Macaotravelscapesonline.com/magazine/september17.pdfScan this QR code to see our new TV commercial....

Volume V • Issue IX • Pages 72 • `90 September 2017

India TourismWhere are the incredible numbers?

MacaoVegas of East’

33rd IATO ConventionRediscovering India Tourism!

Scan this QR code to seeour new TV commercial.

www.jalmahotsav.com www.mptourism.com

Tourist Helpline : 1800 233 7777 Follow us

E DITOR’SEditor-in-ChiefVarun Malhotra

[email protected]

Pranav [email protected]

Director- PR (Middle East & South East Asia)Sanjiv Chopra

Managing EditorGurpreet K Sekhon

Asst. EditorGagneet Kaur

Senior ReporterAnkita Jain

Business Head - ProjectsNeha Johri

Sr. Marketing ManagerNidhi Hinduja

Marketing ManagerRukhsar Ansari

ConsultantAnindya Malhotra

Jitin MannArt Director

Rakesh KumarAccounts

Chandan Kumar JhaSwati JauhariAdmin HeadR Prem LataR Kani Mozhi

Executive-CirculationHari Puri

Sameer Singh

Editorial & Marketing Office: Versatile Media: 207, Satya Mansion, Commercial Complex, Ranjeet Nagar, New Delhi-110008Contact: 011 - 45530380/83 • [email protected] information in TravelScapes is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract or interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertise-ments without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisement Code. The pub-lisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.Owned and published by: Varun Malhotra, Editor & Publisher, EB-63, Maya Enclave, Hari Nagar, New Delhi - 110064 and printed on his behalf at Royal Press, B-82, Okhla Industrial Area Phase-I, New Delhi - 110020

Dear Readers,

Within the recent past, India tourism has positioned itself well in the global market through ‘Incredible India’ campaign which has run successfully through more than a decade now. The results have shown positive signs but the increasing share of tourist arrivals and required branding, still seems to be an uphill task for the Government. Where is the breach? How long will India take to catch up with the other fast-evolving countries? Before the inertia sets in, it is now time to take the Brand India to the next level by reinventing it’s positioning in the global market as its time to move ahead aggressively while competing with other Tourism brands.

Very akin to ‘strategic’, innovation has become an integral part to survive all the businesses. Sooner or later, even the most successful ones, run out of room to grow. Considering the possibilities to start investing in a new future for the Indian tourism industry, IATO, this year, has come up with it’s yet another pragmatic theme “Indian Tourism – Time to reinvent ourselves for its Convention in Odisha. Expecting more than 1200 delegates, the 33rd IATO Convention aims to puts the pricking industry concerns in the spotlight and encourages taking up new strategies to bring back the industry to the glory. We look forward to stupendous success of the Convention.

While IATO provides a medium to channelise growth for India Tourism, PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association), on the other hand, acts a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. As the PATA Travel Mart is just round the corner, we interviewed Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA about the travelling

trends in the Asia-Pacific region, the upcoming PATA events and his key suggestions on how India tourism can perform much better.

Not for nothing is the magnificent Macao called the Las Vegas of East. Reminiscent of a beautiful mish-mash of Portuguese and Cantonese way of living, Macao surprises you with the two cultures overlapping one another in food, communication, architecture and social fabric. We bring you 6 glitzy experiences, as lively as Macao.

From an aerial view, if you take a look at this city, the experience is like travelling at a breakneck speed into tomorrow with the futuristic architecture, bright lights and skyscrapers boldly scattered across the east’s western counterpart. How can one not fall in love with a city like Singapore, bustling yet calm from inside.

This issue brings news and reports about trade, hospitality, aviation and technology and the latest in tourism worldwide.

We value your feedback and suggestions so please do write us on [email protected].

Happy reading

N OT E

Varun [email protected]

Contentseptember 2017 Volume V | Issue IX

4 travelscapesonline.com SEPTEMBER 2017

guest Column IAto speCIAl

speCIAl FoCus AVIAtIon

24 M.P. Bezbaruah, Former Secretary MoT and Permanent Representative, UNWTOOn the occasion of the 33rd Annual IATO Convention, he brings forth the challenges of India Tourism and the possible corrective measures that could lead India to become a tourism superpower

64 Chinthaka Weerasinghe, SriLankan Airlines, Manager Northern IndiaSriLankan Airlines, with a notable growth of 10 to 15 per cent and its recent expansions, aims to fly higher in India.

eXpeRt speAK pAtA

speCIAl FoCus IAto

globe tRotteR

ARound the woRld

42 Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATATHE TOuRISM INduSTRy NAVIGATOR-PATA CONTINuES TO ENCOuRAGE SOCIAL RESPONSIbILITy AS ITS COMMITMENT IN THE TOuRISM SECTORShares the trending trends from the Asian travellers, the upcoming PATA Travel Mart and his viewpoints on India Touris

16 33rd IATO Convention REdISCOVERING INdIA TOuRISM!Eagerly awaited by all, the IATO Convention is expected to see more than 1200 delegates in attendance

6 ..........................................................................................................................................MoT14 .................................................................................................................................... Trade 28 ..........................................................................................................................Hospitality 48 ............................................................................................................................ Outbound62 ................................................................................................................................Aviation68 ......................................................................................................... Events & Galleries70 ................................................................................................................... Appointments

52 SingaporebELL Of HAPPINESS A place where chaos has no address, such is the definition of this cosmopolitan city-state. A place small enough to feel closer yet large enough to dip oneself into a completely new experience every time one visits the city-state, Singapore.

36 Macao MOOdS Of MACAO 6 GLITzy ExPERIENCES IN ‘THE VEGAS Of EAST’Walking on the cobblestone streets of Macao is almost like travelling through time. Each block takes you to a journey of a different kind. REGULAR UPDATES

IndIA TOuRIsM Cover Storypg-10

WHERE ARE THE InCREdIBLE nuMBERs?

IATO special

Since times immemorial, India has been this mystical Goddess that everyone wanted a glimpse of. Mysterious, alluring, acclaimed as the Golden bird, India has attracted admirers and plunderers alike. Some those who fell and wanted to make it home, others who wanted to explore it for endless days or those who simply wanted to possess a bit of her. Good or bad, the fascination for brand India and the lure of its mystical charm was undeniable. What then happened?


UPDATE MoT

Odisha Travel Bazaar from Oct 15-17 in Bhubaneswar

The Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising the first Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) from October 15 to 17, 2017, at Bhubaneswar.

Through the Odisha Travel Bazaar, the tourism department has decided to market the state’s tourism destinations before tour operators from the country and abroad. Department sources said the business-to-business event will continue for three days from October 12. The government expects the footfall of at least 200 delegates, including tour operators and hoteliers from the country and overseas nations during the proposed maiden programme.

According to Sanjeev Kumar Mohanty, Head, FICCI-Odisha State Council, there will be around

40 foreign tour operators, 10 top of the line inbound operators, 20 leading domestic tour operators from across India and 5 leading airlines participating as hosted buyers. The Tourism fraternity of Odisha comprising of hotels and tour operators will be promoting the tourism products of Odisha as sellers.

The objective of this event is to create a platform to aggressively promote the tourist destinations of Odisha to its buyers from India and across the world. Consequently the strategic focus would be on inbound and domestic tourism. OTB also plans to address investment opportunities in tourism infrastructure of the state to its target investors. Though the state government had planned to organise the event last year, it could not be materialised. Tour operators in the state see hope to boost tourism through the B2B marketing event.

The Ministry of Tourism has recognised various tourism segments as niche products in order to increase the footfalls to India. Medical and Wellness Tourism including Ayurveda has been widely promoted in order to overcome the aspect of ‘seasonality’ and to promote India as a 365 days’ destination and attract tourists with specific interest.

A National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted to provide a dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical and Wellness Tourism including Ayurveda and any other format of Indian system of medicine covered by Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH). India as a destination for Ayurveda is also promoted through the Global Incredible India campaign and by the India tourism offices through participation in trade fairs, promotional events, roadshows and seminars.

As MoT has identified Eco Circuit as one of the thirteen thematic circuits for development under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, Eco tourism becomes another important segment. The states which have the projects sanctioned along with funds released under the scheme include Uttarakhand (Integrated Development of Eco-Tourism, Adventure Sports), Telangana (Integrated Development of Eco

Tourism Circuit in Mahaboobnagar district), Kerala (Development of Pathanamthitta – Gavi – Vagamon – Thekkady as Eco Tourism Circuit) and Mizoram.

For integrated development of Theme-Based Tourist Circuits in the country, the Ministry of Tourism launched Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15. Wildlife Circuit is one of the thirteen thematic circuits identified for development under this scheme. In developing the wildlife circuit, emphasis is on improving the quality of tourist facilities.The projects sanctioned include development of Wildlife Circuit at Panna-Mukundpur-Sanjay-Dubri-Bandhavgarh-Kanha-Mukki-Pench (Madhya Pradesh) and development of Manas – Probitora – Nameri – Kaziranga – Dibru – Saikhowa (Assam)

Also, India being relatively a new entrant in the Global Convention business, India ranks 31st worldwide as a convention destination and number seven in Asia Pacific and Middle East. Most of the Convention business in India is generated from the domestic market and as per the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Report 2015. In order to promote India as a venue for International Conferences and Exhibitions, The India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) has been set up under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism.

MoT keen on promoting the potential segments Various projects have been sanctioned for promotion of medical and wellness tourism, eco tourism and wildlife tourism

Maharashtra unveils the new Visit Maharashtra Logo Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) took an innovative step to rebrand tourism in Maharashtra by launching its brand new logo “म” Visit Maharashtra in order to promote the state’s tourist hotspots. The event was inaugurated by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra in the presence of Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism Government of Maharashtra and other dignitaries with the aim to increase the tourist footfall in the state.

The logo “म” Visit Maharashtra is colorful, vibrant, vivacious and multi-faceted to signify the true spirit of the state. Maharashtra is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, which offers a diverse range of experiences from virgin and picturesque beaches, hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries, natural caves, waterfalls to impressive forts, vibrant festivals, prehistoric pilgrimage memorials, museums and historic monuments.

Commenting on the occasion, Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra stated, “We are very happy to announce the launch of the new logo “म” Visit Maharashtra to promote the state tourism prospects worldwide. Maharashtra has an incredible potential to become the most preferred destinations for both domestic and international tourists. I believe Visit Maharashtra campaign will push Maharashtra on the global map making it one of the most preferred destinations.”

OTb initiates to market the state’s tourism destinations before tour operators

News Desk

News Desk

SEPTEMBER 2017 travelscapesonline.com 7Email: [email protected] | Phone: +91 20 6500 4942

Register on roomsXML.com. It's free!

17

00

6/q

uik

sel.c

om

100% DEPENDABLE

roomsXML specializes in offering global hotels to travel agents. Deeper and wider inventory along with sharp pricing keeps us ahead of the pack.

We have been rated "MSE 2" by CRISIL (An S&P Global company - the world's leading rating agency). This rating indicates High Credit Worthiness; High Financial Strength and Highest Operating Performance. Translated it only means that the bookings of our travel agents are in safe hands.

MoT UPDATE

Ravneet Kaur, Additional Secretary has been appointed as the Chairperson and Managing Director (C&MD) of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). She succeeds Umang Narula, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the J&K Cadre.

Ravneet Kaur, an IAS officer of 1988 batch, Punjab cadre, was Joint Secretary in Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion under Ministry of Commerce and Industry prior to this role. She has also worked as Principal Secretary in the Departments of Higher Education and Languages, Cabinet, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs with Government of Punjab. Earlier, in Government of India, she has served in the Department of Financial Services, Department of Economic Affairs and Department of Disinvestment.

In a span of 29 years, Kaur served multiple positions some of which include Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of Punjab Communications Limited., Chairperson and Managing Director, Exim Bank; Chairperson

ITDC appoints new Chairperson and Managing DirectorAn IAS officer Punjab Cadre, Ravneet Kaur, becomes the first woman to be appointed as full time CMd for ITdC

J&K awarded the “Best adventure tourism

destination”The Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Tourism Department has received the award in the category of ‘Best Adventure Tourism Destination and Eco-Tourism Destination’ at a three-day event organised by Indian International Travel Mart, Chennai Deputy Director Tourism (Publicity). Peerzada Zahoor who was representing the J&K State received the award. During the Travel Mart, J&K stall which was beautifully decorated attracted huge visitors mostly locals and travel agents. and also made on spot booking for coming autumn season.

News Desk

Ravneet Kaur

and Managing Director of India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd., Additional Managing Director of Markfed, Managing Director, PSIDC; Managing Director, Punsup.

She spent a year as a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at Cornell

University, USA and holds an MA in Economics and a M.Sc. in Public Economic Management from University of Birmingham, UK. She also served as a Consultant with International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C.


COvER STORy

India TourismWHERE ARE THE INCREDIBLE NUMBERS?

Since times immemorial, India has been this mystical Goddess that everyone wanted a glimpse of. Mysterious, alluring, acclaimed as the Golden bird, India has attracted admirers and plunderers alike. Some those who fell and wanted to make it home, others who wanted to explore it for endless days or those who simply wanted to possess a bit of her. Good or bad, the fascination for brand India and the lure of its mystical charm was undeniable. What then happened?

ANALYSING THE NUMBERSNothing according to some, as all is well on paper. India ranks 24th in International Arrivals as per the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) barometer for March 2017. There is a small catch, however as this can be attributed to the inclusion of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in the International Tourist Arrival (ITA) numbers. While UNTWO takes into account both Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) and NRIs India has so far been amassing only FTA numbers and has now rectified the same.

On the one hand, while these numbers assist in UNTWO comparing apples to apples; it raises questions about how well is India actually doing in terms of actual tourist exports, on a world scale. To give India its due, the country’s rank has also gained 12 spots in the in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), 2017 placing it at 40th, in

comparison to 52nd in 2015.Having basked in the glory of improved

rankings, when one actually settles down to look at the real picture of tourism, things look much different. Looks, they say, can be deceptive —it seems so can be the numbers.

So before popping any corks, we need to sober down and look at some comparisons. The data from UNWTO shows that India received only nine million international arrivals in 2016, placing it 40th in the world, and a tenth of those received by top-ranking France. Closer

Rashmi Verma Pronab Sarkar Rajeev Kohli

Gurpreet k sekhoN

SEPTEMBER 2017 travelscapesonline.com 9

COVER STORY

home, we are far behind China which ranks fourth with 59.3 million FTAs and Thailand at 10th position with 32.6 million visitors.

These are not the only happy numbers floating around. India’s Travel & Tourism sector ranks seventh in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country’s GDP, as per an April 2017 report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

The report says that Travel & Tourism generated INR14.1 trillion (USD208.9 billion) in 2016, which is the world’s seventh largest in terms of absolute size, the equivalent of 9.6 per cent of India’s GDP. Additionally, the sector supported 40.3 million jobs in 2016, which ranks India second in the world in terms of total employment supported by Travel & Tourism.

All good? Now for some eye openers, the report further goes on to state that India’s strong Travel & Tourism figures are predominantly generated by domestic travel, which accounts for 88 per cent of the sector’s contribution to GDP in 2016.

The report further reveals that visitor exports, money spent by foreign travellers in India, only represents 12 per cent of tourism revenues and in 2016 totalled INR1.5 trillion (USD22.8bn). This is 5.4 per cent of the country’s total exports, compared to a global average of 6.6 per cent.

David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC, said, “India is a tremendous Travel & Tourism economy and I am pleased to see the sector GDP is growing. However, we believe that these numbers could be even higher and that the positive impact of our sector could be more wide-ranging. India has a huge potential to increase its international visitors and, in doing so, it can create more jobs and drive economic growth.”

Industry insiders seem to agree on the fact that tourism is under performing vis a vis the immense potential it has. With his characteristic candour, Rajeev Kohli, Senior Vice President, IATO & SITE President 2017, cuts to the chase without much ado. Referring to the afore mentioned ratings, Kohli says, “There is no doubt that the industry is under stress. India has tweaked the way it calculates its foreign arrivals to the country and this is how the rankings went up tremendously.”

