partner, Selvarajan & Co., Chartered Accountants, Chennai, spoke at length about what GST would mean for the country's economy in the

long run while giving a very accurate and deep understanding about the computation involved for the travel industry. "There is a big hue and cry about GST and people are speculating a lot about this. What we fail to understand is that it is a combination of most of the indirect taxes in a new form, which brings the concept "ONE NATION ONE TAX". Explaining how several countries had long adopted GST, he recollected his experience of

awaiting a refund of GST 15 years ago. "The GST was implemented successfully by few countries many years ago. I remember having waited in a queue in Singapore Airport for a refund of GST 15 years ago. At that time, Indians used to shop a lot in Singapore which was popular for tape recorders, VCRs, perfumes and other fancy stuff. When we buy them in Singapore, the cost of the item comes with a component called the GST which had to be paid by the local residents as final consumer.

Cover Story

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Aashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, FAITH

The computation of GST is different with a lot of processes aligned to it.The good side of the taxation is that the industry will become more organised and there will be a lot more structure as every invoice will be reported.

CA. H.M. Talha Rahman, Partner of Selvarajan & Co.,Chartered Accountants, Chennai, says, "To explain the concept in simple terms, let us assume that a distributor called "B" buys 1000 units of a product from a manufacturer called "A" at a price of Rs. 100 per unit. The Invoice by A will look like this"Sl No

Description

No of Units

Unit Price

1 2 3

Sale of Product 1000 100 GST @ 12% Total Invoice Amount

Total Amount 1,00,000.00 12,000.00 1,12,000.00

(In this example, A collects Rs. 12000 from B as GST and pay the entire amount to the Government) Now let us again assume that B sell all these products to a retailer called "C" keeping 5% as his profit margin and his selling price will be Rs. 105 per unit. The Invoice of B will look like this:

Sl No

Description

No of Units

Unit Price

1 2 3

Sale of Product 1000 105 GST @ 12% Total Invoice Amount

Total Amount 1,05,000.00 12,600.00 1,17,600.00

(Now B Collects Rs. 12600 from C as GST, but he will not pay the entire amount to the Government, instead he is allowed to deduct Rs. 12000/- which he has already paid to A as GST and pay only the balance amount of Rs. 600 to the Government. This credit of Rs. 12000 is called ITC, Inward Tax Credit) "If you notice in the above example, tax is not levied on tax and hence GST will not have any cascading tax effect," Talha Rahman said.

But a foreign national could claim the refund of GST paid, by showing the bill and goods at the time of departure from the country. Hence, it is called a consumption tax." However, Talha Rahman reassures that this is merely a consumption tax that has no cascading effect. The 'Cascading Tax Effect', as he calls it, simply means tax on tax. "Previously when a manufacturer sells his product, he added Excise Duty with his selling price and sent the goods

to the distributor. In turn when the distributor sells the same goods to the end user, he adds his profit margin and also charges VAT on the added prices which includes Excise Duty. In other words, a tax (VAT) is paid on another tax (Excise Duty), which has cascading tax effect. Now in the GST era, in this example, both Excise Duty and VAT is clubbed as GST and the GST charged by the manufacturer to the distributer can be adjusted as ITC (Input Tax Credit) thus avoiding the tax on tax."

INPUT TAX CREDIT (ITC): Talha Rahman lists the seamless flow of "Input Credit" (please refer the example above: Rs. 12000 paid by B towards GST to A is ITC of B) as one of the greatest advantages of GST across the chain and across the country. All taxes (GST) paid to a registered dealer for the purchase of goods (including capital goods) and supply of services can be deducted as ITC from the GST collected from your bills and the balance tax only need to be paid as tax.

Nonetheless, he says that there are few exceptions, for example, the GST paid on Motor Car or Motor Cycles etc by the non-transport businesses cannot be used as ITC. Compliances Delving deeper into the tax structure, he says that the compliances mechanism of GST is going to be a major roadblock for small traders and service providers. "Every registered dealer has to file three returns in a month and one annual

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Cover Story

return making the total number of returns to be filed as 37 per annum. These returns are to be filed electronically in a platform called GSTN (GST Network) and require tremendous knowledge, accuracy and skill. It is absolutely difficult, if not possible for small timers to comply with these requirements on a monthly basis. It is strongly advised to use the services of Chartered Accountants or Tax Return Preparers appointed by the department." Relief to small traders and service providers Small Manufacturers, traders, dealers and service providers whose turnover does not exceed Rs. 20 Lakhs in a financial year are exempt from the registration and payment of GST. Composition Scheme: Those small traders whose turnover exceeds Rs. 20Lakhs but below Rs. 75Lakhs can opt for the Composition Scheme which allows them to pay GST at a lower rate to be fixed by GST Council, which will not be less than 1%. But they cannot avail ITC and they cannot undertake any inter-state transactions.

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

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Unfortunately, the small service providers cannot opt for the composition scheme. GST and the travel and tourism industry The tourism industry and travel and tour agents, in particular, are facing a tough time due to various factors like no commission by the airlines, direct marketing of airlines, higher taxation, poor tourist infrastructure etc. Their major sources of income are listed below: 1. Commission from Airlines, Cruise Companies, Travel Insurance Companies etc 2. Sale Tour Packages, both inbound and outbound 3. Travel Related Services like Visa, Passport etc. 4. Incentives Received from CRS Companies Rahman clarified the calculation of GST on the following items Commission from Airlines, Cruise Companies, Travel Insurance Companies etc:

1. One has to understand that an airline or a cruise ticket or the travel insurance policy issued by insurance companies is a contract between the airline/cruise/insurance company and the passenger. The travel agent is only a facilitator who receives commission from the companies. Hence GST on these ticket/policy will only be consumed by the passenger and the agent cannot use them as their input credit. 2. However the agent has to pay GST on the commission received from the airline/cruise/insurance companies on the reverse basis. (For Example, if the GST is 18% and the agent receives Rs. 100 as commission, he has to pay only Rs.15.25 (100-100/118%) as GST). This amount of Rs. 15.25 should not be collected from the passenger. 3. If the agent collects Service Fee as an additional charge from the passenger and show it in the invoice separately, he can add GST on the service fee in the invoice and collect the same from the passenger. Sale of Tour Packages, both Inbound and Outbound:

1. Only outbound tour sold to a foreigner for visiting another foreign country and the payment is received by convertible foreign exchange is exempt from GST. All other tours (including inbound tours for foreigners) are taxable. 2. GST paid on the purchase of tour packages from another tour operator can be claimed as ITC and only the difference tax can be paid to the Government. Travel Related Services like Visa, Passport etc. 1. All government fees and consular charges paid on behalf of the consumer/client is outside the purview of GST 2. Service Charges on the above services should be subject to GST which can be collected from the end consumer. 3. If the services are outsourced from another service provider (For example a travel agent from Chennai has to outsource a Delhi Agent to get the Visa for Uzbekistan), GST paid on the Delhi Agents Invoice can be claimed as ITC and only the difference can be paid to the Government.

Cover Story

17>> Om Prakash, Director, In ORBIT Tours Pvt. Ltd.

We welcome the government's initiative to simplify the tax structure for all commodities and services. The objective of GST is to rationalise the tax, generate higher revenue and encourage the business community and the people at large, especially from the travel trade angle.

CA. H.M. Talha Rahman, Partner of Selvarajan & Co., Chartered Accountants, Chennai

Previously, we did not know the exact percentage of the excise duty that we would pay. With GST for both goods and services, it is one nation, one tax. All excise and other taxes have been absorbed.

Incentives Received from the CRS Companies: 1. Incentives received from CRS companies attracts GST, which has to be borne by the travel agent. 2. Like the commission receive from the airlines, GST on this also can be paid on the Previously we did not know the exact percentage of the excise duty that we would pay. Now it is not like that. GST is an excellent thing. GST has got both Goods and Services. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one nation one tax. All excise and other taxes have been absorbed. Certain services, at the outset, may not look like service but have been asked to consider as services. All said and done, a lot of clarity can be expected only after the system comes into effect next month. In the meanwhile, Rahman suggests that it is better initially to engage the Chartered Accountants than tax consultants. "They can go through CAs or Tax Return preparers recognised by the department. Even the tax consultants and CAs are taking time to understand the GST. Tax consultants who are usually

retired persons from the VAT dept will take longer time to understand and will rely on their practical exposure on trial and error basis."

some and reduce for the others. The rate for tour packages is proposed at 5% at the moment but it is not fixed yet."

Aashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), too, shares a similar opinion as Rahman about the industry awaiting more details once the taxes are rolled out. "The GST Council agreed for a special rate for tour operators which was 5% and also for tourism cab operators (tourist taxis). The Ministry of Finance had recommended 28% for those hotels whose tariffs are above Rs. 5000 per room night. Let us see when more details come after the tax is rolled out.

"I believe different associations have been running sessions for its members with the help of Chartered Accountants, tax consultants and tax lawyers. The computation of GST is different with a lot of processes aligned to it. The good side of the taxation is that the industry will become more organised and there will be a lot more structure as every invoice will be reported."

For the past few years, associations like the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and the Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) have already been discussing with the government over the rates. The current rates fixed for the hotel industry are slightly unfavourable, while it is okay with the rates for the rest of the travel industry. GST involves a lot of internal calculations and there is something called as effective rate which would go up for

Model policies When asked about the tourismrelated models of other countries that India can incorporate in its policies, Aashish says that there are different benchmarks for each value chain, by way of infrastructure development , direct and indirect taxation, global marketing practices, etc. which the state and central governments do consider. "We have hundreds of examples of benchmarks like monument management, road connectivity, technology, to name a few. In order to grow, one has to learn the good practices. The government do listen

to them but it would be great if they are all implemented." Global changes Commenting on the impact of volatile global situations following changes and decisions made by international governments on the industry in India, he said, "Recent happenings like the ban of electronic devices in the cabin luggage in flights, the decision on H1B visas for Indian professionals, demonetization of currency, etc. have affected the decisions of the travel industry in our country as well. Every country tries to do its best for its citizens, in which case any industry must be very quick and capable of understanding the change. Their business models must be flexible enough to learn about risks and be aware of what is happening in the source market, the destination market, technology and security issues, etc. Having said that, every country in the travel business is alert to external and internal risks including currency fluctuations, security and technology changes, economic cycles and so on. The industry must re-think their business models to make them sustainable."

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Hospitality

18>>

RCI keen to add specialised experiences in its portfolio IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

The vacation exchange company has witnessed a growth of 50% in five years, which has, as a result, encouraged it to develop experiential products, says its Managing Director Sabina Chopra.

CI, the vacation exchange company, has unleashed new destinations in its list of RCIaffiliated resorts in the country, such as the Frontline G Holidays Nest N Mist, Wayanad; JC Residency in Kodaikanal and Madurai and Ananta Spa and Resorts in Udaipur. "RCI is a lifestyle product for those wishing to invest in themselves or with their families. We are evolving as RCI's customer base is growing

too," says the company's Managing Director Sabina Chopra. "Nest â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;N Mist is a leisure hotel that offers 13 luxurious, tastefully appointed and fully air conditioned suite rooms. JC Residency Kodaikanal is situated less than a kilometre away from the scenic valley views of the hill station and its lake. JC Residency, Madurai is a luxury hotel with splendid architecture and elegant interiors. The stylish decor of the hotel symbolizes a unique blend of modernity and tradition and the upscale amenities ensure absolute convenience for the discerning travellers. Ananta Udaipur offers contemporary villas coupled with service excellence. Be it leisure stays, destination weddings or corporate off-sites, the hotel promises to craft a unique escape in this beautiful city of lakes. " RCI has witnessed a growth of 50%

in the last five years. It plans to get more affiliates into the network in another two years. Sabina adds that the company is looking forward to add specialized experiences. "We are looking at partnerships through experiential products like camping, trekking, hot air ballooning. At present, we have 60 destinations and we plan to increase it to 100 destinations in another few years. We are focusing on experiential products for 2017-2018." Travel trends She observes that the pattern of travelling is changing across the globe with people planning holidays with an overall three weeks to one, between seven days to six weeks both domestically and internationally and that they are trying to experience the culture and destinations. "People are now being more experiential

across the country; group travel and individual travel are increasing these days. Holiday experiences are being customised for families and female solo travellers. Women group travellers are now looking for cruises. Europe and Iceland tours are growing big time. The youth are looking to spend more time on their own especially through school and college reunions." Segments RCI focuses on segments that include MICE, destination weddings, milestone and anniversary celebrations that have seen an upward trend since 2010. Commenting on the hotel industry in the country, Sabina concluded by anticipating demand and search for hotels to grow by 2020, although supply is not coming on strongly.

