Voyager's World May 2016 by Editor

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SPECTACULAR SWISS

Mountain Peaks There are parts of Switzerland that haven’t changed for millions of years. Glaciers. Alps. Even natural hot tubs. So it should come as no surprise that the best way to travel in Switzerland hasn’t changed either, by train, bus, boat and even mountain-top railways and cable cars. Begin experiencing the spectacular views of Switzerland from Schilthorn/Piz Gloria to enjoy the longest cable car system in the world or perhaps Jungfraujoch also known as Top of Europe. There are equally awe-inspiring mountain top excursions to Mt. Titlis, a glacial paradise and Glacier 3000 both reached by cable car while Gornergrat and Mount Pilatus are best reached by impressive cogwheel railways. Switzerland’s most breathtaking scenery awaits.

Log on to agents.raileurope.co.in for more information and bookings or contact your Rail Europe GSA: Amigo Travels, Cox & Kings (I) Ltd, Kesari Tours, Kuoni / SOTC, Make My Trip, Ottila International, Swisstours, Thomas Cook, Travel Tours, TUI

Photo Credits: © Glacier 3000, 2014, Fotograf: Marco Felix • Engelberg-Titlis; Photo: Christian Perret • Pilatus Bahnen AG • Switzerland Tourism

Changing currents in the maritime investments! The Task Force set up by the Ministry of Tourism for promoting cruise tourism in the country is a significant move to bring to attention the need for tapping the under-utilized potential of the Indian maritime sector. This new force will serve as an impetus to identify and invite potential investors to meet potential stakeholders and explore opportunities for new ventures in this sector. Eventually, it will come to have a bearing on foreign tourists who would like to explore the coastline of the Indian subcontinent. Such investments will stimulate other related sectors due to its cross-synergistic benefits and other linkages. In this issue, we have tried to inquire into the impact of Indian movies on tourism by interviewing a few tourism boards and have also featured stories on adventure and new trends in the hospitality industry. Happy Reading... Warm Regards

PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

priyamvadha@voyagersworld.in

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06 18

Industry Buzz

Cover Story Influence of Indian movies on tourism

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India Outbound Interviews with tourism boards and trends

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Industry Buzz

6>> Air Seychelles records profit in 2015

National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board

ir Seychelles eported its fourth year of profitability in a row, with net profits of USD2.1 million in 2015, on revenues of USD 105.4 million. Audited by KPMG, these financial statements also reflect growth in passenger traffic and strong cargo volumes. A total of 522,873 passengers travelled with the airline in 2015, 22 per cent more than in 2014.Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: “We are proud to have been able to deliver on our mandate, which was to achieve strong growth, to become the region’s leading carrier and, most importantly, to do so as a commercially viable and profitable enterprise, while remaining one of the key drivers of economic growth in Seychelles.”

n order to provide dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical Tourism, Wellness Tourism and Yoga, Ayurveda Tourism and any other format of Indian system of medicine covered by Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH), a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted. The Board shall work as an umbrella organization that governs and promotes this segment of tourism in an organized manner. The Ministry would drive the promotion of Medical & Wellness Tourism and will act as a facilitator and support the medical/wellness segment in promoting tourism and promoting India as a medical and wellness destination.

Malaysia introduces e-visa for Indians

he Malaysian Government recently launched the Electronic Travel Authorization Visa for a short visit to Malaysia. Presently, the e-visa facility is available to Indians residing in India only and is valid for a single journey stay of maximum 30 days for tourism. It comes at a fee of about Rs 2710 and can be obtained within 24- 48 hours with a validity of 3 months.

Taiwan issues free of cost group visas

T ICICI, Jet launch 'contactless credit card'

CICI Bank, along with Jet Airways, launched ‘contactless credit card’ for small and mid-sized enterprises and their employees. The ‘Jet Airways ICICI Bank Business Advantage Card’, helps customers save on business expenses and provides opportunities to earn JPMiles on both spend and repayments. The reward is through JPMiles. It is powered by ‘VISA payWave’ contactless technology that enables the cardholder to make payments by tapping the card at contactless enabled terminals. It can also be used by dipping or swiping at non-contactless merchants.

op-tier travel agents are now authorized to initiate Group Visas to Taiwan that will be issued to the groups free of cost. The objective behind such an initiative is to promote the collective spirit of travelling and to take part in Leisure, Cruises, Fly Cruises, Incentives and MICE business activities. The visas are issued from 1st November 2015 to 31st December 2016. The group should include five or more people. These visas are effective for single entry to Taiwan; multiple entry visas to Taiwan are only for Fly Cruise. The validation for each visa is for 30 days.

Mysore welcomes Grand Mercure

ccorHotels and Brigade Group Bangalore launched the Grand Mercure in Mysore in April. The hotel has 146 well-appointed rooms and suites with a viewing gallery overlooking the Dasara processional pathway on the sixth floor. Dining options include all-day dining La Uppu serving global and local delicacies; By the blue rooftop specialty restaurant serving North Indian fare; Silk Bar and Deli Shop. It also features gym, terrace pool, kids area and spa. Jean-Michel Cassé, Senior Vice President, Operations, AccorHotels India said, “The opening of Grand Mercure Mysuru adds to AccorHotels’ ambitious growth strategy in the region. The Grand Mercure brand prides itself as being a cultural touchstone in each destination that brings local stories to life.”

Munich turns bicycle friendly

bike path comprising 1,200 km (745 miles) turns Munich into one of the most bicyclefriendly cities in Europe. The MVG Rad provides the ideal rental system for tourists to explore Munich by bicycle. It currently has 45 stations and 1200 bicycles. The MVG more mobile app, available for free for Android and iOS users can be used to book bicycles and also to locate the nearest stations. Usage of bicycle costs 8 cents per minute and the payment can be done using both credit and debit cards.

Voyager’s World > May 2016

Industry Buzz

8>>

TUTC comes up with luxury plus serenity concept

New Australian three-year multiple entry visa trial to benefit Indians

he Ultimate Travelling Camp (TUTC) launched travellers to ‘Glamping’, or high-end camping with luxurious tents in carefully selected exceptional locations in the mountains, deserts, jungles and unexplored countryside. These nomadic super luxury camps takes travellers beyond sight-seeing and allows them to explore new cultures, interact with the local people, their traditions and overall way of life. Travellers not only get to visit mesmerizing landscapes but also immerse themselves in the entire experience of the local culture.

Air India launches MumbaiBhavnagar service

ir India had its first flight on Mumbai-Bhavnagar sector from 21 April 2016 as a part of its Connect India Program. Air India commenced services to Bangalore-Vijyavada, Kolkata-Agartala as a part of the ‘Connect India’ scheme. AI flight AI-9651, a 70-seater ATR 72-600 aircraft took off from Mumbai at 1715 hrs and landed at Bhavnagar at 1830 hours. The return flight left Bhavnagar at 1915 hours and arrived at Mumbai at 2030 hours.

