TravelScapes ...natural beauty and man-made marvels. We bring you the best of handpicked experiences from this land of Bach and Goethe while in the inbound section; we also bring you

TravelScapesw w w . t r a v e l s c a p e s o n l i n e . c o m

AUGUST 2019, PAGES 60, `100 VOL. 7, ISSUE. 8

A TURBULENCE FREE FUTURENAVIGATING TOWARDSGERMANY

THRILLS, TREATS AND TEMPTATIONS

©Rail Europe. 2019. All Rights Reserved. Do not litter.Rail Europe, a French simplified joint-stock company, with a capital of 1 179 655 Euros, recorded in the business register of Nanterre under number 401 714 933, having its registered office at 2 place de la Défense, CNIT 1 – BP 440; 92053 Paris La Défense Cedex - France.Photo credits: ©️ Eurostar; ©️ Swiss Travel System AG, 2018, Fotograf: Tobias Ryser. Created by: Rebekah Owens.

2019

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

WHAT YOU’LL DO: Sign up today at www.railexpertindia.com Learn the ins and out of selling key European rail products with the Rail Expert Program

Complete all 8 quiz modules and increase your knowledge with each training session

WHAT YOU COULD WIN: 10 lucky travel consultants will be invited on an exclusive Rail Expert Fam Trip to Europe based on their quiz scores and module completion

Win fantastic prizes too on completion of the program. The better your score, the better your changes to win !

Rail Expert Program starts from 16 August

Rise to the challenge!Register today at www.railexpertindia.com to become a proven Rail Expert in your market.

and ends on 30 September, 2019Rail Europe’s exclusive training program on European Trains. Now in its second year, win a 7 day Trip to Europe and also win great prizes along the way

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Dear Readers,

Being one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, clocking around 15 to 20 per cent domestic growth in the recent years, the Indian aviation sector has been thriving and surviving is certain to grow to ten folds. As per the latest data revealed, several international carriers, due to the rising demand, saw up to a 27 per cent increase in passenger numbers from India in the last quarter of 2018. Although the growing numbers and rising frequency came to a sudden halt with Jet Airways’ grounding; this, in turn, whirled into a quick windfall and a long term opportunity for the international airlines to scoop up the numbers. The recent data also revealed that the carrier’s descent into crisis has benefited international airlines in the form of rising fares and demand. Keeping that in mind, TravelScapes used the opportunity to interact with some of the leading airline brands that are not just keen on intensifying their existing routes to and from India but also are looking at establishing new services.

Encouraged by the hassles that our tourism industry has faced over the past few years and moving in tandem with the government’s mission of welcoming more tourists to our country, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) is delighted to hold its 35th Annual Convention in the ‘City of Joy’ – KOLKATA, majorly focusing on the ongoing setbacks of India tourism. With the convention just around the corner, we speak with the appointed committee of the convention and key decision-makers from the association on how they are planning to up the ante this year while still being one of the most relevant travel trade forums in the country.

With its awe-inspiring scenery, spirit-lifting culture, big-city beauties, romantic palaces and half-timbered towns, Germany indeed, is an exceptional unification of natural beauty and man-made marvels. We bring you the best of handpicked experiences from this land of Bach and Goethe while in the inbound

section; we also bring you some of the finest experiences to relish in the Kerala monsoons.

This issue brings news and reports about trade, hospitality, aviation and the latest in tourism worldwide.

We value your feedback and suggestions so please do write to us on [email protected].

Happy reading!

India Aviation: Taking The Flight For Future

Varun MalhotraPublisher & CEO

PUBLISHER & CEO Varun Malhotra [email protected]

DIRECTOR Pranav Khullar [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Gagneet Kaur

ASST. EDITOR Sayanti Halder

REPORTER Kritika Dua

REPORTER & MARKETING ANALYST Lokesh Tuli

BUSINESS HEAD Shilpi Sharma

AGM SALES & MARKETING (MUMBAI) Aarti Rajkhewa

BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGER Nitika Bisht

CONSULTANT Anindya Malhotra, Jitin Mann

DESIGNER Shivnath

Editorial & Marketing Office: Versatile Media: 207, Satya Mansion, Commercial Complex, Ranjeet Nagar, New Delhi-110008Contact: 011 - 45530380/83 • [email protected] information in TravelScapes is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract or interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisement Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.Owned and published by: Varun Malhotra, Editor & Publisher, EB-63, Maya Enclave, Hari Nagar, New Delhi - 110064 and printed at in-house facility.

TravelScapes

ACCOUNTS Saroj Thakur

ADMIN HEAD R Prem Lata

EXECUTIVE-CIRCULATION Hari Puri, Raja Rari

©Rail Europe. 2019. All Rights Reserved. Do not litter.Rail Europe, a French simplified joint-stock company, with a capital of 1 179 655 Euros, recorded in the business register of Nanterre under number 401 714 933, having its registered office at 2 place de la Défense, CNIT 1 – BP 440; 92053 Paris La Défense Cedex - France.Photo credits: ©️ Eurostar; ©️ Swiss Travel System AG, 2018, Fotograf: Tobias Ryser. Created by: Rebekah Owens.

2019

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

WHAT YOU’LL DO: Sign up today at www.railexpertindia.com Learn the ins and out of selling key European rail products with the Rail Expert Program

Complete all 8 quiz modules and increase your knowledge with each training session

WHAT YOU COULD WIN: 10 lucky travel consultants will be invited on an exclusive Rail Expert Fam Trip to Europe based on their quiz scores and module completion

Win fantastic prizes too on completion of the program. The better your score, the better your changes to win !

Rail Expert Program starts from 16 August

Rise to the challenge!Register today at www.railexpertindia.com to become a proven Rail Expert in your market.

and ends on 30 September, 2019Rail Europe’s exclusive training program on European Trains. Now in its second year, win a 7 day Trip to Europe and also win great prizes along the way

4 travelscapesonline.com AUGUST 2019

SPECIAL FOCUS AVIATION

32 SHANDONG AIRLINES SEEKS CODESHARE AGREEMENT TO PICK MORE TRAFFIC FROM EXTRA INDIAN CITIESPLANS ON DEVELOPING ITS OFFICIAL WEBSITE IN ENGLISH FOR VISIBILITY AND EASE Foraying into the Indian subcontinent four years back, Shandong Airlines (SDA) is now seeking further into this prospective market owing to its rising outbound traffic from the country. In addition to arranging talks with some of the leading domestic airlines in India for alliances, Wang Shuai, General Representative of Shandong Airlines speaks about how SDA is also adapting avenues to make its presence in the market more amicable

CONTENT

6 .........................................................................................................................................................................................MoT16 .................................................................................................................................................................................... Trade34 .........................................................................................................................................................................Hospitality48 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Outbound56 ...............................................................................................................................................................................Aviation58 ..................................................................................................................................................................... On the Move

REGULAR UPDATES

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AUGUST 2019 VOL. 7, ISSUE. 8

AVIATION SPECIAL

UPDATE IATO

22 IATO BRACES ITSELF FOR THE "CITY OF JOY"AIMS AT ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE AND PROVIDING EFFECTIVE BUSINESS PROMOTION TOOLS

The Indian air travel market is growing at a healthy pace. It is expected to cater to 478 million passengers by 2036, with the number of international travellers expected to cross 50 million by the year 2020. The increase in consumer spending is also extremely encouraging; in 2018, Indians spent USD 22 billion on international travel alone. Keeping these growth drivers in mind, the international airline companies to eye deeper into this prospective market, hoping for a rise in both revenue and demand. TravelScapes converses to some of the leading brand names in the international aviation business that are promising to create broader scopes for progression. Additionally, we highlight their contributing factors to the India market together with an intensification of their trade and presence in the subcontinent

NAVIGATING TOWARDS A TURBULENCE FREE FUTURETHE UPWARD TRAJECTORY OF THE GLOBAL AIRLINES IN INDIA MARKET

Aviation

��

GLOBETROTTER50 GERMANYTHRILLS, TREATS AND TEMPTATIONSWith its soul-stirring scenery, spirit-lifting culture, big-city beauties, romantic palaces and half-timbered towns, the Deutschland is an exceptional unification of natural beauty and man-made marvels as history, culture and natural beauty perhaps best describe the essence of vacationing in Germany


TravelScapesUPDATE MoT

Incredible India ‘Find the Incredible You’ campaign released globally by the Ministry of Tourism during 2018-19 has been declared the winner of the recent PATA (Pacific Asia Travel

Association) Gold Award 2019 in the ‘Marketing - Primary Government Destination’ category. This year’s awards attracted 198 entries from 78 organisations and individuals, worldwide.

The Ministry of Tourism, as part of its promotional initiatives annually releases Global Media Campaigns under the ‘Incredible India’ brand-line in the television, print, digital and social media, in key and potential source markets overseas.

Buddhist Circuit is one of the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan- Integrated

Development of Theme-Based Tourism Circuits Scheme of Ministry of Tourism. All sites in the country related to Buddhism including Kapilvastu are covered under the Buddhist Circuit for development.

The projects for development under the above scheme are identified in consultation with the State Governments/Union Territory (UT) Administrations and are sanctioned subject to the submission of detailed project reports, their adherence to scheme guidelines, availability of funds and submission of utilisation certificates for the funds released earlier.

The Ministry of Tourism has recognised films as a powerful tool for the development and promotion of destinations under niche tourism product. Several destinations

have gained in terms of tourist inflow by being the venue/location of popular domestic and international films. ‘film tourism’ provides exposure and promotion to the filmed destinations, which thereby brings job creation, investment opportunities and income generation contributing to the overall economic development of the area.

The Ministry of Tourism, under its scheme of Swadesh Darshan, is developing theme-based tourist circuits in the

country. Eco parks/ adventure parks/adventure activity zones are among the admissible components under the scheme. The details of projects under which ministry have sanctioned the components of eco-parks/adventure parks/adventure activity zones since the launch of the scheme in 2014-15.

Development of Pathanamthitta- Gavi- Vagamon- Thekkady as eco-tourism circuit in Idduki and Pathanamthitta Districts in Kerala and development of coastal tourism circuit in Sri Potti Sriramalu Nellore under Swadesh Darshan Scheme in Andhra Pradesh are in the cards. Integrated development of new eco-tourism under Swadesh Darshan-North East Circuit at Thenzawl and South Zote, District Serchhip and Reiek, Mizoram along with integrated development of tourist facilities at Mantalai- Sudhmahadev- Patnitop under the Himalayan circuit theme in Jammu and Kashmir along with the development of Gandhisagar Dam- Mandleshwar Dam- Omkareshwar Dam- Indira Sagar Dam- Tawa Dam- Bargi Dam- Bheda Ghat- Bansagar Dam- Ken River under Eco circuit theme of Swadesh Darshan Scheme is sanctioned.

The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme - Integrated Development of Theme-Based Tourism Circuits provides central financial assistance

to state governments/ union territory administrations for development of tourism infrastructure in the country for the projects identified in consultation with them, subject to submission of project proposals, their adherence to relevant scheme guidelines, submission of suitable detailed project reports, availability of funds and utilisation of funds, released earlier.

Under the above scheme, development of Panna- Mukundpur- Sanjay- Dubri-Bandhavgarh- Kanha- Mukki- Pench in Madhya Pradesh for wildlife circuit. Bijnor- Meerut- Kanpur- Kanpur Dehat- Banda- Ghazipur- Salempur- Ghosi- Balia- Ambedkar Nagar- Aligarh- Fatehpur- Deoria- Mahoba- Sonbhadra- Chandauli- Mishrikh- Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh for the spiritual circuit and development of Kalinjar Fort (Banda)- Marhar Dham (SantKabir Nagar)- Chauri Chaura, Shaheed Sthal (Fatehpur)- Mavahar Sthal (Ghosi)- Shaheed Smarak (Meerut) in Uttar Pradesh for heritage circuits are planned.

Incredible India Campaign wins Pata Gold Award 2019

Projects facilitated under Buddhist circuit

Film facilitation office gets set up for ease of filming in India

Nine projects get sanctioned for eco-tourism

Theme-based circuits get approved under Bundelkhand region

AUGUST 2019 travelscapesonline.com 7

AVIATION SPECIAL TravelScapes

By Gagneet Kaur and Sayanti Halder

The Indian air travel market is growing at a healthy pace. It is expected to cater to 478 million passengers by 2036, with the number of international travellers expected to cross 50 million by the year 2020. The increase in consumer spending is also extremely encouraging; in 2018, Indians spent USD 22 billion on international travel alone. Keeping these growth drivers in mind, the international airline companies to eye deeper into this prospective market, hoping for a rise in both revenue and demand. TravelScapes converses with some of the leading brand names in the international aviation business that are promising to create broader scopes for progression. Additionally, we highlight their contributing factors to the India market together with an intensification of their trade and presence in the sub-continent

NAVIGATING TOWARDS

THE UPWARD TRAJECTORYOF THE GLOBAL AIRLINES IN INDIA MARKET

A TURBULENCE FREE FUTURE



TravelScapes AVIATION SPECIAL

According to CAPA India, around 800 weekly slots have become available alone in Delhi and Mumbai, generating opportunities for the existing airlines to increase their presence in these important markets. There is an impetus for stabilising operations and expand network at major markets amid reduced overall capacities and AirAsia India has fastened its seatbelt for the accelerated flight. A joint venture between the Tata Sons and AirAsia Berhad, AirAsia India is poised for major growth in the Indian subcontinent. The budget carrier is planning to take its fleet strength to 40 by this year and the next, as it looks to expand its domestic network.

“Our endeavour has always been to expand our routes and destinations to best serve customer demands. In resonance with the same, we are looking at adding about 18 aircraft to our fleet by FY 19-20, which is currently at 22. We are constantly monitoring and revising our network schedules, taking into account the dynamics of the India market and safe operational practices, to optimise and harness the best of our aircraft

assets,” says the recently-appointed Kumar. “We are also looking forward to receiving the license to fly international soon and sprawl our grid beyond the domestic market. We do not see a codeshare relationship with any of the domestic airlines, for the time being, however, we do offer fly-thru flights and packages on AirAsia network, to allow our passengers to travel 135 destinations across international and domestic sectors.”

Tourism in India is a multi-million dollar industry, which is a testament to the enormous number of leisure travel bookings that AirAsia India receives, every day. “To promote tourism in India, we conduct travel fairs across the country. As one of the most preferred low-cost carriers, we urge flyers to visit these travel fairs and avail exciting offers we have in store and travel to their favourite destinations. We have multiple sales teams across the country targeting each segment of the travel agency market, tour operators, TMC and MICE. We have various incentives, programs, promotions that encourage travel trade to support AirAsia network,” updates Kumar. “We pride

ourselves on being a guest-obsessed airline, which is also one of our core values at AirAsia. With our entrenched brand ethos of making flying accessible to everyone, we offer the best of amenities and fares to our passengers while investing in a modern, safe and efficient aircraft fleet.”

“OUR ENDEAVOUR HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO EXPAND OUR ROUTES

AND DESTINATIONS TO BEST SERVE CUSTOMER DEMANDS”

SANJAY KUMAR, COO, AIRASIA INDIA

NokScoot, a Thailand-based joint venture low cost carrier between Scoot and Thailand’s Nok Air, has been operating commercial medium to long-haul flights out of Bangkok's Don Mueang airport since May 2015. And ever since the airline ventured into the India market last year in December with the launch of its direct flights between Delhi and Bangkok, NokScoot’s strategies and the route expansion prognoses for the entire Asia market have become more extensive. While there are already a few airlines operating on the Delhi-Bangkok route, NokScoot, with this recent foray, projects that the growing demand for leisure and business travel between the two cities, can support the big capacity it is injecting onto the route.

“Our medium term goal is to continue developing our route network in Asia and strengthening the existing routes we fly to. This includes China, Japan and India. We just inducted one B777-200 on 21 July 2019, bringing our all wide-body fleet to 6 aircraft. Another aircraft delivery in Sep 2019 and one or two more new routes will also further reinforce our Bangkok hub by providing customers with faster and more convenient connectivity to and from North and South Asia into Thailand,” Toh

shares. Currently, as Toh informs, the airline is also working

on improving connectivity with Nok Air, one of the two major shareholders in order to provide greater connectivity to and from major domestic destinations in Thailand. Also realising the fact that India’s passenger market is inexhaustible and the country being one of the many markets that can potentially feed its network, the airline has a general sales agent appointed in Delhi responsible for engaging directly with the key travel trade partners in India. Apart from this, Toh adds that the regular promotions would continue through advertising in the travel trade publications and participation in fairs and exhibitions around the year while he is also optimistic about the outcomes from the roadshows organised by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Moreover, confident about how NokScoot would continue to create a niche for itself in the busy aviation market, Toh stresses upon the carrier’s USP and adds on saying, “NokScoot flies only Boeing 777-200 wide-bodied twin-aisle jets, configured with a total of 415 seats. The aircraft is bigger than those traditionally used by low cost carriers and offers an unprecedented

level of comfort, with 24 seats in ScootBiz and 391 seats in Economy, supported by great fares for its valued customers. Additionally, our on time performance (OTP) topped off with a best performance in December 2018 when OTP reached 95.45 per cent on 330 flights during the month. NokScoot's system wide OTP for all of 2018 showed the airline achieved an impressive overall OTP of 84.73 per cent for a total of 3,789 flight segments.”

“OUR MEDIUM TERM GOAL IS TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING OUR

ROUTE NETWORK IN ASIA "

GIAM MING TOH, DEPUTY CEO OF NOKSCOOT


TravelScapesSPECIAL AVIATION

It seems to be a really exciting time for Virgin Atlantic as the company resiliently grows its services to the Indian subcontinent. In 2019’s October 28, the airline is making the much-awaited and long overdue comeback to Mumbai with its daily f lights between London (Heathrow) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The route will be operated on a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, with three-class configuration. This f light will mark Virgin Atlantic’s second destination in India since it has been flying incessantly to Delhi for over 18 years now. “It perfectly connects to all our US services, which with our transatlantic partnership with Delta Air Lines that covers over 200 destinations. In India, we have a partnership with Vistara over Delhi and Mumbai to connect to other cities PAN India. Watch this space, as we continue to grow our partnerships and services so many more Indian’s can f ly with Virgin,” shares Hodges while commenting of Virgin’s expansion panorama.

With the airline’s recent announcement of coming up with a Key Performance Indicators

around the aspects of ‘love’ to connect with all its stakeholders — from employees to customers, Hodges explains the considerable importance of engaging with the Indian travel trade for attracting more traction from this market. “We have great relationships with the trade and plan to continue that great tradition. I take the view that we need to support our agents by working collectively in a partnership model,” he adds and supplements with, “whether we contract with an agent or not, the team is always here to help so that customers get the best experience possible from the very moment they decide to travel.”