He goes on to share the concern and the question that is probably at the bottom of every stakeholder’s mind. “True or not true, something should be investigated. The ministry states 15 per cent growth in tourism. Statistically they are correct, however, we as professionals need to analyse the mix. A prominent thinker has attributed the increase largely to countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the likes. These are markets which do not fill our hotel infrastructure, do not increase our revenue and do not in any significant manner, add to the exchequer, I do not think we should rest our laurels in our 15 per cent, we need to look at the reality

and widening or declining in our key international foreign exchange earning market,” stresses Kohli.

HEAVY TAXATION LEADING TO UNREALISTIC PRICINGThe next logical question is what ails India tourism? What is it that is keeping India from reaching its full potential? What are the other countries doing that we are not? While Kohli feels the product is a little jaded, a lot more, it seems, is not right. Amaresh Tiwari, Hony. Treasurer, IATO, feels there is an overall lack of marketing vision.

“There is no clear cut strategy and marketing vision lacks vision. All government policies are short term and most of them lack killer instinct. Most overseas tourist offices are empty and have no support from Central Govt. The sudden increase in tax structure and an unfavourable tourism policy are also deterrents to growth,” opines Tiwari

Kohli is also of the viewpoint that GST has worsened the situation and added to the woes of the industry, “There is no doubt that the industry is under stress. The recent changes in the GST taxation have not been in our favour. The enormous confusion in the implementation is also hurting us and is especially strong in our community because Majority of our IATO members are small to medium players. They are struggling on trying to understand the various aspects. The government has completely glossed over the fact that tourism has so many inputs from small unorganised players such as horse suppliers, rikshaw walls and much more. We are struggling on how to implement the changes. I think India tourism has a long way to go, we are not faring as we should,” emphasises Kohli.

According to Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO, there are a series of factors leading to the sector’s lack lustre performance and even where a solution has been provided, proper execution is missing. “Recently there was demonetisation, then GST. Our neighbouring countries are taking the benefit of the fact

that we have such high taxes. Even though the visa issue has been resolving, there are long queues on arrival, and tourists, at times, wait for up to four hours at immigration. Once again, neighbouring countries are benefitting who not only have the online visa but also have a much speedier system,” shares Sarkar.

Every single stakeholder is in consensus that high taxation is making India unviable as a tourist destination. Rajiv Mehra, Vice President, IATO confides that foreign agents have threatened to pull India out from their brochures if corrective revisions are not made to the rates. “Our rates are going up every day because of the increased rate structures. At IATO we have received at least two to three representations from foreign agents complaining of high rates and threatening to remove India from the brochures. This is especially so after the GST, the rates have gone up because of the Reverse Charge Mechanism (RCM) rule and that needs to be simplified. If the tourism goes down, it shall affect the employment rate of the country and have a major impact on the economy.”

Lally Mathews, Hony. Secretary, IATO, feels that the tax structure is not only heavy but also cumbersome. Talking about the challenges faced by India tourism he shares, “Heavy taxation on tourism sector with Service Tax, Luxury Tax, Tax on VAT, Sales Tax, Excise duty, Toll tax, Road tax, ATF (Air Turbine Fuel) even tax on tax as at all services obtained from states, the state operators also add tax on the services and all tour operators have to take services from other states as nobody can have office everywhere.”

Rajiv Mehra Amaresh TiwariLally Mathews

Raj Bajaj Viney Tyagi


COvER STORy

While taxes are high in themselves, high entry fees to monuments also add to the negative comparative pricing feels Mathews making India uncompetitive in a price sensitive industry. “Our holiday packages extremely cost heavy as compared to countries such as China, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and even Sri Lanka and Nepal. Tourists are now more price-sensitive and may opt out of a destination, even it has varied attractions to save a few dollars,” he continues.

Viney Tyagi, EC Member- IATO & Director - Uni Crystal Holidays Pvt. Ltd is rather vehement in his opinion on the price uncompetitiveness of the country, “Forget developed countries, India cannot even compete with under developed neighbouring countries. Over pricing is a very serious concern, Our state taxation over tourist transportation are very high, our hotels have crossed all thresholds in terms of room pricing, I fail to understand, how can they afford to keep 70 per cent inventory unsold,” bemoans Tyagi.

He goes on to illustrate his point, “We have the live example of Kerala — over pricing killed tourism, which diverted traffic to SriLanka, given its affordability.”

LACK OF SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLEANLINESSRaj Bajaj, EC Member- IATO & President, Perfect Travels & Tours Private Limited lists security, rather a lack of it as another principle factor. “Unfortunately, there have been incidents where foreigners were the victims of various crimes ranging from purse snatching to rape and murder. The government should maintain law and order in the country to feel International travellers, especially women, feel secure in any part of the country,” shares Bajaj.

He also feels that tourism needs to be given a due industry status. “India lacks a balanced basic tourism infrastructure compared to other developed travel destinations including even many south Asian countries. In the national scheme of Govt. of India, even though tourism can be the engine to boost India’s economy but it’s not marked as one of the major sectors when compared to other industries.”

Talking of infrastructure, cleanliness is another factor that keeps playing up. Kohli feels that initiatives such as Swachh Bharat are simply lip service and there is no on-ground implementation in place.

Bajaj feels that we as Indians have failed to maintain the cleanliness in most tourist places, although there are exceptions. “The people who litter are generally the first ones to blame the government for failure to maintain the tourist places. What is the use of Swachh Bharat when the citizens of Bharat do not want to cooperate? I have read many blogs on India written by foreigners and more than 90

per cent have mentioned about the litter and garbage in India,” maintains Bajaj.

MISSING MARKETING HEADSAll players feel that marketing is something that needs to be looked at. While Rashmi Verma, Secretary Tourism, Govt. of India, had an exclusive interaction with TravelScapes where she mentioned that the Incredible India campaign shall be relaunched in the near future, the industry feels there is an urgent need for the same along with the proper staffing of India tourism.

Tyagi feels that even though the branding “Incredible India” was done long back, it did not have a mass reach. He also feels that the lack of heads or Regional Directors in Overseas India Tourism Offices for the same is a major contributor to this lacuna. He feels that things may be looking up, “After the initiative and pressure building by IATO, the Global media Campaign took off last year,” Tyagi informs.

Sarkar agrees that missing heads of MoTs overseas offices have led to a lack of marketing as the actual staff at these offices is not authorised to conduct any promotional activity.

Bajaj feels that India is far behind in international level marketing in comparision with the other countries. “Many travel destinations have their own proper as well as targeted marketing to attract tourists. In our overseas govt of India tourist offices, vacancies are still vacant resulting in marketing campaigns not being conducted in a proper manner,” shares Bajaj. He also strongly feels that we need to work on improving the country’s reputation. He goes on to say that the Incredible India campaign is a step in that direction.

Mehra feels that lack of marketing is not the issue, “Lack of marketing is not there

so much because of the budget which the Ministry has put forward. They (MoT) are doing electronic and other marketing abroad and some positive results are visible. The real issue is that we do not have Regional Directors in tourist offices abroad. They have to be there so they could meet people; promote India in a better way as senior officers can do the task comparatively better. This is a much-required thing. With the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism, we are already doing the electronic marketing and other promotional stuff abroad; we can also get some people posted abroad for managing the tourism offices,” feels Mehra.

Things it seems are soon to change; Verma at the welcome lunch that IATO had held in her welcome in early August had not only acknowledged the problem but also assured that it would be addressed at the earliest.

“To a large extent we are having that challenge and the vacancies have not been filled, as a result, the role that these offices were set up for has not been fully achieved. That is not to say that publicity is not happening, it is not happening at the optimum level.We are looking at restructuring these offices and looking at a combination of overseas officers and engaging PR agencies and such,” shared Verma.

A CHANGE FOR POSITIVEWhile Verma’s brings in a ray of hope and IATO officials admit that difference is apparent since her tenure has started. In her IATO speech, Verma had also shared other steps that the MoT was taking to improve the situation.

Verma in her speech said that the department is in conversation with the PM’s office as well as the Department of Personnel and am optimistic that very soon we would be seeing offices in all the relevant markets. She said the ministry would not only be setting up tourism offices in all markets that promised

Explore picturesque landscapes, pristine mountain lakes, and charming villages in Switzerland with a Swiss Travel Pass.

Highlights of the Swiss Travel Pass: • Offers extensive travel on trains, buses, and boats• Travel on scenic trains such as the Glacier Express, Bernina Express,

and GoldenPass Line included• Free travel on public transportation in more than 90 Swiss cities• Free admission to more than 500 museums• Free travel to Mt Rigi and Mt Pilatus, PLUS a 50% discount on additional

mountain railways• Children under the age of 16 travel free

Switzerland’s breathtaking scenery awaits!Log on to agents.raileurope.co.in

for more information and bookings, or contact your Rail Europe GSA.

DISCOVER MORE OF SWITZERLANDWITH EXTRA TRAVEL DAYS ON A SWISS TRAVEL PASS

Photo credits: Gotthard Panorama Express – © KEYSTONE, 2016, Fotograf: Gian Vaitl. Grindelwald-First – ©Jungfrau Railways©Rail Europe SAS, French travel company, RCS Nanterre 401 714 993.

Get 1 extra travel day FREE

Get 2 extra travel days FREE

with the 4 day consecutive Swiss Travel Pass with the 8 day consecutive Swiss Travel Pass

Book now! This exclusive offer is available in India only. Valid for sale until December 27, 2017. Must be validated by April 21, 2018.


COvER STORy

potential but would also ensure that these are effective offices with the right kind of people and the right strength of people, managing these offices. She further shared that the department is ensuring that the right kind of strategies is adopted for promoting India as an attractive destination in these markets.

She said that the Indian tourism industry is, to date, reaping benefits of the marketing efforts made earlier and more is soon to come.

“As you know in my earlier tenure we had launched the Incredible India campaign in 2003 and as a result, there has been steady growth. There was a 19 per cent growth for the month of May, a lot of the credit goes to the marketing strategies adopted in the past years.

We are in the process of our marketing plan and all our strategy shall be according to that plan, looking at the size of the market and potential of the market. We are in the process of finalising the Incredible India campaign 20 which should be there in all existing and potential markets in the near future,” disclosed Verma.

Talking of other initiatives, Verma revealed,” The process of revamping our website had already started (during Zutshi’s tenure) and we are taking to its logical conclusion. Very soon India Tourism shall be launching a very vibrant and dynamic website. It shall not only be giving information about tourist products and destinations in India but also taking proactive steps in converting actual tourists to India. “

On the tourism policy, Verma shared, “The new tourism policy is also in the process of being finalised and the draft has been finalised with minor changes and comments from the Prime Minister’s offices other ministries have been incorporated and very soon we shall be in a position to take it to the cabinet.”

She feels that even though the world knows what India is, these steps shall go a long way into not only creating awareness for India Tourism; which she feels already exists but in attracting and inviting visitors to India.

Sarkar agrees that things are looking up ever since the new Secretary Tourism has taken charge. “Since the new Secretary Mrs Rashmi Verma has come, things have really charged up. Decisions are fast and a lot of improvements are being seen,” he shares.

“The effect is visible and new promotions are again going to take place electronically, the world over. It is in the pipeline, so shall take a little time to show the results. We are also talking of deputing the right, senior officials in all MOT offices abroad so that locally promotional activities can be taken up rigorously. Indian tourism’s promotional activities should gain more visibility and tour operators should get the due advantage of this benefit which is not happening at the moment,” says Sarkar talking of what to expect in the near future.

Mehra also concedes that some marketing efforts are being made in the direction of

electronic and traditional marketing overseas and some effect is visible.

WHAT IS NEEDEDAll is not lost and India can claim its rightful place of glory with a few steps in the right direction feel industry experts.

Tiwari feels if we need to improve the numbers, we first need to give India Tourism its due status, “Government need to change its mind set about tourism. Tourism, in not a luxury, it is the largest employment generator and touches lives. Unfortunately, those who are sitting in corridors of power despite understanding the importance of tourism, fail to give tourism its due. We need to create American style lobbying amongst MPs, MLAs, power brokers and decision makers in order to influence decisions in favour of tourism,” shares Tiwari.

Mehra says, “If we want the tourism to increase, the tax structure has to be rationalised. There is no dearth of air connectivity, whether into or from India. Interstate taxes on vehicles need to be rationalised. Even post GST person going from Delhi to Haryana, has to stop at the tolls for up to 25 minutes to pay taxes While roads in some states have become really good, in others we are still lacking the proper infrastructure. This, as well as wayside amenities, need to be improved.

We have the best e-visa policy but we have to capitalise on it,” Mehra concludes by saying that a positive attitude by the Government of our country will surely aid progress.

Mathews has a host of suggestions, “Development of infrastructure needs to meet the present and future needs of tourists. Start different types of luxurious trains like Palace on Wheels, Royal Orient or Deccan Queens and pricing should be right. Development of basic infrastructure,

roads, basic facilities on highways improves port’s for Cruise Tourism, conducting regular training programmes especially language guides for servicing tourists from those language speaking markets, evening entertainment by having sounds and light shows are steps that could go a long way in improving tourism.”

Mathews is also a strong advocate of niche tourism and feels that government should promote segments such as spa and wellness tourism, spiritual tourism, sports tourism and golf tourism amidst other.

Bajaj in addition to all his concerns feels that while infrastructure at the main tourist’s sites is in place; infrastructure development at lesser known tourists sites with potential is a must.

THE TAKEAWAYReferring to the WTTC findings, Scowsill said, “We encourage the Indian government to continue to adopt policies that encourage travellers, such as the new visa regime, enable investment in vital infrastructure, and allow companies to do business. India is a beautiful and diverse tourism destination, with the right policies in place it will no doubt continue to grow towards ranking even higher in terms of its tourism economy.”

The ‘in-principle’ agreement to the strategic disinvestment of Air India seems to be a step in the direction that shows the government is looking at tourism and allied industries in a new light. While there are challenges but sure silver lining seems to be making an appearance in terms of both acknowledgement of the problems and moves to address at least some concerns. Fortunately, the thinking of all stakeholders is now allied brings the hope that Incredible India shall reach incredible numbers in the near future.

RED APPLE TRAVELTM

At the glittering function on 17th August 2017 held at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, Mr. Suneet Goenka, MD Red Apple Travel Group, was presented with The Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2017 under the Hospitality and Tourism category. It is a unique recognition and represents the highest honor in setting benchmarks in business for growth and excellence.excellence.

The Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award is a regional award which recognizes the values of enterprise and innovation for sustained leadership in the entrepreneur’s field of expertise. The function was well attended by the leading industry partners and travel sector heavy weights from the Lion City. The selection of the recipient for the award in the Hospitality and Tourism category was decided after receiving a stupendous response from the thought leaders of Hospitality and Tourism sector in favor of Mr. Suneet Goenka.Hospitality and Tourism sector in favor of Mr. Suneet Goenka.

Mr. Suneet Goenka, a post graduate from Sheffield University is a visionary focusing on emerging markets in the tourism segment. Driven by his business mantra “The world is our playground… explore it with us”, he built a B2B DMC based on the customer-centric operating model. He provides a thorough destination know-how, customized service to his clients and offeres dynamic, standalone, and ready tour packages.

FocusingFocusing on the holistic facility, he endeavoured and continually added to the assembly of the already existing infrastructure. With precision planning and faultless execution, he took Red Apple Travel to various corners of the globe offering services in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Macau, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Greece, Myanmar, UAE, UK, Australia, Eastern & Central Europe, Egypt, Phuket, Pattaya, Italy and Spain.