Go Tranet Holidays appoints Anchor Destinations & Travel Management in India

o Tranet Holidays, SND BHD appointed Anchor Destinations and Travel Management as India representative. The latter is responsible for sales, marketing and brand management. “The company assures the agents of competitive rates combined with excellent levels of services by the team in Malaysia for all FIT, GIT and MICE movements,” said Deepika Khanna, Founder & CEO, Anchor Destinations and Travel Management.

TOFTigers 2016 Awards themed around 'rewilding'

OFTigers launched the fourth TOFTigers Wildlife Tourism Awards 2016; this year’s theme cel-

ebrates ‘Rewilding – at the heart of responsible nature tourism’. They aim to reward the best in nature tourism; specially individuals, businesses, service providers and community enterprises who are leading the way in wilderness destinations in the Indian subcontinent. Each, in their own way, will pioneer new ways to support and inspire wildlife conservation, engage local communities and help restoration of wildlife habitat. The awards are run by TOFTigers along with Sanctuary Asia and Outlook Traveller.

Voyager’s World > May 2016

Genting Hong Kong orders 'global class' ships for Star Cruises

tar cruises have designed the Global Class ships for worldwide cruising. The series of ships will commence between the years 2019 to 2020. The first two ships are designed with ‘Chinese characteristics’. Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman of Genting Hong Kong said, “With the first two ships, the Genting is focusing on delivering a worldclass vacation experience for Chinese cruise passengers at an affordable price”. Genting Hong Kong’s stable of brands include Crystal Cruises for the international luxury cruise market, Dream Cruises for the Asian luxury cruise market and Star Cruises for the contemporary cruise market.

ustralia’s High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, welcomed the announcement recently of the trial of a three-year multiple-entry visitor visa for India to be implemented by July 2016. The trial, which is targeted at frequent short-term travellers to Australia, will allow entry into Australia multiple times on the same visa with each stay valid for up to three months. India is among three other countries – Thailand, Vietnam and Chile – where the trial will be implemented. The trial will make it easier for Indian visitors to make repeat visits. Travellers will not need to re-apply for visa within the three-year period.

Air Seychelles records profit in 2015

MakeMyTrip ties up with BookMyForex

ookMyForex joined hands with MakeMyTrip to enable customers to purchase

their foreign exchange with BookMyForex at the click of a button on MakeMyTrip platforms - website or mobile app. This will enable them to take advantage of BookMyForex’s live and finest rates that are updated every three seconds and enjoy door-step delivery of their foreign exchange products in over 200 Indian cities.

CMY

Travel Trends

10>>

beat the heat! new retreat ideas appeal to indians PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

As exposure to new ways to experience a destination is increasing, here is a look at how travellers are evolving with their expectations in their holiday planning.

his being the summer season, the people are spoilt for choices by various forms of media making them weigh options taking into consideration factors such as budget, itinerary, family and friends mutual preferences, weather and of course, the social peer value. With social media having become an integral part of today’s traveller’s agenda, there are many trends that are shaping their holiday decisions. Naturally, there is a pressure on the travel agents and tour operators to cope with the last minute rushes, new packages, late booking queries and yet try to offer something for every customer. In the past one year or so, the perception of a holiday has taken a new dimension. The first thing that a traveller would like to know about a destination is how the experience would be and for the need to be recognized, lauded, liked and commented upon on social media platforms. In view of increasing exposure to international destinations as well as new locations within India itself, niche segments like chartered services, cruises,

adventure sports and home stays are some of the trends that are here to stay. Wego.com recently revealed that more Indians are heading for the hills to escape the summer heat. “India is such a vast country with so many different climates, and when it comes to summer time in the city, we love to escape to destinations with cool breezes and mild temperatures,” said Ashwin Jayasankar, General Manager of Wego India. “Some of this country’s favourite summer retreats experience almost chilly temperatures of around 10-15 degrees in the lush hill stations,” continued Jayasankar. “It appears that more Indians are heading for the hills this summer, with searches on Wego for some of the more mountainous destinations surging in popularity by up to 100 percent, compared to 2015.” “Ooty retains its top spot as most

popular destination during summer months, followed by Coorg, Shimla and Manali, who have all increased in the number of searches compared to last year,” he added. “However the biggest movers for this summer are Mussoorie, Mount Abu, Dalhousie, Dharamshala and Gulmarg, have all surged as summer destination options this year, and among the top 20 most popular on Wego India for this period.” “In Rajasthan, the country’s hottest state, there’s been a peak in searches for the cooler option of Mount Abu, which has seen a 48 percent increase in searches over last year,” said Jayasankar. “The snow in Manali, Leh, Kasauli, Lansdowne, Shimla and Gulmarg are attracting more interest, and in fact the northern Indian states have garnered the largest number of increases in searches this summer.” “Apart from escaping the heat, it’s also about new adventures. The initial motivation might be to seek some cool relief but the result is a

rejuvenated travel boost for some of these high altitude destinations,” Jayasankar pointed out. “Mother nature is working as a positive force for the local travel industry!” “Throughout India the budget hotel segment has been growing exponentially, with new entrants and established property chains creating new budget hotel sections as part of their overall business,” Jayasankar explained. “This trend is feeding these destinations significantly, with a large volume of budget hotels and homestays located within them. Many of Wego’s accommodation partners, including GoStays (Goibibo) and TG Rooms (Travelguru) are adapting to suit the demand for good value, budget stays.” Shimla, once a summer hotspot for the British in the days of the Raj, is now more than just an idyllic honeymoon destination. Layered in cool, green forests, with Himalayan mountain views, the historic city is regaining its popularity as an Indian summer capital.

