Voyager's World May 2014 by Editor

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Vol XI

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May 2014

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Adventure Travel

joie de vivre

Banff | Alberta

Adrenaline Rush in Canada Day 1 | Day 2

Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6

Delhi - Tina Singh : tina@buzzindia.in +91 96509 13331 Mumbai - Nida Kapadia : nida@buzzindia.in +91 96194 99174

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From The Desk Editorial

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AB KI BAR, TOURISM SARKAR! GAME ON....

s we come close to the scorching summer, it would be time to welcome the new government at the helm. The excitement of

a government, that has actually taken to give Indian Tourism a new edge has got the industry all gushing! Voyager’s World this issue has a take on the growing Indian outbound Adventure segment. Adventure Travel has been one of the fastest growing travel segments in the Indian market and it would be the right time to pump up the adrenaline with some exciting hot spots.

Operations Executive Selvarajramaswamy operations@voyagersworld.in

The Indian Downtown and CBD Hotel industry for some strange rea-

Circulation

occupancies continue to be dismal. Voyager’s World takes a view to

Circulation Executive Shyam Vishaak circulation@voyagersworld.in

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

son is quite averse to target the leisure segment though weekend ascertain improved occupancies during the weekends. Diminishing occupancies, increasing inventory, too much reliance on Corporate Business has taken the wind out of its sails. The aggression showed by all and sundry in creating wealth in form of building hotels has resulted in the present glut. Come July, it would be time for the Indian travel-trade to be part of the ‘India International Travel Mart’ at Chennai and Bangalore.. More destinations, more networking and even more business opportunities coming up your way..

06Industry Buzz

Happy Reading..

12Cover Story

Warm Regards

Adventure tourism and its scope

ROHIT HANGAL

rohit@voyagersworld.in

24 Inflight Cuisine Looking into the in-flight cuisine options in airlines

25Hospitality

Weekend businesses in city hotels, food and restaurant reviews

Cover Photo Credit : Jordan Tourism Board

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Editorial & Advertising office

32 MICE Point

Importance of the MICE industry in Jordan, economic and other benefits of the industry in general

49Top Appointments

Voyager’s World > May 2014

# 245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India Ph: +91 - 80 - 4083 4103, Fax: + 91 - 80 - 4083 4101 info@spheretravelmedia.com, www.spheretravelmedia.com

Industry Buzz

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TOFTigers Sanctuary 2014 Wildlife Tourism Awards

anctuary Asia and TOFTigers have joined forces to launch the third international Wildlife Tourism Awards 2014. There are eight categories of awards, namely the John Wakefield Memorial Award for Most Inspirational Eco Lodge of the Year 2014; Billy Arjun Singh Memorial Award for Best Wildlife Guide of the Year 2014; Lodge Naturalist of the Year 2014; Visitor Friendly Wildlife Destination of the Year 2014; Wildlife Promotion Company of the Year 2014; Wildlife Tourism Related Community Initiative of the Year 2014; Wildlife and Tourism Initiative of the Year 2014 and International Wildlife Tour Operator of the Year 2014.

Lotus Destinations to promote Sri Lanka in India

otus Destinations has opened an office in Mumbai to promote Sri Lanka in India market to manage Sri Lankan holidays by the name of ‘Sri Lankan Travel Hub’. The Consul General of Sri Lanka said that Nalini Gupta would promote the country. Nalini Gupta feels that Sri Lanka is a destination to encourage weddings, Bollywood and MICE groups due to its exotic venues across beaches, excellent properties at very affordable prices in Bentota, Negombo, Yala National Park, Kandy and the tea estates of Nuwara eliya.

BA offers discounts for UK visa

ritish Airways launched a unique offer that will allow their customers travelling to the UK to avail a discount that equals the cost of their 6 month’s UK visa! All they need to do is show that the UK visa was obtained on or post 8 April 2014. The offer is valid for ticketing until Monday, 30 June 2014, for outbound travel by Wednesday, 31 December 2014. Customers can take advantage of this offer by booking their tickets directly on ba.com or via travel agents or call BA. Once they obtain a UK visa, flyers can get visa fee of maximum INR8400 reimbursed on the return booking.

Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair conduct workshops

Oman to promote wedding, MICE and film tourism in India

n line with its marketing plan for 2014, Oman will focus on promoting Wedding, MICE and film tourism in the Indian market. The Ministry of Tourism, Oman along with Al Bustan Palace, A RitzCarlton hotel recently hosted a group of reputed wedding planners from India to experience Oman as a viable option for weddings. Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Oman said: “Oman has great potential to become a wedding destination and the feedback we got from the wedding planners after the FAM was very encouraging and positive.”

Taiwan offers free Wi-Fi to tourists

athay Pacific Airways and Dragonair conducted workshops for the travel trade in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai from February to April 2014 to highlight the revise in flight timings from each of the South Indian cities and the adjustment in the Delhi flight schedule to offer double daily non-stop flights from Delhi to Hong Kong. Rakesh Raicar, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager-South Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways& Dragonair said, “These workshops aim to reach out the travel agency frontline staff that sell and promote Cathay Pacific and Dragonair. The activities provide an opportunity to interact with the agency staff on an informal platform and update on all the latest developments within Cathay Pacific and Dragonair.”

aiwan is extending free Wi-Fi to foreign tourists for free. The Taiwan government-backed free “iTaiwan” wireless network has about 4,400 hotspots in major tourist spots, transportation hubs, cultural establishments, government offices in the country. Visitors can open an iTaiwan account at a Taiwan Tourism Bureau counter/center by showing their passport, login using their account to access free Wi-Fi on their digital devices.iTaiwan has set up roaming agreements with four local governments so tourists can access in Taipei City, New Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.

Voyager’s World > May 2014

Industry Buzz

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IndiGo launches four new flights

ndiGo is proud to announce four new daily flights, consolidating its connectivity in metros. The new schedule would see the introduction of 8th daily nonstop flight between Delhi and Kolkata and 15th daily non-stop flight between Delhi and Mumbai. Aditya Ghosh, President IndiGo said, “Last year and early 2014, IndiGo has consolidated in domestic dominance by providing seamless connectivity between the metros and tier I-II cities. We at IndiGo are delighted to offer the enhanced connections now between Delhi-Mumbai & Kolkata. The eighth and fifteenth daily flights are testimony to the growing vote of confidence our services enjoy on these popular routes.”

Aviareps to act for Tourism Toronto

ourism Toronto has appointed AVIAREPS as its sales and marketing representative in India from 1st March. AVIAREPS sales and marketing team will be responsible for maximizing exposure and promoting Toronto as a favorable destination especially for Indian MICE travellers. It will conduct trade sales and training, Fam trips, participate in MICE trade shows, etc.

Skyscanner adds online bus ticket booking for hassle-free travel

kyscanner launched a bus ticket booking feature on its website with redBus. The feature has been specially designed for India. The new service also boasts flexible payment options and other convenient features where users can cancel bus tickets online in case of any change in their travel plans.

Etihad launches recruitment drive in India

AzamaraClub Cruises doubles the luxury this summer!

zamara Club Cruisesgives its guests twice the reason to rejoice this summer. Cruisers booking their luxury holidays before 31st of May 2014 will enjoy a double upgrade as they sail through awe-inspiring destinations around the world. Azamara Club Cruises will upgrade your room not once but twice to a resplendent Club Veranda for the price of a Club Interior Stateroom. Just use the promotion code FREEUP and get treated to more extravagance than what you paid for!

InterContinental Hotels unveils Insider Guide

ndian nationals who are hospitality professionals now have the opportunity to take their career high into the sky by joining Etihad Airways’ World’s Leading Cabin Crew. Aubrey Tiedt, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Guest Services, said: “In Mumbai we will be inviting up to 600 of the best candidates who meet our stringent criteria to attend the recruitment days.” New cabin crew members undergo a seven-week training program conducted at Etihad Airways’ state-of-the-art Training Academy in Abu Dhabi.

Voyager’s World > May 2014

nterContinental Hotels & Resorts released the Insider Guide to Travelling with Children, providing useful advice to make planning enjoyable family vacations a breeze. The guide collates InterContinental insider knowledge and external industry expert opinions from across Asia, Middle East and Africa to deliver travel tips, local insights, itineraries, including suggestions on engaging kids from the planning stage.

Milestone for longest travelogue Prakash Bang, Managing Director, roomsXML, has found a place in the Limca Book of Records for producing a Travelogue for the longest duration. He started a firstperson blog/travelogue in 2009. As of June 2013, he had covered 254 destinations within 34 countries from Antarctica to Slovakia. His blog on www.YoGoYo.com had 225,672 words and 7,932 images of the places he had visited.

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Incredible India

A new wave of initiatives moves India on a crest PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

oving fast into the second half of 2014, the Indian tourism industry has seen a spate of announcements on initiatives, new launches and of course, encouraging figures of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs). While the Ministry of Railways unveiled a new mobile application and a desktop app on Windows 8 platform to facilitate train enquiry, whilst augmenting the National Train Enquiry System (NTES), there have been few more new developments on the Indian tourism front. The Ministry of Tourism recently launched a Web-based Public Delivery System to recognize the travel trade service providers. The main idea behind this system is to simplify the procedure of filing applications by the travel trade service providers seeking recognition from the ministry as well as to bring in transparency in granting approvals. At present, the tourism ministry approves Inbound tour operators; travel agents; domestic tour operators; adventure tour operators and tourist transporters operators. This new system will accept applications online through www.etraveltradeapproval.nic. in. All applications will be processed and approved or rejected within 4 days of filing the same. As far as aviation is concerned, the Directorate General Civil Aviation

Voyager’s World > May 2014

(DGCA) amended its CAR Section 5 Series X Part I relating to air safety today and decided to allow the use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) including cellphones. The use of PEDs shall be in the non-transmitting mode commonly called flight/airplane mode. The amended CAR also directs all operators for reporting of any suspected or confirmed PED interference or smoke or fire caused by PEDs to the DGCA. It also lays down the guidelines for the crew training. While the trade fraternity adapts itself to these new updates, the recently-concluded national elections and the formation of the new government spells fresh hopes for the industry for favourable initiatives. The newlyformed government had incorporated development of tourism, alluding to it as a high impact domain, while also including the launch of 50 new tourist circuits in the country to foster the industry. Subhash Goyal, President, IATO said: “The industry is confident that the new government will stop the discrimination to the tour operators and exempt them from service tax as the exporters are exempted based on their foreign exchange earnings. This would increase the international tourist arrivals to our country and in turn will increase our foreign exchange earnings and create millions of jobs in every nook and

corner of the country. No doubt it will also add crores of rupees in indirect taxes to the Government.” As the industry sailed through tough times last year, while witnessing changes in the governing bodies of some associations and formation of new associations, it remains to be seen how the end travel agent stands to benefit. Other growth areas, as mentioned earlier, include the FTAs and the FEEs. The total FTAs in April 2014 was 5.04 lakh which was 4.52 lakh in the same period last year, with a growth of 11%. The FEEs from tourism stood at Rs. 8,909 crore last month as compared to Rs. 7,252 crore in April 2013. There has been a growth of 11.5% in April 2014 over April 2013 as compared to a growth of 1.0% registered in April 2013 over April 2012. FTAs during the period January-April 2014 were 26.31 lakh with a growth of 6.1%, as compared to the FTAs of 24.80 lakh with a growth of 2.6% during January-April 2013 over the corresponding period of 2012. The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms in April 2014 over April 2013 was 22.8% as compared to 7.5% in April 2013 over April 2012. FEE from tourism in rupee terms during Janu-

ary-April 2014 were Rs.41,718 crore with a growth of 11.2%, as compared to the FEE of Rs.37,522 crore with a growth of 18.3% during January-April 2013 over the corresponding period of 2012. The FEEs in US$ terms during the month of April 2014 were US$ 1.475 billion as compared to FEEs of US$ 1.334 billion during the month of April 2013 and US$ 1.305 billion in April 2012. The growth rate in FEEs in US$ terms in April 2014 over April 2013 was growth of 10.6% as compared to the growth of 2.2% in April 2013 over April 2012. FEE from tourism in terms of US$ during January-April 2014 were US$ 6.783 billion with a negative growth of 2.0%, as compared to US$ 6.921 billion with a growth of 10.3% during January-April 2013 over the corresponding period of 2012. These figures can be expected to soar in the next few years as soon as the E-visas brought into effect later this year. Bringing this into effect will throw open the gates from 180 countries, who will be encouraged to come to India without any hassles. With the rupee gaining strength, the new government’s promises to uplift the tourism industry and these constructive measures are certain to further all stakeholders of the industry.

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Cover Story

Adventure travel Adventurers crave to explore new destinations and learn new activities for better experiences in a natural environment says Irene Susan Eapen

Medha Sampat – Knack Marketing – India RepresentativeArgentina Tourism (National Institute of Tourist Promotion in Argentina) Argentina a god’s natural playground for adventure activities in a perfect setting where one needs to be bold and innovative to create an electrifying experience that will make your heart beat faster much faster. Argentina is also a destination where your mind, your body and your courage can take you far off places.

dventure travel is a growing segment over the years with the number of people travelling from India as travel is more of experiencing different activities for every person of every age. The Indian travellers are now in the lookout for new experiences and destinations. The UNWTO predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020. Some of the adventure activities include kayaking, jet boat-

Voyager’s World > May 2014

ing, mountain climbing, caving, glacier walks, rock climbing, scuba diving, bungee jumping, river rafting and snorkeling. Growth Manoharan Periasamy, Director, Tourism Malaysia, states that Malaysia has observed a good growth for adventure travel from India.Tourism Malaysia is focusing on promoting Malaysia as a destination that offers affordable luxury, a host of nature

and adventure experiences. Sethaphan Buddhani, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, says queries regarding adventure are on the rise and this is an indicator of growing interest and numbers especially for younger travellers and adventurous, adrenaline-packed experiences go hand-in-hand, this segment is growing gradually. Mischa Mannix-Opie, Regional Man-

ager - South & South East Asia, Tourism New Zealand, explains that the adventure tourism industry makes the most of having a country surrounded by sea, crisscrossed by rivers and lakes, covered in native bush and with a central spine of spectacular snow-capped mountains. Adventure tourism has remained relatively constant over the past decade with around 50% of all holiday visitors participating in some sort of adventure activity.

