travtalk november 1st issue

ddpp

l.com

travt

alki

ndia

.com

` 50/-A DDP PUBLICATIONVol. XXV No. 21; November 1st fortnight issue 2013 Pages: 100 (Excluding cover)

FINAL_TT_NOVEMBER-1ST-2013:TT Layout 11/1/2013 11:14 AM

FINAL_TT_NOVEMBER-1ST-2013:TT Layout 11/1/2013 11:14 AM

travt

alki

ndia

.com

ddpp

l.com

NOVEMBER 1ST FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2013 TRAVTALK 1

India is climbing backwith steady improve-ment in Index of

Industrial Production, capi-tal market and consumerconfidence. In fact, manycaptains of the industrybelieve that the little dent inthe form of fear of theIndian growth story losingsteam has paid off very well.

“India will remain asthe most dynamic growthstory among the emergingeconomies. The recent appre-hension that Indian growthstory will fizzle out, has yield-ed many positive announce-ments and agility in the pol-icy making process,” saidArjun Sharma, Co–Chairman, CII NationalCommittee on Tourism &MD, Le Passage to India.

“Today, when you lookat India, everything is backand looks as promising asbefore; be it the IIP, capitalmarkets, or our tourism

sector,” he added. Echoingsimilar views, SubhashGoyal, President, IndianAssociation of Inbound TourOperators and Chairman,

STIC Travel Group said, “Wehave to spread the messagethat India has become over

India becomes more attractiveAs inbound gets promising, experts say it’s an opportunity to earn the foreignexchange to help further stimulate growth sentiment in our country.

VI V E K SE T H I

Contd. on page 10

46% of close to 500 respondents from the industry feel confident of foreign tourist arrivals going up in the coming six months

Talking about theMinistry of Tourism’sjoint initiative with

WoNoBo, which presents aunique way to navigatethrough Indian cities based ona number of interestingthemes, Parvez Dewan,Secretary, Ministry of Tourismsays, “This will help removeall language barriers; you’llhave no trouble finding your

way and you can travel anywhere in the country without a guide.”

The service is presentlyavailable for 12 major Indiancities and will soon beexpanded to 54 cities.Talking about the expansionplans, Dewan says, “We wantto expand this to one walkingtour in every state of thecountry even if the statedoesn't figure in the top 35

destinations of the country.Once we cover every statechronologically in the orderof their rank in terms oftourist footfall - domestic andinternational - then we'llstart more than one walkingtour in those states, like UPand Rajasthan.”

Dewan was talking onthe sidelines of the launch ofWalking Tours, a joint effortof the Ministry of Tourism

and WoNoBo.com.Whenasked to comment on theproposal of Visa-on-Arrivalbeing extended to 40 coun-tries, Dewan did not com-ment but said that it is aMinistry of Home Affairsissue, though not beforeadding, “I don't like the figure 40, why not the whole world?” He also shedlight on the significance of domestic market growingin India.

Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, talks to about the ministry’s initiative for attractinginbound tourists that will remove language barriers and make them feel more at home. A few excerpts…

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

MOT’s initiative for inbound

Parvez DewanSecretary, MOT

NewsBulletinPowerful line-upfor WTM 2013

See full story on page 5

Commissions tounite associations?


Uttarakhand hospitality gets abreather


‘Support B&B andearn carbon credit’


WTTC India bats forregional council


Jyotsna SuriVice President, FICCI and CMD, Bharat Hotels

FINAL_TT_NOVEMBER-1ST-2013:TT Layout 11/1/2013 11:14 AM Page 1

BULLETIN

The North East is a‘Paradise Unexplored’.

With these words, Tukiopened the 2nd InternationalTourism Mart (ITM) atTawang, Arunachal Pradeshon October 18. Tuki said thatthe North East has a hugetourism potential that is yet tobe tapped. He said that toppriority is to be given to pro-moting tourism sector as italso has great potential togenerate self employment,while enriching the stateexchequer. Tuki said that theregion is a treasure trove ofnatural beauty inhabited by over 150 major and minor tribes with their rich culture, art and crafts and tribal cuisines which offer huge scope for thegrowth of tourism.

Tuki also informed thatthey are in talks with theCentre for a proposed high-way through the Stillwellroad connecting ArunachalPradesh with South EastAsian countries. Speaking atthe inaugural function of thesecond edition of three-dayInternational Tourism Mart,the Chief Minister said the

highway will herald growthof international trade andtourism and be a harbinger ofbilateral relations among the

nations of South East Asiaand North East India.

Parvez Dewan,Secretary, MOT said thatholding of the ITM in Tawangreflected the commitment ofthe government to promotetourism in Northeast India,and in Arunachal Pradeshand Tawang in particular.Dewan said that Indiarecords 105 crore domestictourists and 65 lakh foreign

tourists annually, yielding arevenue of US$ 18 billionfrom foreigners, whichamounted to 6.5 per cent ofthe national GDP, besidesgenerating about 10% director indirect employment.

Later, the ArunachalPradesh Chief Minister inau-gurated an exhibition inwhich the nine participatingstates - Arunachal Pradesh,

At the inaugural of the 2nd edition of the International Tourism Mart (ITM) inTawang on Oct 18, Arunachal Pradesh (AP) CM Nabam Tuki said that theyare in talks for a proposed highway connecting AP with SE Asian countries.

ITM paves way for the North East

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA

Contd. on page 7

Holding of theITM reflected thegovernment’scommitment topromote tourismin North EastIndia, in AP and Tawang in particular

Parvez DewanSecretary, MOT

� The three-day event included presentations, cultural evenings andvisits to local attractions in and around Tawang

� Post-Mar t familiarisation tours to the states in the region werearranged by the state governments for overseas delegates fromOctober 21-27

Added Attractions


VIEWPOINT

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

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

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

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

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

VikramajitChairman

SanJeetEditor & Publisher

Deepa SethiEditor-in-Chief

Editorial

Ratan Kr PaulVivek SethiMegha PaulDevika JeetAnita Jain

Lyandra D’Souza

News-EditorPeden Doma Bhutia

Desk-EditorArchana Sharma

Sr. Sub-EditorHritvick Sen

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

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

MIDDLE EAST:Durga Das Publications Middle East (FZE)

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

TRAVTALK is printed and published by SanJeet on behalf ofDDP Publications Private Limited

72, Todarmal Road, New Delhi-110 001Ph.: +91-11-41669575,41669576, E-mail: [email protected]

Printed at Cirrus Graphics Pvt. Ltd. B-62/14, Phase-II, Naraina Industrial Area, New Delhi - 110 028

Advertising (Mumbai)Suchita Saran

Branch ManagerHarshal Ashar

Deputy Genral ManagerPriyanshu Wankhade

Asst. Manager AdvertisingRishika Karra

Sales CoordinatorAdvertisement Designers

Vikas Mandotia / Nitin KumarAarushi Agrawal

Design: Nityanand Misra Sudhir Mudgal

Production: Anil KharbandaCirculation: Ashok Rana

AdvertisingGunjan Sabikhi

Asst. Vice PresidentKarishma Khanna

Sr. Manager MarketingUdit Pandey

Sr. Manager MarketingGeetika Pathak

Manager AdvertisingAmit Sarkar

Asst. Manager Marketing

PhotographersSimran Kaur-Delhi

Bharat Dangiya-Mumbai

INTERVIEW

In which avenues oftourism in India do wesee IFC?

The InternationalFinance Corporation (IFC) isthe private sector develop-ment and investment arm ofthe World Bank Group. Weprovide a variety of invest-

ment instruments for privatesector companies (includinghotel investors) and weadvice and partner with gov-ernments - through jointlyfinanced technical assistanceprojects - to implement posi-tive changes to the businessand investment environment.

Please throw light onthe new initiatives byIFC in the country?

We have a specific prac-tice area focussed on tourism

development where we arecurrently working in India onthree projects: (1) BuddhistCircuit Upgrading - we areworking with the StateGovernments of Bihar andUttar Pradesh and the Ministryof Tourism to develop a veryfocussed strategy for upgrad-ing the Buddhist Circuit expe-rience, improve connectivityand site-level infrastructure,improve marketing and pro-motion strategies to reachnew markets, and improveoverall coordination and col-laboration of different stake-holders around the circuit,including bringing into thediscussion the monasteriesand their constituents; (2)Rajasthan tourism develop-

ment - IFC is partneringwith the Governmentof Rajasthan in themunicipalities ofUdaipur and Jodhpurto enhance the

tourism experience throughimprovements in the urbanofferings for tourists. Theseinvolve planning and designfor upgrading municipalspaces to include options forprivate investment in tourismservices and attractions; (3)Odisha tourism development- IFC is partnering with theGovt of Odisha to plan anddevelop its tourism assets.

How are these projects funded?

These projects are notloans provided to the stategovernments. They are jointlyfunded and jointly imple-mented technical assistanceagreements that are focussedon delivering specific resultsthat leverage other invest-ment. For instance, on thework with the BuddhistCircuit, the project identifiedapproximately US$ 200 mil-lion of infrastructure andtourism developmentimprovements that were sub-mitted to the PlanningCommission for considerationand inclusion in the 12th

National Development Plan.A part of that is now beingoperationalised through aproposed World Bank loan toUttar Pradesh to upgradeinfrastructure and urbanenvironments in Sarnath andKushinagar.

Which region in Indiahas the maximumgrowth potential interms of tourism infrastructure?

India’s cultural and his-toric heritage are world-classassets that are hugely under-utilised and under-valued.These assets could fuel localeconomic growth andemployment with moreinvestment in the sites andimproved visitor manage-ment. The same applies fornational parks in India. These

have immense potential forthe ‘African Safari’ type ofexperience. Authorities arecurrently unclear on how touse these areas optimally forboth tourism and conserva-tion objectives. Many parts ofAfrica have very successfultourism and communitydevelopment initiatives inand around its national parks.In some cases, this has led tofinancial and ecological sus-tainability for some of them.The challenge in India is thehigh volume of domestictourism visiting or wanting to visit these cultural and natu-ral areas. This can be mitigated with well zoningand effective visitor management.

Could you elaborate on the kind ofprogress that has beenmade in each individ-ual project?

IFC’s tourism work inIndia is too recent. We onlystarted working here in 2012.IFC does not give loans to governments, this is not itsmandate. We are a private sector development institu-tion and any loans that aremade, are made to the privatesector on commercial termsfor financially-viable projects.With respect to our tourismprojects, we do not haveresults yet. All our work arein initial stages.

In a freewheeling discussion with , Shaun Mann, Senior TourismSector Specialist, International Finance Corporation (IFC)-South Asia talksabout the organisation’s work with India’s MOT, state governments, andprivate stakeholders to create an integrated tourism development strategyand identify potentially transformative investments.

The ‘IFC’ touch in 3 tourism projects

MEGHA PAUL

The fastest growinghotel management compa-ny in India, Sarovar Hotels,has announced the openingof Balaji Sarovar Premierein Solapur, Maharashtra.This will be the group’s firsthotel in Solapur and theninth hotel in Maharashtra.Others being Hotel MarinePlaza, Grand SarovarPremiere, Grand Hometel,Majestic Court SarovarPortico and ResidencySarovar Portico -- inMumbai, the Sahil SarovarPortico in Lonavala, the Lily Sarovar Portico in

Nashik and Noorya Hometelin Pune.

The first upscale brand-ed hotel in Solapur is spreadover three acres of land. Itis 15kms from the upcom-ing Solapur Airport and 5 kms from the Railway Station.

Commenting on theopening of the BalajiSarovar Premiere, AnilMadhok, ManagingDirector, Sarovar Hotelssaid, “We are happy toannounce the opening ofBalaji Sarovar Premiere in

Solapur which will help usserve travellers to Solapur,known for its cotton millsand power looms. This pop-ular city of Maharashtra willnow offer international

standard accommodationand conferencing facilitieshitherto unavailable.”

Each of the 129 well-designed guest rooms andsuites at the hotel are mod-ern in appeal and offer allcontemporary amenities fora comfortable stay.

With nearly 8,000 sq.ft. of banqueting space, thehotel is ideal for large socialfunctions, including wed-dings as well as corporateevents for up to 800 guests.Other hotel features includeswimming pool, spa and fit-ness centre.

9th Sarovar property in Maharashtra

Anil MadhokManaging DirectorSarovar Hotels

Shaun Mann, Senior Tourism Sector Specialist,International Finance Corporation (IFC)-South Asia

Travel has been a part of the Indian culturefor centuries… for pilgrimage yatras or

sightseeing, the average Indian traveller willgo thousands of miles to see differentenvironments, weather notwithstanding! Thesummer holiday months see the largestmovements within India, which is the leanperiod for inbound traffic.

Until a few years ago, domestic tourismwas confined to the lower income group andso did not figure in hotel and restaurantreceipts. With the growing income andexpanding middle class, the domestic touristdemands are shifting to good hotels andresorts. They travel to beaches along the coast,nature parks and sanctuaries, take desertsafaris and visit archeological monuments. Itis now upto the central and state governments,while doing their development planning, toprovide clean and affordable accommodation,good roads and convenient flight and trainconnections at and to these places. And, it isfor the travel industry to work out excitingpackages that fit within their budgets.

Once we can gratify the needs of theevolving domestic traveller, it will becomemuch easier to satisfy the inbound foreigntourist, who have the finances to look afterthemselves. The affluent travel to hill resorts in the summer, these towns are wellequipped with accommodation and groundtransportation. But, even the capacity of theseis being tested to the maximum, as we sawrecently in Uttarakhand.

International tourism depends upon manyexternal factors such as internationaleconomic projections, international politicalconditions, air accessibility, and seasonalchanges. Domestic tourism is more stable.

Local infrastructure and standards are farmore acceptable to domestic than tointernational tourists. Despite its significancein national integration and development,domestic tourism has not received adequateattention in the process of developmentplanning. Regardless, this niche continues togrow, giving sustainability and livelihood tomany that come within its gambit.

The number of domestic tourist visitsregistered an increase of almost 20 per centin 2012 as compared to an increase of about16 per cent in 2011, and it is only growing…

India dovetails itsinbound & domestic


The WTM KnowledgeTheatre, situated on the

exhibition floor at GV750,will host three back-to-backsessions starting with LondonDeputy Mayor for Businessand Enterprise Kit Malthouseat 11am.

In July, Malthouse wasappointed as Chairman ofLondon & Partners, theLondon Mayor’s promotionalbody for the capital.Malthouse’s speech willaddress the opportunities andthreats for London tourism

following on from theOlympics and his vision for the capital as a tourism hotspot.

Malthouse is followed at11.45am by former no-frillsairline Go Fly founder and CEOBarbara Cassani. Cassaniremained in the travel indus-try with board roles at Jurys

Inns, Air Berlin and VuelingAirlines. Cassani will tell del-egates about her experiencesin the travel industry and herexpectations for the future.

The final session in theWTM Knowledge Theatre isan aviation panel debatetitled - Airlines AdaptingTheir Business Models. BMI

Regional CEO CathalO'Connell and Air Baltic VicePresident of CommunicationJanis Vanags will discuss theimportance of innovation in aconsolidating sector. Theywill look at best practiceswithin the aviation sector ina number of areas, includingsocial media. The session,

chaired by WTM Aviationexpert John Strickland, takesplace at 12.30pm.

Simon Press, SeniorDirector, World TravelMarket, Reed TravelExhibitions, said, “I amdelighted with our compre-hensive and wide-ranging

conference programme in thenew WTM KnowledgeTheatre on the final day ofthe event. It is very rare tobe able to hear form suchsenior business leaders asBarbara Cassani and CathalO’Connell and politicianssuch as Deputy LondonMayor Kit Malthouse.”

TT BU R E AU

World Travel Market 2013, the leading global event for the travel industry, has a high profile line up of seniorbusiness leaders and politicians for its final day – November 7.

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

Powerful line-up for WTM 2013

I am delightedwith our widerangingconferenceprogramme inthe new WTMKnowledgeTheatre on thefinal day ofthe event

Simon PressReed Travel Exhibitions, Senior Director,World Travel Market

Ghulam Ahmed MirMinister for Tourism, J&K

KashmirMinister tospeak@WTM

Ghulam Ahmed Mir,Minister of Tourism, Jammu& Kashmir, India, will be afeatured speaker at the IIPTSouth Asia Leaders Panelbeing held at World TravelMarket, on November 6,from 1400 to 1500 in SouthGallery 17. The theme ofthe session is ‘BuildingBridges of Collaboration forSustainable Tourism’.


ASSOCIATIONS6 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

‘The Changing Face ofIndian Outbound’, as

the theme for the first-everOTOAI Convention fromDecember 1-4, 2013, inPhilippines has certainlyclicked with the country’soutbound travel agents. Theregistrations for the conven-tion are in full swing.

In less than threeweeks, as many as 200 dele-gate registrations are beingprocessed for the convention.It seems OTOAI will end upgoing beyond its preliminarytarget of attracting about 300delegates. Its inaugural earlybird package for delegateswas priced at `35,000,

which included airfare, accommodation, transfercharges, sightseeing, allmeals and participation in allbusiness sessions and indi-vidual badges.

As disclosed earlier, theAnnual Convention will be

held at Solaire Resort & Casinoin Manila, Philippines fromDecember 1 to 4, 2013. Underthe above-mentioned theme,the convention aims to createnew opportunities for promot-ing the country’s outboundtourism within the industry.

The OTOAI team had kept inmind that Indian agents arelooking for new destinations,which are viable and at thesame time can offer choices forleisure, MICE and adventuretravel; while choosing thevenue destination. The

Philippines emerged asOTAOI’s first choice.

“The Philippines is abeautiful destination. It offersvarious experiences for allkinds of segments, be it thehoneymooners, families, indi-vidual travellers, womentravellers, adventure seekersand MICE travellers,”Guldeep Singh Sahni,President, OTOAI said.Further, the Association willapproach the Ministry ofTourism, Government ofIndia, requesting the pres-ence of their representativeat the Convention, and isconsidering inviting interna-tional tourism boards for theevent, added Sahni.

As earlier reported in, Riaz Munshi, Vice

President, OTOAI, has beenappointed as Chairman of theConvention, while VineetGopal, Joint Secretary,OTOAI, will be the ViceChairman of the OTOAIConvention.

TT BUREAU

It seems OTOAI will end up going beyond its preliminary target of attracting about 300 delegates. In less than three weeks, as many as 200 delegate registrations are being processed for the Convention.

OTOAI Convention gets big response

Riaz MunshiConvention Chairman OTOAI

Vineet GopalCo-Convention Chairman OTOAI

Convention Facts

The conventionaims to createnew opportunitiesfor promoting the country’soutbound tourism within the industry

Guldeep Singh SahniPresidentOTOAI

� The Annual Convention will be held at Solaire Resort & Casino inManila, Philippines from December 1 to 4, 2013.

� The OTOAI team had kept in mind that Indian agents are lookingfor new destinations, which are viable and at the same time canoffer choices for leisure, MICE and adventure travel; whilechoosing the venue destination

The Ministry ofTourism (MOT), IndiaTourism DevelopmentCorporation (ITDC) andthe Federation of IndianChambers of Commerceand Industry (FICCI), are co-organising thefirst India Travel Bazaar2014 on April 08-09,2014 at The Ashok, New Delhi.

The USP of the IndiaTravel Bazaar ’14 wouldbe the intensive andsharp focus on InboundTourism and Buyer–SellerMeet, spread over twodays. Over 2,000 dele-gates from India andabroad are expected toattend the India TravelBazaar 2014.

The travel bazaarwould have around 216booths. There will beopportunities for pre-scheduled B2B meetingswith over 240 foreignbuyers from around 55countries for RegisteredIndian Sellers and toSponsors in the event.

India TravelBazaar 2014 onApril 8-9, 2014in New Delhi


Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya,Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripuraand Sikkim and West Bengal- showcased their touristpotential, traditional, cultural,art and craft uniqueness. TheSikkim Tourism MinisterBhim Dhungel, NagalandTourism Minister EEPangteang, Arunachal'sTourism ParliamentarySecretary PD Sona, Art andCulture ParliamentarySecretary Tsewang Dhondupand Karmik and AdhyatmikAffairs department chairmanTG Rinpoche and top rankingofficers were present on theoccasion. The inaugural func-tion was followed by aPowerPoint presentation ofnine participating states tohighlight their respectivetourism scope.

This is the secondInternational Tourism Martto be organised in the NorthEastern region with theobjective of highlighting thetourism potential of theregion in the domestic andinternational markets. It brings together thetourism business fraternityand entrepreneurs from the eight NortheasternStates of India and WestBengal. The event has beenplanned and scheduled tofacilitate interactionbetween buyers, sellers,media, Government agen-cies and others.

Besides the foreign del-egates, domestic buyers fromother parts of the country andsellers from the NorthEastern States and WestBengal also participated inthe Mart. In addition to thebusiness meetings, the three-day event included presenta-tions, cultural evenings andvisits to local attractions inand around Tawang.

Post-Mart familiarisationtours to the states in theregion were arranged by theState Governments for theoverseas delegates fromOctober 21-27. Foreign dele-gates from Australia,Bangladesh, Brunei,Cambodia, France, Germany,Indonesia, Italy, Japan,Myanmar, Norway, Oman,Philippines, Russia, Singapore,Thailand, UK, USA andVietnam participated at the ITM.

The road to better tourism potentialContd. from page 3

The state is intalks with theCentre for aproposedhighway throughthe Stillwell roadconnecting APwith South EastAsian countries

Nabam TukiCM, Arunachal Pradesh

� Besides the foreigndelegates, domestic buyersfrom other par ts of thecountry and sellers fromthe North Eastern Statesand West Bengal alsoparticipated in the Mart

Participation

Inbound and domestic tourists walk hand-in-handReiterating the impor-

tance of domestic tourists,Dewan says, “Foreigntourists are our guests andare important for us, butthey form 65-66 lakh of thepeople travelling to India,Our true responsibility istowards the Indian tourists,1.05 billion domestictourists travel around the

country.” Dewan says thatwhile the ITM is an eventthat focusses on theNortheast, including WestBengal, which has theDarjeeling area, this editionthey have introduced a newangle. “While the sellers areall from the Northeast, thenew element we havebrought in this year is that

we are trying to attract peo-ple from the major sourcemarkets in India – Gujarat,West Bengal, Maharashtra,Delhi and Bengaluru. We aretrying to request people,though not at our expense,to go there, because webelieve that though it's verygood to look for internation-al tourists, one should not

forget that the bread and but-ter of Indian tourism isdomestic tourism. So, we aretrying to get people from thetravel-prone parts of India,Gujarat of course is Number1 while Bengal is nowNumber 4, but given Bengal'sproximity to the North eastmaybe for the North east,Bengal is Number 1.”

N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 7NEWS


STATES

The campaign aims to attract more foreigntourists during the lean summer season,

making the Indian Himalayas a 365-day desti-nation for the travellers. It would spread aware-ness about the fact that 73 per cent of the

Himalayan range lies in India. Two new promo-tional films — ‘Greatest Show On Earth’ and‘Life Altering Journey on Himalayas’ — alongwith a map of the Himalayas were also launchedon September 27. As the MOT came forwardwith this brilliant initiative, the states alsogeared up to do their bit on World Tourism Day.

As World Tourism Day was celebrated recently onSeptember 27 throughout the world, the Ministry ofTourism in India launched a new campaign ‘777 days ofIncredible Indian Himalayas’ to promote the virgin peaksof Himalayas and attract both domestic and internationaltourists during the lean summer season.

Financial boost from States

ME G H A PAU L

Contd. on page 90

UP govt nod ` 1,700-cr plan for AgraAccording to Om Prakash Singh, Tourism Minister, Uttar Pradesh, the UP government

approved `1,700-crore plan for the overall development of Agra as a tourist destination.Speaking at the inauguration of an air-con-ditioned toilet facility at Taj Mahal on theoccasion of World Tourism Day, Singh saidthe state government is looking at improvingAgra to make it a more attractive destinationfor tourists. “The UP government hadreceived a US$ 410-million package from theWorld Bank for the development of tourismin the state. The state Cabinet has alsocleared the `1,600-crore Agra-LucknowGreenfield Expressway project,” he con-firmed. The project for an international air-port at Agra, too, has been okayed.

Bihar gets ̀ 100 crore for Gandhi circuitThe state government received ̀ 100 crore from the Centre to devel-

op Champaran districts, where Mahatma Gandhi launched his Satyagrahamovement against the British rule in 1917, as a ‘Gandhi circuit’ to attracttourists, particularly foreigners.The government has decided toutilise the funds to developplaces associated with Gandhiduring his Satyagraha move-ment in Champaran.

Two years ago, Bihar ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar had announced the develop-ment of a Gandhi circuit in West and East Champarandistricts with the help of the central government.“There is also a plan for revival of Gandhi’s basicschools in Champaran. The schools set up by him arein shambles now. Bihar also plans to celebrate thecentenary year of Mahatma’s Satyagraha againstBritish rule in 2017 on a large scale.”

HOHO offerings from Delhi TourismStressing on the significance of World Tourism Day, Sheila Dikshit,

Chief Minister, Delhi said, “This year’s theme—Tourism & Water:Protecting our Common Future—will focus on tourism and water. Asthe most widely-celebrated global day for tourism, it has a unique oppor-tunity to raise awareness of tourism’s role in water saving.” To markthe occasion, Delhi Tourism provided three buses free of cost for sight-seeing to the differently-abled children. Coincidingwith its inception day inDelhi three years ago,

HOHO (Hop on, Hop Off) celebrated its anniversaryin a grand way. HOHO hosted a weeklong celebra-tion from 27 September-2 October. During thisrun, the tourists were offered a flat 50 per centdiscount on tickets and they also got a 15 per centdiscount in food vouchers.

Sunil Kumar PintuTourism MinisterBihar

Sheila DikshitChief Minister, Delhi

World Tourism Day


COVER STORY

Adding to the numbers20 per cent more attractiveon account of depreciation inIndian Rupee, if we have tostimulate growth in theinbound section. It’s like a sil-ver lining that can be used toearn the coveted foreignexchange to help furtherstimulate growth sentimentin our country.”

