TravelScapes July 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

JULY 2018, PAGES 56, `100

TURKEY

YOUR ‘HAPPILY EVER AFTER’ BEGINS HERE

VOL. 6, ISSUE. 7

CHASING THE MONSOON RAINS MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE TO TOURISM NUMBERS

TravelScapes PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This season, it’s raining opportunities!

Dear readers, While the intermittent downpour that characterises the monsoon season might have put a damper on your travelling plans earlier, however, improvised strategies and constant curiosity to explore beyond the ordinary have helped the numbers mount up in the recent times. The gloom that grips tourist hubs during the monsoon in India seems to be fading away. As airlines have continued to offer monsoon sales and portals have launched attractive offers, year-on-year growth for monsoon travel on portals like Cleartrip, Yatra has surpassed bookings for the summer season.

To know more about the growth facilitators and the lookout on how monsoon travel is truly an attractive value proposition, we spoke to the destination experts and industry stalwarts.

A hotel’s personalisation of service is the key to create an unforgettable experience for guests and going beyond the kind of amenities they have or discounts in store. The hotel industry is now entering a golden age of personalisation in response to evolving consumer expectations

through technological advancements.

However, to make sure their guests feel like guests, like unique individuals and not entries in a booking ledger, the hotels are going that extra mile by adding a touch of human interaction.

Even the seasoned hoteliers agree to the fact that personalizing the guest experience with a human touch has become the pathway to guest loyalty and repeat visits. Read our ‘Special Feature’ to know more.

Further, we got an opportunity to speak with various Association Presidents on how the upcoming conventions are going to act as a facilitator for boosting tourism numbers and enhancing opportunities. While IATO Convention will focus on the theme “Mission 20 million tourists: Challenges and Possibilities”, the forthcoming OTOAI Convention will take up the subject of “Digitalisation, the way forward”.

While big Turkish cities like Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya can be good choices for your big day celebration, you may also choose a holiday destination like Bodrum or Cappadocia to exchange the vows.

So if marrying in Turkey is your

dream then the good news is that the country offers plenty of picturesque backdrops, idyllic beaches and unusual venues that claim to make your special day completely unimaginable.

A state known for its ancient sculptured temples, modern cities with a plenty of options to shop and enjoy the nightlife, Karnataka’s winning blend surely takes your breath away. While you can witness the whirling trails, picturesque coffee plantations in the lush green environs of Chikmagalur, Coorg, the Scotland of India enthralls the visitors with its fascinating cascades and incredible wilderness. Brace yourself as we take you through this land of timelessness and heart-stopping beauty.

Varun Malhotra Publisher & CEO

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

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

Happy reading

PUBLISHER & CEO Varun Malhotra varun@versatilemedia.in

ADMIN HEAD R Prem Lata

DIRECTOR Pranav Khullar pranav@versatilemedia.in

ASST. MANAGER ADMIN. Dilip Kaur

VICE PRESIDENT Shelly Chadha shelly@versatilemedia.in

EXECUTIVE-CIRCULATION Hari Puri, Sameer Singh

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Gagneet Kaur ASST. EDITOR Sayanti Halder REPORTER Shubhangi Bhatia AGM SALES & MARKETING (MUMBAI) Aarti Rajkhewa SR. MARKETING MANAGER Nidhi Hinduja CONSULTANT Anindya Malhotra, Jitin Mann ART DIRECTOR Rakesh Kumar ACCOUNTS Chandan Kumar Jha, Swati Jauhari

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

Owned and published by: Varun Malhotra, Editor & Publisher, EB-63, Maya Enclave, Hari Nagar, New Delhi - 110064 and printed at in-house facility.

CONTENT JULY 2018

VOL. 6, ISSUE. 7

SPECIAL FEATURE pg-8

CHASING THE

MONSOON RAINS ‘MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE’ TO TOURISM NUMBERS

Image: Adlabs Imagica

Earlier, travelling during the monsoon sounded like almost an omen that had to be avoided. However, the gloom that grips tourist hubs during the monsoon in India seems to be fading away and the season, therefore, is raining opportunities for the travel and tourism industry

SPOTLIGHT 24 MEYDAN HOTELS & HOSPITALITY TO REINFORCE THEIR PRESENCE IN INDIA

SPECIAL FEATURE 26 ‘Checking-in to personalisation Though the role of customer service in hospitality has changed with the arrival of the digital age, however, the very aspect of the human interaction can never be replaced by machines. We spoke to the seasoned hoteliers, the General Managers of the leading hotels

GLOBETROTTER

32 “We are not just an island. We are a landscape”

44 Turkey

Ahmed Siaar, General Manager of Fushifaru Maldives shares about the positioning of the property and boasts the differential factors

RESORT FEATURE 38 Embrace the Ecstasy Lily Beach Resort & Spa is a perfect hideaway for families and couples.

EXOTIC INDIA 50 Karnataka A tapestry of colours, cultures, flavours, landscapes, timelessness and heart stopping beauty, Karnataka is a winning blend of urban cool, glittering palaces, national parks, ancient ruins, beaches, yoga centres and legendry hang-outs.

4 travelscapesonline.com

IN CONVERSATION

JULY 2018

Turkey is fast becoming one of the most ideal wedding destinations in the Mediterranean, thanks to its perfect blend of beaches, scenic seaside location, creamy sand beaches and plush hotels with captivating wedding venues

REGULAR UPDATES 6..........................................................................................................................................................................................MoT 16..................................................................................................................................................................................... Trade 34..........................................................................................................................................................................Hospitality 42............................................................................................................................................................................Outbound 46................................................................................................................................................................................Aviation 52....................................................................................................................................................................... Photo Story 54...................................................................................................................................................................... On the Move

UPDATE

TravelScapes

MoT

Tourism Minister launches the new Incredible India website T he Minister of State for Tourism, K.J. Alphons recently launched the new ‘Incredible India’ website in New Delhi.

The website showcases India as a holistic destination, revolving around major experiences, such as spirituality, heritage, adventure, culture, yoga and wellness. The website follows the trends and technologies of international standards with an aim to project India as a “must-visit” destination, among its overseas travellers. Launching the new dynamic and interactive website with latest platform and technology, the Minister hopes that the website will evolve as one of the best in the world and states that the new website is more interactive.

Speaking at the event, Secretary Tourism, Rashmi Verma said that new website will suggest a visitor the options and there is no need of any queries. She

also added that the website will provide information all over the world even about exotic destinations of the country. The Secretary also conveyed that the website has already started getting visits from US, Russia and China.

With the help of Adobe solution suite, the Ministry of Tourism will now be able to engage effectively with visitors across Web and Social channels and measure engagement, to deliver real time personalised experiences for each visitor, based on their interest and travel persona.

Ministry of Tourism has partnered with Google Arts & Culture, in bringing online a series of compelling visuals that will give the user an immersive experience of India’s spectacular heritage, festivity, spirituality, museums and adventure, on the new website.

MTDC and Airbnb introduces Tourism Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme

M

aharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is strengthening its ties with Airbnb aiming to launch the Tourism Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme in the state to boost the tourism prospects. The program aims to drive economic growth in local Maharashtra communities by helping micro-entrepreneurs in hospitality sector grow their business through four key pillars of support- Training, Enabling, Access and Promotion. Airbnb will create a comprehensive training toolkit which will be used by Maharashtra Tourism to identify quality destinations, homes and entrepreneurs, as well as by Airbnb to train selected entrepreneurs on technology, hospitality, financing, regulations and promotion.

6 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

Commenting on the occasion, Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, said, “Tourism is not only a source of revenue for the state but is also key source of growth for local communities.

In Airbnb, we have found a global partner whose vision to create skilled microentrepreneurs in hospitality and homestay ecosystem to further expand Maharashtra’s tourism potential. This is the first-of-itskind tourism initiative in India where the Government has used the revenue shared by a partner to create a program to benefit various underprivileged communities in the state. With new innovative initiatives like this one, together with Airbnb, we aim to attract a larger global audience and exponentially boost tourism in Maharashtra,”

Three MoUs signed under the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme

T

he Ministry of Culture has clarified that ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme of the Government of India is making good progress. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India. Raghvendra Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Culture says that under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme, three MoUs have already been signed and six are at an advanced stage and 31 more Adarsh Monuments are enlisted for coverage under the scheme. The Project aims to develop synergy among all partners to effectively promote “responsible tourism”, targeting to involve public sector companies, private sector companies and corporate citizens.

The Government has carried out Critical Gap Analysis in respect of the heritage monuments of importance and identified public conveniences and civic amenities which can be provided in these monuments with the involvement of corporate sector, PSUs etc. under the CSR activities to enhance visitor experience.

MoT to take International Buddhist Conclave to Aurangabad

T

he biennial International Buddhist Conclave, a forum to promote India’s Buddhist heritage in the international arena, will travel out from Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh to Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The 2018 edition of the international conclave will be held in Aurangabad between August 22 and 25, 2018 as a first step to promote “secondary destinations” associated with the Buddhist heritage in India. The idea is to highlight and promote Ajanta and Ellora as a destination in the global Buddhist tourism map. The initiative has been jointly taken by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).

Speaking at a Promotion Workshop on Ajanta-Ellora organised jointly by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) in Delhi, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary – Tourism, Government of India said that it is a step to showcase the secondary sites associated with Buddhist heritage and help bring international buyers and local sellers together on a platform.

TravelScapes

MoT

UPDATE

IT’S CARNIVAL TIME IN KERALA

THIS ONAM, WITNESS KERALA IN ALL ITS GLORY!

I

t’s the time when, after the monsoons, nature looks radiant in her fresh green garb. It’s also the season of plenty when the fields are harvested, the cellars are full and even the air takes on a festive feel with a gentle, soothing breeze laden with the sweet smell of flowers. Onam is not just the biggest festival of Kerala but also the most colourful and the most extravagant.

It’s the festival of homecomings, a tribute to peace and harmony and a celebration of the true spirit of God’s Own Country.

him his last wish to visit his land for one day each year.

Onam commemorates the annual return of Mahabali.

The legend of Onam The legend of Onam evokes nostalgic memories of an era of peace and prosperity, ruled by the great king Mahabali or Maveli. It is believed that under his reign, peace and happiness ruled the lives of men. Mahabali’s growing power and popularity made the gods envious and they feared that humans would attain godliness.

To destroy Mahabali’s supremacy on earth, Lord Vishnu in the guise of a dwarf, Vamana, approached Mahabali and requested three paces of land to which the King agreed. The dwarf then assumed his full capacity and with his first step took the celestial world, and the world of the demons in his second. Mahabali pleaded with Vamana to take his final step over him and surrendered his life. However, the gods granted

A feast fit for kings Onasadya, the traditional feast is another important part of the Onam celebrations. Served on a plantain leaf, the Sadya is a sumptuous spread of vegetarian delights and rice, along with payasams - a sweet porridge garnished with dried fruits and nuts. The popular saying ’Kanam vittum Onam Unnanam’ (which loosely translates as ‘One must have the Onam lunch even if he is forced to sell his property’) says much about the importance of sadya. Today, almost all the resorts and hotels offer tourists a rich and delicious sampling of the Onasadya.

Saying it with flowers Elaborate festivities mark Onam that starts formally on the day of the Atham asterism and goes on for ten days. A key highlight of the onam celebration is the Athapookalam or floral carpets that adorn the frontyard of homes to give king Mahabali a glorious welcome.

A splendid spectacle Another not-to-be-missed Onam festivity is the

Thripunithura Athachamayam, a splendid procession that marks the beginning of the Onam festivities.

Celebrated with a lot of fanfare on the day of Atham at Thripunithura in Ernakulam district, the highlights of the event are folk dance performances, dance recitals by renowned artists, musical ensembles and caparisoned elephants (August 15, 2018).

Onam Week Celebrations in the capital Though celebrations are held across the state during Onam, the Tourism Week Celebrations held in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram by Kerala Tourism is the biggest and most colourful. A wide range of programmes including food festivals and art festivals are held during the week that concludes with a grand procession (August 24 to 30, 2018).

Tiger, tiger burning bright A common sight during Onam is the Pulikali, a 200-year-old folk art performed by trained artists.

The dancers, painted from head to toe to resemble feisty tigers, indulge in a cat-and-mouse session with gun-wielding hunters, in rhythmic steps, to the music of ethnic drums such as thakil and udukku. Take part in the Pulikali in the Swaraj Grounds, Thrissur, and get ready for the wild side of Onam! (August 28, 2018)

UPDATE MoT SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

CHASING THE

MONSOON

RAINS ‘MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE’ TO TOURISM NUMBERS Earlier, travelling during the monsoon sounded like almost an omen that had to be avoided.

However, the gloom that grips tourist hubs during the monsoon in India seems to be fading away and the season, therefore, is raining opportunities for the travel and tourism industry

By Gagneet Kaur

8 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

SPECIAL MoTFEATURE UPDATE

TravelScapes

I

ndian monsoons are magical and it’s not even partly true that this season is acting as a deterrent for potential travellers, instead, we see a constant spike in travellers every year, who are exploring the country, in and out, to experience the quintessential charm that monsoon showers.

Imagine the early morning fogs carpeting the Western Ghats, the smell of wet leaves wafting in Darjeeling and the water bodies changing shades of blue and grey at the beaches of Goa and Kerala—the rains bring out a completely different side of the Indian destinations.

Quite possibly, because of the negative implications associated with the Indian monsoon, majority of foreign tourists give India a miss during this period. Well, the loss is all theirs because what it does is to leave the best hotels and the most luxurious resorts in the country completely open to you, as they fight each other to get you to favour them over the competition, offering some of the best rates possible. Not just the hotels but the airlines also ride the bandwagon to offer the best monsoon deals and the airfares are relatively low. Also, as this season receives lesser crowds and offers plenty of opportunities for winning a bargain, various theme parks like Adlabs Imagica have gone a step ahead to roll out their special monsoon campaigns, as a result of which the park witnesses phenomenal footfall, every year. Imagica is India’s first and the only

international standard theme park situated near the city of Khopoli on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway close to Mumbai, Maharashtra.

A three-fold rise in holiday bookings during the monsoon season has taken even the travel companies by surprise. While some of the leading travel portals recorded that there is around 25 per cent rise in monsoon travel bookings, a new trend of tourists flocking to quaint resorts, opting for self-drives and visiting less-touristy destinations has been observed by many.Ezeego1, one of the leading online travel portals, has seen an increase of 20 to 25 per cent on monsoon bookings this year and has observed a heavy demand for destinations such as Darjeeling, Gangtok, Shillong, Munnar, Ooty, Kovalam, Allepey, Igatpuri, Ganpatipule, Mahabaleshwar and Lonavala. Portals like Yatra and Cleartrip claim that with the launch of new attractive offers and improvised marketing strategies, year-on-year growth for monsoon bookings has surpassed the numbers for summer season in the past few years. SOTC Travel has also recently launched its annual monsoon travel packages to provide best deals to customers on their bookings for the season. The delightful combination of valuefor-money packages together with an assortment of breathtaking Indian and global destinations makes these packages a great option for travellers. The company has witnessed a significant increase in queries and demand for monsoon 2018.

It seems that the monsoon rains have not at all dampened the spirits of the intrepid Indian traveller which has, therefore, also invigorated the state tourism boards to promote their respective states during this season with their special campaigns. Kerala, which has recently rolled out #COMEOUTANDPLAY campaign for monsoon, had hosted 6,142,190 tourists during June-October 2017 with an increase of 506,623 travellers as compared to 5,635,567 tourist arrivals during monsoon season in 2016. Goa that wears yet another crown as far as tourism is concerned, has now been declared as a favourite monsoon destination. As per a report, the tourism authority noted a 60 per cent rise in tourist visits during the monsoon of last year and shall continue to see the exponential growth in the coming seasons. Some of the other marvels like Coorg in Karnataka, wondrous Ladakh region in J&K, the scenic hilltops of Mahabaleshwar and Bhandardara in Maharashtra, the magnificent Andaman Islands, Kodaikanal, Dharamshala, Mcleodganj and more are catching an eye of today’s traveller.

As it becomes crucial for the tourism industry to leverage from the drizzling opportunities, grabbing the right strategies may further help in lifting up the monsoon travel trend. To comprehend furthermore on how the industry is chasing the monsoon with smart deals and special campaigns, we compiled various viewpoints of the industry experts.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

9

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

Vijay Kumar Gautam, Principal Secretary and Managing Director, MTDC Maharashtra is rich for its scenic beauty and offers the finest views of nature, especially during monsoon. Many destinations uch as Malshej Ghat, Bhandardara, Lonavla-Khandala, Igatpuri, Amboli, Mahabaleshwar and Matheran are emerging as popular tourist destinations during this season. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) resorts in these places are also proving to be ideal for accommodation during monsoon and the tourist footfalls in these resorts are increasing tremendously. MTDC is planning to start adventure sports uch as rock climbing, rappelling and trekking at Malshej Ghat, Sinhgad and

Mahabaleshwar. We have also requested applications from professionals and groups with knowledge in adventure sports, who will assist the department in launching these activities. The Government of Maharashtra looks forward to provide more motivation to this sector with additional attractive programmes and initiatives.

