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Vol. XXVI Issue 23; December 1st fortnight issue 2014 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 52

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DECEMBER 1ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 3

No fleecing of tourists: SharmaIn an exclusive interview with , Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Tourism & Culture(I/C) has pointed out a three-pronged strategy to take tourism to new heights.

Promising to take tourismto new heights, the newTourism Minister will look

at taking tough action againsttouts, setting up tourist facility

centres and launching heli-ser-vices.“Firstly, the Ministry willlook at setting up tourist facilitycentres. The facilitation centresfor tourists, especially for over-seas visitors, will be set up at allinternational airports and only

authorised taxi operators will beallowed to ply on these routes.We will also put a monitoringmechanism in place to boostend-to-end tourism,” Sharmarevealed.

Secondly, tough actionagainst touts will be taken.Expressing concern over thetout menace, Sharma lament-ed, “There have been severalcases of tourists, specially for-eigners, being fleeced by touts

operating at airports and vari-ous tourist spots. There will betough action against touts whoare found harassing touristscoming from outside. It will notbe tolerated. Thus, preventingfleecing of tourists by touts willbe one of my priorities as it iscausing a bad name for India.”

Thirdly, the MOT will focuson the cleanliness drive. “In thenext three months, all our

MEGHA PAUL

Preventing fleecing of tourists bytouts will be one of my priorities asit is causing a bad name for India

eVisa dream, a reality for 43 nationsNow, Incredible India will get an Incredible number of tourists. Visitors from over 43 countries will be able to availVoA enabled by Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which has been launched on November 27, 2014.

History was made onNovember 27 as thedecision to guarantee

Tourist Visa-on-Arrival facility,enabled by Electronic TravelAuthorisation (ETA), for 43 countries was rolled out by Home Minister RajnathSingh and Minister of State for Tourism and

Culture (Independent Charge) Dr Mahesh Sharma, in Delhi.

The ministers werejoined on stage by TourismSecretary Dr Lalit Panwar,Secretary, Ministry of HomeAffairs, Anil Goswami, formerTourism Secretary ParvezDewan, IATO President

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA

(L-R) Parvez Dewan, Dr Lalit Panwar, Dr Mahesh Sharma, Rajnath Singh, Anil Goswami, Subhash Goyal and Pronab Sarkar

Contd. on page 8

Contd. on page 8

Contd. on page 8

List of 43 countrieswith eVisa inside

Mahesh SharmaMinister of State Tourism & Culture (I/C)

BULLETIN

In a bid to facilitate visa appli-cation process and make it

more efficient in the country,Russia has opened a visa appli-cation centre in New Delhi. Indiais the first Asian country tohouse a Russian VisaApplication Centre. The centrein New Delhi is set up by IndraVisa Fiduciary Services atAshoka Estate, BarakhambaRoad. Lex Systems is manag-ing the facility.

Talking about the com-mencement of the applicationcentre in Delhi, Denis Alipov,Minister Counsellor, DeputyChief of Mission, RussianEmbassy in Delhi remarked,“One of the prime objectives ofthe Russian visa applicationcentre is to improve the qualityof service provided to Indian

citizens seeking visa to theRussian Federation, and toaccelerate and simplify visaprocessing. The Centre plansto incorporate more transpar-ent features, such as cashlesstransactions and online facili-

tation. The visa applicationcentre has advanced securityfeatures and state-of-the-art

technology.” Three more suchcentres have now beenopened in Mumbai, Kolkataand Chennai.

According to AlexanderAbramov, General Director,

Lex Systems; the Centre willperform the technical functions associated with the

processing of documentsrequired to obtain the Russianvisa. “However, the final deci-sion on visa issuance ordenial will rest with theRussian Consulate. Besidesvisa documentation and pro-cessing, the Centre will pro-vide information on variousattractions and offerings inRussia and other suchtourism-relevant details,” he added.

India is the first Asian country to house a Russian visa application centre. Three more such centres have now been opened in Mumbai, Kolkataand Chennai, besides the one in New Delhi.

Russia opens visa centres in India

MEGHA PAUL

� The Centre plans to incorporate moretransparent features, suchas cashless transactionsand online facilitation.

� The visa application centrehas advanced securityfeatures and state-of-the-art technology

Asia’s First

Denis AlipovMinister Counsellor, Deputy Chief ofMission, Russian Embassy in Delhi

Alexander AbramovGeneral DirectorLex Systems

As a facilitative measure toattract more foreign tourists

to India, the Government ofIndia launched the ‘Visa-on-Arrival’ (VoA) Scheme inJanuary 2010 for citizens of fivecountries, viz. Finland, Japan,Luxembourg, New Zealandand Singapore, visiting India fortourism purposes. TheGovernment extended this

Scheme to the citizens of sixmore countries, namelyCambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam,the Philippines, Laos andMyanmar in January 2011.Recently India has extendedVoA to South Korean touristsfor which the Ministry has start-ed receiving data from April 15, 2014. Presented above are the important highlights of VoAs issued during October 2014.

In October 2014, a total of 2,705 VoAs were issued, as compared to 1,911 VoAsduring the month of October 2013, registering a growth of 41.5%.

growth in

TT BU R E AU

The Visas on Arrival issued under the Scheme,during January-October 2014 were Japan (4,373), South Korea (4,243), New Zealand (3,263), Singapore(3,027), the Philippines (2,996), Indonesia (2,450),Finland (865), Myanmar (327), Vietnam (216),Cambodia (109), Luxembourg (108) and Laos (18).Hence it’s clear that Japan stole the show with maxi-mum Visa on Arrival in its plate.

During January-October 2014, a total number of21,995 VoAs were issued as compared to 15,770 Visason Arrival during corresponding period of 2013 regis-tering a growth of 39.5%.

The Visas on Arrival issued under this schemeduring October 2014 for nationals of the twelve countries were South Korea (683), the Philippines(469), Japan (423), New Zealand (373), Singapore(345), Indonesia (225), Finland (105), Myanmar (34), Vietnam (20), Luxembourg (17), Cambodia (10) and Laos (1).

South Korea: Most VoAs in Oct

And Japan takes the lead...

41.5% VoA

During January-October 2014, the highest numberof VoAs were issued at New Delhi airport (10,378) followed by Mumbai (4,218), Chennai (3,014), Bengaluru(1,487), Kolkata (1,418), Kochi (712), Hyderabad (547)and Trivandrum (221).

Delhi Airport issues highest VoAs

In October 2014, a total of 2,705 VoAs were issuedunder this Scheme as compared to 1,911 VoAs during themonth of October 2013, registering a growth of 41.5%.

Massive growth year-on-year

VIEWPOINT

It’s here, finally! Ever since the announcementof the Visa-on-Arrival, enabled by Electronic

Travel Authorisation (ETA), everyone had beenwaiting with baited breath for the list of thecountries. Now, that the names of the 43countries in the first phase have beenannounced, the entire industry is buoyant.

Prime Minister Modi has also been veryvocal about developing tourism and he doesn’tlose out on an opportunity to mention it in hisvarious speeches during international visits.From the ramparts of the Red Fort, the PrimeMinister had mentioned tourism as a focus areaand he has delivered that what he had promised.

With this development, India, which had sofar been stuck at the figure of 6 million, can now aim higher. The FTAs, which some predict, could go up to the tune of 8-8.3 million foreign tourists!

India has also recently signed a landmarkTourism MoU agreement with Nepal, somethingwhich in spite of being close neighbours, we hadnot done for almost 67 years. This MoU willparticularly boost Buddhist tourism, and helpdevelop circuits in both countries.

We also welcome the three new faces inthe ministry of tourism - Minister of State forTourism and Culture (Independent Charge) DrMahesh Sharma, Tourism Secretary Dr Lalit Panwar and Joint Secretary, Ministryof Tourism, Suman Billa, and we are hopefulthat under their guidance, tourism will reach new heights.

The VoA move is a shot in the arm for thetourism sector, and the travel and tradeassociations should make the most of it andaggressively promote Incredible India. Thestate tourism boards should also pitch in andtake up their share. With so many touristsexpected, we definitely would like to seeinfrastructural development, upkeep ofmonuments and heritage properties as ourimmediate priorities. The PM’s Clean Indiacampaign should be taken forward and alltourist spots should come under the purview.

It is only when every wing of the travelindustry comes together and works in unisoncan we help in furthering the cause of thegovernment and make India truly Incredible.Then we can all extend a warm welcome to ourforeign guests and show them the True India.Athithi Devo Bhava, as they say!

Yay for eVisa

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We have been participating inthis fair for many years now.This year, we have been able tocomplete all the appointmentswe had made, but there werenot many new contacts… Theset-up nevertheless at WTM isfantastic! I spoke to people, like

I met a lady from UK, who said that the visa cost toIndia is 110 Pounds, while the Thailand visa is US$ 40.That’s a lot of money and if you are travelling withfriends or family then it means a lot. And then gettingthe visa is another challenge. However, I’m very opti-mistic that the ETA will definitely help. Travellers fromItaly, Spain and UK, especially the youth, will increase.I have a lot of faith in the new government.

Rohit AroraGeneral Manager, The Park, New Delhi

I didn’t see any new attractionsso I would rate WTM the sameas last year. The demand fordestination India is still not thatbuoyant. People are still waitingfor the eVisa and if you go withthe numbers that the MOT isquoting of a 18-20 per cent

growth, we probably will truly reach that number becauseonce the VoA actually comes into force, people will beeager to visit because it’s currently not easy to get a visa.People are very positive with Mr Modi visiting all coun-tries. I was talking to a few operators who said the neg-ativity is still not completely gone, especially with womenwho don’t feel very safe travelling to India. But I believethe sentiment is becoming far more positive with VoA.The bottom line is that we need to move on and conveya positive image of Brand India.

Gautam Kaul COO, Yatra Exotic Routes

WTM is a good platform to liaison directly with customers, to improve your relationshipsand to increase new business enquiries. We have got excellent leads and very goodresponses. Apart from meeting our old customers, we have found some new customersand hopefully they should convert into business. At WTM, we meet all our clients in onesingle place so this also minimises our expense for PR activities. It’s a one-place get-together to find new opportunities and clients. We also get clarity on what action andimprovement is required from our end. We get a lot of exposure to what other peopleare doing in the world that is different from us. I’m going to be back next year at the

same place and same counter.

Meenu SachdevaManaging Director, TI Infotech

READERS’ TALKWTM 2014

India tourism successfully made its mark at the WTM London. The Indian travelagents, when contacted by , presents their views on how this event couldemerge as a better platform for networking. Here are a few excerpts:

VoA brings in positive sentiments

DE E PA SE T H I F R O M LO N D O N

I think WTM needs to attractmore European buyers, justrelying on UK buyers is not suf-ficient. We need to reach out tobuyers by attracting them tocome here. In the old days, thebuyers used to come on charterflights from Belgium and Paris.Forget charter flights, we could get them on chartertrains now… It’s got to change, it’s too UK centric.India has a very strong presence at WTM. We haveour own appointments but that’s not enough, and theUK is a very limited market. If it’s called World TravelMarket, then it should be the World Travel Market inevery sense. A lot of pre marketing as a destinationmust be done, there has to be India everywhere. Youhave to promote it to build up to WTM.

Arjun Sharma MD, LPTI

We have come to WTM withhigh expectations because lastyear was great. I feel Indianeeds to position itself in a muchbetter way. Incredible India hasbeen very good, but everythinghas its own shelf life and therehave to be new concepts. Therehave to be more interactive sessions with the buyers.MOT should take up more meaningful dialogue withthem here . We should relook at it and reposition our-selves. Even infrastructure wise, we made it too closeand too private. We have to keep it open for ourselves.It’s time now to change and relook at it. With the newminister, we are hoping things will turn around. Unlesswe change the age old traditions of doing business here,we will miss a trick!

Debasish BhowmikSenior Vice President,

Hotel Clarks Shiraz

Among the tourism chal-lenges that will find a

response at FITUR 2015 –theTrade Show organised byIFEMA and due to be stagedat FERIA DE MADRID fromJanuary 28-February 1 – arecross-border medical assis-tance, the reorganisation oftrade, the new business mod-els and impact of technologies.Tourism’s relationship withcross-border medical assis-tance has much to do with thehigh quality of Spanish health-care and the high expertise ofits professionals, as will beseen at FITUR HEALTH, whichwill showcase how tourismcompanies can diversify theirbusiness lines, seek newopportunities, increase theirvisibility and generate contacts.

Another of the majortrends is shopping tourism andits impact on the economy ofmany tourist destinations, par-ticularly urban ones, in whichsome changes are needed.Visitors to FITUR SHOPPINGwill discover how this newtourism model requires someretail units to adapt and createspecialised departments. Inaddition, the UNWTO willorganise at FITUR the firstinternational conference onshopping tourism.

Technology applied totourism and travel planning isalso growing in importance andis changing many businesses.FITURTECH will uncover howit is doing this; the latest mobiledevices will be showcased; and

a showroom will be opened onthe tourism of the future andthe emergence of these newbusiness models. Innovationwill also become apparent atFITUR KNOW HOW &EXPORT, with Smart TouristDestinations, the Tourist AppGuide and the AppsCompetition. And sustainability–another of the major driversof today’s tourism– will have itsreflection at FITURGREEN,

with success cases and toolsin three key areas: planning,management and promotion oftourist destinations; sustain-able accommodation models;and technology and innovationassociated with sustainability.

At INVESTOUR, a forumopening up for the first time to allcountries worldwide, Africancompanies and from all over theglobe with discuss about collab-oration and will debate on invest-ment in human capital and the

impact of Africa’s brand imageon foreign direct investment.Another major trend in the worldis the increase in gay tourism,which is growing at a rate ofmore than 11% annually, morethan double that of conventionaltourism. This evolution will bereflected in the FITUR Gay(LGBT) area, which is growingin size and number of exhibitors,giving access for the first time toSMEs, boosting personal meet-

ings, and which will sell to theend user and launch the websitewww.fiturgaylgbt.com.