The FICCI’s recent sur-vey also points out that thepresent times are challenging,but growing number of stake-holders in the tourism indus-try now feel that there is asurge in inbound touristarrivals in 2013. “It is indeedheartening to note that 46 percent of close to 500 respon-dents from our industry feltconfident of the foreign touristarrivals to go up in the coming6 months. An equal numberof respondents also feel therewould be no impact of theslowdown over the next 6months on tourism, which isa marked improvement andshows growing improve-ment,” said Jyotsna Suri, VicePresident FICCI andChairperson & ManagingDirector, Bharat Hotels.

Vikram Madhok, ViceChairman, PATA-IndiaChapter and MD,Abercrombie & Kent Indiahas set up aggressive targets

in the luxury inbound spacethat they operate with con-siderable ease. “In the firstthree months of the presentyear, we are about 10 percent below target. But, thebooking trend for Septemberonwards is very positive. Infact, we strongly believe thatthe year will be very fruitfuland we will end the year withover 20 per cent growth,”Madhok said.

Arup Sen, Director,Special Projects, Cox & Kingsalso believe that the forthcom-ing season will offer goodreturns. “The winter of 2013is expected to be much betterthan 2012. We expect growth

in our inbound segment,” saidSen. Thomas Cook India is alsocommitted to its bullish planson the season ahead in 2013.“We are strongly committed tothe plans and targets we’ve setourselves for India Inboundseason 2013-14. Our currentinitiatives include aggressivepromotion and engagementsacross stakeholders to not justneutralise, but give a strongreassurance,” said Surinder

Singh Sodhi – Senior VicePresident & Head, LeisureTravel (Inbound), ThomasCook India.

Further suggesting afresh ray of hope, Sen said,“Most hotels and serviceproviders are quoting in INR,and thus mitigating anyexchange fluctuation risk.Nevertheless, with the rupeedevaluating to the US Dollar,the American market will geta natural impetus owing toincreased purchasing powerof the dollar.”

Here, Sodhi is quick toadd that the FTOs shouldpass on reasonable benefit totheir Indian counterpartskeeping in mind that theinputs costs are going to rise.

“Unarguably, the fall inrupee has made tour packagesa lot more affordable.However, in some cases, for-eign agents may increase theirprofit margins and hence onlypass on the limited benefits tothe customer. The depreciationin rupee hikes fuel priceswhich will result in commodityprices shooting up. The cur-rency movement createsuncertainty in the market withtrade margins taking a hit, incase of an appreciation,” saidSodhi.

But, the rupee deprecia-tion can also create a ‘mirageeffect’ and distract theinbound industry, which isfighting global and domesticodds to grow its FTAs.Because, the fall in value ofrupee will in one way enhancerevenue earnings, when com-puted in rupee terms.

“The inbound space isstill a long way off the highs ithad scaled in 2007-08 beforethe crisis. The core sourcemarkets that used to give us

Contd. from page 1

The growthopportunitiesemerging in the CIScountries and LatinAmerica arecommendable

Today, whenyou look at India,everything is back andlooks aspromising as before

Arjun SharmaCo – Chairman, CII National Committeeon Tourism & MD, Le Passage to India

Dipak DevaVice Chairman, WTTCII and CEO,Destination Management, India & SouthAsia, Kuoni Destination Management

India hasbecome over20 per centmoreattractive onaccount ofdepreciationin the IndianRupee

The year will be very fruitfuland we willend the yearwith over 20 per centgrowth

Vikram MadhokVice Chairman, PATA-India Chapterand MD, Abercrombie & Kent India

Subhash GoyalPresident, IATO & ChairmanSTIC Travel Group

Contd. on page 22


The state of Kerala hadbeen beneficiary of the

roll out of the Visa-on-Arrivalscheme to new airports. Infact, it has now become theonly state that offers VoA atits two airports.Thiruvananthapuram and

Kochi airports are among onlyeight in the country to offerVoA. It was rolled out in thefirst phase in Delhi, Mumbai,Kolkata and Chennai. Two

other airports that got VoAfacility in the second phase are Bengaluru andHyderabad. Kerala is also theonly state to have two air-ports offering the service.

“The introduction of VoA facility atThiruvananthapuram andKochi airports marks a newchapter for Kerala Tourism andwill help attract more foreignvisitors to the state,” said AnilKumar, Minister of Tourism,Kerala. VoA is currently avail-able for citizens of 11 coun-

tries–Japan, Singapore,Finland, Luxembourg, NewZealand, the Philippines,Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam,Myanmar and Indonesia.These countries are marketswhere Kerala Tourism seesvast potential and is beginningto make significant inroads. Asper the statistics released by

Kerala tourism, tourist arrivalsfrom Japan rose by around 56per cent in five years to 11,440in 2012; and the arrivals fromFinland more than doubledover the period to 5,160 lastyear. Tourist arrivals fromcountries such as NewZealand, Singapore and ThePhilippines have similarly risen

between 75 per cent and 90per cent since 2008.

This year, Kerala is look-ing at the jump in remit-tances led by devaluation inrupee as an opportunity toreturn to the double digit. Asper Suman Billa, Secretary,Kerala Tourism, “Kerala hasnot looked back ever since it

started promoting tourism in1996. In fact, presently,Kerala gets over 1 croretourists that consist of 9 lakhforeign tourists and over 94lakh domestic tourists.”

“We have been growingat an average of about 13-14

TT BU R E AU

The introduction of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) facility at Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi airports marks a new chapter for Kerala Tourism…

Kerala airports make VoA historyN O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 1 1STATES

Kerala gets over1 crore touriststhat consist of 9 lakh foreigntourists and over 94 lakh domestic tourists

Suman Billa Secretary Kerala Tourism

The introductionof VoA facility atThiruvanantha-puram and Kochiairports will helpattract moreforeign visitors to the state

Anil KumarMinister of TourismKerala

Contd. on page 20


ASSOCIATIONS1 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

The three travel agents’associations, namely,

TAAI, TAFI and IAAI, areexpected to play an importantrole in getting the commis-sions back.

Naturally, three differ-ent associations would thinkdifferently. However, thecommissions could only beassured if these associationseither collectively, or in theirown ways, are able to deter-mine a respectable quantumof commission with the air-

lines. Fortunately, all associ-ations are open to work joint-ly with any body that sup-ports the cause of commis-sions to travel agents. But,the road is not simple andonly time will tell, if they canjointly rewrite the history ofagents’ commissions.

presents a statuson strategic updates on TAAI,TAFI and IAAI, and howwould they like to bring aboutthe quantum:-

IAAIAs per Biji Eapen,

President, IAAI; a major battle has been won, whichestablishes commissions asa legal right. “Now, the bat-tle that is left is to determinecommissions. These are aptconditions for the travelagents’ community to cometogether and collectivelypitch for commissions above five per cent. We can gradually get even morethan five per cent.”

In a recent press com-muniqué, IAAI again said,

“The quantum of commissionhas to be decided with con-sultation between airlinesand intermediaries takinginto account various commer-cial factors such as the mar-ket conditions, cost of theinfrastructure, establish-ments and the statutory def-inition of "tariff'. Legally, wehave made claims to all air-lines who have adopted zerocommission/transaction feesystem, or a very low com-mission coupled with trans-

action fee, and have request-ed them to change overimmediately to the earliersystem of agency commissionat 5 per cent (on gross fare),as was prevalent in Indiabefore November 2008.”

“Our delegation hadmet the Director General(DGCA) and Secretary, MoCAtwice in October respectivelyand briefed the situation andshall be apprising the CivilAviation Minister within acouple of days’ time, Further,we are re-processing theimminent case in the High

Court of Kerala for a perma-nent solution and looking for-ward for a directive to theRegulator to execute andenforce the law, wherein onbasis of MoCA orders, theSolicitor General of India(representing the CivilAviation) had been asked tosubmit the Affidavit regard-ing compliance within threeweeks. We will certainlyappreciate if our esteemedassociations, including TAAIand TAFI, could also join

hands to support our nationalmove on this common cause.If we are all together, nopower on earth can delay orrefuse our right to commissions,” it added.

TAAI“We have always stood

and worked for travelagents. Commissions are a right, which has alsobeen reflected in the recentorders of the MoCA. We willnot leave any stoneunturned to ensure thatagents get adequate remuneration from airlines.The voluntary shutdown inMay had sent across a clearmessage that the time hascome and agents will not beappeased without adequateremuneration. After all, it’snot only the big agents, but scores of small andmedium-sized agents, whoseexistence has been threat-

ened by the zero-commis-sion regime,” said IqbalMulla, President, TAAI.

“We are open to workwith any association that sup-ports the agents’ crusade forrestoration of suitable com-missions. However, we don’tstop, or write letters to claimcredit, while our crusade is stillon to get commissions back,”he added.

TAFIAs per Praveen Chugh,

Vice President, TAFI, “We are glad that MoCA haddirected that ‘Commission’,‘Transaction Fees’,‘Convenience Fees’, or anyother terms used for the pay-ment of remuneration totravel agents their servicesrendered by them are to betreated as ‘Commission’. Thecommissions should reflectin the tariff, and airlinesshould compensate the

agents for costs the latterhad incurred for selling theairlines tickets. I would liketo submit here that the com-missions so based mustdepend on the percentage,instead of being based on aflat-fee mode. The cost of airtickets varies and hence theagents should be compensat-ed on basis of the percentageof the value of air-ticket.”

“Our association hasbeen in overdrive, meetingvarious government agen-cies and airlines. The detailsof the meetings can’t berevealed at this point.However, we are shortlygoing to make some impor-tant developments known atan appropriate time. We arealso open to work with anytravel agents’ association, or travel agents who possessthe same dedication to safeguards agents’ inter-ests,” he added.

VIVEK SETHI

The recent orders by the MoCA mandating commissions had provided some respite to the travel agents. However,the biggest challenge for the travel agent fraternity is to settle the quantum of commissions as directed in theorders with the respective airlines.

Commissions to unite trade associations?

Excerpts from MoCA ordersIt is clearly stated here that that the term ‘Commission’, ‘Transaction Fees’,

‘Convenience Fees’, or any other terms used for the purpose means the same, i.e. paymentof remuneration to the intermediaries for the services rendered by them and therefore,all these terms are treated as ‘Commission’, mentioned in the existing Rule 135 of AircraftRules, 1937 as a part of tariff to be determined by airlines. All these forms of levy of feesas remuneration to be the intermediaries for the services rendered by them for issuingtickets to passengers on behalf of the airlines are services permissible under the existingrules provided these are shown as part of Tariff within the definition of Tariff and no amountwill be collected from the consumers over and above this.

Further, Rule 135 (1) requires airlines to determine the tariff which by definitionincludes commissions. Rule 135 (2) requires airlines to display a single consolidated fareand give its break up also for the consumer’s benefit. It is clear that the statutory positionunder Rule 135 (n) clearly requires airlines to determine tariff in accordance with law,including commissions payable to agents. The existing law requires airlines to display totalfare and its components.

However, it is made very clear that as per the rules, DGCA cannot lay down quantumof commissions payable by airlines to agents. It is entirely up to the airlines to take a decision in this regard in consultation with intermediaries taking in to account variouscommercial factors such as the market conditions, the cost of the intermediary’s establishment, etc & statutory definition of tariff.

If we are all together,no power on earth can delay or refuse our right tocommissions

We are open towork with any travelassociation, who possess the samededication tosafeguardsagents’ interests

We are open towork with anyassociationthat supportsagents’crusade forrestoration ofsuitablecommissions

Iqbal MullaPresident TAAI

Praveen ChughVice PresidentTAFI

Biji EapenPresidentIAAI

The Asia-Pacific travelmarket ousted Europe tobecome the world’s biggestregional travel market in2012, earning gross book-ings of US$ 326.2 billion,and this figure is expectedto grow another eight percent this year. Asia Pacific isexpected to reach US$351.9 billion this year,according to industryresearch authority,

PhoCusWright. These fig-ures were released recentlyat the sixth edition of ITBAsia, ‘The Trade Show forthe Asian Travel Market’.Backed by the emergence ofeconomic powerhouses,especially China, India andSouth East Asia, the regionhas confirmed itself as oneof the driving forces inworld travel and has setanother all-time high

record, as per a release. TheAsia-Pacific travel market

ousted Europe to becomethe world’s biggest regional

travel market in 2012, earn-ing gross bookings of US$326.2 billion, and this figureis expected to grow anothereight per cent this year. ThePhocusWright study alsostates projected growth fig-ures for the countries withinAsia Pacific over the nextthree years led by China,Japan and the Pacific region.“We expect the Asia-Pacifictravel market to maintain its

growth through 2015 toreach US$ 407.3 billion andChina will account for athird of that. TheIndonesian market is alsopoised for rapid develop-ment in the next three yearsand double-digit growth isforecast for several Asia-Pacific markets through2015,” said Chetan Kapoor,Research Analyst – AsiaPacific, PhoCusWright.

‘APAC market to near US$ 352 bn in 2013’We expect the Asia-Pacific travelmarket to maintain its growth through2015 to reach US$ 407.3 billion andChina will account for a third of that

Chetan Kapoor, Research Analyst – Asia Pacific, PhoCusWright


ANALYSIS1 4 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

The floods and landslideson June 16 had caused

extensive damage inUttarakhand and adverselyaffected the life of the peoplein the state. The Centrerecently exempted the hospi-tality industry in the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand fromService Tax till March 31,2014. “There is a need toprovide support for thelocal population byreviving the hospitalityindustry,” the Central

Board of Excise and Customs(CBEC) said in its ‘ad-hocexemption order’. In thewake of circumstances ofexceptional nature, the CBECsaid it has been decided toexempt taxable ‘services byway of renting of a room in ahotel, inn, guest house, club,campsite or other commercialplace meant for residential orlodging purposes.’ The levyon ‘services provided in rela-tion to serving of food or bev-erages by a restaurant, eatingjoint or mess’ has also been

exempted.

Accordingto SM

Shervani,President,FHRAI; the

occupancy inhotels of thestate came

crashing

from 90 per cent to below 20per cent overnight after TVchannels aired footages ofthe devastation inUttarakhand. Thus, therecent step to exempt thehotels from service tax is surely a welcome step.“While it would take anotherthree to four years for the affected areas to rebuildinfrastructure, I wish the government had provided relief to the indus-try for a longer period toenable them to sail throughbad times,” he pointed out.

The state governmentshould reduce Luxury Tax and VAT for at least fiveyears. The Central govern-ment should also offer taxexemptions on Leave TravelAllowance (LTA) for employ-ees who choose to vacationin Uttarakhand, he added.

Praveen Sharma, JointHonorary Secretary, HRANIfeels unlike the CentralGovernment; the StateGovernment has not beenthat encouraging. “The State

Government cannot wait tillthe Budget, which will be outonly in March next year.There has been no exemptionon entertainment tax, luxurytax and VAT and this is still

hampering the industry. Atleast, the State Governmentshould bring us at par withother hill-states like Jammu& Kashmir and Sikkim. In

The Centre recently exempted the hospitality industryin the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand from Service Tax tillMarch 31, 2014. speaks to industry stalwarts of the region to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the sops.

Uttarakhand hospitality gets a breather

ME G H A PAU L

The StateGovernmentshould bringus at par withother hill-states like J&Kand Sikkim

TheGovernmentshould haveprovided reliefto the industryfor a longerperiod

SM ShervaniPresidentFHRAI

Praveen SharmaJoint Honorary SecretaryHRANI

The Govt. has tobe aggressive topromote growthand create thesupport systemto maintain it further

SP KochharPresident, Hotels and RestaurantsAssociation of Uttarakhand

Contd. on page 90


STATES1 6 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

With an aim to enhancedomestic tourism and

bring in government policyreforms, many state govern-ments in India have signedMoUs with other states.These understandingsinclude tax benefits, rebates,low cost of travelling, etc.And such agreements havepaid well for the states.Taking this one level up,Maharashtra Tourism is nowpartnering with internation-al regions based in Westernand Eastern side of the worldfor attracting tourists fromboth the sides.

The MaharashtraTourism DevelopmentCorporation (MTDC) recentlysigned an MoU with Quebecregion in Canada andWakayama region in Japanfor promoting tourism activ-ities and other initiatives.

MoU with Quebec,Canada

MTDC has signed anMoU with the governmentof Quebec, Canada coveringthe cooperation betweenboth the governments infield of sharing best prac-tices for the development ofresponsible and sustainabletourism, especially innational parks. The MoU

also covers sharing ofresources and facilities inorder to provide mutualassistance in tourism education and training forquality tourism develop-ment, hospitality, exchangeof experts, tourist promotionmanagement, developmentof eco-tourism, includingcollaboration with ministriesresponsible for naturalparks, wildlife and conservation and promotionof MICE tourism. Apart from this, the MoU willestablish cooperation infacilitating promotion of

travel and tourist visitsbetween Maharashtra andQuebec province. Otherobjectives of the MoUinclude obtaining mutualassistance in humanresource development forthe tourism sector.

MoU with WakayamaPrefecture, Japan

After signing MoU withQuebec for the Westernworld, MTDC turned focus onthe Eastern side and signedan MoU with WakayamaPrefecture based in Japan.

The MoU is aimed atcreating mutual cooperationbetween both states for expan-sion of tourism ties. Both des-

tinations have also agreed topromote agro and food pro-cessing between local enter-prises within the existingframework. Both parties areworking towards increasingtourism inflow in Maharashtraand Wakayama through the

agreement. Chhagan Bhujbal,Minister of Public Works &Special AssistanceDepartment and Tourism,Government of Maharashtrasaid, “Both states have astrong foundation in naturalbeauty and culture. These arethe aspects that we will bepromoting.

To increase inbound tourismfrom Wakayama, wewill also concentrateon the BuddhistTourism segment asthe Ajanta and Elloracaves are primeattractions fortourists from Japan.”

On the other hand,Wakayama Prefecture showedkeen interest in supporting tosanction the third phase offunding from JapanInternational CooperationAgency to further developAjanta and Ellora.

ANITA JAIN

The state has recently signed MoUs with Wakayama in Japan and Quebec in Canada to develop responsibleand sustainable tourism. reports more on the state’s novel initiative...

Maharashtra ties with Canada & Japan

JNTO records 30% growth from IndiaJapan National Tourist Office recorded a 30 per cent

growth from the Indian market from January – August2013 over the same period in 2012. As compared to67,000 arrivals in 2012, JNTO is expecting to receive75,000 arrivals in 2013, informed Hideki Manabe,Executive Director – JNTO, Singapore.

JNTO says...India is currently the top 14th tourism market for Japan

and the tourism department is targetting to make India movein top 10 source markets by 2015. To meet the target, JNTOis planning to launch an online destination training pro-gramme for travel agents in India, organise more fams fortravel trade and continue participating in travel exhibitionsin India. It will also restart joint marketing activities withthe trade from next fiscal in India.

Chhagan BhujbalMinister of Public Works & SpecialAssistance Department and Tourism,Government of Maharashtra

Hideki ManabeExecutive Director JNTO, Singapore


RAILWAYS

After receiving excellentresponse for Deccan

Odyssey during Diwali cele-brations held at New YorkCity’s Time Square byMaharashtra TourismDevelopment Corporation,the state has initiated a fewstrategies to further enhancethe awareness and sales ofthe luxury train. Currentlyrecording an average of 55-60 per cent occupancy in

2012, the luxury train is aim-ing to receive more than 80

Introduces ‘Buy One, Get One Free’scheme on the luxury train available for next one year.

Most wanted on Time Square

ANITA JAINThe corporation thisyear is participatingat WTM 2013 with asizable stall. It hasalso invited a fewprivate players toshowcase theirproducts at the stall

Kishori GadreGeneral ManagerMTDC

Buy first and second comes freeStarting October 23, 2013; Deccan

Odyssey is offering special offer ofone+one ticket on tours departing onOctober 23, November 20 and December25, 2013. The tickets are priced at US$633 per couple per night (excluding 3.09per cent service tax). Travel companiesand agents are offered a flat 10 per centcommission on basic tariff of US$ 575.However, the booking payment should bedone full in advance while the cancella-tion charges would be 50 per cent if can-celled 15 days prior to departure and 100per cent if cancelled 14 days prior todeparture. Moreover, the scheme isavailable only on seven nightbooking. The train has21 coaches, out ofwhich 12are

passenger cars accommodating 8 peopleper coach and two presidential suite cars,one conference car, two dining cars, twogenerator cars with luggage store, twostaff cars, a spare car, a spa coach, and abar car. The capacity of the train is 80passengers. The train offers a seven-dayround trip, starting on Wednesdays fromMumbai with seasonal tours mostly oper-ating every year betweenOctober and April.

per cent occupancy in this fis-cal. For achieving the target,MTDC has introduced anattractive offer of ‘Buy OneGet One free’ on a six night,seven days package.

Deccan Odyssey on topWhile Deccan Odyssey

remained the top-mostinquired product during thecelebrations at Times Square,Mumbai as a destination waslast on the list.The secondspot was taken by Ajanta-Ellora caves while third wasacquired by wildlife parks like

Tadoba, Pench and Melghat,informed Kishori Gadre,General Manager, MTDC.Though nearly 80 tour oper-ators were invited for theshow, over 150 turned up. Ofthe total 3.5 lakh people whoattended the show, only 15per cent were Indians. Apart

from unique initiatives, thecorporation this year is par-ticipating at WTM 2013 witha sizable stall. Along withMaharashtra tourism offi-cials, the corporation has alsoinvited a few private playersto showcase their products at the stall.

Luxury on Wheels - Deccan Odyssey

Rail Europe’s mobile app acts as a travel guide for Indians

Rail Europe has launched a new mobile app whichis available on Android and iOS platforms. One of itsstriking features is the ‘Station Guide’ which containsdetails of over 70 stations on the Rail Europe network.It also comes with a map that’s linked to Google Mapsor Apple Plan, which makes navigation easier. Its bestfeature is a section for FAQs and help. If a passenger(Indian) posts a question in Europe, it immediatelyconnects to the Indian Support Centre for furtherassistance.


2 0 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 STATES

In a bid to make Haryana atourist hotspot, the state’s

Tourism Department hasadopted a multi-prongedstrategy to improve its serv-ices. According to SumitaMisra, Managing Director,Haryana TourismCorporation, the departmentis expanding ‘banqueting andconferencing’ facilities,rooms in tourist complexesare being renovated, severalhotel management, cateringinstitutes and amusementparks are also being set up inthe state.

Haryana Tourism Corporationis developing world-classtourism infrastructure, bothin public and private sectors

across the state. The HaryanaTourism Corporation had pre-viously commissioned presti-gious Convention Centres atSurajkund, Faridabad and atTilyar Lake, Rohtak. A con-vention hall of 1,000-person

capacity is now being con-structed at Red BishopTourist Complex, Panchkula,Misra stated. “The renovationand upgrading of the facilitiesare in full swing at the touristcomplexes in Ambala,Bahadurgarh, Pipli,Kurukshetra, Panipat, Karnal,Rai, Pehowa, Sohna,

Faridabad, Dharuhera,Bhiwani and Mansa Devi.New rooms are being con-structed at Koel TouristComplex, Kaithal. Also, theonline booking of roomsrecently introduced has been

showing encouraging results.The facility is currently avail-able for 80 per cent of thecomplexes and would be soonapplicable for the remainingcomplexes as well,” shepointed out. New buildingsare coming up at the StateInstitutes of HotelManagement in Faridabad

and Yamunanagar as well.

Throwing light on the recentachievements of HaryanaTourism, she added, “Underthe Hunar Se Rozgar Tak pro-gramme, about 14 TouristComplexes of Haryana

Tourism and four StateInstitutes of HotelManagement acrossthe state are conduct-ing two courses that include FoodProduction and Foodand Beverage Service,which are of eight andsix weeks durationrespectively.”Elaborating on thebenefits of ruraltourism for the state,she remarked, “Thefarm and rural tourismscheme has been prof-

itable for the states whichhave adopted it. We hadlaunched the scheme in 2003and it is running successfullyin places like Jhajjar, Karnal, Rohtak etc. However,there is an urgent need toupgrade facilities and teachskills to villagers as part ofupgradation.”

A convention hall of 1,000-person capacity is now being constructed atRed Bishop Tourist Complex, Panchkula.

Haryana sets its sights on MICE

TT BUREAU

� The renovation andupgrading of facilitiesare going on in fullswing at tourist centresin several cities ofHaryana

New Look

Conventre Centre Surajkund

per cent in the past decade.Last few years had seengrowth of 8-9 per cent, whichis still robust from globalstandards, due to slowdownin the global economy. Keralagets about ` 65,000 croreremittances every year. Due

to the temporary deprecia-tion in the value of Indianrupee, the value of theseremittances has alreadyincreased by 20 per cent.Moreover, it will positivelyeffect the ` 20,000 croreturnover generated bytourism,” added Billa.

Kerala has just endedhosting two of the big traveltrade associations’ annualconvention including IATOand FHRAI. Billa looks atsuch trade events as a goodplatform for the destination

to update the key stakehold-ers in the travel and hospi-tality sector. “Travel tradeevents with over 1,000 del-egates from travel and hos-pitality industry help us toapprise the industry on thevarious developments,changes and new initiatives

being worked out in thestate,” said Billa.

“Many of the delegatesgo for post-event excursionsand experiences the varioustravel products. One of ourkey initiatives that will cutthe travel time to manystrategic attractions is theSeaplane service. A travellercould use the seaplane serv-ice and reach Munnar fromKochi in 20 mins instead ofa four-hour road journey,”he added.

Kerala in demandContd. from page 11


FAMILY ALBUM

State Ministers’ Meet A National Tourism Ministers’ Conference was held in New Delhi recently to discuss the future strategies for realising the full tourismpotential of the country. The Conference was chaired by K Chiranjeevi,Minister of Tourism, and attended by over 23 State Tourism Ministersand tourism officials were present from all states and union territories.


