September 2017 by whereabouts

RNI No.: DELENG/2014/59308

VOLUME III ISSUE XII SEPTEMBER 2017

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In Focus

IATO Convention

Pronab Sarkar President

Rajeev Kohli

Sr Vice President P-14 &15

Destination

On the Cover : Hanuwantiya, Madhya Pradesh

Jal Mahotsav

Festival of Adventure Activities at

Hanuwantiya P-28

Talking Point

Bhubaneswarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

MICE Preparedness

P-20

NEWS IN BRIEF

AVIATION

NTO

HOSPITALITY

DESTINATION

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

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

Art Director

NEWS IN BRIEF

BUSINESS

10 NTO 12 HOSPITALITY 24 STATE

Mithlesh Gupta

26 AVIATION

Advertising

33 CHECK-IN

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

34 WORLD 36 ANALYSIS 38 APPOINTMENT

IN FOCUS

IATO has formed a strong partnership with MoT in reviving the business: Pronab Sarkar

We are bringing the audience into the forefront : Rajeev Kohli

Principal Advisor Anil Prakash

Legal Advisor Advocate Brijesh Tiwari

Production & Distribution Production Manager Subhash Solanki Distribution Executive Anoop Singh

Accounts CA Rishabh Rana

Technical & Web Support 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

TALKING POINT

ASEAN; a lowhanging fruit for Odisha Tourism

EDITOR’S NOTE TALKING POINT

Bhubaneswar’s MICE Preparedness

Evolution of IATO 23 Convention

Dear Readers, In this issue of Whereabouts we have come up with Odisha centric stories that highlight the potential and challenges in tourism sector. The capital city of state – Bubaneswar was in limelight for hosting the prestigious 22nd Asian Athletics Championships. It was interesting to know that the city got prepared in just 90 days after Ranchi – which was to host the event earlier, pulled out at the last minute. The renovation of Kalinga Stadium and beautification of the city was completed in a record time. And that inspired us to do a story on the MICE preparedness of the city. So we visited the town and interacted with the leading hoteliers of the city and presented their views on the Bhubaneswar’s potential in MICE sector. Also, as we know the 33rd Annual Convention of IATO is happening in Bhubaneswar; so we interacted with the President, Sr. Vice President, Chairman Convention and Co-Chairman Convention, you have the opportunity to read their views on the upcoming Convention and state’s potential in tourism.

DESTINATION Jal Mahotsav

Festival of Adventure Activities at

Hanuwantiya

Adding more to this, we have done a very exclusive story on IATO Conventions. In today’s scenario association has become more relevant to the trade fraternity so we thought to write about IATO Convention and its impact.

28 Ride the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Service

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Ashwani Lohani appointed new Chairman of Railway Board

Ashwani Lohani Chairman Railway Board

Rajiv Bansal takes over as Air India CMD

shwani Lohani has been appointed as the new Chairman of Railway Board. Lohani who holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering, currently is the Chairman & Managing Director of Air India. Lohani, an officer of the railway mechanical service, had served earlier as the Divisional Regional Manager of Delhi. He was also ITDC Chairman as well as the Director of the Rail Museum in the capital.

steam enthusiast, who was instrumental in putting up Indian rail on world heritage map by upgrading the ‘steam shed’ at Rewari.

Lohani is a multi-faceted personality – a cutting-edge manager who is credited to have brought about the turnaround of the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) during his previous stints; a

With Limca National Record for four engineering degree, Lohani is a qualified chartered mechanical engineer from UK based institution of Mechanical Engineers, and holds degree in Electrical Engineers, Metallurgical engineering from the institute of Engineers of India.

During his stint as the CMD of Air India, the national carrier posted operational profit in 2015-16 for the first time after its merger. The airline improved its passenger services, besides expanding to various domestic and international destinations.

Tourism leaders back PATA Global Insights Conference in Auckland

ajiv Bansal, additional secretary and financial advisor in the petroleum ministry, will be the new chairman of Air India Ltd. Bansal, a 1988 batch IAS officer, has done an earlier stint in the aviation ministry as a director. He has also served in the ministry of electronics and information technology, where he looked after digital payments, IT Act, Aadhaar, and internet governance.

Rajiv Bansal CMD Air India

During his career spanning close to 30 years, Bansal has also served as secretary, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC); and joint secretary, department of heavy industries.

A civil engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1986, Bansal has a diploma in finance from ICFAI, Hyderabad and an executive masters in international business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi. He will be holding additional charge for three months and the government will then take a call on who the regular person should be, whether it should be Rajiv Bansal or someone else.

6 September 2017

he highly-acclaimed PATA Global Insights Conference (PGIC) returns to Auckland, New Zealand on September 29, 2017. With the support of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and BBC World News, the event takes place once again at the SKYCITY Grand Hotel. This year’s event is boosted by the addition of a PATA/ATEED Tourism Leaders Forum on September 28 when the leading travel industry figures will discuss opportunities and challenges in a session moderated by BBC World News correspondent Hywel Griffith. Opening the batting at the Forum is former Test cricketer Martin Snedden who, in his capacity as TIA Chief Executive, masterminded the nation’s Tourism 2025 Plan. “This is an unprecedented opportunity for New Zealand’s tourism community to share their views, ideas and perhaps their concerns with senior executives now

shaping long-term strategy,” says PATA Regional Director - Pacific Chris Flynn. Those participating in the Tourism Leaders Forum include Chris Roberts, Chief Executive - Tourism Industry Aotearoa; Nick Hill, Chief Executive – ATEED; Stephen England-Hall, Chief Executive Tourism New Zealand; Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO - PATA, and Cam Wallace, Chief Revenue Officer - Air New Zealand. With the theme ‘R U Future Ready’, the PGIC conference programme on September 29 includes presentations from Boeing, TripAdvisor and Microsoft. The conference also features, for the first time, a panel discussion with ‘tomorrow’s tourism leaders’. Richard Aquino, Sarath Munasinghe, Sabrina Seeler and Xuan Bach Tran (Alex) from the newlyestablished PATA New Zealand Auckland University of Technology Student Chapter will share their views on how tourism will likely develop by 2025 and beyond.

NEWS IN BRIEF

September 2017 7

BUSINESS

MakeMyTrip to use Travelport platform WH Desk

akeMyTrip has signed an agreement with Travelport’s distributor for India, InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ), for the use of Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform. Under the agreement, MakeMyTrip can expand the use of Travelport’s technology

from the Ibibo Group to MakeMyTrip’s other primary distribution channels starting in the second half of calendar year 2017. Travelport, working in conjunction with ITQ which operates as its distributor in India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, will make available to MakeMyTrip its industry leading travel content featuring real time access to approximately 400 airlines, including the merchandised content of over half of these carriers such as fares families and ancillary products (paid seat assignments, baggage fees, priority boarding, etc). Gordon Wilson, Travelport’s President and CEO, commented, “India is a market

with enormous growth potential where Travelport, working with our distributor ITQ, has grown in air booking terms by 14% in the first half of 2017 when the GDS air market has grown by 11%.” “The fact that MakeMyTrip has elected to work with us is a testament to our investment in leading edge search, shopping and booking technology alongside the significantly differentiated travel content now available on our platform for both the domestic and outbound Indian traveller,” he further added. Deep Kalra, Founder, Chairman and Group-CEO of MakeMyTrip added, “This is an exciting time for MakeMyTrip and we are delighted to partner with Travelport and ITQ as part of our growth strategy in the service of the travelling Indian consumer.” Anil Parashar, President and CEO of ITQ, said, “MakeMyTrip is a tremendous partner for us and we are delighted to be building on the good work we started with Ibibo Group which is now part of the MakeMyTrip Group. ITQ’s investment in local support and infrastructure for the Travelport platform in the markets in which we operate has enabled us to provide the sort of service and local touch, linked to the global capabilities of Travelport, to enable us to win a customer of this calibre with whom we look forward to working for many years to come.”

Yatra.com partners with PeopleStrong WH Desk

atra.com has trusted PeopleStrong to digitize the employee life cycle on a single unified cloud platform named PeopleStrong Alt. PeopleStrong Alt will cover the entire gamut of talent management processes from the core HR information system, leave and attendance, recruitment and on boarding, capability enhancement, exit and expense management for all employees across entities and locations PAN India. With PeopleStrong’ s true-blue HR SaaS technology designed “For HR, By HR”, and powered by India’s first

8 September 2017

comprehensive HR Chatbot, Yatra. com would be able to deliver a unified experience to its employees, HR teams and business users. Speaking on the occasion Dhiresh Sharma, Chief Business Officer Activities & Chief People Officer, Yatra. com shared, “Yatra.com is a one stop travel solution for all its customers, and we wanted to extend this philosophy to our employee experience. With PeopleStrong, we have created an integrated talent management platform that simultaneously simplifies and enhances the employee’s worklife.

VFS Global acquires TT Services WH Desk

FS Global has completed on 22 August 2017 the acquisition of visa service provider TT Services (TTS). The transaction enables VFS Global to leverage on core competences and brands and to further enhance operating performance.

Zubin Karkaria CEO VFS Global Group

India: TT Services is a provider of integrated visa processing solutions with global presence and a comprehensive portfolio of services. TT Services is headquartered in the United Kingdom and has a strong and long-lasting relationship with its client governments and with a commercial partner. The company operates 51 application centres in more than 35 countries and has 216 employees. TTS offers a full range of high quality visa services for its client governments, partners and applicants. Zubin Karkaria, CEO of VFS Global Group commented: “TT Services has, like VFS Global, extended industry experience of more than 15 years and is a trusted service delivery partner for its clients. I see a strong fit by TTS joining VFS Global. This will enable us to further enhance and extend our services towards our client governments and visa applicants.” The change of control will have no bearing on the business operations of the parties and act as a catalyst to improved services and enhanced client and customer satisfaction.

September 2017 9

NTO

St. Petersburg appoints Salvia Promoters as its tourism office in India WH Desk

isit St. Petersburg, the official tourism body of the city, has appointed Salvia Promoters as its official partner in India mandated with developing the fast growing India’s outbound tourism market in order to boost visits of Indian tourist to the historic city of St. Petersburg. “India is the fastest growing economy in the world amongst the top economies. It has emerged as one of the fastest growing tourism source markets in the world with year-on-year annual growth hovering at around 11 per cent in the last few years. Besides, the UNWTO projects India to be a 50 million outbound travel market by 2020. And most importantly, our two countries are time-tested all-weather friends and it is important today that we further enhance and improve people-to-people interaction between our two countries,” said, Andrey Mushkarev, Chairman of Committee of Tourism Development of St. Petersburg, while sharing his views on opening the new tourism office in India.

NEWS IN ONE MINUTE

1 TGTM2017 showcases

world-class golfing experience

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hosted Thailand Golf Travel Mart (TGTM) 2017 from 25-28 July in the stunning environs of Khao Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand where golf tour operators and buyers from key international markets met with suppliers and golf course owners from across Thailand. More than 150 buyers from 32 countries signed up to attend the TGTM 2017 with the majority being from Asia (65 buyers) and the ASEAN region (48 buyers). These make up the largest golf markets due to the proximity of Thailand and the kingdom’s excellent reputation for offering world-class golfing.

2 Maldives appoints TRAC as

Marketing Representative

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation Limited have appointed TRAC Representations as the PR representative of Maldives in India, to strengthen trade relations and execute marketing initiatives by promoting Maldives as a destination for diverse segments of travellers. Commenting on being appointed as the Official Marketing Representative for Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation Limited Rajeev Nangia, COO, TRAC Representations said, “We are absolutely thrilled and overwhelmed with this appointment and privileged to be representing Maldives in India. Maldives has a lot to offer and is one of the top destinations for Indian travellers seeking experiential travel.”