The upcoming FITUR-2015 will train its eyes on increasing medical tourism, boosting the use of technology in theindustry, sustainable tourism, shopping and more at the Feria De Madrid.

Future tourism trends and avenuesTT BU R E AU

The tourism trends coincidewith Spain’s growing impor-tance as a tourist-receivingcountry and the increase inits ability to manage largevisitor flows. The knowledgeacquired by operators, theknow-how amassed and ourcountry’s experience as aworld power in tourism con-stitute important assets fordevelopment on the interna-tional stage, both inside andoutside Spain. This abilityhas already been confirmedby the record arrival in 2013of 60.6 million tourists, 5.6%more than in the previousyear, to which we must addthe 62 million visitors fore-casted for 2014. This will allbe in evidence at FITUR.

Spain’simportanceas a receiverof tourists

� The latest mobile deviceswill be showcased; and ashowroom will be openedon the tourism of the futureand the emergence of thesenew business models

FITURTECH

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 7EXHIBITIONS

8 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 COVER STORY

These 43 nationshave VoA

Contd. from page 1

AustraliaBrazilCambodiaCook IslandsDjiboutiFijiFinlandGermanyIndonesiaIsraelJapanJordanKenyaKiribatiLaos

LuxembourgMarshall IslandsMauritiusMexico MicronesiaMyanmarNauruNew ZealandNiue IslandNorwayOmanPalauPalestinePapua NewGuinea

PhilippinesSouth KoreaRussiaSamoaSingaporeSolomon IslandsThailandTongaTuvaluUAEUkraineUSAVanuatuVietnam

heritage and tourist sites will becovered under the cleanlinessdrive,” the Minister said.Sharma, who is also theMinister of State for CivilAviation, also stressed onlaunching heli-services fortourists for several tourist

places to increase connectivity.“On the lines of the serviceavailable at Vaishno Devi, wewill unveil heli-services for several tourist places to boostconnectivity. To begin with, wewill launch the helicopter service in the Buddhist circuit,”he added.

Heli-services forBuddhist circuits

Subhash Goyal and IATOSecretary Pronab Sarkar.

All arrangements, includ-ing the software, are ready at nine international airports - Delhi, Mumbai,Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad,Bengaluru, Kochi,Thiruvananthapuram and Goa.

“It's a major decision ofthe Government of India. Itconveys the message of howimportant the sector is and itaugurs well for the industry.Depending upon how it isreceived, we'll request the gov-ernment to increase this from43 to many more countries,”says Dr Panwar.

Dewan, who has been atthe helm of affairs ever since theannouncement had been made,says, “We are grateful to thePrime Minister, the FinanceMinister, the Home Minister andthe Home Ministry that this rev-olutionary step has been taken.I'm predicting this year we aregoing to achieve 7.5 milliontourists, then next year, we arelooking at 8.2-8.3 million touristswith VoA. This will not just helpboost tourism, but also developthe business sector. In fact, thisis being looked as a big boon for

business travellers. We can'teven calculate the impact thatthis is going to have.”

In order to get a VoA, onewould need to apply on thedesignated website along withthe required fees (US$ 60).They would be granted an ETAwithin 72 hours. The tourists

will need to enter India within30 days from the date ofapproval of ETA and will bevalid for 30 days stay in Indiafrom the date of arrival.

Usha Sharma,Additional Director General,Ministry of Tourism, says, “It isa historic moment. We've

been assured by the tourismassociations that the growthin FTAs will be doubled in avery short time. We are look-ing forward to when India willbe seen as a country wherethe visa regime is liberalisedand people can visit regularly.We see a very bright future forthe country.”

Now Incredible numbers for India

This is beinglooked as a bigboon for businesstravellers. Wecan't evencalculate theimpact that this isgoing to have.

It conveys the messageof howimportant the sector isand it augurswell for theindustry

We've beenassured by thetourismassociationsthat the growthin FTAs will bedoubled in avery short time

Usha SharmaAdditional Director GeneralMOT

Dr Lalit PanwarTourism SecretaryMOT

Parvez DewanFormer Tourism SecretaryMOT

Contd. from page 1

Contd. from page 1

1 0 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 EXHIBITIONS

WTM Latin America and the43rd Braztoa Business

Event are to be organised from22-24 April, 2015. Taking placein a new venue, Expo CenterNorte, the event continues togrow in square metres with rep-resentation from strong travelbrands from around the world.

Lawrence Reinisch,Exhibition Director, WTM LatinAmerica, says, “We arepleased to announce that anincredible 85% of the showfloor has already beenreserved and the Brazil sectionis almost full. More than 25%of exhibitors from WTM LatinAmerica 2014 have confirmedtheir participation for 2015. Ihave been working on tradefairs for many years and have never seen this happen before”.

Great destinations suchas Dubai, Peru, Bahamas,Chile, Morocco and the USare all confirmed to attendWTM Latin America, as

well as ACCOR and Hiltonhotel chains.

WTM Latin America willalso see tour operators fromboth Latin America and the restof the world including DeltaTours from Lithuania, TravelBolivia, Fenix Peru and FacePeru. In addition to these newexhibitors taking space at theevent, destinations that havebeen a part of WTM LatinAmerica in the past haverealised the strength and poten-tial of the show and as a resultare increasing their presenceon the exhibition floor. Amongstthese destinations are Chileand Israel, and Mexico andPeru who have increased theirstands by 50% for 2015.

Over 85% of the show floor has already been confirmed forthe event. Also, more than 25% of exhibitors from WTM LatinAmerica 2014 have confirmed their participation for 2015.

WTM LA: 85% sold out

TT BU R E AU

More than 25% ofexhibitors from WTMLatin America 2014have confirmed theirparticipation for2015. I have beenworking on tradefairs for many yearsand have never seenthis happen before

Lawrence ReinischExhibition DirectorWTM Latin America

Nestled in the heart of SouthAfrica, Cape Town is a

premier urban tourism andbusiness destination with much to offer local and international visitors.

“We are delighted toannounce that Africa TravelWeek (ATW) comprisingInternational Luxury TravelMarket Africa (ILTM Africa)Incentives, Business Traveland Meetings Expo Africa(IBTM Africa) and World TravelMarket Africa (WTM Africa)has once again received thefull backing and support of theCity of Cape Town. WTM Africa2015, which will be held over 3days, is set to encompassAfrica’s inbound and outboundmarkets for general leisuretravel, luxury tourism, and theMICE/business travel sector.The partnership between WTMAfrica and City Of Cape Townis a valuable and strategic one,which aims to develop the suc-cess of WTM Africa as well asILTM Africa and IBTM Africa.”

said Exhibition Manager forWTM Africa Sheree Simpson.

“In Cape Town, we pursuean enabling environment thatwould make it easier to do busi-ness in our city. Tourism, be it

through events, business trips orleisure stays provide that oppor-tunity to explore the businessside of the city in the naturallywonderful setting that is CapeTown,” said Councillor GarrethBloor, Mayoral CommitteeMember for Tourism, Events andEconomic Development in theCity Of Cape Town.

The Cape TownInternational Convention Centre(CTICC) is the ideal venue forconferences, exhibitions, tradeshows, concerts and otherlarge-scale events. Situated atthe foot of one of the world’s

most iconic mountains, in theheart of South Africa’s vibrantand welcoming Mother City,CTICC’s undeniable charm isexceeded only by its profession-alism and versatility. Offeringflexible venues, world-class facil-ities, and professional staff,CTICC is designed with greatexperiences in mind.

On-site five-star accom-modation completes absoluteconvenience; while easy accessto Cape Town’s visitor attractionsmeans CTICC is far more thana venue. Apart from the twoauditoria seating 1500 and 620 delegates, the centre boasts ofover 11,200m² of flexible exhibition space and a 2,000m²Grand Ballroom with magnifi-cent views of the city.

Cape Town boasts of many award-winning beaches andWorld Heritage sites. Cape Town is also the Official HostCity for World Travel Market (WTM) Africa.

WTM Africa: Best for biz

� WTM Latin America willalso see tour operatorsfrom both Latin Americaand the rest of the worldincluding Delta Tours fromLithuania, Travel Bolivia,Fenix Peru and Face Peru

Highlights

� It is set to encompassAfrica’s inbound andoutbound markets for generalleisure travel, luxury tourism,and the MICE/business travel sector.

WTM Africa

TT BU R E AU

1 2 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 EXHIBITIONS

The Central India’s largestB2B event ‘Madhya

Pradesh Travel Mart’ (MPTM)was organised from October

18-20, 2014 at Hotel PalashResidency, Bhopal.

The event was inaugurat-ed on October 18 by ShivrajSingh Chauhan, ChiefMinister, MP and was presidedover by Surendra Patwa,Minister for Tourism & Culture,MP, along with many other dig-nitaries from the MP TourismDepartment and buyers andsellers all over the world.

The MPTM, spread overthree days, showcased thetourism attractions of the state.

Destination Madhya Pradeshgot together all stakeholders ofthe tourism industry in the statesuch as hoteliers, travel agents& tour operators, adventuretour operators, tourism dis-tricts, handicrafts and hand-looms, cuisine, etc.

The event’s objective wasto promote the tourism andservice business in India andinternational locations. Themajor markets include Europe,South East Asia, Eastern Asia,the United States, Australia,and, as well as emerging ones;

such as Middle East, SouthAmerica, and South Africa. Theevent witnessed participationfrom some of the top travel &tourism State Boards from Indialike Chhattisgarh, Karnataka,Maharashtra, Gujarat, etc. toname a few. Many well-knownbrands in travel sphere likeJehanuma Palace Hotel, KanhaVillage Eco Resort, Courtyardby Marriott, Radisson BlueHotel, The Baagh-Kanha,Residency Hotel, Noor-us-Sabah Palace, etc. were alsoamong those who had theirstands at the Mart.

With over 2,000 B2B appointments, the inaugural edition of Madhya PradeshTravel Mart had over 115 buyers from over 10 countries.

Madhya Pradesh at the fore

TT BU R E AU

MP Travel Mart-2014 takes off

� Inaugural edition had over115 buyers from over 10countries

� Tour Operators from USA,UK, Australia, Russia,Ukraine, Germany, Hungary,Mexico, Poland, Singapore,Sri Lanka, India etc

� Participation from sectors ofwildlife resorts and camps,Buddhist destinations, hotelsand resorts, adventure touroperators, luxury hotels, etc

� Domestic Tour Operatorsfrom all over India, withbuyers from major marketssuch as Delhi, Mumbai,Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Nagpurand emerging markets suchas Bengaluru, Hyderabad,Pune, etc

Mart Highlights

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan lighting the inaugural lamp

The MPTM, spread over three days, showcased the tourism attractionsof the state. Destination Madhya Pradesh got together all stakeholdersof the tourism industry in the state such as hoteliers, travel agents &tour operators, adventure tour operators, tourism districts, handicraftsand handlooms, cuisine, etc

Pinning UP on the tourism mapUPTM 2015 was recently launched in New Delhi in the presence of OP Singh, Tourism Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Amrit Abhijat, Secretary–Tourism,Uttar Pradesh, Jyotsna Suri, Senior Vice President, FICCI and Rahul Chakravarty, Director-Tourism, FICCI. The website for the Mart, (www.ficci-uptm.com) was also launched at the event. The first edition of UPTM will be held in Lucknow from February 22-24, 2015

See Page 43 for more details

RAILWAYS

The total approximate earn-ings of Indian Railways on

originating basis during April 1,2014 to October 31, 2014 was`86,595.04 crore compared to`77,273.88 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of12.06 per cent.

• The total approximateearning from goods duringApril 1, 2014- October 31,2014 was `57,646.68crore compared to`51,877.98 crore duringthe same period last year,registering an increase of11.12 per cent.

• The total approximate revenue earning from passengers during April 1,2014-October 31, 2014 was `24,716.97 crore compared to`21,247.64 crore during the same periodlast year, registering an increase of 16.33 per cent.

• The approximate revenueearning from other coaching amounted to`2,331.36 crore duringApril 2014 – October 2014compared to `2,187.47

crore during the sameperiod last year, register-ing an increase of 6.58 per cent.

The total approximatenumbers of passengers booked

during April 1, 2014–October31, 2014 were 4,918.57 millioncompared to 4,965 million dur-ing the same period last year,showing a decrease of 0.94 percent. In the suburban and non-

suburban sectors,the number of pas-sengers bookedduring April 2014 toOctober 2014 werearound 2,664.95million and 2,253.62

million, compared to 2,655.67million and 2,309.33 million reg-istering an increase of 0.35 percent and a decrease of 2.41 percent respectively during thesame period last year.

The earnings of Indian Railways during the period of April 1st, 2014 to October31st, 2014 saw an appreciable increase of 12% to ̀ 86,595 crore. However, theoverall number of passengers saw a slight dip in the same period.

Railway earnings up by 12%

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Seoul in November between theMinistry of Railways, Government of India and the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport(MOLIT) of the Government of Republic of Korea (South Korea). The MoU on Technical Cooperationin the Rail sector was signed in Seoul by Arunendra Kumar, Chairman, Railway Board from theIndian side and Yeo Hyung Koo, Vice Minister, MOLIT from the South Korean side.

The MoU would enable technical assistance and coop-eration between the Railways of the two countries on areassuch as high-speed rail, modernisation of rolling stock,railway operations, modernisation of signalling, con-struction and maintenance technologies and in devel-opment of logistics parks/terminals.

Indian Railways partners Republic of Korea

Commuters on the newMumbai Metro can now

experience the flavour of God’sOwn Country with the ‘KeralaGreen Express’ running on the

network under a brandingagreement with the statetourism department.

Kerala has become thefirst destination in the countryto be associated with thenewly-launched Mumbai Metronetwork. The Kerala GreenExpress has begun running onthe Mumbai Metro’s Versova-

Ghatkopar corridor. All the fourcoaches of the train will haveimages showing Kerala’s beau-tiful landscapes and greeneryon the outside and inside.