Growing inbound aggressively in 2013COVER STORY2 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

business are still suffering.Leading economies in Europe,except the likes of Germany,France and UK are still recov-ering. Here, many countriesincluding Spain and Italy areyet to show strong signs ofrecovery. Although the con-ventional source markets aretaking time to recover.However, the growth opportu-nities emerging in the CIScountries and Latin Americaare commendable. The samebullish sentiment is the casewith Asia,” said Dipak Deva,Vice Chairman, WTTC-Indiaand CEO, DestinationManagement, India & SouthAsia, Kuoni DestinationManagement.

“In my opinion, it willbe a commendable task if theindustry could end up withdouble-digit growth. Here,one also needs to clearlydefine growth in terms ofvisitor arrivals and revenues.If, the dollar stays beyond 60levels, there will be automat-ically incremental growth in terms of revenues, whilesame pace is not likely to beseen in terms of visitorarrivals. We can talk about

any number of world her-itage sites, the UNESCO her-itage sites, world-classhotels, state-of-the-art air-

ports. But mere infrastruc-ture is not enough to bring tourists to a country,”added Deva.

According to Deva, VisaLiquidity in addition to air-liquidity is one of the mostimportant aspects thatensures increase in visitorsarrivals to a country. Indiahad grown air-inventory inthe recent past, which is nowgrowing at desirable pace. Toleverage, India now needs toenhance visa liquidity.

“Presume, if next week Ineed to go to Turkey. Myoffice will get me an onlinevisa in literally speaking notime. These are the initiativesthat differentiate between

the countries that want togenerate tourist arrivals fromthe rest. In the Indian con-text, we have, to someextent, address several issuesrelated to visa. However, ifwe are not going to takefacilitative steps like illustrat-ed, we will never reach ourtrue potential in terms ofinbound tourism,” said Deva.

“Today, people do notwant any hassle on a holiday.More importantly, they are notprepared for any hassle, orinconvenience before a holi-day. As of today, our visa

processes need to further gearup to meet the tourist’s expec-tations for a hassle-free visaexperience, without any unduedelays,” he said.

“The recent extension ofVoA facility to five new portsincluding Goa and Kerala arethe right steps. Earlier, weused to face a peculiar situa-tion with our Finnish clients.

Over 50 per cent of them comeon charter flights to Goa. But,they so far couldn’t avail VoAin Goa, although Finland wasincluded in the VoA scheme in2011,” he added.

Contd. from page 10

We are stronglycommitted tothe plans andtargets thatwe’ve setourselves forIndia Inboundseason 2013-14

The winter of 2013 isexpected to bemuch betterthan 2012. Weexpect growthin our inboundsegment

Arup SenDirector, Special ProjectsCox & Kings

Surinder Singh SodhiSenior Vice President & HeadLeisure Travel Inbound Thomas Cook India

The state is currently inthe process of formulat-

ing a plan to develop touristfacilities, infrastructure and

seaplane services along the Karnataka coast. This information was revealed byCD Dyavaiah, ManagingDirector, KSTDC.

Dyavaiah said, “KSTDCplans to develop these facili-ties on a Public PrivatePartnership (PPP) basis. Oncethe policy is finalised over thenext couple of months, wewill be in a position to revealmore details.”

Dyavaiah also said thatKSTDC was keen to launchintra-state air services. Hesaid that KSTDC had invitedexpressions of interest fromprivate players to launchthese services but that it wasyet in the planning phase.

“This will boost tourismin the state and we are work-ing on a strategy to ensurethe long-term sustainabilityof the service.”

Positioning Karnatakaas a culture and heritage des-tination for the domestic seg-ment, the state plans to pro-mote Hampi, Mysore andGokarna to attract touristsfrom all over the country.Further, state tourism devel-opment corporation alsoplans to conduct roadshows

later this year in Delhi,Mumbai and Kolkata, accord-ing to Dyavaiah.

Karnataka has alsosigned an MoU withAndhra Pradesh forcross promotion oftourism in both statesearlier this month.

The possibility ofextending Karnataka’sGolden Chariot train toAndhra Pradesh was alsomooted. "We are extremelyhappy to associate withAndhra Pradesh governmentfor this MoU. We are opti-mistic that this will be a stepforward in terms of increas-ing tourism initiatives in bothstates," Dyavaiah said.

To leverage over 300 kilometres of virgin coastline, theKarnataka State Tourism Development Corporation(KSTDC) plans to focus on developing coastal tourism.

Pitching for coastal tourism

TT BU R E AU

CD DyavaiahManaging Director KSTDC


The super luxury trainRoyal Rajasthan on

Wheels rolled on its first com-mercial tour for this year to Rajasthan, Khajuraho,Varanasi and Agra fromSafdarjung Railway Station,New Delhi, on October 6.With 26 passengers onboard,most of whom were foreigntourists, the train set off forits journey.

Following the success ofthe Palace on Wheels, theRoyal Rajasthan on Wheels ,which is a joint venture of the

Rajasthan TourismDevelopment Corporationand the Indian Railways, hasestablished its image in theglobal travel industry inrecord time. Pramod Sharma,General Manager ofRajasthan TourismDevelopment Corporation,informed that in 87 tripssince 2009, a total of 3286tourists have travelled on thistrain taking the revenueearned to `48.27 crore.

The train, which willnow have more facilitiesonboard, will run on every Sunday betweenOctober and April. Startingits journey from Delhi, thetrain will travel to Jodhpur,Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jaipur,Khajuraho, Varanasi and Agra.

Surendra SinghChaudhri, General Manager

of Royal Rajasthan onWheels, said that the luxurytrain has 22 state-of-the-artcoaches comprising 1 superdeluxe coach (2 cabins), 13deluxe coaches (3 cabinseach), 2 restro bars (40 cov-ers each), 1 kitchen, 2 staff-

cum-store cars and 2 powercars. There are 2 dining cars– Swarn Mahal and SheeshMahal. The train can accom-modate 82 persons. For thesuper deluxe suite, passen-gers have to shell out US$1,600 per night while the

deluxe room is priced at US$ 590 per person pernight on twin sharing andUS$ 825 per person pernight on single occupancy.The train offers facilities likespa, gymnasium, internetand satellite TV.

The Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, which is a joint venture of the RajasthanTourism Development Corporation and the Indian Railways, has earneda total revenue of `48.27 crore since it was launched in January 2009.

A Royal treat on wheels with RTDC

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA

RAILWAYS N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 2 3

With 87 tripssince 2009, atotal of 3286tourists havetravelled on thistrain taking therevenue earnedto ` 48.27 crore

Pramod SharmaGeneral Manager of Rajasthan TourismDevelopment Corporation



India has the richest diver-sity in terms of tourist

attractions spread across its

length and breadth. But, thevariations in tax structuresacross different states spoilthe fun and act as the chiefimpediment to the growth ofinter-state tourism. TheWorld Travel & TourismCouncil, India Initiative(WTTCII) has formalised onesuch platform, namedSouthern Zone TourismAdvisory Council (SZTAC)with the help of supportreceived from Centre,Southern state governmentsand Union Territories.

“India has diverse taxregimes within the 28 statesand 7 union territories

despite being a single coun-try. Luxury tax, sales tax,entry tax, aviation turbinefuel (ATF) and VAT variesfrom state to state. This is notan impressionable draw tothe traveller. In fact, easyaccess, state-of-the-art infra-

structure, seamless traveland uniform tax structuresare necessary to make India’stravel and tourism industryglobally and regionally com-

petitive,” said Priya Paul,Chairperson, WTTCII.

“We see a uniquepotential for states and unionterritories in the SouthernRegion to develop and fur-ther benefit from the oppor-tunities of Tourism. Hence,we, at WTTCII, in partner-ship with the Ministry ofTourism, Government ofIndia and the various statesand UT participation, for-malised SZTAC. We now urgethe Southern states to joinhands to strengthen thisunique platform with anIndustry interface and imple-ment key policy initiatives as

per the mandate of theSouthern Zonal TourismAdvisory Council (SZTAC).Going forward, we will part-ner with the Ministry ofTourism to form and consti-tute an Eastern, Northernand Western Zonal Tourism

Advisory Council,” sheadded.

Echoing similar senti-ments, Dipak Deva, ViceChairperson, WTTCII said,

“With the SZTAC now consti-tuted and formed, we willlook forward to its missivesand directives for a bettertourism environment in theSouthern Zone. WTTCIIextends its full support to theSouthern Zonal TourismAdvisory Council. WTTCIIpledges to partner with theMinistry of Tourism and Stategovernments to form moresuch core groups and region-al councils like the SZTAC to

jointly chart a roadmap forIndian Tourism.”

The WTTCII Retreatsare a unique format thatbrings together government

and industry among otherstakeholders together andbrainstorm on the future ofthe most important industryin the Indian context.

At a WTTC IndiaRetreat in September 2012,the SZTAC was envisaged,which then shortly got the blessings of K Chiranjeevi, Minister ofState for Tourism,Government of India. Lately,SZTAC was formalised at the

recent WTTCII Retreat 2013at Hyderabad.

Anand Kumar, JointSecretary, Ministry ofTourism and MemberSecretary to the SZTAC men-tioned that the council wouldbe chaired by the chief sec-

retaries of the states inalphabetical order and byrotation,he said.

The secretaries ofTourism and other relevantdepartmental secretaries,representatives fromMinistries at GoI level will be

co-opted and invited as andwhen necessary. Each stateshall chair the SZTAC for theduration of a year, Kumaradded.

The SZTAC will havethe states of Andhra Pradesh,Goa, Karnataka, Kerala,

Tamil Nadu and UnionTerritories of Andaman &Nicobar, Puducherry andLakshadweep as Members.The state of Andhra Pradeshwill be the first chair of theSZTAC, Kumar said.

VIVEK SETHI

� Taxation-Airline & Hospitality� Interstate Transport Taxation

and Permits� CRZ Regulations� Excise issues� Focus on the MICE potential� Identifying regional circuits

� Joint promotion of the SouthZone

� Clearance on Hotel Projects � VoA (any other airports from

Metros)� Vision for Tourism for

Southern Region - 2020 and2030

SZTAC’s Agenda

Dignitaries sharing the dias at the WTTCII meet in Hyderabad

Easy access, state-of-the-artinfrastructure, seamless travel anduniform tax structures arenecessary to make India’s travel &tourism industry globally andregionally competitive

Priya Paul, Chairperson, WTTCII

The Association has recently formalised Southern Zone Tourism Advisory Council (SZTAC), which has got all southernstates together to collectively remove impediments hindering growth of the southern region.

WTTCII bats for regional council

With SZTAC now constituted and formed, we willlook forward to its missives anddirectives for a better tourismenvironment in the Southern Zone

Dipak Deva, Vice Chairperson, WTTCII

The SZTAC, now formallyconstituted, would be chaired bythe Chief Secretaries of the statesin alphabetical order and byrotation

Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry ofTourism, and Member Secretary, SZTAC

See also pages 25 and 26


Andhra Pradesh aims atrealising travellers’

dream to see Southern Indiaas one product. Followingthis direction, it believesthat all Southern states’tourism should be built ontheir synergies.

“We had recently con-ducted the second SouthernRetreat of the Southern statesat Hyderabad, initiated byWTTC India Initiative. IndianTourism demands all stake-holders to come together,cooperate and coordinate. Thestates play a very importantrole. It is for us to understandthe value, the potential thatthese assets can create for the

state’s economy, employmentand overall socio-culturaldevelopment. Most important-ly, we need to realise thattourists, especially foreigners,wish to see Southern India atone go,” Chandana Khan,Special Chief Secretary,Tourism, AP, says.

“The States would needto nurture these assets in asustainable manner and cre-ate platforms and avenues forthe State Government, pri-vate sector, entrepreneursand most importantly, thelocal community to reap sus-tainable benefits from thetourism assets,” she added.

In fact, in the first year,as per the present set-up ofSZTAC; Andhra Pradesh willchair the said TAC councilduring 2013-14. “SZTAC,now formally constituted,would be chaired by the ChiefSecretary of the states inalphabetical order and byrotation. The Secretaries of

Tourism and other relevantdepartmental secretaries andrepresentatives fromMinistries at GOI level will beco-opted and invited as andwhen necessary. Each stateshall chair the SZTAC for theduration of a year. The SZTACwill have the states of AndhraPradesh, Goa, Karnataka,

Kerala, Tamil Nadu and UnionTerritories of Andaman &Nicobar, Puducherry andLakshwadeep as members.The state of Andhra Pradeshwill be the first Chair of theSZTAC,” said Anand Kumar,Joint Secretary, Ministry ofTourism and MemberSecretary to the SZTAC.

TT BU R E AU

The Southern Zone Tourism Advistory Council will be chaired by the chief secretaries ofthe states in alphabetical order and by rotation. finds out the details.

We need torealise thattourists,especiallyforeigners, wishto see SouthernIndia at one go

Chandana KhanSpecial Chief SecretaryTourism, AP

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

Anand KumarJoint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism andMember Secretary, SZTAC

Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka,Kerala, Tamil Nadu and UTs ofAndaman & Nicobar, Puducherry and Lakshwadeep will be the members

See also Page 26

AP first to chair southern states’ council



WTTCII evaluates States & UTsContd. from page 25

What’s working What to improve

Pudu

cher

ryGo

aKa

rnat

aka

Andh

ra P

rade

shKe

rala

Anda

man &

Nico

bar

Tam

il Na

du

1. This UT comes in at first place in the Southern State RankingSurvey

2. Day visit in tourist circuit, as well as weekend destinationfor domestic tourists from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and AndhraPradesh

3. ‘Vision 2025’ for Puducherry envisages promoting the stateas an international destination for wellness, spiritual, andeco-tourism

1. Steady upswing in the arrivals of domestic and foreign tourists

2. Room rates up by 20% in 2012 - highest in country

3. State is replete with hotels across different positioning,catering to various segments

4. MICE is emerging as one of the largest revenue-generators

1. Domestic tourists increased by around 120% and internationaltourists by ~77% - much higher than other Indian states

2. The current tourism policy, which envisages making tourism the largest economic activity in the state

3. Planned development of World Heritage Centres at Hampiand Pattadakal

4. IT/ITES - evolution as a global technology hub

1. The state ranked first with highest domestic tourist inflow

2. New airport and road infrastructure in the city and otherareas, is by far the best in the country

3. Lower rate of Luxury Tax (but taxes are on published tariffs)

4. First state in the country to have a single window clearancesact with provisions of set time periods and deemed approvals

1. Some of the highest growth rates in GSDP and per capita income

2. Total revenue from tourism, both direct and indirect, hastouched `21,125 crore in 2012 as compared to `19,037crore in 2011

3. The VoA facility at Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi is expected to give a big fillip to Kerala tourism.

1. Unparalleled scenic beauty with a unique combination ofpristine waters, mangrove creeks and dense equatorialforests

2. One of the most striking beaches in Asia and the world

3. Strategic location helps compete with similar destinationsin the Far East

1. The state has emerged as the preferred destination for med-ical tourism in the country

2. In the past one year, nearly 2,000 rooms have been addedto Chennai’s inventory in the 5-star and Luxury category

3. Vision Tamil Nadu – 2023 targets investment of `10,000crore in Tourism

1. Creation of destinations in order to attract tourists beyond weekend and religious trips

2. Attract more ‘high-value’ tourists, increasing the spend and the durationof their stay

3. Poor connectivity and infrastructure facilities to tourist destinations

4. Expansion of Puducherry airport and giving way to more private airline operators

1. Resolution of the Telengana, Rayalaseema and Uttarandhra for once and for all

2. Government to take firm steps in controlling extremist and terrorist activities

1. One of the highest Luxury tax rates in India. Need to restructure taxes

2. Tourism spend (0.15%) is much less compared to other states

3. Significantly lesser aircraft movement, in comparison with other Indian states

4. Government’s steps to curb alcohol consumption can cause damage to thestate’s tourism appeal

1. Tremendous scope for leisure and entertainment in the beach resorts -most of which remains untapped

2. Relaxation in CRZ norms

3. Difficult to obtain clearance for tourism related projects from different departments in the absence of Single window system

4. Lack of adequate marketing and promotion

1. One of the difficult states in the country to open a hotel

2. At 0.02%, the state has low budgetary provisions for tourism

3. The highest luxury tax rates amongst the seven states, and one of thehighest in the country

4 Better marketing and promotion strategies for long-term Brand Building

1. Luxury tax on accommodation is costlier compared to the other Southernstates

2. Outlay for tourism has dropped from 0.22% in 2010 to 0.14% in 2012

3. Poor infrastructure in Bengaluru and distance from the airport

4. Harassment by local law enforcement authorities

1. Difficulty in obtaining approvals and licenses - high barriers to entry

2 . Clarity from the Government on VoA status

3. Availability of the airport - one of the biggest infrastructure bottlenecks.The prospect of new Mopa airport is promising

4. Ease Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms

5. Support from Tourism Dept. for charter operators - as is the practice inIsrael, Egypt, Turkey etc - in order to promote charter tourism


More than 40 per cent ofthe total room capaci-

ties in the authorised hotelshave been created with thehelp of TFCI.

BM Gupta, ChiefFinancial Officer, TourismFinance Corporation of IndiaLtd, (TFCI), said, “If you lookat our portfolio so far, in thelast 25 years we have helpedto build 52,000 hotel rooms.This will account for not lessthan 40 per cent of the roomcapacity in India which hasbeen created with help fromTFCI in the last 25 years.Nobody understands thisindustry as well as we do.This is the advantage that ourexperience and exposure overa period of 25 years has givenus. This, in fact, goes into theproject appraisal stage. Atthis stage, what we con-tribute is enormous. If youlook at most of the innovativeprojects that have come intothe tourism industry, we havea helping hand. We comple-

ment the efforts of the statefinancial institutions.”

He added, “We areattempting to set up atourism infrastructure com-pany—a 100 per cent sub-sidiary under TFCI to helpsmaller projects raiseExternal CommercialBorrowings (ECB). We alsoplan to set up a dedicatedbank under the license provi-sions of the Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI). The tourismindustry needs a specialisedbank, wherein the funds canbe raised at a cheaper rate.The focus would be on

financingmedium andsmall projectsat the initialstage and big-ger projects at alater stage.”Hesaid that theCorporation ishopeful of afavourable decisionby the RBI on its application, and would be able to set up the bank by 2016.

He further stated, “Weare very keen to help out inthe infrastructure develop-

ment for tourism-relatedsectors. We give smallerloans, but participate innumerous projects. So ourrisk is also diverted and notlimited to just one or twoprojects. We would also bewilling to give loans for hel-icopter related projectswhich will help facilitateMinistry of Tourism,Government of India’s ‘777

Daysof Incredible

IndiaHimalayas’ cam-

paign.”

For the same, Guptaadded, “It is essential tomake project a commercial-

ly-viable model and to figureout how the revenue streamwill be generated. Also itwould depend on what kindof assurance is there. It maynot happen that today youstart an adventure activity atone place, and tomorrow thatactivity is no more there, andyou abandon the area.”

“Such a situation shouldnot arise that there is no

taker for that asset. Theasset should be built insuch a manner that ifone operator is not ready,another operator shouldbe able to take it up.

Those linkages need to beprovided. The asset needsto be created in such a wayand financed that it’s a

win-win situation for boththe lender as well as theentrepreneur. For that, youneed to have a firm backupsystem and backward andforward linkages. Any suchasset can be funded by TFCI,provided it is creating for thedevelopment tourism infra-structure in the country.”

The Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) is set to have a specialised bank for tourism-related projects by 2016. TFCI has so far funded over 750 tourism projects in the country. finds out more.

KANCHAN NATH

Get ready for a specialised bank for tourism INTERVIEW2 8 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

� The tourism industry needsa specialised bank whereinfunds can be raised at acheaper rate

� The focus would be onfinancing medium and smallprojects at the initial stageand bigger projects at a later stage

� The Corporation is hopefulof a favourable decision bythe RBI on its application,and would be able to set upthe bank by 2016

Plans & Projections

We are attempting to set up a tourism infrastructurecompany—a 100% subsidiary under TFCI to helpsmaller projects raise External Commercial

Borrowings (ECB). We are very keen to help outin the infrastructure development fortourism-related sectors

BM Gupta, Chief Financial Officer, TFCI


HOTELS

Please shed lighton the USPs ofyour property.

What differentiates theproperty from competi-tion?

Located in QutabInstitutional area, it is just afive minutes drive fromQutab Minar.

The Hotel has 96 keys,comprising 66 rooms and 30luxurious serviced apart-ments. Well-situated in SouthDelhi, Hotel ClarionCollection is 23 km from thehigh-tech city of Gurgaon,14km from Connaught Placeand within a 5 km radiusfrom shopping centres likeSelect City walk, DLFEmporio, Ambience Mall, etc.

Tell us about your serviced apartments.

Clarion Collection-Qutab New Delhi has pio-neered the serviced residenceconcept since its inception,offering corporate executivesseeking daily or long-termstay in a spacious and sophis-ticated alternative to a hotelroom. If you plan to relocateto the city or are on the look-

out for acontented

accommodation, QutabResidencies will provide youwith a convenient base forthe interim—an ideal home-away-from-home.

Each apartment has twobedrooms, study room,kitchen, private lobby and abalcony. Our serviced apart-ments are well-designed andelegantly furnished witheverything from central air-conditioning to well-equipped kitchenettes, WiFiInternet access with a host ofpersonalised services.

Are you lookingto renovate oradd some new

products in your proper-ty? What are you expan-sion plans?

At Clarion Collection, upgradation in facilities is a con-tinuous process. Recently, all

guest rooms and corridorshave been renovated alongwith refurbishment of carpetsand furniture. This year, weopened a new restaurantcalled Zerzura which servesmid-eastern, Moroccan andLebanese cuisine. ByNovember 2013, a world cui-sine restaurant named Hiatuswould be opened and wouldshowcase molecular gastron-omy and e-sommelier.Moving forward, the classifi-cation of the hotel would bechanged to be a five-star cat-egory.

What are theARRs and aver-age occupancy

that you are experienc-ing at present? Howdoes it compare to lastyear?

We are currently experi-encing an average rate of` 6,000 with an occupancy of60 per cent which is at parwith that of last year. Themarket sentiments are notvery bright for the comingseason. Hotels are strugglingfor occupancies and averagerates have gone down.Inbound business as pertrends is expected to bearound 25-30 per cent lowerthan last year.

Cost cutting initiativesin the corporate segment is

focussing on video conferenc-ing rather than travel due tohigh expenses, resulting indecline in corporate travel inhotels. Till last year, the hotelhad majorly been catering tothe business traveller be itFIT, GIT, or conferences. Ourfuture strategies wouldinclude creating a healthymix of all market segmentswith a thrust on leisure seg-ments by contracting withtravel agents.

What are yourrack rates duringseason and off-

season? Are you offer-ing any discount pack-ages currently?

A. Our rack rates forthe current season are in arange of ` 8,000 to ` 12,000for different room types. Wehave various promotionaloffers available like Early

Bird Offer, minimum staythrough, last minute deals,weekend offers etc. All theseoffers have helped usachieve a good occupancy.We, being a hotel with serv-iced apartments, long stay-ers and expatriates con-tribute to our occupancy. Wehave a repeat guest ratio of25 per cent, the averagelength of stay being 4 days.

What are the sustainable prac-tices that your

hotel is following?At Clarion Collection

Qutab New Delhi, we striveto make optimum use of theenergy. The hotel has rainwater harvesting systemswhich ensures recharging ofground water. The water col-lected from sewage treat-ment plant is used for horti-culture and in toilets. Solarenergy is used for runninghot water boilers. Guests areencouraged to reuse roomlinen with tent cards onwater conservation kept inrooms. The hotel has LEDlights which help in savingelectricity by 50-80 per cent.

How do you seethe present statusof the Indian hos-

pitality sector? What arethe challenges beingfaced by the industry?

There has been a con-stant transformation owingto the volatile environmentimpacting the Indian hotelindustry contributing totourism. The standards offacilities and servicesoffered have evolved overthe last decade towards theextensive use of technology,environment-friendly serv-ices, pricing, market segmentation, regional pref-erences, etc. The Indianhotel industry has seen asignificant growth in room inventory across cate-gories from upscale luxury to limited servicesand boutique and budgethotels.

The key challengesthat the industry faces todayare infrastructure, regulato-ry bodies, taxation, risinginflation, and the shortageof skilled manpower.Electricity costs haveincreased by over 25 percent over last year. Today,most of the customers com-plain about various taxesthat are applicable on hotelfacilities wherein the overalltax pressure including serv-ice tax, luxury tax, incometax and VAT comes to nearly70 per cent. With risinginflation, the hotel profitmargins have reduced.

Clarion Collection, spreading over 4 plus acres of land, is thefirst to offer serviced apartments in South Delhi. gotin touch with Ankush Sharma, General Manager, ClarionCollection to find out more.

A new era in hospitality

KA N C H A N NAT H

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Our future strategies wouldinclude creating a healthy mix of

all market segments with a thruston leisure segments

by contracting with travel agents

Ankush SharmaGeneral Manager, Clarion Collection


HOTELS3 0 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

As the Formula One driv-ers were seen in action

at India’s F1 Grand Prix atGreater Noida in October, itseems all roads are now lead-ing to India. Backed by theCWG in Delhi in 2010, a newbeginning for internationalsports tourism was witnessedin the country. And as thefortunes of the hospitalityindustry have always beenlinked to the prospects of the tourism industry,sports tourism holds a lot ofpotential for getting businessto the hotels.

Informs Manju Sharma,Director, Jaypee Hotels,“Jaypee Greens Golf and SpaResort hosted the Formula1management and keyFormula 1 teams for the thirdconsecutive year in Octoberthis year. Most VIPs and keyF1 drivers have been stayingat the property every year.Even the service teams at the

resort have become familiarwith these dignitaries, theirlikes and dislikes, food habits,

daily schedules and workoutneeds.” Regarding prepara-tions at the hotel in terms of

security, Sharma affirms,“During the F1 period, sever-al layers of security were

added to ensure safety, secu-rity and privacy.” Talkingabout the potential of sportstourism for getting businessto the hotels, she opines,“Such high-scale internation-al events not only add credi-bility to Indian hospitality butalso showcase our capabilitieson the global map.”

