ddppl.com TravTalkIndiatravtalkindia.com/pdf/2015/01-jan-2015-1.pdf · 2015. 1. 1. · Managing Director, Weldon Tours & Travels ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand

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Vol. XXVII Issue 1; January 1st fortnight issue 2015 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 52+ 24 Pages Supplement

29-12-2014-FINAL_TT_January-1st 2015:TT Layout 1/5/2015 11:51 AM Page 1


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Maya wave heats up North India

L to R- Greesh Bindra, General Manager, Crowne Plaza, Greater Noida, Amita Motwani, Mrs. India International 2013, SanJeet, Director, DDP Group, Dr. Subhash Goyal, President, IATO & Chairman,STIC Travel Group, S. Sohan Singh Thandal, Minister of Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Government of Punjab, Dr. Lalit K. Panwar, Secretary, Tourism, Govt. of India, Basanta Raj Kumar, ExecutiveDirector, Punjab Tourism Board and Ramesh Arora, Managing Director/VP Marketing, Montcalm Luxury Hotels at the maiden edition of the North India Travel Awards held at Crowne Plaza, GreaterNoida on December 20, 2014. This glorious award function was attended by distinguished personalities who came together to acknowledge the contribution of the best in the travel and tourismindustry by recognising and awarding them. Earlier this year, The India Travel Awards hosted their regional editions in South, West and East India

Dr Jyotsna Suri is FICCI President New Year, New Expectations

With the new government’sfocus on tourism, 2014witnessed a number ofremarkable changes in the travel trade. spoke to travel trade onexpectations for 2015 acrossvarious industry segments.

Since the launch of eVoA ,10,000 visas havebeen issued online. A tourist helpline hasbeen unveiled. We have implemented a system where a tourist will be given a toll-freenumber for 24 X 7. We will have taxi serviceswherein the cab will have chip so that itsmovement can be tracked.

Dr. Lalit K PanwarSecretary, Tourism, Government of India

ME G H A PAU L

Contd. on page 6

JANUARY 1ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2015 TRAVTALK 3

Jyotsna SuriPresidentFICCI See full story 7



BULLETIN

“The wait is over,” thesewere the ominous words

with which, Phee Teik Yeoh,Chief Executive Officer,Vistara, addressed the mediaas he announced that the full-service carrier will take off onJanuary 9, 2015, with Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Ahmedabadand Ahmedabad-Mumbai asits initial routes.

Talking about deliveringa seamless and personalisedtravel experience, through aslew of unique products andfeatures to delight customers,Yeoh called Vistara their NewYear gift to India, as the airlinebecomes the first Indian airlineto offer premium economyseats to customers. Vistara’slaunch comes at a time whenthings are looking a little bleakfor Indian aviation, however,

Yeoh is optimistic about theindustry and says, “We believein the immense potential of theaviation market in India, we’vegot what it takes to thrive in thisindustry and intend to makesignificant changes. We have

a very strong government inthe Centre, intent to removethe shackles around the indus-try. We applaud them for com-ing out with the draft aviationpolicy, this shows how serious

they are about putting in placean accountable and systematicset of solutions to unleash thepotential that Indian aviation ispoised to achieve. By 2020,this will be the third largest avi-ation market in the world.”

The airlines that startsoperations from January 9 withtwo aircraft, plans to get fiveaircrafts by March and will thenscale it up to 20 aircraft in four

Travellers in India will get to ‘Fly the New Feeling’ as TATA-SIA airline will startoperations on January 9, 2015, with Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Ahmedabad andAhmedabad-Mumbai as its initial routes.

Wait ends, Vistara flies from Jan 9

PE D E N DO M A BH U T I A

We have a wide range of fares that cater to customers from all strata,the pricing will change accordingto the demand and supply andthe value propositionthat we are offering tothe market

Phee Teik YeohChief Executive Officer

Vistara

To ensure a hassle-free and seamless check-in experience for cus-tomers, Vistara’s innovative customer interface will offer four differentways to check-in, including an auto check-in facility, a first in domestictravel in India. Besides web check-in and check-in via the mobile app,Vistara will also provide personalized service and dedicated counters,as well as designated queues, for passengers to check in at the airport.Further enhancing the seamless experience, travellers with hand bag-gage can proceed for security once they check in at the mobile tabletservice offered by Vistara customer service representatives.

Seamless check-in experience

Contd. on page 8


COVER STORY

VIEWPOINT

As we bid adieu to 2014 and usher in theNew Year, we also bid farewell to our ‘wait

and watch’ game. From taking baby steps tonow taking giant strides on the global tourismmap, the Union Government has finallyrealised the potential of travel and tourismindustry.

The latest UNWTO World TourismBarometer has also stated that internationaltourism has hit a new record by the end of2014 with over 1.1 billion internationaltourists travelling the world in one single year.International arrivals in Asia and the Pacificincreased by five per cent (through October),consolidating the region’s growth trend ofrecent years. What is good news for us is thatthe best results came from South Asia (+eight per cent), led by India (+ seven percent).

While India always had immensepotential to double the arrival number, ourcountry is now looking at overcoming the‘credibility crisis’ in relation to cleanliness,security and hospitality. With theimplementation of the Electronic TravelAuthorisation (ETA) and the recent slew ofinitiatives undertaken by the Ministry on theoccasion of the Good Governance Day, weare surely heading towards good times. Thee-portal of the Culture Ministry -- SwachhBharat - Swachh Smarak (Clean India -Clean Monuments); Welcome Cards forforeign tourists; Incredible India InfolineService; e-ticketing for Taj Mahal andHumayun’s Tomb; programme to expandHunar Se Rozgar programme to provideemployment to local communities, isexpected to boost inbound and domestictourism further. Thus, while there will bechallenges this year, there will be moreopportunities for the industry.

For the travel and tourism stakeholdersto cash in on the ‘good times’, it is importantthat they become partners to thedevelopment story and not just remainstakeholders. Diversification will be the needof the hour for our industry in order to keepup with the times.

Ringing in thegood times

TRAVTALK is a publication of DDP Publications Private Limited. Allinformation in TRAVTALK is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regret that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this pub-lication, however caused. Similarly, opinions/views expressedby third parties in abstract and/or in interviews are not neces-sarily shared by TRAVTALK. However, we wish to advice our readersthat one or more recognised authorities may hold different viewsthan those reported. Material used in this publication is intendedfor information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific

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The New Year would bemuch better. A new govern-ment and political stabilitywould definitely help theeconomic growth. India wasin the past a luxury market,so there were five-starhotels on one hand andguest houses and an unor-ganised set-up on the other.

Now, we have considerable market segmentation. Thisyear we will witness more growth in the budget andeconomy hotels. However, the challenge will be to gettrained manpower.

Anil MadhokManaging Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts

Happy times are here again

Luxury travel is on the risefrom markets such as the USand Far East. Experience,which is authentic, is one ofthe key drivers for travel andthis trend will only growstronger this year. An impor-tant development that weshould watch out for is the

entry of AirAsia and Tata-SIA airlines in the domesticskies. Also, the introduction of ETA by government hasremoved bottlenecks for foreign visitors planning tocome to India. We can expect more customers optingfor experiential holidays as this is the new trend.

Vikram MadhokManaging Director, Abercrombie & Kent India

The growth in outboundtravel from India has alsobeen fuelled by many fac-tors. Now there has been aslew of direct flights beingintroduced. Foreign touristboards have also realisedthe great potential of theIndian outbound segment.MICE and business travel are definitely areas that willboost outbound travel. We see a rising interest inMICE, especially incentive trips in 2015.

Guldeep Singh SahniManaging Director, Weldon Tours & Travels

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015in Australia and NewZealand is anticipated togarner keen interest. TheTrans-Tasman joint visaagreement, for the match istruly a strategic move. AtThomas Cook India, oursales teams are reporting astrong 25 per cent increase in queries. DespiteAustralia & New Zealand being long haul destinationsand prices at peak levels, the Indian consumers’ grow-ing interest augurs well for Sports Tourism.

Shibani PhadkarSenior Vice President-Products & Operations, Leisure Travel

(Outbound), Thomas Cook (India)

In 2015, India will get newdomestic carriers and willalso see a growth in inter-national traffic. 2014 wasan exciting, as well as,challenging year for the avi-ation industry. A visiblegrowth was seen in thenumber of Indians optingfor air travel domestically,

the number of Indians travelling abroad alsoincreased. However, at the same time, factors beyondcontrol like Ebola had a major impact on the business.

Sajid KhanCountry Manager – India, South African Airways

To leverage the attentionand viewership that 2015World Cup is expected toreceive in India, TourismAustralia has planned arobust integrated mediacampaign, to increase visibility for the country asa tourism destination.Strategic airline and travel

agent partnerships will supplement the appealingimagery and brand content advertised by providinga strong call-to-action and attractive packages forpotential travellers to book their holiday.

Nishant KashikarCountry Manager, India & Gulf, Tourism Australia

With the recent introduction of ETA, we only see happy times for the inbound market. Theinbound from many of our conventional markets, especially the US will grow tremendously.However, there has been a sharp decline in Russian tourists due to steep fall in roubleand the Ukraine crisis. Domestic travel will see good growth. Offbeat destinations likeNorth East will see better growth than previous years and so will specialised luxury andwedding segments. Other segments which will see good growth are the adventure andsports segments. Educational travel and incentive travel will show significant increasesas compared with the previous year. Dipak DevaCEO- Destination Management, India & South Asia, Kuoni Destination Management

Contd. on page 24

Contd. from page 1


Dr Jyotsna Suri, Chairman& Managing Director,

Bharat Hotels (Lalit SuriHospitality), has now beenappointed as President ofFederation of Indian Chambersof Commerce and Industry(FICCI). The announcement ofthe appointment was made atthe conclusion of the Chamber’s87th Annual General Meetingrecently. The only President

from the travel and tourismindustry in FICCI, Dr Suri hasbeen Chairperson of the FICCITourism Committee for the last

five years and is the onlywoman at the position.

To boost the travel andtourism industry, Suri’s mainfocus will be inbound anddomestic tourism. “I see a lot ofpotential in domestic tourismand thus, at FICCI, the focus willbe on promoting inbound aswell as pushing domestictourism. Inbound has been achallenge till now. However, withthe government’s new initiative

of the e-visa, things will be backon track soon,” she revealed.Outlining her agenda for thenext one year, Suri remarked,

“My vision for thenext three months will be based on 3Cs –concise, collaborativeand conclusive.Communication willbe to the point andconcise.

Action and direction willbe collaborative, first withinFICCI itself and then with theindustry and other industryassociations and the govern-ment. The aim will be to conclude all initiatives takenin this one year by the end of my term.”

The Travel Trade hasaccomplished many achieve-ments under her direction.One of her achievements

include the introduction of‘The Great India TravelBazaar’ in 2008 by FICCI and ‘The Great DomesticTourism Bazaar’ in 2011, both of which have becomekeenly-awaited events in theannual calendar of travel and tourism business interactions. She succeedsSidharth Birla to the top position. Prior to this, Suri was Senior Vice President of FICCI.

J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 7ASSOCIATIONS

Iron lady at FICCI to focus on inboundShe is the first President representing the travel and tourism industry. To boost the travel and tourism industry, Suri’s mainfocus will be inbound and domestic tourism.

TT BU R E AU

� Dr Suri has beenChairperson of the FICCITourism Committee for thelast five years and is theonly woman at the position

Hall of Fame

VoA grows by 63% inNovember 2014

During the month ofNovember 2014, a totalnumber of 2,968 VoAswere issued under thisscheme as compared to1,824 VoAs during thesame month last year, reg-istering a growth of 62.7per cent. During January-November 2014, a totalnumber of 24,963 VoAswere issued as comparedto 17,594 VoAs during thecorresponding period of2013 registering a growthof 41.9 per cent. The 12countries for which VoAswere issued under thisscheme during November2014 were South Korea(837), Singapore (467),New Zealand (427), thePhilippines (350),Indonesia (326), Japan(310), Finland (125),Myanmar (64), Vietnam(22), Cambodia (20),Luxembourg (18) and Laos (2).

357 VoAs in 10 days ofcommencementat Goa Airport

The Goa Airport atDabolim has issued 357Visas-on-Arrival (VoA)within ten days of thecommencement of thefacility . The VoA facilitywas launched by theUnion Home ministry onNovember 27, 2014 andGoa Airport at Dabolimstarted the process ofissuing the visas fromDecember 4, 2014. 43countries have beenextended this facility andGoa is one of the nine air-ports which has beenselected for providingthe VoA facility. VoA wasissued to Russia (154),Ukraine (183), Germany(7), Jordan (3), Singapore(1) and USA (4).


8 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 MOT

Dr Mahesh Sharma , theMinister of State for

Culture(Independent Charge),Tourism (Independent Charge)and Civil Aviation made severalannouncements while speakingat Raipur airport during his offi-

cial visit to Chhattisgarh. TheMinister said that tourism will beused to fight terrorism and gen-erate employment in the coun-try. He once again emphasisedthe need for beautification,security and cleanliness of

monuments and well-developedconnectivity to boost tourism.

He also held a meetingwith the Chief Minister ofChhattisgarh, Dr. Raman Singh,in which several issues wereraised related to promotion oftourism and culture in the state.

Singh requested Dr Sharma toinclude the important historicalsite of Sirpur in the Buddhist cir-cuit. He promised that theCentre will seriously look intothe demand to include Sirpur inits ambitious Buddhist Circuit

project. He also assured thatfunds will be sanctioned forSirpur site development, espe-cially for the construction of amuseum and said that the Rs48 crore proposal will be sanc-tioned on priority for the 7amphitheater projects in thestate for which DPRs havealready been sent by the stategovernment.

The Chhattisgarh ChiefMinister also requested thatone more tourist circuit should be sanctioned toChhattisgarh in addition to theBastar circuit already sanc-tioned. He also proposed that an international Tribal festival should be held inRaipur. The State Tourism

and Culture Minister of Chhattisgarh, AjayChandrakar, was also presentat the meeting.

In the Civil Aviation sector, the Chief Minister raisedthe issues of upgrading Raipur airport into an international airport, the issueof Bilaspur airport as well asraising Jagdalpur as green fieldairport to which Dr Sharmaassured all possible help.

The Minister also sanc-tioned Swamy Vivekanand’sstatue for Swamy Vivekanandairport of Raipur. Earlier DrSharma dedicated the thirdaero-bridge at the Raipur air-port to the nation.

The Tourism Minister was in Chhattisgarh recently. He met the state’s Chief Ministerand promised a few sops for tourism development in the state. gets you thedetailed report of the minister’s visit to Raipur.

Chhattisgarh to get a facelift

TT BU R E AU

Tourism will be used to fight terror-ism and generate employmentin the country. There is a need

for beautification, security andcleanliness of monuments andwell-developed connectivity

to boost tourismMahesh Sharma

Minister of State Tourism & Culture (I/C)

Chhattisgarh CM to Tourism Minister� Include the important historical site of Sirpur

in the Buddhist circuit

� One more tourist circuit should be sanctionedto Chhattisgarh in addition to the Bastar circuitalready sanctioned

Wide range of fares for travellersyears, following which it willexpand the route networkaccordingly.

Rubbishing comparisonswith AirAsia, Yeoh says, “Thereis no comparison with Air Asia,they’re a low cost airline whilewe are a world-class full-ser-vice airline.”

Talking about the farestructure, Yeoh, says, “Wehave a wide range of faresthat cater to customers from

all strata. The pricing willchange according to thedemand and supply and thevalue proposition that we areoffering to the market. Ourvalue proposition is that ofseamless and personalisedtravel experience never experienced by travellers inIndia before. We are here to redefine the flying experi-ence in India. Indian travellersare discerning. They look for value. We will offer faresthat we strongly believe would be value for money for them.”

Contd. from page 5

Keeping up with the times, Vistara has done away with the physicalcards. Customers can start enrolling for the program through Vistarawebsite and download their Club Vistara loyalty card. Additional bonuspoints can also be accrued as customers get upgraded to become Silverand Gold Members. Another unique feature of this program is FamilyPooling which allows up to six members of a family to pool their pointswhich can be redeemed by any one of them. Vistara will also be part-nering with a few brands from the airline and non-airline space to extendbenefits/redemption of points to their members thereby enhancingengagement with them.

Club Vistara

The menus will change everyweek and will only reappearevery 4 weeks to continuouslyoffer new dining experiences forfrequent travellers.

Meals andDining


Indian Railways is runningpremium special trains on 21

popular routes. The followingspecial trains have beenplanned to run on seven newroutes - Mumbai-Chennai,Pune-Karmali, Hyderabad-Mumbai, Hyderabad-Bangalore, Hyderabad-Chennai, Jaipur-BandraTerminus and Jaipur-Ernakulam. These additionalpremium special trains havebeen planned to meet theChristmas rush as well as to fillthe void created by the recentcancellation/reduction in flights.

Indian Railway Cateringand Tourism Corporation(IRCTC), operates seven pilgrimspecial tourist trains fromOctober 25-December 19 and further to this, three more pilgrim special touristtrains are planned till January12, 2015. The new pilgrim destinations covered are Bijapur, Solapur, Badami, Melmaruvathur,Vaitheeswarankoil,

Thiruvenkadu,Keelaperumpallam, Thirunallar,Alangudi, Surianarkoil,Kanjanur, Thirunageshwaram,Thingalur, Parasnath, St. FrancisXavier (Old Goa), Mecca Masjid(Hyderabd), Nanded Sahib,Nanak Jhira Gurudwara, SriPatna Sahib, Kanchipuram etc.

Pilgrim special touristtrains were announced inRailway Budget 2014-15 withthe purpose of connecting var-ious pilgrim destinationsacross India.

In addition to this, two railway stations -Baiyyappanahalli(Bengaluru) andBhubaneswar/NewBhubaneswar havealso been identifiedfor undertakingprefeasibility studies by theChinese Railways attheir cost under aMemorandum ofUnderstanding.