Andrey Mushkarev Chairman CTD of St. Petersburg

Prashant Chaudhary Partner Salvia Promoters

Furthermore, he said that the decision to appoint Salvia Promoters as Visit St. Petersburg’s official partner in India is well thought out and strategic as ‘Salvia’ as a brand in India is synonymous with travel and tourism promotion to Russia. “Salvia has extensively worked with Russia and its various regional tourism boards like ourselves handling Russian Visa Facilitation Centre in the past and promoting Russian tourism interest over the last one and half decades through various tourism development platforms and road shows. We have had wonderful experience of working with Salvia in the past and are confident that they will deliver the best for us. Mr Prashant Chaudhary’s vast experience and tremendous market reach in India, as well as his exclusive Russian focus and expertise makes him the best candidate who could deliver on our expectation from the Indian market,” Mushkarev said. Speaking on the appointment of Salvia Promoters as Visit St. Petersburg’s official tourism partner in India, Prashant Chaudhary, Partner, Salvia Promoters, said that the responsibility to represent as Visit St. Petersburg’s tourism office in India is the culmination of his love affair with Russia that started with his first visit to the country about 30 years ago.

10 September 2017

3 Israel Tourism conducts six-city

roadshow in India

In continuation of its plan to increase the number of Indian arrivals to the country, the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT), conducted their second roadshow for 2017 in India. The roadshow was in a networking workshop format and commenced on August 21 in Mumbai followed by Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and concluded in Chennai on August 30. The Israeli delegation was led by Hassan Madah, Director – Israel Ministry of Tourism, India along with Judah Samuel, Director – Marketing, Israel Ministry of Tourism, India and included representative partners from the tourism industry of Israel. The roadshow witnessed a participation of over 100 travel agents in each city. Speaking at the roadshow, Hassan Madah, Director - Israel Ministry of Tourism India said, “Over 34,000 Indians have already visited Israel in the last seven months of 2017 marking a growth of 36 percent in Indian tourist arrivals.

NTO

Dubai Business Events gathers momentum after strong H1 WH Desk

ubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau, has reported strong results for the first half of 2017, with 97 bids submitted to host business events being successfully awarded to the city. The events secured since January, including conferences, exhibitions, meetings and incentive trips, are poised to attract over 51,636 delegates from around the world, resulting in an expected economic impact of approximately AED 375 million. Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “Dubai has grown tremendously to become a leading destination for international business events. We recognise the significance of the business events industry, and acknowledge the various growth facets each event brings to the city. Not only do they accelerate our journey towards becoming a knowledge-sharing economy, but business events are also major contributors towards our goal of welcoming 20 million visitors each year by 2020.”

Representation World to recruit buyers for GITF 2018 WH Desk

annover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd. Guangzhou Branch has appointed Representation World LLP for buyer recruitment from India Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Maldives & South Africa in 2017 for organizing the 2018 edition of ‘Guangzhou International Travel Fair – GITF’, one of the most influential B2B fairs focusing on outbound travel, inbound travel and M.I.C.E, which will be held in 1-3 March, 2018 at China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China. Representation World LLP is now sole agent in the area of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Maldives and South Africa, to recruit exhibitors and qualified buyers from these countries. Sharing his views on this exclusive collaboration, Cathy Cui, Head of GZ Branch, Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd, said “For Guangzhou International Travel Fair – GITF 2018, we would like to explore these countries as there is huge potential.” In the views of Vineet Gopal, Managing Director, Representation World LLP shared, “Together I am sure we will able to benefit each other in driving business from all these countries to China and viceversa. It is a bigger responsibility; however with our experience of being official representative of BIT Milan and other exhibitions, it gives us an edge over others to deliver beyond expectations. I like to thank all my channel partners and travel trade fraternity for their continuous support”.

In the first six months, Dubai Business Events won a total of 97 pitches to host business events in the city, and is currently awaiting verdict on 97 more that have been submitted. Key wins include: Baby Care Annual Incentive (2018), World Conference on Desalination and Water Re-Use (2019), and Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (2022). Dubai Business Events has also ramped up efforts to highlight the city’s business events offering to international audiences. DBE representatives have attended over 50 trade events in the first half of the year, interacting with over 4,500 business events buyers and planners. The bureau has also facilitated a total of 16 site inspections with 38 clients, and hosted 144 buyers from around the world as part of four in-depth Dubai study missions. Steen Jakobsen, Director of Dubai Business Events, said: “We’ve had a stellar start to the year, and are well on our way to achieving our targets set for 2017. As we continue to work towards further strengthening Dubai’s reputation of being a premier host destination for business events, we have a steady pipeline of initiatives planned for the year ahead. We are also focusing on expanding our network and reach globally, enabling businesses, event buyers and planners to benefit from our expertise.” Further study missions in 2017 will come from India, China, the Americas and Southeast Asia, while DBE will also build on its participation in major trade shows with a significant presence at IMEX America in Las Vegas and IBTM World in Barcelona towards the end of the year.

Dubai Parks & Resorts unveils new season line up WH Desk

ubai Parks and Resorts announced its new season line up, featuring the premiere of the Lionsgate zone at Motiongate Dubai and a series of exciting events on the river at Riverland™ Dubai. The Lionsgate zone at Motiongate Dubai, which will shortly be unveiled to the public, features the world’s first rides and attractions inspired by the international blockbuster movie series ‘The Hunger Games’. Visitors will be able to take a hair-raising journey from District 12 to the Capitol on the adrenaline-filled half pipe roller coaster, the Capitol Bullet Train and enjoy a 3D flight that soars over Panem and takes guests in touching distance of the iconic landmarks of the Capitol, on the Panem Aerial Tour. Riverland Dubai, the themed dining, retail and entertainment district at the centre of Dubai Parks and Resorts has also announced its season line up of free events including Circus on the River in November and Pets on the River in December and a host of new events during public holidays.

September 2017 11

HOSPITALITY

Royal Orchid Hotels reported an increase in net profit by 313% WH Desk

oyal Orchid Hotels Limited, a fast emerging hotel chain operating 5 and 4 star hotels for business and leisure travellers, reported its first quarter financial results for the quarter ended 30th June 2017. Commenting on the results Chender Baljee, Chairman & Managing Director said: “On the business front, we are totally focused on our asset light model strategy with addition of 2 new properties in first quarter of this fiscal year. We seek to maintain an efficient balance sheet with an investment grade credit rating. We will continue with the strategy to increase our presence across country and strengthen our portfolio.

Highlights of Q1 FY18 v/s Q1 FY17 Revenue of Rs 23.65 cr in v/s. Rs 20.47 cr EBIDTA of Rs 4.17 cr v/s. Rs 2.06 cr PAT of Rs 1.15 cr v/s. Rs (0.54) cr EPS of Rs 0.42 v/s. EPS of Rs (0.20)

Resplendent Ceylon announces newest luxury retreat in Sri Lanka WH Desk

esplendent Ceylon, the benchmark for boutique, small luxury resorts in Sri Lanka has announced its newest resort offering- the Wild Coast Tented Lodge. Ideally located at the edge of Yala National Park in the South-Eastern part of the country, renowned for its dense leopard population, this spectacular luxury tented lodge finds its place where the glorious jungle meets a pristine beach overlooking the azure waters of the Indian Ocean. Set to open in mid-October 2017, Wild Coast Tented Lodge will also be a member of Relais and Chateaux, a prestigious association of some of the finest hotels and restaurants around the world. The resort design has been conceptualised by Nomadic Resorts- a consortium of Dutch, English and Sri Lankan designers, wherein it blends seamlessly into the surrounding landscape built with meticulously handpicked natural materials.

12 September 2017

NEWS IN ONE MINUTE

1 ITDC profit surges in Q1, 2017 India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the public sector undertaking under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism, posted a remarkable performance for first quarter of the current financial year 2017-18. The total turnover in quarter ending June 2017 increased to Rs.109.60 cr as compared to Rs. 91.42 cr in the corresponding quarter last year. The company registered Net Profit Before Tax (PBT) at Rs. 25.19 cr as compared to Rs. 14.30 cr in the corresponding quarter last financial year i.e. 2016-17, an increase of 76.15% from last year. The aforesaid information is based on the new Indian accounting standards 2017 (Ind AS) as applicable from 1st April 2017. These details were announced in the Board of Directors’ meeting of the company held on 14th August, 2017 at the Group’s flagship hotel, The Ashok, New Delhi. Buoyed by the profits in last financial year 2016-17, ITDC has posted good performance for this year as well.

2 Mandarin Oriental to manage

Caribbean Resort

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced that it will rebrand and manage a luxury hotel, currently operating on Canouan island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, from November 2017. Mandarin Oriental, Canouan will be the Group’s first property in the Caribbean. The exclusive resort is expansive while being intimate and secluded, nestled on the powder white sands of Canouan Island which is only five square miles in total. The whole island is dedicated to leisure pursuits including sailing, kayaking, diving, fishing, tennis and hiking, as well as golf at an 18-hole Jim Faziodesigned golf course. . The hotel comprises 26 suites and 12three to four bedroom villas.

Centara Hotels & Resorts First India Road Show 2017

Centara Hotels and Resorts recently organised its first roadshow in India in two metro cities – at St. Regis in Mumbai and at The Leela Palace in New Delhi. Centara is the largest Thai chain with its strong presence in Thailand, Srilanka , Maldives, Vietnam and Oman. A group whose tradition goes back over 30 years, continues to grow and expand in new and exciting destinations, which include China, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, UAE, Indonesia, Laos, the Maldives, Vietnam, Combodia and Thailand. With hotels in prime destinations and a wide array of services, Centara has properties to suit any need. As per Paul Wilson, VP Sales, “The growth of Indian traffic to Centara has been astronomical and Centara wants to be at the forefront of every Travel agent who thinks about any of the countries where Centara is present.” The group has plans to organise Road Shows in more cities and frequently.

HOSPITALITY

Clarks Inn: the fastest growing hotel company in India Company’s portfolio count stands at 80 hotel properties, including over 40 in operation, across 17 states in India and one in Nepal in just over 11 years of operation WH Desk

ery few hotel companies in India have successfully leveraged the growth potential that Indian market offers. And the list significantly narrows down when we consider home grown hotel companies and brands. In essence, there have been many start-ups but few successes. However, it has been a different story for one company that flaunts its USP as ‘Inns that care’ attracting independent hotel owners, developers and potential investors to make a beeline to partner with it. In business for just over a decade now, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels has emerged as probably the biggest success story on India’s hospitality landscape, particularly in the last few years. Today, in a span of just over 11 years, company’s corporate catch phrase has spread across India and beyond in Nepal where it is gearing to open its first international property early next year.

S N Srivastava President & Co-founder Clarks Inn Group

An astute leader with over four decades of experience in the hotel industry, S N Srivastava, President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, helped formed this company over 11 years ago and has

Clarks Inn Suites Gwalior

Hotel VITS Devbhumi Dwarka launched

led this growth from the front. “Clarks Inn Group of Hotels is a Hotel Management company that was formed in 2006 in the wake of huge demand-supply gap that existed in the budget and mid-market hotel space. The company ventured in the business the same year with the opening of Clarks Inn Suites Pacific Mall in Ghaziabad in Delhi NCR in 2006. In a span of just over 11 years, we manage a portfolio of 80 hotel properties, including 40 in operation, spread across 17 states in India and one in Nepal,” he informs. Srivastava further informs that the company signed and opened a total of 21 hotel properties, including eight operational, in 2015. This robust growth continued in 2016 as well with the total signed and operational once again matching the 2015 figure of 21 but surpassing the operational numbers that was 12 new hotels last year. New hotels opened and signed in 2016 include Bhagalkot, Buxor, hampi, Mysore, Patna, Shimoga, Sultanpur, Balan, Kanpur, Ara, Faizabad, Katra, Bijapur, Noida, Vasundhara, Kurloon, Greater Noida, Ujjain, Vrindavan and two in Shirdi. Of these, twelve properties that include Alwar, Bhagalkot, Dehradoon, Gangtok, Gwalior, Buxor, Musoorie, Mysore, Panchkula, Shimoga, Sultapura and Ujjain have become operational in 2016. In the last few years Clarks Inn has witnessed its presence grow in several key markets where it earlier had one odd property. Today the company has emerged as the leading presence amongst the branded hotel in markets like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Delhi NCR, Himachal Pradesh and the list is growing. Importantly, the company has continued to open new markets all across India where few have dared venture. While well established hotel companies are clearly hesitant in running hotel in unchartered territories and lesser heard far-flung areas and towns, Clarks Inn has clearly shown courage in opening many new destinations like Gadag (Karnataka), Deogarh (Jharkhand), Ara, Buxor (Bihar) and many others such markets where other older and well-established companies have only followed it later. It has brought new business to the market paving way for others in the industry to follow in those markets.