Travel Trends

Similarly, Mussoorie in the foothills of the Himalayas, has a colourful history and stunning views, and also great for shopping and dining in a comfortable and pleasant climate. “Internationally, Dubai retains its number one spot for Indian summer travel, followed by Southeast Asia destinations, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong,” explained Jayasankar. “Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s gateway to island resorts such as Langkawi and family fun in the Genting Highlands is also popular, as well as the tropical beach resort of Thailand’s Pattaya. The pristine islands of the Maldives are also gaining in popularity.” “A European summer in London and Paris are also on this year’s list, both comparatively cooler than a summer at home,” he added. “Across these international destinations, Indian travellers are more often than not seeking four to five star hotels, with a preference for quality over price.” “As India heats up, so too does our tourism industry,” said Jayasankar in conclusion. “The sub continent has a wealth of diverse and beautiful destinations, and it’s a positive situation overall when tourism is

Voyager’s World > May 2016

12>>

able to reach and develop local industry in a variety of new locations, no matter what the temperature.” Affinity Travel like pilgrimage tours, girlfriend getaways, golf tours, reunions, senior citizen groups, etc. is another growing trend. There has also been a lot of focus given to lesser known destinations like Bhutan and Vietnam, so also the Fiji Islands, Maldives and on the other hand, already established popular destinations like Thailand and Sri Lanka are constantly revamping their brand images. For a temporary period, countries like Turkey and Spain witnessed a sudden flurry of tourist activities as a result of Bollywood influences. On the domestic front, there have also been rising preferences for rediscovering cultural tourism in the country. Places that used to be favoured by international tourists are now searched by Indians as well, particularly the urban ones. States like Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have been going all out to bring in tourists to their hitherto little known destinations. Madhya Pradesh Tourism recently launched its special chartered bus

for tourists. Booking patterns The recent ICICI Lombard Travel Trends 2014 survey focused on revealing the difference in behaviour among travellers when it comes to international versus domestic travel. The survey covered 1063 respondents across a mix of metros and smaller cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh who have travelled to international as well as domestic locations. The survey showed that Indians are travelling more frequently for leisure across international and domestic circuits. While 25% respondents had increased the frequency of their foreign trips in the past three to five years, almost 30% have done so in case of domestic circuits. Indians still rely on travel agents for ticket purchase for their overseas (85%) and domestic (78%) leisure trips, while only 4% of international travellers booked their overseas travel through online travel portal, as much as 20% of domestic travellers used online travel portals for bookings. Indians clearly give more importance

to travel insurance for international tours compared to domestic trips. The survey results show that while taking leisure trips, higher number of Indians purchased overseas travel insurance (38%) as compared to domestic travel insurance (4%). Among those who did not purchase an overseas travel insurance policy, an alarming 50% felt that purchasing the same is unnecessary if one already has some other insurance policy. For the un-insured domestic travellers, nearly 60% did not see the need to buy a policy given the short flight distance to the destination. After the Internet and the influx of apps and online booking solutions and other web-related services have become a way of life in the country, our way of planning holidays has changed. We have come a long way from looking out for word-of-mouth information, recommendations from friends, books and newspapers. Today, we have come to heavily rely on Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and social media, not to forget the growing presence of mobile technology as a mode of access. Word-of-mouth still carries on its significance, just that the form and medium have changed; vacationers

Travel Trends

13>> are looking out for word-of-mouth information through reviewing and blogging websites. According to Jackson, Inbound tourism is expected to take a leap forward with the recent introduction of visa on arrival extended to 43 countries. Travel planning online usually means a lot of work searching the vastness of the internet. Online travel portals usually offer deals to fit in with holiday seasons. Search engines bring about several hundred travel sites instantly, encompassing myriad options of OTAs, accommodation facilities and sightseeing choices on one simple screen.

shores can be credited to increased purchase power, aspirations to discover new places as well as to get a high among peers by way of a status. Likewise, far-reaching hoardings and TV commercials as well as online contests, airline offers and simpler visa regimes have also had a say in this trend. A trip to short haul destinations like Dubai, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Macau, Bali or Oman bears the advantage of just a few hours on flight, affordability and assorted sightseeing and

entertainment activities be it amusement, shopping, heritage, food or adventure. Offbeat destinations like the Philippines, Taiwan, Langkawi in Malaysia and Seoul have also seen rising interest in the recent months. The Philippines has declared 2015 as the Visit Philippines year. Domestically Coorg, Puducherry, Munnar have been popular. Jammu and Kashmir has bounced back after its setback from the recent natural calamity and is promoting

Today, online travel bookings continue to increase thus proving that travellers feel secure and happy about having found best value for their money using trusted sites.

Is a travel agent digging his own grave? By opting to work with Affiliate Programme Owners (let's call them OTAs), the travel agents are actually heading to a dead end. While the travel agent is doing the hard work, the OTAs are controlling the destiny. By working on fixed commissions, travel agents lose the ability to earn as per market dynamics. Worst, they expose their customers to OTAs. Moving forward, what would stop the big boys to gobble up the pie? Simply put, travel agents should use their expertise to build their own brand. Not somebody elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Reason why you should call roomsXML - the accommodation specialist exclusively for the travel trade, dedicated to help travel agents chart their own identity.

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Key destinations likely to be visited by Indians this summer As mentioned earlier, there has been a rising appeal towards international travel in the Indian market. What was a luxury reserved only for the elite in the past, has now figured in the top of the bucket-list of the new-age Indian. This fascination for foreign

On the international front, new players like Croatia, Korea, Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Armenia, Czech Republic; international long haul cruises like Alaska cruises are highly favoured and are closely followed by the Scandinavian and European cruises.

RIP

In the past few years, electronic media, movies and social media have contributed significantly towards impacting outbound travel from India, mainly in prodding people to try and opt for more exotic locations. At the same time, the conventional holiday planning services of travel agents are also flourishing with more customizations being offered and personalized services. OTAs are now exclusively aiming on customer choices and preferences for destinations, comfort and budget. Today nobody makes plans or travels without checks. Where to go, what to do, destinations, prices, restaurants anything and everything is tested online and through friends and reviews. Travel guides have also come into the scene to fill the gap with comprehensive details about places, activities, hotels. Lonely Planet India partnered with Skyscanner to launch â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;India Unexploredâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a digital consumer campaign to draw travel enthusiasts to share their discovery of lesser known destinations in the country. The campaign encouraged travellers to tell, share offbeat travel experiences and win prizes like sponsored holidays to offbeat destinations and interesting travel merchandise.

its winter attractions extensively. Hill stations like Naukuchiatal, Kulu and Manali remain ever popular but our neighbours like Kathmandu and Bhutan are also posing as strong contenders.

Our alliance with some of the world's leading travel technology companies help you go online costeffectively and quick. roomsXML - because travel agents need to unleash their own power.

