RNI No.: DELENG/2014/59308
TAAI Special Edition
Volume V Issue II November 2018
Price ` 180 Per Copy
65th Convention & Exhibition of TAAI
'Tourism Beyond Boundaries' November 27th to 29th, 2018, Kunming,China
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KUNMING Pearl of Yunnan TOP NEWS
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CONTENTS Editor Rajesh Tiwari rajesh@whereabouts.in +91 9818525672
Consulting Editor Shayan Mallick
Correspondents
10 TRADE 16 GOVERNMENT 18 HOSPITALITY 20 NTO
Jai Kishan Kaparwan Nisha Awasthi whereabouts.in@gmail.com
24 AVIATION
Art Director
38 APPOINTMENT
Mithlesh Gupta
Advertising Commercial Director Dheeraj Anand +91 9560444678 dheeraj@whereabouts.in Advertising Manager (North-West) Solomon Saxeana +91 9999810390 solomon@whereabouts.in Advertising Manager (South-East) Santosh K Mishra +91 8447786636 marketing@whereabouts.in Marketing & Events Manager Lakshman Vashisth +91 9911907050
32 TECHNOLOGY
IN FOCUS TAAI’s China Convention puts ‘Tourism Beyond Boundaries’ in the spotlight
07
Principal Advisor Anil Prakash
Legal Advisor Advocate Brijesh Tiwari
Production & Distribution Production Manager Subhash Solanki Distribution Executive Anoop Singh
Accounts CA Rishabh Rana
Technical & Web Support
08 Kunming will soon be a popular destination for Indians
11 TAAI Convention a major event in Sino-Indian tourism exchange
OPENION
Amit Agrahari All information in Whereabouts is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate and up to date information. All contents of this publication are reserved worldwide. Reproduction in any manner without prior written permission is prohibited. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of component courts and forums in Delhi only. Whereabouts is own, printed & published by Rajesh Tiwari. Whereabouts is printed at Pritika Printers, A-21/27, Naraina Industrial Area, PhaseII, New Delhi 110028 and published from E-8/401, Nehru Vihar, Delhi 110094. Editor Rajesh Tiwari
09 TAAI Convention to lead the growth of tourism business between IndiaChina
10
Need to support each other in tourism
EDITOR’S NOTE
PICTURE GALLERY Clarks Inn Leadership Summit 2018
31 Dear Reader, This issue of Whereabouts brings a lot of news from trade industry. As we all know that the Travel Agents Association of India is all set to organize its 65th Convention & Exhibition at Kunming in China, will be an opportunity for the tourism professionals of both countries to exchange ideas and strengthen their business relationship. Well we all know that china has become one of the top source markets across the world for their growing number of outbound travellers. Countries all over the world are doing their best to attract Chinese travellers in a large number.
DESTINATION
YUNNAN The Place South Of The Colorful Clouds
Despite being the neighbouring country India is getting just 2.4lakh (last year) which is very low. So this is the high time when India need to strengthen its relationship with China to gets its deserving number of share. And I believe this convention of TAAI will pave the way for more growth of tourism between these two countries.
34
Yunnan, a province of the People’s Republic of China, called Yun or Dian for short, is located in the far southwest frontier of the country. Yunnan refers to ‘the place south of the colorful clouds’ or ‘the place south of Yunling (cloudy ridge) Mountain’. The capital of the province is Kunming.
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IN FOCUS
Memories Down The Lane
The 64th Convention and Exhibition of TAAI was organized at the most prestigious and mesmerizing city, Srinagar from 27th to 29th March, 2018. The event received excellent cooperation and support from the Convention Hotels; Hotel Associations; House Boat Owners Association and other travel and tourism associations of the state. TAAI J&K Chapter played the role of coordinating committee for the convention and delivered a great event.
TAFI elects new MC; Chug to continue as President Rajesh Tiwari
T
ravel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) has elected the new Managing Committee for the term 2018-20 during 24th Annual General Meeting held on October 11, 2018 at The Grand Hotel Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. Under the leadership of Praveen Chugh as President, Pradeep Lulla, Aditi Bhende and Jayesh Tharani will continue as Vice President, General Secretary and Treasurer for 2018-20. The five Committee Members were elected as, A Basheer Ahmed of Chennai Metro Travels Pvt Ltd. – Chennai, Rajat Bagaria of Shrishti Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd – Mumbai, Bharat Shah of Sunbeams Travels (Baroda) Pvt. Ltd, Teddy M. Thomas of The Oasis Xpress Travel & Tours – New Delhi and Urvashi Dogra of Delfly Travels Pvt Ltd, New Delhi. While sharing his agenda for the new term, Chugh said that the priority will be given to the unfinished task such as GST and Transaction Fee etc. TAFI will demand relaxation in GST
6 November 2018
NEWS IN BRIEF
MoT opens 24X7 Facilitation Counter at IGI WH Desk
K on international travel as the agents (TAFI) are not getting any Input Tax Credit. “We are going aggressive to explain the requirement of travel industry, that we (the travel agents) need a proper survival, and for our survival the vendors be it airline, hotels or transport must provide some margins.” According to him, “One of the most important agenda for TAFI is reducing the operational cost of travel agencies in India. The newly launched digital platform – TAFI Connect will be instrumental in achieving this goal. TAFI Connect will facilitate its members to enhance their knowledge, reach to newer markets and deal with their customers in minimum possible time.
.J. Alphons, Union Minister for Tourism inaugurated the Tourist Facilitation and Information Counter at Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi, today. The facilitation counter is located at the T3 terminal arrival gates of the IGI Airport. The Tourism Ministry is also starting Facilitation Counters in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Gaya and Varanasi soon. Opening the facilitation Centre for visitors, which is first of its kind by the Government in IGI airport, the Minister said that this shall be of great help to the tourists visiting the country. The Minister added that the counter shall cater to non-English speaking tourists also as the Counter will also be connected to the 24x7 Helpline – ‘1363’ of the Tourism Ministry where the tourists can speak directly with the foreign language agents and get guidance in French, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Arabic.`
IN FOCUS
TAAI’s China Convention puts ‘Tourism Beyond Boundaries’ in the spotlight Rajesh Tiwari
T
ourism is not just an activity that gives feel good factor and lifelong memories to traveller, but it brings two destinations, cultures and its people closer. Apart from generating employment and foreign exchange earnings, tourism encourages better co-operation and exchange of business in various segments between two countries. Travel and tourism is an incredible opportunity of invaluable value for the whole World. It is far beyond a mere ‘industry’. It is more. It is an enterprise that offers myriad advantages for everyone involved to expand their horizon; beat the limits and optimize this important activity. While elaborating on the theme of the convention, Sunil Kumar, President TAAI said, “Tourism brings the world together. It is a pursuit people inhabit and an ongoing quest that supports business; leisure and discovery. Over 1.3 billion international arrivals during 2016 is an astounding economic impact. Nations thrive on Tourism. Many jobs are created. The global economic bandwidth is fascinating.”
For the nations of the world, tourism can be beyond any political; diplomatic or economic boundaries. Tourism is an important forerunner of peace and education. “TAAI Convention in Kunming, China, is a significant tourism connect. Two large nations are associated with this event. The Convention encourages delegates to discover a great destination with great sights in close proximity, says TAAI President. “The convention shall focus its discussions on the massive prospects to help upgrade and go beyond. The goal is clear. Travel and tourism leaders must accomplish higher levels of innovation and newer approaches to bust the paradigms that serve as boundaries for people from going beyond,” adds Kumar. Giving more details about the Convention Sanjay Narula, Vice President & Co-Chairman Convention says, “TAAI Conventions are hallmark when it comes to create new products and services and this convention is no different from other conventions of TAAI. This is the first time in the 68 years of TAAI history, when the association is going to China for its Annual Convention and Exhibition. This is an in-house convention and all our delegates – about 550 till date, will be staying
in this hotel.” While giving more details about the much awaited event of TAAI, he further said that the invitation (to hold the convention) was formalised, almost an year ago, and TAAI is delighted that the most beautiful city with outstanding attractions and nearby locations like Dali and Lijiang will be the host city of the convention. “Yunnan Provincial Tourism Development Commission is actively associated and playing a huge role to ensure success of the Convention,” added Sanjay Narula. Elaborating on the importance of the Convention destination he further said: “China – the biggest source market for outbound traveller, is sending 140 million tourists every year. However, despite being the neighbouring country – India gets a very low share of this large number, so we have chosen this destination for our travel professionals to go there and participate in TAAI Exhibition and interact with the stakeholders of China, strengthen their relationship and grow the business between these two countries.” Speaking on the same lines Jyoti Mayal, Hon Secretary General, TAAI says: “This initiative of taking our 65th Convention to Kunming will surely play a very important role in development and showcasing the province to our participating membership. We not only believe in promoting a new destination but also believe in the three E’s – ‘Educate, Entertain & Enjoy.” The 2nd edition of the TAAI Golf Tournament will be held on 27th November 2018 at famous Dianchi Lake Golf Course, Kunming. “There will Again we will be starting the convention with SINO-INDIA TAAI .UNI-TOP GOLF CUP at the famous Dainchi Lake View Golf Course in Kunming which is paradise for golfers. We will be having leaders from the Indian Travel industry and top corporates from China,” said Rajan Sehgal, Managing Committee Member of TAAI. “In this convention we will be having suggestions from our members who will be coming from all over India. So that we can make a paper for the betterment for the indusrty and take united stand from all our members present,” he added. The pre/post tours are offered in the most spectacular destinations – Lijiang, Dali and Yuxi (Fuxian). Stone Forest – considered as
an 8th wonder of the world, is also included as an option for the tours. The sleeping Beauty Mountain with a cable car experience over the most thrilling Lake Dianchi, is among the other attractions included in the overall experience. The most luxurious hotels – Dali Hilton; Hilton Fuxian and Wonderport International Hotel are chosen to host the delegates during these tours.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CONVENTION The inaugural event will be held in the most fascinating location – The Haigeng Convention Centre, a palace like facility. Delegates will be truly fascinated TAAI Exhibition is being held to facilitate B2B network between the delegates and Chinese tour operators, who are invited to join the event The 2nd TAAI Golf Tournament will be held on November 27th, 2018 at famous Dianchi Lake Golf Course, Kunming The pulsating entertainment is absolutely a delight – with top performing groups from India, China & Russia are participating Most incredible choice of menu will be offered to the delegates in the most plus style at the Intercontinental Hotel Airlines – Thai Airways; Shandong Airlines and China Eastern along with IndiGo for Domestic support have been a huge support to the convention Knowledge sessions on 28th and 29th will have a variety of global and national speakers interacting with the delegates TAAI Connect, the most amazing initiative taken up by TAAI, will be presented in the most upgraded manner which will be a huge attraction for the industry leaders
November 2018 7
IN FOCUS
Kunming will soon be a popular destination for Indians: Kumar This convention will be an eye-opener for those who are ready to connect with this opportunity, plan the right steps to support the growth and success, says Sunil Kumar, President of TAAI. Rajesh Tiwari
Q. How important is this Convention for the travel agents and tourism stakeholders of both countries? A: The 65th TAAI Convention in Kunming is a historic event, since it is being held as a huge tourism connect opportunity of two large countries of the world – China & India. For TAAI, in its 68 years, this is the first time that a TAAI Convention is being held in China. This event was possible due to extensive discussions and design that was in progress for over an year. For the industry stake holders, certainly this is a huge opportunity and one must optimize it. TAAI Conventions have always brought huge visibility to the destinations where the event is held, and Kunming will soon become a popular destination for India. TAAI’s endeavour is to attract a mutual tourism growth, both ways and believe this convention is an initiative towards the same.