The Mumbai Metro car-ries more than six lakh passen-gers every day. The KeralaGreen Express will travel astretch of 11.07 km, passingthrough 12 elevated stationson the Versova-Ghatkopar line.

“We are proud to beassociated with Mumbai'sbrand new metro network,” said

AP Anil Kumar, TourismMinister, Kerala, adding that,“We are also privileged to bethe first destination in India topromote tourism through thenew metro in the country’scommercial capital.”

Kerala Tourism had earli-er promoted its destinations onseveral iconic establishmentslike the famous London taxisand they had earlier done acampaign promotion wrappingthe Rajdhani train– the longestdistance running train in Indiawith Kerala images.

“With a mammoth num-ber of people using theMumbai metro every day, ourassociation with the networkwill bring us close to the residents and visitors of thecosmopolitan city,” saidSuman Billa, Joint Secretary,MOT and Former TourismSecretary, Kerala .

“It is a prestigious associ-ation for us because theMumbai Metro is fast emergingas an iconic feature of Mumbai,”said PI Sheikh Pareeth, Director,Kerala Tourism.

Kerala Tourism is the first destination to be associated with Mumbai Metronetwork. The train, decked inside and out with the best of Kerala’s sights, willpromote God’s Own Country in Mumbai.

‘Kerala Green Express’ in Mumbai

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Suman BillaJoint Secretary, MOT andFormer Tourism Secretary, Kerala

Addressing a PHD RailInfrastructure Summit-

2014 under aegis of PHDChamber of Commerce andIndustry in Delhi, Minister ofState for Railways ManojSinha announced that theidentified projects would beshortly put on the website ofthe Ministry of Railways, withall details and deadlines.

The minister elaboratedthat the consultation processhas already had the participa-tion of top polity of the presentgovernment, including its rail-ways Minister Dr SureshPrabhu and the Railway BoardChairman. He further askedindustry associations like PHDChamber to make its contribu-tion and provide suggestionsso that the projects would beindustry-friendly.

Sinha also said that thesuccessive Railway Budgetwould be prepared to serve thegovernment’s intention of exe-cuting mega railways projectsunder its five-year agendaplan, and to push the consul-tation process so that the exe-cution is not delayed, and costescalations arising out of nor-mal delays in such projects areprevented for good.

The Minister explainedthat the new Modi governmentwas committed to revive thePPP mode projects to uplift theface of Railways and meetmodern requirements.

The Railway BoardChairman Arunendra Kumar,in his address, said that thefuture focus of the infrastruc-ture projects of railways wouldbe through PPP mode but inaddition to it,

Railways would putup non-conventionalrelated energy projects in the windand solar sector toreduce its energy bill which currentlyranges between`35,000 crore to`38,000 crore per annum.

States such asRajasthan, Maharashtra andMadhya Pradesh were in talkswith railways for execution ofsuch projects.

Chairman of High SpeedRail Corporation of India and

CMD, Rail Vikas Nigam, SatishChandra Agnihotri in hisremarks observed that the newgovernment had prepared to laya railway line betweenRishikesh and Karnprayag inUttarakhand to connect the holyshrines of Badrinath andKedarnath to the mainstream

railway line. In his welcomeremark, the President, PHDChamber, Sharad Jaipuriasaid, “At present, the IndianRailways is taking many newinitiatives led by the new gov-ernment at the Centre: likefaster decision making, clear-ances and a better policy envi-

ronment for global and domes-tic corporate.”

Senior Vice President ofthe Chamber, Alok B Shriram,also said that the initiatives

taken by Railways for its overalldevelopment and modernisationwere opportunities that shouldbe given a huge push. TheAmbassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of Belguim,

Jan Luykx, Chairman RailwaysCommittee, PHD Chamber,Sandeep Aggarwal and itsExecutive Director, SaurabhSanyal were also present on the occassion.

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The Railway Ministry is preparing a roadmap forexecution of around 50-70 mega PPP railways projectsin the next five years, for which necessary consultationprocess would be finalised in the next 60 days.

50-70 railway projects in 60 daysD E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 1 5RAILWAYS

Dignitaries at the Rail Infrastructure Summit-2014

AVIATION

While releasing the Draft CivilAviation Policy, Civil AviationMinister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, talks aboutdeveloping a transparentpolicy in which regulations forthe civil aviation sector wouldbe more meaningful.

Making regulations meaningful

• Airports are to be designed as integrated multi-modal hubs,so that they provide the best possible service levels as wellas potential for growth. An integrated multi-modal hub shouldinclude rail, metro, bus and truck connectivity as well asaccommodation and other services.

• While developing airports, it is equally essential to ensure that related sectors such as access to manufacturing, business, tourism and pilgrim centres are developed. This needs to be done in association with other Central Government Departments as well as the State Government/Union Territory.

• The six metropolitan airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad would be developed as major international hubs and would in future be the main access points for international travel to and from India

• In future, a “hub-and-spoke” model would be followed, whichwould also facilitate the development of regional networksand air connectivity as a whole.

Salient features of the draft

• A special package will be developed for the North-Eastern Region to improve air connectivity and provide linkages to remote locations. The Route Dispersal Guidelines will be reviewed with the objec-tive of encouraging Indian carriers to enhance regional con-nectivity through deployment of small aircrafts and codesharing arrangements.

• The 5/20 guidelines will be reviewed with a view to encour-aging the entry of new Indian carriers.

For the North East

• An expert committee will be constituted to develop a future roadmap for Air India. Airports Authority of India will be corporatised, followed by listing in the Stock Exchanges. Pawan Hans will be listed in the Stock Exchanges with the same objective. A mission modeproject will be set up to ensure that Ministry organisationsare competitive in terms of efficiency and costs.

• The rules and regulations followed by DGCA will be upgrad-ed to international standards. Systems will be introduced

for online receipt and clearance of various permissions andclearances.

• The functioning of Ministry of Civil Aviation and the offices under the Ministry will be digitised to improve efficiency and transparency. The service and clearances to be given by different agencies will be putonline.

• Electronic procurement systems will be strengthened to ensure transparency and accountability.

Institutional reforms

Heliports and helipads will be developed in locations withsufficient potential. It is also proposed to provide suitable incen-tives to helicopter operators in respect of operational costs in theairports.

Helicopter Aviation

For development of the civil aviation sector, provision of AirNavigation Services (ANS) of international standards is essential.The Airports Authority of India’s initiatives would be intensifiedto reducing flying time, elimination of crowding at airports, directrouting of aircrafts and enhancing communication and navigationservices to international standards.

Air Navigation Services

The Draft puts emphasis on rationalising the cost of AviationTurbine Fuel (ATF). Due to high rates of taxes, the cost of ATFin India is 40-45% higher than the international costs. Steps willbe taken in association with the Ministry of Finance and StateGovernments to rationalise the rate of taxes so that our costsare competitive.

Aviation Turbine Fuel

The six metro airports will be developed as regional cargo hubs, integrating multi-modal transport facilities, cold chains and other commodity specific requirements. Air Freight Stations will be developed in different parts of the country to streamline Customs clearance and to reduce conges-tion in the airports.

Cargo sector

“It is a step towards makingcivil aviation a vibrant sec-

tor in our country, to rise to itsfull potential”, said Raju, whilereleasing the Draft CivilAviation Policy. The new CivilAviation Policy is expected tobe in place by January 2015,

he added.The Draft hasbeen releasedfor consultationwith public andstakeholders within threeweeks, after which six to sevengroups of experts would be

consti-tuted to interactwith stakeholders and review

the inputsreceived during the process.

TT BU R E AU

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati talking about the new policy

AVIATION

Kimberley Long-Urbanetz,Head of Distribution, Hahn

Air, said that within the next fiveyears, the Indian market willgrow tremendously as 10-15per cent of the Indian populationis travelling. Hahn Air sees theneed to have more communica-tion with the market and visitmore accounts. She added,“We need to inform Indians ofwhat we are offering.”

Talking about the impor-tance of the Indian market forHahn Air, Long-Urbanetzinformed that the Indian marketwould be among the top five forthe company. Informing aboutHahn Air’s marketing strategy,she said that they need toinform the non-IATA agencies

about their ticketing processeswhich will make it easier for theIATA agencies already workingwith them to be able to booktickets on Hahn Air.

According to Long-Urbanetz, within a year ofHahn Air’s own staff’s directcontact with the Indian agen-cies, the market has becomequicker and more efficient.Sanjay Shrivastava, Director,Global Account Management,Hahn Air, also informed abouttwo new products that HahnAir has introduced. The first

one is H1 Hahn Air systemwhich is for non-GDS andnon-BSP carriers and can besold on Hahn Air platform, HR169. The second one is 5W forrailways, covering entire Italy,Spain, Germany and Austriasectors. The agents can issuetickets on their IATA locationsand can issue a boarding cardand handover to the passen-gers travelling to the sectors.

“Since the time our Indiaoperations have started, agentsare pretty happy and satisfiedwith us.” Shrivastava added.

Hahn Air recently held two award shows in Delhi and Mumbaito honour its member travel agents and celebrate the supportit has received from the Indian market all these years.

Agents help Hahn Air soar

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The absence of direct con-nectivity between Canada

and India has not hamperedAir Canada’s growth story inthe Indian market. According

to Gary Cross, SeniorDirector, International Sales,Air Canada, the biggest carrierof Canada has witnessed sig-nificant growth from the Indianmarket. “India is vital in drivingthe carrier’s growth trajectory.In the last three years, we haveregistered rise in revenues

from the Indian market. Thecompany saw a compoundedgrowth of almost 20 per cent inthe last three years,” hereveals. Air Canada is firmlycommitted to maintaining themomentum that has been

achieved and ensuring thatcontinuous improvement,transformation and innovationremain an integral part of itsDNA, he adds.

Cross points out, “Wehave come closer to Air India asit has now become a member of

the Star Alliance. Recently inSeptember, Air India also signeda code-sharing agreement withAir Canada. The code-sharingpact covers Air India’s domesticflights and Air Canada flights toCanada from London, Paris,Hong Kong and Shanghai. Also,at Toronto Airport, you can clearUS immigration and then arrivein the US domestic airports.Thus, Air Canada has an edgein facilitating travel for India out-bound to the US.” Going for-ward, the carrier is looking atworking closely with theCanadian Tourism Commission,which has invested heavily inthe Indian market.

As it beefs up its existing Asian routes, Air Canada is very confident about the potential of the Indian market indriving up revenues.

India vital for Air Canada

ME G H A PAU L

We have come closer to Air India as ithas now become a member ofthe Star Alliance. Recently in September, Air India alsosigned a code-sharing agree-

ment with Air Canada

Gary CrossSenior Director

International SalesAir Canada

� In the last three years, AirCanada has registered rise inrevenues from the Indianmarket

� The company saw acompounded growth ofalmost 20% in the last 3 years

� India is vital in driving thecarrier’s growth trajectory

YoY Growth in India

Kimberley Long-UrbanetzHead of DistributionHahn Air

Sanjay ShrivastavaDirector, Global AccountManagement, Hahn Air

� Two new products has beenlaunched by Hahn Air. Thefirst one is H1 Hahn Airsystem and the second oneis 5W for railways

What’s New

2 0 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 FAMILY ALBUM

Canada: Amazing from every angleThe Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) hosted a familiarisation trip for its trade partners to Ontario from November 13-18. The group visited Ottawa, Ontario,Niagara, Toronto and also experienced the beauty of VIA Rail, which the agents appreciated.

Canada applauds Indian travel agents Canada has become a very popular holiday destination amongst Indian travellers; and celebrating this, the Canadian Tourism Commission India organised athank-you dinner for its travel partners in New Delhi. The dinner was well-attended and the Indian fraternity interacted with Siobhan Chretien, Regional ManagingDirector-Emerging Markets, Canadian Tourism Commission.

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 2 1ASSOCIATIONS

In a little over two monthssince its inception, the Travel

Agents Association of India(TAAI) Uttar Pradesh &Uttarakhand Chapter hasadded six members and hopesto reach an even 10 byNovember end.

Sunil B Satyawakta,chairman of TAAI – UP &Uttarakhand Chapter and MDof Lucknow-based CivicaTravels, reveals, “We will haveour Managing Committeemeeting on December 6 fortwo days in Varanasi to discussour issues, especially on waysin which we can increase ourmembership. Since our currentmembers are spread all overthe state, we have decided tohold our MC meets in placeswhere our members are, so itis a more involved activity.”

Forming a Golden ArcThe chairman adds that

Akhilesh Yadav, ChiefMinister, Uttar Pradesh, hasrecognised TAAI’s youngestchapter by inviting it to be part

of the state’s new ‘ParyatanProthsahan Parishad’. “Themeeting was held in the CM’shouse and we were invited toparticipate in it and give ourfeedback. The CM will sanctiona ‘Golden Arc’ that will includeAgra, Lucknow and Varanasi.Also present at the meetingwas UP Tourism Minister Om Prakash Singh”Satyawakta added.

The TAAI Chapter willalso be present with UPTourism for the upcoming UttarPradesh Travel Mart that will beheld at the Indira GandhiPratisthan, Gomti Nagar, in

Lucknow from February 22-24,2015. It is being organised bythe Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce andIndustry (FICCI) in collabora-tion with the state governmentunder a five-year contract.

CM VisionSatyawakta added that

the CM is serious about devel-oping tourism in the state. “Hemeans what he says. In fact,the state tourism departmentofficials go on surprise visits tomonuments and tourist spotsto monitor maintenance andencroachments,” he adds.Yadav had recently announced

that this sector is on the prioritylist, and will increase the annu-al budget for tourism promotionfrom the current `60 crore.

UDF issueHe also mentions that the

MC meet will table the UserDevelopment Fee (UDF), thatthe Lucknow airport chargespassengers, among theissues. “The UDF that the air-port charges passengersamounts to `1,060 plus taxesand is completely unfair con-sidering that the old terminalthat is used for internationalflights is under complete disre-pair. There is no proper air-con-ditioning, no signage, no forexrates displayed, no cafeteriaand not enough seats. On whatbasis are they charging theUDF?” he questions.