Dubai Parks & Resorts directs focus on family travel IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

David Loiseau, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing at Dubai Parks & Resorts, talks about its expansion and promotion plans, betting big on India. Dubai Parks & Resorts, is optimistic about achieving a growth of 20% from the Indian market for the destination in all its businesses for 2017. "Dubai Parks and Resorts is a family destination with over 100 rides, shows, three theme parks and one water park. We are focusing on the second phase of our expansion and opening in 2019."

ubai tourism agency recently reported 14.2 million overnight visitors last year with India being its largest source market. About 1.6 million people visited Dubai from India last year with a year-onyear (YoY) increase of 26%. On that note, David Loiseau, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at

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

Promotional plans We are still in the process of educating the people with all our products and presently we have got some local fans through gaming, competition and promotional offers. The group has also signed a partnership agreement with Etisalat, the Middle East telecommunications

operator, mainly for offering the guests an experience through mobile devices, web portals, RFID wristbands, smart kiosks and digital signage. "We are planning to introduce an innovative technology that will help the guests for smart ticketing, digital payments,smart parking connected transportation, connected food and beverage, as well as retail and digital entertainment through a few clicks on their smart phones." Main segments The tourism and hospitality industry is looking for non-linear platforms that are omni-channel and those that can help create synergy with visitors and consumers. There is immense potential and innovation

in this industry and the graph is on an upward growth. David informs that the group's attention remains firm on private and corporate events along with in-house catering services that have a combination of different styles of international cuisines. It plans to participate in all the major MICE shows around the world. It has hosted over 15,000 corporate visitors under different events, ranging from team building activities to business meetings and training government officials, in association with DXB entertainment Academy. "Ours is a destination for families to enjoy, whether they are living or visiting the UAE," he sums up.

Hospitality

19>>

Bangalore welcomes first OYO Townhouse PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

The concept aims to break industry stereotypes by replacing conventions and systems re-engineered with smarter rooms, menus, spaces and buildings.

YO launched OYO Townhouse, its mid-market offering in Bangalore on 22 May in Indiranagar, aiming to combine experience and value at a new scale. Priced at INR 2500 and upwards, Townhouse provides a unique hospitality experience in popular neighbourhoods. This concept seeks to break away industry stereotypes by replacing new systems and services and has re-engineered every single element from the breakfast menu to the booking process to deliver higher quality stay at better value. The rooms are configured with comforts of home and utility of office; the lounge area can be used to relax or work and the building infrastructure is tech-savvy. Speaking at the launch, Abhinav

Sinha, COO-OYO said, “Our core mission is to deliver hassle-free experience to our customers by ensuring availability of affordable rooms everywhere for our customers at any point in time through our OYO app. OYO Townhouse utilizes our state-of-the art technology and patented processes to deliver a unique hospitality experience. Townhouse’s “neighbourhood” connect is a result of understanding that Millennials like to switch seamlessly from work to play. They want freedom to choose, change and decide at a moment’s notice, but that flexibility is not extended to quality and consistency of service, which remains non-negotiable.” He also spoke about the present disconnect between the type of demand and supply in the market

with hospitality and real estate being broken categories, which make it very difficult to expect a certain level of standardization. "The hospitality industry in India suffers from a major disconnect between demand and supply of quality living space, forcing travellers and city-dwellers to compromise on decision variables of location, comfort and pricing. OYO Townhouse addresses this gap by creating a perfect equilibrium between location, comfort and pricing using OYO’s proprietary technology and skilled talent pool of hospitality experts. OYO undertakes complete operations of these units along with interior and exterior construction with a group of highly qualified architects and structural engineers."

OYO plans to expand Townhouse hotels in the city including Koramangala, MG Road, Trinity Circle and Marathahalli. By the end of year 2017, OYO will establish 25 Townhouse properties in and around Bangalore.

Absolute hotels keen on bringing more properties into India IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Sameer Dharkar, Managing Director – Indian continent, Middle East Absolute Hotel Services India, talks about the hotel's development plans in India and abroad. this year, having already launched Eastin Hotel Kurseong Darjeeling and the Eastin Easy Talegaon, Pune.

aving registered a growth of 65% in terms of occupancy last year at the U Tropicana property in Alibaug, Absolute Hotel Services India also opened a new hotel in Vadodara last year. Sameer Dharkar, Managing Director - Indian Continent and Middle East, Absolute Hotel Services India, reveals plans to launch two more properties

Travellers "Our property in Vadodara has received corporate travellers from India and abroad, while our Alibaug property gets its business mainly from leisure, Free & Independent Travellers (FITs) and family travellers. Most of our properties are targeted at different types of customers; yet, the customer segments also depend on the locations of our properties. We have MICE business in Alibaug and are expecting to get weddings and FIT business at Eastin Hotel Kurseong Darjeeling."

promote our hotel business and F&B offerings. Our offline marketing campaign also goes hand in hand with our social media initiatives while our digital Advertisement spend has been on Facebook posts and Google Ads and we are looking forward to expand it to other platforms as well."

Marketing plans "We use social media platforms to

Sameer believes that there is going to be a significant growth in the Indian

market in the hospitality industry and expects the industry to attract increasing numbers of foreign and local visitors as all the states of India are stepping up their efforts to develop tourism. "Some parts in the Northeast are still untouched from the point of view of tourism. Meanwhile, our overall economic growth of the country will fuel the hospitality industry even further."

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Hospitality

20>>

Anjuna Villa Resort achieves 15% growth in 2016 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Nelson Sirur, General Manager, Anjuna Villa Resort, outlines the expansion of the property whilst sharing expectations from chartered tourists in the near future. property's General Manager says, "The property offers seven family rooms with 2+2 occupants and eight rooms facing the pool side for one or two occupants. We also have one double and two single beds, which are well furnished in the rear blocks, in addition to triple and quadruple beds in the property."

he Anjuna Villa Resort, located en route the Anjuna Beach in Goa, was inaugurated with just 14 rooms in 1999. Today, the property has 33 rooms, with 16 rooms having been added to their inventory over the years. Explaining that the self-contained rooms are furnished with airconditioners, Nelson Sirur, the

The property also has a backpacker dormitory set up with options for twin sharing, triple sharing , quadruple sharing and six to eight beds in a room. The dormitory has overall 39 beds in 12 self contained rooms. There is also a common area for 15 beds in seven rooms furnished with garden chairs and dining table. The dorm offers 24 hours room service. Anjuna Villa Resort has welcomed tourists from around the world, especially from Israel and Russia. The property caters mostly to

holidaymakers and families. Growth in 2016 "We experienced a moderated industry standard growth rate of 15% last year. We have also noticed a composition of business volumes changing equations mainly due to the emerging Indian and international events. Our business has not been good since 2010 and the revenue kept dropping by 15% every year." Citing that advertisement temporarily spurs tourism, Nelson notes that tourism proliferates by service levels and pleasant experiences. He notes that while the last fiscal had been good for chartered tourists, he feels domestic tourism did not elevate after November 2016. "The next chartered tourism beginning in October is predicted to be lower, following improved diplomatic ties

with Russia and Turkey. In April 2017, about 25 Russian chartered flights to Goa were cancelled and redirected to Turkey, which affected the occupancy of many small operators like us." Marketing plans Anjuna Villa Resort has been subscribing to e-marketing entities for its marketing and promotional plans. It had engaged a property between 2009 to 2012 in Candolim beach for its first hand working experience. Backpacker segment "Our dormitory set up caters to backpackers; we have witnessed Indians, European budget-conscious travellers and students staying over with us. While we focus mainly on accommodation, our team outing services are on a different dimension in the villa," he sums up.

Reimagining the Online Booking Channel VW BUREAU

Mike Murray, Founder of Vir.al, examines the current relationship between OTAs and hotels and talks about a new breed of online booking channels focused on building a mutually beneficial partnership.

or many years, hotels and OTAs have had an ongoing feud, acting more like rivals than the (business) partners that they should be. While many hotels appreciate the bookings that OTAs provide, all hoteliers hate the exorbitant commission rates that top sites charge; to make matters worse, OTAs do not share customer information with hotels (which would be very helpful for hotels to improve the customer experience) because they want to “own the customer.” That being said, the OTAs are still an indispensable tool for hotels because “52% of U.S. travelers between the ages of 18 and 34 prefer booking hotels through online search engines as opposed to brand websites, compared with 37% age 35 and older.”

Voyager’s World > June 2017

Though it may go contrary to many hoteliers’ perceptions, the benefits of the OTA/hotel relationship do go both ways; in fact, the OTAs wouldn’t be nearly as profitable without this ongoing relationship, as hotels “are the biggest source of growth” for the sites. The reason OTAs have been so successful is because they have an unfair advantage: unlimited spending power to boost customer acquisition. They use their high-tech systems to target and capture consumers, and then charge hotels dearly for the privilege of serving their own guests. The new breed of online booking channels offer greater value to both hotels and bookers. There are hundreds of online booking sites and apps that consumers can use

when booking a hotel stay; there are the same number of options for hotels when choosing where to list their rooms. The new breed of booking channel offers true value to hotels and consumers, making them more attractive for both. Consumers get hotel rates and property features that build affinity to the brand, while hotels get access to technology and customer data that boost bookings and guest loyalty. The channel partner becomes the enabler of this win-win relationship and, of course, participates in the revenue stream and customer awareness. Value-added hotel services offered by some of the new breed of online booking channels include tools to identify high-value, socially active

consumers; access to customer history, profiles, and preferences so that hotels can tailor their offers and services to preferred guests.; ability to send target messages and notifications with personalized offers that increase loyalty and bookings; capabilities that enable hotels to provide complete travel experiences. This is a key differentiator because Millennials place more importance on experiences rather than material goods or luxury; helping hotels to leverage the benefits of social influencer marketing, which involves inspiring consumers to (indirectly) sell your product via their social media posts or recommendations - which has been shown to have significant influence over Millennials’ booking decisions.

Hospitality

21>>

ATRIA BANGALORE RE-POSITIONS AS RADISSON BLU ATRIA PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Post its renovation and its re-branding, the hotel has introduced some new concepts to engage its corporate and MICE groups, whilst leveraging the goodwill of its parent identity.

arlson Rezidor launched Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru recently with 167 guest rooms and suites, fully equipped with the latest amenities. Speaking about the launch post the renovation of the erstwhile Atria Hotel into the present brand, Kaushik Raju, Director, Radisson Blu Atria, stated, "Atria has been an established brand in the city for long. When we were planning to renovate we did an in-depth study

on what guests are looking for and from our research realized 95 % of the time a guest spends in the room is to sleep , hence we worked with our designers to implement chromotherapy and specialized beds that achieve optimal sleep for our guests., Also the Public spaces have been designed in such a manner that you can immediately relax whichever part of the hotel you are in. The spa in the hotel are slated to open next month. "With the launch, comes a new concept for our meetings facilities," says Kaushik, going on to mention Weddings at the Blu for its wedding clients and Brainbox, a concept for corporate groups. Given the limited attention span of people, the Brainbox concept helps space out the meeting agenda with breakout sessions,

games, special meals for delegates who are attending long conferences, to sustain their attention and keep them engaged. "Radisson Blu Atria has a 5500 sq ft hall which can be attached to four other halls as well. We have opened up to multiple spaces and we can combine them to make it a larger one. We can accommodate a moving crowd of up to 1000 pax as well as arrange small meetings in our board rooms for 10-15 persons," he said. Even with the new brand change, Kaushik says that the Atria name continues its legacy of treating guests as family and vouches for the quality of its food and services. "We are working on packages to woo transit travellers to stay here during weekends and also for the

locals who cannot get out of town. We have built a one-touch centre using automation technology for meeting all of the guests needs. The hotel is also working to achieve a zero plastic system," he added. On average room rates (ARRS) vs. revenue from restaurants, Kaushik observes, "In a place like Bangalore, people come to hotels usually only on occasions , hence we are working towards changing that habit. There is a perception among people that dining in a restaurant in a hotel is more expensive than in a standalone restaurant. Yet, there are high-end restaurants that are more expensive than eating at one of our outlets. We are trying to make our rates more accessible and less intimidating," he concluded.

