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` 50/-Vol. XXVIII Issue 8; April 2nd fortnight i ssue 2016 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 64+28 Pages Supplement-Experiential Talk

15-04-2016_FINAL_April-2nd ATM ISUEE-2016:TT Layout 4/19/2016 11:44 AM

Industry professionals opine that seasonality can be overcome with a persuasive and effective promotion of theoff-season products. A majority agree that hill stations should be aggressively marketed, while MICE can beanother good alternative to lure foreign visitors to the country.

365 days of incredible India

AH A N A GU R U N G

Legend in Public Service

Along with India being a well-known leisure destination withnumerous tourism products tooffer, it also makes for afavoured destination for MICE.What's great about India is thatwhen exhibitions are heldhere, you are catering to alarge market that is readilyaccessible. If we can pitchexhibitions during the summerseason, we can maintain a

balance between high and low season and have touristsall year round.

Suman BillaJoint Secretary-TourismGovernment of India

India has all the qualities thatcan attract tourists throughoutthe year. What is really neededis that strategies have to beevolved. Promoting theHimalayas is a good way toattract tourists during sum-mers, where they can indulgein adventure activities. GoaTourism has been highlightingmonsoon tourism so that visi-tors can enjoy the rainy seasontargeting tourists from the

Middle East. The festivals in the Northeast like Hornbillare also instrumental in driving tourists during the leanseason. Additionally, trade fairs can be organised duringsummer to maintain a regular flow of visitors.

Subhash GoyalPresident, IndianAssociation of TourOperators

Strategies which can help flat-ten seasonality include attrac-tive publicity to adjust the itin-erant’s mindset, promotionalrates by hospitality industry,and diversification of attrac-tions by destination manage-ment companies. Other plansto turn this into reality com-prise involving government toapprove tweaking of vacationsin educational institutions and

offices across the country. Spreading incentive trips toalternate regions for eg. small towns and rural localescould help in regulating tourist movement, both nationaland foreign travellers significantly.

Rajan DuaManaging DirectorUdaan

Seasonality is not a majorproblem for destinations thatare well promoted and publi-cised. If the campaigning isstrong and has good products,there will be tourists coming inthroughout the year. For exam-ple, 10 years ago there werehardly any tourists visiting theEastern Himalayan region dur-ing winter. Now, a majority ofthem come during that time.Unless there are challenges

like infrastructure or political strife, tourists will alwaysvisit well-promoted destinations.

Debjit DuttaChairman, IATO WestBengal Chapter

There are many strategies that are used to address the effects of seasonality. These include pricingstrategies, diversifying the attraction, market diversification and seeking assistance from the gov-ernment and industry bodies. It also involves clearly identifying target market segments and focusingon associated promotional activities at these segments. Producing attractively designed productsor packages which make off season holidays appear worthwhile is another strategy that can workwell. On-going product development and market research is also important because not only doesthe competition for off-season clientele generally tend to be sharper than for peak season business,but off-season products often compete with high season alternatives.

Pankaj SaxenaGeneral Manager,Country Inn and Suitesby Carlson, Mysore

Contd. on page 10

The third edition of the South India Travel Awards celebrated theaccomplishments of the travel and tourism industry of South India atSheraton Hyderabad Hotel on April 12. The awards commemoratedthe achievers from different segments of the industry, such as GDS,Hotels and Resorts, Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Technology.Gracing the occasion with their presence were Guests of Honour:Neerabh Kumar Prasad, I.A.S., Principal Secretary (Tourism &Culture), Government of Andhra Pradesh; B. Venkatesham, I.A.S,Secretary Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture, Government ofTelangana; and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Khajuria, I.F.S., Commissioner,Department of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad,as well as other dignitaries from the travel and tourism industry in SouthIndia. Rajen Habib Khwaja, Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism,Ministry of Mines, Government of India, New Delhi was honoured withThe Legend in Public Service award. Khwaja joined the IndianAdministrative Service (IAS) in 1976. He superannuated from serviceon February 28, 2014 after a distinguished career spanning 38 yearswhich included working as Secretary to the Government of India in theMinistries of Tourism and Mines.

Congratulating the winners, Prasad said, “Extensive opportunitiesexist in the travel industry. Tourism is a very major economic engine,which we have identified for the state of Andhra Pradesh. I am sure allthe winners will be able to bring laurels in their respective areas ofoperation, leading to the growth of tourism in the whole country.”

(L-R) SanJeet, Mentor, India Travel Awards presenting the award to R.H. Khwaja along with Mrs. India Dr. Tanushree Pandey


In 2015, travel and tourismcontributed 6.3 per cent toIndia's GDP and is forecast

to grow to 7.3 per cent in2016, according to WTTC'sTravel & Tourism EconomicImpact Report 2016. Withseveral initiatives at play like

the addition of 37 more coun-tries to the eTV list, taking thetotal count to 150, and suc-cessful participation by thecountry on an internationalplatform at ITB Berlin, theoutlook for inbound tourismseems very promising.

"We started on a verypositive note," says Zutshi."There was a growth of almost7 per cent in January 2016over the corresponding monthin 2015. February witnessed11.3 per cent growth overFebruary 2015 which is very

encouraging. After a totalboost of 4.4 per cent in 2015, this jump is a positivesign. We are therefore aimingat an increase of 10 per centfor this year.

Addressing the effects ofeTV, Zutshi says that a power-ful advertisement campaignhas been launched with theeTV logo to make people moreaware of the online service."So far, the response to eTV has been very good. It is evident from the 117,210foreign tourists who availed

this service in February 2016.This year, we will get to see thetrue effects of the eTVscheme," he enthuses.

He adds that domestictourism has also flourishedvery convincingly and hasseen good progress. "We had about 1.45 billion touristvisits in 2015 and expect a 15per cent growth which is a verybig number for domestictourism visits. But with the waymost Indian states havebecome pro-active in organis-ing their own travel marts, this

target is definitely achievable,"Zutshi adds.

The first quarter of theyear also saw the officiallaunch of the Tourism Helplinethat focuses on information,education and communicationfor tourists and acts as a

helpdesk. The helpline quicklygained popularity and regis-tered 17,911 calls in less thantwo months. Looking at theencouraging reaction, Zutshisays, "I think we should behopeful about the promisesand probability of good tourismyears to come."

Upbeat on inboundStrong foreign tourist arrival numbers in the first few months of the year, coupled with a good response to e-Tourist Visais crucial in predicting the outcome for inbound this year, says Vinod Zutshi, Secretary - Tourism, Government of India.

TT BU R E AU We had about 1.45 billion tourist visits in 2015 and expect a 15 per centgrowth which is a very big number fordomestic tourism visits. With the way

most Indian states have become proactivein organising their own travel

marts, this target is definitelyachievable.

Vinod ZutshiSecretary - Tourism, Government of India

Revamped Incredible India The Incredible India 2.0 campaign will mostly encom-pass the digital revolution. We will be launching PR

agencies all over the world - we have alreadystarted India Tourism offices in UK, China

and Germany and will be adding morecountries to the list. In addition, mediaplanning agencies will also be launchedthat will oversee the investments. Wehave plans to go all out on social media

as that is currently the most effective wayto spread the word. The revamped cam-

paign is expected to fullylaunch in May 2016.

Suman BillaJoint Secretary -

Tourism, Government of India

MOT BoostersStimulus to approve low costaccommodation like Bed & Breakfast units and guesthouses.

Revision of the e-Tourist Visa(eTV) fee in four slabs of 0,$25, $48, and $60.

Financial support in the form of ‘Brochure Support’ for pro-ducing exclusive India tourpackage brochures will begiven through India Tourismoffices overseas.

Extending rewards to serviceproviders like hotels (3%),restaurants (3%), travel agen-cies (5%), tourist guide servic-es (5% ) under Service Exportsfrom India Scheme (SEIS).

Even as the trade works to promote India as anall-weather destination, hills continue to be the obviousholiday choice in the summer. In a response to a poll, Jammu &Kashmir, one of the most picturesque states of India, has emerged as themost sought-after domestic travel destination in the summer. The Ladakhregion of the state received a special mention for its extraordinarylandscapes. Other destinations that also garnered votes are HimachalPradesh, Goa and Sikkim.

J&K: India’s top summer getaway

58%Spain24%

Switzerland

18%Eastern Europe

Jammu & Kashmir

Sikkim

50%

15%

Goa

10%

OtherNE States

5%HimachalPradesh

20%


BULLETIN

Sanjay Aggarwal,Convention Chairman,

ADTOI said, "We had over 300delegates from all over India.We had 70-100 local dele-gates." Jyoti Kapur, President,ADTOI, said, “Ministry ofTourism, Government of Indiahas fully supported us. This isthe first time in India that thegovernment has created a fundto promote domestic tourismand is going to work togetherwith us and the states to pro-mote domestic tourism.” Kapuralso informed that they havecome to a conclusion to form aheritage tourism circuit withKhajuraho as the gateway alongwith the neighbouring habitatslike Raneh Falls.

Vinod Zutshi, SecretaryTourism, Government of India,who was also present at the

Convention, congratulated theassociation for hosting themega event in Khajurahowhich is one of the mostnotable World Heritage Site inIndia and a potential domestictourism site in the country.According to him this will notonly generate awareness andinterest about the destinationbut will also give boost to thelocal tourism economy. Zutshi

said, “After seeing the rich cul-tural heritage of Khajuraho, Ifeel that all Indian travellers willhave an idea in their mind, i.e.‘Pehle swadesh, phir videsh’.”

He also thanked theassociation for promotingdomestic tourism. He said,“Your efforts have enableddomestic tourism in India to not only cross the billion

tourists visit mark but is nowheading towards two billionmark which we are hoping toachieve by 2017.”

Hari Ranjan Rao,Managing Director, MadhyaPradesh Tourism DevelopmentCorporation, said, “One of theparameters that we have is MPTourism Corporation’s growthand this year corporation hadgrowth of 19 per cent. Thisconvention will give a boost totourism in the state.”

Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) concluded its seventhannual convention cum exhibition, in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh from April 8-11,2016, with more than 300 delegates from all over India in attendance.

ADTOI impetus to domestic travel

SA M A P T I DAS

Further agendaBetterment of road connectivity

Bringing in some moreattractions

Making a convention andcultural centre in Khajuraho

Sanjay AggarwalConvention ChairmanADTOI

Jyoti KapurPresidentADTOI


VIEWPOINT

COMMENT

Ask a foreign tourist about India and theywill mention Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa

and the Golden Triangle in the same breath.Varanasi, Ladakh and Mumbai may or maynot follow, and the list is by and largeexhausted. But international travellers don’trealise that India is a country within whichmany countries reside. From the sevensisters in the North East to the white sandsin the Kutch region of Gujarat and fromJammu & Kashmir to the Lakshadweepislands in the Indian Ocean, and everythingin between, the country remains largelyunexplored.

Indian inbound agents and DMCsshould try and promote other parts of Indiaas well, but the onus also lies on thetravellers to demand beyond the populardestinations. They should take completeadvantage of eTV and move away from thefamiliar to the unknown.

Facets of India

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

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

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

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

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

VikramajitChairman

SanJeetEditor & Publisher

EditorialDevika Jeet

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Executive Marketing

CIN: U22210DL2012PTC230432

Maximum passports issued in UP2015 saw many quantitative and qualitative improvements in the delivery ofpassport services across India. In addition to the 77 Passport Seva Kendras(PSK) running in PPP mode, the MEA set up 8 additional PSKs in Agartala,Aizawl, Gangtok, Imphal, Kalaburagi, Karimnagar, Darbhanga and Shillong.

Indianism aside, the country is an anomaly asfar as consumer habits are concerned. Most

destinations often underestimate the extent ofits quirkiness. India might be an English-speaking country but it has its own unique styleof doing business.

One of its major characteristic is that it is alast-minute market and this cannot beemphasised enough. We are also alwayslooking for deals, and a terror attack or adestination’s crumbling economy is not goingto stop us from visiting it as long as there is along list of all-inclusives. This also makes theIndian market resilient and thereforeimmensely dependable. Indians now figureamong the top luxury buyers in the world andwe can and will pay if we think it is worth it. Butbefore we do that, we will spend a lot of timecomparing rates.

Indian travellers aren’t a mature lotgenerally speaking but we are climbing thecurve. Plus, we love to shop and spendenough of our forex for even the Swiss toextend their store timings just for us Indians.

We are like that only

25 years ago

Under section 80HHD, an approved tour oper-ator/travel agent is allowed a deduction of 50per cent of the profits derived from servicesprovided to foreign tourists

It was proposed to extend the scope of theexpenditure-tax to expenditure incurred inrestaurants which are either approved by theDepartment of Tourism or have any three ofthe four facilities, which include air conditioning,two or more separate cloak rooms, telephone,or deep freezing or cold storage facility

Tax concessions to hotels in hilly and remote areas

reproduced relevant extracts from thebudget proposals in 1991. Listed below arethe salient points:

Rupee Value (per unit)Currency Banks Banks

Charges Pay

Great Britain Pound (GBP) 91.09 97.07United States Dollar (USD) 64.33 68.92Euro (EUR) 73.13 77.93Swiss Franc (CHF) 65.08 71.13Japanese Yen (JPY) 57.02 61.33Swedish Kronor (SEK) 7.71 8.6Australian Dollar (AUD) 48.13 51.96Singapore Dollar (SGD) 46.48 51.36Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) 7.61 9.33

brings to you the events thatmade headlines 25 years ago andare relevant to the travel & tourismindustry even now.

Then

Now

Passport servicesdelivered to citizensin India and abroad

� 18.66% rise in applications received in India� 6.33 crore Indians held vaild Passports on

31st Dec, 2015� 1.14+crore new Passport holders added

during the year 2014-15Source: Passport India 2015

Pass

port

s is

sued

(in

milli

ons)


AVIATION A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 7

While much anticipationsurrounds the national

civil aviation policy, the debatearound the 5/20 rule continuesuntil it is finally released.Busting all the questions sur-rounding the same, Choubey,said, “The civil aviation policywill be finalised by the end ofApril. The final policy will havevery clear cut decisions withregards to 5/20 rule. There willbe no ambiguity in this regard.”

Speaking at the launchof Air India’s Delhi-Viennaflight, he rebuked reports ofthe government divesting itsstake in Air India. He claimedthat the government has noplans to privatise the nationalcarrier and that Air India isactually showing profits after10 years. “I would like to com-pliment Air India for makingVienna as the gateway forCentral and Eastern Europe.Air India has been doing verywell financially and has madeoperational profits. They arealso augmenting the fleet sig-nificantly, allowing them toincrease their services both ininternational and domesticmarkets,” he said.

Ecstatic about the growthof aviation sector in India, heclaimed, “Today, India is thefastest growing civil aviationsector in terms of passengers.

Our growth has been 25 percent in February, as comparedto last year. Nowhere any othercountry has witnessed this kindof growth. While our domesticsector is booming, the growthof international sector is a littleless at around 12 per cent. But,it still is very high as comparedto most of the countries. We arecurrently facing the challengesof growth, and I am glad that we

are meeting these challengesvery well.”

Rajeev Nayan Choubey, Secretary, Civil Aviation,Government of India, shares with details about thenational civil aviation policy and 5/20 rule.

Aviation policy and 5/20

NI S H A V E R M A

Air India has beendoing very wellfinancially and hasmade operationalprofits. They arealso augmentingthe fleetsignificantly,allowing them toincrease theirservices both ininternational anddomestic markets

Rajeev Nayan ChoubeySecretaryCivil Aviation, Government of India

What is 5/20?The 5/20 rule, in its mean-ing, restricts companiesfrom flying abroad unlessthey have flown in India forfive years and have a fleetsize of 20 aircraft

easyJet and Travelport haveannounced a new long-termagreement that allows Travelport-connected agencies access toeasyJet’s content through theTravel Commerce Platform.

In addition, easyJet will continueto use Travelport’s Rich Contentand Branding solution whichenables easyJet to more effec-tively display and merchandiseits full range of fares, includingbusiness traveller friendly prod-ucts such as Inclusive and FlexiFares.

Robin Ranken, Travelport’s

Head of Airline CommerceEurope, said,“For eight yearsnow, Travelport has helpedincrease sales among corpora-tions, travel management com-panies and travel agencies, andexpanded easyJet’s reach innew and existing markets.”

Sandeep Dwivedi, ChiefCommercial Officer, ITQ, said, "Itis indeed a pleasure to see moreand more airlines signing up withTravelport Rich Content andBranding. It reiterates how it isoffering competitive merchandis-ing and distribution advantages

to the airlines. With renewal ofthis contract, we look forward toexploring further opportunitieswith easyJet."

Sandeep DwivediChief Commercial OfficerInterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ)

Travelport and easyJet announcenew long-term agreement


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

Inbound movement from the Middle East to India is showing promising growth but it is still not on a par with its outboundcounterpart. speaks to five agents from India who are working toward increasing the inbound numbers.

Kerala: favourite with UAE travellers

HA Z E L JA I N

Aggressive promotionUAE nationals findIndia attractivedue to its proximityand value formoney holidays.They visit India forholidays andmedical tourism.A large Indian

diaspora also helps increase inbound num-bers. There are a few Indian destinations thatare preferred by UAE travellers such asDubai-Agra-Jaipur triangle, Kashmir,Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat,Maharashtra, and Mumbai-Delhi-Chennaifor medical tourism. However, India Tourismmust intensify its promotions to attract moretravellers from the region. We should followDubai Tourism Department’s aggressive pro-motion of UAE in India. If the UAE can getone million Indian tourists why can’t weachieve similar numbers?

Om PrakashDirector, In ORBIT Tours

15% Y-O-Y growthUAE is a growing market for Indiainbound. One, there is a large Indian pop-ulation that is keen on exploring touristdestinations across India and second isthe expat market. This market is growingat around 15 per cent year-on-year.Travellers from the Middle East prefer tovisit Mumbai, Delhi, Kerala, Shimla andManali as well as Kashmir. Cox & Kingsis focusing on Xperiential holidays for theregion where we are promoting The

Ultimate Travelling Camp (TUTC) and Deccan Odyssey among others.

