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With the global econ-omy facing moreuncertain econom-

ic developments, the sensi-tivity towards travel andtourism sector as the vehicleof employment creation, eco-nomic growth and develop-ment, is growing manifold.As per Sahai, of late, therehas been a paradigm shift inthinking and approach inIndia and across the globe.“For years, tourism had beenlargely regarded as an elitistand glamorous segment,”said Sahai. According to him,

“The Approach Paper to the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) has made a formidable change inthe perception oftourism in the countryby articulating tourismas a vehicle of servingthe goal of the Plan, ofpromoting faster, sustainable and moreinclusive economicgrowth.”

Further, the four pagesof the Approach documentwhich are devoted to thetravel and tourism sector,recommends a pro-poortourism focus. It is aimed atincreasing the net benefits to

the poor and ensuring thatthe growth of tourism con-tributes to poverty reduction.

“It’s in line with thePrime Minister's National SkillDevelopment Council, identi-fying tourism and hospitality

industry, along with the healthand information technology formass basing the skill trainingbeing larger generators ofemployment,” he added.

Noticeably, the tourismsector contributes significantly

to the national economy aswell as for the creation of jobsin the country. Based on the

Tourism Satellite Account forthe year 2002-03 in theGovernment, the contribution(direct and indirect) of tourismin GDP and the total jobs in thecountry in 2007-08 is estimat-ed to be 5.92 per cent and 9.24per cent respectively.Domestic Tourism contributesto three-fourths of the tourismeconomy. “Globally, as perUnited Nations Conference onTrade and Development (UNC-TAD), the overall exportincome generated by inboundtourism, including passenger

transport, exceeded US$ 1 tril-lion in 2010. As an export cat-egory, tourism ranks fourthafter fuels, chemicals andautomotive products acrossthe world. It’s also one of themain sources of foreignexchange income for manydeveloping countries,”informed Sahai. “Moreover,the recent declaration at the4th T20 Meeting also empha-sised that productivity andservice quality of the tourismsector offers a unique oppor-tunity for poverty reductionand entry point, especially foryoung workers, as presently,women make up 70 per centof the labour force in tourismsector and half of all tourismworkers are 25 years orbelow,” he added.

On the sidelines of a one-day workshop organised recently to promote the Hunar Se Rozgar Tak scheme, SubodhKant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism spoke to on the changed perception of the tourism industry.

‘Tourism is no longer elitist’VI V E K SE T H I

Subodh Kant SahaiUnion Minister for Tourism

An Inter-MinisterialCoordination Committee

for Tourism Sector set up bythe Government under theChairmanship of the PrincipalSecretary to the PrimeMinister, had its secondmeeting in the PrimeMinister’s Office on August13, 2012. Secretaries to theGovernment of India ofimportant Ministries werepresent. The PrincipalSecretary emphasised theimportance of tourism as akey sector for employmentgeneration and economicdevelopment and stressedthe need for all the Ministriesconcerned to work towardthe development of thisimportant sector.

Some of the importantdecisions taken in themeeting were:

1. A sub-committee con-sisting of Secretary(Tourism), Secretary(Labour & Employment)and Secretary (RuralDevelopment) will iden-tify employment poten-tialities of tourism andhospitality sector, par-ticularly in rural areas.This Committee willmake recommendations

regarding specific train-ing and skill develop-ment requirements andprepare an action plan.

2. The Ministry of Culturewill expedite the devel-opment of essentialfacilities like touristfacilitation and informa-tion centres, souvenirshops, toilet facilities,etc., to begin with, atthe 19 World HeritageSites managed by theArchaeological Surveyof India (ASI) throughan appropriate agency.The Ministry will alsotake an early decisionon the proposalsreceived, in this con-nection, by theArchaeological Surveyof India from the India

Manmohan SinghPrime Minister of India

PMO’s push for boosting tourism

Contd. on page 10

INTERVIEWS4 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

Subhash Goyal, President,IATO said, “We should

collectively leave behind theeconomic worries and moveforward as a united industryto address the real challengesand scale new heights.”

Today, the inbound sec-tor is facing several challengesstarting such as lack of air con-nectivity, shortage of world-class infrastructure, fluctuat-ing currency, etc. In fact, the

foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs)during the period January-July2012 at 37.62 lakh had regis-tered a growth of mere 6.6 percent, as compared to the FTAsof 35.29 lakh with a growth of10.7 per cent during January-July 2011 over the correspon-ding period of 2010.

Hence, stressing on thesuitability of the theme, LallyMathews, Hony. Secretary,IATO and Co-ConventionChairperson, IATO Convention2012 said, “Moving Forward inChallenging Times-Together isan apt theme for our 2012 con-vention. We reckon that diffi-cult economic phase first start-ed towards the start of 2008,but India managed to come outof such tough global environment. Today, when theglobal economic scenario con-tinues to throw upon difficultchallenges, the Indian econo-my has also started showingsigns of considerable weak-ness. In such times, the ‘mov-ing forward’ theme collectivelyholds the silver lining.”

Arun Anand, Hony.Treasurer, IATO says, “Thetheme of the Convention hasbeen chosen in line with thepresent scenario in tourism.”

Moreover, the business ses-sions, he believes will delib-erate on the current statusof the tourism industry vis-à-vis Government’s policies.

According to Lajpat Rai,Hony. Joint Secretary, IATO,the event will be a great suc-cess. “The various businesssessions and the panel discus-

sion will help the members tocome out with flying coloursfrom the present challengingtimes which the industry isgoing through.”

IATO Convention’s theme ‘Moving Forward in Challenging Times- Together’ seems like an attempt to bring allstakeholders on a common platform to brainstorm on the future opportunities and overcome the challenges- together.

Moving Forward in Challenging TimesTT BU R E AU

The businesssessions and paneldiscussion will helpthe members tocome out with flying colours

Moving Forward inChallenging Times-Together is an apttheme that we havechosen for our2012 convention

We shouldcollectively move forward as a unitedindustry to addressthe real challenges

Subhash GoyalPresidentIATO

Lally Mathews Hony. Secretary, IATO and Co-Convention Chairperson, IATOConvention 2012

Lajpat RaiHony. Joint SecretaryIATO

The theme of theIATO’s XXVIIIConvention hasbeen chosen in linewith the presentscenario in tourism

Arun AnandHony. TreasurerIATO

“We are takingcare of allaspects to

ensure that the IATOConvention 2012 is a greatsuccess. We are hopeful thatover 1000 delegates willattend the IATO Convention2012,” said Mathews.

“Moving Forward inChallenging Times’ is an apttheme for our 2012Convention. Today, when the

global economic scenario con-tinues to throw upon difficultchallenges, the Indian econo-my has also started showingsigns of considerable weakness. In such times, ‘the moving forward’ themecollectively holds the silver lin-ing to eventually see usthrough such challengingtimes,” he added.

Mathews also assuredthat during the course of theconvention, IATO will raise the

issue of the government poli-cies’ impact on various seg-ments in the tourism industry.We will also work on the bestpractices to stand in thecrowded market. Moreover,highlighting the need of bettercoordination among the valuechains in industry, Mathewssaid, “It is important to bringleading stakeholders like air-lines, hotels and others on a platform to streamline allrelations and move ahead cre-ating mutually beneficial business opportunities.”

“There are manyopportunities insmaller countries likeTurkey and Romaniathat are ripe withpossibilities whichshould be tapped.

This will help in achiev-ing the target of doubling the inbound arrivals in the 12th Five-Year Plan Period,” he added.

Having been the Co-Convention Chairperson many times,Lally Mathews, Hony. Secretary, IATO and Co-ConventionChairperson, is confident to make a great success.

‘Tap smaller countries’

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Lally Mathews Hony. Secretary, IATO and Co-ConventionChairperson, IATO Convention 2012

As a host state, what areyour expectations fromIATO’s 28th AnnualConvention?

MTDC is presentlyworking on multiple projectsto boost the tourist figuresof the state. IATOConvention will prove to be

yet another platform for usto showcase our state to thereal industry stakeholders.It is the ‘travel agent’ and‘tour operator’ who takes

the destination to end trav-ellers and thus, it is impor-tant for us to work closelywith them, educate themand introduce them to ourproducts, destinations andofferings. Maharashtra, asa state, has loads to offer butunless we make peopleknow about the destination,it’s not going to work.

Tour operators arethe most crucial linkbetween the stateand travellers.

So, if IATO joins handswith us, we will be able tosell our destination veryefficiently and effectivelymarkets.

USP of Maharashtra? We have everything to

offer under the sun exceptthe desert and snow. It is abig state as far as heritageis concerned. We have morethan 350 forts and all typesof forts – on hills, groundsand in the middle of the sea.

This is a very unique featureof Maharashtra which noother state in India has. Wehave a longest coastline inthe country with crystalclear beaches, unspoiledbeaches etc. We also havealmost 80 per cent of thecountry’s caves with few listed in the WorldHeritage Sites. We have lotof potential in the field ofadventure sports. Sahyadriranges are a paradise fortrekkers; and other adven-ture sports like – snorkeling,scuba diving, deep sea div-ing, river rafting etc addmore to our diverse range of products. Manycompanies are now organis-ing monsoon adventureactivities like waterfall rip-pling, parasailing etc.

We are also promotingrural and agriculture tourism under the theme initiated by MTDC calledMahabhraman. Through this,we are combining adventure,

Dr Jagdish Patil, Managing Director, MTDC shares different reasons why travellers should visit Maharashtra.

‘360 forts our state’s USP’

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Dr. Jagdish PatilManaging Director, MTDC

Contd. on page 29

INTERVIEWS6 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

The global tourism indus-try has seen turbulent

times as the economic reces-sion continues to have itseffect on tourism. Thoughthis year looks brighter butthe progress is still slow.UNWTO forecasts reportsthat by the end of 2012,tourism will reach one billioninternational arrivingtourists. In 2011, the globalfigures reached 982 million

international tourist arrivalsand India received a share inthese figures. Our growthrate in 2011 was 8.9 per cent,much better than UNWTO’sprojected growth rate of fourto five per cent.

International synopsisTourism growth to an

extent depends on externalfactors, such as social, polit-ical and economic condition.This has its effect on tourist arrivals in India espe-cially long-term booking and group movements.

