Express Travelworld (Vol.10, No.3) April, 2015

V0L 10 NO.3 PAGES 40

April 2015, `50

CONTENTS MANAGEMENT Vol 10 No 3 APRIL 2015 Pages 40

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Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka Editor

Reema Lokesh* Chief of Product

Prabhas Jha PROMISING CHANGE IN THE PROMISED LAND FROM TOUGH TALKS TO TEAM WORK, FROM VENTURING INTO AN UNUSUAL DESTINATION TO WITNESSING A FULL HOUSE AT SESSIONS, THE TAFI 2015 CONVENTION IN JERUSALEM, WAS REFRESHINGLY DIFFERENT

Assistant Editor

Steena Joy Sr. Associate Editor

Sudipta Dev CONTENT TEAM Mumbai

Kahini Chakraborty Rituparna Chatterjee New Delhi

Archana Sharma Kolkata

Joy Roy Choudhury DESIGN National Art Director

EDGE

Bivash Barua Deputy Art Director

Surajit Patro

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Chief Designer

Pravin Temble Senior Graphic Designerr

Rushikesh Konka Senior Artist

Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker SCHEDULING & COORDINATION Sr.Executive

Rohan Thakkar

The inbound MICE sector in India is a long way from achieving its full potential

(22-25)

Photo Editor

Sandeep Patil MARKETING Regional Heads

Harit Mohanty - West Prabhas Jha - North Sanghamitra Kumar - East Dr. Raghu Pillai - South

MARKETS

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WB TOURISM DEPT TO SET UP CULINARY INSTITUTE IN BARJORA, BANKURA

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CONSTANCE LE PRINCE MAURICE FOCUSES ON INDIA MARKET

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PRAGUE-BASED DMC LOOKS AT ORGANIC GROWTH IN INDIA

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PPP THE WAY FORWARD FOR MAHARASHTRA TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Marketing Team

Sunil Dcosta Gunjan Chauhan Baljinder Singh Ajanta Sengupta CIRCULATION

TRAWELLTAG COVER-MORE TO INTRODUCE COVER-MORE SIM IN INDIA

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH RONNIE SCREWVALA, UNILAZER VENTURES

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Mohan Varadakar

INTERVIEW: DAVID SCOWSILL, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WORLD TRAVEL & TOURISM COUNCIL (WTTC)

LIFE

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PRODUCTION General Manager

B R Tipnis Manager

Bhadresh Valia Express TravelWorld Reg. No.-MH/MR/SOUTH156\2013-15 RNI Reg. No.MAHENG/2005/15993 Printed by The Indian Express Limited and published by Ms Vaidehi Thakar on behalf of The Indian Express Press, Plot No. EL-208, TTC Industrial Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai - 400710 and Published from Express Towers, 2nd Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021.

(Editorial & Administra-tive Offices: Express Towers, 1st Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021)

P06 : EDITOR’S NOTE P32 : APPOINTMENTS P35 : WEEKEND

QUINTESSENTIAL KOTWARA KOTWARA INITIATIVES,UNDER THE HOUSE OF KOTWARA BRAND,OFFERS MANY UNIQUEEXPERIENCES TO TRAVELLERS ACROSS DELHI, LUCKNOW AND KOTWARA, WITH A FOCUS ON SHOWCASING AND PROMOTING THE CULTURE,CRAFTS AND CUISINE OF AWADH

Copyright @ 2011 The Indian Express Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. *Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act

EDITOR’S NOTE

Innovate or Stagnate

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015 surely brought with it action on the tourism circuit. The year opened up to a series of events, both national and international, in the form of conventions, events and exhibitions. TAFI ended successfully in Jerusalem and TAAI in Bali. On the domestic scene, the business buzz looks encouraging as travel and tourism professionals are making their presence felt, from India's political capital to its commercial one and further on to India's Tier II cities as well. New pockets of growth are being designed and redefined to do justice to the untapped potential of India's vibrant jewel called tourism.

The optimists are looking at it as opportunities of investment in absolutely untapped terrains.

They are leaders who not only believe in innovation but also aim at working with a holistic development map that touches lives and transforms societies. They are drafting a brand new constitution to take domestic tourism ahead in a renewed avatar.

They are entrepreneurs who are thinking of India that has unlimited potential. We at ETW are proud to feature on our cover one such entrepreneur, who dreams with his eyes open. He is determined to bring in change in India's unique territories, which are historic but hidden. He is ready to take you on a serious and well defined ride

HEAD OFFICE MUMBAI: Express TravelWorld Sunil Dcosta The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division 2nd Floor, Express Tower, Nariman Point Mumbai- 400 021 Board line: 022- 67440000 Ext. 263 Mobile: +91 9821798612 Email Id: sunil.dcosta@expressindia.com Branch Offices : NEW DELHI: Baljinder Singh The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division Express Building, 9&10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi- 110 002 Board line: 011-23702100 Ext. 568 Mobile: +91 9868848013 Fax: 011-23702141 Email id: baljinder.singh@expressindia.com CHENNAI: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division

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New No. 37/C (Old No. 16/C) 2nd Floor,Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai- 600 014 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com BANGALORE: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division 502, 5th Floor, Devatha Plaza, Residency road, Bangalore- 560025 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com HYDERABAD: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division 6-3-885/7/B, Ground Floor, VV Mansion, Somaji Guda, Hyderabad – 500 082 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com KOLKATA: Ajanta Sengupta

“ We are proud to feature on our cover an entrepreneur,who dreams with his eyes open.He is determined to bring in change in India's unique territories, which are historic but hidden” The Indian Express Ltd Business Publication Division JL No. 29&30, NH-6, Mouza- Prasastha & Ankurhati, Vill & PO- Ankurhati P.S.- Domjur (Nr.Ankurhati Check Bus Stop), Dist. Howrah- 711 409 Mobile: +91 9831182580 Email id: ajanta.sengupta@expressindia.com KOCHI: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd Ground Floor, Sankoorikal Building, Kaloor – Kadavanthra Road Kaloor, Kochi – 682 017 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com COIMBATORE: Gunjan Chauhan The Indian Express Ltd No. 205-B, 2nd Floor, Vivekanand Road, Opp. Rajarathinam Hospital Ram Nagar, Coimbatore- 641 009 Mobile: +91 9620601306 Email id: gunjan.chauhan@expressindia.com

commencing from Diu to many more.

Another interesting event that will hold meaning in the month of April is GET-India in New Delhi. Inspired by the Government of India’s flagship 'Make in India' programme, GET-India hopes to bring together about 250 tour operators and 175 exhibitors. On the international scene the World Travel & Tourism (WTTC) Summit is all set to open doors to debates in Madrid. WTTC has also predicted a 7.5 per cent growth in tourism due to the visa on arrival initiative in India. Finally our feature story this issue analyses the potential of MICE. India is positioned 27th globally as per International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) rankings, with 142 international meetings organised in 2013. Despite the many sporadic developments happening around the country, lack of a MICE Policy and coordinated strategic vision is preventing India from becoming a leading global conferencing destination. I guess by the end of the day it is important to have faith as gradually things could be looking up for tourism, but only if we continue on the path of creativity and innovation or else we will stagnate.

REEMA LOKESH Editor editorial.etw@expressindia.com AHMEDABAD: Sunil Dcosta The Indian Express Ltd 3rd Floor, Sambhav House, Near Judges Bunglows, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad - 380 015 Mobile: +91 9821798612 Email Id: sunil.dcosta@expressindia.com BHOPAL: Baljinder Singh The Indian Express Ltd F-102, Inner Court Apartment, 1st Floor, GTB Complex, Behind 45 Bungalows, Bhopal - 462 003 Mobile: +91 9868848013 Email id: baljinder.singh@expressindia.com JAIPUR: Baljinder Singh The Indian Express Ltd S2,J-40, Shyam GHP Enclave, Krishna Marg, C-Scheme, Jaipur - 302 001 Mobile: +91 9868848013 Email id: baljinder.singh@expressindia.com

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MARKETS

MP to develop hospitality infrastructure in smaller regions Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai

Diu looking for tourism partners in PPP mode CII brings together a council of interested stakeholders Steena Joy Diu AFTER YEARS of living in the shadow of its more famous counterpart Daman, the Union Territory of Diu is finally coming into its own. Close on the heels of its Isle of Calm branding on television which has created a buzz in the industry, Diu Tourism with Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) support recently invited a tourism council of 17 stakeholders to visit the UT and see first hand what it has to offer as a tourism destination and the investment opportunities arising from it.

The delegates included ITC Hotels, The Oberoi Group, CGH Earth, Club Mahindra, MakeMyTrip, Cox & Kings, Uniglobe Travels, Jet Airways, Air India, among others.

Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Ashish Kundra, IAS, administrator of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli (DNH) said, “Daman developed more as an industrial centre but we are very

clear in that we want to develop Diu as a retreat kind of a destination where visitors will come for calm and natural beauty.

Ilha de Calma - Portuguese for Isle of Calm - is how we are positioning Diu.” Sandeep Kumar, IAS, development commissioner, Daman & Diu and DNH informed, “We are looking for tourism partners for investment in hotels, catamaran services, adventure sports, entertainment, luxury tents, etc.

We are planning a five star hotel at Kevdi and a three star hotel which will be built by Omnibus Industrial Development Corporation (OIDC), a multi-purpose organisation performing diverse activities such as promoting housing, industrial estates, tourism, liquor, etc, in the twin UTs of Daman & Diu and DNH. We are also planning luxury tented accommodation on certain beaches. Another interesting project is India’s first oceanarium which will be built on 35 acres in consultation with the National Institute of Oceanography in Chennai. We hope this will

draw large tourist numbers to the destination.”

Vinod Kavle, IAS, tourism secretary, added, “A Light and Sound show in the Diu Fort is expected to start in February next year. We are also planning a convention centre to attract the MICE segment.”

Kumar stated, “ Our main constraints are awareness about the destination and connectivity. Jet Airways operates a single ATR flight daily that goes to Porbandar via Diu, which is why we are now planning to start catamaran services between Mumbai and Diu. The services are scheduled to start in the coming tourist season in October.” The MoU for the project has already been signed with the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) three months ago. SCI will soon float the tenders for the operations.

The procurement of the vessel will be done by SCI. The catamaran will have a load capacity of 150 passengers. The total project cost is estimated at `60 to `70 crore.

MADHYA PRADESH State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) is focusing on developing the hospitality infrastructure in smaller regions of the state with a view to highlight the destination's multiple tourism offerings and achieve higher tourist footfalls. Under this initiative, the corporation will invite private players to convert heritage properties into heritage hotels and subsequently give the properties on a 99 year management lease. The regions selected under this PPP model include Orchha, Maihar, Datia, Pachmarhi, among others. Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld about this initiative, Leena Karkera, resident manager, MPSTDC stated, “We are leveraging the PPP model for restoring our palaces by converting them into heritage hotels. These properties would be given to the private players on a 99 year management lease. This project is presently in our pipeline, but the time of its execution depends upon the new MD and other factors. Moreover, we would also be renovating some old hotels and constructing roadside inns with playgrounds for families travelling with kids.” Plans are

We are leveraging the PPP model for restoring our palaces by converting them into heritage hotels also underway to develop more accommodations near water bodies in the state, she added.

Apart from hospitality infrastructure, the corporation is also focusing on improving air connectivity and tourism footfalls. Commenting on this, Karkera opined, “Things on which we can improve upon is our air connectivity. Secondly, wheat is an important part of our diet, and the government is bringing agriculturalists from abroad to help train farmers on the best practices. Plus, few international destinations have also expressed their wish to set up their agricultural offices in states like MP, Gujarat, etc this year. This will add value to tourism since many foreigners will be travelling to these states on work.”

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April 2015

EXPRESS EXCLUSIVE

WHEELS IN PLACES Unilazer Ventures, led by entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala, is riding on a passion to place motor racing in India's exotic destinations as a mass consumer product that will drive tourism

By Steena Joy

What was the vision that prompted UMoto?

