Travel and Hospitality (TnH) - September 2019

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SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS 08

N EWS

ADTOI concludes its 9th Annual Convention in Ahmedabad 10

N EWS

PM pitches for Domestic Tourism 12

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Tourism industry welcomes the Government's plan to reduce e-visa fee 16

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NEWS

Korean Air’s daily Delhi flight to improve connections to US and Japan 27

NEWS

A new high in Odisha Tourism 38

NEWS

Deep Kalra picks top destinations in India 43

NEWS

Global air connectivity becoming more accessible and more efficient: IATA

N EWS

When Sushma shows the way

HIGHLIGHTS 18

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COVER STORY

Unplugging Bengal tourism 23

FE ATURE

MP's 5 best monsoon destinations will surely give you a trip to remember during monsoon 34

BITE CORNER

Satiating Western food cravings 44

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AROUND THE WORLD

Popular festivals around the world to look for in October 2019

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COVER STORY

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FROM THE EDITOR

Actions on the policy front

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

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

www.tnhglobal.com

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

Last month, India’s travel and tourism sector was in the spotlight.

Addressing the nation on Independence Day (15th August) from the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for domestic tourism. He exhorted citizens to visit at least 15 tourist destinations within the country by 2022. A couple of days later, Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, while addressing the conference of state tourism ministers in New Delhi, announced the government’s plan to reduce e-visa fee for tourists. The industry largely welcomed these announcements.

However, the mere appeal to citizens by the PM to visit domestic destinations will not suffice to promote domestic destinations; the government needs to offer some kinds of incentives to travellers and the industry to promote domestic destinations.

Read our story 'PM pitches for domestic tourism' on page 10.

No doubt, we need to promote domestic tourism, but the promotion of inbound tourism must be the central focus of policymakers. The government’s data may portray a rosy picture of the Indian inbound tourism, but stakeholders in the industry feel

otherwise. Certain policy measures and stimulators are imperative to rev up inbound tourism.

Now when the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) is organizing its annual convention on September 1215, 2019 in Kolkata, the capital city of the eastern state of West Bengal, it is time for players of Indian inbound tourism to emphatically articulate its concerns to policymakers.

One of the structural issues within the country's tourism sector is the regional imbalance. The eastern region of the country lags behind nationally in tourism promotion, in spite of the region having huge tourism potential. As the convention is happening in a key eastern state of the country, IATO should use the occasion to highlight the huge tourism potential of eastern states like West Bengal and others, and offer solutions to promote eastern destinations. In the backdrop of the IATO's annual convention in Kolkata, we have done an in-depth analysis of the tourism scenario in West Bengal.

Our cover story: 'Unplugging Bengal Tourism' on page 18 makes a timely reading.

As always, our current issue is carrying scores of news and information to stimulate you to travel and plan your trips perfectly.

Enjoy reading!

Srishti Rai Editor

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NEWS

news HOTELS | AIRLINES | TRADE | MORE

OYO ACQUIRES COPENHAGEN BASED DANAMICA

GINGER, NOIDA CITY CENTRE HAS A NEW LOOK Ginger unveils the first Lean Luxe hotel in Delhi NCR : Ginger Noida City Center. The new spaces reflect a completely fresh and stylish take on design. The Re-imagined Ginger Noida presents a co-existence of contrasts through dynamic spaces, seamlessly blending the lines of work and play, bringing about a fusion of global and local sensibilities. The design creates experiences that are vibrant, quirky, intuitive and smart. The hotel also unveils Café Et Cetera, its signature all day diner offering comfort food with a curated menu. The cuisine is a mix of Global and Local food catering to the on-the-go trav-

eller. It doubles up as a personal workstation.

Deepika Rao, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ginger said, “We are happy to introduce the Lean Luxe experience to our guests at Delhi NCR. The re-imagined Ginger Noida City Centre is anchored around the idea of seamlessness, facilitating a ‘never stop’ lifestyle.”

The service style is designed around the onthe-go lifestyle of the target audience enabling them to do more whether it is on-the-go breakby TNH DESK fast or express laundry service.

GoAir to usher in the new decade 2020 with fanfare Delhiites are changing the way they take calls on vacation destinations, duration and overall planning – be it minications, adventure tours, excursions or long family-vacations. GoAir, India’s fastest growing airline, has captured these changing trends to usher in the new decade 2020 with fanfare. On the anvil is a voyage to your favorite destinations from 14 January 2020 to 31 July 2020 across the GoAir network that spans 24 domestic cities. So tighten your seat belts and get ready for an exciting and well deserved annual break or an exciting getaway to

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | SEPTEMBER 2019

unwind – just pick your choose from an array of options that can be booked between 3 – 8 September 2019 with fares starting from Rs 1420 onwards.

The 2020 initiative is a manifestation of GoAir’s endeavors to make air travel affordable with a strong message to customers to book early so as to FlySmart. Ever since GoAir was launched in 2005, the airline has been educating customers that the best time to buy a flight ticket is ‘today’, simply because the fares are not going to be cheaper ‘tomorrow’. To celebrate

OYO Hotels & Homes has acquired Danamica, a Copenhagen based data science company, with machine learning and business intelligence capabilities, specialized in dynamic pricing. This acquisition is in line with OYO’s continued commitment to the company’s global vacation rentals business through strategic investments in technology products, processes, and people. Earlier in August, the company has committed to invest €300 million in the vacation homes business in Europe, with a special focus on strengthening the relationship with homeowners and enabling them with the resources, including technology investments, required to deliver chic hospitality experiences. With the acquisition of Danamica, OYO will be able to drive top-line growth by leveraging dynamic pricing across all its brands - OYO Home, Belvilla and DanCenter, all of them already at the forefront of vacation rental pricing in Europe.

Additionally, OYO and its real estate partners around the world will benefit using data sciences for improved yield. Starting with Europe, Danamica’s technology innovations will benefit OYO’s global vacation homes busiby TNH DESK ness.

2020, GoAir has launched fares across sectors that will end with “20” as the last two digits. Innovation is never a single event, but rather the confluence of efforts undertaken by multiple individuals and organizations – in the case of 2020, GoAir is just pivoting this role.

by TNH DESK

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NEWS

ADTOI

CONCLUDES ITS 9TH ANNUAL CONVENTION IN AHMEDABAD This year the theme of the association's annual convention was 'Explore India-Experience India' The Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) held its 9th Annual Convention-cum-Exhibition on 16-17 August 2019 at Hyatt Regency, Ahmedabad with the theme 'Explore India-Experience India.'

ADTOI is the national body of Indian domestic tour operators that works to consolidate the efforts of all those tour operators who are actively engaged in the promotion of 'Domestic Tourism' in the country.

Speaking about the response of ADTOI's members to this year convention, the Association President PP Khanna said, "this year the response of our members to our annual convention- cum-exhibition was very good and positive.

This year the association organized its annual convention in Gujarat, a state which is already a popular destination for domestic tourism. On this, Khanna said that no doubt Gujarat is a very popular destination in the domestic market, but still the tourism department of the state wanted ADTOI to explore a few verticals such as the Statue of Unity, the Rann of Kutch, Dwarkadeesh and Somnath to promote them in the Domestic Market.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | SEPTEMBER 2019

As for selecting Ahmedabad as the destination for this year's convention, Khanna said, "Gujarat Tourism Dept was very proactive to take decision in organizing and finalizing ADTOI convention. Secondly, this year 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi is to be celebrated and the tourism department wanted to send this message via domestic tour operators to masses to visit Porbandar, Dandi, Surat, etc. the places associated with the father of the nation.

Khanna said that with the successful organization of ADTOI's 9th Convention & Exhibition in Ahmedabad and with pan-Indian domestic tour operators meetings with Gujarat tour operators and familiarization trips for members to the Statue of Unity, Dwarkadeesh, Somnath, Porbandar etc, Gujarat will definitely get further boost as destination for domestic tourists.

ADTOI has 780 members all over India on the rolls and it is likely to enroll more members to its fold in the near future. ADTOI's members work to ensure delivery of professional service to the consumer, through its principal suppliers, which are primarily the accommodation fa-

cilities, as also travel intermediaries like railways, transporters, airlines and guides.

One of the major objectives of the association is to co-ordinate with the Ministry of Tourism and other related Central and State Ministries in their endeavor of creating essential prerequisites for domestic tourism development in the country.

by TNH DESK

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NEWS

AWARD-WINNING CAIRNS CONVENTION CENTRE TO BE EXPANDED AEG Ogden Chairman and CEO, Harvey Lister recently welcomed the Queensland Government’s announcement of a $176 million upgrade of the award-winning Cairns Convention Centre. Lister said the Government’s investment would deliver significant economic benefits to the Cairns economy over the next decade and beyond. The Centre, which has been operated by AEG Ogden since it opened in 1996 and twice named winner of the World’s Best Congress Centre (2004 and 2014), will undergo a refurbishment of existing facilities and an expansion providing an additional 3,000 square metres of meeting, banquet and

by T NH DESK exhibition space, overlooking Trinity Inlet.

INDIAN ARRIVALS IN TURKEY GROWS BY 56% IN JAN-JULY 2019 The Turkish Tourism Board in India revealed that between January and July this year Turkey has registered a 56% increase in the number of Indian tourist arrivals in comparison to the same period last year, hosting 130,000 Indian visitors. With such positive growth rate and indicative data coming from ministry, the Turkey tourism board is expecting to host around 250,000 Indian tourists by the end of 2019 The latest official statistics show that more than 24 million foreign tourists visited Turkey within the period of January to July, a strong 14.10 percent increase from the same period of last year.

Turkey has emerged as a popular destination for Indian Travellers across categories. From leisure travel to FITs, Indian weddings to Mice summits, there has been a significant increase in all segments. This year Turkey witnessed a substantial surge in the number of extravagant Indian

by TNH DESK destination weddings across Turkey.

HARD ROCK OPENS HOTEL IN LONDON New property marks first-ever Hard Rock Hotel in the UK Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos celebrate a historic moment by announcing the opening of Hard Rock Hotel London. The property is Hard Rock’s first hotel in the United Kingdom and continues the brand’s legacy in its original birthplace. As part of a partnership with London’s largest hotel owner-operator, glh, the hotel boasts 900 stylish rooms and suites, along with a Rock Royalty Lounge, GMT Bar, a

by T NH DESK Hard Rock Cafe, a cocktail bar and a Rock Shop.

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NEWS

PM Pitches for Domestic Tourism In his Independence Day speech on 15th August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the need to promote domestic tourism.

By Prem Kumar

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, on the occasion of India's 73rd Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi said that that to revoke Article 370 and 35A within 10 weeks of the formation of the new Government is a significant step towards fulfilling the dream of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. He said that J&K and Ladakh can become role models of peace and prosperity and contribute significantly towards India’s development. e state can greatly contribute to India’s development.

Mod said that while 2014-2019 was an era of the fulfilment of needs, the period beyond 2019 is that of the fulfilment of aspirations and dreams. Ease of living is the necessity of independent India. We should build an eco-system in which there should be less government interference in daily life. e country can no longer wait for incremental progress but should strive for giant strides. For the development of modern infrastructure, an amount of Rs. 100 lakh crore has been earmarked for this period which will create new job opportunities besides improving the living standards. India dreams of a 5 Trillion Dollar Economy. In the 70 years of independence, the country became a 2 Trillion Dollar Economy but in the last 5 years, we have made it a 3 Trillion Dollar Economy and at this pace, we can become a 5 Trillion Dollar Economy.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister urged citizens to visit at least 15 domestic destinations by 2022. "Our country can be a fascinating tourist destination for the world, but for some reason, we have not been able to do it as fast as we need to.

Come, let all of us, the countrymen, take the decision to boost tourism in the country. I know people travel abroad for holidays, but can every Indian family think of visiting at least 15 tourist destinations across India before 2022," said the PM, adding, "As tourism grows, the capital investment provides more employment op-

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portunities. e country’s economy also gets a boost. People all over the world are ready to see India in a new way today. Let us think about how we can attract tourists to our country from the world over, how we can strengthen the tourism sector and what arrangements should be made at tourist destinations."