“At present, Europe andAmerica has not come out ofthe economic downturn,hence tourism from these twogiants are not very healthy.Though we are struggling toincrease the tourism from allover the world, the progress isslow. Group movements fromabroad and long term bookinghave also reduced. The policyof airlines to purchase the airtickets at the time of makingthe International booking has

made this difficult for long-term bookings,” said PronabSarkar, Managing Director,

Swagatam Tours. The globaltravel and tourism GDPgrowth is expected to remain

positive in 2012, but isunlikely to exceed 2011’sgrowth level. Speaking on

this, Ravi Kalra, ManagingDirector, Travel INN, says, “Aslowdown is clearly evidentfrom the traditional Europeanmarkets as a result of weakermacroeconomic outlooks,notably within Europe. Theoutlook for emerging marketsis very strong. 2012 will bean especially challenging yearfor tourism in Europe. ForAsia-Pacific, China’s GDPgrowth forecast for 2012 isagain relatively unchanged ata strong 8.2 per cent. Chinesedemand will help to supportgrowth throughout the AsiaPacific region, althoughIndian economic growthshowed signs of a slowdownin 2011. Its GDP growth fore-cast for 2012 has thereforebeen revised down to 6.5 percent from 9 per cent a yearago. Apart from Asia, LatinAmerica and USA, whereprospects are potentiallymore positive than previouslyexpected; downgrades to eco-nomic forecasts and latest

Global alterations have an impending effect on tourist arrivals in India. In spite of the international challenges,India has shown growth in tourism and is now exploring new destinations within the country to attract more tourists.

Europe loses, India gains in global marketDE V I KA JE E T

In India, the NorthEastern regionhas a strongpotential andshould befocussed upon

The outlook foremerging marketsis strong. 2012 willbe a challengingyear for tourism in Europe

Though we arestruggling toincrease thetourism from allover the world, theprogress is slow

Pronab SarkarManaging DirectorSwagatam Tours

Ravi KalraManaging DirectorTravel INN

Captain Swadesh KumarManaging DirectorShikhar Travels

ANALYSIS8 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

Contd. on page 20

The forthcoming seasonin 2012 looks challeng-

ing. The summers in 2012,which otherwise is a leanseason, had also registeredcomparatively mediocre per-formance than the previousyear. Thakur says that theindustry needs unfailingattempts to revive thegrowth momentum.

“The theme of theXXVIII IATO Convention issimilar to our Silver JubileeConvention titled ‘Managingthe Downturn’ in 2009. In2008-09, the economic con-ditions in our major sourcemarkets looked very bleak. Torevive the inbound growthengine, there was a need totake consistent efforts. To agreat extent, the series ofroadshows conducted byMinistry of Tourism in asso-ciation with IATO during this tenure, which covered

over 20 countries, helped inthe growth revival process,”said Thakur.

“Similarly, consistentinitiatives are requiredtoday as the economic con-ditions in USA, UK andmajor European countries

are likely to stay challeng-ing. Further, the Far Eastand South East Asia, alongwith a few other emergingeconomies, offer a greatpotential to emerge asimportant source markets,”added Thakur.

As per Thakur, theindustry now needs to focusupon new products in line withthe shift in consumer prefer-ence that are now weighedheavily in favour of shorterholidays and packages thatoffer great value for money.

“In fact, the stakehold-ers from hotel industry, avi-ation sector, travel agents,tour operators, tourist trans-port providers and othervalue chains in the industryshould join hands to launch aspecial campaign to showcase

Incredible India as the mostattractive destination.

On the policy front, there is a need to extendVisa-on-Arrival and aggres-sively pursue all conventionaland emerging source mar-kets,” insisted Thakur.

Vijay Thakur, Immediate Past President, IATO insists that stakeholders from the travel industry should joinhands to launch a special campaign for showcasing Incredible India as the most attractive destination.

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INTERVIEWS I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1 TRAVTALK 9

On the policyfront, there is a need to extend Visa-on-Arrival andaggressivelypursue allconventionaland emergingsource markets

Vijay ThakurImmediate Past President, IATO

Tourism DevelopmentCorporation (ITDC).

3. State Governments/UTAdministrations will be

requested to partner theexercise for creation oftourist facilitation andinfrastructure facilitiesin stages in all 116 tick-eted ASI monuments.The committee notedthat basic amenities andhigh standards ofhygiene and cleanlinessare essential for enhanc-ing the quality of experi-ence that the countryoffers to the visitors.

4. The ASI will introducecomputerised ticketing in116 monuments andaudio-visual guides in 36monuments in phases overa period of six months.

5. The on-going exercise ofrationalisation of visaregime will be completedby the Ministry of HomeAffairs within twoweeks.

6. The Ministry of Tourismwill work out an actionplan for imparting train-ing to the ImmigrationStaff within four weeks.

7. The Ministry of Railwayswill start Agra-JaipurShatabdi by November2012. The Ministries ofRailways and Tourism willwork jointly to prepare anaction plan for upgradationof 5 Railway Stations(Amritsar, Agra, Rai

Bareily, Gaya andThiruvananthapuram)within two weeks and 19other Stations within three months.

8. The Ministry of Tourism andthe Ministry of HumanResources Developmentwill partner for introducingtourism related vocationalcourses in the School syl-labus of various States/UTs.Efforts will also be made tofurther enlarge the capac-ity building base fortourism and hospitalitysector under CBSE.Industry stakeholders willbe involved to give impe-tus to this exercise.

What has the IATO railway and surfacetransport committeebeen up to this year?

There are severalpending issues withrailways which areimpacting touristmovements and the IATO delegationof Railway andSurvey TransportCommittee has had several meetings with railway officials toresolve these issues.

The concerned depart-ments in the railways arereviewing our representationsto streamline the following:

• With effect from March 10,2012, the advance bookingwindow has beenincreased to 120 days. Itshould be brought down to45-60 days in order toavoid touts from takingadvantage. Genuine clientswill suffer if the 120-dayperiod is continued.

• Name change facility forForeign Tourists needs tobe introduced by the railways.

• The procedure for groupbooking needs to be sim-plified. Allocation ofberths/seats for groupsshould not be bifurcated.

• Entry passes for touroperators (IATO mem-bers) should be intro-

duced to facilitate foreignclients for meet and assistat platforms: All ourmembers who are recog-nised by the Ministry ofTourism, Govt. of Indiaand are issued airportentry pass by the Bureauof Civil Aviation Security,after police verification iscompleted, may beallowed to enter the plat-

form as well as at theRailway Stations forreceiving their foreignclients. This will helpbuild confidence amongoverseas tourists visitingIndia and will also helpmembers to fulfill theassurance for all possibleassistance at railway sta-tions. Railway may issuePhoto IDs to the IATOmembers who are recog-nised by the Ministry,Govt. of India for entry atrailway stations up to theplatform.

• Presently, 19% commis-sion is offered to overseasGSAs on USD Indrailpasses. We propose atleast 17% commission toIATO members who could

be designated as PSAs topurchase Indrail passesfrom International TouristBureau against paymentof INR bank draft alongwith FIRC (This demandhas been long overdueand had been assured by the Railway Board/Northern Railway Officersin the past but has not yetbeen implemented)

• Similarly, for surfacetransportation, providingwayside amenities andstreamlining the road taxprocess for seamless trav-el at the borders andrationalising road taxesare our major priorities.

How has the airline tur-bulence in the countryaffected travel by road?

Yes, the airline turbu-lence has affected travel byroad mainly because week-end travel has increased, butthen because of the high fuelcost, the difference is verynegligible. It is not possibleto take long journeys by roadas road conditions are badand enroute facilities are limited. However, the much talked-about YamunaExpressway will help to easetraffic on NH-2. For India’sinfrastructural development,such type of projects willsurely boost tourism activity.

What are the challengesthat travel operators face?

The main problemsplaguing us are service tax,road tax, toll tax and luxurytax on accommodation, VATon hot food, hike in fuel cost,lack of facilities on road routes,safety hazards etc which areour main challenges as travel operators. We are trying our

best to streamline the opera-tions by having proper partnerships.

How has the recent IndianRailways fiasco affectedtravel operators?

The railway fiasco hascreated a fear psychosis andpeople are avoiding to opt forroad packages. The labourproblem is also an issue. Therailways, at times, jeopardisetravel programmes by notmaintaining time schedule andsometimes train accidentsmake promotion of rail-relatedtours harder to sell. Railwaystations/trains lack decent toi-let facilities. The quality of bedrolls requires improvement.The cleanliness quotient needsto meet international stan-dards.

In a meeting on May21, IATO had highlightedsome serious concerns tothe Transport Minister ofUttar Pradesh to createsmooth flow of touristtransport. Is anything beingworked upon on that?

Yes, we had taken up var-ious issues with the transportminister of Uttar Pradesh. Theyhave started online deposit oftaxes. So, we are not requiredto go to the tax-deposit officeand tax deposit can be done24x7. Also, they have openeda tax-deposit counter at theDND toll, which has helped foreasy movement. Earlier, onehad to go to Ghaziabad to paytax and then enter Noida.Similarly, a tax-deposit counterhas been opened at the UPTourism office at Chanderlokbuilding in Janpath. We arehappy with the progress as allthese steps help to streamlinetourist transport.

INTERVIEWS

With issues like service and road tax plaguing the travel industry, Raj Bajaj,Convener, IATO Railways/Surface Transport Committee, says that the committeeis working with various departments to make surface travel comfortable.

Streamlining road tax

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Raj BajajConvener, IATO Railways/SurfaceTransport Committee

Tourism comes under PMO’s focusContd. from page 3

Indian Association of TourOperators’ Kerala Chapter

has been active in all thetourism development activi-ties in Kerala. “We have avery healthy model of aPublic and Private sectorPartnership existing in Keralathat contributes to a veryfavourable climate for thegrowth of tourism. There arevarious forums for interfacingbetween the Government

and the private sector whereGovernment policies are dis-cussed with the private sec-tor and their voices are heard.At all these forums, the voiceof IATO could be presented in an acceptable manner.Thus, IATO has been wellaccepted among the traveltrade in the state.

The Government hasgiven IATO a duerepresentation in all the important bodies and commit-tees for planning,classification andapprovals formed bythe Government,”

says EM Najeeb, Chairman,IATO- Kerala Chapter.Theassociation has been active inmost of the tourism-relatedinitiatives in the state andacross the board. IATO is rep-resented in the Hotel and

Restaurants ClassificationCommittee of Kerala Tourism.It is also represented in theResponsible TourismCommittee, the TourismExpert Committee of theKerala State IndustrialDevelopment Corporation(KSIDC), the Classification andApproval Committee forHouseboat Classification andAyurveda Centres. IATO hasbeen actively participating inthe private sector initiatives,such as Kerala Travel Mart(KTM). It is represented in the

Planning Committee on phys-ical infrastructure of tourismconstituted by the PlanningBoard of Kerala. It is also rep-resented in the TrivandrumInternational AirportDevelopment Society.

