BLTM records spectacular success in its very first show

Business & Luxury Travel Mart (BLTM) at Hyatt Regency Gurgaon on 24-25 October 2016 has set a new milestone for MICE-focused travel shows

in India. BLTM was very well received as India’s first full-fledged travel mart focused on specialised Busi-ness, MICE and Luxury Travel Sellers from all over the world.

For the first-time ever in a B2B travel mart, over 150 qualified and fully Hosted Buyers from corpo-rate companies and travel organisations from all over India were fully hosted with airfare, accommodation and all meals at the venue hotel. In addition, interna-tional Buyers were also extended similar host hospitali-ties from South Africa, Thailand, USA, Taiwan, France and Malaysia.

In the two-day trade show, 152 Seller delegates from 94 exhibiting companies met with over 144 Hosted Buy-ers and 146 Trade Invitees.

Global destination representations in the inaugu-ral BLTM included Nepal, Taiwan, Korea, China, Fiji, Dubai, South Africa, Liberia, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and Russia.

Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir participated at full throttle along with sev-eral private sector companies from all parts of India showcasing India at its best as a Business, MICE and Luxury destination.

Premium hotel chains at BLTM included FRHI Hotels & Resorts showcasing Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel, Royal Orchid Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group and Hyatt Hotels. Other leading hotel brands like Shanti Maurice- A Nira Resort, Royal Orchid Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group, Hil-ton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, Taj Hotels Resorts & Pal-aces, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Radisson Blu Hotels, Lemon Tree & Red Fox Hotels, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Clark & 1589 Group of Hotels, The Ambassa-dor Group of Hotels, The Pride Group of Hotels, DS Group of Hotels, Mahindra Hotels, The Chancery Hotels, The Tamara Coorg, Minor Group, TGB Ban-quets & Hotels, Vythiri Village Resort were present.

The 1:1 Hosted Buyer to Seller ratio at BLTM was in line with global standards. Each Buyer and Seller man-aged at least 30 business meetings at the mart, result-ing in a total of 4,700 appointments between Sellers and Buyers on the two days of BLTM.

The online meeting diary of BLTM for making appointments between the Buyers and Sellers before the show registered over 2200 confirmed appoint-ments show. On-site 2500 additional meetings were scheduled.

Major sponsor of BLTM 2016, Bengal Tourism hosted the networking lunches and dinners for the Buyers and Sellers. A great exposure was given to the branding of Beautiful Bengal throughout the exhibi-tion halls.

Hyatt Regency Gurgaon was the Venue Partner for BLTM with several Hyatt properties on prominent dis-play at a corporate pavilion at the BLTM.

In addition to the Hosted Buyers, there were an equal number of invitees from travel trade associa-tions like Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) India, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Travel Agents Fed-eration of India (TAFI), Enterprising Travel Agent’s Association (ETAA), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) and members of the media.

Akbar Holidays was the official Travel Partner of

BLTM and Eco Rent A Car was the Transportation Partner.

Institutional Partners included SITE, OTOAI, NIMA, IATO, TAAI, TAFI, ETAA, ADTOI, The Film & Television Producers Guild of India Ltd and WedWise.

In another first, the MICE CLUB was launched at BLTM, with an objective to facilitate focused interac-tion and networking among a community of Buyers and Sellers from the specialised Business Travel and MICE segments. The missions and objectives of the club include organising the Buyer and Seller commu-nities serving the Business Travel and MICE markets in India, facilitating ongoing interaction and network-ing, sharing knowledge and creating standards and accreditations.

In addition to buying and selling opportunities at the show floor, there was an equally interesting line up of Panel Discussions conducted on the sidelines of the exhibition. The eminent panelists at the sessions delib-erated on the latest issues related to Incentive Travel, MICE, Luxury, Destination Weddings, and destination promotion through film shoots.

The session on Incentive Travel was organised by SITE, followed by that on MICE by NIMA. Back-to-back discussions were conducted on the emerging opportunities and destinations for weddings by Wed-Wise. Another interesting session was dedicated to destination promotions through film shoots, curated by The Film & Television Producers Guild of India.

“BLTM filled a vacuum in the evolution of travel trade shows in India, by introducing a sustainable large-format show focused on Business Travel and MICE Buyers in a format where fully Hosted Buyers meet Sellers based on pre scheduled appointments,” remarked Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman of Fairfest Media Ltd.

Based on overwhelming positive feedback from both buyers and sellers, BLTM will be expanded to three cit-ies in 2017 - Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi NCR, to cater to the West, South and North India markets of business travel and MICE.

The dates for BLTM in 2017 are as follows: Mumbai (21-23 February), Hyderabad (14-15 July) and Delhi NCR (26-27 October). The Mumbai edition of BLTM will be held side-by-side OTM - India’s largest travel trade show, with participation from more than 50 countries every year.

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Dates announced for 2017 editions of BLTM to be held across Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi NCR

techNology 29

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 2 • COVER STORY

editor & Publisher Sanjiv Agarwal

executive editorSulagna Ghosh

contentChirajit Nath

designDilip MannaRitam Maity

managing directors Gazanfar IbrahimRajiv Agarwal

directors Harsh AgarwalAmit NagVijay Adhikari

Associate directorsRajarshi DeRaj Kapoor SinghR MaheshTarique EbrahimK Shankar Hema Manghnani

Advisors Abraham JohnSheila Leong

managersFatima D’CostaUma SurekaPratiksha RajapureShreyas JainYC AnilPhilomena D’SouzaDeepti V MurthyTania DasRamesh ChauhanSugandhi VarmaSanjeev Gupta

Travel News Digest (TND) is printed and published by Sanjiv Kumar Agarwal on behalf of Fairfest Media Ltd.

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As a first-of-its-kind show, BLTM (Business and Luxury Travel Mart) hosted around 150 corporate

organisations as qualified buyers at Hyatt Regency Gur-gaon, from all over India and abroad. An online meeting diary, created to arrange pre-fixed meetings, registered over 2200 confirmed appointments between sellers and buyers. Each buyer had to conduct a minimum of 30 meetings with sellers per day, maintaining a 1:1 ratio, in tandem with the global standards. In addition, an on-site seller-meet-buyer appointment request session was also held on both the days to fill up existing appointment slots. Buyers were seated by their company names while sellers were given 45 minutes to meet and schedule fresh appointments with buyers at the show floor. Over 2500 meetings were scheduled on-site.

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 4 • COVER STORY

BLTM is a focused show with a very good mix of B2B buyers from the corporate as well as agents. The good part is that we came here with a lot of pre-fixed meetings and that has helped us opti-mise our time. In terms of organising, everything had been fine and it was easy to move around for people and locate the stalls. We have more expectations from BLTM and we definitely plan to come back next year also.

rAJesH NAmbIArExecutive Vice President

Otilla International

We heard a growing demand for luxury travel in India and BLTM is the perfect place for us. We also had a lot of interactive meetings with the buyers who came from the MICE and luxury industry, wedding planners and event organisers. MICE and luxury industry is growing in the world and with the launch of this kind of event, it surely is an added benefit for us. We are very likely to participate in the coming BLTMs also.

KONsTANTIN smIrNOVChief Commercial Officer

Running on Waves Ltd

BLTM was a very good show. We’ve had some very meaningful discussions with a good combination of the corporate buyers as well as the travel partners. I think the blend was good and hopefully this should translate into business very soon. The contacts made have been very good and the buyers are very well filtered. The online meeting diary as well as the BLTM app was very useful for us.

TeKLA mAIrADirector Global Sales – India

FRHI Hotels & Resorts

BLTM was an excellent show and we are honoured that the organisers of BLTM collaborated with us. I am glad that we could put up this great show together. I was also able to be a part of the panel discussion on destination weddings because India as a destination really needs to be promoted and we all need to worktogether on a common platform to get it to the next level. We look forward to organising BLTM next year as well.

sumAN JuLKADirector of Sales & Marketing

Hyatt Regency Gurgaon

Getting all the corporate, tour operators to meet the hoteliers of India is a very novel idea. I think this first show of BLTM was definitely a success and if it happens again next year it would definitely be a roaring success. In two-days, we did over 50 meetings with the high-quality buyers here.

JITeNdrA K mOHANTYChairman & Managing Director

Swosti Group

BLTM is a great platform where we met a lot of clients who wants to do business with us. The quality of the buyers here are also quite satisfactory and we did some good meetings with them. We feel that corporate travel is emerging in this exhibition and wewould like to continue to participate in BLTM in the coming year also.

NITHeesH KrIsHNANChief Brand Officer

Akbar Holidays

We got a fabulous response here in BLTM and I have been associated with Fairfest Media since 1999. We had great experience meeting the buyers who were from different industries including wedding planners. BLTM was a focused show and we were very glad to be there. Next year we will be participating for sure.

mANIsH KumArGeneral Manager- Sales & Marketing

Manu Maharani Hotels Ltd

I was very impressed with BLTM. Not only is the venue good, but the quality of the event as well as that of the attendees who came from different parts of India was great. At BLTM, I got the opportunity to meet corporate, wedding specialists and tour operators doing business travel. Overall, BLTM turned out to be a good show.

cArL VAZDirector

Dubai Tourism

BLTM is a focused and very nice platform to showcase tourism products. I found BLTM to have exceeded my expectations as we got around 80-90% appointments that were fixed earlier and very encouraging response about Nepal. The quality of the buyers was really good and the meetings I did with them were really fruitful. Keep up the good work and we will definitely come back next year also..

deePAK rAJ JOsHIChief Executive Officer

Nepal Tourism Board

BLTM gave a deep impression as it was a very professional show and very efficiently organised with high-quality buyers. The meetings I had with the buyers were very useful. BLTM was a very good platform to promote China Tourism as the organisershave arranged so many high-quality buyers so I think this show is also very helpful for tourism promotion.

TIAN XINDirector

China National Tourist Office-New Delhi

This was the first fair I attended in terms of back to back meetings which were quite fruitful. The start for BLTM was really amazing and buyers there were quite satisfactory. We did more than 42 meetings and out of this 85% were really fruitful meetings. BLTM was an amazing show and it will go a long way. We would surely come back to BLTM again next year.

NOeL sAXeNACountry Head

Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Representation Office in India

The format of BLTM was really nice and useful and gave us the opportunity to reach out to a wider audience. The entire stall set up allowed every seller to showcase their products to the buyers there. The format was beautifully organised and there were really good quality buyers. I met a lot of people who showed definitive interest in Fiji and I am sure that this will gain some good results for us. I really look forward to participate in the next BLTM as well.

VAIJAYANTHI KArIIndia Representative

Tourism Fiji

As a first show, I am fairly satisfied with the event. The organisers have pulled together a good collection of buyers as well as sellers. We completed 90% of our scheduled meetings and we also had a lot of walk-ins at our stall. Our overall appointments were double than what we had foreseen in our online meeting schedule. We would definitely like to see BLTM happening in other cities so that we can participate there also.

sANdeeP duTTAMarketing Manager - India

Korea Tourism Organisation

As the first edition of BLTM, it was a fantastic show. I actually crossed the amount of meetings that I had planned initially. The quality of the buyers was fabulous. BLTM had a very good mix of buyers for those who are looking at films, there were corporate also and agents doing leisure and MICE. The amount of information shared both ways was really valuable. With this success, I definitely plan to come back next year.

ALPA JANIManager- Trade Relations

South African Tourism

Sellers continue to repose their rock-solid confidence at BLTM

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 5 COVER STORY •

BLTM is itself an innovation and this will be a big platform in near future. BLTM got a very good response in its first edition and I am quite hopeful that this will be a big platform for MICE and golf industry in near future. We received some serious visitors comingto our stall and with this success I wish BLTM all the luck for the coming years also.

FArOOQ A sHAH, IAsSecretary Tourism

Government of Jammu & Kashmir

On behalf of all the associations I am associated with, I would like to congratulate Fairfest Media for organising the BLTM show. It was a very good initiative and the choice of venue was also very good as it was near all the corporate houses. I am sure in the years to come it would become very successful and will be an important event in the tourism fairs and exhibitions of northern India.

subHAsH GOYALChairman

STIC Travel Group

BLTM was a great show and the quality of work shows that it was managed by the professionally qualified people. The quality of the buyers was also fantastic and we did some fruitful meetings with them. We are looking forward to making new partnershipswith the clients that we have met here. I am looking forward to participate in BLTM next year also and some more partnership with Fairfest Media in near future.

TeJPreeT sINGHManager– Passenger Sales & Marketing (India)

Korean Air

BLTM was a fantastic initiative. It is extremely important that we have a B2B show because when people come and invest for two-three days, they really look at some tangible benefits to carry and then convert them into business. In two days, we met more than 20-25 top decision makers. I will be very happy if they can keep on doing this every year and look at getting more and more of qualified buyers.

