TravelScapes February 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

FEBRUARY 2018, PAGES 60, `90

A DEBUT WITH A LOUD SPLASH

VETA 2018 SLAYED THE NIGHT WITH GLITZ, GLAM AND GAIETY

VOL. 6, ISSUE. 2

ONE FOR THE ROAD MARKING THE TRAVEL ROUTE ON THE MAP OF INDIA

BUDGET HOTELS

OVERTAKING THE GROWTH OF LUXURY CHAINS??

TravelScapes PUBLISHER’S NOTE

VETA 2018 - A night that was!

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he debut awards by TravelScapes, Versatile Excellence Travel Awards (VETA) definitely took the industry recognition several notches up and brought together everything- from Bollywood stars to industry leaders, from grooves and moves to the glitz and glamour. While the leading Actor and Politician, Shatrughan Sinha exclaimed that TravelScapes is doing a fantabulous job by connecting the dots between the tourism and hospitality sector, the Celebrity Host, Neha Dhupia took VETA to another level of excellence. It was overwhelming to see a great response and immense support from the industry. I would once again congratulate all the deserving winners and thank the guests for making VETA much bigger than what we had imagined. As we are keen to take VETA to a different height itself, TravelScapes promises to be back with a bang.

As the customer patterns and preferences are changing with time and the craving for ‘luxury on budget’ is increasing, the budget hotel segment is fast reinventing the business models and value propositions. Newer players

in the segment have energised the travel and have been quick enough to capitalise on the online demand with aggressive advertising spends, which is leading to overall category growth for the industry.

Are the owners evolving with the demands or is that GST which is working in their favour? To dig in more, we took the viewpoints of the budget space leaders and the key online aggregators to know how this segment is expected to grow further.

The hospitality industry has been at the forefront of the digital revolution from the past few years. Properties that fail to adapt to the changing times can see their normal way of doing business is threatened. There is an opportunity to better engage with clients by making sure the website, booking system and the entire check-in, check-out process is user-friendly. TravelScapes speaks to the top hoteliers to know how they are streamlining their business to be digitally forward.

Is ready, set, go your mantra for the weekends? Have you found a motorbike to tour the untamed roads in search of adventure? Then look no far as we bring

PUBLISHER & CEO Varun Malhotra varun@versatilemedia.in DIRECTOR Pranav Khullar pranav@versatilemedia.in VICE PRESIDENT Shelly Chadha shelly@versatilemedia.in DIRECTOR- PR (MIDDLE EAST & SOUTH EAST ASIA) Sanjiv Chopra

you the seven best road trips in India that you should take at least once in your lifetime. We also let you explore the road less travelled where we take a whistlestop tour of some of the less-visited and the most mysterious marvels on the Earth.

Breaking the monotony of an avid reading, we bring you something new this time. We all know how well the industry leaders have been performing in their professional arenas but wouldn’t that be interesting to know the other side of the multi-faced coin? To start with, we caught hold of Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI who feels life is a beautiful gift and one may enjoy it to the fullest.

Varun Malhotra Publisher & CEO

This issue brings news and reports about trade, hospitality, aviation and the latest in tourism worldwide.

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

Happy reading

ACCOUNTS Chandan Kumar Jha, Swati Jauhari ADMIN HEAD R Prem Lata EXECUTIVE-CIRCULATION Hari Puri, Sameer Singh

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

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 FEBRUARY 2018

VOL. 6, ISSUE. 2

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A debut with a loud splash VETA 2018 SLAYED THE NIGHT WITH GLITZ, GLAM AND GAIETY Versatile Excellence Travel Awards brought together everything we all drool over- Bollywood stars, groovy fashion, industry stalwarts, songs, dance and the awards, by the way

HOSPITALITY

SPECIAL FOCUS 16 Are Budget hotels Overtaking the growth of luxury chains??

After bruising for few years, the budget segment players now seem to give sleepless nights to big luxury chains

The fifth edition of the Global Hospitality Conclave (GHC) 2018 co ncluded, recently, in Gurugram

WHAT’S TRENDING

TRADE 20 TBO Group creates history Sees epic turnout of 2300+ attendees at their awards & networking event

36 DIGITAL AGE IN HOSPITALITY Hotels are ditching tedious processes in favour of a streamlined process built around guest preferences.

The guest experience changes the business conversation at a strategic level

FLIP SIDE 46 ‘All good’ WITH MAHENDRA VAKHARIA With a smile on his face and high hopes in his mind, Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI (Outbound Tour Operators Association of India) and Managing Director for Pathfinders Holidays Pvt. Ltd sums up his ongoing journey really well— “Miles to Go Before I Sleep”

REGULAR UPDATES

SPOTLIGHT 26 Egypt ON AN ADVENTURE TRAIL Ismail A. Hamid Amer, Egyptian Tourism Counsellor, Regional Director Far East and Pacific countries is keen on promoting the ‘unknown Egypt’ and further shares his positive outlook on the India market

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34 GHC 2018 INTEGRATING INFORMATION AND IDEOLOGY

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14.......................................................................................................................................................................................MoT 22..................................................................................................................................................................................... Trade 32..........................................................................................................................................................................Hospitality 40....................................................................................................................................................................... Photo Story 44............................................................................................................................................................................Outbound 52................................................................................................................................................................................Aviation 58...................................................................................................................................................................... On the Move

IN CONVERSATION 28 DESARU COAST PROMISES FOR “AFFORDABLE LUXURY”

PHOTO STORY 54 GPS NAGPUR 2018 CONCLUDES ON A HIGH NOTE

Muhammad Zainal Ashikin, Chief Executive Officer, Desaru Development Holdings One Sdn Bhd. discusses how the mammoth Desaru Coast project in Johor is pivotal in positioning Malaysia as a leisure and business destination hub

The premier trade show of Central India, Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) kicked off its sixth edition in Nagpur from January 15, 2018 at Centre Point Hotel

GLOBETROTTER

EXOTIC INDIA

48 The road less travelled

40 ONE FOR THE ROAD

In this excerpt from TravelScapes’ Secret Marvels of the World, we take a whistlestop tour of some of the most mysterious, mesmeric and magnificent places on Earth

Marking the travel route on the map of India, our pen slighted towards these seven road journeys braving sun, rain, dust and untamed roads in search of adventure

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A DEBUT WITH A LOUD SPLASH VETA 2018 slayed the night with glitz, glam and gaiety Versatile Excellence Travel Awards brought together everything we all drool over- Bollywood stars, groovy fashion, industry stalwarts, songs, dance and the awards, by the way.

After much awaited linger and buzz, TravelScapes, the trailblazer in the travel trade media industry successfully concluded its very first “VETA” (Versatile Excellence Travel Awards) on January 30, 2018, at Shangri La’s Eros Hotel, New Delhi. The event was co-powered by the Akquasun Group and was extensively covered by Zee Business (Media Partner).

The esteemed VETA was introduced to acknowledge and reward the exceptional work and the results gained by the pioneers in the tourism domain. It was a gala affair witnessing the major industry leaders of the travel and tourism fraternity on one platform, gracing the award evening with their amiable attendance and acceptance of the awards for almost 30 categories, respectively. We also took an opportunity to honour the Presidents of all the key Travel Trade Associations of India and felicitated them with the VETA for their continuous support. The names include Pronab Sarkar, President (IATO), Sunil Kumar, President (TAAI), Mahendra Vakharia, President (OTOAI), Kishore K. V, President SIGTOA and Harmandeep

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Singh Anand, Managing Director, Global Panorama Showcase (GPS).

The Guest-of-Honour for the evening was the Actor-turned- Politician, Shatrughan Sinha (Member of Parliament) and Senior Congress Leader (Haryana), Kuldeep Bishnoi. Gracing the evening with the traditional lamp-lighting ceremony, together with the industry leaders, Sinha was all praises for TravelScapes and its team. While the setting of such an elegant evening was taken to yet another level of grandeur by the lively performances by the Russian Dance Group, the award show, however, really belonged to the celebrity host — Neha Dhupia who made it an evening to remember. From all the glitz and glam to the recognition that was much deserved, from the jaw-dropping dance forms like Kalinka and Antre-Moulin Rouge to innumerable clicks at the photo booth, VETA was that sparkling jewel in the crown. While the very first award show by TravelScapes has already drummed up a lot of excitement, we, therefore, very proudly announce that VETA is coming back with a bang. And yes, this time it’s the “land of dreams”- Dubai.

TravelScapes

MoT

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Shatrughan Sinha, Actor & Member of Parliament “TravelScapes has done a marvellous job of standing out in the travel trade publications’ crowd within the past five years. This magazine, in such a short period of time, has taught us about the travel and tourism industry and its business. Because of TravelScapes’ outreach of reputation, I am present on this occasion to meet, greet and bless all my friends of the travel fraternity and TravelScapes’ team. Tonight, on this special occasion of VETA, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the tourism industry for their utmost contribution to our country’s economy. I am grateful to be part of this event and hope the industry will advance towards success with TravelScapes.”

Varun Malhotra, Publisher and CEO, Versatile Media “Leading a business to success can be a tough challenge and we are keen to showcase the dedication, expertise and sheer hard work of our deserving winners. I would like to congratulate all the winners and thank my attended guests for all their devotion and support for VETA and together, we seek to take VETA in a different height itself.”

Pranav Khullar, Director, Versatile Media “Continuing our search, the VETA 2018 recognised the leading lights of the business industry, looking for those whose creativity, commitment, experience and strong leadership have helped them achieve success in an increasingly challenging corporate climate. Our awards recognised and honoured the most respected companies in the industry along with their leaders whilst rewarding remarkable success in all its forms throughout the international business community.”

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and the award goes to...

VETA for Best Multifaceted Luxury Hotel - Kempinski Hotel Mall Of the Emirates Dubai

VETA for Best Upcoming Wedding Destination - Ras Al Khaimah

VETA for Best Heritage Transport Museum India- Tarun Thakral (Founder- Heritage Transportation Museum, Gurgaon)

VETA for Best Emerging Luxury Hotel Chain- ME- Roda Hotels & Resorts

VETA for Best Entrepreneur of the Year- Ankush Nijhawan

VETA for Most Popular Middle East Hotel Chain in India - Rotana Hotels & Resorts

VETA for Lifetime Achievement Subhash Goyal

VETA for Best Luxury Hotel Chain Maldives- Coco Collection

VETA for Best Holiday Portal and Mobile Application- TravKart

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TravelScapes

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and the award goes to...

VETA for Best Outbound Tour Operator- Kesari Tours Pvt. Ltd.

VETA for Best Visa Facilitation Company in India- Udaan India

VETA for Best Theme Park in the Middle East- Dubai Parks & Resorts

VETA for Best PR & Marketing Company- Outbound Konnections Reps Pvt. Ltd.