Looking at the growing numbers of foreign tourists, the state has started giving importance to adventure tourism at various locations ncluding trekking at Kalsubai and river rafting at Kolad. We, therefore, expect this upward graph of tourist inflow to continue this year as well.

P. Bala Kiran, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala and MD, Kannur International Airport Ltd. The Tourism Department has been actively working towards developing action and water-based activities to entice tourists during monsoon season from all corners of the world. From trekking to river rafting, vacationers can get a chance to rediscover nature, rekindle relationships and reconnect with life by indulging into numerous outdoor activities that the state offers. In order to attract travellers during the monsoon season, Kerala Tourism has rolled out #COMEOUTANDPLAY (Come out and play) campaign. Its main objective is to divest vacationers of their ‘career selves’, their ‘formal adultness’ and their pre-occupation with devices, careers and the routine of everyday life.

10 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

The state is going to witness Neelakurinji in Idukki district between July and October 2018. Neelakurinji flowers (StrobilanthesKunthiana) will blossom after 12 years across the hills of Munnar. The decade-long blooming cycle of the flower is what makes it a rare spectacle. We expect over 800,000 tourist arrivals with an increase of 79 per cent during Neelakurinji season. Further, the Tourism Board is all set to launch the much-awaited tourist spot- Jatayu Earth’s Center (JEC) this quarter. Rightfully, the state has an immense tourism potential to be explored by the vacationers from the world during monsoon.

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

Picks • Goa • Coorg (Karnataka) • Agumbe (Karnataka) • Wayanad (Kerala) • Athirapilly (Kerala) • Kumarakom (Kerala) • Munnar (Kerala)

Neelu Singh, CEO & Director, Ezeego1 Contrary to the belief that monsoon is not the ideal time to travel; people are taking trips during monsoon more than ever. Monsoon is a time when crowds and prices, at some of the popular tourist destinations in India, come down steeply.

One can get fantastic deals offered by higher-star hotels, especially resorts and five-star properties. Further with airlines introducing flash sales have made travel cheap during this period luring travellers to travel at economical rates.

For past two years, we have seen a trend that families tend to book quality accommodation over a weekend and enjoy

activities within the resort itself, whereas the youngsters look for adventure activities that can be carried out over two to three days.

The concept of self-drive holidays is also in great demand this season. Travellers are exploring different exciting routes like Bangalore- Mysore- Ooty, Allepey- Munnar – Kodaikanal, Ahmedabad - Udaipur – Mount Abu. We are expecting a high demand in car rental bookings for people who prefer to drive down to nearby destinations and enjoy the rain.

• Bekal (Kerala) • Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya) • Andaman & Nicobar Island • Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu) • Pondicherry • Alibaug (Mumbai) • Malshej Ghat (Maharashtra) • Bhandardara (Maharashtra) • Panchgani (Maharastra) • Lahaul – Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) • Ranikhet (Uttarakhand) • Lansdowne (Uttarakhand) • Udaipur and Mount Abu (Rajasthan) • Shillong (Northeast India)

Dhruv Shringi, Co-Founder and CEO, Yatra.com Monsoon tourism has witnessed an upsurge in the last couple of years as travellers can avail cheaper flights, hotels and get a chance to see the destination at a less frenetic time of year. It is easier to bargain in the markets and travellers can get restaurant reservations easily and pay considerably less compared to the popular travel months. They can also be benefited with a little advance booking. There are plenty of destinations that have perfect scenic views during monsoons

12 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

and can be visited either alone or with family and friends.

At Yatra, we have seen an increase in booking inquiries with customers seeking information about certain destinations or deals available during this season. The sale announcements by airlines and off-season rates at certain hotels are doing a good job at luring these travelers into the holiday mood which has helped the tourism industry to grow miles and bounds.

• Lonavala and Mahabaleshwar (Mumbai) • Leh- Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir) • Bundi (Rajasthan)

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

Raveendra Singh, Associate Vice President, Adlabs Imagica The major reason for the rise in tourism during monsoon is the innovative marketing strategies that are introduced by various brands. Even at Imagica, we continue to witness phenomenal footfall every year, owing to our differentiated approach towards monsoon tourism. Our monsoon special campaign last year won us an increased footfall by 10 per cent as compared to its previous year.

This monsoon, we target bikers, trekkers, cyclists groups and weekend travellers, along with its regular consumer groups of family and youngsters to

take a detour to the park with our brand new proposition – Imagica High Street.

With this, we aim to tap into the major tourist flow that goes to surrounding areas such as Lonavala and Khandala. We offer this at a very economic price point of INR 399, wherein guests can enjoy a sumptuous meal at the specialthemed restaurants, while enjoying other interesting activities at the park.

Furthermore, we have also introduced special upgrade packages for Indoor and Outdoor rides from Imagica High Street.

Rakshit Desai, Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions - Indian Subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group, Australia With the current onset of monsoons, travel tours have seen an increasing demand from travellers who wish to avoid peak summer holiday season and enjoy lucrative off-season deals. Apart from luxury resorts and getaways, enthralling activities such as white water rafting, hiking trails and trekking in rainforests, photography of off -beaten paths and unparalleled experiences clubbed with clutter-breaking deals have steered the urban last-minute-travellers and backpackers, adventure enthusiasts, solo travellers and millennials to travel and explore. Monsoon travel

offers refreshing mid-year breaks into the lap of nature and truly enhances the flavour of rains.

As the most awaited travel time of year in India over the years, monsoon this year has observed a steady uptake of 28 per cent in bookings over last year. With travel becoming affordable, many Indian travellers seek to travel to domestic destinations such as the coastal belt of South India, the tropical rainforests of Andaman and the valleys of the Himalayas.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

13

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

Chetan Gupta, RGD Director – S&M, R G Destinations Pvt Ltd & ADTOI General Secretary The trend is changing and so is the pattern of a tourist. Gone are the days when people waited for summer holidays to go to any destination. Today, it just requires a long weekend. We had started in 2005 and it took us an entire decade to send the message across to the world that India is at its beautiful best during monsoon.

The sound of incessant rain and cascading waters, the sight of various shades of green laced by sparkling rivers lure tourists even from afar to the state. As a tour operator working in this industry for decades, it is good for us that we manage to get

competitive airfares and hotel accommodation to keep some margins for ourselves.

The number of monsoon visitors for our company has been increasing by 10 to 20 per cent, every year.

We have to keep in mind that most of the monsoon packages would be customised for both the domestic and foreign tourists. If anyone wants to experience the real charm of monsoon season, then after visiting India, I am sure they would rarely find a chance of experiencing the nature so closely.

Shridhar V., Director of Sales & Marketing, Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug.

I feel monsoon has its own set of fans who love travelling this time of the year. In addition, there are a host of other benefits during this period like relatively lesser crowds, as the overall tourist activity is less, cheaper accommodation and flight tickets which help travellers save approximately 15 to 20 per cent as compared to peak season rates. Apart from the usual monsoon hotspots, tourists have started flocking to Alibaug to enjoy the beautiful waterfalls and pristine beaches.

Speaking of Radisson Alibaug, we see a huge demand for bookings during

14 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

monsoons. With our affordable monsoon packages, guests see this as opportunity to enjoy the luxury within their budget. Apart from these, the hotel indulges in offering special monsoon glees like the ‘Chai-Pakoda Festival’ and this year it is slated for the month of July, where one can enjoy the delicious platter of pakodas along with a hot piping cup of Chai. We also offer an exciting Rejuvenation Package, which includes a two day-one night stay at one of the Spa Villas, one relaxing spa session at the 20,000 square feet spa operated by Escenza.

UPDATE

TravelScapes

TRADE

OTOAI signs MoU with African Link Travel for upcoming convention

By Team TS

ICPB’s ‘Conventions India Conclave’ to be held in Kolkata from August 29 to 31 India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), a body sponsored by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India announces its flagship event “Conventions India Conclave” to be held in Kolkata from August 29 to 31, 2018 at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre. Revolving around the theme of the event “Scaling New Height – Building for the Future”, the focus area during the conclave will be on how ICPB can enhance its activities and compete in the international market.

The other focus area will be to create an opportunity of bidding for an International conference. The other focus area will be to create opportunity of Bidding for an International Conference.

“For us, at ICPB, apart from Bidding for future International Conference, the 11th Conclave is very significant as ICPB will be opening its first State Chapter in Kolkata during the Conclave on August 30. The Conclave will provide the perfect forum of opinions, views and standpoints on India’s meeting and Convention Industry,” shares Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman – ICPB. The two day event will be packed with various sessions and panel discussions some of which include ‘Public Private Partnership for Destination Marketing’, ‘Social Media Marketing – Changing Scenario - Impact on Industry and Way Forward’ and ‘A Winning Formula for Bidding for International Conferences’.

Ministry of Tourism, West Bengal Government is the platinum sponsor as the state partner and Biswa Bangla Convention Centre is the venue partner.

16 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has announced August 11 to 14, 2018 as the dates for its next convention in the mesmerising city of Cape Town, South Africa. The Executive Committee of the association led by the President Mahendra Vakharia recently signed the MoU with Bunny Bhoola, Director, African Link Travel, for its convention during a press meet held in New Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Vakharia highlighted, “All the conventions that have been conducted in the past three years, have been a huge success not just among the industry but also for the respective destination tourism boards as the numbers have shown a tremendous upsurge. With our 4th convention which is going to take place in Cape Town this year, we are yet again bringing a lot of value to the table, both for the destination and the members.” Further, debunking the myths about the water scarcity problem in Cape Town, he emphasises, “Sometimes, a wrong message can completely jeopardise the equation of a destination from the tourism point of view. It is, therefore, important for the media to sensitise people about the right information. While I was in Cape Town, I was amazed to see how extremely conscious everyone is to conserve and consume the water. The city aims to cut down the usage of water to 50 litres per person within the next few months. With this, I am quite confident that the convention is going to be big sell-out as Cape Town is all set to welcome any number of tourists.”

Bunny Bhoola identified this as a key step to boost the diplomatic ties between the two countries. “We really look forward to this convention, thanks to all the passion and kindness of Team OTOAI that we will be organising this convention in South Africa. We have a lot of exciting programs scheduled for the delegates, so stay tuned.” Adding to that, Alpa Jani, Manager, Trade Relations, South African Tourism said, “As we excitingly celebrate this year as centenary time of Nelson Mandela, it gives us a great reason to promote South Africa to the agents. South African Tourism ensures all its support to the association to further make this convention a resonating success.”

Guldeep Singh Sahni, Former President OTOAI underlined, “We are not just going to train the tour operators on specifics but are definitely going to educate them to look into how they can support in further accelerating the business relations and sell the destination much beyond the traditional itineraries.

Of course, South Africa was one country where we have been looking for a long time. There have been issues related to the visa process in past but I must congratulate South African Government as to how they have resolved it. Seat availability is one thing that the government should be looking into as more and more people are now flying from tier II and tier III cities as well and I am surely going to take this forward during the convention.”

While Gurdeep Singh Gujral, Joint Secretary, OTOAI claimed that the convention will act as an educational platform offering the best of interactive and brainstorming sessions, Himanshu Patil, VicePresident, OTOAI, who is also Chairman for the Convention gave a glimpse into the agenda of the convention. Patil highlighted, “We want the association members to explore the beautiful country of South Africa and become aware about its unique tourism offerings. OTOAI has selected almost 200 delegates from India and looking at the great response and increase in enquiries, I am already having a word with African Link Travel to increase the number of registrations. We are also looking at Emirates or Ethiopian airlines as the airline partners. Further, the B2B sessions will focus on the agenda ‘Digitalisation: The Way Forward’ where we will be sharing ideas on how to go ahead in the game. We will also host pre and post FAM tours for the delegates where they will get to explore places such as Garden Route, Sun City and Johannesburg.”

The association’s conventions till date have been primarily held in Asia and the Middle East. Last year, OTOAI chose Ras Al Khaimah as its annual convention destination. Around 170 travel partners from India participated in the event and the response was incredible.

UPDATE

TravelScapes

TRADE

34th IATO convention to focus on moving from vision to reality

By Team TS

A

fter the biennial elections of the association, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) is all geared up to hold its 34th annual convention in Vishakhapatnam from September 6 to 9 2018. During the recently held Executive Committee meeting, the association unveiled the convention heads. Rajiv Mehra, Vice President, IATO has been appointed as the Chairman while Rajesh Mudgill, Hony. Secretary, IATO will be the Cochairman for the convention.

Speaking about the theme and concept of the convention, Mehra revealed, “We always assure you to offer something very unique and engaging. Therefore, ‘Mission 20 Million Tourists - Challenges and Possibilities’ has been chosen as the key theme, this year. We keep talking about increasing foreign tourist numbers but what is the on-ground reality? Since our tourism industry is

Rajesh Mudgill

Rajiv Mehra

grappling with several issues including infrastructure, wayside amenities, new airports and alike, how are we going to achieve the target of 20 million tourists? Therefore, through this convention, we are going to focus on the challenges that we face and would explore the possibilities to achieve that target. Also, we’ll have interesting business sessions and better opportunities for our members.

Some of the final sessions include

‘digital marketing, the way forward’, discussions on how the aviation industry is benefiting under regional connectivity scheme of UDAN and deliberations with the experts on how the travel agents can move ahead with the hotels in terms of direct bookings.”

While Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach is chosen as the convention venue, the inaugural dinner will take place at the Park Hotel on September 6. Mehra happily informed

that the AP Chief Minister and Tourism Minister are confirmed as the Chief Guests for the inauguration and few senior officials are yet to confirm for the valedictory session. There will be post-convention tours starting from September 9 onwards which will include the new attractions in Vizag.

Mehra and Mudgill have already started working on the registration process and the complete details shall be revealed soon.

“As we are equally focused towards our members’ interests, IATO would continue to empower them with brainstorming sessions and giving them information on how they can increase their business. We are also working towards promoting the association’s website which I personally believe, would be very beneficial to the members, giving them an enhanced visibility,” Mehra shares with the hint of a smile.

“The industry has to grow together” In a candid conversation with the industry aficionado, Ravi Gosain, Managing Director, Erco Travels

By Gagneet Kaur

T

he domestic segment of tourism is accelerating at a huge speed; seasoned and skilled Ravi Gosain, however, believes that there are certain things that need an immediate attention. He highlights, “We can observe that the domestic sector has a huge growth potential but still when it comes to Indians planning their trips, they are skeptical about buying tourism as a product. They plan and book their trips overnight, which in turn creates a haywire situation for the tour operators who have to deal with lastminute hassles. Things, however, have changed a little but this will take time.

And I always feel the change comes with the right information and proper implementation. The more you’ll travel, the more you’ll learn.”

As Gosain relies on the government being the main facilitator for a tour operator’s business, he urges that the country should be frequently promoted, both on the national and international level. “Government can play a very important role in projecting

18 travelscapesonline.com

Ravi Gosain

the image of our country. Though there are a lot of publicities, advertisements, seminars, roadshows on their level but a proactive approach towards involving new ideas shall always remove the barriers. Talking about our upcoming convention, the event will focus on the challenges we may face in achieving the target of 20 million tourists by 2020. The numbers are increasing but nothing concrete has been done to date. Therefore, we’ll talk about how collectively we can bring up the numbers and make India stand out

JULY 2018

from the crowd. So I’m sure if the things are streamlined, the country will evolve even faster.”

Adding further, he accentuates, “I personally believe that the industry has to grow together. This is the only way forward. I have seen there is a lot of price war in the market which is natural because when the supply is less, people will be more competitive, trying to cut short the prices and take the route that is not ethical. But in the longer run, if one has to survive, we need to make some kind of understanding with each other. So competing on what we can offer and not on the prices may solve the problems and this is what, as an industry, we all need to understand. And if the industry will grow, everybody who is a part of it will eventually grow.”

With a notable 30 per cent of growth in business last year, Erco Travels, a leading travel agency recognised by the Govt. of India, is quite hopeful of observing positive

signs in the year ahead. Last year, the company added South Africa to its business division where it appointed a marketing and PR agency to conduct activities in India and aims to sharpen its focus towards the same. Gosain, the man behind the company’s success, has always believed in striving for more. “We started our journey 18 years back and this venture was a passion turned into reality. It was a passion turned into reality. Since the time I have entered the tourism industry, I have always spread out a word that India is never a holiday destination; indeed it’s a complete experience in itself.

And that is where Erco Travels excels as we try to sell more experiences than just a holiday. We tailor-make itineraries, keeping in mind both our client’s interest and offering real-time experiences. We always try to bring freshness and innovation to our products and our approach is always to be original yet different,” says Gosain.

