Voyager's World August '17 by Editor

Vol XIV

Issue X

Pages 52

August 2017

Rs 60

CHENNAI 15, 16, 17 JULY 2017

BANGALORE 21, 22, 23 JULY 2017

DELHI 15, 16, 17 SEPTEMBER 2017

MUMBAI 21, 22, 23 SEPTEMBER 2017

PUNE 24, 25, 26 NOVEMBER 2017

HYDERABAD 01, 02, 03 DECEMBER 2017

KOCHI 11, 12, 13 JANUARY 2018

KOLKATA 23, 24, 25 FEBRUARY 2018

Architectural tours to scale greater heights... outlook bullish

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Head Office: 58/3, 14th Cross, Ejipura, Vivek Nagar Post, Bangalore | Ph: 080 - 2570 4066, 2570 3946, 98453 10730 | Email: booking@rtt.co.in | www.rtt.co.in Branch Offices: Chennai: #114, Defence Colony, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai -600 032 | Mob: +91 74488 12337 | Email: bookingchennai@rtt.co.in Delhi: #5, 3rd Floor, Plot No. 11, LSC, SEC - B, PKT 7, Vasanth Kunj, New Delhi - 1100 070

BECOME A JOINT MARKETING PARTNER WITH SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM

And open up a world of new opportunities Have a creative idea to market South African holidays? Write to us! South African Tourism will support you with 40% of the marketing budget What to include in your application: •

Online, print, television and WOM for consideration/ awareness part of campaign

•

Please note, all media selections will be audited by our buying agency to ensure that we are speaking to our target market

•

Rates, once checked by our agency, will not be negotiated further

•

Please note our standard JMA Terms and Conditions regarding ROI, proof and third-party invoicing will apply

•

Please stipulate what additional avenues and value adds will be available for SA Tourism to use

Tips on campaign content: •

All packages should be for nine nights or above, out of which ﬁve nights should be in places other than Cape Town and Johannesburg

•

Highlight activities/specials about a small town in South Africa e.g. Hermanus, Oudtshoorn, Nelspruit etc.

•

Itineraries should have a minimum of three activities

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All packages to be booked with a DMC that is a member of SATSA

•

South Africa must be seen as the best adventure and wildlife destination in the world. You can develop holiday packages that are fun, memorable, engaging and easy

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A mechanism on how to distribute generic information on South Africa – it could be about adventure, food, safari, etc.

•

A mechanism on how to depict value for money – NOT selling the destination as a cheap option

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Packages need to be deal driven

Send your applications to alpa@southafrica.net

Visit www.southafrica.net

4>> Optimistic outbound opportunities...

he American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) revealed findings that the USA is one of the most favoured countries for business travel from India, with seven US cities listed in the top 10 destinations outside of Asia-Pacific. The prevalent Information Technology (IT) connection that India shares with Uncle Sam is one of the key factors to which this trend could be attributed. This is so, notwithstanding the changes proposed by the new US government on visa rules and policies for Indian workers. While the move was initially seen to create ripples of intimidation and uncertainty among the Indian workers there and those aspiring to go from here, positive indicators on the business travel and the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) front are anticipated to allay such fears and make it favourable for us to go there. In this issue, we have featured a story on architectural travel across the world, besides stories examining the trends of wellness programmes crafted by hotels and resorts, interviews with NTOs, hoteliers, MICE players and many more. Happy Reading...

Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

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06 12

Industry Buzz

Incredible India Destinations, new tourism products

Surinder Hakhu sanjay@voyagersworld.in & Rohit Hangal rohit@voyagersworld.in

Hospitality Wellness programmes in hotels and interviews with hoteliers

India Outbound

Latest initiatives and plans by NTOs

Cover Story Architectural travel

Top Appointments

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Industry Buzz

6>> Ginger Hotels expands in Mumbai

Korea Tourism appoints new Director for India

ichael Kwon is the new Director of Korea Tourism Organization, India Office. He will be heading the India office for next three years. Previously working as the Director of International Tourism Strategy team at Korea Tourism Organization head office, he has allround exposure across different verticals of KTO like HR, Planning & Coordination, Inbound Marketing & Performance Evaluation. He was the Deputy Director of KTO Chicago office between 2005 & 2007 and has successfully established KTO office in Jakarta in 2011. Kwon has been associated with KTO for 25 years.

Mango Hotels – Jupiter opens in Hyderabad

he Intellistay Hotels launched Mango Hotels – Jupiter in Kondapur, Hyderabad.

The hotel features an all-day dining restaurant and the Green Outdoor Lounge. The North East and South West are two air-conditioned and Wi-Fi enabled banquet halls of 1440 sq ft and 2000 sq ft respectively. Prashanth Aroor, CEO, IHPL, said, “This location is great for business travellers, offering comfortable rooms and all basic amenities.”

inger Hotels opened a hotel in Andheri East, Mumbai, making it the brand’s second in the city. Ginger Mumbai,

Andheri East offers 142 rooms, a unique check-in experience of Coffee and Keys, an interactive social lobby, a multi-cuisine restaurant and bar, a pan Asian eatery and a fitness center. Rahul Pandit, MD & CEO, Ginger Hotels said, “We assure travelers a great experience across our 42 properties in 30 locations around the nation.”

Nijhawan Group represents Serena Hotels East Africa in India

Dream Hotel to open in Delhi in 2019

he Dream Hotel Group signed a hotel management agreement on 18 July with the Chairman of Viiking Ventures, Sachiin J. Joshi to open Dream New Delhi in 2019. Set to open in the central business district of West Delhi, Dream New Delhi will feature 187 guest rooms and suites and five highly activated dining and nightlife venues including a Food Hall concept by renowned chef Todd English. Joining to celebrate the signing were Dream Hotel Group chairman Sant Singh Chatwal, Dream Hotel Group CEO Jay Stein, Sachiin J. Joshi, Chairman of Viiking Ventures; Rabinder Pal Singh, CFO of Dream Hotel Group; and Todd English, celebrity chef and restaurateur.

erena Hotels appointed Nijhawan Group as their local representative in India in order to serve their valued clients better. Priyanka Nijhawan, DirectorRepresentations, Nijhawan Group, shared that they were encouraged by its pacesetting 7% GDP global growth rate, rising personal income levels and changing lifestyles with a huge middle class, thus making India one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world, second only to China. Serena Hotels is a hospitality brand offering quality accommodation, unique holiday and conference solutions, cultural heritage and adventure tourism in East Africa, with 24 up –market hotels, safari lodges, resorts and safari camps located in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Mozambique

Ravneet Kaur is ITDC's new CMD

avneet Kaur, Additional Secretary has been appointed as the Chairperson and Managing Director (C&MD) of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). She succeeds Umang Narula, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the J&K Cadre. Ravneet Kaur, an IAS officer of 1988 batch, Punjab cadre, was Joint Secretary in Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion under Ministry of Commerce and Industry prior to this role. She had also worked as Principal Secretary in Higher Education and Languages, Cabinet, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs with Government of Punjab.

The Q Experiences offers Antarctica jaunts

he Q Experiences recently announced an Antarctica trip with a luxury cruise, at an event in Bengaluru. The travellers will board ‘The Great Majestic Explorer’ which offers 132 elegant staterooms and suites. The gastronomic experience will include the curated Indian regional cuisine by Atul Kochhar and a catering team run by Alain Ducasse Enterprise. The 11-day trip will have 200 travellers. It will commence from Ushuaia and go across Drake Passage into the Land of Ice. You will pass through Neko Bay & Paradise bay, anchoring at Port Lockroy, finally sailing to the largest colony of Chinstrap Penguins at Deception Island and visit the quietest place on earth- the majestic Weddell Sea.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Industry Buzz

7>>

81.7% growth in FTAs in E-visa in June 2017>>>>>>>>>>>>> PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

he Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) & FTAs on e- Tourist Visa to India for the month of June, 2017 were 6.70 lakh as compared to FTAs of 5.47 lakh in June, 2016 and 5.12 lakh in June, 2015.

availing e- Tourist Visa facilities during June, 2017 were as follows: The percentage shares of top 15 ports in tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa during June, 2017 were as

follows: New Delhi Airport (42.4%), Mumbai Airport (20.6%), Chennai Airport (10.0%), Bengaluru Airport (9.2%), Kochi Airport (3.7%), Hyderabad Airport (3.3%), Kolkata Airport (2.8%), Tirchy Airport

(1.8%), Ahmadabad Airport (1.4%), Trivandrum Airport (1.3%), Amritsar Airport (0.9%), Cochin Seaport( 0.7%), Dabolim (Goa) Airport (0.5%), Pune Airport(0.3%) and Jaipur Airport (0.3%).

The growth rate in FTAs in June, 2017 over June, 2016 is 22.5% compared to 6.8% in June, 2016 over June, 2015. FTAs during the period January- June 2017 were 48.85 lakh with a growth of 17.2%, as compared to the FTAs of 41.69 lakh with a growth of 8.4% in January- June 2016 over JanuaryJune 2015. The percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during June 2017 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (29.23%) followed by USA (19.70%), UK (6.14%), Malaysia (3.82%), Australia (2.56%), China (2.52%), Singapore (2.31%), Sri Lanka (2.24%), Japan (2.21%), Canada (2.19%), France (1.96%), Germany (1.92%), Nepal (1.84%), Republic of Korea (1.50%) and Afghanistan (0.98%).

100% DEPENDABLE

The percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during June 2017 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (22.16%) followed by Haridaspur Land Check Post (17.06%), Mumbai Airport (14.98%), Chennai Airport (9.06%), Bengaluru Airport (6.72%), Kolkata Airport (4.82%), Hyderabad Airport (4.37%), Cochin Airport (3.57%), Gede Rail Land Check Post (3.09%),Ghojadanga Land Check Post (2.08%), Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.93%), Ahmadabad Airport (1.60%), Trivandrum Airport (1.35%), Hilli Land Check Post (0.94%) and Changrabandha Land Check Post (0.86%).

We have been rated "MSE 2" by CRISIL (An S&P Global company - the world's leading rating agency). This rating indicates High Credit Worthiness; High Financial Strength and Highest Operating Performance. Translated it only means that the bookings of our travel agents are in safe hands.

17 006/quiksel.com

FTAs on e-Tourist Visa â&#x20AC;˘ During June 2017 total of 0.67 lakh tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 0.37 lakh during the month of June 2016 registering a growth of 81.7%. From JanuaryJune 2017, a total of 7.17 lakh tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 4.72 lakh during January-June 2016, registering a growth of 52.0%. The percentage shares of top 15 source countries

roomsXML specializes in offering global hotels to travel agents. Deeper and wider inventory along with sharp pricing keeps us ahead of the pack.

www.voyagersworld.in

Industry Buzz

8>>

Jet Airways expands domestic connections

MTPA records 8% increase in visitors from India in Q1 2017

et Airways expanded its domestic network for the monsoon season by introducing 14 new direct, non-stop flights to emerging cities in India. The airline started direct, return nonstop flights from Indore to Ahmedabad and Jaipur; a new, direct non-stop flight between Delhi and Indore, Lucknow, Jaipur as well as connecting Jaipur with Udaipur and Lucknow. It has also commenced 11 direct, onestop through flights between Delhi and Silchar, Dehradun and Jaipur, Chandigarh and Dehradun, Chandigarh and Lucknow and between Indore and Lucknow. It has added a second flight between Bengaluru and Guwahati, a third frequency between Delhi and Indore, a seventh daily frequency

auritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) recently reported an 8%

increase in visitors from India in the first six months of 2017 as compared to the same period last year. MTPA India organised

Mahindra to host Open Sky in Jodhpur

ahindra to conduct the first edition of ‘Mahindra Open Sky’ from 24-26 November at the Reggie’s Camel Camp Osian near Jodhpur. It will celebrate adventure, music and culture with Indian and international artists. The Mahindra Open Sky has a multitude of offerings that include dune bashing to enchanting performances by contemporary Indian musicians. The 11-day trip will have 200 travellers. It will commence from Ushuaia and go across Drake Passage into the Land of Ice.

Bhopal to host Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart 2017

he 4th edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart will take place from 27-29 October in Bhopal. Themed ‘Seek-Discover-Explore’, the event will be supported by Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI). Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary, Tourism and Public Service Management, MD, M.P. State Tourism Development Corporation, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board said, “The Travel Mart offers an opportunity in which the tourism aspects of the state and the policies and schemes are conveyed to the investors.”

roadshows in Tier 2 and 3 cities, seminars for travel agents, Fam trips for travel agents, wedding planners and media in the first half of the year. It will organize a four-city roadshow in August in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Besides this, it plans to host shoots for TV shows, films, celebrity cover and fashion shoots.

Orange County Resorts and Hotels launches Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace in Hampi

he Orange County Resorts and Hotels have launched Evolve Back

Kamalapura Palace in Hampi with 37 luxury suites across three classes and nine private pool villas called Jal Mahal. It will rebrand all its properties to ‘Evolve

Le Méridien Goa opens in Calangute

Back’ along with the expansion plans in India and overseas. Work will begin shortly in Madhya Pradesh for its next upcoming luxury property.

Emirates, flydubai sign extensive partnership agreement

e Méridien Hotels & Resorts opened a property in Goa in Calangute. This

being its 10th property, Le Meridien Goa offers 146 rooms, all featuring the signature Le Méridien Discovery Bed, LED TV, designer bath amenities and high speed internet access. The hotel has five restaurants and bars and its meeting spaces are spread over 10,000 sq ft, featuring a premium outdoor terrace venue, ballroom and a 16-seater boardroom.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

SriLankan Airlines increases services in India

riLankan Airlines launched a four-times weekly service to Coimbatore and recently launched routes to Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, as well as seasonal flights to Gaya and Varanasi, which will resume in August with a four times week service to Visakhapatnam. SriLankan will soon operate 126 scheduled flights a week to 14 destinations in India. It has also added flights to Delhi increasing from daily to 11 times a week.

mirates and flydubai announced an extensive partnership to give flydubai

customers seamless connectivity to Emirates destinations spanning six continents. The partnership will lead to new connections and thereby help both airlines feed more traffic into each other’s complementary networks. By 2022, the combined network of Emirates and flydubai is expected to reach 240 destinations, served by a combined fleet of 380 aircraft.

Incredible India

12>>

Mandu- A Royal legacy of Parmars, Sultans and Mughals

andu, a city lying 100 km from Indore, is the medieval magic of Madhya Pradesh. Famously associated with the legends of Rani Roopmati and Bazadur, the city is an architectural gem, mainly reflecting Afghan architecture. The royal love legend is documented in the folk songs of Malwa sung by the balladeers. High upon the crest of a hill, Roopmati’s pavilion still gazes down at Bazadur’s Palace.

Darwazas- Mandu is encircled by a 45-km parapet wall with 12 gateways. Delhi Darwaza is the main entrance of the fortress city, for which the approach is through a series of gateways.

Due to its strategic importance of being situated at an altitude of 2000 feet, Mandu, due to its natural defenses, was originally the fort-capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa. It was re-named ‘Shadiyabad’, meaning ‘City of Joy’ by the Sultans of Malwa in late 13th century. Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal, baths and canals are the reminiscences of this phase of Mandu’s past.

Mandu, which is synonymous with the love stories of Baz Bahadur and Roompati, has many architectural witnesses to the love of this royal pair. One such is the Rewa Kund, which was an aqueduct to provide Roopmati’s palace with water. Over time, this spot gained religious sanctity. Baz Bahadur’s Palace, built in the 16th century, is another such reminiscence of the royal romance and so is Roopmati’s pavilion. The pavilion was originally built as an army observation post. However, it also became the favourite retreat of Queen Roopmati as it offered a view of the Baz Bahadur’s Palace and the River Narmada flowing through the Nimar plains far below.

Each of Mandu’s structures is awe-inspiring. Some are outstanding like the massive Jami Masjid and Hoshang Shah’s tomb, which provided inspiration for the master builders of the Taj Mahal’s centuries later. For Mughals, Mandu was a pleasure resort and its lakes and palaces were the scenes of splendid and extravagant festivities. Mandu is now one of the most sought after destinations of Madhya Pradesh with its mosques and palaces. The fabulous five in Mandu:Hoshang Shah’s tomb-This is India’s first marble structure; its beautifully proportioned dome, intricate lattice work lending it its identity. Shah Jahan sent four of his great architects to study the structure and draw inspiration from it. It is said that one of them, Ustad Hamid, was later associated with the construction of Taj Mahal. Jami Masjid – The hugeness of the structure lends it uniqueness. Its inspiration was drawn from the great mosque of Damascus and was conceived on a grand scale. Its background is dominated by similar imposing domes. The structure of the mosque is surrounded by colonnades. Asharfi Mahal- This structure was conceived as an academic institute by Mahmud Shah Khilji who was Hoshang Shah’s successor. A seven-storey structure in the same premises was also constructed by him to celebrate the victory of Rana Khumba of Mewar. Jahaz Mahal- Built between two artificial lakes, Munj Talab and Kapur Talab, Mandu is famous for this palace known as Jahaz Mahal. This is a grand reflection of a medieval pleasure resort with its open pavallions and balconies over hanging the water. Moonlit nights lend it an out-of-the-world beauty when the silhouette of the building reflects in water. Hindola Mahal- Its sloping side walls have lent it the name ‘Swinging Palace’, which was constructed as an audience hall. Innovative techniques are reflected in the making of its ornamental façade, delicate trellis work in sandstone and its uniquely moulded columns. An elaborately constructed well, Champa Baoli, which is connected with underground vaulted rooms, is also seen by the side of Hindola Mahal. It is known to have arrangements for hot and cold water.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Other places of interest near these monuments are Dilawar Khan’s mosque, the Nahar Jharoka, Taveli Mahal and Ujali and Andheri Baolis.