VETA for Best Regional Airline in Asia- Silk Air

VETA for Best B2B Online Portal Travel Boutique Online

VETA for Best Digital Foreign Remittance Platform- FxKart.com

VETA for Best Holiday Destination Macao

VETA for Emerging Face of the Year Travstarz Global Group

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and the award goes to...

VETA for Best DMC South East AsiaTravelBullz

VETA for Most Popular Resort in Indian Market- Paradise Island Resort & Spa, Maldives

VETA for Best Wildlife Conservation Resort in India- Infinity Resorts

VETA for Best Heritage Hotel Chain in India- WelcomHeritage

VETA for Best Business Hotel Chain in India- Fortune Hotels

VETA for Best Upcoming Business Hotel- Radisson Gurugram Udyog Vihar

VETA for Fastest Growing Online B2B Portal- Justclickkaro.com

VETA for Best Emerging MICE Tour Operator- Zest Tours & Travels

VETA for Best Upcoming Forex Market Place- Nafex.com

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TravelScapes

VETA HIGHLIGHTS MoT UPDATE

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UPDATE VETA HIGHLIGHTS MoT

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TravelScapes

VETA HIGHLIGHTS MoT UPDATE

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Bharat Parv’ Focussed On ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ ‘Bharat Parv’ was recently organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India at the Red Fort, Delhi from January 26 to 31, 2018 and focused on “Dekho Apna Desh”.

People in large number came to the Parv to celebrate the diverse and fascinating culture, cuisine and handicrafts.

The Army, Air Force and Navy presented Static Band and also displayed Dynamic Band. The artists from Chhatisgarh presented ‘Lokmanya’ programme; the artists from Jammu and Kashmir presented ‘Dogri/Bhand Pather’ programme; and the artists from Uttarakhand presented ‘Chapeli’. Beside these, the artists from Telangana presented ‘Perini Natyam & Oggu Dollu’ and the artists from Andhra Pradesh presented ‘Kuchipudi’ dance.

The Tableau artists who participated in the Republic Day parade-2018 also performed.

At last, the artists of North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC) presented a choreographed performance on Pan India Basis.

The Ministry of Tourism has been designated as the nodal Ministry for the event, the highlights of which include Display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, performances by the Armed Forces Bands (Static as well as dynamic), a multi-cuisine food court, Crafts Mela, cultural performances from different regions of the country and a photo exhibition on the theme “Naya Bharat Hum Karke Rahenge” by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP). A live ‘Cookery Demonstration Area’ was also set up in the food court to promote cuisines of different states of India.

The Crafts Mela with 50 stalls showcased the diverse handicrafts of the country, arranged by the State Governments and Ministry of Textiles through the office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts.

There were Theme State Pavilions where each state showcased its strength along with its tourism products.

Kerala Budget proposes INR 381 crore towards tourism T he tourism arena in Kerala will receive added support from the government with the state budget 2018 setting aside close to INR 381 crore towards development and promotion of the sector. The budgetary provisioning is INR 36 crore more than the INR 345 crore that was set aside last year.

Presenting the Budget in the Kerala Assembly recently, Dr Thomas Isaac, Minister for Finance, said the state government will focus more on conservation and preservation of heritage monuments in the coming financial year.

The Finance Minister set aside INR 82.50 crore towards marketing of the tourism sector. Lauding Kerala Tourism’s nine international awards last year, Dr Isaac said the government would accord priority to conservation of heritage monuments in the

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state as part of its plans towards tourism development. An amount to the tune of INR 40 crore has been set aside in this regard. The Muziris project, which has been progressing at a slow pace, shall be speeded up and will be completed in a period of two years. Plans are also afoot to include destinations such as Thalassery, Ponnani and Beypore in the tourism map.

The government also proposes to bring boat races under the league competitions, and will be supported with an amount of INR 10 crore. As per Dr Isaac’s proposals for the fiscal, the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) would get INR 7.92 crore, while the Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Ltd will get INR 1.83 crore. The budget also earmarks an amount of INR 3.30 crore for the Bekal Resort Development Corporation Ltd.

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Maharashtra renews MoU with Wakayama

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aharashtra Government renews the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wakayama Prefectural Japan (WPJ) for five years. The MoU was renewed by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra with Yoshinobu Nisaka San, the Governor of Wakayama in the presence of Sumit Mullick, Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism & (EGS), Madan Yerawar, State Minister of Tourism, Nitin Gadre, (IAS), Principal Secretary, Tourism & Culture, Government ofMaharashtra, Vijay Waghmare, (IAS) Managing Director, MTDC, Aashutosh Rathod, Joint Managing Director, MTDC, Swati Kale, General Manager, MTDC and more among the other respected stakeholders to enhance mutual economic growth and investment opportunities.

The MoU between Maharashtra Government and Wakayama Prefectural Government, Japan (WPG) commenced in the year 2013 with the purpose of enhancing the relations between Maharashtra and Japan for encouraging and expanding association in the field of tourism and investment, promote Argo and Food processing units.

MoT’s Social Media Key Influencers Campaign launched

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he Social Media Key Influencers Campaign of the Ministry of Tourism “The Great India Blog Train” involving Travel bloggers from across the world was launched recently by the Secretary, Ministry of Tourism Rashmi Verma at Safdarjung Railway Station, New Delhi. The Secretary interacted with the Bloggers on the issue of promotion of tourism and other aspects pertaining to tourism. These Bloggers have been invited to travel to destinations in the country on the Luxury Trains operating in different states.

The objective of the campaign is to position luxury trains of India as a unique tourism product both in the domestic and overseas markets. The campaign will generate widespread publicity for the luxury trains as well as the destinations visited, by way of blogs, videos and photos published by the Bloggers/Instagramers on their experiences of their journey. Needless to say this initiative would benefit the railways and the Luxury Train Operators to a large extent.

A total of 60 bloggers from 23 countries including India are travelling on a week long journey on four luxury trains, i.e. Palace on Wheels, Maharaja Express, Deccan Odyssey and Golden Chariot, in groups of 15 bloggers on each train.

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TravelScapes

ARE BUDGET HOTELS OVERTAKING THE GROWTH OF LUXURY CHAINS??

While the hotel industry continues a run of sturdy performance and is projected to sustain strong throughout 2018, the growing demand for a branded budget hotel has now become the in-thing over the past few years. After bruising for few years, the budget segment players now seem to give sleepless nights to big luxury chains. Is GST working in their favour or are they really going that extra mile? To give a quick glimpse, the leaders of the budget space and key aggregators share their outlook on how the segment is forging ahead confidently

By Gagneet Kaur

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SPECIAL FOCUS

TravelScapes

MOHIT GUPTA COO, MakeMyTrip

RITESH AGARWAL Founder & CEO, OYO

Technology, a major brand differentiator As more and more people take to travel because of affordable options and convenience of booking because of technology – they will start seeking standardised experience across this fragmented segment. This is where the opportunity lies for budget hotels category as other than being able to market yourself with the power of online travel companies, these Mid-market hotels to be the hotels in distant corners will be able driving force to assure of basic standard facilities As per a Deutsche Bank report, the that customers will seek. total hospitality market in India is The potential to deepen customer worth USD10-12 billion dollars, of insight with technology is almost which budget hotels comprise 70 limitless. Exciting opportunities per cent. It also states that are being created for the almost two-thirds Revolutionising travel ecosystem by of India’s rooms the travel industry connecting smart supply in 2020over the past few years, MakeMyTrip devices, systems, 21 will comprise offers the best deals processes and people budget hotels. for all sorts of budget in new ways and The Budgethotels consolidating its streamlining the economy hotels position as a brand back-end operations is a segment which known for its reliability of airlines, hotels, resorts, has been highlighting cruise lines and rental car a significant spending fleets. increase on travel and vacations, due At MakeMyTrip, we are always to which both homegrown as well looking to use innovative technology as international players are drawing to make travel seamless and hassleup plans to add more rooms in this free for all our customers. For segment across the country. example – with the use of technology, According to a report by HVS MakeMyTrip Android and iOS Apps and The World Travel and Tourism have become deeply personalised Council, the travel industry in India to user’s context and preferences. is expected to reach 1,747 million We are taking several steps towards travellers by 2021, which will require creating a deeply personal app 1,88,500 additional hotel rooms. experience for customers with the Mid-market hotels will be the driving help of data science, AI and smart force because they usually have more recommendation algorithms. rooms per hotel than a five star or luxury hotel and can be built faster GST, an added advantage for and more cost-effectively in multiple budget hotels micro-markets as well as in most tier GST has proven to be beneficial for I, II and III cities. budget accommodation, as they The budget online hotel market have become more affordable and penetration is still at low doublea preferred option for frequent digit and likely to grow to about travellers. The lower rate for budget 30 per cent by 2020. We see this hotels has not only helped to improve as a massive and highly valuable the quality of budget hotels but opportunity for us and hence we also helped in contributing to their continue to stay growth focused in increasing preference. this segment.

- a unique concierge service to ensure hassle-free travelling and on-stay experience. We have also launched our first remote Tech Development Centre in Hyderabad, significantly strengthening the technology leadership. We also have various app-based services for our partners that have supported them in enhancing the yield and profitability of their hotels. In terms of design, our most recent innovation is OYO Home and OYO The trendsetter in the budget Townhouse. While Townhouse has a space- OYO contemporary design aesthetic that For years, the hospitality industry appeals to the millennial guests in general and budget brands, through an innovative in particular, endured Initiated minimalistic elegance, a demand-supply by the young and dynamic at OYO Home, our mismatch of quality Agarwal, Oyo has space experience living spaces. For not only changed the designers have the travellers, it way people stay away brought a new life was not only the from home but has also into several homes. lack of awareness become one of India’s largest branded Our continuous but also the lack of hotel networks investment in trust since there was technology throughout no standardised quality the ecosystem for customers, and service in unbranded budget partners help us stay ahead of the hotels as the majority of traditional competition. hospitality brands operated in mid to luxury segment. Prior to OYO, GST needs a proper budget hotels were mostly reliant implementation on walk-in customers and had little For budget hotel-rooms charging knowledge or acumen in investing in less than INR 1,000, zero per building customer loyalty to ensure cent GST was a tremendous “repeat” guests. We launched OYO development that happened last with an aim to offer predictable, year. These tax rates will ensure affordable and always-available stay that small hotels can continue experiences for customers. upgrading room quality and infrastructure and provide a Innovation and technology go better experience to mass-market hand in hand travellers. However, while GST OYO is a pioneer in the Indian is good for the country and the hospitality industry with its business as a whole but the technological innovations and challenges of its implementation disruptive business model. need to be streamlined. Although Innovation is hardcoded in OYO’s the government has released DNA and we’ve been focused clarification for application of taxes on enhancing both customer on the declared tariff, in this year’s experience and partner business union budget we expect the concept through various initiatives centred of the declared tariff to be replaced on technology, people and design. with actual tariff as consideration Last year in order to enhance for GST on hotel accommodation our customer experience; we as is the case with other industries. also introduced OYO Captains