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Cover Story

Catherine Oden, Director, Atout France India France offers a unique range of soft to extreme adventure sports like sand-yachting, kite surfing, windsurfing, paragliding, surfing, hiking and rafting at the foot of the Alps, scuba diving on the beaches of the Riviera, sky diving in South-West France, hot-air ballooning in the wine growing regions of Dijon-Burgundy, adventure tourism is a growing concept among young travellers. “The adventure industry is growing from India,” says Vijay Haulder -Deputy Director – Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority.

tourism, providing the combination of safety, adventure, and comfortable facilities that make Fun & AdventureTourism such an exciting experience

Ashit Taneja – Country Manager, Jordan Tourism Board, states that Adventure Tourism in Jordan is expanding and promises to remain one of the most dynamic and innovative travel industry sectors for many years to come. Several Jordanian companies now specialize in eco and adventure-

Medha Sampat, Knack Marketing - India Representative, Argentina Tourism, explains that this segment has been growing remarkably well as all travellers want to feel that rush and play in gods natural playground. There is something for everyone, so the opportunity for adventure tour-

ism is tremendous and travellers can choose their favourite activities. The opportunity along with infrastructure has lead to the growth in this segment. “The adventure segment has been a very niche segment with much force. It has a potential but has not increased to a great extent,” added Arturo Ortiz Arduán, Tourism Counselor and Director, Tourism Office of Spain. Chiranjib Biswas, Destination Manag-

er, Kenya Tourism Board states that, India has always been an important source market for Kenya as a tourist destination. In 2012 over 61,275 Indian tourists travelled to Kenya. India is the 4th largest source market with 6.9% market share till June 2013. Since 2009 India has registered a growth of 68% in the number of tourist’s receipts. “The Indian travellers have evolved over a period of time. They have

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Cover Story

Ashit Taneja – Country Manager, Jordan Tourism Board Adventure Tourism in Jordan continues to be one of the most dynamic and innovative travel industry sectors for many years to come with a growing population, a steady economic growth and a burgeoning middle-class with disposable income that are thirsty for new experiences and destinations. The India traveller is getting more adventurous and always on the lookout for newer things to do on a holiday. become more experimental with their choices. Adventure tourism is one of the segments which is very rapidly picking up in India and for Kenya it is going to be a major growth driver,” he added. Trends in Adventure Tourism Sethaphan states that Thailand is witnessing a good response for motorcycle tours particularly among Indian youth as they are impressed with Thailand’s 1000 – 1500 cc bikes habituated to 200/ 300 cc bikes back home. For tourists who have visited Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, the new attraction is Thailand’s islands, people tend to be involved in scuba diving, rock climbing and the like. Manoharan said, we have seen many new trends emerge with regard to the adventure travel. The Indian travellers have started to demand improved quality on their trips in terms of package deals offered by travel & tour operators. Mischa explains adventure tourism is one of our core travel segments, New Zealand provides activities rated from soft to extreme right from kayaking, jet boating to glacier hiking, mountain climbing and caving. © Tourism Authority of Thailand

“In 2012, 1 in 2 international holiday tourists did some sort of adventure activity during their stay in New Zealand while 1 in 3 did some sort of extreme adventure activity. The tourists from Netherlands and Germany are involved in adventure tourism like Jet boating, glacier walks and the

Voyager’s World > May 2014

luge are the most popular activities,” she added. Medha explains that the destination Argentina is a dream for destination travellers and they have been fascinated with the marvelous scenery, the vibrant cities, variety of cuisine along with wine tourism bundled with adventure, sport and entertainment. “The Indian traveller wants to explore and experience so much more as they not only want to experience the adventure activities, but want to experience in the right way and in the perfect environment. The thirst to learn and experience adventure in a natural environment really appeals to the travellers,” she adds. Catherine Oden, Director Atout France India says, India is an emerging market in this segment. The concept of adventure tourism finds favour with young travellers and those travelling with friends. The concept of adventure tourism is also fast gaining ground with families who would like to include soft adventure activities on their itinerary. The general tendency observed is that frequent independent individual travelers plan their self-itineraries and in the Indian scenario it is generally observed that Indians travel in groups to experience adventurous activities in their travel destination. Paragliding and Running of the Bulls in Pamplona in June has become an important adventurous activity for most Indians travelling to experience adventure in Spain,” said Arturo.

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Cover Story Chiranjib Biswas, Destination Manager, Kenya Tourism Board The Indian travellers are experimental and love adventure as Kenya is one of the best adventure destinations in the world with an array of activities like white water river rafting, bungee jumping hot air ballooning, walking Safari, mountain biking , rock climbing, snorkeling, Jet Ski and deep sea diving.

“Mauritius has witnessed the adventure segment as a promising market,” added Vijaye. Chiranjib says, growth in the adventure travel market has accelerated in the last few years. With the growing number of people travelling from India, it is evident that travel is not a luxury but a need. Kenya has seen positive growth in terms of number of Indians looking for adventure holidays. Kenya is among the best adventure destinations in the world and offers array of activities, as more and more youngsters are travelling these days and travel has become one of the biggest fashion trends. People are always looking for something different to do than the usual holiday experience. Adventure tourism is one of the segments which is very rapidly picking up in India and for Kenya it is going to be a major growth driver. Adventure Tourism

Mischa says, Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world and has outstanding Skydiving, Bungy Jumping and Skiing facilities. New Zealand is renowned for its range of adventure activities. For travellers who seek adventure, New Zealand is a delight. Ashit explains that Jordan offers a wide array of activities, the Jordan Valley is known for day excursions like walking, hiking, riding and sports. The Horse riding is a very popular activity in Amman. The Petra offers a great place for walking,

trekking, horse riding, climbing and mountain biking. “The Wadi Rum is a place where one can hire a camel and follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, climb the highest peaks, or sand board across the rolling sand dunes. One can explore hidden canyons by foot, discover secret messages carved over four thousand years ago, or take a hot air balloon trip and soar with the eagles high above this amazing site,”he said. “The other activities include Night Walking, Hot Air Ballooning and Camping. The southern part of Aqaba offers a wide range of sports and activities of an aquatic nature, including scuba diving, wind surfing, waterskiing, jet skiing, snorkeling and sailing,” Ashit says, “The Mujib Nature Reserve that has five major trails, three river trails and two dry land trails – all of which offer some of the most dramatic hiking in the Kingdom. The most extensive trek is known as the Lost Trail to the Dead Sea. The Mujib campsite offers stunning scenery and the chance to experience the unique sensation of floating in the saltiest sea on Earth,” he added. Medha said, Argentina offers the regular land and water adventure activities and extraordinary activities in a perfect setting. Some of the activities include dog sledging, expeditions in cruises, fishing, interactive wild life experiences (penguins, whales, dolphins, sea lions etc), skiing, great

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Cover Story

Arturo Ortiz Arduán, Tourism Counselor and Director, Tourism Office of Spain Travelers get to unwind and enjoy the best beaches, windsurfing and sailing in the Mediterranean waters. Spain is known for adventure sports like paragliding, fishing, hunting, kayaking, rowing, hang-gliding, hiking and cycle touring.

Voyager’s World > May 2014

road trips and horseback safaris. Argentina is considered to be one of finest places in the world to cycle, trek, horse ride or fishing because of its stunning scenery. Manoharan says Malaysia is a real value for money destination and will continue to be a favourite with the Indian Traveller. We would be working towards opening up new destinations and adventure experiences for the Indian traveller so as to ensure repeat visits. “The various adventure travel experiences like jungle trek, cave exploration, cable car, river rafting, bungee jumping, snorkeling, diving, car racing etc,” he added. Sethaphan states that people in India have already tried out all the beach-based adventure sports like parasailing and paragliding. Today, scuba diving is picking up as people explore more of Thailand’s islands

and as India’s higher spenders realize that getting a dive certification or undertaking dives in Thailand gives them an incredibly value-for-money opportunity to explore the underwater universe complete with well-preserved reefs and a wealth of ocean creatures. Rock-climbing at the Phi Phi islands is becoming popular among adventure tourists, couples and families. “Some Indian travellers who travelled to Chiang Mai or Pattaya have got sampled the attraction Flight of the Gibbons that takes them on an a unique zip line adventure through the rainforest. The Eagle Track located near Chaing Mai, offers the options of zip lining over the Maeram River and the region’s paddy fields. Besides zip lining through the forest, one can ride a cycle high above the trees or slide down the trunk of massive ancient trees in Chiang Mai’s forests,” he says. In the opinion of Sethaphan, the bik-

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Cover Story

Sethaphan Buddhani, Director,Tourism Authority of Thailand The adventure segment is growing as a large chunk of the market is younger than 30-years-old with a zest for life and adventure. The Indians like their holidays to be active and would like to be doing something wherever they are.

ing tours across northern Thailand this is a brand new segment which is growing now. There are several service providers whom Indian travel agents can connect such as Ride Thailand. GAdventures, which has recently set up shop in India has started marketing adventurous experiences of Thailand this includes treks into Thailand’s hill tribes, overnight stays on rafthouses that are fairly distinct to Thailand and journeys by train. “ I believe that this segment is picking up as the travelling market out of India is so young. A large chunk of the market is younger than 30-yearsold with a zest for life and adventure. Moreover, some Indian travellers are no longer first time travellers and they are return experience therefore needs to offer a new spin to the destination,” he added. Arturo says that diving in the waters around the island is also a spectacular experience as the volcanoes

have given Tenerife an original sea floor. Cycling, golf, hiking, surfing or hang gliding is few of the sports one can enjoy. One can walk through the White Villages next to Granada. These white villages are an excellent area for open-air and adventure sports: paragliding, fishing, hunting, kayaking, rowing, hang-gliding, hiking and cycle touring. “Cycling in the vineyards of La Rioja and Self-Guided Cycling through Andalusia.Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James) is an excellent adventurous walking trip for 9 days which will make one discover outstanding monuments and meeting people from various cultures on its way, trekking in the Picos de Europa mountains and Majorca cycling trip,” he added. Catherine said, France offers a unique range of soft to extreme adventure sports for those interested in active tourism. Some of the activities include sand-yachting a

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Cover Story

Mischa Mannix-Opie, Regional Manager - South & South East Asia Tourism New Zealand Queenstown, in New Zealand is the known as the adventure capital of the world with outstanding Skydiving, Bungy Jumping and Skiing facilities. Adventure tourism is one of our core travel segments from India. unique concept that involves sailing on the beach on a 3 wheeled yacht powered by the wind. This exciting activity is possible on the beaches of Normandy, Brittany, Le Touquet (near Paris).The other activities include kite surfing in Montpellier which is an extreme sport involving a combination of wakeboarding, windsurfing, paragliding, surfing and gymnastics into one sport. “Hiking up the Dune of Pilat is Eu-

Voyager’s World > May 2014

rope’s largest sand-dune located in South-West France also guarantees many adrenalin pumping moments for sports enthusiasts.For those looking to connect with the outdoors, the Rhone Alpes region proposes a unique adventure, such as sleeping in a yurt (a portable tented structure). While in the Champagne- Ardenne region, outdoor enthusiasts can also practise acrobranching - an aerial activity that involves manoeuvring between trees,” she says.

“Biking aficionados can embark on a Harley Davidson holiday in the French vineyards of Bordeaux-Aquitaine, Alsace, the countryside of Normandy or even the chateaux of the Loire Valley. In addition, one can also enjoy conventional adventure activities such as rafting at the foot of the Alps,scuba diving or sailing on the beaches of the Riviera, sky diving in South-West France, hot-air ballooning in the wine growing regions of Dijon-Burgundy, Champagne-Ardenne and the Loire

Valley. Hiking, trekking trails are also popular with many of French cities, towns and villages having specially designated trails for those who want to connect with nature,” she added. “Mauritius is full of adventurous activities such as walking with Lions outside Africa is the only place where this activity is being practiced. Dolphin watching is very popular, Big game fishing, Kite Surfing, Deer Hunting, Scuba Diving, Sea karting,” added Vijaye.

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“One can participate in a number of activitieslike Bungy Jumping, try out the Bungy Trampoline.In the 1980s, kiwi entrepreneurs AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch started the world’s first commercial bungy operation, with a jump from the historic Kawarau Bridge near the South Island alpine resort of Queenstown. Since then, bungy jumping has become the thrill of choice for thousands of travellers, there are various ways to personalise the jump - partial immersion in water, a tandem jump or a night jump,”says Mischa. Chiranjib states that Kenya offers the traveller an unmatched range of options. It has diversity of wildlife, culture, landscapes and water sport activities. Indian travellers are experimental and love adventure. They frequently indulge in safari, water sports, visiting the tribal villages and experiencing the culture and other adventure activities.

Cover Story

“Kenya offers a wide range of activities for every person of every age. The adventure activities include White Water River rafting, Bungee jumping from a tower of 60 meters high overlooking the river Tana, Zip Lines in the Wilderness, hot air ballooning, Walking Safari, Mountain Biking & Rock Climbing in a National Park to water sports near the coastal city Mombasa like Snorkelling, Dolphin watching, Deep Sea fishing, Kite surfing, Jet Ski and Deep Sea Diving,” he says. “Apart from the regular activities and attractions, the focus is now on new experiences which are a combination of multiple activities to suit the traveler moods and requirements. And Kenya has something unique to offer the travelers every time they visit the destination. Kenya is going to be a must do destination for the Indian adventure seekers,” he added Mischa explains, New Zealand’s highest jump involves an awesome 134

metre plunge (440ft or 8 seconds of free fall) from a gondola suspended above a canyon. The Skydive is your flight to altitude that takes you high above the alpine town, over crystal clear lakes and snow-capped mountains, upon reaching altitude, you and your instructor jump from the aircraft, freefalling thousands of feet at awesome adrenalin pumping 200 kilometers per hour. Shotover Jet is a combionation of the classic New Zealand invention of the Jet Boat with the kiwi culture of adventure and the highlight of their Queenstown and New Zealand holiday. Marketing plans for 2014 Manoharan says, in 2014, Malaysia will celebrate its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The VMY 2014 promotional campaign was launched last year with a series of year long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014. It will contribute to the Government’s target to

receive 36 million tourist arrivals and RM 168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) 2020. “We aim to tap new markets and reach a wider audience by going beyond Tier 1 markets, to Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. To achieve this, we will ensure that travel agents in the top 30 towns in India are equipped with all the relevant information they need to market Malaysia to their customers. We will also conduct special events in order to attract Indian tourists.We do promote Malaysia as an affordable family destination in Indian fairs, our sales missions and presentations. Besides this, we have conducted many FAM tours for Indian media & trade to experience first-hand the services and facilities available, as well as possible venues for different budgets,” he added. “This year, we are celebrating Visit Malaysia Year where we have

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Cover Story

Manoharan Periasamy, Director, Tourism Malaysia Malaysia as an ideal adventure holiday destination, an Indian traveler likes to explore more and more destinations and loves to participate in many adventure activities like jungle trek, cave exploration, cable car, river rafting, bungee jumping, snorkeling, diving and car racing.

Voyager’s World > May 2014

planned over 200 exciting events for you to package and promote to your clients. Therefore, with your continued support, I believe we can achieve our target of 7,80,000 to 8,00,000 arrivals from India this year. Besides, we also pleased to know the increased air connectivity to Malaysia from India with Malindo Air operating its flights from India.In the year ahead, Tourism Malaysia aims to promote high-end tourism like spas, eco-tourism, golf, new and exotic destinations, among other experiences,” he says. Sethaphan said that for adventure travel specifically Thailand is including Muay Thai experiences on every familiarization trip for media and travel agents.We are alsodoing the same for Elephant Camps, tiger-encounter attractions and zipline attractions. For biking, you might have witnessed the Big Bike Tour 2013 aired on NDTV Good Times earlier this year. Other marketing and promotional

plans for Thailand revolve around cuisine, culture and wellness – the three pillars of Thainess. Mischa states that India is ranked as an important emerging market as per our latest three-year tourism development plan. We had quadrupled our annual budget for India, and hence we will be focusing more on various marketing programmes in order to gain a significant double digit growth over the next 3 years. “New Zealand hosted the India Cricket Tour in January this year and is cohosting the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015. We will be using this as a key platform to market our destination. We also expect the year 2014 to be a good year for film and television opportunities as the year also marks the completion of The Hobbit Trilogy which is a major opportunity for us to feature our ‘100% Middle-earth 100% Pure New Zealand’ campaign,” she says.