Stakeholders of the tourism industry have welcomed the PM's focus on domestic tourism. e industry body Assocham has supported PM Modi's Independence Day's appeal to promote domestic tourism and congratulated the PM for talking about the domestic tourism in India in his independence day speech.

Subhash Goyal, Chairman, Tourism and Hospitality Council, Assocham said that the industry is greatly inspired by the PM's vision for tourism and therefore de-

cided to take his vision forward for domestic tourism by undertaking certain steps. ese steps are the following: 1) A national-level strategy to be evolved by involving all the state governments and their tourism boards; 2) To hold a domestic tourism conference in Jammu & Kashmir as soon as conditions are normalized; 3) We have asked all the trade associations to ask their members to develop domestic packages and make special offers to those families who take a minimum of 5 vacations in a year so that in 3 years they will achieve the target of 15 domestic vacations.

Commenting on the PM's call for promoting domestic tourism in the country, PP Khanna, President, the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) said, "As we all know, domestic tourism is the backbone of India's tourism industry. Almost 80% of our tourism is generated by domestic tourists. ough India at the moment globally is ranked third in domestic tourism aer the USA and China, Indian states/UTs are doing their best to promote domestic tourism in order to generate more employment opportunities and revenues."

Khanna further said, "Whenever there is an inflow of guests to any place, locals also make it neat and clean. PM Modi's address was very pertinent that if one family travel at least 15 destinations in India, it will boost our employment level and help poverty alleviation. People will be more attentive for the guest welcome and more revenues will be generated for the states."

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NEWS

RAMADA CONTINUES TO EXPAND FOOTPRINT IN INDIA

SABRE OPENS OFFICE IN NEW DELHI Sabre Corporation has inaugurated its newest office location in New Delhi, India. With a presence in India since 1994, the Noida-based office has been relocated to New Delhi as a part of the company’s commitment to serving the technology needs of the global travel industry.

India is a key market for Sabre, with a team of close to 1,500 employees located across the country. In addition to housing our Global Development Centre in Bangalore and offices located in Kozhikode, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai, the New Delhi office will play a crucial role in growing Sabre’s footprint across South Asia. Home to a large number of Indian corporate headquarters to many of the world’s leading brands, New Delhi was an easy choice for Sabre.

Todd Arthur, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific (left), and Sandeep Shastri, Regional Director, South Asia, Sabre Travel Network (right), are joined by members of the Sabre India team for the official ribbon cutting cere-

mony, celebrating the relocation of the Sabre offices in New Delhi, India Joined by the country’s leading travel agents and airline managers, Sabre executives hosted an official ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the office launch. Featuring a digital wall and open workspaces, the innovative new office will facilitate optimal collaboration between our local teams. In addition to giving Sabre customers the opportunity to visit the space, the event was the ideal platform to showcase some of Sabre’s leading solutions, including the innovative Sabre Red 360 platform.

“Sabre is committed to the continues success of India, and we are pleased to inaugurate the new office in India’s capital, New Delhi, which will drive our business development opportunities, in addition to providing enhanced support to our customers across the market,” said Todd Arthur, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific.

by TNH DESK

Taking major steps to stress on Indian tourist market Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing with its effective strategies intends to make Indian travellers get a taste of Dubai a number of times.

Aimed to offer a major push to the United Arab Emirates, Dubai Tourism is making significant strides in the tourism vertical and is developing strategic programmes targeting the di-

versified Indian travel segment.

According to Abdulla Yousuf, Acting Director, Proximity Market, International Operations, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, “These programmes have been developed on the lines of our custom market-specific approach helping to do away with any huge economic challenges that are associated with the

tourism market. We intend to boost the Emirates as a mustvisit destination for Indian tourists with our multiple marketing initiatives that emphasize to increase the appeal of the destination.”

Nearly 15.92 million global visitors dropped in Dubai last year of which Indian travellers were 2.032 million.

Ramada by Wyndham - one of the most recognised hotel brands in the world with around 870 hotels in over 60 countries - continues to grow its footprint in India with the recent addition of four openings so far this year and plans to open three additional hotels by 2020in key destinations such as Thiruvananthapuram and Aligarh.

Ramada by Wyndham is part of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with approximately 9,200 hotels and 20 brands in more than 80 countries. This expansion is part of the Company’s comprehensive plan to bolster its footprint in the wider Indian sub-continent, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio in region currently includes 46 hotels and more than 4,100 rooms with plans to add 40 hotels and more than 5,000 rooms by 2025, reinforcing its presence in the region’s rapidly growing mid-market hospitality segment.

by T NH DESK

Abdullah Yousuf

by TNH DESK

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NEWS

TOURISM INDUSTRY WELCOMES THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO REDUCE E-VISA FEE The Ministry of External affairs is considering to introduce a five-year electronic tourist visa at a fee of $80 and a one-month e-visa at a fee of $25.

By Prem Kumar

Addressing at the state tourism ministers’ conference in New Delhi recently Union tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel said that that the of the Ministry of External affairs is considering to introduce a five-year electronic tourist visa at a fee of $80, including some other relaxations in e-visa norms and a reduction in charges. He also informed that the government is planning to introduce e-visa for tourists for a duration of one month at a fee of $25, which will further be reduced to $10 during the off-season (April-June). These relaxations will initially be for tourists from Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Russia, Ukraine, the UK and the US. India's travel & tourism industry has welcomed the Government's plan to relax e-visa regime for foreign tourists. Commenting on the Government's announcement, Dipak Deva, Managing Director, TCI (Travel Corporation India), said, "The announcement by the Indian Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel of lowering Visa fees to USD 25 during the peak tourism season from July to March, is an

Prahlad Singh Patel Union Tourism Minister

extremely welcome move for international inbound travellers. The e-Visa announcement is a step in the right direction, to offer convenience and attract more footfalls to the country, especially for short-term beach holidays to destinations like Goa and Pondicherry. The announcement of a 5-year etourist visa for USD 80 and 1-year visa for USD 40, will further promote inbound travel. In addition to this, the 30-day e-tourist visa for USD 10 during April to June is a strategic move, designed to promote India as an experiential global destination, unhindered by exorbitant Visa rates."

According to Deva, this is the best move made to give a boost to inbound tourism after the introduction of the

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Dipak Deva MD, Travel Corporation India

e-visa facility a few years ago. This move addresses two major components considered by travellers: cultural and destination led-demands, and the expenses involved. "Earlier, tourists visiting India would spend over USD 1500 for two, for a 14-day trip, a large part of which was because of the high visa fees.

Owing to this drop in visa fees by as much as USD 75, the number of e-visas is likely to double in the next 3 years, which will help create a considerable increase in the number of tourists travelling to India," said Deva.

The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has welcomed the Government’s plan to introduce a five-year electronic tourist visa

Gurbaxish Singh Kohli Vice President, FHRAI

against a fee of $80 along with easing several e-Visa regulations and reduction of other charges. FHRAI has stated that the move to reduce regulatory hassles as well as the fees will definitely encourage foreign tourists to travel to India which has been experiencing a slowdown in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs).

“After more than a decade of negligence of this sector and a resultant slump, the slowdown in FTAs is certainly not helping the industry’s growth prospects.

Therefore, the Government’s plan to reduce e-Visa fees is much welcome which will encourage tourists to travel to our country,” says Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI and President, HRAWI.

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NEWS

WILDLIFE IS THE NEW THEME OF INCREDIBLE INDIA Wildlife will be the theme for the Incredible India campaign for the next two months. is was decided by India's Ministry of Tourism (MoT) following Prime Minister Narendra Modi featuring in the show, Man vs Wild, which had its premiere on August 12 and was showcased in more than 180 countries across the world on Discovery network channels. e special episode has been shot in Jim Corbett National park.

Man vs Wild has been shot in Jim Corbett National park. “ere is no bigger icon for India than the prime minister, be it wildlife or tourism or anything else. His episode will be shown on Discovery tomorrow and we have decided to make it (wildlife) our theme for Incredible India for the next two months,” Tourism Minister Prahlad

by TNH DESK Patel said.

Small Luxury Hotels of The World holds partners meet in India Small Luxury Hotels of e World (SLH), with its India Representatives, ISA Tourism , conducted series of sales meetings with important travel partners and organized Key Partners Meet in Mumbai and New Delhi. SLH, the champion of small, luxury, independent hotels, has more than 500 member hotels in over 80 countries. In Asia Pacific, there are more than 100 member hotels in its portfolio that offer unique luxury experiences complemented with the highest standards of intuitive service to independently-minded upscale travellers.

“To augment the brand presence of SLH and to grow the number of discerning Indian guests at our hotels and resorts, it is our first meet conducted at Mumbai and New Delhi with first batch of select key partners that are already booking with us. e meet was also aimed to educate the partners about new SLH affiliated hotels and update them on the channels of bookings,” said Mark Wong, Vice President Asia Pacific of SLH. Manas Sinha, Director, ISA Tourism, and India Representative for SLH said, “Imparting and sharing right knowledge with progressive travel partners is one of the key activity that shall continue moving forward in 2019-20.

While we are forging and strengthening our connect with upscale travel consultants, we are also looking at boutique and luxury Hotels & Resorts in India that can be included as an affiliate in the SLH portfolio.” e travel partners reaffirmed their continued support and those attending the presentation also enjoyed the exquisite luncheon that concluded the meet.

LOT develops its hub in Budapest; new flights to be launched in September LOT has been consistently expanding its network of connections from Budapest. On 22 September 2019 LOT is going to launch nonstop long-haul flights to Seoul and on 30 March next year LOT is going to launch six new destinations - Sofia, Prague, Belgrade, Stuttgart, Bucharest and Brussels, thereby operating 12 routes from Budapest. The launch of new international flights from Hungary marks another stage of market consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe, of which LOT is currently becoming an undisputed leader.

Starting from 30 March 2020, i.e. in less than two years from the launch of non-stop long-haul flight to the US, the total number of flights operated by LOT from the capital of Hungary will be 12, passengers will fly directly to Warsaw, Kraków, London City,

Bucharest, Brussels, Stuttgart, Prague, Belgrade, Sofia as well as New York City, Chicago and Seoul. To operate its newly announced European flights, three LOT’s Embraer 195s will be permanently stationed in Budapest. Starting from the next summer season, carrier’s fleet in Budapest will amount to four short-distance aircraft and one Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

“Today we are announcing another stage of the development of LOT’s hub in Budapest - in less than two months we are going to inaugurate the flight to LOT’s first destination in Asia - from Hungary to Seoul. It is yet another milestone in LOT’s history. I am certain that our services will meet the expectations of Hungarians and Koreans alike as well as passengers from the entire region of Central and

Eastern Europe,” says Rafał Milczarski, CEO, LOT Polish Airlines.

Budapest-Seoul schedule was designed to ensure convenient transfers in Budapest starting at one hour to connecting flights to other European cities, including to Stuttgart, Prague and also Warsaw. Budapest-Seoul flight will last less than 12 hours.

Flights to Prague and Stuttgart will be operated twice a day (except on weekends).

Routes to Sofia and Belgrade will be operated daily, seven days per week.

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NEWS

OYO LAUNCHES COMPLIMENTARY INSURANCE COVER FOR GUESTS

MP TOURISM'S ‘GO HERITAGE RUN’ Madhya Pradesh Tourism recently organized 'Go Heritage run' in Gwalior.

The event attracted a large number of tourists, who came to enjoy the city's beautiful attraction. After successful conclusion of the event in Gwalior, the state tourism will also hold 'Go heritage Runs' in other places of tourism significance, such as Orchha, Mandu, Pachmarhi, Khajuraho, Bhopal and Pench National Park, all being popular tourist attractions.

The 'Go Heritage run' in Gwalior and other places is aimed to showcase their rich heritage. Madhya Pradesh has tremendous tourism potential in heritage

by T NH DESK and wildlife segments.