“Last year, IATO raisedvarious constructive sugges-tions to the Government ofKerala for the development oftourism in the state includinginfrastructure development,the problems faced by the pri-vate sector and also reductionof taxes on tourism. TheKerala Tourism recentlyannounced Kerala TourismPolicy 2012, which spells outthe policy related to tourismbusiness, infrastructure,human resources develop-ment, marketing and investments to which IATO had contributed various suggestions,” addsNajeeb. The strength ofIATO’s Kerala chapter is 11active members, 52 allied and9 associate members.

From making various suggestions during the formation of the state tourismpolicy, to playing an important role in various committees, IATO’s Kerala Chapterhas gone all out to play a central role for tourism development in the state.

IATO well received in Kerala

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INTERVIEWS1 2 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

EM NajeebChairman, IATO- Kerala Chapter

IATO’s monthly meet

Ahead of the XXVIII IATO Annual Convention 2012, IATO conducted itsmonthly meet on August 1 at The Park Hotel in New Delhi. Subhash Goyal,President, IATO, apprised all the members of the present response andencouraged more members to register for the Convention.

What has the IATO NorthBengal & Sikkim Chapterbeen working on thisyear?

The IATO North Bengal& Sikkim Chapter has beenworking together with theEastern Himalayas Traveland Tour Operators’Association to highlight andaddress a number of issueswhich affect the tourismindustry in the region. One of

our strongest campaigns hasbeen to keep tourists outsidethe purview of strikes in theregion and this has met withsome success. We have beenworking to increase theawareness of IATO as anational body while encour-aging the stakeholders of theindustry to be a part of it.

How important is air connectivity fortourism in the region?

Air connectivity isextremely important for thegrowth of tourism in thecountry, especially in thenortheastern states whereconnectivity by trains iseither very poor or non-exis-tent in most places. The tur-bulence in the airline indus-try has drastically reducedthe number of seats therebyresulting in the exorbitantfare hike. Travelling to thisregion from the Western andSouthern part of the countryis expensive and now thereduction in the number ofseats makes this region an

extremely expensive destina-tion to travel to.

The Asian DevelopmentBank and theGovernment of Indiahave signed a $74.8 mil-lion loan to improve con-nectivity with the north-eastern region of thecountry. How will thismove help the tourismsector of the region?

Road connectivity is vitalin the northeastern statesbecause of the limited meansof connectivity and this movewill definitely help the tourismindustry to flourish. Sikkim iscompletely dependent on roadconnectivity since there are noother means to reach the stateand considering the events inthe past when landslides havecut off Sikkim from the rest ofthe country for days, the fundswould be vital to take neces-sary steps in ensuring thatthis does not happen again.The first tranche is set toimprove a road stretch of 200

kms in three Northeast states,which also includes Sikkim.

How are tour operatorscoping with the politicalsituation in North Bengalto ensure that touristinflow is not affected?

The actions taken by theWest Bengal Government tostabilise the political situationin North Bengal have beenvery encouraging. The region

witnessed an extremely goodflow of tourists during thesummers, which is a result ofthe political stability in theregion. With the GorkhalandTerritorial Authority assum-ing office, we are certainthere will be a greater focus,on the growth of tourism.

What are the issues thatneed to be addressed toimprove tourism inflow?

The treacherous roadconditions in the North Bengal,is a huge put off for anyonevisiting the region.

The travelling time hasincreased substantiallybecause of the conditions of the roads.Air connectivity to thisdestination needs to beimproved.

We now have directflights from Bagdogra toBhutan and Bangkok. We arehoping that flights from Nepalwill also be more frequent. The

Shatabdi Express which hasstarted recently betweenHowrah and New Jalpaiguriwas expected to help tourismsince a large number of touristscome via Kolkata, but the tim-ings of the train compel thepassengers to stay a night inSiliguri on both arrival andreturn journeys. It is importantthe train starts from Howrahin the morning and reachesNJP in the afternoon therebyallowing enough time fortourists to drive up to touristdestinations like Darjeeling orGangtok in the afternoon.

What was the footfallduring the peak touristseason this year?

During the periodbetween March and June thisyear, the region witnessed afootfall of about 4 lakh tourists.The composition of this volume was predominantlydomestic but this was the highest as compared to the volumes over the last few years.

Suresh Periwal, Chairman, IATO - Sikkim and North Bengal Chapter, says that while they have been workingto keep tourists outside the purview of strikes, other deterrents continue to bother tour operators of the region.

Air connectivity needs to be improved

Suresh PeriwalChairman, IATO - Sikkim and NorthBengal Chapter

INTERVIEWS1 4 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

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INTERVIEWS1 6 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

To showcase the state,IATO has organised five

different post tours for all del-egates covering Nashik (forwine tourism), Shirdi (reli-gious tourism), Aurangabad(heritage – Ajanta and Ellora),Ganpatiphule (religious andbeach) and Tarkarli (beachand luxury).

According to NarendraRathore, Chairman -Maharashtra & Goa Chapter,IATO, delegates shouldexplore these real treasuresof Maharashtra to understandand sell it in a better way.With immense confidence inthe state as a tourism prod-uct, Rathore said, “Over theyears, the state was promot-ing the usual destinations,making us (tour operators)believe that it’s only the typ-ical tour circuit available tooffer. However, in recentpast, MTDC, is associationwith private players, started

highlighting the ‘unusual’aspects of the state – wildlife,beaches, hill stations, cuisine,culture, fairs and festivals,heritage, etc.

In fact, the presentteam of MTDC isreally aggressive inpromoting tourismand encouraging usto come forward andprovide concrete suggestions to takethis sector to thenext level.”

By showcasing theunusual facets of the state todomestic and internationaloperators via IATOConvention and post tours,Maharashtra is all set to wel-come more visitors in thecoming years. MTDC is sup-porting the stakeholders ofthe industry to furtherenhance the tourism offer-ings of the state. So, enjoy theconvention and be ready toditch the usual tourist attrac-tions during post tours.

During the 28th Annual Convention in Mumbai, delegates will have first-hand experience of the‘changed’ and ‘modern’ state of Maharashtra.

‘Explore the real treasures’

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Narendra Rathore Chairman Maharashtra & Goa Chapter - IATO

IATO has organised fivedifferent post tours for alldelegates covering Nashik (forwine tourism), Shirdi (religioustourism), Aurangabad(heritage – Ajanta and Ellora),Ganpatiphule (religious andbeach) and Tarkarli (beachand luxury)

Fam Tours

IATO is interested in devel-oping the capacity and capa-

bility of the human resourcepool of its members and stake-holders. The committee forEducation and CapacityBuilding has been set up as avehicle to fulfill this objective.The role of the committee is toidentify, evaluate and analyse the requirements ofthe industry and organiseworkshops/seminars,

which would address theseneeds. Ravi Luthra,Committee Coordinator &Director, Landmark Tours &Travels says,

“Only thing constant in the travel & tourismindustry is ‘Change’ and thattoo rapid change.

Since IATO represents amajority of the fraternity, italso becomes an obvious plat-form for sharing ideas, needsand requirements, therebybecoming a repository ofdomain knowledge includingskill development require-ments. Factoring in these aspects, we see the com-mittee playing an important role in future.”

The committee, at IATO,has identified certain areas ofskill development based on theindustry feedback like

Entrepreneurship Develop-ment, IT & its relevance inTour Planning, BehavioralSkills, Leadership Develop-ment, Customer Service etc. Apreliminary calendar has beenprepared and the committeehopes to implement it soonafter the annual convention.The committee also expectswhole-hearted support fromIATO members which is a pre-requisite to implement the skilldevelopment initiatives,” adds Luthra.

The tourism industry is rapidly growing and to keep itselfabreast of these changes, IATO developed the Education:Industry Capacity Building Committee.

Platform for sharing ideas

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Ravi LuthraCommittee Coordinator, Education:Industry Capacity Building Committee

Civil Aviation is an impor-tant industry for India.

“Today the industry is suffer-ing due to delay in policy deci-sion by Government of Indiaand imposition of high taxesand high Airport charges. Asper IATA, the Delhi andMumbai Airports are one ofthe most expensive in theworld in regard to the Airportcharges. We strongly recom-mend the Government toaddress these issues and

reconsider the high taxes onATF and Airport charges to bein line with other major air-ports in the world, we alsorecommend Government toclear pending policy issuessuch as FDI in the aviationindustry on priority so that theindustry can be revived,” saysPS Duggal, Coordinator, CivilAviation and AirlinesCommittee, IATO.

The committee claimsto have been working as abody, conveying the concern

of the industry and its stake-holders to Government forthe growth of the Indian avi-ation industry and tourism.He added, “We will take upall the issues related to thedevelopment of the aviationindustry in India with all thestakeholders in order tohave their view and con-cerns so that a presentationcan be made to the Ministryof Civil Aviation. ” Listingsome of the important avia-tion issues that need to behighlighted at the IATO

Convention this year andaddressed by the industry,Duggal adds, “The recentlyincrease in airport chargesat Delhi and Mumbai, hightaxes on jet fuel, high ticketprices and lack of monitor-ing by DGCA on ticketsprices, imposition of devel-opment fees at various air-ports in India, services taxon air tickets and airlines,issue of royalty charged byAAI on ground handlingactivities, recent increasedroyalty manifolds up to 36

per cent on ground handlingactivities, are some of theurgent aviation issues thatneed to be addressed.

AAI has also covered representa-tion services provided to airlinesby their Indianagents and has askedthem to pay royaltyon their charges aswell. This will further rub salt onalready bleeding aviation in India.”

talks to IATO’s sub-committee on Civil Aviation and Airlines and finds out what theyhave been doing to address aviation concerns.

PS DuggalCoordinator,Civil Aviation and Airlines Committee

IATO addressing aviation concernsTT BU R E AU

HOTELS1 8 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

Part of the BRYS Group ofCompanies, the BRYS

Hotels – an enterprise ofRahul Gaur–launched itsmaiden hospitality project inthe land of sand dunes atJaisalmer. Launched inDecember 2011, BRYS FortJaisalmer is one of the largestultra-modern luxurioushotels constructed to evokememories of Rajasthan’smedieval glory. With a back-

ground in the real estate, thecompany claims to have iden-tified the needs of travellers.Inspired by the sprawlingramparts of Jaisalmer Fort,BRYS Fort carries forward themagnificent architecturallegacy of Rajputana andblends it with the state-of-the-art facilities.

With spacious banquetareas and open air spaces forspecial events, the hotel isthe ideal option for MICE

activities for those who aretravelling to western India.