AnAn incisive businessman, he negotiated the best deals on hotels, resorts, villas, restaurants, tours, and attractions along with having a fleet of coaches, sedans, and vans. All these conveniences supported in extending better service to the tourists and in making their holiday hassle free. It also helped in offering competitive rates to the customer which is unmatched in the industry. The list of amenities is set to expand with the company planning to own hotels at various destinations. at various destinations.

Keeping in mind the hard core Indian traveler, the company has its own restaurants that serve an array of delectable Indian cuisine. The menus are curated and prepared keeping in mind the tourist's preferred taste and flavour.

For tech-expert travel agents and industry partners XML/API is integrated for seamless connectivity, static content, real-time price & availability. With a 400 member strong multi-lingual team, Mr. Suneet Goenka’s aim is to make steady advancements by adding newer dimension to travel space by offering the optimal level of gratification to the fervent traveler.

TheThe company also has an accreditation from established trade association such as OTOAI & ETOA that propagates the highest standard of professional excellence.

RedRed Apple Travel today handles 3,500,000 travelers annually, a remarkable growth from 15,000 passengers at the start of the business. The company also has an impressive database of 3000 customers and industry partners in 40 countries across continents. Red Apple Travel currently has 19 destination offices and 20 sales offices globally with plans to set footprints in other destinations soon. The annual turnover of Red Apple Travel today is 95 million USD.USD. He is now looking at generating a turnover of 250 million USD by 2020 with 30 destinations offices and 40 sales offices. Under Mr. Suneet Goenka’s leadership, Red Apple Travel has won several international awards.

The event concluded on a high note with the illustrious personalities and high-ranking entrepreneurs from various industry segments gathering to applaud Mr. Suneet Goenka on his winning.

“PEOPLE DON’T TAKE TRIPS,TRIPS TAKE PEOPLE”

– John Steinbeck

HIGHLIGHTS

From just 15,000 then, today Red Apple Travelhandles 3,500,000 travellers annually, withthe number steadily increasing.

Present: the company has 19 destinationoffices and 20 sales offices globally.

Under Mr. Suneet Goenka’s leadership,Red Apple Travel has won severalinternational awards.


UPDATE TRAdE

TRAC Representations appointed as PR representative for MMPRC

Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation Limited has appointed TRAC Representations as its PR representative of Maldives in India, to strengthen trade relations and execute marketing initiatives by promoting Maldives as a destination for diverse segments of travellers. The key objective is to enhance Maldives as a favoured travel destination for leisure and business amongst the niche travellers, focus on trade push, media presence through digital and new age media.

By the white sand, near the sea, what a dreamy place to be; Maldives is truly the castaway island of your imagination. From skimming the Indian Ocean waters on a jet-ski to parasailing, kayaking and surfing. Maldives is the ideal destination for an active beach holiday. It is one of the top tourist destinations in the Indian Ocean region. Famous for its pristine beaches, extreme

water sports, relaxed environment and exotic lagoons.

India performed incredibly well for destination Maldives in the year 2016. Visitor’s arrivals from India to Maldives registered an overall growth

of 27.9 per cent over 2015 with total arrivals of 66,955 travellers. India is an important source market for Maldives as it shares a close relation with India and has distinct offerings for the Indian travellers.

Commenting on the occasion, Rajeev Nangia, COO, TRAC Representations said, “We are absolutely thrilled with this appointment and privileged to be representing Maldives in India. It is one of the top destinations for Indian travellers.”

Travel Boutique Online (TBO) has recently partnered with Boho Hospitality to launch its chain of budget hotels in the country. Under the brand name BOHO, the chain of hotels aims to serve the millennial travellers and provide them with a comfortable, clean and chic stay at a pocket friendly price.

The venture managed by Boho Hospitality is an attempt to address issues like lack of standardisation of rooms, quality service and absence of operational control by room aggregator chains in the budget category of hotels. TBO with its massive network of travel agents would propel sales for the chain in both the offline as well as the online markets and help in establishing BOHO as a trusted budget hotel brand in India. Ankush Nijhawan, CEO, Travel Boutique Online expressed his excitement about the venture and exclaimed,” We are excited to off our budget hotels to the budget/millennial traveler and we intend to open 8 to 10 hotels in Tier 2/ Tier 3 cities in the next 12 to 18 months.

The first hotel of the chain has opened in Rishikesh under the name ‘Tatsa by BOHO’ and has received a heartening response from the customers till now. The brand name strives to embed the elements of a Bohemian lifestyle in its hotels and provide boutique hospitality at a budget price to the free spirited, smart vagabonds of today. The hotel will offer all amenities like aesthetically designed air-conditioned rooms, free WIFI, TV, a trendy onsite cafe, parking and more to its guests, said Akshuna Bakshi, CEO, Boho Hospitality.

TBO collaborates with Boho Hospitality to launch Budget Hotel Chainunder the brand name bOHO, the chain of hotels aims to serve the millennial travellers

Under GST, online travel agents liable to deduct one per cent TCS As per the PTI report, travel agents providing online ticketing and other services will be liable to deduct one per cent tax at source under the GST regime as they have been classified as e-commerce operators, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). Under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, an e-commerce operator is required to collect one per cent of the net value of taxable supplies made through it. The amount so collected is called tax collected at source or TCS but this provision has been kept in abeyance for the time being. Online travel agents have been classified as e-commerce operators (ECO) and so they have to deduct TCS.

ITE 2017 from Oct 13 to 15 in BangaloreBeing held at Palace Ground, Bengaluru, India from October 13 to 15, 2017, International Tourism Exhibition (ITE) 2017 will be a free-entry event providing numerous networking opportunities to the travel and tourism industry. The event will host a wide array of exhibitors from the International Tourism Boards, National State Tourism Boards, Leading Travel Agents, Premium Hotels & Resorts, Airline Companies, Cruise Liners, Destination Management Companies, Tour Operators, and Travel Associations. SIGTOA has been invited as a “SUPPORT PARTNER” for ITE 2017.

Aims to enhance Maldives as a favoured travel destination

News Desk

News Desk

Ankush Nijhawan

Rajeev Nangia

Akshuna Bakshi


For Bookings & Queries, Please Contact:Unit No. 604, 6th Floor , Balaj i Business Park , Andher i Kurla Road, Marol , Andher i East Mumbai : 400059 Tel: 022-30063784/85/86Email : Info@ir isreps. in I V is i t us : www. ir isreps. in , www.cococollect ion.comDELHI : +91-9999694964 I BANGALORE: +91-9538000100 I MUMBAI: +91-9619888494


SPECIAl fOCUS IATO

Tourism Minister of Odisha, Ashok Chandra Panda, personally came to Delhi on August 2 to invite members of IATO to attend the convention in large numbers and see the many attractions of the state. The 33rd Annual Convention of IATO will be held in Bhubaneswar (Odisha) from 7-10 September 2017. The venue of the convention is Mayfair Bhubaneswar (Odisha). Panda said that footfalls will increase after the IATO meeting. He added the state received over 76,000 foreign tourists and nearly one crore – 10 million – domestic tourists.

Pronab Sarkar, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) said, “As we had announced earlier, we will host our Convention in Bhubaneswar, Odisha this time. It has made landmark changes in its infrastructure development, new products and has lot of new circuits on offer. Quite a big change in tourism scene is visible since the time we had our last Convention in Bhubaneswar in 2008.”

“Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of Tourism & Culture (IC), Govt. of Odisha expressed his desires at the last IATO Convention in Chennai to have IATO’s next Convention in Odisha and showcase the all new Odisha to IATO members. He also brought the whole travel trade,

hotels and other stake holders to form the partnership with the state government and he also came to Delhi to extend invitation to all to join IATO Convention in Bhubaneswar (Odisha),” added Sarkar.

While addressing the members and inviting them to join in numbers and experience rich cultural heritage, food and new tourism products developed by the Odisha Tourism, Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of Tourism & Culture (IC), Govt. of Odisha said, “The proposal came to us from IATO saying that they want to have their next convention in Bhubaneshwar. I was taken by surprise and was quite happy also about the opportunity. We had the IATO convention in Odisha in 2008 and it is going to take place after nine years. In between these years, much water has flown in the tourism sector. As far as tourist’s security and safety is concerned, we have done a lot of developments like setting up police cells, tourist emergency desks and patrolling systems. We ensure that the foreign as well as the domestic tourist is properly treated. Also to facilitate their visit, we are going to get the light and sound programmes and other activities updating the infrastructure facilities in the tourist sites. Road connectivity has seen

33rd IATO ConventionRediscovering India TourismEagerly awaited by all, the IATO Convention is expected to see more than 1200 delegates in attendance

News Desk

lot of improvement and the regional air connectivity will be upgraded very soon. Earlier there were some restrictions to the movement to the tribal areas but now with the relaxation and improvement in the law and orders, the tourists can visit the particular Bonda tribal groups. We are also coming up with some food festivals.”

Talking about the improvements and the way forward, Panda added, “If you look at the investment and GDP rate, we have crossed many of the advance states in India; we have already exceeded them wherein the GDP or investment is concerned. Apart from the social welfare measures by the Government of Odisha, we are also turning our focus to the investment side. To ensure the growth rate is faster, more investments are needed and more MOUs need to be signed. And tourism particularly, is one of the sectors where growth can be doubled. And with long coastlines, changes in tourism policies, connectivity improvements and infrastructural facilities, we hope the tourism in Odisha to grow.”

Rajiv Mehra, Chairman Convention and Vice President, IATO while talking about this year’s Convention Theme- ‘Indian Tourism – Time to reinvent ourselves’ elaborated the thinking behind having this theme. He said that the time has come to consider the possibilities to reinvent ourselves and start investing in a new future. Mehra further informed that the intent of Odisha is quite clear as they are looking forward for IATO Convention to boost the tourism in the state.

Lally Mathews Co-Chairman Convention mentioned, “The stupendous success of the pervious convention has raised the expectations of the members and sponsors. More than 1200 delegates are expected for three day event and the IATO convention is eagerly awaited by all. Let’s make this convention wonderful together.”

Amaresh Tiwari, Hony. Treasurer, IATO, is looking to have good participation in IATO Run for Responsible Tourism to create awareness about IATO and tourism in general. The five kilometers run will take place on September 8 and the registration for the same has been started from August 7, 2017.

The 32nd IATO Annual Convention which was held in Chennai last year concluded amidst not just some great pomp and show but had also put a spotlight on several teething industry issues that India tourism is grappling with. Last year’s theme ‘Expectations & Realities: Bridging the Gap’ gave a great platform to the entire industry to discuss the bottleneck areas which are negatively impacting the tourism industry. Rajeev Kohli, IATO, 2016 Convention Chairman and Senior Vice President, IATO while welcoming the guests and dignitaries at the inaugural function last year, stressed upon throwing out the old strategies and thinking fresh. “We have a few choices at IATO– sit, watch and continue to complain or actually stand up and collectively work on a plan to change our destiny and bring back the industry to the glory at which it once stood. What we do is up to you. Your initiative to work with your association will make a difference. Let’s start from the scratch and think out of the box,” Kohli emphasised while addressing the fraternity during 32nd IATO Annual Convention

Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of Tourism & Culture (IC), Govt. of Odisha

To ensure the growth rate is faster, more investments are needed and more MOus need to be signed

A quick look from the inaugural session of 32nd IATO Convention 2016


SPECIAl fOCUS IATO

Odisha Tourism Minister officially announces IATO Convention 2017


IATO 2017: PROGRESS AND ACTIVITIES

IATO WELCOMES NEW TOURISM SECRETARYIndian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) recently held a special meeting at The Ashok Hotel in New Delhi to welcome the new secretary of ministry of tourism, Rashmi Verma and bid farewell to Vinod Zutshi, former secretary. The members claimed that majority of international tourism offices lacked senior officials and did not respond well within time. Verma reverted, “The government plans to fill these positions at the earliest so that the international tourism offices can function to their optimum level. In order to promote India, the ministry will also open new offices in the relevant markets and rework on marketing strategies.”

IATO’S EC MEETING IN MUMBAISetting another trend to understand chapter related issues, IATO hosted an EC meeting in Mumbai along with IATO western region, Maharashtra, on June 21, 2017 at Hotel Radisson Blu, Karjat, Maharashtra. Pronab Sarkar, President; Lally Mathews, Secretary and other EC members were also present at the event along with 40 other members. Surendran from Lotus Travels raised the issue of shortage of guides in Mumbai and how MTDC has been sleeping on the guides training programme. He further informed that the tickets at ASI monument, Elephanta Caves, are still being sold only through cash as the credit card system is not operational.

MP CHAPTER HOLdS MEETING fOR MEMBERSA meeting was organised by the Madhya Pradesh Chapter for IATO Members on 28th April, 2017. The meeting was attended by key members in the presence of Hari Ranjan Rao, Managing Director; O V Choudhary, Executive Director; Tanvi Sundriyal, Assistant Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism and other officers from Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department. The pointers discussed at the meeting included shortage of quality tourist guides in the state, enrooting public conveniences, uniformity in state border transport taxes, placement/increase of tourist security police force at tourist destinations/monuments and to enroll more members for IATO in the state.

TOP OffICIALS INVITEd TO dISCUSS GSTIATO invited Sungita Sharma, Principal Commissioner, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) for an interactive session on July 5, 2017 at the Park Hotel in New Delhi. The session received a packed audience with more than 400 tour operators and travel agents gathering to hear the speaker. Rajiv Mehra, Vice President, IATO brought forward some crucial points that were not clearly understood, apart from raising some important feedback. Sharma heard out all the queries and responded to them with ease, making note of the industry insights from the key stakeholders in New Delhi.

IATO SIGNS MoU WITH JABALPUR SMART CITYA Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Indian Association of Tour Operators and Jabalpur Smart City Limited, (Madhya Pradesh Government undertaking). The purpose of the MoU is to promote mutual cooperation in infrastructure development, tourism product development, attraction management, research, education, training and consultancy to establish a framework for promotion of tourism activities and products in and around Jabalpur Smart City.

ACTIVE MEMBERS MEET BECOMES THINK TANK Of IdEASIATO held its interactive members meet on May 3, 2017 at the Metropolitan Hotel in New Delhi. Despite the absence of the IATO President and Senior Vice President, 25 members were present with Rajiv Mehra, Vice President chairing the meeting. Lally Mathews, Honorary Secretary updated the members about three important issues i.e. Guide policy of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which has been challenged by IATO by filing a writ in the Delhi High Court; road shows being finalised by IATO in coordination with the Ministry and the settlement of old pending MDA cases which are in process for reimbursement.

SPECIAl fOCUS IATO


IATO CRICKET LEAGUEIATO organised a Cricket League on April 16, 2017 at the Sports Complex, DDA, New Delhi. The members were divided into teams as the matches began for the day. The game was hosted by IATO under the scheme of ‘Camaradarie’ to boost the sportsmanship among members. The members thanked all the people who came to show their support and cheer for the teams.

IATO OffICIALS ATTENd 17 MEETINGS IN THE MOTIATO officials attended 17 meetings of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India on subject related to golf tourism, global media campaign, domestic tourism campaign, ITB - how to make it more member friendly and functional by designing a national pavilion, visa related matters. Further, to organise tourism events, cruise tourism, GST and IATO recommendation, guides and revised Guide Policy announced by ASI, MDA settlement of pending reimbursement claims, market research, new guidelines, IITTM – Board of Governor meeting, meeting at Ambadkar University for launch of its first ever tourism and hospitality combined vocational course from this year.

TRAINING PROGRAMMES fOR MEMBERSAs IATO always believes that training is an integral part for sustainable tourism growth, fresh sessions of training programmes have been planned for in 2017. The sessions are aimed at improving the skills and enhancing the learning curve of IATO members. The first training programme was a two day event on January 13-14, 2017. The topic of the programme was ‘Tourism - The world of opportunities for Gen-X’. Held at the Ethiopian Culture Centre, the event was only open for 20 participants on a first come first serve basis. After the success of the first edition IATO organised another training session on February 20-21, 2017.

