Voyager's World September 2014 by Editor

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Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing 上海跨国采购会展中心

The Leading International MICE Event in China 中国首屈一指的专业会议、奖励旅游、会议和展览的商业和交流平台 www.itcmchina.com

IT&CM China 2014 Event Highlights 中国（上海）国际会奖旅游博览会展会亮点 86% of exhibitors expect orders

86%的展商预期

over the next 6 to 12 months after the show

在展会落幕后6-12个月内获得订单

Business generation of approximately USD 1 million and above 特定展商期望订单业务量能够达到100万美金或以上 for selected exhibitors

83% of buyers gave top scores to the quality of exhibitors 86% of buyers gave top scores for quality of appointments

83%的买家对于展商的质量表示非常满意

86%的买家对于约谈的质量表示非常满意

95% of buyers rated IT&CM China as a 95%的买家认为中国(上海)国际会奖旅游博览会是一项不可错过的行业盛事 Must-Attend Event

“There was a good mix of buyers attending the show, so that definitely helped us in achieving our business objectives.” Achini Dandunnage Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Sri Lanka

“通过在IT&CM China与参展商们的交流，我对在东南亚目的地举办会议有了更加深入的了解。这些信息对于我们来说非常有用，因为我们希望在这区域举办一些会议。其次教育主题论坛也非常专业。” Li Jianmin China Conference Business Alliance (CCBA), 中国

“IT&CM China is a show I will definitely want to attend again as this show raises awareness of our publication, and opens us up to new industry markets.” Zhou Hang EMICE.net, China

*Based on 2014 Post-Event Feedback 根据2014展后反馈

Contact 联络方式:

For International Delegates 国际展商 Email: itcmchina@ttgasia.com Tel: (65) 6395 7575

For Chinese Delegates 国内展商 Email: itcmchina@citsmice.com.cn Tel: (86-10) 8522 7997

Exhibitors 展商 | Buyers 买家 | Media 媒体 Scan this QR Code 扫描此二维码

To Learn More About Participating 获取招待计划的更多信息 Hosting Programme For Buyers and Media Available. 为买家和媒体特设的招待计划现在开始申请。

Supported By 支持单位:

Media Affiliates 支持媒体:

Official Media 官方媒体:

IT&CM China 2015 is proud to be part of the Shanghai Business Events Week.

2015中国(上海)国际奖励旅游及大会博览会很荣幸的能作为上海商务活动周的一部分举行

Where The MICE Industry Comes Together In Shanghai. An Exciting Week of Business, Education And Networking Events. 国际奖励旅游和大会博览会行业的各个成员企业齐聚上海，在令人兴奋的一周时间里，共同参与这次教育以及商业交流的活动。

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liberations during the recent National Conference of State Tourism Ministers

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tourism, launching tourist helpline and travel apps to reinforce the industry

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Extensive promotion of the ‘Bed & Breakfast’ scheme, strong emphasis on tourist security and safety, sustainable tourism initiatives and other key de-

have been some of the activities on part of the Ministry of Tourism. In addition to these, the Ministry is seen expanding travel circuits, stepping up its religious

These measures, however, seem to be outweighed by the recent calamity in Jammu and Kashmir which has left several hundred tourists stranded.

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For this reason, the need of the hour is to integrate timely travel risk manage-

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ment across all the tourism destinations across the country. The actual prepar-

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edness in terms of solving tourist security and safety issues in such times is what counts. Apps, portable navigation devices, 24/7 helplines and tourist tips make more sense when the ‘personnel’ touch comes in time, in place.

This month, we have Sports Tourism on the cover and have also featured stories on new technology trends, MICE trends and a destination story on Manchester. Our next edition will be a WTM 2014 special edition with exclusive

Industry Buzz

stories to look out for.

Cover Story

Happy Reading…

Warm Regards

Sports Tourism: Key drivers of toursim

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

26 Destination Manchester and London: Leaving indelible impressions

29India Outbound

New initiatives by Abu Dhabi, Florida, Argentina and Visit Britain

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Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India launched

he Union Minister for Tourism Shripad Naik launched the comprehensive Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI) for accommodation, tour operators and beaches, backwaters, lakes and rivers sectors today. The Minister said that the government had ensured that strategies for development of tourism were not in conflict with the environment and had minimal negative impact. The principles of sustainability include conservation of water, energy, heritage, revival of ancient architecture, involvement of communities, protection of wildlife and non-exploitation of women, children, etc.

Zakkir Ahmed new President of TAFI

t the 20th Annual General Body Meeting of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) held at the Lalit on 2 August, 2014, the following persons were elected to serve the association for the tenure of 2014-2016. Zakkir Ahmed Kalarikkal - President; Praveen Chugh - Vice President; Pradip Lulla - National General Secretary; Aditi Bhende - Treasurer. The Managing Committee members include A. Basheer Ahmed, Rajat Bagaria, Urvashi D. Mohan, Jayesh Tharani and Teddy M. Thomas. Zakkir stated that this would be his third term as President of the association.

Global Destinations to promote Ezeerooms.com in India

Jaipur welcomes Holiday Inn

lobal Destinations will promote Ezeerooms.com in India. Ezeerooms. com is a global reservation portal for hotel booking with a consolidated inventory and a unique service profile. Ezeeroms.com offers a range of over 300,000 HOTELS across 11000 destinations worldwide, from exquisite leisure holiday accommodation packages to cost-effective corporate accommodation services. Pranav Kapadia, Founder, Global Destinations said: “We are entering a new space by promoting an online portal and are glad to have added yet another unique product to our portfolio.”

UAE rolls out multiple-entry visa for Indian cruise travellers

he InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened the Holiday Inn Jaipur with 172 well-appointed rooms and five meeting spaces.

Pascal Gauvin, COO, IHG, India, Middle East and Africa said: “Jaipur is an important destination of northern India and we are delighted to bring Holiday Inn Jaipur City Centre to the city.” There is a special opening rate from INR 4250 plus taxes per night for bookings from now until 30 September 2014.

Chhattisgarh demands special tourism status

he UAE makes travel much easier for Indian cruise passengers who need to make multiple stops by air, land or sea with the implementation of new multiple- entry visa and entry permits for medical tourists effective August. The multiple-entry tourism permits for cruise passengers will be at 200 dirhams.

he Minister of Tourism and Culture, Govt. of Chhattisgarh, Ajay Chandrakar, at the recent National Conference of Tourism Ministers, voiced the need to accord a special tourism status to Chhattisgarh to develop its tourism industry. He said that with the state having immense potential for eco-tourism with 44% of the state being forested, the central government should help create special conditions to develop the same.

Voyager’s World > September 2014

Industry Buzz

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H1 records 491,161 Indian stays in Dubai hotels

ubai’s hotels welcomed more than 5.8 million tourists in the first half of 2014 –the highest number of visitors ever achieved in the first six months of the year, as per a study by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). India is at the No.2 position with hotel stays by Indian nationals in Dubai’s hotels having stood at 491,161 during this period, showing a growth of 3%. Saudi Arabia is the top market for Dubai with 655,170 hotel stays in H1. The top 10 markets showed slight changes in positions and continue to show the diversity of visitors. Saudi Arabia, India, UK, USA, Russia, China, Iran, Oman, Kuwait and Germany made up the top 10 for January to June 2014.

MEHAIR commences seaplane service in Mumbai

EHAIR launches seaplane service from Mumbai to Pawana dam (Lonavala). The planes will connect Mumbai with multiple state tourist destinations and can accommodate up to 9 passengers. The first commercial flight took off on 25 August from Mumbai to Pawana dam (Lonavala) for which the bookings are open on the website. Siddharth Verma, Co-Founder & Director, said: “It gives me great pleasure that the first seaplane service in the mainland of India is taking off from Mumbai. It is the first step towards covering India with a seaplane network over the next 3 - 5 years. I am sure Mumbaikar’s will find the service extremely useful and exciting and the service will become a vital cog in the tourism initiative of the state and both tourists as well as pilgrims will benefit from it given that its connecting tourist as well as religious centres.”

Canada shows 18.7% growth in June 2014

SAA deploys A340-300 on Mumbai route

outh African Airways (SAA) introduced the Airbus A340-300 on the Mumbai - Johannesburg route, effective 1 September, 2014. The A340-300 replaced the Airbus A330-200 and thus increased capacity to 253 per aircraft from the previous capacity of 222. SAA now flies six days a week between Johannesburg and Mumbai as against seven-days-a-week schedule while maintaining the seat capacity.

Hotel Trinity Isle wins award

otel Trinity Isle won the Hospitality Excellence Award 2014 for Fast Emerging Business BOUTIQUE HOTEL in 2014 from Brand Academy. The award was given for excelling in quality assurance audit, customer rating, staff service and guest loyalty.

anada has recorded a growth of 18.7 percent in visitor arrival from India in June 2014 in comparison to June last year, this is the highest number of visitors in a month so far this year. The Canadian Tourism commission (CTC) India will soon launch a campaign wherein the agents are eligible for the grand prize- a trip to Canada, on completing the eight modules in a specific time period.

Voyager’s World > September 2014

“The award makes us reconfirm our commitment to provide the finest hospitality to each guest who checks-in or uses our services,” states Manoj Nair, the General Manager of Trinity Isle.

Cox & Kings operates Deccan Odyssey

he Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) appointed Cox & Kings Ltd (CKL) as its outsourced partner to operate Deccan Odyssey, the luxury train from October 2014. The partnership will cover full management of on-board and off board services, sales, MARKETING and operational activities. The agreement is for a period of five years with scope for extension for another five years. The operations will make efforts to showcase maximum possible destinations in Maharashtra.

Industry Buzz

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Indians can now avail of E-visa to Myanmar

he immigration authorities of Myanmar introduced an online electronic visa for tourists from 41 countries including India. The new system will facilitate tourists visiting Myanmar in obtaining an E-visa within five days. Simplified in four steps, the applicants have to fill in the secure online E-visa form; confirm and pay; get approval letter within five days and get the visa stamped upon arrival. The single-entry e-Visa costs $50 (£30), will be stamped on arrival (it must be stamped within 90 days of the approval letter being issued) and is valid for 28 days.

The new service, found at www.myanmarevisa.gov. mm, aims to be user-friendly and follows the nation’s endeavour to draw five million tourists a year by 2015. However, the E-visa system only grants entry to Myanmar at the Yangon International Airport, thus rendering it nonviable for those coming through land borders.

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Voyager’s World > September 2014

2015

Specialised service for better travel management

ompanies operating in business travel within India can now access accurate and timely information on travel security issues and trends to protect their people, assets and operations. An initiative by International SOS and Control Risks, TravelWatch-India is a subscription-based, specialised intelligence and advice service for organisations with exposure in India. By providing access to an assessment and advisory team in New Delhi, organisations can boost their local travel risk management capability. Mick Sharp, Chief Operating Officer, International SOS and Control Risks, said: “As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India presents significant opportunities for businesses globally. However, it remains an incredibly complex operating environment. From a travel security perspective, business travellers and expatriates across the country are exposed to varying degrees of risk from crime, terrorism and social and political unrest among others. These issues can not only threaten the personal safety and security of individuals, they can have far-reaching business continuity implications.” A subscription to the service will provide access to daily email alerts on travel and security related incidents in India that are likely to impact business travellers or international assignees; 24/7 SMS alerts on major travel security incidents; weekly security forecasts of likely flashpoints/ developments to watch in the week ahead; monthly Spotlight reports on a key security issue, trend or location; quarterly verbal online briefings on a key topic impacting the security of travellers in India, with a Q&A session and access to an India security specialist via telephone for further discussion on reports and location and itinerary specific travel advice. Nicolas Bertsche, General Manager, India at International SOS added: “India is consistently one of the top countries in terms of client interest from a security perspective. This launch is a natural extension of our continuous efforts at addressing our clients’ needs and helping them exercises their duty of care.”

Cover Story

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Sports Tourism: Key drivers of Tourism! IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Sports Tourism witnesses an increase in the number of Indian tourists travelling as it © Estadia River Plate, Argentina - INPROTUR

is seeing and living and enjoying every moment of the event for lifetime memories.