BRYS Fort has createdseveral theme evenings andfun activities for its corporateclients. These include camelrides and fun-filled eveningswith folk performers withJaisalmer’s breathtakingsand dunes serving as a back-drop. The BRYS Haveli is atwo-storeyed luxurious bun-galow, with services to matchits ostentatious décor.Hindola Mahal and Ras Mahalare two premium suites onthe property. The hotel alsohas 36 Deluxe Rooms and alarge corporate group canbook all when checking intoBRYS Fort for its MICE activ-ities. There are plans to add42 more rooms to this inven-tory by February 2013.Groups coming to the hotelcan also choose to stay intents under the clear, pollu-tion-free Jaisalmer sky. At agiven point of time, 10 tentsare available for bookings. Forthose looking for an absolute

royal treatment, BRYS Fort has vintage cars avail-able for drives around thehotel’s premises.

To cater to MICE moreextensively, the hotel has adedicated event managementteam that takes care of thespecific requirements of cor-porate clients. The hotel workswith its own list of suppliers.Corporate groups can bring intheir own suppliers but thiswill entail special charges.Indoor and outdoor team

building activities can beorganised as per the require-ment of clients. BRYS Fort alsohas a 24-hour multi-cuisinerestaurant and a rooftoprestaurant Phalak that over-looks the Jaisalmer Fort.

According to RahulGaur, CMD, BRYS Group, thecompany has also chalked outplans till 2013. To diversifyits portfolio in various seg-ments, the company willcome up with its secondproperty, jungle resort in Jim

Corbett National Park by theend of this year. To woo thebusiness travellers in andaround Delhi, it will alsounveil a third property, abusiness hotel in Sahibabadin Ghaziabad (Delhi NCR) by 2013. As per the company,all the properties will be infunctional by 2013 withemphasis on ownership, selfmanaged model.

To cater to MICE more extensively, the hotel has a dedicated event management team that takes care of thespecific requirements of corporate clients

MICE high@BRYS Fort Jaisalmer TT BU R E AU

Rahul GaurCMDBRYS Group

BRYS Fort has created severaltheme evenings and funactivities for its corporateclients

The BRYS Haveli is a two-storeyed luxuriousbungalow, with services tomatch its ostentatious décor

To cater to MICE moreextensively, the hotel has adedicated event managementteam that takes care of thespecific requirements ofcorporate clients

Capturing MICE

Overlooking the Taj andAgra Fort, Hotel Clarks

Shiraz has been synonymouswith exceptional hospitalityfor the last four decades.Spread over 8 landscapedacres, this five-star resortcombines business withpleasure. Talking about theUSP of the property, DebasishBhowmik, Senior VicePresident, Hotel Clarks Shirazsays, “The hotel is located in

the cantonment area withgreen and serene surround-ings. Where the hotel scoresis its proximity to the TajMahal with a large number ofrooms from where you canview the Taj Mahal directly.The first five-star hotel in thestate, we are now celebratingthe 50th year of glorious tradition and services in thehospitality industry.”

Talking about the kindof average room rate (ARR)the city commands at the

moment, Bhowmik reveals,“The city at present duringthe low season (April-August)is doing an average ARR of ` 3,700. The ARR at ourhotel during the same period is ` 2,900.”

The hotel considers therecent development of thenew expressway from Delhi toAgra as a boon to the propertyas this will facilitate moretourists in Agra. The VicePresident informs, “With therecent opening of expresswayfrom Delhi to Agra, the con-venience would go a long wayin facilitating more touristsinto Agra.

We are expecting a significant rise indomestic, leisure andMICE segment. It is too early to put a figureas target but the industry is expectingsignificant and sustainable growth.”

Development in goodinfrastructure is an integratedpart of tourism promotion andits subsequent developmentand growth. The entiretourism and travel trade willbenefit from this. Businessinflow and customer’s overallexperience would increasemanifold.

Talking about the threatthis new development mightpose in the long run,Bhowmik says, “There arealso speculations of fallingroom nights as this may alsoencourage more day trippers.My suggestion is in case thetraveller wants to enjoy orexperience the beauty of the

heritage monuments in Agra,one need to spend a consid-erable amount of time in thecity. Agra is not all about theTaj Mahal and one need togive time to explore Agrabeyond the Taj.”

The day trippers, how-ever, are certainly expectedto increase and there is a like-lihood that Food & Beverage(F&B) revenues will jumpnow. “We expect an increasein the Coffee Shop/Fast Foodbusiness through more num-ber of day trippers in the nearfuture,” he adds.

According to him, therehas been a steady growth in

competition and tourist inflow.With the ever-changingdemands of leisure, corporateand the MICE segments, thehotel is continuously upgrad-ing its facilities and amenitiesto meet these expectations.

Hotel Clarks Shiraz, the first five-star in the state and the third five-star established in India, is expecting asignificant spurt in domestic, leisure and MICE segments.

‘Delhi-Agra Expressway is a boon’

Debasish BhowmikSenior Vice PresidentHotel Clarks Shiraz

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HOTELS2 0 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

The day trippers are certainlyexpected to increase and thereis a likelihood that Food &Beverage (F&B) revenues willjump now with the opening ofthe Expressway

However, Agra is not all aboutthe Taj Mahal and one needsto give time to explore Agra

Highs & Lows

industry performance sug-gest weaker global andregional travel and tourismgrowth prospects in 2012.”

Tourism has taken a hitand figures are still not verypromising but CaptainSwadesh Kumar, ManagingDirector, Shikhar Travels,has not lost hope. He feels,“The luxury segment isbooming and so are econom-ic and budget tours.Therefore, the choice fortour operator is that eitheryou go for the budget marketor go for the luxury segment.But most importantly, thefuture is domestic marketand if you ignore this, it willbe at a high cost.”

Exploring New Markets Focussing on develop-

ing new regions, includinginternational and domestic,to attract more tourists,Kalra lists some of the newregions worth exploring inIndia, “Bekal is a new des-tination on the tourist map.Located in Kerala, it is

known as the land of Gods,forts, rivers, hills and beau-tiful beaches. Another mustvisit place is the SatpuraTiger Reserve, an amalga-mation of the SatpuraNational Park, the BoriWildlife Sanctuary and thePachmarhi Sanctuary. Thisprime wildlife habitat is rel-atively unknown and isrightly believed to be one ofIndia’s best kept secrets.The summer capital of theIndian state of Jammu andKashmir, Srinagar is a mag-ical wonderland of highHimalayan mountains, lushgreen valleys, snow cladhigh altitude lakes, streams,rivers and spectacular land-scapes with the great diver-sity in culture and tradition.Lastly, Lakshman Sagar,built in the late 19th centuryas a hunting lodge inRajasthan, is a must see.Situated approximately twohours from Ajmer,Lakshman Sagar is strategi-cally located in the centre ofthe tourist circuit in theMarwar and Mewar region.”

Adding to Kumar, “InIndia, the area, which hasreal potential and worthexploring, is the NorthEastern region which isgoing to be the future desti-nation and should befocussed. Also Gujarat isanother destination whichhas got great potential andis unexplored”.

India’s concernWhile India has the

potential to capture a largermarket share of foreigntourists, are the rising taxes and high tariffs holdingus back?

Sarkar draws light tothis issue, “In India, the five-star hotel segment in metrocities have a higher tariff. Thisis usually beyond the reach ofmost tourists. The four starhotels are in less numberstherefore, hotel price at ourmetro cities are higher thanany other tourist cities. Themultiple government taxesare also one of the reasonswhich make our packagetours costlier than our neigh-boring Asian countries.”

Reduce tax to increase growthContd. from page 8

Manohar Parrikar, ChiefMinister, Goa recentlyinformed the Goa assemblythat the Government wouldinitiate action against tourists

smoking in public places.Replying to a private memberresolution, Parrikar said thatduring his previous tenure, hisgovernment had enacted an

anti-smoking law, which hadhelped reduce public smokingin Goa, which he claimed was the lowest in the Asian sub-continent.

No smoking for tourists in Goa

Kuoni India had alwaysbeen alive to its corpo-

rate social responsibility andthe need to give back to theindustry and society. It hasalways played an active role,be it partnering with theMumbai Police for thelaunch of Tourism Police, thecause of women empower-ment, promoting sustain-able development or child protection.

As per MatthiasLeisinger, Head - CorporateResponsibility, Kuoni, India hasdone an impressive job on the

corporate social responsibilityfront including womenempowerment and code onprotection of child rights intourism, which had also beenrecognised by the Ministry ofTourism in the form of

National Tourism Awards for Kuoni.

Leisinger said, “I havebeen with Kuoni since 2003and can confidently say thatwe value our corporatesocial responsibility commit-ments. We aim to maketravel as meaningful as pos-sible in social, ecological andeconomic terms. The aim isto strengthen the positiveside of tourism and inte-

grate social, ethical andenvironmental issues withbusiness, minimising itsnegative effect on destina-tions and the people. Wework hand-in-hand withNGOs and other organisa-

tions to support sustainabletourism projects in ruralareas. This, in turn, bringsabout an alternative earningpotential for Kuoni with newproducts to sell. So our workis advantageous for both.”

“I am very happy at theachievements Kuoni India hadregistered in the recent past.We have signed the Code ofConduct and have also takenmeasures towards staff edu-

cation, stakeholder involve-ment, capacity building andtraining of suppliers – bringingout an annual report on theCSR work we have done.Going forward, we would liketo announce many new initia-

tives in India that will focus onintegrating environment-friendly practices in business,mirroring our initiativesunderway in Kenya and South Africa to name a few,” he added.

He said, “Empiricalresearch shows that trav-ellers’ satisfaction levels are high, when serviceproviders ensure their com-pliance to environmentalprotection and child-friendlysafeguards. Our sustainabil-ity commitments are alsopart of our supply chainmanagement. We align withonly those B2B partners, beit hotels, resorts or othervalue chains in travel andtourism industry, who havea clean and transparentrecord of honouring theircommitment towards theenvironment and needs ofResponsible Tourism cover-ing aspects of child rightprotection and womenempowerment.”

On the importance ofgiving back to the tourism sec-tor and society, Leisingershared that a top downapproach is important. All bigplayers should willingly volun-teer to own their commit-ments by having a contractclause that includes greenactivities and human rights bypractising energy efficientfunctionality, conserving waterand contributing in everymanner that helps the envi-ronment and humanitythrough ‘fair trade tourism’.However, the role of mediumand small players can’t benegated, who should also con-tribute with similar zest to thebest of their capacity.

Matthias Leisinger, Head - Corporate Responsibility, Kuoni, caught up with to share his thoughts on the needfor all corporates to realise their Corporate Social Responsibility and the future of such initiatives for Kuoni in India.

