October16 by whereabouts

RNI No.: DELENG/2014/59308

www.whereabouts.in

Volume III Issue II OCTOBER 2016

Annual Subscription ` 660

Exclusive

Hari Ranjan Rao Managing Director MPSTDC

Need to Know

BHOPAL

THE CITY OF LAKES

Explore Israel with Your Family Whereabouts

ASSOCIATION

STATE

AVIATION

NTO

HOSPITALITY

CONTENTS Editor Rajesh Tiwari rajesh@whereabots.in +91 9818525672

Correspondents Jai Kishan Kaparwan Nisha whereabouts.in@gmail.com

Art Director 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

REGULAR NEWS IN BRIEF 6 ASSOCIATION 8 AVIATION 10 STATE 14 NTO 26 HOSPITALITY 30 CHECKIN 34 OTA 36 FACT & FIGURE 37 APPOINTMENT & EVENTS 38

Principal Advisor Anil Prakash

Legal Advisor Advocate Brijesh Tiwari

Production & Distribution Production Manager Subhash Distribution Executive Anoop Singh

Accounts CA Rishabh Rana

EXCLUSIVE 15

Hari Ranjan Rao Managing Director MPSTDC

Technical & Web Support 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, Phase-II, New Delhi 110028 and published from E-8/401, Nehru Vihar, Delhi 110094. Editor Rajesh Tiwari

NEED TO KNOW 18-19

BHOPAL THE CITY OF LAKES

EDITOR’S NOTE

ASSOCIATION 20-23 32 Annual Convention of IATO nd

September 18 to 21, 2016 Chennai, Tamilnadu

WHEREABOUTS 24-25

Explore Israel with Your Family

Dear Readers, While attending the Kerala Travel Mart I had an opportunity to listen the Chief Minister of Kerala Mr Pinarayi Vijayan; he was addressing the delegates came to attend the event. After addressing the foreign delegates he chose to speak in his local language, which was beyond my understanding. Later, while interacting to one of my colleague-belongs to Kerala, I asked “what was the message for locals?” He explained, there were some issues that the Chief Minister didn’t want to discuss in front of foreign delegates as it may impact the image of the state negatively. However, the exactly didn’t happen at the Incredible India Tourism Investor’s Summit during an open house discussion with officials of Ministry of Tourism and CEO’s of the Hospitality Industry. The session was meant to discuss the investment opportunities which unfortunately turned into a blame game between the government and private sector. Perhaps this was not the appropriate time to indulge in such dialogues. I appreciate the way Chief Minister of Kerala interacted with the private stakeholders of the state, and encouraged them to come with new zeal and ideas to expedite the growth of tourism across the state. Also I would like to share with you that Whereabouts has been honoured as the ‘Best Travel Trade Publication’ of the Year award at 32nd Annual Convention of IATO. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and everyone. Thanks for all your support.

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NEWS IN BRIEF MoT

ASSOCIATION

39 countries partecipates at 5th International Buddhist Conclave

ith a view to showcasing and projecting the Buddhist heritage and pilgrim sites of India, the Ministry of Tourism is organized the 5th International Buddhist Conclave from 2nd to 6th October 2016 in Varanasi-Sarnath and Bodhgaya in collaboration with the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. More than 275 persons from 39 countries are participating in this Conclave. Delivering inaugural address, Dr. Mahesh Sharma said that the solution of all modern day problems lies in Buddhism. The Prime

Minister Narendra Modi accords very high priority to Buddhism and which is reflected in record number more than 275 participants from 39 countries. And such a large number of participation of Buddhist delegates means a lot to us. He opined that the Buddhism has now become a world religion. He informed the participants that the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned huge amount of money for development of Buddhist circuit. His ministry has taken a lot of new initiatives in recent years for providing better facilities and help to foreign tourists visiting India, he added. The Conclave was inaugurated by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Culture in the gracious presence of Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of the Parliament of Lanka, Chavanee Tongroach, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports of Kingdom of Thailand, Marcio Favilla, Executive Director, UNWTO, Prof. Lokesh Chandra, President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, M/o Tourism.

ASSOCIATION

Auction 2.0 offers Luxury Travel Experiences around the globe Where in the world do you want to go?

ITE Foundation has launched Auction 2.0 a fund-raising initiative in support of its mission to enhance the awareness and effectiveness of motivational experiences and incentive travel. Proceeds from the auction help fund critical research and educational programming to elevate the knowledge and skills of incentive travel professionals around the globe. Held in association with the Foundation’s premier events, SITE Classic and SITE Nite North America, the online auction opens on 26 September and closes 24 October, following IMEX America. Participation in the auction is open to the public, so anyone can #bidforit.

Whether you’ve been longing for a relaxing escape at a luxury resort, or dreamed about exploring the world on an adventurous holiday, Auction 2.0 features dozens of exciting travel packages to destinations around the world – from the beaches of the Caribbean, to historic European skylines and bustling cities in the Middle East. Or, consider giving a friend, family member or a much deserving co-worker the gift of travel. With the auction’s “Buy Now” feature, you can instantly purchase the auction item and close bidding, immediately guaranteeing that you secure your desired travel experience. Packages will sell fast, so head over to www. siteglobal.com/auction to explore what’s available and #bidforit.

PATA Youth Symposium explores the role of youth in the future of tourism

he PATA Youth Symposium held in BSD-Serpong, Indonesia welcomed 193 students, alumni, lecturers and industry professionals from President University and other academic institutions in Indonesia to discuss the role of youth in the future of tourism. The event, hosted generously by President University with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia and the PATA Indonesia Chapter, commenced on the first day of PATA Travel Mart 2016 under the theme ‘Young Entrepreneurs’ Role in Tourism’s Future’. The programme commenced with an address by Dr. Mario Hardy, PATA CEO. He said, “Today’s youth are critical in addressing problems of the future. That solution starts today and we invite all students in attendance to share their views and opinions.” He also noted that the Association would have a primary focus on youth in 2017 and will begin to organise activities centred upon education, entrepreneurship and other skills. All participants shared their views in roundtable discussions on the following topics: ÂÂKey responses from students to the question: “What unique skills and talents do young entrepreneurs bring to tourism’s future? ÂÂA wider knowledge of technology, language and business skills ÂÂMarketing and communication in the age of digital technology and networking through social media ÂÂInnovation and creativity through new ideas, storytelling and identifying new concepts that make experiences unique ÂÂDelivered with passion, enthusiasm, energy and business execution ÂÂKey responses to the challenge ‘Identify two great ideas in tourism that only young entrepreneurs can do’. ÂÂNew technology: Apps, websites, virtual reality experiences ÂÂMaking old things new again - reality TV shows, traditional music and culture ÂÂMaking work fun

6 October 2016

NEWS IN BRIEF MoT

ASSOCIATION

86 MoUs exchanged in maiden IITIS India needs ‘Smart Forests’ like ‘Smart cities’

he maiden Incredible India Tourism Investors Summit an initiative by Ministry of Tourism in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry and the Tourism Finance Corporation of India received an overwhelming response from the industry. The IITIS 2016 had the participation of 29 states and Union Territories and about 3000 delegates attended the event. About 700 investible projects were offered, and 16 special state sessions were held. States also took part in an exhibition which was widely appreciated.

States like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttarakhand,and Chattisgarh exchanged 86 MoUs during the session and many more are in the pipeline, aggregating close to Rs 15,000 crores. IITIS-2016 had met the desired objectives and highlighted tourism investment potential in the country. Gujarat exchanged MoUs close to 9000 crores, Karnataka with 2600 crores, Rajasthan with 1000 crores ,Uttarakhand with 500 crores and Chhattisgarh with 12 crores. Also, B. R. Shetty Group is keen to invest 450 crores and Costa Cruise 750 crores and Triveni Singapore close to 800 crores in the country. The announcements made by Secretary, M/o Tourism Vinod Zutshi, included: ÂÂInstitutionalisation of IITIS to be held

OF Tigers, a leading NGO in the wildlife and nature tourism sector issued a call for the nature tourism industry to extend its vital role in protecting India’s natural heritage and re-wildling denuded landscapes, in the wake of a global study revealing that humans have destroyed a tenth of the Earth’s wilderness in just 25 years.

annually with the next Summit to be organized in September 2017; ÂÂSetting up of a task force headed by Secretary, Tourism, with membership from relevant ministries, state governments, and industry associations to undertake strategic planning; ÂÂSetting up of an investor facilitation desk to handhold investors and facilitate projects; and, ÂÂOrganising investor meets in States with the support of Ministry of Tourism. World Bank is supporting India’s Buddhist Circuit development and will provide support for sustainable tourism development including through funds, said Ms Cecile Fruman, Global Director, Trade and Competitiveness, World Bank.

“Governments should think ‘Smart Forests’ like we have ‘Smart cities’ in India with really targeted investment in protecting wild landscapes, in the people surrounding them, and the corridors that connect them, said Julian Matthews, Founder Chairman of nature tourism action charity, TOFTigers. “TOFTigers’ vision is to catalyse a new movement of support for nature conservation, local rural communities and re-wilding through the power of wellrun nature tourism particularly relevant as next year is the United Nations’ Year of Sustainable Tourism.” added Julian Matthews.

IATO Honours the Best

he Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) honoured ‘Whereabouts’ as the ‘Best Travel Trade Publication’ of the year during its 32nd Annual Convention in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Hon’ble Minister for School Education, Sports, Youth Welfare & Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu Thiru. Pandiarajan K presented the award in the gracious presence of the President of IATO Pronab Sarkar, Chairman Convention & Sr Vice President of IATO Rajeev Kohli , all Office Bearers, Executive Committee Members and the august gathering of 1000+ delegates from across the country. This award is a great appreciation to the outstanding content of the magazine. We are honoured to have this award which actually will remind us to contribute meaningful, relevant and rich content to the readers of our magazine.As a team we extend our sincere thanks to the President, Chairman Convention and Co-chair Convention along with all Office Bearers, Executive Committee and Members of the Association for recognizing us for this honour. Rajesh Tiwari Editor-Whereabouts

October 2016 7

ASSOCIATION

Abu Dhabi to host 63rd Annual Convention of TAAI TAAI along with the Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA) Abu Dhabi, announced free United Arab Emirates (UAE) visa to registered delegates who will attend the Indian Travel Congress. Jaikishan Kaparwan

he Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) finalised on Abu Dhabi as the venue for its 63rd Annual Convention & Exhibition. The Convention will be held from October 14 to 16, 2016 at Emirates Palace. TAAI is associating with Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) who have assured of their support for the event. Sunil Kumar R, President, TAAI, said that this Convention would be held at city of ‘Abu Dhabi’ which has grown into a ‘masterpiece’ in the world. “A survey conducted on 100 outbound passengers from India who visit Dubai, revealed that only about 5 percent visit Abu Dhabi, which is quite shocking. One prime reason is the inadequate awareness on the growing strengths of Abu Dhabi, particularly in the areas of tourism and MICE,” informed Kumar. Further elaborating on the convention Kumar said that it would be rich in its content as

Sunil Kumar R President TAAI

well as in offering experiential take-home to the delegates. “The content would focus on the importance of a fast changing ‘today’ and the urgent need for members to rise beyond the routine,” he added. The Convention in Abu Dhabi will have business sessions based on the theme ‘Tomorrow Begins Now’ Rise above Routine and project strategies and trends to conquer an Opportune Tomorrow. Elaborating more on the convention he said that there will be a host of pre and post convention tours with lively evenings.

A survey conducted on 100 outbound passengers from India who visit Dubai, revealed that only about 5 percent visit Abu Dhabi, which is quite shocking. One prime reason is the inadequate awareness on the growing strengths of Abu Dhabi, particularly in the areas of tourism and MICE. Speaking to the media Sunil revealed that TAAI team had held meetings with several airlines to offer the delegates attractive airfares. The convention will also have exhibitions on the sidelines that will offer exhibitor and vendors from the region valuable opportunity to connect with the fast growing Indian outbound industry and promoting India as a destination. ‘Inbound into India’ will be an important subject at the Convention to be discussed this year.

