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` 50/-Vol. XXVII Issue 23; December 1st fortnight i ssue 2015 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 64

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DECEMBER 1ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2015 TRAVTALK 3

Legends go for gold...India Travel Awards celebrated the achievements of those behind the

success of the industry at the second edition of the East India TravelAwards, held on November 19, 2015 at the Holiday Inn Chandigarh

Panchkula. The event was graced by Basanta Rajkumar, ExecutiveDirector, Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board, Government ofPunjab, along with other distinguished personalities who came togetherto acknowledge the contributions of the best in the travel and tourismindustry in East India. The Gallery of Legends award went to RajinderaKumar, Working Director Ambassador Hotel, Former President, FHRAI,Senior MC Member and Chairman, Convention Organising Committee,while Rupak Gupta, Joint Managing Director, U.P. Hotels, won the DDPGame Changer award. Prem Pal Gandhi, Chairman, KC Group ofInstitutions, Colleges and Hotels received the DDP Trailblazer award.Bjorn Noel Deniese, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Mayfair Hotels& Resorts and Director, Mayfair Spa Resort & Casino in Gangtok,Sikkim, won the Face of the Future award. The winners of the awardswere defined by a fair and unbiased selection process done throughonline voting and judgment by a panel of jury consisting of travel industryluminaries. The awards saw a total of 2,88,395 votes being received in96 categories from 25 countries.

(L-R); SanJeet, Mentor, India Travel Awards, felicitates Rajindera Kumar, Working Director, Ambassador Hotel, Former President, FHRAI, SeniorMC Member, HRANI and Chairman, Convention Organising Committee, along with Chief Guest Basanta Rajkumar, Executive Director, PunjabHeritage & Tourism Promotion Board, Government of Punjab, and Mrs. India 2015 Dr. Tanushree Pandey

East India Travel Awards

Customisation is the key: ZutshiVinod Zutshi, Secretary-Tourism, Govt. of India, says that the varied tourism offeringscombined with the new Civil Aviation Policy allows us to offer customised experiences.

The Government of Indiahas taken many initia-tives—like the introduc-

tion of the e-Tourist visa and therelease of the Civil AviationPolicy—to boost the number ofForeign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs)

in to the country. According toZutshi, these moves have onlyshown positive results in thelong term.

“The Indian tourismindustry is growing at a very fastrate,” he expressed. “So far, 10.2per cent growth has been reg-

istered in 2014 over 2013. Thisshows that the growth hasalmost doubled when one com-pares it to the average growthrate around the world, which isabout 4.75 per cent. If youobserve the last four years from2010-2014, our average growthhas been about 7 per cent, 2.5

per cent more than the rate atwhich the rest of the world isgrowing,” he added, speaking atthe World Travel Market, 2015,in London.

The fact that India has adiverse range of destinations,

TT BUREAU

Contd. on page 16

Vinod ZutshiSecretary-Tourism, Government of India


BULLETIN

Marking the year end, andafter the success of its

regional chapters in West, Eastand South, India Travel Awardsis now travelling North to Jaipurthis December. The secondedition of North India TravelAwards will honour the achiev-ers of travel and tourism indus-try from the northern region.Crowne Plaza, Jaipur TonkRoad, is hosting the grandevent on December 8, 2015.

The award statuette,Maya celebrates the grandeurof tourism. Based on an onlinevoting system, the winners will be awarded after a thorough jury analysis of thevoting, making the awards fair and unbiased.

Sharing more detailsabout the event, SanJeet,

Mentor, India Travel Awards,says, “The awards are recog-nition for the excellent workdone by the tourism industry ata regional level in India. Theyhonour the hard work and ded-ication shown by our leaders.With Maya, our princess inblack, the awardees have anadded responsibility to ensurethat our industry grows furtherand prospers. The industry has many heroes but no

platform to recognise them.India Travel Awards are ourway to thank the stars of theindustry and encourage thenew faces who will be the lead-ers of tomorrow.”

Located in close proxim-ity to the airport and in the busi-ness hub of Sitapura, CrownePlaza, Jaipur Tonk Road is thelatest addition to one of theworld’s largest hotel group.

With its promising conventionfacilities, the property is well-equipped to manage bigevents. Ashwini K Goela,General Manager, CrownePlaza, Jaipur Tonk Road, says,“The preparation of the awardceremony started as early asApril 2015 from choosing themost apt venue to the blueprint layouts and more. Thechef has crafted the mostsought after menu hand-pickedfrom the most exquisite ingre-dients to serve a pre-plated 5-course dinner and exceed thegastronomic expectation dur-ing the award dinner. The foodand beverage team have cho-sen a variety of beveragesincluding select wine to perfect-ly pair with the dinner. With 218 well-appointed rooms andsuites and five eclectic dining options, we promise the essence of warmth and friendly service.”

As India Travel Awards (ITA) travels for its second North edition tohonour the achievers of the travel industry from the region, CrownePlaza, Jaipur Tonk Road, is all set to host the mega event.

North to welcome Maya

TT BU R E AU

SanJeetMentorIndia Travel Awards

Ashwini K GoelaGeneral ManagerCrowne Plaza Jaipur Tonk Road


VIEWPOINT

STATISTICS

The introduction of the Swachh BharatCess (SBC) of 0.5 per cent on all

taxable services will affect the travel,tourism and hospitality industrysubstantially. This levy translates into 50paise for every ` 100 worth of taxableservices. For travel agents this means theirservices towards airfare, modification ofbookings, charges for train and busbookings, booking hotel accommodations,arranging sightseeing and transfers forclients as well as consultancy fees willcome under the SBC ambit, making itmore expensive for their clientele.

The use of this fund in actually cleaningthe country and giving us clean roads andinfrastructure, and ridding it of some of thediseases like malaria, dengue, diarrhea,jaundice etc. would definitely benefit theindustry. How this will be done remains tobe seen!

We also had the world’s largest hoteland lodging company come into existencewhen Marriott International boughtStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.Combined, the companies operate orfranchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1million rooms worldwide. Going with theadage “Bigger is Better” this consolidationwithin the hotel industry may be its bestbet to defend their bottom lines vis-à-viscompetitive influences of other brands,OTAs, lodging companies, and thosewhose revenues come at the expense ofhotel companies.

Neither of the two scenarios is going toshow results overnight, it will take sometime to actually comprehend the changeand see the effect it will have on ourindustry. Until then, let the excitement buildon the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) givinginternational travellers the confidence tocome into India with ease and hope forhigher FTAs now that we are in the midstof the tourist season.

Taxes continue toplague the industry

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

advice before acting on information contained in this publicationwhich is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Contents of this publication are copyright. No part of TRAVTALK or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systemor transmitted in any form without the permission of the pub-lication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copy-right or the article is taken from another publication. An exemp-tion is hereby granted for the extracts used for the purpose offair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sentto us for our records. Publications reproducing material eitherin part or in whole, without permission could face legal action.

The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material solicited or unsolicited nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged.

This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation.

All advertisements must comply with the Indian andInternational Advertisements Code. The publisher will not beliable for any damage or loss caused by delayed publication, erroror failure of an advertisement to appear.

VikramajitChairman

SanJeetEditor & Publisher

Deepa SethiEditor-in-Chief

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CIN: U22210DL2012PTC230432

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0.500 m

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2.500 mDomestic Trips (LHS) International Trips (RHS)

20182016201420122010

Stable growth in outbound travel brings to you how Indian travellers are expected to increase

the length of their outbound trips.

Part of the rise ofdomestic tourism can beattributed to growth oflower middle classincomes – the type ofdomestic consumer whocannot afford the flightprices to journey abroad,but who want to turn areligious pilgrimage into afamily holiday.

Travelling by air is the preferred choice foroutbound Indians, with over 17 million trips in2014, which is expected to increase to 19million by 2015. While air is the obviouschoice since most outbound Indians opt for far off destinations such as Thailand andUAE, ease of booking also plays a part intheir choice.

Total number of trips, Domestic in millions, International in thousands

International departures, Mode of Transport

India Outbound Departures (in 000’s)

Source:TTIC Analysis

Thailand 985.8 1,093.4 1,181.9 1,310.8 1,456.6

United Arab Emirates 964.5 1,032.5 1,088.9 1,157.2 1,226.2

Saudi Arabia 998.7 1,007.6 1,060.1 1,265.7 1,469.7

Singapore 894.9 931.7 1,074.2 1,141.3 1,195.1

Kuwait 826.5 872.6 888.3 932.4 964.1

Country 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Country 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

United States 724.4 824.8 961.9 1,051.9 1,131.6

Malaysia 691.2 697.3 698.1 724.5 743.1

China 610.1 619.4 624.6 670.7 711.5

Bahrain 466.9 488.8 498.2 514.5 532.6

Hong Kong 429.3 431.6 433.0 452.1 462.5

International departures by purpose of visit (in millions), 2010- 2019

Source:TTIC Analysis, Ministry of tourism India, Trade Press, US Census Bureau

Business 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.7 7.2 7.9 8.5 9.1 9.8 10.5

Leisure 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.3 3.5 3.9 4.2 4.5 4.9 5.3

VFR 2.7 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.3 4.7 5.2 5.8

Other Personal 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.3 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.7 5.1 5.7

Total 13.0 14.0 14.9 16.6 17.9 19.5 21.2 23.0 25.0 27.2

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Source: TTIC Analysis; Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

Source: TTIC Analysis


Air India will accept pay-ments via Mastercard and

VISA corporate credit cardsthrough the travel agent’s GDSnetwork. Pankaj Srivastava,Director-Commercial, Air India,said, “We are pleased toannounce that with effect from January 1, VISA andMastercards corporate cardswill be accepted by Air India onthe GDS gateway.”

Srivastava announcedthis during the TAAI meetingon November 19, amidst thecommittee members and officebearers of all 20 regions andchapters. Currently, the nation-al carrier only permitsAmerican Express credit cardson their payment gatewaysthrough GDS for corporatecards. At the meeting,Srivastava also highlighted thevarious milestones of 2015 forthe airlines before making thekey announcement.

Speaking about the high-lights of the day’s meeting, JayBhatia, Hon. NationalTreasurer, TAAI, said, “Themeeting was held to train andguide the committee mem-bers, discuss the objectivesand aims, and talk about howwe are going to take things for-ward in the coming two years.We had presentations by man-aging committee portfolio hold-ers, like tourism airline mem-bership development council,the allied services who workwith the embassies, and VFS.The whole idea was to discusshow we are going to work for-ward and benefit the mem-bers, resolve various issues,focus on future prospects andstrive for our industry to growfurther,” he elaborated.

TAAI President SunilKumar also shared histhoughts on the association’sagenda and said, “Our first andforemost plan is image building– a kind of re-planning since

we are in our 65th year and theTAAI committee has been run-ning the same way. We need tobe relevant with the changingtimes. Our entire focus will startwith rebranding TAAI. The sec-

ond focus would be to prepareour members to be able toencounter the challenges oftomorrow, and lay emphasison training. Another importantagenda is leadership develop-ment within the committee,” he explained.

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) meeting heldat Kempinski Ambience Hotel, New Delhi discussed thenew committee’s agenda where Air India announced thatthe airline will accept corporate card payments on VISAand Mastercard from January 1, 2016.

AI payments via VISA and Mastercard D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 7AVIATION

TAAI Managing Committee Members and office bearers

AH A N A GU R U N G & VA I S H A L I DA R

TAAI MC AgendaTo be relevant andfocus on rebranding

To prepare the members to be able toencounter future challenges

Leadership develop-ment within the committee


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

SriLankan Airlines has beenconstantly monitoring

demand in India in order to bequick on the draw. Afterannouncing a code-shareagreement with Mihin Lankafor the operations of flightsbetween Kolkata andColombo, it also undertookexpansion plans in India byincreasing frequencies toChennai and Bengaluruthroughout last year. It current-ly operates four flights a day toChennai; double daily flights toTiruchirappalli and Cochin;daily flights to Trivandrum,Mumbai and Delhi and elevenflights a week to Bengaluru.

Speaking on this,Saminda Perera, GM(Corporate Communications),SriLankan Airlines, says, “Thesefrequency increases are basedon market demand. However,SriLankan has not undertakenany expansion plans in Indiarecently. Having said that, weare constantly looking for oppor-tunities to expand our reach inIndia. We do not have immedi-ate expansion plans, but fre-

quency increases will take placein line with the market trendsand demand.”

The national carrier of SriLanka is also conducting activ-ities along with the Sri LankaConvention Bureau to endorsethe several facilities offered forhosting MICE activities in SriLanka. These efforts arefocused toward implementinga long-term plan to enhanceSri Lanka’s profile as a MICEdestination and becoming apremier conference location inthe Indian Ocean.

Sharing the number ofpassengers travelling from India

to Sri Lanka, Perera says,“During the financial year 2014-15, SriLankan carried 6,21,464passengers and from April toSeptember this year, the num-ber was 3,45,579. We have wit-nessed high demand fromChennai. Out of 621,464,around 45 per cent travelbeyond Sri Lanka.” With morethan 15 years in the air transportindustry, Perera was appointedto his current post in June 2015.