Follow ‘fair trade tourism’ principle

Matthias LeisingerHead of Corporate Responsibility Kuoni

DE E PA SE T H I & VI V E K SE T H I

GREEN TALK

CSR2 2 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

All big players should willinglyvolunteer to own theircommitments by having acontract clause that includesgreen activities and humanrights by practising energyefficient functionality andconserving water

A Big Idea

We aim to make travel asmeaningful as possible in social,ecological and economic terms.The aim is to strengthen the positive side of tourism

The depreciating value ofrupee has made India, a

lucrative market for tourism,among foreigners and boostedthe inbound traffic of the coun-try. Foreign Tourist Arrivals(FTAs) in India, during 2011were 6.29 million with agrowth of 8.9 per cent, ascompared to the FTAs of 5.78million with a growth of 11.8per cent during the year 2010over 2009. The growth rate of8.9 per cent in 2011 for Indiais better than UNWTO’s pro-jected growth rate of 4-5 percent for the world in 2011 and7-9 per cent for Asia and thePacific. In the first quarter of2012, India has alreadyreceived 3.24 million tourists,making a growth of 7.4 percent over the same period in2011. Foreign ExchangeEarnings (FEE) from tourismin rupees terms duringJanuary-July 2012 were `52,149 crore with a growth of23.3 per cent, as compared tothe FEE of ̀ 42,279 crore witha growth of 14.8 per cent dur-ing January-July 2011, over the corresponding period of 2010.

“Fluctuating rate ofrupee has benefitted India. Itis more profitable for foreign-ers to visit India as they getmore rupees in exchange oftheir Dollars or Euros andalso India is a relatively

cheaper destination with a lotto offer. Hence, there wasbound to be a large influx oftourists from outside India,”

says Lally Mathews, Hony.Secretary, IATO.

The tour operators andagencies in India are cashingin on this renewed interestin India as a destination. Thishas led to a boom in India.Destinations like Rajasthan,Kerala, Goa and Ladakh areamong the top searchedplaces to visit in India. Spas,adventure, wildlife tourismin India are some of the indi-rect beneficiaries of therupee fall.

“Inbound tourists comein for a range of experiences toIndia. Many of them come to

explore historical places, visitwellness centres and also optfor adventure holidays. Mostof them coming to India preferthe mid-market to luxury as

we do not have adequateoptions for budget travel. Indiabeing a long-haul destination,travelling to the country, is notcheap in itself,” says Arup Sen,Director, Special Projects, Cox& Kings.

“India is fast emerging asa Luxury Tourism destination.The cultural diversity offeredand the myriad of unexploredexotic locations have madeIndia, the new favouriteamongst frequent travellers.Over the years, India has wit-nessed emergence of nicheholidays like adventure sportsincluding river rafting, scubadiving and rock climbing; spa

& wellness retreats at exoticlocales of Kerala and Rishikeshand wildlife vacations at Jim Corbett Park andRanthambore Sanctuary,amongst others. India, as aconfluence of different reli-gions, also attracts tourists toIndia for Pilgrim Tourism,”adds Daniel D’Souza, Head - Sales-B2C, SOTC.

The rupee slide has alsoinfluenced the mind of theIndian traveller and diverted

the attention from interna-tional travel to domestic trav-el. In spite of being challengedwith a sharp rise in airfares,accommodation and fuelprices in India, the number ofIndians travelling on domesticroutes has gone up signifi-cantly. The reason for this canbe attributed to the fact thatmany Indians today want toenjoy a holiday whether local-

ly or internationally at leastonce a year. Travel hasbecome a necessity to de-stress and people do not mind,paying additional rupee toenjoy a good vacation. During 2011, the number ofdomestic tourist visits to the States/ UTs was 851 million as compared to 748 million in 2010 and669 million in 2009. The fig-ures for 2012 are expected tobe higher.

“Domestic Tourismreceived a fillip this year withthe rupee depreciation.Kashmir and the North-EastIndia are the new destinationsthat have become popular thisyear. Kerala and Goa are alsoseeing more tourists, this mon-soon season, due to the bargaindeals. MakeMyTrip’s charterholidays to Ladakh and Bhutanhave also opened up to more

Indian tourists this year.Among the beach destinations,we have seen enquiries andbookings grow for theAndamans and LakshwadweepIslands,” says Rajesh Magow,Co- Founder & Chief Financialand Operating Officer,MakeMyTrip.

Indian outbound trav-ellers, however, have been los-ing a lot under the global eco-nomic meltdown. To combatthe depreciating value ofrupee, Indians had to reworkon their international holidayplans and think of ways totravel economically and wisely.“The global economic scenariomade a substantial number ofIndian travellers, reduce theduration of their holidays andopt for shorter vacations. Withprices increasing for outboundtravel, people are opting forbreaks where price is control-lable. There has been a hugedemand for weekend packagesfor destinations at drivable dis-tances. Thus, Indian travellersidentified alternative holidayoptions within their budgetthereby ensuring no majordecline in numbers oftourists,” explains D’Souza.

The attractive‘Incredible India’ campaignhas no doubt helped in luringmany more foreigners whilethe brand ‘India’ also receiveda huge impetus. The industryfeels that tourism duringharsh economic times can begenerated profitably throughinnovative promotions.Magow adds, “Travel being adiscretionary expenditurecannot remain de-linked tothe economy. Therefore, theindustry needs to invest inbusiness models and partner-ships that offer cost-effectivescalability.” With the downfallin the value of rupee and theglobal economic meltdown,this can be the golden periodfor Indian tourism as far asinbound anddomestic travel is concerned.

When the value of rupee was falling, the number of tourists visiting India was rising. The irony brought muchcheer to tour operators and agents who had been facing the brunt of a weak global economy.

Tourism revenue rises as Indian ` fallsDE N CY MAT H E W

Most of theinbound touristscoming to India prefer the mid-market toluxury as we do not haveadequate optionsfor budget travel.

The fluctuatingrate of rupee hasbenefitted India. Itis more profitablefor foreigners tovisit India as theyget more rupeesin exchange ofDollars or Euros

Lally MathewsHony. SecretaryIATO

Arup SenDirector, Special ProjectsCox & Kings

Travel cannotremain de-linkedto the economy.The industryneeds to invest in businessmodels that offercost-effectivescalability

With pricesincreasing for outboundtravel, peopleare opting for breakswhere price iscontrollable

Daniel D’SouzaHead - Sales-B2CSOTC

Rajesh MagowCo-Founder & Chief Financial andOperating Officer, MakeMyTrip

ANALYSIS2 4 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

In a conversation with , Tandon talks about how

they are constantly upgrad-ing the IRCTC infrastructureto meet increasing demands.

What do you make of theallegations that theIRCTC software allowstouts to book tickets 9 times faster? Is thatpossible?

We need to appreciatethat various references tobooking software used bytouts is actually the use ofform auto-filling facility,which is available in mostbrowsers today or by script-

ing software, which anytechie can do. We have put ina number of checks to pre-vent multiple bookings by asingle user during Tatkalperiod. In addition, all book-ings made in the critical peri-od are being verified by ourAnti Fraud team to ensureonly genuine passengers aremaking booking.

How many tickets do yousell in a day from theIRCTC website?

Our daily ticket salesfigure is continuously going up. We have gone upfrom about 30,000 ticketsper day to 4,50,000 ticketsper day in the last 5 years.After our latest capacityaugmentation measures and modifications in Tatkaltiming, our sales have goneup from 3.6 lakh tickets perday to 4.5 lakh tickets a dayon a regular basis and wehave hit a peak of 4.96 lakhtickets on July 13, 2012.The demand for E-Ticketsvaries according to season.E-Tickets now constituteabout 46 per cent of total reserved tickets onIndian Railways.

Is IRCTC taking steps tohelp the present situationof increased demands? Ifso, what are those?

We are continuouslyupgrading our infrastructureto cope up with the increas-ing demand of E-Tickets.Some of the capacity upgra-dation measures imple-

mented in recent pastinclude induction of newhigh capacity servers,increase of internet band-width, deployment of addi-tional software and tuningup of E-Ticketing applica-tion. Further capacityenhancement is in progress.

Significant changes haverecently been madeby the RailwayBoard to enable genuine passengersin getting Tatkal tickets.

The staggering of Tatkaltime, which we proposed quitesome time ago, from 8am to10am, has helped in betterwebsite availability as well asavailability of tickets and moredisciplined crowd manage-ment at the PRS counters.

Is the increase indemand of rail ticketsfuelled by the increase inairfare?

It’s true that the Railwaydemand has been growingmuch faster, but air travel con-stitutes a very small portion ofthe total capacity available onIndian Railways and so the air-fares do not have a significantimpact on demand for Railtravel.

Tell us more about your latest associationwith ITDC.

IRCTC and ITDC havejoined hands to work togetherto provide improved hospital-ity and tourism services to thelarge customer bases that theyhave, by making use of theirexpertise and vast networkand facilities all over the coun-try. We, at IRCTC, offer a widerange of travel & tourismproducts and services to meetthe requirements of differentsegments of tourists; popularamong these are the BharatDarshan tourist trains,Mahaparinirvan Express(Buddhist Circuit SpecialTrain), Maharajas’ Express(the luxury tourist train), the educational tours for school children and railtour packages.

ITDC, on the otherhand, has been the primemover in the progressivedevelopment and promotionof tourism in the country. Itprovides a host of unparal-leled travel-related servicesand attractive packages. TheCorporation is runninghotels and restaurants atvarious places for tourists,besides providing travelfacilities as well as the event

management. With thiscooperation, both the organ-isations will work towardsthe development of jointtourism products, openingand managing various cater-ing and hospitality outlets,budget hotels etc.

Could you tell us moreabout the website forayinginto other activities like cabrental, air ticket booking,hotel booking etc?

Our core objective isdelivering best value formoney to the customers usingour online and offline channels.IRCTC has been offering railtour packages, cabs, onlinehotel booking, holiday pack-ages since last four years andselling good volumes. We start-ed selling air tickets couple ofyears back via a third party andthe market showed good inter-est in our product. Therefore,we have launched IRCTC'sown online air ticketing servicerecently through our portalwww.air.irctc.co.in and we arealready amongst the top airbooking sites today. This isexpected to grow further withvarious initiatives, which arein the pipeline.

Rakesh Kumar Tandon, MD, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), shares the secret onhow the corporation has gone up from selling 30,000 tickets a day to 4,50,000 tickets, a 1500% rise in 5 years.

IRCTC makes 1500% growth in ticket sales

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Rakesh Kumar TandonManaging Director, IRCTC

ANALYSIS2 6 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

Aviation in India supports 1.7 million

jobs, 0.5 per cent of GDPand 90 per cent of interna-tional tourist arrivals. But, at present, India’s aviation sector is in a multi-faceted crisis. Before aviation can deliver greaterbenefits to the domesticeconomy, this crisis must be resolved with coordinat-ed public policies.