WTTC calls travel & tourism sector to be more accessible WH Desk

avid Scowsill, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has called for the Travel & Tourism sector to be more accessible, during a speech at World Tourism Day celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand. Speaking at the event Scowsill said, “Travel & Tourism needs to take accessibility requirements seriously. The imperative is not only moral, but it also makes good business sense.” The global Sustainable Development Goals provide a roadmap for a more equitable and sustainable future. If Travel & Tourism is going to be truly inclusive in its growth, it must ensure that it is accessible to everyone. Furthermore, nearly 15% of the world’s population is estimated to live with some form of disability. As populations get

8 October 2016

older, the number of people with special needs is going to increase. “Many tourism businesses can be deterred from making themselves more accessible. Sometimes they have financial concerns about the investment necessary to alter or refit their facilities, and at other times they are concerned about offending people. That is why days such as the World Tourism Day are so important. We need to raise awareness of the opportunities of accessibility and the mechanisms by which it can be achieved,” stressed Scowsill. Scowsill identified three priorities for the Travel & Tourism sector when it comes to accessibility: ÂÂUnderstand the market dynamics and opportunities when it comes to accessibility, and how they relate to your

business so that you can prioritise actions accordingly. ÂÂLook at what the leading players are providing and learn from them. Often some simple adaptations or a mere awareness of the needs of people with a disability can make a big difference. ÂÂPartner with organisations which have experience of working in accessibility, to ensure that what you are providing is appropriate and communicated effectively.

ASSOCIATION

Lower GST rates on tourism will encourage more investment inflow & job creation for overall economic development Jai Kishan Kaparwan

ccording to the Chairman FAITH Nakul Anand, the federation has identified that most of the nations (both developed & developing countries) recognise that tourism is a critical economic driver. They have kept the consumption tax on tourism lower to encourage investments inflow into job creation and for overall economic development. “Thus for labour and capital intensive sectors such as tourism (hotels, restaurants, airlines sites, tour operations, entertainment activities) GST rates (TR) were rated to be lower than 50% of the standard rate (SR) on other sectors in most of the developed markets,” said Nakul Anand while speaking at the outset of IATO annual convention in Chennai. “Even with India’s Asian competitors such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, their net indirect tax incidence on tourism is estimated to be between 6-9%. Thailand gets around 20 million tourists and earns ~ $ 30 billion in tourism forex, Malaysia gets around ~25m tourists and earns ~ $ 21bn tourism forex and Singapore gets ~11m tourists and earns around ~ $20bn tourism forex. Contrast this to India where the tourism indirect tax rates are among 18 - 25%, incoming tourists are just about 8

million and our tourism foreign exchange is ~$ 21 billion,” informed Nakul Anand. “FAITH firmly believes that GST rating of ‘< 10%’ will more than double both foreign travel coming to India to ~ 20 million tourists, foreign exchange earnings to ~

FAITH firmly believes that GST rating of ‘< 10%’ will more than double both foreign travel coming to India to ~ 20 million tourists, foreign exchange earnings to ~ $ 35 billion and domestic travel within India to ~ 2.5 billion Indian tourist visits.

Austria

SR-20%, TR- 10%

23m tourists,

$ 20 bn tourism forex,

Belgium

SR-20%, TR- 6%

8m tourists,

$ 12bn tourism forex,

Czech Republic SR-19%, TR- 9%,

9m tourists,

$ 8 bn tourism forex,

Finland

SR-22% TR- 8%

4m tourists,

$ 3.5 bn tourism forex,

France

SR-19.6%, TR- 5.5%,

80 m tourists,

$ 55 bn tourism forex,

Greece

SR-19%, TR- 9%,

15 m tourists,

$ 14 bn tourism forex,

Iceland

SR-25.5 %, TR- 7%,

0.8m tourists,

$ 0.5bn tourism forex,

Italy

SR-20%, TR- 10%,

46m tourists,

$ 43bn tourism forex,

Israel

SR-15%, TR- 0% m

3m tourists,

$ 5bn tourism forex,

Portugal

SR -20%, TR -5%+(

8m tourists,

$12bn tourism forex,

Spain

SR-16%, TR- 7%,

57mn tourists,

$60 bn tourism forex,

Switzerland

SR - 7.6%, TR - 3.6%

9m tourists,

$18bn tourism forex,

Sweden

SR - 25%, TR - 12%

11m tourists,

$14bn tourism forex

Nakul Anand Chairman FAITH

$ 35 billion and domestic travel within India to ~ 2.5 billion Indian tourist visits,” said Anand. This will have the potential to double tourism impacted employment to ~ 9 crores, increase India’s total GDP economic impact to 10 lakh crores + thus increasing India’s total share of GDP to >10% from ~ 5.5% currently. The global average is already at ~14% while China is at ~9%. GST standard rate (SR), GST tourism rate (TR) of some countries & their corresponding, tourism inflows were for example the following: FAITH makes recommendations to the newly set up GST Council After the presidential approval, the GST council has been set up recently headed by the Union Finance Ministers and constituted by the State Finance Ministers. FAITH has engaged in three intensive and successive rounds of communication with all members of the GST council. In the latest communication, FAITH has proposed to Classify Tourism & Hospitality businesses (hotels & resorts, tour operators, travel agents, tourism transport operators, convention centres, destination / amusement / tourist entertainment infrastructure creation companies in ‘<10% GST’ (less than 10% GST) slab or at half the standard GST rate whichever is lower.

October 2016 9

AVIATION

Air Europa and Turkish Airlines signed a codeshare agreement WH Desk

ir Europa and Turkish Airlines jointly announced the start of a code-sharing partnership effective as of October 1st, 2016 that enables both carriers to tap into new markets and offer their passengers more travel options. At the initial stage of their cooperation Air Europa will place its marketing code on Istanbul-Madrid v.v. route operated by Turkish Airlines while Turkish Airlines will place its marketing code on Madrid – Las Palmas/Ibiza/Palma de Mallorca v.v. and Madrid – Havana/Santo Domingo/Lima v.v. flights operated by Air Europa. Such an expansion of the codeshare agreement will

allow passengers to benefit from better connectivity and increased travel flexibility between Spain and Turkey and beyond the carriers’ respective networks. Air Europa´s CEO, Maria José Hidalgo said, “It allows both companies to continue its growth and expansion and gives us the opportunity to offer our passengers a wide and varied range of connections with all the advantages and comfort of a codeshare agreement.” “We are extremely pleased to sign this codeshare agreement with Air Europa providing access to 6 offline destinations in our network flights and aim to improve our partnership in line with our growth plans in

Ethiopian Airlines brings Google Seat View WH Desk

thiopian Airlines customers can now take a look inside the Cloud 9 Business Class and Economy cabins of their A350-900 XWB through a Google ‘Seat View’ tour of their newest aircraft. Africa’s largest and most profitable carrier is giving its prospective customers a chance to peek inside their newest aircrafts on Google! Ethiopian Airline’s Google Street View tour of the A350-900 XWB will allow passengers travelling between London Heathrow and Addis Ababa to take a closer look at the seat of their choice before their trip.

This feature will be especially helpful to passengers thinking about bidding for an upgrade to Cloud 9 Business Class through Ethiopian’s PlusGrade programme. Although the close-up views of A350’s industry-leading BCE Diamond seats would be enough to justify the Cloud 9 upgrade, Ethiopian Airlines further enhanced their virtual tour by integrating pop-up panels to highlight special cabin features. These panels are present throughout the aircraft and contain helpful information such seat specifications, IFE offerings, and Cloud 9 food and beverage menus. Moreover, customers can then book flights, manage existing reservations or log into their ShebaMiles account after finishing the tour with just a single click on corner sidebar. The A350-900 XWB is the second aircraft Ethiopian Airlines has put on Google Maps following the positive reception of their B777-200LR’s Street View tour. The airline also plans on adding their new B787-800 Dreamliner onto Google Street View in the coming weeks.

10 October 2016

Latin America as Turkish Airlines. Moreover, we believe that this partnership with Air Europa will not only maximize the travel opportunities offered to our passengers through the networks of both airlines but also bring enormous benefit from a commercial perspective,” said Temel Kotil Ph.D. Deputy Chairman and CEO of Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines connects 242 international destinations and Istanbul, as the only city in the world having settled on two continents, serves as the main hub of the global carrier. It offers transcontinental advantages of its location in Eurasia and makes connecting flights to destinations all around the globe easier than ever.

Qantas Airways offers special value adds WH Desk

ly with Qantas Airways to Hamilton Island or Sydney and enjoy special value adds during a stay at One&Only Resorts in Australia located in Great Barrier Reef and Blue Mountains. Reserve a luxurious stay at One&Only Hayman Island or Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley and present the Qantas Airways ticket or boarding pass to avail AUD 100 (INR 5000 approx.) resort credit per stay per adult. Valid for travel till 31 March 2017, the resort credit can be used for relaxing spa therapies like Ocean Dreaming Massage at One&Only Hayman Island, wildlife and nature-based activities at Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley and culinary delights at the One&Only Australia resorts. One&Only Hayman Island is Australia’s iconic private island resort surrounded by celestial-blue waters and verdant cliffs reaching into endless sky for those who treasure escape and grand adventure. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley’s magnificently secluded private villas, each with their own shimmering pool with breathtaking beauty of 7,000 acres of protected terrain and activities introducing to the region’s flora and fauna.

AVIATION

Vistara inaugurates daily service to Port Blair from Delhi and Kolkata Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara, added, “While Port Blair itself offers a lot to see and do, including the historic Cellular Jail and an excursion to the neighboring Ross Island, we have also timed our flights to offer the most convenient connections to and from the most popular inter-island ferries such as to Havelock Island.”

WH Desk

istara, India’s fastest growing full service carrier, inaugurated operations to Port Blair, as its flight UK 747 took off from Delhi for Port Blair via Kolkata, at 0720 hours. With the addition of Port Blair to its rapidly expanding pan-India network, Vistara now serves 18 destinations across the length and breadth of the country. The new service to Port Blair offers a daily flight from Delhi and Kolkata (same aircraft service via Kolkata), with arrival and departure timings that allow for convenient connections to ferry and catamaran services between Port Blair and Havelock Island. The island is the site of Radhanagar Beach, voted Asia’s Best Beach by Time magazine. Commenting on the launch of the new services, Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara, said, “The Andamans are a beautiful part of India with rich history and breathtaking natural beauty. We are pleased to offer both

Phee Teik Yeoh CEO Vistara

the visitors, and the wonderful residents of this region, the chance to experience ‘the new feeling’ of flying Vistara, an airline that is setting new standards of service excellence, when they travel to and from Port Blair.”

Port Blair, with a population of 110,000, is a perfect fit for Vistara’s growing network for leisure and business travellers alike. The city is a gateway to a group of over 500 islands in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, boasting of an indigenous culture, South Asia’s only active volcano, rich marine life as well as wildlife, world-famous pristine beaches, and thrilling underwater sports. Its reputation as one of the most beautiful holiday destinations in Asia also gives a major boost to its fishing and handicraft industries. Railway

Etihad signs codeshare agreement with Kulula WH Desk

tihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, continues to build its presence in Africa through a new codeshare agreement with Kulula, South Africa’s award-winning low cost carrier. The codeshare deal offers Etihad Airways customers flight options to a number of key cities in South Africa that include Cape Town, Durban, George and East London via Johannesburg. Etihad Airways will place its EY code on kulula’s scheduled flights between Johannesburg and these popular coastal cities. This agreement allows guests access to through-check-in and baggage transfer to their final destination. The new codeshare services commenced from 3 October 2016, with travel from the start of the Northern Winter schedule on 30 October. The agreement with Kulula strengthens Etihad Airways’ commitment to Africa and brings the total number of destinations that it serves across the continent to 23 through its existing codeshare partnerships

with Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and strategic equity partner Air Seychelles. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said, “Through the agreement, Kulula will give inbound passengers direct access from Johannesburg to four key destinations along South Africa’s renowned coastline, and I am certain the extended reach offered through this partnership will appeal to business and leisure travellers alike.” Erik Venter, Chief Executive Officer of Kulula’s parent company, Comair, said, “We are delighted to be adding Etihad Airways to our growing list of strategic airline partnerships and are excited about exploring additional opportunities to expand on the relationship. We look forward to welcoming Etihad Airways’ customers on board our flights.” Etihad Airways currently operates scheduled services to 10 destinations in Africa, namely Johannesburg, Nairobi, Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Khartoum, Casablanca, Rabat, Lagos, Cairo and Mahé in the Seychelles.

