ddppl.com travtalkindiatravtalkindia.com/pdf/2015/04-apr-2015-2.pdf · 4/4/2015 · ddppl.com...

` 50/-Vol. XXVII Issue 8; April 2nd fortnight i ssue 2015 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 36

ddpp

l.com

Trav

Talk

Indi

a.co

m

FINAL FILE_TT_APRIL-2ND-2015:TT Layout 4/17/2015 3:11 PM

Trav

Talk

Indi

a.co

m

ddpp

l.com

APRIL 2ND FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2015 TRAVTALK 3

Industry applauds govt’s tourism planThe industry’s optimism has doubled after the introduction of Visa Online. Eagerly awaiting the release of theNew Tourism Policy, industry stalwarts speak to about how this will boost inbound arrivals to the country.

ME G H A PAU L

Inbound has been a challenge tillnow. However, with the government’snew initiative of the eVisa, things willbe back on track soon. The new e-visa system will prevent line-ups infront of the visa desks at airports,reduce the workload of staff workingat airports, save time for staff atIndian consulates and embassies,provide easier visa facilitation for foreigners that visit India fortourism and business purposes and increase the number of thevisitors as well as tourism and foreign trade revenue.

Jyotsna SuriIndia Travel Award Winner and President, FICCI

With the recent introduction of ETA, weonly see happy times for the inbound mar-ket. The inbound from many of our con-ventional markets, especially the US willgrow tremendously. However, there hasbeen a sharp decline in Russian touristsdue to steep fall in rouble and the Ukrainecrisis. Offbeat destinations like North Eastwill see better growth than previous yearsand so will specialised luxury and wedding segments. Other segmentswhich will see good growth are the adventure and sports segments.Educational travel and incentive travel will show significant increases ascompared with the previous year.

Dipak DevaCEO- Destination Management, India & South Asia

Kuoni Destination Management

‘It’s Visa Online with ETA, not Visa-on-Arrival’In the wake of the recent confusion

relating to the Indian Government’sVisa-on-Arrival, subject to ElectronicTravel Authorisation policy, the ministry clarified that it will now becalled Visa Online (with ETA). Dr Lalit Panwar, Tourism Secretaryclarified, “We have taken up the issuewith the Home Ministry and now we willcall it Visa Online. Then there will be noconfusion because it means that youwill get your visa online in your inbox.

So, it is Visa Online, with ElectronicTravel Authorisation.”

VoA, as we understand it, is landingin a country and then getting your visawithout having to apply for it in advance.However, what the Indian government hasgranted citizens of 43 countries is TouristVisa-on-Arrival enabled by ElectronicAuthorisation, or Visa Online.

Applicants of the eligible countries may apply online minimum 4 days in

advance of the date of arrival with awindow of 30 days.

Recent front facing photograph withwhite background and photo page ofPassport with personal details to beuploaded by the applicant. The appli-cation is liable to be rejected if theuploaded document and photographare not clear as per specification.

The visa fee is US$ 60 per passengerexcluding interchange charge for cred-

it/debit cards. The fee must be paid 4days before the expected date of travelfilled by you otherwise application willnot be processed.

The visa fee once submitted is non-refundable. Applicant should carry acopy of ETA along with him/her at thetime of travel.

Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at

Luxury travel is on therise from markets suchas the US and Far East.An important develop-ment that we shouldwatch out for is the entryof AirAsia and Tata-SIAairlines in the domesticskies. Also, the introduc-tion of ETA by government has removed bottlenecksfor foreign visitors planning to come to India. We canexpect more customers opting for experiential holi-days as this is the new trend.

Vikram MadhokManaging Director

Abercrombie & Kent India

Lalit PanwarSecretary, MoT

Contd. on page 32

Contd. on page 10


INTERVIEW

QWhat are the newinitiatives that

WTTC-II is planning in2015?

WTTC-II and HVS have aState Ranking Survey, pro-duced biennially to identify theState performance on variousparameters. Based on this sur-vey, we have an award systemin place. This is non-partisanand scoring methodology isbased on hard facts leading torankings obtained by the Statesin the different parameters. Weproduce this piece of researchto lend weight behind the causeof tourism and encourage theStates to compete and performbetter on the tourism front. The4th edition of this Survey is duethis year. Among the manyother initiatives we will focus onthe Southern Zonal TourismAdvisory Council (SZTAC), aninitiative we had partnered

along with Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Naduand the UTs of Andaman andLakshwadeep, with the focus onan integrated development ofTravel & Tourism in theSouthern Region.

QHow important is theWTTC forecast for

India?

The WTTC forecast rein-forces the fact that Travel &Tourism contributes to jobs,employment, economy andGDP in India. India will have thehighest growth of any majorcountry in Travel & Tourism in2015 due to the recent reform ofits visa processes, which hasbeen a barrier to growth tillrecently. This will radically

increase the number of interna-tional visitors. Improving theinternational prominence of the‘Incredible India’ campaign willdefinitely aid in increasing touristflows to different places acrossthe country.

QWhat are the otherinitiatives that the

states and other associ-ations could take toboost inbound?

The new Tourism Policybeing formulated by theGovernment of India will be theoverarching direction fortourism in India. The imple-mentation of various facets ofthe Tourism Policy will be a keyinitiative that the States willhave to take. Proper implemen-tation will definitely boost bothinbound and domestic tourism.The Associations must play avery important role in supple-menting and implementing theresponsibilities.

World Travel & Tourism Council-India Initiative, is working together with the stakeholdersof the industry through various initiatives. Manav Thadani, Chairman-Asia Pacific, HVSand Chairman, WTTC-II, tells about the recent initiatives of the organisation.

WTTC spotlight on India

ME G H A PAU L

India will have the highestgrowth of any major

country in Travel & Tourism in2015 due to the recent reform

of its visa processes, whichhas been a barrier to

growth till recently.

Manav ThadaniChairman-Asia Pacific, HVS and

Chairman, WTTC-II


STATISTICS

VIEWPOINT

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

EditorialMegha PaulDevika Jeet

Kanchan NathHazel Jain

Samapti Das

News-EditorPeden Doma Bhutia

MUMBAI:504, Marine Chambers, 43, New Marine Lines, Opp. SNDT College,

Mumbai - 400 020, India, Ph.: +91-22-22070129; 22070130

MIDDLE EAST:Durga Das Publications Middle East (FZE)

Z1-02, PO Box: 9348, Saif Zone, Sharjah, UAE Ph.:+971-6-5528954, Fax: +971-6-5528956

TRAVTALK is printed, published and edited by SanJeet on behalfof Durga Das Publications Pvt. Ltd., printed at Cirrus

Graphics Pvt. Ltd., B-62/14, Phase II, Naraina IndustrialArea, New Delhi - 110 028 and published at

72, Todarmal Road, New Delhi - 110 001

Advertising (Mumbai)Suchita Saran

Branch ManagerHarshal Ashar

Deputy General ManagerPriyanshu Wankhade

Asst. Manager AdvertisingSusan Eapen

Marketing Co-ordinatorAdvertisement Designers

Vikas Mandotia / Nitin KumarDesign: Nityanand Misra

Sudhir MudgalProduction: Anil Kharbanda

Circulation: Ashok Rana

AdvertisingGunjan Sabikhi

Asst. Vice PresidentAarti Nagrath

General ManagerKarishma Khanna

Deputy General ManagerUdit Pandey

Sr. Manager MarketingGeetika Pathak

Manager AdvertisingBharat Chawla

Asst. Manager MarketingPrableen Pasricha

Asst. Manager MarketingNaveen Kumar

Executive MarketingPhotographers

Simran Kaur-DelhiCIN: U22210DL2012PTC230432

TT BU R E AU

Indian outbound trip lengthcontinues stable growth

The average length of outbound trips (number of nights)stood at eight nights in 2013, with little change since 2012.However, TTIC expects Indian travelers to increase thelength of their outbound trips over the forecast period inline with the potential economic growth currently takingplace. Consequently, length of overnight stays is forecastto increase to nine nights by 2019.

Regional govts are marketing‘staycations’

For many years, all tourismadvertising and promotion was han-dled by central government bodies.However, a few years ago, somestates started providing biggerbudgets to their own departments oftourism. Realizing that internationaltourism will always be seasonal,regional tourism boards made aconcerted effort to target theexpanding domestic tourism market.For instance, in Goa, foreign touristsarrive in October but during mon-soon months there are few arrivalsso the local government of Goa soldthe “Goa in the Rains” campaign asa domestic package, where thestate rolled out attractions designedspecifically for Indians. The state ofKerala has also packaged the mon-soon season to domestic touristswith their “Dream Season” campaignwhere attractions such as yoga andwellness camps appeal mainly toIndian tourists.