TravelScapes

TRADE

UPDATE

TrawellTag Cover-More partners with International Travel House (ITH) I

TH has joined hands with TrawellTag Cover-More to offer travel assistance and insurance for corporate travels. ITH is India’s leading travel management company offering bouquet of travel solutions for last 34 years. TrawellTag Cover-More is India’s leading provider of travel assistance and insurance solutions to numerous business houses and corporate giants.

TrawellTag Cover-More will provide corporate travel assistance services along with comprehensive medical and personal assistance services to the customer base of ITH. ITH being in the business of corporate travel solutions has allied with TrawellTag Cover-More for the seamless provision expert real-time travel protection.

Elaborating on the collaboration, Founder & CEO

– India & Emerging Markets –Cover-More India, Dev Karvat said, “ITH desired for a product that is beyond traditional travel insurance, to serve their frequent corporate travellers. Our products being all-inclusive and concurrent with customers’ travel needs are a perfect fit for ITH’s requirement”.

Talking on the partnership, Ajay Kumar – CEO International Travel House quoted, “This Partnership is a joint effort of both the groups to service our customers. TrawellTag Cover-More’s product offering goes beyond traditional travel insurance, we look forward to working with TrawellTag Cover-More.”

Over the years, TrawellTag Cover-More has been providing expert travel assistance and insurance

Dev Karvat

services to different corporates. With cutting edge technology and advanced infrastructure, TrawellTag Cover-More will continue to offer best services to customer base of ITH.

LINKIN Reps to represent The Kingsbury Hotel & Amaya Resorts and Spas in India T he Kingsbury Hotel & Amaya Resorts and Spas, renowned for offering elegant accommodation, exceptional service and a diverse culinary experience to tourists visiting Sri Lanka and Maldives, announced their strategic corporation with LINKIN Reps in order to increase their market space in India.

LINKIN Reps will be the Sales and Marketing Representative in India for four properties of the group - The Kingsbury Colombo Hotel, Amaya Lake – Dambulla, Amaya Hills – Kandy and Amaya Kuda Rah – Maldives.

and The Kingsbury, Colombo has to offer to the discerning Indian Traveller”.

Komal Seth, Director, LINKIN Reps, on her part, said, “We are happy to be appointed as the India office for the hotels and resorts of Kingsbury and Amaya. Both the brands are wellknown entities in terms of luxury, cuisine and the quality of services they offer to all travel segments be it leisure, MICE or wedding groups. Developing and multiplying their market share in India will be our utmost focus. We are keen on making success stories for Kingbury and Amaya, who are

PATA signs strategic partnership agreement with ADARA

T

Denesh Silva

Komal Seth

Speaking after the announcement, Denesh Silva, Director Head Marketing & Sales - The Kingsbury and Amaya Resorts & Spas said, “Amaya Resorts and Spas and The Kingsbury Hotel are delighted to partner with Linkin Reps to promote our product in the Indian Market. We are confident that this partnership will further enhance the Amaya Resorts & Spas and The Kingsbury footprint in India and lead to even more guests from the subcontinent indulging and experiencing the warm hospitality and wonderful product offering the Amaya Resorts & Spas

bejewelled as finest five-star hotels and resorts located in Sri Lanka and Maldives”.

The appointment is a part of Kingsbury Hotel & Amaya Resorts and Spas’ strategic direction in ensuring that they have footprints across all major markets globally, including India. According to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, India continued to be Sri Lanka’s top source of tourists with 384,628 arrivals (up 7.8 per cent) in 2017. On the other hand, Indian tourist visits had reached 83,019 by end of December 2017, says Maldivian Tourism Ministry.

he Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership agreement with ADARA, the enterprise-wide data solution for travel brands, to empower its members with a comprehensive view of destination visitor data for more powerful and efficient marketing campaigns.

As part of the agreement, ADARA will work with PATA to encourage its members to contribute data to the ADARA travel data co-op. ADARA will use the data to develop co-branded country and regional market intelligence reports, which will be made available exclusively to PATA members.

“As many organisations focus their marketing efforts on digital marketing strategies, the access to quality permissioned data and proper analysis is fundamental to making smart business decisions,” said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. “Our partnership with ADARA will provide a more holistic view of the patterns; trends and behaviour of travellers for our members, helping them better plan their marketing strategies to achieve maximum return on their marketing investments.”

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

19

SPECIAL FOCUS TRADE

TravelScapes

STEERING THROUGH THE INDIAN WAVES Pandaw launches expedition on the Lower Ganges

By Gagneet Kaur A pioneer of boutique river expeditions throughout Southeast Asia, Pandaw, a 25-year-old river cruise company is known for uniquely designed powerful shallow-draft ships, hand-crafted in teak and brass. Pandaw Expeditions pioneered the first routes on both the Red River in Northern Vietnam and the Upper Mekong through Laos into China in 2015. Beginning its India operations from December 23, 2018, Pandaw, is now all set to launch its river expedition on the Lower Ganges that will take guests on an epic journey sailing from Kolkata to Farraka and vice versa.

The company will deploy “Orient Pandaw” for a seven-night journey for India itinerary offering weekly departures until the end of April 2019 and will re-commence in July 2019 through to April 2020. Built in Vietnam in 2012, the Orient Pandaw features thirty staterooms on two decks, all with personal veranda space, indoor dining, a deck bar, a movie and lecture theatre and a spa. Starting off on a positive note, Marco Rosa, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Pandaw Expeditions says, “Our ships are designed in a way that they appeal in the colonial leisure style and the excursions we offer are fun-filled and adventurous. With this new project in India, we aim to provide a very cultural experience to our passengers who want to get off the ship and like to be in touch

20 travelscapesonline.com

Marco Rosa

Ashish Saran

with the local people and culture. The itinerary will be fully-packed for every day offering the opportunity to explore places. We would focus more on taking people to the real parts of India rather than aiming towards the main tourist attractions. Instead of taking them to plush shopping places, we’ll take the passengers to local markets where they can shop or closely observe the simple life of locals.”

Rosa seems quite confident about the marketing and promotional strategies for the project since the company has appointed Travel-Reps. com as its market representation and consulting firm. Travel-Reps will be responsible to deliver sales and promote the itineraries in the India market. Pandaw Expeditions has already started promoting the Indian itinerary in the global market through its website and the packages are

already up for sale. One can view the complete itinerary by visiting the link www.pandaw.com/expeditions/thelower-ganges-river.

While educating the travel agents on selling the river cruise itineraries is necessary, Ashish Saran, CEO, Travel Reps highlights some of the important facts in the same context.

“Today, whenever we start with a new association, we always identify ourselves in three major roles- EMF (Educate. Motivate. Facilitate).

Education is by way of educating the travel agents selling the packages and it can be in several forms including creating specialist programs, individual training, conducting sales and B2B missions or inviting agents to give the first-hand experience. Motivation, of course, could be a basic commission, sales based incentives or a joint collaboration in marketing and

JULY 2018

promotions which further encourages the agents to sell the product. Thirdly, facilitation comes when we handhold the agents and tell them that for boosting the sales, we will walk you through the process. That is when the agents need the guidance and support to further ease out the procedure, be it in terms of formalities or planning the itineraries. I strongly believe, in the coming years, the niche and multidestination products are going to be sold majorly through the B2B channels so it is crucial that we incorporate the EMF model like we, at Travel Reps have created an exclusive mandate for Pandaw where we hope to work collectively to develop the market and deliver on the targets from India.”

Rosa couldn’t agree more with Saran when he further shares his future vision.

“Our business relies 100 per cent on relationships with our travel partners.

Even internationally, we always work closely with tour operators and travel agents. Therefore, for this particular project in India and the upcoming ones, we want to build the business together with the local agents and partners. I am very confident about this project and its future is hopefully bright. Keeping the potential of India market in mind, we are looking at bringing more ships to the country and hopefully, if everything goes as planned, we will see more ships coming by the next 12 months.”

UPDATE

TravelScapes

ASSOCIATIONS

BOLSTERING OUTBOUND BUSINESS SIGTOA TO HARVEST MORE BUSINESS AND NETWORKING

T

he South India Global Tour Operators Association (SIGTOA), comprising of a vast number of tour operators across the South India that help in organising tours anywhere in India and overseas, aims to add impetus to their progressively accelerating wagon towards success. With their second annual convention being organised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from August 28 to September 1, 2018, the chiefs of the association aims to shape their members’ outlook towards garnering business and selling outbound to the India market.

Spanning for five days, the convention is expected to offer extensive B2B networking and insightful workshops by the leading names of the travel trade

industry from PAN India. After a leap of success with the association’s debut convention held in MGM Macau, last year, SIGTOA is hopeful to achieve more visibility and business through their seamless services and regularly growing the network of members. The association is also going to unveil its yearly manual, published by Versatile Media. The manual briefly elaborates the aims, objectives and future growth plans of the association including the milestones achieved in the year gone by.

Both the committee members on top of the associated members of SIGTOA seem equally thrilled as well as optimistic about the convention, this year and the destination chose for the same. Other than networking and business interaction, conventions

Kishore KV, President, SIGTOA After the successful convention in Hong Kong, last year, we are ready to organise our second convention in Malaysia this year between August 28 and September 1. This year, it is expected to be bigger as several potential DMCs and chain hotels are actively partnering in the convention. As this is our second convention, we have spread our wings with more new members from all the southern states of India. We expect a lot of networking with our members and the convention should be a great fun in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur as they are one of the major tourism hubs in and for Asia.”

Lion K. Babu, EC Member - SIGOTA We all have our expectations when we participate in a conference. In this case, I would attend SIGTOA Convention for establishing a network, collaboration with fellow or newly-introduced agents, garner visibility of our travel industry as well as understand the current needs of the market. We aim to make ourselves prominent by visiting exciting destinations, which will help us to sell the same in a better way and Ipoh would ideally serve that purpose. I am certain that SIGTOA can do much more in the near future and that this year’s convention will have more participants than that of last year’s as well as lots of takeaways and knowledge.”

22 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

are organised with a sheer aim of disseminating knowledge and opportunity. Therefore, SIGTOA carries the same goal for their second convention and aims to yield more support and reputation, henceforth.

Organising the convention in Malaysia, the committee members are hopeful to understand and sell the destination better under the association’s leadership of President Kishore KV and General Secretary, BA Rahim. As once rightly stated by Kishore KV—SIGTOA, as one unit, aims to profess the ideology of, “Come together, Let’s make it big”. With their nation-wide network of tour operators from the southern part of India, SIGTOA is accelerating forward with a sheer aim of reaching the summit of success, in no time.

BA Rahim, General Secretary, SIGTOA SIGTOA is a very important platform which brings all the south Indian outbound tour operators under one roof and on one single platform to perform ethical business practice and enhance their business into profitability. Last year, it was our first overseas convention and was more into networking and bonding of agents under the SIGTOA umbrella. This year, in Malaysia, it gets into serious business as we have many more overseas service providers as SIGTOA members. For this year’s convention, our main agenda would mainly be networking of our fellow members, consolidation of business and understanding of the immediate solutions that the South Indian market needs for better overseas accessibility.”

Valmiki Hari Kishan, Member - SIGOTA Today, the need of an association is becoming mandatory as clients are looking at the profile of the tour operators whether they are associated with any professional organisations. Thus, I truly appreciate the efforts put in by the President and his entire team by penetrating into the southern India market, which is not tapped by many, to date. Through both our association and convention, we aim to educate and empower our travel and tour operators as we do have plenty of tier II and III cities as our members.”

TravelScapes

A glimpse from last year’s convention

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

23

SPOTLIGHT

TravelScapes

MEYDAN HOTELS & HOSPITALITY TO REINFORCE THEIR PRESENCE IN INDIA Plans to attract the tier II and III Indian cities Marco Duyves

By Sayanti Halder In order to strengthen visibility in the India market and attract more visitors from the country, Meydan Hotels & Hospitality is meticulously penning down its marketing strategies to develop a brand value in India.

Furthermore, the group plans to engage the tour operators from the tier II and III cities in India in 2018. Elaborating more on the significance of marketing and promotion, Marco Duyves, Cluster Commercial Director, Meydan Hotels & Hospitality says, “We need to promote more of our hotels to the India market and create a vast presence. Precisely, why we are associating with agencies in India and planning for various activities to touchbase with our target clients. With time and planning, we aim to leave a strong mark, creating relationships and gaining loyalty, making sure that the people who are coming to Mayden are satisfied and urged to create a word of

24 travelscapesonline.com

mouth. Therefore, we need to create wonderful experiences for our guests from India market.”

He also informs that having established representatives in Mumbai and Delhi, the group now plans to attract more metro as well as other cities in India. In India, Meydan Hotels & Hospitality will be showcasing their two luxury properties under its portfolio, The Meydan Hotel and Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa. Meydan Hotels & Hospitality, in February last year, appointed Outbound Marketing as its India representative and has recorded a double-digit growth since then. Duyves shares, “We have increased our focus towards the India market considerably in the last one year. I conducted meetings with travel agents and tour operators in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi on my first visit and have taken a brief understanding

JULY 2018

With time and planning, we aim to leave a strong mark, creating relationships and gaining loyalty on how this market functions. From now onwards, we will be visiting India once every quarter and will focus on increasing our relations with trade which will eventually help us in getting healthy business share. We will also be organising regular FAM trips and other trade-engagement activities as we have two full-time representatives in India from Outbound Marketing who continue to monitor our progress and establish new relations with the traveltrade fraternity.”

Duyves, who was on his first India visit, said that last year, Indians contributed a total of 10 to 15 per cent of total occupancy on an average for both the properties and India ranks amongst the top priority markets for Meydan. He stated that for The Meydan Hotel Dubai, India ranks among the top five source markets while for Bab Al Shams, India is among the fastest growing markets. Meydan Hotels & Hospitality caters to the leisure, corporate, events and weddings segments at large. In addition to this, he informs that in Meydan Hotel, around 60 per cent of the total slice

is of leisure and 40 per cent is of corporate, comprising of individual and groups while in Bab Al Shams, the fraction is 70 and 30 of leisure and corporates, respectively.

The group plans to attract the India market to strengthen its MICE facilities. “We offer huge banqueting facilities in both the hotels. In Mayden Hotel, we probably have the biggest banquets after the World Trade Center, which is also one of the largest in the Middle East. Next, is the Bab Al Shams that provides an unlimited space due to its surrounding desert, acting more as a spot for incentives and destination weddings. With different venues and ample of space that it has to offer, we are keen to host big-size groups from India for weddings,” he adds. Duyves also shares that the entertainment hub, created by the Meydan Hotels & Hospitality is ready to reveal its remaining 1/4th of one of the biggest entertainment hall in Dubai and is expected to launch after the summer, this year. India may expect some more information on the hub, in no time.

A token of appreciation to all our

TRAVEL PARTNERS

for making Akquasun Roadshow 2018 a great success

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

CHECKING-IN TO

THE NEVER-CHANGING NORM IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY While a warm, welcoming staff and amazing amenities are certainly memorable, the key to unlocking a truly cherished experience that will keep the guests returning, again and again, is personalisation. Today, personalisation is no longer an option but a mandate for hotels to survive the cut-throat competition, keeping in mind that it extends far beyond email and message communications. Though the role of customer service in hospitality has changed with the arrival of the digital age, however, the very aspect of the human interaction can never be replaced by machines. We spoke to the seasoned hoteliers, the General Managers of the leading hotels on how they are adding that extra touch of warmth to bring a quotient of happiness to the guests

By Gagneet Kaur

26 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

PERSONALISATION By treating their guests as the unique individuals that they are, rather than a passing paycheque, the hotels foster greater loyalty by creating authentic and memorable moments for them, as well as forge the positive brand identity needed to attract business.

Why is personalisation so effective? Well, to put it simply — it makes guests feel special. According to a report, more than 70 per cent of hotel guests claim to have a positive experience with personalised services.

In order to personalise the guest experience, the hotels need to have an understanding of who their guests are, at an individual level. Those email marketing efforts may fall flat if that level of individual care and concern is not continued at the property level through one-on-one interactions. Naturally, this begins at the front desk. CRM and property management software won’t always provide personalised warm services on their own – staff should be instructed to keep individual guest preferences in mind throughout their entire stay. For instance, the hotel guests will

be amazingly surprised when they will get warm, congenial feeling from something as simple as a smile from the doorman and a staff member greeting them by their name. Some properties have even mastered the art of personalisation by adding little touches to each reservation. That can be as simple as putting a nice welcome card with the guest’s name on it accompanied by a box of hand-made chocolates on the bed and fulfilling every little requirement of the guests. Not only can hotels train their staff to personalise their interactions, they can also go that extra mile and make plans for guests to experience the local attractions. Many hotels have a leisure team assigned at the premises who takes the guests to nearby attractions, encouraging guests to immerse themselves in the rich offerings close by.

