Voyager's World September'17

Vol XIV

Issue XI

Pages 48

September 2017

DELHI 15, 16, 17 SEPTEMBER 2017

MUMBAI 21, 22, 23 SEPTEMBER 2017

PUNE 24, 25, 26 NOVEMBER 2017

HYDERABAD 01, 02, 03 DECEMBER 2017

KOCHI 11, 12, 13 JANUARY 2018

KOLKATA 23, 24, 25 FEBRUARY 2018

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Market Outlook and Industry Trends...

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4>>

Luxury travel... subjective indulgences on the move!

Dear Readers,

What does luxury mean to you? The dictionary defines it as a state of great comfort, sophistication and grandeur. Luxury can be starkly distinguishing one from another tangibly or it can be as subtle and intangible as it can. To me, luxury in travel means not having to go through last minute arrangements before boarding a flight and peacefully going to the airport sans any work on laptop or the smart phone, something that is a rare occurrence. Frequent business travellers often find themselves juggling work and personal stuff even on the move. To some, it can mean living in the most lavish hotels and destinations and to others, staying at home in their comfort zone is luxury enough. In this issue, we have Luxury Travel Trends as the Cover Story. We have also carried stories on new promotional tools for destinations such as destinations and marketing through airlines as well as interviews by hoteliers, representatives of National Tourist Organisations (NTOs) and other industry players.

In this busy season of travel roadshows and events, we wish you a luxurious getaway in the midst of your daily mundane work.

Happy Reading...

Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Associate Editor

Priyamvadha Balaram priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Anju Anna Alex Irene Susan Eapen anju.alex@voyagersworld.in irene@voyagersworld.in

Creative Head

Senior Designer

Manager - IT & Operations

Rohit Hangal rohit@voyagersworld.in

EDIT

Rohith Pinto Shyam Vishnot Dinesh Kotian shyam@voyagersworld.in dinesh@spheretravelmedia.com info@voyagersworld.in

ORIA

L

Advertising & Marketing

Operations Executive Published By

Selvaraj Ramaswamy operations@voyagersworld.in Mobile +91-9844092150 advertising@voyagersworld.in

ADVERTISING CIRCU & LATIO N

06 10

Assistant Editor

Industry Buzz Hospitality

16

Interviews with Treebo, Sterling & Hotel Harshikhar etc.

Cover Story Luxury travel-Market Outlook & Key Trends

22

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

33

India Outbound

Interviews with NTO's, MTPA, TAT & Sanya Tourism Devp.

Commission

MICE Point MICE on Cruises

45

Top Appointments

fro A m Po So st ut ca h rd Af ric a

Cover Credits: Sun Siyam Resorts, Maldives

SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

South Africa Madikwe-Impodimo Lodge-Elephant Stops by for drink

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Pentaplus Printers Pvt. Ltd. #20/1, 5th Cross, 4th Main Raod, Industrial Town, Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560044. Ph: +91 98440 87068 # 245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India Ph: +91 - 80 - 4083 4103, Fax: + 91 - 80 - 4083 4101 | info@spheretravelmedia.com, www.spheretravelmedia.com All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2014. No part of this magazine may be reproducted without the prior written permission from Voyagers’s World

Industry Buzz Wandertrails partners with Uber for experiential stays

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andertrails recently partnered with Uber to enable riders to book UberHIRE rides

6>> Mercure Dwarka opens in Gujarat

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ercure, Accor Hotels launched Mercure Dwarka in Gujarat with 99 well-appointed rooms. For meetings and events,

the hotel can accommodate up to 40 guests.

to visit places across Maharashtra. The pact

Rishabh Gupta, Co-founder & Director, Blue Rock Hospitality

will offer travel experiences for Uber riders

Ventures Pvt. Ltd., said, “This marks our vision to develop

comprising bespoke destinations, experiential

branded upper midscale hotels in holy cities, industrial hubs,

stays and immersive activities through

emerging destinations and undersupplied pockets of developed

convenient and affordable half-day and full

cities, across the country.”

day tours around destinations like Mumbai, Pune, Lonavala, Nasik, Kamshet, etc.

AirAsia announces FLY-THRU programme

Thomas Cook India highlights Middle India for romantic getaways

T

homas Cook (India) Ltd. launched ‘Romantic Getaways’, a unique group

tours portfolio to tap into Middle India’s high growth honeymoon travel segment. Its findings on consumer preferences in Middle India’s regional towns, mini metros and smaller localities in a city revealed 25% YoY increase in honeymoon travel. Romantic Getaways feature India’s favourite romantic destinations - Singapore with a cruise, France & Switzerland, New Zealand, Bali and Mauritius with Dubai.

A 3rd Chaliyar River Challenge to start on 22 September

T

he third edition of the 'Chaliyar River Challenge 2017' will be held this year from 22 to 24 September. The 68-km paddling event aims to promote the usage of rivers for recreation and raise funds to clean up the rivers while attempting to draw tourists and the youth. The starting point of the event is from Nilambur, located on the foothills of Western Ghats and in close proximity to the Nilgiris. The ending point is at Beypore in Kozhikode district, where the river meets with the Arabian Sea. As part of the three-day adventure, a 'leave no trace' camping concept will offer opportunities at various levels from beginners, non- swimmers to well-established water sports enthusiasts.

irAsia recently launched the FLY-THRU program for good connectivity across the globe. This service will allow flyers to transfer from the original destination to the final point.

This programme connects domestic and international travellers flying on the Air Asia global network to 120 destinations across 26 countries. The main idea of the programme is to connect the Indian domestic market to all the networks.

Amar Abrol, MD & CEO, AirAsia said, “This marks yet another milestone in AirAsia India’s progression. We believe this will be one of the reasons for our guests to choose AirAsia India over other airlines.”

Austria Embassy, Delhi Tourism celebrate women champions

T

he Austrian Cultural Forum of the Austrian Embassy, New Delhi, along with Delhi Tourism, unveiled an unusual touring exhibition that attempted to depict the life stories of important Austrian and Indian women of the past 200 years. Titled 'Inspiring Women - Austria-India' (Calliope Austria), the exhibition projected unsung women champions from Austria and India and took place from 26 August to 2 September in different venues - Dilli Haat, Dilli Haat Pitampura, Dilli Haat Janakpuri and the Garden of Five Senses. The exhibition was inaugurated jointly by H.E Brigitte Oeppinger-Walchshofer, Ambassador of Austria and Varsha Joshi, Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of Delhi.

Lufthansa Airlines, The Indus Entrepreneurs organise Start up Expo

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ufthansa Airlines and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) organised the second edition of Start up Expo on 23 August at GoWork, Gurugram to bring together investors, mentors, business experts, industry partners, government agencies, corporates on the same platform. The event included over 75 investors, 100 partners, 500 mentors, 250 startup that highlighted on expert workshops, gain mentorship, engage with government organizations, network with potential partners, customers and followed by the nationwide SME mentorship camps in nine cities.

The Start-up Expo witnessed 2,000 startups participation in these workshops.

Voyager’s World > September 2017

BECOME A JOINT MARKETING PARTNER WITH SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

And open up a world of new opportunities Have a creative idea to market South African holidays? Write to us! South African Tourism will support you with 40% of the marketing budget What to include in your application: •

Online, print, television and WOM for consideration/ awareness part of campaign

•

Please note, all media selections will be audited by our buying agency to ensure that we are speaking to our target market

•

Rates, once checked by our agency, will not be negotiated further

•

Please note our standard JMA Terms and Conditions regarding ROI, proof and third-party invoicing will apply

•

Please stipulate what additional avenues and value adds will be available for SA Tourism to use

Tips on campaign content: •

All packages should be for nine nights or above, out of which five nights should be in places other than Cape Town and Johannesburg

•

Highlight activities/specials about a small town in South Africa e.g. Hermanus, Oudtshoorn, Nelspruit etc.

•

Itineraries should have a minimum of three activities

•

All packages to be booked with a DMC that is a member of SATSA

•

South Africa must be seen as the best adventure and wildlife destination in the world. You can develop holiday packages that are fun, memorable, engaging and easy

•

A mechanism on how to distribute generic information on South Africa – it could be about adventure, food, safari, etc.

•

A mechanism on how to depict value for money – NOT selling the destination as a cheap option

•

Packages need to be deal driven

Send your applications to alpa@southafrica.net

Visit www.southafrica.net

Industry Buzz

8>> The Lodhi New Delhi joins Leading Hotels of The World

Yatra introduces Xplore feature

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atra.com recently launched a new feature Xplore mainly to search and book

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holiday worldwide according to your budget.

While the advanced search option will help him search for destinations based on the budgets. In case, the traveller has chosen a holiday destination the ‘Xplore’ guides one in checking the cheapest budget to travel.

The user needs to enter the departure city followed by the destination and can get the cheapest air fares available for the travel destination in a calendar format for each day of the month. The feature is currently available on Yatra’s mobile site and desktop.

Genting's World Dream to set sailing from November

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enting Cruise Lines will launch World Dream, Asia’s newest luxury cruise ship from Dream Cruises in November this year at her dual home-ports in Hong Kong and Guangzhou (Nansha) and provide fly/cruise options with new itineraries to Vietnam and the Philippines. She will take guests on 6D/5N cruises to Manila and Boracay in the Philippines from 17 November 2017 to 31 March 2018 will alternate with 6D/5n journeys to Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang in Vietnam from 3 December to 14 October 2018.

Parineeti Chopra appointed 'Friend of Australia'

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ourism Australia appointed Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra as the first Indian woman ambassador to be a part of the ‘Friend of Australia’ (FOA) advocacy panel.

The ‘Friend of Australia’ recognition was presented to Parineeti by Australian Consul General, HE Tony Huber, for her contribution to promote Australia. This initiative was devised by Tourism Australia to foster mutually beneficial ‘friendships’ with those they regard as unique, positive and influential story-tellers. She is all set to visit Queensland and Northern Territory, exploring Australia’s aquatic and coastal experiences, rugged outback, unique wildlife and its incredible variety of world-class food and wine offering.

Spain welcomes 105,646 Indians in 2016

he Lodhi, New Delhi recently joined The Leading Hotels of the World which consists of 375 hotel members across the world. Dinaz Madhukar, Senior Vice President, DLF Luxury Retail and Hospitality, says, “This is one of the hotel organizations in the world and we are honored to represent India as the only member hotel in the country at present.”

Deniz Omurgonulsen, Vice President, Membership, The Leading Hotels of the World explains, “The Lodhi showcases the contemporary India through cultural, artistic and culinary offerings, and provides discerning, curious travelers with an enriching and distinctly local experience.”

VITS luxury Hotel to launch ‘VITS Devbhumi in Dwarka’

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ITS Hotel Worldwide announced the launch of Hotel VITS Devbhumi, expediently located to the prominent landmarks of Dwarkadish temple, of Dwarka Devbhumi district of Gujarat.

VITS Devbhumi Dwarka offers 58 wellappointed rooms and seamlessly fit into the traveller’s scheme of things by providing four-star deluxe experiences.

VITS Hotel will unveil the VITS hospitality experience in Mumbai (Colaba), Nanded, Dahej, Ahmedabad and Mangalore

by April 2018. The company plans to penetrate its reach nationally with 20 properties scheduled for launch primarily in Tier 2 and 3 in cities within the next three years.

SpiceJet launches Hyderabad-Puducherry sector

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he Tourism Office of Spain witnessed 105,646 Indian arrivals in 2016, with an increment of 17.08 in 2015. The latest data states that 105,646 Indian tourists travelled to Spain to enjoy their holidays last year. The average stay was 7/8 nights that makes it a total of approximately 780,000 nights. Main destinations that Indian tourists visited continue to be Barcelona, Madrid, Andalusia, Valencia and Ibiza, new destinations as Bilbao, Mallorca and Canary Islands. As per data collected in Q1 of 2017, it is expecting the number of arrivals from India to be on an optimistic growth for this year.

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Dubai Parks & Resorts to open new season line up

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ubai Parks and Resorts announced its new season lineup featuring the premiere of the Lionsgate zone at MOTIONGATE™ Dubai and a series of events on the river at Riverland™ Dubai. The Lionsgate zone at MOTIONGATE™ Dubai, which will shortly be unveiled to the public, features the world’s first rides and attractions inspired by the international blockbuster movie series ‘The Hunger Games’.

Riverland™ Dubai also announced its season line up of free events including Circus on the River in November and Pets on the River in December and a host of new events during public holidays.

S

piceJet launched services on the Hyderabad-Puducherry sector offering connectivity from different parts of the country to the Union Territory. The Hyderabad-Puducherry flight is the third daily flight launched by SpiceJet under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. This new flight, Puducherry will be connected with Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Vijaywada and Varanasi. The flag-off ceremony was graced by Chief Minister, Government of Puducherry - V. Narayanasamy, V. Vaithilingam, Speaker, Legislative Assembly, V.P. Sivakolundhu, Deputy Speaker, Legislative Assembly and other government officers and AAI and SpiceJet officials.

Industry Buzz

9>>

7.4% growth in Foreign Tourist arrivals in July 2017 PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs): The number of FTAs in July, 2017 were 7.88 lakh as compared to FTAs of 7.34 lakh in July, 2016 and 6.28 lakh in July, 2015. The growth rate in FTAs in July, 2017 over July, 2016 is 7.4% compared to 16.8% in July, 2016 over July, 2015. 路 FTAs during the period January- July 2017 were 56.74 lakh with a growth of 15.7%, as compared to the FTAs of 49.03 lakh with a growth of 9.6% in January- July 2016 over JanuaryJuly 2015.

(Rep.of) (3.9%), Germany (3.1%), Australia (3.1%), Canada (3.1%), Italy (2.4%), Singapore (2.3%), Netherlands (2.2%) and Thailand (1.8%). The percentage shares of top 15 ports in tourist arrivals on

The percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during July 2017 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (20.12%) followed by USA (16.26%), UK (10.88%), France (3.01%), Malaysia (2.81%), Canada (2.66%), Sri Lanka (2.56%), China (2.32%), Oman (2.27%), Germany (2.21%), Australia (2.17%), Japan (2.10%), Nepal (1.84%), UAE (1.82%) and Singapore (1.69%).

The percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during July 2017 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (25.95%) followed by Mumbai Airport (16.63%), Haridaspur Land Check Post (10.92%), Chennai Airport (9.09%), Bengaluru Airport (6.78%), Cochin Airport (5.39%), Hyderabad Airport (5.07%),Kolkata Airport (4.23%),Gede Rail Land Check Post (2.78%), Trivandrum Airport (1.81%), Ahmedabad Airport (1.72%), Ghojadanga Land Check Post (1.54%), Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.37%), Amritsar Airport (0.97%) and Calicut Airport (0.73%).

路 The percentage shares of top 15 source countries availing e- Tourist Visa facilities in July 2017 were UK (12.9%), USA (12.0%), UAE (7.2%), France (6.4%), Oman (6.1%), China (5.4%), Spain (4.3%), Korea

Airport (2.2%), Ahmadabad Airport (1.4%), Trivandrum Airport (1.4%), Calicut Airport (1.2%), Amritsar Airport (1.1%), Tirchy Airport (0.8%), Goa Airport (0.4%), Jaipur Airport (0.3%) and Pune Airport(0.3%).

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FTAs on e-Tourist Visa: 路During the month of July, 2017 total of 1.19 lakh tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 0.68 lakh during the month of July 2016 registering a growth of 73.3%. 路 During January-July 2017, a total of 8.36 lakh tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 5.40 lakh during January-July 2016, registering a growth of 54.7%.

e-Tourist Visa during July, 2017 were as follows: New Delhi Airport (41.0%), Mumbai Airport (20.6%), Chennai Airport (9.5%), Bengaluru Airport (7.8%), Kochi Airport (6.6%), Hyderabad Airport (5.1%), Kolkata

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Hospitality

10>>

Treebo to invest in delivering high-quality guest experience and mindful expansion ANJU ANNA ALEX

In a 'tête-à-tête' with Voyager’s World, Sidharth Gupta, Co-Founder, talks about how the brand has managed to carve a niche for itself in the budget hotel chain segment and about the recent successful fundraise of $34million.