ITS Hotel Worldwide added another landmark in Dwarka – Gujarat, with launch of Hotel VITS Devbhumi, expediently located to the prominent landmarks of Dwarkadish temple. Dwarka is often identified with the Dwarka Kingdom, the ancient kingdom of Krishna, and is believed to have been first capital of Gujarat. VITS Devbhumi will appeal to both leisure and business tourists. It offers stunning array of facilities that include well equipped conference room, travel- desk, multi cuisine restaurants, open air terrace restaurant, gaming zone and banqueting facilities. Vikram Kamat, Managing Director¸ VITS Luxury Business Hotels says, “This is our third property in Gujarat and we are extremely upbeat on the exponential growth prospect in the region. VITS is positioned as a moderately priced full service luxury business hotel and enjoys high occupancy rate at all our ten properties nationality. We believe VITS Devbhumi Dwarka with its strategic location, imposing décor, banqueting and host of hospitality will appeal to both leisure and business tourists.” Adding to this Chandrakant Shetty, Chief Executive Officer, VITS Luxury Business Hotels says “The hotel offers 58 well appointed rooms and seamlessly fit into the traveller’s scheme of things by providing four star deluxe experiences.” VITS Luxury Hotels presently operates 10 properties located in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik, Latur, Ankleshwar, Silvassa, Agra, Chakan and Bhubaneshwar. The Hotel chain presently has inventory of 900 rooms with host of banqueting, conferencing, restaurant and lifestyle facilities.

September 2017 13

IN FOCUS-IATO Convention

IATO has formed a strong partnership with MoT in reviving the business: Pronab Sarkar The Executive Committee of IATO remained busy in drawing out strategies, how best our pending issues can be resolved in consultation with Ministry of Tourism, says Pronab Sarkar, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators in an exclusive conversation with Whereabouts.

programmes, special circuit promotions like Buddhist Circuit, Northeast Circuit, Workshops & Seminars, Clean India Campaign. These really worked out well.

Rajesh Tiwari

We have so much of options and new initiatives. I believe with such innovative approach and investments, India can be the most popular destination in the world. We can show the difference to the world and present India as a destination for all reasons and all seasons.”

The Executive Committee remained busy in drawing out strategies, how best our pending issues can be resolved in consultation with Ministry of Tourism and also our Minister is taking our issues with concerned Ministries.

Q. IATO has launched a special

drive to enhance the membership base of the association especially from Northeast region; how has been the impact?

A. Yes, we have launched a special drive

Q. How has been the year 2017 from

associations’ point of view; what were the major initiatives that you would like to talk about?

A. Very challenging, as we could see

hardly any growth in leisure business. However, our ministry and our members continued their efforts to generate business for which IATO formed a strong partnership with the Ministry of Tourism in reviving the business by holding series of roadshows specially in new markets like Latin America, Gulf , Middle East and Far East, enhanced participation in international tourism and travel exhibitions, media and hospitality

14 September 2017

to enhance the membership especially for Northeast. For increasing membership, we are offering free registration (one time registration) to all who want to join IATO. We have also appointed a new Chapter Chairman for Northeast who is actively doing job of coordination with all Northeast states and have been very helpful to boost the cause of IATO, and there has been a very positive response. This Northeast region of the country has a lot to explore, like the rich natural beauty, exotic flora and fauna of the area offers invaluable resources for the development of tourism with unique experience which one may not get in other regions of India. The attractions are scattered over the entire region and are largely located in remote areas within highly fragile environment. These attractions and the people of the region constitute the tourism resources at large.

Q. How do you look at

Bhubaneswar as the convention venue? What are your suggestions to leverage the potential of Odisha Tourism?

A. Bhubaneswar has seen a progressive

development in all respects. Bhubaneswar has also become international airport with connectivity to Malaysia and movements from South Asia Region have shown interest in this region with Odisha government doing

aggressive promotions in Indonesia (Bali Yatra) Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Buddhist tourism focused campaign took the imagination of the tourists in Asian markets and there is a positive image about Bhubaneswar as a clean city, hotels in numbers both 5-Star and Medium budget and lot to see around Bhubaneswar promotes golden triangle of Bhubaneswar – Konark- Puri. There are many new tourism destinations and sights being introduced by Odisha Tourism, which needs to be explored by tourism industry for promotion.

Q. Kindly throw some light on the

theme chosen for 33rd Convention of IATO?

The past few years have seen the Indian tourism industry go through tremendous stress. An aged destination brand, low traveller demand, constant assaults from taxation & policy changes, changing distribution systems – so much has gone on and changing in our industry. Keeping up is not only hard but sometimes almost impossible. So what do we do in this scenario? How do we as stakeholders cope? The time has come to take a deep look on how we have been running our industry, our businesses. The time has come to consider the possibilities to reinvent ourselves and start investing in a new future. We must never stop moving. Just as established products and brands need updating to stay alive and vibrant, you periodically need to refresh or reinvent yourself.

Q. How has been the growth of

inbound tourism in 2016 and so far in 2017?

A. Inbound trend is quite positive though it is a bit slow and having a lower growth than what we expected. But still if you see the global trends, India’s performance as inbound destination is not bad.

At a time when global economic slowdown is really dampening tourist movements as also the high cost of travel by air due to high cost of aviation fuel, this growth over 13% is quite substantial also this is during off season (mainly summer months when tourists movements toward India is a bit slow. This positive trend to catch up with the main season from Mid-September (when monsoon will also be over) and the year is expected to end with a growth of 15% positively.

IN FOCUS-IATO Convention

We are bringing the audience into the forefront : Rajeev Kohli A fundamental approach I have been taking for the last five years is that all the sessions need to be directly relevant to the business operations of our members. So if you have noticed, we have been avoiding generic session on the large macro picture, but focusing on how our members can improve their businesses, get new system and ideas, says Rajeev Kohl, Sr Vice President, Indian Association of Tour Operators while talking exclusively to Whereabouts. Rajesh Tiwari

session is divided into two parts a panel or discussion time, and a part for audience interaction. I am expecting the panel to set up the discussion to talk a little bit and then the audience needs to come and debate, throw questions and challenge the panel. I hope we will leave the room with some new ideas, some new brain storming thoughts on how to revive the industry. I think the biggest differentiate we have from any other association is bringing the audience into the forefront, the audience will control, the audience will play a big part in deliberation of the Convention.

Q. After 2008, Odisha hosting the Annual Convention of IATO once again; what could be the biggest advantage for the state this time?

Q. The previous convention of IATO A. Odisha has been very supportive has been one of the most successful industry events – let’s revisit the convention; how would you describe it? What were the major takeaways/ achievements for the industry stakeholders?

I think every IATO convention has been a great success over the last three years. We have moved a long distance from the old boring social event conventions to more business like events where we discuss the relevant subjects and try to impart the knowledge to our members that they can take away and use in their respective businesses. The Bhubaneswar Convention will follow the same concept. I am proud of the works which have been done by this EC for the last few years.

Q. You have introduced Interactive

Sessions during previous convention; how has been the response? Is there anything new this time?

A. Every year I have been trying to tweak

the content format a little bit. A fundamental approach I have been taking for the five years is that all the sessions need to be directly relevant to the business operations of our members. So if you have noticed, we have been avoiding generic session on the large macro picture but focusing on how people can improve their businesses, how can get new ideas and new systems. This year we have amended the format a little bit more. We want to make the convention more interactive so every

in bringing IATO back to the town and I think it’s a very good strategy. It has been almost nine years our member visited the destination and during these years the destination, hotels and so many things have changed. And any destination that thinks we have got the IATO Convention once we do not need again, is the destination that will lose. We have been to Rajasthan and Kerala at many occasions and as a result the destinations have registered an impressive growth. And it’s good to go in eastern India and exploring new destinations. This convention is an opportunity for those who missed the last one. There are a lot of the people who want to refresh their product knowledge as well.

Q. Year 2017 – including the

previous inbound season has been an eventful year, be it Demonetization, amendment in E-Tourist Visa or recently introduced GST – all have their own impact on tourism and hospitality business. Since you represent the apex body of inbound tour operators, what is your reaction?

I think no doubt the Indian tourism industry – across the segments has been under enormous stress and pain over this last one year. We as the industry supported the initiative of the GST (Goods and Service Tax) but we have been very disappointed on what we have perceived to be incorrect application of the GST on our industry. And

I think the biggest differentiate we have from any other association is bringing the audience into the forefront, the audience will control, the audience will play a big part in deliberation of the Convention

Rajeev Kohli Sr. Vice President IATO

normally in the law the double taxation still exists. We are hoping that gets a mandate because it is hurting us gravely. Also the GST rate on hotels is absurdly high and does not make us competitive as compare to our neighboring countries. I think the E-visa system has been definitely a boon; however we can see the backlog of clearance of E-visa passengers at the airport that needs to be solved. But the E-visa definitely has been a wonderful move for the country in general. As far as the growth of tourism is concerned; I believe unless we get the support of the Government in various sectors including formation and implementation of new tourism policy; we are going to see some challenges and pain in future as well.

Continued......

September 2017 15

IN FOCUS-IATO Convention

Q. How would you rate the

government policies in terms of supporting the growth of tourism and hospitality business? Is there any major challenge in front of industry stakeholders?

A. I want to make a distinction in between the people who works in ministry of tourism and the policies of the Government at the different level. I think support by Indian government to tourism is negligible, does not exist. The policies are old and irrelevant. Strategies adopted by the government no longer works. And unfortunately for any one sitting in the government outside of tourism ministry they consider tourism to be a luxury and therefore should not be focused on this we should use this. The Prime Minister say the right thing but the implementation down the line is completely non existence.

Q. How would you describe

association’s functioning today?

I think the association is functioning well. We definitely want to improve and that always an ongoing process. I thing we need to bring in a little bit more professionalism by increasing the quality and strength of our secretariat. We have some great people working for us and we need to strengthen their hands. And I think we are functioning well, unfortunately last one year all our energy has gone in to fire fighting, to battling issue like ASI rules, GTS, E-visa, so when you are fire fighting you cannot focus on growth.

Q. The Sr. Vice President of IATO

is also the Global President of SITE – one of the most elite associations of the world; how India and IATO can leverage this golden opportunity?

A. I am privilege and proud to be the

global president of SITE. I tried to bring those experiences into my work for IATO. I think, I cannot tell people that I am Global President of SITE and therefore I am smarter than you because that is not true. But I think I do have something to contribute. I do have value sitting on a global board, learning from other associations across the world and I like to have the opportunity to use these experiences for our association.

IATO Run for Responsible Tourism creating a sense of togetherness IATO Run is not about competition; it’s about running together, walking together and having fun with the message to become a responsible citizen of the country, says Amaresh Tiwari. Hony Treasure, IATO while speaking exclusively to Whereabouts.

senior citizen and female participants are increasing in a large number. IATO Run registration is free of charge and open to all. Even small kids, differently able persons can also participate.

Rajesh Tiwari

Q. How do you decide the route for

Q. What do you say about IATO

Run for Responsible Tourism? Kindly elaborate on the various categories of the competition?

A. IATO Run is not about competition; it’s

about running together, walking together and having fun with the message to become a responsible citizen of the country. Also, it is a small step to make a balance in intense week of business with a healthy lifestyle.

Under this competition we have five Amaresh Tiwari Hony Tresurer categories; IATO 5kms Run for Men, 5kms Run for Women, 5kms Walk (Open), 5kms Walk for Sr. Citizen and 5kms Fun Run/Walk for Children. Children participating in run will be given goodie bags. Rest all the categories will have first, second and third winner and they will be facilitated on 9th September afternoon before valedictory session with trophies and prizes.

Q. How has been the format of

IATO Run, is it the same or you made some changes.

A. IATO Run has become a great

platform for having bonding, fun and great networking. There are lots of improvements in terms of logistics and format which you will be able to see on the ground.

Q. How has been the member’s participation so far? Which IATO Run has the largest number of participants?

A. IATO Run participants are increasing year-on-year. We have got a tremendous feedback from the participants so far. The

16 September 2017

We have seen the largest participation in 5th edition of IATO Run. We are expecting approximately 500 participants this year.