With unfailing endeavours to both the Indian trade and consumer-base for an extended amount of time, Virgin’s brand image corresponds fittingly to the overall philosophy of India as a country. “We are a customer-focused organisation offering personalised service and ensure that customers travel in comfort, style and with the latest on-board technologies. Once you watched the best Bollywood films in the sky,

eaten the finest Indian food, interacted with our amazing cabin crew – a great mix of local and international – or used our Wi-Fi to speak with loved ones on the ground, we are confident that you won’t want to f ly with anyone but Virgin.” A confident Hodges insists that one needs to experience Virgin’s services to know what he is talking about!

“WE NEED TO SUPPORT OUR AGENTS BY WORKING

COLLECTIVELY IN A PARTNERSHIP MODEL”

DAVID HODGES, COUNTRY MANAGER-INDIA, VIRGIN ATLANTIC

"IndiGo’s growth journey has been extremely enriching, with a lot to look forward to, with the increasing appetite for travel within India and internationally.” Boulter shares enthusiastically while further adding, “Over half of the expansion this year will be overseas, taking our international capacity from 15 per cent to 20 per cent. Our existing

fleet and the new A321neo aircraft have enhanced our capability to reach cities in the Middle East and southeast Asia. Maiden flights have already commenced to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, with markets like China, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia on the radar. Our capacity for the quarter increased by 30 per cent compared to the same period last year. As we add more capacity, we see significant opportunities for profitable growth by increasing our connections to tourist destinations within India and abroad.”

As a part of its international expansion strategy, IndiGo recently announced its codeshare with Turkish Airlines and the part of the agreement allows the carrier to offer 20 additional international points on the Istanbul-based carrier’s network. “Twelve codeshare destinations beyond Istanbul on Turkish Airlines including Athens, Budapest, Brussels, Tel Aviv, Malta, Paris, Dublin, Copenhagen, Prague, Vienna, Zurich and Amsterdam are already open for sale. We do not have any plans of building a codeshare relationship with any domestic brand,” adds Boulter.

Understanding that the Indian aviation industry is

one of the most dynamically growing markets, Boulter reiterates the fact that it has evolved in a big way and is here to grow, furthermore. “Making use of the situation as an opportunity, we are scaling up in size, also increasing our global footprint to boost mobility and expanding our travel agent network to service thousands of new passengers every day.”

Being one of the fastest-growing carriers in the world and with its fleet of over 200 aircraft, 1400 daily flights flying out of 56 domestic destinations and 19 international destinations, IndiGo has indeed made a mark in the aviation arena. “Today, IndiGo is not only part of a traveller’s itinerary, but an important part of the national economic fabric. Creating value for our shareholders and engaging over 25000 employees, we are on a mission to boost economic growth,” shares the confident Boulter.

“The success and growth of IndiGo is based on four key pillars- delivering courteous and hassle-free service, providing affordable fares, focus on our on-time performance and finally, the large scale of coverage and network that we provide to our customers.”

“WE HAVEN’T JUST CONNECTED CITIES, WE HAVE ALSO

CONNECTED STORIES”

WILLIAM BOULTER, CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, INDIGO

W: www.hotelexpertz.com W: www.faretripbox.com Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

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TravelScapesSPECIAL AVIATION

The German airline Lufthansa Group recently celebrated its 25 years of regional operation between Chennai and Frankfurt. Noticing its surpassing progress that is initiating new developments in the India market, Ettiyil shares that the airline company is charged and equipped to cater to the growing traffic and demand. “We are ramping up operations

in the Mumbai-Munich sector and have upgraded the aircraft from an A330 to our latest A350. We are also looking at increasing the capacity in the Business Class on our flights from Chennai and Bangalore with a different seat configuration from summer 2020. Also, we have been trying to consolidate our network by increasing our presence in the places we fly to because as an airline, one needs to grow prudently,” he adds and continues, “Currently at the group level, we are in the process of evaluating flight operations in existing and new destinations, and consolidation in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, definitely, is on the agenda. To fill the gap left behind by Jet Airways as a feeder airline, Lufthansa is scaling regular interlining agreements with Indian carriers to thereby reach the tier-II cities.”

Additionally, the Lufthansa Group has been in the forefront to promote and implement a new standard for the distribution of airline tickets, known as NDC (New Distribution Capability). It is an XML standard for an API that can be provided by airlines to enable

modern retailing of tickets, so one day a consumer may be able to put an airline ticket into any e-retail shopping basket. This standard is still in its beginning stages but is gaining progressive traction in the India market. In Lufthansa’s endeavour to provide the best end-to-end experience in a customer’s journey, the company has invested greatly in the digitalisation of travel on our airlines. “A major focus was put on our App, which we can proudly claim to be the most advanced in user experience and the many services that can be availed digitally at the tip of one’s finger,” explains Ettiyil.

Positioning itself as a customer-centric airline company, Ettiyil boasts how Lufthansa believes that the best way of gaining traction is to put the customer in the spotlight. “This is why our customers are at the core of everything that we do, from marketing to product innovation to onboard offerings to the launch of new services. This focus on customers, experiences and stories – with Lufthansa as the premium enabler – reflects in our brand tagline, #SayYesToTheWorld.”

“WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING FLIGHT OPERATIONS

IN EXISTING AND NEW DESTINATIONS”

GEORGE ETTIYIL, SENIOR DIRECTOR SALES - SOUTH ASIA, LUFTHANSA GROUP

With both the IT and Finance industry thriving in Bengaluru, JAL is looking positive with its very-recent connectivity with the ‘Silicon Valley of India’. At the beginning of 2019, Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced its non-stop service between Tokyo (Narita) and Bengaluru with its inaugural flight scheduled for summer 2020. “As direct flights are

currently not in service from Japan, the launch of this route will provide customers from Southern India a new option when travelling to North America. Other global corporations, especially those focusing on telecommunications, biotechnology and automobiles are also strategically based in this unique city that would heighten our business. Through the expansion of JAL’s international network, we hope to further contribute to the economic growth of both countries,” adds Naruse.

To expand its wings in the Indian domestic market, JAL recently entered a codeshare agreement with Vistara on February 26, 2019. “As part of the agreement, JAL will add its ‘JL’ designator code to approximately 32 Vistara-operated flights, each day across India, covering seven Indian cities, namely Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune,” informs Naruse. He further states that the codeshare flights will offer travellers with more convenient connections as both JAL and Vistara flights operate from the same terminal (T3) in New Delhi with a thorough check-in partnership, making connections at the airport even more

convenient and seamless.Working closely with the Japan Tourism Board

(JNTO) to engage with the Indian travel trade, Naruse mentions that JAL is conducting joint product presentations to explore new markets for Japan and encourage our Indian trade partners to promote the featured destinations. “With an increasing purchasing power, Japan is an increasingly affordable destination to many. Hence, we are trying to identify new market segments. For example, we participated in a wedding seminar, which aims to promote Japan as a destination to wedding planners. This gave us a unique opportunity to understand a new market segment.” With punctuality being of utmost importance to a traveller, JAL strives to ensure to take its flyers to their destinations, on time. JAL has been named the ‘Most Consistent Winner’ in the past five years and the ‘Best Asia Pacific Major Mainline Airline’ in 2018 for on-time performance. In addition to that, JAL is also recognised as a world five-star airline with the ‘World’s Best Economy Class’ and ‘Best Economy Class Seat’, as awarded by Skytrax.

“WE HOPE TO FURTHER CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECONOMIC

GROWTH OF BOTH COUNTRIES”

SHINYA NARUSE, REGIONAL MANAGER, JAPAN AIRLINES-DELHI


TravelScapesSPECIAL FEATURE

At the recently-organised 12th International Conference and Awards on Civil Aviation & Cargo by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry), one of the apex trade associations of India, a podium was setup eyeing more promises and enlargement of the aviation segment in India, thus paving the road for its flying future

INDIAN AVIATION FORESEES A SMOOTHER TAKE-OFF

Organised in New Delhi on July 20, 2019, the 12th International Conference-cum-Awards on Civil Aviation & Cargo seem to have bore the realest testament of the fact that sky is not the limit for the Indian aviation and its stakeholders. Bearing the theme ‘Driving Sustainable Growth’, the insightful knowledge sessions at the summit, by some of the finest names of this segment, reflected the current scenario and upcoming possibilities of the Indian aviation

sector. Ajay Singh, Chairman and

Managing Director of SpiceJet Limited said that there have been enough of talks about various problems being faced by the civil aviation sector and its time finally something was done about it. “The inclusion of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) in GST is a long standing demand, every year we spend countless hours with various ministries of the government talking about this, if the ambition indeed is to be globally competitive, to create international hubs and carriers that are competitive in this world and if indeed the ambition is to be

world leader in aviation, we need to resolve this problem quickly, there has been enough talks on this issue,” said the SpiceJet chief and added, “There is no country in the world which taxes aviation fuel like we do, we pay 35 per cent tax on average on aviation fuel, this definitely needs to be addressed urgently.”

He further emphasised that instead of those taxes coming down, the government now has imposed few more taxes. “We have

additional tax on import of spare parts that come back after repair, which is five per cent, which the industry has been paying for last year and a half, about INR 2,000 crore of industry money is struck under protest.” Singh further added, “We also pay tax on tax in very many ways, in transport of fuel to our planes we pay tax twice over. As if it was not bad enough to pay the highest tax, we are also paying tax twice over.” He also said that a country with 1.3 billion people needs to have its own international hubs. “We indeed must be a true international global hub of the scale of Dubai or Singapore and we need to have

a strategy to compete with them and we must work as a country to finalise, formalise a winning strategy which ensures that India is a global hub and a leading aviation country in this world.”

In conformance with the objectives of the holistic National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Civil Aviation & Urban and Housing confirmed that a number of initiatives and measures were

taken up to sustain the growth impetus in civil aviation, efficiency improvement and promotion of ease of doing business across the air cargo value chain. The first National Air Cargo Policy’s (NACP) outline was released at the Global Aviation Summit in January 2019, which aims to achieve the fundamental re-engineering of the whole-of-the-value-chains for domestic and export-import air freight for reaching the target of handling 10 million tonnes by 2026-27.

Moving on and lauding government’s handling of Jet Airways’ episode, Puri commented, “We need to celebrate the fact that

By Sayanti Halder

“No compromise on air safety and standards would be tolerated by the ministry” : Puri

During the addressing speech at the Conference and Awards event, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the current Indian aviation sector is witnessing a rapidly-increasing demand and by 2040, air passengers’ traffic would be expected to increase nearly five folds. He pointed out that in the fiscal year of 2018, the accumulated revenue generation through aviation was counted to INR 187 million while the same surged to INR 204 million by March 2019.

Stating the consistent growth of this industry and how the demand of flying has been augmented, owing to the implementation of UDAN Scheme, Puri said that his ministry would not tolerate any compromise on air safety and standards, asking the industry operators and all stakeholders in the sector to work in a vigorous aspect. He further said there is already 100 per cent FDI in several parts of Civil Aviation sector, the budget has pointed out two specific sectors for FDI, one is maintenance & repair and the other is leasing.


TravelScapes FEATURESPECIAL

despite the failure of Jet Airways, the speed at which India recovered and got the capacity and fares back to a normal level, is a great testament to the way India and government work together to make that happen.” He however added, “At the same time, I think, this is a time for sombre reflection, the failure of Jet Airways and the condition of Air India, I think must give us pause.”

Also addressing the conference, K Narayana Rao, Chairman of ASSOCHAM National Council on Civil Aviation pointed out, “With over a hundred lakhs crores of INR investments’ promise made by the government, the aviation sector focuses on a GDP contribution of around INR five million. Around 13 per cent of growth can be seen in the sector within the next five years although the major challenge of the non-availability of low-cost finance still persists.” He further opined that by bringing down of the currents rates of ATF and GST or rather, an exemption of it for the sustenance of funding together with the elevation of privatisation, for further support would be ideal avenues for regeneration of funding.

In addition to this, Ashish Saraf, Head- Airbus Helicopters-India & South Asia stated that around 1800 fleets to be added in the next 20 years to meet the neck break situation that currently exists. “India needs another 40 years to meet with the target of one billion trips that would be noticed rising in the highest amount in the next five years.” He also pointed out that rationalisation of the current ATF pricing is the need of the hour.

Present at the event, H.E. Dr Ahmed Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to India impressed upon the need to see how can both countries collaborate, cooperate and expand the industry and become partners in growth of the aviation sector. “The vision of our leadership with our plans, end goals, I think it will make us reach to the maximum

relationship in all sectors, including airline as we are trying to grow people to people connections,” he stated.

Additionally, Puri, as the Chief Guest for the occasion, also gave away awards to the winners nominated under various categories that included Airbus, AAI Cargo, Bird Academy, Air India Express, SpiceJet, Frankfinn, during the summit. Followed by this, the knowledge whitepaper on

‘Civil Aviation & Cargo: Driving Sustainable Growth’, published in association with ASSOCHAM India and AUCTUS Advisors, was released by the minister. Among others who addressed the conference, the notable names included Vineet Agarwal, ASSOCHAM’s Vice President and Ankur Bhatia, Co-Chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Civil Aviation.


TravelScapesUPDATE TRADE

Ebix, Inc. and Yatra Online, Inc. recently announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which, Ebix will acquire Yatra via merger. In connection with

the merger, each ordinary share of Yatra (Yatra Ordinary Share) will be entitled to receive 0.005 shares of a new class of preferred stock of Ebix (Ebix Convertible Preferred Stock). Each share of Ebix Convertible Preferred Stock received for each Yatra Ordinary Share will, in turn, be convertible into 20 shares of common stock of Ebix (Ebix Common Stock).

Based on the trailing 15-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of Ebix Common Stock of USD 49.05 per share, each Yatra Ordinary Share convertible into Ebix Common Stock would be valued, on an as-converted basis, at USD 4.90 per share, representing an approximately 32 per cent premium to Yatra’s closing share price on March 8, 2019, the last trading day prior to the public announcement of Ebix’s offer to acquire Yatra. Assuming a value of USD 4.90 per Yatra Ordinary Share, the transaction implies an enterprise value of USD 337.8 million at the Ebix collar price of USD 59 per share and post adjustment for indebtedness, working capital, warrants being converted and minimum cash requirement, a net equity value of USD 239 million.

"The acquisition of Yatra would lend itself to significant synergies and the emergence of EbixCash as India’s largest and most profitable travel services company, besides being the largest enterprise financial exchange in the country. Over the last few months, we have evolved a detailed synergistic plan, that once fully executed can provide between 40 to 75 cents of accretion to the Ebix non-GAAP EPS. We are excited by the cross-selling opportunities that this combination provides us, while further strengthening our future EbixCash IPO offering,” commented Ebix Chairman, President and CEO Robin Raina.

Ebix signs agreement to acquire Yatra Online via a merger

Nijhawan Group forays into the GCC market with its new representation verticalBy Sayanti Halder

Consolidating a strong base for its representation vertical in India, the Nijhawan Group now forays into the

Middle East and GCC markets with ‘Elev8’, its new venture for representation. Conventionalised by the hospitality veteran of the Middle East tourism market, Seema Pande who would also be one of the co-directors of this joint venture, Elev8 would involve “90 per cent of representation and 10 per cent of consultancy services,” as Pande mentions. “I would be giving equal amount of energy in consulting considering my past experiences. We will get the ground running, at the earliest,” adds Pande.

Pande, who has been based out of Dubai for nearly 25 years shares that the idea of Elev8 is a result of her exchange of casual business thoughts with both Ankush and Priyanka Nijhawan. “My experience of launching several hospitality brands in the Middle East will come handy and Ankush has his vast reach in the India market that would further augment this association.” She further shares, “Considering the abundant presence of representation companies in the Middle East, what we would be looking at is to become that niche company who would have the right number of clients in order to stand apart, putting in quality service and undivided attention for them.”

Talking about this expansion, Ankush Nijhawan, MD of Nijhawan Group says, “I am pleased to share that Nijhawan Group will now establish its representation portfolio on a global footprint; the Middle East and GCC to begin with, considering its top growing markets in terms of outbound travel from across the globe after India and China. Considering Seema’s enormous grasp and relationship across the entire GCC market, we are pleased to come together with her. Seema and I would be of equal partnerships and look at both the reputed and emerging accounts of the GCC market.”

Currently, Elev8 is representing Tropical Escape’s vacation rental homes based out of Orlando under the supervision of two senior personnel including Pande, herself. By the year-end, she expects to have a dedicated team of three to four members and selective along with achieving around five to six niche accounts.

Ankush Nijhawan Seema Pande

With an endeavour to promote the destination Sri Lanka coming out of the repercussion of the tragic blasts, Anchor Destinations recently promoted the

campaign of ‘I Love Sri Lanka’ and hosted a premium luxury familiarisation (FAM) tour for its partner agents in association with SriLankan Airlines and showcased luxury hotels such as Kingsbury, Amaya, Heritance Kandalama, Cinnamon Bay, Movenpick, Anantara Kalutara and Cape Weligama. The agents attending this FAM included Neerja Arora of Flag Holidays, Manmmet Nischal of Holiday Ink, Virender Anand of Upasana Travels, Rahul Jain of Wesell Memories, Sahil Sehgal of Mad Over Vacations, to name a few.

“Sri Lanka is very safe, serene and offers an array of best hotels and hospitability. It is a perfect getaway destination with lush green landscapes during the monsoon season, pollution-free cities, and beaches, excellent 18-hole golf sites in Colombo and Hambantota and UNESCO heritage site at Sigiriya. This is an eye-opener for many a people, who thought that the destination has very limited products to offer,” adds Deepika Khanna, Founder and CEO of Anchor Destination.

Anchor Destination organises FAM trip to promote Sri Lanka

TravelScapes


TRADEUPDATE

Swosti donates to CM’s Relief Fund for FANI

On behalf of Swosti Group, Priyanath Behera, Vice President of Swosti Group

of Hotels handed over a cheque of INR 10 lakh to Chief Minister’s Relief Fund towards the relief of victims affected by the recent cyclone FANI. The devastating attack by the cyclone has completely shattered Odisha. The entire greenery has been destroyed, buildings are damaged and people are suffering a great deal with the disruption of power and water supply. It will take some time for Odisha to get back its normalcy.