As an emerging and developing global economy, India is a country of two wheelers.

There is mass scale affiliation for two wheelers across the board. Secondly, car sports and F1 are much more expensive sports while UMoto will be a comparatively more mass sports product because the costs will be very different, as a lot more people can participate. It is a slightly aspirational sport but definitely for the mass consumer. We can take it to different states so that it can be on a national level and on a much more mass scale. Biking is something people in India can relate to.

How soon do you expect to start?

Once the permissions are in place we expect to roll out

by October-November 2016.

The races will be open street circuits having 2 km to 4 km loops and covering 55 to 60 km with multiple laps comparable to Moto 3 category with 250 cc bikes. There will be 10 teams with each team having two riders - one Indian and one foreign with one reserve rider who will also be Indian.

The project is estimated to

cost `300 crore as we are looking at a 10 year vision so we will be spending around `5 to `10 crore on each team per year. The teams will be selected through a bidding process like the Kabaddi League and there will be team owners. The teams will then undergo a three to six months training in a foreign location where bike racing is very popular, for them to get the feel of the sport. We want the bikers to connect with their machines because it is not the thrill of biking but it is the journey.

What kind of destinations will UMoto be placed in?

We are looking at Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Puducherry where with the help of the CII, talks have already been initiated with the local administration and they have agreed in principle to support the sport. Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, Leh & Ladakh, Orissa and also the North East are the other destinations we are hoping to rope in. We are not seeking out niche destinations but rather undiscovered virgin territory. Initially we are looking at 10 destinations to place the idea, locations which are exotic and at the same time

India the excitement will not be on the track, it is going to be what’s in the background – a beach, the sea, the mountains. Like in Diu it would be the churches, the heritage monuments, etc. The background has to be scenic and this will give a different feel of India as a destination to a global audience.

We can take it to different states so that it can be on a national level and on a much more mass scale. Biking is something people in India can relate to scenic and picturesque because the visual feel of the sport is very important especially because it is going to be broadcast. Television will take it national. For a bike race in

What is the support you are looking at from the local administration?

CII is helping us in our talks with the local administrations. We will be using the roads as natural tracks of course but we will need full infrastructure support from the local administration to prepare the roads for biking speeds, the safety of the racers as well as the audience, the safety nets, the pit stops, dividers, etc. We are looking at a 10 to 15 year long term vision here. So the infrastructure has to match this vision.

And we like to look at this product as responsible racing so safety is of paramount importance. We don't want to associate speed with recklessness. We will be involving overseas consultants for the safety aspect.

How will Unilazer market

and promote the concept?

Television will be the driving factor. It can take an event beyond boundaries and attract a global audience. Also, the digital platform which I see as a parallel stream of activity. The core audience of the future will be digital. Like Diu is positioning itself as the Isle of Calm, the tourism authority there can use UMoto to position it as the Isle of Calm Racing Week or something along those lines so that it can draw tourists by being an iconic stop on the tourism calendar every year in Diu and similarly in the other destinations. The event would mean the entire biker community coming down to a particular location along with their tents, carriages and caravans so it is easier for tourism to play an equal part. We are not looking at ticket sales initially.

In the first few years we want to get the viewers to come and see the race because they are interested enough. We want them to drive down to the destination in large numbers and be a part of the sport, and the destination then grows to accommodate these numbers.

We Indians are not outdoors people by nature so the idea is to get the adrenaline into the system first.

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MARKETS

Walk through the bylanes of history Sudipta Dev Mumbai

Increasing demand for Buddha Air connectivity to Kathmandu Sudipta Dev Mumbai NEPAL-BASED AIRLINE, Buddha Air is operating from India, from Varanasi in particular, for the last three years.

Currently the 50 minute flights are operational only twice a week - Tuesdays and Saturdays. It is an ATR aircraft, which is 72 seater and also 47 seater, depending upon the group size. In Nepal, Buddha Air's mountain flights are very popular. The Everest Experience which is a mountain flightseeing tour with Buddha Air is a particular favourite with overseas visitors. “On Varanasi - Kathmandu flights we have lot of people from overseas, though the number of Indians have also been growing. For Indians and Nepalese the the fare is very low. While the lowest Air India one way fare is `11,000, we normally offer one way fare at `5000,” mentioned Ambuj K Narayan, managing partner, Classic Holidays, GSA

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Ambuj K Narayan

for Buddha Air in Varanasi. He pointed out that because fares are so low, this has resulted in the airline becoming popular on this route.

Narayan is also the GSA for internal domestic flights in Nepal like Pokhra, Nepalgung, and other places. “A lot of agents from Mumbai and other parts of the country deal with us. We regularly send mailers to them,” he informed.

Till last year on Kathmandu-Varanasi route the air-

line was operating only the 47 seater aircraft, from this season it has started operating a 72 seater aircraft. “If the demand increases, we will increase the number of flights, we have approval for all seven days. We are looking forward to very good boom in this industry in the coming months, particularly since both central and UP state government are focused on promoting tourism, and Varanasi being the PM's constituency we are expecting something great to happen for this industry,” added Narayan.

Buddha Air Everest Experience starts at 6 am in the morning. The passengers can get awe inspiring views of Himalayan peaks, lakes and glaciers from their guaranteed window seat. The flight is for 50 minutes. The destinations that Buddha Air flies to in Nepal includes Bhadrapur, Bhairahawa, Biratnagar, Bharatpur, Dhangadhi, Pokhara, Simara, Nepalgunj, Janakpur, Tumlingtar.

HEADQUARTERED in Agra, Eternal Vacations has its presence in Varanasi, Lucknow, and also Khajuraho. An important part of the itinerary that the company offers to its clients are Heritage Walks in the different destinations it operates in. “The main focus is not to do the run of the mill programmes, but develop innovative ideas, and offer off beat programmes to travellers. That's what we term it as- known destinations, unknown sights. Through these walks the travellers can explore the unexplored - they can still come back to the same city and experience it in a different way,” said Rajat Bhakri, founder, Eternal Vacations.

The walks also reveals to them the real culture of the place, its history, cuisine and social facets.

For the travellers all the interesting stories and anecdotes they get to know during the walks is an eye opener, something that they would have never discovered if they just visited important monuments or popular tourist sites. The clientele is primarily inbound, however according to Bhakri, the domestic market is picking up big time now. “We need to offer them varied experiences.

They are the ones who also explore these cities from close quarters in a very different way. We take them to the old lanes and bylanes of the city, where they genuinely explore many aspects, for instance the story behind the name of the lane,” mentions Bhakri. He gives an example

Rajat Bhakri

For the travellers all the interesting stories and anecdotes they get to know during the walks is an eye opener when while walking through a bylane in Agra they came across a big haveli where the emblem of Queen Victoria was there on an iron railing.

“When we tried to find the reason behind we could not find anything. After searching through many books and talking to learned people we realised that in British times iron was not cast in India, it was always cast in the UK and exported from there, which therefore had the emblem. It is interesting to know about this little known fact from history and share this with travellers,” he said.

MARKETS

WB Tourism Dept to set up culinary institute in Barjora, Bankura Joy Roy Choudhury Kolkata THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism, Government of West Bengal is going to develop a culinary institute across seven acres of land in Barjora, Bankura, with an aim to become a preferred tourism-related investment destination.

For the same, the tourism department has invited financial bids from interested parties for the setting up of a culinary institute. The proposed site is 12.5 km from Durgapur railway station, the major rail-head in the region and the Bengal

Aerothropolis at Andal is just 36 km from the project site.

According to a senior tourism department official, "The culinary institute will have state-of-the-art facilities and services complying with the finest culinary institutes in the world. The site is to be planned as an institute of hotel management as per AICTE guidelines. The proposed institute is likely to offer diploma courses in Food Technology, Hotel Management & Catering Technology and short term diploma courses in food production. The cost of the project development is estimated to be

around `9 crore."

The tourism department intends to select a private developer for design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance for the proposed site in terms of the specifications and performance standards as set out in the bid document and the concession agreement through a transparent and competitive single stage bidding process. The Preferred Bidder shall form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for implementation of the project as per the provisions of the agreement. At the proposed institute, the facilities would range

The tourism department intends to select a private developer for design, construction, financing, etc from theoretical classrooms, practical teaching labs, culinary arts lab, administrative

section along with a top-notch multi-cuisine restaurant with an international standard bakery. International consultancy firm, Knight Frank has been selected as the consultant for the project.

Commenting on the development to Express TravelWorld, the official said, "We had invited financial bids from private players for setting up the proposed institute but we are not satisfied with the response we have received so far for the initial offer, so we are planning to re-invite fresh bids from interested private parties soon."

GET-India to witness around 500 domestic and international participants ETW Staff Mumbai IN AN EFFORT to promote India as a global trade destination, the ministry of commerce and industry, Department of Commerce, Government of India will be organising a Global Exhibition for Services of which tourism will be a major part and the Federation of Associations of Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has been given the responsibility to organise Global Exhibition on Tourism – India, (GET-India). GET-India will commerce from April 23-25, 2015 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and will be inaugu-

rated by prime minister Narendra Modi. Inspired by the Government of India’s flagship 'Make in India' programme, GET-India hopes to bring together about 250 tour operators and 175 exhibitors.

State tourism boards will also be participating at GET-INDIA. When asked about the differentiating factor of this event over other travel and tourism tradeshows in India,

We at FAITH are positive that the three-day GET-India exhibition through its business-to-business interactions and panel discussions would address issues of this industry and position India as a premium destination again

Sarabjit Singh, vice chairman – FAITH, and chairman – Get India Exhibitions, stated, “Tourism tradeshows are basically commercial in nature and do not address tourism related issues. But we at FAITH are positive that the three-day GET-India exhibition through its business-tobusiness interactions and panel discussions would address issues of this industry and position India as a premium destination again. Furthermore, this is the first time that a prime minister will be inaugurating a tourism tradeshow.”

He added, “The government’s approval of Visa on Ar-

rival has already shown excellent results on inbound tours with tour operators encouraged to include Indian tourism packages in marketing strategies.” The three day tradeshow will witness B2B pre-scheduled meetings, panel discussions on six different topics and a gala dinner on the concluding day.

FAITH came into existence in 2013 as a collective voice for the tourism and hospitality sectors. It has met significant success in convincing the government of the benefits of promoting tourism both as a revenue-earner and in creation of wealth and employment.

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MARKETS

'Sikkim is a pristine, peaceful and pure eco tourism destination' Shova Lama, deputy director (East/I&P) and former deputy director, Sikkim Tourism, New Delhi, is ready to take on her new role with increased enthusiasm. As the nodal officer of the fourth International Travel Mart -North East, she tells Reema Lokesh that she is geared up to welcome delegates to Pelling- West Sikkim in October 2015 When did the journey with Sikkim Tourism begin for you ?

I joined Sikkim Tourism as a guide in September 1984 when tourism was totally a new subject in Sikkim. However, the post of a guide gave me plenty of opportunities to learn the tourism system from its ground zero. I had to study history, geography, religion and culture of Sikkim and gave me an opportunity to travel every nook and corner of Sikkim making me familiar with the terrain and people of Sikkim.

I have risen up the ranks with dignity. Over the years my job experience taught me what tourists were looking for when they came to Sikkim and what we could offer them. As a guide I was always looking at giving tourists interesting and memorable experiences.

Their appreciation of my state was my reward. I also learnt many things while interacting with tourists; for example, why and how they decided to come to Sikkim, what they liked and disliked about Sikkim and about their family, profession, business, place and culture.

Many a time we parted as great friends. Professionally, as a guide, I learnt people skills in dealing with tourists, treating them as honoured and welcomed guests, dealing with drivers, hoteliers, shopkeepers and so on. Further, a training

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stint with the Department of Tourism, Government of India, in 1987 exposed me to wider understanding of tourism and I learnt about tourism information management in a more scientific way. My job is highly satisfying hence I did not lay emphasis on career management.