Q. How do you look at the potential of Kunming? What kind of travellers it can attract from India? Kunming as a city and Yunnan as a province, are exceptionally impressive and attractive. The close proximity with India is a huge draw. Quality of hotels, particularly those that are chosen for our Convention and the pre-post tours are impeccable and reflect high luxury. These kind of properties can encourage tourism (leisure); MICE and importantly specialty events like weddings, that Indian’s are well known for. Another feature of the convention in Kunming is the golf initiative TAAI has taken up and the splendid golf courses in Yunnan will also get the desired visibility. Q. What is the theme of the Convention? What message TAAI wish to convey through this theme? Theme of the Convention is ‘Tourism Beyond Boundaries’. Travel and tourism is an incredible opportunity of invaluable value for the whole World. It is far beyond a mere ‘Industry’. It is more. It is an enterprise that offers myriad advantages for everyone involved to expand their horizon; beat the limits and optimize this important activity. Tourism brings the world together. It is a pursuit people inhabit and an ongoing quest that supports business; leisure and discovery. Over 1.3 billion international arrivals during 2016 is an astounding economic impact. Nations thrive on Tourism. Many jobs are created. The global economic bandwidth is fascinating.
Q. Kindly throw some lights on the business sessions and speakers? How many delegates are expected to attend the Convention?
8 November 2018
Sunil Kumar President TAAI
The registration process has been closed almost a month prior to the Convention since the convention is a limited edition, about 550 delegates will be attending the event. There are two days of knowledge sessions; 28th & 29th November, 2018. We have global speakers and national leaders interacting with our delegates. The sessions endeavour to empower the delegates with updates; trends; opportunities and support architecting one’s own design to sustain success in the evolving environment.
Q. How has been the year 2018 from associations’ point of view; what were the major initiatives that you would like to talk about? For TAAI, every year is a build up over the previous year. 2018 has witnessed many challenges the market place has posed for the industry stake holders. TAAI continues to represent the industry to help overcome these challenges and offer newer approaches to facilitate growth and development. 2018 also continued to take TAAI to higher levels of membership; extensive interaction on IATA matters with nation-wide orientation on the revolutionary NewGen ISS resolution that IATA has come up with. NAMASTAAI has upgraded in content and design to a higher level and has become even more popular among the readers. The icing on the cake has been the launch of TAAI Connect, the Digital Empowerment Program. This will revolutionize the way a travel agency will want to reflect its image and service to its customers. It’s a huge initiative indeed.
Q. China being our neighboring country is an important source market for India; how can we get more from this convention? what are your suggestions? Yes. China is an important neighbor. It is a huge opportunity as well. China’s growing outbound and offers to the world must be capitalized by Indian Industry. This convention will be an eye-opener for those who are ready to connect with this opportunity plan the right steps to support growth and success.
OPENION
TAAI Convention to lead the growth of tourism business between India-China
I
ndia and China are the two most populous countries and very important emerging economic powerhouse for the whole world, who also shares a significant trade and politically cordial relationships. The flow of business travellers between the two countries is large, however the genuine tourist is a very small decimal point. Despite big campaigns and e-visa facilities only 2.4 lakh Chines tourists visited India last year against 14 lakh Indians who visited China. Countries all over the world are making a big pitch for attracting Chinese tourists as their numbers have crossed 144 million last year, the highest in the world it is just enough for India to get 10 per cent of Chinese tourists in five years which could be about 14 lakhs taking our current overall number of global tourist arrivals to a promising and significant level of what it is now. While the international outbound leisure travel from India in comparison may be at an early stage of development, India’s economic and demographic indicators, together with societal changes, point to it being a market of huge potential in the near future. We believe it has the potential to become a multi-billion dollar opportunity, rivaling the Chinese outbound travel opportunity capturing headlines today, which has seen a rapid development of its airlines, airports, hotels, destinations and the broader travel and tourism industry, hence there is a learning to gained here and we as a source market can emerge as a significant driver of future economic and socio political policy formulation. By 2025 there will be 13.9 million international leisure departures from India, generating 19.4 million Indian visitor arrivals overseas (given traveller propensity to visit more than one city/country when they travel), delivering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4%. (Source CAPA report). International holiday travel will be driven by a predominantly younger, online-savvy generation of travellers seeking to discover iconic destinations, create new adventures, and travel more independently than their families have ever done. Their travels will be fuelled by
Sanjay Narula Vice President TAAI & Co Chairman 65th Convention & Exhibiation of TAAI
By 2025 there will be 13.9 million international leisure departures from India, generating 19.4 million Indian visitor arrivals overseas (given traveller propensity to visit more than one city/ country when they travel), delivering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4%. rising incomes, and by doing so, will help encourage others to do so and TAAICONNECT is your Associations, attempt to help you capture that opportunity. This team of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has taken upon itself very key and important challenge to explore new venues for tour operators to exchange business between India and China. Kunming is yet a lesser known destination to the India traveller with great potential. Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, is known as ‘the City of Eternal Spring’ for its pleasant climate and flowers that bloom all year long. As southwest China’s transportation hub, the city plays a significant role for connecting Southeast Asia and China. The city also provides links to many popular destinations elsewhere in Yunnan such as Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La. I look forward to welcome all of to Kunming to discover, learn and engage in business and profit from the deliberation and session at the event.
Welcome to Kunming and Welcome to the 65th TAAI Annual Convention 2018. By Sanjay Narula
November 2018 9
OPENION
Need to support each other in tourism, Mayal
T
AAI’s Secretary General Jyoti Mayal in an opinion piece says that business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses that of oil exports, food products or automobiles. And therefore, shared cultural and historical linkages make India and China attractive source market for each other to develop.
Travel & Tourism is an integral part of country and sooner a country realizes the strength of this vertical it moves towards progress and creation of jobs, foreign exchange earnings and most importantly in growth of infrastructure. Over the decades, tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Modern tourism is closely linked to development and encompasses growing number of new destinations. These dynamics have turned tourism into a key driver for socio-economic progress. Today, the business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses that of oil exports, food products or automobiles. Tourism has become one of the major players in international commerce, and represents at the same time one of the main income sources for many developing countries. This growth goes hand in hand with an increasing diversification and competition among destinations.
China is a very important source market for all our business needs and TAAI as the oldest nodal body has taken a very important initiative to promote and partner to showcase China specially the Yunnan Province which is an integral part of China as a Tourism destination for not only our leisure market but also of other avenues as promotion of Education and as a Cultural destination. This initiative of taking our 65th Convention to Kunming will surely play a very important role in development and showcasing the province to our participating membership. We not only believe in promoting a new destination but also believe in the three E’s – ‘Educate, Entertain & Enjoy.’ Today the travel business is evolving rapidly and we need to look beyond the old destinations we promote - ‘Beyond Boundaries‘ We also need to educate ourselves how other countries are approaching travel and tourism’s day to day challenges and take home the good learning’s and use them for our betterment. These conventions are a two way lane. When we participate in such conferences not only do we educate ourselves but also share our knowledge to the people at the participating destinations & thus make it a win-win situation for both. China is our neighbor country and with a population of about 2.6 billion jointly we need to support each other
Jyoti Mayal Hon Secretary General TAAI
to promote tourism. If India and China decide to work in focus to promote tourism we would not need any other country. China and we have a cultural bonding. Buddhism should play a very pivotal role to strengthen our bond. I as the Secretary General and a member of the association am confident that all our member participants will bring back lot of learning’s, fond and enjoyable memories, new avenues to diversify in and also act as Ambassadors of India to be able to generate inbound business. By Jyoti Mayal
NEWS IN BRIEF
ADTOI Meet promotes networking among members Shayan Mallick
A
ssociation of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) recently organized its second General House Meeting (GHM) under the current team that took over the rein of the association a couple of months ago. Continuing with theme based GHMs aimed at showcasing various Indian states; the October meet was Durga Puja themed in order to highlight the state of West Bengal. The meet was organised on October 29 at The Metropolitan hotel in downtown Delhi. Commenting on the meet, ADTOI President PP Khanna said, “We started theme based GHM in order to add value to the event and better educate and equip members with new and better product information. This is also an opportunity for the state tourism departments and our chapter team and members to work more closely and have their
10 November 2018
respective region better showcased at our events. Besides, the theme based meet make it only more interactive. We have showcased a better West Bengal from tourism point of view today and then there are B2B buyersupplier meetings too.” “Going forward I would love to see more states and ADTOI chapters coming forward and taking advantage of this opportunity to better show case themselves. There is lot of opportunity for our members to enhance and create new business prospects among themselves,” he stressed.
promote the Himalayan part of the state but also West Bengal’s diverse tourism offerings like heritage, festivals, Sundarban, river cruise, among others, that can not only make the product attractive and exciting but also a lot more experiential.
The event was also attended by some of the ADTOI West Bengal members led by ADTOI West Bengal & North East Chapter Chairman Debjit Dutta. Dutta made an informative destination presentation highlighting different regions of the state and asked the members present on the occasion to not just
Manish Sharma, Dy. Resident Commissioner, Government of West Bengal was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Sharma took the opportunity to reinforce West Bengal’s tourism diversity. Going with the theme, the event also had performance on ‘Mahishasura Mardini.’
IN FOCUS
TAAI Convention a major event in Sino-Indian tourism exchange, CNTO With the bilateral tourism just over a million that include 819,000 as China’s share and 247,000 as India’s, the twoway tourism pales in comparison to what it could be. Tian Xin, Director of CNTO office in India believes that the informal Jinping-Modi meet in April in Wuhan earlier this year will help deepen mutual trust and open new chapter in bilateral relations and events like the TAAI Convention are steps in the right direction. Shayan Mallick
Q: How do you look at Indo-China bilateral tourism ties at the moment? A: With the rapid rise of outbound tourism both in China and India, the bilateral tourism exchanges between the two countries have also shown a closer trend. Chinese President Xi Jinping held an informal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 27-28 in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province. The two-day meeting was of historic significance to maintain strategic common interest and deepen mutual trust, opened a new chapter in bilateral relations, which shows the outside world the two neighbours are determined to strengthen their win-win partnership. The summit will have a huge impact on the tourism exchanges between the two countries in the future.