A few more monuments in Mandu need mention for their architectural merit, viz, Nilkanth, the Shiva shrine at the very edge of a deep gorge and the Nilkanth Mahal, a palace made for Emperor Akbar’s Hindu wife. The most important feature of this palace is the inscription belonging to the time of Emperor Akbar which points to the futility of material world. Hathi Mahal, Darya Khan’s tomb, Dai Ka mahal, Dai ki chhoti behan ka mahal….. the list is unending at Mandu. Mandu is a treasure for those who like nostalgia. The Echo Point and Sunset Point are the two other points which should not be missed. Due to its location, Mandu experiences monsoon at its grandeur. When it rains continuously for a few days, the clouds come down to embrace this beautiful city. This, amidst the lush greenery, is an ethereal experience. A walk in the rains gives an old world charm. Fort of Dhar- On the way to Mandu lies a fort built by the Parmars, one of the earliest rulers of this region. Sheesh Mahal, inside the fort, Kharbuja Mahal, Vishram Bhavan, Madan ki Sarai, Kothari Sarai, Karva Sarai Roza ki Dargah and the other monuments deserve a visit. For all those who like the sweet sour taste, a variety of tamarind, known as Khursani Imli is very commonly found here. Fact FileThe nearest airport is Indore (100km away), connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune and Nagpur, while the nearest railheads are at Ratlam (124km) on the Mumbai - Delhi main line and Indore. Best time to visit is July - March with the monsoons being the best. Madhya Pradesh Tourism’s Malwa Resort and Malwa Retreat are your home away from home. Contact- 07292-263235/8349994782 (Malwa Resort) 07292-263221/8349994783(Malwa Retreat)

Incredible India

14>>

BODOLAND TOURISM MAKES DEBUT IN SOUTH INDIA PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Bhuma Rani Bargayary, Asst. Tourist Information Officer, Dept. of Tourism, Bodoland, introduced Manas National Park to the South Indian market in its debut participation in India International Travel Mart (IITM) Bangalore in July.

“

Bodoland is an upcoming tourism destination. We are a territorial council within the state of Assam. We mostly promote wildlife with Manas National Park being our main product,” says Bhuma Rani Bargayary, Asst. Tourist Information Officer, Department of Tourism, Bodoland. “It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sheltering many wild animals and birds such as

one-horned rhino, panther, Royal Bengal Tiger, Wild Asiatic water buffaloes, etc. We have some rare and endangered species of birds like the Bengal Florican and the hornbill. Birdwatchers take a trip for four or five days to spot as many as they can from the 450 bird species here.” Bhuma says that the landscape of Manas is marked by three different moods as a result of its seasons and the ensuing burst of colours is a treat for the eye. “We have tall grasses out here. Manas has three different moods. When the monsoons begin in July, the wild grasses (elephant grasses) grow very tall and by November, the Forest Department burns them, making it look barren. The new shoots that come up draw herbivores for grazing and hence, there are more sightings of animals

such as spotted deer, swamp deer and birds. As the shoots grow taller, it is a different beauty altogether. In February and March, the orchids and silk cotton plants start to bloom. When the cotton plants start blooming, the entire forest turns red and when the cotton starts to break in March and April, they flutter all over making the expanse look like a white carpet.” “We also promote Ultapani, a reserve forest which houses more than 400 different species of butterflies. There is also the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary to preserve the Golden Langur. Bodoland Tourism has chalked out a place for paragliding in Chakrashila, which will be open for tourists from the next season. Besides this, the Mahamaya temple

(called the Shakti Dham) draws many pilgrims.” “This is the first time we are participating in South India. The awareness level among travels from South India is picking up after we started receiving people from last season. The Musa Jungle Retreat here is the best till date, although there are many upcoming ones. In addition, we have many lodges and totally, we have around 100 rooms across different budgets and categories and we can easily accommodate around 150 pax at a time. The nearest airport will be in Guwahati, which is about a threehour drive. There are taxis and our hotels can also arrange a pick up and drop for them. The nearest railhead will be Barpeta Road."

IMAGICA EYES EXPANSION IN NEW CATCHMENT CITIES IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Pooja Shetty, Board Advisory, Imagica, unveils a line-up of promotions to attract both leisure and MICE groups to the theme park for 2017-18.

magica registered a steady growth in its overall footfalls and revenues in the past four years. It has upped its promotions for 2017-18 by activating additional markets and new activities in order to increase its revenues, following a slight dip in footfalls in 2016, although its overall revenues had increased by 3%. Pooja Shetty, Board Advisory of Imagica, while explaining the new

Voyager’s World > August 2017

promotional plans, says, “Some of our promotional activities are ‘Happy Tuesdays’, ‘Wat – a -Wednesdays’ and ‘Lazy Sundays’ so that visitors can enjoy the parks at discounted prices and additional benefits. We also have all-inclusive packages for families such as ‘Ghar Se Ghar Tak’ where visitors can enjoy pick up and drop from their own house along with park tickets and food and stay packages with preferred hotel partners of all budgets to cater to every family’s need.” “Besides, there is also a special offer for those visiting Lonavala called Lonavala Se Lonalva Tak, which includes everything – from Lonavala pick-up to entry tickets and meals for the entire family. Students can look at offers such as ‘Back to College’ – which gives them a discount upon

presenting their college ID card. We have also announced a limited period of ‘Save GST’ offer of 28% discount, to promote longest long weekends in August.” Segments Imagica has become a popular choice for weddings and events for Holi, Diwali, Christmas and New Year. It offers an array of venues and themed options that can host 100 to 1000 guests. It aims to tap families from Mumbai, Pune as well as Gujarat as the wedding season is approaching soon. It can also host offsite events such as office parties and serious business meetings. “We are targeting to attract corporates from catchment cities of Mumbai, Pune and Gujarat, as well as noncatchment cities of Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai , following a

lot of queries from these regions. In addition to this, Imagica is offering a Blue-Collar employee benefit programme called ‘IFEP’ or Imagica Factory Employee Programme that is designed to give the lower category of employees an opportunity to experience the destination.” “All the three parks of Imagica have got visitors from all over India, with Mumbai and Pune being the most important markets forming 70% of our audience; we also see a 20% influx of visitors from Ahmedabad, Surat and other regions of Gujarat, while 10% of the visitors come from Jaipur, Indore and rest of India. We are in the process of expanding and identifying new locations to extend the Imagica experience in new catchment cities – both in North and South India.”

Hospitality

15>>

Royal Orchid Hotels to augment its presence ANJU ANNA ALEX

Sachin K S, Director of Sales, Royal Orchid & Head of Travel Trade South, talks about expanding its presence especially to those Tier 2 Indian cities that are conspicuous by the absence of the brand. hopefully we should be able to get some more properties in these places by this year.

Expansion plans & New Acquisitions Just to give an idea that in the last one year, we have added about 12 hotels in our portfolio and this trend will continue over the next couple of years. Today we have about 46 hotels in our portfolio, out of which 10 are owned hotels and 36 are managed hotels. So these 36 hotels will go up to definitely 50+ hotels by this year. So this strategy is working pretty well, and even we are finding that, on a standalone basis, this subsidiary, which runs all these managed hotels, has crossed the breakeven level and has turned profitable this year. Way forward for the company We are right now looking at only assetlight model, we're trying to add about at least 15+ hotels over the next one year to establish Royal Orchid as one of the bigger chains. Outlook for 2017 We are trying to see that we should cover most of the cities, well, maybe not Tier 3 cities but at least Tier 2 cities and where areas we are not present. We are present now in the North, we are present in the West and the South. On the East, we lack our presence, in Southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. We are not there very much in Tamil Nadu, so we would like to see ourselves growing in the cities where we are not present. We are looking at that and we are in touch with most of the owners in these areas who wants to get associated with us and I think

The impact of GST See, our Company few properties do not fall into the 10,000 bracket. We fall in a bracket which is below that. So effective tax so far what we are paying is 28% or little over 28% and now it is coming down to 18%. So there is a positive impact going to be on GST on most of our Hotels. If the GST can be bought more down and consider anything above Rs. 10000.00 as luxury it would be better. This will attract most of the tourist and MICE business to happen in India or else it will go out from India to nearby destinations. The GST should be guest friendly and economical to hotels also. Or else the tourist will not like to take pain of extra money paying. Marketing and promotional plans Primary focus has been on mass communication via print ads in trade publications and on the Internet, direct mail campaigns to existing and prospective clients and personal selling in the local market. Personal selling provides the means to develop relationships within the local community and generate high levels of corporate activity through the business community. The Sales force does an amazing job on this. Their relationship with these travels agents and corporate is too good. Public relations plays an important role in the marketing mix, presenting the hotel has a supportive member of the community and participating in significant local events to assist in developing ongoing cooperation, trade fairs, assures repeat business and good working relationships. Besides, we take marketing promotions package from different food aggregators which help us to get additional revenue for F&B department.

www.voyagersworld.in

Hospitality

16>>

HOTELS BECKON INDIAN TRAVELLERS WITH WELLNESS PROGRAMMES A growing number of Indians are looking at travelling overseas to rejuvenate themselves through different wellness therapies crafted by resorts and hotels to revitalise the mind, body and soul of their guests.

IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

he global hospitality industry is witnessing signs of budding growth from the Indian market for wellness travel, in comparison with wellness travellers from other countries. The term ‘wellness travel’ broadly encompasses travel itineraries offering relaxing activities, spa packages and treatments intended to rejuvenate the guest during his stay at the property. An increasing number of hotels and resorts are creating exclusive wellness therapy packages for guests looking to beat the hassles of daily life and unwind in a totally unperturbed ambience. Aysun Mut, Director of Spa for ESPA Life, Corinthia Hotel London says, “We have seen guests from all over the world. While the Indian guests are growing in number, the majority of our guests tend to visit us from within the UK, Europe and the USA.” Manas Sinha Director, India Sales Associates - Luxury Hotels’ Marketing & Consultancy ,GSA - select Banyan Tree & Angsana Hotels and Resorts, PANACEA KOH SAMUI Resort,Sales Partner - Paradise Resort & Spa, Sardinia, Italy explains, “The upscale guests

Voyager’s World > August 2017

from most of the countries are now combining their vacation with wellness. Countries like Germany, Russia, UK, France, Singapore, China, USA and Italy are leading in terms of numbers but Indians are also opting for wellness frequently. The Indian travellers have become very important target clients for most of the short-haul destinations like Bali, Bintan, Seychelles, Maldives, in addition to Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Growth is also witnessed for Canada, USA and the usual choice of UK, France, Switzerland and the entire Europe.” Indian travellers are also ready to explore various destinations for wellness, be it a Thai Massage or a Balinese massage or for a traditional treatments while they travel with friends and family. The young Indian travellers tend to be the major part of the wellness segment in hotels abroad. The India market in hotels overseas is definitely going to grow in numbers for wellness travel over the years. Trends in travelling across other countries for wellness travel Sriram Kailasam, Area General

Sriram Kailasam, Area General Manager, Senior AVP, Banyan Tree and Angsana Laguna Phuket

In 2016 we noticed a positive growth for Indian travellers, the first quarter of this year the growth is not that good and we see a significant double digit growth for the second quarter. Manager, Senior AVP, Banyan Tree and Angsana Laguna Phuket says, that Indian travellers prefer Thailand because of the location and the affordable prices of accommodations, we have noticed more and more travellers coming over to experience the spas . Some parts of Thailand like Bangkok, Pattaya get the main stream travellers while Chiang Mai and Phuket seem to grow very much in this respect. Manas notes that the wellness travel segment is fast catching up with the

upscale travellers. Over the past few years, we have seen a steady growth in the number of Indian travellers mainly to experience the spa programmes, detox packages, spirituality and yoga besides the golf, diving and water sports. “Some of the main activities that guests tend to indulge in are CSR activities, forest treks, tai-chi or relaxing on the poolside or at the beach mainly to rejuvenate the body and mind and enhances the feeling of wellbeing.” Mananya Uanon, General Manager,

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Aysun Mut, Director of Spa for ESPA Life, Corinthia Hotel London Indian travellers are growing in number in terms of wellness compared to the number of guests visiting us from within UK, from Europe and the USA.We believe Indians will definitely prefer fine dining and the award winning spa. U Chiang Mai, says, “Indians form a big community of settlers all across the world. Some of the travel trends we have witnessed are that nowadays Indians are travelling a lot in groups that include friends and family. Thailand is famous for the spa and wellness treatments that all the visitors are looking forward to experience the hospitality and wellness programs of the country.” Chuleekorn Mungsunti, General Manager at U Pattaya says, “We have had few Indian visitors and Pattaya also noticed Indian groups coming over for medical and

wellness treatments. These groups generally tend to favour packages that are put together by the Medical industry and are targeted at specific audiences. Thailand has been promoting itself as a medical and wellness hub too many foreign countries and the hotel industry together with medical and wellness facilities have been benefiting from this promotion. Thailand witnessed 1.06 million Indian visitors to Thailand last year. With the number of air connections growing between the Indian and Thailand we expect the trend of wellness visits to

Manas Sinha, Director, India Sales Associates Luxury Hotels’ Marketing & Consultancy | GSA - select Banyan Tree & Angsana Hotels and Resorts, Panacea Koh Samui Resort | Sales Partner - Paradise Resort & Spa, Sardinia, Italy In 2016 we noticed an average growth of 23% in bookings for hotels that we are marketing and promoting under our GSA portfolio. increase, especially with the direct flights from India to UTapao airport.” Marketing and promotional plans Sriram says, “We have developed our interest in the last two years to attract Indian travellers and appointed THRS in India and we will be hosting some of the best wellness specialists in the months to come. “ Banyan Tree Spa continues year after year to focus on non-clinical and holistic approach based on traditional Asian healing therapies. The brand considers wellness to be a marketing tool. “We have planned to have a series of activities and events that highlights the segment wellness during the second half of this year. Besides print and digital media channels, we are also working on exclusive shows and exhibitions to promote our unique features,” said Manas. Aysun says, “We have appointed Outbound Marketing in India for our marketing plans.” “We are creating a genuine Thaiintellectual treatment to attract Indian customers,”Mananya Uanon

added. Main treatments Sriram says, “People prefer to take longer packages for two hours like an Ayurvedic massage, Sakhra or head massage and Shirodara massage, while the ladies prefer shorter duration of treatment like beauty facial, hair, manicure and pedicure.” “We have many luxurious body, facial treatments and massages. The Brain Power massage is combined with Indian breathing techniques,” Aysun informs. Indian travellers generally take up the different therapy packages and spa food menu that are popular, says Manas, while adding that massages like the Royal Banyan Signature Spa Treatment remain popular. The Royal Banyan Signature Spa treatment was practiced in the Royal Thai Palaces. This massage is a combination of acupressure and oil free massage with the herbal medicines. Banyan Tree Spa Ayurvedic treatments also include Perfect Energisers massage treatments. ““Some of the travellers

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Mananya Uanon, General Manager, U Chiang Mai

All visitors are looking to experience the genuine hospitality and wellness programs that Thai therapists offer. The spa revenue has grown up to 101.83% in 2015 – 2016. Q1 of 2017 had a growth up to 93.93% of which 20% is targeted from Indian market. take the Indonesian traditional treatments like Javanese Lulur for ladies and the men prefer the Balinese Boreh deep tissue massage that stimulates blood circulation and improves energy flow to reduce tension.” In the opinion of Mananya Uanon, “The U Miracle Massage is a signature treatment that is called the U Miracle Massage & Lanna Massage Technique is done with pure gold, natural herbs and flower extracts from the Northern Region and the aromatherapy oils are the common wellness services done by the Indian travellers.” Sriram

says,

“Indian

travellers

Voyager’s World > August 2017

generally prefer oil massages and the Balinese Massage with medium pressure is the most popular choice among Indian travellers who visited Banyan Tree Spa Phuket. The Sense of Place packages like the Chevit and Cheva are Thai wellness remedies popular among the Indian travellers.” Growth in 2016 Sriram says, “In the year 2016 we have seen a positive year for Indian travellers in general but the growth during the first quarter is not good and we foresee double digit growth for the second quarter.” “We are still in the early days to decide on the potential growth. We

Chuleekorn Mungsunti, General Manager U Pattaya

Pattaya received Indian groups coming for medical and wellness treatments that generally tend to favour packages that are put together by the Medical industry . have recently done a major covershoot at the hotel for Filmfare Magazine India with a famous Bollywood actress,”Aysun added. Manas says, “In 2016, we noticed several cancellations and postponements especially in the months of November and December. We received at an average growth of 23% in bookings for hotels that we are marketing and promoting under our GSA portfolio.” Mananya Uanon said, “On the whole, the spa revenue has grown up to 101.83% in the financial year 2015 – 2016 while Quarter 1 of 2017 has seen a growth up to

93.93% of which 20% is targeted from the Indian market.“ Indian market The Banyan Tree Phuket has HongKong and South Korean travellers ranking at the top. It has also noticed highly educated Indian visitors form the majority of the people who are into wellness. “The UK and China are our current majorities with the citizens from the countries travel the maximum for experiencing our spa and wellness treatments while, young Indian travellers between the age group of 18-30 share 2% of the total statistics.” Mananya Uanon said.

