Express Travelworld May, 2013

Contents May 2013

Vol 8 | No 4 | Pages 52

Chairman of the Board

Viveck Goenka

MARKET

Editor

Reema Lokesh*

Rajasthan tourism ties up with Hindustan Salt to promote Sambhar salt lake .....................................................................................8

Assistant Editor

GoI plans to extend Visa-on-Arrival scheme to more airports .....................9

Steena Joy

CII to organise Tourism Fest 2013 in December.........................................10

Associate Editor

Sudipta Dev

Madhya Pradesh Tourism launches new advertising campaign, fourth in the series .................................................................................11

CONTENT TEAM

Pullmantur promotes value for money cruises for MICE groups ...............12

Mumbai

Visit Melbourne aims to attract 1,29,000 Indian visitors by 2021...............17

Sayoni Bhaduri, Kahini

Chamonix Mont Blanc and Geneva co-brand in India ...............................18

Chakraborty Kolkata

Interview with Sajid Khan, country manager – India, South African Airways.......................................................................................20

Joy Roy Choudhury

Interview with Ewan Gray, director APAC, Skyscanner .............................21

Advisory Board

Rann Riders promotes 'travel with purpose' in Gujarat .............................22

Ankur Bhatia, Vijay Chadda, Saroj Datta, Ashok Fenn,

MANAGEMENT

Subhash Goyal, Cyrus Guzder,

From the tallest to the largest ..................................................................24

Zubin Karkaria, Ashwini Kakkar,

A slice of Emirati culture..........................................................................25

Khursheed Lam,

Cultural hub of the Middle East................................................................26

Tej Sahni, Alok Sawhney, Prem Subramaniam

Hidden jewel............................................................................................27

MARKETING

Original Garden of Eden ..........................................................................28

Deputy General Manager

Land of timeless journey ..........................................................................29

Harit Mohanty

On Aphrodite's trail..................................................................................30

Chief Manager

Encapsulated experiences ........................................................................31

Emmanuel Fernandes

Bible and beyond ....................................................................................32

Manager

Sunil D'costa

Desert Symphony ....................................................................................33

Deputy Chief Manager

Passionately Swiss....................................................................................34

Zahid Ali Khan

Here to stay ............................................................................................35

CIRCULATION

Mohan Varadakar

ded Inclu Drinks e t i d holic Unlim Non-Alco s / olic ruise Alcoh all our C on

EDGE

PRODUCTION General Manager

Cruises in Greek Islands, Mediterranean Baltics, Fiords, Caribbean

B R Tipnis Production Manager

Bhadresh Valia All Inclusive system!

Unlimited drinks on all our ships.

Layout

Ratilal Ladani, Kiran Parker Asst. Art Director

Surajit Patro Chief Designer

Pravin Temble Senior Graphic Designer

Rushikesh Konka

37 A kaleidoscope of Gujarat .................................................... .......... 40 Showcasing India ..........................................................................

Need to adopt holistic approach to sustainable tourism: Taleb Rifai ...................................................................................

free

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Photo Editor

Sandeep Patil

Child

Cruise insurance available

LIFE

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) Editor Reema Lokesh* 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.

May 2013

Don't plan an itinerary down to the T : Jonty Rhodes .................... ..43 REGULARS

Editor’s Note ........................................................................................6 Appointments ....................................................................................44 Weekend ............................................................................................49 www.expresstravelworld.com

GSA in India: GRIFFON, 4 Cusrow Baug, Colaba, Mumbai 400 001.

Tel.: 022 22045014, 22045019 Fax: 022 22830461 Email: sales@griffontravel.com Website: www.GriffonCruises.in

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Naturally niche n this competitive and cluttered business environment of travel, tourism and hospitality, going niche with one’s product and design seems to be a well crafted formula. It is crucial to identify the USP that sets you apart, both in terms of product design and execution. It is that unique service and experience backed by seamless operational excellence, that will give the customer a sense of assurance and intangible comfort to become your loyal clientele. Astute businessmen have got this formula right, which is also a result of continuous study and research of the travellers' changing tastes and preferences. The business setup is dynamic and people’s tastes and requirements are also changing rapidly. Complacency and ‘copy-paste’ itineraries are elements that are hamper the success of one’s business.

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“The common factors that run across most well positioned companies are product innovation, upgradation and constant research as it is important to keep in touch with the customer's needs”

The common factors that run across most well positioned companies are product innovation, upgradation and constant research as it is important to keep in touch with the customer's needs.

The definition of luxury travel in the tourism space itself has gone through its share of maturity.

From opulent to subtle, from glamour to grassroots, luxury travel has changed its meaning over time.

It is all about the niche experience, and at times a high end nature resort that offers tranquility is what the discerning traveller is in search of.

It is not surprising to note that the India Tourism pavilion and most of the tourism entities from India are scheduled to prominently present their niche products at ATM 2013. It’s also interesting to note that other tourism boards and associations are ready to partner with stakeholders to provide the customer, both national and global, a well-defined and complete product. The coming together of the Tea Board of India and the tourism ministry is refreshing news. Recently, a new strategic partnership was also signed between UNWTO and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on the occasion of the PATA Annual Summit (April 26) in Bangkok with the key objectives of advancing economic diversification, cultural and environmental preservation through tourism. Tourism by its very nature cannot be sold in isolation. The sector touches diverse industries and it is heartening to note that progressive steps are being taken to make sense out of tourism.

Reema Lokesh Editor editorial.etw@expressindia.com

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May 2013

Market

T H E B U S I N E S S O F T R AV E L & TO U R I S M

LEAD STORY

Rajasthan tourism ties up with Hindustan Salt to promote Sambhar salt lake ABHISHEK CHAKRABORTY - Jaipur

he Rajasthan government is working on new products to promote the state as a unique destination.

“Sambhar (salt lake) is the largest inland salt lake in the country. Now with the help of Hindustan Salt we are going to improve the infrastructure there and promote the place as a heritage location. Moreover, this area gets a large number of migratory birds. So this will become a new attraction and will encourage tourists to visit again and again,” said Rakesh Srivastava, principal secretary, tourism, Rajasthan government.

The principal secretary

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also said that the state tourism department is focusing on improving infrastructure at major tourism destinations in the state to attract tourists.

“First we will upgrade the infrastructure, and then we will put it on the website,” he added.

According to him, Rajasthan’s investment-friendly policy such as low land conversion charges at select areas and the remission of luxury tax by 50 per cent for start-up ventures will encourage the tourism industry. “Our tourism budget for 2013-14 is `40 crore and we are also getting support from the ministry of tourism, Government of India. We have also sent our proposal to the Centre for a mega tourism project in

Rajasthan’s investmentfriendly policy and remission of luxury tax by 50 per cent for start-up ventures will encourage the tourism industry

J a i p u r, ” i n f o r m e d Srivastava.

Talking about hygiene, he added, “We are trying to make a congenial atmosphere for tourists, a home away from home. We would provide them with a clean bed-sheet, a clean room and a clean bathroom, apart from security.”

Srivastava added that the state attracted nearly 30 million tourists, of whom 1.5 million were foreign nationals.

“The year-on-year growth of inbound tourists in Rajasthan in 2012 was eight per cent. Domestic inbound growth stood at about 6.75 per cent and the overall inflow rise was about 5.74 per cent,” added Srivastava.

Tea Board of India partners with India Tourism for ATM 2013 India to display its niche portfolio at the event REEMA LOKESH – Mumbai

he Arabian Travel Market 2013, scheduled from May 6-9, in Dubai, will witness a new addition to its otherwise well established tourism offering, as Tea Board of India has partnered with India Tourism to display the rich aroma of Indian `chai’ at the event.

The ministry is keen to promote and brand the top class variety of Indian tea, which according to Vikas Rustagi, regional director (West Asia and Africa) India Tourism – Dubai office, is in high demand in the Middle Eastern region.

The event will act as a perfect platform for India to showcase its tourism wealth and niche portfolio in the luxury, wellness, health and medical tourism

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space. The India Tourism pavilion at the venue will host around 28 participants spanning across various tourism specialisations,

The event will act as a perfect platform for India to showcase its tourism wealth and niche portfolio www.expresstravelworld.com

while ATM 2013 will witness more than 85 participants including the Indian pavilion entities.

Rustagi added, “India Tourism has chalked out interesting attractions during the four day event, with special displays of Indian art, culture, Bollywood events and more. We have a strong delegation of tourism specialists.”

Further, India Tourism is scheduled to hold an exclusive press conference, which will focus on highlighting India’s niche products and its tourism potential followed by an India tourism evening, which will showcase performances ranging from folk to bollywood.

According to the ATM site, India Tourism pavilion AS6720 will have the following players, namely

Abad Hotels India, Air India, Ananda in the Himalayas, Ayur County Resorts, Munnar, Cal India Tours & Travels, Carnoustie Beach Resort and Ayurveda Spa, Citrus Hotels & Resorts, Creative Tours & Travels, ITDC, Indo Asia tours, Intersight tours and travels, J&K Tourism, Jaypee Hotels, Kerala Tourism, Kingdom of Dream, Le Passage To India (LPTI), Meghalaya tourism, Poovar Island Resort, Ramada Resort, Ramee Group of Hotels, Sanyog Gupta Voyages, T&U Leisure Hotel, Munnar/ Kofiland, Thekkady/ JJ Holiday Resorts, The Paul Resorts & Hotels, The Siena Village, Top Travel & Tours, Trail Blazer Tours India, Travel Corporation (India), Vasundhara Sarovar Premiere, Vythiri Resort.

May 2013

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GoI plans to extend Visa-on-Arrival scheme to more airports ABHISHEK CHAKRABORTY - Jaipur

eeping in view the growing interest amongst foreign tourists to visit India, the ministry of tourism, Government of India, has proposed to expand the scope of Visaon-Arrival (VoA) scheme to more airports in India.

Presently, the scheme is only available at four airports across India – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. “We have proposed to the ministry of home affairs and the ministry of external affairs to extend the visa-on-arrival facility at more international airports in India, including Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which would cover tourists from about 15 more countries under its ambit,” said AK Gupta, additional director general

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(MR), ministry of tourism (MoT), Government of India.

It has also proposed to bring more countries under the ambit of the tourist visa-on-arrival, giving citizens across the world an easy access to India.

Currently people from countries like Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines can get a tourist VoA in India.

The government witnessed a positive response to its VoA scheme since it was launched in 2012.

According to the ministry of tourism, during JanuaryMay 2012, a total number of 5,857 VoAs were issued as compared to 5,004 VoAs during the corresponding period of 2011, registering a growth of 17 per cent.

Foreign tourist arrivals saw

We have proposed to extend the facility at more international airports in India, including Bengaluru and Hyderabad a growth of 7.8 per cent in the same period with 28.05 lakh visitors. The ministry of tourism also said last

year that the government was in the final stages of consultations on allowing visa-on-arrival to citizens of about 10 countries, including Germany, France and Russia.

Speaking about the growing significance of tourism across the world and the need to extend the visa-on-arrival for more countries, Bina Kak, tourism minister, Rajasthan said, “Tourism sector has become a key driver of national economies.” Kak, however, cautioned against any kind of complacency.

“Addressing the tourists’ requirements of getting efficient and courteous services at a reasonable price should be our concern. The benchmark of success in this regard is that the guest who has been to the country once should want to repeat the experience soon.”

Industry needs to encourage adventure tourism in lean seasons: Akshay Kumar ABHISHEK CHAKRABORTY New Delhi

he focus has shifted from hard-core to softcore, multi-activity based adventure tourism,” said Akshay Kumar, president, Adventure Tour Operators, Association of India (ATOAI) and CEO, Mercury Himalayan Explorations, at the CII roundtable on adventure tourism held in New Delhi. Highlighting the enormous potential that adventure tourism has, Kumar said that the industry should encourage adventure tourism activities during off-season and cater to tourists all round the year. “Since 70 per cent of Himalyan range is in India, and Incredible India Himalayan campaign is in place, industry should strategise to encourage adventure tourism activities during off-season and cater to tourists all round the year,” he said. Kumar also emphasised upon safety

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and quality issues and suggested encouraging usage of satellite phones.

Pointing out the benefits of adventure tourism over

Nearly 90 per cent of adventure tourism is concentrated on soft adventure tourism. It is recommended that multipronged approach be adopted www.expresstravelworld.com

conventional tourism, Arjun Sharma, co-chairman, CII National Committee on Tourism, and MD, Le Passage to India, said, “Adventure tourism has the quality to get inbound tourist closely engaged with the society.

With the help of adventure tourism, we can showcase varied aspects of the Indian culture. Inbound tourists can also get an opportunity to be closely engaged with the society. There is a need to devise ways to create more synergies for this sector and address the present bottlenecks.”

Ajeet Bajaj, managing director, Snow Leopard Adventures said it is time a multi-pronged approach is adopted to promote and harness adventure tourism.

“Nearly 90 per cent of adventure tourism is concentrated on soft adventure tourism. It is recommended that multi-pronged approach be adopted to promote and harness the potential in a safe and sus-

tainable manner,” he opined. With a view to make optimal utilisation of airstrips, he suggested that the defense airstrips be allowed for commercial operations. He also emphasised on the need to open new institutions and promote multiple adventures sports like rafting, canoeing, skiing, etc.

Lauding the government’s efforts in promoting adventure tourism, Subhash Goyal, president, IATO chairman, Stic Travels, said all tour operators should take advantage of the `three crore allocated for Incredible India Himalayan campaign. He suggested that a helpline number be created in multiple languages exclusively for this industry.

Earlier, Amita Sarkar, senior director, CII, said adventure tourism is playing a crucial role in driving inclusive growth, and generating employment opportunities and hence its potential cannot be ignored.

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ASTA India highlights issues of women tourists ABHISHEK CHAKRABORTY - New Delhi

ooking at the increasing number of attacks on women tourists in India, ASTA India Chapter held a seminar in The Park Hotel, New Delhi, recently on the topic 'Will India's tourism be tarnished by attacks on women travellers?'. “We are a confused society and we don't know how to react. On one hand we treat women as Maa and in the other we kill the female child before birth,” said Jyoti Mayal, chairperson, Travel Agents Association of India – NR (TAAI). The seminar also held discussions with dignitaries on how to save the image of India's tourism market from being tarnished.

Mayal said a website describing the dos and don'ts in India should be available to every tourists once he/she has applied for visa so that

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the traveller knows which places to avoid.

Safety and security has always been a major deterrent for travel and tourism market in India. Female tourists travelling to India have been on alert since a 23-year-old woman was gangraped in a moving bus in New Delhi in December 2012. Security in the national capital has been ramped up since then.

However, reports of attacks on Indian and foreign visitors alike are still coming in, raising the question of when, if ever, sex crimes against women will stop.

The US state department travel advisory to India now includes a long warning to women that urges them to observe stringent security precautions, including avoiding use of public transport after dark without the company of known and trustworthy companions, restricting evening entertainment to well-known venues, and

avoiding isolated areas when alone at any time of day.

Speaking on the occasion, Benita Sharma, area manager, Golden Triangle, and general manager, Sheraton New Delhi Hotel, said safety and security of women tourists are the foremost thing for them. “We have an Eva floor at ITC hotels which is totally dedicated to women. Starting from the housekeeping to the lift manager, everyone is a female there.” Though it is not mandatory for every women visitor to take the Eva floor, anyone visiting the hotel can choose this one.

Nayantara Janardhan, CEO, Sakha Consulting Wings, who offer a 24-hour cab service in the national capital said, “We provide cab services in Delhi driven by women and only for women.” Talking about the safety and security of Sakha's cab drivers,

Janardhan said the women chauffeurs receive seven to eight months of training from the women's wing of the Delhi Police and also carry pepper spray for self-defence.

Though they have only eight cabs running now, they have plans to increase the numbers in the coming future.

Also present on the dais was Sue Beeton, associate professor in tourism, La Trobe University, Australia.

Beeton focused not only on the effect on women visitors, but also tourism in general by looking at events in other parts of the world, including Australia, and some of the ways the government and industry worked to improve the perception of Australia.

Over the past 20 years, Beeton has conducted tourism-based research into community development, tourism operations, the relationship between film and tourism as well as naturebased tourism.

CII to organise Tourism Fest 2013 in December ABHISHEK CHAKRABORTY - New Delhi

he Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will be organising an international tourism festival from December 5-7, 2013 in Chandigarh, with an aim to boost tourism and hospitality industry and showcase the immense potential of the eight northern states of India. Jayant Davar, chairman, CII northern region and co-chairman and managing director, Sandhar Technologie, revealed that the first ever CII ‘Tourism Fest’ will be organised in partnership with all northern state governments with a lot of domestic as well international participation. Punjab and Chandigarh will be the host states and CII is in talks with other states like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir to partner in this unique venture.