Q: What do you think is the source market potential of India for China? A: CNTO takes India as a very important potential tourism source market. With the rapid rise of outbound tourism in India in recent years, CNTO is going to focus on the promotion of China’s tourism routine and resources to the tour operators and public in India in using of various ways.
to enhancing mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between peoples in our two countries.
Q: How do you look at the significance of B2B destination marketing strategies in order to develop a source market? What are CNTO India office strategies on this front? A: At present, the tourism between China and India is mainly in the form of group tours due to the language and diet reason. And B2B marketing is one of the most important ways to promote tourism destination. CNTO is always providing various B2B platforms for the Indian travel agencies. We invite over 70 travel agencies from India to join in tourism festivals and fairs in all over China, and over 200 to join in promotion seminars which are held in India by many provinces of China, providing B2B exchange opportunities to travel agencies from two countries.
Q: Kunming China is hosting 65th TAAI Convention later this month? How does CNTO view the strategic importance of hosting such an event for the destination? A: About 500 Indian travel agencies and representatives from tourism industry and about 40 Indian media leaders are going to Kunming for the annual convention, which will last for 4 days. The holding of the annual convention will play a positive role in promoting the host city, as well as promoting the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the tourism, economy, trade, aviation and hotel.
Q: What are CNTO’s expectations from the forthcoming TAAI Convention?
Q: Kindly highlight key tourism source-market advantages of India for China tourism?
A: TAAI is one of the most important tourism organizations in India. It has a large number of members, covering all aspects of inbound tourism, outbound tourism, domestic tourism, hotels, air tickets, etc., and plays an important role in Indian tourism industry.
A: Both China and India are big countries with large populations. India’s economy has grown rapidly in recent years, and the outbound tourism also. The advantages of India’s tourismsource-market for China are not only economic but also conducive
The TAAI Annual Convention which is going to be held in China, has received strong support and assistance from the Chinese Embassy in India and the People’s Government of Yunnan Province of China. It is a major event in SinoIndian tourism exchanges.
Tian Xin Director CNTO office in India
Hope that through the annual convention in China, enable the friends of the Indian tourism industry to have more acquaintance and understanding of China’s tourism policies, resources, product routes, reception conditions and facilities. I hope that the delegates from TAAI can interact with the China tourism industry, learn from each other, exchange experiences, and conduct business cooperation extensively to jointly develop more and better tourism products to meet the needs of Indian tourists, organize more Indian tourists to travel to China, and attract more Chinese tourists to visit India, promote tourism exchanges and cooperation between China and India. Make more and greater contributions to the tourism industry and the economic development of the two countries. I wish the TAAI Annual Convention to be held in Kunming a complete success!
Q: Kindly share details on the latest arrival figures for the current year, expected number by the year end, current growth, if any, and previous two years (2016 and 2017) arrival and growth numbers? A: YEAR CHINA PERCENTAGE TO INDIA CHANGE
INDIA TO CHINA
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
2016
251313
21.8%
7.99 LAKH
9.4%
2017
247235
-1.6%
8.19LAKH
2.5%
November 2018 11
TRADE
TAFI Convention puts Abu Dhabi in the tourism spotlight
The TAFI Convention promises to develop destinations where it goes. The Abu Dhabi convention not only delivered on quality and content, it also kept its promise of showcasing Abu Dhabi with its myriad tourism attractions in an outstanding manner. And if the staggering growth that Turkey, venue of TAFI’s last year convention, has witnessed this year is anything to go by, Abu Dhabi may as well see a strong spurt in Indian arrivals too. Shayan Mallick
T
ravel associations’ conventions generally draw mix-bag of feedbacks, ranging from a total waste of time, to some good sessions and others not, to a few that are actually hailed. From the destinations point of view that host these events with a view to showcase themselves to a large number agencies in order to develop the source market, these conventions have sometimes delivered and often times not. The TAFI Convention that recently concluded at Abu Dhabi’s iconic Emirates Palace delivered on both fronts. Themed “Innovation – Transform – Disrupt: Redefining the Offline Travel World” in keeping with the prevailing market conditions, the convention was topical and relevant that took up the right discussions on industry’s issue and concerns as well as the opportunities. It was also crisp in format and planning, other than probably that not just one or two but there were three sessions of pep talk by management and motivational gurus that some found were a little too many, but insightful nevertheless. It brought some of the top industry experts and speakers from various parts of the globe enlightening the guests on how to adopt digitalisation and merge the new ways of transacting business in agencies’ existing offline business models. The convention also had B2B sessions with about 40 stakeholders and suppliers from Abu Dhabi. From the destination point of view, the convention created ample opportunity for
12 November 2018
TAFI delegates to experience the destination first hand, during the business days and later through the post convention tours. The halfday-business-sessions format allowed the delegates to explore Abu Dhabi in the secondhalf of the day. And then there were postconvention tours that provided delegates’ opportunity to experience first-hand the emirate’s growing tourism attractions; from the adrenalin filled Ferrari World and places like Warner Bros. World and Louvre Abu Dhabi museum to the beautiful Sheikh Zayed Mosque, dessert oasis, camel farms, dune bashing in the endless dessert, among others. Putting the spotlight on Abu Dhabi as a tourism destination, TAFI President, Praveen Chugh, said, “We have not come here to holiday. Our mission is also to bring
more and more tourists to this country. And it looks like it is very-very possible for us. There is no denying the fact that wherever we have done our conventions in the past, be it Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, Dubai, Israel, it can be witnessed that tourism (from India) to these countries have increased. Being the venue of TAFI Convention 2018, I am again confident that with luck and the strength of my country and membership, Abu Dhabi is going to see much-much better results than what this country is expecting from TAFI and from this convention.” Chugh said that in three years since TAFI held its convention in Israel, the country has witnessed 500 per cent growth, as has turkey that hosted TAFI convention in October last year and has since seen a staggering over 95
TRADE per cent growth in Indian arrival in the first seven-eight months this year over the same period last year. Undersecretary of Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Saif Saeed Ghobash, while welcoming the TAFI delegate to their 12th annual convention in Abu Dhabi, said, “We are happy to not only have the opportunity to welcome the many new faces to Abu Dhabi giving us the chance to showcase our famed hospitality and our world-class facilities such as Louvre Abu Dhabi but also we build bridges as we grow awareness about our destination in India and across the world. The Indian market is immensely important to us. It is one of our top three markets on the tourism front and it is one of our closest friends.”
Highlighting the strategic relation between India and UAE, of which Abu Dhabi is the largest and most prosperous emirate among the seven emirates, Navdeep Singh Suri, Indian Ambassador to UAE, pointed that with over US $ 50 billion in bilateral trade, not only India is the third largest trading partner of UAE but also at more than 3 million Indians, UAE has the largest presence of Indian nationals outside of India
Emiratis visits to India in order to forge closer bilateral tourism ties between India and UAE. Hailing Abu Dhabi as a wonderful and fascinating family destination, TAFI Convention 2018 Chairman, Bharat Shah, said, “Abu Dhabi has a huge potential to be promoted in our market and should form a standalone destination on our tourism venues. Just a short flight away, it makes for a perfect getaway, and now that they
who are contributing over US $14 billion in remittances annually.
have the Warner Bros. from USA and Louvre from France into our neighbourhood, it is all the more attractive.” He also said that the opportunity to meet and network with the Abu Dhabi’s tourism stakeholders will provide TAFI members to promote the wide and varied holidays that Abu Dhabi has to offer. “We will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the due potential about Abu Dhabi percolates in the tourism discourse in India,” Shah assured.
He informed that for the month of June Abu Dhabi received more visitors from India than any other countries. More than 29,900 Indian guests visited the emirate during this month, representing 3.7 growth over the same month the previous year. For the JanuaryJune 2018 period this represents over 19 per cent increase In Indian arrivals to Abu Dhabi over the same period last year. Calling on TAFI delegates, Ghobash further said, “You are a very crucial proponent to our tourism learning proposition, to our offerings and to our tourism story. We have everything here that you would want and possibly need. Whether you or your clients are here for business or pleasure, we have what you need, from the very best of MICE infrastructure and business support to the most fascinating cultural experiences, the most thrilling high octane entertainment experiences and the most luxurious hotels, malls and restaurants. Highlights that you could bid include the incredible Louvre Abu Dhabi, the newly opened Warner Bros. World and the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Mosque. Theses attractions are only just a scratch on the surface of what this beautiful destination can offer. We are very proud for our emirate and we hope you will be similarly impressed.”
Furthermore, drawing attention of the convention delegates to Emirati warmth and hospitality, Suri said, “Beyond the physical infrastructure that you see in this magnificent hotel (Emirate Palace) and that you will see in Louvre and other places, is the people, their warmth, their hospitality, and above all their openness. The Louvre itself in its vision reflects a conscious effort to bring east and west together. The spirit of tolerance that you see in this country today, you will see reflected in the wonderful temple that will come up in Abu Dhabi in a couple of years time for which work is very actively underway. So take back those softer intangible elements of the country as well.” He also insisted on the need to promote
TAFI Convention 2018 was hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). It was supported by Etihad Airways, Jet Airways, IndiGo Airlines, Emirates Palace Hotel Abu Dhabi, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. Royal Arabian was the DMC partner that handled the logistics in Abu Dhabi.
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TRADE
INWETEX-CIS Travel Market puts up grand show in St. Petersburg The international travel trade fair also successfully hosts the Saint Petersburg Travel HUB Forum on the sidelines, an event organized by St. Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development WH Desk
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NWETEX-CIS Travel Market 2018, an international travel trade fair, successfully concluded in St. Petersburg, the cultural capital of Russia. Also on the sidelines, Saint Petersburg Travel HUB Forum, organized by the Saint Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development, was held for the first time in partnership with the 26th INWETEX-CIS Travel Market 2018. The event proved itself a highly efficient site for the dialog and cooperation between the authorities, tourism and hotel business professionals, Russian and international industry experts. INWETEX-CIS Travel Market 2018 along with ‘Saint Petersburg Travel HUB Forum’ were for the first time held at the site of EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre, a stateof-the-art convention and exhibition facility.
The two day event was attended by over 3,000 industry experts and professionals. INWETEX – CIS TRAVEL MARKET 2018 International Travel Trade Fair opening ceremony was attended by the acting Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander
Beglov, Member of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Review Board of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Igor Fomin, Deputy Head of the Russian Federation Federal Agency for
Russia’s showcase window Shayan Mallick Russia’s old est travel mart, INWETEX – CIS Travel Market International recently concluded its successful 26th edition in the country’s cultural capital St. Petersburg. INWETEX was the first travel mart that opened door for tourism industry within and outside the country to grow Russia’s profile not only as a source market but also as a world-class destination waiting to be discovered by travellers from around the world. According to Lyudmila Ivanova, General Director of Saint Petersburg Express (Organiser of the event), INWETEX role is key in promoting inbound, outbound as well as in the development of domestic tourism. “We would like to help develop those who is devoted to travel and tourism in Russia. You see there are not so many big stands about Russian destination. Our goal is to receive all such destinations. Russia is very big and we would like to get all these regions to show that the country is big and travel
14 November 2018
agencies can chose different regions for promotions,” she said. Pointing that Russian destinations are waking up to the vast realities of tourism, its economic impact and other social benefits the sector brings in its wake, “We hope to receive all the regions at INWETEX – CIS Travel Market International showcasing themselves in full force. If a tour operators comes to our exhibition, they should receive all information about the different regions of Russia. That’s our goal and we are working closely with the Committee for Development of Tourism of St. Petersburg to make that happen. Russia is also one of the key international tourism source markets. Besides, with more than US$ 30 billion in tourism spend, Russian Federation is ranked as one of the top tourism spenders in world, and therefore, INWETEX also presents opportunity for international tourism offices to grow their share of Russia’s outbound tourism pie.