Another great way to personalise their stay and make it a memorable experience for the guests is to engage with them and asking them a few basic questions. Most business owners tend to think they

know their customers. But do they really? For example, when was the last time you spoke to your customers about how their stay was? What more is required to keep them happy? Why they chose us over the other hotels? Communication may actually help. A Guest Experience Manager at the hotel can always use this opportunity as a guest engagement platform which may further help the guest to enjoy the seamless hotel services. When the guest leaves the hotel property, the last thing you would want them to do is to forget about their stay. A fond farewell by the staff will always be etched in a guest’s mind and will indeed make that point of difference to the hotel.

The trend of personalisation through human interaction is not to be avoided – it’s to be embraced.

Personalise or perish should be the mantra at the heart of hotel companies’ efforts to build their brands and lay platforms for long-term success. After all, injecting that ‘wow factor’ will help you retain and maintain relationships, much beyond business

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

27

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

Giving guests that ‘Extra Thoughtful Care’ The guest experience is becoming highly significant within the luxury accommodation industry and research has shown that the involvement of frontline employees is becoming increasingly important to create a memorable guest experience. What we have to serve the guest is something that is identical but how we serve, is that what makes a difference and at our hotel, the emotional connection with the guest is established which they always cherish. In the eyes of the guests, the employees in a service organisation are the service and the creating a memorable experience relies on staff being able to engage the customer by involving them on a sensory level, instead of merely on a functional level.

We give the guests ‘Yes I Can’ service which is the heart and soul of Radisson Hotel Group. We offer this service

by delivering memorable moments every day, everywhere and every time, giving them an ‘Extra Thoughtful Care’, introducing a lot of little surprises and much more. We train and develop our team and make sure there are right people appointed for the right roles, who lure the guests by constantly adding a personal touch. As the team here is my greatest asset, I strongly enforce our employee philosophy ‘Catch Me, Keep Me, Grow Me’ to keep them moving.

In the past few years, the hotel has achieved many milestones and delivered ground-breaking results. The hotel has observed more than 70 per cent occupancy rate, providing a boost to state’s tourism. Today, we reached the third stage of renovation of the property which, in future, will give a new facelift to the hotel to enhance guests’ experience.

Vikas Kapoor, the Vice President Operations (Radisson Shimla & Khajuraho) joined Carlson Group in 2005. He has a strong past track record with the company.

He considered the pre-opening experience of the hotel as a highly rewarding exercise. Kapoor, the gogetter, has always encouraged team’s passion for delivering 100 per cent results and has motivated them to go an extra mile. He has always believed that one cannot motivate everyone with similar strategies; one instead needs to create a differentiation factor with the approach.

Highly motivated team will help achieve the goals

Ranju Alex, a true champion of the values and commitment towards service excellence, is the MultiProperty Vice President for Bengaluru & Kochi markets and General Manager for Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield. Alex is very passionate about women empowerment and advocates it at her workplace. She is a proud recipient of the “Women of the Decade in Business & Leadership” award at the Women Economic Forum, UK, in 2017 and many other honours.

28 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

In such a dynamic and technologically evolving world, guests still welcome a human touch and an opportunity to communicate their needs with a personal interaction.

As part of the Marriott International group, we deeply value core human interaction. The industry is largely relationship driven and a personal touch at every point of guest interaction is important as nothing can replace a human touch. I am of the firm opinion that the basics of hospitality such as the welcome, associate interaction with the guest or fond farewells, will never change irrespective of the advancements in technology.

We have a number of internal programs and employee engagement activities that ensure the highest motivation and passion in their core tasks. We bring in an element of our core brand passion points in numerous aspects of

our guest relations; be it while creating a unique arrival experience or during a guest’s stay. Adding unique elements to indulge in personalised experiences are the need of the hour and we need to have a highly motivated and committed team to achieve our goals. Repeated and timely health checks via inter-departmental heads also ensure that every aspect of the overall guest’s experience offering is thorough and on point.

At Marriott Bengaluru Whitefield, we will continue with our unique offerings of world-class experiences with stay, F&B and other elements. With South India’s booming hospitality sector, there are also three new hotels being launched in the next couple of months Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel, Fairfield by Marriott Whitefield (Bengaluru) & Tribute Hotel Kochi.

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

“Heartist” at heart Technology indeed compliments the human touch but can never swap it. Guests are habituated to tech-based solutions for their travel and stay purposes; moreover, they are accustomed to human presence during their stay. Futuristically speaking, no one would enjoy a hotel full of technology- be it artificially enhanced bots or fully automated tabs briefing you about all facilities, we are always going to need human interactions. While a machine can perform various tasks even more efficiently than we can, it lacks artistry in the activity. The unique human ability to cater to the needs of the guest at a personalised level itself is an art which comes directly from our hearts and we, at AccorHotels, call it “Heartist”.

We, at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach, communicate with our guests through our Loyalty Program, Le Club Accor Hotels and constantly innovate the welcome

experience and give them the desired stay through various touch points. We also have an internal platform called “Sparkles” which encourages us to create delight moments for our guests which are then shared across internally and also encourages us to do more for our guests. We also use the Trust You App as a platform to understand our guest’s sentiments from various guest feedback channels.

This helps us in interpreting their wants and needs which enables us to deliver on the Novotel experience.

Hence, in order to enhance our visitants’ experience, the property is undergoing a refurbishment of our rooms.

We are also working on upgrading our F&B outlets in the coming year and look forward to enhancing our brand value even more and offer personalised services to our guests.

Manish Dayya, the General Manager of Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach is a seasoned hotelier who brings close to two decades of domain expertise in the hospitality industry. His journey with AccorHotels started in 2013 when he joined the Group as the General Manager of Novotel Goa Resort & Spa and Novotel Goa Shrem Hotel.

With a comprehensive understanding of managing teams across diverse markets, Dayya’s core expertise lies in delivering successful outcomes by empowering effective teams and building efficient processes.

Focus on gaining pre-arrival communication Care and empathy are at the centre of everything we do at Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty. We make sure guest relations is a top priority and a human touch is added to each guest experience. Instead of a generic approach, we have a customised guest handling strategy that helps make the guests feel at ease with the check-in process and thereafter. We focus on gaining pre-arrival communication so that the necessary arrangements can be made available before they even reach the hotel.

In the case of repeat guests, innovative technology aids us in gathering information regarding guest preferences and requirements, thereby ensuring a seamless and

fabulous stay with us. Besides iconic occasions and events, luxurious stays, three distinct dining destinations, we have curated a set of destination experiences for our guests. It would cater to the taste of the well-travelled visitor, whether with friends or family. They have been designed to appeal to individuals, couples and families with kids. We believe in offering moments of more to our valued guests.

We are a newly opened property with a lot of potential at hand. We are consistently working towards being visible in the market and setting new benchmarks for south India.

Girish Bhagat is the newly appointed General Manager of the third Grand Hyatt-branded hotel in India in May this year. In his new role, Bhagat leads a team of more than 450 associates for the 264-key luxury resort and Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre and will be responsible for all aspects of operations at the hotel, to day-to-day staff management and guests. With a penchant for innovation in hospitality, he raises the bar each time with his extensive knowledge and understanding of luxury brands and hospitality sector.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

29

SPECIAL FEATURE

TravelScapes

Daily ‘meet and greet’ with the guests In the age of new age travellers, technology has become an essential part for serving guests. However, even with digital methods, human interactions are and will remain the base of the hospitality sector. At AccorHotels, we believe that human interactions should remain front and centre to create incredible experiences for different guests.

Carefully planned human interactions work best as guests are being bombarded with too many calls and emails, nowadays. Moreover, travellers are increasingly looking for exclusive environments where personal attention is all part of the experience.

Interestingly, today, guests are more inclined to share feedback via a non-human interface and it’s become even more essential for hotel teams to ensure quality and satisfying experiences for guests in all possible ways.

Personalisation comes with knowing what the guests want.

We, at the Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach, have a daily courtesy call format to determine the guests’ levels of satisfaction. We have also initiated a daily “meet and greet” high tea at the poolside wherein guests interact with Guest Experience Manager and other department heads to voice any concerns that they may have.

Starting from in-room experience to the F&B options, Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach ensures unique and delightful experiences. Anticipating the transformation, we have reinvented some of our offerings relevant with the trends therefore; we are pushing for more actionpacked events at VUE - the bar, which is the best place in town for the dancing souls on weekends and The Square is seeing many more theme nights and unique Sunday brunch to ensure your repeat guests have options to indulge.

Rajesh Gopalakrishnan, the newly appointed General Manager for Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach and Varun Bheemli Resort, will be responsible for spearheading the overall operations of both the properties, which are owned by Varun Hospitality Pvt Ltd. Gopalakrishnan has been associated with AccorHotels since 2005. Fascinated with the hospitality industry since his early years, Gopalakrishnan has worked at various positions in the hospitality industry across India, the Middle East and the Maldives.

Taking deeper dives into the customer journey

Ashwani Goela recently ventured as the General Manager for Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport. With over 19 years of experience in hospitality, Goela is quite instrumental in setting high standards in leading significant initiatives in different hotels and achieving guest satisfaction and profitability. He was also instrumental in setting up the Crowne Plaza Jaipur from Pre-opening and successfully stabilising the hotel. He will now play a key role in meeting the hotel’s aggressive growth goals as well as building a name in the global market.

30 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

Matching experiences to individual customers’ preferences is the ultimate challenge for any customercentric industry. In case of hospitality with growing competition and expectations, it’s a powerful tool to retain customers and attain new ones. Invest in getting to know your guests to get an idea of what are their needs is surely a helpful tool. Although loyalty programs are there to understand guest preferences, now is the time for deeper dives into customer journey mapping and offering _art-of-the-experience exercises. These touch points are important and that’s what differentiates “You”.

We believe in recognising the guest requirements and then personalising the customer experience consequently, giving them a reason to return. There are a few factors that we always take care of. Facilities like room check-ins, special rooms reserved for the guests, a welcome drink on arrival, a special menu prepared for them on arrival, fond farewells and other services which make them feel special. Asking the guests about their priorities during the

visit, whether it’s about providing them extra comfort, giving special attention to a fellow guest or any particular preferences for dining. We have also set up systems for frontline associates to monitor the guest’s behaviour so that they can make the guests stay better.

Talking about my role as a General Manager, I believe, they develop a distinctive work environment, spearhead advanced strategic thinking, managing resources productively, contribute in the people development and deployment process, build a dynamic organisation and oversee day-to-day operations. I would, therefore, look forward to seeing the inter-relationships among these six areas, setting priorities and making the right things happen. We have plenty of things in the pipeline including the food festivals, capturing the social and F&B trends through a strong digital campaign and re-building the overall marketing strategy for capturing wedding segment.

Pearl Capital Centre-Abu Dhabi

Exceptional stays. Exciting dining.

At Pearl Rotana.

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

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

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

INCONVERSATION

TravelScapes

‘We are not just an island. We are a landscape.’

In conversation with the calm and composed General Manager of Fushifaru Maldives, Ahmed Siaar

By Gagneet Kaur

Splendidly merging the Maldivian essence with modern aesthetics and adventure, Fushifaru Maldives is not just an uncompromising destination of luxury and comfort but also comes with a promise of giving the best of experiences, all in one diverse landscape.

Located on the far North East border of Faadhippolhu Atoll (Lhaviyani Atoll), this modern boutique resort has 49 beach and water villas with carefully selected amenities that redefine the way guests stay at a resort in a peaceful, secluded setting. You may also choose to indulge in the gastronomic ventures that are nothing less than a fusion of nature and unforgettable culinary expeditions.

“Fushifaru is a brand new resort recently introduced with the main focus on providing five-star luxury and comforts to the guests. It is not just a modern, family-friendly resort but also has taken a lead to introduce a lot of local authenticities to the guests by bringing back those pure moments, re-introducing them to the world and showcase the lifestyle of old days. We also have a dedicated spot where frequently the mantas visit us which we feel is one of our most unique strengths. The spot is basically a national Marine Protected Area which sits right beside the resort and is home to three iconic dive sites including the renowned Fushifaru Thila that is teeming with marine life. We have a resident marine biologist who will be on hand to share lessons on conservation and conduct guided snorkelling tours around the island and nearby reefs. If you are planning to indulge in the spirit of rejuvenation, Heylhi Spa is the place to unwind. Another feature that makes us stand out is that we have one of the largest sandbars in the atoll, which is right next to the resort where the guests can halt for a picnic, family day-outs, sunset experiences and more,” highlights Ahmed Siaar, General Manager of Fushifaru Maldives.

Talking about the segmentation of the resort,

32 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

Siaar continues, “We are not just an island. We are a landscape. Therefore, we welcome all the segments.

Our main focus area, however, is the honeymooners because we are well-positioned as a romantic and chic honeymoon destination. Family is another segment where we keep our constant focus on. In terms of weddings, we do have a big beach, picturesque backdrops, sandbar and other venues that are ideal for wedding ceremonies. We also specialise in hosting small incentive groups who are eligible to enjoy anything and everything we offer at the resort.”

environment has certain impacts, it plays various roles for the people to emotionally connect with the Maldivian environment as it a heaven away from all the hustle-bustle and hectic lifestyle. Well for us, people initially thought that Fushifaru is an expensive product, unaffordable for everyone. But lately, the perception has changed due to more knowledge and better marketing strategies and I believe people will continue to travel to the Maldives in search of a perfect hideaway and Fushifaru is obviously one of the finest choices. We are proud of our beautiful location and the

We have got a very good feedback from the guests in the first phase of opening itself and the positivity and maintenance of occupancies are keeping us going.

“At the moment, our main target market is Europe but we are very focused towards the India and Middle East markets because we know they have got a great potential. In fact, I am happy to mention that our first repeat guest was an Indian and she has become like a family now. We regularly participate in travel trade fairs and shows. We also have dedicated PR agencies to help us promote the brand in these markets and we are closely associated with the print media who have always supported us in a big way,” he adds.

As we started the conversation about the growing demand and changing trends in the Maldivian hospitality market, Siaar seemed very confident talking about his resort’s continuity. Highlighting further, he says, “It is the loyalty and love for Maldives that has developed sustainably over the years. Though

warm, hospitable spirit that is only found in Maldives.”

A ‘people’s person’ and a visionary who feels that staff is the main strength at his resort, Siaar, with his discipline and dedication, has maintained very cordial relationships at work. While the result of his affectionate style of management has labelled the resort as differently unique in many ways, Siaar is utterly determined to work on the developments as according to him, the main touch point is providing a seamless guest experience. Giving a glimpse into the future plans, he affirms, “We have got a very good feedback from the guests in the first phase of opening itself and the positivity and maintenance of occupancies are keeping us going. For now, there are 49 keys in the resort and we are further planning to expand more villas in next two to three years.”

UPDATE

TravelScapes

HOSPITALITY

StayWell Holdings and Prince Hotels Pullman to open the first hotel Inc. launch The Prince Akatoki in Singapore A S tayWell Holdings and Prince Hotel Inc. have announced the launch of a new luxury hotel brand offering, The Prince Akatoki, which will target the international market (outside of Japan) and complement the brands already operated by StayWell and Prince Hotels.

Prince Hotels Inc. has agreed that StayWell Holdings will be assigned the rights to use The Prince Akatoki as the five-star brand for future global development opportunities.

According to the companies, the travellers they anticipate as guests of The Prince Akatoki brand are those actively seeking high quality services and amenities when visiting from gateway cities worldwide.

Simon Wan, President and Director of StayWell Holdings Pty Ltd said, “The Prince Akatoki will provide travellers

with an opportunity to experience luxury services and amenities expected of a five star hotel brand reflecting certain elements of Japanese refined hospitality and culture.

Japanese hospitality is renowned for service, tranquility and its peerless aesthetic. This is precisely what The Prince Akatoki will deliver. For international travellers, it offers a unique and authentic Japanese flavour.”

“For travellers who have not yet experienced Prince Hotel brands, The Prince Akatoki will be their first brand experience, and will build positive sentiment and greater brand awareness globally, whilst increasing inbound tourism in Japan,” he adds.

Prince and StayWell have expanded their portfolio to include four brands, namely “Policy,” “Park Regis,” “Leisure Inn Plus,” and “Leisure Inn.”

ccorHotels and EL Development Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based property developing company, have announced the opening of a new-build, five-star Pullman on a prime site on Hill St, in the civic and cultural heart of the city. The 342-room hotel will be Singapore’s first Pullman and will feature a rooftop bar and executive lounge with sweeping views over Fort Canning, the Singapore River and St Andrew’s Cathedral, along with a vibrant lobby, health and fitness centre and pool. The hotel is set to open in 2022 after a complete redevelopment of the site.