F

ounded in 2015, Treebo Hotels is a technology-enabled budget hotel brand with close to 300 franchisees operating exclusively under its brand across more than 50 cities that offer high-quality accommodation options to travellers at budget friendly rates.

Recently, Treebo Hotels, raised $34 Million (INR 220 crore) in its Series C funding round led by Hong Kong-based investment firms Ward Ferry Management and Karst Peak Capital. Existing investors, SAIF Partners, Matrix Partners India, and Bertelsmann India Investments also participated in the round.

Comment on the fundraise Ward Ferry and Karst Peak are both seasoned investors in the global markets including in the travel and hospitality space. Between them they have invested in hotel chains, cruise ships, OTAs, F&B chains, duty free shops, and several other subsegments within the space.

We are glad that our approach of building a sustainable, long-term business resonated with them. We feel privileged to have them onboard and look forward to leveraging their experience in driving business growth.

Treebo’s business model Treebo is a budget hotel chain and works on the full-inventory franchise model. We have a technology-enabled model where the hotel partners manage the day-to-day operations of the property as per Treebo’s standards such that customers get a great experience. On the other hand, we take the responsibility for generating sales for the property.

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Treebo’s model is firmly based on forming deep partnerships with the owners and giving cx a consistent, high-quality experience to the guests.

We also work closely and efficiently with the partners on operational aspects like SOPs, staff training, materials procurement, etc. consistently for the full property.

As a result of all of this, customers get a high-quality yet affordable experience.

Competition in this segment & how do you stand out among the competitors?

Our 2 set of competitors include the traditional hotel chains and start-ups in the hospitality sector.

If we talk about the traditional hotel chains in the segment, one clear competitive advantage that we have over them is the price point. We truly cater to the budget segment in the country as compared to the others who offer a stay option well above Rs. 3000.

Secondly, we have a stronger and larger network of hotels, covering more locations, as opposed to the traditional chains which usually have a large inventory at one location, proving limited options and flexibility to the customers. And the third is the customer experience that we provide across properties.

Ours is a very Indian, warm form of hospitality as compared to their western, cold model adopted by others. We have intentionally not cut corners on some key elements of hospitality including room service, luggage assistance, and room size, and have rather managed economics

by choosing to be present in quieter neighbourhoods off the main roads.

When it comes to the other start-ups, our full-inventory based franchise business model has enabled us to be leaps and bounds ahead of them in terms of its effectiveness in solving the core quality problem and in terms of its unit economics. Other startups followed a middle-of-the-road business model trying to be an OTA and a brand at the same time and failed at being successful at both.

Realizing the flaw in their model they are now trying to pivot to our model.

While it’s flattering to have followers, it’s definitely not going to be straightforward emulation for them. It remains to be seen whether they can also build an honest ‘guest service’ DNA which powers our model.

In addition to the high-quality experience, our unique, industry-first technology innovation differentiates Treebo from others in the segment. In the last 2 years, we have introduced unique, industry-first solutions and programs including our revenue and property management systems, Friends of Treebo and audit system.

Expansion Plans and Challenges We envision to be India’s most loved hotel brand. For which, we will mindfully expand to newer cities in the country. By the end of CY 2018, we aim at expanding to 150+ cities with 1500 properties and 40,000 rooms. To be relevant to our target customers, we need to be present wherever our customers travel.

Hence the need to have a wider reach across the country.

What are your growth expectations in terms of revenue?

We are the only company in the segment to have positive contribution margin. We are not profitable at EBITDA level as we are making crucial investments for the future, including hiring talented employees, marketing campaigns to build the brand, building state-of-theart technology solutions all of which will bear fruit in the future. We are looking at achieving profitability in the next 2-3 years.

Outlook for 2017 & the impact of GST We are excited about this tax reform since this lowers the tax rate for budget hotels and enforces tighter compliance in the ecosystem. The unique thing about GST readiness is that you don't just need to be ready yourself, your ecosystem of customers, suppliers, vendors need to be ready. We are a 100% GST complied hotel chain. Over the last few months, we have worked tirelessly with our 250+ hotel partners, 3000+ corporate clients, and 1000+ vendors to get ready for GST. Overall, it’s a progressive step towards building a fair market and levelling the ground for brands across sectors.

2017 has been full of action for us.

We launched our biggest brand campaign in May and announced Irrfan Khan as our endorser. We also got industry recognition for our PWA at Google I/O 2017. We recently raised $34million in Series C round from new and existing investors. We will continue to invest in delivering high-quality guest experience and mindfully expanding to new locations.

Hospitality

12>>

Sterling Resorts redefines brand proposition to cater to new age traveler ANJU ANNA ALEX

Ramesh Ramanathan, Managing Director, Sterling Holidays, in an exclusive interaction with Voyager’s World, talks about how Sterling Holidays in tune with the changing consumer preferences, is going through a transformative phase as well as about his vision for the company. understand that today’s holiday goer is looking beyond a nice room in a nice location with good food. People are graduating towards curated experiences and discoveries. Sterling is hence busy identifying interesting experiences at the resort destinations as well as at the cities of residence of its members and guests.

Brand repositioning and current objectives Sterling Holidays is indeed going through a transformative phase. In the last few years, all the resorts have been upgraded to best in class standards. We have defined our new brand proposition and positioning in line with the changed needs of today’s travellers. We

Where does Sterling see itself in the next 5 years?

Currently our member base is 85,000 which is on a steady growth track annually. The onetime holidayers segment is also growing healthily year on year. In the next 5 years, we will continue pursuing this unique hybrid business model of hosting members and guests. We see Sterling emerging as a leading

experiential holiday company with best in class resorts in India and Indians-led holiday destinations beyond India.

New properties, expansion plans in traction.

Sterling currently has a room inventory of over 2000 rooms in 27 resorts across 24 destinations.

We also have 4 resorts under the Nature Trails portfolio. Our primary focus remains the domestic market currently. We are looking at expanding our portfolio to give wider experience to our customers.

In FY18, we expect to add 3-4 properties with an additional 200300 rooms, taking our total resort count to 33-34. These properties are likely to be in scenic locations like Wayanad in Kerala, Mount

Abu in Rajasthan and Kanha in Madhya Pradesh. For the overseas, Sterling is planning to expand to destinations like Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia in the next two to three years. The discussions for the same however will begin by the end of this year.

Marketing and Promotional Activities From time to time, the resorts and branch offices run themed, engaging marketing and promotional activities and events. One initiative that is extremely differentiated and unique is Sterling’s 100 Days of Joy Calendar. We have identified 100 Days of Joy through the year that our resorts and branches will celebrate with members, guests and customers.

HOTEL HARSHIKHAR UNVEILS PLANS TO EXPAND SERVICES IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Neha Singh, Executive Director, Hotel Harshikhar, talks about guest demographics and promotional and expansion plans in an interview with Voyager's World. the major travel agents. We have improved the growth rate by 30% last year and are expecting a growth rate of 40% for 2017.

T

he growth from the Indian market has been very good.

Participating in all the travel fairs has helped us in directly getting in touch with clients and with some of

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Travellers We have had travellers like families, couples, friends, solo travellers. We have had more of family travellers as the hotel is a family hotel. We have had travellers from all over India with the maximum number of visitors from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bangalore and overseas. Most of them stay for a maximum of three to four days.

Segments The hotel has two banquet halls with a capacity of 300 pax, catering to MICE and wedding groups.

Facing the lake, the property has the facilities of a four-star category hotel. “The USP of our hotel is a 360 degree angle of the lake. So, the natural beauty is the most appealing thing apart from the luxury in our hotel. I call my hotel as luxury by the lake.”

Marketing and promotions We have already done a lot of promotions through social media and feedback promotions through Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus.

We have done promotions with various magazines also.

Expansion plans “We are planning to launch one property in Lucknow and the next property will be launched in another two to three years. We have just added a coffee shop where you can listen to good rock music. We already have a kids’ corner but we want to make it interesting by adding some more things and add a small shopping area. We want to add live music events, ball shooting, rappelling, paragliding and kayaking on the lake.”

Hospitality

13>>

Atithi Nature Camps beckons nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Abhishek Srivastava, CEO, Atithi Nature Camps, talks about the various offerings that will be of interest to leisure and corporate groups. couples. There is maximum demand from honeymoon couples. We have received inbound tourists from Germany, Netherlands, Russia, and Brazil .”

Marketing plans “Besides participating in major travel trade exhibitions like IITM, our marketing activities are largely on social media, especially campaigns

on Facebook. We are focusing on segments like eco-tourism and adventure as well as spritual and wellness tourism.

Main Activities Some of the main activities that we offer are riverside camping, river rafting, trekking, rock climbing, rappelling, mountain biking, wilderness backpacking, bridge abseiling, river crossing cycling, commando net and Burma bridge.

We have just introduced midnight trekking in the pine jungles. During the first two years of the launch, we had a tough time. After tourists started coming over, we have been doing great now; we don’t have to promote like before as it has been mostly word-of-mouth.

The camp is focused on all kind of adventure activities; it is not only for adventurers and tourists who like to visit offbeat destinations in the midst of nature, it is a great place for corporates as they are now coming in huge numbers. From May to June, we had approximately 80% growth.

From October onwards, we expect a growth rate of 100%.

Atithi Nature Camps aims to tap corporate, honeymoon couples, schools, colleges and families. It also plans to tap the family travellers segment especially in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, besides extending its focus on Kolkata, following a good response there.

Abhishek believes that emphasis on Tier 2 cities demands a lot of investment, while adding that Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara are potential cities. It has one property in Manali and plans to launch more in Bhimtal in Uttarakhand in the near future and one in Goa later.

Travellers “Our travellers consist of school and college students and honeymoon

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ASSOCIATION

14>>

ATOAI gears up to host 13th annual convention PRIYAMVADHA BALRAM

This year being the 13th edition, the convention is expected to draw more than 300 participants comprising adventure tour operators, hotels, DMCs, travel trade from Kerala, officials from the Ministry of Tourism, etc.

Rajesh Ojha, Secretary ATOAI

The global tourism industry is undergoing significant changes, with travellers increasingly preferring adventure and active holidays. The niche has not only become mainstream but is now leading it.

T

he Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) team had met with the Union Tourism Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma in his office to invite him to their forthcoming convention which is slated to take place from 18 – 21 September at the Backwaters Ripples Resort in Kumarakom, Kerala. The annual convention of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India is a gathering of the most significant and relevant travel companies, tourism boards, Government officials, media and leaders - to discuss business and influence policy.

The annual convention is supported and hosted by Kerala Tourism but ATOAI is inviting all stakeholders to contribute in its resolve to make India the adventure capital of the world. These include Government, tourism boards, industry, experts and media. The agenda will include sessions on how to achieve these goals, networking amongst delegates, exhibits by state tourism boards and industry players, and FAM trips and a day of adventure to showcase Kerala as a unique tourist destination.

ATOAI has ensured that its annual convention and events travel to different parts of the country to connect all stakeholders in the adventure tourism and to draw attention to host destinations.

Dr. Sharma had said, “Adventure Tourism is a new growth area and we need to do a lot to promote it”.

He was very positive about the

Voyager’s World > September 2017

growth in this sector and mentioned that even our Prime Minister is very upbeat about tourism sector and is ready to provide full support.

The team thanked him for giving his support for the formation of National Task Force for Adventure and Nature Tourism.

Dr. Sharma assured full support to ATOAI’s 13th annual Convention which is being held in Backwaters Ripples Resort, Kumarakom, Kerala from 18th to 21st September. ATOAI is expecting over 300 participants mostly the leading adventure tour operators, hotels, DMCs, State Tourism Boards, travel trade from Kerala, officials from the Ministry of Tourism and the bloggers, influencers, travel trade media and other key media companies to interact and network during the convention days.

"The theme for this year’s edition is EMERGING PATHWAYS. The global tourism industry is undergoing significant changes, with travellers increasingly preferring adventure and active holidays. The niche has not only become mainstream but is now leading it. The new traveller is driven by a desire for physical and mental transformations, feeling healthier and more alive in the process. He or she seeks to achieve this through discovery, learning, unique experiences, meaningful stories, fun, thrills, new friendships and an expanded worldview. These are all inherent in adventure travel.

Trends such as these will have implications on how travel business is conducted in the coming years."

said Rajesh Ojha- Convention Chairman and Secretary ATOAI. India in a unique position to be a leader in adventure tourism "The idea is to bring small operators from far flung areas of the state and connecting them with the adventure tourism experts, introducing a day of adventure activities to strengthen the fraternity," said Capt. Swadesh Kumar- President ATOAI. "The convention will offer structured opportunities for the travel trade and tourism boards to network for business development.

These include networking sessions and a Buyer - Seller Expo where companies may take up table space to promote their products and services. We are excited by the new destination and the buzz it is creating in the fraternity and are enthused by the widening prospects of adventure travel beyond the Himalayan frontiers," said Rajesh.

Every country has some adventure

to offer, but India is a country that offers almost every adventure and active holiday experience that one can seek. Even as the definition of adventure has expanded, India has upped its game to offer all this.

From mostly a mountain and wildlife destination, the country now offers much more: Skiing, water rafting, treks, road trips, off-road adventure, biking, cycling, scuba diving, river cruising, angling, bungee jumping, ballooning, caving, birding, adventure parks, nature retreats, culture, food, mountaineering and more. At any given time of the year, one can do most of these at some location in the country.

Despite all this, India may not have got its due as the preferred destination for adventure seekers.

Since 1994, ATOAI has been at the forefront of influencing policy, helping members create capacity, training, establishing safety standards, ensuring sustainable practices and marketing. The year 2017 marks a watershed when the association has taken upon itself to raise the bar.

ADVENTURE TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

13 th Annual Convention

Adventure Travel: Emerging Pathways The world of adventure is coming together in Kerala - make sure you are a part of it!!

18-21 September, 2017 Backwater Ripples Hotel, Kumarakom, Kerala

Supported by

host state

Supporting Airline Partner

partner states

Supporting Hotels

Supporting transportation partner

Register Now! Adventure Tour Operators Association of India F - 190 | Ground Floor | Opp. Hanuman Mandir | Lado Sarai | New Delhi - 110030 Tel: +91 11 41802287 | Email: atoaiadmin@gmail.com / atoai.india@gmail.com

www.atoai.org

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Luxury Travel: MarketOutlook

Luxury travel poised for growth; remains unscathed despite Anju Anna Alex

In an exclusive two part write-up, we explore the future of luxury travel given that the global luxury market is poised for what industry leaders call ‘explosive growth’ due to the sudden spurt of growth in affluent high-net worth individuals (HNWI) seeking luxury bespoke trips.

Amit Kalsi, Founder & CEO, Experiential Travel Journeys Pvt. Ltd

All generations have a different exposure, understanding and perception of what they feel is Luxury Travel. It is difficult to select any one generation which is keener on Luxury Travel.

B

y the year 2022, luxury travel is expected to emerge as the fastest growing segment in the travel industry worldwide. The bullish outlook and the amplified predisposition towards unique, exotic experiences have further intensified the competition in the luxury segment. The digital transformation will also continue to influence and shape our perception of luxury travel. A recent Bain & Co., study had forecasted that 2017 would be a promising year for the global luxury market. The report also cites that by 2025, Millennials and Generation Z will account for 45% of the global personal luxury goods market, highlighting the importance of understanding the millennial psyche and their fascination with luxury.

The mounting geopolitical tensions seem to have very less impact on the increasing demand for luxury. With the Indo-China stand-off seemingly remaining unaltered and with the US- North Korea peace talks coming to an apparent deadlock, one would have imagined an evident drop in international outbound figures.

Surprisingly, as per international agencies, the alleged decline in tourist numbers, especially to these countries not only remains largely unsubstantiated but also has witnessed a growth approximating

Voyager’s World > September 2017

to a dynamic 4% with respect to worldwide outbound trips.

Nevertheless, this does not negate the fact that the majority of travellers consider the political climate as a key factor while deciding their destination for travel. Luxury travel too, therefore, remains susceptible to security threats.