Lyudmila Ivanova General Director Saint Petersburg Express
Furthermore she also pointed that INWETEX would also look at creating new opportunities of education and learning in tourism by bringing in new ideas and innovations to the show. She said that technology is redefining the way travel is taking place today, and therefore, INWETEX is looking at introducing segments like ‘digitalisation in tourism.’
TRADE Tourism Sergey Korneev, Consul General of Greece Panagiotis Beglitis. This year over 200 companies and organizations from 24 regions of Russia and 14 countries all over the world presented their business capabilities and new offers. Saint Petersburg Travel HUB Forum’s busy agenda started with the plenary meeting “Tourism. Development trends, realities, experience. Focus on Saint Petersburg” moderated by Nika Strizhak, famous journalist and documentary filmmaker. Chairman of the Saint Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development Evgeny Pankevich spoke on the priorities and plans for the tourism development in the Northern capital. Positions of the legislative and executive authorities on current issues of the tourism industry were presented by Igor Fomin and Sergey Korneev. Prashant Chaudhari and Harmeek Singh, Heads of Visit Russia offices, shared their view of St. Petersburg as an attractive tourist destination for tourists from India and the Middle East countries respectively. Christopher Hinteregger, General Director of PKF tourism experts, described how tourist destinations may succeed in the total digital transformation era. Head of LOC Russia 2018 Dmitry Schneider shared his experience of preparation and staging of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ which laid the groundwork for even more successful staging of tourist attracting sports events in Russia. The World Cup as the country’s branding component case was analyzed by Pavel Rodkin, Assistant Professor at the NRU
Discover Russia at INWETEX Quite frankly I found INWETEX – CIS Travel Market one of the best travel shopping places for trade buyers interested in Russia and the regions’ diverse tourism offerings. We specialize in Russia and have promoted the country in India for the last almost two decades. And with over 200 suppliers that also included companies and tourism offices from scores of Russian region, including St. Petersburg that we represent in India as their official tourism office, our destination knowledge and insights and new product offerings are far richer. There are many knew things that I found can be very successfully promoted in the Indian market.
Prashant Chaudhari Managing Director Salvia Promoters
Besides the exhibition, I also found the business sessions programme very informative and extremely rich in content. Sessions like the one on “children tourism” were very insightful when it comes to developing new tourism products for a market like India from where huge outbound number comprise of families with children looking for the right destination to holiday
HSE School of Integrated Communications, destinations branding expert. During the specialized round table the professionals from various regions of Russia discussed in detail the experience of the cooperation in the preparation of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. The conferences on medical tourism and tourism diversity in Saint Petersburg were evaluated by the participants as efficient and eventful. The decision to hold both international INWETEX-CIS TRAVEL MARKET
International Travel Trade Fair and Saint Petersburg Travel HUB Forum was justified in full, says Lyudmila Ivanova, General Director of the SAINT PETERSBURG EXPRESS company – the trade fair organizer: Due to support of the Saint Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development both events created a powerful synergy and the tourism and hospitality professionals were able to obtain the maximum effect of the two days of communication with exhibitors and discussions with colleagues in the framework of the business program.
November 2018 15
GOVERNMENT
Princess of Thailand to attend the International arrivals into Asia Manipur Sangai Festival 2018
Pacific continue to exceed the global average
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hailand Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will visit Imphal to attend the Manipur Sangai Festival 2018, an annual programme organised by the state government to promote Manipur as a global tourism destination. Among others who would be gracing the fest include chief ministers of Sagaing and Mandalay regions of Myanmar and US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster. Every year the Government of Manipur, spearheaded by the Tourism Department, celebrates the Manipur Sangai Festival – also known as MSF, from 21st to 30th of November. The festival is named after the State animal – Sangai, the brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur. It started in the year 2010 and has grown over the years into a big platform for Manipur to showcase its rich tradition and culture to the world.
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The main venue for the festival will be at the Hapta Kangjeibung (Palace Compound) and Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT). These venues will host a number of cultural programmes as well as showcase the rich culture and tradition of Manipur. The 10-day festivalwill showcase the culture, handicrafts, indigenous sports, cuisines and music of Manipur, an official release issued on Sunday by Directorate of Information and Public Relations said.
Kerala Tourism launches microsite on ecotourism The microsite has information on an array of attractive packages for tourists, who love to explore Nature WH Desk
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erala Tourism today launched a microsite on ecotourism, highlighting the features of major destinations that nature lovers look for in the panoramic state. Minister for Tourism, Kadakampally Surendran, launched the microsite at his chamber in the Government Secretariat here. Pramod P P, IFS, Director of Ecotourism, Government of Kerala, was present at the moment. The pages of the website have detailed information regarding the mind-blowing richness and diversity of the God’s Own Country. It provides details about 47 nevermiss ecotourism spots, 75 videos, 200 photographs, 10 e-brochures and information on 100 ecotourism programmes. Offering a bouquet of trekking packages, ecotourism in Kerala ensures responsible tours to enjoy the beauty and grandeur of nature, besides seeking to create awareness
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oreign arrivals into Asia Pacific destinations continued to grow at better than the global average in 2017, reaching a record volume high of more than 646 million arrivals relative to 2016. According to the Annual Travel Monitor 2018 Final Edition (ATM) released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), international visitor arrivals (IVAs) into 47 destinations in Asia Pacific covered in this report increased by 5.7 percent and added close to 35 million additional arrivals to the collective foreign inbound count into Asia Pacific in 2017. In percentage increase terms between 2016 and 2017, the Pacific had the strongest annual increase at 5.9% year-on-year, followed by the Americas at 5.8%, while Asia kept pace with the Asia Pacific average of 5.7%. By annual increase in the absolute volume of foreign arrivals however, these positions were reversed with Asia receiving close to 25 million additional foreign arrivals between 2016 and 2017, followed by the Americas with a gain of almost 8.6 million and the Pacific with around 1.4 million additional foreign arrivals received over that period. Within the Americas, Central America showed the strongest incremental increase in foreign arrivals between 2016 and 2017, capturing 50.5% of the 8.577 million increase into the Americas over that period.
among the travellers on the need to conserve the environment with the help of local communities. The microsite has information on an array of attractive packages for tourists, who love to explore nature. Some of the mustsee ecotourism destinations of Kerala are Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (north Kerala), Silent Valley National Park (Palakkad), Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (Palakkad), Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary (Idukki), Periyar Tiger Reserve (Idukki), Shenduruney Ecotourism (Kollam), Eravikulam National Park (Munnar) and Chembra Peak (Wayanad).
Across Asia it was Southeast and West Asia that each captured the largest proportion of additional foreign arrivals into Asia between 2016 and 2017. While in the Pacific, Oceania received more than half of the additional foreign arrivals into the region, followed by Polynesia. At the individual Asia Pacific destination level, destinations with the strongest annual percentage growth rates in 2017 ranked as: All told more than 40% of the 47 destinations covered in this report had annual growth rates in excess of 10%; another 28% had annual growth rates in excess of five percent.
GOVERNMENT
AP capital Vijayawada to be on international airline route map IndiGo to connect Vijayawada with Singapore introducing twice-weekly starting December WH Desk
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new Andhra since its bifurcation in 2014, the state of Andhra Pradesh will witness its first international airline route connectivity between the state capital Vijayawada and Singapore starting December. The move comes as AP’s collaborative initiative with IndiGo to introduce international services from Vijayawada. As part of the partnership, IndiGo will operate twice-weekly non-stop services between Vijayawada and Singapore. The first flight will take off from Vijayawada International Airport on December 04, 2018, booking for
which is now open. IndiGo currently operates five daily non-stop flights to Singapore, connecting Chennai with twice-daily and one each from Bengaluru, Kolkata and Trichy. According to Ajay Jain, IAS Principal Secretary- Energy, I&I, “We feel exited to engage IndiGo Airline being a most preferred airline to connect state capital Vijayawada to Singapore. This will fulfil the dreams of Telugu Diaspora in Singapore and great convenience for our investors and business community”. Virender Singh, CEO- APADCL said “this is just a beginning to add more such flights to many more destinations”. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We feel absolutely privileged to be the first domestic airline to launch international services from Vijayawada in association with the Government of Andhra Pradesh. These twice weekly non-stop
flight services between Vijayawada and Singapore will further augment our regional connectivity that we aspire to provide across domestically and internationally.IndiGo will continue to provide an on-time, courteous and hassle-free service, and affordable fares to our customers, as always.”
Experiencing North East brings food, fashion & fun for Delhiites WH Desk
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ixth edition of the ‘Experiencing North East’, with an aim of connecting the eight Northeastern states with other regions of the country attracted a huge footfalls from Delhi and NCR. Organised by the North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) the event which is a part of ‘Destination North East’ series showcases the diverse culture and heritage of North East all under one roof.
There were five workshops focusing on various themes like Adventure Tourism in NER, Science & Technology Interventions in North East Region (STINER), Act East and NER etc. provided opportunities for discussions and brainstorming sessions. The fest had weavers from across North East Region who displayed their skill and wonderful creations. Handlooms of the region which has caught the attention of many displayed along with the exotic and organic local produce, processed food, multi-cultural and diverse cuisine of the region. In its sixth year, the fest has become talk of the town for its role in striking the revival of indie music in the city. The North East festival Rock Battle, one of the most popular events of this festival, has 25 of the top rock bands from across the country fighting it out. There was an interesting
line-up this year, with bands such as Still Waters, Tetseo Sisters and popular singers like Zubeen Garg and rapper Rahul Rajkhowa. Apart from this, the rich heritage of North East showcased through its art and literature, films and the rich musical talent from the region. The internationally acclaimed The Shillong Chamber Choir, Vinyle Records, Mayukh Hazarika and many more talents were kept the spirits of Delhiites upbeat during the 5-day event. The fest kickstarted with a food walk and highlighted the organic cuisine of the regions. This time the festival also put a stress on a lot of vegetarian delicacies from the states so that vegetarian food lovers can also enjoy and know about the food. The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh attended the closing ceremony of the ‘Experiencing North East’ festival, organised by the North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), in New Delhi.