What was the greatest challenge you faced as an officer with Sikkim Tourism? What have been your key achievements ?

My greatest challenge was when I was posted to Delhi as a tourist officer in 1995. I was the number two in hierarchy in the Delhi Tourist Office and with it came a lot of hard work. My non ambitious nature coupled with my dedication for Sikkim Tourism was recognised by the Government of Sikkim and they promoted me to assistant director and subsequently deputy director and then head of the Delhi office. My job as a guide had helped me in honing the qualities of a successful public relations officer. The greatest moment of gratification in my life came when the Government of Sikkim took recognition of my hard work and dedication and gave me a State Award on the Republic Day 2014 for excellence in performance of duties.

What is the plan chalked out for tourism develop-

ment of the state?

I am glad to say that Sikkim Tourism has a clear concept about its vision, missions and plans for development of tourism in Sikkim. It has prepared a comprehensive Twelfth Five Year Plan based on Master Plan for Development of Tourism. It has also recently drafted a clear Tourism Policy. In a nutshell, the plan and policy of Sikkim Tourism is to develop sustainable tourism, protecting the natural and cultural environment at any cost, thereby focusing on eco tourism or nature based tourism, adventure tourism, village tourism and spiritual tourism. All new destinations are being created based on these parameters, for example, the Buddha Park at Ravang and awe inspiring Char Dham in South Sikkim. They have become popular tourist attractions now. As far as possible, Sikkim Tourism tries to match development of its tourism products with the market trends; hence, the plans are also flexible, but without compromising the requirements of sustainability.

Where do you feel the state needs to improve to strengthen its tourism further ?

I would say that Sikkim Tourism is doing exceedingly well so far as infrastructure and product development is concerned. However, I feel Sikkim Tourism should give

Shova Lama receiving the State Award for meritorious service in tourism sector from Governor of Sikkim on January 26, 2014

equal importance and focus on marketing, because ultimately it is the tourist footfalls that make a destination vibrant.

What is your message on behalf of your state to the

rest of the world ?

My message to the tourism world is – Sikkim is a pristine, peaceful and pure eco tourism destination.

Please come to Sikkim to feel and enjoy the serenity of nature and spirituality.

MARKETS

Prague-based DMC looks at organic growth in India Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai PRAGUE-BASED DMC Liberty International, founded in 1990, is aiming for organic growth in India. Presently it has representation sales offices in Mumbai and Delhi, and is looking at establishing its presence in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad and then enter Tier II and Tier III markets.

When asked about the company's growth vision in India, Mario Enzesberger, founder and global CEO, Liberty International said, “We believe in the growth of the India market and are experiencing significant growth in outbound travel from India which is said

to be growing at 15 per cent approximately year-on-year.

We are focusing on strengthening our services for the FIT, leisure and MICE traveller segment from India. We are strengthening our services towards group segment. With the sales perspective, we are looking at having region specific agencies.”

The company provides travel and professional technical services to FITs, tailor made FIT traffic, groups, incentives events and conferences, adventure tours, outdoor management training groups, and team building groups. It has 53 offices in 43 countries in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Asia.

We are focusing on strengthening our services for the FIT, leisure and MICE traveller segment from India. We are strengthening our services towards group segment.

With the sales perspective, we are looking at having region specific agencies Mario Enzesberger

Talking about the travel trends from the India market, he opined, “There is a growing demand for luxury travel.

Atleast 10 per cent of travellers are moving away from

traditional travel habits. Indians are asking for newer destinations or opting for smaller cities within the already established holiday destinations.

We see a double digit growth

potential in the India market.

About 65 per cent of our clients are leisure travellers and the balance is MICE with a marginal section of FIT travellers.”

Sweden sees increase in Indian tourists Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai IN TERMS of international guest nights, Sweden is witnessing an increasing number of tourists from countries outside of Europe, primarily India and USA. Stockholm continues to be leading the Swedish tourism industry. Speaking ex-

clusively to Express TravelWorld on the destination turning its focus on the India market to attract more number of tourists, Fredrika Ornbrant, consul general, Consulate General of Sweden said, “In terms of tourists, Sweden is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations and one of the fastest growing ones as well.

The number of guest nights has doubled over the past 10 years.

And it is primarily the international guest nights that are increasing. In 2014, Stockholm reached a new record with 11.8 million guest nights. This is an increase of almost eight per cent compared to previous year. These are preliminary numbers from the Stockholm

In terms of tourists, Sweden is one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations and one of the fastest growing ones as well. The number of guest nights has doubled over the past 10 years

Fredrika Ornbrant

Visitors Board.”

VisitSweden is presently studying the India market before it outlines its strategies for marketing promotions as well as working closely with the travel trade. The segments

which could be tapped include leisure, honeymooners, business, adventure travellers.

“Sweden is an exotic destination. Some of the destinations that could be chosen by discerning travellers for a unique experience could be exploring the Swedish Lapland, West Coast archipelago, Gothenburg, Abisko National Park, and while in wintertime travellers can enjoy skiing, ice-skating, dog-sledding and other winter sports. We are also promoting Swedish cuisine. So the first step is to understand the India market and then design itineraries. The visa processing has been outsourced to VFS in India and it takes about two weeks to obtain a business or tourist visa.”

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Bharti AXA General Insurance forays into travel insurance market in India

TrawellTag Cover-More to introduce CoverMore SIM in India Akshay Kumar Mumbai TRAWELLTAG Cover-More, travel ancillary service provider, plans to introduce Cover-More SIM in India in 2015. Cover-More SIM is a global SIM card which is a very successful product in Australia. In Australia, Cover-More provides the SIM complimentary with the purchase of travel insuramce.

Speaking about the new developments, Dev Karvat, managing director, TrawellTag Cover-More said, “We are in the process of introducing the Cover-More SIM in the India market within six to 10 months. As of now we are waiting for the right infrastructure to introduce this product. India is still largely a travel agent driven market, so we do not have any plans to introduce a B2C platform directly. Cover-More is a very matured brand and our main

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Dev Karvat

focus is to get the same technology platform even in India. But along with this we also customise our products in such a way that it specifically suits the Indian consumers.”

Speaking about the India market, Peter Edwards, chief

executive officer, Cover-More Group said, “We are focusing on India as this country continues to be one of the most exciting economies in Asia, with an entrepreneurial approach to business and innovation, which is attractive to many Australian and international investors and global companies. We work on the policy of voice of consumer, the consumers face certain challenges and we are here to find a way to bridge those gaps. Still in India, we have seen that the conversion rate for travel ancillary services is somewhere around 20 per cent, whereas in Australia it is 75 – 80 per cent, which clearly indicates that this market has a huge potential.

We are very confident that the outbound travel is going to triple by 2020, we will surely penetrate more into the India market and introduce many more unique products.”

Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai BHARTI AXA GENERAL Insurance recently forayed into the travel insurance market in India by launching SmartTraveller, an international travel insurance policy for individuals, families and students. The policy, which was already present in other international markets was recently introduced in India, offers two plans. The first plan caters to individuals and families through a variant, Annual Multi Trip International travel insurance plan and covers geographies including USA and Canada, Schengen (enlistment under way); Asia excluding Japan and worldwide including Japan. While the second plan is for students in the age group of 16 to 40 years and covers USA and Canada and rest of the world. The travel insurance policy can be purchased through the company’s website – www.bhartiaxagi.co.in and a mobile application is being developed for the same.

Elaborating on the launch, Milind Chalisgaonkar, interim CEO and MD, Bharti AXA General Insurance stated, “The distinguishing factor of our policy

is that the most basic version of our travel insurance products offers 11 or more benefits that equip travellers to manage nearly any problem they may face. Additionally, our partnership with AXA Assistance ensures that we provide seamless end-to-end claims assistance globally.” Sharing her views, Rachna Sethi, CEO, AXA Assistance India said, “We manage over 30 global 24*7 alarm centres. One of such alarm centre is located in Delhi. This means that we are all the more equipped to render services to our Indian clients in their local language.” The company is currently looking at tyingup with travel agents, visa processors, corporate brokers, websites, among others to create product awareness and penetrate into the India market.

In 2014, the travel insurance market in India was pegged at `450 crore thereby growing at a rate of 15-20 per cent year-on-year. Sharing his views, Chalisgaonkar opined, “Bharti AXA General Insurance presently enjoys a 4.2 per cent market share in the general insurance category. We are new to the travel insurance market and in the coming future we aim to be among the top five companies.”

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Constance Le Prince Maurice focuses on India market Akshay Kumar Mumbai LOCATED IN the island nation of Mauritius, Constance Le Prince Maurice, a 89 keys luxury property is focusing on the India market, especially the leisure segment. The resort along with its India representative, Nijhawan Group hosted meetings in Delhi and Mumbai to connect with its partners.

Christophe Plantier, general manager, Constance Le Prince Maurice said, “Our major focus is to tap India, China and Russia which are the key markets today.

In Mauritius on an average 30,000-40,000 Indian guests stay in three and four star category hotels. Our resort is a luxury property and we want to tap the leisure and the wedding segment. We also have an Indian chef at our hotel, which solves

Christophe Plantier

the challenge of F&B.” “We spent three days in Delhi and Mumbai, we have got a good feedback from the partners in Delhi. All our partners know our property very well, we want to

promote it to more newer operators,” added Plantier. The property includes; 64 Junior suites, 12 Family suites, 12 Villas and one Princely suite. The property has multiple dining options:

L’Archipel restaurant offers Asian and Mauritian cuisine, with a variety of steamed dishes, curries, game and fish. Le Barachois is a floating restaurant, which is reached by a raised

wooden boardwalk over the water and is known for its fish dishes. The Asian restaurant in the Laguna Bar offers lunch and dinner selections of sushi, sashimi, maki and dim-sum.

Vietnam looks to increase tourist footfalls from India Archana Sharma New Delhi LOOKING at encouraging Indian travellers to visit Vietnam, the S R Embassy of Vietnam to India recently organised a roadshow in association with OM Tourism, in the presence of officials from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Discussing the various challenges faced by the destination including direct connectivity, Nguyen Van Tuan, chairman, VNAT, stated that availability of information about the various Vietnamese attractions for the Indian traveller is lacking. He said, “With the recent Jet Airways

flight connectivity there has been a surge in tourists to India (around 200,000 travellers visiting especially for Buddhist circuit tourism),

however, only around 50,000 Indians visited Vietnam.”

Tuan informed that presently China is the top source market for Vietnam.

Elaborating on the flight connectivity, Jaideep Massand, sales manager - India, Vietnam Airlines, stated that they are looking at adding more routes by 2018 but the plans for the India market haven't been decided as of yet. “We are looking at operating direct flights to India and will continue discussions to achieve the same,” he mentioned. Presently, Vietnam Airlines is operating at 57 international and 39 domestic locations and observing approximately 15 per cent growth.

Massand also informed that they are looking at increasing the international locations to 80 and domestic to 42 by the end of 2018.

Focusing on the long stand-

ing relations between India and Vietnam, Suman Billa, joint secretary, ministry of tourism, Government of India, stated that both the countries enjoy immense synergy and with further development of the Buddhist Circuit in Bodh Gaya and other parts of India, more Vietnamese travellers are bound to visit India. “To encourage more travellers from Vietnam, we will also be organising roadshows in their region,” he added.

VNAT will organise the third Vietnam International Travel Mart from April 3-6, 2015 in Hanoi, and the 11th International Travel Expo from September 10-12, 2015 in Ho Chi Minh City.

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PPP the way forward for Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Akshay Kumar & Steena Joy Mumbai MAHARASHTRA TOURISM Development Corporation (MTDC) will soon be adopting the Public Private Partnership (PPP) route to enhance the tourism infrastructure in the state. MTDC has already floated an expression of interest (EOI) to create facilities in 80 tourist spots (existing as well as new) which the state government plans to develop.