LENGTH OF TRIP

DOMESTIC TOURISM

The domestic tourism sector in India registered a 14.1% increase in 2014over 2013. brings you excerpts of a report titled ‘Insights on the IndiaTourism Market’ by Canadean Travel & Tourism Intelligence Center.

Domestic tourism boom in India

Top States for Domestic Tourism, 2013

Domestic travel nowthreatens to overtakeoutbound trips

India is currently experiencing a domestictourism boom. The number of domestic tripsreached over 1.3 billion in 2014, representinga 14.1% increase on 2013 figures. Thisaccounts for more than three-quarters ofIndia’s entire tourism market, more than double the growth rate of outbound depar-tures during 2014.

India Outbound Departures (in 000’s)

State 2013 Growth (%)

Tamil Nadu 244232487 32.6

Uttar Pradesh 226531091 34.5

Andhra Pradesh 152102150 -26.6

Karnataka 98010140 4.2

Maharashtra 82700556 10.5

Madhya Pradesh 63110709 18.6

Rajasthan 30298150 5.8

Gujarat 27412517 12.4

West Bengal 25547300 12.3

Chhattisgarh 22801031 51.6

Country 2012 2013 2014

Thailand 985.8 1093.4 1181.9

United Arab Emirates 964.5 1032.5 1088.9

Saudi Arabia 998.7 1007.6 1060.1

Singapore 894.9 931.7 1074.2

Kuwait 826.5 872.6 888.3

United States 724.4 824.8 961.9

Malaysia 691.2 697.3 698.1

China 610.1 619.4 624.6

Bahrain 466.9 488.8 498.2

Hong Kong 429.3 431.6 433.0

The Bard may have famouslyremarked, "What’s in a name?”, if only

he knew the plight of the IndianGovernment and the tourists, he’d havegot his answer. The nomenclature ‘Visa-on-Arrival’ has earned a lot of flak of lateas confusion surrounds the government’slatest move to boost tourism.

However, it may be remarked thatwhile the Finance Minister in his Budgetspeech reiterated the word ‘Visa-on-Arrival’, the Ministry of Tourism has alwayscalled it ‘Tourist Visa-on-Arrival, enabledwith Electronic Travel Authorisation’. Thename itself explains the main differencein the two methods and the difference inwhich each visa can be secured.

And now with spring in the air, cansummer be far behind? With thedepreciation in the euro, Europe suddenlyseems like the favourite destination forIndians. Inbound agents too are hopefulof a good business this season, all thatthey are waiting for eagerly is thegovernment’s all-new Tourism Policy.

The World Travel & Tourism Council(WTTC) report that was released lastmonth mentions India as an importantmarket and that visa reforms will fuelIndian tourism to grow by 7.5% in 2015.The report says that during 2015, theindustry’s GDP contribution is forecast togrow by 7.5% and employment by 1.8%.This demonstrates the sector’s enduringability to generate economic growth andcreate jobs at a faster rate than thenational economy, which is due to growby 6.7% in 2015.

With so many things happening, themood among industry people is of coursebuoyant, but even then everyone wants thesecond phase of the Incredible Indiacampaign to be rolled out soon. A renewedenergy runs in the Indian tourism industryand we can only hope that thegovernment’s efforts will further bolster this.

All that’s in the name


The five-member delegationled by Said Ali Mbarouk,

Minister of Information,Culture, Tourism & Sports, vis-ited Mumbai recently to openits first international officereflects the seriousness withwhich Zanzibar is approachingthis new market. “While this isa historic moment for us as weopen our first overseas officein Mumbai, this market is notnew to us. Zanzibar and India

have had cultural ties two cen-turies ago with a lot of Indiancommunities especially fromGujarat living in Tanzania andZanzibar,” he said. The Mumbaioffice will be headed by JileshHimat Babla, Director,Zanzibar Tourism PromotionCentre India (ZTPC). TheZanzibar delegation was inMumbai to meet key trade part-ners including airlines, travelassociations and even film andTV biggies.

While in Mumbai, theZPTC signed an MoU with theTravel Agents Association ofIndia (TAAI) as well as the

Travel Agents Federation ofIndia (TAFI) on April 2, 2015 forjointly promoting the destina-tion through their respectivemembers. It also signed a MoUwith the Indian MerchantsChamber (IMC) for encourag-ing trade and business inZanzibar. Highlighting some ofthe challenges, Babla said, “Wedo have an issue with connec-tivity at the moment as we don’thave any direct flights but we dohave six to seven internationalcarriers flying via their respective

hubs to Zanzibar with a mini-mum flying time of around 10hours. But we are in dialogueswith the IMC and at the govern-ment level to have a direct con-nectivity from India and haveseen a very positive response.”

He added that the ZTPCis thankful to all the internation-al airlines – Ethiopian, OmanAir, Air Seychelles, KenyaAirways and Qatar Airways –

that were ready to work withthe Centre to promoteZanzibar in India. “I invite themto Zanzibar to discuss thedetails with the government,”Babla said. It is also in talkswith two Indian carriers – withAir India to restart its flights andwith Jet Airways to start charterflights to Zanzibar.

While the US, Europeand Russia have traditionally

been Zanzibar’s mainstay, it isopening up to newer andemerging markets like Indiadue to their stable economy.

Outlining its upcomingtrade activities, Babla said,“There is a lack of informationand awareness about Zanzibaramong the travel trade and weplan to resolve this quickly.While we have been doing afew activities here through the

last decade, we haven’t donemuch and we plan to step onthe accelerator starting this moment.”

On the cards are trainingworkshops for agents androadshows as well as partici-pation in key trade fairs. ZTPCwill also do a familiarisationtrips for 12 of its key trade part-ners. Visas for Indians (individ-uals and groups) are available

on arrival at all internationalairports in Tanzania andZanzibar. With regards to safe-ty, which is always a worrynowadays, the trade can restassured that Zanzibar is oneof the safest destinations.Addressing another concern,Babla added that Indian dishes are available very easily all across Zanzibar dueto the huge Indian communityliving there.

A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 7NTO

Having opened its first overseas office in Mumbai recently, Zanzibar Tourism has planned an intensive outreachprogram for the travel trade in India. Encouraging Bollywood shoots in the archipelago is also high on priority.

Zanzibar activates tourism channelsHA Z E L JA I N

Said Ali MbaroukMinister of Information, Culture, Tourism & Sports, Zanzibar

Jilesh Himat BablaDirectorZanzibar Tourism Promotion Centre India


8 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 GUEST COLUMN

Revenue management is theapplication of disciplined

analytics that predict consumerbehaviour at the micro-marketlevel and optimise product avail-ability and price to maximiserevenue growth. It is a techniqueto optimise income revenuefrom a fixed but perishableinventory and the primaryobjective is to sell the right prod-uct to the right customer at theright time for the right price. Inany business the most importantdecision is what to sell, when tosell, to whom to sell and for howmuch. The discipline of revenuemanagement combines datamining and operations researchand patterns with strategy andanalysis of customer behaviour.Since its inception in 80s numer-ous hotels worldwide and justabout every airline has used thistool successfully.

Before the emergence ofthe current discipline of revenuemanagement the airline indus-try experimented with practicesthat could be loosely termed as revenue management. Thiswas done after the deregulation

by the governments in the early80s. It was born out of the needto stimulate demand for seatsthat would otherwise fly emptyand BOAC (now BA) was thefirst one to experiment. LaterAmerican Airlines pioneeredthe practice of yield manage-ment which underlined maximising revenue throughinventory controlled analysis.Later the mild recession of 80s and introduction of low cost airlines posed different threatsand the airline industry devised newer methods likeadvance purchase and non-refundable fares.

Whereas yield man-agement involvedspecific actions togenerate yieldthrough perishableinventory manage-ment, ReveneueManagementencompasses wide range ofopportunities toincrease revenue.

The hotels took note ofthe success of the airlineindustry as they faced thesame issues like perishableinventory, customers bookingin advance, lower cost com-petition and wide swings withregard to balancing supplyand demand. A natural exten-sion of hotel managementwas to rental cars which expe-rienced similar issues of dis-counts and duration control.This discipline was furtherdeveloped for not only pricingperishable products maximis-ing profitability by segmentingcustomers and creating a dif-ferentiated and targeted pricestructure.

By 2000, virtually allmajor hotels, airlines, cruiselines and rental cars firms hadimplemented RevenueManagement Systems to pre-dict customer demand andoptimise available price. Themain objective was to selectthe best combination of fore-casted demand given existingprices. It uses the overallprinciples of supply and

demand economics, in a tac-tical way, to generate incre-mental revenues.

It is of high relevance incases where fixed costs arehigh as compared to variablecosts. The lesser variable coststhere are, the more added rev-enues will contribute to theoverall profit.