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raviz center point hotel sets expansion plans in time for expo 2020 PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

In a tête-à-tête with Voyager’s World, Manoj Padhi, General Manager (Hospitality Division), UAE, Raviz Center Point Hotel, dwells at length about the hotel’s growth, market dynamics and expansion plans.

International business trends “In the past, till about two years back, we used to have a large percentage of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – people from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, etc. coming to our hotel. Now that has reduced a lot because of sanctions that the USA has imposed; the price of the Russian currency vis-à-vis the dollar; President Putin is now encouraging local tourism because Russia has a lot of variety to offer as a destination. We have to find new markets now to compensate for the old markets which are being taken away. We recently had trade shows in Vietnam and in the Philippines. After one trade show in Vietnam, we got 10 groups to Dubai. It is a very good market and people have money to spend. They like destinations like Dubai as it is an eye-opening experience for them with the glitz, glamour. The Vietnamese also shop a lot as the cost of living has gone up considerably in Vietnam. Emirates has introduced a direct flight from Dubai to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, which is another market. We always look at what Emirates does as it is one of the leading carriers in the world. They do a lot of research before they decide on a destination. We are now going into Cambodia and we expect Cambodia to grow significantly in the next year or two.” Currently,

India

the

No.1

destination for the last two years for Dubai, followed by China and then GC and Europe. Hospitality scenario in Dubai The dynamics of Dubai are constantly changing principally because of oversupply. We are preparing for 2020. We have great hopes and aspirations that it is going to be a grand success and it is going to add value as a tourist as well as a commercial destination. But during the interim period, all hotels have to face the flak because there is the oversupply. It is good for the consumer, though, because with oversupply comes price rationalization and the value that a consumer or a tourist gets is much more. An average room rate for a four-star hotel in Bangalore is between Rs. 8000-Rs. 10000. We are selling cheaper than that. In summer we are selling at 200 Dirhams per night. So when you look at that, you get much more value. While I don’t want to denigrate the hotels in Bangalore, our four stars are equivalent to the five stars in India. They are much more quality conscious and more value that you get. We spend a lot of money on the interiors and design elements and the service elements. If people who man your hotel are not able to deliver the service levels, then it will be a disaster. A lot of new things have come to Dubai now. There is a constant endeavour to re-invent Dubai because Dubai does not have much of natural

beauty. We never sit back and say we have got it all. We have just launched the parks. We are doing a water canal concept. It is going to be a venue with hotels, restaurants, malls, boating. It will be ready by the next two years in time for 2020. We have to keep re-inventing ourselves else we cannot increase the length of stay. The Crown Prince of Dubai is also actively involved in promoting the place. He has brought in a whole range of restaurants on the beach which are unique. We are always in the mode of the ‘biggest’ and the ‘best’ and it has to continue. Dubai has become a brand. It is no longer a destination, it is a brand. Even the hype associated with Dubai is necessary. Manpower crunch There are three levels of manpower – bottom level, middle management and higher management. The attrition is the highest at the lower level because their salary ranges are lower. For a 100 Dirham, it is a lot. So, we do not have much of loyalty at that level. The attrition rates are much lower in the middle and senior management levels. When you talk of a crunch, salaries are not increasing in the sense that, when you compared to India, of course, the salaries are higher. But things are becoming much more expensive in Dubai. Now they are going to introduce VAT from 1 January 2018. That will have a cascading effect. We import most

of the food stuff. By the time it passes through the retailer and the consumer, when the hotel needs to sell, the hotel cannot absorb the taxes. So far, there are no serious repercussions with the GST having been just implemented in India. There is a lot of fine-tuning. We shall probably know in six months if things are under control. “We were supposed to come up with a NEW hotel this year. But considering the market conditions, we decided to open our 287room Raviz Crowne Plaza in Dubai Marina in the first quarter of next year. We are also having a mixed-use development coming up in the business bay area – it will have furnished apartments, apartments for sale and a hotel linked to a small mall. We have temporarily put this project on hold again. This will come up before 2020 in anticipation of the room requirement. In India, currently, we have a new hotel in Calicut.” Challenges “The worldwide the economy is not at its best what with the currency fluctuations and threats like terrorism which definitely affect tourism. But in Dubai we have been fortunate to have been kept away from these issues as the security is very good there. Prevention is better than cure. There are good and bad times for any destination. With these re-inventions we will always be in the forefront,” he sums up.

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cinnamon hotels & Resorts targets wedding and MICE from India IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Dileep Mudadeniya , Head Brand Marketing, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka, comments on the rising interest of Indians in Sri Lanka while laying out the group’s marketing plans. collaborative partnerships between India and Sri Lanka.

innamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka is currently working handin-hand with all the top travel agents and destination management centres in India. Expounding the group’s marketing strategy, its Head Brand Marketing, Dileep Mudadeniya, informs that the hotel group has forged close relationships with Sri Lankan Airlines and Jet Airways to help promote direct travel routes and

“We deploy a well-rounded brand marketing strategy that comprises a mix of integrated tactics and tools. We are currently active on key social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+. We implemented a strategy for Facebook that includes daily posts of interesting images, news stories, videos and collaborations with international bloggers. Our strategy is events focused as we build social media campaigns around all our events. The Cinnamon Travel Bloggers’ Conference, Future of Tourism Summit and the Cinnamon Photographer of the Year Contest are important initiatives that have been promoted on social media.”

Dileep says that the Cinnamon group has the largest room inventory in the country and that its properties are well-suited to host medium and large-scale conference events and destination weddings. “We get a mix of Indian travellers who visit the island for leisure, business or a bit of both. The stay of the travellers varies from quick weekend trips to medium stay holidays. “The growth from the Indian market has been considerable

in the last two years. The arrivals from India is at 317,419 for 2016, compared to an arrival rate of 278,017 in 2015(source: SL Tourism Development Authority – Statistical Report 2016); this indicates a growth rate of approximately 14%. Indian travellers prefer to visit a mix of destinations and attractions, with Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Bentota being the favourite hotspots,” he concluded.

Sheraton Grand Bangalore To focus on digital marketing endeavours ANJU ANNA ALEX

Sujeet Kumar, General Manager at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, talks about how social media marketing is at the forefront of their marketing and promotional strategies.

heraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway is a 230 room luxury property, located in the heart of Bangalore’s Central Business District, with convenient connectivity to Bangalore city via Kempegowda International Airport.. It is one of the closest 5 star deluxe hotels to Bangalore International Airport. Brigade Gateway is a truly

Voyager’s World > August 2017

self-sustained, secure and modern lifestyle enclave. We are part of the Marriott International Inc. which has the world’s best Award Winning Loyalty programs that include Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and Ritz Carlton Rewards. We have one of the largest inventories of 10 treatment rooms in the Shine Spa for Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. The Brigade enclave is built keeping in mind the need for being Eco-Friendly featuring various conservation methods. In lieu of the celebration of our 5th Year of existence and our first Grand anniversary a media FAM was organized for a group of several influencers from national publications and media houses

to experience “Effortless Travel” and also the other various pristine offerings at the hotel. Besides, Sheraton Grand Bangalore was also chosen as the flagship property for another media familiarization trip conducted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Sheraton in 2012. A social media action team has been put in place with representatives from all departments to ensure active engagement on social media, with rich and relevant content. The team also focuses on Trip advisor and website reviews and ratings ensuring Sheraton Grand Bangalore remains on top across channels, along with a constant monitoring of all Food & Beverage reviews and ratings. Also utilizing “SPG cravings” as a vantage helped us push the content to wider audience.

Successful implementation of PR and Marketing Strategies to market the Special offers both for F&B as well as rooms through various platforms like SPG, Corporate Email marketing, Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Trip Advisor, YouTube, etc. We are also the first Sheraton Hotel in India to create a Property Page Extension (PPE) for our website and have successfully launched the Local Page Site (LPS) within the first year of operations. Way forward for the Hotel With an established presence in the corporate segment, our focus in the coming months will be to increase our presence in the social segment, with a special emphasis on weddings, further capitalizing on the brand – “Shaadi by Marriott”.

ITB Asia 2017 Key Conference Speakers

Buhdy Bok President Carnival Asia

Tony Menezes Vice President, Industrial and Distribution Sectors IBM Asia Pacific

Min Yoon Founder & CEO Tidesquare

Eugene Tan General Manager CTM Singapore

Rob Torres Managing Director of Advertising and Marketing Google

Sean Treacy Managing Director, Asia Pacific Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd

Maunik Thacker Senior Vice President â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marketing Marina Bay Sands Pte. Ltd.

Ike Anand Vice President, Strategy and Business Development Expedia group

Rom E. Hendler Founder and Managing Partner InnoVel

Jaime Roseburgh Market Leader Singapore & ASEAN American Express Meetings and Events

Jeannette Ho Vice President, Raffles Brand & Strategic Relationships AccorHotels Luxury Division

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Croatia identifies India as a highpotential long-distance market ANJU ANNA ALEX

Lucijana Natalija Jerkovic, Croatian National Tourist Board, talks about Croatia still going strong as a travel Comment on Croatia’s growing popularity and current standing as the 4th most popular destination in Europe. We understand that 2017 was a record breaking year for Croatia Tourism. The strong figures regarding inbound tourism are a result of the various promotional activities launched by the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB), demonstrating that Croatia has plenty to offer both in the summer months and throughout the rest of the year. According to official data collected by CNTB, Croatia achieved a total of 5.7 million tourist arrivals and 22.9 million overnight stays, representing an increase of 22 percent in arrivals and increase of 23 percent in overnight stays compared to the same period of the previous year. The Croatian

tourism sector also expects to see a growth of tourist visits above the European and Mediterranean average in the coming years, which will be accompanied by numerous new investments in infrastructure, as well as the quality and content of the offer. Regarding investments, we expect a total of 800 million Euros investments in the tourism sector this year, 300 million Euros is expected as investments in the public sector and 500 million Euros in the private sector. These positive trends are expected to be continued during the whole year, especially in the peak of the season so this year will be definitely the best one in Croatian tourism history. Zagreb had won Lonely Planet’s best Destination in Europe 2017

destination and how the country has managed to record outstanding results in the first six months of 2017

During the past few years, tourism results in Zagreb have been amazing. These positive trends were recognized by many foreign tourists and organizations such as Lonely Planet and European Best Destinations - which held a competition where Zagreb has won the title of Best European Christmas Market for two years in a row. That is a great achievement because contenders include some of the most famous markets in the world, such as those in Vienna, Prague and Munich. During the first six months this year, Zagreb has recorded an increase in arrivals of 23% and in overnight stays of 19%. Marketing and Promotional Activities for 2017-18 CNTB is a national tourist organization founded with a view to promoting and creating the identity, and to enhance the reputation of, Croatian tourism. The mission also includes the planning and implementation of a common strategy and the conception of its promotion, to propose and execute promotional activities of mutual interest for all subjects in tourism in the country and abroad, as well as raising the overall quality of the whole range of tourist services on offer in the Republic of Croatia. Accordingly, CNTB organizes appearances at fairs, workshops, study trips for journalists and bloggers, marketing and PR projects etc. Most visited cities of Croatia The most visited cities in this year are: Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Poreč,

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Medulin, Umag, Split, Zagreb, Mali Lošinj, Crikvenica and Zadar. Croatia has the most number of visitors from Germany. Where does India stand or do you see India as an important market? Most Croatian tourists are residents of European countries, although visitors from distant markets, such as the United States, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia and India are also present. Long distance markets are very important for the Croatian tourism sector because those tourists like to travel outside of the peak season. During the first six months of this year we have recorded 27.514 arrivals (growth of 85%) and 61.135 overnight stays (growth of 75%) from India. India is definitely a highpotential long-distance market for Croatian tourism in the future. Impact of mass tourism in the heritage sites like Dubrovnik, Hvar Croatia has many sites under the UNESCO’s protection with Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes National Park being amongst the most popular. There are several studies which have analyzed the impact of mass tourism. For example, in Dubrovnik we have digital counters of visitors and there is the possibility for reducing the number of visitors from cruise ships from 2019 onwards. The main goal of all activities is to prevent the devastation and erosion of these sites and to keep safe all the cultural and natural heritage areas.

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2017 positions Switzerland Tourism at the pinnacle of growth ANJU ANNA ALEX

Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director, Switzerland Tourism, talks about 2017 being a fantastic year for Switzerland

Tourism with year on year growth of 21% for Jan to May 2017 with June and July looking quite promising.

he year 2016 was a good year for Switzerland Tourism which ended with the best ever figures for India in Switzerland. However since 2015 had been a record year with a 22% growth, the year to year growth was relatively low at 3%. Mr. Claudio Zemp, Director – India, Switzerland Tourism, says, “In India we see people getting more adventurous these days. They do not only want to take a cable car up a mountain and take pictures but also want that thrill and rush which one gets while doing adventure sports. With a versatile and energetic personality like Ranveer Singh on board, we would like to showcase that Switzerland is not only about scenic beauty but also has many activities and adventures to offer to the more experiential Indian traveller. Winter is coming up and is an absolutely beautiful time to visit Switzerland. One can enjoy various winter activities and explore their hidden passion for adventure with sports such as skiing, snow-shoe trekking, tobogganing. Ranveer’s next trip is going to be in winter.” Ritu Sharma, Deputy Director, Switzerland Tourism says, “We lost some overnights due to the fact that Schenghen visa launched biometrics as a necessity for all people travelling to the Schenghen zone and the visa office for Switzerland was

consolidated in New Delhi. The visa section in Mumbai was closed in Feb 2016 and we did see some teething troubles with this in the peak season which probably resulted in less than expected growth in the summer months. Later in the second half of the year we launched our summer campaign “Nature wants you back”, led by Brand Ambassador Ranveer Singh. The second half of the year was extremely good as people got used to the new visa procedures and also due to the high visibility Ranveer campaign.” Expected growth for 2017-18 We have had a very good campaign with Ranveer since August last year. We also see the Indian travel pattern changing over the last few years. May and June used to be biggest month for Indian tourists in Switzerland and almost 75% of the travel happened in this period. This trend is now changing and even though these months are still the biggest, the travel graph now ranges from May to October. So far, 2017 has been a phenomenal year. There has been an increase in overnight stays and the numbers are growing so far. Promotional Campaigns As Indians are getting more and more adventurous, they are looking for new experiences. Our new campaign is

all about telling people that holidays in Switzerland can be anything that you want – there are lots of options for adventures and activities both in winter and in summer but if you would rather have a more relaxing holiday that’s absolutely possible too. Apart from the picturesque natural beauty, Switzerland is also a complete package for families and honeymooners who are looking for authentic and experiential holidays. Our #InLoveWithSwitzerland’ promotion with Brand ambassador Ranveer Singh is beind used to showcase the varied experiences that Switzerland has to offer to the Indian traveller. Our first summer campaign with him has shown our most famous locations – Zurich, Lucern and Interlaken in a different light focusing on adventure sports and fun activities like chocolate making classes. Our winter campaign has focused on newer destinations like St. Moritz and winter activities that can be done without training and to show that Swiss winters are not only for skiers and hardcore winter sports but fun like tobogganing, snow sports like snow scooters and snowbikes as well as trying to learn to ski in a fun easy way. Our next campaign with Ranveer will showcase another region with

focus on food and gastronomy as well as some unique museums and activites. Besides Ranveer Singh, we also continue to do other B2C activities like TV shows, media trips and activities, digital campaigns and social media promotions. Regarding B2B activities, we have conducted some very successful webinars this year, focusing on different destinations. We are also conducting training sessions in 10 tier 2 cities this year to ensure that the travel trade are well equipped to answer queries relating to our campaigns. This year, in September, we have the Switzerland Travel Mart where upto 25 top Tour Operators and MICE agents would be invited to meet Swiss suppliers in Davos, Switzerland.Our annual roadshow this year will be from 16th to 23rd November and held in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Delhi with a special networking weekend to be held in Hyderabad. And lastly our joint promotion with Swiss Travel System and Raileurope – the Swiss Travel Pass Superstar – is on right now for all agents selling Swiss Travel Passes until the end of September. There are very attractive monthly prizes to be won and will culminate with an all expenses paid trip to Switzerland for 20 lucky winners in November/December.

