Voyager's World - March 2015

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March 2015

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Island destinations...

gear up to the waterfront

From The Desk

Starting soon- ‘Work-in-progress!’...

A

s the nation awaited a flowery presentation on this year’s Union Budget with heightened expectations from a government that will soon turn one in its tenure, the proposal to increase cover for the Visa-on-Arrival facility to 150 countries was received well by the travel industry, so also the Railway Budget that was rendered rosy with the train experience promising to be a breezy affair for the public.

Our World Heritage sites are sure to garner the attention of the global traveller soon, while simultaneously effecting better infrastructure and on the other hand, the amusement park sector will reap the benefits of service tax exemption, thus aiding domestic tourism. Yet, how long it would be before it yields returns to the travel agent is to be reckoned with.

In this edition, Voyager’s World examines the impact of the tourism sector on the GDP and the economy of the country, besides looking at Indians hopping to overseas island destinations for holidays and a post-event coverage on the TAFI convention 2015 in Israel.

Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

eDIT ORIA

L

Associate Editor

Assistant Editor

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Industry Buzz

18

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14 India Outbound

40

Maldives Roadshow and Swiss Travel System presentation

30

A trip to the Holy Land - Israel alongside TAFI Convention 2015

Cover Story

Incredible India

Interview with UP Tourism Board

49

Top Appointments

Indian outbound travel trends to island destinations

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Ministry News

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tourism policy 2015 to be out in may Press Information Bureau

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ew Tourism Policy 2015 which is set to be launched on 15 May this year will have a clearcut action plan with timelines. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, the Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, while addressing the participants at a workshop held on the formulation of National Tourism Policy 2015 recently, said that from then on, a new work culture would be implemented in which a task will be identified and a person assigned for the task.

port business demanded tax incentives from the government specially in the off season. The stakeholders also raised their concerns and gave various suggestions to Government to be incorporated into the Tourism Policy 2015. Secretary, Tourism, Dr. Lalit Panwar said that the new policy

will contain a definite action plan with a clear-cut road map and timelines.

On the issue of E-Ticketing Dr. Lalit Panwar, said that E-Ticketing was started on a pilot basis for Taj Mahal and Humayun Tomb and Government is in the process of E-Ticketing for top 25 monuments of India.

Various other issues like soft adventures tourism, wildlife tourism, desert tourism and nature tourism were also discussed. The stakeholders also said that Yoga, Ayurveda and hospitality should be given due importance in the upcoming new tourism policy.

The timeline will also be fixed and the implementation will be closely monitored. The representatives from various organizations like Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), FICCI, NASSCOM, FAITH, Travel Agency Corporation of India, Indian Tourist Transporters Authority (ITTA), Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA), All India Resort Developers Association (AIRDA) and Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) were present among others at the meeting.

393 hotels in Dubai.

The minister also cited the need for synergy between various Ministries of the government, the Minister appreciated the idea of National Tourism Board which is proposed as a part of the new Tourism Policy to speed up and promote tourism in the country.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

The hotels and apartments in Dubai now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

He explained that the potential of existing policy of 2002 had not been used fully and the new policy will use the framework of existing National Tourism Policy of 2002 to make it dynamic to meet the challenges that have emerged in today’s world including technological and global competitiveness. He appreciated the idea of a ‘single window portal system’ for making information available to tourists.

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The aim of the workshop was to receive inputs and suggestions from various stakeholders associated with tourism and hospitality sector so as to formulate a dynamic and pragmatic tourism policy to attain the target of “responsible and sustainable” tourism. Various issues ranging from infrastructure, need for connectivity in remote areas, e-ticketing and safety and security were discussed during the workshop. The stakeholders related to hotel industry and trans-

In Dubai and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Deluxe Room with Palm Beach View“ at the Atlantis The Palm, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it.

Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Beach View Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

www.voyagersworld.in

Industry Buzz

6>>

roomsXML.com launches feature to match room name with type

CTC to organize three-city roadshow in March

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he Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) will organize a three-city roadshow for travel agents from 23-26 March this year in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore. The B2B sessions will be attended by Canadian travel partners who will update the travel agents on the unique travel products in Canada. These will be followed by destination training by its provincial partners.

oomsXML.com built a feature that now displays the room types exactly as per the hotel’s very own room names. Each hotel has its own nomenclature to name a room. But hotel booking systems hardly retain the original name.

So, instead of calling a ‘Rainbow Tower Ocean Front Corner Room’; other systems find it safe in showing the room simply as a ‘Corner Room’.

This may lead to confusion when the agents or customers call up the hotel to double-check their booking. Built with an investment of thousands of dollars and man-hours, the feature removes the guess work while making a booking.

INDABA 2015 receives over 400 exhibitor applications

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NDABA 2015 will take place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa, from 9 to 11 May. Over 400 travel and tourism products have applied to exhibit this year. as the widest variety and depth of African travel products from both the private and public sectors of the industry.

Among companies that have already confirmed their space at INDABA are andBeyond; Fair Trade Tourism; the Tanzania Tourist Board; the Blue Train; Tourism KZN; Hilton; MalaMala Game Reserve; Cape Town Tourism; etc.

Etihad to start Delhi - Abu Dhabi daily

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tihad Airways will add a new daily service from New Delhi to Abu Dhabi from 1 May, it having just started a third daily flight from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi and a new daily service from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi from 15 February.

These schedule expansions are complemented by the recently launched Jet Airways daily services from Goa and Lucknow to Abu Dhabi. Jet Airways flights from Ahmedabad, Pune and Mangalore to Abu Dhabi flights are also set to start on Sunday 29 March.

Club Mahindra opens in Kanha

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lub Mahindra opened in Kanha, Madhya Pradesh as a green field project spread across 15 acres of land. It has 50 rooms for members which includes 32 Studio rooms and 18 one bedroom apartments. It also has a spa, an activity centre, fun zone, swimming pool and kids’ area. The new resort is located on the outskirts of Kanha National Park.

Taiwan Tourism meets travel trade in four metros

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aiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) held a four-city roadshow in New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai recently.

The delegation comprised members from TTB’s Singapore Office, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Edison Tours, Good Time Vacations, Taiwan Theme Park Association, Formosan Aborginal Cultural Village, Atayal Resort, Atami Hotels. Arthur Hsieh, Director, TTB, Singapore Office, said: “Digital marketing, information and communication will become the cornerstone of Taiwan Tourism in particular and the tourism industry in general in the coming year.”

Maldives to be ITB Berlin's partner country in 2016

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t the ongoing ITB Berlin 2015, Maldives and the travel trade show signed a contract sealing their partnership in 2016. Maldives expects the partnership to attract a visitor increase of around eight percent. Next year, the island will be the partner country for ITB Berlin. New resorts including the Thumburi project will provide additional accommodation for holidaymakers in the mid-range price segment. As of December 2015 Lufthansa will flying once a week from Frankfurt to Malé.

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Railway

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rly unveils mobile app for complaints Press Information Bureau

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he Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched a ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile Application’ (android/windows based mobile App), on 2 March.He said that the Customer complaint-cum-suggestion’ portal and mobile app which can be freely downloaded, will be very useful as one can track the status of the complaints which he or she registered on this portal with the help of mobile App.

wise, type wise, filters will enable effective monitoring at the administrative end. The Mobile App is linked to the Complaint Management portal of Indian Railways, where complaints can be registered through Web (www. coms.indianrailways.gov.in) and SMS (+91-9717630982).

Web based Complaint Management Application: Passengers can also register complaints through the Web. The complainants will be assigned unique ID number with which they can track the progress of complaints. The complaint will be auto assigned to

the concerned railway functionary for redressal. Detailed MIS reports with various zone wise, division wise, type wise, filters will enable effective monitoring at the administrative end.

This Customer Complaint Portal will also be available in Hindi and other regional languages.

Passengers who want to complain or make any suggestions may download the mobile App from the URL www. coms.indianrailways.gov.in. The passengers can also file their complaints and suggestions on the web page www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in.

They can also SMS their complaints on mobile number +91-9717630982.

The Complaint Management System (COMS) portal consists of the following applications:-A mobile app based complaints and suggestions application (currently on the android platform). · A web based complaints and suggestions application on URL www. coms.indianrailways.gov.in. · A SMS based complaints and suggestions application on the number +91-9717630982. · A link to Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) will also be provided.

193 hotels in Singapore.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

The hotels and apartments in Singapore now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

Mobile Apps Indian Railways are launching the first mobile phone App for registering passenger complaints. The first Mobile App is on the Android platform.

It has been implemented using Android 2.3.3 (and above) platform and would be made available for Windows Phone 8.1 (and above). It uses the latest technology namely HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3.1 and can be downloaded from Google Play Store.

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Complaints will be provided with a unique complaint ID number.

Complainants can use the unique ID number to track progress of complaints. The complaint will be auto assigned to the concerned railway functionary for redressal. Validations for station name, train number and PNR number have been built into the application for user convenience.

The complaints will be stored in the database and later, detailed MIS reports with various zone wise, division

I n Singapore and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork.

Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Orchid Garden View Suite“ at the Marina Bay Sands, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it.

Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Suite”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

www.voyagersworld.in

Industry Buzz

8>>

DGCA sets up unit to monitor airfare

Aviareps to represent PROMPERÚ in India

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he Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) set up a Tariff Monitoring Unit to monitor airfares on certain routes selected on random basis to ensure that the airlines do not charge airfares outside the range declared by them. An analysis has shown that the airfares remained well within the fare bucket uploaded by the airlines on their respective websites. Under the provision of Sub Rule (1) of Rule 135, Aircraft Rules 1937, airlines are free to fix reasonable tariff having regard to all relevant factors, including the cost of operation, characteristics of services, reasonable profit and the generally prevailing tariff. Air fare fixed by the airlines is published on their respective website under the provision of of Sub Rule (2) of Rule 135, Aircraft Rules 1937.

Bhutan records 62,129 Indian arrivals in 2014

T

he tourist arrivals to Bhutan for 2014 grew to 133,480 tourist arrivals demonstrating an impressive growth of 14.85% over the corresponding year. Whilst international travellers grew to 68,081; India continued to be its top source market with an additional 62,129 arrivals. The Tourism Council of Bhutan has been promoting Bhutan – ‘Celebrate Happiness’ theme in key markets, wherein India and South East Asia form a critical component.

Registrations open for Amarnath Yatra 2015

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he Amarnath Shrine Board laid guidelines for the registration of Yatris (pilgrims) for the Amarnath Yatra 2015. This year’s Yatra will begin on 2 July via both the routes - Baltal and Pahalgam and end on 29 August. Registration is necessary for Yatris. Nobody can undertake it without Yatra Permit which is valid for the days and route in question. One can secure the permit via selected bank branches (87 of J&K Bank, 305 of Punjab National bank and 38 of YES Bank) located in various States/UTs.

viareps was appointed by PROMPERÚ (Export and Tourism Promotion Board, Peru) as its representative in India, to target the growing number of Indian outbound travellers to South America.

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) and President of the Export and Tourism Promotion Board (PROMPERÚ), Magali Silva Velarde-Álvarez, said: “India is an important potential market for Peru to which we are beginning negotiations towards a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. Both countries are historically similar since they are land of millenary civilizations.”

South African VACs to open in India VFS Global launched seven new Visa Application Centres (VACs) for South Africa in India in Jaipur, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Goa, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore. These VACs were operational from tomorrow 5 March, 2015. VFS Global will be responsible only for accepting and processing applications for the South African High Commission, Delhi and Consulate General of South Africa - Mumbai.

C&K launches incentive for agents

C ONYX to open 10 properties in India by 2022

O

NYX Hospitality Group announced plans to operate at least 10 properties in India by 2022.

Three key developments will form the strategy for the ONYX India expansion. The first full-service Amari hotel has been confirmed in the NCR (National Capital Region) which will begin in 2016 and be operational by 2019. The second project, Amari Residences GIFT City in Ahmedabad, will feature 120 serviced apartments, restaurant, pool and fitness centre. This will be operational by 2019.

Voyager’s World > March 2015

ox & Kings Ltd launched a special incentive programme for its community of travel agents, wherein the agent gets an opportunity to win great incentives per customer.

The incentive bracket starts from Rs. 1500/and goes on to Rs. 100,000/-, if the agent successfully books 500 passengers. This is a limited period offer, valid on bookings done before 31 March, 2015 for travel period between 01 April and 30 September, 2015.

The agents can earn these incentives over and above their existing commission. C&K will identify and applaud deserving agents on a pan-India platform, which will serve to encourage those who are performing well to do better, as well as create an atmosphere of healthy competition amongst all agents.

Manila to host Routes Asia 2016

F

ollowing a successful Routes Asia event in Kunming which saw almost 800 delegates in attendance, the Yunnan Airport Group Co., Ltd. officially handed over to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the host destination for Routes Asia 2016.

Routes Asia 2016 will take place from 6 - 8 March in Manila hosted by the Philippines Department of Tourism (DoT) and co-hosted by the Philippine Department of Transportation & Communications.

Visa News

9>>

bivs expected to boost irish tourism VW BUREAU

F

eilim McLaughlin, Ambassador of Ireland to India, said that they are foreseeing a surge in the number of inbound tourists with the recently launched British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS), and out of the 360,000 annual visitors from India to Britain, Tourism Ireland aims to target ten per cent, which is 36,000, in the next two years.

of a video film, anchored by Bollywood actor, Saif Ali Khan, who is the spokesperson for the ‘Bollywood Britain’ tourism campaign in India. The video celebrates the connect of the Hindi film-lover with romance in Bollywood films.

Speaking after the premiere of the

video, Shuja-Bin-Mehdi, B2B Executive - North & East India, VisitBritain, said, “Tourist visitor arrivals from India to Britain increased six per cent in the nine months to September 2014, as compared with the corresponding period in 2013. The figures till December 2014 will be out by this month end.

Moreover, the registration of buyers for VisitScotland Expo - an annual travel trade event organised by VisitScotland - will be finalised by March 31, 2015,” revealed Mehdi. The Expo will be organised at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), Aberdeen, UK on April 22 and 23 this year.

He was speaking at a recent workshop in Delhi, which was jointly conducted by Tourism Ireland and VisitBritain. The workshop was organised to promote BIVS and the diverse experiences offered by both destinations.