IATO Run? What’s the process?

A. Deciding the route for IATO Run takes

a lot of time and effort. We discuss all the possible options with state administration and identify at least three routes. We prefer the route which reflects the true character of the City. The selection of the final route for Run is based on the safety and security of the participants, and logistic support to the run. So far we have been able to find-out the iconic routes for IATO Run; Marine Drive in Mumbai, Back Waters in Kochi and Marari Beach in Chennai are among them.

Q. Tell us something about the

IATO Run for Responsible Tourism in Bhubaneswar?

A. This year’s IATO run will be held on

08th September 2017 at 6am. The run will start from Mayfair Lagoon and will go 2.5 kms towards Kalinga Stadium and back to the same place. Dutee Chand – the Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women’s 100 metres will start the run and participate actively. She will be distributing the prices as well before valedictory session on 9th September Odisha government is also taking very keen interest, and as mentioned above we are quite expecting at least 500 participants for this year’s run.

Q. Which IATO Run you like most and why?

A. IATO run is my baby and all the editions have been very close to my heart.

IN FOCUS-IATO Convention

Time to consider possibilities & reinvent Rajiv Mehra, Vice President & Chairman-convention says Just as established products and brands need updating to stay alive and vibrant, you periodically need to refresh or reinvent yourself;

ourselves and start investing in future. We must never stop moving. Just as established products and brands need updating to stay alive and vibrant, you periodically need to refresh or reinvent yourself; especially in today’s scenario, because it’s a whole different market.

Q. Kindly throw some lights on the

Rajesh Tiwari

Q. Kindly elaborate on the theme -

‘Indian Tourism – Time to Reinvent Ourselves’ chosen for the convention; what message you wish to convey?

A. As George Bernard Shaw has said

‘Life is not about finding yourself, Life is about creating yourself’. The time has come to take a deep look on how we have been running our industry and our business. The time has come to consider the Rajiv Mehra possibilities VP & Chairman Convention to reinvent IATO

content of the convention finalized for this year?

A. For this year’s convention, we have

concentrated on emergent issues like understanding GST and its impact on our business operations. We have decided to concentrate on the topics such as Leadership, Branding Entrepreneurships, Management, Manpower, Communications and Direct Relations with Airlines/Overseas Tour Operators etc. Challenges from Online Travel Agents (OTA), Rupee Fluctuations and new directives about Electronic Visa Authority are some important issues that need brainstorming sessions to enhance the knowledge of our members.

Q. What are the responsibilities

you are looking after as the Chairman Convention?

A. As Convention Chairman my

responsibility is to ensure the success of the Convention, good preparation is essential and the role of the Chairman is paramount. As I mentioned, I am responsible for smooth and effective functioning of the entire event including the EC meetings. I have to ensure that there is full participation during the meetings and all the relevant matters are discussed with effective communication. State government sponsorship and speakers etc. are also big responsibilities that need a great coordination in all areas of Convention. I am making all efforts to make it a fabulous convention so that all the participants leave the meeting with a feeling of accomplishment.

Q. How has been your experience

of working with Govt. of Odisha? What is your expectation from the convention?

A. Excellent is the one word. It is their

overwhelming support that gives us the confidence that this year’s Convention will be one of the best in the history of IATO. I am very optimistic and we hope to get over 1200 registration.

IATO Members are very excited Lally Mathews, Hony Secretary& Cochairman Convention says The convention will be a golden opportunity for those members who have not visited Odisha so far. It will provide a host of opportunity t Rajesh Tiwari

How this convention is going to promote Odisha?

The convention will be a golden opportunity for those members who have not visited Odisha so far. It will provide a host of opportunity to get a firsthand experience of the vast tourism products of the state and make it saleable by including in their itineraries for overseas agents.

Lally Mathews Co-Chairman Convetion IATO

As far as the tour operators from the state are concerned they have a never before opportunity

at their door-step as all leading and prominent tour operators of the country will be available at one place. The state stakeholders can interact with them and showcase their products.

Concurrently with our convention, there will be Indian Travel Mart. It is an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase exciting and diverse range of destinations, conference and incentive venues.

Q. How has been the response among the members of IATO?

A. It has been amazing –firstly we are

going to Bhubaneswar after a long gap and secondly many of our members are going to Odisha (Bhubaneswar) for the first time; so the level of excitement is really very high.

Q. What number of delegates are you expecting?

A. Odisha offers A to Z of tourism be it

beaches, pilgrimage, hill stations, wildlife, ayurveda or medical tourism; which have been the prime consideration to conduct our convention in Odisha and see the products ourselves. Since the Convention destination is well received and the government of

Odisha is very proactive and creating a buzz about the Convention, we are expecting more than 1200 delegates to participate for three day event.

How do you look at the growth of India Tourism in current scenario?

A. There have been a number of events in the year 2016 and 2017 which affected the growth of travel and hospitality industry a lot. Whether it is Demonetization or GST all created a lot of challenges for stakeholders which resulted in a sluggish growth for tourism business in the country.

Which are the responsibilities you are taking care of as the Co-chairman Convention?

A. Conducting a smooth and successful

convention is a huge responsibility which requires an excellent and effective communication between various departments. As a Co-chairman, I do have the responsibility of ensuring a smooth and successful convention by all means and ways.

September 2017 17

TALKING POINT

ASEAN; a low-hanging fruit for Odisha Tourism Odisha’s proximity to ASEAN Countries is a boon for the state’s tourism industry. Apart from Buddhism, Odisha has a number of reasons that can attract a large number of travellers to the state. With a focused branding of Odisha Tourism in this region the state can increase its tourism business exceptionally in much shorter period as compare to any other destination of the World. Rajesh Tiwari

s the Director Tourism of Odisha Dr NB Jawale rightly says that Asean is the low hanging fruit for the state that can bring an impressive growth at the lowest cost. It is of utmost importance as the growing

Nitin Bhanudas Jawale, IAS Director & Addl. Secretary Odisha Tourism

“Buddhist segment is the way forward to reach Asean countries and attract a huge chunk of business from here.” tourism traffic can strengthen Odisha’s economy and support more employment in a Odisha today gets high enquires from US, Europe and Middle East countries but less than one percent enquiries from

18 September 2017

a new destination in Asean region, hence, we need to promote heavily in our neighboring countries in shape of roadshows, print media campaigns, attending exhibitions, targeting niche market customers, with FAM tours etc.”

Harihar Patra Director Toshali Resorts International

Asean countries. Need of the hour is to showcase its rich natural and cultural heritage by having aggressive marketing , embrace print, electronic and social media campaign, organising FAM trips, conducting roadshows and simultaneously developing infra structure and human resources . Speaking on the same, Dr Nitin Bhanudas Jawale, IAS, Director & Additional Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha says, “Buddhist segment is the way forward to reach Asean countries and attract a huge chunk of business from here.” “This segment has the vast potential to expedite the growth of our stakeholders much easily and quickly. Be it tour operators or hoteliers, all of them should really take much use of this (Buddhist segment) as we are now directly connected to Southeast Asia through AirAsia,” he added. Odisha has a lot of similarity to the Asean region such as climate, religion, culture etc. therefore, it attracts lots of tourists to see their neighboring country their nearest point at the lowest cost. Harihar Patra, Director, Toshali Resorts International opines “Since, it’s (Odisha)

While elaborating on the importance of Asean region for inbound traffic to Odisha Benjamine Simon, Managing Director Travel Link said, “It is of utmost importance as it can strengthen Odisha’s further economic and support more employment in a sustainable manner.” “Unfortunately we are getting very few travellers from this part of the world which is not very encouraging. However, now the region is slowly picking up after the launch of KL connectivity by AirAsia to the region,” he added. Functioning of Biju Patnaik International Airport and commencement of AirAsia flight service from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur has been a significant development in the aviation sector of Odisha. This flight has opened up a new window of opportunity for tourism professionals of the state. In an effort to promote the tourism and business opportunities in Odisha, the flight connection to Kuala Lumpur will no doubt play a significant role in increasing both inbound & outbound

Benjamine Simon Managing Director Travel Link

traffic & will contribute to strengthen the local business, trade & commerce. Commenting on the same, Patra says, “It is a blessing that we got international connection by AirAsia. Hence, we need to work for each other so that both industry – the airline and state get the benefit of it. We need to know month on month basis the status report of airlines’ load factor so that we can discuss more intensively to have a win-win situation for all the stakeholders.” “Industry stakeholders need to collaborate, organise FAM trips to have firsthand knowledge of the products and facilities available in the region, enhance product portfolio and offer round the year attractive package. This also gives tour operators a new way to connect with their clientele, while offering them a value added comprehensive travel experience of the region,” suggests Benjamine.

September 2017 19

TALKING POINT

Bhubaneswar’s MICE Preparedness Considering the events that Bhubaneswar has hosted one can understand that the city has been showing a tremendous MICE potential which has caught the attention of many hospitality and tourism players. The city is heading towards becoming a prominent MICE destination in this part of the country. With many more events scheduled to come to Odisha; it’s time to analysis up to what extent the city is prepared to host MICE and conferences.

Rajesh Tiwari

he city of Bhubaneswar was in limelight for hosting the prestigious 22nd Asian Athletics Championships. The city got prepared in just 90 days after Ranchi – which was to host the event earlier, pulled out at the last minute. The renovation of Kalinga Stadium and beautification of the city was completed in a record time. Earlier editions of the championships have been held in New

As far as MICE in Odisha is concerned especially in the capital city of the state, it stands for a very successful and well strategic deal. J K Mohanty CMD Swosti Group 20 September 2017

Bhubaneswar Night View Delhi (1989) and Pune (2013), making Bhubaneswar the third Indian city to host the flagship athletics event in Asia. Almost 1000 delegates from 45 countries participated in 42 disciplines in the Asian Athletics Championships. Apart from this mega sporting event, Bhubaneswar is all set to organise one of the biggest and prominent event of the tourism industry – the 32nd Annual Convention of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) from September 07 to 10, 2017. Almost 1200 delegates are expected to come to Bhubaneswar to attend this Convention. If a city can accommodate such large number of delegates clearly indicates that it has the potential to attract a large chunk of business from MICE (Meeting Incentive Conference and Exhibition) segment. Having said that the city has been showing tremendous potential to conduct meeting and conferences Bhubaneswar can become the prominent MICE destination in this part of the country. The city boasts a number of well equipped hotels – in different categories, which can be the venues for high profile MICE events. Also, Bhubaneswar is the commercial hub of the state which accommodates big corporate houses, PSUs and central government undertakings in its vicinity.

There are many functional advantages like competitive price, faster communication and better publicity which an organiser can avail.

Souvagya Mohapatra Executive Director Mayfair Hotel & Resorts

In Odisha, a number of hotels have come up with different five star and deluxe to luxury and budget property in different cities. Apart from Bhubaneswar, Puri, Cuttack, and other major tourist destinations are also ready to provide all

TALKING POINT very successful and well strategic deal. The future road ahead for MICE segment in Odisha is bright as the state is free of pollution, congestion, terrorism or any other disturbances.”

The awareness level of Bhubaneswar’s potential in MICE segment amongst travel-trade fraternity and corporate in Delhi and Mumbai is not up to the mark.