While UDF is generallyincluded as part of the ticketcost, in this case it is beingcharged in cash at the airport.Once it becomes a part of theticket, it will have a directimpact on airfares. Lucknowairport sees an average of 300passengers per day. With Jet

Airways’ new Lucknow-AbuDhabi flight, it will increase toan average of 400, the chair-man estimated.

“We have spoken toAirports Economic RegulatoryAuthority (AERA) about this aswell as Union Home MinisterRajnath Singh and even theCM. As part of the AirportAdvisory Committee, TAAI has communicated these passenger grievances toAERA,” he revealed.

As of now, the TAAI chapter members are gearing up for the upcomingLucknow Mahotsav startingfrom November 25 toDecember 5.

TAAI’s 20th unit – the UP & Uttarakhand chapter – that was started this September has been busyexpanding its membership base and being actively involved in the state’s tourism promotion.

Taking up tourism issues in UP

HA Z E L JA I N

The Chief Minister of UttarPradesh will sanction a‘Golden Arc’ that willinclude Agra, Lucknow

and Varanasi

Sunil B SatyawaktaTAAI Chairman

(UP & Uttarakhand Chapter)

� The TAAI Chapter will alsobe present with UP Tourismfor the upcoming UttarPradesh Travel Mart that willbe held at the Indira GandhiPratisthan, Gomti Nagar, inLucknow from February22-24, 2015

Coming Up

Lufthansa began its A380services to India fromFrankfurt. Delhi becomes thefirst city in India to welcomeLufthansa’s flagship carrierand the world’s largest com-mercial passenger jet.Wolfgang Will, DirectorSouth Asia, Lufthansa, said,“This is a really proudmoment for us and we aredelighted to welcome thefirst A380 to India. It’s a mile-

stone event for us and weare very pleased to welcomethe world’s largest commer-cial passenger jet whichoffers the finest in terms offlying comfort, luxury andefficiency. With the newA380, Lufthansa customerswill be able to experienceLufthansa’s latest in-flightproducts and servicesincluding the latest businessclass and state-of-the artFirst Class.”

Lufthansabegins A380operations toIndia in Delhi

HOTELS

The FRHI Hotels & Resorts hosted the Global Meeting Exchange programmeat Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi recently. The five-day event provided anopportunity to meet the representatives from FRHI’s award-winning portfolioof worldwide hotels across the three brands. Excerpts...

Beyond just networking

ME G H A PAU L

India is a core strategic market for us. We see the Indian market as critical, not onlyfor our growth in India, but also for its outbound growth for our other hotels globally.Thus, it is important to have a presence in India because you want people to knowyour brand. We have a two-pronged strategy in India. We are looking at developing theIndia market to assist and manage the ongoing demand for inbound and domestictravellers here. Also, we are looking at enhancing brand recognition for our global pres-ence. We see opportunity for outbound travel to key Fairmont markets, including Dubai,Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Singapore, Shanghai, in addition to locations in Canada, US,Europe and Africa. The launch of Fairmont Jaipur and Swissotel Kolkata has definitelyhelped in introducing Indian travellers to our brand.

Mark SergotSenior Vice President,

Global Sales Organization, FRHI Hotels & Resorts

We have seen a growthstory in the Indian marketand thus, for this globalmeet, we had 13 Indianbuyers, which was a goodmix of corporate buyers andprofessional conferenceorganisors (PCOs). Everyyear, we have seen agrowth of 20 per cent from the MICE segment. Thefive-day itinerary was a perfect opportunity to meetrepresentatives from our award-winning portfolio ofhotels, and participate in informal networking ses-sions, educational discussions and exchanges withfellow professionals and partners.

Tekla MairaDirector, Global Sales-India, FRHI Hotels & Resorts

The feedback from theIndian clientele has beenbrilliant. Seeing significantoutbound opportunities fromIndia, we opened our GlobalSales Office for India inDelhi four years ago. Wehave seen a spurt in gener-ation of business across thethree brands from this market, especially the leisure,MICE and wholesale segment, via this office. Theoffice is also looking at strengthening ties with thetravel trade community in India.

Meenaz LilaniExecutive Director, Global Sales - EMEA, FRHI Hotels &

Resorts

The idea to host this in AbuDhabi was brilliant. TheIndia outbound traveller isgoing to Dubai more andmore; thus, Abu Dhabioffers a lot of potential forthe Indian market. The pre-sentations such as ‘Hotelsand the Current Climate’gave us an overview on the growth of the industry.This has been one of the most enlightening show-cases I have ever attended.

Jnanesh UpponiCEO, Fountainhead Corporate Journeys

The event went beyondshowcasing the group’sproperties. The sessionsrevolved around the futureof the MICE market. Wealso got insights into howhotels, third parties and cor-porate event managers areworking in the current scenario.

Tarun MalhotraDirector, Inorbit Tours

Discovering Germany in Mumbai

(L-R): Romit Theophilus (Director, German National Tourist Office), Till Weigl (Destination Manager Asia & Australia) and the GNTO team at the DiscoverGermany roadshow at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai

2 4 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 HOTELS

The Indian Hotels Companyis looking at unveiling three

properties under its upscalebrand Gateway Hotels andResorts next year. This wasrevealed by Prabhat Verma,Chief Operating Officer,Gateway Hotels. He pointed

out, “We plan to open threeproperties in the coming year.This includes a 121-key hotelin Raipur, 150-key hotel inPune and 50-key resort inCorbett, Uttarakhand. Gatewayis also looking at opening aresort in Theog near Shimla.”Verma was in NCR recently for

the launch of the brand’s firstresort in the country — TheGateway Resort, DamdamaLake, Gurgaon.

Talking about the newproperty, he elaborated, “Theresort, the 25th property inGateway’s portfolio, is spreadover 20 acres. While 11 acres

of the resort comprises resortbuilding and allied facilities, theremaining nine acres is allottedfor leisure and adventure activ-ities. Owned and developed bySamak Dhoot Resorts & Spa,it has 78 rooms in three cate-gories, including two suites.The guest rooms are quite spa-

cious with a standard roommeasuring above 400 sq ft.”

Positioning the property inthe weekend retreat segment,Verma said, “This is the perfectplatform where we wanted tolaunch the resort and commu-nicate to the users that Gatewayis also into resorts segments.The resort has all the elementswhich could attract weekendtravellers, families and groups.There is ample scope for out-door activities including a pool,cricket, football, volleyball, ten-nis, and badminton court, a well-designed amphitheatre, a ded-icated adventure sport zone withactivities such as zorbing, rock

climbing, balloon bursting, blindmine field, cycling, etc. Theresort also houses the signatureJiva spa of the Taj Hotel. It willbe the first Jiva spa in aGateway property, with threetreatment rooms.”

On average room rateand occupancy expected fromthe property, Verma, added, “Itwould be around Rs 8,000 andthe resort should do about 50-55 per cent occupancy inthe first year.”

The full-service brand of Indian Hotels Company has opened its first resort hotel – The Gateway ResortDamdama Lake Gurgaon. The 25th Gateway property will be positioned in the weekend retreat segment.

Taj opens Gateway to Damdama

The resort has all the elements which could attract weekend

travellers, families and groups.

Prabhat VermaChief Operating Officer,

Gateway Hotels

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Kenya Airways has sus-pended direct flights fromNairobi to New Delhi effectiveNovember 24, 2014 as part ofoperations rationalisation, butcontinues to reinforce itspresence in India via Mumbai.

All guests affected by thiscancellation will be reroutedvia the Mumbai flights inpartnership with Air India andJet Airways. Kenya Airwaysflies daily to Mumbai directlyfrom its Nairobi hub and willpartner with Jet Airways andAir India for the onward con-nection to New Delhi.

Lucie Malu, the newCountry Manager in Indiasays the offices in Mumbaiand New Delhi will remainopen and all the guestsrebooked. Customers can con-tact Kenya Airways throughits 24 hour contact center ontelephone numbers +254 203274747, +254 711 02 4747or +254 734 10 4747 or ourIndia offices on +91 2267986798 (Mumbai) or +9111 43083611/22 (New Delhi).

Kenya Airways remainscommitted to bringing theWorld to Africa and Africa tothe World offering the quick-est route option from Africato New Delhi via Mumbai or Dubai.

Kenya Airwayssuspends flightsto New Delhi

� The resort, the 25th propertyin Gateway’s portfolio, isspread over 20 acres.

� While 11 acres of the resortcomprises resort buildingand allied facilities, theremaining nine acres isallotted for leisure andadventure activities

Property USPs

� The company plans to open three properties in the coming year� This includes a 121-key hotel in Raipur� 150-key hotel in Pune � 50-key resort in Corbett, Uttarakhand� Gateway is also looking at opening a resort in Theog near Shimla

More properties in the pipeline

� Owned and developed by Samak Dhoot Resorts & Spa, it has 78 roomsin three categories, including two suites.

� The guest rooms are quite spacious with a standard room measuring bove 400 sq ft

The Gateway Resort, Damdama Lake, Gurgaon

2 6 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 HOTELS

What is the USP of the hotel?

Grand Mercure GoaShrem Resort, with its dramaticarchitecture, is conceptualisedas a charming Indo-Portuguesedestination. The interiors aredesigned to capture the Goanethos through modest furniture.The resort features 121 roomsand suites with elegant designand detail. Each room at theresort in Goa is designed keep-ing comfort in mind, offering thefinest combination of elegance,indulgence, opulence andupscale hospitality serviceunder one umbrella. The resortrevolves around the 4 brand pil-lars: Sense of Welcome, Senseof Food & Beverage, Sense ofWellness and Sense of Cultureand Discovery.

How does this positionAccor in the luxuryleisure space in Goa?

Accor, the world’s leadinghotel operator with more than3,600 hotels and 470,000 roomsin India, operates with a network

of 7 distinctive brands under-pinned by operational excel-lence, while embracing itsEuropean heritage. Grand

Mercure has established itselfas a distinctive upscale collec-tion of hotels and apartmenthotels in key business andresort locations. The GrandMercure brand has operated inAsia Pacific for almost 20 years,anchoring itself around“Discover a new authentic” withhotels and resort closely con-nected to their local areasthrough design, character andflavour combined with the

upscale hospitality service. Goais the most sought after leisuredestination in India and with thisbrand coming into Goa, it offersa new experience to the trav-ellers through all touch points

which are reflected in its 4 brandpillars and evident across theentire resort.

What are the MICE offer-ings at the property?

At the Grand MercureGoa Shrem Resort, the MICEsegment would find a new des-tination that is geared to caterto all the requirements tailormade to suit the needs oftoday’s travellers and the loca-

tion is just right to mix businesswith leisure for those looking toparty late after a day-long con-ference. The facilities include abusiness centre with 3 boardrooms, 4 meeting rooms well-equipped with the latest audiovisual and communicationtechnology. The meeting roomsare sized from 500 sq.ft. to1500 sq.ft. The resort also offers a 8000 sq.ftMarquee or Hanger, an out-

door air conditioned conventionspace that can easily accom-modate 800 persons in a variety of flexible settings. It isideal for business meetings,trainings, seminars, socialgatherings and not to forget a perfect venue for picturesque weddings.

What is the potential ofhospitality and tourismin Goa as of now?

Goa holds the distinctionof being the only market in thecountry that has witnessed an increase in REVPAR overthe last five years by 7% year-on-year. It also has great potential for MICE seg-ment while it continues to surprise everyone with theupswing that it has witnessedin the domestic travellers

Accor announced the opening of the Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort. This upscale Goa resort is owned by the Shrem Groupand managed by Accor India. The enchanting getaway is situated on the inviting corner of Candolim road and is only 40 minutesfrom the airport by car. A few excerpts with Manish Dayya, General Manager, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort…

Glocal experience@Grand Mercure Goa

G U N J A N SA B I K H I F R O M G O A

We would like to work with alltravel agents including online.For this, we have ensured thatthe rate parity is maintained.

Manish DayyaGeneral Manager,

Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort (L-R): Amar Tekchandaney (Director, Shrem), Manish Dayya (General Manager, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort),Krishani Chhatwal (Director, Shrem), Remun Bhutani (Director, Shrem), Rakshit Talwar (Director, Sales & Marketing,Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort)

Contd. on page 48

ETOA is the leading tradeassociation for tour opera-

tors and suppliers with busi-ness in European destinations.Nearly 700 members con-tribute more than 12 billionworth of business to Europe. Itincludes tour and online oper-ators, intermediaries andwholesalers; European touristboards, hotels, attractions andother tourism suppliers.

ETOA offers networking /contracting platform for tourismprofessionals by organisingB2B events (MAMA, City Fair,GEM, HEM). The organisationprovides advocacy support ona European level, high-profileindustry campaigns and B2B marketing representationopportunities; all in order topromote Europe as the number

one tourism destination. OTOAIand its members will benefit byaccessing established annualevents free, and sourcingEuropean and UK products.ETOA will benefit by opening anew market to its members andoffering new buyers for theirevent attendees. OTOAI andETOA will create seminarsand/or educational sessions fortheir members to share informa-tion and issues.

The March Marketplace(16-17 March, 2015) is a B2Bworkshop which enables inter-national tour operators, whole-salers and OTAs to meet andcontract with UK regions andIreland. The event consists oftwo days with different regionalfocus. OTOAI will through apre-selection process, identify20-30 tour operator membersinterested in furthering busi-ness to London, Ireland andthe rest of UK; for attendingMAMA ’15.

Martine Ainsworth-Wells, Director of Marketing &Commerce, European TourismAssociation, said, “We are try-ing to promote the Europe, par-ticularly UK and Ireland

throughout the world. I amthrilled to sign this agreementwith OTOAI because India, ofall the long haul markets, has avery special place for the UK,and the UK has a very specialplace for the Indians.” Wells con-tinued, “We already have sev-eral Indian companies attendingWTM to find out new productsin the UK, and I feel that UK isfinally beginning to understandthe actual specific requirements

of Indian visitors. We can’t gen-eralise this huge sub-continent.These are nuances that the UKmarket is now beginning to

understand.” ETOA will be sup-ported by UK regional boardslike London & Partners, TourismIreland, etc.