Railways planning to set up tourists help desks at 24 stations

ith the aim of protecting tourists from being fleeced by touts, the railways is setting up Railway Protection Force Tourist Help Desk at 24 stations including Agra, Ayodhya, Puri , Tirupati and Varanasi to ensure hasslefree journey for passengers. The help desk will be manned by trained RPF personnel round the clock. They will assist and guide passengers in getting transportation, hotels and other required information related to the area. The help desk is being set up in close coordination with state police at 24 stations which have high tourist footfall. Railway stations at Amritsar, Thiruvanathapuram, Gaya, Rae Bareli and Agra are being taken up at the first phase and other stations such as Haridwar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Allahabad, Dwarka, Howrah, Kamakhya and Tirupati will be taken up in the next phase.

October 2016 11

AVIATION

Jet Airways appoints Jayaraj Shanmugam as Chief Commercial Officer a proven track record of orchestrating customer service and customer experience strategies, as well as service innovation and business strategy.

WH Desk

et Airways, India’s premier international airline, announced the appointment of Jayaraj Shanmugam as its new Chief Commercial Officer. Since joining Jet Airways’ in mid-2015 and as Sr. Vice President of Products & Services, Shanmugam has been instrumental in sharpening the organization’s focus towards delivering superior guest engagement experience together with a host of outstanding, innovative initiatives. In his new role as Chief Commercial Officer, Shanmugam will be responsible for leading Jet Airways’ commercial teams to maximize revenue streams and use its market reach, people capabilities and brand appeal to accelerate the airline’s reputation for service excellence and efficiency. Specifically, his responsibilities will cover areas of product enhancement, guest services, passenger and cargo sales, marketing as well as corporate communications. He will also oversee other critical functions such as airport and in-flight services, catering, revenue management, cabin crew and e-commerce. A well-qualified and seasoned aviation professional, Shanmugam, 53, brings more than two decades of rich, hands on experience gained at best-in-class signature brands within the global aviation and telecommunication sectors, including, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Maxis Berhad, to his new role. Having led and managed large format teams across multiple geographies in diverse roles spanning sales, services and operations, Mr. Shanmugam possesses

A Singapore national by birth, Shanmugam is a MBA (Marketing) from the Nanyang Business School and graduated with Honours Degree in Political Science from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Commenting on his appointment, Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways, said: “I am delighted at Jayaraj’s appointment as the Chief Commercial Officer of Jet Airways. He has been a key member of our Executive management committee and brings a wealth of experience pertaining to global best practices and service orientation, together with his contemporary, out-of-the box approach to manage our growing operations. I wish him luck and look forward to him working closely with our entire management team and the Jet Airways family”. Shanmugam will be based at Jet Airways’ headquarters in Mumbai and report to the CEO.

Travel anywhere in India Singapore Airlines & with cheaper airfares Air Mauritius sign codeshare agreement WH Desk

lpfly, an independent travel company announces its launch with its jaw dropping plans and offers for the avid flight travels. Alpfly brings six different lucrative plans and offerings. The company is brainchild of Zuheb Khan, Maneet Singh Chandok, Ravi Kant Gupta and Shehroz Zaman Khan. The founder’s vision is to be the leading travel solution provider in the travel industry, providing effective and efficient travel services to the people across India. Commenting on the launch, Zuheb Khan, Founder, Alpfly said, “At one point of time, when there is a need of cheap air tickets in India we have all experienced the tiresome process of searching. With the numerous search engines available and ever fluctuating prices, the process of manually searching for the best airfare deal is somewhat confusing. Alpfly’s cheapest plan is the Star Plan, where one person gets 10 air tickets for a period of 12 months against a payment of INR 21,999. The cost works out to INR 2199 per ticket. The Couple Plan offers tickets at INR 29,999 and offers you the opportunity to travel alone or both of you together. Going on, the family plan is for INR 39,999 which includes a couple along with kids.

12 October 2016

he codeshare agreement is expected to take effect for travel from November 1st, 2016, subject to regulatory approvals. Under the agreement, Singapore Airlines will add its ‘SQ’ designator code to Air Mauritius-operated flights between Singapore and Mauritius. Air Mauritius currently operates three flights per week on the route. “We are delighted with the new agreement with Air Mauritius, which will add the beautiful island nation of Mauritius to the SIA codeshare network. This is another example of how we are continuously looking to expand our reach to provide customers across the SIA network with more travel options,” said Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Tan Kai Ping. “Air Mauritius is pleased to announce Singapore Airlines as a codeshare partner as we look to further strengthen the Mauritius – Singapore route. This new partnership will enable our customers to benefit from the networks of Air Mauritius and Singapore Airlines through Mauritius and Singapore,” said Megh Pillay, CEO of Air Mauritius.

October 2016 13

STATE

Andhra Pradesh receives ‘in principle’ approval to set up new airport projects The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu, commemorating World Tourism Day 2016 Tourism for All promoting universal accessibility, unveiled a plethora of activities which the state is undertaking to promote tourism in the state.

convenience. In sync with this year’s theme ‘Tourism for All – promoting universal accessibility’ we endeavour to extend all the facilities to all sections of the society including specially abled people, young children, senior citizens thereby creating an environment of convenience and comfort for all our tourists.”

WH Desk

“Every economic indicator clearly points out that the road ahead for Andhra Pradesh is very bright and the in the coming days the state with flourish in all the aspects be it job creation, exports, investments etc. Our policies need to be redesigned in accordance with the requirements and we need to innovate ourselves continually and only then will we be able to fulfil our potential,” he added.

ecently the steering committee on Greenfield Airports headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, has given ‘in principle’ approval to three new airport projects in Andhra Pradesh in Bhogapuram, Dagadarthi (Nellore) and Orvakallu (Kurnool). To further promote tourism around Bhavani Island the government is also forming a Special Purpose Vehicle called Bhavani Island Tourism Company which will be actively engaged in planning and development of islands in River Krishna and river front on its banks. Government will also construct 9 jetties along the coast for Andhra to cater to tourism. Speaking on the occasion, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh said “Andhra Pradesh has one of the finest networks of rail, road, ports and airports through which one can reach every nook and corner of the state in the shortest span of time and with utmost

With an aim to promote Andhra cuisine to international and global platter the state government will host a Culinary Olympics next year in Visakhapatnam and within six months traditional Andhra cuisines such as ‘Pootharekulu’ etc. will be developed through R&D at international level. The Department of Tourism is also planning to organise ‘Pulasa Panadaga’ at Kakinada in November this year and ‘Rayalaseema Ruchulu’ in January 2017. Motivated with an overall agenda to promote tourism in the state, AP will constitute a statutory Board for Tourism, Culture and Heritage in place of the existing departments of Tourism, Culture and Archaeology with

N. Chandrababu Naidu Chief Minister Andhra Pradesh

separate Authorities for Tourism, Culture and Heritage. The state which has set out with a rejuvenated outlook to actively realise its tourism potential, is also inviting its citizens to participate in creating a new logo for AP Tourism. Banking on a hub and spoke model with the concept of ‘one destination leading to many destinations’ the state has segregated itself to 5 major tourism hubs - Anathapuram (Srisailam), Tirupati-Nellore, KakinadaKonaseema-Rajamundhry, Amravati and Vishakapattinam. The state also has immense investment opportunities in hotels, capacity building for human resource etc.

MoT approves projects of Rs. 500cr for Jammu & Kashmir WH Desk The Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) chaired by Union Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi for the ‘Swadesh Darshan Scheme’has approved projects to the tune of Rs. 500 Crore as part of Development Package of Prime Minister Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) for integrated development of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. New projects include Integrated Development of Tourist facilities at Mantalai

14 October 2016

– Sudhmahadev – Patnitop Circuit for Rs.99.99 Crore, Baramulla-Kupwara-Leh circuit for Rs.99.98 Crore, Rajouri - Bafliyaz - Shopian - Pulwama Circuit for Rs.99.99 Crore and Anantnag-Kishtwar-Pahalgam – Daksum - RanjitSagar Dam Circuit for Rs.99.75 Crore. In addition, Rs. 99.99 Crore has been approved for integrated development of tourist facilities in lieu of damaged assets in the floods. The projects envisage tourist infrastructural development in Jammu and Kashmir. Highlights of the project involve developing

a Convention Centre in Gulmarg and Patnitop, development of Ethnic Villages, Development of Water Sports Centre at Baghliyar Dam - Pool Doda. Other major intervention proposed in the circuitsinclude last mile connectivity, tourist facilitation/ interpretation centre, base camps for trekking, facilitation centre for pilgrims for AmarnathYatra, Sound and Light Show at Shalimar Bag, illumination of heritage structures, provision of eco friendly vehicles, Enhancement of tourist facilities at golf courses across the state.

I wish to bring private sector at forefront says Hari Ranjan Rao Madhya Pradesh is among the most proactive states of the country whether it is tourism or any other segment. This is the only state which has a ‘Tourism Cabinet’ where all tourism related ministries come together and open-up new avenues to expedite the growth of the industry and its stakeholders. In an attempt to leverage the growth potential of tourism in the state, the Managing Director of MPSTDC Hari Ranjan Rao is very keen to bring private players at the forefront in tourism sector. Here are the excerpts. Rajesh Tiwari

or overall growth in any industry Government’s active participation is utmost important and this growth can be doubled if the private sector goes hand-in-hand. Working on the same lines the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) aims to enhance the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for massive growth in tourism sector. According to Hari Ranjan Rao, Managing Director, MPSTDC, “Definitely the Government has to play a key role in all around development of tourism more importantly as a facilitator and a policy maker. However, it is the private sector that has to take the advantage of Government’s policies, and come forward for a healthy Public Private Partnership (PPP). This can bring a tremendous growth for the industry stakeholders as well as for the Government.” While elaborating on the PPP model Rao said, “My ambition is bringing the private stakeholders at the forefront in Madhya Pradesh. In an attempt to enhance the involvement of private stakeholders in various projects in development pipeline, we have taken a number of initiatives for ease of doing business; the new investor friendly tourism policy, opening more reserve forests for recreational activities, development of Hanumantia and state’s own travel mart (MPTM) are among them.”