The development isenvisaged at no cost toRailways by leveraging landand air space in and aroundthe stations. Train operationswould remain with the railwaysand only identified serviceswould be provided and man-aged by private agencies.Moreover, while the stationsare planned to be equipped

with modern facilities andamenities, these would cater toall classes of passengers.

It was announced inRailway Budget 2014-15, todevelop at least 10 major sta-tions of Metro Cities and impor-tant junctions to internationalstandards on the lines of newlydeveloped airports. Six sta-

tions, viz., Habibganj(Bhopal),Chandigarh, Bijwasan(NewDelhi), Shivaji Nagar(Pune),Anand Vihar(Delhi) and Surat are entrusted to IndianRailway Stations DevelopmentCorporation Ltd.(IRSDC).Gandhinagar station has also been taken up by Rail Land DevelopmentAuthority (RLDA).

This entire informationwas given by the Minister of State for Railways,

Manoj Sinha, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

Indian railways runs special trains to beat the rush and three more pilgrim special tourist trains are being planned.Chinese Railways has also identified two railway stations - Baiyyappanahalli (Bengaluru) and Bhubaneswar/NewBhubaneswar for undertaking prefeasibility studies.

Special trains fill cancelled flight void

TT BU R E AU

J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 9RAILWAYS

� Pilgrim special tourist trains were announced in RailwayBudget 2014-15 with the purpose of connecting variouspilgrim destinations across India

All for Pilgrims


1 0 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 AVIATION

While most Indian airlines are struggling to keep their feet firmly on ground, international airlines that have recently added Indiaroutes to their network are telling a different story. asks them how 2014 was and what are their plans for the New Year.

India on their minds

The Indian market will growtremendously. We see theneed to have more commu-nication with the market andvisit more accounts. We needto inform Indians of what weare offering. The Indian mar-ket is among the top five forus. Within a year of our staff’s

direct contact with the Indian agencies, the market hasbecome quicker and more efficient. Since the time ourIndia operations have started, agents are pretty happyand satisfied with us.

Sanjay ShrivastavaDirector (Global Account Management)

Hahn Air

India is vital in driving the car-rier’s growth trajectory. In thelast three years, we have reg-istered a rise in revenues fromthe Indian market. We saw acompounded growth ofalmost 20 per cent in the lastthree years. Air Canada isfirmly committed to maintain-ing the momentum that has

been achieved and ensuring that continuous improvementremain an integral part of our DNA. Moreover, Air India’scode-sharing agreement with us gives Air Canada an edgein facilitating trave for India outbound to the US.

Gary CrossSenior Director

(International Sales) Air Canada

Response from India hasbeen very encouraging.The load factors average atabout 70-80 per cent andduring peak seasons cango over 90 per cent! Weanticipate opening moreroutes connecting Malaysiaand India in the next fewyears. We have increased

frequencies to Trichy to 10x weekly and to Delhi to 8xa week. We are currently surveying other major citiesin India for 2015. In 2015, we will be mounting 3xweekly flights to Visakhapatnam.

Chandran Rama MuthyCEO of Malindo Air

We recently announced theaddition of two flights weeklyon our Singapore-Chennairoute starting 4 December,2014. We are constantly on thelookout for opportunities. Thereare plenty of growth opportu-nities in India. Singapore has observed a double-digitincrease in arrivals from Indiaand according to 2013 data from Singapore Tourism Board,India was its fifth-largest market with 6,70,000 visitorsbetween January and September. We observe a significantpercentage of our global passenger load factors comingfrom India .

Robert YangCommercial Director

Tigerair

We are constantly reviewingnew routes and continuouslymonitoring market demandand exploring new opportuni-ties. The potential in India isonly rising higher and we lookforward to playing our full partin growing the aviation busi-ness here. Year 2014 hasbeen a good year and we arehopeful that 2015 will be the same or even better. Wesaw a growth in corporate travel which remains a focusarea for us. Passenger demand has been strong and wehave seen healthy load factors between 80-85 per centfrom India.

Charlie Stewart-CoxGM (South Asia, Middle East & Africa)

Cathay Pacific Airways

We recently launched one ofthe most significant routes inour five-year career with fiveweekly flights between Dubaiand Mumbai. We will now beadding four new frequenciesby March 2015 either from thecurrent seven points that wefly to or some new airports wewill be given access to. Wecurrently have permission to land only in 11 Indian air-ports. So we definitely want to expand in India but arenot getting permissions. The current capacity of five flightsa week is hardly enough for a metropolis like Mumbai.

Sudhir SreedharanSenior VP, Commercial

(GCC, Subcontinent, Africa) for flydubai

HA Z E L JA I N

Kerala has become the gateway toIndia for holidaymakers from 43countries who can now get TouristVisa on Arrival (TVoA) enabled withETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation)at the Thiruvananthapuram andKochi international airports. Effectivefrom November 27, the TVoA,enabled with ETA, will allow touriststo apply and pay the fee for the visaonline, without having to travel to the

Indian missions in their home coun-tries. Applicants who are approvedwill receive the official travel autho-risation via email and they only needto present a printed copy of this tothe immigration authorities upontheir arrival in India.

Kerala is the only state to havetwo airports where the service hasbeen introduced and theThiruvanantha-puram and Cochin air-

ports are among only nine in the coun-try to offer this facility. Discussions arecurrently underway to introduce it atthe Kozhikode airport as well. “Thisnew facility will make travelling toKerala hassle-free for citizens of manycountries. We will ensure that poten-tial visitors are aware of this advan-tage by intensifying our promotionalcampaigns there,” Kerala TourismMinister AP Anil Kumar said.

Holiday Savings AccountThomas Cook (India) Ltd., in a

pioneering initiative to provide anaffordable holiday solution fortoday’s travel hungry Middle India,has launched its innovative‘Holiday Savings Account’ in asso-ciation with IndusInd Bank. ThomasCook India’s consumer research andanalytics, in partnership withNielsen Media Research, revealedthat for the rapidly growing market

of Middle India, while travel holdsa strong opportunity, the upfrontpayment of such family holidayscreates a significant barrier; furtherimpacted by a reluctance to opt fora loan. Hence, in an attempt to offera simple and attractive paymentsolution, Thomas Cook India’s‘Holiday Savings Account’ offersevery Indian the affordability of abetter holiday!

Kerala only state with VoA at 2 airports



1 2 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 ASSOCIATIONS

The Travel AgentsAssociation of India

(TAAI) Western Regionrecently concluded the edu-cational trip to Bhutan underits Educational DestinationWorkshop (EDW) programme

for 50 of its agent membersfrom Mumbai. The tour washeld from December 18-21,2014 and was in collaborationwith Druk Air, Sharaf Travelsthat is the GSA for the airlineand Bhutan Bookings alongwith the Tourism Council ofBhutan (TCB).

Sampat Damani,Chairman of TAAI Western IndiaChapter, said, “The EDW inBhutan was very successful. The group was a good mix ofagents who do corporate,leisure, MICE and evenBollywood movements. Forty-seven agents participated asthree agents dropped out in theend. The agents interacted |with officials from TCB and the airline.”

He added that the chapter is discussing a fewmore destinations for moresuch workshops. “While inBhutan, the group casuallydiscussed their inclination toexplore destinations like

Vietnam, Cambodia, Oman,Greece and even Portugal

amongst each other. We willexplore these destinations

and accordingly start a dia-logue with the concernedtourism board,” Damaniadded.

When asked whetherthere were any new plans that the association will roll out for its chapter members,Damani said that they were in discussion and will be firmed up and announced during their next chapter meeting in mid-February nextyear. “We have one or two projects in the pipeline but theywill be announced only inFebruary since our memberswill be busy with the various trade events till then,” he added.

About 50 TAAI members from Mumbai have returned from an Educational Destination Workshopsthat were held in Bhutan recently. On the cards for the association is the AGM in Mumbai and a newdestination for its convention.

TAAI Western India EDW in Bhutan

TT BU R E AU

Sampat DamaniChairman of TAAI Western India Chapter

TAAI will conduct its statutory AGMin Mumbai on December 30, 2014 atHotel Orchid, revealed Jay Bhatia,TAAI's Chairman of Tourism Council."We will be discussing plans for ourannual convention and otheraccounting details. We had to cancelJaipur as our proposed venue for theconvention since the airport is under-going major repairs and is not func-tioning normally at the moment. Wehave not finalised on any destinationfor it yet but will be discussing the details and logistics during theAGM," he added.

Jay BhatiaTAAI's Chairman of Tourism Council

TAAI AGM in Mumbai on Dec 30

One Accor One Sales Meet 2014

One Accor One Sales Annual meet organised recently was rally of 210 Accoriors from all the AccorIndia properties, spread across 15 cities. The event was hosted by Novotel Hyderabad Airport andNovotel Hyderabad Convention Centre in a grand style. The 2-day meet comprised a series of eventsstarting with team building exercises, the OSOS meet, a suave black tie sit-down cocktail dinner,meeting and felicitating some of our key partners and the sales awards.

Nijhawan forOcean Park Hong Kong

Nijhawan Group has beenappointed by Ocean Park HongKong as its Sales and MarketingRepresentative in India. Thegroup will focus on designingsales and marketing strategiesto position Ocean Park HongKong as the leading edutain-ment destination. The sales andmarketing activities includetravel trade focussed initiativesto ensure achievement of rev-enue goals by tapping into rel-evant market segments.

Ankush Nijhawan, MD -Nijhawan Group, said, “We aredelighted with this collaborationas India is one of Hong Kong’sfive new key markets. OceanPark provides all the guests withmemorable experiences thatcombine entertainment andeducation, while inspiring life-long learning and conservationadvocacy.”

Vivian Lee, ExecutiveDirector of Sales & Marketingat Ocean Park, said, “Since2008, Indian guests at OceanPark have more than tripled,making the country a top-threesource market, excluding China.As Ocean Park’s representative,Nijhawan Group will identifyand work with high potentialtravel agents and tour operatorsto ensure Ocean Park is incor-porated into the FITs (frequentindividual travellers), group andMICE itineraries.”

Maharashtra TourismDevelopment Corporation(MTDC) is going to organise thefirst edition of MaharashtraInternational Travel Mart fromFebruary 26–28, 2015 atBombay Convention &Exhibition Centre, Goregaon inMumbai. The Mart is set on aB2B platform with over 250registered buyers and media

from over 30 countries explor-ing business opportunities fordiscerning travel and tourism products.

Valsa R Nair Singh, IAS,Secretary, Tourism and Culture,Govt. of Maharashtra said,"Maharashtra is home to thelargest inventory of tourismproducts that the country hasto offer with five UNESCO

World Heritage Sites, over 900caves, 350 forts with splendidwildlife and world-class beach-es to adorn. 'MaharashtraInternational Travel Mart',being held for the first time, willprovide the impetus to theinbound travel and tourismindustry and would enhancethe marketing efforts ofMaharashtra Tourism.

Maharashtra International Travel Mart



Even though 2014 wasn’t asexpected in terms of load

factors for various reasons,South African Airways isn’t wast-ing any time mulling over it. Theairline, along with South AfricanTourism, is already getting intothe thick of it to ensure that 2015reflects better numbers, andmore importantly, increased con-fidence in the destination.

Sajid Khan, CountryManager – India for SouthAfrican Airways, says, “Year2014 wasn’t as expected.There were two reasons forthis: during the high season,we had delays in visas. Thatcaused a lot of corrosion of themarket share. Then cameebola and that has reallycaused us a lot of damage.This was just a matter of mind-set because the distancebetween West Africa andSouth Africa is as large asHong Kong and Dubai.”

The airline continues toeducate the passengers andagents on the virus. “Most

agents know it is safe. It ulti-mately boils down to the con-fidence passengers have inSouth Africa’s government insecuring the borders. India,

meanwhile, has shown amaz-ing efficiency and control interms of managing the airportborder protection. We havehad a lot of discussions andcirculars from DGCA and I amvery impressed with the waythe DGCA and the ministryhas handled this,” Khan admit-ted.

Plans for 2015The airline is expected to

get new large-body aircraft byApril 2015. However, it is notlooking at adding any routesbeyond Mumbai as of now. “Ourmain focus is to build the confi-dence in the market again. I wantto gain back the healthy marketshare we have always enjoyed.That is why we have planned afam for six to seven agents toSouth Africa in February orMarch,” Khan reveals.

The airline has alsomapped out a marketing planfor 2015 along with SouthAfrican Tourism that it will putinto action from April 2015.“Our two main focus areas areour wines and golfing. We will

1 4 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 AVIATION

Announcing its foray into theIndian market, Slovenian

national airline Adria Airways willnow have daily flights from Delhito its capital city, Ljubljana fromJanuary next year. The flight isthe result of the codeshare pactsigned between Adria Airwaysand Air India last year.

Talking about the flight fre-quency and capacity withinIndia, Mark Anzur, CEO, AdriaAirways said, “We are hopefulthe air traffic between bothcountries will witness anincrease with the new route,thus strengthening our tourismties. The airline will have dailyafternoon flights from New Delhito Ljubljana with a stopover inFrankfurt. Air India is the oper-ating carrier with its Dreamliner787 for New Delhi to Frankfurtand Adria will be the carrier fromFrankfurt to Ljubljana.”

Anzur was in Delhi recent-ly to attend the first-ever StarAlliance Chief Executive BoardMeeting (CEB) held in India.

According to Anzur, Sloveniaunfortunately has minimal pres-ence in India currently. “We havelost some of our traditional mar-kets due to the euro zone crisis.

Entering India is thus, a signifi-cant strategic move to build newkey markets. Our main targethere will be to increase the busi-ness traffic to Slovenia via thenew route. We are targetting theMICE and leisure segment fromIndia in a big way.”

Air India, AerodromLjubljana and Adria had previ-ously signed an MoU in June2012 to forge greater coopera-tion and improve traffic betweenthe two countries, clearing theway for the codeshare agree-ment last year. Adria has alsoappointed Dex Aviation as itsgeneral sales agent for India tobuild its presence in the Indian market.

From January 15, there will be daily flights from NewDelhi to Ljubljana with a stopover in Frankfurt. gives details on the new route.

Adria takes off in India

ME G H A PAU L

We are hopefulthe air trafficbetween bothcountries willwitness anincrease with thenew route

Mark AnzurCEOAdria Airways

� Adria Airways will now havedaily flights from Delhi to itscapital city, Ljubljana fromJanuary next year.

� The flight is the result of thecodeshare pact signedbetween Adria Airways andAir India last year.

Delhi to Ljubljana

South African Airways trains its focus on promotingnot just the country’s wines and golf courses in Indiabut also its safety.

Wooing with wine & golf

HA Z E L JA I N

Our two mainfocus areas areour wines andgolfing. We willtherefore do awine-tastingevent in Januaryin Mumbai

Sajid KhanCountry Manager – India for SouthAfrican Airways

Contd. on page 20

PATA farewell to its chairman

PATA India Executive Committee members recently organised a warm farewell for Parvez Dewan, Former Tourism Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. Dr Lalit K Panwar , Secretary, Ministry of Tourism was alsopresent on the occasion.


“We are looking at closerinteraction with mem-

ber airlines and have signed acode share agreement with AirCanada besides signingMOUs with Avianca and EVA

Air recently. By March we aimat having code share agree-ments with most Star Alliancemember airlines,” said RohitNandan, CMD, Air India. Hewas speaking during the first-ever Star Alliance ChiefExecutive Board (CEB) meet-ing held in India. He stressedupon the fact that Air India hasbeen vastly improving its per-formance parameters in all theareas by constantly upgradingits service standards in everyarea of its operation. Air Indiahas witnessed an increase of33% in the number of passen-gers transferring between AirIndia and other Star Alliancemember carriers, mainly

through Delhi or Mumbai butalso at other airports such asLondon or Newark. FrequentFlyers are also taking advan-tage of the Alliance benefits,with over 80,000 havingearned miles while flying on AirIndia since July and more than20,000 Air India Flying ReturnsFFP members having milescredited for flights on other StarAlliance member carriers. Withits 99-strong fleet, a mix of

B787 Dreamliners, B777s,A330s and the A320 family, itis one of the youngest in theworld. A key boost to the brandcomes from the comfort thatthese aircraft offer.

Air India introduced itsMobile Application on October21, 2014 along with the launchof its Twitter handle (@airindi-ain) in the micro-bloggingsocial media site. This is over

and above the Facebookaccount that has been so pop-ular with the travelling frater-nity. Air India sees furtheropportunities to increasetransfer traffic in Delhi andMumbai and is working withStar Alliance, the member car-riers and the airport operatorsto provide more connectingflights and ease the transferprocess at the subcontinent’smain hubs.

During the first-ever Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB) meeting held in India, Rohit Nandan, CMD, AirIndia, says the airline will have Code Share Agreements with most Star Alliance members by March.

33% passenger increase for AITT BU R E AU

We are looking atcloser interactionwith memberairlines and havesigned a codeshare agreementwith Air Canadabesides signingMoUs withAvianca and EVAAir recently

Rohit NandanCMDAir India

� Air India introduced itsMobile Application onOctober 21, 2014 alongwith the launch of its Twitterhandle (@airindiain) in themicro-blogging socialmedia site.

� This is over and above theFacebook account that hasbeen so popular with thetravelling fraternity.

Via Social Media

J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 1 5AVIATION


GUEST COLUMN

Iwas running my seminar pro-gramme at WTM and had

speakers covering the subjectsof mobile, search engines, bigdata and social media.

Even though these arequite desparate subjects, acommon theme kept emerging.This was the need to under-stand your business’s touch-points with your customers.

We are all familiar with thefact that customers are nowinteracting with us over manydifferent devices. In the earlymorning bus queue they mightbe researching their next holi-days on their mobile devices.This research might continue onthe company PC during thelunch break or, if you have aretail presence, customersmight call into your store. In theevening, customer might beinteracting with your businessusing a tablet or a laptop.