IATO LUNCHEON MEETING ON STEEP HIKE IN TRANSPORT TAXIATO’s interactive meeting was held on April 6, 2017 at Crowne Plaza hotel in Rohini. At the meeting the members were informed that IATO had approached the Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar to speak on the steep hike in transport tax. TheTransport Department of Haryana Government has increased the tax with effect from April 1, 2017. The increase has been announced after a gap of four years. Pronab Sarkar, president, condemned the steep hike in road taxes and called for a gradual increase.

IATO CELEBRATES ANNUAL dAY WITH GREAT fERVOURIATO annual day was held on January 22, 2017 at the Heritage Transport Museum in Bilaspur. It was a day filled with great excitement as IATO members and their families came together to celebrate the occasion. Various activities were organised for the children to participate in along with their parents. Many members attended the event and were seen engaging in various activities. The day was observed to celebrate the hard work done for the year and the achievements of IATO till now.

INTERACTIVE MEETING ALONGWITH TAfI TO dECOdE TAX REfORMSIATO and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) jointly organised an interactive meeting for the members of the two associations to understand tax regulations and the new GST bill. Bipin Sapra, partner, tax and regulatory services, Ernst & Young was invited to make a special presentation on the issue and answer the queries of the tour operators. The main agenda of the session was to discuss the budget implications and impact on business operations due to the revised Service Tax.

SPECIAl fOCUS IATO

M.P. Bezbaruah


gUEST COlUmn IATO SPECIAL

I am intrigued by this year’s Convention theme—“reinventing ourselves”.

First, the word ‘ourselves’. If we refer to the members of IATO –as it perhaps does—it falls short of my concept of the Tourism industry. In those years of yore when I said “we” I always meant the tourism industry as a whole—the private sector (all the Associations), the government, the people and all other stakeholders. Tourism is a private sector driven industry where the government provides the enabling atmosphere. Efforts of either side without the complementary efforts of the other will always be incomplete. The much-needed introspection that IATO intends to undertake will be complete and meaningful if all the stakeholders and primarily the government also become part of it.

Second, the word “re-invent”. Is it not a contradiction in itself? How can you invent again what is already invented? But perhaps it conveys what is of paramount importance—the need for looking at things differently and giving new meaning to what is known. I am reminded of a famous quote of novelist V.S.Naipaul, describing, during his visit decades back, the rural development strategy of India—“after three thousand backward years of civilization Indian scientists will now modernise the bullock cart”. This observation had missed the fundamentals of Indian existence. Our introspection should also be founded on the fundamentals of our tourism existence.

The technological revolution of today is changing every day, each new development compounding the speed and capability of all that came before. To survive in this world of intense competitiveness we have to reinvent ourselves not once but in every moment of our existence.

Sometime back, a management book “Who moved my cheese” sold a million copies and profoundly influenced management thinking. Its message was simple—“if you do not adapt, you perish”. That is why “reinventing” in Indian tourism is so crucial. No doubt Indian tourism has moved forward a lot. After years we are on the target of one per cent of world arrivals—though I have very serious doubts about how real that achievement is. In 1999 we had mooted the idea of visa on arrival. After 15 years we achieved that and have gone much beyond. At the end of the last century, the Ministry of Tourism was at the forefront of a demand for civil aviation modernisation, of open skies and

When will the ATITHI become DEVA?unequivocally the most respected name in India Tourism, m.p. Bezbaruah, Former secretary ministry of tourism and permanent representative, uNwto, has chaired many a committee and published many a white paper on tourism. On the occasion of the 33rd Annual IATO Convention, he brings forth the challenges of India Tourism and the possible corrective measures that could lead India to become a tourism superpower

efficient airports. But we are in a dynamic world. Others are running faster and we remain at the same place in spite of moving forward.

Having said that, I must say that our preoccupation with numbers can be misplaced. The objective of tourism has changed. In the initial years for us foreign exchange earning was crucial. Now tourism is assessed more in terms of its contribution to socio-economic developments. In that context, the phenomenal growth of domestic tourism is a very happy sign of successful tourism.

Tourism is a service industry, which cannot be strictly assessed, in the straight jacket of marketing parameters. Still, it is worthwhile to look at it as a professional marketing exercise. Strictly speaking, I am averse to treating tourism as a product. Such an approach takes away the very essence of Indian tourism. Nevertheless, if we talk of tourism product which country can equal the superlative quality of the Indian attractions?

SO fAR AS MARKETING IS CONCERNEd, WE RAN AN OUTSTANdING AWARd WINNING CAMPAIGN. THEN WHY ARE WE NOT AT THE fOREfRONT?A lot can be said to explain but I think three problems stand out. First, the quality and extent of infrastructure –still far away from the world standard. Second, the quality of servicing the experience.Third, the perception of safety and hassles of travelling in India. We may contest such perception but to deny will be an Ostriitch approach. It has been said again and again that the modern tourist looks for unique experience. Have we fallen short

of creating that experience? Why are our outstanding attractions still overshadowed by the repelling surroundings?

When we talk of introspection, we have to be in tune with the world. The latest tourism statistics have shown some very interesting results.

Thailand’s rise to the 3rd position in the world with almost 50m arrivals is astounding. Is there any good lesson from Thailand?

In 2016, 53 per cent or 657m tourists travelled for leisure, 27 per cent for VFR. It is quite likely that India’s arrival growth is marked by the second category of hither to unaccounted visiting Indians.Tourism has seen uninterrupted growth over time, growing faster than the world economy, reaching 1235m in 2016 and well on course to reach the projected figure of 1.8 m by 2030. Here, these two significant features should be of interest to India.

First, many new destinations have emerged. That implies an increasingly competitive market.

Second, the market share of emerging economies increased to 45 per cent and is expected to reach 57 per cent or 1bn by 2030. Where do we want to reach in 2030 and what preparations do we have to make—these are questions that we should be asking every day.

India has shown good growth at 10 per cent in 2016 but what is striking is the growth of 88 per cent between 2010 and 2014, jumping from 5.7m to 13.1m. Was it real growth or some changes in statistical parameters? We have to ponder deeply. Otherwise, such robust growth figures may lull into complacency about the more basic objectives of tourism—as an input in growth and poverty alleviation. The emphasis of 70’s and 80’s on tourism as an instrument of foreign exchange earnings is no longer the primary focus.

On the other hand, the World has adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development popularly called the SDGs –17 of them and 169 associated targets. These SDGs are to define the nature of human development in the future. Tourism is associated with most of the SDGs directly or indirectly but specifically in Goals 8, 12 and 14—for achieving sustainably inclusive economic growth.

Our preoccupation with numbers should not, therefore, divert our attention from two crucial factors of tourism development in the country—equitable growth of all regions and exploiting the sustainable potential of rural

IATO SPECIAL gUEST COlUmn

tourism. At present India’s tourism growth map is skewed. It has to spread more evenly—and while doing such regional development we shall also be able to create more and newer destinations to attract discerning tourists.

WHAT ARE THE GLOBAL CHALLENGES IN THE fUTURE? UNWTO HAS MAdE THE fOLLOWING ASSESSMENT.

• Promoting safe and seamless travel Global challenges demand global solutions and tourism development greatly depends upon our collective capacity to promote safe, secure and seamless travel.

• Enhancing the role of technology and innovation in tourism We are living through what many have called the 4th industrial revolution. Screens are everywhere, connecting and empowering billions of people across the planet in real time, providing a voice to the silent and creating a new sense of belonging to a newfound global community.

• Embrace the sustainability agenda The adoption by world leaders of both the Paris Agreement on climate and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development made of 2015 a historic year for the

international community. It is now time to step up our efforts to advance policies and business strategies that ensure the contribution of tourism to the 17-goal agenda for the people and planet.

• Adopting National Tourism PolicyNone of the above will be possible without political will. Tourism’s ability to effectively support the economic, social and environmental foundations of many nations has raised the need for the sector to play a bigger role in national development, particularly at the highest levels of political decision-making.

Establishing tourism as a national priority is fundamental to securing the financial and political support needed to advance the sector.

2017 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

This is a unique opportunity to advance the relevance of our sector in global and national agendas.”

It is significant that the IATO Convention is taking place in the backdrop of the World Tourism day on the theme of tourism’s contribution to sustainable development Like UNWTO; IATO should also give attention to jointly do with the government Social inclusiveness, employment and poverty

reduction; Sustainable economic growth; Resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change; Cultural values, diversity and heritage; Peace and security.

IATO could give attention to these factors and discuss how • Tourism in India is contributing to

sustainable development and what potential it has;

• What changes are required to make tourism achieve that potential;

• What changes in policy and practices are needed?

We need to create a new awareness about the new realities of the role of tourism. We need to bring tourism from ad hoc disjointed efforts to a comprehensive, cohesive and professional approach. We all need to reinvent ourselves daily and all the year round. And at the end of all that “reinventing” let us hope we wake up to a NEW INDIA where the Atithi becomes really Deva and where tourism plays a role in wiping the tears of millions struggling in the present in the hope of a better tomorrow.

M.P.Bezbaruah, Former Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Former Member (NEC) (rank of MOS), Former Chairman PATA, Permanent Representative, UNWTO


Unexplored places need promotion in Odisha

Monuments reflecting amazing architecture compete with the limitless beauty of the land; the ancient temples associating you closely with the religious beliefs, the completely new flavours ruling the Odishan kitchens; the state of Odisha rewards those seeking to explore their adventurous side through the fascinating tribal culture and natural beauty, along with

sprinkling of sun and sand. Redefining its strategies to promote its tourist destinations, Odisha Tourism is gearing up to market its products in a better way. However, Gagan

Sarangi, IATO Chapter Chairman, Odisha feels that to lure more tourists to the state, the locals should be made aware of tourism benefits and offbeat places need a facelift

Travel is closely related to dreams- imagining oneself in mesmerising landscapes and discovering the chapters of nature one at a time. These explorations can be made easy if the place is made tourist friendly. And this is one of the biggest challenges in Odisha, highlights Gagan Sarangi, IATO Chapter Chairman, Odisha.

“The lack of proper infrastructure has been a major problem for the growth of tourism in Odisha. We urgently require more number of hotels in the cities and comfortable tourist class accommodation facilities throughout the state.” Sarangi further adds, “Odisha is dotted with tourism sites throughout the length and breadth of the state, but due to lack of quality accommodation, we are unable to promote many lesser known beautiful places.” The state is endowed with beautiful, safe beaches, ancient temples like Lord Jagannath temple at Puri and Konark Sun temple besides Chilika Lake, the second biggest brackish water lake in the world.

He believes tourism in the state can be well promoted through the locals. “The locals should be made aware of the benefits of tourism. This will boost domestic tourism which is the backbone of our state. Also we need to aggressively promote the various unexplored places in the domestic market.” Emphasising more on the availability of quality accommodation and amenities, he says a host of steps need to be taken to give a facelift to the tourism sector in state which is endowed with exotic sites to attract visitors. “To create an ambience for the healthy tourism growth, all the tourism sites should be well maintained. Beach cleaning should be on priority list to attract quality

visitors as the state is famous for its Puri beach and there are many other beaches which require promotion. Tourist facilities such as public toilets and restaurants should be available at every corner,” opines Sarangi.

Talking about the IATO annual convention, he says, “The Government of Odisha has provided all kinds of support for the convention. And we are aiming high from it. We hope after the IATO Convention, many tour operators will include Odisha in their brochure and start selling Odisha tour packages aggressively in the domestic and overseas market.”

He also gives an insight about the key initiatives by the state for the remaining year. “The Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha is also going to organise the Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) in association with FICCI. As usual, there are also plans for participating in major International Travel Markets such as WTM-London in the later part of the year.

These are some of the very good initiatives being undertaken by the State Government to promote tourism in Odisha,” concludes Sarangi.

Gagan Sarangi

SPECIAl fOCUS IATO

aNkIta jaIN

Swosti Chilika Resort, a place away from the modern dwellingsSWOSTI is an epitome of comfort and leisure – a branded icon of hospitality in the country and abroad. It has received a number of national and international awards during the last 33 years of its dedicated services in hotel and tourism sector.

Swosti Group opened its door to Swosti Chilika Resort, inaugurated on July 26, 2017 by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik. The resort is a place for all travel seekers and holiday enthusiasts who revel in the unexplored and untouched tranquility and look to unwind and reconnect in a most spectacular setting one possibly can imagine.

Rooted in the scenic setting of the famed Chilika Lake, the essence of the resort is to unify the mind and the soul with the nature. Though nestled in a place away from the modern dwellings, the resort is an embodiment of contemporary design inspired from its natural surroundings – uncluttered and understated. The service is not only efficient but intuitive, charming and warm. Don’t be surprised when you find nature enthusiasts describing sightings of dolphins, exotic migratory birds or their trail into idyllic villages or deep forests. Indulgences like s game zones, cycling pad, fine dining restaurants will ensure a complete surrender of the mind and soul to the place.

Swosti Chilika Resort extends its guests cottages and presidential suites with breathtaking views, while being elegant and well-appointed for a comfortable stay. Four types of accommodations namely The Sanctuary-The Presidential Suites (01 key), Millpond- The Pool Villas (05 keys), Windchime-The Quad Villas (36 keys) and Midlake County- The Hotel Blocks (36 keys), are on offer for a luxurious indulgence.

The restaurants at the Swosti Chilika resort offers an incredible array of local delicacies and the choicest of international cuisines with the décor and the ambience just adding to the mood.Centrally located

coffee shop with all side open walls and green spaces all around, is a perfect settlement for a tired mind to relax or to catch up with friends or colleagues for some light hearted bonhomie. For the sports enthusiasts, who find contentment being active, loads of options are in store.

Established since in 1984, Swosti Group today has patrons not only within India, but also in most parts of the world. Our motto has been ‘Once our Guest, Forever our Friend’. With 305 rooms, nine Restaurants, largest Convention Centre in the Eastern Region, Swosti Group is the largest hotel chain of Odisha consisting two majestic hotels in Bhubaneswar namely, Swosti Grand and Swosti Premium, the finest luxury resort at Gopalpur-on-Sea namely, Gopalpur Palm Resort and newly opened the Mega World Class Luxury Resort, “Swosti Chilika Resort”, on the banks of pristine Chilika Lake. All these hotels are competently supported by the largest inbound tour operator of the state Swosti Travels established since 1988.


UPDATE HOSPITALITy

AccorHotels sets luxury footprint in Maldives

AccorHotels announced its first luxury destination in the Maldives as of September 1, 2017 — Dhevanafushi Maldives Luxury Resort, Managed by AccorHotels. Set on the private island of Meradhoo surrounded by natural splendour, the resort will be repositioned following further enhancements in late 2018, and join the iconic collection of Raffles hotels and resorts.

Dhevanafushi Maldives Luxury Resort presently boasts 21 island villas and 16 ocean villas with private pools, three restaurants, a scenic cocktail bar and an array of facilities and activities to relax, rejuvenate and reinvigorate the body, mind and spirit. These include an award winning luxury spa, over-the-water fitness centre, yoga programmes, water sports, private dining options, 24-hour butler and private chef service, along with snorkelling and diving at its finest - the resort’s PADI-certified dive centre offers adventures through the wonders of some of most breath-taking coral reefs in the world.

“We are thrilled to announce our very first luxury resort in the Maldives at a time when the region is enjoying excellent growth, especially with travellers from Asia Pacific.

AccorHotels is bringing to the resort our expertise in delivering unparalleled luxury experiences renowned in our Raffles, Fairmont and Sofitel brands, along with the benefits of our award-wining global loyalty programme, Le Club AccorHotels.” says Patrick Basset, Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels, Upper Southeast and Northeast Asia.