The workshop saw participation of over 124 travel agents. The tourism boards will conduct the same workshop in Bengaluru on March 21 at Le Meridien, and in Mumbai on March 24 at Four Seasons Hotel.

In the past five years, Ireland has recorded a sizeable increase in tourist arrivals from India. Last year, the country registered 25,000 Indian arrivals. “We are an emerging destination and are constantly making people aware of our offerings. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences/ Conventions, Exhibitions) business from India is our primary focus as business ties with the country have grown exponentially in the last five years,” informed McLaughlin.

925 hotels in Paris.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

The hotels and apartments in Paris now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

He believes that BIVS, which has been launched for Chinese and Indian nationals, will help boost tourist numbers and enable ease of travel from India to Ireland. The response to the scheme has been encouraging, with travel agents receiving a lot of inquiries, the Ambassador informed.

He elaborated that they are in a transition phase and other countries may be offered with BIVS in due course of time.

The event witnessed the premiere

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“Ireland is quite distinct from Britain in terms of its offerings, such as culture and food. Also, it is more valuefor-money for Indian travellers as it is 30 per cent cheaper than Britain.

This means that we offer more affordable travel, accommodation, and food, which make for a great travel package along with BIVS,” McLaughlin added.

In Paris and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Deluxe Room with Eiffel Tower View“ at the Hyatt Regency Etoile, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Deluxe View Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Economics

10>>

earnings, expenses, per capita, gdp and the tourism industry

Research findings point out that tourism contributes 6.77% to India’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Let’s look at how jargons like GDP, per capita, expenditure, fiscal and earnings work around travel and tourism.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

L

ast month, when Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Budget in the Parliament, a major announcement was made to lend an impetus to the tourism sector, with an amount of Rs 1,573.07 crore was allotted for the ministry for 2015-16, giving it a rise of 33% over last fiscal’s allocation when we were allotted Rs 1,182.99 crore, the other important announcement being that of the proposal to increase the cover for the ETA-enabled Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) scheme for 150 countries from the present 43.

So, how indispensable is this sector for the overall health of a country?

How has our country reaped from both inbound and outbound travel and tourism over the years? A few economic terms that we are familiar

Voyager’s World > March 2015

with include Gross Domestic Product (GDP), per capita income, fiscal, spending, expenditure, earnings, contribution, to name a few.

In lay man’s terms, GDP can be described as the quantity a place produces within a given time period; for a country, the GDP is analyzed based on its output within its borders by adding up consumer spending, investment spending, government spending and the value of the exports and deducting the value of imports. When we have a high GDP value, we can rest assured of a healthy and large economy.

According to estimates prepared by the National Council for Applied Economic Research, tourism contributes as much as 6.77% to India’s total

GDP through direct and indirect impact. To put this in context, this is nearly as much as India’s much touted Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing industry, which contributes around 7.5% to the economy according to industry body NASSCOM. Yet, these calculations may come across as complex and difficult to tabulate when it comes to tourism arrivals and spending.

does. Thailand, for example, got four times the number of visitors in 2013 that India did — a clear suggestion that even in a bad economy, India’s tourism sector is still badly underperforming.

Visa and paperwork problems as well as inadequate infrastructure are among the most serious problems that foreigners often complain about, while concerns about safety have risen in the last few years.

Tourism is a global force for economic and regional development. Tourism development brings with it a mix of benefits and costs and the growing field of tourism economics is making an important contribution to tourism policy, planning and business practices. tourism industry especially for developing countries acts as a greatest leveler in time of economic recessions.

This is made evident by a comparison with a few other smaller nations that receive far more tourists than India

A scholar study by the Annamalai University Department of Management Studies (Journal of Contemporary

11>> Research in Management, Volume-1, No.1, 2 Jan - June 2007 2) explains that the development of tourism, especially in an underdeveloped part of a country, requires the existence of an infrastructure, as well as hotel accommodation and other facilities specific to tourism. In many cases these utilities are economically indivisible in the sense that, in providing them for the tourism industry, they at the same time become available for the use of local people.

promoters, whichever is lower. Projects sanctioned in this scheme so far are mainly luxury tourist trains, ropeways, development of golf courses, etc.

The Project of Integrated Cable-Car and Lakeside Tourism Project at Loktak Lake, Manipur was sanctioned in 2013-14 for an amount of Rs. 2035 lakhs under LRGP. Hence, naturally pumping in investments of this stature and developing

circuits are key to lending a fillip to the employment sector and in turn, help add to the industry’s contribution to the GDP. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued growth and diversification to become one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors in the world.

The World Travel and Tourism Council

(WTTC) estimate that tourism contributed 9.2 per cent of global GDP and forecasts that this will continue to grow to grow at over 4 per cent per annum during the next ten years to account for some 9.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (WTTC 2010). Over time, an increasing number of destinations have opened up and invested in tourism development, turning modern tourism into a key driver for socioeconomic progress.

The expenditure associated with tourism flows makes a substantial

Thus in many countries, highways and airfield, constructed primarily to cater for tourism, now provide an access to wider markets for many locally produced goods. Unfortunately, in a lot of case, however, the local people still receive little direct benefit from these developments. This in essence is a problem of both physical and economic distribution.

As tourism continues to grow in a region it makes increasing demands upon the scarce resources of that area. So there is a need for realistic planning and the effective enforcement of planning regulations to reduce possible conflicts of interest to conserve unique and unusual features for the enjoyment of future generations of visitors and residents alike. Tourism is considered to be an economic bonanza. It is a multi segment industry. While gauging the positive economic effects of tourism, we study its contribution to the generation of national income, expansion of employment opportunities, raising of tax revenue, generation of foreign exchange .and transformation of regional economy.

146 hotels in Las Vegas.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

The hotels and apartments in Las Vegas now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

Rightly, the Ministry of Tourism recently announced a scheme of Assistance for Large Revenue Generating (LRG) Projects for development of tourism infrastructure, in order to bring in private sector, corporate and institutional resources as well as techno-managerial efficiency. The projects admissible under this scheme should be of tourist’s attraction or used by tourists to generate revenue through levy of fee or user charges on the visitors.

The subsidy under the scheme has a cap of Rs.50.00 crore subject to a maximum of 25% of total project cost or 50% of equity contribution of the

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Some of the important items which are covered under this scheme are: Tourist trains, Cruise vessels, Cruise Terminals, Convention Centres, Golf Courses, Health and Rejuvenation facilities and last mile connectivity to tourist destinations, etc.

In Las Vegas and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Forum Tower Deluxe King Room“ at the Caesars Palace, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it.

Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Deluxe Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Economics

© WTTC - Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2014 India.

12>>

The total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP (including wider effects from investment, the supply chain and induced income impacts) was INR6,631.6 billion in 2013 (6.2% of GDP). It is expected to rise by 7.0% p.a to INR13,983.0bn by 2024 (6.8% of GDP). economic contribution to the Australian economy nationally, by state and by region. In Australia, for example, tourism makes a direct contribution to the economy of $40.639 million in GDP or 3.6% of total GDP and 4.7% of total employment (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] 2009).

The WTTC findings in 2013 on benchmarking travel and tourism in India indicated that the sector’s contribution to GDP was larger than that of the automotive manufacturing, chemicals manufacturing, education and mining sectors. In terms of its direct GDP, travel and tourism is nearly the same size as that of the mining, chemicals, manufacturing and education sectors. Travel and tourism had contributed Rs. 217,810 crore to the GDP in 2013, generating a total impact of $US 128 billion, showed a sectoral document for Tourism and Hospitality sector under the ‘Make in India’ campaign. “Tourism is a big employment generator. For every USD 1 million invested in tourism creates 78 jobs,” it added.

The document listed a series of factors as key drivers for tourism in the next decade. These include a growing recognition of tourism’s contribution to employment and economic growth, availability of better infrastructure, focused marketing and promotion efforts and liberalisation of air transport.

Besides, it also cited growth of online travel portals, growing intra-regional corporation and effective public pri-

Voyager’s World > March 2015

vate partnerships that would fuel growth of the sector. The reason to invest in the sector is that, ‘tourism in India accounts for 6.8 percent of the GDP and is the third largest foreign exchange earner for the country’, it added.

The UNWTO has forecast that the travel and tourism industry in India will grow by 8 per cent per annum between 2008 and 2016, the document said. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism are likely to show annualised growth of 14 per cent during the same period. The sector is the third largest foreign exchange earner after gems, jewellery and ready-made garments, it added. As per the document, initiatives such as availability of visa on arrival significantly influences tourist’s travel plans to the country.

Recently the Indian government has also released a fresh category of visa - the medical visa or M visa to encourage medical tourism in India, it added.

In 2013, Travel & Tourism’s total contribution to the global economy rose to 9.5% of global GDP (US $7 trillion), not only outpacing the wider economy, but also growing faster than other significant sectors such as financial and business services, transport and manufacturing. In total, nearly 266 million jobs were supported by Travel & Tourism in 2013 - 1 in 11 of all jobs in the world. The sustained demand for Travel & Tourism, together with its ability to generate high levels of employment continues to prove the importance and value of the sector as a tool for economic development

and job creation. As per the WTTC, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP reflects the ‘internal’ spending on travel and tourism (total spending within a particular country on travel and tourism by residents and non-residents for business and leisure purposes) as well as government ‘individual’ spending - spending by the government on travel and tourism that are directly linked to visitors such as cultural (museums, for instance) or national parks. The government collective spending helps travel and tourism in many different ways like aviation, administration, security services, etc.

The direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP is calculated to be consistent with the output as expressed in National Accounting, of tourism-characteristic sectors like hotels, airlines, airports, travel agents and leisure and recreation services that deal directly with tourists.

Domestic purchases of goods and services by the sectors dealing directly with tourists - including, for example, purchases of food and cleaning services by hotels, of fuel and catering services by airlines, and IT services by travel agents. The ‘induced’ contribution measures the GDP and jobs supported by the spending of those who are directly or indirectly employed by the Travel & Tourism industry.

Visitor Exports Visitor exports are a key component of the direct contribution of travel and tourism. In 2013, India generated

INR 110.9 billion in visitor exports. By 2024, international tourist arrivals are forecast to toal 13,426,000, generating expenditure of INR 1,745.8 billion, an increase of 4.3% per annum.

Generation of Foreign Exchange This sector of the economy is found efficacious in generating the foreign exchange reserve. To be more specific the contribution of world tourism to the foreign exchange is supposed to be the succulent benefit of tourism industry. The developed countries of today testify it.

They have been found successful in minimizing their foreign exchange crisis with the revenue generated by this sector. The host region retains 93 percent of the earnings in the foreign currency by the tourism sector.

The journal from Annamalai University points out that tourism, both international and domestic, brings about an intermingling of people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, and also a considerable spatial redistribution of spending power, which has significant impact on the economy of the destination area. We do not find any exaggeration in the opinion that tourism or travelling business has been declared an industry since with the least possible investment~ this industry bears the efficacy of earning more.

The developing countries have points in favour of tourism industry which shows multiplier effects and simplifies the task of manpower planners, environmentalists, social scientists and economists.

MICE

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visa remains key for meeting planners International Meetings Review

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acific World recently released its first Annual Destination Index Special Report, providing corporate, association and agency planners with insights into the most popular destinations for meetings, incentives and events and key trends that are influencing these results.

suppliers to offer guarantees in Corporate Governance and Compliance.

Visa Policies - The immigration policies and visa requirements are still a strong a decisive factor when choosing a destination.

Destination Reinvention - Top destinations have been able to reinvent themselves taking advantage of the

their cultural and natural heritage & investing in modern structures.

Ancient and New – destinations offering a combo of historic and state of the art venues and hotels are the most demanded.

International Hotels Chains Generating Trust - The opening of new international well-known brand hotels

in the destinations generates trust and interest for a destination. These investments are seen as a sign of confidence. If an international chain is investing in new hotels in a hidden city in China there must be potential and something attractive not just for the leisure but also for the MICE industry.

The Pacific World Destination Index was initially launched in March 2014, Harsha Krishnan, Strategic Development Director at Pacific World, noted.

“The 12-month overview has allowed us to incorporate factors such as seasonality by using a three-month rolling average and year-on-year comparisons, growth and group size. We also analyze the destinations on a monthly basis, looking at recent changes in country/city image; new flights and accessibility; major events; buzz about new hotels/infrastructure; political, economic and currency movements; and which event types they are seeing requests from.”

In the European, Middle Eastern and African region, one of the most popular destinations was Rome, for its “conventional but reinvented” venues and activities as well as the aggressive investment in new hotels in the city (7 percent new hotels) as well as in Milan (5 percent) in the last two years.aris, Strasbourg and Loire Valley in France are also attracting strong number of meetings planners.

756 hotels in Bangkok.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

In the Middle East, the UAE stalwarts Dubai and Abu Dhabi claimed the top spots. Demand for luxury and high-end activities is back in the sector, and Dubai has a wide offering to accommodate visitors, including the Dubai Tram, the Four Seasons Jumeirah, Four Seasons Jumeirah and Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights.

Factors driving meeting planners Compliances and Corporate Governance guarantees - International clients are increasingly requesting

In Bangkok and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Deluxe Space Zone Room“ at the Baiyoke Sky, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Deluxe Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked.

15 013/quiksel.com

Pacific World’s Destination Index Special Report also shows that South Korea, Indonesia and Hong Kong were the most popular meetings and events destinations in Asia in 2014.

In Indonesia, Bali attracts the maximum MICE business. After years of battling the negative impact of the terrorist attack in 2005, Bali is finally being perceived as a safe destination now with heightened security measures.

The hotels and apartments in Bangkok now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

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India Outbound

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swiss travel system apprise bangalore trade on new features

New market manager of Swiss Travel System, Andreas Nef, along with Alexis Darne, Sales Manager- IMEA, Rail Europe showcased Rail Europe products including Swiss Travel System to the Bangalore travel trade in February.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

T

he Swiss Travel System unveiled a new look product range recently when they met the travel trade and media in Bangalore in February. From 2015, the choice of travel passes is being adapted to the changing needs of visitors to Switzerland. The flagship Swiss Pass product was renamed; from 1 January, the all-in-one ticket will be marketed globally as the Swiss Travel Pass, featuring the same benefits as before, but with a new period of validity.

