TravelScapes April 2018

TravelScapes w w w . t r a v e l s c a p e s o n l i n e . c o m

APRIL 2018, PAGES 72, `90

VOL. 6, ISSUE. 4

POISED TO TAKE OFF GCC TURNS TO INDIA WITH A SHARPER FOCUS

BITTEN BY THE WANDERLUST BUG INDIAN MILLENNIALS ARE REDEFINING THE TRAVELLING TRENDS

Taiwan Quality Family time Guaranteed!

THINK STRAWBERRIES, Taiwan Tourism Bureau India Office: C-41, Gulmohar Park, New Delhi 110049 Tel: +91 11 2653 1733 l Fax: + 91 11 2653 1735 l Email: noel@ttbrep.in Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Singapore Office: 30 Raffles Place, Cheveron House #10-01, Singapore 048622

TravelScapes PUBLISHER’S NOTE

ATM: Igniting networking potential for 25 years Dear readers,

to the industry professionals on how

behind the success of the company.

Since its inception, the Arabian Travel

potential is the GCC region for the India

Kulwant Singh, Founder and MD of

Market (ATM) has become the region’s

market and what are the factors that

Lama Tours is a leader who believes in

leading travel industry showcase which

have caused a the sudden influx of Indian

implementing effective and productive

every year, throws open numerous

footfalls to the region.

strategies and says that personalisation is

business and networking opportunities

Globally, millennials account for 27 per

the way forward for every business to run

and insightful sessions. Arabian Travel

cent of the world’s 7.4 billion population,

effectively

Market first opened its doors in 1994

according to the report. In India,

While we make you explore beyond

at the Dubai World Trade Centre with

millennials are 34 per cent (at 440

the naked eye through the best of

52 nations, 300 exhibitors and 7,000

million) of the country’s total population.

‘TravelScapes 101 experiences’, we

trade visitors. 25 years later, ATM now

Indian millennials are on the move and

also have featured the youngest state,

facilitates USD 2.5 billion in industry

are all set to take the centre stage in

Telangana, where the grand dynasties

deals and attracts 2,500 exhibitors

consumer markets. Not just willing to

have stamped the land with many great

from 153 countries and over 28,000

spend well on leisure trips, they are also

marvels of historical architecture. A

influential visitors. The show has not just

redefining the way people travel. To

vibrant culture woven in with the rich

grown to become the largest show of its

understand their traits and demands,

historical heritage and picture perfect

kind in the Middle Eastern region but is

we collated the viewpoints of the young

landscapes for nature lovers, Telangana

expected to make even bigger presence all

and dynamic minds of the industry

has something for everyone.

across the globe.

on how the millennials are driving the

This issue brings news and reports about

Latest figures from Colliers International

travel growth story worldwide, taking

trade, hospitality, aviation and the latest

show that around nine million Indians

their wandering feet, anywhere and

in tourism worldwide.

are expected to travel to the GCC by

everywhere.

2021. As the destinations throughout

As the frontrunner in the DMC space,

the Middle East prepare themselves to

Lama Tours completely turns its focus

showcase their latest offerings at the

towards going online, TravelScapes,

Arabian Travel Market this year, we spoke

took an opportunity to speak to the man

PUBLISHER & CEO Varun Malhotra varun@versatilemedia.in DIRECTOR Pranav Khullar pranav@versatilemedia.in

Varun Malhotra Publisher & CEO

We value your feedback and suggestions so please do write us on: varun@versatilemedia.in Happy reading

ADMIN HEAD R Prem Lata EXECUTIVE-CIRCULATION Hari Puri, Sameer Singh

DIRECTOR- PR (MIDDLE EAST & SOUTH EAST ASIA) Sanjiv Chopra ASSOCIATE EDITOR Gagneet Kaur ASST. EDITOR Sayanti Halder SENIOR REPORTER Ankita Jain BUSINESS HEAD - MICE Seema Joshi AGM SALES & MARKETING (MUMBAI) Aarti Rajkhewa SR. MARKETING MANAGER Nidhi Hinduja CONSULTANT Anindya Malhotra, Jitin Mann ART DIRECTOR Rakesh Kumar ACCOUNTS Chandan Kumar Jha, Swati Jauhari

Editorial & Marketing Office: Versatile Media: 207, Satya Mansion, Commercial Complex, Ranjeet Nagar, New Delhi-110008 Contact: 011 - 45530380/83 • varun@versatilemedia.in All information in TravelScapes is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract or interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisement Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.

Owned and published by: Varun Malhotra, Editor & Publisher, EB-63, Maya Enclave, Hari Nagar, New Delhi - 110064 and printed on his behalf at Royal Press, B-82, Okhla Industrial Area Phase-I, New Delhi - 110020

CONTENT APRIL 2018

VOL. 6, ISSUE. 4

ATM SPECIAL pg-8

POISED TO TAKE OFF GCC TURNS TO INDIA WITH A SHARPER FOCUS

Special Issue

Being one of the fastest growing tourism generating regions in the world, GCC is experiencing a surge in Indian visitors, yearon-year. While India retained top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets for inbound tourism, Bahrain is predicted to benefit the most from an influx of Indian visitors over next four years. What could be driving the demand? The industry stalwarts speak their heart out on how the region has outpaced every other prominent outbound market, attracting more Indian visitors

GLOBETROTTER 24 EDWIN uncovers the mystical Bali MUCH BEYOND THE BEACHES TravelScapes explores the unexplored Bali through the very first international EDWIN organised team GPS

HOTEL FEATURE 32 AMILLA FUSHI GETAWAY TO AN IDYLLIC BLISS Amilla Fushi is exactly as one may desire in a Maldivian paradise

SPECIAL FOCUS 42 GITB’18 comes up with a spectrum of opportunities Great Indian Travel Bazaar, all set to feature a cornucopia of growth opportunities to accelerate India tourism

WHAT’S TRENDING 48 Bitten by the wanderlust bug Indian Millennials are Redefining the Travelling Trends

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SPOTLIGHT

FLIPSIDE

20 Upping the bar with personalisation LAMA TOURS DILIGENTLY DRIVES TOWARDS DIGITALISATION

56 Sailing on Sportsmanship MANISH DAYYA REVEALS THE UNTOLD SIDE OF HIS PERSONALITY

We spoke with the dynamic and the prolific Founder and MD of Lama Tours, Kulwant Singh

Upclose and personal with the General Manager of AccorHotels’ Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach

REGULAR UPDATES 6 .........................................................................................................................................................................................MoT 12 .................................................................................................................................................................................... Trade 26 .........................................................................................................................................................................Hospitality 54 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Outbound 62 ...............................................................................................................................................................................Aviation 64 ...................................................................................................................................................................... Photo Story 70 ..................................................................................................................................................................... On the Move

UPDATE

TravelScapes

MoT

Budget hotels to provide clean and affordable stay, Alphons T he Ministry of Tourism, Government of India classifies operational hotels under various Star/Heritage categories based upon the standard of facilities and services offered under a voluntary scheme. In order to augment supply of hotel accommodation for budget tourist, both domestic and foreign, the Ministry has a voluntary scheme for approval of guest houses and approval of Incredible India Bed & Breakfast/Homestay Establishments, wherein the basic idea is to provide a clean and affordable place for foreign and domestic tourists alike.

Construction and operation of hotels is primarily a private sector activity.

The voluntary scheme of the Ministry of Tourism for approval at project stage hotels stipulate the hotels of one, two,

three and four star categories and heritage (Basic) category availing subsidy/tax benefits /other benefits from the Central/ State Government would be subject to a lock – in period of eight years during which they would not seek up-gradation to a higher category. These hotels continue to serve as budget category hotels.

The number of units approved by the Ministry of Tourism as on date, in the above categories is as follows: 4-Star 3-Star 2-Star 1-Star 253

443

53

7

B&B/ Guest Homestay Houses 638 5

This information was given by K. J. Alphons, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism in a written reply in Rajya Sabha recently.

India wins the “Best Exhibitor Award” at ITB Berlin I ndia, was awarded “Best Exhibitor” Award for Australia and Oceania category at the World`s Tourism exhibition at ITB 2018 in Messe, Berlin, Germany. K. J. Alphons, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism shared two big achievements of India Tourism at ITB 2018. He said that the icing on the cake was the tremendous success of the Ministry of Tourism’s new campaign film “Yogi on the Race Track” which he had launched during his press conference in ITB. Since its launch on March 7, 2018, till date the film has had seven million views on twitter and this is growing each hour. More than 100 countries participated in the ITB-Berlin meet with their respective Tourism Ministers.

The Minister said that ITB was a big platform to showcase India’s tourism product to the global tourism fraternity. This is evident from the fact that India took a large space for the India Pavilion in which over 50 co-exhibitors comprising tour operators; hoteliers and more from different parts of India participated.

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Alphons also informed that the tourism sector in India is registering continuous growth which is significantly higher than the World Average. Foreign Tourist arrivals during 2017 were 10.18 million with a growth of 15.6 per cent over same period of the previous year while global growth of foreign tourists is only about five per cent. e-Visa continues to be game changer for tourism sector. It is now available for nationals of 163 countries and allows visits for business and medical treatment. The process of obtaining the e-Tourist Visa has been simplified significantly by addressing issues like more than one entry and longer lead period for applying for e-Visa. At a macro level, the primary reasons for India’s jump in the international tourist arrivals should be attributed to the pro-active steps taken the Government of India in terms of development of tourism infrastructure, easing of entry formalities for tourists by introducing the e-visa facilities nd more.

Kerala Tourism organises partnership meet in New Delhi

R

esponsible Tourism, which began modestly in the palmfringed backwaters of Kumarakom in 2008 as an experiment, has mushroomed and fleshed out as the motto of Kerala’s Tourism module. With a newly founded Responsible Tourism Mission and Kumarakom bagging the prestigious Responsible Tourism Award at the World Travel Mart, London, it is no wonder that the New Tourism Policy unveiled by Kerala focuses in depth at sustainable tourism initiatives. The policy also forms a major highlight of this year’s domestic campaign. The revamped fare with an array of new tourism products was showcased at New Delhi recently.

“To ensure the accomplishment of an ambitious target of a 100 per cent increase in arrival of foreign tourists and 50 per cent in domestic tourists in five years, a tourism regulatory authority has been formed. This would help put a stop to any unhealthy practices and guarantee better intervention of the Tourism Department through scrutiny and a licensing system,” said Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Kerala.

T

his is with reference to a release of Versatile Excellence Travel Awards in the February 2018 issue. It is to be informed that there has been an inadvertent mistake in the article published as a picture with an actual caption ‘VETA for Best Luxury Family Resort- Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa’ was incorrectly captioned as ‘VETA for Most Popular Resort in Indian Market- Paradise Island Resort & Spa, Maldives’. The award was received by Sandeep Raghav, Business Development Director – South Asia, W Maldives & Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa.

COVER STORY

POISED TO TAKE OFF

TravelScapes

GCC TURNS TO INDIA WITH A SHARPER FOCUS With more money in their pockets and keen on flaunting it, the Indian travellers have joined the big league, adding the country into the list of leading outbound markets.

GCC, being one of the fastest growing tourism generating regions in the world, is experiencing a surge in Indian visitors, year-on-year. While India retained top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets for inbound tourism, Bahrain is predicted to benefit the most from an influx of Indian visitors over next four years. What could be driving the demand? The industry stalwarts speak their heart out on how the region has outpaced every other prominent outbound market, attracting more Indian visitors

By Gagneet Kaur

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APRIL 2018 MARCH 2018

COVER STORY

TravelScapes

Issam Kazim

Sunil Mathapati

Rajan Dua

Pankaj Nagpal

B.A. Rahim

A

s per the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predictions, Indian outbound has a potential to grow to 50 million by 2020. In terms of market size, World Travel & Tourism Council’s Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2014 says that the total expenditure on outbound travel in India was INR 75,000 crore in 2013 and is projected to be INR 160,500 crore in 2024. Some of the reasons for the outbound growth include the tremendous increase of air connectivity with LCC’s expanding its footprint in India, urban middle class expected to cross over 500mn mark by 2025 (McKinsey), the growth of woman solo and business travellers by 891 per cent by 2030 and more. This has prompted several countries to adopt an aggressive strategy to attract more Indian footfalls and statistics suggest that Dubai, USA, Thailand and Singapore have already welcomed one million plus Indian guests and are further aiming to have a consistent double-digit growth. Hence, it is no wonder that the tourism worldwide has started taking note of this impressive growth.

GCC: THE GROWTH STORY CONTINUES While tourism has been gradually emerging as a key sector for the economic vitality of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the region has successfully positioned itself as a perfect stopover for travellers from India who are going either for the business trips or to visit family and spend holidays. According to the latest figures from Colliers International, around nine million Indians are expected to travel to the GCC by 2021. While Dubai took an upper hand recording around 2.1 million Indians visiting the emirate in 2017, other regions like Abu Dhabi, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait have also rolled up their sleeves to woo the India market. In both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, India was the top performing source market in 2016. Oman, which demonstrated the highest compatibility with corporate arrivals, welcomed 299,568 Indian tourists to the Sultanate in 2016.

Reinforcing the country’s influence as a key source market for GCC, Pankaj Nagpal, Managing Director, Travstarz Global Group shares, “India is the biggest source market for the Gulf region and the numbers are growing remarkably each year. Earlier, most of the numbers were for Dubai but now the other Gulf Nations have also become quite active in promoting tourism and the focus again remains on India for each one of them. With this, I am hopeful that India will continue to remain the favourite source market for GCC.” Highlighting further, Rajan Dua, Managing Director & Co-founder, Udaan India Pvt. Ltd says,

Manheer Singh Sethi

Himanshu Patil

“The member countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council are expected to post robust growth over the next decade both in terms of population and GDP. Accounting for tourism in the region, the member countries are increasingly turning their focus towards the Indian leisure tourists, through targeted entertainment offerings and promotional activities. In my view, India market has a quite important role to play in the region’s future as the exciting developments currently underway seek to diversify its economies and give a positive push to the overall growth.”

Keeping in sync with Dua, B.A. Rahim, Founder & Group CEO, Akquasun Group shares, “India is one of the most potential markets for GCC with a visible growth every year. India, being a much-diversified country with close tie-ups with GCC has proven a great potential as a key outbound market to the region. The country not just provides one of the largest MICE and leisure group businesses into GCC but also witnesses the 356 days FIT influx.”

Himanshu Patil, Director, Kesari Tours believes that the India market has created more of a dominating presence amidst international travel markets and carved a niche for itself, especially in the GCC region. Listing the Indian traveller’s choice, Patil informs that Doha, Qatar, Oman along with Abu Dhabi happens to be the favourites. On a similar note, Manheer Singh Sethi, Co-Founder & Director, Holidays by Sahibji Pvt Ltd and Travkart.com shares that with 42 per cent of the workforce and six million of travellers, India, seems to be the top choice of the employers and the country is of primary importance to the GCC region.

India retained top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets for inbound tourism, with 1,478,000 Indian tourists arriving in the city between January and September 2017, registering a significant 20 per cent rise over the same period in 2016. This underlines the strength of the emirate’s tourism industry as well as the growing appeal of Dubai as a global tourism destination of choice. There is expected to be a further increase in Indian visitors in 2018, largely due to the

Mubarak Al Nuaimi

opening of the Bollywood Theme Park at Dubai Parks and Resorts and new additions like Dubai Frame and Dubai Opera. Also, thanks to the on-going promotion of the much awaited #BeMyGuest campaign featuring the B-town superstar, Shahrukh Khan, who takes the travellers to Dubai through a series of short films on this multifaceted destination.

In a previous interaction, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) highlighted the fact that Dubai is a destination that has something for everyone and the emirate undoubtedly offers a home-awayfrom-home experience that makes for an ideal extended holiday. Further, keeping in mind the Indian subcontinent’s growing demand for outbound tourism and the ever-increasing spending power of Indian travellers, Dubai Tourism recently appointed the Nijhawan Group as its in-market destination representation firm in India. Meanwhile, Cruise Club has also been appointed as the representative in India for Dubai Business Events. Based out of Mumbai, Cruise Club’s role is to increase Dubai’s market share from incentive groups and corporate meetings.

Commenting on DCTCM’s strategic partnership with the Nijhawan Group, Kazim says, “India remains a top priority for us, now consistently being the largest source market for tourists to Dubai. This is a feat achieved through years of establishing and building strong trade ties in the market, in addition to the execution of a segment-specific approach across India. We are pleased to continue our journey with the Nijhawan Group and Cruise Club as our destination proposition continues to grow and diversify, attracting first-time visitors as well as driving repeat visitation from India. We look forward to working with both companies to further strengthen Dubai’s position in the global market and bring us closer to achieving our goal of welcoming 20 million visitors, per year, by 2020.”

For Bahrain, Indians are eligible for Visit-e-Visa, which means there is no need to have a physical visa stamped in their passports prior to arrival in the

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COVER STORY

TravelScapes

You know all there is to know about the GCC countries. Cultural, adventurous, historical. But there’s more. We bring you the crazy and unknown facts about these destinations: Dubai The Burj Khalifa is so tall that those who live at the top have to wait two minutes longer for the sun to set before they can break fast during Ramadan.

Abu Dhabi Travellers would be delighted to know that as a rule, no custom duty is levied on personal effects that enter or leave Abu Dhabi, which makes the country essentially a tax-free hub.

Sharjah Much before the likes of Dubai and Abu

Dhabi, it was Sharjah which established the very first airport of the gulf region, now known as the Sharjah international airport.

Doha There are a remarkable 36 branches of Nobu (a recognised Japanese restaurant chain) and its Doha outlet is one of the biggest: 26,000 square feet, to be precise.