According to a report published

by Allied Market Research, Luxury Travel Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014-2022, the global luxury travel market is projected to reach $1,154 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 6.4% during 2016-2022. The report also cites that, “The adventure and safari segment accounted for about 44% of the overall luxury travel market revenue, by tour type in 2015, as this is identified as the most popular vacation option among young and middle age group travelers.” The report also states that the key drivers of the rising luxury travel trend include people’s affinity towards unique and exotic holiday experiences, growth in the middle and upper class disposable income as well as related expenditure, and the ever increasing human desire to spend more time with family amidst their increasingly hectic lifestyles.

What is even more striking is the trend of increased demand for luxury travel and experiences being

even more conspicuous in the emerging economies of China and India. It is pertinent to note that India’s population of “ultra-high-networths" is growing at an impressive rate, indicating the potential of the Indian luxury market. Strong market fundamentals have strewn optimism about demand for various travel niches including the luxury travel segment in India. According to Tanushree Joshi, Regional Sales and Marketing Manager – India, Sun Siyam Resorts, “The Indian luxury market is predicted to grow at a rate of 21% with luxury travel growing at approximately 15% in the next 5 years.” The Indian travel and hospitality industry, including the luxury segment, heaved a sigh of relief as the Supreme Court alleviated its verdict regarding the ban on the sale of alcohol within 500 meters of state and national highways.

The Supreme Court’s blanket ban had raised many eyebrows among hoteliers and restaurateurs and shook the very foundation of the luxury and leisure industry.

Following this, was the imposition of the GST which was a major sectoral reform. The Goods and Services Tax garnered a lot of mixed reactions from the industry professionals and at the outset, stood to face numerous teething issues which

are eventually expected to dissipate with time.

This anticipated growth in luxury travel can be attributed to the burgeoning population of “ultrahigh-net-worths" as well as the aspirational middle class consumers with large dispensable income. The conscientious consumer also finds it in his sensibilities, to have a certain predilection towards sustainable luxury and is characterized by the love for authentic as well as customized local experiences. There is also, more than ever before, the need for simplicity.

Be it freshly sourced organic meals or eco-friendly toiletries, luxury seekers are asking for uberpersonalization with an eco-friendly twist. The Indian consumer has started taking a certain penchant for exquisite spirits, exotic cheeses and even towards cruising as a holiday option. There is also an upswing in the number of private villa rentals thanks to the sense of exclusiveness that they offer. Villas of Distinction®, a premier luxury villa rental company, as part of World Travel Holdings, announced that the most sought after villa vacation destinations for 2017 based on industry insights were Italy, Hawaii, Jamaica, St. John, and Florida. The private jet travel market is trending

17>>

Cover Story

and Key Industry Trends turbulent political climate.

Š Sun Siyam Resorts, Maldives

www.voyagersworld.in

Cover Story

positively as well alluding to the demand for premium experiences.

As per the Allied Market Research report, the Baby boomers segment is anticipated to hold the highest market share in the overall luxury travel market, by age group, as they have been identified as the highest travel spenders. Amit Kalsi, Founder & CEO, Experiential Travel Journeys Pvt. Ltd. says, “The true UHNIs are Baby Boomers. Other generations by age constitute HNIs and affluent classes. Indian Economy and exposure is growing, so Indian Luxury Market in all segments including Travel is growing and will continue to grow. It’s difficult to put a growth percentage to it since there is no organised research backing this claim. But anyone in this segment will know that it is growing and will continue to grow. I feel that Luxury Travel exists in all generation categories but in various forms, shapes, sizes and bundles. But in order to shortlist a generation, it’s majorly Baby Boomers and Generation X is the true seekers of Experiential Luxury wherein they are more evolved and matured in their choices and definition of Luxury. It’s related to their age, travel history and experiences, changing and evolving mindsets over the years etc.” When probed about who are the main enthusiasts of luxury travel- Baby boomers, Millennials or Gen X; Tanushree states that “I may beg to differ in the categorisation of Luxury Travel. I would rather place them in different brackets especially for island destinations like Maldives as: The Experientialist, The Traditionalist, The Dreamer, and The Opportunist.”

The buzzword of the industry has shifted from MICE to MICE+ luxury. But when corporate entities are trying to work on lean budgets, incorporating the nuances of luxury into corporate travel may not seem like a very bright idea. Despite this, tourism authorities around the world have ramped up promotional campaigns across India, to attract a greater share of the growing MICE with luxury market segment. When asked about the feasibility of integrating both for the busy Indian business travellers, Tanushree says, “MICE + Luxury is a very different ball game specially from India. It means mixing traditional luxury with today’s MICE requirements and presenting the corporate with a concept instead of a typical MICE itinerary. I believe that MICE players across India are now offering different experiences to the business travellers and we have customised MICE itineraries with travel partners to cater to the corporate and their brand vision, for example: local Island experience, mind and soul rejuvenation yoga for the top management at The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, culinary experiences are a few of the experiences we work towards for our MICE groups. Mainly such MICE are looking for out of the ordinary experience that brings about team building.”

Citing a few examples of the top selling packages in this segment, Amit says, “Going off-the-grid is essentially seeking new destinations and unique experiences and yes demand is growing and Indians are travelling everywhere and experimenting everything. But there is nothing like top selling packages in this category. It’s all very scattered and no one can claim what’s trending since its personal preference and choice. Also in this segment we do not follow trends, we create trends since it’s all about what’s new, exiting, off-beat, unique, exclusive and authentic.”

Voyager’s World > September 2017

18>>

Amit is of the opinion that luxury travel is all about inspiring ideas and innovation. Anything which is top selling becomes standardised and a mass appeal product which tends to lose its uniqueness and authenticity. He explains that “From Polar regions (Arctic/Antarctica) to Safari regions in Africa like Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Rwanda etc. (beyond traditional East & South Africa), South America (Chile, Bolivia,Columbia, Peru), Central/ Latin America (Costa Rica, Panama) Indo China (Indonesia (beyond Bali), China (beyond Beijing, Xian, Shanghai), Laos, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Philippines (beyond Manila, Cebu & Boracay) etc. Experiences like Culinary, Adventure (diving, skiing, surfing, active sports etc.), Wellness, Equestrian Holidays, Cycle tours, mobile camping, river cruising, Private Yachts, Wildlife like polar bears, orcas, sardines, lemurs, meerkats, orangutans, chimpanzees (beyond traditional Big 5 Safari) etc.”

Tanushree Joshi, Regional Sales and Marketing ManagerIndia, Sun Siyam Resorts The Indian luxury market is predicted to grow at a rate of 21% with luxury travel growing at approximately 15% in the next 5 years.

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Decoding the Modern Luxury Seeker....

Marketing Insights!

W

e explore the rapidly changing preferences of the contemporary luxury seeker and the innovative ways in which luxury can be packaged so that it appeals to the agent and the affluent traveller.

For luxury brands to resonate with and seamlessly connect with the current market intelligence, they need to redefine their go-to-marketing techniques and embrace disruptive strategies, which call for a paradigm shift from the conventional practices. This will help them consolidate their brand loyalty as well.

The notion of luxury itself is quite perplexing given that while most travellers equate luxury to plush interiors, modern amenities or even an indulgent spa experience, the epicures might easily censure such amenities as austere and frugal in outlook. In the opinion of Amit Kalsi, Founder & CEO, Experiential Travel Journeys Pvt. Ltd., “All generations have a different exposure, understanding and perception of what they feel is Luxury Travel. It is difficult to select any one generation which is keener on Luxury Travel.” Commenting about the evolution of luxury Tanushree Joshi, Regional Sales and MarketingIndia, Sun Siyam Resorts, says, “A traveller’s perception of luxury not only changes throughout their lifetime – it can change throughout the duration of a single holiday. Circumstances along their journey will alter their perceptions and their norms – and the new era of luxury travel requires brands to constantly monitor their expectations, and adapt accordingly. In other words, new luxury is real-time.” Tanushree also stresses the need for service providers to understand the constantly vacillating requirements of the clients and to be in tune with the latest travel trends. “Our services and facilities or rather the experiences evolve around laidback luxury, close to culture and dedicated passion; our passion to provide the best of the Maldives in terms of value for money and unforgettable experiences”, she adds.

Luxury could mean different things to different people and luxury travel providers must be in tune with the constantly evolving tastes of the affluent consumers. Tanushree says that she always thought of luxury as an overrated term and that luxury travel is subjective. She elucidates, “Each destination has much more to offer than the 5 Star Luxuries of a room. For one traveller, it could be a private multimillion-dollar cruise around the Arctic on a famous yacht. For another, it could be the reassurance of having their dietary requirements automatically catered for, throughout their entire holiday. For me personally, leaving behind all the gadgets including the cell phone and just taking a break for 10 days in the wilderness of nature and staying in a small cottage off grid is Luxury.

We have seen a growth at Sun Aqua Vilu reef – our 5 star boutique resort in Maldives mainly because of its offering – truly Maldivian and naturally playful where the focus is to show our guests the true Maldivian culture.

The warmth of service and the attention to tiny details of the valued guests is in the heart of Sun Aqua Vilu Reef.”

These Millennial luxury seekers, who are intrinsically technologically driven, are distinguished by their readiness to splurge on authentic experiential itineraries close to nature without compromising on amenities as well as

Nowdla Keefe, Co-General Manager, Namale Resort & Spa, Fiji

We find that guests really enjoy bespoke experiences that are also tied to the culture and destination, and everything we do at Namale incorporate our beautiful islands and the rich culture and warm hospitality Fiji is known for. their insatiable appetite for personalized experiences. The affluent millennial travellers are also willing to address the need for sustainable luxury and are willing to go that extra mile to find destinations or properties that interknit wellness into luxury. Concurrently and quite paradoxically, though the purpose of travel is to disconnect from the madness of city life, today’s luxury seeker requires seamless connectivity for enabling business and leisure activities vis-a-vis technological platforms. The matured discerning clients add supplements/essentials to such comforts wherein they seek space, time, deeper and more engaging experiences, out of comfort zone trips, once in a lifetime inspiring moments etc., in Amit’s opinion. “Such a growth is good as new people from each generation start experiencing Luxury and appreciating it, others move to the next stage of more discerning and evolved luxury style of travel”, Amit elaborates.

Millennial travellers associate luxury with unique experiences and great amenities. Luxury connoisseurs opting for longer trips in smaller groups, is yet another emerging trend in the luxury segment with the ChristmasNew Year period witnessing the most number of bookings for the luxury segment. From dining at Michelin Star restaurants to extending luxurious accommodations in rural locations, the new trends can be perplexing to say the very least. This also highlights the need for designing a framework that paves the way towards sustainable luxury tourism. Tour operators who offer bespoke, tailormade experiences are in turn expediting the pre-existing market segmentation, even further. A few years back the luxury travel industry optimistically looked up to the family segment for curating its itineraries. Now, it is repositioning itself to target the millennial travellers.

Today’s consumer is more educated, well read and

www.voyagersworld.in

Cover Story inundated with options. At the same time, the consumer has evolved to become a curator, a creator and an influencer. Thanks to social media, a single luxury shopper has the power to influence hundreds if not thousands of their peers. Amit defines luxury as something that is constantly evolving worldwide and says that this is the reason why accommodation or experience providers are always innovating to make sure that clients get to experience authenticity and at the same time they do not want them to miss out on any essential luxury they would otherwise expect. “This fuels growth in the Experiential Luxury Travel segment. Look at The Highlands in Ngorongoro, Bisate Lodge Rwanda, Ion Hotel Iceland, Miavana Private Island Madagascar, Merzouga Desert Camp Morocco, Longitute 131 Australia, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort Canada, Fogo Island Inn to name a few.

Destination or experiences which have not yet involved to the same level of upgraded luxuries, we offer clients the best available alternatives, thereafter they either decide to go ahead (giving more weightage to the experience than the creature comforts), or at times they even tend to decline on the destination or location on basis of their continued preference for luxury accommodation and/or comforts”, he adds.

The matured discerning clients add supplements/essentials to such comforts wherein they seek space, time, deeper and more engaging experiences, out of comfort zone trips, once in a lifetime inspiring moments etc., in Amit’s opinion.

“Such a growth is good since as new people from each generation start experiencing Luxury and appreciating it, others move to the next stage of more discerning and evolved luxury style of travel”, Amit elaborates.

Travel has increasingly transformed into a way of self-expression for the younger luxury seekers. It is understandably challenging to sell luxury to such a diverse, well educated, influential generation of young people. In order to resonate with the millennial mindset, experiences have to be global, exclusive and immersive.

Amit remarks, “Luxury cannot be packaged, it is always tailor made, it always involves a consultation process and it involves lot of time and attention. You need to design a trip which is as per client preferences, expectations and budget. You can

Voyager’s World > September 2017

20>> offer suggestive ideas from your archives, but never a readymade package itinerary. So selling true form of luxury travel is not easy, if it was easy then you would have been able to book it online. So discerning clients who understand the true meaning of luxury and seek services of luxury travel designers will come to us and the rest can Google everything and book in DIY fashion.” Therefore, when the very definition of luxury is puzzling, the packaging of luxury becomes even more problematic.

Brands and branding becomes important with more engagement on social media and websites becoming user friendly in Tanushree’s opinion.

She says, “We try and maintain a healthy balance between the traditional methods of selling and the New-Gen marketing. We have seen a steady growth from India in the last one year thanks to our placing utmost importance to the individual planning of each holiday.

I can vouch for it as I have been a part of the same, though it is very time consuming and challenging however the end results are that our guest satisfaction has increased drastically. Our resort team takes personal attention on each client and ensure that they go back home with a suitcase full of extremely happy memories. Anyone can sell luxury, but we sell experiences.

We have so many repeaters to our resorts, and it is proof enough that we are doing more than selling, we are actually building bonds.”

Namale Resort & Spa is often eulogized as the epitome of luxury in the Fijian islands. Emphasizing on the packaging of luxury in all its exclusivity which Namale has perfected over time, Nowdla Keefe, Co-General Manager, Namale Resort & Spa, Fiji, says, “ Tranquil, private, and exotic; Namale Resort and Spa, is the perfect luxury hideaway for newlyweds, romantics, and those seeking their own South Pacific paradise.Set amidst a breathtaking tropical setting that abounds with rainforests, waterfalls, and stunning coastline, Namale’s boutique, adults-only setting features 19 private five-star bures and villas nestled among 525 stunning acres. Located on Fiji’s second largest island of Vanua Levu, these gorgeous natural surroundings, robust all inclusive packages, and an array of complimentary activities offer guests a unique combination of adventure and relaxation. Our guests fill their days to their ideal design, enjoying complimentary

horseback rides along the beach, snorkelling day trips, motorized water sports, cultural entertainment and local village tours, and even indoor bowling among a wealth of other included activities and off resort excursions. Our awardwinning, 10,000 sq. ft. Namale Spa is perched upon volcanic pinnacles with magnificent views of the Koro Sea and offers a range of globally inspired treatments with a focus on total mind and body.

Our two ocean view restaurants serve world-class cuisine with a farm-and sea-to-table focus, while our destination dining program offers private, intimate experiences such as a romantic dinner in a candlelit sea cave or a champagne breakfast next to a rainforest waterfall.

Because we’re very well-suited to romance travellers, we see a range of demographic profiles, but many of our guests are younger honeymooners, or older couples celebrating milestones and anniversaries.”

The consumers often find themselves in a fix trying to differentiate a high end brands from luxury brands due to the myriad of clever marketing tactics which overplay the usage of the term “luxury” in their promotional campaigns to the extent that the end user is left clueless about the veracity of such claims and about means to separate the wheat from the chaff. Stating that the quintessence of luxury is personalization, Nowdla elaborates, “The Namale experience is all about customization. Our 4:1 staff –toguest ratio allows us to offer a high level of attention to each and every guest, and we pride ourselves on not only providing exceptional service but also anticipating our guests’ needs. Everything about a couple’s experience can be individualized, from custom menus catering to certain dietary restrictions, allergies, or simply personal preferences to personalized activities itineraries filled with as much or as little adventure or relaxation as desired.