AXISROOMS AGAIN AIRBNB PREFERRED SOFTWARE PARTNER AxisRooms has retained the position of preferred software partner of Airbnb for the second consecutive year in 2019. Among other partners, Axis- Rooms’ technology now connects with Airbnb, the World's largest community-driven hospitality company, to boost real-time availability and dynamic pricing of Airbnb accommodations based in India.

To meet the technical benchmark, Airbnb works with leading software providers globally, making it easy for hosts to connect to the growing guest community. This AxisRooms–Airbnb tie-up is Airbnb’s first business partnership in India with a booking site controller for accommodations. The preferred software partner program by Airbnb was launched to ensure hosts such as vacation rentals or

hotels to have a great experience connecting with Airbnb through recognised and certified partners who offer fully integrated connectivity solutions that exceed performance benchmarks.

The premier connectivity partnership lays down the functionality extended by AxisRooms, to cover existing AxisRooms Homestay, Bed & Breakfast, clients to transform numerous aspects of alternative hospitality industry and improving its ranking and importance by providing a fine-tuned content and specific marketing and sales channel for various types of accommodations. It will also aim to provide cutting edge technology for travel accommodations in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives& Thailand.

As a market leader in India, with 7000+ hotels, Ax-

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | SEPTEMBER 2019

ANIL KUMAR PRASANNA CEO, AxisRooms

isRooms has a decent demand from accommodations providers, who are using its various platforms like Channel Manager, Revenue Management system, Web Booking Engine, Rate Shopping platform.

by T NH DESK

OYO Hotels & Homes has announced a first-of-its-kind offering for its customers with complimentary insurance cover for guests as part of the booking price staying in OYO properties across India. The insurance cover has been launched in partnership with ACKO General Insurance, India’s first and fastestgrowing Insurtech company which makes buying and using insurance effortless. With a shared vision of offering hassle-free services and a consumerfirst approach backed by innovative technology, OYO and ACKO are launching this industry-first feature to ensure a great hospitality experience for the consumer.

The complimentary insurance package offers OYO guests insurance coverage up to INR 10,00,000 for protection against accidental death (coverage up to INR 10,00,000), baggage loss (coverage up to INR 10,000), accidental medical expenses (coverage up to INR 25,000) amongst other benefits like OPD treatment, etc for the entire duration of their stay in a particular city. To begin with, OYO will be offering guests staying at OYO Hotels, OYO Home, OYO Townhouse, Collection O, SilverKey, Capital O and Palette Resorts this insurance, valid for their full period of stay in these properties. The insurance cover will be applicable to bookings made via the OYO App, website, mobile website, direct bookings as well as walk-ins. The offering will be extended to other categories and booking channels in the coming days. Along with customers, the unique offering also aims to benefit asset owners as it helps further improve customer experience and satisfaction and thereby lead to higher repeat rates, and increased yield. On booking an OYO property, customers will be able to view their insurance policy on the booking confirmation page and by logging on to either of the OYO and ACKO websites with their registered mobile numbers.

by TNH DESK

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TRIBUTE

WHEN

SUSHMA

SHOWS THE WAY

Sushma Swaraj

The country recently lost one of its popular leader Sushma Swaraj, who served India in many capacities, the most recently as foreign minister in the first term of the Modi Government. Swaraj, who was also the chief minister of Delhi for a short duration in 1998, and the leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (200914) brought a paradigm shift, in the way the Ministry of Foreign Affairs used to function in the past and deal with individuals. A very active and widely followed leader on Twitter, Swaraj used Twitter to help distressed Indians aboard. The genial leader was amazingly prompt on

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Twitter in responding to call for help and she used to deliver on what she promised. Besides listening to grievances of Indians abroad, former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj sometime also came in the aid of foreign nationals, for example, when a Russian national named Evangelin had to resort to begging at a temple in Tamil Nadu after he found that his debit card ATM PIN had got locked. Swaraj came to know of his plight following a media report. She tweeted on October 2017: "Evangelin, your country Russia is our time tested friend. My officials in Chennai will provide you

Leverage the power of social media for the safety and security of tourists.

all help.'

Therefore, through her prompt and kind words, she won many Indian and foreign hearts, helping them in foreign lands. India's new MEA S. Jayshankar has promised to follow the footsteps of Swaraj in helping Indian nationals abroad in any kind of distress.

We in India do hear on regular basis incidents of foreign tourists becoming victims of small to big crimes. Out governments have taken some steps in the past for the safety and security of all kinds of tourists.

Some state governments have set-up dedicated tourist police for the safety of tourists. The Ministry of Tourism has a couple of years ago launched a multi-lingual helpline for assisting tourists caught in distress, but these initiatives have proven almost ineffective.

Taking inspiration from Swaraj, and from the Ministry of External Affairs, India's tourism ministry, under the direct supervision of the tourism minister, should set up a 24*7 mechanism using social media like Twitter to offer aid and comfort to tourists who are in trouble. In the true spirit of Atithi Devo Bhava, our tourism minister and other senior officials of the ministry, like Swaraj as foreign minister, should take lead in offering prompt assurance of help to tourists and then ensure the quick implementation of those assurances with coordination and cooperation of local authorities. Such a mechanism will boost the confidence of visiting tourists and India's image as a safe and caring tourist destination.

by TNH DESK

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NEWS

Goa Tourism to organize GITM 2019 on Oct 23-25 GINGER OPENS ITS FIRST LEAN LUXE HOTEL IN SANAND

GINGER Sanand, Gujarat is the 47th Ginger Hotel.

GINGER consolidates its dominance in Gujarat with the opening of a Lean Luxe hotel in Sanand. With this hotel, the brand will have a total of nine operating hotels in the state of Gujarat and two more in the pipeline. Deepika Rao, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, GINGER said, “We are excited to announce the opening of GINGER Sanand. Built around our Lean Luxe design philosophy of seamlessness, this hotel facilitates the ‘never stop’

by T NH DESK lifestyle of the millennial travellers.”

The Goa International Travel Mart (GITM) will be held from October 23rd to 25th 2019, at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukerjee Stadium at Taleigao. This prestigious B2B event promises to bring together travel companies, hoteliers, Eco Tourism, Adventure, Wildlife, Nightlife, Event Managers, Wedding Planners Wellness and other leisure enterprises under one roof to showcase the tourism investment potential in the state.

This year’s GITM is on a larger scale than the previous year.

by TNH DESK

Government to set up committee for coastal tourism The Government will set up a committee to promote coastal tourism in the country.

The proposed committee will comprise officials from the ministries of shipping and tourism and it will explore possibilities to promote coastal tourism. The decision to set up the committee was taken at a recent meeting between Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel. "It was decided in the meeting to set up a committee of senior officials of the two Ministries to explore the avenues for

coastal tourism in the country and work out ways to promote the same. It was also decided to explore the possibilities and opportunities in the areas of Coastal Tourism, Cruise Tourism, Sea Sports, Light House Viewing Gallery," said a press statement released by the shipping ministry after the meeting. "It was suggested that every coastal area can create a calendar of events for tourist engagement, with activities like beach volleyball, sand art, food festivals and dances of the fishing community," the statement further said.

by T NH DESK

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UNPLUGGING

BENGAL TOURISM The forthcoming IATO Annual Convention to be held in Kolkata promises to unravel the unknown facets of Bengal and highlight Durga puja on the global travel scene.

Pronab Sarkar President, IATO

By Swaati Chaudhury

The state of West Bengal has a plethora of marvels to showcase to the discerning travellers but requires the much-needed boost. The government of West Bengal has prioritized tourism and is taking pro-active steps to bring the state on the global tourism radar. With the 35th IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) Annual General Convention gearing up to be held in the “City of Joy” sometime from September 12 to 15 in the current year, things will start looking brighter in the Bengal tourism sector. The convention would be themed on 'Is Tourism Thriving? Challenges and Opportunities'. TnH interacts with leading travel groups and hospitality honchos of Kolkata and Bengal to throw light on the current scenario prevailing in the state travel sector, the kind of positive impact the convention will have on Bengal travel scenario

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Devesh Agrawal Chairman (East), TAAI

Rohit Bajpai General Manager, Courtyard by Marriott, Siliguri

and the roadmap for future.

Debjit Dutta, Chairman, West Bengal Chapter of IATO said, "It has always been our focus to draw global as well as national attention to our state, showcasing our niche tourism products and less-explored destinations. Till now only 20% of our state is explored by tourists. So idea is to focus on promoting the state globally and nationally, and for a destination, hosting IATO's annual convention is one of the best ways to promote itself; to draw national and international attention. We are working together with the state tourism to position West Bengal in a big way to draw big traffic to the state."

The travel groups participating at IATO convention will get to have a taste of the fascinating landscape of Bengal that would go beyond Kolkata and Darjeeling. Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO and the

Debjit Dutta Chairman, West Bengal Chapter of IATO

Convention Chairman, informed, “Nearly 1,000 tour operators will converge in Kolkata that forms the eastern gateway to Incredible India to join the convention. They would experience the conclave at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre- one of the biggest convention centres in South-East Asia. They would swear

by Kolkata as a major MICE hotspot replete with luxury hospitality groups, cuisine, heritage and the glorious culture of Bengal. These tour operators would explore Bengal beyond Kolkata and Darjeeling starting from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. They would get to familiarize themselves with the music and cultural festival, cruise tourism and improved connectivity network.”

Sarkar also pointed out that the biggest festival in terms of public participation across the globe is undoubtedly Durga puja- the 10-day

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cultural extravaganza with a crowd of around 30 million hitting the streets of Kolkata. With the celebration growing bigger in magnitude, it is certainly a matter of wonder for the Western world and this one-of-akind celebration has to be publicized to inbound tourists. “IATO Convention would serve as a sound platform to offer a boost to Durga puja,” further said Sarkar. So what made IATO convention to make a comeback in Kolkata? Pronab Sarkar quipped, “We intend to boost Incredible India in a balanced format and Kolkata was the destination of choice for hosting the convention

and there is an urgent need to popularize the city to the inbound travellers.”

The convention will focus upon Bishnupur Classical Music Festival and a plethora of other prominent destinations. The IATO President added, “Moreover, the convention promises to highlight the unexplored facets of Bengal. Cruise tourism will be emphasized and owing to the agreement signed with Bangladesh, one can cruise from Kolkata and reach Guwahati through Dhaka.

There will be leading travel groups and hospitality properties from North Bengal who would network with the major inbound, domestic, adventure and MICE groups that would augment the flow of tourists in North Bengal. The growth will be in the sphere of MICE, cruise and heritage tourism in the state” Indrajit Sarkar, MD, Voyagers Club Tours, said, “The current travel scenario in Bengal does not appear bright owing to public sector banks slashing the rate of interest. Today’s

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travellers have become more priceconscious and prefer low-price tours across the country and globe that will not sustain for a long time.

These days, tours to long-haul destinations do not find many takers.

Both domestic and global tourists opt to set out for short-haul destinations. With Kolkata as the venue of the forthcoming IATO convention, the travel groups participating will be motivated and will get an opportunity to gather info about the significant tourism hotspots in Bengal and moreover, Dooars forms the charm of the state.”

The IATO convention is back in will help to hard-sell the tourist desthe city after a long hiatus of 17 tinations in the state since travel years. Devesh Agrawal, Chairman, companies will plan tours across the TAAI (East), commented, “The state.”

IATO Convention will host familiarWith IATO stepping in Bengal- the ization trips to the Sundarbans, 'Sweetest Part of India', the hospitalShantiniketan, Murshidabad, Darjeeity industry will receive a shot in the ling and Kurseong for its members. arm. Rohit Bajpai, General Manager, The convention will provide detail Courtyard by Marriott, Siliguri info about Durga puja, the biggest stated, “The convention will throw festival in West Bengal and the terraopen the doors for the hospitality cotta temples in Vishnupur, Tagore’s Mr. Vinay Malhotra sector heralding a new horizon. It Shantiniketan and Hazarduari in Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East, and China, VFS Global will help to evaluate the challenges, Murshidabad will be highlighted. It

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opportunities and offer a fillip to the growth of tourism in Bengal. In other words, the convention will be highly beneficial for the holistic development of tourism in the state.