A Talukdar Vice President The Crown Hotel

those modern and contemporary facilities that are required to make business evens successful. These renowned hotels and resorts are also known for the best MICE in Odisha where new wings can be given to business growth. While elaborating on Bhubaneswar’s MICE preparedness, J K Mohanty, CMD, Swosti Group says, “As far as MICE in Odisha is concerned especially in the capital city of the state, it stands for a

Further elaborating on his property Mohanty said, “Swosti Premium has the highest room inventory along with various sizes of conference venues and the largest Convention hall in Eastern India. The advantage is the 29 acres of lush green open air ground adjacent to the hotel for Exhibitions, Craft Melas etc.” Conference halls in different hotels are well equipped with all the modern and sophisticated conference facilities. Fully furnished and well equipped conference halls with capacity of more than 2000 sittings, modern technologies; video conferencing facility, and wifi connection, etc some of the added services are being offered by city hotels. Speaking on the same, Souvagya Mohapatra, Executive Director, Mayfair Hotel & Resorts says, “The organiser may address both the business and leisure needs by choosing Bhubaneswar for its MICE event. The city has many well equipped properties including Mayfair Hotels which can organise high profile MICE events.” “Besides, there are many functional advantages like competitive price, faster communication and better publicity which an organiser can avail,” he further added. As claimed by the hotel, Swosti Premium is the largest Convention Hotel of the Eastern India with eight meeting and banquet venues. Chanakya

Whereabouts Opines Considering the events that Bhubaneswar has hosted - the latest one the prestigious 22nd Asian Athletics Championships, getting prepared itself in just 90 days the city has done a humongous task which is quite evident that the city has a tremendous potential to turn itself in a preferred MICE destination. During our interaction with state hoteliers we found that many of them are not only raising their voice for better infrastructure and branding but getting prepared themselves to handle the bigger crowd with more facilities in near future. City hotels like The Crown, The New Marrion and The Presidency are going under huge refurbishment and adding room inventories. In order to attract a huge chunk of business from MICE segment the city required to develop more infrastructure. And MICE focused branding is need of the hour. Odisha is getting huge MICE queries but if these queries are not converted into the business due to non availability of mega convention centre it’s a loss to the state’s economy.

The absence of an International hotel brand in the state is also a factor hindering the growth.

Sameer Ali General Manager The New Marrion

(120’ X 59’) can accommodate up to 1000 pax in theatre style set up. Mayfair Lagoon has banquet halls, conference rooms and open-air venues of varying sizes and specifications which can be used to host corporate events. The lush green outdoor venue of Vatika can easily accommodate 2000 guests and is lined with bamboo groves on one side and coconut trees on another. Trident, Bhubaneswar is a one-ofits kind location for business or social events in the city. The hotel features flexible meeting spaces, which offer advanced facilities and can accommodate up to 120 guests. The Crown offers meeting rooms, conference halls and business centres of all shape & size. The hotel offers Private Moments, Ruby, King’s Court, Princess, Empress where one can have successful meetings and business. Bhubaneswar is surrounded by my many scenic and attractive tourist spots. Places like Nandankanan Zoological Park, the historic Dhaulagiri where the Kalinga war was fought, the Khandagiri and Udayagiri caves are located in the city while many other architectural and historic sites are located at the outskirts of the city. Major tourist’s destinations like, Chilika and the ‘Buddhist Diamond Triangle’ are approachable from Bhubaneswar in a short span of time. This makes the city ideal for conference and incentive tourism.

September 2017 21

TALKING POINT A Talukdar, Vice President, The Crown Hotel opines that Bhubaneswar has international standard Convention halls in various hotels. Also, an international standard sporting infrastructure is ready along with transportation and other logistic supports. According to him, apart from various international cricket matches, Bhubaneswar has hosted a number of Conventions and conferences with 1000-3000 delegates in recent years. “Over and above Bhubaneswar can proudly boast of hosting most successful international sporting event the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship in June this year, followed by the World Cup Hockey scheduled to be organised in 2018,” informed Talukdar. “From November 2017 to January 2018 three national/international medical conferences with 1000-2500 participants are lined up in Bhubaneswar,” he further added. The city has been addressing the rising need of Conventions, exhibitions in the state by improving and adding basic infrastructures like roads, flight connectivity, hotel rooms, security and overall cleanliness to name a few. According to Sameer Ali, General Manager , The New Marrion, the city can host any type of meetings/convention/ exhibition be it for doctors, real estate, hospitality, education, investments, trade fairs, pharma meets etc. Apart from that Bhubaneswar has a good number of hotels, flight connectivity has improved, various restaurants, rich cultural heritage and to top everything Bhubaneswar is very cost effective. “Until we are not given a chance to host and showcase what the city can do, it is difficult to market ourselves,” says Ali.

Chanakya Hall, Swosti Premium as a first choice for meetings and conventions. The primary reason behind lack of awareness is the less branding. That’s need to be focused on MICE content and promote amongst the MICE event organizers. “The absence of an International hotel brand in the state is also a factor hindering the growth. Presence of an International Hotel Brand in the state will significantly help in attracting tourists too,” says Ali. Many hotels of the city are getting prepared to handle the bigger crowd with more facilities. The Crown is currently undergoing a major refurbishment drive that will put the hotel right in the top league in the city in terms of contemporary and most-modern facilities.

In order to attract a huge chunk of business from MICE the city required to develop more infrastructure. Looking towards the promising future in this segment many hoteliers are demanding mega Convention Centre while aggressive branding of Odisha’s MICE potential is need of the hour. Many hoteliers believe that Odisha is not getting its deserving share as compare to the neighbouring states. “The awareness level of Bhubaneswar’s potential in MICE segment amongst travel-trade fraternity and corporate in Delhi and Mumbai is not up to the mark,” says Talukdar. Also, more domestic and international flights are required to promote Bhubaneswar

22 September 2017

Mayfair Lagoon

The hotel is also adding 17 new rooms including six Suites. The extensive nature of renovation, that includes rooms, F&B outlets, meetings and banquette halls as well as public areas, is being carried out in a phased manner. The 68 key The Crown Bhubaneswar is also adding new inventory to the property with the total investment expected to be in the region of 15 to 20 crore. Just like that The New Marrion is undergoing huge refurbishment whether it is rooms, restaurants or conference venues all are getting a new look. Another hotel of the city The Presidency is adding new wing to the existing building to accommodate more weddings and business meetings.

TALKING POINT

Evolution of IATO Convention The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) deserves praise for making its Annual Convention a meaningful business event for the industry stakeholders. Its Conventions today have become decisive model for other travel-trade associations. During last five years IATO Convention has revived from merely a social event to the most sought-after business and networking platform for the fraternity. Rajesh Tiwari

ver the years, I have seen IATO Conventions have been a better event to attend because they have delivered brain storming sessions and innovative ideas along with the networking opportunities for the participants. The Convention has picked-up topical issues and debated extensively. IATO has been capable to get the important people to the Conventions; be it chief minister, tourism minister, an eminent speaker or expert from the tourism and hospitality industry; all made their presence felt at the events. IATO Convention has acted as a great platform to sensitize the stakeholders and policy makers in a big way.

IATO’s Sr. Vice President, who is also the Global President of SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) – one of the elite associations of the world, Rajeev Kohli along with the President Pronab Sarkar, Immediate Past President Subhash Goyal and all EC Member has been instrumental in taking the Convention to the next level. As we all know, today Kohli is the most prominent Indian face representing India Tourism across the world. While elaborating on the evolution of IATO Conventions in last five years Rajeev Kohli says, “We have moved a long distance from the old boring social event conventions to more business like events where we discuss the relevant subjects and try to impart the knowledge to our members that they can take away and use in their respective businesses.” Last year the association has introduced ‘Interactive Session’ – an

international flavor to the content of the Convention. Adopting best practices from SITE and other Global Associations, IATO experimented with some changes to the format of the annual Convention. One fundamental change was made to take some of the session time into a private zone only for tour operator/travel agent members. Explaining on the initiative Kohli says, “Why we have done this is to allow us a private space to deliberate on topics specifically of interest to the businesses of this specific member segment.” This year IATO has amended the format a little bit more. “We want to make the Convention more interactive so every session is divided into two parts a panel or discussion time, and a part for audience interaction,” informed Kohli. “Every year I have been trying to tweak the content format a little bit. A fundamental approach I have been taking for the five years is that all the sessions need to be directly relevant to the business operations of our members. So if you have noticed, we have been avoiding generic session on the large macro picture but focusing on how people can improve their businesses, how can get new ideas and new systems,” says Rajeev Kohli.

Over the years when you have only heard the Presidents of the Associations announcing from the podium that “This is the finest minister we have had and the tourism is in safe hands” or “This is finest secretary we have had and tourism is in safe hands.” However, for a change at the last year’s Convention of IATO the President was very categorical in what is the need of the hour for a state like Tamil Nadu that is one of the most potential states to develop tourism. The IATO President was very clear, unless the state listens to the tour operators’ suggestion and address their challenges, the state will not move ahead. He made some very sensible suggestions to the state. If the state is implementing the suggestions given by the IATO President, the state is going to be benefited.

Similarly the Sr. Vice President and Chairman Convention Rajeev Kohli was very categorical on the decreasing number of inbound travellers. An unofficial survey conducted by the association clearly showed that a large number of prominent tour operators of the country recorded 25 to 30 percent decline in their business. And not only that organizing a successful mega Convention in Delhi on its own showed the strength and will power of the association to promote tourism. It was a remarkable step and an example for other associations to learn.

We have moved a long distance from the old boring social event conventions to more business like events where we discuss the relevant subjects and try to impart the knowledge to our members. Rajeev Kohli, Sr. Vice President, IATO

Initiative like IATO Run for Responsible Tourism is another attraction creating interest among the participants. The method of creating a buzz and massive media blitzkrieg about their Convention adopted by the EC Members of IATO is showing good results. The use of various social media channels whether it is Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp is proving the best way to engage with the people. Definitely it has become a key factor in attracting a huge attention, and creating interest among industry colleagues. So whenever we are talking about IATO Convention we should not forget the iconic venues that made Conventions a marvelous event. Whether it was Trident Nariman Point in Mumbai, Leela Kempinski in New Delhi, the Crown of Kochi - Le Meridien or ITC Grand Chola in Chennai added a charm to the Conventions.

September 2017 23

STATE

Form ‘MPTM Society’ suggests MD of MP Tourism The Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) Hari Ranjan Rao has proposed the formation of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart Society’ to conduct the future editions of the mart.

According to him the sellers of the state have to portray themselves as the brand ambassador for Madhya Pradesh Tourism. During last one decade Madhya Pradesh has successfully projected itself in a very unique manner. The tourism products of the state are popular far and wide; they need no introduction. The MPSTDC has played a very active role in sensitizing the trade fraternity about the policies and opportunities available in the state.

Rajesh Tiwari

adhya Pradesh Tourism has already initiated the formation of an Advisory Committee for the fourth edition of MPTM scheduled to be organised from October 27-29 at Bhopal. The members of the advisory committee will be selected from travel and tourism industry representing hotels, resorts, transportation and travel companies etc. As per the Managing Director, he is very passionate about bringing the private sector of the state at the forefront. Therefore he has proposed the formation of MPTM Society. “We are not going to organize the MPTM next year, we will handover the baton to you (private stakeholders), says Rao. He believes that on the lines of Kerala Travel Mart Society, the private stakeholders can form MPTM Society to look after the management and other related works to utilize this platform to the fullest. The formation of the society will give an advantage to the sellers as they will be able to identify the potential

Hari Ranjan Rao Managing Director MPSTDC

We are not going to organize the MPTM next year, we will handover the baton to you (private stakeholders), as MPSTDC wishes to play as the facilitator by providing all the financial assistance to MPTM Society. buyers and invite them to participate in the mart. “We wish to play as the facilitator by providing all the financial assistance to MPTM Society,” says Rao.

According Rao the state is struggling with a small base of sellers. “We have beautiful natural resources but we need people to drive this momentum. So we came up with policy changes in last couple of years. We have expanded the incentives given to the investors and ease the process of buying land.” The fourth edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart (MPTM) will be held from October 27-29, 2017 in Bhopal. Over 200 national and international buyers along with 100 exhibitors of distinct Indian markets are expected to participate in the mart. With the theme, Seek-Discover-Explore, the mart will offer a B2B platform to bring together tourism stakeholders and representatives from heritage hotels, conference venues, tour operators and wildlife parks etc.

Record number of boats participated in 65th edition of Nehru Trophy Boat Race WH Desk

record number of 78 boats participated in the iconic Nehru Trophy boat race 2017. Amongst them 24 were Chundans, each with a seating capacity of about 100 rowers. Other smaller boats known as Iruttukuthi, Veppu and Thekkan Odi also participated in the race. Moreover, around 48 Kashmiri youngsters participated in the race for the first time in history. Speaking about the future plans to boost tourism, Kadakampally Surendran, Minister of Tourism said that Kerala Tourism decided to provide financial support for the snake boats participating in various boat races across the state. The Government is also preparing an exclusive tourism calendar for various boat races to attract tourists and boat race enthusiasts. Following the initial round of discussions held by Minister for Tourism Kadakampalli Surendran and Thomas Issac, Minister for Finance, Kerala Boat Race League (KBL), a high power committee has been formed including seven experts from the

24 September 2017

field. With new venues coming up in Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Kollam districts, central Kerala will witness a boom in tourists’ footfall and boat race enthusiasts during the long season. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Venu V, IAS, Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism, stated that the fascinating boat race, a signature event of Kerala is one of the Dr. Venu V, IAS best ways to showcase Kerala’s Principal Secretary tradition and culture to a larger Kerala Tourism audience. The iconic boat race has witnessed a wider participation of boats and people, over the years. This grand event of Kerala has been the major attraction for domestic as well as foreign tourists. For the local groups, a victory at this race for their village boat is something to be celebrated for months to come.