Medha Sampat, Director, Knack Marketing (India Representative for Argentina Tourism) Argentina a sporting nation offers football as the most popular sport. Sport tourism is a fast growing sector of the global travel industry and equates to approximately $600 billion a year. Sporting events are major drivers for tourism as people want to feel the live buzz during the event.

ports tourism is a growing segment and refers to people travelling to a destination, to participate in or watch sport that includes World Games, International test series, stadium tours, mass participation events, player testimonials, group tours, sporting events and exhibitions across a broad spectrum. Sports tourism is an integral part of world tourism and a very niche phenomenon is present in India. Indian travellers these days are interested in sports tourism and are keen in exploring various destinations in terms of the internationally acclaimed sports events. Events such as the Olympics, F1 Grand Prix, FIFA World Cup, Tennis Grand Slams, PGA championships, Cricket World Cup a platform to showcase the destination. Sports tourism not only lures the

Voyager’s World > September 2014

corporate, fast growing upper middle class and the youth but also senior citizens. Over the years there has been a considerable increase in the number of Indian tourists travelling to watch international sports related events. Sports tourism is divided in to two forms as Spectator Sports Events where people visit to enjoy the event and Participatory Sports Events encourage the visitors to participate in an activity. According to the World Tourism Organisation, Sport Tourism represents the fastest growing sector in global tourism as several National Tourist Offices (NTOs) are working towards promoting their destinations for Sport Tourism in India to tap the corporate, as well as fast growing upper middle

class and the youth. Sports Tourism is a great opportunity for any traveller as it is all about seeing and living and enjoying every minute of the event for lifetime memories. Sport Tourism generates €450billion to the global tourism industry annually and predicted to grow in the region of 14%, compared to the overall tourism market growth indicator of 2-3% (WTO, 2013). Sports tourism a niche market Romit Theophilus, Director, German National Tourist Office, India states that Sports tourism in Germany has become increasingly popular not only for foreigners but also among the native Germans. Germany is the place for elite sports like football, basketball, tennis, rowing and horse riding

championships that attract large numbers of international visitors. David Craig, GM Asia, Tourism New Zealand says, “Sports tourism is a rapidly growing market in New Zealand. Sport has always played an important role in defining New Zealand as a nation and most Kiwis highly value an active sporting lifestyle whether competitive or recreational. The events like the Rugby World Cup, FIFA U-20 World Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup give New Zealand a unique opportunity to showcase the facilities that appeal to sports enthusiasts across the globe.” Mark O’Connell, World Travel Market Sport Tourism Consultant said, “Sport Tourism is not a new sector of

Cover Story

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Vishal Suri , Chief Executive Officer- Tour Operating, Kuoni India Indians travel abroad to watch a broad range of sporting events, including cricket, soccer, tennis and Formula One and there is a considerable increase in number of Indian tourists traveling exclusively to watch sports-related events or planning their holiday around a major sporting event. The increase in sports tourism is approximately 30% as compared to 5-6 years ago. tourism as fans have been travelling to sporting events since the ancient Olympic Games were hosted in the sanctuary of Olympia in Greece, however it is recognized as a key emerging sector in the global tourism industry predicted to grow in the region of 14% (WTO, 2013) compared to the overall tourism market growth indicator of 2-3%.” “The market is growing because destinations are creating a lot more local sport tourism events and not relying on mega events to dominate the sector. It is a global opportunity for destination branding through sport and activity,” He says. “Sport tourism relates to people travelling to a destination, to participate

in or watch sport, to visit a sport attraction or attend a sport business event. It includes World Games, International test series, stadium tours, mass participation events, player testimonials, group tours, sporting events and exhibitions across a broad spectrum. The tourism sport is considered a discipline in its own right and differentiated from Sport Tourism as an ancillary activity to travel rather than a predominant reason in choosing a destination,” He added. Medha Sampat, Director, Knack Marketing (India Representative for Argentina Tourism) says that sports tourism not only refers to people participating in the event, but also acts as a huge motivator for sports fans to visit the place during the grand event

such as the Olympics, F1 Grand Prix, FIFA World Cup, Tennis Grand Slams, PGA championships, Cricket World Cup etc command a fantastic brand value among travellers and can be used as an innovative platform to showcase the destination. The sporting events can be major drivers for tourism. “The marketing strategy combined with the execution of the event has to be precise, the target audience must be defined perfectly and a follow up with a concrete call to action is required, in order to create a big success story. A successful event is all about creating an impression one sets on the guests while visiting the country. The hospitality, energy, vibe and atmosphere of the host country

also play an important role in promoting tourism for the future,” She added. Gauri Jayaram, Founder, Active Holiday Company said, “We have seen that it is only now in the past couple of years that Indians are getting a real idea of formula racing or tennis or anything beyond cricket as sports is not a number one priority for people, you can imagine with the size of the segment of people willing to really go out and spend money on a holiday for a sporting event.” Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager India & Gulf, Tourism Australia explains: The special interest driven travel including sports tourism is noticeably gaining popularity as Indian

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Cover Story

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Romit Theophilus Director, German National Tourist Office, India

Travel becomes a way of life in Germany whether on the job or on vacation. Sports tourism is popular in Germany and the place for elite sports like football, basketball, tennis, rowing and horse riding championships attract large numbers of international visitors.

travelers seek to add unique, adventurous experiences and activities that give an adrenalin rush to their itinerary. Sports tourism is also influenced by a gratifying emotion for ardent fans to be able to witness in-person the thrill of being spectators at internationally acclaimed sporting events. “We are exploring opportunities to promote the ICC Cricket World Cup

Voyager’s World > September 2014

2015 amongst corporate entities who can reward their top performers with the experience of watching ‘live’ matches of this renowned tournament at some of the iconic stadiums in Australia,” He added. Growth rate in sports tourism Romit says, the focus on sport and spreading knowledge on this has

lead to the increase in sport tourism. Events such as rugby, Olympics, Commonwealth games, Asian Games and football World Cups have enabled specialist travel companies to gain official ticket allocation and then sell them in packages that include flights, hotels and excursions. David said, “Tourism New Zealand has seen strong growth of 13% for the year ended June 2014 from the India market, with 33,904 tourist arrivals from India of which 16,224 were holiday arrivals. The four weeks ended August 10, 2014 witnessed an even more impressive jump of 44% on the same period last year.” Mark says, the high profile events in 2014 are FIFA World Cup, Sochi Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Tour de France. Medha states that Argentina is a sporting nation. We have witnessed some encouraging signs with regards to Sports Tourism. The FIFA world cup was held in South America, a major boost for sports tourism in the recent months. Football is the most popular sport in Argentina. It is also a big Polo playing nation and other sports played include auto racing, boxing, cycling, horse riding, field hockey, fishing, golf, mountaineering, sailing, skiing, tennis etc. “Argentina hosts world class sporting events that attract thousands

of visitors where Soccer and Polo is considered to be the finest in the world. The famous Dakar Rally along with the prestigious MotoGP which is held in Argentina attract thousands of travelers and fans from all over the world who come together to witness this spectacle. This segment has been growing remarkably well as all travellers want to feel the rush and play in gods natural playground,” She added. Vishal Suri, Chief Executive OfficerTour Operating, Kuoni India explains: The increase in sports tourism is approximately 30% as compared to 5-6 years ago. The Indians nowadays travel abroad to watch a broad range of sporting events, including cricket, soccer, tennis and Formula 1. Over the years we have seen a considerable increase in number of Indian tourists traveling exclusively to watch sports related events or alternatively planning their holiday around a major sporting event. “The tour operators also ensure that various sports tour packages are reasonable enough to come within the reach of Indian travelers and the promotional strategies used by various authorities to promote these events are increasing the awareness level amongst sport enthusiasts thereby opening their mind to new travel avenues in this segment,” He added. Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager,

Cover Story

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David Craig GM Asia, Tourism New Zealand

India is one of Tourism New Zealand’s priority markets. Sports tourism is a growing market and plays an important role in defining New Zealand as a nation. The Kiwis are very big on team sports like rugby, netball, rugby league, cricket and sailing. Sports Tourism is one of Tourism New Zealand’s focus segments for the future. South African Tourism says that Sports tourism is a very significant element in world tourism and has become a highly competitive niche tourism segment for South Africa. The concept of sports tourism has been popular in the Western world for over a decade, while in India it is a recent phenomenon which is gaining momentum as the modern Indian

traveler has become more open and is willing to explore untapped segments. “Sports have always been a big passion among Indians like South Africa. Sports tourism has nowadays diversified from its conventional form restricted to viewing the sport live, to being clubbed with leisure or MICE

trips. Several Indians make it a family trip with the sporting event as an incentive to visit and explore a new destination wherein they indulge in shopping and other leisure activities. Sports tourism has gained popularity not only amongst sport enthusiasts but also youth, families, senior citizens and the growing upper middle class,” She added. Gauri says that Marathon tours are not like sports tours where people go watch cricket or football as the participants have to run a 42.2km race so it is a rather niche type of sports tourism. Expected growth for 2014-2015 “India is one of Tourism New Zealand’s priority markets and falls under the emerging markets sector in our three year marketing plan. We expect double-digit growth from the Indian market over the next three years, “David says. Romit said, “We expect 2014 to finish at 8-10 % in terms of growth,” “Sport Tourism generates €450billion to the global tourism industry annually and predicted to grow in the region of 14%, compared to the overall tourism market growth indicator of 2-3% (WTO, 2013),”Mark added.

Medha states that Argentina is a

country that offers travellers many sporting options. Sport tourism is a fast growing sector of the global travel industry and equates to approximately $600 billion a year. The sport events have always encouraged growth in numbers and inspired many travelers. Sports tourism can be broken up in two forms. Spectator Sports Events where people visit to enjoy the event and can be associated with an edutainment angle and Participatory Sport Events encourages the visitors to participate in an activity. Both of these forms can offer a great growth in sports tourism. We expect to see a robust growth for Sports Tourism in Argentina. Vishal explains: “India is slowly catching up with the growing trend of sports tourism and carving a niche for itself in the tourism industry. Sports tourism in India is poised to gain immense prominence and popularity. According to the World Tourism Organisation, Sport Tourism represents that fastest growing sector in global tourism. Several National Tourist Offices (NTOs) are working towards promoting their destinations for Sport Tourism in India to tap the corporate, as well as the fast growing upper middle class and the youth.” “New Zealand & Australia seem to be on the itinerary of sports enthusiasts owing to the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015. The F1 Grand Prix

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Cover Story

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Mark O’Connell, World Travel Market Sport Tourism Consultant Sport tourism is all about people travelling to a destination, to participate in or watch sport event. Sport Tourism generates 450 billion Euros to the global tourism industry annually and predicted to grow in the region of 14%, compared to the overall tourism market growth indicator of 2-3% (WTO, 2013). and Australian Open in Melbourne as also the F1 tournaments in Malaysia & Singapore, Wimbledon in UK and the French & US Open championships are extremely popular annual sporting events that travelers seek to explore and experience. Kuoni-SOTC offers customized deals and designs sports packages which offer a perfect blend of the sport and sightseeing at the destination for the travelers to enjoy,” He added. Hanneli says South Africa is a nation of sports lovers and top-class sports facilities it is favorable for the local industry to focus on the lucrative sports tourism market as there are numerous world-class sporting events on South Africa’s calendar every year. We have proved our caliber to host events such as the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup among others in the past which was a major boost for the country’s international reputation with tremendous arrival figures.

Voyager’s World > September 2014

“South Africa will soon host the Sports & Events Tourism Exchange at ICC, Durban this year to further facilitate the positioning of South Africa as a sports and events tourism destination. This year, the SETE platform aims to bring together businesses from the sports, events and tourism industries and encourages collaboration between these sectors,” She added. Gauri said: The base of sports tourism is really small now so the growth can be 100 or 200% with marathons, the running community is growing although only a small segment can afford international races at this point as the pyramid grows we expect the demand to increase. But this is not going to be a year to year phenomenon it is something that will take time. Nishant says, “Australia is an ardent sporting nation and we have been

observing a rising demand from Indian tourists for sports based travel experiences. For Australia, we have noticed a keen interest for events including the Australian Open and cricket tournaments involving national teams of India and Australia. We expect a minimum of 5,000 to 6,000 people travel to enjoy the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia.” “With the evolution of the Indian traveller, sports based experiential travel has gained popularity in recent times. The global sporting events typically attract large numbers of visiting fans who not only attend most of the games, but also indulge in tourism experiences between matches,” He added. Trends in sports tourism Romit states that there is a growing evidence of the power of participation in sports and recreational activities in terms of connecting peo-

ple to place. We now see expanding evidence of sport events that accommodate all levels of competitive and recreational participation cater specifically to wide ranging spectator and supporter groups and immerse all corners in the historical/heritage and sport places. “Sports Tourism is one of Tourism New Zealand’s focus segments for the future. The Rugby World Cup, which New Zealand hosted in 2011, had a hugely positive impact on both building awareness and boosting visitor arrivals. A recent jump in visitor numbers from France and the UK, both of which are rugby-mad nations, can be attributed to the success of promotion around the Rugby World Cup. We expect to see a similar trend across the Indian market for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and FIFA U 20 World Cup 2015,” David added. Mark says: Sport tourism focus for

Cover Story

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Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism South Africa is a nation of sports-lovers. Sports tourism is all about seeing it and living it, enjoying every moment of the event, the destination, the culture and taking away a lifetime of memories.