Fort JadhavGadh to tread the Eco-Friendly path ANJU ANNA ALEX

Vishal Kamat, Director, Kamat Group of Hotels, talks about the many eco-friendly initiatives of the company and the emerging trends in the hospitality industry. crowd became increasingly drawn to the brand as loyal customers as they started to identify and relate with environment friendly practices and initiatives which the Kamats had adhered to for decades.

r. Vithal Kamat launched Asia’s first chain of Environmentally Sensitive hotels in 1997 during a time when people lacked basic awareness about the need to protect the environment and the irrevocable damage caused by the collective callousness of the human race. As the harmful environmental effects became increasingly felt, a lot of guests as well as the corporate

Eco-friendly initiatives The tagline of our company is a manifestation of what we are, ‘Friendly, Eco-Friendly’. Our Guests graciously bestowed this tagline many years after the hotel started because they saw Kamats emerge as a ‘Friendly, Family Oriented Chain’ and also as an organization keen on protecting the planet. This helped us branch out to many other locations such as The Orchid in Pune. Fort JadhavGadh in Pune is also an excellent example of how

we created an oasis in a drought hit zone and has transformed it to an abode for migratory birds, deer and other natural flora and fauna. Lotus Konark is Odisha’s only Eco Beach Resort and the same practices are upheld in Mahodadhi Palace at Puri and Vits Bhubaneshwar. Emerging Trends Environmental awareness is growing from a small age among the younger generations as they are witnessing the impact of climate change. Hence many like-minded and responsible guests including the corporate crowd look forward to staying with hospitality options like us. Automation and IT is also adding value to our endeavors. More families are looking at short regular

stays than just long holidays. Many also look for holidays within the city, especially weekend getaways. Comment about GST rates Our industry was a big supporter and I was longing for GST as it will provide a fertile ground for the ease of doing business. But instead of simplifying the matters, the government has created a complex structure thereby making some business segments totally handicapped. We were already suffering due to the 500 meter rule and now this uncertainty will further affect many businesses. It should have been one tax one industry like it's been done for cars (luxury or entry level) or any other segment. I hope all this uncertainty is cleared before 1st July.

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Association

22>>

TAAI conducts session on GST for its members across India

The soon-to-be-rolled out GST is expected to lend more clarity to the industry stakeholders once it is in effect. VW BUREAU

Sampat Damani, TAAI Western Region Chairman

Individual organisations have been able to get decent concession from the government but that is really not enough. We need a fair playing field because the agents who are unregistered in India will affect our business with the new tax policy.

Jay Bhatia, Honorary National Treasurer of TAAI

After the roll out of GST, next month when the return filing process begins, we would organise more detailed presentations and the updates will be sent via mailers based on government notification.

he Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) - Western Region, organised an special educative session on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for its members in Mumbai on 1 June 2017 as the deadline of 1 July 2017 is fast approaching. The training session on GST was conducted by CA Manish Gadia of GMJ & Co, official GST consultants for TAAI. Present during the training session, Jay Bhatia, the Honorary National Treasurer of TAAI said, “TAAI has started organising GST presentations by CA Manish Gadia for our members across the country and have recently held sessions in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Lucknow. All the

Voyager’s World > June 2017

sessions in the other cities will be completed before 30 June." Bhatia added that in the next month after the filling process begins, they would organise more detailed presentations on GST and the updates will be sent via mailers based on government notification. “After the roll out of GST, next month when the return filing process begins, we are also desirous of addressing detailed issues faced by members.” He added that the implication of GST on ATA as well as tour operators was going to hit the industry and the complexities of return filing would be a nightmare for the travel and tourism community. Illustrating

about GST, he further stated, “It seems challenging but after the presentation, we are getting more clarity on the tax structure. We have sent a representation to the government but their priority is implementing GST on 1 July. The government has given the assurance to help when any challenges crop up. Since it is a new tax structure, there will be teething problems." The presentations by CA Gadia gave members more clarity on the tax structure and its procedures. The GST is a new tax structure and teething problems are expected. TAAI Western Region Chairman, Sampat Damani, opined that more clarity on GST will emerge when the government issues its

second notification. He stated, “With GST, travel agents will have to file 37 returns annually, besides other paper work. FAITH has been working tirelessly with individual associations. We will get more clarity on GST on 3 June when the government issues its second notification. The government is focusing to promote digital India and tourism; the bureaucracy remains and the direction is missing. Individual organisations have been able to get decent concession from the government but that is really not enough. We need a fair playing field because the agents who are unregistered in India will affect our business with the new tax policy.”

Amusement Parks

23>>

Theme parks turn wary over changes in tax policies PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Rajeev Jalnapurkar, Director / Chief Executive Officer, Ramoji Film City, talks about the current challenges that the amusement park industry is faced with. The average break- even period for a theme park industry is sixseven years. The taxation policy by the government, infrastructure development, qualified and skilled employment, PPP, government support in terms of subsidies, tax holidays, land, funding and above all, this industry is yet to be recognised as an industry by the government.

he fast- approaching Goods and Services (GST) tax by the Government of India has stirred up a myriad of reactions from different sectors across the country. The amusement park industry, which is still growing in India, along with its counterparts in the outdoor entertainment sector, stands to be shaped by the 28% tax that the GST brings for the industry. Rajeev Jalnapurkar, Director & CEO of Ramoji Film City, the world's largest integrated film studios complex, talks about the impact of taxation on the highly capital intensive industry besides other challenges and opportunities that it offers. Present status and opportunities in India As per the study by FICCI and KPMG, the Indian theme park industry grew at 10.25% in 2016 to reach Rs. 2930 crores, up from Rs. 2660 crores in 2015. Yet, the industry has to go long run in term of guest experience, high end technological rides, investments, thematic rides etc. At present, the Indian theme park market has only a few names like the Essel World in Mumbai, Nicco City in Kolkata, Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, Wonderla in Kochi, Bangalore and Hyderabad, Imagica In Mumbai-Pune Express Way and a few others. The industry is expected to grow at 19.1% till 2021, touching Rs. 6980 crores as consumers are expected to spend more on leisure activities.

Ramoji Film City recorded a 10% growth in visitors flow and 8% growth in revenue in the past two years. The amusement park industry is a labour-intensive industry. Rajeev says that at present an aggregate of 480 Amusement Parks, FECs and allied industries generate around 80000 employments. "This industry helps to provide the rural employment with unskilled, skilled and semiskilled employment. At Film City, more than 1000 are employed as direct employment and 500 as the indirect employees."

6% and Japan's is at 5%. Probable Impact on revenue and operational costs in Ramoji Film City post GST The revenue will not be impacted as the tax collected to be deposited and there is a reduction of tax in GST which will lead to a lesser price for the guests. However , as the GST for service is increased from 15% to 18%, there will impact on the operational cost of the park. Government support As this industry is still in its infant stage, the government should support it with taxation benefits, special incentives and infrastructure backing to draw more and more investors towards

this industry. In the theme park segment, maximum visitors hail from middle class or lower middle class demographics, so the prices should be affordable for the guests. This can be done by favourable taxation policies by the government. So, the tax bracket should be between 10% to 12%. New developments at Ramoji Film City "We believe in expanding by adding new attractions to attract the visitors. In this process, we have introduced the Birds Park: Wings and the Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finest Adventure Park: Sahas. We are also having a clear expansion plan by adding new theme-based attractions for the next five years."

Impact of GST on theme parks and entertainment centres The announcement of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) of 28% was quite surprising to the park owners. This industry is a highly capital intensive one, requiring anything between 100 crores to 500 crores as investment, other than land. It is also high on operational costs. As it is, our industry operates on a paper-thin margin and hence, such high taxation is outright unsustainable for us. The high rate will not only hamper the current amusement park industry but will be deterrent to new entrants in this industry and it will discourage external investors from investing, which will, in turn, affect the qualities of the rides and experience. If we look at some of the tourism friendly states, the GST rates there are in single digits; in Australia it is 10%, in Singapore it is 7%, Malaysia's is at

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Flight Talk

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India stands in third spot for best value flights: Kiwi.com

With high season around the corner and the differences in costs from last year, the study by Kiwi.com presents an interesting and relevant dataset for economists and the general public, alike. PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

ndia ranks in position 3, with an average flight cost of US $4.96 per 100 km of travel, factoring in both short haul and long haul journeys, according to findings by online travel agency Kiwi.com, in a study that produced their annual ranking detailing the cost of air travel in 80 countries. Kiwi.com undertook the research in order to help make travellers aware of countries that offer good opportunities for affordable travel. Following on from the findings of last year’s Flight Price Index, this round also tracks the changes in the industry, providing a compelling insight into the fluctuating price of air travel around the world. Of course, additional factors as oil prices, political turmoil, airline competition and even weather can have a huge impact on the cost of your ticket. “Ticket prices fluctuate constantly

for a myriad of reasons. Year on year changes can partly be attributed to fuel prices, sociopolitical shifts such as Brexit, recent elections and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. The UK, for example, is seeing a larger number of Americans visit due to the weakening of the pound, whereas Egypt and Turkey saw a drop in ticket prices due to a decrease in demand due to regional turmoil," said Kiwi.com CEO Oliver Dlouhý. "By tracking flight cost by country, travellers have more information with which to choose destinations that allow them to travel further on their budget. Travellers know what their ideal route, timing and price is, so we give them the tools to fulfill that." To calculate the rankings, Kiwi.com analysed over a million flights to find an average price of short-haul and long-haul flights on low cost

and full service airlines from each of the countries. Domestic flights were calculated by finding an average airfare from the country’s capital to up to five major cities within the country, or to a major city nearby in a neighbouring country when no domestic flights were available. The price of international travel was calculated based on flights from all international airports within the country, to several international hubs. All flights were checked for the same dates of travel taking into account high and low seasons.

India's rank compares with the most affordable country, Malaysia, averaging a flight cost of $4.18 per 100 km of travel. At the other end of the ranking, Belgium calculated at a cost over 13 times higher, at $54.63 per 100 km of travel. India placed in position 1 in 2016’s ranking. The research includes a clear split between low cost and full service airlines to arrive at a conclusive country to country price index. All currency conversions are correct as of25 April, 2017.

Civil Aviation Ministry launches 'DigiYatra' for air travellers PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

he Ministry of Civil Aviation is adding a Digital experience for Air Travellers through DigiYatra Platform. The ‘DigiYatra’ is an industry-led initiative co-ordinated by the Ministry in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India’s vision to transform the nation into a digitally empowered society. This follows Air Sewa which brings together all the stakeholders on a common platform for handling customer grievances and disseminating real-time data. The Union Minister for Civil Aviation, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju expressed hope that ‘DigiYatra’ initiative will transform the flying experience for passengers and position Indian Aviation amongst the most innovative air networks in the world. The Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, on 8 June, launched the report on ‘DigiYatra’.

Voyager’s World > June 2017

He said that ‘DigiYatra’ initiative aims to bring together entire industry to develop a digital ecosystem that will deliver Indian customers a seamless, consistent and paperless service experience at every touch point of their journey. The Ministry created a Technical Committee comprising industry stakeholders which will submit its recommendations in 30 days. These propositions would be open for public comments and discussions for another 30 days. These would then be translated into a time-bound action plan. He said that the DigiYatra initiative envisages providing airline travellers in India, a pioneering ‘digitally unified flying experience’ across all stages of their journey. All aviation stakeholders – airlines, airport operators, security and immigration agencies, cab operators, retail establishment and others are working to devise digital standards which can enable seamless

exchange of data and information. He said that these standards can power unique applications which can deliver a delightful experience for air travellers. The platform will be built on four key pillars like connected passengers, connected airports, connected flying and connected systems which can make it possible over a period of time for passengers to: • Plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares at the time of ticket booking, • ptionally link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated checkins without requiring any paperbased interventions, • Walk-through security scanners swiftly owing to advanced biometric security solutions,

• Receive relevant information pertaining to various facilities, protocols, airline timings, queue lengths at airports etc., • Engage in customised digital offerings at experience zones, • Get real time notifications about congestion and delays to have greater visibility on the next step of journey, • Conveniently navigate through the airport using digital guidance systems, interactive kiosks and augmented reality apps, • Stay connected during flights and indulge in immersive experiences. Also book in-flight services and destination based offerings digitally, • Get a prompt when their luggage reaches the baggage claim belt and • Submit grievances, share experiences and provide feedback. This initiative has emerged after six months of comprehensive discourse with various ecosystem players.

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Incredible India

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Meeting spaces get more sustainable with best practices VW BUREAU

The MICE industry across the world is leaving no stone unturned to provide unparalleled business experiences and they are, especially, turning their efforts to make the meetings more sustainable.

ustainable tourism and ecofriendly infrastructure, services and technology are the trends to observe among hotels, convention centres, resorts and meeting facilities. The United Nations has announced 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development with a goal of promoting positive change in travel with regard to social inclusion, environmental protection and economic equality. Travel industry associations, hospitality industry stakeholders, event planners and suppliers are taking the concept of sustainability very seriously. Here is a look at the recent developments on the sustainable events front across the globe. Recently, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), with a view to reaffirm its commitment to sustainable development across the entire spectrum of travel and tourism, made a renewed pledge

Voyager’s World > June 2017

to support the Paris Accord within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In what has been a major step for the organisation to recognise the role that tourism plays in preserving the planet's natural resources by adopting effective, sustainable practices, PATA's CEO Dr. Mario Hardy, said, "Our members, both public and private sector, are leading by example. They recognise that responsible business practices must embrace practical measures to offset the potentially irreversible damage to our planet caused by climate change." Dr. Hardy has welcomed the responses and statement of leading business figures such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Tesla Inc. cofounder Elon Musk as well as the Governors of several US states that, together, have also reaffirmed their commitment to combating climate change.