However, the management and staff of Swosti Group of Hotels have

been working round-the-clock on a war footing and have restored normal operation of all the four hotels (Swosti Grand, Swosti Premium, Gopalpur Palm Resort and Swosti Chilika Resort). The hotel group is welcoming its guests to make reservations online through its official website or direct phone calls, to preach the idea that both Odisha and Swosti Group is back in business.

Marina Bay Sands appointed T&A Consulting, a representation

firm based out of New Delhi, as their representative office in India. The appointment supports MBS’ objective to increase the number of MICE and group movement from India and to capitalise on the growing potential of the MICE segment in the Indian outbound market to Singapore.

Tarun Gupta, CEO & Co-Founder, T&A Consulting says, "It is a privilege to represent Marina Bay Sands - one of the finest hotels of the world and the icon of Singapore. We are excited to drive results in the India market. Marina Bay Sands has always been an aspirational destination for the Indian traveller and with its attractive offerings, we aim to target the fast-growing MICE and small leisure group segment."

Marina Bay Sands is the leading business, leisure and entertainment destination in Asia. It features large and flexible convention and exhibition facilities, 2,561 hotel rooms and suites, the rooftop Sands SkyPark, world’s largest and highest rooftop swimming pool, the best shopping mall in Asia, world-class celebrity chef restaurants and an outdoor event plaza. Its two theatres showcase a range of leading entertainment performances including world-renowned Broadway shows. Completing the line-up of attractions is ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands which plays host to permanent and marquee exhibitions.

T&A Consulting to represent Marina Bay Sands in India


UPDATE TravelScapesTRADE

ITB Asia is set to deliver another year of thought-provoking and inspiring content to industry

practitioners as part of its conference programme. Themed ‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’, the conference will bring together thought leaders from across the MICE, leisure, corporate and travel tech sectors for high-level discussions on the trends that are galvanising change in the travel industry. Across the three days of the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to experience over 100 sessions featuring insights from more than 260 speakers.

“ITB Asia is bringing together key industry players, both existing and emerging, who are shaping the future of travel. This is the opportunity not just to identify the clearest opportunities, products, services and technologies but to debate and collaborate on how to maximise their potential, for the benefit of providers and travellers alike,” said Katrina Leung, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia. ‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’ will feature a wide range of themed sessions, including corporate travel, travel and tech, destination marketing and Muslim travel. Keynote discussions will be held in ‘Knowledge Theatre’, ITB Asia 2019’s main stage.

ITB Asia unveils its conference theme

Belson Coutinho comes on board as VFS Global’s Chief Marketing OfficerBelson Coutinho has joined VFS Global as Chief

Marketing Officer effective July 2019 and will be responsible for driving the company’s global marketing and branding strategy across its vast network of 147 countries spanning five continents. He joins the management team to support the organisation's growth and business plans and will also manage overall customer service, quality, information services and loyalty in his role. As part of his responsibilities, Coutinho will lead these efforts, in addition to leading the marketing and branding function.

Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global Group said, "We are pleased to have Belson join VFS Global as our Chief Marketing Officer. He brings a unique combination of experience in marketing, loyalty and customer care with a strong focus on leveraging technology. With his background and expertise in the field, we look forward to having Belson further strengthen VFS Global’s brand in global markets and enhance the overall customer experience." Coutinho added, “VFS Global is the pioneer in visa, passport, identity management and citizen services for client governments and I am delighted to be a part of VFS Global. Building a strong consumer brand and enhanced customer experience will be my key focus and I am excited to leverage my experience across various mediums and markets, globally. I look forward to collaborating with our partners, stakeholders and our highly committed & talented colleagues to play an integral role in further enhancing VFS Global’s brand and business globally.”

Belson Coutinho

Travelport announced

recently that its board of directors has named Greg Webb, a proven leader with over 20 years of experience in the travel technology industry, as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2019. Webb succeeds Gordon Wilson, who will step down as the President and CEO of Travelport. Webb will also join Travelport’s Board of Directors. He brings deep industry knowledge and a strong track record of commercial and operational execution. Most recently, Webb served as SVP and General Manager of Oracle Hospitality, a leading travel technology solutions provider, where he was responsible for strategy, enablement, development, sales, service and support. Travelport is a great business full of great people who will work hand-in-hand with Greg, focusing all their collective skills and expertise to take the company to its next level of growth and success.”

Travelport announces Greg Webb as its Chief Executive Officer

Greg Webb

Global Destinations appointed as Palladium's India Rep

Palladium Hotel Group, an internationally-renowned Spanish hotel chain,

engages with Global Destinations as its first Sales, Marketing and Communication representation office in India, effective July 2019. With 50 properties spanning six countries, Palladium Hotel Group portfolio consists of music-themed, city and beachfront hotels in prime destinations worldwide. Pranav Kapadia, Founder of Global Destinations comments, “We are delighted to add Palladium Hotel Group to our portfolio and diversify strongly to include hotel sales and marketing to our current product

offerings. The Group is looking at steadily increasing their footprint in India and we aim to achieve this for them by building a strong brand presence as well as taking their sales to greater heights. We look forward to promoting their chain of hotels across segments of FITs, honeymooners, wedding & MICE groups from India.” Sandra Polo Canudas, Commercial Director- Asia & MEA, Palladium Hotel Group comments, “Having renowned presence around the globe, we are keen to establish our mark and nurture our growth further in India and are really glad to start working with Global Destinations to achieve this goal.”

According to Travelport's recent report, the IATA NDC airline Leaderboard, 21 airlines in total, have committed to transact 20 per cent of their volume through NDC-capable APIs by 2020 and many airlines have set out their intentions to heavily prioritise API bookings in the future. With NDC on the near-horizon, there are about to be some major changes to the way one works.

It’s time to make sure that one benefits from what NDC offers or they could risk losing out to better prepared competitors. The question is, how can one maximise the opportunities of NDC, both to strengthen their supplier relationships and deliver more relevant, compelling offers to their customers? There are three tips which can be a very good starting point for any agency: fully

understand NDC’s new rules of engagement, evolve and strengthen their supplier partnerships and get specific with their searches. Lastly, NDC adoption is a process and the technology partners can help one to fully understand the new NDC rules and to make them work for their business. That’s what Interglobe is working on with their own agency customers at Travelport and they hope one will engage with them to ensure they maximise their success as they start booking content through NDC-enabled online and offline solutions.

UPDATETravelScapes TRADE

Bird Academy looks into Tier II cities for expansionPlans to add three additional courses this year; build the capacity of the trainers

Three ways agencies can win in the NDC era:Travelport

Bird Academy, the education vertical of Bird Group, has become the first academy in India to provide international aviation certification to the trainees. Owing to its steady triumph, Radha Bhatia, Chairperson of Bird Group shares the academy’s further plans of progress. “We are looking at adding courses and expanding our presence in more areas. We are also looking at strategic partnerships to enrich the learning experience and global recognition of the certification of our students.” The UDAAN Scheme has opened up the world of flying for a much larger population of the country. It is a natural derivative that the extension of flight operations to many more destinations will expose the youth from these areas to aviation as a career option and also create a demand for trained talent in these areas. In sync with this thought, Bhatia further adds, “The Aviation Multi Skill Development Centre at Chandigarh, which we have set up in collaboration with the Airport Authority of India and National Skill Development Corporation is a flagship project in the aviation sector. The success of this project has encouraged us to expand this model. So yes, we are looking at more of tier II Indian cities, now on.”

Recently collaborating with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the academy is

now its 'Regional Training Partner' in India. Bhatia boasts that this partnership is one of the latest initiatives that complete Bird’s bouquet of offerings by adding skill enhancement courses for the professional development of those already employed. “Encouraged by the success of the first course, we are working towards our future courses – there are three more planned this year including Passenger Assessment and Travel Documents Checking, Passenger Fare and Ticketing, and Document Control Systems. We are also looking at building the capacity of trainers by conducting a Train the Trainer course,” reveals Bhatia. “We are looking at both horizontal and vertical additions to our learning offerings. Horizontally, we are looking at covering more domains within

the aviation and travel industry itself, as well as expanding to other related sectors such as hospitality and tourism. Vertically, we are planning on adding more specialised courses for up-skilling professionals, including diploma courses in aviation management.”

The courses conducted under this recent initiative are highly specialised, short-term classroom programs delivered by global IATA instructors with substantial domain experience. Being the only centre in the entire region offering such courses, the academy will substantially reduce the cost of training for individuals and organisations based in India, South Asia, Middle East and Africa. The first course was organised in July on Safety Management Systems for Airlines. “Safety is the bedrock of operations in aviation, we had an excellent response. The trainer was a highly qualified professional from Bahrain with over 30 years of industry and training experience. The participants included professionals from airlines, ground handling companies and private operators from Dubai, Qatar, Kenya, Nepal and India,” adds Bhatia and continues, “We are committed to our mission of delivering true value to our students as well as the industry. Short term goals and numbers get fulfilled automatically when we are doing this.”

By Sayanti Halder

TIRUN announces roadshows across India to announce RCI’s Singapore cruises

TIRUN Travel Marketing has announced the upcoming Singapore cruise season. This year, the international cruise liner has dedicated two of its favourite ships, namely the Quantum of the Seas and the Voyager of the Seas, anchored at the Singapore bay to offer guests ultimate vacation experience. To attract the attention of Indian Trade, TIRUN will also be organising roadshows across Kochi, Indore, Raipur, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Pune, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Ludhiana, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bombay, Jaipur from August till September, this year.

Commenting on the roadshow, Varun Chadha, CEO of TIRUN Travel Marketing said, “Singapore is a popular destination for Indians and the coming cruising months, Royal Caribbean International has deployed the Quantum of the Seas and the soon to be revitalised Voyager of the Seas, to ensure an even better cruising experience for our guests. The ships themselves epitomise the highest standards of comfort, service quality and are packed with many first adventures on the high seas. We are excited to share these experiences with many more Indian in the coming months.”

Guests travelling on these cruises with TIRUN are further guaranteed of massive savings with TIRUN’s FLY+CRUISE package offered in collaboration with Singapore Airlines. The package offers guests combined deals on flight tickets to Singapore along with the cruise ticket fee at unbelievable prices.

Radha Bhatia

Varun Chadha



UPDATE TravelScapesTRADE

Frankfinn aims to launch 150 centres across India in the coming days; eyes at tier II cities

Spreading its wings for the past 26 years now, Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training is

undergoing consistent growth over time. Having 50 training centres across the country, including one in Dubai, Anshul Gauba, Director- Sales and Operation for Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training shares that the company is now looking forward to expanding at a fast pace with around 150 centres in the coming two to three years, across the country.

“We have a target of having 150 centres across India that would be a mix of both company-owned and franchised centres,” informs Gauba who further adds, “From this time onwards, we would mainly be looking at both tier I and II cities for further expansions with Amritsar, Kanpur and Agra, to name a few. Moreover, we look ahead to broaden the presence in the south market.” In a period of one year, this Limca Book of Records-holding company trains around 30,000-35,000 students on an average on different modules including

travel management, hospitality and personality development. Gauba highlights how the students get well-versed with professional software such as Fidelio and Amadeus, making them “job-ready”.

“Speaking of our USP, we are the only training centre that offers mock aircraft facilities in all our branches, along with our state-of-the-art classrooms and skillful trainers. We have a tie-up with Air India, for over a year now that provides in-flight familiarisation to the students with a distinct certification. Other than being the training partners with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council, we also have to tie up with the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM) UK for the international exposure of our students,” says Gauba and further adds that Frankfinn is currently the preferred partner of Emirates other than the international airlines that associate for placement drives.

Anshul Gauba

TBO Group assures cheaper fares through NDC Travel Boutique Online (TBO) Group is

diversifying its portfolio further, as its Chief Operating Officer Deepak Khanna speaks about introducing New Distribution Capabilities (NDC), its significance and the change it will bring to the ticket prices, “GDS or Global Distribution System came into picture in India in 1993 and there hasn’t been any alternative of it in the last 26 years or so. The airlines came under one consortium and introduced a new functionality called New Distribution Capabilities (NDC) wherein airlines are providing the fare without the Global Distribution Channel GDS. In case of the fares via GDS, a certain amount has to be paid to the GDS, roughly around USD eight or USD 10, from the incurred cost. The airlines want to cut GDS cost and directly pass this leverage to the end-user through NDC.” He elaborates through an example the fare is INR 40,000 on GDS then on NDC it will be around INR 37,000 or 37,500 and it is approximately four per cent to 4.5 per cent of the ticket’s gross value. Besides this, there are certain classes where the airlines are not giving any kind of Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) but here the price will again be reduced by a certain amount. Even if the traveller will not get PLB there will be a reduced fare on this platform. So, the travel agent can sell more tickets of this airline as compared to other carriers.

He further adds that through NDC passengers can save on flight tickets, single one-way tickets will cost them cheaper and they can save big on round tickets. Other than that the lowest RBD is available on the NDC whereas in 20 to 25 per cent cases the lowest Reservation Booking Designated (RBD) will not be available, so if lower booking class is available in the NDC they can sell more as compared to GDS.

TBO Group is consistently working on integrating the carriers that fall under the NDC platforms, Khanna reveals “We are targeting one carrier every month that will be on our online portal so that the travel fraternity can take its advantage. We have initiated with Lufthansa Group wherein Lufthansa Airlines, Eurowings, SWISS Airlines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines come under its umbrella. By July 15, Singapore Airlines will be on board and we are targeting to have British Airways with us by August 20.” With the initiation of NDC, Khanna explains that their company is increasing the traction from the India market.

Talking about how NDC will boost the frequency, he shares, “The frequency will indeed grow with this move as the airlines want to remove the mediator

and give the benefit to the end-user through NDC channels and the airlines are choosing around 15 to 20 suitable consolidators through channels where they can give maximum reach to the Non-IATA travel agents, IATA travel agents and end-users. There are numerous airlines which are nowadays not giving any kind of access to the non-IATA travel agents but they can be benefited through our portal.”

TBO Group is confident that this will bring in profits for the agents and in turn growth in their travel agent network. No commission is applicable in non-PLB classes but here the travel agents can keep their markup and still the tickets will cost less to the customers.

Sharing a glimpse of a new project Khanna concludes, “Besides the NDC products we have also come up with Tboair where we are providing the best Sold Outside Ticketed Outside (SOTO) fare in the market and these fares will be cheaper by INR 10,000 to INR 20,000 as compared to the current fare available in the current point of sales.” We are working on these platforms since last one year and it’s a big project and it might take another two to three years for it to get fully completed. Even though we are live with the TBOAIR on our online platform.

TBO Air travel portal enables travel agents to browse in real time for lowest fares for all leading Low-Cost Carriers (LCC) and full-service carriers on a single screen. It also provides API services to travel agents to share their inventories with travellers and around the clock technical support and customer services to prevent unnecessary hassle and delay in the processes. This platform is able to support multiple currencies and are able to perform multiple services, using a single Trip ID.

Deepak Khanna

By Sayanti Halder


UPDATE TravelScapesIATO

Aims at enhancing knowledge and providing effective business promotion toolsBy Sayanti Halder & Kritika Dua

“THE CONVENTION WOULD STRONGLY ADDRESS KOLKATA AS AN IDEAL DESTINATION FOR MICE TOURISM”

“IATO RUN FOR RESPONSIBLE TOURISM WOULD BE ORGANISED ON THIRD DAY”

IATO BRACES ITSELF FOR THE "CITY OF JOY"

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) convention which was last held in Kolkata in 2002 is making a homecoming of a kind to the ‘City of Joy’ after 17 years with the 35th annual convention of the association. With the epitome of opulence, ITC Royal Bengal Kolkata

as the venue where business sessions and other functions will be held, the inaugural function will be organised at the state-of-the-art Biswa Bangla Convention Centre. ‘Is Tourism Thriving? Challenges and Opportunities’ is the convention theme and Durga Puja as dominant theme

of the event that would be organised on the first day, the preparations are going on in full swing. We converse with the decision makers of the association to have a glimpse of the initiatives and strategies to make the convention a great success

After 17 years, the IATO Annual Convention comes back to the ‘City of Joy’ – Kolkata with the central theme, ‘Is Tourism Thriving? Challenges and Opportunities’. The opening ceremony will take place at Vishwa Bangla Convention Centre, a world-class venue for such occasions, on September 12, 2019. The Convention would bring to the fore and strongly address Kolkata as an ideal destination for MICE tourism. Around 1200 eminent delegates that shall comprise valued participants from the government of West Bengal, dignitaries from the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, tourism authorities from participating state governments, eminent members of the media and dedicated members of IATO would

be expected this year to grace the congregation.

One may expect realistic expectations that shall fructify in witnessing a surge of tourism in diverse segments in the state of West Bengal and the eastern region. The business sessions on September 13 and 14, 2019 would be organised at the ITC Royal Bengal, a hotel par excellence and apt for such conventions with its venue and well-appointed facilities. Above all, the participative enthusiasm of our valued members that escalates on a year-on-year basis systematically differentiates it from other landmark IATO conventions.

Zeroing on the challenges and opportunities that shall boost the

growth of tourism, looking at key niche areas of cruise tourism, digital marketing, connectivity, synergy among Eastern states for tourism promotion and marketing, charting out unexplored destinations, listening to the new generation of tourism professionals, the tricky issues of taxation, presentation by state governments and above all, listening the ideas of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India will form the core areas. A motivational talk by the renowned personality would add the cutting edge. We would have an exhibition of sellers’ products and all the three evenings we have organised cocktails and dinners, which will give both the sellers and buyers with time to interact.

The next destination was although not announced during the 34th Annual Convention of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) unlike the protocol owing to which the preparations also started later which might have resulted with a lack of systemised execution of this year’s convention. However, in such a short period of time both IATO and state government of West Bengal have achieved immense progress and I am hopeful that this year’s convention would be a splendid success.

We intend to have new kind of sessions this year and not repeat the topics which we have done over the years. Around 17 states will be participating this year as well. We expect a higher footfall than the previous

editions. ITC Royal Bengal, ITC Sonar, Taj Vivanta and ibis hotel are the partner hotels for the convention. We are in the process of taking special fares from IndiGo and Air India. The only change which we are having at the upcoming convention is that our IATO Run for Responsible Tourism which always takes place on the second day will be organised on third day this time. We will have some exciting sessions which would be beneficial for our members. There will be eight to 10 business sessions. It is quite interesting that the convention will be held in Kolkata as the delegates will get to see the upgraded city. IATO members who have not been to Kolkata in the recent past would witness how the ‘City of Joy’ has advanced and would further

promote its offerings to their clients, especially for MICE tourism. ITC Royal Bengal is an exceptional MICE hotel and adding to it is Biswa Bangla Convention Centre with its state-of-the-art facilities. There was a popular demand to have Sunderbans in the itinerary and keeping that in consideration an overnight trip to Sunderbans is included in the post FAM tours.