During the most recentF1 in Delhi NCR, what isinteresting is that a fewhotels have not just raked inmoney during the event, butthey have already startednegotiating deals for gettingbusiness during the F1 gamesof March 2015.

Says Greesh Bindra,GM, Crowne Plaza, GreaterNoida, “We recently unveiledthe property to cash in on theF1 games. We are a 400-room hotel and opened witharound 170 rooms in the firstphase. We were completelysold out for the F1 race. Theentire Ferrari team stayed

here during the event.”Bindra opines, “With the bril-liant roads where you can lit-erally escape the traffic jamsof Delhi, this region is notconsidered far from South orCentral Delhi. Going forward,the hotel is already in talksfor garnering business for thefourth F1 that will take placein March 2015.”

According to ScottThomson, General Manager,DoubleTree by Hilton NewDelhi-Noida-Mayur Vihar andHilton New Delhi-Noida-Mayur Vihar, both the upscalehotels in Mayur Vihar are oneof the closest hotels to therace tracks. “The hotels arefairly booked to capacitythroughout October. Thehotels have been growing inbusiness year-on-year.Nonetheless, the businesshas been at the same levelsas last year (same period) due to added room inventoryin the local market,” he adds.

MEGHA PAUL

With sports becoming one of the major drivers of tourism in India, the hospitality sector also stands to gain a lotfrom it. This is reflected in the performance of hotels during the third F1 in India. Most hotels in Greater Noidawere sold-out during the F1 week and room rates shot up as F1 teams, staff and spectators started flooding in.

Hoteliers see ringing registers during F1

The hotels arefairly booked tocapacitythrough themonth ofOctober

The region willgain big time as itpositions itself asthe new sports hub near Delhi

Such events addcredibility andalso showcaseour capabilitieson the global map

Manju SharmaDirectorJaypee Hotels

Greesh BindraGeneral Manager Crowne Plaza, Greater Noida

Scott Thomson, GM, DoubleTree byHilton New Delhi-Noida-Mayur Vihar andHilton New Delhi-Noida-Mayur Vihar


NTO

Thailand is no more a‘stranger’ for Indian

tourists as the countryreceived over one millionarrivals from India last year.Tourism Authority ofThailand (TAT) in Mumbai isundertaking vital steps toretain and further grow thesenumbers through uniquestrategies. After organisingmultiple roadshows in Indiaover the years, TAT has nowopted for ‘specialised’ road-shows focussing on particularsegments like wedding, golfand now luxury. SethaphanBuddhani, Director, TourismAuthority of Thailand,Mumbai said, “Our focus for2014 would be more onindulging and connectingIndian travellers with ourlocal culture. We wantIndians to experience morethan just Thailand.Experience our culture, festi-vals, food and even makefriends with locals. If trav-ellers ‘connect’ well with adestination, they will indeedcome back.”

Luxury sellingTAT recently organised a

luxury roadshow themed ‘AWorld of Luxury, a Luxury

Hotels Showcase’ in Mumbaiand New Delhi showcasingthe high-end products forleisure and MICE segmentamong Indian travel trade.Buddhani said, “Indian trav-

ellers are certainly upgradingpreferences and increasingspends. Take, for example, theweddings segment: Last yearalone, over 100 HNIs (High-Net-Worth Individuals) fromIndia celebrated their wed-dings in Thailand. An Indiancouple spends an average ofTHB 10 million over a mini-mum 4-day long stay forthemselves and their invitees.A single Indian wedding has aguest list of about 200-400 oreven more, calling for entirehotels to be booked at times.And this is just one segmentwithin the larger market.There’s definitely room formore luxury as the spendingpower exists. Moreover, at anyprice point, Thailand meetsand surpasses expectations.”

He said that the premi-um segment - that con-tributed to 20 per cent of theone million arrivals in 2012 -is also viewing Thailand as agolf getaway. He said, “Ourestimates suggest that golftourism to Thailand wasworth US$ 2.88 billion in landarrangements alone in 2012.Industry sources expect 15 percent growth by the endof 2013 to more than850,000 golf visitors, worthUS$ 3.68 billion.”

The country aims at crossing one million arrivals from India againin 2013 and plans new strategies to attract repeat travellers…

Focussing on ‘indulgence’

There’s definitelyroom for moreluxury as thespending powerexists. Moreover,at any pricepoint, Thailandmeets andsurpassesexpectations

Sethaphan BuddhaniDirectorTourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai

AN I TA JA I N

The luxury roadshow host-ed by the Tourism

Authority of Thailand (TAT),New Delhi, witnessed a par-ticipation of 17 sellers,including hotels, resorts,spas, airlines and catamarancruise and sailing services,and was attended by over 90travel trade partners. Theevent highlighted the uniqueexperiences, hotels and serv-ices that Thailand has to offerto high-end travellers.

The chief guest for theevening was PisanManawapat, the Ambassadorof Thailand to India.Manawapat said, “With thisevent, we are bringing to theIndian community the best ofour luxury products. “

The ambassador had amessage for Indian travellers,“If you feel that you have hadenough of luxury elsewhere,look at Thailand again. Weoffer top-class facilities aswell. When Thailand is thetop of the world, it meansthat it's not just value-for-money, but it means that ourservices are second to

none. We are legendary forour service.”

Having met the sellerswho had come all the wayfrom Thailand to India,

Manawapat said, “I met rep-resentatives of the hotels andservices at the roadshow hereand in spite of coming from

The luxury roadshow organised by TAT in Delhi and Mumbaiwill help Indian travel agents sell better vacations.

The legendary Thai service

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

We want travelagents andThai reps todiscuss whatthey can do toattract Indianluxurytravellers

With thisevent, we arebringing tothe Indiancommunitythe best ofour luxuryproducts

Pisan ManawapatAmbassador of Thailand to India

Runjuan Tongrut DirectorTourism Authority of Thailand

Contd. on page 89


AGENTS3 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Thomas Cook, Centre ofLearning, recently

launched the second editionof Disha – an initiative tobring in quality research inthe field of travel and tourisminviting faculties of educa-tional institutions acrossIndia. Post receiving an over-whelming response from theindustry with researchpapers coming from acrossthe country, the event washeld to announce the winnersof top research papers.Chhagan Bhujbal, Ministerfor Tourism, Maharashtrafelicitated the winning

researchentries

and also released a publishedbook featuring the topresearch papers.

On the sidelines of Disha2013, Bhujbal said, “Talent

management is one of themost important concerns inthe field of travel and tourism.With travellers becomingmore informed and evolved,

travel service providers needto be better trained and spe-cialised in this sector.Maharashtra tourism is work-ing very closely with ThomasCook’s Centre of Learning toencourage young minds toconsider building a career inthe field of tourism industry.”

A panel discussion on‘Travel and Tourism –Emerging Trends’ was also

staged at the event whichhighlighted views from theexperts of the industry.Speaking at the panel wereRatna Chadha, ChiefExecutive, Tirun TravelMarketing – India; Dr ManjulaChaudhary, Director, IndianInstitution of Tourism &Travel Management; GourKanjilal, Executive Director,IATO and Stephan Heuberger,Director – India, Switzerland

Tourism. The panelists discussed about sustainabletourism, growing importanceof social media, innovation inproduct offering and need todevelop infrastructure, flexi-ble tourism policies andencouraging environment forprivate players.

ANITA JAIN

The programme Disha-2013 focusses on new tourism trends in India. The award-winning research papershighlight current issues that impact the Indian tourism sector and give recommendations.

Gleaning trends from Indian tourism

Winners of Disha 2013The first prize was awarded to Dr Mahalaxmi Krishnan,

of KJ Somaiya College, Mumbai who presented a paper onInfrastructure – the need for it in having a robust tourismindustry in India. She was also awarded with an internationalholiday voucher. The second prize winners were Dr PremRam & Arvind Saraswati, of Banarasidas ChandiwalaInstitution of Hotel Management and Catering Technology,New Delhi who researched the ‘Impact of Civil AviationPolicies on Tourism Industry in India’. They were also award-ed with a domestic holiday voucher. The consolation prizewinners were Dr G Anjaneya Swamy and Dr Nitin Mittal,Pondicherry University for research on ‘Relevance of Moviesin Marketing a Destination’. They won a free domestic resortstay. All the prizes were sponsored by Jet Airways, MarriottHotels and MTDC.

Topics invited forresearch papers� Global recession and

impact on tourism� Creating talent for the

industry through tourismeducation

� Impact of tourism on localculture

� Cruise Tourism potentialand strategy in India

� Position of Indian tourismindustry with respect tothe world

� Impact of civil aviationpolicies on tourism indus-try in India

� Policy and planning –Heritage conservation

“The travel and tourism industry of India had beenrecognised as a driving force in boosting the Indianeconomy but faces its share of challenges. Ourattempt through Disha is to encourage and supporthigh standards of research and learning in tourism

Madhavan MenonMD, Thomas Cook (India)

Chhagan Bhujbal lighting the inaugural lamp

See pictures on page 68


France-based SofitelLuxury Hotels, which

currently operates a five-starluxury property in India(Sofitel Mumbai) aims tooperate around 10 propertiesin the country in next 10years, informed MarklandBlaiklock, Senior VicePresident - Asia Pacific,Sofitel Luxury Hotels. Thedestinations on the radar areMumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru,Chennai and Goa. The groupis in process of launching itsnext property in India –Sofitel Mumbai Mulund andSofitel So Mumbai Mulundby 2016-17. Both the prop-erties will be located in thesame premises and connect-ed through a sky-bridge. Thesecond property in India – Sofitel MumbaiMulund will have close to400 rooms while the otherproperty under a differentbrand – first in India – SofitelSo Mulund will have about200 rooms.

Sofitel Luxury Hotelshave three brands – SofitelLuxury, Sofitel So and SofitelLegend. Talking about the Indian market and thestrategy to place the rightbrand at the right location,Blaiklock said, “India has more potential for SofitelLegend as the brand is associated with legendarybuildings and palaces.”

“However,” he said,“There are good numbers ofpalace hotels in India, so our focus remains on other two brands. There is good space for brands likeSofitel Luxury (luxury brand)and Sofitel So (stylist andboutique brand) and thus weare focussing on metro citiesto place these brands at theright locations.”

The development ofboth the hotels has startedand a special environmentalapproach has been under-taken for making the projectenvironment-friendly andsustainable in the long run.He also outlined two high-priority brand objectivesmoving towards 2015, toincrease brand value bypursuing targeted develop-

ments in key capital citiesand major tourist destina-tions in the region, and to expand to a total of 150 hotels (currently 120) globally. Blaiklockinformed that the group isnow in talks with few moredevelopers for expandingtheir management portfolio

in India. The group is keento enter into an agreementwith developers for manag-ing hotels in the country and have a strong presence by 2023. Currently,14 projects are new con-struction (including two inIndia) and 12 properties willbe renovated.

TT BU R E AU

The Group aims at operating 10 hotels in India by 2023. It is in process of launching its nextproperty in India—Sofitel Mumbai Mulund and Sofitel So Mumbai Mulund by 2016-17.

Markland BlaiklockSenior Vice President - Asia PacificSofitel Luxury Hotels

‘Sofitel So’ brand coming to IndiaHOTELS N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 3 3

There is good space for brandslike Sofitel Luxury (luxury brand)and Sofitel So (stylist and boutiquebrand), and thus we are focussingon metro cities to place thesebrands at the right locations

...& the brands areSofitel Luxury Hotelshave three brands –

Sofitel Luxury

Sofitel So

Sofitel Legend



With the opening of itsfirst Fairfield in Asia in

Bengaluru, international hotelchain Marriott has expandedits brand offering here.Marriott offers nearly 20brands globally with eight inAsia Pacific. The addition ofthe Fairfield brand to this areahas enhanced the company’sability to meet the increasingdemands for internationalmoderate tier brands.

Talking about the newdevelopment, Don Cleary,COO-Asia, MarriottInternational pointed out, “Aswe see millions of peopleentering the middle classesacross India and Asia, theFairfield product representsexcellent value for transienttravellers as the entry pricepoint into the Marriott portfo-lio. The timing is right and themarket is primed for a brandlike Fairfield. The brand has along history in service andoffers innovative design at anaffordable price, which com-

bined gives us a huge strategicadvantage in many marketsacross the region.”Throwingmore light on the Bengaluru

property, Pranay Verdia, GM,Fairfield by Marriott,Bengaluru Rajajinagar elabo-rated, “The Fairfield

Bengaluru is a 148-roomproperty with a three-meal-a-day restaurant, Kava. We havecurrently opened with 125rooms. The rest of the roomswould be ready in the next twoweeks. In addition, the hotelhas a functional lobby with abar lounge and 24/7 Marketfor drinks and snacks.”

The hotel which is fiveminutes away from theBengaluru city station will betargetting 85 per cent busi-ness travellers and 15 percent leisure travellers.According to the GM, theproperty is already attractingroom nights from theBangalore InternationalExhibition Centre (BIEC). Headded, “The ARR command-ed by the budget categorysegment hotel players is5000. We will start with anADR of 4700.” Marriott isalso banking on partneringmodel in India. For its Indiaforay, Marriott has partneredwith SAMHI, a hotel invest-ment and development firm,to develop few properties.

MEGHA PAUL

The 148-room Fairfield Bengaluru is the first Fairfield by Marriott in Asia. With12 hotels signed in India and additional properties signed in Nepal and Indonesia,the mid-priced brand represents an opportunity to move into new markets.

Marriott’s first Fairfield in Asia

We have openedwith 125 rooms.The rest of therooms would beready in the nexttwo weeks

Fairfield productrepresents value fortransient travellersas the entry pricepoint into theMarriott portfolio

Don ClearyCOO-Asia, Marriott International

Pranay VerdiaGM, Fairfield by MarriottBengaluru Rajajinagar

Waxpol launches resort in Pench Waxpol Hotels and Resorts

recently launched TheRiverwood Forest Retreats atPench National Park inMadhya Pradesh. The resortis located on the edge of theKanha National Park.

The Riverwood ForestRetreat at Pench offers

tremendous opportunities tocatch the glimpse of theRoyal Bengal Tiger alongwith a host of other wondersof local fauna and flora. Theresort is managed and mar-keted by Waxpol Hotels andResorts (WHR) as an all-inclusive retreat at Pench,featuring twice-daily junglesafaris in 4x4 Gypsy, naturewalks, cycling in the wild,pottery making excursionswith the locals, and many

more personalised activities.The wildlife resort fea-

tures 16 cottagestyle air-conditioned suites, intricateart work on the walls bylocal artisans, shaded pri-vate gardens with sit-outs,indoor bath and outdoorshowers, and windows over-

looking the garden, forest orthe river bed. Meals areserved in the all-day restau-rant where the shaded deckoverlooks the beautiful for-est and river Amba-bai.

The resort offers a widerange of books on flora andfauna at the library, internetservices, and specially cus-tomised mattresses. A jun-gle facing swimming pooland spa will soon be a partof this ultimate escape.

Inside view of Pench property room


EXHIBITIONS N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 3 7

As one of the top five trav-el exhibitions in the

world, MITT, Moscow’sInternational Travel andTourism Exhibition, is a sig-nificant event. Held annually,MITT is due to return on 19-22 March 2014 at theExpocentre in Moscow,Russia. Many Indian compa-nies have already confirmedtheir participation at the nextyear’s event. In particular,Karnataka Tourism, KeralaTourism and the BangladeshTourism Board will all exhibitfor the first time.Furthermore, SomatheeramAyurveda Group, Travelite,Caper Travel, Goa Tourism,India Tourism Frankfurt, IsolaDi Cocco Ayurvedic BeachResort, Minar Travels andJoy's Hotels & Resorts, haveall confirmed their repeatparticipation.

Highlighting their par-ticipation, Bharat BhushanAtree, Managing Director,Caper Travel, commentedthat Russia remains an impor-tant market for them. “Thismarket has been growingwith us at a very fast pace andwe have been happy with pre-vious responses at MIIT. It isa great platform to make yourpresence felt and establishyour brand. We plan to organ-ise at our stand a product ori-entation programme aboutIndia as a destination as well.”

Likewise, Joy’s Hotelsand Resorts will also partici-pate again. Explaining whythey are exhibiting this year,Pradeep Narayanan, GeneralManager-Sales and Marketingstated, “India and especiallyKerala is a popular destina-tion for Russian travellers.The market has been growingsteadily over the past fewyears. MITT is a good plat-form for those seeking toimprove their reach in theRussian and CIS markets.This year, we hope to associ-ate with new operators whomwe haven’t met before.”

Organiser ITE Groupindicates repeat bookingsare at a record high.

Therefore, it should come asno surprise that Russia is agrowing source market. Asthe 9th most populous coun-try in the world with 143million people, in 2012 over47 million Russians trav-elled aboard – this repre-sents a nine per cent

increase from the previousyear. Moreover, Russians arethe 5th in the world for inter-national tourism expendi-ture, making them anattractive target market to promote international destinations and travel services.

MITT 2014 marks theevent’s 21st edition, a testament to the eventslongevity and importance.The inaugural BusinessMeeting sector will be a meeting platform for corporate customers and experts.

Russia’s largest travel exhibition will see its 21st edition in 2014. The eventwill comprise four specialised sectors, including Luxury Tourism, MedicalTourism, Travel Technology and the new Business Meetings sector.

grabbing India’s attention

� Over 4 days, nationaltourism boards, touroperators, travelagencies, etc will con-vene in Moscow tonetwork and makedeals with the regionssenior-level travelindustry players

To network

TT BUREAU

N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 3 7


STATES

Projecting West Bengal as a unique travel destination,the travel industry gathered in full support at therecently organised Tourism Promotion Roadshow inDelhi hosted by the Department of Tourism,Government of West Bengal in collaboration with theConfederation of Indian Industry (CII). Excerpts:

West Bengal beckons tourism

TT BUREAU

The recent pol-icy announcement ofthe state for reduc-tion of the Sales Taxon ATF will boostconnectivity to threeairports in WestBengal. To encour-age more flights,enhance business opportunities and pro-mote tourism, the state will not levy salestax on fuel sold from Durgapur, CoochBehar and Bagdogra airports for the nextthree years. Also, there will be a 50 percent rebate on tax on additional ATF soldto any airline from the Kolkata airport. Thestate government has increased itstourism budget to ` 120 crore from ` 36 crore. Last year, West Bengal received24 million tourists.

– Krishnendu Narayan ChoudharyMinister-in-charge of Tourism

West Bengal

Reduction of sales tax on ATF

The state isplanning to developnumerous tourismprojects on Public-Private Partnership(PPP) mode likeGajoldoba TourismHub, Sylee TeaTourism, KolkataGiant Wheel, Jharkhali in the Sunderbans,River Cruise in West Bengal, etc. The Gajoldoba Tourism Hub is being structured as an integrated multi-product tourism park in the Dooars inNorth Bengal. This project is a part of theTera-Dooars Forest Circuit giving thetourists an opportunity to experiencewildlife tourism here. The projectedinvestment of this project is about ` 1,500 crore.

– Vikram SenPrincipal Secretary Tourism

West Bengal

Wildlife in focus

On 29 May this year, I attended the meeting that was chairedby the CM and her team. We discussed how to boost tourism in thestate post the opening of the new international wing at the KolkataAirport. Despite this new wing, the Kolkata airport was not receivingmany international airlines. Post the meeting, the West Bengal gov-ernment reduced the Sales Tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel after receiv-ing a request from IATO. This is indeed a brilliant step and will go along way in making Bengal a much-sought after destination in the country.

– Subhash Goyal, President, IATO

IATO welcomes sales tax cut on ATF

Officials of West Bengal Tourism along with the WB Tourism Minister and leaders of the travel trade industry at the recentlyconducted road show in Delhi.

TripAdvisor launches its innovative TripConnectTM service. The self-service platform, a firstfor the hospitality sector, allows TripAdvisor Business Listings subscribers to participate inHotel Price Comparison and to drive direct bookings from TripAdvisor to their own property’swebsite.Each month, over 260 million unique users visit TripAdvisor to plan travel. TripConnectwill enable independent accommodation owners to bid for this traffic, an option previouslyonly available to online travel agents and large hotel chains.



With an aim to offer moretourist circuits to

inbound and domestictourists during the KumbhMela in 2015 in the state, Maharashtra TourismDevelopment Corporation(MTDC) has chalked out a `317.50-crore plan to boosttourism in the Nashik rev-enue division. The state gov-ernment has approved theplan, which will promotetourism in NorthMaharashtra. Of the totalfund of ` 317.50 crore, ` 126 crore has been sanc-tioned for various tourismprojects in Nashik district, ` 46 crore for Dhule, ` 36crore for Jalgaon, `57 crorefor Ahmednagar and ` 52crore for Nandurbar districts.

Talking about the same,Jagdish Patil, MD, MTDCsaid, “Apart from developingthe Konkan region for beachtourism, we are also develop-ing other regions to bring invariety of tourism products inthe offing. One of the recentplans approved by the stategovernment is Nashik circuit.We will develop an adventuresports complex and are in

process of building aConvention Centre for MICEfacilities. The conventioncentre will be built throughcentral government financialassistance and would offer

state-of-the-art internationalstandard facilities for MICEevents. We are also going to develop the wine tourismcircuit in Nashik district. With these new develop-ments, we are looking atdeveloping Nashik as a complete tourist destinationfor adventure, leisure andMICE visitors.”

Additionally, the planwill include development ofprojects like the Gangapurdam, the Someshwar tem-ple, the Godavari river andGodavari Kund. TheJyotirling temple, TeerthaKund, Prayag Teerth,Srikeshtra Kapildhara,Anjaneri, the Dugarwadiwaterfall, Bhatsa and Darnadams and Vani have beenincluded in the plan forTrimbakeshwar.

"People who visit Nashikalso visit these places. Duringthe Kumbh Mela, which will take place in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, manypilgrims will also visitIgatpuri, Vani, Shirdi,Bhandardara and otherplaces. Developing theseplaces as tourist destinationswill boost tourism in theregion," adds Patil.

The state government has approved ̀ 317.5 crore planto boost tourism in the Nashik region…

Nashik to get a makeover

TT BUREAU

We are going to develop the winetourism circuitin Nashik,along withadventure,leisure & MICE

Jagdish PatilManaging DirectorMTDC

Confederation of IndianIndustry (CII), in associ-

ation with the Ministry ofTourism, Government ofIndia, is organising a B2BTrade Fair – CII Tourism Fest2013 in Chandigarh fromDecember 5-7, 2013. Led byArjun Sharma, MD, LePassage to India, 35 membersof organising committee areaiming to make this a big hitfor the Indian domestic,inbound and outboundtourism sector. Talking aboutthe first-of-its-kind megatravel and tourism fest by CII,Arun Srivastava, RegionalDirector – Central & WesternIndia, India Tourism,Government of India said,

“To revamp their image,Maharashtra and other statesare participating actively in theCII Tourism Fest to reach outto the world. The tourismindustry has still to come atpar with the growth figures ofworld tourism average. Thefest provides a great scope tonational and international

tourism stakeholders toexpand businesses, bring moreinvestments and play a pivotalrole in the growth story .”

He informed that the keyhighlight of the fest would bequality buyers & exhibitors,Chief Ministers’ Forum andideation platforms in additionto showcasing of various proj-ects under PPP mode by differ-ent states. He adds, “In thepresent scenario, with rupeeweakening against dollar,inbound tourism in India hasa huge scope. This must becapitalised by our tour operators as an opportunity to promote India as a globally competitive anddiverse tourist destination.”

Highlighting the impor-tance of this fest for the Indiantourism sector, Sharma said,“To showcase India as a GlobalTourist Destination by creatingsynergies between stakehold-ers, creating policies anddesired infrastructure, CIITourism Fest would bringtogether various state govern-ments, central tourism agen-cies and senior representativesfrom travel, tourism and hos-pitality industry on one plat-form. These segments includehotels & resorts, hospitals,

tour operators, airlines, airportauthorities, air charter compa-nies, tourism boards of various

countries, city transportproviders, academia, policymakers and industry experts.

Adding on similarnotes, Abhijeet Patil,President – MaharashtraChapter, ADTOI said, “CIITourism Fest would bringabout a healthy dialogue andinterstate co-operation that is of utmost importanceto attract tourists to theWestern India. We wouldtake a structured delegationfrom Maharashtra & Gujarat to the fest and would also present a WhitePaper on the Roadmap topromote tourism in this region.”

Iqbal Mulla, Member,CII Tourism Fest Core Group- Travel Agents & TourOperators & President, TAAIcalled for portraying India asa continent to the tourismworld, considering the diver-sities offered by the country.He said, “CII Tourism Festwould be an ideal platformto showcase India’s beautifulheritage. I call upon allstakeholders to actively participate in this mega festand harness India’s fulltourism potential.”

TT BU R E AU

The CII Tourism Fest-2013 will be held in Chandigarh from December 5-7 to showcase tourism products ofmultiple states and countries.

Showcasing states via CII Tourism Fest

CII Tourism Festwould bringtogether stategovernments,agencies andtourismrepresentativeson one platform

Arjun SharmaCo – Chairman, CII National Committee onTourism & MD, Le Passage to India

We wouldpresent a White Paperon theRoadmap topromote tourism in this region

I call upon allstakeholders toactivelyparticipate in thismega fest andharness India’sfull tourismpotential

Iqbal Mulla, Member, CII TourismFest Core Group - Travel Agents &Tour Operators & President, TAAI

Abhijeet Patil PresidentMaharashtra Chapter, ADTOI


MOT4 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

With ONGC coming for-ward to adopt as

many as six monuments, K Chiranjeevi, Minister forTourism, is hopeful that Clean India Campaign will gather more pace.

The Ministry of Tourismis keen to put its ambitiousClean India Campaign in topgear as part of its overallobjective of undertaking allpossible measures to ensurethat a tourist in India gets themost incredible experience.In fact, with the initiative ofMinistry of Tourism,Archaeological Survey ofIndia (ASI) has agreed to theproposal of ONGC for adopting six monumentsunder the Clean IndiaCampaign which include TajMahal, Ellora & ElephantaCaves – Maharashtra, Red Fort – Delhi, GolkondaFort – Hyderabad andMahabalipuram – Tamil Nadu.

