TravelScapes MiceInsiders March 2018

MARCH 2018, PAGES 40

A debut with a loud splash

VETA 2018

MICE in Misery?

VOL. 1, ISSUE. 2

Contemporary

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Publisher’s Note PUBLISHER & CEO Varun Malhotra varun@versatilemedia.in DIRECTOR Pranav Khullar pranav@versatilemedia.in VICE PRESIDENT Shelly Chadha shelly@versatilemedia.in DIRECTOR- PR (MIDDLE EAST & SOUTH EAST ASIA) Sanjiv Chopra ASSOCIATE EDITOR Gagneet Kaur ASST. EDITOR Sayanti Halder SENIOR REPORTER Ankita Jain BUSINESS HEAD - MICE Seema Joshi AGM SALES & MARKETING (MUMBAI) Aarti Rajkhewa SR. MARKETING MANAGER Nidhi Hinduja CONSULTANT Anindya Malhotra, Jitin Mann ART DIRECTOR Rakesh Kumar ACCOUNTS Chandan Kumar Jha, Swati Jauhari ADMIN HEAD R Prem Lata EXECUTIVE-CIRCULATION Hari Puri, Sameer Singh

Dear Readers, India is a fast growing economy and as it stands now, the nation is among the top countries in the world for lucrative business. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) travel is directly co-related with business activities, which in turn is leveraging India unto a prestigious position as a MICE destination. Thanks to the excellent economic growth, one of the largest consumer markets and readiness to take off towards excellence attracting major conventions in India. Countries are increasingly enhancing their networking in India, which is driving MICE boom in India. The future of MICE business in India is bright and that is the reason why multi-nationals are trying to enter Indian market.

Presently, there is a huge business potential for MICE within India, which Indian companies are taking to other destinations, abroad, instead of doing it in the country.

offerings for our “Cover Story”. For our “Spotlight” segment, we also spoke with some of the recognised inbound MICE players, sharing their vivid insight on the challenges and expected solutions for the developing India market.

The apex body, India Conventions Promotion Bureau (ICPB) plays a pivotal role in development of MICE industry and thus, we share the insights of the veteran (and exICPB-ian) Rajeev Kohli in our “Guest Column” section.

Happy Reading!

Varun Malhotra Publisher & CEO

To comprehend the existing inbound MICE business in the country, we spoke to India’s leading state tourism boards delivering their MICE

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 MiceInsiders is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract or interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisement Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.

Owned and published by: Varun Malhotra, Editor & Publisher, EB-63, Maya Enclave, Hari Nagar, New Delhi - 110064 and printed on his behalf at Acme Tradex India Pvt. Ltd. ( Unit : Printing press) B - 70, Sector - 80, Noida - 201305

CONTENT Cover Story Page No. 12

Is India all set

To get pinned on a

GLOBAL MICE

map?

An ideal spot for conferences and conventions of international standards, with growing convention centers and reputed hospitality, India as a MICE destination is capturing global attention. Is the country ready to match with the international standards?

SPOTLIGHT 24 IS MICE IN MISERY? Lately, India has seen an exponential growth both in terms of inbound and domestic markets in MICE tourism. The world is looking at India as a huge potential market

OVERSEAS 34 Contemporary Switzerland

VETA 2018 6 A debut with a loud splash Versatile Excellence Travel Awards brought together everything we all drool over- Bollywood stars, groovy fashion, industry stalwarts, songs, dance and the awards, by the way..

GUEST COLUMN 18 Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel ‘MICE’ is not tourism but business events

HOMEWARD 20 Madhya Pradesh Nothing one had read or heard will prepare you for Madhya Pradesh. It is one of those states which are extremely rich in art and craft

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MARCH 2018

The perfect antidote to rural beauty, Switzerland’s congress destinations are not just the sprawling metropolitan cities but picturesque boutique towns

HOTEL FEATURE 32 Leonia Holistic Destination Your search for the best ends here!

REGULAR NEWS 10...................................................................................................................... Inbound 16............................................................................................................................Trade 28...................................................................................................................Outbound 30................................................................................................................ Hospitality 36...................................................................................................................... Aviation 38..........................................................................................................Appointments

News

TRADE

A debut with a loud splash

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

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

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

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The Guest-of-Honour for the evening was the Actor-turned- Politician, Shatrughan Sinha (Member of Parliament) and Senior Congress Leader (Haryana), Kuldeep Bishnoi. Gracing the evening with the traditional lamplighting ceremony, together with the industry leaders, Sinha was all praises for TravelScapes and its team. While the setting of such an elegant evening was taken to yet another level of grandeur by the lively performances by the Russian Dance Group, the award show, however, really belonged to the celebrity host — Neha Dhupia who made it an evening to remember.

From all the glitz and glam to the recognition that was much deserved, from the jaw-dropping dance forms like Kalinka and Antre-Moulin Rouge to innumerable clicks at the photo booth, VETA was that sparkling jewel in the crown. While the very first award show by TravelScapes has already drummed up a lot of excitement, we, therefore, very proudly announce that VETA is coming back with a bang. And yes, this time it’s the “land of dreams”- Dubai.

News

TRADE and the award goes to...

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

VETA for Best Upcoming Wedding Destination - Ras Al Khaimah

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

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

VETA for Best Entrepreneur of the Year- Ankush Nijhawan

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

VETA for Lifetime Achievement Subhash Goyal

VETA for Best Luxury Hotel Chain Maldives- Coco Collection

VETA for Best Holiday Portal and Mobile Application- TravKart MARCH 2018

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News

TRADE and the award goes to...

8

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

VETA for Best Visa Facilitation Company in India - Udaan India

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

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

VETA for Best Regional Airline in Asia - Silk Air

VETA for Best B2B Online Portal Travel Boutique Online

VETA for Best Digital Foreign Remittance Platform - FxKart.com

VETA for Best Holiday Destination Macao

VETA for Emerging Face of the Year Travstarz Global Group

MARCH 2018

News

TRADE and the award goes to...

VETA for Best DMC South East Asia TravelBullz

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

VETA for Best Wildlife Conservation Resort in India - Infinity Resorts

VETA for Best Heritage Hotel Chain in India - WelcomHeritage

VETA for Best Business Hotel Chain in India - Fortune Hotels

VETA for Best Upcoming Business Hotel - Radisson Gurugram Udyog Vihar

VETA for Fastest Growing Online B2B Portal - Justclickkaro.com

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

VETA for Best Upcoming Forex Market Place - Nafex.com MARCH 2018

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News

INBOUND

Government approves projects worth INR 16,000 cr

UP Govt’s new tourism policy targets INR 5,000 cr investment Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has set an ambitious target of generating five lakh jobs every year, attracting INR 5,000 crore investments and increasing the foreign tourist arrival of 10 per cent in state’s recently unveiled new tourism policy. The key aspect of ensuring safety of women tourists, in a state where law and order is a major issue, also finds a prominent mention in the policy, which was released by Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Minister of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh. Another highlight of the policy is the plan of setting up 50 heritage

hotels in the state. The new policy targets attracting one lakh additional tourists to national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the state and also to convert ten heritage building to heritage hotels per year.

“The policy will be applicable for five years and has set a target of increasing the domestic tourist arrivals and foreign tourist arrivals by 15 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. The sector will generate five lakh direct or indirect jobs and attract an investment of INR 5,000 crore per year,” says Joshi.

Kerala Travel Mart to organise three-day B2B meetings The 10th edition of the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), a biggest conglomeration of tourism stakeholders, will be held in Kochi from September 27 to 30, 2018. As announced by the Minister for Tourism, Kadakampally Surendran, the event will have three days of B2B meetings scheduled as well.

The previous edition of the mart had seen participation of total 638 domestic buyers from various parts of India and 238 international buyers from more than 57 countries. The conclave has been organised by KTM Society in partnership with Kerala Tourism. Promotion of Malabar Tourism will be the main theme of this edition.