As I have written before,we need an omni-channelapproach to our customers.However, they are touching our

businesses, they need to knowthat these interactions arecohesive and fluent. Pricingand information offered needto be consistent across allchannels. The flipside is thatwe need to have a single viewof our customers, recognisingthem regardless of the devicesthey are using.

So what can you do toensure you are meeting yourcustomers’ expectations atevery point in your relationship?

A popular way toaddress this question is to cre-ate a customer journey map(CJM). This aims to map outthe total customer experienceacross all touchpointsbetween the customer and theorganisation, starting with ini-tial contact, through purchas-ing, in-trip & post-trip, andhopefully onto renewal & re-purchase.

The CJM maps the experiencethat:

� you want to provide to thecustomer.

� the customer would like to receive.

Examining these‘moments of truth’ will identifygaps between the experiencethe customer desires and theone actually received. It is thesemoments of truth that give thecustomer an opportunity to form(or change) his/her impressionabout your business.

How do you go aboutcustomer journey mapping? Ifyou type ‘customer journeymapping’ into Google Imagesyou will see that there aremany, different types of mapyou could use. Have a look atsome of them and decidewhich might be useful to you.You will need to list out all theelements of the customer journey and the dif-ferent ways in which cus-tomers could be interactingwith you at that point, whetherit is face to face, telephone,tablet and so on.

As mentioned, the objec-tive is to identify the gaps

between what your customersare expecting and what is actu-ally happening. How do you dothis? Well, how about talkingto your customers, perhapsinviting them to a get togetheror speaking with them on thetelephone. This will take agood deal of time and energybut the reward is a more effec-tive business with higher cus-tomer loyalty. That’s got to beworth the effort, hasn’t it?

At WTM 2014, Paul Richer, Senior Partner, Genesys, discusses a customer’s‘journey mapping’ and how to conduct more effective business with highercustomer loyalty. gets you the excerpts from his session at WTM.

Be in touch with your customer

(The author, Paul Richer is a traveltechnology consultant and senior

partner at Genesys. He was runningmy Genesys Sessions seminar pro-

gramme at WTM this year)

What is Jamtara allabout?

In the 80s, hardly anyonethought of going to MP forwilderness experiences.Infrastructure was limited andit took hours to get there evenfrom a railway station. But thatwas the charm of going to truewilderness. No other vehicle insight and one could enjoy theirwildlife sightings in peace andobserve animal behaviour.Today, it is hard to find this kindof exclusivity. Jamtara is a veryquiet gate of Pench National

Park with only 1 vehicle enter-ing in a month. Although tigersighting is a highlight, but thatis not our focus. Instead, it is todeliver a true wilderness expe-rience with a motive of learningand observing.

How did you conceptu-alise this idea and how is the Indian market fit for such luxury camps?

We wanted to have theleast impact on the land, sowe don’t become a concretestructure. For many yearsnow, I have taken a trip toAfrica almost yearly. I haveseen various concepts fromKenya to Namibia, SouthAfrica to Uganda. I wanted todevelop a very similar modeland feel for the place. The idea of some exclusivity,which is abundant in

Africa is what we aimed todeliver. But above, the com-munity partnership was evenmore important. The villageswe are working with, havenever seen outsiders before. They hardly haveaccess to basic need likeelectricity. Almost 90% of thevillages have farmers andtheir major problem is -wildlife feeding on their crops.Hence they sleep on the‘machaan’ all night to chaseaway wildlife. We have beensuccessful in seeing slothbears, leopard, spotted deer,wild boards and some rarenocturnal mammals.

What is the clientele thatyou are dealing with?

Our clients are the trav-ellers that want a true wilder-ness experience with the luxu-ries of modern day. Wildlifemonitoring through cameratraps, star beds, buffer walks,etc are all elements that allows you to complete your experience.

Situated in Jamtara village near Pench National Park, Jamtara Wilderness Campis a 12-room luxury tented property. gets in a conversation with AmitSankhala, Director, Jamtara Wilderness Camp, to know more about this luxury camp!

Luxury amidst wilderness

AN U P R I YA BI S H N O I

The idea of some exclusivity,which is abundant in Africais what we aimed todeliver. But above, thecommunity partnershipwas even more important

Amit SankhalaDirectorJamtara Wilderness Camp

� The villages we are workingwith, have never seenoutsiders before

� They hardly have access tobasic need like electricity.Almost 90% of the villageshave farmers and theirmajor problem is - wildlifefeeding on their crops

Challenges


HOTELS

Traditionally operating as anasset-heavy hotel chain

based in UK, Premier Inn hasrevealed that it will now branchout to signing third party man-agement contracts while contin-uing to invest its own equity inkey locations. Its first manage-ment contract was signed in Dubai in mid-2014 and its sec-ond property under such an agreement will be in India in Chennai.

This will be followed by onein Mumbai, which will be its sec-ond property under managementcontract in India. Announcing thisnews, Aly Shariff, Senior VP(Operations) for Asia at PremierInn, said, “This will be a 350-roomhotel in partnership with theKamala Group. It will be locatedin Lower Parel and will be readyfor operations by 2018. This willbe our flagship property in Indiacatering to the mid-scale marketsegment.” The property ‘PremierInn Mumbai Worli’ will be a mixed-use project and will be the “sec-ond-largest Premier Inn outsideof UK,” Shariff said. The hotelchain already has two otherPremier Inns in Anjuna (Goa) andin Chennai under construction.

Asset right modelDavid Vely, Senior VP

(Development), for Premier InnMiddle East, Africa and Asia,was also present for theannouncement. Elaborating onthe change of strategy thatnow includes taking up man-agement contracts, he said,“Our development model is tobe ‘asset right’. We will continue investing in India butwe are now also open to third-party management contracts.It means that we will make selective investment ofour own capital to establishbrand presence while acceler-ating expansion through man-agement agreements – not inUK but in international markets.”

He added that expansionin India will now be mainlythrough management con-tracts but not limited to it.Explaining why Premier Innprefers owning its properties,Vely said, “Most brands are notinvestors; they only manageproperties, even in their owncountry. But we own and leaseall our properties. We felt thatit was the right way to startinternational development.When we enter a new marketit makes sense to invest first,show our commitment to themarket as well as our existingand potential partners. But most of all, owning the property gives us freedomto adjust to the dynamics of the market.”

While announcing its flagship property in Mumbai’s primelocation of Lower Parel, Premier Inn – also revealed its planto branch out to third-party management contracts.

3rd party management realm

HA Z E L JA I N

Aly Shariff Senior VP (Operations) for Asia at Premier Inn

David VelySenior VP (Development),for PremierInn Middle East, Africa and Asia

Some of the biggest thingsthat have come out

of India are the MICE groups. Lately, there has been

a huge growth in it and TheAddress Group have startedgiving more availability ofrooms at The Address DubaiMall as Indians love to shop after meetings and conferences.

Seema Pande, GroupDirector of Sales and

Marketing, The Address Hotels& Resorts said, “It has alwaysbeen important for us to focuson the India market. Based onthat, we had taken Nijhawan

Group as the representativearm in India and they havebeen helping us for the pastfour years. They helped usestablish business in India andwe have seen a lot of growthcoming in.” Pande said that thefamilies and group travellersfrom India love visitingDowntown Dubai and a lot of

Bollywood also comes in. Shesaid, “Indians who travel in onegroup want to stay in one hoteland so, we have recently takenup a project to provide up to100 rooms in one hotel. It is abig chunk of our inventory forthe Indian business group.”

Vincent Mercurio,General Manager, The AddressDubai Mall said, “The Indianmarket has been strong for usand we have continuously beenrepresented here by TheAddress Hotels and Resortsbrand coming to all major cities.We have just turned five yearsold this year. Towards the end of2015 or the beginning of 2016will be the launch of our first newAddress Boulevard.”

The India market has a lot of potential for The AddressHotels and Resorts. talks to senior officers of TheAddress to know why the country is important for the group.

Committed to India

SA M A P T I DAS

Seema PandeGroup Director of Sales and Marketing,The Address Hotels & Resorts

Vincent MercurioGeneral Manager, The Address Dubai Mall

� The Address Group havestarted giving moreavailability of rooms at TheAddress Dubai Mall asIndians love to shop aftermeetings and conferences

Tapping India


1 8 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 STATES

What is being done toimprove tourism to MP?

We are focussing prima-rily on tourism-related infra-structure. We are also workingon ways and means to get agood chunk of private investment in this sector inMadhya Pradesh. We believe thatthere has to be goodpublic sector funding from thegovernment.Simultaneouslythere hasto be

good private sector invest-ment also. Recently, we hadthe Global Investors Summitin Indore, which was a hugesuccess. To encourage invest-ment, our land allotment poli-cy has been made simpler,aggressive and investor-friendly. Additionally, we have

also revised our tourism pol-icy, and I can vouch

that it is probablyone of the best in

the entire country.Secondly, we are invit-ing private partiesinvesting in hotels,

transportation, etc.

Is MP concentrating on the ‘Swachh Bharat’campaign?

Naturally. MadhyaPradesh has been popularis-ing the campaign in a big way.Our Honourable Chief Ministerhas decided that for the entireyear, we’ll work on a CleanMadhya Pradesh/ Clean Indiacampaign. So, we will bedoing a lot of work in this area.

Are there any plans forthe State to tie up with theRailways to bring in moretourists, especially to thesmaller towns?

The prime issue with theRailways, I believe, is to havebetter connectivity to places oftourist interest, like Khajuraho,Kanha, Bandhavgarh, etc.Bhopal has great connectivity;in fact, it falls in the centre whentravelling from North India toSouth India or vice versa. Butconnectivity still remains a bigissue, so we are working toimprove both domestic andinternational tourism into the state.

The Madhya PradeshChief Minister, when visitingDubai recently, met airlines to

connect Dubai directly withBhopal. He has spoken to SriLanka also to get their flightsdirectly from Colombo toimprove tourism numbers. Weare also working on a philoso-phy of intra-state air connec-tivity. Today we are in the stageof finalisation of a new tenderfor having intra-state air con-nectivity, as well as inter-stateair connectivity, which will givea big boost to tourists travellingin the state.

Roads are really verygood in our state. MadhyaPradesh Road DevelopmentCorporation and MadhyaPradesh Public RoadsDepartment have donetremendous work in improvingthe conditions of our roads.

Which are the top threeplaces you would recom-mend to visit in MP?

I would suggest travellingthrough the state, because thereis so much to see and experi-ence, whether it is temples, his-torical sites or nature and

wildlife. The MP state govern-ment has declared 2016 as theYear of Tourism. We will have abig event and that is a priority forus, especially since the govern-ment has announced that peo-ple will come from across theworld. So, I would like to invitepeople from all over the worldfor this event.

Is MP concentrating onNature and AdventureTourism?

Madhya Pradesh isknown for its tiger reserves…Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pannaand we have spaces with bigwaterbodies, which we aredeveloping in a big way. In ashort time, you will hear aboutwaterbound tourism-relatedactivities in MP. There are reli-gious and heritage sites,wildlife safari camps, river raft-ing and other adventure activ-ities in MP. We have also start-ed luxury and semi-luxurybuses on about 17 routes andthere will be about 40 luxurycoaches plying between thesepopular places.

The Madhya Pradesh state government has declared 2016 as the Year of Tourism. Blessed with beautiful temples, richhistorical sites, pristine nature and wildlife, Madhya Pradesh has been successfully wooing tourists. spoke toRaghwendra Kumar Singh, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism, to know more…

Visit Madhya Pradesh-Year 2016

DE E PA SE T H I

The MP state government has declared 2016 as the Year ofTourism. We will have a big event and that is a priority for us,especially since the government has announced that people

will come from across the world. So, I would like toinvite everyone for this event.

Raghwendra Kumar SinghManaging Director

Madhya Pradesh Tourism



2 0 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 HOTELS

India is a key strategic growthmarket for the Hilton group.

According to Dominic Sherry,Head of Sales- Asia Pacific,Hilton Worldwide, the groupplans to expand the network ofits brand hotels in the countryby the end of next year.

“India is a continuouslygrowing and evolving marketand thus, offers tremendousopportunities. The metropolitancities have the capacity toabsorb a larger inventory andaggressive economic growth inother regions and cities makethese markets even moreimportant. Hence, we areincreasing footprint throughmulti-brand and multiple-partnerstrategy in India,” Sherry said.Sherry, who was in India recent-ly for the first Hilton showcase inthe country, also informed thatthe group's first luxury brandhotel –Conrad-- will come up inPune next year. The group hasopened four hotels, one each inKerala and Jaipur and two inBengaluru, in the country in the

past eight months and plans totake the total number of thehotels to 18 by the end of 2015,he revealed.

Daniel Welk, VicePresident, Operations-India,Hilton Worldwide said the com-pany will push its mid-market

brands, including Hampton andHilton Garden Inn in the coun-try, given the paucity of supplyin the particular segment. “The

company is also banking heav-ily on driving demand into itshotels on the back of its loyaltyprogramme and global distri-bution network,” he added.

Talking about the firstHilton showcase in India,Pariva Rustagi, RegionalDirector of Sales- India, HiltonWorldwide informed, “For thefirst time, the Hilton Showcasewas hosted in India in keysource markets in Delhi,Bengaluru and Mumbai. About85 hotels were represented by 13 international delegates.Also, 13 hotels from Hilton’s portfolio in India werealso present.

The group has opened four hotels, one each in Kerala and Jaipur and two in Bengaluru, inthe country in the past eight months and plans to take the total number of the hotels to 18 bythe end of 2015. reports on more developments.

Hilton aims to touch 18 by 2015

ME G H A PAU L

For the first time,the HiltonShowcase washosted in India inkey markets inDelhi, Bengaluruand Mumbai

The company isbanking heavilyon drivingdemand into itshotels on theback of its loyaltyprogramme

We areincreasingfootprintthrough multi-brand andmultiple-partnerstrategy in India

Dominic SherryHead of Sales- Asia PacificHilton Worldwide

Daniel WelkVice President, Operations-IndiaHilton Worldwide

Pariva RustagiRegional Director of Sales- IndiaHilton Worldwide

� The group plans to expandthe network of its brandhotels in the country by theend of next year

� India is a continuouslygrowing and evolvingmarket and thus, offerstremendous opportunities

Eyes on India

therefore do a wine-tastingevent in January in Mumbai.For golfing we have tied upwith Bombay Presidency GolfClub in Chembur where wehave sponsored a tee-off. Wewant to promote the destina-tion in that community and willbe taking a group of golfers toSouth Africa as well,” Khan said.

This is part of its market-ing plan and is currently work-ing to make a package forthem. Khan adds, “Currently,serious golfers make their ownpackages. They are CEOs andsenior executives and theytake off whenever they want.This is where we want to enterand show them what we haveto offer. In Delhi, we will spon-sor the Expat Golf Cup that isheld in October and is support-ed by the High Commission.”

He feels that the Indianaviation industry is set toboom. “The biggest deterrentso far was the ATF which hascome down. New airlines arejoining and the government isshowing a lot of growthprospects. I don’t see why weshould not do well. Thedemand is there and people are ready to pay,” he believes.

SAA calls winelovers & golfers

Contd. from page 14


NEWS

Vietnam recently organiseda roadshow in India in

New Delhi for the first time.The occasion coincided withthe celebration of Vietnam’s69th National Day. On theoccasion, various tourist des-tinations including MICE,leisure and honeymoon desti-nations were showcased.Vietnam is a country with amix of edgy urban with naturalrural. One can find everyaspect of nature in this coun-try, from forest to sea and allkinds of architecture, fromancient to modern. The coun-try is also a perfect destinationfor honeymooners and newlymarried couples.

Ton Sinh Thanh,Ambassador to India, Nepal &Bhutan, S.R. of Vietnam said,“In terms of connectivity, wehighly appreciate the recentopening of direct flights by Jet

Airways from New Delhi to HoChi Minh City.

We hope that the connectivitycould be furtherenhanced when VietnamAirlines and Vietjet Air willopen direct flights fromVietnam to Indiaearly next year.”

Thanh informed that moreroadshows are being planned inevery quarter in different Indianstates and cities. The next des-tinations will be Kolkata,Hyderabad, Bengaluru andChennai. “Only about 30,000Indian tourists visited Vietnamlast year. This is a surprisinglylow number, especially if wecompare it to over 1 million ofIndian tourists to Thailand in

2013, over 900,000 to Singaporeand 200,000 to Indonesia, in thesame period. We think the lackof information and connectivityis to be blamed,” Thanh added.

He also mentioned that it is necessary for theVietnamese and Indian touroperators to tap the huge poten-tials for tourism cooperationbetween Vietnam and Indiawhich will not only bring the ben-efits to the tour operators butalso contribute in strengtheningthe people to people linkage andtraditional friendship betweenthe two countries.

Whether it’s connectivity or lack of information, Ton SinhThanh, Ambassador to India, Nepal & Bhutan, S.R. ofVietnam, tells , how both countries can work togetherto curb all ways to increase tourism from India to Vietnam.

Tapping Indian market

SA M A P T I DAS

� More roadshows arebeing planned in everyquarter in different Indianstates and cities. The nextdestinations will beKolkata, Hyderabad,Bengaluru and Chennai

More Roadshows

Neptune Foundation Charity Polo match

Neptune Foundation hosted a Polo Match on December 21, 2014 at Jaipur Polo Ground, New Delhi. This wasthe 5th edition of the annual event. The chief guest for the noble event was Amit Burman, Vice Chairman –Dabur with Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Thai Embassy. Otherimportant guests who attended the match were Yuvraj Vikrmaditya Singh, Mirjana Oberoi & many others


2 2 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 NTO

Jasper and Banff in Canada calling

JasperWonderful by NatureJasper boasts of the distinction of beinga part of a UNESCO World HeritageSite, nestled into the largest mostnortherly Canadian Rocky MountainNational Park. Its extraordinary sitesinclude glaciers, lakes, rivers, abundantand diverse wildlife, waterfalls, canyonsand expanse of evergreen forests.