The travel industry can focus upon customised, unusual and experiential tours in the field of wildlife, adventure and tea tourism. The convention will play a great role in uplifting the visibility of North Bengal on the global platform.”

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NEWS

Madhya Pradesh shortlisted for ITTA

M

adhya Pradesh, with its varied tourism offerings including wildlife, heritage, culture and adventure, has built a strong reputation as a state at the forefront of the tourism development in India. e state has been very active in the promoting tourism both in domestic and international markets. e central state has recently been shortlisted in two prestigious categories at the International Travel and Tourism Awards. e ITTA is presented by WTM and supported by UNWTO to celebrate the success of national, regional and city tourist boards and showcase the best in class of the global travel & tourism industry.

Madhya Pradesh has been shortlisted in e Best Destination (Regions) category and as Best Food Destination for Indore

– the city for foodies. e Best Destinations category is a highly coveted one with more than 90 destinations vying for a spot in the shortlist. e second shortlist is for Indore, a city that is getting increasingly recognised as the “city for

foodies”. e abundant variety of cuisines available in Indore along with the vibrant street food scene with the iconic Sarafa Bazar and other notable places has put the city on the global gastronomy map and is well on its way to becoming India’s first Foodies Paradise.

Expert judges are drawn from top industry organisations including, WTTC, International Airline Group (IAG), Adobe, Earth Changers, London & Partners, Euro monitor International, public relations body PRCA and the Global Wellness Institute. e winners will be announced to an audience of more than 500 leading industry figures – including Heads of Tourism and Government Ministers – during a prestigious awards ceremony at Magazine London on November

by TNH DESK 5th 2019.

TRAVEL MONEY WITH YES BANK TO LAUNCH FOREX CARD ON VISA NETWORK Travel Money Forex Card will allow you to carry foreign money in ten different currencies compactly and securely. Ritesh Pai, Chief Digital Officer, YES BANK said, “YES BANK is pleased to partner with FCM Travel to provide highly secure digital payment solutions coupled with a completely seamless experience to customers while travelling abroad. As a Bank, we always focus on future-ready concepts and strategies and be ahead of the curve in implementing new age banking solutions for the ease of our customers.”

by T NH DESK

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MEKOSHA LAUNCHES NEW WELLNESS PROGRAMS India’s first wellness retreat with in-suite spas Mekosha Ayurveda Spasuites Retreat Kerala has launched new wellness programs that provide bespoke experience with personalized therapies to help guests attain holistic physical and mental well-being. This include programs aimed at weight loss, detox and rehabilitation, rejuvenation, post cancer rehabilitation, treatment of skin and respiratory disorders and other specific ailments. All programs are designed in the tradition of Ayurveda in a modern contemporary setting that Mekosha is known for.

Mekosha is built for the discerning traveller who values understated elegance and attentive service. Sophisticated, stylish and yet earthy warm spaces complete the experience. An all-suites boutique retreat, each spa suite has an integral PRIVATE treatment room and a balcony overlooking the pool with delightful river

by TNH DESK views beyond.

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F E AT U R E

MP's 5 best monsoon destinations will surely give you a trip to remember during monsoon

Mandu Mandu during monsoon is a sight to behold as it turns romantically beautiful. Abound with historical tales, this city makes for a quaint idyllic hilly dreamland in this season. Nature is at its scintillating best and you can see its enchanting beauty adorned with greenery all around. Before entering in Mandu just take a halt to watch Kakrah Khoh waterfall, a captivating sight during monsoon. Going further, get mesmerized to see Jahaz Mahal floating on 2 water bodies- Kapur and Munj Talao. It stands beautiful against the lush green grass. During monsoon, the water level reaches the edge of the monument thereby giving it a ship like an appearance and hence the name Jahaz Mahal.

Don’t forget to visit Rani Roopmati Pavilion set at a vantage point, which commands a striking view of the Narmada that can be seen meandering through plains like a streak of a thin silver lining.

Pachmarhi Raindrops striking the dry earth, water droplets adding grace to the leaves waving soly in the breeze, the waterfalls gushing and greenery all around, that’s how anyone who has ever visited the queen of Satpura during monsoon describes picturesque Pachmarhi. is season turns out to be the best time to explore the vibrant colors of Satpura.

For those who love mist covered and rain-soaked mountains will certainly love spending a vacay in this beautiful hill station.

Apart from many natural wonders and

attractions, Pachmarhi caters to all kinds of travellers, offering them a rejuvenating holiday experience at comfortable accommodations. Chill out, relax and unwind amidst the scenic settings at MPT Champak Bungalow, MPT Rock End Manor, MPT Glen View, MPT Satpura Retreat. Listen to the sound of rain as you recline on the Verandah. ese accommodations are sure to stir up your senses and get you in the joyful mood.

Bhopal A beautiful amalgamation of natural scenery and rich history, Bhopal looks amazingly pretty during monsoon. e season brings out the hidden magic of this place. Soak in the so sensuous experience of the melody of raindrops while walking through the by lanes of this beautiful city.

You can begin your day with a cycling experience in Van Vihar National Park.

What amplifies the beauty of this national park during monsoon is that you get to explore its calmness and serenity in the surroundings via cycling. An early morning ride will certainly make your day! Aer touring the National Park, you can head to Wind & Waves restaurant (approx 18 min from Van Vihar) which gives you a breathtaking view of Upper lake. You can enjoy monsoon to the fullest here.

Another scenic spot is Bharat Bhavan you should include in your must-visit list. Bharat Bhavan (Center for performing & visual arts) is at a distance of 4.1 km from boat club. Visiting this spot will not just spellbind you for its own

beauty but you can actually enjoy drizzles standing on the rooop facing the lake.

Kerwa- Kaliyasot: e entire stretch at Kerwa and Kaliyasot turns lush green.

You can enjoy a cycle ride or you can even plan long walks here. Also, if there’s is anything that truly defines the essence of this season then it is ‘Bhutta’ (corn) available at the roadside stalls here. e flavour of the charcoaled, lemon and masala squeezed snack can bring water to anyone’s mouth!

Tawa An ideal monsoon getaway, Tawa comes alive with picturesque views during monsoon. Everything you see here turns out green, fresh, clean and soothing. You can also enjoy a stay at MPT Tawa Resort. A stay at this accommodation is an experience in itself. Come with your camera and take back a bag full of memories with you as every moment you spend here will turn out special.

Amarkantak ose who love adoring nature will love to spend a holiday in Amarkantak, a must-visit spot during monsoon. e points of interests include Sonmuda, Kapildhara and Dugdhdhara waterfalls.

If you are not in mood to step out in this weather then worry not. MPT Holiday Homes allows you to enjoy fantastic window views from your room. Get yourself a cutting chai or a piping hot cup of coffee teamed with sumptuous snacks offered at the hotel.

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BANGALORE AIRPORT SELECTS UNISYS AS ITS MASTER SYSTEM INTEGRATOR Unisys will enable BIAL to deliver a next-generation airport terminal with a world-class airport experience.

Unisys Corporation recently announced that Bangalore International Airport limited (BIAL) – operator of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru(BLR Airport) – has selected Unisys to integrate and manage all IT and non-IT systems for Phase 1 of the second terminal (T2). India’s third busiest airport and among the fastest growing in the world, the BLR Airport managed 33.30 million passengers in 2018-19. BIAL’s second terminal project is designed to add capacity to efficiently process and accommodate an additional 25 million passengers per year and will be built in two phases.

Lufthansa seeks ideas for sustainable innovation in tavel & mobility With the launch of the Changemaker Challenge, the Luhansa Group and its new digital business unit Luhansa Innovation Hub are aiming to explore the full potential of digitalization in the context of sustainable travel and mobility,

focusing not only on aviation, but the entire travel chain.

Luhansa has therefore partnered with three category leaders from the Travel & Mobility Tech ecosystem: Expedia Group, Google, and Uber.

by T NH DESK

by TNH DESK

EaseMyTrip to Boost Medical Tourism with Corporate Tie-Up with Medanta Hospital EaseMyTrip has tied-up Medanta, a multi-specialty hospital in Gurgaon, to provide travel related services to the patients and their families.

With this, Medanta’s patients will be able to get services like accommodation, local transfers and flight tickets post their

Help! when you need the most…

Every year, thousands of tourists visit Mt. Titlis in Switzerland to experience attractions such as the world's first revolving cable car, the glacier cave and Titlis Cliff walk which is also Europe's highest suspension bridge.

Sushma Garg was visiting Switzerland, and had gone hiking to soak in the beauty and tranquility of the place that looks straight out of a painting.

Garg was almost at the end of her hike, when she lost balance and had a fall, resulting in a dislocated radius fracture. It did not take long for the bliss to turn into unbearable pain and agony and she had to be hospitalized

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | SEPTEMBER 2019

immediately. As Garg’s travel assistance providers, TrawellTag CoverMore’s emergency assistance team got in touch with the hospital authorities as soon as they were intimated about the incident. TrawellTag CoverMore coordinated between Sushma Garg’s family and the hospital authorities, helping them with timely updates on the paperwork, formalities and managed the financial aspects of the procedure prior to her discharge.

We don't just want to meet your expectations; we want to repeatedly exceed them!

treatment without any hassles. rough this association, EaseMyTrip envisions to facilitate the patients and their families who are seeking treatment in India. Medical tourism in India is a multi-billion dollar industry.

by T NH DESK

“I am thankful to TrawellTag Cover-More for the all-round support they offered during my mishap in Switzerland. In my opinion, travel assistance and insurance should be made a prerequisite” Sushma Garg TrawellTag Cover-More Happy Customer

“As a partner, TrawellTag Cover-More being aligned with our mission of creating unforgettable travel memories helps us offer holistic and secure tour packages to our customers.”

Brajesh Agrawal Director, Ram Krishna Travels Pvt. Ltd.

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NEWS

KOREAN AIR’S DAILY DELHI FLIGHT TO IMPROVE CONNECTIONS TO US AND JAPAN

S

tarting from September, Korean Air will increase the frequency of direct passenger flights between Delhi, India and Incheon, Korea, from five days a week to daily. The largest South Korean carrier has been operating the DelhiIncheon flights since December 2016.

“Due to the recent improvement of Korea-India relations, the importance of the Incheon-Delhi route has increased,” said Han Sang Wook, Regional Manager of Korean Air Delhi. “We are very pleased to operate the route as a daily service, and hope the capacity increase contributes to further expansion of relations between the two countries.”

The increase in the frequency of flights is expected to provide passengers from Delhi with unparalleled travel options by transferring at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2, Korean Air’s world-class hub which opened in 2018.

In the first half of 2019, on average, a third of passengers on the Delhi-Incheon flight transferred at Incheon to travel to other cities.

Popular destinations included cities in the Americas, such as Toronto,

Flight Schedule for Delhi-Incheon route (9/1~10/26)

San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Korean Air, in a joint venture partnership with Delta Air Lines, operates one of the world’s widest trans-Pacific networks connecting 80 cities in Asia to over 290 cities in the US. Passengers flying from Delhi enjoy an easier connec-

tion to certain US cities, including Boston, the newest addition to the airline’s network.

Korean Air also offers flights to various Japanese cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya, most efficiently for those travelling to Japan from Delhi. The Delhi-Incheon flights arrive early in the morning, and flights from Incheon to Japan are scheduled throughout the day. Korean Air uses a 218-seater A330-200 on its Delhi route. The airline currently operates direct passenger flights from both Delhi and Mumbai to Incheon. The MumbaiIncheon route is operated three days a week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday).

by T NH DESK

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PRIDE HOTEL NAGPUR UNVEILS CAFÉ PRIDE, AND TANGERINE LOUNGE BAR NEW HOSPITALITY LANDMARK IN CENTRAL INDIA Pride Hotel Nagpur has now unveiled Café Pride (the all-day Café) and Tangerine Lounge Bar. Nagpur has been synonymous with Pride Hotel as it is the first five star hotel and boasts of a loyal customer base. Pride Hotel Nagpur is one of the finest luxury hotels that is located in close proximity to various tourist destinations like Zero Mile Stone and Ambazari Garden making itself an outstanding 5 Star property in Maharashtra.