Speaking exclusively to Ex-

press TravelWorld, Paraag Jaiin Nainutiia, managing director, MTDC said, “Our primary motto is to provide the tourists a seamless travel experience. For this we will partner with the private sector to develop the infrastructure and enhance the experience for the travellers. In the next two months we will be creating a new website where we will also promote the private investors.”

The new MD also plans to develop the monuments and the already existing products

by PPP mode. For example, the concept of Nilambari Bus. The sightseeing bus tour will soon include a food facility and karaoke on the lower deck to make use of this space. There will also be trained guides on the bus with proficiency in foreign languages.

Nainuttia added, “We as MTDC will only invest in those arenas where there are no private players like for example we are looking at developing infrastructure at Ajanta and Ellora for helicopter landings. We will also like to upgrade the fa-

Paraag Jaiin Nainutiia

cilities and infrastructure in Tadoba and Pench.”

MTDC is also looking to start niche tourism products like Mining tourism and Tribal tourism.

Nainuttia added, “We have a meeting with the western coal field authorities to explore the introduction of Mining tourism in places like Vidarbha, Chandrapur and Yavatmal.

Also we are looking to introduce Tribal tourism in Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandardara, Yavatmal, Chikhaldara, Thane and Nashik.”

Fillip to conversion of heritage properties into hotels in UP Sudipta Dev Lucknow HERITAGE HOSPITALITY Association of Uttar Pradesh was formed two years back with the aim of promoting heritage tourism in the state of UP. The association comprises of those people who own palaces, forts and havelis in the state and are keen to convert their properties into hotels. “Through the association the first step that we took was to push the government to give us some incentives on the restoration and promotion of these old buildings for tourism purposes,” said Pradiyumn Narain Dutta Singh, secretary, Heritage Hospitality Association of UP. The new heritage policy in the state has been welcomed by the association with the govern-

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ment providing a capital subsidy of about `1.5 crore to heritage property owners. “This will be a big help as 25 per cent of the capital invested in the restoration the government will give as a subsidy. A lot of heritage properties can take advantage of this,” added Singh.

The state government, acknowledged Singh, has been cooperative in meeting the association's demands and requests and have given a positive heritage tourism policy. There are a few teething problems of course.

“Most of these properties are inherited through generations so we do not have registered documents to prove the ownership.

We have approached the government to come out with a clause in the policy which can cover the problem so that banks can give

Mahesh Vilas Palace, Shivgarh

us loans. The government is coming out with an additional order on that,” mentioned Singh.

Currently the association has 18 members, with many more joining in. Seven properties are running as hotels or homestays while others are be-

ing readied. Most of them will be functional by October 2015.

Singh is confident that by October 2016, 25 heritage hotels will be operational. These properties are located in the entire state of Uttar Pradesh - in Buddhist circuit, religious circuit,

wildlife circuit, etc. “Most of the properties are owned by former landlords and zamindars and they've all had something typical about their family, either the food or culture or dress. We would promote all these aspects though tourism in these properties. There are local handicrafts of those areas, which we also want to promote,” he said. Many of the properties are located around three hours drive from Lucknow. Singh believes that the promotion of Heritage Arc by the state government is the best thing that could have happened as the entire concentration of tourism will be around Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi. People can go to the interiors and visit these heritage properties from these cities as landing and exit base.

MARKETS

VisitBritain partners with TUI to promote Bollywood trails Akshay Kumar Mumbai

Hospitality in the heart of Chambal ravines Sudipta Dev Mumbai THE EXPANSIVE FORT Rampura in Chambal ravines is a unique homestay for those who are keen to explore an interesting new destination in India's hinterlands. The six hundred year old ravine retreat has been the home of Rampura family for 14 generations. A part of the fort has been converted into a homestay. “We have tried to keep the whole experience offbeat, intimate, and homely. Most of our guests are international tourists who want to know so much about India. For long weekends we have also hosted Indian guests from Delhi and Lucknow,” said Padmini Singh, who owns the fort with her husband Keshavendra Singh. They offer rooms with names that have remained the same for many centuries Atiya, Manik Chowk, Kamal Burj and Daftar.

Padmini Singh

The homestay is normally operational from October to March every year, and has been attracting many inbound guests, primarily through word of mouth recommendations and excellent TripAdvisor ratings. “We take them around the property, make them experience the rural life - weekly

bazaars, mela, farms. Guests are also escorted to a small village in the evening where they enjoy folk performances,” mentioned Singh. The ravines are just behind the fort, guests are taken for a walk into the ravines, in the mornings or evenings. A drive through the ravines is also an exciting experience for the guests, who are also told interesting local tales.

One of the highlights is a boat ride on the Yamuna. The property being on the border of MP, the Singhs also arrange for trips to nearby forts of Madhya Pradesh.

Approach is not a problem, pointed out Singh. From Agra via NH2, the fort is a four hours drive. “Guests have come down from Delhi in six hours. Some people take the Shatabdi to Etawah, and we send a car to pick them up. It is a one hour drive from Etawah, two hours from Gwalior, three hours from Jhansi, and five hours from Lucknow,” she informed.

VISITBRITAIN, the national tourism agency for Britain has partnered with TUI to introduce 'Romance in Britain' holiday packages.

All the packages include key bollywood movie locations spread across Britain including London, Oxford, Manchester, Cardiff in Whales and Edinburgh in Scotland.

Also, VisitBritain has appointed Saif Ali Khan, popular actor in Bollywood industry as the spokesperson for this campaign.

Speaking about the campaign, Sumathi Ramanathan, regional manager- Asia Pacific and Middle East, VisitBritain said, “VisitBritain has a long relationship with bollywood, directors have shot films in various locations in Britain from 1960-70's. The new concept which we are promoting is Set Jetting, which is exploring various locations where the films were shot. This year we are launching this theme Bollywood and romance to tap the honeymooners segment. Our partners, TUI have developed various packages from three nights to nine night, we have chosen around 50 locations which we will be promoting.” “ Our main objectives for this new packages are to welcome travellers to the destinations where films were shot and to develop a new

Saif Ali Khan

product for the Indian market. This is the first time we are creating a specific package for Bollywood and TUI is a big partner for us,” added Ramanathan.

Vishal Sinha, chief operating officer, TUI India said, “Britain has always been a favourite destination with the Indian film fraternity. Blockbusters like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and more have been shot here. We have also been getting a lot of queries from Indian honeymooners to visit the country. ” Saif Ali Khan said, “I think there is so much that Britain has to offer right from countryside experiences, food, museum, theatre, music, nightlife. My family has a very deep connection with Britain as I have completed my education there and also have shot many movies in this destination.”

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More than 900 meetings scheduled for INDABA 2015 ETW Staff Mumbai THIS YEAR, more than 900 meetings have been scheduled for INDABA 2015 with the Online Diary and Matchmaking System. This service will give buyers and exhibitors a platform to plan their INDABA meetings and extract optimal business value from the tradeshow. Buyers and exhibitors can view and select companies they would like to meet, and confirm their meetings before INDABA starts from May 9-11, 2015 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.

“INDABA is the soul of the

African tourism industry. It is the single most important event in the year to drive the industry, and the continent forward. The INDABA 2015 Online Diary and Matchmaking System have, over the years, proved to be key platforms in linking exhibitors and buyers that are serious about maximising their time at the show,” stated Thulani Nzima, CEO, South African Tourism.

Both the Matchmaking and Diary components of the system are available to all INDABA exhibitors, delegates and visitors. Users need to set up a profile that includes detailed information about their

company and meeting requirements. This information is then used to match their profile to the right individuals.

A private online report is generated that enables the user to view companies matching their profile and use it as a basis to set up meetings. To access the Online Diary and Matchmaking System, INDABA exhibitors and buyers need to visit the website. Once they have selected the companies they wish to meet, meetings will be scheduled on their behalf.

“Last year, 19 399 meetings were set up using these tools.

This is proof of just how valuable this digital platform is, and

The INDABA 2015 Online Diary and Matchmaking System have proved to be key platforms in linking exhibitors and buyers its critical role in INDABA’s success. Taking into account user feedback, these tools have

been further optimised for INDABA 2015,” added Nzima.

INDABA 2014 saw increased use of the matchmaking system, with 4.4 meetings per participant scheduled as opposed to 3.3 meetings per participant in 2013. In 2015, the system will also incorporate search filters to help exhibitors identify buyers of most relevance to them.

INDABA is the biggest platform for African tourism businesses to meet global buyers of their products and services. About 1,200 tourism products from 25 African countries were exhibited at INDABA 2014. Over 2 000 buyers from around the world attended the show.

ATM 2015 to focus on family travel market ETW Staff Mumbai FAMILY CENTRIC TRAVEL, which accounted for more than 12.5 per cent of the US$ 1.07 trillion global tourism market, has been selected as the official show theme for Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2015, which will take place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre from 4-7 May 2015.

There will also be a focus on travel technology, business travel, luxury and wellness.

According to Thomson Reuters’ data, the value of the global family tourism market was US$ 140 billion in 2013.

That figure is set to rise to over US$ 180 billion by 2018 with growth expected to continue at a rate of 4.79 per cent annually

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until 2020, compared with just 3.8 per cent overall tourism growth.

Special ATM 2015 seminar sessions will evaluate impact and value of the local and global family travel market as 25 per cent of MENA residents opt for luxury accommodation and 20 per cent choose to fly first or business for leisure.

The number of wealthy families

making travel a high-spend priority is on the rise, and this will be a major focus of the ATM 2015 seminar series as the region’s inbound and outbound travel professionals look to capitalise on this niche market opportunity.

According to the latest YouGov report, the top three luxury holiday destinations for MENA residents are UAE (14

Special seminar sessions will evaluate impact and value of the local and global family travel market as 25% of MENA residents opt for luxury accommodation

per cent), Italy (10 per cent) and Turkey (5 per cent). Topend hotels look set to profit from this trend with over a third of MENA residents usually staying in luxury hotels when travelling for leisure.

Meanwhile, this year India has been shortlisted along with Japan and Nepal for the New Frontiers Recovery Award.

Arabian Travel Market awards scheme recognises Asian nations as their tourism sectors prevail in the face of overwhelming adversity after being struck by devastating natural disasters. The shortlisted destinations Japan, Nepal and India have been recognised for dealing with the dual trauma of significant human and economic losses in the last 12 months due to devastating natu-

ral catastrophes, their effect on local tourism and their remarkable efforts to recover. “On a humanitarian level we are all obliged to assist those nations suffering the consequences of a natural disaster, the effects which can be devastating,” explains Nadege Noblet, Exhibition Manager, Arabian Travel Market. “The tourism industry is unique in that it not only experiences the direct consequences of a natural disaster, but it is also able to highlight a country’s plight to a broader international audience. The New Frontiers Recovery Award, which is now in its 11th year, highlights and recognises the efforts made by nations, to rebuild and recover, after suffering from an environmental catastrophe,” he adds.

MARKETS

Fxkart.com to increase dealership network in India Rituparna Chatterjee Mumbai

Musafir.com to introduce 'Travel with Tendulkar' Akshay Kumar Mumbai UAE headquartered online travel agency Musafir.com which forayed into the India market in 2013, will be launching a concept called 'Travel with Tendulkar' by May 2015. Former cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar will travel along with his fans to select destinations.

Currently, Musafir.com has shortlisted Dubai, Singapore, Australia, London and Japan for this.

Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Vijay Kesavan, chief executive officer, Musafir.com said, “Our major USP is that we have Sachin Tendulkar as our partner and also a minority stakeholder. This year we have planned an extensive media campaign with Ten-

Vijay Kesavan,CEO, Musafir.com

dulkar and will also launch our new product 'Travel with Tendulkar' in April or May. The packages which we have planned is not only for the premium travellers but also the people looking at midbudget tours.”