“I remember that mypredecessor and friendSubodh Kant Sahai had initi-ated the Clean IndiaCampaign, where I was also

present. On taking up thecharge of Ministry of Tourism,I spoke to my team at theministry and realised thatthere were communicationsnags holding back this initia-tive. It had not taken off at thepace as it should have other-wise. It is an important proj-

ect to grow tourism. Hence, Ispoke to ONGC, and itsManaging Director SudhirVasudeva expressed hisdesire to adopt as many as sixmonuments. Moreover, I amhopeful that this campaignwill gather more pace,” saidChiranjeevi in Agra.

“All stakeholders needto acknowledge that cleanli-ness and a hygienic environ-ment will ensure that touristsextend their stay and alsorevisit often. This will helpmaximise revenues fromtourism. In first phase ofClean India Campaign, wehave identified 36 monu-ments that can be adopted bycorporates as part of theirCSR initiative. It’s my appealto the corporate sector tocome forward and make theirCSR contribution to the CleanIndia Campaign. I have beentold that some of them had stepped back due to thelevy of tax on the CSR activ-ity. I will take the initiative oftalking to the governmentthat there should be no taxlevied on CSR initiativeswhich are directly or indirect-

ly helping to create employ-ment in India,” he added.

The Ministry of Tourismlaunched Clean IndiaCampaign as part of theGovernment’s strategy forthe 12th Five Year Plan toimprove quality of servicesand the environs in andaround tourist destinationsacross India. It entails a com-prehensive strategy to ensureacceptable level of cleanli-ness and hygiene practices attourist destinations throughinvolvement of private andpublic sector stakeholders.

Here, Parvez Dewan,Secretary, Ministry ofTourism, Government ofIndia, said, “Tourists in Indiashould have an incredibleexperience from the airport orrailway station to their chosendestination, and in and around the surroundings of the destination. TheCampaign Clean India is onesuch initiative that is aimed atimproving the overall appealand addresses concerns per-taining to cleanliness andhygiene for good.”

GRAND GESTURE:ONGC had adopted sixmonuments under the CleanIndia Campaign. TheArchaeological Survey of India(ASI) vetted the proposal withthe blessings of the Ministryof Tourism. These are:

Taj Mahal

Ellora Caves

Elephanta Caves

Red Fort

Golkonda Fort

Mahabalipuram

� MOT launched Clean IndiaCampaign as par t of theGovernment’s strategy forthe 12th Five Year Plan

CSR Adoptions

Clean India Campaign ‘sweeps’ Taj Mahal

K Chiranjeevi, Minister for Tourism, India

VI V E K SE T H I

Contd. on page 44


MOT

All for a causeK Chiranjeevi, Minister of Tourism, along with other dignitaries took CleanIndia Campaign to Taj Mahal, Agra recently. Taj Mahal is the second heritage site to be covered under this project. In fact, at the initiative of Ministry of Tourism, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) hasagreed to the proposal of ONGC adopting six monuments under the CleanIndia Campaign. The first was Qutub Minar in New Delhi which has beenadopted by India Tourism Development Corporation in June 2012.

Contd. from page 42



The largest state in the South of India, Andhra Pradesh offers every-thing. From the mesmerizing beaches that dot its 1,000 km longcoastline to serene lakes, dense forests to dynastic forts, delectableseafood to rich Biryani, historic places to sanctuaries, shoppingzones to parks.... you will find it all.

ANDHRA ATTRACTIONWeekend GetawaysPilgrimage CentresHeritage SitesBuddhist CircuitMedical & Wellness CentresBeachesRural & Tribal CultureNature & Wildlife Getaways

ACCOMMODATION AND EATERIESHotels 42Wayside Amenities 08Restaurants 02Snack Bars 02Food Court 01

Bejewelling SouthAndhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is definitely thegeographical wonder with a 1,000km stretch of serene coastline,perennial chains of rivers, back-

waters, beaches apart from its history, her-itage, monuments, art & craft and its exoticcuisines. The destination presents somethingnew for every taste of domestic and interna-tional travellers. Attractions like Horsely Hills(hill station), Araku Valley (hill station), SuryaLanka (beaches), Belum (caves), Konaseema(backwaters) and Kurnool (river and lakes)are waiting to be discovered.

Growing tourism InfrastructureAndhra has developed high quality

infrastructure to meet the needs of domesticand international tourists. Hyderabad hasemerged as the undisputed convention cityof India. Besides, APTDC (Andhra PradeshTourism Development Corporation) has 42hotels with capacity of 1,220 rooms to meetthe needs of budget and high-end tourists.Most of these hotels have swimming pool,Restaurant and bar, banquets and healthclubs, etc. The state boasts about their eightwayside facilities, located on the highwaysto cater to the needs of the travellers.

The excellent infrastructure ofroads, rail facilities, airports and ports,

makes Andhra Pradesh easily accessiblefrom every part of India. The availability oftransport, accommodation and the varietyof cuisines make the state a preferredtourist destination.

Increasing arrivalsAndhra Pradesh has emerged as the

number one domestic tourist destination inIndia. It attracted more than 155 milliondomestic tourists last year placing the stateright at the top in the ranking of states withthe maximum number of domestic tourists.The state attracted 3.23 Lakhs internationaltourists in 2010.

About Andhra PradeshCenturies ago, Andhra Pradesh was a

major Buddhist centre and part of EmperorAshoka's sprawling kingdom. Not surpris-ingly, traces of early Buddhist influence arestill visible in several places in and aroundthe state. After the death of EmperorAshoka, several dynasties from the Pallavas,Chalukyas and Vijayanagaram kings to laterQutb Shahis, Mughals and Nizams ruled this

princely city.

The British and French tookover from the Nizams. Andhrabecame a part of Indian Union in1947. The present state wasformed in 1953, merging a part ofthe then Madras State (presentTamil Naidu) and the princelystate of Hyderabad.

Key destinationsHyderabad

The Bustling city presents aunique mix of old and new, flour-ishing together in perfect harmo-ny making it one of the mostenchanting places in the world.Known as the city of pearls, thecity today is also a globally known

IT hub. The historic city’swarm hospitality, impres-sive monuments,mosques, minarets, artand architectural richness,and technological progresstakes one through anamazing journey of its glo-rious past and a spiritedvoyage into its promisingfuture. The exotic foods,variety of accommodation,innumerable attractions,shopping offering pearls,gems, handicrafts, gar-ments and more and thedifferent colours of culture& festivals makeHyderabad one of themost memorable touristdestinations.

Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, popularly known asVizag, is the second largest city in AndhraPradesh. The city boasts of pristine goldenbeaches in proximity of green hills, ancientBuddhist heritage, geological wonders,famous temples, inviting culture and mes-merizing arts & crafts.

Nagarjuna Sagar

About 150 km from Hyderabad,Nagarjuna Sagar is a massive irrigationproject on the River Krishna. It is theworld's tallest masonry dam that irrigatesover 10 lakh acres of land. It was duringthe building of the dam that the ruins ofan ancient Buddhist civilisation were exca-vated here. Some of the relics unearthedhave been carefully preserved on a pictur-esque island called Nagarjuna Konda,located in the centre of a man-made lake.

Tiger sanctuary

The largest wildlife sanctuary inAndhra Pradesh lies between NagarjunaSagar and upstream Srisailam. Spread

over 3,500 square km, it encompasses thickly wooded hills in five districts-Nalgonda, Kurnool, Mahboobnagar, Gunturand Prakasam.

Tirupati

Amidst the thickly-wooded hills inChittoor district is the temple town ofTirumala with Tirupati at the foothills, theabode of Lord Venkateswara. Tirupati andTirumala today are modern destinations ofpilgrim tourists. Not only the bliss of adivine 'darshan' but added attractions pro-vided by nature presents it as the ideal pil-grimage-cum-holiday destination.

Warangal

Warangal, once the capital of theKakatiya Kingdom lying south of the RiverGodavari, is the fifth largest city in AndhraPradesh located about 157 kms fromHyderabad. It is an important cultural centre of the Telangana region. Theancient history, beautiful lakes, fine archi-tectural temples, rich fauna and flora have contributed to the importance of Warangal as a Tourist Centre.



N avratri is a Hindu festival ded-icated to Goddess Durga andher nine forms. The nine dayshave great religious signifi-

cance and this year, the festival will be cel-ebrated from October 16 to 24, 2012. Themost flamboyant and renowned Navaratricelebrations can be seen in western India,throughout the state of Gujarat.

Navaratri is celebrated with nine nightsof dancing. The traditional dances of Gujarat,known as garba and dandiya raas, are per-formed in circles with dancers dressed up incolourful clothes. Small, decorated stickscalled dandiyas are used in the dandiya raas.Gujarat is the only state that erupts into anine-night dance festival, perhaps thelongest in the world. Each night, all over thestate, villages and cities alike, people gather

in open spaces to celebrate divinity.Regardless of their religion, age or dancingskills, anyone can be part of the Garba anddandiya. Worship not in the form of hushedchants or reverent humility, but in a burst ofdance which differentiates Navratri.

Each night, people drenched in infec-tious fervour gather in open spaces to bea part of hypnotic, circular folk dances.Together, dressed in their colourful attires,the dancers present a kaleidoscopic spec-tacle. For the nine nights, the village orurban neighbourhood gathers to performa prayer to one of the nine forms ofGoddess. It is a time to celebrate fertilityand the monsoon harvest, represented bya mound of fresh soil in which grains aresown. After the puja begins the music; itis unmistakable to those who are familiar

with the style and irresistible to many.People begin to dance in a circle, whirlingaway till late into the night. It is notuncommon to find dancers with swords orlit flames and other spectacles.

During Navratri, Gujarat is a blazeof colour. Women wear chaniya cholis –odhni sets comprising a skirt, blouse andveil respectively. The streets and marketsof Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot,Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and other cities of Gujarat are lined with costumes and ornaments. Preparations for Navratri begin long before the first dayof the festival.

Vadodara is considered the culturalcapital of Gujarat, and the most soughtafter location for celebrating Navratri.Thecity is a good place to find the full range

of these styles, traditional to modern,acoustic to amplified, simple to complicat-ed, each one representing in its extremesomewhere in the city.

Religious pilgrimage in Gujarat dur-ing this festival focusses mainly in theShakti Peethas; Ambaji, Pavagadh andBahuchraji near Mehsana. There are also major celebrations in temples such as Ashapura Mata-no-Madh in Kutch, Khodiyar Mandir near Bhavnagar,and Chamunda Mata Mandir at Chotilaon the Ahmedabad-RajkotNational Highway.

The annual Rann Utsav renders a colourful and exoticexperience to traveller. ThisDecember festival offers anopportunity for visitors toattend folk dances, camelsafari, live-in -tents, and several other activities. Forthose interested in naturalhistory, Kutch is the habitat ofthe endangered and interestingwildlife species. This district isalso known as a paradise forbirdwatchers. But, the onesinterested in the Rann Utsavmust make prior booking wellin advance, as the tentedaccommodations gets bookedin no time. This year, RannUtsav will be organised fromDecember 14-March 18, 2013.

One of the world’s longest and most participatory festivals, Navratri, is worshipped in the form of dancing,singing, praying and fasting to evoke the blessings of the Goddesses. Celebrated with flamboyance

and splendour in Gujarat, the State is a must visit during this festive season.

Blaze of colour & rhythmBlaze of colour & rhythmNavratriNavratri

Out-of-the-world experienceRann Utsav

Out-of-the-world experienceRann Utsav


RESEARCH TALK5 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Percentage share of Top 10 Countries for FTAs in India in 2012

Others39.47%

Malaysia2.98%

USA15.81% UK

11.98%Bangladesh

7.40%

Australia3.07%

Japan3.34%

France3.66% Germany

3.88%

Canada3.89%

Sri Lanka4.52%

Share of Top States/UTs of India in Number of Foreign Tourists Visit in 2012

Maharashtra*24.7%

Others9.9%

Himachal Pradesh2.4%

Karnataka2.9%

Tamil Nadu17.2%

Delhi11.3%

Uttar Pradesh9.6%

Rajasthan7.0%

West Bengal5.9%

Bihar5.3%

Kerala3.8%

The Ministry of Tourism has set the target of doubling the inbound arrivals and domestic tourist visitsduring the 12th plan period. The statistics in the first pie-diagram show the vast opportunities Indiahas to grow its top 15 markets along with new markets. The second pie-diagram reflects the immensegrowth potential in various Indian states and Union territories possess, especially the ones like Kerala

Tourism in the World: Key Figures9% of GDP-direct,

indirect andinduced impact

1in11jobs

US$1.3trillion inexports

from25million internationaltourist in 1950

to 1,035million in2012

5 to 6billion domestictourist

1.8 billion int’l tourists predicted in 2030

Source: UNWTO

Source: MOT


RESEARCH TALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 5 3

Others61.60%

India0.64% Malaysia

2.42%Russia2.48%

UK2.83%

Germany2.94%

Turkey3.45%

Share of Top 10 Countries of the World and India in International Tourism Receipts in 2012

Percentage share of Top 10 Countries of the World and India in International Tourist Arrivals in 2012

1. France 83.0 8.022. USA N.A. –3. China 57.7 5.574. Spain 57.7 5.575. Italy 46.4 4.486. Turkey 35.7 3.457. Germany 30.4 2.948. UK 29.3 2.839. Russia 25.7 2.4810. Malaysia 25.0 2.42 Total of Top 390.9 37.76 Countries India# 6.6 0.64 Others 637.5 61.60 Total 1035.0 100.00

Rank Country Int’l Tourist Percentage Arrivals in mn. (%) share

(P) : Provisional, NA: Not Available# Excludes nationals of the country residing abroadSource: UNWTO Barometer April 2013

Share of Top 10 Countries of the World and India in International

Tourist Arrivals in 2012

1. USA 128.6 11.962. Spain 55.9 5.203. France 53.7 5.004. China 50.0 4.655. Italy 41.2 3.836. Macao (China) N.A. –7. Germany 38.1 3.548. UK 36.4 3.399. Hong Kong China 31.7 2.9510. Australia 31.5 2.93 India 17.7 1.61 Others 590.2 54.94 Total 1075.0 100.00

(P) : Provisional, NA: Not AvailableSource: UNWTO Barometer April 2013

Share of Top 10 Countries of the Worldand India in International Tourism

Receipts 2012

France8.02%

Others54.94%

USA11.96%

Spain5.20% France

5.00%

China4.65%

Italy3.83%

USA China5.57%

Spain5.57%

Italy4.48%

Macao(China)Germany

3.54%

UK3.39%

India1.61

Australia2.93%

Hong Kong2.95%

Rank Country Int’l Tourist Percentage Receipts (P) (%) share (in US$ billion)

and Karnataka to name a few. Going forward, the month-wise tourist arrivals show that India isgrowing into a round the year destination as the gap between peak and lean periods are narrowingdown. Towards the end, there we draw comparison of the India’s potential and its present status inthe global tourism market.

Quick Fact

6% Global Tourism contributesaround 6 per cent of theworld’s exports

Source: UNWTO

emerges as a round-the-year destination

Source: MOT



India: A big fish in a South Asian pond

Tourism Receipt ComparisonEven with 0.06% of the total international visitor arrivals, India has earned a respectableUS$11.13 billion in tourism receipts in 2009, going up to $17.74 billion in 2012. Whencompared to its South Asian compatriots, India leads. But when it comes to its tourismpeers in Southeast Asia, India has a lot of catching up to do. Thailand has seen itstourism receipts spike from US$14.88 billion in 2009, to a staggering US$ 31.65billion in 2012. Even Malaysia stays ahead of the game, nudging ahead with US$18.36 billion in 2012. The good news is, India is catching up.

Occupancy RateSince 2009, India’s occupancyrate in hotels has risen steadily,albeit for a slight slump in 2011.From 59% in 2009, the occu-pancy rate of hotels rose steadi-ly to 61% in 2010. Unable tomaintain the rise, the occupan-cy rate slid by a percent the nextyear. But in 2012, hotels roseto the challenge to have anoverall occupancy rate of 63%.

Average Daily RateADR, or Average Daily Rate of ahotel, represents the average rentalincome per paid occupied room in agiven time period. From 2009 to2012, the ADR of Indian hotel roomshave remained fairly steady, fluctu-ating between $138-$139, excepttouching a high of $145 in 2010.

Purpose of VisitThrough 2009 to 2011, there has beensignificant change in the motivationsof people coming to visit India. Froman all-time high of 58%, the leisure traf-fic has dropped to 24% in 2010, and26% of the total international visitorsin 2011. On the other hand, VFP hasrisen from 18% in 2009 to 28% in2010, and a respectable 25% in 2011.But the biggest gain has been in busi-ness travel. From a lowly 15% in 2009,it went up to 19% in 2010, and jumpedto 23% in 2011.

Revenue per available roomRevPAR, or revenue per available room, is a perform-ance metric in the hotel industry, which is calculated bymultiplying a hotel's average daily room rate (ADR) byits occupancy rate. It may also be calculated by dividinga hotel's total guestroom revenue by the room countand the number of days in the period being measured.

RevPAR Comparison between India, Sri Lanka & Maldives

Visitor Forecast ComparisonIn its region, India is the king. When compared to its South Asian neighbours (Sri Lanka and Maldives),India stands head and shoulders above the rest. For 2013, India’s visitor arrivals, according to PATA forecasts, stand at 7.45 million, going up gradually to 10.09 million by 2017. To this figure, Sri Lanka andMaldives get a fraction of India’s tourist arrivals.

Source: IHG



New kinds of travellers, so new rules...Meaning of Hospitality

The etymology of hospitality in many languages around the world is derived from the concept of welcoming guests: hospes in Latin or literally “being friendly

to strangers”; haoke ( ) in Chinese or “to treat guests well”; and ukarimu in Swahili, “generosity”. Although the word hospitality in its sense of welcomingguests came into common use in the early Middle Ages, the hospitality industry goes back much further. For example, in Ancient Greece the hotel equivalentwas a ‘pandocheion’ – these were facilities open to any person willing to pay the fees for lodging and food. The word meant “accepting all comers”.

Asian travellers: New force in tourismIn terms of both volume and value, travellers from Asia are a new forcein global travel. Asian travellers will account for one third of travelspending by 2020, an increase of 21% from today, and the growth inChinese tourism has been particularly striking. Over the comingdecade, new explorers will become more regionally diverse as morepeople from the CIVET countries (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egyptand Turkey) and Africa start to be able to afford travel.

The True Picture by Tourist/Reviewer

Multi-generational family tourist groups rule

It is a fact that almost all travellers conduct extensive researchbefore finalising a trip. And peer review forms a big part of thedecision-making process. Now, most travel sites have userreviews on places, hotels, sites, restaurants and everything,down to the ambience outside the airport. This carries a lot ofweight for the future visitors of a place.

For the hospitality provider, trust is critical.

Building RelationshipsMore travellers are starting to travel independently without industry support, while large numbers are demanding a more personalised experience. The questions to be asked are:

• How can the industry build relationships with independent travellers – offering an invisible pillar of support?

• How can the hospitality industry balance the growingexpectation for personalisation with the desire of some to remain independent?

By 2023, there will be 1 billion people over 60 years old, raisingthe bar for hotels to cater to the senior travellers.

Already, 1.4 billion adults worldwide – or 30% of the globaladult population – have sufficient disposable income to beable to travel abroad.

Connected to everything via smartphonesSamsung and Holiday Inn worked together on a high profile trialof new in-room technology during the 2012 Olympics. Guestsat the Holiday Inn London - Stratford City were able to employan app on a Samsung smartphone to control their rooms’ TV,air conditioning and lights. In the future, this might extend todirectly handling communications with the front desk, house-keeping and concierge staff, and even facilitate checkout.

The Social PulseThe industry needs to recognise that when customers are not physically present, they stillhave a relationship to nurture. Maintaining a point of connection with departed guests – forexample, by making time to respond to reviews they have posted on company websites – willbecome more important in retaining customers

One in four travellers have used social networking sites to plan their travel while 45% have madetravel plans based on reviews and experiences of others. This is true of both leisure and businesstravel. One in three business travellers posts reviews online of properties they stay at.

It’s becoming more common for extended familiesfrom countries such as India, where disposableincomes are growing, to go away on holidaystogether, creating more demand for bigger spaces.A photo of the family having a superb meal at a top restaurant is a source of pride as much as amemento or souvenir.

Source: IHG


Every year, thousands of tourists from around the world, armed withfancy cameras make a beeline to Madhya Pradesh to see one of themost popular Indian attractions – the tiger. Madhya Pradesh is hometo a large number of tiger reserves offering an opportunity ofadmiring the royal tiger in its natural habitat.

Madhya Pradesh, the‘Heart of India’, wherethe majestic tiger onceroamed unchallenged,

is the largest state in India, dazzlingwith forests and is a haven for wildlife.The region accounts for one-third of thetotal forest cover in India and is hometo the magnificent Indian Tiger.

Tiger reserves are open again totourists! The Supreme Court has finallylifted the ban on tiger tourism in coreareas of reserves and sanctuaries.According to the new guidelines,tourism is allowed in at least 20 per centof the core areas of tiger sanctuaries andNTCA has proposed a new conservationfee for the tourism industry, which willbe used in improving the ecology andthe quality of life of the local commu-nity living nearby. In July, the SupremeCourt had banned tourism in core areasof all tiger reserves in the country basedon an existing policy of the Centre.

Madhya Pradesh is a multi-facetedstate, offering incredible wildlifereserves, intricate temples and palaces,and a dazzling tradition of arts, craftsand cuisine. The forests of MadhyaPradesh are a haven for wildlife.Madhya Pradesh is a pioneer state inthe national movement for conserva-tion of the Tiger. Madhya Pradesh isalso known as the 'Tiger State' as it har-bors 19 per cent of India's TigerPopulation and 10 per cent of theworld's tiger population. At present,there are five Tiger areas in the statenamely – Kanha, Panna, Bandhavgarh,Pench and Satpura.

Bandhavgarh was the hunting pre-serve of the Maharajas of Rewa: theirold fort still dominates a hill rising outof the forest. Tiger-Spotting is virtuallyguaranteed at Bandhavgarh as it has thehighest tiger density in India.

Kanha's sal and bamboo forests,rolling grasslands and meanderingstreams stretch over 940 sq km in dra-matic natural splendour which form thecore of the Kanha Tiger Reserve cre-ated in 1974 under Project Tiger. Thiswas the park that the Central IndianBarasingha, also known as the hardground barasingha, was brought backfrom the virtual edge of extinction. By

a special statute in 1955, KanhaNational Park came into being. Since then, a series of stringent con-servation programmes for the protec-tion of the park's flora and fauna hasgiven Kanha its deserved reputationfor being one of the finest and bestadministered National Parks in Asia,an irresistible attraction for all wildlife lovers and a true haven for itsanimal population.

Panna is home dominated by thesplendid Ken river, altering valleys andplateaus, grasslands, gorges andescarpments, Panna National Park isan ideal tiger country. Relics ofGondwana period (rule of the tribalpeople of Central India) are scatteredall over the Reserve. Besides thewildlife watchers (around 12000 annu-ally), Panna gets visitors (around20000 annually) who exclusively visitthe famous Pandav Fall.

Pench Tiger Reserve comprisesthe Indira Priyadarshini PenchNational Park, the Mowgli PenchSanctuary and a buffer. The Park nes-tles in the Southern slopes of theSatpura ranges of Central India. Theriver Pench, which splits the NationalPark into two, forms the lifeline of thePark. The area of the present tigerreserve has a glorious history.

Satpura Tiger Reserve is a wel-come change to the regular wildlife cir-cuit in India. The reserve is spread over1,500 km of pristine wildlife habitatand is truly one of the few modern daywilderness spots left in the country.What makes Satpura unique is the vari-ety of options it offers, to experiencethe flora and fauna is this magnificentforest. It is the only park in centralIndia which allows people to exploretiger country on foot. Further the forestdepartment is working towards offering non-motorized ways of discovering the tiger reserve. In addi-tion to walking, guests can also opt for jeep, canoeing, elephant and motor-boat safaris. At the park, one will get to see close glimpse of animals like sambar, cheetal, nilgiri, wild boar, barking dear, black buck sloth bear, wild dogs, leopards and the elusive Tiger.

Where to stayThe Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation

(MPSTDC) operates hotels in the tiger reserves providing an opportunity for visitors to live near the wilderness and enhance their experience. They include Kipling's Court in Pench, Jungle Camp at Panna, White Tiger Forest Lodge at Bandhavgarh and properties at Kanha which include Baghira Log Huts, Tourist Hostel and Kanha Safari Lodge. Madhya PradeshTourism also operates special packages to the Jungles.

For more information and bookings, contact the Delhi Marketing office at Room No. 12, Hotel Janpath, Ground Floor, Janpath, New Delhi 110 001.


A wild roar in


A visit to India is incomplete without a visit to Kerala.Come experience the healing touch of this coastal state!

With the Arabian Sea inthe west, the western Ghatsin the east and networked byforty-four rivers, Keralaenjoys diverse geographicalfeatures. From tall mountainsand deep valleys to endlessbackwaters and an extensivecoastline, Kerala has it all.

Popularly referred to asGod’s own country¸ Keralaoffers an exotic experience likeno other state, truly in the lapof Mother Nature. The statealso has the pride of pioneer-ing the concept of ResponsibleTourism in the country, and tohave successfully implement-ed it (at Kumarakom). Thisholistic form of tourism ishelping travellers, the hostpopulation and the tradederive the greatest possiblebenefits from tourism, without

causing any ecological or social damage.

Accommodation A visit to Kerala is incom-

plete without the fascinatingexperience of the Home Stays,home away from home. Itallows tourists to get close withthe host family and the com-munity that lives in an area.Tucked away in misty planta-tion hills, amidst cool coconutgroves, circled by backwaters,Home Stays in Kerala offer oneof the most favoured means toenjoy and experience the cul-ture, lifestyle and flavours ofthe land and its people.Besides, other luxury andeconomy hotels accommoda-tions also available.