Catering to discerning individual travellers, honeymooners and families, the resort is a secret hideaway in the Indian Ocean and a haven of peace and tranquillity. It can be accessed by a 55-minute flight from Male Airport and a 15-minute speedboat transfer. Dhevanafushi Maldives Luxury Resort, is located on Meradhoo Island.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts welcomed 23 new member hotels across 13 countries to its brand portfolio from May to July, 2017. Highlights of the newest hospitality experiences within the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific portfolio include WelcomHotel Coimbatore in India, Japan Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel and Hotel Chinzanso in Tokyo, Windsor Plaza Hotel and Sherwood Suites in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and Minyoun Chengdu Dongda Hotel in Chengdu, China.

Additional properties that joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts between May and July include The Chedi Mumbai (Mumbai, India), Biyadhoo Island Resort (South Male Atoll, Maldives) and Minyoun Chengdu Kehua

Hotel (Chengdu, China) from the Asia-Pacific region. IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraiso (Playa Del Carmen, Mexico), IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Bavaro (Punta Cana, Dominican Republic), Grand Polanco Residencial (Mexico City, Mexico), The Guest House of Graceland (Memphis, Tennessee, United States), Naples Bay Resort (Naples, Florida, United States), Bear Mountain Inn (Bear Mountain, New York, United States), Water’s Edge Resort & Spa (Westbrook, Connecticut, United States), Ambassador Chicago (Chicago, Illinois, United States) and IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Rose Hall (Montego Bay, Jamaica) from the Americas and the Caribbean.

One of the names from Europe include Merchants Manor Hotel & Spa (Falmouth, United Kingdom).

Preferred Hotels & Resorts adds 23 new member hotels The new hotels were added to the portfolio across 13 countries from the period of May to July, 2017

Country Inn & Suites by CarlsonSM Kota made its debut in Kota, Rajasthan recently. The hotel is the first-ever international brand to have a presence in the city. Strategically located in the heart of the town, the property offers 85 modern rooms and suites. The hotel is located within proximity to corporate zones and educational service institutes. “With 557 properties in operation and under development globally, Country Inns & Suites by CarlsonSM is a leader in the upper midscale hotel segment. We are glad to partner with Prem Singh Bajor (Chairman, Bajor Group of Companies) and Priyavrat Singh (Managing Director, Bajor Group of Hotels), to pioneer the first international brand in the city and extend its hallmark, Be Our Guest service philosophy to our guests,” said Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa is delighted to receive acknowledgements in the annual Bali Tourism Awards 2017/2018. The award ceremony was held on August 3, 2017 attended by Bali travel and tourism industry and government leaders, diplomatic representatives, community leaders and media. Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa is the proud recipient of “Bali Leading Thematic Resort” and “Bali Leading Resort in Nusa Dua”. BTA (Bali Tourism Awards) is an annual award which aims to recognise excellence across all sectors of travel and tourism in Bali.

“We are very grateful to be recognised for two categories. I am certain that this achievement will inspire our team to further enhance the guest experience at the resort,” comments Jamal Hussain, General Manager of Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa.

dhevanafushi Maldives Luxury Resort will be repositioned following further enhancements in late 2018

News Desk

News Desk

Country Inns & Suites By Carlson enters Rajasthan

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa Honored at Bali Tourism Awards

HOSPITALITy UPDATE

Envisioning greater heights in its engagement with the Indian market, Serena Hotels has appointed India’s Leading Representation Company, Nijhawan Group as their local representative in India in order to serve their valued clients better.

Rosemary Mugambi, Regional Sales and Marketing Director of Serena Hotels East Africa commented, “The India market is an extremely important market for Serena Hotels, being a market that has consistently shown its potential as Indian travellers are now really exploring East Africa. We are excited at the opportunity to present exciting and memorable experiences to our esteemed Indian visitors.”

Announcing this partnership, Priyanka Nijhawan, Director-

Representations, Nijhawan Group shared that encouraged by its pace-setting seven per cent GDP global growth rate, rising personal income levels and changing lifestyles with a huge middle class thus making India one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world, second only to China.

Serena Hotels is a well-known leading hospitality brand offering quality accommodation, unique holiday and conference solutions, cultural heritage and adventure tourism in East Africa, with 24 up –market hotels, safari lodges, resorts and safari camps located in some of the most exquisite and prime locations in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Mozambique. From the world’s greatest wildlife theatre – the Masai Mara and Serengeti ecosystem where the wildlife

play out their amazing annual migration, to the magnificent Ngorongoro crater, dreamy boat cruises along the Rufigi River in the Selous, hitting the gorilla treks hidden deep in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills , even golf by the shores of the Lake Victoria in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, or the wedding event of a life time by the lovely white beaches of the Indian Ocean - Serena Hotels provides the finest safari holidays and world class

hotel venues offering unrivalled diversity and professionalism.

She further added “We will support the tour operators and travel agents in their sales and marketing efforts to maximise the numbers of Indians staying at Serena Hotels. With the addition of Serena Hotels to our representation portfolio, we can now offer a niche product in East Africa to our travel partners to further enhance the experience of their clients.”

Serena Hotels appoints Nijhawan Group as India representativeThe key aim of the hotel brand is to serve their valued clients better

News Desk

Rosemary MugambiPriyanka Nijhawan


UPDATE STATE NEWS

Tie the Picturesque KnotNovotel Mumbai Juhu Beach


STATE NEWS UPDATE

Synonymous with style, grandeur, tradition, and magnificence; Indian weddings involve many intricate ceremonies. An impressive manifestation of the rich cultural heritage of the country, this extraordinary occasion calls for a picture perfect location where everything can be managed right from the decoration to food and accommodation.

Nestled amidst the calming shores of the picturesque Juhu beach, reigns a refreshing getaway specially designed for natural living. Popular for its picture-perfect location, AccorHotels’ Novotel Mumbai Juhu beach continues to build on the grandeur and splendour of intimate weddings. With the promise of an exemplary experience and a plethora of recreational activities, impeccable personalised services and delightful gastronomy making it the ideal nuptial destination.

An idyllic venue with stunning panoramic views, natural light and open terraces at the property ensures that your once in a lifetime moment is captured as a beautiful lifelong reminiscence. Offering six banquet rooms with a variety of solutions and the customised services to suit guest requirements.

With an inventory of 203 guest rooms and suites, the hotel puts forward to its guests’ a host of intriguing offerings. This also includes providing customised event management services with a steadfast team of professionals to ensure that you are catered to discretely and in the most efficient manner.

“At Novotel Mumbai Juhu beach, we aim to offer premium services and amenities for weddings and celebrations. Having been associated with several high profile weddings and successfully executed dream weddings for couples, meeting guest expectation is our priority,” shares Manish dayya, General Manager, Novotel Mumbai Juhu beach.

He further adds, “Our personnel ensure that our guest’s vision of a dream wedding is transformed into reality. The exceptionally creative and fervent team assists the family at every step to make d-day exactly as it was anticipated. The opulent interiors and exteriors are perfect for

Having been associated with several high profile weddings and successfully executed dream weddings for couples, meeting guest expectation is our priority

creating a beautiful wedding photo album. The aesthetic ambience will undoubtedly etch an unforgettable memory.”

India is a land of rich cultural legacy and diversities, weddings here are all about the majesty and a burst of dynamic colours. The big fat Indian wedding is a vibrant, once-in-a-lifetime affair that requires a perfect locale. Host your wedding by the sea shore and enjoy the celebrations as they unfurl the way you envisioned.

from flawless services, beautiful presentations to uncompromising attention to detail, the hotel is pertinent to make your wedding an exclusive experience for you and your dear ones. filled with smiles, laughter and tears of joy, Novotel Mumbai Juhu beach makes every minute a cherished memory to carry in your trousseau.

Manish Dayya, General Manager, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach

The Grand Uniara Hotel recreates the regal charm of JaipurProviding the equal balance between heritage and sophisticated comforts, The Grand uniara Hotel is your perfect stop located in the heart of Jaipur city. To know more about this royal yet suavely designed property, we spoke to manvendra singh, mD, Grand uniara a heritage hotel about the differentiation factor, the focused segments and future plans

Tell us about Grand Uniara. What makes your property stand apart from the competition?A magnificent hotel property providing a comfortable setting when in Jaipur, Grand Uniara A Heritage Hotel, is uniquely positioned in the heart of the city. The hotel features 36 well-appointed guest rooms, including 32 standard rooms and six suits, designed for elegance and comfort. The rooms come complete with a wide range of amenities to suit the needs of the discerning traveler. There are a variety of amenities available to guests of Grand Uniara A Heritage Hotel, including 24-hour room service, a coffee bar, valet parking and additional laundry service. We have a restaurant and a bar where guests are able to unwind of an evening. What makes our property unique from others is that it is located within close proximity to Jaipur’s well-known tourist spots like Birla Mandir, Jantar

Mantar, Hawa Mahal and the City Palace which are only a short stroll away from the hotel.

Giving a picturesque experience to the guests, a stretch of open lawn covering the 28580 sq ft of land, can easily accommodate up to 800 guests which makes it ideal for guests to savour the outdoor activities and corporates to organise their team building activities.

Please share the MICE capabilities of your hotel. Grand Uniara is a perfect venue for conferences, corporate events, dealer meets or social gatherings including weddings. The hotel has indoor banquet facility for up to 280 guests, a well-manicured lawn for outdoor event for 2000 guests and a pool-side venue to host gatherings for up to 100 guests. There are two meeting rooms backed by professional service and conference facilities. DARBAR Hall is a premium banquet that covers 4500 sq. ft of area to serve both corporates and social functions. It can easily accommodate 250-300 guests.

What is your customer segmentation? Which segments are you focusing on?Grand Uniara is a modern, contemporary full service hotel offering an excellent range of guest facilities and services. Our service philosophy stems from an understanding of the guest’s needs and attention to detail. We cater to every segment from luxury to corporate. We are currently focusing on FIT, DFIT, FFIT, GIT, social events and MICE.

What are the marketing initiatives that you

are undertaking to promote the property to the different segments? We have been thoroughly promoting our hotel property through various channels like web promotion, local media and magazines.

As captain of the ship, what is your role in improving efficiency of the property? My aim has always been towards working on customer satisfaction parameter and make our guests leave happy and satisfied.

How do you motivate the hotel team? Any initiatives that you’re undertaking to keep them encouraged?To keep them motivated, we share the organisational vision with each team member, give them opportunities to grow, offer as much support as we can, celebrate their success and create a healthy competition in the market.

What all developments/expansions do you foresee for Grand Uniara in the next five years?A perfect amalgam of convenience, comfort and great value, the hotel is fully equipped to service the needs of the new age traveller and shall continue to do the same in future. Rooms will have minimalist design and open shelving rather than traditional bulky furniture. There will be easily accessible outlets in the guest rooms. The rooms will also have high-tech features like the ability to control lights and air-conditioning with your phone. Lobbies will become high-tech multi-use spaces.

Royally Luxurious

The Hotel Facade


SPECIAl fOCUS HOSPITALITy

Manvendra Singh

GaGNeet kaur

like a beautifully aged wine,

Alila is a premium luxury chain with sustainability at its heart and serenity in its persona. Sustainable in the most holistic way, which involves both the community and the spirit of the land; Alila, with its unique set of values is a brand for the connoisseur; just like a rare wine. On the occasion of the launch of Alila fort bishangarh, TravelScapes talks to Doris Goh, Chief marketing officer, two roads hospitality asia, about the Alila brand, its philosophy and its unique marque of hospitality.

Effervescent and full of life, much like the beautiful morning outside, Goh starts the conversation by reminiscing about the time they had set out to open the Alila’s first property in Goa, Alila Diwa, which took many years in the making and broke many stereotypes along the way.

“We wanted an Alila for India; we did not want an Indianised Alila. We are not here to deliver all things to all people but we want to deliver what we believe is the essence and what Alila is all about. I came and introduced our brand of contemporary luxury and personalised hospitality and most importantly to push our story of sustainable tourism” shares Goh.

Talking about the initial resistance to the unique brand, Goh says, “The first challenge was people said you are not even on the beach, but then the property has so much to offer with its tranquil location and lush vegetation. People could not believe it was a new built because of its mature gardens. The resort was built around the vegetation. The other surprise was to arrive at Alila Diwa Goa to discover a sea of green paddy fields while lying on immersed sun decks in the pool. We also created a completely separate area for kids that even the adults wanted a taste of. Then there was the Alila hospitality, which warms everyone over.”

Food is integral to the Alila experience as per Goh, “We wanted to be sure that they get authentic, fresh and wholesome food that’s unique to the destination as it can make or break the travel experience.” Elaborating on the food connection she illustrates her point with a wonderful story, “We were the first to start the cooking school in Bali, 18 years ago. In Goa, we wanted to offer the best Goan food.

Sources led us to this effable grandmother from the village who had been cooking her Goan specialities for the last 50 years. Though she’d never had any serious hotel training, she had been with us since we started and she now heads our Indian specialty kitchen. Chef Edia now 64 years old has her own legion of fans who will specifically come to look her up.”

“That is the Alila story, go with the heart, and make things happen,” she adds as she goes on to add what Alila stands for. “Alila means surprise and what defines us is the combination of innovative design and crafted luxury in unique locations, set apart by personalised hospitality, private spaces and bespoke journeys. Since our inception, our philosophy has been to integrate commerce, conservation, and community. We believe that this is what would ultimately bring value to the investment. All Alila properties in Asia adhere to EarthCheck operating standards, which are not only very stringent but the compliance is audited on an annual basis.”

Coming back to brand Alila, Goh goes on to define its personality. “It is Artisanal, Passionate,

Authentic, Innovative and above all, Responsible. The Alila Guest is a little more curious, more intellectual with an enhanced sense of adventure and knows actually what he/she wants,” opines Goh. The brand’s newest property, Alila Fort Bishangarh, which has opened seven years after Alila Diwa Goa, has its own brand of special too. In true Alila signature style, the fort seamlessly integrates with its surroundings as it is perched magnificently upon a granite hill, and seems to be sculpted from a block of that very hill. When asked about the seven year gap, Goh replies, “It is because a true masterpiece is a painstaking project and takes a long time to be

perfected....”Like its other hotels, Alila Fort Bishangarh

has a strong connect with the community. From the excess marble from the fort going to build classrooms and more, the neighbourhood school has literally grown with the property. “The school is now supported by our Gift to Share programme, which we started eight years ago. Guests can avail a night free on booking one night, in the inaugural offer. This shall be in exchange for a generous donation to the school. Funds are audited at the end of the three-month promotion and the collection will be presented in a cheque to the school to fund its educational needs,” reveals Goh.

On being asked about how Indians are reacting to this unique brand of hospitality, Goh says, “Even before Alila Diwa Goa, we already have Indian guests staying at Alila. We have many

Indian developers interested in bringing Alila into the country. We do have a good traction of Indian guests, both internationally and in India. In Alila Jakarta, Indians are among our top ten nationalities given our proximity to the conference centre in Jakarta and the fact that a lot of Indians go there for trade conventions. Bali is also attracting good traffic from India because of the culture and affordability. We are fast becoming the alternative meeting venue. We even had a group of Indian businessmen who booked one of our Alila resorts, to experience Nyepi - the Balinese Day of Silence.”

When asked about Alila’s communication strategy, Goh answers on a typical Alila note, “We conduct private media outreach globally in key cities, targeting like-minded people to tell the Alila story, because as I said it is not for everyone.”

Alila is an acquired taste!


SPECIAl fOCUS HOSPITALITy

Gurpreet k sekhoN

Doris Goh


AROUnD THE WORLd

Moods of Macao

Walking on the cobblestone streets of Macao is almost like travelling through time. Each block takes you to a journey of a different kind. Macao is reminiscent of a beautiful mish-mash of Portuguese and Cantonese way of living

in ‘THE VEgAs Of EAsT’6 gLITzy ExpERIEnCEs


Macao’s entertainment stop—Fisherman’s WharfFisherman’s Wharf is the one stop destination for entertainment in Macao. The 1,33,000 square meter of the area is a delight for lovers of European style architecture and has something for everyone. Dine, shop or try your luck at Babylon Casino, Flamingo Casino. Better still, opt for a luxurious stay at the Rocks Hotel or the Harbourview Hotel. With beautiful marina as the backdrop, it is a perfect destination to plan a dream wedding.