Technology remains a key focus for Musafir.com according to Kesavan, recently the OTA has also launched their mobile application which is one of their biggest investment into technology.

Musafir.com is also setting up offices in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Chennai this year.

Speaking about the trends, Kesavan added, “In India, holidays is one segment where people are still inclined towards offline tour operators, but travellers conduct their entire research using the online medium. We have seen a positive growth in the online segment and we are now majorly focusing in investing in technology. Within the next two to three months we will expand our presence in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.”

FXKART.COM, an online aggregator of foreign exchange dealers in India, is looking at expanding its dealership network from 25 to 100 and enhancing its IT infrastructure by end of 2015. A seed capital of US$ two million has been generated to support this expansion.

Fxkart.com, which started operations early this year, is a UAE based free zone company with its headquarters in Bengaluru. Elaborating on the expansion plan, Abdul Hadi Shaikh, CEO, Fxkart.com opined, “Presently, we have 25 dealers in our network and it is a mix of big players with 100 plus branches pan India and small ones with single stores.

We not only have a strong presence in cities with international airports but also have tie-ups with dealers who have branches in Tier III and IV cities. In the past seven weeks of our operation, we got 500 customers and generated a turnover of `three crore. But now we are looking at widening our reach by expanding our dealership network and IT infrastructure.” The company's dealership network includes companies Akbar Travels, Centrum, Orient Exchange, to name a few.

As per RBI report, US$ 35 billion were exchanged in 2014 in the retail sector. This

Dr Mushtaq Shah

includes foreigners travelling to India and Indians going abroad. When asked about the foreign exchange market in India, Dr Mushtaq Shah, founder, Fxkart.com stated, “The market is efficient than the West since Indians are price sensitive and there are more players. However, it is segmented and the internet is a good platform for aggregating the dealers and helping travellers discover best prices. Such platforms are viable in Asian countries where there is a vibrant travelling middle class.” He went on to add that the company will look for a strategic investor upon achieving its revenue target in the next six to nine months. However, Dr Shah declined to share the revenue target figures.

Meanwhile, the company recently launched its Forex booking mobile app, which showcases more than 500 dealer locations across the country.

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India 7th largest source market for Maldives Kahini Chakraborty Mumbai

South Africa looks to attract Indian investors for tourism development Archana Sharma New Delhi THE SOUTH AFRICAN High Commission is association with South African Tourism recently organised the first Tourism and Investment Conference in New Delhi in an effort to promote investment opportunities in South Africa. Elaborating on this, Stefanus Botes, economic minister counsellor, South African High Commission, stated, “India is the fifth largest trading partner for South Africa and tourism is a major segment for growth with about 9.5 per cent contribution to the GDP.” He highlighted three major areas of South Africa that are being promoted for investment op-

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portunities - Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

Talking about India as a major source market, M Mogale, deputy high commissioner in India, stated, “India is the third largest outbound market in Asia and the number of Indians travelling overseas is set to rise from around 15 million to 50 million by 2020, enabling us to attract Indian investors to explore avenues in the tourism sector.”

He added that though they have heavily invested in all the nine provinces for infrastructure and connectivity, private segment investments will enable faster development.

While comparing the tourism scenario from 1994 to the present state, Hanneli Slabber, country head, South

African Tourism, stated that by 2020, South Africa will be able to host 18 million domestic tourist. Elaborating on air connectivity, Sajid Khan, country manager, India, South African Airways, announced that the codeshare agreement with Etihad and Jet Airways will come in effect from March 29, 2015.

“Even though the travel time will increase to 10 hours from eight due to the re-route through Abu Dhabi, the codeshare will lead to better flight connectivity to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Trivandrum.”

Furthermore, the new immigration policy put to effect in May 2014, has made it easier for Indians to get study permit, tourist visa and residence permit.

MALDIVES TOURISM is looking at attracting honeymoon, FIT and family groups from the India market this year. India has been ranked as the seventh largest source market for Maldives, with the others in the list being - China, Germany, Russia, Italy and France. Speaking to Express TravelWorld on the sidelines of the roadshow held recently in Mumbai, Hussein Lirar, deputy tourism minister, Maldives informed, “Last year, 45,587 Indians visited Maldives and we are expecting a significant growth in this number this year. With regards to tourism product offerings, Maldives has a one island, one resort concept. On each island is situated one resort that offers the whole spectrum of activities, dining and leisure options. In terms of offerings we have all water activities such as snorkeling, deep sea diving, banana boat, surfing, sailing, etc that are offered on all resorts in the Maldives. Travellers could also opt for activities like diving and snorkeling, spa and rejuvenation, island hopping / seeing the culture, renewing vows and weddings, night fishing / big game fishing, visiting the capital, Male’, cruising the atolls, dolphin watching.”

When asked about how is the tourism board looking to work closely with travel

Hussein Lirar

agents in India, he said, “We are working with Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), who are connected with the agents pan-India and all the resorts closely work through direct meetings, sales calls and the fourcity roadshow that was held across the cities of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi.”

On any new hospitality projects expected in Maldives, he replied, “There are no Indian investments.

But there is an Integrated Resort Development Project called Thumburi. It’s an initiative by the president of Maldives to open investment opportunities for locals which is targeted to Maldivian SME’s in the tourism industry. The first project will be developed in the island of Thumburi.

And as part of the project, 2,000 beds will be developed creating 4000 jobs.

With this project, we have estimated to receive two lakh tourists.”

MARKETS

TRENZ 2015 sees 10% increase in international buyer numbers ETW Staff Mumbai NEW ZEALAND’S US$24 billion tourism industry is on a roll with international travel and tourism buyers flocking to attend TRENZ 2015, the industry’s most important annual trade event. TRENZ 2015 will be held in Rotorua from May 17-20 and will be attended by 320 buyers from 24 markets. “That’s a 10 per cent increase on TRENZ 2014 in Auckland and the highest number of buyers since 2007,” said Chris Roberts, chief executive, Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA), which organises the event.

Roberts informed that TRENZ exhibitor numbers have also increased compared to last year’s event, with 290 of the

country’s leading tourism operators preparing to showcase their products and experiences to buyers compared with 260 last year. Over the four day event, exhibitors and buyers will have a total of 15,000 15-minute meetings, negotiating contracts worth 10s of millions of dollars to the New Zealand economy.

“Compared with last year’s TRENZ, we have particularly good growth in buyer numbers out of the UK, a traditional visitor market, and also from some of New Zealand’s emerging visitor markets, including Indonesia, Argentina and Brazil,” added Roberts. TRENZ is a showcase for the best products New Zealand tourism has to offer the world’s travellers. “In addition to reconnecting with well-established operators, the buyers will

be looking for new and different experiences they can sell to consumers in their home markets,” he mentioned.

Kevin Bowler, chief executive, Tourism New Zealand opined, “It is encouraging to see

such a strong resurgence in international buyers attending TRENZ 2015 - especially out of the western markets and our newer emerging markets.

TRENZ is a key event on the travel trade’s annual calendar

and provides real value for the tourism industry - allowing operators to get face-to-face with international buyers. I look forward to attending TRENZ once again for what I am sure will be another successful four days for buyers and the industry alike.”

Roberts said that the growth in buyer and exhibitor numbers attending TRENZ 2015 reflects the very positive results New Zealand’s tourism industry is enjoying, both in terms of visitor arrivals and value. “The buyers who attend TRENZ are the most influential in terms of generating international visitors to New Zealand. TRENZ is a very significant event for the industry as we aspire to our Tourism 2025 goal of almost doubling annual tourism revenue to US$ 41 billion by 2025.”

Amsterdam to re-introduce promotions in India Archana Sharma New Delhi AMSTERDAM is once again looking at targeting Indian tourists and will be organising trade shows in the near future.

Elaborating on the same, Frans Van der Avert, CEO, Amsterdam Marketing, spoke about the importance of India as a major source market with the destination receiving over 10,000 Indian tourists in 2014. “To promote Amsterdam better, we will also be organising trade shows in Delhi and Mumbai in the coming

year and will engage in other promotional activities to gradually build up the India market,” he stated at a recent event organised by the Embassy of Kingdom of Netherlands, Amsterdam Marketing, KLM Royal Dutch airlines and the Municipality of Amsterdam in New Delhi.

While highlighting the various aspects of Amsterdam tourism, MM van't Veld, MA, Mayor, City of Amstelveen, stated, “We want to encourage Indian travellers to visit Amsterdam and hope that they ex-

plore the various sites, museums, orchestra etc in our beautiful city, as it is already home to various Indian companies.”

She also said that even though they are currently targeting Delhi, they will also be looking at other metro cities as well and hope to host at least double the current tourism figures from India.

Talking about flight connectivity, Hicham L Bennani, commercial director, South Asia, Air France – KLM, stated, “KLM offers 14 weekly flights from India including a daily flight each from

New Delhi and Mumbai.”

Meanwhile, in an effort to strengthen ties between the two nations, Netherlands Cobra Museum has collaborated with India's Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai. Located in Amstelveen, Cobra Museum was founded by artists from Copenhagen, Bruxelles and Amsterdam in 1948. This museum is a link between modern art and contemporary art and is the only museum to have a diverse collection of Cobra art movement. Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum located in Mumbai was opened in 1872,

which showcases the city's cultural heritage and history through its rare collection and fine arts.

Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and director, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum said, “We are extremely happy to partner with the Cobra Museum. This is the beginning of exchange of culture between Amsterdam, Amstelveen and Mumbai. This partnership will see exchange of exhibitions, workshops and education programmes for the youth across both the countries.”

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22 EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD April 2015

(

THE MAIN FOCUS

The inbound MICE sector in India is a long way from achieving its full potential.

Despite the many sporadic developments happening around the country, lack of a MICE Policy and coordinated strategic vision is preventing India from becoming a leading global conferencing destination

BY SUDIPTA DEV

I

ndia is positioned 27th globally as per International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) rankings, with 142 international meetings organised in 2013. While the MICE sector in the country has been growing at a rate of 20 per cent annually, when it comes to incoming MICE the potential is yet to be realised. Percentage of inbound MICE in India is much less when compared to the outbound MICE segment. The challenges have been many and some efforts have been made by the government and the industry bodies to analyse and address the issues, but still there is a long way to go for India to become a leading global MICE destination of distinction.

A MICE Policy is the need of the hour. A critical handicap is that the size of the industry is not known, which is necessary for planning manpower and infrastructure. Sensitisation of the state governments is another important factor, to make them aware of the economic impact of MICE events. “Result oriented initiatives should include roadshows overseas involving state governments, the corporates and associations. India is an attractive incentive destination with good MICE infrastructure in some locations but it is not marketed well. Aggressive marketing is necessary - both in Indian and overseas,” says Chan-

der Mansharamani, MD, Alpcord Network Travel & Conferences Management Company and former vice-chairman, India Convention and Promotion Bureau (ICPB). He feels that the Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme under which the government provides assistance towards bidding for international conferences needs to be looked into again. “In other countries they have incentives for bringing in an event, the scheme has to be a bit more modified,” states Mansharamani.

What the country needs is at least two integrated convention centres, near international airports. “We have suggested one on the Delhi- Jaipur highway,” says Sarabjit Singh, vice-chairman, FAITH, the apex organisation for tourism and hospitality in India. He points out that while piecemeal efforts are being made, with a convention centre coming up at a destination or a hotel with large conference facilities in another, however complete infrastructure required for convention or exhibition venue is lacking. Further, FAITH has requested the ministry of commerce under Indian Brand Equity Fund to get marketing collaterals ready which can be used by anyone bidding for conferences overseas. “This would be a big help as the cost of preparing collaterals require `10 to `12 lakh. Now ICPB has to take this initiative forward,” mentions

Singh. In 2014, FAITH had brought the United States tour operator’s association to India, while in September 2015, it will will host German tour operators' association, DRV. “About 250300 top level tour operators will come for site inspection and next year 1200 people will come for their convention. We are also in talks with British, Turkish and South African tour operators associations,” informs Singh. Another positive development that has happened now is that convention visitors now get Indian tourist visa, earlier visa for those attending conferences used to take a much longer time than tourist visa.