We can arrange for a private destination dining experience which offers a unique and special twist on all inclusive dining, or a romantic couples’ spa experience like a tandem massage and banana leaf wrap. We’re especially thrilled when our guests are celebrating a special occasion such as a honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday – a surprise dining experience, flower petal bath, or custom drink at happy hour goes a long way in crafting very special memories. We find that guests really enjoy bespoke experiences

that are also tied to the culture and destination, and everything we do at Namale incorporate our beautiful islands and the rich culture and warm hospitality Fiji is known for.”

Luxury seekers want their itinerary to be experiential and exclusive if not anything else. Commenting on the same Amit says, “Depending on client, the focus is either on accommodation comforts or the destination experiences.

They have to select what is more important, destination with luxury accommodation or destination with experiences or they search for a combination of both (which still forms the major chuck of luxury travel business from India). Certain locations or destinations which are more experiential, cannot offer luxuries of traditional 5 star Hotels or Resorts. This does not mean that you rough it out or backpack, you still get the essential luxurious (to the best extend possible) to make you comfortable while you experience the core of the trip.”

Kajal Somaiya, India Representative, Namale Resort & Spa, Fiji, explains that travelers today do an immense amount of research prior to booking and have a wealth of resources at their fingertips. She says, “Because the Namale experience is ultra all inclusive, travellers can easily see the immense value of our holistic package and know that they can expect the highest standard of accommodations, experiences, and customer service.

It’s extremely necessary to make it simple for guests to customize their experiences, so our concierges are readily available to assist agents and travellers. Namale prides itself on delivering on our value propositions and offering the most bespoke, unique setting and experiences in which to create lasting memories.”

The new age luxury travellers seek of off-the-grid experiences in contrast to traditional luxury. Kajal further affirms the aforementioned fact by stating that luxury travellers today are looking for experiences far beyond solely traditional amenities.

In such an interconnected world where more and more destinations are easily accessible, there is an upsurge of luxury travellers seeking untapped locales, highly customized experiences, and more unique and holistic itineraries that can’t be experienced elsewhere. “The draw of reaching far flung destinations and switching off from the everyday (even forgoing social media sharing) is becoming more appealing, and

21>> the Namale experience is designed to provide as little or as much technological connection as desired – which in turn fosters a lot more real and authentic connections between couples, tourists and locals, and tourists’ and nature. Namale caters to small, high-end incentive groups, but is a boutique property mostly focused on couples and romance”, she adds.

The industry as a whole might find it taxing to keep up with the ever changing needs of the discerning traveller.

Nowdla opines that travellers today are definitely conscious of their impact and footprint. “Namale was purposefully designed to be harmonious with Fiji’s natural landscape – each of our 19 private bures (Fijian for bungalow) and villas feature authentic Fijian design like traditional thatched roofs and rich interiors of native wood, and blend seamlessly into their natural surroundings. Formerly a working coconut plantation, it is important that that history and natural legacy remains intact – instead of unnecessarily clearing trees or damaging the volcanic rock cliffs and shoreline, we build around those natural elements and incorporate the land. Fiji’s fertile landscape and bountiful ocean are ideal for bringing the farm- and sea-to-table culinary concept to the islands.

Namale is currently expanding our organic farming operation in order to bring the freshest, most sustainable ingredients to our all inclusive dining. We harvest much of our own vegetables, fruits, and herbs from our own chef’s gardens, and supplement the program with fresh caught seafood from local fisherman, locally produced coconut oil, and other fare from local producers and farmers’ markets. It’s a concept which allows us to take all inclusive cuisine to the highest standard while also supporting local economies”, Nowdla outlines.

Cover Story Kajal Somaiya, India Representative, Namale Resort & Spa, Fiji

Travelers today do an immense amount of research prior to booking and have a wealth of resources at their fingertips.

Because the Namale experience is ultra all inclusive, travellers can easily see the immense value of our holistic package.

www.voyagersworld.in

India Outbound

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Mauritius remains optimistic about arrivals from India ANJU ANNA ALEX

In an exclusive interview with Voyager’s World at the Mauritius Roadshow in Bengaluru, Kevin Ramkaloan, Director, MPTA, talks about how the graph has changed with respect to Indian arrivals to Mauritius in 2017.

T

he Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) organized a four city roadshow in the major Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, to update and educate the Indian travel trade partners with the latest offerings of Mauritius, given the exceptional potential of the Indian market. It is anticipated that the trade show will, in turn, help Mauritus Tourism forge new ties with the Indian buyers.

With representatives from luxury hotel brands, DMCs, travel agents, media etc. the roadshow witnessed the participation of an elite gathering of travel industry professionals. Apart from the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Air Mauritius, the other 22 participants included the likes of InterContinental Mauritius Resort, One&Only Le Saint Geran, Radisson Blu Azuri Resort, Sofitel Imperial, Holidays Seven DMC, Maurijet DMC etc. to mention a few.

In a one-to-one interaction with Voyager’s World at the Mauritius India Roadshow held in Hotel Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru, Kevin Ramkaloan, Director, MTPA, talked about the growth prospects for

2017 from India. Kevin explains, “2015 and 2016 were exceptional years for Mauritius Tourism with double digital growth. For 2017, we are expecting the strong growth to continue. 7 to 8% overall growth is anticipated for 2017. We have 10 top markets that contribute to over 80% of our total tourist arrivals. Our arrivals every year is over 1.3 million tourists. India is in the list of top 10 countries but not in the top 5. We are optimistic that we will be able to track more than 100,000 tourists from India very soon. Last 2 years, we had sustained growth from India.

We had 18% growth in 2015 and 15% in 2016 and we were expecting similar strong growth in 2017. But unfortunately, we have been hit by a double whammy. Firstly, we had demonetization at the beginning of the year. After it happened, the growth in arrivals went back on track. Then there was the GST which during the end of the holiday period created some kind of hesitation in the market."

"We fully understand the reason of GST and we are fully convinced that very quickly we will go back on track on our growth trajectory for India.

2017 therefore, there will be growth according to us for Mauritius but it might be more sluggish than what we had expected. But with the huge strides that India is making towards huge progress, we believe that 2018 we should be definitely be able to reach the 100,000 mark, obviously conditional to the airlift being there.

We have our national carrier, Air Mauritius, which has 2 flights from Bangalore and several flights from across the main cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Connectivity is not an issue. We are also served by Emirates twice daily", Kevin adds.

Highlighting Mauritius as the perfect beach destination for Indians Kevin stated, “We feel our product is very geared towards the Indian traveller.

60 % of Mauritius is of Indian origin so when an Indian traveller comes to Mauritius there is that affinity that already there. We have got Jain food, we have got vegetarian food, we have got excellent cuisine including French cuisine, wines etc. It is an exceptional place for an experiential holiday."

Kevin explains, "So, what we would like to take across to the Indian traveller is that Mauritius is not just another beach destination; it also has the most beautiful beaches in the world. In fact just recently, the TripAdvisior ranked ten top beaches in the world and the Blue Bay Beach of Mauritius of the south coast was one of the top ten beaches of the world. We also have a plethora of exciting inland activities. We are one of the safest destinations of the world. Indian travellers will be very happy and safe in Mauritius, it being one of the only 10 counties in the world that are conflict free. Mauritius is also an incredible melting pot of different cultures. The experiences can be extraordinary experiences mainly with respect to culinary and cultural experiences. Next year, we are celebrating 50 years of Independence for which the celebrations have already begun.”

India Outbound

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Sanya Tourism Development Commission meets Indian travel trade IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Zheng Chong Hui - Director, Sanya Tourism Development Commission, talks about the top attractions and things to do in Sanya in an interview with Voyager's world. such as snorkeling, jet-skiing and rainforest hiking. Sanya has 256 hotels with 46 international brands with as many as 100 hotels on the beach.

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anya is a small tropical beach destination in Hainan Province in the south of China. Sanya is also known as China’s Hawaii with 20 km long stretch of beach line, boasting of tourist activities like golf courses, natural scenic beauty, ethnic cultural experience, water sports

“One can visit places in the rugged Sanya outback, from Phoenix Park to Yalong Bay Tropical Rainforest Paradise and the well-known Luhuitou Park. Some of the spots for diving and snorkeling are from Wuzhizhou Island to Dadonghai. The Indian market is still new to Sanya.

In the past, we noticed some Indian wedding groups here. A new direct flight will be launched from India to Sanya in the near future. We are looking forward to see a huge growth and expecting almost 50% to 80% increase.”

Marketing plans The NTO recently organised a marketing event in August in New Delhi which was attended by prominent outbound tour operators of Delhi NCR region.

“We have a strategic collaboration with Tripshelf, an online marketplace for holiday packages connecting tour operators and travellers. We will be conducting a series of promotion activities in Indian market besides the roadshows, Fam groups, trade shows and exhibitions. We also have tailor-made travel packages targeting IT, wedding groups, MICE and family travellers from India.”

Main attractions and activities Some of the major tourist attractions are Yalong Bay Tropical

Paradise Forest Park, Luhuitou Park, Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, Dongtian Park, Binglanggu Valley, Wuzhizhou Island, Sanya Romance Park, Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone. The main activities are water sports, golfing, lowaltitude sightseeing, hot springs and spa, yachting and boating.

Stay and spending patterns On an average, Indian travellers stay for maximum five nights in Sanya and the spending pattern on an average is USD 90 per night for the accommodation.

Kind of travellers “We have had family tour travellers, mainly comprising Indian expats working and living in other cities in China.”

Thailand unveils new destinations for the growing Indian market IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Deputy Governor for International Marketing of Asia and the South Pacific, reveals new plans to welcome more Indians.

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ommenting on the growing importance of Indian market to Thailand, Srisuda Wanapinyosak, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing of Asia and the South Pacific, said, “We have witnessed a growth of 1.1 million tourists from India from places like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and North last year and we are expecting 10% increase for 2018. The revenue

expected from this market will be an increase of 14% for this year. As per recent numbers released by the Department of Tourism, Thailand welcomed around 8 lakh Indians this year till July 2017, which has risen by 16% compared to 2016. Women travellers are big spenders; we have seen more women travellers going to Thailand, recording 9% increase in the growth rate when compared to male travellers. With the launch of direct flights from Kochi in 2016, we have seen growth which will continue in the future. Bangalore contributes to 10% of Indian arrivals to Thailand. People in Bangalore are keen on new experiences like diving, golfing and food tasting.

The focus destinations for 2017-18 are Hua Hin, Cha-AM, Chiang Mai,

Chiang Rai, Krabi, Trat, Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok. “For the first timers, we are promoting Bangkok, Koh Samui, Phuket, Chiang Mai and for frequent travellers, we are promoting Krabi for beach activities.

From the north side, we are promoting Chiang Rai and Lampang.

The North Eastern part of the country has its own language, food and way of living. We are also promoting Korat and Khon Kaen from the North East part of Thailand. For 2018, our focus will be on local Thai cuisine and international gastronomy. The TAT is also focusing on the family segment as Thailand is the best place for family celebrations and reunions. It is showcasing segments like night life and incentive. As for film tourism, we have a very good policy for TV shows or programmes

like game show, talk show, and fashion show. Thailand can also be a destination for Thai boxing, marathons and cycling. Local tours are one of the key products that we will promote.”

We recently organised a two-city roadshow in Kochi and Bangalore in August to showcase unexplored destinations like Hua Hin and ChaAm. TAT also introduced special mobile applications like ‘FamilyFun’ and ‘Women’s Journey’. We have already had three campaigns like weddings, Family Fun Campaign for families, the Women’s Journey Campaign for this year while the next campaign will be for incentives.

We are planning to have one or two marketing representatives in other cities.

www.voyagersworld.in

India Outbound

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Indonesia presents '10 New Balis' to Indian market PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

The roadshow presented the concept of '10 New Balis' to invite Indians to explore destinations beyond Bali in Indonesia.

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ealising the importance of Indian market for Indonesian Tourism and by looking at the ever-increasing number of Indian tourists to Indonesia, the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia continued to promote Indonesian Tourism in the form of business meetings between Indonesian sellers and Indian buyers.

The Five City Sales Mission started with Ahmedabad on 1 August, Pune on 3 August, Bangalore on 7 August, Coimbatore on 9 August and Chandigarh on 11 August.

For Indians, Bali is still the prime destination in Indonesia. The similarities in cultural and religious background make Indians feel comfortable conducting their excursions to Bali. “Over 50% of Indian tourists visiting Indonesia

entered through the Ngurah Rai International Airport of Bali,” said Jemadu. The fact is considered as a challenge by the Ministry of how to introduce other destinations in Indonesia to Indian visitors. “Even in Bali, most Indians only roam around popular destinations such as Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud,” continues Jemadu. Therefore, the content for the upcoming sales missions is not only centered around business meeting (table top meeting) activities between Indian and Indonesian tourism industries, but there will also be an “Indonesian tourism update” presentation in order to reveal the development of Indonesian tourism especially about the 'Top 10 New Destinations' or often dubbed the '10 New Balis' namely Lake Toba, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Lesung,

Seribu Islands, the Borobudur, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru cluster, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, Wakatobi and Morotai.

The aggressiveness is not without justification. It is based on the increase in the number of Indians visiting Indonesia. The latest data from January to May 2017 shows that there were 183,558 Indian visits to Indonesia which is an amazing increase of 20.72% as compared to the same period from last year.

Beside the high growth, the demand of local Indian travel agents for latest packages of Indonesian tourism is high. The fact also drives the Indonesian tourism industries to become highly excited to take part in every opportunity to introduce their

products to their Indian counterparts.

“The quota of participants for sales missionto India is always full so we always provide extra quota. For this sales mission there were 22 pacticipants of the original 20 slots,” explained Vinsensius Jemadu, the Director of Asia Pacific Promotion.

“The Ministry of Tourism greatly expect more airlines will follow the move taken by Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia and Batik Air to open flight routes connecting India and Indonesia,” wished I Gde Pitana, the Deputy Minister for International Tourism Development.

“The opportunity to open direct flights is widely open as there are still plenty of origination cities yet to be connected directly to Indonesia for example New Delhi, Bangalore and other big Indian cities,” added Pitana.

Dubai's shopping extravaganza continues to draw Indians!

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Somenath Dutta, Assistant Manager - Tours, Discovery Travel L.L.C, Dubai, talks about the company's varied and persistent interests among Indian travellers visiting Dubai.

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iscovery Travel, a fast-growing destination and leisure management company in Dubai, has been in the forefront of the travel business for a while. Aspiring to provide high standard services to valued clients, Discovery Travel has representations in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and India as part of its concerted efforts to drive tourism from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to less-travelled destinations in Southeast Asia and also promote the UAE as a tourism destination in South East Asia. Somenath Dutta, its Assistant Manager - Tours, talks about its special packages for the Indian travellers.

What are the latest services and packages incorporated by Discovery Travel for the discerning traveller?

Voyager’s World > September 2017

We specialise on tailor-made packages. However, the main services include City Tour, Limousine services, Entry to different parks, etc. When asked about innovating to attract repeat visitors to Dubai, he said that the best way to keep repeat visitors enthused about the destination is to provide new places and attractions which they had not seen during their previous visit.

They can also be upgraded to better Hotels and services.

What are the top source markets from India from where you get maximum business? What kind of packages do you offer during Dubai's summer season?

As we do only B2B business, we are the preferred partners for some renowned Indian agents.

We get both MICE and leisure

business. During summer, we have special promotional packages with discounts and extra activities.

As regards staying ahead and distinguishing themselves in terms of their services in a competitive market, Somenath emphatically says that they never compromise on the service standards and that their responses are always prompt.

With GST being rolled out, have you modified your packages under the new regime? Do you see a dip in Indian outbound travel on account of GST? We keep making special packages for our Agents and have already informed about GST. The Indian outbound travel has and will be growing only, there is no dip

What are the top five things that leisure groups look for in their Dubai itinerary?

The top and most sought-after attractions among leisure groups include a city tour, desert safari, dhow cruise, Abu Dhabi tour with Ferrari and trips to the Miracle Garden and the Global Village.

Dubai is always associated with shopping extravaganza, when it comes to jewellery, electronics, etc.