Thrill overdose at the Dragon Boat Festival Come months of May and June, the city erupts with enthusiasm during Macao International Dragon Boat Races. It is hard to keep yourself away from Nam Van Lake on the Praia Grande shorefront, where’s all the action. Both local and foreign teams participate in men and women division to fight for the medal in the one of the most colourful sporting events in Asia.

Stay Amazed at the House of Dancing Water One of the most extravagant stage shows in the world, House of Dancing Water leaves you gaping with awe and admirations. The show will be presented in a special theater with a capacity of 2000 seats. The theater’s stage will be filled with 2.7 million litres of water and the artistes will dive at the speed of 90 kilometers per hour. The show takes you through an epic love story of a stranger and a princess who are cruelly separated by the Princess’ evil stepmother, the Dark Queen. With a 270-degree view theater, you could choose any of the reserves. Zoom onto the performers from a special angle at C Reserve or get up, close and personal at B Reserve. If you are a fan of panorama view choose reserve A. However, the best view is from VIP Reserve!

AROUnD THE WORLd


Marvel the Ruinas de S.PauloIf you haven’t seen this, you haven’t visited Macao. Walk a little north of the St. Dominic Church and you will meet the most famous landmark in Macao— Ruinas de S.Paulo. Transporting you straight to 17th century, you will witness a story in the ruins of St. Paul’s college and Church of St. Paul. As you climb the grand stone stairs you will see the front façade of St Paul’s church which was demolished by fore thrice (in 1595, 1601 and 1835). According to the historical facts, it was the largest Catholic Church in East Asia in 17th century—made of white stone it had a vaulted roof and three huge halls. Look east of the church and you would find Museu de Macao (Macao Museum) which displays historical relics of Macao.

Breeze through Senado Sqaure The first and for most, is to soak in the colourful culture of the city which means take a walk along the Senado Square. While sauntering past the fancy shops you will straight away walk into the history weaved beautifully with the contemporary entertainment. Neon lights juxtaposing with the amber glows of St. Dominic Church, Senado Sqaure will force you to sit back and take in all that it has to offer. The square comes alive during Chinese spring festival and Christmas when lion and dragon dance takes over the streets.

Don your beach clothes for Coloane IslandCasino, gambling or Portuguese egg tarts, well the vocabulary for Macau doesn’t end here. One will be taken aback by surprise visiting pristine Coloane Island. An island of pine forests, eucalyptus groves, tropical vegetation and farmland, Coloane Island boats a number of beautiful beaches. A perfect place for hopping beaches. The island of Coloane lies to the south of the Macau Peninsula, beyond the island of Taipa and is a bliss of fine white sand. The busiest and the most popular of all is Hac Sa Beach. The beach area includes a recreational complex with facilities for swimming, tennis, mini golf, and other fun amusements. So head to the south of the Macau Peninsula to explore the old historic city and its sights and enjoy a lazy day.

AROUnD THE WORLd

Download Travkart Mobile AppSign up Now & Earn Travcash

B2C White Label PROGRAM OF TRAVKART.COMGet your own tailor made website

More than 2500 + Itineraries to choose from and adding more regularly

Theme Holidays with more than 26+ Themes to be picked from the various available packages

Increase or Decrease your mark ups as & when required and manage discount coupon

Control panel to track your bookings and Customer details through the website

Integrated Payment Gateway

Become a supplier by selling your inventory through us

Website Hosting Services

Round the clock Technical Support and business assistance from our expert panel

Start your own Online Travel Agency

[email protected] +91 8010 038 038 www.travkart.com Follow Us|||


The Tourism Industry Navigator

In an exclusive interaction with TravelScapes, Dr mario hardy, Ceo, pata, not just talks about the association’s goals and objectives but also shares the trending trends from the Asian travellers, the upcoming PATA Travel Mart and his viewpoints on India Tourism

continues to encourage social responsibility as its commitment in the tourism sector

EXPERT SPEAK PATA

Dr Mario Hardy

As PATA extensively focuses on Asia-Pacific region, what, according to you are the new travel trends observed from Asian travellers in the recent past? It is impossible to speak of trends without mentioning the exponential growth the region has witnessed in tourist arrival numbers in the past few years. In some areas, this has put a large amount of pressure on destinations that are experiencing too much growth at too fast a pace. Three years ago, as an initiative to alleviate this pressure, PATA launched a campaign involving both the public and private sectors to promote the dispersal of tourists to secondary destinations.

How important is India for an Asian traveller? Any specific segments that are seeing travelling more to India?India enjoys a growing level of domestic travel which shows no signs of stopping. India has

a large population with a very diverse culture, making it quite natural for residents to want to further explore the unique attributes of their country. The number of international arrivals has also grown, due especially to the relaxation of visa policies and the introduction of the e-visa. This being said, the country’s infrastructure continues to require active improvements in order to attract more visitors.

There is much talk in the industry about the need for more authentic and local experiences. In particular, experienced travellers are looking to embed themselves in the local culture, allowing the experience to pervade them, creating memories that will not fade.

How does PATA play a major role in actively promoting sustainable tourism through training and education?We have various programmes, a dedicated team and a website collecting best practices from around the world (www.sustain.pata.org). Every week, we also share simple and useful sustainability tips with our members via our newsletter, PATA Voice. Furthermore, we run a series of training programmes with our staff as well as with members and non-members.

Please tell us about the upcoming PATA Travel Mart 2017, its key themes and objectives. What are your expectations from PATA Travel Mart this year?PATA Travel Mart (PTM) is one of the Asia-Pacific’s longest running travel trade shows featuring unparalleled networking and contracting opportunities to help travel and tourism organisations access decision makers, meet new clients, expand their networks, establish new relationships and consolidate existing business partnerships. During the two full business days, over 10,000 pre-matched appointments are facilitated through PATA’s unique business matching software which match buyers with sellers to maximise their trade opportunities.

How is PATA Travel Mart 2017 different from the previous events? What are the highlights this year?Registrations numbers are very high this year. There is great interest in Macao as a destination as well as its surrounding areas, especially as Macao is positioning itself as the ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure’ and develops into a quality international tourist destination. This year we also have two forums which delegates can attend.

PATA EXPERT SPEAK

In partnership with Travel Weekly Group, we have organised the Travolution Forum Asia: Redefining the Travel Experience and the Blogger and Key Opinion Leader Forum in partnership with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA). We are also launching a new event app which will allow delegates to connect in anticipation of the trade show and gain access to the full event program directly from PATA.

Please tell us about other key events of PATA in pipeline this year?We have a large number of events in the pipeline and an extensive focus on the Pacific with three events scheduled in the region: The PATA Global Insights Conference 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand on September 28 to 29; the Pacific Tourism Insights Conference in Port Vila, Vanuatu on October 25 and the PATA New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2017 in Palau from November 15 to 17.

Next year’s events include the PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2018 from February 21 to 23 in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE); the PATA Annual Summit 2018 from May 17 to 20 in Gangneung, Korea (ROK) and PATA Travel Mart 2018 from September 12 to 14 in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Name of the upcoming PATA event Place Dates

The PATA Global Insights Conference 2017 Auckland, New zealand September 28 to 29, 2017

The Pacific Tourism Insights Conference Port Vila, Vanuatu October 25, 2017

The PATA New Tourism frontiers forum 2017 Palau November 15 to 17, 2017

PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2018

Al Ain, Abu dhabi, uAE february 21 to 23, 2018

The PATA Annual Summit 2018 Gangneung, Korea (ROK) May 17 to 20, 2018

PATA Travel Mart 2018 Langkawi, Malaysia September 12 to 14, 2018

I believe India has not yet reached its full potential and requires more branding and presence at shows like pATA Travel MartWhat is your future vision for the association?PATA will continue on a path that places the association in a more relevant position

significant to the ever evolving and quick moving world that surround us. Our aim is to become thought leaders and help our industry navigate the uncertain world we live in, including helping to prepare the industry for the fourth industrial revolution.

Anything you would like to add or highlight?There are many states in India that are still unknown to a large number of travellers. I believe India has not yet reached its full potential and requires more branding and presence at shows like PATA Travel Mart. We hope to see more Indian states present at future PATA Travel Mart events.

LOOKING FORWARD

Sri Balaji Representations along with the DMC’s, Hotels and Resort partners organised the annual B2B three city roadshow from August 16 to 18, 2017. The roadshow kick started in Chennai at The Radisson Blu Hotel and was followed by two other in Hyderabad (August 17) and Bengaluru (August 18).

The DMCs that participated in the roadshows were CCI tours and travel, Bali and New Thai Sun Rise Co Ltd, Thailand. The participating

partners at the event included the Emrald Cove Koh Chang (The signature Group ), Spice Mantraa Restaurant ( Indian Restaurant in Bali ), Adi Jaya Hotel, Pattaya Loft Hotel, South India Global Tour Operators Association (SIGTOA) and TravelScapes. The roadshows featured business and networking sessions followed by cocktail and dinner.

The proprietor and the Managing Director for Sri Balaji Representations, Kishore KV is also the President for SIGTOA.

Sri Balaji Representations hosts three city roadshow Emrald Cove Koh Chang, Spice Mantraa Restaurant, Adi Jaya Hotel, Pattaya Loft Hotel, SIGTOA and TravelScapes were the participating partners


EvEnT ESSAy

‘BIG BANG NAUTICAL FIESTA 2017’ ends on a successful noteArk Travels strengthens its market position, targets Golden Mark of 1,00,000 pax


EvEnT ESSAy

Big Bang Nautical Fiesta – a Charter Cruising event initiated by Ark Travels with an aim to target the corporate and MICE travel segment from India has concluded its second edition on a successful note. The signature event by one of the most trusted cruise seller in India, welcomed over 3000 cruise passengers on three different charter sailings on-board SuperStar Gemini from Ex-Singapore.

Organised in alliance with Genting Hong Kong’s Star Cruises, Ark Travels promoted two-night sailings from Singapore (Harbour Front Cruise Terminal) to Penang on August 9 to 11 and August 16 to 18, 2017

respectively. Whereas, single three-night charter cruise were planned from August 13 to 16, 2017, to exciting destinations of Penang & Port Klang in Malaysia. Ark Travels had also signed Singapore Airlines as Official Airline Partner for the event.

To further cement its ties with travel trade, Ark Travels hosted over 400 travel agents from metro cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and from other smaller like Surat, Rajkot in Gujarat, Bhopal and Indore in MP, Karimnagar in Telangana among others.

Dubai records one million Indian passengers in the Q1 of 2017

Almost all of Dubai’s top 20 inbound visitor source markets saw positive or near stable year-on-year performances in H1 (first half) 2017, with five of the top 10 delivering standout double-digit growth. India continued to top the list of traffic generators, for the first time crossing the one million mark over a six-month period with 1,051,000 Indians visiting the city between January and June, up 21 per cent over the same period last year.

Saudi Arabia and the UK retained their spots as the second and third largest feeder markets respectively, with the former rallying to stabilise in June despite facing economic challenges in 2017, while the latter delivered reliable volumes backed by solid four per cent year-on-year growth.

A record total of 8.06 million international overnight tourists arrived in Dubai during the first six months of 2017, reflecting a stellar 10.6 per cent increase over the same period last year. Figures released

by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) affirm the foundational strength, and sustained acceleration of the emirate’s tourism sector, as it stayed the course of its impressive growth trajectory from January this year, underscoring the expanding appeal of Dubai as a global tourism destination of choice.

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, commented, “We are extremely pleased that Dubai has sustained the momentum of growth we achieved in the first quarter to deliver a strong double-digit performance through H1 2017, setting the stage for continued acceleration in tourism volumes and GDP contribution this year. Our strategic investments, innovative destination promotion programmes, responsive federal policy reforms, and long-term global partnerships are evidently paying dividends as we ramp up efforts to increase Dubai’s accessibility, visibility and overall appeal, minimise barriers to travel, and ultimately drive both first-time and repeat visitation.”

SANYA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION, CHINA organised a marketing event on August 16, 2017, at Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi which was attended by prominent outbound tour operators of Delhi NCR region. A 17 persons-strong delegation of agents, hoteliers and officials from Sanya travelled for this event.

Sanya is a small tropical beach destination in Hainan Province in the south of China. Sanya is also known as China’s Hawaii with 20 km long stretch of beach line and packed with a lot of activities for tourist like golf courses, natural scenic beauty, ethnic cultural experience, water sports such as snorkelling and jet-skiing, rainforest hiking to name a few. Sanya has 256 hotels, with 46 international brands with as many as 100 hotels on the beach.

Zhang Yue Thomson (Vice Director,

Sanya Tourism Development Commission, Marketing Communication Center) and Zhang Yang (Executive Chairman, Sanya Tourism Association) represented the Government Tourism Department along with private travel and hospitality industry players from Sanya namely - China Southern Airlines Company Limited; InterContinental Sanya Resort; Hilton Sanya Yalong Bay Resort & Spa; Binglanggu Hainan Li & Miao Cultural Heritage Park; Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay; Mandarin Oriental, Sanya.

Sanya has an airport with flights to most major Asian countries. “One of the main reasons and incentive for this trip was upcoming launch of a direct China Southern flight from New Delhi to Sanya. This will not only increase travel from India to Sanya but also from Sanya to India, as awareness will be enhanced,” said Zhang.

Sanya expects increase in Indian arrivals with upcoming initiativesOrganises promotional event in New delhi to give an interesting insight into Sanya as a tourist destination

Norwegian Cruise Line unveils features of Norwegian BlissNorwegian Cruise Line revealed features and amenities of Norwegian Bliss, the line’s 16th ship, which has been designed for the ultimate cruising experience and will sail to Alaska and the Caribbean with select voyages to the Mexican Riviera beginning in June 2018. Custom-built for the spectacular, Norwegian Bliss will boast many firsts at sea including the largest competitive race track at sea and an open-air laser tag course.

Many of the ship’s amenities were announced recently by Andy Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer, Norwegian Cruise Line at an exclusive event at Virtuoso Travel Week at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. “Norwegian Bliss will no doubt be our most incredible ship to date,” said Stuart.

Spain touches 100,000 record number of Indian arrivals in 2016Spain registered 105,646 Indian arrivals in 2016, an increment of 17.08 per cent over the previous year. In this way, for the first time it has surpassed the number of 100,000 tourists coming from India. In addition, data collected during the first half of 2017 suggests that the growth in the number of arrivals from India will be even greater during this year.

The latest official data indicates that 105,646 Indian tourists travelled to Spain.The average stay was seven to eight nights which make it a total of approximately 780,000 nights. The main destinations that Indian tourists visited continue to be Barcelona, Madrid, Andalusia, Valencia and Ibiza.

A record of 8.06 million international overnight tourists arrived in dubai during the first six months of 2017

News Desk

News Desk


UPDATE OuTbOuNd

OuTbOuNd UPDATE

In continuation of its plan to increase the number of Indian arrivals to the country, the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT), conducted their second roadshow for 2017 in India. The roadshow was in a networking workshop format and commenced on August 21 in Mumbai followed by Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and concluded in Chennai on August 30. The Israeli delegation was led by Hassan Madah, Director – Israel Ministry of Tourism, India along with Judah Samuel, Director – Marketing, Israel Ministry of Tourism, India and included representative partners from the tourism industry of Israel. The roadshow witnessed a participation of over 100 travel agents in each city.

Speaking at the roadshow, Hassan Madah, Director - Israel Ministry of Tourism India said, “Over 34,000 Indians have already visited Israel in the last six months of 2017 marking a growth of 37 per cent in Indian tourist arrivals. The historic visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel has sparked a renewed interest among Indians to visit Israel and we want to leverage this to increase destination awareness among Indian travel trade and MICE agents. The response across the 6 cities was very positive and promising.”