Considering the fact that many Indian companies are taking their conference and incentives out of India, FAITH has made categorical recommendation to the ministry of finance that any corporate incurring extensive MICE within India should be allowed to have double weightage on income tax, that is if they are spending `10 lakh they should be allowed to claim `20 lakh as income tax. “It is being considered very actively and we are hopeful. The basic problem is that they are taking business out of the country and also foreign exchange. We have also suggested that any Indian who spends `50,000 on air tickets, hotels in India, should be given income tax benefit. This will give a fillip to the Indian hospitality market,” informs Singh, with ev-

ident optimism.

The business of MICE is said to generate 2.5 to three times more revenue than leisure business, per person. “Associations and event organisers need to be confident that India is capable of organising large scale events,” says Rajeev Kohli, Rajiv Kohli, joint MD, Creative Travel.

Why India ?

While the focus so far has been on Incredible India campaign, there is a need to highlight 'Why India' to those planning their next conventions, meetings and exhibitions. “Targeted campaigns run by the government for international associations and exhibition management companies would help to boost India’s image as a MICE destination and help Indian organisers bid for congresses and conventions,” says Monimita Sarkar, MD, KW Conferences. Sarkar believes that industry bodies have a role to play to make policy recommendations to drive this change. “There is a need to actively engage with associations and multilateral agencies which hold international meetings. A sustained approach to promote India to bodies which hold international meetings, by offering incentives for them to bring their meetings to India.

Several leading MICE destinations offer government subsidy to international associations wanting to hold meetings in their destinations. As done in

major global cities, the Indian government agencies need to start measuring the economic impact of congresses and conventions which will lay further importance of promoting MICE for the country,” she adds.

With improvement in infrastructure and up-gradation of airports in cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Chennai, India is on its way to establish itself as a quality MICE destination. “Opening of convention centres and hotels with facilities of holding large conferences have helped India in bidding and winning international conventions. Primary challenge for the Indian MICE industry is infrastructure.

Though there has been considerable improvement in the number of hotels and convention centres being opened, lack of quality infrastructure is still a major concern for the MICE business in India,” states Naveen Rizvi, senior VP – India & Head, TUIMeetings & Incentives & ICEIntegrated Conference & Event Management. While the country offers myriad experiences but the concentration is limited to few places only, acknowledges Rizvi. For example, while infrastructure development in North East India is un-touched, the city of Taj Mahal- Agra does not have a big convention centre to hold conferences and events. Also, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands offering exotic beach vacations on the Indian Ocean lack good

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The country needs two integrated convention centres Sarabjit Singh Vice-chairman, FAITH

quality hotels and have extraordinary high airfares for an incentive tour.

Development of facilities

Primary challenge for the Indian MICE industry is infrastructure Naveen Rizvi Sr VP – India & Head, TUI- Meetings & Incentives & ICE- Integrated Conference & Event Management

HICC has emerged as one of the best MICE destinations in South East Asia Neil Paterson GM, NHCC & HICC

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There have been quite a few positive developments in recent times. Earlier there was a gap in large scale convention and exhibition infrastructure in the country, with the exception of Hyderabad, the country lacked purpose built centres. Now there is the India Expo Centre & Mart at Greater Noida, and Mahatma Mandir Centre at Gandhi Nagar. “The newly opened Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre offers a fresh look at a city which doesn’t need a hard sell,” states Sarkar, pointing out that with the expected opening of the Reliance Centre at Bandra Kurla, Mumbai in 2018, India will have five centres with large scale facilities. This in addition to the many four and five star hotels with meeting facilities in metros as well as Tier II cities. This apart, the branded international hotel chains have added significant value. She avers that it is essential to understand that ROI in the MICE sector in the long term. The public sector can play a vital role in developing the MICE infrastructure in popular destinations. Developing MICE infrastructure in Tier

Guests from Europe, Russia and the Middle East are exploring Goa for organising large MICE events

zens of 150 countries travelling to India – a sharp rise from the current 43 countries was a commendable initiative taken by the government and it will be beneficial for the growth of MICE industry in India,” mentions Rizvi.

Shridhar Nair

MICE destinations

GM, The Leela Goa

Over the years, Hyderabad has emerged as the convention capital of India. Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC) and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) has helped in promoting the MICE business in the country. “HICC due to its strategic location and world class infrastructure has emerged as one of the best MICE destinations in South East Asia,” says Neil Paterson, general manager, NHCC & HICC. NHCC has noticed a visible augment in both national and international conferences.

“Medical conferences have taken a front seat and the numbers have been soaring ever since. We also see an increase in tourism in the country due to introduction of Visa on Arrival for various countries,” says Paterson.

Goa has been India's favourite MICE destination for more than two decades now.

With the new convention centre coming up here, it will be big boost to the MICE sector. So far,

II cities, many of which still lack adequate convention venues, can not only enhance tourism but also open the avenues for economic growth in these region.

New facilities have been developed in cities like Mahabalipuram such as the Confluence Banquet & Resort or have been upgraded such as Hotel Radisson Blu Temple Bay for organising conferences, events and incentive groups. “Goa- the jewel of Indian Ocean is a major MICE destination of the country but lacked any conference centre for organising conferences and events. The recent announcement by the government on opening of a conference centre in the state will boost MICE traffic considerably,” says Rizvi, adding that, opening of ITC Grand Chola in Chennai has pushed major MICE business to the southern city. Talking about develop-

ments in Delhi NCR, new hotels like Kempinski Delhi, JW Marriott, and Hyatt Manesar offer good facilities to host big conferences and events and the opening of entire inventory at Delhi Aerocity will boost the MICE industry with more rooms to offer now.

To increase India’s ranking in the Global MICE industry, government should focus on infrastructure - develop centres like Vigyan Bhawan (Delhi) and open a convention centre in Aerocity (Delhi) which can be a part of public private partnership. “Uniformity in tax structure is also needed as India tends to lose conference bids to other destinations due to high price owing to high tax structures prevalent. Recent announcement by the finance minister of India while presenting the Union Budget 2015-16 proposals in the Lok Sabha on the grant of Visa on Arrival to citi-

(

THE MAIN FOCUS

Result oriented initiatives should include roadshows overseas Chander Mansharamani MD, Alpcord Network Travel & Conferences Management

it is the few luxury resorts that have attracted international MICE guests. The Leela Goa has hosted many global conferences including the World Energy Conference in 1996 that saw 50 heads of states from all over the globe attending the event. "With international air connectivity to Goa increasing significantly in the last two years, the resort is now easily accessible for guests from Europe, Russia and the Middle East who are exploring the destination for organising large MICE events in the future," says Shridhar Nair, general manager, The Leela Goa. The property is scheduled to host a large convention of around 300 guests from France and Spain later this year and there are many more such events that are being finalised at the resort.

Goa, according to Nair, is as an ideal MICE destination for top corporate houses in Europe and the Middle East. The Leela Goa has been working very closely with the state government in Goa to ensure that the destination is marketed effectively in the major source markets ( Europe/Russia/CIS & Middle East ) through road shows as well as participation in MICE-focused international trade fairs. “One of the major hurdles for the growth in this lucrative seg-

ment is the lack of infrastructure which the government is now keen to address and find solutions,” adds Nair.

Then there are the new MICE destinations like Chandigarh, which has an excellent air connectivity to major metros and presence of leading hotel groups with state-of-the art MICE facilities. As The Lalit Chandigarh is located in Rajiv Gandhi IT Park – the city’s business hub, which is minutes away from the airport and railway station, the hotel serves as an important MICE hotel in the city. “Our primary focus is to achieve excellence in service with adherence to quality. We have observed a growth of about eight per cent in-terms of revenue coming from MICE events," says Imit Arora, GM, The Lalit Chandigarh. With the construction of the international airport at Mohali, there has been a huge inflow of leisure and corporate travellers in the city from other metro cities.

“There has also been a rise in the inclination of leisure travellers and international visitors towards golf. Hence, the presence of the Chandigarh Golf Club, just minutes away from The Lalit Chandigarh, proves to be an added attraction for the international/ leisure travellers,” mentions Arora.

THERE ARE NEW MICE DESTINATIONS LIKE CHANDIGARH, WHICH HAS AN EXCELLENT AIR CONNECTIVITY AND LEADING HOTEL GROUPS Optimising resources One of the significant changes observed in the last few years, according to Nair, has been the focus on optimising utilisation of resources (time/technology/manpower, etc.) by the conference organisers so as to make these gatherings as cost-effective and as benefit-optimal as possible.

"Needless to say, technology has also played a huge role in the organisation of such large events in order to make them efficient," he adds.

Technology and social media are effective tools in the MICE segment. Use of technol-

ogy to enhance the conference experience has been adopted at NHCC. “The aim has been to deliver more inspiring, more engaging, and more results driven meeting experiences to meet the customers demand. We are transforming the meeting experience with engaging technology, flexible workspaces to inspire collaboration, and with creative solutions for the way you work today,” states Paterson.

It is necessary for MICE service providers in India to achieve global benchmarks.

Sarkar believes that standardisation of services across event managers, professional conference organisers, exhibition organisers is crucial to the development of the MICE sector, and in order to achieve this, setting up of training and certification courses is essential. “In leading MICE destinations the service providers are accredited and therefore a certain benchmark is established. This has to be set-up in India,” she adds. Lack of trained manpower to handle big conferences and congresses in India was a major challenge, avers Rizvi, but many educational institutes have recently included MICE as a subject in their curriculum which will benefit the MICE industry as a whole.

Targeted campaigns should be run by the government Monimita Sarkar MD, KW Conferences

We have observed a growth of about 8 per cent interms of revenue from MICE events Imit Arora GM, The Lalit Chandigarh

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SPOTLIGHT

PROMISING CHANGE IN THE PROMISED LAND From tough talks to team work, from venturing into an unusual destination to witnessing a full house at sessions, the TAFI 2015 convention in Jerusalem, was refreshingly different as it met changes and challenges head on and sent out a message of resilience from a country that is resilient

By Reema Lokesh

‘W

hen the going gets tough, the tough get going', this famous phrase holds relevance when we deliberate on what transpired at the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI ) 2015 convention held in Jerusalem, Israel from February 22-24. From fighting mental blocks for venturing into a region that is perceived as nontouristy to getting the convention going against all odds (the convention faced hiccups with flight cancellations due to weather conditions), the TAFI team led by Zakkir Ahmed Kalarikkal, president, TAFI,

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along with the team of Israel Tourism in India led by Hassan Madah, director - India, Israel Ministry of Tourism and Judah Samuel, director of marketing – India, Israel Ministry of Tourism need a word of appreciation. They together managed to get a captive audience of around 470 delegates. What was also interesting to note that the business sessions received a full house, with delegates giving the speakers attention and audience. The convention focused on voicing the importance of change in functioning on the travel agents area of specialisation.

The intention of the con-

vention was clearly meant to share with the fraternity new age solutions to counter challenges and also rethink and redesign the existing working methodology to suit future requirements and demands.

From technology solutions to the power of social media, from demanding a fee for one's consultancy to knowing newer destinations and growth opportunities, the convention did prove to add value to the delegates. G M J Thampy, chairman and managing director, Riya Travels came back impressed with both the convention and the destination. He felt the convention and the business sessions

were fruitful in many ways and said the choice of destination was excellent as Israel is a beautiful country. Bhaskar Sawant, CEO, Uniglobe Grand Skies Travel in Mumbai, was also of a similar opinion that the convention and the destination were both well thought out and impressive. The convention was inaugurated by Jaideep Sarkar, ambassador of India to Israel along with Amir Halevi, director general, Israel Ministry of Tourism; Eli Nahmias, director of incoming tourism and international relations, Jerusalem Development Authority, Israel; Kalarikkal; Pradeep Lulla, national general

SPOTLIGHT secretary, TAFI; Bharat Shah, chairman, TAFI Convention Committee; and Rajat Bagaria, co–chairman, TAFI Convention Committee. Urvashi Mohan Dogra and Aditi Bende, committee members of TAFI were leading from the front and as a team they managed crisis with élan. Speaking at the convention, Kalarikkal, elucidated, that TAFI was glad to take this decision to hold its 2015 convention in Jerusalem, which most felt was a challenging one. He said, “TAFI has always believed in being a path breaker and the convention in Israel goes to prove the same.