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Tourism Fiji sees 28% growth in visitor arrivals from India ANJU ANNA ALEX

Matthew Stoeckel, Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Fiji, evaluates the exponential growth that Fiji has

witnessed over the last year and the factors that contributed to the same.

Growth in visitors from India to Fiji India is one of the key emerging markets for Tourism Fiji and we have been witnessing a steady growth of 15 – 20% on a y-o-y basis. We have seen a 28% growth in visitor arrivals to Fiji from India in January – June 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016. This growth is a result of our marketing and trade efforts in the market. In addition to Tourism

Fiji’s Annual India Roadshow held every year, we also participated in industry events. We also conducted multi-city frontline training sessions with Singapore Airlines to promote hassle free travel for Indians on direct flights from Singapore to Nadi, Fiji. In partnership with Fiji Airways, we have an on-going consumer campaign with Times of India. The

campaign widely promoted Fiji and its varied offerings through consumer contests as well as an influencer visit to the destination. Bollywood actress Ileana D’Cruz visited Fiji as a part of this campaign in May – June 2017 and experienced a wide range of activities on offer across different islands of Fiji. We hope to see further growth from the Indian market in the upcoming months. Entry of many international hospitality brands into the market. Fiji is rapidly becoming an international favourite among island countries. Our white sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters appeal to travellers of all segments. With growing demand across regions for Fijian holidays, various international brands see great potential in investing in our paradise. Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay opened in April 2017 and Six Senses is scheduled to open end

December. This is one of the key reasons for international hospitality brands’ heavy investment in Fiji. India as a source market in APAC In addition to Australia and New Zealand, we see good visitor arrivals from the US, China and Europe. India is one of our key emerging markets from South and South East Asia. We are focused on developing arrivals from India over the Singapore route with the new direct flights for SINNAN operated by Fiji Airways. The code-share partnership between Fiji Airways and Jet Airways further makes travelling to Fiji hassle free. Target travel segments out of India? We have traditionally highlighted honeymoon and couple offerings of Fiji to Indian travellers. While we will continue to focus on this segment, we also aim to grow the segment of families and MICE travellers.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau organises two-city roadshow VW BUREAU

he event was organised with a view to promote Sri Lankan destinations to increase tourist arrivals into the country. A selective presentation of Sri Lanka’s attractions, including a wealth of wildlife and culture, was presented to the exclusive guest list of India’s most prominent outbound travel trade buyers. Cities of culture

Voyager’s World > August 2017

and the country’s colourful history were the focus of this year’s Sri Lanka tourism roadshow. The roadshow commenced in Chennai on 18 July and was followed by another in Hyderabad on 19 July. This two-day event included oneto-one meetings, presentations and workshops, offering a great

networking opportunity for the Indian outbound travel professionals and to know more about the unique offerings for Indian travellers to Sri Lanka.

the top of the mountains to the depths of the oceans. It is one of the most sought after destinations for adventure tourists in India.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) is expecting a growth of over 26% at about 450,000 Indian tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka in 2017 to explore its beautiful destinations, since India reigns as Sri Lanka's biggest tourist market. With the growing number of Indian leisure travellers to Sri Lanka, the famous Ramayana Trail remains a favourite and is hugely popular among Indian religious tourists. The year 2016 saw a growth of 12.8%, about 356,729 Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka compared to around 316,247 in 2015. With varying climates and a diverse geography packed into the island nation, there are a range of adventure activities starting from

Viranga Bandara, Assistant Director Marketing, SLTPB, said, “Sri Lanka has gained immense popularity in India and has experienced a consistent growth since last decade. We organised these events to explore this beautiful landmark of joyful people and tap the travel agents to increase the flow of business. The purpose was to enhance destination visibility among travel trade & consumers, to further consolidate Sri Lanka’s position as the preferred destination for Indian travellers. We are confident that in 2017 a lot of more Indians will choose Sri Lanka as their preferred holiday destination. Sri Lanka wholeheartedly welcomes Indians with open hearts.”

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'one-of-a-kind' manoeuvres steer rtt in the direction of success! PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Ramesh Babu G, Managing Director, Ramesh Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd, (RTT) reminisces his journey in the car rental business from humble beginnings to accomplishing a feat of owning an enviable number of luxury cars today.

uying a car is everyone’s dream and when one such purchase becomes the starting point of a business idea that is interlocked with uncertainties and risks taken to tread on roads less travelled, it becomes a story to reckon with. Ramesh Babu G, Managing Director of Ramesh Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd., or RTT as he fondly calls it, recollects his journey in the luxury car rental business. “Basically, I started with the purchase of a single car – an Omni van – in 1993. I didn’t mean to rent it out. I bought it for my personal use; however, I was not able to pay the EMI. So, I contemplated selling the car, which is when one of my friends suggested that I rent the car. That is how I started my company in 1994.” “When I started it, the business was good with not much of competition like today. After two years, I bought a Contessa, my second vehicle and then a Maruti Esteem. By 2006, I had six vehicles. After 2006, we continued to add cars and in 2003, I bought my first Mercedes E Class in the luxury category. I was the first one in South India to have a luxury car rental. It was a brand new car from the showroom. It did well; none of the operators had the model in South India. In 2004, I bought one more Mercedes due to the demand. After 2004, I kept adding cars to my fleet." "The years 2010 and 2011 were the turning point in my business. I wanted to buy something that no other operator had. So, in 2011, I bought the Rolls Royce Ghost, after which we had some problems. Our state government’s life tax on luxury

cars came into effect for luxury cars priced above 15 lakh rupees. I had to pay about Rs. 3.75 crores for it. By then, I had 60 luxury cars. We eventually overcame the situation and continued to expand. Currently, I own about 436 cars as of today – out of them 150 are luxury cars – Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Range Rover, Toyota Alphard and in January this year, I bought a Maybach. The Maybach cost me about 3.3 crores.” When asked if he planned to buy another Alphard, he quipped, “There is only one Alphard, you cannot have more than this.” It is a six seater car with great luxury, space, 3.5 litre engine, 4 wheel drive and aeromatic suspension. Clients “Bangalore is the hub of electronics and software; hence, there is more demand for high-end cars in Bangalore. Out of every 100 bookings I get in a month, 80% of them are from corporates and 20% from weddings and few from events, VIP guests, film actors and delegates. We receive a lot of business from delegates of all the embassies who come to Bangalore. Recently, I had given my Maybach to the Prime Minister of Malaysia when he had come to Chennai. I sent it from Bangalore all the way.” Marketing “Presently, I have offices in Bangalore,

Chennai and Delhi. Delhi is a very big market but the competition is very high there, as compared to Chennai. There are a lot of embassies in Delhi and hence, there are more such providers. "In South, we are the No. 1 luxury car rental providers. We promote ourselves through word-of-mouth and events. All my cars are located across Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi. We have an in-house maintenance.” Challenges “I always like to have different cars that are not available in the country, with any other vendor or competitors. I create a demand. It has been six to eight months since I got the Toyota Alphard. Buying the vehicle is very easy. I find getting drivers very challenging these days. My chauffeur is my sales man. Earlier I used to clear the loans in two to 2.5 years and break even, because the drivers were trustworthy, regular and sought duty. Today, we are asking them to take up duty. It takes me close to four years to clear a car loan nowadays. I lost about 35 drivers to aggregators. But I am sure the situation will change for the better.” "I feel competition should be there, else we don’t get motivated. Competition is important for any business and I feel there should be

competition to be motivated. I stay ahead of competition by way of the services that I offer my clients and through the different vehicles that I have which others don’t.” Evolution of car rentals Noting that the car rental industry has changed a lot since the time he entered the business, he observes that the booking methods have changed from waiting for telephone confirmation from corporates to pagers, mobiles and now apps. At present, his company has an app only for booking self-drive models; the chauffeur driven models will get an app shortly. “RTT means unique journeys. We have unique cars. The Japanese cars are the best in terms of maintenance and durability. The German models do have great features but are very expensive. Next year, we are planning to get some SUVs that are not available in the country and sports cars. The Mercedes range remains the top favourites of my guests. I have Mercedes in E class, S class, GLE, Maybach and GL. BMW, Jaguar and Audi are the other favourites. The Maybach is a very unique car – it has got automated suspension – it senses the road if there is a pothole ahead and changes the suspension accordingly. The Rolls Royce Ghost is my personal favourite,” he concluded.

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Cover Story

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Architectural tours to scale greater heights... outlook bullish ANJU ANNA ALEX

Architectural tours that reveal the hidden architectural gems of the city, are steadily gathering popularity.

onuments and buildings are an integral part of a city’s landscape as well as history. Buildings are relics carrying the stamps from the past; as perpetual chronicles of the bygone days. These cities therefore transform into living museums as their history unravels before the very eyes of the spectator. They are capable of retelling stories from the time of their institution and the eras that they have outlived. Though historical monuments and buildings are often treasured for their architectural brilliance and sheer grandeur, very often the contemporary architectural works or elusive landmark buildings remain largely unappreciated well camouflaged amongst other buildings. At the very same time there remain many lesser known historically significant architectural gems amidst the urban, concrete jungle. Architectural

tours

aspire

Voyager’s World > August 2017

bridge the gap between modernity and antiquity, carefully guiding enthusiasts as they passionately rediscover the cryptic messages or the design and style of both historic and contemporary buildings. Visiting the architectural marvels, have always been part and parcel of visiting a destination. But now we have identified it as a different travel niche with an expert host taking you to the unexplored corners of the city. Commenting about the surge of interest in architectural tours as a distinct travel segment over the last few years, Brijesh Saijal, Founder and Managing Director of World Architectural Travel, says, “Generally, for any tours across the world, it’s always the archaeological sites and heritage buildings that form part of the usual itinerary. Modern and contemporary buildings are usually ignored, in spite of the fact that, there is a wealth of exceptional work that exists today which is of huge interest especially to the modern traveller, in

general and the creative community, in particular. Therefore, there is a definite space for architectural tours addressing the vacuum in the field of Modern Architectural interests. We have been conducting such Architectural tours across the world for various organizations for about seven years now. This has kindled a lot of interest in India and abroad.” Architectural Tour organizers are looking out for novel ways to weave history into the narrative to keep their audience engaged. They resort to the art of storytelling to bring more soul to the curves and lines. Prateek Chatterjee, AVP Host Alliances, Xoxoday, says, “Visiting monuments, temples or any other important architectural site is an important part of experiencing the culture and history of the place. Because people are increasingly frequenting these places nowadays, the “story telling” concept is garnering immense popularity and has already created

a niche segment for itself. This way, you not only marvel at what you see but have relevant background information and little-known insights about the place.” Digital media has been anything but transformational in every aspect travel, as in other spheres of life. Probed by the thought that perhaps, the increased use of digital media has contributed to the heightened interest towards architectural tours, we asked the interviewees about the same. Prateek explains that, “Digital media acts as an important “connector” and helps the travellers to be more aware of the architectural sites in a city. Take Xoxoday for example, you have this digital platform which provides you wholesome architectural, cultural and historical experiences. From transportation to accommodation to guided tours, every aspect of the tour is taken care of.” On the contrary, Brijesh opines, “The Digital

Cover Story

media is not a game-changing factor but has certainly helped in connecting and communicating with people of similar interests.” Talking about the response from the Indian market, Brijesh says, “As we are one the pioneers in this niche of Architectural Tours and having initiated it in India, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We have succeeded in creating a lot of interest towards travel combining academic interests and leisure.” Prateek, also agrees that architectural tours are gaining popularity by the day. He explains, “Domestically, about 7% of the travellers are interested in these tours and this figure is on a steady rise. The main demographics in this segment are the solo travellers and families.” Overall, it would be safe to assume that the segment is growing at a slow yet steady rate of 7 to 10% within the Indian scenario, given that India has no dearth of monuments or iconic buildings. The Indian cities

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Brijesh Shaijal, Founder & Managing Director, World Architectural Travel

of Agra, Hyderabad, Kolkata etc. are idyllic sites for architectural tours. When quizzed about how one can create a unique identity in this burgeoning segment and about the USP of their brand, Brijesh says, “Having been in this field for more some time now, we have specialized in designer Architectural Tours wherein the emphasis is on modern art, architecture and design. We believe in Designing Tours according to special interests and therefore every destination is a best seller!” But the true charm of these architectural tours lie in the hands or rather the eloquence which in turn stems from the knowledge of the guide or the “host” about the place and about the architectural elements of the place. Nevertheless most tour organizers vouch that they only partner with the most experienced hosts. Prateek elaborates excitedly, “At Xoxoday, we are vigorously promoting Architectural tours

with experienced Hosts giving the travellers knowledgable and authentic insights. Xoxoday partners with some of the most trusted and experienced Hosts in the market. If you are on one of our tours, you will have a knowledgeable host who will paint the story of the place for you with all the relevant historical and cultural facts and trivia. Domestically, the top selling Experiences are Cultural Walks & Tours of Kolkata, Religious Tours of Omkareshwara, City Walks Of Bangalore, Heritage Walks of Mysore Palace, Taj Mahal tour in Agra and Hyderabad Kid Friendly Tours. Internationally, Europe, Egypt and Dubai have the major architectural attractions. The variety of experiences all over the country and abroad at Xoxoday makes sure that all segments are catered.” Commenting about the potential to scale in this segment, the competition and marketing strategies, Prateek maintains that,

Prateek Chatterjee, AVP, Host Alliance, Architectural Tours, Xoxoday “There is a huge potential for growth in this market with digital and travel companies focusing on expanding the reach with aggressive marketing strategies. The competition is pretty much limited since most of the monuments and architectural sites are essentially operated by the State or Central Government but various travel companies and experiential companies (like Xoxoday) are trying to penetrate the market.” The next step in the evolution of architectural tours according to Brijesh is personalized architectural tours. He explains, “At present, there are very few companies in the market specializing in Designer Tours in this sector. There has been a gradual increase in awareness about such tours and we believe Personalized Tours are going to be the future of Travel and Tourism. Moreover, with our expertise and experience in this field, we perceive a comfortable growth in this niche segment, over the years.”

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Travel Events

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IITM continues to be the bellwether stellar RESPONSE from chennai travel trade Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions organized its 96th edition of India International Travel Mart (IITM) from 15 - 17 July at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam.

ith this year’s edition of IITM in Chennai, Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions completes 18 successful years of providing the travel and tourism industry and discerning buyers from the travel trade and corporate sector, an unparalleled opportunity to do business. With organizations and tourism boards from over 12 Indian states, IITM showcased a variety of destinations from different spheres such as pilgrimages, adventures, culture and heritage, beaches, hills and many more. The IITM provided an ideal marketing opportunity and excellent backdrop to enhance the participant’s brand equity in the eyes of the discerning end consumers and the travel trade. The event had over 120 participants from Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The international exhibitors represented Dubai, Ajman, Nepal, Mauritius, Maldives and the United Kingdom. The event attracted over 1884 Trade Visitors and 14,600 General visitors during the three days.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Highlights Tamil Nadu was the Host State for the event. There was a big representation from different travel and tourism products of Tamil Nadu. Gujarat & Kerala were the ‘Partner States’ while Karnataka & Rajasthan were the ‘Feature Destinations’ at the event. More than 100 hotels and resorts participated from all over India, making it one of the most diverse range of hospitality products in the country on display.

Travel Events

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of travel trade exhibitions in India The Bangalore 2017 Edition records remarkable footfall The 97th Edition of IITM, held in Bangalore Palace Grounds from 21st to 23rd July, was a spectacular success. Thanks to the outstanding response and overwhelming footfalls, participants and visitors take to social media to share their delight.

‘Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions’ organised the 97th edition of its 'India International Travel Mart', from 21 to 23 July, 2017 at The Bangalore Palace Grounds.

and visitors even took to social media to share their enthusiasm, clicking pictures during the event.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Shri Naveen Raj Singh, IAS, Secretary to Government, Tourism Dept, Government of Karnataka, along with Hon. John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, Sri Lanka and H.E Mr. V. Krishnamoorthy, Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, on 21 July 2017 at the venue.

The event had 380 exhibitors from across India from Andhra Pradesh, Bodoland, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttarakhand. The international exhibitors participated from countries including Dubai, Ajman, UK, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

Sphere Travelmedia and Exhibitions, one of the pioneers of travel trade exhibitions in India, has been constantly reinventing the notion of travel exhibitions. This edition of the event also saw the launch of a start-up pavilion.

One of the highlights of the event was the participation of the Bodoland region as well as the Karnataka Wine Board. The event attracted over 3200 Trade Visitors and 12,650 General visitors during the three days.