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“Our other major focus for the next year will be the families market. We plan to market new travel packages for families who would like to spend their holiday in New Zealand. We will also increase our focus in the MICE sector. Kiwi Link, our annual trade training event, will occur again from 31 July to 8 August 2014 at Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. The new marketing initiatives will be launched for the Indian MICE market in 2014 along with more strategic partnerships within the travel trade industry,” she added. Ashit said that we have been promoting Adventure tourism through various mediums. Billboard, media advertisements are the two prime verticals we have been using so far. Other than this the FAM itineraries always have fair part of adventure activities to provide the first hand experience. Medha says that Argentina is a new destination which offers so many at-

Cover Story

tractions to the Indian Traveller, many markets have been very welcoming. We have been working very closely with the travel trade. In 2014 we will continue our efforts to work even more closely with them to understand their needs and preferences. “We have seen an all round growth and interest from India.We have commenced with training the trade and will continue with mono Argentina trade shows. We have been participating in trade fairs that were held in Mumbai and Delhi. We have started targeting other regional markets and cities. The response has been spectacular,” she said. “The idea is to develop the market with a long term perspective. The Argentinean suppliers have been visiting India regularly for the past two years and have interacted with the Indian travel trade. This has brought the two worlds closer to each other and has added in building solid re-

lationships. We regularly participate in trade shows to improve the knowledge of the destination. The FAM trips have been undertaken and the Indian travel trade has been made to experience the destination. We would like Indians to spend maximum time in exploring Argentina as a mono destination due to the variety and quality options it has to offer,” she added. Catherine said, Through our campaign, “Be There! Do That!” that focuses on experiential travel, we have integrated adventure activities as an important facet of the strategy. We will continue to build on this and try to promote the concept of France as a “pure” holiday destination. We continue to promote Spain as a complete destination which had great success in the past few years in India namely, Madrid, Barcelona, Andalusia, Valencia, Ibiza and World Heritage Cities of Spain. We partici-

pated in SATTE New Delhi, and BTM Mumbai this year. We will be participating in IBTM Chennai in September 2014,” says Arturo Chiranjib says, the new campaigns and promotional plans will focus on quality tailored offerings that appeal to the Indian audience. In future we are planning pan India consumer campaign in eight cities to create more visibility and augment product know how. “We are also targeting Indian film fraternity to showcase Kenya as an adventure and luxury destination. We recently concluded travel trade interaction across three cities, namely Jaipur, Chandigarh and Lucknow with an initiative to tap the growing outbound market potential of India by projecting Kenya as a luxury, honeymoon and adventure destination. KTB is targeting tier II cities as they have lot of potential,” he concluded.

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Adventure

INDIAN TERRAIN IDEAL FOR ROUGH SPORT Ashish Gupta, Founder & Director, Cougar Motorsport Pvt. Ltd, talks about introducing the country to luxury motoring experiences in exotic locations. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Explain the USP of Cougar Motorsport. Cougar Motorsport is India’s firstever luxury motoring experiences company. The ‘luxury’ self-driving element of Cougar Motorsport sets it apart from other self-driving expeditions companies. Our target audience, which comprises of top executives and businessmen, hardly get leisure time from their busy schedules. With Cougar Motorsport, these participants have a guarantee that the days that they will take out from their busy schedule will be unforgettable. We provide an end-to-end participation package, right from arranging the participants’ stay in the best and most luxurious accommodations en route to offering service support as well as providing medical back up, because of which participants don’t have to make any preparations themselves. Driving through unique terrains with breathtaking sights in your favorite vehicle and in the company of like-minded people, coupled with round-the-clock supervision & support from the organizers make each of our ‘Dashes’ a unique luxury experience.

throughout the year. Apart from our own events, we organize driving expeditions and off-road driving events for various automobile manufacturers including Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Renault, Tata Motors and Audi. Till date, we have successfully conceptualized and executed 53 motoring events.

How have you grown since your inception? What are your target segments? Which are the customer segments from where you have received a lot of demands? Cougar Motorsport was launched in 2009 to cater to the needs of the luxury segment in road travel and offer a platform to corporate honchos for indulging in their dream of testing their expensive cars to the best of their ability. We have four signature events – The Himalayan Dash, The Desert Dash, The Coastal Dash and The Sanctuary Dash – spread out

Comment on the repeat ratio of your clientele? These are hardly any repeat customers for a particular ‘Dash’. Someone who has participated in The Himalayan Dash will, at most, do it once more and that too if their friends or relatives want to go for the Dash and insist that the past participant accompanies them to guide them. However, we have grown our business based on the increasing demands from our clients to offer them a new adventure. We started in 2009 with The Desert Dash. Then, the partici-

Voyager’s World > May 2014

We aim to bring together business owners, senior executives, high ranking professionals and other owners of premium cars & SUVs who share a common passion for driving. These people have travelled the world and are now looking to explore India at leisure and by road. We get a good mix of male and female participants with most of them coming with their spouses or friends.

pants asked us to arrange a similar expedition to Ladakh. Hence, The Himalayan Dash was conceptualized. Based on the travel wish-list of our clients, we have built four properties which cover the four best motoring routes of India. How do you promote your services? We occasionally place ads in a couple of auto trade magazines. But since our business is based on the ‘luxury’ model, the queries come primarily through references and wordof-mouth promotion. Hence, most of the people who approach us with participation queries are through recommendations from our past participants. Elaborate on how you have engaged with the travel trade to ensure your reach to the end consumers? We interact directly with large hotel and resort chains for our requirements. We work with niche & regional travel operators for meeting our requirements in smaller towns and campsites en-route. We also work with car rental operators to bridge rental requirements of our outstation participants. However, we haven’t worked with any travel operators to market our offerings to end consumers. Which are top adventure activities

that have proven most popular with your guests? The Desert Dash, our car rally through the Thar Desert, is a popular adventure activity for our guests and involves rallying through desert tracks and dried up salt lake beds. The Sanctuary Dash includes jungle safaris with a chance to spot the tiger. A drive to Leh in The Himalayan Dash is also an adventure filled activity in itself with high altitude passes and narrow winding roads. What is the potential of India in emerging as an adventure destination? Which are the destinations that hold promise in this regard? India is fast emerging as a dream destination for adventure and motorsport enthusiasts. The topographical distribution of India makes it ideal for motor rallies: desert roads, beaches, mountain ranges and forests tracks; there’s no end of excitement on wheels in the diverse Indian terrain. Indians love driving their cars and the driving routes that India provides test not only the skills of the rallyists but also their mettle. Our events are built around the Himalayas, Thar Desert, tiger reserves and the coastline, all of which are most promising as adventure destinations.

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Events

ATM 2014: REGISTERS BIGGER CROWDS, GENERATES RECORD BUSINESS This year’s edition received more participation and focused on luxury travel among other things. VW BUREAU The recently concluded Arabian Travel Market 2014, Dubai registered over 23,000 visitors, up by more than 2100, over 10% on last year’s figures. This year being the 21st edition of the event, had more than 2,700 exhibitors with 120 first-time participants, 68 national pavilions and a packed schedule of 40 seminar and tech theatre sessions.

broadcast live streaming of interviews and panel debates. Another show highlight was VISA’ affluence report which took an in-

“The preliminary figures for this year’s show underscore Arabian Travel Market’s relevance to the regional travel and tourism sector and reflect the healthy performance and confidence of the industry and its vital role as a major economic driver for the region,” said Mark Walsh, portfolio director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

The general physician or the cardiologist? It’s only natural to depend more on the expertise of a specialist. The chances of the expert knowing more about the heart is pretty high. The fact holds true with wholesalers in the travel industry too. By offering every travel product under the sun, a wholesaler has to divide the resources across the board, leading to compromises.

The newly launched ‘Spotlight on Luxury’ theme, which featured a programme of focused seminars and hosted buyers representing high-end travel companies and luxury exhibitors including well-known hospitality brands and premium destinations, added further value to the 2014 lineup of events.

Other new initiatives providing exhibitors and visitors with up-to-theminute news and product information included the ATM Exhibitor Showcase Theatre and ATM Live Wall, which

on as a result of this week’s business buzz, re-bookings for 2015 are already extremely encouraging,” Mark concluded..

In case of a heart attack, who will you trust more?

“The halls have been thronged with travel trade professionals this week and the feedback from exhibitors, speakers and our 115 hosted buyers has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing our position as the regional industry platform for tourism and hospitality professionals to share their news, network with decision-makers, meet potential partners and exchange insight and ideas,” said Mark.

Thankfully, there are specialists in the travel trade too. roomsXML for instance. It does nothing else but accommodation. By focusing in just one area, it has no other option but to do things more efficiently – robust technology, deduplicated inventory, dependable 24x7 global support and of course competitive rates. We are sorry we don’t offer flights, cruises, carhires, packages, city tours, etc. If you need any of these you can try your luck with scores of them who are already around. But if you do want accommodation, you know where to look.

13 021/quiksel.com

The evolving dynamics of the luxury segment of the hospitality and leisure industry was discussed in a seminar held during the second day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2014 with a panel of experts agreeing that the high number of millionaires in the region has created a tiered set of expectations when it comes to all things luxury.

sightful look at spending patterns of wealthy regional travellers. “As always, as one show wraps-up we are eagerly anticipating the next, and

roomsXML – the accommodation specialist.

Visit us at booth TT6246

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Inflight Menu

FOR THE

EPICUREAN ONBOARD

How important is food at 30,000 feet above altitude? Quite, one may say looking at what airlines offer to the delight of their guests onboard. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

t has been more than 75 years since food began gaining prominence on flights and from serving light refreshments and snacks, airlines have gone on to offering gourmet dishes to passengers, besides undertaking special meal requests. Evolution of in-flight cuisine In the early years of aviation, no meals were served as most passengers experienced air sickness due to non-pressurized cabins and were given candies to fight the same, revealed a company spokesperson of Jet Airways. “From being served as a necessity, this grew to be a luxury wherein elaborate meals were served on flights. Today, airlines are divided into two segments - the Full Service and Low Cost Carriers and economics plays a huge role in de-

Voyager’s World > May 2014

ciding what business model airlines follow.” The past 15 years have seen a sea change in in-flight cuisine across the globe. New trends incorporated, passenger expectations, high quality products, taste for different cuisines around the world, famous chefs designing menus, personalised service, new onboard technologies, etc. are some of the major factors for the change. Cuisines onboard have completely changed over the years. Different styles, products and onboard chefs have raised the standard. The involvement of ‘Celebrity Chefs’ and influential people from F&B industry has shaped up gastronomy on air. Currently many airlines offer a real restaurant dining experience

at 36,000 feet with chefs onboard preparing meals as per passengers’ order with the best products in the market. This trend has led to various carriers vying for booking preference by way of providing top-quality and healthy recipes, which have, in turn, become a measure for passengers while choosing flights. With so many passengers becoming pickier about the airlines they use for travel, airlines are paying extra attention to the food they serve in-flight. The incorporation of new technologies onboard like microwaves or sous vide cooking will also help keep pushing the quality of airline meals to another level.

Basis of Menu Planning The struggle to bring out the best in-flight meal is a result of a careful planning of the menu, not just based on the routes but also on the demographics of the passengers, the class of travel and special dietary preferences. Jet Airways says that the route to which an aircraft is flying is one of the factors that help the carrier in deciding what to serve on board. The meals are customised as per the region of destination and ensure that the dietary preferences of guests are met. For instance, while the flights to Europe and Americas carry a Continental meal Option, the flights to Gulf carry an Arabic meal option and those to the South East Asian countries feature an Oriental menu.

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Likewise, the in-flight cuisine on Singapore Airlines is divided as per the passenger classes, namely suites & first class, business class and economy class, routs and passenger profiles. In the airline’s A380 Suites & First Class, passengers can pre-select a main course dish of their choice from the Airline’s Book the Cook service available on most of its flights. All meals on Singapore Airlines are served on Givenchy-designed fine bone china and crystal ware. Select dishes include Kyo-Kaiseki, Shahi Thali and popular Singaporean selections as the Singapore Chicken Rice. Coffee options include Brazil Santos Bourbon, Colombian Supremo, Kenyan AA Kilimanjaro and Jamaican Blue Mountain. Tea-lovers can choose from an extensive range of International, Asian and Chinese tea blends. For the business class passengers, a level of service similar to that of

Inflight Menu

the First Class is provided, besides a cheeseboard service featuring the finest cheeses. Economy class guests can select from a complete international or customised menu based on their routes and preferences. The menu on Ethiopian Airlines is said to be the result of a complex planning and development process involving several factors. The menus are designed in line with the airline’s slogan ‘The New Spirit of Africa’. Hence, there are African products and recipes in all their flights apart from menus from all over the world. Of course, different classes have different budget. Routes are also a very important factor as there are sectors where some products are not preferred such as beef dishes on routes to India or preference for chicken and rice on routes like Nigeria. Chefs training Airline meals are prepared in huge kitchens or by in-flight catering facilities on a round-the-clock basis.

Many airlines still use their meals and onboard services as a key marketing tool to win customers and retain them. As a result, there is a constant demand for improvements. This has created a big competition between the different in-flight meals catering providers around the globe with everyone trying to offer the highest quality product and service at a competitive price.

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Inflight Menu

Most preferred cuisine by Indian passengers - Jet Airways- A large number of guests, both Indians and foreigners, prefer Indian meals - Ethiopian Airlines- Spicy and traditional Indian dishes as curries (chicken, fish, seafood and lamb), Basmati rice and Indian style vegetables are by far the favourites with Indian passengers. Indian food has become a classic in the airline industry because many of the dishes work well on board. It uses them not only on its Indian routes but also on other routes to Europe and the Middle East.

- Singapore Airlines- Passengers profile and preferences can be very dynamic, which is why it constantly monitors and adjust its menus accordingly so as to cater to the needs of the passengers. Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > May 2014

Globally, all airlines adhere to the IATA standards. Local health bodies and food control bodies issue food licenses to all caterers. They have to obtain the necessary license and be certified by the civil aviation security agency of the land. Elements like ingredient quality, temperature at which food is cooked/ chilled and reheated affect the quality of food. Ethiopian Airlines uses the HACCP system to track all products from the time they arrive at the unit until the meals are delivered on the flights. As per the industry standards, the airline says, that the staff is not only trained in cooking techniques and variety, but also in food safety and hygiene. The same menu development process used by our catering facility in Addis Ababa applies to independent catering providers on their supply to Ethiopian Airlines. We give potential providers our standards, either in weights, products, cuisine styles and recipes, after which the menu is designed and presented at the catering unit from where we uplift meals in the presence of our experts.