November 2018 17
HOSPITALITY
ITDC signs MoU with Amity University to train hospitality aspirants ITDC to offer six months certificate courses and one year diploma in Hospitality trades through Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management (AIH&TM) WH Desk
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ndia Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC) hospitality major under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amity University Haryana Gurugram to offer Six months Certificate courses and One year Diploma in Hospitality trades through Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management (AIH&TM), one of the premier PSU Hospitality Training Institutes of the country under ITDC.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ravneet Kaur, IAS, Chairperson and Managing Director (C&MD), ITDC said that “We believe tourism and hospitality are two important segments contributing to nation building and progressive development. AIH&TM, the ISO 9001:2015 certified HRD wing of ITDC, has trained more than 28, 000 candidates through its Hotels and industry partnerships. With an excellent past placement record, we believe that this collaboration of ITDC and Amity University Haryana will impart skills to students and contribute to the growth of tourism in India.” The MoU was signed in the presence of Ravneet Kaur, IAS, Chairperson & Managing Director (C&MD), India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. by Piyush Tiwari, Director
(Commercial & Marketing), ITDC & Prof (Dr) Padmakali Banerjee - Pro Vice Chancellor, Amity University Haryana. Also present on this occasion were Pradip Kumar Das, director (F), Anita Bimal (General Manager- HRD and Principal AIH&TM), Dr. Bhavana Adhikari, Deputy Dean (Academics), Amity University, Prof Arunangshu Bhattacharya, Professor and Head of School, Amity School of Hospitality, Amity University and senior officers from both the organisations.
Tata Sons Chairman Chandrasekaran announces the opening of iconic Taj Connemara The 147-key heritage peoperty opens door after nearly two years of renovation and refurbishment
by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran and MD & CEO of IHCL, Puneet Chhatwal, at a glittering function at the renovated property yesterday.
WH Desk
The event announcing the grand re-launch of Taj Connemara, one of the crown jewels in IHCL’s portfolio, evolved into a soiree with Chennai’s who’s who gracing the occasion. The guests were treated with some spectacular performance by Manasi Scott and her band.
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fter nearly two-years of renovation and upgrade, Chennai’s iconic Taj Connemara has now opened door to guests. More than 160 years old heritage property, the hotel’s relaunch was announced
Dating back to 1854, the 147-key hotel’s legendary history has been brought to life with fresh and modern sensibilities. With Taj since 1984, the Taj Connemara is a proud relic of the colonial era and is named after Lord Connemara, the then Governor of Madras.
RCI adds hondaafushi island resort – fourth property in Maldives WH Desk
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CI announced its affiliation with another elite property in Maldives, Hondaafushi Island Resort. This addition brings RCI’s network in Maldives to a current total of four affiliated resorts. Located in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Hondaafushi Island Resort is a perfect holiday destination to enjoy white-sand beaches and turquoise waters of Maldives. In addition to the mesmerizing views of blue lagoons and extensive reefs, Hondaafushi Island Resort boasts a garden and terrace. It also has an outdoor swimming pool, spa and wellness center to those who seek a place
18 November 2018
for relaxation with a peaceful atmosphere. It is situated 50 minutes away from Male International Airport and guests can arrive here by 50 minutes domestic flight followed by a 10 minutes speedboat ride. Commenting on the affiliation, Sabina Chopra, Managing Director, RCI India shared, “Maldives is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world with its crystal-clear water of turquoise hue, vibrant marine life, remarkable coral reefs and beaches of pure white sand, covered by lofty palm trees and rich foliage. With this partnership we continue to strengthen both the number and quality of vacation choices
we are able to offer our members in premium holiday destinations.” Ahmed Hamza, Deputy Managing Director of AAA Hotels & Resorts said: “Through this strategic partnership, we believe that AAA Hotels & Resorts and RCI can together offer members an authentic taste of Maldives and turn their holiday experience into memories they can cherish forever.”
November 2018 19
NTO
Zimbabwe aims to capitalize growing Indian market Plan to conduct more familiarisation trips, roadshows for trade and one-on-one sales meetings in India Rajesh Tiwari
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imbabwe Tourism Board aims to capitalise on the growing outbound market from India and increase tourist arrivals to Zimbabwe. According to Karikoga Kaseke, CEO, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) India is an emerging source market for the country. “We want to see a positive growth from this market. Indians have heard of the country Zimbabwe because it is a cricket loving nation. However, they are not fully aware of the tourism facets of the destination,” he added. In an attempt to enhance the awareness about the destination, ZTA conducted a FAM for Indian travel agents. The FAM was an opportunity for Indian travel trade to have a first-hand experience of the wonders of Zimbabwe and can promote the destination further in their own country.
The agents were also present for the Sanganai/Hlanganani – World Tourism Expo 2018 held at Bulawayo city known as City of Kings. The two day Expo was an excellent platform for the Indian agents to network with various industry players of Zimbabwe and also interacted with some of the global tourism partners of the region. The group visited Bulawayo, Matopos, Hwange National Park, Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe and Harare. They enjoyed activities like Lion walk; cultural dinner at Boma; day and evening game drives in Hwange National Park; helicopter ride over Victoria Falls and sunset cruise on the Mighty Zambezi River. “We feel Indians are looking at exploring new and exciting destinations and Africa with its abundant wildlife and unique culture is a product they will love. Moving forward, we plan to conduct more familiarisation trips, roadshows for trade and one-on-one sales meetings in India with the help of VFS Global; our India representative.”
Zimbabwe is a wonderful, friendly and welcoming destination, situated on a high plateau in Southern Africa and lies between the Zambezi and the Limpopo rivers. such as its Wonderful People and Culture, Rich History and heritage, the Great Zimbabwe – the grand Medieval Palace, the Majestic Victoria Falls – Mosi-oa-Tunya, Pristine Wildlife and Nature, the Mystique of the Eastern Highlands and the Mythical Lake Kariba & the Mighty Zambezi. These wonders contribute immensely to the high degree of attractiveness that position the destination as a prime tourist and conferencing destination in the world. It is a landlocked country, bordered by Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana.
Said Salim Al-Shanfari takes over as CEO of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre WH Desk
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man Tourism Development Company (OMRAN) the developer of the iconic Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) project, which is the new landmark venue and business hub in Oman, has appointed through the Board of Directors of OCEC company Said Salim Said Al-Shanfari as CEO to lead the organisation through its next phase of innovation and growth. Al-Shanfari has rich experience
working in leadership roles in marketing and communications across Oman as well as in the region. He successfully completed Oman’s National CEO Program in 2017.The National CEO Program benefits individuals and corporations, preparing Oman’s brightest talent to compete in the global marketplace and aims to build the next generation of Omani leaders. With his leadership skills and experience from the CEO program, Al-Shanfari aims to promote Oman and
OCEC as a hub for regional and international conferences and exhibitions along with live events, as well as showcasing the natural beauty and essence of Oman. Al-Shanfari brings with him a wealth of experience as he progressed through various management positions during his eight-year tenure in Ooredoo Oman as Director of Business Marketing and most recently as the General Manager of Marketing Communication and Performance at Omantel. Commenting on his appointment, H.E. Mohsin Bin Khamis Al Balushi, Adviser at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of OCEC company, a subsidiary of Omran, stated, “Oman is now on the world map as one of the top tourism destinations, and we are confident in appointing Said Al Shanfari to lead OCEC
20 November 2018
Said Salim Said Al-Shanfari CEO OTDC
towards its vision of introducing Oman as a world-class destination for business events.” “We strive to continue our success in bringing international conventions whilst simultaneously ensuring we remain focused on delivering the very best service to our customers, delegates and stakeholders. A big part of Said’s role is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers,” he added.
NTO
New air capacity to bring more Indian travelers to Israel AI announces 5th weekly from Delhi, LY upgrades to Boeing 777-200ER from Mumbai Shayan Mallick
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srael’s robust tourism windfall from India continues and is poised to gain even more momentum in the coming months with the addition of new capacity on both New Delhi-Tel Aviv and Mumbai-Tel Aviv routes operated by Air India (AI) and Israeli flag carrier El Al (LY) respectively. According to the latest available data with Israel tourism office in India, Israel has received 48,800 Indian visitors for January-September period in 2018, recording a robust 22 % growth over the same period last year. Israel tourism is eyeing an ambitious 80,000 to 100,000 visitors Indian visitors in 2018. Come November 26, AI that was operating four weekly services on the Delhi-Tel Aviv route will make one more addition to its weekly services taking the total to five flights a week in light of growing demand for Israel as a tourist destination in India. The carrier launched Delhi-Tel Aviv route in March this year and has steadily seen the load factor on
the route grow from about 60 per cent in the beginning to well over 80 per cent by June. There are reports that the airline is planning to eventually start operating daily on the route sometime soon. Commenting on the enhanced air connectivity between the two country, Hassan Madah, Director – India & Philippines, Israel Ministry of Tourism, said, “Now that we have more capacity on the route so more people would be flying. I think the growth should be more than what we have seen so far. I think we should reach between 80,000 to 100,000 people.” Furthermore, Madah said, “Outbound from India is growing and so is it growing for Israel also. But at the same time we are very pushy in our campaigns and promotions in India and trying to take whatever we can. I think we can reach this number.” Israeli carrier LY that has been flying to India for almost 20 years has also last week deployed the bigger four-class configuration 279 seat Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft in place of the smaller 767 on the Mumbai-Tel Aviv route. The move by the carrier has been attributed to the growing demand and competition on
Hassan Madah Director – India & Philippines Israel Ministry of Tourism
the route. “Growing demand and competition has influenced El Al to not only bring the prices down but also to upgrade their aircraft on this route to Boeing 777-200 ER. Israel received 48,800 Indian visitors for Jan-September period this year, registering a strong 22 per cent growth over the same period last year and 58 per cent growth over the January-September period in 2016. In 2017 Israel received 40100 Indian visitors for the similar period registering a robust over 30 percent growth in Indian arrivals over the same period in 2016 when it received 30,800 India visitors.
Growing Indian Visitors: 2018 (Jan-Sep)
48800
22%
2017 (Jan-Sep)
40100
30%
2016 (Jan-Sep)
30800
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TTB opens Information Centre in Mumbai
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n an attempt to enhance the awareness about the tourist destinations, and facilitate the travellers who wish to travel the country, Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) opened its Information Centre in Mumbai recently. The Taiwan Tourism Information Center (TTIC) in Mumbai will be operated as a non-profit organization, promoting tourism through both domestic and international activities. Located in the TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) Taipei World Trade Center Liaison Office in Cuffe Parade, TTIC was inaugurated by Dr. Trust Lin, Director, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Singapore Office. His Excellency Chung-Kwang Tien, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, Rupa Naik, Senior Director of WTC Mumbai, the travel trade community, media and social media influencers were present on the occasion.