Voyager World-Mag: W: 17 x H: 25 cm

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Travel Trends

14>>

indian outbound to touch 50 million by 2020 PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

The surge in international travel has led to a symbiotic growth of related sectors and has led to significant developments in the airline and hotel industries.

ccording to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer released early this year, international tourist arrivals grew by 4.4% in 2015 to reach a total of 1,184 million in 2015. Some 50 million more tourists (overnight visitors) travelled to international destinations around the world last year as compared to 2014. 2015 marks the 6th consecutive year of above-average growth, with international arrivals increasing by 4% or more every year since the post-crisis year of 2010. The UNWTO Secretary- General Taleb Rifai had said that international tourism had reached new heights in 2015. The robust performance of the sector is contributing to economic growth and job creation in many parts of the world. It is thus critical for countries to promote policies that foster the continued growth of tourism, including travel facilitation, human resources development and sustainability. Demand was strong overall, though

Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > May 2016

with mixed results across individual destinations due to unusually strong exchange rate fluctuations, the drop in oil prices and other commodities which increased disposable income in importing countries but weakened demand in exporters, as well as increased safety and security concerns. 2015 results were influenced by exchange rates, oil prices and natural and manmade crises in many parts of the world. As the current environment highlights in a particular manner the issues of safety and security, we should recall that tourism development greatly depends upon our collective capacity to promote safe, secure and seamless travel. In this respect, UNWTO urges governments to include tourism administrations in their national security planning, structures and procedures, not only to ensure that the sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exposure to threats is minimised but also to maximise the sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to support security and facilitation, as seamless and safe travel can and should go hand in hand.

Growth in advanced economy destinations (+5%) exceeded that of emerging economies (+4%), boosted by the solid results of Europe (+5%). By region, Europe, the Americas and Asia and the Pacific all recorded around 5% growth in 2015. Arrivals to the Middle East increased by 3% while in Africa, limited data available, points to an estimated 3% decrease, mostly due to weak results in North Africa, which accounts for over one third of arrivals in the region. Results from the UNWTO Confidence Index remain largely positive about 2016, though at a level slightly below that of the previous two years. Based on the current trend and this outlook, UNWTO projects international tourist arrivals to grow by 4% worldwide in 2016. By region, growth is expected to be stronger in Asia and the Pacific (+4% to +5%) and the Americas(+4% to +5%), followed by Europe(+3.5% to +4.5%). The projections for Africa (+2% to 5%) and the Middle East (+2% to +5%) are positive, though

with a larger degree of uncertainty and volatility. Several countries have been registering double digit growth in the number of Indian arrivals in the past few years. The Sultanate of Oman, for example, had received 17% rise in Indian arrivals in 2015 over 2014 with 299,022 Indians visiting the destination. The South Asian market is important to Malaysia, contributing 1.3 million tourists in 2014. India remained its top 10 arrivals in the same year, ranking sixth with a total of 770,108 tourists, while Sri Lanka recorded 61,670 tourists. In 2015, Malaysia welcomed 722,141 Indians and 51,337 Sri Lankans to the country. Destination Abu Dhabi welcomed 280,020 Indian hotel guests in JanDec 2015 at a growth rate of 21% over the previous year. These guests delivered 985,747 guest nights, which is up 16% year-on-year. Abu Dhabi is growing in popularity for its

Travel Trends

15>> rich traditions, culture and heritage, award-winning iconic properties, state-of-the-art architecture, luxury hotels at surprisingly great value, well-preserved exotic wildlife, futuristic island cities, ready to warmly welcome the Indian travellers. The UAE is positioning itself as a unique country where all the seven States like Dubai, Sharjah, RasAl-Khamaiyah, Abu Dhabi, etc. have different tourism varieties to showcase to India. Unlike other tourist destinations, where tourists need to travel long distance, the UAE has a long expanse from the North to South, which has a wide variety of tourism offerings like terrains, mountains, beaches, desert, etc. In Sharjah alone, the number of hotel guests from India have seen a 23 per cent growth. Adding further, MrKahlidJasim Al Midfa, said, “There are 110 flights per week just for Sharjah from India. We will achieve a double-digit growth in footfalls in the near future.” The emirate of Sharjah attracted more than 135,000 tourists from

India in 2014, recording a 23 per cent increase compared to 2013. The UAE has close ties with India and hosts a large number of residents from the Indian community. Sharjah is one of the favourite cities for tourists from India with Air Arabia connecting the emirate with 13 Indian cities through 112 flights a week. India is one of the fastest growing outbound tourism markets, and therefore, a key focus market for Tourism Australia. India has moved up from its position as the 11th largest inbound market for Australia in 2014, to being the 8th largest in 2015. For the year 2015, 233,100 Indian tourists visited Australia; an increase of 18.6% over 2014. For the year 2015, Indian visitors contributed over A$ 1.1 billion to the Australian economy, an increase of 38 per cent over the previous year. As part of its latest marketing campaign, Tourism Australia is promoting the destination to the world through cutting-edge Virtual Reality (VR) and 360-degree technology. New video content has been created to provide an

immersive experience to travel enthusiasts and bring Australia’s incredible aquatic and coastal experiences to life. Since 2010 Tourism Australia’s global consumer marketing campaign, ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’, has been successfully attracting millions of international travellers Down Under by showcasing some of the best attractions and experiences Australia has to offer. The latest campaign onaquatic and coastal experiences uses virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video footage to showcase these activities in Australia. TourismAustralia will also be sharing Google Cardboards with KDPs and using Samsung Gear VR for major events and trainings. From January 2015 to December 2015, 52,368 Indians has visited Maldives, which is a 14.9% increase when compared to the year 2014. Maldives offers free visa on arrival for all nationalities which is an added advantage for the Indian travellers. Ras Al Khaimah is witnessing a positive trend from India, which has

been identified as one of the fastest and strongest growing source markets in terms of visitor figures. In 2015, the emirate saw an 80 per cent increase in visitors from India when compared with 2014. The recent rebranding of the emirate is in line with its new tourism strategy, and an overall aim to position Ras Al Khaimah as a leading destination for leisure and business tourism. MasterCard and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced a new campaign recently to entice Indian visitors traveling to Singapore. The initiative was launched through a new digital campaign #FulfilAPromise featuring Indian actors’ father-daughter duo Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. The MasterCard and STB crossborder campaign offers a chance to fulfil the promise of a holiday to your family by winning a grand prize of a trip for a family of four to Singapore. With this collaboration, MasterCard and Singapore Tourism Board will target Indian travelers exploring international destinations for their annual vacations and promote

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Travel Trends

Singapore as a preferred travel destination this Holiday season. “India is an important growth market for us. Having seen a steady increase in tourist numbers from India over the last decade, we crossed the million mark in terms of Indian visitor arrivals in 2015. We want to continue to make every trip to Singapore a memorable one, and are excited to partner with MasterCard to provide exclusive privileges to Indian travelers to enhance the Singapore experience,” said Chang Chee Pey, Executive Director, Singapore Tourism Board. As part of the campaign, MasterCard invited its cardholders to submit entries on the MasterCard India and/or Singapore Tourism Board Facebook page by sharing their stories on the promises they have made to their families and how they would like to fulfil these promises in Singapore. One grand prize winner of the campaign will get a curated stay experience in Singapore and 10 minor reward winners will be awarded with a three night’s getaway in Singapore. A survey by Hotels.com on the new travel trends to look forward for