Talking about international participation, Davar said, “Thailand and Dubai have already confirmed their participation and we are expecting participation from countries like Germany, South Africa, the US, Canada, Russia,

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Australia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Britain, etc.”

CII will also invite chief ministers of all northern states at the conclave and create a chief ministers’ forum to address various issues like infrastructure, connectivity, security, cleanliness, accommodation, food and travel which hinder the growth of tourism. “We would also

Tourism Fest will be organised in partnership with all northern state governments.

Punjab and Chandigarh will be the host states www.expresstravelworld.com

push all states to have a tourism policy in place,” said Arjun Sharma, chairman, CII Tourism Fest 2013 and managing director, Le Passage to India.

Speaking about the immense employment opportunities and the potential of tourism in India, Sharma said, “The tourism sector grew at a rate of four per cent last year globally as compared to the manufacturing sector which grew at less than two per cent. Looking at the potential of tourism, the Government of India has allocated US $ one trillion in the 12th Five Year Plan for tourism. Considering our great heritage, beautiful locations and cheaper medical facilities, there is an immense potential of tourism in India. We only need to brand it well.”

“The northern states are keen to seek fresh investments and forge new partnerships in tourism and hospitality sectors that would in turn help create lot of jobs and lead to inclusive growth. The Tourism Fest is an effort to create a platform for northern states to showcase their potential to play host to the world,” added Sharma.

The various stakeholders that would participate in addition to state governments include hoteliers, hospitals, tour operators, travel agents, golf courses and resorts, central and state government tourism agencies, tourism board of various countries, airlines, airports, air charters companies, city transport providers, railways and IRCTC, industry experts in hospitality and tourism, etc.

“We all are tourists and we all contribute to the economy while we travel,” said DK Tiwari, secretary, tourism, Chandigarh administration.

“The inbound tourism in India was less than one per cent of our GDP last year so we need to put huge impetus on tourism and enhance the facilities, services, amenities and promote India as a preferred tourist destination. A lot needs to be done to enhance brand of India as a tourist hub,” he added.

Apart from B2B meet, the Tourism Fest 2013 will also include international dance shows, national and international food festivals, golf tournament; international chef meet, leisure and excursion trips, etc.

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Madhya Pradesh Tourism launches new advertising campaign, fourth in the series ETW STAFF - Mumbai

adhya Pradesh Tourism launched the new video advertising campaign as part of the state’s tourism marketing, promotions and branding initiative. The launch took place recently in Mumbai, which was attended by Ragwendra Kumar Singh, managing director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism; OV Choudhary, CGM, (marketing & operations); Piyush Pandey, national creative director, Ogilvy & Mather; Abhijit Avashti, director; Prakesh Varma and music composer Pankaj Awasthi, secretary and eminent guests from travel and tourism fraternity of Mumbai. The advertising film has been made by international advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather and has been supervised by Pandey and his team. This fourth version of the film has been specially made taking into account the vibrant colour for which the state is known for.

The state launched its first successful and well recognised advertising campaign in 2006 called, ‘Hindustan ka Dil Dekho’, which highlighted top destinations of the state. In the year 2008, the

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famous ‘Eyes’Campaign – ‘Hindustan ka Dil Dekha’ was highly popular. In the year 2010, the third advertisement ‘M.P Ajab Hai Sabse Gajab Hai’, wherein through the hand shadowgraphy, the destinations were described. This unique art was highly popular among the art lovers.

The new campaign, namely the

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fourth version carries on the tradition of showcasing unique destinations of Madhya Pradesh through vibrant and artistic fashion. Madhya Pradesh has been described through vibrant colours in all hues, wherein it shows a transformation of colours into famous landmarks of the state in slow motion along with a background score.

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WB Tourism to introduce luxury bus service to Gour and Adina ETW STAFF - Kolkata

est Bengal T o u r i s m Department has drawn up concrete plans to include historical places across the state on the tourist map. In a novel venture, the department will introduce a luxury 30-seater air conditioned bus service for tours to historical places of Gour and Adina in Malda district. A first-of-its-kind initiative, the bus service will

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commence in the morning from the government tourist lodge in the heart of the town. After a trip to Gour and visiting the remains of the ancient relics, the bus will return to the tourist lodge for lunch and will continue to Adina.

Commenting on the development, Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, tourism minister, West Bengal said, “It is our priority to spread tourism beyond the traditional spots like Darjeeling,

Dooars, Digha and the Sunderbans. We wish to exploit the huge potential of Bengal to attract tourists. Our aim is to attract not only domestic tourists but also foreign tourists.” He added, “Apart from training local youths as tourist guides, we have taken the initiative of making the tourist spots more attractive. An amount of `3.45 crore has been sanctioned for illuminating the historical spots of Gour and `1.53 crore for Adina.

Besides, the roads to the Pala dynasty remains at Jagjibanpur will also be repaired at a cost of `1.83 crore.”

The state tourism board website is also undergoing refurbishment. Stating about the department's future projects he added, “We have taken up the plan of introducing a cruise on the Ganga covering Rajmahal, Farakka, Mayapur and Nabadwip. The survey is already done and we are awaiting the final report.”

Pullmantur promotes value for money cruises for MICE groups SUDIPTA DEV - Mumbai

ullmantur Cruises is a Spanish cruise company that has a strong focus on the MICE segment. Griffon is the GSA of the company in India and has since mid of 2012 started actively launching this product in the Indian market. “The response has been good. We've had a lot of FITs and group movements,” said Vivek Jain, MD, Griffon.

Pullmantur Cruises have all facilities for MICE, including meeting rooms. The auditorium can accommodate 800900 passengers. “The best part is that it is an all-inclusive system. Even all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are included, which is important in MICE. Of course we do all Indian meals, including vegetarian meals. There are also interesting entertainment options,” mentioned Jain. For MICE groups, activities like team building programmes, Bollywood music shows, etc, can be organised.

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The itinerary ranges from Barcelona to Barcelona and Rome to Rome (both for seven nights). Further, MICE groups can be split e.g. four nights Barcelona to Rome for a group of dealers and four nights from Rome to Barcelona for a different group of dealers from another region. “Many companies want to do this area wise. The company people can stay on board for seven nights but the dealers can come in two batches,” added Jain.

The rates are attractive, asserted Jain. “If we are looking at a group of 300-400 passengers we can do very good rates. They are all depended upon seasonality and the load factor. Compared to land we'll be far cheaper. Any European country you compare, my seven-nights on the ship will be much cheaper than sevennights in a hotel. And the experience will be greater as everybody will be together.

We can even block one whole restaurant for a group,” he

stated, adding that, it is value for money, if alcohol is bought on the ship it becomes expensive so it is difficult for the organiser to budget the same. Griffon has also received a few enquiries for weddings on these ships.

The company is also the representative of Louis Cruises (mostly FITs for Greek Islands) and ferry cruises of St Peter Line (in the Baltics). Jain stated that the latter is also a

good option for MICE as the groups can either do a four nights cruise from Helsinki to Tallin and St Petersburg (without visa for Russia) or go straight to St Petersburg, stay for two nights in the city and return to Helsinki (also without visa for Russia). Only multiple entry Schengen visa is needed. The capacity in St Peter Line ships is for 2000 passengers.

Jain pointed out the

European cruises are more high-end in service and experience with much beautiful destinations and pricing-wise as cheap as the ones in the East. “The only difference is one has to pay `10,000-15,000 extra for the airfare. For instance, a promotion recently included companion free and child free option. So for the price of one, four people can go (two adults and two children),” he said.

Akshay Kumar elected as president of ATOAI ETW STAFF - Mumbai

he new office bearers and executive committee of Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) were elected recently during the annual general body meeting held at the Metropolitan Hotel, New Delhi. The new team is led

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by Akshay Kumar who was elected unopposed as the president of ATOAI. Kumar takes over the reigns from Tejbir Singh Anand, managing director, Holiday Moods Adventures, who headed the association for four years.

The list of other elected office bearers and executive body members include:

Sanjay Basu, MD, Far Horizon Tours (senior vice president); Mohan Tickoo, MD; Kash’ Venture Travels (vice president); Vishwas Makhija, MD, India Insight Tours (secretary); David Singh, Director & Product Manager; Eco Adventures (treasurer).

The executive committee www.expresstravelworld.com

members consists of Vinayak Koul, Director; Snowlion Expeditions; Rajesh Ojha, Partner, Banjara Camps and Retreats; Supratim (Raj) Basu, Founder Director, Help Tourism; Anirudh Chaoji, Director; Pugmarks Holidays.

Capt Swadesh Kumar, managing director, Shikhar

Travels, founder president, ATOAI will continue as the advisor to the association.

The new president, Kumar also nominated Mandip Singh Soin, founder and managing director, Ibex Expeditions and Ajeet Bajaj, managing director, Snow Leopard Adventures as executive committee members.

May 2013

M|A|R|K|E|T INTERVIEW

‘Our mission is to convert an ordinary traveller into becoming our brand ambassador’ From hosting major sports events to being an international MICE destination, South Africa has come into the limelight for all the right reasons. Pule I Malefane, consul general of The Republic of South Africa, Mumbai talks about various collaborative opportunities between the two nations in the area of tourism. By Kahini Chakraborty What is the focus agenda of South Africa tourism in the coming months? How are you working towards increasing tourism numbers to the destination?

The TAFI convention held in February this year in Durban gave us an opportunity to cater to the Indian tourism segment needs extensively. By engaging with the destination’s travel agents, our local agents came to understand the needs of the Indian market as well as briefed the Indian travel agents what South Africa can offer to discerning travellers. I think once the unique aspect of the country’s offering is identified it becomes easier to speak about the destination’s offering and promote the same extensively. The way forward for us is that we feel obligated as far as the tourism board and South African Airways is concerned to identify issues and work towards bettering ourselves to cater to the market. With our country’s target to reach more than one lakh mark of Indian tourists by 2015, this can only be achieved once you work closely with the local tour operators. There is also a line up of activities in the pipeline to engage with the travel agents and media to achieve this target. One of the issues that were brought out during the convention was that of the need for new product offerings and experiences over and above our existing ones. And we will work towards the same and look at improving our offerings. Our mission is to convert the ordinary traveller into becoming our brand ambassador.

Has the response from the Indian market been as per South Africa’s expectations so far? What are the priority segments of focus?

After hosting the FIFA World Cup and IPL, the traveller numbers have risen to 27 per cent in the total tourist figures till now.

Out of many events with the IPL event we have been

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Pule I Malefane able to expose the country to Indian travellers and maintain ourselves to their expectation. With the MICE market growing exponentially, we are looking at aggressively focusing on it and improving our offerings. One of the things we need to keep in mind is that how to bid to attract more events to South Africa. The business segment could attract family as well wherein one can holiday after work and result in increased length of stay. We have got the best of infrastructure facilities to cater to the MICE industry but unfortunately the potential has not been utilised so far and we are now working towards changing the scenario. It is our responsibility to sell those products to attract more number of events as well as conventions to the country. In the TAFI convention a lot of issues were brought forth which we are working on.

The good news has been that today more number of people want to know about South Africa. If the number of tourists visiting the country increases we could look at increasing our flight services to India. Currently we don’t have any plans but if everything falls in place www.expresstravelworld.com

then we could look at the Delhi sector. South African Airways recently underwent refurbishments and is now active on social media networking for product awareness and promotions.

There is a misconception of Durban and Johannesburg being unsafe destinations and delays in visa issuance. How is the tourism board working towards clearing this myth?

Visa is a misconception.

If your documents are in place there shouldn’t be any reason for us to delay the process. We don’t have an online process as we have outsourced our services to VFS Global. In my view, it is not necessarily a mental block but also about how agents market their business There is also a reality that in India that if something is sold for free you get suspicious and when you have to pay for it you value the same. For business visa we have engaged ourselves with the chamber of commerce and one of the essential things is that you must work with us to be able to verify the authenticity of the applicant. If you come with a covering letter or a CII letter to us signed by the leadership we have no reason to doubt.

Fortunately for me, as part of the two major eventsair cargo event and TAFI, none of the delegates faced any problems or lost their belongings through criminal elements. And for me these are the type of people that we need. As there is one sided information based on what you read, the truth is in contrast to it. Due to one unfortunate incident you cannot base your judgments on the entire country labelling it as an avoidable destination. We hosted the IPL, World Cup, major events that had high security risk elements but they were carried out without any hindrances. Like any other destination, South Africa also has its set of challenges and we are working very hard towards this. No destination is perfect. If we are able to work together we can ensure that through tourism we can create jobs for the unemployed community and curb the crime rate.

With our long term relations with India, it is our responsibility to expose our offerings to the Indian investors and highlight on what Africa can offer. It is long overdue that India be opened up and find its rightful place in South Africa as it is home to over thousands of Indian diaspora. We want to cement and solidify the relationship and open the South African market for business with India for mutual benefit.

With every destination tapping Bollywood tourism segment, what is South Africa tourism’s initiative on the same?

We have realised the potential of the medium now and it is on our priority agenda list. We are not doing well as far as film making is concerned especially in the Bollywood area as the incentives are not that attractive to cover up for their overhead costs of producing a film. This is one of the issues that we are working upon and will soon come up with solutions.

May 2013

M|A|R|K|E|T NEWSTRACK

Visit Melbourne aims to attract 1,29,000 Indian visitors by 2021 KAHINI CHAKRABORTY - Mumbai

fter successfully launching its ‘Melbourne Now’ digital campaign last year inviting travel agents to submit their proposed itineraries to highlight the city, Visit Melbourne has now entered its second phase of the campaign. The tourism board is not only looking at increasing the length of stay of travellers but also Indian footfalls to the destination. Recording 71,000 Indian visitors last year, it is aiming at attracting 1,29,000 Indian visitors by 2021. To achieve the same, the tourism board invited well known Indian photographer Atul Kasbekar to capture the destination’s offerings. These images were unveiled at the end of a roadshow held in Mumbai. The pictures would be used for Visit Melbourne’s promotional campaigns this year, informed Lousie Asher, minister for tourism and major events, Government of Victoria on the sidelines of the event. She also mentioned that India was the first country to be invited for such an initiative.

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She added, “The campaign has helped to develop new and innovative travel itineraries which were submitted by travel agents and an online campaign on Facebook. As part of the second phase of the campaign, 15 winning agents from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Pune will work closely with the tourism board to promote these itineraries and destination in a joint marketing initiative.” Elaborating on the cur-

rent travel trends in the market, Asher opined, “India is a fast growing country and we being in a competitive market scenario need to constantly devise new ways to attract visitors. The new itineraries have attractions and things to do in the city for four-five nights which are aimed at increasing overnights in Melbourne while otherwise it is seen that travellers opt for two nights stay.”

“April to June is the popu-

lar season among families while November to December is for honeymooners. We are working closely with Indian travel agents, especially niche operators to increase footfalls from India during lean seasons. We are also seeing growing number of travellers who belong to the double income no kids (DINK) segments to the destination,” informed Celia Ho, regional managerSouth and South East Asia, Tourism Victoria.

Belgium and VFS Global extends its visa service to new locations in India ETW STAFF - Mumbai

he Belgian State extended its visa application centre services to the Indian cities of Ahmedabad and Pune in Western India, and in Chennai and Hyderabad in Southern India, in collaboration with its commercial partner VFS Global. Catering to the growing demand of Belgium bound travellers in the region, this strategic move is aimed at offering new services, facilities and benefits to visa applicants, and boost tourism, trade and investments, and bilateral ties with India. The VFS Global operated Schengen Visa Application Centres (SVACs) at Ahmedabad, Chennai and Hyderabad will accept visa applications for Belgium from applicants in the regions. The centre in

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May 2013

Pune will also commence operations shortly. Similar services are also offered in Mumbai and Bengaluru by the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai, and will now accept visa applications from applicants residing in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, apart from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa through its extended network operated by VFS Global.

The announcement was made at a press conference held on the occasion of opening the new Belgium visa application centre in Chennai. Karl Van den Bossche, consul general of Belgium in Mumbai and Vishal Jairath, regional head - South Asia, VFS Global made the joint announcement at the conference. Also present at the conference was Koen Gabriels, consul and www.expresstravelworld.com

head of visa operations at the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, the consul general said, “We are bringing our service closer to the public and business community, to enhance the user friendliness. We recognise the importance to open visa application centres in our jurisdiction, together with VFS Global who has been our trusted partner for many years. These centres will offer a high quality and expedient service to our applicants. We strive to return passports within three working days. With this initiative, Belgium further intensifies its cultural and economic ties with India. Next steps are the opening of a Consulate General in Chennai and the visit of a large business delegation headed by HRH Prince

Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium, to New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai on November 23-29.

