Travel and Hospitality (TnH) - June 2017

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Travel Hospitality ISSUE 09 | VOLUME VIII | JUNE 2017 | `50

MANY POSITIVES BUT FEW TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES Even after 3 years in power, the Modi Government has not been able to announce new tourism policy that has been under consideration for a long time

The hospitality industry is disappointed over the GST rates announced for hotels & restaurants.

PA G E S 5 2

FROM THE EDITOR

An Ode to Modi

Publisher & Editor Srishti Rai Director Bharat S. Rai Managing Editor Prem Kumar General Manager - Marketing Prem Sagar premsagar@tnhindia.com (M) +91 99106 81111 Art Director Sunny Singh Web Designer Mohit Chaudhary Senior Reporter Archana Sharma 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 Somsons Printing Works, 1/7, DoctorĂŠs Lane, Gole Market, New Delhi - 110001, and published at P- 23/90, Connaught Circus, New Delhi 110001; Editor: SRISHTI RAI

On May 26, 2014, President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet. The venue for the ceremony was the forecourt of the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhavan and the spectacular celebration was attended by almost 4000 people while lakhs more watched it on television.

Amongst the attendees were religious leaders, heads of SAARC nations, several Chief Ministers and Opposition leaders and a host of elite celebrities and business tycoons.

For the first time in 30 years, the BJP had ousted the Congress with an absolute majority and Modi became the 15th Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy.

The swearing-in ceremony and even the campaign that led to his victory highlighted that Team Modi was ready with a gamechanging plan for our country. What's more, they made it clear from the get-go through his much-touted 5Ts mantra for brand India that tourism would be one of the key priority sectors of his government. They kept their promise after coming into power by according great importance to the development of tourism. Three years into governance, we

bring you a detailed report card of the Centre's performance with a specific focus on the tourism and aviation sector. Read about its hits and misses and why its initiatives have proved more incremental rather than transformational in our cover story 'Three years of the Modi Government: many positives but few transformational changes' on page 20.

Also flip to our special feature on the success of the government's legislative agenda- the implementation of the GST bill and its implications. The Modi government, which dived headlong into the GST issue, finally managed to push the bill through displaying its finesse in the art of negotiation.

However, the hospitality sector seems to have gotten the raw end of the deal. The GST Council recently announced slabs that have kept the majority of hospitality services under the higher GST rate slab (28%). Understandably the hotel industry is not happy with this decision and has sought review from the Finance Ministry. The industry argues that this will further make India an expensive and less-competitive destination.

Find out more on the topic on page 16.

To conclude, let me say, I find that even considering the slip-ups of the present leadership, it is hard to dispute that the NDA government under the dynamic leadership of Narendra Modi is fixated on modernizing India. This has ensured they remain leagues ahead of an erratic and irresponsible opposition. I am confident, if politics doesn't get in the way, this government will make sure that India becomes a world class tourist destination.

Srishti Rai Editor

A N D

Travel Hospitality CONTENTS JUNE 2017

16

40

18 COVER STORY

20

Three years of the Modi Government: many positives but few transformational changes

SPOTLIGHT

18 23

IN CONVERSATION

24

20

28

16

The hospitality industry disappointed over the GST rates for hotels & restaurants

30

EaseMyTrip co-producing Guest in London

Travel Mantra Smart tips to save money on holidays and travelling

28 30 36 40 43

SPECIAL FEATURE Special needs travel: The new niche in the travel space

23

EXPLORE INDIA Mahabaleshwar: an excellent escape for summer

EXPLORE THE WORLD Visit Sweden for incredible experiences

BY INVITATION Travel Insurance: For later or for first!

DIPLOMAT CORNER Romania aims to boost tourist arrivals from India

TRADE SHOW ATM 2017 sets new milestones

NEWS

Better international connectivity from Tier 2 cities fuels increase in outbound travel this summer International flights from tier-2 airports such as Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Kochi are fueling outbound travel from India this summer, according to a study conducted by Cox & Kings.

Gone are the days when travellers from tier-2 cities would have to travel long distances to the nearest international airport to take a flight overseas be it Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. The increase in international flight operations from airports in Tier 2 cities like Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Kochi has fuelled the demand for outbound travel.

According to a study conducted by Cox & Kings, the number of passengers travelling overseas for leisure travel from these cities has doubled in the last one year and this is expected to grow, as it gets more convenient to travel to international hubs such as Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur etc., The growth generated from these tier2 cities stands at between 25 to 30 percent and these are catered by full-service carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and also LCCs such as Tiger Air, Silk Air and Thai Smile. The advent of LCCs from these airports has also brought down the fares quite significantly.

According to Karan Anand—head, relationships, Cox & Kings, ``the outbound travel market is growing between 12 to 15 percent year-on-year and this growth is to a large extent driven from tier-2 and

tier-3 cities. This shift in travel pattern coupled with the up gradation of these airports to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft has encouraged Indian and international carriers to start flights from these new destinations.’’

He further adds, ``the recent move by Air Asia to start flights from Bhubaneshwar to Kuala Lumpur has opened up new markets for people residing in Odisha planning a visit to the Far East and Australia. Otherwise, they were forced to either travel to Mumbai or Delhi to connect to international gateways.’’

For instance, Lucknow is connected internationally to Bangkok, Singapore, Muscat, Dubai and Abu Dhabi making it convenient for people from UP to travel to Europe, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

On the other hand, Ahmedabad airport is now connected directly to London, Doha, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur amongst other airlines. These airlines destinations are the hubs for Indian international travel to popular tourist destinations in Europe and USA. The weakening of the pound has led to an increase in traffic from Ahmedabad to the UK. Similarly, international airports such as

Jaipur have direct flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Singapore, Sharjah and Muscat, whereas Chandigarh which has direct flights to Dubai and Sharjah will soon have a direct connection to Bangkok this month. This has led to the opening of new markets.

Kochi airport has also seen such significant jump and last month Kochi airport inaugurated their new international terminal to cater the increase in demand.

South East Asia’s destination from Kochi is just under five hours. The proximity to South East Asia from Kochi has also led to an increase in cruise tourism as it is well connected to the cruising hubs of Singapore and Penang in Malaysia.

Anand concluded, “An interesting highlight of the new gateways in tier-2 cities is the increase in short-haul travel. Destinations such as Dubai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok have witnessed a growth of between 15 to 20 percent as they do not have to travel to any other Indian international airport thereby making the most of their holiday.‘’ Direct flight connectivity from tier2 cities also stimulates travel from regions around the gateway as well.

by T NH DESK

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

5

NEWS

Turning a new leaf Goa Tourism plans to take its

tourism a step further by coming

up with new boulevards, consoli-

dating infrastructure and conceptualizing novel plans.

v B Swaati Chaudhury Y

The multi-faceted tourist destina-

tion of Goa has a tranche of attractions beyond beaches, forts,

museums, heritage sites, lakes and

waterfalls. Goa Tourism is taking up a

Manohar Azgaonkar Minister for Tourism, Goa

series of initiatives to wean away a large chunk of new-age tourists

and to take tourism to new heights. Manohar Azgaonkar, Minister for Tourism, Goa explained, “Goa has been one of the most beautiful

and highly preferred tourist destinations in the country and occupies a significant position on the global tourism map. Goa tourism will

keep on the momentum of upgrading and adding new avenues to the state tourism in terms of infrastructure, adventure and high-end quality services. We intend to highlight the one-of-a-kind assets of Goa

that have achieved milestones in varied segments including festival tourism, monsoon tourism, medical tourism, MICE and adventure

tourism across the globe.” The tourism minister further said that new plans and proposals will be conceptualized to boost the state

tourism. Development of tourism infrastructure is the topmost priority of Goa Tourism. Azgaonkar said, “Cleanliness and hygiene on the beaches are the major focus in the current year. The state is an

emerging adventure tourist getaway and we have plans to roll out

novel tourism activities like starting full-fledged operations of seagway tours, horse riding, duck boats, hop-on-hop-off bus services.

Fashion tourism, sports tourism and film tourism are gaining quite a reputation and are pulling tourists.”

EXPANDING SAFETY NET FOR TOURISTS

v B Swaati Chaudhury Y

Goa Tourism is bent upon to make the tourist spots of the state highly safe and secure.

When it comes to the eternal favourite tourist destination of Goa, there are celebrations round the year to showcase the real culture of the state. In an attempt to cash in the flow of tourists, Goa Tourism is making safety and security at the top of its priority list.

The state government of Goa is expanding its budget for scaling up the safety of the tourists. According to Menino D’Souza, Director, Goa Tourism, “We have augmented necessary security measures all across the state right from the airport to beaches and tourist spots to hospitality groups. The beaches have been geared up with a safety and security cover through a 100-odd IRB force and over 600 lifeguards have been deployed. There are special women-only chauffeur services and CCTV cameras have been installed at a number of tourist sights in order to give impetus to safety measures. In order to keep a tab on the beach activities at shacks, CCTVs will be set up for all shacks operating on the beaches. There is regular beach patrolling till midnight keeping with the safety of the tourists. The state government has come up with a special women helpline 1091 and there are two women police stations in each district to help women tourists.” Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) runs women taxi service offering a boost to women travellers. Goa Tourism and GTDC are working closely to kick-off new avenues in adventure tourism. D’Souza said, “Water sports and white water rafting in Mhadei river are a big attraction for travellers. The exotic adventure sports like hot air ballooning and motorized paragliding attracted a plethora of tourists. We are hoping to come up with activities like duck boats and seagway tours that will add new dimension to adventure tourism.”

MICE tourism in the Land of Biennale

v B Swaati Chaudhury Y

Kerala is emerging as a top-ranking MICE destination in the country with some unique facilities for MICE travellers.

In today’s India, God’s Own Country has emerged as one of the best MICE destinations. The state is best defined as a natural retreat where God owns his majesty’s land.

Nandakumar K P, Deputy Director, Kerala Tourism commented, “Kerala is perfectly poised for a MICE tourist hotspot owing to its diverse and spectacular natural beauty replete with facilities of global standard that makes the state unique. We have build world-class facilities including convention centres, floatels and other one-of-a-kind MICE products that form our USP. Cochin is a leading MICE destination in

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

Kerala followed by Kumarakom and Thiruvananthapuram that have well-developed MICE facilities.”

As of now, Kerala Tourism is not into hosting any such tourism festivals but is offering fresh impetus to the festivals occurring in different parts of the state that boast of rich tradition. Nandakumar said, “The most highly preferred tourist places are in Central and South Kerala. We are concentrating on the tourism potential of North Kerala that is virgin and has an immense potential. These are some retreats like Bekal, Kasaragod, Calicut and Kannur in North Kerala that are unspoilt.” The tier-I Indian cities form the traditional markets for Kerala Tourism. Nandakumar further said, “We are foraying into tier-II and tier-III cities like Bhopal and Ranchi that are coming up in a big way.”

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A GREAT STAY, JUST THE WAY YOU LIKE IT.

RIGHT HERE AT FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON DEHRADUN We like to keep it simple and leave the hassles of travel outside our hotel, so make yourself at home in the new Four Points by Sheraton,Dehradun. Nestled in the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Dehradun is the capital city of Uttarakhand state, and a gateway to many tourist and pilgrimage destinations in the upper and lower Himalayas. Located on main Rajpura road, the hotel is in the heart of the economic zone of the city. We look forward to welcoming you so you can relax and enjoy a great stay at the right price.

Take advantage of free wireless High Speed Internet Access in the lobby. Our rooftop restaurant, The Terrace, offers the convenience of all day dining, The Onyx bar also situated on the Terrace is the perfect place to enjoy a drink and relax. Our Banquet hall and meeting room offers 315 square meters of space for special occasions.

of the signature Four Points by Sheraton Four Comfort™ bed. Or surf the web to your heart’s content with wireless High Speed Internet Access, available in all guest rooms. Free bottled water is replenished daily.

Delicious meals Always a great stay Find everything you need for a relaxing stay and a great night’s sleep in one of our 65 comfortable and cozy guest rooms and suites. Jump right into the plush goodness

Comfort. Food. Put them together and you’ve got a great meal at the Terrace restaurant. Offering all-day dining where you can grab tasty meals with family, friends and business partners. Satisfy your

hunger with our delicious buffet or enjoy something special from our a la carte menu. The Onyx bar is a great place for catching up with friends or colleagues over a drink. Why not kick back with a beer from our international Best Brews™ or just a freshly-brewed coffee. With room service as well, we’re here to make your stay as simple as possible.

Essentials

152/4 Jakhan, Rajpur Road, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India Phone: (91)(135) 660 3300

NEWS

LUFTHANSA PRESENTS MUMBAI WITH AIRBUS A350-900 Mumbai becomes the third destination worldwide to receive Lufthansa’s A350-900 and the second Indian destination after New Delhi.

Starting from April, India’s leading European Airline Lufthansa operates its daily flight between Mumbai and Munich with the most modern long-haul aircraft of the world, the Airbus A350-900. In addition to increased capacity, the innovative new aircraft raises the benchmark on efficiency and travel comfort, reaffirming Lufthansa’s commitment to Indian customers. Mumbai becomes the third destination worldwide to receive Lufthansa’s A350-900 and the second Indian destination after New Delhi.

“Maharashtra is amongst our most important markets and our relationship with the city of Mumbai has grown consistently over the years. Therefore, it is only natural that Mumbai becomes the third destination worldwide to receive the most modern and environmental friendly aircraft, the Lufthansa Airbus A350-900”, says Wolfgang Will, Senior Diby T NH DESK rector South Asia, Lufthansa Group Airlines.

Travelport Smartpoint 7.3 Product update

Travelport Smartpoint 7.3 is the latest version that offers new fea-

tures, tools and updates which help travel agencies to sell more

travel work faster and be more efficient every day. The purpose of this version is to “accelerate agent efficiency”.

Many of the enhancements have been developed based on feed-

back from travel agents to help existing users utilise Travelport

Smartpoint more fully or to help non-users embrace it for the first time.

Travelport has made changes in various areas to enable the

smoother work flow and easier transactions, like Display SVC segments that require EMD-S, Identify types of credit card fees easily

with new OB fees management, saving time with pre-populated PNR details in the hotel availability search, more flexibility with the ability to minimize Travelport Smartpoint windows, provide the best value with promotional offers that showcase branded fares from airlines

and the lowest public rates from hotels, faster working with an im-

proved pre-booking seat map response and smarter working with the additional keyboard shortcuts for many menu items.

by TNH DESK

Wyndham offers hot discounts and incentives for Summer travel Save up to 20% on Best Available Rate (BAR) and earn 1,000 bonus Wyndham Rewards points.