Israel recorded an exponential growth of 79 per cent in Indian arrivals in June compared to the same month last year. Currently, El Al provides direct connectivity between India and Israel and has three (3 in the summer, 4 in the winter) weekly flights from Mumbai to Tel Aviv. Other connections to Israel include Turkish Airlines from Mumbai and Delhi to Tel Aviv (via Istanbul), Ethiopian Airlines from Mumbai and Delhi to Tel Aviv (via Addis Ababa) and Aeroflot

Israel records 79 per cent growth in Indian arrivals in JuneThe Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) conducts the roadshow across six Indian cities

News Desk

Russian Airlines from Delhi to Tel Aviv (via Moscow), including other European carriers. Hassan Madah


Jordan Tourism Board holds educational seminars in three Indian cities

Fiji -the home of happiness now reaching out to happy familiesAs tourism from India is growing, fiji extends its focus from couples and honeymooners to include the family segment. TravelScapes, in an email interview with matthew stoeckel, Chief executive officer, tourism Fiji, finds out more

Aim was to educate the travel fraternity about the fabulous offerings of Jordan and announce the success of its plans through 2016-2017

Give us an overview of Fiji and its key attractions.Fiji is an archipelago of 333 sun-kissed, picture perfect islands tucked away in the South Pacific. You can choose to relax and unwind in one of Fiji’s world-class spas and beaches or indulge in the many activities and experiences that Fiji has to offer – from sky diving to dirt biking to river rafting to scuba diving to trekking to cultural tours.

How do you view India as a source market? What is the traction you see from India to Fiji?India is one of the key emerging markets for Tourism Fiji, particularly as we increase accessibility with Singapore flights now. Since the opening of this sector, we have seen a positive growth of 28 per cent in visitor arrivals to Fiji from India in January – June 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016.

How have the numbers changed for Fiji over the past couple of years? What are the contributing factors?We have been witnessing a steady growth of 15 to 20 per cent on a year on year basis. These

are a result of the pillars of activities we have in market, which are travel trade engagement, marketing partnerships and communications, public relations and events as well as influencer campaigns.

What are the marketing initiatives undertaken by Tourism Fiji to woo the Indian traveller? FY 2016 – 2017 was an exciting year for us in India. We undertook a variety of initiatives ranging from media campaigns, on-ground events to influencer visits to the destination.

The most prominent among them was the visit of Bollywood actress Ileana D’Cruz to Fiji.

This was a joint campaign done by Tourism Fiji and Fiji Airways with Times of India.

What are the new experiences that you are currently promoting in India?In the past, our core focus from India has been on couples and honeymooners. We are now looking at actively promoting Fiji’s offerings to the family segment as well. With the introduction of new properties such as Marriott Fiji Resort Momi Bay, which opened in April 2017, and Six Senses, which is scheduled to open by the end of December, we are only expanding the array of products on offer for Indian travellers.

Think Strawberries, Jordan Tourism Board’s Representative Office in India held multi-city Educational Seminars in the major outbound cities of India, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore recently. The aim of these seminars was to educate the travel agents and tour operators of the fabulous offerings that Jordan has and to announce the success of its activities and plans through 2016-2017.

The seminars were conducted to reach out directly to the travel agent and tour operator community and to make Jordan a strong contender in their itineraries for the coming season. The event was attended by Majd Abuarqub, the India market In-charge from Jordan Tourism Board and Ashit Taneja, Country

Manager, Jordan Tourism Board’s Representative Office in India along with Think Strawberries team.

Abuarqub spoke about his excitement to be in India; and meet the agents and have one on one interaction with them on such an active platform. He concluded that the seminars were very fruitful as it helped them develop and foster healthy relationships and enroll almost 400 visitors at the end of the seminars.

“We have established Jordan as a year round destination with top of the mind recall for Indian travellers and is a destination that caters to all segments of Indian traveler. There is a growing interest in Jordan as a wedding and honeymoon destination as well thanks to its close proximity to India; value

for money offerings and visa on arrival for Indian traveller,” concluded Taneja.

During the Roadshow, a film showing the Virtual Reality project shot in Jordan was also shown. Virtual reality (VR) is a computer technology that uses Virtual

Reality headsets, sometimes in combination with physical spaces or multi-projected environments, to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a user’s physical presence in a virtual or imaginary environment.

Gurpreet k sekhoN

News Desk

UPDATE OuTbOuNd

Picture from Fiji Tourism Roadshow

Matthew Stoeckel


UPDATE STATE NEWS

happinessSingapore

Bell of


GLObE TROTTER

A place where chaos has no address, such is the definition of this cosmopolitan city-state. A place small enough to feel closer yet large enough to dip oneself into a completely new experience every time one visits the city-state, Singapore. Well living in Asia has its own peaks —food, weather, culture and to top the list, easy accessibility to best destinations. from an aerial view, the city looks like it is travelling at a breakneck speed into tomorrow with its futuristic architecture, bright lights and skyscrapers boldly scattered across the east’s western counterpart. How can one not fall in love with an otherwise bustling city being calm from inside.

Beat the clock with the metroAfter satiating your culinary expedition, walk down to Orchard street which leads to the tourist information centre where the city map, places to visit and all the ready material for tourists are available. Wonderfully their pamphlets cater to different audiences; Singapore Guide for shoppers, techies, night life seekers, medical tourism, etc. And icing on the cake, all these places of interest are efficiently connected by public transport, especially with the convenient EZ-link card, travel within. Planning to explore the bylanes of China Town and heritage centre but also want to go for a steamy lunch to one of the Michelin-starred fine dining and then hop to shopping post the stomach rituals, to Marina Bay. Well all these are possible with the perfect MRT system.

City in gardenThe towered skyscrapers and high-rise buildings here have garden on its wall. Indeed a real one with leaves, roots, shoots and tendrils. Well, Singapore was once dominated by concrete jungles. But with its futuristic architecture and green on its mind, the city has turned itself a living ecosystem with vertical gardens bringing a fresh whiff of life. Besides, the lush green Botanical gardens are the paradise for nature lovers. It is a place which is well planned and also have taken initiatives to take care of the adverse effects of an advanced city, making gardens the lungs of Singapore. Truly a city in a garden, it is a place which has something for everyone. Perhaps a rare phenomenon in any pulsating cities.

Tip

Tip

Indulge yourself in the world of terrariums, hanging basket, vertical garden to the fullest and do not hold yourself back for a yoga session in one of Singapore’s exercise paradise

Make the maximum use of time and literally travel here, there and everywhere

Luxury on the goEnjoy a cruise of a lifetime in the luxury liners of SuperStar Gemini for an exotic holiday in Singapore. Not only one of the largest sellers of Star Cruises in India, but also amongst the top sellers in the world, Ark Travels has certainly nailed itself in turning dreams into world class vacations.

aNkIta jaIN


glOBE TROTTER

Island of peaceEvery tourist desires to walk freely in an unknown city with the safety and security taken care of. Truly rubbing off you, this cosmopolitan city is extremely safe, child-friendly and ofcourse easy to go around with the excellent public transport. And this is one of the reasons why Singapore is a perfect weekend family destination. A place blended with a wonderful mix of the familiar and the exotic everywhere one turns. One of them is, watching Merlion constantly throwing out water, we wonder if it is fuelling this well planned city which is racing against time.

Tip Take a day to plunge into the city crowd. A walk from Esplanade to the Merlion, across the bay over the bridge will introduce the pulse of the city that is Singapore

Trail the island by tasteFamous for its street food, from a perfectly grilled satay to the prawns, lobsters, squids and octopuses, this island treat its visitors charmingly enough through its multi-coloured menus ranging from a diverse offerings from Thai to Malay to Indonesian. Surely, Singaporeans love their food and so do we. And if you are missing home a little too much then head to Little India for the air filled with aromas of some bursting flavours. From dosa on banana leaves to bustling village markets packed with desi masalas and mithais, all these are available under the decorated roof. The state-city is also one of those places which is filled with coffee shops and hawkers at every corner, so you know what to do. Simply follow your nose or join the longest queue and you will be surprised to be served with some of the island’s best meals for just a couple of bucks.

Shopping paradiseThis place is expensive by Southeast Asian standards with everything costing about double of what it does elsewhere in the region, wisely called the shopping paradise of the East. And if high street brands are on your list then head to Orchard Road- the queen of shopping malls with many high-fashion houses and also a few discount outlets thrown in the mix to cater the needs of the locals as well as tourists. The city also has options for visitors who like to dig the streets to shop and also carry sovereigns back home. And if Indian attire is ruling your mind then you know where to head- Little India.

Tip TipKeep your camera handy for some best instagram posts

Explore the local neighbourhoods for independent designers, quirky art galleries, bustling markets, Chinese medicines, Persian carpets and a sari or two

glOBE TROTTERS

ALL INCLUSIvE Club Med is the pioneer in premium all-inclusive holidays.So while you’re having a fun filled vacation, they take care of your transfers, meals, drinks, activities, night life and even your kids, all included in the price of your stay.

Unleash yoUr adventUroUs sideAt Club Med bintAn islAnd

Just 45 minutes away by Ferry from Singapore, Club Med Bintan Island is fast becoming the getaway destination of choice for people looking to vacation near Singapore or add a few days of a beach vacation to their Singapore trip.Located on an almost untouched island and situated on what is arguably the best strip of beach on the island, the resortis spread over 1230 acres. And not only is it sprawling, it also offers a large variety of recreational, sports and leisure activities. Time almost stands still, while you relax on the prisitine silver beach or rejuvenate at the Club Med Spa by ASMARA.

LOCATIONLocated in the heart of bintan utara, North Lagoi, Indonesia, the property opened its door in 1997 and has recently been renovated to embrace an even more comfortable and up to date vibe for its swimming pool, bars, rooms and conference areas . The nearest airport to reach the resort is Changi International Airport, Singapore. Via ferry, it is 45 minutes away from Singapore.

THE RESORTThe 310 rooms and suites, which include a wheelchair-accessible room, offer amazing views of the sprawling resort or mirrored waters of the South China Sea. It hosts Oceanview Suite with Terrace, Oceanview deluxe Room with balcony, Superior Room with balcony. In-room amenities include TV, air-conditioning, phone, mini-fridge, kettle, etc. Wifi is available everywhere in the resort, right upto the beach, and is free of cost.

FOOD & BEvERAGESavour the best from the culinary world with carefully selected ingredients sourced both locally and globally to please your palate. Enjoy the local specialties at La Terrasse restaurant or choose from the extensive carefully crafted buffet at The Waterfall. Sip leisurely on your cocktails at the Panorama, bagus, Santai or Matahari beach bar. All meals and an open bar are included in the price of the room.

LEISURE & SPORTSAlthough bintan is famous for its world class golf courses, which Club Med guests have easy access to, the resort also offers an exhaustive list of activities for adults and kids, such as water sports, yoga, aqua zumba, archery, racquet sports, etc along with coaches. If sports is not your thing, relaxing at the pool with a drink is also a great option.

returns……..…..!the third edition of jalmahotsav, a festival of adventure tourism in central India, is back with a bang and is about to unfold between october 15, 2017 to jan 2, 2018, at hanuwantiya, District khandwa. hanuwantiya is a serene destination by the banks of the Indira sagar dam- one of the biggest man-made dams and offers unmatched scope for adventure lovers. the 80 days long adventure carnival will be a treat for all those who want to seek adventure other than rock climbing or mountaineering. a wide range of water , land and air activities will be available to choose from like parasailing, para motoring, hot air ballooning, wind surfing, para -sailing, island camping, jet -skiing, artificial climbing wall, Burma bridge, night camping, bird watching and lots more. para-motoring and hot air ballooning will make you reach out for your cameras to freeze the thrilling moment of your life up in the air.

this quiet, secluded place will be buzzing with activities for full month long when it will transform into a tented city to host the guests from India and abroad. Cultural extravaganza every day, after sun down including the ne w year eve -party will be something you will cherish. Craft bazaar, food bazaar, cycle rides and many more recreational activities are waiting to be explored.

there is wide range of attractive packages to choose from a tent city package to island night camping package to staying in premium / deluxe tent. the tariff ranges from 7,100/- to 20,000/-.

For details log into www.jalmahotsav.com Fact File:-

Nearest airport – Indore (130 km), Nearest railhead – khandwa (45km) and Indore (130km)tourist helpline- 18002337777, www.mptourism.com

Jalmahotsav

Cygnett Hotels & Resorts Delivering an unmatched ‘Cygnetture’ experience While the group has already been recognised as the ‘fastest growing Indian hotel brand’, it deliberately looks forward to several expansions in the forthcoming years. In conversation with TravelScapes, Sarbendra Sarkar, Managing Director & Founder, the Cygnett Group of Hotels shares the differentiation factor of the properties, current challenges, and the future prospects

Tell us about Cygnett Hotels & Resorts. What makes it different from others in the market?Hotels are no longer just a place to rest your weary head after a long day of travelling. The new-age traveller increasingly demands and expects a holistic experience from his time spent in a hotel. Fully cognizant of this shift, the Cygnett Group of hotels have established a growing success trail by virtue of their immense ecosystem synergies, fast expanding distribution network, a seamless IT infrastructure, an efficient support system and an insightful experience and knowledge pool, all coming together to create exceptional guest experiences and memories. Being recognised as the ‘Fastest Growing Indian Hotel Brand’, the Cygnett Hotels differentiates themselves in the market with three things - Versatile Offerings. Great Prices. Cygnetture Experience.

Cygnetture’ service experience is the cornerstone of the brand promise of Cygnett Hotels and Resorts, striving to delight all its business and leisure guests through unmatched service, uncompromising quality and people-friendly prices.

The Cygnett Hotels and Resorts was established in 2012. And, after two years of careful and detailed analysis and groundwork in April 2014, it started operations in India. Cygnett has already opened eight hotels over the last 24 months. Currently, Cygnett has added 1000+ rooms in their market space in partnerships, which allows Cygnett to connect with more than 640,000 travel agents globally and extending their reach in the hospitality sector.

The Cygnett Group has a number of clearly defined sub-brands bringing instant recall, so that guests can easily match their requirements with the chain’s offers– the Full Service- Up-scale ‘Cygnett Plaza’; the Full Service- Mid-scale ‘Cygnett Park’; the Full Service- Upscale & Midscale, Cygnett Resorts for Leisure Travellers, the Select Service- Budget ‘Cygnett Inn’; the Condo Hotels/Service Apartment under ‘Cygnett Residences’ and Manchise Brand under ‘Cygnett Lite’. With such multiple offerings, Cygnett is able to serve a wide spectrum of consumer segments, covering the leisure traveller, business guests, families and even backpackers.

What is Cygnett Hotels & Resorts’ current network in India with the number of keys and city presence? Currently, Cygnett hotels group has seven hotels in India and one hotel in Nepal with overall 600 keys. We have The Jameson Inn Shiraz (Kolkata), Cygnett Inn Repose (Guwahati), Cygnett Inn Celestiial (Goa), Cygnett Inn Krishna Nepalgunj (Nepal), Cygnett Park Meghna - Bongaigaon (Assam), Cygnett Lite Cozzet (Digha), Cygnett Lite Cozzet – (Sonipat) and Cygnett Park Asia, (Jammu).

What are the major challenges for the group?Cygnett Hotels is on an accelerated growth path, growing its room inventory by a CAGR of 180 per cent and revenues by a CAGR

of 137 per cent between 2014 -2017. As a rapidly growing business, we are investing significantly in Technology and People while scaling the expansion of our footprint. To support our accelerated growth during this phase, we are currently seeking investment partners who would be equally excited about the building the most loved hospitality company together. Also, Cygnett has been known for its experienced and skilled team members but sometimes it is very difficult to find the right kind of employees with the right attitude and skills to work with us.