After making changes in the menu, the information is arranged in a meal specification including pictures, name of the products, weight, class it is used in, recipe codes, equipment codes and so on. Jet Airways trains the chefs as and when required to ensure the products and specifications are met. It has its own caterers from whom regular feedback and inputs are taken with regard to all stages of menu finalization right from menu designing, selection of dishes, trials and plating, with a view to benefit from the culinary expertise of the caterer. Once the menu is finalized, it is photographed and every detail is documented. These documents act as a bible for us to check on the quality of meals prepared and served on board. This apart, the local Jet Airways catering team and station managers do frequent random sampling of food to ensure food quality is maintained. Also, the passengerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feedback is shared by the caterer. Random on board flight audits are also conducted to have a firsthand feel of the quality of food offered to our pas-

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sengers. On an average we uplift approx 25,000 meals per day across all sectors and class of travel. Meal planning for Singapore Airlines is centralized in Singapore to ensure consistent standards. Exact specifications are sent to appointed in-flight catering providers, which are reviewed during meal presentations and quality control checks by stations as well as Singapore. We regularly receive samples of the various meals provided worldwide as part of the strict service level standards in place with our providers and we work closely with them on the entire procedure of inflight menu development. Our robust customer feedback system augments this system -- we conduct surveys and customer focus groups to identify the areas that we can improve on. The airline also trains its cabin crew regularly and rigorously on the various meal service procedures. Recent menus Jet Airways- Last year, the ‘Restaurants on Board’ programme brought together leading chefs and culinary experts. From Europe, Jet had

Inflight Menu

Michellin star chef Yves Mattagne for Continental dishes; Bombay Brasserie from London to cater to Indian guests, Dabbawala from America for Indian meals, Chef Satish Arora from the Taj Hotels and a panel of chefs from the Oberois. From Hong Kong it tied up with the Sky City, Marriott, Hong Kong’s specialty Chinese Restaurant Man Ho, where Chef Ricky Wu had designed its menus. Singapore Airlines - Its ‘Epicurean Gallery’ last year features special seasonal dishes for a limited period on select flights ex-Singapore like White asparagus terrine served with iberico ham, mesclun, champagne vinaigrette; Asparagus soup with chicken quenelle and cream baguette Veal schnitzel Holstein with asparagus and nut-brown butter. Ethiopian Airlines- Every three months, it changes the national dishes to ensure that Ethiopians enjoy the Ethiopian flavour on their trips and foreigners can learn more about the region’s cuisine. It had incorporated an Ethiopian Coffee Mocha Mousse. In its recent menus, it planned to in-

troduce traditional dishes with a twist such as Mediterranean Beef Ribs. Menu differences for long-haul and short-haul flights The meal experience in a long haul flight is more elaborate than in short haul flights due to the flight duration time restrictions. On Jet Airways long haul flights have two meal services and one meal service on short haul flights. The menus on Ethiopian flights are developed considering the departure time, duration and destination and differentiated as short-haul, longhaul and domestic routes. It differs in terms of the type of service (lunch, cold breakfast, hot breakfast and snacks) and the frequency of the services during the journey. Singapore Airlines plans its menus based on the routes and passenger profile. During long-haul flights in its A380 Suites and First Class flights, an array of savoury and sweet items including biscuits, Asian noodles or fresh fruit are available as a snack at anytime. Customers can also choose from a wide range of gourmet bread rolls like ciabatta, focaccia, sesame

seed kaiser rolls and kalamata olive bread and four flavours of extra virgin olive oil (extra virgin, balsamic vinegar, truffle and basil). An enhanced snack service is available on long-haul flights for business class guests wherein customers can choose from sandwiches and a selection of savouries and sweet items such as biscuits, soup, instant noodles or fresh fruit. For the long-haul flights on Economy Class, the airline offers snacks like savoury buns/sandwiches and a selection of savoury and sweet items such as fresh fruit, biscuits, fruit bars, chocolate bars or muesli bars. Many airlines still use their meals and onboard services as a key marketing tool to win customers and retain them. As a result, there is a constant demand for improvements. This has created a big competition between the different in-flight meals catering providers around the globe with everyone trying to offer the highest quality product and service at a competitive price.

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Hospitality

Why Indian City hotels ignore Weekend businesses? ROHIT HANGAL

he global Business Consultancy, Cushman & Wakefield reported that the Indian hospitality sector will add 52,000 new hotel rooms to be added in the next five years). This will lead to a rise of over 65 per cent in total hotel inventory in India. The National Capital Region (NCR) alone is expected to contribute around one-third to the total expected hotel rooms supply during the period. Diminishing occupancies, increasing inventory, too much reliance on Corporate Business has taken the wind out of its sails. The aggression showed by all and sundry in creating wealth in form of building hotels has resulted in the present glut. The last few years have seen India’s City hotels rise out of nowhere and touch record ARRs and occupancy rates and soon the inevitable fall from grace. Some, who justified the prevailing rates due to ‘India Shining’ syndrome, have now conveniently disappeared. In an era of higher occupancies due to limited inventory and a growing economy, what surprises more, is the utter lack of foresight to plan for the increase in inventory compounded with a slowed economy. Indian City hotels continue to disregard opportunities to create new markets for their properties. Indian city hotels other than those Delhi have successfully driven the leisure market out, and chased the MICE segment to Bangkok, Colombo and Kuala Lumpur. In comparison to occupancies from Monday to Wednesday, weekend business in hotels fluctuates wildly. I would love

Voyager’s World > May 2014

to see the hotels provide their ‘variations in occupancies’ figures, as eagerly as they flaunt their ARRs. The positives from spiraling rates in the early part of the decade have resulted in the mushrooming of alternative accommodation like service apartments, guest-houses and homestays. Some service apartments which offer excellent value for money and have given three-star and fourstar properties a run for their money. Companies are also creating their own in–house accommodation options. And truth be told, hoteliering can be outsourced and learnt, in order to provide the services professionally. Hoteliers should take a cue from markets such as Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, where it pays to create a larger ‘source market base’ and use sounder yield management techniques. Unlike other industry sectors, like the FMCG or the Banking sector, Indian City hotels have been extremely shy of creating and nurturing new market segments. It is surely not rocket science that Indian cities at most times are down by 60 - 70% from Thursday to Sunday, i.e., would be over a minimum of 200,000 unsold room nights! There has been virtually no effort being made by any of the major hotel associations to help hotels tie-up with tourism boards, deal with major MICE Networks or even travel companies to help create a transparent room rate mechanism combined with a sound promotional strategy, which would help generate business from varied markets such as MICE or leisure. With the expanding hotel scenario,

where in all and sundry see themselves as a hotel owner and the International Hotel brands see an opportunity to fix their brands and get professional management to one of the world’s fastest growing hotel construction markets. In the world changing Hotel ownership dynamics from traditional hotel owners and operators to the new real estate developers, who go by the name of ‘Asset Creators’! In a new found love of creating wealth, hotels are now a big part of the scheme to generate recognition and accrued valuation to raise more funds to expand their real estate ambitions. In such an era where the hotel ownership is myopic towards any long-term business plan, management is pressurized to cater to the whims of making quick money, without a desire to create a market, which involves a bit of patience and hard work! The new age city hotels have created a system of milking the already drained ‘Corporate Cows’ or the homegrown Revenue Manager’s diktats. The Revenue Manager’s role (primarily an imported concept), was introduced into Indian hotel system by the big multinational chains to maximize revenue. The Revenue Manager is accorded with powers to supersede the sales team’s control over evaluating clientele and negotiated rates. Conflicts of interest between the Revenue Manager’s short-term goals and the end result of creating a long–term sustained business relationship is one of the key factors for hotels to refuse to look for alternate sources. We, still for some strange reason are quite obsessed with a Corporate Hotel

tag, making our desire to enter new source markets an unrelenting dent to the bloated egos. Competitive and fair pricing for some reason, is still a point of confusion. Indian hotels across brands and classifications, still are not public on the differential pricing system that is accessible. Even in high priced hotel markets such as London, it is not rare to see billboards outside five star hotels quoting weekend rates vis-a-vis increased rates for Mondays. Maybe the dynamic pricing model adopted by Airlines will see gain more acceptability among Indian hotels one day. Rooms alas, are still a very perishable commodity! Leafing through newspaper articles which announce hotel projects in India (especially the ones announced by real estate biggies); it’s quite surprising that some of them have not even moved from the drawing board stage, for about a year. The announcement of new hotel projects with leading world hotel brands adds value to the project’s real estate component and gets the necessary ‘pre-public issue’ attention from media. Word is soon bound to get around and hotel brands will get tired of attaching their brands to projects on the drawing board. The situation is similar to the great timeshare rush of the ‘90s to get affiliations from the RCI. To-be resorts used RCI’s affiliation to woo customers on sheer brochure value. So much so that the RCI now does not provide affiliations, until the projects are complete. We shall talk more on that in the coming months..

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Cuisine Corner

PLUM: chandigarh ‘woks’ up novel jAPANESE FARE SHAHEEN GAUTAM

handigarh - a city that has survived on the traditional tandoori and butter chicken for years - is now digging into the choicest variety of wantons and sushi, in an eatery crafted on a Japanese temple, enjoying Asian fare from near and far. In the last few months, Chandigarh is getting a taste, literally, of newer things in the food business as eating joints are opening almost every other day. You may have never taken a trip to Japan, but you needn’t bother now because the recently opened ‘Plum’ at Elante Mall, Chandigarh’s latest happening place and the biggest mall in the region, takes you on a ride there. A melting pot of menus it definitely is, but before I get down to describing my dining experience, I’ll have to admit that the interiors here are by far one of the most unique I have noted in the city. Designed like a ‘house in a box’, Plum has a unique wooden hut-like structure housed at an angle within the restaurant. The roof will remind you of a chalet with its beams and the multiple drop lights add to

the soft charm. The walls are made up of many small squares with floral cut-outs. Quite like the fruit, the variety on the menu at this 80-plus cover Asian bistro is juicy and well-endowed. Think any Oriental dish, and in all probability, it’s tucked away in one of the many pages of the menu here. From Sushi, Teppanyaki, Thai lemongrass chicken, Burmese Khao Suey to wantons, you can tick a lengthy list of exquisite mouthwatering dishes on your check list. After a lot of mind wrestling, we began our meal with one portion of sushi and Shanghai Chicken Dumpling, while sipping on a much-recommended Strawberry Blush mocktail. The Plum shake, the heavenly banana, chocolate, peanut butter and whipped cream shake are other options to weigh up! The salmon roll is a good introduction to the sushi lineup here, especially if you aren’t too keen on the latter. We were spoilt for choice with the umpteen main course options; from

the wok to those rustled up in a bowl. As suggested by the chef, we ordered from the scrumptious spread of the Plum Signature Bowls which includes Singapore Bowl; chicken in oyster sauce with sticky rice and the Pan fried noodle bowl with chili chicken and basil sauce.

We ended the fare on a sweet note with the Banofee pudding — Plum’s version of a Banoffee pie served in a tumbler glass — and cheesecakes. The lip-smacking, succulent flavours of the dishes and the rich, toothsome desserts made for a perfect, laidback Sunday brunch.

Wazwan cuisine: emanating authentic Kashmiri flavoUrs

Wazwan cuisine is a royal experience, says Chef Ravi Kumar, Executive Sous Chef Shangri-La’s-Eros Hotel, New Delhi, while elaborating on the ceremonious process of its preparation. IRENE SUSAN EAPEN Kashmir and almost all the special dishes are meat-based. The meats are prepped by hand and traditionally using wooden equipment, as the chefs generally cook the meat preparations and other dishes overnight to give an authentic taste to the cuisine. Wazwan cuisine is not just a simple meal but also a ceremony since hours of cooking and days of planning go into the making and serving of a wazwan. It is normally restricted to occasions of celebration at homes.

How is wazwan cuisine different from other cuisines? The method of preparation of Wazwan cuisine is an art and point of pride in

Wazwan cuisine has a long history. Explain its roots. It is said that when Timur invaded India in the 15th century, he unknowingly introduced to the country

Wazwan cuisine. How many dishes are there in a Wazwan cuisine? How it is generally served? The elaborate preparation and ceremonial presentation of lavish meals, often comprising of 36 courses, makes Wazwan a sumptuous and royal feast. The exotic treasures of secret recipes from the renowned family of Waza are the master chefs of Kashmir. The meal concludes with the Gushtaba, a very exclusive dish, Phirni for dessert and a cup of Kahwah, the green tea flavoured with saffron, cardamom and almonds. Wazwan cuisine is usually served course wise

with guests seated in group of four, sharing the meal out of a large metal plate called the trami. What are the main dishes of a Wazwan cuisine? Some of the main and popular dishes are Rista, Goustaba, Tabak Maaz, Yakhni, Rogan Josh, Qabargaah, Dum oluv and Nadir Haaq Do you see culinary tourism being promoted in Jammu & Kashmir? The authenticity of Wazwan and culinary culture of Kashmir is diminishing day by day so it needs to be revived and promoted strongly by tourism and hotels to showcase the culinary tourism through festivals and promotions.

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India Outbound

rupee climb revs up travel trends The UNWTO predicts that for India, travel and tourism’s fiscal contribution is expected to grow by 7.3% this year, outdoing the overall general economy by 2.5 percentage points. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

ith enough being talked about the emerging Indian middleclass and the burgeoning outbound travel sector from the country, this current summer holiday time is something to reckon, given the Indian Rupee gradually recouping and putting up a Rs. 58.57 against the US dollar today. The steady recovery of the rupee has proved beneficial not only to international but also the national airlines to come up with economical fares. Low cost carriers Spice Jet had, a couple of months back, slashed up to 75% off on its base fare and fuel surcharge relative to last minute fare, for travel period between 1 April and 30 June this year. Similarly, Indigo brought down its ticket fares by 1530% across various routs. While these reductions were introduced around the middle of the first quarter of this year, the validity of the bookings was offered until the ongoing summer, a few of them offering up to the end of June, considering the fact that schools in some places in North India close for annual holidays in from the end of April until the end of June. Thus Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Srinagar and Leh have been seeing a lot of demand from vacationers this season.

Compared to last year, when the rupee weakened miserably aligned with the dollar, this year the travel sector can hope for at least 12-15% growth easily this year. Besides growth in the domestic tourist segment, the figures of the foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in April 2014 are promising, with 5.04 lakh arrivals as against 4.52 lakh in the same period last year.

Several flights, including direct services, to these destinations as well as short travel time have led to the increased preferences for holidaying in these destinations. With packages to Sri Lanka or Malaysia starting anywhere between Rs. 25,000-30,000, this summer will be an ideal time for those who are travelling overseas for the first time.

According to a study by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), on Annual Economic Impact Report 2014 for India, travel and tourism’s fiscal contribution is expected to grow by 7.3% this year, outdoing the overall general economy by 2.5 percentage points.

From putting off travel plans to a later date, planning holidays on shoestring budgets to reducing the number of travel days; the brief rescheduling of travel plans has been worth the wait for the money-wise Indian traveller.

The study indicates that the returns earned from domestic tourism grew by 5.1% last year and is anticipated to rise by 8.2% this year. The amount that foreign tourists spent in India grew by 6.2% in 2013 but is expected to slacken to a 2.9% growth rate this year. The findings also pointed out that the number of Indians travelling overseas will come close to 50 million by 2020. South-east Asian countries, that have seen a lot of Indians travelling over the years, will continue to be favoured by our country in the near future as well.

Average price per room night in 2013 as against 2012 in India in Rs.