With temperatures soaring and peak vacation season ongoing ,Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company based on number of hotels, announced its much awaited ‘Summer Savings Offer’ for guests around the world, including India. Valid for book-

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

ing till September 4, 2017 and stays ending by September 10, 2017, leisure and business travellers alike can avail themselves of up to 20% off BAR (Best Available Rate), as well as earn 1,000 bonus Wyndham Rewards points when they stay two nights or more under the offer. Wyndham Rewards is the hotel industry’s leading loyalty programme offering members a simple-to-use, gener-

ous points earning structure along with a flat, free night redemption rate of 15,000 points.

The Summer Savings Offer provides guests discounted room rates of up to 20% off BAR (Best Available Rate) on a stay of two nights or more, plus 1,000 Wyndham Rewards bonus points when making a direct booking on wyndby T NH DESK hamhotels.com.

NEWS

Amadeus launches advanced data analytics suite to boost travel destinations Destination Insight equips destination marketing organisations with timely insights into the competition and traveller intentions.

Today’s traveller is spoilt for choice. New air and ground connections and fast developing tourism infrastructure is bringing countless destinations closer to the traveller.

For Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) in the travel inspiration business, the competition for visitors is greater than ever.

DMOs have in the past been bound by data such as visitor numbers only after the year is complete, as reported in Amadeus’ recent paper ‘Smart decisions for smart destinations using big data’. But this has meant DMOs have been less able to take proactive decisions to attract travellers. To do so, DMOs need to know what potential visitors want, which rival destinations they compete with and how to get ahead of travel trends.

The latest product suite from Amadeus’ Travel Intelligence division, Destination Insight, aims to put DMOs in the know with analysis of up-to-date travel data, removing some of the guesswork often involved when making key marketing decisions. By analysing billions of up-to-date global air travel transactions in near real time, the suite can reveal hidden opportunities for DMOs to boost their destinations’

growth. DMOs can for example run relevant analyses of traveller searches and bookings to measure, adjust and

build more effective campaigns. They can also view bookings to their destination versus competitors to under-

stand who they are most closely competing with and quickly develop strategies in response to market developments. Destination Insight is flexible and scalable, and can be used by both emerging and mature DMOs.

by TNH DESK

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

9

NEWS

Deccan Odyssey unveils plans for next season Meetings & Incentives, Compact Journeys and technology upgradation make way in 2017.

Deccan Odyssey, Asia’s leading luxury train and winner of the World Travel Awards was showcased at the Great India Travel Bazaar (GITB) 2017 in Jaipur recently. A slew of announcements were made by Arup Sen, Director, Special

Projects, Cox & Kings Ltd. To begin with, the train will be refurbished before the beginning of the new season in September. It will also undergo an overhaul wherein pneumatic suspension system will be installed in order to make the ride more comfortable. In keeping with the latest technology, biodegradable toilets will be installed

thereby bringing in the much-needed facelift for the train.

These announcements were made whilst the palatial train was stationed at the Durgapura Station, Jaipur from 24th April -25th April 2017, for international tour operators to witness the grandeur and indulge in its finest cuisine on board.

Unveiling the major initiatives, Arup Sen, Director, special projects, Cox & Kings said," Deccan Odyssey assures unique and unforgettable experiences to all. We are also delighted to welcome companies to explore unique incentive programmes with us. We are working on shorter and compact journeys for the domestic tourists to come and experience the majesty as well."

by TNH DESK

OYO TOWNHOUSE DEBUTS IN BENGALURU OYO to launch 25 Townhouse properties in Karnataka this year to tap the mid-market and premium leisure segment ● Townhouse, ‘the friendly neighbourhood hotel’, is a unique combination of a hotel, home, merchandise store and café OYO introduced its mid-market offering OYO Townhouse in Bengaluru. With the first Townhouse in Karnataka, OYO will break new ground as a true category innovator through an offering that combines experience and value at a scale that has never been attempted before in the hospitality landscape.

After its maiden Townhouse in the Garden City at Indira Nagar, OYO plans to expand Townhouse hotels at other popular locations in the city including Koramangala, MG Road, Trinity Circle and Marathahalli. Priced at INR 2500 and upwards, Townhouse provides a unique hospitality experience in

by T NH DESK the heart of popular neighbourhoods. ●

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

Swiss Quality Hotels now available on roomsXML

Swiss Quality Hotels International represent more than 60+ qual-

ity-oriented and individually run hotels across 40 cities and resorts in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Under the recently signed direct

distribution agreement, travel agents using the roomsXML platform get access to all the Swiss Quality hotels at attractive wholesale

rates with abundant availability. “Swiss Quality offers travel agents

wide range of first class accommodation options to choose for their

customers. Guests booked into one of the member hotels can be

guaranteed of Swiss-style contemporary, efficient and open-minded hospitality.” says Prakash Bang, Founder and Executive Chairman, roomsXML.com.

roomsXML is winner of numerous industry awards and accolades,

including 'MSE 2' high credit worthiness certificate from CRISIL - an

S&P Global company. “We see huge potential with roomsXML. With their innovative technology and distribution reach in emerging mar-

kets like Asia Pacific and Middle East, we look forward to welcoming

scores of guests at our group properties.” comments Amjad

Nashashibi, Director Sales and Marketing, Swiss Quality Hotels International.

by T NH DESK

NEWS

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa Bali Hosted Cox and Kings, India

SriLankan Airlines increases frequencies to New Delhi A total of 11 flights a week will operate

Cox & Kings, the longest established Travel Company, in the world just came back from their stay with Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa.

to and out of Delhi from 15th July SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld alliance will be adding four more frequencies to its current daily

By 1878, Cox & Kings were agents for most British regiments

operations to/from New Delhi from July 15, 2017. This announcement rein-

posted overseas, including the Royal Cavalry, Artillery and In-

forces the significance of the Indian market and specifically North India for

fantry, as well as the Royal Wagon Train and the Household

the airline.

Brigade. The Royal Navy was next and in 1912, The Royal Air

These flights will each feature an array of bespoke services, world-class

Force came under its wings. Today, Cox & Kings is a premium

in-flight entertainment including a combination of practical timings and sig-

brand in all travel related services in the Indian subcontinent, em-

nature SriLankan Airlines hospitality services. The purpose of adding these

ploying over 5000 trained professionals.

flights is to provide passengers with added convenience and a wider choice

The trips are a great opportunity for agents to be updated on product developments to better sell Bali as a destination to their

in terms of travel between the two countries and seeking onward connectivity.

clients. “It’s a great honour to host the team of Cox & Kings and

The timings of the additional 4 flights will be as follows:

introduce the “Authentically Bali” Resort to the Indian market.” said

Flight No.

From

UL197

CMB

Jamal Hussain, GM, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa. by T NH DESK

UL198

DEL

To

CMB DEL

DEP

0510

ARR

Days of Operation

0410

Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat

0845

0035

Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat

The above flights are in addition ongoing daily 7 flights departure ex Delhi at 1845 hrs and arrival in Colombo at 2220hrs.

The four new flights with morning arrivals have been introduced specifically for the business community and leisure travellers from North India to Sri Lanka. With an arrival time of 0845 hrs, it will be convenient for Indian tourists coming to Sri Lanka as they can utilize the whole day and have convenient check in times at hotels in Sri Lanka.

by TNH DESK

DJUBO to conquer South Asian Hotel Tech Market DJUBO, a cloud based 360 Hotels Sales

comprehensive solution led by an awesome

Platform, has now entered the South Asian

channel manager I.E. one single dashboard

hotel tech market after announcing its part-

for hotels to manage sales across multiple

nerships with Traveloka and Pegi Pegi.

platforms and OTAs. It has 2000+ clients and

DJUBO as a company has grown 12x in rev-

is already the single largest hotel tech com-

enues in just 18 months of their launch in

pany with hotel clients across 180+ cities in

India. It has 2000+ clients and is already the

India and is now eyeing global expansion.

single largest hotel tech company with hotel

Initial pickup of the product’s international

clients across 180+ cities in India and is now

appeal has been strong with clients in 19

eyeing global expansion.

countries including US, Europe, Africa & Asia.

Hotel industry has huge potential and with

Today DJUBO handles annual run rate of ap-

Sankalp Goel Co-Founder DJUBO

the technology like DJUBO gives wings to it.

prox. 2 million room nights amounting to an-

DJUBO is the single largest hotel tech player

nual booking value of approximately USD 90

and has been able to grow much faster than

MM in India alone which is unheard of in the

hoteliers globally is increasing at a rapid pace

any other hotel tech platform in India. Adop-

hotel tech space in India so far. Sankalp Goel,

socially in terms of revenue driving and rev-

tion from hotel owners is high because of a

Co-Founder DJUBO said, “The requirement of

enue maximizing technology.”

by T NH DESK

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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NEWS

Aitken Spence Hotels, Sri Lanka represented by Nijhawan Group in India, awarded the winner of the Reader’s Choice 'Favourite Spa - Global' award at the 10th asiaSpa India awards 2017 Aitken Spence Hotels, Sri Lanka represented by Nijhawan Group in India, was awarded the winner of the Reader’s Choice “Favourite Spa - Global” award at the 10th asiaSpa India awards 2017 held at The St. Regis Mumbai. asiaSpa awards are conceptualized and hosted by asiaSpa India, India’s only luxury wellness lifestyle magazine which caters to brand conscious, ambitious and sophisticated audience of the elite urban.

The evening highlighted latest spa trends while acknowledging leading experts and celebrities who have given their valuable contribution towards the wellness industry in India. Priyanka Ni-

jhawan, Director Representations, Nijhawan Group stated that asiaSpa India Awards are designed to encourage the emerging Spa and Wellness industry by recognizing creativity, originality and excellence. We are very excited and pleased to receive this award for Aitken Spence Hotels as asiaSpa India Awards are very prestigious awards with extensive consumer belief. Delighted to receive the award Althaf Mohamed Ali, Vice President - Sales & Marketing, Aitken Spence Hotels, stated that “Aitken Spence Hotels boasts of having a hotel suited to every need and budget while ensuring that the highest stan-

IndiGo introduces 2nd daily flight between Kolkata and Pune Enhances connectivity on underserved routes.

In line with its commitment to provide enhanced connectivity to busi-

ness and leisure travellers, IndiGo, India’s largest and fastest growing low-cost carrier has announced its second daily direct flight between Kolkata and Pune with effect from June 01, 2017. Passengers who wish to travel on this route can book tickets at an inaugural offer of `2900 onwards. Commenting on the new flight schedule, Aditya

Ghosh, President and Whole-Time Director, IndiGo said, “It gives me immense pleasure to announce our second daily flight between

Kolkata and Pune. We have witnessed a sharp increase in travel demand on the Kolkata-Pune route. With limited direct connectivity options available on this route, passengers are forced to align their

schedule as per the availability of the flight. This additional flight hopes to bridge this gap and provide a hassle-free yet affordable option at the same time.”

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

by TNH DESK

Priyanka Nijhawan Director Representations, Nijhawan Group

dards of hospitality is maintained with

by TNH DESK every experience.

INDIGO INTRODUCES DAILY NON-STOP FLIGHT BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND BENGALURU Flyers can book tickets at an affordable round trip fare of `14,242.

Continuing to strengthen its network in the Asia-pacific region, IndiGo, India’s largest and fastest growing low-cost carrier is pleased to announce its first non-stop flight and 5th overall flight between Singapore and Bengaluru with effect from June 10, 2017. With the launch of the daily direct flight, IndiGo offers an affordable and a convenient option on two of the busiest business sectors. Commenting on the launch, Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “Both Singapore and Bengaluru are strong business and tourism hubs and attract significant passenger traffic. It gives us pleasure to introduce a direct flight on Singapore-Bengaluru route which will save flyers upto three hours of travel each way. We have been witnessing an encouraging traffic to Singapore from the cities in the south of India. There is a large Indian diaspora that resides in Singapore and regularly travels to their home to connect with their heritage and loved ones. Increased to and fro flights will not only boost tourism but also provide an affordable fare and a suby TNH DESK perior travel experience to flyers.”

NEWS

Asia’s first Animation Theme Park on its way to opening Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS), Asia’s first animation theme park located in Ipoh, Perak (Malaysia) is at the tail end of its development, with 96 percent completed. In an exclusive session, MAPS Board of Director, Ramelle Ramli notes that

Menino D’Souza takes charge as Director of Tourism, Government of Goa Menino D’Souza took

the Park is estimated to be ready by 26 June 2017.

“MAPS is highly anticipated and we acknowledge that there have been short-

charge as the Director

comings to the development. I assure the public that it is a result of the decision to

at the Department of

enhance the Park, increasing the entertainment value upon opening. This was an-

Tourism, Government

nounced to the public last year by the Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Perak

of Goa, lately replacing

(PKNP),” explained Ramelle.

Sanjeev C. Gauns Des-

MAPS which houses both international and homegrown Intellectual Properties

sai.

Officer of the Goa

(IPs) including DreamWorks characters, The Smurfs and The Home of BoBoiBoy will have more than 40 attractions in six themed zones.

by T NH DESK

Civil Service Cadre is also the Goa Excise Commissioner

since

2012 will hold additional charge of the post as Director of Tourism following the appointment of Sanjeev Gauns as Director of Vigilance.

On taking charge today, he said, “It will be my endeavour to ensure that all policies and decisions pertaining to Goa tourism are executed in the right perspective and all functioning of tourism and trade activities streamlined and regulated. I am looking forward to my new assignment and will be committed in making Goa a top tourism destination.”

by TNH DESK

Hunt for 4th Student of the Year 2017 comes to an end InterGlobe Technology Quotient’s (ITQ)

Radu Octavian Dobre, Ambassador of Roma-

are at a stage where the possibilities with

search for the 4th Student of the Year comes

nia to India, who attended the grand finale

their careers are limitless. We offer just a

to an end with a bang. With stupendous sup-

with their delegation and presented the

platform that acknowledges their potential

port from the entire travel fraternity, the Top

awards to winners. Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief

and helps them venture in their journey to

5 contestants deliver their optimum best to

Commercial Officer, ITQ sais, "Student of the

rise high.”

prove their mettle. The Grand Finale of the

Year invites nomination from mentees who

by TNH DESK

Contest was organized in New Delhi on 5th May 2017 and was judged by Ms. Geeta Jain, CEO – Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Ashish Kumar, Managing Partner - Agnitio Consulting LLP and Prof. (Dr.) M Sajnani, Dean Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism and Director, Amity Institute of Travel and Tourism. The event flourished more with the presence of H.E. Mrs. Cristina Tarteata, Secretary of State, Ministry of Tourism Govt. of Romania and H.E. Mr.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

13

NEWS

KARNATAKA TOURISM DEPARTMENT PARTICIPATED WITH YEAR OF THE WILD THEME AT ATM DUBAI 2017 Department of Tourism, Karnataka participated with Year of the Wild theme at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai 2017.