Karan AnandHead (Relationships)Cox & Kings

eTV a boonUAE is our biggest market from theMiddle East and it has been growing15-20 per cent year-on-year. Now,with the e-Tourist Visa facility forUAE, we expect the business to growfurther. Business travel from the UAEis also increasing and the opportuni-ties between both the two countrieslook good. Travellers from the MiddleEast prefer destinations such asKerala and the Golden Triangle with

Udaipur. There is also a demand for ayurveda and spa resorts.

Dipak DevaManaging Director,Travel Corporation India

Beyond medical tourismThe number of travellers from the UAE,specially Dubai, has increased manifoldgiven its proximity to India. Indian destina-tions most preferred by these travellers arethe metro cities, Kerala, Goa andRajasthan. I hope that these numbersincrease by at least 20 per cent. Touristsfrom the region not only come to visit Indiato experience our culture but also for shop-ping and medical tourism. Medical touristshowever far outnumber the leisure ones.

Jay BhatiaDirectorTulsidas Khimji Holidays

Leisure is keyAfter the US, Middle East is ourbiggest market for inbound, which isour core business. We get a lot ofleisure traffic from the region and ourtop selling products include theGolden Triangle and Udaipur. Luxuryand mid-segment products sell verywell in the Middle East market and weare expecting good business fromthere this year as well.

Kunwarjeet BhallaDirector - Sales &MarketingGreen Chili Holidays


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

I think that the hills in Indiahave great potential toequalise the seasons. But forthis to happen, the govern-ment needs to address issuesin the hills like infrastructure sothat the hill stations are able tohandle the increase in tourists.These regions also need to bewell-promoted. Furthermore,regional airlines need to takethe initiative to start more directflights to these areas - current-

ly, there are very less flights that cater to these marketsand people travel more by road. If such issues areaddressed, I'm sure we will see a hike in tourist arrivals.

Ankush NijhawanManaging Director,Nijhawan Group

Firstly, the industry and Indiantourist offices need to worktogether to educate FTOs andin turn clients about the advan-tages of travelling to India dur-ing the low season. Fromwildlife travellers’ perspective,it is well known that tiger sight-ings are a lot better during thepeak summer months (April toJune). Also, monuments andplaces of interest are lesscrowded during low season,

and there is an advantage of hotel rates being significantlylower. In addition, there is a need to promote circuits andactivities that are available and are better during particularseasons, like treks in the Northern as well as EasternHimalayas, activity based trips like motorcycle or jeepsafaris to Leh etc.

Kapil GoswamyManaging Director,Trans India Holidays

MOT and State TourismBoards need to be in syncwhile planning a marketingcampaign in foreign countries.Traditionally, April toSeptember is a lean seasonfor inbound tourism. In thisperiod we have enoughammunition to fill in the gaps,for e.g Ladakh, Kashmir,Sikkim and Himachal Pradeshcan be marketed for its seren-ity and religious values.

Monsoon tourism in Goa, Kerala and Karnataka can beused to bring in tourists from the Middle East andEuropean countries.

Manoj NairDirectorMeandering Vacations

Climate is something that onecannot change but is adapt-able. Monsoon tourism isbeing used to draw tourists toGoa when it is usually the lowseason. Similarly, during sum-mer, we can use MICE tobring people into the countryand schedule the meetingsfor the afternoon part. Theycan easily use the coolertimes of the day which ismorning and evening for

sightseeing etc. What is required is an innovation or aneye for change for India to become a 365-day destination.

Jyoti KapurPresident, ADTOI

Contd. from page 2

An all-weather destinationIndia wins 'Best StandFeature' @WTM Africa

Incredible India won the BestStand Feature at the recentlyconcluded World Travel Market inAfrica held from April 6-8, 2016.The three days of pre-scheduled

appointments and conferenceseminars produced over 20 percent increase in visitors in what,by all indications, has been a verysuccessful 3rd edition of Africa’sleading B2B travel and tourismtrade exhibition. WTM Africa willbe taking place from April 19 to

21, 2017. Stand awards wereannounced for those exhibitorswhose efforts stood out in theform of their exhibition stand.WTM Africa 2016 had partnered

this year with; the Host City ofCape Town, Gauteng TourismAuthority, Hylton Ross, SouthAfrican Airways, Travel Massive,Beluga, One World, Tsogo Sun,Turkish Airlines, PepperclubHotel & Spa, One&Only, BMW,Caffeluxe and the Quirio.


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

QWhich are your popu-lar tourism products,

especially those preferredby Indian tourists?

Our USP is the diverse,authentic Arabian offering thatwe provide. Under the umbrel-la of authenticity, the emirateoffers a rich history and boastsof 18 historic fortifications, cas-tles and towers, all of whichare rare to find within the UAE. Jebel Jais, theUAE’s highest mountain, alsoattracts tourists due to theunique trail offered to hikers,mountain bikers and driversalike. Traditionally, inboundtourism from India has beenfrom the wedding and shortstay sector incorporating arange of tourism activitiesincluding cultural and heritagetours, water sports, events,desert safaris or luxurious,indulgent breaks.

QHow has the hospitalityindustry performed in

the emirate?

We have a diverse rangeof hotels available from luxuri-ous properties such as WaldorfAstoria and Banyan Tree AlWadi, to properties more suit-able for the budget traveller.

The hospitality industry figuresfor 2015 witnessed anincrease of 12.1 per cent inroom revenues, RevPARincreased by 10 per cent andoverall occupancy increasedby 9.7 per cent in comparisonto 2014. Looking at more

recent figures, from January2016, we saw an evenstronger increase in perform-ance, in comparison toJanuary 2015. RevPARincreased by 10.3 per cent,

and hotel occupancyincreased by 23.7 per cent.

QWhat are your targetsfor 2016?

We recently launchedour rebrand, designed in linewith supporting strategies, with

the overall aim to position RasAl Khaimah as a leading des-tination for leisure and busi-ness tourism. We plan to reachone million visitors by the endof 2018 and our activity in

2016 will reflect this through arevised events schedule andrejuvenation of our culturaloffering. The next year andbeyond will also see a numberof hotel openings and develop-ments, including Anantara,Marriott and Crowne Plaza.

QWhat are your promo-tional plans and strate-

gies for 2016?We plan to increase our

presence in India. We visitedNew Delhi to strengthen rela-tionships with crucial travel tradepartners and attend two indus-try events as part of our 2016plans to introduce Ras AlKhaimah to the India market.Key strategies were also dis-cussed, including the openingof a representation office inDelhi and Mumbai, in line withthe development of more pro-motional materials with Indiantravellers in mind. As part of ourstrategy, we aim to promote theright level of attractions andevents to encourage travellersfrom India to lengthen their stayin Ras Al Khaimah. We havecharted out our plans for thenext couple of years whichinclude diversification in the hos-pitality sector, investment intodestination marketing cam-paigns, development of publicand private company partner-ships and an expansion of ourevents portfolio.

QAre you planning toadd more air routes

between Ras Al Khaimahand India?

Air India Express hasrecently announced anincrease in the number offlights to Ras Al KhaimahAirport, which is promisingnews. We will be focusing ondeveloping further partner-ships in the coming years mak-ing Ras Al Khaimah even moreaccessible.

QWhich destinations inthe Middle East do you

think are picking up withthe Indian travellers?

Many Middle East desti-nations are proving to be pop-ular with the Indian market.Dubai has repeatedlyreleased strong figures fortravellers from India and thelikes of Abu Dhabi and Omanare gaining popularity. It isclear from our staggeringincrease in Indian visitors thatRas Al Khaimah is quicklybecoming a leading choice forIndian travellers.

With an 80 per cent increase in Indian arrivals in 2015 over 2014 to Ras Al Khaimah, the emirate has identifiedIndia as one of the fastest growing source markets in terms of visitor arrivals. Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras AlKhaimah Tourism Development Authority, shares plans and strategies to grow this market in 2016.

RAK targets leisure and business Indians

AN K I TA SAX E N A

We plan to increase our presence in India. Wevisited New Delhi to strengthen relationships withcrucial travel trade partners and attend two industry events as part of our 2016 plans to introduce Ras Al Khaimah to the India market.

Haitham MattarCEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority


AGENTS1 4 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

Today travellers like to getinvolved and experience a

destination first-hand. Tailor-made, niche or experientialholidays are the way forwardand India is not far behind.Shoba Mohan, FounderPartner, RARE India, says,“India’s diversity is legendary

and today more than any othertime in history, the combinationof technology and traditionpaints curious views for visi-tors, which is intriguing. Add tothis the myriad opportunitiesfor wildlife, birding, culture, art,

adventure, spa...it is just wait-ing to be listed among the top10 in the world.”

The perception of Indiahas also changed with time,says Amaresh Tiwari, MD &CEO, A.T. Seasons &Vacations Travel. “At interna-tional exhibitions, people

ask us what different productwe can offer. If you want tocreate your position in themarket, you need to go forexperiential tourism. This is the only way you’d survive,” he adds.

Shilpa Sharma,Founder, Breakaway, claims,“India is waking up to the con-cept of niche and slow travel.There is a sizeable segment oftravellers worldwide who wantto be able to explore nicheexperiences and concepts inaddition to sightseeing aroundthe country.”

Homa Mistry, CEO, TrailBlazer Tours India, says,“People no longer want to sit ina coach and look out of thewindow. All of them want tointeract and be a part of thetour.” However, Mistry says that

delivering such experiences isnot easy. “The problem is in theprivate sector. Most of us arenot creative enough. We haveour mind set to sell the Golden Triangle. We are notgoing beyond due to variousproblems, one of them beinginfrastructure.”

However, one must saythat despite such problems,tour operators are trying tooffer different experiences tointernational clients, and thereis great demand as well. “Indiais a favoured niche tourismdestination. Most of our guestscome from Europe. Currently,their markets are under strain.

Once that is revived, the num-bers would increase,” saysVikram Madhok, ManagingDirector, Abercombie & Kent.

Tiwari adds, “We need tofocus on holistic tourism, orinclusive tourism, where we caninclude all the stakeholders.Andaman is in great demand,and so is Kerala, Chhattisgarh,Bihar, UP, and Himachal. Thereis also rural and volunteertourism, with so many peoplecoming to teach in schools, workin hospitals, farms, NGOs, yogaand ayurveda training institutes.”

Sharma says, “We speakwith the client to understand

their interests, their motivationsand the kind of travel they havedone in India and other coun-tries. A deeper understandingof their likes and interests allowsus to be able to fine tune ourofferings to fit their needs.”

Dipak Deva, ManagingDirector, Travel CorporationIndia (Sita, Distant Frontiers &TCI), claims, “We have a teamcalled the DestinationKnowledge Centre, which isthe first of its kind in the travelindustry. Members of this teamtravel around the country tomake friends with locals and then design unique experiences. Based on theirtravel, the team stitches their findings into beautiful itineraries.”

Tiwari believes that it is theonly way to move forward. “Atinternational exhibitions, peopleask us what different product wecan offer. If you want to createyour position in the market, youneed to go for experientialtourism. This is the only wayyou’d survive,” he opines.

Tour operators are providing inclusive experiences for clients seeking to go beyond the established itineraries.finds out why niche tourism is the way forward for India.

Going beyond the brochure experience

NI S H A VE R M A

Shoba MohanFounder PartnerRARE India

Amaresh TiwariMD & CEOA.T. Seasons & Vacations Travel

Shilpa SharmaFounderBreakaway

Homa MistryCEOTrail Blazer Tours India

Vikram MadhokManaging DirectorAbercombie & Kent


In 2015, 72,145 Indiantourists visited Mauritius

which recorded a growth of 18per cent over 2014, informedVivek Anand, CountryManager - India, MauritiusTourism Promotion Authority(MTPA). In an attempt toincrease the Indian touristarrival figures, a seminar wasorganised by MTPA on April 9in New Delhi. Several hotelpartners with the likes ofInterContinental Resort

Mauritius and Constance LePrince Maurice to name a fewwere present on the occasion,along with airline partner, Air Mauritius.

Apprising the trade aboutthe island nation's tourismpotential and the new productson offer, Anand said, “WhileMauritius is a beach destina-tion, we are also going big on

golf tourism. Mauritius hasbeautiful golf courses andorganises a very big golf tournament annually. In addi-tion, MICE and the big fatIndian weddings are alsobeing promoted to attracttourists to the country.”

Vinit Gupte, Manager -India and South AsianSubcontinent, Air Mauritius,says that the affinity to India

has always been very strong.“India is like a permanent basefor us as a large number ofpeople in Mauritius areIndians,” he says. “We havewitnessed almost 85 per centPLF on the Indian routes, aswell as to other destinations,and have shown an 18-20 per cent growth in 2015. It issafe to say that the trend isexpected to continue this year as well.”

A seminar was organised by Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) in New Delhi to highlight the islandnation's various tourism products, particularly golf and wedding tourism.

18% growth in Indian arrivals to Mauritius

AH A N A GU R U N G

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We havewitnessed almost85 per cent PLFon the Indianroutes, as well as to otherdestinations, andhave shown an18-20 per centgrowth in 2015. Itis safe to say thatthe trend isexpected tocontinue this year as well

Vinit GupteManager - India and South AsianSubcontinent, Air Mauritius

Lonar Lake, a saltwater lake inMaharashtra, was created by ameteor hitting the Earth and isone of its kind in India

Mauritius has beautiful golf courses and organises a very big golf tournament annually. In addition, MICE and the big fatIndian weddings are also being promoted to attract tourists to the country.

Vivek AnandCountry Manager - India, Mauritius Tourism

Promotion Authority (MTPA)

Only in India


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ANTA, Oberoi Dubai host trade

Oberoi Dubai organised a presentation and a gala dinner for the Indian travel trade and its partners to celebrate the partnership with ANTA holidays. According to Hemant Mediratta, Vice President - Sales, Travel Trade, The Oberoi Group,“India is booming and the outbound market scenario is so good that across all the hotels the Indian occupancy is increasing. Oberoi has received a double digit growth in the past two years.” Dharmendra Kumar, Head of Sales & Marketing, The Oberoi Dubai, Gaurav Khandelwal, Global Head- Tours, ANTAHolidays and Vineet Gopal, India Head, ANTA Holidays, were also present at the event.

Being a third generationhotelier, hospitality is very

much a part of her DNA. Nairbelieves that her latest ventureto create a new hotel manage-ment company was a naturalevolution. “My grandfather willalways be a source of inspira-tion as he was a true entrepre-neur who started his hotel busi-ness at the age of 65. Both myparents are also hoteliers andin fact they attended the samehotel school as I did at CornellUniversity,” says Nair, JointManaging Director and ChiefExecutive Officer, Aiana Hotels& Resorts.

Talking about the USP ofher new resort, Aiana Munnar– A Moonriver Resort, Nairsays, “This resort solidifies ourcommitment to offer locally rel-evant design and authentic,immersive experiences. AianaMunnar is a niche all-suite villaresort spread across 20 acresof lush greenery. The resort isset amongst natural springs,scenic views and will feature

authentic dining experiencesand an extensive Ayurveda-inspired spa. Each suite in the

resort offers a private, heatedplunge pool overlooking therolling hills of Munnar.”

The hotel is scheduled toopen in the last quarter of 2016and Nair says they already areworking very closely with thetravel agents on the launch of the hotel.

Also, she believes thatgiven the unique leisure settingand the upscale design of thehotel Aiana Munnar will appeal to both domestic and international travellers. Nair adds, “The Middle Eastwill be a key source market for Munnar as well given the quick access to the hotelfrom Cochin InternationalAirport which is extremely well connected.”

Spearheaded by Amruda Nair, Aiana Hotels & Resorts isa brand which caters to the tastes and preferences of thenext generation travellers.

Targeting millennials

AN U P R I YA BI S H N O I

The Middle East willbe a key sourcemarket for Munnar aswell given the quickaccess to the hotelfrom CochinInternational Airportwhich is extremelywell connected

Amruda Nair Joint Managing Director and ChiefExecutive Officer, Aiana Hotels & Resorts

Suite SurpriseAiana Munnar is a niche all-suite villa resort spreadacross 20 acres of lushgreenery


HOTELS

Emaar Hospitality Group,represented by Nijhawan

Group in India, conducted athree-city roadshow in Indiafrom April 6-8, in the cities ofDelhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.Leading the delegation wasNewman, who revealed thatthey will be launching the firstproperty under their new mid-scale lifestyle brand Rove inDowntown Dubai by the end ofApril, and the new AddressBoulevard in September this year.

Revealing how importantthe India market is for them,Newman says, “We have seena 25 per cent increase in 2015from the year before fromIndia, which is Dubai’s numberone market. We have hosted10,000 room nights last yearfrom India. And now we have aportfolio of three distinct brandsunder Emaar Hospitality withthree distinct positioning —The Address Hotels & Resorts,Vida Hotels & Resorts, andsoon-to-be-launched Rove,which would be attractive forthe India market.”

Newman affirms RoveDowntown will do exceptionallywell in India. “Rove Downtownis our midscale lifestyle brand

with a very attractive pricepoint. We are bringing some-thing different in the market,with great touches and uniquehospitality. In fact, it will be agreat addition to the Downtown

area, where most propertieshave very high rates and Rovewould bring something new tothe table. Just a stone’s throw

away from Dubai Mall, it is oneof the most exciting brands tohit Dubai for a very long time.”

The company will also belaunching the AddressBoulevard in September, saysNewman adding that this prop-erty too would appeal to theIndian market with its decor,service and its offerings. “Lastyear, we also opened ManzilDowntown after renovation.These are the three propertieswe would like to push in India

in the coming months, and forthe rest of the year,” he adds.

The new openings aredefinitely focused on dominat-ing the downtown area. When

quizzed about why there is aneed to open another Addressproperty in the same vicinity,he says, “Downtown continues

to evolve as a destination initself. And we are very muchlooking at having a huge pres-ence there. In fact, with theDubai Opera entering theBoulevard in October, there willbe a huge number of luxuryguests coming to the area.”

However, the entry ofnew hotel chains in Dubaidoesn’t bother Newman much.“I think Dubai is going througha big transformation. The sup-ply continues and would out-pace the demand as we rampup for Expo 2020. Competitionis very healthy and gives us anopportunity to also stay on ourtoes. However, we commandthe market in terms ofRevPARs. And I believe thatthe time is perfect for us, espe-cially with the new openingsthat are lined up,” he adds.