Post the duty on imported goods, the shopping pattern of Indians does not seem to have undergone much changes. He observes that Indians coming to Dubai have never stopped shopping regardless of any duty or tax. "Indians love to shop and they will continue to do so come what may," he sums up.

Incredible India

25>>

Raichak on Ganges SEES high demand from FITs and Corporate Crowd ANJU ANNA ALEX

Mayukh Ray, General Manager, Raichak on Ganges, talks about the unique concept of the property that makes it one of the popular destinations in Kolkata.

Current inventory and demand We have four products within the resort Raichak on Ganges. The concept is very unique and caters to likes of all. The most popular being The Ffort which offers 60 rooms & 2 Presidential Suites all facing

the river, offering a five star hotel accommodation. The next is Ganga Kutir which houses 26 exclusive rooms built on the lines of a Sri Lankan village, built on the banks of the river. Its USP is an infinity pool which gives you the essence of being submerged in the Ganges while in the pool. Anaya Spa Villas which is situated beside our Spa is a 19 room unit with all the rooms overlooking a central pool. Each unit has a sitting area with the bedroom on the first floor and a bubble bath on the terrace.

The pool is crafted with a waterfall, sunken bar and steam. Our last category of rooms is built on the farm house concept and is our efficiency category. Our total inventory is of 150 rooms across categories. As Kolkata

doesn’t have many destinations close to the city, the demand is high with both FIT’s & corporate.

Our USP is the River Ganges which is very wide at Raichak as it meets the sea in a couple of miles from the resort. The resort is a nature lover’s delight with butterfly gardens, ducks and fish across the various water bodies. We have our spa managed

by L’ocitane a French brand. Apart from the activity centre, kids’ corner, adventure sports & gymnasium we have a lounge bar called Footloose with an in-house DJ to keep the spirits high.

In terms of dining we have a signature Bengali restaurant ‘Sonar Tori’, decorated with authentic artefacts from the Zamindar Bari’s of Kolkata.

The Orient which serves Pan Asian cuisine and Reflections our multi cuisine restaurant, which apart from sumptuous menu also offers a great view of the river.

Raichak on Ganges as a wedding destination.

ROG is a very popular wedding destination for people staying in Kolkata and the neighbouring states.

We have re-strategized to be a key player in the MICE market of east.

Focus on food and beverages Food has always been our strong point and being a resort leaves the guest with the option of dining only with us. Catering to the need we have multiple cuisines on offer across restaurants.

Jumpin Heights envisages adventure sports in India to grow by leaps and bounds ANJU ANNA ALEX

Rahul Nigam, Founder & Managing Director of Jumpin Heights, talks about how adventure sports in India is poised to witness significant growth given that operators adhere to stringent quality and safety standards. attached, India comes with its share of shortcomings as well. Lack of safety, infrastructure and awareness are the key inhibitors of the same.

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dventure has always been a well anticipated respite from the humdrum of daily affairs. Hence, the popularity of adventure sports has grown by leaps and bounds, be it for bungee jumping, skydiving or others, with people accepting such activities as a regular rejuvenator.

India has limitless potential when it comes to adventure sports.

However, with all the opportunities

Scope of adventure sports in India One can contribute to the endless scope of adventure tourism in India to its diverse topography and climatefactors that have been famed for drawing in tourists. On land and water, under water and in the air, one can enjoy a veritable bouquet of adventure, fit for personal levels of thrill. It can be considered as one of the greatest opportunities to leave all inhibitions behind and just let go. This has brought a great deal of economy to even the remotest regions like Himachal Pradesh. In fact, the hilly districts of the nation have received additional boost

from the advent of such activities.

Regions like Rishikesh have aced the adventure sports wave by hosting a plethora of diverse activities in its serene environs. Today, business tour combined with active sports has become a highly popular trend across organisations; this is now a global corporate strategy for employee entertainment and well being. Moreover, rise of national and international championships such as Cricket World Cup, Soccer World Cup, Wimbledon, Commonwealth Games 2010, Delhi have lead to a hike in sports, encouraging the government to take a note of this emerging industry.

How has been the response for Jumpin Heights?

We just celebrated 50k Bungy

Jumps this March, a landmark for adventure tourism in India. It’s been overwhelming and humbling. We are soon going to be expanding to Goa, and will market in that region soon as well.

What can be done to boost adventure tourism in general and adventure sports in particular?

The impact of safety cannot be stressed enough. Everything else is the packaging, like a good social media presence, a promotional video. But the appetite for extreme sports already exists in India, the fear is regarding the safety. To convert the adventure seekers into sales, safety must be given priority to, in terms of the execution, and as part of the brand communication.

www.voyagersworld.in

Incredible India

26>>

MYOKSHA TRAVELS KEEN TO TAP ON GROWING RELIGIOUS TRAVEL SEGMENT IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Sasidhar Darla, Founder, Myoksha Travels, talks about the potential and the challenges in the religious travel segment. not have online presence. There is a scarcity of hotels around less popular religious destinations like Gokarna, Murudeshwar, Kollur, Parli Vaijnath, etc.”

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eligious tourism has been growing steadily for the last 10 years across the country. Myoksha Travels caters to all major religious destinations in India and few abroad.

“We mostly organize tours for all the 12 Jyotirlangas, Char Dham Yatra, Dwarka Somnath, Madurai Rameswaram, temples in coastal Karnataka and western Karnataka, Odisha Temple Tour, Shirdi Shani

Shingnapur, Kolhapur, Tuljapur, Tirupati, Nathdwara Pushkar and Pashupatinath Muktinath (in Nepal).”

“We have a good number of hotels around major religious destinations.

The hotels are crowded during festivals and special occasions but they are usually available at reasonable rates.

However, it is difficult to reach out to these hotels since most of them do

Present challenges “Religious tourism is still in a very nascent stage in India. We have witnessed that around 65% of travel that happens in India is for religious purposes. This segment is facing a lot of problem due to lack of infrastructure around the religious destinations and lack of authentic information on religious destinations.”

Growth 2016 recorded a steady growth and the industry has been growing at about 10% year over year. Although there is scope for rapid growth, religious

destinations have to be developed and promoted aggressively.

Marketing plans The company mainly markets through online channels like Google Adwords and Facebook Ads .Having witnessed a good growth of repeat customer rate, it has also received a good number of referrals from its past customers. It is also working on reaching out to senior citizen communities to promote religious tourism.

Kind of travellers Most of its travellers are senior citizens above 50 years old. Yet, it has observed a growing interest among youngsters in visiting religious places to connect with their culture and traditions.

FLIPPAR APP ENGAGES IN SCALABLE WALKING TOURS IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Vivek M Jain, Founder, FlippAR, talks about how the application helps users turn their walking tours into more experiential ones. tour. With FlippAR, the walks can become more experiential and also very scalable with unlimited number of people being able to take it.”

FlippAR App Vivek M Jain, Founder of FlippAR, says, “I remember going for a walking tour and there were amazing stories during the tour, but we needed a guide for it and it was a lot of our imagination on what was being spoken about. The walk could be more experiential and also scalable, because you can only cater to a very limited number of people on a guided

Voyager’s World > September 2017

We have witnessed an exponential growth of around 100% month on month in the last few months.

Presently, the app is mostly used by tourists visiting Bangalore. The app can help tourists to understand history and will have a lot of younger people to be involved with the history and culture. FlippAR has been selected by the Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Tourism and KBITS to offer great experiences to tourists visiting the state. FlippAR is also available with information in different languages.

Indian Market The tourism industry in India is

growing at a rapid pace each year.

We believe Karnataka has been doing a good job in attracting tourists and the plans that the Government has, which will come to fruition in the coming years and that is going to change the way tourists spend their time. We have also noticed Rajasthan playing a great role in promoting tourism.

Marketing plans “We are looking forward to engage with the Government and the tourist department to use their platform to promote these experiences. If you visit Cubbon Park and Lal Bagh, you can get to witness the experience through the app across the park. We are focusing on the Indian market for the next two years, but we are open to partnerships across the world,

especially with those who are looking for FlippAR platform to create AR experiences for tourists.”

“We are yet to create an impact in the tourism industry and augmented experiences are definitely going to make trips more memorable for tourists. This also builds trust as the content is created by travel experts.”

Main features The main feature is unlocking stories from the physical objects. People will also be able to lock their own stories back into the monument and statues, mainly creating a social network around these monuments. A lot of people take pictures and have their findings of the place and also have notes where they can unlock their experiences back into the monuments.

Incredible India

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Travel planners lean on storytelling for promoting destinations IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

The art of storytelling is expected to change the way travel industry will promote destinations through

© AAO Hostels

the tales of real travellers.

Saurabh Jain, Co-Founder of AAO Hostels

Travel stories generally come from travel to offbeat destinations or experiences from rural areas and Road trips. The art of storytelling is developing as a marketing tool for all the players across travel industry and is likely to increase over next few years.

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he art of storytelling in the travel industry, a long-standing concept, is now evolving into different forms like blogging, travel videos and photo blogging. With social media increasingly expanding its importance in the personal space of people, digital platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are playing a major part in promoting the art of storytelling.

As each traveller comes back with an interesting story of a destination, be it an offbeat destination or a well known destination, the art story telling is mostly focused on a personal touch that talks about good experiences at various attractions on the unique aspects of the spot like music, food, wine and the hospitality of the local people. Some of them include even the challenges that they have faced in order to add to their travel story.

Indian travellers are now keen on exploring unique destinations like Bhutan, Nepal, Jordan, Cuba and North Eastern part of India and when they come back they have stories to narrate in style!

Events like The Lime Diaries, Travellers Meet and AAO Hostels Travel Fellowship give you an overview

on the art of storytelling in travel which motivates people to explore the world and enjoy every single moment while at a destination.

Saurabh Jain, Co-Founder of AAO Hostels, said, “We can definitely feel the difference in the travel industry; the travellers staying at our hostel have mentioned about being influenced by blogs and social media posts and the posts that motivated them to travel more."

The concept of storytelling is slowly developing as a marketing tool for promoting a destination in the travel industry. Currently, there are only few people using this concept in promoting a destination and believe that the art of storytelling in travel is going change the travel industry in the long run especially for National Tourism Organizations (NTOs), State Tourism Boards and hotels, backpacker hostels, wineries and cruises.

Vikram Ahuja, Director, Byond Travel explains, “The Indian market is growing tremendously. The biggest growth we have noticed is in the community and group travel segment, especially with outbound

travel with an expected increase to over 50 million travellers in 2020 from 14 million in 2014. The other community and interest groups are also increasing at 350% over the next few years.”

The art of storytelling is definitely going to evolve as an effective marketing tool in the industry in the future for promoting a destination and usage of this concept in the travel industry is gradually going to increase over the years.

Storytelling in travel Saurabh says, “The concept of storytelling in travel has been an age old phenomenon, while the travelogues of some of the world famous travelers are still referred in history books for more historical facts.”

Vikram observes, “From the beginning of time, the travel industry has attracted potential travellers with the promise of a journey to a new land filled with many new adventures. As every traveller comes back becoming a story teller after each trip with different stories, memories and moments. We are using storytelling in travel to celebrate these very

moments in a travellers journey narrated from their perspective and in a manner which is relatable to anyone who listens, watches or reads."

Storytelling in different formats In the opinion of Saurabh, “With the advent of internet, blogging and social media, the travelogues by weekend travellers can motivate many people to explore the destinations they have explored be it in India or abroad. It is easier to reach a mass audience.

The concept of travel blogging has also changed compared to those days where travellers used to keep an account of places visited, to gain popularity on social media or just to get their stories read by others. With the high end mobile phones cameras, selfie cameras, video, photo blogging has gained its popularity where anyone can share their travel stories within minutes and get more likes and shares and can keep posting more travel stories on Instagram and Facebook.”

Vikram says, “Our storytelling concept are in different forms like including videos, podcasts, photo essays and articles, that focuses on making a consumer feel as though they were actually there when this happened.

www.voyagersworld.in

Incredible India

© Byond Travel

28>>

Vikram Ahuja, Founder, Byond Travel

Storytelling using real travellers and their tales are soon going to be an effective tool than the regular branded campaigns due to the connection with the end audience. Our storytelling sessions are becoming a platform to explore multiple facets of a particular destination through stories. players in the travel segment including tourism departments of different states, hotel chains, OTAs, tours and activities and organizers have realized that story telling as a potential crowd puller for their platforms. A lot of blog posts found on the internet promote specific destinations and the affiliate blog posts are directly influenced by the art of storytelling in travel. The travel writers are good at story telling act as they are influencers for this industry."

offbeat places or experiences, like rural areas, road trips or treks.”

all the international destinations you need to book your travel in advance.”

“Some of the major destinations that people generally talk about through the art of storytelling are Jordan, Cuba and North Eastern part of India,” says Vikram.

Travellers Saurabh says, “We have noticed mostly the solo travelers and a few of them have been biking couples. “

"We have noticed that there is more and more demand from the existing base of all the well travelled customers who are looking for unique and experiential locations and unique activities. Some of the destinations like South America, Africa are soon becoming popular destinations for gastronomy, photography and selfdrive,” Vikram observed.

“We have mostly seen the well travelled, often travelled and discerning traveler who are into the art of storytelling,” Vikram added.

"We are experimenting with different formats and themes for the event series. We are also partnering with multiple brands to launch storytelling sessions for specific communities, including kids, wild-life and conservation and road-trippers,” Vikram added.

According to Vikram, the biggest ambassadors for any brand are their customers and all tourism boards have realized that user generated stories have much more impact, better engagement and reach than most offline media channels.

“Our storytelling sessions are now becoming a platform for us to explore multiple facets of a particular destination through stories right from food to hospitality of the people.

For example, one of our best talks featured Singer/Actor Vasundhara Das, who spoke her about her incredible travels to Colombia.”

Storytelling as a marketing tool for the travel industry Sarabh explains, “The art of storytelling is definitely going to boom as a marketing tool for the travel industry. It is developing as a marketing tool for all the players across travel industry. This is bound to increase over the next few years.

As this concept is still in the nascent stage, it is being used by very few players in the industry.”

A platform for promoting destinations Saurabh says, “The art of storytelling will definitely develop into a platform for promoting destinations. Many

Major destinations Saurabh says,” As per our observation we have noticed that most of the travel stories are from travel to

We have a storytelling speaker series,” The Lime Diaries” that highlights on the travel stories of various speakers.

We have had speakers right from actors to conservationists, scientists to entrepreneurs. Some of our prominent speakers include Suhel Seth, Vasundhara Das and Danish Sait.”

Marketing Plans Saurabh says, “We had organized our first AAO Hostels Travel Fellowship in July this year that included eight travellers who travelled across India exploring the known and lesser-known places by clicked pictures, videos, and collected some interesting stories from these places. We are planning to organise one more similar fellowship in December.”

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Indian travellers are now exploring the small little towns or cities of various destinations compared to the popular destinations like Dubai, Singapore.

Saurabh explains, “India offers a diverse set of experiences especially with the increasing connectivity in rail and road, authentic information of the destination and places to stay and the facility to book in advance over the internet and the craving for adventure inspire Indian youngsters to travel and explore the offbeat destinations within the country, compared to travelling abroad. For

Vikram stated, “The art of storytelling using real travellers and their tales will soon become a more effective marketing tool compared to the regular branded campaigns. The different media formats especially video and virtual reality will be a new trend."

Travel Events

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Artificial Intelligence to be focus of ITB Asia 2017 keynotes VW BUREAU

Industry experts from Google and IBM to share the latest trends in the travel industry including the impact, use and benefits of AI in the travel industry..

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nder the overarching conference theme of “The Future of Travel”, the organisers of ITB Asia, Messe Berlin (Singapore), have announced that this year’s keynote speeches will be delivered by industry leaders from IBM and Google, who will speak on the very latest trends in Artificial Intelligence (AI) including the impact, use and benefits of AI in the travel industry.

Starting from 9am on 25 October, the keynote addresses will be delivered

by Tony Menezes, Vice President of Industrial and Distribution Sector at IBM Asia Pacific and Rob Torres, Managing Director of Advertising and Marketing at Google. Sharanjit Leyl, Presenter and Producer at BBC News will moderate the keynote session.