The people of Israel are warm, sincere and friendly and we are glad to work with our Israeli counterparts to build strong tourism ties between the two countries.” The convention also decided to go tech savvy and for the first time a convention app was activated for the delegates to keep in touch with the happenings and events. The convention also played host to some presentations and speeches, especially by the keynote speaker, Sarkar; TED speaker Lior Zoref, Ashwini Kakkar, executive vice chairman, Mercury Travels amongst others.

Show stoppers Apart from the difference in size in terms of land mass, Israel and India are two countries with similarities. They are a melting pot of culture and cuisine. Classic and contemporary, both nations are strong democracies, ancient civilisations with an inherent respect for each other's traditions.

Sharing ties in technology, defence and medicine, the countries clearly wished to strengthen their tourism connections. This fact of connections was articulated by Sarkar.

He highlighted the contribution of the Jewish community in India towards nation building and education and other streams of businesses. He also shared an interesting fact about the Indian embassy’s intention to start ‘Back to the Roots’ initiative for Indians Jews who wish to get back to their connections with India. As a keynote

speaker he set the tone for the convention in the most effective way, with a message to face challenges with a broad smile.

The convention also brought to light the power of crowd sourcing and its relevance in the business world especially in tourism and travel. This session titled ‘Dance with Wind – Crowd Sourced Travel' was led

by Zoref from Israel. From highlighting synergies to understanding the power of a common force, these sessions were well structured and well placed. However, apart from motivational talks and encouraging growth plans, the convention also brought into focus some tough talks and raised questions on the much debated agent-airline relationship. The session ‘It’s Hebrew’ by Yossi Fatael, MD, Israel Travel Agents Association, raised

some pointed questions on the same and he spoke about how Israel succeeded in getting their demands met and accepted by the airlines. He spoke about strategies and methods to achieve the desired results and was straight forward in his approach towards the commission issue.

Kakkar, who was at his best at the convention, took the audience seamlessly across thought, suggestions and warnings, reiterating the fact that ‘Change is the only Constant.’

From the Vuca World concept about the complexities in the world to sending the message out to get future ready now, he was easily one of the best speakers at TAFI 2015. From technology to cloud computing, from new segments of travellers to consumer behaviour, Kakkar covered all this and

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SPOTLIGHT Israel and India are two countries with similarities.

They are a melting pot of culture and cuisine more. He spoke about charging a consulting fee and improving one's service quality so that one can demand a price for the work put in. Aashish Gupta, consulting CEO, FAITH also spread the world about best practices in business. Kapil Koul, CEO, CAPA; Gopi Iyengar, senior VP and CMO, Centrum Group; Dr Subhash Goyal, chairman, STIC Travel; and Iris Lavi, management consultant and Art Historian, provided insights into what the future holds in the session ‘More the Merrier.’

Israeli story The tour operators of Israel who were exhibiting at the convention were positive to work with India both in the leisure and MICE space.

Raphael Ben Hur of Israel Holyland Travel stated, “We surely want to work closely with our Indian counterparts and we only hope that this convention will bring us closer to our business partners. We are awaiting some inquires to come in and to work on real time itineraries.” Raz Hellwing, COO, Indo Israel Travels is already doing an all women’s trip to India. He is looking forward to the experience. He believes that two way traffic in tourism will help strengthen the partnership further. For Madah and Samuel, this convention was the result of commitment and hard work and were glad to have hosted a team of travel ambassadors into a country that is ancient yet modern.

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WTTC INTERVIEW

'TRAVELADVISORIES HANDLED WRONGLYCAN BE VERYDAMAGING' India’s growth story in tourism is positive but issues such as employment creation and taxation need to be addressed so that the growth is not restricted, says David Scowsill, president and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

By Reema Lokesh How does WTTC view India's new change in the political circuit?

India has an excellent opportunity to benefit from visa reforms and infrastructure improvements under the new government. India’s travel and tourism economy is due to grow by 7.5 per cent in 2015, which is the highest level of growth of any of the major economies in the world. But the overall contribution of India’s travel and tourism sector to the overall economy is still relatively low (6.7 per cent of GDP, against a global average of 9.8 per cent). This not only shows the depth of the problem that India has faced but also the opportunity. Improvements to the visa programme to make it even easier for tourists to enter would be beneficial as would improvements to airports and high-speed rail across the country. Also, the country has high luxury taxes in hotels and complicated taxes on travel and tourism services and products generally - which should be addressed. However, I would also urge India to step up its Incredible India campaign globally to help counter-balance some of the negative perceptions about tourism, partic-

ularly the safety of women which is a global concern.

With E-visas in place, is there a certain trend that one can visualise with respect to tourism enhancement?

There should be a trend in Indian travel and tourism towards international tourism with the improvements in the visa regime. WTTC is forecasting that India will have the highest growth of any major country in travel and tourism this year due to the recent reform of its visa processes, which has been an obstacle for growth recently. This will dramatically increase the number of international visitors.

Improving the international visibility of the Incredible India campaign could have the bene-

David Scowsill

fit of increasing tourist flows to places across the country, rather than its traditional tourism hotspots.

WTTC GLOBAL SUMMIT IN MADRID This year’s World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit will be held in Madrid, Spain on April 15-16. The annual WTTC Global Summit will venture into Europe after a gap and will aim at uniting travel and tourism leaders from across the world, bringing together top representatives from the public and private sectors, from travel associations and the media in a unique networking and discussion forum.

With respect to the Global Summit, how different will Madrid be in terms of content?

For the first time in Madrid, the WTTC Global Summit will focus on disruption as a major theme in our industry. The industry contributes 9.5 per cent of global GDP (US$ seven trillion) and is due to grow strongly in the coming years not only outpacing the wider economy, but also growing faster than other significant sectors such as financial and business services, transport and manufacturing. Travel and tourism forecasts over the next ten years also look extremely favourable. But capitalising on the growth opportunity will require authorities to create a favourable climate for infrastructure investments and people development – and governments can also do much to implement more open visa regimes and to employ intelligent taxation policies. It also forces the industry to cope with the opportunities of disruption – either from within our own industry or from beyond it.

Are unwarranted travel advisories harming the future of

tourism in some places?

WTTC's take on this?

Travel advisories are a big issue in our industry and are causing damage to tourism across the world, including within India. Travel advisories can have a very useful effect on changing the behaviour of travellers that is why they need to be very specific (affecting a very small area, not a whole city) and time limited (not allowed to run and run). And if done badly they are very damaging.

What will be the best practices of tourism vis-a-vis technology across segments, namely, biometrics, self drives, aviation, etc?

Technology is a fundamental element of the travel and tourism industry. While areas such as biometric data are in visas, but can slow up the application process and prove bureaucratic. Rather, the biggest use for technology is likely to come in the area of distribution – this continues a trend that has existed for a long time. Also, companies such as Airbnb and OneFineStay are using technology to have an impact in the hospitality industry.

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MEDICAL TOURISM

Advantage India Dental tourism is a budding concept that provides customised, effective and world-class quality dental care and treatment along with planned vacations at much affordable prices, says Dr Sunil Motwani

W

E WANDER for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment' - Hilaire Belloc Dental tourism is the answer for those who want to fulfill the need for good dental services along with an enriching travel experience at a very affordable cost. In other words, a trip that can enrich one’s mind and body both, without burning a hole in the pocket.

Are you faced with limited dental insurance coverage? Are you looking for an affordable dentist with top – notch quality and credentials?

Dental tourism is the answer.

Dental tourism means travelling abroad for an affordable and quality dental care, which is generally way more expensive in most of the European and North American countries as compared to ours. This is a budding concept that provides customised, effective and world-class quality dental care and treatment along with a planned vacation at much affordable prices.

Some dental procedures are generally not reimbursed by the National Health Schemes of some countries and a comprehensive treatment may be way too expensive for most patients. Besides the costs involved, the waiting period for execution of the treatments covered by insurance, acts as a deterrent for patients to undergo treatment back home.

Furthermore, the prices, ease and affordability of international travel, improvements in both technology and standards of care, makes dental care of the highest international standards

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available to everyone.

However, pricing should not be the only factor to be considered while choosing a dental tourism service. To get one’s treatment done in a different country is a big decision and therefore, the quality of care rendered should be the topmost priority.

India – A preferred dental tourism destination The Indian dental market is expected to become one of the single largest hubs for overseas dental services. As per studies, India's dental tourism industry has been estimated to be worth a whopping US$2.2 billion annually. There are more than 1,80,000 dental professionals, 297 dental institutes and over 5000 dental laboratories in India. Moreover, India enjoys the advantage of a skilled dental workforce fluent in English, well equipped with quality and experienced dentists, to assure reliable treatments.

Treatments like cosmetic dentistry, laser dentistry, smile corrections and makeovers, dental implants, full mouth rehabilitations, gum contouring and surgeries, instant teeth whitening, surgical extractions, crowns and bridges, painless single sitting root canal therapies, invisalign, aligners, bone grafting and augmentation, child dentistry and many more advanced and complicated treatments are carried out in the most professional, hygienic, safe, comfortable and predictable manner with utmost precision, planning and ease.

Also, the quality of dental care procedures, techniques, materials used in India, are at par and globally standardised as compared to many western

Dr Sunil Motwani

and Asian nations like the US, Germany, the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, South Africa, Singapore, Denmark, Japan and Canada.

Another aspect of dental tourism, which many overseas patients happen to avail, is to combine their trip to India with a comprehensive health check-up and other medical treatments too. Treatments like naturopathy, eye ailments, cosmetic procedures, organ transplants, cardiac procedures which are expensive in the western countries or are not reimbursed are also being carried out with great success

The Indian dental market is expected to become one of the single largest hubs for overseas dental services

and predictability along with dental treatment.

Along with quality and customised dental care, tourist packages may be formulated for the patients to experience the Indian culture, diversity, the picturesque countryside and famous landmarks, resulting in an overall enriching and fruitful experience. Patients can travel to their desired destinations with the help of reliable tour packages, customised to their convenience, while their dental treatment is going on. They also get a chance to get a taste of Indian cuisine and its variety.

Famous places like the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, backwaters of Kerala, sun-kissed beaches of Goa, ice-clad Kashmir, Udaipur, and Varanasi happen to be a few places of interest.

Points to ponder Though dental tourism seems like a boon for international patients facing financial or time limitations, the patients should weigh all their options by checking the following guidelines before taking a decision. ●

Credentials and qualifications of the dental care provider and the team ● Previous patient feedback and testimonials ● Sterilisation methods and protocols being used by the dental care organisation ● Standardisation and range of treatments offered ● Ideal time to visit ● Location and accessibility ● Safe and adequate patient guidance and support services in the foreign land ● Adequate after-care followup and support for the patients.

Within the global tourism industry, dental tourism is

increasingly being perceived as a fresh source of foreign exchange income for countries through the encouragement of cross – border patient inflow.

Government incentives and encouragement constitute an essential part of dental tourism development in emerging markets.

Today, dental tourism is no longer about cheaper procedures and holiday trips. It is also about the quality of doctors, technology and care models that India is pursuing that makes this form of health tourism different.