Building the future for asuccessful aviation sectormust begin with solving thewell-catalogued problems ofairlines in India today. Thesector is growing, but notprofitably. With some relief inoil prices and capacity ratio-nalisation the red ink mayrecede slightly. But the crisiscontinues. All the networkcarriers are struggling financially. Kingfisher’s situation is dire. And AirIndia is on government-pro-vided life-support of financialbailouts and other forms of protection.

“Despite this greatpotential, India’s airlineindustry is struggling financially. Indian airlinelosses approached $2 billionfor the year ended in March2012, after losing an estimated $3.5 billion overthe three previous years.It’s time for a grand plan to build India’s avia-tion future and therebystrengthen the Indian econ-omy. To do that, we need an

‘India Inc.’ approach thataddresses the cripplingissues of high costs, exorbi-tant taxes and insufficientinfrastructure,” says TonyTyler, Director General andCEO, IATA.

Hoping that all theabove mentioned issues are addressed at the earliest possible, Tyler adds, “A bright future is at hand for Indian aviationif we can find common purpose among all stakeholders.

India must not settlefor a bronze medal inglobal aviation. If wecan take deliberateaction on a handful of critical issues –reducing taxes,ensuring capacityand keeping costs incheck – a gold isentirely possible.

And the benefits of suchan effort will be shared acrossthe entire economy.”

To resolve India’s aviation crisis and improve its competitiveness, the InternationalAir Transport Association (IATA) has called for an ‘India Inc.’ approach. presents key features of the recommendations made by the associations.

High Costs

Taxation

The high costs of doing aviation business in India is squeezing the life blood out of the airline sector. Infrastructure costsand taxes need urgentattention.

Airport CostsIndia’s airports are becoming increasinglyexpensive. The recent 346per cent increase incharges at Delhi Airportwill add over $400 millionin operating costs for airlines providing connec-tivity to India throughDelhi.

Aviation can deliver the greatest value to national coffers byfacilitating business that expands the tax base. The Ministryof Finance imposes a service tax on air tickets, landing andnavigation charges. This contravenes International CivilAviation Organisation (ICAO) policies. India’s airlines are alsotaxed on domestic fuel that can add an additional 30 per centto the fuel bill. On top of that is an excise duty of 8.2 per cent.As a result, fuel is about 45 per cent of the total operating costs for Indian carriers, compared to a global average of 33 per cent.

CapacityA new airport is needed in Mumbai or economic oppor-

tunities will be lost. The urgency of the situation needs to beunderstood and moving the Navi Mumbai airport project for-ward on a fast track will be required. Aviation should be seenas a team effort. Common purpose brings a value chaintogether with governments and regulators. Roughly 80,000times a day a remarkable choreography of cooperation getsan airplane and its passengers and cargo safely into the air– and back on the ground. That happens in India and aroundour planet.

“Knowing we are capable of that, we should have everyconfidence in building a successful future for Indian aviation.The world is focussed on Indian aviation; from manufacturers,tourism boards, airlines, global businesses to individual travellers, shippers and businessmen,” says Tyler.

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Aviation suffers as costs escalate in India

Tony Tyler Director General and CEOIATA

Away from the hustle bus-tle of the main city amid

a verdant green canopy oftrees is the yet to be openedCountry Inn & Suites ByCarlson, Mysore. Situatedonly a short distance fromMysore vacation destinationssuch as the ChamundiTemple, Brindavan Gardensand Mysore Palace, the hoteloffers a convenient pit stop

for travellers en route toother destinations nearby.

Talking about the USP ofthe property, Vikram Sharma,Director-Sales & Marketing,Country Inn & Suites ByCarlson, Mysore says, “Thehotel would be the first inter-national hotel in the city.Country Inn & Suites ByCarlson, Mysore scores overother properties in the prox-imity is its large inventory. Thehotel has 130 well-appointedrooms and suites. This is oneof the largest inventories avail-able in Mysore.”

Mysore, which primarilyis a leisure destination, isnow changing dynamics andattracting other sets of trav-ellers, including MICE.According to Sharma, Mysoreis the second largest city inKarnataka. Mysore is famousfor the festivities that takeplace during the Dasara fes-tival (Navaratri) held everyyear. The Mysore Dasara isfamous far and wide and

attracts people from all partsof the world. Mysore is adeveloping city and hasrecently seen a lot of interestin terms of corporate devel-opment; large IT giants havealready set up big campusesi.e. Infosys, Wipro, L&T, etc.

There are a couple of manu-facturing industries also setup like J K Tyre, HindustanUnilever etc. The propertywill thus, cash in on the loca-

tion to woo a number of cor-porate travellers.

“We are in the heartof Mysore’s industrialand commercial beltwith large corporatecompanies featuringInfosys, Wipro, L&TInfotech, and J KTyre. Hence, theproperty will targetthe business clientelein the region,”

he informs. The hotel hasstate-of-the-art banquetingand conferencing facilities tooffer along with comfortablerooms and restaurants provid-ing a wide variety of cuisines.“Being a business hotelequipped with all amenities wehave plans to look at the MICEsegment closely,” he adds.

The Mysore city hasbeen averaging an averageroom rate (ARR) of 4000 and above for the top seg-

ment hotels. “We plan toposition ourselves at thesame and as we enter 2013-14, we are expecting totake it upwards by seven toten per cent.”

The connectivitybetweenBengaluru and Mysore is excellent and thus, Mysorereceives a lot of Bengalurutravellers as well. This willform a huge market for thehotel. “Bengaluru city willalways dominate the contribu-tion in terms of different seg-ments like corporate, MICE anddomestic packages. However,we are also expecting guestsarriving from Chennai,Hyderabad, Ahmedabad andMumbai. These are other vitalfeeder markets. Some inbound private charters are also anticipated.”

The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Mysore, has 130 well-appointed rooms and suites.This is one of the largest inventories available in Mysore.

CIS in Mysore ready to open doors

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HOTELS2 8 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

Vikram SharmaDirector-Sales & MarketingCountry Inn & Suites By Carlson, Mysore

The property will cash in onthe location to woo a numberof corporate travellers

CIS for Corporates

An adventure holidayspecialist says that book-ings for trips to MountEverest have doubledduring the first sixmonths of 2012.

The operator, WorldExpeditions, said itexpects this trend to con-tinue, as next year,marks the 60th year, sincethe first recorded ascentof the mountain byEdmund Hillary andTenzing Norgar. It isthought that the recentsurge in visitor numbershas been helped by theestablishment of a stringof permanent campsiteson the mountain.

The company saystravellers can now tackleEverest in a shorter timewithout compromisingon safety. To celebratethe anniversary, a seriesof Everest treks havebeen planned for May2013, finishing at theBuddhist ThyangbocheMonastery - which is3,800m above sea level - on May 29, exactly60 years after the first ascent.

Holiday atMt Everest

Located at Koramangala,Bengaluru, the hotel began

its operations on July 1, 2012and is within 10 km south ofthe business hub in Bengaluru.At the launch, Anil Madhok,Managing Director, Sarovar

Hotels said, “The upbeat busi-ness environment ofBengaluru will complementour product and its businessfacilities. ”

Renu Verghese, GeneralManager, Davanam SarovarPortico Suites says, “The USPof our property is undoubted-

ly the size of our rooms.While other hotels will giveyou a 250 sq ft room, ourrooms are almost triple thesize. Also, the property is partof a mall, so visitors can haveeasy access for shopping.”The hotel has announced an introductory stay offer of

` 4,990 onwards tillSeptember 30, 2012. Thehotel will also offer travelagents 15% commission.

“We also plan toconduct fam tripswith travel agents,”adds Verghese.

Sarovar Hotels has opened another all-suite hotel in India, their firstproperty in South India called Davanam Sarovar Portico Suites.

Renu VergheseGeneral ManagerDavanam Sarovar Portico Suites

Bengaluru gets Sarovar’s suite hotel

rural and agro-tourism.Additionally, these tours areconnected to local fairs andfestivals. For every region, afestival is unique with idealcelebration experience.

How a destination can bebuilt into a brand?

While creating or build-ing a brand, we need to cre-ate awareness among thelocal people. There are twosides of it. One is protectingand preserving that site(monument, national her-itage, etc); another thing iscreating pride – peopleshould be proud of theirproduct (local site/village/cuisine, etc). There is a needto create awareness amonglocal people that will create pride.

How is MTDC taking the initiative to educate the younger generationabout tourism ?

Starting this year (by October), MTDC willlaunch ‘Tourism Clubs’.MTDC team is working onthis project from last oneyear and is ready to flow it.Under the ‘Tourism Club’project, students throughdifferent clubs from across the state will beadopting the destination and spread awareness about its sustainability. Over 3.5 lakh students and4000 teachers are a part ofthis project and we havealready identified 23 destinations in the statewhich will be adopted bythem. After a brief trainingsession on tourism andimportance of sustainabletourism, students will workon a five-point agenda – pro-tection of the destination,spreading awareness about the destination, col-lecting authentic informa-tion about the destinationand disseminating it to thelocals and tourists (thus, creating authentic guides)and broadening the conceptof cleanliness in the destination.

We need to create awareness onMaharashtraContd. from page 6 TT BU R E AU

HOTELS I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1 TRAVTALK 2 9

Hiring a private plane isno longer a luxury but

has become a necessity. Thegrowing importance of gen-eral aviation could be gaugedfrom the fact that in the lastfew years, Indian airportswitnessed around 35 per centmore general aviation flightsduring the last four yearsfrom 2006. “Currently, thereare around 650 private

planes in India. This isexpected to reach over 1,600by 2020. Growth in the gen-eral aviation market isexpected to be around 12–15percent in the coming years.In order to reach sites locatedin other cities, which are notconnected by scheduled air-lines; private planes and hel-icopters are hired. Though,chartered plane comes witha cost much higher than flying commercial plane, but it gives the flyers an ele-ment of flexibility that he canvisit multiple cities of hischoice and be back home thesame day,” says Santosh KSharma, Vice President,Foresee Aviation.

Foresee Aviation prima-rily caters to corporate hous-es, travel agencies and touroperators for their charterrequirements. “We have theprivilege of dealing withalmost all the leading travelagencies and tour operatorswho hires private planes for

their guests, especially FITs.We cater to all the areas, suchas, leisure, religious andmedical. We are also under-taking lot of flights onBoeings and Airbus aircraftfor MICE movements where the number of passen-gers are more than 50 and asbig as 200 in each aircraft,”adds Sharma.

Foresee Aviation hasbeen able to make a mark for

itself in the general aviationindustry in very short span oftime due to its commitmenttowards providing highly pro-fessional services to all itsclients. Foresee Aviationbelieves in providing aircraftand helicopters that are notonly new in their categorybut also has an excellentrecord in terms of flying andcrew experience. “We have awide range of aircraft in tur-boprop category such as,King Air C90, Super King AirB200 and Pilatus PC12. In jetcategory, we offer aircraft,such as Phenom 100, CessnaCitation Cj2+, Premier 1A,Hawker 900XP, DassaultFalcon 900EX, Challenger850, etc. As far as helicoptercategory is concerned, weoffer Bell 407, Bell 429,Agusta 109, to name a few. Very importantly, these aircraft are 2-5 yearsold and are being flown byhighly experienced crew,”concludes Sharma.