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In a major push to the infrastructure sector, the Central Government cleared half a dozen road and rail projects worth INR 16,000 cr, including a 4.5 km tunnel in Uttarakhand. Among the two road projects, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved six-laning of the 61 km Nidagatta-Mysuru section of NH 275. The project, to be developed on the hybrid annuity model, is estimated to cost INR 2,920 crore. The tunnel construction in Uttarakhand would cost INR 1,384Cr. The cost includes land acquisition and other pre-construction activities plus maintenance and operation expenses of tunnel for four years.

The key railway projects cleared by CCEA are the 425 km Jhansi-Manikpur and BhimsenKhairar lines doubling and electrification projects, important feeder route for the dedicated freight corridor (DFC) and the 130 km Jeypore-Malkangiri new line project.

ITDC posts Rs. 18.30 Cr profit in Q3 for 2017-18 India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) ltd, the public sector undertaking under the aegis of Ministry of Tourism, posted a noteworthy performance in the third quarter of the current financial year 2017-18. The total turnover in third quarter ending December 2017 stood at INR 108.01 cr and the company registered Profit Before Tax (PBT) at INR 18.30 cr as compared to INR 13.14 cr in the corresponding quarter last year (2016-17), an increase of 39.27 per cent as compared to the last financial year.

Cover Story

Is India all set

To get pinned on a

GLOBAL MICE

map?

An ideal spot for conferences and conventions of international standards, with growing convention centers and reputed hospitality, India as a MICE destination is capturing global attention. To gain an insight into the future of this business, we spoke with few of the leading state tourism boards discussing their contributions in adding impetus to the inbound MICE business

By Gagneet Kaur and Sayanti Halder

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Cover Story

The industry of MICE holds enormous potential for any country. It is estimated that a person travelling to a country for a conference or convention spends anywhere between four to eight times more than a normal leisure traveller. India is relatively a new entrant in the global MICE tourism business and most of the convention business in India is generated from the domestic market.

As per the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Report 2015, India ranks 31st worldwide as a convention destination while it ranks at number seven in the Asia Pacific & Middle East. The market is moving beyond value for money into the realm of value-added services, with technology playing a crucial role that facilitates interaction and content exchange via personal devices.

To further promote India as an ideal venue for International Conferences and Exhibitions, the India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) has been set up under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism. According to Chander Mansharamani, Vice Chairman, ICPB, the Indian MICE market is still in its nascent stage but the segment is gradually maturing and getting more organised. India is also being promoted as a preferred MICE destination through the Global Incredible India media campaign and road shows and seminars conducted by the India tourism offices, overseas.

Ministry of Tourism also provides central financial assistance for setting up of conventions centres as part of the scheme for large revenue

Ashutosh Rathod

P. Bala Kiran

generating projects. And the state tourism boards are not lagging behind.

“Kerala Tourism has been working towards utilising the technology and digital media platforms to attract travellers to the state. We believe that potential MICE travellers need to be offered digital options where they can get to know about state offerings and tourism products or services. Kerala Tourism has constituted a committee to look into more suggestions to implement the plans to boost MICE tourism sector. We have also called upon the participants to create campaigns on MICE tourism potential and implementation in all areas for

MICE tourism segment of Kerala,” says P. Bala Kiran, Director, Kerala Tourism. With the growth of MICE tourism, the Kerala Tourism Department aims to promote the tourism products and services that the state offers for the MICE segment. “The sole objective is to promote the tradition and rich cultural heritage of the state across all corners of the world. The natural beauty and geography of Kerala have prompted many to opt for the state to organise MICE events in the state.

With the aggressive promotional campaign, Kerala Tourism has been promoting the state while reaching out to a wider audience,” Kiran adds.

“We have dedicated tourism unit

The Indian MICE market is still in its nascent stage but the segment is gradually maturing and getting more organised

Pawan Kumar Jain

Yuvraj Padole policy under which the investor may easily implement tourism projects in Rajasthan along with several land and provisional benefits. We are providing upfront offerings to bring in more trade in tourism. Under the mentioned tourism unit policy, the MICE segment of tourism takes a big slice of priority. All the benefits would be available for the MICE groups of travellers. Secondly, we have issued a publication, consisting of all the MICE facilities and private sectors in the state to create more knowledge amongst the corporate segment of travellers. We have always boasted Rajasthan as a wedding destination featuring up and mid-scale weddings of good numbers, each year,” highlights Pawan Kumar Jain, Joint Director, Department of Tourism- Government of Rajasthan.

Speaking of forthcoming Indian states enhancing their MICE tourism offerings, Maharashtra is going leaps and bounds when it comes to attracting corporate and wedding MARCH 2018

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Cover Story

groups. The Mahindra Group recently announced over INR 2,300 cr investment in the state in three projects of which as much as INR 1,700 cr will be spent towards creating an entertainment destination at Kandivali, a northwestern suburb of the megapolis, which is expected to attract more corporates in the state.

“Maharashtra has emerged as a hub for the MICE tourism and provides an exclusive collaboration of tradition, culture, history, luxury and modern world-class hotel infrastructure amenities that positively allure business and MICE travellers. We are planning to come up with a Promotion Board to encourage MICE in the state. The Board will be a platform that will help in easing permissions for large conferences and events.

We are also viewing a scheme for pre-approved venues for the MICE and a Single Window clearance system for hospitality,” shares Ashutosh Rathod, Joint Managing Director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).

“Maharashtra has huge prospect to exhibit itself as a MICE destination.

Being the economic capital of India, Mumbai has the world’s best infrastructure to be stated as a prime MICE spot. Business footfall is booming in the city and there is a lot of scope for growth and development.

The Ministry of Tourism and MTDC have realised the potential of MICE and have started working towards it,” he adds.

Furthermore, with an aim to

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India ranks 31st worldwide as a convention destination while it ranks number seven in the Asia Pacific & Middle East promote the state beyond Wildlife and Heritage, Madhya Pradesh Tourism is now looking to open up new state-of-the-art convention centres to attract MICE travellers. Presently, the state has four international standard convention centres with two in Indore and one each in Orchha and Bhopal. “MICE is one of our biggest strengths and we have the up-to-date infrastructure to cater this segment of travellers. We have to provide that extra service incentive or short excursions for the corporate travellers, coming to meetings in Madhya Pradesh. Quality convention centres are required for MICE segment to flourish. We are trying to encourage private players to build convention centres at various destinations in the state. In Khajuraho, which offers a platform for both convention as well as incentives, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) is building a convention centre and it will be ready in two years. In Bhopal, we have a Nawab period building called Minto Hall, we will restore this heritage property into a convention centre. It will be a 1200-seater heritage convention centre and will be ready

by June 2018. While Orchha serves

well as a wedding destination, we have obtained permission from ASI to organise more wedding of big size in the heritage palaces in MP,” shares Yuvraj Padole, Deputy Director (Events & Marketing), Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board.

He further adds, “Our major challenge comes in air and train connectivity. We expect more flights to the state considering the fact that we have five operational airports in the state and roads are in good state. An increase in connectivity is required and I am hopeful that the gradual development in connectivity would bring in more influx to the state. Another major concern acting as a hindrance in bringing more MICE business is the lack of safety and security.”

WHAT NEXT? All major industry sectors are aspiring to grow along with India. This has led to the states developing mega facilities, infrastructure in their major cities, only to boost direct investments, host international summits and conventions. This is a healthy sign of guest confidence in the MICE capabilities and the local approach

that India has embraced to welcome its delegates.

Kerala Tourism has already geared up for a three-month-long international campaign in its bid to lure foreign tourists to the state.

The Tourism Department has listed out as many as 12 trade fairs and 24 road shows under this triumphant promotional campaign for the FY 2017-18 with an enhanced budget allocation of INR 11.5 cr. In order to reach out to the domestic market, a string of partnership meets is being organised in key potential markets.

Moreover, Madhya Pradesh recently organised the fourth edition of MP Travel Mart in Bhopal to further boost tourism in the state. To further diversify the products in the state, MP Tourism had introduced a mega festival,’ Jal Mahotsav’, which has been successful in its earlier two editions.