Café Pride, the all-day dining café, features an exquisite blend of a traditional and international menu in a casual atmosphere.

The Café also offers an exciting breakfast buffets & newly made café is simply spectacular: first, there is impressive lighting to put you in good mood. Soon, you are mesmerized by a seethrough kitchen which represents a multi-cultural cooking theater & heartwarming music. An ideal place to meet your business associates.

by T NH DESK

FCM's ' Travel Tours' opens 3rd store in Mumbai

Travel Tours, the leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutions - Indian subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group Australia, further expanded its presence by inaugurating its 10th store in Maharashtra and the 3rd store in Mumbai.

The store was inaugurated

by Rakshit Desai, Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions - Indian subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group. “We are very pleased to launch our 10th store in Maharashtra. This is a reiteration of our strategic motive at Travel Tours – to expand our mark across essential markets in Western India and offer our travellers life defining travel experiences. We are also very buoyant about our expansion across India, with a few more store launches lined up in the pipeline for this year,” said Desai. The opening of the store marks Travel Tours’ reach to 39 stores across India, out of which 10 are now located in Maharashtra. The services offered include Domestic and International Flights, Customised and Group Holidays, Hotels, Car

by T NH DESK Transfers and much more.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | SEPTEMBER 2019

Newly opened Mayfair Lake Resort in Chhattisgarh capital has carved a niche of its own in the hospitality scene for its unique offerings.

Here’s a piece of exciting info from the hospitality scene of Central India that will make the luxury travellers cheer. Bhubaneswar’s luxury hospitality majorMayfair Hotels and Resorts has opened the doors of its 11th hospitality property in Raipur called Mayfair Lake Resort sometime in August, this year. The hospitality group is widely acclaimed for its low-rise properties surrounded amidst lush greenery and plush ambience.

Conceptualized by Dilip Ray way back in 1982, the hospitality player began its journey with its premier property in Rourkela.

Snuggled at a distance of 15 minutes drive from Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport, Mayfair Lake Resort is the newest luxury destination in Raipur. In contemporary times, the five-star group is a name to reckon with for its personalized service, plush accommodation, designer properties and green environment. Mayfair Lake Resort overlooks the unspoilt Jhanjh Lake and is well geared with 124 luxury rooms done up with one-ofa-kind spa, deluxe suites and Presidential suites.

Pradipta Mohapatra, Assistant Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), Mayfair Hotels and Resorts said, “Our newest property is exclusively designed to cater to the growing demand of the MICE segment and is all set to emerge as a significant hospitality player in the development of travel circuit of Central India.”

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NEWS

A NEW HIGH IN ODISHA TOURISM

The travel bug has flourished in Odisha and novel destinations are coming up in the state.

By Swaati Chaudhury

Odisha, the Land of Lord Jagannath has figured among the leading three investment destination in India over the past 15 years and the Smart city of Bhubaneswar ranks as the second planned city in the country. In a major initiative to highlight the strategies of Odisha Tourism, e Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) hosted Odisha Tourism Road Show and Press Meet in Kolkata sometime on August 29.

Tourism and hospitality contribute around 13 per cent in the state and the growth of air traffic is about 40 per cent per annum. Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Tourism Minister, Odisha said, “e state government is doling out Rs 500 crore to spruce up the tourism infrastructure and to roll out novel tourist destinations inclusive of adventure sports. We have already shelled out Rs 100 crore for development of roads and budget hotels in places like Talsari, Udaipur and Chandaneshwar in the district of Balasore. Both West Bengal and Odisha can bring mutual development in the sphere of culture and tourism. ere are a number of destinations in the state that need to be explored like

Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi Tourism Minister, Odisha

Talsari. e newest destination in the state is Dagara close to Talsari beach in the district of Balasore. We are moving on the path of eco-tourism. e state is seriously looking to receive more number of global travellers.” e state has made clear its intent to focus upon eco-tourism, ethnic and handicra tourism and niche segments including heritage and adventure tourism. e prime tourist circuits in the state are Golden Triangle circuit, Buddhist circuit, Chilika and Wildlife circuit. Vishal Kumar Dev, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, department of tourism, Odisha said, “e state is going great guns in sports tourism and Bhubaneswar has emerged as the sports capital of the country. Our cherished project- Shammukha beach project on 1500 acres of land in the pilgrim resort of Puri has been taken up by the state

Vishal Kumar Dev Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Tourism, Odisha

government that will boast of convention centres. e newest luxury hospitality groups foraying into the state capital are Vivanta by Taj and Fortune property that will come up sometime in the yearend.” e state has 3,000 prominent heritage sites. Dev further said, “e state has 19 protected areas including national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Our Satkosia and Simlipal project have fetched around 1 crore in 2019 fiscal.

Very soon, the state capital will have flight connectivity to Dubai and Singapore.” e state embraced around 1.5 crore travellers last year.

Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Tourism Minister, Odisha said, “e state government is doling out Rs 500 crore to spruce up the tourism infrastructure and to roll out novel tourist destinations inclusive of adventure sports.

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Exploring the unexplored For Indian tourists interested in Serbia, there are a plethora of options to unravel the destination.

This piece of news is for those wannabe outbound Indian travellers who have a penchant to step into destinations that are off -the beaten track.

It’s none other Serbia that is gradually catching the imagination of Indian tourists. National Tourism Organization of Serbia

is emphasizing on investing in promotional campaigns in the Indian market over the past couple of years.

Darja Butigan, Market Manager, National Tourism Organization of Serbia informed, “Serbia is a visa-free destination for Indian travellers and the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Telecommunications offers a lot of incentives to Destination Management Companies in a

bid to offer a boost to organized global tourist arrivals including group tours and conventions and the amount of subsidy on offer depends on the number of nights spent by travellers in the destination. The subsidy is higher for travellers flying from long-haul destinations like India and China. We would be hosting the premier tourism road show in India sometime in November, this year.” by T NH DESK

VM2020 TO UNVEIL EXCITING OFFERS Conceptualized by Tourism Malaysia, Visit Malaysia 2020 has exciting offers for all segments of travellers.

Tourism Malaysia is constantly innovating novel destinations and devising new ways to lure a large chunk of Indian travellers. With a vision to catapult around 30 million tourist arrivals that can generate revenue of about RM 100 for the country, Tourism Malaysia has recently rolled out Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign.

According to Sulaiman Bin Suip, Director, Tourism Malaysia, “Our tourism industry plays a great role in bolstering the economic development of our country and in order to sustain the growth, we have come up with a long-term plan for our tourism industry. We intend to join hands with our industry partners including airline players and the travel trade to design special offerings. There is Mega Sales Campaign held thrice in a year offering huge discounts. Apart from the airlines, Resort World Genting is gearing up to roll out its special offers.”

Malaysia has exceptional facilities for MICE travellers like reasonable rates, hassle-free entry formalities and a plethora of amazing destinations. Suip said, “Our partners including

Sulaiman Bin Suip Director, Tourism Malaysia Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCeB) and Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) will have special incentives for MICE travellers and we would ensure that the info reaches out to the travel trade fraternity through our campaign. We have witnessed a growth of 15.2 per cent in the flow of Indian visitors during the first half of the current year. We are looking to have around 7.3 lakh Indian tourists this year and around 1 million Indian visitors in 2020.

Owing to India’s robust economic growth that has a role in creating middle-class market segment, it is expected that there will be nearly 50 million outbound Indian travellers by 2020. The tier-II and tier-III cities of India are also contributing to the growth of outbound Indian tourists.”

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The prominent MICE destinations are Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Melaka and Kota Kinabalu. Zulkifly Bin Mohammad Said, Deputy Director General (Planning), Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board explained, “When it comes to inbound tourism, India is definitely our priority market that figures among the top 10 tourist markets. Connectivity with all major Indian metros to Kuala Lumpur has been spruced up. There are a slew of exotic destinations like the amazing Langkawi that comprises 99 islands and rainforests. Langkawi is one of the biggest magnets for Indian leisure travellers. Travelling in the country is quite easy for average Indian tourists with myriad attractions like shopping and nightlife. The country is highly safe for women solo travellers. We are offering a boost to medical tourism with specialized treatment facilities in the sphere of coronary, dental and cosmetology. We have the most number of inbound tourists from Thailand and Singapore.”

Sulaiman Bin Suip, Director, Tourism Malaysia, “We are looking to have around 7.3 lakh Indian tourists this year and around 1 million Indian visitors in 2020.”

by TNH DESK

Darja Butigan Market Manager, National Tourism Organisation of Serbia

COLLABORATION FOR TOP-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

Senthil Gopinath Chief Executive Officer, ICCA ICCA is further strengthening its position as the global knowledge hub for international association meetings and attracting high-quality speakers to their events by partnering with eSpeakers, the leading online source of professional speakers for international meeting organisers.

Made up of a number of initiatives, this new collaboration will allow the International Congress and Convention Association to diversify and expand the educational possibilities available to its members at annual ICCA events and online via the ICCA Knowledge Hub, through access to eSpeakers’ expansive and diverse community of thought leaders and subject matter experts. eSpeakers will use their community’s resources to sponsor speakers for ICCA’s annual Congress and Association Meetings Proby T NH DESK gramme.

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THINK STRAWBERRIES IS MMPRC'S REPRESENTATIVE IN INDIA MMPRC - Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation has appointed Think Strawberries as its Representative Office in India effective August 1, 2019.The company will implement the destination’s Marketing and PR strategy in the India market. Think Strawberries was the India Representative of MMPRC from 2013 to 2016 as well.

Shikha Mishra – The PR & Media Manager of MMPRC office in India said, “As Maldives has seen a 96.4% growth in Indian tourist arrivals in 2019, it's a matter of pride for us to appointed as the Marketing and PR Representative for MMPRC in India.

We will continue to promote Maldives in the India market with Media, Trade and Consumer activities to increase the visitor arrivals from India to Malby TNH DESK dives."

Bahrain records rapid surge in Indian tourist arrivals The presence of 200-yearold Shri Krishna temple in Bahrain, the third smallest country in Asia serves as an exemplary case of the long historic relation it shares with India. e Gulf destination of Bahrain is no longer the Sunil Mathapati land of unexplored for InCountry Manager India, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority dian travellers. With a vision to offer a novel destination for outbound travellers from Kolkata, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority had hosted an Introductory Event to showcase the rare beauty of the destination sometime on August 21. Sunil Mathapati, Country ManagerIndia, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority explained, “We are strictly stressing on Indian MICE and wedding segments.We are also targeting small groups of leisure travellers flying out to long-haul destinations with Bahrain as the conby TNH DESK venient stopover.”

Curio Collection By Hilton debuts in The Maldives SAii Lagoon Maldives will form part of the first integrated resort in the Maldives Hilton has opened SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton, a free-spirited tropical escape that offers sun, sea, style and sustainability, creating a playful getaway for groups of fun-seeking friends, couples and families. Nestled within the idyllic Emboodhoo Lagoon, SAii Lagoon Maldives forms part of CROSSROADS Maldives, the country’s first and only integrated resort and game-changing retreat. The opening of SAii Lagoon Maldives also marks the debut of Curio Collection by Hilton in South East Asia, and the fifth Curio Collection by Hilton property in Asia Pacific.

With a total of 198 rooms and villas, the resort will be Hilton’s third property in the Maldives, making the hospitality company the largest and longest-running international hotel operator in the Maldives.

by TNH DESK

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NEWS

Jumpin HeigHts witH goa tourism launcHes Bungee Jumping at mayem

The Goa Tourism in association with Jumpin Heights, the Bungee People today successfully launched India’s second Bungee destination in North Goa at Mayem Lake. The event was graced with the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant along with many other dignitaries.

The 55 meters bungee jumping platform stands tall over the gorgeous Mayem lake, in North Goa, about a 45 minute drive from the popular Baga Beach.