Voyager’s World > May 2016

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savvy Asian travellers showed the following- Hotel Booking in Your Palm: Travel is inherently an on-the-go experience. Travellers can get everything they need through the devices in their hand. At Hotels. com, we saw the demand for hotel bookings on mobile phones increasing rapidly. During the first nine months of 2015, more than 1 in 3 bookings on Hotels.com were made on smartphones. - Value-Added Services: Visa application discount, travel insurance, a Wi-Fi egg and a 1-day local tour are some of the valueadded services that travellers receive when booking their hotel room through Hotels.com – making it easier for them plan their trips in advance. We think these valueadded services will continue to be attractive to customers in 2016. - Be the Hotel Expert: Savvy travellers are reading and writing reviews, and have become an integral part of the hotel booking process. With 17 million genuine guest reviews on the Hotels.com site, travellers can choose properties based on their ranking in categories such as convenience, service, comfort and

cleanliness. We think customers will get savvier about reviews in 2016 and value genuine reviews a lot more. - Make use of loyalty programme: Signing up for rewards programs is a great way to save on travel. A recent survey reveals that over 50 percent of respondents in Asia enrolled in loyalty programs valued free products, gift certificates or cash rebates. More than 20 million members of Hotels.com Rewards Programme can redeem one free* night after spending 10 nights in a hotel booked on Hotels.com. - On-the-go Itinerary: Travellers may not have enough time to make the hotel room booking in advance. Over 25 percent of travellers across the globe tend to book their trip with last minute deals at Hotels.com to enjoy the best hotel discounts in the first nine months of 2015. Again last minute travel will continue to grow in 2016. - Top Travel Destinations for 2016: Rio, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Bangkok: At a global level we expect Brazil will be a favoured destination with the biggest sporting event on

the planet going to Rio de Janeiro in August 2016. The Olympic Games in Rio shall be Brazil’s biggest draw for travellers – especially sports lovers. From an Asia perspective we think Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Bangkok will continue to be big for traveller’s accommodation in hotels was markedly cheaper according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index. Kuala Lumpur had a fall with a 16 percent decrease to $4,604 per night for Indian travellers. Hong Kong and Thailand, especially Bangkok, are still amongst the top destinations for travellers across Asia Pacific, according to the HPI. For Indians the top outbound destinations remain Dubai, Bangkok & Singapore while inbound destinations like Goa, Mumbai & Delhi continue to rule the charts. - “Bleisure” on the Rise: Business travel in Asia, in general, is on the rise. The Global Business Travel Association expects that by 2018, Asia Pacific will have gained another 5 percent in market share, while the US and Western Europe will lose 3 percent and 2 percent respectively. We expect business travel will continue to grow, along with the trend of more corporate travellers

Travel Trends

17>> extending their business trips to add leisure travel with their families. - Millennial Matters: Millennials, a generation who is more affluent, savvier with technology and more socially connected than any other generation past. This segment of travellers will continue to become bigger and more important. Driven by income growth, the Asian Millennials spend on international travel is expected to increase by 1.6 times to $340 billion by 2020. - Increase in Travel Spending: Many destinations benefitted from more favorable exchange rates, while others became more expensive, but saw their purchasing power abroad increase. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, China continued to report doubledigit growth in outbound travel, benefitting Japan, Thailand, the United States and various European destinations. One of the emerging markets, India, reported double-digit growth in tourism expenditure. - Personalized Travel Experiences: Travellers are using every tool out

there to customize their journeys. For example, at Hotels.com, we are delivering practical tools through our mobile app which will further enhance the travellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hotel stay. This includes adding local services such as transportation options, providing walking or driving directions, ways to purchase events tickets and tools for sharing personal experiences, such as pictures and real time reviews. According to Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, Bird Group on the outlook for aviation and hospitality industry in this year, he had said that poised to become the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third largest travel market by 2026, the Indian aviation industry is on a high growth trajectory. The Indian aviation Industry is one of the five fastest growing aviation markets. With 150 million flyers daily, the industry is growing rapidly marking a year-to-date growth of 16.5%. Forecasting the growth trends for coming decade, experts foresee the industry growing at over 10 % annually, corresponding to double the average global growth rate.

The present year has been marked by some concrete initiatives such as the introduction of the E-visa scheme. The aviation market has also experienced a buoyant growth with Indigo receiving a successful listing and valuation of current domestic airlines increasing significantly. Additionally, the recent initiatives by the government in the latest draft aviation policy to enhance regional connectivity and subsidise air travel on these routes along with the development of airports in Tier-I and Tier-II cities projects have been aimed at creating an enterprising and an optimistic view of the Industry. However, the industry still faces grave challenges in relation to aggressive price cuts, high interest payments, insufficient infrastructure and shortage of skilled and trained manpower that need addressing. Furthermore, the reduction in ATF prices and state tax reforms is yet to be experienced by airlines and passengers. There has also been a sharp surge among Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event planners for

organising meetings and incentives abroad. This trend has encouraged the tourism boards of various countries to devise interesting meeting concepts and offerings for the discerning Indian business traveller. The Melbourne Convention Bureau, for instance, and the Thailand Conventions and Exhibitions Bureau are going all out to woo Indian MICE organizers. Thailand is one of the top favoured destinations for Indian MICE movements. Some of the other trends that one can expect to go upward would include inbound medical tourism. With yoga and Ayurveda garnering increasing acclaim around the world and India boasting of very affordable and excellent treatment costs and other facilities such as lesser waiting times and simpler procedures, a number of tour operators and travel agents are curating medical tourism packages for tourists to combine their trip for the treatment and also go on a short holiday after recuperation before heading back to their homes.

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Cover Story

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outbound marketing.... Chaophraya River-Bangkok City - Tourism Authority of Thailand

gets filmi!!!

NTOs are aiming to attract more Indian film productions in 2016 as they expect growth in tourists following influence from films. Films create travel choices for Indian travellers to explore new destinations.