Now Madhya Pradesh has opened up 16 more water bodies for an incentive purpose of tourism. “We have always strategically established hotels or increased an existing property’s occupancy limit before we launched a convention center in any of the cities.

With the gradual development of infrastructure and facilities, we would subsequently heighten our activities to bring in more MICE travellers into the state. We are aggressively marketing Madhya Pradesh as a MICE destination in all our roadshows and aim to welcome more corporate and MICE business in a big way, in the near future,” adds Padole.

“We are receiving good inquiry and response for the MICE tourism in Rajasthan. We are receiving good numbers of footfalls for meetings too. Increase in the number of direct inter-state and international air connectivity is an added advantage along with developed rail connectivity.

MICE tourism in 2018 looks promising,” enlightens Jain.

India is globally connected to a network of over 50 international airlines and several domestic airlines, which provide convenient connectivity within India. Showing the double-digit growth, the Indian MICE market is expected to double to eight million dollars in the next five years.

A token of appreciation to all our

TRAVEL PARTNERS

for making Akquasun Roadshow 2018 a great success

News

TRADE TAAI to hold 64th annual convention in Srinagar in March After an extensive global circumference, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) is set to organise its 64th annual convention from March 27th to 30th March, 2018 at Srinagar mainly to give a major boost to tourism sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Recently announced by President of TAAI, Sunil Kumar in presence of JK Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary Tourism and Director of Tourism, Kashmir Mahmood A Shah. TAAI conventions have always been popular industry events and around 500 travel agents from across India are expected to participate in this year’s annual convention in Srinagar. During 1986, over 30 years ago, TAAI’s convention was held in Srinagar.

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

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

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

Ukraine was recently signed on as VFS Global’s 57th client government worldwide, when the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global signed a contract to provide visa services on behalf of the Eastern European nation across eight countries-

Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and Tunisia in the Africa region, Lebanon in the Middle East region, India in the South Asia region, and China, in September 2017.

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

GoFro partners with Abu Dhabi Tourism to support the rising interest of Indian travellers GoFro, India’s online holiday marketplace, has partnered with the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT) to support the rising tourism in the country.

DCT partnered with GoFro, to leverage company’s unique travel marketplace model with packages and customised travel option from all leading travel companies of the country. The partnership will enable travellers to get travel advice from local travel experts from Abu Dhabi and help them to customise travel plans.

“We have seen an enormous interest in travellers for Abu Dhabi. It is now becoming a part of every travel enthusiast’s checklist. We are thrilled to have partnered with DCT – Abu Dhabi and offer the best experience of the country

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to every traveller,” says Mohit Sardana, Chief Business Officer, GoFro. “DCT is very pleased to be associated with GoFro. We are confident that we’ll get the desired mileage from the marketing campaign that has been undertaken with GoFro and we look forward to a sustainable alliance,” adds Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager, Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT).

Last year, Abu Dhabi welcomed over 3, 50,000 Indian visitors. Abu Dhabi Tourism Board is expecting to a significant increase in number of tourist this year with new attractions coming to the destination. The average length of stay for Indian visitors is 2.8 nights, which shows that people are keen to explore Abu Dhabi.

Malaysia Airlines joins hands with PCEB to enhance MICE Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) has inked a strategic partnership agreement with the Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) to elevate the MICE industry of Malaysia. “Through this strategic partnership, we will drive the traffic from our global network to Malaysia, especially into Penang and putting forward our MICE offering,” says Yeoh Hock Thye, MAB Head of Sales. Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng stated that the business events segment was seeing a surge in the economic sector in Penang, contributing RM808 million to the economy in 2016. “Penang hosted 1,251 events in 2016 and for the first three quarters of last year, the state played host to 1,731 events with an estimated economic impact of RM900 million,” he added.

News

TRADE ACE of M.I.C.E. kicks off in Turkey

Indian Exhibition Industry Association seminar to be held in Hyderabad The eighth edition of Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA) is scheduled to be held from May 9 to11, 2018 at HITEX, Hyderabad. The flagship annual conclave of the Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA) is themed as ‘Converge & Connect’. There will be participation from the global exhibition industry stalwarts from India and across the globe. The event will be attended by more than 600 exhibition industry professionals with around 100 international delegates from various countries, providing one of

its kind networking opportunity for all participating organisations. ‘’This year, we are targeting to host over 100 international delegates at our event. Delegations from all reciprocity partners of IEIA and other leading international associations of the exhibition industry have confirmed their participation in the event including UFI, IAEE, SACEOS, UBRAFE, AFIDA, AEO, AUMA, AAXO, EXSA, RUEF, CENTREX, HKECIA, AFE, AFECA, AEFI and many more,” says KV Nagendra Prasad, CEM, President, IEIA.

The fifth edition of ACE of M.I.C.E. Exhibition by Turkish Airlines kicked off on February 21, 2018, in Istanbul, Turkey. The three-day show, witnessed pre-scheduled B2B meetings with both local and international hosted buyers from 40 countries. The event is a popular leading regional event for the meetings, incentives, conferences, events and business travel industry.

ACE of M.I.C.E. showcased important MICE companies and buyers from Turkey and all around the world under one single roof. The participants included exhibitors representing PCO’s, event management companies, hotels, technology and event support companies.

Guest Column

MICE is not tourism

but business events India is truly an amazing destination for MICE plus a vibrant, colourful and economically relevant destination. It is also important to understand that the word “MICE” is bit too overreaching and generic. The four components that broadly make this segment – Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events or Exhibitions, all are distinct products with a different customer base and varied delivery parameters. We cannot evaluate them with the same benchmarks, shares Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel ‘Meetings’ are perhaps the simplest of the four segments. A meeting would generally have a corporate connotation attached to it. India is a strong economy and one of the fastest growing in the world. This makes the business case of any major corporation, to meet in India, an easier one.

Most major companies across the world have business reasons to visit India. I do feel that our potential and current revenue from meetings has a strong pipeline. Our opportunity lies in creating opportunities and avenues to generate more revenue from these meetings. To create greater reasons for repeat visits and to create opportunities for the visiting delegates to take a few days off and explore the destination as a tourist, we need to explore how we make these corporate meeting delegates come back for more.

‘Incentives’ is where we have the lowest hanging fruit before us and is, perhaps, where we struggle the most. We have amazing backdrops of forts and palaces to organise gala events.

We offer centuries of culture on our excursions.

We have spectacular hotel options across all budgets. Our dining is probably unparalleled in its variety. Yet, we attract very few real incentives as a destination. We have not built a brand image for India as a destination which is safe, clean and rewarding. All our destinationbased marketing has been primarily focussed on selling India as a holiday destination. Not as a MICE product.

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We have not been able to penetrate the base that makes incentive purchase decisions and shows in our insignificant numbers. This is one sector where we are ready to get going now. We do not need any additional infrastructure and do not need new halls. We have enough to make us a powerful player. All that we need is a change of mindset on how this segment is sold and some investment in marketing to the right audience.

Conventions and Congresses is another area, I have spent some time in. I did a lot of research on India’s position as a convention destination when I used to head the India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) as its Vice Chairman.

It is an absolute fallacy that we do not have right facilities for organising conventions.

Over 95 per cent or more of meetings done worldwide are less than 2,000 delegates. In fact, a majority is of 500 and below. India has plenty of credible hotels and standalone venues that can easily tap this market. We have a strong PCO and supplier base and our local scientific and academic community offers, any visiting convention, a strong base of local delegates and the opportunity to interact across cultures in their fields.

We are, in fact, a very attractive convention destination where we have an opportunity in targeting and (focused) marketing to the right audience. We don’t do that. We do not encourage or cultivate our academic intelligentsia in India

to go out and bid for congresses. We struggle to compete against the likes of Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore and other destinations who have made MICE a priority in their national tourism agendas.

All our competitors have special policies aimed to incentivise congresses to their destination.

We have nothing. We have the right stuff in the private sector and require the government, across different ministries, to come on board.

Lastly, the Events or Exhibitions has tremendous opportunity to create brands and intellectual property that belong to the nation.