Also Belgium’s festival Europalia will focus on India this year.”

In 2012, nearly 34000 visa applications were received from travellers in western and southern India by the Belgian Consulate in Mumbai. This increase over the last few years in Belgium bound travellers has encouraged the new initiative for expansion in the regions.

Jairath said, “It is our privilege to partner and provide services to the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai to facilitate visa application process for travellers in India. We are committed to provide highly efficient and convenient services to all applicants applying for a Belgian visa in the region.”

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M|A|R|K|E|T OUTBOUND

Lama Tours opens office dedicated to Abu Dhabi in India, Abu Dhabi SAYONI BHADURI - Mumbai

ama Tours, the Dubai based DMC, has opened office in India and Abu Dhabi to promote its tours in Abu Dhabi.

This is a recent addition to the company's portfolio said Kulwant Singh, MD, Lama Tours.

“We are focusing on summer vacations, leisure and MICE market from India,” added Singh. The company is also looking at developing weddings extensively for both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Singh informed

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Kulwant Singh

that they have introduced a new package where a traveller can book ticket and visa without booking the hotel accommodation. It is a package which is designed especially for families travelling to Dubai. Last year Lama Tours launched a global reservation system- Lama Connect. Singh informed that the company has enhanced the website with an online shopping cart where one can print vouchers for the trip directly.

Lama Tours is looking at good business coming from India this year. “We expect

26-30 per cent increase in business to Dubai. In the first quarter we saw an increase of 11 per cent inbound coming into UAE, this is despite the Rupee not appreciating.

Indians have enough money to go on holidays,” Singh explained his optimism. He further added that with destinations like Thailand and Singapore becoming expensive, Dubai still remains a value-for-money destination.

Lama Tours recently conducted their India road show, adding Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World from their Abu Dhabi for the first time.

Chamonix Mont Blanc and Geneva co-brand in India REEMA LOKESH - Mumbai

Chamonix Mont-Blanc and Geneva Tourism Board have joined forces to showcase and promote the two destinations together in the Indian market. A dedicated leisure package for the Indian market has been launched to lure FIT Indian travel agents to promote the destinations together. In an effort to strengthen the position of the destinations and showcase the combinations of the two products, Chamonix Mont-Blanc and Geneva Tourism Boards together with Swiss International Airline, hosted a 15 member delegation in March 2013.

The educational FAM targeted luxury FIT players from Mumbai and Delhi and endeavoured to showcase high-end leisure experiences of the two destinations.

Aspects such as the visit to Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, guided visit of the old town in Geneva, skiing experiences on the amateur slopes at the foothills of the Mont-Blanc, browsing through Piaget Time Art Gallery, as well as diversified gastronomy experience from organic vegetarian fare to local gourmet meals accompanied by views of the glacier Mer de Glace in Chamonix to Michelin star Indian meals in Geneva and wine tasting in quaint wine estates in the backyard of down town Geneva, form highlights of the experience.

Premium luxury hospitality partners such as Relais & Chateaux in Chamonix and InterContinental in Geneva, as well as high end transfers with partner Elite Car Rentals and a drive through down town Geneva with super cars Land

Rover and Mercedes completed the luxury experience.

“Promoting Chamonix Mont Blanc and Geneva together is not only strategic but almost natural, as the closest international airport to Chamonix is in Geneva. In a small distance of only one hour, and a small geographic ambit, visitors can

enjoy and take advantage of versatile and diverse tourism offerings. The landscapes are both contrasting and complementary to each other. While Geneva is an urban tourism capital and abounds in lake activities, Chamonix is an alpine haven with eclectic charms of a city. Visitors can

enjoy sports and adventure, Chamonix offers more than 45 outdoor sports between summer and winter from soft adventure and is also a golfer’s paradise,” said Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw, representative to Chamonix Mont Blanc Tourism Board in India.

She added that the team has also designed an attractive itinerary from wednesday to sunday for the trade with special offers and attractions.

Beatrice Dolder, Indian market representative of Geneva Tourism and Conventions, is confident of the well designed itinerary put forth for the India market, She added that, “The package suits the requirements of the Indian FIT clientele. It is diverse and well structured with the weekday accommodation being provided in France region while the weekend offering in the Swiss region.”

Belfast celebrates India Week this June To focus on tourism for growth SAYONI BHADURI - Mumbai

n an effort to increase trade investments between India and Belfast, Belfast City Council is hosting India Week in the month of June. As part of the week, there will be a two-day convention – Global India Business Meet – with 350 Indian investors from India. There will also be cultural events through the week. Shirley McCay, head of economic initiatives and

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international relations, Belfast City Council said, “We are looking at engineering, IT, pharmaceutical, creative media, tourism and education sectors.” She added that within creative media, films will be a focus area; they have provisions for tax incentives and generous packages for those who wish to conduct shoots in the city. With popularity of 'Ek Tha Tiger' inquiries have increased from one to ten in 2013. “We are

also looking at a twin city in India,” she said.

The focus on tourism in Belfast will continue as McCay explained that there are plans to develop the conventions business. “We are investing GBP 20 million to expand and develop the existing convention centre and exposition centre in Belfast.”

The second focus area for tourism in Belfast is to develop it as a culture and arts hub.

McCay informed that the city www.expresstravelworld.com

has hosted MTV Awards in 2011 throwing the spotlight on the city. “The business went up by GBP 1.2 million,” she added. There are a variety of music performance venues and recording in the region.

Post the success of 'Ek Tha Tiger', Ireland has seen 20,000 Indian travellers visiting the country, said Jim Paul, head of Australia and Developing Markets, Tourism Ireland. He said that over last five years awareness of

Ireland in India has improved.

“From trying to point out Ireland on a Europe map to proactive inquiries from Indian travel trade, the improvement has been great,” he said, adding that more work needs to be done.

Emirates recently started flights to Dublin improving access to the destination.

“The route is already going full and they are looking at increasing the number of flights, ” he added.

May 2013

M|A|R|K|E|T TETE-A-TETE

'The female Indian business traveller is amongst the most significant growth segments' Bill Lawler, vice president, global customer group, Amadeus, Asia Pacific emphasises that India is at the forefront of mobile and social media use in Asia Pacific and the future is bright for those travel agents who are willing to adapt to suit the needs of tomorrow’s traveller. By Reema Lokesh What according to you should the Indian agents’ fraternity do to fight the tough times?

One of the features of the Indian travel market is the tendency to go online – via the digital travel agency.

Traditional travel agencies need to ensure they remain relevant to the traveller by showing they do much more than just sell a ticket. They need to demonstrate how they add value beyond ticketing and how they can guarantee customer satisfaction to encourage repeat business. This is where technology plays a key role.

Having the right tools to help increase productivity and reduce manual error, is critical. For example, we work with travel agents to improve day-to-day work flow processes that ultimately give the travel agent more time to focus on customer service, and less time on paperwork.

What according to you is the way ahead for them?

India is at the forefront of mobile and social media use in Asia Pacific. An overwhelming majority of the Indian market have literally leapfrogged the use of fixed internet, straight to mobile via a smartphone. The Amadeus Frost & Sullivan research paper, 'Shaping the future of travel in Asia Pacific; the big four travel effects' identifies that 43 per cent of Indian business travellers and 15 per cent of leisure travellers use smartphones during the planning, booking or managing travel arrangements. For business travellers this is among the highest in the region. For example, according to MakeMyTrip, 10 per cent of their bookings are now through a mobile device. We also found that 48 per cent of Indian travellers frequently use social media during travel and 58 per cent intend to do so in the future. This is a huge opportunity for travel agencies to cater to the change in traveller behaviour.

Are there any solutions that Amadeus has on offer for the May 2013

ments that are also likely to represent significant opportunities for travel providers.

Outbound departures from India are currently only one per cent of the total population, the lowest travel penetration of the major APAC economies. Over the next 20 years, that number will grow exponentially, to a point where India will be one of the top outbound travel markets in the region, with the 4.5 million arrivals to Asia Pacific destinations in 2011 increasing to almost 70 million by 2030. This represents a huge opportunity for travel providers across the region.

Bill Lawler agents?

Travellers in India need flexibility and maximum choice. As a travel agent, online or offline, you have to cater to these needs.

That’s why Amadeus offers tools and solutions that enable these choices for both leisure and business travel agencies. For example, Amadeus Ticket Changer allows travel agencies in India to change and modify flight bookings in just seconds. The solution is designed to automatically manage the necessary calculations to reissue a ticket, and to store the results in the correct ticketing formats. It allows all kinds of itinerary changes, including changes to date, flight and routing, and processes a vast range of tickets, giving the end traveller unprecedented control over their itineraries. Tickets for several different passengers can all be changed at the same time in one transaction and with the multi re-issue function an unlimited number of successive changes can be made to the ticket before departure. In fact, Amadeus was the first to introduce this technology in India with our customer Jet Airways last year.

Additionally, in response to increased demand from travel managers wanting to book low cost carriers (LCCs) in India, Amadeus www.expresstravelworld.com

has created a framework that delivers SpiceJet’s full content to Amadeus e-Travel Management (AeTM) users via a direct API development. Users of AeTM in India will be able to book ancillary services such as inflight meals while ensuring they are booking negotiated corporate fares.

Additionally, AeTM users have flexible account payment options rather than having to input credit card details in every traveller’s profile or at the end of every booking.

Are there any key aspects of the travel business you would like to put forth and reiterate?

We estimate that over the next 20 years, international business travel by females from India could grow to more than ten million annual business departures. This huge increase is caused by both enormous growth in overall business travel from India coupled with significantly enhanced representation by women in the mid - senior executive ranks of Indian businesses.

The female Indian business traveller is amongst the most significant growth segments of the Indian travel market, and represents an opportunity for travel providers that barely existed a few years ago. But there are other emerging seg-

What according to you is the global outlook in terms of the travel agents business profile and its future?

The future is bright for travel agents who are willing to adapt to suit the needs of tomorrow’s traveller. They are more empowered, have information at the fingertips and can have an answer in seconds. The role of the travel agent needs to evolve to become more of a consultant, they need to have equally powerful search and booking tools and cater to the ever-increasing niche traveller. The travel industry is one of the most robust and resilient globally. It continues to bounce back in the face of a poor economic performance, natural disasters or other uncontrollable events. It continues to show growth because it evolves with the needs of the traveller, and the travel agency must do the same. The travel agent needs to continually adapt its business model. For example, 10 years ago, having a website wasn’t that important but today it is absolutely critical. But in today’s highly connected world where people have internet access via a mobile device 24 hours a day, it’s essential. We see more value-added services provided as travel agents become more consultative and less transactional.

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M|A|R|K|E|T INTERVIEW

'Consolidating our India operations is crucial for us' India is an important source market for South African Airways even though the airline operates only on one route.

Sajid Khan, country manager – India for the airline talks about expansion plans and how the airline looks at simplifying travellers' journey. By Kahini Chakraborty With the aviation industry currently undergoing crisis, what is South African Airways future strategic expansion plan in India and overseas?

For South African Airways, India is a key market and holds a lot of potential in the overall scheme of our growth strategy.

Presently, we are the only airline that offers direct daily flights on the MumbaiJohannesburg route, and we enjoy healthy load factors as well. This route is extremely vital for us, in strengthening the airline’s international route network.

Consolidating our India operations is crucial for us at the moment, but expanding our India operations is surely something we’re considering in the long run. We recently signed a code share agreement with Jet Airways in India, which will help us expand our reach in the country to a great extent.

The code share agreement is the most recent development in our India operations, and we would like to focus on it for now. The agreement will ensure that tourists from across the country can fly hassle-free to South Africa from five other cities apart from Mumbai, which will in turn enhance the viability of South Africa as a tourist destination. In the long term, we would like to expand our India operations further so as to provide greater accessibility to our customers, perhaps twothree years from now.

How is the airline working closely with the travel agents in India?

As an international airline, travel partners play a huge role in our growth. We work closely with them to devise interesting marketing and promotional strategies in India. They have played an important role in popularising the airline's new experiences by playing the role of key influencers in recommendations for their respective clients.

The recently held TAFI Convention in Durban was a great success. Most of our travel partners for the Convention travelled aboard South African Airways and

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we received feedback about the product.

Which are the new markets that the airline is looking at tapping? If so, by when and what would be the frequency of services?

The entire African market is of importance to South African Airways. We provide accessibility to the rest of Africa, connecting the world to Africa. South Africa is the primary market for us, since the airline is the national carrier. In terms of new markets, the code share agreement provides us access to the Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram markets. It is a huge development for the airline and we’re looking to fully capitalise on it. The airline is definitely interested in tapping other cities, starting with the top Indian metros.

The code share agreement is a step in this direction.

Could you elaborate on the recent refurbishment work of the air craft done so as to serve passengers better?

On our India operations itself, we have worked towards ensuring that customers are exposed to a world class hospitality and travel experience that South African Airways is renowned for. It is this objective that also influenced our decision to increase flights on the Mumbai-Johannesburg route.

South African Airways provides a flying experience that is not only world-class, but also customised for Indian travellers. The A330-

Sajid Khan 200 which was introduced on the MumbaiJohannesburg route in 2011, is fully refurbished, in both the economy and business class. Since the airline is a Star Alliance member, we have access to lounge facilities that belong to our Star Alliance and business partners at airports where there are no South African Airways owned lounges.

Our efforts have been consistently recognised by Skytrax, with the airline being certified as a four-star airline for 11 years in a row.

How is the airline leveraging on social media sites to create visibility? Are you investing in mobile applications?

Social media is the way forward, and the airline has acknowledged that. Our target consumer considers the online media as a means to connect with the world, it is important that we make ourselves avail-

In terms of new markets, the code share agreement with Jet Airways provides us access to the Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram markets www.expresstravelworld.com

able on platforms like these, providing customers the personal attention they deserve. We have started our own India centric Facebook page, where we notify them about new offers, initiate contests and announce new developments pertaining to the airline. The South African Airways Business Class Companion Offer was shared on the Facebook page.

The page also includes a section that invites the airline's flyers to share any grievances they may have with the airline.

What is the ratio between business and leisure travellers to South Africa that the airline has seen?

Both MICE and leisure travel are extremely important for us. About 60-70 per cent comes from leisure travel and the remaining from MICE and others.

Being a part of BRICS has definitely helped us in enhancing our trade and business relations with India. South Africa is a popular leisure travel destination that Indians have preferred over the years. There are so many experiences that the Indian traveller can take home with them when they visit here; be it adventure sports, pristine beaches, rich culture, luxury products like heli-tours and hot air ballooning. Hence, leisure travel, too, continues to grow at a healthy rate.

May 2013

M|A|R|K|E|T IN CONVERSATION

'Our focus is to continue building our partnerships with local airlines, travel agents' Skyscanner, available via mobile apps, PC sites and mobile sites, searches through thousands of airlines, hotels and car-rental suppliers to find the best travel options for customers, for free. The company established its business in the APAC region in 2012, and it has grown over 400 per cent. Asia now accounts for 20 per cent of its total business. Looking at the growing opportunities in Asia and India, Ewan Gray, director APAC, Skyscanner, is looking to expand his business in India. By Abhishek Chakraborty What are your plans for the Indian travel market?

We launched our site in India in 2012 and have grown, with the increase in number of visits and business to our website by 123 per cent. Visits to our mobile and apps has gone up by over 400 per cent. So we intend to continue capitalising on that and further localising our site so that it has content useful to the Indian consumer. We are working with local providers, such as Cleartrip and Goibibo and the airlines as well.

Tell us something about your journey.

Skyscanner started in 2003 with a focus on low cost airlines in Europe. In 2007, we made the decision to cater to all flights everywhere. We were clearly number one in Europe, so in 2011 we decided to expand to Asia and we opened our first office in Singapore. We have an office in Beijing as well. We also did a lot of research focusing which markets we wanted to target. With the growth of aviation, increasing number of internet and mobile penetration, India was clearly a target for us.

So we employed a small team in Singapore who focused on the Indian market.

Do you have plans to open an office in India?

Not yet. We had our first office in Edinburgh, Scotland, followed by Singapore, and then Beijing. We are planning our next office in Miami.

We are planning on opening offices beyond that and India is also under consideration.

What made you launch Skyscanner in the APAC region?

There is no online site engine which offers comprehensive flight search in the APAC region. There may be lots of travel agents but we are not a travel agent.

We find the best deals, May 2013

Suppose you type in to the search box, I want to fly somewhere hot in the next week, and it will send some meaningful results.