team building, development and incentive as part of corporate social responsibility with continued growth of Sport Tourism Mass Participation Events like Cycle Sportives, Marathons, and obstacle adventure races. Medha explains: The sporting events encourage travel agents to package the destination in interesting ways which could be clubbed with pre and post tours. This encourages repeat travel and creates a new marketing angle for the host country. Post the events a visit to the sport venues are considered to be popular sightseeing options. Sports tourism has evolved from viewing the sport live, to being clubbed with MICE and leisure trips. In some cases the corporate weave their conventions and incentive programmes around the sporting events. Sometimes this scenario is extended even further when their families are included on the visit. The incentive visit along with experiencing the place in the apt environment with family or

friends has been gaining popularity. Hanneli said “With changing customer preferences and demands, travel is no longer the same as a decade earlier. Travellers are now exploring diverse avenues and experimenting with options such as Sporting events and activities. Sports tourism is no longer just about sport as customers are seeking an experience. Sports tourism is more than just hosting great events. Although, fan motives are the main reason why people are keen to visit a big sport event but also the factor of entertainment and the festivities around an event are at times more important than the competition itself. To meet the needs of the tourists and reap the considerable benefits of sports tourism, a destination needs to integrate sporting event into its strategic vision and have a long-term business plan.” “The FIFA World Cup in 2010 did wonders for South Africa’s travel and

tourism sector. The World Cup games were played in 10 different stadiums in nine cities where tourists got to explore certain areas in the country. The hospitality industry saw a tremendous growth figure with tourists flocking in from countries across the globe. The year 2010 witnessed 8 073 552 global arrivals to South Africa which was an increase of 15.1% vis-à-vis the previous year. The Indian arrivals, 71 587 Indian tourists visited the Rainbow Nation in 2010. South Africa was singled out as the World’s leading sports tourism destination at the World Tourism Awards in 2012,” She added. Promotional Activities Romit said: We are working closely with the trade with joint promotions to showcase the rich variety of experiences which Germany offers to Indian visitors. Some of the major promotions are ongoing with Kuoni, VIA, Thomas Cook Cox and Kings and

more to follow. We are also reaching to Tier II cities in form of Germany India Pool road shows inviting people from the field of Travel Trade and are facilitating interactions on latest updates and attractions. David states that with the fourthlargest sporting event in the world coming to New Zealand in 2015 is the best time for sports fans to plan a trip to one of the most passionate sporting countries watched by an estimated quarter of the world’s population an audience of more than two billion the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup will be the perfect opportunity to experience the buzz of a high stakes global sports event with ample time to explore. Medha said: We have commenced with training the trade and will continue with mono Argentina trade shows. We have been participating in trade fairs that were held in Mumbai and

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Cover Story

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Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager India & Gulf, Tourism Australia Australia is an ardent sporting nation and observes a rising demand from Indian tourists for sports based travel experiences and expects a minimum of 5,000 to 6,000 people travel to enjoy the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia. Sports tourism offers the ardent fans to be able to witness in-person the thrill of being spectators at sporting events. Delhi. We have started targeting other regional markets and cities. The response has been spectacular. The idea is to develop the market with a long term perspective. The Argentinean suppliers have been visiting India regularly for the past two years and have interacted with the Indian travel trade. Hanneli says: The Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) was formed in 2011 to strengthen collaboration between the sports, events and tourism industry and to ensure the legacy of the FIFA World Cup is endured and South Africa becomes the world’s premier sports event destination. The thought process behind SETE was to engage with the leaders of world sport and build on South Africa’s position as a major international sports, tourism and events destination by hosting events across the sporting spectrum in South Africa. The result has been that South Africa has successfully

Voyager’s World > September 2014

staged big events and set itself apart as a world leader in sports tourism. “South African Tourism has encouraged initiatives like the ‘Gary Kirsten Travel & Tours’ which packages sports in conjunction with travel thereby offering sport enthusiasts a complete travel experience. This initiative has already received an extremely positive response from the Indian market with 24 budding professionals already having visited the academy in October 2013. Many more groups from India are soon expected to train at the Academy until February 2015,” She says. “Sports tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry, South Africa plans to leverage this opportunity towards achieving our tourism goals. The focus on sports events is in line with South African Tourism’s strategy to position South Africa not only as a leader in wildlife, adventure and leisure tourism, but also as a leading global sports and

events destination,” She added.

Under and watch the games live.

Gauri says, “Our cycling tours are available to both the B2B and the B2C market. We have also recently tied up with Intrepid and Exodus to offer amazing adventure trips to travellers with this we hope to bring about some great products and adventure experiences to Indians.”

“Australia is famous for active holidays and ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is a good opportunity for travelers combine their love for sports with an immersive holiday experience by undertaking adventure activities, indulging themselves in the varied food and wine offerings and touring the numerous attractions including the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Ocean Road, the Great Barrier Reef, Kangaroo Island and Ayers Rock amongst others.”He added.

Nishant states that there is significant interest building up for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, co-hosted by Australia. The travel agent partners have already started seeing enquiries pouring in, cricket lovers are keen to book early and ensure confirmed seats for key matches. Indians being the defending champions and with the big games scheduled to be played in world renowned stadiums including the Adelaide Oval, Sydney Cricket Ground and the Melbourne Cricket Ground, there is significant interest amongst cricket fans to travel Down

Challenges in sports tourism Gauri concludes that as a nation we are just about waking up to sports so the segment itself, barring cricket is small. The next issue is that the consumers are far flung and the market is very fragmented and finding the right audience is a huge challenge. The awareness of sports tourism is extremely poor.

Flight Review

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Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy: Expedient network, effectual service

Affable and good-humored hospitality are what define the face of the Virgin Atlantic crew on board the VS301 New Delhi – London Heathrow flight.

convenient connection to the UK from India, bringing in steadfast service for a comfortable journey is what one can expect on the Premium Economy class on Virgin Atlantic from New Delhi to London. A recent familiarization trip in the Premium Economy cabin on board the A330300 Virgin Atlantic threw light on a well-situated sector from the capital city to London Heathrow with a range of services and a schedule that takes off in the afternoon from Delhi and reaches Heathrow in the good part of the evening.

built in, thereby saving space. The headrest is adjustable with the chair offering a reclining position of additional 2 degrees of recline – 16 degrees. There is also provision lumbar air bags and for laptop power in the seats and the entertainment system is state-of-the-art replete with many video and audio channels offering a range of films, music and sitcoms in many languages. The cabin also has an easy access to the bar counter with the crew being extremely forthcoming and answering all your requests with noted promptness.

Our journey with Virgin Atlantic began at Terminal 3 in the Indira Gandhi International Airport with fast track services for priority check-in and boarding at the Virgin Atlantic counter; we had dedicated staff guiding us through the security and immigration procedures.

During take-off, we were familiarized with the flight safety features through the famed Virgin Atlantic safety video that was launched early this year. Vivid expressions with queer voiceovers added zing to the stylish animated characters talking about the flight’s safety messages.

After a welcome pre-departure drink, we were helped with adequate space for the hand luggage. The plush purple leather seats and the accompanying accessories exude richness and lend a calming effect to the ambience. The width of the seat is 21 inches, which is equivalent to other airlines’ business class. The seat has ample leg space with a dual position footrest; the entertainment system and the tray tables are compactly

We were told that the menu is regularly updated keeping in mind the passengers’ tastes and preferences and the Indian menu, in particular, has enough to cater to the palates of both the non-vegetarian as well as the vegetarian passengers. The dinner service is served with a choice of three entrees that also comprises a vegetarian option.

Voyager’s World > September 2014

While I chose to securely relax dur-

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

ing the rest of the journey, it may be worth mentioning that the crew was sensitive to the needs of the passengers while it did come as a pleasant surprise that the personalities of the crew broke the usual on board staff stereotypes of age, physiques and nationalities and were yet unified in their service ethics and approach. The journey was interspersed with naps, chats with the crew who showed us the pantry, bar-counter and briefed us on a typical VA journey and light snacks in between. We were served a light dinner an hour before we landed in London. The flight, which has a daily service,

lands into London at 1755 GMT from Delhi and offers same day connection to Newark & JFK and has next morning connections to the rest of the USA. The flights from Mumbai depart everyday at 0235 IST and arrive into London Heathrow at 0755 GMT. Flights from London Heathrow Airport depart daily at 1035 GMT, arriving into Mumbai at 0025 IST. After we landed in Heathrow, we had priority baggage reclaim and fast track check-in for our next flight, the ‘Little Red’ to Manchester. There are several connecting buses from Terminal 3 to catch the domestic flight. The ‘Little Red’ is a prim and trim domestic aircraft that connects Manches-

Flight Review

25>> ter, Edinburgh and Aberdeen from London. The aircraft, A320-200, has one class and has 26 daily domestic flights within the UK to its existing long haul network to Manchester, Aberdeen and Edinburgh via London.

Although the journey takes just about an hour, the flight VS 3045 offers comfortable leather seats and good service. The Little Red offers nine daily services to and from Scotland and four return flights, between Man-

chester and London. On a concluding note, the Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy class from New Delhi would prove an ideal connection for Indian travellers looking

at reaching London as a destination or as a transit airport; the services as well as the amenities advantageously catering to both the on-the-go business travellers and the discerning leisure traveller.

©Virgin Atlantic crew training for emergency

Virgin Atlantic Base: A model training to reckon with!

brief but impressive visit to Virgin Atlantic’s facility centre in Crawley left us better prepared to handle emergency situations on a plane. Located at about 51 km from Central London, the drive to Virgin Atlantic Base in Crawley takes about an hour and a half to reach subject to traffic. We undertook an hour’s training in safety and emergency procedure and got a fair idea on how a crew is expected to deftly and tactfully respond to crisis whilst ensuring that the passengers do not succumb to panic. The training centre has simulated set-ups of aircrafts with different cabin categories, landing equipment and medical training.

We underwent a simulated situation of fire on board with false smoke alarms and a make-believe situation of oxygen levels dipping. The crew acquainted us with quick actions to prepare for an emergency landing and open the doors with swiftness. The staff also showed us an emergency landing slide and orientated us on the correct way to come down the slide. The whole session was handled in a fun and an interactive manner taking us through different reactions all expected to end in swift actions coupled with presence of mind.

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Destination

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Manchester and London: Leaving indelible impressions Memoirs of a bygone past in Manchester and a long historic link with London through royalty and music make for a joyful holiday in the UK.

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

ong known for its contribution to the industrial revolution and with two Indian cities having sobriquets after it, Manchester presents a fine assortment of heritage, architecture, history well-woven with avant-garde infrastructure and modish attractions, thereby making for a dainty city in North-West England. Situated at about a few hours’ drive from London, Manchester is conveniently connected by rail, road and air in the United Kingdom. Virgin Atlantic Airways – India organized a familiarization trip to Manchester and London recently. The airline’s Little Red domestic flight landed us in Manchester in an hour’s time from London Heathrow. As we landed at Manchester in the late evening, the city’s serene mood was pleasantly interjected by gentle breezes as our first experience with the cosmopolitan city began. We checked into Macdonald Manchester Hotel & Spa, a chic business hotel that was a stone’s throw away from Piccadilly railway station. The next day, we began a short walking tour around the city, maps and camera agog ahead of us. The weather in July, although pleasant, had a mixed disposition with sunny

Voyager’s World > September 2014

moments and cool breezes alternating during the day. It is best to carry a light shrug to keep oneself warm and comfortable walking shoes so as not to experience fatigue quickly. There are a number of walking tours in Manchester with a lot of sights to feast on and soak in, be it the Chinatown, Castlefield, Spinningfields or the Gay Village and the city centre further down. The Gay Village is cut across by Canal Street and has a number of cafes, clubs and bars, the name certainly promising an interesting mix of people hitting the road for partying. This August, Gay Village celebrated the Manchester Pride Big Weekend with a lot of music and performances. Right across the Piccadilly station, a 10-minute walk will soon lead you to the Oxford Road which has the universities, the Whitworth and Manchester Museum. The Piccadilly area has its own eateries and shops. The Whitworth Street West has a number of pastry shops, eateries and appealing pubs. However, if you wish to head to the city centre, the road straight down the Piccadilly station will soon take you to Chinatown that has many Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and parlours; of course, the names

are all in Chinese script. Without quite a few noteworthy examples of architecture on the way, an added 10 minutes will soon show the way to the city centre. As the name suggests, the district bustles with activity, people, sights and heritage. Primark, a major shopping complex on one hand and the St. Peter’s Square on the other hand show the city’s designing intertwined with the old and new. Not very far from here is the Spinningfields district. As we pause to click photographs of the buildings and of ourselves, the fashion quotient attached to the district is evident from the luxury boutiques and exquisite restaurants in the area. Few of the popular bars and restaurants in Spinningfields are Neighbourhood and the Oast House. Shopping lovers would be delighted to find brands like Mulberry and Oliver Sweeney. The Northern Quarter district, located close by, also boasts of many stylish boutiques and popular youth hangouts. As one walks down the Oxford Road and straight along the University area, it is not hard to miss the Manchester Central. The erstwhile railway terminus is now a huge convention centre in the city. Shortly after noon, we headed to Teacup and Cakes, a

pretty little cafe that serves several variety of teas with short bites, tarts and mini pastries to go with hip music; it offers 23 teas and homemade cakes and is extremely popular as an afternoon hangout. The restaurant is owned by acclaimed Manchester DJ, Scruff, and his manager Gary McClarnan, both of whom are passionate about tea. The 100-year old Midland Hotel is also famous for afternoon tea and it is said that Beck and Posh met at this hotel on their first date. The architecture of the property is a sight in itself, above and beyond what it serves. After the leisurely lunch, we headed to Old Trafford to visit the Manchester United stadium. The story of Manchester United is unlike any other club in the world. The stadium, whose history traces back to more than a century ago, does not fail to evoke feelings that hark back to a different world, a site of several successes, unsung heroes, a few tragedies and a host of people who helped these players script new records of victory along the years. Mementoes, archives of old Manchester United news stories, memoirs of yesteryear players and huge photographs quietly communicate an identity that is