TrIdIb GHOsHVice President Sales and Marketing

Pride Hotels & Resorts

In BLTM, the quality of meetings that we had done was very fruitful and we were able to do 35 meetings a day. The best part of BLTM was the balance between the corporate and the travel fraternity. Everything was done in a very planned and efficient manner. I think it made absolute sense for a company like us to be here and we will keep on participating in BLTM for sure.

NAVeeN sHArmADirector- National Sales

Clarks Group of Hotels

BLTM was a fantastic show while getting the business and the luxury set of customers at the same platform. The buyers were rightly chosen by the BLTM team and I had a great feedback from my team. The BLTM app was a very good initiative and it really helped us in terms of getting the right set of buyers, fixing up the appointments. Next year surely we are coming back.

bAruN GuPTAAccount Director- Starwood Sales Organisation

Marriott International

BLTM was a great show with exceptional quality of planning, meetings calendar and the BLTM app was also very useful. I think this show was very developed and I have not seen anything similar in any other events in India. It made it very easy for the sellers to connect with the buyers. I hope BLTM grows from strength to strength and we would continue to participate.

AdITYA LOOmbADirector

Eco Rent A Car

BLTM was a very good initiative and probably the first of its type. We met very good travel agents and corporate. The forum was much focused and we were very happy with the feedback and the positive response. The online meeting diary was also very useful. The buyers I received were very good quality and relevant people who are the decision makers of the company. We look forward to participate in the coming BLTM also.

suNeeL rAWATGeneral Manager- Sales & Marketing

White Meadows by Mahindra Holidays

BLTM was a very good platform to showcase our product for the first time to the buyers directly. The quality of the buyers was excellent. Direct decision makers were there with whom we were closing the deal directly. We met with more than 20 corporate and event planners and out of that we already materialised few leads. BLTM was a very good event and it should continue for long term basis.

PrAmOd KuLKArNICorporate Vice President

The Ambassador Group of Hotels

We got a very encouraging response in BLTM and we were very happy to be there. The way it was organised, the layout of the show, everything was very suitable for sensible business discussions. We did very fruitful meetings with the handpicked buyers who were from the leisure and luxury segment. We will be participating next time again.

mANAs sINHADirector- India Sales Associates

GSA-Banyan Tree & Angsana Hotels

I was pleasantly surprised with the structure of the show and had some very good meetings with the highquality buyers here in BLTM. We had some interesting discussions and the opportunity to meet directly the corporate has also helped us a lot. We really look forward to participate in BLTM next year also.

sHANNON creAdORegional Director of Sales- India

Minor Hotels

BLTM brought something very different to the industry and the fraternity because it was a mix of business and luxury travel which covered the segment that I was looking for. BLTM provided me with everything under one roof. I got to meet the buyers who are the decision makers. The sessions were also very interesting. It was a positive experience so I really look forward to the coming editions of BLTM.

beTTY remedIOsDirector of Sales & Marketing

Grand Hyatt Goa

The experience at BLTM was fantastic and we got more than satisfactory response. Our appointments were very good and we were jam-packed with meetings. All the appointments we got were potential clients and I had never seen something like this where the buyers have been so well filtered. For next year we have already given our confirmation and we are open to partnering with BLTM on a long term basis.

NILAY sArANGroup Director of Sales and Marketing

The Chancery Hotels

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 6 • COVER STORY

Panel discussion 1: How to make an Incentive Program a Luxury Incentive ProgramPanellists: Tonia Sehan, Account Director, Outbound Marketing; Sharad Mathur, Director, EMG EventsModerator: Nitin Sachdeva, Executive Director, Venture Marketing

Panellists: Farooq Ahmad Shah (IAS), Secretary Tourism, Government of J&K; Gopinath Nair, Founder & CEO, Tourism DNA; Gajesh Girdhar, National Coordinator, Network of Indian MICE Agents; Manika Jain, Regional Vice President, Hyatt Sales Force; Arun Varma, CEO, Allways TravelsModerator: Shagun Dhawan, Head- Sales & Marketing, Krisia Holidays

Panellists: Carl Vaz, Director- India, Dubai Tourism; Parvin Dabas, Managing Director, Monsoon Weddings; Suman Julka, Director- Sales & Marketing, Hyatt Regency Gurgaon; Gayatri Sekhri, Creative– Head, Pomegranate EventsModerator: Ginny Kohli, Founder & CEO, WedWise

Luxury is not merely about the product delivered. It is about an experience that keeps redefining itself to suit the mindset of the client. Red level service; personalised, tailor made products; and communication to understand the nuances in the corporate client’s needs were key to delivering luxury incentive program. The panellists also harped on abstinence from role-playing by maintaining a healthy chain between the hotelier, travel planner and the client to ensure quality service delivery.

BLTM is an excellent initiative, especially for MICE, incentive groups and from the corporate perspective. I think we have not

had this kind of an event before. For suppliers like us from the hotel and travel industry, this was an important platform to network and to understand as to how we could take this forward.

TONIA seHANAccount Director

Outbound Marketing

BLTM is a brilliant concept where buyers got a great opportunity to meet sellers from different destinations, hotels

or tourism boards. I would like to thank BLTM for inviting me as one of the panellists. Such interactions, new innovative ideas and feedbacks will definitely help the industry to evolve. I hope BLTM turns out to be a 360 degree provider for the buyers in future.

sHArAd mATHurDirector

EMG Hospitality Pvt Ltd

BLTM was focused on the segment it intended to and being the first edition was good, however a change in the venue

would really name a difference to the attendance. We will surely consider participating based on the next dates and venue along with the buyer database, so that we can take the approvals from our principals accordingly.

NITIN sAcHdeVAExecutive DirectorVenture Marketing

Panel discussion 2: mIce @ emerging markets

BLTM is a very good initiative. MICE is an industry that really needs to be nurtured and in terms of activities that coordinate

MICE movements and education for upgrading skills in MICE. BLTM turned out to be a very good platform.

GOPINATH NAIrFounder & CEO

Tourism DNA

BLTM was a brilliant opportunity and we are happy that it was on home ground. We saw some great relevant conversations

as well as good participation from the industry. We met some good corporate buyers at BLTM. This is definitely a show to watch out for the future.

mANIKA JAINRegional Vice President

Hyatt Sales ForceThe MICE industry in India is growing at a very fast pace. I expect this industry to be the fastest growing industry in the

travel segment. The MICE session at BLTM was a very wellthough-out session. I would like to congratulate the organisers and I think BLTM is heading the right way.

AruN VArmACEO

Allways Travels

The panel discussion on MICE at BLTM was really interesting. The speakers had good inputs to share and the audience was equally

engaging. BLTM turned out as a very well managed show and we really wish it success for the coming years.

sHAGuN dHAWANHead- Sales & Marketing

Krisia Holidays

BLTM is a very important endeavour being undertaken by Fairfest Media, the organisers of the show. This kind of a show

concentrating on MICE was required in the market. The panel dis-cussion was also very insightful where we focused on the emerg-ing markets for MICE.

GAJesH GIrdHArNational Coordinator, NIMA

Speaking on the emerging markets for MICE, the panellists voiced a clear consen-sus about the importance of looking at not only newer destinations but also offering unique experience through them. Conventional destinations on the other hand can be reinvented and re-presented to the millennial. What is crucial is the demand of the end-user that the providers should effectively cater to.

Panel discussion 3: destination Weddings

It didn’t seem like BLTM was being organised for the first time. The event was really well organised, well laid out and well thought of. I hope you

keep having this year after year and the show will keep doing a great job.

PArVIN dAbAsManaging Director

Monsoon Weddings

I really enjoyed the session at BLTM where I got to network with people from the same industry. It was very educational for me. BLTM

was a great event because it brought a lot of the industry players together.

GAYATrI seKHrICreative – Head

Pomegranate Events

Three consecutive sessions dedicated to this ever growing, recession-proof indus-try put forward insights of experts on destination weddings. Through an engaging discussion, the speakers threw light on the key factors that should be taken into account for destination weddings. This was followed by a session on the emerg-ing destinations and opportunities that reflected on the do’s and dont’s for venues to avoid going out of fashion. Panelists also spoke about the evolving role of the wedding planner in adding value in the planning process of a wedding.

BLTM has nailed how business travel, MICE and weddings come together. An event like BLTM really makes a lot of sense in the

market because a hotelier would want to position himself in MICE as well as in events. BLTM has come out at the right time as the wedding season is kicking in. The panel discussions were also very insightful and we were able to garner insights of how venues and destinations play a vital role in promotional activities.

GINNY KOHLIFounder & CEO

WedWise

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 7 COVER STORY •

Panellists: Karan Kachru, Sr. Account Manager-Sales, Marriott International; Tridib Ghosh, VP- Sales & Marketing, Pride Group of Hotels; Kunal Laungani, Director, Chapter II Events; Varun Mehrotra, Director of Sales and Marketing, Fairmont JaipurModerator: Ginny Kohli, Founder & CEO, WedWise

Panellists: Amrish Pershad, Director, AP Designs; Gunjan Bansal, CEO, L’amore Weddings, Nimit Mehta, Founder/Director, R2S events; Shweta Acharya, Founder & CEO, Baraati Inc; Aditya Loomba, Director, Eco Rent A CarModerator: Ginny Kohli, Founder & CEO, WedWise

Panellist: Kulmeet Makkar, CEO, Film & Television Producers Guild of IndiaModerator: Abhijeet Patil, Chairman, Raja Rani Travels

Panel discussion 4: emerging destinations and Opportunities in Weddings

BLTM really impressed me with its turnout of corporate buyers. Having 1:1 buyer-seller ratio was a fantastic opportunity because one got to meet so many more people. We had good discussions

and understood and engaged with the market better. Now that we are one the biggest companies in hospitality, we need to reach out to everybody and this was a really good platform for us to reach out to people. We hope to see a bigger event next time as well.

KArAN KAcHruSenior Account Manager-Sales

Marriott International

BLTM was a unique show. It was a good platform for people to meet, connect and network and at the same time create a

win-win situation where we can actually do business. There was an interesting line up of exhibitors at the show. BLTM seems promising.

KuNAL LAuNGANIDirector

Chapter II Events

Panel discussion 5: How Wedding Planners can make a difference to a destination

BLTM was a fantastic platform for all the wedding planners and for the entire industry to come together and make better plans and

serve the market better. The panel discussion was also very insightful. Congratulations to BLTM!

AmrIsH PersHAdDirector

AP Designs

BLTM is a great platform where hotels, tourism boards and wedding planners are coming together. This is a big step for all of us to start

streamlining the whole wedding business and get to meet each other because once you know each other; there is a repertoire which definitely helps to deliver a better product.

sHWeTA AcHArYAFounder & CEO

Baraati Inc

I was quite impressed with BLTM for its setup and the brands that were present here. The good thing is of course that it was spiced

up by some knowledge sessions which even made it better because knowledge imparting and trade happening simultaneously is interesting.

NImIT meHTAFounder/Director

R2S Events

To organise the wedding industry, we need such kind of shows where a lot of people come together, interact and share their

insights. At BLTM, I met a lot of hoteliers, people from the wedding industry and was also part of a very interactive panel session. Overall, it was a very good initiative.

GuNJAN bANsALCEO

L’amore Weddings

Panel discussion 6: destination Promotion through film shoots

BLTM has actually brought it down to a niche vertical for three segments, namely Business, Luxury

and MICE, which enabled us to have a more detailed interaction with the industry players. This initiative is really commendable. Our unconditional support is always there with the organisers of the show.

AbHIJeeT PATILChairman

Raja Rani Travels

It makes so much of sense for film shoots to interact with thedifferent stakeholders which were part of BLTM. It was not

only about the tourism board but also about service providers. There was tremendous showcasing by different partners at BLTM. I met many people at the show and we will see how films can collaborate with the hotels, travel agencies, which is an obvious synergy between the two.

KuLmeeT mAKKArCEO

The Film and Television Producers Guild of India Ltd

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 8 • COVER STORY

BLTM has been beneficial for us especially for our employees who travel a lot as the quality of hotel chains represented was

very good. The event covered everything from big hotel chains to MICE segment to inbound operators, so it met all our requirements. We got a fair idea about the market from this event and would definitely recommend it to others.

AJAY KUMAR SHARMAHead – Travel Management

Adani Group

BLTM was a great platform to meet a lot of travel agents, hoteliers, film commissions and representatives of various

countries. So it was a very good experience as we got to meet everybody under one roof and interact with them. The organising team did a great job and I would definitely recommend it others.

PADAM BHUSHANExecutive Producer

Yash Raj Films

BLTM has been very beneficial as it has provided the perfect platform for us to interact with sellers face to face. It was

one of the finest travel marts that I attended and would definitely recommend it to others since it was a genuine luxury travel mart. BLTM has surpassed my expectations.