ConnectivityThe state is well con-

nected by road, rail and air.Kerala is home to 3 interna-tional airports at Kochi,Thiruvananthapuram andKozhikode which provideinternational and domesticconnections.There are 8national highways runningthrough Kerala. Also, manyprojects are underway to

upgrade the road infrastruc-ture in the state. Kerala iswell connected by rail to allthe major cities of India.

Destinations andPackages

Kerala is home toAyurveda in India. Touristsfrom across the globe visit thestate to experience the healingtouch. The equable climate,natural abundance of forests(with a wealth of herbs andmedicinal plants), and the coolmonsoon season (June to Julyand October to November) are best suited for Ayurveda'scurative and restorative packages.

In addition, 13 differentforms of performing arts;Kalaripayattu, the martial artform of Kerala, make it amust-visit destination inIndia.Some of the popular des-tinations include Alappuzha,Bekal, Fort Kochi, Kovalam,Kumarakom, Munnar amongothers. Details on majortourist destinations in thestate can be obtained throughthe website, http://www.ker-alatourism.org.

KeralaKerala

� Ayurveda� Festivals and

Performing Arts� Houseboats� Backwaters� Beaches� Wildlife

Major attractions

God’s own country



FAMILY ALBUM6 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Cyprus hosts 1st roadshow in DelhiCyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) hosted its first roadshow in India in Delhi. The event showcased the country's tourism products for leisure,corporate meetings and incentive travel to woo the Indian travellers. The roadshow was attended by delegates from Cyprus and their Indiancounterparts from the Indian travel industry.



Indana Palace, Jodhpur;Indana Hotels and

Resorts’ first venture inIndia, is keen on attractinginbound travellers to the

hotel. Meera Pahwa, VicePresident – Marketing &Sales, Indana Hotels andResorts, said, “The IndanaPalace, Jodhpur perfectlyamalgamates modern luxu-ry and old-palatial charm.

The façade and interiors areinspired by traditional archi-tecture of Rajasthan. Thehotel is replete with carvedfurniture, hand-paintedwalls, and marble flooring.At the same time, it isequipped with all moderncomforts and facilities that one expects from a five-star hotel, making it a finecombination of luxury andtradition.”

The hotel offers 80rooms, 7 suites and a GrandPresidential Suite. Its foodand beverage offerings com-

prise a multi-cuisine restau-rant – Anghiti, ibar andLotus Café – the coffeelounge. Other facilitiesoffered by the hotel includeconcierge services, traveldesk, Wi-Fi, 24 hours room–service, gym, billiards room,children’s play room, swim-ming pool and spa.

With Rajasthan becom-ing a global favorite for wed-dings, the Indana Palace,Jodhpur has grown into asought-after venue for thewedding segment. The hotelhas 10,000 square feet of

banquet space, and attached40,000 square feet of land-scaped lawns, along withwedding concierge services.Pahwa added, “The IndanaPalace, Jodhpur is also anideal venue for MICE with anarray of facilities including abusiness centre, a boardroomand a conference hall.”

Elaborating on theirplans to engage with thetravel trade, Pahwa said “Wework with travel agents andtour operators through jointmarketing activities. We alsoregularly update them onthe latest offerings at thehotel as well as help thembuild itineraries. In order toprovide them with a first-hand experience of thehotel, we also host FAMtrips. The hotel has also tiedup with the major onlinetravel agents present inIndia in order to boost visi-tor numbers.”

TT BU R E AU

The Hotel Indana Palace, Jodhpur in Rajasthan is keen on tapping the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions &Exhibitions (MICE) and wedding segments. reports more on the plans and strategies of the group.

Focussing on the inbound segment

� Similar hotels under theIndana Hotels & Resor tsbrand are planned at Jaipur,Udaipur, Nagpur andMumbai

Coming Up

Meera PahwaVice President – Marketing & Sales,Indana Hotels and Resorts

The Indana Palace, Jodhpur isalso an ideal venue for MICE withan array of facilities including abusiness centre, a boardroom anda conference hall

What do you think isthe future of budgethotels?

Budget hotels have agreat future. The fact is thatbudget hotels have alwaysbeen in demand. While there are plenty of 4- and 5-star hotels, the supply of budget hotels is not commensurating thedemand. While there might

be many budget hotels, butyou’ll find very few good bou-tique budget hotels in Delhi. There is still a great marketfor such hotels.

Do airport hotels posea threat to budgethotels?

No, not really. Locationis still a very importantdetermining factor when itcomes to hotels. Most of thepeople staying in budget

hotels are business travellersand they will stay only inthose places where theirbusiness takes them. So, justbecause a hotel is close to theairport, doesn’t mean that it

will attract enough people toit. For people who have their businesses in otherparts of the town, they would still prefer to stay closer to the city centre. If

someone has work in SouthDelhi, why would they staynear the airport?

What is it about TheAllure that makes a person come back to it?

The hotel is designedkeeping in mind the taste andstandard of a 5-star hotel. Weoffer the best in service to ourguests who are mostly leisuretourists and the corporate

crowd. We offer complimen-tary Wi-Fi and airport trans-fers. The location of our hotelis also its USP. We are locatedat Greater Kailash, whichis a centrally located area

and one of the most impor-tant hubs of the city.

TT BU R E AU

Sandeep Khurana, Chairman & Managing Director, The Allure, says that budget hotels havea great future in the Indian hospitality sector.

The Allure’s location is its USP

Sandeep KhuranaChairman & Managing DirectorThe Allure

Location is a very important determiningfactor when it comes to hotels. Manypeople staying in budget hotels arebusiness travellers and they will staywhere their business takes them

Cathay Pacific Airways host-ed an evening of cocktailsand dinner for the travel tradeat The Blue Frog - Delhi on20 September, 2013. Theevent was held to thank trav-el par tners for the supportreceived during the rollout of the new Premium Economy cabin.More than 300 travel agents attended and were treated to funevening that included a lucky draw from an online quiz that theyhad to participate in prior to the event. The prizes included ticketsto Bangkok, Hong Kong, an iPad and a Tablet.

An evening for the traveltrade in Delhi

Tell us about yourproperty and the segments that itcaters to?

Iris Park Hotel is a full-service boutique hotel locat-ed at Safdarjung Enclave,(South) Delhi, 10 kms fromTerminal 1D (15 km fromTerminal 3), 10 kms fromConnaught Place and 7 kmsfrom Nehru Place.

The hotel primarilycaters to the business trav-

eller. Apart from having anenviable location, it is a full-service hotel. The hotelmaintains its own fleet of carsthat serve our guests interms of airport transfers,local city running as well asinter-city trips.

What markets gener-ate most of revenuesfor you in India andoverseas?

Iris Park Hotel is patro-nised by mainly the corporateclientele based mainly inIndia. We do see occasional

travellers booking them-selves from abroad throughbooking websites. We alsoenjoy the support of travelagents in India and arefocussing on addressing moreof the trade so that we maygain their patronage.

What are your expan-sion plans?

As of now, the promot-ers of the business plan togrow organically. Plans are in place for a second hoteland construction shouldbegin soon.

A full-service boutique hotel close to the airport, it has emerged as a preferredchoice with business travellers, says Aashish Kumar Roy, GM, Iris Park Hotel.

‘Iris Park attracts biz travellers’

TT BU R E AU

Aashish Kumar RoyGeneral ManagerIris Park Hotel


STATES N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 6 5

Rajasthan Tourism continues its efforts to develop world-class infrastructure, facilities and services to attracttourists. The impact is substantial growth in tourist traffic and industry as a whole.

Pomp and pageantryRajasthanRajasthan

Rajasthan offers a wholerange of attractions to cater

to the international tourists.The state with unique tourismofferings that include its worldrenowned luxury tourist trainsPalace on Wheels & RoyalRajasthan on Wheels, new ruraltourism sites, Desert Safaris,Forts & Palaces, Sound & Lightshows, heritage hotels, resortsand spas, abundant naturalbeauty, forests and wildlife andfairs & festivals and traditionshighlighting its historical, cultural, religious and socialheritage, has arguably emergedas the leading Indian state in tourism. “A whole range

of new tourism products have been introduced and stillmore are in the offing. RuralTourism, Adventure Tourismand Nature Tourism are opening new avenues for pro-motion of tourism in the state,”says Bina Kak, RajasthanTourism Minister.

The hike in the percentageof inbound tourists and theinterest shown by the Indianand international travel tradefraternity is evidence to the suc-cess of Rajasthan’s image as atop-notch travel destination.

Rajasthan not only has a culturalappeal, but its chain of heritagehotels and palaces also cater to the needs of the corporate world. New productslike sports tourism, ruraltourism, eco tourism, adventuretourism, wellness tourism, etchave been introduced to expand the markets attractingadditional tourists.

Hotels & PackagesRTDC that runs hotels

across key tourist locations in thestate has a well-defined policy tomake available its inventory tothe international travel agents.

ConnectivityThe state is well connected

by rail, road and air. Jaipur is partof the Golden Triangle (Delhi-Jaipur-Agra) circuit and is con-nected by high speed roads fromDelhi (230 kms) and Agra (250 kms). Major cities likeJaipur and Udaipur are also well connected by air from Delhi and Mumbai.

Bina KakTourism Minister, Rajasthan

� Luxury Tourist Trains� Rural Tourism� Palaces & Forts� Fair & Festivals� Adventure sports� Wildlife� Shopping

Major attractions



Nestled on the west coast, Karnataka is blessed witha perfect blend of nature, heritage, wildlife and pristine beaches.

KarnatakaKarnataka

Karnataka has agelessmonuments, world her-

itage sites, lush green forests,amazing wildlife, spectacularwaterfalls, romantic hill stations, timeless temples, pristine beaches, exhilaratingadventure sports and vibrantart & culture.

The state is home to‘The Golden Chariot’. It isSouth India’s first and onlyluxury train. Offering twomemorable itineraries: ‘Prideof the South’ and ‘SouthernSplendour’, it takes youthrough South India’s desti-nations in absolute luxury.

Karnataka StateTourism DevelopmentCorporation (KSTDC) has alsointroduced ‘The SilverChariot’. On the lines of theGolden Chariot, these Volvocoaches offer package toursaround coastal Karnataka.

Accommodation KSTDC owns 16 hotels

across different tourist desti-nations in the state. These arebeing upgraded and 50 morerooms are being added. In

addition, KSTDC also operatesJungle Lodges & Resorts, achain of resorts offeringwildlife, eco and adventuretourism. Presently, there are13 such resorts acrossKarnataka, and going ahead 11more will be added at theidentified eco-tourism sites.Besides, there are other luxuryand economy hotel accommo-dations also available.

ConnectivityThe state is well con-

nected by road, rail and air.Karnataka’s capital city,Bengaluru boasts of a world-class international airport. Itis 40-km from the city and isalso well connected to allmajor airports in India.

The city railway station,the Cantonment RailwayStation and the YeshwanthpurRailway Station are within 10-km from MG Road. Bengaluruis well-connected by rail to allthe major cities of India. Thehi-tech city is also connectedto India’s major cities throughthe National Highways-NH 4,NH 7 and NH 209.

Destinations andPackages

Karnataka is known forits heritage trail. There arevery few places where onecan find such a profusion ofmonuments. These peerlesswonders are eloquentreminders of a rich heritage.

These include WorldHeritage Sites of Hampi andPattadakal, Aihole, Badami,Belgaum, Lakkundi, and manymore. Then, there is a plethoraof romantic hill stations, alongcoastline and some of thelargest jungle tracts in SouthIndia. Details on other majortourist destinations in the stateand packages and itinerariescan also be obtained throughKarnataka Tourism’s website,http://www.karnataka-tourism.org.

One state, many worlds

� Luxury Trains � Heritage� Wildlife� Coastal life� Culture & festivals

Major attractions



Thomas Cook India launches DishaIn order to promote quality research in the field of travel and tourism, Thomas Cook India's training vertical, Centre of Learning recently unveiledthe second edition of Disha, a platform which invites research papers in the field of travel and tourism from faculties of educational institutionsacross India, in Mumbai. The initiative was felicitated in a ceremony where Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Maharashtra , SumitMullickji, Principal Secretary- Additional Charge Tourism and Chief Protocol Officer, Govt ofMaharashtra and Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) felicitated the winningresearch entries and released a published book with a compilation of the top research papers.


Golf is one of the nicheproducts identified by

the Ministry of Tourism(MOT) in its quest to developIndia has a round-the-yeardestination. In line withMOT’s objective, the IndianGolf Tourism Association(IGTA) formed in 2012 hascarved out a roadmap to

aggressively promote India asa fine golf destination.

“IGTA and its membershave a responsibility of brand-ing India as a golf destination.We are in discussion with the

MOT to organise nationalevents, while the states had been requested to join hands to spread word about the potential of golf in their respectiveregions,” said Rajan Sehgal,President, IGTA.

On the private sectorfront, IGTA is in talks withvarious trade bodies to pitchtogether for promoting golftourism. “We are in advancediscussions with FICCI forGolf Travel Mart. In fact, wewill also be a part of thethree-day Golf Expo beingconducted by CII,” he added.

Echoing similar views,Uday Marwah, Secretary,IGTA, said, “There are manygolf enthusiasts who wouldlike to play golf in India andalso visit nearby touristattractions. Golf Courses inIndia are excellent and havehosted many big events.Indian Golf can cater to the

needs and requirements ofany golf-lover planning tovisit India.”

Here, Vipan Sharma,Joint Secretary, IGTA, said,“The purpose of forming thisassociation is to focus on pro-moting the sport along withleisure activities for Golf-lovers around the world.”

The Indian Golf Tourism Association (IGTA) is keen to rope in both governmentand private-sector stakeholders to promote golf tourism in India.

Branding India as a Golf destinationTT BU R E AU

ASSOCIATIONS N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 6 9

Rajan SehgalPresident, IGTA

We are indiscussion withMOT to organisenational events,while the states arerequested to joinhands to spreadawareness on golf

Indian Golf cancater to the needsand requirementsof any golf-loverplanning to visit India

Uday MarwahSecretary, IGTA

The purpose offorming thisassociation is tofocus onpromoting thesport along withleisure activitiesfor Golf-loversaround the world

Vipan SharmaJoint Secretary, IGTA

Sydney has been rankedas the world’s safest andthe friendliest city, beatingLondon, Paris, New Yorkand Rome, according toAnholt-GfK City BrandsIndex (CBISM) survey.Sydney was also voted oneof the world’s top five citiesoverall with Melbournerated number ten.

Sydney the safest


Mumbai-based VeenaWorld plans to focus on

the inbound segment andpromote Maharashtra as apremier destination forinbound travellers. Veena

Patil, Founder & ManagingDirector, Veena World said,"Maharashtra, as a destina-tion, has plenty of undiscov-ered potential. Our goal is topromote relatively unex-plored destinations inMaharashtra to foreign visi-tors to the country. The shareof leisure inbound to ouroverall business has been significant, and we are there-fore turning our attention to the segment."

Patil added, "We haveidentified 7-8 packages thatwe will market to inboundtravellers from January2014. Our goal is to show-case and increase awarenessof destinations such asPandharpur, Kolhapur and

the recently-launchedSayajiraje Park in Akhluj."She informed, "Mumbai isalso crucial for us. The cityis one of the major gatewaysinto India. However, it isregarded more as the com-mercial capital and we want

to change that perception toMumbai as a tourism hub."Speaking of their marketingand promotional strategy,Patil stated, “We will work jointly with theMaharashtra TourismDevelopment Corporation

(MTDC) to showcaseMaharashtra's tourismpotential and to educate the travel trade aboutMaharashtra's destinationsand product offerings. Weare also partnering withMTDC for WTM 2013.”

TT BU R E AU

Veena World has identified 7-8 packages that they will market to inboundtravellers from January 2014, which includes destinations such as Pandharpur,Kolhapur and the recently-launched Sayajiraje Park in Akhluj.

Veena PatilFounder &Managing DirectorVeena World

Promoting unexplored Maharashtra

Our goal is topromoterelativelyunexploreddestinations inMaharashtra toforeign visitorsto the country

AGENTS N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 7 1

� Veena World will workjointly with the MaharashtraTourism DevelopmentCorporation (MTDC) toshowcase Maharashtra'stourism potential and toeducate the travel tradeabout Maharashtra'sdestinations and productofferings

� It is also par tnering withMTDC for WTM 2013

Working Model


Wellness travel, whichnow represents a siz-

able chunk of global tourismrevenues, is growing at near-ly twice the rate of totalworldwide tourism, accordingto a study released at TheGlobal Spa & WellnessSummit (GSWS) 2013 recent-ly held in New Delhi. Thethree-day event was packedwith discussions, delibera-tions, and sessions for betterunderstanding the spa andwellness segment in theglobal travel industry.

Welcoming the dele-gates, Susie Ellis, CEO andChairman, GSWS, said, "TheWellness Tourism can spark arevolution like no other, so letus come together and chart acourse to make history for thepeople we serve and theindustry we love.” Accordingto Ellis, this segment has thepotential to becoming anexcellent alternative revenuesource for travel agents. Shesaid, “The Global Wellness

Tourism Economy Reportreveals new directions intourism, including the kind of

experiences tourists will seekand the countries where theywill travel to find them.”

The research reflects amajor shift from vacationsassociated with excess—too

much eating, drinking andtoo little sleep—to thosefocussed on health and well-ness. Clients who take well-ness trips are also likely totake part in other niche activ-ities like culinary, adventure,or eco-tourism pursuits, thestudy said. That broadens theoptions agents can sell.

Amitabh Kant, FormerJoint Secretary, Ministry ofTourism, Government of Indiasaid, “Travel and tourism, ingeneral; and wellness tourism,in particular, are largely dom-inated by certain trends thathave come to fore. Theseinclude the steady growth and

development of BRIC coun-tries, the rapidly aging popu-lation of Europe and America,and the rise of the urban mid-dle class. This has led to thegrowth of the alert, independ-ent, educated, well-heeled,traveller who is looking forexperiences that enhance anddevelop well-being. This is

where wellness tourism playsa key role.”

“Wellness tourism ispoised to reshape tourism aswe know it,” said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, FormerPresident & CEO, WorldTravel & Tourism Council(WTTC).

TT BUREAU

The first report on the wellness and spa industry was released at the recently-concluded Global Spa & WellnessSummit 2013 held in New Delhi.

Wellness & Spa: Avenue of Revenue

Report Highlights� Wellness tourism now accounts for about 14 per cent, or

nearly US$ 439 billion of all tourism expenditures� It’s projected to grow by more than 9 per cent a year through

2017. That is nearly 50% faster than overal global market.� Compared to the average international and domestic tourist,

the wellness tourist spends about 65 per cent more per trip,while the domestic wellness tourist spends about 150 percent more per trip.

Wellnesstourism ispoised to reshapetourism as we know it

The alert,educated andwell-heeledtraveller islooking forunique travelexperiences

The GlobalWellnessTourismEconomyReport revealsnew directionsin tourism

Susie EllisCEO and ChairmanGSWS

Amitabh KantFormer Joint Secretary, Ministry ofTourism, Government of India

Jean-Claude BaumgartenFormer President & CEO, WorldTravel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

NEWS7 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3


NTO

What growth doyou see fromIndia?

India is a new and enor-mous market for Bulgaria. Westarted to develop it in cur-rent year and we had the firsttwo organised Indian groupsin May and June. Our targetis the MICE segment in India.We are also promotingBulgaria in India as an excel-lent destination for individualand family trips.

How do you plan to increaseIndian visitors?

We plan activities likeparticipation in tourism exhi-bitions, workshops and tours

for representatives of Indiantour operators and media incooperation with the Head ofCommercial & EconomicOffice of Bulgaria to India,Stefan Ionkov. We haveorganised two fam trips inSeptember for tour operatorsand one media tour in thesame month.

What itinerary doyou recommendfor an Indian

tourist?The Bulgarian seaside is

very popular as one of thebest summer destinations inEurope. We are happy to pro-mote all our resorts as theyhave a perfect combination ofnature, excellent hotels andentertainment for the wholefamily. Albena resort, forexample, is a superb vacationplace for family travellers andcity of Plovdiv is an amazingvivid city with a variety of sparesort all around.

Is Indian foodeasily available?

Yes it is.Nowadays, we have manyIndian restaurants all overBulgaria and the packages

offered by the Bulgarian DMCsensure that Indian food willnot be missing to the Indiantourist groups. Also, we havepurely vegetarian dishes andthis also answers to the Indianrequirements.

Since there is nodirect air connec-tivity, do you see

that as a challenge?

Yes, this is a challenge,but also an opportunity tocombine a visit of 2 countrieswith a single airline ticket. Forinstance – fly to Istanbul andvisit Bulgaria and Turkey – theBulgarian DMCs will take youfrom Istanbul airport and itwill take you about 3 hours bycar to get to Bulgaria. You canalso combine visits ofEuropean countries such asAustria, Germany etc.

What are yourexpectations fromagents?

Bulgaria offers specialpackages for the Indian mar-ket, tailored for the Indianrequirements. Same includedaytime activities, nightlife,visits of top golf and sparesorts and seaside resorts.

What are yourpromotional plansfor the Indian

market and how manyIndians visit Bulgariaeach year?

We will organise tripsfor representatives of touroperator companies andmedia, TV crews and work-shops. In 2012, Bulgaria wasvisited by 4,722 Indians. In2011, they were 3,849. Thus,there has been a growth of22.7 % in 2012 as comparedto 2011.

What are yourvisa policies?

On 25 January2012, the Council ofMinisters of the Republic ofBulgaria adopted a decision,according to which by thedate of Bulgaria’s accessionto the Schengen area, ourcountry will unilaterally applya visa-free system for holdersof valid Schengen visas. Theywill have the right to enter

and reside in the Republic ofBulgaria for a period of nomore than three months inany six-month period fromthe date of the first entry,without needing to have aBulgarian short-stay visa.The decision entered intoforce on 31.01.2012. In casethe Indian traveller has avalid Schengen visa – he canuse it to enter Bulgaria. If not,he is welcome to theBulgarian Embassy in NewDelhi to apply for a Bulgarianentry visa.

How are you pro-moting the MICEsegment?

In Bulgaria, there arenumerous expo and congresscentres, conference halls,exhibition initiatives andfestivals in all regions of thecountry. And this, combinedwith variety of options foractivities such as shoppingand active nightlife makeBulgaria a perfect MICE des-tination for Indian MICEgroups. The average spend ofa MICE visitor is approxi-mately US$ 1,000 per week.

Bulgaria is wooing India as its potential market. AneliaGenova, Director, Marketing, Promotion & Information in Tourism Directorate talks to to know moreabout the same...

Anelia GenovaDirector, Marketing, Promotion &Information in Tourism Directorate

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

St Alexander Nevski Bulgaria

KA R I S H M A KH A N N A

‘India is a big market for us’


With just 80,000 Indiansa year opting for cruise

holidays, cruise tourism isone of the most potential andyet untapped and maturetourism segments in thecountry. More and moreinternational cruise compa-nies are encouraging Indiantravellers and bringing

awareness in the market byeducating the travel trade.On similar notes, RoyalCaribbean International - oneof the top performing cruisebrands in India, has intro-duced a range of attractivevalue offers for Indian trav-ellers. It has announced com-plimentary upgrades and 50per cent off on second guest,exclusively for Indian trav-ellers onboard the largestcruise ship – Mariner of theSeas sailing from Singapore.Both these offers were validon three to five night sailingpackages from Singaporefrom November 2013 tillFebruary 2014 for bookingsmade till October 31, 2013.

Talking about the initia-tive, Ratna Chadha, Chief

Executive, TIRUN TravelMarketing – IndiaRepresentative for RoyalCaribbean International said,“India is one of the mostpotential markets for cruisetourism in Asian market,especially for the cruise linersoperating from Singapore.Through such unique initia-

tives, we are not just attract-ing the travellers opting forcruise holidays but are alsoencouraging other travellerswho are still considering sail-ing or not yet considered one.This way, we intend to buildnew markets and stimulategrowth of cruise holidays inthe Indian market.”

The company is also tar-getting the MICE market,especially the events andincentive segment. With theChristmas and New Year’sEve next door, the companyis encouraging travel agentsto book groups for smallevents and celebrationsonboard. It is also working

closely with trade andexpanding its focus to minimetro cities. With airlinesintending to remove travelagents from their supplychain and reaching outdirectly to end consumers,Royal Caribbean is strength-ening its relations with thetrade. Chadha said, “It is

impossible to think of remov-ing the trade from our distri-bution chain. They are themost important part of ourvalue chain. Agents not onlyprovide a complete cruisepackage to the passengers,but also make our brandmore trust-worthy andstrong.”

TIRUN Travel Marketing has recently launched attractive value offers exclusively for the Indian market andtargets MICE segment for Asian sailing. gives details…

Agents make our brand more trustworthyTT BU R E AU

It is impossibleto think ofremoving thetrade from ourdistribution chain as they arethe mostimportant part ofour value chain

Ratna ChadhaChief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing

N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 7 7CRUISES

� Royal Caribbean Inter-national has announcedcomplimentary upgradesand 50 per cent off onsecond guest, exclusivelyfor Indian travellers onboardthe Mariner of the Seassailing from Singapore

Special Offer


The Cyprus TourismOrganisation (CTO)

announced its entry into the Indian tourism market at its Delhi leg of the India roadshow.

According to VassilisTheocharides, Director, CTO;

the association has beenmonitoring the Indian travelindustry for quite some time.“In recognition of the coun-try’s potential as a big out-bound tourist market, weintend to initiate activitiesthat help us reach out to amajority of the travel tradecommunity in India. We are

targetting Delhi and Mumbaiduring the first phase of ourpromotional campaign asthese cities generate maxi-mum number of outboundbusiness travel from India.”CTO also took its roadshow to Mumbai. The roadshowfeatured interactionsbetween the delegates from

Cyprus and their Indiancounterparts from the Indiantravel industry.