Destination

©Manchester Central

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as inseparable from Manchester as is the rest of the city. The stadium tour takes about an hour and a half showing the lounges, dress rooms, the gallery, key seating areas, but even a tourist who is not a soccerfan is sure to experience an high as he walks down the course leading up to the field. The stadium also has a souvenir shop in its premises where one can take back little reminders like key chains, wristbands, socks, caps, footballs as well as jerseys with the Man-U logo imprinted on them. After the tour, we returned to the hotel before getting ready for a walk through the Canals Street, glancing at the Gay Village cafes before heading to Hard Rock Cafe for an early dinner. This is UK’s largest Hard Rock, proudly displaying a fascinating collection of rock memorabilia. The evening saw me trying a hand at mixing few cocktails like French Martini and Bahama Mama. Both the cocktail mixing and the upshot were heady in all senses! The next day, we went to the Intu Trafford Centre, which is about a halfhour drive from the city centre. Intu Trafford Centre is one of the biggest shopping malls in Europe and prides itself on an enviable mix of high-end

shopping, a 20-screen Odeon cinema with IMAX, restaurants and activities to constantly engage the locals. From Primark and Selfridges for the shopaholics to Legoland Discovery Centre and Sea Life for the children, the mall comes across as a complete package for all age-groups seeking entertainment and retail choices. With the climate continuing to be conducive despite a long day of walking and shopping, our next halt was at the Imperial War Museum (IWM North) located on the Trafford Wharf Road in the Quay area. Situated near the Manchester Ship Canal, the museum is a must-visit for its sheer design and artefacts meticulously collected from the First World War days. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the IWM North has been designed based on the concept of a world ravaged by war on land, water and air, in the shape of a globe that has been pierced through by three intermingled shards. From the IWM (North), we walked down to the MediaCityUK which is located at Salford Quays. The sets of the world’s longest running British soap-opera Coronation Street is located here and right opposite the sets is the headquarters of the BBC. The entire pathway in the midst is

picturesque and ideal for an evening stroll, quite clear from the number of bikers cycling down the path. The MediaCityUK building is a place of its own, dotted with busy professionals moving about the buildings. We had an early supper at Damson which serves superb British food, before going to watch the ‘War Horse’, an acclaimed play at the Lowry arts centre. This modern venue with two theatres and studio space, we were told, is quite a hit among the locals, having claimed a place for reinforcing a love for theatre. Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse brought out a realistic performance from all the actors on stage, to the point of moving everyone’s eyes and hearts and a huge round of applause. Some other attractions in Manchester are the National Football Museum that showcases memories of football right from the 1966 World Cup final ball to Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt; the Manchester Art Gallery; the John Rylands Library, which is one of world’s highly noted libraries both for its collections and its design; the People’s History Museum which chronicles the United Kingdom’s struggle for democracy; Manchester Museum which houses 15 galleries with attractive displays, permanent collec-

tions like a fossilised Tyrannosaurus Rex and a year-round programmes of activities for all ages and changing exhibitions. There are plenty of Indian restaurants in the city. Over 53,000 people living in Manchester are of Indianorigin or heritage and more than 50% of the North West’s Indian population lives in Manchester. Indian’s make up 2.4% of the total Manchester population, compared with just 0.6% in Liverpool. So, do not be surprised to catch Bollywood tunes on the local taxis; it could be an Indian or your neighbour from Pakistan or Bangladesh. Streetcars Manchester taxis are widely found on the roads while other modes of transport include trams and trains. Cotton and soccer were the main associations that I previously had of the city, the former only now being linked with a glorious past and the latter continuing to enthral millions from the world over. Nonetheless, the twoday tour presented the destination in a new light, showing much more than we know it for. From budget stays and reasonably-priced eateries to mid-scale and luxury experiences, anyone looking at taking an out-ofthe-ordinary trip in the United King-

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Destination

Manchester United Stadium

Imperial War Museum, Manchester

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Spinning fields, Manchester

Backpackers, FITs and groups are sure to enjoy a combined itinerary of Manchester and London with sufficient maps and tourist-friendly resources to guide them during their stays.

dom would certainly find Manchester surpassing expectations in terms of its varied culture, views, history and modern attractions. Stopover in London The next day, we took the early morning flight back to London via the Little Red for a day’s stopover. We were welcomed by a Blue Badge tourist guide before we set off on a best of London tour with the London Eye in Central London. The 45-minute flight on the London Eye gives a bird’s eye view of the city’s celebrated attractions with ample time to spot and photograph the Houses of Parliament, the Westminster Abbey and the Windsor Castle. The Thames River right below has small liners offering tours of the city as well. Soon after, we left to see Hyde Park, the Tower Bridge and Baker’s Street, the fictional street inspired by Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. It was overwhelming to note the long queue of fans on the street. Our next stop was at the Kensington Palace which is the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Situated in the Royal

Voyager’s World > September 2014

Borough of Chelsea and London, the palace has the State rooms open to public. The rooms illustrate the lives of the royals, including that of Queen Victoria, full of gowns, antique furniture and digital presentations of many distinguished persons from the family. After a quick lunch, we decided to quietly tread upon the paths of some legendary singers and musicians of Britain. We took a hushed drive along one of London’s most elite areas, Holland Park and Notting Hill and not to forget the Abbey Road. This rockand-roll music tour turned out to be the pick of the bunch for someone who’s only heard and watched these legends perform. To be in close quarters with the places where the likes of Madonna or Bob Marley struggled before making it big, offers a zing to your London visit. As the car drove down the calm lanes of Holland Park, we slowed down to see the palatial homes of Sir Richard Branson, Robin William, David Beckham and stopped in front of the house in which Freddie Mercury, the lead vocalist of Queen, breathed his last and were taken aback to see fresh flowers and letters left by fans to this date.

Then the car wound its way to the lane where Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame lived and also the lane where the helpers of these singers lived. That road looked well-heeled in its own right. As we turned to Notting Hill, I could not but stop looking out for the eminent book shop set that features in the Julia Roberts starrer ‘Notting Hill’ and yes, the area has a history of its own. In the ‘60s and ‘70s this area was inhabited by a number of Caribbean immigrants, many of whom made it to the roll of honour in rock and roll music. Notting Hill was once a flourishing neighbourhood in the 19th century before it deteriorated. In the ‘60s, the area used to inexpensive to live in, the chauffeur tells us, adding that it was dominated by the hippies and emanated a mood of marijuana. The house where Bob Marley lived in his early days in London is open to public and so is the birthplace of Pink Floyd on Powis Street. We also saw the first office space of Richard Branson and the studio of U2 and Queen. The route then went through the lanes that were made famous by the likes of Paul Mc Cartney and the Beatles. As we stepped on the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing, there was a long queue of fans waiting to emulate the Beatles

walk in their album of the same name. With cars whizzing past continuously, scores of youth wasted no time in stepping on the crossing each time after a vehicle passed by. The drive ended as we passed by few other residences of singers before we checked into Guoman Cumberland hotel on Oxford Street. Oxford Street is a lively hub for shopping, restaurants, clubs and is centrally located in the city. The next day, we visited the Wimbledon Tennis Club for a guided tour of Wimbledon Museum and Club Grounds. A good part of the club was open to public with a few courts remaining unavailable for visits or photography to avoid disturbing practice sessions. The drive back from Wimbledon to Heathrow Terminal 3 takes about an hour depending on the traffic. After finishing the lunch and the tour, we headed to the airport to catch our flight back to Delhi, having taken in the mixed memories that the city leaves you with. Having had a colonial linkage with the country, London is sure to make the trip all the more worthwhile as you muse over your history classes and recall the English numbers whose voices and tunes build on your senses, hanging on for a long time to come.

India Outbound

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Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority organizes five-city roadshow The Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority recently organized a five-city roadshow on 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 August in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi. VW BUREAU

bu Dhabi is offering a high level of interest as a multi-faceted, unexplored and exotic destination for the upwardly-mobile aspirational Indian traveller, with a high focus and emphasis on India as the destination’s current leading outbound source market for hotel guests Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager, TCA Abu Dhabi, India, says,“Destination Abu Dhabi is fast becoming the new hot-spot for the high-end Indian traveller. We enjoy a historic and cultural connect between our two destinations. Abu Dhabi is home to the charms of the Yas Island entertainment hub, Saadiyat Island cultural district, the historic Al Ain oasis and the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort luxury oasis. “The unparalleled array of interesting itinerary options makes Abu Dhabi a compelling destination. The response

from the Indian market has been encouraging as we continue with our marketing and promotional activities encompassing the trade and consumers to drive numbers to Abu Dhabi.” India is one of the leading source markets for Abu Dhabi between JanuaryJune 2014, 107,995 Indian guests visited Abu Dhabi, clocking a growth of 35% over the same period last year. These guests delivered 408,862 guest nights at a growth rate of 22% over the same period last year. Abu Dhabi’s most iconic landmarks is the famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque recently voted second in TripAdvisors’ Travellers Choice awards for outstanding landmarks, the visitors can tour on a daily basis through a complimentary guided tour. An architectural masterpiece, this mosque is built in memory of the Father of the United Arab Emirates and late UAE

President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It is one of the world’s largest mosques, with a capacity for an astonishing 40,000 worshippers and features 82 domes, over 1,000 columns, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and the world’s largest hand knotted carpet. The Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island is becoming increasingly popular with Indian travellers as a complete entertainment destination as there are multiple attractions, including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the world’s only Ferrari-branded theme park with more than 20 rides and the world’s fastest rollercoaster, Formula Rossa, reaching speeds up to 240kmph! F1 fans can have a thrilling experience with the state-of-the-art F1 track at Yas Marina Circuit, where petrol heads can drive a Formula Yas 3000 or Aston Martin GT4 around the same circuit as the pros.

The Yas Waterworld features 43 rides, slides and attractions spanning a sprawling 15-hectares is an awardwinning water park and Yas Links, a championship-level 18 holes Links course, which was voted among the world’s top 25 courses, outside of the US. The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix prior to this November , is the eagerly awaited Yas Mall, which will be the emirate’s largest shopping complex. Saadiyat Island with its sweeping beach, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and stunning beachfront resorts will also soon be home to the first of a series of world-class cultural institutions. The Jean Nouvel-designed Louvre Abu Dhabi will open next year, followed a year later by the Zayed National Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in 2017.

India to be a leading market for Abu Dhabi! Abu Dhabi is a destination of distinction and welcomes more Indian travelers, says Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager, India, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Growth India is our leading source market. Abu Dhabi welcomed 124,912 Indian hotel guests from Jan – July 2014 at a growth rate of 35% over the same period last year. These guests delivered 475,177 guest nights, which was up 24% year-on-year.

Segments We are focusing on segments like MICE for corporate, wedding and honeymooners, young couples looking for different experiences and FIT’s. The other segments like sports Tourism, adventure tourism, wedding tourism, honeymooners, Bollywood tourism is also growing as we have a lot of scenic shooting locations in Abu Dhabi and cruise is very popular. We have noticed Indians travelling for multiple holidays these days as compared to a short holiday. Average length of stay of Indians is around 4 nights. Connectivity We have witnessed more of tier 2 and tier 3 city people travelling to

Abu Dhabi with the connectivity of Jet Airways and Etihad Airways. New Attractions The Saadiyat Island with its sweeping beach, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and stunning beachfront resorts will also soon be home to the first of a series of world-class cultural institutions. The Jean Nouvel-designed Louvre Abu Dhabi will open next year, followed a year later by the Zayed National Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in 2017. The eagerly awaited Yas Mall will be the emirate’s largest shopping complex which will be opening by this November prior to Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix .

Upcoming events Abu Dhabi organizes renowned events throughout the year as travellers of all age groups can find something of interest. Among the most popular events are November’s Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Art, Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January and the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in March. The World Sailing Championships run by the International Sailing Federation will be held in the UAE capital in November and the Volvo Ocean Race from midDecember to January 3. Abu Dhabi will be having spectacular year end and New Year celebrations.

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India Outbound

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Florida furthers travel trade relationship with online programme The Indian arrival figures to Florida last year have given ample reasons for the destination to attract the Indian market; 46,000 Indians visited Florida in 2013, a 5% increase over 2012. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

isit Florida launched its online specialist programme for travel agents in Bangalore recently. The delegation was represented by Carolyn Jones, CTC, TMP, International Sales & Marketing Development Manager, Visit Florida; Norbert Simon, Senior Market Manager, Marketing Representative for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment; Joseph Fernandes, General Manager – India, Aviareps; Akarsh Kolaprath, Director, 7M Tours; Seldon Tenzing, Account Director, Visit Florida; Sonal Salian, Sales Manager, Aviareps and Shari Bailey, Director of Leisure Sales & Development, Visit Tampa Bay. The VISIT FLORIDA Travel Trade specialist programme highlights general information as well specific cities

that would assist in understanding the major selling segments of Florida such as attractions, shopping, art and culture, nightlife, music and theatre, festivals and events, accommodation, beaches and water activities, spas and golf. A VISIT FLORIDA specialist would get priority to be a part of VISIT FLORIDA fam trips. One will receive a VISIT FLORIDA Specialist Certificate and logo and will have complete access to VISIT FLORIDA’s sales materials and can to enter its contests, if any. Carolyn Jones said: “The Indian market was very important to Florida with abundant family, leisure and adventure activities available to lure the travellers all year round.”

Bangalore trade attend inprotur seminar on new argentina products At the seminar the delegation showcased the various Argentine attractions like Recoleta Cemetery, La Boca, Palermo and Puerto Madero, Paz Palace and other adventure, leisure and sport activities in the country. PRIYADHARSHINI S

NPROTUR (National Institute of Tourism Promotion in Argentina) conducted an interactive seminar in Bangalore recently to promote Argentina. Pablo Cagnoni, Asia, Oceania & Africa Market Coordinator said: “Indian Market is growing every year, and much bigger after the seminars that we conduct in major cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata. The goal this year is focused to support the Indian Travel Trade in every way and help them promote Argentina as a ‘must visit’ destination among Indian Travellers. Our idea is to keep conducting seminars to promote Argentina as a place of many experiences. Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore are the major Indian markets for Argentina. The luxury tourism is witnessing huge growth while MICE

Voyager’s World > September 2014

is performing well in Buenos Aires, which stands first in MICE arrivals from India. “Last year was excellent for Argentina and the expectation from 2014 is to be even better. There has been some fantastic response from the travel trade as well as the Indian travellers. They have been absolutely thrilled with the ‘diversity’ the country offers travellers, which allow them to create out of the box itineraries. We have also seen MICE groups travelling to Argentina, which has been a very encouraging,” said Roberto Palais Executive Secretary, INPROTUR. Medha Sampat- Director KNACK - India Representative for INPROTUR said: “We have been working very closely with the travel trade. In 2014 we will continue our efforts to

work even more closely with them to understand their needs and preferences. The travel trade is very important for us, as they are conversant with the needs of the travellers and are in a position to understand their clients’ needs to provide the best services that would fulfill their desires. We have seen great interest from

the travel industry. We are here to support them in every possible manner. The Indian traveller is looking for fresh and bold experiences and Argentina offers exactly that! It is a top notch destination which allows the Indians to discover many jewels. We have seen an all-round growth and interest from India.”

India Outbound

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INDIA, TOP BRIC MARKET FOR BRITAIN

Patricia Yates, Strategy and Communications Director, VisitBritain says India is the top BRIC market for Britain and a region of the world with good growth. IRENE SUSAN EAPEN ing a better growth by the second quarter. We have seen 375,000 visits to Britain from India last year, up 11% on 2012 and expecting a growth of 425,000 visits by 2016.

Indian Market Growth Last year 2013, we have witnessed a growth of 32% in spend by Indian visitors to a record £441 million which is incredible for VisitBritain. We have witnessed a slowdown of 3% for first quarter this year which will pick up eventually. We have seen a lot of growth in FIT travels. We are expect-

Promotions Plans VisitBritain recently organized GREAT Tourism Week across nine Indian cities: Kolkata, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai with a platform for the local travel trade and UK tourism suppliers to meet and generate business for Britain. We will have our B2B promotions with Mercury Travels and Cox & Kings and the second phase of our Bollywood campaign, scheduled to start from October will be a digital campaign to showcase the regional areas of Britain. We will have airline campaign for Air India and British Airways, the Air India campaign will be starting from

October focusing Birmingham as a leisure destination. The British Airways campaign is our global partnership which will start in November, a campaign for the winter season and in March, for the summer season. Next year we are focusing on an experience of holiday to sight film locations, to promote Britain as a relaxing destination and rural experiences that includes the night life

and country side experiences. Trends of Indian Travellers The business and leisure segment is growing from India and the segment growing strongly with great yields is leisure from this market. India is the most important BRIC market and a strong market as we have a lot of historical connections and monolithic food cultures the Indian travellers love to shop and dine out.

BANGALORE HOSTS GREAT TOURISM WEEK

isitBritain organized GREAT Tourism Week at The Taj West End, Bangalore. The three day tourism road show that began on 25 August brought over sixteen UK tourism suppliers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Worldwide DMC, Elevate Holidays, Guoman & Thistle Hotels, Grange Hotels, Heathrow Express, Holidays Carnival, Royal Caribbean, VisitEngland, Red Apple Travel, Northwest Travels, Taj Tours, Globus & Cosmos, Trafalgar Tours and Tourism Ireland.

TCEB to host “UNICITY GLOBAL CONVENTION 2014” IN THAILAND

MICE

VW BUREAU

hailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) hosts the “2014 Unicity Global Convention” in Bangkok from 15 – 18 October 2014 with 50,000 Unicity distributors worldwide. The event reinforces the country’s position as the regional MICE hub and strengthens the confidence of MICE travelers from around the world as well as boosts the revenue of the MICE sector in the fourth quarter to achieve target. Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (Public Organization) or TCEB, said that TCEB has partnered with related organizations in promoting Thailand as the destination for meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions to reinforce confidence in the country with focus on Thailand CONNECT campaign’s three key pillars: a diversity of destinations, unrivalled business opportunities, and high quality of

Thailand’s MICE professionals. “One of our strategies is to win mega events through promotion campaign and various supports. Thailand manages to attract several international events starting from the end of 2014, reflecting the recovering confidence from international event organizers who realize that the country is regaining its normal situation as well as capable and ready to host all types of MICE events. We anticipate that the number of MICE travelers arriving Thailand will reach around 157,000 by the last quarter of the year, he added.” The 2014 Unicity Global Convention is another pride of TCEB as the largest mega event we have won this year, with more than 50,000 distributors worldwide comprising 20,000 international MICE travelers from 23 countries and 30,000 domestic distributors. For the convention,

TCEB provides financial support for the meeting venue, coordination and communications activities through the Mega Event marketing campaign for the Convention and Incentive Travel sectors. The event is expected to generate revenue of over 1,780 million baht, a major boost of Thailand’s MICE industry, as well as an impactful magnet that draws more MICE travelers to Thailand to reach the target.

Pacific, Unicity International Inc., says, “Thailand is one of our most significant markets, considering its fast pace of success. The country has clearly demonstrated its capacity to be our business hub in the Southeast Asian region. Bearing this in mind and coupled with TCEB’s attractive supports as well as the country’s great facilities, Unicity decided to hold our annual global meeting, the Unicity Global Conven-

Christopher Kim, President of Asia-

tion, here in Thailand this year.”

www.voyagersworld.in

India Outbound

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Tourist arrivals to Maldives records an increase of 16.7% from January to July 2014 VW BUREAU Tourist arrivals into Maldives recorded a hefty growth during the month of July 2014. With a total of 100,191 tourists, growth rate was at 13.9% in July 2014 compared with the same month in 2013. Indian arrivals registered a strong growth (38%) for the period in July 2014 compared with the same period of 2013. In terms of absolute numbers, outstanding results were observed throughout the past seven months of the year with the Maldives welcoming on average over hundred thousand tourists per month. “Growth rate has remained positive and above average which is great news for all of Maldives source markets, including India which has also shown an upward swing,” said Shikha Mishra, Media & PR Manager, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation, India Office.

ket leader for the Maldives. During the month of July, Asia and the Pacific took hold of over 61% all arrivals to the Maldives. South Asia was the second best performing sub-region within Asia and the Pacific, with India as the best performing main market and second biggest from the Asia Pacific region.

Asia and the Pacific with its phenomenal performance over the last seven months took lead for the first time as the main market generating region overtaking Europe, the all-time mar-

Traveling in a sea plane and watching the beautiful islands come into view is a stunning sight. Islands are formed in a way that makes a round which is called as an atoll.

As the largest economic industry in the Maldives, tourism plays an important role in earning foreign exchange revenues and generating employment in the country. Maldives is truly a tropical paradise with individual islands surrounded by white sandy beaches and palm trees. The sea covers about 99% of the country and the beauty of Maldives lies in its coral reefs and marine life.

Atout France organises Rendez-vous en France in new delhi & mumbai VW BUREAU

tout France - France Tourism Development Agency recently organised its annual workshop, Rendez-vous en France in New Delhi and Mumbai. A delegation comprising of representatives from 23 French companies visited both cities for interactions with the travel trade fraternity and the press. The event was held at the Shangri-La in New Delhi and the Palladium Hotel in Mumbai, the workshop format consisted of full-day workshops in the both cities enabling visiting delegates to interact with Indian travel professionals. The delegates included representatives from Air France, Rail Europe, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, Euroscope Paris (sightseeing tour operator), Accor Hotels, Fraser Suites, Bateaux-Mouches (cruises on the Seine in Paris), Cesar Palace Paris (cabaret), Disneyland Paris, Compagnie des Alpes (Parc Astérix, Futuroscope, Grévin),

Voyager’s World > September 2014

Deauville Tourism, Lisieux - Tourism and Spirituality in France, La Baule Tourist Office, Champagne-Ardenne Tourism, Dijon Tourist Office, Rhone Alpes Tourism, Chamonix Mont-Blanc Tourist Board, Mondoramas Incoming (DMC), Nice Convention and Visitors Bureau, Riviera of Your Dreams Cannes and Saint-Tropez, Pont du Gard - World Heritage, Midi-Pyrenees Tourist Board and Tourist Board of Lourdes. A screening of the Hollywood movie, “The Hundred-Foot Journey” shot on location in the picturesque Midi- Pyrenees region organised by Atout France, Reliance Entertainment and Alliance Française de Delhi. Catherine Oden, Director- Atout France, said, “We believe that 2015 will be a promising year for France. Our association with Reliance Entertainment for the promotion of “The Hundred-Foot Journey” reaped rich rewards . “

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Travel Technology

India is an emerging market for Portable Navigation Devices

In a conversation with Kavita Nath, Country Manager, TomTom, she relates her personal experiences as a PND (Portable navigation Device) user and says that it works like a magic box, categorically stating that one cannot always rely on their smartphones for numerous reasons. PRIYADHARSHINI S

omTom is a brand from Europe; a leading provider of location based services and powers the most essential PND’s around the world. “Being the pioneers of PND, TomTom is the only company among the competitors to manufacture its own hardware and software for their products,” says Kavita.

Products Very recently TomTom presented India with the Start 20 and Start 25 Portable Navigation Devices. If you can do without bluetooth and handsfree the start series is a good option, but you would not miss out those features in the Via series. The devices offer inbuilt navigation for 7300 cities and towns across India. It provides free update of maps four times a year. The High-Speed Multi Charger is also new from TomTom in the market that can charge up to three devices in the car at once and up to four times faster than other chargers. So what is so special about Tom Tom? Kavita says that with this one is good to go to any country by simply downloading the map of the country that one is visiting. In developed

countries, 15% of the roads undergo changes every year. “As for India we are familiar with the road conditions where routes are made one way overnight. In that case, there are chances for anybody to get lost. However such scenarios can be completely avoided by making your own changes in the maps or importing changes shared by other users from the map share community.” The map share technology enables the customers to correct the map and store what is not there directly on their devices and as well as share it with other users of map share.” Indian Market Navigation devices were almost nonexistent in India five years back. India is still an emerging market in terms

of navigation based services. However with the advancement of smart phones providing GPS and other location based technology the trend of owning a PND in car still has a long way to go. With 15% users in the Indian market, Kavita says that TomTom has a very dominant share in India with the mobile navigation apps on an upswing. Future of navigation From being just a navigation device, the PNDs are an enabler for some essential features. One can set reminders for stopping at ATM, petrol bunks, etc. Providing real-time traffic details and information will lead the future of the navigation devices. “With 2D map display it is still gorgeous enough to surf through the road effortlessly,” concludes Kavita.

www.voyagersworld.in

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Hospitality

Is Revenue Management Only Useful for Luxury Hotels?