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TravelScapes

S N SRIVASTAVA

SHARAT DHALL

President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels

COO (B2C), Yatra.com

Technology- reinventing the business models Technology is the new fulcrum in creating the range of world-class experiences for the well-heeled and discerning guests, both before a guest has booked a hotel and the after-sales experiences when the guest comes to stay with you. Today you not only need advanced technological tools that are handy and aligned to evolving user behaviours like booking apps and online technology that can be easily World class hospitality at an accessed but also the technology affordable value @ Clarks which is playing an everToday the growth in the At Clarks Inn increasing role in creating Indian hospitality sector Group of Hotels, impressive in-room is being driven by the the idea is not just experiences like voicemid-market and budget about delivering the enabled commands or hotel segments and the real brand value but top cry of this market also to paying attention smart lighting systems to every detail with that decides to function segment is ‘value for utmost care on its own. money.’ A testimony to that is the incredible GST eats into profits of growth that Clarks Inn Group hospitality industry of Hotels has witnessed in the last 11 On the business front, we have not years, growing from its first hotel that really seen any noticeable impact in opened doors in 2006 to over 80 terms of a slowdown. However, we hotel portfolios, including about 43 in also firmly believe that the GST rates operation, spread across 18 states in on hotels are high and regressive and India and one in Kathmandu, Nepal. it will definitely not help in boosting On the services front we, we promise tourism. Our GST rates on the hotel ‘world-class hospitality at an affordable are one of the highest in the world value’, something that has left a huge mark on the hospitality industry in India if you compare it with other major tourist destinations in the region as both, business and leisure segments, like Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, have seen tremendous economic value Singapore or the mature tourism in dealing with mid-market and budget destination in Europe. segments.

OTAs constantly personalising travel options The rise of technology, particularly cloud-based tools, has disrupted the Online Travel industry.

Smartphone penetration has changed the process for travel bookings and travellers are now adapting to the emerging trends in mobile technology. OTAs for the longest time have been trying to personalise travel options in accordance to customer preference Budget hotel space holds a and with artificial intelligence huge potential The becoming a reality, it has Indian travellers are leading become a convenient increasingly looking aggregator of step forward. Yatra is to travel more hotels in India and also investing heavily frequently in a big abroad, Yatra.com in AI and NLP to to explore more offers an array of budget hotel options, constantly improve destinations and to suit every pocket the experience. hence are looking to and taste stretch their budgets Budget options by seeking a lower cost, became customer friendly no-frills, clean accommodation post-GST options. This increasingly large With the implementation of segment of travellers is looking GST, travel for the Aam Admi to invest more on the actual has become cheaper. Post GST, trip experience than splurge on the budget options have become comfort, which has led to a surge more customer friendly and in the budget accommodation benefitted budget hotels. Also, space. Where there has been a individuals, these days are taking sudden influx of options. Even up short frequent trips and some of the leading top end hotel budget accommodation comes chains have launched brands out as a convenient option. Along in the budget segment which with budget accommodation, we is a testimony to the size and have seen a rise in preference for potential of the budget hotel homestays and villas. space today.

RISHI PURI Vice President, Lords Hotels & Resorts

Lords Hotels & Resorts, the ‘true value’ hotel chain A decade ago, the budget hotel segment was largely unorganised, constituted for less than 30 per cent of the total branded room inventory and today, it accounts for over 40 per cent of it. This also is a reflection of the burgeoning domestic tourism market driven by the

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accommodations with all amenities millennial who seeks ‘value’ for money. and full-service at friendly prices for More and more mid-market hotels in the discerning tourists and strive to the unorganised segment are realising offer them the best of both worlds i.e. the strategic importance of branding. five-star experience at budget-friendly Since inception, Lords Hotels & tariffs.

Resorts has always focused on offering value to its guests. We term ourselves Technology making inroads into as the ‘true value’ chain of hotels and hospitality sector resorts simply because we With Technology has changed the offer our customers what 26 hotels game in almost every way matters to them the across India and and for almost all kinds most. We regularly Nepal, Lords Hotels of businesses, including conduct location& Resorts is promoted as true value brand hospitality. Today a large specific surveys offering luxurious chunk of guests checking and research on the accommodations at into our hotels either tourism market of the friendly prices check our property and region. It allows us to rooms online before making understand the trends and a booking with us. Dedicated online developments in that region and travel sites such as TripAdvisor, among we try to incorporate its aspects through others, invite people to review and offer our offerings. We offer luxurious

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feedback on their experiences which helps in identifying any shortcomings.

GST needs a better understanding The GST is a welcome taxation reform and while it has several pros, it has come with certain cons for our industry.

With the effective GST rates for our brand of hotels falling in either the 12 per cent or 18 per cent slabs, except for a couple of our luxury resorts, it is a welcome change. But the relief is marginal and we haven’t noticed any significant change in the booking trend on account of the lower tax. The slab-wise taxation based on the tariff, although provides a relief to most of our hotel properties, there is still the need for correcting the ambiguity between the applicable GST rate on published tariff and actual tariff.

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TBO Group creates history Sees epic turnout of 2300+ attendees at their awards & networking event TBO group organised its awards and networking function on the February 1, 2018.

Travel partners from across India and around the globe were seen in huge numbers at this gathering. Attended by industry leaders and influencers from travel, tourism and government bodies, TBO felicitated its top travel partners from each state in India during the event. The evening saw esteemed names from the travel trade such

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as Kapil Bhatia, Rahul Bhatia, V.K Duggal and Amber Dubey to name a few.

Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group said “Hosting such events is an integral part of our business as we are able to foster, strengthen and maintain relationships with our travel partners. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.�

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Vinay Malhotra

VFS Global now accepts visa applications for Ukraine in India

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esidents of India wishing to travel to Ukraine can now apply for both short and long term visas at the VFS Global Visa Application Centre in New Delhi.

Ukraine was recently signed on as VFS Global’ s 57th client government worldwide, when the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global signed a contract to provide visa services on behalf of the Eastern European nation across eight countries – Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and Tunisia in the Africa region, Lebanon in the Middle East region, India in the South Asia region and China, in September 2017.

The contract entails the launch of 10 visa application centres across these eight countries by January 15, 2018, with the one in New Delhi being the first step toward that goal.

Vinay Malhotra, COO – Middle East and South Asia, VFS Global, remarked, “It is with great pride that VFS Global announces its partnership with Ukraine.

It is with even greater delight that we launch the first Ukraine Visa Application Centre in New Delhi, India. Ukraine is fast becoming a popular destination for Indian travellers, and we look forward to offering travel enthusiasts in the region our best in class visa application services to ease their submission process.”

The year 2017 has been a marked success for VFS Global, with seven new client governments added to its portfolio.

The organisation has also expanded its presence to five new countries and also crossed the milestone of handling its 150 millionth application through the year.

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FEBRUARY 2018

TAAI to hold 64th Annual Convention in Srinagar in March A fter an extensive global circumference, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) is set to organise its 64th Annual Convention from March 27 to 30 March, 2018 at Srinagar mainly to give a major boost to tourism sector of Jammu and Kashmir.

Recently announced by President of TAAI, Sunil Kumar in presence of JK Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary Tourism and Director of Tourism, Kashmir Mahmood A Shah. TAAI Conventions have always been popular industry events and around 500 travel agents from across India are expected to participate in this year’s annual convention in Srinagar. During 1986, over 30 years ago, TAAI’s convention was held in Srinagar.

“We are delighted to announce that our Managing Committee will hold the next Convention in Srinagar during March 27 to 30, 2018. We are honoured with the outstanding support extended by the Hon’ble Ministry of Tourism, J&K. Their presence, today, highlights a strong association that will present an outstanding convention with focus on tourism in Srinagar,” says Kumar.

Earlier, TAAI Conventions were held in Abu Dhabi, UAE (2016), Bali, Indonesia (2015), Bengaluru, India (2013), Istanbul, Turkey (2012), Phuket, Thailand (2010), Dubai, UAE (2009), and London, UK (2007).

Asia’s mountain tourism should target adventurous millennials- GlobalData M ountaineering presents opportunities for the development of the tourism industry in Asia’s mountainous regions, especially among younger visitors, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Transformative travel grew rapidly in 2017. In particular, increased awareness about the negative impact of human activities on the environment, high appreciation of different cultures and a prioritisation of experiences over ownership of goods has resulted in travellers, especially millennials, moving away from mass tourism and instead seeking deeper travel experiences.

GlobalData’s consumer survey from Q4 2017 showed that 20 per cent globally are interested

in adventure/sports tourism, with 34 per cent of millennials being likely to book such a holiday compared to 23 per cent of Gen Yers and 12 per cent of Baby Boomers. This stresses the significance of younger travellers for the continued success of adventure tourism, including mountaineering.

Nepal has already benefitted greatly from alpine tourism by taking advantage of its high peaks such as Mount Everest; the issuing of climbing permits generates essential revenue for the country. Similarly, the current decision that climbers will need to be accompanied by a guide, is seen as a way through which tourism income can reach and benefit the local economy and community.

TravelScapes

TRADE

Think Strawberries signs on India and UAE Rep. for Visit Orlando in Florida T hink Strawberries, India’s market leading travel representation company, has been appointed as the Sales, Media, Marketing and PR Representative in India and UAE for Visit Orlando, the official tourism association for Orlando, Florida.

Home to seven of the world’s top theme parks, Orlando - Theme Park Capital of the World® - is the No. 1 family vacation destination and most visited destination in the United States. An unparalleled mix of unique experiences create cherished memories for visitors, including legendary theme parks from Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, an array of world-class water parks, entertainment venues, an award-winning food scene, shopping, sports and nightlife. And, with 450 hotels, Orlando offers more lodging options than nearly any other destination in the world.

“Orlando has seen a rise in popularity with Indian travellers and also from the Middle East,” said Elaine Blazys, Vice President of Travel Industry Sales for Visit Orlando. “Think Strawberries will be an extension of the Orlando-based team to specifically provide the India and Middle East travel industry with more personalised service and education on the Theme Park Capital of the World.”

Speaking on the company’s diverse and expanding

product portfolio, MunnMunn Marwah – COO, Think Strawberries (TS) said, “Since its inception, Think Strawberries has grown by leaps and bounds.

We have been able to design and execute multi-level marketing and PR activities on behalf of our clients.