It features the same attractive advan-

tages like unrestricted free travel by train, bus and boat over 27,000 km, 50% off most mountain railways and unlimited travel on municipal public transport in 75 towns and cities. It will continue to cover admission to 480 museums throughout the country. Certain bonus benefits such as hotel and city tour reductions will no longer be included.

But the Swiss Travel Pass will now be valid for 3, 4, 8 or 15 days, in keeping with the trend towards shorter-

stay holidays. Another name change is that from Swiss Flexi Pass to Swiss Travel Pass Flex which offers free travel on public transport on any 3, 4, 8 or 15 freely selectable days within any one month. The new alternative to the half-price travel is the Swiss Half Fare Card Combi, offering 50% reduction off travel by train, bus and boat and most mountain railways.

This ticket is valid only in combination with a Swiss Travel Pass Flex or Swiss Transfer Ticket. Young travellers under 26 years can purchase

either the Swiss Travel Pass Youth or Swiss Travel Pass Flex Youth at 15% discount off the regular ticket price.

Two old special favourites will still be available in 2015 - the Swiss Transfer Ticket and the one-month Swiss Half Fare Card offering up to 50% reduction off travel on Swiss public transport. In addition, the complimentary Swiss Family Card will still be obtainable on request, offering children aged under 16 free travel if accompanied by at least one parent.

‘one island, one resort’: maldives emphasizes exclusive holiday options

The delegation, led by Hussain Lirar, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Maldives, addressed the travel trade in Bangalore and highlighted the concept of ‘One Island-One Resort’ for the discerning traveller.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

M

aldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) organised a roadshow and a B2B session on 23 February in Bangalore for the local travel trade and the media.

The delegation, led by Hussain Lirar, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Maldives, consisted of

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Reena Abdul Wahid, Marketing Officer, MMPRC; Lets Go Maldives; Sun Aqua; Bandos Island Resort & Spa; Akqua Sun Canopus Maldives and Adaaran.

The other representatives from India were Blue Square Consultants and Think Strawberries and Air India.

Maldives achieved a growth of 7%

from India and recorded 1.4 million global arrivals last year. The destination is an archipelago of 1190 islands, 159 island resorts and 202 inhabited islands. The airlines that connect us from India are Air India, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Tourism began in the year 1972. Now, it is being promoted on the lines of ‘One Island,

one resort’ where in there is one resort built for one island to offer complete privacy and exclusivity to the discerning traveller.

China, Germany, UK, Russia and Italy are some of the top global source markets for the Maldives.

Aviation

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lufthansa launches enhanced services VW BUREAU

L

ufthansa will significantly enhance passengers’ travel experience this year with a range of initiatives. The various innovations are based on customer feedback: modern cabin design in the entire fleet, new service concepts on board, an innovative pricing concept and a substantial expansion of the long-haul network to include new dream destinations will make Lufthansa even more attractive for business and leisure travelers.

board access to the FlyNet online portal. Passengers wishing to work or to surf the internet above the clouds, for example, can now go online while on the move with FlyNet. The new pricing concept for German and European routes is also more

Announced at the Lufthansa press conference at the ITB in Berlin, Jens Bischof, Member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board Product, Marketing & Sales and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “In 2015, our customers will experience the best Lufthansa there has ever been. Over the past few years, we have invested billions in completions, quality and services on behalf of our passengers, who will now benefit from this investment.” As an airline, we are once again where Lufthansa belongs – namely in the leading group of international premium airlines. Our guests can be sure that “Made in Germany” as a seal of quality applies to all Lufthansa flights.

We are on the right track to becoming the first, Western 5-star airline, and day for day we offer the quality that other airlines can only speak of.”

will be able to decide for themselves which services they would like to use and pay for. The three new fare options – Light, Classic and Flex – will be introduced in Economy Class for flights within Europe from autumn 2015. Tickets will be available for purchase from the summer.

648 hotels in Rome.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

The hotels and apartments in Rome now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

In Rome and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

15 014/quiksel.com

From the third quarter of this year, all Lufthansa long-haul aircraft will be upgraded with the latest cabins and state-of-the-art seats in every travel class. In addition, the powerful FlyNet broadband internet service will be available on board all long-haul flights. Around 39,000 seats have been either replaced, modified or, in the case of new aircraft, fitted on Lufthansa’s long-haul aircraft: 600 seats in First Class, 7,000 seats in Business Class and more than 27,600 seats in Economy Class. Around 3,600 seats are being newly fitted on Lufthansa’s 106 long-haul aircraft for the new Premium Economy Class, which has already become a top-seller. The new Premium Economy Class is currently available on 30 long-haul aircraft. From the end of this year at the latest, passengers will be able to travel in Premium Economy on all intercontinental flights. FlyNet is also being installed as part of the cabin conversion, and will be available on all long-haul flights in future. The FlyNet service provides broadband internet access via an on-board WiFi network. In addition, there is on-

closely tailored to the individual needs of passengers. It will still be possible for customers to book a flight in Business Class, but in future, they will have more options. And in Economy Class, passengers will always be able to choose from three different fare options. This means that they

As an example, your customer saw the “Executive Room with Balcony & Garden View“ at the De La Ville Intercontinental, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Executive Room with View”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

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Hospitality

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the pench wilderness...

The music of birds, bees and aromas of wilderness are beyond ones expectation in Tathastu Resorts.

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

T

athastu Resorts is located on the village Turia in Madhya Pradesh amidst the Pench Tiger Reserve. The Global Panorama Showcase 2015 in Nagpur recently organized this familiarization trip to Tathastu Resort and Pench Tiger Reserve. One of the best things of this property is that one could take a long break for a lovely stay and also explore the forest. For a resort which offers lot of excitement, one must at least take 2 weeks of their time and more to spend a lovely time not only in the resort but also in the PenchTiger Reserve.

The entrance of the resort is very interesting as it has a black gate with two ladies welcoming you and the number of grey Langurs on the sides which look preety real at the entrance actually gives one a feeling of excitement for anyone who just enters into the property. The entrance says it all and gives one the same exciting feeling through out the property. As we enter into the property an impressive part is the activities area for archery, fishing where one need to have a lot of patience to catch a fish and boating in the man made lake. The resort has a stone scroll around the reception with directions to activities, reception, Bade Talao- Villas, Tents, Caves, Tree, restaurant, swimming pool, Banquet and the main lawn. There is a hut near to the activities area where one could sit back and take a nap or read a book or write a poem or a book.

The Tathastu resorts offers 31 rooms, the rooms are categorized as 7 villas (22 rooms), 1 tree house, 4 cave rooms and 4 tents while the rest of the rooms will be operational in few months this year, the Art Center, Health Spa and the adventure sports area will also be operational by October 2015. The resort is a real place for one to take a vacation or a break from the hustle and bustle of a city life and tensions. This place is indeed a center of gourmet cuisine, activities

and for a lovely slumber on the khatias in the sprawling lawns or on the hammock near the villas or even gazing at the stars in the night. There is nothing as wonderful as sleeping on the khatias where one can forget all the stress in life.

The Tathastu villas are excellent in terms of artifacts, murals and photos.

The names of the villas are also very interesting like the Bulbul’s crown, Kingfisher’s catch, Hoopoe’s stripes, the Oriole’s gold, Woodpecker’s peck, Flamingo’s streak, Hornbilll’s beak, Drongo’s tail designed according to the names at the entrance of the villas. The living room on the ground floor is very impressive especially with the concept relax written on the sofa cushions as most of us don’t have time to relax at all in life. It is more of feeling at home factor for anyone who stays in the villas. The wooden drums along with number of photographs of the tigers in the living room are very impressive and hand soccer for one who loves to play and sit back for chitchat in the living room. The ground floor bedroom has an attached bathroom with some lovely paintings. The mid level floor bedroom is totally different with blue colour paintings with an attached bathroom that has a painting of flowers. Then we head into the first floor that has a lovely living room with peacock wings designed above the sofa a cozy place to watch movies and a small library where one can get to read some of the books.

The bedroom on this floor has lovely paintings on nature with an attached bathroom that has a lovely long painting of parrots. Each villa has a kitchen where one could relish food of your choice. The balcony on the ground floor has a seesaw wooden chair for a lovely picture. The terrace in the villa has two wooden bells hanging on one side and on the other side a green leaf designed above a day bed apt for a spa treatment or a lovely sleep. One of the unique things on the ground floor

is the claw shaped torch light. The villas are generally for large groups that include families or a group of friends who would love to enjoy a homely atmosphere. One must not miss to lie down over the hammock in the lawns, a lovely place for a nap or to read a book under the blue sky with lots of greenery around.

The cave room is completely made of stone and named as Runizhuni, Jodamunara and Piyorthadi after park hillocks. The cave room accommodation is quite a treat for those who want to stay on the ground floor, with brass pots at the entry and golden colour designer bed. It is like a palace for one who would like to feel royal with the golden colour designer bed , golden wood chairs and the private library provided for comfortable a light reading. One of the most interesting parts of the cave room is the terrace that has a swing facing the lawns and one of the tents. The cave room is indeed a royal experience of living inside a rock set up accommodation. The bathroom in the cave room is very interesting as it is a waterfall from the rock cliff rather than a normal shower. One must make sure to try this concept in the cave room as it is an experience to cherish.

The tree room is another interesting concept in Tathastu which is made on top of a tree trunk, you enter the tree trunk and climb up through the spiral staircase. The tree room has a well camouflaged door and a painting of a tree with leaves and lanterns made of mud around the bed. The tree room has a terrace with a tree trunk penetrating outside facing the other trees.

The birds painting across the entrance is fascinating. The tree room is going to be a lifetime experience for one and one must try while in Tathastu.

Lastly the tents are considered to be exciting for people who are adventurous in terms of wildlife. The tent room

has a library on the side with a peach tent set up and a golden bed cover, a living room with brown chairs, tables and sofas along with a flower pot on the side. The tent rooms also have a bath tub and a private balcony as well.

The other facilities offered in the resort include the conference room, restaurants and indoor swimming pool. The conference room is one of the most interesting places. A painting that reads “there is no planet b’ which is very artistically done. The conference room can accommodate 500 people and in a round table set up can accommodate 200 people for events like MICE conferences and weddings.

The indoor swimming pool area can also be used for events for around 50 people. The multi-cuisine restaurants offer gourmet cuisine. Innovative with a dining set up on a honeymoon island and khatiawala dhaba can make your food experience even better. The darts at the entrance of the restaurant is a place where one could play for some time before a lovely meal.

The jungle walk towards the Pench Tiger Reserve is one of the exciting things we got to do in Tathastu Resort where one could sight a Leopard during the walk although we could not sight the Leopard this time may be next time. The jungle safaris into the Pench Tiger Reserve was interesting as we got to sight some Deers and Langurs we could not sight the king of the jungle as it had rained heavily through the night so better luck next time . Pench is one of the beautiful forests where one can feel and smell of the beautiful forest and listen to the chirping of the birds and sounds of the wild animals. For those who want sometime from their busy schedule and get rid of burdens in life Tathastu Resorts is the right place for a vacation So get ready to pack your bags for a lovely stay in Tathastu Resorts and an exciting adventure into the Pench Tiger Reserve.

Women Travel

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Goa most favoured for all-women holidays VW BUREAU

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ome of the OTAs and online travel specialists talk about confidence in solo travel among women, trends in India, safety and women-friendly destinations around the world among other updates.

lers in 2014 with 4016 women travellers followed by Mumbai with 2342 women and Chennai 1676.

RedBus urges women travellers to

make use of its app’s innovative feature ‘Friends & Family’. The feature makes it possible for family and friends to track the passenger’s bus journey. The exact location of the bus

can be availed after she boards the GPS enabled bus. An SMS is sent to the passenger’s emergency contact number along with the bus number and a link to track the bus.

MakeMyTrip conducted a survey to analyse the behaviour and needs of women-travellers in India. Almost 8% of the respondents preferred to take solo trips over travelling with a group, friends or family. 93% women said that it depended on the destination and not the country, as against 63% last year. 66% Indian women travellers felt safe travelling in India compared to 49% just a year ago. They are also strong advocates of solo travel. 52% experienced solo-leisure travel (compared to 44% last year).

Of these, 49% have travelled solo in India.

Women across age-groups are increasingly taking to travelling in allwomen group of friends or even with strangers to destinations both within and outside India. The survey showed that 51% respondents had travelled in an all-women group (compared to 43% last year).

347 hotels in New York.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

Nearly 13% advocated an all-girls trip to celebrate a birthday and 15% listed a pre-wedding get-together as a reason to take an all-girls trip; 57% plan a trip with their women friends just to ‘take a break’ and Goa is their go-to destination. This is followed

by Thailand, Dubai and Europe for overseas travel and Kerala and Andamans for domestic travel.

According to Stayzilla, Bangalore saw the highest number of women travel-

In New York and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Superior Guest Room“ at the Waldorf Astoria, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Guest Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked.

15 015/quiksel.com

Hari Nair, Founder & CEO, HolidayIQ, commented on a survey conducted among 20000 women travellers in India. “We have been tracking a fair rise in this segment in the last four years, but the big spurt from 0 to 10%, will be witnessed in 2015 for the first time. This jump will significantly alter the tourism in India, just as the rise of couple travellers over the last decade did by giving rise to the concept of weekend getaways and jungle lodges across India. Perhaps, women-friendly concept hotels and specialized holiday packages will surface.”

The hotels and apartments in New York now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

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Destination

18>>

Israel: Land of historical surprises!

The ‘Land of Creation’ beckons one to walk through a rich past that is set in throughout the destination...

© Clock Tower, Old Jaffa City

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

T

he Travel Agents Federation of India in association with Israel Ministry of Tourism recently organized their convention in Jerusalem along with a familiarization trip to Israel from 17th Feb to 25th Feb highlighting some of the destinations like Tel Aviv, Haifa, Dead Sea, Nazareth, Caesarea, Akko and Jerusalem.