“Now is the time to reinforce our determination for the principles and objectives of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This agreement has now been ratified by 147 nations and territories. We encourage more nations to sign and to support practically the efforts to reduce carbon emissions,” added Dr. Hardy. “The decision of the US government to withdraw from the Paris Accord is highly regrettable but it will not deter us from campaigning vigorously for effective measures to preserve and protect our world. This is an opportunity for tourism to lead by example. Environmental protection and preservation is above politics and way beyond the beliefs of individual politicians. Whether natural or man-made our climate is changing - and not for the better. PATA will continue to advocate responsible tourism development that benefits, rather than destroys,

our communities." Accor Hotels recently completed another successful year for AccorHotels Planet 21 initiative. The Planet 21 programme demonstrates the AccorHotels ambitious goals for 2020, based around four strategic priorities: work with its employees, involve its customers, innovate with its partners and work with local communities. The initiative in India includes hotels planting kitchen and herb gardens, initiatives to reduce food wastage, aiming for carbon neutral buildings, initiatives supporting economic and social development of local communities to name some of the few initiatives. AccorHotels Sustainable Director, Arnaud Herrmann, stated, “A year after our Planet 21 program was extended, I’d like to praise the exceptional way our hotels rallied behind it in 2016. Last year is proof that our “Acting Here” commitment is a reality. The teams knew they could make things happen, and supported local initiatives with

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high value impact for our guests, communities and partners. Whether it was to fight food waste, promote agro-forestry or further the energy transition, we applied a “test and learn” approach and tried out new, intelligent tools which have helped us make faster progress towards our objectives.” AccorHotels, which is present in 1,700 cities worldwide, has committed to developing urban farming and to planting 1,000 vegetable gardens by 2020. Though just a few months have passed since this commitment was announced, over 500 vegetable gardens have already been planted worldwide, from Bangkok to Rome and Sao Paulo to Kinshasa. In India, Sofitel Mumbai BKC has planted its very own Kitchen & Herb Garden outside its eateries - Pondichery Café and Artisan, in the midst of Mumbai’s concrete jungle. Through the initiative, the

hotel provides its guests with healthy and fresh produce which is grown organically and in house. This initiative allows the hotel to provide guests with the best gastronomical experience, while also fulfilling responsibilities towards environmental conservation. As part of the same initiative, Novotel Hyderabad Airport maintains a kitchen garden over a widespread area and produces varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruits to supply to the hotel kitchens. All the produce generated is scientifically cultivated using natural farming techniques with no use of artificial chemicals and pesticides. To sensitise the guests about the initiative and create awareness about the importance of environmental protection and sustainable agricultural practices, the hotel encourages guests to try their hand at farming as well. These initiatives not only create

awareness about organic farming methods and help provide fresh, pesticide free produce but also contribute towards reducing the carbon footprint of the hotel and improve the soil quality of the surrounding areas. 38 hotels in 13 countries are already using connected solutions to fight food waste in their kitchens and restaurants. The initiative has cut food waste by nearly 60% in the pilot hotels’ kitchens. That’s a total of €540,000 in estimated savings. To minimise wastage of food, ibis and Novotel Bengaluru Techpark and Pullman and Novotel New Delhi Aerocity have installed an Organic Waste Composter within the hotel premises. With the help of this composter, spoiled and leftover food scraps are composted which in turn provide nutrition to the soil and enhance its quality. This not only utilises the kitchen waste generated but also helps increase the fertility

of the soil. The Pullman and Novotel New Delhi Aerocity in turn use this compost in their kitchen garden, which provides fresh produce to the hotel kitchens. As part of the ‘Planet 21’ initiative in 2017, AccorHotels plans to launch the wide-scale deployment of these devices and implement a system to monitor the results obtained in all its hotels worldwide. One of Planet 21’s two priorities is to achieve carbon neutral buildings. In 2016, the Group cut its energy consumption by 2.4% and CO² emissions by 3%. These results are even more encouraging because they were achieved despite particularly unfavorable world weather conditions in 2016 compared with 2015 since demand for heating and air-conditioning increased more than 4%. In India, all AccorHotels properties have committed to reducing their

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CO² emissions by reducing their energy consumption. The energy targets are monitored on a monthly basis and all support and resources are provided at the unit level to help achieve the set goals. The group's properties utilise their grey water internally for activities like gardening and some hotels even follow a zero discharge policy to promote water conservation and optimal utilisation of water resources. Use of wind and solar energy is leading this year’s action plan wherein hotels are utilising these renewable resources to lower their dependence on fossil fuels which is a welcome step towards reducing carbon emissions. This year, the AccorHotels establishments’ annual Earth Day event, “Planet 21 Day”, will see exceptional mobilisation around the theme of food & beverage. The hotels are invited to highlight their greatest achievements in three categories: the fight against food waste, the creation of an urban vegetable garden and the offer of healthy, local food and drink. The winners will be selected by a vote on the social networks. For the first time, guests and internet users will be able to elect the “greenest” hotel.

Voyager’s World > June 2017

Unique venues and initiatives On the other side of the planet, the meeting venues in USA, a long haul destination for Indians, has a variety of sustainable meeting spaces offering various conveniences of proximity to the airport and happening neighbourhoods. Queens is often the first point of entry for visitors and delegates coming into New York City. In the coming years, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) will be undergoing major renovations, which will include new amenities and transportation infrastructure improvements that will greatly benefit corporate travelers attending meetings or events nearby. The surrounding neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Flushing and Jamaica boast a variety of world-class hotels and event spaces. Meeting options at LaGuardia Airport include the recently renovated 358-room LaGuardia Plaza Hotel, with 12,500 square feet of flexible space, along with more than 15,000 square-feet of event space and breakout rooms at the 438-room New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott. The nearby 173room Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel offers 14 meeting and event spaces

that can be combined to 5,243 sq ft of space. At JFK Airport, the 330-room Crowne Plaza JFK Airport New York City offers nine meeting rooms and 4,540 square feet of flexible meeting space, complete with fantastic views from the hotel’s ninth floor. Other hotel properties in Jamaica that near JFK Airport include the Hilton Garden Inn Queens/JFK Airport, Radisson Hotel JFK Airport and the Fairfield Inn Marriott New York JFK Airport. Expected to open in 2018, the 505room TWA Flight Center Hotel at JFK Airport will contain 40,000 sq ft of meeting and event space, a 10,000 square-foot observation deck that overlooks the runway, and eight food and beverage locations. In nearby Jamaica, the Jamaica Performing Arts Center is a multifunctional, theater-style venue in the landmarked 1858 First Reformed Dutch Church that holds up to 400 people, complete with state-ofthe-art amenities. Another historic venue option, the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning offers up to 1,173 square-feet of studio space, as well as classroom and conference room space.

Planners looking for large venue space just minutes away from JFK Airport can consider Resorts World Casino, which has 70,000 sq ft of floor space and an outdoor terrace overlooking the Aqueduct Racetrack. As the City’s only casino, the venue is a great fit for product launches, trade shows and business meetings. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park offers plenty of recreational space and activities for planners looking for standout events, including the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Queens Zoo,Queens Botanical Garden, New York Science Museum, Queens Museum and Citi Field, home of the New York Mets baseball team. With more than 200,000 squarefeet of hospitality space for corporate meetings and trade shows, Citi Field can host up to 6,000 guests in its meeting and event spaces combined. Easily accessible by several mass transit options including the 7 subway line, the ballpark has multiple venues that can be rented out, including its field, luxury suites, the Citi Auditorium and the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Watching a Mets baseball game after a long day of meetings in nearby Flushing or Long Island City

29>> is also a great team-building activity to consider. Last summer, the USTA Billie JeanKing National Tennis Center completed its $600 million renovation, which included a new 6,000-seat Grandstand Stadium and a $150 million retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, home to the US Open. The complex is a great place to have a corporate events and team outings, offering teambuilding tennis experiences. The Las Vegas Convention Center is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency's WasteWise Program with a primary objective of diverting recyclable materials away from landfills. In 2012, the Las Vegas Convention Center received AIPC Gold Certification from the International Association of Convention Centers for environmental responsibility amongst other parameters. Close home, the Mahindra Group’s Sustainability Apex Council set the following long term goals for sustainability - Carbon neutral by 2030; Water secure by 2030; Zero waste by 2030; EP 100 to double energy productivity by 2030 and RE 100 to increase renewable energy by 100 per cent by 2030 The Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd (MHRIL), with its 49 Resorts located in exotic locations across India is raising awareness and support for the overall conservation of the environment where its business footprint is felt.

planted nearly 2,20,000 Trees. The Company has in this regard spent in providing Solar Lights to villages in Thekkady, Manali, Binsar, Varca, Kumbhalgarh and Munnar • 35 villages have benefitted from this project. The efforts have been much appreciated by the Government bodies and local leaders. 7000 saplings were planted near the lake at Ashtamudi and Cherai Beach this year to safeguard marine life and biodiversity in the coastal regions • The Company has also invested in an alternate and environment

friendly method of curbing the usage of Plastics by providing Paper bag making machines at Munnar, Manali and Ashtamudi • Cleaning drives have been undertaken regularly at all locations. In Pondicherry in village Pilliyarkuppam after a cleaning drive 17 dustbins were placed in different parts of the village to arrest the growing litter in liaison with Municipal Corporation Swachch Bharat Project Waste Management Project was implemented in the month of October 2014 in liaison with NGO

Waste Warriors in Corbett. Its water conservation initiatives aim at conserving water and improve the efficiency of water utilization across its resorts by following 5 R principle (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recharge and Rain wáter harvesting). As the global tourism industry collectively takes responsibility for these kind of initiatives, such precedents will ensure a more conscientious approach while planning and constructing new facilities in the future.

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To mitigate any negative impact of its presence, MHRIL has taken steps to conserve and manage natural and eco-friendly resources, especially those which are nonrenewable and intangible. MHRIL has developed CSR policies and actions to minimize pollution of air, land and water so as to conserve biological diversity as well as the natural heritage. To address the impact of climate change, maintain and enhance biodiversity of rural and urban locations, it is imperative for MHRIL to be an environmentally and socially responsible Business Enterprise. Some of the actions taken in the regard by MHRIL are Hariyali Project: At MHRIL, Environment related World Days are celebrated by Staff, Guests and Community with great enthusiasm and fervour to create awareness. • Under the aegis of Haryali Project from the year 2010 to 2015, we have

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ACTE bets big on win-win education sessions for delegates PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

In a tête-à-tête with Voyager's World, Jyothi Varma, Regional Manager , South East Asia, Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), underlines the association's activities that seek to coalesce all aspects of travel.

resh from the recently concluded maiden Intellicon Regional Conference of 2017 by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) in Gurgaon recently, Jyothi Varma, Regional Manager, South East Asia, ACTE, spoke at length about the organisation's mission and vision, opportunities and the industry in general. Sharing the vision and mission of ACTE at the outset, Jyothi highlights 'Ferris Wheel' as their theme this year. "Ferris Wheel is what is known as the giant wheel in India. The centre of this wheel is where we place the travel manager and around him there are spokes, each of which represent a wing of travel. The spokes represent payment platform, hotel, sleep, flight, etc. Our focus is to get our travel buyers much more deeper into the concept. While all this time, travel was all about flights, there is a whole lot of stuff to handle, from the time a person plans his travel till he leaves his house to the airport - he has a visa requirement, a land arrangement, foreign exchange, insurance, etc. We wanted to bring everything into focus and make the travel manager the CEO of the travel for the company. Though there are people who do a lot of tasks in a company, in travel, it is the travel manager who takes the call from vendor negotiation to procurement. His work is different from the travel concierge desks." Explaining further about the theme, she says that the objective is to work with the travel managers and give them the value space. ACTE's education sessions that took place in January and April this