RAJEEV RAWATDirector

Prime Link Travels

BLTM was a great platform to do business with all the good quality sellers. This show will definitely help to improve the

business of the travel agents and the associations. The meetings were very fruitful as there was a good mix of national and international sellers. As a first show, BLTM was an amazing platform and I will surely recommend this to others as well.

GITESH KANJOLIADirector

Club Vacation

BLTM has done a good job setting itself apart from other similar shows. The footfall had been really good and the

sellers surpassed my expectations. It was nice to see senior officials attending the event, as we got to interact face to face. I am confident that the connection that I have made in BLTM would definitely be beneficial for our company.

BURJIS MEHTACEO

Skyworld Tours and Travels Pvt Ltd

We have attended a lot of trade fairs but BLTM was unique since it was specifically designed for luxury travel. The crowd

here consisted of serious buyers and sellers which would definitely be helpful for our business. Overall the event has been very fruitful for us.

NAEEM KHANDirector

Mulberry Tours Pvt Ltd

This was my first visit to such kind of an event. BLTM was a very well organised show. It was very well represented by all sectors

of service providers and for us as film producers, it was a great opportunity to connect with them one on one basis and establish a relationship which we hope to leverage in the future. We were very happy to be a part of such a show like BLTM.

PARTH DHOLAKIADharma Productions Pvt Ltd

BLTM was a great event where I got a chance to meet people from the industry. The Fairfest Media team did an excellent job

of organising this and I hope BLTM grows to be a bigger show next year with more buyers and sellers.

PREM UPADHYAYDirector Sales & Marketing Delhi – NCR

Ananta Hotels and Resorts

The atmosphere and the environment of BLTM was very positive and the sellers were very supportive in providing

all the necessary information. The show was able to meet all my requirements. I am very thankful to Fairfest Media for its continuous support and look forward to more of BLTM in the future.

AJINKYA DHUMMACEO

Nilex Holidays

BLTM was the first of a kind show, where I saw such a prominent focus on MICE and the quality of sellers that I have met has

been really good. The interactions were really positive and with few we were able to finalise a couple of major deals. BLTM was a good initiative and I believe with time the show will grow to be even better.

VIVEK NAIDUManaging Director

Youdian Business Solutions Pvt Ltd

BLTM has been really beneficial for me and has met my expectation above and beyond. The interactions with the

sellers were very positive and the meetings have been really useful. Overall, the quality of BLTM was far better than any other show that I have attended and would definitely visit again next year.

ARCHANA GANDHIManager – Travel Desk

Pioneer Investcorp

I would like to thank BLTM for inviting me as a hosted buyer. We do a lot of conferences and events so this was a very nice

opportunity for us to interact with all the different businesses, hoteliers and tourism departments. Our interactions with the sellershave been really positive and hopefully we can convert them into business deals.

DR TUSHAR PATELM.D. (Chest) F.C.C.P., M.C.A.I

Ashrai Associates

There were a lot of tourism boards in BLTM, along with a number of luxury hotels. So it was the perfect platform for me to

conduct the one on one meeting. I did around 35 meetings in one day. Overall I think BLTM has been very fruitful for us and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for serious B2B integrations.

VINEET SARNACEO

STHI Holidays India Pvt Ltd

As I came to BLTM I learned a lot and got a very good response. This was one of the best experiences as I got the opportunity

to interact one to one with the sellers. I will earn a lot from this learning and I am very happy to be here.

SUNIL AGRAWALConsultant

Yashoda Tours & Travels

BLTM was pretty beneficial for us as we got to discuss some serious business during the event. I think what you were trying

with the new format was very professional and overall I thought BLTM provided a great platform for the one on one interaction. I would definitely recommend BLTM to anyone looking to talk business.

ROHAN GANDHISr. Strategist – Client Relations

Starclinch

As a first edition of BLTM, the show has been very promising and we have been able to meet a lot of interesting partners

with whom we have been able to set up great meetings out here. These meetings will be very much beneficial for us. The quality of the sellers was great and it did meet all my expectations. BLTM is great opportunity to take benefit from and overall was a fantastic show.

EKTA KAPOORNational Marketing Manager

Lonely Planet India Pvt Ltd

The platform we are getting in BLTM is really nice where we get to know so many high quality sellers. It is a common platform

where the buyers can meet the sellers and do fruitful meetings. The meeting diary and the onsite meetings was also a great experience for me. Overall the response was very good and I am happy to be here.

ANKIT SHETHSenior Manager- HR & Administration

APAR Industries Ltd

I would like to thank BLTM for inviting me as a hosted buyer. The event was very useful for us as we got to directly meet the

corporate buyers, hoteliers and other suppliers, ll under one roof. The meetings were very ruitful and hopefully would be beneficial for us in the long run. I wish all the best to BLTM and its organising team.

BHAVESH P SHAHVice President – Public Relations Corporate

Sterling Hospitals

BLTM has been a real eye opener for me. I would have missed out on a good show if I had not attended. The quality of sellers

was really good and I was able to achieve what I set out for. It was a first of kind show in India, so I appreciate the efforts of the organisers for putting on such a great show.

KIRAN D KUMARHead – Workplace Service

Lifestyle

BLTM was a good experience for me and was quite different from other trade fairs because we got plenty of time to discuss the

different products in a much more focused manner. The sellers met my expectation and the meetings were very productive. Overall BLTM was a good platform and I would surely like to visit again.

KAUSHIK VYASDirector

Vyas Holidays

Around 150 Hosted Buyers from all over India attended BLTM

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 10 • COVER STORY

BLTM is a very good initiative by Fairfest Media. I met a lot of corporate, wedding planners and some prominent travel

agents at BLTM. I also had some very meaningful interactions. The quality of the sellers met my expectations to a large extent. Some of them do have the potential to promote my destination.

DENCY MATHEWManager- Corporate Communications

Oman Tourism

BLTM was a really good event for the inbound tourism market and I got to meet a number of hoteliers and travel agents. There

were a lot of domestic buyers which was really good. The organisers did a commendable job to bring the show in fruition and I was reallyimpressed with the format, which I had not seen in any other similar shows before.

JAYESH ASHARManaging Director

Pearl Travels

I had a wonderful experience at BLTM. This was my first visit to such kind of a show. The meetings over the two days proved to

be very beneficial to me.ABHIJIT HUNGUND

Shreeram Travels

BLTM proved to be a good platform for networking. We could gather a lot of information about the market. We also

got introduced to some unique products. The sellers were very accommodating and open to collating information for us.

JASWINDER PABBLAProduction Department

Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

My visit to BLTM paid off as I met a lot of new vendors and DMCs which will in turn help us in our growth. I received very valuable

information from the sellers, especially in terms of revenue. I am sure BLTM will grow and be more beneficial for buyers like us. BLTM couldbe hosted in the four major metropolitans.

ASGAR ALIChairman

Universal Express Travel and Tours Pvt Ltd

BLTM was an excellent opportunity and I am happy that I participated in the show. Over the two days, we had good,

productive meetings with the sellers, without any interference or deviation. People at the show were quite serious and were looking forward to proper business.

SUDHIR PATILFounder and Director

Veena World

BLTM brought together a lot of destinations and service providers under one umbrella. I met a lot of hoteliers and was

quite impressed with the quality of the sellers. We are already in talks for closing some important deals. I would definitely recommend BLTM to other people.

ATUL PISALManaging Director

Assets Infotech

BLTM was quite beneficial. I could meet a lot of suppliers at the show. This was just the beginning for BLTM and I know it will

only grow with time. We had very fruitful meetings at the event. BLTM can look at being conducted in major metro cities, especially Mumbai

CHAITANYA THAKKKERAssistant VP- Travel Management

Reliance

I had a nice experience at BLTM. I had very interesting meetings with the sellers at the event. The sellers were quite cordial and

friendly and offered unique packages. I wish good luck to BLTM.GUYOT JEAN PIERRE

Circuit Privé En Inde, France

BLTM was a pretty good experience and the participation is encouraging. The sellers did meet our expectations, the

meetings were quite effective. The format of the on-site appointment request session was the right thing to do. Besides, the arrangement and hospitality was impressive. BLTM was a good platform and I would definitely recommend it to others.

DEBASISH MAITRADirector

Dream Vacation

BLTM had been great for me as I got to meet a number of sellers from this event. It has provided me the exposure that I wouldn’t

have got anywhere else and the interaction that I had with travel agents, hoteliers and the tourism departments was invaluable. I extend my best wishes to the BLTM team and look forward to attending the show next year.

USHA KUMTHEKARAdmin Manager – Pan India

D-Link India Ltd

I want to thank the organising team of BLTM for inviting me to this event. During these two days I was able to conduct

numerous meetings which were beneficial to me. The sellers that I met were excellent and were very cooperative in providing me with opportunities based on my requirements. I would definitely recommend BLTM to other as it’s a great platform for serious B2B interactions.

SAKET KUMAR Deputy GM – Mktg. Services

Alkem

BLTM was beneficial for us because we got a chance to meet a number of sellers from different brands. I think the show was a

great platform for MICE and leisure businesses. It was something unique which I have not found in any other events or travel shows, so I am looking forward to this event again in the future.

VIKRANT WADHERADirector, Global Accounts

Globalcynergies

BLTM was a very good networking platform where we got DMCs, luxury hotels and tourism developments. The quality

of sellers we meet were very good and the format of the show allowed us plenty of time to interact with them. Overall it was very productive event for us and would definitely recommend the show to my colleagues.

SANJEEV SHARMADirector

Tour Organiser

This was my first time attending a show like BLTM, which I found was very focused in providing the different types of products.

The quality of the sellers was very good and was quiet comfortable for us to find the products that we were looking for. I definitely recommend BLTM to others especially for those who are looking for the MICE market and the leisure market.

GOH HOCK GINManaging DirectorBel Travel and Tours

The organising team has done a great job with BLTM. The sellers that I interacted with were fantastic and I got to meet the

domestic hotels, international airlines and the tourism department all in one place. I was very impressed with the way BLTM conducted its sessions and would definitely recommend it to others.

P S MANIManager – Administration

Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd

BLTM was a very good event and we got to meet a lot of luxury hotel chains and good car rental companies, which we have

not been able to meet in past events, so we are very satisfied. The meeting were very fruitful as we got to spent more time with the sellers thus it was very productive for us. It’s been a good show and we expect more sellers in BLTM next year.

SAPNEAL RAOCEO

SSR Holidays

BLTM was a very interesting show, which was very helpful for us because we got to meet a lot of properties that we were not

familiar with before. The quality of exhibitors was very good and they were very helpful in providing all the necessary information. Overall I think the organisers did great job of conducting the show in a professional manner.

SANDHYA LOKHANDETravel Management

Volkswagen

The organisers did a good job with the first edition of BLTM and I got to meet a number of the hoteliers and DMCs during this two

day event. It was a good platform where I also got chance to interact with the peers from the MICE industry. Overall BLTM was a great event and I would recommend it all corporate buyers.

RICHARD CHACKOSr. Manager

Essar

BLTM was good event for me as I got a chance to interact with domestic hotels and travels agents. The quality of sellers was

really good and I was quite impressed. Overall this was a well organised event where I was able to do a lot for networking. I thank the organisers for such a smooth show and look forward to the next edition of BLTM.

PETER FERNANDESDeputy GM – Operation & Travels

Radio City 91.1 FM

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 12INDIA

Cabinet approves exchanging of land for widening of road at Biju Patnaiak AirportCosta Cruises celebrates upcoming

Mumbai sailings The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the exchanging of Air-ports Authority of India’s (AAI) land measuring 1.6 acres with an equivalent land area of 1.6 acres offered by the Odisha Government.

The state government has offered 1.6 acres of land in lieu of 1.6 acres land of AAI and agreed to under-take and relocate all the existing infrastructure of AAI on the subject land on its own cost. Further, the land offered by the state government is contiguous to existing airport and it will be used by AAI for the construction of Parallel Taxi Track. The exchange of land is not only beneficial to the state government and AAI but also to the people.

Odisha Government wants to widen the state gov-ernment road near Bhubaneswar Airport (known as Ekamara Marg/Palashpalli Road) for streamlin-ing the security arrangements of the VIP movements and creating a buffer zone for public use. For this purpose requires 1.6 acres land of AAI is required by the state government.

Ministry of Tourism, doing away with the long-standing trend, has decided to appoint Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi as the mascot for its ‘Incredible India’ campaign.

The move was previously endorsed by Tourism Minster Mahesh Sharma who had called PM Modi the ‘best face’ to promote Incredible India campaign.

Adding that ministry was not in need of a celeb-rity to promote India, Sharma had said “The percep-tion about India has changed significantly in the last two years, with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than our Prime Minister.”