SriLankan Airlines hadenhanced its flights toChennai from Colombo withthe addition of a fourth flightin April 2015, reinforcing thesignificance of the Indian

market and specificallyChennai for the airline. Thisbrought the total frequency offlights between Sri Lanka andIndia to 86 flights per week.“Chennai is a key market forus and one of the fastestgrowing cities in SouthernIndia. While we have alwaysreceived a strong responsefrom this market, Chennaiserves as a key business hubfor all multinational corpora-tions. This daily flight catersto growing business, corpo-rate and leisure demandbetween Sri Lanka andChennai. The increased fre-quency also reinforces ourcommitment to Chennai and

will strengthen the deep commercial and bilateral tiesbetween India and Sri Lanka,”added Perera. The airline saw over 2,25,000 arrivalsfrom Chennai to Colombo in 2014.

Despite limiting its expansion in India, SriLankan Airlines has increased frequencies to Chennai andBengaluru throughout last year as a result of huge market demand.

SriLankan bullish on South India

TT BU R E AU

We are constantly looking for opportunities to expand our reach in India.We do not have immediate expansion plans,but frequency increases will take place in linewith the market trends and demand.

Saminda PereraGM (Corporate Communications), SriLankan Airlines

ShandongAirlines linksEastern Chinato New Delhi

Travelling to China fromIndia has become more con-venient with the commence-ment of Shandong Airlines’four weekly non-stop flightsbetween New Delhi andKunming from Nov 11, 2015.Operated by a Boeing 737-800, the services are availableon Monday, Wednesday,Friday and Sunday withonward connectivity to main-land China. Furthermore, travel agents can avail of anIATA Commission of three per cent by selling ShandongAirlines tickets.

The introduction of thenew route comes as a boonsince only six flights provideda direct link between the twocountries. At present, fourChinese carriers–Air China,China Eastern, ChinaSouthern and ShandongAirlines; along with one Indian carrier, Air India, servethe market.

Shandong Airlines,owned by Air China, mainlyoperates domestic routes to east China destinations and international routes to India, South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Taiwan and Thailand.

Fact FileThe airlines’ hub islocated at BandaranaikeInternational Airport inColombo, providingconvenient connectionsto its global route net-work of 95 destinationsin 44 countries (includ-ing code share opera-tions) in Europe, theMiddle East, SouthAsia, Southeast Asia,the Far East, NorthAmerica, Australia and Africa

With the increased fre-quency the total numberof flights between SriLanka and India hasincreased to 86 flightsper week


D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 9RAILWAYS

The Ministry of Railways hasmade a few amendments

in the booking and refundrules, in order to curb the mis-use of ticketing activity. StartingNovember 12, you can book arailway ticket online 30 minutesprior to the departure of a train.The reservation chart will nowbe prepared twice – the firstreservation chart would beprepared four hours prior todeparture of a train while sec-ond and final one, 30 minutesbefore the train departs.

Furthermore, new refundrules have also been appliedfor railway ticket cancellations.Cancelling tickets upto 48hours before scheduled depar-ture of the train will result indouble fee charge and therefund can be applied fourhours before the departure.

The new cancellationrates applicable 48 hoursbefore departure are as fol-lows: 1st AC/executive class:` 240; 2AC/1st class: ` 200;3AC/ACC/3A economy: ̀ 180;second sleeper class: ` 120;second class: ` 60.

For waitlisted tickets andreserve against cancellation(RAC), one has to avail therefund upto 30 minutes beforethe scheduled departure of thetrain. There will be no refundafter that.

Now, cancellation bet-ween 48 hours and 12 hours

before the scheduled departureof the train will be charged 25per cent of the ticket amountand 50 per cent between 12hours and four hours before thescheduled departure of thetrain. Additionally, railways have also decided to enablecertain unreserved ticket counters to allow refund ofreserved tickets.

In an attempt to limit the misuse of ticketing activity and discourage toutsfrom black-marketing tickets, the Ministry of Railways has madeamendments in booking and refund rules from November 12, 2015.

Trains: cancellation to cost doubleCancellation charge per passenger on confirmed (reserved) tickets:� 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the train

minimum cancellation charge1AC/executive class : ` 2402AC/1st class : ` 2003AC/ACC/3A economy : ` 180Second sleeper class : ` 120Second class : ` 60

� Between 48 hours and 12 hours before the scheduleddeparture of the train @ 25% subject to minimum chargeas per (i) above.

� Between 12 hours and 4 hours before the scheduled depar-ture of the train @ 50% subject to minimum charge as per(i) above.

� No refund after the above time limit.

TT BUREAU

Now, tourist policein Karnataka

The Department of Tourism,Government of Karnatakaalong with the Karnataka State Tourism DevelopmentCorporation (KSTDC) and theState Home Department havelaunched tourist police-TouristMitras-in Bangalore.

The first phase of theproject will have 175 guardswho have undergone threeweeks of lectures and training They will be deployed in 319 destinationsacross Karnataka said R. V. Deshpande, TourismMinister, Karnataka. TouristMitras’ role would be that of afirst-in-line responder to pro-vide assistance to domesticas well as internationaltourists. They will be vestedwith the powers of specialpolice officers according tostatutory provisions.


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

The year 2015 has supposedlybeen one of most exciting yearsin the history of outbound sportstourism from India. The limelightwas stolen by the ICC CricketWorld Cup held in Australia andNew Zealand from February toMarch. Estimated customer traf-fic from India to these two coun-tries during the event was over6,000 pax. Corporate clientsand MICE groups contributedabout 70 per cent of this and therest were FIT and GIT groups.

Major reasons for the suc-cess of this event was the prod-uct options available for cus-tomers bundled with some inter-esting matches like India v/sPakistan and India v/s SouthAfrica. The support extended byTourism Australia, New ZealandTourism and Malaysian Airlineswas commendable.

Amongst the other out-bound sport events, we saw aninteresting surge in attendeesfor niche sporting events likeWimbledon. Year on yearincrease alone from our busi-ness calculations was over 150per cent for Wimbledon, whichis a very positive indication that

package costs are no more ahindrance for selling suchevents in India. Other eventswhich did decent contributionswere the Club League footballgames in England and Spain,Formula 1 races across theworld, India Cricket team tourto Australia and The RugbyWorld Cup in England.

Expectations from thenew year

Year 2016 will be evenbigger and better and has someof biggest shows lined up likeUEFA EURO 2016 in France,Rio Olympics and above all theICC World Twenty 20 scheduledin India. The regular yearly prod-ucts like Wimbledon, FrenchOpen and Club football leaguesalso are expected to grow bigger and better and we aremaking every possible effort to reach the masses with lucrative options.

The New Year would bean absolute treat to all Indiansports fans and they can see amix of finest world sportingevents in same year. Our strat-egy will be to educate andspread information to all fans

about various sporting eventsand packages that can bebooked. We have both onlineand offline tools ready to spreadthe message across B2B andretail segments. We are veryserious about creating fan com-munities for each sport andhave already initiated varioussocial media campaigns online.

Sporting trends One of most interesting

trends observed is that Indiansports tourism customers havestarted thinking beyond cricketand have attended variousevents where India is not adominant team such as foot-ball, athletics and boxing. Wewere surprised to receivequeries and accommodateinterests for events such asSuperbowl, NBA and WWE inthe last few months. Thisexplains that there exists alarge segment of customerswho do not want to be mere TVviewers but wish to be part ofthe stadium crowd.

There will also be a growthin FIT customers. Sports tourismis not alone dependent on MICEgroups and year 2015-16 has

shown promising signs of growthin FIT queries. We have beendelighted to cater to customersin average age group of 25 yearsincluding women fans wishing toattend global events.

The New Year will alsosee a change in approach bythe corporates. Over the lastfew months and years evencorporate MICE groups havestarted eyeing sporting eventsas one of major themes forlarger groups. We have cateredto single groups of over 400people for international match-es and continue to get queriesfor year 2016.

- The author is Shashank S Mishra,Founder & CEO, Sports Konnect

Sports tourism is slowly taking shape in India as the cricket-crazy country isgradually accepting and enjoying other sports as well.

Sports tourism big with corporates

ICC World Twenty20 (T20Cricket World Cup) to beheld in India from March11 to April 3, 2016French Open to be held inParis from May 22 toJune 5, 2016UEFA EURO to be held inFrance from June 10 toJuly 10, 2016Wimbledon to be held inLondon from June 27 to

Destination Canadabrands 200 radio cabs Destination Canada branded 200 radio cabs as part of its marketing develop-ment strategy. Rupert Peters, Regional Managing Director, Destination Canadainaugurated the campaign on November 24, 2015 at Canada House, NewDelhi. He was accompanied by Brian Parrott, Minister (Commercial), HighCommission of Canada, New Delhi. Destination Canada, India has recordedan increase of 19.3 per cent Indian tourist arrivals in the year 2014 with apositive growth in each month. In 2015 until September, Destination Canadahas already recorded a double digit growth. Peters joined Destination Canadain May 2008 and is based in their London office. His core responsibility includesoverseeing marketing and operations across the primary markets of the UK,France, Germany, Australia and India.


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

QWhy, according to you,UFTAA board chose

you as the President? It was not just the board.

In UFTAA, you are first electedby the General Body as aDirector of the Board. One of theDirectors on the board is electedby the General Body as thePresident or Vice President (VP)or VP (Finance). The GeneralBody was confident that myexperience in the industry, myleadership of TAAI and in areasthey could assess confidence inour favour, gave me and Indiaan opportunity to lead UFTAA.

QWhat are your plans asthe president of

UFTAA?As a global body, UFTAA’s

objectives are clear—to be ableto connect all associations of theworld under one umbrella andtake the industry forward. I amdelighted that the associationsat our recent Annual GeneralAssembly unanimously decidedus to lead UFTAA during thismost important year. Some ofour goals include widening its

scope beyond airline and IATAmatters, create greater oppor-tunities for affiliates (individualmembers) with a global con-nect, focus on educational pro-grams, educating on AgencyProgramme Joint Council(APJC), expanding to newmember countries, and take onpartnerships in specialised fieldslike destination marketing andtechnology organisation. TheUFTAA board, which comprisesnine elected officers will soonmeet and assign portfolios and committees.

QHow would the newposition help the

Indian travel trade? One area of UFTAA’s

work is to advise associationson airlines and IATA matters.UFTAA has closely worked withassociations where areas likesudden change in remittancecycles and similar matters weretaken up successfully and thesettlement period deferred.Even the APJC’s recommenda-tion on Joint Bank Guaranteewas supported by UFTAA at thePAPGJC meeting. UFTAA does

help associations and on majormatters, support them withmeetings on IATA at the HQlevel. I am certain that TAAI cancertainly utilise UFTAA forumthrough some challenges thatcan be placed before therespective global authorities.This position will certainly help.

QWould leading two big associations be

difficult? Thankfully, UFTAA is

extremely well-driven by thestaff/consultants we have, par-

ticularly in Europe. I am gladthat the officers in UFTAA, whoare aware that my hands arealready full, have assured totake on larger responsibilities.Empowerment is my leader-ship strategy to manageUFTAA and I have faith thatthese talented leaders can dowonders. UFTAA has verystrong R&D leaders who areconsulted frequently and whohave great global connections.

Sunil Kumar, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), underlines his focus as thenewly-elected president of United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations (UFTAA).

Leading & motivating agents

HA Z E L JA I N

Empowerment is my leadership strategy to manage UFTAA and I have faith that these talented leaders can do wonders. UFTAA has very strong R&D leaders who are consulted frequently andwho have great global connections.

Sunil KumarPresident, United Federation of Travel Agents’ Associations

(UFTAA) & President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)

TAAI signsMoU withBengaluru college

M.S. Raghavan, Chairman,TAAI Karnataka Chapter, hassigned a MoU for a period of 3years with Garden City Collegeof Management (GCCM) inBengaluru. “Students will get anopportunity to witness specialistpresentations and attend indus-try related seminars/programsorganised by TAAI or its part-ners,” stated Raghavan.

Bachelor of Arts in Tourism,History & Journalism; a threeyears degree course andMasters in TourismAdministration-a two yearsMasters course, are being con-ducted by the Department ofTourism at GCCM. TAAI’sendeavour to partner with aca-demia will ensure good talentinto the industry.

Jay Bhatia, Chairman ofTourism Council & HonoraryNational Treasurer, TAAI says,“We initiated this last year andassisted HR College in Mumbaito seek UGC approvals. Ourchairperson in other regionsand chapters are too in dia-logues with various collegesand within the next few monthswe shall have many more insti-tutions on board.”