Israel has lots to offer to travellers in terms of a destination with several of its beautiful regions to be enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience.Israel is a very beautiful country which is not only known as the land of creation but also the holy land. A destination that is diverse, pleasantly surprising for all, where one needs to spend more days in Israel to feel and experience the culture, music, cuisine and of course to explore the whole of Israel.

Our trip started with Tel Aviv a very beautiful and interesting city with benches and chairs dotting the streets and lovely parks. We then headed to one of the business hotels of Tel Aviv, for an overnight at the Dan Panorma Tel Aviv that has a long seafront promenade. The hotel offers

We started our expedition into Tel Aviv with a visit to the Abrage, a lovely restaurant located adjacent to St. Peter’s Church in old Jaffa city.We were served a delicious meal, we got to taste fresh shrimp tossed with tomatoes, authentic home made kebabs on the grill accompanied with a generous helping of Tahini and a local special called Baladi egg plant. Having polished off an amazing meal, my taste buds were further treated to a sweet dish called Malabi- a Jaffa desert. An Israeli meal is always ended with a cup of tea or Kahwa the traditional tea.The Abrage is a beautiful restaurant with stone walls and turquoise arches. The ambience of the restaurant is excellent and has a very cozy feel to it.

ing is now known as the national museum or the Independent Hall Museum of Tel Aviv. One can buy replicas of the Independence scrolls as a souvenir from Tel Aviv. We then headed to the most exciting part of the trip-the Carmel Market, one of the well known fruits and vegetables market in Tel Aviv. We got to taste traditional food made of chickpeas and kidney beans mixed with spices, an experience to cherish. After that we got to taste stuffed pita bread which had a wholesome filling of Falafel.

The Carmel market also has handcrafted jewellery, colourful wooden boxes, old kerosene lamps, ceramic and glass items. The walk through the brightly coloured market was a thrilling,surreal experience and one can do a lot more with a good bit of time to spare.

the larger buildings constructed in the Bauhaus international style of architecture.Tel Aviv is known for its famous beaches with lovely white sands on a long strip across the Mediterranean coast. There are about 10 beaches in Tel Aviv with a few restaurants around to munch some real kebabs or enjoy a lovely drink by the shoreline. Tel Aviv is a bustling city and has a lovely promenade to walk across the Rothschild Boulevard and further. The Rothschild Boulevard is one of the best spots in the city and has a number of restaurants, live bands, cafes and an amazing night life where one must venture at least once during their stay in the city. Tel Aviv is also a place for coffee lovers and of course sports lovers with events like the Tel Aviv Marathon that happens every year in March.

Our next sojourn started with the most important place in Tel Aviv the Independent Hall which is a place one must visit to know the history of Israel. The Beit Hatt Maut or the Independent Hall was the venue for the declaration of independence of the state of Israel and the signing of the independence scroll. The build-

Tel Aviv as a city came into existence from the ancient city of Jaffa-Yafo.

This city offers bicycle lanes where one can rent bicycles to explore Tel Aviv at ease.The city is also blessed with lovely parks, where one can enjoy a stroll in the midst of greenery.

Towards the central part of Tel AvivYafo one can see the white city with

We then proceeded to the TLV Convention Center the largest center for organizing conferences and exhibitions in Israel. The TLV Convention Center has also planned to open pavilion 2 in 2015 that will feature the grandest main hall in the Middle East. The journey started to be more and more interesting with our

476 rooms.

Destination

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Our next venture started into the Tishbi winery & Estate where we got to taste few white and red wines like the French Riesling a semi-dry white wine, the Sauvignon Blanc is another white wine. The red wines like Estate Cabernet Sauvignon wine has aromas of plum and blackberries. The Merlot wine is a dessert wine that can be served with grilled meats. The winery has a vegetarian restaurant that serves lovely dishes like mushroom pasta and spinach pizza.The French Riesling and Merlot wine have been my favourite wines during my

visit to Tishbi winery & Estate.

Our voyage next day commences with Acre or Akko giving one a glimpse of the past and is one of the oldest towns in Israel. Akko has a number of tunnels and paintings, the knight halls and the dining hall is very impressive.It was a different feeling to walk out of Akko through a tunnel, we reached a shopping lane, this was an exciting trip through the past.A little further ahead, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the waves from

the Mediterranean Sea clashing with the walls of the city.

The Uri Buri Restaurant near Akko beach is one of the best seafood restaurants where we got to relish lovely seafood and experience a wonderful ambience. The specials available are the likes of red shrimps with chili-peppers and lemon, salmon with homemade wasabi sorbet, Baby St. Peters fish in caramel with beetroot cubes and the seafood soup in coconut milk.The Uri Buri Restaurant is one

place that I would love to visit again just for its seafood and its lovely ambience.Each dish was so perfectly prepared, that I highly recommend visiting this restaurant when you are in Akko.

We then headed for a lovely drive into the beautiful region of Haifa that offers one a breath taking panorama from the Mediterranean coast to the Carmel forest. Haifa, the third largest city in Israel is blessed with splendid scenery that one will literally fall in

199 hotels in Hong Kong.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

The hotels and apartments in Hong Kong now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

In Hong Kong and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork.

Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

15 016/quiksel.com

visit to various attractions in Tel Aviv, the memorial place of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Yitzhak Rabin who lost his life in the struggle for peace.After paying our respects at the memorial, we proceeded to the old rail road station also known as the Ha Tachana. The Ha Tachana also features an art gallery, a shopping center and a restaurant, to our surprise we got to see a lot of brides walking out of this area who were wearing jackets over their wedding gowns as they were all getting married on a windy day. The Ha Tachana is also a unique place for wedding celebrations.Few of us got to explore the old Jaffa city by talking a long walk from the old rail road to the clock tower and the famous Jaffa flea market, a lovely walk all the way to St. Peter’s church a beautiful Catholic church. The old Jaffa city is an amazing city where one has a lot of food options on offer, a cup of coffee with some pastries or cookies or even sitting back at a restaurant close to the clock tower for a lovely ice cream seems to be a good way to spend some time at this location. We then enter into a very unique restaurant Dr.Shakshuka Restaurant that had lot of hangings of the olden days.

One of the specialties of this restaurant is the egg gravy made with lots of tomatoes served along with traditional brown bread. The old Jaffa city is the oldest part in Israel that has the largest sea port in the world. The beautiful clock tower is another sight one should not miss as it is a unique historical landmark in old Jaffa city.

The trip gets exciting as we enter into the Caesarea National Park- an archaeological site of great interest.

An overview of the old Roman theatre with the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea in the background, Caesarea is an awesome sight to behold.

The crystal clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea are one of the lime lights of this place, with birds migrated from Serbia sitting around the ruins of this park.The Roman theatre also frequently plays host to live musical events.

As an example, your customer saw the “Harbour Club Court View Room“ at the Harbour Grand Kowloon, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Club Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

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Destination

Š Massada National Park

20>>

love with this city. Some of the main attractions of Haifa are Haifa beach, Bahai Shrine and the German colony.

We stayed over at the beautiful Leonardo Haifa a four star property located on Carmel beach.One can step out of the hotel and onto Carmel beach for a lovely walk and it was a great experience for me especially dipping my feet into the Mediterranean Sea and sitting around the hut shaped structures around the beach. The cold breeze sent us back to the hotel where we got to taste Saklava a winter dish served made of oat mixed with nuts, coconut and cocoa.We then headed to visit the Kibbutz community in one of the villages in Israel.

The Kibbutz community is about 218 people in the South and about 500 in the North.

Our group was excited with a drive to the beautiful city of Nazareth where Jesus walked in his childhood. The most famous pilgrimage site in Nazareth, the Basilica of the Annunciation or the Santuario Di Nazareth is a very beautiful church where the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be giving birth to Jesus, this scene is intricately depicted at the rock-cut grotto which is at the heart of the church. The multi colured glassed windows is one of the unique thing with the numerous inscriptions on the walls. Nazareth has some lovely local markets and narrow streets to while away ones time by tasting the

Voyager’s World > March 2015

various sweets like knafeh, bird’s nest and baklava. We got to taste the most famous knafeh sweet at the Mahroum bakery in Nazareth .

The streets of Nazareth are also very beautiful.

Our trip turns fascinating with a drive to the Dead Sea which is the lowest point on the earth. You can float over the sea without too much of an effort due to high salt content in the water.

If you are a person who loves water then you are surely going to enjoy your time here, no matter whether the water is cold or hot. The waters of the Dead Sea are good for healing diseases such as psoriasis.After that we enter into the beautiful property of Isrotel Dead Sea Hotel & Spa for an overnight stay. We then headed to the Massada or Metsada National Park a rugged natural fortress overlooking the Dead Sea. One needs to take a cable car to Massada National Park. The fortress is the symbol of Jewish heroism against the revolt of Romans.The sight of the snake path in the Massada National Park and the Dead Sea is magnificent. It is like an achievement for one to walk around Massada, we also got to notice a beautiful black bird with an orange tail in Massada.

Lastly we began our much awaited journey into Jerusalem, which houses some of the most famous holy sites,

the Western Wall or Wailing Wall and the church of Holy Sepulchre.We started our tour of Jerusalem by the walls of the new city where we got to visit the somber Yad Vashem or Holocaust Museum. As we enter the museum, we first step into the memorial hall of children where candles were lit and one can see the glass reflecting the number of candles in the darkness, it is a place of sadness and silence.The next hall is in the form of a prison that depicts the suffering of the Jewish people and the testimony of people talking about their loved ones. After that we headed to the Shrine of the Book Museum that exhibits the Dead Sea scrolls made of animal skin discovered in Qumran cave.The museum features a large black jar overhead, below which ancient Hebrew scrolls are displayed.

We then headed for an overnight stay at Dan Jerusalem Hotel.

The next day we started our voyage to the Western Wall or Wailing Wall, which in Judaism is a very sacred and holysite. It is customary for visitors to touch the wall while praying, and also a written note of their heartfelt wishes or prayers can be placed between the crevices of the wall. Having passed by the church of redeemer, the Muristan Street a very interesting street that has lovely houses with two balconies and there are a number of

shops for shopping jewellery and ceramic pieces. The church of Holy Sepulchre has paintings of the crucifixion of Jesus on the walls and the coffin where all the people prayed and the tomb, there is a staircase that heads to the top part of the church where one could attend the church mass.

On the way back from the church we got to see an Orthodox Jew playing a traditional piece of music on the violin. The last part of our trip to the Mount Scopus gave us a panoramic view of Jerusalem with holy places like the Dome of the rock and the Russian Orthodox Church.

This journey to Israel has offered me, one of the most cherished experiences in terms of its destinations and the love for the Israeli cuisine,wine and lovely people that are very hospitable. The land of creation is full of surprises and amazes you with history at every nook and corner. Discovering these treasures in the land of surprises was truly an ecstatic experience. By now all of you might have felt the excitement and happiness of getting into a beautiful country which has a lot to see and explore. Israel is a country full of culture, good cuisine, historical places and certainly holds its place as a great destination. So my trip is still on for yet another exciting adventure into the land of surprises!

Middle East

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Abu Dhabi targets Goa as emerging outbound gateway VW BUREAU

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bu Dhabi is generating a high level of interest as a multi-faceted, unexplored and exotic destination for the upwardly-mobile aspirational Indian traveller. Continuing the high focus and emphasis on India as the destination’s leading outbound source market for hotel guests, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) recently organized Evening with Abu Dhabi in Goa.

Raj Sivakumar, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, “Goa is an important tourist destination and an emerging market with one of the highest GDP per capita in the coun-

try, catering to Indian and international tourists alike. Jet Airways’ Goa - Abu Dhabi flight provides a direct convenient connection to Abu Dhabi and beyond to over 140 destinations

in a seamless manner through Etihad Airways and other partner carriers.

We expect a substantial growth of incoming tourist traffic in the coming months.”

TCA Abu Dhabi, along with Etihad Airways and Jet Airways, invited travel trade professionals in Goa over an evening of discovering the multi-faceted attractions of Abu Dhabi. The destination is now closer than ever for Indian travellers with Jet Airways commencing daily direct flights between Abu Dhabi - Goa. The event saw a great response with prominent travel trade professionals coming for networking with the TCA Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways and Jet Airways teams. There was a presentation followed by a lucky draw for the guests.

586 hotels in London.

Abu Dhabi offers fresh and exotic attractions with a blend of both traditional and the modern. It is growing as a choice destination for leisure, special interest, destination weddings, honeymooners, niche travellers and also an increasing MICE movement.

India is currently Abu Dhabi’s leading overseas source market. Abu Dhabi welcomed 231,702 Indian hotel guests in 2014 at a growth rate of 32% over 2013. There were 850,443 guest nights in 2014, at a growth rate of 23% over 2013.

Commenting on this special evening,

The hotels and apartments in London now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

In London and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Jimi Hendrix Suite“ at the Cumberland, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Suite”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked.

15 017/quiksel.com

Reiterating the firm commitment to India market, Bejan Dinshaw, TCA Abu Dhabi Country Manager - India, said, “We are excited to market Abu Dhabi as a destination of choice for Goa. Abu Dhabi is closer than ever to India and especially Goa now with the daily direct flight connectivity. Goa is well-known as the home of the funloving, who enjoy life to the fullest.

Abu Dhabi with its entertainment options, iconic properties, culture and heritage is the complete destination for a fresh holiday experience. We are very positive with the growth potential of this market.”

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

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Travel Events

22>>

bengal meets kochi travel trade West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation organized a roadshow in Kochi on 16 January, 2015 led by Surajit Bose, WBCS (Exe),Joint Director of Tourism & OSD & Ex-officio Deputy Secretary, Govt of West Bengal VW BUREAU

j&K tourism highlights resilience Jammu & Kashmir Tourism held a roadshow in Kolkata on 20 February, 2015 where Farooq A Shah, IAS, Director Tourism - Kashmir and RK Verma, KAS, Director Tourism - Jammu addressed the gathering on ‘How Jammy & Kashmir has revived from the recent tragedy and the tourism sector is back on its feet’.

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Revenue Management

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real time rate updates will raise room occupancy: revpar guru Jean Francois Mourier of Revpar Guru examines the importance of big data in hotel revenue management.