Muscat Mutrah Souk in Muscat is one of the only places in the world where

country. Leveraging from such opportunities, Bahrain is targeting to receive over 5,000 travellers from India this year, more than double compared with last year (2,412 Indian visitors), mainly due to rise in demand for leisure and weddings. “GCC is one of the desired regions which Indians prefer to visit. Due to relaxed visa policies and other factors which destination offers, Indians prefer visiting the GCC countries. For the India market, Bahrain offers a very niche tourism experience which includes culture, hospitality, adventure, shopping and nightlife, which further gives an Indian traveller a unique Arabian destination hospitality to explore,” says Sunil Mathapati, Country Manager, India, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority.

Abu Dhabi is no far and has been climbing the ranks among Middle Eastern treasure troves for Indian travellers to explore and further hopes to attract more Indian travellers in 2018. To expand its promotions in the country, The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi recently conducted four-city roadshow in the Indian cities along with partners and stakeholders which began in Chandigarh before moving on to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Pune. Speaking on the occasion, Mubarak Al Nuaimi, Director Promotions and Overseas Offices, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, informs, “India is a vital tier I source market for us which is providing more and more hotel guests for us each year and helped us reach a record 4.9 millions of guests last year. In 2017, we recorded a spectacular double-digit growth from India and are already recording further progress from the India market since the turn of the year. We see great potential from this sector and are now running a succession of roadshows to cities across India highlighting the emirate and its attractions as we seek to capitalise on this uplift. We have excellent air connectivity, with 282 flights a week to Abu Dhabi from 13 Indian destinations, meaning it has never been this easier to come and visit the emirate.”

THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS If the visitors were points and tourism were a game, the Middle East would be gaining ground fast on the traditional industry leaders. Between 2000 and 2010,

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you can buy gold, frankincense and myrrh at the same place.

Bahrain There is a famous Mesquite tree called “Tree of Life” which is 400 years old and stands alone in the desert of Bahrain. The fact that the water source of the tree is not known attracts huge number of visitors.

Ras Al Khaimah The emirate is home to one of the top date farms in the UAE, offering no less than 18 different types of dates.

the number of travellers in the Middle East doubled, from 24.1 million to 60.3 million, according to the UNWTO. It’s a level of growth unmatched by any region in the world during the same period. The region is becoming increasingly popular and new attractions are popping up all around. One of the greatest appeals for travellers is that the Middle East, formerly known for being much closed off to the rest of the world, is becoming more touristic and welcoming more people than ever. As the GCC countries have widened their economic base and are growing faster than the global average, there will be an increase in the flow of business and leisure travellers and 2018 will be the year that the region will take the world by storm.

It’s no secret that Middle East travel took a hit following the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. The region saw an eight per cent decline in visits that year, according to the UNWTO and tourist-frequented monuments became largely empty. However, since then, the region has made a big comeback on the tourism front. From emerging adventure offerings in countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Oman and newly added attractions to visa relaxations and increasing air connectivity, these factors are bringing a renewed focus on Middle East travel, especially for the Indian travellers who are not just the avid hikers or the history lovers but also the family-oriented people who love to spend their quality time together. If you have an urge to experience the enchanting and the exceptional, GCC countries offer a perfect mix of all.

The relationship between the UAE and India is “strengthening further” and a major step in that direction is the relaxation of visa rules by the Gulf country for Indian nationals. Dua further emphasises on a healthy connect between the two regions.

“Strong bonds of friendship between UAE and India have found clear expression in the series of high-level bilateral visits between the two countries in the past two to three years. The decisions recently undertaken by the UAE government to have a simplified visa process are aimed at advancing the UAE-India relations in economics, politics and trade.”

The influx of Indian visitors to the GCC shows no sign of dwindling and is expected to continue rising,

with the added benefit of an increase in the average spent by Indians on outbound travel. Supporting this growth is a world-class infrastructure geared to handle large-scale meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions, and conventions. The MICE in GCC is set to expand even further while attracting high-profile global events and state-of-the-art infrastructural investments. Understandably, individual governments are formulating strategies to grow these key sectors and accomplish the visions simultaneously.

Speaking further on why the Indian travellers are increasingly inclined towards the GCC countries, Sethi highlights, “The proximity of the GCC region with India makes it the preferred choice for the Indian travellers and here, I would like to differ a bit as the influx of the Indian visitors to GCC is not actually a sudden rise rather, it has been growing at steady pace. Also, the newly added attractions like the Desert Safari, Ferrari World, Bahrain National Museum, Al Fateh Mosque, Mada’in Saleh and advantages like short duration flights have shown a good sign of growing numbers to the region.”

Calling the region, an all year round destination, Rahim states, “GCC is no more considered as a seasonal market from India. It’s a 365 days holiday destination for India and it is solely due to the adaptation of the GCC market. Dubai has been very instrumental in understanding and providing what the India market needs. Periodically, there are new tourist attractions and hotel openings that have created a buzz and influx from India.”

Patil couldn’t agree more with Rahim when he says that the Indian travellers have been visiting the region for decades now, although, in the recent past, various developments in food, visitor attractions, comfort in communication and the shorter duration of travel have acted as an added advantage and raised the bar for the GCC countries.

Reiterating his focus, Nagpal shares, “Most of the Gulf countries are now focusing on promoting tourism aggressively and are working hard on building better infrastructure and presenting a more tourism friendly face in the market. I feel this is the most significant trend that has led to a drastic increase in tourism

COVER STORY from India to GCC. Apart from Dubai, we see a growing interest in places like Bahrain, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi. All these places offer great options not only for the leisure traveller but for MICE as well and they are all the excellent options for Indian Destination Weddings with most of them already being a host to many such weddings.”

With the new tagline ‘Ours.Yours.

Bahrain’ and plenty of promotional activities planned for the India market, the tourism in the kingdom is foreseeing a fair share of numbers. Recently, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) organised the first ever roadshow in India (Mumbai and Delhi) where the delegation revealed the plans for 2018 which include the launch of campaigns and revamping the marketing strategies. Mathapati is positive that Bahrain will soon be added to every traveller’s bucket list.

“Bahrain has a bit of everything for the Indian traveller; from culture and history to shopping, adventure sports and activities. We started promoting Bahrain from January 2017. We are in a nascent stage of bringing out the essence of tourism in Bahrain to the India market. The main contributing factors that appeal Indians to choose Bahrain are the hospitality and the culture of the kingdom, the familyfriendly environment and a shorter travel time from India,” he claims.

“The Ministry has planned a strategy which is followed for every trade fair it participates in. Bahrain would also showcase the various offerings for tourism at the ATM which will interest all visiting the stall. Further, we have planned various campaigns for different sectors like weddings/ MICE/ events and leisure. We will start our campaigns from July this year targeting the next holiday season of 2018,” Mathapati continues.

numbers do not seem to have a slowdown. The gushing numbers will not just mirror the wider outlook of the GCC region to adapt to the tourist needs but will also help to unlock the untapped growth potential.

Listing on how the region can move ahead with the numbers, Rahim analyses, “As a stable government is crucial for economic growth, the progress of middle and upper middle class in India will keep numbers for outbound tourism growing. Further, more direct flights from India will act as a key factor for growth.” Patil, however, strongly feels that improvised

provisions for short breaks with better accommodations, more facilities to enjoy a bustling nightlife and wide variety of dining options for Indians would be more impactful to keep the numbers growing.

Lauding the government efforts, Sethi says, “The Modi government has ignited new and strong ties with the GCC region with a stepping stone of building the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi by 2020 and with this, both the nations seem to take their relations to a next level. Also, as the Indian numbers are already phenomenal in the GCC region, it is therefore suggested that the

new attractions and ideas would keep the numbers growing.”

Echoing the same sentiments, Nagpal opines that the newer destinations will need to get even more aggressive towards the India market and their main focus should be on showcasing their products as tourism friendly that are fully catering to the needs of an Indian traveller. “A lot of efforts are already being taken in this direction and we will only see a more focused approach in the months to come which will definitely influence the Indian numbers to these destinations in a positive pay,” he concludes on a high note.

THE NUMBERS TO FURTHER MOUNT UP As ATM sets a centre stage for the destinations from worldwide to showcase their best of products, the GCC countries, therefore, being on the home ground, are further looking to capitalise on this by encouraging the visitors to make stopover visits.

Government’s measures to bolster tourism activities in the region including encouraging private sector investments, building new attractions, expanding airport capacity and increasing international promotion campaigns are providing an impetus to the already booming tourism sector.

Driven by the brighter prospects for further developments and an immense government support, the growing

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UPDATE

TravelScapes

TRADE

Ark Travels sets a new record!!

A

rk Travels, the leading Preferred Sales Agent (PSA) for cruises was honoured with five distinguished awards at the Genting Cruise Lines Travel Partner Tribute Award Ceremony organised by Genting Cruise Lines in Hong Kong on March 9, 2018.

The awards conferred to Ark Travels across different categories are “Highest Sales In ‘Asia’ for Genting Cruise Lines”, “Top Sales for ‘Singapore Deployment’ for Star Cruises”, “1st Runner-up for ‘Singapore Deployment’ for Dream Cruises”, “1st Runner-up for ‘Hong Kong Deployment’ for Dream Cruise” and “Genting Cruise Lines ‘Best Marketing’ Award”.

“We are honoured to receive this award. This is recognition of Ark Travels spectacular services. This award belongs to 4500+ travels agents from across India who directly or indirectly are part of Ark Travels family, a family who has worked with such passion and dedication over past many years. The company has redefined cruise-travel in India with several industry first innovations in products and services. We are grateful to Genting Cruise Lines and its sister companies to have recognised our innovations in the cruise travel industry,” Kishan Biyani, Managing Director, Ark Travels.

Ark Travels Private Ltd was established in 1997 as the manifestation of a dream, ‘a dream, to provide India a world class, quality and personal holiday services.

It diversified the portfolio by offering a bouquet of options hitherto unavailable in India. Cruise Vacations, which was one such addition, quickly became the core focus for the company. Their B2B network is extensive with pan-India reach including the three-tier cities, sailing more than 48000+ passengers. Ark is also one of the biggest Preferred Sales Agents (PSA) in India for Star Cruises, largely catering the Asian market.

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ADTOI to launch Punjab and Haryana Chapter

I

n a recent general house meeting and fellowship dinner hosted by Association of Domestic Tour Operators Of India (ADTOI), the association has announced its plans to launch Punjab and Haryana chapter soon.

“We are actively working to open a chapter in Punjab and Haryana. This will not include members from Delhi NCR. Most probably the chapter will open by the end of April. For now, we are working on the logistics,” says Rajat Sawhney, Vice President, ADTOI. The membership of the association is predominantly based in North, East and West India. With the launch of Andhra Pradesh State Chapter of ADTOI last year during the Convention in Vishakapatnam, the association has made a maiden attempt to set its imprints and penetrate the southern parts of India. Moving ahead with the plans to launch Punjab and Haryana State Chapter, the association is

taking further steps for larger benefits of the domestic tour operators.

The association also represented itself in Jharkhand Travel Mart and elaborating on the tourism potentials of the state, Sawhney asserts, “Jharkhand is a new state for tourism. It was a major attempt by the state government to promote tourism in the state. And I was surprised to see many members of ADTOI participating in the travel mart.

The awareness about the state lacks immensely in the tourism prospects. We emphasised on the potentials of the state, one of them being mine tourism, which is popular in the destinations like Zimbabwe, Africa. And the fact that 30 per cent of Indian mines are in Jharkhand, makes the state an exclusivity in this category of tourism. Besides, wildlife and natural fauna are the other aspects of tourism there.”

FTAPCCI appoints Valmiki as Chairman for Telangana Tourism Conclave 2018 F ederation of Telangana Andra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce in association with GPS are coming out with a Mega Travel and Tourism Conclave from June 28 to 30 at Hotel Marriot, Hyderabad. FTAPCCI has selected Valmiki Hari Kishan to run the show under his dynamic leadership by forming the Managing Committee for the Telangana Tourism Conclave 2018 supported by Department of Tourism, Telangana State. Valmiki has got a rich experience in the Tourism Industry with his vast knowledge for past 18 years. He was also an active SKAL Executive Committee member and a part of the successful SKAL International World Congress in Hyderabad during October 2017.

Valmiki says we are going to work in the similar way for yet another event in the same year at Andhra Pradesh. Further, Vishakapatnam has been chosen to run the Andra Pradesh Tourism Conclave for which he said that they got a positive response and assured support from the Minister and Secretary of A P Tourism. This event in Hyderabad AP will come forward to offer FAM tours to these hosted buyers to visit few important tourism sites in Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly, uring the event in Vishakapatnam, the Government of Telangana Tourism will host FAM tours within Telangana. Valmiki feels this way, there will be more support, friendship, peace and harmony between both the states. In this picture above, Telangana Tourism Conclave delegation consists of Valmiki Hari Kishan, Chairman, P Vydehi, Director and Raman greeted Rashmi Varma, Sectretary Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Bajor Group bullish on expansion Priyavrat Pal Singh, Managing Director, Bajor Group of Hotels discusses the gradual growth of their hotels and their foray into the ‘Education City’ with Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Kota

Priyavrat Pal Singh

How is the Malkera Group venturing into the Indian hospitality industry?

The Malkera Group is a sister concern of Bajor Group, under the able leadership of Prem Singh Bajor, Minister of State in the government of Rajasthan. With two other hotels operating as the Heritage Village, Jaipur and Royal Heritage, Kishangarh, the Bajor Group of Hotels is also coming up with two more Greenfield five-star hotels in Udaipur and Jal Mahal, Jaipur.

As a chief leader of the group, how do you motivate your team for success?

Being a firm believer of hard work, I deliver 100 per cent in whatever I do.

I consider that if we, as a team, give our best and keep an eye over the best practices in the world, we are bound to be successful irrespective of minor hiccups, which we may face at times.

With a philosophy, “if a client says something, then you have nothing more important to say”, I preach to my team to give their best and delight the customer for utmost reputation in the market.

Please highlight the most significant strengths of the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Kota.

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Kota is the first international brand to foray into Kota. The hotel is strategically located in the heart of the city with ample of parking space and facilities.

With around 85 highly advanced rooms, three banquets of different

Royal Heritage, Kishangarh

Heritage Village Jaipur

sizes, a highly sophisticated lounge bar (UNWIND), multi-cuisine restaurant (MOSAIC), a terrace pool, lounge bar (SPLASH), gymnasium and spa, the property offers all hospitality needs of the city under one roof.

What are your target customers for both the hotel and Kota city?

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Kota caters to various types of clientele including the coaching industry (Kota’s biggest industry), corporates and leisure tourists. The property is strategically positioned around business hubs, the aerodrome and an upcoming

railway station within the radius of two kilometres.

What are your marketing initiatives for 2018?

In 2018, we seek a multi-pronged strategy to market our properties, which encompasses both Above-theLine and Below-the-Line activities, to various segments of clientele. Also, we are aggressive in the digital and social media marketing and promotion. We rigorously use a lot of online analytics tools to study online guests behaviour and re-strategise to have more targetoriented marketing.

Visa Deal: Stamped for successful future If you are looking for the value-enhanced services for your visa related queries, then Visa Deal is what you should be looking for. The company not just follows the policy of providing the best of visa facilitation services but also has broadened its boundaries with multiple marketing strategies in mind. Sandeep Gaur, Business Head, Visa Deal, the young and emerging entrepreneur shares how the company is gaining an impetus to become a frontrunner in the market

By Gagneet Kaur

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isa Deal was set up more than three years ago and ever since, the company has maintained the tourist visa, business visa and international tour packages service as its core business, having served more than 100,000 tourists from different parts of the country. Starting off on a positive note, Gaur says, “Visa Deal has evolved geographically since its inception by expanding its services in Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Kashi (UK) covering now the entire North India through our online portal - visadeal.in. We look forward to expanding to Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad by the end of 2019.”

He further adds, “The number of tourists served annually today, is over ten times higher than what we serviced on an annual basis when we first started. Through continuous

Sandeep Gaur

investments in contemporary travel-related technology and quality assurance, Visa Deal, today, has positioned itself as one of the leading travel visa agencies in DelhiNCR, capable of meeting any travel requirement.”

There have been some significant advances and collaborations with regards to visa facilitation including advanced approaches to implement

the new visa policies over the past few years. Keeping in mind the progressive and fast-changing landscape, the visa facilitation companies are jumping on the bandwagon to provide the hassle-free and time and cost saving services. Talking about how Visa Deal is making a difference in the market, Gaur informs, “Visa Deal offers 24 X 7 services that are customised as per the client’s need and budget. The services we provide are not only of a high standard but also save time, costs and resources for the tourists and our partners, enabling them to compete effectively in their own source markets.

Few things that we excel at include providing the assistance from the first step to the last, online query generation, pick & drop documents facilities, air ticket solution and travel insurance, making travel completely hassle-free

and a journey to remember.”

While all the successful or evolving businesses have a clear marketing strategy, the initial decision is, however, to define the term “How do you serve?” Gaur, who is well-versed with the industry norms for over 11 years, believes that the best outputs come with the marketing effectiveness. He further enlightens about the initiatives planned for 2018 aimed at enhancing their market visibility. “We are going to scale our efforts in advertising and will be promoting Visa Deal through different platforms including newspaper, hoardings and other ways of digital marketing. Video commercial is also in the pipeline. We are leveraging the online platforms to the fullest and have designed a social media strategy, which includes an exciting contest to keep the audience engaged,” concludes Gaur.