Adventure sports are gaining traction in India and Goa, as India’s favourite travel destination, was a natural choice for the next big adventure zone. Jumpin Heights is owned and run by exArmy officer, Capt Rahul Nigam, who introduced Bungee jumping in India at Rishikesh in 2010. Over the course of this decade, they have successfully operated over 80,000 jumps in Rishikesh - quite a landmark for adventure tourism in India, and changed the way safety is perby TNH DESK ceived.

IRCTC launches IRCTC iMudra, a powerful prepaid card cum wallet IRCTC since its inception has been one of the front-runners of bringing ecommerce to the doorstep of common-man and has also been a pioneer in bringing many digital innovations in different railway domains.

Continuing with the same spirit, passion, and lots of enthusiasm, IRCTC has now launched its new product named “IRCTC iMudra” to increase its footprint in the digiby T NH DESK tal payment’s domain.

GOA CM LAUNCHES BEAUTIFICATION WORKS FOR MAYEM LAKE

Goa CM Dr. Pramod Sawant recently inaugurated beautification and up-gradation works undertaken at Mayem Lake in the presence of a host of dignitaries and other officials.

Dr. Sawant also launched Goa Tourism’s adventure initiative Bungee Jumping Site at Mayem which now throws open its doors for tourists to enjoy Mayem Lake in full splendor and excitement as the tourism season gets underway next month. The Rs 16 crore beautification and upgradation works undertaken at Mayem Lake has added new tourism tools and facilities for the benefit of visiting tourists.

Mayem Lake is a popular tourism destination of our state. The lake is located in the hinterlands at the foothills of Western Ghats near Bicholim Town which is at a distance of 35 Kms from Panaji. Mayem Lake is known for the scenic beauty,

Pramod Sawant Chief Minister of Goa

leisure activities, as a picnic spot, for boating and photography etc. The lake needed addition of new tourism tools and facilities for attracting more tourists, the boating facility for which the lake is famous for

by T NH DESK needed upgradation.

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MUMBAI GETS ITS FIRST ONE-STOP F&B HUB - THE ORB If you are one of those foodies & party animal, who want to experience the best of international cuisine all under one roof, head to THE ORB, Mumbai’s biggest F&B hub located next to JW Marriott Sahar Andheri East THE ORB re-defines the experiential dining and weekend partying scene in the city. With a sprawling space of 1,29,000 sq ft. THE ORB promises to be the new social hangout place for Mumbaikars. It has a night club, fine dine & casual restaurants, cafes and all sorts of international cuisines by award winning chefs! It’s the newest place to go to, whether it’s a coffee meeting, a date night or even bar hopping!

It houses a curated mix of brands like Dragonfly Experience promoted by Priyank Sukhija

and rapper Badshah, Jumjoji (Parsi diner), Let's Talk Fish (seafood joint), Nasi & Mee (Pan Asian restaurant – their first restaurant in Mumbai) Cheaters(American Grill) and more. by T NH DESK

Thomas Cook

IndIa's home ColleCTIon servICes for vIsas omas Cook (India) has launched Home Collection Services for its Visa Business, in a focussed initiative to empower customers with a two-pronged benefit of convenience and safety, coupled with a live-tracking feature to monitor the delivery of their visa documents. is facility is offered by omas Cook on a pan-India basis, in partnership with Blue Dart.

Indian travellers are displaying a strong propensity towards online travel bookings, and according to the Google-Bain & Company report, India has the second-highest active Internet user base globally, at 390 Mn (2018).

Further to that, the share of online travel booking spends, having increased by 25% in 2018, is anticipated to grow to 35% in 2021. omas

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | SEPTEMBER 2019

Cook India’s internal data reiterates this trend, with a 39% surge in demand for its online visa services. To ensure a truly integrated and seamless customer experience, omas Cook India’s new Home Collection service was hence introduced to save time, and simultaneously ensure safety in the delivery of valuable visa documents. omas Cook India’s Home Collection service equips its customers with the flexibility to schedule their collection/pick-up date as per their convenience. Additionally, this service allows customers to track the delivery status of their documents on a real-time basis, via a livetracker feature.

by T NH DESK

THOMAS COOK INDIA INTRODUCES AUTUMN TOURS omas Cook (India) has observed that demand for holidays is no longer restricted to the traditional Summer vacation.

India’s new age travellers are displaying strong and growing appetite for travel during Autumn/Fall to enjoy nature at its best, with pleasant weather and the resplendent colours of autumn, giving the destination a distinctive appeal.

In order to maximise the potential of the yet underleveraged season, omas Cook India has launched an array of special Autumn tours.

With Europe recording extreme summer temperatures due to global warming/climatic changes, the Autumn season is finding considerable appeal among India’s new age travellers. Autumn’s pleasant/moderate weather (in between the heat of summer and cold winters), its picturesque backdrop with green leaves changing colour to myriad shades of ochre, orange, red and burgundy, make it visually mesmerizing. Autumn also offers travellers the opportunity to indulge in fun outdoor activities like hiking, camping, road trips, among others. Being off-peak, this season offers India’s value seekers a truly affordable travel experience.

by TNH DESK

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Satiating Western food cravings For foodies who swear by English breakfast and would love to gorge on delish bakery and confectionery items, The Bakery is the best option.

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Verdict

By Swaati Chaudhury

T

here is nothing like digging into comfortable and delicious food.

For the connoisseurs of good food intending to dine in an ambience that carries a rich legacy dating back to the British era and relish Continental fare in “e City of Joy”, the name that strikes our mind is e Bakery of e Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata. Spread over 1,250 sq. , the 48-seater plush food outlet in the vicinity of Governor House is a 190-yearold outlet that prides in having a potted history of its own. e Bakery was shaped way, way back in 1830 by David Wilson. It started off with a factory and a small cafe that was exclusively opened for Britishers and later on the East India Company built e Auckland Hotel for its high-ranking officers. e outlet was well-known as the largest bakery in the country and had the bakery walk-in oven that was set up by Baker Perkins-the premier and the biggest overseas project of British India. e hotel was renovated sometime in 2007 by the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and reopened sometime in December, 2013. In contemporary times, the food outlet stands as the largest bakery in the Eastern zone of India. e Continental and English breakfast dished out by the food outlet has given a culinary edge to the city. e outlet serves the widest variety of fresh, healthy breads that are low on fat, cholesterol-free and are easily digestible. e collection includes sour dough multigrain bread, corn mill bread, sea salt focaccia and turmeric jaggery loaf that has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, minimizes the risk of cancer and heart disease, boosts diges-

The Bakery is best suited for those who prefer to hark back to the glorious Raj era and savour the English platter with an array of health breads and heavenly dessert bites.

tion and brings relief from arthritis while the dough multigrain bread lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. ere is cornmeal bread that provides protection from breast cancer and gallstones.

I had a chance to visit the heritage food outlet to satiate my taste buds with sinful delights. e brightly-lit outlet is spacious and has walls designed in bricks. e furniture in use is from the age-old bakery and the legendary walk-in oven has been transformed into a private dining room for hosting large and small get-togethers. ere is a spiral staircase belonging to the colonial times that is opened for visitors and it runs from the food outlet to the first floor of the hotel. e decor of the outlet gels with its legacy and tradition. ere is the one-of-a-kind bakery show kitchen at the outlet that offers glimpses of chefs churning out delights. e outlet has yummy vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes comprising sandwiches, burgers, pastas, savouries and titbits. I began with Caesar Salad done up with Romaine lettuce that are crisp and narrow, herbs, garlic croutons and Parmesan cheese that was quite bland but the mocktail on offer- Heritage Hunt made of pine apple juice, grated

Rating: Food: Service: Ambience:

3/5 4/5 4/5

coconut and blended with grenadine syrup is an indulgent affair. I switched on to the main course comprising Eggs Benedict- an American breakfast item comprising poached eggs on English muffin and the dish comes with potato wedges and roasted spicy tomatoes. Finally to round off the meal, I enjoyed having Belgium Chocolate with Hazelnut Crunch that forms the signature dessert of the outlet.

According to Shibu Jacob Nambelil, Food and Beverage Manager, e Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, “It is the legacy; the menu and the unique quality of the fare on offer that makes us stand off from other food outlets. We do not compromise on the ingredients used. We are serving health breads and there are at least 15 variety of breads on offer. Our vegetable puffs, sandwiches, pastas, burgers and pastries move fast and we serve gluten-free pastas and sandwiches on breakfast table.” e outlet remains open on all days from 8 AM to 10 PM.

Address: The Bakery, The Lalit Great Eastern Hotel Kolkata 1,2,3, Old Court House Street, Dalhousie Square, Kolkata-700069 Phone: 09007728072 Food for Two: A meal for two would come for Rs 1,000 inclusive of taxes. No alcohol is served at the outlet.

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NEWS

RADISSON TO LEAD FORAY OF SPANISH CUISINE IN INDIA Radisson Hotel Group has signed an exclusive Master Franchise Agreement (MFA) with Tapas Club, a popular Singa-

pore-based food and drink (F&D) brand, to roll out a series of stylish Spanish restaurants across its extensive portfolio

of hotels in India.

Under the new deal, Radisson Hotel Group will have exclusive use of the Tapas Club name in India, allowing it to introduce premium Spanish cuisine to its guests, who are always on the lookout for new experiences. These lively restaurants will also attract local residents and non-resident guests to dine at Radisson Hotel Group’s hotels. The companyplans to open more than 10 restaurants in the next four years and will deploy top chefs trained in Spanish cuisine across its Indian hotels and resorts. Tapas Club was conceived to bring contemporary Spanish cuisine to the Asian market. Already present in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, its restaurants specialize in authentic dishes that embrace the vibrant colors and flavors of the Iberian Peninsula. This makes it the perfect addition to the Indian F&D market, where diners – especially millennials – are increasingly

by TNH DESK seeking fresh adventures.

Westin KolKata RajaRhat successfully hosted shaadi by MaRRiott e second edition of Shaadi by Marriott in the East was hosted recently by e Westin Kolkata Rajarhat, and JW Marriott Kolkata. rough the outstanding success of this high-octane evening, Marriott International, the largest hospitality chain in the world, reaffirmed its supremacy in creating a holistic wedding experience that was memorable right from ideation to execution.

Shaadi by Marriott, a

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one-of-a-kind customized wedding campaign, is already an established success story. e focus, since the first edition held at New Delhi in 2017, has been to weave and personalize a fairytale wedding soiree, starting with the perfect venue and décor to great food and hospitality. e objective of this niche initiative has been to provide the wedded couple and their families with the best in class service, all under one roof. by T NH DESK

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F E AT U R E

DEEP KALRA

PICKS TOP DESTINATIONS IN INDIA On the occasion of India’s 73rd Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to visit at least 15 tourist destinations within India by 2022. Supporting the Prime Minister’s vision for boosting domestic tourism, Deep Kalra, an avid traveller who loves to traverse unexplored paths suggests a list of top places that are a must visit in India.

Nubra Valley: Located to the north of Leh, Nubra Valley is the gateway to the Shyok and is also home to the Siachen Glacier. The Nubra Valley was

highest and largest ropeways with an aerial distance of approx. 5kms. The bewildering view from top of the mountains is at 3979 metres above sea

beauty and allure of this lake has attracted people from all over the country and beyond. Under the Ramsar Convention, the lake is in the process of being identified as a wetland with international significance.

Pahalgam: Surrounded by Lidder Lake and Betaab Valley, Pahalgam is the place to visit to experience clear

once on the trading route that connected eastern Tibet with Turkistan via the famous Karakoram Pass. It is the most recently opened area of Ladakh.

With breath-taking views and delightfully hospitable inhabitants, it surely gives a mesmerizing experience to all.

Pangog Lake: Pangong Lake or Pangong Tso makes for a picture-perfect excursion. At a height of over 14,200 feet, Pangong Lake’s 134 kilometre stretches from India to China.

Getting to Pangong Lake is about a five-hour drive from Leh town. The

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level.

Sonmarg: Sonmarg or ‘the meadow of gold’ has one of the most picturesque views in Kashmir. With snow-clad mountains, green grasslands and ponies to ride on, this place is heaven and makes for the perfect getaway retreat.