Carol Coetzee, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission

KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission continuously promotes itself and the services we offer through social media is used to communicate with our stakeholders worldwide. We are confident that in the next two years there will be a India film production being produced in KwaZulu-Natal. IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

ational Tourism Organisations (NTOs) are attracting Bollywood filmmakers and still in the go in bringing in more Indian movies with their unique attractions and by partnering with production houses from India. The Indian Film Tourism is doing extremely well. The recently held India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC), organized in Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai from 23 – 27 February, was initiated by the Film Federation of India (FFI) and Mercury Integrated saw participation from various Asian, African and European countries. According to a study conducted by Mercury Integrated Marketing Services, more than 200 Indian films are shot abroad annually in over 50 countries around the world. Some of the Indian movies shoot overseas are Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Ready, Race, Gandhi, Dhoom 2, Ek Tha Tiger, Aashiqui 2, Cocktail

Voyager’s World > May 2016

and Ghajini. The number of Indian movies shot overseas has created an impact on Indian travellers in terms of their travel choices. India and film tourism Ignacio Ducasse Gutierrez, Tourism Counsellor in Mumbai, Embassy of Spain in India and Director of Tourism Office of Spain states, “Film Tourism from India has been spectacular in the recent years. The fast-growing India market is dynamic and promises potential. Films in India have created a huge impact on the choices that people make when planning their next travel. Nowadays, movies portray everything about a destination, from a country´s beautiful landscapes and locations to unique experiences that you can have in your next travel destination,” he says. In the opinion of Soraya Homchuen, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, “We have a number of Indian films and advertisements that are shot in Thailand with almost one Indian movie being shot in Thailand every month.”

Monica Rorvik, Head, Wesgro Film and Media Promotion, explains, “South Africa offers Bollywood filmmakers value for money and high-quality production sites for their movies. South Africa extends support on various grounds ranging from tax rebates, availability of best quality technical support, no language barriers, easy shooting permissions, to splendid combination of professionalism combined with a dash of African warmth and hospitality. All these factors have made South Africa a popular shooting destination for many production houses.” The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards is going to Madrid this year. Terming them as the Oscars of Bollywood in Spain, Ignacio says he is extremely excited about hosting them in Spain. “We look at this as an important marketing initiative of destination Spain. Spain makes for an excellent location for such events since it offers great incentives, amazing variety of locations, meeting spaces for events and conferences, comprehensive

list of audiovisual professionals and service companies, perfect climate, quality lifestyle, cuttingedge gastronomical offerings, safety and comfort, rich catering and accommodation offer, extensive infrastructure and transportation network and last, but not the least, friendly and welcoming people.” “The film industry in India plays an important role in influencing Indian traveler’s decision while selecting a holiday destination and partnering with production houses from India increases our chance of attracting more tourists. We have received encouraging response from the Indian market, the requests from films and television production houses have been steady increasingly,” Monica said. Carol Coetzee, CEO, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZNFC) says, “The discussions between KZNFC and the team in India have been very progressive and we are confident that within the next two years, there will be a India film being produced in KwaZulu-Natal.”

Cover Story

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Soraya Homchuen, Tourism Authority of Thailand

Films market the destinations themselves and act as veritable tourist brochures. Thailand is a very popular destination for global film shooting and production with one Indian movie shoot every month. We expect 10% year-on-year growth. Expected growth Thailand expects 10% year-on-year growth from India, while Spain hopes for a double-digit growth that will only continue to increase. Marketing campaigns Ignacio says, “We are currently doing some online campaigns relating to ‘Fly and Drive’ with Lonely Planet, honeymooners and wedding planners with WeddingSutra, Luxury and Shopping with Matrix Cellular, Golf in Spain with Golfingindian. com. We are trying to do small offline campaigns too in print media. We do Fam trips with media on a regular basis. We also conduct presentations across various Indian cities during the year to strengthen our relations with trade media and to keep them informed about our destination and its new offerings,” he added. “We aren’t aggressively pushing this segment beyond participating in expos that let us touch base with producers, directors and cinematographers, but it is something we will look at during 2017,” Soraya says, while adding that films market

the destinations themselves and act as veritable tourist brochures. Wesgro actively promotes the destination in India through their tourism, convention teams and convention attendances. The film queries received during such visits are addressed with detailed information and recommendations. It also organizes specific film meetings for agencies and filmmakers. Wesgro also participates in various trade and tourism shows across the world extending the opportunity for filmmakers to learn about the various offering in South Africa. On the other hand, the KwaZuluNatal Film Commission continuously promotes its services through social media as a tool to communicate with its stakeholders across the world. One of its recent social media campaigns was the Simon Sabela Awards 2015. Upcoming projects Several proposals are under consideration this year for both short films and Bollywood to be shot in Spain. “With IIFA being hosted in

Spain this year, we are expected to receive even more promising film production proposals in 2016. IIFA is a big initiative from our end to lure film production in our country,” said Ignacio. Thailand always invests in exhibitions, seminars, B2B events and conventions that lets them touch base with filmmakers. Monica observes that Bollywood indeed influences the Indian traveller’s decision while selecting a holiday destination. “We understand the power of networking that exists in the Hindi film industry. Having been impressed with South Africa’s hospitality and professional support while shooting, many producers have suggested our country to their friends and other producers who, in turn, are now approaching us.” There are companies from the Western Cape that target India, in particular, and Wesgro Film and Media promotion supports their efforts where possible. It hosts familiarization meetings and other

such activities to engage with film producers with the help of its tourism partners. It also makes it a point to attend film festivals in Cannes, Toronto, Annecy and other markets where it meets with Indian producers and discusses the various possibilities of filming in South Africa. The KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission is in the planning phase with the India Mercury team. Ther former will soon host a familiarization tour of KwaZulu-Natal for a group of film makers and producers. Rebate and tax breaks offered to filmmakers Spain offers many benefits to Indian filmmakers from region to region. At a national level, all international productions services could generate a maximum tax rebate of € 2,500,000, calculated as 15% of the eligible costs spent in Spain, having to invest a minimum of € 1,000,000 in eligible costs. The amount of this deduction together with other aids received by the taxpayer may not exceed 50% of the cost of the production.

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Cover Story

KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission

maspalomas, canary islands, Tourism Office of Spain

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Ignacio Gutierrez, Embassy of Spain - India & Tourism Office of Spain

The Indian market is a dynamic, potential and a fast-growing one. Film Tourism from India creates a huge impact on choices people make when planning their next travel. In the case of the Canary Islands, the maximum amount to be deducted goes up to € 4,500,000, being all production expenses in this region subject to 35% tax rebate from production expenses in this region. Navarre region offers 35% tax rebate from all eligible costs with no maximal deduction and no minimal expense. The only requisite is to film at least for one week in the region. The process of procuring permissions to shoot films in Thailand is quite simple as the tax in there is not as high as in India. Since 2010, over 100 Indian films have been shot in Thailand. Besides, the Thai Film Board makes the process of single clearance simple for film-makers. Bangkok-based production house Indo-Bangkok Films, for instance, has great ties with all the big Indian production houses for simplifying the permissions process. There are two financial incentives in South Africa - the South African Revenue Services (SARS) Section 12 (O); and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The DTI offers foreign film, TV production and postproduction incentives to companies

