Voyager's World October 2015

Vol XII

Issue XII

Pages 44

October 2015

Rs 60

PUNE 27, 28, 29 November 2015

HYDERABAD 04, 05, 06 December 2015

KOCHI 14, 15, 16 January 2016

KOLKATA 04, 05, 06 March 2016

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‘Micro’ marketing tourism

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f there is one state that means business when it comes to promoting tourism, the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala would be a frontrunner; of Course, several Indian states are taking tourism as a key economic contributor, but one cannot help but notice the focused efforts of this Indian state in identifying potential markets to fortify inbound tourist flow.

The land of backwaters has been, of late, engaging actively with Russia in earnest for tourism. The fact of the matter is that, besides having larger interests of promoting tourism products, our Indian states can work individually on a micro level with smaller, yet sure pockets and turn them into key source markets.

With other states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra plunging extensively into organising travel marts, these platforms would be one of the ideal ways to build business on a micro level.

In this issue, we have featured trends on travel startups in the country, besides the potential of music tourism and a quick glance at recently concluded travel events.

Happy reading.

Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Chief Designer

Web Developer

Advertising & Marketing

Operations Executive

Rohit Hangal rohit@voyagersworld.in

EDIT

ORIA

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Priyamvadha Balaram priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Shyam Vishnot shyam@voyagersworld.in

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Industry Buzz

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Cover Story Potential of music tourism in India

Irene Susan Eapen irene@voyagersworld.in

Rohith Pinto info@voyagersworld.in

Mobile +91-9844092150 advertising@voyagersworld.in

ADVERTISING & CIRCU LATIO N

Assistant Editor

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Flight Talk Air Mauritius and new entrant Trujet

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Hospitality

Published By

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

24 41

Travel Events Looking back at PATA, MITM and ahead at WTM

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Industry Buzz

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MTDC splits Mumbai's Versova beach into two

Russian President to make Russia visa-free for BRICS for short-term visits & transit

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s per a news update on Russia and India Report, Vladimir Putin, President, Russia has instructed his government to develop visa-free travel for short-term visits and transit by foreign tourists from BRICS countries. The deadline to submit proposals is set for October 30, 2015. The BRICS comprises five developing economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Putin has also asked to make legislative changes that will increase the number of Russian ports that allow foreign sea travellers’ entry into Russia. The Russian Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism) is planning to put in place similar Russia-India visaless tourist exchange. Rostourism is working on a visa-free exchange plan for tourist groups between Russia and India operational by next calendar year, said Valery Korovkin, Head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Federal Agency for Tourism.

ccording to a report by Chaitanya Marpakwar for DNA, a race between two BJP legislators to beautify the Versova beach has led to the creation of a new seafront.

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has now split the old Versova beach into 2, and the southern end has been named the Andheri (W) beach.

The move has come following demands by BJP legislators, Ameet Satam from Andheri (W) and Bharti Lavekar from Versova to beautify the seafront and develop it as a tourist hub. In November last year, Satam had launched a massive drive to clean up the beach. The project included demolition of over 100 shanties and involved nearly 200 officials from various departments led by him. Officials pointed out that the 2.3km beach stretches across Andheri (W) and Versova assembly constituencies.

Kenya resumes manual visa application

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he Kenyan Government adopted to allow two visa processes to run side by side until further notice. Accordingly, the Government has announced that both manual visa on arrival and E-visa prior to arrival shall remain in force concurrently. No time limit has been specified before the return to E-visa only applications.

Abraham George re-elected as President of KTM Society for 2015-17

A Singapore Tourism Board appoints TRAC Representations for South India

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ith two existing offices in India operating out of Delhi & Mumbai, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has appointed TRAC Representations as their marketing representative for the South India market to strengthen trade relations and execute marketing initiatives in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala. TRAC will be operating offices in Bangalore and Chennai for STB.

braham George, CMD, Intersight Holidays, was re-elected as President of the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) Society for another 2-year period, i.e.

2015-17. Jose Mathew, MD, Rainbow Cruises, was elected as the Secretary.

The elections were held at the AGM of the Society in Kochi recently. While Jose Pradeep, Director, Hotel Yuvarani Residency, has been re-elected as the Treasurer, Prakash K. Nair from The Gateway Hotel Janardhanapuram Varkala, is the new VP. G. Gopinathan from BTH Sarovaram Kochi is the new Joint Secretary.

Air India starts domestic operations from T2 at CSIA in Mumbai

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ir India Ltd has shifted its domestic operations to Terminal 2 (T2) of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai. This move, according to Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and MD, Air India Ltd “will be a great experience for the passengers”. He added, “This is a swanky new terminal.

We are also looking at new routes and improving on time performance, passenger facilitation and aircraft utilsation,” Lohani said at a press conference in Mumbai last week. Also present was Pankaj Srivastava, Commercial Director, Air India. “Now we shall have better hand at handling transfers.”

SpiceJet to start direct flights to Dubai from Amritsar, Kozhikode

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piceJet will launch direct flights to Dubai from Amritsar and Kozhikode (Calicut). Bookings for tickets are open and flight services will commence from 15 November, 2015.

To celebrate the launch, the airline is offering tickets at an introductory fare of Rs. 4999/- all-in one way between Kozhikode - Dubai and Amritsar – Dubai.

While there will be daily flights on the Kozhikode – Dubai route, flights on the Amritsar – Dubai route will operate on all days except Saturdays. SpiceJet will be deploying its Boeing 737NG aircraft on the newly launched routes.

Voyager’s World > October 2015

Industry Buzz

8>> India signs MoU with Cambodia

Vista Rooms launches in Tier II & III cities of India

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ista Rooms announced the online branded accommodation in smaller cities across India and has primarily targeted the unorganized affordable accommodations segment in Tier II & III cities of India, building a network of over 450 properties in 55+ cities. The company tied up with Burgeon Hotels & Resorts to help in auditing, training and ensuring standardized quality for customers across its properties. Vista Rooms is founded by Amit Damani, Ankita Sheth and Pranav Maheshwari with a focus on smaller cities of India where good quality and affordable accommodations is required.

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he Union Cabinet, gave its expost facto approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Cambodia for cooperation in the field of tourism with an aim to promoting bilateral tourism between the two countries. The MoU was signed during the visit of the Vice President of India to Cambodia on 16 September. The objectives are expansion of bilateral cooperation in tourism; exchange of information on tourism; encouraging cooperation between tourism stakeholders including hotels and tour operators; investment in tourism and hospitality; exchange of visits of tour operators/media/opinion makers for promotion of two way tourism, etc.

Qatar Airways to bring Boeing 787 to Kolkata on 1 Dec

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atar Airways will expand its Boeing 787 Dreamliner route network to India with the launch of services to and from Kolkata starting 1 December 2015. Effectively from the same date, the airline will also re-launch operations to Nagpur with daily flights. Flight Schedules from Kolkata to Doha are: Depart Kolkata QR541 at 03:15, arrive Doha at 06:25 Depart Doha QR540 at 18:45, arrive Kolkata at 01:45 next day

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MoT launches several new initiatives on World Tourism Day

UK's Immigration Department launches 'Visit UK Video'

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he Union Ministry of Tourism (MoT) launched several new initiatives on World Tourism Day on 27 September in New Delhi. The Union Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma announced the constitution of the Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board to tap the potential and advantages that India has in the field of medical and wellness tourism.

Rail Europe flags off offers to mark 20th anniversary

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ail Europe is celebrating its 20th anniversary by offering special prices on a selection of products to explore Europe on train at a bargain price. It is lining up promotions with European railway companies and Eurail with deals. Rail Passes promotions consist of 20% discount for France Rail Pass; 20% off for German Rail Pass; one free extra day for a selection of Eurail One Country Passes and Eurail Regional Passes; 20% off Eurail Global Pass and Eurail Select Passes; 20% discount on Swiss Peak Promo in addition to 50% discount provided with a Swiss Travel Pass to visit Swiss peaks: Gornergrat, Mount Pilatus, Schilthorn/Piz Gloria and Titlis; Swiss Travel Pass; Thalys exclusive fares and Eurostar exclusive fares.

Voyager’s World > October 2015

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K’s immigration department has launched the “Visit UK Video” in order to educate the travellers and trading about the process of online visa applications to UK and to suggest that the Visa for the UK is easy to get. This “Visit UK Video” has been uploaded on many channels of social media like Facebook, Instagram and Youtube and also on the Office for the Foreign Commonwealth (FBO) platform. Nick Crouch, According to James Bevan, India’s British High Commissioner, the visa system is designed to make as simple as for the customers to apply. The video is just another instance of the improvements that have been made to visa service, making it fast and easy for the visitors from India to apply for a UK visa.

Maharajas' Express flagged off for new tourist season

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aharajas’ Express chugged out of Delhi station on 4 October to take its patrons across the ‘Golden Triangle’, signalling the beginning of its first journey of the new tourist season. A signature enterprise of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the train runs on five circuits across north-west and central India between October and March. Plans are afoot to run Maharajas’ Express during the off-season too (April-September) with some concession. The 3N/4D trip, known as ‘Treasures of India’ will offer the guests an opportunity to explore the cultural heritage of Incredible India.

Holiday Inn & Suites opens in Bangalore

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nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened Holiday Inn® & Suites Bengaluru, the first Holiday Inn hotel in the city. Located in Whitefield, the 122-room Holiday Inn & Suites Bengaluru, which includes 19 suites and two apartments, was previously Alila Bengaluru.

The hotel’s Event Centre, made up of three flexible event spaces of indoor and outdoor space, includes a ballroom which can host up to 160 guests. Shantha de Silva, Head of South West Asia, IHG said: “The opening of this hotel is in line with our strategic expansion plans to grow the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels across India. These brands make up more than 85 per cent of our development pipeline in the country.”

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Cover Story

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Music Tourism EYES YOUTH OF INDIA IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Sudhama Bhatia, Founder, Muzenly.com says music festivals in India are much smaller and are growing at 15 - 18 % annually. India is likely to host international festivals with a huge population of youth.

Music tourism in India Muzenly is a platform where you can find people from your city or country going for the same festival as you, and make friends with them.

But, we also have audiences from many countries like UK, US, Canada, France, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and South Korea on our platform. You can find us at www. muzenly.com and sign up to stay updated on upcoming music events and join the global music community.

There is some element of seasonality though in India, with most of the festivals happening between August to February. New festivals are also coming up all the time. Earlier this year, there was an Indo Russian festival called Zimafest that happened in Goa. Then we have festivals like Mahindra Blues Jazz festival which has been around for many years and is now extending to Chicago, which speaks of the quality of our events.

Our local music tourism is growing through the addition of new festivals, travelling for International Music festivals are also within the reach and budget of Indians. There are groups of people who travel for International festivals from all parts of India.

For example, there are countries like Philippines and Singapore which are so close where one can easily travel to, have a great time and experience great music. We are here to connect the Indian community going for these festivals.

Music Tourism is a major source of income for many countries globally primarily driven by the Music Festivals though, and the Electronic Dance Music ( EDM ) space. In UK

Voyager’s World > October 2015

for instance, the total direct and indirect spends generated by Music Tourism brought in about 3.1 Billion Pounds in income last year. In comparison, the Music festival scene in India is much smaller close to about Rs 150 - 170 Crores from ticketing perspective. Music Tourists for Festivals bring about 65 - 80 Crores annually, through spends on travel, accommodation, local spends etc .

However it is growing at 15 - 18 % annually.

Valley every December and was launched in 2013, has been steadily becoming a prominent destination as a camping festival. But there is also Rajasthan, the dark horse, which has taken on the incredible challenge of hosting a camping festival in the Dunes of Rajasthan, but has a great concept. We were also the exclusive booking platform for a festival called Paradise which was to happen in Kashmir last year, but got canceled because of the floods.

We have noticed in the last couple of years is that even though we have yet to host a major international festival brand in India, there have been gigs by some of the top DJ’s in the world, including Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto, Hardwell, and Armin Van Buuren.

Expected growth for 2015- 2016 This year, Asian festivals including some of the biggest in the world will host more than 1 million Fans with festivals like Sunburn, Supersonic, NH7 Weekender and EVC will be major contributors to that audience.