The ministry has plans to release a video of the PM speaking on tourism, in India and abroad, in the past two and a half years. The campaign is set to also include elements of radio, audio releases and videos where he has spoken on the nation’s uniqueness and diversity. The campaign is expected to be released in the coming days, with the modalities currently being looked into.

Interestingly, footfalls into India from countries visited by the Prime Minister have actually seen upward growth. Inflows from countries like the U.S., Germany, Fiji, Brazil, UK, Myanmar and Australia among others, has seen a significant jump following PM Modi’s visit to these nations.

Given the PM’s standing and India’s positive image, this move is expected to boost the nation’s attempt for augmenting international tourist numbers.

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India partici-pated as the Official Premier Partner at WTM Lon-don 2016. At this year’s World Travel Market, Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Tourism and for Culture inaugurated the World Travel Market along with Simon Press, Exec-utive Director, WTM London and Vinod Zutshi, Sec-retary, Ministry of Tourism.

The inaugural of World Travel Market London was followed by the inauguration of the Incredible India Pavilion, which represented the theme of India-The Land of Eternal Heritage. At the inaugural of the pavilion, classical dance performances followed by yoga demonstrations. The Minister also launched a website for a new Incredible India Global Tourism Mart in New Delhi next February.

Sharma highlighted the sheer variety of expe-riences, including UNESCO heritage sites, luxury travel, ecotourism, medical tourism, religious travel, undiscovered regions such as north-east India and

wildlife. He added that in the last 18 months, India’s government has invested more than $400 million in developing tourism infrastructure around the country. He said the government was expanding its e-Visa scheme to make it easier for overseas visitors to travel to India and is tackling issues of safety and cleanliness.

Zutshi delivered presentation briefing the media about various strategies being obtained by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to promote tour-ism in source markets and with particular reference to the European market. He also briefed the gather-ing on Governments focus areas such as infrastruc-ture development, promotion of niche areas, such as medical, golf, cruise, MICE etc. While informing about the ease of travel to India, he emphasised the importance of the e-Visa and its positive results on increased number of tourist arrivals. He added that tourists can now receive information and help 24x7 by dialling a toll-free number while in India.

Costa Cruises together with the Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai welcomed guests onboard the Costa Luminosa for a celebration of Italian hospitality and entertainment. The Costa Luminosa, which is sailing around the world in 98 days, docked at the Mumbai port as part of its itinerary.

The event saw the launch of Festa Italiana 2016 in Mumbai and celebrated the upcoming homeporting of the Costa neoClassica in Mumbai from December 2016.

For the first time, Indians can embark on a cruise liner from Mumbai and travel to destinations within India such as Goa and Cochin and also to Maldives and Colombo. Costa neoClassica would perform a series of weekly sailings from December 16, 2016 to March 18, 2017.

Speaking about the launch, Buhdy Bok, President of

Costa Group Asia, said, “We are delighted to bring cruis-ing to Indians at their doorstep. For many travellers, the holiday often starts after some sort of a long jour-ney. Now like never before, Indians will have the oppor-tunity to start holidaying — right from their door-step, from India’s largest metropolis, Mumbai.”

Commenting on the home porting of Costa neo-Classica in Mumbai Port, Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman of Mumbai Port, said, “It is a proud moment for us to have Costa neoClassica to be homeported at India’s pre-mier Mumbai Port. The Mumbai Port has long been the principal gateway to India, playing a crucial role in sea trade and the development of the national economy, trade & commerce and the prosperity of Mumbai city in particular.”

Costa neoClassica would be the very first large cruise ship that cruises between Mumbai and the Maldives. This classic cruise ship would have a total of 654 cabins (with a capacity for 1700 passengers), including sea view cabins and suites with private balconies. Fully-equipped with a Casino, Theatre, Disco, Ballroom, Grand Bar, it aims to provide plenty in entertainment.

Nalini Gupta, Managing Director, Lotus Destina-tions (GSA of Costa Cruises India) feels that the modern Indian traveller is now seeking a different kind of thrill and cruise holidays are now featuring on the Indian trav-eller’s ‘must-experience’ list. She further adds, “The fact that Indians can now embark directly from Mumbai, not only makes the process hassle-free and visa-free, but also saves the traveller costs and time.”

India participates as Premier Partner in World Travel Market London 2016

Ministry of Tourism appoints PM Modi as the mascot for its Incredible India campaign

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | december 2016 14 • india

Gujarat signs mou with stayzilla to promote homestays in the state

IndiGo enhances connectivity across India

Andhra Pradesh Tourism woos global travel market in the UK

Stayzilla.com and Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) has signed a MoU to jointly promote and market homestays and alternate stays in Gujarat. The MoU was signed and exchanged by S J Haider (IAS), Principal Secretary (Tourism) of Gujarat Tourism in the presence of Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Dr Mahesh Sharma and Tourism Secretary, Vinod Zutshi, Ministry of Tour-ism, Government of India.

As per the agreement, Stayzilla and Gujarat Tour-ism would share the current base of homestays on each other’s digital platforms in order to bring more awareness on homestays in Gujarat. Stayzilla would also assist in the verification procedures and jointly promote the concept of homestays. All TCGL reg-istered homestays would receive technological and operational support to run.

Commenting on the announcement, Ankit Ras-togi, Vice President, Marketplace, Stayzilla said, “Gujarat has emerged as one of the most popular states in the country for travel, thus playing a signif-icant role in India’s tourism potential. This MoU, like the others, will help in building a vibrant ecosystem for Homestays in Gujarat.”

The sunrise state of Andhra Pradesh beckoned international tourists to come and experience the hospitality of the state. Andhra Pradesh, with its favourable tourism policy in practice and a busi-ness friendly approach, also made an appeal to the investors for taking part in the tourism infrastruc-ture development projects. Apart from various fis-cal and non-fiscal incentives, the state also assured investors of full-fledged support and co-operation.

Dr Srikant Nagulapalli, Secretary, Culture & Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said, “Our endeavour is to develop Andhra Pradesh as the most preferred destination and under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N

Chandrababu Naidu we are taking progressive steps in that direction. Our vision is to create an all-round tourist friendly environment in the state which ensures a memorable experience for each and every guest every time they visit Andhra Pradesh.”

Andhra Pradesh government is working on a mis-sion approach to promote the state as India’s most preferred tourist destination and position as a global tourism brand by providing world class tourism products and services while preserving the culture, heritage, environmental balance and natural beauty of the state.

In line with this goal, Andhra Pradesh also plans to identify and partner groups which would oper-ate as key partners for promoting inbound tour-ism in the state and act as state partners for national and international tourism road shows, expos and events. With this focused approach the state has in place the APEX scheme – Andhra Pradesh EXperts (APEX) on tourism to promote the state nationally and internationally.

Participating in WTM London as a co-exhibi-tor at the India Pavilion, Andhra Pradesh hosted a press conference and a roadshow for tour operators & travel service providers of UK. The agenda for the roadshow was to give a high-level overview of the state’s culture, destinations, and incentives to pro-mote tourism in the Sunrise State.

Indian Railways has accelerated the roll-out of power sockets on its trains, in order to allow passengers to charge up their mobile devices.

According to reports, the number of charging points per carriage would be more-than-doubled, to cater for rising demand from passengers. So far, 7,977 sleeper coaches and 4,634 general coaches have been equipped with 18 charging points.

“Earlier, there were only eight mobile charging points in a coach. However, in keeping pace with the changing times, we have decided to increase the number of sockets to 18 as the use of mobile phone and laptop have gone up considerably,” a senior Rail-way Ministry official was quoted saying.

The additional power sockets are part of a drive to modernise Indian rail network, with Wi-Fi services now also available at many key stations.

IndiGo has decided to further enhance its cus-tomer experience with the launch of 28 new flights on its existing domestic network. The new sched-ule would see maiden flights on the Guwahati-Luc-know, Lucknow-Ahmedabad, Bengaluru-Indore and Raipur-Patna sectors. With the new flights and frequencies along with induction of two new Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline’s frequency would increase to 890 daily.

These flights, which became effective from November 2016, would provide enhanced connec-tivity on the key sectors hence strengthening Indi-Go’s existing network within India. With 890 daily flights connecting 41 destinations, these new flights would enable both corporate and leisure travellers to experience IndiGo’s on-time performance.

Speaking about the latest network expansion, Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Direc-tor, IndiGo, said, “We are absolutely delighted to announce 6E’s new flights connecting the metro cities with the regional destinations. In the excit-ing times for Indian aviation, we are hopeful that these flights will prove to be popular among our customers.”

Indian railways adds mobile charging points on trains

Cox & Kings unveils tours to lesser known destinations in IndiaCox & Kings, in an effort to catalyse tourism devel-opment across India, has added a number of new tour packages to make travellers familiar with lesser known destinations in India. The packages include destinations like Bhuj, Tadoba, Pachmarhi, Assam, Tawang and Pushkar.

The one night ‘Rann Utsav’ package takes trav-ellers through Kutch in Gujarat. It is a land of art, crafts, music, dance, people and nature. Rann Mahot-sav is a three-day festive brimming with hospitality, vigour and traditional flavour of the area.

‘Instant Tadoba’ is a family package gives which gives the travellers an opportunity to visit Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. It is dominated by teak and bamboo, with a magical landscape of rugged cliffs, marshes and lakes.

‘Instant Pachmarhi’ is a package for families who wish to explore this beautiful hill station in Madhya Pradesh. This place is surrounded by serene water-falls, cave shelters, temples and forest range of Sat-pura Tiger Reserve offering a wide variety of things to do for visitors of all age groups.

‘Super Saver Assam with Kaziranga’ is a group tour that includes a visit to the capital city of Assam,

Guwahati, which lies between the banks of the Brah-maputra River and the foothills of the Shillong pla-teau. It covers visits to heritage sites, ancient temples, museums, historical monuments, archaeological sites, lakes and ponds. Also included in the package is the Kaziranga wildlife sanctuary, a World Heritage Site, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 16ASIA

Taiwan Tourism carries out aggressive marketing with B2B workshop and BLTM participation

Tourism Malaysia promotes Johor Bahru to Indian travel trade

Mega Maldives Airlines to offer direct non-stop flights from Delhi to Male

Taiwan Tourism had recently organised an edu-cational workshop for the travel fraternity and the media at Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi.

The workshop was aimed at educating the travel agents and updating their knowledge about Taiwan, the products it has to offer, USP’s of the destination and the how it caters to different segments of the Indian travellers.

The event began with a B2B session between the Indian travel agents and the stakeholders from the Taiwanese Travel industry, which included its National carrier China Airlines, Princess Cruise, destination management companies Good Time Vacations and hotels like Grand Hyatt Taipei.

The B2B session was followed by a presenta-tion on Taiwan by Noel Saxena, Country Head, Tai-wan Tourism. The presentation contained detailed information about Taiwan, which educated the travel agents about everything one would need to know for visiting Taiwan.

The event was attended by a delegation from Tai-wan that included Arthur Hsieh, Director, Taiwan Tourism, Singapore Office and Richard Y.S. Chiu, Deputy Representative, Taipei Economic and Cul-tural Centre, India.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre, India, Richard Y.S. Chiu said, “Our new outbound policy gives pri-ority to India over other countries. We are a welcom-ing and a friendly country, especially with Indians.”

As a part of ongoing B2B marketing campaign Taiwan Tourism also exhibited at the Business and Luxury Travel Mart (BLTM), in Gurgaon. BLTM was a platform for Taiwan Tourism meet corporate MNC buyers from around Delhi and National Capi-tal Region like Godrej, Reliance, SBI, HDFC, Adani Wilmar etc, which was a great opportunity for future business prospects.

Mega Maldives Airlines is all set to open a new chapter in Indian aviation with the launch of non-stop flights between India and Maldives that began its operation from November 15, 2016, which would connect passen-gers from New Delhi and Male’ three times a week.

“We are thrilled with the positive response both in India and in Maldives to our new services to India. The resort and hospitality community of Maldives is

clearly throwing open their doors to an excited and dynamic Indian market,” said George Weinmann, Founder and Chief Executive Office, Mega Maldives Airline. “The Maldives is consistently ranked among the world’s best tourist destinations. It is also increas-ingly popular with Indian tourists with over 52,000 guests arriving in 2015, and growing at almost 20% per year in recent years.”

At a journey time of just 3Hrs 40Min (outbound) and 4Hrs and 20Min (Inbound), this would the fastest and only non-stop connection between the two capital cit-ies, cutting the journey times on other existing flight options by between two to eight hours.

Mega Maldives would provide the ‘Queen of Skies’ - Boeing 737-800 for this route and it would be config-ured with 12 business class and 156 economy class seats.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently con-ducted the ‘Amazing Thailand Luxury Roadshow’ in India covering Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Kolkata. TAT is targeting the high end travellers from Tier-I Indian cities who are big spenders. The delega-tion at the roadshow included hoteliers, Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways and few DMCs.