Definitely the government has to play a key role in all around development of tourism more importantly as a facilitator and a policy maker. However, it is the private sector that has to take the advantage of Government’s policies, and come forward for a healthy Public Private Partnership (PPP). This can bring a tremendous growth for the industry stakeholders as well as for the Government. The government is largely focusing on the ease of doing business. As the state has huge tourism potential it can attract a chunk of investment from private sector. Madhya Pradesh Tourism in coordination with the State Forest Department will open more reserve forests for tourism by creating recreational areas within the natural habitat. The Forest

Hari Ranjan Rao Managing Director MPSTDC

My ambition is bringing the private stakeholders at the forefront in Madhya Pradesh. In an attempt to enhance the involvement of private stakeholders in various projects in development pipeline, we have taken a number of initiatives for ease of doing business; the new investor friendly tourism policy, opening more reserve forests for recreational activities, development of Hanumantia and state’s own travel mart (MPTM) are among them. Department of the state has already notified almost 15 such areas for recreational activities, and will be opening more areas for tourism related activities. “The decision to open reserve forests for recreation for tourists is that of the Forest Department whereas the MP Tourism will be playing the role of a facilitator. While MPSTDC itself will be setting up activity centres at few such places, the department will also be inviting private stakeholders to invest in such places,” informed Rao. The state has 33 percent forest cover and to utilize this potential the tourism department has introduced wildlife recreational zones. This initiative will be an advantage for the tourist to explore forest like never before. According to him, MP Tourism is formulating a Master Plan for the tourism development of Hanumantiya whereas speed boats and houseboats etc. will be introduced with due consideration for the carrying capacity, and more pieces of land will be identified for development of resorts at Indira Sagar. The state is organising third edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart (MPTM) from 14 -16 October. The idea behind this mart is to facilitate one-on-one interaction between the stakeholders of the state and foreign buyers. “The mart aims to create a platform that will offer the perfect environment for the like-minded people to interact and do business together. Our goal is to ensure each participant, whether its the exhibitor, buyer or visitor, gets value for their investment and time spent,” he concluded. The state has received 77, 975, 738 domestic and 4, 21, 365 foreign tourist in the year 2015.

October 2016 15

STATE

Namah Nainital Monsoon Mountain Marathon India’s premium hill resort, the Manu Maharani Hotel recently hosted the seventh edition of the prestigious Namah Nainital Mountain Monsoon Marathon, an event that takes place on the last Sunday of August every year. Neha Kirpal Nainital

upported by Uttarakhand Tourism, State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (SIIDCUL) and the DS Hospitality group, the theme of this year’s edition was to promote Uttarakhand during the monsoons. The event was organised by an NGO called run2live, headed by an athlete of international fame Harish Tiwari. District sports officer of Udham Singh Nagar, Suresh Pandey was the event director. The race started from Mallital Pant Park and was flagged off by Bollywood actor Hemant Pandey. The event saw massive participation from around 1,500 long-distance athletes as well as amateur runners from various parts of the state including Haldwani, Rudrapur and Pithoragarh. The men’s open category (21 kms) saw more than 150 participants. The other categories were women’s category (10 km), junior and senior boys and girls, and veterans. There was also a Run for Fun category for children. The winners were awarded a total prize money of more than Rs 2.5 lakhs. The first 100 runners received finishing medals and all those who finished the marathon got timing certificates along with two nights’ complimentary stay in Nainital. Namah, a premium luxury brand of the DS Hospitality group, was associated with the event which has organically grown into a kind of brand over the years. Manish Kumar, General Manager, Marketing &

Sales of Namah said, “As a title sponsor, we see a lot of potential in promoting such events domestically as well as internationally. We want to promote Nainital as a young destination. We would like this to be a part of the itinerary for travelers who come here. In the present time, when India is looking to develop a sports culture, such an initiative will go a long way in ensuring this objective.” Poonam Chand, Deputy Director of the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board further added, “Adventure tourism is yet a thirst area in the state. This event gives rise to tourist inflow in Nainital, as after the monsoons is the best weather in the city. We will soon add it to the annual calendar of Uttarakhand Tourism events.” She also mentioned that World Tourism Day (27th September) would be celebrated this year with trekking events organized across all 13 districts of the state. 45-year old Stephan Van der Merwe, a resident of South Africa, won the second prize in the veteran category. While he said that the uphill route and topography of the marathon was not all that easy, running against the backdrop of the scenic Naini lake was a unique experience—with frames that keep changing with each kilometre. The hill town even has some charming bird sanctuaries at Pangot and Kilbury. Further, the Terai district offers rich diversity in terms of flora and fauna— encompassing everything from forests to wildlife, waterfalls and lakes. The organisers of the marathon hope that like Stephan, more and more enthusiastic marathon runners will combine their passion for the sport with their love for travel.

Marathon Tourism Amsterdam, Paris, New York, London, Berlin, Stockholm, Istanbul…the list of marathon destinations is long and exciting. Classic half, full, mega-marathons, ultramarathons and beach marathons…the list of the various kinds of marathons is also interesting with something suitable for everyone. Marathon tourism or ‘runcations’ as they are called are becoming increasingly popular the world over. One of the biggest sensations in the marathon space is the idea of competing in a race on all seven continents.

16 October 2016

Tour operators are lapping up the trend, creating special packages for vacations in exotic locations with a marathon thrown into the mix. Races like the Boston Marathon have been drawing athletes for several years. With the new emphasis on Asia, countries like China (Beijing Marathon), Japan (Tokyo Marathon) and North Korea (Pyongyang Marathon) have found new ways to draw in athletes, raise money for charity, and put themselves on the tourist map in a distinctive way. The new and emerging trend is catching on fast as the number of marathon tourists the world over is only increasing.

Indians and Marathons India is poised at an interesting stage when it comes to marathons. Currently, our country holds the records for both the oldest and youngest marathon runners in the world. 101-year old Fauja Singh, a British Sikh centenarian marathon runner of Punjabi Indian descent is a world record holder for the oldest marathon runner. Another India-native Budhia Singh was the youngest person ever to finish a marathon at the age of three; by the age of four, he had completed 48 marathons.

STATE

KTM 2016 received record number of foreign buyers along with participation of ten new countries Rajesh Tiwari Cochin

he ninth edition of Kerala Travel Mart held from 27-30 September in Cochin received highest number of foreign and domestic delegates. The number of registered international delegates has risen to 560. Domestic participation has been buoyed as well with nearly 1,300 domestic buyers participated this year. The mart had 265 stalls featuring a range of products, packages and services offered the travel trade fraternity of Kerala. As many as 57 foreign countries participated at the trade event this year, including 10 for the first time. The new entrants to KTM include China, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Georgia, Chile, Greece, Iran and Botswana. Domestic buyers from 20 Indian states are also participating in the event which is the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest travel show focused on a single destination. While inaugurating the event in the gracious presence of A. C. Moideen, Minister for Co-operation and Tourism, Government of Kerala , Suman Billa, Joint Secretary Tourism Govt of India, Dr V Venu, Secretary Tourism, Kerala, U V Jose, Director Tourism, Kerala, KTM Society President Abraham George the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, said that the government places utmost priority to clean and sustainable environment, and sought the support and cooperation of the industry in its Haritha Keralam initiative. While addressing the delegates especially the local community of Kerala the Chief Minister emphasized on the need of cleanliness across the state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wellness and Ayurvedic segment is not properly regulated, services are imparted by untrained people resulting in adverse image to the state. Hence we are planning to permit only trained professionals in the Ayurveda sector, and consider setting up training centres for the same,â&#x20AC;? added Vijayan. A. C. Moideen, emphasized to speed up responsible tourism activities to more destinations to spread the benefits of tourism evenly across the state. While Dr V Venu said that the tourism potential of Western Ghats will be tapped, Kochi will be promoted as an art capital, village life and home stays will be supported.

October 2016 17

NEED TO KNOW

BHOPAL THE CITY OF LAKES Split by a pair of lakes, Bhopal is two cities within a city. Towards the North you have the old city, a fascinating area of mosques, serpentine alleys, chowks, milling crowds, exotic havelis and crowded markets. South of the two lakes is the new Bhopal. Modern, with wide roads, shopping complexes, plush hotels and restaurants nestled comfortably in the Arera and Shamla Hills, which overlook the lakes and the old city beyond. The central district is known as New Market. Both Bhopals attract you in their own way and vie to bring out the child within you. Compiled byJai Kishan Kaparwan

s interesting as the city itself is the story about how Bhopal got its name. The city was founded in the 11th century by the illustrious Paramara King of Malwa, Raja Bhoja. The king was engaged in a fierce power struggle with his contemporaries the Chalukyas, Chandelas and Kalchuris. He built a pala (dam) to secure his eastern frontiers. This led to the formation of the beautiful Bada Talab (Upper Lake). He then built a fort and laid the foundations of a city that was named Bhojpal, from King Bhoja’s pala. Over a period of time Bhojpal came to be known as Bhopal.

The most glorious phase of Bhopal’s history was heralded by the Begums who ruled the city for over a hundred years. The Begums were great reformists and patrons of education, art, culture and public works. They built several great monuments, which still stand as testaments to the city’s glorious past.

Tourist Attractions in Bhopal Taj-ul-Masajid The Masajid ranks amongst the largest mosques in the continent of Asia as it covers a sprawling 23312 square feet of land. The minarets are 206 feet tall. The construction was begun by Sultan Shah Jahan, Bopal’s Begum but owing to want of funds, it was not completed during her reign. The year 1971 saw its completion when Allama Mohammad Imran Khan Nadwi Azhari initiated efforts to complete the mosque, which attracts viewers with its imposing size, pink façade and intricately carved pillars and ceilings.

Lakshmi Narayan Temple TheTemple is located on the Arera Hills in Bhopal. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi and houses beautiful idols of Goddess Lakshmi and her husband Vishnu, along with the shrine of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Lakshmi Narayan Temple is located in the pictorial settings with lush green surroundings and panoramic landscapes that give its devotees solace and serenity. The temple welcomes its devotees with its huge architecturally rich archway and finely crafted Hindu sculptures.

Van Vihar National Park Located at the heart of the city, covering an area of 445.21 hectare of land, Van Vihar National Park is home to a wide range of birds and animals. Some of the wild animals found here include tiger, lion, leopard, sambar and chital. The park is home to over 200 species of birds. With Upper Lake on one side and Shyamala Hills on the other, the forest is almost a perfect home to these wild animals. You can either walk or hire cycles to explore the park.

18 October 2016

NEED TO KNOW Gohar Mahal Situated along the banks of the Upper Lake, Gohar Mahal, even though not entirely well maintained, still manages to maintain its majestic look and the past glory. One of the beautiful palaces in Bhopal, it was built by the first woman ruler of Bhopal, Gohar Begum. This palace was constructed in the year 1820, and is truly an architectural marvel, presenting a perfect blend of Hindu and Mughal architecture.

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE CITY ÂÂBhopal City of Lakes: Known as the city of lakes for its natural and artificial lakes ÂÂNawabs of Bhopal: Ruled by the wives of the nawabs for over a hundred years

Moti Maszid Moti Masjid, also known as the Pearl Mosque, is situated in the heart of the city. A beautiful shrine, Moti Majid signifies the history of the Bhopal Begums in India. Constructed in 1860 by Sikander Jehan Begum of Bhopal, the daughter of Qudisiya Begum, its architecture is more or less similar to the Jama Masjid in Delhi. Sikandar Begum, an unconventional and liberal women, abolished slavery. She used to dress up like a man usually and go out riding without a veil. She set the trend of progressive women in the city and thus Bhopal came to be known as the place of relatively liberated and progressive women.

ÂÂBhopal Bada Talab: The Bhojtal or Bada Talab is the largest man-made lake in India ÂÂMasjid in Bhopal: The Taj-ul-Masajid is one of the largest mosques in India ÂÂRashtriya Manav Sangrahalay: The Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalay documents the lives of over 450 of India’s adivasi tribes

Cuisine Due to a large number of Muslims and Hindus living here, the cuisine of Bhopal is greatly influenced by both Muslim and Hindu culture. The cuisine of Bhopal includes some of the very delicious vegetarian dishes along with exotic and rich non-vegetarian dishes too. Some of the most well-liked dishes you can enjoy in Bhopal are given here. Dishes like Achar Gosht, Keema, Keema pulav, Biryani Pilaf, Roghan Josh, Bafla, Bhopali Paan, Seekh Kebab are among the famous food of Bhopal.