Tony Menezes will speak about the opportunities to fundamentally

transform the travel industry with cognitive technology, and how IBM Watson is making travel experiences more personal, relevant and convenient. As Vice President, Industrial and Distribution Sector at IBM Asia Pacific, Tony Menezes is responsible for building and growing relationships across IBM’s portfolio of industry solutions, software, services and platforms.

Prior to this, Tony was responsible for business development and sales of Cognitive Industry solutions, based on IBM Watson, the AI platform for business. Rob Torres, Industry Director, Travel at Google will be speaking about how consumer expectations for seamless, assistive experiences in travel are higher than ever before. He will share how the Google Travel team is leveraging new digital trends and machine

learning to build more immersive experiences for users across the travel journey. Google’s suite of travel products includes Google Flights, Google Hotel Ads, Destinations on Google, and Google Trips. “Artificial intelligence is making real waves in the travel industry and changing the way business is done. We’re seeing an increasing number of travel and hospitality brands integrating AI into their online strategies in efforts to improve customer service and engagement and it is clearly a major trend that is here to stay.

This year, we felt it was timely to have two influential experts in AI share their knowledge and insights at ITB Asia 2017, and we’re delighted to welcome Tony Menezes from IBM Asia Pacific and Rob Torres from Google as keynote speakers for what will no doubt be a truly exciting start

to this year’s show”, said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore) and ITB Asia.

ITB Asia 2017 is expected to top the success of ITB Asia in 2016, where almost 900 buyers attended the show, leading to a 1:1 ratio between exhibitors and buyers whilst over 50% of buyers signed deals with exhibitors after the event. 43% of attending buyers had purchasing power of USD 500K – USD 1m and 85.7% of attending buyers were direct decision makers.

2017 sees biggest responsible tourism programme at WTM London VW BUREAU

For the first time, almost all of the sessions will take place in the main halls, with the introduction of a WTM Responsible Tourism Theatre on the exhibition floor.

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his year sees big developments in WTM’s Responsible Tourism programme, as it seeks to build on its ever-growing popularity and increase its profile amongst its mainstream audience. For the first time, almost all of the sessions will take place in the main halls, with the introduction of a dedicated WTM Responsible Tourism Theatre on the exhibition floor, hosting an array of sessions.

The effects of so-called ‘Overtourism’ has been getting a lot of media coverage in 2017. The new theatre will host a panel exploring how destinations ranging from Barcelona to Seoul are addressing

the impact of overtourism, as well as a dedicated session looking at the issue in the remote Scottish islands of Orkney and Arran. With further discussions on both China and Carbon taking place on Monday, this year’s programme with explore the challenges of managing the effects of more and more people becoming tourists and their impacts on the places in unparalleled depth.

With 2017 being the UN’s International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, it is fitting that this year WTM London plays host to more responsible tourism sessions than ever before, with almost 30 panels taking place

across the three days. As well as Overtourism, 2017 will also look at other topics currently getting a lot of attention, such as what the industry can do to fight plastic pollution and protect its oceans; how it can fight trafficking in its supply chain; and animal welfare. In addition, there will be a special focus on how the Indian state of Kerala is integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into its tourism development model.

With so much going on, there’s also scope for looking at emerging issues, such as how to deliver slum tourism responsibly; rethinking certification; and the inspiring story of a remarkable project in Bwindi, Uganda.

WTM London is also keen to engage as many people as possible in delivering a series of sessions that explore the challenges people meet in their business. Therefore it has just launched a survey, asking people what they consider to be biggest issues facing tourism.

One session that will not be happening in the Responsible Tourism Theatre is the annual Responsible Tourism Awards, which as always will be held in the main theatre. Entry for the awards was open until the end of August.

WTM World Responsible Tourism Day – including the WTM Responsible Tourism Awards – will take place on Wednesday November 8.

www.voyagersworld.in

Flight Talk

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Airlines build on destination interests with travel trends IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

The aviation industry across the world works closely with the respective tourism boards of countries by supporting and participating in various promotions and offers to promote the destination through the airline.

Rajesh Menon - Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, South Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways

A destination is the key part of communication for leisure travelers and the demand for the number of visitors to a destination is linked to the air traffic of a destination. Customers get insights on various destinations as we work with tourism boards closely.

David Lim, General Manager - India, Singapore Airlines

The air travel industry witnessed steady growth globally that caters to the various market segments with products and services. Leisure travellers generally look at services as they set out on their holiday and noticed corporate travellers are looking for flight experiences that bridge the gap between on-ground and in-flight experiences.

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ver the past few years, the international aviation industry has been focusing on the concept of airlines becoming a destination to travellers. They are giving increasing significance to the idea of promoting a destination catered to by a particular airline and thus, the transit destination becomes a hub for most of their flights from different routes. A destination plays a key role in increasing the growth or traffic of travellers in an airline, be it leisure travellers, corporates or business travellers. Most of the airlines are now working with the tourism boards and are keen on promoting segments like MICE to the travellers through services like convenient group check in and the increased baggage allowance.

The outlook of Indian travellers is also changing now as they prefer a well planned travel and no more last minute bookings. For long weekends and short trips, the Indian travellers mostly prefer international destinations and through a visa free policy in a destination, they tend to explore more destinations on a single holiday.

Through this concept, the growth rate in the aviation Industry is increasing and it is likely that there will be an increase in the growth

Voyager’s World > September 2017

rate over the next few years also.

Rajesh Menon - Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, South Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways, says, “For an airline, a destination can be a key facet of communication especially with leisure travellers. The air traffic into a destination is correlated to the demand or number of visitors to that destination. ” “We work very closely with Tourism Boards to provide our customers with more insights into key destinations we fly to. There is a strong connect which one can build in the minds of the consumers along with the destination and the airline.” he added.

David Lim, General Manager India, Singapore Airlines, says, “The air travel industry has witnessed a steady growth globally; it caters to the various market segments with products and services tailored to meet their requirements.“ Trends in the behaviour of travellers David observes that Indian travellers are slowly moving away from lastminute bookings to 3-4 months of advance travel planning so that they can get to avail of early-bird prices.

"We have noticed that nowadays the Indian travellers are enjoying the

benefits of long weekends; short haul trips to international destinations are now becoming popular. With the visa free transit facility available to Indian travellers in destinations like Singapore, we have seen a growing trend of travellers who are now visiting two cities in one trip.”

Promoting the airline through various segments also like MICE or weddings David says, “We have been promoting the airline through various group movements from the Indian market as MICE is an important segment. We assist our MICE clients to organize meetings, incentive tours, conventions and exhibitions.”

Travellers on a destination route Rajesh says, "The leisure travellers have become our target audience when marketing through the destination route. Building an aspiration around a destination helps generate traffic to that destination. We are also targeting the growing segment of bleisure travellers. Hong Kong fits the bill in every aspect. Hong Kong is a very famous commercial hub and offers many attractions for families. The outreach to business travellers is important because Hong Kong is also a transit destination."

David stated, “We have noticed that the leisure travellers are generally looking out for such services for a holiday. The corporate travellers are looking for flight experiences that can bridge the gap between onground and in-flight experiences.”

Marketing plans through campaigns or promotions Cathay Pacific Airways promotes destinations through various joint events with tourism boards, local sightseeing attractions and social media campaigns.

On the other hand, Singapore Airlines is offering personalized experiences, that provides the airline its marketing edge. "We will continue with our direct marketing activities and will adopt an aggressive, integrated marketing approach with a focus on our digital and mobile offerings being service driven,” David says.

Rajesh added, “Hong Kong is our hub and we connect to this destination from six ports in India. It Hence, we closely partner with Hong Kong Tourism Board to share these experiences with our customers through different marketing mediums. With the visa free policy one can get to travel with ease.”

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Cruise

32>>

India is youngest Asian market for cruises: CLIA As per the findings by CLIA, in 2016, over 120K Indian passengers took a cruise vacation, growing 25 percent annually since 2012.

VW BUREAU

C

ruise Lines International Association (CLIA), recently released the findings from two new reports about the Asian Cruise market. The first, 2017 Asia Cruise Trends, is a comprehensive analysis of the cruise industry within Asia.

The second, the 2016 North Asia Economic Impact Study, reveals the economic impact the cruise industry has had to the North Asian market.

Cruise Destination: India India will host 128 calls 2017, about the a third more than last year's 95 calls. The destination is slated to host 140,000 Passenger Destination Days, up from 82K in 2016. Transit calls are the most voluminous type of call, with 70 percent of total calls.

• Overall growth has rebounded to 34.7% in port calls, more than compensating for the 16% decrease in 2016 • With an absolute increase of 45.5 percent in port calls over the 20132017 period, India’s ports had a combined annual growth rate of 9.8 percent.

In 2016, over 120K Indian passengers took a cruise vacation, growing 25 percent annually since 2012. Indian cruisers predominantly selected premium/contemporary cruise lines, 97 percent, and were also likely to take a local Asian cruise, 76 percent. Other key characteristics include: • Were more likely to take a longhaul fly cruise outside of Asia, versus Asian passengers overall, 24 percent versus 5.6 percent, respectively • The average length of cruise was 4.1 nights • The average age of the Indian cruise passenger was 36 years, the youngest of all Asian markets in 2016 “While the Asian cruise market has grown tremendously within the past four years – it has the potential to capture a much larger percentage of the Asian population, which could catapult Asia’s capacity share ahead of competing markets,” said Cindy D’Aoust, President and CEO, CLIA. “With these studies, CLIA aims to

Voyager’s World > September 2017

provide industry stakeholders with actionable, meaningful information to assist in structuring and supporting this emerging region.”

Joel Katz, Managing Director of CLIA Australasia and Asia said, “These two reports together provide extremely valuable data on what is happening in Asian cruising, its current size and recent growth trends. While we expected Asia to experience record-breaking growth, we are astonished at the rate at which the region is emerging as one of the most significant cruise destinations and cruise source markets in the world.”

Highlights from the 2017 Asia Cruise Trends Include• More Passengers: A total of 3.1 million Asians took cruises in 2016, 55 per cent more than in 2015. Of these, 68 per cent or 2.1 million were from mainland China, a market which almost doubled as it grew by 99 per cent last year and at a 4-year CAGR of 76 per cent, confirming China as the world’s fastest growing major source of passengers.

• More Ships in Asian Waters - In 2017, 66 cruise ships are being deployed in Asian waters. Five of these are mega ships (more than 3,500 passenger capacity), 13 are large (2,000 to 3,500 passengers), 26 of the deployed ships will be midsize, and 17 seasonal small upscale ships will be active in the Asian region. In addition, the Expedition niche will have 5 ships deployed in limited seasons. In 2013, there were only 43 ships cruising in Asia, marking a 53 per cent growth since 2013.

• Increased Operating Days in 2017 – The Asian cruise industry has 10,196 operating days in Asia scheduled for 2017, an increase of 137 per cent from 4,307 operating days in 2013, and an increase of 25 per cent over the 8,171 operating days in 2016. The increased operating days in 2017 provide a total capacity for 4.24 million passengers. This passenger capacity has nearly tripled from 1.51

million passengers in 2013.

• Asian Travelers Prefer Exploring Asian Destinations - Asian travellers predominantly take cruises within the region. Asian cruise only passengers grew at the fastest rate mostly due to the increase in the Chinese market. In fact, out of the 2,086 sailings scheduled for Asian waters in 2017 - 1,992 cruises (or 95.4 per cent) will remain within Asia, with exclusive Asia-to-Asia itineraries, while an additional 94 voyages are scheduled to pass through the Asia region in 2017.

Total sailings in and through Asia have seen strong growth over the past four years, increasing 142 per cent, from 861 cruises and voyages in 2013 to 2,086 in 2017.

Highlights from the 2016 North Asia Economic Impact Study: • The direct economic contribution of cruise tourism across all of North Asia consisted of the $3.23 billion in direct expenditures, $1.51 billion in value added goods and services, and 23,697 full- and part-time jobs paying $754.5 million in employee compensation Wholesale & Retail Trade ($962.3M), Other Services & Government ($693.9M), and Financial & Business Services ($679.5M) were the primary direct beneficiaries of cruise tourism spending. Combined, these three sectors accounted for approximately 72 per cent of the regional direct impacts with $2.34 billion in direct expenditures, $1.18 billion in value-added goods and services, and 19,252 full- and parttime jobs paying $594.4 million in

employee compensation.

• The indirect and induced economic contribution is generated by the spending of the directly impacted businesses and their employee, which is then spread throughout the corporate and consumer sectors of each economy. These impacts totalled $3.98 billion in output, $1.72 billion in value-added goods and services, and 27,934 full- and part-time jobs paying $749.6 million in employee compensation.

Manufacturing, Financial and Business Services, and Agriculture accounted for approximately 79 per cent of the total indirect and induced impacts with $3.16 billion in output, $1.22 billion in value-added and 19,893 full- and part-time jobs paying $491.1 million in employee compensation.

• Combining the direct, indirect and induced contributions, the total economic contribution of cruise tourism in the three North Asia economies amounted to $7.21 billion in output, $3.23 billion in value- added goods and services and 51,631 full- and part-time jobs paying $1.5 billion in employee compensation.

• CLIA member cruise lines reported that they employed a total of 19,304 residents of North Asia as shore side staff or crew. China, alone, accounts for 98 percent of this total with 18,974 employees. Including these cruise line employees and staff, the total employment impact increases to 70,935 jobs paying $1.8 billion in compensation across the three North Asia countries.

33>>

Incredible India

34>>

Airfares in India likely to rise by 8.7% in 2018: CWT VW BUREAU

With an influx of LCCs and hotel rate dynamics, the fluctuations in the economy will have business travellers watch out for higher prices.

I

n its 2018 Global Travel Forecast, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) looks at air, hotel and ground transport prices for next year and what this means for corporate travel. Asia Pacific is expected to see a 2.8% rise in airfares 2018, while airfares in India are projected to increase by 8.7% in 2018 (the biggest increase across all key markets in the APAC region).

This new mindset, along with segmentation of airfares, is generating new competition between carriers in Asia Pacific. Consider British Airways, discontinuing free food and beverage on some shorthaul flights and instead offering a fee-based option to better compete with low-cost carriers (LCCs). At the same time, travellers who were once unwilling to sacrifice, service for savings are now using LCCs to ensure cost-conscious business travel.

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Airlines in the region broadly are partnering with GDSs to display basic economy airfares and grow ancillary fee revenue, also resulting in a move away from manual bookings and toward consistency in fare displays. As many of the economies in Asia strengthen, weaknesses in infrastructure—and airports in particular—are increasingly apparent. As the fastest-growing aviation market in the world, Beijing Capital and Hong Kong Airport have reached terminal capacity while Mumbai and New Delhi are expected to do the same in 2018 and 2021, respectively. Further complicating any solutions is ensuring air space can accommodate added capacity.

2018 Hotel Projections Across Asia Pacific, hotel prices are likely to rise 3.5% next year. Strong economies means demand is increasing in the APAC region. Hotel rates in India are expected go up 3.3% in 2018.

Intra-continent demand is increasing, particularly for China and India, putting additional pricing pressure on key markets for both.

Buyers should anticipate a more challenging discussion with newly merged hotel groups, especially in high-volume markets such as Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore. To prepare, buyers should research options heavily since the market remains highly fragmented and competitive.

2018 Ground Transportation Projections Continued uncertainty in mining, and a cautious recovery in the oil and gas industry will result in flat rates for 2018 in Asia Pacific. On the other hand, ground transport prices in India are expected to increase 2.0% in 2018. Growth in India remains tempered by the required driver that comes with car rentals.

As per another study by CWT -

Connected Traveller Study, business travellers are bringing more devices, and feel more productive as they are on the road conducting business.

The survey of more than 1,900 business travellers found that travellers on average carry four different types of technology (mobile phone, tablet, laptop, etc.), with the smartphone being the one “travel tool they can’t live without,” as more than 80% of travellers across the globe rely on their phone to conduct business.