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Ankush Nijhawan

FILLING THE CSR GAP

ON WINGED DREAMS

TBO TO INTRODUCE NEW DIVISION, TBO AIR DURING ATM’18

By Ankita Jain

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he ever diversifying company, Travel Boutique Online (TBO) is launching its yet another division TBO Air during ATM Dubai. And yes, it’s pretty much impossible to miss this. “We strongly believe that the future of travel will be much simplified through our new division. We are highly focused on offering the cheapest rates possible in the market worldwide for our travel agents,” asserts Deepak Khanna, Chief Operating Officer, Travel Boutique Online.

Expecting a tremendous surge in traffic, TBO Air will be launched during the first day of ATM Dubai. “Besides India, our main market is the Middle East and Dubai being our other headquarter. We are expecting a good share of visibility during ATM. And we are keen to promote the new division in all major travel marts such as ITB, WTM and more. Accordingly, we will meet the requirements of the clients through our portal,” states Khanna.

In an attempt to offer a complete package, TBO Air will club with TBO Holidays.

“Outside India, we launched TBO Holidays in 2012 which completely caters to the hotel segment specifically. Further, we want to merge the air product with the TBO Holidays and provide this unique feature to our travel agents,” he enumerates.

With the help of technology, the unique feature of this project provides the SOTO (Sold Outside Ticketed Outside) fares to the worldwide travel agents. “We are working on this project for the last one and a half years and now it is time to kick-start the process. After the launch it will further take one and a half years to fulfill the demands of all the travel agents as the requirement varies from country to country,” he avers.

Talking about how did TBO Air got conceptualised, he says grinning from earto-ear, “On the cards, we are in the travel space for the last 47 years, we know in and out about the travel trade requirements and how does this industry works.

Channelising the need of the market, we are hitting the market at the right time span,” he concludes.

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A TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED FUTURE MARKS TBO’S CSR INITIATIVES

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orporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has for long been a part of the business modules of powerful corporate companies, but over the years, the concept has evolved and changed. As Ankush Nijhawan, Co-Founder, TBO Group, a company which turns dreams into reality in the form of personalised holidays, puts it, “From a school in tribal area of Orissa to workshops for underprivileged students, from computer centre to contributing to IIT Chennai for tech incubator, women empowerment and more, TBO is trying to touch every sector possible through its CSR initiatives lined up for 2017-18.”

Now, most of the leading corporates in India are actively contributing to the causes of education, health, livelihood creation, skill development, and empowerment of the weaker sections of the society as part of their CSR programmes.

And TBO is taking a step ahead and seeking out innovative ideas to execute their CSR funds. “We are spending two per cent of the company profits for these social projects. Majorly we want to push towards technological advancement and help create a difference through our projects,” zeroes in Vikas Jain, Chief Financial Officer, Travel Boutique Online.

Further to the latest announcement in Budget 2018-19 with an emphasis on rural development, Jain shares his views about its impact on the rural livelihood transformation through the project like school in a tribal area of Orissa. “We wanted to contribute to the weaker section of the society. Since Orissa is also brimming in the tourism industry with newer destinations and tourism spots, supporting the tribal section of Orissa was the need of the hour.”

Besides channelising technology as a tool to bridge the gap, Nijhawan is also looking forward to supporting tourism in the years to come through these projects. “The roadmap for project sustainability of current and future CSR initiatives has been planned in such a way that through our little help, we want the underprivileged section of our society to lead a life of dignity, hope and choice.” Bubbling with ideas, he adds, “We are in the travel trade industry and are seeking every possible opportunity to enhance this industry through our initiatives.”

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Norwegian Bliss begins her conveyance up River Ems N orwegian Bliss, the first cruise ship custom-built with features and amenities for the ultimate Alaska cruise experience, departed Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany local time on March 13, 2018 for her conveyance along the Ems River.

Norwegian Bliss completed another key milestone with only two months until her highly-anticipated arrival to Seattle, Washington where she will offer seven-day Alaska cruises throughout the summer.

“Today marks another historical moment

for Norwegian Bliss, the most highly anticipated ship of the Norwegian Breakaway Plus class, the most successful class of our company’s history” said Andy Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “When she arrives into Seattle in June, guests will be excited to experience many new first-at-sea activities, including the largest two-level race track at sea, new dining experiences, such as Q Texas Smokehouse and Coco’s a chocolate and treat shop, the Tony Award®-Winning Broadway Show Jersey Boys and much more for guests to explore.”

When she arrives to Eemshaven, she will take on additional provisions and crew members, before heading toward the North Sea for technical and nautical sea trials.

This will be one of the final phases, before Norwegian Cruise Line takes delivery of their sixteenth ship on April 19, 2018 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Travel Tours opens second store in Kolkata T ravel Tours, the flagship leisure travel brand of FCM Travel Solutions - Indian subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group Australia, inaugurated their second retail and first franchise store at Salt Lake City, Kolkata. The store was inaugurated

by Shravan Gupta, Executive Director – Leisure Businesses, FCM Travel Solutions and Sitaram Sharma, President of Bharat Chamber of Commerce & The Consular General of Belarus. With the launch of this store, FCM Travel Solutions now has 28 operational Travel Tours stores across India.

The new Travel Tours store in Kolkata, aims at re-defining travel experience from the region by focusing on both tailor-made vacations and group holidays catering to different kinds of travellers in the city.

Spread over 1200 sq. ft, the Travel Tours

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outlet at Salt Lake City, will cater to needs of up-market urban consumers - families, business travellers, honeymoon couples and groups of travellers. The new retail outlet will offer a range of products and services by Travel Tours - Domestic and International Flights, Customised and Group Holidays, Hotels, Car Transfers, Visa, Cruise vacations, Honeymoon packages, Adventure holidays and more.

Commenting on the launch, Gupta said, “We are delighted to launch our second store in Kolkata. This is a reiteration of our strategic intent at Travel Tours, FCM - to expand our footprint across key markets in East India. We are extremely bullish about our Pan-India expansion, with a few more store launches lined up in the pipeline for this year”.

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Pronab Sarkar

Rajiv Mehra

IATO to hold elections in April

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uring the recent luncheon meeting of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), the association announced that it will elect its new team under the supervision of Akshay Kumar, Vice Chairman, FAITH, who will be the Returning Officer for the election. The event saw full attendance by the members and representatives from the Ministry of Tourism.

Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO highlighted that the main agenda of the meeting was to interact with Ministry of Tourism about the ongoing queries and also took the opportunity to inform about the IATO elections in April 2018. “The IATO elections will be held on April 28, 2018, at The Ashok, New Delhi. The current team is completing its two-year term, and thereafter the election process will start in due course,” Sarkar informs.

Rajiv Mehra, Vice President, IATO revealed that IATO is simultaneously working on development of facilities for the monuments it has adopted. He said that the association will be looking after cleanliness and basic public hygiene which will include putting sign boards across the public toilets.

OTOAI conducts knowledge session on soft skills

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he Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) conducted its first soft skill and client handling training programme for its members recently at Delhi Gymkhana Club.

“Looking at today’s fast pace of growth in the travel arena, OTOAI has taken the initiative to inculcate the correct culture which will surely be the key to success in your future life,” said Chitra Bhatia, General Secretary, OTOAI. She added, “The session is meant to recall the basics of life, and train human resource which is the backbone of any industry. The programme is expected to add value to candidates’ moral ethics, which will further enhance their prevailing set of skills. We want to organise more such sessions to improve the quality of services in the travel fraternity.”

Gitanjali Aiyar and Alka Nayar conducted the training programme. OTOAI mementos were awarded to both the speakers.

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FICCI boosts India’s digital drive The third edition of FICCI’s ‘Digital Travel, Hospitality and Innovation Summit’ that was held from March, 21 to 22, 2018, deliberated on the changing spectrum of the tourism and hospitality industry with the advent of technology

By Sayanti Halder

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ith India pacing up in digital infrastructure, the travel and tourism industry is poised for major transformation through technology innovations in coming times. Moving in tandem with the same idea, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) inaugurated the third edition of ‘Digital Travel, Hospitality & Innovation Summit’ on March 21, 2018, at Federation House, New Delhi. Speakers at the third Travel Technology summit opined that technology adoption in travel is at an all-time high and poised for further innovations on the back of consumer demand enabled by smart phone proliferation in the country.

The two-day summit is part of FICCI’s mandate to further enhance India’s digital drive in the travel and tourism industry. The summit saw in attendance the high flyers of travel and hospitality industry alongside the giants of travel technology from both India and abroad.

The summit kick-started with an inaugural session where Ashish Kumar, Co-Chairman, FICCI Travel Technology Committee & Partner Agnitio Consulting, welcomed the delegates and attendees. Afterwards, Dhruv Shringi, CEO & Co-Founder, Yatra and Chairman of FICCI Travel Technology Committee, said that technology

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Rajesh Magow

is no more a niche in travel but has become mainstream. Talking about future technology, Shringi informed that voice-enabled travel search and booking will become mainstream soon in India. Static apps are passé and apps with voice are the need of the times as it helps people to zero in on the right choice of product. Also, he feels that ‘Bots’ will help bring down the customer servicing cost when businesses are working on very low margins. He also spoke on Virtual Reality (VR) and Facial Recognition which would help hotels to provide immersive experiences to customers. “Introduction and domination of voice technology such as Alexa, Siri and other bots in the virtual reality is the next thing in the travel industry. To tap more customers, hotels in India can be a lot more tech-savvy,

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John Nash

adding incremental tools as a lot of customers leave a large digital footprint online,” he added. As travel technology is getting into an exciting phase, Shringi expected it to open up a lot of innovation opportunities for technology start-ups in coming times.

In his presentation, Jason Nash, Global VP-Story Telling, Travelport briefed that travel technology is evolving at a rapid pace and that will throw a tremendous amount of competitions and complexities for all sort of players in the industry and business, which will be forced to adapt to the changes by their customers. He continued, “Currently, the power of tech-enabled travellers is more impactful than that of industry speakers and leaders. Unbundling is causing a variation in the price points, affecting the traditional travel agents.

Pulkit Trivedi

There is a massive shift of paradigm from the travel agents to personal mobile phones.”

Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder & CEO, MakeMyTrip said that while Indian internet ecosystem evolved quite slowly in the initial part of the new century, throwing big challenges for e-commerce players, the last five years have seen big changes in physical infrastructure enabling technology players to innovate quite fast. Indian digital payment stack is quite robust today because of Aadhar UID, DigiLocker, UPI, e-sign, e-KYC, etc., he informed. He assumes that the ‘Online Travel 4.0’ will see a lot of customer-centric innovations along with a higher demand for conversational commerce, which will pave way for the tremendous amount of automation in the business and industry as well.

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FICCI-KPMG Knowledge Paper to focus on tech-savvy Indian traveller Also, at the inaugural session of the summit, FICCI and KPMG India jointly unveiled the knowledge paper ‘Expedition 3.0- Travel & Hospitality Gone Digital’. The Knowledge Paper looks at unravelling the technology trends in travel and hospitality segment that will help better define the future of the industry, how digitalisation has impacted the evolution of this industry and what can be achieved by overall technology inclusion across stakeholders in the industry ecosystem. Some of the key highlights of the paper reveal that most travellers go online, and 67 per cent even use voice search for research; 71 per cent use smartphones for research and booking, and 82 per cent prefer digital boarding passes and e-tickets for convenience; 87 per cent use videos and photos posted by friends as part of their travel research while 83 per cent want to be connected while travelling; 85 per cent use price comparison websites to look for deals, and 58 per cent agree to spend considerable time to find the best price; 91 per cent use review sites; and 75 per cent choose hotels that do not charge for Wi-Fi. On release of the FICCI-KPMG knowledge paper, Jaideep Ghosh, Partner and Head - Transport, Leisure and Sports, KPMG highlighted, “Voice is the backbone of current digitisation and social media has a huge influence on the search market of travel. Innovation requires a constant improvisation for more business. The government plays a pivotal role in developing the country’s infrastructure and thus, the enablers of the industry should work in tandem to framework the government policies and uplift the government aided service providers.” He also discussed the issues around payment integration and implementation of its aligned security.

Pulkit Trivedi, Director -Global Sales Organisation, Facebook informed, with figures, about the immense value in creating digital content for the ‘mobile first world’.

He said that India has about 300 mn smartphone users and the number is poised to leapfrog as about 500 mn feature phone users are waiting to migrate to smartphones. Around 2.2 hrs is spent on data mining on mobiles by millennials and the time spent on

mobiles on data has increased five times, in last five years. Citing a study, Trivedi said that five seconds spent on a mobile content produces the same purchasing intent in people which a 15-second content generates on a bigger screen. “Currently, the second-most dominant category on Facebook in India is travel and the site is currently driven by the millennials. Around 69 per cent of consumers who purchase travel via Facebook are millenials while 40 per

cent of higher affinity for travel comes from women,” Trivedi highlighted.

The panel discussion on ‘How Digitalisation and Technology are to further evolve to impact all travellers’ included speakers such as Abhijit Mishra, Regional Manager- India & Middle East, Kayak; Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager- India, AirBnB; Abraham Alapatt, President & Group Head- Marketing, Service Quality, Financial Services & Innovation, Thomas Cook India Ltd.; Ashish Kishore, MD, American Express Global Business Travel and Abhinav Kumar, Country Head-India, Trivago while the other one, ‘How Artificial Intelligence, Mobile & Analytics driving the Travel & Hospitality Segment’ consisted of Anshu Sarin, CEO, Keys Hotel, Kaushik Dasgupta, Head of Industry-Travel, Google India; Rahul Chaudhary, CoFounder, Treebo Hotels and Himanshu Varma, CTO, Yatra Inc. with Aloke Bajpai, Co-Founder & CEO, Ixigo as the moderator.

The second day of the Summit focused on start-ups and what investors look for before they fund new businesses. Two sessions were held on investments, acquisitions and start-ups, followed by another start-up pitching

UPDATE

session. The first panel discussion titled ‘The Future of Consolidation, Merger & Acquisition & Foreign Investments in the Travel Industry’ was moderated

by Alok Mittal, Founder & CEO, Indifi Technologies. The panel included Matt James, Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy & Business Development, Amadeus Asia Pacific; Ankush Nijhawan, Co-Founder, TBO Group; Vikram Gupta, Founder & Managing Partner, IvyCap Venture; Tej Kapoor, Managing Director & Head, Fosun RZ Capital India; and Bhavik Vasa, Chief Growth Officer, EbixCash. The panelists discussed what it takes to attract investments and how they judge ideas to put money into them. The second panel, ‘Learning Through Peers: Case studies of successful travel start-ups’, was moderated by Ashish Kumar, Co-Chairman, FICCI Travel Technology Committee & Managing Partner, Agnitio Consulting. The panelists included Sakshi Vij, Founder & CEO, Myles; Anirudh Gupta, Co-Founder, Tripoto; Stephanie Strunk, Community Manager, Corporate Startegy, Amadeus Asia Pacific; Aishwarya Kachhal , Co-Chair, Harvard Business Alumni Angels India and Rajiv Malhotra, Founder, Hotel Launcher.

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SPOTLIGHT

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Upping the bar

with personalisation

Lama Tours diligently drives towards digitalisation As the destination management companies are critical to shaping a travel experience, Lama Group, who has carved a niche for itself in the DMC space, is persistently focusing on strengthening the overall brand positioning and expanding its reach through strategic alliances this year. While the company has completely turned its focus towards going online, it successfully forges ahead with a vision that is strongly committed to giving the best of personalised services. To know more about the company’s latest developments, the year gone-by and the vision ahead, TravelScapes speaks with the dynamic and the prolific Founder and MD of Lama Tours, Kulwant Singh whose strategic vision has led the group to become an acknowledged leader in the industry

By Gagneet Kaur

Q While 2016 was a very successful year for Lama Group, how has 2017 been a year for the company?

2017 was a challenging year; however, the group still managed to sustain a reasonable growth due to our visa business, tie up with Iventure card and several big group movements from India. We have also secured and finalised a couple of tie-ups with local business and international agents that shows a promising result.

Q What are you eyeing for in 2018? What new are you planning to bring to your customers?

We have tied up with iVenture Card for DSS (2017) and DSF (2018) and are in current negotiations for the upcoming summer and winter season for packages that include a range of attractions, experiences and more using a single pass. This provided a lot of tourists with great savings and value for money for the services availed.

Our Palm Cruises is also on daily operations that are well received by tourists and the residents. The Lama Jebel Ali beach club has been a point of tourist attractions. Also, Lama Express 20 travelscapesonline.com

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SPOTLIGHT

TravelScapes

Visa services give access to our new express visa services from Abu Dhabi.

Q Dubai is on track for a record year for visitor numbers having recorded 11.58 million arrivals in the first nine months of 2017. How is Lama Group leveraging this opportunity?

India has always been our primary and strongest source market. We are very active in the market as we have been participating in various exhibitions and trade shows. We constantly keep evolving and offer packages customised for the Indian industry. Annually, we also organise our own roadshow in India in both the tier I and II cities.

Kulwant Singh

Q Talking particularly about the India market, what are the shifts in travelling trends you have observed? What do you think are the contributing factors?

Consumer attitudes are changing; people want to experience deeper emotional and personal connection when they travel. Bleisure (Business + Pleasure) is a rising travel trend among urban Indians, particularly millennials.

Increase in outbound travel is directly associated with India’s economic growth. An increasing number of Indians with disposal personal income can now afford to travel abroad.

Q What do you think is your company’s biggest strength?

Our biggest strength lies in our brand name. People buy a brand because they rely on its quality, consistency and trusted the company/brand to deliver their requirements. Lama has been in the industry for 21 years now and we have proved our commitment to our partners and customers.

“Lama has become a house brand that is synonymous with Dubai (UAE).

What makes Lama different from other operators is the high level of customer service and personal touch. ”

Q How fruitful is Arabian Travel Market (ATM) for your business growth? Anything special offerings to showcase at the ATM? ATM is the platform for fruitful meetings and securing lucrative contracts for the coming season. This is also the venue to meet all our partners and stakeholders in one setting. At the ATM this year, we are launching various packages for the upcoming low / Ramadan season.