Voyager’s World > June 2017

year, integrated content that took education to the next level, entailing volatile discussions with informative and in-depth studies that went into it. "We do not plan sessions for the sake of it. These session topics are planned by an advisory committee. We put across some topics and shortlist them and carefully decide the speakers who can contribute. Our sessions are not only about networking but also place value addition for the attendees to take something back home. There is a lot of activity happening in ACTE. We are trying to make the world a smaller place. It is not every time that people can come for a conference, given the cost, location and timing. Hence, we are promoting webinar sessions to allow people to log in and attend them irrespective of their location." Although there are educational institutions that teach students about GDS and ticketing software, Jyothi feels that the ever changing rules of the industry require regular learning opportunities. Citing changes in travel policies and government initiatives as some factors that drive the decisions of buyers and sellers, she states, "Every day is a learning curve. For example, the constant changes in visa requirements of a country or the recent decisions by USA President Donald Trump on H1B visas, are factors that affect the travel industry and we have to be on our toes to accept challenges. Through its education sessions, ACTE encourages such out-of-the-box thinking to tackle such challenges while giving people opportunities to look at different ways of handling business. Everyone who attends our session has given us a feedback that they learnt something." Stressing on the role of the travel managers in understanding what is required to be supplied and how to negotiate better deals, she says that better deals need not necessarily be commercial. Deals also include the aspect of comfort. Travel managers working with corporates have to consider what kind of seats are there in the airline. "Corporate deals are much easier as they help take

care of details like web check-in, seat selection, meal selection, etc. These are the challenges that the travel managers handles to make it a seamless, hassle free experience for the guest from the time he checks-in till he is on board where he will be immediately served his meal. It helps the passenger gets his rest and ready to work when he lands. Today, each traveller is an asset to his company. The man-hours that they put in are what get the companies their dollars back. Here is where ACTE works with travel managers of a company to create a platform to bring suppliers together. Through our forums, we facilitate networking in a way that somebody's issue or question becomes an answer for another. In fact, we do have opportunities to co-develop sessions that will allow the sponsor to jointly work with the ACTE team to create a session with focused topic approach." Support and benefit to local vendors in an event Organising an event is an opportunity for the vendors to showcase in local setup their product strength to a global audience and also capture the interests of the right audience. Tackling sudden global changes Quoting the views of Greeley Koch, ACTE's Executive Director, on the ban of electronic devices, Jyothi said that ACTE has been vocal in its response to an extended ban, as it believes economies around the world, including the U.S., are set up to lose—big time. This ban will severely hamper travel to the U.S. and elsewhere, and it hits us where it hurts the most: lost productivity for businesses and major disruptions to the airline, hotel and ground transportation industries. The lost revenues from tourism are also significant and cannot be ignored. But as before, the ban continues to leave numerous questions up in the air. Couldn’t would-be terrorists circumvent the policy by travelling through Asia or other non-EU member countries, creating the need for a global ban? Will other countries

follow suit and further cripple the travel industry? Business travellers want and need to be productive, and few will be willing to check their laptops. Businesses will also have to invest in alternative solutions to help their employees access laptops and other devices at their destinations. If there’s one upside, it’s that this ban might create opportunities for busy travellers to rest. But entertainment options on flights are limited, and for some airlines, dwindling. The ban also affects tablets, the most viable alternative to laptops for entertainment and work alike. This is no silver lining. We urge governments to revisit this ban to ease the burden businesses are now facing. We should be instead investing in policies and security screening techniques that take a comprehensive look at the threats facing travelers instead of focusing on such a small piece of the puzzle. Commenting on whether the industry is prepared enough to brace sudden global changes such as the ban of electronic devices in cabin luggage on select airlines, the recent suspension of flights to and from Qatar by some countries, etc., she affirms that the industry is accepting the changes quiet well and fast, while adding that a lot of positive lobbying initiatives are also taken based on the survey and feedback received by the industry’s leading stalwarts. Mechanism to gauge effectiveness of programmes "We at ACTE are very much in touch with our members and industry leaders through different media and are continuously taking feedback and suggestions for improvements. Even our sponsors are responding to us very well. They see the value for the money that they put in and at the end of the day, it is Return on Investment (RoI) for everyone. We do not just create an event but look at promoting sharing of knowledge for all of us. Each session gives a new threshold. We are planning our next session in Bangalore towards the end of October or in November this year."

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ITB Asia sees strong exhibitor demand ahead of 10th edition VW BUREAU

Exhibitors, buyers and delegates can also now connect and set up appointments ahead of the trade show via an enhanced appointment system.

elebrating its 10th anniversary as ‘Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show’, ITB Asia 2017 is celebrating its milestone year with a flying start as the trade show sees a surge in exhibitor demand from industry heavyweights as well as the travel technology sector. Organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore), the show will take place from 25 – 27 October 2017 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. ITB Asia 2017 garnered the highest number of bookings in 10 years at the end of its early-bird phase. With exhibitors spanning across the travel industry all the way to the technology sector, more than 80 per cent of its show floor has already been booked for exhibition. Participants can look forward to seeing key industry players including Advantage Austria, VisitFinland, Spain Tourism Board, Catalan Tourist Board, Luxembourg for Tourism, Saint Petersburg Convention Bureau, Turkish Tourism and Information Office, Brand USA, Tourism Authority of Thailand and India Tourism. “After four consecutive years participating in ITB Asia, we have no doubt that ITB Asia is the best

Voyager’s World > June 2017

platform for destinations and companies across the tourism industry to boost their business in the Asia-Pacific region. It is easy to see why it is the most prestigious trade show of its kind as the show features high-quality VIP hosted buyers, good organisation as well as innovative industry developments,” said David Miró, Asia-Pacific Regional Director of Catalonia Tourism Board. “We are also extremely grateful for the opportunity that we were offered last year to present, for the first time in South-East Asia, the Castells (human towers), a UNESCO World Heritage tradition from Catalonia that dates back to the 1700s,” he added. Scandinavian and Eastern European countries are showing even stronger exhibitor demand this year with Promote Iceland joining for the first time and Innovation Norway expanding their exhibitor space. In addition to stronger exhibitor demand from Eastern European and Scandinavian countries, participants can expect a strong showing from Asia at ITB Asia 2017 too as South Korea and Japan are strengthening their presence this year with Japan National Tourism Organization and Korea Tourism Organization, JTB Group and Hanatour Services Inc. Although Europe and North Asia

are set to dominate the show floor, Southeast Asia will also feature prominently thanks to a growing demand from the region as well as Indonesia’s return to ITB Asia as the biggest exhibitor this year following a tremendously successful ITB Asia show last year. "Our successful run at ITB Asia 2016 resulted in more than US$20 million in potential transaction value for the Indonesian tourism industry," said Rizki Handayani, Director of Promotion for Southeast Asia, Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia. In line with this year’s focus on travel technology, participants will also have access to a full suite of technology businesses. This will include leading technology specialists in reservation software solutions and travel network systems in the likes of Jac Travel, Peakwork AG, Tourico Holidays, Go Global Travel, Vertical Booking and Juniper to name a few. ITB Asia 2017 will also transform the structure of interactions between exhibitors, buyers and delegates through an enhanced appointment matching system which will allow all participants to connect with each other ahead of the show. Exhibitors can now access participants at all

levels including trade delegates and media to set up pre-scheduled appointments. This will not only unlock the full potential of all participants at the show, but also present plenty of opportunities for participants to build business relationships along the industry chain as well as across different sectors, creating a more seamless and productive trade show experience at ITB Asia 2017. “We are delighted to see such strong levels of participation at ITB Asia this year. The surge in exhibitor demand is testament to ITB Asia’s leadership in the travel trade show industry and we aim to continue this positive momentum as we celebrate the show’s tenth anniversary. This is a key milestone year for all of us at ITB Asia and we are excited to celebrate this occasion together with all our exhibitors and partners,” said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia. The ninth installment of ITB Asia last year attracted 846 exhibitors, as well as 895 buyers and more than 10,876 attendees over three days. To accommodate this year’s surge in exhibitor demand, ITB Asia is currently exploring an expansion of the show floor.

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Dubai among top 10 destinations for international meetings: UIA

2016 saw 24% growth in the total number of international meetings over 2015, according to UIA rankings. VW BUREAU

ubai has emerged as one of the top 10 destinations for international meetings, according to the latest edition of the International Meetings Statistics Report published last week by Union of International Associations (UIA). The report ranked 1,157 cities globally based on the total number of international meetings that took place during the year. Previously ranked 14th in the 2015 edition, Dubai has moved up the list to claim the 10th spot with a total of 180 meetings taking place in 2016, reflecting a growth of 24% in comparison to 2015. Dubai is the only city in the Middle East and Africa to appear in the top 25 in the rankings, further underlining its status as the region’s number one destination for international

meetings and conferences. Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “With these latest UIA rankings it is once again clear that Dubai is now not only the regional leader in the sector, but also a major destination on the global stage for business events. We will continue to strengthen our business events offering, and strive towards transforming Dubai into a global knowledge hub.”

status of being a premier destination to host business events, and reflects the tremendous growth experienced over the past five years. In 2012, Dubai ranked 26th with a total of 76 international meetings that took place in the city. Dubai’s business events offering has since evolved; the city’s world-class infrastructure and global connectivity adds to the overall appeal resulting in a 138% increase in international meetings hosted since 2012.

The total number of meetings assessed include those that are organised by international organisations, as well as ones organised by national organisations or branches but with significant international character. Dubai’s current standing reaffirms the city’s

Steen Jakobsen, Director, Dubai Business Events, said: “Dubai’s business events industry has undoubtedly grown over the past decade, and we are very proud that the city is being regarded as one of the top 10 international meetings destinations by UIA, competing with

M.I.C.E SCAN

over 1,100 worldwide destinations for the spot. We have worked very hard to achieve this status, with strong support from public and private partners, including Dubai World Trade Centre, hotels, Emirates Airlines, flydubai and other meetings industry suppliers, and are aiming to continue enhancing our offering to remain competitive and further propel Dubai’s ranking in the years to come.” The report comes on after the announcement to launch the Dubai Association Conference which will be held on 11-12 December 2017 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The conference acknowledges the crucial role associations play in Dubai’s socio-economic development and its transition to a knowledge-based economy.

CALENDAR 2017

Bali International Convention Centre hosts Coaltrans Asia 2017 Conference The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali hosted the consecutive 23rd Coaltrans Asia 2017 conference from 14-16 May 2017 for 900 delegates. The event connected delegates with over 700 fellow coal leaders for two days of networking, deal-making and discovering the latest content with presentations, interviews with market influencers, panel discussions, etc. During the conference, Coaltrans had exclusive access to BICC’s versatile Mangupura Hall with indoor and outdoor exhibition space as well 20 meeting rooms and other supporting conveniences.

Hyderabad to host SKAL World Congress 2017 This year’s SKAL World Congress will take place in Hyderabad from 5 – 9 October at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). The key events include the opening ceremony on 6 October at HICC. On 7 October, the SKAL Trade Exhibition will begin in the morning and simultaneously the venue will also host the SKAL International General Assembly, apart from panel discussions, workshops and networking during the event. There are also optional city tours for non-delegates.

Langkawi to host PATA Travel Mart 2018 Langkawi is the venue for PATA Travel Mart 2018 (PTM 2018) with this signature Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) event being hosted by Tourism Malaysia and Langkawi Development Authority. The announcement was made in May by the Association’s CEO Dr. Mario Hardy during the PATA Annual Summit in Negombo, Sri Lanka. PTM 2018 will take place at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC), the island’s largest convention venue.

July 10, 11, 12 Asia Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange Bangkok, Thailand 11, 12, 13 World Meetings Forum Mexico City, Mexico

August 16, 17 Hospitality Investment Conference Indian Ocean (HICIO) Maldives 31 August, 1 September International Conference on Tourism and Business Lucerne, Switzerland

September Preferred Hotels & Resorts Offers More Meeting Hotel Options Preferred Hotels & Resorts has welcomed 32 new member hotels across 15 countries to its brand portfolio, most of which are equipped with business event facilities. The new additions range from resorts to city-centre hotels, and are all independent properties. Properties in Asia that welcome business events include Aryaduta Jakarta in Indonesia; Fortune Select JP Cosmos in Bengaluru, India; Shilla Stay Seocho in Seoul, South Korea; and Shilla Stay Haeundae in Busan, South Korea.

13, 14, 15 PATA Travel Mart Macao 26, 27, 28 IT&CM Asia Bangkok

www.voyagersworld.in

Online Travel

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Complete your travel story with Esplorio IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Tim Fernando CEO & Co –Founder – Esplorio App, talks about how the platform helps build a complete story out of a trip, involving all relative moments during the journey.

splorio App is a platform that enables the creation of a travel journal that automatically maps one's routes, tags the places that one has visited and the photos that are also being used to log one's travels. Expressing enthusiasm over the growth of the app, Tim Fernando, its CEO & Co-Founder, says the growth

from the app has been amazing so far. "We currently have users in 101 countries. During my visit to Sri Lanka, my fiancée and I decided to launch easy-to-use tools to record and share my travels. An average traveller uses multiple social media platforms to record various aspects of their travels that leads to a fragmented view of a journey. With Esplorio, your photos, routes and places are automatically and effortlessly recorded, all in one easy to access place." Features The main feature of the Esplorio is its 'Arc Detection' technology through which you can log your travels with details with less battery usage. The App does not require roaming data to record journeys. The app lets you retroactively create trips using past iPhone photos or content

from one of its many integrations. One can use content from one's Esplorio diary to send a real physical postcard anywhere in the world. Esplorio automatically checks you in at each place you visit. Esplorio offers beautiful 3D visualisations of everywhere. With the My Places feature, Esplorio helps a traveller find any place he or she has visited, even if it is stored in Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare or other supported networks. So if one ever feels nostalgic about the days gone by, or wants to recommend that amazing restaurant in New York to a friend, Esplorio lets you instantly find the place you are looking for. Usage Esplorio being a global app, Tims says that with a lot of Indians using

the app, the Indian market has grown to become one of the most important markets for the app. Marketing Plans Esplorio has mostly done its marketing mainly to build and develop a great product so that it could grow by word-of-mouth through people sharing their Esplorio trips with friends and family. "Presently, there is no easy way for travellers to record and share their travels, except for tools like Facebook and Instagram that only let users record moments. But Esplorio is the first service to let people share complete contextual journeys. We have users all over the world using Esplorio who are so open about their travels and are constantly sharing their experiences with us," he stated.