Gujarat was the first state to give a written confirmation besides which Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha would be tentatively participating in the convention. Two Northeastern states have also shown interest but we are targeting more as our aim is to have maximum participation from the East.

"Our members are focused on taking Incredible India to a new high. Their spirit and enthusiasm is self-driven and is an enviable audience at all tourism forums. IATO welcomes one and all to this historic platform to savour the essence of an all abiding growth called tourism"

"This year’s convention with certain little changes and new and interesting sessions would definitely be beneficial to IATO members and I expect a high turn up this year as well"

Pronab SarkarPresident, IATO and Convention Chairman

Rajiv MehraVice President, IATO


TravelScapes IATOUPDATE

“WE ARE FOLLOWING A DIFFERENT APPROACH RATHER THAN TRAVERSING THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE”

“OUR FOCUS WILL BE TO EDUCATE DELEGATES AND COLLATE INNOVATIVE SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS CONDITIONS”

“THE CONVENTION'S PRIME MOTIVE WOULD BE TO HIGHLIGHT THE POSSIBILITY THAT WEST BENGAL HAS AS THE GATEWAY TO THE NORTHEAST INDIA”

IATO convention is coming back to Kolkata after 17 years and there has been a prodigious change in the city and it has improved considerably for business potential providing the delegates with a great opportunity. The theme and business sessions will be relevant for the travel agents, especially those who are reeling under the pressure of low business these days. We are trying to work out a set of initiatives where we can help the IATO members achieve a better turnover than revenue models. We are expecting the convention to be

quite meaningful wherein delegates will have a lot to carry home. It is always our endeavor to beat our own records and we are working on it. We hope to achieve the targets as we are following a different approach this time rather than traversing the traditional route. There will be motivational speakers, other business promoting tools, opportunity would be given to young turks to understand the practices they follow, their perspective on tourism and how they would like to take the industry forward.

We have worked out a theme which will revolve around thriving tourism in present scenario, the challenges and opportunities. Along with this, we are working on key knowledge sessions for delegates to take back some productive ideas to improve their business such as ‘Traditional business versus current demands’, ‘Ideas for millennials’, ‘Scope of Cruise tourism’, ‘Digital marketing’,

‘Experiential tourism’ and more. Our main focus through the sessions will be to educate delegates and get some innovative suggestions to improve their business conditions. We are also working towards bringing a renowned name for the motivational session. This year we will try to offer more scopes to delegates for productive interactions and networking sessions.

The basic objective for this year’s IATO Annual Conclave is to showcase the state of West Bengal as a global product. As the primary challenge has always been the fact that a majority of stakeholders don’t have a clear idea about the destination and its products, this convention would work in favour of West Bengal. Secondly, the conventions prime motive would be to highlight the possibility that West Bengal has as the gateway to the North-Eastern Indian states as well as South Asian circuit like Bhutan and Bangladesh. This year’s

event’s theme is ‘Durga Puja: Mega Carnival’ as this festival is about to be declared as the World Heritage Festival by UNESCO. We will also be focusing on niche tourism products that are high-end, in a global perspective and the lesser-explored destinations around the state would be our primary target and we have designed our post-convention FAM tours that would specifically highlight those circuits. We intend to primarily showcase the modern Kolkata, with a history spanning across thousands of years, as a global product.

"I request all my friends in the fraternity to attend the IATO convention. The interactive sessions, which are especially designed to improve the state of tourism and business in particular for small travel agents, and post-convention FAM tours will provide a significant platform to IATO members for networking and enhancing their knowledge. They can utilise the learnings to further grow their business"

"It is my humble appeal to industry friends to attend in large numbers and get benefited from networking and enhanced knowledge about their trade. We hope we will have more participants at this year's convention and surely they will go back with great motivation"

“We are expecting the participation of stakeholders and decision-makers from all across the country. This event will create fixated attention to Kolkata, which will increase the tourist traffic both on the domestic and international level in the days to come”

Rajesh MudgillHony. Secretary, IATO

Ravi GosainTreasurer, IATO

Debjit Dutta Chairman, IATO West Bengal Chapter and Co-chairman, Convention Committee

TravelScapes

By Gagneet Kaur

Coming back with its second edition this year and even more assurances, one of India’s prime buyer-seller meets India Tourism Mart (ITM) is all set to take place from September 23 to 25, 2019 at The Ashok, New Delhi. Organised by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), in partnership with the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), with the support of several state and UT governments, the maiden ITM was inaugurated last year on September 16, 2018, that spanned for two more days. Keeping in mind the objectives set for last year, 2019 edition not just assures focus on promoting inbound tourism to India but also putting a lot of emphasis on bringing in selective, quality buyers.

Nurturing under the umbrella of Ministry of Tourism, ITM has aimed to act as a platform for the tourism

industry stakeholders, coming together for such an event of large scale. Last year’s mart was a grand success attended by around 244 buyers from 62 countries. This year, as per Subhash Goyal, Honorary Secretary, FAITH and Chairman –ITM 2019, around 300 buyers from 65 countries are expected to participate. Addressing the press conference in New Delhi recently, Goyal informed, “Moving in tandem with Prime Minister’s vision to double the tourist numbers in next five years, ITM has been set as a podium to meet the set targets. The objective of the mart is to have B2B meetings between the Indian Tour Operators (sellers) and the foreign tour operators (buyers) thereby creating a marketplace to transact

business opportunities for tourism stakeholders to enhance and increase India’s tourism potential in terms of tourist arrivals into India. We aim to surpass previous years' numbers. Selection of top, quality buyers will be our key priority and the method for the enrolment is quite simple and transparent. For the selection process, we are analysing and shortlisting the potential buyers through their interests in adding India to the itineraries and we have already selected 200 buyers. We are also encouraging them to opt for post FAM tours for which we have been getting utmost support from the Indian state tourism boards.”

Adding to that, Nakul Anand, Chairman-FAITH emphasised on how media support and aggressive and constructive word-of-mouth publicity are required to bring out the best of

ITM on a global level. “Having been in the industry for over 40 years now, I have observed a substantial amount of increase in tourism to India. The only thing we should solely highlight is publicising the achievements of India as a potential tourist country rather than just focusing on bringing it under the limelight as the 'Rape Republic' and we do hope that our media acts responsibly when it comes to the promotion of our country. We need to highlight the differentials that India has, which includes the magnificent heritage, culture, wildlife, cuisine and many more. I would also like to add that if we start to focus more on understanding and promoting intra-regional tourism, I am sure this

would help the industry grow in a big way. Talking particularly about ITM, this platform has proven to be an excellent platform for buyers, tourism stakeholders, states and the MoT as one roof for B2B meetings and knowledge sharing with the singular aim of promoting inbound tourism from the globe to India. We may have missed out on several things last year

but learning and moving forward is what has made us come back with a stronger vision this year and with this, I look forward to a more productive ITM focused both towards helping buyers identify the products and offerings of

our country and also sending the right message across the globe,” he stated.

The press conference was also attended by the presidents and the representatives of various travel trade associations including FHRAI, IATO, ADTOI, TAAI, TAFI, ICPB, ITTA who are the members of FAITH and Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. Billa stressed upon the fact that since this mart was a much-required move for the government to move towards achieving its set targets, ITM, this year, would be based on two elements – Inclusivity and Principle of Equity which means that this event would not just aim at gathering all the travel trade fraternity under one roof but would also will give an opportunity

to the smaller players to showcase their products to the global buyers. “This mart would be an industry-led event supported by the government and we want the industry to come forward and encourage the public-private partnership in a true sense,” he said.

This three-day tourism mart will be inaugurated by the Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel. Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman of ICPB, has been appointed as the VC of ITM and will be responsible for maintaining the overall operational efficiency of the mart. To showcase opportunities for the complete tourism value chain in India, the mart is expected to provide value for the participants to interact, seek information and share experiences with different disciplines of the tourism industry, with the aim of strengthening the brand positioning of “Incredible India” and create a global tourism mart for India on the lines of WTM London and ITB Berlin.

Though last year, the participants had pointed out issues with not having meetings pre-scheduled with the sellers or vendors while business meetings were also thoroughly compromised due to lack of coordination. Also, there were feedbacks regarding the profile of buyers which was not up to the mark. Although, the two-day mart delivered somewhat a good impression and projected a decent image of India tourism, a larger set of footfalls was also expected. But as rightly highlighted by Anand, each year comes with new learnings and implementations, the ITM 2019 is expected to bring into focus the idea of “class not mass” in terms of buyers’ selection and therefore, set a benchmark on a global scale.

ITM 2019 TO PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON VALUE OVER VOLUME

Aims to furthermore connect the small and medium-sized travel agents to the global travel trade fraternity

UPDATE MoT


INBOUND


TravelScapesAVIATIONSPECIAL FOCUS

By Sayanti Halder

Having an unfailing objective of serving its passengers with a superlative experience, 2019 began on a good note for KIAB as it became the first airport in the world to clinch the Airports Council International’s Airport Service Quality (ACI-ASQ) Awards for both arrivals and departures. Additionally, the facility also won the ‘Best International Airport’ award from ASSOCHAM in July 2019 that stands as a testimony to BIAL’s endless improvisations at the BLR Airport. As part of the ongoing infrastructure expansion, with a vision to make the airport the gateway to a new India, BIAL made considerable progress in the past few months.

“Additionally, BIAL will have diverse international routes with Ethiopian Airlines scheduled to begin its operations to Addis Ababa in October 2019 and Japan Airlines to begin service to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on March 2020. BLR Airport is also gearing up for the launch of Bengaluru-Amsterdam route with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines that set to operate three weekly flights from 2019’s October,” reveals Pinto who further notifies that BIAL has made notable progress by introducing eight new domestic routes to Bhopal, Gorakhpur, Kolhapur, Gwalior, Imphal, Shirdi, Srinagar, Mysuru in our pursuit to expand connectivity from the BLR Airport. Going forward, he informs, “The groundwork for Terminal 2 has been completed; the second runway is well on schedule for operation in October 2019. We have successfully implemented biometric-based, self-boarding solutions on the lines of the Digi Yatra Platform of the Government of India, making passenger movement through the airport paperless from registration to boarding. Also, we introduced Smart Security Lanes with Automated Tray Retrieval,

bringing down wait time at the security checkpoint.”Committed to a futuristic and innovative vision of the

‘Smart Airport’ and as part of this vision, BLR Airport will continue to lead from the front in transforming air travel in India by leveraging technology. “Apart from the biometric-based self-boarding solution and Smart Security Lane, in 2018, we have rolled out fully-automated Self Bag Drop facility – enabling passengers to complete the baggage drop process in less than 45 seconds. Our concerted efforts will be to introduce innovative and interactive digital solutions that will create value for our passengers and partners. All current trends in technology innovation are being evaluated for implementation at BLR Airport – including AI, IoT, Machine Learning, AR/ VR and Deep Learning,” adds Pinto saying that BIAL has ambitious plans to tap into a variety of new and emerging technologies as part of this vision.

The latest introduction of ‘The Quad by BLR’, an innovative plaza - with over 20 outlets that offer delightful retail, entertainment and dining experience to visitors is

considered to be yet another ingenious source of revenue generation for BIAL. BLR Airport is the first airport in the country to introduce such an offering. Speaking of the commercial front of BIAL’s on-going growth, Pinto states that every revenue opportunity at the BLR Airport is customer and experience-centric that can be augmented with the much-awaited operation of the Terminal 2, which is considered to be the next big capacity expansion. “The BLR Airport handled 33.30 million passengers in 2018-19, which is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. Until we have the 25-million PPA-capacity worth Terminal 2 ready for operation, our biggest challenge is to make continuous innovation and technological enhancements to offer delightful and seamless travel experience, even as the passenger volumes continue to rise,” he further adds.

As one of the key contributors to the development of the communities in the areas surrounding the airport, BIAL’s main focus has been on education, amongst many other initiatives. The organisation has rebuilt tentatively six schools and refurbished another five to provide quality infrastructure to the students from the surrounding villages. Meanwhile, BIAL’s holistic education programme saw the Bengaluru Rural District make remarkable progress, improvising its ranking to number three in Karnataka from the fourteenth position. “To further improve education in the vicinity, we are in the process of hiring 100 subject matter experts, who will work in BIAL-adopted schools. We have also refurbished over 30 Anganwadis in the surrounding villages,” adds Pinto and further says that BIAL’s other focus areas include rural development, watershed management and healthcare.

CLEARING THE RUNWAY FOR INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY

The year, so far, has been very positive for Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB) by bagging global recognitions and providing the first paperless check-in and boarding facility in an Indian airport. In an exclusive interview with TravelScapes, Raveen Pinto, Vice President- Aviation Business, BIAL shares both the operational and commercial enlargement as well as the digital transformation mission of one of the fastest-growing airports in the country that aims to offer smart and futuristic facility

BIAL INTRODUCES EIGHT NEW DOMESTIC ROUTES FROM BLR AIRPORT

Raveen Pinto

BLR AIRPORT WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT IN TRANSFORMING AIR TRAVEL IN INDIA BY LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY

TravelScapes

With its extensive connectivity strength and uber-luxurious inflight services, SriLankan Airlines has been the market leader facilitating a large number of travellers into Sri Lanka as well as to the countries, beyond. Owing to recent mayhem that shook the ongoing traffic with Sri Lanka, the airline is now bolstering the connectivity with India, one its prime inbound markets

SRILANKAN AIRLINES TO AUGMENT ITS NEW DELHI-COLOMBO CONNECTIVITYAims to connect with more Indian tier II cities; increase total fleet numbers

Joshua Bustos

By Sayanti Halder

Vipula Gunatilleka

AVIATIONSPECIAL FOCUS

Post the recent visit of the Sri Lankan Tourism Minister to India, propagating the fast-gripping normalcy touching the Sri Lankan soil after the terror that shook the entire world, the national carrier of Sri Lanka is now getting involved to enhance the two-way traffic between India and Sri Lanka. In order to invite more numbers from the India market, SriLankan Airlines recently announced the addition of new frequencies between Delhi and Colombo. A total of 18 flights a week will be operating between New Delhi and the Sri Lankan capital city from July 4, 2019, leading to a total of 117 operational frequencies between the two nations, at the moment. “Post the attack, the impact of our company’s business went down with the destination’s tourism of around 30 per cent drop in tourist arrivals. When we looked into our financials, we noticed the negative impact of around USD 100 million. Since then, we have been working with the authorities, conducting targeted promotional campaigns that have helped us revive a lot. From the India market, our cabin factors have been steady with around 85 per cent for the last two to three months although the yields are still under pressure, considering the competitive market,” informs Vipula Gunatilleka, Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines.

According to the official statement, India is one of the top three tourism generating markets for Sri Lanka with north India being one of the biggest growth markets. Out of the total business revenue of the airlines, around 25 per cent of the slice is from India. “The latest connectivity enhancement comes into effect as a result of the consistent growth in traffic flow from north India. Within a span of four years from 2015 to 2019, the airline has increased frequencies from daily flights to double daily flights, leading to this addition,” says Gunatilleka. “Expansion into India is always on cards. We always

consider India as our best-supporting country. After this third frequency flight, we expect more point-to-point traffic and leisure business from India, mainly New Delhi,” shares Joshua Bustos, SriLankan’s newly-appointed Chief Commercial Officer who continues saying, “In order to regain the dipped business, we are going to rebrand SriLankan along adding the new offerings that we plan on introducing in the market. SriLankan is already an established brand in the market and it is only about a matter of time, for repackaging our products.”

SriLankan Airlines is planning to launch new flights to the Indian cities Kozhikode and Ahmedabad by next year with tentatively four to five flights per week, as per their new business plan. Besides these new pipelined frequencies, the SriLankan Airline is all set to add three new aircraft to retire three Airbus 3200’s. “Our current fleet number is 27, which would be increased to 34 in the

next five years with 19 narrow-bodies and 15 wide-bodies. SriLankan is also looking at a couple of African and Asian airlines to create a codeshare relation for international connectivity,” adds Gunatilleka. North India is considered to be the biggest growth markets for SriLankan Airlines, owing to the avid interest shown by travellers on the immersive aspects of Sri Lanka, which is an ideal setting for MICE travel, Gunatilleka points out that they had a big play in the MICE market in the last few years.

Bustos shares that the vast presence of SriLankan in the India market is performing well and the airlines are operating in a resilient manner in the India market. “India’s load factor has been consistent with little to no drop precisely why we are increasing the flight frequencies between the two countries. We are aiming for Indian expansion and having codeshare alliances with Indian airlines but, we

would also be expanding our presence in more Indian cities to expand our network.” According to Gunatilleka, the new frequency flights were supposed to be launched earlier this year, however, the dismaying terror attacks in Sri Lanka during Easter commanded to the delay. “We have observed about 400,000 arrivals from India of which 17 per cent was for leisure tourism, 48 per cent for business and 27 per cent for Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions (MICE) activities,” he further shares.

At present, the airline operates from many Indian destinations including Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum, Cochin, Madurai, Kolkata and Coimbatore besides the seasonal flights to/from Bodh Gaya and Varanasi. The expanding air connectivity between the two nations has given a special boost to the business tourism in Sri Lanka.


(2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)

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For further information, please call: 1800-258-7332


TravelScapesCONVERSATIONIN

“In today's day and age, when stress has become a way of life for us, we need something that helps us soothe those frazzled nerves. That's where The Travel Therapist comes in,” states its official website. The travel counsellor in a true sense, Hattangadi feels that travelling is a treasure, a treat and more than what we term as routine tourism. Assisting people escape the harsh realities through travelling that lies beyond the idea of a usual vacation, The Travel Therapist was incepted in June 2019 with an idea of not just bringing people closer to the concept of experiential tourism but also providing an ultimate way of enjoying travelling as a sheer bliss, further sparking the sense of wanderlust in them. “The idea for the Travel Therapist was born when I saw an article in the newspaper titled 'Travel is a Therapy' and the thought just stuck in my head. I pondered over this and realised how true this is! We seek therapy in a relaxing massage, a counselling session or spending time with our pet. However, when you travel, you unwind, free yourself from routine and generally allow the happy hormones to take over. This is when I thought of establishing my company-The Travel Therapist,” Hattangadi starts on a positive note.