AVIATION

With its internationaloperations launched in

September 2011, IndiGo nowflies to five foreign destina-tions, namely, Muscat andKathmandu, Dubai,Singapore and Bangkok. Theairline is India’s second

largest with a market shareof 24.9 per cent as of May2012. According to CAPA,IndiGo is also the fastestgrowing low-cost carrier(LCC) in the world. At pres-ent, the airline has a fleet of57 new A320; the airlineoffers 351 daily flights con-necting 32 destinations.

On August 2012, IndiGo,expanded its internationaloperations with the introduc-tion of new flights between the cities of Chennai-Dubai,Hyderabad-Dubai and Kochi-Dubai. In addition, IndiGo willstart its second daily and directflights between Delhi-Dubaiand Delhi-Bangkok sectors.

Proclaiming August asthe month of growth for theairline, Aditya Ghosh,President, IndiGo, says“Having launched our inter-national operations last yearin September 2011, it hasbeen a great encouragementfor us to receive strongresponse from our passen-

gers. In line with our endeav-our to meet the requirementsof both business and leisuretravellers, IndiGo has furtherstrengthened operations onits international route. Theairline is determined to pro-vide the best travel experi-ence to all those who wish tofly these destinations.”

Ghosh further added,“We are looking at providingaffordable fares on thesenew routes for travellers.IndiGo will continue toexpand its network to meetthe requirements of both business and leisuretravellers wherever theydemand it. It is our constant

endeavour to provide moreflexibility of choice to ourpassengers as IndiGo continues to offer them; ontime, hassle free and always affordable flyingexperience.”

Adding to theirunmatchable customer expe-rience, the airline launched itsnew Arabic website in Dubaimarket. This newly launchedArabic website has beenspecifically designed for both business and leisure travellers based in entireMiddle East Region. IndiGo also offers a widerchoice to make payments inAustralian Dollars (AED),Indian Rupee (INR), OmaniRial (OMR), Nepalese Rupees (NPR) or SingaporeDollars (SGD).

Within a year of its first foreign flight, IndiGo has expanded its worldwideoperations and is strengthening its presence on international sectors.

looks at their growth pattern and the new flights added this August.

International routes on IndiGo radar

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Aditya GhoshPresidentIndiGo

Delhi- Dubai (second flight)

Hyderabad- Dubai

Delhi- Bangkok (second flight)

Chennai- Dubai

Kochi- Dubai

New Flights in Aug

With a young fleet of aircraft, Foresee Aviation promises quality services with anexperienced crew. The charter company caters to corporate houses, travel agenciesand tour operators for their charter flight requirements and promises great deal.

‘1,600 private planes by 2020’

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Santosh K SharmaVice PresidentForesee Aviation

HOTELS3 2 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

The Tree of Life Resort andSpa, Jaipur - has gone all

out to capture the leisure mar-ket in the region. Having spentthree decades in tourism, thisresort is the brainchild ofHimmat Anand, Founder, Treeof Life Resort & Spa, Jaipur ashe ventures into hospitality.“The resort offers luxuries ofthe future; space and privacy.Each Villa offers a privatespace between 2,400 and4,500 sq ft and has an outdoor

spa, sunken tub and an out-door shower for couples. Manyof the villas come with theirown private pool. This sort ofluxury is not available inRajasthan. Further, we are acouple’s retreat and our entire focus is towardsindividual couples and towardstheir likes,” Anand says.

Talking about the USP ofthe property, a candid Anandinforms, “Built in a traditionalstyle using lime plaster andstone, with hardly any use ofcement and steel, the resortblends with the natural sur-roundings of its village setting.Each villa here is named aftera tree.” One can wake up tothe sound of birds, a relaxedday can include spa treatmentsat the private outdoor spa inthe villa, yoga, a walk to thewelcoming village next door orthe incredible experience of a meal with an elephant, he adds.

The resort is targettingthe luxury FrequentIndividual Travellers (FIT)

from India and the overseasmarket. The resort that haspaid special attention toattract the leisure segmentdoes not wish to cater to theevolving MICE and weddingsegment at present. FeelsAnand, “Jaipur continues tobe a leisure destination. Inmy opinion, most of thelarger hotels in the city are today generating amajority of their revenuefrom weddings.

We are strictly inthe FIT ‘couples’segment and do notconsider evaluatingthe MICE and large weddings segment.”

The Tree of Life receivessome 60 per cent plus of itsbusiness directly and the bal-ance through tour operators.“We do not advertise the prod-uct; word-of-mouth, websitereferences and other bookingengines generate this business

for us. Tour operators withinIndia have appreciated theproduct. However, they havebeen slow in promoting theproduct. Hence, this winter wewill double our business whichcomes through tour operators.We will also target the B2Bmarket for honeymoon couplesand those celebrating theiranniversary. The Gay andLesbian segment is also on ourradar. We are promoting viaFacebook and other such socialplatforms. We are also lookingat fitting ourselves for promo-tions through mobiles.”

The all-villa resort is planning to double its business by targetting the B2Bmarket for honeymoon couples and those celebrating their anniversaries.

‘Tree of Life’ to capture ‘leisure’

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Himmat AnandFounderTree of Life Resort & Spa, Jaipur

Uniquely designed with afusion of heritage struc-

ture from outside and a con-temporary design inside, TheUmrao is housed within 27acre of plush green land. TheUmrao is strategically locatedon NH 8 in Delhi, which is a10-minute drive from Indira

Gandhi International Airportand stone throwaway distance from commercialcomplexes and business district of Gurgaon.

Ankit V Yadav, Director,Umrao Hotels and Resorts saysthat the hotel will cash in onthe strategic location. “As the

resort is extremely close toGurgaon and the airport, weare targetting the corporatesegment in a big way.”

The Umrao features 55stylish, comfortable and lux-urious rooms and suites allcarefully designed to caterthe modern needs of ourguests. All rooms are well-

furnished in a natural colourpalette of wallpapers andupscale amenities. The roominventory extends fromsuperior rooms, executiverooms, jr. suites to one-bed-room executive suites. TheUmrao also offers a 100 percent refreshing smoke-freeenvironment.

Along with the banquets, the resortoffers personal dining room for a smallget-together and high-tech businessmeeting room for MICE.

‘The Umrao’ for MICE

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Both properties come withinternational standards

and are known for their loyalclientele across generations.

Tajdin Maredia, ManagingDirector, Fariyas Hotels andResorts spoke to aboutrenovations and upgradingexisting properties byupgrading the rooms, facili-ties, and services of FariyasHotel Mumbai and taking itto the next level by convert-ing it into a boutique hoteloffering unparalleled serviceto all its discerning guests.

With focus on increasedroom inventory and otherfacilities, Maredia said thatFariyas Resort, Lonavala hasadded 58 new rooms andsuites in superior category(Premium and Fariyas Club),taking the room inventory toa large scale of 159 rooms and

suites. Two new conferencehalls have been added to caterto offsite seminar needs.Attached to one of the confer-ence halls is an 18000 sq feettastefully developed green

lawn and a separate vegetari-an kitchen on the other side,which will cater to increasingdemand of social functions likeweddings, product & carlaunches, etc. He added, “Wevalue the sentiments of ourvegetarian customers andhence we thought to have acompletely separate vegetari-an kitchen which will specifi-cally cater to wedding groupswhich is an innovative idea ina 5-star deluxe. This has givenus an edge and quite a numberof wedding clients have likedthis concept and have bookedfunctions for the coming wed-ding season.

Further elaborating,Tajdin Maredia said that one

of the main markets we caterto in Lonavala is MICE.

We realised that our existing 6 conference halls maynot suffice to oc cupy159-room inventoryduring the weekdays,so we have come up with two newconference halls,Galaxy II and RegalBall Room.

These two new halls areelegantly designed and willcater to about 150 to 500guests at a time. We are also

coming up with a ClubLounge, which will have aunique and privileged check in& check out facility for all ourPremium and Fariyas ClubGuests. While signing off,Tajdin Maredia further addedthat the Fariyas Group plans totake its “Famed FariyasWarmth” far and wide, to offerthe Fariyas experience to asmany customers as it can.

The Fariyas Group of Hotels & Resorts has set a new paradigm in hospitality with its two flagship brands: FariyasHotel, Mumbai and Fariyas Resort, Lonavala.

Fariyas 1 name, 2 destinations, many avenues

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HOTELS3 4 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

Tajdin Maredia Managing DirectorFariyas Hotels and Resorts

Known as Matsya Nagri,Alwar is a small town that

is aspiring to emerge big. “Thequiet and calm nature of thissmall city attracted manyretired couples to set up theirhomes as it is very safe for eld-erly couples,” says ManishBhatia, MD of Clarks Inn HotelAlwar. “It is almost emergingas a re-settlement city for agedpeople even though it is a hubfor the corporate segment dueto the existence of variousindustrial plants and offices inand around the city. Also, city’sclose proximity to the indus-trial townships has alsoensured that it goes through achange,” he adds. Clarks InnAlwar happens to be thefourth hotel of the Clarks

Group. It also makes Bhatia’shotel the only chain hotel inAlwar. “The hotel was startedin 2008 and we chose ClarksInn considering the marketdemand and the kind of hos-pitality we wanted to bring tothe city. I decided to bringClarks Group into Alwar to

bring an organised approachof hospitality to the city,”Bhatia remarks.

Primarily, the Alwarmarket is driven by corporatebusiness. “We get an averageoccupancy of 65-70 per centcommanding an ARR of ` 2,300 per night, which isfair enough in comparison toJaipur in proximity,” elabo-rates Mukherjee. Alwar isnoticing a growth of leisurebusiness but it is still consid-ered negligible. “We getleisure booking of four-fiveper cent of the total occupan-cy annually, but we expect itto grow to 20 per cent infuture,” Bhatia affirms. TheClarks Inn Alwar is also goingthrough renovation to addseven more rooms. It hasthree categories of rooms viz.

Deluxe (19 keys), Club (19keys) and Suite (2 keys).

Apart from hospitality,Bhatia’s interest has alwaysbeen towards promoting thecity in a holistic manner thatbenefits the travel trade.“There is so much to explore

in this city which remains hid-den. Alwar’s name is missingon the travel map and that irksme. The township that hasemerged into a city cultureholds a lot of promise and is ahidden gem of Rajasthan,” hesays. The hotel has also takeninitiative to let people know

about the various facets of thecity that are tourist attractions.The hotel wants people to takenotice of this destination as aweekend leisure getawayoption from Delhi, Jaipur andeven Agra.