Ewan Gray serving users through to the Android site. There has been a huge growth in terms of internet penetration, credit card penetration, online bookings for travel in the APAC region, so this was a prime opportunity for us to expand our business beyond European shores.

Are you planning to introduce any new technology or products?

We recently launched new products, specifically for India. One was the fair alerts. As Indian consumers

are quite price sensitive, we have devised this product which, if people subscribe to, will inform them about any changes in the fare between two destinations in the chosen period of time by the user. We have also added economy fares in our search engine. Other products that we are planning to introduce is the car hire site, which we had recently launched in the UK, in India within the next twothree months. We have also launched in our Windows 8 application the ability to search with three texts.

Other products that we are planning to introduce is the car hire site, which we had recently launched in the UK, in India within the next two-three months. We have also launched in our Windows 8 application the ability to search with three texts www.expresstravelworld.com

What is your immediate focus in India?

Our immediate focus is to continue building our partnerships with local airlines, travel agents. We are working with most of the key players already. On the B2C side, we want to continue our marketing efforts and increase traffic to our search engine. Moreover, we are also focusing on social media campaign in India, and we have 1,50,000 fans on Facebook, which is more than any other market globally. So we want to continue building on that.

What are your strategies for 2013?

We are consistently launching new products and functionality in our site. It’s not just on our website, but also on our mobile applications. We will be working on improving car hire and hotel offerings. As much as 65 per cent of our downloads or traffic of mobile from India is on Android. But we don’t have an Android app yet.

So we are looking to launch this too in the Indian market.

What is the difference in search patterns seen among customers worldwide?

The way people use our site is very similar in India.

The key difference is price sensitivity. Another difference is that there is a higher percentage of usage on mobile in Asian market than the other markets. In India, for example, two-third of our visits come from mobile app whereas globally it is under 45 per cent.

Which countries in the world offer you the best services in terms of revenue?

China, India and Australia are three of our biggest growth markets in terms of speed.

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42 highway properties drive Haryana's tourism strategy Many highway resorts are popular MICE retreats, family getaways SUDIPTA DEV – Mumbai

ighway tourism is the mainstay of the tourism development strategy for Haryana government, which has set up as many as 42 motels and resorts along the highways that run through the state. Tourists going to Delhi, J&K, Himachal, Chandigarh and Punjab have to cross through Haryana.

“We are the pioneers in highway tourism.

Haryana Tourism provides the best services to all tourists crossing Haryana on their way to Himachal, UP, Punjab. After every 30 to 40 km we have properties which are providing best facilities at lowest rates,” said Sunil Bhatia, head marketing, Haryana

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Tourism.

The total number of rooms at these properties add up to 800 keys. Online booking facility is also available for these resorts many of which are along the national highways like NH 1, NH 2, NH 8, NH 10, NH 22. Most of these highway resorts have bar, restaurant, coffee shops, conference halls, petrol pumps, vehicle repair facility, shopping plaza and some activities for the whole family. “These are family resorts.

While most of the motels are for night halt, some of them in picturesque locales are also popular destinations for weekend getaway,” stated Bhatia. For example, a highway property in Panchkula next to Chandigarh is a beautiful hill station resort near a

Sunil Bhatia lake where people stay for longer duration. There are two properties in the pilgrim

destination of Kurukshetra.

For MICE tourism, Faridabad near Delhi has a number of resorts along NH 2, ranging from Lakeview Huts to Aravalli Golf Course, that can cater to a large number of delegates. Highway properties at Rohtak and Panchkula are other popular MICE retreats. “The MICE crowd is mostly from Delhi who prefer to have conferences at Faridabad and other locations in Haryana,” said Bhatia.

The government is also focused on developing talent for the hospitality industry in the Haryana, in particular its own properties. Hospitality training institutes have been established in Faridabad, Rohtak and Panipat for the same.

Rann Riders promotes 'travel with purpose' in Gujarat SUDIPTA DEV - Gandhinagar

ann Riders is an eco resort in Dasada village, about 90 km from Ahmedabad near Little Rann of Kutch and the Wild Ass Sanctuary.

Targeted at international and special interest market, among the unique initiatives started by Muzahid Malik, the owner of Rann Riders is the 'travel with purpose' programme. “We invite doctors who work on cataract surgery camps and distribute

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books to children, while travelling in the remotest part of the desert. This concept is working very well. There are at least two-three groups a year from the US and other places. It is a six day programme - one day we do safaris and excursions and the next day social work, third day again there are excursions and the following day day social work activities. This is how we plan the itinerary. We are the only ones in Gujarat doing this,”

said Malik.

The resort has 30 cottages that resemble the kooba houses of local Bajania people and the bhunga houses of the Rabaris of Kutch. “We started Rann Riders ten years back. It is an eco friendly wildlife resort. We try to promote local craft, culture and sustainable tourism.

Basically we are a purely organic and boutique hotel highlighting the Little Rann of Kutch, Dasada and the sur-

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rounding villages,” mentioned Malik.

The target clientele is special interest people who are interested in wildlife, photography and cultural attractions. “We work a lot with photographers. We are happy with the clientele that we get right now. We work in that segment only. It is not an issue for us to market the property,” said Malik, pointing out that there is a huge market for such a product in

India.

Malik has no plans to expand in terms of accommodation (the number of cottages), his expansion plans are focused on extending the range of activities - for instance introduction of horse safaris for birding. The existing activities are jeep safaris, horse safaris, camel cart safaris, camping in the desert, interaction with the local communities, etc.

May 2013

FROM THE TALLEST TO THE LARGEST Dubai's craze to beat world records in man-made creations knows no end. To a traveller's delight the city constantly creates something new, from Burj Khalifa to the largest mall, this reinvention is what keeps Dubai buzzing

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city of skyscrapers is an apt way to describe Dubai. And they are not just your regular skyscrapers – they often are the world's tallest, largest, biggest. This megalomania is taken quite seriously, take for example the tallest building in the world – Burj Khalifa. In real estate jargon it is the perfect example of a mixed use development housing within its 160 stories restaurants, residences, corporate offices, hotel, club and entertainment. The building opened its doors in January 2010. On level 124 is the observation deck which promises a view of Dubai like no other. On level 122 is At.mosphere a fine dining restaurant; the Residences offer 900 residences in the building; 37 office floors. Armani Hotel Dubai is a showcase of what the design house can do to a hotel with 160 rooms, they also have 144 private residences. The Club is a four storey fitness and recreation centre and The Park is spread over 11 hectares with six water features. The Park also offers 3000 underground parking spaces.

Originally to be named

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Burj Dubai, but in a gesture of goodwill towards Abu Dhabi and their bailout offer to Dubai it was names Burj Khalifa after Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahan, president of UAE. The structure is the centrepiece of Downtown Dubai – a large-scale, mixed-use development including 30,000 homes, nine hotels, three hectares of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall and the 12-hectare man-made Burj Khalifa Lake.

Following closely to the world's tallest building is the world's tallest hotel – JW Marriott Marquis Dubai. Built by by the Emirates Group, the 72 storey hotel is the first JW Marriott Marquis outside of North America and is 355 meters tall. It is just 26 metres shorter than New York City’s Empire State Building. Main focus area of business for the hotel will be MICE, the hotel claims that groups, meetings and conventions of up to 1,000 people can now meet, stay and dine, under one roof.

JW Marriott Marquis Dubai features more than 7,500 square meters of indoor and outdoor event space, including two ballrooms, and a large selection of world-class dining

and entertainment options.

The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has nine restaurants, and five bars and lounges, including the sky-high steakhouse Prime 68; Sushi restaurant, Izakaya; and stunning cocktail bar Vault, which is situated on the 71st and 72nd floors and features panoramic views of the city. The hotel is also home to Rang Mahal by www.expresstravelworld.com

Michelin Star chef Atul Kochhar. The Saray Spa is spread over 4,000 squaremetres. It draws inspiration from the caravanserai silk route across Arabia. A pool deck covers the seventh floor of the hotel with a 30-metre swimming pool.

Aqua Poolside Bar and Grill draws inspiration from Miami’s renowned South Beach, offer-

ing light snacks and beverages throughout the day.

Currently Dubai Mall has the claim to world's largest mall. But according to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid alMaktoum, the vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai the city will see a much bigger shopping and entertainment centre. It is part of an AED10-billion destination that focuses on delivering a multi-faceted leisure and entertainment experience to residents and tourists of Dubai. In a Twitter post he said, “Today we launched a new city in Dubai, it will host world’s largest mall accommodating 80 million shoppers a year and a park that will receive 35 million.” This attraction will also have a Bollywood Park; master developers Meraas Holdings has partnered with several major film studios in Mumbai for leveraging content, with a large theater within Bollywood Park. The first component of the development of this destination is expected to be completed by 2014.

Meraas Holdings is also in charge of the Bluewaters Project – a retail, residential, hospitality and entertainment zone located off the Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) coastline. The centrepiece of the island project will be a 250metre Ferris Wheel, the Dubai Eye, wold’s tallest observation wheel. The piazza at the base of the wheel will serve as an entertainment zone and a unique venue for private parties, weddings and conferences. The project is slated to be completed in 2015.

May 2013

A SLICE OF EMIRATI CULTURE Abu Dhabi has in the last few years emerged as the region's fastest growing tourism destination. For the high end global traveller it is a destination that has an exciting range of offerings – from exotic desert resorts, mega sporting events to the best exposition of modern day Islamic architecture

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bu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates federation.

From luxurious resorts to thrilling rides on the world's fastest roller coaster to ocean racing, Abu Dhabi is perfectly positioned as a destination that along with modern tourism attractions gives a unique insight into the Emirati culture. The desert experiences of Abu Dhabi tops the list of interesting products for the high-end traveller. A balloon adventure across the dramatic desertscape which surrounds Al Ain is a memorable way to take in the emirate’s landscape or visitors could opt for a helicopter tour around the emirate’s stunning coastline and islands. A visit to Al Ain is must to get unique insights into Emirati culture.

One can visit renovated forts, a museum and palaces and the country’s last remaining camel market. Thrills are available at the Wadi Adventure Park where guests can go white water rafting, kayaking and surfing in a man-made structure at the foot of the city’s dominating heights. For those looking for thrills, Formula Rossa the world's fastest roller coaster at May 2013

the Ferrari World Middle East, is the best option.

Abu Dhabi’s iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has been named amongst the world’s most talked about attractions by TripAdvisor notching up more than 1,400 top ranked reviews. One user said it was ‘a vision that would last a lifetime’ whilst another added that in ’30 years of travel, it was the most beautiful building they had ever seen’.. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which welcomed 4.685 million visitors and worshippers in 2012, joined a line-up of 16 global attractions to make the list, which also included Sydney Harbour, Australia; The Colosseum in Rome, Italy; The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France; Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa; and Central Park in New York, USA.

Mega events Events like the Formula 1 and Volvo Ocean Race are the top draws for visitors – both corporate and the VFS segment. While some of the events are for niche segments others can draw in wider crowds. To name a few - Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Champions held every January, Gourmet Abu Dhabi – a culinary festival held each February, Abu Dhabi Yacht Show, held every other March, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, held each March and the Abu Dhabi Festival – a celebration of the best in music and the performing arts held March/April. A recent entrant into the India market, statistics prove that visitor arrivals into Abu Dhabi from India has witnessed a high growth rate in the last one year. India is also the second largest source marwww.expresstravelworld.com

ket for hotels in Abu Dhabi.

The clientele ranges from VFR, honeymooners, families during school holidays, FITs during long weekends, and MICE visitors from India.

Luxe resorts While Abu Dhabi has several luxurious resorts, the two iconic hotels are – the Emirates Palace and Yas Viceroy. The Emirates Palace is ranked amongst the world’s most opulent and is set on 1.3 kilometres of private beach with an upmarket marina from where visitors can sail around Abu Dhabi’s many islands onboard the largest catamaran in the Arabian Gulf via Cat Cruises.

The Yas Viceroy is the only hotel in the world to straddle a F1 race track on our entertainment destination of Yas Island. The other stunning

resorts on Saadiyat Island are - Park Hyatt Hotel & Villas, with its signature Atarmia Spa and The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, which is adjacent to the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is in the western region of Abu Dhabi, which is called Al Gharbia and it is where the desert meets the sea. Also in Al Gharbia is the luxurious boutique Desert Islands Resort & Spa on the nature-based destination of Sir Bani Yas Island. There are many adventure activities to be explored here – from visits to an Christian monastery, mountain biking across salt domes, snorkelling in waters rich in marine life, kayaking through mangroves, taking a 4x4 safari through the Arabian Wildlife Park with its free roaming animals, etc.

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CULTURAL HUB OF THE MIDDLE EAST Going beyond the ubiquitous souks that are strewn across the nations around Persian Gulf, Qatar is taking art and culture very seriously. The nation is already being touted as the Smithsonian of the Middle East

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hile the souks are inherent to the Arabian culture the cacophony can become overwhelming. The pursuit for the understanding of the culture can be conducted in a peaceful manner as Qatar has shown with The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and Arab Museum of Modern Art, in Doha.

MIA stands out not just because of its exhibits but also because of the building structure. Designed by architect IM Pei it is a disticnt element on the Doha skyline.

He designed it on an island so that encroachment of other buildings could be avoided.

The museum opened its doors to the public in 2008 with a substantial collection of Islamic art together with a study and library. Till June 2013 an exhibition on tradition and continuity of Afghan art –

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Ferozkoh – is on showcasing works created by Afghan artists inspired by masterpieces from the MIA collection. MIA also conducts events like music events when the Qatar Philharmonic Orchesta plays as well as workshops and lectures on a variety of subjects. The aim of MIA is to be the cultural hub of the city. The museum also has a fine dining restaurant IDAM serving French Mediterranean cuisine with an Arabic take on it.

The Arab Museum of Modern Art is a step in the contemporary arts space. Also known as Mathaf, the museum is located in a converted school building on the edge of Education City, off Al Luqta Street in Doha. The building was redesigned by French architect Jean-François Bodin and is divided into four sections, Manara – an education wing which offers learning

opportunities with a host of talks, tours, workshops, etc; Maktaba – is the research library with print and digital collections covering general art history, modern art worldwide and art theory; Mahal is the museum shop, and Maqha is the stripped-back coffee bar. The exhibits, programmes and events at Mathaf offer an Arab perspective on international modern and contemporary art. A lot of the collection here is the work of Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani, patron and founder of Mathaf, who started collecting more than 20 years ago. The two exhibits on now are Forever Now: Five Anecdotes from www.expresstravelworld.com

the Permanent Collection, and Tea with Nefertiti: The Making of the Artwork by the Artist, the Museum, and the Public. Further establishing Qatar's image as the cultural hub of the Middle East is the Katara Cultural Village. The man behind this project was Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, emir of the State of Qatar. With theatres, concert halls, exhibition galleries and cutting-edge facilities, Katara aims to become a leader for multi-cultural activities. The village hosts international, regional and local festivals, workshops, performances and exhibitions. For the performing arts there is The Amphitheatre, The Opera

House and the Drama Theatre while for music and cinematography there are two venues each. For visual arts there are as many as six venues to choose from covering everything from photography to fine arts.

If there is an overdose of art and culture Katara Cultural Village also offers activities like wind surfing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding, etc. All these are conducted on the 1.5 km private beach attached to the village.

There are as many as eight restaurants in the village, from Armenian to Egyptian each of the restaurants offer a different taste of what Arabic cuisine has to offer May 2013

HIDDEN JEWEL Offering a nature and culture experience, Oman is a country of beautiful landscapes and sublime architecture that will not fail to fascinate those tourists who are looking for a destination with a difference

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oasting of a well preserved cultural heritage, the Sultanate of Oman is one of the least known, yet exciting tourist destination in the Middle East.

Known as the Jewel of Arabia, some of the famous landmarks include Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muttrah Souq, the forts of Al-Jalali and Al-Mirani which flank his Majesty's colourful and elegant AlAlam Palace, Burj As-Sahwa, Clock Tower Square, and AlBustan Palace Hotel. It is not a destination that has development and modernity through towering glass skyscrappers and glitzy malls but of beautiful landscapes and fascinating architecture.

The capital city of Muscat still retains the charm of another era – from the expansive architecture of several government headquarters to the quaint villas that are ubiquitous. The recently opened Royal Opera House Muscat is the latest attraction in Oman’s capital.

This expansive architectural feat comprises of a concert theatre auditorium, gardens, art centre, et al, and can May 2013

accommodate 1100 people for an event. Muscat and Musandam are the most popular dolphin watching locations in Oman. The rugged beauty of the coastline becomes all the more visible from the sea – and for those interested in snorkelling there are equally if not more beautiful vistas visible underwater to explore and appreciate.