Q As a captain of the ship, how do you make sure that Lama Group stands out in the crowd?

Lama has become a house brand that is synonymous with Dubai (UAE).

What makes Lama different from other operators is the high level of customer service and personal touch.

Q What are the promotional/ marketing initiatives you are undertaking for bringing in more business?

Our marketing strategy is a mix of branding, printed ads and marketing materials and social networking.

Q How are you channelising the social media platforms?

The world is turning towards globalisation and technology has been able to accelerate tourism marketing into a fast-moving, easily-accessible global experience for all. We cannot deny the huge impact of social media in the tourism industry.

Driven by the growth in the tourism industry, our online system ensures the fastest services in the shortest timeframe possible. Keeping that in mind, we are expanding our business with the online tools and satellite offices to be competitive in the market; however, relationship and personalised services will always play a crucial role and will surely be the drivers to get more and more businesses.

Q What is your future vision for the group for next five years?

Company’s vision is to be 100 per cent online. Secondly, technology is our key focus. We are also enhancing our strategies to provide easy and simple booking procedures for our customers.

Apart from this, we also have a focus towards getting more government contracts.

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GLOBETROTTER

TravelScapes

EDWIN uncovers the mystical Bali Much beyond the beaches Exotic temples, gigantic volcanoes, unspoilt jungles set against the spectacular backdrops, adrenaline-pumping water sports, jam-packed dance floors and vibrant nightlife. We may not be wrong saying that the ‘Island of Gods’- Bali is much beyond just the white sandy beaches and exotic sea life and is not worth a miss. TravelScapes explores the unexplored Bali through the very first international EDWIN organised by the ever-energetic team of GPS

By Gagneet Kaur

I

nitiated with a vision to unveil the tourism potential that lies in the emerging markets, Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) has made an exceptional effort by launching EDWIN (Educational Destination Workshop-International), especially for the tier II and III markets. In order to educate the agents and give them the first-hand experience of the destination, GPS took off its first international EDWIN to Bali, a place that truly evokes the thoughts of a paradise.

Upon arrival, the EDWINs were warmly welcomed at the Grand Mirage Resort, Bali with a lip-smacking Indian buffet served with authentic Balinese affection.

The remarkable beginning of day two started with the rituals of inauguration including the lighting of the lamp and amazing traditional dance performances.

The event saw the attendance from the reputed dignitaries such as R.O. Sunil Babu- Consul General, Consulate General of India Bali, Putu Winastra, Vice Chairman, ASITA and Rai Surya Wijaya, Head, Badung Tourism Promotion Board. Babu firmly believes in the potential of India as an important source market, however, making the Indian tourists understand, about the dos and don’ts to be followed at a destination is now the need of the hour.

“Bali as a destination is not just unique in its place but what makes it stand out is its rich and exceptional culture. In the last three years, the number of Indians travelling to Bali has been rapidly increasing. We received 90,000 Indians in 2015. Followed by this, the footfalls grew to 180,000 in 2016 and 2,72,897 Indian tourists visited Bali in 2017, which shows a great jump

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of figures, tripling each year. In 2016, we became number five and went straight to the third position in 2017,” Babu highlights.

“Despite such a lucrative growth, there are certain challenges faced by Bali as far as Indians are concerned. Over a period of time, I have come across certain undesirable mannerism and unpleasant behavioural traits of the Indian travellers, which causes a negative impression amongst the locals. Considering the fact that the Indians have a propensity of not following rules when travelling to other countries, an extensive and guided briefing must be implemented to the tourists before they visit Bali,” he opines further.

Speaking on the occasion, Rishiraj Anand-Joint Managing Director, GPS said, “Though the target is the tier II and III city agents and the main intent is to qualify those who have attended our GPS events, the platform of EDWIN is launched with the intent to bring the travel fraternity closer and remove the territorial boundaries. Definitely, the professionals in these markets are more responsive and committed but need a lot of exposure and hand holding and we are helping them by giving them the opportunity by bringing them closer to platforms like EDWIN. During the educational workshop in Bali, we thoroughly aim to educate these agents about the destination which ill make them an Education Destination Workshop International specialist. If you look at the itineraries planned for the participants, we are not only going to give them the experience of various four-star and fivestar properties but also will make them explore the best attractions in Bali.”

Keeping in sync with Anand, Raju Akolkar, CEO, GPS highlighted, “We, at GPS, have a motto of educating and empowering the travel fraternity from tier II and III markets as those are the people with very little or no access to educational platforms. Secondly, these are the markets with a lot of potential and to take our agenda forward, we have launched EDWIN. I am quite glad to see a very good response from the agents and the exhibitors as well. This platform will not just give a first-hand experience of Bali to the agents but will also enable them to further sell the destination to their clients in completely different perspective.”

With more than 250 people in attendance, including 150 buyers and around 70 exhibitors, the B2B session organised for the EDWINs was fruitful, engaging and conceptualised with a new idea. Each meeting lasted for about eight minutes with the ringing of the huge gong. Following the process, around 10,000 meetings were successfully conducted over eight hours in a day which was quite a great achievement for the GPS team. Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, GPS along with Rishiraj Anand, Raju Akolkar, Madhu Saliankar and Tanushkha Anand (Executive Directors, GPS) presented the mementos to the chief guests and thanked them for their gracious presence.

Seeing Bali through EDWIN’s lens One of the best things about Bali is despite being fairly small, it has something for everyone. In fact, there are some places that just pull you in. Well if you are a

GLOBETROTTER

TravelScapes

‘We adapt ourselves to the time’ In an exclusive tête-à-tête, Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, GPS shares how EDWIN Bali generated the maximum impact with 10000 meetings in less than a day

die-hard fan of the unique offshore setting with the views of amazing sunset backdrops, you should head to Tanah Lot Temple and Uluwatu Temple. Set amidst the constantly crashing waves, these temples are the cultural hubs of Bali that attract the tourists year-on-year.

While Tanah Lot is simply among Bali’s not-to-be-missed attractions, Uluwatu is known for its daily Kecak dance performances, magnificent Balinese architecture and the traditionally-designed gateways. Though, you might get attacked by the notorious monkeys that patrol the temple; it’s always better not to pose for pictures near or with them. They might not be that welcoming to humans!

As Bali is surrounded by water, it, therefore, extends a lot of opportunities to indulge in various adventurous water sports. To let us take a step back from the usual grind, the EDWINs were given the first-hand experience of some of the best adrenaline-pumping activities at Tanjung Benoa beach.

From scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing to the bumpy banana boat ride and Jet Ski, the idea was to get involved with the adrenalinefuelled adventure that promises to take you to extremes.Another not-to-be-missed activity includes the white water rafting by Toekad Rafting in Ubud where drifting

through the river and the tumbling down in hasty streams give an experience like no other.

While the fact is to believe that Bali is not all about the beaches, you may find plenty of other reasons to enjoy and immerse yourself completely in the colours and moods of this paradise. If you have a mood to party all day, all night, Bali draws you in. Starting with a lazy evening at the chic cafes in Seminyak and open-air bars where everything seems just a bit more beautiful, you may then head to most happening nightclubs in Legian to dance to the crazy beats and shake a leg. And it’s virtually impossible not to say ‘oh wow!’ when you step into the clubs of Kuta, just a few minutes before the dawn hits the sky.

People say it’s hard to bid adieus to the cherished moments that you want to keep with you forever.

Bali, with its ever-smiling people and their accommodating spirit, was kind, cool and awesome. Be it Ubud’s flowing rice fields, Legian’s vibrant nightlife, an amazing dinner with the wildlife at Bali Zoo or a coffee break at the Luwak Coffee Plantation Garden, Bali will give you hundreds of options to tick off from your bucket list.

What was the core concept behind launching EDWIN? GPS is all about empowering travel agents from tier II and III cities across India so in 2017 we were six cities event and in 2018, we are an eight-city event including Nagpur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Kochi, Pune and Lucknow. The main purpose has always been to initiate something wherein we could empower the agents and educate them at the destination itself. It is very important for an agent to understand and explore the destination himself so that it’s easier for him to sell it further. EDWIN is a global workshop which includes both national and international destination.

We started off with Ladakh where we took about 50 agents from PAN India across different states and cities to showcase them the destination and were completely overbooked. EDWIN Bali was actually scheduled for November but we postponed it to March due to Mt. Agung’s eruption. But it was boon in disguise as we got more time, almost seven months on this budget when we had to rework from the scratch and make things work out much better.

Thankfully, Tria Uma, our key partners for the event, helped us doing all the ground handling and we brought in 150 travel and tourism partners from across 18 states. Over the six-day tour, we gave them a complete exposure of almost all the activities one should not miss in Bali.

It was a hugely successful event, well received by the sellers where they got to interact with not only the exhibitors but also another amongst each other.

In comparison to EDWIN Ladakh, what was the overall feedback for the first international EDWIN? Were there any challenges?

We implemented a new format at the EDWIN Bali where all the 150 buyers had to meet all the 70 exhibitors during an eight-hour session with an eightminute meeting scheduled for each. This helped the exhibitors to expose their product to the buyers. We were glad to successfully conclude over 10000 meetings in a single day which I think is a big achievement.

Also, if you are hosting an event on a much larger scale, challenges are always there and we have to identify and overcome those. For us, the major challenge was the eruption of Mt. Agung. which gave us huge set back financially, however, we were quite positive about the outcomes. Another challenge was to try and engage as many people and make them interact on a fruitful note.

Obviously, it’s not easy for two strangers to interact immediately, share rooms and do meetings for the first time.

Fortunately, for this workshop, everyone was quite interactive and involved throughout which made the entire hosting process much easier for us.

What other destinations can we expect to be covered under EDWIN? There are a quite a few EDWINs in the pipeline. EDWIN at 11380 at Ladakh and Leh is the ultimate goal now. It will be a five-night six-day workshop with one day dedicated to the B2B interaction. Apart from that Armenia, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, Zanzibar, Philippines, Canada, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are also in the pipeline.

What future do you foresee for the platforms like EDWIN? We adapt ourselves to the time and change accordingly and that’s what GPS is all about. It will be a paperless event in the future. Even EDWIN would be exactly the same as GPS is and even GPS would incorporate few of the EDWIN’s features in the Indian edition.

Pamit Nggih Bali, until we meet again!

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AccorHotels Showcase 2018 indicates blooming global MICE O utbound and inbound travel from and to India has been on the rise. As per research reports, in 2017, Indian travellers took three leisure trips and two in five Indians took international trips. This was clearly reflected at the AccorHotels Showcase 2018, which witnessed participation from 35 hotels and resorts from the global network along with 22 hotels from India. The Showcase was the ideal platform to discuss how to work together to benefit from the burgeoning travel market. The delegates were representing India’s top-most travel agents, wholesalers, corporate clients, tourism partners and MICE organisers in attendance, this was the largest-ever AccorHotels Showcase event in Asia Pacific.

The event saw representation from the marquee hotels namely Raffles Dubai and Saudi Arabia, RIXOS Turkey, Fairmont Ajman, SO Sofitel Bangkok Singapore, Novotel Amsterdam City and Novotel Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Pullman Paris Eiffel Tower, Swiôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul, Fairmont Dubai and more.

One of the key takeaways from the Showcase was that MICE is on the rise globally – with multiple events being held

internationally, but also in India which is becoming a chosen destination for MICE. Furthermore, with increasing globalisation and Indian corporates opening offices around the world, the hospitality industry has seen traction for corporate travel both inbound and outbound.

The most respected and highly anticipated hotel exhibition, the AccorHotels Showcase is a signature event on the AccorHotels calendar and provides an exclusive platform to discover accommodation trends, news and stunning hotels and resorts from around the world. The daylong event in Mumbai on March 21 and Delhi on March 23 was packed with networking sessions where customers discovered the group’s newest offerings and met with hotel representatives from across the region.

Sarova Hotels appoints Outbound Konnections as its GSA in India

S

arova Hotels, Resort & Game Lodges, the largest indigenous collection of hotels in East Africa has recently announced a strategic partnership with Outbound Konnections as its Global Sales Agent (GSA) in India.

The appointment of Outbound Konnections is part of Sarova Jimi Kariuki Hotels’ strategic direction in ensuring they have footprints across all major markets globally. The group has already signed up global sales agents in France, United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) and South Africa.

Speaking after the announcement, Jimi Kariuki, Sarova Hotels Managing Director noted that the growth in international arrivals from Kenya’s key source markets since the government embarked on a tourism revival programme in 2015, informed the company’s targeted campaign in these markets. Anjum Lokhandwala, Founder & Director, Outbound Konnections, on her part said, “We are happy to be appointed as the India office for Sarova Hotels. and are very keen to develop and multiply their market share in India.”

According to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism on the state of Kenyan tourism in 2017, international arrivals hit 1.47 million in 2017, up from 1.34 million the previous year. The Indian market contributed to 6.2 per cent of these arrivals, as the fourth largest source market.

BurJuman Arjaan by Rotana, Jumeira Rotana and Villa Rotana takes part in the World Earth Hour “#Connect2Earth”

I

n support of saving the planet and in commemoration of the Year of Zayed, BurJuman Arjaan by Rotana, Jumeira Rotana and Villa Rotana joined forces again and participated in the worldwide campaign of Earth Hour.

The three Rotana properties once again reconfirmed their commitment to protecting and saving our environment by demonstratively switching off nonessential lights.

Instead, the properties were illuminated with candles for an hour to raise awareness of the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

Commenting on the event, Ulrich Hoffmeister, General Manager of Jumeira Rotana and BurJuman Arjaan by Rotana, stated “Earth Hour is one of the ways we show our commitment to energy conservation and to demonstrate our support of our environment.”

“As the world stands at crossroads, it is a powerful yet humbling thought that our actions today will decide what tomorrow’s world will look like for future generations” Ulrich added.

Camille Saade, General Manager, Villa Rotana said, “We believed that taking little steps like turning off lights will have a huge positive result. Earth Hour also reflects a philosophy we try to practice year-round: The small steps each of us takes can make a big difference together.”

“We will remain devoted and committed in pursuing initiatives that alleviate the effects of climate change, not only through Earth Hour but also through other environmental CSR activities like: tree planting, green project implementation and use of recycled products” Camille added.

The teams of the three hotels are eager to participate in Earth Hour by switching off non-essential lights and to still create memorable moments for our guests, thus raising the sense of responsibility for each and everyone to take action and to

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connect positively with our environment.

Earth Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the planet and is organised by WWF. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lightsoff event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

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HOSPITALITY

UPDATE

Novotel debuts in ‘God’s Own Country’ A

ccorHotels along with the MuthootPappachan Group recently announced the launch of Novotel Kochi Infopark. Situated in the heart of Kochi’s IT hub, Novotel Kochi Infopark is one of the first international midscale brands to debut in the industrial zone. Located only 40 minutes from the Kochi International Airport and 30 minutes from the Ernakulam Railway station, the property features 128 spacious rooms including eight suites and a room specifically designed for the specially-abled with signature in-room amenities and WiFi. On the launch, Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman & Managing Director of Muthoot Pappachan Group said, “We are delighted to partner with AccorHotels on the opening of the first Novotel hotel in Kochi. AccorHotels is indeed one of the largest and finest in the hospitality industry worldwide and the numero uno in the entire Europe. Our legacies and values therefore, are in harmony, towards offering our guests in Kochi, world class hospitality services. We look forward to working with our partners and ensuring our company’s continued growth in the hospitality segment and the best for all our customers in all the diverse and varied businesses and initiatives MuthootPappachan Group is into.”

Inspired by the rich culinary legacy of Kochi, guests at the hotel can choose from an extensive selection of cuisines at three of the hotel’s eclectic food and beverage outlets. The Square is an all-day dining restaurant that offers a wide selection of quintessential Malabari delicacies and an array of local and international cuisines with live action stations that feature freshly prepared snacks. To unwind for the evening, The Bar, serves a range of cocktails and mocktails while The Sun Deck Bar on the sixth floor offers a lip-smacking melange of Indian culinary creations and live grills.

“We are delighted to launch our first Novotel property in the commercial capital of Kerala. This is our second brand in the city after ibis Kochi City Centre. Kochi is becoming a key market in South India, with improvements on Cochin Port for increasing international cruise tourism and upcoming pharma and petrochemical parts. We are excited to be associated with the MuthootPappachan Group for Novotel Kochi Infopark given their 131 years of legacy of trust and service excellence and their extensive experience in the hospitality industry,” added Jean-Michel Cassé, Chief Operating Officer, India & South Asia, AccorHotels.

Jean Michel Cassé, Thomas John Muthoot and Sachin Maheshwary with mascot

Ramada Khajuraho

Redefining hospitality S

trategically located approximately ten minutes (1.5kms) away from the Khajuraho Airport and around 200kms from Gwalior, the Ramada Khajuraho boasts great hospitality, scrumptious range of vegetarian food and a one-stop solution for destination events such as weddings, conferences and business meetings.

Situated in Khajuraho, the hub of art and history, this luxury five-star hotel delivers a turn-of-the-century style complemented by rich fabrics and classical art. From its glass window, Ramada Khajuraho offers stunning view of their garden and

swimming pool whilst its white marbled interiors reflect elegance and ethnic décor.

Creating a new benchmark for class and comfort, the property offers a vast range of lodging preferences, including recreational amenities such as swimming pool, gymnasium, spa, jogging track, table and lawn tennis arena and a mini cricket ground, for both its leisure and business segment of travellers. Ramada Khajuraho houses a total of 97 rooms including six suites, namely the Super Deluxe Rooms, Deluxe Rooms and Superior Rooms allowing its guests to bask

amidst the natural beauty that surrounds the property. The spacious suites feature a foyer and sitting room, in addition to a luxurious bedroom. With a hoard of amenities ranging from the necessities to the luxuries, each of these rooms is wellresourced and becomes one’s very own comfy nook during a visitor’s stay.