The Delhi event commenced with an exclusive net-working B2B session within the setup of a Thai modern lanna style theme.

Isra Stapanaseth, Director, TAT New Delhi, men-tioned that Thailand has been accredited as one of the world’s most luxurious destination as it has an abun-dance of luxurious offerings and experiences. He gave a brief presentation that included the insightful mar-ket information on luxury tourism in Thailand cover-ing new destinations, products and trends.

“This year, for the fourth edition of roadshow in India, we have strived to make it even more successful by bringing the delegation of Hotels, DMCs, Airlines and tourist attractions related to luxury tourism in Thailand to meet the high profile travel agents in India and to explore market possibilities of high spending

Indian travellers,” he said.Pinki Arora, Marketing Representative, TAT New

Delhi, said, “Thailand has plenty to offer to the high end travellers. We have range of five-star and four-star hotels and resorts around Thailand. At present high end travellers constitute 15-20% of the total Indian travellers.”

Thailand welcomed 1.06 million Indian travellers in 2015. For 2016, the target is 1.1 million – a figure that the destination looks like it is on track to achieve having hit over 700,000 Indian arrivals by August.

Tourism Malaysia and Tiger Air recently conducted a familiarisation trip for a group of 10 travel agents from Uttar Pradesh, which was part of their ongoing efforts to promote the country as a destination of choice and services of the airlines amongst the discerning Indian travellers. Tiger Air, with a fleet of Airbus A320, flies to 40 destinations across Asia including 31 weekly flights from India.

The five-day itinerary focused on familiarising the group with Malaysia’s most Southern state Johor and included some of the iconic attractions of the place. The capital city, Johor Bahru, boasts of some of the most premium shopping experiences in the South East Asian region with its Johor Premium Outlets. The out-let stores, with its collection of 130 designer and name brands, offer savings of 25% to 65% every day. The centre

is highly accessible to all traffic going to and from Johor and Singapore, which is about an hour drive from the city. About three hours from Kuala Lumpur and only a short distance from Senai International Airport, Johor.

“Johor is a perfect family destination for our Indian guests. From adventure parks, theme based hotels to shopping and natural scenic beauty, Johor has some-thing to cater to the likes of every member of the family. We understand that the travel trade plays a big role in influencing holiday destinations and hope that they will now add Johor to their list of must-visit destinations,” said Sulaiman Suip, Director, Tourism Malaysia.

India is a significant contributor to the Malaysian tourism economy and was amongst the top 10 arriv-als in 2015. This year, Malaysia hopes to welcome over 10,00,000 Indian visitors to the country.

Thailand organises four-city luxury roadshow in India

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) joined hands with Red Chillies Entertainment, Dharma Productions & Hope Productions as part of the launch of the Alia Bhatt-Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘Dear Zindagi’, which was released in India recently. At an event hosted by STB in Mumbai, Alia shared her experience of shooting for Dear Zindagi in Singapore.

The slice-of-life film has key opening scenes shot in Singapore, introducing Alia Bhatt’s character as a cin-ematographer in the movie. The Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport Group and Singapore Airlines supported the location shoots at One Fullerton Prom-enade, Changi Airport and onboard a Singapore Air-lines aircraft.

G B Srithar, Regional Director for South Asia, Mid-dle East & Africa, STB, said, “Singapore has long been a popular location for Bollywood movies, showcasing the city as an exciting and friendly destination to the Indian audiences. We are happy that the introduction of a lively Kaira, Alia’s character in the movie, takes place against Singapore’s dynamic cityscape. As a city known for year-round, action-packed excitement with top-rated attrac-tions, vibrant retail scene, award-winning cuisine and a

plethora of entertainment options, Singapore certainly offers ‘Zindagi’s many magical moments’ for our guests.”

After almost a decade, a major Bollywood movie has scenes shot in Singapore. In the past, Singapore had been featured in movies like Krrish (2006) and De Dana Dhan (2009). The movies have helped entrench Singapore as a must-visit and repeat destination among the Indian travellers.

Magical Moments in Singapore for cast of Dear Zindagi

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 18middle east

Dubai Tourism partners with Shah Rukh Khan to promote Dubai

Abu Dhabi launches a new global destination campaign

Luxor hosts the 104th session of the World Tourism Organisation

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Market-ing (Dubai Tourism) has announced a new collaboration with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan that would com-prise of a series of short films, in which the actor would unravel the secrets of Dubai, offering his fans a chance to see the city through the star’s eyes.

The project aims to appeal to the fans of the actor from across the globe, giving them the opportunity to explore the city and its many offerings.

Shah Rukh Khan commented, “Dubai is a second home to me... Whether I am here on vacation with my family and friends or my many business trips here for shoots, it’s a city that I truly relate to on so many levels - driven, passionate and spirited. And I can’t wait to take my fans and fellow travellers from around the world on an unexpected discovery of a city that I love. This new collaboration with Dubai Tourism is exciting and one that I am personally very passionate about.”

The series of short films, which is slated to be released across various Dubai Tourism channels in December, would kick-start a year-long campaign of multiple Dubai Tourism projects in collaboration with Bollywood.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tour-ism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “We are delighted to partner with Shah Rukh Khan for this

special project, which highlights Dubai’s diverse offer-ings that cater to every type of traveller. We look for-ward to exploring Shah Rukh’s strong connection with Dubai and sharing his unique experience with a global

audience. These upcoming collaborations with the Bol-lywood industry will reinforce the strong role India has played in our city’s evolution and further fortify our bond.”

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), which is developing a leading cultural landscape to support its evolution into a world-class sustainable des-tination, has launched a new global promotional campaign aimed at encouraging travellers to experience Abu Dhabi’s ‘extraordinary stories.’

The campaign highlights Abu Dhabi as an inspir-ing destination for those wanting to experience cultural authenticity and diverse natural assets.

“It tells the extraordinary story of Abu Dhabi, from its ancient past to its modern wonders, guiding audiences through breathtaking natural environments and exhila-rating experiences,” explained His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, TCA Abu Dhabi. “Every filmed moment, every photograph and word evokes the poetic beauty and authenticity of the emirate, which invites travellers to become a part of its story.”

“Audiences will also discover a dynamic, family-lei-sure entertainment destination and one which also holds out ambitious business opportunities. The campaign will unearth these stories and bring them to life for our poten-tial visitors, inspiring them to journey here,” the Chair-man added.

The campaign comprises of two-series television com-mercial dedicated to GCC and international markets which would be broadcasted and run across TV networks, digital channels and in-flight entertainment systems.

The production also includes five promotional videos that highlight Abu Dhabi’s tourism, culture, MICE, events

and cruise experiences which would be available to Abu Dhabi’s tourism stakeholders to be used in exhibitions, road shows, and events.

According to TCA Abu Dhabi Director General, His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash, the campaign has been aligned to a go-to-market strategy of prioritising source market channels according to their travel booking prefer-ences and periods.

“This means it will run heavily in the U.K. and Germany straight after New Year when travellers’ minds turn to sun-shine breaks and in China, specifically to catch Chinese New Year and the Golden Weeks. Other markets will be addressed in a like-minded booking preference approach,” he explained.

The Sharjah Tourism board recently conducted a tourism promotional roadshow across four Indian cities- New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chandi-garh. The aim of the shows was to increase visibility

of the emirate of Sharjah as a leisure & business des-tination amongst Indian travellers, policy makers and business sector.

H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority, Gov-ernment of Sharjah, said, “India is a very lucrative market and we are aware of the potential it holds in terms of inbound visitor traffic into Sharjah. We are happy to be tapping this important market through our four-city roadshow. We received an overwhelm-ing response from travel agents and stakeholders and we look forward to doing more activities in near future.”

Working with the Sharjah Tourism Board on this four city promotional trip was Khalid Waleed Al Mansoori from Overseas Promotions Department and Sachin Nene, Regional General Manager from Air Arabia. The delegation also spoke about cultural legacy between both the countries and the need to promote Sharjah as a new holiday destination.

The Ministry of Tourism and Egyptian Tourist Authority (ETA) sponsored the 104th session of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Exec-utive Council which took place in the city of Luxor, Egypt.

Luxor also hosted the 5th UNWTO Global Summit on City Tourism, which was attended by representatives and participants from different countries all over the world. The conference had included several workshops to exchange experi-ences in the field of tourism and propose ways to support and develop tourism in Luxor.

The 5th UNWTO Global Summit discussed the tourism trends in the city that included sustain-able development, spatial organisation, develop-ment and innovation in the field of city tourism, along with cross-cultural behaviour. The gath-ering also discussed how the public and private sectors can contribute to tourism development, cultural exchange between nations, identity and cultural heritage preservation of countries.

Yehia Rashed, Minister of Tourism, expressed his delight for the coronation of Luxor city as the capital of world tourism. “The Tourism Ministry and tourism sector are keen on exerting contin-uous efforts to take advantage of such event, in order to highlight the tourist attractions of this historical city and reignite the tourism traffic especially in Luxor and Aswan,” he stated.

Rashed added that there has been an ongoing stream of support from the government towards the restoration of tourism traffic in Egypt. “We are pleased to support and sponsor such interna-tional event which affirms the effective role and importance of both Luxor and Egypt in the tour-ism field and highlights the international recog-nition it holds,” he said.

Sharjah Tourism conducts four-city promotional roadshow in India

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 20europe

switzerland Tourism launches two new campaigns for Winter and summer

Scandinavia appeals to the senses like no other European Quartet invites travellers from India to Discover Central Europe

Offering a melange of authentic experiences to the Indian travellers, Scandinavia caught the attention of guests present in its road show in New Delhi that was held on October 3, 2016, at The Imperial Hotel.

Scandinavia comprising of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, has a lot to offer and for all kinds of travel-lers. A destination that boasts of rich culture and her-itage, UNESCO sites, cut-edge design, amidst a sus-tainable, egalitarian, gender-sensitive environment, is a place like no other. Its easy access and connectiv-ity across all the capitals of Scandinavia- Oslo, Stock-holm and Copenhagen, makes it easier for the trav-eller to discover all the countries together. Several international airlines like Emirates, Qatar and Turk-ish airlines offer direct connectivity from their hubs.

At the region that promises great value-for-money, accommodation is available to suit all kinds of budget. Besides, Scandinavia is undergoing a culinary wave with the New Nordic cuisine characterised with inno-vation and strong ties with nature. A lot of Indian res-taurants are also coming up to sustain the flavour of homely delicacies.

Following a detailed presentation on the tour-ist attractions of Scandinavia, Mohit Batra, Scan-dinavian Tourism Board, remarked, “India has been doing very well in Scandinavia in the last seven years. Norway will soon start capturing room nights from India. Also, Emirates started a flight only last year to Oslo. Last year, we saw a growth of up to 30% in certain regions of Scandinavia. Since we have had a year-on-year growth before, we are hoping to land up with a growth of 10% this year too.”

Scandinavia is majorly focusing on sustainability now. The buildings in Scandinavia have almost

reached the carbon neutral level. A lot of infrastruc-ture is also employing solar panels and other sustain-able forms of energy for operations.

Talking about MICE opportunities in Scandina-via in the times of the evolution of the sector, Batra said, “All the three capitals are extremely popular for MICE, especially Copenhagen and Stockholm because what they offer is unique along with great accessibility. They have been rated as one of the top MICE destinations across the world.”

A new social media initiative, ‘Explore Scandina-via’ has also been launched where online posts on the beautiful region are shared with travellers looking for new inspirations.

The event in New Delhi had a delegation of 25 Scandinavian partners, including National Tourist Boards, Regional Tourist Boards, Cruise and Voyage companies, and DMCs.

Switzerland Tourism announced the launch of its winter campaign for 2016 and ‘Nature wants you back’ campaign for summer 2017. The winter cam-paign will focus on all the action and adventure that can be explored in Switzerland, with the tagline ‘You can...but you don’t have to’.

The summer campaign ‘Nature wants you back’, to be led by Brand Ambassador Ranveer Singh was also launched. The campaign tag line is the perfect expression of how one chooses to be #INLOVE-WITHSWITZERLAND, have an adventurous adren-aline filled vacation or a leisurely, relaxed trip whilst taking in the beauty of the breath-taking nature, scenery and serenity of the country.

The campaigns launched in presence of the tour-ism partners of Switzerland– Zurich, Basel, Ticino, Matterhorn and Swiss International Air Lines, hopes to further increase and sustain the double digit growth of 16% seen in 2015-2016.

Claudio Zemp, Director– India, Switzerland Tour-ism, said, “With a versatile and energetic personality like Ranveer Singh on board, we would like to show-case that Switzerland is not only about scenic beauty but also has many activities and adventures to offer to the more experiential Indian traveller. Winter is coming up and is an absolutely beautiful time to visit Switzerland. One can enjoy various winter activities and explore their hidden passion for adventure with sports such as skiing, snow-shoe trekking, toboggan-ing. Ranveer’s next trip is going to be in winter.”

Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director- India, Switzer-land Tourism, said, “Although Indians love to go on a vacation during the summers, we do hope for a change after this campaign. Apart from the pic-turesque natural beauty, Switzerland is also a com-plete package for families and honeymooners who are not only looking at a relaxing vacation but also crave some adventure.”

Taking forward a journey that commenced in 2010, the Central European destinations paid their sixth visit to India, encouraging travel fraternity members to ‘Discover Central Europe’ through roadshows conducted in Mumbai followed by New Delhi.

The cooperation under foreign national tour-ist organisations between V4 (European quartet) - Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, dates back to 2003. “We have established this plat-form, ‘Discover Central Europe’ for long haul mar-kets. We introduced us in the Indian market for the first time in 2010. Since then, we have been coming every year, hitting different cities. We are now con-centrating on Mumbai and New Delhi as the stron-gest outgoing markets from India,” informed Emilia Kubik, Chief Specialist, Department of Marketing Instruments, Polish Tourist Organisation.

Each of the destinations highlighted their respective tourist attractions through audio visual presentations. The delegation comprised of Emilia Kubik, Chief Specialist, Department of Marketing Instruments, Polish Tourist Organisation; Robert Vincze, Head, Slovak Convention Bureau; Mark Kinces, International Marketing Manager, Hun-garian Tourism Agency; Karina Vitkova, Interna-tional Marketing Manager, Long-haul Markets, Czech Tourism; Subhash Motwani, Managing Director, Namaste Tourism, Mumbai; along with Mukesh Gupta, Chairman, Tourism Committee, PHD Chamber; Mohit Jain, Chairman, Interna-tional Affairs Committee Europe, PHD Chamber; Purrshottam Bhaggeria, Co-Chairman, Inter-national Affair Committee Europe, PHD Cham-ber, and Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General, PHD Chamber.

The roadshow was aimed at promoting Central Europe as a all-year-round destination that boasts of a tradition, culture, heritage and visual delights way beyond its respective capital cities of Budapest, Warsaw, Prague and Bratislava.

The presentations were followed by B2B inter-action with representations from the destination.

Embassy of Iceland, with an aim to increase tourist foot-falls from India, had organised and hosted a film tour-ism conference for the Tamil & Telugu film industries. The event, which took place in Chennai and Hyderabad, saw the presence of top producers and cinematogra-phers from the industry. Through their addresses, H.E Thorir Ibsen, Ambassador of Iceland to India and Kumar Sitaraman, Honorary Consul General of

Iceland in Chennai encouraged the filmmakers to shoot in the country. They also showcased scenic locales and enlisted benefits provided to filmmakers opting to shoot in Iceland.

Ambassador Thorir said, “Iceland has many advan-tages as a filming location. One among them is the spec-tacular variety of landscapes and locations found within short distances of one another. The local crews avail-able are well experienced and well trained for produc-ing quality films in tough conditions. Besides these, the incentives for filming in Iceland will be increased from the current 20% to 25% in 2017. We are looking forward to work with many more Indian film-makers and are hoping to see Iceland more often on the big screen.”

Sitaraman, who attended the conference in both cit-ies added, “Iceland received 1000+ tourists from India last year. We are hoping that the numbers of tourists from India increases after audiences watch the many impressive landscapes and natural beauty the country has through the big screen.”

Iceland hosts film tourism conference in Chennai and Hyderabad

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 21americas

destination dc visits India for the first timeDestination DC, the official destination marketing organisation for Washington, DC, recently visited India in its first direct effort to market the U.S. capi-tal to the South Asian country. The delegation in part-nership with Etihad Airways, Washington Dulles International Airport and U.S. Travel Association visited Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, nearly 1.13 million Indian travellers visited the coun-try in 2015, which is forecasted to increase 25.6% by 2020, to 1.41 million visitors.

Last year Washington, DC welcomed 80,000 vis-itors from India, making it the sixth largest overseas market for DC. Visitation from India to DC has grown 40% since 2013 when it ranked ninth. Capital Region USA, the region encompassing Washington, DC,

Virginia and Maryland, tells a similar story with an even greater rise. Indian visitation to the region has increased 70% and rose from the ninth overseas mar-ket in 2013 to the fourth in 2015.

“India is a strong and emerging market for Wash-ington, DC and the region with lots of potential in terms of leisure travel and business development. In 2015, one out of every 10 Indian visitors to the U.S. visited the capital region,” said Elliott Ferguson,

President and CEO, Destination DC.As part of the mission, the delegation also pro-

moted attending IPW in Washington, DC, June 3-7, 2017. Hosted by U.S. Travel Association, IPW is the travel industry’s premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the U.S. The five-day trade show would take place in Washing-ton, DC for the very first time in the event’s 40-plus year history.

TravelNevada (Nevada Division of Tourism) has launched its new Fall/Winter integrated marketing campaign, which continues its successful outreach to millennial and adventure travellers.

The new campaign features an enhanced digital expe-rience on TravelNevada.com, new photography and vid-eography featuring genuine Nevada characters, creative executions in key markets such as Los Angeles, and a new email marketing program that offers personalised content.

TravelNevada, since 2013, has been using a ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ integrated PR and advertising campaign, featuring a custom rendition of the famous cowboy song recorded by The Killers, to market tourism.

As per Claudia Vecchio, Director of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, the approach continues to

drive results for Nevada’s economy. “We use research to inform our strategy and test our approach, and we know that the younger audience doesn’t want ads, they want stories,” Vecchio said. “Our studies demonstrate that the more we focus on real characters that embrace freedom and individuality in travel, the more our campaign reso-nates with our audience.”

According to Nevada’s flagship study on integrated marketing return, TravelNevada’s goal for the current Fall/Winter campaign is to exceed the FY16 campaign return of 63 to one, which means that for every dollar spent on tourism marketing, approximately $63 is returned to the state through state and local taxes.

TravelNevada launches new integrated marketing campaign

Windhoek

From October 6, 2016

Namibia, land of endless horizons will join the ever expanding Ethiopian network.

www.ethiopianairlines.com

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 22AfricA

Reunion Island unveils the new visual identity The Ultimate Island

Seychelles organises appreciation evenings for key partners

Air Seychelles announces expansion in Europe and Indian Ocean in 2017

The Seychelles Tourism Board recently hosted Appreciation Evenings for its key travel trade, air-line, hotel and media partners in New Delhi and Mumbai. The tourism board also presented apprecia-tion awards to those travel agents and tour operators whose contribution helped significantly to increase awareness and tourist arrivals to Seychelles from India.

Patsy Moustache, Acting Charge de Affairs, the Seychelles high Commission began the evening by congratulating the tourism board team and the travel trade partners for their support, which was followed by a destination update presentation by Aswini Krishna, Marketing Manager, Seychelles Tourist Office. This was followed by an entertaining and interactive time that included the awards cere-mony, with TV and radio host Siddharth Kannan.

Seychelles Tourism Board, CEO, Sherin Francis,

who could not be present for the events, sent the fol-lowing message to the partners,

“When we opened office in 2013, the biggest chal-lenges we faced were that Seychelles was perceived as i) just another beach destination ii) a destination meant for the richest iii) and only for honeymooners

Last three years, our efforts have been solely focused on breaking these myths and introducing the diversity and the divine beauty of the islands. The task on our hand was to showcase that Seychelles has something for everyone. We are glad that our efforts bore results. The presence of each one of you is a testi-mony of that. Your efforts have resulted into phenom-enal increase in tourist arrivals from India. Though Seychelles remains the ultimate romantic desti-nation, we have seen several families, small MICE groups and adventure sports enthusiasts choosing the islands for their holiday.”

Air Seychelles has announced a major fleet and net-work expansion which would see the airline intro-duce a second Airbus A330 aircraft, commence non-stop services to Düsseldorf (Germany) and Durban (South Africa), and extensively strengthen its exist-ing regional network in early 2017.

The airline is planning to establish the air bridge between Seychelles and Germany from March 30, 2017, by launching a twice-per-week service to Düs-seldorf, in western Germany. To further strengthen its European network, Air Seychelles would also

upgrade its Paris service from three to four flights per week, with effect from March 28, 2017, giving more travel options to holidaymakers visiting Seychelles from France.

Effective from March 30, 2017, the national carrier of Seychelles would also commence a twice-weekly service to South Africa’s port city of Durban, which would complement its existing five-a-week service to Johannesburg.

Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Sey-chelles, said, “Air Seychelles has grown extensively and robustly in 2016 and is now ready to embark on the next exciting chapter of its evolution.”

The airline’s second Airbus A330 aircraft is sched-uled to be delivered in the last week of March 2017 and will have a two-cabin configuration with 18 Busi-ness Class and 236 Economy Class seats.

The Airbus A330, in addition to flying to Europe, will be used to increase capacity on the airline’s five-per-week regional services to Johannesburg, Mauri-tius, and Mumbai which are currently operated on a narrow-body A320.

Ethiopian Airlines to continue its operation in NigeriaEthiopian Airlines is all set to continue its scheduled operations to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, despite the recent withdrawal by some Airlines out of Lagos and Abuja.

Solomon Begashaw, Country Area Manager Nige-ria, remarked, “As a veteran Pan-African carrier it has always been our source of pride to serve our beloved continent, Africa, both in good and bad times. Our pres-ence in Nigeria dates back to the 1960’s, same time the Federal Republic of Nigeria got independence from for-eign colonisation. Ethiopian has been part of Nigeria’s historic growth and always considers itself as a part-ner in the history and growth of Nigeria as a country. Hence, the Management of Ethiopian Airlines wishes to clarify its stance of pursuing its operation to Nige-ria and keep Nigerian travellers connected to five conti-nents around the globe. As an indigenous Pan-African Carrier, Ethiopian Airlines will remain with the Nige-rian public in good and bad times like it has always done in the past 50 years.”

At present, Ethiopian serves the four Airports in Nigeria, which include Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, and Kano. To reinforce its support to the country, it is offering to hire Nigerian pilots for its ever growing fleet of B777, B787, B737 and Dash 8 Q-400 Aircraft, along with train-ing more Nigerians in its aviation academy. Besides, Ethiopian Airlines had always served Nigeria with the best Aircraft in its fleet like the A350 Airbus, B787 Dreamliner and the B777 wide body.

As the airline is celebrating its 70 years of existence, it has extended free tickets to Nigerians who liked Ethi-opian Airlines Nigeria Facebook page.

On the occasion of World Tourism Day William Techer, Head of Marketing & Promotion India & Indian Ocean and Vineet Gopal, Director India for Reunion Island Tourism Board presented the new visual identity of the Reunion Island Tourism Board.

Earlier, the Chairman of Reunion Island Tour-ism Board, Stéphane Fouassin and Willy Etheve, CEO, had unveiled this new visual identity at Top

Resa Paris France in front of the local press and professional.

The theme ‘The Ultimate Island’ was accom-panied by forty pictograms representative of the Reunion Island. These symbols of the island, the modern graphics, contemporary and universal are assets that are the strength of the destination Reunion.

On the occasion, the Reunion Island Tourism Board had invited Top Tour Operators (Key Part-ners) and Media on a Hi-Tea Networking at Hotel Shangri-la New Delhi to meet and talk with Indian Trade and Media in order to explore the possibili-ties and opportunities offered by the Reunion Island Tourism Sector, with an aim of enhancing the visibil-ity & Identity of the Reunion Island.

As per the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, cross-border arrivals into Kenya, mostly from Tanzania and Uganda, until September 2016 closed at 326,438 compared to 318,689 in 2015, which is a growth of 2.4% year on year. Data on cross-border arrivals is key as it is thought vital in monitoring the progress made with regards to intra-regional movements and seamless connectivity in the region.

Total international arrivals for January to September 2016 by air and sea was 657,438 compared to 555,855 in 2015, showing an increase of 18.3%

JKIA arrivals grew by 17.4% to record 589,958 com-pared to 502,711 in 2015. Moi International Airport Mom-basa (MIAM), on the other hand, welcomed 65,600

visitors, compared to 53,145 in 2015, which is a growth of 23.4%. 1,880 cruise ship arrivals were recorded until Sep-tember 2016.

Consolidated arrivals for January to September 2016 are 983,876, 12.5% more than 2015 which saw 874,544

arrivals over the same period time.In terms of share of arrivals, the U.S. has overtaken the

UK to become the highest source market for Kenya. India comes in third, followed by Uganda and China, displacing Germany and Italy from the top five performing markets.