It showcased wildlife and adventure activities in Karnataka.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. N Manjula, IAS, Director-Tourism said, “In-line with our year’s theme ‘Year of the Wild’, we have started promoting our adventure activities in Karnataka. This theme also helps us creating awareness importance of protecting wildlife. The Karnataka Government has also established the Karnataka Eco-Tourism Development Board to help the government in protecting wildlife, creating awareness about it, en-

couraging eco-tourism, forest safaris etc.

Along with the Eco-Tourism Board and JLR, Eco-Tourism Zones are being identified with a chain of nature camps and

eco-trails. We are also in the process of finalizing the Green Policy for the state,” she concluded.

by TNH DESK

ALDAR APPOINTS EHG'S VIDA HOTELS AND RESORTS TO OPERATE ICONIC URBAN RESORT ON ABU DHABI'S REEM ISLAND Vida Hotels and Resorts, the upscale lifestyle hospitality brand for the new generation of business executives, entrepreneurs and leisure travellers by Emaar Hospitality Group has signed a management agreement with Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s leading listed property development, investment and Management Company, to operate a hotel within the developer’s master-planned community on Reem Island. The hotel and serviced residences is a core feature of Aldar’s Shams Marina project, a four-tower development announced in March this year as part of Aldar’s AED 3 billion investment programme, which overlooks the Arabian Sea. The two Vida Beach Reem Island Abu Dhabi towers feature 262 spacious guestrooms and suites in addition to 192 serviced residences for short or extended stay and a range of world-class amenities including specialty restaurants, business

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centres, conference venues and wellness retreats, details of which will be announced in due course. The development also includes 329 marina residences spread across two towers. Construction will commence this year.

Envisaged as an upscale urban lifestyle resort set in a spectacular location, Vida Beach Reem Island Abu Dhabi and Vida

Residences Beach Reem Island Abu Dhabi will be near a premium retail destination with a choice of dining and leisure options adding to the convenience of residents and guests. Located approximately 30 km from Abu Dhabi International Airport and 3 km from the city centre, the hotel is expected to be operaby TNH DESK tional by 2020.

NEWS

Park Plaza Noida relaunched as Radisson Noida Park Plaza Noida has now become Radisson Noida – a brand synonymous with outstanding service and comfort.

It will be the first Radisson hotel to be inaugurated in Delhi NCR. Strategically located, within proximity of Noida’s corporate hub as well as the central business districts of Ghaziabad and New Delhi, the hotel has completely reinvented itself to better serve its discerning guests with its signature Yes I Can! SM service philosophy.

“I am delighted to welcome this hotel to the Radisson brand family.

Delhi NCR is a key market for us and Noida remains a promising destination due to its thriving corporate suburb.

We appreciate the investment that our strategic partner, Bestech Group have made in upgrading this hotel and the trust they have demonstrated in the

Radisson brand” said Raj Rana, CEO, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

Spread over 42,000 square feet, Radisson Noida features 88 contemporary rooms with modern amenities.

The revitalized rooms are bright and modern, complemented with LED TVs, loungers and new upholstered furnishings. Business Class, a new room category, has been introduced for cor-

porate travelers who can enjoy complimentary drinks in the lounge bar and more of such benefits.

“We have enjoyed working with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group for 15 years where a high level of dedication and expertise is demonstrated in managing brands and hotels successfully.” said Dharmendra Bhandari, MD, Bestech Hospitalities.

by TNH DESK

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

15

SPOTLIGHT

The Hospitality Industry disappointed over the GST rates for hotels & restaurants

The GST Council recently pegged 18% GST rate for hotels charging room rentals between `2500 and `5000 and 28% for those charging above `5000.

The Good & Service Tax Council recently announced the rate structure for goods and services. The GST is scheduled to be rolled out from July 1. The council has made distinction between the rates for luxury products vis-à-vis the rates of essential and common usage items. While most essential and common usage goods and services have been placed in the category of GST on or below 18%, quite a few luxury goods and services have been kept at the higher rate of 28%. The GST council has pegged GST for AC eateries and those with liquor license at 18%, non-air-conditioned restaurants at 12%, hotels charging room rentals between `1000 and `2500 at 12%, `2500 and `5000 at 18% and above `5000 at 28%. The hotel industry is disappointed over the GST rates for hotels and restaurants. The industry fears that taxing hospitality services at such a high rate will adversely impact the industry. Terming the rates as too complex, high and uncompetitive, the hotel industry has made representation to the Finance Minister and Tourism Minister to review the rates once again.

Following the announcement of GST rate slabs for services, where the hotel industry has been kept in the upper tax slab of 28 %, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), the apex body of India's travel and tourism industry, has expressed its concerns to Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on placing the hospitality industry in the high tax bracket under GST regime. It has expressed its concerns in a letter addressed to the FM, document-

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“

“

"The industry has been severely impacted by the liquor ban imposed by the Supreme Court and the much awaited GST rates have come as another shocker.

These high GST rates will create further impediments to the industry’s growth."

"A lower tax rate for budget hotels sector will ensure that the industry's quality upgrade continues while delivering standardized accommodation to millions of middle-class travellers."

ing major impediments.

Under the proposed GST rate slabs, hotels and similar accommodation with a rate of above `5000 have been classified as luxury and put under a newly created bracket of 28% for services. In addition, for consumption in restaurants in a property which is classified as 5star and above, the GST rate has been pegged at 28%.

Dr. Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, Bird Group, commented that the hospitality industry in India, a big contributor to the country’s economic growth is on high growth trajectory. "The industry

also contributes significantly to employment, FDI and Foreign exchange. However, recently the industry has been severely impacted by the liquor ban imposed by the Supreme Court and the much awaited GST rates have come as another shocker," said Dr. Bhatia, adding that these high and complex GST rates will create further impediments to the industry’s growth which is still maturing, while the new tax structure will also position India poorly as a destination visa vie our competitors in the international market that have much lower taxation.

Dr. Ankur Bhatia Executive Director, Bird Group

Ritesh Agarwal Founder & CEO, OYO

SPOTLIGHT

Dilip Datwani President, HRAWI

Expressing his disappointment over the rates of GST, Dilip Datwani, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) said that the Government should realize that while neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and others levy taxes ranging from 5 to 10%, "India cannot afford to have these kind of complex and high GST. Tourists will simply skip India. Being the backbone of the tourism industry, it was expected to be placed in the 5% slab."

Bharat Malkani, Past President, HRAWI said, “One of the biggest hurdles for Indian hospitality and tourism, in terms of attracting international tourists is its uncompetitive tax structure. A country as small as Singapore witnesses 10.90 million tourists against 6.31 million for India. Nations like Malaysia and Thailand attracted 24.7 million and 19.09 million tourists in 2014 and earned foreign exchange of USD 18,299 million and USD 26,256 million. In contrast, India managed to earn a meagre USD 94 million.”

“Hospitality is not only one of the highest foreign exchange grossers, but also one of the largest tax generators for the exchequer. It is also one of the highest employment generating industries, employing a large number of youth in the country and 70 per cent of India’s population is below the age of 35 years.

Bharat Malkani Past President, HRAWI

This section of the population too will definitely be affected adversely. By the Prime Minister’s own declarations, the growth of the nation will parallel the growth of tourism. So, it is perplexing that the industry is being taxed to death.

If GST is not reconsidered, foreign exchange inflow will dry up sooner than later,” says Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Sr. Vice President, HRAWI. Budget and mid-market hoteliers have welcomed the lower GST rates to be levied on budget and mid-market hotels, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, OYO, while welcoming the step, said, "A lower tax rate for budget hotels sector will ensure that the industry's quality upgrade continues while delivering standardized accommodation to millions of middle-class travellers. Currently lower budget hotels make up about 80 percent of the hospitality market in India. This will also save and create thousands of new jobs which could have been impacted under higher tax-rates.

Hotels are the single biggest contributor to tourism industry which accounts for 7.5 per cent of the GDP. The move will boost revenue from Travel & Tourism sector for the next many years."

Welcoming the lower tax rates introduced for budget hotels, Sidharth Gupta, Co-Founder, Treebo Hotels, said that 7580% of Treebo's inventory lies in the `1,000-2,500 price band. The GST ap-

Shwetank Singh VP, Development & Asset Management InterGlobe Hotels

plicable in this band is 12% as opposed to 17-20% applicable earlier. This means that our rooms will now be even more affordably priced, and many more customers will be able to benefit from the highest quality accommodation services we offer."

Shwetank Singh VP – Development & Asset Management- InterGlobe Hotels said, “GST is a great move to make the tax base transparent and inclusive. It will bring in a lot of simplicity in the current taxation structure that comprises various levies and is complex for the end consumer. As per the proposed structure, the hotels that have room rates above INR 5000 will fall in the higher tax bracket whereas, for the mid-market and economy range, the business continues unwavering in the 18% bracket.

We need to wait and watch the space for F&B as the classification is a bit complicated owing to divisions based on airconditioning. I feel, there is a further need for the Government to simplify this so as to curb any inflationary trends due to the new tax regime.” Internationally, the taxes in neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia range between 5% and 10%. The high incidence of taxes will make India uncompetitive when it comes to Tourism.

by T NH DESK

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

17

IN CONVERSATION

EaseMyTrip co-producing Guest in London Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder of the online travel company EaseMyTrip.com had a conversation with TnH about his upcoming film ‘Guest in London’. He talked about his interest in producing films and what made him do that. Excerpts: Once again you are becoming part of the production of a film. What do you want to say on this? Please share your newly found passion for movie production.

I am a businessman and doing experiments is not new for me.

Being an entrepreneur, I always look for the projects from where I can get good returns. Entertainment is a good area for making investments as it doesn’t only give good ROI but also helps in getting brand recognition. Working on projects like ‘Madaari’ and ‘Freaky Ali’ has been a great experience for me. So, the passion for movie production increased in me. In fact, this film production business is really appealing for all and the magic of Bollywood has left no one intact from it. Despite being a travel agent, I couldn’t save myself from being attracted towards this field.

Q

spend in other films and opening more branches of EaseMyTrip at different destinations across the world.

What inspired you to venture into the film productions?

As an entrepreneur, I enjoy doing different things and films have been something that I was always fascinated with.

Moreover, I wanted to invest into a field through which I not just earn money but also help my customers to identify our company.

After becoming part of various Bollywood events and being travel partners or promotion partners, I started enjoying this association and thought of coming into film production. However, the biggest reason behind this initiative was my wish to do something creative with the promotion of my company. Most of the brands are joining hands with films to promote their product and services using different methods, including product placement and hoardings. This somehow made me want to go more in this film production business.

After producing serious films like Madaari and Freaky Ali, you are co-producing ‘Guest in London’. What is your criterion to choose a movie?

Madaari was a serious film that raised a very strong issue but Freaky Ali was a sports comedy. As I already said that being a producer, I would love to deliver some fresh content to my viewers instead of producing stereotype cinema. The story-lines of Madaari and Freaky Ali were completely different from each other and have something unique to tell the audience. So, I have not made any criteria for selecting a film. I would love to produce movies that not just provide entertainment to the audience but also give them insight into the life. Guest in London is also going to give a great message to them.

Share your ideas as a movie-producer and what are your investment plans?

I am not that experienced in this film production business to share any kind of ideas or give opinions. But, I want to say that I would become part of those movies which have fresh content that will not only entertain the audience but have a long-lasting effect on them. In fact, I also want to do experiments here by producing films of a different genre. I would love to get associated with talented filmmakers having good stories to tell. As far as my investment plans are concerned, I am also planning to

Tell us something about story and star casts of the film ‘Guest in London’.

Guest in London is a comedy film with a nice storyline. The story of the film revolves around two main characters living together in London and their uninvited guests. The film deals with humor, modern day life and will give enough light moments throughout to laugh. It talks about the family life and gives a strong message.

The leading stars in the film are Kartik Aaryan, Paresh Rawal, Kriti Kharbanda and Tanvi Azmi. The film is the sequel of Atithi

by TNH DESK Tum Kab Jaoge released in 2010.

Q

Q

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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Q

NEWS

Clarks Inn adds Belgaum to its growing footprint in Karnataka Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, one of the largest and fastest growing hotel companies in India, recently announced the signing of a distinct hotel property at the historic city of Belgaum in Karnataka on the state’s northwestern border. The hotel is merely an hour’s drive from country’s most famous beach destination, Goa. The new property, a 60-key strategically located business hotel, is currently in its last phase of development and is slated to start operation by the year end. With the latest addition Clarks Inn now boasts of a portfolio of 76 hotel properties, including 42 in

operation, spread across 17 states in India and one in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Speaking on the latest addition, Rahul Banerjee, Associate Vice President – Operations, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels, said, “Clarks Inn witnessed one of its biggest growth year in 2016 opening and signing a total of 21 new properties, including 12 operational, with the total tally reaching 75 hotels last year spread across 17 states in India and one in Nepal. With a strong development pipeline, we are expecting another year of robust growth in 2017. And with the latest addition at Belgaum we are confident of reaching

a 100 hotel portfolio milestone by the end of the year.”

“The 60-key Clarks Inn Belgaum will be a vibrant hotel property with strategic location that will cater to all the needs of the modern day discerning business and as well as leisure travellers. As a hotel company, we now have the most widespread presence in Karnataka with as many eight hotels currently in operation at Badami, Bagalkot, Bengaluru, Gadag, Hampi, Hubli, Mysore and Shimoga and four more slated to open door over the next one year,” said, Rupam Das, Area Director – Operations (South), Clarks Inn Group of Hotels.

by T NH DESK

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

19

COVER STORY

Three years of the Modi Government: many positives but few transformational changes In its three years in power, the Modi Government has taken many positive steps for the development of tourism in the country, but few in the travel & tourism industry is cheering about. Many think that the NDA government's efforts to promote tourism have been inadequate, falling short of expectations.

v B Prem Kumar Y

Three years ago when the Modi Government came into power, the mood prevailing in India's tourism industry was quite upbeat. They had huge expectation from the New Government led by PM Narendra Modi, who as chief minister of Gujarat had accorded high priority to tourism and during his election campaign, declared Tourism as one of his key focus areas.

Three years down the line, the mood is not so upbeat.

While there are many positives in the tourism sector, the government has failed to bring any transformational changes to tap huge potential in this sector. Speaking at a meeting of the NITI Aayog last year in July, Modi had said that India needs transformational change that can only be driven by drastic changes in policy. "India cannot wait for incremental change." But in tourism sector, little has changed, little attempt has been made to transform the sector. On the contrary the recently announced high GST rates for the hospitality industry is retrograde. Even after three years in power, the Modi Government has not declared the new tourism policy under consideration for a long time.

Expressing his disappointment, Rajeev Kohli, Joint MD, Creative Travel, said, "Mr. Modi in his election campaign spoke very

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well of tourism. We had a lot of hope. Unfortunately, the last three years have seen us being very underwhelmed in the lack of actions on policy and on positioning of our destination." Kohli added, "The industry has changed, the world has changed, yet the way our policies are formulated and implemented is way behind the curve.