For business meetings and gatherings, the property houses a conference hall and business center with state-of-the-art telecommunication and on-call secretarial services together with “Gautam Rishi”, the biggest banquet hall in town and a meeting room named “Amantrana” with a capacity of 50 to 100. Redefining exceptional hospitality, Ramada Khajuraho guarantees to give its guests a tranquil break from their day-to-day lives.

Email: reservations@ramadakhajuraho.com, dso@ramadakhajuraho.com, website: www.ramadakhajuraho.com

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A

WelcomHeritage Hotels

Where the legacy lives on

joint venture between ITC Ltd and Jodhana Heritage, established in the year 1997, “WelcomHeritage” represents the finest traditions of heritage hospitality and tourism in India.

Today, WelcomHeritage offers unique properties, ranging from grand palaces to traditional havelis to magnificent forts and quiet nature resorts, spread across exclusive destinations in 15 states. Sitting in regal poise all over the country, all of these destinations are gateways to the finest of “Indian legacy and culture”. The intrinsic philosophy of WelcomHeritage exists in identifying heritage properties in locations and helps to market them.

The largest chain of Heritage Hotels in India, offering an exclusive, unusual, affordable, accessible, boutique heritage experiences woven in the culture of by gone era, local traditions and flavours. Their endeavor is to combine comfort and modern technology without losing its Heritage ethos. Every

WelcomHeritage location embraces all the attributes for a memorable holiday, giving an opportunity to carry away all that is extraordinary.

WelcomHeritage has been further categorised into three sub-brands namely Legend Hotels, Heritage Hotels and Nature Resorts. Based upon their uniqueness, Legend Hotels are purely heritage and legendary in nature. These hotels are spacious and equipped with all facilities.

Heritage Hotels are heritage properties with moderate service standards, which are different from Legend Hotels, whereas Nature Resorts are non-heritage in character and are situated amidst the wildlife and serenity of nature.

WelcomHeritage brand has now created a niche for itself among heritage hotels in India.

WelcomHeritage now has a portfolio of over 40 hotels spanning across 15 states across India.

Each hotel has a secret to share and a story to tell.

Mission and Objectives: • • • • •

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To support and advise on the restoration of heritage properties To promote heritage tourism and assist the owners of the properties To promote India’s regional culture, tradition, cuisine and local flavour To provide an unique, enriching and affordable experience to the guest Encourage owners of these properties to convert them in to productive assets

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HOSPITALITY

PREFERRED CELEBRATES FIFTY FANTASTIC YEARS

LAUNCHES VARIETY OF INITIATIVES Preferred Hotels & Resorts the world’s largest independent hotel brand with more than 650 unique member hotels, resorts, and residences across 85 countries - kicked off its Asia Pacific series of 50th Anniversary celebrations at The Leela Palace New Delhi with a specially curated afternoon luncheon presentation at Le Cirque, hosted by CEO Lindsey Ueberroth and Executive Vice President Saurabh Rai.

By Team TS

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“As we commemorate the Preferred brand’s 50-year legacy of inspiring travel, we are more committed than ever to providing travellers with even more opportunities to embrace the spirit of independence and to making our pineapple logo synonymous with the ultimate hallmark in world-class hospitality,” said Ueberroth.

Speaking further on the occasion, Rai added, “It is so exciting and humbling to see how far we have come as a company, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate this major milestone with our associates, partners and friends from around the world. As the region’s largest independent hotel brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts is entering its 16th year in India, and we are focused on continuing to build on the foundation of our company’s 50-year legacy of championing the independent hotel space. We are committed to forging ahead with more innovative and strategic consumer-focused initiatives to foster greater engagement in this market.”

On January 29, the company launched a variety of initiatives to support its 50th anniversary celebration, including a year-long Golden Anniversary package,

offering unique 50th anniversary-themed activities, amenities or services to guests staying at nearly 300 participating hotels worldwide. To keep the audience more engaged, an exclusive Golden Anniversary microsite and social media hashtag #PreferredCelebrates50 has been launched for the online travel community. What’s more exciting is that the travellers sharing their most memorable experiences with this hashtag, have a chance to get featured on the brand’s social media accounts @PreferredHotels and microsite.

Apart from this, its first-ever dynamic consumer video series, entitled Inspiring Travel for 50 Years will be released via various digital and social media channels, with every video showcasing the rich meaning of #ThePreferredLife.

Since its foundation on January 29, 1968, the Preferred brand has led the way in independent hospitality, helping to shape and develop the space through innovative programming, global expertise and an unwavering commitment to championing the spirit of the independent hotelier and the unique, authentic and local character of their respective properties.

In the 14 years since the Ueberroth family took ownership, the brand has accelerated its expansion by marking first-time presence in more than 30 new countries; introducing new technology, sales, and marketing support services to its growing portfolio of member hotels.

The company exceeded its hotel development goals in the South Asian region and welcomed 18 new hotel members since the rebranding in 2015, including seven in India last year. These include The Chedi Mumbai, Turyaa Chennai, WelcomeHotel Coimbatore, Shahpura House, Shahpura Haveli, Fortune Inn Promenade and Feathers-A Radha Hotel. Looking ahead, the brand is aiming to grow its portfolio in the South Asian region by 10, to make it 50 hotel members by the year 2020.

LEGOLAND® D uba i

WOOD PARKS™ Duba BOLLY i

ubai TE™ D NGA O I T MO

ALL IN ONE INCREDIBLE LOCATION

L EG

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N D ® Wa t e r P a r

Play the hero with your favourite Hollywood characters across action-packed movie rides and attractions.

The world’s first Bollywood theme park with rides and attractions based on some of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters.

Enjoy a uniquely themed dining, retail and entertainment destination with four vibrant districts, located at the heart of Dubai Parks and Resorts.

The ultimate theme park for families with kids aged 2-12. With over 40 LEGO® themed rides, shows, attractions and building experiences.

Splash your way through 20 water slides and attractions in the region’s only water park designed for families with kids aged 2-12.

Check in to this Polynesian themed hotel, dedicated to families and friends who want to stay close to all the fun.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW

© 2018 DreamWorks Animation LLC All Rights Reserved. LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, DUPLO and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2018 The LEGO Group. LEGOLAND is a Merlin Entertainments brand.

k

HOTEL FEATURE

TravelScapes

AMILLA FUSHI

GETAWAY TO AN IDYLLIC BLISS

With world-class dining, breathtaking sports and leisure activities in addition to astounding wellness offerings, Amilla Fushi is exactly as one may desire in a Maldivian paradise. Packed with the right blending of hues of the whitewashed sand and turquoise waters, this property is the best translated version of ‘good life’

By Sayanti Halder

Location A home away from home, Amilla Fushi experience starts from the moment one arrives at the property. Nestled in the UNESCO-protected biosphere of Baa Atoll and located 30 minutes by seaplane from Malé and 10 minutes from Dharavandhoo Airport by speedboat, Amilla Fushi awaits its guests with the postcard-perfect view.

Derived from the native Maldivian language meaning, ‘My Island Home’, Amilla Fushi is a launch point for endless luxury and discovery.

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HOTEL FEATURE

Revive and Renew Recreation is perhaps the quintessential characteristic of Amilla. Its accommodation, whether suspended over water in a ‘Lagoon House’, up among the treetops in a ‘Wellness Tree House’ or by the beach in a ‘Beach House’, ensures that guests do not get in the way of each other.

Aside from these, the property boasts the Ocean Reef Houses and Ocean Lagoon Houses with their divine and utterly enormous spaces where one would want to hang out.

Submit to Serenity The Javvu Spa, the Dhivehi term for ‘space’, offers reasonably priced treatments, a departure from the norm.

Javvu functions as an epicenter of relaxation where guests can lounge in comfortable chairs, sipping champagne or healthy herbal teas, reading books or simply taking in the charming bluegreen vistas of the sea. The treatments themselves are unique, incorporating elements from East and West in the course of a particular massage. Yoga lessons, sauna and steam-room sessions are complimentary in this dreamlike getaway.

Embark on Ecstasy From thrilling marine adventure to relaxing sunbath, there is never a dull moment in Amilla Fushi and it really does cater to all. Ranging from parasailing, banana boating, diving to snorkelling, the luxurious resort offers plenty of water sports to choose from.

A fresh and contemporary resort, Amilla Fushi is a luxurious ‘island home’. Minimalistic in a sense but almost paradoxically luxurious, Amilla Fushi creates a destination for families, friends and even for entourages.

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MoT

Saket Gautam, General Manager, Park Regis Jaipur shares how the property is shedding a special light on the wedding segment and reveals more about the packages How is the wedding market growing in Jaipur?

Jaipur has gradually become a favourite place for destination weddings and offers numerous choices for the clients and wedding segment of visitors. Jaipur is reputed for being a competitive yet customer-friendly market.

How are you positioning your property in pulling more wedding groups to Jaipur?

We keep our market share in budget class weddings with an aim to become a big brand name for wedding hotels in Jaipur, in no time. On an average, we are hosting around 10 to 12 weddings and social functions for around 300 to 500 guests.

How do you plan to attract more wedding groups to your hotel?

We have a specially designed wedding package to attract the middle-class families and also design packages as per the needs and requirements for the high-end weddings.

We have some empanelled vendors and event managers to provide the desired arrangements. We do provide F&B offerings as per guests’ taste and preferences. We are aiming to work on using aggressive marketing strategies for more awareness of our property.

Say ‘I do’ with Opulence at PARK REGIS JAIPUR With around 72 rooms and suites, combined with modern amenities, for both families and business travellers, Park Regis Jaipur offers banquets and meeting facilities of international standards. Catering to all meetings and event needs, the property’s banquet hall can accommodate up to 130 guests whereas, its vast lawn can accommodate up to 500 people.

Equipped with the latest conferring and gathering facilities, including Wi-Fi internet access, projectors, screens, audiovisual facilities, the flexible spaces are strategically designed for corporate or social gatherings. A dedicated events team is available to ensure flawless execution of every detail.

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MoT

UPDATE

Anirudh Raithwan, General Manager, Park Regis Goa seems confident about being located in the heart of this lively state which undoubtedly makes them a preferred choice for weddings How is the wedding market in Goa growing?

Goa has always been on the international tourist map and welcomed the FITs, especially honeymooners, families and charter business segment of travellers. Almost a decade back, Goa added the MICE and destination wedding segments in its portfolio. With time, the craze of ‘sundowner wedding’ has increased and Goa has given the opportunity to be one of the first choices for such weddings with a rapid growth, each year. The market is so strong that Goa does a lot of weddings even during the off-season of monsoon.

Wooing the Wedding Wave with PARK REGIS GOA Situated in the heart of North Goa, Arpora, Park Regis Goa is a resort-style hotel offering 96 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites set to impress even the most discerning traveller. At about 550 sq.ft, the new-class property is reputed to offer the largest rooms in the city.

For added recreation and spur, one may splurge on a yoga session or an active walking tour on the lush hotel grounds, guiding through the scenic environs of Goa. Guests may opt for an outdoor or beach wedding on the nearby beaches of Baga, Calangute or Anjuna.

How are you positioning your property in leveraging Goa as an attractive wedding destination?

Located in North Goa, as Park Regis Goa is a five-star hotel, under the Australian Staywell brand that is now the part of SEIBU Holdings, we have positioned ourselves amongst the top existing international luxury chains offering worldclass hospitality and brand standards.

Apart from the existing banquet hall of 4000 sq.ft., we have recently added a new 14,000 sq.ft. ballroom especially for big conventions and gatherings. Since it is one of the largest pillar-less ballrooms in the state with the state-of-the-art interior, we position our 109 keys’ property as one of the favorite property for weddings in Goa. Choice of different venues with different themes in the premises gives an opportunity to the guest for hosting various wedding functions such as sangeet, mehndi, pheras, pool party plus the wedding reception.

What special amenities does the hotel boast about organising more weddings and social events?

We are already well connected with domestic wedding planners and efforts are on to reach out to the inbound travel agencies to attract more of the international guests.

In future, we look forward to increasing the room inventory so that the big residential weddings can be organised. Our lucrative consolidated wedding packages give our guests an option to choose from diversity. We are quite flexible in offering a good selection of menu having both regional and international cuisines apart from our express check-in with traditional welcome and theme weddings, to name a few.

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EXOTIC INDIA

TravelScapes

TELANGANA Titillate your itchy feet

Grand dynasties have stamped this land with great marvels of historical architecture as marks of their rule

By Team TS

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EXOTIC INDIA

TravelScapes

At a glance The youngest of the Indian states, “Telangana” derives its name from the word Trilinga Desa (Land of three lingas), owing to the three ancient Shiva Temples at Kaleshwaram, Srisailam and Draksharamam that form an integral part of the state’s cultural and religious heritage. A vibrant culture woven in with a rich historical heritage, pictureperfect landscapes for nature lovers, architecturally abundant to adventure worthy places and world-class business destinations; Telangana has something for everyone.

Telangana, the newly born 29th state of India, was originally part of the region comprising Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. With the separation, Telangana has got a whole new identity, packed with rich history and culture this state is exploring its tourism strengths. The capital city of Hyderabad and the famous Char Minar are shared between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. However, Telangana has a lot more to offer than just that.

The Chowmahalla Palace, the Golkonda Fort are some of the historically significant sites situated in this state.

The Kuntala waterfalls born out of a love story between a prince and a sage’s daughter is one the largest waterfalls in this state which offer a cool respite to the tourists. Apart from this, there are many famous temples here such as Bhadrachalam and Mahabalipuram Temples; of which the Mahabalipuram temple is also called the Shore Temple owing to it’s proximity to the beach.

Connectivity The nearest airport is the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. Being the headquarters of South Central Railway; Hyderabad is also well connected with all major cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru, Kochi, Kolkata. There are railway stations at Nampally and Kachiguda. Trains leaving from these two stations can also be boarded at Secunderabad railway station. Regular services of state roadways and privately owned buses from the bus stand of the city are available. Roads are well linked with important cities and states. Rented cars or taxis can also be hired for a city tour

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EXOTIC INDIA

TravelScapes

Places to visit • • • • •

World Heritage Sites Bhadrakali Temple Pakhal Lake Kakatiya Musical Garden Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary

The Pearl City- HYDERABAD The city of the Nizams, having the distinction of being one of the richest princely states, Hyderabad has retained much of its earlier charm. The city is bustling in and out of cafes, offices and temples. It entices with its old rustic culture, a rather endearing dialect, rich pearls and an equally lavish culinary tradition. It is not only synonymous with the world famous delicacies like Hyderabadi Biryani but also houses one of the best movie shooting hubs for ‘Tollywood’- Ramoji Film City. Not to be missed are Charminar, Golconda Fort, Salarjung Museum and Qutub Shahi Tombs which are the pillars of the city’s historical legacy.

According to the ICCA report in 2014, Hyderabad has emerged as one of the leading metros in India for MICE destinations, ranked only behind Delhi. With one of the biggest and finest Convention Centers, Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), the city has positioned itself well not only in India but also within the South East Asia region.

The capital city is fast becoming the IT hub. Most tourism here is either business or medical tourism.

The city’s boundaries have been extending far beyond the original city — now called the Old City - to include Secunderabad and new developments in adjacent municipalities. Hyderabad also provides for a great gastronomical experience for spicy food lovers.

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The glory of Orugallu- WARANGAL Once called Oruguallu due to the existence of a huge hillock seemed to have been carved out entirely off one stone, Warangal is one of the most important and beautiful spots in Telangana. The architectural beauty as well as the historical and religious significance of the Warangal Fort, Thousand Pillar Temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva) and Ramappa Temple attract numerous tourists round the year. Warangal Fort, built during the 13th century, is a popular heritage structure presenting a wonderful experience for visitors and the garden located in the fort hosts a spectacular sound and light show during the evening. Not to be missed is the natural beauty of the Pakhal Lake, Eturunagaram Sanctuary, and Ramappa Lake, which has a distinct appeal.

From World Heritage sites to lush green landscape with rich biodiversity, Warangal offers every possible opportunity to titillate your wanderlust. Here’s why this second biggest city in Telangana deserves to be visited at least once. The ancient capital of the Kakatiya dynasty, Warangal is replete with historical grandeur. The city has now been chosen for HRIDAY (Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana) scheme by the Government of India. Besides, the Department of Tourism recently announced its plans to develop eco tourism circuit around the city.

EXOTIC INDIA

TravelScapes

Caress away the urban life- PAPI KONDALU Silence whispers through the Eastern Ghats of Papikondalu (Papi Hills) as the boat wobbles along the riverbed. An oasis of enchanting beauty and tranquillity, Papikondalu takes travellers through a canopy of greens covered by tropical and deciduous rain forests. Here, one can forget all their worries and just sink in the peaceful arms of nature.

Running through Khammam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts, Papi Kondalu can be reached via the river way through Rajahmundry. Boats dock every day on the banks of the Godavari to ferry tourists to the Papi Hills. Navigating through the meandering river trails, through which the Godavari penetrates to find its way to the east after several twists and turns, one can spot colonies of migratory birds perched on the banks of the river. For tourists and birders, the best time to visit the place is between November and March. When there, try their local cuisine bamboo chicken or a special fish curry with a flavour unique to the local communities living there. The best way to reach Papikondalu is to get to Rajahmundry and hire boat to reach the Papi Hills.