While speaking on the occasion, Dr. Trust Lin, Director, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Singapore office said: “To bring awareness among travel agents, the media and consumers about Taiwan as the perfect destination, in the last quarter of 2018 and in 2019, we will be conducting increased B2B and B2C activities. We will also be focusing on specialised segments such as Golf etc to drive growth from the top layer of the Indian market.” TTB will be concentrating on advertising, FAM trips for the media and the trade, roadshows and educational seminars and joint marketing promotions apart from participating in trade exhibitions across India. In 2017, 35,000 visitors travelled from India to Taiwan, and January 2018 showed a 19.79% increase over the same period last year; while March 2018 showed a 16.60% growth over the same period last year. While updating on the future plans, TTB announced that Taiwan booth will be
installed at Mood Indigo, Asia’s Largest Cultural Festival in Mumbai from 27th to 30th December where the popular Taiwanese Dance Group T.S.D will be performing as well at the event. Announcements were also made regarding two major events coming up in Taiwan – the Lantern festival from the 19th of February to 3rd of March and the Flora Expo which is from 3rd November 2018 to 24th April 2019. As informed by TTB, the country has emerged as the second top destination in Asia for cruise tourism. Last year there were one million cruise passengers to Taiwan and the destination is working closely with Singapore, Hong Kong and other Asian countries to further enhance this segment.
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NTO
JCB launches Facebook page to tap into growing events based tourism The page aims to disseminate information on business travel to Japan for business event planners, travel agents and event attendees WH Desk
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iven the growing recognition of rich dividend that business events like conferences, congresses and exhibitions bring to a destination, national tourist offices are increasingly improving their information and education channels in order to create the right buzz and improve the destination profile for events based tourism. In order to capitalise on the growing events based tourism travel, the Japan Convention Bureau (JCB), which is a part of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), has launched an official Facebook page for business events on October 1st, 2018. The official account – which differentiates Japan’s business events from general tourism, is expected to be a game-changer in the social media world as it aims to disseminate information on business travel
to Japan for business event planners, travel agents and event attendees. Lauding the latest JCB initiative, NIMA’s (Network of Indian MICE Agents) Founder Member and Coordinator – Events & Partnership, Jagdeep Bhagat, said, “It is high time that tourism boards, NTOs and their representatives start looking at the tourism possibilities through MICE perspective too. Most of them are represented by their leisure tourism bodies and hence there is practically no dedicated effort to promote MICE. At NIMA, we heartily welcome the social media initiative by JCB to establish a dedicated Facebook page for promoting MICE tourism to Japan.” Furthermore Bhagat added that NIMA would look forward to extend all possible support to JCB in showcasing Japan’s business events offerings for the benefit of Japan as well as NIMA members and stakeholders of Indian MICE industry. The Facebook page will illustrate why organizations should take their meetings to Japan by showcasing the destination’s
diverse offerings. The latest news concerning meetings, incentives, conventions and trade shows, as well as information on Japan’s cities, offers users facts, figures and images that will brand the image of Japan as a destination meeting planners can’t do without. The Japan Convention Bureau launched the Facebook page as part of the new campaign that was initiated early this year, with the advertising slogan, “Japan. Meetings & Events -New ideas start here -”. “Japan. Meetings & Events -New ideas start here -.” The slogan of JNTO’s Japan Convention Bureau tries to captures the global appeal of Japan as an innovative and exciting destination for international meetings, incentive tours, conventions and events.
DCT Abu Dhabi & MTA to promote Emirate as a world-class destination for Medical Tourism WH Desk
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he Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), to coordinate efforts to position Abu Dhabi as a world-leading medical tourism destination, with the MTA’s annual World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress event now being hosted in Abu Dhabi a major part of the agreement. This globally recognised event brings together experts and organisations from more than 100 countries worldwide and regularly attracts more than 10,000 visitors, approximately 200 exhibitors and sponsors and up to 100 hosted VIP buyers. The MoU agreement, which was signed by HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, and Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of Medical Tourism Association and the Chairman & Co-Founder of Global Healthcare Resources, opens a pathway for
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the two entities to strategically cooperate to further build a medical tourism proposition for consumer markets in several key areas, including Russia, China, India and across the GCC. The agreement also includes the opening of a new MTA office in Abu Dhabi as well as the production of a new Abu Dhabi Destination Guide, which will be used to further promote the destination for the targeted regions. Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “This agreement between our two organisations is in line with our mandate to promote Abu Dhabi on the world stage and to support Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030, which is designed to guide our emirate’s growth and development. The experience and knowledge shared under this MoU will greatly enhance the emirate’s ability to appeal to our intended markets as we look to increase the contribution of medical tourism to the UAE’s economy. “In addition, the MoU, by encompassing an agreement to bring the World Medical
Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress event to Abu Dhabi, further reinforces our reputation as a destination of choice for hosting significant business events.” Jonathan Edelheit, Chairman and CEO of the Medical Tourism Association said: “The partnership between the MTA and DCT Abu Dhabi will boost the medical travel industry. It is our goal to establish Abu Dhabi as the most trusted medical tourism destination, initiating joint trade missions into the GCC, China and the world.”
Visitors who love challenging adventurous outdoor activities will find much to satisfy their desires in Thailand, and if golf is high on their list, then this is the must visit destination, because the Kingdomof Thailand is renowned as Asia’s most popular golfing destination. Golf has been played in Thailand for almost a century with games recorded at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club as early as 1905. WH Desk
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ne of the world’s leading tourism destinations, Thailand is a land of secrets and surprises for everyone to discover and enjoy. As TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications Tanes Petsuwan, says, “Thailand excels at delivering a complete golf experience. Not only the diversity of the golf courses and standardised amenities but also the unique local experiences make Thailand competitive at regional and global fronts.” Over the years Thailand has greeted millions of tourists to experience the beautiful scenery as well as welcomed golfers around the world to tee-off as swing on the superb courses nationwide. Here are the nine reasons that make Thailand a Golf Paradise. Affordable: Thailand provides tremendous value in all the areas that really matter to visiting golfers. From wide range of hotel accommodation and golf courses to shopping in local markets or high-class department stores to the breadth of dining options and nightlife. Weather: In the cool season from November to February, the Thai climate is without any peers, Light breezes, constant sunshine and great conditions for a golfing holiday. Golf Courses: The Golf itself is the main reason, golf enthusiasts travel to a premier golf destination designed and developed
Nine Reasons to Play G o l f i n Th a i l a n d by internationallyarchitects.
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Locations: Even a golf course architect will tell you that ultimately it’s the landscape that makes a golf course attractive, challenging and memorable, From the bustling capital city of Bangkok to the beautiful mountainous countryside of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, from stunning beaches in Phuket to Ko Samui to the bright lights and amazing nightlife of Pattaya, from the quieter seaside town of Hua Hin, to the waterfalls and stunning scenery of Khao Yai, Thailand has an amazing assortment of golf courses. Caddies: A unique and truly memorable part of playing golf in Thailand. Predominantly female Thai caddies provide a level service that will stun many first-time visitors. Food: A truly mesmerising fusion of Asian, Indian and Western influences and varieties of Thai food. People & Attractions: The Thai people are known to be some of the friendliest in the world, always with a smile on their faces, they are very welcoming toward visitors. And there is so much to do outside golf you will be spoilt for choice. From visiting amazing temples, stunning beaches, experiencing world class spas there is much more to do in Thailand. Accommodation: No matter where you are staying in Thailand, you can find accommodation to meet your budget. From stunning 5 star hotels to modest Thai style bungalows.
Infrastructure: Many first-time visitors are surprised to find that Thailand has created for itself and its guests a thoroughly modern, first-world travel infrastructure.
Golf Destination in Thailand • Khao Yai • Pattaya • Chiang Mai • Phuket • Hua Hin • Bangkok and Around
Golf Events in Thailand • Amazing Phetchaburi Weeding Golf 2018 April - July • Pattaya Golf FestivalMarch – April • Chiang Mai Golf Festival May – June • Hua Hin Golf Festival August – September • Lady Golf ChallengeAugust • Thailand Golf Travel July
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AVIATION
Jet Airways receives 5th Boeing 737max WH Desk
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ince the induction of the airline’s maiden 737MAX on 28th June, 2018, another four have joined its fleet. The latest MAX – the airline’s fifth, is part of 11 MAX aircraft that Jet Airways will be inducting this fiscal year. Another 220 MAX aircraft are expected to join the airline’s fleet over the course of the next decade, as it expands its footprint and refreshes its in-flight experience on the back of a completely modern and contemporary product. Jet Airways remains the first and only Indian carrier to operate these advanced single-aisle fuel-efficient aircraft in the Indian skies. Equipped with a new and unique CFM LEAP1B engine, the 737MAX is designed to deliver exceptional performance and reliability with a fuel efficiency of up to 15 per cent that translates into a lower seat per mile cost as well as an extended range. It delivers a comparatively lower noise footprint (nearly
40 percent less) along with lower carbon emissions. The proposed induction of the 737MAX will enable Jet Airways to not only simplify its fleet structure but even reduce maintenance costs. Jet Airways’ 737 MAX is replete with numerous features that provide guests with a truly delightful flying experience. Guests stepping onboard the new MAX are greeted by a customizable and an eye-catching Sky Interior featuring modern-sculpted sidewalls, anti-glare LED lighting and other appealing improvements to both form and function. Redesigned overhead bins enable larger and convenient storage space for cabin baggage, facilitating faster boarding and ontime departure. The all-new MAX have been delighting guests on both domestic as well as international sectors including Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mangalore, Mumbai, Patna, Goa, as well as Dhaka, Colombo and Dubai. Since their induction, Jet Airways’ 737MAX fleet
has already completed over 2500 hrs of flying with the airline, connecting over 165,000 guests via more than 1100 departures till date.
Lufthansa’s India-Frankfurt WOW air announces flights flight now connects to Austin to Vancouver from New Delhi WH Desk
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ufthansa will offer five weekly flights from Frankfurt Airport to Austin – Bergstrom International Airport. With this new flight offering, Austin will become the German carrier’s third destination in Texas, following daily service to Dallas and Houston. Lufthansa will operate the Airbus A330-300 in a three class cabin configuration offering customers Business Class (42), Premium Economy (28), and Economy Class (185). Flights will be operated on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Optimally timed, flights arriving from India will connect perfectly to LH468 departing from Frankfurt at 10:05 am and arriving in Austin at 2:20 pm. On the return LH469 leaves Austin at 4:05 pm and arrives in Frankfurt at 9:10 on the following day thus comfortably reaching all departures to India. With the launch of the new route, Lufthansa opens up the world to all explorers. “With more and more Indians displaying a growing zeal for exploring the world, the launch of the new Frankfurt-Austin flight brings the world closer to Indians within the country as well as the Indian diaspora in Texas and Europe,” said Paurus Nekoo, General Manager Sales, India for Lufthansa Group. The new route will not only enhance overall connectivity, it will also make travel easier for business and leisure travellers as well as students going from India to Austin.