Number of travellers handled by the organized tour operators are declining and the industry is at a loss on what to do.

Then the regressive GST taxation on hotels and restaurants has added to the despair." Clarifying that he is not making any judgment on political affiliation, Kohli

Dr Mahesh Sharma Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent charge)

"India's ranking in World Economic Forum's tourism competitiveness index has improved by 25 places in the last three years, which is the highest cumulative improvement in the history of independent India."

said, "but the truth is that tourism has not progressed in the past there years."

The numbers of FTAs in India in 2013 were 6.97 million where as in 2014 (the year NDA came into power) , the arrivals were 7.68 million. In 2016, the number of the FTAs were 8.89 million as compared to 8.03 million in 2015. The country registered 10.7% growth in FTAs in 2016.

However, 2015 was not very good, with the FTAs growing merely 4.5%.

A section of the industry feel that the government has little concerns for the tourism sector. "If the promises were for better days, that have certainly not been kept, said Kohli. "The only thing our industry has done for the past three years is put out fires. Taxation, bad press, increased monument fees, illogical ASI policies and more. So much energy has been wasted on non-productive tasks. Most

COVER STORY

Karan Anand Head, Relationships, Cox & Kings Ltd

discouraging for stakeholders like us."

Kohli lamented that there is no plan of action, no inclination to have an open and frank discussion.

"Having little expectation from the Government, I am focusing my energies on keeping my company on its paths and trying to compensate for the lack of administrative support the destination needs."

But there have been some positive development and not everyone is complaining. Briefing recently about the achievements of his ministry, Union Tourism Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma said that India's ranking in World Economic

Key achievements • India's ranking in tourism competitiveness up by 25 places in the last 3 years • `4800 crore invested in constructing tourism circuits • MoT launched multi-lingual helpline number to help foreign tourists • National Medical & Wellness Tourism Promotion Board set up • E-visa launched and expanded to include most of countries • New Civil Aviation Policy & UDAN Scheme launched

Neelu Singh CEO & Director, Ezeego1

Forum's tourism competitiveness index has improved by 25 places in the last three years, which is the highest cumulative improvement in the history of independent India. He also informed that the government has invested `4,800 crore in constructing theme-based tourism circuits.

Appreciating the government's efforts to promote tourism, Karan Anand, Head, Relationships, Cox & Kings said that in the last three years, the Modi government has made aggressive efforts in promoting India on the global stage. "Increased connectivity, ease of travel and flagship initiatives such as Swaach Bharat Abhiyan have encouraged industry to play an active role in supporting the government’s initiative. The mood is positive and this reflects in the growth of inbound and domestic tourism. While in the developed markets the growth is in single digits we are clocking double-digit growth," said Anand.

According to Mahesh Iyer, CEO of Thomas Cook (India), Tourism was one of the key pillars of Prime Minister Modi’s manifesto and we have seen strong and sustained delivery via initiatives including the game-changer e-visa facility being enhanced to 161 countries, focus on criti-

Rajeev Kohli Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel

cal infrastructure, hygiene-sanitation, safety-security, uniformity in taxation, innovative initiatives such as the 5 special tourism zones or SPVs and power-driving tourism through campaigns, such as ‘In-

Arun Anand Managing Director, Midtown Travels

credible India 2.0’ and ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, and testament to this is the fact that India has jumped 12 places in the World Economic Forum Global Travel & Tourism Competitiveness list. Iyer added that ensuring air connectivity, access and affordability was the rationale behind the

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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COVER STORY

Mahesh Iyer CEO,Thomas Cook, (India) Limited

Governments strategic UDAN; equally its PPP model towards development of regional airports in tier-II cities in the country- offering vital hub and spoke potential to catalyse growth for the sector. The promotion and special benefits to initiatives like homestays further reiterate the Government’s commitment to employment generation and local involvement in tourism.”

Vishal Suri, Managing Director, SOTC Travel, said: it is encouraging to see that the Ministry of Tourism has undertaken several initiatives such as the launch of the 'Incredible India 2.0' campaign, plans to set up five special tourism zones in partnership with the states, promoting north-eastern states, extending e-visas to more countries, developing world class infrastructure for tourists, introduction of a mobile application and tourist helpline, focused approached towards railway security, etc that have further helped boost the sector. "We at SOTC Travel has been favorable Business under the Modi Government. The implementation of GST will now rationalize and simplify tax regime.

In the long term, it is expected to enable the much-required growth needed for the travel industry," said Suri, in addition to this, the government’s emphasis on digitization has improved transparency and

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Vishal Suri SOTC Travel

the ease of carrying out seamless transactions for the tourists in India. This has also led to an increase in online travel booking and EMI holidays and a change in business from unorganized to organized sector of travel. He added, "We look forward to more such pro-tourism initiatives by the government in the future which will further strengthen brand India and look forward to witness path changing reforms in the travel and tourism sector in the coming times.”

With the new Government in place for the last 3 years, the image of India has improved and the inbound tourism has definitely increased in the last 3 years, says Arun Anand, Managing Director, Midtown Travels, "We had expected more focused promotion of India in the source markets but it seems that it has not happened."

The Modi government has taken many initiatives in the past three years that has impacted the tourism sector positively, says Neelu Singh, CEO & Director, Ezeego1, adding, "UDAN scheme is promising initiative introduced by the government that will encourage middle-class families to travel by air, promote domestic and inbound tourism further, make Tier 2 cities more accessible for tourists and also create direct and indirect employment op-

Rakshit Desai Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions

portunities for people in these cities."

Rakshit Desai, MD, FCM Travel Solutions, said, " Reinforcing India's image as a tourist destination internationally, the Modi government in the last three years introduced several initiatives that have strengthened and enhanced tourism in the country. Initiatives such as e-visa and its expansion to more countries, developing a Mobile Application for tourists, introducing the Incredible India Multilingual Tourist Helpline and the launch of new schemes like Swadesh and Prasad are definitely agents of progress and socioeconomic growth."

As regards expectation from the remaining period of the government, Karan Anand said that the Government should moderate the GST rates for the hospitality sector as some of the rates proposed are too high. Arun Anand said that the Government should do more to increase the inbound tourism but with the implementation of GST to the tune of 18 or 28 % on hotels, the prices of hotels will go up many folds and India will become an expensive destination as compared to other South East Asian countries. The Government should consider keeping the GST in the lowest slab for INBOUND TOURISM.

TRAVEL MANTRA

Smart tips to save money on holidays and travelling Summer holidays are here, and we are sure that you have started making vacation plans. You must be busy choosing the destination and thinking how you will be spending your holidays. Well, travelling and holidaying with family can be straining on your finances but if you plan well and follow some hacks it won’t be a burden on the budget. Planning will make your family holiday fun filled to make memories for the life. Read on to know some smart tips to save money on holidays and travelling….

v B Archana Sharma Y

Try to travel at less popular times It’s a known fact that the flight rates during weekends remains always high.

Moreover, the price of flights varies as per the season, month, day and time of travel. So, to save money of such expenditure, try to avoid weekends and plan holidays in such a way that you get to book tickets of weekdays.

Enjoy flying with stop-over flights It is another interesting way to enjoy more with less budget. Plan your holiday with flights flying to your destination with a stop-over. The plus point of this way of travelling is that it will cost much less. Not only light on budget, through this you will get time to explore more than one particular destination. Apart from this, you can also try mix and matching the airlines as differ-

ent airlines charge differently on similar routes.

Keep check on luggage You must note that every airline has different criteria of luggage and carryon luggage. So, before leaving home weigh your luggage according to the permit given on the website of the airline you will be flying. This will not only ease your packing skill but also give you chance to skip the extra luggage charges at the airport while check-in. Another alternative to skip paying inflated charges at the airport is to wear your extra items or carry them in your cabin luggage.

Book homestays or private room

dation. Usually, people pre-book hotels to avoid the last minute hassle. In this case, to make your stay cost effective you can do some extra research and book homestays or private service apartments. This will not only save your money but also give you the true essence of the destination and the way of living there. Over the last few years there’s been various websites that offer locals to rent out their spare rooms, whole apartments or even gardens! Especially, when you are travelling with family, this accommodation option is best and will surely be softer on your pocket. ‘AirBnB’ is one of the best websites to book this kind of accommodation.

Try local food The best way to experience a destination is through its local food. When you are travelling to a new destination instead of having regular cuisine served at restaurants, always try the local street food. It will not only give you joy but also you’re likely to eat far better as well as saving money by eating local food. Also, comparative to restaurants, local food is affordable and will give you essence of the place which you will remember for the rest of life. So, whether it’s a small city or big city, try street food and make your memories with family.

After reaching the destination, the first concern is always the accommo-

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

23

SPECIAL FEATURE

Special needs travel: The new niche in the travel space Special needs travel is emerging as the new niche segment of travelers, with many travel companies offering special services exclusively to travelers of special needs.

v B Neha Kirpal Y

There are one billion differently-abled people in the world. In India, the market size of accessible tourism is 2.2% of the total population. Disability does not necessarily diminish one's wanderlust. People with disabilities have an absolute right to live a life of equal opportunities, choice and freedom. Many tourists with disabilities are keen to explore different travel experiences that the country has to offer. Tapping this largely underserved segment of travellers by providing quality assistance and services that focus on individual needs will contribute to a significant increase in inbound and domestic tourism.

Various companies in the travel space are working towards catering to the travel aspirations of the disabled making tourism accessible to them, thus encouraging people to turn their travel dreams into reality.

to reach out to wheelchair-confined travellers. Launched by Varun Jain, a paraplegic himself, the company audited hospitality and transport providers in the hills, listing locally available caregivers. Jain also sensitized taxi drivers about how to interact with travellers with special needs. A camp operator near Mussoorie even made his campsite obstacle-free for the wheelchair-bound.

Travel My Way Travel My Way is a company that aims

Travel Another India Another socially-oriented company

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

Travel Another India (TAI) along with a disability advocacy collective from Ladakh called PAGIR embarked on a project to make Leh wheelchair-accessible through Himalaya on Wheels. They identified monuments, hotels, lodges, assistive facilities and itineraries that catered to those in wheelchairs. “Hotel owners built larger rooms so that people in wheelchairs could navigate more freely,” says Gouthami founder of TAI. Journey without Barriers (JwB), a wing of TAI, is another initiative that provides a barrier-free travel experience for persons with disabilities and senior citizens. India’s premier Access Consultancy firm AccessAbility advises JwB on improving accessibility at locations and making them more inclusive for all users. AccessAbility’s founder, Shivani Gupta has spent most of her professional life in working towards improving the accessibility of public spaces such as educational institutions, hotels and retail and other commercial spaces in India.

Cox & Kings’ Enable Travel Cox & Kings recently joined the list of travel and tour companies to come out with a holiday package for the differently-abled to help them travel across the country with special transportation and other facilities. Known as India’s first disabled-friendly travel portal, ‘Enable Travel’ is aimed at people with

SPECIAL FEATURE

special abilities across mobility, hearing, speech and vision impairment. An experienced panel of experts who have known the pleasure of travel while coping with their disability—Rustom Irani (wheelchair), Shama Noorani (wheelchair), Divyanshu Ganatra (vision), Alim Chandani (hearing), and Captain Prabal Malaker (wheelchair)—are the people behind the revolutionary initiative.

Thus, it is a groundbreaking product that has been “made by the disabled for the disabled”.

According to the United World Travel Organization report, more than 12% of people who travel from the UK have physical disabilities, while 11% of Australian tourists are physically handicapped. Debolin Sen, Head Enable Travel said, "The UK, USA and Australia are our biggest source markets and we believe that this is a huge potential for us."

Offering inbound and domestic leisure outings, this one-of-a-kind travel portal will introduce quality transportation in the form of specialized wheelchair-accessible vehicles, hiking and amphibian wheelchairs, as well as aids and accessories like ramps. Support services also include investments in specially trained manpower, such as caregivers, sign language interpreters, expert guides and escorts—making all areas of travel ac-

cessible. Several unique itineraries in top-selling holiday destinations in 14 cities, such as the Golden Triangle of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur, Mumbai, Goa and Bengaluru-Mysore-Coorg have been

thoughtfully crafted and curated by the company to attract maximum response.

It took Cox & Kings nine months to design the accessible holiday experience with a lot of the equipment having to be imported. Speaking about the path-breaking ‘accessible holiday’ initiative, Cox & Kings Relationships Head Karan Anand said, "This venture is a win-win situation for all stakeholders.

The financial and emotional investment made by the company is a great opportunity and as far as the business side is concern; it's a viable and sustainable model which has a successful future".

The group has collaborated with vari-

ous tourist places as well as the government that is working hard to make tourist spots physically and mentally disabled-friendly in terms of infrastructure and volunteers. Available both for big and mid-size budgets, the wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) will be available across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, including Toyota Hiaces, VWs, besides some domestic brands.

The division is working on many further plans, including marathons for the disabled, hikes and treks, and even scuba diving. Some of the other features that the company has offered in the past include women-only tours, community tours, senior citizen tour packages, and theme park holidays among children.

Umoja.in An online travel service for people with special needs, Umoja works like a search engine for people to find hotels that can meet their accessibility needs. Information is gathered via its app, which essentially allows any hotel within 90 minutes to answer about 200 logistics-related yes or no questions, and take some measurements and photographs in an automated streamline fashion. When a user shares his/her details, the search engine runs a match across properties to suggest the best options based on their needs. Further, it aims to become a marketplace for accessible restaurants, taxi services, healthcare providers, professional caregivers and equipment rentals.

Thus, by connecting hotels to the accessible tourism market, both the guests and the hotels win. Offering detailed, dependable accessibility information, Umoja's experts conduct in-depth research to find truly accessible hotels, transport options and activities to meet the requirements of its customers in unique forms, such as floating wheelchairs as well as wheelchair-friendly bathrooms, changing rooms, pathways and shacks.

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NEWS

TAT ORGANIZED FAMILY FUN IN THAILAND Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized an event called Family Fun in Thailand, a common project of ASEAN and South Pacific Region, where they are invited celebrities along with their families from different countries to Thailand for a holiday. From Delhi were TV Personality Rajive Makhni & family. The purpose of this trip was to promote Thailand as a perfect family holiday destination for the summer holiday season.

The trip was from 24th to 29th April and covered destinations Phuket & Bangkok. The itinerary included new

products and attractions in these destinations that families could enjoy when visiting Thailand. New products such as; Phuket Bird Park which has over one thousand birds of more than 100 amazing species from Asia, Africa, and South America. On top of that visitors can enjoy

the fascinating Bird Show. Dolphin Show is another attraction which is one of the best Dolphin Shows in Asia. For those who like local experience, can enjoy the Vanich Farm where they can experience traditional Thai farming of growing rice and organic corn farming.