Power TeamSunil KumarPresident of TAAI, hasbeen elected as presi-dent of UFTAAYossi FattelGM of Incoming TourOperators Association(ITOA) of Israel hasbeen elected the VP ofUFTAASG Kakaof Kenya Association ofTravel Agents (KATA)has been elected asVice President (Finance)for UFTAA


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

QHow is ITDC doingsince you came on

board?ITDC has done very well

financially in the last year. Werecorded a profit of `38.95crores before tax and that’s thehighest profit we’ve had in thelast eight years. We are also try-ing to upgrade out propertieswherever required, optimise ourrevenue streams from the prop-erties and also strengthen theother verticals we are in,besides the hotels.Occupancyalso went up last year. We hada very positive response in ourflagship hotel— The Ashok.That’s the main engine of ourITDC Group.

QHas competitionincreased, especially

where ARR’s are con-cerned?

Yes there has been a lot ofpressure on ARR’s in the first sixmonths, but we are in the sea-son now so let’s see how thingspan out. What we have seen isthat in the first 6-8 months theoutside hotels have done muchbetter. They have compensated

for the off-season in Delhi,whether it is Patna or Jaipur.

QWhat about the involve-ment of travel agents?We do have travel agents

booking with us, but that is onearea where we are trying toincrease their share in our book-ings. Their share has been stag-nating so that is one area weare really focusing on. We will engage the travel agentsand do whatever is possible toencourage them to get our market share.

QITDC is also involved in education. Tell us

about it.For hospitality education,

we have tied up with theNational Council of HotelManagement and opened aninstitute called the Centre of Excellence (CoE) which isembedded in Samrat Hotel. Sothe students that come to dothis course actually work withinthe precincts of a functioninghotel and learn-on-the-job.

It is a new kind of step,there are very few institutesthat are working from within a

hotel. There is an All Indiaexamination conducted by theNational Council of HotelManagement and those stu-dents who qualify then opt forthe CoE institute. We have agood mix of students.

QWhat are the green initiatives being taken

by ITDC hotels?We are always working

towards that, we have solarheating plants, we are alsoworking on a solar power plantfor the Ashok and Samratcomplex. It will not meet theentire requirement but it willfeed into the power grid of thehotels. We also have our ETP

and waste treatment plants.Another step we are taking isthat we are going to apply forLEED certification.

QWhat do you have tosay about the escalat-

ing taxes?We would also benefit if

taxes were rationalised. We arein the same boat as all the otherhotels. Anything that encour-ages better occupancy isalways welcome.

QTell us about otheractivities being under-

taken at ITDC to diversify.We are also doing pro-

motional activities like Sound

and Light shows. We did one inAndaman & Nicobar, whichwas really appreciated. Wealso did one in Orissa and wehave others in the pipeline, likeone on Dal Lake in Srinagar,which is a very beautiful area.It may not be very profitable butit’s very encouraging and helpsthe tourism industry at large.We are getting help from theministry to finance these proj-ects and we only execute them.The user agencies are thestate tourism departments. So,we put everything in place andthen hand it to the state government or to a special entity that has got this projectdone by us.

Umang Narula IAS, Chairman & Managing Director, India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (ITDC)tells about ITDC’s plan to engage the travel agents to encourage them to get their market share.

ITDC focuses on engaging agents

DEEPA SETHI FROM LONDON

Their (travel agents) share has been stagnating so that is one area we are reallyfocusing on. We will engage the travel agentsand do whatever is possible to encouragethem to get our market share.

Umang Narula IASChairman & Managing Director

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)

Vistara, AxisBank introduceco-brandedcredit cards

Axis Bank and Vistara hasannounced a strategic partnership to launch a distincttravel credit card for domestictravellers. The card will beunveiled early next year. Thecard will provide preferred priv-ileges and benefits for busi-ness and leisure travellersunder the carrier's Club Vistarafrequent flyer program.

The personalised bene-fits from the co-branded creditcard offering will be tiereddepending on the frequencyof one’s travel, starting with thebase card for occasional trav-eller to a the super-premiumcredit card for the frequent fly-ers. The program designpromises to be unique com-pared to other airline cardsavailable in the market.

Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO,Vistara, said, “The Axis BankVistara Credit Card is anotherstep by Vistara towards creat-ing a world class travel expe-rience. We know our frequenttravellers need a credit cardthat offers them opportunitiesto earn points and is widelyaccepted during their travelacross the country.”

HOTELS


1 6 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 COVER STORY

The unique combo proper-ties of AccorHotels—

Novotel and Pullman NewDelhi Aerocity—recentlyopened its doors for guests.Speaking about the featuresof the two hotels, Bazin says,“Pullman Novotel has a lot ofmodern elements in it. Thearchitecture is breathtakingas it is spacious, has volumeand is elegant. At the sametime it has a feeling of beingin India. So when you cometo this property, you know youare in India. In fact that’s whatI want in all my properties that they should be more andmore localised.”

Lomenie, however,believes that the combo prop-erty is the most distinctivefeature. He says, “NovotelPullman Aerocity is uniquebecause this is the first timeAccor is developing Novoteland Pullman together. Accor has done that with ibisand Novotel but this is the first time Pullman and Novotel

are being developed at thesame location.”

Further, he says that themain attraction of the proper-ty remains with the MICE

segment. “Our main aim is todevelop strong position in theMICE market. We have alarge ballroom, which is oneof the largest in Delhi and canaccommodate up to 1,500

guests. We have large area ofmeeting with 12 break-uprooms. So our objective is tobe a leader in the MICE mar-ket in Delhi and having threehotels from the same brand inthe hub of Aerocity gives usflexibility to cater to variouskinds of delegates,” Lomenieexplains. Speaking about thelocation of the two hotels,Sebastien says, “Aerocity is a very good location as it’seasily accessible. It is acces-sible from the airport andfrom the main city, which is perfect and it will work infavour of us.”

Sebastien Bazin, President-Director General, Chairman and CEO, AccorHotel, and Tristan Beau De Lomenie, GM Delegate, Pullman & NovotelNew Delhi Aerocity, tell why this property is special.

MICE for Pullman & Novotel

ANUPRIYA BISHNOI

This is the firsttime Pullmanand Novotel are beingdeveloped atthe samelocation

Thearchitecture is breathtakingas it isspacious, hasvolume and iselegant

Sebastien BazinPresident-Director General,Chairman and CEO, AccorHotel

Tristan Beau De LomenieGM Delegate, Pullman & NovotelNew Delhi Aerocity

100th PullmanThe Pullman NewDelhi Aerocity is the100th Pullman to opengloballyIt is designed keeping in mind thenew generation ofhyper-connected travellers

Unlocking Indian skiesthe government is able to offerthem customised packages tosuit their needs, he claimed.“We are incredible because ofthe plethora of destinations wehave on offer and it is very dif-ficult to discover India com-pletely in one go. That’s where

customisation steps in. Wetherefore offer specific prod-ucts to different countries, onesthat will most likely gain theirinterest help boost the FTAs,”he enthused.

Referring to the new ini-tiatives that have been imple-mented in the country, Zutshisays that these moves are‘game-changers’ for the Indiantourism industry. “The eTV wasrecently launched and is appli-cable to 113 countries,” he said.“We are currently working onadding more countries andincreasing the list to 150, aswell as making reforms in the

application duration and chang-ing the single entry to multipleentry. The 113 countries whereeTV is valid are the potentialcountries from which we canexpect tourists arrivals.Presently, about 15 countrieshave maximum shares of up to70-75 per cent. While we are

consolidating growth from these15 countries, which provide 70-75 per cent tourists, we are alsoopening up tourism opportuni-ties from the destinations wherewe receive lesser arrivals. Thiscombined strategy would resultin an increase in arrivals fromeverywhere. Additionally, theCivil Aviation Policy addressesconnectivity issues and strivesto solve them. In order to reachIndia, unlocking the skies is crucial and the policy doesexactly that.”

Zutshi attended the WTMwith a delegation consisting of40 stakeholders from India.

Contd. from page 3

While we are consolidating growth fromthese 15 countries, we are also opening uptourism opportunities from the destinationswhere we receive lesser arrivals

Vinod ZutshiSecretary-Tourism, Government of India


D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 1 9AGENTS

With the Department of Tourism, Govt. of National Capital Territory of Delhi, making licensing mandatory for all touroperators, travel agents, excursion agents, tourist transport operators, finds out from stakeholders how thisdecision will affect them and whether it should be replicated by other state governments.

Should licensing be compulsory for all?

SA M A P T I DAS & AH A N A GU R U N G

This is something we havebeen fighting for, for a longtime. Earlier the law wassomething else when theywanted to reintroduce it fewyears back. Even with aMinistry of Tourism (MOT)recognition, you had to gothrough inspections. But

after we protested, if you are recognised by MOT, you’llnot go through any inspection. Only you have to submityour recognition papers, the same ones which are filedwith MOT, will also have to be filed with the DelhiTourism and you’ll get the license. The reason for thisis that there are a lot of unscrupulous travel agencieswhich have mushroomed outside the railway stationsand around who copy the name of Govt of India orMOT, Incredible India. These are the people who foolforeign tourists. Their offices have to be inspected sothat some sort of discipline is inculcated in the tradeand they don’t bring any bad name to the industry. Asan association we are against the license raj but alsoon the other hand we need certain amount of disciplinein the industry.

Subhash GoyalPresident, IATO

The government is seeking reliability,transparency in affairs, professionalguides and people with experience tohandle this industry. What is importantis that we need a body to regulate theindustry. We have previously requestedthe government to make this industry aprofessional one, give qualifications sothat we can fulfil them. Licensing of

agents will therefore assist in curbing fly-by-night travel agents, pro-tect reliability in and ultimately, give India a global credible image.

Sunil Kumar President, TAAI

It comes as a boon as the licensing willstop fly-by-night tourism companies aswell as individuals who are operatingfrom their homes. However, it can alsobe a hindrance certain regulators andauthorities will have a problem. Like, anIATA travel agent already has licensingfrom IATA, the Ministry of Tourism in Indiaalready has an affiliation. So, till the time

we get to study what the new policy entails in New Delhi, it gets abit difficult to pick sides so soon.

Jay BhatiaHon. Treasurer, Chairman–Tourism Council, TAAI

We submitted ̀ 10,000 about eight yearsback and have not heard about it sincethen. Once anybody is approved by Govt.of India they don’t need the duplication.If they still want to do it, they should hon-our those ̀ 10,000, which was depositedwith many documents. So they shouldmake this mandatory for those who arenot approved by the tourism department;or IATA; and not members of a recognised travel association.However, agents who are already have approvals shouldn’t worry.

Rajan SehgalChairman, TAAI-Northern Region

This policy was initially launched bythe Delhi government in 2010 duringthe Commonwealth Games. However,nothing happened. Again, they’vebecome active and are going to con-duct inspections. After scrutinising theapplications certificates will be issued.Operators in Delhi/NCR can’t functionwithout this license. It will have bothpositive and negative effect as it’sgoing to filter the agents. Operators who don’t follow the guide-lines will have a tough time.

Sanjay AggarwalVice President, ADTOI


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

According to SudeshKishore, President,

SeaDream Yacht Club, India,“The cruise industry is growingand has shown encouragingsigns of growth over the last fiveyears. The year-on-year growthrate is estimated at 15-18 percent annually and is showing nosigns of decline. This is primarilydue to the initiatives taken by theMinistry of Tourism and theState Tourism Boards to supportthe influx of international cruiseliners and introduction of newernorms to boost and sustain therevenue derived.”

Kiran Bhandari, Co-Founder, Cruise Club, says,“Indian cruisers are now takinglonger, more adventurous andluxurious cruise options. Also,booking windows haveincreased, as cruise bookingsare taking place 6 months to ayear in advance as well.”

Jenaifer Daruwalla,General Manager, Maison de

Voyage, adds, “The awarenessabout cruising has increasedalong with the disposableincomes and willingness to trynew things.”

Cruises have becomepopular with Indian travellersand new destinations areopening up for adventure andleisure travel. Kishore adds,“In keeping with the voyagesbooked by guests, our traveltrade partners cater to requi-site visa arrangements fortheir clients.”

Commissions keep thetravel agents motivated to sellmore cruises. Talking about thecommission structures of thecompanies for the agents,Kishore says, “We offer 15 percent commission for bookingsup to 18 guests and 12 percent for Charters and Groupbookings (more than 18guests).” Daruwalla adds, “Weoffer commissions startingfrom 14 per cent and attractivekickback options to motivatethe agents to sell and earn

more.” Bhandari advisesagents that as commissionsmay vary, agents should alsolook for the best prices.

Emphasising on the waysan agent can sell a cruise hol-iday, Daruwalla says, “Agentsneed to stress upon the USP

of the cruise industry and howit is a brilliant way to experi-ence a luxurious holidaypacked with fun and exciting

things to do while travelling todifferent locations.” The usageof social media by travel tradepartners to promote cruises isalso popular. Kishore says,“SeaDream’s travel trade part-ners pitch experiences throughpro-active email marketing,website promotions and face-to-face discussions. This helpsin educating the elite clientabout the difference betweenyachting and cruising.”