Talking about how therecent fire that broke out at TheAddress Downtown, affectedtheir business, he says, “It’s ourflagship hotel and if that goes outof the portfolio, it certainly affectsthe level of business coming in.While on the financial front, weare fully insured and covered, butwe are working on a strategy toget the hotel back on its feet asquickly as possible. It’s goingunder renovation, and we mightbe reopening it in 2017.”

Newman says ATM is afabulous platform for them toshowcase their three brandsand particularly now with thelaunch of Rove Downtowncoincinding with the show.Emaar Hospitality Group is oneof the key sponsors and hostsat ATM.

Chris Newman, Corporate Director of Operations, EmaarHospitality Group, reveals the group’s plans as Dubai Expo2020 nears and why India remains a crucial market for them.

10,000 room nightsand counting...

NI S H A VE R M A

We have seen a 25 per cent increasein 2015 from the year before from India,

which is Dubai’s numberone market. We have host-ed 10,000 room nights lastyear from India.

Chris NewmanCorporate Director of Operations, Emaar

Hospitality Group

The Address Boulevard, Dubai is a very good family des-tination. We are privileged to have a strong presencewithin the Indian market as well as in the GCC region.

We are new, but we will be offering the same dedicated servicethat is synonymous with the brand. However, the building is newand at 368 metres, it is the sixth tallest building in Dubai andhas 196 hotel rooms and 532 residences ranging from studioto 7-room apartments. Another highlight isthat we will be opening very close to theDubai Opera House, which wouldattract more high-end clientele and wemight launch special Opera packagesas well. Also there will be new signa-ture restaurants with unique concepts.Everybody is already curious about thenew address and I am sure with the newadditions, Emaar is going to domi-nate the Downtown area in Dubai.

Pascal DupuisGeneral Manager

The Address Boulevard, Dubai

Opera packages at The Address


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AN K I TA SAX E N A

The Delhi Government has allottedfunds for developing infrastructurebut there is no direct financial aid totourism. Though they have spokenabout single-window clearance, theneed to convert Delhi from a transithub to a destination with longerovernight stays, the governmenthas to look into reducing luxury tax.They have to take concrete steps todevelop tourism in the city.

Subhash VermaConvention Co-chairmanADTOI

The Delhi Budget has earmarked` 30 crore for various activities tobe done in Delhi and that is a start.The attempt to make Delhi a firstclass hub for tourist arrivals hasbeen recognised but not much hasbeen done to facilitate the hospitality sector. The issues ofenvironment tax and luxury tax forfirst class properties have not been addressed and we will continue our dialogue with the gov-

ernment regarding the same.

Luv MalhotraPresidentHRANI

Delhi needs to focus on improv-ing the existing infrastructure andclean up the historical sites forexample the Red Fort, QutabMinar, Jama Masjid and even theNew Delhi Railway Station whichare prominent places. Existingtourist sites need to be of inter-national standards rather thanbuilding new infrastructure. Thefestival being planned can onlystir interest for a day or two but do

not have lasting effects. The government has to shift its focusor else this allotted money will also be a waste.

Rajan SehgalPresident, India GolfTourism Association

The demand to provide respite tohoteliers in Delhi in terms of luxurytax has been overlooked by theDelhi Government. We arecharged luxury tax on the rackrate rather than the selling priceof rooms and the proposition toincrease luxury tax ceiling is notvery helpful for the star categoryhotels. It is only the budget trav-eller who will benefit from thisrelaxation.

Pronab SarkarHonorary SecretaryIATO

Delhi Budget definitely has certainthings for tourism which shows theintention of the Government ofDelhi to create good environmentfor tourism activities in the nationalcapital. We hope that the intendedprograms in the Budget 2016 fortourism, will be achieved withinthe time frame. After severalyears, now the Delhi Governmentis seen taking steps for the better-ment of tourism sector in Delhi

and we wish them all the best.

Sarab Jit SinghVice ChairmanFAITH

The Delhi Budget 2016 has allotted ` 10 crore to boost tourism in Delhi and ` 30 crore to build Brand Delhi. The much needed relief came with the proposition to increase luxury tax threshold for hotels in the national capital to `1500. gauges the industry mood.

`30 crore to build Brand Delhi

Delhi Tourism Budget HighlightsThe tourism sector will receive ̀ 10 crore to boost tourism in Delhi.

Proposition to increase luxury tax threshold for Delhi hotels from`750 to ̀ 1500 per day.

`30 crore allocated to build Brand Delhi. The tourism board will hold a 'Delhi Festival' that will showcase the city’s rich culture,food, and films.

A new skywalk to be built between Qutab Minar and the Qutab metro station


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Findings from the Asia CruiseTrends report collated by the

Cruise Lines InternationalAssociation (CLIA) reveal thatcruise tourism in Asia is growingat a double digit rate, with Indiarecording a growth rate of 36per cent between 2012 and2014. However, the Indiancruise industry is still at a nascent stage and needs a lotof development to fully be ableto make use of its potential,shares Treacy.

“The infrastructure reallyneeds to be amped up to

match the international stan-dards. I think that the cruiseindustry will really explode ifchallenges like taxes, duty freeand immigration policies arelooked into,” says Treacy.

He adds that the Indiangovernment has shown akeen interest in improving thecruise scenario and informs,“The central government fromIndia has reached out to usregarding a cruise tourismpolicy that they are lookinginto. It is still being developedand is in the early stages. Wehave exchanged some valu-able ideas and information onstandard operating proce-dures to address issues pre-vailing in the Indian cruiseindustry. We're thrilled thatthe government has recog-nised cruise tourism as an area for growth and opportunity!”

This summer, a cruiseship called ‘Voyager of the Seas’will be launched out ofSingapore. Treacy comments,“We are expecting a significantamount of guests from Indiaand have also witnessed agood response particularly dur-ing the peak season. The shipwill be docked in Kochi on June1, 2016, and will head toSingapore soon after.Additionally, the largest cruiseship in the world named‘Harmony of the Seas’ is start-ing to see an encouragingresponse from India. India is avery close-end booking marketso the bookings are just startingto come in now," he adds.

Sean Treacy, Managing Director - Singapore and Southeast Asia, RoyalCaribbean Cruises, gives a lowdown of their upcoming initiatives and talksabout their contribution to the much-awaited cruise tourism policy.

Cruise tourism policy soon?

AH A N A GU R U N GThe central government has reached out to

us regarding a cruise tourism policy that they are looking into. It is still being developed and is in the early stages.

Sean TreacyManaging Director - Singapore and Southeast Asia

Royal Caribbean Cruises

The industry is a highly supply driven one whichis heavily reliant on cruise ships. What's encour-

aging is that the awareness of cruising has increasedin India over the past few years. There are still somemyths out there but awareness is widespreadand the desire to cruise has evolved as well.

Varun ChadhaChief Operating Officer, TIRUN Travel Marketing

(India representative for Royal Caribbean)

Increasing awareness

� Mega Global Travel Mart from Jan10-14, 2017

� Tourism investors’ summit from Sept21-23, 2016

� 1st Himachal Travel Mart from April22-24 in Shimla

� Skål India’s new InternationalCouncillor- Kamal Hingorani

� Hyatt Regency now in Chandigarh

� India tops domestic air travel with24% growth

� Vistara connects Chandigarh to Delhi& Hyderabad from May 2

� Oaks Bodhgaya set to open in Q4 2016

� Singapore Airlines augmentsMumbai-Singapore flights

� ITC, Starwood add 3 new luxuryhotels under renewed partnership


Andhra Pradesh Tourism hasplans to rope in investments

worth `20,000 crore by 2029.With a shelf of district andtheme based projects worth ` 36,000 have already been prepared and initiated. In2015, the state has seen a leapin the tourist footfalls to the tuneof 30 per cent, increasing from93 million in 2014 to 122 million in 2015.

Speaking on the tourismpotential of the state, NeerabhK. Prasad, Principal SecretaryTourism & Culture, AndhraPradesh Government, said,“The state is working towardscreating six tourist hubs-Visakhapatnam,

Rajahmundry-Konaseema-Kakinada, Vijayawada-Amravati, Tirupati,Ananthapuramu-Puttaparthiand Sirsailam. With an invest-ment of `12,000 crore already tracked, developmentof a sturdy tourism infrastruc-ture is what will give boost tothe sector.”

Delivering the vision ofChandra Babu Naidu, ChiefMinister of Andhra Pradesh,Y.S. Chowdary, UnionMinister of State, Science andTechnology Earth Sciences,said, “The impact of tourismschemes launched by the gov-ernment of India like ‘SwadeshDarshan’ and ‘Prasad Scheme’is huge. Tourism in India con-tributes 7 per cent to the GDPand about 12 per cent to the

employment. With the introduc-tion of eTV, the foreign touristarrivals increased by 13.1 percent and the domestic touristsalso increased by 12.9 percent. Andhra Pradesh is a keycontributor to this growth storyboth in terms of GDP andtourist arrivals.”

Further conveying thevision of the chief minister,Chowdary said, “Andhra

Pradesh has the longest coast-line (974 KM) on East Coast ofIndia. The state has 35,000 sqft. km of forests with tigerreserves, wildlife and bird sanctuaries such as Corringa,Kolleru, Pulicat and Srisailam.Also, the state has a richBuddhist legacy and many more.”

With the intention of mak-ing the state one of the top

tourism destinations in thecountry, the government hastaken progressive steps toensure state-of-the-art infra-structure. Elaborating on this hesaid, “Some of the steps taken by the government forinfrastructure are – 46,000 kmof roadways, 4,300 km ofnational highways, 7,040 km ofrail network, metro rail underdevelopment in Visakhapatnamand Vijayawada.”

In its efforts to fuel the engine of growth in the tourism sector, Andhra Pradesheyes investments worth ` 20,000 crore by 2029.

Eyeing big investments

TT BU R E AU

The state will create6 tourist hubs—Visakhapatnam,Rajahmundry-Konaseema-Kakinada,Vijayawada-Amravati, Tirupati,Ananthapuramu-Puttaparthi andSirsailam

Neerabh K. PrasadPrincipal Secretary Tourism & CultureAndhra Pradesh Government

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Bangkok will host the nextWTTC Global Summit sched-uled to take place from April 26-27, 2017, announced DavidScowsill, President and CEO,WTTC, at the closing ceremonyof the 16th WTTC GlobalSummit. He said, “Thailand is anextremely well established traveland tourism economy. Despitechallenges, the sector grew bya stunning 18.4 per cent in 2015,contributing nearly 21 per centto the country’s GDP ($81.6 billion) and supported 5.9 millionjobs, which is 15.4 per cent of

the total employment.” Presentat the Summit, KobkarnWattanavrangkul, Thailand’sminister of Tourism and Sportscommented, “Being selected bythe WTTC to host the summitacknowledges the commitmentthe Thai government has to theexpansion of the travel andtourism sector in the country.”

WTTC Global Summitfrom April 26-27, 2017


Odisha received a total of1,18,53,088 tourist

arrivals in 2015, registering agrowth rate of 9 per cent,shared Utpal K. Pati, DeputyDirector, Department ofTourism, Odisha. While 66,971foreign tourist arrivals wererecorded, 11,786,117 domestictourists visited the state in2015, he informed at the state’s roadshow held in NewDelhi on March 29.

"We are mainly targetingthe domestic market, especial-ly tourists from Chhattisgarh,West Bengal and AndhraPradesh, and will be organisingroadshows all over India. Weare aggressively promoting theBuddhist circuit as numerousancient Buddhist sites likeRatnagiri, are located in thestate. A growth of about 7-8 percent in tourist arrivals is expect-ed this year," informed Pati. Headded that the state'sInternational Conference on Buddhist Heritage, which completed its third edi-

tion in 2015, will continue tohighlight Odisha's potential onspiritual tourism.

In terms of foreigntourists, Pati shared that theUnited Kingdom ranks as theirnumber one source market, fol-lowed by France, andGermany. "However, we haveseen a growing interest fromthe Scandinavian countries ofNorway, Denmark andSweden," he says.

He opined that whiledomestic arrivals to the stateremain strong, the reason for

low performance in FTAs is thelack of direct connectivity."Bhubaneshwar airport recent-ly started international opera-tion which is expected to be the turning point for thestate's inbound scenario. Inaddition, we are also in talkswith various airlines likeAirAsia, flydubai, Silk Air,Tigerair and Indigo to openroutes to cities in Odisha whichwill greatly help in boostingtourist arrivals."

It was also announcedthat Odisha Tourism will beworking towards organising atravel mart called ‘Odisha Travel Bazaar’ on the lines of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) and Kerala Travel Mart (KTM). Dr. R KPattanayak, Tourist Officer,Department of Tourism, Govt ofOdisha, revealed, “We are still on the verge of finalising this but we are going to have it by the end of this year orearly 2017. We look forward to attract more investments and tourists through OdishaTravel Bazaar.”

Buoyed by its record 1 crore domestic visits in 2015, OdishaTourism will organise a total of 10 roadshows in India thisyear to attract more domestic tourists.

Odisha mart on the anvil

AH A N A GU R U N G

Utpal K. PatiDeputy DirectorDepartment of Tourism, Odisha

Talking about the council,Mohd Hamza, President,

Kargil Travel Trade Association,says, "The main agenda ofLADHC is to promote tourismin district Kargil, Ladakh asthere is so much to offer in thisregion. The Kargil Travel TradeAssociation was formed tobring together all players to oneplatform to promote the region.We have also proposed toATOAI, through LAHDC Kargil, to plan their next con-vention in Kargil-The Land ofReal Adventure."

Talking about the variouspopular attractions in theregion, Hamza says, "We havevarious monasteries likeShargol, Wakha, Bodh Kharbu,Hansikot, Sani, Karsha,Zangla, Stongdey and PhugtalGompa; various villages oftourist interest; lakes like Sapi,Shashi, Sta Tso Lang Tso;Drass, which is the secondmost coldest place in theworld; war memorials; muse-ums; glaciers like Parchik and

Drang-Drung and Nun KunPeak Base."

Hamza also adds thatthey are targeting all tourismsegments as the region offers

everything for the budget tohigh-end travellers in terms ofadventure, cultural, historicaland spiritual tourism products.Discussing the types of accommodation available in theregion, Hamza elaborates, "Wehave reasonable and goodaccommodation available likestar category hotels and guesthouses with all the modern facil-ities. New hotels are also com-ing up in the region. We alsooffer few deluxe tented accom-modations in some areas."

To harness the tourism potential of Kargil in Ladakh, theLadakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LADHC)is promoting the region as an adventure destination.

Kargil: Adventure hub

A N K I TA SAX E N A

We have alsoproposed to ATOAI,through LAHDCKargil, to plan theirnext convention inKargil-The Land ofReal Adventure

Mohd HamzaPresidentKargil Travel Trade Association

Kargil HotspotsDrass War Memorial,Bhimbhat, Tololing, Tiger Hill and Manman Pass.

Sapi Lake, Wakha, Mulbek, Chamba

Trek to Kun Base

Darchiks, Garkone, Dha,Bema, Chiktan Khar,Haniskot

Zanskar Valley

STATES


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Germany, a favoured busi-ness hub, is now growing

as a leisure destination for theIndian travellers. Owing to thissteady growth, the GermanNational Tourist Office, Indiaforecasts a 6-7 per cent growthfor the year 2016 with focus onthe theme 'Germany- Holidaysin the Heart of Nature'. To pro-mote this theme, GNTO in Indiawould execute several joint cam-paigns with trade partners.Romit Theophilus, Director-India, GNTO, said, “Germany isa magnificent destination with aplethora of scenic and naturallandscapes to choose from,available at a phenomenal price,making Germany a very lucra-tive holiday destination.”

With the increase inovernights to Germany byIndian travellers from 2007 to2015 by 84 per cent, GNTOplans to promote the destina-tion through social media -Facebook, Twitter andInstagram. Theophilus adds,“We understand the need for

innovation and try our best toupdate the travellers on the lat-est, we are excited to launchIndia Facebook Page -https://www.facebook.com/Germany-Tourism. The page hasover 95,000 fans and aims atgiving out regular updates, livefeedback to the Indian trav-ellers whilst engaging them inexciting contests."

German Ambassador toIndia, Dr. Martin Ney says,“The nearly twofold increase ofIndian travellers in less than adecade shows that Germany isa trending destination on the

global tourism map.” Germanyplans to target Tier-II cities andTier-III cities like Lucknow,Jaipur, Punjab, Karnataka,Andhra Pradesh within theage-group 14-60 years.

Destination Germany has emerged as one of the mostfavoured European destinations for Indian travellers with692,613 visitor overnights from India in the year 2015.

7 lakh Indian overnights

TT BU R E AU

Germany CallingExpected growth for 2016:

+6 to +7% growth in visitorovernights

Forecast for 2030:121.5 million overnightstays from international visitors possible

Dr. Martin Ney German Ambassador to India

Romit TheophilusDirector-IndiaGNTO

The Russian InformationCentre, India, in collabora-

tion with Russian House inDelhi and the RussianEmbassy, organised a presen-tation-'Russia as a tourist des-tination', inviting travel agentsand tour operators to learnabout the various tourism prod-ucts on offer in Russia.

Talking about the tourismproducts on offer, VasilyPopov, Executive Director,Russian House in Delhi, says,"Though Moscow and St.Petersburg are famous desti-nations, we are also introduc-ing unique destinations like theRussian Far East, Altai etc.,which the travel agents are notaware about. Also in April andMay this year, we are organis-ing Fam trips for travel agentsto visit Moscow, St. Petersburgand cities in the Golden Ring.”

Katerina Belyakova,Partner, Russian InformationCentre in India, says, “Indiansare visiting Russia but not in as

many numbers as we wouldwish. We see a huge potentialand possibility to grow thesenumbers. However, in the lasttwo years, the number of Indianvisitors to Russia has doubled."

Talking about the pro-gramme, Belyakova says, “Wecreated the programme- Indo-Russia Tourism Exchange- inorder to exchange experiencesand information between Indianand Russian business travelcommunity and governmentbodies. The programme willintroduce the destination to thetravel agents in India, educate

them on what Russia offers interms of tourism products, howto sell Russia to their clients andwhich clients to target to growbusiness. We aim to providespecial offers to the travel

agents from hotels, airlines, andlocal DMCs in Russia."