A hub of exotic aromatic delights - from the smell of frankincense and traditional perfumes to herbs and spices from the Middle East and the subcontinent, The Mutrah Souq is one of the oldest and certainly the most frequented market in Muscat.

Traditionally being an important port city, Sur has been known for shipbuilding. The two hour drive from Muscat is punctuated with many attractions, namely fishing village of Quriyat, Wadi Arbayeen and Biman Sinkhole. Biman Sinkhole is a limestone crater filled with blue green water.

The beach of Ras al Jinz greenback turtle conservation in Sur is frequented by as many as 10,000-15,000 female turtles every year, which come

at night, lay their eggs, cover them up and then dig a hole to fool predators before going back to the sea. The As Saleel Nature Park is located in Wilayat Al Kamil W'al Wafi in Al Sharqiyah South Governorate, and lies 57 kilometres from wilayat of Sur. It extends over an area of 220 square kilometres, and is predominantly covered by forests of acacia trees. It is home to a number of rare species such as the Arabian gazelle, the Omani wild cat (Al Senmar) and other animals which have made this environment their home, including the red fox, the Egyptian Eagle and others.

Another interesting place of interest is the Springs of Dhofar which is famous for the presence of more than 360 springs distributed on the mountain brows and the edges of www.expresstravelworld.com

mountains adjacent to the coastal plain, while a small number of springs are present in An Najd area. Most of these springs have water all year round. Oman is one of the most popular diving destinations in the region. It has an exceptionally diverse marine life and a number of marine cliffs, small islands, bays and caves, as well as a diverse and unique marine life and coral reefs. The best months for diving in Oman are the period from April to July, but diving can be enjoyed at all times. The most prominent diving areas around the capital Muscat are: Al Khayran, Al Fahil Island, Dimaniyat Islands, Al Makbara Bay (Old Muscat), in addition to Al Jissah Beach. Each of the above mentioned locations contains not less than 11 different diving sites, each with a diverse environment while

Wadi Bin Khalid - the oasis in the mountains with its clear water and palm trees is a perfect picnic spot. One can also opt for dune bashing in Wahiba Sands and a visit to the simple but colourful home of a Bedouin tribal family is another must.

Salim Bin Adey AlMamari, director general of Tourism Promotion, Sultanate of Oman mentioned, “Tourism in a country like Oman is not simple.

While we are not closing doors to tourists, we have to be careful as we have just have around 12,000 hotel rooms. We want responsible tourists coming to Oman, who will not just give a boost to our tourism industry but also help us maintain and sustain our culture and heritage. We do not want big numbers but to be able to maintain Oman as a destination.”

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alled as the Pearl of the Arabian Gulf, the Kingdom of Bahrain has a rich history that dates back to 5000 years. According to some researchers the land of Dilmun in Bahrain is the original Garden of Eden.

Despite the speed of its development, Bahrain retains much of its historic character, as the site of one of the oldest civilisations in the world and has many fascinating sites of historic and cultural interest like the Qalat al Bahrain site and museum.

Known as Dilmun in ancient times, Bahrain’s rich trading history is reflected in numerous archaeological sites, the most fascinating of which is the Bahrain Fort site that is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The fort is located atop a 17.5 hectare artificial hill that has been built over more than 4000 years of continuous occupation.

One of the first museums in the Gulf, the Bahrain National Museum opened in 1988. It is located in a beautiful site on the edge of the sea. The exhibition halls showcase artefacts unearthed in the numerous archaeological sites in Bahrain and are testimonies of its ancient cul-

ORIGINAL GARDEN OF EDEN Bahrain that was called the Garden of Eden in Biblical times is part of an archipelago of 33 islands. It is as well known for its interesting museums as its beautiful beaches and water sports activities ture. The rich collection covers 6000 years of Bahrain’s history. Housed in a Arabic script engraved building, Bait al Quran museum showcases an important collection of Quranic manuscripts and scriptures dating back to the seventh century.

Among Bahrain’s most mysterious ancient remains

are the A’ali burial mounds that dominate the landscape in the north. It is known to be the world's largest cemetery. In contrast, the beach resort of Al Dar Island is a popular haunt for pearl dives and cruises to Jarada Island which is perfect for sunbathing and swimming. It is home to 30 types of coral and more than 200 species of fish. Dolphin watching is a popular pastime.

For traditional shopping experience visitors can head to Bab al Bahrain, a gateway to the Manama Suq. The exotic items range from natural-oil perfumes and incense, rich fabrics and handicrafts, abayas and jalabiyas to other bric-a-bracs. Falconry, pearl diving, horse and camel riding, off road driving, Formula BMW racing experience and golf are some of the interesting activities for tourists.

Growth in tourism Earlier this year, in recognisance of the growth

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in tourism in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Tourism Organisation of the Arab League conferred on Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammad Al Khalifa, culture minister, Bahrain the International Tourism Award in Leadership and Innovation. The prize was presented by Dr Bandar bin Fahd al Fahaid, chairman of the Arab Tourism Organisation. Dr Fahaid said that the award comes in recognition of her efforts to promote Arab tourism work in general and the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain in particular. He also referred to Bahrain’s promising future in tourism, which is considered as one of the major economic contributors, especially for job creation.

In Bahrain the ministry of culture had in January this year inaugurated its first tourism project at Riffa Fort.

The ministry had also organised its first theme season,

'Cultural Tourism' at Shaikh Salman Bin Ahmed Al Fateh Fort in Riffa area. Cultural tourism included museum exhibitions related to the history of the royal family.

The project embodies one of the tourist infrastructure projects representing a revival of Riffa Fort area, which enriches its historical location through museum and documentary exhibitions, as well as rehabilitating the place and reviving it through recalling its glorious history and embodying the reflection of the history of the place. Marking the occasion Al Khalifa stated, “Historical buildings cannot be erased from our memory, for they are recalled and revisited again through distinctive culture based on vision and touch to provide a pioneer instinct, revive the production of civilisations to reinforce the stories and events, and show its documentary and historical role to the world.”

May 2013

LAND OF TIMELESS JOURNEY For every traveller a visit to Jordan is virtually a journey through timeless history.

The country is home to some of the most exotic destinations in the region - from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra to the moon-like landscape of Wadi Rum that cannot be found anywhere else in the world

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culturally rich land, Jordan is famous for its vivid landscapes. The key tourism destinations are Petra, Amman, Aqaba, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum. While Europe and the US still remain the main markets for Jordan, India is a big market from Asia. Indians are increasingly looking at Jordan as a premium destination for MICE, leisure, religious travel, honeymoon travel and family holidays.

Jordan Tourism Board is promoting the MICE segment by offering Visa on Arrival. It is only valid for a group of five people or more with confirmed return flights, confirmed hotel bookings and available cash of US$ 1000.

Jordan offers modern infrastructure, resorts, convention centres, four- and five-star hotels in all its important landmarks and cities to encourage the meetings and incentives sector. “It is also a very family-friendly destination for a holiday and is also rated as one of the top romantic countries which makes it an exotic honeymoon destination,” says Ashit Taneja, country head, Jordan Tourism May 2013

Board, India Office.

Contrasting attractions Petra is Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over one km in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80 mtr high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of AlKhazneh (Treasury). A massive façade, 30 mtr wide and 43 mtr high, carved out of the sheer, dusky pink rock-face and dwarfing everything around it, this was carved in the early first century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king and represents the engineering genius

of these ancient people.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Wadi Rum. Here, it is the weather and winds that have carved the imposing, towering skyscrapers, so elegantly described by TE Lawrence as “vast, echoing and God-like..." A maze of monolithic rockscapes rise up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750 mtr creating a natural challenge for serious mountaineers. Hikers can enjoy the tranquility of the boundless empty spaces and explore the canyons and water holes to discover 4000-yearold rock drawings and the many other spectacular treasures this vast wilderness holds in store.

The Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea, is over 400 mtr below sea level. The lowest point on the face of the earth, this vast stretch of water receives a number of incoming rivers, including River Jordan. The Dead Sea is www.expresstravelworld.com

flanked by mountains to the east and the rolling hills of Jerusalem to the west, giving it an almost other-worldly beauty. Although sparsely populated and serenely quiet now, the area is believed to have been home to five Biblical cities: Sodom, Gomorrah, Adman, Zebouin and Zoar (Bela). One of the most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes in the world, the Jordanian east coast of the Dead Sea has evolved into a major hub of both religious and health and wellness tourism in the region.

Aqaba is a fun place. It is a microcosm of all the good things Jordan has to offer, including a fascinating history, with some outstanding sites, excellent hotels and activities.

Aqaba’s greatest asset is the Red Sea itself. Here you can experience some of the best snorkelling and diving in the world. You can swim with friendly sea turtles and dol-

phins as they dart amongst the schools of multi-coloured fish.

Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a fascinating city of contrasts – a unique blend of old and new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley. In the commercial heart of the city, ultra-modern buildings, hotels, smart restaurants, art galleries and boutiques rub shoulders comfortably with traditional coffee shops and tiny artisans' workshops.

Everywhere there is evidence of the city’s much older past.

The people of Amman are multi-cultural, multi-denominational, well-educated and hospitable.

A new terminal at Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan’s capital, Amman was opened recently amidst great pomp and ceremony. The new 103,000-sq mtr terminal can handle 12 million passengers annually.

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ON APHRODITE'S TRAIL As the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, Cyprus has a well-earned reputation as the island of romance. The third largest island in the Mediterranean also has a well-deserved reputation as a wedding destination

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yprus is a country that lies at a cross roads of three continents. The third largest island in the Mediterranean the country attracts over two million tourists annually. There is something to suit every traveller in Cyprus – family resorts, world class spas, golf courses, marinas, agrotourism, food and wine trails.

For the active, the warm waters of Cyprus are perfect for diving and waterskiing.

Adventure seekers can explore the beauty of Cyprus with trekking or birdwatching tours, while golfing enthusiasts play on award winning courses.

To the east, Larnaca boasts a palm-fringed promenade

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and an attractive marina; the resorts of Ayia Napa and Protaras are famed for their golden, sandy beaches and crystal clear waters; the cosmopolitan capital city, Nicosia, provides a charming blend of old and new.

Cyprus boasts over 300 conference venues - ranging from unique historical buildings to international hotels with a total seating capacity of almost 35,000. With a yearround temperate climate and a landscape which ranges from beautiful beaches to mountain scenery, Cyprus has a reputation as a top conference and events destination stretching back to over 30 years. The Cyprus Convention Bureau was officially launched in

spring 2012. This body operates as a division of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) with an advisory committee made up of the private sector.

Island of love Offering everything from stunning five-star beachfront hotels to secluded agrotourism properties in its mountainous interior, the island has something for every taste – and with over 300 days of sunshine a year, couples are almost guaranteed a sunny start as they set out on their lives together.

Follow in the trail of the goddess of love herself. Take a

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drive along the coast from Limassol to Paphos, stopping off at Petra tou Romiou, the iconic rocky outcrop said to be the place Aphrodite emerged, fully formed, from the waters of the Mediterranean. From here continue west to the unspoilt Akamas Peninsula. A short walk through meandering paths brings you to the Baths of Aphrodite, a secluded pool where legend holds that the goddess seduced Apollo.

There are over 40 boutique wineries scattered across the island – the Limassol region alone is home to 20 – many offering tasting sessions. CTO has developed a series of six self-drive wine routes taking

in some of the best small-scale vineyards, as well as some stunning scenery – offering an easy and enjoyable to way to discover the island. Whilst gourmets will delight at the range of tasty and wholesome dishes on offer across the island all serving a host of dishes using fresh and local ingredients, ripened by the Mediterranean sunshine.

Located by the sea-front in the old town Limassol’s medieval castle is reputedly where Richard the Lion-heart married noblewoman Bengaria of Navarre, crowning her Queen of England. From here, it’s a short drive to the stunning Kourion Theatre and an evening of romance under the stars - set on a hillside and with an uninterrupted backdrop of Mediterranean, the theatre regularly hosts plays ranging from Classical reworkings to Shakespeare.

For couples wanting to experience the real Cyprus, Casale Panayiotis is the ideal choice. Nestled in the Troodos Mountains, this boutique hotel sits within the spa village of Kalopanayiotis overlooking the St John Lampadistis monastery.

Whilst for those wanting to soak-up Cyprus’ coastline, which is famed for, the Thanos Hotel, Annabelle is the perfect option. A familyrun oasis set within the six acres of lush green gardens on Paphos’ sea front, Annabelle offers understated design along with four restaurants and a spa featuring a range of organic and marine-based therapies.

May 2013

ENCAPSULATED EXPERIENCES Positioned as an exotic destination, Turkey has everything and keeps offering much more for travellers to extend their stay.The destination gives a holistic experience from culture, adventure, leisure to wellness

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apturing the top position on the tourism charts, Turkey has been successful in offering travellers a melange of culture as well as adventure experiences. But apart from the famous cities like Istanbul, this abundantly blessed destination has more sights and sounds to offer which are located along the southwestern and southern coast of Turkey called the Turkish Riveria, which is along the Mediterranean coast near Antalya.

A treasure trove of natural and archaeological sites of interest which include the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The ruins of the Mausoleum of Maussollos in Halicamassus and the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, this coastline makes it one of the perfect place for a cultural sojourn apart from the quintessential points of interest in Turkey. If culture is what is of interest to a traveller, then this coastline serves as the perfect point for a tryst with a fascinating mix of facts and mythology, conflicts and events which have been points of reference in many stories throughout history.

Regarded as home of scholars, saints, warriors, kings and heroes, as per legends, Marc Antony of the Roman Empire chose the Turkish Riveria as the most beautiful wedding gift for his beloved Cleopatra of Egypt. Home for internationally known Blue Voyage, travellers can choose a week long trip along the Turkish Riveria on the locally built gullet type schooners to ancient cities, harbours, tombs, mau-

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solea and secluded beaches.

Other places of interest include the sites of Ephesus, Troy, Pergamon, House of Virgin Mary, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Trabzon (where one of the oldest monasteries is the Sumela Monastry), Konya (place where poet Rumi spent most of his life), Didyma, Church of Antioch, religious places in Mardin and the ruined cities and landscapes of Cappadocia. Seeing small tourism interest, Diyarbakir is another important historic city. The pre-pottery neolithic settlement of Cayonu dates to over 10,000 years ago and its excavated remains have been showcased at the Diyarbakir Museum.

Another important site is Girikihaciyan Tumulus in Egil.

Ankara a gateway town to Cappadocia, is also not well known as a tourist destination though the city has lots of cultural and museums experiences. Apart from Ephasus, the other places of interest with captivating beauty and places with numerous stories waiting to be told include: Fethiye, Nemrut, Hasankeyf, Zeugma, Belek, Side, Bodrum, Kusadasi, Marmaris, Pamukkhale (Hierapolis).

Each of these places have their cultural essence which stands out.

Last year the destination received 31.4 million foreign tourists of which 74,000 were Indians. Ozgur Ayturk, culture and tourism counsellor, Turkish Tourism informs that Turkey has always been famous for its culture and historical attractions, but the destination is now opening options for honeymooners

and golf enthusiasts as well.

Ceylan Özen, Turkish Consul General in Mumbai says, “There are so many interesting destinations, to name a few: Ankara, the capital of Turkey, has lots to offer to Indian tourists as Central Anatolian History and also shopping. Konya, another Central Anatolian city neighbouring Ankara, is a must see for Mevlana, Sufism and whirling dervishes. Mardin, for example, is a holy city for Christianity. It is the house for www.expresstravelworld.com

Syrian Christians which is the oldest Christianity sect in existence. Out of four million faith followers worldwide, two million are in India.”

On the key places of interest for Indian tourists, she opines, “The most visited place other than Istanbul are Antalya, Izmir and Cappadocia.

Istanbul is known as the International Gateway City to Turkey and attracts the most number of Indian tourists. It is also known as the Turkish Riviera.

Cappodocia is a ‘must visit’ for tourists to Turkey. Besides the weird fairy chimney landscape, the cave dwellings, churches, fortresses and mind-boggling underground cities are fascinating and unforgettable. Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey. It has a special cultural and historical identity. It is not far from Ephesus that was home to Mother Mary during her last days and has now become a shrine for Christian followers worldwide.”

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BIBLE AND BEYOND It is difficult to get away from Christianity and Biblical references in Israel. Still, for a small nation it packs a lot of punch for a tourist with multifaceted elements – religion, history, sea coasts, deserts and mountains. Indians haven't begun to scratch the surface of what is on offer

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el Aviv is the financial capital of the modern Israel, but that didn't happen till 1909. The roots come from the old city of Jaffa which has seen human habitation since 7500 BC. It is the oldest port to have been continuously inhabited in the world. The port city of Jaffa is full of Biblical history, it is said that the city came into existence right after the floods which Noah's Ark survived and it was his son Japeth who built a settlement.

There are more Biblical references – Jonah’s journey, Tabitha’s restoration to life, and Peter’s conversion of Gentiles. St Peter's Church, built in 1895 over a crusader’s fortress; Simon the Tanner's House, Russian orthodox Church of Tabitha

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are what exist for travellers to discover. There are also remains from Egyptian civilization, an archaeological dig reveals a fortress built by the 'Pharaoh of the Exodus', Ramses II. A letter from 1440 BC was found which talks about the conquest of Jaffa

by Pharaoh Thutmose II. It remained under Egyptian rule until approximately 800 BC. The sea is a reminder of King Hiram of Tyre who sent cedar logs for the Temple to Jaffa.

A plaque on the beach north of Jaffa honors the 157 American Christians from Jonesport, Maine, who landed here on the Nellie Chapin in September 1866, bringing the wood with them to build their houses. The story of the American Colony is told at one of the colony’s restored houses in Jaffa, the Maine

Friendship House. The 116 ft high Statue of Faith by Dan Kafri offers a view of the Mediterranean Sea. Sea of Galilee or Lake Kineret is Israel's largest fresh water reservoir, it is also the lowest freshwater lake on the planet fed partly by underground springs and partly by the Jordan River. It is approximately 13 miles long and eight miles wide covering a total area of 64 sq miles and 141 ft deep. Both the names, unsurprisingly, have Biblical references, Sea of Galilee is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew while Kineret comes from the Old Testament. Above the eastern and western shores are the Galilee mountains and the foothills of the Golan, while to the north there is the Beit Tsida valley, and to the south is the Jordan estuary, which www.expresstravelworld.com

flows further south towards the desert regions. This diverse terrains make the beaches around the lake different. Some have soft sands while others are rocky; some beaches are narrow while others are very wide.

Inevitably, water sports are a big hit with boating, canoeing, etc. Thanks to the unique natural terrain beyond the beaches are some great starts to nature tours into Jordan Park, Beit Tsida Nature Reserve, Khamat Gader and Naharayim. The lower Golan Heights is full of streams, historic sites and nature reserves.

In 2003, a stone structure was discovered below the waters of lake Kineret. What makes this discovery extrordinary is the fact is that it weighs estimated 60,000 tons, is 10 mtrs high and has

a diameter of 70 mtrs. What is baffling to archaeologists is the fact that there are Basalt boulders which have stacked on top of each other giving it a burial site like stature.

Coming back to history and stories from the Bible, Jesus is said to have lived, preached and performed miracles in and around the regions of Lake Kineret. The story of Him walking on water and the multiplication of loaves and fish is said to have happened here. There is a Jesus Trail, which is a 65kilometre hiking trail in the Galilee region of Israel which connects important sites from the life of Jesus as well as other historical and religious sites. The hike starts from Nazareth, passes through the region of Sea of Galilee and ends at Capernaum.

May 2013

DESERT SYMPHONY Pyramids of Giza, Aswan, Abu Simbel, etc, have always been on any travel enthusiast's bucket list. But Egypt holds within her much more than the just the remnants of the prosperous Egyptian civilisation

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he banks of River Nile and the port of Alexandria have long enthralled travellers across ages. But west of the Nile Valley lies an expanse of dry and dramatic terrain of the Western Desert. Spread across 2,62,000 sq miles right upto the Egypt-Libyan border, the desert it is full of dunes, canyons, oases, mountainous plateaus, and valleys. Despite the arid and uninhabitable landscape there are oases which make haven of secluded tranquility.

The prominent oases are

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Siwa, Bahariya, Farafra, Kharga and Dakhla. The region is best enjoyed during the winter months when the weather and temperatures are more suitable.

Shali is the main town of the Siwa oasis. The town centre is dominated by the ruins of the Shali Fortress, little further is the Temple of Oracle which is said to have been visited by Alexander the Great.

There is also Cleopatra's Pool where the famous queen is known to have taken a swim. More about the history of the region can be found at Siwa

House Museum. Bahariya oasis is surrounded black hills of quartz and is home to ruins of the Temple of Alexander the Great, Ptolemaic tombs and even few ancient churches.

Popularity of Bahariya catapulted with the discovery of the golden mummies, now kept at Bawiti Museum, the proximity to the Balck Desert has also been an advantage.

A short hike away are Egyptian and Graeco-Roman sites, such as the Tomb of Banentiu. Touted as the most attractive oasis in Egypt, Dakhla oasis boasts over 500

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hot springs as well as mud brick housing and ruins of the medieval town and village of Al-Qasr and Balat.

The main town of Mut dates back to pharaonic times, today, however, it is modern tourists hub. The fifth, Kharga Oasis is the largest and most populated oasis in the region. The development in the region has also been promoted by the government in its effort to modernise of the Western Desert oases. In and around lie ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman sites, such as the Temple of Hibis, more about the history can be found at the Kharga Museum of Antiquities. The old Coptic landmarks such as Deir Al-Kashef Monastery and the Necropolis of AlBagawat.

The Qattara Depression, north of the Western Desert, is the lowest point in Egypt at 134 mtr below sea level. The oasis here, Moghra, is uninhabited which is unlike the rest of the oases in the region.

Bedouin tribes and their livestock do however move through the area, utilising the waters and grass of Moghra for grazing. The Depression is a showcase of rock formations caused due to erosion as well as saline marshes.

Qattara is the last known location where cheetahs can

be found in Egypt, the Dorcas Gazelle is also found here.

Close to Bahariya is the Black Desert. The creation is attributed to the erosion of the mountains coating the desert with a black film. The English Mountain is the highest point of the Black Desert.

The highlight of the Western Desert is the White Desert.

Farafra is the starting point for the journey to see the wind-carved rock formations.

At Farafra there is the Badr Museum, short distance away Bir Sitta hot springs and El Mufid Lake.

Aficionados of the novel ‘English Patient’ will connect with Gilf El-Kebir instantly.

Made further famous with film with same name the round trip between Cairo and Gilf El-Kebir is about 2000 km. The exploration of Regenfeld, Swimmers Cave and further into the Gilf ElKebir National park gives a new dimension to the barrenness of the desert. It is a sandstone plateau located in the southwest corner of the Western Desert. With the Great Sea Sand creeping on the plateau, the south-eastward are partially covered by sand. The ancient rock art in Shaw's cave and ElMestikawi cave are proof that during prehistoric time it was a green terrain.

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Passionately Swiss Known the world over for its ice-creams, Mövenpick is also Europe’s finest chain of hotels. Keeping up the tradition, the brand’s first hotel in India, the Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore is indeed a true epitome of Swiss hospitality, says Biswajit Chakraborty, GM of the hotel. By Steena Joy he story of Mövenpick is an astonishing journey that started when Ueli Prager, the founder of this Swiss hospitality chain, was strolling on the shores of Lake Zurich more than 60 years ago. Stopping to watch a seagull (a 'Möwe' in German) swoop down to skilfully pick up food mid-flight, Prager found the inspiration to a successful yet simple business idea. A restaurant concept, serving quality food at affordable prices in the quickest time. Taking advantage of the new Swiss motorway as the perfect place to serve hungry car travellers, Prager's first restaurant opened in Zurich in 1948 offering hitherto perceived 'luxury food' such as salmon, lobster and oyster at prices hungry motorists were happy to pay. And there was no looking back. "We aren’t doing anything extraordinary," Prager was fond of saying. "We are simply successful because we are doing quite normal things in an extraordinary manner."

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Road to India Reflecting the same sense of passion about delivering premium hospitality and culinary traditions, the chain's first hotel opened in India in September 2011. “Mövenpick is a very strong brand, people know our ice creams. Our strength is F&B. Added to that is the fact that the brand is known for its reliability and service. It is a truly European brand. What a Taj hotel is to India, Mövenpick is to Europe.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, owned by the Mövenpick Holding (66.7 per cent) and the Kingdom Group (33.3 per cent), is a billion dollar hotel chain with nearly 80 hotels across Europe, Middle East and Asia and the beauty of the hotel chain is that we have no sub brands. All our properties are either the five-star deluxe or the four-star category, business and airport hotels,” Biswajit Chakraborty, GM of the hotel explained.

The Mövenpick Hotel &

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Biswajit Chakraborty Spa Bangalore is the first hospitality venture of the developers, MS Ramaiah (MSR) group with interests in education, hospitals, real estate, engineering and medical colleges.

Within close proximity of Bengaluru’s new airport, the area where the Mövenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore is located has added a lot of room inventory over the last two years with brands like Sheraton and Vivanta by Taj opening hotels here. “Having the Manyata Tech Park nearby is an added advantage that translates into corporate business which accounts for nearly 95 per cent of room sales.

Meetings space that cover 7,000 sq ft and 182 keys plus one Presidential Suite (The MSR Suite) makes it an ideal MICE venue,” Chakraborty states. “Our banqueting venues are huge and we have done many residential conferences. On an average we sell around 14 to 15 rooms per day for MICE activities, mainly for the IT and aerospace sectors.

We get a lot of outside guests in our restaurants. Our locational advantage is that we have a lot of feeder markets around us,” he adds.

distinctive themes and authentic cuisine. The Italian restaurant Mezzaluna is a classic fine dining venue which also offers wine and cheese tasting experiences.

Chakraborty elucidates, “We constantly fly down international chefs here from our other worldwide properties and a variety of authentic Swiss delicacies are served.

Indians like Italian food and every day of the week has a different menu along with a selection of handpicked Italian wines.”

My Place, the all day dining restaurant serves the best of world cuisine with Swiss specialties. “The Sunday brunches are very popular here. The design of the hotel uses space outside the windows to plant herbs that are used in the restaurant's kitchen. We serve a lot of health foods and on Wednesdays there is a Food for Life buffet,” he says.

The hotel will soon be adding an innovative gastronomic experience. Sky Brew will be a rooftop Bier Garten

F&B flavours True to the brand's gastronomic traditions, the hotel has a variety of culinary experiences awaiting guests. Three restaurants and a bar, all with www.expresstravelworld.com

where one can celebrate every weekend in Oktoberfest style alongside the grills. “The restaurant which will have 70 to 80 covers is ideal for small private gatherings. We are hoping it will be popular with the expats who are familiar with the concept,” says Chakraborty.

How can anything Swiss be complete without chocolates? “Every day there is a Chocolate Hour in the lobby where guests can taste some of the finest chocolate creations our chefs cook up. We also serve some 13 flavours of Mövenpick ice creams,” he adds. No wonder, nearly 40 to 45 per cent of the hotel's revenues comes from F&B. For food for the soul, there is the hotel's 4500 sq ft Sohum Spa. Chakraborty explains, “The spa is run on a revenue sharing model and has six Western and two ayurvedic treatment rooms.

The spa is popular with resident guests as well as non-resident customers, while the gym is for select members only who we personally scru-

tinise before enrolling them.”

Business plan Of Swiss heritage and headquartered in Zurich, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is passionate about sustainable environments and respect for local communities.

The Mövenpick hotel in Bengaluru has already applied for the Green Globe certification and hopes to receive the certification by this year end. The hotel which has also invested in rainwater harvesting, has been designed in such a way that there is a lot of natural lighting in all public areas which translates into energy savings. The general manager informs, “We have a Bonsai Lounge with around 30 bonsai trees which is maintained by the horticulture department.

We will be adding a greenhouse soon with lots of orchids and other plants where guests can relax and have a cup of tea or a delicious scone.”

The Mövenpick brand looks at developing properties in virgin unknown destinations with a lot of potential. Keeping with this plan, the brand’s second hotel is coming up in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. “The 70 keys property which will house a massive and spectacular spa overlooking the Himalayas, is expected to open by end-2014. In Jaipur and Udaipur, we have acquired existing properties to take the brand to Rajasthan. Kolkata will have one Mövenpick within the next three years. In Mumbai and Chennai too, projects are in the planning stage.

Overseas, a Mövenpick is under construction in Colombo which will see the end by end-2014 or early 2015 opening. There are two projects planned in Bangladesh. China will also have four or five Mövenpick in the next few years. All these hotels are part of Mövenpick's goal of reaching 100 hotels by 2015,” concludes Chakraborty.

May 2013

Here to stay From rural homes in Sikkim to heritage bungalows in Goa and quaint cottages in the backwaters of Alleppey, Indians homestays are a kaleidoscope of the country's vibrant culture. The segment has gradually created a niche for itself, attracting the discerning new age traveller through word-of-mouth referrals, social media marketing and effective usage of e-tools. By Sudipta Dev

hough the last decade has seen the emergence of a large number of homestays across the country, it is a segment that has had a chequered existence in the Indian hospitality industry. States like Kerala and Goa continue to lead in the homestay sector in India, with the many heritage homes in Rajasthan offering unique hospitality options. A few offbeat locations that are making a difference include some of the homestay initiatives in north east India and Ladakh. The Commonwealth Games in Delhi gave a fillip to the sector with active help from the state government who saw homestays as the best alternative to tackle the shortage of rooms in hotels and meeting the demands of tourist inflow. For the new age traveller who is constantly on the look out for extraordinary experiences, there is a wide range of homestay options in India – from the backwaters in Kerala to Himalayan homes in Sikkim to the banks of the Ganga in Varanasi. All offering

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unique experiences in terms of cultural insights, local cuisine and traditional lifestyle in the heart of an Indian home.

For every homestay that has survived there are many that have shut down – not surprisingly since it is a sector that is almost completely depended on word-of-mouth publicity and social media ratings, ensuring that only a few that have consistent high reputation are able to do business. To ensure the success of Indian homestays it has been necessary for the owners to set high standards in hospitality. Only a few have managed to carve a niche for themselves in their efforts to cater to a discerning clientele.

Among all the states Kerala has had a focused strategy for this segment for quite sometime now. D Soman, president, Kerala Home Stay & Tourism Society (HATS) Trivandrum, says, “There are about 350 approved homestays in Kerala. But not all of them are actually working.

This is because marketing is a big problem for homestays.

Creating awareness among tourists and travel agents is a challenge.” Kerala HATS which now has 150 members was set up as a consortium of homestay providers and tourism promoters to serve as a nodal association for the segment and to provide proper guidance and help in marketing homestays. According to Soman, “The state government has started the three tier classification system for homestays: Gold, Silver and Diamond. Every two years the license has to be renewed and fees have to be paid. The fees vary according to the classification. Hygiene is a very important criteria for approval. Kerala HATS helps homestay owners to spread awareness about their homestays through our website, travel agents and by word-ofmouth.”

Munnar and Thekkady have the maximum number of homestays in Kerala. “Nowadays we see a trend that visitors prefer home stays which offer them many benefits over hotels: homestays offer security and privacy, www.expresstravelworld.com

homely atmosphere, local food and helps guests imbibe the local culture and that too at economical rates. We also arrange cultural programmes and local arts for the guests.

Corporate homestays are not really homestays in the true sense. They are more like resorts,” he adds.

Kerala HATS recently made a petition to the government to help homestay owners acquire power at domestic rates which was granted. The association is now requesting the government to include a homestay representative on the approval committee which grants the licences and the classification. The committee already has representation by airlines, hotel associations, travel agents and the government. “But ironically the homestay segment itself is not represented,” points out Soman. Suman Billa, secretary, Kerala Tourism avers that while there is a classification system for homestays, of late there has been a profileration of homestays. “But we don't see any grave need to pull

them up as this is a source of livelihood for many homes.

We prefer it to remain more of a voluntary classification system. Homestay owners know that they can attract tourists only if they meet the standards. So the pull should work more than the push,” mentions Billa.

When Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) had initiated its homestay programme two decades ago, Chandrashekhar Singh of Jodhpur was among the first to apply. While many homestays closed down in the subsequent years, Singh persisted and was were able to get business through the local excursion agents who transferred their groups/FITs to the homestays during the peak tourist periods. Word of mouth publicity and Tripadvisor ratings all attributed to the success of the venture. Singh also does not regret that unlike many of his ilk he did not convert his homestay into a guest house where impersonal service is provided to guests like that in a hotel. In the last 20 years Singh has hosted countless guests from all over the world, the most frequent being visitors from the UK, Germany and Switzerland. He has been lending his expertise in helping other homestays in Rajasthan promote themselves through his initiative Rajputana Discovery.

Untapped potential It is interesting that while in some pocket areas, homestays are quite well known as an option for travellers, in other states there is a complete lack of understanding of what the segment means. A largely disorganised sector, there has been some maturity in this space in recent times.

“We have seen a huge growth in the last few years in not only the number of independent stays but also in the number of people interested in travelling this way. This is the sustainable way to travel for both existing as well as new travel destinations. It also EXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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helps to sensitise travellers to the local area, its people and culture. Needless to say, the potential is immense,” says Rekha Goyal, co-founder, namastay.in. Namastay.in's homestay initiatives was started in 2007 to make it possible for customers to book online independent stays in homestays, villas, heritage bungalows, etc. The target clientele are people who are looking for experiential holidays, local and cultural experiences across all age groups and all budgets. “A significant portion of our clientele have been from the cities, families travelling with kids as well as elderly people,” mentions Goyal.

The last three years have seen significant growth in homestay segment as more and more travellers from India and overseas prefer to stay in a homestay which offers all modern comforts, amenities and a secured environment as compared to budget hotels.

“Another big advantage of homestays is they offer a big opportunity to experience the Indian culture and way of life which the overseas guests look forward to while staying with the hosts,” says Sanjeev Khurana of Indianhomestays.org, whose target clientele for selling homestays across India are travellers from the US, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia. His marketing strategy mainly comprises of online selling using e-marketing tools like Google pay-perclick campaigns, classified ads, e-mailers to relevant databases and search engine optimisation for improving website rankings and presence on major search engines.

Rajagopal of Glenora Home Stay in Wayanad district of Kerala believes the growth will continue marked by emergence of new trends.

“The government and travel/tourism industry are already doing a great job in promoting the homestay segment. With a large number of homestays coming up, they conduct travel marts, road shows and many such programmes and I think that itself is enough for the promotion of the sector,” he states with optimism.

Multifarious challenges Homestays as a category is already well known in certain pockets in the south of India.

Other parts of the country

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erary to understand the culture of the region they wish to travel,” he adds. For instance, under Green Apple there is a property located in Pollachi (a village in Tamil Nadu) where Jose has witnessed bookings from city families who are trying show children about rural life.

Making a difference

champion other kinds of independent accommodations like B&Bs, guest houses, etc. To make India a homestay destination, there is a need to generate an understanding and awareness of what a homestay is. Singh avers that initially he faced a lot of hurdles like marketing the product and inducing guests to stay with his family, “We are not professionals and also very small and so we had no funds to market ourselves. The government (read RTDC) did try its best to promote us but their efforts were limited although their intentions were very noble. We should also be exempted from paying commercial rates for water and electricity. The various trade organisations should also take notice of us and send us guests - they still suspect us to be inefficient although their attitude is slowly changing for the better. But they do not go out of their way to promote homestays and book us only as an alternate and cancel when the get confirmations elsewhere.”

Marketing and exposure to tour operators and end customers being the two key challenges for homestay owners, Sejoe Jose started the The Green Apple Experience with the objective of promoting homestays and villas. “We provide all possible help like information on taking licence from the government and important statutory obligation so they run the business legally and not get into unwanted trouble. We do training of staff, thus making use of the local community and existing infrastructure,” says Jose. The

Green Apple Experience provides reservation software for the homestay owners which is user friendly and can be used from home or from their smart phone. Besides quality standards are fixed.

It is necessary for any homestay owner to be patient and not think of occupancy like a hotel. Jose reminds that it took four years for Green Apple to be recognised and the homestays listed with the company to start getting bookings more frequently. “Most of the homestay owners compare themselves with others and try and provide experiences for which they are not specialised. Tour operators some time treat homestays like a hotel which can be a very big challenge and thus losing the basic concept. It is also important to identify the right host.

That is the house could be the best but the most important person is the host who makes the difference. He should enjoy being a host from his first client and give the same experience even after many years,” asserts Jose.

Emerging trends While getaway homestays have been popular for sometime now, the emergence of city-based homestays is an interesting development.

Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, Mumbai and Bengaluru are key locations. “With homestays becoming popular in major metros across India, one can notice an emerging trend of small boutique properties coming up in the cities and hill stations offering business or leisure accommodation tailor made to the guest's www.expresstravelworld.com

requirements,” says Khurana.

Of late there are many interesting trends emerging.

Goyal avers that now people are more open to not staying at a regular hotel on their holiday. Then, within the independent accommodation segment, there are niches emerging. The concept of shared accommodations is also gaining traction, though in India issues around safety are largely unaddressed. “The most exciting trend, though not limited to the homestay segment, is the adoption of the internet for transactions. Using a combination of social media, payment gateways and easy-tobuild web sites, independent accommodations can reach out to their customers directly, obliterating the need for large travel players. So unless there is serious value that an intermediary is adding, there is no need for homestays to work with them,” points out Goyal.

Many of the homestays that Jose promotes are those which specialise in village life and culture. "We put these properties in sites and other verticals which promote village life. Thus we give a lot of importance to the experience at each homestay. We also are present at important international and national trade shows," says Jose. His target clientele are those who enjoy and respect different cultures.

The focus is not mass tourism but enabling guests to have special experiences like rural tourism / agriculture / cuisine / culture. “The new traveller is looking for these special experiences. We have noticed even those who book hotels like to add one homestay in their itin-

A significant percentage of homestay guests are those who are looking for a differentiated travel experience. For instance, many homestays have come up in the popular trekking routes of Ladakh.

Travellers can stay in Ladhaki village homes, eat the local cuisine and soak in the culture, while they trek across Hemis National Park. This is also generating income for the local villagers besides reducing the environmental impact of camping.

Lt general Jimmy Singh initiated a village tourism project at Samthar. Project Awake & Shine was conceived to awaken the Samthar communities to the potential of Integrated Village Tourism.

“Our homestays were set up solely with a view to provide income to locals, and to attract clients who were potential sponsors for children at the Awake & Shine School at Samthar," says Jimmy Singh.

“We need to provide the young with the ability to earn within the environments of rural society. Integrated village tourism offers a viable potential,” he asserts. Earnings from village homestays are around `2000 per night from one double guest room. Average turnover of each double room is a modest `30000 per year, approximately. “Even this sum is more than 10 times the income from dry land agriculture on the plot of land used for building the home-stay,” he says.Interestingly, homestays in some of the remote and off-the-beaten track destinations are not without their share of attractions for the discerning traveller, ranging from orchard tours to jungle safaris to adventure activities. What is needed is a more focused approach to showcase the myriad hues of Indian hospitality and culture through more support from the government and the travel industry.

(With inputs from Steena Joy) May 2013

Edge

T H E C U T T I N G E D G E I N T R AV E L T R A D E

EVENT ROUNDUP

Showcasing India This year, GITB had 273 foreign buyers registered from 57 countries and 269 Indian sellers. The increasing number of participants is a clear verdict on how consistent GITB has become to attract business-oriented people from all over the world. By Abhishek Chakraborty

t got bigger and better.

Entering in its sixth year, the Great Indian Travel Bazaar-2013 (GITB-2013) opened up in Jaipur with bright prospects and more buyers than the previous years, incorporating some new initiatives to make India one of the world-class destinations in the world. This year, GITB had 273 foreign buyers registered from 57 countries and 269 Indian sellers. The inaugural evening at The Lalit, Jaipur, was a clear

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verdict on how the GITB has grown over the years and how consistent it had been to attract business-oriented people from all over the world.

With more than 9,000 B2B meetings between foreign tour operators and Indian sellers, this year the demand for B2B interaction was increased from 15 to 20 minutes per slot and the last one hour was kept open for on the spot B2B meetings.

The number of foreign tour operators wishing to do seri-

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ous business with sellers of Indian tourism products had grown from 265 in 2012 to 273 in 2013.

The prelude to the main event was organised in the presence of dignitaries like Bina Kak, tourism minister, Rajasthan; AK Gupta, additional director general (MR), ministry of tourism, government of India; Maharaj Jai Singh, chairman, ederation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Rajasthan State Council and director, Rambagh Palace Hotel; Jyotsna Suri, chairperson (Tourism Committee), FICCI, and CMD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group; Rakesh Srivastava, principal secretary tourism, government of Rajasthan, and Dipak Deva, co-chairman, FICCI tourism committee and CEO – Destination Management India and South Asia, Kuoni Travel Group, India.

GITB-2013 was co-organised by the department of tourism, government of Rajasthan, the ministry of tourism, government of India, and FICCI. It was sup-

ported by Hotel & Restaurant Association of Rajasthan (HRAR), Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) and Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO).

Opening GITB-2013, Kak, said it is time countries like India realise the immense economic potential of the tourism sector as it has become a key driver of national economies.

“GITB’s significance is of particular importance in the context of the fact that over the years countries worldwide have realised the immense economic potential of the tourism industry.

The phenomenal growth of the tourism sector has resulted in making a significant contribution to the GDP of different countries.

It has, in other words, become a key driver of national economies.”

The minister, highlighting the increased influx of foreign tourists, also outlined various measures that the ministry of tourism is undertaking to facilitate safe and easier movement of foreign travellers like visa-onEXPRESS TRAVELWORLD

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Our immediate focus is domestic tourism: Jyotsna Suri The Lalit Suri Group’s immediate focus is domestic tourism.

“We are a country with billion plus people, and we have a huge nation to showcase ourselves, so domestic tourism plays a very vital role,” said Jyotsna Suri, vice president, FICCI and CMD, Lalit Suri Hospitality Group. She feels that in a country like India, which is so large, one cannot survive only on foreign tourist arrivals. “You must have a robust domestic tourism,” added Suri.

Citing the example of the United States, Suri says, “America’s tourism industry is thriving because of domestic tourism. India is a very large country. Smaller countries want FTAs, but in India because of the diverse nature and the huge subcontinent that we are domestic tourism plays a vital role.”

Suri with FICCI also initiated the The Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar three years ago to boost the domestic tourism bazaar.

She said that the third edition of the Domestic Tourism Bazaar will be held at The Lalit, New Delhi, from September 27 to 29.

“We had a huge response on the Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar and it is really helping to boost the domestic tourism,” said Suri.

According to a recently conducted survey by FICCI, 83 per cent of the respondents said that the current environment in India was very safe for travel. Suri ensured all foreign travellers that they would have a memorable and safe experience in India.

“Government of India is making every effort to provide security and make the environment as safe as possible. Tourism will only happen if the environment is safe,”she said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the GITB-2013, Suri said rationalisation of the GST will be a big boon for the tourism industry as different taxation levels for different states is very inconvenient.

She also said that to compete with South East Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand which saw more than 20 million arrival in 2012, the Indian government needs to recognise the potential of tourism. “It is only then that there will be some change of thought and change of policy,” added Suri. arrival, tax exemptions, undertaking of mega projects etc.

Inventing tourism GITB started in 2008 when not much was happening in terms of tourism in India and very few people considered India as a prospective travel destination. Though international tourist arrivals rose from 682 million in 2001 to 920 million in 2008, the global travel and tourism industry experienced a downturn in 2009 due to the financial crisis. With the initiative to make India one of the most visited places in the world, GITB brought different facets of travel trade in the country under one roof.

Since its inception in 2008, GITB has made it a point to make India one of the most sort after tourist destinations.

In its sixth year, GITB2013 focused on inbound tourism. Bringing international tour operators to discuss business and showcase

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India to the world, it made a conscious effort to reinforce India as an affordable and safe tourist destination.

The Indian tourism industry did well in 2010 with 5.78 million foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs). The year 2011 also saw a decent rise in the number of FTAs, with 6.31 million tourists coming to India, up by over 9.2 per cent from 2010. But 2012 again saw a decline in the inflow, registering just five per cent growth, mainly because countries like Europe, the US and the UK were reeling under the financial crisis. However, Rahul Chakravarty, additional director, FICCI, is hopeful that 2013 will see a decent number of tourists arrivals in the country.

“We have conducted a survey in which 83 per cent of the people have said that India is totally safe. Foreign buyers and FTAs in India have always increased. The number of tourist arrivals in January-February 2013 as compared to Januarywww.expresstravelworld.com

February 2012 is much higher. The government has earned about `95,000 crore as foreign exchange revenue from tourism. So the travel market in India is remarkable,” said Chakravarthy.

GITB 2013: Highlights ● ● ●

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Gujarat was the theme state for GITB 2013 Nine partner states participated FICCI released its study on ‘India as a hotspot for inbound tourism’ Dates for the Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar announced – September 27 to 29, 2013 New Delhi GITB 2014 will be held in Jaipur. Dates to be finalised soon.

Revenue aspect Travel industry has contributed about `94,487 crore in terms of foreign exchange in 2012 and was responsible for generating approximately eight per cent employment in India. Despite this it was levied with an extra 10 per cent service charge in

2012 and now an additional service tax on AC restaurants was levied by union finance minister P Chidambaram in budget 2013-14. It came as a jolt to the hospitality industry of the country, which witnesses inflow of lakhs of tourists from different parts of the globe every year.

Chakravarty said that there are certain financial policies which the government has to take a call on.

He added, “There are three demands of the tourism industry — industries status for tourism, export industry status and infrastructure status for tourism. Though none of these have yet been met by the Indian government, they are helping the tourism industry in a different way. This year there was a `100 crore increase in the tourism budget.”

Chakravarthy feels that the tourism industry should focus on 'investment in tourism infrastructure' if things need to be changed.

He said though a lot has May 2013

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been done to promote India as a tourist destination, more needs to be done and can be done. “We are already trying to increase the number of countries on visa-on-arrival. There are different priorities of different countries. India is a country where we have to take care of our agriculture, employment problem, take care of rural India, etc.”

Advantage Rajasthan, advantage India The share of tourism in global GDP is 11.10 per cent.

In India, it is 5.72 per cent of the Indian GDP and internally Rajasthan tourism has made a significant contribution of 13.68 per cent to the state’s GDP, which is higher than any other industrial sector. To facilitate the tourism industry and the safety and security of the tourists, the Government of Rajasthan introduced the 'Tourism Trade Regulation Act' in 2010.

Kak said, “Rajasthan is now changing its positioning from being a heritage and cultural tourist destination. It has encouraged innovation in product creation like resort tourism, archaeological tours, tribal cultural tours, sports tourism, rural tourism, ecotourism, adventure tourism to attract more tourists. The government is also acutely conscious of the environmental degradation that tourism can cause and is therefore at the same time taking a number of steps to minimise the threat.”

Comparative analysis ● ● ●

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2013 B2B buyers confirmed for GITB – 273 Buyers from – 57 countries B2B structured and prefixed meetings – Over 9,000 B2B Indian sellers partici-

pated – 269 ● ● ●

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2012 B2B buyers confirmed for GITB – 259 Buyers from – 54 countries B2B structured and prefixed meetings – over 8,200 B2B Indian sellers participated – 230

Increasing reach Around 50 countries participated in the first edition of GITB. Then, pre-fixed B2B meetings didn't come into being and was added next year. In this edition, around 269 B2B Indian sellers participated covering around 230 booths sending a strong message about their interest to take part in the event.

B2B meetings and inbound tourism have become the talk point when it comes to GITB. In 2012, 259 buyers from 54 countries from across the world participated in the exhibition with 8,200 meetings to sell India world over. In the sixth edition in 2013, the numbers are just going up.

This year it had more than 9,000 meetings. The event provided an exposure to the best tourism products from all across India under one roof.

Chakravarty felt that the level of GITB is completely different and it can't be compared with other travel trade fairs’ of the world. He said, “GITB is on a different bracket altogether. It's completely focused on inbound tourism. We have no countries participating here. It’s only India, one country.

And our focus is on prescheduled B2B meetings between foreign buyers and Indian sellers. Every seller here has their prefixed meeting. This is how we distinguish ourselves from any other travel market.”

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A kaleidoscope of Gujarat Gujarat Travel Mart 2013 showcased for the third consecutive year the many tourism highlights of the state as India's fastest growing destination before the international travel trade community. By Sudipta Dev he third edition of Gujarat Travel Mart organised at Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Centre in Gandhi Nagar saw a large contingent of hosted international buyers and media who were keen to know about the state as an emerging destination in India's tourism map. These buyers came from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Fiji, Holland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Russia, Thailand, UAE, UK, USA, etc. The exhibitors ranged from state tourism boards to hospitality sector to niche products like medical and eco tourism.

Inaugurating Gujarat Travel Mart 2013, Narendra

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Modi, chief minister, Gujarat welcomed the delegates to the land of Mahatma Gandhi, “This land has vibrancy in every walk of life. Here there are many unique locations in Gujarat. In year 2006 we decided to give major importance to tourism, in fact all the departments were asked to give top priority to tourism. In 2005-2006 the budget for tourism was only ` 30 crore, today the budget is ` 500 crore. For us tourism is a priority and most important sector and we want to do our best for its growth.

We have received 22 million tourists this year, which is a growth of 16 per cent, double the national tourism growth at eight per cent. We have also won three national awards for tourism.�

Gujarat Tourism recently bagged three National Tourism Awards for best tourism film, innovative use of information and technology and one of the best states for comprehensive development of tourism in the country.

Talking about the growth potential of tourism in Gujarat, Modi pointed out that efforts to promote events like the Rann Utsav has made a great difference to the lives of local crafts people, singers and musicians in the area. At one time, there was negative growth in Rann, the locals used to leave the area and go as far as Assam in search of livelihood. But things have changed now. Modi

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www.expresstravelworld.com

May 2013

E|D|G|E also spoke about the immense potential of spiritual tourism in Gujarat, which is a strong focus area for the tourism strategy in the state. “From the Chakradhari Mohan (Lord Krishna) to the Charkhadhari Mohan (Mahatma Gandhi), we have a rich history and culture. From Dholavira to Dholera, it is a long journey of progress.” He mentioned that the state has many important spiritual landmarks for different religions - for instance Udvada in Gujarat houses the Atash Behram, a sacred fire temple of the Parsi community. He pointed out that the state also has a rich Buddhist history that not many people are aware about. The chief minister's birthplace Vadnagar also has a Buddhist monastery. “Gujarat is a great location for Buddhist circuit. For Sikh pilgrims also there are many important destinations in the state,” added Modi. Also, Palitana in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat is a major pilgrimage centre for Jains.

Eco tourism is yet another focus area. Saputara is being developed from the perspective of eco tourism and presentation of tribal culture.

“Our efforts to promote tourism there have helped the tribal communities and helped in preserving the natural beauty of these places,” he said. According to Modi the wetlands in the state, Sasangir and other eco tourism sites, will be coming to the limelight in the future. He mentioned that Gujarat, in particular the Saurashtra region, is becoming a popular destination for film shootings, both Bollywood and regional films. “We want to evolve special policies related to film tourism,” asserted Modi. He felt that tourism for children is another area that needs to be evolved. “Education tourism should be evolved in a scientific manner.

For kids, seeing is believing. We can tell industrial houses, the children want to see how your products are made. These tours can include the many ports of Gujarat as well,” he added. Adventure tourism and sports tourism are the other areas that will be developed by the state.

Tourism has been growing constantly in the state of Gujarat in the recent years at a rate of 10 per cent.

“Tourism not only promotes culture but also employment and per capita income. Tourist arrivals are increasing substantially in most destinations. Recently we got three awards from the president of India,” said Saurabhbhai Patel, tourism minister, Gujarat. Patel pointed out that policies have been formulated to encourage tourism in the state. The government is giving special focus on development of infrastructure and improvement of facilities.

Foreign tourist arrivals in the state have also increased by 21 per cent. The campaign with Amitabh Bachchan and Gujarat Travel Mart have been key factors attributing to the growth.

May 2013

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E|D|G|E EVENT ROUNDUP

Need to adopt holistic approach to sustainable tourism: Taleb Rifai ETW STAFF - Hyderabad

fter playing host to the big ticket COP II World Bio-Diversity Conference last year, Hyderabad again hosted a world gathering to give a boost to world tourism with leaders from over 24 countries comprising 300 delegates who participated in the three-day 25th UNWTO Conference held from April 12-14, 2013 on sustainable tourism at Park Hyatt Hyderabad. Taleb Rifai, secretary general, United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) rubbed shoulders with N Kiran Kumar Reddy, chief minister, Andhra Pradesh; K Chiranjeevi, union minister of state for tourism, lauding the efforts of Andhra Pradesh and India in promoting travel and tourism.

“Hyderabad, the city of pearls, has been etched into the pages of history as it is coming up with a blueprint to boost the growth of travel and tourism sector across the world,” said Rifai, in his inaugural address. “There is a greater need to adopt a holistic approach to promote the concept of sustainable tourism across the world as the tourism sector is recording a tremendous growth. In a matter of six years, the number of tourists crossing the borders recorded a phenomenal growth from a mere 25 million to over one billion,” he said.

The concept of sustainable tourism is likely to catapult the image of India and particularly Andhra Pradesh as the major tourist destination in days to come if the deliberations of UNWTO Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development (STD) are to be taken into consideration. The blue print will come up with strategies which will help the development of travel and tourism sectors of various countries across the world by widely promoting the concept of sustainable tourism development.

The concept has assumed importance in the wake of a research report by International Air Transport Authority (IATA) which said that by 2050, the number of tourists crossing the borders of their nation on tours would increase from the existing one

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billion to 16 billion. The Conference deliberations primarily focussed on how to cash in on the growing markets. Chiranjeevi said that it was proposed that the incentive structure for adopting a criterion for sustainable tourism development in the country be changed. India was amongst the first few countries in the world to have finalised the sustainable criteria for tourism development for accommodation and tour operators sector. Urging the industry to collaborate and adopt these criteria, Chiranjeevi said, “We propose to suitably change the incentive structure to achieve this.

Asia and Pacific with its vast range of destinations and products could achieve higher growth than projected if we develop synergy and promote our products and destinations jointly. The intra-regional and inter-regional joint tourism promotions were going to be the key for rapid growth of this crucial economic sector.”

Emphasising on the need for tourism to be 'holistic', he said this means the sustainability of culture, natural resources, heritage, community development and mainstreaming of deprived groups.

In his opening remarks Rifai said that 2012 was a historical year for the tourism sector as more than a billion people had crossed international borders with a four per www.expresstravelworld.com

cent growth globally. “It was particularly remarkable for the Asia and Pacific region where the growth was seven per cent. Globally, a similar growth of three to four per cent was expected this year and around six to seven per cent in Asia and Pacific region.” Rifai said.

He said that growth and sustainability were not a zero sum game. “More growth must mean more preservation and sustainability,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion Reddy said the state was trying to develop infrastructure to attract tourists and said plans were afoot to build world class convention facilities at Tirupathi, Visakhapatnam and Warangal.

Martin Craigs, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) said the number of air travellers were expected to reach 16 billion by 2050. It would be a massive challenge to prepare ground and build infrastructure. WTO was committed to provide tools for its members for promoting sustainable development.

Speaking on the second day of the conference Chiranjeevi said that the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad will be among the few airports that will soon provide visa on arrival facility to travellers, It is learnt that 11 countries have already extended this facility

and six more are to follow suit in the near future. He said that the tourism ministry's endeavour would be to bring more international events to India and make the country a leading MICE destination. He added that delegates from 23 nations in the Asia Pacific region, who came together at the three day meet, have decided to exchange the best strategies and practices to chart the development of sustainable tourism.

“The conference shared the concept of global observatories for sustainable tourism based on systematic application of monitoring evaluation and information management techniques for promoting sustainable tourism,” he said. It was also decided to support the candidature of Cambodia for hosting the 21st session of the General Assembly of UNWTO. Speaking on the occasion, Rifai said, “The Conference deliberated on easing visa regimes, taxation policies and aviation connectivity to promote tourism.” Tourism with its resources and revenues has the potential to contribute significantly to economies and no country can ignore the contribution that the sector could make to its progress. The sector holds potential to create one job for every 43 visas granted and number was much lower in developing countries like India The main challenge was to address concerns of tourists being put to inconvenience of standing in queues and long waits for obtaining visas inspite of strong growth in their numbers. “Reports suggest that one out of every seven venture out of their place on a global scale.

Countries that are complicating their visa norms are hurting themselves,” he added.

Replying to queries he said, “There are difficulties with varying degrees of intensity, in every country at a time when tourism is emerging as a 'human right',” he said.

Meanwhile, quoting from data, Parvez Dewan, tourism secretary, MoT said there has been a 2.3 per cent growth in tourist arrivals during the previous years and an 11 per cent dollar growth income from tourism during the same period.

May 2013

Travel

Life

TEN ON TEN

Don't plan an itinerary down to the T : Jonty Rhodes South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes has been chosen as the brand ambassador for South Africa Tourism in India. He shares some of his travel experiences.

By Kahini Chakraborty

heli-boarding with Gulmarg Heliski.

National - living in South Africa we are blessed with amazing wildlife, and I like to indulge every year by staying at one of the many private lodges in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, bordering the magnificent Kruger Park. My lodges of choice are Londolozi, Mala Mala, Sabi Sabi and Hamilton's Private Lodges.

My favourite restaurant/cuisine My favourite cuisine, in summer, is Sushi, and my favourite restaurants in Cape Town for Sushi, are Willoughby & Co at the V&A Waterfront, and Wakame. In winter I enjoy a good steak, and my favourite steakhouse, is Theo's Grill, also in Mouille Point.

My most horrible travel experience/mix up My first holiday My first holiday that I can remember was a convoy of family and friends making the drive up to the Kruger National Park, when I was about six years old.

Staying in Kruger rest camps like Olifants, Skukuza and Lower Sabie brought us close enough to the wild animals to be able to hear them roaring and calling at night, but still safe in the enclosed area to roam around as a gang of kids, exploring on our own.

my parents only allowed me to participate in the tournament if I stayed with one of the members of the management, who could supervise my studies. So while the other players were out having dinner and a good time, I was stuck in the Welkom Holiday Inn, doing my schoolwork.

My favourite destination International - I am now hooked on snowboarding, and so my preferred destinations are biased towards countries with snow. I have had snowboarding holidays in Switzerland recently, staying with renowned

explorer, Mike Horn. He took me out back-country to find areas of powder snow that have not been ridden on by other skiers or boarders. I have also had two amazing trips to Gulmarg, Kashmir, and the highlights there were staying in the Hotel Highlands Park, and

I love to travel, and every misadventure is an opportunity to enrich your journey, so no horrible experiences so far.

My travel must haves Freedom to go with the flow - too many deadlines can lead to frustration.

My bucket list Not that I have been there and done most of that, but there are too many to mention, so I don't plan too far ahead. Just take every opportunity to explore the world around me, to the fullest, whether it be local or abroad.

My first visa stamp

My favourite airport

My first passport, let alone visa stamp, was when I was selected to play for South Africa in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Cape Town - it means that I am home.

My travel query to travel agents Don't plan an itinerary down to the T-- give the traveller information on what is available in the area, and then give them some time to make their own plans to experience their holiday destination.

My first hotel stay My first hotel experience was when I was selected for the Natal Men's B hockey team, in my final year at school, close to exams, and May 2013

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Air France-KLM

Air France-KLM has announced the appointment of Bharati Mongia as regional manager – west and south India. Mongia will be responsible for sales in west and south India for Air France – KLM – Delta. She brings with her over 16 years of experience working with Air France-KLM. Prior to this, she was a marketing manager – India followed by sales manager – Global and National with Air FranceKLM.

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GTA, Kuoni Global Travel Services Ivan Walter has been appointed CEO of GTA where he was previously senior vice president for global sourcing and product development. The GTA CEO role was previously held by Rolf Schafroth in conjunction with his role as overall CEO of the Kuoni Global Travel Services Division. Walter’s appointment enables Schafroth to concentrate fully on his role as CEO of the entire division, which comprises both the GTA and Kuoni Group Travel Experts brands, as well as on his responsibilities as a member of the Kuoni Group Executive Board.

Swiss International Air Lines

Melbourne Convention Bureau

Swiss International Air Lines has announced the appointment of Markus Altenbach as their new general manager, India. He will be taking over from Jean-Philippe Benoit who retired recently. In his new role, Altenbach will be responsible for overseeing Swiss International Air Lines’ account co-operations, direct sales and maintaining relationship with top clients and sales partners, among other operational functions.

Two new regional sales directors have been appointed to the Melbourne Convention Bureau’s offices in Asia.

Edward Kwek will be heading up the Singapore office as regional sales director – south Asia, and Jessica Chang will take on the position of regional sales director – north Asia in Shanghai, joining business development manager – China, Jenny Yang. Kwek joins MCB from the Institute of Technical Education where he was section head, leisure and travel operations. Chang previously held the role of director, MICE project office at the Bureau of Foreign Trade in Taiwan and has also held various positions in destination marketing and travel companies throughout Asia and Europe.

SilverRail

Qantas

Thailand government

TripAdvisor

Qantas has appointed Bob Everest as manager for Thailand and Vietnam. Based in Bangkok, Everest is responsible for all Qantas commercial activities in Thailand and Vietnam. He also has extensive experience in sales and revenue management. Prior to his appointment, Everest was the Qantas manager south Australia based in Adelaide.

He has also a strong knowledge of the Asian region having worked in Indonesia for four years as the Qantas country manager and in Singapore as revenue development manager for both Qantas and British Airways for another four years.

Career politician and former provincial governor Somsak Pureesrisak has been appointed as Thailand's minister of tourism and sports.

Pureesrisak replaces the late Chumpol Silpa-archa, who passed away in January 2013. He began his professional life in 1993 in the Department of Town and Country Planning, and has risen up the ranks since then.

He twice served as governor of Suphan Buri Province in Central Thailand, the last time between 2006 and 2012.

TripAdvisor has appointed Joel Fisher as director of display advertising sales Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, Fisher will drive the growth of the business in the Asia Pacific region, including India and Japan.

Prior to TripAdvisor, Fisher was vice president at Travelzoo and Sojern, overseeing the advertising sales teams in the Eastern region for both companies. He was also previously director of media sales and airline relations at Travelocity managing its Asia Pacific business.

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SilverRail Technologies has appointed Alain van West as vice president business development. A specialist in international travel sales and distribution, van West was previously the director of large market sales at American Express. His appointment comes at a time when SilverRail is undertaking a robust programme to sign on more train operating companies to its simplified rail ticketing system, SilverCore.

Hogg Robinson Group Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) has appointed John Harvey as marketing director. Harvey first joined HRG in 1979, working through the business to an appointment on the board of the then UK business travel division in 1990. His career path took him into other areas of commerce and industry, with extensive experience in both consulting and the technology sector. He joined the HRG team again in 2009, on an interim assignment to lead the global sales team through a period of transition, and more recently has been leading a number of major projects surrounding the development of new global initiatives.

Etihad Airways Etihad Airways has appointed Viviane El Hajj as its new general manager for Lebanon. El Hajj replaces Joseph Chamoun who moved to the airline’s hub in Abu Dhabi in August 2012 to become general manager for the home market. In her new role El Hajj will be based in Beirut, where she will be responsible for driving commercial results and further growing strong relationships with the airline’s travel trade and corporate customers.

Prior to joining Etihad Airways, El Hajj spent 18 years in the airline industry, most recently as sales manager for Air France, following several years at KLM where she worked in various managerial positions.

May 2013

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Going green

First hand exposure

The Gateway of India in Mumbai was illuminated green along with other global iconic monuments in honour of St Patrick’s Day, as part of Tourism Ireland’s ‘Global Greening’

The Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman in association with Oman Air conducted a FAM trip for select Indian travel agents-Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai

A new odyssey

A Triumph

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organised a special tour of Deccan Odyssey for international tour operators

Pash India, a division of Le Passage to India along with Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism organised the fifth Taj Mahal Trophy 2013, the international Amateur Golf Championship

User friendly

Cheers to Mendoza

L-R: Jayant Kumar Banthia, chief secretary, Government of Maharashtra and Dr Jagdish Patil, MD, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation during the inauguration of its first electronic kiosk at Nariman Point, Mumbai

May 2013

L-R: Kanai Morarji of Argentina Tourism; Javier Espina, minister of tourism, Mendoza, Argentina; The Harvest Queen from Mendoza, Argentina and Medha Sampat of Knack Marketing – India Representative for Argentina Tourism at the Argentina Gala Night in Mumbai held to celebrate the ‘Malbec World Day’

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New route

Art lovers

Dr Lalit K. Panwar, CMD, ITDC and Chandana Khan, special chief secretary, tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh appreciate the works of the artists at the Art Camp at The Ashok, New Delhi

Basil Rajapakse, minister of economic development in Sri Lanka presents a token of appreciation to Keith Williams, chief executive officer, British Airways at the launch of flight service to Colombo from London Gatwick in Colombo

New sights

New services

Crew of Telugu film Balupu with its main actors Ravi Teja and Shruthi Haasan in Portugal

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Etihad Airways officially unveiled its new premium lounge at Dulles International Airport, Washington

Culture for compassion

Space adventures

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet with Richard Moore, director of Children in Crossfire; Bishop Ken Good, Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, and Monsignor Eamon Martin Derry’s Catholic Diocesan administrator walking across Peace Bridge, Derry Londonderry, Northern Ireland as part of local charity, Children in Crossfire’s ‘Culture of Compassion’ event

Jennifer McIntyre, US consul general in Chennai, Srimathy K, director, Space Kidz India and Fr YL Irudharaj, principal, Don Bosco school Chennai at the flag off for the students who are to go on an educational mission to NASA

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May 2013

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 IND.EXP.PSO.