The country is well-equipped with world-classinfrastructure to host bigscale events. It is currentlyoffering a number of incen-tives for business travel inorder to attract corporate and

small groups of travellersfrom India. Starting withbusiness-class hotels thatgive visitors the convenienceof staying in the same placeas their events to sophisticat-ed communication facilitiesand support services, as wellas a safe and crime-free envi-ronment, the island has

everything to make corporatemeetings, conventions,incentives or other corporateevents a success. Indian trav-ellers visiting Cyprus canindulge in a number of holi-daying activities as the islandis a new destination andlargely unexplored. Charmingvillages of the Byzantine era,peninsulas with uniquediversities, an endless offer-ing of a broad range of localcuisines and numerousreconstructed dwellings andarchaeological sites that arein the UNESCO’s WorldHeritage List are just some ofthe tourism products that Cyprus offers to its visitors.

NTO7 8 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

TT BU R E AU

The tourism organisation shared its India market plans and showcased its tourism products for leisure, corporatemeetings and incentive travels as part of its plan to woo the Indian travellers during the event.

Cyprus lures Indian outbound for MICE

Vassilis TheocharidesDirector, CTO

We intend toinitiate activitiesthat help us reachout to a majorityof the travel tradecommunity inIndia

Tony Marwah has beenre-nominated for anothertwo years’ term on the Boardof Directors of Delhi Tourism.He has been associated withDTTDC in the same capacityearlier, too. Currently,Marwah is CEO, IndianTravel Promotion Companyand MD, OR Global, a mem-ber company of the SitaWorld Travels Group locatedin Los Angeles and incorpo-rated in the US.

Tony MarwahCEO, Indian Travel Promotion Company

Marwah re-electedto DTTDC Board


Shailesh Patil, ManagingDirector, Kesari Tours

said, "India's varied wildlife,architectural marvels, vibrantculture, traditions and cui-

sine make the country atreasure chest that is waitingto be explored. We are highlypassionate about showcasingIndia to the world at large."He added,

"We have a team of highly specialised travel professionalsand we aim to create customiseditineraries that fit the need of every traveller."

Speaking of their strat-egy to increase the numberof foreign visitors, Patilinformed, "This year, we havesuccessfully launched fixeddepartures to Kerala which

have proven to be very pop-ular with international visi-tors. Additionally, we alsoconducted fam trips for for-eign operators to Kerala andRajasthan this year, so thatthey could avail opportunityto have first-hand experienceof the destination. In a bid tofurther attract foreign trav-

ellers to India, we have alsolaunched an exclusive web-site for the inbound division.“

Patil further said,"Kesari offers luxurious holi-day options for travellersfrom luxury trains and cruises to heritage stays.Earlier this year, we alsolaunched premium holiday

packages to Kerala andRajasthan which have beenreceiving good response.”

Kesari Tours has servedtravellers from across the world including theUnited States of America,France, Italy, Canada, UK,Israel, Malaysia, Mauritius,Switzerland, UAE, Hong

Kong, Belgium, New Zealand, Poland, Germany,Australia, Sweden and Japanamong others. Patil conclud-ed by saying ,”2013 has beena fruitful year for the inbound division of KesariTours and we hope to sustainthis momentum over thecoming year.”

In order to leverage India's multiple and diverse tourism products and offerings, Mumbai-based KesariTours is planning to focus on the inbound segment of travellers.

TT BU R E AU

Kesari Tours focussing on inboundN O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 8 1AGENTS

Shailesh PatilManaging DirectorKesari Tours

� In a bid to fur therattract foreign travellersto India, Kesari Tourshas also launched an exclusive website forthe inbound division

Something new

To offer more options totravellers from both cities,British Airways will start itssixth direct service onLondon-Chennai route onOctober 27. The flight will operate six-days-a-week, except Thursday.This will take the totalnumber of weekly flights tothe five cities of India to 48. The airline will deploy Boeing 777-200 air-craft on the route, withthree-class configuration,offering flat beds in ClubWorld, World Traveller Plus and World Travellerseats. The airline will alsocomplete 25 years of operations to Chennai.

BA launches6th direct flight on London-Chennai route


The luxury industry isworth approx £77 billion

and is now truly global.Despite this boom, the cur-rent trends have cast ashadow on it and there arewarning signals of a comingimpasse. Questions arebeing increasingly raisedabout ethics & adverseimpact of tourism on ecology & environment.Overconsumption is becom-ing a mark of exhibitionismand is being replaced fromconspicuous to conscien-tious consumption.

Commercial establish-ments and hotels will need tore-look at products. HenceBed and Breakfast (B&B)accommodation is a viablealternative to the consciousconsumer who appreciatesthe concerns of depletingresources. B&B units havebeen exposed to competitionfrom star hotels and have tocompete in the open marketfor sourcing as well as tap-ping markets.

It is our utmost priorityto ensure that women feel at home while staying inIndia. B&B type of accom-modation is the rightanswer, especially for theincreasing number ofwomen who travel alone.

What B&B owners haveto do

The B&B owners may choose tourists from particular country asper their choice and maychange their unit and deco-ration, etc according to thepreferences of such guestsfrom that country. At pres-ent, economics of B&Bscheme of Delhi is unviable.Now, the question ariseswhether incoming touristsprefer B&B stay over theconventional accommoda-tion available in regularhotels. A survey was con-ducted between June toDecember 2012 by DTTDCon this aspect. Responsefrom 210 foreign & domes-tic tourists was received.

The important findings werethat 27 per cent of the sur-veyed tourists were not sat-isfied with service offered atthe place of stay in Delhi butnone of the 13 tourists stay-ing in B&B units felt

aggrieved on any issuerelated to stay. As many as23 per cent tourists desiredhomely care. The surveyalso revealed that, on anaverage, the tourists comingto Delhi prefer to spend up

to ` 4,045 per night for anaverage stay of three-fourdays. All these desirable elements will certainly beavailable in a B&B accom-modation. An added advantage of B&B stay, nev-ertheless, is that tourists getsimilar facilities as are avail-able in regular hotels in tariff range which is approx-imately 25-30 per centcheaper as there is exemp-tion from levy of Luxury taxand applicability of commer-cial rates on electricity &water bills in B&B accom-modations.

Inspite of such advan-tages, B&B scheme of Delhi is not picking up.There is hardly any individ-ual or concerted efforts forits publicity, promotion andmarketing. In fact, theMinistry of Tourism, Govt.of India and DelhiGovernment should giveextra incentives on promo-tion of the B&B scheme.This will help in solving the

problem of shortage ofbudget accommodationwithout any further acquisi-tion of land and develop-ment of infrastructure anddraining out non-renewableresources of energy, therebyearning ‘carbon credit’ byDelhi Government.

GUEST COLUMN8 2 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

With the depreciating value of the rupee combined with high air fares, the tourism industry is unsure of whatthe coming year has in store. But here, as we are discussing the highs and lows of this industry; the mega-trend of growing tourism industry is the overconsumption of resources.

‘Support B&B and earn carbon credit’

The writer is GG Saxena,MD & CEO, Delhi Tourism

(DTTDC). Excerpts

G G SaxenaMD & CEODelhi Tourism (DTTDC)

Why B&Bs are successful� B&B units have been exposed to

competition from star hotels andhave to compete in the openmarket for sourcing as well astapping markets Now, the ques-tion arises whether incomingtourists prefer B&B stay over theconventional accommodationavailable in regular hotels.

� A survey was conducted between June to December 2012 byDTTDC on this aspect.

� Response from 210 foreign & domestic tourists was received� The important findings were that 27 per cent of the surveyed

tourists were not satisfied with service offered at the placeof stay in Delhi, but none of the 13 tourists staying in B&Bunits felt aggrieved on any issue related to stay.

� As many as 23 per cent tourists desired homely care.



WTTC India’s second Southern RetreatThe WTTC India Initiative Retreats are a unique format that brings the government and the industry together, and brainstorm on the future ofthe most important industry in the Indian context. At a WTTCII Retreat in September 2012, Southern Zonal Tourism Advisory Council (SZTAC)was envisaged, which was formalised in the second such retreat in Hyderabad.

STIC celebrates 40th anniversarySTIC Travel Group recently hosted a family carnival inviting all their employees with theirfamily members to jointly celebrate their 40th anniversary. The event was a celebration of theteam effort and outstanding passion of the entire STIC family. STIC also hosted Annual Rewardand Recognition ceremony where outstanding achievements of members were acknowledged.

Club Med Resort hosts agents in Maldives and ThailandClub Med - Premium All Inclusive Resort recently conductedan exclusive three-day visit to two of their most popularresorts Club Med, Kani Maldives & Club Med Phuket, Thailandto gain firsthand experience for their travel agents at the resort.This initiative was a part of creating Club Med Specialist andalso to gain awareness of the all Inclusive concept. It hosted25 travel agents from across North and South India


International Tourism 2012

Anew report by the WorldTourism Organisation

(UNWTO) and the WorldTravel & Tourism Council(WTTC) during APEC HighLevel Policy Dialogue onTravel Facilitation inIndonesia shows that visafacilitation could create up to2.6 million new jobs in theAsia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC)economies by 2016.

The report, ‘The Impactof Visa Facilitation’ in APECEconomies indicates thatalthough there has been asuccessful collaboration andadvances across the APEC

region to facilitate visas,including progressiveapproaches to implementnew visa policies, 21 per centof expected internationaltourists arriving into APECover the period 2014-2016would still be required toobtain a traditional visa priorto travel under current visapolicies.

Facilitating visas forthese tourists could create asmuch as 2.6 million addition-al jobs in the APECeconomies by 2016 and anadditional US$ 89 billion ininternational tourism receiptsgenerated by 57 million moretourists visiting APEC desti-nations.

Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, UNWTO said, “Thisreport clearly shows thatplacing visa facilitation as anational priority can trans-late into significant socio-economic benefits in termsof income and jobs generat-ed by the growth of tourismdemand. APEC has been aleading organisation interms of regionalintegration andwe believethat visafacilita-tion cancontributesignificantlyto advanceAPEC’sobjectives and

the balanced growth of itseconomies.”

Here David Scowsill,President & CEO, WTTC,said, “Encouraging freedomto travel is a key strategic pri-ority for WTTC. It is a simplestep for Governments whichcreate jobs, economic growthand incalculable social bene-

fits. This reportlays bare forthe first timethe preciseopportunity inAPECeconomies anddemands to betaken seriouslyby the region’s

Governments.”

Facilitating visas will also create an additional US$ 89 billion in internationaltourism receipts generated by 57mn more tourists visiting APEC destinations.

TT BU R E AU

Visa facilitationcan contribute toadvance APEC’sobjectives andthe balancedgrowth of itseconomies

Taleb RifaiSecretary-General, UNWTO

Encouragingfreedom to travel isa strategic priorityfor WTTC. It is astep for Govtswhich create jobs &economic growth

David ScowsillPresident & CEO, WTTC

Visa facilitation to create 2.6mn jobs

David Scowsill, WTTCPresident and Tony Blair

former British Prime Ministerencouraged the western gov-ernments to make most ofthe future powerhouse ofglobal wealth creation-Travel and Tourism, at thetwo day World Travel andTourism Council (WTTC)

Summit in Korea inSeptember.

Revealing how Asia’stravel and tourism sector isforecast to grow six per centper annum over the comingdecade, Scowsill said, “Of the70 million new jobs, Travel &Tourism will stimulate glob-ally by 2023, two thirds –some 47 million - will be inAsia. This phenomenal

growth will be driven byincreasing wealth amongAsia’s middle classes, partic-ularly in China. The UnitedNations describe it as a his-toric shift, the likes of whichhas not been seen for 150years. Asia’s middle class isforecast to triple to 1.7 billionby 2020.”

Globally, the future con-tinues to look positive with

the World Travel and TourismCouncil predicting 3 per centgrowth this year and gener-ating $6.8 trillion– 9 per centof global GDP - as well asemploying more than 266million people and account-ing for 1 in every 11 jobs onthe planet.

Although the future ofthe industry looks secure,Scowsill warned national

governments of negativeoverall effect to theireconomies by the introduc-tion or expansion of taxschemes to exploit thisgrowth. “The UK’s AirlinePassenger Duty is the worstculprit, destroying UK GDPby around $6.3 billion

per annum and costing some90 thousand jobs. Taxingthe tourist does not lead topositive economic growth –in fact it leads to the opposite. We intend to pro-mote this message heavilywhilst we are here in Asia,”he added.

Scowsill singled out the UK as an example of destroying UK GDP by around $6.3 billion per annum and costing some 90 thousand jobs.

TT BU R E AU

Over-taxation kills tourism: WTTC

International tourist arrivals (ITA) : 1.035 millionInternational tourism receipts (ITR): US$ 1,075 bn

David Scowsill, WTTC President and Tony Blair former British Prime Minister

Source: UNWTO

INTERNATIONAL8 6 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3


NTO

New York City’s tourismand marketing organisa-

tion, NYC & Company is bet-ting big on educating theIndian travel trade. Theorganisation will launch thenew version of its onlinetraining academy in 2014 tofacilitate the training ofIndian travel agents as well.This was revealed by FredDixon, Executive VicePresident- MarketDevelopment, NYC &Company. “This year, the pri-mary goal is to educate thetravel trade in India. Hence,we have an online trainingacademy and its new interac-tive version will becomeoperational in 2014.Currently, we have 2,000travel agents across Indiaenrolled in the programme.

Around 1,000 have graduat-ed to become New York spe-cialists. We are expecting thenumber to double from 2,000to 4,000 by the end of 2014.This might be a little ambi-tious, but with the new train-ing programme that welaunch, this might get easierto achieve,” Dixon pointedout. The details of the pro-

gramme are still beingworked out. It will focus onneighbourhoods of NYC,things to do, shopping zones,attractions, lesser-knownplaces of NYC, etc.

Being active in theIndian market for seven yearsnow, NYC & Company hasseen a transformation in themix of travellers it receives.“In the past, the number ofbusiness travellers was alwayshigher than the leisure trav-ellers in NYC. This changedfor the first time last yearwhen the leisure traveller seg-ment surpassed the businesstravel segment. Going for-ward, leisure and MICE arethe big avenues. As the rupeestabilises and the economyrecovers, incentive groups willbecome a huge opportunityfor NYC,” he observed.

NYC & Company will launch a more comprehensive version ofits online programme in 2014. With this, the organisation is look-ing to increase its agents enrolled in the programme to 4,000.

NY bets big on Indian agents

TT BU R E AU

Fred DixonExecutive Vice President- MarketDevelopment, NYC & Company

India is an important mar-ket and for the last three

years, Scotland has received

19,000 Indian visitors annu-ally. These are mainly leisureand visiting friends and rela-tives (VFRs). However, asmall portion is contributedby MICE as well, HumzaYousaf, Minister for ExternalAffairs and InternationalDevelopment, Scotland said.“We are looking at promotingSt Andrews, Inverness(Gateway to Highland),

Edinburgh, Glasgow andLoach in the Indian market.Since the theme of the year2013 was Year of NaturalScotland, the travel trade wasdesigning packages showcas-ing the natural aspects ofScotland.”The next year 2014is dedicated to Homecoming.

Giving details about theprogramme, the Ministerexplained, “We will be host-ing world-class events such as the GlasgowCommonwealth Games andRyder Cup at Gleneagles. Wehave selected this time whenQueen’s Baton Relay is com-mencing in India to generateawareness about theseevents.” According toYousaf, the travel trademedium in India is indispen-sable. “In India, all our activ-ities are focussed on B2Bpromotions. We are repre-sented by VisitScotland andVisitBritain in India.Although nature, greenery,culture, landscape, self-drivetours and education tourismwill be our focus, we are alsolooking at promoting whiskeyand golf tours in India aswell. Scotland has over 100whiskey distilleries and is thehome of golf,” he added.

In order to connect withthe Indian travel trade,VisitScotland had startedSCOTS (SpecialistCounsellors on Travel toScotland) programme in

2007. Vineet Lal,International MarketingManager—Long-Haul andEmerging Markets, VisitScotland revealed India hasthe highest number of SCOTSagents (1,800) after the US.

The mission for promot-ing Homecoming 2014 visit-ed Delhi, Mumbai andBengaluru. In Mumbai, the

Yousaf also participated in thesecond ‘graduation ceremo-ny’ of 50 travel agents.

The Government of Scotland, in association withVisitScotland and other partners will focus on educating thetravel trade about new products and itineraries.

Ready for Homecoming

ME G H A PAU L

We are lookingat promotingScottishhighlights in the Indianmarket

Humza YousafMinister for External Affairs andInternational Development, Scotland

India has thehighest number ofSCOTS agents(1,800) after the US

Vineet LalInternational Mktg Manager-Long-Hauland Emerging Markets, Visit Scotland


NEW DELHI: A south Delhi-based travel agency wasduped of around Rs 10 lakhwhen one of its customerallegedly booked internation-al air ticketsallegedly for hisfriends and family membersbut had using cloned andstolen debit cards.

The agency, operatingat a mall in Saket, got toknow about the fraud onlyafter their bank 'chargedback' the money swipedthrough the cards. By then,the accused had gone under-ground. But with the help of electronic surveillance,Koffi, a resident of Ghana,was soon nabbed.

On September 10, Koffibooked twelve tickets from

the travel agency - mostly toand from countries likeKilimanjaro, Lagos, DaresSalaam, Sri Lanka, Londonand Chicago - after submit-ting his ID and residenceproof. He booked the ticketsafter claiming that the trav-ellers were his friends andrelatives. While the accused

had used stolen and cloneddebit cards for making thepayment at the agency, hehad reportedly collected hispayment from the travellersin cash or via account trans-fers, police said.

On October 1, theagency's accounting sectionraised an alarm when Koffi's

card payments were 'chargedback'. Following this, policewas informed and a case wasregistered under sections offorgery and Foreigners Act.After using the CCTV footagefrom the agency, Koffi wasnabbed. Police suspect thatKoffi may have targeted otheragencies also and further

investigations are on. Whilethe travel agency claimed offollowing all norms whilemaking the online transac-tions and issuing tickets toKoffi, the police have notdenied the role of an insiderin colluding with the accused.They also made sure to seethe original passport at the

time of ticket Issuance, theyhave claimed.

A team, under thesupervision of DCP south B SJaiswal, is probing how thestolen cards reached Koffiand if there is an organizedgang supplying cloned cardsto cheats like him.

Travel agents should be more cautious of payments made through credit and debit cards as technologyadvancements have made it easier to dupe travel companies while making payments.

Ghana man cheats travel agency of `̀10LNEWS N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 8 9

Source: Times of India

Beware

Thailand, even I felt excitedabout these services. I wantthe Indian holiday maker toenjoy all benefits thatThailand can offer to them.”

Talking about theobjective of the event,Runjuan Tongrut, Director,Tourism Authority ofThailand, said, “The road-show has been held toupdate Indian travel tradepartners about the luxuriousproducts and activities thatThailand has to offer. A totalof 18 service providers fromThailand - 5 star hotels,cruises and airlines – haveparticipated at the event.From private villas to luxurycruises, we can provide all tothe discerning Indian trav-eller. We want the travelagents to discuss businesswith the Thai representa-tives about what both partiescan do to attract Indian lux-ury travellers to Thailand.”

About her expectationsfrom the event, she said,“After the roadshow, I expectluxury travellers from Indiato frequently visit Thailand.In the last 4-5 years, thenumber of luxury travellersto Thailand has increasedsignificantly. During 2008-2012, the number of luxurytravellers coming toThailand increased by 42%.Luxury travellers generatemore revenue for Thailandbecause they tend to spendmore, they shop a lot, stay inluxury hotels and want thebest of everything – be ittravelling by private jet or private helicopter facilities.”

Contd. from page 31

TAT woosIndians



J&K, there is zero luxury taxwhile Sikkim has luxury taxas low as four per cent. TheVAT in both the states is justfour per cent,” he said, con-tinuing, “Tourism is a verydelicate business and touristsalways have many options –if they don’t come toUttarakhand, they will go toKashmir. Thus, we still losebusiness to these states.”

SP Kochhar, President,Hotels and RestaurantsAssociation of Uttarakhandasserted the tourism andinfrastructure facilities in thestate are deteriorating and“no major steps have beentaken to rectify or rebuild theinfrastructure”. Good con-nectivity in terms of roads,rail capacity and airfares arethe biggest obstacles in thegrowth of this state as atourist destination. Problems

such as water supply andfood preservation are also bigconcern for hoteliers,Kochhar added. “A guestneeds to enjoy and spendtime in a leisurely mood.There is no entertainmentfacility, but entertainment taxis as high as 30 per cent, VATon food is 13.5 per cent andluxury tax varies from five to10 per cent (depending ontariff), plus service tax of 5.16per cent on room rent. Thereis no parking facility, no sup-port of state government intourism destination adver-tisements. Moreover, trainedstaff and friendly atmosphereis the need of the hour. Thegovernment has to beaggressive to promotegrowth and create the sup-port system to maintain itfurther,” Kochhar, who alsoowns Madhuban chain ofhotels in the state, lamented.

Opined Vibhas Prasad,Director, Leisure Hotels,“Post the calamity, we sawbusiness vanishing not onlyfrom Haridwar and Rishikesh,but also from the unaffectedareas like Mussorie andNainital. The CentralGovernment has taken twosteps to mitigate the damage.Firstly, they have given thehoteliers an exemption ofluxury tax for the next sixmonths. Secondly, a one-yearmoratorium on bank loans ofhoteliers in Uttarakhand hasalso been provided. A lot ofpeople had taken bank loansbefore the tourism season forconstruction and renovationwith the hope that theywould be able to repay thesame. This step to extend theperiod of repaying the loan toone year has been anotherwelcome step. These twosteps are ‘baby steps’ by the

Central Government, but inthe right direction.”

As pointed out by SahilGulati, Director-Operations,EllBee Hotels, the exemptionof service tax for six monthsis just a short-term gain.“The service tax exemptionwas from September 17 toMarch 31. This anyways isthe lean season. Real busi-ness starts coming in onlyfrom April 1. And the schemewill not be applicable then,which is unfortunate. Thegovernment should haveextended this sop for at leasta year for us to reap benefits.Rather than giving discounts,it is important that the gov-ernment boosts the region.”The State Government couldalso direct PSUs to conductits meetings and seminars inUttarakhand. This can help inlong-term growth of thestate, he suggested.

The service taxexemption wasfrom Sept 17 toMar 31. Realbusiness startscoming in onlyfrom April 1

The step toextend theperiod ofrepaying theloan to one yearis anotherwelcome step

Vibhas PrasadDirectorLeisure Hotels

Contd. from page 14

Sahil GulatiDirector-OperationsEllBee Hotels

Sops evoke mixed response in Uttarakhand

Tourism boostersMaharashtra bats for women tourists’ safety

Maharashtra is now gearing up to become the safest state in thecountry for tourists – both domestic and international. MaharashtraTourism Development Corporation (MTDC) celebrated the World TourismDay by dedicating it to ‘Women’s Safety’. The corporation announcedfew initiatives it has planned to ensure women tourists’ safety in thestate. It is in the process of designing a model Code of Conduct for safetyof women tourists in the state. Adress code for photographers,guides and other tourist facilitatorsmay also be devised. MTDC is also

developing a mobile application that tourists can down-load and access a number of tourist groups visiting a spot,as well as those of authorities. The mobile app will alsohave a GPS system to track tourists as well as facilitieslike sending alarm messages when in danger. All stake-holders in tourist places including guides, photographers,taxi drivers, shopkeepers among others will be trained and given the dos and don’ts of treatingtourists. Kishore Gadre, General Manager, MTDC affirmed, “The Code of Conduct will befinalised in the coming months. It will include instructions on how tourists should be guided.It will also include instructions to ensure good conduct while interacting with foreign anddomestic tourists. Also, there are plans to have various stakeholders to monitor tourist activityin a particular spot to ensure that if he/she gets in trouble, immediate action can be taken.”

Sikkim to open new trekking routesThe state is looking at generating tourism business worth ̀ 1,500 crore per annum by 2020.

As per Bhim Dhungel, Tourism Minister, Sikkim, the state’s annual business from tourism jumpedfrom `75 crore in 2000 to `400 crore in 2010. The figure was only `1 crore in 1980. By 2020,the state aims to attract one lakh foreign tourists and 20 lakh domestic tourists annually, theMinister said. According to him, 12,862 domestic and 2,572 international tourists visited thestate in 1980. The number of domestic touristarrivals shot up to 7,00,011, while the visitorsfrom abroad rose to 20,757 in 2010. To promotetourism, the state government has decided tocreate more tourist destinations, open newtrekking routes and undertake aggressive mar-keting. The Buddhist circuits are also beingdeveloped to promote religious tourism in thestate, Dhungel added. “We will develop Sikkimas a principal tourism destination in South andSouth East Asia by 2015,” he added.

2 cr each for six forts in RajasthanThe Rajasthan state government has approved a budget of ` 2 crore each for six

forts - Jaisalmer, Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Amber, Gagaron and Ranthambore, whichhave recently been declared World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. This amount has beenallotted for the promotion and conservation of these forts.Along with this, the state has also given directions to theauthorities concerned to appoint a manager for each of theWorld Heritage sites. The site managers will be responsiblefor coordinating with all the agencies concerned to undertakeconservation of these forts.

Contd. from page 8

Kishore GadreGeneral Manager, MTDC



‘Showcasing’ Canada in ChinaCanadian Tourism Commission (CTC) hosted Showcase Canada Asia in Hangzhou, Chinaon October 14-18, 2013 at Sheraton Hotel Wetland Park Resort. Present at Showcasewere more than 161 buyers and over 94 sellers, making it one of the biggest showsever. The annual marketplace showcased Canada from coast-to-coast to key buyersfrom India, Japan, Korea and China in a business exchange environment with pre-scheduled appointments and networking events. The show was a grand successhelping partners build their sales and business relationships. Its success proves thatnothing beats a face-to-face meeting to learn about new travel experiences, and buildone’s sales network or contract business, even in this digital age.