The travel agents arealso incentivised in ways otherthan commissions in order tosell cruises with greater con-viction. “At Uniworld we offerand invite agents to experienceour cruises on special industryrates. These rates are quitecompetitive. For example, abasic cabin on our popular 8days Bordeaux Vineyards andChateaux itinerary costs nearly$3199. However, under thisspecial industry rate the agentwould have to pay 20-30 percent of the cost. This is a super saving for the agent,”explains Daruwalla.

The Indian cruise market has seen gradual growth over the past few years with a large number of cruises enteringthe market. finds out from industry players the reason behind this growth, how it affects the travel agents andwhat are the popular cruise destinations for Indians.

Cruising in India grows @18%

AN K I TA SAX E N A

Awarenessabout cruisinghas increasedwith disposableincomes andwillingness to trynew things

Bookingwindows haveincreased, ascruise bookingsare taking place6 months to ayear in advance

Keeping withthe guestbooking, ourtravel tradepartners caterto requisite visaarrangements

Sudesh KishorePresidentSeaDream Yacht Club, India

Kiran BhandariCo-FounderCruise Club

Jenaifer DaruwallaGeneral ManagerMaison de Voyage


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

Indian citizens requesting a Schengen visa will not just have to provide biometric data from now but they will alsohave to brave security issues. finds out from industry specialist whether these events mar the Europeanholiday experience.

Europe travel jeopardised by terror?

Numbers from India to Europe havebeen steadily increasing over the pastfew years and India has now becomea strong source market for them. Insuch a situation, the stringent visanorms are bound to have a dampeningeffect on Indian travellers to these des-tinations. In addition, the recent terrorstrikes will definitely play on the mindsof the people when deciding their holiday plans even though ter-rorism has now become a global phenomenon and is extremelyunpredictable in any part of the world. Though these measureswill affect the tourist flow, I feel that these are necessary stepsin the interest of security and any country will place their nationalsecurity on priority. But the queries for the next season have def-initely been hit already and we are rethinking on our fixed depar-ture plans. I do not think the entry of refugees to European coun-tries will have any effect on tourism.

Pankaj Nagpal MD, Travstarz Global Group and Director - National Board &Chairman – North India Region, Enterprising Travel Agents

Association (ETAA)

In my opinion biometric cannot be thecause of decline in numbers. The USand UK introduced this years ago andeventually it settled down. Since the sea-son is yet to start I don’t see much prob-lem as VFS will be facilitating this.However, the entry of refugees and therising security concerns are bound tohave an impact. Most of Western Europe

is feeling threatened and tourism is bound to feel the effect.

Aparna Basu MallikCEO, Club7 Holidays

Indian tourists are quiteevolved and clear aboutthe destination they wish tovisit and I do not think therewill be any impact on num-bers to Europe due tointroduction of biometric.Tour operators will have tojust factor in additional time

for biometric in their service schedule. Also, Europeis strongly perceived as a high quality, safe andsecure destination by Indians. However, if there aremore attacks, then surely it will have an impact onnumbers. We have not seen any undue cancellationsto France or Europe of late. Everybody is travellingas per the schedule with no change/cancellation atall. The entry of refugees into Europe is a challengefor the European governments. However, they arehopeful and will deal with it tactfully.

Haresh KoyandeFounder and MD

World Travel Studio

HA Z E L JA I N

We do not see any long-term impact toFrance or Europe. Europe continues tobe a favourite destination amongstIndians and people have the option tochoose from more than 15 to 20 desti-nations in Europe. We have not seenany undue cancellations to France orEurope. I don’t think that the entry ofrefugees will spoil the tourism experi-ence for Indian tourists. Europe hasalways welcomed refugees and migrants to its shores and theyhave assimilated with the local population.

Karan AnandHead (Relationships), Cox & Kings

The introduction of biometric data requirement is not new to Indiantourists. France was the only exception in Schengen agreement untilnow, and now they are in line with all the countries, hence we do not seeany implication of the same. Business travellers to France will gain fromthis move as they will be granted longer duration visas for their frequenttravel to the country. Furthermore, since biometrics of France is acceptedby other Schengen countries on reciprocal basis, it will only offer moreconvenience to Indian travellers. France and Europe have been in thenews for all wrong reasons in recent times and the impact is seen onour booking patterns. We have seen few European departures beingkept on hold till further notice and few being cancelled altogether. The Indian traveller has startedlooking for options and Australia and New Zealand are being clear winners.

Amita NairDirector, Meandering Vacations

TAAI meet-up in Mumbai

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Western Region members met for lunch in Mumbai toreminisce about their respective study tours to Bhutan and China recently


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

The use of new technologiesand their association with

a type of tourism that isincreasingly multi-device willbe one of the most striking fea-tures of FITUR, theInternational Tourism Fair dueto be staging its 36th editionfrom January 20 to 24, 2016 atFeria de Madrid.

The prominent role thatnew technologies will play atFITUR 2016 will be visible inthe innovative offering of busi-nesses and exhibitors (airlinesthat allow boarding passes tobe shown on wearabledevices; hotel establishmentswhere you can check in from asmartphone, or where aSmartWatch can be used as aroom key, etc.), but above all inthe specialised sections suchas FITUR Tech and FITURKnow How & Export.

The FITUR Tech TourismInnovation and TechnologyForum organised in collabora-tion with the Instituto

Tecnológico Hotelero, ITH, isbecoming consolidated at its10th staging as a standard intourism innovation and tech-nology. The meeting will showcase the technologicaladvances that are impactingon tourism and on travellerbehaviour, which is increasing-ly technical and connected withdestinations. The forum willalso feature the application ofartificial intelligence to thetourism business to make itmore competitive.

Furthermore, the fourthstaging of FITUR Know How &Export, promoted by SEGIT-

TUR, the State Corporation forInnovation Management andTourism Technologies, willfocus on more transformativesolutions in integral tourismmanagement and its projectionabroad. Special relevance willalso be given at this forum toprojects by entrepreneurs andstart-ups associated with tech-nological development, suchas tourism apps.

In short, technology andtourism are coming together atFITUR 2016, demonstratingthe trade show’s commitmentto the innovations being gen-erated in the travel industry.

The application of new technologies has revolutionisedthe tourism industry both from the marketing point of view,booking portals and from that of travellers’ experiences.

Going digital @FITUR

TT BU R E AU

The German National TouristOffice, India (GNTO) is

planning to promote Germanyas Nature and LandscapeDestination. This wasannounced at their recent B2Bengagement workshops withtravel agents and tour opera-tors. The workshops were con-ducted in New Delhi, Mumbai,Bengaluru and Ahmedabad topresent their products andoffers to the travel agents.

“We are looking at pro-moting many things inGermany. Our main agenda isto promote family travel, hon-eymoon travel and MICE tripsin Germany. We are also inter-ested in promoting our theme-based parks. This year we con-centrated on Traditions andCustoms of Germany and in2016 we are looking at promot-ing Germany as Nature andLandscape Destination. In2016 the products shall bebased more on what Germanyhas to offer as a NatureDestination,” says Theophilus.

Germany witnessedaround 4,80,000 overnights fromIndia during January-August,

2015. The percentage increaseof inbound tourists in Germanyin July 2015 was 9.6 per centover the same period in 2014.

Stressing on training asa useful tool for travel trade andhow GNTO engages withthem, Theophilus adds, “Weare working very closely withthe travel agents. We organisemeetings with the agents, con-duct seminars and also providetraining in their offices to helpthem get better equipped withthe products. By next year wehope to launch an online travelagent training tool as well.”

The workshop saw 13German sellers giving an exten-sive presentation, explaining thetravel agents the products high-lights as well attractions for theIndian travellers. The partnersshowcasing their products at theroadshow included AccorHotels, Intercontinental Berlin,Rail Europe, State TourismBoard of Saxony, The CityTourism Board of Stuttgart andThe City Tourism Board ofBaden-Baden.

GNTO is promoting Germany as a ‘nature destination’ in2016. Romit Theophilus, Director, Marketing and Sales(India), GNTO, tells about their promotional plans.

Germany for nature

AN K I TA SAX E N A

We organisemeetings,conduct seminarsand also providetraining to helpthe agents getbetter equippedwith the products

Romit Theophilus Director, Marketing and Sales (India),German National Tourist Office



Indian travellers who frequentThailand on a regular basis

can now rejoice, for the much-awaited six-month multipleentry tourist visa (METV) hasbeen implemented byThailand’s Ministry of ForeignAffairs starting November 13,2015. Runjuan Tongrut,Director, North and East India,Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT), says, “From January toSeptember, we received overeight lakh Indian visitors andare expecting the numbers torise to 10 lakh by the end of theyear. We are hoping that theMETV will give fillip to these fig-ures and more Indian travellerswill visit Thailand.” She statesthat India currently ranks sixthon Thailand’s list of sourcemarkets, but with India’s hightourism potential, it wouldreach to fifth position by theend of next year.

The much-awaited METVcomes as a huge boon to tradeand frequent travellers. Givingmore details about the same,

Tongrut elaborates, “The fee forthe METV is 5,000 baht, which approximately comes to ` 10,000. It is valid for a period

of six months and one can enterand leave the country as oftenas they want, provided theyleave the country every 60 days.However, she clarifies, “METVcan only be applied for at aRoyal Thai Consulate or throughagents–it is not available online.”

With the implementationof several new initiatives, suchas the recent addition ofDreamliner Boeing 787 on theBangkok-New Delhi route byThai Airways, Tongrut is hope-ful about next year’s outcome.“Thailand has proven to be apopular choice for Indians,especially for destination wed-dings and family vacations,”she says. “We continue to pro-mote these aspects and alsofocus on honeymoon andsports tourism. Thailand is agolfer’s paradise and golftourism has constantly been onthe incline. Moreover, numer-ous groups have been visitingThailand to participate inmarathons and for the samepurpose, special marathonpackages are on offer, in asso-ciation with TUI,” she adds.

Thailand’s recent update on the six-month Multiple EntryTourist Visa (METV) has given Indians another reason tovisit the country more frequently.

METV to boost tourism

METV can only be appliedat a Royal ThaiConsulate orthrough agents–it is not availableonline

Runjuan TongrutDirector, North and East India, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)

AH A N A GU R U N G

As the birthplace of wintertourism and having hosted

Winter Olympics twice already,St. Moritz in Switzerland isreaching out to travel agentsand tour operators in India this winter.

Ariane Ehrat, CEO ofTourism Organisation EngadinSt. Moritz , was in Mumbairecently to meet the trade andfind out what Indian travellersare looking for and how St.Moritz could match thosedemands. “We need to knowwhat their requirements areand what activities they like todo in winter if they don’t like ski-ing or hiking. We have a host ofother products like culinary,wellness, medical, nature, etc.We are targeting two seg-ments—HNIs for leisure andcorporate for MICE,” says theWorld Ski Champion. The des-tination is also promoting itsChristmas markets.

She, however addedthat the NTO is not offering

any deals and incentives tothe trade for MICE as of now.“But we have to do that in the

future. We are open to individ-ual offers for big MICE groupsthat are less than 500 pax,depending on the size ofgroup and number ofovernight stays. Anyone whois not already our trade part-ner can also associate with usand sell St. Moritz,” Ehrat says.

St. Moritz is promotingready packages as well ashelping the trade develop tai-lor-made ones. It is currentlypromoting a deal where trav-ellers can travel on all (morethan 30) mountain railways forfree if they stay longer than onenight in St. Moritz. It will tapmore cities once it gets more budget.

She says, “It is just a mat-ter of time for us before wereach other cities in India. Wehave seen a rise in Indianarrivals. It is currently at 5,000overnight stays in St. Moritz.But this is not enough. Our goalis to bring in 10,000 overnightsin five years. It is better to growslowly and steadily.”

The alpine resort in the Engadin valley in Switzerland—St. Moritz—is celebrating 150 years of winter tourism andmakes for a fine package for travel agents to sell.

St. Moritz woos agents

We are open toindividual offers for big MICEgroups that areless than 500 pax,depending on thesize of group andovernight stays

Ariane EhratCEO of Tourism Organisation Engadin St. Moritz

TT BU R E AU


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

TAAI members gathered at Kempinski Ambience Hotel, New Delhi, on Nov 19, 2015 to discuss the objectives and aims of the association, as well as tofamiliarise and guide the committee members. The meeting was followed by a networking session over cocktails and dinner.

TAAI prepares for the new chapter



“VIA rail offers a cost effec-tive, efficient mode of

travel in Canada all year roundin all weather conditions. Travelagents can view the fares,check availability and alsobook their tickets sectors on-line through their login

accounts which can be createdby VIA Rail upon request andfulfillment of certain conditions,”says Saran.

The new class has manynew features to offer its clients.This exquisite lodging with aprivate bathroom and shower

offers modular leather ‘L-formed’ seat by the day,which turns into a murphy bedfor two by the night, facing avast window to admire thestunning sights of Canada.

“The travellers on VIARail Canada Prestige SleeperClass are attended by mindful

and customised attendantservice all through the trek. Itis intended to offer travellersgenuine feelings of serenity,with priority reservations in thedining car and priority baggagehandling. The clients can enjoyin-cabin entertainment with aflat screen TV and a fully

stocked mini-bar,” explainsSaran. The new service offersits travellers an all inclusiveepicurean experience. “Thegourmet incorporates localfortes and choice of Canadianwines in the solace of the din-ing car,” adds Saran.

