President’s Desk…

MTOA Newsletter 8th Edition – February 2016 Only for private circulation among members of MTOA Extracts from various reputed publications in Travel Industry

www.mtoa.co.in Maharashtra Govt. to call for more flight to Aurangabad.

have already started and the financial year end is fast approaching. I wish you all a great season ahead and hope that you all are geared up for the same. It gives me an immense pleasure to share with you that MTOA will be having an independent and bigger stall at the prime upcoming travel trade shows like TTF/ OTM. I will recommend all the members to actively participate in these mega travel events as it would be beneficial for all. I am also delighted to inform you that MTOA is also supporting a very interesting festival scheduled on 6th and 7th February, 2016. It’s the ‘Chikoo Festival 2016’. Aimed at the promotion of rural entrepreneurship and promoting the Dahanu area as tourist destination and showcasing the local fruit – Chikoo, this unique festival was first organized in 2013. This initiative is also supported by MTDC. The Chikoo Festival 2016 will deliver an amazing experience to the visitors with various activities like the Chikoo Safari, Warli Village Tour, YoYo Bordi and various workshops and competitions. The venue of the festival is S. R. Save Camping Ground, Bordi Beach, Station Gholwad (Western Railway), Taluka: Dahanu, District: Palghar. MTOA is also planning a visit to Manali for the inspection of the hotels. It’s a wonderful opportunity to network with the hoteliers of Manali and to see and experience their properties before the season takes off. Interested members should definitely join in the visit. I extend my best and warm wishes to one and all for the upcoming season. May the joy and happiness of travel spread far and wide…!

Sudhir Patil President - MTOA

Government of Maharashtra, said, “We want to improve connectivity into Aurangabad, now that the airport has been upgraded. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken up this Government of Maharashtra, said, “We want to improve connectivity into Aurangabad, now that the airport has been upgraded. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken up this issue with the Civil Aviation Minister to re-start the Jaipur-Aurangabad flight which we had as well as the Pune-Aurangabad one. We are also looking to start a new route from Aurangabad to Bodh Gaya to cater to the heavy Buddhist tourist traffic. It’s still in discussion though and we are looking at a couple of airlines for this.”

In order to encourage visitor traffic to the Buddhist circuit in Aurangabad, the Maharashtra government is looking to add flights between the Buddhist hub and other cities. Valsa Nair Singh, Principal Secretary Tourism & Cultural Affair,

Dear Friends, Here’s wishing you all a very happy and busy February of 2016! Happy because you all must be spreading happiness all around by helping your guests realise their travel dreams. At the same time a busy February because this is also one of the busiest times of the year as the bookings for the upcoming summer

25 – 28 April 2016: Dubai

Helicopter tours in Mumbai

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has signed a MoU with Pawan Hans to start city tours on a helicopter for tourists from January 7, 2016. The helicopter flights will take off from Juhu airport and fly north, keeping to the city’s west so as not to interfere with air traffic to/from Mumbai airport. The base fare of approximate Rs 320 per

minute excluding taxes has been arrived at between the state government and Pawan Hans. A 10 minute inaugural launch ride will cost about Rs 3200, per person. Paraag Jaiin Nainuttia, IAS, MD of MTDC, said, “Initially two choppers will be in service for Mumbai Darshan. The idea is to provide an enthralling experience to the tourists and boost potential tourism in state. Gradually, we will shift rides and tours to south Mumbai and then to Matheran, Murud-Janjira, Aurangabad (Ajanta-Ellora), Nashik, Shirdi, Konkan beaches and Tadoba forest near Nagpur.

Taj Santa Cruz with 279 rooms open in Mumbai.

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has announced the opening of its luxury hotel Taj Santacruz, Mumbai. The hotel comprises 279 rooms and suites which are among the largest in the city and blend contemporary elegance with touches of traditional Indian style. The modular design of rooms and luxuriously appointed amenities make them perfect for both business and leisure. The cushioned window seats in spacious rooms give the traveller the flexibility for in-room meetings. Farhat Jamal, Senior Vice President – Operations (West-India) & Africa, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, said, “Taj Santacruz will set a benchmark for luxury in North Mumbai for business and leisure travellers alike.

MTOA Newsletter 8th Edition – February 2016 Only for private circulation among members of MTOA Extracts from various reputed publications in Travel Industry

www.mtoa.co.in

Garuda Indonesia, the national carrier of Indonesia, is reportedly planning to start flights between Mumbai and Bali, in order to tap the growing Indian honeymoon and Hindu pilgrimage markets. It is said that Garuda might operate charter flights in advance of plans for scheduled departures. According to Handayani, Commercial Director, Garuda Indonesia, the middle to upper classes of India are the ones who go on a religious journey to Bali. Currently, Garuda does not currently operate any flights to India, and no airline flies direct between Bali and India. Earlier this month Garuda commenced flights between Bali and Shanghai.

Rwandair to start direct Mumbai – Rwanda flights.

RwandAir, the national carrier for Rwanda, will start direct flights from Rwanda into Mumbai effective September 2016. Clarence Fernandes, India representative, Rwanda Development Board, which also promotes tourism, reveales, “RwandAir will be coming in with four weekly flights from Mumbai to Dar-e-salaam and Dar-e-salaam to Kigali on A-330 with first, business and economy class. They will initially come in with 244 seats and as the demand increases the airline will scale up to 274 seats. This will be the shortest route, connecting Mumbai and Kigali. Dar-e-Salaam has a large Indian population so it was most practical to do a stop-over here.”