Jean Francois Mourier, CEO of REVPAR GURU, says an effective system to manage revenue is indispensable for all categories of hotels. VW BUREAU

accommodate the influx of tourists who travel to the destination throughout the year as more properties are added to your comp set, it becomes much more difficult to manually track the prices of the competition as they continually fluctuate as the market changes.

n the past, revenue management was a practice that only high-end, luxury properties implemented for two major reasons: first, it was hugely cost prohibitive, and second, it required the hotel to hire a revenue manager to execute the processes (or oversee the revenue management system - RMS). Only properties with large budgets both for revenue management and personnel could actually afford to use revenue management to price their properties, leaving smaller, boutique properties struggling to keep up. There are six major reasons why all hoteliers should be using revenue management to ensure that their property is as profitable as possible.

Change in Consumer Behavior Every year, more and more consumers are choosing to search for, compare rates and book hotel stays online most frequently through the online travel agencies (OTAs). Which means that if you aren¹t listing your properties online and ensuring that your rates are competitive, you will be losing out on business to the competition.

Increase in Supply In most popular tourist markets, there is a development of new properties to

Continual Maturation of the Online Channel Now with the introduction of metase-

arch OTAs, weaknesses and errors in manual pricing are completely visible to consumers, making it more difficult for hotels to turn a profit when they aren¹t pricing their rooms correctly. The reason being that if even a single channel is priced lower than the rest (which are displayed to consumers in their metasearch results), 99% of all consumers will book the lower rate. That means that you are losing money on each and every booking until you notice the discrepancy in rate parity and update the rates accordingly. Advances in RMS Technology Historically, hotels that used RMS were required to hire a revenue manager to oversee the RMS¹ actions. Additionally, many RMS did not offer seamless channel manager integration, making the tedious task of manually updating

the new rates (to the various OTA channels) a responsibility of the revenue manager. Frees Staff to Manage More Important Tasks This is an important benefit to all types of hotels. For small hotels with a very small staff, implementing a sophisticated RMS ensures that the staff does not need to actively monitor the hotel¹s rates or inventory, as it is being handled automatically, in real-time by the RMS.

Cost RMS used to only be affordable for hotels with big budgets, but today, vendors have realized the impracticality of prior pricing strategies and many have implemented more affordable options.

Hotels.com: Delhi, Mumbai offer best value for price at star hotels Visitors from Switzerland were found to have spent the maximum to stay in India with a rise of 17% to Rs. 8,590 according to a study by Hotel Price Index (HPI) says Hotels.com. VW BUREAU

he Hotel Price Index (HPI) 2014 study revealed that the average price paid for a hotel room around the world rose by 4% during the first six months of 2014, when compared with the same period in 2013. A study by Hotels.com reveals that Goa recorded the highest rise of 12% in hotel price index in the first half of 2014 over 2013 at Rs. 5,873 per room per night as against Rs. 5,225 in H1 2013. The inbound foreign visitor arrivals to India have increased at a rate of 9.6% per year over the last decade, up from 2.7 million in 2003 to 6.9 million in 2013 but growth was recorded as faster in the first half of the period. The Hotel Price Index data shows that the average paid per night by hotel guests in India for the first six months in this year rose by 4% to Rs. 6,285.

Voyager’s World > September 2014

There was some variation in performance among the destinations included in the HPI. Goa recorded the highest rise of 12%, much above the national average, to Rs. 5,873 with Delhi up 6% to Rs. 6,915 and Jaipur rising 5% to Rs. 4,888. Pune fell 7% to Rs. 5,027 and Mumbai by 3% to Rs. 7,694. As for the average price paid for a hotel room in India by international guests, visitors from Switzerland were found to have spent the maximum to stay in India with a rise of 17% to Rs. 8,590. They were followed by Hong Kong on Rs. 7,995 as one of the fallers with a 3% drop and Italy in the third place on Rs. 7,571 up 36%, the highest rise in the HPI. Other high risers were all in Europe with Finland up 23% to Rs. 7,108 in

eighth, Germany up by 22% on Rs. 6,749 at No.14 and Denmark up 21% to Rs. 6,377 at No.16. The two most important inbound markets for India were UK at No. 4 on Rs. 7,837 after an 8% growth and the USA at No.7 on Rs. 7,121 up just 1%. The highest fallers were the Thais, paying 9% less on Rs. 5,761 at No.22 with two others dropping 4% as South Africa fell to Rs. 6,702 at No. 15 and New Zealand down to Rs. 5,951 at No. 21. It was the French who paid the least on their hotel accommodation in India on Rs. 5,411 after a 1% lift followed by Taiwan on Rs. 5,656 and Malaysia on Rs. 5,668. Indian travellers paid Rs. 9,652 when travelling abroad between January and June this year. They were found to

spend Rs. 5,366 while travelling within the country. Hotels.com also examined the star rating that the sum of Rs. 10,000 or less could have bought during the first half of 2014 in 29 major cities around the world. Delhi and Mumbai were in the luxury category where five-star accommodation was available for Rs. 10,000 a night or less on an average over this period. There was a much wider selection in the four-star range with 11 destinations around the world like Istanbul, Madrid, Prague, Bali, Bangkok and Shanghai. Mumbai and Delhi offered excellent value. At Rs. 9,640, the lowest fivestar average was offered by Mumbai, with Delhi on Rs. 9,744 not far behind.

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Hospitality

Ascott continues to expand in India with steady occupancy The Citadines Richmond has 90% of its inventory exclusive for long term stays, says Vignesh Mani, Assistant General Manager of the property. PRIYADHARSHINI S rea and the Middle East. The property enjoys a 5% leisure visitor share from the neighbouring cities. The brand has more ambitious plans; a new 182-room property in Yelahanka, Bangalore will open in the second or third quarter of next year and two more properties are expected in the following year.

It was four years ago that Citadines Richmond Bangalore opened in the very heart of the city, close by shopping malls, parks, clubs and commercial establishments. Home to 96 suites, the apart’hotel is already a popular choice for a huge 95% of expatriates from the USA, Japan, Ko-

“The property records an impressive occupancy rate at 87% and the peak occupancy period is between September and November. 90% of the inventory is exclusive for long term stay which comes handy with a kitchen,” says Vignesh Mani, Assistant General Manager, during our tour of the property. The lobby is extensive with glass doors giving a view to variety of fish species in a clear water pond enclos-

ing the lobby. The LifeTree Café by the pool side is a refreshing place to grab some breakfast. The decor is solid and stylish and the interior is tasteful and meets the needs of a global traveller.

an xbox connected to the TV bonds the kids to this location. A banquet and conference facility accommodating up to 85 people lends itself to a variety of events. Having a spa is off the table and a pub is along the way.

The property features 30 studio apartments just to fit in a traveller for a short stay. The two-bedroom premier is the largest of the suites and opens the door to a private garden. The kitchen is well-equipped. The studio premier is ideal for a single traveller or a couple and happens to be the most preferred by the expats.

Wow is a stand-out point that the property runs every month. It may be a lazy afternoon movie screening activity or a leisurely stroll around the city or anything that keeps the guests engaged and entertained.

Meeting the demands of the guests, there is a rooftop lounge and yoga deck overlooking the city and also a pillow menu. A library complete with books is open throughout the day and

“The property has been a home-awayfrom-home for expats sticking around the property for more than two years. The Citadines positions itself as a goto destination for long stays and so regular hotels are never our competitors,” Vignesh concluded.

BANQUETING IS KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO HOTEL’S REVENUE

Biswajit Roy, Executive Chef, Mosaic Hotels, Noida, talks about how the business of banqueting has evolved as a key contributor to the hotel’s revenue besides other culinary updates. PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM Secondly, people are very health conscious now, so the hotelier is taking special care to provide freshest of ingredients.

Latest trends in Indian Cuisine Indian cuisine is focusing more on the blend of spices and flavour. The new trends that coming in a big way is the combination of Indian flavors with International ones.

Globalization led to the discovery of new culinary routes, spices, flavours and the merging of different cuisines. There has been an exponential change in the way the Indian palate has evolved over the years. Most of these changes are due to the fact that people are travelling a lot more and are exposed to different cultures and cuisines and foreign food joints are fast making their mark in Indian market. Updating oneself on trends There is a huge amount of interaction and exchange of ideas between the worldwide chef’s communities on

the social media. These associations are allowing the chef from across the world to exchange best practices in various aspects. Apart from social media and chefs associations, I also rely on the traditional channels like magazines, books and internet to keep myself updated on latest trends Happening cuisines Japanese and Pan Asian cuisine are on a constant rise across the country. Mediterranean, Lebanese and Mexican Cuisine are equally favoured among Indians. Banqueting trends The banqueting business in India has expanded its scope from mass catering for parties to more personalized catering looking into specific needs of the guests. It is a major contributor

to the revenue of hotels today. Banqueting, which was earlier primarily driven by food and beverage, has now evolved into a full fledged event management activity. Interactive counters are preferred over long buffet spreads. International cuisine is also gaining prominence on the menus. Social events and gatherings has always been a key source of revenue for banquets. Banquets today have moved to specialised segments such as training, product launches, wine dinners, exhibitions, themed parties, sit down dinners, board meetings, etc, each of which requires experts such as event managers to handle them. There is vast potential in the banqueting business today. What is required for a successful business is innovation while keeping the personal touch intact.

www.voyagersworld.in

WTM

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World Travel Market 2014 To Reveal The Blogger Of The Future World Travel Market 2014, London, will give an insight into the future of blogs during this year’s WTM Blogging Progamme.

here are two parts to the final blogging session of WTM 2014, both run by two of the world’s most successful bloggers and biggest travel influencers online, Melvin Boecher (Traveldudes.org) and Keith Jenkins (VelvetEscape.com). The session will immediately follow WTM’s inaugural Blogger Speed Networking event on Thursday 6 November.

WTM has been running a popular blogging programme for both bloggers and exhibitors since 2011. This year, bloggers – both established and those wishing to explore the medium, as well as industry representatives that are interested in working with bloggers – can

learn from case studies of some of the most successful blogger campaigns and find out about best practices and collaborative successes. The first part of this year’s seminar session, Turning Experience into Successful Experiments, showcases some of the most successful travel blogger campaigns, using social media. In what promises to be an insightful and revealing session, presenters and leading travel bloggers Boecher and Jenkins, will discuss how and why these campaigns were so successful. During the second part of the seminar session, Boecher and Jenkins

will reveal the findings of a blogging White Paper put Called the Social Travel Summit White Paper – Travel Blogging and Social Media, this part of the seminar session will cover best practices and collaborative success, investigating such issues as how bloggers maintain credibility when they combine editorial and commercial roles and the guidelines to follow when collaborating with a blogger. The White Paper also covers how to evaluate a blogger’s return on investment (ROI) and how the industry should go about choosing a blogging partner. Boecher and Jenkins will also use their expertise as founders of iam-

bassador and the online ROI calculator to reveal how the growth of technology will shape the blogger of the future. World Travel Market, Senior Director, Simon Press, said: “Since WTM introduced its first blogging programme, in 2011, it’s been standing-room only. That these sessions have been so well attended proves just how important blogging is to the travel industry. In recognition of this, we have dedicated even more time and space to this growing medium for 2014.” The blogging seminar session takes place in the Travel Tech Theatre TT390 (Hall entrance N1).

Rugby legend Keith Wood joins WTM’s Sport Tourism Team F ollowing another dramatic summer of sport around the world, World Travel Market 2014 industry will assess the relationship between sporting events and the travel industry during its sport tourism programme.

former British & Irish Lion and captain of Ireland Keith Wood – now a successful strategic planner for the sport and tourism sectors – who will moderate a panel of experts from the world of rugby, sport, global events and host destinations.

A number of high-calibre sports tourism professionals will be at WTM to give their views and assessments about the potential for destinations to capitalise on highprofile forthcoming sport events.

After leaving the world of professional rugby playing, Wood founded W2 Consulting, which specialises in project evaluation and strategic planning in the sport and tourism sector.

The WTM Sport Tourism programme, which is sponsored by Eurosport, will commence on November 4 with a session called Rugby World Cup 2015 – the Potential for Sport Tourism, which will look at the opportunities available when the Rugby World Cup is held in England next year.

On Wood’s team for the session will be a number of knowledgeable experts, including Brett Gosper, Chief Executive Officer of the International Rugby Board (IRB) and managing director of Rugby World Cup Limited, who is also a former rugby player and former advertising executive.