CHARMINAR- Where time stands still The city’s most iconic structure situated right in the heart of Hyderabad, Charminar has become one of the most recognised monuments in India. The charming monument and mosque were built in 1591 CE, by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shahi, the fifth sultan of the Qutub Shahi dynasty to commemorate the end of a deadly plague menace. The imposing monument stands regally tall amidst the colorful bangle shops in the Laad Bazar of the old city and presents a beautiful glittering sight after nightfall. The architectural icon for the city of Hyderabad, Charminar is also the most searched historical site of the city on Google.

Charminar is fond of four things – the laid back crowds, the packed markets, the lip smacking biryani and the Irani chai. Since the construction of the monument in 1591, Charminar has four minarets which many believe stand for the first four khalifas of Islam. It is situated on the east bank of Musi River and stands tall amidst the labyrinthine Laad Bazaar in the old city. The Charminar is an example of unpatrolled artistic brilliance, and it is also considered to be one of the marvellous structures in India.

GOLCONDA FORT- Oasis of enchanting beauty Strategically located on a granite hill, not only is it one of the most famous and the biggest fortress in the Deccan plateau, Golconda Fort is among the most magnificent fort complexes on the Indian subcontinent. It was initially called Shepherd’s Hill, meaning Golla Konda in Telugu while according to legend, on this rocky hill a shepherd boy had come across an idol and the information was conveyed to the ruling Kakatiya king at that time. The king constructed a mud fort around this holy spot and after 200 years, Bahamani rulers took possession of the place. Later the Qutub Shahi kings converted this into massive granite fort extending 5 km in circumference.

The fort gains an impressive place among the architectural marvels of India and is evidence of Hyderabad’s glorious past.

One interesting phenomenon observed at the Golconda Fort is that if a person standing at a certain point near the dome entrance claps his hands, it can clearly be heard at the hilltop pavilion which lies at a distance of about one kilometre. Through this, people inside the fort were warned of approaching danger.

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EXOTIC INDIA

TravelScapes

A Flower Festival- BATHUKAMMA Bathukamma originates from the Telugu words ‘Bathuku’ which means life and ‘Amma’, a term of endearment for women in English. It is a nine-day festival which coincides with the Navratri festivities.

Bathukamma Panduga (Panduga means festival), a floral decoration using flowers arranged on a big platter in a defined conical shape in seven layers, it is synonymous with the cultural identity of the youngest Indian state, Telangana.

It begins on ‘Badhrapada Amavasya’ and ends on ‘Durgashtami.’ This floral festival is celebrated across the world by people belonging to Telangana, with flowers. It marks the end of the rainy season (‘Varsha Ruthuvu’) and actually starts the next day ‘Sarath Ruthuvu.’

Looking back at history, it is believed that a Chola ruler, Dharmanagada after several years of prayers for a child, was blessed with a daughter, whom they named Lakshmi. Since she faced many unforeseen accidents and incidents in life, her parents changed her name to Bathukamma. From back then this festival has been celebrated in Telangana by women. While the young girls observe it in the belief of getting a good husband, married women do so for the prosperity and well being of their families.

Held during Mahalaya Amavasya (SeptemberOctober) by the Hindu Calendar, this festival is a celebration of womanhood. During this festival, each day sees a different form of offering or Naivedyam to the Goddess.

DAY 1: Engili Puvvula Bathukamma The first day of Bathukamma is celebrated on the occasion of PetharaAmasa (MahalayaAmavasya – BhadrapadaAmavasya). The offerings for the day, Naivedyam and Palaharam, is made with nuvvulu (til / sesame), rice flour or simply mixture of sesame seeds and wet rice. Dressed in their colourful, traditional best, women form a circle around the ‘Bathukamma’ and dance for long before taking it to the nearest water body and immersing it.

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DAY 2: Atukula Bathukamma AtukulaBathukamma is celebrated on the first day of AshwayujaMasam (NavaratriKalashaSthapana). The offerings for the day, Naivedyam and Palaharam, is made with SapidiPappu(boiled dal), bellam(jaggery), Atukulu(Poha) and much more. Each day smaller version of Bathukamma is made with seven different types of flowers, known commonly as ‘Tangedi’, ‘Gunuka’, ‘Lotus’, ‘Alli’, ‘Katla’ and ‘Teku.’

DAY 3: Muddhapappu Bathukamma MuddhapappuBathukamma is observed on the second day of AshwayujaMasam (PreethiVidiya).

The offerings for the day, Naivedyam and Palaharam, are made with Muddhapappu (dal), paalu (milk) or bellam (jaggery). During the festival, the flowers are carefully arranged row after row in a brass plate called taambalam.

DAY 4: Nanbiyyam Bathukamma NanbiyyamBathukamma falls on the third day of Navaratri festival (SindhuraThadiyaGauri). The offerings for the day, Naivedyam and Palaharam, are made with Nanabiyyam (wet rice), milk and jaggery.

In the process of celebration, on top of the seven layers made with flowers, a pumpkin flower is kept, above which the Goddess sits, in the form of turmeric.

DAY 5: Atla Bathukamma Marking the fourth day of NavratriUtsavams, AtlaBathukamma is celebrated with offerings of delectable food items. Made with UppuduBiyyam, Dosha and Atlu, offerings like Naivedyam and Palaharam are prepared for the day and the celebrations are carried forward to next day with happy hearts and genial smiles.

DAY 6: Aligina Bathukamma Also known as AlakaBathukamma, the day six of the festival- AliginaBathukamma is celebrated on the fifth day of Navaratri. No offerings like Naivedyam or

Palaharam are prepared on this day as it is believed that Bathukamma would be away from taking any meal as she has got annoyed. So women do not prepare any offerings but play Bathukamma on this particular day.

DAY 7: Vepakayala Bathukamma Falling on the sixth day of Navaratri, also known as DurgaShashti day, VepakayalaBathukamma marks the seventh day of this auspicious festival.

Recipes like Naivedyam, Palaharam are prepared with SakinalaPindi in the form of Vepakayalu (Neem fruits –Azadirachtaindica) and are deepfried.

DAY 8: Vennamuddhala Bathukamma VennamuddhalaBathukamma falls on the seventh day of DurgaNavaratri which is also known as DurgaSaptami and MahaSaptami. What adds to the excitement of the day is that Naivedyam and Palaharam are made with Venna (butter), Neyyi (ghee), Nuvvulu (til / sesame) and jiggery, adding colours of happiness to the festival.

DAY 9: Saddhula Bathukamma The final day, SaddhulaBathukamma marks the festival conclusion. The men folk, on this day, go into the wild plains and gather the flowers like Gunuka and Tangedi. They bring home bagfuls of these flowers and the entire household sits down to make the big ‘Bathukamma’. As evening approaches, the women dress colourfully with the best of their attire and place the Bathukamma in their courtyard. These Bathukammas are then carried by the women folk on their heads and immersed in the water which is called BathukammaNimajjanam. Five variety of rice is prepared for the day which includes Perugusaddhi (Curd rice), ChinthapanduPulihorasaddhi (Tamarind rice), Nimmakayasaddhi (lemon rice) and more.

Terms and Condition Apply | Rate are subject to change without prior notice Package is subject to availability | The rates are nett and non comissionable | Contact us for customised packages AKQUASUN HOLIDAYS INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

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SPECIAL FOCUS

TravelScapes

GITB’18

COMES UP WITH A SPECTRUM OF OPPORTUNITIES Great Indian Travel Bazaar, the flagship event of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is all set to showcase a cornucopia of growth opportunities to accelerate tourism in India. To get an insight into what’s new this year, we collated the viewpoints from industry stalwarts and the state tourism representatives

By Sayanti Halder

T

he Great India Travel Bazaar (GITB), a joint initiative of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Rajasthan Tourism and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is a B2B travel show that promotes India, especially Rajasthan as a preferred tourist destination for the world.

The tenth edition of GITB, held from April 22 to 24, 2018, at Jaipur, is the only exclusive inbound tourism event in India that provides

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a dais for all of the country’s state tourism boards and inbound players to exhibit their unique and exclusive products to a vast size of buyers, from all possible corners of the world. A flagship event of FICCI, GITB has been successfully conducted for nine yearly editions from 2008 to 2017 at Jaipur.

The diffrentiating factor about GITB is the intensive and sharp focus on inbound tourism and buyerseller meet spread over two days. It results in significant transacting and

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capitalising of business opportunities between international buyers and Indian sellers. It is instrumental in putting tourist destinations in India on the itineraries of the foreign buyers.

Giving a snapshot of GITB over the past few years, an official FICCI report suggested that the number of buyers has increased from 260 to 275. There has also been a significant rise in the number of B2B meetings from 3000 to 10,800, since its inception.

WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR? • GITB’18 will be inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan • Guest of honour would be K.J. Alphons, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, Government of India • Release of the FICCI – MRSS Knowledge Paper and FICCI – Yes Bank Knowledge Paper • Grand inaugural reception and dinner at The Lalit, Jaipur • Presentation and interaction session by the host state, Rajasthan, to foreign buyers • Official post-event FAM tour of Rajasthan for registered foreign tour operators organised by Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO) • The highest priority for tourism infrastructure in the state is assured by the tourism department ministers during the event

SPECIAL FOCUS

TravelScapes

Dr. Jyotsna Suri Chairperson, Tourism Committee, FICCI

“GITB is the only exclusive PAN India platform in the country with a sole objective of focusing only on inbound tourism. Since its inception in 2008, GITB has grown from strength to strength in the past nine editions.

Around 90 per cent of the foreign buyers attending this edition are completely new buyers who have not attended GITB in the past thus, expanding GITB to new buyers and new markets each time. Around 280 sellers comprising of state governments, hotels, tour operators participate each year in GITB. Other state government participating are Gujarat and West Bengal as the theme states, Odisha and Telangana as partner states, Goa, Punjab and MP as participating states.”

Hari Ranjan Rao Managing Director Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board

Shivdular Singh Dhillon Special Secretary-cum-DirectorTourism, Govt. of Punjab

“The strategically crafted endeavours by the tourism fraternity of India, in the corporate sector, have given the desired thrust to the tourism industry in India. It promotes inbound tourism by offering a premium platform to both buyers and sellers in the travel industry. A flagship event of FICCI in association with Department of Tourism, Rajasthan, supported by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, GITB boosts tourism in India holistically. Overall, it is a good platform to increase inbound tourism by meeting quality buyers during the exhibition.

The focus of promoting Punjab as a tourist destination is now through new concepts, identifying and developing new destinations, strengthening the infrastructure, encouraging private investment, increasing connectivity and developing marketing campaign.

Punjab Tourism will also be showcasing new products in the exhibition such as Amritsar heritage and village tours, hop-on and hopoff city tour buses, war museum, partition museum, Gobindgarh Fort and Ram Tirath Temple. Moreover, Punjab Tourism is aggressively promoting farm tourism.”

Pradeep Kumar Borar Special Secretary and Director Rajasthan Tourism

Menino D’souza Director-Tourism Government of Goa

“The tenth edition of GITB is all set to host 275 plus buyers from around 50 countries, this year. With approximately 14 state tourism boards participating, this year, we are hopeful to witness successful B2B meeting over the span of two days in Jaipur. As the host state, we hope to deliver the best of the best that Rajasthan has to deliver. GITB 2018 will be instrumental in putting tourist destinations in India on the itineraries of the foreign buyers. It has played a vital role in the influx of foreign tourists to India and Rajasthan.

Owing to the development of infrastructure as well as an aggressive and creative marketing campaign, in the year 2018, Rajasthan registered an impressive growth of domestic tourist arrivals of 3.5 crores while that of foreign tourist arrivals is around 15 lakhs. In the current year, the tourist arrival trends are suggesting even better growth. This year, we are showcasing on our luxury trains, namely, the ‘Palace on Wheels’ and ‘Heritage Palace on Wheels’ and around 400 foreign buyers, across the globe, are invited to experience a ride on these heritage transport.”

“GITB is a platform, which gives tourism boards an opportunity to experience and interact with travel trade operators, online booking portals and hotels, and many other service providers. The event gives Goa Tourism a platform to showcase its products and services to the rest of the country and an opportunity to share all information about Goa with experts and professionals in the business. This serves as an opportunity for Goa Tourism to generate interest among tourists and bring in more visitors to experience the state as a 365-day holiday destination. While Goa’s beaches have always attracted the tourists, other facets of the destination such as ecotourism, hinterland, heritage, sports, festival, charter and cuisine tourism along with its film shooting destinations and a lot more, are becoming equally popular.

Such unique aspects and activities draw tourists every year and GITB serves as a perfect platform to showcase them on a large scale. The objective of participating in such events is to highlight these facets to showcase Goa as an all-year-tourism destination.”

“GITB has become one of the biggest shows for inbound tourism in India that promotes all segments of tourism in the country. It provides us with a vast platform to showcase our wildlife, culture, heritage, pilgrimage, leisure and wildlife tourism products of the state. With more than 2000 Indian sellers comprising of state governments, hotels, spas, resorts, tour operators and airlines spread across the exhibition area, GITB has become one of the leading show for inbound tourism in India and the most exclusive one that promotes all segments of tourism in the country.

In addition to promoting major tourism brands and businesses, it also concentrates on small tourism businesses of India. GITB is a great platform for promoting inbound tourism in India and provides opportunities for B2B meetings, exhibitions, branding and networking. It has played a vital role in the influx of foreign tourists to India and has grown over the last 10 years. Madhya Pradesh has been benefited by participating in GITB. This year, MP Tourism’s main focus will be to promote adventure tourism in Madhya Pradesh such as Panna, Kanha, Bandhavgarh for their wildlife elements and Pachmarhi for its adventure activities besides other tourism destinations such as Orchha, Mandu, Ujjain and Sanchi.”

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UPDATE

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MoT

MAHARASHTRA

The haven of holistic wellness

Experience the premier medical and wellness facilites

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The Government of Maharashtra is on a noble mission. The mission is to establish strategic partnerships and collaborations for the growth of Maharashtra’s Health and Wellness Tourism footprint globally by creating a sustainable, end-to-end healthcare delivery ecosystem in Maharashtra which will generate jobs and employment for the emerging youth of Maharashtra who want to focus on tourism, hospitality and customer relations simultaneously. Maharashtra currently has a variety of tourism opportunities to offer overseas travellers, including some those listed below:

Nature Tourism

Health Tourism

Wellness Tourism

Maharashtra Tourism Footprint

Cultural Tourism

Heritage Tourism Spiritual Tourism

Yoga Tourism

Food Tourism

Why Maharashtra?

Maharashtra ranks first amongst all Indian states in terms of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

Well-developed infrastructure, quality education, skilled manpower. Connectivity to all major areas make Maharashtra an ideal destination to facilitate wellness and medical value travel. Apart from three international and five domestic airports, the state also has two major ports and 53 minor ports. It is also wellconnected to six neighbouring states and also to other parts of India through 18 National Highways.

On the tourism front, monuments such as Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta Caves (UNESCO Heritage Site), The Gateway of India and architectural structures such as Chaityas and Viharas attract tourists from all over the world, in addition to the rich theatre culture of the state, which supports both regional artists and

Indian artists via Bollywood. The availability of large stretches of famous beaches with resorts for vacations such as Alibagh, Akshi, Murud, Harihareshwar and more along with the presence of Tiger wildlife reserves and sanctuaries such as Tadoba National Park and Pench National Park also adds to the importance of Maharashtra as a tourist destination for foreigners.

Further, the recent efforts by the government to promote health and wellness tourism with activities such as yoga and meditation will also continue to benefit the Maharashtra tourism ecosystem, which currently has over 100 yoga centres across the state.

For instance, Kaivalyadhama Ashram in Lonavla is a popular yoga retreat, rated as one of the best in the country. Govardhan Ecovillage is another example of a popular tourist spot for yoga and Ayurveda therapies.

The state ranked first in foreign tourist arrivals and

among the top five states in domestic tourist arrivals per recent survey data. The main places that tourists visited in Maharashtra were Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad. Within the services sector, which is the largest sector in the state, trade, hotels and restaurants have the highest contribution to total state income, which also supports the need for tourism-related, hospitable labour.

What recent policy changes support medical tourism in Maharashtra?

The Maharashtra State Government has also undertaken a host of other measures to promote the state as the numero uno tourist destination in the country. This has been devised under the Maharashtra Tourism Policy 2016, which will be implemented by MTDC. Amongst the various objectives of this policy,

3

100 +

Yoga and wellness center

International airports

1,50,000+

Qualified and trained Doctors and specialists Across the state

1400+

Maharashtra Medical Tourism at a glance

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st

Amongst all Indian states in Gross Domestic Product

Hospitals across the state of Maharashtra

1

st

Amongst all Indian states in Foreign Toursist Arrivals

some significant ones to note which will strengthen the infrastructure for tourism in the state and thus further aid the development of the Health Tourism industry in the state are: A. Focus on public-private partnerships in the tourism sector B. Development of tourist destinations and avenues C. Development of tourism infrastructure in the state D. The unique ‘Mahabhraman’ scheme which focuses on agro-tourism, village tourism, food tourism, tribal lifestyles etc.

How is Maharashtra positioned for Medical Tourism?

The medical tourism industry in India has a potential to contribute around 25 per cent in the country’s GDP, if the potential will be fully-tapped, according to the Indian Medical Tourism Conference and Alliance (IMTCA). The Indian Medical Value Travel market is a USD eight billion opportunity locally growing at 18 per cent CAGR. On the healthcare front, Maharashtra has one of the best healthcare delivery ecosystems in India, ranking slightly below some Southern States. It hosts many prominent private healthcare providers, as well as a wide-range of public healthcare providers. It has one of the lowest infant and maternal mortality rates in the nation and one of the lowest shortages in terms of Community Health Centres (CHCs) and specialists at CHCs in the nation.