VW BUREAU

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ig Data seems to have been the buzzword in most industries for the last five years. But unlike many other industries that have integrated Big Data as a key component of their operations, the hotel industry is lagging very far behind. In my opinion, this is a big – and costly – mistake to make! You might be asking yourself: “How can my hotel leverage the power of Big Data?”

price their rooms.

By taking all of those factors into consideration – as well as observing

and analyzing regions and each hotel’s patterns, a property’s rates can change as the market conditions do, ensuring that the rate offered (via the

online channels) is always the best rate, at the right time, to ensure the highest number of bookings and the highest revenue from each.

But before I explain how your property can use Big Data to generate significant increases in occupancy, ADR and RevPAR, let’s go back to the basics…

What is Big Data? Google defines Big Data as “extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions”. Wikipedia defines Big Data as: “a broad term for data sets so large or complex that they are difficult to process using traditional data processingapplications.

Challenges include [the] analysis, capture, curation, search, sharing, storage, transfer, visualization, and information privacy[i].”

63 hotels in Hawaii.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

What does all of that mean? Basically, Big Data is a large amount of data (it is not specific to a certain type of data) that is unable to be analyzed by traditional methods – either manual or technological. Because the data is so complex and has so many elements, it needs highly advanced technology to effectively capture and analyze the data, in order to provide a valid conclusion or usable information.

In Hawaii and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork. Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

15 018/quiksel.com

The hotel industry is the perfect one for the implementation of Big Data analytics. Due to the huge number of competing hotels in most destinations, the never-ending list of online travel agencies (OTAs), historical rate data and the fact that most properties change rates at least once daily (in fact, rates should be updated in real-time, but unfortunately for most hoteliers, time constraints and limited access to advanced technology don’t allow for it), there is a plethora of data available to hoteliers that can be leveraged to more effectively

The hotels and apartments in Hawaii now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

As an example, your customer saw the “Rainbow Tower Ocean Front Corner Room“ at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Corner Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

www.voyagersworld.in

Travels Events

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Global Panorama Showcase 2015 VW BUREAU

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he Jagsons Travels recently organized the Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) from 8th – 10th February, at Hotel Centre Point, Ramdaspeth that offered a platform for networking between Tour operators and Travel Agents from Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh , Madhya Pradesh and for Exhibitors to explore the tourism potential of Nagpur.

The event was inaugurated with the lighting of the lamp by Gulshan Pal Singh, Jasbeer Singh Anand of Jagsons Travels along with travel trade dignitaries namely Anil ParasharCFO Indigo Airlines, Rajeev Duggal -CEO, Lavasa Smart Cities, Dhananjay Saliankar – Regional Director, Starwood Group of Hotels, Sunil Kumar – President of Travel Agents Association of India, followed by presentations by the exhibitors to promote their products and destinations.

Tourism Malaysia is the country

partner and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation the State Partner and the other participants include Indonesia, Philippines, Bulgaria, Germany, Swiss Tourism, Spain Tourism Board, Canada, New Zealand, Fiji, International hotel Chain such as Starwood, The residence, Rotana, Accor and Sun International. The panel discussion on central India-The Tourism Powerhouse concluded on a positive note of Central India to be the engines of growth with GPS and smaller events in Tier II and Tier III cities in India.

Harmandeep Singh Anand – Managing Director, Jagsons Travels says, “Nagpur is a very potential region with the number of tourists coming over. This year has been beyond the expectation of 120 exhibitors. We want to take this event to the next level to explore Central India as the power house and are looking forward to go green for our next event.We are planning to tie up with Air Arabia

and want the region to grow as the Tier II & Tier III cities are looking for a growth.

ers, to establish, distribute and promote their products in the right and best possible way.”

Madhu Saliankar – Director EntReps Solutions, Marketing partner of the event said, “EntReps conducted a travel research of Central India to understand the true potential of the market that will guide all stake hold-

Rishi Raj Singh Anand- Joint Managing Director, Jagsons Travels says that we will continue to adapt a table top meeting exchange format with an opportunity to the stake holders to conduct educational seminars.

TAFI convention organized in Jerusalem IRENE EAPEN SUSAN

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he Travel Agents Federation of India in association with Israel Ministry of Tourism organized their convention at International Convention Center (ICC) Jerusalem, Israel from February 22-25 with more than 500 Indian delegates on the theme the challenge of change to create awareness and to educate its members to cope up with change. The TAFI app was also launched during the Convention in Jerusalem.

The event was graced with a lighting of lamp by Amir Halevi, Director General, Israel Ministry of Tourism along with Zakkir Ahmed, President, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Pradip Lulla, National General Secretary, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Rajat Bagaria, Co-Chairman, TAFI Convention Committee, Bharat Shah, Chairman, TAFI Convention Committee.

The convention was followed by business sessions by eminent speakers like Oren Drori, Deputy Director General & Head of Marketing Administration-Israel Ministry of Tourism, Jaideep Sarkar, Ambassador of India to Israel, Lior Zoref, Crowd Wisdom Researcher, Author and Public Speaker,

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Ashwini Kakkar, Executive Vice-Chairman- Mercury Travels, Kapil Kaul, CEO South Asia- CAPA, Subhash Goyal, President- Indian Association of Tour Operators.

Amir Halevi, Director General, Israel Ministry of Tourism says, “Israel is so small country that has much to offer for a complete experience in terms of different weather, great venues, sports activities, desert in the South and good food. India is going to be at the top of our priority list and tourism as another line of connection and strength between the two countries.

Bring Indian tourists to follow you and therefore make bridge between two countries.”

Jaideep Sarkar, Ambassador of India to Israel said, “Israel is the land of creation not only thousand years ago, one has to experience the tremendous creativity and innovation in Israel in all walks of life. The hospitality of the Israeli people and the warmth that they have for the Indian people brings the people of the two countries close together.”

Zakkir Ahmed, President, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) said, “The land of creation has recognized

this convention as a win-win situation for both sides, from the marketing point of view they need the footfall and TAFI in return needs to explore and educate its membership about the new emerging destination that is tremendous growth potential.

“TAFI is always believed in making a path maker and innovate because it believes that Israel is a destination for future and we want to be game changers to enjoy the first most advantage. Israel has a USP of the holy land plus modern sophisticated all inclusive mice and leisure travel products this measures will definitely stimulate tourism to Israel.Our annual convention is a stepping stone to

success in evaluating the destination of preferred choice, after every TAFI event it is soon followed by increase of Indian tourists,” He added.

Bharat Shah, Chairman, TAFI Convention Committee says, “We have launched a mobile app for this convention a technology for the land of technology. The land of creation has several new things to offer and several products very innovative for the Indian market. The challenge of change in the current scenario as every element in life feels the impact of change.We hope with the land of creation we open a new chapter in exploring each others tourism potential.”

Rural Tourism

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India Tourism launches rural tourism campaign to UK market Travel Daily News Asia

I

ndia Tourism, in partnership with Culture Aangan Holidays, recently hosted two events in London and Manchester to launch a new Rural Tourism campaign to the UK market.

with the opportunity to explore India away from the conventional tourist trail. To see the real India, you need to see rural India.”

The destinations included in the itin-

eraries have been hand-picked by Culture Aangan including home stays, farm stays, school tours and rural getaways. From exploring the villages of Rajasthan and camel herding com-

munity to bathing with buffalos and learning the art of block printing from the Rabaaddi Tribes, there is something to suit every traveller’s holiday wish list.

The campaign is a unique concept which was initially created 10 years ago in India to ensure a cultural exchange between the local community and visiting travellers, offering holidaymakers the opportunity to discover the real India. Travellers are encouraged to explore rural villages and stay with local families, receiving a first-hand experience of local cultural traditions as cuisine, textiles, crafts and nature.

The concept has been launched

by Culture Aangan, a social enterprise for sustainable rural tourism and supporting the development of grass-roots projects. The project aims to share village life culture and also generate a vital livelihood for people living in rural India by offering them the opportunity to renovate their farmhouses with sustainable features such as working water wells whilst learning new skills, including how to host their guests.

218 hotels in Kuala Lumpur.

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

Rashmi Sawant, Culture Aangan Holidays said, “We launched Culture Aangan in 2005 with our first project taking place in Sindhudurg, where we worked with local villages who had never hosted tourists before. For centuries, Indian villages have been self-sufficient and rich in local heritage, and we wanted to ensure travellers to India could access these traditional cultures in an easy and personal way.”

Raj Sunani, Assistant Regional Director for India Tourism in UK said, “Rural Tourism is a unique concept which we launched 10 years ago, to provide holidaymakers with the opportunity to explore and experience the real India. The UK is one of our most important markets and we’re very excited to now provide UK holidaymakers

In Kuala Lumpur and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork.

Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

15 019/quiksel.com

“Our home stays now range from the Sindhdurgh region on the Konkan Coast in Maharashtra to the Pali district in the Rajasthan desert and we tailor-make the itineraries, ensuring travellers receive a once-in-a-lifetime trip.”

The hotels and apartments in Kuala Lumpur now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

As an example, your customer saw the “Premier Room“ at the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it.

Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Standard Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

www.voyagersworld.in

Travels Events

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GLIMPSES OF TAFI convention in Jerusalem

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Cruise

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Industry speakers come together at ‘India Cruise Forum’ IRENE EAPEN SUSAN

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ingapore Tourism Board, along with CNBC TV18, launched the first ‘India Cruise Forum’ on 12 February, 2015 in Mumbai, bringing together significant speakers representing key international cruise brands and top Indian travel agents and airlines from India and Asia. The forum was held in conjunction with a half-day training session on ‘Building Your Cruise Business’ and development of diverse tourism offerings.

Cruise Professionals, said: “Cruise Tourism, including inbound, outbound & river cruising, must gradually carve out its own space in the mind-space of evolved Indian traveller. Though its

growth is slow & gradual, it needs to pick-up speed now. While this forum offers a great networking opportunity, professionally, I am very excited about the panel discussions as they

have sensible themes and we may end up with some concrete solutions or a way forward to take the next giant step to grow cruise business in the foreseeable future.”

Neeta Lachmandas, Assistant Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “Cruising is a refreshing way to enjoy the diversity of Southeast Asia, with Singapore being the ideal place to start and end one’s cruise vacation. With India being one of our top source markets for cruising, we hope that the cruise forum will provide a common business platform to exchange invaluable knowledge and create new opportunities to grow the cruise business.”

209 hotels in Los Angeles.

Gavin Smith, Regional Vice President – Asia Pacific, Royal Caribbean International, said: “We think that this new platform will be a useful start to bring together local, regional and international stakeholders to identify ways to drive this cruise market forward, by bridging today’s gap between Indian travellers and cruises from Singapore, and ultimately help realise its full potential for us.”

Room names exactly as the hotels call it.

The hotels and apartments in Los Angeles now have fascinating room names. Not fancy really, just correctly presented.

Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing, said: “The event is a great initiative that STB has undertaken to bring all stake holders on the same platform. It allows for exchange of ideas, a perspective into the relevance of cruising for India and to help increase our market.”

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Naresh Rawal, VP Sales - India, South Asia, Russia, Middle East and South Africa, Star Cruises, said: “Cruising recently has become one of the most preferred forms of holiday in South East Asia and we’ve seen a similar trend in India in recent years. Today a cruise offers various opportunities for on-shore and off-shore entertainment options which cater to all kinds of holiday-goers, from families, senior citizens, honeymooners to MICE travellers.”

In Los Angeles and many other global destinations, we show the room names exactly as the hotels call it. When you book a hotel with roomsXML, you don’t have to do any guesswork.

Your customers would know what to expect, exactly.

As an example, your customer saw the “Hollywood Sign View Room“ at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, so that’s exactly what roomsXML calls it. Meanwhile other hotel booking systems, simply show it as “Hollywood Room”. Of course, you can book with them, but until your customer gets there you will not know what it is you have booked. roomsXML – peace of mind for you.

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

Email: sales@roomsxml.com | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

Nishith Saxena, Founder & Director,

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Events

28>>

Iitm 2015: a visual recapitulation

Here is a snapshot of India Intenational Travel Mart (IITM) in Kochi from 16 - 18 January, 2015 at Rena Event Hub

A snapshot of IITM Kolkata held from 20 - 22 February 2015 at the Milan Mela Trade Centre

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Cover Story

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Island destinations... gear up to the waterfront India emerges as a leading beach market in Asia owing to its growth, average stays, spending patterns, etc.

© Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Vivek Anand, Country Manager, MTPA - India Indians are looking for rich experiences through a varied range of activities like sky diving, quad biking and submarine rides.Mauritius being a premier luxury and leisure destination with world class facilities sees India as a prime emerging market.

T

he Indian travelers are very keen in exploring Islands these days and are becoming more adventurous to indulge in various activities like diving,scuba diving, snorkeling, Island hopping, night fishing, Dolphin watching sky diving, zip lining, undersea walks, wind surfing and quad biking . The beach tours are one of the popular segments that the Indian travelers are venturing in the Islands.

The Indian outbound market is growing on a year on year, while the average stay has gone up and spending patterns is also increasing.

Growth of Indians travelers Vivek Anand, Country Manager, MTPA-India says that Mauritius had 61,200 Indian tourist arrivals in 2014 which is an increase of nearly 7% as compared to 2013. Mauritius being a premier luxury and leisure destination with world class facilities sees India as a prime emerging market.

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Kajal Somaiya, India Representative, Tourism Fiji said that, in 2014 (JanDec), there was an 8% increase in Indian visitor arrivals into Fiji over the same period for 2013.

Hussain Lirar, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Republic of Maldives explains that Maldives recorded 45, 587 tourists from India in 2014, which is a growth of 19.9% compared to 2013.Asia and the Pacific with its phenomenal performance over the last seven months took lead for the first time as the main market generating region overtaking Europe, the all-time market leader for the Maldives. During the month of July, Asia and the Pacific took hold of over 61% all arrivals to the Maldives. South Asia was the second best performing sub-region within Asia and the Pacific, with India as the best performing main market and second biggest from the Asia Pacific region.

Attractions of Islands Hussain explains some of the things to do in Maldives are Diving, snorkeling, spa and rejuvenation, Island hopping, renewing vows and weddings, night fishing, visit to the capital, Male’, Cruising the atolls and Dolphin watching.