She adds that the organi-sation will hold conferences inDelhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkataand Bengaluru to develop rec-ommendations to increasemutual tourist flow, and raiseawareness in India on tourismopportunities in Russia.

Russia is engaging Indian travel agents throughworkshops and Fam trips to introduce them to thecountry's tourism products.

Russia calls on India trade

AN K I TA SAX E N A

Vasily PopovExecutive DirectorRussian House in Delhi

Katerina BelyakovaPartner, Russian InformationCentre in India


3 0 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 FAMILY ALBUM

SKÅL International Delhi gathered at ITC Maurya on March 30 over lunch to felicitate its past presidents and acknowledge their efforts. They also paid homage tothe late B.L. Nijhawan, founder of the Nijhawan Group. Explaining the agenda of the get-together, Sunil Gadhiok, Vice President, SKÅL International said that itwas time to felicitate the past presidents for taking SKÅL International Delhi to where it is. “We need more people attached to us so that it can become a club whichis really worth its name and can contribute towards the cause of the travel fraternity,” explained Sanjay Datta, President, SKÅL International Delhi.

SKÅL Delhi honours past presidents


TAFI has finally approvedthe Joint Bank Guarantee

scheme for its members andthe first presentation on the

same was done in New Delhi.Speaking on the occasion,Praveen Chugh, VicePresident, TAFI, said, “TAFIJBG was a more successfulprogramme when it was run-

ning in the past, before theinsurance companies cameinto the picture. Ten yearsback, when there were 2,800IATA certified agents, we hadmore than 200 membersunder the scheme. We areconfident to have the samenumber of members under this scheme this timearound as well when the number of IATA agents hasreached 4,000.”

While the scheme willstart from July 1, the TAFIteam is confident that it will bebeneficial for the members.Vijay K. Gupta, Chairman–North India, TAFI, said, “It willmake life easy for all sizes oftravel agents, whether it’s abig consolidator, medium sizeor a small agent.” Chughadded, “We are creating aplatform for our members onhow to reduce the cost of

securing the ticket stock andhow to get the proper ticketstock from the airlines.”

Explaining the scheme,Chugh said, “Under the newprogramme, smaller agentscontribute smaller money,which is not commission orcharges, but a deposit. Andwhatever the corpus we col-lect, we are going to put it ina fixed deposit and get an

interest and give it back to ourmembership. In fact, the con-tribution for a smaller agent isapproximately the sameamount as what they are pay-ing to the banks today for get-ting their bank guarantee.While in banks they have togive collaterals along with thismoney as a charge, TAFIadvantage is that they aregiving this money as adeposit without having to give

collaterals.” Gupta said, “Also,this would allow agents toincrease or decrease theirbank guarantee by way of awritten notice in a day or even an hour.”

Chugh concluded, “Themain aim is to reduce the cost,make the members more pro-fessional and at the same timeeducate them on how to workon greater margins.”

Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) is rolling out Joint Bank Guarantee (JBG) scheme for its members from July 1, 2016.

TAFI’s Joint Bank Guarantee from July 1

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A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 3 1ASSOCIATIONS

Ten years back,we had morethan 200members underthe scheme. Weare confident tohave the samenumber ofmembers thistime around

Praveen ChughVice PresidentTAFI

This wouldallow agents toincrease ordecrease theirbank guaranteeby way of awritten notice ina day or evenan hour

Vijay K. GuptaChairman–North IndiaTAFI


Amidst innovations and newconcepts coming up in the

hospitality industry, servicedapartments have seen a surgein the last few years. One of thefirst players in this sector inIndia was The Leela Hotel &Residences, Gurgaon. MichelKoopman, General Managerof the property, says, “Due tothe ongoing expansion of theIndian economy and key regu-latory developments, we see aclear growth in demand for serviced apartments.”Seconding this is Jai Kishan,General Manager, NovotelKolkata Hotel & Residences.He says, “A sharp surge in busi-ness travel over the last decadewith India becoming more inte-grated with the global economy,has resulted in increasinglymore professionals from India and abroad frequentlytravelling to business hubs andspending extended periods oftime working from differentlocations, giving a push to thedemand of residences or serv-iced apartments.”

Koopman notes thatmost of their business for res-idences comes from Telecom,IT and ITES companies. “Withthe government’s thrust onmedical tourism and initiatingmedical visas for tourists com-ing to India, we see it as anopportunity for extended stayand rise in the need for resi-dences,” he adds.

On the other hand, HyattRegency Delhi opened a sep-arate residence wing in itsexisting facility to meet thedemands of diplomat guests.Aseem Kapoor, General

Manager, Hyatt RegencyDelhi, reveals, “The maximumdemand for Hyatt RegencyDelhi Residence is from diplo-mats—those who are settling in and some who are moving out. However, wealso see a heavy demand byhead honchos as they also look out for premium andsafe apartments.”

Seeing the potential ofthis market, internationalbrands like Fraser Suites havefollowed suit. Kul BhushanDhawan, General Manager,Fraser Suites New Delhi, says,“The concept of serviced

apartments in India is new, butis catching on and in the nearfuture the demand wouldincrease as people realise thatall the comforts of home canbe experienced at one placeand development is risingfaster than demand.”

Kishan adds, “Long proj-ects at different cities demanda relaxed and yet super-efficientplace to stay in. A place wherethe housekeeping, laundry,security and daily conveniencesare all taken care of even beforethe guest steps back into hisresidence after a long day’swork.” To top it, there are not

many operational challengesfor hotel brands to maintain andoffer quality service.

But, the question is howprofitable are these resi-dences? “Residences are forlong staying guests and guar-antee a steady revenuestream. This works especiallywell in the lean months andalso brings in the preferredbrands,” says Kishan.

Koopman believes thatdeveloping and managingservice apartments involvesless investment. “As we do see the demand increasing,

it will be very profitable for owners to invest in the same,” he adds. The conceptperfectly suits those who want a home away from home, Kapoor says, adding,“There is an increaseddemand for the residences asrenting houses for short tomedium-term stay is difficultand comes with various legaland security issues.”

While India does showpotential, there is a long way tocatch up with the internationalcities like Dubai, where thenumber of residences isgreater. “I agree the availabilityof service apartments is muchless in India, as we do not havethe infrastructural growth hap-pening at the same pace. Also,we do not see multi-use realestate developments where wehave apartments, malls, and five star hotels in samevicinity for guests’ comfort,”explains Koopman.

Kishan concludes, “India,however, has caught on to thetrend now, and there should beno looking back.”

HOTELS 3 2 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

For both home-grown as well as international hospitality brands, serviced apartments are the best bet forcorporate and long-staying guests.

Serviced apartments: For new-age corporates

NI S H A VE R M A

Michel KoopmanGeneral Manager The Leela Hotel & Residences

Jai KishanGeneral ManagerNovotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences

Aseem KapoorGeneral ManagerHyatt Regency Delhi

Kul Bhushan DhawanGeneral ManagerFraser Suites New Delhi


STATES3 4 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

Shri Bamleshwari DeviTemple, Dongargarh

This picturesque temple is locat-ed in Rajnandgaon district, on thehigh hills (1,600 ft). It is of great spir-itual importance and a legend is asso-ciated with this shrine. Approximately2,200 years ago, the area was ruledby Maharaja Kamsen. When thequeen gave birth to a son they namedhim Madansen. Since Raja Veersenconsidered it a blessing of Lord Shivaand Parvati, he constructed the tem-ple of Maa Bamleshwari. Situatedamid beautiful hills that remain coolthroughout the year, visitors have toclimb 1,100 stairs to reach the shrine.Another prominent shrine in the vicin-ity is Chhoti Bamleshwari temple.Devotees flock these temples duringthe festival of Navratra. Shivji Templeand the temple dedicated to LordHanuman are also located here.

How to get there: The nearest airportis at Raipur (110 km away) and thenearest railhead is DongargarhRailway Station. One can also reachDongargarh via road as cars, busesand taxis are readily available fromRajnandgaon to reach here.

Top draw: The ropeway inDongargarh is the only passengerropeway in Chhattisgarh.

Shri Maharaja Devi Mandir,Ratanpur

Shri Mahamaya Devi Temple isone of the most revered shrinesendowed with spectacular architecture.Surrounded by lush green hills and 150-odd ponds, thousands of devotees visitthe town twice a year during the festivalof Navrataras. Situated 25 km from thecity of Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) on the

Bilaspur-Ambikapur state highway, thetemple and the relics of scores of ancil-lary temple, domes, palaces and forts— now rundown by the time and natu-ral forces — seem to tell a story. Basedon the Nagar school of architecture, thetemple is surrounded by an 18-inchthick boundary wall. Supported by 16stone columns, the temple is believedto be built around 12th century A.D.Many of the statues and motifs used inthe temple have been taken from run-down or broken temples.

The main campus of templehas the smaller statues of Mahakali,Bhadrakali, Surya Dev, Lord Vishnu,Lord Hanuman, Bhairava and Lord

Shiva. It is believed that the first ritualwas performed at this place byKalinga King Ratna Dev in 1050 AD,when he shifted his capital fromTuman to Ratnapur. Because of itsstrategic geographic location, KingRatna Dev and his heirs madeRatnapur their capital and built uppalaces, fort and temples, the rem-nants of which can be seen till today.

Top draw : The dual statue of MaaMahamaya. Inside the main templecampus, facing the famous KanthiDewal temple and the temple’s main

pond is the splendid dual statue ofMahamaya, the one in the front is calledthe Mahishasur Mardini and the hindstatue is believed to be that of GoddessSaraswati. During Navatratras, devo-tees from across the country and theworld come here to get a glimpse of theDevi and pay their respects.

Around the main temple are othertemples equally rich in historical andarcheological value. The most impor-tant of these are the MahamrityunjayaPanchmukhee Shiva temple and theKanthi Dewal temple.

Shri Danteshwari Devi,Dantewada

Dedicated to GoddessDanteshwari, this temple isone of the 52 shakti shrines(peeth). The temple is situatedat the spot where the tooth ofDevi Sati fell. It was built by theChalukya kings of Bastar dur-ing 14th century in honour oftheir family Goddess, DeviDanteshwari, who is veneratedby both Hindus and tribal’s inthe entire Bastar region. Thetemple is divided into four parts– Garbh Griha, Maha Mandap,Mukhya Mandap and SabhaMandap. The first two are con-structed using stone. The tem-

ple itself has been constructed at var-ious times, but the sanctum sancto-rum is believed to be more than 800years old. A Garud Pillar has beenerected in front of the templeentrance. The Danteshwari Templereally comes to life during the BastarDusshera festival season. There isalso a tradition of lighting of JyotiKalashas during Navaratra here.

Top draw: Along with beautiful tem-ple, the place is blessed with greenvalleys, blue hills, deep forests andfast flowing rivers.

The shrines of Chhattisgarh areimportant centres of spiritualityand faith. Every year thousandsof tourists from India andabroad visit these holy places.Among the huge number oftemples are those of ‘ShriBamleshwari Devi’ ofDongargarh, ‘Shri MahamayaDevi’ of Ratanpur, and ‘ShriDanteshwari Devi’ ofDantewada, which stand outdue to their archeologicalimportance and offer a whole-some experience.

Take the leap of faith in


In the market for coach touring only for young travellers thatare between 18-35 years, Contiki Holidays is getting ready to

tap the market aggressively. Sam Morrah, Director of Sales &Marketing (Asia) for Contiki Holiday, says, “India is one of themarkets we have identified ashaving key potential forgrowth not just because of itshuge population but alsobecause of the growing youth

segment. We are alreadydoing some business fromIndia but we want to grow thismarket and are now talking tothe travel agents and touroperators here to create more recall.”

The company hasappointed Jensen Dsouza asCountry Sales Manager forContiki Holidays in India whowill interact with the trade. Itssister concern Trafalgaralready has a huge presencein India. The company hasbeen meeting the trade in Mumbai, Bengaluru andNew Delhi.

Morrah adds, “We under-stand that the 18-35 agebrackets is quite a small win-dow of opportunity as com-pared to products that focuson all ages. But we are seeinggrowing engagement andinterest from India. Youngerpeople are traveling more andwe get a lot of honeymoonerstoo. At the moment we are not at the forefront of the trade’s mind for this particular market.”

New Zealand-based Contiki Holidays, thattargets only 18-35 year-old travellers, isexpanding in India and tapping the tradeto create more mindshare.

Young travellersfor Contiki

HA Z E L JA I N

Sam MorrahDirector of Sales & Marketing (Asia), Contiki Holiday

A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 3 7AGENTS

Sorrel has put together a team of leading

experts to guide BestWestern’s efforts in India,including Gurmeet SinghUberai, Promoter Director,Atul Jain, Chief Operating Officer and Tajinder

Singh, Vice President Sales & Marketing.

Sorrel has already begunan analysis of the Best Westernportfolio in India, which currentlyincludes 22 properties. Thecompany will work to identifyand retain only those that aremost stable and profitable,

ensuring the system embodiesBest Western’s core values andbrand standards. The Sorrelteam will focus on enhancingBest Western’s image in India,driving quality and steady, con-sistent growth for developersand investors. An emphasis willalso be placed on improving theguest experience and service

culture. Sorrel will beginaggressively pursuing thedevelopment of Best Western’sboutique hotel brand GLō andVib, capitalising on India’sthriving millennial market. The company will also officially introduce the BestWestern Permier Collectionbrand to the market.

Best Western Hotels & Resorts has inked a master franchise agreementwith Delhi-based Sorrel Hospitality. Sorrel will be responsible for BestWestern’s future positioning, growth and development across India,Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Best Western sets foot in India

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Australia’s Qantas Airwaysinvented Business Class in 1979

Qantas means business


3 8 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 QUICKBYTES

INDER RAJ AHLUWALIA

With the Indian inbound and outbound tourism segments evolving and diversifying, industry leaders believe it’sabout time that agents looked at hitherto untapped segments to sustain and grow.

Untapped tourism frontiers

It is time for agents to thinkand act out of the box. This is

imperative. The evolving tourismindustry makes it important fortour operators to adopt newerstrategies and look at untappedsegments. Schools, clubs andassociations, biking tours, golftours, women-only tours, youngcouple tours; and special interest

groups focusing on sports, cuisine, music and history, allhave great business potential.

Guldeep Singh SahniPresident

Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI)

While agents are now tappingmore business segments such asschools and clubs, etc., there is aworld of opportunity at hand. Theyhave to take stock of the potentialavailable in various segments andsystematically tap them. Sehgalputs great store in the ladies seg-ment. He feels that in the Indianscenario, the ladies segment is a

huge and potential one in the travel industry, and the possi-bilities are enormous. Agents would thrive if they treat thissegment as a ‘priority niche area’. Golf and nature tours alsohave enormous potential.

Rajan SehgalDirector, Arrivals Air Services

Indian outbound is outpacinginbound. This means theindustry has to become moreproactive. Until now the focushas been on individual trav-ellers, but there is now a dis-cernible trend towards targeting niche sections.Associations, schools, sportsgroups, and corporates are

now coming under the scanner and this is going to bevital for the industry’s future. There’s also a great businessscope in handling niche products and services for theaffluent travellers. Focusing on special inputs such asprivate cruises, private safaris, luxury transportation, and elite social events can generate additional businessfor agents.

Vijay ThakurPresident, India Vision Tours & Travels

Government’s apathy towardstourism has led to a decliningsituation since last year. Thishas resulted in serious financialimplications for all inboundtourism organisations – touroperators, hotels, resorts,transport operators etc. Undersuch circumstances, tappingcompletely untapped business

segments is risky as the availability of services that shouldbe assured by government even in established segmentsare in doubt. Tapping new segments will make it difficultto maintain committed services. It can be successfullydone only when we start seeing growth in business, andgovernment departments do their job at least at somedesirable levels. Several state governments are creatingnew destinations, but these ‘islands of excellence’ arelocated at distances from one another, making it difficultto create tourist circuits. Inbound tour operators areincluding niche products, but takers are limited.

Sarab Jit SinghMD, Travelite India

To tap new business segmentsis going to become essentialfor agents’ success in the nearfuture. Select segments havehuge business potential.School groups, underprivi-leged children, poker andbridge groups, budding sportsenthusiasts, niche womengroups, wine groups, clubs

and institutions, all have business potential. Besides pro-viding business, tapping such segments will also enableagents to stay ahead in an Internet-dominated business,as these segments would require ‘hand-holding’, andwould, therefore, be more dependent on agents.

Ankush NijhawanMD, Nijhawan Group

Just because outbound travel is increasing doesn’t mean agentscan sit back and relax. Business norms constantly change, andthere are still many untapped segments. There is a great potentialin exclusive, specialised tours, and concentrating on them holdsthe key to future success. Agents would do well to focus on exclu-sive, special women’s tours; culinary tours; religious tours; sportstours (mainly cricket); and senior citizen’s tours.

Homa MistryChief Executive Officer, Trail Blazer Tours

Today’s agents have to buckleup and keep pace with currenttrends, and need to tap newbusiness sources. They have tofocus on trade associations;women-only groups, senior citi-zens groups, schools etc. TradeAssociations can yield big busi-ness. Furthermore, clients wouldreap the added incentive of tax

benefits from their travel. Agents have to realise and seizethis opportunity, and go still further and segment tradeassociations into specialised groups, like for instance,medical tourism.

M.S. ChawlaPresident, Chairman, Siddharth Travels

The fact that there is enormous untapped potential for Indian out-bound is now well-known. The question is whether it is being opti-mally tapped or not. There’s a long way to go in this respect. Whilebusiness potential exists across the board, particularly lucrativeare travel segments such as senior citizens, schools and colleges,and adventure seekers. Inbound tourism to India also has untappedpotential segments such as adventure; eco tours; medical and well-ness; and truly offbeat destinations.

Cdr. C.P. SharmaMD, Neptune Travco


FAMILY ALBUM4 0 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

The Emirates Cricket Trade Tournament 2016 in Mumbai saw the top eight winning teams battling it out for the title with team LAX Rangersemerging as the winners. The tournament witnessed large number of members from the travel and trade fraternity including the organisers, co-sponsors and associate partners with travel body heads from TAAI and TAFI.