Food tours take the self-exploratory route IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Michael Weiss, Co-Founder, bitemojo App, says it is the first app in the world to offer self-guided food tours and food discovery experiences in destinations. Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem as well. It will be launched in other destinations like Rome, Barcelona, London, Athens and Slovenia within several weeks.

itemojo's Co-Founder Michael Weiss says that the app was developed based on the founders' successful experience with selfguided food experiences in Israel. Its tours include real food tastings from top sellers like restaurants, street food, market stalls, night life, based on commercial agreements we are conducting in every destination. It was launched in September 2016 in Berlin as the first destination and in

Voyager’s World > June 2017

bitemojo currently offers two kinds of modes to taste. Through biteTour experience one buys a tour, downloads it to one's device, and from that point enjoy a tailored experience, the tour, routes, content and food being managed through the app. The second experience is called biteAround, where one buys a number of bites in advance and can just go and bite in each of its biteStops in a completely flexible and on-the-go style. "Our advantage over other existing food experiences is the fact our experience is based on self-

exploration, so the traveller is not dependent on a guide or a group; it is also very flexible in terms of availability as you can take the bitemojo experience whenever you want, and of course our tours are affordable to all audiences as they are not at the high-end price of the market, and only cost $25-30 USD.” Growth Bitemojo is acquiring downloads mostly organically which is a great indicator for the value it provides. By now it has 10,000+ downloads to the different versions we have launched and this number is getting bigger day by day, also based on cooperation it has with the corporate market in all its destinations. Its marketing plans are based on B2C user acquisition, mostly in social channels and by leveraging its growing email list.

"We also witness encouraging figures of organic growth and also repeating clients, which are two key indicators for us. Another marketing channel for us is the B2B2C one, where we partner with hotels, airlines, tour operators and local agents, in developing different kind of bitemojo experiences that are tailored to their customers and interests. As our expansion model is currently based on partnering with top local tour companies in each destination, we are open to consider applies from established local food tours companies in India as well." In 2017 it will focus on expansion within Europe, but in 2018 it will continue its expansion to the USA and key destinations in Asia and the Far East.

Online Travel

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Journi App sets sights on global userbase IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

In line with the mission of the technology, Andreas Roettl, Co-Founder & CEO, Journi App, is aggressively expanding the user base across the world. view option to discover the thousands of public stories around different themes and trending cities, regions and countries. Through our app, one can also search for stories that cover particular places. So when someone on Journi is covering your hotel, restaurant or any other business related to tourism this is the best and most trustworthy ad that you can get," he explains.

he Journi App, available on Android and iOS phones, aims at tapping those travellers who are crazy about traveling and capturing their adventures. With the app's Android community growing well, Andreas Roettl, its Co-Founder & CEO, says that the app was launched to make it as easy as possible for travellers to capture and share their travel stories. "Now we already offer an explore

"For our users, it is most important that they have full control of the content and manage who can see it. It is super easy to keep stories private or public. Besides this, our users appreciate the offline mode and the possibility to create stories together. In addition, they can upgrade to a premium membership to upload and save their photos in full-size and export their stories to Dropbox or Google Drive, add flights,

weather information and over 600 stickers. Soon you will also be able to upload videos and order a real photo book of your stories." Features of the app Journi app works completely offline, wherein one can create stories together with friends to have all photos in one place and the user decide for each story as to who can see it by keeping it private and or share with selected friends or the public. available in over 13 languages." Growth in user base "From the very beginning we knew that with Journi, we create a global app that should be used around the world. Our focus in the beginning was on the German speaking market. But the app quickly grew organically beyond that, doubling its user base every six months. Presently Journi is

Expansion plans Andreas is optimistic about launching the app in Asia. "India and Asia, on the whole, is a very interesting region for us. Hence we are going to localize the app for more Asian languages this year," he concluded.

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

VADODARA

18, 19, 20 August 2017

NAGPUR

6, 7, 8 October 2017

VIZAG

3, 4, 5 November 2017

COIMBATORE

26, 27, 28 January 2018

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

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Online Travel

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City tours get a playful twist with secret city trails IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Kristina Palovicova & Wendy van Leeuwen , Co-Founders, Secret City Trails, have crafted a curious way to explore a city with the help of riddles and clues.

he Secret City Trails was officially launched during the second half of 2015 in Amsterdam. Since then, it has directed its attention towards expansion in places that are expected to have a huge traffic of international travellers by 2018, such as Indian cities, South East Asian cities and Europe.

Kristina Palovicova & Wendy van Leeuwen , Co-Founders, Secret City Trails, highlight their main services which are the discovery tours that aid people in discovering a city and its attractions; solving riddles and puzzles on the web app as one explores the place by walk. "We are looking forward to collaborate with locals to include the

hidden gems of a city and the local recommendations. First, go to our website and select the trail you want to play. After you have purchased it, you will receive a unique link that you can open on your smart phone. The trails vary in length, some are short, which means only eight clues, others are longer urban adventures of 15 clues. For every correct answer you submit, you will receive the next clue, as well as a short story about the area you are in and the historical facts about a sight you are next to, or recommendations to our favourite cafes and restaurants." Marketing plans "We highlight on experiences via social media, storytelling in magazines and partnerships with bloggers. We are also looking to

form more partnerships to promote our trails, for example in Bratislava, VisitBratislava promotes our trails, in Barcelona, TimeOut Barcelona listed us a 'Things to do' in the city." Main markets Secret City Trails presently offers trails in Amsterdam, Bratislava, Barcelona and Lisbon. In the next few weeks, it will be launching in Bordeaux, San Sebastian and Geneva. It targets locals as well as visitors for all these cities. Most of its customers happen to be city trippers who are aged between 23-45 years as they are usually the people who want to discover a city at their own pace, yet have some guidance and get local recommendations along the way.

Discerning travellers shift from conventional recommendations IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Travello App was developed based on the dynamic shifts in the application of travel reviews and recommendations, says Ryan Hanly, its CEO & Co-Founder. came up with this app concept. We also use your location and interests and display other travellers around you so that you can connect with them. It is a user friendly app which is free to be downloaded on both iPhone and Android," says Ryan Hanly, CEO & Co-Founder of the app.

ravello App is a platform for travellers to connect, inspire, meet and recommend. Available in every country, it aims to solve the problem for travellers who want to meet other travellers across the world. "We have noticed through our own travels that there was no efficent way to meet other travellers, so we

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

"The future of travel is personalization and we will facilitate this for every traveller. We are also looking forward to connect with the local travel companies so that this will benefit both the travellers and the travel companies. Our app is really helping the tourism industry in a number of ways as the travellers can utilise our platform to get real time recommendations about things to do, things to see and places to stay and eat in a location. The app

helps you to connect with a traveller to receive a real time response." Ryan observes a shift away from traditional recommendations in travel. He notes that travellers are not interested in reviews and recommendations from people that have nothing in common with them. They want real time recommendations from like-minded travellers who are actually in the location. "Personalisation is also big. We are doing well using Artificial Intelligence to curate experiences for an individual traveller. The other trend we have seen is the use of mobile technology in the journey." Main features Unique features on the app include the 'Explore' tab which shows all the travellers around a person, as well as

the local deals and offers. The most popular feature of the app is the free Wi-Fi finder which has over 100,000 free WI-Fi spots. "We will continue to develop a number of features in the app primarily on the feed. We are just introducing video to the feed and are looking to expand our Wi-Fi finder by another 100,000 free Wi-Fi spots. We also have a new design in development to give the app a new look and will be launched soon." Travello App is currently being used in over 180 countries. "We have many Indians using Travello; in fact India experienced our largest regional growth last month. We rely primarily on organic growth where travellers are telling other travellers; this is the best type of marketing we follow," he signed off.

Online Travel

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Recounting travel experiences gets new dimension IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Jiří Pilnáček , Director and CEO, Turistika.cz, draws attention to the platform where travellers can benefit from sharing stories of their journeys and also get remunerated for the same. source of information, a databank of experience and practical advice for the occasional and the enthusiastic tourists, travellers and hikers from other tourists and travellers, for even more enjoyment from a journey or a trip, saving money or sparing unpleasant situations and a safe return home from one’s own country or abroad."

uristika.cz is an online platform created to motivate tourists to share their journey experiences. It works on a system of content management where the contributors can receive a commission for each view of their content and also helps promote their articles on this website Jiří Pilnáček, its Director & CEO, says, "Our vision of Turistika.cz is a

Marketing The platform is marketed through tourists while the contributors can share their articles on social networks to their friends - Facebook, Google+. It has a large number of articles on tours and trips. The annotation on the articles is done via xml feed to web presentations of cities, regions or hotels and other travel agencies. "The system also helps us with the SEO and traffic

from search engines. Our project is unique because competition focuses only on service reviews. We are marketing on unique content and technology for users. Our customers are mostly from destination management we help them not only with the provision of unique data, but also with targeted marketing. For example, if a tourist who is about to visit the mountains, wants to ride a bicycle and go camping, our site offers three countries and 15 destinations in Europe. We on tourism.com prefer Garda - Trentino destinations, their routes, nature monuments and services. Hundreds of families then choose for their trip or holiday in this region." Benefits to Travellers "Our projects are mainly focused on helping travellers; for instance, if

you are planning to visit Amsterdam, you can get to read some of the travellers' books about their visits to Amsterdam, what they liked, what to watch out for, where they lived, how they used transport, etc. One of our major partners is the national railway carrier, so we can highlight train travel. We also offer tracking and online ticket sale." Countries using this concept Presently, Turistika.cz is only available in Czech Republic. This year, it plans to release a version of this concept in Polish, German and English. It is also in the process of completing a package of community functions for travellers. "Most of the travellers prefer accurate itineraries with specific travel and service tips, which is also part of our other community and content features."

Livetouring.com brings videos on board to explore routes IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Petr Tomek, Co- Founder, Livetouring.com, presents a unique technology that uses videos to highlight interesting routes to explore in destinations. and uploading a unique technology of video routes. The videoroutes are made by combining various videos through a map, focusing on the interesting things and the profile."

ivetouring.com technology utilizes videos to highlight interesting routes and places. Petr Tomek, its Co-Founder says, "We came up with the idea of Livetouring for tourists and travellers through modern technology by inventing

" You can visualise the routes before you venture into the destinations that include interesting attractions there. The platform also gives you prior information on the routes which are not suitable for children or senior citizens. We have a small section of our users who are older and differently abled people who are not able to travel in these routes. Hence, they can virtually view these routes sitting at home." Some of its most viewed videoroutes are Dubai Seaplane Flyover(http://www.livetouring.

com/en/track/dubaj-z-letadla ), Drive around Key West Florida (http://www.livetouring.com/en/ track/key-west-florida-usa-videotrasa) and Cruise on the Vltava river in Prague (http://www.livetouring. com/en/track/vylet-na-lodi-prahapodoli-stvanice ). Livetouring.com has recieved a number of orders for videoroutes in Czech Republic and from other countries. Its visitors and tourists can also check into some of its attractive routes in South Asia, Tunisia and Montenegro. It has started selling the videoroutes to various companies who are into cycling, running and other races. Main markets Most of its marketing activities are

done through online marketing channels like SEO, PPC, Facebook, etc. Some of the recommendations from the users have been very important for us." Its main markets are n Central Europe and Czech Republic. "We are the first company to launch this technology; so far, we have not had any competitors. We have shot more than 100 routes during our first year. At present we have more than 350 routes in 17 countries. However, we have noticed that very few Indians are using the service. We have received a good response after officially launching this platform to the public; so, we have decided to have a new website for the technology in other languages," he ended.