Kajal says that the current profile of Indian visitors to Fiji include highend Indian honeymooners, couples and other FIT clients who stay in the branded 4.5 star hotels on the mainland as well as and the luxurious boutique properties in the islands.

The Indian tourists travelling to Fiji indulge in adventure and activities like tandem sky diving, snorkeling, diving, zip lining, island hopping, sunset cruise and experiences like culture tours, shopping and spa.

“Fiji an archipelago of 333 islands is surely the essence of a tropical island

paradise, set in the tropical South Pacific. Fiji boasts of the white sandy beaches, swaying coconut trees, pristine oceans and waterways, with a range of things to do and see that will appeal the most discerning traveler.

Revel in Fiji’s 5-star resorts, stroll on its glimmering white beaches handin-hand at sunset, snorkel, dive, surf or kayak its pristine oceans, whitewater raft its clear and clean waterways, cruise the ocean around the mainland and outer islands, trek its rain forests, backpack the outer islands, visit its welcoming villages and experience sustainable living or immerse yourself in Fiji’s unique culture and history,” She added.

Vivek said that Mauritius attracts the Indians mostly with its scenic beauty the turquoise sea, white sandy beaches and corals visible through transparent water. Mauritius has many activities for an entire family

Cover Story

© Tourism Fiji

© Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation

32>>

Hussain Lirar, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Maldives

Kajal Somaiya, India Representative, Tourism Fiji

Indian travelers are getting more adventurous and are willing to explore scuba diving, snorkeling and many other water activities. India as the best performing main market and second biggest from the Asia Pacific region.

India tourists indulge in adventure and activities like tandem sky diving, snorkelling, diving, zip lining, island hopping, sunset cruise and experiences like culture tours, shopping and spa. An Indian traveller spends at least US$ 4,000 on their stay.

where one can enjoy various adventurous activities like undersea walks, wind surfing and quad biking. The Submarine rides, dolphin watching, interaction with Lions, catamaran cruise and rum tasting tours are also very popular. For those who are sports minded one can enjoy a game of Golf at one of the many championship level courses in Mauritius.Indians also enjoy long drives, shopping or rejuvenating at the world class spas.

Difference of Indian market to European market Vivek explains that the European travelers stay for an average of 11 days and enjoy sun bathing on the hotel beaches as they are deprived of sunlight in their countries. The Indians on the other hand typically stay for 6-7 days and like to go for adventure and other activities.

“Indians prefer more relaxed holidays on the beach which offers rejuvenation and spa therapies, while Europe-

Voyager’s World > March 2015

ans prefer more activity-based holidays,” added Hussain Growing trends and activities in beach tours Hussain states that Indian travelers are getting more adventurous and are willing to explore scuba diving, snorkeling and many other water activities.

“In Fiji, we have witnessed more and more Indian tourists who want to indulge in snorkeling trips and even become certified divers. There are many Indian tourists who enquire about the dive certificate programmes available in Fiji and continue to become open water divers. We have also had Indian clients who have tried their hand at shark-diving, a unique experience offered only in Fiji as it is not cage diving but open water diving. Fiji is known as the soft coral capital of the world and is an ideal destination to start your affair with the under-water world.Unlike other beach destinations, apart from water sports and

water-related activities, Fiji also offers a plethora of land based activities as well as soft and hard adventure,” added Kajal.

Vivek says that the Beach tours nowadays are very popular amongst all segments of travelers in India. The Indians have an inclination towards visiting beach destinations for the wide variety of water sports along with mesmerizing scenic beauty and Mauritius offers some of the most immaculate beaches with brilliant environment, adventurous activities, solitude, fun, frolic and luxury.

Average length of stay and spending patterns According to a Visitor Survey conducted by Maldives; 80% Indians visit Maldives for honeymoon the main reasons for choosing the Maldives as a holiday destination were the beach (21%), the under water beauty (21%) and the weather (15%). Majority of international visitors (91%) stayed between 1 to 4 nights in Maldives.

The average number of nights spent by international visitors (23%) was 7 nights. Majority of responding visitors in the survey spent over USD 5,000 in the Maldives during their visit.

In the opinion of Kajal, the average length of stay has gone up to 6 nights now and an Indian traveler spends at least US$ 4,000 on their stay and activities whilst in Fiji.

Vivek concludes that the average length of stay in Mauritius is 6 nights / 7 days due to rising disposable income, the increasing awareness and aspiration across all segments so there is a growth in luxury travel experiences. The Indian visitors are now increasingly opting for premium hospitality brands. Indians visiting Mauritius are increasingly looking for “rich experiences” through a varied range of activities and attractions and Mauritius offers expensive breathtaking activities like sky diving, quad biking, submarine rides, helicopter tour and walking with the lions.

16.000 international industry professionals More than

1.300 exhibitors

representing over 60 countries

Leisure, MICE and Business Travel

WTM Latin America 2015 the biggest and best yet World Travel Market Latin America 2015 is poised to be the biggest and best yet thanks to a new venue and a range of new initiatives.

The third WTM Latin America and 43rd Braztoa business event will take place at the Expo Centre Norte São Paulo from 22-24 April.

The move from the Transamerica Expo Center to larger Expo Center Norte in 2015 allows WTM Latin America to expand and meet exhibitor demand. New exhibitors – including Traveltek, Delta Tours and Istanbul Chamber of Commerce – will take part in WTM Latin America alongside long-term exhibitors Chile, Israel, Mexico and Peru, which have all increased their presence for 2015 and will help it surpass last year’s $341 million of business deals facilitated by the event.

Furthermore, the more central location of Expo Center Norte in São Paulo will make the event more convenient for the city’s array of travel agents based downtown.

The new venue also offers an improved location for international exhibitors, buyers and visitors as the Expo Center Norte is nearer São Paulo´s Guarulhos airport, which is the main aviation hub for Latin America.

The massive amount of business that is expected to be generated can, in part, be accredited to the array of great networking opportunities that are available for delegates to take advantage of: • WTM Latin America Speed Networking - More than 100 buyers and 600 exhibitors will take part in the one and half hour long session on Thursday 23 April to negotiate and agree a number of business deals • WTM Latin America Hosted

Buyer Programme returns to the event with up to 100 senior level travel industry buyers attending the show as a VIP. Already confirmed for 2014 are buyers from leading travel providers Emirates, Thomas Cook and JAC Travel.

• Braztoa’s Caravanas returns with Braztoa hosting 900 Brazilian travel agents, while the tour operator association will also host 70 product managers.

• New for 2015 - Corporate Travel Area with ALAGEV (Latin American Association of Events and Corporate Travel Managers) as the official partner is being added to the exhibition floor to host global travel management companies (TMCs), airlines, hotels and technology suppliers. 100 Brazilian business travel buyers will be hosted to conclude deals with the business travel exhibitors.

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Means business

22 - 24 April 2015 / Expo Center Norte, São Paulo

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22 - 24 April 2015 / Expo Center Norte, S達o Paulo Leisure, MICE and Business Travel

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16,000 international industry professionals

Hospitality

36>>

Indian hotel industry to grow to 9-11%: ICRA VW BUREAU

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he Indian Credit Ratings Agency (ICRA) maintains the subdued revenue growth outlook for the Indian hotel industry over the next 12 months. Industry wide revenues are expected to grow by 5-8% in 201415. However, growth is expected to strengthen to 9-11% in 2015-16 driven by a modest increase in occupancy and small traction in rates.

Over the next 12 months, ICRA expects RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) to improve by 7-8% driven by

up to 5% pickup in occupancy and 2-3% growth in Average Room Rates (ARR). Further, margins are expected to remain largely flat for 2014-15 while a moderate albeit sub-par expansion is expected in 2015-16.

While occupancy pan India is showing signs of improvement during 2014-15, this appears to be driven by few pockets like Mumbai where occupancy grew by 15% as of December-14, supported by traffic for large conferences and weddings.

The traction comes after almost two years of negligible supply addition.

Bangalore also exhibited some stabilisation with incremental supply being slowly absorbed; however, the newer properties launched during 2012-14 continue to struggle with weak RevPARs. The National Capital Region (NCR) is exhibiting wide variation in performance across Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon, with Delhi exhibiting 1-2% growth in ARR and occupancy during Q3, 2014-15 while rates in the Delhi Aerocity area and

Gurgaon remained weak.

India has around 29,000 premium rooms under development- to be launched over the next six years. The next supply bump will hit the market in 2016 across Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Noida with over 6,500 rooms. Markets like Pune and Gurgaon will also see sizeable room additions. Unless demand keeps pace, the widening supply-demand gap in these cities will impact rate integrity over the next two years.

reviewpro: guest feedback is first step to build repeat business RJ Friedlander, CEO of ReviewPro, shares his views on the best practices for creating the most effective post-stay guest surveys.

VW BUREAU

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he majority of hotels have been using some form of guest survey for years, but recently a shift has been happening in the way that hotels collect feedback. Early adopters of guest surveys have realised the need to replace long, complicated surveys with shorter, more personalized direct surveys. Most hotels that were previously using paper surveys have now implemented online versions and it is not uncommon to find smaller properties have bypassed the paper survey altogether to implement online post-stay surveys upfront.

Guest surveys are provide the guest feedback necessary to identify and solve internal issues, provide guests with a forum to raise their concerns (in a non-public venue) and for management to respond directly. By doing so, hoteliers may be able to lessen the chance that a guest will post a negative review on TripAdvisor (or other review sites) about his/ her stay.

Online works better than offline Although some properties still use paper comment cards, they are much less effective than online versions of the exact same survey. In fact, the survey response rate for

Voyager’s World > March 2015

offline surveys is only typically between 15 to 30%, whereas online survey response rates (on average) are significantly higher. With direct surveys, it is also possible to follow up more than once to remind the guest about the survey and ask them to complete it. If a hotel was only using paper surveys and the guest chooses not to fill out the survey during checkout, the hotel has lost the opportunity to obtain the valuable feedback that that guest could have provided.

Of course, it is imperative that hotels improve their front desk processes in order to properly implement online surveys. Most hotels are notoriously bad at gathering guests email addresses; this limits collecting hotel’s ability to collect direct guest feedback, as well as minimizing the efficacy of future marketing efforts.

A property’s reception team must make every effort to collect an email address when checking a guest in, to ensure that the survey can be distributed to every guest who stays at the property.

Less is more While many hoteliers may think that more questions on their survey will yield better results and greater in-

sight into guests’ experiences, the opposite is actually true. A survey with too many questions is daunting to consumers and so many will chose not to respond at all.

First, identify what specific feedback will be most important to improving your hotel’s operations and create questions that will solicit that information. If you find it difficult or overly time-consuming to be able to mine freeform responses for usable data, consider using a survey management solution (like ReviewPro’s Guest Survey Solution!) that uses semantic analysis to identify keyword trends in responses and which provides actionable insight into possible operational or service issues.

Use question logic to ask the right questions to the right people To gather reliable information from guests, ensure that your survey only asks guests about the parts of your hotel that they experienced first-hand. By keeping the survey questions relevant to each person’s specific experience, guests are less likely to become frustrated and abandon the survey partway through. The best way to offer relevant questions in a post-stay survey is to use a survey management solu-

tion that uses filters to show or hide questions based on the responses provided to the answer prior.

Question logic is particularly useful if you are interested in obtaining feedback on specific departments within your hotel because it minimizes the number of standard questions asked of each guest. For example, a guest should not be asked how they would rate the spa if they never used the facilities. Instead, hoteliers should ask all respondents if they used the spa during their visit. The survey will skip spa-related questions for those that answered ‘no’; however, those who answered ‘yes’ will receive all of the extra questions pertaining to their spa experience. It also enables you to ask questions relating to different guest segments – i.e. corporate travelers, MICE guests/organizers, loyalty members, etc.

Another important use for survey logic is in obtaining greater detail about guests’ answers, especially in the case of a bad rating. In case of a bad rating, a survey using question logic can request additional clarification by a freeform field where the guest can offer specific insight into what made the experience negative.

Flight Talk

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SilkAir discerns sound growth in India PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Jagdish Bhojwani, General Manager (India) of SilkAir talks about the journey of the airline from limited destinations in the beginning to expanding its operations across the world in the past 25 years. tablets to view the content. In terms of the product, we initially operated on Airbus 319 and 320. We have moved on to Boeing now from February last year and it is a young fleet that we are running. Our food catering is done from all stations and sometimes, we do cater some localised meals as well depending on what sector we are operating on.

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e started as a chartered carrier from Singapore catering to Europe and Australia and those were more of holiday destinations and niche places. That was our initial phase for our company. Later we moved on to getting a bigger aircraft and once the routes became popular, a separate subsidiary was formed as SilkAir. Last year, we celebrated 25 years of our operations. Until 2008’09, we were still focusing on holiday and leisure destinations. Post the economic slowdown in 2008-’09, we began directing our operations to emerging destinations like India, Indonesia and China also. That is where we won in terms of capacity and expansion.

Today, we are serving 49 destinations.

Evolution of in-flight services From day one, we have been a full service carrier. Initially, we operated minus any entertainment on board; we had only a dropdown screen with mute content. Our flying range was within 2-2.5 hours radius only and those short sectors did not need entertainment. After we started expanding our network, we enhanced the entertainment on board. SilkAir was the first international airline to come up with Wi-Fi onboard. It is not normal surfing though; there is content available on the aircraft and can be used by smartphone users. The Wi-Fi is available through a mobile app. Once you are onboard, you can launch the app and get connected to a range of movies and TV shows; however, the screen size depends on what tablet or smartphone you have. In a way, this system has helped bring down our fuel costs as well. As for the business class passengers, we have been giving Lenovo

India market The meal requests we receive are similar to those of Singapore Airlines (SIA). Whether it is diabetic, lactose, fruitarian or Halal, we can cater to the requests with exactly the same sort of options as SIA. Most of the catering is done from Singapore. In India we do cater from three stations. It has been observed that requests from our Indian passengers lean more towards vegetarian and diabetic meals.