Revenue management, since its inception in the 80’s, has been used as a successfultool by numerous hotels and just about every airline. The tool combines data miningand operations research and patterns with strategy & analysis of customer behaviour.

Money matters of the industry

(The writer is Harinder Singh, MD,

H S Consultancy)

ATM watchful of family luxury travel trends

With a number of wealthyfamilies making travel a high-spend priority, Arabian TravelMarket 2015 (ATM) hasdecided to make it the pointof focus in their seminarseries. As the region’sinbound and outbound travelprofessionals look to makethe most of this niche market

opportunity, ATM 2015 is allset with its special seminarseries to assess the impactand value of the local andglobal family travel market.

The top three luxuryholiday destinations forMENA residents are UAE(14%), Italy (10%) andTurkey (5%) according to thelatest YouGov report. 25% ofthe Middle East and NorthAfrican Region (MENA) res-idents opt for luxury accom-modation and 20% choose

to fly first or business forleisure. This trend is one thatLuxury hotels are looking atvery carefully as a third ofMENA residents opt to stayat luxury hotels.

“This trend for luxuryfamily travel offers opportuni-ties for tour operators to cre-ate tailor-made packagesthat take into account notonly family needs, but alsothe cultural considerationsunique to the MENA region,and this opens up tremen-dous marketing opportuni-ties. Luxury, and family luxurytravel in particular, is a trendto watch, and one that will becovered extensively at thisyear’s show,” said NadegeNoblet, Exhibition Manager,Arabian Travel Market.

Two ILTM@ATM semi-nar sessions will concentrateon a variety of features of lux-ury travel: ‘Biting into GourmetTravel’ and ‘Luxury FamilyTravel’. The Luxury FamilyTravel seminar will identifysome of the key trends oftoday's wealthy families. Thepanel discussion will closewith an assessment of theeffect and value of the localand international family trav-el market within the overar-ching domestic and globalluxury tourism industries.

Nadege Noblet Exhibition ManagerArabian Travel Market


1 0 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 COVER STORY

Growing scope for MICE, luxury travelIndian tourism has reached a stagewherein we should be now talkingabout ease of doing travel to thecountry. On the experiential front tothe ultimate spenders, we still are notresponding well enough to their aspi-rations. There should be a mecha-nism in place to improve it. In today’sage, we truly need to see a new ver-sion of Incredible India. We should

work on safety-related apps and helplines on a pan-India basisin this technology age.

Priya PaulChairperson, The Park Hotels

With the recent clearance of eVoA, we under-stand the importance of tourism as a strongrevenue generator for the country. Goa, overthe years, has emerged as a tourist hotspot,for Indian as well as foreign tourists.Traditionally, Goa’s unique amalgamation andfusion of Indian and Portuguese cultures hasmade it a very unique and special state. Thecheerful and friendly nature of Goans, alongwith its inherent natural beauty and historicmonuments has cemented Goa’s position asa top tourist destination. Since the late 60s,Goa has been associated with beaches andparties. While that association continues to bemade, we see ourselves as a place whichoffers a world of experiences to the tourist insome 3,702 sq kms of space. Goa has manyother things, and our plan for 2015 is to drawthe attention of the world to all that Goa hasto offer, such as its rich arts, its fusion of Indo-Portuguese cuisine etc.

Ameya AbhyankarDirector, Department of Tourism-Goa

This year is expected to witness immensescope of growth across MICE, inbound, out-bound as well as domestic travel. The recentincrease in hotel inventory at tourist loca-tions certainly is an encouraging initiative.We consider this to be a positive develop-ment as this will lead to rate correction attourist locations and spur demand from theinbound market. With the entry of newer car-riers and eVoA introduction, there is hugepotential of creating a huge competitive space – both a challenge and anopportunity – overall a positive development with correction in pricing,rationalisation and a balanced perspective. Though there is a need formore government initiatives and relaxed taxation policies on productsand services, the eVoA for travellers from 43 countries will definitelyprovide an added boost in the right direction.

Prashant NarayanCOO and Head-Leisure Travel Inbound Business, Thomas Cook India

New visa regime (ETA) is a big gamechanger for India as a travel destina-tion. I believe that India need not havewait till 2020 to see the internationalinbound to double. It would happen inthe next couple of years. As we predictan increased demand for hotels, weare looking at opening 10 to 12 newhotels in 2015. We will bring in our lux-ury brands like St Regis and W intoIndia soon. We also see tremendous opportunities in conversionspace this year. Hopefully, 2015 will be one of the most successfulyears after 2007 for Starwood Hotels in India.

Dilip PuriManaging Director-India, Starwood Hotels & Resorts

The PM was talking about tourism evenbefore he came to power. The good newsfor us is that he understands our sector. Butnow we are a trifle disappointed as we con-tinue to see the flattening of the tourismcurve. Investors are still not too encouraged.The mood is right but we need to see moremomentum on the ground.

Arjun SharmaMD, Select Group

Contd. from page 3


QWhat do you feel is theimpact of sports on tourism?

The inaugural BNP ParibasWTA Finals Singapore presented bySC Global showed that once again,Singapore is a regional leader whenit comes to attracting world classsporting events. This was the first timethat such a huge tennis tournament,had been held in Singapore and theregion and we were delighted that wesaw such a passionate atmos-phere at the matches.

Nearly 130,000 fansattended the event over theweek, enjoying not just the ten-nis but a full entertainment pack-age that was available. We wel-comed nearly 10,000 fans from59 countries to the tournamentand we look forward to buildingon that solid foundation this year.

As one of the most important women’s tennisevents on the WTA calendar, theWTA Finals complementsSingapore’s suite of lifestyleofferings, strengtheningSingapore’s appeal as a desti-nation. It is also a great oppor-tunity to showcase Singapore tothe world’s best women tennisplayers, their fans and globalsuite of sponsors and investors.

QHow will WTAimpact tourism in

Singapore till 2018? This is just the beginning

for us. Last year saw an encour-aging number of tourists whocame specifically for the tennis.As we’ve seen with other majorsporting events in Singapore, asmomentum builds around theevent, the greater the appeal ofSingapore to travellers. This

year, the format of the tournament hasbeen enhanced. There will be eight fulldays of competitive tennis this year, withextended sessions, the return of theWTA Rising Stars competition and theWTA Legends Invitational series allmake this a fantastic package.

The contribution of sportingevents like the WTA Finals goes beyondtourism expenditure. The WTA Finalshas helped to profile Singapore inter-

nationally to viewers and fans fromaround the world. Local companies canalso enjoy business opportunities bycreating fringe events and lifestyle expe-riences for fans. The community isengaged via a programme of promo-tional and participation led activities, allcontributing to a positive social impact.

QWhat are your marketingplans around Indians

visiting WTA?

India represents a reallyimportant market for the event. Withthat in mind, we’re working hard toraise awareness with Indian trav-ellers – in particular sports and ten-nis fans – that Singapore is a world-class destination for them to consid-er. As part of that push, we’ve beenworking with Fans On Stands to helpwith the overall packaging and fulfill-ment of the offer we have in place forIndian fans. Our partnership with

them is critical for us as they areIndia’s only dedicated sports travelagency and have already worked fora number of years promoting theSingapore Grand Prix, therefore theirknowledge of the Indian market isunrivalled. As of now, Fans OnStands has already begun to seedthe offering with travel partnersthroughout India and is engagingwith other industry partners to helppromote the event.

Singapore welcomed 10,000 fans from 59 countries last year for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) final. Nowtapping on India’s potential, WTA Finals offer an overall holistic sports and entertainment package, catering to all needs.

Tennis court: New playground for tourismTT BU R E AU

A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 1 1NTO

As part of that push,we’ve been workingwith Fans On Standsto help with theoverall packagingand fulfillment of theoffer we have in place for Indian fans

Sarah ClementsDirector-OperationsBNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore


ASSOCIATIONS

QWhat was the out-come of the Heritage

Tourism Conclave? The Conclave was very

well carried out. The detaileddiscussions and deliberationsby senior government represen-

tatives and industry expertshave been submitted to theMinistry of Tourism by way ofrecommendations from thePHD Chamber of Commerceand Industry for their consider-ation and for any further neces-sary action.

QWhat were the take-aways from the

event? The discussions at the

Conclave aimed at promotingand propagating Indian her-itage potential not only todomestic tourists but also tointernational tourism commu-nities. We are hopeful that theconcerned agencies will worktowards proper upliftment ofheritage prides to attract for-eign tourists in India.

QWhat is the roadahead for heritage

tourism in India? The Ministry of Tourism

has so far done a commendablejob in promoting Indian heritagein overseas markets. Futureendeavours must be focused totap less inclined tourism mar-kets by showcasing the Indianheritage treasure through work-shops and various branding opportunities.

QHow can we syner-gise public and pri-

vate parties for the con-servation of our heritage?