Their global marketing, sales and PR initiatives have been concurrently implemented in our markets and their vision shines through, but with all the local twists intact! With outbound tourism on the upswing, the Indian and UAE market will be a lucrative source market for Visit Orlando. Our plans are to grow the businesses for Visit Orlando, while sustaining and enhancing their numbers from both India and UAE.”

UPDATE

GoFro partners with Abu Dhabi Tourism

G

oFro, India’s foremost online holiday marketplace, has partnered with Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT) to support the rising tourism in the country. Abu Dhabi is now becoming one of the preferred choices for Indian travellers with steep rise in tourism is last two years. Last year, Abu Dhabi welcomed over 3, 50,000 Indian visitors. Abu Dhabi Tourism Board is expecting to a significant increase in number of tourist this year with new attractions coming to the destination. The average length of stay for Indian visitors is 2.8 nights, which shows that people are keen to explore Abu Dhabi.

DCT partnered with GoFro, to leverage company’s unique travel marketplace model with packages and customised travel option from all leading travel companies of the country.

Speaking about the partnership, Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager, Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) - Abu Dhabi said “DCT is very pleased to be associated with GoFro. We are confident that we’ll get the desired mileage from the marketing campaign that has been undertaken with GoFro and we look forward to a sustainable alliance.”

UPDATE

TravelScapes

TRADE

Akquasun Group boosting connections A

kquasun Group who was recently awarded as ‘World’s Leading Destination Management Company 2017’ at World Travel Awards concluded its multi-city Roadshow in the month of January. It was the group’s first networking event for the year 2018. The networking event started in Mumbai with IITT Trade Fair followed by the roadshows in Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Chennai and continued with a curtain raiser aiming at promoting group’s new plans and strategies.

Apart from the 18 DMCs under Akquasun’s umbrella, the event saw the participation from 40+ exhibitors from the various destinations which included tourism bodies, hoteliers, airlines and theme parks.

Talking about the main objective of holding the roadshow, Sujit Nair Founder & Group Managing Director said, “This roadshow primarily aims at maintaining and building relationships and expanding our network. It is the first roadshow of the year and we are very confident that it will definitely give a positive boost to all our partners in terms of services, products, value and more. By God’s grace and immense support

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FEBRUARY 2018

from our partners, 2017 has been an excellent year for Akquasun and I believe, 2018 will be much better and fruitful.”

Keeping in sync with Nair, B A Rahim, Founder & Group CEO Akquasun Group said, “The key purpose

of this roadshow is to form a link between the DMCs, service providers and the Indian travel fraternity.

This is the first time that we had decided to hold the roadshow in January as generally, our roadshows are during the year-end. We wanted this to be the first mega show in India where we can showcase all our partners and have positive results throughout the year.

We have been getting an exceptional response from all the cities; Delhi is one of them. We can see people excited about visiting the roadshow as they get a very good opportunity to network, meet and greet the industry under one roof.”

Giving a glimpse into the initiatives planned for 2018, Rahim further added, “We are very proud to be associated with TravelScapes as their key partners for VETA (Versatile Excellence Travel Awards). Apart from that, we have also tied up with Tourism Malaysia for the 12 cities roadshow. We have plenty of things in store for the entire year which shall be revealed during our next curtain raiser in March.”

Akquasun Group is planning to go digital in terms of operations in 2018 and further plans to offer its inventory to the travel partners on the digital platform.

A token of appreciation to all our

TRAVEL PARTNERS

for making Akquasun Roadshow 2018 a great success

SPOTLIGHT

TravelScapes

Egypt

on an adventure trail With endlessly fascinating landscapes and the mighty Nile that recites the story of a pompous past, Egypt is a country with a rich and profound history. Beyond those towering Pyramids and the architectural marvels, this country also promises to indulge you in a gamut of adventure activities. Ismail A. Hamid Amer, Egyptian Tourism Counsellor, Regional Director Far East and Pacific countries is keen on promoting the ‘unknown Egypt’ and further shares his positive outlook on the India market

By Gagneet Kaur

A

s the market is evolving, consumer attitudes are changing and people want to ‘travel better’, on a deeper emotional and more personal level. To escape from run-of-the-mill experiences, travellers, especially Indians are seeking out for more adventurous travel. Looking for an experience where you would want to experience the rugged desert beauty above the amazing waterline or head for a snorkelling jaunt along a coral wall? Look no further as Egypt is the answer for you!

“There is a known Egypt and the unknown one.

The ‘known Egypt’ comprises of the classic tour, which everyone plans for. For an alternative experience, we have much more in store for the travellers. This year, in terms of products, we will promote the aspects of adventure tourism by introducing Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada as the adventure destinations. Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada are two beautiful resorts with all amenities ranging from five stars deluxe to four and even three stars hotels. One may enjoy the beaches where travellers can practice diving, snorkelling, experience aqua parks, do the horse riding, windsurfing, speed boats and many more water sports can be explored here. As a lot of travellers in India are youngsters and have the power to explore, so this particular segment needs to be given a boost to attract more Indian footfalls. Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada are well known to the Europeans and they get millions of tourists from Europe but for the India market, we are planning to do a much better and aggressive promotion,” avers Ismail A. Hamid Amer.

As he strongly believes that Egypt is a comprehensive destination that can accommodate all kinds of tourist segments, he, therefore, further

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FEBRUARY 2018

highlights the initiatives being undertaken for the other segments. “We emphasised on the solo women traveller segment this year and addressed this in a good way. During the key exhibitions like SATTE, I spoke to many companies who keep organising several tours for the solo women segment as this product is becoming very popular. Apart from this, we are keen on promoting Golf tourism. We have dedicated some budget for golf advertising and have also tied up with the leading golf magazines. Also, we are the sponsors for some selected local golf tournaments. We are now looking forward to tying up with the Indian Golf Associations for promoting Egypt extensively.”

He further adds, “In 2017, the Pope Francis has praised Egypt as a major spot of pilgrimage for the Christians. We expect that in the coming few months, Egypt will be an essential component of the pilgrimage tour for the Christian community. Jesus has been visiting Egypt for three and half years, which itself has established several landmarks. All those monuments are still there and we believe it that this will give a boost to the pilgrimage tourism. We also have other segments in mind such as weddings, films and MICE. We are expectant of increasing the numbers for MICE in 2018 as we already have the facilities and venues that can to accommodate 3000 plus under the same roof.”

Despite several outbreaks of violence around 2011, Egypt managed to handle the dwindling numbers. It was actually during the last few years that a spark of hope ignited and the numbers started to increase as the government pressed hard on the security reforms and the tourism authority started to market and promote Egypt more often. Emphasising particularly

on the growth from the India market, Amer shares, “India holds a big potential as a market and our attention towards it, is higher than any other market in the Far East and the Pacific region. In 2017, we have got two great numbers. One of them is the number of tourist arrivals as we received 1, 05,000 footfalls which are 28 per cent higher than 2016. This is coming back to the same average of 2010 where the country received around 1, 15,000 tourists before all the unrest that happened in Egypt, showing that we have already touched the average traffic that we received earlier. Another good figure is for the tourist’s nights and their average length of stay. The number of tourists’ nights have increased to seven lakh which is 105 per cent higher than 2016. This is reflective in the average number of stay which has increased from 5.2 to seven nights per tourist in 2017.”

He further throws light on the promotional activities. “We are working on both the B2B and B2C level. For B2B, we have already organised a roadshow.

We have participated in key exhibitions such as SATTE and OTM. We are in process of launching the e-learning programme starting from mid-February.

Apart from this, we are also organising FAM tours to Egypt. On a B2C level, we are planning to launch a campaign for the India market, hoping to begin from March. Also, plans are afoot to organise a few festivals for the India market which shall be unveiled soon.”

“All the figures are very positive till date and we are expecting a very big union from the Indian market in 2018 because the indications we are getting from the Indian travel agencies and tour operators are very promising and we are expecting a very good result,” Amer concludes with the hint of a smile.

IN CONVERSATION

TravelScapes

Muhammad Zainal Ashikin

DESARU COAST PROMISES FOR

“AFFORDABLE LUXURY” In order to attract more footfalls from the India market, Tourism Malaysia has recently introduced Desaru Coast, in the south-eastern region. Muhammad Zainal Ashikin, Chief Executive Officer, Desaru Development Holdings One Sdn Bhd. discusses how the mammoth Desaru Coast project in Johor is pivotal in positioning Malaysia as a leisure and business destination hub

By Sayanti Halder How would Desaru Coast help in boosting more Indian influx to Malaysia?

Malaysia is a familiar destination for Indian travellers but what Desaru Coast has to offer is completely new as the India market is always looking for something fresh in terms of destinations and holidaying.

Desaru Coast is a methodically-preplanned destination offering hospitality brands such as the Hard Rock Hotels, Westin, Anantara, The Els Club and numerous F&B and retail options on a 17kms beachfront of Desaru Coast.

These factors shall provide an impetus to the Indian travellers and we are hopeful for more influx from India in the coming days.

What potential do you see in India as a source market?

India’s outbound market has grown huge over the past few years, especially due to the mushrooming of several south-eastern destinations. Although we are of the belief that the amount of

28 travelscapesonline.com

Indian tourists travelling to Malaysia, in the recent times is abundant, the number of Indian influx to Malaysia is relatively small compared to that travelling to Thailand and Singapore.

Last year, the number of Indian arrivals to Malaysia was around 4, 00,000 and we are optimistic enough to receive at least three percent of the total footfall, visiting Malaysia, this year.

We expect that our new attraction, Desaru Coast would provide at least 30 to 40 per cent of growth in the Indian arrivals to Malaysia.

How are you positioning Desaru Coast for the India market?

Our India tours will open doors for us to connect with the buyers of all sectors within the travel-value trade chain whilst positioning Desaru Coast as the destination of choice amongst holidaymakers and business travellers alike within the region.

We plan to position and promote Desaru Coast for the family, leisure along with incentive and wedding

FEBRUARY 2018

Desaru Coast would allow a 30 to 40 per cent growth of Indian arrivals to Malaysia groups under the MICE segment with added potential from the adventure groups from the India market. As of now, we are tapping Delhi and Mumbai, to begin with, and would gradually foray into the various tier I cities in India.

Also, we look forward to sharing a preview of the destination that will appeal to international travellers with its myriad of offerings.

Any dedicated plans for the business travellers (MICE) segment from India?

The strategically located convention centre in Desaru Coast, managed by the Westin and Hard Rock Hotels has

a capacity of holding around 1000 people which is ideal for meeting and conference of varied size of groups. We have few more hotels, launching by the end of 2018 that would bring in more MICE travellers to Desaru Coast.

Our 45-hole golf course would act as an added advantage for the MICE groups. With several spa and recreational facilities, the corporate travellers looking for retreats and incentives would find Desaru Coast as an ideal destination.