STATE

Odisha Tourism all set to organise maiden ‘Odisha Travel Bazaar’ WH Desk

shok Ch. Panda, Minister for Tourism and Culture, Government of Odisha, announced the first Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) to be held from October 15-17, 2017 in Bhubaneswar. The event is being organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha in partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Addressing a roadshow organised by FICCI in New Delhi for the upcoming OTB, Panda said that Odisha is emerging as a priority destination for creative travelers for authentic experiences with its unique natural and cultural heritage, for a diverse and immersive travel experiences to enjoy the absolute beauty of travel in a life time and the Odisha Travel Bazaar would give investors an opportunity to explore various sectors of tourism business. He urged stakeholders in the tourism sector to invest in Odisha and tap its full potential. Giving an elaborate presentation on the business and investment opportunities available in Odisha’s tourism sector, Dr. Nitin Bhanudas Jawale, Director & Additional Secretary, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha, said that with better air connectivity Odisha is now easily accessible by travelers from across the globe. Besides, the unique and business-friendly tourism policy provides lucrative incentives and subsidies to investors.

Tourism dept plans chopper service for aerial view of Agra WH Desk

ttar Pradesh tourism department in collaboration with the national helicopter carrier, Pawan Hans, is all set to launch a helicopter service to get an aerial view of the city from October this year. According to tourism officials, people will get to see all the historical sites of the city in just 10 minutes for Rs 2,500. After getting a go-ahead from the state government, the department has started looking for space for building helipads. Officials said three acres of land is required to build the helipads. As of now, discussions are on for building them at Agra airport and at a site in Etmadpur along the Inner Ring Road. Other alternative sites are also being considered.

Dr. Jawale said that Odisha is promoting Beach Tourism; Eco Tourism; Buddhist Tourism; Heritage Tourism; Religious Tourism; Medical Tourism; Travel Tourism; Tribal Tourism; Wellness Tourism; Cruise Tourism; Sand Art Tourism and Adventure Tourism, in a mission mode. He added that development of infrastructure in tourism sector was one of the critical components and the State Government was looking for private sector participation. Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Past President - FICCI, Chairperson - FICCI Tourism Committee and Chairperson & Managing Director - The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, said that OTB would have exclusive focus on business of inbound and domestic tourism, prefixed, structured, organized buyer-seller meets. The aim would be to ensure participation of around 40 foreign tour operators, 10 top of the line inbound operators, 20 leading domestic tour operators from across India, 5 leading airlines all will be hosted as buyers in the first edition of OTB. J K Mohanty, Chairman, Tourism Panel, FICCI Odisha State Council, Dr . A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI; and Rahul Chakravarty, Consultant, FICCI, also shared their perspectives on the upcoming Odisha Travel Bazar.

Maharashtra promotes water sports to increase tourism

WH Desk

ome October and one can go sailing at five different water fronts in the state. Maharashtra tourism development corporation (MTDC) and Maharashtra maritime board (MMB) have shortlisted five different locations as part of the Centre and state government initiative to promote water sports and tourism. With the locations having been identified, the next step was formation of local groups or clubs that would take up the training programme and avail the scheme. The scheme is largely aimed at creating more competitive sailors in the age group of 8-15 as part PM, Narendra Modi’s aim of excelling in international sporting events like Olympics and world sailing competition.

Deputy Director, tourism, Dinesh Kumar said, “This initiative is being taken to make tourism destinations of the state more attractive. After Vrindavan, Goverdhan and Varanasi, a helicopter service is in the pipeline in Agra and Ayodhya. Allahabad is another such destination.”

September 2017 25

AVIATION

Jet Airways to offer unique stay experiences with Airbnb WH Desk

aking another industry-first initiative, Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, announced a partnership with Airbnb - the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company. The partnership will allow Jet Airways to offer a wide spectrum of rapidly growing, global hospitality choices to its guests from India, strengthening its portfolio of choices for stay that the carrier currently offers its guests. The partnership will not only offer a strong and differentiated value to Jet Airways’ guests, but also give momentum to the growth of Airbnb’s footprint in the Indian market by establishing a deeper connect with the new-age Indian traveller, who is increasingly seeking unique and interesting experiences while travelling both in India as well as around the world. Giving his views on this partnership, Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways said, “An increasing number of Indian travellers are embracing the fresh and highly personalised experiences that a platform like Airbnb offers. Our focus on being innovative and offering differentiated travel experiences enables us to anticipate the changing needs of our guests and recognize trends much earlier than the market, thus allowing us to offer exciting travel related initiatives. We are delighted to be the first Indian airline to partner Airbnb, and look forward to creating more of such innovative experiences for our guests.”

Ethiopian starts thrice weekly service to Bahrain WH Desk

thiopian Airlines Group, the largest airline in Africa, marked commencement of a thrice weekly service to Bahrain at a reception ceremony held at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on August 17, 2017.

Heralding the inaugural flight, Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, said; “Bahrain is an important destination in the Middle East joining the ever emerging Ethiopian destinations to the Gulf. We are glad that we have resumed our services following the growing trade, tourism and investment ties between Bahrain and Ethiopia and the continent of Africa at large. With more than 100 passenger and cargo destinations worldwide, our network is designed in such a way that connect Africa with the major trading partners in Asia, Middle East, South and North America and Europe. The fact that the flight is full from its commencement flight designates the success and significance of our service to Bahrain. “ Ethiopian currently flies to major cities in the Middle East; Beirut, Dammam, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait, Dubai, Madinah, Muscat, Riyadh, and Sharjah.

26 September 2017

Speaking about Airbnb’s first-of-its-kind partnership with an Indian airline, Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager – India, Airbnb said, “Airbnb’s philosophy is centered on providing unique experiences to modern day travellers, who seek newer and more interesting ways to travel.” “Indian travellers have become more decisive and are keen to break away from conventional means of travel and accommodation. Airbnb has been committed to building local partnerships which enable us to strengthen our connect with the Indian audience. With this partnership, Jet Airways fliers who are also Airbnb travellers will be able to enjoy the addedvalue they receive from being associated with two dynamic brands,” he added.

Aerolíneas Argentinas & Etihad Airways sign codeshare agreement

nder the agreement, Etihad Airways customers are able to enjoy convenient connections via Rome and Madrid to Buenos Aires (EZE) and onwards to nine other popular Argentinian destinations – Córdoba (COR), Mendoza (MDZ), Rosario (ROS), Iguazú (IGR), Salta (SLA), Mar del Plata (MDQ), Bariloche (BRC), Trelew (REL) and Ushuaia (USH). In turn, Aerolíneas Argentinas guests can have access to Etihad Airways’ network of over 100 destinations from its Abu Dhabi hub via the Italian and Spanish capitals. Codeshare agreements offer customers countless benefits, such as baggage check-in to their final destination and extra assistance during connections. Members of both airlines’ loyalty programmes – Etihad Guest and Aerolíneas Plus –will soon be able to earn and redeem miles on the codeshare flights. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President Commercial, said: “This codeshare demonstrates the importance of Argentina as a vital travel market for Etihad Airways in Latin America given the growing tourism, cultural and business opportunities that exist between the UAE and Argentina. “We wish to give travellers flying Aerolíneas Argentinas the opportunity to enjoy the acclaimed service and hospitality for which Etihad Airways is renowned throughout the world. This codeshare will make the experience that much easier.”

September 2017 27

DESTINATION

October 2017 to January 2018 Hanuwantiya, District Khandwa Madhya Pradesh

Jal Mahotsav The third edition of Jalmahotsav – the festival of adventure activities is back with a bang from October 2017 to January 2018, at Hanuwantiya District of Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. The four months long mega adventure festival will be a treat for all those who want to indulge in adventure activities; be it land, water or air, everything is available here. Those in search of relaxation and a break from routine life can treat themselves to the comfort of a luxury tent, sit back and feel the cool breeze relax every nerve of your mind and body. This edition of whereabouts brings more on this fascinating destination. WH Desk

lose to Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh, lies an island in the backwaters of Indira Sagar Dam on River Narmada. Hanuwantiya Island – once an unexplored and unknown place, has now turned into an adventure hub with the support of MP Tourism. Derived from local village name with same name, MP Tourism found Hanuwantiya suitable for water tourism activity. This is the story behind the makeover of Hanuwantiya from an untouched island to an adventure addition in Madhya Pradesh tourism packages. The water festival has now made the culturally rich Madhya Pradesh known for its adventure tourism too. It gives one more reason to the people to tour to Madhya Pradesh. Along with celebrating the spirit of adventure, the festival also celebrates

28 September 2017

the spirit of MP. The absolute brilliance of the local artisans and craftspeople, melodious folk music and performances and lip smacking cuisine - all these precisely describes and defines what “The Heart Of India” truly stands for. Encouraged with this idea the event, Jal Mahotsav, was planned to showcase the potential and possibilities which Madhya Pradesh holds for investors, travel planners and adventure tourists on the bank of Indira Sagar Dam at Hanuwantiya in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. Jal Mahotsav is a first of its kind event in which air, water and land adventure activities were brought together at a single site at reasonable cost. The most captivating experience of the event will be the tented city which is being created facing the water body at the bank of the Indira Sagar Dam. A wide range of water, land and air activities will be available to choose from like Parasailling, Para-Motoring, Hot Air Ballooning, Wind Surfing, Island Camping, Jet -Skiing, Artificial Climbing Wall, Burma Bridge, Night Camping, Bird Watching, Kite Flying and lot more.

DESTINATION

Jal Mahotsav was focused on establishing Madhya Pradesh as a surging forth in the national arena of adventure and water tourism. It is an event that adventure activities on one platter which was so far a distant dream in Central India. The activities are brought from specialists in various parts of the country, which ensures cost effectiveness and full security to the participants. The activities are divided as air, land and water activities. Areas are earmarked for each activity at Hanuwantiya. Hanuwantiya is a serene destination by the banks of the Indira Sagar Dam- one of the biggest manmade dams and offers unmatched scope for adventure lovers. Hanuwantiya tourist complex has been developed at a cost of about Rs. 10 crore by Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation in the backwaters of the dam on Narmada River. Tourists from across the country participate in Jal Mahotsav and visit naturally formed islands in at Narmada backwaters. Tourists from faraway places described the place as unique, highly beautiful, fascinating and tranquil. Massive storage of azure water gives look of a very big water body. The travellers can experience the bullock cart ride and other adventurous activities such as kite flying, parasailing and water scooting. Cultural programmes that showcase the rich heritage of NimarMalwa region are being orgaised daily during Jal-Mahotsav. Indira Sagar is one of the largest manmade dam that provides 950+sq kms of pristine water of the Narmada River

with over a hundred islands. The site is as good as any seaside with the advantage of fresh water. This site was zeroed on by the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation as the best site for holding Jal Mahotsav, which was organised by AUM event, an opportunity won through the transparent process of tendering. Package There is a wide range of attractive package to choose from a Tent City to Island Night Camping package to stay in premium / deluxe tent. The tariff ranges from INR 6100/- to 16,000/-. Travelling to Hanuwantiya Nearest Railhead – Khandwa Nearest Airport – Indore Distance of Hanuwantiya tourist complex in Khandwa district is 130 kms from Indore. It is 150 kms from Maheshwar, 85 kms from Omkareshwar and 48.5 kms from Khandwa. By different routes from Bhopal, distance of Hanumantiya is 300 to 350 kms. Contact for more Information Tourist Complex Hanuwantiya, Near Purni Village, Khandwa Hanuwantiya, Mundi, Madhya Pradesh 450112 +91 9925206576 +91 9327002246 info@jalmahotsav.com www.jalmahotsav.com

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DESTINATION Taiwan is located in the western Pacific Ocean 160kms (100 miles) off the southeastern coast of the Chinese mainland and is a convenient gateway to Asia for the Indian traveller. Positioned midway between Korea and Japan to the north and Hong Kong and the Philippines to the South, this island is a convenient gateway to Asia.