The way I see India growing, the trends are more moving towards a full service option. The joy of flying is still relevant. First time-travellers, students and backpackers prefer flying on LCCs. Otherwise, most of the passengers have been found to select FSC for long haul routes. The advantages of FSCs are many - your baggage is taken care of, and so are your seating and meal requests, entertainment, etc. In terms of handling any concern, an FSC will ensure every need and issue is addressed accurately.

New value-additions We have already increased the baggage allowance for SQ and SilkAir across the network from 20 to 30 kilos one way. For students, we are allowing an additional 10 kilos oneway. In India, we operate out of eight cities today. Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata have parallel operations with SIA. The other five cities - Hyderabad, Kochi, Coimbatore, Trivandrum and Visakhapatnam are purely SilkAir. In fact, we have been Coimbatore’s only international carrier to the Far East for the last eight years. In Visakhapatnam, we have been there for over two years now. So, flying on these Tier 2 and 3 cities often proves advantageous to a large populace of NRIs who are often based out of these cities, making it easy for them

to land here directly rather than via a metro hub.

Expansion plans Expansion will come about eventually. We have been expanding primarily in Indonesia and China. Indonesia is our No.1 market. In India, our current range does not allow expansion beyond Hyderabad at this point of time.

By the end of 2016, we will have our new product Boeing 737 Max which will give us a radius of 6 - 6.5 hours.

Currently, our radius is five hours from Singapore. Once the radius is increased, you can see more flights to India as well.

Is brand reinforcement/re-branding a must for airlines?

Our parent name is very strong as SIA boasts of close to 70 years of op-

erations. We are about 25 years old.

Since we are young, we want to move out from the umbrella of the parent and show our niche to the market which is why we are having more engagements separately. While we had hand-holding earlier, we are now trying to create our own market presence for branding. In India, we are often known as a South Indian carrier and a LCC. That is again a brand perception which we want to change. We say that we are a FSC with Business Class and even onboard Wi-Fi. China and Indonesia markets are expanding and I think opportunities await for both SilkAir as well as other carriers. There seems to be some sort of saturation in the long-haul sector, but I am sure the capacity will be absorbed over a period of time.

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FESTIVALS OF 12 - 21 April, 2015

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ana-ad Festival is a thanksgiving celebration for the good life that its people have been blessed with through the years. It is a weeklong summer event that brings together the towns in Negros Occidental in one big showcase of handicrafts, products, tourism attractions, and local festivals. Festivities include trade and food fairs, garden show, golf, singing and songwriting competitions, beauty pageant, and a presentation featuring the festival of each town and city in a colorful and jubilant presentation at the Pana-ad Park and Stadium.

Pana-ad Sa Negros, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines

14 - 15 April 2015

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he Takayama Festival is the collective name for the Sanno Matsuri of spring and the Hachiman Matsuri held at Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine in October, and is considered one the most beautiful festivals of Japan. A large parade of 1,000 people is staged, making you feel as if you have slipped back to the 15th Century, especially because of the costumes and music performances.

Takayama Festival, Shiroyama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan

13 & 17 April, 2015

25 - 27 April, 2015

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he festival of Moors and Christians is dedicated to San Jorge marking a battle between Arabs and Christians. On 23 April 1276, the Arab troops of Al-Azraq attempted to storm the town. Legend has it that San Jorge appeared and intervened; so, the Christian army won, forcing the Muslims to retreat and never to return. On the first day of the festival, there is a procession of Moors and Christians: the different groups that make up each army march majestically through the streets of Alcoy resplendently attired in their elaborate costumes.

Moors and Christians Festival, Alicante, Spain

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his festival signals the arrival of spring at Nikko, which has temples and shrines registered as World Heritage sites. The main attraction takes place on the 17th: a parade of 12 beautifully adorned floats called hanayatai from each town. This is a traditional festival dating back as far as the 8th Century.

Yayoi Festiva, Sannai, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

THE WORLD 29 March - 5 April, 2015

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he maritime quarters of the city of Valencia celebrate this religious festivity with a longstanding tradition, which has three crowning moments: the Blessing of the Palms, the Procession of the Holy Burial, and the Resurection Pararde. Over 30 religious brotherhoods and associations, in addition to the municipal authorities, take part in this event. The floats featured in the processions include particularly the one bearing the carved image of La Veronica, by Mariano Benlliure. Besides, there are other living re-enactments, such as the one where the locals dressed in as biblical figures join the procession accompanied by chiming of bells and music.

Maritime Easter Week, Valencia, Spain

21 - 26 April, 2015

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he April Fair, which was created in 1847 as a cattle fair goes on for a week where over a thousand ‘casetas’ or tents are put up in the fairground area. The fiesta begins at midnight with the illumination of thousands of light bulbs. Mostly privately-owned, the tents belong to groups of friends and are a family space where relations and guests are welcomed and served food and wine; there is singing and ‘sevillanas’, the local version of flamenco dance. Men wear the outfit of a farmworker and women wear flamenco or gypsy esses. By day the fair is filled with horsewomen, riders and richly festooned carriages.

April Fair, Seville, Spain

22 May - 8 June, 2015 March - April

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pring in Japan is associated with cherry blossoms. The custom of hanami is to visit mountains and parks with cherry blossoms and hold sake-drinking parties beneath cherry trees in full blossom. Said to have begun in the late 8th century, the flower viewing tradition is widely believed to have started in the new year’s harvest while marking the beginning of the rice planting season. A typical hanami consists of holding an outdoor party under cherry blossom trees during the day or night.

Hanami Cherry Blossom Viewing, Japan

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ivid Sydney is an 18-day festival of light, music and ideas. In 2015, Vivid Light will engage lighting artists, designers and manufacturers from around Australia and the world to illuminate, interpret and transform Sydney’s urban spaces for 18 nights through their creative vision. From local and international acts performing at the iconic Sydney Opera House, to other large venues and small bars, Vivid Sydney 2015 will host a lively and eclectic range of live performances and ground-breaking musical collaborations. Vivid Ideas span the innovation and imagination sector: from technology and start-up culture to design and architecture, film and screen content to visual arts, performance, advertising and marketing to animation, VFX, lighting, etc.

Sydney, Australia

Incredible India

40>>

up tourism to move beyond taj; tap lucknow’s attractions PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Amrit Abhijat, Secretary & Director General -Tourism, Govt of Uttar Pradesh, says the state tourism board, with government support, is going all out to generate better brand awareness of the state as a whole.

Objective behind the UPTM Uttar Pradesh Travel Mart (UPTM) is a major step to promote the state as a whole that includes heritage, cuisine, wildlife, culture and textiles.

The event provided visibility and promoted the destinations in the state on a wider platform by engaging with

a large number of international and domestic tour operators. The cities of Agra, Varanasi and Lucknow on the Rivers Yamuna, Ganga and Gomti respectively, a part of the Heritage Arc along with smaller and interesting cities were brought into limelight.

in progress in the city as the cricket stadium, Lucknow Metro, LucknowAgra Expressway, etc. It has huge scope for medical tourism with a full facility Cancer Research Centre, SGPGI Hospital and College and Medanta poised to open shortly.

Top regional markets for UPTM Benares and Braj have been popular with tourists from Rajasthan, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Braj is popular among Gujaratis. We are now targeting Madhya Pradesh for spiritual and religious tourism.

Challenges in boosting tourism One of the main challenges is the people’s perception. I think improved branding and awareness will change this for the better which will, in turn, transform the attitude of people towards tourists and how to treat them in the spirit of ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’.

We have begun the ‘Mera Agra’ campaign to inculcate a sense of belonging and responsibility in the people of the city and the state. We will use all media for publicity and awareness.

Top attractions Undoubtedly, it is the Taj Mahal; yet, we are trying to bring other destinations into focus too, especially in Lucknow. Lucknow is an upcoming modern city with great potential.

There are major development plans

Expectations from the government All our initiatives including the UPTM

GUWAHATI VADODARA NAGPUR VISHAKAPATANAM COIMBATORE

Voyager’s World > March 2015

: : : : :

are fully supported by the government, especially with the passionate involvement and promotion by the Chief Minister himself in both budgeting and policy support.

Promoting newer attractions UP has huge potential for promoting new circuits especially among foreign tourists, wildlife being one of them.

We have outlined the Heritage Arc, an interesting mélange of living traditions, a dance of democracy and demography like an arc on the map, much like light in motion. This will include the three river cities and attractions around them. For example, Agra will string together Noida, Mathura, Vrindavan, Bateshwar, Chambal; Lucknow will form circuits with Dudhwa, Katarnia, Nemisharanya, Deva Sharif, Ayodhya and Bithoor; Benares will connect to Kushinagar, Sravasti, Sarnath and Sonebhadra.

12, 13, 14 June 2015 07, 08, 09 August 2015 09, 10, 11 October 2015 06, 07, 08, November 2015 22, 23, 24 January 2016

Incredible India

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odisha’s temples: representing SCULPTORs’ MARVEL, ROYALTY’S delight VW BUREAU

Khandagiri & Udaygiri Just 7 kms west of Bhubaneswar are the twin hills of Khandagiri , the next major Odishan historical monument after Ashoka’s rock-cut edict. The rocks of the Khandagiri hills were carved and tunneled, to create this multi-storied ancient apartment residence for Jain monks. They were the work of the first known Odishan ruler, King Kharavela, and probably begun in the first century BC. Kharavela was a king of the Mahameghavahana dynasty, who is known for expansion of the Kalinga empire and his installation of public improvements, such as canal systems. Khandagiri, with its 15 caves will be on the left.

Udaygiri will be on the right. The 18 caves of Udaygiri include the famous Hathi Gumpha (‘Elephant Cave’) with its famous inscription of Kharavela. From the inscription, we learn much about Kharavela’s military exploits, and also that his royal city had gate towers, bathing and drinking tanks, and was the scene of formally organized music and dance performances, as well as sporting and social events.

Lingaraja The Lingaraja, which soars above the city of Bhubaneswar, represents Odishan temple architecture at its most mature stage. Although the temple as it now exists can be dated to the 11th century, Sanskrit texts hold that there was a stone temple here as early as the 7th century AD and fragments of the earlier structure seem to appear in the extant building. The deul (tower) of the Lingaraja reaches a height of just over 180 feet. It is completely curvilinear and the extraordinary soaring tower can be seen to incorporate miniature replicas of itself, in turrets inserted on the ribs of the spire. Besides, the temple adds two new structures: the natamandira (hall of dance) and the bhoga-mandapa (hall of offering). The former was associated with the rising prominence of the devadasi system. Many of the sculptures on the temple itself represent groups of people engaged in various religious and musical activities. By the time the Lingaraja temple was constructed, the Jagannath cult had become predominant throughout Odisha.

Mukteswara The small and elegant Mukteswara temple (c. AD 950) is often referred to as the ‘miniature gem of Odishan architecture’. The Mukteswara is important as a transition point between the early and later phases of the Kalinga school of temple architecture. The builder has combined many elements of the old with new designs and conceptions. The Jagmohana building here has become a structure in its own right and has begun to show the later shape of a terraced pyramid. Over the doorway to the inner sanctum, the ninth planet (Ketu, identified by the canopied, three hooded snake) has been introduced. Haloes, which in earlier temples delineate the human from the divine, have been removed from the cult images. There are many depictions of skeletal ascetics among the sculptural images, many in teaching or meditation poses. On the eastern side of the compound is a sacred tank and in the south west corner is a well that is said to cure fertility problems.

Several small shrines are found in the compound, many with lingam inside.

Rajarani The Rajarani temple, dating back to the eleventh century, is set in open paddy fields, and the entire structure exudes grace and elegance. The name of the temple has been the subject of much debate. The most likely explanation is that the name is related to the lovely red-and- gold sandstone used in its construction, a stone which is known locally as rajarani. The jagmohana (porch) is extremely plain, and was evidently repaired in 1903 after having fallen down in ruins. The deul (tower), on the other hand, is spectacularly ornate, and is famous for the aesthetic concept of miniature temple spires clustered around the main tower. The sculptural images of the temple are elegant and lively, especially the beautiful female figures which can be seen in amorous dalliance, as well as engaged in such activities as holding children, looking in mirrors, and playing with pet birds.

www.voyagersworld.in

Incredible India

42>>

Five Elephants in India’s Tourism Closet VW BUREAU

India needs to address five barriers to boost its international visitor arrivals, says Carolyn Childs, Co-founder, MyTravelResearch.com

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romoting India is as much about clearing barriers as it is about inspiring people. So for India to maximise the benefits of tourism, it needs to deal with five elephants in the room: Liberate the visa process

Although India is working hard on its visa issues with its visa on arrival programme, the system needs further improvement. One can only apply for such a visa within 30 days of travel.

Whilst this deals well with short notice

travel, it doesn’t help drive conversion in long-haul markets where planning often takes six months out. Just because travellers have time to follow the standard procedure doesn’t mean they will wish to do so. Other destina-

tions with easier visa arrangements maybe just a click away.

Boost safety for women Women still plan the majority of travel – and India is poorly perceived on safety for women. The Indian government is working hard to deal with this issue (as Prime Minister Modi noted on Independence Day). This is a great opportunity for the tourism industry to create products that offer both immersion and safety. Ketaki’s Delhi in a Bag tours and the reviews show that she is spot on when it comes to offering a great experience and female safety.

Be upfront about security After the hotel attacks in Mumbai in India in 2008, tourists are aware that India (like most places) is a terrorism target. My experience is that security is very high in India at many tourist spots. But that isn’t always obvious when tourists are considering India.

The security message needs to reach people overseas before they reach for an alternative to India.

Make India possible for time-poor visitors India is huge (Rajasthan alone is the size of France). There is so much to see. If you’re a retiree or on a gap year, this isn’t a problem. But there are many high-yield groups for whom size and time are a barrier. India needs to work on highlight tours that balance ‘India’ as an over arching destination and deliver experiences for the time poor. Themed itineraries are a great start to promote individual regions.

Your gateway to the Indian Outbound Travel Market

JANUARY 2016 Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi Email: otrindia@otrindia.com www.otrindia.com

Voyager’s World > March 2015

Address hygiene factors During Australia Business Week in India in January, one Australian museum director on our delegation admitted: “These days we think toilets before we think permanent exhibitions.”