We need to encourage more entrepreneurship in this section. The government needs to encourage for creating events in areas that are strong for India. We need to bring in more professionalism in how we deliver events. This has to move from being a cottage industry to a world class base of the finest event and exhibition planners.

We must refocus the energies of the private sector on understanding the changing profile of the international MICE planner. They are younger and far more innovative. We need to match that space and thought process. Ultimately, the Government of India needs to realise that MICE is not tourism but business events that is commerce. Through MICE, India generates far more revenue than the average leisure visitor.

When this realisation occurs, I see the landscape of the MICE industry changing drastically in India.

Homeward

Madhya Pradesh Nothing one had read or heard will prepare you for Madhya Pradesh. It is one of those states which are extremely rich in art and craft. From the culinary delights of Indore to the temple town of Khajuraho, the state stands tall in the touristy platter

By Ankita Jain

Brilliant Convention Centre Indore (BCC) Located 12 kms away from the Indore Airport, Brilliant Convention Centre (BCC) is the first technologically advanced and state-of-the-art convention centre of this scale located in the central business district of Indore.

It can accommodate from 20 to 5000 delegates and is capable to even host a grand Indian wedding. BCC is the largest convention centre in Central India offering about 1, 00,000 sq.ft. of flexible meeting space with 108 luxurious and spacious rooms.

Orchha Palace & Convention Centre Orchha Palace & Convention Centre is elegant, spacious and uncluttered thus it creates a professional yet relaxing environment for delegates to conduct serious meets and conferences. Expanded over 12 acres of land, the property is an essence of royal Bundelkhandi culture and heritage.

It comprises three halls with an exceptionally large prefunction area and a seating capacity of 100 to 2000 with breakaway hall.

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Homeward

Connectivity

Not-to-miss

Business hotels

You can easily reach Madhya Pradesh through major means of transportation like air, train and road.

The state is well-connected with five air terminals, numerous railway stations, and extensive links of national highways. Raja Bhoj InternationalAirport in Bhopal and Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International airport in Indore provide both domestic and international flights. Moreover, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Khajuraho have flight connectivities to all major cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad

• • • • • • •

• • • • •

Heritage Tour to Orchha Hot-Air Ballooning in Pench National Park Shopping in the Old Bazaar of Jabalpur Savour Street Food in Indore Witness Age Old Wall Paintings at Bhimbetka Explore the Temple Groups in Khajuraho Sail Through the Marble Rocks in Bhedaghat

The Lalit Temple View Khajuraho Courtyard by Marriott Bhopal Jehan Numa Palace WelcomHeritage Noor-Us-Sabah Palace Tathastu Resort

MARCH 2018

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REPORT

DESTINATION INDIA

FOR GLOBAL CONFERENCE

Recently, the moribund London Process has acquired a fresh lease of life with India taking on the mantle of holding the iteration of the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS), after the original host, Mexico, expressed its inability to hold the conference. A study shows how India is gradually ascending to the global standard of MICE picture.

The Global Forum of Cyber Expertise (GFCE) was launched with much fanfare. Its 42 members included 29 countries, seven private-sector entities, and six intergovernmental organisations. According to a report published by the Forum, India is gradually participating in more and more international conferences, which is allowing them to endorse itself as top-notch MICE destination for large-sized meetings or conventions of international standards.

This presumably followed on from the 2013 Report of the UN Group of Governmental Experts (UNGGE), which also highlighted capacity building in the country. The conference themes also seemed increasingly aligned with the International Strategy on Cyberspace, focusing on how India intended to approach and promote its vision for cyberspace internationally.

INDIA’S IMPERATIVES India has been a participant in all the conferences of the London Process, though it sent a diminished delegation to the Seoul Conference due to an unscheduled cabinet reshuffle. India is called for global coordination on ‘on multiple fronts including setting standards, safeguarding digital intellectual property rights, sharing best practices, capacity building of developing countries, providing critical intelligence information, and establishing relevant security parameters.’

It is also noted that India had been calling for a discussion on ‘whether laws covering international armed conflict, such as those under the Geneva Convention can also cover cyber attacks.’ Also, Internet governance to be made more equitable and effective. At the 2015 Conference too, India sent a high-level delegation and joined the Global Forum of Cyber Expertise (GFCE) as one of the founder members. While hosting the conference provides a unique opportunity to direct and contribute to the global conversation on cyberspace, the time available is very limited to do the necessary

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groundwork.

India’s approach to the internet has hitherto been tech-centric and free of ideological overlays.

Nonetheless, the announcement in June 2015 that India now officially supported the multi-stakeholder model was taken to mean that India had joined the US bandwagon, notwithstanding its nuanced interpretation of the multi-stake holder model. India perceives a leading role for governments in cyber security in national security related issues.

This also brings up the issue of the nodal Ministry for the Conference which presumably is the Ministry for Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy).

Given the major themes of the conference, there would have to be close and sustained co-ordination between the Ministry and other nodal agencies, including the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), to ensure a successful outcome. If India is to walk the talk on multi-stakeholderism, there would also have to be interactions with other stakeholders by the organising agencies. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of NGOs, civil society organisations and other ‘norm entrepreneurs’ that the Netherlands used with great effect to expand the dialogue amongst the stakeholders.

The private sector, which has played a leading role in other countries in the process of formulating approaches on cyberspace, is not enthused about playing a similar role here, seeing very little returns on investment. Whilst civil society forms the third leg of the triad, there are comparatively few civil society organisations and NGOs that have the necessary expertise or focus on cyberspace. As a result, there has only been desultory participation from these two sectors in international gatherings, whether be academic, industry, or governmental, and even less in the policy space. There was an attempt to have an Indian Internet Governance Conference in 2012 with all the stakeholders, but that proved to be a one-off event.

TURBULENCE ON THE GLOBAL STAGE According to the report, the 2017 Conference also comes at a time when the existing international discourses on securing cyberspace, whether be the UNGGE process or the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), seem to be unable to cope with the accelerated developments in cyberspace.

Increasingly, their utility is being called into question as they are unable to provide effective ideas on how to deal with the threats in India and globally. As for the IGF, its mandate was renewed by the United Nations General Assembly for a further ten years in 2015, but nothing was done to remediate problems of under-funding that have bedevilled it for much of its existence.

On the flip side, despite the emphasis on human rights in previous editions of the conference, which has been a red flag for authoritarian countries, many other countries are resetting their positions following the increased use of corporate gatherings and conventions. This provides an opportunity for countries to overcome ideological differences and work on practical issues provided the necessary groundwork is done.

IMPENDING PROSPECTS The various conferences that have taken place under the aegis of the London Process are themselves models of the approach India could follow. While India might seek to do a repeat of the previous conference, given the paucity of time, resources and the current turbulence in world affairs, it might well have to do with a conference of global variety. For a variation on the theme, there could be closer coordination with the previous host countries who would have acquired a certain amount of heft and credibility by virtue of having hosted the conference. Identifying a successor host country well in advance would also alleviate some of the uncertainty that has come to be associated with the process and put it on firmer ground.

JTB

Differentiating experience by way of service

JTB’s entry into India has a dedicated focus on engaging clients JTB’s foray into India in 2011, through JTB India Private Limited, brings together the high-quality service through its vast domain knowledge of the travel industry and the “Omotenashi” spirit-Japan’s unique spirit of hospitality. In line with the brand slogan, ‘Perfect moments, always’, JTB India is committed to provide an exclusive experience of excitement and joy through its unique mix of services, products, acquired intelligence and advanced systems.

A business partner that meets the needs and challenges of its customers JTB India has partnered with companies and organisations in India to address their complex and diverse needs by offering MICE-related services in a broad range of business domains. By leveraging JTB Group’s global network (with over 27,000 employees in 38 countries) and business knowhow in these services, JTB India offers solutions to customers’ concerns or problems and increases value.