Discussing the expecta-tions from the market, Saransays, “We have many agentswho book VIA Rail on a regu-lar basis although the PrestigeClass of Service has just been launched and we hopewe will receive a goodresponse for the coming sea-son in 2016.”

VIA Rail Canada recently introduced the Prestige SleeperClass service. Ashish Saran, Account Head, VIA RailCanada, tells how travel agents can avail the product.

TT BU R E AU

Ashish SaranAccount HeadVIA Rail Canada

With Indian tourist arrivalsrising at a high rate into

Mauritius, Ramburn showsoptimism for further growthfrom the country. “India as afeeder market has incremen-tally increased, year overyear, in all markets; and espe-cially for Mauritius. As inJune 2015, Indian touristarrivals increased 17.5% over2014, only to be outdone byChinese visitors (60%). Indiais in our top 10 source mar-kets for all 3 Resorts inMauritius,” says Ramburn

Further she discussedabout the MICE facilities at thegroup’s properties inMauritius, saying, “Le MeridienIle Maurice and Westin TurtleBay Resort & Spa Mauritiuscapture more conference busi-ness as their facilities accom-modate larger groups.Previously, they jointly held anIndian wedding for 3000 peo-ple. The St. Regis MauritiusResort, in its three years ofoperation, has hosted large

Indian weddings and recep-tions of 150-300 people.”

Ramburn also listed themarketing initiatives, saying,“We have built a dedicatedsite just for the villa—www.stregisvillamauritius.com.Aside from partnering withour luxury tour operators andagents, we have also reachedout to high-end conciergeservice providers and villaestate agents.”

She laid stress on theimportance of staff training,“A challenge, particularly forthe Indian Ocean Resorts, is

that there are limitedresources for recruiting on anisland destination and allhotels/resorts are vying forthe same pool of talent. Withincreased development, andallure of cruise ship employ-ment, the pool becomes thatmuch more limited, andhotels more competitive.Thus, providing proper train-ing and an encouraging workenvironment are vital to ourassociates’ future success.”

Stressing on the assis-tance provided by travelagents and tour operators,Ramburn says, “We hold ourrelationships with travelagents and tour operators inhigh regard. For a destinationlike Mauritius, that is still rel-atively up and coming in mar-kets outside Europe, theseagents are our voice to thepotential guests.” She adds,“In addition to the limited flightlift into the country, our part-ners make it seamless for ourguests to book their holidaypackages and assist ourSales Team on the island.”

Dimple Ramburn, Director of Business Development andEmerging Markets, Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Mauritius, tells

about the brand and its india plans.

Upbeat on India

Dimple RamburnDirector of Business Development andEmerging Markets

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Regal ride with VIA Rail



TravelShop Turkey, aninbound tour operator head-

quartered in Istanbul, is set togo on a seven-city roadshow inIndia from December 7- 15,2015. The roadshow kicks off atNew Delhi, on Dec 7; followedby Kolkata the next day. Soonafterwards, Hyderabad hoststhe roadshow on Dec 9;Chennai on Dec 10; Bangaloreon Dec 11; Ahmedabad on Dec 14; and finally Mumbai on Dec 15.

Speaking on the occa-sion, Murtaza Kalender, CEO, TravelShop Turkey, says, “We

have been working withthe Indian market since2006 and give highimportance to it. We arehappy to be in Indiaagain and look forward tomeeting with Indianagents to give presenta-tions about Turkey,” headds.

The roadshow willinclude presentations onairlines, hotels and prod-

ucts, along with B2B networkmeetings with hotel representa-tives and TST departments. TheTurkish Tourism Board;Consulate General in Mumbai;a representative from New DelhiEmbassy; Consulate General inHyderabad; Turkish Airlines’ representatives and four man-agers from the best five-starhotels from Turkey will be present at the event to network and impart one-on-oneinformation to Indian traveltrade partners.

With roadshows in seven different Indian cities in thepipeline, TravelShop Turkey targets the Indian travellerswith a variety of tourism products on offer.

7-city Turkey roadshow

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TravelShop Turkey roadshow datesDec 7 .................. New Delhi

Dec 8 .................. Kolkata

Dec 9 .................. Hyderabad

Dec 10 ................ Chennai

Dec 11 ................ Bangalore

Dec 14 ................ Ahmedabad

Dec 15 ................ Mumbai

After conducting an extensivereview with travel agents,

Tourism Australia has decidedthat its destination training programme—Aussie SpecialistProgramme (ASP)–needs to berevamped so as to equip theagents with enhanced knowl-edge, better understanding withreal-time information and latesthappenings in the Australiantourism industry.

As a result, the AussieSpecialist website has beenrevamped to allow its tradepartners the flexibility tobrowse the site across alltablets and mobile devices.The new version consists ofinteractive training modules,itinerary suggestions, fact-sheets, latest industry newsupdates, destination FAQs andan interactive map.

Nishant Kashikar,Country Manager (India &Gulf), Tourism Australia,claims, “The interface of therevamped module is user-

friendly, interactive and engag-ing to make it appealing andconvenient for our travel part-ners to use. Currently, wehave close to 2,100 AussieSpecialists in India and weexpect the figure to cross3,000 by June 2016.”

Explaining how the newversion of ASP is different, hesays, “The new programme isdivided into three mandatorymodules–an introduction toAustralia, one covering allstates and territories and oneon building itineraries, plustwo optional modules that are

experience-based. All eight ofour state and territory tourismpartners have joined us,enabling Australia to speakwith ‘one voice’ when promot-ing its tourism products.”

This, he said, was doneto cater to the evolving needsof the Indian traveller and tosuggest itineraries to suit theirrequirements. The new pro-gramme will allow the agentsto effectively promote and sellAustralia to discerning anddemanding Indians who nowprefer to take multiple vaca-tions in a year as againstannual vacations. “With anaim to further engage withour trade partners and famil-iarize them with the latest ver-sion of the program, theAussie Specialist trainers willprovide face-to-face trainingin key markets of Mumbai,Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai,Hyderabad, Kolkata andAhmedabad for frontline trav-el sellers,” Kashikar reveals,adding that Australia has wit-nessed record arrivals fromIndia this year.

With the launch of a revamped version of its AussieSpecialist Programme (ASP) in India, Tourism Australiawants to offer the travel agents greater flexibility.

Great flexibility with ASP

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Nishant KashikarCountry Manager (India & Gulf)Tourism Australia

We have been working with theIndian market since2006 and give high importance to it. Weare happy to be in

India again.

Murtaza KalenderCEO

TravelShop Turkey


Crystal Sarovar Premiere isthe latest five star hotel in

Agra. The property is strategi-cally located on FatehabadRoad, Agra’s tourist hub and isapproximately 1.5 kms fromthe Taj Mahal. It is a full servicepremium hotel with exquisitelyfurnished 136 rooms of which 72 rooms have the

picturesque view of Taj Mahal.The hotel also has a rooftopswimming pool and Indianspecialty restaurant.

Upadhya says that as adestination, Agra has 52 percent inbound business(FIT/GIT) and hence, it isimportant to be very closelyassociated with the travelagents. Jointly the hotels andthe agents provide the best ofhospitality experience to theforeign and domestic gueststravelling to Agra to see oneof the ‘Seven Wonders of theWorld’, the Taj Mahal.

He also says, “It’s beenover a decade now that Agrahas witnessed many nationaland international conferences.It has interestingly turned intoa city for destination weddings

as well. Agra beyond the Taj iswhat we talk about to agentsor guests who wish to knowmore about this historic city.The untouched destinationssuch as Chambal Safari, chinika Rauza and many more, arelesser known but importantdestinations for the guests whowish to explore Agra, beyondthe Taj Mahal.”

According to Upadhya,as custodian of brand Indiaand in particular brand Agra, itis Sarovar Hotel’s endeavourto do justice by bringing out thehidden treasures of the city. Headds that they wish to breakthe traditional barrier andshowcase the lesser-knownmonuments of the city and tryand explore the unexplored.

Agra has moved from beingone to two night destinationamong MICE and the inbound segment.

Sarovar Hotels & Resortsis currently spread over 48 des-tinations and has got 12 hotelsin its pipeline. The ARR ofCrystal Sarovar Premiere Agrais ̀ 5,000.

Crystal Sarovar Premiere is the latest five-star property added in Agra.Lokesh Kumar Upadhya, General Manager, Crystal Sarovar Premiere Agra,tells what they are doing to promote Agra beyond the Taj.

Sarovar Premiere enters AgraD E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 3 9HOTELS

Agra beyondthe Taj is whatwe talk about toagents orguests whowish to knowmore about thishistoric city

Lokesh Kumar UpadhyaGeneral ManagerCrystal Sarovar Premiere Agra

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Quick FactsThe hotel is 1.5 kilometres from the Taj Mahal

The hotels adds up asthe group 5th propertyin UP



WTM 2015 attracts 50,000 participantsWorld Travel Market London 2015 saw an impressive 49,275 participants, according to unaudited figures. The event saw 30,344 visitors,including buyers from the WTM Buyers’ Club, which was a 20 per cent jump from WTM London 2010-2014. More than 1.1 million on-stand connections took place over the four days from Nov 2-5, leading to more than £2.5 billion in industry deals being negotiated and signed.

See more picture on page 46


AGENTS

Akquasun’s recently-con-cluded multi-city roadshow

titled ‘Akquasun Global B2BRoadshow 2015’ that touchedsix cities—New Delhi,Chandigarh, Ahmedabad,

Mumbai, Chennai andBengaluru—received an over-whelming response from thetravel trade.

According to BA Rahim,Group Director and CEO,Akquasun Group, this year’sB2B roadshow was even big-ger with agents showingimmense interest in knowingall Akquasun’s DMCs, onlinesystem and new additions tothe group such as Philippinesand South America.

He says, “We thankeveryone for their support andcontribution for the splendid

response and success of theevent. Year 2015-16 will alsorecord an increase in overallcontribution to the businessfrom the respective markets.The response from all the sixcities was more than weexpected. We added some

new agents in our portfoliofrom northern India. Apart fromAkquasun’s 15 DMCs we had38 participants including globalsales offices in India fromStarwood, Shangri La andMarriott Hotels.”

He added that 2015 hadbeen a great year forAkquasun with businessincrease of 30 per cent andthey are expecting to doublebusiness volumes in 2016with the new online system inplace. The online system,along with the introduction ofAkquasun Global B2B MICEand its new DMCs in

Philippines and SouthAmerica were the main focusareas of this roadshow. “Everycity received good footfall. Itwas almost 50 per cent morethan what we expected. InMumbai we estimated 250and we welcomed almost400-plus agents who came tomeet all our DMCs and our participating partners,”adds Rahim.

Sujit Nair, Founder andGroup MD, Akquasun Group,says, “The show was wellattended and all the participantswere very satisfied with theresponse. We believe the footfallwas excellent in Ahmedabadand Delhi specially. Also allmajor travel agents attended theshow in Chandigarh.”

The show saw almost 53participants this year, com-pared to 27 last year and wasattended by a record numberof agents. “We had 250 agentsin Delhi, 150 in Chandigarh,220 in Ahmedabad and 400agents in Mumbai. The focuswas more on the DMCs weown and operate across theglobe and introducingPhilippines and South Americathis year. We also had majorbrands like Starwood, Marriott,One & Only, Banyan Tree,Chimelong, Regal Group ofhotels, IHG, BeachcomberGroup, Villa Hotels and tourismbodies like Macau andSeychelles,” Nair adds.

The multi-city roadshow conducted by the Akquasun Groupturns out to be a huge success.

15 DMCs on show

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With a seven year stint inhardcore corporate B2C

travel solutions, Trip Tap Toehas recently opened thedoors of its online flights andhotels booking engine to itscountry wide network ofagents. Manuraj SinghJohar, CEO, Trip Tap Toe,says, “Being in the market forsuch a long period, Trip TapToe promises to bring manyvalue added features for itsentire agent base.”

For Johar, trained exec-utives are of utmost impor-tance to be able to set apartfrom competition and prides in providing exactly that. “Each of our customer support executive has been trained rig-

orously to provide one on oneservices to our agents,” hesays. “During the entire lengthof my experience in the travelindustry, I realised how, as asub agent, even I would some-times get lost in search of infor-mation and well researchedadvice. This is the gap we seekto fill,” he adds.

Commenting on otherareas of importance, he says,“We have alliances withworldwide aggregators of air-lines, hotels, and other travelrelated products to get thebest rates possible under asingle window. Moreover, weare setting up a dedicated inhouse technology team forcontinuous tech develop-ment. By providing aggres-sive credit support, we hopeto target a wide network ofTier II and Tier III city agents.While agents normally getcredit facility only for flights,we are extending credit forhotel bookings as well.”