Shopping

Upper Lake (Bhoj Tal) The oldest manmade lake in India, Upper Lake is also known as Bhojtal or Bada Talab locally. This beautiful and vast water body was built during the 11th century. The lake is a massive earthen bound construction, built across the Kolans River. According to a legend, it is believed that King Bhoj constructed this gigantic lake to cure his skin disease. The Upper Lake is spread over a catchment area of 36.1 sq km, and it happens to be the major source of potable water for the people of Bhopal. Within the vicinity of the lake, there is an attractive royal garden called Kamla Park, which makes its surroundings more scenic. The hub of all water sport activities in Bhopal, the lake is a favourite spot for adventure enthusiasts. The Upper (and bigger) Lake is separated from the smaller one by an over bridge. A boat club, walkway and aquarium, serenaded by a cool breeze, makes the Upper Lake area delightful for a rendezvous. The lake also has the dargah of Shah Ali Shah, a maulvi.

The street side shops in the city are ideal for souvenir hunters looking for new items. Besides sightseeing, shopping in the bustling markets and visiting popular souvenir shops in New Market and Old City are a must on the list of any tourist. From traditional handicrafts to shimmery purses, fancy shoes, jewellery, household items and more, Bhopal’s street side shopping experience is fun and meets the demands of every customer with diverse tastes and preferences.

Reaching Here Air: Bhopal airport, about 13 km northwest of the city center, is well connected to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Raipur. Taxis are available from the airport to reach the city center. Rail: Bhopal is on the Delhi-Chennai main line. Major trains going from Mumbai to Delhi via Itarsi and Jhansi also go through Bhopal. Local buses and auto-rickshaws are available to reach the city center. Road: Regular state run and private bus services connect Bhopal with Indore, Mandu, Ujjain, Khajuraho, Pachmarhi, Gwalior, Sanchi, Jabalpur and Shivpuri.

October 2016 19

ASSOCIATION

32nd Annual Convention of IATO September 18 to 21, 2016 Chennai, Tamilnadu

Annual convention of IATO adopting best practices; evolving as a fruitful event for the industry stakeholders ÂÂInteractive sessions with members get excellent response ÂÂA part of recommendations made to Tamil Nadu Govt. approved instantly; rest in development pipeline

The 32nd annual convention of IATO based on meaningful content and relevant to the basic business of the members has been a grand success. Perhaps this is the first convention set a motion of positive outcome even before its closing ceremony as a part of the recommendations made by IATO were approved by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu instantly while rest are in development pipeline. Rajesh Tiwari Chennai

dopting best practices from the other global events the 32nd edition of IATO introduced Interactive Meetings (with the Members) and meaningful content which actually was relevant to the basic business of the members and acknowledged as a brilliant idea to make IATO convention a fruitful event. The convention provided interactive sessions; moderated by experienced members of the fraternity, to discuss common problems and challenges. During these sessions members and moderators shared their experiences and ideas to enhance the growth opportunities in tourism business. The new format (Interactive sessions only for members) has been welcomed enthusiastically by the participants. The three day long convention had sessions covering marketing, human resource challenges, the new civil aviation policy, social media management, media relations and much more. It has an amazing list of professionals from all walks of life to speak with the delegates. In his inaugural speech Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO highlighted several issues that hindering the growth of tourism in the state. “Right now in Tamil Nadu luxury tax on hotels is being charged on the published tariff which is very high as compared to any other state of the country. So it is requested that luxury tax should be charged on the actual tariff and also it should be not more than 10 percent,” said Sarkar.

“Right now in Tamil Nadu luxury tax on hotels is being charged on the published tariff which is very high as compared to any other state of the country. So it is requested that luxury tax should be charged on the actual tariff and also it should be not more than 10 percent.” Pronab Sarkar 20 October 2016

While addressing the audience Rajeev Kohli, Chairman Convention & Sr Vice President IATO said, “This year’s convention is very different. We have done things no other Indian travel association has done.” While elaborating on the content opted for the convention he said, “Adopting best practices from other global associations, we took some of our deliberations into a private zone only for our tour operator and travel agent members. We are delighted at how well it was received. The issues discussed were serious and solutions discussed are very practical. Infact, members have asked for us to extend the time next year.” “When we design the convention programme, we dig deep into our own personal experiences and challenges of operating in today’s business environment to bring you sessions that we hope are relevant to each one of us,” he added.

ASSOCIATION The convention was inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Govt. of Tamil Nadu Vellamandi N. Natarajan and Minister for School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare and Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu Pandiarajan K in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of Tourism & Culture, Govt. of Odisha, Ashok Chandra Panda, Secretary Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India Vinod Zutshi, Principal Secretary Tourism, Culture & Religious Endowments Dept. Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of Tamil Nadu T.K Ramachandran, Commissioner of Tourism & Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Govt. of Tamil Nadu Har Sahay Meena and host of other senior center and state government officials from various ministries and delegate from across the country.

The convention will yield good results in achieving the target of 1.5 crore tourists by 2023

ith the commendable support from the Hon’ble Chief Minister of the state J Jayalalithaa and Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Vellamandi N. Natarajan, the Commissioner Tourism and Managing Director Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Har Sahay Meena has been instrumental in bringing the IATO convention to Tamil Nadu. Due to their efforts, tourism fraternity of the state had an opportunity to interact with the largest delegation from various part of the country, and participated at the brainstorming business sessions held during the convention. While addressing the gathering Minister for Tourism Vellamandi N. Natarajan said, “The Hon’ble Chief Minister of the state has set a target of getting 1.5cr tourist by 2023. Hence there is massive development work is going across the state. The tourism department has spent about Rs. 50lakhs on new mobile app and audio video guides for tourist. Tourist places along the shores would be improved at a cost of Rs. 95cr another Rs. 22.35cr would be spent on developing tourism infrastructure in Kancheepuram and Velankanni.”

(L-R): Lally Mathews-Hony Secretary IATO, Rajeev Kohli Chairman Convention & Sr VP IATO, Pronab Sarkar- President IATO, Vinod Zutshi-Secretary Tourism Govt of India, Minister Tourism, Govt. of Odisha Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister Tourism, Govt. of Tamil Nadu Vellamandi N. Natarajan, Minister for School Education, Sports and Youth Welfare and Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu Thiru. Pandiarajan K, and Principal Secretary Tourism, Culture & Religious Endowments Dept. Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of Tamil Nadu T.K Ramachandran at the inaugural ceremony of IATO Convention.

“Adopting best practices from other global associations, we took some of our deliberations into a private zone only for our tour operator and travel agent members. We are delighted at how well it was received. The issues discussed were serious and solutions discussed are very practical. Infact, members have asked for us to extend the time next year.” Rajeev Kohli

T K Ramachandran, Principal Secretary - Tourism, Culture & Religious Endowments Department, Govt of Tamil Nadu started his address with the slogan ‘Agar Tamil Nadu nahi dekha to kya dekha?’ while explaining ‘If it’s not here; It’s no where’ he further said that Tamil Nadu has everything that can attract a tourist. “Our aim is to make tourism an important tool in growth of the state’s economy. We wish to stay at the top of the country in terms of tourism growth.” While addressing the gathering he further said, “Our Chief Minister is very keen in promoting tourism across the state. Hence the government will be soon rolling out a master plan for tourism.” While addressing the gathering at the inaugural ceremony Har Sahay Meena, Commissioner Tourism & Managing Director, TTDC said, “We are desperately working to achieve our ambitious target of receiving 1.5cr tourist by 2023. I believe this mega event will yield good results in growth of tourism and will be instrumental in achieving this target.” During his address Meena talked about the various initiatives taken under the dynamic leadership of the Chief Minister of the state. Sharing his views on the importance of the convention he said that the tourism stakeholders of Tamil Nadu could coordinate this convention efficiently by having regular interaction with IATO Team. “Through this convention the state of Tamil Nadu will get an exposure among the largest delegation present here, and based on tour operator’s feedback we will be able to address the issues hindering the growth of tourism in our state,” he added.

October 2016 21

ASSOCIATION

Picture Gallery 32nd Annual Convention of IATO September 18 to 21, 2016 Chennai, Tamilnadu

22 October 2016

ASSOCIATION

October 2016 23

WHEREABOUTS

Explore Israel with Your Family Embark on a journey to Israel, a small but inspiring country that is full of family adventures to keep visitors of all ages entertained throughout your vacation; no matter what season it is. Explore more… Compiled by WH Desk

country that is rich in the diversity of landscape, culture and food while offering enthralling family activities and breath-taking scenery, Israel is located on the coasts of the Mediterranean and Red Seas. In under seven hours one could drive from North to South and in about two hours drive East to West covering most of the country, while experiencing the vibrant and modern influences from all over the world offering visiting families many activities and experiences Israel is a vibrant and modern country with vast diversity and rich culture. Jerusalem - the well known city is among the most sacred places in the world. Along the eastern Mediterranean coastline is the vibrant, modern, fashionable and cosmopolitan Tel Aviv. One must explore Israel’s diversity and visit archaeological sites of Eilat, beautiful beaches of Haifa, UNESCO World Heritage Site of Acre (Akko) and fascinating history of Nazareth. Be it family and leisure getaways, party and nightlife experiences, adventure and rejuvenation, Israel has a variety of holiday options to explore. Jerusalem No trip to Israel is complete without a visit to Jerusalem whose little wonders have been attracting visitors for centuries, where

24 October 2016

ancient and modern merge in a city while still creating history. Float in the Dead Sea, the lowest point and the second saltiest body of water on the planet with azure water rich in minerals for both beauty and health, making it the largest spa in the world. Alongside find the famous cliffs of Masada where the ancient ruins tell stories of empires transporting the whole family back in time. Tel Aviv Drive down along the Mediterranean coast and experience the cities of Israel from Akko to Tel Aviv. Stop at the Underwater Archaeological Park, the aqueduct and amphitheatre at Caesarea National Park and the Baha’i Gardens of Haifa as you make your way to Tel Aviv. Take a dip in the azure Mediterranean Sea, learn how to surf or engage in the many activities before rinsing off at the beach showers and continuing on with your visit. Take the Segway tour down the Tel Aviv Promenade and visit the historical Jaffa Port, rent Tel-O-Fun bicycles and ride down the busy Rothschild Boulevard to artistic neighbourhoods like Florentin, walk down the street and flea markets selling keepsakes, ethic clothing and vintage gems making these fun family activities while sightseeing. Eilat On the southern tip enjoy the resort city of Eilat located on the Red Sea. Take the family diving or snorkelling and explore a magnificent combination of various types of corals and an abundance of colourful tropical fish, swim with dolphin at the Dolphin Reef or go tandem skydiving for a once in a lifetime

WHEREABOUTS

experience overlooking Israel and her neighbours. Enjoy evening walks on the café and restaurant lined promenade running alongside the beach while taking in the sunset reflecting a red glow off the sea on to the nearby hills. Activities in North Israel In western Galilee, on the north-western tip of the country, visit Rosh Hanikra the only point in Israel where great white chalk cliffs meet the turquoise Mediterranean Sea. Take one of the steepest cable car rides in the world to the grottoes (sea caves) where a walking path in the heart of the cliff takes you to the natural tunnels that have been carved through the rocks over time. Enjoy a family bicycle tour or go kayaking before enjoying a splendid meal at the sea facing restaurant. Travel east and find yourself in the GolanHeights region with many family oriented activities including horseback riding, jeep trips, hiking beautiful trail and water activities, all while experiencing the community ‘way of life’ in the settlements. Ride up to the snow-covered peak of Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in Israel, bask in the sun while you enjoy the crisp

mountain air and the spectacular views. If learning how to ski, snowboard or sledding is on the family’s list, this would be the right time to take lessons. Make you way to the Sea of Galilee, or Kinneret, which is a large freshwater lake with historical significance also famous for many family oriented activities like beach camping, or go rafting down the Jordan River that flows through the Kinneret. The region has many hotels that offer kids clubs with entertainment for young families where you can enjoy delicious food and award winning wines at a multitude of restaurants. VISA All visitors to Israel must hold a passport that is valid for at least six months from the date they are departing the country. People with no nationality must hold a valid laissez passer, as well as a visa back to the country that issued it. Visitors are entitled to remain in Israel up to three months from the date of their arrival, in accordance with the conditions of the visa issued to them. Visitors intending to work in Israel must submit a request to the Ministry of the Interior for a special visa. Weather Israel enjoys long, warm, dry summers (April-October) and generally mild winters (November-March) with somewhat drier, cooler weather in hilly regions, such as Jerusalem and Safed. Transportation Israel is a small country, and it is therefore easy to get from one place to another in a relatively short time. The most useful source for information is the Kol Kav call center that has all the information (buses and trains) you might need: 072-258-8787