DESTINATION

2013

2012

% change

Mumbai

8013 8083 -1

Delhi

6707 6878 -2

Kolkata

6433 6168

Bangalore 6215 5992

Goa

5927 5445

Chennai

5897 6380 -8

Hyderabad 5509 5920 -7 Kochi

5290 5088

Pune

5243 5538 -5

Jaipur

4983 4890

Voyager’s World > May 2014

This apart, international hotels and resorts are coming up with attractive tariffs, with a marginal hike though, thus providing a reciprocally encouraging situation for the traveller as well as the hotel. A recent study by Hotels Price Index revealed that last year Indian tourists had spent more for their hotel rooms in most of the countries included in the HPI with increases mainly registered in Europe with the continent’s gradually strengthening economies, while on the other hand, the beleaguered Indian Rupee was languishing in despair thus rendering overseas travel more expensive. The Indian average was up by 6% to Rs. 5,254, though this growth was one of the lower rises in Asia and represents good value for domestic consumers when compared to neighbouring nations. Other Asian countries like Macau recorded the highest increase, up 29% to Rs. 12, 321 in second place, followed by Thailand up 13% to Rs. 5,667 and the Philippines up 11% to Rs. 6,420. Despite the fall in value of its own currency, Japan was up 10% for Indian travellers to Rs. 8,195. Cambodia saw the fastest fall, down 23% to Rs.3,981, making it the country in the HPI where Indian tourists spent the least. Though the rupee had fallen 12% in the first half of 2013 until November or so, there was not a corresponding rise in the number of inbound visitors. The HPI study revealed that though there was growth of 4%, it was still lesser than the previous few years.

This apart, the domestic low cost carriers had to increase their fares to make good for the fall in the currency and the skyrocketing fuel prices. The study also suggested that if one were to compare the average prices paid in INR for hotel rooms across different star ratings in the world’s top cities to help consumers make the most of their travel budget, in many cities, 5-star hotels can be booked for the same amount as lower star categories elsewhere so it is always worthwhile to research before buying as a small amount of exploration can generate substantial savings. In the 5-star range, there was a Rs 29,252 gap between the highest and lowest average prices paid by travellers from India for a single night’s accommodation. At the top of the list on Rs 38,904 was New York, followed some way behind by Singapore on Rs 24,822, with London in third place on Rs 24,672.Delhi offered the best deal on 5-star accommodation in the chart with average prices of Rs 9,652 a night, followed by Mumbai on Rs 9,809 and Guangzhou on Rs 9,812. If location were not a factor when choosing a luxury break, it would have been possible to spend four nights in Delhi for the same price as one in New York. Bangkok had the lowest 4-star average on Rs 5,933, with Budapest on Rs 6,375 and Guangzhou on Rs 6,553. Delhi on RS 6,555 and Mumbai on Rs 7,010 were still competitive. It was still less expensive on average to stay in a 4-star hotel in Delhi than a 3-star property in 24 popular destinations such as Tokyo on Rs 7,554, Singapore on Rs 8,832 or Paris on Rs 9,430, or even 2-star in London on Rs 6,876, San Francisco on Rs 8,155 and New York on Rs 9,966. The domestic market accounts for about 82% of tourism revenue. What has come as a boon in the recent months is the government’s initiative to extend India’s VoA scheme to 180 countries. The change, which is expected to come into effect in the second half of this year, is anticipated to lend a huge thrust to the inbound tourism inflows.

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Travel Trends

joguru refines self-planned trips Praveen Kumar, CEO, JoGuru, a start-up of travel enthusiasts seeking to offer personalized itineraries, talks about the company’s offerings and how they differentiate their services from a host of others in the market. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM perience enhances with places that touches mind and soul of a wanderer. JoGuru helps one to determine within a fraction of seconds which place to visit. With the intelligent algorithm that runs at the backend, one can also optimize his travel plan based on chosen attractions. At JoGuru one can also refer to already present itineraries which will help them in planning and selecting attraction from a city.

What does JoGuru actually do? JoGuru brings awesomeness in trip planning and how? JoGuru’s a contemporary - customizable trip planning platform which is tailored to suit every single traveler in the world. Literally! This is a personalized trip planner where a traveler can fully customize their dream trip in the blink of an eye without taking it long to decide the flow of an itinerary. Trip Planning is a brain eating activity which not only consumes time but also demands heavy research unless a traveler is planning to go to a granny’s place or to an already visited place. JoGuru steps in right here to reduce this fatigue and get a high performing trip planner. Travel ex-

How different is the customization service offered here compared to the other established travel review and backpacking and other sites? Travel domain is broken into splinters and so is customization service. JoGuru unlike other trip customizing platforms focuses on giving entire pre-vacation planning module under one roof/page. Right from the nearest hotel to pick for accommodation to the quality attractions to visit, everything is made visually very handy and compact. Its user interface letter by letter connects with eye and brain making it easier to make an awesome itinerary. JoGuru has efficaciously managed to include top attractions by their ratings and annotate their highlights which include opening hours, ticket prices, mode of transport, length of duration during

the visit, nearest eateries and public transport; and travel distance between current and next attractions to see. A timeline on the top keeps one updated with where their morning, noon and evening will be spent. Other websites focuses on showing a route in the 1st segment of planning which can be slightly confusing. JoGuru has made it illustrative and left the map to navigate only while traveling. It has also integrated smart hotel booking feature which tells nearest hotel to book around attractions. For a multi-city trip itinerary, this itinerary planner shows total number of ways to travel through train, flight and bus including their cost of travel. No other website offers anything like this in a tightly sealed see through bottle. Advantages of opting for selfplanned holidays at JoGuru Self planned vacation is like being a free bird roaming wherever we feel like. One becomes the master of their own itinerary which ultimately improves 90% chances of enjoying a trip plan more. Packaged itineraries are one plan that suits all types of travelers whereas, self planned vacation on JoGuru means “Do What I like and be where I want to be”. It’s time saving since right from transportation medium to time to travel,

everything is very well known to the traveler in advance. It’s comfortable since everything is well perceived and forecasted. It is cost saving as it evaluates all modes of travel like train, flights, buses etc and their tentative cost. One can choose anything that suits their budget. Moreover, it also updates users with the closing and opening time of an attraction thus saving more money & time for travelers running late. ` Top five holidays that are opted by your customers Favorite international destinations picked by our customers include Bangkok, New York City, Singapore, London and Hong Kong and within India, customers have preferred Leh - the road less travelled, Goa, Agra, Jaipur and Delhi. Target clientele We focus on tying up with Flight booking portals, hotel reservation portals, taxi booking portals and tour service providers. We are into converting already present itineraries with tour package providers and state tourism websites into visual infographic format. In future we will integrate with portals like yelp or Zomato to allow users to reserve restaurants, bars and pubs in the vicinity of attractions.

WHERE ARE THE SCALES POINTING? Here are a few travel trends spanning technology, search engines and ground transport that are projected to shape travel decisions this year for the industry as well as the end-users. VW BUREAU Some of the top travel trends projected for this year are: a. Rise in mobile bookings: Mobile bookings were expected to reach 40% by the end of 2013 for travel-related searches which includes smartphone, tablet and Wi-Fi enabled devices. The use of mobile phones has been increasing year-on not only in terms of the page views and visits but also the room nights generated and revenue. Desktop usage has taken a backseat. Desktop is getting less traffic overall, but the decrease is not as substantial

in terms of room nights and revenue. This trend is applicable for the urban metros in India as the proliferation of internet, though rapid in the country, is yet to reach the masses. 2. TripAdvisor and other review sites find increasing favour: TripAdvisor has been witnessing increasing traffic, especially with its integration within the Facebook graph and the site now boasts of 260 million unique visitors per month. This apart, TripAdvisor is venturing into the hotel metasearch field. The objective behind establishing in the metasearch area is

that it is a one-stop site for all the information instead of making the user hop from one website to another. This would mean the hotels, restaurants and other attractions listed on TripAdvisor will eventually get to enjoy higher conversion rates. 3. Self drive car rentals: Self Drive travel is a new trend picking up here in India and is the next revolution in Indian Travel and Tourism Industry. When compared to other means of transport like flights, rail etc, Selfdrive car renting is an uncomplicated, hassle free and cost-effective way to

reach the destination and explore it at a desired pace. The Corporate professionals today owning to office work and leave issues, are deciding their outstation trips at the last moment. People like to make their trips to a new destination as experiential and adventurous as possible. Carzonrent, a car-rental company in India, recently conducted a survey in the 25-35 young corporate executives age group; 90% said that they would love to have the facility and will surely choose self drive to experience ‘Travel’ on their own terms.

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MICE Point

Jordan to be an unusual MICE venue

Ashit Taneja, Country Manager, Jordan Tourism Board says Jordan is well equipped to fulfill the demands of people to organize MICE events at the unusual sites. IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

MICE business Jordan is a small country in Middle East and the touristic towns from North to South can be covered in a short four hours drive so enabling the companies to save on domestic flight expenses and time. The visa on arrival can be obtained free of cost if the group size is 5pax or more with same departure dates. The country has great offerings from the lowest point on the face earth and unsinkable Dead Sea to the new seventh wonder of the world Petra and further looking forward to one of the finest diving places in Aqaba. Jordan does not offer an incentive plan for groups to travel to the country. Therefore, our present strategy is focused more to convince the corporate rather than luring them. New offers for unusual MICE Venues At present, we are working on an incentive plan to have better understanding and uniformity to all the groups traveling to Jordan. However, on case to case bases we consider the request and try to support in best possible way. Indian Market As the fallen rupee has started gaining its lost sheen, the market has started to revive. We have witnessed few large groups traveling to Jordan now. As many groups are in the pipeline for 2014 with the number of Indians that travelled to Jordan last year, we are aiming to increase these numbers significantly by focusing more on the MICE segment. Unusual venues for MICE events For millennia, Jordan has been the meeting place of different cultures with an impressive selection of meetings and exhibitions range from ex-

Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > May 2014

clusive board meetings on board a luxury yacht on the Red Sea to international conventions of over 3000 people at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center (KHBTCC) in the Dead Sea. The visitors can explore the splendid desert canyons and the massive ancient castles where mock battles can be fought and won. At Jerash, the Roman style chariot races and gladiator style challenges can be taken. The medieval style banquets can be served under the vaulted walls and mighty ramparts at Karak and Showbak. Jordan has its Royal Automobile Museum to offer that features late King Husseinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection of over 80 cars dating from 1909. The museum is able to host private events with a capacity of 350 and provides an ideal venue for motoring related launches or presentations. The adventurous individuals can soar with the eagles over the towering desert mountains in a hot air balloon, learn to fly, go skydiving, or climb and explore the challenging cliff faces to discover the ancient rock carvings and manmade tombs of those who

lived in the area thousands of years ago. They can also experience the Bedouin lifestyle and dine under a million stars to the haunting sounds of Arabic music at Petra. Delegates can ride into Little Petra (Baida), wearing the local attire, be presented with sand bottles with their names spelt out in different colored sands. A Nabataean evening that transforms Little Petra into a majestic place filling the canyon with music, light and dancing troops. The famous restful waters of the Dead Sea provide a relaxed, serene and therapeutic experience. Here exclusive spa resorts offer self-indulgence and pampering. Work-worn delegates and other visitors experience a boost that will make them feel younger and ready to face the challenges of life with newly discovered vitality. Infrastructure Jordan is strongly committed to provide the best in conference and meeting venues and facilities. All of Jordanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top hotels have fully-equipped conference and banqueting rooms with dedicated, friendly staff. At Petra, the sandy grandeur of a great hall carved out of the cliffs provides an

entrancing setting for a soul restoring concert while the carved facades of Little Petra provide a stunning backdrop for any product launch. A tented lodge and individual cabins in the Ajlun forest Reserve provide a base for trails through tranquil wooded hills to visit archaeological sites and experience village culture. Karak and Ajlun desert castles lend themselves to events with a series of crusader themes, such as costumed dinners or team building competitions. At Jerash, the Roman Army & Chariot Experience (RACE) brings the hippodrome to life with displays of sword fighting and racing. The performance can be branded with a corporate logo as a private function and provides a spectacular alternative to fireworks after a candlelit dinner for upto 500 in the Oval Plaza or South Theatre. Jerash Theatres also makes it an ideal location for concerts and events as well. All the sites of Jordan are well equipped to fulfill and meet the demands of their visitors, thus a meeting or incentive trip would fall short of expectations if it did not include the opportunity to take a trip to atleast one of these unusual sites of Jordan.

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MICE Point

knowledge, investment and local economy boost mice industry

The total system of a meeting includes everything from the local vendors to the event space, all adding to the economic growth of a destination. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

he significance of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry now finds itself placed on the top revenue and wealth generating areas in travel and tourism. The total system of a meeting includes everything from the local vendors to the event space, all adding to the economic growth of a destination. Thus, the undertakings of the MICE industry are gaining increasing importance in the growth of the economy internationally, going beyond cultures, nationalities, nations and business practices.

Meetings and events bring in a lot of knowledge resource and aid in professional enhancement in the area where the meeting is being held, while also creating job opportunities and helping small vendors. In a sense, it can be said that the MICE industry is supportive of ancillary businesses as well. The knowledge of someone who understands the area the conference is being held can be very valuable in ensuring the optimum outcome for the delegates. It is important that the city comes together – travel agents government, transport, hotels and other related

parties must come together. From the time huge events and conferences are planned, going on to the stage of bidding for the venue and execution of work, the MICE industry aids in investment, technology and communication. They also bring in the best of ‘all worlds’ i.e.; attracting and inviting the top-notch talents and experts together, not to forget the networking advantage that this farreaching industry provides. In addition, today’s meetings have gone a step ahead to promote sus-

tainable green meetings as part of their corporate responsibility towards the environment. Hence, the various advantages brought in by the MICE industry are the ones that the travel industry must take into consideration. In today’s highly driven world, often flanked with an unpredictable, fluctuating economy, a key area that those interested in the MICE industry must not ignore is the investment area. The bigger the meeting, the fancier the venue and the more important

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34>>

MICE Point

the objective, the bigger is the investment requirement. Right from the planning stage, as mentioned above to the promotional stage, the huge infrastructure and the facilities require humongous funding. A recent study by the UNWTO on the value of meetings industry mentions that for a government owner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is the case with well over 75% of convention centres worldwide today â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this investment must be weighed against other investments in their community, many of which may be much more popular with local residents. Therefore, the organizers of the meetings, in tandem with the government, must work out on what would be the return on the investment (ROI). First of all, the MICE organizers should take stock of the normal trade visitor database that they already have before zeroing on the destination or the availability of the convention centre. Once that is brought into shape, the next thing to be considered is the del-

Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > May 2014

egate-quality. Top-notch delegates, experts, regular meeting attendees and industry persons would have to be accommodated in high quality hotels and also have to be booked on good flights as well as ground transport. Plus, this also extends to other spending factors. For every delegate, there are so many people organizing things and providing services, such as the transport coordinator, public relations and communications coordinator, group in-charges, etc. Then there are the exhibitors and sellers who put up stands and stalls to exhibit their products and services to the buyers, visitors and other delegates who have a vested interest in the event. The bigger the event means the higher the purchase value, more the number of buyers. The need for the right branding exercise can be derived from the fact that business tourists spend few times more than other category of tourists; their spending on Wi-Fi, usage of the business centre at the venue and other meeting re-

35>>

MICE Point

quirements are few examples. MICE means the coming together of people from different nationalities and cultures and hence, there is a need to ‘meet’ the international standards of quality. However, as attractive as the financial returns are from the meetings business, these are often far outweighed by broader community and economic development benefits. Meetings and conventions essentially take place for the purposes of business, professional and scientific development as well as sharing knowledge and expertise -so it’s not surprising that both the events themselves and the people who attend them have a lot to offer to the host community. From an economic development perspective, meetings and conventions attract people who are much more likely to be business decision makers – and this can generate not only local business prospects but trade and investment potential as well. Events also inevitably act as showcases for local products

and services, if only because these will get exposure during the course of the events and the related social, educational and entertainment activities that take place around them. But there is an even broader benefit to the host community. Events in any area of discipline – particularly major national or international events – often attract literally the very best expertise in the world, which means local access to a high level of knowledge transfer and international exposure for local professionals. In areas like medical practice, this can have huge implications for how local skills develop – which creates, in turn, big benefits for the quality of service in the community. All these factors combine to create a strong and diverse return on an investment in the business events sector – and that is exactly what many governments are looking for today as they seek to build a more robust local economy in the face of lingering global financial challenges.