MICE related Outbound and Domestic Programmes • Dedicated team ensuring accurate and budgeted planning and smooth execution of regional, national and international meetings of every scale • Exclusively designed incentive programs based on the corporate objectives, requirements and budget to motivate clients’ employees or pamper their clients • Plans and executes conferences of all scales • Puts together gala nights or theme parties for customers, and gets the best deal on travel and stay Student Education & Study Programmes • Partner with educational institutions • Undertake tours and visits for students Inbound Travel • Plans exclusive tours within India for tourists from abroad Corporate Holidays • Designs and organises leisure trips for individuals from the corporate clients Europamundo Tours and JR Passes • Deliverance of these packages to direct customers or travel agents

CORE ACTIVITIES OF JTB A passionate team of meetings and events professionals, with their high-level of expertise and know-how create positive experiences through the following services.

What Sets JTB Apart?

• People and Expertise: JTB’s main assets are its people. A dynamic team of professionals with rich experience of the industry providing comprehensive solutions to customers. The team goes the extra mile to deliver the promises • Unique Experiences: JTB believes in creating unforgettable moments for their customers that make them come back for more. Not only does JTB India shares more insights about every destination but also it makes things easier for the customers • Unparalleled Network: JTB leverages on the strength of the global network of the JTB Group companies to provide the best possible deals, rates and packages • Robust Internal Processes: JTB follows the renowned Japanese way at work- dandori (preparation) and poka yoke (mistake proofing) in everything done, leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the customer enjoys a smooth and seamless trip, always.

Spotlight

IS

IN MISERY? Lately, India has seen an exponential growth both in terms of inbound and domestic markets in MICE tourism. The world is looking at India as a huge potential market. But is it enough? To further improve the attractiveness of India as a MICE destination, we take a look into the solutions with few of the industry leaders also sharing their favourite MICE destinations

By Sayanti Halder

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Spotlight

Amaresh Tiwari Hony. Secretary, India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB)

Ashwini Kakkar Executive Vice-Chairman, Mercury Travels

Jose Sebastian General Manager, Lulu International Convention Center and Garden Hotels, Thrissur

“India is going to be game-changer and gradually become a convention hub. Attracting major conventions requires marketing to meeting and conventions players as well as major associations and organisers across the globe. In my opinion, the Ministry of Tourism, should and must provide marketing and bidding fund to ICPB to start promoting India as convention destination and would start bidding for international events and conventions. Similarly, there should be an attractive incentive scheme for the planners, organisers to bring their conferences in India like other

major convention bureaus do in the work. Unfortunately, the government of India does not have any concrete marketing plan and they had not given enough teeth to ICPB to go aggressive in the market. We have to plan systemic marketing techniques to showcase ourselves to the world at large as to what we all can do.”

“While the last Nielsen report indicates that the average travel spend by Indian MICE travellers is currently USD3242, one of the key challenges faced by both companies and their MICE partners, is the issue of rising delegate expectations. Delegates are constantly reviewing MICE events on the parameters of time, event and content quality and return on investment. This calls for ‘delegate centric focus’ at all levels including design of event, learning architecture, digital intervention. Limiting capacity in India, today, is adequate number of hotel rooms of difference star categories, narrowing the choice to metro cities.

We expect more exhibition cum convention centres, of varied capacities, across different geographies within the country. Also, more balanced infrastructure, such as hotel rooms, food outlets, expansive road networks, sufficient parking facilities together with air and rail capacities, around these centres would be appreciated.

Invitational Tax structure to enable promotion of India as a MICE Destination, both for inbound and domestic conventions and events, is the need of the hour.”

“Hotels and convention centres in India are taxed three times more under Goods and Services Tax (GST) than some of the other overseas markets. Conference is a bulk business and these taxes make more impact. Even Indians are choosing destinations outside India which are less expensive. Definitely the GST rates need to go down and IGST needs to be made available to the hotels. Most corporates are registered in metros but they travel to lesser known destinations. They don’t get IGST benefits.

This is impacting corporate travel and the MICE business.

Granting an infrastructure status to the hospitality sector, treating foreign exchange earnings in tourism services as exports and giving a zero rating or a special rating of five per cent, exempting GST for outbound travel and tour services, granting tax benefits to businesses in remote areas, adopting a PPP model of development for some of the deteriorating public monuments and creating a fund for small and medium tourism entrepreneurs in India are some of the immediate needs.

Moreover, granting what they perceive to be a long

overdue status of infrastructure, replacing the concept of declared tariff with actual transaction or actual tariff for calculating the GST on hotel rooms, rationalising GST rates reassessing the input tax credit benefits for the restaurants industry, and creating a fund for small and medium tourism entrepreneurs in India are some of the expectations and recommendations of the hospitality sector for budget in 2018.

The total infrastructure and tourist facilities have to be upgraded to maintain upscale standards. Lesser inventory of five star and four star category rooms in the city is also one of the factors, which reduce the potential for high volume mega conferences of residential nature being conducted in Kerala. Also, local sightseeing destinations have to be developed facilitating pre and post conference tours.”

TOP PICKS: Delhi, Indore, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam (Vizag) and Varanasi

TOP PICKS: Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Kerala

TOP PICKS: Cochin, Chennai, Goa, Noida and Agra

MARCH 2018

25

Spotlight

boards must act upon the competitiveness of this industry and implement more incentives and value-added services to invite more MICE groups in the country hence, gaining more MICE business.”

Sudhir Patil Director, Veena Patil Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

“The major concerns that are retarding the MICE business in India are its high rates and infrastructural backlogs.

To organise more MICE gatherings in India, we must analyse our pricing and offerings in comparison to our competitiveness with the neighbouring countries. Global travellers are diverting their business routes to avoid logistics issues such as traffic jams and unaffordable hotel tariffs in India. The Government of India and state tourism

Nicholas Dumbell General Manager, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel & Lakeside Chalet Marriott Executive Apartments

“The government can help boost MICE Tourism by driving awareness to the international MICE community that India is on the world map as a great MICE destination with increased presence of global hotel chains and more hotel room inventory. Further, there should be better city infrastructure with upcoming metros, better air connectivity and improvised visa norms.

This awareness needs to focus on changing perceptions and instilling confidence of planners that we have infrastructure in-place to be able to host large and medium-sized conferences, offering unparalleled service levels and incredible value. India has to further ensure

that there is an upsurge with many convention centres being lined up with different capacities to handle meetings and exhibitions. These developments require large capital investments; the government should follow the lead of many other countries in supporting the investment with public-private financed projects. Also, introducing a one-stop licensing and permit process for the conference organisers, which encompass all the local governmental bodies’ requirements.”

I would expect the government to take measures in keeping the country stable on socio-economic parlance.

It takes a lot, logistically, in mobilising many stakeholders while conceptualising and executing a summit and hence, it is important that the host country has conducive environment without any threat to safety and security of the delegates.”

Arun Arora General Manager, Radisson Paschim Vihar

“India as an inbound MICE destination, in the coming years, is going to witness a vital change, with enhanced inter and intra-state connectivity further assisting on the MICE focus for India. Every year, more than 50 per cent of our annual footfall is owing to MICE at our hotel, which includes residential and non residential conferences, social groups. We generally face a very healthy local challenge in competing with other facilities that can host large conventions. The environment is advantageous for the buyer, which helps keeping the standards of service and quality of deliverables at a high.

infrastructure and visa processes. I see a huge potential in India to be further promoted as a MICE destination with flavours of modern and heritage and regular upgraded infrastructure.”

Rohit Khanna CEO & Co-Founder, Travel Clinic

“Inventory needs to be more enhanced to attract more MICE traffic in India. More aggressive marketing approach nedds to be adapted by the government at various platforms, is much needed now with new campaign with aggressive branding. I suggest providing subsidies to upcoming MICE companies to participate at various tourism and MICE workshops, representing India. The government needs to be more focused to enhance

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TOP PICKS Goa, Udaipur, Munnar, Jaipur and Cochin

TOP PICKS: Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Indore and Lucknow

TOP PICKS: Goa, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Agra, New Raipur and Cochin

TOP PICKS Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur and Cochin

Tourism Authority of Thailand

New Delhi: (91 11) 46741111, tatdel@tat.or.th | www.facebook.com/tat.newdelhi | www.tourismthailand.in

News

OUTBOUND TCEB to organise roadshow in July in India

By Sayanti Halder With new aviation policy and an increase in air connectivity and number of aircrafts, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is witnessing huge possibility of an exponential growth in the influx of MICE segment from India. To tap this growth, furthermore, with proper training, knowledge and decisive engagement with the tier II market’s qualified tour operators (TCEB prefers calling them ‘meeting planners’) for developing healthy partnership. To begin with, TCEB is in plans of organising roadshows in Mumbai and Bengaluru during the first week of July 2018 followed by knowledge seminars in around five tier II cities.