Currently operating fromGurgaon, Trip Tap Toe plans toopen sales offices in Mumbai,Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

Trip Tap Toe has recently launched B2B operations cateringto agents. Manuraj Singh Johar, CEO, Trip Tap Toe, talksabout the offerings of this online platform.

Bridging information gap

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Manuraj Singh JoharCEOTrip Tap Toe


QCompetition in hospitality indus-try is getting tougher with the

advent of international brands. Howdo you plan to deal with it?

Jaypee Hotels & Resorts has been inoperation since past 35 years. Our companyhas evolved system procedures and SOPsfor every aspect of running hospitality prod-ucts. With a team of professionals at everylevel, who have joined JaypeeHotels from varied national andinternational backgrounds,

Jaypee surely has become apremium hotel brand. In currentscenario, our focus is on consol-idating our inventory. With eco-nomic growth in near future, wewill consider expansion.

QWhat is the future ofhotels in Tier 2 and Tier

3 cities?The improved connectivity

to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and theexpanding of the infrastructurehas attracted the investors toinvest in this market. With air-ports coming up in these citiesand improved infrastructure,there is a good inflow of inboundand domestic tourists. A numberof Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities havebeen promoted by India and therespective state governments.Also, with increase in the percapita income of Indians andrise of middle class, there hasbeen a steady growth. This for-ays the tremendous sprouting ofhotels in these cities.

QDo you offer anyincentive to the travel

agents? How important areagents for your hotel?

Depending on the segment andmarket being handled by the travelagents attractive packages are designedregularly to maximise the productivitythrough travel agencies. We work very closely with the travel trade fraternityand develop attractive and engagingproducts and custom-made packages for the prospects. They are an integral part of our industry hence indispensable.

QIn your view, what is the future oftourism industry in India?Tourism should be recognised as pri-

ority sector for various reasons which havebeen talked about enough. The taxationstructure needs to be rationalised. Tourismand hospitality should not be viewed onlyas products but it should be viewed as aneconomic activity which is capable of cre-ating all round development of an area,state and country.

Manju Sharma, Managing Director, Jaypee Hotels, believes that the taxation structure should be rationalisedand tells how Jaypee Hotels works closely with the travel trade fraternity to develop custom-madepackages for their clients.

Custom-made packages in focusD E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 4 5HOTELS

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

We work closelywith the traveltrade anddevelopattractive andengagingproducts andcustom madepackages

Manju SharmaManaging DirectorJaypee Hotels



WTM 2016 to be a 3-day event




Over 30,000 visitors @WTM 2015




4,600 exhibitors participated @WTM


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

PCome January, Manila,Philippines, will be home to

the 35th edition of the ASEANTravel Forum (ATF), which willwelcome close to 1,600 travelindustry delegates from over 50countries. Scheduled to be heldfrom January 18-25, 2016 atEntertainment City, the week-

long event will include key activ-ities including the three-dayTRAVEX–travel trade mart fromJanuary 20-22, 2016. Theannual event involves all thetourism industry sectors of the10 member nations of ASEAN–Brunei Darussalam,Cambodia, Indonesia, LaoPDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, thePhilippines, Singapore,Thailand and Vietnam.

Keyed up about theevent, Ramon R. JimenezJr. Secretary of Tourism,Philippines, expresses, “TheDepartment of Tourism (DOT)is honoured and proud thatPhilippines is hosting ATF2016. He further adds, “Wehope that beyond the confer-ence walls of this meeting,you experience our country indifferent ways—from ourdiverse natural wonders toour rich cultural heritage andthe warmth of the Filipinopeople. And while this forumwill allow for the exchange ofideas for the progress of oureconomies, we also hope thatthese meetings will build

stronger friendships betweenour nations.”

One of the major high-lights of the event is TRAVEX,which a trade-only mart andoffers opportunities for ASEANtravel product suppliers tomeet qualified buyers fromaround the world via sched-uled appointments. This year,

TRAVEX has gained attentionfrom a majority of corporateexhibitors such as CHMHotels, FRHI Hotels andResorts, IntercontinentalGroup, among many others,who have already confirmedtheir participation.

The forum provides anideal opportunity for interna-

tional buyers and media to net-work, gain latest informationon ASEAN tourism productsand services and learn abouttourism trade in the region.Approximately 1600 delegatesattend ATF TRAVEX everyyear, along with more than 400 validated and qualifiedinternational buyers and local media.

The ASEAN Travel Forum, slated for Jan 18-25, 2016, at Manila, Philippines,will host around 1,600 travel professionals from around the world. With 70%booths already secured, exhibitors are showing huge interest in the event.

Philippines set to host ATF 2016

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While the forumwill allow for theexchange ofideas, we alsohope that thesemeetings willbuild strongerfriendshipsbetween ournations

Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. Secretary of TourismPhilippines


INDIA TRAVEL AWARD

Face of the Future It is an honour and pleasure to be among stalwarts of the industry.My hospitality journey started about 10 years back. It has been anexciting journey. I am extremely thankful to DDP Publicationsbecause they have invented a platform to celebrate the achieversof the industry in various fields.

Bjorn Noel DenieseVice President Sales & Marketing

Mayfair Hotels & Resorts and Director, Mayfair Spa Resort & Casino at Gangtok, Sikkim

Entrepreneur of the YearThis is the second time I am attending the India Travel awards afterthe West India Travel awards in Goa. I feel it is a great initiative andsomething like these awards was highly required in our travel trade industry to recognise the achievers in various verticals of the industry. I hope it continues to inspire us to work harder towin it year on year.

Shashank Shekhar MishraChief Executive Officer, Sports Konnect

Best Travel Technology Provider- ecareTechnology Labs It is a great feeling to be honoured in front of the industryin which we work so hard and collaborate to do better.

Vivek SanghiVice President-Business Development

ecare Technology Labs

Best DestinationManagement Company-Jet SettersIt is most important to note that in a social atmospherewhere the stalwarts are returning awards, we are receiv-ing awards for our work. The award ceremony has takenme by surprise because I could not fathom that the traveltrade industry could also be honoured in such a mag-nanimous manner. I have attended many travel showsbut the India Travel awards in particular has surely made

me feel proud that we honour the hard work of thisindustry as well.

Tarakeshwar SinghDirector, Jet Setters

Best Golf Destination-Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)I feel the award ceremony like the India Travel Awardsis a catalyst in raising the expectations from the industryand also help in its development. It recognizes the goodwork and achievements of the trade and motivates theothers to work harder to aspire to win an award.

Chanyuth SawetsuwanAssistant Director, North & East India

Bangladesh, Bhutan and NepalTourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)

Best Tour Operator-Inbound- ClubsideTours and TravelsWe are actually glad that The East India Travel awardsare in Chandigarh as major source market of tourismlies in the north. The event allows us an opportunity toconnect with the travel trade across the regions andappreciate the good work done by the trade.

Sumit PeriwalDirector, Club Side Tours & Travels

East takes Maya home

DDP Game Changer I am really honoured. Durga Das Publications has ‘gold standards’in the industry for a very long time now. They come up with the bestmagazines in India. I always appreciate the work DDP does andhow things are put together in his company. Maya is like the Filmfareawards of the industry. SanJeet has the right personality to takethis forward. Awards like these give motivation to the industry,because our industry is looking for recognition.

Rupak GuptaJoint Managing Director, U.P. Hotels

The East India Travel Awards were held at Holiday Inn Chandigarh on November 19, 2015 to honour the best in traveland tourism industry in the Eastern region. spoke to some of the award winners.

DDP Trailblazer Award India Travel Awards is happening for the first time in Chandigarh and I am very thankful to DDP for doing somethingthis big in the city.

Prem Pal GandhiChairman, KC Group of Institutions

Colleges and Hotels

CHIEF GUESTIt’s been an honour to be a part of these awards. I think the trophy‘Maya’ is very charming. I thank SanJeet for bringing these awardsto the tri-city and giving the people of this area an experience ofsomething as big as this.

Basanta RajkumarExecutive Director, Punjab Heritage & Tourism

Promotion Board, Government of Punjab

GALLERY OF LEGENDSHospitality is a passion for me and I would say it is my passion bydefault. We are looking forward to support from the government inthe future and hopefully things will improve. I would like to thankmy family for their support and SanJeet for this great honour andfor his initiative.

Rajindera KumarWorking Director, Ambassador Hotel,

New Delhi & Former President, HRANI, Senior MC Member and Chairman, Convention Organising Committee

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


INDIA TRAVEL AWARD

Recognising hard work & talent

DDP GAME CHANGERRupak Gupta, Joint Managing Director, U.P. Hotels, the ‘DDP Game Changer’ is felicitated by BasantaRajkumar, Executive Director, Punjab Heritage& Tourism Promotion Board, Govt. of Punjab, Mrs. India2015 Dr. Tanushree Pandey, and SanJeet, Director, DDP Group

DDP TRAILBLAZERPrem Pal Gandhi, Chairman, KC Group of Institutions, Colleges and Hotels, the ‘DDP Trailblazer’ isfelicitated by Basanta Rajkumar, Executive Director, Punjab Heritage& Tourism Promotion Board,Govt. of Punjab, Mrs. India 2015 Dr. Tanushree Pandey, and SanJeet, Director, DDP Group

East India Travel Awards identifies and rewards excellence, and inspires the industry leaders and stakeholdersto continuously raise the standards of their products and services. brings you the top awardees fromthe glittering awards night.

BEST GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (GDS)The award was given to Travelport Galileo and received by Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Commercial Officer, InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ). He is felicitated by Basanta Rajkumar, Executive Director, Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board,Govt. of Punjab, along with Mrs. India 2015 Dr. Tanushree Pandey

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

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEARShashank Shekhar Mishra - CEO, Sports Konnect was awarded the ‘DDP Trailblazer’. He is felicitated by Basanta Rajkumar, Executive Director, Punjab Heritage& Tourism PromotionBoard, Govt. of Punjab, Mrs. India 2015 Dr. Tanushree Pandey, and SanJeet, Director, DDP Group

BEST GENERAL MANAGERThe award was given to Jai Kishan of Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences. He is felicitatedby Basanta Rajkumar, Executive Director, Punjab Heritage & Tourism Promotion Board,Govt. of Punjab, and Mrs. India 2015 Dr. Tanushree Pandey

FACE OF THE FUTUREBjorn Noel Deniese, Director Mayfair Spa Resort & Casino Gangtok joins the ‘Face of the Future’.He is felicitated by Basanta Rajkumar, Executive Director, Punjab Heritage& Tourism Promotion Board, Govt. of Punjab, Mrs. India 2015 Dr. Tanushree Pandey, and SanJeet,Director, DDP Group


Getting togetherNetwork Talk was an exclusive event organisedby , The Luxury Hotels Group, and TheMontcalm Hotel, London on the sidelines of WorldTravel Market 2015. It was a fun-filled eveningwith an interactive congregation of colleaguesand contemporaries from the travel industry tocatch up over cocktails and dinner.


in London


5 6 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 QUICKBYTES

The world’s leading tourism countries are also considered the world’s safest. finds out from industry leaders about how we should work to change the mindset of Indians towards foreign travellers, especially women,to make them feel safe.

Industry on women tourists’ safety

There is great focus on safety, however,whether we have been able to build insti-tutions that are effective, remains a bigquestion mark. The key element is the per-ception of foreign tourists. Media plays abig role in that perception and governmentcan think of a mechanism for constructivecommunication with the media in suchmatters. We need to create a mechanismof ‘one stop’ help for tourists and create positive communication withpotential tourists about 'dos' and 'dont’s'.

MP BezbaruahFormer Secretary and Permanent Representative (Hon), UNWTO

IN D E R RA J AH LU WA L I ADelhi is an example of a city with a cul-ture of welcoming tourists, includingwomen. The environment is generallypeaceful for both tourists and citizens.Delhi Police has taken several steps forensuring the safety of tourists, espe-cially women. Incidents of misbehaviourwith tourists have been extremely rare.The police’s presence at all local touristsites should generate confidence amongst women travellerscoming to the city. There are also toll free helplines for women.

Ravi DadhichGeneral Manager, Delhi Tourism

I feel that we are heading in the right direction, and overall, the Indiaexperience has risen a few notches up for women travellers from themoment they touch down in the country. Our airports are now consid-erably friendlier, the staff more courteous, and there is quick Immigrationclearance etc. The companies involved have to be responsible and adoptcertain measures. On our part, we ensure that the drivers used for suchguests are company drivers, We also use 1st class, 5 star and luxuryhotels which have good security levels, and lady travellers are assignedrooms designated to them. We also ensure that lady guides are usedfor sightseeing as far as possible. Generally speaking, the experience at our monuments is gettingbetter, and there is a feeling of being secure, especially with tourist police being present.

Vikram MadhokManaging Director, Abercrombie & Kent,

This issue hasn’t been tackled seriously enough. Though the gov-ernment has announced measures for the security of lady travellers,nothing tangible is visible on the ground. Some state governmentshave deployed tourist police cadres, but these are limited to sight-seeing spots. Obviously, much more needs to be done. The gov-ernment has to take complete charge and crack the whip. It shouldfocus on changing the mindset of the people and make them awareof their responsibility as hosts, especially towards women visitorsand travellers. Merely providing tourist police or any other securitymeasure will help, but not solve this problem.