Going forward, what would be your thrust? Owning properties or managing them? Over the next five years, our major thrust would be towards “Managing” properties. This would allow us to rapidly scale our footprint without compromising on the processes, systems, and standards to deliver the ultimate hospitality experience which is really the end goal.

Any future expansion plans?Cygnett is actively looking to add at least 10 to 12 hotels per year for the next three years which will work out to about 2000 rooms by 2020. The company is also looking to expanding its footprints beyond the borders including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Our strategic five-year goal sums up as 5000 Keys with 103 Hotels in 75 Cities with one of its kind “Cygnetture Experience” and a zillion exceptional travel memories.


In CONVERSATION

GaGNeet kaur

Sarbendra Sarkar


UPDATE AVIATION

Strengthening aviation connectivity between NE India and BCLMV countries

India is the third largest domestic air transport market in the world, with 100 million passengers in the last calendar year. A new wave of expansion is now being realized as Indian carriers rapidly expand their wings to new destinations domestically and globally. Their intent is clear with more than 1000 aircraft on firm order to come into the country over the next seven years. Giving the necessary impetus to Aviation is a very proactive Ministry of Civil Aviation that has thrown open more than 33 airports to scheduled airlines services through UDAN over the past one year. With a new aviation policy in place, India is truly poised to claim its rightful place as one of the world’s foremost air passenger and cargo markets. The NER figures very high in the list of priorities of not only the Government but also of the Air Transport sector which sees immense unrealised potential in this part of the country.

Given the challenges of the terrain in the region, Air Transport emerges as the major

facilitator to the realisation and unlocking of the economic potential of the NER. In this regard, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India and International Chamber for Service Industry (ICSI) with Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) recently organised an International Conference Strengthening Aviation Network between North East Region India (NERI) and BCLMV Countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam): Gateway to Services Exports at Guwahati in Assam. The main objective of the conference were to enhance intra and inter-regional as well as international air connectivity to the NER.

Riding on the back of a healthy seasonal demand and thereby a healthy passenger load factor (PLF), the domestic passenger traffic growth in June 2017 returned to 20 per cent level after staying below the level for previous four months. Moderation in capacity addition during last few months had suppressed the passenger traffic growth rate to some extent. The Indian airlines continued to outperform the industry on international routes, where the passenger traffic growth in June 2017 was 13.6 per cent against that of 8.6 per cent for the industry. Increasing capacity deployment on international routes is also reflected in increasing market share of the Indian airlines on international routes. The industry’s profitability is expected to be supported by moderate supply growth coupled with healthy PLFs resulting in better yields as well as sequential decline in

aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices resulting in improved cost structure. ICRA expects the cost pressures to remain eased going forward as well; however the yields might moderate to some extent. Capacity addition and consequent degree of competitive intensity will be the key determinants for the yields going forward. As for the growth in industry capacity (measured in available seat kilometres – ASKMs) it remained moderate in June 2017 at 14 per cent, primarily due to below average capacity addition by the market leader, Indigo.

ICRA: Passenger traffic growth in June 2017 back to 20 per cent

Air Astana has announced its operational results for the 1st half of 2017. The airline carried 1,894,391 passengers for the period January-June 2017, of which 1,007,413 were domestic passengers and 886,978 were international passengers.

Overall Passenger traffic increased by 12 per cent for the period. Whilst passenger growth on domestic routes was a relatively modest four per cent, international traffic grew by 22 per cent, driven to a large extent by network traffic transiting through its Astana and Almaty hubs, which grew by 62 per cent. Cargo uplift increased by 22 per cent for the same period.

Commenting on the results, Peter Foster, President and CEO stated, “Kazakhstan’s economy is delivering modest growth after two very difficult years, and we expect this to accelerate as the economy continues to diversify. However international passenger growth is most encouraging, particularly network business. Astana EXPO 2017, further easing of visa restrictions, the new terminal at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport at Astana, and continued positive developments within the airline are all combining to set up strong traffic recovery.”

Peter adds, “Cost pressure, driven by higher fuel prices in Kazakhstan, has increased, however the airline’s unit cost remains very competitive and enables us to increase our share of long-haul major market business. This is helped by increased awareness in foreign markets of the quality of our product, and we have yet again won the Skytrax Award for ‘Best Airline, Central Asia and India’. We continue to introduce product improvements including the introduction of onboard internet connectivity, and have recently concluded an agreement to acquire five brand new Embraer E2 regional jets from autumn 2018. These fuel efficient aircraft, when combined with the Airbus 320 NEO family aircraft of which we continue to take delivery, will drive continued improvements in efficiency and product quality.”

ICSI organises an International Conference on intensifying aviation network

News Desk

News Desk

Air Astana sees strong international traffic in first half of 2017

Moderation in capacity addition during last few months had suppressed the passenger traffic growth rate

Bagdogra Airport: giving a sense of place with local culture

Airports Authority of India (AAI) enhances passenger experience by creating a sense of place with local culture and ethos at their airports

Today Airports are not just transport hubs but are destinations as well. Since airports are the natural gateways and often the first point of contact with the local destination for travellers, it is imperative that experience of the traveller must be memorable and long cherished. In an effort to enhance passenger experience which can connect foreign visitors with local region and its community, there is an imminent need to create a sense of place within the airport by reflecting the unique identity and culture of the local area/ states. Also, if the travellers visiting different states within the country are introduced to culture and ethos, this will help in building the brand image of the organization along with enhanced traveller’s experience.

Sense of Place - Connecting people and cultureThe phenomenon, sense of place, is about conveying lifestyles and traditions, making any place a destination in its own right, just like an airport, which is not just a place you fly to and from. Zürich Airport is a great example. Going from one terminal to another, travellers notice cow noises, yodelling and an animated Heidi, giving them a flavour of Switzerland.

AAI airports are already working on the same especially at Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal where AAI team undertook an endeavour to recreate the environment of the area i.e. Tea, mountains, local handicraft of Darjeeling and Sikkim, the iconic “toy train” of Darjeeling, music and dance of Bengali and Nepali culture, local food to Gujarati tourists who flock in large numbers and the ever-present “Khata; , the traditional ceremonial scarf to represent the giver’s goodwill and regards to the recipient.

Moutat – Aroma of Darjeeling Tea The concept of creating a sense of place is best exemplified by Moutat – bringing the tea gardens to Bagdogra Airport. Moutat is basically a group of four women who want to bring out the best of

the culture of the region and present it to people by serving a free cup of Darjeeling tea to every passenger boarding the flights from the Bagdogra Airport as ‘Welcome Drink.’

The aroma and taste of Darjeeling tea are unparalleled in the world. The basic motive behind serving the tea is to get the visitors introduced to the flavour of the region. Apart from this, Airport also hosts all the well-known tea brands of the region e.g. Makaibari, Gopaldhara and Golden Tips who have factory outlets at the airport.

SIKKIMIS- Gifts from Sikkim In order to promote the culture of Sikkim and presenting it to tourists through everyday lifestyle products; which are authentic and called as souvenirs of the place, Bagdogra Airport has collaborated with SIKKIMIS, an off-shoot of B.R.E.W (Bakery, Retail, and Event &Workshop). Each of its products is inspired by some aspect of Sikkimese life which makes a great souvenir or gift that allows tourists to take a bit of the beautiful hills with them.

ARTMART- Beautifying the ambience Bagdogra Airport has an outlet of ARTMART, an art gallery where they promote local artists and display paintings on local themes, like tea gardens, mountains and wildlife of Dooars. All paintings are 100 per cent hand painted and artists and communities do not use any rouge techniques to make them - like canvas prints, canvas transfers, or painting on prints etc. The gallery not only creates a ‘sense of place’ but also beautifies the ambience of the airport.

Memorabilia- From the hands of weaversAirport proudly hosts an outlet of Biswa Bangla

in the waiting area. The showroom attracts a large number of domestic as well as foreign tourists who are looking for a local memorabilia: handicraft products developed by craftsmen and weavers of West Bengal.

Visitors to the showrooms are tacitly enlightened on West Bengal’s heritage art and craft forms. Biswa Bangla which runs under MSME Govt of West Bengal has a ‘social business’ approach i.e. creating entrepreneurs out of artists at one hand, and bringing back profits to the bottom of the pyramid on the other. This helps sustain the art and craft by creating viable livelihood opportunities.

Doorway to the traditions On the occasion of Bagdogra Airport crossing the mark of one million passengers, AAI in association with Tourism Department, Govt. of West Bengal organized a welcome ceremony for the Millionth passenger. The ceremony included a traditional

Bengali dance with traditional Dhak and Nepali dance which was very well appreciated by the passengers.

The efforts by Bagdogra Airport should be seen in the light of conceptualizing and revamping of airports with innovative ideas in India Airports like Bhuj, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Tirupati and Khajuraho have also incorporated local art and craft in enhancing the ambience of the airport and got the appreciation by visitors and passengers.

Artmart Gallery

Welcoming the millionth passenger

Visitors accorded by the local performers

Gifts from Sikkim

Moutat Tea Boutique at Bagdogra Airport


SPECIAl fOCUS AVIATION

India is a dominant source market for SriLankan, Chinthaka

SriLankan Airlines, with a notable growth of 10 to 15 per cent and its recent expansions, aims to fly higher in India. We spoke to Chinthaka Weerasinghe, SriLankan Airlines, Manager Northern India, about the initiatives SriLankan has been taking for the India market and its positive growth so far

As SriLankan is expanding its footprints in India, how do you rank India in comparison to other Asian markets in profitability?India is a dominant source market for SriLankan Airlines as we have a year round 10 to 15 per cent growth in numbers and we are expecting this number to grow, given the fact that we have expanded our operations to 14 points in India. We recently expanded operations to Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore and Hyderabad bringing SriLankan’s total operations in India to 126 weekly flights.

What are your market development plans in India?After adding three more points in South India namely HYD, VTZ and CJB in July 2017 and also Gaya and Varanasi in North India in August 2017, we also increased our frequencies in North India to DEL and BOM. As North India stands as a key market for us and with most of the industrialists and business families spread across Delhi and neighbouring states, we are, therefore looking to double the daily operation from DEL and BOM effective December 1, 2017.

We have done a tremendous change in getting a brand new fleet in the form of A320 New and A321 aircraft to enhance the customer experienceHow are the customers and their needs changing? What are the major shifts in trends witnessed in the past three years?Customer booking has seen a shift in trend due to ease of booking through Online Travel

Agents. There is also a marked increase in leisure holidays and destination weddings in overseas locations.

What service or quality improvements have been made by your airline this year to strengthen the flyer’s experience? We have done a tremendous change in getting a brand new fleet in the form of A320 New and A321 aircraft to enhance the customer experience. The uniqueness of the new service will be that the travellers can now enjoy SriLankan’s award winning onboard hospitality with the airline’s ultra-modern fleet of Airbus aircraft which possess the most sophisticated in-flight entertainment systems and superior comforts.

How do you think has GST affected the air travel or is bound to impact the travelling plans in near future? There will be a short term impact on holiday travel due to the change in packages’ pricing. However, in the long run, we expect the market to stabilise.

GaGNeet kaur

Chinthaka Weerasinghe


SriLankan expands wings to Coimbatore, Vishakhapatnam & Hyderabad

EvEnTS & GALLERIES

Sanya Tourism hosts roadshow in Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi

ICSI organises International Conference on intensifying aviation network


EvEnTS & GALLERIES

SIMARJEET SINGHThe Chancery Pavilion, Bengaluru announces the appointment of Simarjeet Singh as the hotel’s new General Manager. His career spans close to two decades of rich and diverse experience in the hospitality industry. He has held eminent positions with renowned brands like Radisson Blu, Park Plaza and Intercontinental to name a few. In this new role, he will provide leadership and strategic direction to the hotel team and will focus on maximising revenues and creating personalised guest experiences.

AdITI CHINTA AccorHotels recently announced the appointment of Aditi Chinta as the Director of Revenue, Bengaluru and Mysuru Marketplace. With 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Aditi will be identifying key business competitors and provide critical inputs regarding on-going trends to increase market share for AccorHotels. Prior to joining AccorHotels in 2017, Aditi was the Market Director Revenue Management for Marriott’s Mumbai Cluster. A native of Andhra Pradesh, Aditi likes to read in her spare time.

SANJAY BARANWAL AccorHotels has appointed Sanjay Baranwal as the Director Finance at ibis & Novotel Bengaluru Techpark. Sanjay is a qualified Chartered Accountant with experience in handling various accounting, auditing and taxation related work. Sanjay comes with seven years of managerial experience working with some of the leading hospitality groups across India and effectively managing and balancing their finances and budgets. Prior to joining AccorHotels in 2017, Sanjay was the Director of Finance at Marriott International, Lucknow.

TARUN dUTTA AccorHotels announced the appointment of Tarun Dutta as the Associate Director of Sales at ibis & Novotel Bengaluru Techpark. An experienced Sales & Marketing professional, Tarun has worked with many leading hospitality brands and has proven expertise in business development, revenue strategy, people management and business distribution. Owing to his rich domain knowledge and hands-on experience, he brings a strong business sense towards achieving sales goals. A native of New Delhi, Tarun pursued his MBA from ICFAI Business School.

NORTON PEREIRALe Meridien, Goa has announced Norton Pereira as its General Manager. In his new role, Norton will be responsible for overall hotel performance, managing operating efficiencies, business growth and driving overall guest satisfaction. With more than 19 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has successfully handled hotels in varying capacities. Norton brings a wealth of experience in handling leisure destinations and resort properties like Udaipur, Mahabaleshwar & Goa.

JAIdEEP KANUNGOE Jaideep Kanungoe has been appointed as the Executive Chef at ibis and Novotel Bengaluru Techpark. Jaideep has over 16 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. Trained under renowned chefs both in India and abroad, Chef Jaideep is well versed in Modern European, Italian and Pan-Asian cuisine. He brings quality and consistency to the table along with aesthetic presentations incorporating both modern and traditional trends in European and Pan-Asian cuisines. Jaideep holds a diploma in Hospitality Management from Institute of Hotel Management, Kolkata.

NIHAR MEHTASarovar Hotels has appointed Nihar Mehta as Corporate HR Manager. Based out of Sarovar’s corporate office in Gurugram, Nihar will be looking after human resources and manage employee development policies and systems. Prior to joining Sarovar Hotels, Nihar had worked in Ravi Jaipuria Corporation as Manager – HR and has led the Human Resources Department for the Retail Division for J Mart brand of Ravi Jaipuria Corporation. He had also worked in the Human Resource Department of Varun Beverages Ltd.

SHARONI SHARMA Sharoni Sharma has been appointed as the F&B Manager for ibis & Novotel Bengaluru Techpark. Sharoni has eight years of extensive experience in beverage, restaurant, training, conferencing and banquet operations. With her expertise in menu development, conceptualising recipes and restaurant marketing, Sharoni will be developing and promoting the properties’ F&B offerings. Earlier, Sharoni was the Head of Event Services at The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences.

EKTA GUPTA Courtyard Marriott recently appointed Ekta Gupta as the head of Human Resource Management. Former HR manager at Hyatt Regency, Pune, Gupta is a proficient when it comes to managing professionals of the hospitality sector with a sturdy hand in improving talent and bringing out excellence. Gupta completed her graduation in 2006, with a degree in commerce from Kurukshetra University. Having been always a people’s person, she enrolled herself for an MBA degree in Human Resources and Marketing in 2009.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K


APPOInTmEnTS

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

RNI No. - DELENG/2013/48401 • Licence No. : F.2(T-3) 2013 • Posting Dt. 9-10/09/2017Place of Posting: NIEHOND 110028 • Reg. No. - DL(W)10/2208/2016-2018 • Date of publication 3-4/09/2017

Macaotravelscapesonline.com/magazine/september17.pdfScan this QR code to see our new TV commercial....

Documents

Transcript of Macaotravelscapesonline.com/magazine/september17.pdfScan this QR code to see our new TV commercial....