“In 2018, our main target is to engage with more tour operators, working directly with corporate, to capture more MICE groups and tap the tier II market that is poised for growth. We would be conducting roadshow in July and bring in around 30 Thai delegations and suppliers, including hotels, exhibition centers and DMCs, for exchanging knowledge with an aim of a positive outcome.

We are combining all efforts to bring in more qualified meeting planners under the umbrella of

Florence to host four congresses in 2018 According to a report, Florence is all set to host four new international congresses in 2018 and two more in 2019. It shall host the General Assembly of the European Spice Association, which will be held in Firenze Fiera – Congress and Exhibition Centre and witness some 300 delegates from May 23-26, 2018. The event will take place in Italy for the first time and will be organised by the Florentine PCO Scaramuzzi Team, a Firenze Convention Bureau’s partner. The EMS Academy’s 4th International Symposium on Electro Stimulation too shall be held in Florence from May 25-26, 2018, after three consecutive editions in Madrid. The event will be organised by MCR Conference (FCB partner) at Convitto della Calza and some 200 delegates are expected. The next event in 2018 will be the Integra International 2018 Congress in October, which will be organised in Italy for the first time by the PCO First Class. The conference will be expecting around 200 delegates. In October 2018, there will also be the TIES – Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference – ESTC. The event will be attended by 600 delegates.

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TCEB and raise the segment knowledge of MICE in India,” informs Nitin Sachdeva, Director- India Representative Office, TCEB. He also shares that TCEB is proud to receive around 70 per cent of repeat visitation from the incentive segment

each year and to take advantage of this repeat visitation, the bureau is aggressively working with the corporate to introduce new products, constantly updating their products every three months.

HKTB to roll out multiple campaigns in India As informed by Puneet Kumar, Senior Manager – Market Development – India, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the national agency for the promotion of tourism, HKTB will be launching multiple campaigns all year round in 2018 in the India market in order to regain the traction that Hong Kong as a destination lost marginally after the introduction of pre-arrival registration regime introduced from January 2017. These will include some big campaigns as well as some smaller ones to ‘keep the interest going and sustain’ towards Hong Kong in the market.

While conceding there has been some dip in arrival numbers from India last year, Kumar said that they have been able to regain ground towards the last quarter of 2017 after activating the training and education of the trade through webinars and other platforms. He said that some of these campaigns will be rolled out in partnerships with leading tour operators and online travel companies for summer, while some others will be launched to target valueconscious young and mid-career travellers for the low-season months. He said that India is

considered as a major source market by HKTB, and therefore HKTB has strategy in place, which is largely to target mainly four key segments, namely the family travellers, young career professionals, fly cruise segment and meetings and incentives.

News

OUTBOUND India records the highest growth rate for Singapore Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced that India, for the first time, has moved up from fourth to third place as a Visitor Arrivals (VA) source market for Singapore. It recorded the highest growth rate of 16 per cent among all markets. For the third time in a row, VA from India into Singapore has crossed the one million mark, reinforcing it as one of the most preferred destinations for Indian travellers.

While Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore continue to remain their top VA source cities, STB’s efforts to

Ms Disha Shah

engage travelers from cities such as Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata and Pune have resulted in double-digit VA growth from these cities. India continued to be the top source market for VA in the cruise segment for Singapore.

1,27,000 cruise passengers from India sailed out of Singapore’s shores in 2017, a year-on-year increase of 25 per cent from 2016. 2018 has already begun on an exciting note for STB with the recently concluded roadshows at Mumbai and Jaipur, followed by participation in SATTE 2018 in Delhi.

Mr Mohit Khanna

“We thank the Indian travellers and our travel trade partners for the record 1.27 million Indian visitors to our country in 2017. We are happy that Singapore continues to be perceived as one of the must-visit destinations.

This year, STB will focus on deepening and expanding our partnership

with our travel trade partners and promoting our new brand creatively and effectively. With overall tourist outbound from India on the rise, we look forward to another successful year of Indian visitorship to Singapore,” says GB Srithar, Regional Director SAMEA, STB.

Over the years, iCE Group has evolved a distinct identity of its own and is making a steady progress with the growing Indian economy.

We have now become a brand fulfilling the requirement of the clients. With an increasing demand for meetings, exhibitions, events that are essentially networking tools and will always be the cornerstone of successful businesses, iCE is making a mark for itself globally.

As expressed by Mr Mohit Khanna - Director iCE Group India, iCE focuses on working towards meeting the requirement of the different ways in which the world is conducting business. We understand the changing trends which are influencing global economies and the technological revolution which is making its presence felt in the way events and meetings are being conducted. iCE group has adapted to the new age technology.

Ms Disha Shah- Director iCE Group India, acknowledges the fact that no matter how driven or passionate you are, your success as an entrepreneur depends on the capability to establish an inspring team. The young team call themselves “iCEIANS” and focus on the core values of the organisation to ensure success of each task at hand. iCE Group India is committed in employing the best practices in technology and operational processes which is why our team specializes in communication, product development, management information systems, education, training and finance, which gives us confidence to serve each customer with the best.

News

TRADE HOSPITALITY IHCL reports net profit of INR 108 cr in Q3 FY2017-18 Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), a leading hospitality company in South Asia recently reported its consolidated and standalone financials for the third quarter ending. In the consolidated financial results for Q3 FY2017-18, the company reported revenue of INR 1,217Cr, a six per cent year-on-year growth. The company’s net profit stood at INR 108Cr, seeing a 16 per cent Y-o-Y growth.

“For the third quarter our company demonstrated a good performance through enhanced revenues and cost optimisation measures. During the year, we have added and

upgraded an inventory of over 1,300 rooms including our flagship hotel Taj Mahal Palace in line with our efforts to consolidate our positioning of being an iconic and profitable hospitality company,” says Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO, IHCL. “As a consequence of balance sheet management initiatives combined with the recent successful rights issue, our debt to equity ratio of the company has reduced to 0.47 and it remains our focus to support growth while containing our leverage ratios,” adds Giridhar Sanjeevi, CFO, IHCL.

Park Inn by Radisson IP Extension, New Delhi launches voice-activated tech The Park Inn by Radisson IP Extension, New Delhi recently launched its voice assistant-enabled smart hotel rooms.

The property features the world’s first hotel rooms with complete automation of service requests and virtual control of TV and lighting fixtures. Six of the property’s spacious studio rooms have been fitted with Amazon’s AI-powered Echo Dot devices, which allow guests to control light settings, music played in the room, and even the television with simple voice commands. Additionally, guests may request for services such as room cleaning, wake-up calls, laundry, in-room dining, and room check-out by merely speaking to the smart device.

“Internet of Things (IoT) and voiceenabled technologies are the future

and we are excited to pioneer these comprehensive and intuitive smart hotel room features in India. With the voiceactivated in-room solutions, we expect a 50 per cent improvement in housekeeping efficiencies; ensuring speedier completion of service requests. Eventually, the intent is to diversify and grow the connected room features, as part of our on-going efforts to offer bespoke experiences that evolve with the needs of our patrons,” says Saurav Dutta, General Manager, Park Inn by Radisson IP Extension.

The Fern-An Ecotel Hotel opens in Vadodara The Fern Hotels & Resorts, adds another Ecotel to its portfolio of hotels with the launch of The Fern, Akota-Vadodara, the second Fern property in the city. “The Fern, Akota-Vadodara gives us another opportunity to host our guests in Vadodara. We have a strong presence in Gujarat with nine hotels operational in seven cities and we look forward to further consolidate this,” says the COO of the group, Suhail Kannampilly.