Emirates bats for the travel trade



Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAK TDA) conducted its first ever travel trade roadshow in India on April 6 in Mumbai. The educationalsessions familiarised the travel trade community with Ras Al Khaimah. The 20-member delegation, comprising hoteliers, resorts, spas, and representatives of tour attractions, interacted with over 200 key travel and tour operators, MICE providers and up-market leisure operators.

Ras Al Khaimah enthralls Mumbai



The two-day Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) convention held in Bali discussed key issues ranging from visaproblems and the changing market dynamics to rapid digitalisation in the travel industry.

OTOAI changes the game

Contd. on page 46



The party starters in Bali


Offering solutions for out-bound, inbound and other

services globally, Clover Travel& Tourism (CTT) is a one-stopshop for travellers. SabirShaikh, Managing Director,Clover Travel & Tourism, says,“We offer customers highlyprofessional travel-relatedservices which includes airlinetickets, hotel reservations, carrentals, cruise bookings, holiday & tour packages, travel insurance, visa assis-tance, meet and assist facili-ties, chauffeur-driven privatecar transfers at major citiesworldwide and other travelrelated products.”

Emphasising on theUSP of his company, Shaikhsays, “Along with teamwork,integrity, respect and serviceas our core strengths, we con-stantly create awareness ofchanging travel trends amongour customers. In these yearsof providing travel services, thecompany has gained a largenumber of repeat customersbe it individual travellers or partof large corporates.”

As a result of this dedi-cation, he says, they have cre-ated a niche for themselves,not only in the UAE, but Indiaas well. “From the Indian mar-ket we are specifically doingoutbound to Dubai. The emi-rate is known for luxury andinnovation. We are also doingmarket study and are planning to increase some more destinations. To start with, wemight add Egypt from therevery soon.”

In 2015 they had around5000 passengers from Indiaand they achieved this figurewith only marketing and per-sonal contacts. “In 2016, wehave an aggressive plan toexpand the market share.Hence, we have hired regionalsales manager to penetratethe market and will introducean e-commerce platform to

increase the turnover by threetimes,” adds Shaikh.

He says he would want toconnect with agents from Indiaand for that they are also host-ing a gala dinner and have invit-ed many agents to share theirplans to promote this region.

For Clover Travel & Tourism, India is a bigsource market for outbound to Dubai andthe company is now adopting anaggressive approach to boost numbers.

Niche in the UAE

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Sabir ShaikhManaging DirectorClover Travel & Tourism

Just three hours away fromIndia, Almaty in Kazakhstan

is a destination of all seasonsand all types of travellers. RohitShorey, Director, DTS, reveals,“It offers great attractions frombeautiful blue lakes and snowcovered mountains, ski resortsthat will match those ofSwitzerland and fabulous shop-ping of all-known brands. Now,

we have opened our own officein Almaty to assist with tourpackages and visa assistance.”He also added, “There is directflight from Delhi to Almaty, whichis only three hours.”

In order to ensure greatstay for travellers to Almaty,“DTS has signed direct con-tracts with hotels such as RitzCarlton, Rixos and Ramada,”says Shorey. He further adds,

“Our staff and guides are fluentin English to assist. I especiallyrecommend Almaty in wintersfor families to enjoy snow, skiingand other activities.”

Talking further aboutAlmaty, he says, “Almaty is quitea sophisticated place – one forenjoying green parks and excel-lent museums, shopping and forpartying in the finest restau-rants, cafes, bars and clubs.”

Destination Travel Services (DTS) has opened a new office in Almaty,Kazakhstan, and has signed contracts with Ritz Carlton, Rixos and Ramada.

Expanding to Central Asia

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Rohit ShoreyDirector, DTS




Visit Britain organised their annual flagship event ExploreGB in Liverpool this year. The event providing 300 British & Irish tourism suppliers anddestinations an opportunity to meet and do business with up to 320 international hosted buyers from 40 countries including over 20 Indian buyers.This two day event was followed by a familiarization trip to South West & South East England including Bristol and Bath.

Exploring Britain beyond London


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

The aviation sector in Indiashows immense potential

provided it is supported by thecorrect regulations and marketforces, said Kaul. “The numberof domestic passengers thathave grown in the last 10 yearsis three times greater than thenumber of passengers in theprevious 50 years. India is slat-ed to have massive growthpotential, going forward inter-national as well as domestic.This growth is beneficial toeveryone both as a consumeras well as professionals in theindustry,” he said.

Giving an overview of theprevious decade at the recentlyheld HOSI conference in Delhi,Kaul elucidated, “In the last 10years there has been a dramaticincrease in the traffic for India.Five year CAGR, FY 2005-2010, the domestic growth was18.5 per cent, internationalgrowth about 12.1 per cent. Fiveyear CAGR, FY 2010- 2015,growth was 9.1 per cent andinternational growth was about

8.1 per cent. Ten year CAGR,FY 2005-2015 it was about 13.7per cent domestic and 10.1 percent international. Over the last10 years, the domestic traffichas been up 3.5 times and inter-national traffic has been up 2.6times. From 40 to 50 million pas-sengers we are headed to 100million passengers next year.”

The aviation expertbelieves that by 2025 inboundwould be roughly at about 15million from 8 million, outboundis likely to be around 45 millioncrossing about two and a half

times. “Most interesting is theexpected growth in the fleet, in2015 from 394, to 663 aircraftin 2020 and 1000+ aircraft in2025. These are unconstrainedforecasts. These forecasts aresubject to changes in policyand liberalization,” he noted.

Challenges include creat-ing a more positive regulatoryframework, ensuring safety andsecurity remains paramount.“More important investment inairport and airport capacity,there remains physical infra-structure inadequacy, negativefiscal regime and productivitychallenges. India could face acapacity crisis without construc-tion of 50 new airports over thenext decade,” he added.

While the GoldenTriangle of Delhi, Mumbai,Bengaluru, seems to be gettingstronger, other airports likeChennai and Pune havecapacity problems. Most of theairports in 50 cities acrossIndia are going to saturate inthe next three to five years inIndia, he added.

Kapil Kaul, Chief Executive Officer and Director -SouthAsia, Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) gives aninsight into the aviation scenario in India.

Domestic traffic triples

KA N C H A N NAT H

Kapil KaulChief Executive Officer and Director -South Asia, Center for Asia PacificAviation (CAPA)

India has certainly been agrowth story for Flydubai

ever since it started opera-tions in the country, saysDasan. “We have 95 per centplus seat load factor round theyear from all the eight Indiancities we fly to.” He furtherclaims, “We would love tooperate to a total of 42 citiesin India including all the state capitals and a number of secondary cities. However, it is subject to thebilateral and permissions fromthe government.”

Explaining further,Dasan says, “As of now wehave exhausted the capacitythat was available to carriersof Dubai in India. It will be onlywhen the Government of India permits the new bilateralthat we will be able to addmore destinations or addmore services to existing des-tinations in India.”

Flydubai, however, isone of those airlines, which do

not give any commission totravel agents in India. Dasanreveals, “We have askedeveryone to mark up on thetickets. This is the modeltoday. While we keep gettingfeedback, this is how our busi-ness model is structured. Wedo not have a system of offer-ing commissions anywhere inour network.”

He continues, “Airlineindustry is ever changing, justlike any other business.Everyone is looking wherethey can save money andcost. It’s a very capital inten-sive industry. A major portion

of your cost is not in your con-trol and is dependent on other factors, like fuel, aircraftlease payment, engineeringmaintenance support, trainingof pilot and staff, RouteNavigation Facilities Charges(RNFC). All these costs arefixed and add up to 80-85 percent of the total cost, leavingonly two types of costs —salaries and agent commis-sion. This is the reason all air-lines like to reduce it to themaximum they can.”

While he agrees that air-lines can’t do without travelagents, he claims that very soon an evolution will be seen in the business of agents. “Agents will find their own niche among the different kind of businesses that exist andtake it forward. They willevolve. Those who would beable to establish packagedtours with airlines would certainly be successful. Some agents have alreadystarted doing it. And this is theway forward.”

Flydubai wants to make its presence felt in India but onlyif the bilaterals permit, says Pran S. Dasan, RegionalManager for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Flydubai.

95% load factor

NI S H A VE R M A

Pran S. DasanRegional Manager for IndiaNepal, Sri Lanka, Flydubai


5 4 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 HOTELS

While neighbouring coun-tries like Thailand,

Malaysia, Singapore, and SriLanka, are first ‘foreign holiday’choices, last year brought manynew destinations to the forefront,Roy says.

Talking about the destina-tions that are gaining popularityamongst Indian travellers, Roysays, "While classical Europeand USA are eternal, 2015 hasseen more interest in EastEurope, the Mediterraneanregion and cruises. Thoughrecently introduced, we haveseen growing requests forGeorgia, Armenia, Croatia andsome Balkan nations inEuropean countries. South

America is gathering moreinterest as well. We expectgreater interest post the RioOlympics in 2016."

India is one of the fastest-growing outbound travel mar-kets in the world, second onlyto China. The GDP growth of 7per cent annually and expend-able income, adds the lure ofoverseas holidays, adds Roy.

Discussing the chal-lenges faced by the outboundtourism industry, Roy says,"Taxation and currency fluctu-ations create a knee-jerkresponse. Depreciation of therupee against the dollar hasbecome a very big factor forIndian tourism. Destinationssuch as the US, Canada, UKand Europe have seen a dropin arrivals from India due torupee rate fluctuations."

Talking about the assis-tance provided by the companyto the travel agents, Royexplains, "We have been supporting small and mediumtravel agents to create tour itineraries, train the frontlineand selling staff on the destina-tion and its highlights, assist increating their e-mailers andadvertising."

With new outbound destinations gaining popularity, taxationand currency fluctuations create a knee-jerk reaction, saysAmit Sen Roy, VP, Leisure Contracting, WOW Holidays.

East Europe gaining ground

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We have beensupporting smalland mediumagents to createtour itineraries, trainthe frontline staff,assist in creatingtheir e-mailers andadvertising

Amit Sen RoyVice PresidentLeisure Contracting, WOW Holidays

WOW FactorThe company saw growingrequests for Georgia,Armenia, Croatia and someBalkan nations in Europeancountries in 2015

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel &Spa has a strategic mar-

keting plan with NijhawanGroup to deliver personal cus-tomer service and speed theinquiries while simplifying theway hotel interacts with itsIndian agent network, says IvaFarida, Director of Sales &Marketing for the resort.

“We are committed tobring people closer to experi-ence Balinese hospitality evenbefore they step into the islandof Bali and this initiative willposition us to serve better inour key growth market, India,”Farida says.

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel &Spa is one of the best when itcomes to customer serviceespecially for individual trav-ellers, Corporate & MICE busi-ness – by bringing the Balineseheritage concept with a mod-ern style, she adds.

Ankush Nijhawan,Managing Director, Nijhawan

Group, says, “We are delightedwith this collaboration as Indiais the seventh biggest marketfor Indonesia & the number ofIndian travellers to Bali isincreasing, especially forincentive trips.

“India is one of the fastestgrowing markets of outboundtourists & we are positive toincrease the number of Indianvisitors to Nusa Dua BeachHotel & Spa.”

The beach resort claims to be a pioneer of

luxury accommodation within the Nusa Dua area, famous for their land-scapes gardens by the white sandy beach andBalinese heritage gate architecture.

The five-star diamondresort has welcomed a ray ofroyalty, presidents and other dignitaries from all over the world since its opening. The newly renovated382 guestrooms and suites embody Balineseambiance.

Nijhawan Group has taken on as the Sales & MarketingRepresentative for Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Bali, to servetheir clients better and increase market share from India.

Nijhawan augments profile

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Iva FaridaDirector of Sales & Marketing Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa

Ankush NijhawanManaging DirectorNijhawan Group


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

Cinnamon Air stands outamong all the other

domestic airlines, claimsDwight. “It is the only domesticairline that operates scheduledflights out of Bandaranaike

International Airport andColombo City with maximumnumber of destinations in SriLanka. Also, the level of com-fort and luxury insideCinnamon Air aircraft isunmatched compared to otherdomestic carriers in Sri Lankaand the airline is the only oper-ator with a fleet that consists

of amphibian aircraft as well,providing a somewhat rareexperience to passengerswhen landing on water,” he said.

Dwight further says, “Wehave competitive advantages

due to our extensive network,experienced pilots, equipment,high quality of maintenance, andquality of service. We also offercompetitive pricing for our char-ter flights, which contributes sig-nificantly to our revenue.”

In fiscal year 2015-2016,Cinnamon Air’s passenger

uplift for scheduled flights hasbeen over 7500 and another4000 passengers from 600charter flights, which accordingto Dwight speaks volumesabout its performance. In orderto boost the figures further theyare now launching new routes.Reveals Dwight, “Currently, ourmost popular routes are fromColombo to Sirigiya,Trincomalee, Batticaloa (serv-ing Pasikidah), and Kandyalong with routes betweenKandy and southern points.Starting May 1, 2016, we willoffer daily scheduled flightsbetween Mattala InternationalAirport in Hambantota andBandaranaike InternationalAirport in Colombo.”

He also claimed that ahuge share of the businesscomes from overseas travelagencies and the internet,which form a vital part of their sales strategy. “Weengage with travel agentsusing sales visits, mailers,presence at travel trade events,and positive relationships,” he claimed.

Cinnamon Air is launching a daily scheduled flight between Hambantota and Colombo from May 1, 2016,reveals Sean Dwight, CEO, Cinnamon Air.

Colombo-Hambantota direct

NI S H A VE R M A

Sri Lanka-based companyAitken Spence is looking to

India with great hope, andextending its focus to include thenorthern part of India. SurangaRatnayake, General Manager,Aitken Spence, who also looksafter its hotel division, says, “ForSri Lanka, south India has beenthe real market with over 70 percent of the arrivals coming fromthere due to its proximity. Ourfocus at Aitken Spence Hotels& Resorts is to get to the nicheclients in other cities of India. Inthe northern region, so far wehave been trying to captureplaces apart from Delhi so wewill now be focusing predomi-nantly on Delhi.”

Aitken Spence has a verystrong hotel arm. It opened itsHeritance Negombo this Aprilbuilt with an investment of ̀ 5 bil-lion. It takes its total inventory to10 hotels in Sri Lanka, six in theMaldives, five in the Andamansand one in India. Ratnayakeadds, “Sri Lanka is growing interms of inventory and a lot of

international brands are comingin, which only prompts us to getmore aggressive. We meet theagents in India every threemonths since we only cater tothe B2B market. We speak tothem on a one-to-one basis andupdating them on our productsand destinations.” He adds hishotels are popular for destina-tion weddings as well as MICEapart from leisure.

Underlining its upcomingactivities, he adds that AitkenSpence will participate in keytrade exhibitions, and conductmarketing activities in terms of

visiting agents covering theentire breadth of India.

Its six resorts in Maldives,Ratnayake reveals, is also pop-ular among Indian tourists. “Weare doing a lot of promotionswith Maldives as well in terms ofspecial packages catering to theIndian traveller. Traditionally,Maldives is a long-stay destina-tion but we are promoting threenights’ packages to Indians aspeople do not stay for a longtime,” he says.

Aitken Spence Hotels &Resorts had introduced promo-tional packages with Sri LankanAirlines to give more exposureto its hotels and DMCs. It hadtwo packages for the Indianmarket – a beach package andone that included best locationsand hotels of Sri Lanka. “We aretesting the waters at themoment for the kind of marketing we are going to do inIndia. As we go along, there willbe more packages to cater toother parts of India and there willbe more flights as well,”Ratnayake says.

While South India has proved to be Sri Lanka’s numberone source market like it has been for Aitken Spence, thecompany is moving northwards to tap Delhi market.

Aitken Spence moves north

HA Z E L JA I N

Suranga RatnayakeGMAitken Spence


HOTELS

With changing dynamics and rising competition in the hospitality industry,the role of hotel general managers is also becoming more complex andchallenging. Five GMs of leading hotels list down what it takes to be at thehelm in such state of affairs.

Evolving role of General Managers

KA N C H A N NAT H

I think it’s learning for both sides,it’s important to have open andclear communication channels.It’s important to establish the ruleof engagement, who does whatand when. We can tap into theirknowledge, plan to what can bedone to move forward. They haveto give whatever is needed for theoperation.

Kurt StraubVice President Operations,

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

It is a very challenging roletoday. A general manager needsto be able to ensure that thecompany’s culture is alive andwell in the hotel. One can tellwhether the company culture isalive in the hotel the moment youwalk into a hotel, engage withthe associates. Where the cul-ture is alive operations are found

to be on track. General manager role is much more com-plex today, he/she needs to be able to manage ownerrelations, be a brand custodian, balance core card, andmanage social media, communicating in real time.

Neeraj GovilMarket Vice President - South Asia, Marriott International

We hire managers but promoteleaders. General manager is theday-to-day leader at the hotel. Allthe strength of the brand comesto the fore because of the lead-ership of the GM. Interpersonalskills are extremely important,above and beyond all technicalexpertise, since the GM needsto be able to engage the various

stakeholders.

Raj RanaChief Executive Officer of South Asia,

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

A general manager is in theposition to exert so much influ-ence on so many factors, so theyneed to try and create value andendearing value that wouldremain three to four years afterthey are gone.

Rajiv KaulPresident, The Leela Palaces,

Hotels and Resorts

Primary expectation of a GM is that he should be the brand manager, be the guardian of thebrand, to ensure the brand comes to life and the customer experiences are consistent acrossthe hotel. At the end of the day, we are delivering an experience to our guests that are manifestedthrough the brand. Secondly the GM is also an asset manager for the hotel, carrying the respon-sibility to manage the asset, in keeping with the brand expectations. Thirdly he should be a peopledeveloper, a leader of people, with the prime responsibility to not only attract and retain butdevelop talent, give them growth opportunities and be a mentor to give them career and industrygrowth inside as well as outside the hotels

Shantha de SilvaHead of South West Asia, InterContinental Hotels Group

Cox & Kings hosts foreign tour operators

Foreign tour operators at a lunch hosted by Cox & Kings to celebrate CII Destination Kolkata at the historic Bengal Club


5 8 TRAVTALK A P R I L 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 AGENTS

Focused on B2B segment of tourism, Tourism

Enterprises brings best inter-national DMCs to travel agen-cies and tour operators in India and imparts destinationas well as product knowledge.To keep up with the expansionof the tourism industry, |they have signed an agree-ment with AdventuresOverland to promote uniqueself-drive fixed departuresaround the world for Indian travellers.