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Incredible India

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Bike rental services work in Full throttle to woo adventurers IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Sharing the thrills of adventures on bikes with one's peers has become more viable with the growing number of bike rental options in the country.

iking as a way to explore a destination is becoming easier today with several rental options mushrooming across the country. Earlier the concept of bike rentals was limited to few cities like Goa and Manali. This niche segment is seeing popularity among adventurers and weekend travellers, in addition to long holidayers who are keen to explore destinations like Tawang, Ziro Valley, Majuli, Cherrapunji, Dawki, Leh - Ladakh, Bhutan, Spiti Valley, Mana Village, Nelong Valley, Khasi, Bhutan, Jaisalmer and Kutch. Devanshu Khandelwal , Founder & CEO, Wheelify, foresees a rise in the trend of bike in the country, given its share of youth. “India is a country whose youth love to explore. A rider gets a sense of freedom and adventure over a bike and can cover remote areas even where there are no roads. Moreover, you can rent a bike now as per km basis, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly. The number of bike rentals is increasing in the country these days, so the tourism

Voyager’s World > June 2017

industry is definitely going to witness an optimistic growth in the future and the self-ride bike rentals are also evolving as a segment in itself here.” Exploring options Relying on a bike as a mode of transport offers the advantage of exploring long routes, often as the biker wishes to go, on a course of his choice. Agam Raghav, CEO & Co-Founder, Rentrip.in, believes that the country’s vast tourism appeal is a delight for bikers.”India is a gem with lots of new destinations to explore, so renting bikes has been a common phenomenon in destinations like Goa that allows people to explore places at their own pace. People used to travel hiring four wheelers before. The new generation prefers to travel as per its freedom and comfort. The major drawback is that four wheeler hiring ties up people with different tariffs and plans which cost high at tourist

destinations. During the last couple of years, we have noticed startups taking the bike rental concept to other destinations.” “People prefer bikes as they are easy to travel when compared to cars, as bikes can be taken to every place which cannot be done with four wheelers,” he added. Manjunath T N, Co-Founder & CEO, Royal Brothers says, “Two wheelers are always considered to the favourite of Indians. People feel renting a bike much cheaper than hiring a car or a jeep. You can ride at your own pace anywhere, to narrow lanes and rustic areas.” New Destinations on a bike Agam says “We have seen people that have started taking interest in exploring new destinations like Tawang, Ziro Valley, Majuli, Cherrapunji, Dawki, Leh – Ladakh and Bhutan. We have been promoting tourism in North East India, making our base in Guwahati.

Other bike rental clubs such as the Dream Riders have been focusing on tours of Leh – Ladakh. WheelStreet also joined the stream recently focusing mainly on Leh Ladakh rentals. Ride Planner at Siliguri has been very active on road trips exSiliguri.” “Ladakh is known as the ‘Mecca of Bikers’, Spiti Valley, Mana Village, Nelong Valley, Tawang, Khasi, Bhutan, Jaisalmer, Kutch, ECR, etc. are now getting a lot of biker tourists,” Devanshu remarked. Manjunath, too, observes that people are taking biking vacations from Bangalore to Bhutan and the other places are mostly still unexplored by tourists. Trends in bike rentals According to Agam, bike rental services were earlier limited to some destinations in India like Goa and Manali. The bike rental concept is now available in most of the cities in India. People are able to travel

Incredible India

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Devanshu Khandelwal Founder & CEO, Wheelify Bike renting offers last mile connectivity and lets a user cover even the remote areas . The growth in the motorcycle industry is around 30% year on year and there is great demand which is increasing month on month

across a city or even go for long adventure rides such as Leh-Ladakh or Tawang. Devanshu says, “We have noticed that there is a demand for self drive bike rentals and also this demand is increasing month on month.” Manjunath says that self ride bike rentals is the new trend in cities like Bangalore, Mysore, Bangalore and Hyderabad where people get to use the service for vacations to different destinations and, at the same time, think of owning the vehicle. Kind of travellers Rentrip.in has got customers like adventure tourists who generally travel to off-road destinations like Leh, Tawang, Bhutan and Siliguri. Office-goers also hire bike for work or to go to meetings generally for a few days or on a monthly basis. Riders hire bikes for long routes like Pune-Goa, Mumbai-Goa, Coimbatore-Ooty, Guwahati-

Manjunath T N Co-Founder & CEO, Royal Brothers People find renting a bike to be far more cheaper and easier option for travel into places that cannot be reached by a car, or bus. Bike renting is a great way to get around the city and to travel to other places.

Shillong. One way riders hire bikes i.e; people pick up the bike from one location and drop it at another location. Backpackers hire bikes for unplanned weekends and vacations and prefer hiring bikes at low prices. Moto bloggers travel with their cameras and helmet cameras to capture each and every detail of their ride. Wheelify’s clients include four kinds of travellers who consist of daily commuters who look for easy mode of travel; the weekend getaway tourists who are a group of friends or couples who love to travel a distance of 200-odd kilometres to a forest or hill stations; the long duration travellers who are hardcore riders and include foreigners who take a bike for seven-15 days, covering multiple states and offbeat destinations and the last category that comprises people who have to travel to several points throughout the day. Royal Brothers has been receiving

Agam Raghav CEO & Co-Founder, Rentrip.in People prefer bikes as they are light on pocket and can go easily to the places. The best thing that you need not worry about kilometres. The travel industry is benefiting with the number of bike rental companies.We hope bike renting is the future of tourism in India.

business from all kinds of travellers from different areas, including a lot of female customers who ride cruiser bikes like the Thunderbird and Desert Storm. It has got both Indians and people from abroad renting their bikes for several purposes like short trips across the city and also journeys across national and international borders. Its customers usually use bikes for commuting from one location to another and for vacations. Promotional Plans Agam feels that bike renting is the future of tourism in India. “Our digital marketing strategy is the part of same drive.Building a good relationship with customers is our priority and the usage of social media is very important.” Devanshu informs that Wheelify has been conducting online marketing through social media and search engines. It also has contests for students and corporate and looks at launching some more contests in

the future. He observes the growth in self ride bike rentals at around 30% year-on-year. Royal Brothers has started writing travel blogs that highlight travelling on bikes across various cities or long distance journeys, along with some information on the safety norms and necessities. It plans to expand its services in the country and in some international locations also. “We have ads in Google and run ad campaigns. We use our social media accounts use to promote business and to connect with customers across the country. We are also part of the ‘Stop Speed Campaign’ focused on road safety,” Manjunath said. On the whole, the adventure tourism industry stands to be benefited by such bike rental options, more so because the wish to go on escapades is now a reality, with such rentals offering many pros over other modes of travel.

www.voyagersworld.in

Women's Travel

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The changing landscape of

women’s travel

ANJU ANNA ALEX

omen have been travelling more than ever, overcoming the longdrawn history of systemic prejudice and gender bias, with both inbound and outbound tourism witnessing accelerated growth. Women are earning more and therefore spending more. This is dynamically changing the travel landscape; the potential of the women’s market surpassed $19 trillion in 2015 given that 80% of travel decisions are made by women. The concept of women travelling solo and in women-only groups is an emerging trend. High purchasing power that comes with increased financial independence and freedom to take decisions independently has accorded to the rise of the modern female traveller. This can be construed as flexibility to take one’s own financial decisions, easier access to information and increased affordability. Therefore, the desire to travel solo or in women only groups has made it to the bucket list of a lot of women. Women find travel empowering and liberating. Elizabeth Gilbert’s immensely successful book, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ was enlightening, in the sense that it redefined the purpose

Voyager’s World > June 2017

of a woman’s travel. From motherdaughter getaways to bachelorette parties to detox getaways, women are willing to push the envelope of travel in return for unique experiences. Figures indicate that the number of women embarking on business trips have doubled over the last decade or so. Subsequently, the number of travel providers offering their services exclusively to women has increased, not to forget the umpteen services offered by hoteliers to entice the millennial female solo traveller. Adventure tourism is rapidly gaining popularity amongst female travellers and has many takers. This is contrary to the clichéd belief that women prefer leisure shopping getaways to adventure trips, signifying a transformation in the women’s travel segment. Concurrently, such change of trends are reflected in the travel trends pertaining to Indian women as well. According to Ranjini Nambiar, CEO, Footloose Yatra Consultants, “There has been definitely a surge in women’s travel. More than the financial independence, this increase can be attributed to exposure to the international arena thanks to the internet and more specifically social media. The exposure to diverse and varying options has empowered

people to define what they want. They are able to define with clarity the kind of travel they prefer and the activities they want to participate or indulge in. This is to say that the requirements have become very specific and clients have become very eloquent about it. Recently we have been getting many requests to plan something novel as detox tours wherein travellers want to completely rejuvenate and ‘detox’ or cleanse their mind and body. These tours are not necessarily religious. The girlfriend getaway or the motherdaughter getaway niches amount to impressive figures”. Commenting about the notable growth in the number of women travellers, Sonia Karnani, Director, Arunodaya Travels says, “The all pervasive landscape of the internet has provided women with multitudinous options of accessing information about destinations or activities that in turn enable them to take informed decisions about travel. This surge in the number of female travellers is reflected in every segment and every age group”. Travel has become a way of expression and therefore an exercise of free will. Indian women too are breaking the shackles of patriarchy with the drift towards modernization and globalization. Recent statistics suggest that more than 40% of Indian women opt to travel alone.

Hence there is also a proliferation of hoteliers offering dedicated services to women travellers opting to travel solo. Gauri Jayaram,Founder, Active Holiday Company, notes that “On the one hand this is certainly a reflection of the changing socio-economic landscape where Indian women are becoming more independent and have more money in their hands. Interestingly, however this also has to do with our society being so male dominated. There are many men – be it fathers or husbands who are not comfortable with women from their families travelling in a mixed group, however they have no issues if women from their homes join other women groups”. Ranjini opines, “The gender barriers have become more relaxed with more and more women warming up to the idea of travelling in mixed groups or travelling solo.” “The need of the hour is experiential travel, the demand for travel being very specific and well defined. Therefore, the notion of travelling to a destination for the sake of going to that particular tourist destination has lost its significance. Instead people want to explore particular experiences in specific places”, she adds. When it comes to the trend of disintermediation, Sonia explains,

Women's Travel

41>> Sonia Karnani, Director, Arunodaya Travels

“The all pervasive landscape of the internet has provided women with multitudinous options of accessing information about destinations or activities that in turn enable them to take informed decisions about travel. This surge in the number of female travellers is reflected in every segment and every age group”

Gauri Jayaram, Founder, Active Holiday Company

“On the one hand this is certainly a reflection of the changing socio-economic landscape where Indian women are becoming more independent and have more money in their hands. Interestingly, however this also has to do with our society being so male dominated.”

Ranjini Nambiar, CEO, Footloose Yatra Consultants

“The exposure to diverse and varying options has empowered people to define what they want. They are able to define with clarity the kind of travel they prefer and the activities they want to participate or indulge in. This is to say that the requirements have become very specific and clients have become very eloquent about it.”

In 2013, the government allotted Rs 1,000 crore towards the Nirbhaya fund, to protect the safety and dignity of women which currently amounts to a total corpus of Rs. 3,000 crore. There is a compelling need to effectively and judiciously utilize the funds to ensure the safety for women travellers in the country as well. “Young travellers prefer to curate their own itineraries whereas mature travellers prefer to book through trustworthy, reliable expert travel consultants”. Ranjini shares a similar opinion about the preference of travellers when it comes to making travel plans. She says, “A few years back we witnessed the trend of more and more people making their own travel plans. But clients have begun to realize how social media works and the way reviews, testimonials and ratings can be fabricated and manipulated. This information overload has stirred confusion in the minds of the users. However, people have started going back to resorting to the habit of booking through travel agents or travel consultants.” The middle aged segment is particularly witnessing an upswing in the number women travellers owing to lesser responsibilities especially with regard to children coupled with financial flexibility. Talking about the travel trends pertaining to travelling in groups Sonia says, “People these days prefer to travel in small private groups as compared to large groups. Younger travellers opt to be more adventurous, tend to make their own itineraries and are willing to compromise luxury for unique experiences. Airbnb and hostels are popular options for the

younger category whereas the 3545 age category, prefers budget stays and 45 plus category prefers luxury stays. Senior travel is an emerging trend and therefore a growing segment in women’s travel. Recent figures indicate that most female travellers who undertake trips in small groups are over the age of 45.” Gauri goes on to explain “The real credit for seeing this opportunity and developing this segment actually goes to WOW (Women on Wanderlust) – everything that has followed has been a me-too travel experience. However India is a huge country and there is space for everyone to grow and thrive. We do have several companies who are offering women only travel and they all have their own niches. For example F5 serves Indian women who want to travel in India. We serve active women who want to be adventurous.” She explains, “We just ran two back to back fully booked out wildlife trips for 14 to 18 year olds. And then there are people in their late 20s, mid 30s and early 40s who are getting out.” Ranjini says that, “Countries in Eastern Europe like Italy and Spain with its cultural cocktails continues to fascinate and entice female travellers.” Sonia also shares a similar view of the topic and says, “Eastern Europe is much sought after

by women travellers. Countries like Croatia, Austria are welcoming more and more female visitors.” One of the biggest challenges that the Indian tourist industry is faced with is the issue of women’s safety. This message of women’s safety should be emboldened in our marketing communication strategies to ascertain India’s position as a top MICE and leisure destination and to regenerate consumer trust as a credible brand. At the same time, authorities should take remedial measures to ensure the safety of the tourists which should further translate into necessary actions. Commenting about the current scenario in India with respect to female travellers, Gauri says “This is exactly why group travel for women is a big segment. Apart from the fact you have someone taking responsibility, you also have safety in numbers when you travel in groups. Like I said before, we have women who control their own money and decide on which trips to spend it on and at the same time you have women who do not control their own money but their families will ‘permit’ them to travel with women only groups being not comfortable travelling in mixed groups. More and more women believe they deserve the time off and want to explore the world”. After

realizing the urgency and gravity of the situation, many Indian states are adapting fast to the rapidly changing scenario by introducing women-only modes of transportation and women drivers. In 2013, the government allotted Rs 1,000 crore towards the Nirbhaya fund, to protect the safety and dignity of women which currently amounts to a total corpus of Rs. 3,000 crore. There is a compelling need to effectively and judiciously utilize the funds to ensure the safety for women travellers in the country as well. Ranjini is of the opinion that there is an element of danger anywhere you travel in the world and her personal experiences have taught her that India is relatively safe. But she throws in a word of caution that it is always best to avoid deserted places when travelling alone, be it anywhere in the world. “If you have booked your tour through a reliable operator, there isn’t much to worry.” Speaking about the subject of women’s safety Sonia says, “Booking through a proper channel is quintessential for travellers especially in the case of women”. Given the strong potential of women travellers in India there is an urgent need to address the safety concerns in order to provide further impetus to the women’s travel segment.