AttractionsMaligne Valley Tour

The tour on the Maligne Valleyprovides a unique opportunity to wit-ness the wildlife which includes grizzly

and black bear, mule, deer, caribou,wolves and mountain sheep present inthe area, especially during the summermonths. The tour also gives you a viewof the famous glacially fed lakes knownas the Medicine Lake whom the abo-riginals named as such because of itsmagical powers ,believing that certainspirits inhabit the lake and the MaligneLake, which gets its name from theFrench word ‘malignant’ or wicked .

Jasper SkytramThe Jasper skytram is an aerial

mode of transportation, into the JasperNational Parks alpine tundra, whichaffords a spectacular view of mountainranges, lakes and rivers like theAthabasca, which is Albertas longestriver, along with scenic views of thetown site of Japser.

This captivating ride in the aerialtramway is the longest and highest only

guided aerial ropeway in the CanadianRockies. It is once in a lifetime experi-ence enjoyed by the whole family andonce you reach the top the views of thefamous Lakes, landmarks andMountain Ranges are absolutelybreathtaking.

Athabasca FallsThe Rocky Mountains have the

Athabasca Falls which are the mostpowerful falls, carrying both sand androck, the walls have in fact been pot-holed and smoothed by this rushingwater, due to the impact of thesethundering falls, which are very great.These thundering falls rushingthrough a narrow gorge make for anoverwhelming sight.

Sunwapta Falls The Sunwapta or the ‘turbulent

river’ describes falls which abruptlychange course and plunges into a cloudof spray into a deep canyon.

Glacier Explorer TourOne of the highlights and enjoy-

able attractions of Jasper is the GlacierExplorer Tour, which is one of thelargest accumulations of Ice South ofthe Arctic Circle. This vast expanse ofIcefield is ringed by 11 of the Rockieshighest peaks. This outlet feeds glaciersrivers and oceans.

Glacier SkywalkA Birds eye view of the Sunwapta

Valley is offered from the Rockies mostexciting new attraction. This thrillingexperience which has enthralled visitorssince May 2014, has an aweinspiringglass floored observation platform suspended 280 metres (918 ft)

above the Sunwapta Valley which isreached by an interpretive interactivewalkway.

ActivitiesJasper offers a plethora of activi-

ties to be savoured and enjoyed by thevisitors like riding, rafting, canoeing, hik-ing and cycling trails, skiing, snow-boarding etc.

Riding:-Jasper Park RidingStables

This activity can be enjoyed by allwhether novice or horseback riding vet-erans. The well- trained experiencedand able horses along with knowledge-able guides, lead you through spectac-ular natural beauty.

Rafting:-Jasper Raft ToursThis fun-filled adventure activity

takes you down 16 km of theAthabasca River, in speciallydesigned safe and comfortable rafts.This activity perfect for a first timerafter, gives you the chance to beintroduced to Jaspers interesting his-

tory and relevant geographicalfacts during the ride by aNational Park Licensed Guide.

Places ofAccomodationThe Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

One of the leading lodgeexperiences in the world, and ayear round destination of choicehaving 446 rooms on 903 acres,in the Canadian Rockies.

Glacier View InnWith 32 large guestrooms,bullt with environment

sensitive design, fully furnished featuring all expected amenities.

Restaurants &cuisineJasper Best Western Inn and SuitesPopular with the locals, fine casual dining in this atrium highlighted dining room, with its fireside ambienceand warm hospitality and friendly service provides the best in Canadian Cuisine.

Papa Georges Restaurant andWine Bar: A truly Canadian experience, since 1925, Papa George focuses on authentic Canadian Cuisine.

Sunwapta Falls RockyMountain Lodge

The restaurant offers the same spectacular service, synony-mous to the personalised award winning hotel with a regionallyinspired menu.

The Fairmont Jasper ParkLodge-Cavells Dining Room

International Cuisine from usinglocal farm fresh ingredients from theonsite Herb Garden and Green House,the Rooftop Honey Bees and TwinMeadows Farm.

Glacier View Inn Shopping :- Jaspers long mainstreet Connaught Drive and one blockwest at Patricia Street which is gain-ing fame as the town’s boutique area,as well as The Fairmont Jasper ParkLodges indoor arcade a destinationin itself. Charmed by Jaspers wildlife and wilderness, visitors wouldlike to take home tangible memoriesof the same.

Wildlife: It is home to a large numberof animals and abundant wildlife, both.There are 20 species of small mammalsranging in size from the tiny pygmyshrew to the beaver.

Jasper is one of the most charming picturesque mountain towns, most welcoming to visitors who want to experience itsmyriad attractions, and witness a fine balance between history and development. The other most rewarding experiences inCanada is to traverse the Icefields Parkway, which is one of Canada’s national treasures. A real mountain experience, Banffoffers vacationers preserved wilderness, abundant wildlife, facilities and options for adventure, exploration and relaxation.

HARSHAL ASHAR FROM CANADA


J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 2 3J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 2 3NTO

BanffWhere Nature RulesA real mountain experience, Banffoffers vacationers preserved wilder-ness, abundant wildlife, facilities andoptions for adventure, exploration andrelaxation. Banff National Park is aUNESCO World Heritage Destination,with its myriad lakes, rivers, wildflow-ers, glaciers and grass as well asrugged mountain peaks, jutting intothe vast expanse of skies.

Attractions:The Brewster Explore Rockies Tour:-Enjoy a delightful sightseeing Tour ofThe Canadian Rockies, which wouldinclude spectacular and breathtakingviews of Banff.

The Banff Gondola:-Banff gives you the option of the rideon the BANFF Gondola at SulphurMountain. The carriages are extremelysecure and are glass enclosed offer-ing panoramic views all around town.This thoroughly enjoyable eight minuteride, transports visitors to an obser-

vation area, where there are choiceslike enjoying a lunch at the SummitRestaurant or the PanoramaRestaurant. There are hiking options.

The Banff Lake Cruise:-The Lake Minnewanka, the longestlake at the Banff National Park, per-mitting public motorized boating, givesyou the chance to enjoy a breathtak-ing scenic cruise.

The Bow Valley Parkway:-The natural and historic Bow ValleyParkway is one of the most heritage

experiences, a part of it known as theMontane, which provides a criticalhabitat for wildlife like cougars, wolvesand bears. The staggering cliffs andswamp provide a glimpse of wildlifeinhabiting this area.

The Johnston Canyon will offer you a photo opportunity and a hiketo the lower falls, the sound of the water rushing and the breezeprovides an enjoyable walk along the Canyon.

The Lake Louise Gondola andInterpretaive Centre:-The choice to ride up in an automaticchairlift or a fully enclosed Gondola isyours. Take hikes to the summit of MtWhitehorn; or enjoy short leisurelywalks as per your inclination.

The Fairmont Chateau LakeLouise:-Ringed by soaring mountain peaks,glaciers and turquoise lake, which getsits emerald hue from the melting gla-cier, this hotel is recognised universally

for responsible tourism and progressiveenvironmental stewardship.

Moraine Lake:-The Moraine Lake dwarfed in compar-ison to Lake Louise is nonethelessiconic and as scenic if not more thanits nearby neighbour. A glacially fedlake, its situation being amongst thevalley of the ten peaks, it makes for anoutstanding picturesque view.Activities:-

You can enjoy a plethora of activitiesat Banff too like Banff’s only via

Ferrata, biking, boat tours, fishing,golf, helicopter tours, river rafting, skiing etc.

Canoeing:- The Banff Canoe Cluboffers you the opportunity to experi-ence a leisurely and peaceful way toexplore the Banff National Parkthrough a Voyageur Canoe Ride.

Places of accommodation:-The Inns of Banff:-Provide a very comfortable stay, cen-trally located and can offer amenitieslike roof top hot pool, restaurants to

dine in, with lovely hiking trails in itsarea, and spectacular mountain viewsall around the same.

Restaurants & CuisineThe Lake Louise Railway Stationand Restaurant :-One of the oldest buildings in LakeLouise Alberta, is a not to be missedexperience whether just a passerby oryou staying for a while. The station still awaits the return of its passengertrain service; this piece of history has been carefully restored and upgraded.

The Fairmont Banff SpringsAfternoon tea could be experiencedhere in the finest of ambiences, surrounded by stunning jaw droppingviews of mountains and lakes. The high tea would be a grand affair, enjoyed at the Upper RundleLounge with a wide array and selection of teas from all over as wellas unusual delicious snacks

and savouries accompaniments to the same.

Masala Banff:-This is a restaurant serving authenticIndian food, which has total vegetarianoptions along with meat and seafooddishes. This ‘little piece of India’ is verypopular with locals as well as visitorsalike, has lunch and dinner servicesand buffet options.

The Maple Leaf Grille

The Wild Bills LegendarySaloon

A fun western style Saloon experience.

Nourish BistroHere you would enjoy a tapas styleservice with the inclusion of dishes,intended for a unique tasting experi-ence. A variety of sweet and savorysnacks with the concept of sharing is kept in mind

The Meatball PizzaShopping: Both Banff and LakeLouise have vendors to help youchoose from a perfect souvenir froma boutique shop or a piece of artfrom a first class gallery. There is anassortment of shops in this mountaintown, which will help you take backsomething special of your memo-rable stay here.

Wildlife: The park is home to a widevariety of wildlife like the Grizzly andBlack Bears, deer, elk and big hornsheep, coyotes and a wide variety ofinteresting birds. Pikas, marmots,

marten and porcupines also aboundin the area. All information on wildlifeis also available at the ParksInformation Centre.

Nightlife: Banff offers its visitorsnightlife like bars, nightclubs live music,great concerts, karaoke,dancing andbig screen, TVs for viewing pleasure offavourite sports etc.

Breathtaking views in the lap of nature


2 4 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 COVER STORY

2015: The game changer

Weekend trips, corpo-rate team-building trips,incentives, conferencesand annual conventionswill facilitate the growthin domestic tourism. Thetrend towards moreFITs and ad-hoc groupswill continue. We willalso see immensegrowth from the inboundsegment, with the newintroduction of the onlinevisas. There has beenan increase in roominventory with a numberof international hotelchains and brandsentering the country as well.

Sunil C GuptaDirector, Travel Bureau

At Cleartrip, we’ve seen an interesting trendaround Advance Purchase Patterns, fortravel in December. The volume of cus-tomers who have booked more than 40-dayout has nearly doubled this year. In our view,this is clearly reflective of the impact thenumerous Airline Flash Sales over the lastcouple of months, have had on buyingbehavior and this will continue. Again,Mobile played a great contributor toAdvance Purchases. Cleartrip has seen almost 50 per cent of bookingsfor year-end travel come from Smartphones. Subramanya SharmaChief Marketing Officer, Cleartrip

We will continue to invest in state-of-the-art technology, including new mobiletechnology to enhance the customer’sbooking / travel experience. Hotels.comis committed in enabling travellers to findthe perfect place easy and rewarding,anytime, anywhere at the right price.Collectively, Hotels.com apps achievedmore than 40 million downloads since the

launch in 2011. The number of bookable properties offered increas-es to over 365,000, ranging from luxury 5-star properties to smallB&Bs across the globe.

Zoe ChanHead of PR, Asia Pacific, Hotels.com

We expect the domestic sector to grow furtheras short weekend trips become a trendamongst Indian families. Today, each of themetro cities has at least 15 destinations thatcan be identified as popular weekend get-aways. With the new Government’s thrust onreligious tourism, we are bullish on our pilgrimtours which are a key segment for us. We con-tinue to tap the tier II and III markets throughour franchise model, which has been receivingan encouraging response from aspiring entrepreneurs. We are marketingour international holiday packages aggressively to promote popular aswell as offbeat foreign destinations.

Neelu SinghCOO, Ezeego1.com

We will continue to leverage this well roundeduptake amongst our entire product line offeringauthentic travel experiences. With COSMOS,we will continue to pitch with our Value propo-sition of Europe & North America escortedvacations for as less as $ 77 & $ 150 per dayrespectively. GLOBUS with upgraded uniqueexperiences with our exclusive LocalFavourites covering each destination’s hidden

Gems and behind – the – scenes activities with VIP access. MONO-GRAMS for the smartest way to travel independent and AVALONWATERWAYS for their ultimate standards in river and small ship cruisingunveiling the very best of the rivers in Europe, Asia, or South America.

Varesh ChopraRegional Director-South Asia & Middle East, Globus Family of Brands ( India )

Contd. from page 6


J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 2 5HOTELS

According to AlthafMohamed Ali, Vice

President-Sales & Marketing,Aitken Spence HotelManagements, there has beenan evolution of the hospitalityindustry in Maldives. Throwinglight on the changing hospitalitylandscape of the region, hesays, “Maldives has seen a sub-stantial growth in the premiumall-inclusive holiday concept,which is similar to that has beenmade popular in the Carribeanregion.” Throwing light onAdaaran Resorts and how it hashelped in the development ofthe segment in the region, headds, “Adaaran Resorts hasbeen one of the pioneers inintroducing this concept to theMaldives, which affords a trav-eller the possibility to plan their

holiday better at a reasonablecost without having to compro-mise on the services and facili-ties. It also adds great value formoney and hence is becomingincreasingly popular not onlywith the traditional Europeanmarkets but also with theemerging Asian markets suchas China and India.”

Talking about the group,he reveals, “Offering a perfectblend of luxury and comfort,Adaaran Resorts in theMaldives presents unparal-leled luxury with a touch oftradition. Nestled away inblissful seclusion, at eachMaldives resort possesses aunique set of defining charac-

teristics attracting guests fromall over the world. Featuringplush accommodation in thelap of paradise, our efforts arefocused on providing guestsa holiday to be treasured. Theportfolio is sub categorisedinto ‘Club’ for the budget trav-eller, ‘Select’ for the up-mar-ket traveller and families and ‘Prestige’ for the premium traveller.”

Promoting concept of twinholiday experiences atMeedhupparu & Hudhuranfushiresorts, he points out, “Theresorts Meedhupparu andHudhuranfushi have four-starplus as well as a five-star deluxecategory. Both these resorts arelocated in the same island withindependent services and facil-ities. This provides the client aunique experience of enjoying

twin holiday experiences while being located in the same island, thereby savingcosts on transportation.” Theother USP of the resort portfoliois its significant inventory within easy access from theMale airport. This facilitatesshorter speed boat transfers aswell as flexibility for immediatetransfers for arrivals 24x7, he adds.

Offering a perfect blend of luxury and comfort, Adaaran Resorts in the Maldives presents unparalleledluxury with a touch of tradition. Nestled away in blissful seclusion, at each Maldives resort possesses aunique set of defining characteristics attracting guests from all over the world.

Maldives has seen a substantialgrowth in thepremium all-inclusive holidayconcept, which issimilar to that hasbeen madepopular in theCarribean region

Althaf Mohamed AliPresident-Sales & Marketing, Aitken Spence Hotel Managements

TT BU R E AU

New meaning to exotic tropical getaway

Adaaran Select Meedhupparu



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The year 2015 hasbeen designatedas ‘Year of SilkRoad Tourism’ by

China National TourismAdministration, so let usknow a little more aboutthis city, which is the starting point of theancient Silk Road.

Called Chang'an orJingzhao in ancient times,Xi’an is one of the top fourfamous ancient capitals ofthe world. It is located inone of the birthplaces of Chinese civ-ilization as well as one of the cradlesof the Chinese people. It representsan outstanding miniature version ofChinese culture. Some of the mostpowerful dynasties in Chinese history,including Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, andTang, chose Xi'an as their capital. Infact, 13 dynasties used Xi'an as a cap-

ital. Xi'an is among the first batch ofcities proclaimed as “World FamousHistorical Cities” by the UNESCO andamong the first batch of NationalFamous Historical and Cultural Citiesannounced by the State Council.

Xi’an is a world-famous touristsite and is popularly referred to as a

‘natural museum ofhistory.’ As the capital

of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an nowadaysis one of the six large cities in Chinaknown to each play a leading role intheir respective regions, a center ofknowledge and technological innova-tion in Asia, the leading city in theChinese segment of the NewEurasian Land Bridge and in theYellow River basin, and a jumbo jet

manufacturing base of China. In a planreleased in 2011 by the State Council,the central government of China underthe title of Results of Planning forMajor Function Regions Nationwide,Xi'an has been chosen as a ‘NationalHistory and Culture Base.’

On September 7, 2013, ChinesePresident Xi Jinping delivered aspeech at Nazarbayev University, pro-

posing to build ‘economic zone of theSilk Road’, so as to strengthen eco-nomic ties and deepen mutual coop-eration between European and Asiancountries. For sure, the concept of‘economic zone Route Silk’ and itsactualization will help to build Xi'an into an international metropolis.And, more tourists from home and abroad will continuously flock tothis time-honored city.

a City of History and ModernityXi’an is a must-visit city in beautiful China.

For so many Indian travellers, if they know somethingabout Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, usually they

can also talk a bit about the city of Xi’an.

Adve

rtise

men

t


2 8 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 FAMILY ALBUM

Korea Tourism Organisation, New Delhi organised2-city roadshow on December 2 & 3 in Delhi &Ahmedabad respectively. Its Global Marketing HeadSang – Hoon Na led the group of delegates compris-ing Destination Management Companies (USTravels, Kim’s Travel, Bosuk Tours Ltd. and Jane Tour& DMC) and Korean traditional music group fromKorea. The Travel Mart highlighted products andofferings from Korea on leisure & MICE perspectiveand witnessed many attendees from travel trade,corporate & media in both the cities.

Korea comes calling

The year 2014 was full ofopportunities. “A major

development for us during thisyear was our foray intoOutbound and DomesticHolidays via the launch of ournew business division, ‘TransWorld Holidays’,” says KapilGoswamy, Managing Director,Trans India Holidays.

The current season islooking good too and we expectto close FY 2014-15 with a sig-nificant increase ever last year.Outbound Tourism is a sectorthat has been witnessing doubledigit growth year-on-year and isset to continue on the growthcurve for the next several years,thanks to the growing incomesand the growing aspirations ofwell-heeled Indians.