“Pullman is one of the true success stories of the hotel industry and we are delighted to be able to announce our first Pullman for Singapore,” said Michael Issenberg, Chairman and CEO of AccorHotels Asia Pacific. “As the largest hotel operator in Singapore, we believe the new Pullman will fill a gap in the market for a smart, modern hotel that meets the demands of the discerning digital traveller.”

There are currently over 120 Pullman hotels in 33 countries worldwide and Asia Pacific accounts for more than 70 hotels and resorts and more than 21,000 rooms.

Pullman Singapore will join a range of flagship addresses worldwide including Pullman London St Pancras, Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel, Pullman Phuket Arcadia, Pullman Park Lane Hong Kong.

Lords Hotels & Resorts signs up new Cygnett Hotels returns to Vizag resort property in Chotila, Gujarat with Cygnett Inn Duvvada

L

ords Hotels & Resorts also Gujarat’s biggest mid-market hotel chain has announced plans of launching another new resort in the state. Currently under construction, the resort is expected to commence operations in the last quarter of 2018 making it the chain’s 16th property in Gujarat and overall its 29th. To be launched as Lords Resort Chotila, the forty-six rooms resort will offer accommodations to the pilgrimage tourists visiting the popular Chotila Mata Mandir. Being a resort property it will host all kinds of recreational facilities which will serve as great holiday stays for the leisure tourists too. The development is also in line with Lords Hotels & Resorts’ focus on capitalising on pilgrimage tourism – a segment which is one of the support pillars of the Incredible India campaign.

“We are delighted to announce our latest venture in Chotila. This will be our eighth property located at a pilgrimage site and we are consciously focusing on expanding in this segment. While Lords Resort Chotila will be a

34 travelscapesonline.com

C

great place to stay for the pilgrimage tourist, the resort will be a fabulous retreat for the leisure traveller too. The resort architecture is inspired by the shape of a crescent moon and the rooms are designed in the traditional Bhunga style with adjoining private sit out areas overlooking water bodies built around it,” said P R Bansal, Chief Operating Officer, Lords Hotels & Resorts.

JULY 2018

ygnett Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of Cygnett Inn Duvvada. The full-service budget hotel features 40 guest rooms and suites with modern interiors, stylish furnishings and spacious event and three banquet spaces. The hotel also adds ease to those travelling to the city as it is conveniently located close to the airport, railway station, and famous tourist attractions.

Expressing his appreciation towards this expansion by Cygnett Hotels and Resorts, Sarbendra Sarkar, Founder and Managing Director of Cygnett Hotels and Resorts, said, “The fact that Cygnett has come so far is evidence that quality of service supersedes any other factor which influences consumer behaviour towards the hospitality industry. While it cannot be ignored that finances, proper pricing and timed positioning of one’s brand are important aspects for any business to cater to, it is essential that we, at Cygnett, always prioritise on giving our guests an experience which hopefully they will remember for lifetime!”

TravelScapes TravelScapes

TRADE HOSPITALITY

UPDATE UPDATE

IHG debuts in Agra with signing of Holiday Inn Agra MG Road

Serene Experiences defines the business of luxury

I

nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG),

Byone Ankita Jainleading hotel companies of world’s

has signed a management agreement with Hotel Marina Agra for Holiday Inn Agra MG Road. The 150-room hotel is expected to be rebranded and operational in 2018. The signing marks the company’s debut in Agra and also completes IHG’s presence in the DelhiJaipur-Agra Golden Triangle tourist circuit.

A great destination for leisure travellers, Holiday Inn Agra MG Road is a 15 minutes’ drive from popular Naresh Chandnani UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Agra Fort and Taj Mahal, both key tourist attractions of the city. On opening, the hotel will offer stunning uxury hotels aremonument, the catwalkTaj models views of the iconic of the accommodation world: sleek, Mahal from the upper floors.

Situated dressed to impress and Instagrammable on MG Road, the hotel is in close at every turn.

Whether in the city and or proximity to the business district the countryside, beside the sea or key government offices, making it in an the few ortravellers, hundredsas idealmountains choice forwith corporate of rooms, Serene Experiences proudly well. represents the best of all which are With well-designed, sizeable cool and stylish, glossy and Inn bespoke, banqueting space, Holiday Agra designed to pique the interest, MG Road will be well placed tostimulate meet the make serious hotel the senses growingand business from the MICE junkies of especially us all. segment, spurred by the increasing demand from the connecting cities such as Delhi and Jaipur. The hotel will feature an all-day dining, a specialty cuisine restaurant and a bar, providing guests an array of F&B options to choose from. Additionally, Holiday Inn Agra MG Road will feature leisure facilities such as an outdoor pool and gymnasium for guests to enjoy their time at the hotel.

Hotel and destination marketing is Commenting on the announcement, definitely not new to India but Serene Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Experiences has managed to carve a Development, South West Asia, IHG niche for itself based on the kind of said, “We are delighted to partner with hotels they represent.

“Our mainour USP is Hotel Agra Marina to introduce first the kind of truly unique hotels that we hotel in Agra, under the Holiday Inn represent, these all an luxury hotels in banner. Agra hasare been important some of the most exotic and amazingly destination on the tourism map of India, beautiful locations. in Italy, and we are excited toFor beinstance setting foot we represent Therasia Resort Sea & Spa in this growing market. With excellent on the island of Vulcano in Sicily.

This is location, facilities and best in class one of the few places in the world where amenities, we are confident the hotel you witness live volcanic will can be aactually great choice for avaried guest eruption withdiverse lava and fireworks profiles with requirements. literally everyInn 15 minutes, on the next The Holiday brand family is our door island of Stromboli.

We have growth driver in India, and this signing identified ourour niche of representing underscores commitment to further luxury hotels in truly exotic locations, strengthen our position in the midscale thus some of the most amazing hoteloffering segment.” travel experiences forManaging Indian travellers,” Shashank Bhagat, Partner asserts Naresh Chandnani, & to Hotel Marina, said, “We areFounder delighted CEO, Serene Experiences. partner with a strong, global player such hasthe always worked in as Chandnani IHG® to bring well-recognised the luxury segment of the hospitality Holiday Inn brand to the city of Agra.

L

IHG has an excellent track record, globally and in India, and we are assured that the hotel will benefit from the company’s robust distribution systems, top industry this resulted in and the best in classIndian revenue and management tools loyaltytravellers value leisure time than thought of creating a representation ‘point-covering’ mindset of the other program. We are confident that Holiday Inn Agra company for luxury hotels named segments.

Indian luxury travellers may MG Road will be well-received by travellers when we ‘Serene Experiences’.

Been in the spend lavishly but they also like to know open our doors in 2018.” industry for morehas than31three decades, they’re spending wisely and securing top IHG currently hotels operating across he has witnessed several shifts in the quality that justifies the price. Intuitive four brands in India, including InterContinental hospitality industry.

“One of the major personalised service is of paramount Hotels and Resorts®, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn® changes which was practically non importance to the Indian luxury traveller and Holiday Inn Express®, with a further 43 in the existent several years ago is the rise whose expectations sometimes can also development pipeline. of experiential travellers. The evolved be a challenge to meet.”

Bubbling with ideas, Chandnani pictures Serene Experiences as a niche sales, marketing and PR representation company specialising in independent luxury hotels in undiscovered and picturesque locations. “Our objective would always continue to be able to introduce the Indian audience to some of the world’s best hotels & resorts in exotic destinations,” he zeros in.

UPDATE

TravelScapes

HOSPITALITY

IHCL announces second hotel in Katra T

he Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) has announced the signing of a Vivanta in Katra with the Delhi based DMG Group.

Speaking on the signing Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President– Real Estate & Development at The Indian Hotels Company Limited said, “We are pleased to partner with DMG Group in bringing the Vivanta

brand to Katra. This announcement is aligned to our strategy of expanding our footprint and driving growth across popular pilgrimage and tourist destinations.”

Located in Katra - the base camp for the holy pilgrimage of Vaishno Devi, the hotel is conveniently located 42 kilometers from the Jammu airport.

The 80 room hotel spread over eight

acres, offers charming views of the Holy Shrine and Trikuta Mountains. The hotel features an all-day restaurant, banqueting and recreation facilities including a gym, swimming pool and badminton court.

Commenting on the partnership, Sushen Gupta, Managing Director at DMG Group said, “We are delighted to partner with The Indian Hotels

Marriott International opens sixth Aloft branded hotel in India M arriott International recently marked the opening of its sixth Aloft branded Hotel in India with the launch of Aloft New Delhi Aerocity. Located in Aerocity, one of New Delhi’s cosmopolitan business destinations, the hotel is conveniently connected to major hubs in the city.

The hotel’s 253 guestrooms are designed with bold and contemporary tone reflecting the brand’s philosophy. The urban design features open spaces providing an environment of informality and opportunity for personal engagement. F&B offerings include the Re:mix lounge, the on-trend W XYZ® bar with regular ‘Live at Aloft Hotels’ music performances by local emerging artists, and Nook – the all-day dining restaurant. With state-of-the art business meeting facilities, the hotel is well equipped to host large conferences. Recreational

36 travelscapesonline.com

options include Re:chargeSM – the fitness center and Splash – the outdoor pool bar and lounge.

Speaking on the launch Neeraj Govil, Area VP, South Asia, Marriott International said, “The Aloft New Delhi Aerocity is a significant addition to the brand’s distribution in India. With the recent milestone of Marriott International celebrating 100 hotels in the country, we continue to see huge opportunity for growth, especially for distinctive brands like Aloft.”

Suman Gahlot, the Hotel’s General Manager said, “We are extremely excited about the opening of Aloft New Delhi Aerocity. With spacious rooms, a vibrant atmosphere, music and technology, we expect the hotel to become the hottest city hangout, attracting both savvy travellers and young local professionals.”

JULY 2018

Company Limited. We look forward to working with them to bring their unique Vivanta brand and legendary experience to visitors to the holy shrine.”

Vivanta Katra will be the third IHCL branded hotel in Jammu and Kashmir, strengthening the company’s presence in the state. The company also manages the Vivanta Dal View in Srinagar and Ginger in Katra.

The Fern Hotels & Resorts opens Anaya Beacon Hotel in Jamnagar

T

he Fern Hotels & Resorts, India’s leading environmentally sensitive hotel chain has launched the Anaya Beacon Hotel in Jamnagar which is the ninth hotel to be managed by the company under the Beacon Hotels brand. The other Beacon properties are located in Ajmer, Amritsar, Bhopal, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Rajkot, New Delhi and Udaipur.

The 40-room Anaya Beacon Hotel is a mix of 18 Deluxe Rooms, 15 Executive Rooms, six Executive Premium Rooms, a Suite, and also has a multi-cuisine vegetarian restaurant – Fiesta@Beacon.

The hotel is centrally located and enjoys easy access to public transport, with strategic distance of only six kms from Jamnagar Airport and 3.5 kms from Jamnagar railway station.

Speaking on the launch, Suhail Kannampilly, COO of the group, said, “We have further consolidated our position in Gujarat. We already have nine operational properties in Gujarat.

The launch of Anaya has given us one more chance to serve the people of Gujarat.”

TravelScapes

HOSPITALITY

UPDATE

MSR Hotel and Spa Bangalore rebranded effective May 20 M

SR Hotel and Spa Bangalore, which until end 2017 was operational as Movenpick Hotel and Spa Bangalore, a five star hotel under the Swiss brand Movenpick Hotels and Resorts has now been bought over by a new management, Gokulam Hotels and Resorts.

The Gokulam Hotels and Resorts are owned by Sree Gokulam Chit & Finance Co. Pvt. Ltd. (SGCFL), the flagship company of the GOKULAM GROUP OF COMPANIES. A M Gopalan, Managing Director along with Baiju Gopalan, Executive Director have ambitious plans – the vision and the long term strategy for the hotel group to build a strong brand presence.

AM Gopalan, Managing Director says, “The Gokulam Group’s leap into the five star segment is a huge boost for the company. Bengaluru has always been a favourite destination

and a start in Bengaluru is like a dream come true. The company would also been keen to expand in other tier I cities across India.

Baiju Gopalan, Executive Director

says, “We are known for our excellent service standards and stellar properties across South India. Gokulam Grand is our foray into the IT city of Bangalore. We are

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts opens Jhansi’s first branded hotel Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. recently announced the opening of Nataraj Sarovar Portico Jhansi, consolidating the group’s further foray into Uttar Pradesh. One of the fastest growing hotel chains in India with over 75 operating hotels across 50 destinations in India and Africa, Sarovar Hotels has launched a 72 room hotel which is also the first branded hotel in the smart city. The hotel was inaugurated in the presence of Sanjay Khanna, Managing Director, Nataraj Mobiles and Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts.

Owned by Nataraj Sai Hotels LLP., Nataraj Sarovar Portico is the city’s first contemporary hotel in this evolving historically-modernising city. The aesthetically curated well-appointed rooms and suites with all modern amenities complemented with warm, attentive and personalised services, offer a truly memorable

stay. The hotel also offers fully equipped conferencing and banquet spaces and facilities for up to 500 guests.

Commenting on the development, Bakaya said, “We are glad to open the first branded hotel in this historic city of Jhansi and fifth hotel in Uttar Pradesh. With its significant development, Jhansi is an important destination with rising number of visitors from across the country. It is an important location for us and a significant addition to our product portfolio. This is set to be the best hotel in the city and will cater to the needs of Corporate, Groups, Leisure and Conferences.”

Sarovar Hotels is targeting to have 100 hotels under its portfolio by 2020. Expected openings in 2018 include hotels in Jaisalmer, Somnath, Dibrugarh, Junagadh, Gorakhpur and Lusaka, Zambia.

firmly committed to strengthening, structuring and increasing the reach of our hospitality division in the country, by standardising our brand SOPs, deliverables and creating a niche brand in the market. We believe in becoming better with every guest feedback and this premise of honoring our guest loyalty is our USP in every city that we operate in.”

With the addition of the MSR Hotel and Spa Bangalore to their portfolio, the group aims to strengthen its presence in the Southern region further and establish their brand in Bangalore. The 182 room and suites’ hotel boasts of three well known F&B outlets namely My Place All Day Dining, 24 hour coffee shop; Mezzaluna, an authentic Italian restaurant and Obsidian Sports and Music Bar. Pool, Sohum Spa and Aasman gym are its lifestyle facilities available for guests and patrons.

ITC plans to add 2,500 rooms in next five years

A

s per the recent report, ITC Limited said it plans to add 2,500 rooms to its hotel segment to take the total inventory to 12,000 in five years from 9,500 now, even as the diversified group mulls foraying into the healthcare space.

Sanjiv Puri, Managing Director, ITC said the company would invest INR 2,500 crore in the next two to three years in Telangana, among others, to set up an integrated consumer goods manufacturing unit and logistics facility and for the capacity augmentation and efficiency of Bhadrachalam Paperboard. He said ITC appointed a committee internally to examine the possibility of foraying into the healthcare space. Once it submitted its report, the Board would examine it and take a final call.

“Currently, we have four brands under ITC hotels. Some are owned and some are managed. We currently have 107 hotels with 9,500 rooms. In the next five years we can add another 24 hotels which are at various stages of construction, both owned and managed. It will bring another 2,500 rooms.

This would take to roughly 130 hotels with 12,000 rooms,” Puri said.

ITC’s hotel group operates under four distinct brands -- ‘ITC Hotel’ at the luxury end, ‘WelcomHotel’ in the five star segment, ‘Fortune’ in the mid-market to upscale segment and ‘WelcomHeritage’ in the heritage leisure segment.

ITC recently formally inaugurated ITC Kohenur, a luxury hospitality project at Hitec City, constructed at a cost of INR 775 crore. The hotel has 271 rooms, suites and service apartments.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

37

RESORT FEATURE

TravelScapes

Embrace the Ecstasy

LILY BEACH RESORT & SPA Enjoying a worldwide reputation for its exotic house-reef, serene beaches, turquoise waters, tranquil setting and lush tropical vegetation, Lily Beach Resort & Spa offers a perfect Maldivian beach retreat, like no other

By Varun Malhotra

Experience the perfect family getaway To acquire the most of your exciting Maldives family beach holiday, Lily Beach Resort & Spa comprises of 125 plush villas with options like Sunset Water Suites, Deluxe Water Villas, Lagoon Villas, Beach Villas and separate rooms for the children. While you are here, be sure that your little ones are in good hands.

From hermit crab races, crafts, water sport activities to treasure hunts, the kids will be kept occupied at the Turtle Kids’ Club. To highlight the local culture and complement it with private dining, it also offers a unique experience of dhoni dining on the beach. You may also choose to take a dip or float lazily on the blue waters of Indian Ocean, gently lapping beneath you. With a specially crafted menu and a dedicated waiter allotted to serve you, this epic experience offers the chance to enjoy fabulous food, complimented by an excellent selection of wines in an intimate and beautiful setting as you dine under the stars, away from it all.