AGENTS

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

NOVEMBERNATIONAL8-10 Vishakapatnam Holiday Expo11 Mumbai Monaco Tourism’s B2B Roadshow13 Bengaluru Monaco Tourism’s B2B Roadshow15 Delhi Monaco Tourism’s B2B Roadshow15-17 Hyderabad Hospitality Business Fair22-24 Pune IITM Pune26 Delhi German National Tourist Board’s

B2B Event26 Delhi Canadian Signature Experiences

Launch27 Bengaluru German National Tourist Board’s

B2B Event29 Mumbai German National Tourist Board’s

B2B Event29-Dec2 Hyderabad IITM Hyderabad

INTERNATIONAL4-7 London World Travel Market11-14 Spain Golf Travel Market19-21 Spain EIBTM

DECEMBERNATIONAL5-7 Chandigarh Confederation of Indian Industry

(CII)’s Tourism Fest7-9 Lucknow India Travel Mart9 Delhi Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture

Authority’s B2B Roadshow10 Mumbai Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture

Authority’s B2B Roadshow11 Ahmedabad Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture

Authority’s B2B Roadshow12 Bengaluru Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture

Authority’s B2B Roadshow13 Chennai Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture

Authority’s B2B Roadshow13-16 Bengaluru TAAI Annual Convention23 Chennai Canadian Tourism Commission’s

Workshop28-30 Goa India Travel Mart

INTERNATIONAL1-4 Manila OTOAI Convention2-5 France International Luxury Travel Market4 Australia Tourism Australia’s Dreamtime

20135-8 Turkey Travel and Tourism Fair6-8 China Chengdu International Travel Fair

How has 2013 beencompared to 2012 for theIndian travel industry?

The Indian market is inrecession and generally themood is sombre. However,Pathfinders through strategicexpansion of markets haveclocked an impressive growthof 100% in 2013 over 2012 ona large sales base. The marketin Thailand and South EastAsia seems to have made ashift from packaged GroupTours to FIT and that shift wasevident from the summer of2013. We have been planningtowards this shift from 2008onwards and it is good to catcha wave before others evenknow of its existence.

Additionally, Pathfindersis a pure B2B play that hasevolved to become a 3-in-1seamlessly integrated busi-ness model. It has destinationmanagement companies(DMC), a wholesaling arm anda proprietary technology plat-form. This is a unique combi-nation that is focussed onpurely the business-to-business segment of the travelmarket. Also having organi-cally grown from the DMCend of the business, the focusand perspectives on the busi-ness are geared to unlockvalue for a massive client baseof small to medium-sizedtravel agents and tour opera-tors sub-continent wide.

What are the significanttravel trends you arecurrently seeing in theindustry?

� The market is sluggish inmajor travel markets likeMumbai and Delhi andwhatever business is beingconfirmed is even moreprice sensitive than before.The B and C category citiesand towns are not asadversely affected andyields are better fromthese areas.

� The market especially in Band C category cities andtowns is becoming moreefficient and is usingTechnology platforms andis preferring these to thetraditional email channels.

� The end consumer appearsto be shifting back fromusing online travel compa-nies to booking with brickand mortar travel agentsfor larger value tickets.Online package penetra-tion has peaked for now.

What will be the impactof technology on theIndian travel industrygoing forward?

As margins getsqueezed and humanresource becomes dearer,travel agents have no optionbut to work smarter andmore efficiently if they are toprosper and grow.Technology will be a cornerstone in the new travel land-scape. Many travel agentsare supplementing theirGDS with online systemsfrom GTA, Hotelbeds,Pathfinders, DOTW and areshopping around for thecheapest hotel rates. Travelagents are here to stay andthis is becoming more clear

as consumers have tastedthe online experience andrealise that while it is allright to buy just vanillahotels or airtickets, for big-ger ticket items and largervalue packages, it is moretrustworthy to go to yourtravel agent. So it is thetravel agent who has to useB2B online channels to givehis customer an efficient andappropriate response.

We have investedheavily in technology andour Dynamic Packaging

System (DPS) is an onlineanswer to packages. ThePathfinders DPS is a newrevolutionary technologythat is going to change the lives of travel agents for-ever. DMCs the world overwill have to jump onto thetechnology bandwagon ordisappear into oblivion as suppliers and end consumer cut the links inthe supply chain.

What will be the top 5travel trends in India in2014?

� Indian travel agents willuse their smart phones(as prices fall) to booktravel. This means thatdeveloping an app if youdo not have one should begiven top priority. Socialmedia will acquire moreimportance in the B2Bscheme of things as yourcustomers tweet fromtheir seats and hotelbeds.

� As the Indian economystumbles and bumbles onwithout direction for thefirst half of the year, business will be hard to come by. Whatevercomes will be price sensitive. The rich willtherefore take plenty ofexpensive holidays soluxury travel will flourishin the first half of theyear. The second half ofthe year will be a betterone for the middle classand package tour marketafter the national elections.

� Relaxed visa programmesby several Governmentswill open up more destinations to Indians.

� Budget airlines in India will see a surge ofdomestic travel. This willresult in hotel pricesgoing up in popular citiesand resorts. This will fuel a surge in travel to Thailand.

� I see travel agents panIndia doing more businessat better margins andmore professionalism all around.

Ashley Monteiro, Managing Director, Pathfinders Destinations, is optimisticof business growing in volumes in 2014. He talks to about the emergingtravel trends in the industry...

All bright hopes for next year

TT BU R E AU

Ashley Monteiro Managing DirectorPathfinders Destinations

JANUARY-2014NATIONAL3-5 Bengaluru Travel & Tourism Fair8-14 Thrissur Thrissurperuma 201410-12 Chennai Travel & Tourism Fair13 Kolkata Queensland Tourism’s B2B

Workshop14 Delhi Queensland Tourism’s B2B

Workshop15 Chennai Queensland Tourism’s B2B

Workshop16-18 Mumbai India International Travel & Tourism

Exhibition17 Mumbai Queensland Tourism’s B2B

Workshop17-19 Cochin India International Travel Mart Cochin20 Kolkata South African Tourism’s B2B

Roadshow21 Delhi South African Tourism’s B2B

Roadshow24-26 Kolkata India International Travel Mart24-26 Nagpur India International Travel Exhibition

Nagpur23 Mumbai South African Tourism’s B2B

Roadshow28 Mumbai Visit Britain’s Trade Mission

The Seoul-based AsianaAirlines is bullish on the

Indian market and is thrilledabout the prospects ofincreasing flights into Indiaand connect more cities. Asper Kwang Ho Kim, RegionalManager, Asiana Airlines,“We hope that there are bilat-eral relations between thetwo countries. Fortunately,the heads of both the countries do meet regularlyand are keen to enhancebilateral co-operation instrategic areas.”

“We presently operatethree flights in a week thatconnects Delhi-Seoul.

India is a priority market and we are inclined to enhanceour frequency thatshall cover moreIndian cities.

If, there is an option, Iwould recommend connec-tions to Chennai andBengaluru,” he added.

Going forward, Kim willalso like to see more MICEand holiday movement fromIndia. “We have dedicatedholiday and MICE division atour headquarters. I think, intimes to come, there will be

more Indian holidaymakersusing our services. Also,there will be opportunities tocater to the MICE move-ments,” said Kim.

“Presently, we are doingreasonably well and arehappy to work with all travelagents in India. In fact, weoffer 5 per cent commissionsto our travel agents, alongwith PLBs on basis of vol-umes generated. Being amember of Star Alliance alsohelps,” he added.

Asiana Airlines presently operates three flights a week that connects Delhi toSeoul and is keen to enhance its footprint in India…

India a priority market for Asiana

TT BU R E AU

Kwang Ho Kim Regional Manager Asiana Airlines

� Asiana Airlines has adedicated holiday andMeetings, Incentives,Conventions and Exhibitions(MICE) division at itsheadquarters.

Special Care


QWhat is unique aboutthe services offered by

TravStarz Holiday &Destinations?

Travstarz is now fiveyears old and our core busi-ness has been consolidationand wholesale. Whether it isquery turnaround time,which we have maintained atless than 1 hour for 95% ofthe queries, or whether it isproviding after-sale servicenot only to our sub-agentsbut also to the travellers,even at odd hours in time ofneed, we have always deliv-ered to the best of our abili-ties.

QWhat is your key focussegment in the travel

domain?

Travstarz had been con-ceptualised as a Consolidatorand a DMC and our targetsegment has always beentravel agents, tour operators,MICE operators and certaindirect corporate clients. Weprovide all solutions like FITpackages, leisure group pack-

ages, customised holidaypackages and MICE grouppackages to our clients. SinceI come with an experience ofover 10 years in the Hotels &MICE Industry, we now han-dle over 10,000 passengersper year in the MICE segmentalone, besides our leisuregroup movements. We arenow looking at promoting off-beat destinations and luxuryproperties along with uniqueexperiences for the nichetravel segment. We are nowthe whole-sellers for MarriottHotels Worldwide and pro-mote many of their high-endJW Marriot brand properties.

QHas rupee depreciationaffected business?

With the depreciatingrupee, there has been a risein costs of foreign travels andthat has surely affected thebusiness sentiment for out-bound travel. However, it hasnot deterred regular trav-

ellers from travelling abroad.At most, it has affected theway these travellers used totravel, so maybe some peoplewill settle for a decent 4-starproperty to stay at ratherthan a 5-star. But they havenot cancelled their travelplans altogether. However,the segments that been hard

hit by the rupee are the cor-porate companies for theirregular Incentive Movementand Conferences and the stu-dent segment. However,despite the slump, we haveregistered a steady growth ofover 30% on Y-o-Y basis.

QWhat are your futureplans?

Travstarz is soonlaunching its own Online B2BTravel Portal. We are expectedto launch the same towardsthe end of this financial year.The portal will be a one-stopsolution for all travel needs,including flights, hotels,sight-seeing tours and willhave over 200,000 hotels

worldwide to choose from. Weare incorporating innovativefeatures for our registeredusers. Besides this we shall beconcentrating on developingthe luxury segment and pro-mote unique experiences totravellers, like the FIFA WorldCup at Brazil that we havebeen promoting.

TT BU R E AU

Sucheta Nagpal, Director & CEO, TravStarz Holiday & Destinations, says that her companyis all set to launch its online B2B travel portal towards the end of this financial year.

Sucheta NagpalDirector & CEOTravStarz Holiday & Destinations

Customer service: The road to success

The portal willbe a one-stopsolution for alltravel needs,including flights,hotels, sight-seeing tours andwill have over200,000 hotelsworldwide tochoose from

AGENTS N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 9 5


ATTRACTIONS

The Kingdom of Dreams(KOD) in Gurgaon is a

destination in itself which iscapturing the imagination ofthe world. According to VirafSarkari, Director, Kingdom ofDreams, KOD receives onaverage over 50,000 visitorsa month. “We are expectingit to cross one million visitorsby the year-end of 2013,” hesays optimistically. Onwhether the advent of suchparks has helped to packagetourism products better,especially for a city such asDelhi, Sarkari feels,

“KOD offers world-class entertainment in a format whichentertains, educatesand promotes theculture of India.

As KOD product offer-ings compare with the best inthe world in the field ofentertainment, the location

is increasingly being includedas a must-see and must-visitdestination in the travel itin-eraries.”

Talking about theimportance of travel trade,he says, “Since KOD appealsto a variety of segments, it isextremely important thetravel trade communityshould extend all possiblesupport to it. As an organisa-tion and a destination, weare very committed to thissegment. We are also

appointing international rep-resentatives in key interna-tional markets for a bettermarket penetration toincrease international traveltraffic towards KOD.” Toboost its portfolio, KOD hasbeen tying up with severaltrade associations as well.“For example- during thePATA Mart in New Delhi in2011, we extended a specialrate of INR 1100/- to LPTIand they invited FTOs fromUK, Europe, South Africa,

Middle East and the US.Generally, these eventsalways give an opportunityto extend the product expo-sure to key custodians oftrade, especially to the FTOsand travel agents based outof Delhi and enhance thebrand recall,” he reveals.

There are many newand exciting projects on theanvil at KOD. “We are work-ing to bringing in newshows from across the worldthat has not been accessibleto Indian audiences previ-ously, for instance the justconcluded Legend of KungFu which has performedmore than 5,000 showsacross the world. The possi-bilities for expanding theentertainment facilities atthe existing KOD are many.We will be launchingShowshaa theatre whichwill offer a bouquet of the-atrical experiences. We arealso launching another KODin Mumbai. This will bespread over nearly 250 acresof land,” he reveals.

With world-class offerings that could be compared with the best in the world inthe field of entertainment, the Kingdom of Dreams (KOD) is increasingly beingincluded as a must-see and must-visit destination in the travel itineraries.

New tinge to entertainment@KOD

TT BU R E AU

The AssociatedChambers of Commerce andIndustry of India(ASSOCHAM) has said itwants the controversial GBP3,000 visa bond scheme forIndians visiting the UK to beabandoned, and that thegovernment should raisethe issue with PrinceCharles during his visit toIndia next month. “We wantthe controversial visa bondpolicy, by which visitors tothe UK from sixCommonwealth countriesincluding India will berequired to furnish a bondfor GBP 3,000 for a six-month visa, to be aban-doned,” ASSOCHAM said.

Last week, George

Osborne, Chancellor of theExchequer, UK unveiled aliberal visa policy for citi-zens of China visitingBritain in a bid to wooChinese investment.Pointing out that there wasno merit in the argumentthat visa bond policy wouldbe implemented on pilotbasis for so-called ‘high-riskvisitors’, ASSOCHAM said,

“It is bound to be mis-used and create confusion.In fact, India should make itclear to British authoritiesthat the move would evenbe challenged in the WorldTrade Organisation as itimpairs fair internationaltrade.”

“As its economic clout

increases, India must seeka treatment from the UKwhich is no less differentand inferior to the onemeted out to China,” theChamber said.

“Several Indiancompanies, notablythe Tatas, haveinvested billions ofdollars in Britaincreating and sav-ing jobs in thatcountry,”ASSOCHAMpointed out.

Prince Charles andhis wife Camilla Parker-Bowles will make a nine-

day visit to India nextmonth on their way to SriLanka for theCommonwealth Heads ofGovernment Meeting. Thiswill be the royal couple’sthird official visit to Indiatogether.

The trip, fromNovember 6 to 14, will takethem to Dehradun, New

Delhi,Mumbai,Pune andKochi.

‘India should raise UK visa bond issue with Prince Charles’

Air Arabia announcedthat from October 29; theairline will increase the fre-quency of flights fromNagpur to the UAE to fourtimes a week.

Flights will depart fromNagpur on Tuesday,Wednesday, Friday andSunday at 4:50 (local time)to arrive in Sharjah at 6:50(local time). Flights willdepart from Sharjah on

Monday, Tuesday, Thursdayand Saturday at 23:10 (local

time) to arrive in Nagpur at4:10 (local time). “This movehighlights the growingimportance of Nagpur as anintegral market for AirArabia’s operations”, saidAdel Ali, Group ChiefExecutive Officer of AirArabia. “Being the firstinternational airline to fly toNagpur, we aim to maintaina steady expansion and offerbetter connectivity to our

passengers to the UAE.”The other destinations

Air Arabia serves in Indiaare Bangalore, Ahmedabad,Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi,Mumbai, Coimbatore,Thiruvananthapuram,Hyderabad, Kozhikode,Delhi and Goa. Air Arabianow offers over 112 flightsa week from 13 destinationsin India to UAE.

Adel AliGroup Chief Executive OfficerAir Arabia

Air Arabia increases flights to Nagpur


CLIPBOARD


CLIPBOARD N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 9 9


MOVEMENTS1 0 0 TRAVTALK N O V E M B E R 1 S T F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

SM Shervani, FHRAI, President loves watching movies. “I am not much ofa reader now but I love movies and politics. Cricket used to be my favouritesport during school and college days but I do not play it now.” A completefoodie, Shervani loves eating out. “I am experimental when I dine out. I

indulge in Italian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Korean andVietnamese food when I try out new restaurants. Inever order Indian food, especially North Indian food,outside my home. I have always felt the best Indianfood is cooked in my home only,” he chuckles. A doting

father, Shervani likes spending time with his son anddaughter. “I can only speak to my son on phone these

days as he is off to Switzerland to do his hospitalitycourse at Les Roches. My daughter is here andassists me frequently.” He is also extremelypassionate about politics and is contesting theLok Sabha elections next year.

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

Contributed by: Peden Doma Bhutia, Megha Paul & Vivek Sethi

Medha Sampat, Founder, Knack Marketing is a complete fitness freak. Staying healthy is Sampat’smantra for good living. "I do my bit to stay healthy and fit everyday. In the morning, I hit thegym and when I have time in the evening, I walk a long distance." Sampat also likes to spendtime with her family as that is what gets her rejuvenated. “I am an avid movie watcher, too.In the recent times, Argo has been my best bet. The one movie which I can watch over andover again is Invictus. My preference for actors, however, changes time and again. CurrentlyI like watching Robert Downey Jr,” she says. Sampat’s loves going to Sydney for holidaying.“In India, I love heading to Rajasthan. It just gives me a royal feeling,” she chuckles.

Sucheta Nagpal, Director & CEO, Travstarz Holiday &Destinations, spends a lot of time with her children. “Myson is 12 years old and my daughter just turned eight. Thus,it is a madhouse in the family all the time and obviously

good fun.” Nagpal likes reading books andplaying basketball. “In my free time, I

also do yoga and meditation.” Being ashopaholic, Nagpal can often be spot-ted at Delhi’s Emporio Mall andMumbai’s Lokhandwala. Music is anall-time therapy for relaxation and

Jagjit Singh is her favouritesinger. “I swear by the idiot

box as well. I never forget towatch Comedy Nights withKapil,” she adds.

Kwang Ho Kim, Regional Manager, Asiana Airlines, hasbeen in India for over a year. He lives here with his wifeand a daughter, who studies in 11th grade. He likes Golf,which he says gets him to meet more friends from his

country and also network with sen-ior officials of other companies.He finds Indian movies veryinteresting that combine drama,songs and everything into onepackage. Kim is a little disap-pointed with the limited number

of Korean restaurants, however, hehas gradually started liking

Chicken Tikka andmany other Indianspecialties.

Courtyard by Marriott AhmedabadAhmedabadGaurav Singh has been appointed as the General Manager atCourtyard by Marriott Ahmedabad. A hotelier with an experienceof over 14 years, Singh star ted hiscareer in 1999 as a managementtrainee at ITC Hotels, Delhi. Prior tojoining Marriott International, Singhserved as the Resident Manager ofthe Leela Kempinski, Mumbaisince 2011. He was also the offi-ciating General Manager of thehotel for almost a year.

The Suryaa, New DelhiNew DelhiPankaj Mathur has recently been appointed as the GeneralManager of the The Suryaa, New Delhi. Mathur comes withan experience of over two decadesand has worked with internationalhotel chains like Starwood, Hyatt,Marriott, Oberois, Taj and ITCWelcomgroup. He will be respon-sible for enhancing the image ofthe organisation through directingthe operations of the business withfocus on repositioning The Suryaaas singularly the mainchoice among theleading hotels ofNew Delhi.

Debanjan Kundu has recently been appointed as the DirectorSales & Marketing at the SheratonBangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway.He has over 10 years of experiencein the hospitality industry. Prior tojoining Sheraton Bangalore asDirector Sales, he was the Directorof Sales at Westin HyderabadMindspace, and has been associatedwith Starwood since March 2011.Debanjan has worked in theIsta, Bangalore andThe Oberoi Grand,Kolkata in the salesdepartment.

TUI IndiaNew DelhiVishal Sinha has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officerof TUI India. He has over 19 years of experience in the airline andtravel sector. Sinha, in his role as COO ofTUI India, is responsible for setting thestrategic direction as well as devel-oping and delivering business growthfor TUI in India. Sinha star ted hiscareer with British Airways in Indiaas a management trainee and in histenure with the company, rose to hislast rank of General Manager for theJapan & Korea region.

Vijayan Gangadharan has recently been appointed as theExecutive Assistant Manager at theSheraton Bangalore Hotel at BrigadeGateway. With over 22 years of expe-rience, Gangadharan has proved hisproficiency in corporate communica-tions, budgeting, marketing collateraland public relations, among others. Priorto joining Sheraton Bangalore, he workedin the Grand Hyatt Mumbai for more than10 years, before which he served as F&BManager for three years at TheRegent Mumbai (now TajLands End).

Tarun Gupta has been appointed as the Director-Sales andMarketing at the The Suryaa, New Delhi. He has Business

Management specialisation in Marketing& Sales from IILM. In the past, he hasbeen responsible for establishing anddirecting the marketing and sales activ-ities for various organisations alongwith handling their advertising and pub-lic relations. Prior to this, Gupta has beenthe Director of Sales and Marketing at

Crowne Plaza Okhla, Shangri-La’s Eros,New Delhi, Country Inn &

Suites By Carlson andAssociate Director OfSales at Hyatt Regency,New Delhi.

Hive PanipatPanipatVikas Sharma has been appointed as the General Manager of HivePanipat, managed and marketed by Tux Hospitality, the HotelManagement, Operations and MarketingCompany of Shipra Group. Sharma is aprofessional with over 14 years of expe-rience in the hospitality industry. A graduate in Hotel Management from Presidency College, Bangalore;Sharma has worked as the CorporateGeneral Manager of AmalgamManagement Solution;General Manager of ‘TheGrand Pearl’ Hotel andHotel JBL.

Park Inn by Radisson GurgaonBilaspur Gurgaon

Akash Roy Saigal has been appointedas the General Manager for Park Inn

by Radisson Gurgaon Bilaspur. Amanagement graduate, Saigal bring13 years of hospitality experience tothe table, three of them as theGeneral Manager at The Palms

Town and Country Club, Gurgaon.He has also worked for reputed hotel

chains such as IHG, FortunePark Hotels, andUppal’s Orchid Hotel.

Sarovar HotelsMumbaiAnil Verma has been appointed as the Vice President – Sales ofSarovar Hotels. With over 11 years of experience in the hospitality

industry, he brings with him knowledge andskills in diverse areas of both corporateand leisure business. Verma has previ-ously worked with Jaypee Hotels, TheGrand, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and hislast assignment was as Director – Sales& Marketing with JHM Interstate HotelsIndia. He will conceptualise and imple-

ment sales strategies; both atthe corporate andregional level.

Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade GatewayBengaluru


HIGHLIGHT

Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2012-13-14; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2012-14 for posting on 1st-2nd and 15th-16th

of the same month at New Delhi P.S.O., RNI No.: 53492/91Date of Publication:30-10-2013

New agendaThe primary concern

that we would take up isthe hurdle of multiple tax-ation. We have 22-24 percent taxation on hotels and18-20 per cent taxes onF&B. We get around sixmillion FTAs in India. Evenour neighbouring coun-tries such as Hong Kong,

Singapore, Thailanddon’t have

taxesbeyond 7-10per cent.They obvi-ously getthree to four

times the foreign touristsIndia receives. There issome lesson in it. You caneither have 20 per centtaxes and get six millionFTAs or you can have tenper cent taxes and get 12million inbound. This alsodiscourages discretionaryspending by domestictourists as well. Thus, reg-

ulatory issues such asmultiple taxation

that are adverse-ly impactingIndia’s hospi-tality andtourism sector

will be taken upthis year.

FHRAI’s second keystrategic priority will be toarticulate and reflect theconcerns and aspirations ofsmall and medium entre-preneurs, whose vision isthe future growth engineof the industry. The mid-segment or the budgethotels will get volumes andmake India competitive.This is where the futurelies. Also, hotels need to bebuilt in the heart of thecities. For example—I feelthe MCD should move outof the beautiful Town Hallin Delhi. The monumentshould be given to a smallhotel owner who can

revive thestructure. Thisway, so manymonuments canbe restored aswell.

Going regional for membershipOur membership

comes from our fourregions. At the moment,FHRAI has over 3,800members. This is notgood enough, consideringthe fact that the hotelindustry has grown a lotin the last 10 years. We

need to focus on regionalactivities and make theregional bodies moreproactive. The West andNorth have been moreactive in terms of mem-ber numbers. However,even East and South arenow picking up.

Speed-breakers in the industryThere has been an

economic slowdown glob-ally. The first casualty isalways the hospitalityindustry. We need to gearourselves to cut costs andlet the times tide over.

Also, it is wrong to saythe rupee slow-

down makesIndia cheaperand attractive.To an extent,yes the countrydoes become

cheaper. But ifthere is a

slowdown, we would notget too many foreigntourists. Also, our importsbecome costlier. Our F&Bcosts have alreadyincreased along with elec-tricity, water bills andsoaring fuel costs. In addi-tion, we have an anom-alous situation existing inmany states wherein lux-ury tax is charged on pub-lished room rates and notactual tariff. Conceptually,the proposed GST regimehas the potential to allevi-ate a majority of the indus-try’s concerns with regardto taxation. FHRAI willconstructively engage withthe Central and StateGovernments at the high-est level, so that thisambitious and progressiveinitiative results in atransparent and stream-lined tax system.

In a tete-a-tete with , newly-elected FHRAI President SM Shervani talksabout laying greater emphasis on forging innovative Public-PrivatePartnerships to address a wide range of complex challenges confronting thesector, in particular alleviating infrastructure bottlenecks.

‘Multiple taxes curb growth’

SM ShervaniPresident, FHRAI

The Indian hospitality andtourism sector today

faces unprecedented oppor-tunities as well as some

equally serious challenges.Thus, it becomes detrimentalfor the Association to pin-point some issues and worktowards them, says Shervani.Regulatory issues such as

multiple taxation that areadversely impacting India’shospitality and tourism sectorwill be taken up this year.FHRAI will concentrate onimproving standards of budg-

et and mid-market hotels.The association will also lookat increasing membershipacross all the four regions of the country. Below are the excerpts.

ME G H A PAU L

Budget hotels on FHRAI radar


travtalk november 1st issue

Documents

messagethat india

lookat india

tt layout

ministrys initiative

indian growthstory

tourism md

fortnight issue

ministry of tourismsays