Speaking on this mile-stone, Ravi Gosain, ManagingDirector, Tourism Enterprises,reveals, "We already had twoself-drive groups - one inIceland, and one fromNagaland via Myanmar toBangkok. Both were successfuland highly appreciated amongthe tourists. Our next destina-tion will be South Africa in Juneand Alaska in August." Theself-drive tour in South Africascheduled from June 13-25,2016, will give visitors a

chance to drive fromJohannesburg to Cape Townand enjoy thrilling experienceson the way.

Moreover, Gosain sharesthat they are also entering newoutbound markets by bringinganother DMC on board."Recently we have signed onCzech Republic DMC to cater the demand of CentralEurope. Before that we hadstarted promoting Greece sincemid-2015 and it was a success.We have planned to movetoward destinations like Russiaand Balkans – Serbia,Montegro, Albania andMacedonia," he says.

For the most part, amajority of TourismEnterprises' customers comefrom Delhi NCR and Mumbaiof course, but some Tier IIcities have recently startedshowing interest.

"Tier II cities like Jaipur, Lucknow, Raipur,Bangalore are coming up very fast. We have set up atarget of sending 10,000tourists collectively to various DMC’s this year and I think this target is reachable,"he shares.

Tourism Enterprises has devised self-drive fixed departuresin countries like Iceland, South Africa, and Alaska, for anunparalleled travel experience.

Self-drive tours in S. Africa

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Recently we havesigned on CzechRepublic DMC tocater the demandof Central Europe.Before that we hadstarted promotingGreece since mid-2015

Ravi GosainManaging DirectorTourism Enterprises

Indian Historical Hospitalityencompasses travel solutions

catering to accommodation,travel and logistic require-ments. The consultancy repre-sents some of India's finestboutique hotels, heritagehotels (forts/palaces/ havelis),wildlife destinations, luxurycamps and hill resorts.Currently, they handle proper-ties in Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh and Uttarakhand.

Speaking about the com-pany's USP, Alok Bhatt,Director - Sales and Marketing,Indian Historical Hospitalitysays, "We focus on promotingselected eco-friendly/ruraltourism heritage propertieswhich are ideally located ineach place. We are increasingextra activity to generate moreinterest from traveller."

He also highlights thepotential of domestic tourismand expresses interest in tap-ping the market. "We are trying

to attract markets like smallconferences and domestictourism and to draw in morevisitors, we are offering specialpackages with extra services.In addition, we understand theneed for expansion and areconcentrating on different over-seas market which have poten-tial but remain unexplored."

Bhatt feels that with thegovernment initiating differentavenues for growth of theindustry, the market will face alikely growth. He opines, "Themarket has been sluggish forlast few years but it is slowly

getting back to normal with thegovernment pushing for growthIn India. With lower fuel pricesand hopefully lower hikes inprices this year, I feel that therewill be decent growth in 2016."

Propagating the cause of eco tourism and the beauty ofheritage properties, Indian Historical Hospitality is keen totap the currently booming domestic market.

Heritage to the forefront

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IHH PortfolioCurrently, IHH handle prop-erties in Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh and Uttarakhand.

The company is concentrat-ing on unexplored overseasmarket

We are trying to attract mar-kets like small conferencesand domestic tourism and todraw in more visitors, we are

offering special packageswith extra services.

Alok BhattDirector - Sales and Marketing

Indian Historical Hospitality


Marvel Trip was launched in2011, offering travel serv-

ices to leisure and corporatetravellers. Talking about theirUSP, Nitin Jain, Director,Marvel Trip, says, “Our strengthlies in the familiarity of theMarvel brand in Tier II and TierIII cities. We are fairly new in themarket as an OTA but our brandfamiliarity is our USP."

Talking about their targetsegment, Jain says, "We aretargeting long-haul destinationsfor the niche clientele. We focuson the 4- or 5-star categoryproperties and provide luxuriousexperiences to our travellers.We have tied up with majorGDS in the country like Sabre,Galileo and are partners withairlines like Lufthansa, JetAirways, Air India, etc. We havealso partnered with hotel chainslike The Oberoi, Crowne Plaza,Taj, Hyatt, Leela etc."

He points out that sincethe launch of the companythey have witnessed a doubledigit growth and are targetinga cent per cent increase inbusiness in 2016. Jain says,“We are marketing our onlineportal through trade journalsand online promotions. We arecurrently working with 1000travel agents and offer comple-tive commission rates.”

Speaking about the traveltrends amongst Indians, Jainsays, “Indian travellers arechoosing to travel to newercountries over domestic travelas the cost factor is nearly the

same for both and are increasingly looking for multi-destination trips.” He adds that Europe remains the most popular destinationamongst Indian travellers with newer and unexplored destinations like New Zealand, Bora Bora, Fiji Island picking up.

On the performance ofinbound market in India, Jainsays, "Issues of safety andsecurity have made peopleapprehensive to travel to India.We have seen that touristscoming to India are looking forreal, historical, ethnic and culi-nary experiences instead ofluxurious products."


Marvel Trip has launched its online portal marveltrip.comto offer travel services and solutions and has partneredwith hotels and airlines to offer packages for domestic,inbound and outbound travel.

Going strong in Tier II, III

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We aremarketing ouronline portalthrough tradejournals and onlinepromotions

Nitin JainDirectorMarvel Trip

Experiencing South Africa

South African Tourism hosted a delegation of 25 Indian travel partners who were selected after the successful completionof Learn South Africa – an education program for trade partners in India.


With 24 per cent increasein passenger air traffic in

February 2016, it is boom timefor civil aviation in India.However, the draft civil aviationpolicy of November 2015 hasstill not been finalised. Thecontentious issue of 5/20should be addressed quicklyso that other aspects of thedraft policy start to move,some of them being extremelyimportant for the economy.

The issue of regional con-nectivity, with both regional air-ports and airlines finally gettingtheir due importance, in acountry of India’s economicstature and size is a step in theright direction towards creating an aviation infrastruc-ture for a country for a fullyintegrated economy.

Even the World Bank hascome out with the growthadvantage coming out of afully functional aviation infra-structure in the country. Toachieve this the proposed cre-ation of a fund for regional con-nectivity with two per cent cesson most tickets, revised RouteDispersal Guidelines and pro-

visionof viabilitygap funding, aresteps in the right direction inspite of some economist beingcritical of such cross subsidy.The Universal ServiceObligation Fund of the telecomsector is a good example tofollow. Encouraging regionalairlines and airports withincentives to kick start regionalconnectivity is also a welcomemove. Such incentives shouldonly be withdrawn once routesbecome viable.

The aviation industry isapprehensive about MROs. It’sa near $1 billion business forour country alongwith employ-ment potential for skilled man-power, but we are not letting ithappen due to the cost ofdoing business in India. UnionFinance Minister’s budget

announcements meet theneeds of MRO industry

partially. MRO is aninternationally com-petitive business andwe need an interna-tionally competitive

tax and custom facilita-tion regime.

There is a need for theFinance Ministry to be a proac-tive partner rather than behavelike a big brother. It’s not justease of doing business thatmatters but also the cost ofdoing business. If India is ahigh cost economy then noamount of improvement in‘ease of doing businesses’ will help.

Our airlines look forcheapest and most efficientMROs in our neighbourhoodas flying an aircraft to SriLanka or Singapore for amajor check is not a big issue.Therefore, it is necessary forFinance Ministry to be a part-ner in this endeavour.

I’d like to mention thatwe are the only major civilaviation country that hosts air

shows every alternate yearbetween the civil and defensesectors. These two air showsshould be combined into oneto get the advantage of sizeand importance. Here againwe are competing withSingapore and Dubai for itsimportance but cutting ourown feet due to our internalturf wars.

With 81 million trips, India’s domestic aviation market grew at over 20.3 percent during Jan-Dec 2015 - the highest growth rate recorded in the world.According to research studies, India is set to become the third largestaviation market by 2020.

Sturdy policy to boost aviationGUEST COLUMN

Talking about the event,Kulwant Singh, CEO andManaging Director, LamaGroup, says, "This year we haveone of the largest delegationfrom Dubai with 24 participantsin the roadshow. We are excitedto see the variety of products onoffer like new attractions inDubai, existing popular excur-sions, international hotel chainsthat are popular amongst theIndian travellers like Ascot and Sea View."

Singh revealed a specialincentive scheme for the Indiantravel agents at the event. "Anyagent across India who wouldsell 290 room nights to Dubaifrom April 15 to July 15, will qual-ify for a fully paid trip to Dubaiwhich will include return airfare,5-star hotel accommodation,excursions and activities. We will

host 200 travel agents fromacross the country. Such incen-tive schemes have been intro-duced earlier too but not at thisscale and budget," he says.

Singh also announcedthe introduction of 'LamaBeach Club' for the Indiantravel trade to organise lunch,dinners, theme parties, teambuilding activities at thebeaches in Dubai. He says,"We are also launching a luxury boat in the waters ofMarina after ATM which can accommodate 80 guests on the upper deck, twobedrooms on the lower deck and dining space for 40 guests."

He points out that 1.6million Indians visited Dubailast year as compared to 1.1million in 2014 correspondingto nearly 40 per cent growthfrom the Indian market, mak-

ing India the largest sourcemarket for the emirate. Hesays, "We are glad that LamaTours has substantial share ofthis business. We are thelargest DMC in terms ofIndian numbers to the UAEand it is great to see theDubai Tourism Board support-ing the road show, exhibitingthe seriousness attached tothis market."

Elaborating on the expec-tations from ATM, Singh says,"ATM is going to be one of themost vibrant exhibitions and wehave high hopes as on onehand Europe and America arestill overcoming from recessionand we saw a huge dip in theRussian market into Dubai, onthe other hand we see hugebusiness movement from Indiainto the UAE and thus this yearwe are expecting a huge dele-gation of Indian travel agents atthe show."

Lama Tours will host 200 agents from India in Dubai as part of its special incentivescheme. In collaboration with Dubai Tourism Board, the company recentlyconducted its 14th annual roadshow spanning four days in Delhi, Chennai,Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Luxury boat for 80 at Dubai Marina

TT BU R E AU

Kulwant SinghCEO and Managing DirectorLama Group

The author Dr. Sanat Kaulis the Chairman of International

Foundation for Aviation,Aerospace and Development

(India Chapter)

Lucrative ChanceAny agent across India who would sell 290 room nights to Dubai fromApril 15 to July 15, will qualify for a fully paid trip toDubai which will includereturn airfare, 5-star hotelaccommodation, excursions and activities. For more information and free listing, contact us at: [email protected]

Digital Travel Summit Las Vegas May 2-4

INDABA Durban May 7-9

Peru Travel Mart Lima May 13-16

WTM Connect Asia Penang May 18-20

PATA Annual Summit Guam May 18-21

UNWTO World Conference Beijing May 18-21 on Tourism for Development

Bangladesh International Dhaka May 19-21Tourism Fair

World Travel Fair Shanghai May 19-22

BITE Beijing May 20-22

WTM Connect China Hainan Island May 23-25

PATA & MOT roadshow San Francisco May 24

PATA & MOT roadshow Los Angeles May 25

PATA & MOT roadshow Seattle May 26

ILTM Asia Shanghai May 30-2

PATA & MOT roadshow Vancouver May 31

JUNE 2016Digital Travel Summit London Jun 7-8

KOFTA 2016 Seoul Jun 11-14

ITE & MICE Hong Kong Jun 16-19

Connections Luxury Thailand Phuket Jun 19-22

UNWTO Conference on Kiev Jun 20-21 Branding in Tourism

CITE Cebu Jun 30-Jul 2

APRIL 2016Great Indian Travel Bazaar Jaipur Apr 17-19

Germany Travel Mart Magdeburg Apr 17-19

KITF Kazakhstan Almaty Apr 20-22

Visit Scotland Expo Edinburgh Apr 20-21

Phocuswright India Gurgaon Apr 21-22Travel Technology Conference

Himachal Travel Mart Shimla Apr 22-24

6th UNWTO Silk Road Urmia Apr 24-25Task Force Meeting

Routes Europe Krakow Apr 24-26

Rendez-vous Canada Montreal Apr 24-27

Arabian Travel Market Dubai Apr 25-28

Ecotourism & Sustainable Botswana Apr 25-28Tourism Conference

Arabian Hotel Investment Dubai Apr 26-28Conference

ICPB roadshow Bengaluru Apr 29

MAY 2016


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


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

Four Points by Sheraton Navi MumbaiVashiSubhabrata Roy is the newly appointed General Manager at FourPoints by Sheraton Navi Mumbai, Vashi. With 16 years of experience

in the hospitality industry, Roy has workedwith some of the most prominent hotelbrands in India which include the Taj Groupof Hotels, Keys Hotels, Oakwood and,Accor. He pursued a degree in Commerce

from the Calcutta University followed by a3 year Catering Management Diploma fromthe prestigious IIHM, Calcutta. Roy suc-cessfully held the position of General

Manager, Corporate Accommodationat Keys hotel just before joining Four

Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai,Vashi.

Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield by MarriottBengaluruGaurav Singh was appointed as the General Manager of Courtyardby Marriott and Fairfield by Marriott located in one of Bengaluru’scommercial hubs. A seasoned hotelier with an experience that spans

over 14 years, Singh started his career in the year1999 and has worked for prestigious brandslike the ITC Hotels Delhi, Oberoi AmarvilasAgra, Oberoi Udaivilas Udaipur and Leela Kempinski Mumbai. Prior to joiningas the General Manager of MarriottInternational’s Outer Ring Road Bengaluru

property, he was the GM of Courtyard byMarriott, Ahmedabad.

Tourism Malaysia MumbaiMohd Hafiz Hashim recently took over as Director, TourismMalaysia, Mumbai. His main responsibilities include developing theWestern India market targeting especiallythe Tier II and Tier III towns to reach theone million Indian tourists mark.Hashim is also planning to promoteniche products like self-drive, luxurytravel, eco-tourism, sports tourism,business travel, etc. to reach out to special interest segments of the Indiantraveller. In his earlier roles, Hashim hasserved Tourism Malaysia offices inSingapore, Sydney, Melbourneand Auckland.

Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore Joydeep Ghosh has been appointed as Director, Sales andMarketing at Mövenpick Hotel and Spa Bangalore. Ghosh bringswith him an extensive experience in sales andmarketing geographical boundaries. He willbe involved in strategising and planningof marketing initiatives. His responsibilitieswill also involve leading the team toachieve the sales targets and motivatingthem. Ghosh started his career with a role in the Food & Beverage departmentat The Oberoi New Delhi post which hemoved to the prestigious Burj Al Arab inDubai, United Arab Emirates. He comeswith over 20 years of experience.

ContikiMumbaiJensen Dsouza has been appointed as Sales Manager for ContikiHolidays. Post graduating in arts from Mumbai, Jensen pursued

post graduate degree in marketing from Welingkar’sInstitute. He has previously worked with organ-

isations like Global Buzz Makers and ThomasCook India amongst others. With over 12years of experience, his new role will entailservicing and engaging the travel tradepartners and grow the youth brand across

the country. A keen sports per-son, he is also intrigued by

astronomy & is an avidreader with over 800

books in his read-ing library.

Isra Stapanaseth, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT) New Delhi, says Japan is one of his favouritedestinations. “I also love travelling to some of Thailand's

neighbouring countries.” Hemostly spends his free time

either exercising or jogging.“Golf and cycling aresome other activities Iengage in regularly,” hesaid. When it comes tofood, Stapanaseth says

he has a typical NorthernThai taste!

Talking People is a special dedicated corner, created as a sounding board for who’s who of the Indian and International travel industry. With Talking People, it is our endeavour to bring you face-to-face with people.Contributed by: Ankita Saxena & Ahana Gurung

Shantanu Chand, CEO, Go Beyond Travels, has quite a fewinteresting travel experiences to share. “A few highlights of my

trips that stand out: the balloon safari over theSerengeti, encountering a crash of 20

rhinos in the middle of a sundownerin South Africa, being chased bya female elephant in Samburuand running into a pride of lionsinstead. But probably the bestwould be when a leopard cubwalked 10 feet away from me in

Masai Mara,” he recounts.

Alphonsus H.M. Stoelinga, Ambassador of the Netherlandsto India, Bhutan and Nepal, believes in investing a lot of energyin everything he does. For him travelling is not just visiting a

place, but imbibing its culture andunderstanding its people. “I travel a

lot in India and have visited placeslike Madurai, Kochi, Puducherry,Chennai, Amritsar, Agra,Lucknow, as well as cities likeAhmedabad and Kolkata. Still Ifeel I have a lot to see,” he

adds. Stoelinga says that hederives inspiration from his

parents, people he has workedwith, and those he

meets onhistravels.

TrafalgarMumbaiRohan Kulkarni has been appointed as Sales Manager for Trafalgarin India. A commerce graduate from Mumbai, Kulkarni had donehis MBA in Travel & Tourism from Kuoni Academy. He has previ-

ously worked with organisations like SOTCKuoni and Thomas Cook India amongstothers. With more than five years of expe-rience, his new role will entail servicingand engaging the travel trade partners andgrow the brand. A keen footballer, he lovesto spend spare time with his family and

listing to Retro music.

Eastin Residences VadodaraVadodara CityAbsolute Hotel Services India has announced the appointment ofKabir Mehra as General Manager of Eastin Residences Vadodara,

located in Alkapuri, the central business hub ofVadodara City. With a degree in HotelManagement from the University of

Huddersfield, U.K, Mehra brings along apossession of diverse experiences of over9 years in Hotel Operations. Prior to joiningAbsolute Hotel Services, Mehra was RoomsDivision Manager with the Royal

Orchid Central, Bangalore. In his current role,Mehra will be responsible to successfully open

an International Hotel, pioneering theconcept of Service Apartments,

in Vadodara.