In what ways do you plan to collaborate with the travel agents in India?

We are in the process of appointing a representative for the India market, functioning as the bridge for connecting us with the right kind of tour operators in India and help in developing a more potential partnership with the markets’ suppliers. Together with Tourism Malaysia, we intend to organise FAM trips for the travel trade segment for further promotions.

PHOTO ALBUM

TravelScapes

Desaru Coast kicks off its India tour with New Delhi

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FEBRUARY 2018

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UPDATE

TravelScapes

HOSPITALITY

Fortune opens property in the holy city, Haridwar F ortune Park Hotels Ltd. recently expanded its bouquet of hotels with the opening of the brand’s 46th hotel in the country, ‘Fortune Park, Haridwar’. Located on National Highway 58, this first class full service hotel is just five km from SIDCUL, the industrial hub, 10 km from Haridwar Railway Station and 12 km from Har Ki Pauri.

Fortune Park, Haridwar offers a selection of 48 contemporary rooms, including 30 Standard Rooms, six Fortune Club Rooms and 12 Suites. Spacious and splendid, all the

rooms are replete with modern amenities for a comfortable stay. The dining choices at the hotel include Orchid – an all-day dining multicuisine restaurant featuring a delightful selection of Indian, Oriental and Continental delicacies and Fortune Deli – offering confectionery and delicious breads. The hotel also offers state-of-the-art conference and banquet facilities that can accommodate up to 125 guests.

Owned by M/s Lotus Infra Projects Pvt Ltd, the stunning Fortune Park, Haridwar has been tastefully designed as an elegant and contemporary hotel that offers a wide range of guest facilities to the discerning traveller.

Commenting on the launch, Samir MC, Chief Operating Officer, Fortune Park Hotels Ltd., said, “We are extremely happy to announce the launch of Fortune Park in Haridwar, an important Hindu pilgrimage site and a growing industrial town. We are delighted to partner with the promoters who have reposed their confidence in our brand.

Sarovar Hotels opens Taurus Sarovar Portico S arovar Hotels & Resorts, one of the fastest growing hotel chains in India, announces the opening of Taurus Sarovar Portico, New Delhi – IGI Airport.

A contemporary and modern hotel, strategically located near the IGI airport, Taurus Sarovar Portico features 83 elegant guestrooms designed to cater to the taste and needs of modern travellers. This is the second hotel opening of the year by Sarovar Hotels after the opening in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Taurus Sarovar Portico has beautifully crafted, spacious and well-appointed rooms offering modern amenities and personalised service. The hotel offers state-of-the-art

32 travelscapesonline.com

business and conferencing facilities, Fitness Center, Alfa 63 - an all-day dining multicuisine restaurant, In-Room dining, and exceptionally designed meeting rooms. A well-stocked bar offering the choicest in Indian and international spirits would be operational soon. The hotel is owned by Taurus International Projects Pvt. Ltd. Commenting on the opening, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd., said, “We are delighted to be consolidating our presence further in the Capital city. The opening of Taurus Sarovar Portico seeks to complement the demand for quality accommodation.

FEBRUARY 2018

Radisson Jodhpur debuts in the city of Jodhpur

R

adisson Jodhpur has opened its doors to the magnificent city of Jodhpur. The hotel is the first Radisson – a brand synonymous with outstanding service and comfort, to open in the city.

“I am delighted to welcome our first Radisson hotel to Jodhpur.

The hotel’s architectural grandeur combined with the brand’s service ethos will enthrall guests travelling to the city. We appreciate the commitment that Mahadev Heritage has made in this hotel and the trust they have demonstrated in the Radisson brand,” said Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

Strategically located in the center of Jodhpur, the hotel is all set to serve discerning guests with its signature Yes I Can! SM service philosophy. Positioned to be a preferred hotel in the upscale segment and the first choice among leisure and business travelers, the hotel is situated two kilometers from the airport and four kilometers from the railway station. It is situated within a radius of five kilometers from international tourist attractions such as Ummaid Palace, Birkha Bawri Step Well, Merangarh Fort, Ghanta Ghar and Mandore Garden. “We are excited about the opening of Radisson Jodhpur. The hotel’s heritage-inspired rooms come with modern amenities and we are confident that guests will appreciate this combination,” said Badriram Jakhar, Executive Director, Mahadev Heritage Hotel Private Limited.

The Fern opens hotel in Akota, Vadodara

T

he Fern Hotels & Resorts has added another Ecotel to its portfolio of hotels with the launch of The Fern, AkotaVadodara. This is the second Fern property in the city.

This is the second Fern property in the city. The hotel is situated 2 km from Alkapuri, the main commercial hub of Vadodara.

Ideally suited for business travellers, The Fern, Akota-Vadodara offers 72 rooms in two different categories viz. Winter Green and The Fern Club Rooms.

Suhail Kannampilly, COO, The Fern Hotels & Resorts said, “The Fern, Akota-Vadodara gives us another opportunity to host our guests in Vadodara. We have a strong presence in Gujarat with nine hotels operational in seven cities and we look forward to further consolidate this.”

Dining options include Zeste-a multi cuisine all-day-dining restaurant and 24 hours in-room dining service. The banqueting facility comprises of Magnolia and Terraco banquet halls and a meeting room – Aster.

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

AKQUASUN MALAYSIA

UPDATE

TravelScapes

HOSPITALITY

GHC 2018

integrating information and ideology The fifth edition of the Global Hospitality Conclave (GHC) 2018 concluded, recently, in Gurugram.

In several engrossing sessions and keynotes, top hoteliers and industry honchos reflected on the changing matrix of businesses in the hotel industry, online travel and tourism and luxury travel segments, among others

By Sayanti Halder

T

he fifth GHC held on January 6, 2018 at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon was attended by experts and leaders of the hospitality industry who have been part of erstwhile Oberoi School of Hotel Management alumni. Touching upon trends and opportunities in the hospitality, travel and aviation landscape of the country and the world, the conclave also discussed priorities to arrive at all potential gateways and drivers of growth in the coming years.

To name a few, this recent meeting witnessed the participation of Rajesh Magow, CEO, MakeMyTrip; Jan Tissera, President (International), TravelClick; Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder CEO, PayTM; Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet; Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director & CEO, Indian Hotels; Jamshyd Sethna, Owner Banyan Tours and Shakti; Amar Nath, Founder, Neemrana Hotels; Mahesh Natarajan, Senior Vice President, IHHR Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. and Indian career diplomat, Shyam Saran as keynote speakers. Moreover, one such panel discussion also comprised of the “Young Turks” of the hospitality industry with young achievers such as Author Advaita Kala, Nakul Mathur, Managing Director, Avanta; General Manager, Amit Kaul -The Oberoi Udaivillas with Kainaaz Messman Harchandrai, Owner, Theobroma and moderated by Dhruv Hoon, Vice President, Hotel Development (South Asia), Marriott International.

A major takeaway of the deliberations was an underlying concurrence on the opportunities in the Indian market. Cutting across segments, industry insiders were vocal in their forecast that unprecedented business opportunities and much of this growth was going to be driven by the inspirational, middle-class travellers. Furthermore, panel discussions conducted on topics such as ‘Disruptive Innovation, Leadership and Taking Risks, Tourism Trends’. In two sessions, panelists spoke on trends in the online world and challenges faced by startups in the travel segment, and more. The conclave was concluded by Ravish Swarup, Founder CEO, Praxis Services Pvt. Ltd., followed by ‘Mentoring hospitality skill development initiative’

by Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts.

Former CEO of Genpact, Pramod Bhasin, considered the pioneer of the outsourcing industry in India, urged entrepreneurs to demonstrate stronger appetite to take risks and suggested that it was crucial to drive

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FEBRUARY 2018

innovations. He also noted that innovators and entrepreneurs needed to avoid focusing on the financial dynamics of the business, highlighting the failures and roadblocks of branding in the Indian market.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Sharma who discussed the resourceful blend of travel and digital transaction. He termed the unfolding online business expansion by the home-grown company “a race against time” before global giants with deep pockets ventured in the Indian market, titling the scale in their favour.

“The world is going DIY and cryptocurrency has inflated on high demand,” he adds.

Chhatwal, the recently inducted Head of Indian Hotels Company, having spent nearly three decades abroad, shared his views on the transformation in the hospitality landscape in the country. He expressed hope on the growth of hotel business in secondary and tertiary markets in the coming years but was quick to add that hotels were still dependent on a handful of key markets for revenue generation. He admitted that he was mindful of the Taj legacy but shied away from sharing details on the road ahead for the hotel group.

SpiceJet Chief, Singh suggested that a revolution had begun in the Indian aviation industry and strong

tailwinds awaited the sector. He also briefly outlined SpiceJet’s miraculous recovery from utter oblivion, sharing that the carrier was on its way to acquire one hundred seaplanes with an eye on circumventing chocking airport infrastructure.

A strong loyalist of preserving India’s heritage, Nath in his trademark style, minced no words and asked affluent hotel companies to step up and do more to preserve Indian heritage structures, turning national ‘waste’ into heritage. He expressed concern over the definition of ‘luxury’, increasingly adopted by hotels, and advocated assimilating Indian ethos in their offerings.

Additionally, Natarajan comments, “Wellness is the next-big niche for the Indian tourism sector as because a wellness tourist spends around two to three weeks in one destination, on an average.”

Lastly, former top diplomat, Saran stressed that India’s pluralistic heritage and cosmopolitan population was an advantage, which needed to be preserved in a globalised world. Businesses in India were not insulated from global upheavals and unfolding, he noted and suggested businessmen to be more agile in their approach.

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WHAT’S TRENDING

TravelScapes

DIGITAL AGE IN

HOSPITALITY

Hotels are ditching tedious processes in favour of a streamlined process built around guest preferences. The guest experience changes the business conversation at a strategic level. Not surprisingly, such a fundamental change like digitalisation has spawned some fascinating shifts throughout the industry. TravelScapes brings a few of the most interesting plot twists

By Ankita Jain

36 travelscapesonline.com

FEBRUARY 2018

WHAT’S TRENDING

TravelScapes

Manish Dayya, General Manager, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach People highly depend on property and/or restaurant reviews on various portals before they shortlist a place to experience. It is extremely important for hotels to maintain a good repute among their guests and visitors through conscious efforts and impeccable hospitality, thus attracting loyalty to the brand.

Finally, it is imperative to constantly monitor social interaction websites like TripAdvisor and respond to the guest on their feedback in a timely fashion which indicates that the hotel is cognizant of the guest’s reviews and expectations.

At Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach, while organising events, especially weddings, our team ensures that our guest’s vision of a dream wedding is transformed into reality. The exceptionally creative and fervent team assists the family at every step to make D-day exactly as it was envisioned.

Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Group Digital enhancements are enablers that enrich a guest’s experience by combining a warm and comfortable stay with latest technological advancements, some of which have become part of our daily lives.

At Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, we believe that feedback is a gift. The forums where guests voice opinions are important not only for consumers but brands as well. We sincerely listen and take cognizance of these channels and act on the feedback. With our unwavering ‘Yes I Can!’ service philosophy, we commit ourselves to nothing less than 100 per cent guest satisfaction.

Our objective is to provide a winning experience to our guests. Our success is built on driving value and loyalty as we recognise an increase in competition and guests have an increase in choice.

Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts Online booking, social media and review sites have transformed the way travellers make purchases and hotels do business.

The advent of apps and digital technology has meant customers can make lastminute bookings or travel on impulse. On arrival, experiences have also undergone a sea change with the emergence of smart technologies and the Internet of Things.

Just as stand-in-queue check-ins are no longer mandatory at airports, guests are expecting similar services at hotels via technology-based check-ins. So, digital arrival and departure registers are gaining ground.

To add a touch of personalisation, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts have taken a number of initiatives. First, 360 Degrees walk-through, photo and video shoot of our selected hotels. Secondly, ORM (online reputation management) applications implemented in many hotels.

Thirdly, maintained information parity on social media platforms, other online guest engagement platforms and many more.

TJ Joulak, General Manager, W Goa While being responsive to customer reviews is a big part of hospitality, there are also proactive measures that brands should take to differentiate themselves from others. This includes using their social media presence and digital third-party influencers to create brand awareness, share new brand offerings and deals to create unparalleled experiences for existing and potential customers.

At W Goa, we aim to constantly outperform ourselves and introduce new initiatives and experiences for our hotel guests. Our iconic Whatever/ Whenever® Service delivers guests whatever they want, whenever they want it, as long as it’s legal! Moreover, the W Insider offers each guest the opportunity to experience Goa like never before. Our W Insiders are always on the cusp of what’s new in the city and have exclusive access to the hottest events so that our guests don’t miss a single thrilling experience during their stay.

Manu Vashishth, General Manager, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Kota types of coffee which can be experience online to improve your Hospitality today is a mix of personalised as per guest choice. ranking against the competition. excellent product and service and We also offer personalised dishes To name a few personalised its due mention online by the on guest request in our restaurant. services at Country Inn & visitors. Travellers today first search In addition to the same, it is Suites Kota, our bakery delivers online and read about a hotel or ensured that the guest name is personalised cakes for guests destination before choosing it. So it’s used in all our conversations with through an online cake store. In very important that all your happy the guest. coffee shop, we offer 15 different customers also write about their

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TravelScapes

“We, at Udaan, believe in passion for customer service, accountability for actions, process driven environment, employee friendly atmosphere and trained manpower and hence live by it.”

Udaan India

Rajan Dua Managing Director, Udaan India Pvt. Ltd

CELEBRATING 26 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

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ast year, Udaan India celebrated its Silver Jubilee, having completed 26 years in the travel trade. Udaan India has developed a strong reputation in the trade and enjoys the goodwill as one of the most trusted and respected names in travel fraternity.

Today, the company looks back with pride at the long journey that started with the niche market strategy of focusing on FIT’s and then evolved by dealing with B2B agents and corporate.

Envisioning the impact of technology on our lives, Udaan India introduced the first web portal in India and led a way of innovative approach and commitment to delivering quality service to our clients. It gave the company a leading edge over all other Visa Facilitators and made Udaan India a distinguished leader in the travel industry.

Setting the same trend again, Udaan has invested in technology and made the portal more secure, user-friendly and inculcated the best technology available with compliance to ISO

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27001 standards.

The company strongly follows one golden rule- ‘if we don’t take care of our customers somebody else will’.

Udaan goes beyond the call of duty to fulfil the promise of delivering seamless service to our clients; the trained professionals here are always available to serve and deliver the best in the industry.

With the increase of globalisation and investments of Multinational companies in the Indian market, corporate travel has increased manifold times. Corporate travel has gained steam globally and there has been a tremendous rise of 10 to 15 percent in our turnover ratio with this.

Hence, Udaan being a trendsetter has come up with visa solution plans for the corporate and make their travel process much easier and hassle-free.

Udaan at present handles 68.2 per cent of corporate clients which makes them a complete B2C corporate player. The company has specialised in providing trained manpower as on-site implants in order to process

FEBRUARY 2018

Jean-Michel Cassé any time lags. documents without What makes Udaan different from others is that they provide a techbased solution and mould themselves according to the need of their client and are flexible with the tools and technology in terms of convenience and comfort giving them frictionless travel experience. They focus on the needs and wants of the corporate traveller in order to ensure those needs are being met. Udaan has its presence in 10 cities and is yet planning to expand the footprints further.

The company is also promoting DMCs worldwide to the travel partners for their MICE and leisure and FITs groups. They are also dealing with the top 30 MICE companies of India.

Udaan has been promoting Scandinavian and SAARC countries making sure that they deliver authentic, highly creative destination experience. With the DMC promotion, there has been a substantial increase of tourism in Croatia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cambodia and Vietnam.

In future, Udaan is also planning to expand its brand umbrella by also adding a new venture to its basket “Study with Udaan “ which is envisioned to mentor all the aspiring Indian students towards enriching study programs offering in pioneering colleges/universities across the globe to equip aspirants effectively for global challenges success and skill development.

We must never stop moving forward and periodically refresh and reinvent ourselves. With this thought, Udaan has also invested in a new project “Caring India“ which is formed to streamline and ease the level of patients and other guests travelling to India especially for treatment purposes by handling all their needs from point of origin to destination and return to their hometown. The company provides all logistic handling other than providing many options for treatments with various hospitals across India. Presently, they are getting patients mainly from Bangladesh, Iraq and many African countries.

EXOTIC INDIA

TravelScapes

ONE FOR THE

ROAD Marking the travel route on the map of India, our pen slighted towards these seven road journeys braving sun, rain, dust and untamed roads in search of adventure. So simply sink into a love seat, pose at a kissing spot and nibble on a roadside dhaba to make it an unforgettable experience

By Ankita Jain

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TravelScapes

EXOTIC INDIA Manali to Leh It is said that any trip to Leh is an adventure and one needs to be at the peak of one’s mental and physical prowess to brave the uncertainties that nature may bestow on unsuspecting travellers.

Well, the beauty of the road journey from Manali to Leh will make you fall short of words.

What to know • It spans a length of 479 km • The road is open for about five months a year mostly during summers and mid-October

Guwahati to Tawang From majestic waterfalls to Gorichen Peak and colourful Tawang Monastery, a road trip from Guwahati to Tawang is a bliss, where every bend and turn reveals a breathtaking view. There are few things to know before opting for this journey. One of them is The Inner Line Permit (ILP) which has to be obtained by everyone (Indians and Foreigners) who enter Arunachal Pradesh.

What to know • The total distance is around 510 km and is difficult to be covered at a stretch

Chennai to Puducherry Road trip to Puducherry from Chennai along the East Coast Road is one of the safest routes with a view of water all around.

The changing reflections of the sun on the water, as the day grows, make it the most beautiful road around Chennai.

What to know • The distance is 160 km which approximately takes 3.5 hours

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EXOTIC INDIA

TravelScapes Ahmedabad to Kutch The Runn of Kutch sounds like an oasis where the weather doesn’t hesitate to remind you that you’re in camel territory. The endless stretch of salt, life in a ‘tent city’ that mushrooms on the desert just for three months, should be pinned on the travel map for the unmatched experience.

What to know • The distance is 400 km long and takes 11 ardent hours to cover • Some parts of the road are a little untamed making it a backbreaking journey

Gangtok to Lake Tsomgo and Nathu-La Pass It is a road trip brimming with jaw-dropping views and turns.

Nathu La is no less than a pilgrimage, but not of the religious kind. At 14,420 feet above sea level, one is struck by the sheer history that surrounds this strategic mountain pass. After crossing the gorges, valleys and streams, one reaches the Tsomgo Lake. The azure water covers an area of 50 acres and reflects the skies and the mountains.

What to know • This stretch is about 55 km long, with the Lake Tsomgo falling on the route at around 39 km from Gangtok journey

Mangaluru to Goa If you consider beach one of your favourite places, you’re going to live this road trip. The Konkan coastline arrests striking views and great experiences around every corner. Drive the NH17 which connects Mangaluru to Goa to soak up the beautiful scenery and Instagram every turn and corner.

What to know • The distance is 337.4 km which takes around seven hours

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UPDATE

TravelScapes

OUTBOUND

India ranks top five in highest no. of visitors to Thailand T

hailand welcomed over 35.3 million international visitors in 2017 and earned 1.82 trillion Baht in tourism revenue. The precise number of overseas tourists visiting Thailand in 2017 was 35,381,210; showing an increase of 8.77 percent over 2016. India ranks in top 5 list of highest number of visitors to Thailand after China, Malaysia, Korea and Laos. In 2017, over 1.4 million Indians travelled to Thailand which is over 18 per cent increase from last year.

China holds B2B roadshow for its three provinces in India

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B2B event was organised under CNTO umbrella for promotion of three provinces of China for India market on January 18, 2018 at Bombay Exhibition Centre during Outbound Travel Mart.

The event was on lines to implement the strategic arrangement of the National Tourism Administration on the development of tourism along the area of high speed railway and better integrate tourism products and market resources of the provinces. The key focus was on integrated promotion of tourism for three provinces of Jilin, Shandong and Zhejiang. China has accelerated efforts to enhance the Indian promotion so as to further raise the popularity of Chinese high speed railway brand in the international market.

The event was presided over by Tian Xin, Director of CNTO of New Delhi, Chen Shoujun, Deputy Director General of Jilin Tourism Development Commission, Yan Xiangjun, Director of Marketing, Shandong Tourism Development Commission and Zhang Yin, Director of Zhejiang Tourism Publicity and Promotion Center Yan Xiangjun shared that Shangdong’s unique charm with the Yellow River flowing though the greatest land, there are tremendous scenic spots such as Sankong, Mount Tai, and Penglai Pavilion and so on.

Chen Shoujun informed that Jilin sits in the center of Northeast Asia, is an ancient province with long history and vast land natural environment offers a profound and unique Chinese culture. Home to Changbai Mountain which is a natural ecological shelter for northeast China even for northeast Asia, it is the cultural and mental mecca for generations of the people of northeast China, native and original.

Zhang Yin of Zhejiang suggested that the province boasts various cultures such as Hemudu Culture with 7000 years of history, Majiabing Culture with 6000 years of history and Liangzhu Culture with 5000 years of history.