“We launched our adver-tising campaign recently withholidays to destinations likeNew Zealand, Australia,Southern Europe andScandinavia and have beenattempting to do things differ-ently. For New Zealand, we arepromoting Self Drive Holidays;for Europe, we are promotingthe beautiful parts of Southern

Europe including Greece andItaly; for Northern Europe, theScandinavian Capitals andLapland, all of which are excel-lent destinations for the sea-soned travellers. For Indiansseeking to discover their owncountry, of course we do pop-ular destinations like Goa (likeeveryone else), but we alsooffer holidays to Kabini andCoorg, Skiing holidays inGulmarg, weekend packagesfor Kanha and Bandhavgarh,soft treks in Nepal, all destinations and activities thatappeal to discerning travellers,he adds.

Goswamy furtherinforms, “Currently, we are inthe B2C space only, but during2015, we hope to be enteringin the B2B space too, and workwith fellow travel agents .”

The year 2014 has been an excellent year for Trans IndiaHolidays. It also won the National Tourism Award for thesecond consecutive year.

Winning laurels

TT BUREAU

Kapil GoswamyManaging Director Trans India Holidays

Experiencing Mauritianadventure on FAM

Mauritius Tourist Promotion Authority (India ) recently organised a travel agents familiarisation trip for sixSouthern India agents which took place from November 11-15, 2014. The agents were from Chennai andBengaluru. The group experienced different accommodation categories and stayed in Shanti Maurice Hotel ,Blumarine Attitude Hotel and Jalsa Beach Hotel & Spa. The objective of the trip was to showcase the destinationand activities which are very exciting but not familiar to the Indian tour operators.



3 0 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 FAMILY ALBUM

As part of a marketing strategy to expand the understanding and product portfolio of Dubai; Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing hostedthe largest ever tourism industry Mega FAM trip comprising travel operators, wedding planners, MICE operators and niche segment specialists and expertsrepresenting 16 cities across India. It included 440 representatives of the travel industry providing them with a first-hand experience of Dubai.

Dubai hosts the largest FAM from India




Could you tell us aboutthe USPs of yourGroup?

We have a presence inIndore, Pune, Bhopal andVadodara. F&B facilities atPune include PORTICO (buffetrestaurant), Barbeque Nation(Sayaji’s flagship rooftoprestaurant serving barbequefrom around the world) andTURQUE (Poolside lounge). Ithas entertainment, fitness andleisure options also. InVadodara and Bhopal too,Sayaji serves its guests withthe same richness. Kolhapur isour upcoming property to belaunched in February 2015.

How has the propertypositioned your group inthe hospitality market?

The Sayaji Group hasbeen redefining hospitalitysince its inception. It hasalways chosen strategic loca-tions for its hotels for easyaccessibility of its guests. Thehotels have excellent connec-tivity with major cities, various

business destinations andplaces of tourist attractions.

What new trends hasthe Sayaji Group set inthe hospitality segmentin the region?

We have packagedsolutions for all kinds of socialfunctions and customerswherein complete end-to-end

services are being providedfor guests to enjoy their func-tions. The group has steppedinto the first chain of businesshotels – Effotel, the latesttrend in high definition servic-es in Indore and Barbeque

Nation of Sayaji Hotel inPune, is an exotic food expe-rience destination.

What is your targetclientele - Inbound,domestic or MICE?

We have customisedpackages for residential andnon–residential conferencesaccording to the need of the

hour. The hotel meeting roomsize ranges from 800 sq.ft. to12,000 sq. ft. and can cater toall MICE requirements.

Any new initiativesplanned for 2015?

We are taking majorsteps in making our presencefelt in many Indian cities. Ournext upcoming hotel is basedin Kolhapur with 65 rooms’inventory and banquetoptions. Our Ankleshwar proj-ect will start in 2015 and willbe ready by April 2016. Weare also looking for expansionin other cities viz. Raipur,Ahmedabad, Surat, Goa,Bengaluru, Hyderabad andfew more, where we intend tohave management models orrevenue sharing models.


With the company’s presence already being felt in various Indian cities,Sandesh Khandelwal, CFO, Sayaji Group, tells about thecompany’s plans to expand in other cities in the upcoming year

Redefining hospitality!

TT BU R E AU

� The Sayaji Group hasbeen redefining hospitalitysince its inception

� It has always chosenstrategic locations for itshotels for easyaccessibility of its guests

� It has stepped into the firstchain of business hotels –Effotel, the latest trend in highdefinition services in Indore

New Trends

International tourism numbersto hit record high: UNWTO

The latest UNWTO WorldTourism Barometer statesthat international tourism isset to hit a new record bythe end of 2014 with over1.1 billion internationaltourists travelling the worldin one single year. Duringthe first ten months of 2014the number of international

tourists increased aboveexpectations, growing byfive per cent. BetweenJanuary and October 2014,the volume of internationaltourists (overnight visitors)reached 978 million, 45 mil-lion more than in the sameperiod of 2013.

With an increase of 4.7per cent, internationaltourism continues to growwell above the long-termtrend projected by UNWTOfor the period 2010-2020(+ 3.8 per cent), and is set

to end the year at over 1.1billion. By region, thestrongest growth was reg-istered in the Americas (+eight per cent), followed byAsia and the Pacific (+ fiveper cent) and Europe (+four per cent). By subregion,North America (+ nine percent) and South Asia (+eight per cent) were the starperformers, as well asSouthern andMediterranean Europe,North-East Asia andNorthern Europe (all +seven per cent).

Taleb Rifai, secretary-general, UNWTO said, “Inview of this trend, interna-tional tourism is set to end2014 with record numbers.These are remarkable resultsconsidering that differentparts of the world continueto face significant geopoliticaland health challenges, whilethe global economic recoveryremains rather fragile anduneven. More importantly,we see a growing politicalcommitment to the tourismsector in many countries.This is encouraging, not inthe least because tourism isone of the sectors that is bestable to deliver on employ-ment at a moment when job creation need to be a priority to all.”

Taleb Rifaisecretary-general UNWTO

Our next upcoming hotel is based in Kolhapur with 65 rooms’inventory and banquet options. OurAnkleshwar project will start in 2015and will be ready by April 2016

Sandesh KhandelwalCFO, Sayaji Group


The shroud surrounding tech-nology among the travel

trade is slowly lifting as more andmore agents are assimilating itin their businesses.

Speaking about howthings have changed over theyears, Om Prakash Sehgal,

Director of In-Orbit Tours, says,“I started my career in 1977when technology was as goodas absent. Since then, we havetravelled a long way into themodern era of technology in thetravel business. Adopting the lat-est technology has becomeessential today not only for con-venience but for survival.”

Those who came afterhim agree. Jay Bhatia,Director and CEO of TulsidasKhimji Holidays, who walkedaway with the ‘Entrepreneur ofthe Year’ award at the IndiaTravel Awards – West India in

August 2014, refers to thesechanging times as the emer-gence of “e-world”. “Now, wehave paperless offices, paper-less airline tickets, email andSMS hotel confirmations. Allthis requires technology andalmost everyone relies on com-puters and different software toprovide accurate information,”he says. Bhatia is also the

Chairman of Tourism Councilfor the Travel AgentsAssociation of India.

The young ones blazethe trail. Dev Karvat, MD ofTrawellTag India, says, “Intoday’s fast-paced world, tech-nology and business go hand-in-hand. New-age customershave increasingly becometech-savvy and want access toall information and avail serv-ices in the least possible time.This is where marrying the lat-est technology with your busi-ness gives you a superior edgein today’s competitive world.”

How it helps them Sehgal’s company has

taken advantage of technolo-gy, from e-tickets, high-speedinternet and mobile internetfor faster, cheaper communi-cation, especially long distance, to improved storageof sensitive data, online marketing, net banking andonline payments.

“These advancementshave helped the industry go along way in servicing clients,attracting larger businessopportunities, and saving ontime and energy. Also, easyflow of data between theagency and airline, hotel orother service allows quickbookings that might have takenhours or days,” he adds.

Tulsidas Khimji Holidayshas also adopted it to improvetime management and turn-around time. “A new generationof tools for virtual business oper-ations is helping companies

achieve important goals andchange their operating models.By adopting new technology, wetend to innovate and increaseproductivity,” Bhatia reveals.

Meanwhile, Karvat’s coreproduct, TrawellTag, is a metal-lic luggage tracking device .“Our team of IT professionalshas improvised our existingtechnical features. Travelagents will now experiencemore refined user-interfacewith better API integration

while using our platform toissue our plans to their cus-tomers,” he says.

In 2015, TrawellTagCover-More will launch itsstate-of-the-art e-commerceand m-commerce platforms toenable agents and customersto use its services online andvia mobile devices.

Jenaifer Daruwalla,General Manager of Maison de

Voyage - the Sales andMarketing arm of Zaka Group– feels that one should eitherget on the technology band-wagon or get extinguished.“We use it mainly for socialmedia. It not only helps createawareness and promote ourproduct to a larger audiencebut also get timely feedback,help HR with recruitment andother matters that help developand improvise our product.Technology equals evolution,”she sums up.

As a representation com-pany, Benchmark TravelRepresentations’ focus is onmaking the processesbetween agent and DMC asseamless as possible. SavioPereira, Director, BenchmarkTravel Representations,opines, “We use technology incommunication, informationdissemination and promotionalactivities to enhance produc-tivity for both the agent and theDMC. Another area that we

actively seek to use technologyis educating the trade throughwebinars and online training.”

Be warned thoughWhile advocating tech-

nology though, each one ofthem warns of important point-ers to keep in mind. Bhatiaalerts, “One must keep in mindthat competitive advantagedoesn’t just materialise throughthe use of new technology. Itonly makes possible new formsof organisation and new waysof operating.”

Karvat also voices hisconcern as well. “Businessowners should not look attechnology as just a tool to getan edge over their competi-tors. Adopting technology isnecessary to give customersa seamless experience whenthey avail your services,” hesays. Meanwhile, Daruwallatoo urges the trade to notadopt technology blindly.Technology is the new buzz-word in any business today,particularly in travel, saysPereira. “It's not to say thatbusinesses cannot thrive in anenvironment sans technology,however it is the sheer dynam-ic nature of the businessestoday that requires technologyto give them the edge.Technology cannot be fortechnology's sake and suc-cessful adopters are thosewho can apply relevant tech-nology to practical use thusachieving optimum results,” he adds.

Year 2014 saw many trends emerge and pass by in the travel trade. But one that promises to spill over to 2015remains the increasing faith in technology. finds out how agents feel about this new force and whether itis worth reckoning with.

3 4 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TECHNOLOGY

Welcome to the e-world

HA Z E L JA I N

New-agecustomers haveincreasinglybecome tech-savvy and availservices in theleast possible time

Now, we havepaperlessoffices,paperless airlinetickets, emailand SMS hotelconfirmations

Adopting thelatesttechnology hasbecomeessential forconvenienceand survival

Om Prakash SehgalDirectorIn-Orbit Tours

Jay BhatiaDirector and CEOTulsidas Khimji Holidays

Dev KarvatMDTrawellTag India

We usetechnology to enhanceproductivity for both theagent and the DMC

Technologyhelps createawareness andpromote ourproduct to alargeraudience

Jenaifer DaruwallaGeneral Manager of Maison deVoyage - the Sales and Marketingarm of Zaka Group

Savio PereiraDirectorBenchmark Travel Representations

� Technology is the newbuzzword in any businesstoday, particularly in travel

� Adopting the latesttechnology has becomeessential today not onlyfor convenience but forsurvival

Click of the Mouse


How was 2014 forForesee Aviation?

In 2014, we not onlyexpanded in terms of areas ofoperations but also our teamsize. We have been able to addnine new clients to our clientbase. We have also got a cou-ple of brand new business jetsto market, which gave us anedge over our competitors.

Does Indian Aviationhave a future?

The Indian civil aviationindustry is on a high growthtrajectory. India has a visionof becoming the third largestaviation market by 2020 andis expected to be the largestby 2030. I'm sure the aviation

job market will also improvein 2015 with two new airlines– AirAsia and Vistara enteringthe Indian market. There is alarge untapped potential forgrowth in the Indian aviationindustry. It is very importantfor the government to prepare and implement effec-tive policies which will play avery critical role in shaping the future of aviationindustry in India.

What are your newstrategies for 2015?

Next year, we would liketo make our sales & marketingdivision stronger by inductingmore sales & marketing per-sonnel. We’ll focus on addingmore aircraft and helicoptersto the fleet of aircraft we offerto our clients. We are also plan-ning to open an office in the USor the Middle East primarily tocater to the international char-

ter requirement of our clients.Our primary aim would be tofocus on our current marketand undertake aggressivesales & marketing plans.

What are your marketingstrategies?

Our marketing depart-ment is currently under theprocess of finalising a compre-hensive marketing strategy,which will be put into practice

from Januray 2015. We will beimplementing more specific andeffective techniques rangingfrom employing direct sales per-sonnel, making indirect cus-tomer contact and other prac-tices. We will also be imple-menting our customer contactprogramme. Word- of-mouthadvertising will complement andenhance direct mail. We are alsoin the final round of negotiationwith couple of charter operatorsto form an alliance, whereinForesee Aviation will take theexclusive marketing rights oftheir aircraft.

Come 2015 and Foresee Aviation has new plans and strategies to implement its customer contact programmeand more. Santosh Kumar Sharma, Director, Foresee Aviation shares his future plans with .

Coming soon: Charter operators’ allianceTT BU R E AU

J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 3 5AVIATION

IITT 2015expands portfolio

With stupendous success inits maiden event ‘IndiaInternational Travel &TourismExhibition’conceptualised and executed by ABECExhibitions &Conferences(ABEC), India’s trade fairleader is all set to launch itssecond edition ‘IITT- 2015’.The exhibition on 15-17January 2015 at BombayExhibition Centre, GoregoanEast Mumbai is expanding itsavenues to bring together stalwarts from the global travel, tourism and hospitalityindustry.

Spread across 15,000square metre, the travelextravaganza ‘IITT-2015’willwitness all the sparkle in itsGrand Inauguration Ceremonyby the esteemed presence ofthe ‘Queen’ of Bollywood,Kangana Ranawat. ‘IITT-2015’promises bigger brandsin its portfolio, with TurkeyTourism as the PlatinumPartner, Kuwait Airlines - SilverPartner, Tamil Nadu Tourism-State Partner, LavasaCorporation - Smart CityPartner and Grand Hyatt as theHospitality Partner.

‘IITT 2015’ showcasesIsrael Tourism and OmanTourism as featuredInternational destinationswhile Bihar Tourism andMadhya Pradesh Tourism willbe showcased as the featurednational destinations. QatarAirways, Oman Air and EtihadAirways are associated as thefeatured airlines for theshow.Explore the best destina-tions in India represented byPremium States present at theevent like Assam, Telangana,Rajasthan, Bengal, Kerela andAndhra Pradesh Tourism.

Santosh Kumar SharmaDirectorForesee Aviation


3 6 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TECHNOLOGY

What prompted Caper todiversify into travel verti-cals such as hospitality,aviation and online por-tals?

We are constantlyexpanding our business and wewere looking at other industriesthat could be tied to the traveltrade. That is how EraHospitality, Jet Concepts andeasyhols.com came about.Under Era Hospitality, we nowhave two hotels in Goa and willsoon be increasing the number.

Are you planning to forayinto any other sectors?

We are always open tochange but there are no imme-diate plans. And apart from thebusinesses already mentioned,Caper Group also has under itsumbrella two other tour opera-tors - Aamantaran, whoseexpertise is Japan and Europe,and Hi-Life Tours, which isstrong in the B2B inbound mar-ket. There is Softtix as well, yourone-stop shop to all IT solu-

tions, be it customised softwareor hi-tech hardware. So, as youcan see, we have enough tokeep us busy.

What sets Hi-Life Tours byCaper apart from otherdomestic tour operators?

Our group has officespan India, which translates tobetter results. For instance, ifa tourist faces a problem inGoa, we have staff at hand tohandle it efficiently and quick-ly. With the already estab-lished Caper brand backing it,

Hi-life Tours by Caper has themanagement strength andexpertise to handle all kindsof products. Not just that, fromrates to booking to hotel availability, we are technolo-gy-based unlike other travel companies. Plus from

five-star to budget hotels, wehave the most competitiverates in the market.

What are the roadblocksin promoting domestictourism? How do youplan to counter them?

For starters, infrastruc-ture and connectivity have been major roadblocksfor the domestic sector.Added to it is poor promotionby state tourism departments.For an operator, it is the short gap between bookingand travel time that oftenproves to be an obstacle.Domestic tourists generallytend to travel during school vacations or extendedweekends. Through technol-ogy, excellent domestic products and dissemination of information, we are workingour way to counter these obstacles.

How has 2014 been foryou? What are yourstrategies for 2015?

2014 has been a toughyear for the entire industry.For the next year, we are look-ing at different markets, espe-cially the ones where elec-tronic visa has been madeavailable. Hopefully, morethan 43 countries will beadded to it soon.

Bharat Bhushan Atree, MD, Caper Travel, is hopeful that the electronic visa facilitywill be extended to more countries soon. He says that through technology, excellentdomestic products and dissemination of information, they are working to counterthe roadblocks in promoting domestic tourism.

Technology is Caper’s USP

TT BU R E AU

For the next year, we are look-ing at different markets, espe-cially the ones where elec-tronic visa has been made

available. Hopefully, morethan 43 countries will be added

to it soon

Bharat Bhushan AtreeMD, Caper Travels

The uncertainty over con-tinuation of North EastIndustrial and InvestmentPromotion Policy (NEIIPP)2007 is to hit the growth oftourism industry in NorthEast. Suspension of incen-tives available under NEIIPPwill not only adverselyimpact industrial growth ofNorth East but it will alsoamount to a major setbackto integrating North Eastinto the mainstream nationaleconomy.