Tourism and Hospitality Skill CouncilMumbaiArun Nanda has been appointed as the new Chairman of Tourismand Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), a society supported by Ministryof Skill Development and Entrepreneurship(MSDE) through National Skill DevelopmentCorporation (NSDC) to create a robust andsustainable eco-system for skill developmentin the hospitality industry. Nanda will guideand lead the organisation in their aim to fulfillthe skilled manpower requirements of the hos-pitality industry. Nanda is currently theChairman of Mahindra Holidays &Resorts India Ltd. and MahindraLifespace Developers Ltd. andDirector of Holiday Club ResortsOy, Finland.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Paschim Vihar New DelhiArun Arora has been appointed as General Manager of RadissonBlu Hotel New Delhi, Paschim Vihar. With over 27 years of expe-

rience in all aspects of hotel operationsincluding overseas and pre-opening, hehas been a pioneer of sorts in the hospi-tality industry, progressing to the role ofF&B Manager at Taj Group of Hotels afterhaving successful stints with ITCWelcome Group Sheraton and Clarks

Group of Hotels. His initial tenure atCarlson Rezidor Hotel Group involved pre-

opening and Task Force assignments tostabilise the hotel operations , rev-

enues and processes whichalso included a deputationposting in Philippines.


Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2015-16-17; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2015-17 for posting on 1st-2nd and 16th-17th

of the same month at New Delhi PSO, New Delhi - 110001, RNI No.: 53492/1991Date of Publication:15-04-2016

QWhat does PATA advocate globally?There are five main advocacy

themes that are important for tourism allover the world. First and foremost, the dis-persal of tourists to make sure every citywith tourism potential receives tourists asopposed to one central location where vis-itors flock to. This way, everyone can eco-nomically benefit from it.

Visa facilitation is an aspect which isespecially important in a country like India.I'm glad that the government decided totake this step with the e-Tourist Visa (eTV)and would encourage them to continuereviewing the policy so that it gets betterand continues to open up to more coun-tries. Sustainability has become an impor-tant component as well, not just environ-mentally, but also for the people and thecommunity. Making sure everyone canbenefit from tourism responsibly is whereyou understand that tourism goes beyondjust travel. Human capital development is

involving young people in the industry andgetting them to stay for the future.

The last one is tourism resilience; weneed a lot of that at the moment. To makesure the industry is prepared and ever readyfor an eventual crisis by involving differentaspects like the media, communications, etc.

QWhat is your opinion about theIndian tourism industry and the

initiatives that have come into play?The tourism industry in India has

been growing and in my opinion it will

continue to grow. The country hasimmense growth potential; the questionis, can you speed up the process? Can you be bigger than what it is today?I think it can. The e-tourist visa (eTV) is a great initiative and is helping in this immensely and if the gov-ernment continues to encourage theopenness of eTV to other countries, theindustry will continue to grow in a much faster way.

However, the infrastructure needs to be continuously improved to be able to cope with the forecastincrease. It is a challenge for any government - the danger is that if the growth is too rapid, the infrastructurewon't be able to handle the increase.Finding a balance between the two is amajor challenge.

I think the impending NationalTourism Policy can definitely be instru-mental in the industry's growth providedit doesn't put restrictions. It should help

the SMEs in India to grow sustainablyand assist them to effectively markettheir business overseas even if you area small company.

QDo you think our marketing cam-paigns have been effective?The Incredible India campaign has

been immensely popular. Everywhere yougo in the world, you can immediately makeout what it is just by hearing its tunes. Ithas set such a strong impact that if thetagline or something as such were tochange, it would be a challenge to live upto the current campaign. What India needsis a cohesive marketing plan that pro-motes the diversity of the different regions within the country and the differentproducts they have to offer. You haveeverything in India. You have beaches,mountains, cultures, a very long history,heritage, minority groups, and so muchmore to offer. It's important to be able totell your story well.

QPlease elaborate on the dominanttrends in the tourism industry.A truly local experience is something

that is very popular among travellers,mainly with the experienced travellers.Now it's all about getting to experience theauthenticity. Everywhere in Asia, travellersare eager to try new experiences and dif-ferent cuisines - travellers have becomemore curious than ever.

Digitalisation of the travel industry is another trend that has fast gained popularity. With numerous innovationsdominating the field like GDS and OTAs, including the more recent idea of using humanoid robots in this sector, this trend is here to stay for a whileand will definitely be instrumental in theindustry's growth.

Mario Hardy, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), spoke to ,where he addressed various issues and challenges of the tourism industry.He also analysed India tourism's strong points and areas for improvement.

India’s incredible marketing

What India needs is a cohesive marketing plan that promotes the diversityof the different regions within the countryand the different products they have tooffer. You have everything in India.

Mario HardyCEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

AH A N A GU R U N G

If the liberalisation of visa process and the easing of the for-malities continue, you will see a very big pickup in foreign

tourist arrivals. One of the things that put India on the tourismmap is the Incredible India campaign which has been one of themost successful initiatives so far. A lot of people developed thedesire to explore India because of it! The huge diversity of

culture and rich heritage has always been India's drawing point for tourists. The history, comparable

to story books, is magnificent, and people will always want to visit India.

John KoldowskiSpecial Advisor to CEO, PATA

Liberalisation of visa process


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GORILLAS OF RWANDA

UPCOMINGRAS AL KHAIMAH

IN TECHNICOLOR CANADA

F o r t h e d i s c e r n i n g t r a v e l l e rtalk

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NEWS

‘POOLING AROUND’ IN PHUKETMore pool villas and a brand new beach club have been added to Phuket’s luxury offerings. The Aleenta Phuket Resort & Spa completed a year-long renovation. It now boasts 34 new pool villas with a private terrace, a 24-foot pool and a hot tub. The much-awaited Keemala Phuket has also opened for business. It is set in the woodlands of Kamala and offers guests a taste of Thailand’s rainforests. The 38-villa property offers private pools in each unit. The swanky new Dream Beach Phuket located on the site of Nikki Beach Phuket, is now positioning to include families.

Bali hopping with Contiki New Zealand-based Contiki Holidays that targets the age group 18-35 has launched its new package in India. Its new eight-day ‘Bali Island Hopper’ in India, with multiple fixed departures, starts at $749 (twin-sharing) and $1,078 (singles) and includes Bali, Gili Trawangan and Lombok. The tour starts and ends in Seminyak.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Anyone can flyiFLYIndoor Skydiving is the latest in action sports sweeping throughout the globe. Indoor Skydive Australia Group uses world-leading technology to construct iFLYIndoor Skydiving facilities which simulate the free fall experience felt when skydiving. It is located in two places: Sydney and Gold Coast. The entire experience takes 1 hour 45 mins from check-in to leaving the facility.

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Why we travelA simplistic answer to this would be – to explore a new place, to holiday, or to just break the monotony of daily life. But reasons for travelling are never one-dimensional. To say the least, we travel to gather a plethora of experiences in the hope that it will somehow enrich our lives and maybe even impart some wisdom about how to live – and live better.

Experience-based travel, we can therefore safely say, is what is guiding and what will continue to guide the discerning leisure traveller.

Like the British-born writer of Indian origin, Pico Iyer said in his famous essay with the same title as this introduction, “Travel, at heart, is just a quick way to keeping our minds mobile and awake. As Santayana wrote, ‘There is wisdom in turning as often as possible from the familiar to the unfamiliar; it keeps the mind nimble; it kills prejudice, and it fosters humor.’”

In keeping with this idea, the following pages will give a glimpse of the vast spectrum of experiences that can be had by a traveller across countries. These travel products have been segmented under broad themes – adventure, history, culture, water sports – but are in no way exhaustive, because experiences can come in many forms and under many conditions.

More and more destinations are realising this and identifying their unique selling points to create a product around it. And it is working. Rwanda is now selling gorilla tracking, Ras Al Khaimah has a two-seater microlight aircraft that flies over the emirate, Stuttgart wants to sell its own annual beer and wine festivals…the list is endless. This experiential tourism segment is now taking baby steps in India and promises to change the way Indians choose to travel.

HAZEL JAIN

talk 4 TRAVTALK April 2ND Fortnight Issue 2016

NEWS

Detox in the mountains Located in the heart of St Moritz, the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains has introduced a luxury detox programme for the coming summer season from June 17. The detox cure will be individually tailored through fresh mountain air and mineral-rich spring water from the Mauritius source.

Perched 2,000 metres above sea level on the rim of a great canyon, the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort will welcome the world’s most discerning luxury

travellers from July 2016. The resort will be the highest luxury hotel in the Middle East and amongst the highest in the world. A total of 115 rooms and villas overlook the drama of the canyon or tranquil gardens.

Vikramajit CHAIRMAN

SanJeet EDITOR & PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL Devika Jeet Hazel Jain Ruchi J Singh Shivani Kaul

ADVERTISING Gunjan Sabikhi Harshal Ashar Karishma Khanna

ADVERTISEMENT DESIGNERS Vikas Mandotia / Nitin Kumar

DESIGN Raashi Ajmani Girdhar

PRODUCTION Anil Kharbanda

CIRCULATION Ashok Rana

Tribute to DESIGNMandarin Oriental, Milan is now offering guests two suites inspired by Milanese design masters, Piero Fornasetti and Gio Ponti. The new Milano Suite and Premier Suite complete the hotel, which opened in July 2015 with eye-catching interiors that include the monochrome, geometrically designed Mandarin Bar, and stylish, Michelin-starred restaurant, Seta. Both are 100 square metres in size and each has a living room, bedroom, master bathroom and guest bathroom.

A new name in luxury in Oman

This May, Emirates One&Only

Wolgan Valley and R.M. Williams

will curate an Australian luxury

weekend, set against the breathtak-

ing backdrop of the Greater Blue

Mountains. Guests will experience

unforgettable bushland adventures,

stunning local cuisine and wines,

campfire under starry skies and the

spectacular surrounds of Australia’s

ultra-luxury eco-resort. They will

also gain an insight into the world of a truly iconic Australian brand and take home as a memento a pair

of personally-fitted R.M. Williams boots. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is a unique, ultra-luxury

conservation-based resort 2.5 hour drive from Sydney. It is located within the World Heritage-listed

Greater Blue Mountains region and set on its own private 7,000-acre carbon-neutral wildlife reserve.

Madinat Jumeirah’s new event space at Fort IslandMadinat Jumeirah, the Arabian Resort of Dubai, opens a new outdoor events space at the new Fort

Island to cater for a larger range of events for the MICE market. Set over 1,750 square meters, the

space has tripled in size. Fort Island is connected to the resort by four bridges and guests can also

access the venue by the traditional wooden abra boats when staying in one of Madinat Jumeirah’s

three hotels. It is steps away from the bustling Souk Madinat, the 600-seater outdoor amphitheatre,

Madinat Theatre and the nearest hotel, Jumeirah Mina A’Salam. It includes a new and enlarged fort

building comprising a roof terrace, pantry, reception counter, prayer rooms, ablution facilities, and

restrooms. The space can be arranged to cater for either 1,100 people banquet style, 1,400 people

for cocktail/events, or alternatively can accommodate a large marquee of 35m x 30m.

A quintessentially Australian luxury escape

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NATURE

Canada’s natural beauty is in itself an appealing proposition for visitors and the magnificent Aurora Borealis stands out as the queen of all natural phenomena.

LightA Technicolor

ShowRibbons of green, red, blue and purple

ripple across the sky, gathering momentum until the Northern Lights shimmer and loop over the entire

horizon in surreal swathes of colour — the Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, is Mother Nature’s light show that many Inuit believe is so intense they sing and crackle.

Northern Lights occur year-round, but can generally only be seen on relatively dark, clear nights. Depending on the latitude, there are four months of prime viewing season from September through April and occur anything from 90 to 500 kilometres above the earth’s surface.

Not just for viewing pleasure, but the lights can also help visitors do activities – like fly-fishing for

1,000,000 mile per hour solar winds create the Northern Lights phenomenon.

Did you KNOW?


Arctic Char by the lights of the Aurora in far Northern Quebec or light-peeping in the Northwest Territories with a locally-sourced gourmet meal of caribou, or pickerel plucked from an icy lake near their log lodge. The Aurora is so bright it can light the way for snowmobilers on Labrador’s epic Cain’s Quest or for dog mushers and cross-country skiers in the Yukon. But the breathtaking displays are just as enjoyable from within the cozy confines of a cabin, tent or glimpsed through the steam of an outdoor hot tub in the lap of luxury.

THE ULTIMATE AURORAWatching the Northern Lights amidst rustic wilderness luxury is another experience altogether. Blachford Lake Lodge is a 25-minute scenic float plane flight away from Nunavut and has two Aurora Borealis viewing decks.

Visitors can fly on a bush plane – equipped with floats in fall and skis in winter– and land alongside

Blachford Lake Lodge, an oasis of rustic luxury in the Northwest Territories’ wilderness near Yellowknife. In fact, this can be visited throughout the year. In fall, guests can watch the Aurora turn the night sky green, red and blue. During the day, they can hike, paddle and go fishing amid autumn foliage. In winter, they can skate on the frozen lake, mush huskies, stomp off on snowshoes or hop on a snowmobile and experience the wide-open Northern backcountry. Local dishes include bison and pike.

Blachford is open for two seasons every year-the winter season is until April 10, 2016 and its summer season starts from early June to October. The lodge will re-open December 19, 2016 for the 2016/2017 winter season. Autumn, when the night skies are becoming darker, is a great time for Aurora watchers and stargazers. Winter, when skies are pitch black, is the best time to watch the Northern Lights.

Rates of the two to seven night package for each of its winter and summer seasons start from CAD 1,850 to CAD 5,450. For bookings, email [email protected]

Book it now

NATURE


Renowned for the planet’s last-remaining mountain gorillas, Rwanda is promoting gorilla tracking in India that remains unique to that region.

HAZEL JAIN

Gorilla

Rwanda

This one is for travellers increasingly looking for trips that offer instant and total

immersion. Gorilla tracking in Rwanda is often described as ‘life changing’ and with good reason. With only an estimated 880 gorillas left in the world, to see these gentle creatures in their natural habitat is a truly unique moment.

Gorillas make their homes in and amongst the bamboo-covered slopes of the Virunga Mountains in the Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda. Visitors need to trek to see and be introduced to them by expert trackers and guides to one of the fully-habituated families of mountain gorillas. Visitors can stay with them for an awe-inspiring hour, often crouching just a few feet away, whilst

tracking in

EXOTIC


EXOTIC


the gorillas go about their daily lives. Hikes in the mountains can last anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours depending on the family allocated to the group and their location. The journey back can take just as long, but guests are often carried along by the euphoria they feel at seeing the gorillas! Expert guides give a pre-trek briefing on specific protocols and rules for visiting the gorillas that live within an altitude of 2,500 and 4,000 metres. A unique tourism event is ‘KWITA IZINA’ which is a special naming ceremony for the baby gorillas. This event is normally held each year in September.

WHY IT IS UNIQUEThere are only three countries in the entire world where one can do a Mountain Gorilla Trek - Rwanda , Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. But due to political instability in

the Democratic Republic of Congo, no one attempts to do the trek there. Also, it is generally believed that gorilla trekking is better in Rwanda. Being an endangered species gorilla trekking is done on a restricted basis so large groups are not allowed. Restricting the group size ensures that the gorillas are not disturbed in their natural habitat.

Agents can make bookings directly via the Rwanda Development Board’s tourism department or through approved tour operators. The cost of a single gorilla permit is $750, some portion of which goes back into conservation of the gorillas. It is advisable to book in advance. Children are not allowed because of the possibility of them getting scared of the gorillas. Special foot gear is recommended.

Rwanda is blessed with an array of tourism products. These include:

• Volcanoes National Park where one does the gorilla tracking

• Akagera National Park where visitors can see the Big Five apart from many other animals

• Gisenyi / Kibuye which is on the banks of the largest lake in Rwanda - Lake Kivu

• Nyungwe National Park with its unique Canopy Walk

• Cave tourism

• Religious tourism to Kibeho which is a place of pilgrimage for Catho-lics and other religions

• No visit to Rwanda would be complete without a visit to at least one genocide memorial. Rwanda experienced a violent past in 1994 when close to one mil-lion people were brutally murdered during the 100 days genocide against the Tutsi.

REMARKABLE RWANDA PRODUCTS

EXOTIC


HISTORY


While The Netherlands is often referred to as Holland, the official name of the country is the (Kingdom of the)

Netherlands. It consists of 12 provinces and two of them, North and South Holland, are the two provinces that together make Holland. Due to the maritime and economic power of these provinces in the 17th century, the Netherlands became known worldwide as Holland. To make matters even more confusing the inhabitants of the Netherlands are called Dutch!

9 TRADITIONAL ICONSThe Netherlands (or Holland) may be a small country, but it’s packed with world famous icons. Discover its tulip fields, windmills, cheese markets, wooden shoes, canals of Amsterdam, masterpieces of Old Masters, Delft Blue

earthenware, innovative water-management and millions of bicycles.

Holland has nine traditional Dutch icons and one of them is clogs or wooden shoes. Contrary to popular belief, most Dutch people don’t wear clogs anymore. The only group of people that still wears them is rural workers; besides them, there’s only one other group of people that enjoys buying and wearing clogs – tourists. Today, most clogs are sold to tourists from all over the world that want to bring home a typically Dutch souvenir.

The Dutch clogs keep feet dry, are very safe

and wearing them is even considered to be healthy. The European Union acknowledged this and gave the clog a CE mark. Currently, there are 25 traditional clog makers who like to demonstrate the profession of clog making.

Hollandighlights

The all-wooden Dutch clogs that are called klomp in Holland have come to symbolise the country, among other things, despite the fact that these hand-crafted works of art are no longer practical.

HISTORY

HOLLAND TO ME IS...

“A complete sense of joy and happiness in the way they live: joie de vivre.”

“Windmills, but also the mesmerising Keukenhof gardens in Lisse.”

“Holland can be précised by tulips, canals, cycling paths and windmills”

MAHENDRA VAKHARIAMD, Pathfinders Holidays

SANJAY TEMKARDirector of Sales for India, Trafalgar

MONISH SHAHDirector, Travelibro


viewA

Debutant emirate Ras Al Khaimah has a lot of aces up its sleeve and it is unfolding them slowly to the Indian market.

Bird’s-eye

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is growing as a tourist destination, with India being one of the prime markets

aiding this growth. India is currently the fourth-largest inbound market for the emirate, after Germany, Russia and the UK, contributing significantly to its goal of achieving one million visitors by the end of 2018. In 2016 and beyond, the emirate’s Tourism Development Authority will be placing an increasing focus on attracting Indian travellers through strategically planned content, relevant tourism products and services, focused marketing and communications efforts, events and tailored hotel products.