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Happenings

Ark Travels, UTA organises training workshop for agents in Mumbai

rk Travels Pvt Ltd. organised a training workshop for travels agents in Mumbai, in association with United Travel Agents (UTA). It had a participation of over 100 travel agents. They were presented with information on products and services offered by Ark Travels, which included presentation on Star Cruise, Dream Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania Cruises and Club Med, a French resort vacation company. The workshop is part of Ark Travels strategy to connect with their network of agents. Besides, the event was organised keeping in mind the current trends and demand for cruise vacations. The highlight of the event was the announcement about Singapore Airlines as the Official Airline Partner for second edition of The Big Bang Nautical Fiesta, the Charter Cruises specially targeting corporate companies.

42>>

Athens to host the 5th Annual Gala Ceremony of the SSLHLA

he Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards (SSLHLA) announced its 5th Annual Gala Ceremony to be hosted at the The Ecali Club, Athens. The Ecali Club is the finest and most elite private members club in Greece. Located in Athens, it is renowned for its exclusivity and ability to cater for the most discerning clients. The ceremony is set to place on 23 September 2017 and will play host to the winners of the Signum Virtutis, the seal of excellence, awarded by the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards. SLHLA also announced 2 new panel members to join its Luxury Panel, Miriam Seferian, owner of SHENKHA Spa consulting and Manon Han-Busch who also assumes the role of Chief Marketing officer of the organisation.

Kerala Tourism recognised at Lonely Planet Awards

Mahindra Holidays wins accolade at HolidayIQ Awards

erala Tourism recently received the award as the ‘Best Destination for Romance’ for Munnar by Lonely Planet Magazine India Travel Award 2017. Besides the series of other awards won by Kerala Tourism in 2017. During the sixth edition of Lonely Planet India Travel Awards the Bollywood actress Diana Penty gave out the award to P Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Kerala Tourism. P Bala Kiran said, “ Kerala is now becoming popular as the preferred destinations among the Indian travelers. The state’s tourism department will continue to keep up the positive momentum with its perennial growth trajectory. The award also inspires other travel enthusiasts to visit and experience unexplored destinations."

ahindra Holidays has been awarded the grand prize of ‘India’s Favorite Resort Chain’ by HolidayIQ. The award was received by Arun Nanda, Chairman and Founder of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited at the award ceremony held in Delhi in May. The award ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries including Dr. Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Priyank Kharge, the Hon'ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) Tourism & Information Technology, Government of Karnataka, A K Manocha, Chairman & Managing Director IRCTC and Umang Bedi, Managing Director, Facebook (India & South Asia).

43>>

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launches ‘Marsa Al Arab’

is Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the launch of ‘Marsa Al Arab’on May 14, 2017. The comprehensive tourist destination aims to elevate the family tourism proposition in Dubai; provide supporting foundations to host Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as reinforce Jumeirah Group’s leading position locally and globally as one of the driving forces behind the growth and prosperity of the tourism sector. The mega-project Marsa Al Arab is spread across 4 million sq. ft. and comprises two islands on both sides of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. It adds 2.2 km of beach frontage and will be the newest addition to Dubai’s long-standing track record of world-class tourist facilities. One island will be dedicated to entertainment and family tourism, while the other comprises an exclusive luxury resort. Marsa Al Arab will include a private yacht marina and a yacht club, in addition to recreational attractions, such as diverse food and beverage offerings, making it a globally attractive tourist destination.Dubai Holding will offer a signature serviced commercial space at ‘Marsa Al Arab’ to attract international companies looking to set up base in this unique development.

Star Cruises voted 'Asia's Leading Cruise Line' 2017

Akquasun organises Fam for Qatar Agents

France voted Best Destination for Indulgence (International)

tar Cruises was voted 'Asia’s Leading Cruise Line 2017' at this year’s 24th Annual World Travel Awards Asia & Australasia Gala Ceremony held in Shanghai, China on 4 June 2017. As Asia’s pioneering cruise line brand, Star Cruises was once again recognized by travel and tourism professionals worldwide as 'Asia’s Leading Cruise Line' for six consecutive years since 2012. “It is truly an honour to accept this year’s award on behalf of Star Cruises and Genting Cruise Lines. We thank the voters for their continuous support and it is indeed a privilege to receive this recognition for six years in a row from the World Travel Awards,” said Kent Zhu, President of Genting Cruise Lines.

kquasun Group, along with Qatar Airlines, hosted a familiarisation trip to Seychelles for travel agents from the Qatar region. The travel agents enjoyed their stay at Constance Ephelia Resort in Mahe and Constance Lémuria in Praslin, in the trip that was also supported by Seychelles Tourism. The participants also enjoyed the sightseeing during their stay in Seychelles.

rance was voted as the Best Destination for Indulgence (International) at the recently held Lonely Planet Travel Awards in Mumbai on May 25th. Selected entirely on the basis of reader votes, this award reinforces France&#39;s strong association with indulgence. The award was presented to Sheetal Munshaw, Director Atout France India in the presence of Mr Yves Perrin Consul General of France in Mumbai. Sheetal said, "We are delighted about the recognition that France as received from Lonely Planet and its readers. This award perfectly aligns with our strategy of showcasing France's plethora of made to measure indulgent experiences that beautifully embody its distinctive art de vivre and cater to a discerning and appreciative audience."

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Travel Trends

44>>

Amadeus launches advanced data analytics suite VW BUREAU

Data analytics has become the strategy of choice for organisations of any size looking to secure competitive differentiation and seek out new revenue opportunities.

or Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) in the travel inspiration business, the competition for visitors is greater than ever. DMOs have in the past been bound by data such as visitor numbers only after the year is complete, as reported in Amadeus’ recent paper ‘Smart decisions for smart destinations using big data’. But this has meant DMOs have been less able to take proactive decisions to attract travellers. To do so, DMOs need to know what potential visitors want, which rival destinations they compete with and how to get ahead of travel trends.

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The latest product suite from Amadeus’ Travel Intelligence division, Destination Insight, aims to put DMOs in the know with analysis of up-to-date travel data, removing some of the guesswork often involved when making key marketing decisions. By analysing billions of up-to-date global air travel transactions in near real time, the suite can reveal hidden opportunities for DMOs to boost their destinations’ growth. DMOs can for example run relevant analyses of traveller searches and bookings to measure, adjust and build more effective campaigns.

They can also view bookings to their destination versus competitors to understand who they are most closely competing with and quickly develop strategies in response to market developments. Steven Valcke, Business Intelligence, Marketing at Visit Flanders said, “It’s becoming increasingly necessary for DMOs to be flexible in their strategies. Thanks to Amadeus Destination Insight, the way we use data has changed significantly. We can monitor, on a weekly basis, the impact of factors such as currency changes on traveller demand in our target source markets and adjust campaigns in response. Having this kind of detailed data allows us to be more responsive to developments.” Destination Insight is flexible and scalable, and can be used by both emerging and mature DMOs, whether they are monitoring travel at city, country or region levels. Destination Insight has two modules, Top View, and Navigator, which can be used together to maximise actionable insights and equip DMOs to compete for traveller attention in the right place at the right time.

Top View grants DMOs a comprehensive picture of their performance with the ability to benchmark versus other destinations. They can easily gain insights into searches and bookings, when travellers are going there or how long they’re staying for. The module can also help pinpoint origin markets in need of attention to grow visitors. Navigator provides travel agency booking data that can improve DMOs’ response to external factors such as currency fluctuations or weather. For instance, discovering that an unusually warm period

contributed to an unexpected spike in bookings could aid in managing future travel demand. Pascal Clement, Head of Travel Intelligence, Amadeus, added: “One of the most game-changing aspects of big data is that it enables organisations to look into the future and anticipate the needs of customers. Destinations that can understand today’s travellers through data, and respond with targeted, effective campaigns will be well-placed to capitalise on changing traveller preferences”.

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Top Appointments

45>> Deep Vahi

Sneha Jha

Director of Sales Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport

eep Vahi is the new Director of sales at the Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport. Having an experience of over 11 years, he started his career with the Oberoi Mumbai and later worked at JW Marriott Mumbai, Juhu in sales and then in the National Sales Team of Marriott Hotels as a Senior Sales Manager and was promoted as Associate Director of Sales in 2016.

Director of Sales & Marketing Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport

neha Jha joins Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport as the Director of Sales and Marketing. She has to her credit 14 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She has worked with various brands like the Oberoi Hotels, Mumbai, Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport, Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, Mumbai, Taj Lands End Mumbai, Taj Rambagh Palace Jaipur, the Leela Kempinski Mumbai and the Oberoi Hotels Mumbai.

Ramandeep Marwah

Kamal Deep Sharma

General Manager JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort and Spa

Director of Sales & Marketing Hyatt Pune Kalyani Nagar

amal Deep Sharma is appointed as the Director of Sales & Marketing of Hyatt Pune Kalyani Nagar. He has to his credit an experience of over 26 years in the hospitality industry. He has worked with various brands like Taj Group of Hotels, Radisson Blu, the Park Hotel and Hyatt Regency Ahmadabad. He also has experience in Food & Beverage.

W Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort and Spa appoints Ramandeep Marwah as the General Manager. He brings with him an experience of 17 years in the hospitality industry. He has worked with various brands like Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces; The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, JW Marriott Aerocity, New Delhi and JW Marriott Pune.

Dietmar Kielnhofer

Alok Kaul

General Manager JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar

Director of Operations JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity

ietmar Kielnhofer joins JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar as the General Manager. Earlier, he was the Complex General Manager of Starwood Hyderabad. With over 30 years of expertise in the industry across Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia, he was the board member of the Executive Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce Hyderabad and also Vice President and Secretary of the Hyderabad Convention and Visitors Bureau (HCVB) in 2016.

lok Kaul is appointed as the Director of Operations of JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity . Prior to this, he has worked as the Director of Rooms & Residences of The Address, Dubai Mall. He brings with him an experience of morethan two decades in the industry. He has worked with various hotels like Le MĂŠridien New Delhi , Hotel Oberoi Towers, Mumbai currently The Trident, Burj Al Arab Dubai,Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai. He has also worked with Jet Airways as a Flight Purser.

Raj Singh

Shital Sethi

General Manager Novotel Lucknow Gomti Nagar

Director of Sales & Marketing Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach

ccor Hotels appoints Raj Singh as the General Manager of Novotel Lucknow Gomti Nagar. He brings with him an experience of over two decades. He had been with brands like Ramada, Fortune Hotels and Choice Hotels for over eight hotels. Prior to this assignment, Raj was the Vice President Operations for Siesta Hospitality in Hyderabad.

hital Sethi is appointed as the Director of Sales & Marketing of Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach- AccorHotels .Prior to this, she had worked as the Director of Sales and Marketing of Hotel Holiday Inn, Mumbai. She also worked in sales at Radisson Hotels, Goa, The Orchid, Mumbai, Hotel Grand Sarovar Premiere, Mumbai, and Rodas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an Ecotel Hotel, Mumbai.

Nischal Ayanna

Zaheer Abbas Jeddy

Director of Sales & Marketing Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru

National Sales Head- India Rezlive.com

ischal Ayanna joins Radisson Blu Atria Bengaluru as the Director of Sales and Marketing. He will be responsible for sales and marketing strategies and for exploring business opportunities through events. He brings with him an experience of 14 years in the industry. Prior to this, he had worked with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, The Lalit and The Leela.

ezlive.com appoints Zaheer Abbas Jeddy as the National Sales Head. He has over 10 years of experience in the travel industry. Prior to this, he was working at the Dubai office of Rezlive.com in sales and business development. He had worked with various organizations in sales and business evelopment based out of Middle East and India.

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