Study findings With technology, most travellers (88%) believe travel is easier to navigate today. This has led a significant majority of travellers (78%) to seek opportunities to travel for work and nearly as many find business travel to be stimulating (72%). Business travellers in India like to travel and an overwhelming majority (92%) said they look forward to business travel and an almost equal amount (89%)

35>> said they seek out opportunities to travel for work. Additionally, more than any other country in the region, Indian respondents (72%) travel more to both domestic and international destinations.

Today’s travellers are experienced and use that knowledge to plan their trips. More than half (55%) of travellers rely on prior travel experience while planning trips, in addition to hotel websites (54%) and airline websites (50%). Airline and hotel apps make up the bulk of app usage for travellers (45%) while map apps also see heavy use (41%).

“The business traveller can be so much more productive than even five years ago thanks to technology,” said Simon Nowroz, chief marketing officer, Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

“Think about the advances where a business traveller used to have so much down time between a flight, taxi and hotel. Now, they can login and work while on the plane or wherever they happen to be. With the continued emergence of the tablet, as well as numerous apps, travellers don’t feel out of touch as they carry out business.”

According to the study, work-based relationships and productivity are strengthened through business travel. Nearly 9 in 10 business travellers (86%) said travel helped them build new knowledge and perspective, while 80% said business travel boosted their productivity.

Additionally, more than 9 in 10 (93%) said that travel positives outweighed negatives when it comes to building and maintaining relationships at work, while nearly 8 in 10 (77%) say the same about their home lives.

Resonating with the global findings, significantly more respondents from India (87%) also said that the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to building and maintaining relationships at home.

Business travellers did have two key areas of concern.

Two-thirds (67%) of travellers said they believe travel is safer today.

However, nearly half (46%) remain concerned about their safety. This has led more travellers (68%) to “sometimes or always” purchase travel insurance. Business travellers also have difficulties maintaining routines and wellness. More than half of travellers (54%) say that their exercise and wellness habits are disrupted when they travel.

According to the study, as travellers connect with co-workers or family,

they often use different methods.

With family or friends, travellers chose calling (44%), Skype (24%) and text (17%) as their preferred communication methods. However, they connect with co-workers differently: email (44%), calling (24%) and texting (14%).

Regional differences There were similarities across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. However, APAC travellers felt more in control (84%) in being able to manage their responsibilities compared to Americas (76%) and EMEA (73%)

travellers. Travellers from APAC (53%) were also more likely to say that travel took time away from other work, causing their co-workers to pick up some of the slack.

When it comes to personal relationships, around a quarter of travellers from the Americas felt that travel strained their relationship with their spouse or significant other (27%), more than their EMEA and APAC counterparts (22%). This is likely the reason that travellers in the Americas tried significantly harder to stay connected with family

(50%) than APAC (31%) and EMEA (27%) travellers. APAC travellers were more likely to miss important events – with more than half (51%) missing at least two social events or occasions within the past 12 months compared to EMEA (44%) or Americas (42%) travellers.

“There are many variables that can make a business trip a success or a failure in the eyes of the traveller,” said Nowroz. “The easier we can make it for travellers to be organized, the more we help them have a better overall experience.”

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36>>

The ArkNation Juggernaut cruises on..

Meetings, Weddings, Religious Satsangs... now get on board!

ROHIT HANGAL

O

ver 400 travel agents aboard the Star Cruise Gemini, in what appeared to be one-of-a-kind familiarization experience educated, cajoled and wowed the fraternity to an unbelievable crescendo. Travel agents and Tour Operators across the Indian hinterland were unleashed the Star Cruise Cruise-experience like no other. Kishan Biyani and Naresh Rawal and their respective able teams gorged and splurged to a never attempted before-event to hold this captive audience to a stand-still over the Straits of Malacca.

The Big Bang Nautical Fiesta – Charter Cruise was packed with nonstop entertainment in form of Magical Shows, Aqua Zumba, Rain Dance &

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Beer Fest, Indian Idol Nights, Matinee Crew Show, War of DJs, Gala Nights and Cuisine Fiesta from across the world. The highlight of the event was the Independence Day Celebration on-board the SuperStar Gemini’s Stardust Lounge at Deck 10.

With the Star Cruise Gemini moving base to Bangkok and Singapore, now being home to the Genting Dream, it throws up opportunities to Indian travel-agents to enhance the stay of their holidaymakers aboard these cruise ships. Michael Goh, Senior VP – Sales, Star Cruises added "With cruising adding value to corporate's incentive plans, Star offers an exciting range of MICE venues and offerings". Naresh Rawal, VP Sales -

India added "India's FMCG sectors, Pharma and cement are leading contributors to the MICE business aboard the Star Cruises. The MICE portfolio has also supplemented with the weddings and Religious group segment as a growing segment. We can handle any group from 20 Pax to 1200 Pax without a hitch".

The very charismatic Kishan Biyani, Managing Director, Ark Travels said "Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities contribute significantly to our market and this megafam is a way to thank them for their contribution. Ark Travels has grown to be the market-leader in the Indian cruise market and with the segment poised to be the fastest growing travel product, our

emphasises to reach out to the travel agent community is absolutely imperative".

He further added "We are overwhelmed and extremely excited with the kind of response we have received for our Charter Cruises over the last two years. Big Bang charter cruise is a concept designed to fill the gap and bring cruise sailing closer to Indian travellers. In terms of passengers we have achieved 33 percent year-on-year growth for our charter cruise as compared to 2016.

We have even increased the number of charters from the previous year and looking forward to add more from next year onwards".

37>>

Israel invites incentive movements from Indian market PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

In an exclusive chat with Voyager's world, Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry (IMOT) talks about the country's MICE products and services for India.

T

he Israel Ministry of Tourism led a delegation to key cities in India in August in order to talk about Israel's future plans including MICE offerings.

At the Bangalore edition, Hassan Madah, Director, IMOT, said, "Two years back, nobody thought about taking incentive trips to Israel. Some companies send their representatives to Israel for business. We pushed

the segment and spoke to so many people about it. It was difficult in the beginning because nobody did such trips. The agents and the corporates were not sure about having an incentive in Israel. We hosted many MICE agents on Fam tours dedicated to the MICE sector. In two weeks time, we are taking corporates from all over India on a corporate Fam tour in order to tell them that there is a scope for MICE movement here especially when we have collaborations with India in some sectors such as agriculture, information technology, diamonds and pharmaceuticals. Indians are buying some technologies from Israeli companies. We managed to convince few corporates such as HDFC Mutual Funds, BMW, UTI to have their incentive trips here. We have a lot of MICE movements from countries like

China though the leisure segment is biggest from there."

"Israeli agents are also very interested in promoting MICE in India. Of course, our campaigns have also generated a lot of awareness. The UTI event in June this year had 400 pax. Our MICE facilities have huge capacities and can host thousands of pax. The only challenge is the air connectivity from India. But still, during the TAFI Convention few years ago, we brought over 500 people over two three days."

Indian movement "The agents decide on the itineraries based on the requirements of the corporates. The MICE groups from India generally want to visit Israel for four days, stay in one place, do one gala event and one or two smaller events and a lecture by a local

M.I.C.E SCAN

D

World Class Keynote Speakers announced for ITW Abu Dhabi 2017

October 12, 13, 14 TTG Incontri (International B2B Tourism Fair) Rimini, Italy 23, 24 Event Organisers Summit London, U.K

I

TW Abu Dhabi announces the line-up of keynote speakers for ITW 2017, which will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 25th – 26th 2017. ITW Abu Dhabi (www.itwabudhabi. com), powered by ITB Berlin, is the world’s only dedicated Muslim majority travel event.

The ITW Abu Dhabi exhibition and seminar programmes will be held for 2 days on 25th – 26th November at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec). The exhibition combines 4 tourism events, seminar programmes and the Halal CEO Forum.

UNWTO & WTM Ministers' Summit to debate 'overtourism'

T

he UNWTO & WTM Ministers’ Summit will debate the so-called ‘overtourism’ at WTM London on 7 November 2017. The so called ‘Overtourism’ has become a hot topic in the news in recent months, with reports from around the world speaking of ‘tourismphobia’ and showing pictures of citizens protesting against the ‘invasion of tourists’ and the expulsion of locals by tourism businesses. The topic will also be the key theme of World Responsible Tourism Day on 8 November.

TAT gears up to make Travex at ATF 2018 a success

T

he Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) pledged to make the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in Chiang Mai an organisational success, especially the TRAVEX buyer-seller part, where millions of dollars of business is transacted annually. “TRAVEX is the engine room driving much of ASEAN’s tourism success story,” said Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor.

ATF takes place at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre (CMECC) 22-26 January, 2018.

Destinations "In Israel, Indians mainly go to Jerusalem, Dead Sea and Tel Aviv.

Some groups go to vineyards, Haifa, Eilat. Usually, they stay for 4 nights, 5 days. They prefer staying in one hotel and visiting nearby destinations as the distances are not too much from Tel Aviv."

CALENDAR 2017

Dubai Business Events gathers momentum after strong H1

ubai Business Events (DBE) reported strong results for the first half of 2017, with 97 bids submitted to host business events being awarded to the city. The events secured since January, including conferences, exhibitions, meetings and incentives are poised to attract over 51,636 delegates from across the world, resulting in an expected economic impact of approximately AED 375 million. In the first six months, DBE won 97 pitches to host business events and is awaiting verdict on 97 more that have been submitted.

expert from finance and economics sectors in Israel. Some of them prefer team building activities while others prefer only touring. During the JITO Convention, they asked for a politician or an economist to talk to them about investments. Mutual funds groups ask for economists to talk to them about the stock exchange. Some dealers ask for trips with only fun activities."

November 27, 28 Asia Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference Colombo, Sri Lanka 28, 29, 30 IBTM World Barcelona, Spain

December 1,2,3 Chengdu International Tourism Expo (CITE) Chengdu, China 4,5,6,7 International Luxury Travel Market, Cannes, France

www.voyagersworld.in

Business Travel

38>>

Increasing security concerns present challenges & opportunities.

VW BUREAU

As business travellers remain concerned about safety, organisations must ramp up emergency planning efforts.

W

ith global travel facing an evergrowing number ofsecurity threats, corporate travel buyers are dealing with an increasing number of travellerconcerns, and struggling to adopt the tools necessary to address them. But according to new research from the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), underwritten by American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), travel managers increasingly recognise they have a central role to play in fulfilling their company’s duty of care obligations to travelling employees.

ACTE and American Express GBT collaborated to identify research questions and key themes, seeking to take a comprehensive look at the most pressing issues facing the corporate travel industry.

The study, Take the Lead on Duty of Care for the Modern Business Traveller, conducted as the third installment of ACTE and American Express GBT’s Meet the Modern Business Traveller research series, showed more than a third (37 per cent) of travel managers saw a rise in enquiries relating to traveller safety. Another 35 per cent said enquiries have remained stable— after a majority had already reported increased concern in April 2017.

But it appears that a significant number of organisations do not have the systems required to quickly address these concerns. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of travel managers claim not to have had a detailed emergency plan in place in the six months up to June 2017. The absence of these plans

Voyager’s World > September 2017

may be connected to the fact that planning meetings are uncommon in many organisations. Some 39 per cent of travel managers report that meetings do not take place, have happened just once or occur only irregularly. Only 14 per cent of organisations convene key stakeholders for planning meetings once or more per month.

“Travel managers cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to worst-case scenario planning,” said Greeley Koch, executive director of ACTE. “The status quo for many organisations is to react to a crisis— but this leaves travellers in danger and ultimately does not lead to replicable procedures for the future.

Proactive planning is an absolute necessity in an evolving global threat environment.”

Moreover, the changing security environment has yet to lead to widespread changes in corporate travel policies. The September 2016 Modern Business Traveller survey revealed that more than half (54 per cent) of travel managers had tightened policy in response to traveller safety concerns. The most recent data, however, tells a different story: Today, 58 per cent of travel managers have not made any changes to policy in the last six months as a direct response to safety concerns.

“Travel is changing at an accelerated rate, but corporate policymaking moves much slower,” said Evan Konwiser, vice president, Digital Traveler with American Express GBT.

“Organisations of all sizes must identify ways that travel policies can be nimbler and adapt to new challenges. Having the right partners and tools in place can be a huge advantage when new disruptions emerge.”

Travel Managers Seek to Right the Ship Despite the slow pace of corporate policy change, many travel managers have already started to act, introducing or enhancing several measures intended to alleviate traveller anxieties. The vast majority (83 per cent) leverage traveller locating technology, and 79 percent provide proactive safety communication to travellers.

Additional tools used by most travel managers include safety training, emergency check-in technology, safety and security services from their travel management company (TMC) and detailed emergency action plans.

Cost and Awareness of Offerings Pose Significant Challenges Three areas emerged where a significant proportion of travel managers would like to do more: Almost half (45 per cent) want more support from their TMC, 40 per cent would like to provide more safety training, and 38 per cent want to implement emergency check-in technology. However, respondents said the cost of increased support from TMCs and implementing emergency check-in systems was holding them back, as was their own lack of knowledge about available

products and services.

Travel managers should remain in close dialogue with TMCs to mitigate these challenges.

One area where travel managers encounter fewer barriers is proactive safety communication. Here, 60 per cent believe they deliver adequate communication to travellers today; a further 27 per cent are working to improve in this area.

Travel Managers Should Seize the Opportunity While room to improve duty of care exists, corporate travel managers are well-positioned to fill travel policy gaps, as well as prepare their organisations for future safety challenges.

“Proactivity is the key to success in duty of care, and there are some turnkey ways to makesecurity a priority with travellers and stakeholders,” said Konwiser. “It may be as simple as putting a quarterly meeting on the calendar for HR, IT, compliance and senior leadership to discuss the organisation’s travel policies and emergency preparedness.”

Added Koch: “Business travellers have a clear-eyed view of their needs while on the road. Knowing the travel manager has their back at all times—and is always looking to implement best practices to better support and protect them—helps build trust, enables productivity and keeps the business engines running.”

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Online Travel

40>>

WANDERTRAILS focuses on offbeat activities for discerning travellers IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Narayana Menon K, Co-founder & CMO, Wandertrails, introduces his platform for travellers interested in taking the road less travelled in exploring places.

Himalayas and detoxing your body with yoga. Wandertrails has over 4,000 handpicked experiential stays and 3,500+ curated local activities listed with a supplier network of 4,500+ (30% of which had no digital presence before) at present and these numbers are growing fast.

W

andertrails is an experiential travel platform for travellers to experience a destination through local experiences and activities, such as staying in a jungle lodge and going on a walking jungle safari; staying in a tribal settlement and going honeygathering with a tribal chieftain; staying at a desert camp and going on a camel safari; or staying in an apple orchard at the foothills of the

"We are primarily a B2C player and supplemented by a B2B model focused on corporate where we are redefining team outings, employee R&Rs and corporate getaways by adding in the experiential quotient.

We have currently over 50,000 monthly active users and our Facebook page has a following of ~780,000 travel enthusiasts. With more than 7,500 units of sale while a majority of our users fall into the millennial group. We expect to see

a growth of 7-10% over the next 5 years." City dwellers can attend various food trails and heritage walks. Some of the popular trails are silk trails with heritage and food walks in Kancheepuram; Golden triangle of the South - Thanjavur, Kumbakonam and Madurai; Kalari wellness trail, Bangalore; adventure trail, Manali cycling and monasteries trail, Shimla; Jungle safari, camping and trekking in Kasol.

Promotional plans Earlier this year, Wandertrails raised US$1 million in seed investment from UK-based VC firm Earlsfield capital, which it plans to invest in expanding its presence from the current 14 states and 70 destinations to at least 22 states and 120 destinations in the next six months. Most of our

promotions are digital with multiple campaigns running across social media channels and Google. We have also done co-marketing initiatives with strategic partners.

Main destinations Some of the experiential destinations are Coorg, Pondicherry, Wayanad, Masinagudi, Alleppey, Yercaud, Ooty, Munnar, Varkala, Mahabalipuram in the South while Lonavala, Alibaug, Kamshet, Mahabaleshwar, Nasik, Goa are popular destinations from Mumbai/Pune.