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36>>

Travel Technology

technology: driving travel choices and booking decisions

Technology and model changes are something that travel companies must watch out for and quickly adapt to what suits them best. VW BUREAU

he dependence on technology in the travel industry is dynamically evolving by the minute, changing the ways in which people think and book their travels. Airlines, hotels, online travel portals, mobile applications and the like have shown new influences on travel choices. Technology and model changes are something that travel companies must watch out for and quickly adapt to what suits them best. They have to look out for the best global methods of distribution so as to increase their business volumes while reducing costs. Right from the points of sale, managing real-time inventory to the overall merchandizing, a good technologically-forward distribution channel will shape the end sale of the travel products. Travel management and expense reporting company Concur has been promoting its Open Booking tool. Through this tool experienced travellers make their bookings with the supplier of their choice. The booking procedure entails corporate offers, discounts included. The individual bookings are collected and assembled into a single itinerary using TripIt technology (which Concur had recently purchased). As per a recent study by PhocuWright on travel technology trends revealed during WTM London 2013, UK-based travel management company Portman Travel uses UC as a key part of its customer service strategy. Using UC to link 17 sites and 550 users, Portman has brought down the call waiting time to under three seconds and achieved a £30,000 ROI. The company is now using its communications infrastructure to provide video conferencing to its clients as an alternative to travelling. As for the hospitality industry, with the help of Hotelicoper’s hotel shopping and booking technology, leading hotels like the Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and Wyndham have implemented a hotel shopping service called Room Key backing all their properties. All of their properties can be displayed in many ways. The Room Key display allows guests to check the prices, read

Voyager’s World > May 2014

the reviews and also evaluate other properties. Accor had recently implemented a digital solution that revolutionizes guest welcome in its hotels worldwide. The main idea is to use digital technology to offer customers a unique personalized welcome. It seeks to ensure that guest welcome is less devoted to administrative formalities, making the hotelier entirely available to greet guests, cater for their individual needs or simply help them save time. “Our ability to constantly integrate new technologies and improve the way we serve our guests and hotels is at the heart of our innovation strategy, to make Accor the most audacious and innovative hotel operator. Accor definitely places digital technology at the service of its guests at every stage of their hotel experience – before, during and after their stay – adapting its hotel services to the new modes of consumption which are more mobile and connected,” explained Vivek Badrinath, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Marketing, Digital Solutions, Distribution and Information Systems. In the aviation sector, several international airports have introduced holograms in the form of avatars to assist travellers, especially in the USA and the UK. Holograms are ‘virtual assistants’ who are video-projected creating the illusion of a real person to assist passengers at security checks. US-based Delta Airlines offers realtime luggage tracking to passengers on their mobile phones. American Airlines provides flight attendants with tablet computers to help them

refer to and record food preferences, passenger names, frequent traveller data, and other special requests.

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

Other important technology trends in this industry include the role of social media and that of big data. As per a 2012 survey by the American Society of Travel Agents, just 39% of travel agents employ social media in their business processes. Among those, 49% use Facebook and 44% use LinkedIn. Of travel agents using social media, 15% consider these services essential to their business, 29% are still learning how to use social media, and 20% say social media is still unproven as a marketing channel.

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

Big data is the current development through which the tourism industry will try to make travel easier. When talking big about data, quality is the quintessential element. The company will be valued if it is able to provide information before a trip on the number of people travelling on a particular flight, considering that even a single drop-out can have an effect. Amadeus recently revealed some key trends in travel technology for this year from content marketing, exploring new markets to personalization of services. They are: Ancillary in indirect channels: A few implementations of ancillary have already taken place in the indirect channel, but this is now ready to break through. So far this year, we have implemented 14 airlines for Amadeus North American customers, and have development projects underway for several major U.S. airlines.

Personalization: Targeted offers always beat non-targeted offers. As data platforms evolve and marketing/acquisition battles get more fierce, suppliers and intermediaries will make large investments to ensure they have the tools to win this marketing arms race. Billions of dollars are spent annually in online travel marketing – and a small improvement in efficiency goes a long, long way. Content marketing: Content Marketing/Airline, Content Marketing/ Cruise Line, Content Marketing/Travel IT; Amadeus believes 2014 will be the year seeing some very interesting twists in this model. The battle for eyeballs is fierce as individuals mix personal, leisure and professional content in their Facebook and Twitter feeds. How does a marketer compete with everyone’s friends, families and hobbies? Content must become even more engaging, entertaining, moving and inspiring to emotionally reach people.

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Association

Mumbai civil court restrains mulla from acting as President of TAAI

The stay order of the court came recently on a case filed by Rajji Rai, former President of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) against the election of Iqbal Mulla as President recently. VW BUREAU

n its stay order, the Mumbai City Civil Court directed Iqbal to abstain from acting as President of TAAI from April 12, 2014. Iqbal had sought further extension of his tenure, but the Mumbai City Civil Court declined him any further extension and directed him to refrain from exercising his powers and functions as the president of TAAI. As an interim arrangement, Sunil Kumar, Vice President of TAAI, has assumed charge as acting president of TAAI. As per the court direction, Iqbal has also ceased to be member of managing committee of TAAI. The stay order of the court came recently on a case filed by Rajji Rai, former president of TAAI.

The court termed the election of Iqbal against the natural law of Justice. On December 16, 2013, the election for the post of president of TAAI was held in Bangalore, along with the election of members of the Managing Committee of TAAI. On the same day, consequent to the election, the counting of votes took place. In the election for the post of President, among the three candidates, Iqbal and Rajji got the highest but equal number of votes, so the result of the election was a tie between Iqbal and Rajji. After consultation among three can-

didates and with their mutual consent in the presence of hundreds of other members of TAAI, it was decided unanimously by the General Body that the reelections would be held on January 27, 2014. Though the AGM had been declared closed on December 16, 2013 itself, on December 19, a full three days after the AGM was held, Harmandeep Singh Anand, the newly elected Hon. Secretary General of TAAI, sent an email to members of TAAI, informing them to their utter surprise and disbelief that Iqbal had been re-elected as president of TAAI. The mail stated that Iqbal had exercised his casting vote in his own favour.

Hence, Rajji, in the larger interest of the association challenged Iqbal’s election in the Mumbai City Civil court, and on March 12, the court passed a stay order directing Iqbal to restrain from acting as TAAI’s President with effect from April 2. Iqbal had requested the court to extend the date of the operation of the stay order so that he can complete some unfinished work as TAAI president. Accepting his request, the Mumbai Civil Court extended the date of the operation of the stay order for 10 more days up to 12th of April. Iqbal’s second term as president of TAAI ended on April 12, 2014.

OTOAI appoints Punam Singh as Executive Director VW BUREAU

TOAI (Outbound Tour Operators Association of India) has appointed Punam Singh as their Executive Director, based at New Delhi, with effective from 1st May 2014.

Punam is already the honorary chairperson of the OTOAI women’s wing, and till very recently, was the Country Representative, London & Partners, in India. Prior to that she headed VisitBritain and has been actively involved in outbound tourism and initiatives in the trade, asides of a long and fruitful career in various travel, hospitality and convention segments in India. Punam joins OTOAI with the remit of managing their secretariat, introducing best practices, driving new memberships, adding value to the OTOAI members, liaising with diplomatic missions, associations and NTO’s, organising workshops and seminars, communications and delivering a seamless, enjoyable and vibrant annual Congress. Delighted to take up this assignment, Punam hopes to escalate the OTOAI membership, and for it to be a badge of honour for all the members. Welcoming Punam into the OTOAI family, President Guldeep Sahni stated that it was a privilege to have her on board and that OTOAI now looked forward to accomplishing many milestones in outbound tourism and to fulfilling together what OTOAI stands for.

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Flight Talk

Indian aviation expands runway to new entrants

As low cost carriers compete with fare slashes and expand services, new joint ventures, clearances for aircrafts are expected to change the dynamics of pricing against the present demands-supply scenario. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

he aviation industry is spreading its wings in different ways in the Indian skies with tie-ups and new entrants. The most recent development is definitely the joint venture between AirAsia India, Tata Sons and Teslstra Tradeplace. Based on the recommendations of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) in its meeting held on March 6, 2013, the Government had approved 80.98 crore rupees of FDI/ NRI inflows for AirAsia Investment Ltd., Malaysia to set up a joint venture company to undertake the business of operation of scheduled passenger airlines. AirAsia will invest an additional $20 million (Rs 119 crore) in its Indian airline venture this year The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) finally granted the air carrier the flying license last week, thus paving way for a new international flyer in the country. AirAsia India’s CEO Mittu Chandilya had earlier said, “We will be launching flights in about two to three months. We would soon be filing our flight schedules for approval from the DGCA, and after the approval we would seek slots at the different airports.” The tripartite joint venture between

Voyager’s World > May 2014

Tata Sons, AirAsia Berhad, and Telestra Tradeplace of Arun Bhatia has received the air operator’s permit after over a year since the venture was announced. Mittu added that AirAsia India will look to price their tickets nearly 35% lower than the average fares in the market currently. “I think we can still make money despite offering lower fares, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” he added. However, on the potential routes, Chandilya remained coy and said there are three sets of networks they have in mind. The proposed joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons’ plans to start operations from 1 September, as per an application for an operating license submitted to the safety regulator. The application for the Air Operating Permit (AOP) submitted to the DGCA stated its plans to commence operations from its hub at New Delhi airport. At first, the airline had offered to start with a fleet of Airbus aircraft, which consists of A-320 types, to link domestic destinations. Later on it is expected that the TataSIA venture will slowly branch out into international services. This is because the existing laws allow carriers

a minimum of five years of domestic operations and 20 aircraft in fleet before permitting it to fly internationally. AirAsia India has initial plans of operating 87 weekly flights in the first year of its operations, connecting around 20 destinations to the New Delhi hub. Besides having invited public comments on this new venture, DGCA has to also check other issues concerning the airport such as the parking space, operating slots, routes distribution and the size of the fleet. Yet another development in Indian aviation is that of Air India’s slated partnering with Star Alliance this July. The only constraint felt in this is that of ground handling. After lifting a fiveyear-old ban, the Government recently cleared the decks for A-380 operations from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore in January 2014. The restriction on their operations was lifted after demands by major foreign carriers, including SIA and Emirates. The ban was imposed in 2008 on the A-380 aircraft as it was felt that the wide-body jet would snatch a huge portion of international traffic in the adverse interests of the Indian carriers. Both Delhi and Mumbai airports have been in receipt of the DGCA certifica-

tion and are gearing up to be able to accommodate these superjumbos. In view of the difficulties faced in search and rescue operations after an aircraft goes missing or meets with an accident, the DGCA has issued guidelines to all operators, in the form of Air Safety Circular, for real time tracking of aircrafts engaged in carrying passengers and cargo from departure to arrival. This is significant in view of the preliminary report released by Ministry of Transport, Malaysia into the accident of B777-200 aircraft 9M-MRO operating flight MH-370 recently, which had revealed that the location of wreckage is still unknown due to the fact that there is no real time tracking of the aircraft. It is now known that after Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) had stopped transmitting, the satellite communication system automatically transmitted messages that confirmed that the system was still logged onto the network. While commercial air transport aircrafts spend considerable amount of time operating over remote areas, there is currently no international requirement for real time tracking of the aircraft.

Destination

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mayiladuthurai: ‘ROOTING’ FOR THE PAST PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

sudden, unplanned trip to Mayiladuthurai, a small temple-town in Tamil Nadu, unlocked so many tiny hamlets near the town, each having a tale to tell of its own. The Mayiladuthurai Express pulled into the Aduthurai station at about six in the morning but I was told that Aduthurai is not the same as Mayiladuthurai. The narrow tracks and the small station were built in a way to offer us an invigorating view of the surrounding fields. After a ten-minute halt, the train resumed its journey to Mayiladuthurai, which we arrived at in about twenty minutes. Mayiladuthurai is a small town in Nagapattinam district, about an hour’s drive from Chidambaram. The town’s name is derived from a connotation to Goddess Parvathi who is worshipped in the form of a peahen at this place; ‘Mayuram’ or ‘Mayil’ meaning a peacock. While we had halted at Hotel Palms, there are a few good hotels in the range of two-three star categories, affordably priced and decently maintained with AC and non-AC rooms. Ours was a one-day trip and the in-

tent was to find and re-connect with a long-lost relative and revive the bond. I personally intended to visit a few familial homes and experience the days of a bygone period. We engaged a cab through the hotel staff and embarked upon our search after a traditional breakfast at the hotel. The layout of the houses here clearly reflected a vague difference between the strata of the communities residing here. Most of the homes wore an old look; the blue and green exteriors wrapped in layers of dust and the test of time. Porches supported by pillars were a common sight here while it was also not uncommon to see old cronies resting at the porches, chatting away as the sun gradually rose up. The car wound its way up and down the narrow lanes; with stray cows, goats and little children walking blithe. The fields and the river Cauvery splitting the town into two parts were a sight to die for; somehow the scenes are sure to take you back to a page from R.K. Narayan’s novels. It was difficult for us to initially find our way to our destination with barely any specific details about the address. That the house was on the same street as the Vishnu

temple in Thiruvilandur was the only information we had in hand. Undeterred by the glaring heat, we paused here and there making enquiries based on the names of our relatives. Finally, we stopped in front of a house near the temple, guessing and hoping to have found the place. Awkwardly, it turned out to be the wrong house and nobody seemed to recall our relative’s name. Nonetheless, the old lady was hospitable enough to invite us inside. The house was more than a hundred years old. Cemented walls, red-oxide floors and faded black-and-white photographs on the walls conveyed generations of memories and evidences of a close-knit living.

After enjoying juice made from dried citron fruit, we thanked the family for their hospitality and left the place to catch the evening train back to Bangalore. For those interested in exploring remnants of village houses and lifestyle in Tamil Nadu, Mayiladuthurai and the nearby settlements illustrate a slower and more contented way of life; unconcerned about the mad rush for material comforts and the eases of an urban living. If there is still something worthy that one rupee could buy today, it would have to be the packet of chips at a shop in the village!