Having dealt with international patients for over five years, my observation has been that the majority of the procedures that international patients are desirous of include implants, smile makeovers and teeth whitening along with teeth fillings and root canals. It is important to make the patients feel extremely comfortable with the health care team before the onset of treatment. Spending sufficient time with the patients to discuss their treatment plans with complete transparency, a good discussion of the real and attainable outcomes of the treatments and setting realistic expectations and goals out of the treatment is imperative for good patient satisfaction and compliance to the aftercare instructions. The organisations providing dental tourism need to adhere to the global standards of care along with good hospitality services in order to attain a good patient satisfaction level.

The author is the head of Clove Dental Clinic in Saini Enclave & Model Town, Ghaziabad

HERITAGE TALK

Quintessential Kotwara Kotwara Initiatives, under the House of Kotwara brand, offers many unique experiences to travellers across Delhi, Lucknow and Kotwara, with a focus on showcasing and promoting the culture, crafts and cuisine of Awadh

By Sudipta Dev

M

UZAFFAR ALI, who is from the royal family of Kotwara, is a poet, filmmaker and also the head of Rumi Foundation, while his wife Meera Ali is an architect and designer. The House of Kotwara has a large number of interests which is contained in the brand.

The five C's of House of Kotwara are culture (of Lucknow), crafts (working among villagers promoting their crafts), couture line, cinema, and cuisine. All these five C's are offered as an experience to travellers under the Kotwara Initiatives.

Kotwara Initiatives includes experiences, restaurants and accommodation in Delhi, Lucknow and Kotwara. “Kotwara Initiatives can be a singular experience which can just be a glimpse of its cuisine in Delhi, an intense mix of cuisine, culture, art and interaction at Kotwara House in Qaiser Bagh in Lucknow or together with Ahnalwara Palace can bring in elements of textiles and nature as a composite programme on Awadh,” says Shoba Mohan, MD, Rare – Destinations and Experiences, a company that markets small boutique ideas and concepts. Mohan has been engaged with the brand for two years now. Rare has also been involved with Muzaffar Ali's Wajid Ali Shah Festival that promotes Lucknow to travellers.

Rare experiences The Awadhi dining experience, 'Maashra', is in Meera and Muzaffar Ali's farmhouse in the outskirts of Delhi off the Faridabad-Gurgaon highway. The

Meera Ali

Ahnalwara Palace

hand crafted tent that is decorated with their memorabilia and art can seat up to 30 people.

Five course Awadhi cuisine, from the royal household of Kotwara, is served to guests in this sit down dining experience. “The dinners are spectacular, and they offer lunches as well,” says Mohan. In Lucknow, three suites of Kotwara House, the family home, is given out as a homestay.

“The conscious effort and decision to open up Kotwara House for discerning visitors ensued from the vision of connecting hospitality with grass root traditions and human resource,” states Meera Ali. Private dinners and private high teas are organised for interested guests. Other activities include a Qaiserbagh Walk, that is a heritage trail of Qaiserbagh in

Guests can also interact with craftswomen in nearby villages. Meera and Muzaffar Meera Ali run a non-proft programme called 'Dwar Pe Rozi', which literally means livelihood at the doorstep.

They commission embroidery work to village women in the latter's home Lucknow. Cooking demonstration of Awadhi cuisine can also be done for interested guests.

Kotwara is about 160 km from Lucknow, and is a gateway to the forests of Dudhwa and Kishanpur - one of the largest forest tracks in India. Ahnalwara Palace in Kotwara offers seven suites to guests. Village excursions, nature walks and picnics in nearby forests are some of the

activities for travellers.

Guests can also interact with craftswomen in nearby villages.

Meera and Muzaffar Ali run a non-proft programme called 'Dwar Pe Rozi', which literally means livelihood at the doorstep.

They commission embroidery work to village women in the latter's home. The dresses are designed, cut and then sent to these women, who after doing

their household chores, do the embroidery work, and earn about US$ 100 a month.

Meera and Muzaffar Ali also run a school for children of the craftspeople. There are almost 600 children studying in the school presently. Along with formal education, the craftspeople's children are also initiated into learning needlework from a young age.

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MOVEMENTS Telangana Tourism Development Corporation Government of Telangana has appointed PERVARAM RAMULU, IPS (Retd) as chairman of Telangana Tourism Development Corporation with

Pervaram Ramulu

the status of cabinet minister in the state. The appointment is for a term of three years from the date of his assuming charge.

Egencia Egencia has announced the appointment of AMIT ARORA as country director, Egencia India.

His previous positions include serving as the head of commercial and operations -- North and East India for Etihad Airways and head of client management at American Express Business Travel. Arora has over 17 years of experience in India's travel industry, the last 10 of which have been in a number of leadership positions. He earned an undergraduate degree in commerce from Delhi University, and a post graduate diploma from the Indian Institute of Planning and Management.

TripAdvisor TripAdvisor has appointed IRENE SUNG to the newly created role of head of client development, Asia Pacific.

Based in TripAdvisor’s regional Asia Pacific headquar-

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Accelya Accelya has appointed JOHN JOHNSTON as group chief executive officer. His induction in Accelya’s leadership team is a part of the succession plan of Philippe Lesueur, president, Accelya Group, who will continue to remain on the Board of Accelya companies and serve as an advisor. Johnston was until recently, chief executive officer of Champ Cargosystems and has been responsible for the creation and growth of Champ Cargosystems into one of the world’s largest dedicated IT providers to the aircargo industry. During his career, Johnston has held senior executive positions in several countries and has provided senior management and consulting services to a number of global airlines.

ters in Singapore, Sung will be responsible for formulating business strategies in key verticals for TripAdvisor Display Advertising as well as managing key client relations to help them improve their understanding and utilisation of TripAdvisor offerings. Prior to TripAdvisor, she was head of branding at Google and as Google’s pioneer sales employee in Singapore, she was instrumental in propelling Google’s presence in Asia Pacific and accelerating Google’s online sales revenue over the years. Sung graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science with double majors in Mathematics and Biology.

SAS LARS SANDAHL SORENSEN has been confirmed as the new group director and COO of SAS. The appointment is effective May 1, 2015. Sorensen was previously group director and CCO of global services company ISS. Prior to that he worked for SAS from 2003 to 2010. He was initially MD of the airline’s then subsidiary company SAS International before being appointed group director for commercial with responsibility for product development, network, revenue management and marketing.

Sorensen is currently a partner at Flensby & Partners and advisor to several private equity funds. He also holds a number of board positions.

Tourism Northern Ireland TERENCE BRANNIGAN has been appointed as chairman of the Board of Tourism Northern Ireland with effect from April 1, 2015. His appointment is for a three year period. Three board members have also been appointed. COLIN NEILL and MICHELE SHIRLOW have been appointed with effect from January 1, 2015 and GEOFF WILSON has been appointed with effect from March 1, 2015. All are for a three year period. KATY BEST has been re-appointed to the board with effect from February 1,2015 for a period of three years.

Tourism Australia Tourism Australia has announced the appointment of ANDREW HOGG as regional general manager, Greater China. Hogg has spent more

than 25 years with Qantas Airways, where he held his latest position as general manager of China since 2011. He has also had a number of other senior roles covering finance, sales, marketing and operations.

Tourism Industry Association of Canada Scott Allison, chairperson (interim) of the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) Board of Directors, congratulated CHARLOTTE BELL on her appointment as the new president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). With more than 25 years of experience in regula-

RONNY DE LANGE, who has held numerous commercial roles in his four years with Etihad Airways, has been named vice president - global corporate account management. In his new role, based in Abu Dhabi, he will manage the airline's multinational accounts worldwide.

Etihad Airways has appointed JOHN FRIEL as general manager for South Africa. Based in Johannesburg, Friel will be responsible for leading Etihad Airways’ commercial operations in South Africa as it continues to grow its presence and operations across the region.

He joined Etihad Airways in June 2014 as regional business development manager in South Africa.

Charlotte Bell

tory, corporate and government affairs, Bell is a seasoned executive bringing a wealth of experience and proven track record of success leading regulatory change in the broadcast sector. One of Bell’s first major projects will be collaborating with CTC on the upcoming Rendez-vous Canada, the Canadian travel industry’s principal international tourism marketplace.

Etihad Airways

Andrew Hogg

With more than 14 years' experience in the travel industry, he joined Etihad Airways in 2009 as country manager in Pakistan, and moved onto the role of area general manager for Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Khan began his career with South African Airways in the UK before moving onto American Airlines where he served as the regional manager for the Middle East and Pakistan based in the UK and UAE.

AMER KHAN has been appointed to the position of regional general manager for Middle East and North Africa, and will be responsible for managing Etihad Airways' commercial operations across 16 countries from the airline's base in Abu Dhabi.

The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa Mauritius TRISTAN BLANDIN DE CHALAIN has been apponited as executive assistant manager at The Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa Mauritius. In this role, Chalain will oversee the management and operations of the 190 room resort. Chalain is well-known within the Mauritius hotel sector and has a background in hotel operations, specialising in food and beverage. Upon completion of his Diploma in Tourism & Hotel Management at ML Sultan Hotel School, Durban South Africa and Shatec Singapore Hotel School, Chalain started his career as room service manager at Lux Belle Mare Resort, Mauritius.

BUSINESS AVENUES

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Toll Free no: 000 800 100 7947

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BUSINESS AVENUES

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weekend

E V E N T S

SEAMLESS SERVICE L-R: Pattira Chiempricha, acting consul general, The Royal Thai Consulate General, Kolkata and Vinay Malhotra, COO - South Asia, VFS Global at the launch of visa application service at VFS Global centre in Kolkata

WATER ADVENTURE Goa Kayaking Club in association with Goa Tourism and Goa Tourism Development Corporation recently launched another edition of the kayaking training camps in Goa

GOLF GLORY Turkish Airlines recently organised the third edition of the CRICKET FEVER Abacus co-sponsored the ‘Emirates Cricket Trade Tournament

Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup – 2015 at ITC Classic Golf Resort, Delhi

for Travel Agents 2015’, a two day cricket tournament held in Mumbai

NEW DEVELOPMENTS South African Tourism, South African Airways and South African Consulate recently organised a joint press meet at Konkan, The Taj Lands End, Mumbai to lay emphasis on the India market; the visa application process, the tourism growth over the years and plans for the next fiscal

DESTINATION UPDATE The Canadian Tourism Commission recently organised B2B sessions for the Indian travel trade across Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru

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E V E N T S

NEW ADDITION Yusuf Poonawala, head - Bharat Deko, Cox and Kings at the launch of Cox and Kings' latest product in domestic holidays - Xperiential Holidays in Mumbai

PITCH PERFECT A group of Indian business leaders and priority travel agents,

DISCOVER PERU Magali Silva Velarde Álvarez, Peru’s minister of Foreign Trade

CHRISTENING CEREMONY Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection’s

and Tourism and president of Exports and Tourism Promotion Board recently made an announcement about the Peruvian campaign of international tourism winning the Award Excellence of the Golden City Gate, under the category International – Regions held at ITB Berlin, Germany

visiting New Zealand for the India versus Ireland match at Seddon Park in Hamilton, participated in a cricket tournament organised at the Hobbiton Movie Set in rural Waikato

latest addition, S S Maria Theresa, was christened by her godmother, Princess Anita von Hohenberg, a direct descendent of Maria Theresa, during the launch ceremony in Amsterdam

STRENGTHENING REPUTATION

Changi Airport in Singapore has been voted as the World's Best Airport by air travellers for three consecutive years at the 2015 Skytrax World Airport Awards held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Paris, France

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Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has been recognised as the Best Regional Airport in Central Asia at the 2015 Skytrax World Airport Awards held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Paris, France

REGD.WITH RNI UNDER MAHENG/15993/05, MH/MR/SOUTH-156/2013-15 PUBLISHED 11th OF EVERY MONTH AND POSTED ON 12, 13 & 14 OF EVERY MONTH POSTED AT MUMBAI PATRIKA CHANNEL SORTING OFFICE.