OTOAI has announced that it has recently signed an MoU with European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) at WTMin London to mutually promote and support an Indian contingent at the March Marketplace (MAMA)-2015, in the UK.

OTOAI & ETOA join hands for MAMA-2015TT BU R E AU

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 2 7ASSOCIATIONS

India, of all thelong-haulmarkets, has aspecial place forthe UK, and theUK has a specialplace for Indians

Martine Ainsworth-WellsDirector of Marketing

& Commerce, European Tourism Association

� To facilitate access for OTOAI and its members to ETOA trade events inEurope.

� To allow mutually beneficial education between Europe’s suppliers andIndian outbound operators to take place.

� To identify, discuss and remove barriers that hinder growth of travel.

Aims of OTOAI and ETOA Partnership

Punam Singh, Executive Director, OTOAI and Martine Ainsworth-WellsDirector of Marketing & Commerce, ETOA

2 8 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 FAMILY ALBUM

When Carlson Rezidor played the hostBelgium-based hotel chain Carlson Rezidor recently organised an evening of networking and entertainment over cocktails and dinner at Auriga Restaurant &Lounge in Mumbai. Welcoming its select set of trade partners was Chirodeep Chakraborty, Associate Director for Global Sales at Carlson Hotels South Asia.

Jagsons Travels will host itsglobal buyer-seller meet

titled Global PanoramaShowcase (GPS) fromFebruary 8-10, 2015. The sec-ond edition of the three-dayevent will be held at HotelCentre Point, Ramdaspeth inNagpur. GPS acknowledgesCentral India as one of theupcoming and potential traveltrade and consumer markets inIndia. The theme for GPS 2015is ‘Explore the Heart of India’.

Focus on educationWhile the first day will

allow end-consumers, the restof the days are dedicated tothe trade. Talking about thechange in format this year,Harmandeep Singh Anand,MD of Jagsons Travels andHon Secretary General of theTravel Agents Association ofIndia (TAAI), said that thisyear’s edition will have a clearfocus on educational work-shops for agents as well.

“We saw really good par-ticipation from the attendees thelast time. We therefore decidedto increase our focus on educa-

tional seminars and productshowcasing this year. Some ofthe workshops will also includecertification. However, it is tooearly to talk about the details ofthe workshops that will be con-ducted this year as we areawaiting confirmations,” he said.

Last year, there werearound 14 workshops, includ-ing six certification courses, byMalaysian Airlines, Trawell Tagas well as Star Cruises certifi-cation program. As a result, theevent saw participation from alot of tourism students as well.

Central India in focus “For the table-top B2B

meetings, we have invited close

to 400 agents from Central Indiaand will host close to 50 poten-tial agents. We will also targetabout 80-100 product owners tocome and exhibit at GPS-2015,”Anand added. The products willinclude hotels, attractions, air-lines, DMCs and tourismboards. The first edition of GPSlast year attracted about 400attendees.

“We are looking at bothdomestic and international par-ticipation. The idea is to giveexposure to Central India thatcomprises Nagpur, Indore,Bhopal, Raipur, Akola, Jalgaonand Jabalpur. These marketshave shown a huge potentialfor growth and few of them rankamongst the fastest-emergingtier II cities in India. These mar-kets rely on large metros forservice but have the potentialto stand alone,” Anand said.

For the Indian products, it will target J&K, MP,Maharashtra, Kerala, NE and Rajasthan. Internationalparticipation at GPS will includethe South-East Asian countries,the Middle East, Europe andAfrica to showcase their tourism offerings.

Jagsons Travels is ready to host the second edition of its globalbuyer-seller meet from February 8-10, 2015.

Global buyer-seller meet

HA Z E L JA I N

Harmandeep Singh AnandManagng DirectorJagsons Travels

3 0 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 NTO

“South Carolina is not avacation, it’s an experi-

ence,” said Haley – while on a10-day tour of India with herbusiness delegation visitingseven cities, including NewDelhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad,Amritsar and Chennai.

Haley addressed a meeton ‘Enhancing Trade &Investment Cooperationbetween South Carolina andMaharashtra’ hosted by WorldTrade Centre, Mumbai and AllIndia Association of Industries.Haley’s intentions were clear:to attract investments andtourists from India. Whileaddressing a group ofinvestors and a few travel traderepresentatives in Mumbai,she said, “The key sectors thatwe want to focus on are aero-nautics and automotives, butalso tourism. We have a beau-tiful blend of manufacturingand tourism.”

Also travelling with theAmerican delegation was theConsul-General of US to India,Thomas Vajda, and Duane

Parrish, Director of SouthCarolina Department of Parks,Recreation & Tourism.

Haley said, “Indiansbring their executive teamshere, but we also want them

to come for holidays. TheIndian community is one thathas not been introduced toSouth Carolina, and I want toextend an invitation to every-one. We see a lot of opportu-nities here. So the first thing

we do is communicate andmake it a win-win for bothcountries. It’s about relation-ships, not transactions.”

She added that one ofthe reasons she is looking atIndia is personal. “I have notbeen here since I was two. Soeverything I’ve heard from myparents in terms of memories

and experiences was some-thing of a dream for me. Iimagined it, but I didn’t knowexactly what it was until I gothere. India is even more spec-tacular in person. So it onlymakes sense that I want tosee more Indians in SouthCarolina,” she said, emphati-cally adding, “This will not bemy last trip to India.”

Born to Indian parents,Haley was elected as theGovernor of South Carolina in2010, becoming the first femaleand first Indian-American gov-ernor in the state’s history. Sheis the youngest sitting governorin the US and has been re-elect-ed for the second term. She hadmet Prime Minister Modi duringhis recent visit to the US.

The Indian-origin governor of South Carolina – Nikki Haley – was on a seven-city tour of India with a large business delegationincluding the tourism director, which reveals her intention of seriously promoting her state to the Indian outbound.

‘I want Indians to visit South Carolina’HA Z E L JA I N

I’m buildingrelationshipswith the traveltrade right nowbefore we makea splash in India

Indians bringtheir executiveteams here, butwe also wantthem to comefor holidays

Nikki HaleyGovernor South Carolina

Duane ParrishDirector of South Carolina Departmentof Parks, Recreation & Tourism

South Carolina’s tourism focus“This is our first trip to

India. In fact, no one in myposition has ever visited thecountry. I have been meetingsome of the major tour oper-ators and representatives ofthe travel trade here and myaim is to get their perspectiveon the market. Once we goback, we will sketch out ourplan of action on how we canattract more Indian tourists toSouth Carolina,” Parrish said.

Among the companieshe met during his visit wereThomas Cook, VacationsExotica, and Abercrombie &

Kent. Speaking about thesegment of tourists he iskeen on, Parrish said, “First-timers to the US usually visitthe more popular cities likeNYC and Chicago. We wantto attract Indians who havetravelled to the US, particu-larly those who visit the EastCoast. We are looking at themiddle and upper-middlesegment of FIT and MICEtravellers.”

He added that the mainaim was make Indians awareof South Carolina and what ithas to offer. The year 2013

saw about 35,000 Indianstravel to the state and Parrishexpects an increase of atleast 25% by 2015.

“I’m building relation-ships with the travel traderight now before we make a splash in India. One of the feedbacks we receivedwas to reach our travellersthrough e-media given thehigh number of smart phoneusers in India apart from printmedia. We will return in 2015 to do a follow-up andrenew our relationships here,”Parrish added.

3 2 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 ASSOCIATIONS

As planned, the IATAAgents Association of

India (IAAI) along withEnterprising Travel Agents

Association (ETAA) recentlyconducted their first joint training workshop in Mumbai for their respectivemembers on Saturday,November 8, 2014 in Juhu's Hotel Ajanta. This was held immediately afterIAAI's AGM.

The event started withTrawellTag Cover-More’sextensive engagement pro-gram conducted exclusivelyfor ETAA and IAAI membersby Dev Karvat, MD of

TrawellTag Cover-More, andwinner of ‘Face of the Future’at the India Travel AwardsWest. This was followed by presentations by AlamoCar Rentals, Alitalia Airlinesand Hotel Ajanta, which hosted the venue as well ascocktails and dinner.

Chetan Momaya,President of MaharashtraChapter of IAAI, revealed thatthe entire workshop held inMumbai was sponsored by IAAI. Speaking about thevarious joint initiatives, hesaid, “The first training workshop after we signed the

MoU on July 19 was held inPune where MTDC was apart. This was followed by the Mumbai one. We are now looking at conductingworkshops in Delhi, Chennai and Kochi.”

Jagat Mehta, ActingPresident of ETAA, said thatthe two associations havebeen regularly conductingtraining programs all over the country. “This was the first one in Mumbai and will befollowed by more such work-shops,” he said.

First joint conventionThe duo is also planning

their first joint conventionaround the February or Marchof 2015. This was confirmedby Momaya. He said, "We areexcited about planning our

first joint convention and havereceived proposals forMalaysia, Singapore andIndia. So these three destina-tions are under discussionright now. We will meet againin a few days and firm up onthe destination."

Since this will be attend-ed by members of both theassociations, the hunt is onfor an ideal location that willbe able to accommodate 500-600 persons. Momaya

said, “New Delhi is a goodcontender since the ministryalso sits there.”

While Biji Eapen,National President of IAAI,was not present at this workshop, he said over a tele-

phonic conversation, “I amheading to Delhi to speak tovarious individuals in power about the various theagents face, including thecommission issue.”

The two associations recently conducted a joint workshop for their members in Mumbai – their first in the city after they renewedtheir commitment to work together in July 2014. The duo will soon firm up plans for their first joint convention. presentsthe key highlights of the event and brings to fore the views of the trade veterans.

IAAI-ETAA’s 1st joint workshop in Mumbai

HA Z E L JA I N

TrawellTag conducted its ‘Travel Agents EngagementProgram’ for the first time in Mumbai exclusively for ETAAand IAAI members. TrawellTag also showcased some ofits newer products including Adventure Sports Plan, CarRental Protection Plan in a foreign country, Cruise Cover,Pre-existing Diseases Cover, Trip Cancellation Protectionand Laptop Cover. Meanwhile, Alitalia, the national carrierof Italy, has restarted its operations in India after it receivedequity investment from Etihad. Rajan Laxman, Director ofAjanta Travels, that is the GSA for Alitalia in India,announced a flat seven per cent incentive on the base fareto the trade across the board.

New products announced

Biji Eapen National President IAAI

Jagat MehtaActing President ETAA

Chetan MomayaPresidentMaharashtra Chapter, IAAI

Dev KarvatManaging DirectorTrawellTag Cover-More

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 3 5AGENTS

Women are increasinglymaking decisions around

the house, whether it is aboutbuying expensive durablegoods for the house or familyholidays. This is the thumb rulethat Swiss Youth Hostel followed while deciding on its annual familiarisation trip for Indian agents.

It took eight agents – allwomen - from West India’sMumbai and Ahmedabad citieson a five nights’ trip to three

destinations in Switzerland forthem to experience a Swissholiday that revolved aroundSwiss Youth Hostels.

Youth hostels for fami-lies, groups

Speaking more about thisidea is Jenaifer Daruwalla,General Manager, Maison deVoyage that is a GSA for SwissYouth Hostels in India. “Wewere very clear that we wantedto take women agents on this trip as we believe that theyare increasingly becoming the decision-makers in most

households, especially regard-ing family holidays. The otherreason was to open them up tothe idea of family holidayswhile staying at one of ourmany hostels and enjoy-ing activities that wouldinterest the entire family,”she said.

The trip that wasconducted in associationwith Switzerland Tourismincluded visits toInterlaken, Zurich andLocarno while stayingovernights at the respec-tive Swiss Youth Hostels.The activities included aday trip to Brienz andTicino which is the Italianregion of Switzerland, fal-conry show, a chocolateworkshop, nightlife andsurprisingly a water park calledSplash e Spa!

“This was a unique ele-ment in our trip specially sinceit was in November. This waterpark has an indoor and out-door area and is the perfectproduct for a family. The agentsloved it! This also goes to show

that travelling to Switzerlandduring the winter is also funand doable,” Daruwalla stated,adding that while most of themwere vegetarians and Jains,

the food was never a problem.While e-biking was part of theitinerary, the agents couldn’t doit because of bad weather.

Swiss holidays withhostels

Speaking about theprocess of finalising the agentnames for this familiarisation

trip, Daruwalla said, “Wechose them on the basis ofthe numbers they do, theirpotential and their level ofcommitment in promoting a

new product. Unless we getsupport from the trade, wecannot get this message ofstaying at youth hostelsacross to the end traveller.This trip was a good break-through for us in terms of con-vincing the travel trade aboutthe potential of youth hostelsin the Indian market.”

Conferencing in hostelsThe Swiss Youth Hostel

is also promoting conferencingand MICE packages at its hos-tels and it had included Zurich

hostels in the plan to showcasethese facilities to the agents.Daruwalla said, “The agentswere amazed at what theysaw. The hostel offers confer-ence rooms that can accommodate 20 to 200 dele-gates. It also has WiFi and abusiness centre along with allMICE facilities.”

In order to promote FIT as well as family holidays revolving around hostel stay in Switzerland, Swiss Youth Hostel recentlyconducted an all-women familiarisation trip for agents in association with Switzerland Tourism.

A girls-only tour to Switzerland

We were very clear that we wanted to takewomen agents on this trip as

we believe that they are increasingly becoming the

decision-makers in mosthouseholds, especially

regarding family holidays

Jenaifer DaruwallaGeneral Manager, Maison de Voyage

TT BU R E AU

3 6 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 NTO

Cheers for Cricket A reception was held recently at the New Zealand High Commission in Delhi, to celebrateNew Zealand’s co-hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Nathan Guy, Minister ofPrimary Industries, was the Guest of Honour at the event which was attended by membersof a visiting New Zealand business delegation to India, and other dignitaries.