Ride the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Service WH Desk

aiwan based Tourist Shuttle service is a phenomenal way to travel and explore Taiwan. It’s not only an efficient way to travel but also the most economical means of transportation for interstate travel in Taiwan. The Shuttle Service transport operates all across the country, from every Taiwan Railway station and THSR (Taiwan High-Speed Rail) stations to all the major scenic spots of Taiwan. The service is designed especially to help tourists travel across the island nation. For those not looking to drive long distances or wishing to travel in a group, the Tourist Shuttle is the best option. Keeping in mind the sensitivities of country’s fragile ecosystem and the excess of carbon emissions which are harming it, the shuttle service is much encouraged in the country as it is an environmentally friendly way to explore a new place. Amongst the popular destinations that are explored within the tour are; Nanzhuang believed to be full of Hakka charm,

Sun Moon Lake nestling amidst the mountains, the mount of Alishan basking within carpeted plantations of aromatic Taiwanese Tea and Hengchun located in the southernmost tip of Taiwan dotted with coconut groves upon white sandy beaches. The above-mentioned places are some of the most coveted destinations in Taiwan.

visit its tea plantations and tea houses. It is Taipei City’s first high-altitude gondola. This French POMA-made system makes a circuit of four stations; Taipei Zoo Station, Taipei Zoo South Station, Zhinan Temple Station, and Maokong Station. There are also two angle stations where the gondola changes direction.

Apart from the inexpensive fares, the shuttle service offers the most direct route to any destination attesting to the efficiency of the system. The operative end of the service is impeccable in its functioning and has never faced a rebuttal for slackening. The punctuality of the shuttles is well renowned and has an unblemished track record in customer satisfaction.

Taipei Zoo: The Taipei Zoo is the largest city zoo in Asia. Upon entering the grounds, you will find an extremely popular panda facility on your left. If you can’t find the cute pandas, don’t worry; they’re probably sunning themselves! Next, take the visitors’ tram. Listen to the recorded guide as he/ she takes you along to the bird sanctuary, the Amphibians & Reptile House, the Penguin House and other areas such as the Tropical, African, Australian and Desert Animal Areas.

Major Tourist Attractions Taipei 101: Taipei 101 is a landmark skyscraper in Xinyi district of Taipei. The building was officially classified as the World’s tallest in 2004, and remained such until the opening of Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. Taipei 101 is the largest engineering project ever in the history of the Taiwan construction business. Supported by a dozen or so domestic businesses, the TFC Corporation was fortunate to have local and international experts in charge of the planning, and world-class architect C.Y. Lee was responsible for the design of the project. Maokong Gondola: Located in the southern tip of Taipei City, Maokong has evolved into a favorite tourist destination for locals and visitors, who go there to

30 September 2017

Sun Moon Lake: Located in the middle of Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake is the only natural big lake in Taiwan. The southern part of the La Lu Island is shaped like a new moon, and the northern part is shaped like a sun; hence the name Sun Moon Lake. The most famous sights around Sun Moon Lake are the Itashao. Lalu Island, the Syuentzang Temple, the Tsen Pagoda, the Wenwu Temple are to name a few among the large number of attractions available here. han. Reaching Here Airlines: A number of airlines such as China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern and Thai Airways fly directly or with a stopover in to Taipei’s an International Airport from the Indian metros of New Delhi and Mumbai. The average flight time between India and Taiwan is of about 6.5 hours; and Taiwan is 2.30 hours ahead of India.

DESTINATION

hile Australia and New Zealand are extremely popular tourist destinations, they also have so much to offer when it comes to exciting adventures, thrilling sports and amazing natural beauty! So when you have a chance to experience the very best that they have to offer, why not make the most of it! Spend a couple of days in New Zealand and explore its most charming cities and unique sights. Start off with some unique insight with a Maori cultural show, a great way of truly experiencing the heritage and culture of New Zealand. Or simply unwind in Rotorua, famous for its hot springs, sulphur pools and the best insight of Maori culture you can ever get. After that, if a relaxing vacation is what you’re looking for, then simply wander through the Wellington Botanic Gardens, a vast tract of native forest that includes an international plant collection, a rose garden, and a landscaped area — complete with duck pond, playground, sculptures and a café or explore the amazing sights of Queenstown, the action capital of the country. With plenty of outdoor activities and sports (bungee jumping is the most popular, amazing restaurants, and the best nightlife in New Zealand, it’s definitely a must-visit. You can also hang out in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, complete with great architecture, amazing character, fantastic nightlife, restaurants, and cultural activities, explore the famous land of Hobbiton, where you will be transported right onto the sets of the movie, or explore the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in sheer darkness with nothing but the glow of glowworms to guide your way, as you float down rivers and jump over waterfalls and watch the ‘starry sky’ in the cave. For the more adventurous at heart, grab this rare chance to hike Franz Josef Glacier, one of New Zealand’s most popular spots, or hike the naturally beautiful Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Labeled the best oneday hike in New Zealand, this walk takes

Australia & New Zealand: Going down under in the land of Kiwis you through volcanic terrain, near high peaks, and sulfur lakes before finishing off in a dense forest. So while it sounds quite strenuous, it’s definitely an amazing experience for adventure junkies. Having experienced the best of New Zealand, gear yourself up for the sights of Australia. Dive the Great Barrier Reef and explore the sheer expanse of marine life. If diving isn’t your idea of fun, then get a hold of boat and go snorkeling or just sail the beautiful blue waters. Continue this beach adventure with Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island and a popular place to go camping, swimming and hiking. If you’re seeking a more relaxing tour of Australia, then stop off in Brisbane, the business capital, or explore Sydney, Australia’s largest city with a wide range of activities to keep you busy. Climb the Sydney Harbor bridge, surf in Bondi Beach, party in King’s Cross, sail across the harbor, visit the Opera House, and

take in world-class innovation at Darling Harbor. Once you’ve gotten your fill of this inspiring city, chill out in Melbourne as you relax by the river, walk through the gigantic city gardens, eat amazing food (Melbourne is the food capital of Australia), jam out at amazing rock concerts, and party in St. Kilda. It’s definitely not without reason that this city is known as the party capital of Australia. For the serious adventure lovers, you absolutely cannot leave without exploring the Australian Outback. Discover your own adventure as you come face-to-face with crocodiles and explore the valleys, lakes, national parks and the red desert. Surf the Gold Coast, with its world-class waves, huge beaches, and lots of available lessons. If not the Gold Coast, then you have your pick of Noosa, Byron Bay, Bondi Beach, Perth, and plenty more in this land of beaches. If you’re looking for something off the beaten path though, then Tasmania is a destination that doesn’t quite get its due credit. Quite a unique option, it has amazing hikes, beautiful bays (Wineglass Bay being the most famous), small towns, and excellent people and is just a ferry away from Melbourne. Viren Batra, CEO & Co Founder of nirvana excursion said, “Australia and New Zealand have so much more to offer than what they are known for. Each destination is an amazing discovery in itself, with something for everyone, whether you are a seasoned traveller, or someone who’s just starting out.”

September 2017 31

32 September 2017

EXTENSIVE COVERAGE CHECK-IN

Swosti Chilika Resort; Discover Serenity in its True Sense Swosti Chilika Resort, situated on the banks of the pristine Chilika Lake was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha on 26th July 2017. WH Desk

o allow travellers to soak in and experience this magical sight in its full glory and grandeur, Swosti Chilika Resort possess huge sprawling landscape gardens with 78 finely crafted cottages. The Resort extends its guests cottages and presidential suites with breathtaking views, while being elegant and well-appointed for a comfortable stay. Four types of accommodations namely Sanctuary -The Presidential Suites, Millpond-The Pool Villas, Windchime-The Quad Villas and Midlake County-The Hotel Blocks are on offer for a luxurious indulgence. The restaurants at the Swosti Chilika resort offer an incredible array of local delicacies and the choicest of international cuisines with the decor and the ambience just adding to the mood. Centrally located coffee shop with all side open walls and green spaces all

around, is a perfect settlement for a tired mind to relax or to catch up with friends or colleagues for some light hearted bonhomie. Ekayaa, the spa is a world of pure bliss. Equipped with single and double treatment suites, beauty treatment rooms, meditation and relaxation decks, the experience can rejuvenate the mind, the body and the spirit in equal measures. Swosti Chilika Resort is the first Green Building Certified Resort in Odisha from Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) and ensures least adverse impact on the pristine environment of Chilika Lake inspired by nature, as one step into the 9 acres of sprawling landscape on the banks of a pristine Chilika Lake, you seamlessly will move from time bound madness to timeless bliss. Awaiting you would be pure gentle breeze that subtly leaves an intoxicating aroma of a vast salt lake. The very moment can get you discover a world so different from yours. Few steps more and you won’t miss the chivalry of the chirping birds in such natural surroundings. As your head turns for a glimpse of the famed water body, the small fishing boats dancing on what seems like golden hued waves in the reflection of the morning sunlight would be dream like. According to the Managing Director, Swosti Group, J K Mohanty, “Swosti Chilika Resort will be the game changer of Odisha Tourism as a Luxury Destination. The management has taken care to provide high end facilities for international and

domestic tourists visiting the State.” Established in 1984, Swosti Group today has patrons not only within India, but also in most parts of the world. With 305 rooms, 9 Restaurants, Largest Convention Centre in the Eastern Region, Swosti Group is the largest hotel chain of Odisha consisting two majestic hotels in Bhubaneswar namely, Swosti Grand and Swosti Premium, the finest luxury resort at Gopalpur-on-Sea namely, Gopalpur Palm Resort and newly opened the Mega World Class Luxury Resort, Swosti Chilika Resort, on the banks of pristine Chilika Lake. All these hotels are competently supported by the largest inbound tour operator of the state Swosti Travels established since 1988. SWOSTI is an epitome of comfort & leisure – a branded icon of hospitality in the country and abroad. It has received a number of national & international awards during the last 33 years of its dedicated services in hotel & tourism sector. To book your stay visit www.swostichilikaresort.com

September 2017 33

WORLD

WTTC announces Gloria Guevara Manzo as new President & CEO

WH Desk

he World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced the appointment of Gloria Guevara Manzo as its new President & CEO. Guevara served as Secretary of Tourism for Mexico and CEO of the Mexican Tourism Board from 2010 to 2012, minister in the cabinet of President Calderón. Prior to that she worked for global distribution system Sabre where most recently she was CEO of Sabre Mexico, reporting to the board of directors of a joint venture between Aeroméxico, Mexicana and Sabre Holdings.

She is currently Special Advisor on Government Affairs for the Centre on Health and the Global Environment at the School of Public Gloria Guevara Manzo Health, Harvard. Announcing Ms President & CEO Guevara’s appointment, Gerald WTTC Lawless, WTTC Chairman, said: “Gloria is a proven leader who is well known and well respected within the global Travel & Tourism sector. I am delighted that she will lead WTTC into the next phase of its development. Gloria was chosen from a competitive field of international candidates. With a career encompassing senior roles across private sector, government, and academia, she brings a unique combination of

experience and expertise.” Reflecting on her appointment, Ms Guevara said: “I am excited to be taking up the role of President & CEO of WTTC. Over the past few years, WTTC has grown enormously in stature and impact. I look forward to building on this great foundation to expand the Council’s advocacy work for Travel & Tourism, a sector that accounts for 10% of the world’s GDP and 1 in 10 jobs.This is a critical time for Travel & Tourism and the 292 million people whose jobs depend on it. Future forecasts are strong, but with ongoing terrorism and environmental challenges, compounded by a world that is simultaneously ever more connected yet increasingly divided, now, more than ever, the sector needs to come together with one voice. Travel & Tourism needs to show not only its economic importance but also how it is committed to creating sustainable livelihoods, protecting nature and cultures, and asserting itself as a responsible and leading player in this fast-evolving world. I am looking forward to working with the Chairman, Vice Chairs, Executive Committee and Members of WTTC to ensure that the voice of the Travel & Tourism is heard and understood by governments around the world.” WTTC is the world authority on Travel & Tourism with a membership that comprises over 150 CEOs of the world’s leading Travel & Tourism companies. It is the only global private sector organisation representing the breadth of the global business and leisure travel industries. Ms Guevara, a Mexican national, is married and has a son and a daughter.