Held over six weeks, the Rugby World Cup is one of the world’s largest sports events and a major catalyst for sport tourism in the host countries. ‘Propping’ up the session will be

The session will look at the success of New Zealand, which launched a wide-scale national sport tourism strategy around its hosting of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which resulted in significant sport, econom-

Voyager’s World > September 2014

ic, social and promotional benefits for the host country.

The session two, Future Trends in Sport Tourism as a Destination Development Strategy, will take place on November 5. It will be overseen by sport tourism expert Professor Terry Stevens, who will lead a discussion identifying the key trends for the sector and how regions are embracing sport tourism part of their destination development strategy. He will be joined by a panel of major event organisers, host destinations and sports marketing experts, including Mike Laflin, a former athlete and now chief executive of Sportcal, who is regarded as one of the leading authorities on global sports market intelligence and Lars Lundov, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Event Denmark, which has secured over 250 international sports events for the country. World Travel MARKET, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “Sport tourism is acknowledged as the tourism industry’s fastest growing

sector and national and regional destinations are recognising the huge potential of hosting sport tourism as a key element of their destination marketing and growth development. “It’s not just the mega events such as the FIFA World Cup and Rugby World Cup that reap rewards – destinations and regions are also realising locally hosted events have much to offer their tourism prospects.” Eurosport, MARKETING Deputy Director, Vincent David said: “Sport tourism currently accounts for more than 10% of the global travel and tourism industry. Eurosport can therefore help this industry sector grow further by putting a destination on the map and into millions of homes across the world through its unrivalled Pan- European reach and highly engaged global audience. The Eurosport Group works with 60 tourism boards and so WTM is the perfect place for us to meet with existing partners and potential new clients.”

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Association

TAAI opens 20th Regional Unit in Lucknow VW BUREAU

he Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) launched its 20th Regional Unit - The Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand inaugurated by Secretary & DG Tourism Amrit Abhijat, Govt of Uttar Pradesh on 7th September, 2014 along with TAAI Acting President Sunil Kumar, the Hon Secretary General, Harmandeep Singh Anand, M C Member and Chairman TAAI Membership Development Council, Kirti Vyas, along with Chairman of TAAI Northern Region, Rajan Sehgal, Hon. Secretary Neeraj Malhotra and Hon Treasurer - Gaurav Dogra were present at the occasion. The new team of office bearers are Sunil B Satyawakta as Chairman , Kirti Kumar Srivastava as Hon Secretary , Syed Maqbool Ahmed as Hon Treasurer . The Chapter has 65 members in its ambit in the Active, Associate

and Allied categories. all part of TAAI Northern region and is now carved out as a separate chapter. The Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand chapter will have members from Dehradun, Mussoorie, Nainital, Roorkee, Agra, Allahabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Varanasi & other cities of Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand where TAAI members are present and would exclude members in Noida & Ghaziabad, who will continue to be a part of TAAI Northern Region . The 3 office bearers will look after the operations of the Unit as a whole and will cater to its myriad activities for the benefit of its members. The Chapter is keen to increase its membership soon and will play an integral part in enhancing tourism to Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand supported by the concerned tourism departments.

IATO’S 30TH ANNUAL CONVENTION HELD IN DELHI VW BUREAU

he Indian Association of Tour Operators(IATO) recently organized their 30th Annual Convention at the Kempinski Ambience, Delhi. The convention was a huge success with some of the dignitaries like Parvez Dewan, Secretary Tourism, Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary Tourism, Govt. of India, Dr. Lalit K. Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Govt. of India, Anil Srivastava, Joint Secretary Civil Aviation, Govt. of India, Sudhanshu Pande, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, D.K. Singh, Additional Director General Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India. Usha Sharma, Additional Director General Tourism Govt. of India and several senior officials from the state governments . The Hon’ble Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju addressed a special session on civil aviation and an interactive session with senior government officials from various Ministries giving their expert opin-

Voyager’s World > September 2014

ions on the new visions in government initiatives. Subhash Goyal, President, IATO says “our theme of the Convention New Beginnings l Fresh Ideas l Vibrant Future !. The new government’s priority to tourism and relax visa norms, cleanliness and safety comes clearly from the political will. As India emerges from a political crisis and with single party majority, the political situation seems to be taking a new turn. There is clear cut decision making process not bound by allied partners. New government has long term economic plan, creating jobs and security for all. All such step augur well for tourism 2014 is thus the time for new beginnings and fresh ideas and new vision. Being in Delhi will allow us to engage the new political leadership and bring administrative decision makers to our business sessions in the convention. We want to focus on the great opportunities future hold for us.”

“We have many state governments coming in this year’s convention and participation has increased from last year. The success of our pervious Convention has raised the expectations of the members and sponsors, said Rajeev Kohli, Chairman Convention and Vice President IATO. Sarab Jit Singh, Sr. Vice President explains about the problems being faced regarding transport and the bad condition of roads and even in the most important tourist sec-

tors like Delhi-Jaipur where it takes 7 hours to travel in spite of paying huge toll and other taxes. Pronab Sarkar, Hon. Secretary said that IATO has become voice of the tourism industry and has been responsible for taking up issues like clean India campaign, rural tourism, religious tourism, and also have taken up very strongly the cause of E. visa and skill development. IATO Convention is the biggest platform to discuss and renew all these issues.

MICE Events

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IBTM India 2014: Nation’s event budgets grow by 12% annually

The meetings market in the country is recording significant growth with the number of events set to increase in the next one year. VW BUREAU

he second edition of the Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Expo India, organized by Reed Travel Exhibitions, took place from 3- 5 September, 2014 in Chennai at the ITC Grand Chola, Guindy. The three-day event brought together hosted buyers from 17 countries and exhibitors from more than 19 countries on a single platform so as to facilitate exclusive table-top meetings. The event opened with the IBTM India Forum and featured a keynote session by Simerjeet Singh, certified Neuro - Linguistic Programming Practitioner and Personal Performance Coach who shared strategic

tools which enable individuals to accelerate their personal and organisational growth. The session was followed by the launch of the India Meetings and Events Industry Report. The findings of the research revealed that India’s event budgets were growing by 12% annually. India’s meetings and events market is growing dramatically with 51 % of respondents having reported an increase in the number of events they have organized in the last 12 months and 73 % expecting the number of events they organize to increase in the next 12 months.

Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager IBTM India and IBTM Africa, Reed Travel Exhibitions, concluded: “IBTM India has been a great success for all who participated in the event and we are delighted with the level of business which was achieved this year. We have had a great deal of positive feedback from

first time and returning exhibitors as well as Indian and international Hosted Buyers. This feedback gives us a true indication of just how effective the table-top format is in India by generating business and valuable business relationships for buyers and exhibitors from India and across the globe.”

PHILINDEX 2014 to begin on 22 September The Travel Agency Accounting Software

Switch Your Manual Accounting to VW BUREAU

he Department of Tourism (DOT) Philippines India office is organising the PHILINDEX – Philippine India Exchange 2014 in Manila from 22 - 28 September. PHILINDEX is a B2B event where Indian buyers and sellers from Philippines come together in a format where there is focused exchange of business.The buyers will be handpicked by Philippine Tourism from predominantly cities like Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Punjab, Guwahati, Indore etc., besides Delhi and Mumbai. SanJeet, Tourism Attaché, Philippines Tourism MARKETING Office, India said: “With India having many urbanized cities, there is a need to keep looking for partners and strengthening partnerships already made to ensure that there will be tour packages availa-

ble for more and more Indian travelers, in family travel and in the MICE sector, particularly incentive travel.” “With the introduction of Philippines into new cities and the continuous destination updates provided to the Indian travel TRADE , this platform is a cost effective and efficient way of reaching potential groups thereby convincing consumers to travel to the Philippines. By showcasing the destination to the Indian tour operators in these markets and involving them in a purely B2B environment to interact with the local suppliers, we are confident that Philippines will be more visible to the Indian traveller,” he added. The PHILINDEX will host business-tobusiness meetings, press briefings, one-day technical visit to Pagsanjan Falls and post tours to Cebu, Boracay and Davao.

Travel Soft Faster I Easier I Accurate Enquiry and Feedback Reminder System Invoicing and Package Tour Vouchers Cash and Bank Entries Service Tax and TDS Calculations Credit Notes for Cancellations Exhaustive MIS Reports

For Free Demo and Purchase Call: Pushkar - 09371021669 E mail: enquiry@travelsoft.in

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Festival Watch

40>>

Festivals of 05 - 07 September, 2014

02 September- October, 2014

Comic Strip Festival Brussels

Dublin Festival Ireland

26 - 28 September, 2014

14 - 16 September, 2014s

Surf City Dog, Huntington Beach California

Reitaisai Festival, Kamakura City, Japan

russels makes for a colorful weekend at the Brussels Parc with the famous comic festival, the Balloon’s Day Parade, car rally of Tintin Newspaper, guided visits and strip shows. The Parc de Bruxelles will welcome museums, exhibitions, publishers, bookshops, boutiques and signing sessions. The Balloon’s Day Parade will fill the streets of Brussels to the sound of accompanying fanfares. The route taken by the parade will start once again on the Place des Palais, where public can see giant balloons representing Belgian comic strip characters.

untington Beach is known as Surf City USA for its year-round consistent waves and a surf culture. But in HB, surfing is not just for the bronzed and buff surfers - surfing in Huntington Beach has gone to the dogs…literally! Every fall, dogs hit the waves for the Surf City Surf Dog event which takes place at Huntington Dog Beach. These pups don miniature life vests to ‘hang 20’ as they mount surfboards and compete in a full-fledged surf competition. This weekend long event also includes a doggie fashion show, a ‘yappy’ hour, and dog yoga.

Voyager’s World > September 2014

ublin, the UNESCO City of Literature rolls out the red carpet for the Dublin Festival Season stretching through September and October with a cavalcade of events and attractions. Highlights include a raft of new plays by Irish writers making their world premieres, Fringe fest’s kaleidoscope of new Dublin-rooted and international talent and Georgian Dublin opening its polished doors and more events, including a Bavarian Oktoberfest, Dracu-mania and the Culture Night. There are dance, drama, song, fashion, food, literature, laughter, even ghosts.

ukinoshita celebrates the famous Yabusame, the Shinto ritual of shooting arrows on horseback. Spanning for three days from 1416 September, the fest has many attractions such as a tea-offering ceremony to the gods and classical Japanese dance. The most famous of all is the gallant Yabusame, combining equestrian skills and Japanese-style archery which was popular among samurai warriors. The archers are dressed in samurai hunting wear called age shozoku and use turnip-head arrows.

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Festival Watch

the World 12 September - 05 October, 2014

01 - 05 December, 2014

Seville, Andalusia Spain

Konark Dance Festival Odisha

There is also an advisory committee, made up of 10 experts who provide recommendations on shows and parallel events such as courses, conferences, talks and seminars.

A crafts mela is also organised during the festival.

he event combines a flamenco competition with a range of performances both song and dance, of this typical Spanish art. The selection of artists and organisation of the event is undertaken by a consortium comprising an artistic committee, made up of five key figures from the flamenco world.

onark Dance Festival is a dance festival held every year in December in backdrop of the Sun temple in Konark, Odisha in India. The sun temple in Konark is famed as a world heritage site. This is the venue of a joyous festival of classical dance and music which is held annually in December. A host of celebrated dancers from all over the country perform Odissi, Bharat Natyam, Manipuri, Kathak and Chau dance in the open air auditorium.

29 September - 4 October, 2014

24- 26 October, 2014

Durga Puja West Bengal

Life is Beautiful Festival Las Vegas

urga Puja is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. Community prayers (pujas) are organized in every locality, around which shops and eateries spring up. Cultural events and shows are held every evening of the nine-day celebrations. Families visit each other to share feasts. On the final day, the idols are taken in elaborate processions to be immersed in the river or the sea.

remont Street hosts the Life is Beautiful festival taking place in downtown Las Vegas from October 24 to 26 bringing amazing music, world class food, iconic public speakers and phenomenal art together for an incredible three day event. The events will host over 50 musical acts, 60 chefs and restaurants, special performances by Cirque du Soleil and other theatrical productions, renowned artists and over 25 noted speakers. Life is Beautiful event is expected to attract thousands of people for the fest.

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Incredible India

42>>

PUNJAB TOURISM LINES UP CAMPAIGNS TO PROMOTE HERITAGE AND RURAL TOURISM Razit Bhandari, Head Marketing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Punjab Tourism says that a number of campaigns will be launched to promote the state once new tourism products are launched. VW BUREAU have recorded 16.7 million tourists so far. Things look positive in response to our marketing efforts that have just begun targeting travel trade.

What is flow of tourism in Punjab? Punjab has been doing fairly well in past two to three years. We saw a growth from 16.5 million in 2011 to close to 19 million in 2012 in tourist arrivals. From Jan - Sept 2013 we

New campaigns We have been participating in travel exhibitions across the country while simultaneously streamlining and adding new tourism products, upon completion of which the consumer campaigns shall begin. The campaign will focus on our heritage like the new state of the art museum, Viraasat- ekhalsa in Anandpur Sahib, the newly launched Patiala heritage walk and Amritsar heritage walk. The Viraasate-Khalsa museum tells a memorable story of both Punjab and Sikhism, using hand-crafted artefacts and the latest technology.