Sphere’s constant intent, endeavour to provide a hassle free environment conducive for networking and doing business, has enabled them to successfully complete 18 years in the company. Several National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) representing different countries and tourism boards of 15 Indian states participated in this Bangalore edition with a view to showcase their latest tourism products, destinations and services, such as culture and heritage, adventure, pilgrimage, beaches, wildlife, nature, among others. Many participants

The event also witnessed the participation of the top Destination Management Companies (DMCs), hotel chains and resorts, airlines, cruises, Online Travel Agents (OTAs), travel agents, tour operators and associations with overseas presence, exhibited their products and offerings at the venue. Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Hakhu, Director, Sphere TravelMedia & Exhibitions, said, “India, despite the present business environment, is fast emerging as one of the most interesting and productive countries for the travel trade industry, both for leisure and business

travel. A combination of factors is responsible for the growth and demand of travel trends from India. The visitor profile is on a B2B & B2C format like and will have over 15,000 buyers over three days.” Highlights • Karnataka was the Host State for the event. • Sri Lanka was the ‘Partner Country’ at ‘India International Travel Mart this year. • Big representation from different travel and tourism products of Karnataka • From India Gujarat, Goa & Kerala were the ‘Partner States’ while Rajasthan, Uttarakhand were the ‘Feature Destinations’ at the event. • Other states being represented included Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and many more. More than 200 hotels and resorts participated from all over India, making it one of the most diverse range of hospitality products in the country on display. • Diverse Tourism segments were on display such as Pilgrimage Travel, Adventure, Cultural pursuits, shopping tours, etc. • International Flight offerings were on display from Air India and Sri Lankan Airlines

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Cruise

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Dubai Cruise Tourism sails on tranquil waters for 2017/2018 season ANJU ANNA ALEX

The media interaction segment during the Dubai Cruise Tourism Roadshow revealed the need to educate the Indian audience about cruises by bolstering the direct marketing initiatives .

Jamal Humaid Al Falasi, Director, Dubai Cruise Tourism

ubai Cruise Tourism witnessed a successful season with an increase of 15% as compared to the previous season. Over 6, 25,000 cruise tourists visited the city via a total of 157 ship calls in tandem with their strategic goal of welcoming 1 million cruise tourists to Dubai by 2020/21 cruise season. The Dubai Cruise 2017/2018 season is set to commence on 25th October, with the arrival of cruise ship Seabourn Encore. India contributes to 12% of Dubai’s total visitors as it remains the top source market and sees India emerging as an important market for cruise tourism as well. Jamal Humaid Al Falasi, Director, Dubai Cruise Tourism and other officials from Dubai Tourism as well as representatives from renowned cruise liners including Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises and others were in Bangalore on 10th July 2017 at Vivanta by Taj – MG Road for a road show to promote cruise tourism in Dubai. The presentations of key delegates were followed by a media interaction segment.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Talking about the success of the 2016/2017 season, Al Falasi says, “This is our third roadshow in India. We want to help the Indian market understand what cruises are all about. We are very pleased with the success of our 2016/2017 cruising season, and with the city’s sustained popularity as a winter cruise destination. We are grateful to DP World, Dubai Airports, Dubai Immigration, Dubai Customs, Emirates Airlines and our other key public and private sector stakeholders for their continued cooperation which has led to an ever-increasing number of cruise operators looking to anchor in the emirate. Bolstered by our recent success and our upcoming partnerships over the coming seasons, we are confident we will achieve our strategic goal of welcoming 1 million cruise tourists to Dubai by 2020/ 21 cruise season.” In the media interaction segment that ensued after the presentations, Vasundhara Gupta, Sales ManagerCorporate & Trade, Costa Cruises,

stated “We find there is a lot of interest in cruising from South India. South India is going to very soon emerge as strong as Western India in terms of appetite for cruising. A lot of our business comes from Tier 2 cities. Bangalore is one of our top cities but at the same time cities like Cochin do exceedingly well. We therefore concentrate on Tier 2 cities as well.” Commenting about marketing strategies for Tier 2 cities Vasundhara notes, “With Costa we try to educate the market. We focus on word of mouth, which is direct marketing. Earlier there was fixation on demand for short itineraries and out of Far East. Customers now are more aware and ask for more now. We go to a lot of corporate and direct clients. A customer needs to be excited about the cruise. You need to get them excited about the product.” When quizzed about the biggest market, Kunal Sampat, General Manager-India, MSC cruises explains, “There is no automated system which can

give you passengers. It is more of approximation which we call as market intelligence. We work with trade partners, we work with travel agents. We educate the travel agent, we educate our trade partners. Therefore our marketing activities are mainly trade fraternity centric. Cruise is the only vertical where travel agents can make money. Nevertheless, we cannot say where our business comes from. There is good growth happening from the India market. It would be wrong to put out a number with respect to expected growth. India traditionally is a late booking market. We are selling a product that is sold globally. We are not competing with each other; we are competing with the global markets.” Carl Vaz, Director of Dubai Tourism, India, says, “Dubai is the number one outbound destination at the moment from India. And for Dubai, India is the number one source market”. It is expected that positive mutual synergies will enable both parties to augment the interest for cruising in India.

Cruise

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Shipping Ministry organises ‘Dawn of Cruise Tourism in India’ POOJA PAL

The event saw various deliberations and discussions by the ministers, various officials and related industry experts on the prospects of cruise tourism in the country.

he Ministry of Shipping is all set to usher in the ‘Dawn of Cruise Tourism in India’. At an event held in Mumbai on 8 August, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highway- Government of India and Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, set the ball rolling on promoting cruise tourism in the country. Gadkari addressed the efforts taken for Sagarmala projects as well as discussed about the potential of cruise tourism in India. He identified the reasons preventing the growth of cruise tourism in India. Broadly, the issue was the lack of defined procedures for various Government Departments/agencies for dealing with cruise vessels and tourists. Secondly, the absence of world class infrastructure. The important reports made at the event included the Mumbai Port Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cruise operations, road map for sea cruise tourism and cruise in India. A leading global consultant was hired to bring about a holistic approach including inputs from private sector, cruise owners, ship agents, tour operator, transport agencies, etc. Officials from all relevant agencies visited some of the best global cruise tourist ports to get a first- hand experience. The event focused on inviting all potential stakeholders to come and invest in the project in order to develop cruise tourism in India. Krishna Kotak, Chairman, J.M Baxi & Co., discussed about private sector participation, the potential and action that need to

be taken for the overall development of cruise tourism in India. On the occasion, David Dingle, Chairman, Carnival, presented Carnival’s plans for India as well as the global and Indian perspective on cruise shipping. The development of cruise tourism will attract more than 40 lakh tourists as well as generate jobs over 250,000. Cruise development will increase the number of ships visiting India from 158 per year to 955 per year. Plans to develop more port destination were also discussed in the event. Ravi Kant, Secretary Shipping, Government of India, highlighted India’s development of Cruise Tourism. Rashmi Verma, Secretary Tourism, Government of India, discussed about the growth and future of India as an international tourism hub. Sumit Mullick, Chief Secretary, Government of India, spoke about tourism potential and the preparedness of Maharashtra. Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Mumbai port Trust, showcased the road map of Cruise Tourism. Jayakumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra, was also present in the preview of the ‘Dawn of Cruise Tourism in India’. As a result of the interim measures that have been implemented, the number of cruise ships arrivals in India has jumped to 158 arrivals in 2016-17. Similarly, the number of cruise passengers embarked/ disembarked at Major Ports has jumped to 192,000 in 2016-17. Mumbai has become a home port for cruise vessels.

Key items identified for success of cruise tourism • Creating and developing the right market atmosphere • Easy immigration process for cruise tourism • Security procedures that do not impede movement • Taxation regime that allows for a platform for growth. • Customs & Duties procedures that do not tie the industry. • Internationally comparable tariffs. • Port and tourism infrastructure that meets the needs of the cruise lines and visitors today and tomorrow. Key Recommendations • Single window system for all pre cruise requirements for cruise operators to save time • Separate dedicated approach road and entrance to the cruise terminals. • Uniform and consistent security procedures by CISF at all ports. • Coordination between Immigration and CISF. • Training all departments dealing with Cruise tourism with Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) for better handling of passengers. • Use of technology in clearances, providing passenger manifest to CISF • Implementation of green lane/ red lane at existing terminals with random custom checking as is done in the airport. • Declaration of only limited items of inventory of the cruise ships in place of the existing requirement of having the complete inventory for all the stocks in the ship. Steps to develop cruise tourism • SoPs for handling cruise vessels

and passengers have been implemented. • Foreign flag vessels carrying passengers allowed to call at Indian ports without obtaining license from DG (Shipping). • Port-level Committees constituted to address manpower, coordination and logistics issues for handling cruise vessels at ports. • A discount of 40% is given at Major Port in Port charges. • Additional rebate of 25% for home port cruise vessels in addition to 40% rebate for coastal cruisetransportation. • E-Visa facility and e- Landing card extended to five major ports. • Uniformity in port charges for cruise vessels at all Major Ports- About Rs. 1,600 per person as against earlier practice of charging per tonnage of ship- cargo ships and cruise ships are not the same- now charges are comparable to Singapore and other global ports for cruise tourism • Plans to develop more port destinations other than the 5 ports of Mumbai, Goa, New Mangalore, Cochin and Chennai • New infrastructure at Mumbai at a cost of Rs. 300 cr- tender awarded for civil construction of terminal building The preparedness of Mumbai Port and Ministry of Shipping to host cruise vessels in the country was revealed to a worldwide audience at an event “The Dawn of Cruise Tourism in India”, held in Mumbai today. The event also saw the launch of three reports, ‘Mumbai Port SoP’s for Cruise Operations’, ‘Road Map for Sea CruiseTourism’ and ‘Cruise Terminals in India’.

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Technology

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Exenia capitalises on software with personal interface for automation PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

K. Sakthivel, AGM – Sales, Exenia, talks about software solutions developed for the hotel industry by experts in the industry. K. Sakthivel, AGM - Sales, Exenia

With the support of technology, one can minimize guest waiting time at the front office. Technology actually helps the industry and does not replace resource. With automation, hotel staff can avoid repeated work and focus on service levels. Inspiration behind Exenia Three years ago, the founders of Exenia created an application exclusively for Best Western Group of Hotels. Then they added various features and standard, following which they got an opportunity to work with various clients across the world. As business opportunities began to come from countries like Malaysia and Singapore, they decided to start operations in India. Immediately, we got an opportunity with a group called Nano Group of Resorts in Goa. They worked on two properties and slowly penetrated into India market. Then I got an opportunity to step into that. Then, I planned to penetrate into the Tamil Nadu market from the scratch since it is our base. As we are from Chennai, we started from there and slowly moved to other places. Now, we have very limited number of clients in our hand and it is almost five years now." "There are three partners in this company hailing from automobile background. We got an opportunity to work with Best Western Group of Hotels because our Chairman Neel Sadasivam met the founder and had a discussion with the sales team. They wanted to have a product exclusively created for Best Western Group of Hotels. Then, slowly they decided to venture into other markets.” Solutions There are two aspects to our industry - distribution and solution. We are into providing solutions for the hospitality industry, especially for complete automation- the billing aspects of the hospitality industry. We provide automation solutions for

Voyager’s World > August 2017

the security personnel to track walkins, guests who come into the hotel and material delivery. They will track it till the person leaves the property. We give end-to-end services through our product called Exenia, which is named after ‘Xenia’, the Greek goddess for hospitality. Sakthivel says that the USP of Exenia is that they create solutions for hospitality through inputs given by the hoteliers. When asked about facing competition in the market, he says that the differentiation lies in customizing through software. “Exenia focuses on software with various verticals. If somebody asks for a specific requirement, specific features or standards to the particular group as standalone, it can be done by a software company. A product company, however, has a lot of restrictions and reservations because the product is created only for that and one cannot change it.

It has various models and interfaces which cover the entire automation for the hospitality industry. There is also a module for banquets starting from reservation till the billing. Feedback management “We do have a review management system. There are two ways to track the reviews. Within the premises, we can take the feedback from the guest and rectify the problem then and there. Outside the premises, we can take the feedback after the guest checks out – there will be a mail sent to the guest with a link for feedback.” Promotions “Exenia believes in face-to-face communication. All our digital and social media marketing is in place. We have got a lot of international opportunities on account of our social media marketing because we work 24X7. Our team interacts with international clients round the clock. They also respond to clients through websites also.”

We are differentiated from others because the technology is changeable. The present technology works with the Windows platform. Our technology works with the browser platform. So, the major advantage of this product is one can see the latest update sitting anywhere. If you want to see the current status of the room, open your tab or any gadget, login and see the current status. The other products necessitate access through a third party software and see the availability and see the current status.”

Challenges “Since we are a software company, we can mould the software as and when a challenge crops up. In my experience in the hospitality industry, any software product will take minimum of five to seven years to settle down. Exenia has the credential of settling down within three years. Now it is going steady. The information we get from the market to develop the app for a particular domain makes it easy for us to solve all this.”

Exenia has created mobility solutions for front office, in-room dining, housekeeping and laundry.

Automation vs manpower “Ours being a browser based service, we have observed that the

hotel industry faces the challenge of service. After-sales people are finding a lot of difficulty with service. We do a lot of face-to-face interactions. Whenever they find difficulty, we are there to assist them. We take the consultant approach rather than the sales man approach. So, wherever people are looking for assistance, we give the right solutions and recommendations. We don’t dump solutions. They will not get any dead investment on this. That is where we are differentiated. Also, today everyone wants to see data on gadgets and want backup solutions. So, we recommend that they opt for cloud-based backup solutions. In fact, our solutions are capable to handle cloud based backup, based on their affordability. I suggest that they keep all their data in cloud and whenever required, they can recover it. They can have a periodical backup in the backup technology. There is some impact of automation on manpower replacement. But, there is a lot of attrition in the frontoffice section of a hotel. We are giving hotels a solution not to replace any resource. They can simplify their work and focus on the service instead of doing repeated work. We cannot do away with manpower and have 100% automation.” Mobile users come with pre-planned trips and bookings and get instant confirmation. They can check in themselves instead of waiting for front office assistance. One can minimize guest waiting time at the front office. Technology actually helps the industry and does not replace resource,” he concluded.

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Incredible India

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usa remains top favourite for indian business travellers VW BUREAU

Findings by Carlson Wagonlit Travel and American Express Global Business Travel Data indicate that technology remains key driver of Indian MICE outbound traffic.

ccording to the fourth annual 2018 Global Travel Forecast, travel prices are expected to rise sharply in the coming year, reaching nearly 4% increases in some sectors. Released recently by Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the global travel management company, and the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association, The 2018 Global Travel Forecast shows global airfares are expected to rise 3.5% in 2018; hotel prices are expected to be 3.7% higher; and ground transportation such as taxis, trains and buses are expected to rise only 0.6% - significantly less than the 3.0% inflation forecast for 2018. “The higher pricing is a reflection of the stronger economy and growing demand,” said Kurt Ekert, president and CEO, Carlson Wagonlit Travel. “The global numbers from this forecast should be considered strong leading indicators of what 2018 will mean for global businesses, as we anticipate higher spending.” “Geopolitical risks, uncertainties in emerging markets and everchanging political environments in Europe and the United States mean today’s travel professionals have more than ever to take into account when building their travel programs,”

Voyager’s World > August 2017

said Jeanne Liu, GBTA Foundation vice president of research. “The most successful programs will have to keep a watchful eye on both geopolitical risks and a rapidlychanging supplier landscape as they reevaluate strategy often and adapt as necessary.” 2018 Air Projections The uptick in global airfares comes as crude oil prices rise, in spite of airlines adding an expected 6.0% capacity in 2018. Complicating airline pricing is increased segmentation of basic fares among large carriers. Travelers now have the option of choosing a basic economy, restricted fare versus various upgraded fares, with specific service options and pricing varying by airline. • Asia Pacific expects to see a 2.8% rise in 2018 pricing with domestic demand increasing, particularly in China and India. However, as many of the economies in Asia strengthen, weaknesses in infrastructure – and airports in particular – are increasingly becoming apparent. • Across EMEA, air travel is anticipated to continue growing, with prices rising 7.1% across Eastern Europe and 5.5% in Western Europe. However, Middle East and African countries only

expect a 3.0% increase as they face ongoing security threats and an oil industry that is still in recovery. Currency fluctuations in Europe may further impact airfares in 2018. Given limited competition and the upcoming summer 2018 World Cup in Russia, Eastern Europe may again have the most significant price increases in the region. • Across Latin America and the Caribbean, prices are expected to change little in 2018 – up only 0.3%. Airlines have cautiously added capacity back into the market. Broader analysis of South America shows a 20.0% increase in scheduled flights by the end of 2019. Low cost carriers are well positioned for this area given the low penetration in the region. And, new, more efficient aircraft coming into in operation will lower operating costs in 2018. • North America will see prices rise by a modest 2.3%, according to our projections. Citing the potential for stronger U.S. travel restrictions, flights to the United States have already been reduced accordingly. Canadian airlines are expected to aggressively compete given new market entrants and capacity growth of about 11.0% in 2017 and 12.0% in 2018. With the region’s air travel market nearly flat year-over-year

in early 2017, competition is fierce between carriers who now compete on branded fares rather than on bundled fares or by carrier type. 2018 Hotel Projections Globally, the 3.7% average increase in hotel prices masks what is actually happening on a regional level. Europe is expected to post strong increases, while other regions are barely keeping up with inflation. Additionally, prices are expected to fall in Latin America and the Caribbean. We expect the impact of the 2017 mergers will be felt during the 2018 RFP season. Suppliers are progressively moving corporate buyers away from fixed, negotiated hotel rates and toward dynamic rate pricing. There is also a global trend towards “smarter” hotels, with hotels investing in beacon technologies, messaging, in-room entertainment and more. Increasingly tech-savvy guests will use apps to check in and out, unlock their hotel room door, operate the television remotely and control room temperature. • Across Asia Pacific, hotel prices are likely to rise 3.5% - with a large discrepancy as Japanese prices are expected to fall 4.1%, but New Zealand is set to rise a full 9.8%. Strong economies means demand

35>> is increasing in the APAC region. Buyers should anticipate a more challenging discussion with newly merged hotel groups, especially in high-volume markets such as Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore. • Across EMEA, hotel prices are likely to rise - 6.6% in Eastern Europe, 6.3% in Western Europe, but only 0.6% in the Middle East and Africa. Norway is expected to lead with increases of 14.0% expected for 2018, while Russian hotel prices will rise 11.9% thanks to increased demand from hosting the 2018 Summer World Cup. • Within Latin America, hotel prices are expected to fall 1.2%, with steep declines in Brazil (down 8.7%) and Argentina (down 2.7%). However, Peru and Chile are expected to see 7.7% and 5.5% increases, respectively. Buyers may see efficiencies in 2018 as bigger brands purchase independents and upgrade systems. Capacity is being added throughout the region with an estimated 449,500 new hotel rooms being constructed between late 2016 and 2025 – a 57.0% increase in supply. Sharing economy accommodations are still not very popular for corporate travel in Latin America, given structural security concerns.