NEIIPP was introducedby the Government of Indiain April 2007. The policyprovides a special package offiscal incentives, subsidiesand other concessions, withthe objective of promotingindustrialization of NorthEast. The policy coversArunachal Pradesh, Assam,Manipur, Meghalaya,Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripuraand Sikkim.

Outlining the positiveoutcome of NEIIPP, SudeshPoddar, President, Hotel &Restaurant Association ofEastern India (HRAEI) saidthat it played an importantrole in positioning NorthEast as a viable and compet-itive investment destinationfor the hospitality sector andhelped in attracting capital

investment in manufactur-ing and services sectors. Ithas had a positive multipliereffect on the region’s econ-omy, by way of large-scalejob-creation, youth empow-erment through increasedopportunities of skill devel-opment, infrastructure aug-mentation, strengtheningsocial stability. It also gener-ated substantial revenue forthe exchequer.

To sustain the growthmomentum, it is imperativefor the North Eastern statesto draw large investment inthe hospitality industry.Infrastructure deficit occur-ring in the region’s tourismindustry in a big way needsearly correction. The suddensuspension of incentivesavailable under NEIIPP willput in peril prospectiveinvestments of a staggering` 30,000 crore.

In this context, HRAEIPresident has submitted amemorandum to Smt.Nirmala Sitharaman,Minister of State(Independent Charge),Ministry of Commerce &Industry urging the govern-ment to revoke the suspen-sion at the earliest and dis-pel any ambiguity over thecontinuation of NEIIPP.

NEIIPP uncertainty hitstourism in North East


29-12-2014-FINAL_TT_January-1st 2015:TT Layout 1/6/2015 3:04 PM Page 37


J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 3 9EXHIBITIONS

Luxury travel trends will onceagain be a highlighted fea-

ture at Arabian Travel Market(ATM) 2015, with theInternational Luxury TravelMarket (ILTM) Middle Eastshowcase matching luxury-focused exhibitors with travelbuyers from around the worldlooking to discover the verybest experiences in the region.

Taking place from May4-7, 2015, at the DubaiInternational Convention &Exhibition Centre, the ATMline-up will include a two-dayILTM @ ATM programme witha series of pre-scheduledappointments and dedicatedluxury travel focused seminarsand panel debates to run onMay 5 and 6. The Atlantis, ThePalm will be the Official Luxuryand Leisure Host Hotel for theduration of the four-day event,hosting the ILTM buyer groupand international buyers fromoutside the GCC.

“A 2014 YouGov LuxuryTravel report for the MENA

region showed that out of the1,000-plus regionally basedsurvey respondents, luxuryclearly has a home in theMiddle East with Dubai rankedin top spot as the preferred

upscale destination,” saidNadege Noblet, ExhibitionManager of Arabian TravelMarket, WTM Portfolio, ReedTravel Exhibitions.

A total of 69% of respon-dents in the YouGov reportagreed that luxury travel isdefined by the availability offive-star accommodation as a

minimum standard. Also thosesurveyed admitted they hadtaken an average of 1.9 luxuryholidays over the last 12months, meaning that theregion’s preponderance of

upscale hotel properties isperfectly positioned to capi-talise on growing demandfrom high net-worth travellerseager to discover new desti-nations or enjoy an exclusiveexperience in their favouriteresort.

"Today the definition ofluxury is strongly dependent on

the perspective of the traveller.With no universally accepteddefinition of what luxury travelis, brands need to truly under-stand what luxury means totheir customers in order to besuccessful. The subject is ofstrong interest to travel brandsin this market and it is great tosee ILTM focus on this issue,said YouGov’s Travel & LeisureResearch Director, ScottBooth. The YouGov report alsohighlighted the fact that 61% ofluxury tourists from the MENAregion choose to travel withtheir spouse, staying for anaverage of 5.1 nights, with fourout of five people choosing togo on a luxury holiday for purerelaxation.

“Of the respondents sur-veyed, on average they report-ed typically spending aroundUS$8,310 per trip, with 60%choosing a destination basedon recommendations fromfamily and friends, and 53%personally booking their travel.Service delivery combined withexclusivity are clear prerequi-sites for a desirable luxuryoffering,” noted Noblet.

Once in the hotel,respondents ranked a goodview from their room and achoice of fine dining restau-rants as paramount to ensuringan enjoyable experience withconsumer opinion defining lux-ury as ‘differentiating, discov-ery and experiences’.

“Interestingly, 77% ofrespondents said that theywere likely to book an all-inclu-sive luxury holiday package,which is an area of opportunitythat many Gulf destinationshave yet to explore,” said MarkWalsh, Portfolio Director forLuxury Events at Reed TravelExhibitions. ILTM @ ATM 2015will welcome up to 25 interna-tional hosted buyers with aspecific interest in the MiddleEast luxury experience, and upto 28 exhibitors representingthe luxury travel offering, fromhotels and cruise lines toDMCs and destinations.

“ILTM @ ATM returns toATM with an expanded pro-gramme of one-to-one appoint-ments and is a crucial compo-nent in our global calendar ofluxury events which coverAfrica, the Americas, Asia andEurope,” added Walsh.

In addition the ATM 2015line-up features a central FamilyTravel theme alongside brandedexhibition trails including budgettravel, health and wellbeing,shopping, transportation, sportstravel, culture and heritage andadventure travel. At the event,ATM’s research partner, YouGovwill report new and fresh insightson Family Travel in MENA.

“We are honoured to benamed the official hotel ofArabian Travel Market (ATM)2015. With the spotlight themeof Family Travel for 2015, ourunique family offering ties inperfectly with the focus of nextyear’s event, and we are look-ing forward to showcasing theamazing diversified attractionsat Atlantis,” David Loiseau, VicePresident, Sales at Atlantis,The Palm.

Arabian Travel Market to be organised from May 4-7, 2015, will feature International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM)as YouGov report highlights appeal of MENA region as global luxury hotspot.

Dubai tops YouGov luxury travel surveyTT B U R E A U

Luxury at its best� “A 2014 YouGov Luxury Travel report for the MENA region showed

that out of the 1,000-plus regionally based survey respondents,luxury clearly has a home in the Middle East with Dubai ranked intop spot

� A total of 69% of respondents in the YouGov report agreed thatluxury travel is defined by the availability of five-star accommodationas a minimum standard

� Of the respondents surveyed, on average they reported typicallyspending around US$8,310 per trip, with 60% choosing adestination based on recommendations from family and friends,and 53% personally booking their travel



J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 4 1AGENTS

How has 2014 been forthe company?

Despite some extrane-ous challenges which perhapsall segments of the industry ini-tially faced this year, we haveseen an excellent growth intothe higher double digits. Wehave also seen our compre-hensive product portfolio beingrecognised as truly offeringsomething for everyone interms of style and budget.

Do you have any newinitiatives on offer fortravel agents?

We not only offer asuperlative and comprehensiveline up products for travel agentsto sell to their clients – westrongly believe in giving backas a token of gratitude for theirsupport as well as having themexperience our programmesfirst hand. In the recent past wehave organised Air + Land pro-gramme, inclusive familiarisationtrips to Spain ,Canada , UK ,Europe multi country panora-mas , Norway , South Americawith leading travel trade partnerstravelling to these exotic desti-nations in the legendary Globusfamily style. For 2015 we haveassured a premium air inclusiveGLOBUS programme to ALAS-KA and another one includingthe emerging touristic regions ofITALY. Since we rolled these outin our recently-concluded off siteSymposium in November wehave already got many agentstrying to get ahead in the race early.

Apart from this theGlobus family of brandsextends very generous special

offers for personal travel tripsof the trade fraternity. In thepast 5 years more than 100agents have utilised this uniquebenefit from the Globus FamilyClub – a prestigious by invita-tion-only group of Globus fam-ily of brands promoters.Exclusive training and work-shop opportunities are provid-ed from time to time toenhance the destination andproduct knowledge of agents.We treat travel agents asstakeholders and holisticallyinvest on the relationship. Weare rolling out a communicationinitiative called “We LOVETravel agents” for 2015 whichhighlights the advantages ofbeing an exclusive Globus fam-ily of brands partner. Watch outfor more soon ….

What are the trends thatyou foresee for 2015,based on the 2014response?

The signs for outboundtravel volumes further increas-ing over 2015 are very positive– We will continue to see good

demand for Europe as well asa lot of travellers will focus onregional discoveries and sin-gle country vacations, alsoventuring to newer destina-tions. As a brand, we find our-selves in a very advantageousposition as we are alreadygeared up with a multitude ofchoices. Having tasted suc-cess with unique programmessuch as for Iceland, we haverolled out an Iceland andGreenland programme fornext year. A very significant

development has been intro-duction of SOUTH AMERICAin our COSMOS product line– with four unique itineraries,it makes South America wellwithin reach in an extremelyaffordable budget.

How has the Indian trav-eller changed and howare travel companiesadapting to thatchange?

One finds that the Indiantraveller has become much

more discerning and perhapsmore assertive on what sheor he wants. There is a pletho-ra of information available interms of planning resourcesas well as buying platforms.As a provider of services, youcannot be assured of longterm loyalties any more till thetime you adapt and renewyour product offer and evenways of selling. The Customeris very wise – the customerwants to travel the way theworld does and is looking fornew and genuine experi-ences. At the Globus family ofbrands, we, of course, takethis very seriously. You wouldnotice us changing with thetimes in terms of productinnovation, introduction ofnew destinations and experi-ences, even modes of travelalways keeping to the core ofour values of offering authen-tic experiences, making traveleasy and enriching at thesame time being straight for-ward, honest and open with our customers and partners.

Varesh Chopra, Regional Director - South Asia & Middle East, Globus Family of Brands (India), says in 2015they are rolling out a communication initiative called “We LOVE Travel agents”, which highlights the advantagesof being an exclusive Globus family of brands partner.

Agents are our stakeholders

TT B U R E A U The signs for outbound travel volumes further increasing over2015 are very positive – We willcontinue to see good demand forEurope as well as a lot of travellerswill focus on regional discoveriesand single country vacationsVaresh ChopraRegional Director - SouthAsia & Middle East, Globus Family of Brands

� The Globus family of brandsextends very generousspecial offers for personaltravel trips of the tradefraternity.

� In the past 5 years more than100 agents have utilised thisunique benefit from theGlobus Family Club

Globus & Trade



J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 4 3AGENTS

Visa and passport servicescompany, BLS International

Services, feels the ETA imple-mentation will mean big busi-ness for the company.Commenting on the develop-ment, Diwakar Aggarwal,Director, BLS InternationalServices said, “We see a win-win situation for all of us. Thecompany is aiming to grow itsbusiness via consular services.And we see a direct positiveimpact on the business with ETAimplementation.”

The group deals in fourverticals – visa, attestation,passport and consular servic-es. Providing facilitation serv-ices for visa & passport pro-cessing, as well as documentattestation and certificate ver-ification services through 84offices spread over 22 coun-tries has been the USP of thecompany, he pointed out.

Regarding new initiativesin the company, Aggarwalrevealed, “Going forward, the

group wants to tap the potentialconsular service business.Globally, there is only 30 percent of this segment, which isoutsourced.” BLS International

services Indian missions incountries like Austria,Malaysia, Canada, China,Netherlands, Norway, Oman,Philippines, Poland, Lithuania,Spain, Republic of Korea,Russian Federation, SaudiArabia, Singapore, SouthAfrica, UAE, and USA. In India,BLS works with the HighCommission of Malaysia,Embassy of the State of

Kuwait, Embassy of the IslamicRepublic of Iran, Ministry ofExternal Affairs (Attestation &Apostle Services) in NewDelhi, Chandigarh andJalandhar, he added.

Talking about the globaltrends in consular services’outsourcing, he informed,“The focus is growing on sin-gle player, large-sized dealswith the outsourcing govern-ment zooming in on deals thatoffer most value. The introduc-tion of biometrics is becominga major adaption for variousgovernments. Value additionin the form of automation ofprocesses and add-on servic-es is also becoming criticalboth from client governmentand end-user perspective.”

BLS International Services is betting big on the potential ofconsular service business. Globally, there is only 30 per centof this segment, which is outsourced.

Consular service outsourcing

ME G H A PAU L

You recently released areport on adventuretourism in India.

The ‘OutboundAdventure Tourism India’ reportwas an eye-opener in terms ofthe large number of Indianswho are taking these trips, butin particular those that are notgoing through the Indian traveltrade. This is clearly attributedto the fact that they fail to instillconfidence among their clients.

It is also interesting to notethat Indians are travelling to allplaces - most popular destina-tions being Thailand, USA andMalaysia. Business to Europe isfragmented, but as a region,Europe is on top. Indians are spending an average of`8,900 per day on adventuretravel, but they come from allincome brackets.

Are you working with inter-national tourism boards?

Countries like Oman,Malaysia, Italy, Spain andAustralia have a genuine inter-

est in growing this segmentfrom India, and we see theircommitment through specificcollaterals, their interest in pro-moting new regions, etc; aswell as in supporting new nicheplayers like us. They are help-

ing us increase awarenessamongst the B2B segment.

Will you be working with thetravel trade?

In the coming months, wewill be spending a significanttime in training and servicingthe agents about internationaladventure holidays so they canbuild their adventure division.We recently held the first

Adventure Travel Symposiumin Mumbai with close to 70agents in attendance.

Your perspective on thecurrent state of adventuretravel in India?

Adventure Travel is aquiet revolution that has beentaking place in India for thepast decade and a half. In par-ticular, the domestic andinbound segment has reallybeen growing rapidly and Indiadoes have wonderful optionsfor people who want to experi-ence it - be it in the North,South, East or West and evenCentral India.

How can the travel trade helpin improving dynamics?

Frankly, a lot of 'adventuretravel' segment works throughdis-intermediation, going directlyto the source of the adventureexperience provider. So fromimproving their knowledge toadding value to the customer byoffering unique, safe experi-ences, there is a lot to be gained for the customer andtravel agents if they invest in this segment.

Gauri Jayaram, the founder of Bengaluru-based ActiveHoliday, wants to share her knowledge about adventureholidays with the travel trade. A few excerpts...

Adventure training for agents

TT BU R E AU

Diwakar AggarwalDirectorBLS International Services

� The group deals in fourverticals – visa, attestation,passport and consularservices. Providingfacilitation services

About BLS

Gauri JayaramFounder Active Holiday


For more details, contact: [email protected]

Calendar of TRAVEL EVENTS 2015

The dates shown on the annual event calendar are subject to change. Please refer to Event Talk in TravTalk to track the changes in dates

2015JANUARY

NATIONAL 6...............Chennai ................. Discover America Educational

Programme7 Bengaluru Discover America Educational

Programme8 Hyderabad Discover America Educational

Programme9-11 Chennai Travel & Tourism Fair15-17 Mumbai India International Travel &

Tourism Exhibition16-18....... Bengaluru................Travel & Tourism Fair16-18 Kochi India International Travel

Mart Cochin16-18 Kochi India International Travel Mart23-25 Coimbatore, India Holiday Expo 23-25 Nagpur India International Travel Exhibition28............ New Delhi............... VisitScotland B2B Networking Dinner

for Trade associations, Qatar Airways, Trade & Govt Partners

29-31 Delhi SATTE New Delhi

INTERNATIONAL 22-25 Istanbul, Turkey EMITT 28-1 Feb Madrid, FITUR

Spain

FEBRUARYNATIONAL 2...............Delhi........................Fiji Tourism’s Roadshow2 Hyderabad B2B Mission & Roadshow,

Department of Tourism, Philipinnes3-4 Mumbai SATTE Mumbai West4 New Delhi Tourism Ireland - VisitBritain B2B

Workshop4-6 Mumbai Outbound Travel Mart6 New Delhi Austria Media Lunch, Delhi10-12.......New Delhi.................TTF & OTM11-13 Mumbai IAAPI Amusement Expo20-22 Kolkata India International Travel Mart22-24 Lucknow Uttar Pradesh Travel Mart

INTERNATIONAL 1-3 Denver, Colorado Routes American

10-12 Abu Dhabi IBTM Arabia

21-22 Melbourne Work & Travel Expo Sydney23-25....... Johannesburg..........South Africa Tourism’ Meetings

South Africa Africa

24-25 Melbourne, Asia Pacific Meetings and Australia Incentive Expo (AIME)

MARCHNATIONAL 12-14 Raipur Indian International Travel Exhibition

(IITE)20-22 Guwahati Holiday Expo21-23 Chandigarh India Travel MartTBA Ahmedabad Gujarat Tourism Mart *INTERNATIONAL 4-8........... Berlin, Germany...... ITB12 Singapore AHDA, Asia Hotel Design Award 12-13 Moscow Luxury Travel Mart Spring Edition13-15 Cape Town Cape Getaway Show15-17 Kunming Routes Asia

Yunnan, China16-18........Tokyo, Japan........... International Luxury Travel Market

18-21 Moscow, Russia Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT)

25-27 Kiev, Ukraine UITT 28-29 Ottawa The Travel Vacation Show

APRILINTERNATIONAL 2-4 Baku, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan International Tourism

Fair (AITF)

12-14....... Aberdeen................ Routes Europe

13-15 Cape Town, International Luxury Travel MarketSouth Africa Africa (ILTM Africa)

14-16 Beijing, China China Outbound Travel Tourism Mart (COTTM)

15-17........Cape Town...............World Travel Market Africa

16-18 Siberia SITT (TOURSIB)

22-24........Sao Paulo, Brazil..... World Travel Market Latin America

22-24 Almaty Kazakhstan International Tourism Kazakhstan Fair (KITF)

26-28 Stuttgart, German Travel MartGermany

MAYINTERNATIONAL 4-7 Dubai, UAE Arabian Travel

Market (ATM)