October 2016 25

NTO

South Korea records 47.9% increase in tourist arrival WH Desk

its operations from three to five times a week from Delhi and plans to operate daily in the near future. Korean air will be launching its Delhi operations in the month of December with five times a week frequency.

outh Korea received 88,917 visitors from India by the end of July 2016, an increase of 47.9 percent relative to the same period of the previous year. The persistent efforts made by the Korea Tourism Organization, New Delhi office can be accredited for the positive growth. The Tourism Board’s effort on educating the travel trade partners to promote the destination in the best possible manner, the proactive business approach from the DMCs (destination management companies) and connecting with the end traveler through tactical media platforms have been the key factors in the result. As the interest of the Indian traveler grows, the increase in the airline connectivity has been introduced at the right time. Asiana Airline has increased

JNTO opens On-line Media centre WH Desk

he Japan National Tourism Organization launches the ‘Japan On-line Media Center’. The Japan On-line Media Center (JOMC) is a media platform designed specifically to distribute information for media. With a database of over 7,000 photos and videos, JOMC offers an exceptional tool for overseas media creating tourism content for Japan. JOMC material focuses on popular tourism attractions, scenery and landscapes, food, historical experiences, and culture. Media can access a range of frequently updated, high-quality content, available royalty free following registration. JNTO encourages overseas media to use JOMC material for introducing Japan on productions of broadcast, print, online and other media types.

According to Byungsun Lee, Director Korea Tourism Organization, “Over 1, 50,000 Indians visited South Korea last year and we have almost 90,000 within seven Byungsun Lee months. So we are confident Director of surpassing the last year’s Korea Tourism Organization numbers by the end of 2016. As we approach the festival season and the winter holiday season, we plan to widen our efforts and establish South Korea as a preferred leisure destination amongst various traveler segments including families, honeymooners and adventure lovers.”

Blue Square Consultants to represent Iceland Travel WH Desk

lue Square Consultants has been appointed as the sales and marketing representative for Iceland Travel, a leading DMC (Destination Management Company) in Iceland. With this new addition, Blue Square Consultants has once again achieved its objective of representing clients from ‘unique’ destinations in India.

How to use Japan On-line Media Center ÂÂAccess the website (https://jomc.jnto.go.jp/) ÂÂBrowse through the content and click on the video or image you wish to download. You will be taken to a new page with details of the content you clicked on ÂÂAgree to the terms and conditions and press the ‘download’ button ÂÂA pop up will appear. Please enter your e-mail address, nickname, and password on the login/registration screen and press the ‘register’ button ÂÂ5After completing the registration, press the ‘download’ button once again to begin the download

26 October 2016

Lubaina Sheerazi COO Blue Square Consultants

Having started its operations in 1937, Iceland Travel has been a premier travel company, tour operator and DMC in Iceland offering top-quality services. The DMC offers diverse product categories that will suit Indian agents, such as escorted tours, day tours and selfdrive tours in Iceland. Iceland as a destination is gaining popularity in India because of its vast and varied landscape filled with volcanoes, glaciers, black sand beaches, lava fields, and remote fjords.

Lubaina Sheerazi, COO, Blue Square Consultants, said, “Our emphasis has always been to associate with reputed and quality clients and we have achieved this once again with our recent alliance with Iceland Travel. We had conducted Iceland’s maiden roadshow in India earlier this year in association with Promote Iceland which was valuable for the delegation including Iceland Travel.”

NTO

Kenya launches #KenyaKalling; targets 1 lakh visitors from India by 2018 WH Desk

enyaKalling is a special incentive programme in conjunction with the Kenya Airways. Kenya Airways has launched a very attractive, all inclusive airfare of INR 25,538 for a return trip from Mumbai to Nairobi which can be booked on www.kenyaairways.com. Details on KenyaKalling can be accessed through two separate websites, http://www.magicalkenya.com/kenyakalling/ (for travellers) and www.kenyakalling.com (for the Indian travel trade). Kenyan ambassador to India H.E. Florence Imisa Weche in absolute flare, danced to the tunes of the growing tourism in Kenya at the launch event of #KenyaKalling a campaign by Kenya Tourism Board for the India market to incentivise the travel trade. Hildah Ogada, Assistant Regional Marketing Manager, Kenya Tourism Board, said, “India is an important market for us, we are launching this #KenyaKalling campaign and plan to invest more through other initiatives like association with Indian Cricket, celebrities and other consumer brands. We shall continue to invest more in the future as we aim to make India our number one source market for Kenya”. India is now the third largest tourist source market for Kenya. The country has registered a growth of over 30 percent during January to July, over the same time last year. “India has grown as a source market and has tremendous potential to grow further; we are now targeting 100,000 visitors from India by 2018. Kenya Tourism Board has been undertaking several consumers as well as trade initiatives to further increase arrival from India,” added Ogada.

Recently, Kenya tourism took Indian film makers to the country with a vision to promote tourism aspiration among Indians for Magical Kenya. “Kenya has been well established as a leading safari destination, now we want to promote its splendid white sand beaches, water sports, Golf and other unique natural treasures to new-age Indian travellers,” informed Ogada. Kenyan students in India performed a cultural folk dance in, wherein not only the audience but her Excellency also joined in and shook a leg. The talented students made the audience groove to their folk music. The event saw people from trade and travel industries pouring in at the event.

Abu Dhabi spearheads promotional push in Mumbai & Pune WH Desk

n order to build high focus and emphasis on India as the destination’s current leading overseas source market for hotel guests, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) organised a corporate dinner in Mumbai and Pune on 1st and 2nd September, as the emirate strives to be the prime location for MICE & business events in the region. The meeting was organised to spread the message about the destination being a prime location for MICE & business events. TCA Abu Dhabi partnered with Etihad and Jet Airways for this gala dinner which was attended by leading figures from the tourism industry. Joining TCA Abu Dhabi at the event were Rotana Hotels & Resorts, the five-star Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri Hotel in Abu Dhabi, and Anantara Hotels & Resorts who also boosted the awareness of family-friendly attractions being offered in Abu Dhabi. India’s country Manager, Bejan Dinshaw, said, “We are really looking forward to the corporate trips and we look forward to hosting them in Abu Dhabi.” The event saw an excellent response with prominent attendees from well know industries coming to network with TCA Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways and Jet Airways teams. The event had a visual presentation

of individual partners followed by dinner and ended with a lucky draw for the guests. The destination is also attracting a large number of business travellers through incentives and conferences. Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau’s ‘Advantage Abu Dhabi’ incentive programmes enable events to take place by providing financial and on-ground assistance, provided they bring viable business events to the destination. Applications for Advantage Abu Dhabi can be made on the bureau’s website www.abudhabi-cb.ae and should be aligned to 12 specific economic engine sectors identified in Abu Dhabi’s 2030 economic vision.

October 2016 27

NTO

India lived up the party at Mistura Food Fair WH Desk

he ninth edition of the Mistura Food Fair, Lima’s annual food festival and Latin America’s largest food fair featuring traditional gastronomy from Peru was held from 2nd to 11th September 2016. India was one of the countries of honour at the Food Fair this year and showcased its unique cuisines with exotic flavors, special aromas and colorful presentation. The visitors at the fair got the opportunity to taste the delicious and traditional dishes from different Indian regions, brought by Massala restaurant, and prepared by Chef Jitender Singh.

On occasion of the Mistura Food Fair, Peru’s Export and Tourism Promotion Agency PromPeru and Commercial Office of Peru Abroad (in New Delhi) invited Vicky Ratnani, a celebrity chef and a renowned TV show host along with the Gourmand World cook book Award winner Rashmi Uday Singh from India to learn about the quintessence of Peruvian Cuisines. The duo with a real thirst to know more about the gastronomy of the country visited the top three restaurants of Lima, Central Restaurant, Maido and Astrid & Gaston, that have brought pride to the Peruvian Cuisine and boosted it further all across the globe. Both India and Peru are hoping to increase the bilateral trade ties between the two countries by signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The FTA will just not be for goods and services, it will be a comprehensive one that will have a holistic impact with even movement of people eased and will focus on trade, investment, mining, energy besides IT and pharma sectors which will aim to increase the bilateral trade between both the countries.

SFTA participates at fifth Brand USA India Mission WH Desk

an Francisco Travel Association (SFTA) participated in the Brand USA India Mission held across three cities of Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi from 19- 23 September 2016. This year a total of 47 delegates, representing 37 US tourism organizations from destinations, attractions, hotels and destination management companies attended the mission. In 2015, San Francisco witnessed 177,520 Indian travelers, representing an upward growth of 9 per cent year on year over 2014 combined with a spend of $501MM in 2015. India ranks among the top 10 international markets, in terms of arrivals as well as of spending per visitor. For 2016, San Francisco Travel Association forecasts 185,080 visitors (up 4.3 percent YOY/2015) with $540MM projected spend and for 2017, visitor

28 October 2016

forecast stands at 203,860 visitors (up 10 percent YOY/2016) with $590MM projected spend. Hubertus Funke, Vice President Tourism at SFTA said, “We have received a very positive response from our industry partners here, and they are always very supportive in promoting San Francisco to the Indian traveller. The changing profile of the Indian traveller with increased demand for unique experiences, growth of the luxury segment and a strong interest in MICE options are positive trends, and San Francisco is well positioned with diverse offerings.” San Francisco Travel Association (SFTA) was the first U.S. destination marketing organization to open a representation office in India in 2007, and since then, has been very active in the Indian market working closely with the travel trade and media.

TAT organises wedding planners FAM Trip

n order to tap the upcoming Indian wedding season, TAT New Delhi along with TAT Mumbai recently invited 25 wedding planners from across India to visit two routes in Thailand, that are popular destination for Indian wedding celebrations. The two routes visited where Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin, Bangkok and Phuket, Khao Lak, Bangkok. The purpose of this trip was to acquaint and familiarize the planners with various hotels and facilities available in different destinations of Thailand to host grand Indian weddings. The trip covered inspection of a few world-class hotels and resorts as well as tourist attractions. The wedding planners were grandly welcomed by the hotels inspected and each hotel setup Mandap and arranged flower decorations to show case their expertise on Indian weddings. This was a great opportunity to showcase Thailand as an ideal destination for Indian wedding celebrations. In Bangkok, at The Hilton Millennium the wedding planners attended a networking event with Thai Service providers/ Wedding planners in Thailand /Photographer/ Florist / Lighting Company etc that can assist them in planning the perfect Indian wedding in Thailand. At the event the planners received certificates as Thailand Wedding Specialists. The choice for a wedding in Thailand ranges from pristine beaches of KhaoLak, Koh Samui, Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya and Hua Hin, to lush green mountains of Chiang Mai and KhaoYai or a city and riverside wedding in Bangkok. Thailand’s close proximity to India, value for money, world class hotels and resorts, beautiful beaches, availability of Indian food, exceptional service and hospitality are some of the reasons which reconfirm the certainty that a dream wedding will turn to a reality in Thailand. Currently Thailand is doing over 300 weddings in a year.