Sharing economy players such as Uber and Lyft are expected to continue double-digit growth upwards of 10.0% in 2018, before settling down into single-digit growth for 2019. Their growth is under threat by costly regulation and government bans. • Continued uncertainty in mining, and a cautious recovery in the oil and gas industry will result in flat rates for 2018 in Asia Pacific. Business continues to grow in China as most major car rental and sharing economy suppliers have a presence.

Sharing economy suppliers Didi Chuxing in China, Ola in India and Grab in Southeast Asia have all achieved economies of scale that make them key competitors to more traditional car rentals firms and taxis. • Ground transportation remains very competitive in EMEA. Prices are expected to remain mostly flat in Europe, and up a meager 1.0% across the Middle East and Africa. Rail continues to be a viable alternative to air travel throughout Europe, especially with enhanced security at airports.

• Prices are expected to rise slightly (1.0%) across Latin America. Brazil and Mexico are anticipating increased demand for car rentals in 2018 as their economies rebound. However, the rental car market there is still heavily fragmented. Uber is betting big on its Latin American business (despite issues in Brazil, Peru and Argentina) – especially after its recent departure from the Chinese market. Regional and international rental companies continue to expand and pricing is expected to stabilize.

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• North America hoteliers may be banking on economic growth as demand has leveled off since mid-summer 2016 – but supply is expected to continue growing steadily through 2018. With international travel projected to grow 4.0% in 2017 and 2018, U.S. hotel growth is expected to be concentrated primarily along with the West Coast and in Washington D.C. In Canada, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are expected to maintain good pricing power amid a weak Canadian dollar. 2018 Ground Transportation Projections Ground transportation pricing is expected to rise only 0.6% in 2018 (but 5.5% by 2022). Industry experts predict record new car sales over the next five years, pushing up per unit fleet costs, while used car pricing is expected to fall 50%, hurting residual value for used rental cars and making current rental car pricing unsustainable. Market-specific regulations for curbing emissions, and rising oil prices have suppliers’ already increasing availability of “green” rental cars.

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•Canada is expected to see a healthy 4.6% increase in 2018, but the overall region will only be up 1.0%. Limited railways, along with improved income per capita and increased corporate travel, are expected to push up rental car rates in North America. Still a low-margin business, rental car companies have implemented operational efficiencies and made investments in technology to better manage fleets and improve utilization. Outbound MICE trends The United States remains one of the most popular countries for business travel from India, with seven US cities listed in the top ten destinations outside of Asia-Pacific, according to data from American Express Global Business Travel (GBT). Strong links between India’s technology and engineering sectors and the US appear to be driving an increase in business travel to San Francisco and New York which have both overtaken Singapore to move to second and third most popular respectively, behind London. Encompassing all air bookings made directly with GBT for India-based travellers between June 2016 to May 2017, the travel destinations report provides a snapshot of business travel flows within, and from India.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Delhi remains the top destination for domestic business travel while London remains the number one destination for international business travel. London, New York and San Francisco dominate the top three destinations for international business travel outside of Asia-Pacific, as well as overall. Seemingly reflective of softening business sentiment locally, Singapore has dropped from number two to number four in annual rankings. The rise of New York and San Francisco in India’s business travel rankings appears to be a result of growing links between India and the US’s technology and engineering industries. “This is a hugely exciting time for India from a business travel perspective. India is progressing up the international value chain and has expanded from traditional outsourcing to advanced technology and product development, alongside many other areas of business. It is widely thought that India produces the most engineers in the world and they are of high value to many nations who need large scale support,” says Elyes Mrad, Managing Director, International, American Express Global Business Travel . “Many Indian companies are growing internationally, acquiring companies

and creating jobs. The nation’s thriving start-up culture is driving many innovative technologies. This is evident in Silicon Valley, where entrepreneurs of Indian origin now make up a significant percentage of the community.”

US cities remain favoured The top international destinations for India’s business travellers are driven largely by the technology sector, even in London and New York, where tech travel flows are now stronger than financial services.

Delhi remains the focus Delhi is India’s National Capital Region and has grown from its role as India’s political hub to also being a key corporate hub for the country. Mumbai remains the nation’s key financial district, with many financial services and professional services firms having regional headquarters there.

Singapore has fallen from second to fourth in the rankings, and this is not particularly surprising. Despite Singapore being a regional hub for many multinational companies, the market has softened in recent years, and credit supply from Singapore’s banks has also dropped.

Bangalore is a leading technology hub, while Chennai maintains strong business travel traffic as a car manufacturing hub. Lucknow, at twelfth in the rankings, did not make the top ten however the introduction of special economic zones for IT companies and the development of a major business park will likely see Lucknow rise in domestic rankings in the future. Top 10 ranks of domestic destinations (in order) Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Poona, Kolkata, Ahmeda bad, Cochin, Goa. (The Source: American Express Global Business Travel point of sale data destination analysis for June 2016 – May 2017)

Top 10 international destinations including APAC (in order) London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Amsterdam, Seattle, Dubai, Chicago, Bangkok, Hong Kong. (Source: American Express Global Business Travel point of sale data destination analysis for June 2016 – May 2017) India and US ties strengthen Seven of the top 10 destinations for India’s business travellers outside of APAC are US cities, and US dominance is likely to continue. Despite changes in US immigration regulations, Indian travel to the US for business will likely remain strong, particularly in outsourcing and IT, where skilled Indian workers are in high demand.

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dubai optimistic about inbound corporate movements from india PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Manoj Padhi, General Manager (Hospitality Division), UAE, Raviz Center Point Hotel, talks about meeting facilities for MICE groups and movements from India.

Manoj Padhi, General Manager (Hospitality Division), UAE, Raviz Center Point Hotel

There is a lot of inbound corporate movement from India. We started participating intrade fairs since the last four years. Every year, we do 12-15 shows in India. The Indian market is booming. Companies are coming up with many schemes to reward distributors and retailers. MICE facilities At the Raviz Center Point Hotel in Dubai, the banqueting facility caters to 200 people. Manoj Padhi, General Manager (Hospitality Division), UAE, Raviz Center Point Hotel, says that the hotel recently hosted a group from Chettinad Cement in Chennai with 1000 people. “We hosted them in different venues because our capacity is not enough to cater to a 1000 pax. We created the Bahubali concept for them. Apart from them, we get a lot of groups from India, especially incentives." "The Indian market is booming. Companies are coming up with many schemes to reward distributors and retailers. We get many specialized groups from Europe, particularly from Slovakia, Slovenia, wherefrom engineers come to look at the buildings and landmarks in Dubai. We get a lot of doctors coming to Dubai to see the new advancements. Dubai has become a major healthcare centre. Many students and educational institutions come here from India and overseas, particularly for

fashion and new trends." He observes that there is a lot of need for new meeting concepts now. “Earlier, we had gala dinners where the guests binged and went on a safari. However, the run-of-the-mill stuff does not work anymore. Everyone looks for new things. In the past, the job of the general manager was to look after the administration of the hotel, walk in the lobby and meet guests. Today, there is a great emphasis on ensuring guests come back more. Service is the driving factor to ensure guests return. We believe that service begins from the bell boy and the friendliness that is transmitted from the core of the heart and not pretense. They understand that they are as important as the higherups. We subscribe to reputation management software. We are always active on social media." Business from India “There is a lot of inbound corporate movement from India. We started participating in trade fairs since the last four years. Every year, we

do 12-15 shows in India. Apart from that, we are very active in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Engaging with the tour operators in these countries have brought us in close contact with the buyer there. Back there, we have DMCs by the dozen. These DMCs may be here today and not tomorrow. So, we felt it is important to deal with the tour operators, even in India. The track record of our Indian properties is also very good. Most of the tour operators are common. They know the standards and the service levels that we strive for. We have been getting a lot of business from the participation in trade fairs.” Weekend occupancies Unlike India, which has a large population and the movement of both commercial and leisure, in Dubai it is generally restricted to the local inhabitants – the Arab community. ”They have the trend of going over the weekend. They take a weekend off and come to Dubai. Saturdays are off for them. They check in on Thursday and stay until Saturday. We have

made packages for them with offers on meals and spa services. We give them discounts for F&B, laundry, etc. this trend goes up in summer. In summer, this gives us an add-on bonus. It is a low period for us in summer, so we call it the family break as it gives us a lot of additional business. The brand has also launched packages mainly for the residents. “Tourists don’t use those packages. A lot of European expatriates and Filipinos use these family deals. The average room rates have been shrinking since this summer. The cascading effects begin from the top. The five-star hotels are the first ones to drop their rates. They have large inventories and Dubai has many five-star hotels in lovely locations. When a hotel with, say 500 rooms, drops the rates from what should be to 50%, tremors go right through. Four star hotels and three star hotels also reduce the rates and are followed by the rest. Even if you reduce the prices, the expectations are the same from the guests. We cannot afford to play with them. We do not compromise on our services.”

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WTM London gets new categories of travel tech Exhibitors VW BUREAU

ore than 20 technology companies have signed up as new exhibitors at the Travel Tech Show at WTM – the dedicated travel technology event at WTM London. The impressive list of first-timers covers all areas of the sector, including online, software solutions, a translation service and tracking system provider. New exhibitors also include eNett International, Kigo and eMerchantPay, all specialists in payment solutions, which is a key focus of the Travel Tech Show at WTM – the largest travel technology event in the UK. eNett International CEO and managing director Anthony Hynes said: “We are excited to be showcasing how eNett is redefining B2B payments with Virtual Account Numbers (VANs) at WTM this year.

“We’ve seen a huge uptake in our VANs solution globally as travel companies realise the efficiency and cost savings that can be gained by simply changing the way they pay suppliers.

their communication habits or being restricted by roaming charges.

“It’s great that WTM London has recognised this by creating a payment solutions focus for this year’s the Travel Tech Show at WTM. We look forward to meeting with travel companies and speaking with them about the benefits of fast, easy, safe payments.”

Wetu CEO Paul de Waal said: “At Wetu our mission is to improve the way the travel industry sells their products. “We add huge value to our clients by making their business more efficient and significantly increase their ability to convert opportunities. After many years building and perfecting our digital tools, we are ready to exhibit at the Travel Tech Show at WTM and show the world how travel should be sold.”

Other technology companies exhibiting for the first time include Wetu, a South African cloud-based content management and distribution system. Another, Hong Kong uCloudlink Network Technology, is a pioneer in cloud SIM technology that now offers companies an affordable Wi-Fi hotspot so employees can travel without having to change

Several Icelandic companies are new to the Travel Tech Show at WTM, such as Kaptio, which specialises in ‘software-as-a-service’ solutions for travel companies and TripCreator, which enables users to plan and book an entire trip in one place. Also new are solutions companies such as Host Hotel Systems, based in Lisbon; US-based Bluebird Auto Rental

Systems; Indian software provider Qtech Software and Cyberlogic Inc, based in Greece. With customer safety becoming ever more at the forefront, 40MEE is at the event to showcase its fast, easy solution to keep track of all group members, enabling organisers to get an instant roll call with a single tap of a smartphone. Meanwhile, Laduma, a virtual reality content production company says it plans to “lead the VR offering at WTM London2017 by demonstrating to delegates how ground-breaking storytelling can change the way people view their brands”. WTM London, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “Each of these companies is at the forefront of what’s new and what’s happening in the world of tech and has chosen the Travel Tech Show at WTM to showcase its product.

ATEED teams up with PATA to host Tourism Leaders Forum VW BUREAU

The programme is designed as an important forerunner to the annual PATA Global Insights Conference taking place for the third consecutive year on 29 September at the SKYCITY Grand Hotel in Auckland.

ourism industry leaders in New Zealand are set to address the challenges and opportunities facing public and private organisations as the nation seeks to maximise the sector’s economic benefits. The Tourism Leaders Forum, with the title ‘Being Future Ready’, is presented jointly by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). The event takes place on Thursday 28 September 2017 at the Lysaght Building in Auckland from 15.30 hrs. Confirmed speakers for the Tourism Leaders panel session include Nick Hill, CEO – ATEED; Chris Roberts, CEO of Tourism Industry Aoteroa

Voyager’s World > August 2017

(TIA); Stephen England-Hall, CEO of Tourism New Zealand, and Cam Wallace - Chief Revenue Officer at Air New Zealand.

PATA Global Insights Conference taking place for the third consecutive year on Friday 29 September at the SKYCITY Grand Hotel in Auckland.

The panel discussion with tourism industry leaders is being moderated by Hywel Griffith, the BBC World News correspondent for Australia and New Zealand.

PATA Regional Director - Pacific Chris Flynn said, “This Tourism Leaders Forum brings together an important and influential group to address issues, threats, challenges and opportunities for New Zealand’s tourism sector in line with the Tourism 2025 Plan and beyond. Our role, at PATA, is to encourage responsible and sustainable development that delivers tangible economic benefits, particularly for local communities. I’m sure that the views expressed at this Forum will influence the direction of our Global Insights Conference taking place during the course of the following

Former TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden, who masterminded the nation’s Tourism 2025 Plan, is opening the Forum and is set to provide an overview of the Plan’s objectives. Delegates will be welcomed by PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. The programme is designed as an important forerunner to the annual

day.” Delegates attending PGIC on 29 September enjoy complimentary admission to the Tourism Leaders Forum on 28 September. Registration for the Forum alone is US$100. Chris Flynn added, “Capacity restrictions at the venue on 28 September mean that we are processing registrations on a firstcome, first-served basis and I recommend early registration to avoid disappointment.” The programme begins at 15.30 hrs. (registration & refreshments) and concludes at 17.35 hrs. with a cocktail reception sponsored kindly by SKYCITY Entertainment.

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dome @ nsci...blending indian expertise with global standards PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

In a chat with Voyager's World, Mazhar Nadiadwala, Managing Director, Dome @ NSCI, highlights the technical and capacity features of the premium event venue. completely based on international standards. It is at a premium location with a premium tag, due to the kind of events we organize. If you compare it to the rest of India, you will see the difference because the quality and the amenities and the capacity that we have, in terms of both technical and physical capacities, which is what makes our venue a step ahead.”

he Dome @ NSCI is a noted sports, leisure and entertainment destination with as many as 50 activities taking place under one roof. Its Managing Director Mazhar Nadiadwala talks about the venue’s USP, amenities and business trends. “Dome is one-of-its-kind as a venue. You must have been to different venues across India but this one is

Meeting sizes As we host different kinds of events, we have different group sizes based on 360 degree facilities, be it exhibitions, sports, table tennis tournaments at an international level, edm festivals, concerts, social functions, etc. We have a crowd capacity of 900010,000 for an EDM festival EDM

done some breakthroughs in the entertainment industry. There has never been a Broadway show in India and we opened it with the ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

festival and we can host a seated show for concerts with lesser capacities such as a Sufi concert. As far as exhibitions are concerned, there is always a floating crowd as attendees are not all there at one point of time. We can hold up to 20,000 footfalls during exhibitions.