The hotel is situated two kilometres

from Alkapuri, the main commercial hub of Vadodara. Ideally suited for business travellers, The Fern, Akota-Vadodara offers 72 rooms in two different categories, namely the Winter Green and The Fern Club Rooms. Well equipped with all the modern facilities that a business traveller is looking for, the banqueting facility comprises of Magnolia and Terraco banquet halls and a meeting room, Aster.

Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug titled as ‘Best Wedding Destination Hotel of the Year’ Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug has been recently been felicitated as the ‘Best Wedding Destination Hotel of The Year’ at The Wedding Awards 2018 organised at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug has been recognised as the popular wedding destination in the country for its innovative and personalised customer services and for its range of offerings such as rooms options, appearance and flexibility of the venue, suitable for both large and

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small-scale weddings.

“We are extremely honoured for this acknowledgement of our efforts. It takes length for all the hard work and dedication our team at Radisson Blu, Alibaug puts in to make a wedding memorable for our guests. We strive daily to offer 360° hospitality experience to our guests – the most pampering, gracious and efficient services in our setting,” says Vishal Jamuar, General Manager, Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Alibaug.

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

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

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

info@wyndhamgardenajman.com

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

Hotel Feature

Leonia Holistic Destination

Your search for the best ends here!

By Gagneet Kaur

Meeting Spaces @ LICEC

Location

The Living Spaces for All

If you’re looking to stay at a place that exudes warmth, oozes opulence and offers the impeccable services, there’s perhaps a no better place to visit than Leonia Holistic Destination. Located on the outskirts of the Nawabi city Hyderabad and easily accessible through the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Leonia makes for an ideal choice for those who want to do business in style or choose to rejuvenate their senses. To ensure your utmost comfort and luxury, Leonia takes care of your itinerary right from the moment you step into the city of Hyderabad. Accessibility to Leonia is made even easier with the availability of in-house luxury sedans to air-conditioned coaches. Two taxi counters are present at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport where a taxi or cab can be pressed into service for exclusive arrivals to Leonia.

Combining modern architecture with an authentic Hyderabadi charm, the living spaces at the Leonia Holistic Destination invite you to dwell in the ambiance of extravagance, warm hospitality and abundance of integrated services. If you love to get rolled in the myriad tones of luxury and get the magnificent views of cascades, private plunge pools and bay windows, then Celestia is an ideal choice for you! The 70 luxuriously designed suites at Celestia cater to your private and business moments.

Lagoon Bay, with it’s 18 aesthetically designed villas ushers you into a tranquil setting replete with lush, landscaped greenery. While the OhBiz Premier offers the accommodation options that suit every traveller’s preference, the rooms at OhBiz Executive are designed to cater to the needs of those who believe in simple indulgence.

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When it comes to perfection, innovation, state-of-the-art facilities and world-class amenities, Leonia International Centre for Exhibitions & Conventions (LICEC) is said to deliver it all. With a pillarless hall spread across 4300 sq.mt and a carrying capacity for 6000 plus people, LICEC is an awe-inspiring venue which makes meetings and conferences, a complete hassle free experience. Supported by 13 flexible meeting rooms, one boardroom and a vast array of residential rooms, LICEC suits any and every requirement.

Conclave which is an ancillary of LICEC is a multi-purpose convention block fitted with latest communication aids and AV technology with three boardrooms, three banquet halls of large capacity, nine mini meeting rooms and two private dining rooms coupled with on-site event management personnel.

The convention centre has previously hosted mega events like Master Chef in 2011 and Femina Miss India in 2012.

Hotel Feature

‘Serving with efficiency is our key agenda’ In conversation with Prawesh Das, General Manager, Leonia Holistic Destination Hyderabad’s hotel market is growing at a faster pace with more innovative initiatives anticipated in the coming years. How LICEC makes sure to retain the brand value in the competitive market?

Constant improvisation and evolution have been the main mantras of our facility in order to be at par with the competitive market. We have always kept a keen eye on the market trends and have done the necessary improvements on our facility. It is equipped with infrastructure which caters to not only corporate meets but also a range of events such as weddings and mega media events. Keeping in mind the various Prawesh Das needs of such large-scale events, the event arena is served with efficient and multi-lingual professionals to make the process easy. We have in-house state of the art AV capabilities to enhance event experience. We try to provide our clientele everything under one roof which is mostly in-house thus giving the clients a price concession and making for a hassle-free experience.

What do you see as the most significant strengths of Leonia?

Offering space of over 3, 00,000 sq.ft, Leonia is an ideal destination for conventions and events. LICEC is the centre piece of this event capability. In order to ensure events of all scale and geo aspects run smoothly, we have introduced services and facilities including multiple registration counters; multi-lingual professionals to address possible language barrier and special facilities to assist differently-abled guests.

The Convention Centre is fitted with all sorts of requisite amenities and live conferencing facilities. This along with efficiently trained on-station event personnel makes for LICEC being an ideal choice for events of different scope. An array of restaurants; rooms and suites and parking spaces makes the convention centre a favorable venue for wedding parties as well. Our vast open-air lawns fitted with cutting-edge infrastructure also make it a sought-after event for various media events.

Please tell us about the customer segmentation of the property.

Revitalise Your Senses Firmly entrenched in the philosophy of ‘Unwind, Restore and Elevate’, Juventa at Leonia Holistic Destination is one of its kind centres for integrated medicine that aims to redefine rejuvenation and spreads the wellness beyond the pampering sessions. Generously spread across 1, 00,000 sq.ft. and five floors, this centre of excellence amalgamates ancient therapies with the modern healthcare and is a beneficiary of numerous accolades throughout the years. For the medical tourists looking for a prevention or cure, Juventa offers all-inclusive packages of healthcare solutions supplemented by utmost care and warm hospitality.

The time spent at Juventa is not just a matter of few minutes but is a story that recounts endless hours of indulgence and an exquisite treat for those looking to find the newer self.

Leonia has been crafted to cater to the needs of a variety of customers such individual as well as business travellers; corporates; families and couples; a large wedding party and day-outing visitors.

Keeping in mind the specific requirements of a lone traveler and business travelers, we have rooms and suites which bear a signature of style, comfort and most importantly convenience. Ohbiz hotel has a sprawling lawn which can be utilised for open-air corporate meetings or social functions. We have abundant of space with multiple activities and rides which have been a source of attraction for a family get-together as well as corporate team outings. Our range of activities and sports has inclusions which cater to kids as well as a sports enthusiast.

Are there any special campaigns or marketing strategies to cater to the MICE segment?

Marketing strategies for our MICE segment include participation in all major domestic and international travel exhibitions and promoting ourselves in popular travel and MICE magazines. Additionally, we are focusing on organising road shows in Tier I and II cities and hosting networking dinners at Leonia which will be attended by our prime corporate clientele.

What all developments/expansions do you foresee for the property in the next five years, in terms of MICE? Currently, we are planning to increase the area of our lawns in order to accommodate more outdoor meetings and other events. It is also aimed at offering more space to corporate teams for team building activities and for family get-togethers to have a better experience. We will also be looking to increase our room inventory beyond the present capacity of 462 keys.

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Overseas

Contemporary

Switzerland

The perfect antidote to rural beauty, Switzerland’s congress destinations are not just the sprawling metropolitan cities but picturesque boutique towns. Effortlessly intermingling outdoors perfectly mixed with urban culture, Switzerland, land of four languages, is all about once-in-a-lifetime journeys and heart-racing Alpine pursuits

By Ankita Jain

SwissTech Convention Center Opened in 2014, on the shores of Lake Geneva, against the backdrop of a spectacular mountain setting, SwissTech Convention Center is both idyllic and accessible. With a total capacity of 3,000 seats and fully modular meeting rooms, the STCC is characterised by its futuristic design and its unique Gala technology, this large, modular, ultramodern building is flexible and scalable.