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The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Mumbai showcased its new campaigns ‘Open to the New Shades of Thailand’ and ‘Amazing Thailand Tourism Year 2018’ at OTM 2018 held in Mumbai from January 18 to 20, 2018. Around 22 agents from Thailand participated in OTM this year, this included Hotels like Aonang Princeville Resort & Spa, Golden Tulip Sovereign Hotel, Bangkok, Royal Cliff Hotels Group, Ramada Phuket Deevana and many more along with other DMCS and entertainment companies like Phuket Aqua Project, Phuket FantaSea Public Co. Ltd., Thai Adventure Club, Siam Ocean World Bangkok Co. Ltd, Safari World Public Co. Ltd., Siam Park Bangkok Co. Ltd, ASIATIQUE the Riverfront. TAT also had the support of Thai Airways, Thai Smile & Bangkok Airways at the event. Travellers can count on these airlines to make a trip to Thailand memorable right from the start.

The destination presentation showcased various new regions and provinces of Thailand that Indians should visit such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khao Yai, Rayong, Ko Chang and highlighted various uber luxury experiences available in Thailand. Also, Thailand is gaining popularity for its diving sites and adventure activities. The newly launched Michelin Guidebook highlights Bangkok’s best dining experiences and street food.

Kenya eyes 12 to 15 per cent growth in Indian footfalls in 2018

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or 2018, Kenya is eyeing 12-15 per cent growth in tourist arrivals from India. It also plans to promote meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) and adventure segments to increase its traveller base. Well known for its safaris, Kenya now wants to expand beyond this to cater to different tastes and age groups, told Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO Betty Addero Radier . She said, Kenya is mainly considered as a leisure destination among Indian travellers; however, KTB is working on changing its positioning and expanding it to include MICE, adventure, weddings and honeymoon.

Adventure tourism is one of the segments, which is rapidly picking up in India and for Kenya, it is going to be a major growth driver, she added.

“For the adventure lover, Kenya offers a wide variety of outdoor experiences, from climbing the iconic mount Kenya, to para-gliding in the scenic Kerio Valley, skydiving over the pristine Diani Beach or white water rafting along river Tana in Sagana,” Radier said. India is the third largest source market of Kenya after the US and UK. In 2017, Kenya hosted 64,116 Indians travellers. “Looking at the momentum we are expecting the footfalls from India to grow by 12-15 per cent this year,” she further added. In terms of spending also, she pointed out that India is highly ranked and among top four countries with people mostly spending on experiences, hotels and transport.

On an average, Indians spend USD 500 to 700 per day per person, she said.

TravelScapes

OUTBOUND

Los Angeles welcomes record 48.3 million visitors L os Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (L.A. Tourism) President & CEO Ernest Wooden Jr. announced Los Angeles welcomed 48.3 million visitors in 2017, setting a new tourism milestone for the seventh consecutive year. The record figure is 1.0 million visitors higher than 2016’s total, an increase of 2.2 per cent, driven by an all-time high 41.2 million domestic visitors. International visitation overall grew 0.9 per cent to a record 7.1 million visitors, outperforming both its projected forecast and inbound travel to the United States as a whole in 2017.

International markets recording significant gains for Los Angeles in 2017 include: China with 1.1 million visitors (6.0 per cent YOY increase); Canada with its highest visitor total ever at 747,000 (5.5 per cent YOY increase); South Korea with 315,000 visitors (6.3 per cent YOY increase, the largest gain among all markets); and India with 121,000 visitors (4.0

per cent YOY increase). Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) also announced a record-breaking 2017, having welcomed more than 84.9 million passengers India is an important and rapidly growing market for L.A. Tourism.

Indian traveller trends have inspired added efforts to tap the market potential. India’s 2017 performance is extremely encouraging since it reflects the destination’s preference amongst Indians planning trips to the U.S. “Our ‘Everyone is Welcome’ campaign was the right message at the right time; it was a message of humanity and encouraged people around the globe to see the diversity of L.A.’s faces and places,” said Ernest Wooden Jr., President & CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board. “In 2018, we will extend and amplify our message of ‘Welcome’ and intertwine a message of hospitality, fueling even greater momentum towards our north star of 50 million visitors by the year 2020.”

UPDATE

Machu Picchu remains the dream destination of 2018 M achu Picchu, the majestic Inca citadel and one of the most visited and photographed destinations in South America do not go out of style. The impressive world heritage site according to UNESCO has gone through few changes last year, which included new entry times and new rules for optimal care, all in order to standardise the volume of visits to the citadel and thus preserve its legacy in a sustainable way over time.

Yousef Alkhan Machu Picchu has been a star in the lists of best places to visit

and must-see destinations in the world in recent years. It has also been considered one of the most frequent places that have appeared on Instagram in 2017, thanks to the users of this network who are impressed with the magnitude and beauty of our historic sanctuary, a feeling that can’t be described with images or words, you have to live it.

More than 40 daily flights connect the city of Cusco with Lima, Arequipa and Puno. Seasonally, there are flights to Iquitos, Trujillo and Paracas.

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UPDATE FLIP SIDEMoT

TravelScapes

‘All good’ with Mahendra Vakharia With a smile on his face and high hopes in his mind, Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI (Outbound Tour Operators Association of India) and Managing Director for Pathfinders Holidays Pvt. Ltd sums up his ongoing journey really well— “Miles to Go Before I Sleep”. Born to very warm and loving parents and now enjoying life with his gorgeous wife, Maitreyee and charming son, Karan, Vakharia has embraced life wholeheartedly. We spoke to him on the lines of knowing the happier side of his personality

By Gagneet Kaur

The watch brand you like to flaunt?

Citizen as it is always closer to my heart

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

A night owl

The food you can swear by?

South Indian and simple homemade food

The shoe brand you like to show off Zara / Clarks

Last book you read?

“The Difficulty of Being Good by Gurcharan Das”

Your favourite Bollywood Actor?

Amitabh Bachchan

The word you commonly use?

“All good”

The songs you’re currently hooked up to?

Strangers in the Night by Frank Sinatra, Agar Tum Saath Ho and the list goes on

The achievement that you always treasure?

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro at around 19341 feet

Your favourite vacation spot?

Any place that is closer to nature

The destination yet to be ticked off from your bucket list?

Patagonia in Argentina

The one thing that no one knows about you?

I think I’ll save it for next time!

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the Beauty of the heart

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for more information, please contact: +91 22 62602300 or info@irisreps.in

GLOBETROTTER

TravelScapes

THE ROAD LESS

TRAVELLED In this excerpt from TravelScapes’ Secret Marvels of the World, we take a whistle-stop tour of some of the most mysterious, mesmeric and magnificent places on Earth

By Ankita Jain

Marieta Islands, Mexico Playa del Amor, commonly known as the Hidden Beach, is a feature of one of the Marieta Islands, located west of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, at the mouth of Banderas Bay. It looks like something out of a fantasy novel: a wide, sandy cavern with the blue waters of the Pacific rushing in. You have to get a permit in order to explore this location.

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TravelScapes

GLOBETROTTER

Tinago Falls, Philippines Tucked away in a deep ravine between Iligan City and Municipality of Linamon are the beautiful falls, the Tinago Falls. It is mostly hidden from view unless one treks down 500 steps in order to reach here. At the bottom awaits a cave one can venture through. These majestic falls cascade beautifully into a basin-like pool with immensely cold water.

Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh The barrenness of the mountains strikes you with its suddenness as you enter the valley along the Spiti River and its numerous tributaries – from the fruit-abounding Kinnaur to the fruitless, pathless, treeless, fearless and people-less Spiti, one of the least populated regions in India. Spiti, literally ‘The Middle Land’ between India and Tibet, is no less adventurous than the Middle Earth of ‘The Lord of the Rings.’

Silfra fissure, Iceland The Silfra crack in Iceland runs beneath Þingvallavatn Lake. The fissure lies between the plates of Europe and America making it possible for divers to touch both continents at the same time. It was formed as the Eurasian and North America tectonic plates move apart by around two centimeters a year.

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TravelScapes

Lake Natron, Tanzania It looks like a rug, but in reality, this lake has a high evaporation rate paired with high alkalinity, which forms a crusty surface over the top. It is in the shades of red and pink because of the salt feeding organisms that call this unique location home. Located close to the Kenyan border, the temperature of the shallow lake’s water can reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit and is salty enough to poison most animals.

Pink Lake, Australia Look at any map and chances are that all the water bodies have been coloured blue. But if you were to draw Middle Island, part of Australia’s little-known Recherche Archipelago, one would need a pink crayon to accurately depict its most striking landmark –Lake Hillier.

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees, Hawaii The road to Hana is one of the most incredible drives anywhere on the planet, featuring an overwhelming abundance of sights, sounds and colours. Perhaps the most extraordinary thing you will see on this journey is the ‘painted forest’ of rainbow eucalyptus trees: a quirk of nature producing trees that literally look like frozen rainbows.

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UPDATE

TravelScapes

AVIATION

SpiceJet promises connectivity between Assam’s Lakhimpur, Jorhat

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ow-cost airline SpiceJet will soon connect Assam’s northern district of Lakhimpur with Jorhat in the south.

The airline’s Chief Managing Director, Ajay Singh, made the announcement at Advantage Assam-Global Investors Summit’18 in Guwahati recently. The move, if it comes through, will form part of Centre’s UDAN or Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), an initiative taken to make air travel to India’s tier II and III cities affordable and at the same time putting remote regions of the country on India’s aviation map.

“For India to grow, it is critical that North East grows. And, Northeast cannot grow without connectivity. Spice Jet connects cities of Guwahati, Silchar and Dibrugarh to other parts of the country. And under UDAN, we will soon be connecting Lakhimpur and Jorhat,” Singh said.

Vistara plans intl operations by second half of 2018

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ccording to a recent report, Vistara said that it plans to launch its international operations during the second half of 2018 and would achieve the mandatory 20 aircraft flying norm by March this year.

“We will be getting our 18th and 19th aircraft during February and the 20th will join our fleet in March. Thereafter, we will become a 22-aircraft airline by May and would launch international operations by the second half of this year,” said Leslie Thng, CEO, Vistara.

“We are studying a lot of routes, which include routes that have no direct connectivity from India and also other routes, which are high-traffic routes from India,” said Thng.

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AAI signs historic agreement with Lao PDR C elebrating 25 years of India - ASEAN relationship, Airports Authority of India signed an historic agreement with Lao Air Traffic Management, Department of Civil Aviation Lao PDR for providing SkyRev360, a comprehensive e-data gathering, invoicing and collection system. SkyRev360 has been developed in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) under the Government of India’s Make in India initiative.