8-10 Shanghai, China World Travel Fair

9-11 Durban, Kwazulu- Indaba ExpoNatal, South Africa

19-20 Auckland TrenzNew Zealand

26-29 Canada, Niagara Canadian TourismFall Commission’s Rendezvous Canada

JUNEINTERNATIONAL 1-4........... Shanghai, China...... International Luxury Travel

Market Asia (ILTMA) 9-11 Chicago, IBTM America

USA

10-14....... Dhaka......................Asian International Trade & TourismBangladesh Expo

11-14 Hong Kong, International Travel ExpoSAR China

11-14 Seoul Korea World Travel FairSouth Korea

JULYNATIONAL 24-26 Hyderabad Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF)31- Aug 2 Kolkata Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF)

AUGUSTINTERNATIONAL 5-7 Beijing, China China Incentive Business

Travel Market (CIBTM)

SEPTEMBERNATIONAL 1-3 Jaipur, India IBTM India TBA...........Gurgaon.................. India International Travel Mart *TBA Mumbai India International Travel Mart *6-8 Bangalore PATA Travel Mart11-13 Ahmedabad TTF18-20........Surat....................... TTF24-26 Mumbai TTF30-Oct 2 Kiev, Ukraine Ukraine Travel Market

INTERNATIONAL 12-14 ...... Ho Chi Minh City...... International Travel Expo

Vietnam15-18 Moscow, Russia Meetings Industry & Business

Travel RUSSIA

15-16 Moscow, Russia International Trade Fair For Luxury Travel

19-22....... Durban, Kwazulu..... World RoutesSouth Africa

22 Kiev, Ukraine Luxury Travel Mart

24-26 Astana, Kazakhstan Astana Leisure

25 Almaty Luxury Travel Mart25-28 Tokyo, Japan JATA Tourism Expo Japan

28 Sept- Mexico ILTM America 1 Oct

29-30........Paris....................... MAP Pro Le Monde A Paris

30- 2 Oct Bangkok, Thailand Corporate Travel World Asia-Pacific

OCTOBERNATIONAL 2-4 Pune TTF

INTERNATIONAL 1 Moscow Luxury Travel Mart Autumn Edition5-8........... Moscow.................. PIR Hospitality Industry

TBA Tashkent Tashkent International Tourism Fair *13-15 Las Vegas IMEX America

21-23........Ukraine................... Tour Expo

21-23 Singapore ITB Asia22 Birmingham Group Leisure & Travel Trade Show

23-25 Montreal, Quebec International Tourism & Travel Show

NOVEMBERNATIONAL 20-22 Guwahati Travel & Tourism Fair Guwahati

INTERNATIONAL 2-5 London, World Travel Market

United Kingdom (WTM)

6-8........... Bremen.................. Reiselust 6-9 Taipei Taipei International Travel Fair11-13 Shanghai FHC China-Retail & Hospitality17-19 Barcelona, Spain IBTM World

DECEMBERINTERNATIONAL 1-4 Shanghai Marintec China

* TBA: To Be Announced



Australia-based StayWellHospitality Group (SWHG)

is an independently ownedglobal hotel managementgroup and is based in Sydney,Australia. SWHG has a net-work of 34 properties in the

Asia Pacific Region with loca-tions, including Sydney,Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns,Townsville, Hobart,Launceston and internationalhotels in Singapore, Dubai,Indonesia, India and New

Zealand with hotels in India,UK and China currently indevelopment. The companyoperates two hotel brands –Leisure Inn and Park Regis.Leisure Inn is a mid-scalebrand and Park Regis is ourupscale brand.

Talking about the USP ofthe group, Rohit Vig, ManagingDirector-India, StayWellHospitality Group says, “We, asa group, specialise in runninghotels efficiently, maximisingreturns for the owning board.The strength of our brands lie in

the mid to upper segment of themarket. We also offer estab-lished systems and hotel net-works supported by compre-hensive staff training, somethingthat we believe owners are look-ing for in the Indian market. AtStayWell, we offer ‘value formoney’ with high level of productand service standardisation withemphasis on customer satisfac-tion and loyalty.”

Regarding how thegroup has positioned itself inthe hospitality market in India,he adds, “Leisure Inn intro-

duced two hotels in Jaipur andGurgaon. Leisure Inn GrandChanakya located on MI Roadin Jaipur was a property thatwe signed in a semi-finishedstage and turned out be ajewel in the heart of the citywith multiple F&B outlets likethe iconic Grand Chanakya,Arya Bar and Grill on the roof-

top and well-appointed roomsfor the international travellerand local corporates. LeisureInn West Gurgaon was anoperational hotel that werebranded and re-launched in

January 2014. The locationprovides easy access to bothbusiness and leisure travellerswith the New DelhiInternational airport a short20-minute drive away as alsothe bus station and Gurgaonrailway station being nearby.We have upcoming LeisureInn hotels in Hyderabad,

Mumbai, Greater Noida andother destinations.”

The first Park Regis inIndia will open in Goa end offirst quarter 2015, which

epitomises comfort for the dis-cerning traveller. Located inArpora in North Goa, the hotelwill offer 102 rooms measur-ing over 55 square metre andis atop a hill just a short dis-tance from the bustling life ofCandolim, Calangute andBaga. “We are excited to openat least four-five hotels in

2015. Our group is well positioned to capture the mid-market opportunitiesacross Tier I, Tier II and Tier III cities in India,” hepoints out.

The group has already signed nine hotel projects in India, with two hotels operational in Jaipur and Gurgaon.Going forward, it has now lined up at least five more hotel openings in Goa, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Jaipur andGreater Noida in 2015.

StayWell Hospitality bets big on India

TT BU R E AU

Rohit VigManaging Director-IndiaStayWell Hospitality Group

Leisure Inn Grand Chanakya Restaurant

Leisure Inn West Gurgaon Sky Pool Roof Top


4 6 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 MARKET PLACE


J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 4 7MARKET PLACE


AGENTS

Share your views aboutRussia as a tourismdestination.

For centuries, the worldhas wondered what to believeabout Russia. The country hasbeen reported variously as aland of unbelievable riches,cruel tyrants and great minds,generous hospitality and med-dlesome bureaucracy, beautifulballets and industrial mon-strosities. These eternalRussian truths coexist in equal-ly diverse landscapes of icytundra and sun-kissed beach-es, dense silver birch and firforests and deep and mysteri-ous lakes, snow-cappedmountains and swaying grass-lands – those famous steppes.Factor in ancient fortresses,luxurious palaces, swirly-spiredchurches and lost-in-timewooden villages and you’llbegin to see why Russia issimply amazing.

Do you also facilitateRussian visas?

Visas are likely to be thebiggest headache in organisinga trip to Russia. There are sev-

eral types of visas, but for mosttravellers, a tourist visa (single ordouble entry and valid for a max-imum of 30 days from date ofentry) will be sufficient. But if aclient is planning on staying

longer than a month, it’s advis-able to apply for a business visa.Whatever visa they go for, theprocess has two stages – invita-tion and application. We assisttravellers with visa support/invi-tation tourist as well as businessand a hassle-free visa applica-tion process as we work closelywith the Russian foreign mission.

Is the destination Indiantourist-friendly?

There are many goodIndian establishments offeringIndian cuisine there – morethan 10 in Moscow and sevenin St. Petersburg. We also havetie-ups with good Indian

restaurants in Moscow and St.Petersburg where we arrangelunches, dinners and gala din-ners for our groups. As far asEnglish-speaking guides areconcerned, the scenario haschanged in the past 10 years.

Has the air-connectivityfrom India improved?

Most of the reputed air-lines like Emirates, Turkish,Etihad, Aeroflot, Air Arabia, Air

France, Lufthansa, SWISS,Finnair, Uzbekistan Airlines,Air Astana and many moreoperate flights to Moscow andSt. Petersburg from differentcities in India and the connec-tions are pretty good. The fly-ing time is around 10 hours(including transit) fromMumbai to Moscow and ondirect flight from Delhi toMoscow the flying time isapproximately six hours.

Are you promoting any-thing in particular toIndians?

Nightlife, shopping anddining are all first-class inMoscow, the city boasts animpressive variety of bars,nightclubs, restaurants andfashion stores. St. Petersburghas a vibrant nightlife, cateringto everyone from opera buffs,ballet to party animals. Indianswill also enjoy going to baanya(Russian sauna) which is avery old Russian custom.Going to the bathhouse oftenis regarded as a way of gettingrid of illnesses - it was calledthe "people's first doctor"(vodka was the second, rawgarlic the third).

Russia has a certain mystery around it. Manish Synghal, Chairman and MD of DimazGroup, who lived in Russia and CIS countries for over a decade in the 1990’s, clearsthe mist shrouding it. He talks to about the destination and the tour packages.

Dimaz launches Russia packages

TT BU R E AU

Visas are likely to be thebiggest headache in organising a trip to Russia.

There are several types of visas,but for most travellers, a tourist

visa will be sufficientManish Synghal

Chairman and MD Dimaz Group

How has the inboundbusiness been for 2014?

The tourism industry inIndia is expanding. Inboundbusiness has been a mixed bag.In spite of fall in numbers fromsome countries, the overall sce-nario is encouraging and by theend of 2014, we will have donebetter than for the correspondingperiod last year.

Now with eVisas beingopened to 43 nations,how has the reaction tothat been?

The eVisa is the biggestachievement for tourism indus-try in India. In the first month,more than 10,000/ tourists from43 countries in the first list ofeVisas have obtained theirvisas. With this facility, in placefor 43 countries presently, thenumber of arrivals is bound to increase.

What are the challengesin promoting inboundtourism? How do youplan to counter them?

On paper, India shouldbe a tourist powerhouse. Thecountry has all the right ingre-dients - good food, rich cul-ture, beautiful historic monu-ments, spirituality, and diver-

sity - to lure travellers from allover the world. Yet India lagsbehind Asian tourist hubs likeThailand, Malaysia, SouthKorea and China. The rea-sons for India’s struggle toattract visitors are many, saytourism experts, ranging frominfrastructure to formalitiesand security concerns,among others. The govern-

ment should make one, two,and three star hotels a priority.The tourism industry has tobattle issues ranging fromgovernment red tapism to per-vasive security threats in

pitching this populous SouthAsian destination.

The Aviation industry inIndia also poses a challengeto our incoming tourism. Theconnectivity to some remoteareas in India needs up gra-dation and so do the fares,With sad news aboutSpiceJet, other players

have sensed the opportunityto skyrocket the air fares. Indiabeing a big and diverse coun-try, low airfares play a role ininbound tourism.

What are your plans for2015? Are you planningany new marketing ini-tiatives?

At Minar Travels, werecognise the fact, that whilethe source markets are satu-rated, we are concentrating onnew and developing markets.We have already opened rep-resentative offices in Seoul,Beijing and Argentina. We areidentifying more markets,which could compensate us fordrying markets such as Italy,Spain and Russia. India withits varied menu options is get-ting its share of MICE. We arestrengthening this segmentand hope to get goodresponse. Society for IncentiveTravel Excellence (SITE) is holding its global conferencein India, which should create awareness within thiscommunity about MICE in India.

Calling the eVisa facility to 43 nations, the biggest achievement of the tourism industry,HS Duggal, Managing Director, Minar Travels(India), says the tourism industry hasto battle issues ranging from government red tapism to pervasive security threats.

Inbound business, a mixed bag

We are identifying more markets, which could compensate us for dryingmarkets such as Italy, Spain and Russia

HS DuggalManaging Director Minar Travels(India

TT BU R E AU


J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 4 9OPPORTUNITY


5 0 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 MOVEMENTSDepartment of Tourism, PhilippinesPhilippinesBenito C. Bengzon, J r was sworn in as the new Undersecretary forTourism Development by DOT Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. at

the DOT Office in Makati City. UndersecretaryBengzon is replacing Daniel G. Corpuz, whorecently retired after forty years in governmentservice. Bengzon has also served as AssistantSecretary for International Tourism

Promotions and Official Spokesperson of theDepartment of Tourism (DOT). UndersecretaryBengzon started a career with the DOT in

tourism planning, product research, and devel-opment after getting his Bachelor’s

degree in hotel and restaurantadministration from the Universityof the Philippines in 1984.

Vivanta by Taj - President, MumbaiMumbaiSanjay Umashankar has been appointed as new General Managerfor Vivanta by Taj – President, Mumbai. Prior to this, Umashankar

was the General Manager of Blue Sydney,Australia where he introduced new strategiesto improve occupancy and diversified themarket mix to improve RevPar. Of his 25years of experience in the hospitality indus-try, Umashankar has spent the last 11 years

with the Taj Group. During this time, he hasbeen the General Manager of Umaid Bhawan

Palace, Jodhpur and has also served asResident Manager at Taj Land’s End, Mumbai

where he successfully handled hoteloperations, five F&B outlets and 14function rooms with 600 staff.

Radisson Blu Hotel GRT ChennaiChennaiSasikumar.U has been appointed as the Senior General Managerof Radisson Blu Hotel GRT Chennai. Earlier, he has been working asthe General Manager of GRT Grandmoves. U. started his career with theTaj Group of Hotels as a HotelOperational Management trainee andafter an extensive exposure in all thedepartments of the hotel took up Foodand Beverage as his area of focus. Hehas got 24 years of experience in thehospitality field out of which ten yearswere spent with the Taj and nineand half with the GRT Group ofHotels. He has been a con-sistent peak performer withadvanced skills.

Shervani HospitalitiesDelhiAhsan Shervani is the new Vice-President of Shervani Hospitalitieswhich owns and operates a chain of Hotels, Resorts & Restaurantsin Delhi & Uttarakhand. Armed with an MBA inHospitality from Les Roches InternationalSchool of Hotel Management inSwitzerland with a concentration infinance and a BSc in Management fromPurdue University USA, Ahsan along withhis MBA class was working as a strategicconsultant for the Beau Rivage Palacehotel, Lausanne before returning to India.

Sun International DelhiTanushree Joshi has been appointed as Account Director India forSunlux Collection by Sun International. The collection consists of

three five star establishments, positionedin a ‘Golden Triangle’ that links Cape

Town’s ,The Table Bay Hotel, SunCity’s The Palace of the Lost Cityand Zambia’s gracious RoyalLivingstone Hotel. The hotelscombined together provide an ulti-mate African experience for high-end visitors from India. Tanushreewill be responsible to brand build

Sunlux Collection through Salesand Marketing efforts in India.

Guidelines TravelsDelhiNitin Agnihotri has been appointed as the Senior Manager –Sales for Nor th India at Guidelines Travels. He comes with arich experience of nine years in the travel fraternity. He shall be

responsible for further enhancing thecompany's travel par tners’ net-

work. He will also be responsiblefor attending to all the queries related to cruise andinternational packages. With hisexperience of over nine years, heis expected to take company onnewer heights.

EffotelIndoreKunal Katoch has been appointed as General Manager of Effotel –a business hotel by Sayaji and oversees planning, organising, direct-ing, controlling and evaluating the hotel operations. Kunal holds a

graduate degree in Hotel Management and hasserved various hotels across India in a

variety of managerial positions. His expe-rience spans 12 years and he hasworked in several states. During his startof the career, he joined The LeelaKempinski, a 5-star hotel as a manage-

ment trainee and grew up to the positionof Asst. Manager (Front Office). Later, he

assumed the role as Asst. Front OfficeManager at The Sahara Star Hotel,

Mumbai a 5-star deluxe hotel.

VITSMumbaiRanjan Kumar Das has joined as the General Manager of VITS luxurybusiness hotels, Mumbai. Das has been associated with the hospitalityindustry for the last sixteen years and has workedin various capacities. He started his careerin the F&B service department and workedwith various hotels of repute, before joiningSarovar Hotels as a Training Manager. Hisjob profile included training, talent nurturingand pre-opening. He worked his way up tothe position of General Manager and has managed their properties in Shirdi, Lucknow& Delhi. Ranjan believes in leading from thefront and enjoys challenging positions.

JW Marriott ChandigarhChandigarhRubal Chaudhry has been appointed as the General Manager, JWMarriott Chandigarh, India. In this role, he will oversee the hotel oper-

ations, including guest and associate satis-faction, human resources, financial per-formance, sales and revenue generation,overall performance and strategy execu-tion of the hotel. With a career in the hos-pitality industry spanning well over 17years, Rubal who is admired for his dis-cerning knowledge of the industry, bringswith him a rich experience of having

worked with various brands over a decade.In his last assignment, Rubal successfully

established Hilton New Delhi/Janakpuri as a leading hotel inWest Delhi.

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

Hassan Madah, Director, India, Israel Ministry of Tourismfinds his experience of working in India very interesting.

He especially enjoys the mosaic ofpeople and the different customs

and cuisines. He likes the Indianfood and finds it very similar tothe Mediterranean cuisine. In hisfree time, he likes to pursue allkinds of sports. Being in the landof yoga, he has started to take

some lessons in yoga. Vastlytravelled, his favourite destinations

include New Zealand for thelandscape, Italy for the style,Utah for the adventure andNew York as a vibrant city.His favourite dish is grapeleaves stuffed with ricemade by his mom.

Mohammad Labban, General Manager - Hyatt RegencyPune, says, "Hospitality industry is a demanding job.Hence, whenever I get free time, I make sure that I

spend ample time with my family. It isa major priority for me. Another

stress-buster for me is playing golfon weekends. Golf is relaxing aswell as fun and I also get to catchup with friends and businesscolleagues.” Talking more on hishobbies, he adds, “Travelling is

a hobby. My favourite place totravel would be London. The city

has a vibrant charm and apositive vibe and at the

same time, it isthe hub forshopping andsamplingglobalcuisine.”

Sanjay Shrivastava, Director, Global AccountManagement, Hahn Air, loves to spend time with hisfamily when he’s not working. He loves to explore small

towns and the hill stations in and aroundNorthern India. He says,

“According to my family’sdemand, I try to explore newplaces every time. Manali is ourfavourite so we visit the placein every two to three years.”Shrivastava loves to visit hissister in the US and explore the

country. He loves Indian homecooked food but also likes

trying continentalcuisines fromtime to time.



Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2015-16-17; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2015-17 for posting on 1st-2nd and 16th-17th

of the same month at New Delhi PSO, New Delhi - 110001, RNI No.: 53492/1991Date of Publication:30-12-2014

10K e-visas issued in 21 daysPost a successful ETA launch in November, the MOT has launched e-ticketingfor monuments on Good Governance Day, says Dr. Lalit K Panwar, Secretary,Tourism, Ministry of Tourism. A few excerpts from his exclusive interview...

MEGHA PAUL

Monumental strategiesAs the Tourism Ministry embarks on ‘Swachh Bharat, Swachh Smarak’

(Clean India, Clean Monuments), it has set a target to clean the most visitedmonuments in the next three months, he informed. Cleanliness will also betaken up at the partially-visited monuments followed by those monuments whichhave been relatively unexplored. As the government decided to celebrate thebirthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan MohanMalviya as ‘Good Governance Day’ on December 25, MOT has launched thekey initiative of e-ticketing for monuments. “On pilot basis, few monuments suchas the Taj Mahal and Humayun’s Tomb will sell tickets online. The trial sale ofe-tickets would be conducted by the Indian Railway Catering and TourismCorporation (IRCTC), the government undertaking which also handles onlinetrain ticket reservation. The e-tickets will have security features, including barcodes. Bar code scanners would also be installed at the entry gates,” he added.

Opening doors to IndiaSince the launch of Visa on Arrival (VoA) enabled by Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for citizens of 43 countries in India

on November 27, the government has issued 10,000 visas online. This information was revealed by Dr. Lalit K Panwar, Secretary,Tourism, Government of India. Regarding the new initiative, he pointed out, “We launched ETA for 43 countries on 27 November in

its first phase. In the last 21 days of its operations, the Government of India has issued 10,000 visasonline. US leads the pack of countries that has availed this facility. Currently many important sourcemarkets such as France, UK and China have been left out. Taking care of concerns of the travelindustry, we will introduce ETA for these countries as well in the second phase.” The 43 countrieswhich are eligible for ETA now are Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland,

Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands,Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine,Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands,Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

Open skies, open roadsHighlighting the need for better airport infrastructure and connectivity, Panwar opined, “The airport at Jaisalmer has been built

at a cost of Rs 100 crore. The airport was ready to be operational three years back. But not a single flight has landed in Jaisalmerin the last three years. This is a classic example of how we have created infrastructure in a tourist hotspotlike Jaisalmer but have not yet been able to utilise it. Thus, we need to work in collaboration and a lotmore needs to be done. This is one big concern. With Civil Aviation being clubbed with Tourism Ministry,we get an added clout for us to bargain.” Also, there are many airfields which are not being put to regularuse. The government intends to use them to boost tourism. Air connectivity should not just be limitedto the metros but to Tier-II and Tier-III cities and India should have truly open skies, he said. Underscoringthe need to improve road connectivity to enhance tourist infrastructure, he also emphasized on touristtrain carriages. “We will have complete information of any passenger who books a ticket for this coach.The ticket for this may be 5-10 per cent costlier than the regular coach fare. We are also looking at thepossibility of a surveillance camera in the tourist coach,” he added.

In the last 21 days of its operations, the Governmentof India has issued 10,000 visas online. US leads thepack of countries that has availed this facility. Dr. Lalit K PanwarSecretary, TourismGovernment of India


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Having travelled to all parts of the country, North India welcomed India Travel Awards with greatgusto. Crowne Plaza Greater Noida played perfect host to the event which was graced by S.Sohan Singh Thandal, Minister of Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Government of Punjab, as itsChief Guest and Dr Lalit K Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism as the Guest of Honour.

The winners of the North India Travel Awards with their trophies, along with SanJeet, Director, DDP Group at the Crowne Plaza Greater Noida

After a successful run of theSouth, West and East edi-tions, the India Travel Awards

completed a full circle as it hostedthe North edition of the awards atCrowne Plaza, Greater Noida.

And what an evening it was asthe North India Travel Awards felici-tated and honoured the captains,leaders, opinion makers and contrib-utors of the tourism industry.

S. Sohan Singh Thandal,Minister of Tourism & Cultural Affairs,was the chief guest at the event whileDr. Lalit K Panwar graced the eventas the Guest of Honour.

Lauding the efforts of theorganisers of the award in recognis-ing the initiatives of those workinghard in tourism, Thandal talked aboutPunjab branding itself as a tourist-friendly state. He said that while fiveyears ago, the state was ranked 28th

in tourism, in terms of tourist arrivals,today, they come 12th. “Punjab

shares a rich history which hasalways been a matter of interest fortourists. The various places narratingstories of ancient India should alsobe promoted. Amritsar is a city wherethousands of tourists flock each day,Golden Temple gets around 80,000to 100,000 visitors. The state isalready working on projects worth`1,000 crore and this amount will bedoubled in the next few years. This

will also trigger more numbers to thestate. The other features attractingtourists from across the globe toPunjab is its lifestyle, food and fash-ion. Eco-tourism and village hometourism and farm tourism are otherconcepts catching the interests oftourists,” Thandal said.

Dr Panwar praised the effortsof the present government in promot-

ing tourism and said, “I wouldlike to assure you all that thetourism sector has never everbeen given the priority that itnow gets. Whether at theMadisson Square Garden inthe US or the BRIC orSAARC summit, our PrimeMinister has mentionedtourism everywhere. This is amatter of pride for all of us thatthe leader of our country istrying to make the tourismsector the main engine ofgrowth for the socio-economicdevelopment of our country.This is both a challenge aswell as an opportunity for us.Following the eVisa move on

November 27, 10,000 eVisas havealready been issued by the govern-ment. This is going to be a gamechanger and the world cup oftourism. We will all request the IndianGovernment to increase the numberof countries being provided the ETA,from 43 to more. Then I am sure thatthe number of foreign tourists comingto India would definitely rise to 10million in the next three years.”

Receiving the Gallery of leg-ends award Dr Jyotsna Suri,Chairperson & MD, Bharat Hotelsand President, FICCI, called it aproud moment and said that tourismis all set to fly.

The other big winners were Dr. Subhash Goyal, President, IATO& Chairman, STIC Travel Group, whowas awarded the ‘DDP Trailblazer’,while DDP Game Changer Awardwent to Ajay Bakaya, ExecutiveDirector, Sarovar Hotels andResorts, and Ankush Nijhawan,MD, Travel Boutique Online, wasawarded the ‘Face of the Future’ .

Buoyant about the industry’sreaction to the awards, SanJeet,Director, DDP Group, said, “Theindustry has created 22 new cate-gories. When voting was finallyopened, over 412,700 votes werereceived from all over the world, andthe total votes received were from 63countries” Congratulating the win-ners, he said that he was confidentthey would all together take theindustry to greater heights.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA

Amita Motwani, Dr. Lalit K Panwar, S. Sohan Singh Thandal and SanJeet releasing the book, Northern Heritage, anode to the immense beauty, heritage, culture, and the delectable cuisine of North India at the Awards ceremony

J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 1A DDP PUBLICATION

NORTH INDIA TRAVEL AWARDS 2 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5

Ajay Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resortsreceives the ‘DDP Game Changer’ Award from S. Sohan Singh Thandal, Tourism Minister of Punjab, and Dr. Lalit K Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Amita Motwani, Mrs. India International 2013 and SanJeet,Director, DDP Group

Dr Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson & Managing Director, BharatHotels Ltd.was conferred with ‘The Gallery of Legends’ Award.She receives the award from S. Sohan Singh Thandal, TourismMinister of Punjab, and Dr. Lalit K Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and SanJeet, Director, DDP Group

Dr Subhash Goyal, President, IATO & Chairman, STIC Travel Groups receives ‘The DDP Trailblazer’ Award

from S. Sohan Singh Thandal, Tourism Minister ofPunjab, and Dr. Lalit K Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of

Tourism and SanJeet, Director, DDP Group

Gallery of Legends

DDP Game Changer

The DDP Trailblazer

Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Groupof Companies receives ‘The DDP Face of the Future’

Award from S. Sohan Singh Thandal, TourismMinister of Punjab, and Dr. Lalit K Panwar,

Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Amita Motwani, Mrs. India International 2013

and SanJeet, Director, DDP Group

The DDP Face of the Future

J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 3

The award was given to Tourism Ambassador - Overseas and received byRamesh Arora from S. Sohan Singh Thandal, Tourism Minister of Punjab,

and Dr. Lalit K Panwar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Amita Motwani,Mrs. India International 2013 and SanJeet, Director, DDP Group

The award was given to Meenu Sachdeva, Managing Director,TI Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

Tourism Ambassador - Overseas

Entrepreneur of the Year

Outstanding Contribution to CSR

Most Innovative Hospitality Marketing Campaign

The award was given to Accor Hotels and received by itsRegional Director Sales & Marketing – India, Nikhil Dhodapkar

The award was given to Kuoni India and received by its CEO, India and South Asia, Kuoni Destination Management,

Dipak Deva and COO, India and South Asia, Kuoni Destination Management, Vineet Mahendru


The award was given to Sunil Ghadiok, CEO,Nidra Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

The award was given to J W Marriott, Deira, Dubai and received by its Director of Sales and Marketing, Gareth Cummings and Director of Sales, Sona Rawal

Best Hotel Middle East

The award was given to GRNconnect.com andreceived by its Managing Director,GRNconnect.com, Aman Travels Limited, Deepak Narula

Best Emerging Travel Portal

Mentoring Hotels into Renowned Brands

Best European Airline

The award was given to Lufthansa German Airlines andreceived by its Manager Marketing - Communications,

Sangeeta Sharma

The award was given to Greesh Bindra, General Manager, Crown Plaza Greater Noida

Most Popular General Manager


The award was given to Punjab Heritage andTourism Promotion Board and received by itsExecutive Director, Basanta Raj Kumar and Senior Marketing Manager, Razit Bhandari

The award was given to Abacus Distribution SystemsIndia Pvt. Ltd. and received by its Director of Sales, Ankur Chatterjee and Regional Head North India, Deblina Dasgupta

The award was given to Tree of Life Resorts & Hotels and receivedby its Founder, Himmat Anand and Group Head, Akhil Anand

The award was given to Udaan India Private Limited andreceived by its Managing Director, Rajan Dua

Most Progressive Trade Marketing

Best Global Distribution System (GDS)

Pioneering New Concepts in Hospitality

Best Visa Facilitation Company


The award was given to Radisson Blu Hotel, New Delhi,Paschim Vihar and received by its General Manager, Barun Jolly

Best Business Hotel

The award was given to STIC Travel Group and received by its Head of Sales - India, Praful Khosla

and Head of Marketing, Sanjay Kapoor

Best General Sales Agent

The award was given to Forerez.com and received by itsManaging Director, Parikshit Sawhney

Best Innovative Product

The award was given to BRYS Hotels Pvt. Ltd. and received by its

Chairman & Managing Director, Rahul Gaur

Fastest Growing Hotel Brand


The award was given to Travel Spirit InternationalPvt. Ltd. and received by its Managing Director,Jatinder S Taneja

Best Inbound Tour Operator- Western Europe

The award was given to Vivaana Culture Hotel and received by its Managing Director, Atul Khanna

and Director, Shiven Khanna

Best Heritage Hotel

The award was given to Travel Boutique Online and receivedby its Managing Director, Ankush Nijhawan

Best Travel Portal

The award was given to Hyatt Place Gurgaon,Udyog Vihar andreceived by its General Manager, Sumit Kumar

Best Debut Business Hotel

The award was given to Centrum Direct andreceived by its General Manager (North &East), Harendra Choudhary

Best Foreign Exchange Provider


The award was given to Mystifly Consulting (India)and received by its Founder, MD & CEO, Rajeev Kumar G

The award was given to Clarks Shiraz and received by its Jt. Managing Director, Rupak Gupta and

Sr. Vice President, Debashish Bhowmik

Best Global Consolidation Services

The award was given to RezLive.com and received by its Associate Vice President, Tirath Shah

Best Online Travel Product- B2B

Best Leisure Hotel

The award was given to Holiday Inn New Delhi International Airport and received by its

General Manager, Ranjan Malakar and Director, Wave Hospitality, Ashwin Malik

The award was given to Wish Bone India and received by its Directors, Amit Aggarwaland Rishi Khandelwal

Best Corporate Incentive Tours Operator

Best Debut Hotel


The award was given to Ramada Udaipur Resort &Spa and received by its Managing Director, RatanTaldar and Resort Manager, Dolly Taldar

Best Luxury Wedding & Mice Resort

The award was given to ibis Delhi Airport Hotel and received by its Senior E commerce Manager,

Kumar Preetam Jaiswal

Best Airport Hotel

The award was given to Zillious Solutions Pvt.Ltd. andreceived by its Director Sales, Rajan

Best Travel Technology Provider

The award was given to R K Sarovar Portico, Srinagar and receivedby its Owner, Saddam Zaroo and General Manager, Shaiful Alam

Best Debut Mid-Market Hotel

The award was given to Chandigarh Tourismand received by Razit Bhandari,Senior Marketing Manager on behalf of Chandigarh Tourism

Best Clean and Green Destination

NORTH INDIA TRAVEL AWARDS 1 0 TRAVTALK J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5

The award was given to WelcomHeritage Ranjit’s Svaasaand received by its Director, Ved Iqbal Rattan Mehra

The award was given to TrawellTag Cover-More and received by its Area Manager Delhi, Deepak Singh

Best Boutique Resort

The award was given to Tourism Authority of Thailand and receivedby its Director, Runjuan Tongrut

Best International Tourism Board

Best Travel Insurance Provider

The award was given to Kingdom of Dreams and received by its Director of Sales

Priyanka Vohra Sharma

The award was given to Crowne Plaza GreaterNoida and received by its Director of Sales, Achint Rastogi

Best Luxury and MICE Hotel

Best Tourist Attraction

J A N U A R Y 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 1 1

The award was given to Minar Travels and receivedby its Managing Director, H.S. Duggal and COO - Tours, Madan Kak

Best Inbound Tour Operator

The award was given to Travstarz Holidays & Destinations PrivateLimited and received by its Managing Director, Pankaj Nagpal

Best Travel Management Company

The award was given to Clarks Inn Group of Hotels andreceived by its President and Co-founder, S N Srivastava

Best Mid-Market Hotel Brand

The award was given to Concorde Group and received by its Director, Prithviraj Chug and

Business Head Passenger, Payal Mehta

Best Airline Representation Company

The award was given to Vasco Travel and received by its Managing Director, Vikas Abbott and General Manager,N.N. Satapathy

Best inbound Experiential Tour Operator


The award was given to Holiday Inn Amritsar Ranjit Avenueand received by its General Manager, Kunal Shanker andManaging Director, Jagdeep Sandhu

Best Mid-Market Hotel

The award was given to The Experience Factory and received by itsDirectors, Nishant Gupta and Shailesh Dixit

Best Outbound Experiential Tour OperatorThe award was given to Global Connect Travels Pvt. Ltd.

and received by its Founder & Director Sudhir Kaul and Director, Sunil Pandit

Best Emerging MICE Operator

The award was given to Alliance Hotels & Resorts andreceived by its CEO, Zia Siddiqui

Best Hospitality Marketing Franchise Company

The award was given to The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa and received by its General Manager, Sanzeev Bhatia

Best City Hotel


The award was given to VKonect Events and receivedby its Consultant & Advisor, Vineet Gopal

Best B2B Luxury Travel Event

The award was given to Thai Airways and received by its Area Sales Manager - India, Ravi Talwar

Best International Airline - Asia

The award was given to Radisson Blu Hotel,Amritsar and received by its Director of Sales, Hema Dhoke

Best Wedding Hotel- Punjab

The award was given to Terra Ignota Tours and received by its Managing Director, Nitin Sambhi and Sr. Executive Tours, K. Krishna

Best Luxury Tour Operator

The award was given to Go Explore Pvt. Ltd.and received by its Managing Director,Shalini Dugar and Business Development -Europe, Kailash Pathak

Best Boutique Tour Operator


The award was given to Kingdom of Dreams and received byits Director of Sales, Priyanka Vohra Sharma and Directorof Dance Cafe Crew, Kanika Sharma

The award was given to Bacardi India Pvt. Ltd. andreceived by its Trade Marketing Manager,Ashima Wadhera Mehta

The award was given to Crowne Plaza Greater Noida andreceived by its General Manager, Greesh Bindra

Beverage Partner

Entertainment Partner

Hospitality Partner

The award was given to BRYS Hotels Pvt. Ltd. and received by its Chairman & Managing Director, Rahul Gaur

Sponsor


Chief Guest S. Sohan Singh Thandal, Tourism Minister of Punjabbeing honoured with Pearl Trophy ‘Maya’

I feel extremely proud to be invited here at the North India Travel Awards as the ChiefGuest. There are many renowned names who have been honoured here and I take

immense pride in meeting them. These diverse talents who have been awarded here aretaking India tourism to newer heights. I thank DDP Group for organising this event at sucha grand level. There are many people who have been working for the growth and progress oftourism sector who remain behind the screen.

The ITA awards will bring these hidden talents to come forward and show their talent to the world. Recently, Centre has launched eVoA for 43 countries. This initiative will push tourism and inbound will grow. There are many countries who are working hard togrow tourism as it contributes a lot to their GDP. The successful implementation of eVoA will bring India also in the league of these nations and tourism will be a majorcontributor to the GDP of India.

Guest of Honour Dr. Lalit K Panwar being honoured with Pearl Trophy ‘Maya’

Thanking Amita Motwani for her support to India Travel Awards


Maya sheen for talents at


North India Travel Awards


North India Travel Awards


makes a mark in 2014


Talent finds place in


ITA’s northern sojourn


North takes centrestage


at India Travel Awards

Documents

ddppl.com TravTalkIndiatravtalkindia.com/pdf/2015/01-jan-2015-1.pdf · 2015. 1. 1. · Managing Director, Weldon Tours & Travels ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand