Travel and Hospitality (TnH) - January 2020

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FROM THE EDITOR

Keep your hopes up!

Publisher & Editor Srishti Rai Director Bharat S. Rai Managing Editor Prem Kumar GM - Marketing Prem Sagar premsagar@tnhindia.com (M) +91 99106 81111 Art Director Sunny Singh Correspondent (Kolkata) Swaati Chaudhury Accounts Chander Shakher Balodi Administration Executive Sarwat Jahan

For any query, write to us at: info@tnhindia.com

www.tnhglobal.com

Printed, published and owned by Srishti Rai. Printed at Naveen Printers, F-11 B, Okhla Industrial Area, Ph-1, New Delhi-110020, and published at C-4, 2nd Floor, Community Center, Safdarjung Development Area, Opp Main IIT Ga te, New Delhi-110016; Editor: SRISHTI RAI

At the outset, I wish our readers a very happy and successful new year 2020!

The last year was an eventful year for the country. The general elections to elect a new Lok Sabha was held and the BJPled NDA retained power at the Centre in May 2019, with Narendra Modi again becoming the Prime Minister of India.

In August, the Modi Government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir. The state was bifurcated into two Union Territories: Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh, which came into being on 31st October. The landmark decision that was widely welcomed by people also created a security challenge for the local authorities and affected tourist movement into Kashmir and Ladakh regions. Now the situation is returning fast to normalcy, and tourist movement is also increasing.

Hopefully, tourism in the two newly formed Union Territories will bounce back in the new year.

2019 did not end on a very positive note for India's Travel & Hospitality industry, as countrywide protests against newly enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) created a lot of controversies, security concerns and bad publicity for the whole country, discouraging tourists from travelling to India. The country's tourism

Industry hopes that 2020 would be a better year. For more, read our cover story, 'Tourism Industry expects buoyancy in 2020' on page 18.

As the industry gears up to attend SATTE 2020, do read our story (page 16) on South Asia's leading travel trade show: 'SATTE 2020 delivers the best of travel and tourism line-up'. Mapping trends and building partnerships are the key focus for SATTE's 27th edition.

In the last couple of years, India's eastern states have undergone a makeover with better infrastructure facilities in place, foraying of luxury properties and setting up of global convention centres, particularly in Bengal, offering a thrust to MICE activities. Leisure tourism is also growing in the region. To know more about new developments in the east, read our story, 'The East: Emerging travel hub of India' on page 22.

Moreover, don't miss out our Diplomat's Corner of this month, which features the interview of H.E. Ms Harinder Sidhu, Australia’s High Commissioner to India.

She highlights the reasons why one should travel to Australia. There are a plethora of things to experience in Australia such as iconic destinations, scenic beaches, worldclass restaurants and wineries, wildlife, and captivating cultural events.

Plus, there is plenty of news and information to read in this issue that will help you plan your trips ahead.

Enjoy reading!

Srishti Rai Editor

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NEWS 06

N EWS

Polish visa services now available in New Delhi and Mumbai 09

N EWS

VFS Global launches ‘Mobile Biometrics’ visa services for Italy visa applicants across India

JANUARY 2020 24

Aiming to emerge as a top tourist destination in India 30

SATTE 2020 delivers the best of travel and tourism line-up

32

F E ATURE

The East: Emerging travel hub of India

HIGHLIGHTS 18

NEWS

NIMA Appoints New Executive Committee

NEWS

Dhansoo Café opens at Sangam Courtyard, New Delhi 50

22

FE ATURE

Where luxury meets comfort and simplicity

36

N EWS

16

INTERVIEW

NEWS

SOTC's new F&B offerings with Indian and fusion culinary delights

18 COVER STORY

COVER STORY

Tourism Industry expects buoyancy in 2020 34

BITE CORNER

Culinary delights from the past Lost Recipes

DIPLOMAT’S C O RNER 38

38

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‘Australia offers unforgettable experiences’ 42

FE ATURE

Enchanting Pokhra 44

AROUND THE WORLD

Popular festivals around the world to look for in February 2020

42

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NEWS

LUXURY HOSPITALITY WITH RUSTIC FLAVOUR IN KIPLING COUNTRY Bandhavgarh’s Tiger Lagoon Resort steeped in luxury and comfort offers the best option to explore wildlife eco-system.

Luxury in the heart of the wild with unmatched hospitality and rustic feel best describes Tiger Lagoon Resort snuggled in the buffer zone of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Set up in 2009, the luxury wildlife resort spread over 15 acres of land area is one-of-a-kind with 20 mud-and-thatched roof cottages arranged along the edge of a horse-shoe shaped lagoon.

Lalit Shukla, Managing Director, Tiger Lagoon Resort explained, “It was my love for wildlife that made me realize that wildlife is way beyond jungle safari in the tourist zone. e scope of wildlife is not well-defined in the minds and hearts of our populace. It forms a major component in the chain of our eco-system. With a view to provide a rare wildlife experience with a touch of luxury to travellers and to sensitize the masses

Lalit Shukla Managing Director, Tiger Lagoon

on the significance of wildlife, our resort took shape.”

It’s been past three years that New Delhi’s Terra Tales is into promoting the four-star property.

Shukla said, “We have created the ambience that imparts rustic feel and our visitors can enjoy the thrill of being in the heart of the wild. We provide a wide gamut of facilities with a blend of adventure and fun in order to ensure

that our visitors do not suffer from boredom. e facilities include yoga, meditation sessions, nature walks, cycling and taking a dip in the swimming pool with the help of our trained guides to make them feel safe, secure and healthy.” Each cottage overlooks the lagoon. Besides, there is a multi-cuisine food outlet, mini-library, lounge bar and a gi outlet. ere has been an upsurge in

CG HOSPITALITY FORAYS IN THE MIDDLE EAST CG Hospitality has signed an agreement with Tata Group’s hospitality arm, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), to manage its luxury hotel, Taj Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The soon-to-be-launched hospitality address will be CG Hospitality’s first hotel in the region, with many more luxury properties to follow.

CG Hospitality, the fast-growing hotel and travel wing of CG Corp Global, is a major shareholder in Taj Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai.

CG Corp Global, a multi-national conglomerate of 174 companies and 76 brands across the world is Nepal's first and only billion-dollar corporation listed by Forbes.

CG Hospitality began its journey partnering with Tata Group 20

years ago through their hospitality arm IHCL which owns the Taj Brand. This partnership has evolved over the years and CG Hospitality owns some of the most iconic assets globally with Taj Brands such as Taj Samudra, Sri Lanka, Taj Exotica Resort & Spa and Taj Coral Reef Resort & Spa in the Maldives, Taj Safari Lodges, India, Vivanta Kathmandu, and

the flow of global and domestic tourists into the resort in 2019.

Shukla further said, “Owing to the growing concern for wildlife, an increasing number of travellers are heading to our resort. e footfall will rise in the coming period and we intend to consolidate the basics of our foundation in the New Year.”

by TNH DESK

Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari.

Rahul Chaudhary joined the already successful CG Corp Global in 2006 as Managing Director.

Over the past thirteen years, the group’s portfolio has bloomed to its current monolithic growth by 4,300 per cent, with footprints in 20 countries. Heading the fast-growing hotel and travel wing, CG Hospitality, he manages and owns a portfolio of 130 hotels, 94 in operation, with the remainder expected to open within 2 years. by T NH DESK

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NEWS

POLISH VISA SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE IN NEW DELHI AND MUMBAI

Polish Visa Application Centre officially inaugurated in New Delhi

Residents of India can now apply for their Polish visas through VFS Global. Visa Applica-tion Centres in New Delhi and Mumbai have commenced operations recently, becoming the first of 10 locations where VFS Global will offer Polish visa services. e other cities in the pipeline are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kolkata. e centre in New Delhi was officially inaugurated on 13 December 2019 by H.E. Adam Burakowski, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan. e Embassy of Republic of Poland in India and VFS Global signed a contract on 19 Novem-

ber 2019 for the latter to provide visa services for Poland in India. Prior to this, travellers had to visit the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi or the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Mumbai to apply for their visas. e Republic of Poland has been witnessing a rapid increase in tourist and business arrivals from India over the years, with 2018 notching footfall of over 16,000 from the market. With the recently launched direct flights from New Delhi to Warsaw, these numbers are expected to increase exponentially.

H.E. Adam Burakowski, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Repub-lic of Poland to India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan said, “Poland is becoming more and

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

more attractive for Indians, with its rich business opportunities, various touristic destinations and excellent universities. e number of visa applicants is growing fast. Also the opening of the direct flight between Warsaw and New Delhi is a major step. We look to the cooperation with VFS Global with high hopes. We would like to make the visa application process easier and more accessible for people.”

Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group Chief Operating Officer - South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Americas, VFS Global said, “With the aim in mind to bring Polish visa services closer to home for Indian travellers, we are excited to have launched the centres in New Delhi and Mumbai today. Rich in history and culture, Poland

is striking a chord with Indians, becoming increasingly popular among discerning travellers, and we are honoured to be offering visa services for the destination on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi.”

Customers applying for their Polish visas through VFS Global can opt to submit their applications through the Premium Lounge, which offers end-toend personalised assistance throughout the process, including private biometric enrolment, all in a plush environment. ere is also a range of additional services offered, including courier return of processed passports and documents, and automated alerts on the progress of an application, among others.

by T NH DESK

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NEWS

Thomas Cook India to acquire rights to the Thomas Cook Brand for the India market omas Cook (India) has signed an agreement with AlixPartners, omas Cook UK’s appointed Special Managers, to acquire the rights to the omas Cook brand in India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius for a one-time payment of GBP 1.5 Million (approximately Rs. 139 Million).

TCIL was previously contracted to pay an annual brand licence fee of Rs. 20 Million to TCUK until 2024 for usage of the brand. omas Cook (India) Limited has operated the omas Cook brand name uninterrupted in India since 1881.

In 2012 when TCIL was acquired by Fairfax Financial Holdings of Canada, TCIL had entered into a Brand Licence Agreement with omas Cook Group UK for exclusive use of the brand name until 2024 across India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

by T NH DESK

GOAIR EXPANDS ITS DOMESTIC NETWORK WITH NEW FLIGHTS The airline adds two new destinations – Varanasi and Indore; six new routes to enhance connectivity between metros and tier-II cities.

GoAir recently announced the addition of 22 new flights to its ever growing network. These include two new destinations, namely, Varanasi and Indore, and also six new connections on its existing network, such as Bengaluru-Kochi, Kochi-Hyderabad, Delhi-Varanasi, Ahmedabad-Varanasi, DelhiIndore, Ahmedabad-Indore along with added frequency on the Delhi-Goa sector.

Effective 20 December 2019, GoAir connects the city of Bengaluru to Kochi. Flight G8-404 departs from Bengaluru at 17:45 hours and arrive in Kochi at 19:05, and flight G8 510 depart from Kochi at 23:45 hours and arrive in Bengaluru at 00:50 hours. Along with Bengaluru, GoAir now also connects Kochi to Hyderabad, to help the residents of both cities to strengthen trade ties and also give a boost to the tourism industry. Flight G8 505 departs from Kochi at 19:35 hours and arrive in Hyderabad at 21:10 hours, and flight G8 507 departs from Hyderabad at 21:45 hours and arrive in Kochi at 23:15 hours. These flights operate daily. by TNH DESK

GoAir ties-up with Thrillophilia While traveling for leisure or business, taking time out for a thrilling experience or activity is not just a desire but a possibility these days.

Not just millennials but increasingly people across age groups look forward to travel experiences that are unique. Thrillophilia.com has joined hands with GoAir, India’s most trusted, punctual and fastest growing airline, to extend an opportunity to the new-age travelers to plan and book their flights and desired experiential adventure activities with Thrillophilia on GoAir’s website.

Be it Scuba diving in Thailand, hiking trails in Himachal Pradesh, adrenaline-pumping sky-

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diving in Dubai, bungee jumping in Rishikesh, or river safari in Singapore - these and a lot more experiences are now available to customers, just at the click of a button through GoAir's website. Excursions involving trekking, experiencing local culture & customs, food walks, cookery classes, and a lot more have skyrocketed with the yearly growth figures between 50-125 per cent. This trend of experience-based travel continues to increase and Thrillophilia always strives to enhance the traveler’s experience and create memories that will last a lifetime. Thrillophilia is one of the top online experiential travel booking platforms in

India with more than 40 million online traffic.

With its services widespread across 200+ cities in India and successfully selling experiences of 15+ Asian countries, it continues to create long-lasting memories across the world.

Focussing on off-beat travel experiences like historical walks, adventure activities, bicycle trail tours and more, Thrillophilia has a wealth of activities to cater to the wanderlust of its customers.

by T NH DESK

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NEWS

VFS GLOBAL LAUNCHES ‘MOBILE BIOMETRICS’ VISA SERVICES FOR ITALY VISA APPLICANTS ACROSS INDIA • ‘Doorstep’ service allows customers in all cities of India to submit their visa application from the comfort of their office or a location of their own choice • According to the Embassy of Italy in India, 555,000 travellers from Indiavisited Italy in 2019, a 15% increase over the previous year VFS Global has launched the Mobile Biometrics*service for Italian visa customers across India, enabling them to submit applications, documents, and enrol biometricsfrom the comfort of their office or any location of their choice, making it more convenient than ever before. is ‘doorstep’ service can be delivered to individuals andgroups livingin all cities in India.A team of trained VFS Global staff will visit the customer at the location of their choiceto collect theirvisa applicationand enrol biometric data.ey will also be available to assist with any visa application queries, ensuring the application process is fast, convenient and stress-free.

Submissions from large tour groups, business delegates and school trips wishing to travel to Italy, will especially benefit from this new service, as the applicants will not be re-

quired to visit a Visa Application Centre to sumbit their applications. e documents, once processed with the visa decisionwill be returned by courier to the customer’s desired location. e Mobile Biometricsservice is optional and applicants will have to pay an additional fee.

Rise in travel to Italy e service has been introduced in view of the rise in travel to Italy from India.

According to the Embassy of Italy in India, around 555,000 travellers from Indiavisited Italy in 2019, an increase of 15% over the previous year.

Vincenzo de Luca, the Ambassador of Italy, said, “e launch of this new service completes the rich offer of Visa services for the Indian public. It will allow companies and individuals to submit their visa applications for Italy literally ‘in house’.”

Ambassador de Luca adds, “In just one year, the Italian visa offer in India has been thoroughly updated. e mobile collection of biometric data is in fact added to the widest VAC network for collecting visa applications in India, the option of presenting the applications via dropboxes pan-India, the free VFS

TAT TARGETS 3.18 TRILLION BAHT IN TOURISM REVENUE FOR THAILAND IN 2020

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is expecting 3.18 trillion Baht in overall tourism revenue for Thailand in 2020, or a 4% yearon-year increase. This includes 2.02 trillion Baht from international tourists (up 3%) and 1.16 trillion Baht from domestic tourists (up 5%).

The outlook for 2020 follows the overall

V I NAY MALHOTRA R E GIONAL GROUP COO, SOUTH ASIA, M I DDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA, & AMERICAS, V F S GLOBAL

Global Italy app to monitor in real time the status of the application, and three exclusive Casa Italia Visa lounges in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata”.

Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO, South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, & Americas, VFS Global, said, “While VFS Global has an extensive physical network of Visa Application Centres in 17 cities across India, this service exponentially increases the reach of visa services to every corner of the country. is optional service was developed keeping in mind customers’ demand for flexibility and superior experience, allowing them to submit applications, documents and enroll biometrics, all from the comfort of their home or office.”

Apart from Italy, VFS Global offers the Mobile Biometrics Service (also called the Visa At Your Doorstep service) for 17 other governments in India, namely: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the UK. by TNH DESK tourism situation in 2019, which is estimated to generate 3.06 trillion Baht (4% increase over 2018), comprising 1.96 trillion Baht (up 4%) from 39.77 million international tourists (also up 4%) and 1.10 trillion Baht (up 3%) from 167 million domestic trips (up 1%). Thailand welcomed the 39 millionth tourist on 27

by TNH DESK December, 2019.

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NEWS

UK VISITORS TO GCC TO INCREASE 22% BY 2024, REPORTS ATM

2.8 million UK residents will travel to the GCC in 2024, an additional 500,000 travellers when compared with 2018.

Arrivals from the UK to the GCC will increase 22% over the period 2018 to 2024, driven by new and direct flight routes, competitive air fares and a growing number of leisure travellers, according to the latest data

released ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from Sunday 19 – Wednesday 22 April 2020.

According to research carried out by Colliers International, on behalf of ATM, as many as 2.8 million UK residents will travel to the GCC in 2024, an additional 500,000 travellers when compared to 2018 arrival figures.

Adding to this, figures from ATM 2019 show the number of delegates, exhibitors and attendees interested in doing business with the UK increased by 5%.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Historically, the UK and the GCC have enjoyed excellent travel and tourism links

and this trend is set to continue over the next four years despite the economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the bleak pound to dollar exchange rate, in which sterling has declined 18.9% since 19thJune 2015.

“However, the UAE is expected to continue to be the preferred GCC destination for British tourists, welcoming a projected 2.23 million visitors by 2023. Saudi Ara-

bia will follow with 251,000 visitors, while Oman will welcome 165,000, Bahrain 159,000 and Kuwait 5,000.”

UK tourists travelling to the GCC are expected to generate an estimated US$6.3 billion in travel and tourism revenue by 2024, an increase of 34% when compared with figures from 2018, according to the

by TNH DESK research data.

RezLive.com & Designer Voyages roadshow strengthens Dubai as the preferred destination for the Indian source market 19th December, 2019 Dubai:e RezLive.com & Designer Voyages Team and Hotel partners hit the road in December to meet with travel agents and tour operators in four cities. e “Winter IndiaRoadshow”, held 09 – 12December, 2019 included stops in Ahmedabad, Surat, Indore and Jaipur offering opportunities for 1000+ travel professionals to connect with leading hotels from Dubai.

Travel Designer Group, utilized this

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

platform to orient the travel agents on the launch of its new brand “Designer Voyages” with an objective to scale up their inbound product to UAE and gave travel partners the platform to meet top Dubai hotels namely Caesars Bluewaters, Avani Deira, Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City, Rixos Hotels, Two Seasons Hotel and R Hotels, which focus on Indian Market.

At each city the hoteliers oriented about their property to the local travel

partners and even had one to one interaction with them and made them aware about the offerings, which helped the travel agents to get actual insights which they can pass on to their clients and have these hotels as an option.

by T NH DESK

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TARGETING INDIAN CRICKET LOVERS & HIGH-SPENDERS Tourism Australia is betting big on the upcoming ICC Men’s and Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup and is readying itself to receive a record number of Indian tourist arrivals.

Encouraged by the stupendous success of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 held in Down Under, Tourism Australia has teamed up with International Cricket Council and has rolled out an amazing campaign themed- “Experience the Game and Beyond”.

ICC T20 Cricket World Cup will be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground that has a capacity to accommodate around 100,024 cricket fans. Nishant Kashikar, Country Head-India, Tourism Australia commented, “India has emerged as the fastest growing inbound market for Tourism Australia for three consecutive years. We are capitalizing on the contextual media opportunity and we intend to target Indian cricket lovers and travellers to offer them a fine blend of cricket and fabulous holiday experience.

With March 8th observed as International Women’s Day, we are looking to create a novel world record for attendance of women’s sporting fixture. The Australian government has doled out AUD 5 million in the Indian market to offer a boost to T20 Cricket World Cups. We are optimistic to receive nearly 5 lakh Indian visitors in the 2020-2021 fiscal.”

The Indian MICE sector presents a huge opportunity for Tourism Australia. Kashikar said, “A growing number of corporates are embarking upon global travel for organizing business meets and for rewarding the sound performances of the employees.Large-scale events attract MICE travellers and we are eager to invest in this sector. The Australian visa on offer for MICE tourists is quite attractive and simple since

Nishant Kashikar Country Head-India, Tourism Australia

The Australian government has doled out AUD 5 million in the Indian market to offer a boost to T20 Cricket World Cups.

tourists need not visit the visa office in person or submit biometrics or attend any interview. The whole process of submitting passport and financial documents can be carried out online that saves both time and cost. There are special arrangements to provide support to MICE groups. They can approach india.businessvisas@dfat.gov.a u,a visa officer will be assigned to offer personalized support to the MICE tourist.”There are regular trainings imparted to leading MICE agents in India in order to abreast them of the latest developments in the MICE sector.

“There were around 3.9 lakh Indian tourist arrivals in 2019 recording a growth of 12 per cent and the average spending capacity of Indian tourists have gone up by 17 per cent. We are eyeing about 1 million Indian tourist arrivals by 20252026,” quipped Kashikar.

by T NH DESK

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AYANA KOMODO RESORT WELCOMES NEW PARTYBOAT AYANA LAKO SAE The luxury resort announces the launch of its stylish 10cabana party cruise boat.

AYANA Komodo Resort, Waecicu Beach has welcomed a new addition to its already impressive boat fleet - AYANA Lako Sae. The new three-deck boat offers party

cruising and lifestyle accommodation in her ten ocean-access VIP cabanas located on the lower deck.

The cruise boat accommodates up to 150 guests, and is the new addition to the party scene at Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores.

‘LakoSae’ in the local language

means ‘to gather together and have fun’. Hence, she will offer numerous fun-related activities such as sunset, half-day and full-day cruises, during which guests will enjoy food and drinks from the bar, sunbathing in the white-textile loungers and on stylish poofs; fun stops for snorkeling or SUP. Finally, the boat’s ten ocean-access cabanas will offer comfortable relaxation inside on their tatami mattresses or on their outside nets.

With an impressive length of almost 29 meters (95 feet), AYANA

Lako Saetakes guests for unforgettable full-day party cruises and snorkeling getaways around Labuan Bajo Harbor and Komodo National Park’s wonders like Bidadari and Pungu islands, Taka Makassar sandbank, Manta Point and the famous Rinca island with its indigenous Komodo dragons.

The boat is also available for private charters (8 hours and 24 hours) including corporate events, weddings and private parties.

by T NH DESK

LOT ANNOUNCES WASHINGTON D.C. AS NEW LONG-HAUL DESTINATION Effective 2nd June, LOT Polish Airlines will launch a new route from the Polish capital and Star Alliance hub Warsaw to Washington D.C. operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliner in a 3cabin configuration.

The new flight connects seamlessly with LOT Polish Airlines New Delhi – Warsaw service (all local times): LO-039 WAW-IAD 16:5020:30 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, & LO-040 IAD-WAW 22:25-13:25 (+1) on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. A direct flight from Warsaw to Washington D.C. has long been on our short list.

During extensive business analyses, we focused not only on connecting the capitals of Poland and the United States, but also on the tourist and business potential offered by this connection which has been growing year by year. Moreover, so far Central and Eastern Europe has lacked such a conven-

ient connection to Washington D.C. New long-haul flights to the USA are the backbone of our strategy and announcing the new connection to Washington now certainly is not our last word," says Rafał Milczarski, CEO of LOT Polish Airlines.

"Our decision to announce yet another connection to the U.S. this year was also influenced by the fact that on 11th November 2019, Poland joined the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). It is a great success of the President of Poland, Mr Andrzej Duda, as well as Polish diplomacy and a milestone in Polish-American relationship. I am delighted that our social campaign "Let’s visit USA without visas" that we initiated in 2018 has also contributed to this historic success.

Now Poles can easily travel to the USA for tourist and business purposes without a visa. The new connection perfectly complements our

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North American network," added Rafał Milczarski.

LOT operates over 120 routes around the world. In 2019, LOT carried 10 million passengers, one million more than in the previous year and as many as 5.7 million more than in 2015. Passengers from India can seamlessly connect to the new Washington flight via Warsaw (transit times between 65 and 75 minutes depending on day or week). Schedules have been loaded on all sales channels.

LOT Polish Airlines is a modern carrier connecting the Central and Eastern Europe with the rest of the world. In 2019, LOT carried more than 10 million passengers. Annually, LOT provides a comfortable journey as part of over 120 connections all over the world. Its offer includes direct long-haul flights to airports in the United States, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India and Sri Lanka.

by T NH DESK

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NEWS

LEMON TREE HOTELS MAKES INTERNATIONAL DEBUT Lemon Tree Hotels has made its international debut with the launch of its Lemon Tree Hotel its Dubai.

Lemon Tree Hotels Limited, through its management subsidiary Carnation HotelsPvt. Ltd., announced the international debut of the company, with the launch of the first Lemon Tree Hotel in Dubai.Lemon Tree Hotels Limited is India’s largest hotel chain in the mid-priced hotel sector, and the third largest overall.

The hotel, owned by Al Waleed Real Estate LLC, is located on Al Wasl Road, less than a kilometre from Sheikh Zayed Road and Jumeirah Open Beach, and is the first branded midscale hotelin

the area. The hotel features114 well-appointed rooms, complemented by a multi-cuisine restaurant, Lemon Tree Café, with a beautiful al fresco extension, a conference room, a swimming pool, a well-equipped fitness centerand more.

Speaking on the occasion, Rattan Keswani, Deputy Managing Director – Lemon Tree Hotels and Director – Carnation Hotels, said, “This is our first hotel in the UAE, and we feel that it holds immense business potential. We have a locational advantage, with the hotel strategically situatedclose to famous destinations like Burj Al Arab,Kite beach and the Mall of Emirates, andare equidistant from Business Bay and JLT,

the two major business districts of Dubai. Such is our proximity to the Burj Al Arab, that our guests can enjoy unhindered views of

the iconic building from the pool deck, and even some of the rooms.”

A short twenty-minute drive from Dubai International Airport, and close to Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Barsha Heights, and Knowledge Park, this hotel is ideal for business and leisure travellers to the city.

Important city landmarks like Kite Beach, Dubai Marina, The Walk at JBR, Souk Madinat Jumeirah and Palm Jumeirah are all easily accessible from the hotel.

by TNH DESK

SRILANKAN AIRLINES AND GULF AIR INK CODESHARE AGREEMENT SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, and Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, have entered into a codeshare partnership with effect from 18th December 2019, significantly enhancing the travel options of their respective valued customers.

Under this agreement, SriLankan Airlines will place its ‘UL’ code on Gulf Air’s flights from Bahrain to Colombo, the Greek capital Athens and Larnaca in Cyprus.Gulf Air will in turn place its ‘GF’ code on SriLankan Airlines’ flights from Colombo to Bahrain.

Vipula Gunatilleka, SriLankan Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer said, “We are pleased to enter into this codeshare agreement with Gulf Air. It is part of our strategy to create and strengthen partnerships with airlines of global reputation in terms of quality, service and reliability and we have no doubt that our valued passengers will enjoy their travel with Gulf Air.” Krešimir Kučko, Gulf Air’s Chief Executive Officer said: “We are happy to sign with SriLankan Airlines and increase number of direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Sri Lanka”. He also

added: “With our strong network in the Europe and North Africa, SriLankan Airlines can now offer more destinations to their passengers through our flights with one stop in our fast and efficient hub, Bahrain International Airport”.

SriLankan is a member of the oneworld global airline partnership, which connects travellers to over

1,000 cities in 160 countries through its oneworld world-class airlines. It is firmly established as one of the leading airlines in the Indian Ocean region, being the largest carriers to both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the largest foreign airline in India, with its hub in Colombo.

by T NH DESK

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KERALA LITERATURE FESTIVAL 2020 ON 16-19TH JAN

The New Delhi curtain raiser of the Kerala Literature Festival 2020 gave a sneak peek of the event, touted as the largest cultural gathering in South India and the fastest-growing literature festival on the continent. Renowned author and MP from Thiruvanthapuram Dr. ShashiT haroor hosted the evening at the national capital that saw attendance from prominent personalities, authors and publishers. Dr. Shashi Tharoor praised the people of Kerala for their eclectic and "tremendous" love for literature and said the state had taken a lead in setting high standards for the written word. The fifth edition of the 4-day festival will be held from the 16th to 19th of January 2020 at Calicut.

The fifth edition of KLF will also see independent publishing consultant Hemali Sodhi join the organizers in the capacity of Festival Advisor. Over the Years, KLF has seen unparalleled growth amongst literature festivals in the continent and this edition promises to be the grandest of all with the introduction of two new initiatives: The KLF Literature Awards in the categories of Fiction, Non Fiction,

by TNH DESK Popular Science.

PRIDE GROUP'S NEW PROPERTY IN BHARATPUR Pride Group of Hotels has launched ‘Pride KadambKunj Resort’ at Bharatpur, its second property in the vibrant state of Rajasthan. Prominently located on NH-11 Fatehpur Sikri Road, Bharatpur, this upscale ethnic resort is an expression of the spirit of Rajasthan and its royal elegance.e resort property is spread over 3 acres that gives a feeling of openness and greenery all around. With major tourist attractions namely FatehpurSikri, Bird Sanctuary, Museum, Agra, MehendipurBalaji, Deeg Palace, Mathura/Vrindavan,in close proximity, the hotel boasts of aesthetically designed rooms & suites ideal for leisure travelers.

Announcing the launch, S.P. Jain, Managing Director, Pride Hotels Limited says, “Rajasthan with its vibrant culture enjoys pre-eminence in attracting large section of leisure tourists from across the world. We are delighted to open our second resort in Rajasthan at Bharatpur to tap the growing potential

by TNH DESK in this region.

Welcomhotel opens in Amritsar ITC Hotels recently opened Welcomhotel Amritsar. Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt. Amarinder Singh inaugurated the latest addition to Punjab’s hospitality destinations that promises to further enrich the vibrant tourism landscape of Punjab. He said, “the property build around century-old Haveli will further strengthen Punjab’s industry and tourism.” Spread across eight acres of manicured greens, the magnificent Welcomhotel Amritsar is centred around a

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

colonnaded mansion, the erstwhile Sandhanwalia Haveli, which traces its origins to the early 1900s and has been lovingly restored with all modern comforts while preserving the cultural, architectural and culinary nuances of a splendid era. The splendour of this century-old heritage property which ITC has aesthetically restored is set to redefine the tourism landscape of Punjab and will make a meaningful contribution to the tourism potential of the state. by T NH DESK

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“““ NEWS

SATTE 2020 DELIVERS THE BEST OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM LINE-UP Mapping trends and building partnerships are the key focus for the 27th edition of South Asia’s leading and celebrated travel show

Every year, we put in our best efforts to make SATTE bigger and this year we aim to reach new milestones with the continued support from our exhibitors and partner countries and states.

Yogesh Mudras MD, Informa Markets in India

Informa Markets in India (formerly UBM India), India's leading B2B exhibition organizer, is organising the 27th edition of SATTE (South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange) from the 8th to 10th of January, 2020 at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi – NCR. is year, over 1,050 exhibitors and buyers and travel professionals from over 50 countries and 104 Indian cities, are set to visit the show. e expo continues to provide a comprehensive platform to the professionals from all segments of travel, tourism and hospitality industry from across the globe. e show equally offer platforms to players of the inbound, domestic and outbound markets.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

TAT together with around 80 Thai We plan to showcase our entire portfolio of cruise lines right exhibitors will participate as partner from the contemporary brand country in SATTE 2020. This will Royal Caribbean International to be the largest contingent of the Modern luxury Celebrity Thai exhibitors at SATTE, Cruises to Boutique Azamara a significant increase over the Club at SATTE 2020. total of 70 in SATTE 2019.

Isra Stapanaseth Director, TAT

Varun Chadha CEO, Tirun Travel Marketing

With a focus on building new business partnerships and announcements, the threeday expo promises to deliver and discuss current trends in the industry. Keeping up with their annual promise, SATTE 2020 will host an exciting line-up of conferences to enlighten the industry by addressing the challenges and opportunities that India tourism offers. SATTE 2020 continues to receive active support from various Indian and International travel and trade associations, wedding planners, corporate travel decisionmakers and investors amongst others. While Indonesia is the Premium Partner country for SATTE 2020, ailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Sri Lanka are Partner

Countries. Mauritius is the Feature Country for SATTE 2020. Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal and Goa are confirmed as Partner States and a few more are set to join in.

Uttar Pradesh is the host state for SATTE 2020. Besides, many other countries and states are participating in various capacities.

With an exciting line-up of conferences, SATTE 2020 will host a series of sessions and workshops, presented and lead by high profile speakers and industry stalwarts, covering topics from all aspects of the industry. e first-panel discussion on ‘Global Economic Scenario and Tourism Trends’ on Day 1 will discuss the emerging

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NEWS

scenario in the global travel and tourism industry and in India. e second-panel discussion: ‘Adventure Tourism: Unlocking New Avenues’ will focus on major challenges in adventure tourism. Day 2 of SATTE 2020 Conference will once again be a Corporate Travel Day powered by the Corporate Travel Community (CTC) that are set to organise two powerful sessions on Airline Programmes + NDC Education Forum and ‘e Accommodation Outlook and Technology Innovations Education Forum’.

Apart from these, the Network of India MICE Agents (NIMA) will organise a set of 5 sessions and 2 workshops on MICE tourism.

SATTE has grown hand-in-hand with the consistent support of the Ministry of Tourism as well as all State Tourism Ministries/Boards and the Indian travel and tourism fraternity in totality. Continued support of international organizations/associations and Indian travel trade associations such as UNWTO, IATO, TAAI, ADTOI, TAFI, IAAI, ICPB, UFTAA, PATA & ETAA to name a few have helped bolster the efforts of SATTE. Speaking on the expectations from SATTE 2020, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India said “Every year, we put in our best efforts to make SATTE bigger and this year we aim to reach new milestones with the continued support from our exhibitors and partner countries and states. Growing at a rapid pace, in 2018, the travel and tourism sectors

contribution to GDP was INR 16.91lakh crore ($240 billion) and is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.9% to INR 32.05 lakh crore by 2028. e government of India has also introduced a Tax Refund for Tourists (TRT) to encourage tourists to spend more in India and boost the country’s tourism.

India offers geographical diversity and has a diverse portfolio of niche tourism products, cruise adventures, eco-tourism and rural & religious tourism bringing a multitude of foreign tourists to the country. Our domestic, inbound and outbound tourism have been recording substantial growth in the last few years.” “e government has also launched marketing and branding initiatives while also taking efforts to boost investment in the tourism sector. e Incredible India 2.0 campaign saw the launch of its mobile app that would assist a traveller in India and showcase the experiences of travelling in the country. With such incredible growth in the sector, SATTE is extremely important for all those associated with the travel & tourism and hospitality industry. In fact, the trend of destination weddings has been well captured by our exhibitors this year and thus SATTE 2020, is a holistic expo that maps and analyses such trends along with forecasting developments in the sectors and providing viable solutions to help business thrive in the ever-evolving industry” said Mudras.

Speaking about ailand as a trending tourist spot, Isra Stapanaseth, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, said,

“ailand received a total of 38.27 million tourists in 2018 worldwide which is up by 7% and for 2019, we are forecasting 39.8 million foreign tourists. From India we have received 1.59 million Indian tourists in 2018 and in 2019 from January to October we received 1.63 million tourists. e trend of increasing foreign and Indian tourists is due to ailand’s Visa on arrival facilities and normal visas granted by the Royal ai Embassy and ai Consulates in various cities. e application of free visa on arrival for Indians has resulted in a 25% growth in Indian tourists to ailand which is a remarkable increase from 2018. As a result of the simple and cost-effective visa process, travellers are able to plan last minute, hasslefree holidays due to VOA facility and E-Visa provided to visit ailand. e Tourism Authority of ailand (TAT) together with around 80 ai exhibitors will participate as a partner country in the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange 2020 (SATTE 2020) to be held in New Delhi. is will be the largest contingent of ai exhibitors at SATTE, a significant increase over the total of 70 in SATTE 2019. is year marks the 12th year of ailand's presence at SATTE. Like every year, TAT hopes to introduce more and more hotels, airlines, DMCs and attractions in ailand to the Indian travel trade. Our campaign “Open to the New Shades” is still going strong. During SATTE 2020, TAT will launch “Amazing ailand Destination Plus” which is combining main cities to emerging and secondary cities.

Speaking about industry trends, Varun Chadha, CEO, Tirun Travel Marketing, said, “At SATTE 2020 we are looking at growing our network, building relationships with our existing partners, finding collaborators and gaining an overall sense of the market. Since we are also the India Representative of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd we plan to showcase our entire portfolio of cruise lines right from the contemporary brand Royal Caribbean International to the Modern luxury Celebrity Cruises to Boutique Azamara Club and ultra-luxury Silversea at SATTE 2020.”

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TOURISM INDUSTRY EXPECTS BUOYANCY IN 2020 India's Travel & Tourism Industry is hopeful that the New Year 2020 will be a better year for them. Many hospitality companies have lined-up aggressive expansion plans for the new year.

We have a clearly outlined plans for the next few years for us. For 2020 we are readying for an aggressive expansion with at least 35 more properties that we plan to add to our overall portfolio.

2019 was a challenging year in all aspects for inbound travel in India. The overall numbers to the destination are most certainly down and that has affected companies of all sizes.

In 2020, properties are expected to develop more immersive experience packages where customers will contribute towards responsible tourism.

However, there will be a premium on properties doing eco-tourism.

SN Srivastava President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels

Rajeev Kohli Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel

Aditi Balbir Founder & CEO, V Resorts

By Prem Kumar

e last year was a mixed bag for India's travel & tourism industry. For some hospitality chains like Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, 2019 was exceptionally good. For India's inbound tourism sector, the last year was a challenging year for many reasons, most importunately, the lack of policy initiatives.

For Clarks Inn Group, 2019 was a landmark year. e company reached the milestone figure of 100 hotel portfolio in the month of December. "Today we have an operational portfolio of about 65 properties and over 35 in the development pipeline.

We accomplished this in a span of less than 14 years since we began our operation in early 2006. Furthermore, today we are

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

seeing much greater interest in our brands by hotel owners and developers. We added a total of 22 properties to our overall portfolio in 2019 alone," said SN Srivastava, President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels. Speaking about challenges, Srivastava said that the Travel & Hospitality sector needs an enabling environment to prosper and grow. "ough there were positive developments like rationalization of GST etc. but it is still on the higher side.

We need GST in the lowest slab, that is, at 5%, to help the sector grow. e slowdown in the economy, and more recently, the recent development in the country have also affected the sector. We need a peaceful and harmonious environment for the businesses to thrive. Concerns regarding

safety and security and cleanliness are also key to not only growing the inbound numbers but also domestic leisure travel."

According to Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel, said that 2019 was a challenging year in all aspects for inbound travel in India. "e overall numbers to the destination wer most certainly down and that has affected companies of all sizes. Key source markets showed a lot of domestic changes that affected travel to our region. We at Creative did work hard to retain our position if not grow. We did have our good moments though. Being certified as a 'Great Place to Work' was one of them as we are the first travel company in our business to have been done so. We also won our fair share of

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Pranjal Prashar Co-Founder & CEO, RepUp

awards which kept the team’s moral up," said Kohli. As for his expectations from 2020, he said, "2020 is probably destined to be a normal year like 2019. ere are no signs of any dramatic changes in the government’s policies towards tourism; nor are there any signs of any recovery in our key source markets that would make me believe that the coming year would be any better than the past. So all we can do is work hard and strive on to at least ourselves do better than we had in the past."

Clarks Inn Group of Hotels has clearly outlined plans for the next few years. "For 2020 we are readying for aggressive expansion with at least 35 more properties that we plan to add to our overall portfolio.

Furthermore, we want to expand our footprints beyond India and Nepal that we currently operate in and we are confident of sharing the good news in 2020 itself," informed Srivastava, while talking about his expectations from the new year. He added, "We are currently in talks with property owners and developers in Bangladesh, Middle East, in the ASEAN region especially Malaysia, ailand and Singapore, and the UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. We have recently opened an office in the Netherlands that will focus on the European market.

Furthermore, plans are afoot to open an office in Singapore too in the coming year."

Summing up 2019, Aditi Balbir, Founder & CEO of V Resorts, said that the heat of

global economic slowdown was also witnessed by the travel industry last year.

"Starting from the summer months (April – June) to the festive season (October –December), the last year turned out to be lukewarm in terms of leisure travel," said, Balbir, adding that 2019 also witnessed a lot of growth in terms of sustainable or ecotourism. Many hotels and resorts had started focusing on responsible and experiential tourism holidays. V Resorts was recognized by UNWTO for promoting sustainable tourism in India. With a wellknown holiday destination becoming overcrowded, the government, understanding the need, has started focusing on developing oeat destinations so that they can be put those destinations into mainstream tourism.

As regards her expectations from the new year, Balbir said that as we are living in the times when Greta unberg, a 16-year-old from Sweden, has become the face of climate change, we believe that in 2020 customers will be all the more conscious and responsible in terms of the impact they are creating while travelling. Hotels and resorts are expected to develop more immersive experience packages where customers will automatically contribute towards responsible tourism. However, she added, "there will be a premium on properties doing eco-tourism which we expect the customer, being a responsible traveller, shall be willing pay for."

2019 was good for Jaypee Hotels and Resorts. e group increased its number of live entertainment sessions for its patrons giving them larger than life experiences at its properties. “We are receiving a fair amount of queries for packages this year as well. e responses from our clientele have been quite impressive so far and we are hoping to stride on this. We have experimented with our food palate and our renowned chefs are bringing in global tastes with Indian twists. We have very well trained staff that is always committed to providing the best of services to our audience. We have also introduced a lot of technologies and services in order to make operations way better for consumers,” said

Hari Sukumar, VP, Jaypee Palace Hotel & Convention Centre, Agra. According to Sukumar, the Highlight of 2019 has been the sustenance of Market ADR’S and valuebased selling in the MICE and Travel Markets, though this has definitely caused a dip in occupancy percentages for the year the quality and profile of the clientele has changed and we were able to leverage the lucrative wedding segments across the board. is helped change the profile landscape and also helped our overall business from the wedding segment grow to more than 15 % on an annualized basis. e Change in GST structure also helped us upsell our premium rooms to the value it deserves.

Regarding challenges in 2019, Sukumar said that hospitality sectors faced an acute shortage of skilled manpower. Along with that some of the other challenges which were crippling the hospitality industry were higher utility cost, economic risks, high capital costs, poor infrastructure facilities and scarcity of land.

As for his expectations from 2020, Sukumar said that the hospitality industry is evolving at a faster pace as compared to recent years. With the growth of tourist inflow, the hospitality industry has become one of the main sectors to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) influx. India’s online hotel market is expected to grow to $4 billion with 31 per cent penetration at a CAGR of 25 per cent. e government is giving high priority to tourism as a contributing segment for economic growth. e target is to attract nearly 16-milliontourists by 2020 which will give a lot of opportunities to tour operators, tourist guides, hoteliers, and transporters. "We also believe the economic environment is becoming more conducive for growth in the long term. India is increasingly becoming a favourite tourist destination among travellers. With better infrastructure, adoption of advanced technologies and services, we are hoping to attract more number of clienteles in the near future," added Sukumar.

G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CMD, ITDC, said that the Indian tourism and hospitality

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industry emerged as one of the key drivers of growth in India last year. "e government has been actively working towards tapping a plethora of opportunities available in the sector to actualize its true potential. "With the government’s effort to drive tourism as well as our Honourable PM’ requesting citizens to explore the country, I think we are set to become one of the world’s sought aer tourist destinations” added Rao. Sapna Arora, Director Shri Radha Brij Vasundhara Resort and Spa, Govardhan, Mathura said that contrary to the general perception of a slowdown in India's Hospitality sector, 2019 was a good year for her property. "We opened new vista's, we had film shooting units staying with us, we also had a high number of Marwari weddings happening. Besides we had Yoga retreats and multiple Bhagwat Katha group also staying with us. Besides Govt may also bring a separate Shrine Board for Govardhan, which will be hugely positive for the growth of tourists in Govardhan." said Arora. Having stated the positives, Arora said there were certain challenges as well. "ere are too many infrastructure projects happening in the city which make people reaching here a little longer than usual. Hope these projects will becompleted soon and ease the movement of the tourists to Govardhan."

Speaking about her expectations from 2020, Arora said, "Our hopes are high. We are expecting an even better occupancy, more weddings and international group visits. e challenge we can see is from political issues like the current agitation, hopefully, this will also subside. Another challenge is on the perception front, people treat Govardhan as just a religious pilgrimage centre and not as a leisure spot.

We would like to change this perception, though religious pilgrimage remains a top draw, our place can also be used for leisure activities like office offsites and other purposes. Mathura is now becoming famous for film shoots and we expect more films to be shot here.”

In 2019, Treehouse retained its streak of a continued year on year growth with 2019

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

also putting up a strong show with an 11% increase. A hyper-saturated market such as Goa which has seen a steep drop of 30% has seen Treehouse buck the trend and remain on a growth curve. "We are excited about the iconic hotels that have come on board and will be welcoming guests from the next financial year. e highpoint is definitely the fact that even in the midst of a slowdown, we are able to grow and deliver results for our partner hotels," said Jayant Singh, Founder & Managing Partner of Treehouse Hotels & Resorts."

On his expectation from the new year, Singh said that the economic slowdown will take longer to make a turnaround and in the meanwhile pressure the hotels to offer lower rates with domestic and inbound influx hitting further valleys. "We at Treehouse have preempted and allowed for these undesirable variances with a proper strategy in place to keep our head above the water and even swim ashore safely."

Making a positive assessment of about 2019, Pranjal Prashar, Co-Founder & CEO of RepUp said that the last year was a good

year for hotels, which started to invest more in personalization and AI and legacy technologies started to give way to new and innovative technologies that will help the hospitality industry exceed guest expectations. “We have also seen a migration from on-premise solutions to cloud solutions in recent years, and we only expect this to grow in 2020.” For RepUp in particular, 2019 was a year of growth, due to our innovation first approach to product design and fast adoption of our enterprise platform Xperium. On his expectations, Prasharm said, “We expect that in 2020, there will be wider adoption of a few technologies than in 2019. A few of these include In-room voice activated technology, mobile key access, guest experience platforms, in-room tablets and AI powered CRM platforms. All of these technologies have a common goal - providing a better, more convenient and seamless guest experience. With the number of millennial and gen Z travellers on the rise, integrating technology into the guest journey has never been more important."

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On an expansion mode Chhattisgarh’s The Aananda Imperial is going for expansion and is closely working with the state tourism board to transform Bilaspur into a tourist retreat.

Bilaspur’s luxury hospitality groupe Aananda Imperial is on an expansion binge and has made its entry in Bengaluru in the category of medium range hotel. If things go according to the plan, the hotel is expected to be in operation sometime in the first quarter of 2020. e boutique property is being set up at Yashwantpur in Bengaluru.

Besides, the hospitality group from the house of V N Inn Private Limited is also going for expansion at its Bilaspur property. Rajib Roy Choudhury, General Manager, e Aananda Imperial Hotel commented, “Work has begun and we are

increasing the capacity of our banquet by 2,750 sq.  that would gear up by March, next year. e Dewan or the lawn sprawling over an area of 40,000 sq.  would be spruced up with an additional area of 30,000 sq.  thereby making it the largest lawn in Bilaspur. is is likely toemerge asthe second largest lawn in Chhattisgarh. e property will have facilities for spa and swimming pool in the New Year. A club will come up in our property that will be replete with squash room, library, card room and music lounge and this would open its doors by May 2020.”

At the same time, the hospitality player is eyeing the major metros of India like Kolkata and the North-eastern state of Tripura. Roy Choudhury said, “We would like to foray into Raipur with 3545 rooms and we are scouting for oppor-

tunities in Kolkata. Our hospitality group has recorded an average occupancy of 78 per cent that is about 16 per cent above the average city occupancy. ere were around 20 per cent global travellers comprising the corporate, free individual visitors in 2019. e growth of Russian, German and Korean tourists is likely to go up in the New Year. An airport will be rolled out in Bilaspur and we are working with Chhattisgarh Tourism Board to establish Bilaspur as a tourist destination.”

by TNH DESK

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS OF AAI RECEIVE FIRST EVER LICENSE Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, handed over the first ever licence to air traffic controller of Airports Authority of India at a ceremony held in Ministry of Civil Aviation, at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, New Delhi. is is the first time that the air traffic controllers are being granted licences by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) under Aircra Rules, 1937.

For many decades, the air traffic services are being provided safely and efficiently at civil airports, in Indian territorial airspace or airspace over high seas outside the Indian territorial airspace in pursuance of any

international arrangement, by trained and qualifiedair traffic controllers. ese air traffic controllers were rated to provide air traffic services in accordance with the norms established by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Aer an audit conducted

by Universal Safety Oversight agency of ICAO in November 2017, ICAO recommended that the DGCA as a regulator, shall maintain oversight over the functions of air traffic controllers in Airports Authority of India,an Air Navigation Service Provider. Ministry of Civil Aviation, then directed the Director-General, Civil Aviation to issue licences

and rating to air traffic controllers of AAI. To enable licencing of air traffic controllers, Director General Civil Aviation approved the Air Traffic Services Training Organisations of Airports Authority of India located at Prayagraj, Hyderabad and Gondia to

conduct approved training courses for air traffic controllers. rough a concerted and coordinated effort on the part of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA & AAI, the process for licensing of air traffic controllers of AAI

by TNH DESK started.

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F E AT U R E

THE EAST: EMERGING TRAVEL HUB OF INDIA

The eastern states have undergone a makeover with better infrastructure facilities in place, foraying of luxury hospitality properties and setting up of global convention centres particularly in Bengal offering a thrust to MICE travel.

By Swaati Chaudhury

e eastern belt of India including West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand is a repository of historical, cultural and natural heritage and tourism infrastructure has been spruced up in tourist destinations of these states. At a time when tourism is picking up in the eastern states and developing at a pace and

with the hosting of national tourism conclaves, MICE tourism is coming of age in Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar, things appear quite bullish. But there are a few glitches on the path of tourism growth in the form of ongoing agitation against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) that

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

Benjamin Simone Member of Tourism Advisory Council, Government of Odisha

have tarnished the reputation of tourist destinations across the country. TnH catches up with leading tourism industry experts and hoteliers in the eastern region to find out the ground reality of the situation.

Tourism is one of the biggest contributors to GDP in the country, can generate the highest employment potential and earn foreign exchange. Rajib Roy Choudhury, General Manager,

Binay Kumar Thakur Associate Vice President, Pride Hotels Limited

e Aananda Imperial Bilaspur commented, “e state blessed with one of the richest biodiversity is undoubtedly Chhattisgarh and has the most number of tourist attractions but is yet to witness a high growth of tourist arrivals. e state can woo a large number of travellers if the state tourism board makes an endeavour to invite the private players including hospitality groups to represent the state at

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Rajib Roy Choudhury General Manager, The Aananda Imperial Bilaspur

global travel marts. e growth of tourism in the state is not at par with its tremendous tourism potential. Besides Ladakh, it is the only state in the country that stands tall with its zero-gravity at Ulta Pani. e state needs to be projected in all its glory.” e land had witnessed nearly 8 per cent to 10 per cent growth of tourism in 2018-2019 fiscal.

Roy Choudhury said, “Tourism develops through robust infrastructure, seamless connectivity and effective mode of the transport system. Anew airstrip is in the process of

coming up at Raigarh. e state is yet to receive the influx of global MICE travellers.”

Benjamin Simone, Member of Tourism Advisory Council, Government of Odisha opined, “In contemporary age, the focus of tourism has shied towards the east that is all set to go great guns. e East has lots to offer in the tourism vertical. Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar will emerge as preferred gateways. New-age travellers look for oeat destinations. Odisha occupies a pride of place in areas of cultural and natural heritage and tribal ethnicity. e state has 62 tribal communities, the largest in the country of which nine are categorized as Primitive Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).e state capital has transformed into a wedding destination and big conferences are organized. Nearly three medical conclaves are held yearly.

Luxury, five-star haunts like Taj Vivanta and ITC Welcome Group will kick off operations in the state capital in the New Year.”

Many industry veterans feel that the recent ongoing agitation against NRC and CAB will adversely affect the tourism prospect in eastern India

Tourism is picking up in the eastern states. MICE tourism is coming of age in Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar.

But the ongoing agitation against the National Register of Citizens and Citizenship Amendment Act has made things difficult for the industry in the region. particularly West Bengal. Devesh Agrawal, Member, Managing Committee, TAAI said, “e impact of the agitation will last long in the coming period that will hit the inbound tourist traffic into the country. Tourists generally travel to safe destinations. MICE movement in the state has received a major boost with the setting up of Biswa Bangla Convention Centre and the five-star haunts like e Westin Kolkata Rajarhat and e ITC Royal Bengal. e new cruise liner- VivadaCruise has become the favourable ground for hosting business meets since it has an accommodation capacity of 1,000.”Medical conferences are held in the city offering a boost to the overall economy. ere are prominent factors that contribute to the growth of MICE movement in West Bengal. Binay Kumar akur, Associate Vice President, Pride

Hotels Limited said, “e presence of warm hospitality, glorious cultural and past heritage, revamped infrastructure, world-class convention centre, vintage business and luxury hospitality groups are the major contributors to the rising MICE traffic in Kolkata and Bengal. Well-known as the national corridor, the intellectual city of Kolkata is replete with cultural heritage.

Lying close to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, New Town has emerged as a leading MICE destination in the eastern region.” He also pointed out that Bengal has an immense potential to become a sports tourism hub in the coming period owing to the successful hosting of the 2017 FIFA World Cup. “Tourism would grow at a rapid pace in the state owing to the addition of more number of flights,” further said akur.

by TNH DESK

TAHILIANI HOMES FORAYS INTO LUXURY SERVICED HOLIDAY HOMES IN GOA Tahiliani Homes is striving to become the premier destination for serviced holiday homes in India.

They work closely with homeowners to help the two most important services after buying one of the properties, maintenance, and rentals. They have set up a hospitality division in order to work closely with the homeowners and help them maintain and monetize their properties seamlessly.

They have set up a three-tier Tahiliani Homes Advantage program that

allows their clientele to avail an entire bouquet of post-sale services: Housekeeping: High-end luxury villas require a certain level of prior training and experience. They have set up a world-class housekeeping and maintenance team who are available to look after homes and maintain the villa to clients' standards. Regular deep cleaning of the properties is also a part of the housekeeping schedule to ensure that all valuables

by TNH DESK are maintained.

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INTERVIEW

AIMING TO EMERGE AS A TOP TOURIST DESTINATION IN INDIA Gujarat Tourism is focusing on making the state as one of the top five states visited by tourists in India by 2025. In an interview, Jenu Devan, MD, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, speaks about the state's plans to emerge as a popular destination.

Q

By Pradeep Chamaria

What are new plans of Gujarat Tourism?

To promote tourism in Gujarat to its full potential, the Gujarat Government has announced a new tourism policy for 20152020 with focus on making the State as one among the top five tourist destination states in India by 2025. Apart from being an effective facilitator, the State Government is leading from the front in matters like destination development, promotion of fairs and festivals, publicity campaigns, market research, exhibition and seminars, skill development and so on.

Q

What kind of unique travel experiences does Gujarat offer?

Gujarat, rightly called Jewel in the West, has been attracting tourists for a long time for its wildlife getaway in Gir, a relaxed sun and sand holidays on its natural beaches, a fabulously enriching sightseeing experience at the 863 Jain temple cluster at Shetrunjaya Hills, Enchanting Saputara Hills, a Pure Pilgrimage to its famous sacred Temples at Dwarka, Somnath, Dakor, Pavagadh, Ambaji, a royal holidays to its leisurely and luxurious heritage hotels, Indus Valley sites of Lothal and Dholavira, World's 3rd largest dinosaur fossil park and India’s 1st dedicated dinosaur museum, White Desert-Kutch, World’s Tallest Statue: Statue of Unity, colourful fairs and festivals and its vibrant and rich culture.

Q

How successful have been the state's initiatives to promote festivals as tourist attractions?

Gujarat Tourism has been taking several efforts to ensure that the state of Gujarat, as well as India in general, have a seminal place

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

Jenu Devan, MD, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat

on the world tourist map. is year, a massive amount of foreigners visited Gujarat.

From 2005 it began as a three-day festival and progressively evolved into a 100-day celebration at Dhordo, a village near Rann of Kutch where a whole new tent city has been created, replete with temporary infrastructure built and rebuilt every year. Since its inception, the Rann Utsav booking has

multiplied exponentially, attracting over 5,00,000 visitors from 20+ countries.

Q

How many inbound tourists are you receiving? What are the new steps to promote tourism in overseas markets? e tourist inflow has increased from 448 lakh in 2016-17 to 579.91 lakh in 2018-19.

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INTERVIEW

“The State Government is leading from the front in matters like destination development, promotion of fairs and festivals, publicity campaigns, market research, exhibition and seminars, skill development and so on.”

Approximately 151.45 lakh tourists from other Indian States made a visit to Gujarat. TCGL (Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd.) has been at the forefront to provide the best of facilities to tourists with accommodation and infrastructure in Heritage Hotels, Homestays and the state-owned Toran Hotels.

Q

How far has the Statue of Unity helped the state in promoting tourism?

In just over a year of its unveiling, the Statue of Unity has surpassed the footfall at the 133year-old Statue of Liberty in the US, with an

average of over 15,000 tourists visiting the monument in Gujarat daily. With a 74 per cent increase over the daily average of the first year, that is, November 1, 2018, to October 31, 2019, daily average of 15,036 is now registered in the first month of this second year. is has further increased to 22,430 on weekend days. e Statue of Liberty of New York attracts around 10,000 visitors a day.

Q

What are your plans for sustainable tourism?

Rann Utsav is a shining example of sustainable tourism. Apart from setting up paved road network, new hotels, public transport and other amenities are being developed at rapid speed to give vertical rise to the tourism development in the region.

90% of children in the region are literate.

And banking facilities are available in 100% villages of the region. In short, the state government has le no stone unturned in ensuring that the tourism in Kutch becomes the brightest start in the tourism-sky. e journey of Rann Utsav had started as a two-day event in the year 2005, but, now it has come to a festival that lasts more than two months period.

Domestic and international tourism strengthen national integration and provides socio-economic development in Gujarat as well as in the country.

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NEWS

NEW TOURISM FOUNDATION'S SEMINAR ON 'NEW INDIA - NEW LADAKH' New Tourism Foundation, an ideating foundation for tourism and heritage of India, organised a one day Seminar on 'New India –New Ladakh' on 3rd December 2019 in New Delhi. The event was graced

by Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge) Prahlad Singh Patel was the chief guest of the event. Other Speakers included BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, C. Phunsok, IAS (Retd) Vice Chancellor of University of Ladakh and Former Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, and Vinod Zutshi, IAS (Retd), former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Addressing the media, Prahlad

Singh Patel, Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge), shared, “I believe we cannot separate culture from tourism and who so ever come in India come to see the heritage of India. And Ladakh is one of the most beautiful destination with a perfect combination of beauty and rich culture. The best thing about this destination is that they wish to encourage quality tourism not quantity tourism, which showcase how much they care about their destination. We also propose a fully equipped facilitation cum training centre for Adventure tourism in Leh Ladakh and also we propose if we can have a complete

route for Leh Ladakh for tourism facilities. It could be PP model or government managed, that is not decided. However what we want is that there should not be any pollution in a place like Ladakh. Also we look forward to give our 100% support to promote Ladakh in whichever way we can”.

Talking about this new initiative, Vinod Zutshi, IAS (Retd), President, New Tourism Foundation, said, “The newly acquired Union Territory status has opened the doors for innumerable opportunities for expanding Tourism and cultural activities in the region.”

by T NH DESK

WORLD ARCHITECTURE TRAVEL TO ORGANIZE ONE CURATED TRIP EVERY MONTH

TRAVEL DESIGNER GROUP LAUNCHES 'DESIGNER VOYAGES' Travel Designer Group, a global travel wholesaler, has launched its new endeavor - DESIGNER VOYAGES, which will cater travel agents with inbound tours and packages to UAE. With a strong hold on the online B2B Global Reservation System, they are now all set to expand to the offline business for UAE. With a large Set up and international headquarters in Dubai, they will be able to provide customized and one on one services to the agents for them to book UAE with confidence.

Over the past 20 years, TDG has built a solid reputation for quality and innovation and now are focused more than ever on offering offline packages to the agents all across the globe through Designer Voyages. The product is designed to make the experience of agents easy and hasslefree by offering wide range of custom designed

by T NH DESK package as per client’s budget.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

World Architecture Travel is an exclusive gateway devoted to exploration in the fields of architecture, art and culture celebrating mastery from around the world through guided architectural travel curated by distinguished architects and professionals.

Apart from the curated journeys to around 40 locations worldwide, WAT has organised The Master Class Series - a set of workshops and seminars focused on stimulating the dialogue around architecture, art, design and culture within the fraternity.

WATconnect is yet another initiative of World Architecture Travel. WATconnect organises one curated trip every month to different locations for an architecturally explored travel experience. WATconnect aims to enhance professionalism and develop inbound architecture tourism through its refined travel and connections. The programme aims to travel through 12 different Indian cities in 12 months with different groups of architecture enthusiasts and with different curators in

by T NH DESK each city.

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NEWS

FAIRFIELD BY MARRIOTT SETS ITS FOOT IN KOLKATA Aiming to target the mid-tier segment, Fairfield by Marriott is the third property from the house of Marriott International in Kolkata.

Here’s a piece of exciting news for well-heeled class of travellers looking forward to visit Kolkata in the coming months. Marriott International has established its Fairfield hospitality brand in the “the City of Joy”- Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata sometime on December 13, 2019. This is incidentally the premier hotel in the category of select service in the eastern zone of India.

The newly-launched property spread over 6,000 sq. ft area, boasts of 182 well-furnished rooms, superior rooms, executive

Abhishek Sachdev, Hotel Manager

rooms and suites. Lying in the vicinity of Biswa Bangla Convention Centre and the Information Technology hub of New Town, the property is around 11 km from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and takes pride in

having a strategic location.

According to Abhishek Sachdev, Hotel Manager, Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata, “The upcoming property has two outlets- Kava, the all-day dining food outlet and Vertex, the liquid restaurant designed in a unique way that forms the highpoint of our property. We have three state-of-the-art meeting rooms for hosting workshops and meets and our banquet called The Mangrove spreads over 2,800 sq. ft area.”

In the eastern region, Marriott International began its journey in Kolkata and moved to Siliguri.

Gaurav Singh, General Manager, J W Marriott Kolkata and Cluster General Manager, Bangladesh said, “In emerging times, Marriott is looking to foray in the North-eastern states of India. It currently runs 1,500 rooms in West Bengal. Till today, our hospitality group has opened 16 five-star hotels in the

country. Marriott has opened its new five-star propertyRenaissance Dhaka Gulshan in Bangladesh capital in December, 2019.”

Gaurav Singh, General Manager, J W Marriott Kolkata and Cluster General Manager, Bangladesh, “Till today, our hospitality group has opened 16 five-star hotels in the country.”

by TNH DESK

SAROVAR HOTELS OPENS NEW HOTEL IN ANDHRA PRADESH'S DINDI Sarovar Hotels and Resort has opened new hotel in the Godavari Delta of Andhra Pradesh. Dindi is in the intersection where the Godavari joins the Bay of Bengal. A destination known for its coconut plantations, serene backwaters, vast lakes and palm-fringed canals making it the ultimate location for a perfect riverside holiday.

RVR Sarovar Portico, Dindi has aesthetically designed rooms and Suites, with a view of beautiful lilies and lotus plants.

With its gorgeous interiors, The Godavari

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

Banquet hall offers the ideal venue for events of any sort, from weddings to private parties, leisure events to corporate retreats for up to 150 guests. Flavors is RVR Sarovar Portico’s multi-cuisine restaurantwhich serves popular dishes from around the world along with authentic local delicacies of Dindi. In addition, the hotel has well-equipped fitness center, Lake view and complimentary Wi-Fi. The admirers of picturesque scenic beauty and pristine backwaters have a

bounty of options to choose from Antervedi beach to Peruru Heritage Village, Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary to Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, surely not to miss a boat ride on the Godavari.

Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, said “We are delighted to expand our leisure portfolio. Our vision is to deliver uncomplicated travel experience for our business and leisure travellers. We see great growth potential in this market and look forward to offering best value to business and leisure travellers in sync with Sarovar’s signature hospitality”. by T NH DESK

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NEWS

THE FERN HOTELS OPENS THE FERN RESIDENCY, SARNATH (VARANASI) The Fern Hotels & Resorts has opened The Fern Residency Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh. This is the second hotel which the company is managing in UP. The company also manages Howard Plaza The Fern in Agra. This takes the number of hotels managed by the company to 71 hotels across the country as well as in Nepal and Seychelles.

Suhail Kannampilly, the CEO of the company said, “People visiting Sarnath can look forward to our sustainable hospitality. The Fern brand is going to expand its foot print in north India in a big way in 2020.”

The Fern Residency, Sarnath is

a 44-room hotel situated close to Lord Buddha’s sermon site. It offers contemporary rooms in three categories viz Winter Green, Fern Club and Hazel Suite. All the rooms are equipped with the modern facilities such as high speed Wi-Fi internet, LED television, complimentary bottled drinking water in-room, complimentary in-room tea & coffee facility, digital in-room safe etc. The rooms are also fitted with eco-friendly room lighting besides having eco-friendly bathroom amenities. The hotel is equipped with multi-cuisine restaurant, bar, swimming pool, gym, board room, kitty hall and state-of-art banqueting facility. The hotel provides good

SHOWING THE PATH WITH SUSTAINABLE TOURISM An eco-tourist resort in Kipling Country is setting a trend with the best practise of sustainable tourism.

Nestled in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Tendu Leaf Jungle Resort in the vicinity of Panna National Park is a haven for nature-lovers. Set up with a mission to offer a blend of comfort and luxury along with the best practise of sustainability, the ecofriendly resort caters to both global and domestic nature buffs and wildlife enthusiasts. The resort is conveniently located at a proximal distance from Gate No. 1 of Panna Tiger Reserve and forms a favourite ground for birdwatchers.

The resort stands tall with state-of-the-art facili-

ties and has 12 cottages categorized into luxury and family huts. According to Vibhav Agrahari, Managing Director, Tendu Leaf Jungle Resort, “We have received TOFT quality certification for conserving wildlife and biodiversity in our maiden year of operation. We make use of 100 per cent solar power, vegetable farming, go for minimum waste generation and refrain from using plastic all around our

by TNH DESK resort.

dining options to the guests.

Cilantro- the multi cuisine restaurant with an open-air section offering Indian, Chinese & Continental cuisines. Tipsytales- the lounge bar with ample variety of spirits & cocktails is the perfect place to unwind in the evenings.

Location: The hotel is 18 km from Lal Bahadur Shashtri Airport, 1 km from Sarnath Railway Station and 10 km from Varanasi Junction.

Address: The Fern Residency, Sarnath, Plot No. 15/121, Ashapur Sarnath Road, Ashapur, Sarnath,

by TNH DESK Varanasi, UP.

AN EMERGING MICE HUB FOR CORPORATES Jharkhand has geared up for the corporate world with its array of MICE facilities.

The mineral rich state of Jharkhand provides ample of opportunities for MICE travellers.

Well-known for its natural heritage, the land serves as an industrial hub and is replete with coal fields and steel plants.

Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation Limited has adopted a slew of front-ranking initiatives to pull global and domestic travellers into the state.

Dr. Alok Prasad, Deputy General Manager, Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation Limited informed, “We are boosting the tourist destinations in the social media, attending leading global travel marts and increasing the number of trained manpower in the tourism sector.

Nearly 40 Km away from Ranchi is the new-found destination of Patratu Lake Resort that has an immense potential for adventure and eco-tourism.”

The state offers a number of

Dr. Alok Prasad Deputy GM, Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation Limited

infrastructure facilities in order to facilitate MICE tourism. Prasad said, “Jharkhand serves as the base for a number of premier industrial establishments like Tata Steel, Heavy Engineering Corporation Limited, Bokaro Steel Plant and Central Coalfields that augur the development of MICE tourism in the state. The concept of MICE serves as a robust tool that can be used to reward corporate employees to motivate them and enhance their performances. It enables the corporate world to blend business with pleasure that would make work more

by T NH DESK fun-loving.”

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F E AT U R E

WHERE LUXURY MEETS COMFORT AND SIMPLICITY

By Sumit Vidhani

“Dream Big” is the motto that the chairman of the group Mr Dula Ram Vidhani firmly believes in and that is how the magnanimous e Aananda Imperial came to existence 10 years back and opened its doors on 14th November. We take pride in considering ourselves as the forerunner with regard to the hospitality scenario in the region. With 70 self-contained rooms, a number of banquets and meeting rooms, the grand lawn, business centre, butler service, non-smoking floors and many more, the property boasts of global standards with traditional flavours. e greenery that surrounds the property reflects the environmental efforts and associations that the team and management believe and agree upon. Observing environmental awareness days, maintaining practises like rainwater harvesting, water conservation and preservation programme are a few among those we constantly follow. Energy-saving practises and methods do make this unique hospitality destination an automatic choice above other star ventures in this quaint industrial town, which houses the head office of South East Central Railways, one of India’s largest public-sector company. e feeder market of this region is primarily the entire country because it is exactly the central part of India and is one of the finest and fastest-growing regions in the country, in terms of engineering, power, mining, etc.

us it is needless to say that the hotel targets all the three major metros viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata apart from other tier-I cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and parts of the Northeastern states from where the quantum of business does follow into the region as well as the hotel. Apart from the aforesaid, the hotel is well distributed on all major OTA platforms and the business conversion is about 25 per cent of total productivity.

Our focus is obviously to become and establish the hotel as the most appropriate and best MICE hotel in the region and the entire team and the management is exploring opportunities to establish the same. Having said that, we also offer tailormade packages to lure leisure travellers, keeping in mind that Bilaspur and its surrounding region are extremely rich in flora and fauna, thereby generating chances of experiential tourism.

All the proactive efforts and upgradations that have been incorporated have set the hotel apart from all its competitors in the region and has been awarded the Best MICE hotel in Central India at India MICE Awards 2019 in New Delhi. e sightseeing experiences that can be given to tourists and delegates are manifolds. e region is the house of the aromatic small grain rice Doobraj, also the house of world-famed and sought aer Kosha silk. Tours in terms of archaeological rele-

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

Sumit Vidhani

vance can be done at Malharand Tala, housing some of the most valuable remains of the ancient era, one of the 52 Shakti Peethas in India is at Bilaspur at the Ratanpur Mahamaya Devi Temple bringing in the strong religious relevance, Achanakmar National Reserve which is famous for faunal diversity and tigers, and Belgahana forest brings in the flora-fauna relevance. e only other antigravity point in India is at Chhattisgarh and is about 5 hours drive from Bilaspur, a place called Ultapani is a scientific wonder in the region.

e Khutaghat dam on Kharangriver is the sweet water supply to Bilaspur and is a place to otherwise relax and rejuvenate. It is famous for all sorts of migratory birds on the islands and alligators in the waters. e Ratanpur Fort brings in the historical relevance, which is a nature and history lover's paradise along with the very interesting British Power House, the building of which still exists reminding of the erstwhile British era along with other places like the Company Gardens, the British clubs and the Anglo Indian community trying to hold on to

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F E AT U R E

everything and stop the time in its tracks. e Bilaspur railway station also hosted the Bard of Bengal and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore at the waiting hall and endearingly showcases the poem on the wall which he scribbled at the visitor's book there. e Aananda Imperial has always been known for its vivid food and beverage offering which has always led to gastronomic excellence. Be it the tra-

ditional or the global, our master chefs have travelled miles to unearth the culinary jewels of the region, country, also across the globe to introduce the socalled millennial cuisine. In line with these concepts the hotel houses around-the-clock multicuisine eatery, serving global cuisines apart from our very own cuisine lines from India along with one of best buffet breakfast available in the town, exciting Sunday Brunches are

also regular feature here. Periodic regional and international food festival keeps satiating the taste buds of the ever-evolving Bilaspurians, as well one and all from across the state too.

According to me the definition of luxury today is changing and it’s best suited when one has everything in hand along with the sterling association of finesse and vantage. us it is a sure firm belief that the Aananda Imperial at Bilaspur, Chattisgarh,

member of European designer boutique Chain, Svenska Hotel is luxury merged with convenience and simplicity where we take care in line with tradition and culture. Our global foray into luxury is through Svenska Design Hotel affiliation and we do want to be considered in style and swag when people talk of responsible luxury.

The writer is Chief Operating Officer, The Aananda Imperial Bilaspur

SAROVAR OPENS VIRAJ SAROVAR PORTICO IN JAMMU

Sarovar Hotels has opened its second hotel in Jammu & Kashmir with Viraj Sarovar Portico, marking the group’s footprint in Jammu and its growing presence in the state. Viraj Sarovar Portico will complement Sarovar’s existing hotel RK Sarovar Portico, Srinagar.

Viraj Sarovar Portico is an upscale contemporary hotel strategically located in Bari Brahmana which is one of the biggest industrial hubs of Jammu. This will be Sarovar’s 84th hotel in operation.

Designed to welcome the modern and savvy traveller, Viraj Sarovar Portico offers rooms and suites with modern amenities, a well- appointed retreat for corporate and leisure travellers.

The hotel features flexible banqueting options from 2300 sq. ft. to 31000 sq. ft , ideal venues for weddings to private parties, exhibitions, corporate events / conferences. Banquet functions capacity goes upto 2500 guests.

by TNH DESK

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NEWS

NIMA APPOINTS NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jagdeep Bhagat takes over as the new national coordinator.

Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA), a pan-India body of agencies specializing in Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Events (MICE) businesses has reconstituted its Executive Committee. In the new team Jagdeep Bhagat, CEO of Vee Bee Tours & Travels and one of the founding members of the association has taken over the role of National Coordinator of NIMA. Bhagat has been a well-known travel industry face and a keen observer of the travel and tourism industry with deep insights in the MICE space. In his new role, Bhagat will lead the association for the current term.

Bhagat has replaced Gajesh Girdhar, Managing Director of Muzaffarnagar based Paryatan Holidays and founding National Coordinator of NIMA. Girdhar will now don the role of Chairman of the Governing Body.

Rakesh Arora of Ghaziabad based Nina Universal Tours, Ritesh Joshi of Dehradun based Incentives & Conference, Planners have been appointed as Coordinator – Finance & Administration and Coordinator – Public Relations respectively. Delhi based BTC Tours & Travels’ Tushar Jain and Hon-

NIMA Executive Committee Jagdeep Bhagat Rakesh Arora Ritesh Joshi Tushar Jain Rajiv Chawla K Vijay Mohan Vinay Agarwal Mukesh Jain Vikas Khanduri Gajesh Girdhar

Jagdeep Bhagat

eygold Retreats’ Rajiv Chawla are the new Coordinator Membership and Coordinator – Marketing. K Vijay Mohan of Vishakhapatnam based Holiday World is Coordinator – Southern Region and VikasKhanduri of Delhi based Holiday Merchant will remain the Advisor to the association.

Vinay Agarwal of Kolkata based Victoria Travels and Mukesh Jain of Delhi based Sterling International Tours & Travels have both been appointed as Member.

Commenting on his appointment as the National Coordinator, Bhagat,

National Coordinator Coordinator – Finance & Administration Coordinator – Public Relations Coordinator –Membership Coordinator – Marketing.

Coordinator – Southern Region Member Member Advisor Chairman – Governing Body

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

Jagdeep Bhagat has been a wellknown travel industry face and a keen observer of the travel and tourism industry with deep insights into the MICE space. In his new role, Bhagat will lead the association for the current term.

Bhagat has replaced Gajesh Girdhar, Managing Director of Muzaffarnagar based Paryatan Holidays and founding National Coordinator of NIMA. Girdhar will now don the role of Chairman of the Governing Body.

said, “It’s an honour to lead a very diverse bunch of highly professional and dedicated members at NIMA. MICE is the single-most-important vertical within the overall travel and tourism scheme of things, yet the segment has not been properly tapped by destinations and suppliers from within or outside the country. NIMA is committed to filling that void and handhold the stakeholders in developing and promoting destinations and growing businesses and arrivals from the burgeoning MICE sector in India.”

NIMA is committed to empowering its members with the necessary tool, information, useful resources and partnership. At the same time we will also pro-actively engage with the national and international tourism boards and various suppliers for the growth and betterment of MICE industry and help create more opportunities for all,” he further added.

Formed in 2014, NIMA is an association of MICE specializing operators represented from various parts of the country. e association has 150 members with close to half of the membership strength coming from non-metro cities.

by T NH DESK

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BITE CORNER

LOST RECIPES

CULINARY DELIGHTS FROM THE PAST

By Pradeep Chamaria

Royal Rajasthani food has its own charm and food from this princely state in India has various options depending on your location. And to be treated royally, we recently were at Pink City, Jaipur and were thrilled to meet a food entrepreneur, Mr Dushyant Singh at his restaurant Rustic by OTH, and certainly loved sipping his signature coffee creations, namely Vietnamese styled cold coffee, which was double espresso poured over condensed milk topped with crumbled ice and Deconstructed iced coffee, which was a shot of espresso with milk, coffee, ice cube and condensed milk with a choice of the ice cubes between Madagascar vanilla or Turkish Qawah grounds.

Dushyant loves to experiment with his drinks, especially coffee at his outlets. He told us about his past experiences of coffee that now turned into memorable stories. He said, “I live for coffee., and at times I feel I have started worshipping it.”

Dushyant then briefed me about the International food festival, Gourmet Getaway 2019, one of the best food festivals in Jaipur, which he was organising.

I thoroughly enjoyed the coffees and after seeing the schedule of Gourmet

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

Getaway got especially interested in two events, the Sun-downer, a gala evening held on the penultimate day of the event where live food demonstrations by renowned International and National Chefs were showcased at Nand Mahal Fort, Jaipur and secondly, the community lunch hosted by luxury hotel Fairmont at their Zarin restaurant.

The theme of the food festival was ‘lost recipes and sustainability’ which featured delicacies from the forgotten world of lost recipes. Zero-waste Kitchen for sustainable and environment-friendly cooking was discussed in depth during the festival.

And to conclude the festival, Chef Prasad Metrani at Zarin restaurant, Fairmont Jaipur did an excellent job in recreating dishes featuring lost recipes from India during the community lunch.

Zarin, a fine dining restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel, breathes life into a culinary art that has, over centuries, celebrated some of the most exquisite cuisines from across the cities of India.

Zarin is inspired by the word ‘Gold’, and the dining experience at Zarin is quite indulgent because of the eclectic ambience that complements the food.

Royal couches, reminiscent of the long lost traditions of family dining of the royals welcome the guests and they can enjoy their meals while getting entertained by the melodious tunes of the Sarangi played at the restaurant.

Once seated, the guests are bound to be mesmerized by the beauty of the golden meshwork on the plafond of the restaurant and the golden cutlery that is an aide-memoire to the traditional royal celebrations.

The mouth-watering delicacies from Indian cuisine are heavily laced with history and were part of the usual food habits that were followed nearly fivedecade ago. But over time, many recipes have faded away. And during our tasteful journey to relish lost recipes, we travelled back in time with a twist like never before.

We started with Amuse Bouche, a welcome dish which was Kamal Badhal made with Crispy lotus stem, spinach, cherry tomato chutney, and micro coriander. The very first bite made me realise how lucky were our ancestors who had a

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BITE CORNER

chance to relish such great culinary delights. Till the next dish was served, I got busy in tasting the Achari Bagharkhani cruffins along with Rechado Butter.

Soon the Lite Bites from the Gastronomical Glory from 'The lost Recipes' arrived in the form of Katambari Kabab, made of Chicken breast, sesame seeds, fennel, cheese and marinated with saffron yoghurt for the non-veggies on the table and Tootak for the veggies. Tootak was made by baking Semolina, Khoya dough balls, pepper, cheese, saffron, rose water, and Burgul ke Kabab, prepared with broken Wheat, Bengal gram, nutmeg, fennel peppers and chilli.

Soon I was happily savouring the Nargil shorba, prepared of Vegetable gnocchi, saffron parmesan crisp, coconut foam and tempered pea shoots. Gnocchi are Italian dumplings that are made with potatoes and flour then boiled just until they're fluffy little pillows of goodness, and the saffron parmesan crisps and coconut foam are the classic accompaniments.

The next station, of course, was the main course and non-veggies were served Gil- e – Hikamat ‘Pathiyo ki Raan’, a clay pot cooked Rajasthani lamb leg along with lamb mince and baby spinach and was served with winter vegetables in rich saffron sauce.

For guests who didn’t want lamb servings, the other option was Kibti from the Kitchen of Maharaja of Patiala. It was a slow-cooked baby chicken with saffron potato fondant, heirloom tomatoes, fenugreek served with traditional bread.

I could make out from the presentations as well as the looks on fellow people on the community table that Lamb dish certainly was the winner in the nonveggie category. A few of the non-veggies were seen sharing Rann too.

For a veggie like me, we were served Bahaar - ‘Kudar Khusro’ prepared with Sauteed peppers, local vegetables, figs, pistachio in almond sauce and served with signature Padoli wali Dal, doodh shabnam pulao and traditional bread. I guess the chef knew that I love figs, and the dry fruit sauce of figs, pistachios and almonds made me feel divine and the combination of the sauce and Doodh Shabnam Pula was utterly delicious.

To end up the meal, they served us an amazing Kheer made of Lehsun (garlic) along with Puff rice flexi, jauj ka halwa

crumble, and saffron almond chikki crisps and called the sweet platter as, ‘Nazakat ka Meetha’.

Yes, dear, you heard it right; Kheer made with Garlic. You must be wondering, how one can make a sweet dish out of garlic. To hide away the not so pleasant odour and also to remove the pungent taste of garlic needs special treatment and the chefs at Zarin did a marvellous job in doing so and presenting one of the most delectable desserts ever tasted by me.

The journey into the lost world of traditional recipes relished by ancestors really was one of the best experiences that I have had till date and would really love to travel in the past many more number of times to indulge in exotic cuisine of yesteryears.

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NEWS

DHANSOO CAFÉ OPENS AT SANGAM COURTYARD, NEW DELHI

Dhansoo Cafe, a new Unmute and Upbeat Cafe, by restaurateur Vikrant Batra launches in the national capital.

Under the vision of Restaurateurs Vikrant and Sharad Batra each business is value-driven and has a distinct mix of cutting edge design, intrinsic quality, and appeal. Restauranteurs Vikrant Batra and Sharad Batra of the successful and reputed restaurant brands Café Delhi Heights & Nueva added another Dhansoo chapter to their portfolio.

With the idea of building up a place where one can build great memories, Dhansoo Café makes its way to Delhi’s Sangam Courtyard recently.

Dhansoo Cafe is an expression for a vibrant and innovative place, the mostapt café for social meetups, everyone’s favourite bar or a charming dining restaurant. Dhansoo has the perfect set-

ting, or a personal space, where people can be excited, jittery & awesome. Created as a place for festivity & celebration, Dhansoo expresses a good feeling full of delight and smiles, holding the interest of people full of joy! e Dhansoo place is more of a state of mind, a place that narrates forgotten stories, feelings of nostalgia & have lots to share.

Situated in the blooming Sangam Courtyard at Delhi, the café will make you enter into a cool world of colourful, magical & eclectic energy. e mood of the restaurant is further enhanced with a façade that welcomes the joyous seekers with Dhansoo written in four basic languages. Inspired from the new wave of minimalism, the oeat & effortless

décor lends to the cool atmosphere of the place making it the ultimate ‘e Dhansoo Cafe’. With comfortable seating & Dhansoo interiors, guests can experience fabulous moments from the time they enter till the time they bid goodbye. Dhansoo Café takes one on the journey of original flavours with full power food & dynamic mysticism. With a concept that boasts of an A la Carte menu of nouveau beauties, it serves signatures & original food that brings back the legacy and lost stories around it. “With specialties full of Indian influences, sit & eat at a place where the food is the king again. A place where dishes change with exploration & experimentation, and brings to you the versatlaity from Indian culinary all over the regions.

by TNH DESK

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D I P L O M AT ’ S C O R N E R

‘ AUSTRALIA OFFERS UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES’

From iconic destinations, scenic beaches, and world-class restaurants and wineries to incredible landscapes and wildlife, and captivating cultural events, there’s a plethora of things to experience in Australia. In an interview, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, H.E. Ms Harinder Sidhu, highlights the reasons why one should travel to her country.

H.E. Ms Harinder Sidhu Australia’s High Commissioner to India

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D I P L O M AT ’ S C O R N E R

Q

While Australia has always been a ‘bucket list’ destination, it is in recent years that travel has really increased exponentially.

Would you agree and what is the reason for this shift?

India is now Australia’s eighth largest market for tourism and alsothe fastest growing. Australia’s geographic proximity, its offerings of pristine environment and exotic natural experiences and close economic and cultural ties with India have contributed immensely to the growing number of Indian tourists visiting Australia. India is the world’s fastest growing large economy and the country has a middle class that is also growing strongly. Add to this the phenomenal growth of the Indian diaspora in Australia - all these factors have led to an exponential increase in Indian travellers to Australia.

Q

What would you say is the most extraordinary about Australia as a tourist destination? ere are many reasons why one should travel Down Under. ere are several unforgettable experiences Australia has on offer—from iconic destinations, scenic beaches, and world-class restaurants and wineries to incredible landscapes and wildlife, and captivating cultural events. It is difficult to point to just one attraction in Australia.

Q

How important is India as a market for Australia tourism?

What kind of outbound numbers have you observed?

India is a very important market for Australian tourism. In the past year, Indian visitor numbers increased by 15 per cent to 342,694 people. By 2035, the number of Indian tourists to Australia is expected to grow four-fold to hit nearly 1.2 million. Tourism is also recognised as one of the lead sectors that holds great promise for the Australia-India relationship in Australia’s India Economic Strategy—an ambitious roadmap to transform Australia's economic partnership with India out to 2035.

Q

Are there any new or off-beat destinations you would like to recommend for travellers to Australia? ere is much more to an Australian holiday than experiencing our wellknown cities. You can dive into an ocean cage to swim beside great white sharks in South Australia; swim with Darwin’s biggest crocodiles at Crocosaurus Cove; take a trip to see bubble-gum pink lakes in Australia’s Golden Outback; discover the magic of Australia’s ancient Aboriginal culture near Cairns at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, and; witness one of the world’s most breath taking light shows at Uluru. ere are many hidden secrets travellers can find far off the beaten track.

Q

fastest way to get an Australian visa.

Most online visitor visas are finalised within 14 days by the Australian High Commission in India. Also, tourists can apply up to a year ahead to save themselves the last minute rush. So, apply in advance.

Q

What do you enjoy the most about India?

I have travelled extensively around India, seen some amazing sights and scenery, and really enjoy the food. But the best thing about India for me is its people. I always enjoy meeting and speaking with people from all walks of life and background. Every person has a fascinating story to tell. Meeting India’s people is what has made this such a rich experience for me.

What tips can you offer to Indian nationals applying for Australia visas, and how is the air connectivity to Australia?

Currently, Air India is the only direct flight provider, with eight flights to New Delhi per week. However, there are regular, one-stop flights from key cities in India to key ports in Australia including via Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, ai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Etihad and Emirates.

With regard to visitor visas, people should apply online as that is the

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NEWS

TRAVEL TOURS LAUNCHES A NEW OUTLET IN MUMBAI Travel Tours, the leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutionshas launched its 4th Mumbai store at Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali taking the overall number of stores across India to 44.

Travel Tours, the leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutionshas expanded their presence in Maharashtra with a new store in Kandivali. is store will be Travel Tours’44th such store in India and 11th in Maharashtra.

Backed by the strength of a strong global network and expertise in designing holiday experiences – Travel Tours delivers life-changing experiences by offering travellers the power of customization. Travel Tours has expert travel consultants who are passionate about travel and have exclusive tips and personal recommendations for every holiday. In keeping with the same, the store in Kandivali will cater to all kinds of travellers from luxury honeymooners to short-haul budget family trips offering Domestic and International Flights, Customized and Group Holidays, Hotels, Car Transfers, Visa, Cruise vacations, Honeymoon packages, Adventure holidays and more.

Speaking about the store launch, Anand Menon, Brand Leader, Travel Tours, Leisure Travel Brand of FCM Travel Solutions said, “With strong

presence across Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nasik and Nagpur, Maharashtra is one of our biggest markets. We are extremely delighted to be able to serve customers on this end of the city with our new store. Our expansion strategy is to further strengthen our foothold across essential markets in Western India. e store and our expert travel consultants

will cater to a diverse urban audience from different backgrounds and customize a travel package that best suits each travellers’ needs.”

With the opening of this latest store the national reach for Travel Tours’ extends to a total of 44 stores across Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Anand and Kolhapur via a combination of owned branches and newly opened franchise outlets.

Store Address: Shop No 11, Eden Gardens, Opp. Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana Ground. Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali West.

Mumbai - 400067

by TNH DESK

Mindfulness, nature and sustainability inspire solo travel Latest study by Hilton Honors reveals Indian travelers’ primary motivations to travel.

40% of travelers based in India intend to “go solo” when they travel, as compared to 25% of Asia Pacific travelers, reveals a recent study by Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest loyalty program of global travel and hospitality company Hilton. e research – surveying close to 1,120

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avid travelers aged between 20-45 in India and segmented by life stage – explored the travel motivations, aspirations and expectations of the country’s most active travelers. e primary motivation for 66% of these intrepid travelers is to experience “lifechanging moments” that push them out of their comfort zone and challenge them to think differently. e November 2019 study, which

surveyed avid travelers living in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune, revealed some key insights pertaining to Solo Travelers: e study revealed they pursue more authentic travel experiences that allow them to travel consciously. Experiences in nature top the list of things Indian Solo Travelers are seeking more of (68%), followed by sustainability (67%).

by TNH DESK

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F E AT U R E

Enchanting Pokhra

By Pradeep Chamaria

Nepal, our neighbouring cousin, a Himalayan paradise is full of delightful villages, incredible mountain scenery, pagodas, monasteries and temples, museums, memories of ancient kingdoms, backpacker-friendly streets and stunning wildlife, tantalizing nightlife in cities that are waiting to be explored.

Nepal though only 800 km long and 150 km in width, has some of the highest mountain ranges like the Everest, Annapurna ranges etc and also, the famous Terai plains where nature and wildlife are in abundance. The climatic conditions vary from sub-tropical in the Terai region to subzero winters in the upper mountains. Spirituality has always been an integral part of this nation which has more than 125 caste and ethnic groups, and 123 spoken dialects, and is characterised as naturally pure, tranquil and culturally unique.

Whenever I leave my busy and hectic life in Delhi, I always head for Nepal. And during my recent tour to this Himalayan

nation, I explored Chitwan National Park for a rendezvous with Rhinos, and got spiritual at Lumbini. And then to end up my trip, I just wanted to chill out so I headed to Pokhara and decided to explore it at a relaxed pace. It was a tiring road trip from Lumbini to Pokhara, so I just checked into one of the best hotels in a town near Pehwa Lake, Hotel Barahi which has some stunning views of the Annapurna Himalayas from the balconies of rooms, and have easy access to the thriving life on the lake street of Pokhara.

A heavenly sight of the entire Annapurna range greeted me early the next morning. I could spot the glistening peak of 6,993-metre high Machhapuchhre or Fish Tail, which is one of the few virgin mountains that one is not allowed to climb.

The hypnotising sight soon got engulfed in mist and jealous clouds took over and blanketed the range. I couldn’t even take out my cameras and capture the amazing sight.

The slight dampness in the weather and the morning down-

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pour gave me an opportunity to quickly freshen up and have a hearty breakfast and a steaming hot cup of coffee. The rains stopped and I was now ready to hit the streets on the lake street before heading out to the old town. Morning walks on the wet roads of the old town were delightful. I could see and shoot acres of farmland, typical Nepalese houses, domesticated animals like buffaloes, cows, goats and chickens, and spectacular blue skies. The ambience was further lightened up by chirping birds. I kept on ex-

ploring the sleepy and trafficfree streets on foot and chatted with locals as they were getting ready for the daily chores in their Newari houses made of red bricks having ornatelycarved wooden windows.

Ananda, my guide augmented my knowledge base by informing that Pokhara’s old town, located between Tibet and Kathmandu, used to be a major trade route some 300 years ago. He took me to the 200year-old Bhimsen Temple, known for its erotic carvings, and also the ancient Bindhya

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F E AT U R E

Basini Temple in this historic part of Pokhara.

My next stop was Gupteshwar Mahadev Gupha near Devi’s falls. The water from the falls flows into a 500 feet long tunnel into the subterranean cave where a Shiva Lingam was once discovered. Curiosity made me go into the caves through artistically painted pathways and the limestone formations, the Flowstones inside the cold and damp cave were stunning.

Next day, for a change, I decide to spend time boating on Phewa Lake and visit the Tal Barahi temple in the lake. Getting through the crowd on the jetty and on to the boat was an adventure in itself, but was fully worth the efforts. Once on the lake, it was a wonderful experience to connect with nature minus the hassles of the tourist crowd.

Misty Phewa, blanketed by lavender water hyacinths had a faint emerald hue due to the surrounding lush-green fields

and forests. It was quiet and peaceful away from the touristy end of the shore and I just concentrated on the rhythmic paddles of my boat as I watched other boats go past mine. The fishermen along the shores and a few on their boats too were not at all bothered by my presence around them and just kept themselves busy at work with their nets. Occasional sights of a paraglider soaring high above snow-covered mountains were inviting me too to climb up the hills and take my chance to fly free like vibrant birds.

Soon, we came to the Tal Barahi temple in the middle of the lake and my boatman took a tea stop there giving me an opportunity to go out and offer prayers to goddess Barahi. After the break, we continued to the southern fringe of the lake, the starting point of a small trek to the World Peace Pagoda. I quickly started going uphills and reached World Peace Pagoda in an hour or so. It’s a beautiful

dome-shaped Pagoda shining atop a hill and has four images of the Buddha facing the four directions. Besides the peaceful ambience at the pagoda, it also is a great vantage point offering spectacular views of the Annapurna range and nearby hills.

It was my last evening at Pokhara, the city of lakes in Nepal and a hippie haven in the past, and I ventured out to experience the nightlife. It is a place which will decrease your blood pressure in the daytime as you experience the rustic natural beauty all around. And will help you pump up your blood pressure again as the sun sets down and you go out on the lake streets of Pokhara for a stroll for souvenir shopping or simply grab a table at a cafe

and enjoy a plate of momos with Himalayan tea or freshlyground, organic coffee with pastries and croissants or locally brewed beer.

The vibrant city of Pokhara offers so much that it hard to list down all. Believe me guys, there’s much more to do – which I couldn’t do because of lack of time. But I am sure, you wouldn’t want to miss these: • Indulge in extreme sports Paragliding, bungee jumping, zip-lining, river rafting or flying over the peaks in an ultralight aircraft • Visit Sarangkot to see the sunrise over the Annapurna and Fishtail mountains • Visit museums like International Mountain Museum and Gurkha Museum

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AROUND THE WORLD

Adoor Gajamela February 4, 2020 Location: Adoor, Pathanamthitta, Kerala

The 10-day annual celebration occurs at Parthasarathy temple where nine magnificent tuskers embellished with ornaments are paraded. The festival is a great crowd-puller. The dates of the festival are mentioned in Malayalam calendar. The parade takes off at Parthasarathy temple and terminates at Chennapatti Sanctuary, around 3 km from Adoor. The shrine is devoted to Lord Krishna also known as Parthasarathythat forms the hub of cultural events.

Khajuraho Dance Festival February 20- 26, 2020 Location: Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

World-renowned Khajuraho Dance Festival does not need any introduction that takes place in the outer premises of Vishwanath and Chitragupta temples.Aimed to spread info on the classical dances of India and to cultivate interestsin theminds of the masses, the week-long festival provides fascinating cultural insights that occur in an open-air auditorium. On the backdrop of illuminated temples, the doyens of music and classical dancers flaunt their brilliant performances. Madhya Pradesh’s Kala Parishad makes an effort to host the unique blend of dance and music.

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POPULAR FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD TO LOOK FOR IN FEBRUARY 2020

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AROUND THE WORLD

RIO CARNIVAL February 21-26, 2020 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rated as one of the biggest carnivals across the globe, Rio Carnival dates back to 15th century that took off to honour the gods. Down the ages in the 17th century, grand feasts were held as a mark of thanksgiving to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

It is an organized street festival with the display of spectacular and colourful costumes. The saying goes well that the party never stops at Rio Carnival. The annual carnival of Brazil is replete with a riot of colours, costumes and feasting.

HAMPI FESTIVAL February 25-27, 2020 Location: Hampi, Karnataka

Goa Carnival February 22-25, 2020 Location: Goa

The three-day cultural extravaganza is presented by the Government of Karnataka.

Well-known as HampiUtsav, it is a celebration of cultural traditions that brings alive the glorious past. The festival is observed in the ruined, age-old city of Hampion the banks of river Tungabhadra that stands as a witness of the bygone grandeur of Vijayanagar Empire. It is the largest of all celebrations in Hampi. There are cultural events including Bharat Natyam, folk songs, dances, puppet shows and adventure sports like jumbo safari et al.Traditional instruments like flutes and pipes are played.

The four-day fun-filled event is quite lively and is filled with joy and excitement. One can get to see huge crowds of people immerse themselves in the vibe of the carnival that has parades replete with wonderful floats. There are dance performers and entertainers perform on the finalday to pull down the curtain. During Portuguese colonization of Goa, the annual carnival was hosted to make the Portuguese culture prominent.

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E V E N T WAT C H

SKAL DELHI'S PERFECT CHRISTMAS MOMENTS Skal Delhi hosted its annual Christmas lunch at e Imperial New Delhi on 18th December. e event was attended by more than 160 Skal members dressed with a touch of red in their attire.

Sk. Vijay Wanchoo, Vice President, e Imperial and his team welcomed the guests with overwhelming warmth and hospitality. e team went the extra mile to provide the members with an unforgettable experience and set up a beautifully decorated Christmas tree adorning the sun kissed lawns.

For the annual lunch, the hotel served up a lavish buffet spread with a variety of Christmas specialities including English Lamb, German Sausages besides the

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Mulled Wine & Hot Toddy adding to the already generous spread. is Skal Delhi meet had a few first: Young kids in the age group of 5-12 years enthralled the members with their warmth sweet songs. ese kids were from CAFF India, an NGO working in marginalized areas in supporting children in the areas of health and education. Skal Delhi's President Sk. Greesh Bindra presented the kids with school bags, stationery kits and Xmas gi hampers.

For the first time, the annual event featured Xmas Carols sung by the Delhi Chorale of Men which the members enjoyed.

Skal Asia President Sk. Sanjay Datta

addressed the Members and presented Skal Asia Flag to Chief Guest V.K. Duggal. As every year, the lucky draw generated excitement and the winners took home some exciting prizes in the form of vouchers and hampers contributed by generous Skalleagues for which Skal Delhi team expressed their deep gratitude! Besides, the lucky draw members also participated in the quiz created by the hotel partners and a few others. e highlight as always was the entry of ‘dear old Santa’ on his rickshaw this time. e members were seen clicking pictures using the rickshaw as a prop.

Indeed, it was a great aernoon with the usual networking and thoroughly enjoyable day.

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E V E N T WAT C H

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MOVING ON

APPOINTMENTS OF THE MONTH

1

Sunil Menon

Country Manager for india Market Tourism Fiji Tourism Fiji has appointed Sunil Menon as its new Country Manager for india. Menon initially started his career more than two decades ago in the airline industry and possesses a competent handle in elevating destination Fiji’s presence in india.

2

SubhASh SinhA

General Manager The Westin kolkata rajarhat Subhash Sinha has been appointed as the General Manager of The Westin kolkata rajarhat. A veteran in the business of hospitality, he has enjoyed exponential success in all the top-notch properties he has served in an illustrious career spanning more than two decades now.

3 4 CArl volSChenk

General Manager Sheraton Grand danang resort Sheraton Grand danang resort, a stylish luxury beachside resort on the stunning white sands of non nuoc beach in vietnam, has appointed Carl volschenk as its General Manager. volschenk started his career with Marriott international back in 2000 in le Meridien dubai Complex.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JANUARY 2020

AbhiShek SAChdev

hotel Manager Fairfield by Marriott, kolkata Abhishek Sachdev has been appointed as the hotel Manager of Fairfield by Marriott kolkata. he is a recognized individual within the hospitality industry. Abhishek started his career as a Management Trainee at iTC hotels and was associated with iTC Windsor, bangalore.

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MOVING ON

5

Yogendra adep

executive Sous Chef Sheraton grand pune Bund garden Hotel Sheraton grand pune Bund garden Hotel has appointed Yogendra adep as the executive Sous Chef to its family.

He has over 13 years of experience at leading Indian and International hospitality chains.

6

dr. SaanvI CHaTurvedI

Spa manager Le méridien gurgaon dr. Saanvi Chaturvedi has been appointed as the Spa manager of Senses Spa, at Le méridien gurgaon. With a team of the finest therapists and fitness trainers at Le méridien gurgaon, dr. Saanvi is completely dedicated towards helping people beat their stress the right way and rejuvenate themselves.

7 8 rajnI SanaS

Human resources manager Courtyard by marriott pune, Chakan Courtyard by marriott pune Chakan is pleased to announce the appointment of ms rajni Sanas as their Human resources manager. With a deft hand in performance management, recruitment, selection, training and development, rajni has been known for bringing out the best in an employee.

amandeep SIngH KHurana

restaurant manager The market, The Westin pune Koregaon park The Westin pune Koregaon park proudly announces the appointment of restaurant manager- amandeep Singh Khurana for the newly launched 'The market'. amandeep is a versatile and results- driven professional.

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NEWS

SOTC's new F&B offerings with Indian and fusion culinary delights

SOTC India Holiday Report reveals more than 70% Indians prefer a combination of Indian and local cuisine during their travel With an increasing number of travellers interested in unique experiences with a feel of the local flavour, culture or experience, SOTC Travel, has reinvented the F&B experience for travellers across its product portfolio in association with an award winning food connoisseur to exclusively curate handpicked menus across all of its business verticals and bespoke tours.

Indian travelers have specific requirements while traveling abroad and food is an essential part of their travelling. A trendy addiction among Indian travelers is gharka-khaana when on a holiday while others enjoy the famed dish of the destination as it connects them to the local culture. ey would not compromise on the food and service quality as they travel for the love of food. e food menus across the business verticals – MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events), FITs (Free Independent Travellers), Group Tours and more will offer a combination of the home-style menus with simple recipes and the local cuisine. Customers can be assured of ease-of-convenience via meals that are of the highest standards, and tailored to their needs. e initiative is in response to the insights gained from the SOTC India Holiday Report 2019, which revealed that across age groups – 25 years and above – food was a critical factor in determining the success and cognizance of their holidays and is especially top of the mind when going on a holiday. e report reveals that majority of Indians are foodies with 75% seeking a combination of Indian and Local Cuisine while vacationing.

SOTC’s regional group packages like ‘Brahman Mandal’ dedicated to Maharashtrians, 'Gurjar Vishwadarshan' that is dedicated to Gujaratis and ‘Darshanams’ curated specially for South Indians; will offer day wise diverse menus of Indian meals as per their unique requirements and culinary preferences. e menus for South

Daniel D’souza President & Country Head, Leisure, SOTC Travel Indian products will incorporate regional favourites like filter coffee, curd rice and rasam and Unniappam while our Gujarati menus will serve specialities like Dhokla, Khandvi. Customers can also relish the taste of diverse cuisines across the world right from Awadhi, Karnataka, Arabic, South-East Asian and many more.

Care has also been taken to provide the eclectic variety of cuisines – both Indian and international cuisine, for MICE travellers as well. With the expertise of the food connoisseur, our MICE tours will offer customized culinary options suited for their palates. From exotic themed dinners to authentic Indian cuisine, Menus on tour will offer a fusion of both local and Indian cuisine for the quintessential native experience.

Daniel D’Souza, President and Country Head Leisure at SOTC Travel said, “Indians have diverse preferences, and they definitely crave home-cooked food a lot, no matter where they go. Additionally, food is one of the easiest ways to immerse oneself in a local culture or community, whether travelling with friends and family, or alone. e new-age Indian travellers have shown a rising level of interest for this type of cultural enrichment, as can be seen by insights

gained through the SOTC India Holiday Report 2019. According to the report, 65% of Gen Z, 32% of Gen Y, 57% of Gen X and 49% of Senior Citizen travellers count exploration of local cuisine as their main reason to enhance holidays. We are positive that the food enhancements will transform the F&B experience for our customers, bringing a healthy mix of local and Indian food, across diverse preferences, via delectable cuisines. is will go a long way to ensuring a satisfying holiday experience for our travellers.”

SD Nandakumar - President and Country Head - B2B at SOTC Travel Ltd said, “Personalized food experiences are becoming increasingly important. At SOTC, we aim at finding the right balance for our MICE travellers. Authentic Indian meals have been an extremely important feature that brings us customer delight. Capitalizing on food and beverage trends, our menus are planned with a lot of attention to include handpicked ingredients, sourced from the regions they are known for, to bring in authenticity of flavours. From Live food bars offering a range of food items and desserts with an Indian twist, the food offered is a combination of simple, comforting home-style Indian menus, as well as modified local cuisine, to suit the Indian palate, and specific dietary needs. SOTC has tied up with partner hotels in various international cities, to serve the menus specially created for our travellers.”

Chef Santosh Jori is a culinary expert with a career spanning over 20 years in curating well-craed delectable menus for reputed brands in the hospitality business, mainly Luxury and Hospitality chains in India and overseas, including the Marriott Group, e Ritz Carlton, Starwoods Hotels, Jumeriah Hospitality, e Leela Group of Hotels and several others.

by T NH DESK

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DL (ND)-11/6167/2017-18-19 | DATE OF POSTING: 5-6 OF MONTH | RNI NO.: DELENG/2010/33723 | DATE OF PUBLISHING: 4 th OF THE MONTH