For the successful con-servation of Indian heritage, itis imperative to make a collec-tive approach both by publicand private agencies. The

funding, management, strate-gies, etc should be pooled in under Public PrivatePartnership mode and laiddown in the existing policy ofthe Ministry of Tourism.

QWhat is the relationbetween heritage

conservation andtourism?

Heritage conservationand tourism go hand in hand.Conserving and preservingheritage will attract more andmore tourists. Heritagetourism offers a wide varietyof interests to the touristsbelonging to diverse region,age, demographic dividendsince heritage details the history of different forms of our nation.

QWhat are the chal-lenges in preserving

Indian heritage? The government is

undoubtedly facing challengesin preserving its heritageprides. We need to overcomechallenges like planning, reg-ulating and implementing reg-

ulations in the built environ-ment along with well definedstatements of significance inmany sites.

QHow can we buildand conserve new

heritage?To continue with the

current momentum of the Indian tourism industry, it isneeded to develop and pre-serve not only newer heritagesites but also different formsof heritage like music,cuisines, dance, fashion, cul-ture, values, etc. by way ofdeveloping advocacy efforts,expanding education andpublic knowledge, buildingvisibility, streamlining servic-es, and Identifying and pro-tecting historic properties.

Yogesh Srivastav, Director, PHD Chamber, says thediscussions at the 4th India Heritage Tourism Conclave aimedat promoting and propagating Indian heritage potential forboth domestic as well as international tourism communities.

Conserve past for future

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA

For the successful conservation of Indian heritage, it is imperative to make a collec-

tive approach both by public and private agencies. The funding, management, strategies, etc should be pooled in underPublic Private Partnership mode and laid downin the existing policy of the Ministry of Tourism

Yogesh SrivastavDirector, PHD Chambers

OTOAI has announcedelections for the posts of theExecutive Committee and thetenure of the present ECmembers came to an end onMarch 31, 2015. They willhowever, continue to dis-charge necessary duties tillthe election of a newExecutive Committee forOTOAI. OTOAI has appointedRuneep Sangha, ExecutiveDirector, PATA, as the Election

Officer (EO), for OTOAI.Sangha has kindly acceptedthis responsibility and will startdischarging his duties w.e.fApril 6, 2015. The election willtake place on May 16, 2015.Additionally, permanentresources of Punam Singh,Executive Director andMeenu, AdministrativeSecretary, will continue to beavailable for all the day to dayrunning of the OTOAI office

and fulfil their responsibilitieson a regular basis.

Runeep SanghaExecutive Director, PATA, asthe Election Officer (EO),OTOAI

OTOAI elections on May 16


1 4 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 FAMILY ALBUM

TAAI redefines relevance atTravel Agents Association of india (TAAI) hosted its 62nd Annual Convention amidst fanfare at the Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia, fromMarch 26-29, 2015. Themed ‘Reflections- Redefining Relevance’, the Convention received over 500 registrations. Chalking out a roadmap forTAAI, Harmandeep Singh Anand, Secretary General, TAAI revealed that the association is looking at about 100 tie-ups by the end of 2015.


A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 1 5FAMILY ALBUM

62nd Convention



Dining@Hyatt with panacheHyatt Regency held a MICE & Leisure Roadshow followed by a cocktailevening at the hotel in Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi. The evening was attended by the who’s who of the hospitality and travel industry.


EXHIBITIONS

The World Travel Market(WTM) Latin America

attracts some of the mostimportant executives from thetravel industry. The fair is partof the portfolio of Reed TravelExhibitions. The event this yearis taking place at a larger andextremely conveniently locatedvenue, Expo Centre Norte inthe city of Sao Paulo. The eventis expecting 8,000 visitors andbuyers and is also looking tosurpass $341 million in busi-ness deals and contractssigned both during and afterthe event.

With the number of newinitiatives that are scheduled tobe introduced over the three days of the event, the

increase in visitor and buyer interest does not comeas a surprise.

Responsible Tourism isone of the things that havebeen added to the agenda for2015. There will be a dedicatedprogramme focusing on the

topic, including lectures andseminars from experts withinthe field. Another area that hasbeen added to the exhibition isthat of Business Tourism. Thissection has been added tohost and include global travelmanagement companies, air-

lines, hotels and technologysuppliers. Over a 100 Brazilianbusiness travel buyers areexpected to be hosted andconclude deals with the busi-ness travel exhibitors. Therewill also be a large number ofnew exhibitors attending WTM Latin America for 2015.Some of them includeColombia, the official tourismboard of Spain and the city ofIstanbul in Turkey.

The key concept for WTMLatin America this year is to“Promote Latin America to theworld and bring the world toLatin America.” Acclaimed asone of the most internationallyrenowned tourism events in theAmericas, WTM is approach-ing its third edition in LatinAmerica.

WTM Latin America, scheduled for April 22-24, 2015, haswitnessed extraordinary interest from both visitors and buyerswith pre-registered figures soaring to more than 20% from 2014.

Eyes on Responsible Tourism

TT BU R E AU

Talking about India as a mar-ket as well as destinations for

Bangladesh, he said, “India is avast country, the destinations ofwhich cover old age historicalplaces to modern architecturalstructures along with mountains,snow, sea, jungles, deserts,rivers and others. It has manycolorful events for a wide rangeof people from different ethnicbeliefs, religion and culture. Indiahas become a prime market forBangladeshi outbound tourists.Most of our people visit India forLeisure, medical, religious, edu-cation, seeing cultural & heritageplaces, meeting friends & rela-tives, for personal and businesstrips, MICE as well as for otherevents. Bangladeshis are furtherfacilitated by the Embassy ofIndia issuing around 2000 plusvisas every day.”

Further commenting onthe different things one can lookforward to if visitingBangladesh, Ekram said,“Bangladesh is blessed withtourism destinations abundantwith lush-green nature, rivers,longest sea-beach, largestmangrove of Sundarbans, cul-ture & heritage oriented events,religious circuits for Hindus,Buddhists, Christians, Muslimsand other small tribal groups.

Giving us an overlook oftheir event as well as activities

that they will be a part of to pro-mote Bangladesh in andaround India, he said, “Ourevents include B2C, and buyersto seller fold. Whenever wereceive any query we immedi-ately respond as well as invitebuyers to visit our destinationsand to our events. However, wepromote our destinations/events through WEB pages, e-mails etc.”

“It is very important herethat BITF is an event whereboth foreign and local destina-tions are promoted by theexhibitors and sellers of partic-ipating countries like: India,Nepal, Bhutan. Malaysia,Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar,Cambodia, along withBangladesh. The participatingforeign countries also send cul-tural teams in the event”, headded. He also gave an insightinto how tourism has developedin Bangladesh over the past few years. “The economic con-tribution by the tourism field hasadded a new-look to the tourism sector of the country. Ithas been seen that the domes-tic growth of tourism in recent years has been around25%, and outbound 15-20%per year.”

“To ventilate new opportu-nities, all those involved in thetourism sector are pledgingBangladesh as an extendeddestination to ultimately reachthe level of a final destination. Ina way we are putting our effortsfor widening the scope throughregional tourism and as such BFTD has taken initiativesto form SAARC tourism Forum(STF) in the current event ofBangladesh InternationalTourism Fair (BITF 2015) where we have invited main andactive stake-holders of theSAARC countries,” Ekram concluded.

Rezaul Ekram, Executive Director, Bangladesh Foundation forTourism Development, tells about what his country hasto offer as a tourist destination, BITF and more.

B’desh: The ‘final destination’

TT BU R E AU

India has become aprime market forBangladeshioutbound tourists.Most of our peoplevisit India for Leisure,medical, religious, &MICE as well as forother events

Rezaul EkramExecutive DirectorBangladesh Foundation for Tourism Development


1 8 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 ASSOCIATIONS

TAAI’s 62nd Convention was held against the backdrop of breathtaking Bali. While reflecting on the past and workingtowards redefining the industry’s relevance, the half-day business sessions were followed by an opportunity to explorethe city. gets views of a few attendees on the high & low points of the event and destination.

TAAI explores Bali and beyond

DE V I KA JE E T I N BA L I

The high point of the conven-tion was the session on thenew distribution capability fromIATA. NDC needs to be dis-cussed with agents before therollout so that agent’s interestis protected. The low point was the less than average par-ticipation of the active mem-

bers.TAAI also needs to be focused with airlines in theirapproach to major industry matters such as fuel surcharge,level playing field for agents and IATA agents’ treatmentas partners.

Anil KalsiManaging Partner, Ambe World Travels

Being an active member andhaving attended more than 20conventions I will be failing inmy social duty towards theassociation by not mentioningthe falling popularity and effec-tiveness of TAAI. There were nohigh points merely for the sim-ple reasons that no effectivebusiness session took place.