Ras Al Khaimah is primarily a family destination which also offers business, MICE,

leisure, adventure and luxury travel. It has a diverse offering, comprising luxury beach resorts and hotels which offer activities, events and entertainment suitable for families, couples, friends or singles. On one hand, it offers stunning scenery with the magnificent mountains and on the other it offers wide stretches of desert to enjoy a truly Arabian experience. One of the exciting experiences that it offers is flying over the emirate on a two-seater Microlight aircraft.

THE FLYING CLUBThe Al Jazirah Aviation Club offers a truly amazing experience for the visitors to fly with a Microlight aircraft and enjoy scenic views of the desert, the white sandy beach, the turquoise sea and the majestic mountain. The locations that are mostly covered are the coastline, the islands, the desert and all the

This scenic helicopter flight shows a bird’s-eye view of RAK’s 65-km shoreline, desert, mountains and famous landmarks teamed with in-flight live commentary.

The Seawings Urban Experience takes off from the shores of RAK on a 45-minute aerial tour giving picturesque views of it before flying to Dubai.

SEAWINGS

HELICOPTER TOUR

OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE DONE

ADVENTURE


way to the mountains. The emirate has a lot of natural islands with pink flamingos that can be observed from the sky. The aircraft takes off in the desert; continue over the sea climbing to the natural islands and fly the plane to the mountains. All-in-one trip, as Ras Al Khaimah is famous for its incredible landscape. It is popular because people want to see all of these places at the same time.

THE FLYING CLUBThe Al Jazirah Aviation Club allows visitors to enjoy scenic views of the desert, the white sandy beach, the turquoise sea

and the majestic mountains onboard Microlight aircraft. The locations that are mostly covered are the coastline, the islands, the desert and all the way to the mountains. The emirate has a lot of natural islands with pink flamingos that can be observed from the sky. The aircraft takes off in the desert, continues over the sea, climbing the natural islands and fly to the mountains. Ras AL Khaimah is famous for its incredible landscape and the microlight aircraft allows visitors to see all of these places at once. The Club was opened in 2000 close to the famous hotel complex of Al Hamra Resort.

GOOD TO KNOWThe cost of a ride in a Microlight two-seater aircraft is $100 for approx 25-30 minutes. A combined package of flying lessons along with an aerial tour starts from AED 245 with 30 and 45-minute lessons.• Suitable for ages 10 and up. Not suitable

for those weighing more than 115 kg• Bookings must be made at least 72 hours

in advance and cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

• Flights available Monday-Saturday.

For bookings, email [email protected]

ADVENTURE

Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, spearheads the plans of major developments, increasing visitor numbers and improving international awareness about the emirate. He says, “We have seen an incredible 80 per cent year-on-year growth in tourists from India. There is great potential for growing these numbers even further and this is the single biggest factor which spurs us on to further promote the emirate in India. We are now enhancing

our efforts to drive awareness across India through our dynamic marketing campaigns and relationships with key partners in the public and private sectors, also including airlines. Our goal is to continue this growth and diversify the type of visitors from India to include those seeking adventure, nature, heritage, sun and sand. Through these efforts, we expect India to continue to be a top inbound market and remain a strong contributor to the growth of the emirate’s tourism sector.”

RAK lures IndiansThe upcoming emirate expects India to continue being one of the top source markets in Asia.


STUTTGART BEER FESTIVALMove over Oktoberfest, this traditional beer festival held in Stuttgart’s is one of the biggest in the world. And it’s free! From September 23 to October 9, 2016, the Cannstatter Wasen will once again be the scene of intercultural encounters. For 17 days, around four million people from all corners of the globe make merry in the exuberant atmosphere of the Cannstatter Beer Festival.

The original harvest festival has developed into a popular public celebration with an international impact. On the last Friday in September the seven beer tents, the two wine tents and the Alpine Village will open their doors to the public and the fairground rides will get under way. Round about the Fruit Column, the historic symbol of the traditional festival, 330 showmen, hosts and stallholders have a wide variety on offer. A double-looping roller coaster, auto-scooters or Chair-O-Planes: modern attractions or old favourites – they’re all here at the Wasen. In the festival tents, hearty dishes such as grilled knuckle of pork, fried steak or Swabian ‘Maultaschen’ (filled pasta) are served to go with the mugs of beer.

Held over 37-hectare site on the banks of the

Neckar, the first festival on the Cannstatter Wasen was held 198 years ago. Originally the idea of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and his consort, Queen Katharina, it began as a combination of a festival for the general public and an agricultural fair, with horse racing and prizes awarded for outstanding achievements in cattle breeding, and was intended to aid the recovery of Württemberg’s battered economy in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars.

The very first Stuttgart Beer Festival opened in September 1818. The fact that 2015 is the 170th and not the 197th anniversary of this merry traditional festival is easily explained: by order of King Karl, the Wasen was held only biennially from 1882 onwards, and this continued up to the king’s death in 1891. This, along with the repercussions of the two World Wars, resulted in Stuttgart having to go without its festival for 28 years.

STUTTGART WINE VILLAGE This wine festival is the world’s largest wine festival held in the last week of August in the city centre of Stuttgart which gets converted into a wine arena with wine tents, food stalls and plenty of seating place to have wine. This is worth talking about as

StuttgarttoriesUnbeknownst to the Indian market, this city in SouthWest Germany holds two big annual festivals dedicated to beer and wine where travellers can mingle and participate in the local culture.

AT THE BEER FEST• Number of people

directly or indirectly involved: Around 17,000

• Number of employees daily: Around 1,500

• Stall frontage: 5 kilometres

• Total seats: 35,000

• Festival tents: 7 beer tents, 2 wine tents, an Alpine Village

• Energy consumption: Enough to supply a town of some 11,000 inhabitants

• Water consumption: over 40,000 cubic metres (enough to fill about 224,000 bathtubs)

CULTURE

Stu

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CULTURE

an experiential visit as it lasts for a week from 11 am to 12 midnight. It is estimated that it receives close to a million visitors every year.

This wine festival is the meeting point for connoisseurs from August 24 to September 4, 2016, when the smell of onion pie, roast beef and ‘Schupfnudeln’ (local pasta made partly with potatoes) is in the air between the Stuttgart Market and Schiller Square. The wine village — popular among locals and tourists — is celebrating its 40th

anniversary this year.

Whether Trollinger, Stuttgart’s most preferred red wine, Riesling or Schillerwein, named not after the Swabian poet, but called so because of

its shining colours - the choice is difficult, for more than 500 different wines are sold here, in Germany’s largest wine-growing municipality. To be able to taste more than just one good drop, it has become a tradition at the Stuttgart wine festival to stroll from arbor to arbor, with a quarter-litre glass, which one has lent at the wine festival or brought along from home, and to stop and visit as one pleases. The wine connoisseurs’ hunger is satisfied in the cosy and idyllically decorated vine arbors, by eating Swabian specialities: ‘Maultaschen’ (stuffed pasta squares) with potato salad, ‘Spätzle’ (locally-made noodles), ‘Schupfnudeln’ with sauerkraut or pretzels are the right foundation.

For bookings, email [email protected]

Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH /Christoph Duepper

Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH /Christoph Duepper

Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH

Experiential Indian visitors will love the experience of attending the world’s largest wine and beer festivals. They can get a first-hand account of tasting German beers and German hospitality.HECTOR DSOUZA Director - India SouthWest German Tourism

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CRUISES

CRUISEI Dream of

Dream Cruises, the first-ever Asian luxury cruise line, will complete the circle for Genting Hong Kong by targeting premium travellers. It will make a one-time stop in Mumbai on October 29, 2016 while making its way to its home port in China.

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With the India launch of Dream Cruises – a premium cruise brand for the Asian markets — Genting HK hopes to create and attract a

segment of Indian travellers that its other two brands didn’t quite hit it off with – the premium travellers. This brand will fill the gap that Star Cruises and Crystal Cruises couldn’t. It will be priced higher than Star’s existing cruises but lower than Crystal’s. Typical itineraries will include two-, five- and seven-night cruises. The new ship will have 1,700 staterooms, 35 restaurants and bars, various entertainment areas, outdoor adventures, rejuvenation facilities and more. Dream Cruises’ sister ship — World Dream — will sail in November 2017.

ARTISTRY AT SEAGenting HK is re-imagining cruise experiences. Dream Cruises unveiled the stunning artwork set to adorn its

inaugural ship purpose-built for the China and Asia cruise market. Genting Dream, currently undergoing fit-out at shipbuilders Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, will debut from her homeport of Guangzhou (Nansha) in November this year. Conceived by Chinese pop-artist Jacky Tsai, the art piece entitled ‘Voyage of a Lover’s Dream’ envisages an ethereal and fantastical journey of love between a mermaid and an astronaut.

London-based Tsai, best known for his creative work with iconic fashion designer Alexander McQueen, combines the essence of Chinese culture and the popular elements of western art in his unique hull art piece. The artist has created a giant-sized art piece on both port and starboard sides of Genting Dream measuring more than 335 metres in length. He has then recreated an acrylic and gold leaf on canvas work — measuring 3.1 metres by 1.35 metres, which will be displayed onboard On entering service in November 2016, Genting Dream

CRUISES

Genting Dream will carry 3,400 guests and 2,000 crew members, giving the 150,000-ton vessel the largest guest space ratio of 45 tons per guest as well as the highest crew-to-guest ratio at 1:7 of any Asia-Pacific ship.

Did you KNOW?


CRUISES

Dream Cruises’ first ship, Genting Dream, will dock in Mumbai on October 29, 2016, and agents have already started selling it. We are offering them a good value proposition.THATCHER BROWNPresident Dream Cruises


will be amongst the largest and most spacious cruise ships in Asia. The 2,000-strong crew will be in a planned ratio of 1 crew member to every 1.7 guests.

ONBOARD AMENITIESA range of comfortable guest options are offered, with over 70 per cent of staterooms containing private balconies. 100 connecting rooms will ensure that family and larger group vacations are comfortable. Guests also can experience the ultimate luxury in ‘Dream Mansion’, a ‘ship-within-a-ship’ with two floors of lavish suites featuring European-style butler service.

It has over 35 restaurant and bar concepts capturing the flavours of Asia and the world and a 610-metre wraparound promenade will allow for dramatic sea-side dining and lounging from sunrise-to-sunset in a multitude of themed venues.

Onboard experiences will include a comprehensive and ever-changing program of

opportunities for self-discovery, including guest speakers on a multitude of topics; wine, whisky and cigar appreciation; together with a myriad of educational activities and happenings.

In addition, a plethora of past times including pools, six water slides, play rooms, rock climbing wall, mahjong room and mini-golf. A full complement of health and well-being facilities will further enhance the guest experience including state of the art Asian and Western Spas, a beauty salon, barber shop, and health club.

Highly immersive ‘retail-tainment’ environments will delight guests with the widest array of luxury brands and highly knowledgeable service in the widest category of products. Highly personalised shopping experiences will include special trunk shows, personal shopper and in-cabin service.

For bookings, contact Naresh Rawal on [email protected]

Genting Hong Kong will now offer products in three different segments — Star Cruises as a contemporary brand, Dream Cruises as premium and Crystal Cruises as the luxury brand. NARESH RAWAL VP, Sales Star Cruises (India)

Genting Dream will debut from her homeport of Guangzhou (Nansha) in November. Her maiden cruise itinerary offers two, five and seven-night coastal China and Vietnam desti-nation experiences. From November 13, 2016 to January 1, 2017, the five-night cruise will provide a chance to explore Vietnam’s scenic Da Nang and Ha Long Bay, calling at Sanya on China’s beach resort of Hainan Island on the return leg. From January 1 to March 31, 2017, the five-night cruise will then showcase the vibrant side of Vietnam with calls at Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh city. Both itineraries have a choice of a two-night weekend cruise to the dynamic city of Hong Kong.

REGULAR CRUISE ROUTE

CRUISES


LUXURY


F or Thailand, it was a huge decision to shift its focus from numbers to price for the Indian market – a dependable

source that had consistently contributed good numbers. Thailand and luxury sounded like an anomaly to many but it was a well-thought out plan for the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) India.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is tweaking its positioning in India, focusing on new segments and also opening up new regions to support the destination’s new positioning and to cater to newly developed/ developing segments. Soraya Homchuen, Director, TAT Mumbai, says, “We are looking to cement our capabilities as a luxury destination. Thailand has always been able to offer the best value and the best experience at any given price point and as such, the focus has automatically been on value-for-money. Since 2014, we have been gradually shifting attention to the destination’s luxury offering across hotels, services, shopping and attractions. We are experiencing demand for high-end hotels – some with butler service, some private villa resorts, some private island/ private beach hotels; Indians are opting for luxury shopping over and above street markets – they purchase hand-crafted items and Thai silk and shop

at brand-driven malls like Terminal 21, Emporium and the newly opened Emquartier; they are dining at Thailand’s top restaurants across global cuisine, artisanal Thai food and Indian food. Indian travellers are also signing up for high-end attractions like Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World and for luxe island hopping tours, for diving holidays. We would like to cement our position as a destination for the luxury-seeker.”

Keeping this new positioning in mind, TAT now has access to a variety of new segments such as groups of women who travel amongst friends, family bonding breaks, empty nesters and seniors and also niches such as divers, golfers and road trippers. Of course, with this positioning and these segments in mind, it has had to showcase Thailand far beyond Bangkok and Pattaya and even Phuket. “However, we continue to highlight what is new and upscale in these eternal favourites. We’re looking at drawing discerning, well-travelled Indians to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, to Kanchanaburi, to Koh Chang, Koh Kood and Koh Lanta, to the Koh Samui archipelago, Krabi, Hua Hin and some Indians are even exploring Thailand’s north east which is Loei and Nakorn Ratchasima (where Khao Yai National Park is), which are often unseen even among Thais,” Homchuen adds.

Going from

LUXURY

Keeping its new positioning in mind, Thailand has changed gears to attract more high-spending travellers. SORAYA HOMCHUEN, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mumbai, highlights

the products with which it is doing so.

We are experiencing demand for

high-end hotels – some with butler

service, some private villa resorts,

some private island/ private beach hotels.

SORAYA HOMCHUENDirector, TAT Mumbai

MASS CLASSto


A dip in the Philippines

The Philippines is perfect for water sports. From the gentle, clear water of Boracay to the gigantic surf breaks of Siargao, travellers will find a plethora of choices on the island.

WATER SPORTS


There is so much water in the Philippines–it’s an aquatic playground for any water sport enthusiast.

CLIFF DIVING The Philippines is home to one of the top cliff diving destinations in the world. One of the most famous spots is at Ariel’s Point in Buruanga, Aklan that is 35-40 minutes away from Boracay. They have diving boards starting at three meters and as high as 15 meters. It also has other activities such as snorkeling and kayaking. Malapascua in Cebu also offers a good spot for cliff diving.

SURFING Surfers need go no further than La Union, North West of Manila, facing the South China Sea, where there are ample options of staying in stylish beachside resorts with daily surfing lessons available. Surfing is also a serious activity on Siargao Island, in the south of the Philippines.

SCUBA-DIVING The Philippines is famous for having diverse marine life and beautiful coral reefs, this makes scuba-diving one of the most exciting activities here. There are plenty of spots offering unique perks and amazing experiences. Novices need to get a certification first and complete beginners training before enjoying the beauty of the ocean. Sabang Ba in Puerto Galera, Taiei Maru Wreck

in Coron and Yapak 2 in Boracay are some of the best places for scuba diving.

WHALE SHARK DIVINGThe south east of Cebu is famous as the site of whale shark watching, in Tanawan, Oslob. Experience swimming with whale sharks, the most glorious creature ever, preferably during good weather and clear water before the water temperature goes up.

WINDSURFING Windsurfing - a combination of surfing and sailing - is powered by the wind which is great because there are plenty of beaches in the Philippines that are windy all year. This sport is pretty beginner friendly. Boracay and Cuyo Island in Palawan are some of the best options for windsurfing.

PARASAILING Parasailing is a popular activity in Boracy islands where riders can view the beautiful shoreline of white beach from above while being pulled by a boat. This is a fun and exciting experience for those who love heights and want a birds-eye-view of paradise.

WHITE WATER RAFTING There are different categories for beginners to the experts which differ in speed and intensity. Cagayan De Oro is the best spot to go for rafting in the Philippines.

WATER SPORTS

The beach is only half of your island vacation. The water is just as inviting too. Water activities are more fun in the Philippines!NAVRITU KAUSHAL RAIAccount Director Philippines Tourism Marketing Office, India


FESTIVALS

Munich, the Bavarian capital, is host to over 20 Christmas markets and some spectacular lights displays, including

the Christmas Village at the Royal Palace, the Tollwood Winter Festival and the historic ‘Christkindlmarkt’ in Marienplatz. Here is a guide to explore some of the best Christmas markets and happening in the city.

CHRISTMAS MARKET AT MARIENPLATZThis traditional Christmas market dates back to the 14th century and is considered the most original and authentic in Munich. The romantic setting in front of the neo-Gothic town hall on Marienplatz adds to the magic of the many stalls radiating traditional Bavarian charm.

CHRISTMAS ON VIKTUALIENMARKT The Viktualienmarkt, Munich‘s permanent open market, always offers an abundance of freshness and a vivid experience of Munich‘s way of life. This popular market is especially charming during the Christmas season – the many treats on display are an open invitation to indulge one‘s palate. Visitors can also enjoy Christmas

carols and feel the magic of Advent with a glass Glühwein (mulled wine). Well worth visiting is the nativity scene at the beer garden, where the figures reflect perfectly the life of the market.

THE MUNICH AIRPORT CENTERAs of November 21, the aroma of roasted, sugar-coated almonds and hot mulled wine will begin to pervade the largest covered winter market in Bavaria. With over 50 stalls, numerous show acts, a 15-meter giant tree, over 400 Christmas trees and an ice-skating rink all of its own, this winter market does count as a very special attraction.

MUNICHWhite Christmas in

Indian travellers are now braving Europe even during the winters and one of the highlights of their trips are the Christmas markets – like the ones in Munich.

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