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OW Air, the recently launched Icelandic low-cost long-haul airline announces the flights to Vancouver from New Delhi. The flights to Vancouver will commence from June 2018 and will be operating from New Delhi thrice a week on Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. The airline has introduced inaugural fares for the sector with WOW basic fares starting from INR 21999 and WOW premium starting from INR 63160. The offer will be valid on select flights only when booked on a round trip. The airline will also be offering convenient connecting flights to and from Vancouver for passengers travelling between New Delhi and Iceland. Also the flight from Vancouver will have the layover in Iceland for 3 hrs 20 minutes and flight to Vancouver will have lay-over of 2 hrs 25 minutes. Announcing the new destination, Skúli Mogensen, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of WOW air said, “The feedback we have received from the Indian consumers is remarkable and this new addition will definitely give a boost to the response from the Indian market. We are eagerly waiting for the operations to begin from New Delhi in December.” WOW air commences service from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi (DEL) on December 7th 2018 with three weekly flights connecting passengers to North America and Europe over their hub in Reykjavik, Iceland (KEF). In January, the airline will be flying five weekly flights. The airlines is serving number of destinations from New Delhi including Iceland, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Baltimore, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles and Orlando.
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AVIATION
Etihad celebrates 15 years of flying Lines up a series of events and initiatives around the world to celebrate to occasion WH Desk
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bu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways that commenced flying on November 5, 2003 is celebrating fifteen years of flying since its first flight with a single Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The major milestone is being marked with a series of events and initiatives in Abu Dhabi and around the world, beginning with the unveiling of an exclusive collaboration with iconic New York fashion designer, Diane von Furstenberg. According to Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, “We are tremendously proud of Etihad’s achievements in just fifteen years. In this short time, we have emerged as one of the world’s most respected and recognised
airline brands, known for leading the way through innovation, and upholding the best aspects of Arabian hospitality. We can look to the future with renewed vigour and vitality, as the airline of choices, showcasing Abu Dhabi everywhere we fly. Furthermore, he said, “We express sincere thanks to our customers, our corporate and travel trade partners here in Abu Dhabi and around the world, and our people for their invaluable loyalty and support.” To mark the occasion, Diane von Furstenberg has worked with Etihad Airways to design limited edition cabin crew scarves and ties, which were introduced at a star-studded event at the spectacular Louvre Abu Dhabi. The stylish new accessories will be worn by the airline’s cabin crew throughout the month of November to celebrate its 15-year anniversary and its 10-year partnership with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
GoAir begins direct flights from 10 Indian cities to Phuket WH Desk
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“With the introduction of these flights, GoAir aims to amplify and replicate its domestic success story, redefining its fly smart experience and value proposition in the aviation industry.” He added India is a country of more than 1.3 billion people with a rapidly growing appetite for international travel. World Bank data shows that almost 22 million Indians travelled overseas in 2017 while the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020.
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Today, the UAE national airline operates a next-generation fleet of over 110 modern Boeing and Airbus aircraft, flying to 84 passenger and cargo destinations. Over the span of 15 years, Etihad Airways has operated over 840,000 passenger flights and has carried 139 million guests globally, served by a dedicated workforce of over 22,000 talented individuals hailing from over 150 countries.
IndiGo to launch Bengaluru-Hong Kong route on Dec 11 Bookings open with promotional fare starting INR 11499. Hong Kong to be IndiGo’s 15th international destination
oAir commenced its inaugural International operations with its first non-domestic flight between Delhi (DEL), Mumbai and Phuket (HKT). The flight also marked the first-ever direct flight from India to Phuket. Speaking on the occasion, the elated Jeh Wadia, CEO of GoAir said: “The level of interest from Indian travellers has been excellent. Thanks to Gulu Lalvani, who convinced me to open-up Phuket to the Indian market, we are making Phuket our Thailand hub. We already have routes from Mumbai and Delhi to Phuket, and by the end of next year we will increase this to 10 cities flying direct to Phuket.”
(L to R) Amina Taher, VP - Corporate Affairs, EAG; Actress Liv Tyler; Tony Douglas; IMG supermodel Joan Smalls; Robin Kamark, CCO, EAG; flanked by Etihad cabin crew in celebratory new limited edition scarves and ties
WH Desk
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ffective December 11, 2018, India’s largest low-cost carrier IndiGo will commence daily non-stop flight between Bangalore-Hong Kong, making Hong Kong its 15th international destination. IndiGo currently operates daily non-stop flights between India and Colombo, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, Male and Phuket. According to William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo, “We are delighted to announce Hong Kong as the 15th destination in our international portfolio. One of the world’s biggest financial hubs, Hong Kong constitutes a strategic market for us. Hong Kong also caters to all kinds of travellers, be it family or a group of friends, and we see huge tourism potential in future from India.” Boulter, said, “IndiGo will continue to expand its network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travellers wherever they demand it. It is our constant endeavour to provide more flexibility of choice to our customers as IndiGo continues to offer them on-time, courteous and hassle-free service, and an affordable flying experience always.”
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PICTURE GALLERY
TAFI Convention 2018, Abu Dhabi
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PICTURE GALLERY
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PICTURE GALLERY
ETAA organizes pre-Diwali networking session Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) – North India Chapter organised a pre-Diwali networking session on 20 October 2018 at The Firangi Island, New Delhi. Sponsored by Anchor Destinations and Travel Management, Kazin Travel Consultants and TravKart the event was attended by more than 175 people which included dignitaries like PP Khanna – President ADTOI, Ashwani Sharma – Chairman, TAFI North India, Ankush Nijhawan – MD, TBO Group, Kulwant Singh, MD Lama Tours and Arvinder Singh Sethi – MD, Sahibji Travel.
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PICTURE GALLERY
Clarks Inn Leadership Summit 2018 Clarks Inn Group of Hotels recently organised its 10th Annual Clarks Inn Leadership Summit at Khajuraho. The event was attended by Clarks Inn’s corporate team along with the General Manager of all its units from across the country. The event serves as a platform where Clarks Inn’s key managers and unit heads get together to evaluate performances and growth, learn from each other, chalk out strategies and the future course of action as well as unwind and relax.
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TECHNOLOGY
Jet Airways to deploy Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding Travelport will provide the same content as Jet Airways’ direct selling channels from April 2019 for online and offline agencies WH Desk
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eading travel technology company Travelport and India’s second largest airline by market share Jet Airways have signed a supplier agreement partnership that will be effective from April 2019. The renewed long-term partnership enables online and offline travel agencies around the world to shop, book and manage itineraries for leisure and business travellers using the airline’s extensive network and codeshare alliances. Jet Airways currently operates flights to 66 destinations worldwide.
Effective April 2019, Jet Airways will deploy Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding. Over 270 airlines worldwide are currently using Travelport’s ‘Rich Content and Branding’ by displaying graphical content, their fares families and a full range of ancillary products. Travelport will provide the same content as Jet Airways’ direct selling channels. Commenting on the latest development, Damian Hickey, Travelport’s Head of Air-Travel Partners, said, “Travelport’s commitment to the Indian travel market and the provision of the widest range of content has been further evidenced today with the announcement of this new mutual commitment between Jet Airways and our company beginning April 2019.
Furthermore, our position in the rest of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas where Jet Airways services the Indian diaspora, tourists and business people travelling to this amazing country - means that we are able to deliver to them a wide mix of international travellers. This is in addition to the millions of outbound and domestic Indian travellers they serve.” Travelport has seen a rapid expansion in India and beyond in recent years following the
acquisition of business from the largest online travel agencies such as MakeMyTrip, Ibibo, Yatra, EaseMyTrip and ClearTrip as well as working with the major corporate travel agencies and new entrants to the travel sector such as PayTM. Travelport has also expanded its footprint and capabilities considerably with leading hotel groups and aggregators in India such as Oberoi, Taj, Treebo and Trident.
Russian visitors to GCC to increase 125% by 2023 WH Desk
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he number of Russian tourists travelling to the GCC is expected to increase 125% from 933,000 in 2018 to 2.1 million in 2023, according to data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2019, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 April – 1 May 2019.The latest research published by Colliers International predicts the increase in Russian tourists to the GCC to create an extra 2.9 million room nights over the coming five years. Looking at the economic drivers, Russia’s links with the GCC have strengthened in recent years due to the introduction of additional airline routes; relaxed visa regulations for Russian nationals; the oil price recovery and stabling of value of the Russian rouble; a new generation of leisure attractions and retail destinations and a broad range
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Danielle Curtis Exhibition Director ME Arabian Travel Market
of hotels and resorts across the GCC region. Over the last 26 years, Russia has been well represented at ATM, with exhibitors including the National Tourist Union and Baltma Tours. Russian visitors to the exhibition increased 29% YoY between 2017 and 2018,
Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: Traditionally, the GCC has always been popular with Russian tourists. However, in 2015 the GCC experienced a large drop in the number of Russian visitors, which was a reflection of volatility in the financial and energy markets. As both factors continue to steady, we are once again witnessing a huge increase in Russian visitors and we expect this to continue. Russia continues to be one of the top 10 source markets for the UAE, with 530,000 Russian visitors entering the UAE in 2017, a 121% increase from the previous year. This increase stemmed from the UAE’s introduction of visas on arrival for Russian tourists in 2017. Colliers International expects this trend to continue in 2018,
with 895,700 Russian visitors expected, an increase of 69% from 2017. Supporting this demand, in June Emirates announced a third daily flight to Moscow, while in September the airline confirmed that it would be the first to fly an A380 to St Petersburg. Etihad Airways and flydubai have also increased their flights between the UAE and Russia, with flydubai twice extending its Russian network in 2017, adding flights to Makhachkala, Voronezh and Ufa, and daily flights to a second airport in Moscow Sheremetyevo International. Curtis said: “An increase of 121% on 2016 figures provides a significant boost to the UAE’s tourism industry and is supported by a number of stakeholders, from immigration initiatives to country’s hotels, its F&B venues, resorts, theme parks and malls – which all appeal to Russian visitors.”
DESTINATION
Kunming Pearl of Yunnan WH Desk
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nown as a pearl of the Yunnan – Guizhou Plateau, Kunming is a capital as well as the political, economic and cultural center of Yunnan province. As the only large city in the province Kunming is among the first group of China’s 24 national historic and cultural cities. Kunming as a city was built over 1,250 years ago when the Nanazhao Kingdom expanded eastward to build defensive walls around the territory, Kunming is home to an abundance of cultural heritage, such as Yuantong Temple, Qiongzhu Temple and Golden Temple. Many prominent figures also have their roots in Kunming such as Zhenghe Chinese admiral and explorer, Nie Er who composed China’s national anthem as well as many highly decorated generals who are graduates of Yunnan Military Academy. During China’s war against Japanese aggression, NSAU (Kunming Base National SouthWest Associated University ) became a pool of Chinese academic elites who collectively wrote a glorious chapter in China’s education history. Kunming is also part of the ‘Hump’ air route in WW II a paradigm of international cooperation in war. From the ancient Southern Silk Road to the strategic junction of today’s “Belt and Road” the city has always been a place inspiring people to pursue dreams.The city can be easily accessed with its well-developed transportation network including 8 domestic railways 5 international railways and over 300 air routes to every corner of the world.
and the world and connecting with China’s neighboring countries. Today Kunming is accelerating its pace to transform itself into a regional international hub capable of expanding. Kunming is a land of opportunity that is synonymous with spring promise and success. In Kunming spring has become eternal. In Kunming you will reap a better future. In Kunming, you will be fascinated by the beauty and vastness of Dianchi Lake. In Kunming, your imagination will be inspired by the fauna and flora growing on the 8,200-acre wetland.