Based on the data collected by the economic survey of Maharashtra, 2016-2017, Maharashtra has 1402 hospitals, 3087 dispensaries and 108 beds per lakh of population. Further, the government is also planning to spend a higher percentage of its budget, up to 10 per cent, on the healthcare sector, which gives more impetus to medical tourism as well. These health indicators position Maharashtra favourably for the provision of medical and healthcare services in India.

More specifically, within the three-tier healthcare

infrastructure developed by the Maharashtra government, the tertiary tier will be primarily in-focus for medical tourism given the standards of care delivery which need to be adhered to for overseas patients along with the availability of skilled labour and surgeons in these premises. Thus, it is worthwhile to analyse and better understand how the tertiary tier centres – the well-equipped medical colleges and super-specialty public and private hospitals – are positioned to serve overseas patients for their medical needs. Overall, tertiary healthcare services have witnessed enormous growth in the state, with the private sector flourishing both in terms of services and investments. Big name players in the space are Tata, Nanavati, Apollo, Fortis, Max, Wockhardt, Piramal etc. Many tertiary hospitals in Maharashtra are now also certified according to international accreditation such as NABH, JCI nd more. In terms of therapeutic areas, Maharashtra has top-notch centres for kneereplacement surgery, hip replacement surgery, openheart surgery, cosmetic surgery, and cancer therapy, along with the latest medical devices for diagnosis and scanning ranging from digital X-rays to Colour Doppler

Expensive and increasing healthcare delivery costs

Lack of good healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies

Increasing healthcare delivery costs in developed economies

and High strength MRIs. Doctors and staff are mostly also proficient in English, which helps to communicate with a larger spectrum of foreigners from Englishspeaking economies such as the UK and the USA. Cost effectiveness in Maharashtra is also good, and it’s at-par if not better than other states in India, and very much above-par relative to other economies that offer good quality medical tourism.

Key Drivers for Healthcare Tourism in Maharashtra : As per a KPMG Report on Medical Value Travel in India, few major drivers for medical tourism have been identified: In summary, the addressable market for medical value travel is significantly large as countries and individuals begin to get more aware through active social media intervention and understand the benefits of medical tourism, it is clear that medical value travel will continue to be an important consideration in the healthcare landscape of many emerging economies.

Maharashtra is a state which is ready to capture the growing market.

Shifting macroeconomic trends towards health and wellness

Rising global need for medical tourism

Rising popularity of yoga and meditation

WHAT’S TRENDING

TravelScapes

Bitten by the wanderlust bug Indian millennials are redefining the travelling trends Burgeoning desire to travel among the Indian millennials is becoming a key driver of global travel growth, accelerating the economy’s transition. While some are the filter-loving selfie addicts who are keen on capturing the best of the cityscapes, others are wedged to clicking the best foodporn pictures for an ‘Insta’ upload. Often more glued to their small screens, the millennials are not just looking for value for money experiences but also have a crucial role to play in steamrolling the way businesses are run. To cater to their tighter wallets and smart spending habits, it is extremely important to understand their buying preferences. We spoke to the crusaders of the young travelling generation on how the Indian millennials are remoulding the trends with their skills and stories

By Gagneet Kaur & Ankita Jain

Weekend getaway Solo trips

Digital nomad Interest specific travel

Photography tour

Destination wedding

Adventure travel

Luxury travel

Eco-tourism

Bleisure trip Homestays

Female traveller

Shopping travel

Gastronomic journey

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WHAT’S TRENDING

TravelScapes

Tino Thomas Chairman & Managing Director, Oasis Holidays

Doris Goh General Manager, Alila Diwa Goa

Ankit Bhasin Executive Director, Radisson Gurugram Udyog Vihar

The Indian millennials are wielding an immense influence in the story of travelling at the moment. Unlike the previous generations, the millennials are no longer satisfied with cookie-cutter tour packages. There is a growing conscientiousness among them and a higher demand for product knowledge.

I believe the emerging trend that they are bringing about is the experiential travel.

Millennials are native to technology and can be defined as digitally connected individuals towards a ‘sharing economy’. I think it will be a boon for the travel business if tour operators/ travel agencies adopt a new approach in engaging with the millennials that are creating a more interactive platform to connect with them. On the contrary, it will be a bane if travel businesses do not change their business and marketing strategy.

India is on track to become the youngest country in the world by 2020 with a median age of 29. It is observed that Indian millennials are in search for newer experiences than just a vanilla itinerary or a stay. Millennials, not just from India but across the globe, are a large market segment that has a desire for local cultural experiences and who widely use the digital space that they can share socially. Understanding the growing demand and the way the ‘New Indians’ look at travel, we at Alila now are involving more interactive and sporting activities and curate experiential travel journeys to weave in the sense of place, culture and community to offer intellectual stimulus or indulgence specific to their lifestyle options.

With the ease in adaptation to the latest gadgetry and technology trends and advancement, the millennials have become the most ‘enlightened’ travellers.

Travel patterns and desires are increasingly influenced by travel blogs, portals, newsfeed and influencers. An experience/ activity or a destination is often seen trending via social media posts of a personality or an influencer.

If travelling were free, this generation would never be around! That’s the thing about millennials, they are the pure wanderlust. They are the ones waiting for a few long weekends and have nailed the trend of the weekend getaway. And the reason behind the increase in the frequency of their travel is ease in visa documentation and introduction of attractive packages. The travel checklist of these millennials includes multiple device chargers, USB cables, headphones and power banks. They are technology friendly and today online is the passion for all travel arrangements. Dependability on agents and a third party to organise a holiday is in no more fashion and with industry pacing, with the digital world, it has made travelling at ease. From airlines to a hotel or local attractions, everything is well-captured digitally. I believe that with this new trend it will only help in boosting the travel business as things have become quick and time is the essence of today’s generation.

Munnmunn Marwah COO, Think Strawberries The millennials are unique in their own way as previous generations before them, but what stands apart in them is that they love to experiment. Travel is on top of the priority list for them and seems to fulfill them in every way possible. This is a generation that would spend money on travel more than anything and hence driving the growth story of travelling worldwide. We have noticed that young people between the ages of 18 and 34 would rather spend their money on travelling than investing in a house. They want to gather experiences, not material things.

India is expected to become the youngest country by 2022, with an average age of 29. The millennial of India have become adventurous and have started exploring the destinations that were nearly unknown few years back. Therefore for us, it is very important to understand their preference and their needs. Millennial are all about digitalisation. This is the generation which is always on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to express their feelings and their experiences to the world.

These days, social media is playing a major role to drive tourism to any destination. It is definitely a boon for a travel business.

Social Networking sites help consumers to research tips, make decisions about their travel and share their experiences of a particular destination, hotel, restaurant or airline.

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WHAT’S TRENDING

TravelScapes

Anjum Lokhandwala Founder & Director, Outbound Konnections Being the largest generation in history, millennials have become a hugely powerful force that can wield immense influence on the way businesses are run. It becomes extremely important to understand their buying preferences. There are several factors that have contributed to the recent growth of the millennial travel, such as the rise in disposable incomes of the working middle-class population, increased access to travel information available on the internet and an increasing number of people opting for overseas education and on-site jobs.

Millennials are changing the way Indians travel. Appropriate travel apps, rising smartphone penetration have brought about a marked evolution in traveller’s behaviour. They prefer to book their tickets through an online travel agency, airline and/or hotel websites directly. The cash and deal savvy millennial is also eventually moving towards loyalty programs.

Arif Patel Vice President Sales, Marketing, Distribution & Loyalty AccorHotels

Alefiya Singh Director, IrisReps

Indian millennials consider travel as a necessity. It is something that figures alongside their financial or career goals. And this trend has resulted in a growing tribe of travellers who are exploring the world in a style of their own. For them, there is no ordinary travel. It doesn’t entail journey from point A to point B. But a nihilistic bucket list of places to see and experiences to discover in their lifetime.

Multiple surveys and studies have revealed that complimentary hotel WiFi has become even more important than complimentary breakfast or location for modern travellers. And the millennials across the globe swear by this. For my brand like ibis, most of our customers are millennials. These people belong to the smarter generation and do not follow brands blindly. To put our best foot forward with the millennials, we are soon launching a new campaign where we are sorely adapting to them. Indeed, it would be ‘Made in India, Born in India’. Further, the average length of stay observed in this particular segment, Indian millennials are creating a new market.

Travel for Indian millennials has become a part of life. And the digital era has made it simpler. All they require to do is browse the scores of websites on the internet, read an e-book or consult an app on their smartphone to get information about destinations and make holiday plans. They are the ones working on the move and imprinting their generation as digital nomads. They don’t hold their horses back whether it is in terms of exploring or experiencing. Further, rising above the horizon, they believe in ‘living in the moment’. We, Indians have a mentality of saving for the rainy days but they are slowly transforming into ‘living in the moment’ concept.

Talking about the strength of Indian millennials over digital platforms, they are able to reach to the wider range of audience with limited cost. But everything comes with a negative side too. Through these platforms, things can be hyped or even predicted in a different light which may or may not be true. This activity can make or tarnish a brand completely.

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Seema Roy Director of Marketing - Asia Pacific for Preferred Hotels & Resorts India’s demographics have been turning in favour of the millennial, with upwards of 50 per cent of the population being under the age of 25. Indian millennials are increasingly experimenting when they travel, whether it is opting for self-drive adventures in New Zealand or learning Muay Thai or taking culinary lessons in Thailand or even experiencing their own country’s relatively untouched heritage. The travel fraternity needs to keep a close watch on the evolving preferences and stay at least one step ahead to re-engineer or create more offerings to suit the preferences of this lucrative market segment.

Tech-savvy millennials literally have the world at their fingers tips and with their sharp use of social media and other digital platforms; they have unprecedented access to seemingly countless choices. With an ever-expanding choice of hospitality offerings, millennials can become overwhelmed and potentially confused. But the beauty of independent hotel brands like Preferred Hotels & Resorts lies in their diverse nature – with Preferred being able to present a bounty of more than 650 singular hospitality destinations, each with its own one-of-akind story and unique experience.

WHAT’S TRENDING

TravelScapes

Mamta Pall Director of Sales & Marketing- India for Rotana Hotels India is on track to becoming the youngest country by 2020, with an average age group of 29 to 30, highlighting the outsized role of its millennial generation in its spurring fast growth. The tidal wave of youth is unsurprisingly driving an economic transformation as though this age group might be young; they are contributing to 70 per cent of total household income. This result is immensely driving the travel plans of families.

Whilst, on the one hand, digital strength is certainly an asset and can be a boon cum strength and capability of the millennials, it can sometimes be a bane as well if not used in the correct manner and in a planned and strategised direction. We are living in an era that has normalised over-sharing, and our most preferred mediums of communication are neatly packed into a small smart screen.

And the younger generation doesn’t mind booking their travel without ‘human’ interface, having said that a bit of a percentage still relies on human interaction.

Manvinder Singh Asst. Vice President-Sales, Operations & Contracting, Sahibji Travels and Tours (P) Ltd.

With about 34 per cent of the population between 20 to 35, India is leading with the maximum number of millennials worldwide.

Millennials strive for authentic, meaningful experiences—preferably ones they can post on social media and have stories to tell to their friends thereby requiring cool photos and experiences worth an Instagram photo and blog post. They’re the social media ‘showboating’ generation, making sure friends see their adventures as they happen.

Born with earbuds and texting thumbs, millennials are the most tech-savvy, tech-demanding and tech-visionary generation. They are also strongly influenced by online sources such as review sites, blogs and social media. As per a survey, cell phones are checked every five minutes by millennials. Since they come from the age of technology, they go digital and expect electric responses to be it a trip confirmation, information about the destinations, activities destinations have to offer, price comparisons, reviews so on and so forth. They use mobile to find and book activities, change reservations and so on. In the wake of technology, the way the industry has been evolving with the rapid developments, digital capabilities of Gen-Y is very much a boon as I see it.

Sowmya Rao Vijaymohan Partner @ RARE India Rose on the internet, these young travellers are only excited by original land, authentic experiences and are not afraid to seek it. These travellers intent on exploring lesser-known destinations and going local to discover elements not available in the typical tour packages or have not been instagramed yet. They lean towards stays that are individualistic in their design, style, concept and offering while living up comfortably and would rather know the story of the place than be just content with the sights. This year more than ever will be about the ‘RARE style’ of travel – Stylish Intimate Immersive Responsible.

From research to ticketing, recommendations to confirmation, announcements to social interactions; smartphone and online platforms have taken over the lives of the millennials. The digitalisation of their life has led to a shift in travel trade’s stalwart approach to marketing. The exploding number of travel apps that help in managing itineraries, checkins, pick and choose activities during travel says a lot about the shift in the marketing strategy of business in the travel trade.

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Bharat Raheja Global Director of Sales – India for Minor Hotels

Indian millennials have been more exposed to travel since their childhood versus earlier generations and it is perceived as educational and inspirational. There is also an element of peer pressure. This segment has a very high usage of social media and exposure through social drives to newer destinations, be it local or international. They do not believe in saving for previous generations and want to live the moment of today. Local destinations tend to have a shorter length of stay of four to five nights versus international where they spend upwards of seven nights. Flexibility and connectivity, especially while travelling, are how the hospitality needs to view millennials and their preferences.

Millennials rely heavily on the internet for research as well as booking their arrangements. The phrase ‘Home is where the WiFi connects automatically’ came to fruition because of digital millennials and the ability to connect wherever you go is essential, and hotels need to cater to this. Travel companies, be it airlines, OTAs, tourism boards or hotels, need to be very active in digital marketing to reach this audience and influence them further to travel.

AJMAN CORNICHE HAS A NEW LANDMARK Walk in,drop your bags and relax. It’s time to unwind, surrounded by the calm blue waters of the Arabian Gulf. With 179 luxurious rooms, we look forward to your stay with us.

Experience some of the best cuisines in Ajman with our all-day dinning restaurant and our speciality seafood restaurant. Indulge yourself with our pool bar, jacuzzi and spa.

Welcome to Wyndham Garden. It’s your new address in Ajman Corniche. wyndhamgardenajman.com

info@wyndhamgardenajman.com

Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche is operated by R hotels under a franchise agreement with Wyndham Hotel Group

UPDATE

TravelScapes

OUTBOUND

Slovenia: Europe’s best country for Sustainable Tourism

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he World’s Top 10 Sustainable Destinations have been unveiled at ITB Berlin, at the end of its opening day, March 7. From 100 top-sustainable destinations, the international jury first selected 32 finalists and among them, destinations carrying the label Slovenia Green Destination as well as Ljubljana and Podčetrtek as Slovenia Green Destination Gold were awarded “Best in Europe” in the category Best of Planet. With this award, Slovenia ranked among the top 10 most prestigious destinations in the World’s Top 10 Sustainable Destinations 2018 category.

The award show was organised by Green Destinations, TravelMole, ITB Berlin and another ten leading global organisations and networks in the field of sustainable tourism, as they wished to highlight successful stories, exchange best practices, and contribute to the upgrade of tourism and its improvement. This way, they encourage individual destinations to be even more dedicated to sustainability.

The Slovenian Tourist Board developed the strategic guidelines for green tourism in 2009 and 2010 and made it its principal goal to make Slovenia one of the most sustainable countries in the world. At the first Days of Slovenian Tourism in 2011, the Declaration on the Partnership for Sustainable Development together with various stakeholders was signed, committing themselves to take over the responsibility for a competitive and sustainable development of Slovenian tourism.

The 2012–2016 Slovenian Tourism Development Strategy was also based on the principles of sustainable development, but the Slovenian Tourist Board defined its sustainable focus as the only true development opportunity for Slovenia and its tourist offer. It also additionally highlighted its commitment to the sustainable development of tourism at last year’s Days of Slovenian Tourism by signing the Declaration on the Partnership for the Sustainable Development of Tourism, which is in line with the 2017–2021 Strategy for the Sustainable Growth of Slovenian Tourism. The Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism is an unique national programme which combines all efforts made at various levels in the country that are focused on the development of sustainable tourism.

DCT Abu Dhabi successfully concludes four-city roadshow in India

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he Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi successfully completed four-city roadshow in India along with partners and stakeholders to help promote the emirate and entice even more Indian visitors to explore and discover Abu Dhabi.

The delegation, which included Rotana Hotels, Yas Experience, Royal Arabian Destination Management, Royal Rose Hotels, Etihad Airways, Jet Airways, Lama Tours, Air Travel Enterprises, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, and Holiday Inn Hotels were in India from March 16 to 23, 2018.

The roadshow began in Chandigarh in northern India before moving on to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and ended in Pune.

Last year more than 360,000 Indians stayed in Abu Dhabi’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments, an increase of more than 11 per cent compared to the previous year. India is currently the emirate’s second largest international source market behind China.

Mubarak Al Nuaimi, Director Promotions and Overseas Offices, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said, “India is a vital tier one source market for us which is providing more and more hotel guests for us each year and helped us reach a record 4.9 million numbers of guests last year. In 2017 we recorded spectacular double-digit growth from India and we are already recording further progress from the Indian market since the turn of the year.

“We see great potential from this sector and are now running a succession of roadshows to cities across India highlighting the emirate and its attractions as we seek to capitalise on this uplift. We have excellent air connectivity, with 282 flights a week to Abu Dhabi from 13 Indian destinations, meaning it has never been easier to come and visit the emirate.”

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Bhutan wins “The Earth Award” at ITB Berlin Bhutan has won the first place for the Earth Award at the recently concluded award ceremony in ITB Berlin, a release from Tourism Council of Bhutan says. The Kingdom was selected amongst over 100 top sustainable tourism destinations by a jury representing 12 leading sustainable tourism organisations and networks.

The award programme is initiated to recognise and appreciate tourism destinations that work toward managing ‘over tourism’ and their commitment in sustainable tourism development and promotion. It also provides a platform to showcase ‘green destinations’ to the world.