Sunburn, which is in its 9th year now, will be one of the biggest contributors to the size. India is still very under penetrated as far as festivals go, and some stats show that if India had half the penetration of the US, we would have 18 festivals the size of Tomorrowland (roughly 3 million in capacity). We also expect more new festivals to come up.

Marketing and promotional plans Muzenly has already partnered with some of the biggest festivals in India and some big International festivals as well. The experience is the main focus and believes in working with the festivals. We are a one stop shop for every music festival goers needs.

Muzenly not only offers tickets, accommodation and local transfers de-

Music Tourism has definitely been booming in India since 2013 as mentioned earlier. We think India is on the verge of hosting an international music festival. It is only a matter of time because India has a huge population of young audiences who are craving for great experiences.

India has the unique advantage of an amazing landscape. We have every kind of landscape possible for a music festival - mountains, deserts, beaches, and greens. This has allowed a new wave of camping festivals as well and good to see Indians being very open to such experiences. The Enchanted Valley Carnival ( EVC ) happens in Aamby

pending on the festival but it is also a platform for people to connect with other festival goers and with people whom they can car pool and share accommodation at music festivals with. We are the first Indian company to allow you to book your packages for even International festivals online. We have officially partnered with 13 festivals globally, including Sensation Dubai, Sziget ( Hungary ), Croatia Spring Break, and EXIT festival in Serbia, which was voted one of the best festivals of 2013.

The majority of festivals are dominated by 18 - 24 year olds who mostly prefer Electronic Dance Music ( EDM ) over other forms, there are also festivals like RIFF, which attract slightly more mature audiences - late twenties with no upper limit.

Skrillex, one of the top 10 DJ’s in the world recently organized the India tour on 11th October, with 4 acts in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad that had music tourists from Pune, Nasik, Chennai, Gurgaon, Noida, Chandigarh, Raipur, and Chhatisgarh. These type of major international acts combined add roughly 15 - 20 crores annually to the annual live music events space.

November - December is a peak time for Music Festivals in India.

The month of December has 5 well known music festivals happening in close succession like Nh7 Weekender ( Pune & Bengaluru ), Magnetic Fields, Enchanted Valley Carnival ( EVC), Sunburn, and Supersonic.

Wine Sojourns

12>>

WINE TOURS IN INDIA - ON A NEW HIGH! IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Ajay Shetty, Founder, Myra Vineyards says Myra Vineyards creates wines which are inspirational and our idea is to target new audiences and understanding our consumers better through social media.

Wine tourism as an industry Wine tourism is growing that is why we have more people investing in the wine industry .The industry is growing and there is increase in specific areas. Wine should not be classified as liquor and has the ability to create tourism and bring people from overseas to visit places in India through wine tourism.

New wine varietals Myra Vineyards has been in the

industry for 2yrs and positioned as a medium kind of luxury brand.

Myra Vineyards has its presence in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

We had launched 4 brands in the first year and 4 brands in the second year and introduced Misfit in Mumbai and Goa in the third year and are yet to introduce this brand in Bangalore. The first limited edition unfiltered red wine varietal Misfit was recently introduced in Grand Hyatt in Goa and Taj Palace in Mumbai introduced in the country with 13 to 14 alcohol percent. The wine industry is a fantastic industry both from the revenue industry area and the overall drinking habit area.

Activities Our brand activation properties include MYRA NIGHTS, MYRA SUNDOWNERS, MYRA BRUNCHES and MYRA POOL PARTIES. Our involvement and association with

activities around art, music and sports has also propelled out audience engagement marketing.

Wine Tourism Festival Wine tourism festivals can be organized as a standalone festival in India if it is done in groups with food and music, it will be like a winery walk with music and food.

The concept of wine as a drink People have accepted wine as a drink these days as wine is consumed properly with multiple cuisines. The concept is slowly changing in a positive note. Wine is tied to gastronomy and the global Indians have grown in terms of travel in terms of education or work in Europe, America who have been exposed to wine drinking culture.

The idea of drinking wine is the idea of romance knowing the story what is done, how is it done what it does that enhances your experience.

Challenges The industry is a much cluttered market, too many competitors, too much misinformation.so we are playing the long game as we have now wines of all levels.

Indian wines Vs. overseas wines The Indian wines are doing very well as we have noticed for the last 3 to 5yrs we have been getting awards.

We have been producing great wines, good quality which has been accepted globally. The quality of wine will grow over the years. Indians are globally well versed about the wine and are at the cusp of gastronomy explosion. The Indian wine industry will grow due to the global Indian and the kind of food they consume.

Vision Myra Vineyards Our vision to reach as a brand is going to be creating a vineyard, winery and the entire experiential center.

Nashik Kumbh expected to generate business worth Rs 15,000 crore VW BUREAU

Brand Kumbh is also drawing visitors to the wineries in the area that have started recording a steady rise in footfalls from earlier this month

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he Kumbh Mela, scheduled at Nasik, commenced on 14 July 2015 and will end by 11 August 2016, almost after a year. From holy water of River Godavari sold online to luxury cottages and chopper joyrides, Brand Kumbh is expected to generate business worth Rs 15,000 crore.

Situated near the Trimbakeshwar temple area, the Kumbh area has Wi-Fi zones allowing pilgrims to stay connected with the rest of the world through their laptops and high-end digital cameras. Luxury airconditioned cottages, with spaghetti and baked beans on the lunch menu, are offering the complete Kumbh experience, along with a guided tour through the religious congregation and also a joy ride -aboard a helicopter

Voyager’s World > October 2015

over Nashik and Trimbakeshwar.

room has increased by 15%.”

Brand Kumbh is also drawing visitors to the wineries in the area that have started recording a steady rise in footfalls from early August. Insulated from the dry days during the shahi snans, given their location beyond Nashik civic limits, owners say on the wish list of many Kumbh visitors is first worship, and then wineries.

The Nashik Kumbh of 2015 is separated from the last event not just by 12 years. From a religious congregation in its last avatar, the Kumbh is now a mega event pegged to generate business worth Rs 15,000 crore, an estimate that covers hotels, airlines, and transport among other key services. On the Kumbh bandwagon are half dozen websites hard-selling the a dozen websites hardselling the event. And they seem to be doing a good job. Wongwiss, a designer from Bangkok, made his accommodation bookings online.

Here with a Kumbh veteran Niphon Saengpueng, Wongwiss says he is enjoying the “exciting experience”.

“Monthly sale in the district is expected to touch 55,000 litres -10,000 litres more than the average,” says Shivaji Aher, President of All India Wine Producers Association. The upward trend is already visible. Neeraj Agrawal, vicepresident of Sula Vineyards, says: “Our wine sale in the winery tasting

In the sea of saffron, the tolling of bells at temples, crowds milling on the banks of Godavari and sadhus riding chariots are marketing ventures. A Noida-based company is offering helicopter rides in Nashik and a Faridabad-based tour operator is a key player in the luxury cottage segment. An executive of this operator, Sanjeev Rana, says this is his fourth Kumbh; from Swiss tents in the Allahabad Kumbh, the company has switched to deluxe and super-deluxe cottages this time. They are half-full currently, mainly with foreigners, but bookings are on in full swing. The Kumbh officially started on July 14 and will conclude on August 11, 2016, but religious activity and pilgrim numbers will surge during the two shahi snans next month.

India Outbound

13>>

MTPA targets 150,000 indian tourist arrivals by 2019 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Arnaud Martin, Chairman, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, says Mauritius is a natural playground for Indians and India, a natural market for Mauritius. year which is now 7.5% this year.

We are expecting a growth of 20% for 2016.This year we are enjoying

Mauritius Tourism We have got 5 or 6 world class shopping malls as minor shopping is very important for the Indian market in terms of attractively and accessibility of Mauritius. Air Mauritius is going to improve its connectivity on India we are looking at 4 flights coming up in Mumbai in November and we are looking at coming up with more capacity for next year.

growth of 10% this year and is going to accelerate around the year end by 11%.

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Growth India is definitely on our radar in terms of visibility we have enjoyed decent growth last year and but we are enjoying a spectacular growth of 22% in 2015 and believe this growth can be sustained over the next 5 years which will take us to 150,000 tourist arrivals by 2019. We are enjoying frequents from India which has been very encouraging for us.

This year we will have 75000 tourist arrivals to sustain the 20% growth.

Mauritius is a natural playground for Indians and India is natural market for Mauritius. There is lot of ties between both the countries in terms of historical and cultural with direct connectivity just 6hrs, no language barrier, no diet differentiation and you will find your favorite cuisine in Mauritius. People are very hospitable like in India and 65% of the population originates from India. The other market is Mauritius film Development Corporation that offers incentives to Indian film makers. India is a very important and potential market for us as we can get much higher share of the market.

India as a market India as a market stands as the 6 or 7 in position and 7% in terms of tourist arrivals. We have had 6% last

a growth of 10% in tourist arrivals and we would like to have 1.15 million of tourist arrivals which will be a

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India Outbound

14>>

TAT expects an increase of 12% Indian travellers IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Sugree Sithivanich,Deputy Governor- Marketing Communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand says India is a potential markets and the new offer of Air Asia is likely to increase number of visitors. arrival and the new offer of Air Asia of Rs.1466 a joint venture with this we are expecting more visitors from Bangalore to Bangkok.

Expected Growth Rate We are expecting a growth rate of 29 million visitors around the year end.

We have witnessed more than 30% visitors from the month of January until now compared to last year.

Indian Market This year is one of the best years of Thailand as we have witnessed more than 30% visitors from the month of January until now compared to last year. Last year, we received nearly 25 Million (24.78 million). This year we are targeting on 28 million visitors. Last year we received welcomed 906,428 Indian travellers in 2014.In 2015, we want an increase of 12% to 1.05 million travellers. From Jan to July we have had about 700,000 Indian visitors. India is one of the most potential markets that is growing day by day, we still have visa on

New Destinations Some of the destinations promoted are Bangkok, Pattaya offer a water theme park and cartoon network, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Hua Hin also has an interesting water theme park, Phuket and Kanchanaburi. Thailand is also promoting its destinations for holistic treatment of wellness, medical tourism and beauty treatments.

Promotions We have lots of online promotions, videos clips that build the confidence of the tourists, the ‘I hate Thailand’ video tells the tale of an independ-

ent traveller’s experiences of the kingdom after losing his belongings replaced by love for the nation.The five-minute film, released onto YouTube became a viral sensation on social media and viewed by nearly three million times. The “Discover Thainess” viral campaign, which took top prize in the Promotional Travel Video category, was admired for the way it showcased the kingdom’s unique Thai experiences; such as, culture, music food, and dance. The video is part of TAT’s 2015 Discover Thainess tourism campaign, which promotes Thai destinations and experiences including the Thai way of life, Thai culture and activities; such as, Thai boxing, Thai massage, Thai cooking, and Thai classical dance.

The TAT videos “I hate Thailand” and “Discover Thainess wins the PATA Gold Awards in Social Media and Promotional travel video categories, short movies and we also have promotion work with Indian tour operators from October in Mumbai and Delhi and joint promotions with the

tour operators and airlines. Tourism Authority of Thailand also recently organized the third edition Luxury Roadshow titled Amazing Thailand Luxurious Pleasure Roadshow in Mumbai.

During the China Golden Week Thailand experiences a huge spurt in visitors from China. TAT is estimating that the Chinese might have splurged over 4 billion baht in the country during their Golden Week running which was from 1st to 7th October with their favourite destinations in Thailand include Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Koh Samui. The Queen’s 84th Birthday is the celebration of Thailand Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

Segments Some of the main segments focused in Thailand are shopping tourism, sports tourism, golf tourism, leisure, volunteer tourism and adventure tourism.

philippines records 27% growth in indian arrivals in june 2015 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Gerard O Panga, Tourism Attache, Market Development Group, Philippines, says the Indian market did well at 27% as of June and the country hopes to achieve 75000 tourist arrivals by the end of the year.

Expected Growth Rate Philippines tourism across all markets is growing at 8% we are already half way to achieve our target as we

Voyager’s World > October 2015

are most definitely to hit our target for the year which is roughly about 5.2 million visitors with this the traditional markets continue to be the source markets for Philippines like Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Americans, Australians and Taiwanese. The Philippines registered a total of 2.6 million international visitors from January to June 2015 alone and has total earnings generated from tourism activities to 111.05 billion for the first six months of 2015. The Indian market is currently doing very well at 27% as of June. From 53000 tourist arrivals last year we are looking forward to achieve 75000 tourist arrivals by the

end of this year. The expected growth for the Indian market is more than 35% for 2015.