Voyager’s World > May 2016

that choose to shoot on locations in South Africa. The DTI’s location incentive is only available to qualifying foreign-owned productions, with a Qualifying South African Production Expenditure (QSAPE) of R12 million and above. The rebate in South Africa for filmmaking is presently capped at R50 million and offers 20% for productions such as feature films, tele-movies, TV drama series, documentary mini-series, documentary features and animation. While the incentive is calculated at 20% of QSAPE; this incentive can increase to 22.5% with a QSA Post Production Expenditure (QSAPPE) of R1.5 million and at 25% with a QSAPPE of R3 million and above for filming in South Africa. A QSAPPE of R1.5 million is calculated at 17.5% and 20% for R3 million and above and it is capped at R50 million in the case of foreign post-production in South Africa only. As for the South African Production and Co-Production incentive, for an official co-production with a total budget of R2.5 million and above,

a rebate of 35% is granted on the first R6 million and 25% for the remainder of the expenditure; these incentives are subject to change and filmmakers can refer to www.thedti. gov.za for updates.

of KwaZulu-Natal. The film producer had provided a testimonial quote that is shared with India based filmmakers who are looking for confirmations and/or testimonial on filming in KwaZulu-Natal.

Indian films shot abroad Spain is rich and varied in culture just like India was portrayed in the movie ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. Spain has so much to offer to everyone since Indian films include a lot of cultural and religious aspects which match with the ones that are there in Spain. For example, the La Tomatina (Tomato Fight) of Buñol can be related to the Festival of Holi in India. Several Hollywood movies, Bollywood and Tollywood movies as well as international movies have been filmed in across Spain. Some of the popular ones include Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Dictator, Knight and Day, Clash of the Titans, The Bourne Ultimatum, Fast and Furious 6, Exodus: Gods and Kings, etc. The famous TV series of period drama - Game of Thrones Season 5 and 6 was also been shot in Spain.

Baghi movie was shot almost entirely in Thailand, largely in Krabi. Pyaar ka Panchnama 2 shot some scenes shot in Thailand, while Baar Baar Dekho filmed some songs there. Salman Khan starrer Ready and Abhishek Bachchan’s All is Well were shot in Bangkok, Koh Samui and Pattaya. Student of the Year was filmed in Samui, Khao Yai and Bangkok. Housefull 2 was shot in Krabi and Bangkok.

Dhoom 2 was shot in the province

In the past, there were many films that were shot in full or in part in South Africa, such as Race, Gandhi, My Father, Heyy Babyy, No Entry, Aankhen, Break Ke Baad, Dhoom 2 and Ek Tha Tiger. Movies that were recently filmed in the Western Cape include Aashiqui 2, Cocktail, Dil Ka Rishta, Life Partner, Welcome, Blood Money and Ghajini. South Africa has also attracted many ad film makers. The famous Zoozoo

Cover Story

Durban Beach, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Muizenberg Beach - Western Cape - Wesgro Film and Media Promotion

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Monica Rorvik, Wesgro Film and Media Promotion

The film industry in India plays an important role in influencing Indian travelerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision and partnering with production houses from India increases our chance of attracting more tourists. South Africa offers Bollywood filmmakers a value for money and high-quality production sites. ads of Vodafone were shot in Cape Town. Apart from this, ads of brands like Wrangler featuring actor John Abraham, Thumbs Up with Akshay Kumar, Cinthol with Hrithik Roshan, Scorpio and Pantaloon, have been shot across South Africa. In addition these, photographer Atul Kasbekar shot one of his Kingfisher calendars completely in South Africa. Facilities for Indian filmmakers Spain provides film production incentives, amazing and varied locations, the most modern film studios in Europe, cuttingedge gastronomy, audio-visual professional and service production companies, perfect climate, quality lifestyle, safety and comfort, rich catering and accommodation options and extensive infrastructure and transportation network. Ignacio says that with these advantages, Indian filmmakers can shoot anywhere in Spain. The country has a great diversity of wonderful settings from Maspalomas beach and lighthouse, to the romantic Parque de Luisa in Seville and the Segovia Roman Aqueduct. Offering something for everyone, the destination enjoys

more than 300 long days of sunlight in a year with pleasant summer and winter temperatures, 2,500 castles, 4,971 miles of coastline with stretching beaches, calm coves with crystal clear waters, cliffs and islands; more than 100 natural reserves with snowy mountains, tropical landscapes and deserts. The architectural variety includes Roman bridges and aqueducts, rural villages, medieval towns, modern cities, futuristic buildings, etc. These locations offer a unique grandeur coupled with romantic settings that would be ideal for Hindi films. In Thailand, the azure blue oceans and white beaches are the most popular among Indian filmmakers, so also the city shots of Bangkok. Cape Town and the Western Cape have natural wonders like the Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, marvellous hotels, beaches, wildlife, city life and the southernmost point in Africa. Many great films and TV series have been shot here such as Homelands S4, The Last Face, Black Sails, Long Walk to Freedom, Eye in the Skye etc. It is stated that 80% of the world can be mimicked

within an hour drive from Cape Town International airport. The options for scenic locations are aplenty; however, a few places that are famous for filming in the region include the Table Mountain and the spectacular wine land backdrops, industrial and modern office parks, commercial and untouched beaches, theme parks, monuments, shopping malls, casinos, libraries, city halls, shanty towns, beautifully constructed stadiums, high-street shops, vendor and rural markets, suburban and rural living, wine farms, gardens, sand dunes, salt pans, game parks, mountain ranges and scenic drives spread across the region. KwaZulu-Natal offers a diverse cultural mix of Zulu, Indian and Colonial influences. Durban has the largest Indian community on the Africa continent and is also the biggest city in the province, besides being home to the busiest port in Africa. Richards Bay Minerals is the largest sand-mining and mineral processing operator in the world. KwaZulu-Natal has diverse filming locations which range from captivating coastlines,

natural wonders, rural settings to scintillating sports and recreations and indigenous coastal forestry along the coastline. In addition to the scenic attractions, the Western Cape offers filmmakers ideal crew, services, locations, post production, animation and studio facilities. The Cape Town Film Studios is the first custom-built Hollywoodstyle film studio complex of its kind in Africa, with state-of-the-art support services. Backed by national, provincial and local government and with private shareholdings, it is envisioned as the dedicated hub for media, new media, entertainment, film and related industries in South Africa. There are many other large studios, live-stream HD TV and there are also numerous boutique art studios for the commercial and stills clients. With movies being a large part of the common manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment, Indian films will continue to influence his leisure time and holiday planning, setting trends for both NTOs and the travellers in promoting and deciding destinations respectively.