AirAsia Group CEO set to speak at next PATA Youth Symposium in Macao SAR

WH Desk

irAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes is set to speak at the forthcoming PATA Youth Symposium in Macao SAR, hosted by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT). Organised by the Association’s Human Capital Development Committee, the Symposium takes place on Wednesday, September 13 with the theme of ‘Enabling Travel and Managing a Complex Future’. Dr. Mario Hardy, PATA CEO said, “The PATA Youth Symposium is a cornerstone of our commitment to the next generation of young tourism professionals. We are honoured that Tony Fernandes has agreed to address tomorrow’s tourism industry leaders. The Association has placed special focus upon the Young Tourism Professional this year and the PATA Youth Symposium highlights our continued dedication to enhancing the knowledge and skills of students seeking careers in travel and tourism.” AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “These are exciting times for air travel in Asia. The low-cost revolution has made flying affordable and we are seeing more and more

34 September 2017

people fly for the first time. This creates opportunities as well as challenges for the region’s travel and tourism industry. What role will automation play? How do we ensure sustainable development of tourism? What are the constraints we will face as traffic grows? Are there enough low-cost terminals to cater for the fastest growing aviation segment? The PATA Youth Symposium is a great forum to discuss these questions and more, and I look forward to hearing what students have to share on the future of travel in Asia.” Dr Fanny Vong, President of IFT, said, “As a long-term member of PATA, IFT is excited to host the 2017 PATA Youth Symposium. It serves as a platform for students to learn from the experiences and success stories of industry entrepreneurs and professionals. It helps students to keep abreast of changing trends and practices, and it provides important guidance about career opportunities. The field visit to the Macao Museum will introduce the rich culture and history of the city, followed by a bus tour to learn about Macao’s tourism development and challenges.” The Youth Symposium takes place on the first day of PATA Travel Mart 2017. The programme was developed with guidance from Dr. Chris Bottrill, PATA Vice Chairman and Dean, Faculty of Global and Community Studies at Capilano University.

September 2017 35

ANALYSIS

GST Impact on Travel and Tourism Sector The President of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Pronab Sarkar elaborates on the Goods & Service Taxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (GST) impact on the Tourism & Hospitality sector.

WH Desk

ndian Tourism industry suffering losses: Tourism industry in India has always borne the burden of multiple taxes and thus, has always been overtaxed and suffered losses. The average tax percentage levied on tourism industry, under the earlier regime (pre-GST) as well as under GST regime, roughly remains the same i.e. 25% approximate. The situation does not improve for the tourism industry under the GST regime. GST/Tax incidence is comparatively lower in our neighbouring as well as other tourism friendly countries, which has resulted in tremendous increase in their tourism business. However, tourism growth in India has been and continues to remain very low/stagnated. The Average GST Tax rate on tourism industry in our neighbouring/ other tourist friendly countries and India are as follows:

Sr. Name of No. Country

Foreign Tourist Rates of GST in arrival in General 2013 (in million)

Rate of GST on export of Goods and Services

Malaysia

25.72

Singapore 7%

15.50

Thailand

26.00

China

France

10%

Spain

India

5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 28% On various services

8.8 (in 2016)

25% on tour operators

Cascading Effect under new GST Law: Tour operators are to pay GST on Whole services @ 5% which is over and above the following added services without any ITC.

GST rates on some of the tourism services are: Hotel rooms

18 - 28% (Average 23 %)

Food

18 %

Transport

Elephant/Boat/Camel Rides

28%

Entertainment

28%

Guides

18%

On the Total 120 % of 6 services mentioned above, average it becomes 20 % and on top of this, tour operators

have to pay 5% GST which becomes 25% GST. Tour operators make tour packages for the tourists which includes all these services and may be more. They sell the same after adding their margin (10% approx.) on the package cost. Under GST, tour operators are to charge GST @ 5% on total package cost making the average GST rate applicable @ 25% (approximate). Thus, the

36 September 2017

services embedded in the tour package get costlier by 5% every time a tour operator sells a package. This present system of application of GST causes cascading effect, which defeats the main purpose of the GST law. To make it worse, there is no provision to claim Input Tax Credit for tour operators. Double Taxation when a Tour Operator sub-contracts a tour package: In a package tour, a principal tour operator in India has to engage another tour operators (one or more than one depending upon the itinerary) located in other states in India to provide services locally to their clients. As per the present GST law, both these tour operators are liable to charge 5% GST on the same services. This would lead to double/multiple taxation (depending upon number of tour operators involved for one itinerary). Earlier CENVAT credit was allowed for tour operator to tour operator, the same is not allowed under the GST regime, again resulting in increased costs for tour operators. In absence of ITC for Tour Operators services and Under the above circumstances Multiplicity of Taxes is going to remain continue. Effective rate of GST on Travel and Tourism around 25%: Though tourism services have been kept in the slab of 5% (without ITC), the approximate effective tax rate comes to approx. 25%, due to cascading effect as mentioned above.

Comparative Tax slab, pre GST and post GST are as under: Component

Pre GST

Post GST

Tour Operator

9 % on the total package cost with CENVAT Credit

5% on the total package cost without ITC

Hotel room only

1.5%

For Rooms rates (declared Tariff) below Rs. 7500, GST @ 18% For Room rates (Declared Tariff) above Rs. 7500 GST @ 28 % Plus Cess

Transport

5.60 %

5% (No ITC) /12% (with ITC)

Guide

No Tax

18%

Under reverse charge mechanism (RCM)

Elephant/Boat Ride, Jeep Safari

No Tax

28% plus cess

Under reverse charge mechanism (RCM)

Miscellaneous service

No Tax

18%

Under reserve charge mechanism (RCM)

Food

19%

18%

Camping & Trekking

4.5%

18%

Under reverse charge mechanism (RCM)

ANALYSIS Note: Procedure for GST to be paid by the tour operators under Reverse Charge Mechanism (GST) is very cumbersome due to GST laws and also it again leads to cascading effect as there is no ITC claim for the tour operators. 18% GST paid under RCM of which ITC is not available to tour operator eventually forms part of the package cost.

Both Inbound (Forex generating tourism) and Outbound tourism is being taxed under GST An Inbound tour operator is one who makes arrangements for transport, accommodation, sightseeing, entertainment and other tourism related services for foreign tourists in India. Despite that, the tourism sector, including Inbound tourism pay a plethora of taxes and does not get any significant benefits as compared to other Export sectors. There are multiple taxes charged on the same Service/ Product. Taxes levied on Inbound Tourism are one of the major reasons for India losing Foreign Tourists to competing South East Asian Countries. Tourism sector in some of the key competing destinations in South Asian countries attract much lesser taxes thereby making the products more competitive..

Place of Supply provision under GST Under the IGST Act, supply of service qualifies as export of service subject to fulfillment of specified five conditions. Supply of inbound tourism services suffices four conditions (including generation of convertible foreign exchange) but does not suffice place of supply condition. In essence, the Inbound tourism services are being provided from India to a person located outside India for which consideration is received in convertible foreign exchange.

Due to place of supply provisions, all inbound tours have place of supply in India and thus, GST is applicable making the foreign exchange earnings taxable. This results in making inbound tours more expensive and also, effect the business of tour operators. The irony under GST Law is that outbound tourism wherein Indian resident goes abroad is taxed on the concept of recipient being in India. Applying similar analogy, it is only just and fair that inbound tourism services should be equated with export of services to provide boost to the inbound tourism industry. In case of goods manufactured in India by the local people and exported, are given exemption of GST and they get some draw back incentives. Whereas in the case of services provided to the foreign national in India, payment received in foreign exchange it is not treated as export thus GST is payable. This anomaly needs the attention of the Government and Under GST, One Tax one Law should be considered.

BUSINESS

NTO

Thomas Cook India partners First Kabuki performance in with Euronet Worldwide 40 years in Delhi

homas Cook (India) has announced a strategic partnership with Euronet Worldwide, Inc. to introduce significant additional benefits on its unique prepaid travel cards - The Thomas Cook Borderless Prepaidmulti-currency and One Currency card in India. This move brings together leaders in their respective segments to create a product that is unique and revolutionary, with comprehensive benefits to customers. All cards issued by Thomas Cook India will be hosted and managed on Euronet`s world class payments processing and card issuing platform. This platform is a comprehensive system which not only offers the routine features of a prepaid card system, but is highly configurable to help Thomas Cook roll out customized options to meet specific customer needs - across business, leisure, b-leisure, student, etc. The introduction of this card comes at a time when India is being swept by a wave of digitalization and a cashless ecosystem. Mahesh Iyer, Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., said, “Innovation has always been one of our key drivers. With the world moving rapidly into the digital era, the smart tech-savvy protagonist traveller of today has spurred the demand for cashless transactions that offer value and convenience. We have hence partnered with Euronet, the leaders in the electronic payment space to bring a groundbreaking product that offers maximum benefit to customers.”

WH Desk

he Embassy of Japan hosted a special Kabuki performance by Onoe Kikunosuke, well known as the super star of Kabuki in Japan. This was the first Kabuki performance produced by Shochiku in India in 40 years since the previous one was held in March 1977 at Kamani Auditorium. Onoe Kikunosuke performed Kanegamisaki, a masterpiece depicting a lady in love, in an emotional and elegant way, which fascinated the eminent Indian guests invited to witness the performance. Kabuki is one of Japan’s traditional theatre forms, originated in 17th century, the era known as the peaceful Edo-period, when unprecedented series of economic and cultural developments took place. “Kabuki” represents Japanese sense of beauty, and was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. After the performance, Onoe Kikunosuke expressed his wish that, “I hope the cultural interaction between India and Japan flourishes from now, and Kabuki plays a role to bridge the relationship between India and Japan.”

September 2017 37

APPOINTMENT

Norton Pereira General Manager Le Méridien Goa, Calangute

Kumar Shobhan General Manager Hyatt Regency Lucknow

Debabrata Banerjee F & B Manager Alila Diwa Goa

Norton Pereira has been appointed as the General Manager of Le Méridien Goa, Calangute. Prior to this he was the General Manager at Le Méridien, Mahabaleshwar. In his new role, Norton will be responsible for overall hotel performance, managing operating efficiencies, business growth and driving overall guest satisfaction. With more than 19 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has successfully handled hotels in varying capacities. Norton brings a wealth of experience in handling leisure destinations and resort properties like Udaipur, Mahabaleshwar & Goa.

Kumar Shobhan is the General Manager of Hyatt Regency Lucknow. Shobhan has spent more than 17 years in the hospitality industry in a number of remarkable roles – from Food & Beverage to Rooms and Spa and Catering.

Alila Diwa Goa has appointment Debabrata Banerjee as the new Food and Beverage Manager. Trained from Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Trivandrum, Debabrata, worked at Four Seasons, Mumbai in 2008 before joining Taj Palace Hotel, Mumbai in 2014. In his role, Debabratawill oversee the Food and Beverage operations of the restaurants, bar and banquets operations for Alila Diwa Goa with 153 rooms and suites.

A people-centric professional, Shobhan has acquired a deep knowledge of diverse aspects of hotel management and has gained experience in dealing with different cultural backgrounds while working in the UAE (Dubai), and across India. However, his true passion remains with Food &Beverage operations.

Debabrata comes with more than 9 years of experience in the luxury hotel and restaurant space.

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VOLUME III ISSUE XII SEPTEMBER 2017

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In Focus

IATO Convention

Pronab Sarkar President

Rajeev Kohli

Sr Vice President P-14 &15

Destination

On the Cover : Hanuwantiya, Madhya Pradesh

Jal Mahotsav

Festival of Adventure Activities at

Hanuwantiya P-28

Talking Point

Bhubaneswarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

MICE Preparedness

P-20

NEWS IN BRIEF

AVIATION

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HOSPITALITY

DESTINATION