We applaud campaigns that are underway in India to promote this. Our experiences with India’s toilets were positive, the same with food hygiene.

But perception is reality in marketing.

So beyond expanding the number of tourism-friendly toilets, an easy win would be to promote the top toilets in India through maps, apps and reviews. I’ve long believed that every tourism awards scheme would have a Tourism Loo of the Year award. This should be true of India too.

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Voyager’s World > March 2015

28, 29, 30 August 2015

03, 04, 05 September 2015

04, 05, 06 March 2016

Happenings

46>>

Sepang International Circuit, Tourism Malaysia target corporates

Banyan Tree Samui among TripAdvisor's 2015 Travellers' Choice

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With India riding high on the racing popularity wave, Tourism Malaysia and the Sepang International Circuit is holding the ‘Race your way to Sepang’ challenge among corporates to promote the Malaysian leg of the F1 craze. At the event, a special Formula 1 Package with Yatra.com will also be launched. The winning team will be hosted by Starwood Hotels and the Air tickets will be sponsored by Malaysia Airlines.

Banyan Tree Samui combines the best elements of a tropical getaway with seclusion and privacy, and tranquility. Retreat from the bustle of the outside world into a secluded haven.

he Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix™ is scheduled for 27-29 March 2015 at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

This will be the second stop in the F1 calendar after the Rolex Australian Grand Prix™.

50 circuits to be developed for tourism

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he Ministry of Tourism identified 50 circuits for the development of tourism. These circuits/destinations cover major tourist attractions and have a mix of culture, heritage, spiritualism and eco-tourism to give tourists a holistic perspective of the country.

Port Blair-Neil Havelock-Little Andaman (Andaman and Nicobar), Kashmir Circuit, Desert circuit (Rajasthan), Nature Tourism Circuit (West Bengal), Braj-Agra Circuit (Uttar Pradesh), Gangtok (Sikkim) are the circuits identified circuits among others. The Ministry has formulated a plan scheme SWADESH DARSHAN for the integrated development of tourist circuits around specific themes. The five circuits identified under this scheme are Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit and North-East Circuit.

Voyager’s World > March 2015

anyan Tree Samui was recently voted No. 8 among the top 25 luxury hotels in Thailand as part of TripAdvisor’s 2015 Travellers’ Choice. This honour was awarded to the top 1% of all hotels on TripAdvisor, based on reviews and opinions from millions of travellers.

Wajid Ali Shah fest concludes second season

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he second season of the Wajid Ali Shah festival programme concluded on 24 February in Lucknow with a tribute to renowned 13th century poetphilosopher Jelaluddin Rumi. Held at the La Martiniere College, artist Murad Ali recited the poems of Rumi.

The event’s programme included festival talks, musical ballet, vintage car tours, curated walks to Lucknow’s noted monuments, and so on. Besides the Rumiana, there was Indrasabha, (the heavenly court of Indira) an opera drama, highlighting the story written by the 19th century poet Agha Hasan Amanat and first presented in the palace courtyard of Wajid Ali Shah. Performed in the backdrop of the Residency, the play witnessed a participation of over 4000 visitors of who, over 130 were from India’s DMCs, travel partners, foreign operators and travel companies .

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Over 100 exhibitors at IAAPI's Amusement Expo 2015

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he Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries (IAAPI) unveiled its 15th IAAPI Amusement Expo 2015 on 11 February 2015 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai.

Supported by the Ministry of Tourism, the event hosted over 100+ domestic and international exhibitors. The expo was spread across 6000 sq m exhibition floor area and showcased latest innovative rides and equipment for Amusement Park, Theme Park, Water Park, Adventure Sport and Family Entertainment Centres. The customers were able to experience some of the rides there. The event generated 2500 business enquiries worth over Rs.75 crores. Big players from the amusement industry shared their learning, innovative ideas, schemes and experiences with the participants. They created an ideal business environment to explore new avenues of growth for all involved and provided a great exposure to international trends through its many foreign participants. A networking evening and an award function were organised during the event.

Udaan India celebrates 23rd anniversary

Balmer Lawrie signs MOU with CGDA for air travel

Switzerland's India Workshop 2015 highlights winter tourism

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daan India organised a get-together recently in New Delhi to commemorate the completion of 23 years of its operations on 3 February.

The event, which was organized on 27 February at Kylin Premier, Ambience Mall in New Delhi, saw diplomats and members from the travel trade attending it.

In photo: Rajan Dua (MD - Udaan India Pvt Ltd) with Ankush Nijhawan (MD-Nijhawan Group and Co-founder & CEO - Travel Boutique Online)

almer Lawrie & Co.Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) on 25 February for development and implementation of an air travel module in the Defence Travel System. On the occasion, Arvind Kaushal, IDAS (CGDA), Viren Sinha, C&MD (Balmer Lawrie& Co. Ltd.) and senior officers representing both the organisations were present. Presently, the Defence Travel System provides the facility of booking railways tickets to Armed Forces personnel. After the development of the module, air tickets can be booked on the Defence Travel System.

witzerland Tourism organised their annual India Workshop 2015 in Interlaken from 22 - 28 February for the Indian travel trade. The show brought together 35 Swiss partners for the Indian market together with 35 Indian tour operators to negotiate and finalise products for the upcoming peak season. This being the 150th year of winter tourism in Switzerland, the workshop engaged the Indian buyers in experiencing winter activities at the Snow Fun Park - Kleine Scheidegg from snow-tubing, tobogganing and the magic carpet plunge. They experienced how easy it was to rent ski and snow equipment.

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Association

48>>

TAAI records over 400 registrations for 2015 Convention

The 62nd Convention & Exhibition of TAAI has received registrations from more than 400 companies/agencies, focusing specially on institutional participation rather than a head-count.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

T

he 62nd Convention & Exhibition of TAAI, which is the Indian Travel Congress – 2015, is being held from 26 – 28 March in Bali. The convention is poised to take TAAI into a new destination that can become incredibly popular with the Indian inbound and outbound industry. Bali has its most unique attractions and is well located that for an Indian it will be a paradise to leisure. Equally potential is Bali and the rest of Indonesia to be attracted to the vast array of tourism attractions India offers.

The registrations at this Convention will be over 400++ companies/agencies. TAAI’s focus on institutional participation rather than a head-count has paid off. There is an excellent participation of the Indonesia industry players too. The focus on the association’s convention business session will be on three key areas that support successful strategizing of travel and tourism business - Reflections – Redefining Relevance; the strength of being Unique – What’s your Niche?; It’s all about ‘Value’!

Subscription Form

Eminent international speakers from over seven different countries will interact with the delegates during the business sessions on 27 and 28 March. They come from various backgrounds such as niche travel companies; futurists; outbound and inbound champions; hospitality; technology; airlines; motivational speakers on

creativity and innovation; brand management; media and so on.

TAAI will introduce an interactive panel by the media at its business sessions. The ‘Namaste India’ dinner on the 27 March seeks to promote Incredible India to the delegates as well as the invitees. This event will take place at the Grand Nikko, a luxurious hotel with the best of settings overseeing the ocean. The audience will also include several industry players from Indonesia. The cuisine and art offered will be related to the Indian culture.

The Bali International Convention Centre and its exquisite meeting venue – Mangapura, will be a hallmark to reflect the value of the convention.

Despite high travel costs to Bali which is a high-selling destination for the airlines, the airlines have come in with attractive fares. Malaysian Airlines takes the lead with its offer of up to 30% discount on Economy and Business Class on available fares; Singapore Airlines support through blocks at reasonable prices; 25% discount on system fares by Air Asia; special fares by Malindo - will take a load of the delegates. Jet Airways; Emirates and Garuda Airlines are using their most possible destinations to connect to Bali at special fares.

Entertainment at the Convention will be plenty too, from Indonesian cul-

tural and fusion dancers to trendy performances backed by the locals getting together to present Indian numbers.

The number of players in Bali and some other parts of Indonesia, associating with the TAAI Convention is a huge mileage. The association says that it has never witnessed this kind of a response with so many associates. Some of the special offers to the delegates include- Two top attractions of Bali - the spectacular Devdan Show at the Nusa Dua Theatre and the outstanding Bali Agung Show at the Bali Theatre are hosting the delegates to visit on the 26 & 27 March. In fact, the Devdan Show revised the timings to suit the delegates’ free time prior to the evening events.

- As for the pre and post tours, three

superb locations in Bali were identified, namely Lombok; Yogyakarta and Jakarta.

- The delegates will be hosted prior or after the convention in some of the best hotels in Bali despite it being the peak and pricey season for Bali. The post tour ‘Star Cruise offer’ of 3-nights ex-SIN sailing on 29 March was sold out as soon as it was launched.

TAAI’s Managing Committee that met in Mumbai recently reviewed the convention, the overall design and the approach to deliver impact. Over 12 Convention Committees are playing active roles under the leadership of Convention Committee Chairman and Acting President Sunil Kumar; Hon. Secretary Harmandeep Singh Anand and Hon. Treasurer Marzban Antia as Co-Chairman.

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

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Top Appointments

49>> Ayesha Bhalla

Clevio Monteiro

Director of Sales & Marketing, JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai Sahar

Business Head, Dubai Visa & Marhaba Services, Kuoni Business Travel

W

ith a career span of 16 years in hospitality,, Ayesha Bhalla has recently assumed the position of the Director of Sales & Marketing at the JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai Sahar.

She began her career with Holiday Inn Worldwide and later worked with Oberoi Hotels and Resorts and her most recent role was with the Oberoi Bangalore.

C

levio Monteiro has been appointed as the Business Head– DVMS, in the Kuoni Business Travel division of Kuoni Travel India.

He has over 22 years of experience in travel, aviation and technology solutions companies in various functions as Air Sahara, Interglobe Technologies and Suvidha Infoserve. His last assignment was with Go Airlines.

Ravi Pillai

Anil Chadha

General Manager, Vivanta by Taj Bangalore, MG Road

Area Manager South & General Manager, ITC Grand Chola

R

avi Pillai has been appointed the General Manager for Vivanta by Taj, MG Road, Bangalore. He comes with 34 years of experience in hospitality and worked with Princeton Hotel Dubai, Taj Deccan Hyderabad, Hotel D’l Annapurna Kathmandu, Vivanta by Taj Lucknow, Vivanta by Taj Pune, Taj Pamodzi Zambia and most recently with Ginger Hotels.

A

nil Chadha is the new Area Manager South & General Manager for ITC Grand Chola. He will oversee the hotel’s operations and provide insight on the nuances of ITC Grand Chola Dynasty and its responsible luxury. Besides, he will oversee operations of ITC Hotels in Bangalore, Kerala. With 22 years of experience, he worked wtih ITC hotels in Delhi, Bangalore, Agra, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Manas Banerjee

Rahul Joshi

General Manager, Hyatt Bangalore

General Manager, Hilton Jaipur

M

anas Banerjee has joined Hyatt Bangalore as the General Manager, bringing in more than 17 years of industry experience in all areas of hotel operations and pre-opening functions. He has worked with Holiday Inn, Vadodara, ITC hotels in Ahmedabad and Chennai and most recently with Crowne Plaza, Bangalore as the General Manager.

R

ahul Joshi has been appointed General Manager for Hilton Jaipur. In this position, he will report to Daniel Welk, Vice President, Operations - India. He brings over 20 years of experience in hospitality and had earlier worked with Holiday Inn Pune Hinjewadi, Radisson Blu Agra Taj East Gate; Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Goa., Imperial, New Delhi.

Stefan Merkl

Roger Wright

Senior International Tourism Sales Manager, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

T

he Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) has named Stefan Merkl as its new Senior International Tourism Sales Manager. In this role, Merkl will be responsible for promoting the city in the emerging Asian and Middle Eastern markets, including China and India. He will aim to increase visitation and tourism spending to Philadelphia.

A

General Manager, Hyatt Regency Gurgaon

R

oger Wright is the new General Manager of Hyatt Regency Gurgaon. Bringing in more than 30 years of experience, he first joined Hyatt Regency Fiji, and later Hyatt Monterey in California, Hyatt Kingsgate Rotorua, Hyatt Regency Mumbai, Hyatt Regency Cheju in South Korea and the Grand Hyatt Beijing in the P.R.China.

Akesh Bhatnagar

Kevin Rodrigues

Senior General Manager, Marigold Hotel by GreenPark

General Manager Keys Resorts Ronil, Goa

kesh Bhatnagar has been appointed as Senior General Manager of the Marigold Hotel by GreenPark. He brings in an experience of 23 years having worked with IHG, Taj and Radisson Brands amongst others. Akesh Bhatnagar had been previously engaged in repositioning and brand building and will now be responsible to manage this new five-star flagship hotel of GreenPark Hotels & Resorts Ltd.

K

eys Hotels and Resorts appointed Kevin Rodrigues as the General Manager of Keys Resorts Ronil in Goa. He joins the property with an experience of over 20 years in the hospitality industry and F&B sector including stints at well known resort and casino in Goa. As the General Manager, Kevin will be responsible to ensure smooth functioning of financial, marketing, operational and administrative activities as well as building guest relations.

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NETWORKING ISthe THE networking is keyKEY March

April

March2015

May

June

3, 4

CAPA Mumbai

4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ITB Berlin Berlin, Germany

15, 16, 17

Routes Asia 2015 Kunming, China

19, 20 China Conference, Meeting & Incentive Incentive Travel Forum CCMIT 2015 Hangzhou, China

April 2015

June 2015

April 13, 14, 15

1, 2, 3, 4

IBTM Africa Cape Town, South Africa

ILTM Asia Shangai, China

14, 15, 16 IT&CM China14-16 April Shanghai, China

22, 23, 24 World Travel Market Latin America Sao Paulo,Brazil

23, 24 World Tourism Forum Lucerne Swirzerland

9, 10, 11 ibtm America Chicago,USA

12, 13, 14 Holiday Expo Guwahati

May 2015 4, 5, 6, 7 Arabian Travel Market Dubai

July 2015 10, 11, 12 India International Travel Mart Bangalore

9, 10, 11 INDABA Durban,South Africa

17, 18, 19

17, 18, 19, 20

India International Travel Mart Chennai

TRENZ New Zealand

19, 20, 21 imex Frankfurt

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July