"We specialize only in one event at any given point in time. We are not a convention hall. We prefer doing larger-than-life events. Our venue space has a height of 50 – 55 feet which you may not get in a convention centre. Premium events like the Filmfare and award functions take place here. We have used the best of Indian expertise in creating the structure which is very much on par with international arenas."

Different clients want different levels of comfort and facilities. Our venue boasts of connectivity to South Mumbai, the suburbs and the city centre. We have the best of facilities here, right from high roof to load bearing ceiling and hence they have capacities of multiple tones to hang the lights and sound equipment. There is an open floor that can be converted as per the client’s requirement. We have

M.I.C.E SCAN

CALENDAR 2017

Dubai gears up to host 2018 auditing conference

ubai is gearing up to host delegates from the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) at its International Conference, scheduled to take place next year. Dubai Business Events (DBE) collaborated with Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and the UAE Internal Auditors Association (IAA) to successfully bid for the event. The conference will take place at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 6 – 9 May 2018 and is expected to attract approximately 3,500 delegates from 110 countries.

Indian travel agents experience MICE Fam in Israel

"We are still upgrading our venue and are also looking at expanding in multiple venues," he signed off.

September 13, 14, 15 PATA Travel Mart Macao 26, 27, 28 IT&CM Asia Bangkok

ICE agents from India recently experienced Israel’s MICE offerings on a familiarisation trip by Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT). They explored Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Eilat and Tel Aviv and visited Yad Veshem- the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, Israel Museum, Western Wall, Ein Gedi, Masada, etc. The agents were from Footloose Yatra Consultants, Enchante Holidays, Skyline travels, Travels mantra, Holiday Triangle Travel, Orion Inbound, Tamarind Global, Quantum travels, Byond, Bonton Holidays and WOV travel.

Sands Resorts Macao hosts 'A Night to Shine' in New Delhi

ands Resorts Macao hosted an event themed ‘A Night to Shine’ in New Delhi on 24 July to introduce the resort’s newest 2017 offerings to travel industry partners, meeting organisers and the media. With a VIP ultimate access party vibe and pesonalised guests, the guests at the event learnt about the resort’s ‘Illuminating New Offerings’ and entertainment options, while at the same time were given an opportunity to be in the spotlight.

TAAI Karnataka Chapter elects office bearers for 2017-19

he Annual Members Meeting of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Karnataka Chapter and their election were held in July in Bangalore. The following members were duly elected as office bearers of TAAI Karnataka Chapter for 2017-2019 - Amish Desai, Beleast Travels P Ltd. as Chairman; Niranjan S Sachidananda, Traveller's Choice P Ltd, as Hon. Secretary; S.V. Chidambaresh, Pranam Travels P Ltd. as Hon. Treasurer. They will assume charge post the National AGM of TAAI for 20152017 and will hold office until the conclusion of 2nd annual members meeting to be held in 2019.

October 12, 13, 14 TTG Incontri (International B2B Tourism Fair) Rimini, Italy 23, 24 Event Organisers Summit London, U.K

November 27,28 Asia Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference Colombo, Sri Lanka 28, 29, 30 IBTM World Barcelona, Spain

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Online Travel

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movingworlds emphasises high impact projects in volunteer travel IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Mark Horoszowski, Co-founder, MovingWorlds, talks about maximizing impact on the local community by mobilizing skill-based volunteers who like to travel and contribute to the community.

ovingWorlds is a social impact organisation that was founded to tackle the global talent gap. Its online platform and community connects people who want to travel and volunteer their expertise directly with social impact organizations around the world.

skills around the world in 2011. He started a blog to share insights that resulted in an organic following and helped people to find their own projects. During the last two months of his trip, he met Derk Norde, who was then leading the international expansion of a foundation supporting social enterprises and local impact organizations in emerging markets. ”We connected over their desire to support social enterprises by helping them access the proper skills to solve pressing challenges and up skill their teams. After two years of validating that skilled volunteers from overseas actually help, we launched the MovingWorlds platform and coined the term “Experteering.”

Mark Horoszowski spent a year travelling and volunteering his

Volunteer tourism The amount of money and time that

travellers spend on trips has a direct impact on the communities that they visit and the world. “Be reflective about the assets you have and the impact you can create when you use those assets to help develop the communities you visit. No matter where you travel, there are people to support and a planet to save, and if you dedicate some of your energy to helping change others, you will be changed in return.” MovingWorlds’ matching platform, resources and global support team help people to find a highly relevant project and guide them through a comprehensive readiness and training process. The corporations can easily partner

with MovingWorlds to launch and scale employee engagement, innovation and leadership development programmes that centre on skills-based volunteering. MovingWorlds partners with leading impact investors, accelerator programmes and global development organisations mainly to find the highest impact projects. “We are a global platform and have made placements in over 50 countries, with our Experteering professionals representing over 40 countries. We use storytelling on blog, partner content sites and social media to share our work. We have both place Experteers in India and have had Experteers come from India.”

travel guides take on new dimension with user-based tips IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Carmine Savarese, CEO and Founder, Tiplr, says the platform was created based on a need to share travel tips and guides based on user experiences. guidebook with an Instagram, making it incredibly easy to access smart travel tips and guides from anywhere; a tool as exhaustive as a guidebook, but immediate as a snapshot."

iplr is a travel platform where a community of smart travellers can discover, create, collect and share travel information about their trips or as local experts. “I visited more than 50 countries and then I started Tiplr with my partners,” says Carmine Savarese, its CEO and Founder. “My initial vision was to have a travel platform in mind which combines a Lonely Planet

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Carmine went on to elaborate the idea with her partners Stefano Bonini, Tara Turner and Olivia Lentucci, before it became apparent to them during a month-long TransSiberian journey a few years ago. They found likeminded travellers who were also trying to navigate the completely foreign land. “We exchanged advice and tips along the way, using others’ suggestions that we could not have found in any guidebook we carried.” The ‘Create a Tip’ feature in Tiplr

enables a user to write about his travel experiences and use Instagram pictures from his account or from his camera phone. The ‘Discover’ section allows users to find all the tips they need for their adventures; the feed can be swiped through tip cards or navigated as map. Tiplr is developing a new feature to create trips and guides from users’ suitcases; the ‘suitcase’ is a section where a user can collect tips and other travel information. “In the future versions, we will make it possible to create trips with maps and itineraries within the app and enable purchase of travel services like tickets or hotel reservations as well. The user can convert the trip in to a guide to be shared with other explorers.” Based in New York, Tiplr has users

from mostly English speaking countries and is available for the India market. “We do have users and several followers on our social media from India and we do believe India is a great opportunity for us.” It plans to do social media campaigns with global hotels and hostels and also sponsor Tiplr trips and contests, besides a contest for explorers to win high quality travel equipment. Tiplr is present on all digital devices and it plans to have a printed magazine, Tiplr MAG, which is currently a blog and newsletter. “We are looking forward to open in major cities around the world as Tiplr Hubs in the future, which will also be a place where travellers can meet along their trips and get all the information.”

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When the going gets tough, get 'organic'! IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

TravGanic is keen to provide the most sustainable stay options for travellers with minimal human impact on the environment, says its Founder Alice Ford.

ravGanic is the latest player to enter the green arena, aiming to streamline the hunt for certified green accommodation options across the globe. It filters lodging that not only impresses guests but also gives back to the community and is environment-friendly. “I decided to launch TravGanic because I was looking for sustainable

and green certified places to stay around the world. TravGanic created a marketplace that brings together the best green certified hotels, tours and vacation rentals from around the world. We are a dedicated hotel booking site for exclusively green and sustainable destinations,” says its Founder Alice Ford, while explaining how green travel benefits the traveller as well as the local communities. “Travelling organically helps people in many ways. It is better for their health to stay in accommodations that use renewable energy, clean with nontoxic chemicals and cook with organic materials. It also usually offers a more unique and community driven experience. As many sustainable hotels and tours work closely with local communities, farms, charitable organisations and much more. Not

only are guests getting a better overall experience, they are probably getting a more cultural experience as well.” TravGanic, a portmanteau of ‘travel’ and ‘organic’, aims to be a spot to find and book travel accommodations that fulfill the criteria laid out by certified green rating systems- places that are built using environmentfriendly methods and function on alternative energy sources while promoting resource conservation and sustainability of the locals. Marketing Plans Alice plans to market and promote their hotels to people all over the world. TravGanic also offers a hotel and vacation rental certification available for business owners. “We

have clients from all over the world, our biggest markets being Canada and Europe. We currently have two hotels in Mumbai - the ITC Maratha Mumbai and the ITC Grand Central in Mumbai. These two hotels are LEED certified. We hope to gain more clients and hotels in India that are focused on sustainability and fighting bad air pollution.” Trends Travellers are looking for more unique experiences as they want to feel like a local while travelling and participate in activities that open their mind, spirit and give them a sense of purpose and adventure. India is very important as it has one of the world’s largest populations and a booming tourism market.

It's a cycle...responsible travel gets interesting twist! IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Brett Seychell, Founder & Host, Social Cycles, talks about exploring local destinations through sustainable ways such as the cycling experience. experts about local issues and learning from those on the ground. “This concept takes travel to a whole new level as not only do you get a good understanding of the current day and the past, but you get an insight into what the future looks like by those who are committed to shaping it.”

ocial Cycles hosts small group cycle holidays for travellers with a social conscience. It engages with local experts (NGOs) to learn about social issues, challenges and strategies so that people can gain the knowledge to make a positive difference. India is a very important market for us. Brett Seychell, its Founder & Host, believes that travel can be greatly enriched by speaking to local

Countries using this service The cycle holidays are currently available in Cambodia, Iran, Vietnam, Samoa and Laos. Social Cycles holiday adventures are open to everybody from all over the world. “It is not yet available as a tour in India, but it is a possibility in the next few years,” Brett added. “I have personally ridden a bicycle from Thiruvananthapuram to Kolkata via Mumbai, Jaipur, Agra and Varanasi.

It took almost five months.” Most of its travellers are from Australia so far, but it has also got travellers from Europe and USA at times. The average age is 50 years, with some riders as old as 75 years and others as young as 23 years. Cycling tours “I think cycling is such an incredible way to travel for so many reasons. Slow travel provides a far richer and more rewarding experience with a much greater variety of authentic experiences.” Marketing and promotional plans “Social Cycles is a growing business and our focus is not only to share our brand, but our values of responsible travel and interactive educational

experiences with local experts. We focus our energy on our product, which already brings great return business. Other marketing avenues include social media and SEOs.”

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now an app to break language barriers in travel IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Sukhdeep Bhogal, Founder, Trotoise, says the app seeks to break the barriers of language and data connectivity for domestic and overseas travellers.

rotoise is a travel app that has a very simple user interface based on the geographic location where one can look at all the mentioned points of interest and either read the text or listen to audio in the chosen language available in 105 languages . It was launched in order to help travellers overcome the language and data connectivity barriers while

travelling and getting information in their own language without paying for expensive audio guides or tour guides. Trotoise offers any Indian traveller the convenience of enjoying tour guide experiences in their own language in any of the app’s listed countries. “We have the audio guides in Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Punjabi, etc. along with English in an Indian accent in online/offline mode. We also have audio guides available in international languages like Estonian, French, German, Japanese and Russian,” informs the app’s Founder Sukhdeep Bhogal. “We launched the app during the second half of 2016 and the response has been great especially

with new users being added and with repeat usage. As of now, 62.1% users come back to the app, which is a very encouraging number. The sessions per user and the time spent per session have increased by almost 350% since we launched; so we expect the usage to grow by more than 1000% in 2017. At present, the audio guides are available for 2200+ points of interest across 140+ global cities across 60 countries, including 56 cities in India.” The app is already live with destinations in 60 countries in 109 languages to access them in. “Our marketing partnerships are in place right now to focus the usage in India, Indonesia, Russia and Scandinavian countries.”

“The main feature of the app is the vernacular audio guides where you can scan and search the functionality using Augmented Reality. The app is also beneficial with a one-stop solution with all the travel needs like booking a cab, navigation, public transport, ticketing for points of interest, restaurants and table bookings etc.” “The app helps people as they need not worry with English being a barrier and you can explore any city in your own language. During international travels, the users need not bother about data bills to access information as the users can just sync with the city for usage in offline mode. The local activities and experiences to be provided by locals are going to be our next initiative in the coming months.”

Welcome to Holiday Expo another exciting brand to take your business to a level of growth and establish an opportunity to create a brand new market. Medium sized Indian cities have emerged as one of the fastest growing markets or quality leisure products and 'Holiday Expo' is just the perfect Travel Exhibition reachout to this very market,thus ensuring your product profits to its optimum potential.

VADODARA

18, 19, 20 August 2017

NAGPUR

6, 7, 8 October 2017

VIZAG

3, 4, 5 November 2017

COIMBATORE

26, 27, 28 January 2018

Holiday Expo Secretariat: Plot No. 15, H. No.: 3-41-374, 2nd Floor, Devi Temple Street Lakshmi Nagar Colony, Picket Secunderabad - 500 026 Tel: +91-40-4014 9950 | Mob: +91-97018 66695 Fax: +91-40-4018 9951 | Email: info@holidayexpo.in www.holidayexpo.in

Voyager’s World > August 2017

Exclusively Outbound!

THE ONLY TRADE SHOW FOCUSSED ON OUTBOUND TRAVEL A trade-only event connecting buyers & suppliers of outbound travel industry from across the globe, offering unparalleled networking and contracting opportunities · The Middle East edition of OTR – 2016 witnessed a footfall of 500 eminent buyers across Dubai – Doha – Kuwait · Over 1600 buyers attended the India – edition 1 of OTR in January, 2017 across Mumbai – Ahmedabad – Chennai – Kolakata – Delhi · India Edition 2 of OTR held across Bangalore – Delhi – Mumbai witnessed an overwhelming presence of over 1200 buyers An invitation only event

INDIA EDITION 1

MIDDLE EAST EDITION

INDIA EDITION 2

8th - 16th JANUARY, 2018

11th- 15th FEBRUARY, 2018

19th - 22nd MARCH, 2018

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# 245, Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560 071, India. Tel: +91-80-4083 4100 | Fax: +91-80-4083 4101 | otrindia@otrindia.com www.outboundtravelroadshow.com

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FESTIVALS OF 1 - 13 September Festival of Moors and Christians Murcia, Spain The Festival of Moors and Christians in Murcia will take place from 1-13 September in Murcia. There will be theatrical performance of actors portraying as the Murcia locals. The streets are used as stages to celebrate the occasion. Most of the events take place in the Mediaeval Encampment in San Esteban garden. On the first day, where most of the groups hold passacaglia around the town’s neighbourhoods, the groups led by Prince Alfonso of Castile and the Moor King Ibn Hud perform similar to the military parade.

11-20 August, 2017 Frankfurt Apple Wine Festival Frankfurt, Germany The Frankfurt Apple Wine Festival is happening from 11-24 August that gathers locals and visitors in the main metropolis to celebrate Frankfurt’s beverage and the Apple Wine Festival, followed by entertaining programmes that include the Typical Frankfurt folklore and dialect poetry for all to enjoy the show. Besides this, the Hessian cult bands also perform and cheers up the audience through singing and dancing. You could taste different types of apple wines at the booths.

4 October, 2017 Mid-Autumn Festival Hong Kong 22 - 24 September Life is Beautiful Las Vegas, USA The ‘Life is Beautiful’ festival will take place from 22 to 24 September, celebrating music, art, food. This year it returns to Downtown Las Vegas. There will be top music acts by the Shins, Jane’s Addiction, the Lumineers, G- Eazy, Third Eye Blind, Die Antwoord, Bassnector, Flume, Young the Giant, Chromeo, Jimmy Eat World, Tegan and Sara and more. The culinary villages offer delicacies from local chefs and specialty cocktails and spirits, art enthusiasts and a collection of murals.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

The Mid – Autumn Festival will take place on the 4 October this year, an occasion that dates back to the early Tang dynasty. Most of the families used to gather and make offerings of osmanthus-flavoured wine, spherical fruits such as pears, grapes, pomegranates and mooncakes mainly to express gratitude for a bumper harvest. It is one of the well known festivals of the year in Hong Kong.

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THE WORLD 16 September - 3 October Oktoberfest Munich, Germany The Oktoberfest is an annual fest that takes place from 16 September to 3 October this year. Held in Theresienwiese in Munich, the event is known for the largest Volksfest in the world and will celebrate its 184th Oktoberfest this year. Also referred to as the "Wies'n" by the locals, the Oktoberfest draws over six million visitors from across the globe each year. The highlight of this beer fest is the 14 tents with a capacity of over 98,000 seats, six Munich breweries, Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten and Hofbräuhaus. One can also savour the Bavarian specialties during the festival.