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Festival Watch

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Festivals of 31 May - 15 June, 2014

30 May - 15 June, 2014

Festival of the Mediterranean Valencia, Spain

Madrid Book Fair Madrid, Spain

13 - 27 September, 2014

20 - 29 June, 2014

Ghent Festivities Ghent, Belgium

Queenstown Winter Carnival New Zealand

very year the Palau de les Arts (Palace of the Arts) in Valencia decks itself out to welcome this festival of opera and symphony music, a firm favourite with music lovers. Every year the festival promises one month of opera and symphony concerts featuring the presence of firstclass sopranos, performances by the Orchestra of the Region of Valencia. There is also a parallel programme of events which includes a variety of encounters and round tables between conductors and artists, in addition to exhibitions and film screenings related with the festival.

n 2014, Ghent Flanders Festival will present its 57th edition. Attracting over 55,000 visitors each year, the festival has become the talk of the music scene with events like “Avanti!” (musical cycling tour), its Venetian ball, ‘KidsOdeGand’ and ‘OdeGand’ (the grand opening event). The festival’s success is in great part due to its unique mix of diversity and creativity. Each year, over 180 concerts (classical and world music) are presented by over 1500 international artists. The fest is different in that it is only content if it can present the very best.

Voyager’s World > May 2014

very spring the Madrid Book Fair is one of the main cultural events for lovers of books and literature. It first took place in 1933. Today, the over 200 stalls set up along the Paseo de Carruajes avenue in Madrid’s Retiro park not only offer the public the chance to discover the latest literary offerings, but also to meet their favourite writers. Every day, the bookshops and publishing companies organise book-signing sessions featuring the most popular authors. You’ll find all kinds of books which you can buy at a very attractive discount.

he Queenstown Winter Festival is New Zealand’s biggest winter party. Featuring everything from ice skating to all-star snowboarding and dog derbies, this event culminates with a Mardi Gras spectacular. The festival focuses on entertainment for all ages with activities both up on the ski field and down in the town ship. Famous in New Zealand as one of the country’s best winter celebrations, the Queenstown Winter Festival is a great way to get amongst it in the midst of a buzzing winter atmosphere.

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Festival Watch

the World 17 - 28 July, 2014

11 July, 2014

Boryeong Mud Festival Korea

Champakkulam Boat Race Kerala

29 June, 2014

13 June, 2014

Rath Yatra Odisha

Sanno Matsuri Tokyo, Japan

he Boryeong Mud Festival attracts one of the largest number of international visitors. Tourists flock to the area to experience the beneficial properties of the Boryeong mud and also to have lots of fun. Fully immersed in mud, visitors enjoy mud wrestling, mud sliding and even swimming in the mud mega tub. The enthusiastic lot can try the marine mud-training course, whilst those looking for something more chilled can relax in the mud massage zone. In the evening, music and fireworks continue the party on the beach.

his spectacular chariot festival celebrated for eight days at the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri. Idols of Lord Jagannath, his sister Subhadra and brother Balbhadra are taken out in a procession in three immense chariots. The festival commemorates Lord Jagannath’s annual visit to Gundicha mata’s temple via his aunt’s home (Mausi Maa Temple near Balagandi Chaka in Puri). Thousands of devotees pull the chariots to Gundicha Mandir. After a week, the deities return to the main temple in a similar procession. The construction of the chariots begins in April.

hampakulam boat race is one of the oldest and most popular boat races in Kerala. It marks the beginning of the season for boat races in the state. Named after the serene village of Champakulam, this race is held on the course of River Pamba. The snake boat race is often considered as the ultimate test of endurance, speed and skill in this region and rowers numbering about 90 to 100 on each boat undergo rigorous training for several days, prior to participating in the race. Snake boats are the cynosure of all eyes and the main attraction for the cheering thousands, especially during the final race.

he Sanno Matsuri is famous as a festival permitted by the Shogun to enter the grounds of Edo Castle during the Edo Period (16031867), along with the Kanda Matsuri. It was also one of the three largest festivals of Japan. The main procession called ‘jinkosai’ takes place in mid-June in every other year as per the Western calendar. About 300 people in ancient costumes parade through Tokyo. Consisting of mikoshi (portable shrines) adorned with a phoenix on the roof, dashi floats, people carrying drums, people on horseback, the procession extends over a length of 600 meters.

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OTA

OTAs’ search: Where ‘more’ is the need of the hour

The present volatile situation in the industry has alerted the OTAs to make smarter moves to stand them in good stead by diversifying products and expanding investments. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

hile mature markets like the USA may be mounting a lot of pressure on online travel agents like ticketing portals and booking companies, India being an emerging market, there is still a long way to reach that stage over here. This is so even as the threat of metasearch engines is looming large on the travel-search front. Yet, OTAs and ticketing portals in the country have seen a few developments of late. TicketGoose.com, for instance, has recently partnered with United India Insurance so as to provide its customers with travel insurance. This policy seeks to cover personal accident cover with coverage on bus travel-related risks such as loss of baggage, damage of belongings, emergency medical expenses and any consequential loss due to disruption of travel. The insurance is particularly aimed to secure bus travellers and the insured’s family. Perhaps, a spate of bus mishaps that occurred about six months ago may have been a trigger for this initiative. The insurance cover extended by the portal for personal accidents stands at two lakh rupees per passenger; Rs.

Voyager’s World > May 2014

15000 for loss of baggge; Rs.10000 for emergency medical expenses and up to Rs.6000 for any loss due to disruption of travel. This new cover is an optional value-addition and is priced at Rs. 20 per passenger, in addition to the cost of each ticket booked on TicketGoose.com. Customers can avail of the policy while booking the tickets on the portal. As mentioned earlier, metasearch engines eating into the spaces of travel obviously means a better search experience and facilitating searches for the lowest prices available online. Perhaps this is why it is imperative for OTAs to improve the search experience. ixigo.com has overhauled its trip planner product offering with a lot of new features. Some of the new additions on this comprise 360-degree views of historical monuments in tandem with Google street view; a comprehensive list of destinations and attractions of nearly 5,000 cities, towns and hill stations in India; 16,000 hotels; 5,000 nature and wildlife areas; more than 65,000 hotel options and the ‘Near Me’ location-based mobile feature in its app; reviews and feedback from travellers on places to visit, hotels, restaurants

and photos; user reviews and ratings of places visited; user ratings and reviews of trains, platforms and facilities on the ixigo train app. Aloke Bajpai, CEO and Co-Founder, ixigo.com, said: “Thanks to the everexpanding content coverage on trip planner and our unbundled approach to solving specific travel use cases on mobile apps, we have registered a doubled year-on-year growth. We now have over 2.5 million active users every month and have seen almost 2.5 million app downloads across our five apps. We think this is just the beginning.” Yet another development would be Yatra.com aiming for a listing in the USA, on the Nasdaq probably sometime next year. Since a Nasdaq listing would give it a wider coverage and higher business volumes, the portal plans to work on it in the near future. Yatra also recently obtained a funding valued at Rs.140 crore, led by IDG Ventures India and Vertex Venture Management Pte Ltd. This being the fifth round of funding, Yatra’s existing investors, including Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), also participated in it. Yatra plans to use this fresh fund-

ing in order to step up the company’s growth plans by making it fortify its position in the holiday packages and hotel business, besides investing in mobile technology also and thus establish itself in the market at the vanguard position. “Over the years Yatra.com has witnessed consistent growth and has created a strong brand for itself in the industry. We are focused on expanding our reach in the market and further diversifying our business by growing the hotels and holiday packages business. This new investment will enable us to enhance our mobile technology, and also strengthen our execution capabilities,” said Dhruv Shringi, Co-founder and CEO, Yatra. com. The present volatile situation in the industry has alerted the OTAs to make smarter moves to stand them in good stead when metasearch engines compete with greater products at better prices. Presently, diversifying products, infusion of fresh funds and acquiring of businesses only serve as an interim way out. How they mould themselves in the future remains to be seen.

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Hotel Technology

RezNext’s new affiliation to simplify real-time room inventory

With the partnership with RezNext, TripFactory will now be able to provide its consumers real-time room inventory from hotels across India for booking while automating its own reservation process in the back end. VW BUREAU

ezNext has tied up with TripFactory, a global platform for travellers to search, customize and buy holidays at ease. TripFactory allows consumers to find their dream holiday and lets a user search for hotels, flights, packages, places and activities. It provides a platform for suppliers like tour operators and holiday experts to interact with consumers and offer their packages to guests directly. TripFactory helps top-notch travel businesses contribute their knowledge and sell products directly to millions of internet consumers.

Mike Kistner, Chief Executive Officer, RezNext Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd. said: “I welcome TripFactory to our growing list of demand generators who are adopting the RezNext distribution technology. Our real-time two-way seamless connectivity allows

partners like TripFactory to provide a great booking experience to their consumers.” “Through RezNext, we are able to bring together our global network of hotels and demand generators and

llow them to engage in the most cost effective manner by automating room bookings. TripFactory provides a unique experience to its consumers and we are happy to power their hotel booking engine though our real-time distribution platform,” he concluded.

The latter strives to bring together travel companies, and provide them a global distribution platform to share their in-depth knowledge, content, travel experiences, and innovations while collaborating with other travel providers like airlines, hotels, tourism boards and wholesalers to deliver a great travel experience for consumers. With the partnership with RezNext, TripFactory will now be able to provide its consumers real-time room inventory from hotels across India for booking while automating its own reservation process in the back end. TripFactory will be able to assure its consumers quick confirmations for their bookings directly from the hotel facilitated through the RezNextdistribution platform. All modifications that consumers make to their original hotel booking will also be captured realtime allowing TripFactory to provide better services to its consumers. “We are excited to partner with RezNext and offer the benefits of real-time distribution technology to our consumers. Our consumers can now access real-time holiday and other packages directly from the hotel and receive assured confirmations quickly. This is a great service addition to our portfolio of offerings and will help us better serve our consumer’s requirements,” said Vinay Gupta, Founder and CEO TripFactory.

www.voyagersworld.in

Cruise

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Cruising: Creating ripples in India

In India, the idea of taking a cruise vacation seems to be slowly catching up as cruising features a number of options all in one product, giving value for money. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM product – multiple destinations, accommodation, meals, amenities and activities, thus giving more value for money. The cruise segment has been definitely making its presence felt in the Indian market in the last few years. From being looked at as a far-fetched, remote holiday option reserved only for the niche upper class vacationers, today, cruising has evolved as a possible ‘destination by itself’ in India.

he encouraging figures of inbound and outbound traffic in the Indian market in the recent times, against the backdrop of a notso-good global economy, have only prodded the Ministry of Tourism, the State Tourism Boards and other

Voyager’s World > May 2014

parts of the Indian travel fraternity to introduce newer initiatives to boost and sustain tourism revenue. These developments may also be attributed to the growing middle-class segment, better disposable income, increased media exposure and a de-

sire for newer travel experience. The cruise sector, too, is no exception to these changes. In India, the idea of taking a cruise vacation seems to be slowly catching up as cruising features a number of options all in one

While the idea of cruising is still to become a top-of-the-mind option for the Indian vacationer, the trend here has proven to be a promising one for outbound travel only in the recent years. Earlier, cruise companies were packed with their main core markets such as the USA, UK and Europe and obviously developing nations like ours was nowhere near their target. Today, these cruise companies are growing with a lot of fleets and newer routes and itineraries. Besides there

Cruise

45>> is more visibility of cruise products in emerging markets. Earlier there was a major prejudice against cruising in India that it is a luxury product and that it only offered nautical experiences. However, the situation is now changing and the rapidly developing metro capitals in the country like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai are huge mature markets while the emerging Tier 2 cities also hold a lot of promise for the cruise sellers. The fact that the Indian travel trade has begun diversifying its products testifies that cruise products are easy to sell off the shelf as they are all-inclusive and holds potential for the family holiday market. Constant education to the travel trade as an intermediary and the corporate as an institutional buyer is ongoing by the major cruise players already. It is very important to educate the mindsets of the travel agents of the USPs and benefits of selling a cruise. This way they can explain the benefits to potential customers. Some of the benefits include: everything is all in-

clusive in the cruise fare and the convenience of unpacking only once on a trip to multiple destinations. In today’s world Hotels & planes are but a regular feature of one’s lifestyle, so the heart of experiencing something off the block is where cruising is starting to gain its popularity. Cruising hotspots in the Indian market are most popularly the South-East Asia routes, followed by Europe, Alaska, Baltic, Caribbean and South Americas. Cruising has been an excellent option for meeting and incentives given the value for money nature of the offering, and excellent range of experiences and options on board. This remains unchanged. What has changed recently is that everyone is now thinking about cruising, and the demand is coming both from the larger metros as well as smaller cities and towns. A full ship charter gives you the exclusiveness, added to which all your venues for various events are under one roof. This holds good despite the fact that we do not have any cruise ship based in India. Other countries in Asia like China, Singapore, Japan and Malay-

sia have ships based in their country and they have also heavily invested in infrastructure and build world class cruise ports for passenger ships. Cruise countries like Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Myanmar and Thailand have huge potential to be a sought-after cruise hub in South-East Asia and India will continue to be important source market for the region. The hitch in the travel trade fraternity s that the knowledge about cruises is still quite limited to a few cruise liners and as the market grows, more and more specialist players will enter this segment. The cruising segment is more looked as a shipping segment rather than a tourist segment. This view changes approach, outlook, coordination and infrastructure that a tourism segment needs to thrive. The government can play a significant role by investing in infrastructure and changing taxation policies. These steps will go a long way in attracting cruise companies to base their ships in India, which will help grow our inbound and outbound cruise market. Plus, the more brand awareness

rci marks fifa 2014 with coca cola party at sea

created for the complete worth of a cruise vacation will enable agents to sell better. Cruise companies need to conduct training programmes for the agents on how to sell the products, helping a huge market understand and consider luxury holiday options. The idea of cruising is very unique as it has something to offer to all age groups. Mass cruising will continue to grow and has tremendous potential for volume. Today, Indian travellers are quick to check holiday review sites, social media, word-of-mouth and blogs among other data sources before narrowing down on a holiday option. Agents can consider using direct mail to appraise them of cruise itineraries of specific destinations like Alaska, Panama Canal, Arctic & Antarctic expeditions, in addition to outdoor advertising like hoardings and billboards. The cruise vacation segment will only grow in the Indian marketplace as this option was non-existent till we pioneered the concept 20 years ago. Despite the fact that Indian travellers have to fly overseas to take a cruise vacation due to the absence of ships sailing along our coastline, the India outbound story is emerging.

Event update

VW BUREAU

T R

oyal Caribbean International partnered with Coca-Cola for the Coca-Cola Party at Sea celebrating the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The cruise line will host the official Coca-Cola Party at Sea complete with broadcast of the games at the official watch party hosted by Coca-Cola and complete with samba dancers. This summer, there simply will be no better place, outside of Brazil, to watch, to cheer, to celebrate the sport spectacle. Royal Caribbean International is focused on providing best-in-class entertainment options which will feature match broadcasts in public viewing areas and in-stateroom. Throughout the cruise guests also will experience

additional family activities, Adventure Ocean activities, giveaways and more for everyone to enjoy during their vacation – free of charge. Limited edition Coca-Cola soccer themed souvenir cups will accompany the purchase of any all-inclusive soda beverage package. “Royal Caribbean is proud to partner with The Coca-Cola Company to host their Party at Sea,” said Nick Weir, Vice President, Entertainment, Royal Caribbean International. “We know how important this event is to our guests and we are certain that even casual soccer fans will enjoy the experience of watching the competition onboard our family of ships.”

he 4th India Association Congress 2014 is scheduled for 23rd - 24th August 2014 at the Fairmont Jaipur, Rajasthan, India .