We are in the midst of restoring some other heritage monuments across state. A major international conference on the interpretation of built heritage is in the pipeline. Aligning with cinematic tourism Punjab can form a hub for film shooting and production given the potential for setting up a film institute and film city and showcasing historical and monuments located in this region. Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) has signed a MoU with the National Film Development Corporation Ltd. (NFDC). Rural Tourism PHTPB has identified the Ropar Rural Tourism Cluster of four villages, based around the unique rural natu-

ral heritage of Satlej River in ropar wetlands Ramsar site, duly endorsed by IATO and ADTOI. We introduced farm tourism in 2009 under which farmhouse owners act as both hosts and guides. Visitors can also experience local community life like attending a Gram Panchayat or a social event, along with experiencing local music, dances, cuisines, art, craft and culture. The farmer is thus expected to solicit and engage community involvement with his guests. This would result in community participation, generation of employment and additional income for villagers. This scheme won the National tourism award besides having won the best unique product at various trade exhibitions and fairs.

WEST BENGAL TOURISM appeals to NEW delhi TRAVEL trade

The tourism board, which is actively promoting its products across the country, sought to showcase an array of attractions ranging from festivals, culture, history to experiential tourism. VW BUREAU

est Bengal Tourism organized a roadshow in Gurgaon recently. wherein the department endeavoured to usher in a new era for domestic travel market.

ism will be participating in travel festival even in B Categories cities like Lucknow, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Vizag, Coimbatore to reach out to the target audience in a result oriented way.

In view of this changing perspective and thriving potentialities, West Bengal Govt. is keen to attend in various travel and tourism shows being conducted by various travel tour organizers, irrespective of volume, genesis, and other dimensions of the festivals This Department has confirmed participation in tourism fairs at Surat, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi and others apart from the metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmadabad in an assertive way for ensuring better business to cater inbound travel market.

The roadshow is expected to be one of the right forum for capitalizing opportunities to ensure substantial increase of tourist inflow in West Bengal by involving all these enthused Tour Operators whose enterprising initiatives will help to reach the goal targeted by West Bengal Tourism Department.

Unlike other years, West Bengal Tour-

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

With perceptible increase of budgetary allocation particularly in publicity sector, West Bengal Tourism is making its presence felt in the e-media publication, digital display, bill boards, hoarding, FM Radio, TV Channels, both domestic and inter-

national magazines, railway tickets, electricity bills, taxi tops etc. to reach out to the masses to depict the bounties and resourcefulness of West Bengal mingled with cultural and historic diversity. Experiential tourism has been given a major thrust to attract tourists to the

state. West Bengal Tourism will also focus on its festivals and religious heritage. Gangasagar, Dakshineswar, Kalighat among other important sites of religious importance shall be part of the marketing plan to showcase West Bengal in all its cultural glory.

www.voyagersworld.in

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Happenings MP Tourism brings myriad attractions to the fore

adhya Pradesh Tourism organized a roadshow in Mumbai on 22 August 2014 to showcase what ‘Hindustan ka dil’ had to OFFER. The campaign followed close on the heels of the tourism board’s successful media campaign that had won several advertising awards. A film on the state’s multi-faceted tourism features was screened at the event. The film showcased its various national parks and sanctuaries like Pench and Kanha as well as historic attractions like Khajuraho temples, Sanchi, Orchha and Mandu.

Kalinga Lanka Foundation meets High Commissioner

six-member delegation of Kalinga Lanka Foundation met the new High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi in August. On the first-ever meeting with its new ex-officio Patron-in-Chief, H.E. Prof. Sudharshan Seneviratne, High Commisioner of Sri Lanka in India, the delegation, led by Debi Prasad Bagchi - Former Chief Secretary of Odisha, raised key issues between Odisha and Sri Lanka - Cooperation in Tourism Promotion, Education and Skill Development, Joint Research in Buddhist Heritage of Ancient Kalinga, TRADE Relations in Textile, Gems and Jewellery and Encouraging Development of Art and Culture.

Tourism Australia focuses on food experiences

ourism Australia enhanced their marketing campaign, ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ to focus on exceptional food and wine experiences.

Called ‘Restaurant Australia’, the campaign in India will be promoted on TV, print, outside and digital platforms in two phases, timed to coincide with the year-end and Indian summer holidays. Top experiences include enjoying a water taxi ride through the Sydney harbour, pre-dinner drinks before disembarking at Circular Quay for dinner at Quay restaurant (NSW); sailing the Whitsundays, before landing on Hamilton Island for a private seafood lunch at Whitehaven Beach (Queensland); dining under the stars at Longitude 131 to the accompaniment of a traditional Aboriginal dance, etc.

Portugal wins accolades at world travel awards

ourismo de Portugal recently won 15 awards at the World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2014 held in Greece. Recipients of the awards were honored at a gala ceremony held at Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso in Athens, Greece. Amongst the prestigious awards Turismo de Portugal won the Europe’s leading tourism board award. Maria João Pereira, Operations Manager received the award on behalf of Turismo de Portugal. Other Portuguese private sector organizational winners included Europe’s Leading Airline to Africa TAP Portugal; Europe’s Leading Cruise Destination Lisbon; Europe’s Most Romantic Resort Vila Vita Parc, etc.

www.voyagersworld.in

Happenings

44>> 929 VoAs issued to South Korea in July

uring July 2014, a total of 2,462 Visas-on-Arrival (VoA) were issued under the scheme as compared to 1,154 VoAs in July 2013, registering a growth of 113.3%. During January-July 2014, total 14,415 VoAs were issued as compared to 10,482 VoA during corresponding period of 2013 registering a growth of 37.5%. They were South Korea (929), Japan (324), the Philippines (321), Singapore (283), New Zealand (277), Indonesia (207), Finland (43), Myanmar (30), Vietnam (28), Cambodia (15), Luxembourg (3) and Laos (2).

Travel guide on Punjab launched

‘

Experience Punjab on the road’, a travel guide in Punjab was released by Sohan Singh Thandal, Minister for Tourism, today, at Chandigarh. Secretary Tourism, Raji Shrivastava and Director Tourism, Navjot Singh Randhawa, and Basanta Raj Kumar, Executive Director Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board were also present on the occasion. The book offers a firsthand account of What to See, Where to Eat and Where to Stay in the state about taking in the sights and experiences of mingling with the locals. It focuses on main and offbeat destinations, trivia, listings for hotels, farm-stays, restaurants and shopping.

SriLankan Airlines turns 35!

riLankan Airlines celebrates 35 years of flying at the Airline Centre in Katunayake, yesterday 1 September 2014.

SriLankan Airlines Chairman, Nishantha Wickremesinghe said: “SriLankan Airlines has been progressively supporting the government’s vision of making Sri Lanka an aviation hub and an aviation knowledge centre in Asia. To achieve these targets, the national carrier has been steadily expanding its reach and enhancing its training facilities to cater to the growing demands of the industry.”

Jet Airways organises Abu Dhabi FAM Jet Airways organized a familiariazation Tour for Corporate Travel professionals to Abu Dhabi in association with Starwood Hotels and Royal Gulf Tourism, LLC

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The national carrier undertook the arduous task of replacing its widebody fleet, starting this year. The airline’s extensive fleet renewal plan will see the arrival of six new Airbus A330-300 aircraft and seven next generation Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The first A330 aircraft will be added to its existing fleet in October this year.

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

Voyager’s World > September 2014

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 circulation@voyagersworld.in www.voyagersworld.in

Top Appointments

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Ignacio Ducasse

Gorav Arora

Director and Tourism Counsellor, Tourism Office of Spain - Mumbai

Director - Sales & Marketing, NHCC and HICC

ovotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC) and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) appointed Gorav Arora as Director of Sales & Marketing. In his new role he will be responsible to lead the Convention, Corporate, MICE and social business. With over 14 years of experience he has worked with Oberoi, Hyatt and Accor.

gnacio Ducasse is appointed as the Director and Tourism Counsellor at the Tourism Office of Spain in Mumbai from September 2014. Prior to this he held positions in Turespaña offices in Tokyo, Los Angeles and Toronto. His recent role was that of Assistant Director General of Knowledge and Tourism Studies, Instituto de Turismo de España (TURESPAÑA).

Raghu Sapra

Sabyasachi Chatterjee

General Manager, Hilton Mumbai International Airport

General Manager, Optus Hometel, Bhiwadi

arovar Hotels appointed Sabyasachi Chatterjee as General Manager of Optus Hometel, Bhiwadi. Sabyasachi comes with an experience of over 15 years in the industry. Prior to this he worked at Pride KC Hotel & Spa Panchkula. Sabyasachi brings with him expertise in all areas of hotel operations as well as pre-opening functions.

aghu Sapra is the General Manager of Hilton Mumbai International Airport. He started his career in the industry with The Radisson, New Delhi, as a Front Office Supervisor and joined Hilton Worldwide in 2011. With over 17 years of experience he previously worked with Marriott Hotels, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and The Imperial, New Delhi.

Vijay Krishnan

Rajesh Gopalakrishnan

General Manager, Four Points by Sheraton, Jaipur

General Manager, ibis Chennai SIPCOT

uet India Hotels appointed Vijay Krishnan V Menon as the General Manager for Four Points by Sheraton, Jaipur. In his new role, he will be responsible for implementing processes of operations, brand management, positioning strategies, delivering revenues. With over 19 years experience he has worked at The Park, Le Meridien, American Express and Hyatt.

ajesh Gopalakrishnan is appointed as the General Manager for ibis Chennai SIPCOT. In his new assignment, he will be in charge of spearheading operations at the Ibis Chennai Sipcot. Prior to this, Rajesh had been associated with The Raintree Hotel, Chennai, Radisson Chennai, The Leela Mumbai and Grand Hyatt Mumbai.

Mohammed Shoeb

Soraya Homchuen

General Manager, Novotel Chennai SIPCOT

Director Mumbai Office, Tourism Authority of Thailand

ohammed Shoeb was appointed as the General Manager of the Novotel Chennai SIPCOT. He joined the Accor family in 2010 to launch the Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach. He comes with an experience of 25 years in the Hospitality Industry and has worked with Starwood, ITC WelcomGroup, Four Points by Sheraton & Intercontinental.

oraya Homchuen is appointed as director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Mumbai. She will take care of the west and south India and Sri Lanka and Maldives. Prior to this she worked as the Marketing Officer, ASEAN, South Asia and South Pacific Department, TAT and served as Planning Officer, Research and Statistics Division, TAT.

Vinesh Gupta,

Gaurav Shiva

General Manager, Mövenpick Hotel & Spa, Bangalore

General Manager, Grand Mercure Bangalore

övenpick Hotel & Spa, Bangalore appointed Vinesh Gupta as the General Manager. Prior to this Vinesh had worked with Starwood, Shangri-La, The Leela Kempinski and Hyatt, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and the Seychelles with Hilton managing their Labriz Seychelles Resort. In his new role, he will oversee the complete running of the hotel.

rand Mercure Bangalore appointed Gaurav Shiva as the General Manager. He has over 17 years of experience in the hotel industry he has been associated with the preopening of the Grand Mercure hotels in Goa and Bangalore. He comes with an illustrious background having worked in Europe, America and Asia.

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Events Calendar

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networking is the key September2014 11, 12, 13

India International Travel Mart Mumbai

18, 19, 20

Kerala Travel Mart Kochi

December2014 1, 2, 3, 4

ILTM-International Luxury Travel Market Cannes, France

9, 10, 11

Luxury Travel Expo Las Vegas,USA

30 Sep 1 & 2 Oct IT&CM Asia Bangkok

October2014 1, 2, 3

Ukraine International Travel Market Ukraine

3, 4, 5

January2015 16, 17, 18

India International Travel Mart kochi

23, 24, 25 Holiday Expo Coimbatore

Holiday Expo Nagpur, Maharashtra

12 - 20 27, 28, 29, 30

Outbound Travel Roadshow Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore Ahmedabad & Delhi

29, 30, 31

November2014

February2015

3, 4, 5, 6

20, 21, 22

International Golf Travel Mart Villa Erba, Lake Como, Italy

ITB Asia Singapore

World Travel Market London

SATTE New Delhi, India

India International Travel Mart Kolkata

7, 8, 9

Holiday Expo Vishaakapatanam

21, 22, 23

India International Travel Mart Pune

28, 29, 30

India International Travel Mart Hyderabad

18, 19, 20

eibtm Barcelona, Spain

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

March 2015 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ITB Berlin Berlin, Germany

18, 19, 20, 21 MITT Moscow, Russia

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