“We undertake weekend promotionsto capture the travellers from Delhi, Jaipur andindustrial belt ofRewari and Bhiwadi.

Due to rapid growth ofreal estate, the scope of the city has increased tremen-dously. It is time to just convert the potential into actual business,” Bhatiainforms.

As the only chain hotel in the branded segment in Alwar, Clarks Inn Hotel is capturing the corporate segmentand creating avenues to market the city as a potential leisure destination.

Clarks Inn branding Alwar as a tourist hubTT BU R E AU

Manish BhatiaManaging DirectorClarks Inn Hotel Alwar

With focus on increased roominventory and other facilities,Maredia said that FariyasResort, Lonavala has added 58new rooms and suites insuperior category

More on the List

DESTINATION3 6 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

New MD forMPSTDC

Raghwendra Kumar Singh hastaken over as the new ManagingDirector for the Madhya PradeshState Tourism DevelopmentCorporation (MPSTDC).

As Managing Director, Singhtalked about the need to work withefficiency so that all the ongoingprojects under the State TourismDepartment can be completed withinstipulated time. He also highlightedthat the department should workprogressively so that it can furtherexcel in its performance byimplementing the strategies toincrease the tourist influx to the State.

Madhya Pradesh’s rich heritage, legendary pilgrim centres, breathtaking scenic beauty and unparalleled stroke of history, make the state truly unique.

The state’s cultural heritage from ancient times is awe‐inspiring.

Many splendours & surprises

Innumerable monuments, exquisitely carved temples, stupas, forts and palaces on hilltops,all take you back to the era of empires and kingdoms, of the great warriors and builders,poets and musicians, saints and philosophers; of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam.This magnificent state located at the heart of India is also home to three UNESCO world

heritage sites, Sanchi, Khajuraho and Bhimbetka.The great Stupa at Sanchi was built by Emperor Ashoka and has become an icon of India’s

cultural heritage. The area is surrounded with monasteries and temples dating back to the3rd century BC. The Khajuraho temples are amongst India’s best loved and most impressive

monuments. Eighty-five extraordinary temples were built over a period of 100 years,from 950-1050 AD by the Chandela Rajput rulers. Bhimbetka in the outskirts of Bhopal

gives a complete picture of Neolithic man through cave paintings and rock shelters.Located 46-km South of Bhopal, in the rocky terrains of dense forests, the 600 rockshelters are sure to take your breath away.

Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh (MP), combines scenic beauty, historicity and modern urban planning. Bhopal today presents a multi-facetedprofile; the old city with its teeming market places and fine old mosques andpalaces, still bearing the aristocratic imprints of its former rulers. Equally impressive is the new city with its verdant exquisitely laid-out parks and gardens, broad avenues and streamlined modern edifices.

Other must-to-visit places include the ancient city of Ujjain, famous forits temples and Shivpuri, famous for its tranquil forests. The marble rocks at

Bhedaghat are a glittering splendour that cannot be missed. Situated on eithersides of river Narmada, the cool quiet and sparkling marble rocks are sure to

take your breath away. Udaygiri Caves, a group of rock-cut cave sanctuaries willmesmerise you. The ruins of the Brahmanical shrine at Vidisha dedicated to

lord Vishnu show the known use of cement in India and are the oldest knowBrahminical stone structure.

MP’s tourism circuit is well connected by rail and road. Airports are situated in Bhopal, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Jabalpur and Indore. Madhya Pradesh also offers air taxi

services, Holiday on Wheels and cruises. Accommodation is easily available for every budget.Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation operates accommodation units

across the state.

Moti Masjid, Bhopal

Maheshwar

Orchha

Waterfall, Pachmarhi

Bhimbetka CavesMarble Rock, Bhedaghat, JabalpurUjjain

Mandu

Sanchi Stupa

STATISTICS3 8 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

The growth rate of 8.9 per cent in 2011 for India is better than UNWTO’s

projected growth rate of 4-5 per cent for the world in 2011 and in line with 7-9 per cent for Asia and the Pacific. The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE)

in US$ during 2011 were $16,564 million with a growth of 16.7 per cent, as compared to $14,193 million with a growth of 24.6 per cent during the year 2010 over 2009.

Facts and figures of Foreign Tourists Arrivals

• FTAs in December 2011 were 7.15 lakh ascompared to FTAs of 6.80 lakh duringDecember 2010 and 6.16 lakh inDecember 2009

•There hasbeen a growthof 5.2 per cent inDecember2011 over December2010 as com-pared to agrowth of 10.4 per cent registered inDecember2010 overDecember2009

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Year FTAs in India Percentage %(in million) change

over the previous year

1997 2.37 3.81998 2.36 -0.71999 2.48 5.22000 2.65 6.72001 2.54 -4.22002 2.38 -6.02003 2.73 14.32004 3.46 26.82005 3.92 13.32006 4.45 13.52007 5.08 14.32008 5.28 4.02009 5.17 -2.22010 5.78 11.82011 (P) 6.29 8.92012 3.24 7.4@(Jan-June) (P)

(P) Provisional, @ Growth rate over Jan-June, 2011.

Source: (i) Bureau of Immigration, Govt of India for 1997-2010(ii) Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, for 2011 & 2012

Monthwise Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India, 2010-2012

Month Foreign Tourist Arrivalss (FTAs in India)2010 2011(P) 2012(P) Percentage % Change

2011/2010 2012/2011January 568719 623885 681282 9.7 9.2February 552152 635527 677472 15.1 6.6March 512152 550051 622658 7.4 13.2April 371956 437792 452239 17.7 3.3May 332087 355333 371678 7.0 4.6June 384642 412336 432128 7.2 4.8July 466715 513853 – 10.1 –August 422173 444548 – 5.3 –September 369821 401995 – 8.7 –October 507093 562873 – 11.0 –November 608178 636762 – 4.7 –December 680004 715364 – 5.2 –Total 5775692 6290319 3237457 8.9 –Sub total 2721708 3014924 3237457 10.8@ 7.4@(Jan-June)

P: Provisional @Growth rate over January-June, 2011 and 2010Source: (i) Bureau of Immigration, Govt. of India, for 2010, (ii) Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, for 2011 and 2012

As per the recent provisional data released by the Ministry of Tourism, the Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) inIndia during 2011 were 6.29 million which showed a growth of 8.9 per cent.

India clocks 6.29 million FTAs

FTAs in India, 1997-2012

The growth rate of 8.9 percent in 2011 for India is better than UNWTO’sprojected growth rate of 4-5 per cent for the world in 2011

It is also in line with 7-9 per cent for Asia and the Pacific

The Foreign ExchangeEarnings (FEE) in US$ during 2011 were $16,564million with a growth of 16.7 per cent

The growth rate in FEE in US$terms in December 2011 over December 2010 was 8.3 per cent,

Better Than The Best

• The growth rate of 5.2 per cent in December 2011 is higher than 4.7 per cent growth rate observed in November 2011

Facts and figures of Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) • FEE from tourism in Rupee terms during 2011 were ` 77,591 crore with a growth of 19.6 per cent, as compared to the FEE of ` 64,889

crore with a growth of 18.1 per cent during the year 2010 over 2009.

• The growth rate in FEE in US$ terms in December 2011 over December 2010 was 8.3 per cent, as compared to the growth of 3.2 percent in December 2010 over December 2009

• FEE from tourism in terms of US$ during 2011 were $16,564 million with a growth of 16.7 per cent, as compared to $14,193 millionwith a growth of 24.6 per cent during the year 2010 over 2009

Contd. on page 40

STATISTICS4 0 TRAVTALK I AT O D A I L I E S 2 0 1 2 – D A Y 1

Monthwise Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) (in US$ Million)from Tourism in India, 2010-2012Month FEE from Tourism in India (in US$ million)

2010# 2011# 2012# Percentage % Change2011/2010 2012/2011

January 1215 1273 1681 4.8 32.1February 1434 1684 1729 17.4 2.7March 1209 1227 1559 1.5 27.1April 1013 1290 1305 27.3 1.2May 951 1124 1023 18.2 -9.0June 1020 1213 1158 18.9 -4.5July 1163 1603 – 37.8 –August 992 1264 – 27.4 –September 1015 1208 – 19.0 –October 1175 1424 – 21.2 –November 1448 1566 – 8.1 –December 1558 1688 – 8.3 –Total 14193 16564 – 16.7 –Sub total 6842 7811 8455 14.2@ 8.2@(Jan-June)

# Advance Estimates, @ Growth rate over January-June 2011 and 2010Source: Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, for 2011 and 2012

Foreign exchange earnings up by 19.6%

S. No. Source Country FTAs Percentage(in million) (%)

(P) Share

1 USA 1.004 15.972 UK 0.791 12.573 Bangladesh 0.399 6.344 Sri Lanka 0.305 4.855 Canada 0.255 4.056 Germany 0.253 4.027 France 0.237 3.768 Malaysia 0.218 3.469 Japan 0.189 3.0110 Australia 0.186 2.96

Total of top 3.837 60.9810 countries

Others 2.453 39.02All Countries 6.290 100.00

(P) ProvisionalSource: Bureau of Immigration, Govt of India for 1997-2010

Top 10 Source Countries for FTAs in India in2011Percentage share of Top 10 Countries for FTAs in India in 2011

Monthwise FEE (in US$ Million) from Tourism in India, 2010-2012

Others39.02%

Australia2.96%

Japan3.01%

Malaysia3.46%

France3.76% Germany

4.02%

Canada4.05%

Sri Lanka4.85%

Bangladesh6.34%

UK12.57%

USA15.97%

Contd. from page 38

• FTAs during the period January-July 2012 were 37.62 lakh with a growth of 6.6% as compared to the FTAsof 35.29 lakh with a growth of 10.7% during January-July 2011 over the corresponding period of 2010.

• FEE from tourism in, dollar terms, during January-July 2012 were US$ 9967 million with a growth of 5.9%,as compared to US$ 9414 million with a growth of 17.6% during January-July 2011 over the correspondingperiod of 2010.

37.62 lakh FTAs from Jan-July 2012

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Sub-EditorRaina Mandal

MarketingGunjan SabikhiHarshal Ashar

Karishma KhannaGeetika Pathak

Shovan KanungoManish Singh

Priyanshu WankhadeAmit SarkarPrem Sagar

Gaganpreet KaurRishika KarraElizabeth RaniUdit Pandey

Shailendra Shukla

DesignNityanand MisraSudhir MudgalVikas Mandotia

Nitin Kumar

Production ManagerAnil Kharbanda

Circulation Ashok Rana

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