“Let's face it, all of us are living in an extremely competitive age where stress levels are at an all-time high and we don't realise when we need to slow down. It's alright if we go on a holiday or take a break from all of this and come back refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated. It is very unfortunate, that most of us do not sit down and think whether a specific destination really suits your style of travel or whether you like it, you simply go with the flow and tend to succumb to the herd mentality. Keeping in mind that the travellers insist more on choices, The Travel Therapist specialises in customised, tailor-made holidays and experiential travel. We curate experiences that are a combination of the regular itinerary in a particular destination, along with unique and bespoke experiences. For instance, everyone knows about the regular itinerary of Sri Lanka, which includes the traditional attractions such as Bentota, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Colombo but we offer something out-of-the-box, including experiences like watching the wildlife in Yala and Wilpattu, whale watching at Mirissa and private cooking classes. This, in a way, would not just stamp your passport but the experience that you take along would completely change your perception about that particular destination,” he

adds. Setting for smooth sailing ahead, Hattangadi

shares his focus and targets for the company, “I am not in a hurry to set the cash registers ringing! What I want to focus on is helping people have memorable experiences when they travel. At The Travel Therapist, our relationships with - customers, trade and other stakeholders - are of prime importance. We want to hear our clients out, understand their thoughts before we create an itinerary as opposed to having pre-planned packages like any other company. We would also like to focus on promoting and selling off-beat destinations, both domestic and international.”

He further emphasises, “Technology if used positively and smartly, can always work wonders for you and your business. I am a big believer of this; hence I have got the social media accounts activated for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter mostly from the point of awareness and promotion of my brand. Going forward, I would like to invest some time in a digital marketing course to effectively use SEO (search engine optimisation) to promote my website and make sure that my company gets maximum traction. Just like a few renowned companies that have made their mark as a travel company in their respective communities, I would like to do the same when it comes to individually curated holidays. I understand that it is an ambitious thought but I believe that it isn't impossible.”

Understanding the need of the today age traveller, Hattangadi says that the ideology behind running a travel company should not be offering the run-of-the-mill packages but to create exceptional experiences for the clients, right from the time a holiday is planned. Since the traveller is not looking for the cookie-cutter options, Hattangadi is of a belief that meeting the client in person, understanding their preferences, laying the groundwork while giving them more experimental choices and crafting the itineraries accordingly, can help travel brands gain and keep customers for life. “The way I add 'personalisation' to my services is very simple; make sure that you meet your prospective client personally at least once ideally in the beginning so that they know who they are talking to, they can put a face to a name and an ice-breaker session has been achieved. Create an itinerary or a travel plan accordingly. Get their approval and then present them with the quote,” he asserts.

With over 15 years’ experience in the travel industry, Hattangadi not just brings a unique set of skills to the table but is also a self-employed vagabond, committed to pushing the company’s growth graph to the next level. “One needs to rethink, reinvent and repackage oneself as a travel agent or tour operator to focus on the strengths and work on what part of this dynamic world of travel would they like to specialise in. As the captain of the ship, I would like to stress on the fact that values, morals and ethics will always be of prime importance at The Travel Therapist. We want to create a work culture that thrives on positivity and learning and I am confident that business success will follow,” he accentuates.

Every entrepreneur dreams about making it big but that doesn’t mean one has to start big. In fact, to scale, Hattangadi said one needs to keep the process simple and the focus renewed. When asked about what his therapy of success is, Hattangadi specifies, “My mantra is to keep the client’s way of functioning simple and uncomplicated. One thing you shouldn't do is take your clients for granted and underestimate them because I believe in one saying 'You learn something new every day' which then keeps the thinking channels open and there is a lot you can learn from your client, instead of being restricted. At the same time, do not let them take you for granted and from the beginning make sure your lines of communication are crystal clear and well documented.”

By Gagneet Kaur

A staunch believer of the fact that travel is more of a recurrent necessity and a therapy to the soul rather than just a leisure activity, Aseem Hattangadi, Founder at The Travel Therapist aims at curating highly personalised experiences for the clients with an idea of going beyond the regular. Well aware of the fact that the travel start-up space is too crowded to step in, he didn’t hesitate to take the plunge, creating a room for innovation. Giving many more reasons to our readers and avid travellers on why travelling is an ultimate therapy, the dynamic founder, frames how the imaginative seeds he had sown, turned out to be the blossoming start-up specialising not just in crafting the tailored itineraries but also in creating the travel stories to be cherished forever

SHRUGGING OFF THE “TRIED AND TESTED” CONCEPT

The Travel Therapist

Aseem Hattangadi

AIMS TO TAKE YOU TO THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED


Foraying into the Indian subcontinent four years back, Shandong Airlines (SDA) is now seeking further into this prospective market owing to its rising outbound traffic from the country. In addition to arranging talks with some of the leading domestic airlines in India for alliances, Wang Shuai, General Representative of Shandong Airlines speaks about how SDA is also adapting avenues to make its presence in the market more amicable

SHANDONG AIRLINES SEEKS CODESHARE AGREEMENT TO PICK MORE TRAFFIC FROM MORE INDIAN CITIESPlans on developing its official website in English for visibility and ease

Boasting the exclusivity of being the only airline operating direct flights between Kunming from North India via New Delhi, the Chinese carrier Shandong Airlines has always been offering seamless and non-stop flights on the 2,569-kilometre route. Observing the noticeable demand of Indian flyers consistently travelling to the Kunming and several other provinces of Mainland China, Shuai asserts that the airlines are keen on fetching prospects of establishing codeshare alliances with some of the leading domestic airlines that may, in due course, push SDA to increase its network or flight expansion between the two countries. “As the bilateral traffic rights between India and China is fully utilised as of now, there are no immediate plans to expand in India. However, we are in talks with Air India and Vistara for a codeshare agreement to pick traffic from other Indian cities,” he further shares.

Apart from augmenting its commercial facets for India, Shuai informs that SDA is keen on making its presence more accessible for both the Indian travel agents and consumers. To begin with, he tells how Shandong is in the process of developing its official website in the English language as it is currently available only in Mandarin thereby, making its digital attendance more recognisable amongst the Indian flyers. Shandong Airlines is currently operating four flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, which seems to suffice the ever-rising number of flyers from India according to Shuai who feels that it is the SDA’s exceptional offering that would attract more bookings.

“We have the best fares in the market (including one-way fares) for mainland China sectors. Shandong Airlines is

offering “2PC baggage allowance” for students, which allows carrying two pieces of luggage, making it a very popular choice among them. Among our other USPs, one major is the fact that we are offering free hotel accommodation with breakfast in Kunming, Jinan and Qingdao for our transit passengers.” He further reveals that SDA is effortless in carrying out programs to work closely with the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) for creating awareness about the destination, namely Kunming, Jinan and Qingdao, in the India market through awareness campaigns, roadshows and urge the Indian traveller to experience the natural beauty and touristy offerings of China.

“We started our India operations

in October 2015 and are currently operating four weekly services to Delhi, two of which connect with Jinan and Qingdao. These flights are operating via Kunming, one of the tourist hotspots of China, making us the only airline offering direct connectivity to Kunming from North India. In the almost four years’ time, since we began our Delhi operations, Shandong Airlines has won the hearts of its esteemed guests through straight from the heart service and superior product offerings. Besides, the leisure travellers/holidaymakers, we have students patronising our airline and we are also servicing MICE business to Kunming and Qingdao. Overall, have to say we are poised to grow in the India market with best-in-class services

on offer and an increasing number of patrons,” adds Manisha Singh, Sales Manager of Shandong Airlines- India.

Speaking of the airline company’s essential expectations from the India market, Shuai elucidates, “As a Chinese carrier operating direct flights to Kunming, we do expect a growth in the leisure tourist traffic making footfalls in Kunming and Qingdao as these two cities offer tremendous potential to develop the typical Indian holidaymaker seeking an unforgettable holiday experience. Recently, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) had organised their previous convention in Kunming and we do hope to leverage the resultant increase in interest for Yunan Province from potential holidaymakers.”

By Sayanti Halder

Manisha SinghWang Shuai

TravelScapesAVIATIONSPECIAL FOCUS

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TravelScapesUPDATE HOSPITALITY

Amatra Hotels and Resorts, a Gurgaon-based luxury hospitality brand, has launched two properties in Haridwar and

Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. The new entrant in the luxury hospitality segment is also looking to have 3,000 rooms and inventory of over 45 hotels in the next three years across strategic locations in India. In 2019, it plans to add five hotels to increase its total tally to seven hotels. Amatra Hotels India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amatra Group Holdings SDN BHD, Malaysia and is actively looking for plush resorts that match the company’s vision and standards in Indonesia, Thailand and India.

Funding for its expansion plans will be through internal accruals. It has already raised USD three million and has the commitment of USD 10 million from the investor group for expansion.

Amatra launches luxury properties in Haridwar and Mussoorie The Village, Coconut Island, Thailand,

recently organised a familiarisation (FAM) trip for travel agents from Mumbai and Delhi, in association with GoAir, to create an in-depth understanding about the hospitality brand’s offerings and establish relations with the Indian travel trade. Representatives from leading travel companies including Thomas Cook, MakeMyTrip, Travel Boutique Online, Travel Triangle, Goibibo, Yatra.com and Kesari Tours were part of the FAM. Commenting on this initiative, Jintana Ngorsurachet (Yok), Assistant Director of Sales, The Village, Coconut Island, said, “We are seeing a steady increase in Indian tourist arrivals to the island resort. A major part of the credit can be attributed to our Indian travel trade partners for understanding the uniqueness of Coconut Island and the resort and promoting the same to the travellers. We will continue to educate and support them through initiatives like FAM trips, training and roadshows." During their stay at The

Village, Coconut Island, the agents explored select offerings of luxurious stays, world-class cuisine, MICE facilities and wellness therapies. To enhance their experience, The Village, Coconut Island also showcased multiple activities such as cycling, kayaking, lawn tennis and water activities.

Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director-Nijhawan Group, said, “The tour operators and travel agents who participated in the FAM trip loved the resort and are confident about its potential to become a sought-after family, honeymoon, wedding, MICE and wellness holiday resort for the Indians. They are impressed with the resort’s diverse offerings, luxurious accommodation options, wellness packages, adrenaline-pumping activities, savouring cuisine apt for the Indian travellers and warm hospitality. The Coconut Island has excellent connectivity from the Phuket mainland and is an unbelievable destination with visa on arrival and direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi.”

Lords Hotels and Resorts signed up with one of its kind leisure club & resort at Rajkot making its further foray into Gujarat.

One of the fastest-growing chains with presence in 39 cities, 10 states and two countries, this will be Lords 23rd venture in Gujarat adding to its impressive presence in Ankleshwar, Bhavnagar, Chotila, Dahej, Dwarka, Gandhidham, Gir, Somnath, Surat, Porbandar, Rajula, Vadodara, Jamnagar (2), Morbi, Ahmedabad, Rajkot (4) and Bharuch. The agreement was signed recently between Pushpendra Bansal, COO, Lords Hotels and Resorts and Ishwar Gehi – Promoter, Aarya Raj Club and Resort.

Commenting on the occasion Pushpendra Bansal said, “We are delighted to announce our latest venture in Rajkot. It will be a fabulous retreat for a traveller with a host of amenities”. “We are delighted to partner with one of India’s premium hospitality chain. It is with success record of managing hotels we see bright prospects in the growth of Lords Aarya Club & Resort” said Ishwar Gehi. Rishi Puri further added, “Lords Aarya Club & Resort captures the essence of Gujarat with its unique architecture. It will differ in a way that it will offer tourists a more relaxed atmosphere”.

Sarovar Hotels and Resort announces the signing of a new hotel in the Godavari

Delta of Andhra Pradesh. Dindi is in the intersection where the Godavari joins the Bay of Bengal. Sarovar Portico, Dindi after renovation will have 50 aesthetically designed rooms including suites, with a view of lilies and lotus ponds. Other facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, spa, dining area and indoor meeting and banquet space for business meets and social event. This is Sarovar’s second hotel in Andhra Pradesh after Marasa Sarovar Premiere, Tirupati.

Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts said, “We are delighted to expand our leisure portfolio. Our vision is to deliver

uncomplicated travel experience for our business and leisure travellers. We see great growth potential in this market and look forward to offering the best value to business and leisure travellers in sync with Sarovar’s signature hospitality”.

The Village Coconut Island conducts FAM for Indian Travel Agents

Lords Hotels and Resorts partners with Aarya Raj Club and Resort

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts spread presence in AP with Sarovar Portico Dindi


TravelScapes


Kathmandu Marriott Hotel opens in the historic capital city, marking the debut of

the flagship brand in Nepal. “We are proud to introduce our flagship brand in the beautiful kingdom of Nepal. The country welcomed one million tourist arrivals in 2018, reaching a new record to show that this country has great tourism potential,” said Neeraj Govil, Area Vice President, South Asia, Marriott International. “The hotel will offer our guests brilliant stays in Kathmandu, stimulating guests with cultural experiences that speak to their inventive nature.”

“For both business and leisure travellers, Nepal offers many UNESCO World Heritage Sites with stunning experiences while guests unwind and recharge in the comfort of sophisticated spaces and the warm hospitality of Marriott.” Upon entering the hotel, guests will see thoughtful touches paying tribute to the country. The 214 well-appointed rooms

reflect streamlined Marriott Modern design complemented with premium elegance and intuitive technology. “The Kathmandu Marriott Hotel is thoughtfully designed to ensure a brilliant stay. We look forward to delivering unparalleled guest experiences backed by comfort and great service through best in class facilities and amenities for both international and local guests. Our four distinctive dining venues, offering sumptuous local and international cuisines, promise to raise the bar within the Kathmandu culinary scene,” said Jean-Louis Ripoche, General Manager, Kathmandu Marriott Hotel.

Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel part of Marriott International recently celebrated its first anniversary with

a weeklong of initiatives as part of the grand festivities. The brand’s first hotel in South India and the fourth in line to join the Renaissance Hotels India portfolio, activated a series of events at their property situated in the prime location overlooking the turf club in Bangalore.

To commemorate the first anniversary, the hotel ideated on quirky and fun themes and invited guests to partake in the celebrations. The lunch and dinner at Lush, the casual all-day dining restaurant serving delectable cuisines from across the world were strategically priced at INR 1,111. A sophisticated gala evening saw the presence of renowned socialites and likeminded hoteliers of Bangalore. Staying in unison with their Evenings at Renaissance, the guests connected, socialised and experienced the locale through nightly programming. The guests found it immensely intriguing that the first drink of the night was charged at INR 1, observing the first anniversary. On Saturday night, DJ Martin Dsouza’s performance lit up the venue with zest while the guests grooved to his peppy music on the lively dancefloor.

“It is our pleasure to celebrate the first anniversary of Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel with all of our esteemed guests. The combined efforts of our hotel team and our patrons have gotten us this far and I would personally like to share my gratitude. We are proud to be a part of this incredible growth story and see the hotel serve as a platform for guests to explore and share all that is vibrant and exciting about the city. With a distinct and conscious effort to present local experiences in an unusual manner, the Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel will always have that surprise waiting for its guests," said Subhankar Bose, General Manager, Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel.

The Pride Group of Hotels is scaling up its operations to focus more on the Pride Hotels and Pride Resorts brands,

the group’s moderately priced, upscale, full service, business and leisure hotels. The group is also coming up with a new brand exclusively focused on millennial customers. The hotel chain is planning to open a 300- room property in Goa, besides expanding its presence in Guwahati, Panipat and Nashik later this year. It also plans to add 75 rooms and 50 rooms respectively at its five-star properties in Nagpur and Pune, respectively. Pride Hotels is also in advanced talks with a hotel property in Mumbai to run under a management contract.

Announcing the developments, S. P. Jain, Managing Director of Pride Hotels said, “Our major expansion plans are primarily targeted towards tier II and tier III cities that translate into vast business potential. Pride Hotels presently owns and operates 16 hotels nationally. By 2022, we plan to double the number of properties to 30 with over 3,000 luxury rooms to emerge as a leading national hotel chain in the country.”

Today, the tourists and travellers have options galore, in terms of selecting

properties to stay at different incredible locations and regions. In many cases, there are exclusive properties that provide the best experiences ever but are unable to draw attention to the right traveller. A Delhi-based selective marketing company having a worldwide reach, Terra Tales bridges this gap. The company is currently representing and marketing the partner hotels, resorts and lodges on different platforms to ascertain that the partner properties obtain benefits in quantitative and qualitative respects.

The company facilitates the properties on board to carve out a niche and acts as an improvement partner to a great extent so that the experiences provided by the properties stay matchless and incredible. The company implements highly-effective strategies to encounter and overcome fierce competition. The conservation and concern for the environment are at the core and Terra Tales works with the properties that maintain a balance between business and conservation.

But this exciting journey was never a piece of cake for the founder Gita Chaudhry. She

has a rich and relevant experience of more than two decades in sales and marketing domains and enjoys past associations with ITC, Marriott and Wyndham where she handled important profiles. Chaudhry faced umpteen challenges since the beginning but her determination was firm and vision was crystal-clear. None of the stumbling blocks could stop her from emerging as a successful entrepreneur. She grew stronger and better with each blow and hiccup and channelised her energies to create the best version of her company, Terra Tales.

Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel celebrates its first anniversary

Pride hotels target 30 hotels by 2020, to launch a millennial-focused brand

Terra Tales ascertains benefits for its partner properties

Marriott Hotels ventures into Nepal

UPDATE HOSPITALITY

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TravelScapes


As the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her maiden budget speech, presented that the travel and tourism industry in the country would see a reduction in taxes, improved infrastructure and enhanced, smoother and more efficient connectivity. One of the key steps aims at developing 17 tourist sites as model sites so as to increase the visitor traffic. With the emergence of the announcement, we collated the mixed reactions from the industry stalwarts where some agree that the budget would give a much-needed boost to the sector while many were disappointed about little to no mention of the sore points of tourismBy Team TS

UNION BUDGET 2019 NUDGING UP OR CURVING DOWN THE GRID OF TOURISM?

We welcome the minister's statement that they will reduce Corporate Tax rates and include all companies with an annual turnover from INR 250 crores to INR 400 crores in the 25 per cent tax bracket. This will cover 99 per cent of tour operators and travel agents of India. However, we are disappointed that nothing substantial about tourism has been mentioned in the budget. Although the prime minister’s vision is to create millions of jobs and double the inbound tourism from 10 million to 20 million. If his vision is to be realised, then we need to increase air seat capacity in and out of India by at least 15 million. The industry

demand of reducing tax on Aviation Turbine fuel to one per cent should be implemented as the direct operating cost of tire Aviation fuel for an Airline is from 25 to 30 per cent that is why most of the Indian Airlines are bleeding. There has been an increase in the fuel which will make ground transportation more expensive aid also make movement of goods and services more expensive.