Revitalise and recreate with leisure activities To take on physical challenges and keep a track of your workout routine during your stay at Lily Beach Resort & Spa, you may choose from a wide array of options ranging from visiting the gym, sports complex, diving center or joining the fun and fast-paced Zumba or Aquatics exercise sessions to let the Latin music guide your movements. You may even visit the overwater Tamara Spa by Mandara that specialises in Balinese treatments and has an open air relaxation area, Jacuzzi, outdoor shower and glass bottoms. A plenty of water sport activities and interesting excursions like ocean adventure, turtle tour will add a quotient of entertainment. For those wanting to enjoy their own private space, the floating HamacLand platforms offer the perfect experience with the chance to have a floating base to enjoy the amazing lagoon area around Lily Beach.

Special amenities to make your stay memorable For an absolute luxurious stay at the Lily Beach Resort & Spa, the Platinum Plan delivers the promise of an untroubled break. Carefree dining, wide range of facilities and activities and freedom to explore the beauty of the Maldivian islands world – the luxury all-inclusive concept guarantees a calculable all-round package that leaves no wish unfulfilled. It offers services from specialty restaurants such as Lily Maa, Tamarind, Spirit Bar & Lounge, Vibes bar and AQVA Pool Bar that claim to offer an extravagant experience. Even more, for a personalised experience you will be assisted by the hotel’s airport team at arrival and departure on Male International Airport and a complimentary VIP lounge access on the Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA) Sea Plane Terminal.

38 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

TravelScapes

PHOTO STORY

Lily Beach Resort & Spa and SriLankan host Indian media FAM Lily Beach Resort & Spa in association with the SriLankan Airlines hosted an exclusive familiarisation trip for a few selected media partners from India, to showcase the Lily Beach Resort & Spa. The journey started with a firsthand experience of the business class of SriLankan Airlines from getting access to lounges, to their comforting flat beds enjoying great entertainment and soothing your taste buds with great in-flight food. Launched in 1979, Sri Lanka’s national carrier is an award winning airline with a reputation for service, comfort, safety, reliability and punctuality, offering an impressive range of cheap flights to the Maldives as well as direct flights to Male. Thus for Maldives, SriLankan is simply perfect providing frequency to and from India and Maldives via flights from Delhi and Mumbai.

Lily Beach Resort & Spa exhibits a true essence of luxe and effortlessness.

Featuring a total of 125 villas, the resort acts as the destination paradise where time will fly as you float in the balmy Indian Ocean, pamper yourself at the haven

of well-being at the Tamara Spa or simply relax in your private villa. Located in the spectacular Ari Atoll on the Huvahendhoo Island, it combines all the right ingredients for its guests to have an once-in-a-lifetime experience in Maldives.

On the other hand, located on the Dhonakulhi Island in the Haa Alifu Atoll, Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa is a comfortable home away from home in a tropical utopia. Set against a beautiful backdrop of coconut groves, pristine white sands and turquoise waters due to its unique reef system, it is home to the first fully-functional marina in the Maldives. A dreamland with the most idyllic setting, Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa offers the perfectly serene Maldives beach retreat.

Offering PR and marketing options for luxury hospitality, wishing expansion in the India market, Explora is a refreshing and innovative travel Public Relation company.

Both Lily Beach Resort & Spa and the Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa in Maldives are represented by this esteemed company.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

39

HOTEL FEATURE

TravelScapes

Endless Enriching Encounters

AT ALILA DIWA GOA

Capturing the best of Goan ethos through elegant interiors and subtle shades of luxury, Alila Diwa Goa is indeed one of the best hotels in South Goa. Set amidst lush paddy fields and swanky environs, the property blends the best of modern architecture with an extra tinge of noteworthy, luxury experience

By Gagneet Kaur

Lavish living spaces Resting in the laps of artistically groomed foliage, the 153 rooms and suites are designed in such a way that one can easily breathe in the aura of flawlessly manicured lush greens. While the Terrace Room overlooks the gardens offering a perfect getaway for relaxation, the Loft Rooms propose the simple elegance of pale wood and cream surroundings. Keeping the ‘privacy is priority’ concept in mind, Family Suite and Alila Suite are an ideal retreat for perfect family lodging and couples looking forward to spending some quality time together. Designed as a ‘resort within resort’, Diwa Club also provides one of the finest accommodation and luxurious experiences in Goa. Those who are desperately looking for that muchneeded rest, may choose to pamper themselves at the Diwa Club rooms and suites.

40 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

Get bowled over by the flavours If you are looking for a relaxing ambience with shaded open-air spaces or best indoor all-day dining, then VIVO is where you should head to. From an elaborate breakfast selection of Western and Indian dishes to Oriental and Continental favourites, VIVO offers an out-of-the box dining experience. Bistro, on the other hand, offers exclusive dining venue and a wide selection of light meals with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours. What’s amazingly different here is the Spice Studio where one can feast amidst a contemporary setting that boasts a good display of the best of authentic Indian spices. And guess what? You can get the lipsmacking pickles ready by hand-picking your favourite spices. A poolside alfresco offering comfort food and fusion cocktails with a little foot-tapping music, Edge Bar at the resort claims to make your evenings even more happening.

TravelScapes

MoT

UPDATE

“WE WANT THE GUESTS TO EXPERIENCE THE DESTINATION MUCH BEYOND THE STAYS.” Siddharth Savkur, General Manager, Alila Diwa Goa shares why the resort is ‘surprisingly different’ from the any other luxurious getaway in Goa

Pure indulgence at Spa Alila With a heartfelt touch of the experienced therapists and bespoke programmes crafted to your body constitution, Spa Alila is designed to leave you relaxed, ready to take on life again. Array of treatments and therapies ranging from the signature Balinese Massage, Reflexology to Warm Stone and Ayurvedic treatments await you at this place of sheer indulgence. One may also choose to pick and buy the favourite essential oils that are readily available at the spa.

WHAT’S SPECIAL? Dine-in-the-Dark at Spice Studio: Giving an innovative twist to the traditional way of dining in pitch darkness, Alila Diwa’s Dine-in-the-Dark is one of its kind experiences, happening every Thursday after sundown. Spice Studio undergoes a tremendous makeover where usually a bright dining room echoing with laughter and cheers transforms into an eerily silent area. The menu is a complete surprise – you’re given absolutely no idea of what you’re going to be eating. You will hear nothing but the soft clinking of cutlery and the silent whispers of patrons who are trying to make the wild guesses. It is after you’re done with the meal, that you’re given a copy of the menu listing the dishes you devoured, leaving you awestruck for a minute. Sounds amazingly interesting! Isn’t it??

Flavoursome moments with ‘Braai’: Quite similar to a potluck party, this is a grand social event where African families and friends converge on a picnic spot with their own meat, salad or side dish in hand. The men gather round the braai or braaistand outdoors and cook the food, while women prepare the pap, salads, desserts and vegetables for the meal in the kitchen.

Mastering the art of the Braai while creating a similar atmosphere for families, friends or small groups, Alila Diwa Goa has introduced the concept at the Vivo Lawns. One can choose to barbeque the deliciously marinated meats over an open grill or learn the ‘braai’ like a pro from the expert chefs or relish the refreshing cocktails complemented with a magnificent view of infinity pool.

How does Alila Diwa Goa ensure to be unique amidst the burgeoning hospitality market of Goa? While Goa is performing well in terms of getting good number of tourists, we, at AlilaDiwa are constantly looking for how can we stay relevant and creative in offering our services to the guests.

We want the guests to experience the destination much beyond the stays. From our F&B offerings, creative packages for stays to our leisure team creating local experiences or big day celebrations, they remain the core of Alila’s philosophy.

Now that we have entered our ninth year of operations, we really need to keep coming up with the newer concepts so that we stay in the minds and hearts of our guests. Therefore, we have introduced a lot of new concepts, one of which is ‘Braai’, an African Barbeque dining. It is where the families get together to enjoy this social event, the kids toss the salads, the mother marinates the meat and father cooks. It is a great communal experience to relish for lifetime. Again, we are one of the first hotels in Goa to also offer the Kid’s Spa where the little ones can relax after a fun-filled day and enjoy a complete body massage at Spa Alila.

We also offer ‘Kid’s Masterclass’ where we take them through the kitchens, show them how the chefs work, give them the opportunity to become the junior masterchefs and this is when they learn to cook the specialty dishes and make their own cute little cupcakes. We also take the young and curious explorers on ‘Heart of the House’ tour, which is a behind-the-scenes guided tour of the resort where they get to discover interesting facts and stories about the hotel.

What are the other markets that you are targeting?

Going beyond the domestic market, the UK has traditionally been a very strong market for us. If we look at the last three years, there is a healthy year-on-year growth in the numbers as compared to what we used to see some years ago. Apart from that, Russia and traction CIS stand as the strong markets. Even within the CIS, there is a huge opportunity to tap into more countries. Each of them has probably smaller numbers by themselves but if put together; they can provide a good chunk of business for any hotel in Goa. Are there any special/seasonal packages that you roll out for the guests?

We offer a very limited variety of packages to avoid

any kind of confusion within the internal team and the market. However, the packages that we create are completely tailor-made according to the different preferences. ‘Rediscover Goa’ is our basic, all inclusive package including the buffet breakfast, buffet lunch and dinner as because a large chunk of market prefers a standard package too. People who are not looking at having buffet all the time, we have created ‘Getaway your way’ package that gives guests the flexibility to use any of our services with surprisingly different Hotel Credit Plan. Then we have “Diwa by Design’, a very exclusive package where you can enjoy your own private retreat, be it dining at any of restaurants, going to the spa as much as you like or pick-ups from the airport.

How has Alila Diwa Goa leveraged from the growth of wellness segment in Goa? We had put a lot of thoughts before we decided to introduce the wellness programs because it is something that wellness travellers take very seriously and we had to exceed those expectations.

We, today, take pride in being one of the first five star hotels in Goa to offer the effective wellness programs. ‘Detox Detour’ package focuses on your overall well-being to help you rediscover your optimum level of wellness. ‘Revival Program’ is another mind-opening experience at Alila that not just cleanses your body, mind and soul but also brings about internal balance, giving a boost to your energy by infusing elements of Ayurveda, yoga, massage, fitness, hypnotherapy, pranic healing and nutrition. Since the time we have launched such programs, we are pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response from our guests from Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia who travel all the way to Goa to stay with us. This has further encouraged us to excel in the wellness segment and we are constantly working on offering more variants.

How are you planning to promote the property in the year ahead?

One of the main focuses would be to continue working closely with our existing partners in India and oversees. Secondly, the main factor which is budding prominence for all businesses today is digital marketing and that is where we are shifting our focus to. We are already active on social media but we are also becoming more aware about the different tools that are available on online portals.

We need to keep abreast of what is happening in this space to make that an effective medium for us.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

41

UPDATE

TravelScapes

OUTBOUND

Sri Lanka to organise four city roadshow in India S

ri Lanka Tourism has announced four city roadshow in India in July and August 2018. These roadshows will commence in Chandigarh (July 10) and will be followed by Jaipur (July 11) , Vishakhapatnam (Aug 1) and Coimbatore (Aug 30).

The events will include one-to-one meetings, presentation and workshop on diverse Sri Lankan tourism products as well as networking opportunities.

Speaking about the roadshow, Sutheash Balasubramaniam, Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said, “India continues to be our top source market. We believe that the potential of the Indian travel market is yet to realise in terms of attracting longer stay and higher spending travellers. It is our fervent hope to make Sri Lanka the most preferred destination in Asia for Indian travellers. Sri Lanka offers travellers an array of diverse product offerings and experience spread across the small island and cater to all ages” Sri Lanka has seen a substantial growth in tourist arrivals from India in the year 2017, with over 3.85 lakh Indian travellers. This makes India one of the top five tourists’ arrival markets in Sri Lanka.

UAE’s free 48-hour transit visa to boost tourism

T

he UAE can expect to receive an influx of tourists over the coming months following a recent decision by the UAE Cabinet to exempt transit passengers from all entry fees for the first 48 hours of their stay, a report said.

Furthermore, the transit visa can be extended for up to 96 hours for a fee of AED 50 (USD 13.6), according to the report. A number of express counters will be set up at the passport control halls across all UAE airports to facilitate the issuance of transit visas.

According to Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index, Dubai is already the fourth most visited city destination in the world after Bangkok, London, and Paris. The new decision is expected to further boost tourism to the UAE, making it the top destination in the world.

The Cabinet also adopted a number of visa facilitations for residents, families and people overstaying their visa to cater for a wider segment of the society.

Approval was also given to a new legislative package, including a review of the current residency system to allow a two-year extension of the residency period for the dependents of their parents after finishing their university studies. In the same context, the Cabinet adopted a decision to grant people overstaying their visa a chance to leave the country voluntarily without a “no entry” passport stamp. A new six-month visa will be introduced for job seekers who overstayed their visa but wish to work in the country. The temporary visa enhances the UAE’s position as a land of opportunities and a destination for talents and professionals.

Equally, in a step aimed at simplifying the process and easing the financial burden on individuals wishing to adjust or renew their visa, they can now do so for a fee without having to leave and re-enter the country.

42 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

Switzerland launches new campaign

S

witzerland Tourism has announced the launch of their new campaign for the year 2018-19 with brand ambassador Ranveer Singh. The campaign highlights Ranveer’s finest experiences from his recent trip to the Lake Geneva region, which includes the cities of Montreux and Lausanne.

As the face of the brand, Ranveer takes India on a virtual tour of Lake Geneva in the ad campaign and shows everyone why he is #inLOVEwithSWITZERLAND. The campaign takes you through Ranveer’s recent trip to the Frenchspeaking part of beautiful Switzerland – the Lake Geneva Region, which is a seamless melting pot of rich history, culture, cuisine, wine and music.

Claudio Zemp, Director, Switzerland Tourism India said, “In our last year’s campaign, Ranveer showcased the fun and adventurous side of Switzerland, whereas this time around we have highlighted one of Switzerland’s hidden gems - the Lake Geneva Region. This is a totally different part of Switzerland with a different language, a different cuisine and a different lifestyle. It’s a bit more relaxed and focuses on the finer things of life such as gastronomy and wine, music, culture and romance. We wanted Ranveer to experience this region as we think this is the perfect destination for Indian guests as it caters to all tastes. This goes to show that no matter what age you are, or what interests you have, Switzerland has something for everyone.”

TravelScapes

OUTBOUND

UPDATE

ZTA appoints VFS Global for India and GCC market representation I n a move to enhance destination awareness and foster market visibility, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has appointed VFS Global to promote Zimbabwe as a preferred tourism destination in both India and GCC region, through a collaborative relationship.

As part of the agreement, VFS Global would support ZTA to build a unique identity of Zimbabwe as a potential tourist destination by educating and spreading awareness to tour operators, travel agents, MICE planners and the general traveller based in India or GCC region.

Commenting on the new partnership, Dr Karikoga Kaseke, Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, said, “We have not been active in the GCC region and our absence has created room for negative perceptions to prevail. However, we are now ready for this market because Zimbabwe is now open for business. Through the appointment of VFS Global as market representative for Zimbabwe in the GCC region, we aim for increased awareness of Zimbabwe and establish destination presence and visibility. We anticipate a rise

in arrivals from GCC region to 13500 by 2021 as VFS Global embarks on aggressively marketing the country.

Zimbabwe has recently targeted India as a primary market due to its potential resulting from the rapid growing disposable incomes in India. India is a huge market for Zimbabwe; hence the modest approach to target at least 16000 Indian travellers by 2021. This will be done through sustainable destination marketing that will be done by VFS Global.”

A world of wonders, Zimbabwe prides itself to being home of the Majestic Victoria Falls; one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a World Heritage Site that is the biggest curtain of water in the world in the Zambezi River. In fact, the ten reasons for any tourist to visit Zimbabwe are Peace and Tranquility, Safety and Security, Wonderful People and Culture, The Majestic Victoria Falls, Rich History and Heritage, Great Zimbabwe the Grand Medieval Palace, The Mystique of the Eastern Highlands, Pristine Wildlife and Nature, The Mythical Kariba and Mighty Zambezi.

Indians make the most of summer holidays; 30 pc of bookings for Thailand

C

riteo, the leading commerce marketing technology company, reveals that Indian holidaymakers aren’t just dreaming of the perfect getaway during summer break – they’re booking them too. Criteo’s recent travel report provides an overview of travel bookings made between April and June for the year 2017 and draws comparison with April to May 2018.

The report revealed that Thailand is the most preferred international destination during the period of May and June for Indian holidaymakers, with 30 per cent of bookings during the period, followed by United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, United States, France, Sri Lanka, China and

United Kingdom. For domestic travel, popular destinations include Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

In 2017, as per the report, Indian travel sites saw more than 50 per cent sales in the last week of May. The trend continued in 2018, which shows that holidaymakers are increasingly eager to commit to holidays later in the month of May in a bid to travel in summer season.