The agreement was signed on January 19, 2018 by S. Suresh, Board Member (Finance), AAI and Somchit Vinitkeophavanh, General Director, Lao Air Traffic Management in the presence of HE Bounchanch Sinthavong, Minister

of Public Works and Transport, Laos, Vanhpheng Chanthaphone, Director General Civil Aviation, Laos, Ravi Shankar Aisola, Ambassador of India in Laos, Manfred Blondeel, Director (E&F), IATA and other senior officials from International Air Transport Association, Lao Air Traffic management, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Laos and Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Speaking on the occasion, DGCA Laos said that Lao PDR is looking forward to work in close cooperation with AAI in near future. Ravi Shankar Aisola, Ambassador in Laos, termed the contract signing as a historic moment in the relationship between India and Laos.

India’s air traffic doubles to 117 million passengers in six years I ndia’s domestic air traffic nearly doubled to 117 million passengers in 2017 with 100 flights taking off every hour compared with 67 in 2011, data released by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently showed. India’s airlines flew 117.18 million passengers in 2017 compared with 59.87 million in 2011. They also registered an 18 per cent growth over the 99.88 million passengers who flew in 2016. Data showed airlines like Air India, InterGlobe Aviation Pvt. Ltd-run IndiGo, SpiceJet Ltd, Jet Airways (India) Ltd and GoAir were able to fly fuller flights in 2017 - flights were 86.1 per cent full in 2017, compared with 75.5 per cent in 2011.

Besides, the capacity deployed by airlines rose 68 per cent during these years. Another clear trend that has strengthened during these years is the shift to low-fare airlines. Jet Airways group had the highest market share at about

27 per cent in 2011, IndiGo was at about 17 per cent, followed by Air India at 15 per cent, Kingfisher Airlines at 14 per cent and SpiceJet and GoAir had about six per cent each. In 2017, IndiGo had about 39.6 per cent market share, Jet Airways group had 17.8 per cent, Air India 13.3 per cent, SpiceJet 13.2 per cent, GoAir 8.5 per cent and Vistara and AirAsia 3.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent, respectively.

India has close to 500 planes in service and about 800 planes on order and is set to become

the third largest aviation market by 2025, overtaking the UK, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a report in October. China will be the top market, followed by the US. Besides infrastructure woes like lack of flight slots and aircraft parking bays at some major airports, the analyst quoted above said airlines will be worried about a rally in fuel prices. Oil prices, which make about 30 to 40 per cent of airlines’ operational costs, have shot up in the last year.

We connect the whole world of travel business: ITB as the global umbrella brand of the successful shows ITB Berlin, ITB Asia (Singapore) and ITB China (Shanghai), is strengthening its worldwide position.

The new website www.itb.travel displays the entire range of events of the World’s Leading Travel Hub.

THE MUST-ATTEND EVENT FOR TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS

MARCH

7-11 2018

The date of the 52nd edition of ITB Berlin, the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show® should be marked in the calendar of every travel industry‘s professional:

LEADING IN CONTACTS

LEADING IN CONTENT

LEADING IN SERVICE

ITB Berlin is the place to be for successful networking. Here you meet the experts, buyers and decision makers of the global travel industry:

ITB Berlin Convention, the world’s leading event of its kind, will cover topics that will completely change the travel market:

The team of ITB Berlin offers a well selected variety of first class services for the most important players of the show: YOU!

10,000 international exhibitors 1,000 of the world‘s best buyers 109,000 trade visitors (169,000 incl. public visitors)

Revolutionary ways of travelling Digitalization and artificial intelligence Overtourism

Exclusive networking with speed dating (March 8th) itb-berlin.com/Exhibitors/SpeedDating

Exceptional areas for segments like career, CSR and LGBT itb-berlin.com/segments

ITB Buyers Circle for the world’s top 1,000 buyers. Apply until Feb 15th: itbbuyerscircle.com

ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD LUXURY TRAVEL – FOCUS ON A CHANGING SEGMENT

eTRAVEL WORLD – SMART SOLUTIONS FOR THE TRAVEL BUSINESS

ITB Luxury Travel will discuss customers’ demands in tomorrow’s luxury market and unconventional forms of transport such as supersonic flight. ITB Berlin 2018 will be collaborating with Loop, a unique trade show for luxury products. Plus: first and exclusive ITB Luxury Late Night on March 8th. itb-berlin.com/luxury

Discover the fast-growing travel tech market on an exclusive area that will showcase digital marketing, social media and mobile travel services. For the first time, the eTravel World will feature the Hospitality Tech Forum on March 8th. The eTravel Start Up Day on March 9th will also be celebrating it’s debut. itb-berlin.com/etravel

PHOTO STORY

GPS NAGPUR 2018 concludes on a high note

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he premier trade show of Central India, Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) kicked off its sixth edition in Nagpur from January 15, 2018 at Centre Point Hotel. The three day event saw the presence from around 956 registered attendees marked at the event. Presentations on products such as Eurail

by Amigo Travels, Cyber Security by Prevoyance Cyberforensic, Genting Cruise Lines, FXkart, Singapore Airlines, Sahibji Group, Mazda Travels, Red Tours glued the crowd to the event. Like last year, a knowledge session on Goods & Services Tax (GST) was also organised.

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TravelScapes

PHOTO STORY

PHOTO STORY

TSYNC 2018 concludes with triumph and recognition “TITANZ”, the brainchild of Founder, Megha Sharma and Nishant Mehta (Co –Founder), organised T Sync on January 31, 2018 in The Lalit, New Delhi. The award night offered a space for recognising and connecting the travel consultants and agents from Tier III and IV cities with that of Tier I and metros’.

“We are delighted to witness such an amazing attendance coming from all states of India and are excited to organise our very first T Sync award night. The meaning of “Titan” is “important”, which directly reflects our attitude for our members coming even from the Tier III and IV cities’ travel agencies. The very reason behind naming our award show, “TSync” is because we intend to synchronise all the aspects of travelling and this award show is our very first initiative behind it,” says Sharma.

“T Sync is like a dream-come-true moment for Titanz and our main objective behind organising the award is to provide a platform for networking, bonding and enhance more business other than having a good time. T Sync is an initiative to celebrate the efforts of all our Titanzers, adds Mehta.

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TravelScapes

ON THE MOVE

NAVJIT AHLUWALIA

TravelScapes

SHIPRA SUMBLY KAUL

PROMOTED AT: Hilton TO: Senior Vice President and Country Head, India

PROMOTED AT: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bengaluru TO: General Manager

Hilton appointmented Navjit Ahluwalia as Senior Vice President and Country Head, India. He will oversee Hilton’s 33 hotels trading and under development, including the recently opened Conrad Bengaluru, while leading the company’s growth strategy in the country. Ahluwalia brings to Hilton 30 years of hospitality experience.

Shipra Sumbly Kaul has been appointed as the General Manager of Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bengaluru Racecourse. With over 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, she will be spearheading the opening and operations at the property. Prior to this, Kaul launched Holiday Inn Chennai OMR IT Expressway as the General Manager.

ADITYA SHAMSHER MALLA

SURAJIT CHATTERJEE

DAVID HODGES

PROMOTED AT: Virgin Atlantic TO: Country Manager, India operations Virgin Atlantic has announced the appointment of David Hodges as the new Country Manager for its India operations. In his new role, David will drive Virgin’s business at a strategic and commercial level for all sales within India. An accomplished industry leader with over a decade of business development and external affairs experience, David joined Virgin Atlantic in 2013.

SUMAN JULKA

PROMOTED AT: Double Tree by Hilton, Pune TO: General Manager

PROMOTED AT: Park Plaza Ludhiana TO: General Manager

PROMOTED AT: The Westin Kolkata TO: Director of Sales & Marketing

Double Tree by Hilton appointments Aditya Shamsher Malla as the General Manager at its Pune property, responsible for curating strategic initiatives, leading the hotel to continue its guest-focused approach and consolidate its leadership position. He has been a part of Marriott, Hyatt, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Shangri La International and more.

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts appoints Surajit Chatterjee as General Manager of Park Plaza Ludhiana. Hotelier with over 20 years of experience in hospitality, Chatterjee brings with him a hands-on experience in Operation Management, Inventory Management, QualityCustomer Relationship Management, Team Management & Preopening hotels. Prior to this, he has worked with Accor Hotels.

Suman Julka has been appointed as Director of Sales & Marketing, The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat. With an experience of over 18 years, Suman worked with brands such as Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, Hyatt Regency Delhi, Hotel Soul Vacation, Goa, The Grand New Delhi, The Westin Gurgaon, Hyatt Regency Gurgaon before joining The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat as her current designation.

VIKAS SHARMA

ARJUN KAGGALLU

ADITI DAS

PROMOTED AT: Sheraton Hotel Hyderabad Gachibowli TO: General Manager Sheraton Hotel Hyderabad Gachibowli appointed Vikas Sharma as the General Manager. With over 20 years of multitalented experience, Sharma is known as a strategic business leader in the industry. He is a driven individual whose work ethos led him to achieve revenue goals and garner outstanding guest satisfaction.

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FEBRUARY 2018

PROMOTED AT: Hyatt Regency Chennai TO: Director of Operations Hyatt Regency Chennai has appointed Arjun Kaggallu as the Director of Operations, responsible for spearheading the operations of Hyatt Regency Chennai. With work experience spanning three continents of Europe, US and Asia, Kaggallu began his journey in hospitality in the year 2003. Prior to joining Hyatt Regency Chennai, Arjun was Director of Rooms at Taj Lands End Mumbai.

PROMOTED AT: Courtyard by Marriott Pune TO: Human Resources Manager Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan appointed Aditi Das as the Human Resources Manager.

Prior to this, Das was working at Trident Jaipur, Jaipur Marriott Hotel, Ibis Jaipur (AccorHotels Group) and Ibis Gurugram (AccorHotels Group).

With over nine years’ work experience, the quick succession in her career demonstrates her leadership and efficient management in all aspects of the hotel’s operations.

RNI No. - DELENG/2013/48401 • Licence No. : F.2(T-3) 2013 • Posting Dt. 9-10/02/2018 Place of Posting: NIEHOND 110028 • Reg. No. - DL(W)10/2208/2016-2018 • Date of publication 3-4/02/2018

A Luxurious European Experience

Live the European sophisticated lifestyle at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates.

Benefits you can enjoy while you stay with us: · Direct connectivity to the award winning Mall of the Emirates with more than 700 shops and services · Book a suite and above and get free access to Snow park in Ski Dubai per stay · 20% off in our truly levantine restaurant, Olea · Experience our signature restaurants: Aspen, Olea, Salero Tapas & Bodega and Noir Lounge & Bar · Complimentary WiFi access Terms and conditions apply

www.kempinski.com/dubai For reservations call +971 4 341 0000 or email reservations.malloftheemirates@kempinski.com