There was a blogger also invited for the trip to cover the entire Family Fun in Thailand Event which also included small interaction with the celebrity and his experience while holidaying in Thailand with his family.

by TNH DESK

SAROVAR HOTELS OPENS KENYA’S FIRST AIRPORT LUXURY HOTEL The Lazizi Premiere Nairobi opens its doors to guests In one of its most momentous steps, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. launched The Lazizi Premiere Nairobi, a luxury hotel positioned inside the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The hotel, managed by Sarovar Hotels, was inaugurated by H. E. Uhuru Kenyatta, the current President of Kenya. The tourism and hospitality industry of Kenya has received a boost following the launch of this hotel which is the country’s first five-star airport hotel.

President Uhuru Kenyatta officially opened the 144 room premium hotel as part of the government’s tourism and hospitality transformation strategy.

Conveniently located inside the JKIA airport, The Lazizi Premiere Nairobi is designed to be the best and most luxurious hotel in the area.

Speaking at the launch, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. said, “Kenya is the

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business hub for Africa and has one of the most diverse accommodation facilities. Nairobi being the hub of East Africa offers a great launch pad for our expansion and growing our footprint in the African region. Travellers in transit, airline crews and other local and international visitors intending to avoid traffic enroute to the airport have not had much luck as most hotels are still quite a distance from the main international airport in the capital city. We are aiming to tap that segment with The Lazizi Premiere”.

Commenting on the launch Kiran M. Patel, Hotel Promoter & Chairman, Lazizi Premiere said, “The entry of The Lazizi Premiere Nairobi into the Kenyan market seeks to complement the everincreasing demand for hotel rooms in Nairobi especially during peak tourist seasons, local and international conferences. Our intention is not only to contribute significantly to the country’s growth and Vision 2030 but also to create over 1000 job opportunities in the hospitality industry, directly and

by TNH DESK indirectly.”

EXPLORE INDIA

Mahabaleshwar

Lingamala Water falls

Mahabaleshwar: an excellent escape for summer Summer is here and to get away from scorching heat, I searched for many destinations in India. And, finally I zeroed down on Mahabaleshwar. It is a charming hilly resort nestled in the lap of grand mountain ranges of Western Ghats in the state of Maharashtra.

v B Archana Sharma Y

Located at an elevation of 1372 meters, Mahabaleshwar offers a picturesque view of the surrounding land with magnificent peaks and deep green woods. This beautiful hill station is renowned for its grandeur and delicate landscapes. This place is graced with evergreen forest, variety of orchards and wildlife. While wandering around, I get to know that as a hill station it came into existence during the year 1829-30, when it was made the summer capital of the former Bombay presidency. The glorious past is beautifully preserved in the colonial mansions and fine buildings which remind the traveller about the prosperity of artistic ability of the previous generation.

Another fascinating thing that adds up to beauty of this place is the watershed of five rivers (Krishna, Veena, Savitri, Koyna and Gayatri). This view makes stunning sceneries, which spellbound the viewers.

Its incomparable beauty with the twisty cascades, wonderful streams, and delightful peaks along with a refreshing climate has made it famous not only in the state but in India as well.

How to get here: Mumbai (about 247 KM) and Pune (around 120 KM) are the two major places

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which provide good access to Mahabaleshwar. One can hire taxi or take bus from these two places to reach Mahabaleshwar. I took taxi from Pune to reach this beautiful place.

What to See? Apart from the fresh tranquil air and beautiful sceneries, Mahabaleshwar has many tourist attractions which I get to explore while roaming around along its silent meandering roads. Here are some of the popular tourist attractions which I found very interesting:

Lord Mahabaleshwar Temple Being a Shiva devotee, I found this his-

Elephant's Head Point

torical temple very beautiful. This temple is situated in old city, and was built by the Chanda Rao More dynasty in the 16th century. The sanctum is pretty huge and draws a large number of devotees as well as tourist along with the divine Shivalinga and the holy pond. Local people call this temple as the Mahabali as well. Another interesting fact of this temple is that it houses Shiva's bed, damru and trishul which date back to approximately 300 years. Devotees also believe that every morning, the bed sheet is found crumpled indicating Shiva's presence at night inside the temple. The temple remains open everyday from 6 am to 7 pm and has no visiting charges.

EXPLORE INDIA

You can enjoy many activities here like, Ganesh Chaturthi: Being near to Mumbai, people in Mahabaleshwar rejoice Ganesh Chaturthi in the month of September, with several festivities and religious rituals.

Strawberry Festival: Mahabaleshwar attracts the travellers with its special Strawberry festival at the Mapro Garden. Apart from many beautiful experiences, you must visit a strawberry farm to pick some fresh fruit, which are the soul of this hill station.

Mountain and Stars: If you are a party animal and think you can get some options here, then Mahabaleshwar might disappoint you. But, a walk under the mountain stars will surely make up for it.

Panchganga Temple

Elephant's Head Point

Strawberries and Mulberries Mahabaleshwar

Lingamala Falls The Lingamala falls are truly a nature lover’s delight. They are appealing in their own ways with possessing different stories to unfold. To reach here, I had to walk through the forest and follow a trail. The falls are a great spot for photography and picnic with friends or family. Some of the nearby key attractions are the mesmerizing Dhobi waterfall and Chinaman’s waterfall. The entry to waterfalls is from 9 am to 6 pm everyday and the entry fee is INR 20 per person.

Venna Lake

As the name suggests, Elephant’s Head point is a piece of mountain which uncannily resembles the shape of an elephant’s head. This beautiful nature’s art work is also locally known as the needle point. A popular place to visit in Mahabaleshwar, it’s an ideal spot for picnic in fresh air with scenic beauty surrounding the hill-top.

Once here, I got to capture fabulous view of the Sahyadri Range. This place remains open from 9 am to 6 pm everyday but it should be noted that you have to trek to reach here.

Panchganga Temple This stunning temple is situated at the confluence of five rivers, Krishna, Veena, Savitri, Koyna and Gayatri. It has major religious importance and thus, attracts many devotees all around the year. The temple has a beautifully carved gaumukhi from where the five rivers flow out. Constructed

by Raja Singha Deo, this temple also has an idol of Lord Krishna inside. Colourful handicrafts which symbolize as souvenirs can be purchased from the shops around the temple. This temple remains open everyday and there is no fee charged for visit.

Venna Lake The Venna Lake is one of the major tourist attractions of Mahabaleshwar. The lake is surrounded by trees and, a boat ride on this lake is a wonderful experience indeed. You can also enjoy a horse ride nearby. The local bazaar and bus stand is near to the lake. There are number of restaurants dot along banks of the lake. I enjoyed fishing here but there are also mini-train rides for kids to have their fun.

This place remains open from 7 am to 7 pm every day.

Besides these, the Pratapgad Fort is an interesting historic place to visit for those who are planning a day trip, as it is 25 KM away from Mahabaleshwar.

Where to Stay: Hotel Millennium Park - 10 minutes from local attractions, this resort offer a restro bar, discotheque, indoor games, Ayurvedic massages and sightseeing tours.

Grand Resort - A short walk from the bus station, the hotel offers vegetarian dishes, kids' park, indoor/outdoor games, gym and Ayurvedic spa.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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EXPLORE THE WORLD

VISIT

SWEDEN

FOR INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES Renowned for automobiles, pickled herring and the music group ABBA, Sweden is a beautiful Scandinavian nation with thousands of coastal islands. It has many inland lakes along with vast boreal forests and glaciated mountains. The country is equally famous for its stunning scenery, scenic fishing villages, the land of reindeer and endless summer sun. Read this feature to know about incredible experiences this country offers….

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Sweden is a country which is close to continental Europe to be very much a part of the mainstream. It is mainly known for its lovely lakes (an incredible 100,000 of them), its forests, its mountains and the sheer beauty of the countryside. The country is filled with colorful wooden buildings, stone fortresses, traditional huts and cathedrals. Whether it’s a pretty innovative contemporary architecture, hiking trails or art museums,

Stockholm

Sweden has it all. It is also appreciable that it has managed to preserve a strictly neutral foreign policy in spite of two World Wars.

It was earlier ignored by travellers with shoestring budget but now it is somewhat more affordable - even though not yet exactly cheap. However, paying the odd kronor or two extra, just to be able to explore the beautiful countryside, swig some of the excellent aquavit and party all night in Stockholm’s nightclubs is all quite worth it!

How to get here:

By Air: Stockholm Arlanda Airport is Sweden’s main airport, which is about half an hour’s drive from Stockholm. The airport is linked to most European capitals with flights coming in almost daily. If you’re coming to Sweden from outside Europe, you have two options: you can

Gotland

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catch a flight to one of the European airports which has flights to Arlanda; or you can come to Copenhagen (which has links from Asian and North American cities), and then get a connecting flight to Arlanda.

By Rail and Road: Sweden is linked, by both train and road to a number of other cities in Europe, largely in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland, Estonia and the UK.

By Sea: Sweden’s main ports are Helsingborg, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö. These are the ports where most ferries terminate and also the ports where larger cruise liners also halt.

What to See? Apart from the beautiful sceneries and lakes, Sweden has many destinations and tourist attractions which you must get to explore while going for a holiday

Gothenburg

EXPLORE THE WORLD

Mushroom picking at Sweden

Northern Lights at Swedish Lapland

Trivia Some popular activities you must enjoy here are: Mushroom picking in Västmanland- You can out in the vast forests of Västmanland and pick abundance of different delicious mushrooms like Chanterelles, Slippery Jack and Porcini.

Picking cloudberries in LaplandSwedes have been enjoying Cloudberries since the 1700s, and it’s said that at that time, huge amounts of berries were sent to the Swedish royal capital. But, when you are visiting Lapland, it's even better to pick your own berries, meet other cloudberries lovers and together indulge in a special cloudberry supper.

Experience the Northern LightsAbisko National Park in Swedish Lapland offers possibly some of the best conditions in the world to witness Northern Lights.

Delicacies you must try at Sweden: Crispbread- In addition to bread and butter, you’ll often find a type of crispbread (knäckebröd) served alongside your main meal. It is a unique kind of bread only found in Sweden.

Prinsesstårta – a royal indulgence: It is an all-time favourite green princess cake (prinsesstårta), topped with a bright pink sugar rose. Now, it comes in a variety of colours – from the classic green to yellow for Easter, orange for Halloween, red at Christmas, and white for weddings.

here. Here, I have listed some of the places which I really liked and would suggest you to take time and visit.

Stockholm The capital city of Sweden, Stockholm is spread out over 14 islands in Lake Mälaren and overlooks to the Baltic Sea to the east. It has grand public buildings, grand palaces and rich cultural history, which exhibits its 700 year-old history beautifully. Each neighborhood has a distinct character, yet they’re close enough together you can easily spend time in several areas. In each, you'll find trendsetting design, ingenious cuisine, landscaped parks, great shopping and loads of fresh atmosphere. Also, Stockholm is easier on your budget than other Nordic cities by providing free admission to 15 museums including the Swedish History, Royal Armoury, Medieval Museum and Skokloster Castle.

Gotland It is Sweden’s largest island and surrounded by the Baltic Sea. Apart from fishing, Agriculture, tourism and information technology (IT) are also its top industries. Gotland is one of country’s most popular tourist destinations. For example, sun seekers like it as it has more sunlight during the year than any other place in Sweden. Visby, the only city on the is-

land is a stunning walled Hanseatic town which has preserved most of its townscape and historic buildings. There are also around 100 medieval churches and numerous prehistoric sites on the island.

Swedish Lapland This place offers you a great wilderness adventure experience in Sweden. It is located in the far north above the Arctic Circle where summer shines around the clock. Lapland is for canoers, hikers and viewers of wildlife. Swedish Lapland is inhabited by the hardy, indigenous Sami, who live in massive forests and barren tundra. A good way to experience the region is to drive the 359-km long Wilderness Way from the canoeing center at Stromsund to the terminus at Vilhelmina.

Gothenburg Gothenburg is located on Sweden’s west coast. It is a green city dotted with numerous parks of all sizes. Most of the parks date back to the 19th century including Kungsparken, a park that circles the canal that rings around the city center. If you’re interested in amusement parks, then head to Liseberg. It has more rides than any amusement park in Scandinavia. Haga bulle (a large cinnamon roll) at Haga, a district known for its picturesque wooden house is a delicious snack to munch on if you get hungry.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

31

NEWS

FAITH voices its concerns to the government on the high tax bracket for the Hospitality Industry Following the announcement of the rate slabs for services under GST, FAITH has appealed to the Union Finance Minister to reconsider 28% tax rate for hotels.

Following the announcement of GST rate slabs for services, the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has expressed its concerns to Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on placing the hospitality industry in the high tax bracket under GST regime. It has expressed its concerns in a letter addressed to the FM. Under the proposed GST rate slabs, hotels and similar accommodation with a rate of above Rs 5000 have been classified as luxury and put under a newly created bracket of 28% for services. In addition, for consumption in restaurants in a property which is classified as 5-star and above, the GST rate has been pegged at 28%.

Quoting rates prevalent in the global market, the letter stated that the implementation of this slab for the hospitality industry will make India a hugely uncompetitive tourist destination. "We compete in the global marketplace with countries such as Thailand, Malaysia & Singapore.

Thailand has a consolidated indirect hotel tax rate of 7% & 17.7% on restaurants.

Singapore has a hotel vat of7% &7% on restaurants. Malaysia has a hotel vat of 6% & a 6% on restaurants. A 3-day stay by a foreign tourist at a daily rate of $150 (assuming hotel and food & beverage) will be taxed per night in India at $42(not including cesses), $18 in Thailand (weighted average), of $10.5 in Singapore, $9 in Singapore. That implies on a total stay 3 nights, for one person, India now becomes expensive by $72 vs Thai-

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land, by $95 vs Singapore and by $100 vs Malaysia," the letter said, adding that this difference will get compounded, when Indian companies, bid for global conferences and events and large tour groups which come to India. Assuming the above simple economics, for a visiting conference of 100 people, India now becomes $7200 more expensive than Thailand, $9500 than Malaysia & $10000 than Malaysia. This difference will further get compounded as most of the groups normally stay post conferences for 7-10 days and travel around the country. These travellers are now most likely to give India a miss.

The FAITH's letter to the FM noted that these countries are already way ahead of India in terms of tourism. Thailand already gets 26 million foreign tourists and $ 42 billion in foreign exchange. Malaysia gets around 25 mn foreign tourists and $ 22bn in foreign exchange and Singapore which is a fraction of India's size gets 12 mn foreign tourists and 20 bn in foreign exchange. In contrast India gets less than 9 mn tourists and $21 bn in foreign exchange.