Lajpat RaiPresident, Lotus Trans Travels,

The safety element is crucial in the promotion of any country as atourist destination, especially for women. While crimes against womenare to be strongly condemned, their negative impact is compoundedby the fact that they are repeatedly aired on news channels andbecome headlines in foreign newspapers. We need to improve oursystems. Safety standards have to be improved across the board, atairports, rail stations, tourist sites, and elsewhere. Drivers and guideshave to be up to the mark as they play a role in creating a country’simage. Tourist police and information literature are not enough. We

have to create faith in country through comprehensive marketing.

Rajan SehgalChairman, TAAI Northern Region

It’s a case of ‘all talk and no action’. Tour operators try their best to provide drivers and guides who belong to thetrade, and all efforts are made to make clients feel safe. Clients are properly briefed to look after themselves andavoid populated areas if they are alone. But obviously, this isn’t enough. While ‘tourist police’ is a good concept,they are mainly present only at major monuments. They haven’t fanned out everywhere. Today’s clients are nolonger coming to visit monuments. They are seeking a more fulfilling holiday with various experiences, and thetourist police don’t play a role in this. This creates a situation where clients are vulnerable.

Homa MistryManaging Director, Trainblazers

The Ministry of Tourism, inconsultation with StateGovernments and UnionTerritory Administrations,has proposed to stationTourist Police at promi-nent spots. The govern-ments of several statesand UTs such as AndhraPradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir,Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh andOrissa have deployed Tourist Police, in one form oranother. The ministry launched a scheme providingCentral Financial Assistance for installing TouristFacilitation Security Organisation (TFSO) at identi-fied tourist destinations in 2012, introduced on a testpilot basis in Jaipur, Golconda, Kushinagar and Shravasti. The Ministry has set up the IncredibleIndia Helpline to address and guide tourists during emergencies.

Subhash GoyalChairman, STIC Travel Group and President, IATO


AVIATION

For more information, contact us at: [email protected]

DECEMBER 2015INTERNATIONAL3-5 China CITE

9-12 Portugal Connections Meetings

NATIONAL1-3 Bhuj Rann Utsav

3 Delhi European Quartet B2B Workshop

4 Bengaluru European Quartet B2B Workshop

5 Mumbai European Quartet B2B Workshop

4-6 Hyderabad India International Travel Mart

5-7 Jaipur India Travel Mart

5-13 Kolkata East Himalayan Expo

7 Delhi TravelShop Turkey Roadshow

8 Delhi Sharjah Tourism Road show

8 Jaipur North India Travel Awards

9 Mumbai Sharjah Tourism Road show

10 Chennai TravelShop Turkey Roadshow

11 Bengaluru TravelShop Turkey Roadshow

14 Ahmedabad TravelShop Turkey Roadshow

11-13 Madurai India International Travel Exhibition

18-20 Siliguri Tourism Fair22 -24 Mumbai Travel Tourism Trade Fair – World

Travel Trade Mart23-27 Haridwar CII Uttarakhand Fair

JANUARY 2016INTERNATIONAL11-13 Milan, Italy BIT

20-24 Madrid, Spain FITUR

NATIONAL8-10 Nagpur Global Panorama Showcase8-10 Chennai Travel & Tourism Fair14-16 Kochi India International Travel Mart15 Kolkata Tourism Fiji Roadshow15-17 Bengaluru Travel & Tourism Fair15-17 Mumbai India International Travel & Tourism

Exhibition18 Delhi Tourism Fiji Roadshow18 Kolkata South African Tourism B2B

Roadshow19 Ahmedabad Tourism Fiji Roadshow19 Delhi South African Tourism B2B

Roadshow20 Mumbai Tourism Fiji Roadshow21 Bangalore Tourism Fiji Roashow21 Hyderabad South African Tourism B2B

Roadshow22 Mumbai South African Tourism B2B

Roadshow22 Chennai Tourism Fiji Roadshow22-24 Nagpur India International Travel Exhibition22-24 Coimbatore Holiday Expo22-24 Mumbai Travel Tourism Trade Fair – World

Travel Trade Mart23 Hyderabad Tourism Fiji Roadshow29-31 Delhi SATTE

In a major move, Oman Air willdouble its connectivity from

Muscat to Bengaluru andKochi and will operate 11flights to Lucknow and 10flights to Jaipur, weekly. Addingfrequency to Goa, Oman Airwill now fly daily from Muscatas compared to six flights per week.

With the increase in thenumber of flights, Oman Air willnow offer more than 5,000 addi-tional seats to these key Indiansectors and will operate Boeing737-800 and 737-900 aircraft.Once the uplift in frequencies

has been introduced, Oman Airwill operate a total of 126 flightsper week between Muscat andits destinations in India.

Oman Air flies to 19 des-tinations in the IndianSubcontinent (ISC) thatincludes India, Pakistan,

Bangladesh, Nepal, SriLanka, and the Maldives,out of which 11 destinationsin India.

Sunil V.A., SeniorManager Sales, ISC, OmanAir, said, “The demand fortravel from Muscat to keydestinations in India hasbeen consistently on therise. With daily or doubledaily flights to all our elevendestinations in India, we aredelighted to be offeringmany more air travellers the

opportunity to fly with us andstrengthen our presence in theIndian market.

“Our new flights toBangalore, Kochi, Goa,Lucknow and Jaipur will offerimproved connectivity and con-venience for both leisure andbusiness travellers. This movenot only supports the growth oftourism in Oman and India, butwill also help to promote vitaltrade partnerships between thetwo countries. We are confidentthat our additional flights will be greeted with enthusiasm by both our frequent flyers and those who are new to Oman Air.

From December 1, 2015, Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate ofOman, will increase its frequencies to some key destinations in India.

Oman Air flies to 5 Indian cities

TT BU R E AU

With daily or double daily flights to all our eleven destinations in India, we aredelighted to be offering many more air travellers the opportunity to fly with us

and strengthen our presence in the Indian market.

Sunil V.A.Senior Manager Sales, ISC, Oman Air

“We have seen excellentgrowth from both cor-

porate commercial travel aswell as the leisure side. Wehave tough competition, whichkeeps us on our toes to do bet-ter,” says Dave Hilfman,Senior Vice President, Salesand Marketing, United Airlines,speaking on the response fromIndia in the last 10 years.

Discussing the associa-tion with the travel agents,Hilfman says, “We are veryinvolved with various travelagencies in India as they forma very important arm of busi-ness generation. HarvinderSingh, Sales and CountryManager, watches over theagent community in India verycarefully. Hilfman further adds,“We conduct agent trainingsessions for our travel tradepartners, where depending onthe most relevant topics likenew products, fares etc, thecorporate clients, small or largegroups are educated and

updated.” United works closelywith Star Alliance partnersLufthansa and Air India tocoordinate fares, FrequentFlyer Access and Mileage Plus Programs.

After the completion of 10years, United does not plan toexpand its services in India.“We have always valued themarket demand but as of nowwe have no plans to expand.We are focused on our servicefrom New Delhi and Mumbaiand are not planning on flyingto more cities in India currently.

Having said that, India is ahuge market and we will lookout for any opportunity withtime,” explains Hilfman.

Discussing about MICEand group travels, Hilfman says,“We are very focused on thiscomponent of the business.Appropriate discounts andrecognition of focused travel, likespecial group handling, iscatered by United Airlines”

The carrier is also lookingat expanding its fleet, revealsHilfman, “We have added over

2000 aircrafts in the last fiveyears. We would be the only air-line to have the most modernfleet in the world. Starting inDecember 2015, we are adding25 new Dreamliner 787s; wewould be taking delivery of 300777 aircrafts in December 2016and by 2018 United Airlinesshall have A 350-1000.” Hilfmanalso says, “We are happy withthe two cabin product. We arenot adding any other product interms of cabins, but we certainlyhave added new products in our in-flight entertainment andF&B segment.”

United Airlines, the only non-stop carrier to the US from India, celebrated the10th anniversary of its services into the country. Dave Hilfman, Senior VicePresident, Sales and Marketing, United Airlines, tells about their plans.

United Airlines’ 10 years in India

AN K I TA SAX E N AWe have always valued the market

demand but as of now we have no plans to expand. We are focused on our servicefrom New Delhi and Mumbai and are not

planning on flying to more cities inIndia currently.

Dave HilfmanSenior Vice President, Sales and Marketing,

United Airlines

FEBRUARY 2016INTERNATIONAL11-13 Milan, Italy BIT

24 UK Travel Technology Europe

24 UK Business Travel Show

NATIONAL1 Mumbai Koh Samui Roadshow

(Tourism Authority of Thailand)1 Kolkata Global Destinations B2B event2 Ahmedabad Global Destinations B2B event


Angelkova met Dr. MaheshSharma, Union Minister of

State for Tourism and Culture(Independent Charge) andCivil Aviation, in New Delhirecently to discuss how the twocountries can cooperate topromote tourism sector toboost the number of Indiantourists visiting Bulgaria. “It ismy first visit to India but cer-tainly will not be the last. Theproposed discussion withFICCI, has allowed us a plat-form to conduct meetings withkey players in the travel indus-try to gather knowledge andinformation about the marketthat will help in promotingBulgaria to the Indian trav-ellers,” she says.

Angelkova adds, “InBulgaria we have requestedthe Ministry of ExternalAffairs to consider and beflexible about opening morevisa centers in India at vari-ous locations. We have a visaconsulate in Delhi but weunderstand that it is notalways convenient to travel toDelhi from different parts ofIndia which results in loss oftime and eventually in visitingBulgaria. By stating the exam-ple of France and Germany,we are in the early stages of negotiations with theMinistry and hopefully by nextyear we will have somethingmore concrete.”

Expressing the supportfrom FICCI towards Bulgaria,Jyotsna Suri, President, FICCI,says, “Bulgaria is taking itstourism very seriously and theinterest shown by the TourismMinister of Bulgaria shows thatthey consider India as a poten-tial market. We are very happy that they chose to collaborate with us.”

Angelkova explains, “Wehave worked with travel agentspreviously but on a limited basis.We are very open and helpful toaid the travel and tour operators

with information, Fam trips andawareness about Bulgaria.”

India Tourism had con-ducted a seminar for travelagents in Sofia, Bulgaria inNovember 2014, which wasattended by 69 travel agents.Lack of direct air connectivitybetween India and Bulgaria is one of the major

reasons for small number oftourists travelling between thetwo countries.

A press conference fol-lowed the B2B event onNovember 24, 2015, wherePetko Doykov, Ambassadorof Republic of Bulgariaannounced the Tour ofChampions 2016 Second

Edition to be hosted by Shiv Kapur, Golfer, on May23-29, 2016. “I support the initiatives taken by Bulgariato promote tourism in India andhope that the efforts will befruitful for both the countries,”says Doykov. The GolfTournament is an attempt tonurture golf tourism betweenIndia and Bulgaria.

Nikolina Angelkova, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Bulgaria, talks aboutthe need to ease the visa process for Bulgaria in order to boost the numberof Indian tourists visiting the country.

Bulgaria to attract tourism from IndiaD E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 5 9NTO

SA M A P T I DAS

Bulgaria FilesIndia Tourism hadconducted a seminarfor agents in Sofia,Bulgaria in 2014Petko Doykov,Ambassador of theRepublic of Bulgariaannounced the Tour ofChampions 2016Second Edition to behosted by Shiv Kapur,Golfer, from May 23-29, 2016

(L-R) Jyotsna Suri felicitates Nikolina Angelkova


OPPORTUNITY

Redefining Operations E-ticket has brought in

efficiency in travel transactions.“Smartphones and mobile appshave continued to disrupt theoperating model. More than 33per cent of transactions of allOTAs are done through mobile.MakeMytrip (MMT) has grownto a valuation of 1.1 billion dol-lars; Yatra in a matter of eightyears has grown to a 1000+team and 5.5 million users permonth. Travel companies havemade their operations morestreamlined and customers arespoilt for choice,” says Kumar.

Online Travel SalesOTAs share in overall

transactions has increasedsignificantly and are threaten-ing the traditional ticketingmodels and TMCs. MMT,Yatra, Cleartrip and Goibibomake up almost 90 per cent ofthe entire OTA market in India,which is growing roughly at 40per cent+CAGR. According toPhocusWright, in 2014 morethan 39 per cent bookingswere done in India throughchannels. Mobile accountedfor nearly 20 per cent of booking transactions valueand it is projected to hit $3.2billion by 2017.

New Products

Yes, a lot needs to bedone around personalisation of travel through learning;dynamic itinerary planningalong with integrated third partylocation based services.Augmented reality and predic-tive analytics will be a hugegame changer.