New Destinations promoted The main gateway to Philippines is Manila and we are an archipelago of more than 7107 islands like Boracay and Cebu. One can do a lot of adventure activities in Palawan and explore the destination Davao. The Mayon Volcano an active volcano in the province of Albay and one of the prime attractions we are promoting now a cone shaped volcano and the destination Iloilo City is also known as the Queen City of the South. The lo-

cal beer and culinary experiences are well known and highly recommended for you to try when you are in Philippines.

Promotions We have had the Visit the Philippines year (VPY) 2015 campaign as we are extending this campaign to the Visit the Philippines Again (VPA) 2016. The niche high profile activities to be held in Philippines are gourmet festival in March, international dive show, Asian Tourism Forum 2016 and Routes Asia 2016 .Madrid Fusion Manila 2016 for foodies, the MTV Music Evolution 2016 for music and concert lovers.

India Outbound

16>>

India promises to be key market for tourism in Tunisia IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Boujdaria Jamel,Deputy Chief of Mission,First Counsellor,Embassy of Tunisia says India is one of the future markets and the Indian people are ready to discover culture and enjoy life in terms of art and culture in Tunisia.

Tunisia Tourism Tunisian tourism sector is one of the pioneer sectors in the economy.

We do receive 6 to 7 Million tourists every year. Tunisia is in the heart of Mediterranean Sea which is not more than 2hrs from any Europe capital city. We are the neighbour of Algeria and Morocco. Tunisia also organizes international festival of music, International festival of Cinema every year. Tunisian people are very friendly, coffee shops are a common trend and the night life is very active.

Growth We have witnessed 5to 6% economic growth during last 2 years is 2%.

We are expecting a growth of 5 to 6% in 2016.Tunisia is based on agricultural, industrial and Tourism sector. The Indian market is one of the future markets on tourism sector.

We are offering visa on arrival since August to encourage Indians to visit Tunisia for group travellers which is about a month.

Trends of Travellers We have seen 5 to 7 Million every year from Europe like Germany, Italy, France and other countries like China and South Africa. Majority of the visitors from India are Indian business men and we have noticed 1500 to 1300 Indians visiting every year.

and is growing tremendously with a number of movies shoot in Tunisia.

The prime destinations of Tunisia are Sidi Bou Said a town in Northern Tunisia a tourist attraction known for its blue and white colour the beauty of the place, Hammamet offers number of beaches and a place for swimming and water sports, Djerba Island largest city is Houmt-Souk known for its beautiful beaches and dramatic sunsets. Tabarka is famous for its coral fishing, the Coral Festival of underwater photography and the annual jazz festival and Tunisia Carthage is known for 3000 civilization a must visit for all.

New Destinations Tunisia is a destination for all ages in terms of beaches, heritage, culture, desert and mountains. Tunisia has the first mosaic museum, white and blue tourist attraction, port and the sea. Film tourism is very important

Some of the other destinations are Mahdia a coastal city which is associated with fish-processing industry and weaving, Kairouan a UNESCO World Heritage site founded by the Arabs and the holy Mosque of Uqba and Ain Draham a regional

Voyager’s World > October 2015

economic hub.

Segments Sports tourism is an important segment growing with international tournament table tennis, football and female sports like basketball, film tourism is booming in Tunisia with a number of movies shoot every year. Sahara Tourism is very important in Tunisia and Leisure tourism with activities in sport, beach, water land, swimming, culture, music, motorcycle race in the desert and scuba diving.

Cultural tourism is growing with lots of performances and other events happening every year. Tunisian Couscous a traditional dish of veg and non-veg, egg brik a popular version filled with a whole egg and cheese added famous gastronomy or culinary tourism. Berber a dish of semolina is traditionally served with

vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes.

Tunisia is known for local beer Celtia and Lagmi palm wine.

Connectivity Although we do not have direct connectivity from India but we still have a number of airlines flying to Tunisia like Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates Airlines and most of the European Airlines so the connectivity to Tunisia has been good with a number of people travelling from various countries.

Promotions We will be attending the Global exhibition on Services in Delhi in Feb 2016.We have organized many international conferences from political to International events in Tunisia.

We are planning to organize workshops in 2016 and will be participating in all exhibitions to promote the Tunisia.

Flight Talk

18>>

Air Mauritius expects 15%-20% growth from india by end of 2015 IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Vinith G, Manager-India & South Asian Sub Continent, Air Mauritius says the airline is planning to increase frequencies in India by this October.

Normally the growth used to be 7 to 8% but this year from Jan to July the growth has been 20 plus in tourist arrivals and our carriage has improved drastically.

Growth of the Market The market has been doing very good and growing day by day. It was earlier a slow growth but now the growth is growing exponentially.

New Initiatives For a long time we have had a frequency of 3 from Mumbai, 2 from Delhi, 1 from Bangalore and 1 from Chennai. We are planning to increase our frequencies to 4 from Mumbai,3 from Delhi, 2 from Bangalore and 2 from Chennai by October end. The frequencies from Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi are still in the planning stage. We are looking for daily flights from Mumbai.

Expected growth 2015 India and China are the main markets sustaining all industries worldwide. India is a more stable market.

We are expecting a growth between 15 to 20% by the end of 2015.

Marketing & Promotions Air Mauritius and Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority are working together to achieve the common objectives and targeting a 20% growth from Indian market. We have received 61000 tourist arrivals last year and expecting 70,000 plus tourists this year and by the end of July we have already done 45000 tourist arrivals. We believe in travel

agents and work very closely with travel agents.

Kinds of travellers Mauritius from a purely honeymoon destination is now becoming a family destination. We have noticed an increase in the number of families visiting besides the other segment travellers like honeymooners, MICE and weddings to Mauritius.

Plans for 2016 We are planning to have at least 10 flights per week in the pipeline with 5 flights from Mumbai, 3 flights from Delhi, 2 flights from Bangalore and 2 flights from Chennai.

TRUJET seeks to tap potential pilgrimage areas across country PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Vankayalapati Umesh, Managing Director, Turbo Megha Airways Pvt. Ltd. shares the vision of Trujet, the new low cost entrant that seeks to tap the pilgrimage sector across the country.

T

rujet, the new entrant to the Indian aviation space, commenced its flights this July and offers services to Hyderabad, Chennai, Rajahmundry, Tirupati and Aurangabad.

Its fleet consists of ATR 72-500 Aircraft, manufactured by Avions de transport regional. Owned by Turbo Megha Airways Pvt Ltd., Trujet is promoted by Vankayalapati Umesh (22% stake), Telugu actor Ram Charan (26% stake) and their friends.

Voyager’s World > October 2015

When asked if Trujet was a conscious decision to tap the pilgrimage segment in India, Vankayalapati Umesh says: “Yes, we have a plan actually. Every airline will have a strategy to capture the market of the corporate, tourism or trade. Nobody has targeted so far in India. We are targeting the pilgrimage segment.

Tirupati, Shirdi, Nanded. Lot of traffic is there on those routes by train and bus. So we thought of capturing these markets and offer convenient travel to pilgrims.”

He says the USP of the airline inlcudes many freebies like complimentary meals on board, surprise gifts through lucky draws and free shuttle on road on select routes. “Although our carrier is a low cost one, we are giving full scale services to our passengers. We offer complimentary meals depending on the time of the flight.” It has free shuttle services from certain points like Mangalore to Hubli and Manipal, Aurangabad

to Shirdi, etc.

Being a carrier operating on religious circuits, the airline also plans to offer flexibility to pilgrims in terms of relaxing their baggage allowances and the nature of items that can be carried with them. “We are planning to allow pilgrimage items - according to the security, of course, we cannot allow things like a knife,” says Umesh.

Compeition “Presently, we are concentrating on the volume. Now the fuel prices are at our convenience. Once it goes up, we will see pricing differences and move accordingly. We are comfortable in providing all facilities for passengers at the existing costs.”

Expansion plans Trujet aims to tap those pockets that go to Badrinath and Kedarnath. It will draw passengers from Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad and fly

them to Dehradun. From Dehradun, the carrier plans to start helicopter services to Badrinath and Kedarnath. This will become operational in the next tourist season in both the places. Talks are on with the helicopter agency, although people are free to choose trekking or horseback options instead of helicopters.

There will also be normal scheduled flights.

Trujet has plans to fly internationally too, but is clear about identifying and growing in existent potential market within the country presently.

“We are planning not only Tirupati.

Planning to connect passengers from Jaipur to Tirupati/Hyderabad.”

“We are presently focusing on operations. We have tied up with OTAs and AP Tourism. We are also approaching Karnataka Tourism,” says Umesh before concluding that they would break even in their investments in the next two years.

Association

20>>

TAAI’s Team Positive wins election VW BUREAU

T

he members of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) elected office-bearers and Managing Committee for the two-year term (2015-17) at the 64th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 30 September in Mumbai. Team TAAI Positive emerged victorious with a sweeping majority. Sunil Kumar R, who headed TAAI Positive, was elected President; Marzban Antia was voted the new Vice President; Lokesh Bettaiah as the Honorary Secretary General and Jay Bhatia as Honorary Treasurer.

The new Managing Committee of TAAI includes R. Venkatachalam, Imtiaz Qureshi, Bhagwan Ramnani, Devaki Thiagarajan, Shreeram Patel, Anil Kumar and Jyoti Mayal.

Talking to the media after the election results were announced, Sunil Kumar said, “It is a rewarding result and he is very excited that the entire team has won. He thanked the members for their faith in the TEAM and said that the Team TAAI POSITIVE will go all out to attempt meeting the expectations of the members. The focus will be on trying

to guide members into a changing industry era where the challenges will be many while opportunities too will multiply. To a question on what would be the key focus, he remarked that TAAI will do all possible to boost their positive image levels and take TAAI to its much awaited next level.

It will be our endeavour to lead members from the “today-we-exist” into an environment called “tomorrow”, rather than trying to get the tomorrows to meet our today. He added that this is one way to make the association relevant in a changing environment and evolution being the order of the day, our approaches and practices must change. Thus, training will be an ongoing process to ensure that members can be successful in the current environment.

He informed that the members who had attended the AGM were very cooperative and supported the election process which was an almost zero defect process. TAAI’s immediate agenda, he said, would be to design its planning and form committees to assign agenda and accountability to its members. Among the things we

need to do is to get a closer connection with the Government.

Three teams had emerged with 3 clear agenda, as spelled out to TravelBiz Monitor. They were headed

by Rajindar Rai, Harmandeep Singh Anand, and Sunil Kumar R, who are Presidential candidates. Rai’s team was called ‘TAAI Smiles - We will win’, while Anand headed ‘Team

VISHAKAPATANAM COIMBATORE

Voyager’s World > October 2015

Parivartan Change for Good’, and Kumar led team ‘TAAI Positive’.

Back Row: (L to R) Imtiaz Qureshi, R. Venkatachalam, Jyoti Mahal, Shreeram Patel, Bhagwan Ramnani, Devaki Thiyagarajan and Anil Kumar.

Front Row: (L to R): Vice President Marzban Antia, President Sunil Kumar, Hon. Secretary Lokesh Bettaiah, Hon. Treasurer Jay Bhatia.

: 06, 07, 08, November 2015 : 22, 23, 24 January 2016

Hospitality

22>>

hotels must use same tools as otas to increase online visibility Courtesy: INCON

Dave Spector, Partner at Tambourine, provides hotel marketers with five actionable tips to increase the return on a property’s marketing efforts.

M

arketing is one of the most influential ways to improve a property’s financial success but unfortunately, too many hoteliers are using ineffective tactics and negating the ROI that they could be earning from their marketing outreach.

By implementing the following five tips, hotels can drastically increase the ROI earned on marketing activities, while minimizing the time and effort that it takes to implement them.

Know Your Property’s Unique Value Proposition (UVP) When establishing your property’s UVP, consider which elements of your property (i.e. location, amenities, price/value, etc.) would be most desirable for your target audience and use that as the basis of your messaging.

Consistency of messaging is an important part of developing a successful hotel marketing campaign.

Only through repeating and reinforcing your property’s key messages (including your UVP) in all aspects of your marketing outreach (including marketing, sales, public relations, content marketing, etc.), can you ensure that your property stands for something in the mind of your target consumer.

Increase Traffic on Your Brand.com Website Today, “more than 76% of all online bookings come through the OTAs,”[1] showing a serious reliance on OTAs as the primary source of income for most properties. While the OTAs are helpful in bringing in business, the sky-high commission rates do not make the channel feasible as the primary revenue source.

Voyager’s World > October 2015

Instead of giving away up to 30% of each booking in commission, hoteliers should work to increase traffic to the direct channel, which is the most cost-effective and profitable way to secure online bookings and which should comprise the majority of a property’s online business (approximately 70%).

In order to increase traffic to the direct channel, hotels should use the same tools that the OTAs do to increase their online visibility: search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) technology, combined with a sophisticated and easy-to-use booking engine and a strong online marketing campaign (including email, social media promotions, review management, etc.). As each of these online marketing tools require intense focus and resources, hotels should look for a service provider (shameless plug: like Tambourine’s new allinclusive marketing solution, Symphony!) that can manage all of these aspects of online marketing for the property.

By increasing traffic to the direct channel (and thereby increasing the percentage of online bookings made through this channel), a property is able to decrease the cost of acquisition and drastically increase online revenue.

Improve Your Direct Booking Conversion Rate Econsultancy said “the travel industry… suffers from 81% abandoned cart rates, compared to just 68% across other online retail sectors”.

One of the most common issues that causes potential customers to abandon their reservation through a

hotel’s brand.com website is a lack of functionality with the booking engine itself. By using a sophisticated, responsive booking engine, consumers are less likely to abandon the booking partway through.

Other tips to increase your direct booking conversion rate: ·Use the KISS principle when designing your reservation process: Keep it simple, silly! It should never take more than three clicks to finalize or consumers may abandon the booking in frustration. ·“25% of visitors will abandon a website that takes more than four seconds to load. Almost 50% will abandon if the site takes more than 10 seconds to load.[3]” Therefore, it is imperative that your website – and especially your booking engine - loads immediately.

It is also very important to attempt to recover any bookings that are abandoned during the booking process. In fact, 87% of consumers who abandoned a booking said that they would return if encouraged to do so[4], making this an important strategy for hotels to increase direct bookings conversion rates. Reservation recovery is most effective using retargeting ads and emails to deliver incentives (i.e. special discounts) to encourage customers to complete the booking.

Reduce Vendor Fatigue One of the most time-consuming issues when using marketing/operational technology solutions is the lack of integration and accountability when marketing, booking and distribution systems are provided by multiple technology vendors.

When systems are not integrated, with two-way updates being made automatically, a property risks overbooking (for example, if a property’s inventory is not being updated automatically on all of the online channels as bookings are received by the PMS) or alternatively, missing out on potential bookings. Hoteliers can also greatly benefit by using a single technology provider that enables integration between all solutions, because it can save reservations and/or revenue management staff a great deal of time, as updates will no longer need to be entered manually.

When a property’s systems are not consolidated, there is often a lack of accountability for all of the solutions’ functionality. For example, if a property’s booking engine and PMS are offered through separate companies and the two-way updating of the bookings/inventory stops working, the property would have to work with both the PMS vendor and the booking engine vendor to solve the issue, but if either lack sufficient knowledge of the other system, they may not be able to offer proper troubleshooting advice.

Set Goals & Measure Performance To ensure that your marketing efforts have the greatest ROI, it is important to establish quantifiable campaign goals before the project begins, and monitor your results in real-time against those goals at regular intervals during, and at the end of the project.

An additional benefit to using a single technology vendor is the ability to use one centralized dashboard with all of your property’s sales and marketing metrics in one place, updating in real-time.

Hospitality

23>>

hotel shangri la opens in bangalore, to capitalize on meeting space PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Jens Corder, the General Manager of the newly opened Shangri La Bangalore, talks about the pre-opening efforts besides expectations and targets for the near future. after the opening of hotels like the JW Marriott and the Ritz Carlton in the city, I think the city hotels are back to where they were when I had first arrived. This goes to show that Bangalor is a growing business market and I foresee the trend as continuing. We are optimistic and I believe that this is the right time and the right city for hotels looking at business travellers.”

S

hangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru opened last month with 397 rooms, situated in the central business district. Jens Corder, the hotel’s General Manager, spoke about how the team had collectively endeavoured for the past 18 months from December 2013. “When I arrived in Bangalore then, I looked at the competition and the average room rates. I later observed that the city’s occupancy was dropping. But

He said that the hotel’s extensive banqueting facilities promise a big opportunity for the local market.

This being the first year of operations, Jens sees business coming from pan-India, especially from the metro cities like New Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai. “Besides, we are an international brand and havve a lot of international followers as well. Bangalore is not just an IT market what with people looking at its prospects on the automobile, aircraft and other manufacturing fronts.”

Occupancy expectations Shangri La Bengaluru expects a good volume of corporates, especially during the weekends. Acknowledging the efforts of the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, to promote ‘Staycations’, Jens sees Bangalore as a gateway for the southern part of the country.

“Since we have just begun operations, we have got to work out realistic targets, while aiming to leverage on the local market also. We think that the local market will take to us ithrough our F&B strengths; of course, this may take a couple of months to show results.”

The hotel opened its reservation lines few weeks before the launch and immediately started selling banquet space. “I think the role of F&B as compared to average room rates, depends on the hotel. We have eight F&B outlets. We plan to engage extensively through social media like

Twitter and Facebook as well as invite bloggers.” Jens says that the city is a food-loving one with a huge chunk of well-travelled crowd and so expects the hotel’s restaurants to generate interest in the early days of its operations.

Meeting and banqueting spaces The hotel has 397 rooms, making it the biggest in Bangalore presently.

The ballroom space stands at 747 sq m and the ceiling is at 9.5 m, which Jens says, is crucial for conferencing.

This apart, it has five break rooms and many pre-function rooms.

The kitchens have a sizeable number of expatriate chefs. The all-day diing will have open kitchens, without walls, ceilings, meaning, the chefs will really be on stage. Jens concluded sounding confident about the hotel’s performance in the near future and the years to come.

www.thegrandgoa.com www.theglitzgoa.com www.neelamscountryside.com Reservation: +91 (0) 832 2281800-04 +91 9011086402 https://www.facebook.com/NeelamsTheGrand

https://twitter.com/NeelamsTheGrand

https.//www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8arA_mWzFc

+91 9011086409

www.voyagersworld.in

24>>

The first edition of

Maharashtra International Tra PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

T

he Government of Maharashtra’s ambitious international tourism promotion project, Maharashtra International Travel Mart 2015 - popularly known as MITM – was launched on 28 September in Mumbai amid the huge number of buyers and sellers of the tourism industry from various countries. The first ever edition of MITM, seeking to take Maharashtra’s robust tourism growth story on a global level, was launched at the Bombay Exhibition Centre at the gracious hands of Hon. Shri DevendraFadanvis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra State.

Among eminent dignitaries present at the occasion were Hon. Prof.

Shri Ram Shinde, Minister of State

Voyager’s World > October 2015

for Tourism, Home (Rural), Public Health and Marketing, Hon. Shri Subhash Desai, Minister of Industries, Maharashtra State, Hon SmtVidya Thakur, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Hon Shri GajananKirtikar, Member of Parliament, Shri Swadhin Kshatriya, IAS, Chief Secretary, Maharashtra Smt. Valsa Singh Nair, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Tourism & Culture, Maharashtra State, Shri ParaagJaiinNainuttia, IAS, Managing Director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).

A three-day event, Maharashtra International Travel Mart is a flagship global tourism promotion platform conceived by the Department of

Tourism, Maharashtra State to attract buyers and sellers of tourism industry from all across the globe to explore common growth opportunities in the robust tourism prospects of Maharashtra. A single forum of MITM witnessed an exciting response from the global tourism stakeholders with more than 250 registrations coming in from hoteliers, travel agents and tour operators from abroad and India.

A strategic promotional forum of MITM assumes a special significance; particularly when Maharashtra Tourism is going through an exciting phase with ever increasing footfalls from global and domestic tourists crossing the 4.5 million

and the 8.4 million mark in the recent past. It also bears a great significance when the State Tourism Department and its flagship agency MTDC have been strategically building and promoting the unexplored tourism wealth of Maharashtra besides boosting conventional tourism assets on Indian and global circuits.

On the occasion of the inauguration of the first edition of MITM, 2015, said SmtValsa Singh Nair, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Maharashtra State, “While the Government of Maharashtra is intending to bring the State tourism on a global map, it becomes imperative to build further on the existing credentials of the State as the most preferred

25>>

vel Mart

tourism destination and explore avenues to consolidate its positioning. With vast tourism assets at disposal, it is an opportune time for the State to win a prominent position in a global tourism league. This is possible only when we build and expand a strong tourism buyer and seller network within the State, within the country and on a global level.”

Adding further, she said, “MITM is an endeavour to bring in the maximum number of tourism buyers and sellers on a single platform and empower them to explore economic growth opportunities in Maharashtra’s tourism sector. We are happy to witness such a promising

sees unprecedented victory

response from buyers and sellers from the globe. We are sure to see a number of partnership, tie-ups happening among tour operators, hoteliers, travel agents. It will also pave the way to attract foreign investments in the sector.”

buyers and sellers that will strengthen the eco-system of the State’s tourism. The participation from global tourism players will allow the deliveries of world-class tourism products and services to the visitors enriching their experiences.

over 2,000 footfalls and the number is expected to rise in coming two days. Among various stakeholders, many tour companies from the US, the UK, South Africa, France, Greece, Japan and Australia marked their presence.

Shri ParaagJaiinNainuttia IAS, Managing Director MTDC, said, “MITM will help our dedicated campaign of ‘Unlimited Maharashtra’ to reach the next level on a global platform, as more buyers and sellers can witness the State’s tourism prospects.

When the State is striving hard to ensure a fast-track growth in tourism sector, MITM will open up an array of economic opportunities for

MITM showcased to buyers and sellers economic opportunities in Maharashtra’s compelling tourism destinations, cultural festivals, beaches, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, pilgrimage destinations, wildlife, national parks, social and study tourism and few others. It also hosted various seminars.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan graced the opening ceremony in the evening which was also marked by colourful cultural performances of the state and a fashion show. Post the event, the international hosted delegates experienced the Deccan Odyssey Luxury Train, besides some other trips in and around the state like Aurangabad, Lavasa, Nashik, etc.

The Day One of the MITM witnessed

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Events

26>>

Bangalore Welcomes Delegates to PATA Travel Mart 2015 The total number of delegates for PTM2015 included 456 Sellers from 266 organisations and 28 destinations, along with 242 buyers from 233 organisations and 50 source markets.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

P

ATA Travel Mart 2015 (PTM2015) officially opened in Bangalore, India on the evening of September 6, 2015, with the official PTM2015 Opening Ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Mart, generously hosted by the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, has attracted over 1,000 delegates from 61 destinations.

The total number of delegates for PTM2015 included 456 Sellers from 266 organisations and 28 destinations, along with 242 buyers from 233 organisations and 50

Voyager’s World > October 2015

source markets.

The traditional lamp lighting and ribbon cutting ceremony took place on September 7. The ceremony was conducted by Sri Ananth Kumar, Honourable Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of Karnataka; Srimati Umashree, Honourable Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Empowerment of the Differently abled and Senior Citizens & Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka; and Sri. R.V. Deshpande, Honourable Minister for Large & Medium Scale

Industries and Tourism, Government of Karnataka in the presence of PATA Chairman Kevin Murphy, PATA CEO Mario Hardy, members of the PATA Executive Board and many distinguished guests from India and overseas.

Addressing a media briefing at the Bangalore International Convention Center on Monday, September 7, Mr Murphy stated that, “Over the years the Mart’s continued success has been due to its ability to continue to add further value for our delegates and members, while striking the right balance between quality and

quantity for our registered buyer and sellers.”

Murphy also wished all delegates every success with their networking and contracting activities. He stressed the remarkable value of conducting business at PATA Travel Mart, noting that the annual event remains one of Asia Pacific’s most value adding and cost effective networking and contracting event.

The PATA Chairman also used the opportunity to thank Christ University in Bangalore for hosting the PATA Youth Symposium on Friday,

Travel Events

27>> September 4. The event, organised by the Association’s Human Capital Development team with the theme ‘Human Resources Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism’s Next Generation’, attracted over 200 young professionals.

Mr Murphy also praised Phocuswright, a strategic partner of PATA, for co-organising the PATA Technology Forum along with Connecting Travel on Sunday, September 6. The Technology Forum allowed delegates to gain the latest trends and insights into the travel and tourism industry.

PATA Youth Symposium 2015 took place as part of an extensive programme in Bangalore that includes PATA Travel Mart 2015 and the PATA Executive and Board Meeting. Over 200 students, alumni, lecturers and industry professionals from India and overseas participated at the PATA Youth Symposium 2015, held at Christ University, Bangalore, India on Friday, September 4, 2015.

The programme, under the theme ‘Human Resources Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism’s Next Generation’, was developed with guidance from Dr Chris Bottrill, Chairman of the PATA Human Capital Development Committee and Dean, Faculty of Global and Community Studies at Capilano University, Canada.

he highlighted the importance and significance of the symposium with its modern approach to engagement. He said that the relaxed and personal approach was designed to reduce the gap between the industry and students. Mr Hardy also congratulated Christ University in achieving PATA membership and presented Dr Tomy K Kallarakal, Head of the University’s Department of Tourism Studies with a memento on behalf of the Association.

Y. Bhg. Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin, Deputy Director General (International Promotions), Tourism Malaysia

delivered a presentation on ‘How to Promote a Destination’, focusing upon Malaysia. He stressed that, to be successful, you need to be creative to initiate new segmentations of your products. In 2020, Tourism Malaysia expects to increase number of visitor arrivals to 36 million and to generate 168 Billion MYR.

He said, “Preparing students with soft skills is as important as the hard, theoretical skills they are taught. The tourism business is, in the first place, a people business.

In preparing for a career, students must understand that IQ gets them through school but it is EQ which makes them successful in their tourism or hospitality careers.

Bert van Walbeek, Vice President for Area Business Development Asia Pacific, Safehotels Alliance AB, Thailand, updated the audience on the topic ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity’.

“Taking them out of the academic bubble into the real life needs more attention in order to make students more ‘selectable’ by organisations.

Attitude is the most important selection criteria.”

A B2B Roadshow for International Travel Suppliers with India’s Top Buyers

Hailing the immense success of the PATA Youth Symposium, Dr Bottrill said, “All members of our delegation were very impressed with the engagement of students in the topic of human resources and the future for employment and careers in the industry. The students demonstrated passion and showed remarkable insight to the challenges and opportunities that exist in the future for our industry.

The programme commenced with an address by Prof Suresh Pai, Associate Dean – Management, Christ University. Prof Pai extended his appreciation to all the international delegates for arriving at Christ University, Bengaluru from different corners of the world. Dr Fr Abraham V M, Pro Vice Chancellor, Christ University, then congratulated the Department of Tourism Studies at Christ University for hosting the symposium on such a grand note.

PATA Chief Executive Officer Mario Hardy announced the inclusion of Christ University as the newest member of PATA under the Education Category. In his address,

India’s Only Multi-destination Roadshow Your gateway to the Indian Outbound Travel Market 8th - 11th February 2016 New Delhi & Mumbai For further enquiry and booking, contact: Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd., #245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India Ph: +91-80-4083 4100, Fax +91-80-40834101 Email: otrindia@otrindia.com Website: www.otrindia.com

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Events

28>>

glimpses of iitm mumbai 2015

The 83rd edition of the India International Travel Mart (IITM) Mumbai was held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre from 28 - 30 August. Below are snapshots of the event.

VW BUREAU

recapitulation of iitm gurgaon 2015

The 84th edition of the India International Travel Mart (IITM) Gurgaon was held from 3 - 5 September at Epicentre. Below are snapshots of the event.

VW BUREAU

Voyager’s World > October 2015

WTM London

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WTM London to embrace three-day format from 2016 VW BUREAU

The move in 2016 to a three-day format follows post 2014 event research, which, for the first time, showed that exhibitors and visitors preferred a three-day exhibition.

W

orld Travel Market London 2016, will be revamped as a three day event following exhibitor and visitor feedback and an unprecedented period of growth.

WTM London 2016 will take place between Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 November with the opening hours extended from 10am to 7pm for all three days, giving exhibitors and visitors extra time to negotiate and agree business deals, while reducing the ancillary costs of exhibiting.

Over the past five years WTM London visitor numbers have grown by 20% to 32,528, with buyer numbers from the WTM Buyers’ Club over the past three events increasing by 16% to 9,124, meaning a three day WTM will give exhibitors the opportunity to see more people over a shorter time span.

Total participant numbers for WTM London 2014 hit a record 51,500, with the event generating a massive £2.5 billion in industry business deals.

The new and improved WTM London 2016 will see more content moved on to the exhibition floor further increasing networking opportunities between exhibitors, buyers, visitors and media. The WTM International Press Centre moves from the Platinum Suites on to the exhibition floor to increase the networking opportunities between exhibitors and the almost 3,000 international media in attendance.

Furthermore, a new amphitheatre seating up to 300 delegates will join the Global Stage on the exhibition floor, meaning the majority of the thought leadership sessions will be adjacent to the exhibition pavilions and stands . Last year the Events Programme had an attendance of 17,036 including 8,829 unique delegates.

The hugely popular UNWTO & WTM Ministers’ Summit will take place on Wednesday 9 November, with the WTM World Responsible Tourism

Day – the largest day of responsible tourism action in the world – taking place on Tuesday 8 November.

Moving the UNWTO & WTM Ministers’ Summit to the Wednesday gives the ministers the opportunity to attend the WTM Festivals that evening – the end of event celebrations across the exhibition floor which will close the WTM London 2016. This will enhance their networking opportunities with both the private and public sector.

WTM London will continue to kick off will the phenomenally successful WTM Speed Networking on the Monday, before the exhibition opens, alongside a further event on the Wednesday. In total more than 1,436 exhibitor personnel meet with 303 of the industry’s most important buyers across the two speed networking sessions at WTM London 2015. The final day of WTM will also host the WTM Bloggers’ Speed Networking, which saw 70 bloggers have meetings with 236 exhibitors.

WTM London 2016’s move to a three day event follows post 2014 event research which for the first time showed exhibitors and visitors would prefer a three day World Travel Market London.

Post WTM London event research always includes questions regarding the duration of World Travel Market London. Previous research has always shown exhibitors have been split between a three and four day event.

However, post WTM London 2014 research saw a swing towards WTM being a three day event. The research also revealed exhibitors comprehensively prefer the event to be across the days of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

WTM London, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “World Travel Market London’s move to a three day event will further cement its place as the leading global event for the travel industry and the event where

the travel industry conducts its business.

“For the first time exhibitor and visitor opinion has requested that WTM London is a three day event. Reed Travel Exhibitions has listened to its audience and responded with an event that is exactly what they have asked for, ensuring it remains relevant to the industry’s business needs.”

“This decision has been made during a period of record growth for the World Travel Market London, with overall participant numbers at a record high of 51,500, visitor numbers peaking at more than 32,000 and buyer numbers from the WTM Buyers Club at more than 9,100. These record numbers sees the event facilitate more than £2.5 billion in industry deals.

“WTM London will continue to offer unrivalled networking and business opportunities. From 2016 exhibitors will be able to meet an even greater number of industry executives conducting even more business over a short space of time, while reducing the ancillary cost of exhibiting.”

World Travel Market London 2015 will unveil an array of research in to a variety of sectors within the global travel industry when it opens its doors between Monday 2 – Thursday 5 November.

WTM London is the place to discover the latest trends and forecast with a number of bespoke reports by a plethora of leading research organisations including Mintel, Euromonitor International and Phocuswright.

The first piece of research to be unveiled is the World Travel Market Industry Report at 10.30am in Platinum Suite 5 and 6. The report polls both the global travel industry and 1,000 UK holidaymakers, and gives an insight into the conversations taking place on the WTM London exhibition floor.

In the same room at 1.30pm the

WTM Global Trends Report, in association with Euromonitor International, press conference takes place, outlining a trend for every geographical region of the industry alongside one for technology and global brands. The trade session takes place on Tuesday 12pm Platinum Suite 1. The WTM Global Trends Report is this year celebrating its 10th edition.

At 2pm on the first day of WTM London, Phocuswright will outline the key trends in travel technology on the Global Stage.

The second day of WTM (Tuesday 3 November) includes exclusive research from the Global Air Passengers Survey. Produced by Ink Publishing the findings come from customer questionnaires in airlines’ inflight magazines.

The findings will form the backbone of an aviation debate, chaired by WTM consultant John Strickland, which takes place in Platinum Suite 1 at 10.30am.

Also at 10.30am in South Gallery Rooms 13/14 exclusive research on the family holiday market will be unveiled by SOUK. Changes in UK pension legislation and the dissolving ‘generation gap’ are behind a trend for more parents to take holidays with their children during and after their university years.

Wednesday 4 November kicks off with the unveiling of the first-ever global lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender survey. Out Now founder Ian Johnson will present the findings in South Gallery Room 21/22 at 10.30am. In the afternoon, leading research company Mintel will present international data on consumers’ appetite for – and attitudes to – travel and also look forward to the global demographic and technological changes that will shape what people want from their holidays in the future. The session takes place in Platinum Suite 1 at 12.30pm and is the first time Mintel has had a dedicated session at WTM London.

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Trends

30>>

96% indians believe holidays are key to efficiency: kuoni VW BUREAU

The study was conducted by Nielsen with 900+ Indians across six cities in the age group of 25 to 60 years to understand the mindset and behaviour of the Indian traveler towards holidays.

K

uoni–SOTC recently revealed the findings of its India Holiday Report 2015. The study was conducted by Nielsen with 900+ Indians across 6 cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai in the age group of 25 to 60 years to understand the mindset and behaviour of the Indian traveler towards holidays.

Speaking on the report launch, Vishal Suri, CEO - Tour Operating, Kuoni India said, “The Kuoni-SOTC Holiday Report for 2015, research for which has been conducted by Nielsen with an objective to understand and obtain insights of the Indian Leisure Traveler and their travel behaviour. At Kuoni-SOTC, it is always our endeavour to continuously offer great value to our customers and cater to their needs. The insights from this study will further help us move in this direction making holidays a priority for Indians.”

The Report showcases the findings of the study under the following 3 categories: Holiday Planning and influencers Holidays rated higher than clothes & electronic gadgets International and domestic holidays are looked at as investment for an experience that no material pursuit can provide. At 15% respondents grading ‘Holidays’ over ‘Clothes and Apparel’ (13%) and ‘Electronics’ (10%) are proof that holidays are more important to them, over corporeal demands.

Chennai leads the pack with a whopping19%, followed by Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and then Mumbai. All age groups of 25-40, 40-50 and 50-60 respondents showed the same enthusiasm for holidays echoing the thought ‘age is just a number’.

96% respondents believe that holidays are important Everyone interviewed acknowledged that they “needed a break”. With the planning entrusted upon travel planners, consideration of taking a holi-

Voyager’s World > October 2015

day has increased manifold. While almost two out of three people consider holidays to be vital in their lives for rejuvenation and efficiency, one third consider holidays to be considerably important.

Cost effectiveness and Indian cuisine are the top reasons to prefer group holidays The Indian traveller wants value for money spent. Another trait that sets many Indian travelers apart is their staunch preference for Indian cuisines. With group holidays meeting both these criteria, it is not surprising that such packages have many takers. 81% of respondents chose group holidays because of their ‘Cost Effectiveness’. 68% respondents choose group holidays thanks to their inclination towards home food.

• 87% of respondents in Delhi and 73% in Ahmedabad selected ‘Indian Food’ as the decisive factor for opting for group holidays.

• 89% of people in Kolkata prefer to travel with their regional community on group holidays.

Holiday experiences -gender preferences Women • Women look at holidays primarily as an escape from the house-hold chores. They seek pampering and indulgence which they are not usually able to indulge in back home.

• Long relaxing spas and beauty treatments tops the list of indulgence. Women respondents enjoy spending on shopping at the local markets and buying collectibles and souvenirs.

• Playing cards and indulging in adventure sports is a rising trend among them.

Men • Men seek space when on a holiday. A holiday for them is fundamentally a holiday from people, networking and associating.

• Men love exploring quirky markets that are not to be found in their own city or country. The idiosyncrasy of the locale captivates a male traveler

and adds to the thrill.

• Like women seek freedom from household chores, men want to free themselves from the burdens of workplace and economy. With family, some men feel uncomfortable ditching them for a bar hopping or night crawling session. Some prefer to visit places without families to avoid the guilt and discomfort if the family is not like minded.

Holidays Finance and share of wallet 64% respondents save money for holidays • Most respondents plan and save for their dream vacation. By creating a holiday fund, almost 64% respondents save for their holidays.

• ‘Credit Cards’ has turned out to be the next preferred option as it gives the respondent the space to pay for the trip in installments for a small interest.

•11% of them prefer to go post-paid instead of saving for the big trip.

• Spontaneity is a welcome feature when awarded with bonuses, about 7% the respondents lean on spending the ‘Bonus or Incentives’ on a holiday. The same percentage (7%) ‘Takes Loans’ for their holidays, because of impulse.

88% respondents prefer ‘Bank Savings’ for their holidays • While very few find ‘Fixed Deposits’ to dictate their holiday time and budget, it comes next to ‘Bank Savings’ at 5%, following closely are ‘Recurring Deposits’ at 4% 16% of respondents’ annual income is spent on holidays • Today’s traveler takes pleasure in treating him / herself. Amongst all the Indian respondents that were surveyed, Domestic Holidays consumed 11% of their annual income.

International Holidays lag behind with 5% of annual income kept aside for such extravagances.

•With an eye on rainy days, respondents preferred spending more (11%) on holidays than on ‘Home Appliances’ (8%), ‘Electronic Gadgets’ (8%), and even on ‘Medical Expenses’ (7%)

Leaves, duration, holiday frequency and cancellation 83% respondents take upto 20 days of leave annually A holiday is no longer a frivolous indulgence; it has become a priority.

The highest number of respondents at 44% took 11 to 20 days of leave per year 80% respondents holiday at least once a year A holiday is a reward one gives oneself after having worked really hard during the year.

• Four out of five respondents took a vacation at least ‘Once a year’ • 17% of respondents take a holiday at least ‘Once in Six Months’ out of which a small but certain lot of 6%respondents are serious about holidaying or choose to holiday at least ‘Once every 3 months’.

Health, work & budget; top reasons for cancelling holidays •‘Personal Health Conditions’ have been the cause for cancelled holidays for 66% of the respondents.

• ‘Work Commitments’ have played the role of villain for 63% of the respondents.

• 62% of respondents held ‘Budget Constraints’ responsible for their holidays being cancelled.

A duration of 7 to 10 days was deemed as the perfect duration to enjoy a holiday by an overwhelming 75% of the respondents. A slightly longer bracket of ‘10 to 15 days was opted for by 21% of them. A holiday lasting for ‘More than 15 days was favored by a small section of our respondents. Over 80% of respondents in Delhi,Bengaluru and Ahmedabad spent a duration of 7-10 days on their last holiday. A sizable 9% respondents in Kolkata prefer a long holiday, 15 days + which is also the highest. Kolkata also tops the list of mid-sized holidays 10-15 days with 32% having taken them but Mumbai is a close next at 31%.

The report ends with vacationers being divided into four distinct groups i.e. value seeker, adventure enthusiast, culture venturer and the Pro based on their holiday traits.

Travel Trends

31>>

rise in travel expenditure by Indians higher than APAC VW BUREAU

I

ndian travellers are likely to spend around USD$4,501 on their next trip, a significant increase over the last couple of years, from USD$2,823 per trip in 2013 to USD$3,106 in 2015, revealed the Visa Global Travel Intentions Study 2015.[1] This increase in expenditure is significantly higher than their counterparts in the APAC region and across the globe.

The increase in spending is directly correlated to their preference for taking long haul trips, with an average trip length of 9 nights. Australia is the favourite destination for Indian travellers, followed by USA, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

The top drivers for the choice of destination are activities available to engage in (75 percent), and familiarity with the place (70 percent).

While Indians are spending more per trip, they also routinely bring back about 12 percent of their cash from their trip, which is an average of USD$242. “70% of Indian travellers are using payment cards to pay for their travel bookings and 98

percent of them carry their cards on holidays. However, we’re still seeing a considerable amount of cash usage at the destination so there’s a real opportunity for Indian travellers to realise the convenience, security and wide acceptance of payment cards when they’re abroad,” Ra-

machandran added.

Travel outlook remains positive over the next two years as Indian travellers intend to take an average of six international trips in a year, as compared to five trips in the last two years.

Launching the biggest B2B platform in the

Middle East for outbound travel Where global sellers will meet premium buyers on a one-of-its-kind platform....

The ‘opportunity to bond’ has been identified as the main reason for travel by 1 in 2 Indian travellers.

Those in the age bracket 36-44 years are also more likely to travel to “escape” from their hectic and fast paced lives.

T.R. Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia, Visa, said: “Apart from giving us insights into the behaviour and preferences of the Indian travellers, Visa’s Global Travel Intentions study, also helps us to understand how aspirations, increased incomes and accessibility have impacted the way Indians travel.

The findings highlight the importance of technology and mobile devices, at every phase of travelling - right from research to planning, booking, and scheduling the itinerary at the destination.”

Indian travellers use social networking (41 percent) and travel review sites (39 percent) during their trip to stay connected and informed about their destination, with 83 percent looking up this information on their mobile devices. During the course of travel, Indians love to share their experiences in real-time, with 93 percent of them connected online and 82 percent using social networking websites, and Facebook being the most popular portal.

KUWAIT, QATAR , UAE

April 2016

First Ever Multi-destination Roadshow Your gateway to the Middle East Outbound Travel Market

For further enquiry and booking, contact: Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd., #245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India Ph: +91-80-4083 4100, Fax +91-80-40834101 Email: otrindia@otrindia.com Website: www.otrindia.com

www.voyagersworld.in

Incredible India

32>>

Gujarat Tourism Policy 2015-20 gives industry status to tourism VW BUREAU

With this initiative, tourism sector will now get all the benefits that industry gets.

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o promote tourism in the state, Gujarat government announced the new tourism policy for the first time which gives ‘Industry’ status to the tourism sector in the Gujarat state. It includes providing capital subsidy for setting up new hotels in the state, unique incentives for

female entrepreneurs, to create employment opportunities for over 20 lakhs people by year 2025 with reforms in skills and knowledge development, to attract fresh investments to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crore etc.

• Gujarat government under the

leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Smt. Anandiben Patel announced the new tourism policy • Shri Saurabhbhai Patel, Minister for Tourism, Government of Gujarat said that “Since the foundation of Gujarat state, it is for the first time that Tourism sector has been grant-

ed status of an industry under the leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Smt. Anandiben Patel. With this initiative, tourism sector will now get all the benefits that industry gets • He also added that with the steady increase of tourists and pilgrims, tourism sector needs a more boost.

For this there is a need to develop infrastructural and other facilities at tourist spots across Gujarat. Considering this aspect, Honorable Chief Minister Smt. Anandiben Patel has decided to provide capital subsidy for setting up new hotels • Unique incentives for female entrepreneurs • To create employment opportunities for over 20 lakh people by year 2025 with reforms in skills and knowledge development • This new Tourism Policy is expected to attract fresh investments to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crore • The new policy will give greater encouragement for self-employment.

Professionals in Khadi, Handicraft and other such sector will also benefit a lot Highlight of New Tourism Policy 2015-2020 Vision To position Gujarat as a Vibrant tourist destination, with an emphasis on improving visitor experience, livelihood linkages, environmental concerns and enhancing investment opportunities, thus catapulting tourism as one of the most important economic drivers, leading to sustainable development and inclusive growth in the state.

Your gateway to the Indian Outbound Travel Market

13 – 21 JANUARY 2016 Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi For further enquiry and booking, contact: Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd., #245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India Ph: +91-80-4083 4100, Fax +91-80-40834101 Email: otrindia@otrindia.com Website: www.otrindia.com

Voyager’s World > October 2015

Mission (1) To unlock the immense untapped/under tapped potential of tourism in the state (2) To develop tourism products and strengthen infrastructure (3) To undertake tourism-specific skill development leading to gainful employment and self-employment especially for the local populace (4) To preserve and upgrade environment as also to encourage responsible tourism in the state (5) To create an investment-friendly policy framework and suitably ensure access to requisite tourist infrastructural facilities.

Online Travel

33>>

Travel startups to increase growth in tourism IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Travel startups believe the tourism industry is going to boom with their enhanced travel experiences.

Sharad Kohli, AVP Online Marketing, TravelTriangle

The online travel market is set to be 80% of the total e-commerce pie in India. Travel startups are quality players good for any industry to grow and get more efficient.

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he travel startups are focused on travel planning solutions, accommodation solutions, holiday packages and unique experiences.

The travel startups contributing in the tourism sector is more than 50% with industry players like UBER, Airbnb, Oyo, MMT, Yatra, Cleartrip.

The number of travel startups is increasing on the online platform these days and are expecting more travel startups to come into tourism industry in the future.

Growth of travel startups Sharad Kohli, AVP Online Marketing, TravelTriangle says that the market has been more than welcoming for travel startups both from the supply as well as demand side. In terms of web based travel market the cur-

rent online penetration is 41%. It is expected to reach 79% in another 15 years. The Online travel market is set to be 80% of the total e-commerce pie in India.

cient. Being the first entrant we have the first mover advantage. In fact we have grown by 500% in the past couple of months and expect to grin 10x in next 12 months.

Dhruv Raj Gupta - Co Founder, Seeksherpa.com said, “The market has been very receptive of travel startups, the two unicorns from India have come from the travel and transport division. The new wave of startups in travel space will focus on optimization of travel solutions driving down prices through transparency, standardization, and scalability.”

Dhruv states that the major areas of travel startups are travel planning solutions, accommodation solutions, holiday packages and unique experiences

Expansion of travel startups Sharad says that there are quality players which are good for any industry to grow and get more effi-

Travel startups defines the travel industry Sharad said that a travel start up believes that the market is very dynamic and there is a lot of scope to better the industry and enhance the travelling experience. The present day traveler is constantly evolving and hence the industry. The travel-

ling patterns are also going humungous change. People are increasingly travelling solo or with friends.

The traditional family vacations still exist but they are being given tough competition by weekend getaways and adventure holidays. So all in all, the traveler wants different things at different times. It is our job to keep pace with that and incorporate technology and providing better service.

“Travel startups feel that the world of airline tickets is gone way past maturity. The true innovation is left in making the traveller more and more independent by either offering better travel services on ground, or using technology to enable more information transparency whilst travelling,” Dhruv added.

www.voyagersworld.in

Online Travel

34>> Dhruv Raj Gupta, Co Founder,Seeksherpa.com

Travel startups need to ponder on how to make travel better. The new wave of startups in travel space will focus on optimization of travel solutions driving down prices through transparency, standardization, and scalability.

Role of Social Media In the opinion of Sharad, social Media has been central in TravelTriangle’s scheme of things. It won’t be wrong to say that we have grown along with the social media in the country. Travel Triangle is among the Pioneer in utilising the Social Media platform because the Social element is threaded within the element of the whole product. These Days, decisions are made from opinions of trusted partners connected through the social thread, and Travel Triangle realised that all that brands were doing was show casing Tourism spots at location but not really utilising the platform for its merit.

“Travel Triangle used the much used Blog section in a unique two way approach. From one side, we tightly controlled the content, and put up two way filtration check ( one from

the content writers side and another from the Destination Strategist) to ensure that the final outcome actually adds value to the reader.

The results were phenomenal, and our best performing Posts stand at above 18000 Shares. Imagine the world where you 2-3 shares and 100 Likes is a great number, we are operating today at a completely different level.” He says.

“Keeping our promise intact of being an organisation for the Travel Agents growth, we have used Social media in the B2B Side, a unique approach done first time by any Travel portal. We not only share with them tips, tricks, Manner but we help them with hacks and provide them training to better deal with various type of clients. It is very important to help the travel agents understand the sensibilities of the traveller and the social way to reach them

has helped us develop a great bond with our agents,”He added.”

Dhruv said, if you study major research on travel planning behavior of consumers, most consumers start from friends and family. Today, most of our friends and family are accessed via FB or whatsapp.

When we use FB to ask about travel plans, companies that are advertising travel products on FB, start turning up on the news feed of this potential traveller and hence can start entering the consumer’s unconcious travel bias before any decision is even made.

“Moreover, social media allows travel agents to sell solutions on the basis of good quality images.

Everybody loves instagram, everybody loves the bucket list, and if you can make people drool in their seats on social media, you can do

anything.” He added.

Travel startups contributing to the tourism sector “The online contribution in the travel segment is 30-40%.”Sharad added.

Dhruv says, the contribution of the travel startup in the tourism industry could be as high as 50%. Today, if you look at the travel map - UBER, Airbnb, Oyo, MMT, Yatra, Cleartrip - these were all startups in the ecomm play and they are all industry leaders.

Dhruv concludes that the Travel startups need to ponder on how they are making travel better. Also, there should be a clear focus on delivery apart from aggregation or promotion in the product features that one builds.

Cleartrip sees mobile web and app remaining active VW BUREAU

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nline Travel Agent (OTA) Cleartrip is seeing a strong take-up of its recently launched activities channel and confirmed ambitious plans to add more content in more cities over the next year or so.

Cleartrip launched the activities channel this August and has since witnessed good demand, particularly from locals as well as travellers.

Inhabitants of Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi in particular are booking activities in their own city.

The channel launched with 2,500 bookable activities in 25 cities; it now has 3,500 products in 35 cities and hopes to be doing 10,000 transactions a day by FY2017 with activities accounting for 10-15% of total revenues.

The product is sourced by a mix of dedicated feet on the ground talking to operators, and through its existing

Voyager’s World > October 2015

series of city-specific market managers. There is a back-end platform which operators use to load their inventory into the Cleartrip system ‘which takes care of curation’ and there is also a support centre where operators can talk to Cleartrip and have their content loaded manually.

The activities channel was launched in response to the emergence of unbundled travel in India over the past 18 months. Activities are an important component of a trip, and Cleartrip wanted to be able to offer them as well as the air and hotel.

The other trend which prompted the OTA to get into activities is the continuing increase in mobile traffic. Cleartrip offered an alternative view and decided that it would upgrade its mobile web site while maintaining and developing its apps. The mobile web and app environment will co-exist for some time to come. Cleartrip’s activities channel is currently only avail-

able as an Apple, Android and Windows app. They cannot be booked via the desktop or its mobile site.

The OTA uses the two mobile channels in different ways. Mobile traffic is about 55% and this is growing by

2% - 3% every few months. Cleartrip seeks to use the activities app to create engagement, in destination or in advance of the trip. By keeping activities on the app it will engage with people who are building their own package.

35>>

Euromic to explore the Indian MICE industry IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Karim ElMinabawy, President, Euromic says we are expecting to identify the key professional players in the Indian MICE industry in the field of group travel, meetings, incentives and conventions. travel, meetings, incentives, conventions and high caliber special-interest programs and to strengthen our relationship with those agencies, Secondly to evaluate the overall potential of the Indian market in this segment.

Growth from the Indian market The Indian Market is limited for most members at this point and we are looking forward to explore its potential. We are expecting to identify the key professional players in the Indian MICE industry in the field of group

Marketing plans Several members will attend the SITE Global Conference 2015 in New Delhi and in cooperation with Venture Marketing will visit some potential clients and key decision makers, the week in New Delhi and Mumbai.

Promoting the MICE segment In general, we are strongly present at the major Global MICE Trade show such as IMEX in Frankfurt, IMEX America in Las Vegas, IBTM

world in Barcelona as well as other such as IT&CM in Shanghai, IT&CMA in Bangkok, organizing joint sales exercises in Europe, North America and other emerging markets and sending our monthly e-newsletter “On-the-move with Euromic” which is sent directly to more than 38.000 Conferences & Incentives professionals. All members are ambassadors for the association and in most occasions, working with one of our members will be an excellent introduction to whole association and will serve the clients is using other members services in their respective destinations. For more information, please kindly refer to www. euromic.com Euromic recently added new mem-

bers from Japan in Asia and the newest member from Israel as well. Euromic has also recently been named

by Special Events Magazine as one of the world’s Top 25 DMCs which had featured our global reach, high standards for membership, quality and creativity. As Euromic cares for the society and wants to give back, for every appointment made at the forthcoming Imex America Participation, Euromic will make a donation to Sagapo’s. Sagapo’s Children Foundation is dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential through education. This year the focus is on purchasing books as well as school supplies to help Polish children in Masuria.

3d web meeting may be future trend in meetings industry Courtesy: INCON

Bannie Kim, President & CEO, MECI Korea, talks about how cutting edge technology has improved efficiency in the meetings and conference industry.

A

cross the world today, ubiquitous and digital information based technologies are becoming an increasing part of our lives. As their application becomes more widespread across society in general, so does their impact on the meeting industry. Harnessing the latest in cutting edge technology has improved efficiency in conference administration including registration processes and session room operation, often with cost effective and environmentally friendly implications.

The meeting industry is also experiencing great change in the area of internet networking. It may not be long before face to face meetings will be replaced by video conference or 3D web meeting for the sake of cost savings. International meetings via web conference technology will be mainstream, not only to save

expenses but for sustainability reasons too. Where there may be gaps in new technologies, appropriate investment in training, upgrades and education will allow such technologies to benefit the meetings industry immensely. However, in order for this advancement to occur, PCO’s will have to embrace it’s various applications.

Change of Convention Techniques Improvements in information technology means that many aspects of convention planning are now online; advertising, social media marketing, management of B2B suppliers and CRM for participants & suppliers.

Meeting planners, conference sponsors and participants are increasingly taking advantage of new technology application with ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) software. Video conferencing is assisted by WAN Ap-

plication Delivery (WAD) technology while Cisco, Polycom and Tendberg have practical cost efficiencies when interviews, questionnaires and staff meetings are needed.

Ubiquitous Technology of Convention Some of the applications of ubiquitous technology with direct benefit to the meeting community include: 1. Radio Frequency Identification RFID systems transmit the identity of an object or person wirelessly using radio waves. It is increasingly used with biometric technologies for security.

2. Wireless LAN Users can access the Internet at high speed by PDA or laptop computer through the LAN and/or IrDA (Infrared Data Association) in every possible AP (Access Point).

3. WAN Application Delivery

Wan (Wide Area Network) Accelerator is a solution to accelerate the speed of data transmission of websites connected to broadband (BISDN). It is very helpful to improve data transmission without extra infrastructure.

4. Mobile Service Mobile service as a part of urban life facilitates the exchange of data in an interactive way via the internet.

5. Video Conference System VCS enables meetings to convene by means of camera or live internet streaming, saving time and expenditure in travelling and also lessening the impact of global travel and carbon emissions 7. Virtual Reality Conference VRC is advanced technology for video conferences; by transmitting holograms users feel like they are located in the place where their message is being delivered.

www.voyagersworld.in

36>>

FESTIVALS OF 2 - 3 December 2015

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hichibu Yomatsuri is a festival of Chichibu Shrine with a history of over 2,000 years. On 2nd they feature an event held on the eve called Yoiyama and on the next day, two ‘kasaboko’, that are large parasol-like objects decorated with weapons as spears and artificial flowers along with four ‘yatai’ floats shaped like small houses, are paraded through the city streets. In the afternoon, the floats are transformed into stages by pulling out wings on either side, where Kabuki plays are performed.

Chichibu Yomatsuri, Saitama, Japan

12 -28 February, 2016

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he annual Nice Carnival is a colourful riot of parades, processions and events with endless fun and festivities. There are carnival parades during day and night as well as flower parades. On the ‘Place Massena’, 18 allegorical or burlesque floats parade with various entertainment elements, street performers and international musical troupes. Special highlights include a spectacular display of the 18 floats making their way up to Place Massena accompanied by dancers and musicians from the world over and the flower parades that take place on the Promenade des Anglais.

Winter Carnival, Nice, France

31 December, 2015

5 January, 2016

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n 5 January each year, Spain’s villages, towns and cities receive the traditional, joyful visit of the three wise men of the east. In the afternoon of 5 January, the parades of the three kings, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, who bring good cheer and presents to children at Christmas, get underway throughout Spain. It represents the journey made by the three kings following the star to Bethlehem. A large number of floats carry not only the kings, but also a host of wonderful characters who throw sweets into the crowd.

Three Kings Parade, Spain Voyager’s World > October 2015

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onaco is one of the most festive countries of Europe. On New Year’s Eve, the country offers an array of parties, gala nights and outdoor parades. Monaco welcomes the New Year by ushering itself in the potential of the coming year and bidding farewell to the previous years. What makes Monaco a hot spot for enjoying the winter festivals is the temperate weather that is suitable during Christmas and New Year. New Year parties based on various themes are organized in every nook and corner. Lot of private yacht parties are also organized to start the New Year in uber style.

New Year Eve celebrations, Monaco, France

37>>

THE WORLD 16 - 20 December, 2015

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he annual parade, which dates back to more than 100 years in the making, starts and ends at the Bay island in Newport Beach . The humble beginnings included only about a dozen boats that sailed the water with decorations. There are hundreds of boats as part of the event and they include vastly unique and extravagant displays. It is not uncommon for boat owners to spend tens of thousands of dollars on the decorations that involves lights, special effects, themes and much more.

Christmas Boat Parade, Newport Beach, California

31 December, 2015

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he last day of the year sees one of the most populous running events, held in Madrid – the 10 km San Silvestre Vallecana race.

The race is divided into two sections. On one side is the San Silvestre Popular, which is open to runners over 10 years of age with 27,500 places available. On the other side is San Silvestre Vallecana International, a far more select event with just 1,000 places reserved for runners with accredited 10 km times of less than 39 minutes (for men) and 45 minutes (for women).

San Silvestre Vallencana - Running, Madrid, Spain

31 October, 2015 31 December, 2015

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n New Year’s Eve, a group of two or three village youths disguised as a grotesque deity called Namahage, wearing masks, straw raincoats and waist-bands, holding wooden knives and pails, visit the houses at night, dancing along as they give out strange cries. They shout out menacing cries like “Any children disobeying their parents?” or “Any lazy daughters-in-law neglecting their work?” This event has been passed down from ancient times around Oga City. They are received by the family and offered sake and mochi rice cakes. Appeased by the hospitality, they leave the house, blessing them for New Year.

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he city celebrates the All Saints’ Eve extensively with a variety of spooky cheer for all to appreciate. In the fast-paced, hard-working society of Hong Kong, locals love to don a disguise and let their hair down. And the city’s reputation for Halloween festivities – from decorated shopping malls and themed menus to raucous street parties and elaborate theme park celebrations -- has made it the place where Asia comes to party. This event gives you an excuse to dress up to look horrific and terrifying and participate in parades and go trick-or-treating.

Spooky Halloween, Hong Kong

Oga Namahage Festival,, Akita Prefecture, Japan www.voyagersworld.in

Happenings

38>>

RezNext Global Solutions wins the 2015 Red Herring Top 100 Asia Award

MTDC to celebrate 2017 as Visit Maharashtra Year

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ezNext Global Solutions has been awarded the Red Herring Top 100 Asia for 2015. Red Herring announced its Top 100 award in recognition of the leading private companies from Asia, celebrating these start-ups’ innovations and technologies across their respective industries. RezNext Global Solutions is the only hotel distribution technology and profit management company to win the award this year. “RezNext has been growing aggressively and the past year has been phenomenal for us starting with our funding from NEA, being recognised as a cool vendor by Gartner for 2015, and our commitment to continuously innovate to help our hotel customers improve their profitability,” said Mike Kistner, Chief Executive Officer, RezNext Global Solutions.

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3rd Seven Stars hospitality awards held in Bali

Kerala Tourism strengthens ties with Russia

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he third edition of the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards was held at the Trans Resort Bali on 19 September 2015. Numerous winners from all over the world such as Katara Hospitality, Al Marjan Island, Emirates Palace, HRH Group of Hotels, Spirit Hotel, Melia Zanzibar, Hanging Gardens of Bali, Villa Padierna Hotels & Resorts and many more attended the ceremony. The luxury panel members included HSH Prince Massimiliano della Torre e Tasso, Frank M Pfaller, Khalil El-Mouelhy, Nicola El-Mouelhy, Karine Lackner, Mohammed Riyaz, Marina Noble, Dr Andreas Lindner, Thanos Liontos and Ece Vahapoglu who was also the official presenter of the awards.

Frank M Pfaller, Honorary Chairman of the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality & Lifestyle Awards, President of the Hoteliers Guild officially launched the world’s first International Hospitality Hall of Fame to a roaring applause. In Addition, the Torch was passed to the Villa Padierna Palace Hotel in Marbella Spain to host the 2016 Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards.

Voyager’s World > September 2015

elcoming delegates at the valedictory session of Maharashtra International Travel Mart (MITM) at JW Sahar Mumbai on 29 September, Paraag Jaiin Nainuttia, IAS, MD, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) informed that they will celebrate 2017 as Visit Maharashtra Year, and provide single-window clearance for tourism ventures. At the event, the first edition of IIPT (International Institute for Peace Through Tourism) India Peace Awards was conferred on 5 women for their outstanding contribution to the travel and tourism industry.

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erala Tourism, along with its Goa and Uttarakhand counterparts, held talks with the Russian Tourism & Cultural Ministry at the Moscow Cultural Centre on 18 September, to promote tourist arrivals and cultural exchanges through the setting up of a formal association.

Talks were held between Olga Yarilova- the Head of Tourism & Regional Policy Department of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and P.I. Sheikh Pareeth- Director, Kerala Tourism at the Ministry of Culture, Russian Federation. The idea of formulating a board comprising the Government of India, the Ministry of Tourism, the Indian embassy in Russia and the tourism departments of Kerala, Goa and Uttarkhand and, will be taken up with the Centre. The Russian delegation raised issues on reducing the visa fees and the airport fee incurred on chartered flights from Russia to India.

Happenings

39>>

States shine at National Tourism Awards 2013-14

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he President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Tourism Awards 2013-14 at a function held in New Delhi last month. The President said that broader social contacts between tourists and receiving communities went a long way in enhancing mutual understanding, tolerance and awareness between people. The Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge), Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma said that the country earned Rs1,23,000 Crore rupees of forex through tourism last year. The Secretary - Tourism, Vinod Zutshi said that the awards would go a long way to catalyze and incentivize the tourism sector in India and encourage the stakeholders to give their best performance.

Among the recipients of awards include Gujarat for the Best State/UT for Comprehensive Tourism Development; Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh as the Best Heritage City; Municipal Council of Maheshwar (Distt.Khargone) in Madhya Pradesh for Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in B Category. Gujarat was awarded the Best Film Promotion Friendly State/Union territory while Deptt of Tourism, Kerala received the award for Most Innovative use of Information technology. ‘The Great backwaters of Kerala’ was awarded the Best Tourism Film while the Coffee Table Book ‘Gujarat’s 50 Golden Destinations’ got the award for the Best Tourism Promotion Publicity material.

Uttarakhand eyes rural tourism development

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ttarakhand Tourism is focusing on homestay development. For the same, it recently launched a ‘Homestay Policy’, and announced logo exchange and link exchange between Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI) and Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB).

Ninety-seven villages (and counting) and 37 clusters have been identified to develop rural tourism, with the assistance of the respective district magistrates, informed Poonam Chand, Deputy Director, Uttarakhand Tourism. INR 50 lakh have been set aside to develop each village and about INR 20 lakh will be invested in skill development and capacity building of locals.

Brand USA to start digital consumer campaigns in India

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rand USA will commence direct consumer campaigns in the Indian market, starting from the current financial year (2015-16). These campaigns will be more “digital” in character, with focus on young travellers, informed Carroll Rheem, VP - Research & Analytics, Brand USA. She said that the agency has created “video assets” for these digital campaigns and these will be driven through online platforms, which are frequently visited by travellers for information on US destinations. Brand USA has been running direct consumer campaigns in 10 overseas markets so far, and from next year, these will be expanded to 2 more markets, and India is one of them, Rheem informed.

Indian TAs experience Korea

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orea Tourism Organization (KTO) hosted top Indian travel agencies for a MICE Fam Trip in early October. The group visited Seoul and Jeju Island. The aim of the trip was to showcase MICE products and offerings that both destinations have to offer. Senior representatives from Cox & Kings, Thomas Cook, Kesari Travel, Orbit Corporate & Leisure Travels and FCM Travel participated in the trip along with representatives of KTO and Asiana Airlines. The group experienced a variety of Korean, international and Indian cuisine at several locations. All participating agencies came back with very positive reviews and will be developing specific MICE itineraries and programs for both the destinations which will be promoted amongst their respective clientele.

www.voyagersworld.in

Editor’s Pick

40>>

mobile travel bookings rise up during prime time: expedia Courtesy: Tnooz.com

A study by Expedia reveals patterns of bookings travellers whille trying to make online travel bookings across multiple platforms.

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ow people research and book travel online continues to evolve with the proliferation of devices – and understanding the changing habits and behaviors of today’s digitally-savvy travelers is critical for marketers in the industry.

Recent studies commissioned by Expedia Media Solutions, the digital marketing arm of Expedia, Inc., and conducted by comScore looked at the role that mobile plays throughout the sales funnel – by analyzing how UK and US travelers interact with multiplatform online travel content across devices and travel planning stages.

Tnooz covered the UK-only aspects of the Expedia/comScore survey in July.

These findings are especially interesting in the context of a recent white-paper from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) which describes the “liquid consumer” – someone who inhabits a complex online ecosystem, taking a myriad of pathways through online content and devices on their way to making a purchase.

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Among the findings from the studies: The online audience is enormous: 248 million people in the US and 48 million in the UK engage with digital

content across all devices.

Having multiple devices is becoming the norm: 65% of U.S. households have more than three devices, while three out of four British travelers have one of each – a laptop, a smartphone and a tablet.

Mobile continues to grow: The total UK and US mobile travel audience is slightly larger than that of PC. The data showed that engagement with online content by today’s typical consumer varies by platform. An especially revealing finding from the survey showed the degree to which mobile – and particularly tablet usage – spikes at the end of the day, during prime-time, between 8 and 10 p.m.

Your target customer may have seen your ad on their mobile during the morning, looked a bit more closely on their desktop during lunch, and then noticed it again while browsing their social media in the afternoon.

After dinner, however, they are sitting down with their tablets. While share of device traffic for mobile rests between 3% and 6% throughout the day, it spikes to nearly 12% during prime time.

What can we draw from this?

First, the mobile experience must be

efficient, since mobile users spend less time on average engaging with a brand.

of this day’s journey?

Can the transaction be booked across all platforms?

Second, marketers need to think of this mobile experience as part of the overall “digital commute” via device/platform by the “liquid consumer.” Ask yourself: Is your content specifically optimized for the mobile experience?

Are you telling a story through your content that works over the course

We all know that mobile adoption continues to rise steadily. However, as the comScore study shows, consumer behavior within the mobile environment varies. Which device a consumer uses depends not only on time of day but also where they are situated within the marketing funnel.

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Voyager’s World > October 2015

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

Top Appointments

41>> Ashwani K. Goela

Chakrapani Gollapali

General Manager, Crowne Plaza Jaipur

Chief Business Officer, Holidays, Yatra.com

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shwani Goela joins Crowne Plaza Jaipur as the General Manager of Crowne Plaza Jaipur Tonk Road hotel. His key role will include overseeing the complete operations and ensuring the hotel is set up for a successful launch. He earlier worked in Crowne Plaza Gurgaon, Radisson Delhi, the Imperial, InterContinental The Grand and most recently in Crowne Plaza Okhla.

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hakrapani Gollapali is the new Chief Business Officer - Holidays at Yatra.com. A former Microsoft India executive, Chakrapani has more than 20 years of experience in technology, mobile and consumer businesses and had earlier worked with Nokia. In his new role, he will be responsible for the overall business results for the Holidays Unit of Yatra to deliver an integrated organizational approach for product innovation.

Greesh Bindra

Arindam Kunar

Area General Manager North India, IHG

Area General Manager - South India, IHG

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nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) appointed Arindam Kunar as Area General Manager, South India. . In his new role, Arindam is responsible for driving the performance of IHG’s hotels in South India. This includes Crowne Plaza Kochi and Holiday Inn Kochi; Crowne Plaza Bangalore and Holiday Inn & Suites Bangalore. He will continue to be based at the newly opened Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park where he was previously General Manager.

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reesh Bindra has joined IHG as the Area General Manager for North India. In this role, he supports the brand’s growth in the north Indian markets and oversees the performance of the company’s hotels in the region, including Crowne Plaza New Delhi Rohini, Crowne Plaza New Delhi Mayur Vihar, Holiday Inn hotels in Mayur Vihar, Pune and Amritsar and Holiday Inn Chandigarh Panchkula. He will continue to be at Crowne Plaza Greater Noida where he was formerly General Manager.

Piyush Tiwari

Satyajit Kotwal

Director (Commercial & Marketing), ITDC

General Manager, The Resort

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he Resort, Madh-Marve, Malad announced the appointment of Satyajit Kotwal as its new General Manager. Prior to this, he was the Hotel Manager at Keys Hotel Temple Tree, Shirdi. He has over 10 years of experience in Hotel Operations, Human Resources, and Training sector and has worked with some the leading hotels in the country in various capacities. In his new role and capacity at The Resort, Kotwal will be overseeing the hotel’s operations.

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ndia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) Ltd, announced transition in its leadership with Piyush Tiwari taking over charge of Director (Commercial & Marketing) from Commodore (Retd) Ratan Kumar Okhandiar. Former Regional Manager (North) & Dy. General Manager, RINL- a NVRATNA PSU under ministry of steel, Govt of India; Tiwari, in his new role, will focus on strengthening ITDC and offering tourism services as well as one stop solution to corporates for their business needs.

Praveen Sharma

Rishi Neoge

Director of Sales & Marketing, Renaissance Lucknow

General Manager, Howard Johnson Bengaluru Hebbal

he Renaissance Lucknow hotel appointed Praveen Sharma as Director of Sales & Marketing. Bringing 16 years of experience in hospitality and MICE in many organisations, Praveen joined the Marriott Group in 2009 and was most recently with the Courtyard by Marriott Bhopal. His expertise lies in development, strategic planning, customer relationship engagement, and pre opening with a complete understanding of the hospitality markets like Bhopal, Lucknow and Delhi.

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oward Johnson Bengaluru Hebbal has announced the appointment of Rishi Neoge as its General Manager. With over 19 years of experience across several positions in Food and Beverage industry in several leading luxury and business hotels across India like ITC, the Imperial, IHCL and InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) to name a few, Rishi would look after the overall running of the property in his new undertaking.

www.voyagersworld.in

NETWORKING ISTHE THE NETWorkING Is kE KEY Y October 2015

November 2015

October2015

December 2015

January 2016

February 2016

9, 10, 11 Holiday Expo Nagpur

13, 14, 15 imex america Las Vegas

16, 17, 18 Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart Bhopal

23, 24, 25, 26 SITE Global Conference New Delhi

November 2015

December 2015 03, 04, 05

02, 03, 04, 05 WTM London UK

Chengdu International Travel Fair Chengdu,China

17, 18, 19

04, 05, 06

IBTM World Barcelona, Spain

India International Travel Mart Hyderabad

27, 28, 29

09, 10

IITM Pune

Brussels Travel Expo Brussels

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

10, 11, 12, 13 Travel Turkey Izmer Tourism Fair & Conference Turkey

January 2016

February 2016

22, 23, 24

9, 10, 11

Holiday Expo Coimbatore

IBTM Arabia Abu Dhabi

14, 15, 16

11, 12, 13

India International Travel Mart Kochi

BIT Milan, Italy

20, 21, 22, 23, 24

13, 14

Fitur Madrid,Spain

28, 29, 30, 31 Emitt Istanbul- Turkey

The Vancouver Golf & Travel Show Vancouver, Canada

17, 18, 19 Routes America San Juan, Puerto Rico

interested in getting into the high proot incentive business? then this october be a part of the in incentive industry event of the year!

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