Tourist arrivals to Kenya rise by 18%

India's definitive show on Business, MICE and Luxury Travel

At the BLTM you will meet India's leading business, MICE and luxury travel buyers, and some of the high profile media editors. Our team is rigorously qualifying and personally inviting up to 500 top hosted buyers from all over India and additional 500 local buyers, in the top business travel and MICE travel markets in West, South and North India.BLTM is brought to you by Fairfest Media Ltd, the oldest and the leading travel trade show organiser in India.BLTM Mumbai is co-located with OTM - India's biggest travel trade show, with participation of 1,000+ sellers from 50+ countries. BLTM South-India is co-located with TTF Hyderabad, with hundreds of buyers and sellers already committed to visit. The Delhi NCR edition of BLTM is being repeated at the Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, after the spectacular debut in 2016.

India is the fastest growing business travel market in the world.

Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi are major business hubs of India, with decent buyer potential of Business, MICE and Luxury Travel spending.

India being a continent size country the market is huge and distributed in different geographical regions. That is the reason why BLTM is organized in three cities in 2017, to tap the top markets of West, South and North India.

To book your vantage stand at BLTM write us to contact@fairfest.com or visit www.bltm.co.in

For More Details Please Contact : Amit Nag +91 - 99999 39497

Some of our Partners & Supporting Organisations at BLTM 2016

Mumbai West India : 21, 22, 23 Feb ’17Bombay Exhibition Centre

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Delhi NCR North India : 26, 27 Oct ’17Hyatt Regency Gurgaon

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- Add 10% for Corner, 20% for Peninsula and 30% for Island locations. Add 25% surcharge forextra upper floor area. Deduct US$ 10 per sq m for bare space. * Service Tax extra* Payment is due at the time of booking # Early Bird Offer is strictly as per date of paymentSubject to terms and conditions of participation

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n 9 Sq m walk-in boothn 3 nights Single / Double Roomn 30 appointmentsn Mounted Flex branding

Artwork Dimension:117 inch (W) X 96 inch (H) File Format : JPG / TIFFResolution : 72 DPI Colour Mode: CMYK

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 24OCEANIA

Sidharth Malhotra welcomes New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to India

Qantas unveils next generation cabins for 787 Dreamliner

Phillip Island unveils top eight reasons to visit the destination

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key MP received a warm welcome to India from Tourism New Zealand’s brand ambassador, Sidharth Malhotra at a press conference in New Delhi.

The event was attended by other special guests, which included Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture India, former Blackcaps cap-tain and cricketer Brendon McCullum, the New Zea-land High Commissioner to India, H.E. Grahame Mor-ton, David Craig, General Manager, Asia, Tourism New

Zealand and Steven Dixon, Regional Manager, South and South East Asia, Tourism New Zealand.

The press conference began with a symbolic cele-bration of Diwali to welcome Prime Minister Key who is also New Zealand’s Minister of Tourism followed by him addressing the media at the event.

Steven Dixon, Regional Manager – South and South East Asia, Tourism New Zealand, said, “India is a pri-ority emerging market for New Zealand and we have witnessed significant year on year growth in visitor arrivals. While this growth is really exciting to see, we think the Indian market has even greater potential. We are investing to maximise the opportunity, which includes growing the Tourism New Zealand team here in India.”

At the press conference, Cricketer Brendon McCul-lum joined The Prime Minister and Sidharth Malhotra in a candid discussion. They spoke about the common-alities between the two countries, love for movies, cul-ture, food, adventure and sports.

Sidharth Malhotra, who had met the Prime Minister during his visit to Wellington in New Zealand last year, was thrilled to return the hospitality and gifted a statue of a lion as a token of his respect and appreciation.

Qantas has unveiled the cabin designs onboard its flagship 787-9 Dreamliner, which is expected to arrive in a year’s time.

The Qantas Dreamliner would seat 236 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins in a layout designed to maximise comfort for the longer distances the 787-9 is expected to fly.

The Business Suite is the next generation of the very popular seat recently installed on Qantas’ Air-bus A330 fleet, known for providing a high level of privacy, made more flexible on the 787 with the ability to now adjust the divider between each seat.

The suites also have a fully-flat bed and offer plenty of space. Laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, each suite has direct aisle access as well as the ability to stay reclined during take-off and landing.

Economy passengers would also have more room including an extra inch of seat pitch compared with the national carrier’s A380 and an all-new seat. It fea-tures a new personal device holder, USB ports, more storage areas, a seat-back mood light designed to min-imise disturbance for other passengers and a high-definition entertainment touchscreen that is five per-cent larger.

The seats also feature an updated version of the popular Qantas ‘footnet’ first introduced on the A380, which are designed to cradle the legs during sleep.

Unveiling the Business and Economy seats in Syd-ney, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the interiors had been carefully designed with longer routes and changing passenger preferences in mind.

“The Dreamliner is an aircraft built for comfort. The windows are bigger, it helps reduce jetlag, it’s extremely quiet and there’s a system that smooths out turbulence. Customers are going to love it,” said Joyce.

“We’re planning to make the most of the 787’s amazing range, so we’ve designed the cabin to give Qantas passengers a better experience on long-haul flights,” he added.

The downtown waterfront in Auckland is all set to come alive when the 10-day World Masters Games 2017 kicks off in April next year.

The organisers of WMG2017 have announced Queens Wharf as the social hub of the games, which features a diverse entertainment programme for par-ticipants and the public, stretching from arts and cul-tural displays, to food and wine, to comedy and music.

Chief Executive of WMG2017, Jennah Wootten said that the festival is a huge part of every World Masters Games.

“Athletes come to compete on a world stage against their peers, but they also want to party, to soak up the vibe of the host city, and meet their fellow participants along the way,” she said.

“Queens Wharf will be the hub of the Games for both competitors and the public. We hope the combination of arts, performance, food and culture will showcase Auckland at its best and build a sense of belonging to the whole city,” Wootten added

WMG2017 is working in conjunction with Auck-land Arts Festival and multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, composer, actor, performer, director and

producer Tama Waipara, who is responsible for shap-ing the programme for the Queens Wharf Entertain-ment Hub.

Waipara stated that Queens Wharf would be about celebrating a group of people coming together to do something exceptional.

The festivities on the wharf would begin with a week-end of welcome from April 22 and conclude with the Games Closing Ceremony on April 30, 2017.

Phillip Island is an Australian island, which lies about 140 km south-southeast of Melbourne, Vic-toria. With a length of 26 km and a width of 9 km and an area of about 100 sq km, the island has a coastline of 97 km and is part of the Bass Coast Shire.

The island is a very popular destination with tourist during the summer season, so here is a look at the top eight reasons to visit. 1. Unique Wildlife

Phillip Island is home to some of Australia’s most unique and special wildlife, with the larg-est colonies of Little Penguins and Australian Fur Seals in the whole of Australia. Seal Rocks is home to approximately 35,000 fur seals and can be seen through the telescopes at the Nobbies Visitor Cen-tre and up close on an EcoBoat tour.

The Penguin Parade has many different view-ing options to see the world’s smallest penguin, including the new Penguins Plus and Under-ground experiences. Visitors can also see koalas up close from the elevated boardwalks at the Koala Conservation Centre.2. Pristine Natural Environment

The visitors can explore many hidden secrets of Phillip Island and natural environments on one of the many easy walking trails. A quick ten-min-ute stroll will take them over the dunes to a sandy beach and the beautiful rock formations of For-rest Caves. The Island and its surrounding regions also provide some of the most fertile lands in Victo-ria and as a result, many gourmet producers have established their operations here, giving visitors the opportunity to sample some epicurean delights and unique experiences.3. Gourmet Local Produce

On the way to Phillip Island, visitors can stop in at Bassine Specialty Cheeses for some handmade artisan farmhouse cheeses including feta, brie, haloumi and ricotta, with all milk sourced from their own herd of 180 Holstein cows.4. Dining Out

The Cape Kitchen waterfront restaurant is one of the island’s newest eateries, which offers guests with an indulgent menu, sourced from the harvest of local fresh produce. 5. Wineries

The island’s climate is perfect for cool climate wines, so the Purple Hen Vineyard and Phillip Island Winery each grow a variety of grapes suit-able to the region. 6. Breweries

Taking its name from the colour of beer, Rusty Water Brewery and Bar is home to a selection of small batch, hand-crafted ales like Koala Pale Ale, Chicory Stout and Shipwreck IPA. 7. Uniquely Australian Food

At Rhyll Trout and Bush Tucker Farm visitors can catch their own lunch and wander the 1.2km Bush Tucker trail, showcasing 27 different species of native foods. 8. Authentic Farm Experiences

Bimbadeen is a 340-acre farm in the heart of Phillip Island, which offers authentic experiences like farm tours and paddock to plate barbecues. Visitors can even enjoy a farm retreat and stay in their secluded eco-friendly, self-contained accom-modation and participate in as much or as little of farm life as you would like.

Auckland prepares for World Masters Games 2017

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 25global

Global luxury travel market to surpass $1,154 billion by 2022A report published by Allied Market Research has shown that the global luxury travel market is projected to generate $1,154 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 6.4% during 2016-2022. The key factors that would drive the market growth are the growing inclination of people towards unique and exotic holiday experi-ences, rise in middle and upper middle-class spend-ing and the increasing impact of social media on the travel industry.

In 2015, the adventure and safari segment accounted for about 44% of the overall luxury travel market reve-nue, by tour type as this has been identified as the most popular vacation option among young and middle age group travellers. Additionally, tours aimed at culinary and shopping experience would see the fastest growth,

registering a CAGR of 7.8% during the forecast period.A growing number of luxury travellers are

indulging in these tours, which enables travellers to experience the local delicacies and also buy some of the exquisite handicrafts. These trips are getting pop-ular among travellers of all age groups, especially the millennials (21–30 years). In 2015, approximately 70% of millennials took a trip based on culinary interest.

Luxury travel market has a huge growth potential and would see immense demand from the emerging markets. Exposure to social media, growing dispos-able income and easy visa availability are some of the factors which are propelling the growth of the market. Nowadays, luxury travellers are seeking unique travel-ling experience, thus opting for exotic and unexplored destinations,” says Yogiata Sharma, Research Analyst, Consumer Goods Research at AMR.

PATA welcomes Wesgro as its newest government memberThe Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has welcomed Wesgro from South Africa as its new-est government member. Wesgro is the official Tour-ism, Trade & Investment Promotion Agency for Cape Town and the West-ern Cape. The announce-ment was made by PATA CEO Dr Mario Hardy at the Association’s annual Aligned Advocacy Din-ner in London, UK where the guests included Inge Dykman, Head of Lei-sure Tourism and Trade, Wesgro.

Their aim is to pro-mote the city and it’s five surrounding regions that include the Cape West Coast, Cape Over-berg, Cape Karoo, Garden Route & Klein Karoo and the Cape Winelands to the domestic and interna-tional markets.

“Wesgro will surely benefit from our in-depth research and insights, human capital develop-ment programmes and our busy calendar of con-ferences and marts as they look to develop a responsi-ble, sustainable and profit-able destination,” said Dr Hardy.

Wesgro CEO Tim Har-ris said, “The Asian mar-ket is extremely impor-tant and valuable for Cape Town and the West-ern Cape’s tourism, trade and investment strategy. PATA provides an excel-lent platform for us to directly engage key stake-holders in this market, learn from them and make Cape Town and the West-ern Cape a more attractive and accessible destination for them.”

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Tourism Ministers, bloggers and party goers turned the final day of the revamped three-day WTM London into a festival of business and fun.

The UNWTO & WTM Ministers’ Summit is one of the highest-profile sessions of the entire event. Now in its tenth year, more than 100 Tourism Ministers and their aides from around the world were joined by board-level representatives from some of the biggest travel companies.

This year’s Summit called on the industry and govern-ments to work together to help destinations cope with the threat of terrorism, which UNWTO Secretary-General Dr Taleb Rifai described as ‘forces of darkness’.

Mohamed Yehia Rashed Tourism Minister Egypt assured delegates that his country has the technology and security measures in place to protect tourists and urged for standard security measures to be introduced globally.

Vinod Zutshi, Secretary Tourism, Government of India – WTM London’s Official Premier Partner, said countries needed to be more responsible when issuing travel adviso-ries as perception of safety in destinations is a key factor.

Zutshi’s call was echoed by Fritz Joussen, CEO, TUI Group, who noted people’s perceptions often compound the problems of terrorism. “The probability of being killed by a terrorist is lower than having car accident on the way to the airport,” he said.

At a dedicated Speed Networking event, 100 blog-gers from 15 different countries talked to exhibitors inter-ested in using this increasingly important channel. WTM London applied its highly successful Speed Networking

concept to new verticals, with a dedicated Wellness session.

Simon Press, Senior Director, WTM London 2016, said, “Our decision to revamp WTM London as a three-day event was in response to our listening and responding to our core audience of buyers, exhibitors and visitors. We are confident we have, yet again, delivered a best-in-class event which reconfirms our status as the leading global event for the travel industry.”