Destinations like Spiti, Manali, Shimla, Dharamshala, Corbett, Rishikesh, Nainital, Jaipur, Sikkim, Ladakh from the North part of India. We are also offering experiential trails in Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala remain universally popular destinations.

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

VADODARA

18, 19, 20 August 2017

NAGPUR

6, 7, 8 October 2017

VIZAG

3, 4, 5 November 2017

COIMBATORE

26, 27, 28 January 2018

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

Voyager’s World > September 2017

Exclusively Outbound!

THE ONLY TRADE SHOW FOCUSSED ON OUTBOUND TRAVEL A trade-only event connecting buyers & suppliers of outbound travel industry from across the globe, offering unparalleled networking and contracting opportunities · The Middle East edition of OTR – 2016 witnessed a footfall of 500 eminent buyers across Dubai – Doha – Kuwait · Over 1600 buyers attended the India – edition 1 of OTR in January, 2017 across Mumbai – Ahmedabad – Chennai – Kolakata – Delhi · India Edition 2 of OTR held across Bangalore – Delhi – Mumbai witnessed an overwhelming presence of over 1200 buyers An invitation only event

INDIA EDITION 1

MIDDLE EAST EDITION

INDIA EDITION 2

8th - 16th JANUARY, 2018

11th- 15th FEBRUARY, 2018

19th - 22nd MARCH, 2018

MUMBAI - CHENNAI BANGALORE - DELHI

UAE - KUWAIT QATAR - OMAN

MUMBAI – AHMEDABAD DELHI

# 245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India.

Tel: +91-80-4083 4100 | Fax: +91-80-4083 4101 | otrindia@otrindia.com www.outboundtravelroadshow.com

Happenings

Kerala Tourism organises roadshow in Gurugram

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erala Tourism showcased new products to the travel trade during a roadshow in Gurugram at Hotel Leela Ambience on 17 August. "Although Kerala is seen as a laidback destination, the state's varied topography ensures ample opportunities for adventure lovers. The recently held Malabar River Festival, Wayanad Splash Monsoon Carnival proves to be the best examples," said Kadakkampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Kerala. "We have explored various platforms including WhatsApp to present a virtual tour guide called Maya who answers all queries about tourism in Kerala and an app, GoKerala that helps you plan a dream holiday," said Dr. Venu V, Principal Secretary (Tourism).

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TAT organises two-city roadshow in Kochi and Bangalore

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he Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organised their roadshow in Kochi and Bangalore on 7 and 8 August, along with a delegation of 30 companies from Thailand. The event witnessed around 80 and 120 key members of travel trade from both the cities. Srisuda Wanapinyosak, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and the South Pacific), said, “Our main objective of the roadshow is to highlight the new segments and new regions that the destination has to offer and also to highlight unexplored destinations like Hua Hin and Cha-Am. We expect the revenue from India market to increase by 14% this year. Bangalore contributes a growth of 10% of Thailand’s arrivals out of India and this growth will continue to grow.”

SriLankan Airlines hosts cultural evening for Kolkata patrons

Trip 360° introduces 'Mission Extreme' to encourage extreme adventure

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ith a view to mark the months of association with Kolkata, SriLankan Airlines hosted an evening of cultural rendezvous for its patrons &

GSAs present in Kolkata & West Bengal. The cultural event was held on 10 August at The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata and was attended by more than 200 guests comprising GSAs, travel community and Kolkata's elite. The evening was a celebration to acknowledge their support, strengthen the relationship and bring Sri Lanka closer to its patrons in Kolkata. The evening commenced with a welcome dance by the Sri Lankan dancers and the lighting of the traditional lamp by the guest of honour and dignitaries which included Siva Ramachandran, CCO; Lalith Peiris, Area Manager Kolkata- SriLankan Airlines ; Pradeep Durairaj, Manager Marketing; Chinthaka Weerasinghe, Country Manager and Subhash Goyal, Chairman of STIC Travels.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

rip 360˚ organised an Expert Speak to enable such mountaineers to climb the most aspirational peaks in the world: the 7 Summits.

Trip 360˚ gave a short glimpse of how it feels to be on the lifechanging expeditions in its recent 'Mission Extreme: Expert Speak' by its specialist and undefeatable mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta.

The event saw an intimate gathering of all the adventure enthusiasts who were eager to listen to Satyarup's successful ascent to Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 m), Papua province of Indonesia. The Speak was organised on 26 August at the Institute of Hotel Management in Bengaluru. Carstensz Pyramid is the highest summit of Mount Jayawijaya in the Sudirman Range of the western central highlands of Papua Province, Indonesia. With an inspiring tone, Satyarup shared his experience of meeting the dangerous tribes of the area and the harsh, deadly terrain.

Happenings

43>>

Alphons Kannanthanam is the new Union Tourism Minister

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he Narendra Modi-led NDA Government appointed Alphons Kannanthanam as the new Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism on 4 September, following the reshuffle of the council of ministers in the cabinet. Replacing Dr. Mahesh Sharma, who now retains Independent Charge of Ministry of Culture and also the Minister of State of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Alphons Kannanthanam is a retired IAS officer of 1979 batch (Kerala cadre). He was in Time Magazine’s list of 100 Young Global Leaders. He pioneered the literacy movement in India by making Kottayam the first 100% literate town in India in 1989.

He worked in the Indian Administration Service until 2006, when he was elected a Member of the Legislative Assembly, from Kanjirappally in Kottayam District of Kerala. He came into prominence when he served as the District Collector of Kottayam in 1988. Having passed his high school with 42% from a non electrified village Malayalam medium school, he became one of the toppers of the 1979 batch of the IAS. In 2006, he quit IAS, contested as an independent from Kanjirappally constituency and got elected as an MLA with huge majority, spending less than Rs.10 lakh. He drove his own car and lived in a tiny room in the rest house and got allocated Rs. 350 crores for the constituency and won the best MLA award.

ITDC join hands with CISF to train ‘Passion Made Possible’ Brand personnel under Hunar se Rozgar launched for Singapore

Tourism Ireland organises Ireland Specialists Mega FAM

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ndia Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC) joined hands with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to train the wards of CISF personnel under “Hunar se Rozgar Scheme” (A Skill Development Programme sponsored

by Ministry of Tourism) through The Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management (AIH&TM), one of the premier PSU Hospitality Training Institutes of the country under ITDC. Speaking on inauguration function held at Hotel Samrat, Piyush Tiwari, Director (Commercial and Marketing) ITDC, said “ITDC is grateful to CISF for their faith in ITDC’s expertise in hospitality training and management.

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he Singapore Tourism Board (STB) recently unveiled to India the country’s unified brand, “Passion Made Possible”. This is the first time that STB and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) came together to develop a unified brand to market Singapore internationally for tourism and business purposes. GB Srithar, Regional Director – South Asia Middle East & Africa (SAMEA), STB said, “With Passion Made Possible, STB and EDB are presenting a brand that can tell a fuller Singapore story beyond just tourism. The brand articulates what we stand for as a country and supports the telling of many stories about this destination and its people.

It brings to the international audiences stories from Singapore through the voices of Singaporeans.

ourism Ireland conducted Ireland Specialists Mega FAM which is an e-learning travel trade training programme mainly to educate the international travel trade about the island of Ireland. This is the third annual Ireland Specialists Mega FAM trip that included eleven top performing agents from six markets, Australia, China, India, GCC, South Africa and New Zealand, from India Kesari Tours and BCD Travels participated in the trip.

www.voyagersworld.in

Travel Trends

44>>

4 Things That Will NOT Happen This Year in hospitality VW BUREAU

In his article titled '4 Things That Will NOT Happen This Year', Mike Murray, Founder of Vir.al, disproves some of the more commonly believed distribution fallacies about the hospitality industry.

A great deal of what we read nowadays is predicting how the travel market will change and how hoteliers need to pre-emptively adapt in order to compete. For a change of pace, I’ve decided to write about four things that will definitely NOT happen this year, so hoteliers can factor this thinking into their online distribution strategies.

The big OTAs will start treating hotels fairly.

Unfortunately for hotels, the big OTAs have hotels backed into a corner and won’t change their tactics anytime soon. Even though hotel bookings earn the majority of OTAs’ revenue, the OTAs also think that they have an unshakeable technological advantage over hoteliers. This has led to a one-sided relationship where hotels are not treated as valued partners; instead, they are viewed as a commodity that can be easily manipulated and constrained.

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The good news is that while this was true in the early days of the OTAs and the Internet, technology has evolved and hoteliers now have the tools necessary to level the playing field.

While the OTAs do still have most hoteliers beat in terms of marketing budgets, there are ways for hotels to use the OTAs’ marketing efficacy

to their advantage. (To learn more about some of these ways, check out my recent article: “Reimagining the Online Booking Channel.”)

Airbnb will cease being a threat to hotels While most hoteliers probably spend a great deal of time wishing that Airbnb would go the way of Uber (can you believe what’s been happening over there!), slowly killing consumer goodwill and loyalty for the company, it is highly unlikely. Instead of fighting against Airbnb (or sticking our heads in the sand, pretending that it’s not a real competitor), hoteliers must accept that Airbnb is here to stay and update their pricing, distribution and marketing strategies to better compete with the accommodation behemoth.

Millennials will stop seeking experiences and simply book based on price.

One of the reasons that Airbnb has become so popular, especially with the Millennial market, is they have focused on providing value, as well as a full travel experience. In other words, Airbnb does not simply provide a place for consumers to sleep; they deliver inspiration and experiences that appeal to travelers’ sense of adventure.

Hoteliers need to update their marketing strategies to better communicate how their property can help potential guests fulfill a travel experience. Hoteliers need to share content (including images

and videos, which are particularly shareworthy on social media) that illustrate what guests will experience at your property and in your destination, be it great dining experiences, fun outdoor activities, relaxing spa treatments, local hot spots, beautiful natural phenomenon or any other inspirational activities that your property and destination have to offer.

Leverage social media (and the power of social influencers) to create online word-of-mouth endorsements from guests; this strategy is particular effective because “86% of Millennial travelers were inspired to book a trip based on content they viewed online.”

Hoteliers will abandon detrimental pricing and distribution strategies.

This one may be a bit idealistic but, in a perfect world, hoteliers would stop using their current outdated, pricing and distribution strategies because they do nothing but harm their own bottom line. Here are some examples of pricing and distribution strategies that hoteliers should forego: Allowing OTAs to sell your rooms cheaper (than via the direct channel). This strategy continues to push consumers toward the OTAs and costs properties significant revenue on each booking secured.

Instead, hoteliers should be offering value-added perks to guests who book direct in an effort to maintain (or even boost) occupancy, while

eliminating the cost of acquisition.

Not using the OTAs at all. While I understand hoteliers’ frustration with OTA tactics and high commission rates, I also know that those who don’t list their rooms on the OTAs are losing visibility with potential guests and as a result, bookings. Today’s consumers use the OTAs to research what properties exist in a destination and from there, they may visit the property’s website and compare the available rates; however, if your property doesn’t have a presence on the OTAs, your property will miss out on that business altogether. ·Only using the big OTAs. As mentioned earlier, the top OTAs have a great deal of the market cornered when it comes to consumer traffic; as such, many hoteliers ignore the smaller OTAs. While this may seem like an easier distribution option, it actually decreases the property’s online presence and results in reduced profits (as many of the smaller OTAs charge a much lower commission rate).

Instead, consider using new, innovative online booking channels and apps that appeal to specific consumer groups who are highly active travelers (like Millennials).

Some of these new channels also equip hoteliers with tools that can help them to secure more bookings – without charging huge commissions! Well, that’s it: four things that will definitely not be happening this year.

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Voyager’s World > September 2017

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

Top Appointments

45>> Gaurav Shiva

Dheeraj Saundhi

General Manager Grand Mercure Bangalore

VP- Product and Acquisitions V Resorts

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aurav Shiva has been appointed as the General Manager of Grand Mercure Bangalore. He brings with him an experience of over two decades of experience in the hotel industry. He has been associated with the pre-opening of the Grand Mercure hotels in Goa and Bangalore. He haso worked in hotels across Europe, America and Asia.

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Resorts has appointed Dheeraj Saundh as the Vice President of Product and Acquisitions. He will be responsible for bringing in new properties and creating new travel products. Previously, Dheeraj had worked in MakeMyTrip and Via.com. He will be part of the sales initiatives and handle new product development as well as V Resorts’ expansion plans.

Chetan Kapoor

Namit Agnihotri

Director of Sales (MICE) The Suryaa New Delhi

Hotel Manager, The Roseate New Delhi

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amit Agnihotri is the new Hotel Manager of The Roseate, New Delhi. He will be responsible for planning and administering hotel services and operations. Namit has worked with various brands like The Gateway Hotel Vadodra (Taj Group of Hotels), ITC Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts.

C

hetan Kapoor is the new Director of Sales of The Suryaa New Delhi. In his new profile, he would be responsible for the sales department for various verticals including MICE, travel trade and inbound groups. He has over 16 years of expertise in the hospitality industry. He has worked with various brands like Le Meridian, Taj Palace, The Oberoi, The Royal Plaza Hotel, Crown Plaza, Eros Hotel and Hilton Janakpuri.

Hema Dhoke

Vishal Khosla

Director of Sales The Suryaa New Delhi

General Manager, Park Regis Goa

V

ishal Khosla joins Park Regis Goa as the General Manager. In his new role, Vishal will oversee the entire operations of the hotel. With an experience of over 18 years in the hospitality industry, he has worked with various brands like Hilton, Glasgow, UK Radisson SAS Hotel, Holiday Inn Hotel, Aylesbury, Etihad Airways, The Club Mahindra Resort, Varca Beach, Goa, The Lalit Golf & Spa Resort, Goa, and The Kenilworth Resort & Spa, Goa.

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he Suryaa New Delhi has appointed Hema Dhoke as the Director of Sales. She has worked with various brands like the Taj Group of Hotels, Accor & Carlson Rezidor. She brings with her an experience of over 20 years that spans hotel launches, sales and marketing.

Norton Pereira

Syed Asad Gauhar

General Manager Le Méridien Goa, Calangute

F&B Manager, Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Gachibowli

orton Pereira has joined Le Méridien Goa, Calangute as the new General Manager.

He brings with him an experience of over 19 years in the hospitality industry, having worked with brands like Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, Westin Mumbai and Sheraton. Prior to this, he was the General Manager at the Le Méridien, Mahabaleshwar.

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yed Asad Gauhar has been appointed as the Food and Beverage Manager of Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel, Gachibowli. With more than 12 years of industry experience, Syed has worked with various brands like The Leela Palace, Udaipur, Ananda in the Himalayas Rishikesh, Anantara Resorts & Spa, Maldives and The Oberoi Udaivilas.

www.voyagersworld.in

NETWORKING ISthe THE netwOrkIng Is ke KEY y September 2017

October 2017

September 2017

November 2017

December 2017

January 2018

13, 14, 15 PATA Travel Mart Macau 14, 15, 16 Beijing International Travel Mart Beijing,China 15, 16, 17 India International Travel Mart Delhi 21, 22, 23 India International Travel Mart Mumbai

October 2017

November 2017

6, 7, 8 Holiday Expo Nagpur

3, 4, 5 Holiday Expo Vizag

10, 11, 12 IMEX America 2017 Las Vegas - NV, United States

6, 7, 8 World Travel Market London

12, 13, 14 TTG Incontri (Int'l B2B Tourism Fair) Rimini – Italy

23, 24, 25, 26 Philoxenia Greece

25, 26, 27 ITB Asia Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

24, 25, 26 India International Travel Mart Pune

December 2017

January 2018

30 Nov, 1, 2 Dec Chengdu International Tourism Expo Chengdu, China

8, 9. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Outbound Travel Roadshow Mumba, Chennai, Bangalore & Delhi

1, 2, 3 India International Travel Mart Hyderabad

11, 12, 13 India International Travel Mart Kochi

8, 9, 10 Greek Tourism Expo Athens,Greece

17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Fitur Spain

11, 12 Brussels Travel Expo Brussels, Belgium

26, 27, 28 Holiday Expo Coimbatore