The only good and fruitful discussion which took place wasthat on the New Distribution Channel being introduced byIATA, which surprisingly was till date not shared by theAssociation with its members.

Kavi KohliDirector, Enkay Group

TAAI Convention 2015 Bali wasa wonderful event. I would sayit was one of the most wellorganized events after TAAIPongal Southern Region 2015this year. Mr. Sunil and his teamdid a commendable job. All ourschedule were very well organ-ized without any hassles. Stillthere were some confusion interms of room allocations and last minute confirmations andregistrations, which are unavoidable in any convention butTAAI pulled it up real well this time. The B2B interaction withthe suppliers helped us a lot to design new exciting tours.Indonesia has got different shades in terms of satisfying thethirst of any traveller.

Sriharan BalanDirector – Administration, Madura Travel Services

The destination Bali was fantas-tic and good value for money. Achance to meet the local sup-pliers was an opportunity for thedelegates to get first hand infor-mation about the destination.The method that TAAI imple-mented was a good andensured serious meetings. Thebusiness sessions were inform-ative, and kept the delegates engaged. The exchange ofinformation and ideas shared, updating trends and industrystatistics would be helpful in developing the right businessstrategies in the cutthroat business scenario while adaptingto change.

Madhu SaliankarDirector, EntReps Solutions

The platform given to TAAI inBali was very encouraging. Theway countries are welcomingIndians has changed and peo-ple are keen to work withIndian Market. Overseas con-ventions are good as it solvesdual purpose. One is that travelfraternity comes together todiscuss important topics andsecond travel agents get opportunity to explore the desti-nation. A few sessions were also very enlightening espe-cially the session on IATA where audience had put theirqueries also.In my opinion TAAI has to push to resolve inter-nal politics and encourage union among Chapter Chairmanbefore TAAI loses its shine.

Rajan DuaIndia Travel Award Winner

and Managing Director and co-founder,Udaan India

Firstly, choosing Bali as the convention destination was an inspired decision. On ourvisit, we witnessed the rapid transformation of Indonesia into a potential global busi-ness hub. Further, our Asia CEO, George Saunders, delivered a powerful keynotespeech on tunneled vision and presented the standing of travel ancillary services inthe global scenario. We are sure that not only us, but most others who attended theconference, benefited immensely from this session. We also had excellent opportu-nities for fruitful networking and get conversations going with important industry lead-ers, learning a lot along the way.

Dev Karvat, Managing India Travel Award Winner and Director,TrawellTag India

The high point of the convention was the interestshown from Indonesian industry partners. Indiahas been an emerging market for Indonesia andwith the recently concluded successful TAAIConvention; we do hope India to get status ofprimary source market. The low point which, asa tourism office we felt was the short lead-timefor the convention. We could have seen moreparticipation from Indian as well as Indonesian

industry if the convention was announced at least 4-6 months in advance.

Sanjay SondhiCountry Director, Visit Indonesia Tourism Office

I must compliment the Indonesianand Bali tourism Board for beingextremely gracious and forthcom-ing during the event, the ITTEexhibition had a good collectionof the Indonesian hotels andother service providers. My mainreason for attending the conven-tion has always been the busi-ness sessions. This time, there

was a session by IATA on NDC, which deserved a full ses-sion and a reasonable advance disclosure prior to the event.In fact this session saw extensive debate and elicited somevery strong and aggressive responses from the audience.The business session could be better constructed and havemore value.

Sanjay NarulaManaging Director, Apex Travel and Tours

Bhutan Journeys, an official tour operator of Bhutan licensed under the Tourism Council of Bhutan, has appointed GlobalDestinations as its Sales andMarketing representative in India.Bhutan Journeys is a member of theGuides Association of Bhutan and amember of the Association ofBhutanese Tour Operators of Bhutan.

Pranav Kapadia, Founder,Global Destinations, says, “It feels incredible to be part of the whole changing travel expe-rience where Indian travellers arewaking up to new destinations andin turn these beautiful, mysterious,exotic destinations are investing inthe Indian market.”

Sonam Chophyel, ManagingDirector, Bhutan Journeys, says,“We will start working with GlobalDestinations in order to develop the Indian market and to show thelocal Indian tour operators whatBhutan has to offer. BhutanJourneys is a dynamic companywith over 20 years of experience inthe tourism industry.”

Pranav KapadiaFounder, Global Destinations

Bhutan Journeys appoints Global Destinations as India representative



Visiting Great BritainVisitBritain organized its flagship travel trade event, ExploreGB 2015, at the Ascot Racecourse in the UK. This landmark event provides international buyers with a unique opportunity to meet and do businesswith over 260 British tourism suppliers. The workshop took place over two days and was followed by a fully hosted familiarisation trip to Birmingham, Shakespeare’s England, Oxfordshire & the Cotswolds.

Photo Courtesy: Ajay Kurseja

Looking Middle East with Lama ToursLama Tours recently held their annual roadshow in four cities, including the first one held on April 6, 2015 at Le Meridien,New Delhi. This also happened to be the 13th year since the group arrived in India. The event witnessed the presenceof big and popular faces from the travel trade both from India as well as the UAE.


Adv

ertis

emen

t



Emirates Airlines hosted a cricket match for its trade partners at Police Gymkhana Grounds, Mumbai, recently. The eventsaw an impressive turnout. Even though the winning team 'Mumbai Masti' took away the tournament trophy,at the end of the day the travel fraternity was the ultimate winner.

Bonding over cricket


A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 2 5NEWS

Direct linksThe airline plans to oper-

ate the newly-acquired Boeing787-900 from Toronto to NewDelhi from November 2nd. The

Boeing 787-900 aircraft hasthe right mix of passenger configuration to make travelon the route profitable. Theconfiguration of the aircraft willinclude 29 business class

seats, 247 econo-my class seatsand 21 in premiumeconomy. Initially, the air-line will operate four flights aweek. We will graduallyincrease the frequency of theflights to seven times a week.

After launching the 13.5 hourflight to New Delhi, we willalso consider operating theToronto-Mumbai flights.Eventually, Air Canada willconsider a New Delhi-

Vancouverflight as well.

Then and nowFor us, the big difference

between when we operated in India historically and what we are doing with this new service is the capability of the aircraft. The787-900 is a state-of-the artaircraft. Until we had the 900 inplace, it was extremely difficultto be profitable here. AirCanada currently flies only theBoeing 787-800 series and thefirst delivery in the 787-900series is being pressed into theNew Delhi service.

India in its game planAir Canada is acquiring

50 787-900 aircraft and India isthe first market where the airlinewill operate the newly delivered

aircraft. Currently, travellersbetween the two countries flyon Asian or European carriers.The shorter direct flight lastingaround 13 hours would weighin our favour. It is an expensiveaircraft and we are makingenormous investment in theIndian market. We expect it tooutgrow other markets andincrease 25 per cent in thenext two or three years. Thedirect link is also part ofCanada’s plan to bring more Indian tourists to itsdestinations this year. In fact,Prime Minister NarendraModi’s Canadian visit in mid-April is also expected to spurtravel and contacts betweenthe two countries.

Canadian national carrier, Air Canada is resuming direct flights to India. Currently flying only theBoeing 787-800 series, the first delivery of the 787-900 series will be pressed into service to NewDelhi from November 2. Duncan Bureau, Vice President-global sales, Air Canada tells about the carrier’s expansion strategies in India.

Air Canada’s Boeing 787-900 for India

ME G H A PAU L

To India With loveDirect flights fromToronto to New Delhifrom Nov 2The shorter direct flightto last 13 hoursInitially the airline willoperate four flights aweek and will thenincrease frequency to 7times a week29 business class seats,247 economy class seats and 21 in premiumeconomy

Air Canada is acquiring50 787-900 aircraft and

India is the first market wherethe airline will operate thenewly delivered aircraft

Duncan BureauVice President-global salesAir Canada

Category-I status for DGCA

Secretary, US Departmentof Transportation, AnthonyFoxx, has informed Ministerof Civil Aviation, P. AshokGajapathi Raju, that Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) has conveyed thatDirectorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) hasbeen upgraded to Category-Istatus. He was leading a highlevel US delegation for a meeting with the Civil Aviation Minister and key offi-cers of the Ministry. This meet-ing succeeded a series ofmeetings between USPresident Barack Obama andIndian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.

On the occasion, a pres-entation was made on thegrowth of civil aviation sector inIndia to identify areas in whichpartnership, technical cooper-ation and “Make in India” canbe developed. During themeeting, opportunities of col-laboration in development ofinfrastructure, air safety, avia-tion security, skill development,MROs, National AviationUniversity and manufacture ofaircraft were discussed. The two sides agreed to develop a productive relation-ship by establishing a JointWorking Group between thetwo countries.