Garuda Indonesia plans Mumbai – Bali flights

H.E. Erdal Sabri Ergen, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey, today said Turkey is in the process of changing its visa regime to make it easier for Indian travellers. Presently, Ordinary, Special and Service Indian passport holders are required to get a visa to enter Turkey. Indian travellers who have Ordinary, Special and Service passports with a valid Schengen or OECD member’s visa or residence permit may get their single entry e-Visas for Turkey valid for 30 days. Ergen said Turkey is also looking at increasing the flight frequency between the two countries. In view of the recent terror attacks in Istanbul, he said that tourism plays an important role in bringing peace in times of terrorism. Turkey boasts highest number of tourist visas issuance in Europe, at 95 per cent. He was speaking on the side-lines of IITT 2016 in Mumbai.

Turkey to ease Visa regime for Indians.

issuance have also been implemented with the paperless end-to-end digital flow of Police Verification Report (PVR) process, further reducing the time required for PVR within the desired time limit of 21 days. Henceforth, normal passport applications of all first time applicants furnishing Aadhaar, electoral photo identity card (EPIC), permanent account number (PAN) card, and an affidavit in the format of Annexure-I will be processed on post-police verification basis without payment of any additional fees, subject to successful online validation of Aadhaar number. Furthermore, mPassport Police app has been launched for digital submission of PVR by field officers. 1.20 crore passport services were rendered in 2015 registering an increase of 21 per cent over 2014.

Passport services ease with 5 days appointment window

Passport services can now be availed with greater convenience in a five-day appointment window, shared the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, on Twitter. As part of a citizen-centric initiative, the new provision would allow applicants to choose any appointment date online from the earliest five available dates while scheduling appointment for passport related services. Steps to liberalise the police verification procedure for passport

Atul Gajanan Mohile, one of the leading and dynamic personalities in the Travel and Tourism field, started his travel company “Contour Travels” in 1981 at the age of only 21. He begun his career with successful Ashtavinayak Tour followed by benchmarking adventure and leisure tours to the various unexplored parts of India.

MTOA Newsletter 8th Edition – February 2016 Only for private circulation among members of MTOA Extracts from various reputed publications in Travel Industry

www.mtoa.co.in

The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Afrtica extending 900,000 square kilometres (350,000 sq mi), covering much of Botswana, parts of Namibia (previously South West Africa), and South Africa. A semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains, the Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert, such as the Namib Desert to the west. There are small amounts of rainfall and the summer temperature is very high. The driest areas usually receive 110–200 millimetres (4.3–7.9 in) of rain per year and the wettest just a little over 500 millimetres (20 in). The surrounding Kalahari Basin covers over 2,500,000 square kilometres (970,000 sq mi) extending farther into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, and encroaching into parts of Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Kalahari is home to many migratory birds and animals. Previously havens for wild animals from elephants to giraffes, and for predators such as lions and cheetahs, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though leopards and cheetahs can still be found. The area is now heavily grazed and cattle fences restrict the movement of wildlife. Among deserts of the Southern Hemisphere, the Kalahari most closely resembles some Australian Deserts in its latitude and its mode of formation. The Kalahari Desert came into existence approximately sixty million years ago along with the formation of the African continent.

Kalahari Desert - Endless deserts, rugged mountains and wildlife eking out a living:

a will to prepare to win

Mr. Atul Mohile, Founder, Contour Travels

Contour Travels started organizing foreign tours in later years and became one of the leading travel companies in India providing outbound travel solutions especially to South East Asia, Middle East and Europe..

Contour Travels organizes group tours, FIT and honeymoon tours, MICE. It is also involved in foreign exchange and overseas mediclaim. The company specializes in study tours and industrial visits for reputed colleges in Mumbai. Regular customers include

Contour Travels has been recognised as a member of the Maharashtra Tour Organisers Association (MTOA) and Atul Mohile has also been a successful President of the Association. He is currently the Honorary General Secretary of MTOA.

Raheja School of Art, Jai Hind College, Rachana Sansad etc.

Atul Mohile has written very much informative articles about Tourism in leading print media like Prahar and Lokprabha. His article “Yeh Hai London Meri Jaan” and Scotch chi Mai Bhoomi, Scotland” were highly appreciated by the people of the country. His credential has been regularly awarded by Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, Political Parties and Various prestigious Educational Institutions. He is currently a president of National Library, Bandra, Mumbai.

Passion of trekking even at this age !!! With Akanksha Tours at Kardaliban, Andhra Pradesh.

Heritage and Religious Tour at Aurangabad and Ajanta Ellora…..well managed by Heena Tours

MTOA Newsletter has been published by MTOA at its Office Veena World, Mahalaxmi Estate, L. J. Cross Road No. 1, Mahim (W) Mumbai – 400016. President – Shri. Sudhir Patil Gen. Secretary – Shri. Atul Mohile Chief Editor – Shri. Amol A. Hendre

MTOA President Mr. Sudhir Patil with guests at SATTE in New Delhi.

Happy customers of Arihant Travels on Jain Pilgrimage Tour at Palitana and Shankheswar.

Maharashtra on top…. Two foreigners groups on Ashtavinayak and Maharashtra Tour organised by

Veena World.

Maharashtra Unlimited !!! Artists from Maharashtra presenting cultural dance at SATTE in New Delhi.

MTOA Newsletter 8th Edition – February 2016 Only for private circulation among members of MTOA Extracts from various reputed publications in Travel Industry

www.mtoa.co.in