In a move to attract more high-value Indian visitors to New

Zealand, the New ZealandMinister of Immigration,Michael Woodhouse, was inMumbai with the Tourism NewZealand team.

Under a tripartite agree-ment between ImmigrationNew Zealand (INZ), TourismNew Zealand (TNZ) and sixkey travel agents from India,Indian visitors travelling to NewZealand for business eventswill benefit from faster visa pro-cessing time of three days andreduced paperwork.

Speaking about the part-nership, Minister Woodhousesaid, “Under the scheme, appli-cants will benefit from a quickbusiness visa process, and therequirement to provide evi-dence of funds and employ-ment will be met through a let-ter of support issued by thetravel agent. This is with imme-diate effect. We already havethe infrastructure ready. Wewant them to take advantage

of the conference facilities wehave in Auckland, Christchurchand Queenstown.”

High value, but low riskThe minister was in

Mumbai for a day and it washis first visit to India. Headded that the ministry waskeen on ensuring that NewZealand was open for busi-ness, for work and for play.

“But we can’t do thatalone. Our vision for a modern

and technological immigrationsystem is to work with ourpartners. We are in a partner-

ship and there is a mutualtrust and this is evident in thework we do with local busi-nesses, or in this case, withseveral travel companies. Weare familiar with the agenciesselected on the basis of theirability to bring high-value/low-risk ‘Business Event’ visitorsto New Zealand.”

With Kiwi humour, headded, “There are various rea-sons why Indians would want tovisit New Zealand – jumping out

of planes is just one. We canhave them jumping off moun-tains, jumping off bridges, in fact

you can jump off just about any-thing in New Zealand! There aremany ways to enjoy the fruits ofour compact but wildly-diversecountry in terms of its scenery.But also, doing business isimportant.”

Multiple travel segmentsIn the last financial year,

more than 20,000 Indiannationals were issued workvisas – more than any othercountry other than Britain.More than 6,000 Indiansbecame New Zealand resi-dents, nearly 15,000 Indianswere issued student visas and

35,000 Indians visited NewZealand for tourism. Of this,eight per cent were visiting forbusiness while two per centwere here for conferences.

“India is one of ourlargest markets for a numberof traveller segments: stu-dents, tourists, and increas-ingly skilled migrants. Butthere are also very strongbusiness links that we canmake stronger. We also havea growing convention andbusiness destination marketinto New Zealand, which India has not really tapped

into. So we are hoping thatthis will lead to not only tofaster process but also a greater number of business travellers,” the minister shared.

Assuring that there willquite possibly be more devel-opments in the future, herevealed that the ministry isstarting to process studentvisas online now and workingincreasingly with other trustedpartners that may includeeducation agents or the institutes and universitiesthemselves.

In India to sign MoUs with six chosen Indian trade partners, Michael Woodhouse, the Minister of Immigration, New Zealanddisplayed complete support to the Indian market along with his straight-faced, dry Kiwi humour.

NZ visa in 3 days for biz travellers

HA Z E L JA I N

India is one of our largest markets for a number of traveller segments: students,tourists, and increasingly

skilled migrants.

Michael WoodhouseNew Zealand

Minister of Immigration

Simon Smith, Counsellor Immigration inNew Delhi, Ministry of Business, Innovation &Employment, INZ, who was in India as part of the Immigration New Zealand delegation, spoke about the details of the six MoU that were signed.

How did these MoUs come about?This is a key part of INZ’s Vision 2050. This

tripartite agreement is the first tourism partnershipthat has been signed globally so we are setting arecord here in India.

How did you choose the six agencies?The six partners have their network across

India. Its not that they are Mumbai-based but theyhave their reach far and wide and that’s one ofthe reasons why we chose them.

Please share some details of the MoU?At this stage, the MoU is only for the MICE

sector and business events. These are the sectors that we really want to push. But there isno reason why we wouldn’t look to extend it toother segments.

The MoUs are for two years

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 3 9NTO

Focussing on maximumcomfort and exclusive trav-

el across Germany, theGerman National Tourist Office(GNTO) India is promoting theconcept of ‘Smart Luxury’. Forthe same reason, the Boardhas recently launched a microsite to showcase Michelin starrestaurants, theme-basedunique hotels, etc. GNTO hasalready started tying up with luxury travel agents to promote the same in India,Romit Theophilus, Director-

Sales and Marketing, GNTOIndia revealed.

Germany, which earlierwas earlier considered more ofa business destination is seeinga huge spurt in leisure touristarrivals. For January-August2014, leisure and business trav-el shares stood at 42 and 58 percent respectively, comparedwith last full year’s 30 and 70per cent respectively.

According to Theophilus,Indian tourists didn’t considerGermany as a holiday destina-

tion. “However, now they arerealising that there is a lot to

explore in Germany forleisure as well. Stuttgart,Munich, Frankfurt andBerlin are now hugelypopular among Indiansas leisure destinations.Indian leisure businesshas also picked up fortheme parks. Especiallyafter the Bollywoodmovie, Don 2, whichwas shot in Germany,Cologne, too, is witness-ing an upward trend interms of tourist arrivalsfrom India,” he informed.

From January to August 2014,tourist arrivals from India rose8.1 per cent, amounting to over 435,052 overnights.GNTO’s goal is to close theyear with 700,000 overnightsby Indian tourists.

German National Tourist Office (GNTO) India has recently launched a microsite to showcase Michelin star restaurants, theme-based unique hotels andniche trails for the Indian market.

Smart Luxury on Germany’s radar

ME G H A PAU LFrom January to August2014, tourist arrivals fromIndia rose 8.1 per cent,amounting to over 435,052overnights. GNTO’s goal isto close the year with700,000 overnights byIndian tourists.

Romit TheophilusDirector-Sales and

Marketing, GNTO India

� Stuttgart, Munich, Frankfurtand Berlin are now hugely popular amongIndians as leisuredestinations. Indian leisurebusiness has also pickedup for theme parks

Highlights

The FRHI Hotels & Resortsvalues and respects the

mutually beneficial relationshipit enjoys with travel agents, andis pleased to reconfirm itsongoing commitment to thiscommunity with the continuedpromise of complimentaryhigh-speed and wireless inter-

net access to all FRHI loyaltyclub members, regardless ofhow customers book their trav-el experience. This meansmembers can make theirreservation through their pre-ferred booking channel includ-ing a travel agent, online ordirectly via the company's proprietary reservation

systems to receive this guestbenefit, in addition to all othersassociated with its guestrecognition programs.

"Our philosophy is towork closely with travel agentsin promoting our distinctivebrands and hotels, providethem with tools and services togrow their commissions, and

make it convenient and easyfor them to do business withus,” said Jeff Senior, ExecutiveVice President & ChiefMarketing Officer, FRHI Hotels& Resorts. “Our offer under-scores this commitment andshows the vital role these travelpartners play in FRHI's distribution strategy.

The brands within the FRHI portfolioFairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel – remaincommitted to working with the travel tradeto drive and enhance customer loyalty.

FRHI commits to trade

TT BU R E AU

Our philosophy is to work closely withtravel agents in promoting our brands,and make it convenient for them to do business with us

Jeff Senior Executive VP & Chief Marketing Officer, FRHI Hotels & Resorts

4 0 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 AGENTS

Ramesh Punjabi, JointManaging Director, LePassage to India, feels onlinebusiness channels haveattracted young travellers,and tour operators have tokeep pace to becoming partof this scenario.

However, the B2B segmentwill continue to conduct business in the conventionalway and travellers will continue to deal with a ‘face’ and‘contact’ in order to feel secure and ensure all aspectsof their travel are dealt with by professionals.

Finding itself at the crossroads, the travel agents’ fraternity now faces a need to ‘reinvent’ and ‘redefine’ its role. Withtravel portals bringing the world literally to the travellers’ doorstep, the need for conventional travel agents has all butdisappeared. Clearly, it is time for them to think ‘out-of-the-box’, innovate, and assume a new avatar.

Overcoming the identity crisis

IN D E R RA J AH LU WA L I A

Homa Mistry, ManagingDirector, Trail Blazers India,feels that, with the introduc-tion of the internet, thetourism business’ potentialhas increased manifo ld.Travel agents will do muchbetter than earlier as theirreach has increased withoutinvestment, and there is no difference between smalland big travel agencies. Essentially, it boils down to asituation where one adopts new marketing ways forthe same job. Those who will adapt to the change willonly see better days ahead.

Cdr. CP Sharma ofNeptune Travco feels mul-tiple travel portals andsearch engines are defi-nitely penetrating the travelmarket. Travel agents dohave to provide value-added services like travelinsurance; visas; foreignexchange; good handling

services; leisure holidays and activities etc to keepthemselves relevant. The personal touch and serviceis paramount. Agents need to change their revenuemodels and move towards customised offerings fordiscerning travellers.

Ratna Chadha, CEO,TIRUN Travel Marketing,and India Representativefor Royal CaribbeanCruises, considers travelagents to be the primarychannel of distribution asthey have direct access andthe widest reach to the con-sumer, and route 99 % of cruise bookings. The inter-net has made the role of agents even more demand-ing because it acts as a catalyst for information.Besides, since the passenger has alreadyresearched the information, agents need to be up tospeed as well.

Sunil Sikka, MarketingManager, WelcomHeritage,feels that the increasing useof internet and advent ofonline travel portals andsearch engines has pre-sented an identity crises fortravel agents. While theinternet provides holiday

packages, travel agents offer holiday experiences.But in order to survive in the competitive world of dig-italization, travel agents need creative ideas, andincreased web presence as today’s era is driftingtowards the digital sphere and in the coming daysmost communications will happen online.

Shivraj Singh, M.D. AtithiVoyages, agrees that theinternet has weaned awayconsiderable business fromtravel agents and tour oper-ators. People find it easierto go online and researchdestinations and selectproperties, as against goingto agents and seeking professional help. But theagent – client relation is like a doctor – patient one.The doctor’s role can’t be replaced. Potential visitorsto India lean heavily on agents’ advice about issuessuch as safety and health.

Capt. Swadesh Kumar, MDShikhar Travels, feels that‘when God closes one door,he opens many others’, whichapplies well to travel agents’business. It is like a super-mar-ket or a boutique where peo-ple buy the specific merchan-dise they seek. The same prin-ciple applies to travel agents’

business. Those who specialise in a particular aspectof travel will survive and flourish as they provide specificservices to clients. The key for the industry is to pickone aspect of tourism and focus on that. This will leadto not just survival, but also profitability.

Kuku S. Kumar, MDTravelmate, feels travelagents today are facing theworst crisis in history sinceIATA agents were appointedas an integral part of the air-line sales and distributionsystem. The entry of travelportals and search engineshave hit the earnings of small and medium agentswho were dependent on service to the customer andcommission from airlines. The commission has beenwithdrawn and capping system introduced, and thesefactors are dealing a fatal blow to agents. In India,agents can still survive with government’s support.

Aparna Basumalik, ChiefExecutive Officer, Club 7Holidays, feels travel agentsare here to stay, but theyhave to come of age, be tech-savvy, and provide innovativeservices. Online businessmay be good for seasonedtravellers, but it doesn’t comecheap, and has its share of problems. Clients are look-ing for reliable handling of their travel, and this is whereagents are necessary. Since one has to pay servicefees online too, why not go through an agent? It’s worthpaying a small supplement to agents who provideclients a sense of security.

4 2 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 FAMILY ALBUM

The Med, Dead and Red in Israel

Indian agents meet Israeli partners

Indian travel agents experienced the best of Israel during a Meeting, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) FAM organised fromNovember 10th-18th, 2014. The agents visited Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Masada, Judean desert and Red Sea in the resort city of Eilat.

Havi

ng F

unAt W

ork

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 4 3AVIATION

UPTM 2015 was recentlylaunched in New Delhi in

the presence of OP Singh,Tourism Minister, UttarPradesh, Amrit Abhijat,Secretary–Tourism, UttarPradesh, Jyotsna Suri, SeniorVice President, FICCI andRahul Chakravarty, Director-Tourism, FICCI. The websitefor the Mart, (www.ficci-uptm.com) was also lunched atthe event. The first edition ofUPTM will be held in Lucknowfrom February 22-24, 2015. Itwill be organised by the stategovernment, the state tourismboard and Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce(FICCI) for the next five years,according to a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) thatwas signed by them this year.

Chakravarty informedthat 75 hosted foreign touroperators from across theworld and 15 inbound opera-tors, 25 domestic tour opera-tors from across India alongwith around 80 sellers of the

tourism products promotingUttar Pradesh as a destination,will participate. A familiarisation(FAM) trip will also be organ-ised at the end of the Mart, forforeign tour operators to

Lucknow, Varanasi and Agra,he added.

Suri said, “The ChiefMinister of Uttar Pradesh,Akhilesh Yadav understandsthe benefits of tourism. Heknows what it can do to growemployment and GrossDomestic Product (GDP) of his

state. So, he conceptualised aninitiative of the UPTM.”

In his address to themeet, Singh said, “Our ChiefMinister has brought in a newslogan ‘Green UP, Clean UP’.

We’ll have to set up a sustain-able way of living. He said, “UPis a state where you find every-thing from heritage to culture.And we all have to make aneffort together to make it oneof the best spots for tourism.”

Abhijat said that a‘Heritage Arc’ will soon be cre-

ated, covering Agra, Lucknow,and Varanasi. An internationalcricket stadium and JaiPrakash Narayan ConventionCentre in Lucknow are being planned to be set up. He added,

“We are planning toenhance the ‘AartiExperience’ inVaranasi, along with improvising thetraffic and cleanlinessissues. Varanasi willbe soon equippedwith air connectivityfrom Sarnath andKushinagar.”

Abhijat also said that theHeritage Hotel Policy wouldprovide a thrust to the hospi-tality sector of Lucknow,Varanasi, and Agra. The Policyoffers entrepreneurs in thesector subsidy in luxury and entertainment tax. He added that the website isbeing renovated to offer more information.

Organised for the first time by FICCI and the State Tourism Board, the Uttar PradeshTravel Mart is all set to turn eyes. On the occasion of its launch, the state tourismminister unveiled a few plans, including a Varanasi-Sarnath direct flight.

Fly Varanasi to Sarnath soon

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The UP Tourism Minister launching the UPTM website

Hahn Air rewards top performers in Mumbai

In an event held on Oct 29, 2014 at the Mayfair Banquet in Worli,Mumbai, Hahn Air organised an award function for honouring agents.The Head of Distribution from Germany Kimberley Long-Urbanetzwas there to grace the occasion. The Martin Trophy was presentedto the top three agents and appreciation cer tificates to other supportive agents.

It is a great motivation to have such an Award.

Recognition to variouspeople who have done agreat job is a great way topromote the performers.

When we talk of business,we always talk of North,

West, and South, but I think there’s a great amount of potentialof business in eastern India. I think it’s been progressing and

it can do much better.

Jeet SawhneyWinner of India Travel Award-East and Managing

Director, Abacus

This awardwill help us toconnect withthe travelcommunity.This, in away, will takeus an inchforward to know the travel industry better.We’ve seen a lot of potential from East

and with the kind of company we are, wewant to give more convenience to foreign tourists.We need to be present wherever they aretravelling. We want to be the best choicepreferred by the foreign travellers. In comingtimes, we see a lot of potential in this business.

Harendra ChoudharyWinner of India Travel Award-East and GeneralManager (North & East India), Centrum Direct

The India TravelAward, specificallyfor the East India,which happenedfor the first time, isa very goodinitiative. It’sgoing to give a boost to the tourism industryin the East and is also going to bring a new

level of luxury to be recognised all overIndia. I also feel that the award is goingto give recognition to different placesand also highlight the East as a

potential tourism destination.

Akanksha Garg DewanWinner of India Travel Award-East

and Director, Sunderban Tiger Camp

Awards do motivate. Keeping this fact in mind,India Travel Awards moved East to award thebest performers of the region. A few excerpts:

India Travel Awardslifts performers’ spirits

The award isprobably thebest which canhappen to thisregion as EastIndia, thoughbeing a nationalwonder hasalways beenneglected. The pride is mostly taken by the rest ofIndia. So, now it’s our time to shine and thisparticular award gives us that insight which wedeserve. We are on the right track and this awardwill give more recognition to the East. This will pavethe way for the future generations. The areas ofimprovement are infrastructure and marketing. ButI’m sure we’ll overcome those and would soon bein competition with any other place in India.

Jai KishanWinner of India Travel Award-East and GeneralManager, Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences

HOTELS

The Swiss-BelhotelInternational has appointed

Global Destinations as its salesrepresentative for the boomingIndia outbound market, as theleading hospitality manage-ment chain seeks to attract vis-itors from the sub-continent toits range of hotels and resorts.

Global Destinations willbe promoting all 125 propertiesin the group's portfolio acrossAsia Pacific and The MiddleEast. Swiss-BelhotelInternational Chairman andPresident Gavin M. Faull said,"India is a market of greatpotential for our brands thatrange from two- to five-starhotels. We are confident theinternational quality standardsand professionalism of Swiss-Belhotel International proper-ties will be well accepted by the

Indian travel trade. We arelooking forward to a long andfruitful partnership with GlobalDestinations."

Founded in 2008 andheadquartered in Mumbai,Global Destinations(www.globaldestinations.in) isone of the leading sales repre-

sentation companies in India,working with numerous highprofile and well-respected trav-el brands worldwide.

Global DestinationsFounder Pranav Kapadiasaid, "It is truly a privilege to add Swiss-BelhotelInternational properties to our

product portfolio, and we arelooking forward to working withour trade partners on pan-Indiabusiness developing the mar-ket for Swiss-BelhotelInternational's hotels andresorts.”

Swiss-Belhotel Inter-national currently has morethan 125 hotels, resorts andprojects in its global portfolio. Ithas a presence in China,Vietnam, the Philippines,Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia,New Zealand, Georgia, Kuwait,Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Omanand Saudi Arabia.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Mumbai, Global Destinations hasworked with numerous high profile travel brands worldwide. Now, it haspartnered with the Swiss-Belhotel International.

Bringing Swiss-Belhotel here

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What is your strategy topromote The Deltin, Damanin India?

We are looking at pro-moting our property throughseveral channels, both offlineand online. We also have ourown internal sales force. Today,the online space is growing at a healthy space, and that makes it an important market for us.

How do you promote them in the internationalmarket?

Currently, for the interna-tional markets, our OTA part-ners and some corporatesbring in most of our internation-al clients.

What are your key markets inIndia and abroad?

Our key markets in India are Gujarat andMaharashtra – basically any-thing that is a five to six hours’drive away, because the roadconnectivity to Daman fromall major cities is excellent.Also, the Vapi railway station,which is a hub for railway connectivity, is just a 10-minute drive from

our property which makes itvery convenient.

What is the property’s USP?The Deltin, Daman is

spread over 10 acres andoffers the largest banquet facil-ity in the area with three bars,four speciality restaurants,29,000 sq. ft. of indoor MICEspace and 8,000 sq. ft. of retailspace. Apart from being locat-ed conveniently from Surat andthree hours from Mumbai, wehave facilities like a grand pool,along with a children’s pool anda kids’ play area, that willdelight weekend travellers. Wealso have banqueting facilitiesthat are the best in the region.Our poolside venue is an ideal

location for corporates andsocial events.

How has the response beenin the last 10 months?

The hotel has alreadybecome a preferred venue forcorporate events and destina-tion weddings. The restaurantsat The Deltin such as ‘Vegas’,our all-day dining restaurantand ‘Emperor’, the Chinesefine-dine restaurant have also become very popular with all guests.

What segment of con-sumers are you targetting?

We are targeting theleisure and the corporate trav-eller. Daman is a holiday des-

tination for many cities inGujarat and Maharashtra, andbeing a Union Territory, hasseveral factors that influencepeople to come here. Wereceive a lot of corporateclients as well, considering thatwe are the only five-star prop-erty in the area.

What kind of MICE facilitiesdo you offer?

We offer a full range ofMICE and conferencing facilitiesas well as wedding facilities. Wehave a pillarless ballroom of8,300 sq ft which is a perfectsize for large events and alsofour banquet rooms rangingfrom 2,300 sq ft to 924 sq ft; theyare a perfect venue for teambuilding, corporate presenta-tions and small gatherings.

Owned by Daman Hospitality, The Deltin, Daman is a 176-room, five-stardeluxe property that has been operational since March 2014 in the UnionTerritory of Daman. Akarsh Mathur, General Manager of The Deltin, spoketo about the segment of consumers he is targetting.

Delighting in Daman

TT BU R E AU We are targetting both theleisure and the corporatetraveller. Daman is a holidaydestination for many cities in

Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Akarsh MathurGeneral Manager

The Deltin

We are looking forward toworking with our tradepartners on pan-Indiabusiness developingthe market for Swiss-

Belhotel International'shotels and resorts

Pranav KapadiaFounder, Global Destinations

� The Deltin, Daman isspread over 10 acres andoffers the largest banquetfacility in the area withthree bars, four specialityrestaurants, 29,000 sq. ft.of indoor MICE space and8,000 sq. ft. of retailspace

About Deltin

� Global Destinations will bepromoting all 125properties in the group'sportfolio across Asia Pacificand The Middle East.

Promotions

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 4 5FAMILY ALBUM

Yacht party for travel agentsGold Coast Tourism recently hosted a yacht party for select travel agents in Mumbai. It was more like a fun time for those who attended the event andGold Coast Tourism played the role of a perfect host.

IAAI celebrates 100 years of aviation January 1, 2015 marks the

centenary of the global aviationindustry and celebrating thislandmark moment is IATAAgents Association of India(IAAI) jointly with SpeedwingsAviation Academy in Kochi. Thecelebrations will start fromJanuary 3 and spread over ayear. January 1, 1914 historical-ly marks the first scheduled air-craft operation when a journeywas made marking the birth ofthe global airline industry. Onthat day, pioneering pilot Tony

Jannus flew a bi-wing ‘flyingboat’ across the bay from St.Petersburg to Tampa, Florida.The first paying passenger wasAbram C. Pheil, the formermayor of St. Petersburg.

Their 21-mile flight across thebay to Tampa took 23 minutes.Though it was a short-livedendeavor which lasted only fourmonths, it paved the way fortoday's daily transcontinentalflights right to the latest Airbus380. The IATA Agents Association

of India (IAAI) jointly withSpeedwings Aviation Academy inKochi will organise events to keepalive the memory of that world-changing moment. This wasannounced by national presidentof IAAI and Chairman ofSpeedwings Aviation Group, BijiEapen, after a discussion with theMinistry of State for Civil AviationDr Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi recently.

“The celebrations are slatedto start from January 3, 2015 and

shall continue over a period of oneyear. The initial program is sched-uled to start at SpeedwingsAuditorium in Kochi on January 3with a national Power Point pres-entation competition on the topic‘India Will Be a Prime leader InThe Future of Aviation’,” the pres-ident said. The competition is openfor university and college students.

He added, “I met the ministerin New Delhi recently and briefedhim about the issues that agentsare facing. He was open to our

feedback and extended his support to us.”

It was followed by a publicmeeting with industry expertsincluding central and state min-isters. The following months willsee workshops for college facul-ties and research fellows, flashmobs, poster competition andphoto contests related to tourismand aviation, research work,business sessions, seminars,workshops and paper presenta-tion competitions for university

and college students. “Celebrations shall continue

in Chennai, Mumbai, Pondicherry,Hyderbad, Kolkata and otherstates during the one-year period.The ultimate aim is to reach outfar and wide by spreading aware-ness about and opportunities inthe aviation industry as well assubject orientation for facultiesand research aspirants. The eventwill culminate with a colorful cer-emony in New Delhi by the end of2015,” Eapen revealed.

HOTELS

Situated close to the railwaystation and airport and

being in the vicinity of businessand commercial places such

as Ambattur Industrial Estate,Guindy Industrial Estate, T.Nagar (shopping hub), AnnaNagar and Mount Road,Ambica Empire in Chennai hasemerged as a great businessand leisure hotel. According toKalthinathan, the USP of thehotel is its strategic location,which has helped in attractingtravellers from all segments.“We are witnessing around 70-75 per cent occupancy in thehotel. The property is inVadapalani. This is a highlydeveloped area in Chennai andthus, is suitable for both busi-

ness and leisure travellers. Theproperty also draws a chunk ofmedical tourists as there aresuper-specialty hospitals likeSRM Institute of Medical sci-ence (SIMS), Ramachandra

Medical Hospital, VijayaHospital, Frontier Lifeline,Madras Medical Mission(MMM), MIOT, Apollo, etc inthe vicinity,” the GM reveals.

The hotel is also doingwell in the MICE segment. TheGM points out, “When it comesto conferences, we play theperfect host. The AmbicaEmpire is an inspired choice ofvenue for a meeting, confer-ence, seminar or an occasion.From a small, simple meetingto international conferences,our professional team is

always ready to help planeverything down to the minutedetail. With the meeting andfunction areas at your dispos-al, you can be sure that everyfunction held here would betruly unforgettable.” The prop-erty consists of three banquet-ing halls and two board roomswith multi-purpose utility, headds. “They are equipped withlatest digital devices with pub-lic addressing facilities for thewider coverage of the confer-ences. The halls can handle up

to 225 guests for conferences.If you need to host a banquet,we can conjure exciting menusthat suit your taste and yes,you can entertain 600 guests,”he points out.

The hotel is part of theAmbica Group of Hotels,which also operates AmbicaSea Green in Visakhapatnam.The group is also looking at commissioning a new hotelin Hyderabad in the next two years.

Ambica Empire in Chennai has emerged as a great business and leisure hotel.According to R. Kalthinathan, GM, Ambica Empire, the USP of the hotel is itsstrategic location, which has helped in attracting travellers from all segments.

Meeting hotspot@Chennai

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When it comes to conferences,we play the perfect host.The Ambica Empire is aninspired choice of venuefor a meeting, conference,seminar or an occasion.

R KalthinathanGeneral Manager

Hotel Ambica Empire

Hotel sales and marketingconsultancy Indian

Historical Hospitality repre-sents and promotes boutiquehotels, heritage hotels, includ-ing forts/ palaces/ havelis,wildlife destinations, luxurycamps and hill resorts in India.The company is providing end-to-end solutions for accommo-dation, travel and logistical

requirements. The recent addi-tion to their portfolio is a newhotel–Heritage Resort Hampi.

Talking about the newproperty which will open doorson December 1, Alok Bhatt,Director-Sales & Marketing,Indian Historical Hospitalitysays, “The Hampi hotel is aneco-friendly resort. This is ourUSP. The hotel uses localorganic food, vegetables and

fruits. We also use our ownground water and recycle allthe water and solid waste.” Thehotel has large independent vil-las and every villa has its inde-pendent gardens.

Bhatt replies, “The proper-ty is closest in proximity ofHampi, the World heritage ruins.We offer lot of activities such asbullock cart rides, walking andcycling trips, excursions to the

bear sanctuary, etc. to explorethe beautiful surroundings.”

The hotel also offersgreat meeting facilities. “Thehotel has a 250 seat, confer-ence room. It also has a 12-seater board room and isequipped with all moderngadgets. For exhibitions, wehave an attached gardenwhich is about 3,000 squaremetres large,” he adds.

Heritage Resort Hampi is set to be launched on December 1. The property isthe closest hotel to Hampi, which is known for its ruins.

Hospitality gets a new address

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The Hampi hotel is an eco-friendly resort. This is our USP. The property is closest in proximity of Hampi, theWorld heritage ruins.

Alok BhattDirector-Sales & Marketing Indian Historical Hospitality

DECEMBERNATIONAL

1-2 Delhi Atout France Mission

1 Surat Visit Britain’s B2B Roadshow

1 Bengaluru European Quartet Roadshow

2 Delhi European Quartet Roadshow

3-5 Mumbai Atout France Mission

3 Ahmedabad Visit Britain’s B2B Roadshow

5-7 Chandigarh CII Tourism Fest

9 Pune New South Wales, TourismQueensland &Tourism Victoria Workshop

9 Ahmedabad New South Wales, Tourism Queensland &Tourism Victoria Workshop

12 - 14 Madurai India international travel exhibition

20 Greater Noida India Travel Awards- North

29-31 Goa India Travel Mart 2014

INTERNATIONAL1-4 Cannes International Luxury Travel Market

4-7 Turkey TRAVEL TURKEY IZMIR, Trade Fair & Conference for Tourism

5-7 Florida USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace

10-11 Brussels BTExpo

JANUARY 2015NATIONAL

9-11 Chennai Travel & Tourism Fair

11 New Delhi Travel Car Rally by TravTalk

15-17 Mumbai India International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (IITT)

16 -18 Bengaluru Travel & Tourism Fair

19 Mumbai Gray Line Latin America 2015 Roadshow

19 Kochi Dubai Tourism Roadshow

20 Hyderabad Gray Line Latin America 2015 Roadshow

21 Kolkata Gray Line Latin America 2015 Roadshow

21 Ahmedabad Dubai Tourism Roadshow

22 Delhi Gray Line Latin America 2015 Roadshow

22 Nagpur Dubai Tourism Roadshow

22 - 24 Mumbai Hosts

23-25 Nagpur India International Travel Exhibition

23 -25 Coimbatore Holiday Expo

29-31 Delhi SATTE

INTERNATIONAL

28 Jan Madrid, Spain FITUR 1 Feb

FEBRUARY 2015NATIONAL

2 Mumbai South Africa Tourism Board Road Show

2 Delhi Tourism Fiji Road Show,2 Mumbai Austrian Tourism Media Launch2 Kolkata Dubai Tourism Roadshow3 Kolkata Tourism Fiji Road Show3 Mumbai Austria Tourism B2B Workshop3-4 Mumbai SATTE4-5 Mumbai YEATS (World’s First Youth

Tourism Event)4-6 Mumbai Outbound Travel Mart

For more information, contact us at: talk@ddppl.com

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 4 7CLASSIFIED

FAMILY ALBUM

The PACTO–OTOAI Roadshow PACTO, a DMC based in Indonesia, recently organised its roadshow in association with the OutboundTour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) in Mumbai.

over the last few years.Undoubtedly, Goa will contin-ue to surprise with more andmore numbers and will be themost preferred destination forall ages and segments andwill also bring in new interna-tional markets with its connectivity.

What is the kind ofoccupancy the region iscommanding? Againstthat, what is the occu-pancy rate your hotel istargetting?

Goa is currently witness-ing a stable occupancy of 70%and this has seen an increaseby 2% to 3% with supplyincrease by 3% and demandgrowth by 5%. The GrandMercure Goa in its first year istargetting an occupancy of 65%.

Any new initiatives forthe travel agents?

We would like to workwith all travel agents includingonline and for this, we haveensured that the rate parity ismaintained while the perform-

ance link bonus is somethingthat we have been offering allour partners helping us pro-mote both our resorts in Goawhich is the Grand MercureGoa Shrem Resort andNovotel Goa Shrem Resortwhich has been operationalsince October 2013. Our entirefocus at Grand Mercure GoaShrem Resort will be to offerupscale guest experiencewhile we continue to bringabout every bit of Goa for our guests and provide a Glocal experience through this brandGrand Mercure.

Contd. from page 26

Elegance & opulence@GoaCommenting at the launch, Nitan Chhatwal, MD, ShremGroup, said, “We are delighted to be associated with theGrand Mercure brand in India, and are confident of GrandMercure Goa Shrem Resort being a preferred choice for trav-ellers. With this association, we plan to bring the best of hos-pitality to leisure and business travellers to the region.”

Travellers’ choice

D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 TRAVTALK 4 9OPPORTUNITY

5 0 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 4 MOVEMENTSIndia Exposition Mart LimitedNew DelhiRakesh Kumar has been unani-mously elected as the newChairman of IEML by its Board ofDirectors at the Board Meeting.Kumar has wide experience ofworking with SMES, especially forexport promotion enterprises formore than 27 years. Kumar is alsothe CEO & Executive Director ofExport Promotion Council forHandicrafts (EPCH).

Four Points by Sheraton PunePuneVijayan Gangadharan has recently beenappointed as the General Manager at theFour Points by Sheraton Pune. Withover 26 years of experience with lead-ing hospitality brands, he has exten-sive experience in product marketing,product managing, media and PR,events, conventions and training. Healso served as F&B Manager for threeyears at The Regent Mumbai (now TajLand’s End), Senior Manager at The LeelaKempinski, Mumbai, as Captain at The AlRashid Hotel, Baghdad and TheKrishna Oberoi, Hyderabad,to name a few.

Shangri-La HotelBengaluru Jens Peter Corder has been appointed as theGeneral Manager of Shangri-La Hotel,Bengaluru. Corder, an Australian national,brings with him more than 25 years ofexperience. He has been successfullyholding executive hotel management posi-tions for over eight years across differentShangri-La properties in Singapore, HongKong, China and now in India. Having begunhis career path through kitchens, Corder holdsa Diploma in Culinary Arts, Hospitality& Management.

Golden Tulip Hotels & ResortsGurgaonShashi Razdan joins Louvre Hotels Group/Golden Tulip Hotels as

the Area Director Of Sales & Marketing South Asia.Razdan brings with him over 23 years of

experience in several hotel groups includingThe Oberoi, The Imperial, Hampshire, andUppal’s Orchid. Prior to joining LouvreHotels, Razdan held the position of Directorof Sales & Marketing with InterContinentalHotels Group Crowne Plaza, Delhi. A grad-uate from Delhi University, Razdan has

extensive experience in Sales, RevenueManagement, Food & Beverage

Operations.

HyattChennaiShubham Chandra has been appointed as the Area Director - Sales

and Marketing for Hyatt Hotels in Bangalore,Chennai, Hampi, Kathmandu and Kolkata.

Chandra has over 16 years of experiencein business development, marketing andsales with reputed names in the hospitality industry. He brings extensiveexperience to the role, as he has workedin all important Indian markets from the

Sales and Marketing perspective. He willalso continue to be the Director of

Sales & Marketing at Hyatt RegencyChennai.

Hilton ChennaiChennaiAmit Kumar has been appointed as the Director of Operations at

Hilton Chennai. With over 16 years of experi-ence in the hospitality industry in India,Kumar has worked with Taj HotelsResorts & Palaces, The Leela Palaces,Hotels & Resorts and Starwood Hotels& Resorts. Most recently, he was theExecutive Assistant Manager, F&B at TheLalit, Mumbai. Kumar holds a Diploma in

Hotel Management from the Institute ofHotel Management, Catering & Nutrition,

Ahmedabad.

Lords Hotel and ResortsNew DelhiMayuri Ghosh has been appointed as General Manager Sales,(Corporate office) Lords Hotel and Resorts. She brings with her

more than 19 years of experience in thehospitality industry with specialisation

in sales. Prior to her new role asGM, Sales, she served as anAssistant Director, Sales atRoyal Orchid Hotels. Ghosh isa Hotel Management graduatefrom Women’s Polytechnic,New Delhi. In her currentcapacity, she will be responsi-ble for overall group sales.

Fidalgo Group of HotelsHyderabadMd. Azharul Haque has joined the Quality Inn Fidalgo, Hyderabadas the Executive Assistant Manager. He is an Arts graduate fromLNM University and an alumnus of IIAS,Calcutta, where he completed his threeyears’ diploma in Hotel Management.With over 15 years of experience,Haque is currently heading the overallday-to-day operation with majorresponsibility in leading the F&B,Sales and Marketing, targetting MICEbusiness and Resicon.

Renaissance Mumbai ConventionCentre Hotel & Lakeside ChaletMarriott Executive ApartmentsMumbaiGaurav Aggarwal has been appointed asthe Director of Catering Sales at theRenaissance Mumbai ConventionCentre Hotel & Lakeside Chalet MarriottExecutive Apartments. Aggarwal hasrobust and substantial experience of 8years in Sales and Marketing, and bringswith him great depth, insight and skill toRenaissance Mumbai. With Sales andBusiness Development as his forte,Aggarwal’s contribution in build-ing and improving sales hasbeen paramount to thefirm’s growth.

Talking People is a special dedicated corner, created as a sounding board for who’s who of the Indian and International travel industry. With Talking People, it is our endeavour to bring you face-to-face with people.Contributed by: Hazel Jain & Samapti Das

Stephen Fleming, Former New Zealandcricketer and Coach for Chennai SuperKings, lives in a house that has threesheep and 18 chicken! He says he haslearned a bit of conversational Hindi

and when you ask him if that’s truehe responds with a ‘theek hai’!The cricketer enjoys NewZealand wine and

de-stresses byplaying golf

withfriends.

Speaking about hisfavourite holiday place

in India, he says, “It has tobe the Fisherman’s Cove by

Vivanta by Taj in Chennai.”

Kimberley Long-Urbanetz, Head of Distribution, Hahn Air,loves India, the food and the people. She loves to have dalchawal and chai. She said, “I love the colours that thecountry (India) offers to the world. If one takes a step toembrace the country, it will embrace him or her back.”

Long-Urbanetz has been toDelhi and Mumbai and loved

both the places. OutsideIndia, she loves to travel

to Australia, Californiaand San Francisco.She added, “Theworld is my oysterand I love to travel.I also love to

read and cookespecially Indian

food.”

Shubhra Bhardwaj, CEO and Founder of FerriswheelEntertaintment, de-stresses by spending a lot of silenttime with herself. That is also one of the reasons whyshe loves spending time in Goa. But right now she is inlove with London. “I am able to experience different sides

of London, based on whatmy mood is,” she

exclaims. Speakingabout her best holidaymoment, she says, “Iwas waiting for awater bus to go tothe station at 4:30am in Venice. Whenthe sun rose, it wasthe most stunningmoment!”

Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2012-13-14; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2012-14 for posting on 1st-2nd and 16th-17th

of the same month at New Delhi P.S.O., RNI No.: 53492/1991Date of Publication:30-11-2014

Britain conducted a surveywhere visitors from India

were asked why they visitedthe UK. The results of this sur-vey showed that the third mostpopular reason for their visit isimbibing the culture, appreci-ating the heritage buildingsand historic monuments.

Giving these details witha smile, Sajid Javid, MP &Secretary of State for CultureMedia and Sport UnitedKingdom, tells , “We havethe second largest Indian com-munity in the world and manyIndians have friends and familyliving in the UK, thus makingtourists feel more at home.”Other reasons like no lan-guage barrier, great food and the beautiful countrysidemake Britain an ideal holiday destination.

“The Indian tourism mar-ket is one of the fastest grow-ing in the world which reflectshow fast the Indian economy

is growing and Britain like anyother country will compete toattract tourists. We have tomake sure that we are makingthe best case to show what allis available in the country,”adds Javid.

Last year, the UK welcomed more tourists thanever before, and they spentmore money than ever beforewhile they were there.Discussing the visa strategy atWTM this year, Javid says,“We’re also making life easier

for tourists from emerging mar-kets by improving our visaservice. We started acceptingIrish visas from Chinesenationals; a service that willshortly be extended to Indiannationals too. I’m proud of the

service we offer, and it com-pares well with many of ourinternational rivals.”

Under the British-Irishvisa scheme, some Irish shortstay visas will allow onwardtravel to the UK and some

UK visitor visas will allowonward travel to Ireland. Sothe Indian nationals can visit the UK and Ireland usinga single visa when travellingon certain short stay and visitor visas. For example,

under the scheme, an Indian visitor in Dublin will beable to make a short trip toLondon or Belfast withoutneeding a separate visa.Alternatively an Indian visitorin London could travel toDublin or Cork.

Visit Britain has a dedi-cated team based in Indiaand is working with the tradeto promote the destinationand make more Indians visitthe country. “They are alreadydoing a good job and lastyear we had the highest num-ber of Indian tourists at375,000, up by 11 per cent,”says Javid.

The UK is a very specialplace. For centuries, it hasoffered tourists incrediblesights and sounds that theycould not experience any-where else. Along with this, itcontinues to offer new destina-tions, new experiences, newsights, sounds and smell.“Whether you’re passionateabout sport, culture, food or anything else, the UK has something unique for visitors to enjoy.”

Great growth, Great Britain With over 375,000 Indians visiting the country last year and a continued2 per cent growth till the first half of 2014, Great Britain maintains itspopularity among Indian travellers and credits the travel trade as theirkey partners for achieving these numbers.

DEVIKA JEET

The Indian tourism market is one of thefastest growing in the world which reflectshow fast the Indian economy is growing and Britain like any other country will

compete to attract tourists

Sajid Javid MP & Secretary of State for Culture

Media and SportUnited Kingdom

“This year has beenone of the best years wehave had. We saw a 10 percent growth in the numberof arrivals and 32 per centgrowth in the total spend,making it a phenomenalyear. Indians are willing totravel to newer places inthe UK and are also spending more money.Though the final numbersare not out yet, but we have also seen a 2 per centgrowth till August this year,” says Shivali Suri,Country Manager-India,VisitBritain.

Indians are evolving astravellers; they are choos-ing newer places and travelis now becoming a lifestyle

necessity. London hasbeen the first place mosttravellers choose in theUnited Kingdom but now they are also exploringother destinations such as Scotland, Wales, LakeDistrict and many more.

“Our engagementwith trade has been very important to us. The travel trade is responsible for promoting destinations in India.

We had the GreatTourism Week in July and

August and saw a verygood response from mostcities especially inAhmedabad, Chandigarh

and Pune. We will continueour trade engagements andit’s only going to get biggerand better,” she adds.

And the numbers keep growing...

Shivali SuriCountry Manager-IndiaVisitBritain