It is also one of the base points for starting the Amarnath Yatra.

Havelock Islands: Elephant Beach in Havelock is one of the best places to enjoy snorkelling because of its rich marine life. It also has an incredible reserve of corals. water rivers and exhilarating deep valleys. River rafting at Lidder Lake is a famous attraction and is also the ideal place to go shopping for traditional Kashmiri handicrafts.

Gulmarg: Gulmarg is the snow paradise of Kashmir. This skier’s paradise is popular for having one of world's

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F E AT U R E

Neil Island: The Island is known for its natural wonders, especially the beaches. A trip to three such beaches is commonly called the three-point tour Bharatpur, Lakshmanpur and Sitapur

breeze and the blushing sun setting down the horizon of this breath-taking lake, makes it the perfect setting for a date. As the night descends, the spectacular lake transforms into the venue for a dazzling light and sound show.

Pench tiger Reserve: – The Pench Tiger Reserve is one of the premier tiger reserves in India and the first one

Rann of Kuch: This enormous stretch of white land is the world’s

beach. There are multiple small lagoons at the beaches which are perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving. The delicious seafood is every foodie’s dream come true with freshly caught prawns, crabs, fish and lobsters!

Umiam Lake: The Umiam lake also known as “bada paani” offers the ideal romantic experience. An exquisite romantic evening in the company of soft

largest salt dessert, making it one of the most remarkable places to visit. The Rann Utsav festival starts in the month of November and extends till February.

The festival offers rows of exotic food stalls and handicrafts which are one-ofa-kind and are a true representative of the state’s culture.

to straddle across two states - Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The reserve also has its mention in the famous story of 1894, ‘The Jungle Book’, penned down by the renowned author Rudyard Kipling So, if you are still working on your travel bucket-list, Deep’s suggestions may come in handy. Explore and soak yourself into the beauty of the wonderby TNH DESK lands of India.

Sterling Holidays Launches New Property in Guruvayur Mumbai,September 2nd, 2019: Sterling Holidays, India’s leading experiential holiday brand, has announced the launch of its new property in Guruvayur, Kerala, which is set to welcome guestsonMonday,September 2, 2019. The launch comes after Sterling’s big announcement on expanding its footprint, through a 6-resort launch, pan-India, in the coming months. Strategically positioned in proximity to the famous 5000yearoldSri Krishna temple in Guruvayur, this property will enhance the experience of pilgrims, while also serving asa perfect getaway from the city hustle.The temple isalso renowned for its traditional weddings,‘annaprasanam’ceremony (first solid meal for a child), andit is believed that couples who tie the knot here are forever blessed by Lord Vishnu.

by TNH DESK

© Fränk Weber / LFT

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NEWS

DUBAI ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE 2019 Innovation and community wellbeing will be at heart of Dubai Association Conference 2019.

Momentum is building towards the second edition of the Dubai Association Conference, with more details being unveiled about the event’s rich programme, built around the core theme of ‘Driving change: The societal impact of associations’. Taking place on 9-10 December at Dubai World Trade Centre and organised by Dubai Association Centre, the 2019 Dubai Association Conference agenda will offer a blend of panel discussions, expert briefings, and interactive sessions, all centred around the core theme and four sub-themes: Community Well-Being, Knowledge and Research, Business and Opportunity, and Creativity and Innovation.

The conference, being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, will serve as a platform to facilitate discussions on the value proposition of associations that go beyond direct and indirect economic benefits. The program will be structured by four different pillars that further support the facilitation of these discussions: Impact and Legacy, Designing an Impact Management and Measurement Programme, Organisational Resilience and Foresight, and the Art of Collaboration.

The event will bring together associa-

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Hassan Al Hashemi Vice President of International Relations at Dubai Chamber

Issam Kazim CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing

tion executives from around the world, government representatives, industry leaders, as well as university faculties and students, in a space focused on building the association community in the region for the purpose of positive social impact. Visit www.dubaiassociationconference.com to find out more about the conference programme Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “Along with being a catalyst for business opportunities within a thriving ecosystem, associations have the power to fuel innovation and creativity which ultimately contributes to the wellbeing of society. We are excited to host association professionals from around the world to explore the key themes of this year’s Dubai Association Conference. With a remarkable line-up of international speakers and a full schedule of insightful and interactive sessions, the program underlines our commitment to not only fostering the growth of the association community, but also its development.”

Hassan Al Hashemi, Vice President of International Relations at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Associations are important building blocks for society. They create influential platforms for sharing opinions, they provide fertile ground for the explo-

Mahir Julfar Senior Vice President, Venue Services Management, Dubai World Trade Centre

ration and dissemination of new ideas, and they establish unified codes and procedures. Associations are a vital component of the business ecosystem as they are responsible for organising a comprehensive array of events and conferences around the world. Our aim is to turn Dubai into a regional hub for associations, with the Dubai Association Conference a prime example of our efforts. We expect that the forthcoming conference will add value to Dubai’s Association ecosystem through its function as a central forum where members can meet, network, strike new partnerships, and share knowledge and expertise. To crystallise its role, the Dubai Association Conference is a significant component in Dubai’s aim of becoming a prime mover on the world stage and an instrumental tool to advance the city’s position across a variety of metrices.”

Mahir Julfar, Senior Vice President, Venue Services Management at Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “Adaptability, knowledge, creativity and innovation represent key processes to organisations operating in this era. These practices and initiatives are becoming ever more important due to a fast and unpredictably changing global business environment in the region and globally.”

by TNH DESK

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NEWS

JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ VISITS SRI LANKA UNDER ‘BRING A FRIEND HOME’ CAMPAIGN Global icon, Bollywood star and former Miss Sri Lanka, Jacqueline Fernandez visited Sri Lanka as the first guest under Cinnamon’s ‘Bring a Friend Home’ (BAFH) campaign. is unique initiative by Cinnamon is to encourage Sri Lankans living here and overseas as well as expats in the country to nominate their foreign friends to visit the island nation. Hence, the hotel chain hosted Jacqueline from 10th to 14th August and created unique experiences for her in the country. Jacqueline kick started the initiative by travelling to the island with 15 of her friends and family to celebrate her birthday and embarked on an iconic adventure that showcased the vibrancy and diversity that Sri Lanka has to offer as a destination. She travelled to Trico Blu by Cinnamon for a beachside barbeque birthday dinner alongside a bonfire coupled with a performance by a saxophonist all organized for her by Cinnamon in celebration of her birthday. by TNH DESK

Etihad Airways celebrates 15 years in India Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is celebrating 15 years of service to its largest and busiest market, India. e airline’s milestone coincides with the third visit to the UAE of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, highlighting the importance of the partnership between the two countries.

Etihad launched daily flights between the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and the Indian city of Mumbai in September 2004, within the airline’s first year of operation. ree months later, flights were also launched between Abu Dhabi and New Delhi. Today, Etihad operates 159 return flights per week between Abu Dhabi and 10 key In-

Cinnamon launches ‘Bring A Friend Home’ for tourism recovery in Sri Lanka Cinnamon’s Bring A Friend Home (BAFH) introduces an exclusive initiative to spearhead tourism in Sri Lanka and also to overcome challenges faced by the tourism industry. BAFH encourages fellow Sri Lankans living here and overseas as well as

expats living in Sri Lanka to nominate foreign friends to visit the island through an array of attractive packages. The key objectives of this campaign are to communicate a sense of urgency to visit Sri Lanka and create usergenerated content to spread the message

dian gateways - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and iruvananthapuram - and through its Abu Dhabi hub, the airline connects each of these gateways to international destinations throughout the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

Since launching operations to the sub-continent, Etihad has carried more than 16.5 million passengers on its Indian routes.

Etihad Airways Group CEO Tony Douglas said: “India and the United Arab Emirates share a long and strong economic, cultural and diplomatic relationship, and Etihad Airways connects these nations to each

by TNH DESK other, and beyond.

that Sri Lanka is safe to visit. The campaign is developed to generate much needed positive publicity to Sri Lanka.

BAFH follows a simple 4-step process; Register - Invite – Accept – Travel. Sri Lankans living here or overseas and even expats living in Sri Lanka with a resident visa are eligible to nominate foreign friends to this campaign. Visit www.bringafriendhome.com and register by entering the name, email

by TNH DESK and contact number.

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SANYA TO OPEN TOURISM OFFICE IN DELHI

By Shayan Mallick

COOPERATING WITH CHINESE CARRIERS AND INDIAN AND CHINESE TRAVEL COMPANIES IS CENTRAL TO ITS MARKET DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR INDIA.

An unexplored tropical

paradise and China’s burgeoning resort city, Sanya soon plans to open its tourism office in India in order to attract increasing number of Indian visitors to

the seaside resort city. Sanya is located along the South China Sea at the southern tip of Hainan, an island and the southernmost province of China located in the South China Sea. e picturesque resort city has been working in the Indian market for some time through local travel industry stakeholders and representation office and has hosted a few trade and media familiarization tours, among some of its other initiatives towards developing the Indian market.

Commenting on Sanya’smarket development plan in India, Tang Sixian, Consulting Director of Sanya Tourism, Culture, Radio,

Television and Sports Bureau, informed, “We use different ways to develop a new market. For India, firstly we would like to cooperate with China Southern and China Eastern airlines to try to create better products for the India market. Secondly, we would like to set up our marketing office in Delhi. is office will start working soon. We have already decided on that. It will be set up at China Southern Airlines’ office in Delhi. We have already signed agreement with them.”

Apart from opening a tourism office, Sixian pointed that there are already Chinese travel companies who have set up offices in Delhi that the tourism board can also work with them along with carriers like China Southern and China Eastern as well local Sanya tourism stakeholders with interest in the Indian market.

AKARYN HOTEL GROUP KICK-STARTS NEW CULINARY SERIES AKARYN Hotel Group, ailand’s award winning boutique hotel specialist, is kickstarting its new AKARYN Culinary Series with a sustainable dining concept on ailand’s golden gulf coast, which aims to showcase the finest and freshest produce from the land and the sea. At Aleenta Hua Hin-Pranburi Resort & Spa, the award-winning luxury boutique retreat nestled directly on the sandy shore, overlooking the Gulf of ailand, the expert chefs focus on creating delectable dishes using organically

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grown produce and locally sourced seafood.

As part of the AKARYN Culinary Series, guests will be able to savour these exquisite ingredients in a series of special dishes, which are designed to be both nutritious and delicious. And to enhance the guests’ connection with their cuisine even further, Aleenta Hua Hin will allow diners to discover exactly where the chefs source their produce with experiential trips to neighbourhood farms

by T NH DESK and fishing villages.

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NEWS

GLOBAL AIR CONNECTIVITY BECOMING MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE EFFICIENT: IATA e International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its performance figures for 2018 showing that global air connectivity continues to become more accessible and more efficient. e IATA World Air Transport Statistics (2019 WATS) confirms that: • 4.4 billion passengers flew in 2018 • Record efficiency was achieved with 81.9% of available seats being filled • Fuel efficiency improved by more than 12% compared to 2010 • 22,000 city pairs are now connected by direct flights, up 1,300 over 2017 and double the 10,250 city pairs connected in 1998 • e real cost of air transport has more than halved over the last 20 years (to around 78 US cents per revenue tonne-kilometer, or RTK). ‘’Airlines are connecting more people and places than ever before. e freedom to fly is more accessible than ever. And our world is a more prosperous place as a result.As with any human activity this comes with an environmental cost that airlines are committed to reducing. We understand that sustainability is essential to our license to spread aviation’s benefits. From 2020 we will cap net carbon emissions growth. And, by 2050, we will cut our net carbon footprint to half 2005 levels. is ambitious climate action goal needs government support. It is critical for sustainable aviation fuels, new technology and more efficient routes to deliver the greener future we are aiming for,” said

AIRLINE ALLIANCES maintained its position as the largest airline alliance in 2018 with 21.9% of total scheduled traffic (in RPKs), followed by SkyTeam (18.8%) and oneworld (15.4%).