With the International and World Professional and Industry associations now looking at Indian Associations for collaboration, knowledge share, strategic tie ups, this is an invitation to all such leaders/professionals to mark their calendars and participate. The Indian Associations Congress is the must-attend event for association leaders, thinkers, professionals, service providers. Now the 4th association professionals from India and the neighborhood. RAJASTHAN, INDIA For the first time we are having Call for speakers after in-depth market research on topics that address both international and regional development/aspects/issues not only to ensure the www.indiaassociationcongress.com programme content is relevant but also that every speaker has an interesting and valuable case study or experiences to share. We are working with each speaker throughout their presentation creation to ensure they are concise and packed with actionable ideas www.indiassociationcongress.com and advice.

23-24 AUGUST, 2014 FAIRMONT, JAIPUR

With the help of policy makers and industry leaders from various associations and organizations, we aim to find process to expand our horizons, to identify what is new in our area, what will bring added-value & benefits to the members and brings Indian economy on an international platform.

www.voyagersworld.in

Online Travel

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Does Google spell trouble for OTAs?

Google’s recent partnerships with hotel chains has raised an alarm for some in the industry, leading to speculations on its possible impact on advertisers, especially the online travel agents. Courtesy: Reuters

ith the human mind having been attuned to the virtual world for the simplest of queries, hotel search engines are facing peril with Google Inc’s recent partnerships with hotel chains. “To the extent that the travel industry is spending advertising dollars with Priceline or Expedia or TripAdvisor, Google is well aware of that and they’d like to steal some of that,” said Douglas Quinby, vice president of research at PhoCusWright, a travel industry research firm. Google already owns ITA software, a flight information provider, and has a hotel price ad program that routes consumers to hotel websites for booking. In the recent past, hotels have agreed to test Google products, and last month, Google reached a licensing agreement with a startup called Room 77 that lets guests compare hotel prices and book rooms. While many analysts do not think Google is a big threat to OTAs in the immediate future, such agreements have sparked buzz about what it could eventually do in the travel sector. However, industry researchers do not believe that Google is looking to get into the business of processing purchases done by online travel agencies, which are some of its biggest advertisers. They add the transaction business would require certain capabilities that would bring new

Voyager’s World > May 2014

overhead and fixed costs. Yet, Google would like to court more travel advertising revenue, they said. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which includes the Radisson and Country Inns & Suites chains, had announced a pilot programme late last year thereby allowing guests to search, shop and pay for hotel stays using Google Hotel Finder, Google Business Photos and Google Wallet payment applications. The Best Western chain also signed up to have interactive photos appear in Google search results. On its earnings conference call last month, Google revealed its travel efforts as being meant to provide ‘more and more detailed information when people do searches’ for hotel bookings or tickets. Douglas said after its recent moves, Google is directly competing with hotel search companies like TripAdvisor inc, Priceline Group Inc Kayak.com and Expedia Inc’s trivago. Of the $4.7 billion spent on USA travel advertising last year, 52% went to websites and other digital channels, as per PhoCusWright data. Of that, hotels spent the most, followed by online travel agencies and airlines. While Google’s moves could put some ad revenue from OTAs at risk, Quinby said that the online agencies won’t cut ties with the company. “Google is

just a huge source of traffic,” he said. “It’s not like some of these big (online travel companies) are suddenly going to stop advertising on Google.” Henry Harteveldt, an industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, said Google doesn’t want to process travel bookings because there are better profit margins in travel advertising and search engine marketing, less complicated businesses. “Google wants to be more actively involved in travel advertising and search. They want to do everything except be that travel agent or the airline or the hotel,” Harteveldt said. Still, he said Google was a threat because its search capabilities enable it to collect data on consumer interests and habits that could make it a more compelling business partner than an online agency for destination marketers, airlines, cruise companies and other travel sellers. “Travel companies tell me they are deeply concerned about Google’s potential strength,” Harteveldt added. The biggest online travel agencies said Google is a valued partner that helps drive business their way. In a statement, Expedia called Google ‘an important source of traffic and highly qualified leads’. Expedia said it works with many search engines and added “to the extent Google can play a constructive meta

role, so much the better. Priceline Group Chief Executive Officer Darren Huston said his company had a “really good partnership” with Google and added he doesn’t lose sleep pondering what it might do. He said that should Google decide to compete more fully with online travel agencies, it would find a business that takes a lot of work, given the capabilities needed to process transactions. “Travel is one of many areas that (Google) may want to do more on, and they’ll be surprised if they do come down in the space where we operate (to see) just how hard it is,” Huston said in an interview. “We’re not just an Excel spreadsheet. We have customer service, credit control, hotel people and 135 offices around the world doing really hard day-to-day work to maintain the specialness of this product.” The clamour for ad space and rates will heighten because once the customer types in the date of travel and booking preferences, by default Google’s hotel rates will appear and so other hotels and travel booking portals would have to pay more and stretch more to stay on top of the lists and retain the priority of the guests. As the old adage goes, the existing players must be the fittest to survive in the market. Newer solutions, acquisitions and shared platforms can be expected.

Happenings

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Tripigator.com Launched in Partnership with Incredible India

ripigator.com, a travel planning engine, was launched today in Delhi in partnership with Incredible India of Ministry of Tourism. Tripigator.com instantly generates personalized travel itineraries on fewer inputs and significantly reduces users’ effort by replacing 10 tabs with one tab. The website has been chosen as the official travel planner by the Ministry of Tourism and will also be available on Incredible India website. The website was unveiled by Parvez Dewan, Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India and its three founders - Mukul Garg, Piyush Grover, and Karteek Narumanchi – protégé of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa wins accolades

he Shillim Spa at Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa, located in the Western Ghats and a short drive from Mumbai and Pune, has been recognised as the ‘Best New Spa’ (Resort) in India at the GeoSpa asiaSpa Awards 2013. This recognition comes soon after the Shillim Spa was voted the ‘Best Luxury Wellness Spa’ in Asia and ‘Best Luxury Emerging Spa’ in India at the 2014 World Luxury Spa Awards last month. The Shillim Spa features among the largest and most comprehensive spa facilities in Asia encompassing 70 acres and offering more than 80 treatments.

Indian Railways launches 'India Junction - A Window to the Nation'

hairman, Railway Board, Arunendra Kumar released a book, titled ‘India Junction – A Window to the Nation’ recently. The book has been brought out by Public Relations Directorate, Railway Board. India Junction—featuring in-depth, analytical essays that are rich in history; delectable travel pieces; and some truly amazing and rare photo features— celebrates the changes the Railways has brought about in our lives; and examines how the Railways itself has transformed over time.

Rendez-vous Canada 2014 aims high on business opportunities

he Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, BC, will play host to hundreds of international travel buyers jetting in May 27-30 from 28 countries, including all of CTC’s key markets, for close to 24,000 pre-scheduled face-to-face business appointments with Canadian sellers of tourism experiences and products. Of the best-ever total of 475 foreign buyers, the US leads the pack with 70 buyers, a 16% increase over 2013, while China has upped its numbers from 51 to 61 buyers this year, followed by Japan with 38 ,Germany with 32 and India with 23 buyers. However, RVC is only a gateway to the rest of Canada for the 1,500 international travel professionals at the four-day event. “Rendez-vous Canada is the biggest showcase for destination Canada. RVC is a must attend for all serious Indian buyers.” Added Mr. SanJeet, India Representative, Canadian Tourism Commission.

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Happenings

48>> AI launches 'upgrade offer'

ir India announced an upgrade scheme for its Economy Class passengers to experience its Executive Class on its domestic network from 43 stations. Under the scheme titled ‘Get Up Front’, passengers in Economy class can avail upgrade subject to availability of seats in Executive class at the airport (on first come first serve basis), on payment of a fixed amount- Rs.5000 for up to a distance of 750km and Rs.7000 above 750km. The offer is open to all passengers holding revenue tickets in Economy class, including APEX fares. The scheme is valid till 31st October 2014.

Ezeego1.com launches campaign with Auckland Airport

zeego1.com launched a special campaign with Auckland International Airport to promote New Zealand as the perfect destination for a family holiday. The campaign highlights Auckland as the first entry point into New Zealand, with the destinations’ spectacular scenery ranging from stunning islands, picturesque lakes, and breath-taking mountain ranges to the long white surf beaches and a lot more. Whatever be your interest, New Zealand is an ideal destination to break free from the mundane routine and enjoy a fun filled vacation with your entire family.

Seychelles Tourism Board organizes FAM trip for travel agents

eychelles Tourism Board recently organized a familiarization trip for Mumbai and New Delhi tour operators like Thomas Cook, Cox&Kings, TUI to create an understanding about the destination.

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The agents visited four islands Mahé, Praslin, St. Anne and Frégate, Mahé offers exciting excursions like the Takamaka Bay rum distillery and Morne Seychellois National park, the Sainte Anne Island, a part of the Sainte Anne Marine National Park; it is a large areas of sea grass of the granitic islands where green and hawksbill turtles are often found. Bottlenose Dolphins also frequent the park. The Praslin is famous for the UNESCO World Heritage Site Vallée de Mai and Anse Lazio, considered to be the world’s most beautiful beaches and Fregate is the most easterly of the granitic islands a jewel of conservation and has an exclusive 16 villas luxury resort.

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Voyager’s World > May 2014

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Top Appointments

49>> Bhaskaran T

Hemal Jain

General Manager, The Lalit Ashok Bangalore

General Manager, Alila Bangalore

haskaran. T has been appointed as the General Manager of the Lalit Ashok, Bangalore. Bringing in over 16 years of experience, he has worked with Hyatt Regency, Novotel Hyderabad, Viceroy Hotels and most recently at the Lalit Laxmi Vilas Palace Udaipur. In his new role, Bhaskaran will be in charge of the overall direction of the hotel.

emal Jain has been appointed the General Manager of Alila Bangalore. With nine years experience, he was associated with Park Hyatt, Four Seasons, Hilton, Oberoi and had joined Alila in 2009.Prior to this new role, he was the Director of Sales and Marketing at Alila Bangalore. In his new role, Hemal will oversee the complete hotel operations.

Jit Bose

Jens Peter Corder

Director of Sales & Marketing, ShangriLa Bengaluru

General Manager, Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru

hangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru appointed Jens Peter Corder as the General Manager. Jens has to his credit over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry in many aspects of hotel operations and has held executive hotel management positions for over eight years across Shangri-La properties in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and now in India.

it Bose has joined Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru as Director of Sales & Marketing. With over 20 years of experience in hospitality, Jit has worked with Hyatt, Le Royal Meridian and Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts. In his new role, Jit will head sales, events, revenue management, reservations, marketing and corporate communcications of the hotel.

Neha Mishra

Dileep Kumar P. I.

Director of Communications, Shangri-La Bengaluru

Director Of Sales and Marketing, Crowne Plaza Kochi

hangri-La Hotel Bengaluru has appointed Neha Mishra as Director of Communications. With over seven years of experience in sectors as FMCG, media and hospitality, she had most recently worked at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Hyderabad. In her new role, Neha will manage communications team and develop strategic marketing and communications.

ileep Kumar P. I. has joined Crowne Plaza Kochi as Director of Sales & Marketing. With 23 years of experience, he was associated with Trident cochin, Oberoi Motor Vessel Vrinda, Backwater Cruiser, Ashok Group, Le Meridien Kovlam Beach, etc. In his new role, he will be responsible for driving the sales of the property.

Raj Kakarla

Rishi Ravindra

General Manager, Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences

Director of Sales & Marketing, Silent Shores Resort & Spa, Mysore

ishi Ravindra has been promoted as Director Sales & Marketing from his previous role of General Manager of Silent Shores Resort & Spa, Mysore. with over 11 years of experience, he had worked with George Hotel UK, IBIS UK, Taj west End Bangalore, etc. In the new role, Rishi will be responsible for sales, marketing and overall business development.

aj Kakarla has joined as General Manager, Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences. He has 23 years experience and worked with Oakwood Premier Prestige and Oakwood Residence Whitefield in Bangalore, Stamford Hotels & Resorts in Australia, Shangri-La Kathmandu, etc. In his new role, Raj will oversee the complete running of the property.

Adam Goldstein

Siddharth Chaudhry General Manager, New Africa Hotel & Casino, Dar Es Salaam

arovar Hotels has appointed Siddharth Chaudhry as General Manager, New Africa Hotel & Casino, Dar-Es-Salaam (Tanzania), operated and managed by the group. With a decade long experience in the industry, in Bar Risa/Jongleurs, Birmingham, the Promenade and Le Dupleix in Pondicherry and most recently in Park Plaza in East Delhi.

President and COO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

dam Goldstein has been named President and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. With 25 years experience with the company, his portfolio includes HR, IT, supply chain, corporate communications, commercial development, etc. In his new role, Adam will lend his expertise and stragegic insights to lead the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cross-functional teams.

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Events Calendar

50>>

networking is the key June2014

October2014

4, 5, 6

3, 4, 5

Thailand Travel Mart Thailand

Holiday Expo Nagpur, Maharashtra

24, 25, 26

27, 28, 29, 30

Gujarat Travel Mart Mahatma Mandir, Gandhi Nagar Gujarat

International Golf Travel Mart Villa Erba, Lake Como, Italy

29, 30, 31 ITB Asia Singapore

July 2014 11, 12, 13 July

November2014

India International Travel Mart Chennai

18, 19, 20 July

3, 4, 5, 6

India International Travel Mart Bangalore

World Travel Market London

7, 8, 9

August2014

Holiday Expo Vishaakapatanam

21, 22, 23

India International Travel Mart Pune

8, 9, 10

Holiday Expo Vadodara, Gujarat

28, 29, 30

India International Travel Mart Hyderabad

23, 24

India Association Congress Jaipur

18, 19, 20

eibtm Barcelona, Spain 23-24 AUGUST, 2014 FAIRMONT, JAIPUR

September2014 RAJASTHAN, INDIA

www.indiaassociationcongress.com

www.indiassociationcongress.com

3, 4, 5

IBTM India ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

5, 6, 7

India International Travel Mart Gurgaon, Delhi

12, 13, 14

India International Travel Mart Mumbai

Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > May 2014

December2014 1, 2, 3, 4

ILTM-International Luxury Travel Market Cannes, France

9, 10, 11

Luxury Travel Expo Las Vegas,USA

Chennai

: 11, 12, 13 July 2014

Bangalore : 18, 19, 20 July 2014 Gurgaon

: 5, 6, 7 September 2014

Mumbai

: 12, 13, 14 September 2014

Pune

: 21, 22, 23 November 2014

Hyderabad : 28, 29, 30 November2014 Kochi

: 16, 17, 18 January 2015

Kolkata

: 20, 21,22 February 2015