2 6 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 ATTRACTIONS

With its unique andgrandiose castles and

spectacularly breathtakingscenery - a perfect concoctionfor love on screen – Scotlandhas provided an unparalleledbackdrop for a number ofBollywood films, stealing thehearts of many Indian filmmak-ers and fans from around theglobe. India’s love for Scottish

landscapes can be seen in pro-ductions such as Karan Johar’sKuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dev Anand’s Main Solah BarasKi featuring the world-famous pictur-

esque Eilean Donan Castle,serene Glencoe in theHighlands and Edinburgh’sPrinces Street amongst manyother scenic film sets.

VisitScotland has createdthe first-ever BollywoodScotland map with Bollytrailshighlighting some of the loca-tions that have been featured inover 20 Indian movies to date!

The two Bollywood itinerariesinclude the best that Scotlandhas to offer from Whisky distill-eries and castles to stunningscenery; and on top; the bestBollywood locations in the

country! Ask your preferredDMC to price them and

get your clients toexplore Bollywood’s

magic in Scotlandwith an unfor-

gettable tripto the

country that inspires Indian cin-ema. Get them to re-live theromantic dances and sweetverses performed by themovie stars andtreat them

with plenty of sweet memoriesfrom Scotland. Supporting themap, VisitScotland has also

put together the BollywoodScotland Toolkit that has allthe relevant marketing tools tohelp Indian tourism profes-

sionals to capitalise

on Bollywood to promoteScotland as a holiday destina-tion to your clients, fromposters to online banners feel free to take the most ofthese assets to promoteBollywood and increase your Scotland sales.

TT BU R E AU

With the historic buildingsand wild landscapes,

Bollywood film makers havean enduring love affair withthe cities, castles, lochs andglens that Scotland has tooffer. The perfect stage for

dreamy love songs andelaborate dance numbers,

VisitScotland has created thefirst-ever Bollywood Scotland

map with Bollytrailshighlighting some of thelocations that have been

featured in over 20 Indian movies to date!

Lights, Camera, Action in Scotland

Key LinksBollywood Scotland Map & Toolkit : www.visitscotlandtraveltrade.com/bollywood

SCOTSagent Programme: www.visitscotlandtraveltrade.com/scotsagent/

VisitScotland has created the first-ever BollywoodScotland map with Bollytrails

The two Bollywood itineraries include the best thatScotland has to offer from Whisky distilleries to castlesand on top the best Bollywood locations in the country!

The Bollywood Scotland Toolkit has all the relevant marketing tools to help Indian tourism professionals to capitalise on Bollywood to promote Scotland

Desi FlavourC

redi

ts: B

olly

woo

d im

ages

from

Ero

s In

tern

atio

nal L

td. a

nd R

ajiv

Men

on P

rodu

ctio

ns


Udaan IndiaTo have awards for the travel industry is a fantasticidea. It gives a lot of encouragement. We keepwatching film awards all the time but nothing fortravel. But now we have something for our ownfield and fraternity.

Rajan DuaManaging Director

Alliance Hotels & ResortsI am glad to receive this award, especially which is organised bysuch a reputed publication house. It is a good system that has beenstarted by SanJeet which also focusses on low profile businesspeople who otherwise don’t get the deserved recognition. This uniqueinitiative will help everyone from each region to bring out the bestfor the whole country.

Zia SiddiquiCEO

Tulsidas Khimji Holidays This is a great initiative by India Travel Awards. Westerncircuit has a lot of potential especially with Goa,Aurangabad, Mumbai and also Gujarat and Rajasthanfalling under it. The Konkan Bed is increasing and so isthe tourism initiative.

Jay BhatiaDirector

Sunderbans Tiger CampThe India Travel Awards East is a very good initiative it being heldfor the first time. It gives boost to the tourism industry and it willalso bring in a new level of luxury to actually be recognised allover India.

Akanksha Garg DewanDirector

Clarks Exotica Resorts & SpaIt feels great after getting award, especially when all yourhard work is recognized under such a big platform. Withso many international Five Star chains coming up day byday and competition rising, the award tells us about ourpotential and where we can position ourselves.

M BalajiCEO

Mystifly Consulting (India)The award gives us an opportunity to recognise theentrepreneurship in every part of India. I think awards are mostlyheld for whole India but when all regions are given equalrecognition it’s really good to see. This brings an opportunity forall in the travel industry to bring into limelight what they have doneand contributed for the trade.

Rajeev Kumar GFounder, MD & CEO

Cox & KingsWe believe that these initiatives are good and we heartily welcomeit. It encourages the travel industry and it is important to haveawards for all regions. India is a huge country and while limitingourselves to national level is not good. Region wise a lot moretravel agents can participate in the awards.

Thomas C ThottathilAVP-Corporate Communications & CSR

Vasundhara Sarovar PremiereWe feel so proud after getting India Travel Award. We became thenumber only six months after we opened. So getting an awardmakes us very happy and encourages us to keep up the hardwork.

Dr P VasudevanManaging Director

Just HolidaysIndia Travel Awards (ITA) has done anexcellent job. I am grateful to it. It will

definitely motivate and recognise theefficiency of our juniors and makethem work harder. This will alsoincrease the capacity of the company.

Shyam Sunder AgarwalDirector

Novotel Kolkata HotelThis is probably one of the best that could happen for EastIndia as this region is a natural wonder. It has beenneglected because the pride is most of the time taken byrest of India. So, now we also have got an opportunity toshine and this gives an insight to shine and probably a lotmore which we actually deserve.

Jai KishanGeneral Manager

India Travel Awards recognises and encourages the powerhouse of talent across the country and has put the spotlighton deserving tourism stars. speaks to some of the award winners to share their moment of pride.

Motivating the regional tourism stars

STIC TravelsI think India Travel Awards is a great initiative. Thisis happening for the first time particularly for aspecific region. It is motivating for all the travelcompanies and we look forward to have thisevery year.

Praful KhoslaHead of Sales-India

2 8 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 INDIA TRAVEL AWARDS

Go ExploreI think the award happening for a specific region is an awesomeidea. It is a huge nation and it’s not fair that only one region getsrecognised. Everyone should get a due share of recognition. NorthIndia is a good market and so many new companies are emerginghere. Ours is just a two and a half years old company and gettingan award on such a big platform is a huge achievement.

Shalini DugarManaging Director


A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 2 9INDIA TRAVEL AWARDS

Kudos to best among business hotels

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Hyderabad Banjara Hills was awarded the Best Business Hotel in South and theaward was received by its General Manager, Rajneesh Malhotra

The award for western region was given to Novotel Pune and received by its General Manager, Bandish Mehta

The Peerless Inn, Kolkata was awarded Best Business Hotel in eastern region and the award was received byits Regional House Keeper (East), Sweta Bhaduri and F&B Manager, Imran Siddiquee

South India Travel Awards

East India Travel Awards

West India Travel Awards

North India Travel Awards

Radisson Blu Hotel, New Delhi, Paschim Vihar got the Best Business Hotel award for northern region andit was received by its General Manager, Barun Jolly

India Travel Awards honours the best of business hotels in the country to recognise the hardwork andprofessionalism that goes behind the making of the ultimate giants of the hospitality industry. featurestop four Business Hotels from South, West, East and North regions in India.



Air India honours travel agentsAir India’s Northern Region awarded top performing travel agents for their exemplary service during a get together organised recently, at Officers Club, SafdarjungAirport, New Delhi. Delhi’s top travel agents as well as business partners and top officials of Air India’s Commercial division attended the function. PankajSrivatsava, Director Commercial, Air India and the Board Member along with his team, including Pankaj Kumar, Executive Director, Sales & Marketing; SeemaSrivatsava, General Manager, Marketing Hqrs; Abhay Pathak, General Manager, Commercial Northern Region and Anil Kaul, Deputy General Manager Sales& Marketing, Northern Region, strengthened the bond further with business partners, while interacting with the travel and trade fraternity.