18 - 28 August Singapore Night Festival Singapore The Singapore Night Festival will take place from 18 – 28 August. It is marked by spectacular light projections on the National Museum and Singapore Art Museum buildings as well as the flying ships and pianos, while art and culture spill right on to the streets. Witnessing a huge crowd, the main highlight of the festival is the interactive light installations that can literally turn the facades of the Singapore Art Museum and the National Museum of Singapore into ephemeral works of wonder.

1-17 September Wine Harvest Festival Spain The Wine Harvest Festival in Spain will take place from 1 - 17 September in Jerez de la Frontera. The activities during the festival comprise grape stomping, gastronomy, street theatre, music and popular culture that fill the city’s streets with fun for everyone. The festival also includes flamenco shows, horse parades, exhibitions and competitions. One can visit vineyards and wine tastings, as well as sample typical Andalusian products in the wine harvest market.

3-4 September Zundert Blemencorso Netherlands The Zundert Blemencorso festival or flower parade is happening on 3 and 4 September. It is the world’s biggest flower parade in Netherlands that attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually. A number of volunteers take part in building the dazzling floral floats with only dahlias. The parade floats in the Zundert Flower Parade are designed and built by its 20 hamlets. The art of building the Zundert Parade floats is passed on from generation to generation. The event also includes all kinds of music and theatre performances.

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Happenings

Seychelles Tourist Office conducts seminar for Indian market

he Seychelles Tourist office concluded a seminar for the Indian market in Seychelles for the local hoteliers, DMCs, tourism board head office, highlighting on the local travel trade of Seychelles, in the presence of Sabrina Agathine, Marketing Director, Air Seychelles, Sherin Francis, CEO, Seychelles Tourism Board and Lubaina Sheerazi, COO, Blue Square consultants, Seychelles Tourist office India. There were speeches on the cultural and behavioural differences between two countries by Ashutosh Mehere, COO Alliances, Cox & Kings, India, Jai Bujhwala, Founder, Holidays Box, Parthip Thyagarajan, Founder, WeddingSutra.com.

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TAT organizes Thailand Golf Travel Mart 2017 in Khao Yai

he Tourism Authority of Thaliand (TAT) organized the Thailand Golf Travel Mart (TGTM) from 25 -28 July in Nakhon Ratchasima, Khao Yai, where golf tour operators and buyers from important international markets networked with suppliers and golf course owners from across Thailand. The event witnessed more than 150 buyers from 32 countries signed up for the Thailand Golf Travel Mart, while the majority being from Asia (65 buyers) and the ASEAN region (48 buyers) , with around 95 local sellers representing Thai golf courses, tour operators, hotels and travel agents selling their services. 31 buyers attended from Europe and three from the USA.

Outbound Marketing organises Shivalik Adventure Drive

Melia Hotels International launched Melia Pro Incentive Programme 2017

he Outbound Marketing collaborated with Punjab Tourism to host ‘Shivalik Adventure Drive’. The two-day event was inaugurated by the

Minister for Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu. The 4*4 had 60 participants from across India and started their round from New Chandigarh (Mullahpur). It was a 10-km loop that took four hours to complete. The lucky draw included - first prize was a 4N- stay at The Meydan Hotel and Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai; 2nd prize was a 3N stay at the Swiss Belinn Hotel and 3rd prize was a 3N stay at the Swiss BelHotel, Indonesia; 4th prize was a 2N stay at Melia Hotels International, Kuala Lumpur and 5th prize was a 2N stay at Melia Hotels International, Dubai.

Voyager’s World > August 2017

he Melia Hotels International launched ‘Melia Pro Incentive Programme 2017’ to promote bookings to Melia Pro through all TTOOs, FITs and TMCs, while the campaign was run from 15 Feb to 15 May 2017, targeting all business and leisure travel agencies based in India . 1000 agencies enrolled on Melia Pro and 600 agencies made two bookings on Melia Pro at least for four room nights each, generating a revenue of almost $ 2, 88,000. The hotel group also announced the winners of the programme - Anjali Gupta, Y Not Travels, Delhi, Rupjeet Sagger, Sagger Worldways, Ludhiana, Ajay Chhabria, In-time Travels, Mumbai.

Happenings

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SA Tourism organises 7th annual travel trade training in Bangalore

he South African Tourism organised the 7th edition of its annual travel trade training sessions in Bangalore – ‘Learn South Africa’- a 17-city training programme. The programme highlighted new destinations like Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Port Elizabeth and the Drakensberg. “Learn SA offers Indian travel agents the benefit of getting to know to choose the best destination partners and which hotel to book while travelling, plus updates them about new destinations and things to do in South Africa. Our internal target is to bring in more than 100,000 Indian visitors in 2017,” said Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager India, South African Tourism. The event included inbound tour operators and destination management companies like Africa Incoming, Trav Care, Tourvest Destination Management, Centurion Travel and Tours and Southern Africa 360; hotel chains such as Tsogo Sun, Extraordinary and Sun International and African air carrier RwandAir. "The South African Tourism training programme is focused on educating travel agents so that they can effectively sell the product," said Bettaiah Lokesh, Hon. Secretary General, TAAI. Indian leisure visitor numbers to South Africa surged 21.7% during 2016 to close at an arrivals figure of 95,377 and 8th position among South Africa’s international source markets. 2016 also saw the overall spends from India (only in-country on-tour spends excluding flights and attractions, hotels booked in advance) crossed an astounding 1.2 billion ZAR by the year end.

Kiwi Link India organizes AirAsia Group recognized at knowledge sharing event in Delhi ASEANTA Awards for Excellence

Kerala Tourism focuses on new policy for adventure

ourism New Zealand's annual event Kiwi Link India organised a three-day event that focused on intensive training and sharing knowledge among the travel experts from India and New Zealand. The event included 35 New Zealand tourism operators, four airlines, Immigration New Zealand and delegates from 42 Indian companies. The event witnessed a positive participation from the travel trade industry who underwent frontline training. Tourism New Zealand also launched an enhanced version of the 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist Programme for online and in-person training.

irAsia’s ‘Think Asean, Think AirAsia’ campaign was named Best Asean Marketing and Promotional Campaign at the 30th ASEANTA Awards for Excellence in Jakarta. The award was presented by Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya to AirAsia Group CEO for Indonesia Dendy Kurniawan on behalf of Air Asia Group. The campaign was on from 8 to 14 August 2016 along with Asean Day that featured a photo look book and posts of must-see places in Asean on social media and Travel 3sixty digital platform, highlights of AirAsia’s Asean-inspired inflight menu and a YouTube video series on things to do and food to eat in each Asean country by a promotional fare from as low as RM10 to all Asean countries.

erala Tourism organised a one-day workshop focusing on the tourism policy with the highlight on the new possibilities to drive the adventure tourism forward and the minister emphasized in working closely with the forest Department. The workshop was held in the presence of Additional Chief Conservator of Forests Dr. Amit Malik IAS, Tourism India Managing Director Ravishanker KV, Rajeev Anchal, Member of the Executive Council of Adventure Tour Operators Association of India Dr. T Samuel, Kerala Tourism ADG Jaffer Malik IAS among others.Followed by a presentation by Dr. Samuel on setting up the new draft policy on Adventure Tourism.

www.voyagersworld.in

Flight Talk

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Oman Air marks the completion of 24 years of operations in India ANJU ANNA ALEX

Sunil V A Regional Vice President - ISC (Indian Sub Continent), Oman Air, talks about India being a key market for Oman Air and plans to attract corporate travellers from India.

peaking on the completion of 24 years of operations in India, Paul Gregorowitsch CEO, Oman Air, said, “India has always been, and will continue to remain, a key market for Oman Air. We are delighted to be offering thousands more guests the opportunity to travel between Oman and India. Oman and India enjoy a close and historic relationship and Indian air travellers have played an important part in Oman Air’s success. The first international service that Oman Air launched in India was to Trivandrum in November 1993. Since then, we have launched 10 more destinations. The demand for all 11 of our Indian destinations has always been high and the increased frequencies this year offer more choice and convenience to our guests. The extended traffic entitlements will give a further boost to the tourism sector, prompting many discerning tourists to visit magnificent Oman as well as beautiful India. We look forward to welcoming many more Indian air travellers aboard our aircraft as we continue our ambitious fleet and network expansion programme.”

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Plans at large and plans for India Over the past year in the Indian market, Oman Air has seen an average rate of close to 80% in seat occupancy and has increased its seat capacity by 30%. The fact that the aviation sector in India is

so dynamic and forward-thinking, not to mention the third largest in the world, has made it an important market for the airline. However, there are challenges facing the airline in India, due to the lack of infrastructure at some of its airports. Commenting on this issue, Paul Gregorowitsch said: “In Mumbai, we are moving from double daily flights to triple daily flights. While we have bilaterals, the infrastructure is quite difficult as there is only one runway," Gregorowitsch added.

Further investments in India According to Sunil V A Regional Vice President - ISC (Indian Sub Continent), Oman Air, Within the last year, the Sultanate of Oman and the Republic of India have agreed to increase the number of flights between the two countries. Starting on 1 August 2017, Oman Air introduced a third daily flight from Mumbai to Muscat, which increases the weekly capacity from 154 to 161 flights. Delhi, Calicut and Hyderabad now have 21 weekly flights each, and Lucknow operates 14 weekly flights. Oman Air is expected to operate 70 aircrafts by 2020, which will fly to as many as 75 destinations thus increasing its network and reach across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. About the impending open sky air

service agreement between the two countries We can’t currently comment on this matter other than to say that we are pursuing an open sky air service agreement, which would allow for airlines from the two countries to have an unlimited number of flights as well as seats to each other's jurisdictions. Plans in traction to attract more business and premium corporate travellers from India Oman Air’s commitment to quality, comfort and a seamless passenger experience has resulted in widespread acclaim. Its numerous accolades include being named World’s Leading Business Class Airline – Middle East by The World Travel Awards four years in a row and receiving the coveted Signum Virtutis, the seal of excellence, from the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards 2016. The airline was also awarded the Skytrax World Airline Award for Best Business Class Seat in the World (2011, 2012), the World Travel Award for World’s Leading Airport Lounge – Business Class 2015 and was named the best airline in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. As the fleet continues to grow, the airline is committed to providing guests with the latest technology and best possible on-board experience.

Understanding the need for privacy, Oman Air has designed its awardwinning business class seats offering just 20 seats in the 1-2-1 seat-configuration. The electrically controlled backrest, leg-rest and seat-depth of the business class seat make sure effortless comfort is achieved. Its 77.5-inch long, fully-flat seat is carefully created to give that much needed rest whilst on a long haul flight. The configuration is slightly different on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which features 30 award-winning flat-bed Business Class Suites, designed by BE Aerospace, and the award-winning Thales’ Integrated InFlight entertainment system. Expected growth in terms of passengers from India Oman Air has added 5,067 seats this summer. In the winter schedule, it will add 1,821 seats as the bilateral agreement between Oman and India was revised to permit the carrier to operate additional seats. The total number of weekly flights has now increased from 128 to 161, allowing the airline to move to a total of 27,405 seats - 28,000 seats is the maximum permitted between Oman and India. Oman Air’s service to India has a loyal patronage from its guests, who mainly come from Oman’s Indian expatriate community.

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Voyager’s World > August 2017

Cheque/DD to be drawn in favour of Sphere Travel Media & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. Payment must accompany order with Enclosed herewith is my Cheque/DD Cheque/Draft No. Drawn on No 245 Amar Jyothi Layout, Domlur, Bangalore - 560071 Phone: 080- 4083 4100 editor@voyagersworld.in www.voyagersworld.in

Top Appointments

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Tej Bahadur Singh

Vikas Kumar

Head- National Sales India Sales Associates, Luxury Hotelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Marketing & Consultancy

Hotel Manager Courtyard Marriott Kochi Airport

ikas Kumar is the new Hotel Manager of Courtyard Marriott Kochi Airport. With over 16 years of industry experience, he had worked with W Retreat & Spa Maldives, Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, Sheraton Dammam Hotel & Towers, Saudi Arabia, Novotel Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Most recently, he was with the JW Marriott Hotel, Chandigarh.

ej Bahadur Singh is the new Head of National Sales of India Sales Associates for Luxury Hotelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Marketing & Consultancy. He will support the growth of the GSA service in India for the select portfolio of Banyan Tree and Angsana Hotels & Resorts, luxurious Panacea Koh Samui Resort, etc. He will also promote the Paradise Resort & Spa, Sardinia, Italy. He brings with him over 20 years experience in the hospitality and aviation industry.

Ramdeep Marwah

Sujeet Kumar

General Manager JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort and Spa

he JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort and Spa appoints Ramandeep Marwah as the General Manager. With 17 years of experience, Ramdeep has worked with brands like Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces; the Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and Marriott Group. Prior to the new role, he was the Director of Operations at the JW Marriott Pune.

General Manager Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

he Sheraton Grand Bangalore at Brigade Gateway appointed Sujeet Kumar as the General Manager. Sujeet has an experience of over 20 years in the industry, having worked with brands like ITC Hotels, Marriott International & Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Chennai, Bangalore, Goa, Manila, Indonesia and Pune. Prior to this new assignment, he worked at the upcoming Sheraton Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Simarjeet Singh

Antony Page

General Manager The Chancery Pavilion, Bengaluru

imrajeet Singh has joined the Chancery Pavilion, Bengaluru as the General Manager. In his new role, Simarjeet will focus on maximizing revenues and creating personalised guest experiences. He brings in an experience of over two decades in the hospitality industry and has worked with various brands like Hilton Garden Inn, New Delhi,Radisson Blu, Park Plaza and Intercontinental.

General Manager The Ritz Carlton, Bangalore

ntony Page is the new General Manager of the Ritz Carlton, Bangalore. Prior to this, he worked as the General Manager of JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity. He has been associated with Marriott in 2005 where he worked as the Hotel Manager at Sydney Harbour Marriott. In 2006, he worked as the General Manager of Melbourne Marriott Hotel and as the General Manager in Singapore Marriott.

Lakshmanan Ramanathan

Anuj Soin

General Manager The Westin Chennai Velachery

F& B Manager Vivanta by Taj

akshmanan Ramanathan is the new General Manager of the Westin Chennai Velachery. Having over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry to his credit, he has worked at Raj Vilas, Jaipur, an Oberoi resort; JW Marriott Bengaluru and the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel & Marriott Executive Apartments, Mumbai.

nuj Soin joins Vivanta by Taj as the Food and Beverage Manager. He has to his credit an experience of over a decade in the hospitality industry. He had begun his career with the Rambagh Palace, Jaipur and has also worked with brands like the Leela Gurugram, Courtyard by Marriott Gurugram as Food & Beverage Manager.

www.voyagersworld.in

NETWORKING ISthe THE networking is ke KEY y August 2017

September 2017

August 2017

October 2017

November 2017

December 2017

6 Discover the Americas Travel Expo Brisbane,Australia

11, 12, 13 Mitm Travel Fair Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

18, 19, 20 Holiday Expo Vadodara

23, 23, 24 Ibtm China Beijing, China

September 2017

October 2017

13, 14, 15 PATA Travel Mart Macau

6, 7, 8 Holiday Expo Nagpur

14, 15, 16 Beijing International Travel Mart Beijing,China

10, 11, 12 IMEX America 2017 Las Vegas - NV, United States

15, 16, 17 India International Travel Mart Delhi

12, 13, 14 TTG Incontri (Int'l B2B Tourism Fair) Rimini â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Italy

21, 22, 23 India International Travel Mart Mumbai

25, 26, 27 ITB Asia Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

November 2017

December 2017

3, 4, 5 Holiday Expo Vizag

30 Nov, 1, 2 Dec Chengdu International Tourism Expo Chengdu, China

6, 7, 8 World Travel Market London

1, 2, 3 India International Travel Mart Hyderabad

23, 24, 25, 26 Philoxenia Greece

8, 9, 10 Greek Tourism Expo Athens,Greece

24, 25, 26 India International Travel Mart Pune

11, 12 Brussels Travel Expo Brussels, Belgium

India’s Premier Travel & Tourism

EXHIBITION

ENSURE YOUR PLACE IN THE MOST HAPPENING DESTINATION OF TRAVEL... • A Spectacular showcase to stimulate the Domestic and Outbound travel industry. • More customers, business improvement strategies, star status, wide audience and extra mileage. • Everything to lead your business to non-stop activity - only at IITM • Discover a great new potential and reap greater profits. • Real excitement, as you've always desired!

IITM 2017-18 EVENTS CALENDAR DELHI: 15, 16, 17 SEPTEMBER 2017 MUMBAI: 21, 22, 23 SEPTEMBER 2017 PUNE: 24, 25, 26 NOVEMBER 2017

KOCHI: 11, 12, 13 JANUARY 2018

HYDERABAD: 01, 02, 03 DECEMBER 2017

KOLKATA: 23, 24, 25 FEBRUARY 2018

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