While benchmarking itself to other countries, FAITH has highlighted that China is estimated to get 55 mn foreign tourists and $50 bn in foreign exchange, USA 70 mn foreign tourists and $170 bn in foreign exchange, Spain 60 mn foreign tourists and $61 bn foreign exchange, France 85 mn foreign tourists and 57 bn in foreign exchange. Their indirect rates are highly competitive. China's hotelsand

restaurants have a vat of 6%, for USA it is 15% and 7% respectively, for France its 10% across both the categories and for Spain it is 7%. Clearly India is at a disadvantage.

The document further expressed that a levy of 28% has the potential to create unprecedented damage to the tourism industry from which India will find it extremely difficult to recover. India after more than 60 years of freedom has less than 0.7% of world tourism share and in key high end segments such as meetings and conferences, cruise tourism, adventure tourism we are estimated at shares less than 0.5% of the world share. With increasing global threat to travel for terrorism, ageing population in key markets, increasing unemployment from digitisation, imposing such tax driven financial barriers to travel to India will be a big blow to the country.

Not only will this impact inbound tourist traffic, but also spur the domestic meetings & conferences segment and holiday makers to increasingly travel to our South and East Asian competitors, rather than within India, since these destination will seem even more lucrative now.

The overall impact of all of the above on our foreign exchange earnings, reduced stays in Indian hotels and lost investment attractiveness of hospitality & tourism as a sector will result in large scale unemployment. The clubbing of the hospitality industry with the likes of gaming & racing in the same GST slabs, which are speculative and do not contribute to nation building has already dealt a major jolt to the investment community.

In view of the above, FAITH requested the Finance Minister to reassess the rating of 28% on hotels and other accommodation, ofâ‚š 5000 and above and on restaurants at 5 star hotels and bring it down to the rate of 18% GST on 'actual rates' charged, which is still closer to the earlier indirect tax slabs of this industry.

If so required, FAITH volunteered to partner with the Ministry on what could constitute the definition of 'luxury'.

HOSPITALITY

Wyndham Hotel Group added four new hotels under the Ramada, Ramada Encore and Days brands to its Indian portfolio in 2016. The new hotels – Days Hotel Chennai OMR, Ramada Resort Kumbhalgarh (Rajasthan), Ramada Encore Jalandhar and Ramada Lucknow further strengthen Wyndham Hotel Group’s presence in the country.

"With our announcement of Wyndham Hotel Group’s recent brand transformation, we are gearing up to claim our spot as not only the largest but also the best hotel company in the world!

As we continue to expand our presence in the region, we plan to establish our brands in tier 2 cities such as Trivandrum, Jammu, Dehradun and Ghaziabad, as well as in leisure destinations such as Darjeeling, Lonavala and Kasauli," says Arora. She Deepika Arora adds, "We aim to stay ahead of the trends and be the first mover Regional Vice President Eurasia, Wyndham Hotel Group in emerging destinations before they become tourist hotspots."

The growth and development strategy of the group is bold yet Wyndham Hotel Group is in the midst of a stratesimple, says Arora, "We work with local partners to bring quality gic transformation that is focused on its brands, accommodation to diverse locations, including those where very technology and marketing. few other international brands are ready to tread." She added

BY Prem Kumar that India is in the defining stages of the hospitality business. While the possibilities for growth are immense, With a global portfolio of more than 8,000 hotels it requires an effort both from the industry’s key and over 697,600 rooms in 77 countries across "India is an integral part of stakeholders in the private sector and the rel18 brands, Wyndham Hotel Group is the Wyndham Hotel Group’s global evant government bodies to truly change the world’s largest hotel company based on the growth strategy. Over recent years, Indian hospitality landscape. "However, in number of hotels. The blue thread that ties we have successfully launched brands such as Ramada Encore, Howard Johnson spite of the government implementing sevthem all together is Wyndham Rewards, the and Days in India and we are ready to fureral schemes and policies, such as e-Visa, to richest and simplest rewards program in the ther expand our footprint. In the next one to attract more international tourists, there lies business. two years we hope to augment this growth with the introduction of namesake a huge gap in the range of travel facilities, inIn recent years, Wyndham Hotel Group has brands such as ‘Wyndham Garden’ frastructure, hotels and recreational outlets. We been focusing on growth in Eurasia, currently and ‘Hawthorn Suites by take this gap into consideration while determinthere are a total of 36 operational hotels in the Wyndham’." ing our growth strategy. Going forward, Wyndham region, informs Deepika Arora, Regional Vice PresHotel Group plans to further expand the footprint of exident – Eurasia, Wyndham Hotel Group. Out of these, isting brands and also bring additional brands into different seg28 hotels are located in India, consisting of 21 hotels operating ments of the Indian subcontinent." under the Ramada brand, 4 hotels operating under the Days With the advent of internet and innovation technology, many brand, 2 hotels operating under the Ramada Encore brand and of our guests are trusting online reviews as much as personal 1 Howard Johnson. The group presence spans across the length recommendations. Hence, not paying attention to what is being and breadth of the country including the metro cities of Delhi written online about our brands would be catastrophic for busiNCR, Mumbai, Chennai, tier 2 and 3 cities like Ahmedabad, Amness. As brand custodians, we keep a close watch on what is ritsar, Jalandhar, Jamshedpur, Panipat, and key leisure destinabeing written and said about us online. tions such as Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Kochi and Varanasi.

Additionally, some other challenges we face in the Indian mar"India is an integral part of Wyndham Hotel Group’s global ket include high seasonality, quality of labour, a high proportion growth strategy. Over recent years, we have successfully of taxes, huge upfront investment costs and longer breakeven launched brands such as Ramada Encore, Howard Johnson and periods. The supply glut, low demand and high inflation makes Days in India and we are ready to further expand our footprint. it longer for hotels to break-even.

In the next one to two years we hope to augment this growth with the introduction of namesake brands such as ‘Wyndham Garden’ and ‘Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham’," says Arora.

Wyndham Hotel Group making strategic transformation

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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NEWS

LEMON TREE HOTELS LAUNCHES UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE HOTELS IN GURUGRAM • Twin hotels, Lemon Tree Hotel, Sector 60 and Red Fox Hotel, Sector 60 have been designed on the principles of universal design offering specially designed rooms and suites for people of all abilities.

• This 3.2 acres property also houses a 20,000 sq.ft. Convention Center, with commercial and office space, making it the largest accessible MICE destination in Delhi NCR • In a first, over 70% of the work force in Lemon Tree Hotel, Sector 60 will be Opportunity Deprived Individuals (ODI) i.e. either differentlyabled or those from economically and socially marginalized segments of society The Lemon Tree Hotel Company, the third largest Indian hotel chain by asset ownership in the country, announced the formal opening of its twin properties in Gurugram, thereby becoming the largest owner of hotel rooms in the millennium city. Adding a

collective inventory of just under 400 rooms, Lemon Tree Hotel, Sector 60 and Red Fox Hotel, Sector 60, located just off Golf Course Extension Road and a short distance from the key business hubs also houses a separate Convention Center with commercial and office space making it the largest accessible MICE destination in Delhi NCR. In line with the fresh, fun and spirited ambience of Lemon Tree, these properties promise to delight its upbeat guests with their vibrant interiors, scrumptious food, impeccable facilities and the distinctive warm and friendly

services that Lemon Tree is known for.

Strategically nestled between highend residential societies, the twin hotels offer easy access to HUDA Metro Station, Leisure Valley and Sector 29, the entertainment district of the city, besides being 20 minutes away from Signature Towers, IFFCO Chowk and the Mall mile on MG Road.

Lemon Tree Hotel, Sector 60 has been designed with innovative interiors and inspiring artwork that make for an ambience that is refreshing, contemporary and stylish.

by T NH DESK

SRILANKAN AIRLINES TO ESTABLISH ITS PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA Melbourne joins the Airline’s global route network from October 2017 SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the prestigious oneworld alliance will be establishing its presence in Australia with daily non-stop services to Melbourne commencing October 29th this year.

Australia is home to one of the largest Sri Lankan expatriate communities, many of whom reside in and around Melbourne, the capital of Australia’s ‘Garden State’, Victoria. This factor, together with the tremendous potential for business travel and Victoria’s growing student population convinced the Airline to plan

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for the launch of non-stop daily services to Melbourne. The non-stop services will also facilitate passengers from the Middle East and South Asia seeking onward connectivity via Colombo to/from Australia.

SriLankan Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer, Captain Suren Ratwatte said “Our presence in Australia cements the longstanding relationship between our two countries. We recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our nations, and the addition of Melbourne signifies our strategy of optimizing the Airline’s network in line with our restructuring. This also means that we have connected another continent to

our global route map. On the other hand, given the number of Sri Lankans residing in and around Victoria, we fulfill a long felt need for a direct service. We are proud to welcome all the diverse residents of Victoria who can now enjoy the direct connections when visiting their friends and families throughout our network.”

The Airline will be operating Airbus 330-200 aircraft on the route, offering its passengers modern in-flight comforts complemented with its award winning service and the world renowned Sri Lankan warmth and hospitality.

by T NH DESK

NEWS

INDIGO RAISES THE TOAST TO CELEBRATE ITS CREW ON THE INTERNATIONAL CABIN CREW DAY Seizing yet another occasion to bring smiles to cabin crew, country’s coolest carrier, IndiGo went all out to express its gratitude towards the cabin crew who make 6E fly high each day. Celebrating the joy of togetherness, 6E hosted a daylong celebrations to mark the occasion of The International Cabin Crew Day across its network. Making this occasion memorable for each, the leadership presented a small memento followed by the cake cutting ceremony at each station.

Aditya Ghosh, President and Wholetime Director, IndiGo said, “I wish you all our Cabin Crew members a very Happy International Flight Attendants Day! I Thank each and every one of them for all the hard work that they do and keep us safe and comfortable. Our 6E Ladies have redefined the way people perceive your profession. I am proud to be on the same team as our Ladies! Keep climbing higher.

As a small token of our deep respect, appreciation and admiration, we are presenting each of our crew members with

a specially designed pocket note book that celebrates only some of the many inspiring stories of duty and dedication from our cabin crew colleagues over the years.”

As a leading low-cost carrier in India, IndiGo constantly works towards developing employee growth initiatives that make the profession of high flying a fruitful one for all those who are associated

with the airline. To empower the personal and professional success of its employees, IndiGo runs several initiatives including flexible working hours, employee assistance programme for cabin crew, and ongoing training modules that are designed to enable employees to grow not only as airline professionals, but as well-rounded individuals.

by TNH DESK

COX & KINGS BOARD APPROVES DEMERGER OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE BUSINESS The board of Cox & Kings Ltd. (C&K, or the Company) recently approved the demerger of its foreign exchange division into a separate financial services company to be named Cox & Kings Financial Service Ltd. (CKFSL).

Whilst the Tours & Travels and Foreign Exchange (‘Forex’) businesses are complementary in nature, the businesses operate quite distinctly from each other. The Forex business has 125 licenses across India to provide foreign exchange to captive customers as well as to third-party customers.

Peter Kerkar, Chief Executive Officer, Cox & Kings Group, said, “Strong macro

drivers coupled with a strategic brand presence will enable CKFSL to flourish.

There are abundant, large-sized avenues for natural product diversification and the timing of this demerger is most opportune.”

The working capital needs of the Forex Business are quite different from those of the Tours & Travels business.

With a view to enable the Forex business to capitalize on growth opportunities in an independent manner it has been decided to demerge the business into a separate company.

by TNH DESK

Peter Kerkar CEO, Cox & Kings Group

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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BY INVITATION

Travel Insurance For later or for first!

v B M. Ravichandran Y

Summer vacations are always treasured, especially when it is a trip to an international destination. Enough time and energy is spent zeroing on the best hotel and resorts, picking the cheapest flight tickets, pencilling the preferred hotspots, and more. However none of the above planning can ever guarantee a good experience. While you may have put your documents in place and skimmed through your checklist a zillion times, there might be a crucial element that you may have missed; ensure you have checked your travel insurance.

As we are constantly in the quest for exploring something rare and audacious, we tend to miss out on the probabilities of unplanned situations in a foreign nation. Injuries, illness, and even spewing volcanoes can tear up your perfect itinerary and in such cases it is reassuring to know that someone stands behind you and that you are adequately covered. Thus, travel insurance is more of a safety kit added to your travel plan. It is a precautionary measure that will save you from any unnecessary hassles.

Understand your travel insurance Considering travel insurance is an investment, it is very crucial to purchase an accurate travel insurance policy which benefits you the most and addresses your needs well. It is advisable to purchase a travel policy from a valued insurance brand, which has an international presence and a strong profile. One should also take into account the claim settlement record of the insurer.

A standard travel insurance policy covers health insurance and personal accidents.

Other than these, travel insurance policies also have features which cover inconven-

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M. Ravichandran President – Insurance of TATA AIG General Insurance Company Ltd

iences such as flight inconvenience, trip delays and cancellations, connections getting missed and loss of passport. Baggage loss and baggage delay are the most common problems encountered while flying.

However, one should note that coverage is offered only when it is in the custody of the common carrier, which in most cases is the airline. One must keep in mind that it will cover only checked-in baggage and delay in receiving baggage outside Indian boundaries. This means that if there is a delay in receiving baggage in India, the policy wouldn’t respond. The possibility of personal liability is also covered which may lead to litigation in the foreign country. Insurance companies also provide cover if an individual’s unattended house in India is burgled, while the policyholder is abroad. This is covered under the Home burglary benefit.

Similarly, students who go overseas for studies should look at Travel Insurance.

Majority of students opt for a travel insurance policy when they leave the country.

Overseas travel insurance specifically designed for students and referred to as Students Overseas Travel Insurance is often a must for students as it includes health cover, protection against sponsorship hassle, study interruption and a compassionate visit. A student cover also includes loss of vital documents and credentials, mental and nervous disorders, rehabilitation for drug and alcoholic addiction. Students would do well to check whether the specialized cover offered in India is in compliance with the one prescribed by the institute abroad and can be opted for a period of one year.

In order to compare the varied plans, factors such as cover options, premium amount, medical cover, upper age limit should be given prior consideration. The premium for an insurance plan depends on the location, the travel period, age of the traveler and the level of coverage chosen.

Though travel insurance is still at its nascent stage in the country, there has been a shift in people’s attitude while buying a travel insurance. It is not just the regular outbound travelers who have been opting for a travel insurance, there has been awareness amongst in-frequent travelers such as honeymooners, students, parents visiting their children, and the list is endless. As the demand drives insurance companies to offer competitive products, it is all the more necessary to invest and pick the right insurance product and plan that will suffice your needs.

Because life is short and holidays, probably shorter; make sure you compare insurance plans to get the right policy for you. Whether you are a carefree student, trekking across Canada with your family, or relaxing on a cruise, it is necessary to take have an insurance policy on your checklist. It will not only act as your lifesaver internationally, but also as the one constant who will get you out of the smallest as well as trickiest of situations.