With the rapid rise of emerging industries and bonded logistics, Kunming as an open city is becoming another destination of choice for international investments and capital.
The city is located on a plateau at an altitude of 1,891 meters surrounded by spectacular mountains. Its average annual temperature is 150 Celsius system. Its 21,000-sq km land is home to a population of 7.26 million from 26 ethnic groups. Its pleasant climate well-preserved ecosystem and biodiversity make the city a healthy habitat for people. ‘Healthy Spring City’ has become another trademark of Kunming.
As a critical hub of the Belt and the Road, Kunming is also the gateway to South and Southeast Asia. While driving the development of the central parts of Yunnan, the city is integrating with the rest of China
For three decades black-headed gulls from Siberia have been living in harmony with humans. With these birds Kunming bursts with much greater vitality every winter.
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DESTINATION Yunnan, a province of the People’s Republic of China, called Yun or Dian for short, is located in the far southwest frontier of the country. Yunnan refers to ‘the place south of the colorful clouds’ or ‘the place south of Yunling (cloudy ridge) Mountain’. The capital of the province is Kunming. WH Desk
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unnan spans approximately 380,000 square kilometers, accounting for 4.1 percent of the total land area of China, and is the eighth largest province in China. The province has a total population of 44.15 million (2009), accounting for 3.36 percent of the total population of China, and is the twelfth largest in China. Yunnan borders on Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhang Ethnic Minority Autonomous Region to the east, Sichuan to the north and Tibet Autonomous Region to the northwest. To its west is Myanmar and to its south are Laos and Vietnam. Yunnan is the most southwestern province in China, with the Tropic of Cancer running through its southern part. The Ancient town of Lijiang is the oldest town in Yunnan. Yunnan has 8 municipalities and 8 minority autonomous prefectures under jurisdiction altogether and includes 12municipal districts,9 countylevel cities,79 counties and 29 minority autonomous counties.
YUNNAN The Place South Of The Colorful Clouds
TOURIST STTRACTIONS Yunnan Pu’er Tea Culture Museum China is the home of tea. According to record Chinese people drink tea may began at Tang Dynasty, already has thousands years of history. The cultural characteristics formed during the tea drinking process are called tea culture. Tea culture include aspects of tea production, tea brewing, tea arts and ceremony, society, history, health, ethics, education, and communication and media issues. Yunnan Puer Tea Culture Museum located at Kunming downtown, it is the only provinciallevel tea culture professional museum in Yunnan Province. In the museum the main display Yunnan Pu’er Tea, tea set as well as provide visitors with Yunnan Pu’er tea tea, tea culture knowledge and interactive experience. Lake-ring Road This is known as the most beautiful lakering Road was called ‘New South Hunan Road’ it is a waterfront landscape road in the south shore of Dianchi Lake. It starts from Taishi Village, Jinning District and end at Gaohai Highway. It has a total length of
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11.783 kilometers and a total of 4 lanes. It is equipped with motor vehicle lane, bicycle lane, and walk way. Walking through the water, it is like a landscape gallery, all the way is scenery. Looking out from the railing, the beautiful scenery of the Dianchi Lake is unobstructed. Yuanyang Rice Terraces The Yuanyang rice Terraces, located in the southern part of Ailao Mountain in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province, are a masterpiece of Hani people. The terraces
reclaimed by the Hani people in Yuanyang vary with the landscape and adjust measures to local conditions. The large croplands are reclaimed on gentle slope and wild field, while the small ones are reclaimed on steep slope and narrow field, even the edge of ditch, bottom of ridge and stone gaps can be used to bring under cultivation. So the large terraced fields can be as wide as several mu, while the small ones are as narrow as dustpans, and there are tens of thousands of mu of those terraces on one
DESTINATION
slope. Yuanyang Rice Terraces are grand in scale and momentum, extending Honghe, Yuanyang, Lvchun and Jinping counties along the entire south bank of the Honghe river. There are 170,000 mu of terraces within the boundaries of Yuanyang County alone, which is the core area of Honghe Hani terraces. Dongchuan Red Land Dongchuan Red Land is located in the north by east direction of Kunming, under the jurisdiction of Dongchuan District, Kunming. The red soil developed under the high temperature and rainy conditions in Dongchuan of Yunnan Province, the sapphirelike sky, the marshmallow white clouds and the inconstant light constitute a magnificent scenery of the red land. Every year from September to December, some of the red lands have been loosen for planting, while others have been planted with green barley, wheat or other crops. From afar, it looks so gorgeous, like a piece of color painted by god. Weather Yunnan, a province of low latitude and high altitude, under the influence of dry continental monsoon in the winter and humid ocean monsoon in the summer, has very assorted climate types. The province’s seven types of climate zones are northern tropical, subtropical, subtropical and northern subtropical, temperate, temperate and highland climate zones.
Yunnan’s climate is characterized by small seasonal change in temperature, great difference in daytime temperature and regional contrast between dry and wet seasons. The regional differences in climate change are very clear and vertical. The features of Yunnan Climate are connected to the low latitude climate, monsoon climate, and mountain plateau climate. As is located in low latitude plateau, the air is dry and relatively thin. The amount of the heat of the sun is not only connected by the changes with solar altitude angle and subtractions, but also by the impact of clouds and rain. Transportation At present, more than 30 airlines home and abroad have opened flights to Yunnan. China Eastern Yunnan Airlines is the airline base
for Kunming Airport and mainland. China Southern Airlines and Air China have formed a flight wave in Kunming Airport, depending respectively on their powerful airline network of their hub bases in Guangzhou and Beijing. Air China and China Southern Airlines also set up direct routes to cities within Yunnan Province or ring fly routes, with a substantially year-on-year increase in density off lights. Hainan Airlines extend its reach into Yunnan feeder service market by establishing Lucky Air (based in Dali), and take Dali as a base to set up domestic airlines. China Southern Airlines, Air China, Sichuan Airlines respectively take Kunming Airport as their base abroad, park their planes at night, and then fly their planes away the next day. Spring Airlines improves its service and depends on the advantage.
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DESTINATION
Sangai Festival Manipur
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very year the Government of Manipur, spearheaded by the Tourism Department, celebrates the Manipur Sangai Festival – also known as MSF, from 21st to 30th of November. The festival is named after the State animal – Sangai, the brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur. It started in the year 2010 and has grown over the years into a big platform for Manipur to showcase its rich tradition and culture to the world. The festival is labeled as the grandest festival of the State today and helps promote Manipur as a world class tourism destination. Every edition of the festival showcases the tourism potential of the state in the field of arts and culture, handloom, handicrafts, indigenous sports, cuisine, music and adventure sports of the state etc. The festival strives to showcase and promote the best of what the state has to offer to the world in terms of art and culture, handloom, handicrafts and fine arts, indigenous sports, cuisines and music, eco and adventure sports as well as the scenic natural beauty of the land. Moreover, the festival has assumed great significance in recent years and every
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edition essential celebrates ethnic diversity of Manipur Society. Participation of various Indian States, foreign traders and cultural troupes in the festival this year will make it grander in scale and style. Further many entertaining items like Fashion Shows, Rock Shows, etc. The festival is the right venue for innovative people with innovative ideas meet on a common platform.
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PROGRAMME & VENUE The main venue for the festival will be at the Hapta Kangjeibung (Palace Compound) and Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT). These venues will host a number of cultural programmes as well as showcase the rich culture and tradition of Manipur. The venue at Hapta Kangjeibung will feature the indigenous huts of the varied tribes that inhabit Manipur. The venue for indigenous sports and water sports activities will be at the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex at Imphal and Takmu Water Sports Complex at Loktak, Moirang respectively. In addition to these venues, the Trade & Permanent Exhibition Centre at Lamboi Khongnangkhong will also serve as a venue for various stalls and also host other cultural programmes and sporting activities. The Department of Tourism aims to leverage MSF to attract increasing number of visitors to the state. With increasing participation
from neighbouring and other countries, the Manipur Sangai Festival expects to witness participation from several countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Maldives, Malaysia, Mauritius, and Zimbabwe etc.
ACCOMMODATION Hotel Imphal Hotel Nirmala Hotel Bheigo Hotel New Airlines Hotel Anand Continental
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS Mayanmar Manipur Cultural Conference Maha Ras International Polo Keibul Lamjao Ballet Trekking Expedition Water Sports at Loktak
Traditional Dance Adventure Sports Boat Race at Loktak
VENUE Cultural Exhibition Venue: Kangjeibung (Palace Compound) Indigenous Sports Venue: Mapal Kangjeibung Adventure Sports Venue: Different locations of Manipur spanning over all Districts of Manipur and in the Mini-Adventure Complex in the Main venue.
CONTECT Directorate of Tourism, North AOC E-mail: manipurtsm@gmail.com Phone: (0385) 242 1794 Fax: (0385) 245 0964
November 2018 37
APPOINTMENT
Nishant Agarwal General Manager Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach
Shannon Creado Area Director of Sales & Marketing Banyan Tree Phuket
Farhan Hamidani Director of Sales Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach
Nishant brings 19 years of hospitality experience to the beach hotel. In his role, he will be responsible for spearheading operations at the hotel. His well – versed knowledge & dynamic guidance, makes him accountable for steering beneficial strategies for the hotel. Under his solid leadership, team building skills, comprehensive knowledge of international standard service procedures and a strong background in F&B management, the team will be able to provide a tactical depth to the property. He has worked with leading hotel brands and gained expertise across various segments.
Creado’s successful career spans across 24 years, including 20 years in sales and marketing. He brings strong leadership and public relations skills, combined with extensive experience across Asia and a deep cultural awareness that will benefit the resort’s marketing efforts. Born and educated in India, Creado began his hospitality career in 1999, rising through the ranks until he became Director of Sales and Marketing for Goa Marriott Resort in 2006. He later took on Sales & Marketing Director positions in other Marriott resorts in Asia, as well as Anantara and MINOR Hotels.
In his role, Farhan will be responsible for leading and further evolvingall aspects of the sales, driving revenues, promoting brand strategies and providing the best of Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach’s hospitality experience to the guests. Prior to joining Accor Hotels, Farhan was associated with Hyatt hotels for 9 years where his first assignment was with Grand Hyatt Mumbai in the Food and Beverage sector. He later moved to Hyatt Regency Mumbai in the sales front and then transferred to Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa as the Associate Director of Sales.
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TAAI Special Edition
Volume V Issue II November 2018
Price ` 180 Per Copy
65th Convention & Exhibition of TAAI
'Tourism Beyond Boundaries' November 27th to 29th, 2018, Kunming,China
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