The report also highlights that during the entire summer season in 2017, most of the traffic on travel sites was recorded between last week of May and end of June. However the number of visitors declined towards the month of May 2018.

‘Join Me In Jamaica’ Digital Campaign launched

T

he Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has launched its ‘Join Me In Jamaica’ digital marketing campaign. Launched by Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, this campaign is a series of 90-second videos featuring local Jamaican celebrities and friends of Jamaica sharing unique stories about the love for their profession and their homeland and what makes it a great place to visit.

Bartlett, in his remarks at the unveiling at the Strawberry Hill Hotel in St. Andrew, said the Ministry will be making greater use of technology in the ‘new architecture of tourism marketing in Jamaica’. “We are going to use technology as the driving force to develop a capacity to manage, measure and be in total command of our markets, because prior to this, we spent money on advertising but we couldn’t measure the returns,” he said.

“The Join Me in Jamaica campaign was created with today’s savvy traveller in mind as purchasing decisions as to where one will vacation are often made after a series of online searches.

These short videos will serve to entice visitors to come experience our destination and our greatest asset, our people,” noted Donovan White, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism.

The videos are being promoted via the JTB’s social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as through a digital ad campaign aimed at reaching consumers where they look for inspiration while making travel decisions.

Ireland opens first visa application centre in Abu Dhabi

T

he Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi has opened UAE’s first external visa application centre in partnership with VFS Global, a leading outsourcing and technology services specialist for diplomatic missions worldwide. All non-UAE nationals who are based in the UAE and requires a visa in order to enter Ireland will no longer need to visit the Embassy. They can, instead, route their visa applications through VFS Global’s centre located in downtown Abu Dhabi. The Ireland visa application centre in the UAE is the third outsourced processing centre of Ireland in the GCC Region in partnership with VFS Global, which now operates such centres for Ireland in 15 countries across the world.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

43

GLOBETROTTER

TravelScapes

Turkey Your ‘happily ever after’ begins here A modern country with an appealing mélange of the bygone and the contemporary, feel of the East and charm of the West, Turkey, is packed with traditions and culture which makes it an ideal place to celebrate your nuptial. The country is fast becoming one of the most ideal wedding destinations in the Mediterranean, thanks to its perfect blend scenic seaside location, creamy sand beaches and plush hotels with captivating wedding backdrops

By Varun Malhotra

The sparkling affair- Wedding in Antalya Overlapping both continental limits and the boundary between ancient and modern times, Antalya is a fascinating destination for history buffs and idyllic beach hotels, made for picture-perfect weddings. Imagine a picturesque garden wedding with a backdrop of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea and the rolling Toros Mountain range or a classic intimate ceremony on the decorated piers. Antalya, being a home to truly magical weddings boasts some of the finest venues. The Marmara Antalya serves class and quality in a luscious garden setting which is a favourite choice for couples signing their nuptials in the spring and summer months. Mardan Palace is another marvel that claims to convert your special day into ‘cherished-forever’ event. For couples who are interested in a wedding on the beach, Kundu - Lara Region will be one of the most suitable options in the region. Titanic Beach Resort Hotel and The Rixos Downtown Antalya offer distinctive wedding experiences giving the authentic touches and special event planning services.

44 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

TravelScapes

GLOBETROTTER Take vows in the air- Wedding in Cappadocia Imagine an early morning wedding proposal or exchanging of vows up and away in a hot air balloon! It is surely one of the experiences you would always be dreaming of. Set down upon Anatolian plains and surrounded by the honeycombed hills, Cappadocia makes for an ideal retreat for ‘away from the ordinary’ weddings. Have your photos taken among the Fairy Chimneys, in ancient Byzantine Churches, renovated cave houses or a Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Flight. Argos in Cappadocia, listed among ‘The Best Hotel for Weddings, Parties and Organisations’ gives an exceptional space feel and its oneness with nature and history is worth exploring. While one may wake up to dream with awe-inspiring mansions, the peaceful living spaces and the landscapes let you encounter the nature to the closest. Some may also choose the perfect setting at Museum Hotel that offers the stunning views over Cappadocia. If you are looking for a unique combination of comfort and history, hospitality and attentive service, then Lykia Lodge Kapadokya is the discovered marvel.

Whisk yourself away to the heavenWedding in Bodrum As the destination weddings have become a favoured choice for everyone, Bodrum, with the rolling hills covered with olive and citrus groves and white buildings draped with bougainvillea, has become increasingly popular. A wedding at Bodrum gives an added advantage to the couple as there are plenty of boutique hotels spread throughout the peninsula that not just offer top-notch services but also give a seaside paradise where they can go for a romantic escape after exchanging vows. For those looking for an intimate experience of a boutique wedding, Maçakızı Hotel in Türkbükü provides an ideal setting featuring lots of draped white fabric, plenty of candlelight and fuchsia bougainvillea to add a dash of colour.

Also synonymous with luxury is Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay that offers a redefined wedding experience. For those in search of a simple, casual, seaside wedding, Xuma Village in Yalıkavak is the ideal location. All in all, the beautiful destinations, chic hotels and simple yet elegant settings make you easily fall in love with Bodrum.

A tale worth telling- Wedding in Istanbul While Antalya gives you the unique vibe to say the ‘I Do’ in style, Istanbul, with its cultural milieu, is quite apt for the couple who wants something a little more out-of-thebox. With its many luxury hotels that oversee the stunning Bosphorus, Istanbul is the perfect place for a truly romantic destination wedding. The House Hotel Nisantasi is a location capable of arranging a beautiful wedding reception in the fashionable interior part of the city and is probably one of the chicest hotels in Turkey. The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul with its magnificent wedding venues highlights the hotel’s views with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Bosphorus and feature sophisticated touches including crystal chandeliers and mahogany wood walls. Take an enchanting journey through time in the elegantly renovated The Marmara Esma Sultan where the unique vibrancy and unforgettable quality to each wedding adds a sparkling touch to the chic atmosphere. Not to be missed are the celebrations at Four Seasons and Ciragan Palace Kempinski where the wedding of your dreams awaits you.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

45

UPDATE

TravelScapes

AVIATION

Vistara now eligible to fly overseas

V

istara has received its 21st aircraft, an Airbus A320neo powered by CFM engines. With this addition to its fleet, Vistara becomes eligible to start international operations. The 21st aircraft, an Airbus A320 Neo plane landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 0336 hours. The new aircraft will be deployed to further strengthen the airline’s domestic network. Vistara’s A320neo aircraft comes in its unique cabin configuration of 158 seats as well as other industry-first features, for which the airline calls it #NotJustAnotherNeo. “There’s great excitement among all of us at Vistara, as we prepare ourselves for taking the next leap in our journey to fly international. The arrival of our 21st aircraft makes this phase even more special,” Leslie Thng, CEO, Vistara said. “It enables us to strengthen our network further, which gives us the opportunity to offer more choices in terms of frequencies to our ever-growing base of loyal customers,” he added.

Domestic passenger traffic grows by 16.53 per cent in May’18

D

omestic air passenger traffic grew 16.53 per cent to 11.86 million in May this year over the same period a year ago, according to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). 12 domestic airlines together flew 11.85 million passengers as compared to 10.17 million passengers in May 2017.

IndiGo continued to be the market leader, carrying 4.85 million passengers in May, while full service carrier Jet Airways followed it, carrying 1.62 million passengers.

SpiceJet recorded the highest load factor during the month at 94.8 per cent, followed

by IndiGo at 91 per cent. The load factor of state-run Air India, in comparison, stood at 81.3 per cent and it carried 1.51 million passengers in May.

46 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

AAI hosts annual conference of top executives A two-day Annual Conference of AAI top executives was inaugurated on June 13, 2018 by Jayant Sinha, Minister of State of Civil Aviation, at Indian Aviation Academy, New Delhi. This conference provides a platform to the entire AAI top brass to interact and share the experiences and ideas to sync the organisation wide working with its Corporate Plan, Vision and Mission in line with the greater objectives of customer focus and ease of travel on which the Government has been concentrating since unveiling the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP -2016).

Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, AAI in his welcome address emphasised that despite AAI being one of the most geographically distributed public sector unit and managing such diverse workforce spread across the length and breadth of the country , the challenges are being handled very well by our teams to implement the desired changes to achieve the goals. He added that the purpose of the conference is to contemplate on the changes and challenges lying ahead and find ways to improve our performance

despite the exponential growth we are witnessing.

Jayant Sinha appreciated the excellent work done by various airport heads in implementation of plans of the government to make the air travel available to the common man in the remotest parts in line with the vision of the Prime Minister. During his address, he highlighted that over the past four years, the number of passengers have doubled, the number of operational airports have gone up from 70 in 2014 to almost 100 in 2018 and in the same time period the number of aircrafts have risen from 350 to 550 in the Indian skies. To meet with this unprecedented demand, as a result of flying being taken up by a common man in a big way, airlines have placed firm orders of more than 950 aircrafts to be added in their fleet in coming years.

These figures complement the government’s slogan of “Saaf Niyat Sahi Vikas”. He emphasised that although lots of efforts have been put in but need of the hour is to manage the changes in more effective manner so as to make the customer experiences even better and enriching.

Jet Airways receives its first 737 MAX from Boeing J et Airways received its first 737 MAX aeroplane from Boeing. The airline becomes the first Indian carrier to fly the new and improved 737 aeroplane, which delivers a double-digit improvement in fuel efficiency and improved passenger comfort.

“The new 737 MAX is a critical element to our future growth strategy and we are proud to become the first airline in India to introduce this brand new airplane to our customers,” said Naresh Goyal, Chairman of Jet Airways.

“The 737 has been the backbone of our dynamic fleet for many years and we are excited to leverage the superior capabilities of the

new 737 MAX. The improved economics and efficiency as well as the passenger pleasing features of the MAX will enable us to strengthen our position as India’s premier airline.”

Jet Airways is India’s secondlargest airline with a fleet of 119 aircraft serving more than 65

destinations across 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere. This represents the first of 150 737 MAX aeroplanes Jet Airways has on order with Boeing, following two separate orders for 75 jets placed in 2015 and earlier this year.

TravelScapes

MoT

UPDATE

Sanjay Kumar steps down as IndiGo’s Chief Commercial Officer Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer of IndiGo, has resigned from the airline, with effect from July 15, 2018, to pursue other career interests.

Rahul Bhatia, Interim CEO of IndiGo, said, “I would like to thank Sanjay for all he has done for the Company in making IndiGo the airline it is. We are successful at what we do and Sanjay’s contribution has been very significant in getting us to the level we are today. I am grateful for all his hard work since he joined in January 2007 and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

William Boulter, currently Chief Strategy Officer, will be taking over from Sanjay Kumar as Chief Commercial Officer.

Sanjay Kumar said, “The last 12 years at IndiGo has been the most satisfying and

Air India to get government aid to maintain operations Sanjay Kumar

rewarding experience of my career. I am extremely proud to have been a part of commercial success of the airline. I would like to thank the founders and all colleagues for their support during this time.”

A

ccording to a report, the government will provide debt-laden national carrier Air India with financial resources so that it can disburse the salaries of its staff and maintain its operations.

Air India has not disbursed salaries to a large number of its employees for the month of May, payable in June. An Air India spokesperson had earlier said that the delay in government’s equity infusion into the airline led to the delay in payment of salaries to the staff and has also floated a tender to raise INR 1,000 crore from banks to meet its working capital needs.

Jayant Sinha said the government is drawing up plans for equity infusion into the airline, which had been frozen after the announcement of strategic divestment of the carrier. The government drew a blank on its plans to divest 76 per cent stake in Air India. “The group of ministers constituted to oversee Air India’s strategic divestment will analyse all matters before them and an appropriate decision will be taken,” he said.

CAPA India estimates USD36 bn required by 2030 for airport infrastructure in India

Nellore Airport work to kick start from August T he auspicious hours seem to have arrived for Nellore Greenfield airport.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the much-awaited airport is likely to take place in the first week of August.

The state government has already signed the concession agreement with the developer - SCL-Turbo which has formed a consortium - Nellore International Airport Private Limited for construction of the airport.

The date for ground-breaking ceremony would be finalised whenever Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu gives time. The project works are likely to begin in January next year and the developer is planning to complete the project by 2020. As envisaged, the domestic airport is expected to get business from cargo transport since the region is known for industries.

Hence, Nellore International Airport

Private Limited is also planning a cargo hub to benefit from the huge demand from local industries and also from nearby cities like Chennai. As per the concession agreement, a revenue share of nine per cent will be allowed to the government. The consortium has tied up with a French airport operator for operations and maintenance and it will have capacity to handle up to two million passengers a year and handle 55,000 tons of cargo.

Tirupati’s main source is cargo rather than passenger traffic. But, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry airports are witnessing encouraging growth in both passenger and cargo traffic. The Airports Authority of India also anticipated a huge potential service and industry sectors in Nellore district which are flourishing.

A

ccording to CAPA India estimates, an investment of USD36 billion to USD45 billion will be required by 2030 to develop the airport capacity needed to support “one of the world’s largest and fastest growing aviation markets”. CAPA India stated the fact that most of India’s 40 largest airports are expected to exceed capacity within the next few years while passenger traffic demand is projected to significantly increase which means there is an urgent need for airport infrastructure development “of a size and scale attempted perhaps by only one other country”, including construction of new terminals, new runways and new airports.

Star Air to take off on UDAN push

I

n a bid to tap the opportunities arising out of the government’s UDAN regional air connectivity scheme, the Bengaluruheadquartered Star Air, the latest airline is set to take off, with its first flight expected in mid-July.

A part of the Sanjay Ghodawat Group, the airline will operate out of the Bengaluru International Airport. Under UDAN, Star Air has bagged three routes, namely Hubballi-Pune, Hubballi-Hindon (Delhi) and Hubballi-Tirupati, while it is yet to disclose the routes from Bengaluru and other cities, the company said in a statement.

Introducing the Embraer ERJ-145 for the first time in India in commercial aviation, Star Air has chalked out a long-term road map. The plane is popular as a private business jet. Starting off with a fleet of two aircrafts, the airline is eyeing expansion.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

47

UPDATE

TravelScapes

AVIATION

Passengers demand the best of experiences- Turkish’s Aviation Trends India Survey T

urkish Airlines recently released its Aviation Trends India 2017 survey in association with Nielson. The survey revealed the evolving demands of passengers for better experiences during mid to long-haul flights. Conducted online, the survey interviewed respondents to understand their likes and dislikes in the Before Flight, During Flight and After Flight phases of the journey.

The survey also reflected the growing acceptance of airline travel as a preferred mode of travel in India due to the growth of the sector with increased options in the form of airlines, routes and benefits. 50 per cent of the respondents preferred air-travel versus other forms of transport. 99 per cent of the respondents to the survey also expressed a willingness to take a long-haul flight in the next two years.

Business class travel also saw a rise

with 44 per cent of the respondents travelling business class in the past two years.

The respondents also shared a ‘wishlist’ of services and amenities that they would like to see in mid to long-haul flights in the future. Free and fast internet access and increased seat comfort ranked the highest in the wishlist. A significantly higher percentage of business and first class travellers expressed a need for child care on board and an area for network generation, compared to economy and premium economy travellers.

Sharing his views on the survey and its outcomes, Ozer Guler, General Manager, Northern & Eastern India, Turkish Airlines Inc. said, “The Indian civil aviation sector is on an undeniable growth trajectory. Favorable government policies, economic growth, an upwardly mobile middle-class and

competitive air fares have given a rise to willingness for people to adopt air travel as a preferred mode of transport in India. As such, their expectations and demands for services and ameneities have significantly evolved. The Turkish Airlines Aviation Trends Survey 2017 gives us a glimpse into this changing landscape and allows us to better

address our customers’ demands and needs.”

The online survey, conducted in partnership with Nielsen, reached out to a respondent pool comprised of individuals aged 18 years or older who have used flights as a mode of travel in the last two years and was conducted between February 16 to 26, 2018.

Ethiopia launches new e-visa services

R

Civil Aviation Ministry may reform cancellation policy

E

ven as the new reforms drafted by the Civil Aviation Ministry on name change and free cancellation of airline tickets within 24 hours of booking look like bringing relief to the passengers, the shortcomings in the reforms make them apprehensive.

The draft directs airlines to print cancellation charges on the ticket and that airline and the agents together should not, under any circumstances, levy cancellation charge more than the base fare plus fuel surcharge. However, the airline ticketing fraternity asked why a passenger has to pay fuel charges when there is no fuel burn-off. And, how the airline can define

48 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

the fuel burn-off percentage as the proportion of fuel burnt for carrying him?