HOSPITALITY

A perfect mix of luxury and spirituality Located in the foothills of the Govardhan Parvat, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Mathura for Krishna Bhakts, Shri Radha Brij Vasundhara Resort and Spa offers unparalleled mix of luxurious and spiritual experiences.

Speaking about the uniquness of the five-year old resort, Tanya Agrawal, Director, Shri Radha Brij Vasundhara Resort and Spa, said, "We are in a league of our own, we are competely different from other hotels, and there is no resort in Mathura like ours. No hotel has as vast an area as ours. Besides, we have a spa, all weather swimming pool, gym and host of other luxuries to make a guest’s stay comfortable and memorable one. The guest can stay, unwind and need not go anywhere."

Since Mathura is the birth place of Lord Krishna, the city naturally draws high number of Krishna devotees from across the globe, said Agrawal. "But off late there is a change, a large number of busy bee corporate executive come and stay here, mixing leisure and spirituality. Since the resort is just a few hours away from Delhi, they are using it as weekend getaway," she said.

"Further on, we have become a venue for theme based weddings, destination weddings, etc. In addition, many companies use us as an offshore business meeting venue. So, overall we are focusing on all these segments and each one of them remains important for us."

The resort is next to 21 km parikrama, one of the main attrac-

tions in Govardhan. Many tourist attractions such as Barsana, Gokul, Nandgaon, Vrindavan and Deeg are located nearby the resort.

The resort is chiseled out in the shape of a tree, spreading its branches in across 26 acres of land colonizing 250 cottages, one spa, one restaurant and three banquet spaces. 80% of the resort area has green cover with softscaping. The cottages offer all the modern amenities. For those on pilgrimage, there is a temple with the idol of Shrinathji in the middle of manicured lawns.

"To add to the luxury quotient Tanya Agrawal Director, Shri Radha Brij Vasundhara Resort and Spa we offer facilities like Spa, gymnasium, all weather indoor swim"We have become a venue for thememing pool along with sauna, based weddings, destination weddings, steam, Jacuzzi and variety of etc. Besides, many companies use us as an offshore business meeting venue." sports like board games, Table Tennis, Billiards, air hockey free of charge to our guests." said Agrawal. Apart from this, for the business travelers, the resort has a carefully crafted conference hall. The resort's three banquets spaces, capacity ranging from 150 to 1500 people, are perfect fit for all those who are looking to celebrate their special moments.

"Our resort has a perfect mix of luxury and spirituality. It has large green area filled with variety of flora and fauna which helps them in spiritual sojourn. Besides, for those with small kids, the resort offers plenty of indoor and outdoor gaming facilities, and above all it offers safe and quite environ ideal for famby T NH DESK ily holidays," concluded Agrawal.

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NEWS

Celebrity Cruises launches the zenith of cruise ships Celebrity Edge Nobel Laureate and Human Rights Activist Malala Yousufzai has been named ship’s ‘Godmother’. Pre-bookings has opened for the ship which will undertake its maiden voyage in December 2018.

It’s not often that you see a human rights activist and Nobel Laureate being associated with cruise ships. But, it’s not often that you see a cruise ship like Celebrity Edge either. Launched by Celebrity Cruises, this beauty on waters is the epitome of architectural, aesthetical and conceptual brilliance that can be achieved in the cruising segment. Living up to its name, it enjoys an edge in terms of engineering excellence that guarantees cruisers an unforgettable experience. Yet it’s a ship that does not only concern itself with opulence, but also with establishing a firm belief in the principles of gender parity, equality and diversity with every nautical mile it covers in the sea. And who better to repre-

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sent the very same than Malala Yousufzai, who has been described by Richard D. Fain, Chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, as an “honest to god hero.”

Celebrity Edge, being the first of the Edge-class of ships from Celebrity Cruises, has redefined and introduced an array of revolutionizing concepts in different areas of cruise shipping. For instance, it has taken cruise ship accommodation to the next level by introducing an idea called infinite staterooms which allows the entire room to be taken right next to the vast sea’s edge, just at the click of a button. The food is prepared by Michelin-starred

chef Cornelius Gallagher and offered through numerous highly quality fine dining restaurants such as Windjammer, Luminae, Sushi on Five, Tuscan Grille etc. The resort deck is equipped with a jogging track, a Solarium and a Rooftop garden.

There are however a few things that truly distinguishes Celebrity Edge amidst its peers. It is the first ship to be designed and revealed in 3D and features the Magic Carpet, the world’s first cantilevered venue on sea featuring 13 stories and being the size of a tennis court.

Then there are the Iconic Suites, which are pristine suites perched high atop the ship that offer breathtaking, panoramic views of the surrounding seas and the faraway land.

The reason behind choosing Malala Yousufzai was that she has always been a beacon of hope for the downtrodden and the oppressed, and has the tenacity to stand up for what she believes in.

by T NH DESK

Corrigendum In our May 2017 issue, on page 22, the image was mistakenly captioned as 'Pukhraj Singh Chug, MD, Group Concorde, instead of Prithviraj Singh Chug, Director, Group Concorde. The error is regretted.

MICE

Middle East fastest growing region for hosting international association meetings The number of meetings in The Middle East has grown from 100 in 2007 to 255 in 2016.

This was another decade of great success for the association meetings sector.

ICCA captured 12,212 rotating international association meetings taking place worldwide in 2016, which is clearly an all-time record for ICCA’s annual snapshot of immediate past year’s meetings data.

More than five decades of doubling every ten years Globally, the number of association meetings has doubled in a decade: from just under 6,000 in 2006 to over 12,000 in 2016. This means that the trend of exponential growth, as identified in ICCA’s advocacy report “A modern history of international association meetings: 19632013”, published at ICCA’s 50-year anniversary in 2013 (available on www.icca50.com), continues to apply: The number of association meetings continues to double every decade.

Middle East fastest growing region The market share of the Middle East region has grown even quicker: from 100 to 255 in a decade. This growth of over 250% is the largest for any region in the world.

The estimated total number of participants in the Middle East has grown from just of 100,000 in 2007 to an average of almost 200,000 in the last 5 years.

Most meetings were about medical sciences and technology. The amount of technological meeting is higher than in other parts of the world.

ICCA opened its first first part-time Regional Office in the Middle East in 2013 and has deployed numerous activities to advance the association meetings market in the region.

Senthil Gopinath, Regional Director, Middle East, ICCA and Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA

ICCA CEO Martin Sirk said: "This trends helps illustrate why ICCA took the strategic decision to open up a full-time Regional Office in Dubai at the start of 2016.

The association sector is taking off in the Middle East, driven by growth in an educated, professional middle class, a desire for professional education, standards and accreditations, and an understanding by international associations that this is a market of great long-term potential, both for growth in membership and for building business for their members based outside the region."

ICCA Regional Director Senthil Gopinath added: "We are particularly delighted to be partnering with Dubai Association Centre in the first Dubai Association Conference taking place 1112 December this year (www.dubaiassociationconference.com), which is designed to build association capacity and awareness across the region. Over the last twelve months some of my most popular programmes for ICCA members have been seminars on bidding for asso-

ciation meetings, and how to set up and operate effective congress "ambassador programmes", where local doctors and business leaders are encouraged and assisted to lead these bids. The association meetings sector is entering a new and exciting phase in this region, for both suppliers and organisers."

ICCA statistics measure association meetings since 1963 ICCA is the global expert in international association meetings and has collected data on these meetings since 1963.

For almost as long as there has been an international association meetings sector, ICCA has been there alongside, in all regions of the world, to observe and carefully record its growth. In the world of international meetings, international comparison reports of other meetings market segments on a global scale are lacking. Most countries are still struggling to obtain even a partial picture of the current size and impact of this complex and

by T NH DESK fragmented industry.

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39

DIPLOMAT CORNER

Romania aims to boost tourist arrivals from India Q&A

H. E. Radu Octavian Dobre Ambassador of Romania to India

v B Prem Kumar Y

Realizing the importance of Indian outbound market, Romania is seeking to increase its foreign tourist arrivals from India. Romania is positioning itself in India as a destination for every kind of tourist. The country has huge potential in tourism segments like leisure, heritage, adventure, health, wedding and MICE. An event was organized recently in New Delhi to promote the tourism exchange between Romania and India. In an interview on the sidelines of the event, H.E. Mr. Radu Octavian Dobre, Ambassador of Romania to India talked about Indian market, the tourism potential of Romania and more. Excerpts:

Q

How is this event going to promote Romania In India?

The promotion of the country is a continuous activity.

This event is a start of the co-operation with Aska Tourism. It’s an event for promoting tourism in Romania.

With this event, our aim is to create awareness about Romania in India so that more and more Indians know about the country. They can know important areas in Romania to visit. The demand is increasing. Last year, we have registered around 18, 000 visitors from India. From India, we expect a little more because it is a much more bigger country than us.

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DIPLOMAT CORNER Q

Romanian Tourism got active in India only in recent years, why did it take so long?

Our tourism industry is growing and for a period of time our strategy was to attract tourists from Europe and the US because it was a little easier as they knew more about our country. But, now our tourism industry has reached the level of maturity to be able to receive a large number of tourists at once. We know that India is receiving around 7-8 million tourists every year. We are a very small country as compared to India. In size, we are similar to Delhi, still we receive more than 2 million foreign tourists every year. Our tourism industry and its capacity to receive tourists are growing, therefore, now we are ready to come to new markets.

Q

there we started a little earlier but we now see that our promotional activities are growing exponentially in the Indian market. Cultural-wise too, we are closer to India than China.

Q

How is the air connectivity between the two countries?

Unfortunately, for the moment there is no direct flight between the two countries, but we are working on that and we hope in the near future we would have direct flights between Delhi and Bucharest. However, there are easier routes via Doha, Dubai, Moscow and Istanbul to come to Romania. One can also fly to Romania via Rome or Paris. As now Air India is flying to Vienna, it is just 1 hour flight from Vienna to Bucharest. So, connectivity is not a big problem.

Food is one of a major concerns for the Indian tourists. What is "With Which attractions would the scenario of Indian food in Royou like to suggest for mania? this event, our aim the first time visitors to RoIndians can enjoy Indian food in is to create awareness mania?

Romania. We have several Indian about Romania in India so We have Bucharest for young restaurants in Romania. This is the that more and more Indians as well as old people, where ball rolling situation because as know about the country. They you have options of enjoying more and more Indians visit Romacan know important areas clubs, restaurants, gyms and nia, the more Indian restaurants will shopping malls. In summer, you open in the country. The tour operain Romania to visit." can go to seaside where several tors will know where the people are clubs open 24 hours for three months. going, and they will encourage creation If you want to see nature, you can go to of restaurants for the Indian food. Even now mountains. You also have option to see monuIndians can find food of their choice at many ments and castles. We also offer health tourism. You places, whether they visit seaside or go to other areas. can visit salt mines that are unknown things in India. You can I also want to mention that our quality of food is very good. spend a day in salt mines and play football, ping pong and Our agriculture is very ecological. I believe that food is not a other games which will make you healthy. So, we have lots problem in Romania for Indians. of points of interests.

How do you compare Indian culture with Romanian How long have you been in India and what are the culture? things you like here?

Culturally, we were always connected. We have had very I have been here for last 4 years. I like many things here such good historical and cultural relations. Romanian and Indian as my friends, but what I don't like is heat. I have made lots languages have almost 800 words in common. In Romania, of wonderful friends here. People here are very warm and we have Bollywood channels running 24X7 on cable TVs. So, friendly. There is very good vibration between Indians and we know India very well and now it’s time for Indians to Romanians. We connect with each other very well. I like Instart knowing Romania again because there was very strong dian food very much whether it is north Indian or south Inconnection between the two countries in the past. dian. I really enjoy Indian food. I believe you can find authentic Indian food only in India.

For Romania, where does India stand as a market in Asia in terms of tourist arrivals?

As you know that there are two big countries in Asia: China and India. The number is a little bit bigger from China because

Q

Q

Q

Q

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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NEWS

SETTING A TREND IN BEACH TOURISM v B Swaati Chaudhury Y

The Ministry of Tourism, Maldives is looking to pull tourists from the mid-market sector of India.

For travel junkies who just love to travel to beaches and watch the coral reefs, the isHussain Lirar land-nation of Maldives is wait- Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Maldives ing for your arrival. For Indian outbound tourists, Maldives has carved a special place to indulge in their inner wanderlust. Hussain Lirar, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Maldives, commented, “In a bid to boost Maldives as a destination of choice in the Indian tourism industry, we have planned an array of marketing initiatives in the Indian market along with the ongoing sales and public relation activities. We have in mind to carry out a number of consumer-oriented activities to build an image for Maldives as a prospective honeymoon destination. We are looking to capture the tier-II cities of India to generate awareness about the immense potential of Maldives as a tourist destination.”

Calling Indian MICE visitors with the allure of Japanese experience The Land of Rising Sun offers a sizeable amount of opportunities for Indian MICE travellers with authentic Japanese experience.

BY Swaati Chaudhury

v

With the steady rise in Indian tourists

footfall to Japan, India has rapidly

emerged as a significant source market for Japan. Japan National Tourism Or-

ganization (JNTO) has firmly placed on its agenda several marketing cam-

paigns with the Indian travel industry to provide an impetus to Japan as a

tourist destination and to entice Indian outbound travellers.

Kenichi Takano Executive Director- India, JNTO

Kenichi Takano, Executive Director- India, JNTO informed, “India is

a growing significant tourist market for Japan and there has been a

spike in Indian tourist arrivals to Japan in the first quarter of 2017. In an attempt to inform the Indian tourism industry about destination

Japan, we have opened the doors of our premier establishment in New Delhi.”

Air Arabia launches new flights to Baku Air Arabia, the first and largest lowcost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa along with Sharjah Tourism Board recently launched its inaugural service to Baku. This new flight marks Air Arabia’s first entrance into Azerbaijan- a culture-rich country with a fast-emerging appeal for tourism and its expanding travel market. Flights to Baku will depart from Sharjah just conveniently connecting to India cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai etc . The new route aims at boosting tourism in the country.

Baku, in its essence, resembles a harmonious blend of Europe and Asia, and acts as the financial hub of Azerbaijan.

The city is a true example of pastmeets-future, offering it all from skyscrapers and modern boutiques, to important historical sites. The new flight adds to the growing list of “short holiday” destinations served by Air Ara-

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bia. Baku etched its name in international sports by hosting the European Grand Prix. Furthermore, the Caucasus city has recently been named a host for the UEFA Euro 2020 football championship.

Adel Al Ali, group CEO, Air Arabia said, “We are excited to announce this service, and hope that our passengers enjoy our esteemed offerings. We are

confident that this initiative will establish Baku as a destination of choice for true cultural experiences, and will positively contribute to the rapidly-growing tourism industry in Azerbaijan.”