WTM London closes on a high

By reorganising the hall sections and reallocating hall space at the World’s Largest Travel Trade Show ITB Berlin (March 8-12, 2017) has taken travel indus-try changes into account.

“In recent years there has been an increase in demand for more floor space and two-tier stands for certain markets which up to now we have been unable to satisfy. Several display halls already have waiting lists. By reorganising the halls to suit the market we are now able to meet this demand,” com-mented David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin.

The new hall concept makes it possible for the fast-growing markets of the Arab states to enlarge their displays. There is now a better concentration of markets, which makes it easier for trade visitors to plan their visit.

At ITB Berlin 2017, more than 10,000 exhibitors

from over 180 countries are expected to be in the 26 halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

ITB Berlin: New hall concept adapts to a changing market Trending experiential travel in focus at ATM 2017Experiential travel encompassing the adventure, culture, heritage, wellness & spa and cruise tour-ism segments, which are currently trending glob-ally, will be adopted as the official show theme, for Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2017, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 24-27.

“Travellers are increasingly looking beyond conventional leisure programmes and itinerar-ies and actively seeking out atypical experiences that deliver a true taste of local culture. This grow-ing trend is now on the radar of the region’s tour-ism chiefs as destinations face increased compe-tition for their share of the more traditional travel segments and are increasingly looking to diver-sify their proposition into new and niche markets which require product differentiation and innova-tion,” said Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Direc-tor, ATM.

ATM 2017 will integrate the experiential theme across all of the show verticals and activ-ities, including focused seminars and round-table events, featuring dedicated exhibitor participation.

ATM 2017 will build on the success of this year’s edition with the announcement of an addi-tional hall as Reed Travel Exhibitions looks to add to its record-breaking achievements earlier this year.

One new feature is the Chief Information Offi-cer Summit and ATM 2017 also welcomes back the UNWTO & ATM Regional Ministerial Sum-mit as well as other popular features’ such as the Leaders Breakfast, Global Stage, Wellness and Spa Lounge, Travel Agent Academy, Buyers Club and the Bloggers speed networking events.

The 63rd TAAI Convention at Abu Dhabi concludes successfullyThe Indian Travel Congress 2016 organised by Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) from October 14-16, 2016 has been a huge success. This 63rd Con-vention & Exhibition of TAAI was held at the ‘Emir-ates Palace Abu Dhabi’ and featured about 700 Del-egates. The Convention was also highlighted by the ITTE – India Travel Trade Expo offering an excellent B2B opportunity to the visiting delegates to connect themselves with vendors from all over.

The convention was supported by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA) who had inspired TAAI to decide Abu Dhabi as their venue. TCA played a key role in hosting the inaugural eve-ning at the Emirates Palace; free visas to the dele-gates; pre-post tours to the delegates; City Tours and extending overall support to ensure the success of the event.

Sunil Kumar, President of TAAI remarked, “Organising a convention of this huge magnitude in less than 40 days strongly reflects the teamwork by TAAI and invaluable support from our Partners in the industry. The success of the event is a strong attri-bute of TAAI and its eminence.”

The Convention was inaugurated by India’s acting Ambassador Her Excellency Neeta Bhushan, Acting Ambassador of India to Abu Dhabi, Director Gen-eral of TCA His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash and Sunil Kumar, President of TAAI on October 14, at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

On October 15 & 16, TAAI held its ‘Knowledge Sessions’ which featured subjects of relevance and importance encouraging the delegates to embrace change and be prepared for a fast evolving scenario that demands newer approaches to service the

growing travellers. The Convention theme ‘Tomor-row begins NOW’ was well received and served as an excellent focus for the debates held.

On the evening of October 15, TAAI presented Namaste India Gala, promoting India and its signif-icant industry contribution and leadership. The eve-ning was based on the landmark in the history of Indian Aviation, where JRD Tata, had flown the first commercial flight, on October 15, 1932, from Karachi to Mumbai. TAAI honoured the Airlines present at this occasion for their role in making India a country-in-great-demand for the growth of Aviation.

On October 16, the Farewell Gala Dinner was held at the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, in Yas Island and was hosted by Yas Island.

The event brought a strong partnership between India and Abu Dhabi through the TAAI-TCA rela-tionship and has now inspired the Indian industry leaders to take a closer look at Abu Dhabi for its huge potential to attract Indians and Indian events.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 29technology

KAYAK to implement instant search with Amadeus’ technologyTravel search engine, KAYAK, has implemented Amadeus Master Pricer with Instant Search technology.

This new technology delivers online search results in milliseconds, without compromising with accuracy. “Our users expect both speed and accuracy from KAYAK – this is the killer combination,” said Giorgos Zacharia, Chief Technology Officer, KAYAK.

According to Amadeus data, every one second of improvement in search response time for consumers can translate into a potential increase in coveted con-version rates for an online travel company.

“We are excited that our technology will help KAYAK continue to excel as leaders in online travel. Our solution delivers the right mix of instant and transactional search, delivering both a new, ’instant’ user experience as well as transactional results with

the depth of content required to secure conversion,” said Sebastien Gibergues, Head of Leisure, Online and Travel Media at Amadeus.

Amadeus Master Pricer with Instant Search

technology uses advanced algorithms, smart cache refresh mechanisms and live availability check in order to deliver search results instantly without com-promising bookability or quality. With access to the most comprehensive airline inventory available, the solution provides bookable recommendations for both round-trip and one-way searches and access to the cheapest fares. Amadeus’ new search technology is available to online travel companies worldwide.

Scott Gutz, President and Chief Executive Offi-cer for Amadeus North America added, “As a long-standing customer, KAYAK has been using Amadeus technology for many years. Amadeus was a pioneer in low fare search solutions and we are pleased to now launch an ‘instant search’ offering, enabling our online travel customers like KAYAK to continue to serve and succeed.”

TrawellTag Cover-More has announced a new part-nership with Yatra.com, thus establishing itself in the e-commerce segment, extending the company’s reach into new markets.

Dev Karvat, TrawellTag Cover-More India Founder & CEO, said, “We are delighted to partner with Yatra.com to provide our unique travel insur-ance and global assistance services to their custom-ers opting for both domestic and overseas travel. The association enables us to provide customised bene-fits for both leisure and corporate travellers. Yatra.com customers can now secure their travel against all predicted risks and inconveniences including

medical emergencies, loss of baggage, passport or driving license, trip delays or cancellations and much more.”

“Our business model for Yatra.com focuses on changing customer needs and forecasted travel risks. The backbone of this model is a one-of-its kind software IMPULSE, an analytics engine that collects a feed of traveller data from the booking platform and crunches this in real time to gener-ate customised offers for the travellers. With ease of integration, this cloud hosted tool customises travel protection products with an exceptional speed of customer data processing,” added Karvat.

TrawellTag cover-more to extend market-reach through its partnership with Yatra.com

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Booking.com announces pilot test of a new platform for travel agentsBooking.com has announced the ini-tial test pilot of Booking.com for Travel Agents, the first iteration of a new plat-form which has been designed specif-ically with the unique needs of travel agents in mind. The platform fea-tures a number of easy-to-use tools that empower professionals from the travel industry to seamlessly make and manage accommodation reservations for their clients via the website.

Booking.com for Travel Agents is an extension of the company’s exist-ing Affiliate Partner Programme and leverages technology and infrastruc-ture being developed for Booking.com for Business. Travel Agents who join the platform would be eligible for simi-lar partner benefits as all Booking.com affiliate partners.

“We’ve seen increasing numbers of travel agents using Booking.com to manage bookings for their customers,” said Bryan Batista, Senior Director of

Global Partnerships at Booking.com. “We’re pleased to now offer profes-sional travel agents a platform and a programme that has been created just for them, with the special features they need to easily book and manage reser-vations for their clients, as well as the choice, diversity and seamless experi-ence that they’ve come to love and rely on from Booking.com. We’re excited to continue innovating the platform, and are committed to adding even more useful features and functionality for them over the coming months.”

The Booking.com for Travel Agents platform enables travel agents to view and manage all customer reservations via one handy dashboard. In addition, it also includes a tab of customisable reports that fully support agents in monitoring individual client book-ings, as well as providing them with a convenient breakdown of their earn-ings over time.

resPONsIbLe TOurIsm TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | DECEMBER 2016 • 30

Indian spiritual belief system comprises of Panchab-hutaor five elements. They are Earth –prithvi, Water

–jal, Air –Vayu, Fire –Agni, Ether -Akasham. Water – one of the 5 elements of Panchatatva is a life giving ele-ment. Civilisations have developed on the banks of the rivers. From Indus valley to Mespotomian civilisation, water facilitated the growth of humanity perpetually.

Aligned with the Cape Town declaration of Respon-sible Tourism to ‘create better places for people to live and tourists to visit’, the Chennai Municipality is tak-ing keen interest and initiatives to keep the life of the city clean. The present government has clearly under-stood that Responsible Tourism is not a product but it an approach which can be used by travellers, tour oper-ators, and planning authorities of national and regional level. Moreover this approach involves several stake-holders to sustain it at the grass root level.

My recent visit to Chennai has brought a paradigm shift in the good governance practices adoptedby thec-ity municipality.

The Indian Coast line is 7516 km with a vast potential to promote beach tourism. The nearest European coun-try which matches this figure is Italy- 7600 km. Apart from this India is one of the major fish suppliers in the world. Presently fisheries and aqua culture contributes 1.07% to the GDP. Fisheries are an important sector in India providing employment to millions of people and contributing to the food security of the country. With an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq km and fresh water resources it enhances not only the economic development but also provides livelihood to several fishing communities.

There are more than 14 million people rely on fishing.

In Tamil Nadu alone, 2.23 lakh people depend on fishing. In Chennai, there are 96 wholesale and retail fish mar-kets. My visit to Nochikuppam, a fishing hamlet near Marina beach, gave me insight into the life of more than 15,000 people from the fishermen community who were living for over decades. Since 1985, Tamil Nadu govern-ment has been trying to relocate them to different loca-tions as they want to develop this as tourist place. The new locations were not convenient for the fishermen, as they are far away from the sea and also from the city. Siv-inpadaivithikuppam is another fishing village in north Chennai. Past 100 years, 5000 people were living here. Here, 99% of the fishermen do net fishing.

Considering the Coast line and the fishermen com-munityI found that the initiatives taken by the munici-pality has beckoned the others to follow. Following are the five Cs to transform into Charismatic Chennai.

coastal developmentThe infrastructural Development on the coastal areas enhanced the beauty of the city. Measures are taken to clean the beaches by various volunteer groups. The beach cleaning was organised as part of the Joy of Giving to the nature led by a Non Governmental Organisation, Bhumi. Over a thousand people from every walk of life, from the employees of the Barclays Bank, to students of Chennai’s Corporation schools, to volunteers from the Chennai Trekking Club and other civic organisations

in the city participate in cleaning up which happens at the Light House, Santhome, Broken Bridge near Elliot’s Beach and Foreshore Estate. The volunteers manage to collect a total of 4.65 tons of waste approximately in every cleaning session and later on it is used in a more productive and responsible way.

carrying capacityChennai is proud about the natural coastline. The

Marina Beach, The VGP Golden Beach- all of them have-certain standards which they adhere to along with the crowd management. The sports activities are generally scheduled in the morning or evening and tourists and families on weekend and holidays. The citizens are also highly sensitised about the conservation of aquatic bod-ies through various responsible initiatives.

community developmentThe children of the fishermen community were

educated at several colleges in Chennai under the Uni-versity of Madras. In all the application forms for the admissionsthere are special provisions for ‘First Gen-eration Learners’ where the child is the first individual to embark on the journey towards reading, writing and learning.

Special emphasis is given to education in sports and extra-curricular activities which boost the confidence and self-esteem of the child.

corporation InitiativesWomen are employed at various parts to collect the plas-tic waste and keep the beach clean. A monetary benefit for working apart from selling fish has motivated them to take part in these initiatives. For women, sea is their mother goddess.

A part of the waste that was collected was also seg-regated into plastic and biodegradable waste. The plas-tic waste that littered the beaches was then sent to make some tough roads in the village of Medambakkam in the Kacheepuram district. The village head requested for the plastic. So after segregation it was sent to the vil-lage for use to lay the roads which was a noble initiative of the corporation.

competitive destinationCompared to another beach destination like Kanyaku-mari, Vishakhapatnam, Rameswarm, Cochin etc Chen-nai predominately stands out for the impact of the Brit-ish Colonial rule. The impact of English as a medium of communication, the simple Dravidian way of living combined with spirituality has definitely gives Chennai an added advantage.

“See the sea” – 5 Cs of Chennai –A Responsible Tourism approach towards Coastal and Community Development

Responsibly Yours- Guest Column

A Lajwanti Naidu