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. Highlights of the 2018 airline industry performance: • System-wide, airlines carried 4.4 billion passengers on scheduled services, an increase of 6.9% over 2017, representing an additional 284 million trips by air.

• e development of the low-cost carrier (LCC)* segment continues to outpace that of network carriers.

• Measured in ASKs (available seat kilometers), LCC capacity grew by 13.4%, almost doubling the overall industry growth rate of 6.9%. LCCs accounted for 21% of global capacity) in 2018, up from 11% in 2004.

• When looking at available seats, the global share of LCCs in 2018 was 29%, reflecting the short-haul nature of their business model. is is up from 16% in 2004.

• Some 52 of IATA’s 290 current member

A L E XANDRE DE JUNIAC I ATA’ S DIRECTOR GENERAL & CEO

airlines classify themselves as LCCs, and other new model airlines.

Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region once again carried the largest number of passengers systemwide. The regional rankings are: 1. Asia-Pacific: 37.1% market share (1.6 billion passengers, up 9.2% over 2017) 2. Europe: 26.2% market share (1.1 billion passengers, up 6.6% over 2017) 3. North America: 22.6% market share (989.4 million passengers, up 4.8% over 2017) 4. Latin America: 6.9% market share (302.2 million passengers, up 5.7% over 2017) 5. Middle East: 5.1 % market share (224.2 million passengers, an increase of 4.0% over 2017) 6. Aica: 2.1% market share (92 million passengers, up 5.5% over 2017). by TNH DESK

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AROUND THE WORLD

POPULAR FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD TO LOOK FOR IN OCTOBER 2019

ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA October 6- 14, 2019 Location: New Mexico

A festival of global repute, Albuquerque International Balloon Festival is a one-of-a-kind attraction for kids of all age groups. Held at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta Park for the past four decades, the festival is a much-anticipated event in the first week of October every year.

LONDON COCKTAIL WEEK October 4-13, 2019 Location: Shoreditch, London

Well-known as the biggest cocktail festival across the globe, London Cocktail Week occurs at 250 participating bars across the city of London. The cocktail week has pre-festival parties and sessions conducted by mixologists of international repute. In other words, the 10-day festival highlights the lively cocktail scenario of the capital of the United Kingdom. The 10year-old festival is replete with an entire cocktail hamlet, 30-plus pop-up bars, street food and DJs.

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AROUND THE WORLD

POLAR CIRCLE MARATHON October 24-28, 2019 Location: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Labelled as the coolest marathon in the world, where runners get to experience breathtaking Arctic landscape, the marathon is a delightful event for adventure buffs who can participate in the race and enjoy touring Greenland. For participants, the marathon comes with a bonus of passing through Tundra landscape, the arctic desert, and catch glimpses of Russell glacier, Northern Lights, musk oxen and reindeer. The marathon began way back in 2001 and is brought about by Albatross Adventures.

Durga Puja October 4-8, 2019 Location: Kolkata

Amsterdam Music Festival

Durga Puja or Durgotsava is an annual feature in the Hindu calendar revering Goddess Durga and forms the grandest of Bengali festival. The festival symbolises the victory of good over evil and marks the victory of the Goddess over the demon, Mahisasura. It is also well-known as Sharad Utsav and Akalbodhan and is also observed in the Indian Sub-Continent. Mythology depicts that it was Lord Rama who had worshipped Goddess Durga and with her divine blessings, he could defeat Ravana.

October 20, 2019 Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

An electronic dance music fest that occurs at the time of Amsterdam Dance Event in John Cruijff Arena, the music festival essentially comprises house and dance music while the other genres are techno, trance and hardstyle. In order to commemorate Dutch dance, ALDA Events- an international operating Dutch producer and promoter of DJ and events hosted the premier edition of Amsterdam Music Festival.

The music festival is into donating for charity for every ticket being sold.

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E V E N T WAT C H

SKAL DELHI'S AGM & MONTHLY MEET

Skal Delhi conducted its 64th AGM at hotel Ambassador, New Delhi on 4th September 2019. The AGM was followed by a delicious lunch hosted by Ambassador hotel. The members enjoyed special delicacies in the charming ambience of the hotel.

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NEWS

VISTARA LAUNCHES OVERSEAS OPERATIONS WITH FLIGHT TO SINGAPORE Vistara inaugurated its international operations with a Delhi-Singapore flight that departed on 6 August 2019 from Delhi at 2340 hours (IST) and arrived at Singa-

Leslie Thng, CEO, Vistara inaugurating Vistara's maiden international flight

pore’s Changi International Airport on 7 August 2019 at 0758 hours (SGT).

Vistara’s CEO, Leslie Thng, said on the occasion, “From today onwards, Indian aviation will have a new symbol of the finest and modern Indian hospitality in global skies with Vistara. As an Indian airline with contemporary global outlook, Vistara is committed to making India proud in world aviation. All our efforts have been focused on creating memorable flying experience by providing exemplary service to travellers and introducing customer centric innovations in product and service. We’re delighted to reach this milestone in Vistara’s journey with starting service to a city that holds significant importance to us for more than one reason.”

Vistara's singapore flights to boost indian arriVals in singapore

“As Singapore grows in the ASEAN region, the buzz word remains ‘connectivity’. I am so glad that Vistara today starts international operations with its first flight to Singapore. I have seen Vistara grow from the day it started operations and I’m delighted to see the airline take the next step forward in connecting India to the world and vice versa. My heartfelt congratulations to everyone at Vistara on this momentous occasion and I wish Vistara the very best.” said Lim Thuan Kuan, High Commissioner of Singapore to India.

Vistara inaugurates its second daily service to Singapore later in the same evening, with a direct daily flight from Mumbai. With that, Vistara will now fly twice a day direct to Singapore from Delhi

by TNH DESK and Mumbai.

Singapore Tourism Board welcomes visitors on board Vistara’s inaugural flights from India to Singapore.

Vistara recently launched its overseas operations and started operating daily direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Singapore. e Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and partners welcomed passengers on board Vistara’s inaugural international flights from Delhi and Mumbai with a taste of Singaporean hospitality. e STB, together with its tourism partners put together value deals and discounts to popular attractions and experiences in Singapore.

Singapore received 1.44 million visitors from India in 2018, crossing the one million visitor mark for

the fourth time in a row.

India is also the third largest visitor source market for Singapore and has been able to retain its position as the top source market for cruise travel. e introduction of new flights from India will help more Indian travelers experience leisure, business and cruise travel to Singapore.

GB Srithar, Regional Director (India, Middle East & South Asia), Singapore Tourism Board said, “e new direct flight services will help bring more Indian visitors to Singapore to enjoy a multitude of experiences, catering to their different passions and interests. We are happy that our attractions are offering special deals to enhance the guests’ experiences in our city.”

by TNH DESK

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MOVING ON

APPOINTMENTS OF THE MONTH

1 2 Tridib Ghosh

VP-sales & Marketing, Mumbai The orchid hotels The orchid hotels has appointed Tridib Ghosh as VP, sales & Marketing in Mumbai. he aims at driving revenues, contribute towards brand development and marketing initiatives of orchid hotels with his competent nature and exceptional knowledge of sales and marketing.

riChard sChesTaK

Managing director siam Kempinski hotel bangkok richard schestak has been appointed as the new Md at siam Kempinski hotel bangkok. richard joins this luxurious iconic landmark in the heart of bangkok from abu dhabi, where he was GM at Fairmont Marina resort and Fairmont Marina residences.

3 4 ChrisTian ruGe

GM, Kempinski hotel Grand arena bansko, bulgaria Kempinski hotels has appointed Christian ruge as the new GM at Kempinski hotel Grand arena bansko, bulgaria. Christian ruge brings more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry to his new position.

TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY | SEPTEMBER 2019

PraMod KuMar PaTra

director of sales The Westin Kolkata Pramod Kumar Patra has been recently appointed as the director of sales at The Westin Kolkata rajarhat.

Pramod Kumar Patra is currently employed with The Westin Kolkata in the key position of director of sales.

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MOVING ON

5

praDeep atri

associate Director-meetings Crowne plaza today new Delhi okhla pradeep atri has been appointed as associate Director Crowne plazaŽ meetings at Crowne plaza today new Delhi okhla. With an experience of over 11 years, atri will oversee the hotel’s miCe (meetings, incentives, Conventions and exhibitions), Wedding and outdoor Catering business.

6

Chef Vikram Ganpule

executive Chef andaz Delhi Vikram Ganpule has been appointed as the executive Chef at andaz Delhi. in his new role, Chef Vikram will be responsible for handling the overall culinary operations at the first andaz hotel in india. Chef Ganpule was the executive Chef at hyatt regency Chennai before moving to this role.

7 8 Chef Balpreet SinGh ChaDha

executive Sous Chef andaz Delhi Chef Balpreet Singh Chadha has been promoted as the executive Sous Chef at andaz Delhi. in his new role, Chef Balpreet will be responsible for planning and directing the staff and operations in kitchen.

Jyoti rathore

manager, Quan Spa JW marriott Chandigarh With an experience of over 8 years in the wellness industry, Jyoti rathore has joined Quan Spa, the award-winning Spa facility at JW marriott Chandigarh, as its Spa manager. her primary responsibilities include managing Spa operations and budgets, enhancing Spa sales, Spa revenue management strategy.

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NEWS

ETIHAD TO FLY 787 DREAMLINERS TO JAKARTA AND MALDIVES Etihad Airways will introduce the Boeing 787Dreamliner on its flights from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta, Indonesia, and will upgrade its daily morning service to Male, Maldives, to the wide-body aircraft on a seasonal basis.

The airline’s two daily scheduled services from Abu Dhabi to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, will be operated on a year-round basis by a two-class Boeing 787-9. Effective 27 October, the overnight service will transition to a Dreamliner operation and the aircraft will be introduced on the daytime service from 14 December 2019.

The airline will also operate the next-generation aircraft on its daily morning service from Abu Dhabi to Male from27 October 2019to 30

April 2020. This morning service will continue to be supplemented by a second overnight

DUBAI TOURISM CONDUCTS 3-CITY ROADSHOWS IN INDIA Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) recently organized a three-city roadshow in India from 29th July- 2ndAugust 2019. The roadshow was held in the cities of Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Mumbai to strengthen relationships with the leading travel agents and tour operators to boost Indian arrivals to Dubai as part of the 2019 marketing strategy of Dubai Tourism. With India topping the chart of the leading source markets for Dubai, the Emirate is set to launch new attractions, schemes and lucrative offers to attract more travellers from India and to sustain the momentum for Dubai to be the

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first choice of Indian travellers.

In order to promote tourism, Dubai Tourism has extended free visa to Indian tourists below the age of 18 to further smoothen the travel process and sink in with the needs of Indian family travellers. This offering is set to be extended annually from 15th July to 15th September. The roadshows witnessed participation from key Dubai Tourism stakeholders, including Emaar Hospitality Group, Atlantis, Jumeirah, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Costa Cruises, Expo2020 to enhance networking and relationship building in the Indian market.

by TNH DESK

departure.

Etihad Airways is one of the world’s largest operators of the Boeing 787 and is introducing the aircraft to these destinations to benefit its point-to-point customers travelling to and from Abu Dhabi, as well as those connecting to and from the Etihad global network.

by T NH DESK

Launched: new astro tourism venture in Takapō

A new home of astronomy and astro tourism has opened in Takapō (on Lake Tekapo), offering the world’s first indoor, multimedia experience combining Māori astronomy and science. Dark Sky Project, formerly Earth & Sky, today opened the doors to its new 1140sqm building on the Takapō lakefront.

The centre includes the Dark Sky Diner offering spectacular lake and mountain views, and a range of day and night dining options. It will be the departure point for the astrotourism business’s outdoor, evening stargazing experiences.

Mana whenua / local Māori leaders from Arowhenua, Waihao and Moeraki rūnanga (tribal groups) blessed the building, named Rehua, and the Governor-General of New Zealand, Her Excellency Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy, opened the new experience.

by TNH DESK

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