Centre International de Conférences Genève The International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) with its large, movable partitions, the main hall can be divided easily according to requirements. Flexibility of the space means that this venue catering for a maximum of 2,200 people can be converted into four smaller rooms accommodating between 120 and 1,000 people.

Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre The Culture and Congress Centre in Lucerne (or KKL for Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern) is situated in the heart of Switzerland, only one hour from Zurich Airport, within walking distance of Lucerne’s finest hotels and a few sheltered steps from the international railway station. It is capable to host events such as product launches, anniversary celebrations and award ceremonies, high-profile meetings, receptions and banquets.

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News

TRADE

Connectivity

Switzerland has four international airports: Zurich airport, Geneva airport, Basel airport and Bern airport.

For years Zurich airport has been known as “Europe’s Leading Airport”.

Nowhere else do departing passengers, transiting passengers and home-coming passengers feel more comfortable than here.

To-do list

• Take a scenic train ride via Glacier Express • Experience a quaint village- Gruyère in western Switzerland • Hike to a mountain glacierMorteratsch Glacier outside of St. Moritz • Swiss Wrestling • Ballenberg: Swiss open-air museum

Congress Centre Kursaal Interlaken Holding a total event area of 5,000 sqm and a capacity for over 1,500 people, Congress Centre Kursaal Interlaken makes it suitable for almost any occasion. The Congress Centre has 19 different rooms altogether, of which three are halls of over 900 sqm.

Davos Congress Centre Davos Congress has an outstanding international profile. The Congress Centre Davos offers the setting for every type of event: local meetings, workshops, seminars, exhibitions, and social and cultural gatherings. With the extension in 2010, the Congress Centre has a plenum for 1,800 persons and 34 group rooms for 20 to 500 participants. The Davos Congress Centre has an overall capacity of 12,000 sqm for up to 5,000 congress participants.

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News

AVIATION

Turkish Airlines signs MoU with Airbus

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

Besides, the capacity deployed by airlines rose 68 per cent during these years. Another clear trend that has strengthened during these years is the shift to low-fare airlines.

Jet Airways group had the highest market share at about 27 per cent in 2011, IndiGo was at about 17 per cent, followed by Air India at 15 per cent, Kingfisher Airlines at 14 per cent and SpiceJet and GoAir had about six per cent each. In 2017, IndiGo had about 39.6 per cent market share, Jet Airways group had 17.8 per cent, Air India 13.3 per cent, SpiceJet 13.2 per cent, GoAir 8.5 per cent and Vistara and AirAsia 3.5 per cent and 3.7 per cent, respectively. India has close to 500 planes in service and about 800 planes on order and is set to become the third largest aviation market by 2025.

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Turkish Airlines and Airbus have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire 20+5 optional A350-900 aircraft. The agreement was signed in Paris, during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to France with French President Emmanuel Macron.

“With Turkish Airlines serving more destinations than any other airline around the world, we will be delighted to rely on our new A350 XWB to further develop our major international routes from Turkey.

This agreement is set to play a key role in our growing business in the years to come as the increased

business volume for the local Turkish supplier industry by Airbus will be a great gain for the sector,” says M. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines.

The A350 XWB is an all new family of mid-size wide-body long-haul airliners shaping the future of air travel, featuring the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fiber fuselage and wings, plus new fuelefficient engines. These latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel emissions, and significantly lower maintenance costs.

Jazeera Airways starts direct flights on Kuwait-Ahmedabad route Jazeera Airways, a low-cost airline from Kuwait recently inaugurated direct flights into Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad. It is the second of three new routes currently planned in to India, following the launch of flights to Hyderabad in November 2017. The first direct flight to Kochi also commenced recently.

“We are delighted to continue our expansion into India with flights into Ahmedabad, an

important economic and industrial hub, connecting to Kuwait and across the Middle East to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.

This new service will address the increased travel demands for travel between India and Kuwait providing direct connections for those visiting friends and relatives as well as business travelers,” says Rohit Ramachandran, CEO, of Jazeera Airways.

Lufthansa Group Airlines welcome 8.7 million passengers in January 2018 In January 2018, Lufthansa Group of airlines welcomed around 8.7 million passengers on board.

This shows an increase of 10.1 per cent compared to the previous year’s month. The available seat kilometers were up eight per cent over the previous year, at the same time, sales increased by 7.4 per cent. The seat load factor decreased by 0.4 percentage points compared to January 2017 to 75.6 per cent. The currency adjusted yield indication developed positively again in January compared to

previous year. Cargo capacity increased 7.7 per cent year-on-year, while cargo sales were up 9.3 per cent in revenue tonne-kilometer terms. Consequently, the Cargo load factor showed a corresponding improvement, rising 0.9 percentage points in the month. On short-haul services, the Point-to-Point Airlines raised capacity 25 per cent and increased sales volume by 35.5 per cent, resulting in a 5.4 percentage points increase in seat load factor of 69.2 per cent, compared to January 2017.

To add a tinge of laughter into the insightful reading, we share a laugh or two with unknown anecdotes of our known faces

Manish Dayya General Manager Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach

Sujit Nair Founder and Managing Director, Akquasun Group

Being situated in a prime location at Juhu with a scenic view, our hotel attracts a lot of celebrities because of which we do have guests ordering the same food that their favorite celebrity would eat. They also tend to ask questions regarding which rooms they have stayed in the past, and if we could set up an appointment with the celebrity so they could meet them.

Talking particularly about Maldives, the word which has several origins, but when you see the country from the sky it looks like a ‘mala dweep’ or a necklace of islands. In one of the Maldives group tours, I happened to take families there and during the pool party, all the women from the group dived into the pool in their respective sarees.

Mamta Pall Director of Sales & Marketing- India, Rotana Hotels

Manheer Singh Sethi Co-Founder & Director Holidays by Sahibji Pvt Ltd | Travkart.com

This was during a site inspection cum formal dinner that I had arranged for a group of clients from a tier II city. There was a clear brief, in advance, that the dress code would be formal with formal shoes. Despite that, three gentlemen showed up in sneakers and shorts, which created a hilarious scenario in the hotel.

As we took a group to Thailand in March 2017, the group encountered a real funny incident. One of our guests went for self drive and got caught at a traffic jam and called our 24*7 helpline number from Thailand asking us how long will the traffic jam last. While we directed him to take assistance from the local traffic cop, he suggested us to have a tie up with the traffic officers as well. While everyone in our team had a great laugh the client later called to confirm that he was drunk and didn’t realised what he wanted.

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News

APPOINTMENTS

NAVJIT AHLUWALIA

DAVID HODGES

SHIPRA SUMBLY KAUL

ADITYA SHAMSHER MALLA

Hilton appointed Navjit Ahluwalia as Senior Vice President and Country Head, India. He will oversee Hilton’s 33 hotels trading and under development, including the recently opened Conrad Bengaluru, while leading the company’s growth strategy in the country. Navjit brings to Hilton 30 years of hospitality experience, including over 13 years at Marriott International.

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

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

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

ROBERT LOGAN

VIKAS SHARMA

DEEPESH VARMA

JYRI STRANDMAN

One&Only Resorts has appointed Robert Logan as General Manager, One&Only Palmilla. Robert possesses over 25 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry and in his new role, he will be responsible for the overall operation of the property.

Logan takes over the legendary Mexican resort after joining One&Only Resorts in 2016.

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

Beforehand, he was the Direction of Operations at The Ritz-Carlton Bangalore.

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has appointed Deepesh Varma as Head of Sales and Relationship Management for its Foreign Exchange business, based in Mumbai. Deepesh brings with him 15 years of experience across multiple lines of businesses and functions and has been associated with Thomas Cook India for about five years, commencing with the E-Business team

GoAir has appointed Jyri Strandman as Chief Operating Officer (COO). He would be a part of the airline’s core management team and responsible for strengthening GoAir’s operational functions of flight operations; engineering; airport, security and airside operations (ASA); flight safety; inflight services (IFS) and integrated operations control center (IOCC). Jyri has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry.

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A Luxurious European Experience

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

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

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

Integrated MICE Destination

The