Air Arabia currently operates flights to 124 destinations from five hubs across the Middle East and North Africa.

by T NH DESK

TRADE SHOW

ATM 2017 sets new milestones Arabian Travel Market 2017 held in Dubai World Trade Centre from April 24-27 witnessed a 7% increase in its international visitors and a 10% increase in its visitors from the GCC. For the second year in succession, visitor numbers smashed through the 28,000 mark – the show saw a 71% increase in visitors over the last five years.

v B Prem Kumar Y

This year 'Experiential Travel' was the main theme of Arabian Travel Market 2017. Experiential travel includes travelling for adventure, culture, heritage, wellness, health, theme parks, etc. Experiential Travel is also considered a new opportunity for travel & hospitality players to generate new business. “The show is designed with content in mind and I think this year we were able to fully explore our theme of experiential travel, while also covering the hot topics in the industry," said Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM. ATM 2017 showcased and discussed the latest travel trends, products and technological advancements in tourism sector. Many important deals and partnership were announced on the occasion. Exhibitors announced the launch of new products to attract buyers and reach out new markets. Dubai Tourism announced the launch of 'Dubai Expert' that is an online educational game created exclusively for travel professionals. Besides exhibiting their offerings, many national tourism organizations, airlines, hotel chains and travel tech-

nology companies organized press conferences to interact with media persons gathered from across the world to highlight their products and new plans. Dubai Tourism, Tourism Malaysia , India Tourism, Emaar Hospitality, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, TIME Hotels, Qatar Airways, Amadeus, Sabre are among the leading players to hold press meets at the ATM 2017.

Besides there were many informative and interactive seminars and talks were held to discuss new opportunities, developments, challenges and trends.

The first day of the event saw His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, touring the ATM. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum were joined by dignitaries in-

cluding HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of the Emirates Group; and His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

The 24th edition of the show welcomed more than 2,600 exhibitors – with 100 exhibiting for the first time – representing more than 150 countries, across 65 national pavilions. The show was extended across an additional hall in order to meet growing demand.

This year, the inaugural Halal Travel Summit was one of many seminar sessions on the Global Stage, which welcomed leading Muslim travel industry experts.

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FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD

Popular festivals around the world to see next month

Upcoming month brings a lot of festivities with many colorful and music festivals for an avid traveller. There are many festivals happening around the world like Comic-Con International and Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival (in Edirne, Turkey). Here are some of the popular festivals / carnivals which a traveller must enjoy!

AgitÁgueda Art Festival

The Calgary Stampede is a western show unlike other, rodeo shows, en-

July 1-23, 2017

compassing parades, stage coach races, a fair and delicious pancakes.

Location: Águeda, Portugal

During this festival, White hats, big belt buckles and bull-riding sound is a common scene from the Wild West every July. The zest of this festival takes over the city with the world’s largest rodeo. A celebration of the western way of life, the Stampede puts together 10 days of parades, musical performances, rodeo events, food and more for what they call - ‘The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’. The rangeland derby pits chuck wagons against one another in what’s nicknamed the Half Mile From Hell.

Four horses, one rider and a tented wagon race three other teams around a track where a lot can go wrong and it has.

Latitude Festival July 13 - 16, 2017 The town of Águeda gets taken over for almost an entire month of music,

Location: Henham Park, England

cultural pride, and extravagant festivities. The best time of year to get to know the small Portuguese town of Ãgueda is during the music and arts festival ‘Agit Ãgueda’, a celebration of local pride that residents and tourists alike can appreciate. Spanning almost the entire month of July, the festival brings live music, DJs, performances, street art, sporting events, and more to the city's streets. Best of all, all of these activities are free. The action-packed program has something for everyone: nightlife, street shows, kids activities, and art installations that make the city feel like enchanted wonderland.

Calgary Stampede July 7 - 16, 2017 Location: Calgary, Canada The Latitude Festival is an important fun-filled family event. It is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006. This festival showcases the best performers from music and the arts. Through woods lit with fairy lights to a gondola-filled lake, there is so much on offer, from film to music, comedy to literature and theatre to poetry. There are all sorts of hidden gems to discover. Latitude Festival is much more than any average festival with the fields of multicolored sheep, hidden DJ performances in the woods, and opera by the lake, it really is the cultural highlight of the summer festival season.

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FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD

Astral Harvest

Numerous wrestlers have converged on Edirne, Turkey for Kirkpinar, an

July 14 – 17, 2017

oil-wrestling festival in which of all shapes and sizes, dressed in nothing

Location: Driftpile, Alberta, Canada

but kisbet (traditional cowhide trousers) and doused in olive oil, battle it out one-on-one. The last man standing walks away with the Kirkpinar Golden Belt and the title of Chief Pehlivan. This weeklong festival, a UNESCO Intangible Heritage event, draws thousands of onlookers each year, and is said to be the longest-standing annual sporting event in the history of the world. It now holds a Guinness World Record for the longest running sports competition. Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival is an ancient festival celebrated since 1346.

Comic-Con International: San Diego July 19 - 23, 2017 Location: San Diego, California, US

Set in the hinterlands of Alberta, under an enormous sky, amid white spruce and poplar trees, with hardly a town in sight, Astral Harvest is way off the beaten path. And, that's the charm for some 2,000 and more fans who journey here: a remote, unplugged backdrop for the festival's feel-good hybrid of EDM rave and trippy workshops. Fans arrive in long, flowy skirts and peace sign t-shirts. Some dressed as aliens, while others don faux fur trapper hats and superhero costumes. Many carry glowing hula-hoops that light up the night. This festival includes EDM, yoga and hula hooping converge under the midnight sun.

Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival July 10 - 16, 2017 Location: Edirne, Turkey

Comic-Con International is a multi-genre entertainment and comic convention held in San Diego, California every year. This festival was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention in 1970 by a group of San Diegans, which included Shel Dorf, Richard Alf, Ken Krueger, and Mike Towry; later, it was called the "San Diego Comic Book Convention".

Some may dismiss it as a geek fest, but the true fans know that it’s four days of fun when they can meet industry stars and play in a fantasy land, all in downtown San Diego. Over the years, Comic-Con has become the main event for comics’ conventions, including: comics creators; science fiction and fantasy authors; film and TV directors, producers and writers; and fans of all these popular arts genres.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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EVENT WATCH

S KAL D ELHI M EET Skal International Delhi held its Lunch meeting on 9th April, 2017 at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi. Besides having delicious lunch, the members met new members of the EC, and some new members of the Club.

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EVENT WATCH

Skal Delhi's latest monthly meeting was held on 17th May, 2017 at The Claridges New Delhi. On the occasion, the members interacted with each other and had delicious lunch.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

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MOVED ON

Rakesh Narayanan

Sohaib Kidwai

Rohit Verma

Vishal Atreya

Vice President of Supplier Commerce, Asia Pacific Sabre Corporation (Sabre Travel Network)

Director of Sales and Marketing Hyatt Regency Chennai

General Manager RS Sarovar Portico Palampur

Executive Chef JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu

Sabre Corporation has appointed Rakesh Narayanan as Vice President of Supplier Commerce, Asia Pacific, for Sabre Travel Network, its B2B travel marketplace business. Reporting to Sabre Travel Network senior vice president of airline commerce, Chris Wilding, Narayanan will lead commercial activities serving Sabre’s Asia Pacific airline customers.

Rakesh brings a wealth of knowledge about the airline industry to his new role. During his 20 year career at Sabre he has worked with many airlines to improve their operational performance and optimise their strategies to grow revenue and profitability.

Narayanan was most recently regional director for Sabre Airline Solutions in South East Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent.

Hyatt Regency Chennai has appointed Sohaib Kidwai as the Director of Sales and Marketing. A result oriented professional with over 11 years’ experience in the areas of sales, business development, strategic planning and team management, Sohaib brings with him a sound understanding and a wealth of expertise in the sales and marketing function. His passion for the hospitality industry has seen him rapidly rise through several positions within the company, with responsibilities spread across a gamut of functions. Sohaib has previously worked with various Five star and luxury properties like Goa Marriott, Renaissance Mumbai, Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Park Hyatt Chennai to name a few. Prior to joining Hyatt Regency Chennai, he was associated with Hyatt Pune as the as Director of Sales and Marketing.

Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. has announced the appointment of Rohit Verma as the General Manager of RS Sarovar Portico, Palampur. A passionate hotelier with over 16 years of experience in hospitality, Rohit brings with him a hands-on experience in Operation Management, Inventory Management, QualityCustomer Relationship Management and Team Management.

Prior to joining Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd., he was associated with Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Jaipur, Fortune Select Metropolitan Jaipur and Amanbagh Rajasthan as F&B Manager. His other assignments include various roles in F&B at Carnival Cruise lines, Miami, USA, The Oberoi New Delhi and The Oberoi Cecil Shimla.

Chef Vishal Atreya has been appointed as the new Executive Chef at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.

With an illustrious career of over 16 years, he brings with him vast knowledge and understanding of the hospitality industry. After graduating from the Institute of Hotel Management in Chandigarh, Chef Vishal started his culinary journey as a trainee with The Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi. Chef Vishal has also worked with Ananda in the Himalayas where he explored another aspect of food which is related to health and wellness. His last role was at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar as the Executive Chef where he utilized his expertise in Italian cuisine to the fullest amongst other roles that he undertook at the property. He has gained expertise in catering to large banquets.

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MOVED ON

Sunil Menon

Pradeep Panwar

Zaheer Abbas Jeddy

Winston Chien

Executive Sous Chef - Four Points by Sheraton, Pune

HR Manager- Double Tree by Hilton, Pune, Chinchwad

National Sales Head - India for RezLive.com

General Manager, Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, Jumeirah Group

Sunil Menon has more than 17 years in the hospitality industry, he excels in competitive, challenging and culturally diverse environments. He started his career being part of the opening team, as a Brand Chef of Tablez – The Food Company. He has also worked as an Executive Chef of Oakwood Residence Prestige Whitefield Bangalore, India, a group of Oakwood Worldwide, as a Head Chef for Las Iguanas, Stratford, an authentic Latin American fine dining restaurant in United Kingdom, and as a Sous Chef of Costa Pacifica, an Italian Cruise Liner based in Italy. He has joined Four Points by Sheraton as an Executive Sous Chef and his responsibilities involves in menu development and maintaining updated and accurate costing of all dishes prepared and sold in F&B operation.

DoubleTree by Hilton, Pune Chinchwad has appointed Pradeep Panwar as Human Resources Manager. A seasoned hospitality professional, with over 11 years experience in hotel operations and human resources. He started his career in hospitality with Taj Ummaid Bhavan Palace, Rajasthan.

Post completing his MBA from ICFAI, he has managed Human resources in The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, Park Plaza by Carlson Rezidor Kolkata, and Royal orchid Bangalore.At DoubleTree by Hilton, Pune he shall be responsible for heading recruitments, training and development and shall be stream lining several networking methods to reach and train the best of talent. An avid traveler and a basket ball player, he has also been awarded for outstanding professional performance at Park Plaza.

Zaheer Abbas Jeddy has been appointed as National Sales Head - India for RezLive.com (A Product of Travel Designer Group), one of the most popular online B2B global reservation system in the travel industry. He comes with over 10 years of experience in Travel industry and was earlier based at our Dubai Office (International Headquarters) to look after Sales / Business Development in UAE. In his previous assignments, he has played key roles in sales/ business development in esteemed organizations based out of Middle East & India. He has a rich experience in Sales & has managed teams to drive business. With his proficiency in sales, business generation, client management & people management he aims to take RezLive.com platform to the next level by scaling up business and client management in India.

Jumeirah Group has appointed Winston Chien as General Manager at Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, a landmark property set in Shanghai's Pudong District. Earlier, he was the Vice President, China at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Asia Pacific for five years. And, from 2008 – 2010 he worked for Jumeirah in the Jumeirah Group China representation office.

In his new role, Chien who speaks English and Mandarin, will be responsible for running the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel which offers 393 rooms, 45 suites and a Presidential Suite. The property is located within the wider Himalayas Center which includes a shopping mall, art museum and theatre.

Chien brings a wealth of experience from his 34 year career in the luxury hospitality business.

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NEWS

Visit Romania to experience inspiring places Recently the delegation from Romania in collaboration with Aska Tourism & Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd organised an event in New Delhi to promote the tourism exchange between Romania and India.

The event aimed to increase the awareness and attraction of Romania Tourism to encourage and support the travel from India to Romania and vice versa. The tourism to Romania includes various segments like Leisure Tourism, Health Care Tourism, Business Tourism, Wedding Destination and Adventure Tourism. The event included presentation about the Romanian Tourism sector and the main offer in terms of tourism.

Romania gives you the best option if you are looking for a vacation to experience inspiring places, Authentic, Natural. Cultural is the word that best capture the essence of Romania, a dynamic country rich in history, arts and scenic beauty. Romania offers count-

(From Left) Roman Masarik, The Czech Deputy chief of Mission, Cristina lonela Tarteata, Romania's Secretary of State for Tourism, Radu Octavian Dobre, Ambassador of Romania to India and Rajbir Singh, Aska Tourism

less unique travel experiences that are waiting to be discovered.

Romania’s official tour operator (Exact Tour) will also provide Hindi translator to Indian tourist to enhance the understanding of local descriptions and with this it will become 1st European country to provide Hindi Translators. Cristina lonela Tarteata, Secretary of State for Romania Tourism, says: we would be more than delighted to welcome the Indian tourist to come and discover our beau-

tiful county.

In the recent past, there have been a huge out flow of Indian Tourist to various destinations all over the world and Romania being a virgin territory is waiting to be discovered. Interestingly, Hollywood and Bollywood have already tapped the magnificent locations in Romania in many of their films like Singh is Bling, Jai Ho, Van Helsing etc. Even some of the most popular commercials have been shot in Romaby TNH DESK nia.

Skål International Asia’s Annual Area Congress held in Bahrain The 46th Skål Asian Area Congress was held in the Kingdom of Bahrain on 12 – 15th June. This year marks the 45th year of the Skål Club of Bahrain which was formed in 1972 and is hosting the Asian Area congress after a 17-year gap. This is the fourth time Skål Bahrain is hosting the Asian Area congress. The first was in 1983 followed by congresses in 1991, 2000

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TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | JUNE 2017

and now in 2017.

Skål International, is the world's oldest and largest networking organisation of travel industry professionals.

Skål International today has approximately 14,300 members in 359 Clubs throughout 84 nations. Most activities occur at local level, moving up through National Committees, under the umbrella of Skål International, headquar-

tered at the General Secretariat in Torremolinos, Spain. The Asian Area Congress 2017 in Bahrain was well attended with Skålleagues from all corners of the World. Skålleagues from Argentina, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, USA and the Asian Area clubs under the Presidency of Asian Area President Robert Sohn attended the

by TNH DESK Congress.

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