AGENTS

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

APRIL 2015INTERNATIONAL14-16 Beijing China Outbound Travel &

Tourism Market14-16 Shanghai IT & CM China 201515-17 Cape Town WTM Africa22-24 São Paulo WTM Latin America

22-24 Kazakhstan Kitf

NATIONAL15 Chandigarh Best of Australia, Tourism

Queensland & Tourism Victoria16 Visakhapatnam South India Travel Awards17 Indore Best of Australia, Tourism

Queensland & Tourism Victoria19-21 Jaipur Great Indian Travel Bazaar21 Coimbatore Best of Australia, Tourism

Queensland & Tourism Victoria21 Bengaluru Tourism Ireland- Visit Britain27 Hyderabad B2B Presentation and Roadshow,

Vietnam Embassy28 Chennai B2B Presentation and Roadshow,

Vietnam Embassy

MAY 2015INTERNATIONAL4-7 Dubai Arabian Travel Mart9 - 11 Durban Indaba 2015, South African

Tourism21-23 Dhaka Bangladesh International Tourism

Fair (BITF)26- 29 Ontario Rendezvous Canada 2015,

Canadian Tourism CommissionNATIONAL8-10 Kochi Hoteltech Kerala25 Chennai B2B Roadshow,

Oman Tourist Office27 Bengaluru B2B Roadshow,

Oman Tourist Office29 Delhi B2B Roadshow

Oman Tourist Office

JUNE 2015INTERNATIONAL21-25 Melbourne Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE)

NATIONAL1 Mumbai B2B Roadshow, Oman Tourist Office10 Kolkata Why Spain? – Presentation &

Networking Dinner for Travel Trade10-12 Bengaluru India International Travel Mart11 Ahmedabad Why Spain? – Presentation &

Networking Dinner for Travel Trade11-13 Pune India Hospitality Expo 12 Pune Why Spain? – Presentation &

Networking Dinner for Travel Trade

JULY 2015NATIONAL13-14 Mumbai Kiwi Link India workshop,

Tourism New Zealand13 Goa Learn South Africa14-15 Ahmedabad Learn South Africa15 Mumbai Tourism New Zealand Frontline Training16 Delhi Tourism New Zealand Frontline Training16 Jaipur Learn South Africa17 Delhi Learn South Africa17-19 Chennai India International Travel Mart20 Jalandhar Learn South Africa20 Kolkata Thailand Road Show22 Lucknow Learn South Africa22 Delhi Thailand Road Show23 Kolkata Learn South Africa 24 Mumbai Thailand Road Show24 Mumbai Learn South Africa 24-26 Hyderabad Travel & Tourism Fair25 Pune Learn South Africa 27 Hyderabad Learn South Africa 29 Trichy Learn South Africa 31 Bengaluru Learn South Africa 31–Aug 2 Kolkata Travel & Tourism Fair

To enable travel agents toenjoy and participate in

the World Cup Cricket,roomsXML.com had organ-ised the ‘Howzattt Contest’,wherein people from the trav-el trade were asked to predictthe winners at various stagesof the game. The response tothe roomsXML.com ‘HowzatttContest’ was more than over-whelming. Thousands ofentries poured in from acrossthe globe. The winners were from 11 countries and roomsXML.com is happyto announce the 51 winnerswho take home excitingprizes that include

Apple iPhone6, HarmonKardon Bluetooth Speakers,Samsung Cameras and Amazon Kindles.roomsXML.com is amongstthe world’s leading accommo-dation wholesalers cateringexclusively to the travel trade. It was established in2007 and since then hasgradually entered variousglobal markets quite success-fully. The company is ISO9001:2008 Certified; ranksamongst Dun & Bradstreet'sLeading 100 SMEs of Indiaand has also been rated byInc. magazine for beingamongst the Top 100Innovative Companies.

Prakash Bang,Managing Director,roomsXML.com, says,“Innovation is the key differen-tiator. That's what keeps usleading the pack. Till date wehave introduced 10 specific fea-

tures that were the industry'sfirst. Even the ‘Howzattt Contest’is a fun innovation. We believethat all work and no play makesJack a dull boy!”

Bang adds, “In such ahigh competitive segmentthat we are in, it’s good toknow that we are not competing on the price plank.While low price and extendedcredit terms are the norms inour segment, we are happythat we are far away from allthat. I like to believe that there are two key parametersthat keep us leading the pack, product innovation and service.”

The recently-held Howzattt Contest has taken roomsXML.com to a new height. PrakashBang, Managing Director, roomsXML.com, shares his moment of joy and pride.

Howzatt winners take it allTT BU R E AU

Prakash BangManaging DirectorroomsXML.com

Immigration on arrival in India.

The validity of visa will be 30 days fromthe date of arrival in India.

The visa is allowed for a maximum oftwo visits in a calendar year.

The visa once issued on arrival is only single entry, non-extendable, non-convertible and not valid for

visiting Protected/Restricted andCantonment Areas.

Applicants can track the status of their application online by clicking visa status.

Please be careful while making paymentof the visa fee. If the number of unsuc-cessful attempts is more than three,

then the Application ID would be blockedand the applicant would be required toapply afresh.

Before re-applying, the applicants arerequested to wait for 4 hours for pay-ment status updating, after final sub-mission of the application form andpayment of the fee.

Contd. from page 3

MoT clarifies on Visa Online

Fuelled by visa reforms theIndian tourism industry willgrow by 7.5% in 2015 accord-ing to an international report. In2014, the industry contributed` 7,64,200 crore and 36.7 mil-lion jobs to the Indian economy.Research released by WorldTravel & Tourism Council(WTTC) forecasts that theindustry's GDP contribution willgrow by 7.5% and employmentby 1.8% this year. ``Thisdemonstrates the sector'senduring ability to generateeconomic growth and createjobs at a faster rate than thenational economy, which is dueto grow by 6.7% in 2015,'' the report said.

By the end of 2015, thetravel & tourism sector will con-tribute ` 8,21,500 crore, 7% ofIndia's GDP, and 37.4 millionjobs, almost 9% of totalemployment, once all direct,indirect and induced impactsare taken into account. Thestrong increase in the size ofthe travel and tourism industryin India is fuelled by visareforms introduced inNovember 2014, whichexpanded the Visa-on-Arrivalscheme to 43 nationalities.Visitors from those countries no

longer have to queue up atlocal consulates but caninstead apply for visas online,the report said. Speaking aboutthe report WTTC president andCEO David Scowsill said,"India is one of the biggest trav-el and tourism economies inthe world contributing signifi-

cantly to economic wealth andjob creation. Much neededreforms to its visas rules willprovide the foundation for verystrong growth in the sector dur-ing 2015." WTTC has urged thegovernment to ensure the continued prioritization of thesector, by focusing on safetyand security of citizens andtourists, recasting the IncredibleIndia campaign, greater invest-ment on high speed rail infra-structure and stress on visa liberalization reforms.

Visa reforms to give 7.5%boost to Indian tourism Veteran tour operator

Kai Suri passes away

Veteran tour operator of Kashmir, Kai Surirecently passed away at the age of 86. Born inRawalpindi, Suri, who was the Managing Director ofthe Valley’s premier travel company, Kai Travels,breathed his last in Gurgaon. The travel trade frater-nity has condoled Suri’s demise, terming it as a greatloss to the industry. He was the Founder Member ofTravel Agent Society of Kashmir (TASK) and playeda vital role in the development of tourism in Kashmirespecially to the Ladakh region, when it was thrownopen for tourist. A joint statement by travel and touroperators said Suri has been one of the pioneers oftourism fraternity who have great regard for the serv-ices provided by him and his team to the intendingtourists to the state. Tour operators said he was wellknown for handling tourists for trekking, mountaineer-ing, jeep safari to Ladakh.

OBITUARY

David ScowsillPresident & CEO, WTTC


A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 TRAVTALK 3 3CLIPBOARD


3 4 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 5 MOVEMENTSKhyber Himalayan Resort & Spa GulmargSujith Herbert has been appointed as the General Manager of TheKhyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg. Prior to joining TheKhyber, Sujith Herbert was GeneralManager- India Head at JHM InterstateIndia Hotels & Resorts. In his earlierassignments, he has also servedsuccessfully in different capacitiesat Hilton, Delhi, Danat Hotels &Resorts in Abu Dhabi, Accor Hotels inDubai and Le Meridien Mina Seyahi inDubai. During his tenure at JHM InterstateIndia Hotels & Resorts, he played aninstrumental role in revenue man-agement and e-distribution.

The Westin Mumbai Garden CityMumbaiVinay Singh has been promoted as the Director of Sales &Marketing for The Westin Mumbai Garden City. He comes withan experience of 11 years in the hospitalityindustry. Singh's association with TheWestin Mumbai Garden City started sinceJanuary 2013 as Account Director, latertalking helm of the property as Directorof Sales effective March 2014. Singh'sapproach to the hotel business partnersand guest is credited to his myriad expo-sure with hotel and corporate brands likeHilton Worldwide, Le Royal Meridien, SaiPalace Hotels, KHPL Group, Mumbaiand a strong 4 years association withthe Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Holiday Inn CochinCochinKunal Shanker has been appointed as General Manager of theHoliday Inn Cochin from April, 2015. He was previously servingat Holiday Inn Amritsar Ranjit Avenue asthe General Manager. After completing18 months in in Amritsar and settinga strong foundation for the hotel andsuccess in the first year of operations,he is moving to Cochin.