October 2016 29

HOSPITALITY DISCOUNT & OFFERS

M O Bodrum offers dream honeymoon package

Atlantis The Palm offer Diwali discounts

WH Desk

andarin Oriental, Bodrum is offering an unforgettable honeymoon package. Surrounded by olive groves and pine forests, the Paradise Bay resort’s A Moment of Romance package offers newlyweds the perfect blend of luxury, impeccable service and natural beauty. Upon arrival by private transfer from the airport, the bride and groom are welcomed with a fine wine selected by the Sommelier, and chocolate covered strawberries. During their stay, they can enjoy a honeymoon breakfast with Moët Chandon champagne in the privacy of their room overlooking beautiful Paradise Bay or at Sofra Restaurant with its expansive Aegean Sea views. Honeymooners can enjoy a 50-minute couples massage at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum, the biggest spa and wellness centre on the Bodrum peninsula, and book signature care and treatment packages inspired by the region’s rich flora. At sunset, they can savour signature cocktails at Mandarin Bar, before indulging in a romantic, candle-lit dinner with champagne. A Moment of Romance package is available until the end of 2016. For more information please email mobod-reservations@mohg. com or contact the resort directly at +90 252 311 1888.

WH Desk

xperience the festival of lights at the gorgeous, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai’s leading entertainment destination; the perfect moment in time to enjoy a stay in. Make this Diwali a celebration to remember for a lifetime. Indulge in authentic Indian cuisine at Kaleidoscope and Sa¬fron, where live cooking stations and traditional folk dances will bring the Diwali festival to life. Special rates starting from INR 25,000 on rooms and 1bedroom suites with complimentary Half Board at 10 participating restaurants. Indulge in authentic Indian cuisine at Kaleidoscope and Sa¬fron, where live cooking stations and traditional folk dances will bring the Diwali festival to life O¬ffer valid for 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 children below the age of 12. ! For more information and to book, please contact your preferred travel partner Enjoy additional benefits during your stay: ÂÂComplimentary unlimited access to Aquaventure Waterpark, TripAdvisor’s best voted water park in the Middle East ÂÂComplimentary unlimited access to The Lost Chambers Aquarium, home to 65,000 marine animals ÂÂPreferential rates to swim with dolphins at Dolphin Bay and dive amongst sharks and rays in the Ambassador Lagoon ÂÂComplimentary afternoon session at Atlantis Kids Clubs or Club Rush for teens ÂÂComplimentary access to N’Dulge Nightclub ÂÂComplimentary shuttle bus service to Mall of the Emirates ÂÂComplimentary Wi-Fi throughout the entire resort Make this Diwali a celebration to remember for a lifetime.

Roseate Hotels launches maiden property in New Delhi WH Desk

oseate Hotels & Resorts, the luxury hotel brand of Bird Hospitality announced the opening of Roseate House at Aerocity, New Delhi. This latest addition to the brand’s luxury portfolio is designed to cater to the next generation of savvy business and leisure travellers. The hotel showcases a young perspective on global hospitality that is dynamic and nouveau in execution. Roseate House New Delhi is spread across an area of 1.6 acres and is a thirty-minute drive to the historical capital of New Delhi and corporate hub of Gurgaon and just ten minutes away from the International Airport. Te hotel is a contemporary narrative creating a new age revolution in the hospitality space. It is a progressive yet relaxed urban hotel that brings a new flavour to the city. The hotel tells a story that knits through every room and floor. With cutting edge facilities and state of the art technology, the Roseate House New Delhi offers an international fragrance. The uber luxury city hotel will cater to the next generation of savvy business and leisure travellers. The hotel features 216 spacious well-appointed rooms with 15 suites, including 3 elite private suites that can be combined to a Villa, allowing guest an ultimate experience in luxury. Spread across an extensive 500 square metres in space, The Villa is an opulent

30 October 2016

haven perched on the top most floor of the hotel combining The Presidential Suite, Terrace Suite, Junior Suite and a Club Room. Ideal for hosting premieres, corporates and families alike, this elaborate sanctuary boasts of handpicked artwork, bespoke furnishings by Fendi, fluid marble and Oakwood flooring, state of the art amenities, designer interiors, and above all the finest view of the city. “We are excited to open our maiden Roseate Hotels & Resorts branded hotel in Delhi. The launch of Roseate House New Delhi marks a significant milestone of growth in the in the hospitality sector of the country,” said, Kush Kapoor, General Manager, Roseate House New Delhi. “Every aspect of this hotel has been carefully designed to ensure our guests enjoy a world-class experience throughout their stay with generously-sized accommodation, a range of dining outlets, extensive recreational facilities and versatile meeting and event spaces. The hotel is well suited to quickly become the first choice for travellers in the city,” added Kapoor.

HOSPITALITY

Marriott International completes acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide THE WORLD’S LARGEST

HOTEL COMPANY

Marriott International, Inc. has completed its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., creating the world’s largest and best hotel company.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES OUR GUESTS TO

WH Desk

IN OUR HOTELS

“Throughout our nearly 90-year history we have never stopped searching for fresh ways to serve our guests. With the addition of Starwood’s strong brands, great properties, and talented people, we have dramatically expanded our ability to provide the best experiences to our customers. We also welcome the tremendous responsibility as the world’s largest hotel company to be a good global steward, providing new opportunities for our associates and building the economic strength of the communities we call home,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman & Chairman of the Board of Marriott International. The new company will operate or franchise more than 5,700 properties and 1.1 million rooms, representing 30 leading brands from the moderate-tier to luxury in over 110 countries. With the completion of this acquisition, Marriott’s distribution has more than doubled in Asia and the Middle East. Best-in-Class Loyalty Programmes Marriott Rewards which includes the Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG are the most recognised and awarded loyalty programmes in hospitality. Together, these programmes will offer members more benefits when they link their accounts, as well as new destinations such as Aruba, Tuscany’s Serchio Valley and Kruger National Park

1,521

arriott now offers the most comprehensive portfolio of brands including leading lifestyle brands, a significant global footprint, and leadership in the luxury and selectservice tiers as well as the convention and resort segment. Marriott will match member status across Marriott Rewards which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), enabling members to transfer points between the programmes for travel and exclusive experiences when they link their accounts later from now onwards.

S PA S

L A N G UAG E S S P O K E N

116

7,396

MILLION C H E C K- I N S *

SW I M M I N G P O O L S

GUEST ROOMS*

318

MILLION B E DS M A D E

116

MILLION OUNCES OF SHAMPOO USED

MILLION TISSUE ROLLS USED

FOOD AND BEVERAGE*

8.7

MILLION B U R G E R S S E RV E D

9.5 MILLION

BOTTLES OF WINE SERVED

*PER YEAR

1.6

MILLION C LU B SA N DW I C H E S S E RV E D

in South Africa for SPG members and the Maldives, Bora Bora and Santorini, Greece for Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards members. “Marriott will draw upon the very best each programme offers and we can’t wait to show the loyal members of these programmes the power and benefits of Marriott and Starwood coming together,” said Stephanie Linnartz, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Commercial Officer.

Marriott launched a microsite www.members.marriott.com, for all members of the combined company’s loyalty programmes to learn more about the reciprocal benefits now available and to link accounts. New Board Members and Shares Listing Marriott’s Board of Directors has increased from 11 to 14 members, with the addition of Bruce Duncan, former Chairman of the Board of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and President, CEO and Director of First Industrial Real Estate Trust, Inc.; Eric Hippeau, Partner, LererHippeau Ventures; and Aylwin Lewis, Chairman and CEO of Potbelly Corporation. Messrs. Hippeau and Lewis are also former Starwood board members. Full biographies on each of the three new board members are available at www.Marriott.com/ investor.

Logo marking Golden Jubilee of ITDC launched

ndia Tourism Development Corporation, a PSUunder Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, on completion of its 50 Year of inception on 1st October 2016 launched a Logo marking the Golden Jubilee of ITDC. The Logo was unveiled by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Culture in presence of Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, M/oTourism and other senior officers of Ministry of Tourism and ITDC.

In order to commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebrations, various activities have been introduced during the fortnight starting 24th September 2016 till 8th October 2016. Special offers on Room Tariff and Food & Beverage outlets in all ITDC hotels, issue of Elite Card to every 50th guest during this period, plantation of 50 Saplings each in some hotels of ITDC, painting and slogan competition, lighting of all Delhi based hotels, presenting souvenirs to guests visiting ITDC hotels on 1st October 2016 were certain activities planned during the celebrations.

October 2016 31

HOSPITALITY

Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel & St. Regis Macao debut tech initiatives WH Desk

heraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central and The St. Regis Macao, Cotai Central are now offering a new level of efficiency and convenience for MICE planners by officially launching ‘eVentPortfolioTM’ a mobile tool that streamlines the eventplanning process and helps event planners go green. In addition to eVentPortfolio soon all of the 4,400 rooms across both hotels will feature handy phone devices that give business and leisure guests unlimited local voice calls and data access while exploring Macao, on a complimentary basis. The first-of-its-kind application in Asia, Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St. Regis Macao are the only hotels in Macao to offer eVentPortfolioTM, which gives event planners, event managers and clients the means to collaborate via one centralized web-based tool. It integrates all documents and correspondence, which is also sorted by time and date, into one easy-to-use and intuitive user interface. Optimized for PC, Mac Tablets and mobile devices, users can plan events anytime, anywhere, and can also connect with other parties in real-time.

The tool allows event planning to be completely mobile; it is great for the environment as planners can dispense with big binders full of paper; and it is offered at no charge to meeting planners. Available soon to both business and leisure travellers, will be complimentary Handy phones which give guests the ability to make unlimited local / international calls, unlimited data access so they can stay connected at all times, and let them read the most up-todate Macao destination content. “Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St. Regis Macao are the first Starwood hotels to adopt eVentPortfolioTM in Macao and the Greater China region, and our goal is to integrate cutting-edge technology into our offerings in order to set new standards in the hospitality industry, and create unforgettable guest experiences,” said Daniella Tonetto, General Manager of Sales and Marketing for Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and The St. Regis Macao.

DISCOUNT & OFFERS

Celebrate Diwali with MasterChef 2 Winner at One&Only Royal Mirage WH Desk

his year celebrate the Festival of Lights at One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai at the chic Indo-European restaurant Nina. Enjoy with family and friends and experience a selection of contemporary renowned signature dishes from the MasterChef India 2 winner Chef Shipra Khanna and explore her journey from housewife to fame.

Discover the perfect combination between the exotic spices and flavours with a special sharing experience menu, complemented by a selection of Indian beverages and live entertainment by resident DJ and a table player. Rejoice the festive spirits with Chef Shipra Khanna on October 30th & 31st 2016 and make the dining experience memorable. Entrance AED 450 (INR 8,500 approx) per person. Starting from AED 1,640 (INR 30,000 approx.) per night, experience a 1001 Arabian Nights at One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai including dinner for two at Tagine, Sundowner Dune Dinner Safari, Oriental Hammam, and more. The offer includes: ÂÂComplimentary daily breakfast for two ÂÂOne dinner for two per stay at the Traditional Moroccan Restaurant “Tagine” ÂÂIncludes Sundowner Dune Dinner Safari ÂÂIncludes a Traditional Oriental Hammam for two per stay

32 October 2016

Club Carlson partners Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay Miles WH Desk

lub CarlsonSM, the global rewards programme from Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group announced the global partnership with Mabuhay Miles, Philippine Airlines’ frequent flyer programme. From October 1, 2016, Mabuhay Miles and Club Carlson members can earn Mabuhay Miles for stays at over 1,400 hotels within the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s portfolio globally. “As a leading hospitality company, we are excited to enter into this partnership with a key airline partner, Philippine Airlines. We are committed to work in tandem with our members to earn miles while creating memorable travel experiences.” said Sandy Russell, Vice President, Commercial Operations, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “The new global partnership also complements Club Carlson’s collection of exceptional benefits, services and privileges members can already enjoy,” she added. From October 1, 2016, Mabuhay Miles members that stay at Carlson Rezidor hotels worldwide under the Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED and Park Plaza® brands can earn 500 Mabuhay Miles for each eligible stay and 250 Mabuhay Miles for eligible stays under the Park Inn® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM brands. Club Carlson members can convert Gold Points® into Miles at the standard 10 Gold Points® to 1 Mabuhay Mile.