In a representation forwarded to the Civil Aviation Ministry, Biji Eapen, National President, IATA Agents Association of India, said, the fuel charges cannot become a part of the cancellation charges and any attempt to include this in the basic fare without merging both fare and fuel charges together is illegal and a total violation of the Law. “So we request the Ministry of Civil Aviation to review and amend the draft to specify that, cancellation charges under any circumstances shouldn’t be more than the base fare,” he added.

eady to cross off destinations on your travel bucket list and indulge yourself in endless surprises or a business travel looming in your calendar? Rest assured, your travel arrangement is made much easier than ever before; definitely thrilling and on-demand with an all in one new e-visa service brought to you by the Ethiopian Immigration and Nationality Affairs Main Department in collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines.

Ethiopia, a treasure trove of history and culture, has become easier to get to with our new e-visa service. All you have to do is process your visa online on a single webpage where you apply, pay and secure your entry visa online.

Give it a try and you will get authorised via email to secure your passport stamped with visa upon arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

TravelScapes

PHOTO STORY

Virgin Atlantic celebrates 18 years of flying from Delhi to London Virgin Atlantic is excited to celebrate 18 years this July since it launched its first flight from India on July 5, 2000 on board an Airbus A340 from New Delhi to London. To memorialise the launch, the airline hosted a party and raised a toast to its 18 years in India with the Glenfiddich 18 years Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Staying true to the spirit of innovation and personalisation, the event had Virgin flair spread throughout engaging guests with entertainment, whisky tasting and trade partner awards.

Since the year 2000 Virgin Atlantic has welcomed over three million customers on board and served over three million glasses of bubbly at 38,000ft. Today, customers travelling with Virgin Atlantic enjoy a daily service to London Heathrow on-board a state of the art Boeing 787-9 with Wi-Fi in all its cabins making it the only airline on the Delhi-London route to offer Wi-Fi connectivity to all its customers.

Virgin Atlantic has been consistently working on innovation and personalisation for its passengers.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

49

TravelScapes

EXOTIC INDIA

A PERFECT BLEND OF HERITAGE AND NATURAL BEAUTY

KARNATAKA

By Shubhangi Bhatia

Coorg- The Scotland of India Situated amongst the beautiful hills of the World Heritage Western Ghats range, the charming Coorg is a postcard-perfect region of villages and hamlets, which are the epitome of the old world charm. The lure of this place lies in the beautiful amalgamation of history, adventure, luxury and good food. During the monsoon, the rains add a certain charm to this district even though it experiences a huge amount of rainfall. The misty hills, lush teakwood and sandalwood forests and acres of tea and coffee plantations of Coorg are truly picturesque in this season. Further, it is also the most ideal place for outdoor activities such as trekking, angling and white water rafting. Specifically, Mandikeri is the heartland of Coorg.

Chikmagalur- A green slice of heaven on a permanent coffee high Famous for being the birthplace of coffee in India, Chikmagalur is a beautiful district located on the western part of Karnataka. Situated at a height of 3400 feet, it is popularly admired for its rambling hills, pristine pools, intriguing caves, lush mists, dreamy woods, fascinating nooks and crannies with a shrine. It offers a pleasant weather throughout the year. However, during the monsoon when the nature is at its best, it is green everywhere and even the waterfalls which are invisible during the other months are at their glorious best- Kalhatti falls, Manikyadhara falls, Hebbe falls and Jhari waterfalls. Other attractions majorly include the sunrise in Mullayanagiri, peace at Baba Budangiri, Bhadra Wildlife sanctuary and Kudremukh National Park. Further, accommodation options in Chikmagalur are also plenty, ranging from star hotels, luxurious hotels, budget hotels and even homestays.

50 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

EXOTIC INDIA

Bangalore- A mix of cosmopolitan on the nature’s comfort Having evolved gradually from the Garden City to the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore is a melting point of ethnic and cultural backgrounds charmingly mixing up the hoi polloi of the city. It is blessed with a benevolent climate throughout the year. However, the hazy slopes, falling waterfalls, sandy shorelines and nature trails of Bangalore are the perfect rainstorm puts. Almost at the heart of Southern India, this cosmopolitan city has a lot to offer in its kitty. Chokkanathaswamy temple, Devanahalli old fort, Vidhana Soudha, Attara Kacheri, Lalbagh Gardens, Cubbon Park, Bangalore Palace, Government Museum, St. Mary’s Basilica, Tipu’s Palace, Indira Gandhi Musical fountain, Ulsoor Lake, Bull Temple are the places that mark the city’s anti-IT journey and highlight Bangalore’s many personalities. The otherwise disarming attraction of these places takes on a different hue giving a whole new dimension to your travel during monsoon.

Gokarna- Land of palm trees, blue seas and golden sands Situated on the coast of Karwar, Gokarna is a Hindu pilgrimage town in Karnataka and a new found hub for beach lovers and hippies. Open beaches, undiscovered coves, epiphanic sunsets, jagged cliffs, quaint temples and an evasive culture make Gokarna whatever you want it to be. Revolving around the Mahabaleshwar Temple, it can be different things to different people. The out-of-town beaches in Gokarna are a curious contrast to the life inside the town. Interestingly, it boasts of three key beaches- the Main beach, Kudle beach and Om beach. Rains and noisy waves during the monsoon make for a beautiful evening on the beach. Gokarna is also an ideal destination for adventure seekers with water sports like parasailing, banana boat ride, fishing trips, and para-skiing. Full of coconut and palm trees, the ocean and clean sands, Gokarna is a ‘one of its kind’ monsoon destinations in India.

National Parks and Sanctuaries- Putting the perspective back to life in the wild Karnataka is known for its rich flora and fauna. Blessed with over five national parks, 18 wildlife and nine bird sanctuaries, it makes for a perfect destination of nature lovers amidst the lush greenery and imposing waterfalls of the monsoon season.

You could get treated to a peacock dance, a bison playing a peek-a-boo from behind a bush or a crocodile sunning itself with its wicked grin intact. Nagarhole National Park is one such place to be. Flanking the Kabini River, it forms an important protected region that includes the neighbouring Bandipur National Park and several other reserves. Bandipur National Park itself is a major tiger reserve and home to the elephants, spotted deer, bison, pythons, sambar deers, sloth bears and over 230 species of birds. Others include Bannerghatta National Park, Anshi National Park, Kudremukh National Park, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, amongst others.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

51

PHOTO STORY

Rejoicing and celebrations: Eid Ul Fitr Open House at High Commission of Malaysia, Delhi High Commission of Malaysia in association with Tourism Malaysia celebrated “EID UL FITR Open House” on June 21, 2018. This event was attended by Diplomats from various embassies, media and stalwarts from travel trade. During the event, authentic Malaysian cuisines were served to the invitees. Eid Ul Fitr Open House is a casual affair, where visitors mingle with other people and relish amazing Malaysian food together. In Malaysia, Eid is more commonly known as ‘Hari Raya Aidilfitri’. Malaysia, being one of the few countries in the world has people from different backgrounds and different religions living together and celebrating festivals of each other with same enthusiasm as they celebrate their own. The country is known for its exceptional cuisine infused with spices and herbs that are deeply rooted in traditional home-style cooking, where fresh, top-quality ingredients are put together judiciously and the flavours of each dish speaks for itself.

52 travelscapesonline.com

JULY 2018

TravelScapes

REPORT

TravelScapes

Travel & Tourism investment to rise annually by 6.7 per cent over the next 10 years Expected to grow to INR 5,546.3 billion in 2028: FICCI-YES Bank Report Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India said that the tourism and civil aviation ministries are engaging continuously to identify solutions and to implement them for the growth of both the sectors. “The way forward is a focused approach for evolving tourist places under the aviation connectivity scheme and expanding existing routes under UDAN scheme including helicopter routes in hilly and north-eastern regions. This will provide good infrastructural support to the tourism sector,” said Padhee. She also added that the ministry of civil aviation is working to remove bottlenecks in remote and regional areas by providing proper navigation means, technology, better security and safety.

Additionally, Dr Jyotsna Suri, Past President, FICCI & Chair, FICCI Tourism Committee and CMD, Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, in her address said that increasing connectivity will boost tourism, adding that ‘one flight per day to Khajuraho will build the demand eventually’. Dipak Deva, Co-Chair, FICCI Tourism Committee and MD, SITA, TCI & Distant Frontiers also presented his view on the growth of tourism in the country. A FICCI-YES Bank knowledge paper on Tourism Infrastructure was also released by the dignitaries.

FICCI-Yes Bank knowledge paper ‘Tourism Infrastructure Investments- Leveraging Partnerships for Exponential Growth’ As a global growth engine, tourism offers opportunities for both skilled and unskilled segments of the labour force.

With rising demand for tourism products, many new destinations have emerged that are competing to garner larger footfalls and many businesses within destinations are also competing. Infrastructure development is a prerequisite to gain higher tourist numbers and requires the combined effort of the host community, tourists and private and public sectors.

The following measures are suggested in the knowledge paper that can accelerate the growth of tourism infrastructure in the country.

1. Tourism Specific Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Rankings: ‘EoDB Tourism State Rankings’ can be introduced with comprehensive parameters for assessment of state initiatives. A uniform format can be introduced for collection and publishing of tourism data and statistics across states and districts to facilitate easier decision making by investors and also measure the impact of initiatives of various states and other stakeholders.

2. Private Sector Participation for O&M of Existing Government Infrastructure: There is a large inventory of tourism infrastructure owned by state tourism departments as well as interconnected sectors like forest bungalows, many of which boast of exquisite locations that are lying idle or have further potential to upscale and attract more visitors. The private sector can be roped in to

operate, improve or refurbish such properties and thus also boosting the room inventory.

3. Promote Smart and Frugal Infrastructure: As we expect tourism models to uplift communities, the creation of modern infrastructure will be pivotal towards attracting tourists, even more so in remote and offbeat locations. Currently, the minimum project cost for tourism projects to qualify for infrastructure status is INR 200 cr, which is under consideration to be lowered to INR 50 cr. However, if this entry barrier can be further lowered, or a separate incentive scheme can be carved out for smaller projects, it will encourage private players to participate in small infra.

4. Promote MICE Sector: While MICE sector has experienced growth in the Indian sector in the past decade, India still has less than 0.5 per cent share of the world meetings and conventions market.

Developing more world-class exhibition centres can enable India to attract global conventions and meetings in tourism as well as other sectors.

5. Incentivise Private Sector Participation: Government/(s) should incentivise private players to invest in unserved/ under-served tourism projects.

The incentive pattern can be friendlier for attracting more innovative tourism projects vis-a-vis run-ofthe-mill projects. For instance, interest subvention scheme can be introduced for small tourism projects like community homestays, RO-RO and boat operators. Additional incentives, like additional interest subvention post COD, can be provided to projects (including new hotels and resorts) at tourist destinations with limited tourist facilities and connectivity.

6. Online Repository of Land Banks: Availability of suitable land is one of the main concerns for investing in tourism projects, especially when it comes to sustainable tourism infrastructure in fragile areas. The states need to develop land bank outlining the land parcels available for tourism projects, which are made accessible over an interactive web platform with the support of Ministry of Tourism. This will enable investors to assess the preliminary viability of their projects basis the nature of land parcel/ select the appropriate land parcel suitable to the proposed project.

7. Medical and Wellness Tourism: India holds a competitive advantage in offering these products and services and is also one of the most competitive destinations offering specialised treatments at low costs. The need of the hour now is to attract investments to create a supporting infrastructure that can help reap dividends of this global movement led by India, as well as further consolidate offerings in allopathic healthcare and advanced medical procedures.

8. Coastal Area Development: Blessed with almost 7,500 km of coastline, beaches or coastal tourism forms one of the top tourism themes in India and is also a preferred theme for foreign tourists visiting India. To leverage on this coastal advantage of India, priority can be accorded for identifying a minimum of 100 coastal destinations/beaches and develop the basic tourism infrastructure in addition to ensuring cleanliness at these locations.

9. Leveraging MSME funds: India’s immense cultural and natural heritage is managed and conserved by local communities and small entrepreneurs whose business models now require scale-up through capital infusion, capacity building and skill building support. Convergence of Government Schemes with organisations like NABARD, SIDBI among others can be channelised into developing tourism infrastructure in rural and hinterland areas.

10. Technology for Infrastructure Assessment and Management: Today’s technologies give us clear insights and easy to use tools to advance sustainable and inclusive growth and go far beyond cashless transactions and reservations. Data analytics can provide insights into consumer spending and movement trends which can further facilitate municipalities on crowd management and urban planning. Enabling a cashless ecosystem for tourists, introducing value-added products like Incredible India Travel Card, application of GIS and emerging technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) are some possible areas of intervention.

According to the report, travel and tourism investment are expected to rise by 6.7 per cent, per annum over the next ten years to INR 5,546.3 billion in 2028.

JULY 2018

travelscapesonline.com

53

ON THE MOVE

TravelScapes

RAHUL RAJ

GAURAV SINGH

PROMOTED AT: Courtyard Marriott Ahmedabad TO: General Manager Courtyard Marriott Ahmedabad has appointed Rahul Raj as its General Manager. He is the strategic business and operations head for the hotel who has established a reputation for excellence. Before moving here, Raj has had an extensive experience of over 15 years in driving hotel business operations with in-depth sensitisation to the challenges of growth in revenue and customer satisfaction.

PRADEEP VAID

PROMOTED AT: JW Marriott TO: General Manager, Kolkata property and the Cluster General Manager of Bangladesh JW Marriott has appointed Gaurav Singh as the General Manager of its Kolkata property and the Cluster General Manager of Bangladesh.

Singh will oversee all aspects of operational management and enhance the productivity, guest satisfaction and implement strategic initiatives for the hotel. Additionally, he will also administer the portfolio of hotels in Bangladesh.

PROMOTED AT: AccorHotels TO: Director of Marketing AccorHotels announced the appointment of Apoorva Maheshwari as the Director of Marketing for AccorHotels India. In this role, Maheshwari will be responsible to lead the marketing activities for the growing portfolio of brands in the country. She holds close to a decade of rich consumer and brand marketing experience across industries including FMCG and E-Commerce.

SUMIT BHARDWAJ

PROMOTED AT: Lords Hotels & Resorts TO: General Manager

PROMOTED AT: Radisson Blu MBD Noida TO: General Manager

Lords Hotels & Resorts has appointed industry veteran and hospitality specialist Pradeep Vaid as its new General Manager. With over 40 years of experience in the field, Vaid has served as the GM of Madhuban Group of Hotels prior to joining here. A specialist in managing and operating large commercial hotels across all star categories, he is well versed with the complexities of running a multifaceted hotel chain operation.

Radisson Blu MBD Noida announced the appointment of Sumit Bhardwaj as the new General Manager. Well acquainted with luxury hospitality, Bhardwaj is a seasoned global hospitality professional with an experience of more than 17 years joining the MBD family from Raffles Dubai, where he held the position of Director of Rooms. His key responsibility is to oversee all operations.

SHIBIL MALIK

ANIL SWAIN

PROMOTED AT: Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel TO: General Manager

PROMOTED AT: The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat TO: General Manager

Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel has announced the appointment of Shibil Malik as its General Manager. Prior to this, Malik was the Cluster Executive Assistant Manager of Sales & Marketing for The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace and Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel. With a broad spectrum of hospitality experience over the years, he has played a crucial role in strategising, repositioning and assisting brand augmentation.

Anil Swain has been appointed as the new Director of Revenue at The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat. Swain has an experience of over 12 years in sales management. During his stint, he also operated as a Supervisory Team Member.

At The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat, he will be in-charge of the negotiations, pricing, and budgeting exercise on the basis of market and demand analysis for the property.

54 travelscapesonline.com

APOORVA MAHESHWARI

JULY 2018

VARUN SHARMA

PROMOTED AT: Clarks Exotica Convention Resort & Spa

TO: Director of Operations Clarks Exotica Convention Resort & Spa, one of the leading five star resorts in India is proud to announce the promotion of Varun Sharma as its new Director of Operations. In his new role, Sharma will be responsible to foster synergy and provide operational excellence. He was formerly the Director of F&B at Clarks Exotica and has more than 13 years of experience in the hospitality sector.

AKASH GUPTA

PROMOTED AT: Gokulam Grand Hotel & Spa, Bangalore

TO: General Manager Gokulam Grand Hotel & Spa, Bangalore has appointed Akash Gupta as the new General Manager. With an illustrious career spanning 27 years, he began with the prestigious Taj group of hotels. Thereafter, the industry took him places while his latest stint was as a General Manager with Starwood Hotels.

RNI No. - DELENG/2013/48401 • Licence No. : F.2(T-3) 2013 • Posting Dt. 9-10/07/2018 9-10/05/2018 Place of Posting: NIEHOND 110028 • Reg. No. - DL(W)10/2208/2016-2018 • Date of publication 3-4/07/2018 3-4/05/2018