Mövenpick Hotel & SpaBangalore Möevenpick Hotel and Spa Bangalore has appointed Rahul Makhijaas Director, F&B. He has over 11 years of experience in the industry

specialising in food and beverage and hasgained a reputation of creating innovative

dining experience for guests. Makhija hasworked with renowned names from inter-national hospitality groups, such asOberoi Rajvilas, Leela Palace, KempinskiAmbience New Delhi, Labriz SilhouetteSeychelles and Taj Hotels Resorts andPalaces, to name a few. In Möevenpick,

he will be overseeing the operations for MyPlace, Mezzaluna, Obsidian and

Sky Brew.

Meandering Vacations Pvt LtdKochiSarath Aravind has been appointed as the Area Manager for Kerala

and will manage the team in Kochi. He brings with himover 14 years of extensive experience in the

hospitality and tourism industries. His earlierassociations with tourism majors likeBolgatty Palace, The Great India ToursCompany Pvt Ltd, Kerala Tour Mart andAkqua Sun Holidays will definitely addvalue to the services offered by Mumbai-

based Meandering Vacations. His majorresponsibilities will include driving sales in

Kerala, vendor relationships and operations.

Top 3 Lords Resorts BhavnagarBhavnagarAlok Awasthi has been appointed as Operations Manager at Top 3Lords Resorts, Bhavnagar. He brings with him 13years of rich experience in the hospitality indus-try with specialisation in Front OfficeOperations. Prior to his new role, he servedas Manager Operations at a prominentResort at Jodhpur. He is a HotelManagement graduate from NIHM,Deharadun. In his new assignment, he willbe independently responsible for the entireoperations and F&B of the hotel.

Hyatt Regency DelhiHyatt Regency Delhi has announced the appointment of SomnathDey as the Executive Assistant Manager - Food and Beverage. Inthis capacity he will be responsible forleading the food and beverageoperations, and will also providestrategic guidance and leadershipin areas of business profitability,marketing and employee satisfac-tion. Prior to this, he has held var-ious positions in the company’sfood and beverage portfolio. Hebegan his career at Taj Bengal Kolkatain 1997.

Sanjay Razdan, Director, Razdan Holidays has successfullycompleted the Desert Storm Cross Country Extreme Car Rally

and secured second position in class (upto 1350 CC) held from February 23 to

March 1, 2015. He was also the 6th

fastest driver overall competingwith highly modified and powerfulcars like Vitaras, Pajeros andPolaris. Maruti Suzuki DesertStorm Rally is one of the toughestand longest running for almost aweek covering almost 3500 kms

where lots of Indians as well asforeign competitors

participate. This yearonly 11 out of 47starters couldcomplete.

Ranju Alex, GM of Goa Marriott Resort & Spa, is a fitnessenthusiast and her daily workout in the gym is her biggeststress-buster. “My most effective action plans are conjured on

the treadmill,” she reveals. Onething not too many people know

about her is that she is a “bigsoftie at heart even though Icome across as very firm atwork”. Her favourite holidaydestination in India isKerala. “Its beauty nevertires me out and I have

grown to love the food there.Internationally, it is the Rockiesin Canada and the Fjords in

Norway. The drive fromStockholm to the Fjords

has been mymostmemorableholidaymoment.

Bharat Kapoor, Director, Global Account ManagementSouthern India has been in the travel trade for nearly nineyears. He has worked with GSA, GDS and is currentlyworking with Hahn Airlines GmbH. Travelling has been

his passion since childhood, he says,"Probably that is the reason I’m in

love with our aviation sector."Besides working, Bharatloves to discover neweating joints. "I’m a bigtime foodie. I like gorgingon different cuisines andtrying new eating outlets."He also plays table tennisand basketball in his free

time. "Been in sports hashelped me a lot in

developing my skillsand confidence

and has made me anorganisedperson," hesays.

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: Anupriya Bishnoi and Samapti Das

Sarovar Group of Hotels & ResortsNew DelhiAbhishek Chanda has been appointed as Marketing andCommunications Manager by Sarovar Group of Hotels &

Resor ts. In his last role, Chanda wasCommunications Manager at the Modi

Group of companies. He comes witheight years of work experience.Chanda has also worked with the LalitGroup of Hotels & Resor ts looking

after their Marketing and communica-tions section.

Shangri-La HotelBengaluruAntonio Tardi has been appointed as Executive Chef at Shangri-La Hotel Bengaluru to oversee all of the hotel’s culi-nary operations. Chef Tardi brings with himover 20 years of culinary experience infive-star hotels and luxury hotels. ChefTardi gained precious experience atMichelin one- and two-starred restau-rants in Italy and France under well-renowned chefs and then mastered theAsian style of hospitality at Shangri-Lahotels in Taiwan and Guangzhou.


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:15-04-2015

The US army was asked toreflect and redefine the

world and they coined the termVUCA world. Volatile, uncer-tain, complex and an ambigu-ous (VUCA) world and in thissituation we have to create abetter and brighter future.

The tourism industryalready has the ability to dealwith the VUCA world. Crisessuch as Ebola, swine flue,emerging wars and rampantterrorism have added a costof safety and security to ourwork. We are being told tomanage problems and do thebest for the customers. Theability to deal with uncertaintyseparates us, the travel community, from the rest ofthe world, as we are verygood at it. If we can combinethis ability with asset we havethe perfect recipe for survivaland sustainability.

The industry is changingso much around us. Productsand technology is changing.A normal traveller is not avail-able any longer. We have tolook at new segments suchas, IT techies, weddingtourism, religious tourism.The consumer travel behav-iours is changing a lot. Closer,shorter, cheaper, later, are

the new trends. People aretravelling much more, for ashorter period and looking for better value formoney.Impulse buying andbooking as late as possible isnow a trend.

In this evolving scenario,where are the new world trav-el agents and enlightenedtravel associations to leadthem? Are we changing

enough, are we enlightenedenough to lead them? Are wemaking ourselves relevant for the future?

If you are not well we goto a doctor for diagnosis and

treatment and don’t use theInternet to treat us. We trust thedoctor and we don’t argueabout the fee he is going tocharge. Why is it that when peo-ple want to travel for work orleisure, we cannot convincethem to use a travel company,time after time after time.Answer lies in our inability toconvince them about our knowl-edge, protection and deliveryevery single time they travel.

The Internet has a lot ofinformation but what is lackingis insight. We also bring thehuman network and businessnetwork, especially during and emergency where we canpull a customer out from anywhere, any time. But is allthis enough?

Are we not showing ourcapability and bringing them tothe table? Once this isacknowledged our clients arelikely to stay with us and payus the honest fee we demand.

Airlines are getting big-ger but are they gettingstronger? Our relationship islike a marriage and its better tokeep it in a happy place than alousy place. Airlines shouldrealise that agents have thepossibility of loyalty but soft-ware is looking for cheapest

and will only take you in onedirection.

Tourism industry is onewith the greatest potential inthe world and we are extreme-ly lucky to be part of the traveland tourism industry on awhole. This industry is thefastest growing and largest inthe world. We are poised toreach 2 billion internationaltravellers in a decade.

Corporate travel in India is at$25 billion and this market isgrowing at 7.6 per cent perannum for the next 10 years.Our outbound numbers areexpected to go from 18 millionto 50 million by the end of the decade and inbound is predicted to reach 15 million.The Icing on the cake isthatAsia is crucial forworldgrowth in travel and tourism

While 50 per cent of thetravellers will use the onlineand mobile platforms in thefuture, the other 50 per centwill be double of what it istoday. Travel through struc-tured business will double. Inthe next 20 years the industrywill change as much as it didin the last 20,000 years.

The world is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous and travel trends havebecomed closer, shorter, cheaper and later. While the tourism industry is setto achieve great potential, survival of the evolved fittest will become the key.Ashwini Kakkar, Executive Vice-Chairman, Mercury Travels, shares his views.

Becoming the travel doctor

Why is it that when people want to travel forwork or leisure, we cannot convince them touse a travel company, time after time aftertime. Answer lies in our inability to convincethem about our knowledge, protection anddelivery every single time they travel. TheInternet has a lot of information but what is

lacking is insight

Ashwini KakkarExecutive Vice-Chairman, Mercury Travels

TT BU R E AU

Analysing Tourism We are poised to reach 2 billion international travellers in a decade

Corporate travel in India is at $25 billion and thismarket is growing at 7.6 per cent per annum for thenext 10 years

Our outbound numbers are expected to go from 18 million to 50 million by the end of the decade andinbound is predicted to reach 15 million

While 50 per cent of the travellers will use the onlineand mobile platforms in the future, the other 50 per cent will be double of what it is today (Excerpts from the key note address

at the 62ndTAAI Convention)


ddppl.com travtalkindiatravtalkindia.com/pdf/2015/04-apr-2015-2.pdf · 4/4/2015 · ddppl.com...

Documents