Future of Car Rental There are challenges that

need to be addressed aroundsecurity and compliances—travel and transport being no dif-ferent. The industry has comeback strongly after such strin-

gent actions by the governmentand it has actually helpedimprove their processes anduser experience. A lot of com-panies are developing 24X7security applications, panic but-ton support related productsand services integrated in thecar rental services; and driverscreening processes to provideassurance to passengers thatthey are being tracked and anysupport as required is availableat a short notice.

Agnitio Consulting is instrumental in deploying smart solutionsto help the industry optimise business assets and operations.

Smart biz solutions

Ashish KumarManaging Partner-Agnitio Consulting LLP, a Delhi-based operating partner andconsulting firm

VA I S H A L I DA R

The Ministry of Tourism hasreveaaled that FTAs in India duringJanuary-October 2015 were 62.88lakh, recording a growth of 4.3 percent compared to the same dura-tion last year with 60.28 lakh FTAsand a growth of 11.4 per cent overJanuary-October 2013.

During October 2015, 6.80

lakh FTAs were recorded com-pared to FTAs of 6.68 lakh duringthe month of October last year,registering a growth of 1.7 per centover October 2014. Among the top15 source countries, the growthwas highest from Bangladesh(15.22 per cent), followed by USA(12.99 per cent), UK (11.31 per

cent), Sri Lanka (3.69 per cent),Germany (3.62 per cent), Canada(3.58 per cent), Australia (3.37 percent), Malaysia (3.03 per cent),France (3.01 per cent), Nepal(2.67 per cent), and China (2.55per cent). These top 15 countriesaccount for 72.73 per cent of totalFTAs during October 2015.

The percentage share amongstthe top five ports receiving FTAswas highest at Delhi Airport (33.95per cent) followed by MumbaiAirport (16.90 per cent),Haridaspur Land check post (8.73per cent), Chennai Airport (7.50per cent) and Bengaluru Airport(6.19 per cent).

4.3 per cent rise in FTAs till Oct: MoT


D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 6 1OPPORTUNITY


6 2 TRAVTALK D E C E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 MOVEMENTSThe OrchidMumbaiVarun Sahani has joined The Orchid, Mumbai as the GeneralManager. Earlier he worked as GM, Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa

Resort, Noida. Sahani carries an experience ofover two decades. An IHM graduate, he has

worked with some of the leading hospitalitybrands. He specialises in operations andsales. He has also been associated withvarious hotels from the project stage andhas experience in pre opening and establishing operations. As a team leader

his forte extends from revenue management, budgeting, strategic planning

and cost control.

Howard Johnson Bengaluru Hebbal Bengaluru Rishi Neoge has been appointed as General Manager of HowardJohnson Bengaluru Hebbal. With over 19 years of experience, he

has held several positions in Food and Beveragewithin the leading luxury and business hotelsacross India like ITC, The Imperial, IHCL andIHG to name a few. Neoge looks forward tothe opportunities and challenges that thenew assignment brings his way. Howard

Johnson Bengaluru Hebbal is part ofWyndham Hotel Group that offers free Wi-Fi,

a well equipped gymnasium, execu-tive lounge and meeting rooms, spaand sauna facility, and a gleamingazure outdoor swimming pool.

Yves Perrin, Consul General of France in Mumbai, says thathe doesn’t take stress easily. “A few of my favourite activitieswhen I was in Paris were to ride back home on a motorcycleand once home, work in my garden. These made me forgetthe stress of that day!” he adds. He also collects pens as ahobby. On holidaying, he says,“Over the years, we have beento Greece several times andwe love it. We have alsovisited the DominicanRepublic where I enjoywind-surfing with my son.But my most memorableholiday has been a roundtrip to the West of EU in acamping car! I haven’t beenable to even think about taking apleasure trip in India as Ihave just arrivedbut I lookforward totravellinghere aswell.”

Claudio Zemp, Director (India), Switzerland Tourism, practicesyoga and meditation. “I have already started practicing and Ifind it a very good way to relax. I have travelled within India andmy favourite destination here is also the hardest I’ve visited.My first stop when I came to India was Varanasi and it was an

eye-opener. I was suddenly throwninto a totally new world. But I had

some of the best times there. Itwas probably the most intenseexperience I have had. I havealso travelled all overRajasthan,” he says. Zemp is

quite a good skier having grownup in Switzerland which he feelsis difficult to continue in India.

“But I’ve heard of a place in Kashmir that has good

skiing slopes. So I want tocheck out what the Indian

competition is doing,”he adds.

Jamal Humaid Al Falasi, Director, Dubai Cruise Tourism,doesn’t have time to relax. “I play a lot of sports as it keepsme in good shape and clears my mind. Swimming andfishing also give me peace and a break from work. I alsoenjoy traveling and like to discover Asia. I visit a new Asian

destination every year and havecovered China, Korea, Japan,

Thailand and Malaysia. I have even repeatedcountries but with adifferent itinerary. I do goto Europe, but Asiaremains my favourite,”

he says. “I’m trying to discover India slowly,”

he adds.

JW Marriott Mumbai SaharMumbaiNikita Gonsalves has been appointed as the Director of Sales at JWMarriott Mumbai Sahar. Prior to joining the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar,

Gonsalves was the Director of Sales at the HiltonShillim Estate Retreat & Spa. She holds an

MBA in Marketing. Her vast portfolio includesprestigious brands like The Marriott Group,Taj Hotels and the Hilton Group before shemade her way into JW Marriott MumbaiSahar. With nine years of experience in thehospitality industry, she brings on boardnotable expertise in developing strategies

for pricing, weddings, catering,MICE, Business Transient as wellas overall revenue managementincluding handling online travel agencies.

JW MarriottChandigarhJW Marriott Chandigarh has appointed Anang Chaturvedi as thenew Director of Sales & Marketing for its 164-roomproperty.In this role, Chaturvedi will be creating andoverseeing the hotel's yearly businessand marketing plans, as well as manag-ing the sales team. He started his careerwith the Marriott group and has beenwith them for the past 13 years. He hasrecently joined JW Marriott Chandigarhfrom Courtyard by Marriott, Mumbai. Hegraduated from Gujarat University and holdsa Diploma in Hotel Management fromIHMCTAN, Mumbai.

Park Plaza NoidaAnkur Mehrotra has been appointed as the new Director Sales &Marketing at Park Plaza Noida. Before joining here, he workedwith Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group for three anda half years. With an enriching experienceof 12 years, Mehrotra aspires to direct allsales and marketing effor ts towardsachieving the operational goal of thehotel. Previous assignment was withCountry Inn & Suites Sahibabad asDirector of Sales. He has previouslyworked at The Claridges, Jaypee Hotelsand InterContinental Hotels.

Four Points by Sheraton Navi MumbaiMumbaiRashi Honrao Gakkan has been appointed as the Learning &Development Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai,Vashi. With around six years of experiencein the hospitality industry, Gakkan hasworked with renowned brands like theMarriott, Accor, Hilton and Starwood.She has been part of two landmarkpre-opening teams, namely theWestin Mumbai Garden City and theSofitel Mumbai BKC. She holds aMasters in Organisational Psychology.Gakkan has also led some very successfulquality assurance training audits.

eRevMax LondoneRevMax International, the leading provider of hospitality technologyand distribution solutions, has appointed Jyoti Kumar Saraf as Chief

Financial Officer (CFO) to spearhead its inter-national financial operations. Saraf joined

the company as VP–Finance in August thisyear and has now been promoted as CFOfollowing his exceptional performanceover the last few months. He is a highlyaccomplished finance professional andbrings over 22 years of relevant experi-ence across multiple sectors. He will be

overseeing all financial management andreporting, including corporate accounting

for the company globally.

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

Rahul Korgaokar has been appointed as the Director ofOperations at Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centreand Courtyard by Marriott, Hyderabad. He brings with him over10 years of experience in the Food & Beverage department. He

started his career in 2003 with TheOberoi Mumbai as RestaurantManager. He was also part of the pre-opening team of the first Movenpick

Hotels & Resorts in Bangalore. Hejoined the Marriott in 2013 as Director

of Food & Beverage at the Goa MarriottResort & Spa.

Hyderabad Marriott Hotel &Convention Centre & Courtyard byMarriott HyderabadSunny Ghaiee has been appointed as theDirector of Sales & Marketing forHyderabad Marriott Hotel &Convention Centre & Courtyard byMarriott Hyderabad. He brings withhim over 18 years of experience inthe hospitality industry handlingsales and marketing. He has workedwith several hotels in various capacities. He started his career withMarriott in 2010. He graduated with aBachelor’s Degree in TourismStudies from IGNOU.


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:30-11-2015

QYou have a renewed focus ondomestic tourists. Why?Earlier, we used to focus mostly on

international tourists. But, now we aredeveloping a marketing and promotionalcampaign for international as well asdomestic tourists. The Chief Minister ofRajasthan is very pro-tourism and isalways guiding the department officials.

The state government is now starting toaggressively market itself to the rest ofIndia and the world. We are also thinkingof having a brand ambassador.

QWhat is the agenda behind theroadshow?We want to tell travel agents and

tour operators about our new and upcom-ing products. Rajasthan has a lot of less-er-known destinations. This roadshow isto promote all these things and is part ofthe bigger marketing campaign. The pri-ority for the current government istourism. Hence, we are focusing ontourism in a planned manner. We are alsoplanning to conduct a familiarisation tourfor the trade.

QWhat are the new products thatyou are promoting?The state government has decided

to start cruise tourism in the many lakes of Rajasthan just like in Dubai. Itwill be done by Lama Tours, which alsoruns similar operations in Dubai. We will start the cruise in Udaipur. It’s in the

planning and discussion stage as of now,since it requires the involvement of theforest as well as the irrigation depart-ments as we don’t want to disturb theecology. There are a few places inUdaipur where we will be starting cruises by 2016.

We are also promoting night or sum-mer tourism, since the summers areextremely hot here. Six months ago, we

started this in Amer Fort and Albert Hall,Jaipur. As part of the initiative, tourists canboard a coach, like Volvo, with a restau-rant, and go around Jaipur in the night. Thenight tour includes sound and light shows(in Chittaur, Kumbalgarh, Jantar Mantar)and ends with dinner.

QKindly share the figures fordomestic tourism in the state.Rajasthan wants to grow its

domestic tourism. In 2013, we recorded14.4 million tourists followed by 33 millionin 2014. By 2018, we want to take this to 50 million.

Q What about Foreign TouristArrivals (FTAs)?Foreign Tourist Arrivals have also

been increasing steadily. In 2013, we hadmore than 14,37,000 foreigners that hadgone up to 15,26,000 by 2014. We wantto increase this by 10 per cent, i.e. one million by 2018. Maximum arrivals arefrom Europe and the US. We will now dosome promotional events there and roadshows next year.

QHas there been any increase inthe tourism budget?It used to be around `12-15 crore

some years ago. The state governmenthas increased it to `45 crore in 2014. Sowe are already on track.

QWhat new initiatives isRajasthan Tourism taking?The Rajasthan Government has

started working on a new tourism unit policy, which will offer government land onsubsidised rates for tourism units such ashotels, resorts, etc. The state governmenthas identified 100 such units of land in keylocations like Jaisalmer, Jodhpur andJaipur. We want to have good hotels in ourstate and attract investors for this with athrust on budget hotels. This will not beunder PPP but on private basis.

QDo you offer incentives for this?

Yes, we do. If anyone wants to buyland either on agriculture or residential land,it will be converted freely without any con-version charges. Moreover, on purchase ofany land to build a hotel, the investor willget 50 per cent concession on stamp duty.The government has also exempted a 10-11 per cent luxury tax of ̀ 3,000 for thenew hotel units for seven years as an incen-tive. We have also doubled the FAR from2.5 to 5 to act as an incentive. Apart fromthis, we will also reimburse up to 50 per centVAT to all new units under the new tourismunit policy for seven years. A restaurant cur-rently levies 13 per cent VAT on the menuitems. We have been offering these incen-tives since 2015.

With an increased budget for marketing this year, Rajasthan Tourism isreaching out to travel agents and tour operators to update them aboutthe new and upcoming products. G.S. Gangwal, Joint Director,Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, reveals more.

Rajasthan eyes domestic tourists

HA Z E L JA I N

The state government has decidedto start cruise tourism in the manylakes of Rajasthan just like in DubaiThere are a few places in Udaipurwhere we will be starting cruises by2016. It’s in the planning and

discussion stage as of now.

G.S. GangwalJoint Director, Department of Tourism,

Government of Rajasthan

The Tourism Department ofRajasthan organised its first-ever road-show titled ‘Visit Rajasthan’ in associationwith Federation of Hospitality & Tourismof Rajasthan. The 10-city roadshow start-ed with Ahmedabad (Aug 27-28) and trav-elled to New Delhi (Sept 25-26),Chandigarh (Sept 28-29), Mumbai (Oct26-27), and Pune (Oct 28-29), and willnow be going to Chennai (Dec 7-8),Bengaluru (Dec 10-11), Kolkata (Jan 8-9), Guwahati (Jan 11-12) and concludingin Hyderabad (Feb 11-12).

10-city roadshow


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