We, as tourism industry, were expecting exemption on GST and other taxes based on foreign exchange earnings as Tourism and Service Export contribute immensely to the Indian economy and are the largest job creators.

SUBHASH GOYALCHAIRMAN, ASSOCHAM- TOURISM & HOSPITALITY COUNCIL

CENTRE STAGE

Union Budget 2019 definitely marks the beginning of the new India. It will give a much needed boost to the Indian travel and tourism sector. With the ongoing UDAN scheme for common man, we can expect better air connectivity, improved infrastructure and bridging of the gap between rural and urban sectors. Another

visionary project ‘Sagarmala’ will enhance waterways and port connectivity that will uplift cruise tourism in India. As the government understands the need to invest and improve infrastructure, I am sure this budget will add pace to the economic development of the nation.

ANIL PARASHARPRESIDENT & CEO, INTERGLOBE TECHNOLOGY QUOTIENT

TravelScapes


CENTRE STAGE

The budget certainly provides a holistic approach to an advanced future. The investments targeted towards infrastructure with Bharatmala programme and national transport card will help develop national road corridors and highways and aide seamless travel. With a vision to upgrade 1,25,000 km of road length over the next five years, tier II cities will be significantly

connected to the urban cities thereby making the tourism industry grow. The initiative to develop 17 iconic tourism sites into world class tourist destinations will also provide a major fillip to the industry. Concluding the Union Budget 2019 with infrastructure and innovation at its forefront, the tourism industry is sure to get a boost in the years to come.

For the travel and tourism sector, it is encouraging to see the focus being given to the aviation industry. The Finance Minister’s announcements on FDI, aircraft financing and leasing, policy interventions for development of maintenance, repair and overhaul in India (MRO) have provided the much-needed support to the industry, and will certainly have a multiplier effect on airfares and job creation.

With the Government’s UDAN scheme being further fortified by inclusion of additional smaller airports, it will

augment regional air connectivity, thereby generating an increase in inbound and domestic tourism. A noteworthy initiative is the setting up of 17 iconic tourism sites as world-class tourist centres, coupled with a Digital Repository as a bank of documentation on India’s tribal history and heritage. A focus on overall transportation infrastructure with far reaching initiatives such as Bharatmala for roads and Sagarmala for waterways, along with massive rail modernisation and safety will have long-term positive outcomes for the country.

J.B. SINGHPRESIDENT AND CEO, INTERGLOBE HOTELS PVT LTD

MADHAVAN MENONCHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR, THOMAS COOK (INDIA) LTD

Travel and tourism industry contributed a tenth of India’s GDP in 2018 and accounts for 42 million jobs in the country. The Union Budget 2019 has although not directly laid out initiatives for tourism promotion but has laid focus indirectly, via public-private partnership to be unleased for rail infrastructural development and new airports being sanctioned along with up-gradation of roads. We expected from the budget that the Ministry would do something about the industry status for tourism which has not been approved yet. We are hopeful that the GST rate for tourism

will be brought down to 18 per cent which is in the pipeline but was not discussed in the budget. I believe that there should be income tax exemption for the domestic travel agents and tour operators. MICE is a huge tourism segment for India with 18 per cent GST on it and that in my opinion, should be brought down to five per cent. Additionally, the Ministry should encourage incentivisation on MICE to further promote this burgeoning sector. These measures, if taken, would increase employment and revenue generation in the field of tourism which will lead to stable economy.

P.P. KHANNAPRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF DOMESTIC TOUR OPERATORS OF INDIA (ADTOI)


TravelScapes

The Union Budget has been very disappointing where Tourism is concerned. The main points directly impacting the Indian Tourism travel and hospitality industry remain unaddressed and even unmentioned. The budget refers to development of 17 iconic monuments which is basically a repeat announced in an earlier budget. Does focusing on these 17 monuments help tourism to grow? The lack of Infrastructure status to hospitality and conventions which increase their funding costs, the non-availability of export status to our foreign exchange earning members, the non-recognition of the fact the Indian adventure and the Indian tourism heritage industry can itself create a huge wealth of opportunities, the non-addressable of seamless travel from tourist transportation which could have resulted by creation of a single entry tax regime, lack of focus on creating new destinations which can take

the load off the existing overloaded ones, the levy of GST of 28 per cent which is making us hugely globally uncompetitive, the non-availability of credits for F&B and tourist transportation, the non-parity and uncompetitive levy of GST on forex earnings in tourism , the non-availability of IGST to hospitality which is breaking the tourism GST chain, the GST levy on outbound travel and the lack of a pre-emptive tax of 1.8 per cent for tour operators all of these stay as points unaddressed. More so when we have a GST disadvantage of almost 15 per cent vs our East Asian neighbours. India’s share is one per cent plus of the International Travellers Arrivals.

It is really a big missed opportunity. Each sector of our industry be it Leisure Inbound, Domestic, Adventure, MICE, Heritage are highly under-penetrated. India tourism has an inherent global comparative advantage because of its cultural

and geographical heritage and can double its total employment impact to almost up to 10 crore jobs over the long run. Our tourism destinations totally lack infrastructure and even the cities which come under smart cities are not smart, they lack class and neatness. The government should change their outlook on tourism and consider it as a vital segment which sadly, wasn’t highlighted during the presentation of the budget.

JYOTI MAYALHON. SECRETARY GENERAL, TRAVEL AGENTS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA (TAAI)

CENTRE STAGE

The union budget has made the aviation sector more conducive for increased FDI by proposing to increase the FDI caps. This will attract increased interest in the Indian aviation space by enabling controlling stake for foreign carries and should add increased momentum to

the Air India privatisation process. The success of the AI privatisation process is crucial to the health of the Indian aviation space as we can’t afford another airline bankruptcy after the jet airways grounding.

BALU RAMACHANDRANSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CLEARTRIP

Travel and tourism industry is a vital contributor to the country’s growth. The proposal statements made by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget will provide impetus to the tourism sector. As India is poised to become the third largest domestic aviation market, the budget has focused on reviving the concerned sector by opening FDI doors. Liberalisation of FDI will attract investments from foreign players, which will revive the current cash-strapped aviation

sector, thereby stabilising the aviation industry, which will in turn lead to incremental benefits for the tourism industry.

Impetus to projects such as Incredible India, UDAN, new initiatives to promote our heritage destinations, better road connectivity, focus on developing 17 iconic tourism sites, and budgetary allocation of INR 100 lakh crore for infrastructure development will help catalyse strong domestic tourism.

There is been some push from government about developing new tourism sites however road that leads to these sites need to be mend first. Current infrastructure like transportation be it air, road or rail need to be made better before tour operators start suggesting these places to travelers. Given current state of airline industry, route option and pricing make most such locations unviable. The gap between room supply and demand is perpetually negative, and the quality of hotel is always questionable for the prices, arising lots of

post sales issue due to deficiency of services. The current GST rates are very high especially if government is trying to consider tourism services as a priority sector and also funding availability to the service segment as well. Time and again government tried to give halfhearted push to the sector by launching schemes like UDAAN but due to lack of focus they have become irrelevant. Till the time these key issues are not addressed, incentives like creating tourism sites will not be able to create the PULL on its own.

VISHAL SURIMANAGING DIRECTOR, SOTC TRAVEL

AKASH DAHIYACEO & CO-FOUNDER, SANKASH

TravelScapes

EXUDING A SEDUCTIVE GLOW IN MONSOONS

Sensuous Shades of Serenity KERALA

By Gagneet Kaur

While there are some of the most captivating spectacles in India to chase the monsoon but Kerala, with its special appeal and distinct charm, beats them all. Skirted by the lush greens of paddy and emerald hues of coconut palms, the destinations in Kerala not just emanate different aromas of nature but also the various tinges of soothing silence. Awed by its sheer beauty, TravelScapes takes you through the scintillating landscapes of this God’s own country, listing the top choices to definitely visit during the downpour

INDIAEXOTIC



TravelScapes INDIAEXOTIC

ThekaddyLocated in the Idukki district of Kerala and renowned for its Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Thekaddy is ideal to visit for many reasons. Watching the rains in the forests, the rain drops bouncing from leaf to leaf and playing in the puddles while enjoying the aroma of fresh air is probably few of the rare experiences that one may look forward to in this quaint town. The scenic backdrops, the sightseeing experiences and the bird-watching activity at Periyar can lend your soul into a serene tranquility, something that shall stay with you for a long time to come. Making it the most memorable visit for the tourists, the Periyar Reserve comes to life during monsoons when the lush green trees brim with joy. Be it the peace that can be found in experiencing the true colors of nature or a surprise seeing an exotic seabird perched not so far from you, Thekaddy is surely a treasure-house of unspoiled pleasures.

• A boat ride in Periyar Lake to witness the beauty of wildlife in a refreshing way

• Experiencing Kumily to have a one-of-its-kind rendezvous with rejuvenation

VISIT FOR

Alappuzha Popularly famed as the “Venice of East” and for its backwater cruises floating lazily along the lush green and swanky fields fringed with coconut trees, Alappuzha or Alleppey is an enchanting

town with calm ambiance. Giving special effects to its charm, monsoon season here is a divine experience in itself, making the place all more beautiful. The line of several houseboats cruising on the calm backwaters is

another amazing not-to-miss spectacle. Try splashing about in the rains during the monsoon time – you’ll enjoy every moment of it! Adding to the excitement is the Alappuzha beach that beckons you to leave all inhibitions behind and

indulge in a variety of water sports such as surfing and parasailing. Alternatively, an exciting game of volleyball in the showers seems to be an absolutely fun choice too.

Cruising on Backwaters in the traditional Kettuvallam

VISIT FOR

WayanadOne of the most picturesque boroughs in Kerala while also being a top choice for monsoon getaways, Wayanad is blessed with beauty in abundance. Located at southern tip of the Deccan Plateau,

Wayanad enjoys the refreshing greenery and inimitable radiance everywhere and its promising ambiance during the monsoons has been tantalising visitors for years now. Displaying tumultuous beauty of the showers during the period of June to September and October to

November, this serene wonder in the god’s own country makes you come back for more. You can splash around in puddles near the Pookode Lake or put on your adventure shoes while going to Edakkal Caves or spot the wildlife and absorb the greenery at Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

• 'Splash' - a monsoon carnival to welcome the monsoons

• Meenmutty falls which is absolutely a ‘must-not-miss’ attraction

VISIT FOR

• Capturing the serene beauty of Periyakanal and Chinnakanal Falls • Driving on the hills and hopping off at various photo-points and

breathe fresh air.

VISIT FOR

TravelScapesINDIAEXOTIC


MunnarFrom gushing waterfalls coming to life with rains to gentle slopes and lush green tea plantations, Munnar, a beautiful town nestled ideally in the lap of nature, is delight to the senses.

Even though an exotic destination to visit throughout the year, the actual impressiveness of Munnar is especially brought out during the first showers of the monsoon, making it a picturesque paradise that truly turns the scene from ominous to surreal, in

just the blink of an eye. And the best part of visiting Munnar in pouring rains? Its tucked away from the crowd and regular humdrum. Also to calm your adrenaline rush, Munnar offers a bouquet of serene splendours which include Attukal Waterfalls, Lockhart

Gap, Eravikulum National Park and more. The soul-awakening views of the rain-soaked hills and the lush green tea gardens painting this scenic town into the hues of green are sure to enthral you every time you visit Munnar, time and again.

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UPDATE TravelScapesADTOI

THE 9TH ADTOI ANNUAL CONVENTION EXPECTS PARTICIPATION OF 400 DELEGATES AND 30 EXHIBITORS

Plans to work on avenues for states to enhance investment policies with PPP model

The land ‘Land of Legends and Lions’, Gujarat is the host state for the 9th Annual Convention-cum-Exhibition of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) with the theme ‘Domestic Tourism: Explore India-Experience India’. It will be held from August 16 to 17, 2019 at Hyatt Regency, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad. During the two-day convention, there will be business sessions dealing with current topics on tourism, B2B meetings with travel, tourism and hospitality partners, besides exhibition. Around 400 delegates are expected to attend comprising government dignitaries, prominent speakers from the industry, domestic tour operators including ADTOI members from PAN India, airlines and hoteliers. Tentatively, 30 exhibitors are expected to participate in the convention. There will be three business sessions during the first half of the second day of convention on August 17. The dignitaries invited by ADTOI from the Ministry to grace the occasion include Gujarat Chief Minister Vijaybhai Ramniklal Rupani, State Tourism Minister Jawaharbhai Pethaljibhai Chavda, Principal Secretary S.J. Haider along with Jenu Dewan, Managing Director of Gujarat Tourism.

There will be an option of two post FAM tours to choose from, a one-night FAM tour to the world’s tallest statue with a height of 182 metres Statue of Unity, which people have shown great interest in visiting and a three-night FAM tour of Somnath – Porbandar – Dwarka. There will be priority darshan at both the world-renowned

temples for ADTOI members. All transportation, hotel and meals are arranged in package tour designed exclusively for the members. A very nominal fee is being charged from members and both the FAM tour options are highly subsidised by ADTOI.

Convention Chairman and President of ADTOI PP Khanna says, “I extend my compliments and sincerely appeal to all our valuable members to support the 9th Annual Convention-cum-Exhibition of ADTOI wholeheartedly with their participation and make it a grand success. I look forward to support and active participation from the ADTOI members.” Anil K Rajput and Sanjay Saxena are Convention Co-chairmen. Rajput says, “Gujarat is rich

in its culture, historical monuments, temples, natural landscape, beaches, wildlife, bird watching, shopping and celebrations. I would personally like to meet people, explore new places to attract the tourists to make it a year-round destination.” Saxena adds, “Gujarat is undoubtedly the epitome of perfect destinations and its tourism is way forward for spirituality, I am sure that with support of the members this convention will be immensely successful.”

Chetan Gupta, Hony. General Secretary, ADTOI exclaims that the ADTOI team always aims for reaching new heights and will once again leave no stone unturned to make this convention a grand hit, once again. Khanna emphasises that

approximately 200 members have confirmed their presence, till date. They are expecting 150 delegates from Gujarat including dignitaries from the Ministry of Tourism, hoteliers, tour operators and travel agents as we believe that the state possesses huge potential for tourism. “We would be doing B2B meetings with Gujarat tour operators and hoteliers along with the representatives of participating state tourism boards. This time, we would be working on how the states can further enhance their investment policies with the Public-Private participation model, which would be one of our main agendas. In one of the sessions, the state tourism boards will be sharing their success stories which helped them to enhance the influx of domestic tourists into their state.”

Adding to that, Khanna states, “We are also thinking of undertaking a State Specialist Programme (SSP) for our members. We would try to sign MoUs with the states after having an understanding about those who are interested to promote domestic tourism. We are also working on a session for the same on statutory of SSP for domestic tour operators besides focusing on networking between ADTOI members and representatives of state tourism boards so that they can grow their business on the consortium model.”

Mandu

Mandu during monsoon is a sight to behold as it turns romantically beautiful. Abound with historical tales, this city makes for a quaint idyllic hilly dreamland in this season. Nature is at it's scintillating best and you can see its enchanting beauty adorned with the greenery all around. Before entering Mandu just take a halt to watch Kakrah Khoh waterfall. A captivating sight during monsoon, this waterfall looks breathtaking. Going further, get mesmerised to see Jahaz Mahal floating on two water bodies, Kapur and Munj Talao. It stands beautiful against the lush green grass. During monsoon, the water level reaches the edge of the monument thereby giving it a ship-like appearance and hence the name Jahaz Mahal.

Don’t forget to visit Rani Roopmati Pavilion set at a vantage point. It commands a striking view of Narmada river which can be seen meandering through the plains like a streak of a thin silver lining. Enjoy the glory of a lush green landscape and the canopy of floating clouds from the Pavilion.

Pachmarhi

Raindrops striking the dry earth, Water droplets adding grace to the leaves waving softly in the breeze, the waterfalls gushing and there is greenery all around. That’s how anyone who has ever visited the queen of Satpura will describe the picturesque Pachmarhi during monsoon to you. This season turns out to be the best time to explore the vibrant colours of Satpura. For those who love mist covered and rain-soaked mountains will certainly love spending a vacay in this beautiful hill station.

Apart from many natural wonders and tourist destinations, Pachmarhi caters to all kinds of travellers to offer them a rejuvenating holiday experience at comfortable accommodations. Chill out, relax and unwind amidst the scenic settings at MPT Champak Bungalow, MPT Rock End Manor, MPT Glen View, MPT Satpura Retreat. Listen to the sound of rain as you recline on the Verandah. These accommodations are sure to stir up your senses and get you in the joyful mood. The bonus to your trip here is that you can take a bicycle from any MPT property and simply go out on exploring the very scenic trails of this beautiful hill station. With smooth roads and pleasant weather, you can head out for an adventurous expedition.

Bhopal

A beautiful amalgamation of natural scenery and rich history, Bhopal looks amazingly pretty during monsoon. The season brings out the hidden magic of

this place. Soak in the soft sensuous experience of the melody of raindrops while strolling through the bylanes of this scenic city.

You can begin your day with a cycling experience in Van Vihar National Park. What amplifies the beauty of this national park during monsoon is that you get to explore its calmness and serenity via cycling. An early morning ride will certainly make your day! After touring Van Vihar National Park, you can head to Wind & Waves restaurant (approximately 18 minutes from Van Vihar) which indeed gives you a breathtaking view of Upper lake and you can enjoy monsoon to the fullest here.

Another scenic spot that you should include in your must-visit list is Bharat Bhavan (Centre for Performing and Visual Arts) which is hardly at a distance of 4.1 km from boat club. Visiting this spot will not just spellbind you with its beauty but you can actually enjoy drizzles standing on the rooftop facing the lake.

Kerwa- Kaliyasot: The entire stretch at Kerwa and Kaliyasot turns lush green. You can enjoy a cycle ride or can even plan long walks here. Also, if there’s anything that truly defines the essence of this season then it is ‘Bhutta’. You can enjoy munching on Bhuttas (corn) available at the roadside stalls here. The flavour of the charcoaled, lemon and masala squeezed snack can bring water to anyone’s mouth!

Tawa

An ideal monsoon getaway, Tawa comes alive with picturesque views during this season. Everything you see here turns out green, fresh, clean and soothing. You can also enjoy a stay at MPT Tawa Resort. A stay at this accommodation is an experience in itself. Come with your cameras ready and take back a bag full of memories with you as every moment you spend here will turn out to be special.

Amarkantak

One of the hidden gems in Madhya Pradesh, Amarkantak is a must-visit spot. Those who adore nature will love to spend a holiday here. Some of the points of interests that you must visit include Sonmuda, Kapildhara and Dugdhdhara waterfalls.

Also, if you are in no mood to step out in this weather then worry not. MPT Holiday Homes allows you to enjoy fantastic views from your room. Get yourself a cutting chai or a piping hot cup of coffee teamed with sumptuous snacks offered at the hotel.

These five best monsoon destinations will surely make for a trip to cherish during monsoon:

Bask in the enchanting downpour of MADHYA PRADESH


TravelScapes


UPDATE TravelScapes

Maldives continues to ride the wave of growth with increasing number of Indian

tourists each year. The island nation witnessed a tremendous growth of 96.4 per cent in tourist arrivals from India during January to May 2019 in comparison to the same period last year. Maldives hosted around 66,265 travellers from Asia's third largest economy till May 2019.

Maldives, which is home to numerous beaches, coral reefs and nature reserves, has become increasingly popular among Indians with free tourist visa facility and good connectivity from most of the cities in India, including Delhi and Mumbai. Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC) said, "We are happy to witness the tremendous increase in arrivals from India this year. India is an extremely important market to us, showing potential for further growth as increased direct connections have made it easily accessible to travel to Maldives. We are working closely with the industry partners to promote Maldives as the ideal holiday destination among luxury travelers, while also promoting other segments such as local island tourism and liveaboards. We hope that our continued efforts

to promote the destination will result in keeping a steady growth in arrivals from the market.” Indian market holds third place in terms of arrivals to the Maldives with a market share of 8.8 per cent till May 2019. Moreover, as India ranks within the top five, with great accessibility to the Maldives, MMPRC plans to further strengthen the market with additional activities throughout the year.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently organised its annual ‘Amazing Thailand

Roadshow to India’ in New Delhi and Amritsar respectively, this year. The roadshow was held in New Delhi on July 26 followed by Amritsar on July 29, 2019. Around 35 sellers including representatives of hotels, resorts, attractions, DMCs and airlines from Thailand participated in the roadshow to showcase and promote their products to the travel trade in both cities. Apart from travel agents and tour operators, the roadshow was attended by top wedding planners.

The evening started with a B2B session between the sellers from Thailand and buyers from India that included the travel agents, tour operators and wedding planners from New Delhi and Amritsar, respectively. This was followed by a destination presentation by Director of TAT- New Delhi, Isra

Stapanaseth. The presentation focused on promoting new destinations, products and experiences in Thailand for the India travellers. The delegation from Thailand was led by Charun Ohnmee, Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning, TAT.

Talking about the roadshow, Ohnmee said, “We are delighted to organise the Amazing Thailand Riadhsow to India 2019, in New Delhi and take it forward to Amritsar. Thailand is already a very popular holiday and wedding destination for the people from North India. Thailand has welcomed around 978,751 Indians to Thailand between January and June 2019, which is a remarkable increase of 24 per cent as compared to same period last year. With support of the Indian travel trade and media, we are confident of reaching our target of two million Indian tourists to Thailand by the end of 2019.”

Maldives sees 96.4 pc growth in Indian tourist arrivals in 2019

TAT concludes its two-city Amazing Thailand Roadshow to India 2019

OUTBOUND

At the Indonesia Sales Mission that was recently organised at The Park, New Delhi and witnessed

encouraging participation of 36 suppliers from Bali and other Indonesian destinations. Dr. R Sigit Witjaksono, Director of Tourism Marketing - South & Central Asia, Middle East and Africa, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia was leading the Sales Mission along with Pupung Thariq Fadhillah, Deputy Director for Promotion in India, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia and Vasudha Sondhi, Director Market Strategy & Research- OM tourism in attendance among others. Witjaksono informs that the three-city event travelled to Chandigarh and Pune on July 26 and 29, respectively and Chennai and Ahmedabad are being eyed for the next year.

He says that India is one of their main priority markets as the number of arrivals year-on-year shows an upward trend. The country welcomed 5, 95,000 Indian visitors in 2018 and expect seven to eight lakh Indian visitors in 2019. Asked about the various initiatives the Indonesian government is taking to further attract Indian tourists, Witjaksono replies, “We engage in several promotional activities such as organising sales mission, FAM trips for tour operators, travel agents, media and bloggers along with participating in major trade exhibitions including SATTE and many more. Moving ahead, we will be taking part in Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) and World Expo in Dubai.” Visit Indonesia is also eyeing MICE, millennials and adventure travellers from India.

He asserts that although Bali is the main gateway to India and around 60 per cent of Indians visiting Indonesia travel to or via Bali they are aiming to shift the focus. The tourism board has identified ‘10 New Bali’ to promote in the India market. "The four key destinations that we are prioritizing from these are Lake Toba in the northern part of Sumatra island, Borobudur in central Java, Mandalika in Lombok island and Labuan Bajo that is close to Komodo Island," elaborates Witjaksono. They are targeting travellers who are exploring adventure activities, Hindu and Buddhist temples or Indonesian culture and heritage.

From this year onwards Visit Indonesia intends to enhance their focus on the ever-growing MICE segment. Bali and Jakarta are undoubtedly the biggest MICE hubs in Indonesia. He says that under the Tourism Hub program they seek to attract Indian tourists from their neighbouring countries including Singapore. There are ferry services from Singapore to Batam which is a promising MICE destination. Besides this, they are increasing the tourist traffic via Visit Indonesia Tourism Officers (VITO) officers in Delhi and Mumbai, Sanjay Sondhi and Shelly Chandhok respectively. He says that they are planning to collaborate with OTAs such as MakeMyTrip and Yatra.com among other wholesalers specialising in MICE. “Air India is expected to start operations, tentatively October 27 onwards, with Delhi-Chennai-Bali flights. We are also expecting the low-cost carriers (LCCs) such as Vistara, IndiGo and Spicejet to come on board and have recently converted Jakarta Airport Terminal 2 into an LCC terminal for the same," reveals Witjaksono.

Indonesia eyeing around eight lakh Indians in 2019

Thoyyib Mohamed

By Kritika Dua

TravelScapes OUTBOUNDUPDATE

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) conducted multi-city

educational and training sessions recently in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Nagpur and Lucknow. Key agents from the cities were invited to the event. The aim of the seminar was to increase visibility of the emirate of Sharjah and to promote its three themes– ‘Culture & Heritage’, ‘Gastronomy’ and ‘Adventure’ amongst Indian travellers and to educate the travel agents about Sharjah and the products it has to offer for both the Leisure and Family segment, and update their knowledge about the USP’s of the destination, the INR-Dirham exchange rate, upcoming events and how it caters to the different segments of Indian travellers.

H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said “India is a very lucrative market and we are aware of the potential it holds in terms of inbound visitor traffic into Sharjah. We are tapping into the worldwide travel trend where travelers are looking for experiential, deeply immersive cultural travel. This trend of experience-driven travel is set to continue, and we are confident that Sharjah will lead the pack with its unique immersive itineraries. Our Indian visitors value this aspect of Sharjah as well as the emirate’s reputation as a family destination and its cultural and destination-driven perspective.” During the seminar SCTDA also spoke about some of the Emirate’s new and upcoming exciting

projects and along with an SCTDA presentation, Air Arabia, the emirate’s official airline partner also made a presentation updating the travel agents about the direct flights currently operating from India. The agents displayed great interest in Sharjah as a cost effective weekend destination and in order to further strengthen its key messages, a Q&A session was held wherein SCTDA asked three general questions about the Emirate to the agents and two winners giving all the three correct answers from each city won an all-expenses paid FAM trip to Sharjah. The events were wrapped up with a Networking Dinner.

SCTDA conducts multi-city Educational Seminars in India

New Visit Malaysia 2020 logo unveiledTourism Malaysia concluded the

Visit Malaysia 2020 Roadshow in Hyderabad on July 25. Visit Malaysia 2020 Roadshow covered Amritsar, Mumbaid and Hyderabad from July 22 to 25. Sulaiman Bin Suip, Director, Tourism Malaysia

launched the roadshow with the unveiling of a new Visit Malaysia 2020 logo. Around 37 participants from Malaysia comprising travel agents, product owners, hotels, airlines and others interacted with the Indian travel trade.

Ministry of foreign affairs of Georgia

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia represented by H.E. Archil Dzuliashvili, Ambassador of Georgia;

Chris Dix, Head of Business Development, VFS Global and Alok Singhal, Regional Head- North & East India, VFS Global, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on July 19, 2019 with certain common objectives. The aims are: to provide easier access to Georgia for travellers who intend to visit for tourism and business while improving the integrity of the visa and admission process; to ensure that foreign students travelling to Georgia on study visas have the right credentials, academic ability, financial capability and intent; to help Georgian Educational Institutions improve the quality of their foreign students and to make Georgia an attractive study destination; to increase the flow of travellers to experience the heritage of Georgia and have the opportunity to explore what Georgia has to offer.

Under the MoU, VFS Global shall work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia to develop and manage a digital eVisa solution to aid in the processing of eVisa/Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) applications. This service will include the option to upload the required supporting documents and make the necessary fee payments online.

Giorgi Tabatadze, Director of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with other agencies, is currently undertaking active efforts to make more effective the tourism promotion mechanism already in place. VFS Global has been awarded a contract by Georgia to facilitate visa submission process for Indian citizens. The Memorandum signed on 19 July between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global will further simplify procedures and remove all kinds of technical barriers. Yet another important element is that pre-checks and initial validation of visa documents will be provided on the ground, in India, that will contribute to free movement of bona fide tourists and visitors across the Georgian border.” Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East and China, VFS Global said, “We are honoured to have been chosen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Georgia to provide travellers from India new eVisa services in addition to the regular visa services we have offered so far. The convenience of eVisa/ETA will encourage more travellers from India to choose Georgia as their next travel destination.”

H.E. Khalid-Jassim-Al-Midfa


TravelScapesGLOBETROTTER


THRILLS, TREATS AND TEMPTATIONS

GERMANY

FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE

It is said that from the town of Gernsheim, on the eastern banks of a torpid meander in the Rhine, it was once possible to see the steep slate roof and towers of Frankenstein castle, positioned on a hilltop, about 10 miles away. Visit the castle today, a short drive south of Frankfurt, and climb the tower to enjoy a dining experience on a patio, both with a view of the valley below. Frankenstein Castle (German: Burg Frankenstein) is a hilltop castle in the Odenwald overlooking the city of Darmstadt in Germany. It is thought that this castle may have been an inspiration for Mary Shelley when she wrote her 1818 Gothic novel Frankenstein. Get ready for the kind of warm-hearted companionship that the novel’s monster yearned for.

By Sayanti Halder

The land of Bach and Goethe, Germany is a unique cultural landscape existing in the very heart of Europe. With its soul-stirring scenery, spirit-lifting culture, big-city beauties, romantic palaces and

half-timbered towns, the Deutschland is an exceptional unification of natural beauty and man-made marvels as history, culture and natural beauty perhaps best describe the essence of vacationing in

Germany. We handpick some of the most exquisite locales of this “Land of Ideas”

GLOBETROTTER


TravelScapes

COLOGNE CATHEDRALCologne Cathedral also known as the Catholic Cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The towering Cologne Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Mary, is located on the banks of the mighty Rhine and is undoubtedly Cologne's most impressive landmark. This masterpiece of high Gothic architecture, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, begun in 1248 and was the most ambitious building project of the Middle Ages. As imposing as its façade, its magnificent interior covers an area of 6,166 square meters and boasts 56 huge pillars. Above the high altar is the reliquary of the Three Kings, the 12th-century work of art in gold that was designed by Nicholas of Verdun from Milan.

GLOBETROTTER

NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLENeuschwanstein Castle is one of the most visited castles in Germany and the most popular tourist destination in Europe. The castle, also known as the ‘Fairytale King’, is located in Bavaria near the town of Fussen and was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The antiquated old town of Füssen, situated between the Ammergau and Allgäu Alps and a popular alpine resort and winter sports centre, is a good base to explore nearby Neuschwanstein Castle. One of Europe's most famous (and picturesque) royal castles, this many-towered and battlement-covered fantasy fortress is the inspiration for Walt Disney's famous theme park castles. From guided tours of the sumptuous interiors to some of the country's most spectacular views, a variety of tour options are offered.


TravelScapes

THE RHINE VALLEYThe mighty Rhine is not only Europe's most important watercourse; it is also the most beautiful one. With a total length of 1,320 kilometres, this magnificent river stretches from Switzerland through Germany and all the way to the Netherlands. While there are many places in Germany to enjoy this majestic river, the lovely Upper Middle Rhine Valley section, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is probably the most popular spot for tourists to visit. Here, this often dramatic 65-kilometre stretch of river boasts more than 40 castles and some 60 picturesque medieval towns all just waiting to be explored either by river cruise or by car ride. The historic town of Bingen, where the river cuts through a deep gorge before entering the Bacharach valley, is a good place to begin the voyage.

THE ISLAND OF RÜGENRügen is the largest and most beautiful of the German Baltic islands, separated from the rest of Germany by the Strelasund and linked to the mainland town of Stralsund. The island's beauty stems from its diversity of landscape, including everything from flat farmland and forest-covered hills to expansive sandy beaches, lagoons and lovely peninsulas. A fun thing to do here, especially for outdoor enthusiasts, is to pay a visit to the Jasmund Peninsula, which in places reaches heights of 161 meters. Here, one will find Jasmund National Park, popular among nature lovers for its abundance of wildlife, with notable species found here, including rare white-tailed eagles. Another draw is the island's beautiful Stubnitz beech forests, part of the Königsstuhl National Park.

BLACK FOREST

When one thinks of the Black Forest, the spiky peaks, crystal clear rivulets, picturesque mountain pine and speedy brooks come to mind. Followed by the soft clump of boots on the moss-laden forest soil, travellers may experience all this and more at the Schwarzwald or the Black Forest as they walk or take a drive around. From the scenic beauty of the vast expanse of hills, valleys and forests to the posh Spatown Baden till the Swiss border, the area is rejuvenating in one word. Travelling by train, one should not miss the vivid Black Forest rail route between Offenburg and Konstanz. It is hailed as one of the most beautiful train journeys in Europe.

GLOBETROTTER


TravelScapesUPDATE

IndiGo adds Yangon as the 18th international destination in its growing

network. Effective from September 20, 2019, IndiGo plans to operate daily non-stop flights on the Kolkata-Yangon route. Yangon will be IndiGo’s 77th overall destination. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer of IndiGo said, “In line with our international expansion strategy, we are excited to announce Yangon as our new international destination. We see significant traffic coming from Yangon to the Buddhist circuit thereby enhancing economic

growth and tourism in India. This new route will strengthen the cultural relationship between the two countries and will boost trade, tourism and mobility.”

He further added, “IndiGo will continue to expand its network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travellers wherever they demand. It is our constant endeavour to provide more flexibility of choice to our customers as IndiGo continues to offer them on-time, courteous and hassle-free service, and affordable flying experience.”

IndiGo introduces Yangon as its 18th international destination

Air India reaches out to young travellers on board

Taking a step further to strengthen its bond with young passengers, Air India has rolled out its magic carpet to make

the flying time of its long-haul flight a breeze for the youngsters. A colourful magazine cum workbook for children aged two to twelve will be offered to keep them engaged in creative, fun-filled activities during the flight. Besides, Maharajah mementos and memorabilia will also be handed over to them. The highlight of the initiative is a log-book to be presented to every child of the long-haul flights where the commander of the flight will give his stamp along with a Maharajah insignia.

An innovative idea of the Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani, this initiative will go a long way in cementing the emotional bond the Maharajah shares with children and make them eagerly look forward to taking the long duration flights operated by Air India from Delhi and other destinations. The initiative was launched on the night of July 22, 2019, for the Delhi-New York flight AI 101 at the IGI Airport by the Commercial Director and other senior executives and received overwhelming appreciation from passengers from all age group.

AVIATION

Malindo Air starts Varanasi service from July 18

Malindo Air has started flying from Kuala

Lumpur to Varanasi from July 18 as it looks to capitalise on pilgrimage traffic to the Hindu holy city in northern India. There will be three flights per week on the route with a total capacity of 486 seats. With the launch of its new service, Malindo Air will be operating 63 weekly flights connecting 10 Indian cities to Malaysia. The direct flight to a major city in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state would help encourage more people from the region to visit Malaysia as said by Datuk Hidayat Abdul

Hamid, the High Commissioner of Malaysia to India.

“We have 224 flights weekly between India and Kuala Lumpur and Indian travellers can travel from 14 cities to Malaysia. We are promoting tourism beyond Kuala Lumpur and focusing on destinations such as Ipoh, Johor, Kota Kinabalu, Sarawak and beautiful unexplored beaches to attract one million Indian tourists by 2020,” he said. Malindo Air, which began flying to India on December 2013, sees potential to attract both inbound and outbound travellers.

Air Tanzania launches direct flights from Mumbai to Dar Es Salaam

Air Tanzania recently announced the launch of direct flight from Mumbai

to Dar Es Salaam. Launched on July 18, 2019, the six hours and 20 minutes flight departed Dar Es Salaam at 19.30 hrs and arrived Mumbai at 4.20 hrs (IST). Air Tanzania will perform frequencies, thrice a week from Mumbai on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. The launch of direct flight to India seen as one of the biggest moves to Air Tanzania with an ambitious and committed initiative to boost the connection to India, which is the key to the tourism market and trade partner for the United Republic of Tanzania. Eng. Ladislaus Matindi, Managing Director & CEO of Air Tanzania

said, “It gives us a great pleasure to launch our flight to Mumbai, India. This new service would significantly strengthen the tourism flow and the trade relation between the two countries. To serve the significant volume of traffic with high-quality service, we have deployed a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on this route for the betterment of our esteemed passengers. Our focus areas would be the safety to our customers, customer satisfaction, best in class hospitality, on-time service, hassle-free booking and affordable fares. We are optimistic to see a big number of people travelling to both countries by Air Tanzania since we rank to be the airline of choice soon and not later."


TravelScapes UPDATE

GoAir has yet again achieved the highest On-Time-Performance (OTP) amongst

the scheduled domestic carriers for the 10th consecutive month in June 2019. As per data released by the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), GoAir posted 86.8 per cent OTP, the highest among scheduled domestic airlines. This achievement is the result of GoAir’s continuous focus on enhancing customer experience without compromising on service deliveries. OTP ranking assumes critical importance in today’s context when passengers are looking at reliability and trust.

According to GoAir spokesperson, “The organisation’s strong load factors for the sixth consecutive month highlights, that we are the preferred airline carrier in India

for our passengers. GoAir has retained the OTP leadership position in an increasingly competitive market thanks to several initiatives, all of which has manifested itself in superior service quality and greater reliability for our passengers. More importantly, it has been the unwavering dedication and commitment of our employees that have played a decisive role in helping retain our OTP leadership in the India aviation sector.” During June 2019, GoAir clocked highest load factor of 94 per cent. Besides, it flew 13.3 lakh passengers. These numbers have been achieved at a time that is considered as slack travel season, especially for domestic travel given the onset of the monsoon.

GoAir rated as the best on-time performer for tenth time in a row

Functional routes under UDAN Scheme increase to 186: Puri

Functional routes under or Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik or UDAN Scheme have increased to 186, according to the latest update

from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, as stated by Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri. Durgapur Airport is the latest entrant on the map of UDAN, which is the 40th airport to become functional under the scheme. Total 12 routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (or RCS/UDAN in Hindi) have recently become functional. This takes the total operational routes under UDAN to 186 (including eight tourism RCS routes) of the total 706 sanctioned Routes.

All Nippon Airways to start direct Tokyo-Chennai flight from October 27

The face will be boarding pass for Vistara flyers from October

Odisha's Jharsuguda to soon become an all-weather airport

Come October, passengers taking domestic Vistara flights won’t have

to show their travel documents at every checkpoint in Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) as their face will be their boarding pass. The airport on Monday unveiled Digi Yatra — the fully biometric, paperless facial recognition technology which will enable passengers to breeze through KIA. Passengers travelling on Vistara flight UK864 from Bengaluru to Mumbai were the first to experience the one-ID biometric platform technology, which will be expanded to all Vistara flights departing

from the airport by October 2019, as part of Phase I of the Digi Yatra project.

After completion of the project’s final phase by early 2020, KIA has projected it will be the largest deployment of an end-to-end paperless biometric programme in Asia with over 350 passenger touchpoints at Terminal I. While the process is expected to be integrated with check-in and self-bag drop processes to include other domestic and international airlines, it will also be extended to the upcoming Terminal II as shared by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), operator of KIA.

Jharsuguda airport of Odisha will soon become an all-weather airport as the Civil Aviation Ministry has decided to install a

state-of-the-art landing system at the airport. Acknowledging that the flight operations at the airport have been hit due to visibility concerns during inclement weather, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that with the installation of the landing system, Jharsuguda will become an all-weather airport.

The airport provides connectivity to Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Delhi under the government's regional connectivity scheme of UDAN or Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik. "Meanwhile steps have already been initiated to reduce the minima at Jharsuguda airport and a DVOR will be operationalised by October to reduce visibility requirements. The ILS will be installed and made operational by December 2019 at a cost of INR 5.5 crore," the minister said on Twitter.

Japan’s five-star airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) will begin serving

a route connecting Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Chennai International Airport from October 27 onwards. The route will be the first direct connection between Japan and southern India. The new Tokyo-Chennai flight is part

of ANA's global strategy and the airline will deploy Boeing 787-8 aircraft from October 27, 2019, for the route. This expansion will bring ANA’s total number of cities serviced to 46. This will be ANA’s third route offering service to India, along with flights from Narita to Mumbai and Delhi, the airline in a statement added.

AVIATION


TravelScapesAVIATIONUPDATE

India's only full-service private carrier Vistara plans to add destinations in

Thailand and Nepal to its international network by the year-end. According to industry sources, the airline which commenced its international operations from August 6, will rapidly expand its global presence, thereafter. The airline is expected to deploy capacity to Bangkok and Kathmandu after starting operations to

Dubai.Recently, TATA SIA Airlines known by the

brand name Vistara announced that it will commence flight operations to Dubai from August 21. Dubai will become the airline's second overseas destination. Vistara inaugurated its international operations with flights to Singapore from Delhi and Mumbai from August 6 and 7, 2019, respectively.

Royal Jordanian (RJ) and Royal Air Maroc have announced the signing of a free

sale codeshare deal. Under the agreement, RJ will be able to market Royal Air Maroc flights, putting RJ’s carrier code on these flights between Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport and Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA). RJ does not operate flights to Morocco.

According to the codeshare, three weekly flights were sold as of August 5, which is also the first date of travel. The agreement with Royal Air Maroc is bound to enhance cooperation between the two flag carriers and improve passenger traffic by providing RJ customers convenient options to fly to/from Amman; they can also plan their trips to reach further destinations on RJ’s global route network.

RJ President and CEO Stefan Pichler said, “We are delighted to be working with Royal Air Maroc, a leading carrier in the Maghreb region. This agreement is a further step in the strategic and historical partnership between Jordan and Morocco and an added value towards higher air traffic between our companies.” Royal Air Maroc CEO Abdelhamid Addou added, “This new cooperation comes to strengthen the links between our two kingdoms and support our Casablanca-Amman flight launched last April. We are very pleased to start this codeshare with Royal Jordanian which will pave the way for our traffic and frequencies development on this market and will allow both carriers to access to each other’s networks via the Special Prorate Agreement established for routes beyond Casablanca and Amman.”

Vistara to stretch its wings in Thailand and Nepal

Royal Jordanian and Royal Air Maroc sign codeshare deal

Bokaro Airport readies for commercial flights

Air connectivity will soon become a reality in Bokaro. Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) ‘flight services’

(commercial) from Bokaro are scheduled to be started by October 10, 2019. The air strip is ready and formal load testing of the strip has been done (by the landing of SAIL's aeroplane), informed a report. Air routes have been allotted (to Spice Jet), the city to be connected from Kolkata and Patna, informed an official of Bokaro Airport.

Recently, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that there are 706 air routes under RCS scheme to connect small cities. Besides Bokaro-Kolkata and Bokaro-Patna, three other air routes have been allotted in Jharkhand includes Jamshedpur-Kolkata, Dukmka-Kolkata and Dumka-Ranchi.

Govt. wants AI to run Indore to Dubai flight via Bhopal

As per a report, the state government has swung

into action to improve the existing air connectivity at the Raja Bhoj Airport in the state capital. Chief Secretary SR Mohanty has written a letter to Air India as well as Airports Authority of India (AAI) to run the recently launched Indore-Dubai international flight from Bhopal for two to three days in a week. Mohanty has also requested the AAI to operate flights on routes which were decided under UDAN, the regional connectivity scheme, which was undertaken by the central government in 2017.

Citing a meeting organised on June 17, Chief Secretary said that the issue of commencement of international services from Bhopal airport came up for deliberation with the CMD of Air India, Ashwani Lohani. Mohanty added that the AAI was requested to prepare

customs and immigration facilities only on the receipt of a commitment letter from airline operators for starting international services. In this background, a requisite letter from Air India is requested, the letter added.

The letter stated that since Bhopal is the capital of Madhya Pradesh, there is an urgent need for direct flights to Dubai and the Middle East. Therefore, it is requested to favourably view the possibility of commencing international flights from the city. Mohanty suggested that for a start, the recently introduced international service from Indore may be routed via Bhopal for two to three days in a week. Air India may also consider aerial connectivity from Bhopal to other cities including Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Kolkata, Lucknow and Patna.

Delhi airport plans major expansion to boost passenger capacity

According to a report, The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is

planning a major infrastructure expansion of the Indira Gandhi International Airport to increase annual passenger handling capacity to 100 million by 2022. The Phase 3A expansion works, which were initiated recently, will also enhance the airside capacity to handle 140 million passengers per annum.

In the last decade, the air traffic movements (ATMs) and passenger numbers have seen a massive surge, exceeding projections. The expansion works, being carried out as per the Master Plan 2016, would enable IGI Airport to handle the

expected increase in air traffic, the report said. Phase 3A works will see the arrival and departure terminals integrated under a single roof to form the new integrated Terminal I. It would come with associated enhancements in baggage handling and security screening systems. Moreover, the total area of Terminal I will increase from the present 64,140-sq. m to 192,985-sq. m and capacity would go up from 20 million passengers per annum to 40 million passengers per annum. DIAL stated that L&T has been entrusted with the entire engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works of Phase 3A. The infrastructure expansion is expected to be completed by June 2022.

REPORTTravelScapes


After posting sharp rises in 2019, prices in the global travel

industry are likely to slow in 2020, with flights rising a modest 1.2 per cent, hotels rising only 1.3 per cent and rental car rates up one per cent (in USD terms), according to the sixth annual Global Travel Forecast, published by CWT and GBTA. While the global economy is doing well overall and expected to grow a solid 3.6 per cent in 2020 – a raft of uncertainties are set to put a damper on pricing.

India’s strong economic growth is fueling a greater demand for business travel and driving up prices. Airfares are forecast to increase five per cent (in local currency terms; zero per cent in USD terms), while hotel rates and ground transport prices are expected to climb 6.8 per cent (1.8 per cent in USD terms) and 4.5 per cent (-0.5 per cent in USD terms), respectively.

“Earlier this year we saw a spike in airfares after Jet Airways ceased its operations in April, so we’re already at a high base in 2019,” said Vishal Sinha, CEO, India, CWT. “With other airlines adding capacity to fill the vacuum, fares have begun to normalise and we expect that to continue next year. However, if the rupee weakens against the dollar, Indian carriers could be faced with bigger fuel bills and we might see that being passed on to travelers.”

“Hotel rates are also expected to rise, as the demand for rooms outpaces supply, especially in secondary cities such as Chandigarh, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. At the same time, the commercialisation of mid-tier properties by players like OYO are also pushing prices upwards.”

India’s strong economic growth is fueling a greater demand for business travel and driving up prices. Airfares are forecast to increase five per cent (in local currency terms; zero per cent in USD terms), while hotel rates and ground transport prices are expected to climb 6.8 per cent (1.8 per cent in USD terms) and 4.5 per cent (-0.5 per cent in USD terms), respectively.

Released by the Global Business Travel Association, the voice of the

global business travel industry, and CWT, the B2B4E travel management platform, the 2020 Global Travel Forecast uses data generated by CWT Solutions Group, to give an early look at the trends and developments that will shape the business travel industry in the year ahead.

Asia Pacific Air: 1.3 per cent Hotel: 1.3 per cent Ground: 0.5 per cent

Asia’s expansion has slowed down due to worsening US-China relations, tighter global financial conditions and natural disasters. But the region remains the most dynamic, with steady GDP growth, benign inflation, and a sense of optimism.

Air: In Asia Pacific, the shutdown of India-based Jet Airways’ operations in April created a gap in the market for some key routes, and the reduced competition has meant higher airfares – but with other airlines adding capacity to fill the vacuum, fares have begun to normalise.

Hotel: Asia’s hospitality industry is booming with hotel investment volumes predicted to grow 15 per cent year-on-year. Japan will host the Rugby World Cup later this year and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020, which will boost visitor numbers to the region. The Japanese hotel market is seeing a sharp increase in supply to accommodate the anticipated surge in visitors to the country during these events.

Ground: In China, steady demand and increased competition will hurt car suppliers. Across Asia Pacific, ride-sharing is booming, with many companies allowing their employees to use these services for business travel. Providers like Didi Chuxing, Grab, Go-Jek and Ola are pursuing aggressive expansion plans, while also taking steps to put more stringent safety measures in place.

Europe, Middle East & Africa Eastern Europe: Air: -0.2 per cent Hotel: 0.7 per cent Ground: 1.5 per cent

Western Europe: Air: 0.5 per cent Hotel: 0.7 per cent Ground: 0.5 per cent Middle East & Africa: Air: 2.2 per cent Hotel: 2.5 per cent Ground: 0.5 per cent

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects steady growth, ranging from 0.3 per cent in the Middle East to 1.6 per cent in Europe, and 3.6 per cent in Africa. Across Europe, labor unrest, climate change protests, global trade wars, rising oil prices and regional terrorism all have the potential to cause a slowdown.

Air: Istanbul’s new airport, one of the largest in the region, will likely change flows between Europe and Asia, providing an alternative stopover point for flights to China and Eastern Asia.

Hotel: Denmark and Egypt are both countries to watch, with hotel prices in Denmark expected to fall next year. On the other hand, Egypt’s rates are on the up - projected to rise by 4.7 per cent - as its economy settles down after a period of unrest.

Ground: Eastern Europe’s franchise model for rental car businesses will see slightly higher growth of 1.5 per cent, due to supply and demand in the region. Rail prices still vary greatly across EMEA due to inconsistent regulation.

Latin America Air: -1.6 per cent Hotel: -0.4 per cent Ground: 1 per cent

Economic activity in Latin America continues to grow – albeit slower than anticipated – and is expected to rise 2.5 per cent in 2020. A volatile political and economic situation in some of the largest economies like Argentina, Mexico and Brazil will hurt prospects.

Air: Given the long distances, a growing middle class, and low market penetration of air travel, there are many opportunities, and airlines are making the best of them. Since 2017, several new carriers have entered the market and low-cost carriers have gained significant share in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

Hotel: Following a steady decline in new hotels from a 2015 to 2016 peak, things may be picking up, with Mexico leading the way. More than 10 new corporate chain hotels opened in the region in the first quarter of 2019 with growth set to continue throughout 2020. Properties in Mexico and across Latin America are likely to continue to cut prices.

Ground: A slight increase for rental cars is driven by growing demand in Brazil, the region’s biggest economy. Rental car companies report a cultural shift towards sharing cars rather than owning them, and growth in tourism is also boosting the industry.

North America Air: 2.3 per cent Hotel: 2.3 per cent Ground: 1 per cent

While the US economy is thriving, there is growing uncertainty, due to tariffs and trade wars. US GDP growth is set to slow to 2.1 per cent in 2019, and slow further in 2020 and 2021, to 2 per cent and 1.8 per cent, respectively.

Air: Flight prices are expected to rise, reflecting the strong economies of the US and Canada. Most airlines are looking to ancillary fees as a way to stay competitive, so costs of services like Wi-Fi and lounge access may be up for negotiation for corporate travelers.

Hotel: The hotel industry has seen slow, but steady growth. A gradual slowing will help rates return to normal, correcting the high prices seen in some of the major cities. Technology-focused areas – like San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and Vancouver – are still seeing growth. However, demand in these cities has been high for so long that prices have risen too far – and business travelers are staying further out in response.

Ground: Due to the nature of long-term contracts, we are unlikely to see any upward trends in pricing until 2021 or 2022. Traveler preferences are dictating a change in car preferences, shifting away from traditional sedans in favour of more versatile SUVs and trucks.

India airfares forecast to increase five per cent in 2020; hotel rates expected to rise 6.8 per cent


TravelScapesON THE MOVE

PROMOTED AT: Sofitel Mumbai BKC TO: General Manager

Sofitel Mumbai BKC appoints Vikas Kapai as General Manager. Kapai comes with over three decades of hospitality experience. He has worked with brands such as Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Oakwood Asia Pacific and more where Kapai has often played a key leadership role, turning around the properties on significant performance metrics with his leadership capabilities and meticulous attention to detail.

PROMOTED AT: The St. Regis Mumbai TO: Director of Finance

The St. Regis Mumbai has appointed Shiva Kumar Ganeshan as Director of Finance. With a career spanning over two decades, Ganeshan's journey in the hotel industry started with some of India's leading organisations and hotel chains. With varied brands in his portfolio such as The Taj Group of Hotels, The Leela, Four Seasons and Hyatt Hotels Corporation, his most recent role was with the Kempinski Hotels in Nairobi.

PROMOTED AT: JW Marriott Pune TO: Director of Sales

JW Marriott Pune appoints Pooja Gawas as Director of Sales. Gawas will devise and implement innovative sales strategies to increase market share and maximise hotel revenue. She aims to ensure progressive growth by nurturing long-term relationships to build greater brand loyalty. Gawas has been with Marriott International for five years and has an in-depth experience and understanding of the industry.

PROMOTED AT: The Westin Pushkar Resort and Spa TO: General Manager

The Westin Pushkar Resort and Spa has appointed Vikas Kumar as General Manager. Kumar will be overseeing the hotel operations and ensuring stellar standards of guest service. He will lead the resort’s executive team with innovative and proactive strategic planning and strong interpersonal and tactical management skills.

PROMOTED AT: JW Marriott PuneTO: Director of Sales & Marketing

JJW Marriott Pune appoints Abhirath Sah as Director of Sales and Marketing. Sah will be responsible for the overall functioning and growth of market share for the hotel and will spearhead a team of skilled professionals while developing sales and revenue strategies for segment-wise growth. He has worked with prominent brands such as Sheraton, Leela Palace – Hotels & Resorts and Trident among others.

PROMOTED AT: Cygnett Hotels and Resorts TO: Regional Director- Pre-opening & Development

Cygnett Hotels and Resorts has announced the appointment of Debasish Chandra as Regional Director- Pre-opening & Development. In this new role, Chandra will be responsible for formulating new ideas to extend Cygnett group reach in new territories. He will also be responsible for streamlining operations in the existing units and swift pre-openings of the upcoming hotels.

PROMOTED AT: Hyatt Regency PuneTO: Director of Operations

Hyatt Regency Pune has appointed Sandeep Singh as Director of Operations. Singh holds over 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry converting strategic vision into measurable results at various hotels. He will be responsible for heading and managing the hotel operations and maintaining high standards of guest satisfaction in this hotel. Singh is driven about enhancing customer experiences and achieving operational excellence.

PROMOTED AT: The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences TO: General Manager

The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences appoints Varun Chhibber as General Manager. Chhibber will oversee the day to day operations along with the senior leadership team. He was the GM of The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel Delhi and under his leadership, the hotel transitioned into one of the most preferred MICE and Wedding destinations in Delhi NCR.

PROMOTED AT: The Grand New Delhi TO: PR & Marcomm Manager

The Grand New Delhi has appointed Shikha B. Singh as PR & Marcomm Manager. Singh will be responsible for entire marketing communications, public relations and positioning to drive growth of the hotel. She has an extensive experience of over 12 years in Marketing Communications. Her past experience includes Holiday Inn Mayur Vihar, InterContinental Eros, Shangri-la’s Eros, The Claridges Surajkund and Choice Hotels India.

VIKAS KAPAI

SHIVA KUMAR GANESHANPOOJA GAWAS

VIKAS KUMAR

ABHIRATH SAH DEBASISH CHANDRA SANDEEP SINGH

VARUN CHHIBBER

SHIKHA B. SINGH

RNI No. - DELENG/2013/48401 • Licence No. : F.2(T-3) 2013 • Posting Dt. 9-10/08/2019Place of Posting: NIEHOND 110028 • Reg. No. - DL(W)10/2208/2019-2021 • Date of publication 3-4/08/2019