October 2016 33

CHECKIN

Explore the Wildlife of Madhya Pradesh with V Resorts WH Desk

xperience the thrill of hearing the roar of the tigers, or the diverse species of the birds flapping their wings, very near to where you sip your morning tea. This is Madhya Pradesh, truly the land where the wild and the ones seeking the thrill in the wild stay in Harmony together. The air is crisp, there are intimidating rivers, ravines, valleys, and acres of forests undiscovered, untouched, rich wildlife and culture that goes back hundreds of years. To uncover the mystical land and acquaint travellers with the versatile experiences it offers, V Resorts planned, from safari to guided birding walks, photography tours, treks, heritage tours, local tourism to just about louging about the resort, doing absolutely nothing, and disconnecting with the world. Be it the Wildlife Safari at Panna or Bandhavgarh or the trekking and nature walks in the lush greens of Kanha and Pench, V Resorts is the ultimate getaway for all your needs. Travel anytime between October 1st - November 5th, 2016 and get to avail flat 15% off on your bookings. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the hold up? Rush now and book your adventure at www.vresorts.in

is offering a variety of holiday stay and experiences. The holiday promises adventure (boat safaris, visit to crocodile farms, snake pits and of course, the highlight tiger spotting), comfort (with unique contemporary resorts that offer personalised service), culture (there are folk dances and visits to tribalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes), and a chance to sample local food and cuisines. V Resorts is an ecologically-sensitive company, and hence all its resorts are made with unique themes reflecting the area. The highlight of each resort is its vast spaces, peace, sit-outs, that maximise the forest experience. There are versatile activities

34 October 2016

October 2016 35

OTA

Choose your ‘Day Use’ hours in hotels with Yatra.com Over 680 hotels have signed up for the ‘Day Use’ option across 25 cities including Bangalore, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata etc. showing the exciting potential of this feature.Yatra.com is further planning to expand this feature to cover 40 more relevant cities. WH Desk

atra.com announced a ‘Day Use’ hotels feature creating a disruption in the way hotels are booked in India. In an initiative Yatra is reaching out to an increasing segment of travellers looking to use a hotel only for half a day, or just for a few hours. A key part of this segment is the business traveller who needs a hotel for a few hours to freshen up and relax before or after business meetings and Yatra believes that this format will rapidly gain popularity as it is backed by the strong benefit of rates that are upto 60% lower.

The ‘Day Use’ feature allows the customer to choose a hotel with options ranging from budget to star properties. The booking can be made by providing the check-in and check-out time, and hours they need, in packs of 3,4 and 6 hours. It offers the customer flexibility and payment according to use, so that they can book a hotel only for the time they actually need it. Also, it allows hotels to make their rooms more profitable, as they can sell them more than once per day, and this increases their revenue. Intended for all those situations where a hotel is only needed for a few hours, the feature is suitable for business travellers, people travelling for job interviews and backpackers. It is also an efficient option for relatives accompanying a patient who need a hotel for a few hours to rest. Commenting on this development, Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com said, “The addition of the ‘Day Use’ hotel feature is in line with our continuous efforts to address

OYO partners with Niki bot WH Desk

YO has entered into a partnership with niki.ai, enabling users to book an OYO room using niki.ai’s bot a unique personal assistant application powered by artificial intelligence. Consumers can now easily search and book OYO hotels using Niki chat interface. niki.ai, an AI technology startup based out of India launched their bot in October 2015. The bot utilizes natural language processing and machine learning to help users accomplish tasks like food ordering, phone recharges, cab bookings, bus bookings, bill payments etc. through automated chat interaction. Niki had recently launched the bot on messenger too thereby available to users on Android, iOS, Web and Windows platforms as well. Speaking on the API integration Anurag Gaggar, Head of Product, OYO said, “At OYO, we are constantly innovating with our product stack to add delight and offer convenience to our customers. Niki has developed the first of its kind chat-bot that understands human language contextual to products and services, and offers suggestions accordingly. According to him, as the travel industry propels rapid technology integration in aspects of research, booking and on-trip experience, it is hugely exciting for us to collaborate with homegrown Indian brands and create disruptive offerings. Rapid adoption of social and messaging apps has driven user preference for chat based interfaces. Sachin Jaiswal, CEO, niki.ai said, “niki.ai envisions providing consumers with the most natural, simple and intelligent mode of transacting online. The OYO and Niki teams have worked closely in building the experience, which powers one of the most advanced language processing technology.”

36 October 2016

Sharat Dhall President Yatra.com

the evolving needs of the Indian traveller. The feature enhances the flexibility for travellers needing a hotel for only a few hours who are not keen to pay for a full 24 hour use – whether they are looking for an informal meeting space, long layovers or a convenient base for a day out sight-seeing. This model creates a win-win for travellers and hoteliers and hence we believe that it has tremendous growth potential in the country.”

TrawellTag Cover-More announces association with Yatra.com WH Desk

rawellTag Cover-More has partnered with one of India’s rapidly growing online travel agent,Yatra.com. It is a significant step for TrawellTag Cover-More as it establishes itself in the e-commerce segment, extending the company’s reach into new markets. TrawellTag Cover-More India Founder & CEO, Dev Karvat, said “The association enables us to provide customised benefits for both leisure and corporate travellers. Yatra.com customers can now secure their travel against all predicted risks and inconveniences including medical emergencies, loss of baggage, passport or driving license, trip delays or cancellations and much more.” Commenting on the association, Dhruv Shringi Co-founder & CEO, Yatra.com said, “TrawellTag Cover-More was a natural choice as we share a common commitment; creating the most convenient travel experience for our customers. They bring along with them an impressive product range & technical know-how, more than a decade of domain expertise and a global presence which extends their service offering worldwide.” The business model for Yatra.com focuses on changing customer needs and forecasted travel risks. The backbone of this model is a one-of-its kind software IMPULSE, an analytics engine that collects a feed of traveller data from the booking platform and crunches this in real time to generate customised offers for the travellers. With ease of integration, this cloud hosted tool customizes travel protection products with an exceptional speed of customer data processing.

FACT & FIGURES

International tourist arrivals up 4% in the first half of 2016 According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer the International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 4% between January and June 2016 compared to the same period last year. Destinations worldwide received 561 million international tourists (overnight visitors), 21 million more than in 2015. WH Desk

sia and the Pacific demonstrated renewed strength this first half of 2016, receiving 9% more international arrivals, the highest growth across world regions. In the Americas, international arrivals increased by 4% led by Central America and South America. Europe (+3%) showed mixed results, with solid growth in many destinations offset by weaker performance in others. In Africa (+5%), Sub-Saharan destinations rebounded strongly, while North Africa continued to report weak results. Limited data for the Middle East points to an estimated decrease of 9% in international arrivals this six-month period, though results vary from destination to destination. “Tourism has proven to be one of the most resilient economic sectors worldwide. It is creating jobs for millions, at a time when providing perspectives for a better future to people of all regions is one of our biggest challenges. But tourism is also creating bonds among people of all nations and backgrounds, bringing down stereotypes and fighting fear and distrust”, said UNWTO SecretaryGeneral, Taleb Rifai. “Safety and security are key pillars of tourism development and we need to strengthen our common action to build a safe, secure and seamless travel framework. This is no time to build walls or point fingers; it is time to build an alliance based on a shared vision and a joint responsibility.” he added. REGIONAL RESULTS Growth accelerated in Asia and the Pacific with international arrivals up 9% through June, driven by robust intraregional

Taleb Rifai Secretary-General UNWTO

demand. Oceania (+10%) led growth, followed by NorthEast Asia, South-East Asia (both +9%) and South Asia (+7%). International tourist arrivals to Europe grew by 3% between January and June 2016, with mixed results across destinations. Northern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe both recorded 5% more international arrivals. Though many destinations posted positive results, growth in both Western Europe (+1%) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (+2%) was slow.

International arrivals in the Americas were up 4% in the first half of the year, in line with the world average. Strong US outbound flows continued to benefit many destinations across the region. Central America and South America (both +6%) led growth, while arrivals in both the Caribbean and North America grew by 4%. Comparatively limited data available for Africa points to a 5% increase in international arrivals, with Sub-Saharan Africa (+12%) recovering vigorously, but North Africa down by 9%. International arrivals in the Middle East decreased by an estimated 9%, with mixed results among destinations. POSITIVE PROSPECTS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR The first half of the year typically accounts for around 46% of the total international arrivals count of the year. For the remainder of 2016 prospects are positive overall. Countries that have already reported results till July or August show continued growth in the current Northern Hemisphere summer peak season. The UNWTO Panel of Experts evaluated the period May-August also favourably and remains confident about the September-December period, in line with the trend of the first half of the year. Confidence is highest in Africa, the Americas and Asia and the Pacific, while experts in Europe and the Middle East are somewhat more cautious. DEMAND FOR TRAVEL ABROAD VARIES ACROSS SOURCE MARKETS China, the world’s top source market, continued to report doubledigit growth in expenditure on international travel (+20% in the first quarter of 2016), benefiting destinations in the region and beyond. The United States, the world’s second largest market, increased expenditure on outbound travel by 8% through July, thanks to a strong currency. Third largest market, Germany, reported a 4% increase in expenditure through July. Other markets that showed robust demand for outbound travel in the first half of 2016 were Spain (+20%), Norway (+11%), Australia (+10%) and Japan (+6%). Meanwhile expenditure from the Russian Federation and Brazil continues to be weak, reflecting the economic constraints and depreciated currencies in both markets.

October 2016 37

APPOINTMENT & EVENTS DOMESTIC 5th Buddhist International Conclave October 4-6, 2016 Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart October 14 - 16, 2016 Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 63rd Annual Convetion of TAAI October 14 - 16, 2016 Abu Dhabi, UAE

INTERNATIONAL

Rishi Kapoor Executive Chef Park Plaza Noida

Chef Rishi Kapoor has been appointed as the Executive Chef of Park Plaza, Noida. With an experience of 25 magnificent years in the hospitality industry, Chef Kapoor will be responsible for overseeing the entire kitchen operations. Prior to joining the Park Plaza, Chef Kapoor was steering the culinary operations at premium hospitality brands such as Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi ; Burj Al Arab, Dubai ; Marriot Welcome Hotel, The Grand, Delhi ; Hans Plaza, Delhi ; Fortune Hotels and Novotel Hotel, Mumbai.

Smriti Subramanian General Counsel OYO

OYO has appointed Smriti Subramanian as its General Counsel. Smriti joins the Leadership team at OYO and will also lead the Diversity and Culture mandates at the start-up. A seasoned attorney with over 15 years of experience, Smriti joins OYO from British Petroleum where she was the Legal Counsel for more than 2 years. She has worked with well-known Indian and multinational corporates and boutique law firms and primarily focused on energy, natural resources, infrastructure and consumer goods industry.

HICAP October 19 – 21, 2016 Hong Kong

Rashila Lobo W Insider W Goa

W Goa has appointed Rashila Lobo as W Insider. Taking on the glamorous role that is one of its kinds in the hospitality field created by W Hotels, Rashila will play a major role by connecting the hotel’s savvy guests to the city’s hottest happenings. A Swiss native brought up in Goa, Rashila brings a wealth of experience in hospitality industry from around the world. She has worked for brands like Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi as well as Starwood Hotels & Resorts and has also won accolades for her services.

World Travel Market November 7 – 9, 2016 London, England ILTM December 5 – 8, 2016 Cannes, France

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