It is a testimony of the wise and visionary leadership of our Kings, the government’s commitment to protect our environment; and the tourism industry’s effort in sustainable tourism, the release says.

FLIPSIDE

TravelScapes

SAILING ON SPORTSMANSHIP MANISH DAYYA REVEALS THE UNTOLD SIDE OF HIS PERSONALITY The people in our tourism and hospitality industry are awesome. Occasionally, one of them is gracious enough to let us know him up close and personal. Manish Dayya, General Manager of AccorHotels’ Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach is one of the most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet and that’s part of what makes him a perfect leader.

The seasoned hotelier is as close to his family as he is to work and likes to spend most of his relaxing time with them. Not just an expert at implementing his strategic business development approach, Dayya also pays equal attention towards being ‘naturally fit’ as he is an avid squash player and a marathon runner

By Gagneet Kaur The watch brand you are fond of wrapping around your wrist?

Titan watches are undoubtedly my first preference Are you a morning person or a night owl?

I am most definitely a morning person Food you can swear by?

Anything vegetarian, I am a gourmand The shoe brand you like to show off ?

My Hush Puppies collection You favourite actor?

Gerard Butler Last book you read?

The last books I read were “EVOLV”

by Ryan Sequeira – authored by my colleague’s spouse and “ORIGIN” by Dan Browwn The word you use the most?

I often find myself saying “Beta” the most Favourite song on your playlist?

“Makeba” by Jeanne Galice (popularly known as Jain), when with kids and when on my own. My favourite song is “Do Deewane Shaher Mein” by Bhupinder Singh and Runa Laila The destination where you would like to unwind yourself?

My hometown, Goa The destination yet to be ticked off from your bucket list?

Australia on the international bucket list and Leh Ladakh in India are the two destinations that I would like to tick off my bucket list Twitter, Facebook or Instagram?

Instagram for the win. I am also active on Facebook, however not a Twitter fan yet Are you a coffee addict or a tea lover?

I love my Elaichi chai The one thing that no one knows about you?

Patience is not my prime virtue

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AROUND THE WORLD

TravelScapes

‘TIS THE SEASON

Explore beyond the naked eye and discover a fertile soil through ‘TravelScapes 101 experiences’ where a novel civilisation of characters, stories and culture could flourish

By Team Ts

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AROUND THE WORLD

TravelScapes

Mendenhall Glacier Caves, Southeastern Alaska The surreal and magical Mendenhall glacier is located in the Mendenhall valley in Southeastern Alaska. The Western part of the glacier is home to breathtaking ice caves, formed from the melting of glacial ice water. To access these caves is quite a challenging task.

First you need to take a kayak and then do ice climbing, but every effort is simply worth it, when you see the gleaming ice caves.

Visit The Door to Hell In the heart of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert sits a burning crater, which is also known as the ‘Door to Hell’. The Darvaza crater has been burning continuously for about 40 years now. The place was accidently discovered by a team of Soviet engineers in 1971, when they were looking for oil. In order to prevent any untoward incident, they deliberately collapsed the ground and the result was a 200 ft wide crater. The crater is filled with flames and burning mud.

Visit the village of upside down boathouses in France Located on the coast of northern France, village of Equihen Plage is one such unique place where the residents live in upside down boats. The village traces its tradition back to 1900s, when the place was known as one of the best spots for fishing. Many boats were left to be destroyed, so the local fishermen used them as roofs for their houses. Over 3,000 people still enjoy living under the boats today.

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AROUND THE WORLD

TravelScapes

In the footsteps of Marco Polo 4000 miles of varied landscape! If you are brave enough to take this challenge, then follow Marco Polo’s Silk Road spread across five countries. It is not an easy task, but the journey can change your perspective towards life for good. You will make unforgettable memories, meeting new people from varied background. It was one of the most important trading routes of ancient times.

Swim in Jellyfish Lake in Palau Jellyfish Lake is a marine lake located on Eil Malk island in Palau. Eil Malk is part of the Rock Islands, a group of small, rocky, mostly uninhabited islands in Palau’s Southern Lagoon. Jellyfish Lake is around 12,000 years old. The lake is home to millions of jellyfish, whose sting is considered relatively harmless, because it is very light. So people can easily swim around the lake with jellyfishes brushing up against their bodies.

Oasis town of Huacachina, Peru It’s not a mirage! Huacachina is a breathtaking, beautiful oasis town nestled in the desert of Southern Peru. The little town is home to around 100 people, who thrive on tourism as their main source of income. The oasis has a natural pool in the middle of the town surrounded by sand dunes and rustic hotels and shops.

Huacachina is also called as the ‘Oasis of America’. According to local legends the water and mud of the area is supposed to have curative powers.

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MoT

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UPDATE

TravelScapes

AVIATION

Domestic air passenger traffic records 24.14 per cent growth in Feb 2018

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omestic air passenger traffic rose by 24.14 per cent in February as compared to the corresponding month last year, helped by an increased touristseason demand, according to official data.

In February, domestic airlines flew 1.07 crore passengers compared to 86.55 lakh passengers flown during the corresponding period last year, data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

SpiceJet posted the highest passenger load-factor at 96.3 per cent, followed by IndiGo at 91.8 per cent and Vistara at 91.2 per cent. SpiceJet’s ‘on-time performance’ stood at 78 per cent while IndiGo clocked 74.8 per cent and Vistara closely following third at 73.8 per cent. The on-time performance of the Air India was at 68.8 per cent. The performance was computed based on data from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.

IndiGo gains market share and passenger load factor in Feb 2018

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s per the Traffic Report released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation for February 2018, IndiGo, India’s largest and fastest growing airline, has retained its market leadership with 39.9 per cent market share and recorded an impressive passenger load factor at 91.8 per cent, an increase of two per cent over last month.

IndiGo is by far the largest Indian airline with a fleet of 155 aircraft and more than 1000 operating flights daily.

Speaking on the recently released industry figures, Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole-Time Director, IndiGo, said, “We are thankful to our millions of loyal customers. We have always strived harder to deliver on our promise of hassle-free, ontime and courteous flying experience.”

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Virgin Atlantic unveils three new ways to fly economy V irgin Atlantic has announced the launch of three new ways to fly economy as part of a multimillion pound investment in the cabin for the 21st century traveller.

Recognising that one size doesn’t fit all, from spring 2018 Virgin Atlantic will introduce ‘economy delight’, ‘economy classic’ and ‘economy light’ tickets. The three new ways to fly will allow customers to choose the product that suits their budget and travel style – but never compromise on inclusive food and drink, unrivalled service, and inflight entertainment. ‘economy delight’ will offer the leading economy product of any UK airline - customers will enjoy a seat with 34 inch legroom, priority check in and boarding as well as advanced seat assignment. ‘economy classic’ will now offer free seat assignment – providing extra reassurance for families and groups that they can sit together. The new ‘economy light’ ticket will always offer Virgin Atlantic’s lowest fare - making long haul travel affordable and accessible for millennials, and

customers jetting off on city breaks.

Craig Kreeger, Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, said, “We’re unveiling the biggest change to our economy cabin in over a decade – launching three new ways to fly, and a host of innovations on the ground and in the air as part of a wider £300 million investment in our customers. We know that one size doesn’t fit all, and from spring our customers can afford to be choosy and still travel in the UK’s leading economy cabin.”

“We always want flying with Virgin Atlantic to be more special than other airlines, and we’ll never compromise on excellent service, industry leading food and drink and cutting edge inflight entertainment – regardless of which economy ticket our customers are travelling on, they’ll be able to enjoy all this onboard.”

Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Atlantic, said, “We’re unveiling a multimillion pound investment to make Virgin Atlantic’s economy cabin the best of any UK airline and setting the bar for others to follow.”

Jet Airways strengthens domestic presence

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ontinuing its focus on growing its domestic presence, Jet Airways will introduce 144 weekly flights in the first phase of its forthcoming summer schedule.

The new schedule will feature a combination of non-stop services – several of them on unique routes being introduced for the first time in the industry, as well as direct, one-stop services between new city pairs in the airline’s existing pan India network, bolstering it further.

As part of the new schedule, Jet Airways will strengthen connectivity between the country’s capital and the North Eastern region via a bouquet of pioneering, non-stop services including thricea-week flights to Aizawl and Jorhat and four times-a-week flights to Silchar from New Delhi. The airline

also commences four times-a-week non-stop service to Imphal from Delhi. Cementing its presence further in the young, urban metro city of Pune, the airline also launches new, non-stop services to Patna, Raipur and Chandigarh.

Additionally, Jet Airways begins a daily, non-stop service for the very first time between Mumbai and Tiruchirappalli - Tamil Nadu’s famous temple city and a religious centre, aside from a new, direct service between Tiruchirappalli and Delhi.

The airline is also commencing direct, one-stop services between Mumbai and the North Eastern cities of Jorhat and Imphal, marking its return to the capital of Manipur. Imphal will also be connected with Pune with direct

flights via Guwahati and Kolkata, enhancing access and connectivity between the North-East and its hubs in Mumbai and Delhi. In fact, Guwahati will play an instrumental role in facilitating this season’s connectivity. The upcoming robust connectivity between the North East and India’s financial as well as political capital is expected to provide a positive stimulus to the region’s economy, boosting tourism as well as development of business and trade, leading to growth enhancement of Cargo movement.

Among other network enhancements, Summer 2018 will also see Jet Airways connect the holy city of Amritsar with non-stop and direct flights from its hubs in Mumbai and Bengaluru respectively for the first time.

PHOTO STORY

Destination Canada navigates you to its captivating outdoors Destination Canada kick starts its special promotions for the India market, taking the must-explore experiences to all the major Indian cities. Destination Canada was the principal country sponsor at various events including MTM & LLTM wherein the Canadian Signature Experiences was the key highlight. The Canadian Signature Experiences collection offers an introduction to the best of Canada – and what Canadians – have to offer.

To further enable the travellers to enhance their destination instincts, Destination Canada also introduced the Canada Specialist Program (CSP). CSP is an educational tool designed to promote travel and tourism to Canada and gradually helps you become an expert in Canadian experiences.

Destination Canada is represented by Charson Advisory Services in India and is helmed by the very dynamic Chairman & CEO, Carl Vaz. Henceforth, he will also be overlooking the operations of Destination Canada as the CEO & Strategy Director India GSA. Vaz thanked the travel fraternity for their overwhelming support and urged them to explore and promote Canada, much beyond the usual experiences. Keeping in mind the immense potential of social media platforms, Charson is also promoting Destination Canada through the catchy hashtags like #keepexploring.

Once you connect with Canada and start exploring, you may never want to stop!

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PHOTO STORY

TAAI Convention 2018 A reverberating success The three-day TAAI Convention, an eagerly awaited event of the travel and tourism industry of India, resulted in a resounding success. The 64th Convention and Exhibition of TAAI, ably supported by Ministry of Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), was organised at the mesmerising city of Srinagar, “the crown jewel” of Kashmir valley from March 27 to 29, 2018 with over 650 delegates’ participation from across India and overseas. In the words of TAAI President, Sunil Kumar, it offered to J&K – “Visibility, Connect and Opportunity”.

The convention was inaugurated by Mehbooba Mufti, Chief Minister, J&K who acknowledged TAAI for the support extended by the association. Minister for Tourism, J&K, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti, who addressed the convention, was present along with six other ministers of the state. State Minister for Tourism, Preeti Seth also addressed the audience.

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PHOTO STORY

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PHOTO STORY

Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels connects well with the Indian agents Make your dream come true with a trip to Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels’ properties in Mauritius, the fascinating, world-in-one-island slice of paradise. Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels recently hosted an evening function for the Indian market in the capital. The event saw a great number of attendance from travel trade, tourism stakeholders and airlines who came together to learn about Beachcomber luxury properties in Mauritius and create future business prospects. The Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels also used this opportunity to get acquainted with the demand of travel agents in Delhi.

“We have eight properties in Mauritius inclusive of both four-star and five-star properties. These properties are set in spectacular locations, surrounded by pristine beaches and crystal clear water,” says Natacha Affoque, Sales Executive, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels. Besides, the group is tapping wedding market broadly by successfully hosting two big fat weddings, last year.

The destination is immensely popular among the honeymooners in India. Throwing light on the Indian footfalls, Affoque adds, “Since five years, we have a hold over India market which contributes five per cent to our overall footfalls. Further, we are expecting two per cent growth from the Indian market by the end of 2018.”

Committed to sustainable development, Beachcomber is an Earthcheck certified hotel group and is represented by Iris Reps in India.

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PHOTO STORY

TravelScapes

TAT hosts the MEGA FAM Trip from India The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hosted the MEGA FAM trip for around 25 media and 50 agents from India, between March 29 and April 2, 2018, to promote and showcase different destinations and attractions in Thailand. The major destinations, touched by the group were BangkokChanthaburi-Rayong-Chon Buri. Amongst the other, the main spots visited in Thailand that were visited by the group were the Damnoen Saduak floating market, Madame Tussauds, the Old Town Chanthaboon Waterfront, Thanon Yomjinda Walking Street, SinghaD’Luck Cinematic Theatre and the famous Underwater World, Pattaya.

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ON THE MOVE

TravelScapes

SAMIR MC

MOHAMMED SHOEB

PROMOTED AT: Fortune Park Hotels Ltd TO: Managing Director Fortune Park Hotels Ltd. (FPHL) has announced the appointment of a seasoned operations professional Samir MC as its Managing Director.

With full responsibility for the leadership and development of Fortune Hotels, Samir will play a key role in meeting the company’s aggressive growth goals as well as building on the brand’s outstanding reputation. He brings with him incredibly strong knowledge and experience.

ANAND NAIR

PROMOTED AT: Holiday Inn Mumbai TO: General Manager Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, India appoints Mohammed Shoeb as General Manager. Prior to joining Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport, he was involved in turning around Radisson Blu, New Delhi, Dwarka.

Until recently, he was the General Manager of Radisson Blu Dwarka New Delhi. In the past, he has also worked with AccorHotels, ITC Welcome Group, Carlson Rezidor Hotel and Intercontinental Hotels Group.

SEEMA KADAM

PROMOTED AT: Taj Aravali Resort & Spa, Udaipur TO: General Manager

PROMOTED AT: Tourism Fiji TO: Country Manager for India

Anand Nair has been appointed General Manager At Taj Aravali Resort & Spa in Udaipur, India. He moves from the Usha Kiran in Gwalior.

This new hotel is the second Taj property in Udaipur. It is set in the ancient Aravali range in northwestern Udaipur. With a distinct Rajasthani character, the resort is set within 45 acres of landscaped gardens.

Tourism Fiji has announced the appointment of Seema Kadam as its Country Manager for India. She will be based in Mumbai and will be responsible for Tourism Fiji’s activities across India. Having worked and excelled at other international tourism companies such as Switzerland Tourism, where she was the Area Manager, she is well qualified to lead the team in India for Tourism Fiji.

STEPHEN D’SOUZA

SUMAN KUMAR SHARMA

PROMOTED AT: Courtyard by Marriott Chennai TO: Director of Operations With over 17 years of experience at major brands like Oberoi’s, Intercontinental hotels, Marriott International, D’Souza will currently serve as the Director of Operations, leading the hotel’s business and operations excellence. D’Souza has previously been a member of F&B Advisory Board, JW Marriott Brand (Asia Pacific) and played an integral role in the pre-opening of JW Marriott Mumbai.

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PROMOTED AT: Lion Lords Inn Rajula TO: Operations Manager Lion Lords Inn Rajula, Gujarat has appointed Suman Kumar Sharma as its Operations Manager (OM). With more than 16 years of work experience in the hospitality industry, Sharma specialises in Revenue Management and Front Office Management. Sharma’s knowledge and experience in the MICE and Wedding events hosting will be a key asset for the hotel property.

SUBHASHISH GUPTA

PROMOTED AT: Radisson Jodhpur TO: General Manager Radisson Jodhpur appoints Subhashish Gupta as General Manager. With 29 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he is responsible for managing profitability, ensuring operational excellence and building competent teams at the hotel. Gupta started off as Assistant F&B Manager at Radisson Blu MBD Hotel, Noida, where he was responsible for managing a team for banquet operations and F&B.

SANJEEV PAHWA

PROMOTED AT: The Indian Hotels Company Limited in Mumbai, India TO: Vice President – Development Sanjeev Pahwa has been appointed Vice President – Development at The Indian Hotels Company Limited in Mumbai, India. He brings over three decades of professional experience with expertise in Business Development, Strategic Planning & Execution and Global Sales & Marketing. With an extensive industry network, he would be a valuable resource.

ADITYA SHAMSHER MALLA

PROMOTED AT: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pune TO: General Manager Malla has been appointed as the General Manager at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel PuneChinchwad. In his new role, Malla will focus his efforts to deliver year-on-year growth, be responsible for staff engagement activities and spearhead corporate social activities. With more than two decades in the hospitality business, he has been a part of major global brands.

Pearl Capital Centre-Abu Dhabi

Exceptional stays. Exciting dining.

At Pearl Rotana.

Whether visiting Abu Dhabi for business or leisure, Pearl Rotana Capital Centre is the newest destination for a superb stay. Located 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and the city’s major attractions, the hotel is adjacent to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and offers 315 modern rooms and suites, signature food and beverage outlets, 7 fully equipped meeting rooms and Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club. From top notch facilities to The Warehouse Wine & Tapas bar and Dino’s Bistro Italiano, you are in for an exciting experience.

For more information or to make reservations, visit rotana.com, call +971 (2) 307 5555 or email at pearl.hotel@rotana.com

P.O. Box 94895, Abu Dhabi, UAE. T: +971 (2) 307 5555, F: +971 (2) 307 5556, pearl.hotel@rotana.com

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