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India Outbound

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iceland ambitious to tap growing interest of indian travellers IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Thorir Ibsen, Ambassador of Iceland to India, is optimistic about growth from the Indian market, following the filming of Bollywood movie Dilwale in the country.

he popular number ‘Gerua’ from the recent Bollywood movie ‘Dilwale’ shot in Iceland has triggered an interest among Indians to visit the Land of Fire and Ice, said Thorir Ibsen, Ambassador of

Iceland to India, during his visit to Bangalore as part of a threecity roadshow in India. In order to increase tourist footfalls from

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Voyager’s World > May 2016

India, Promote Iceland recently conducted its maiden roadshow in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. The Ambassador had attended the roadshows in all three cities. The multi-city roadshow was conducted by Blue Square Consultants in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai to increase the awareness about Iceland. Some of the delegates were Gray Line, Iceland Air, Iceland Europe Travel, Tripical, Gudmundur Jonasson Travel, Iceland Travel and Terra Nova Iceland. “We want to increase the number of tourist arrivals from India through more Bollywood movies. India is a new market in terms of tourism and we have sensed a growing interest among Indians to visit Iceland. The number of Indians visiting Iceland is less at the moment compared to other countries. We have a wellestablished tourism industry and receive one million tourists in a year,” he said. The country has witnessed a lot of young travellers coming in to experience adventure, water rafting, ice climbing, mountaineering and trekking. Last year, it received 1,000 tourists from India and Thorir observes that the interest is growing very fast. Promote Iceland’s strategy was to target the premium travellers from India as the destination is not for ‘budget’ travellers. Being blessed with beautiful landscapes, roaring volcanoes, monolithic glaciers, icy mountains and deep fjords, Iceland’s beauty will appeal to the

Indians who are looking for ‘new’ and ‘niche’ destinations. Top Attractions Iceland has plentiful attractions for tourists such as the Northern Lights, Black Sand Beaches and the Blue Lagoon. One can do kayaking under the Northern Lights or take a hot bath inside a Glacier. The Black Beaches and the Blue Lagoon are extremely beautiful and the country as such is regarded as one of the pearls among global tourist destinations on account of its quality of life, pure air and pure water. Spending and staying patterns The average spending pattern of an Indian traveller in the country is estimated at about two lakh rupees per person and the staying pattern ranges around 5 nights - 6 days. Marketing plans A workshop was recently held in cooperation with the Embassy of Iceland of New Delhi was to promote the country while attempting to meet the interest of the Indians. “We want to increase services in India like IT, tourism and film industry. Four regional movies were in Iceland and the most recent one was Dilwale,” said the Ambassador. Access India, being a future market for Iceland, the latter does not have direct flights from India; connections are available mostly via London, Brussels, Paris, Munich and Helsinki. It takes seven days to obtain a visa to Iceland.

India Outbound

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ireland steps up marketing efforts to drive traffic from india IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

The number of Indian visitors to Ireland stands at 25,000 per year at present, but Niall Gibbons, CEO, Tourism Ireland, hopes to see increased figures in the near future. imagination of children and adults alike. Ireland is also home to several UNESCO World Heritage sites as the Giant’s Causeway, Burren and the Skelligs among others,” begins Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, while talking about trends from the Indian market into the Emerald Isle.

ourism Ireland aims to capitalise on India’s growing outbound traffic and grow the number of Indian tourists to Ireland from the current estimated 25,000 per year. “Indians love the breathtaking landscapes and rural idylls as well as the buzzing urban hubs and amazing festivals of Ireland. Ours is the land of myths and legends which capture the

For the last five years, Ireland has witnessed a year-on-year increase of over 25% in Indian visitor arrivals. Niall attributes the growth access to Ireland with increased air services by Etihad Airways and Emirates via Middle East and the British Irish Visa Scheme. “We are expecting 15%20% rise in tourist arrivals to Ireland from India in 2016 with growing awareness on the Ancient East, the Gobbins, the filming of Game of Thrones and Star Wars in Ireland and the Northern Ireland Year of Food

2016. These will ultimately drive the Indian traveller’s knowledge and the desire to visit Ireland.” Marketing plans In 2016 and beyond, Tourism Ireland will continue to focus on increasing awareness and demand for Ireland. It will also work jointly with VisitBritain to promote Ireland and the UK together in India. “In the last two years, we have been participating in the Great Tourism Week roadshows organised by VisitBritain in India,” Niall said. FIT travellers, families, honeymooners and self-drive segment will be targeted while the tourism board also plans to drive MICE movements from India. Its focus cities are Mumbai and Delhi, in addition to Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad.

New destinations Tourism Ireland is promoting Ancient East which builds on the wealth of historical and cultural assets in the East and South of Ireland. It stretches from Newgrange and the Boyne Valley in the north east and ranging through the midlands all the way down via Kilkenny’s Medieval mile to Waterford’s Viking Quarter and Cork’s many cultural attractions. The new brand proposition is intended to match and complement the Wild Atlantic Way in terms of scale and ambition. “We will continue to promote the self-drive touring products of the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route to Indians looking for self-drive holidays. Other promotional initiatives focus on the Game of Thrones filming in Northern Ireland, the Gobbins and NI Year of Food,” ended Niall.

Europe remains favourite foreign destination for Indians in 2015 VW BUREAU

The study by Hotels.com has revealed that Europe was the most preferred destination among Indians in the past year.

ccording to the latestHotels. com™ Hotel Price Index™ (HPI™) report, Europe which is considered to be a ‘backpacker’sparadise’ was the most preferred destinationfor Indians while travelling abroad in 2015. Reasonable and competitive air tickets to most of the capital cities in Europeamounting to less than a return ticket to metro cities within India certainly made Europe an attractive destination for Indian tourists in 2015. Overall Europe was the most preferred international getawayfor Indian travellersin 2015 providing an array of experiences that includedamongst others shopping in Paris, trekking and hiking in the Austrian Alps, culinary delights in Italy and hot air ballooning in Turkey.

Backpackers and deal hunters rejoiced in Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Istanbul as the HPI reported double digit price decreases for these popular European destinations in 2015. Hotel Room prices saw decline as Indians paid 27% less in Berlin at INR 6,873, 16% less in Paris at INR 10,993, 16% less in Brussels at INR 8,595, 15% less in Istanbul at INR 8,109 respectively. When it comes to the United Kingdom, London the perennial favourite amongst Indian travellers saw a marginal increase in hotel room prices by 1% at INR 14,823 per night followed by Milan that witnessed a staggering 19% increase at INR 12,695 per night in 2015. The United States of America that is considered to be the ‘land of

opportunities’ for Indians witnessed a rise in hotel room prices in 2015 as compared to 2014. A number of prominent destinations in the country witnessed the rise on account of increased demand except the ‘Big Apple’ that saw a marginal drop of 1% priced at INR 15,704 per night for a hotel room. New York topped the list despite a

marginal fall of 1% in hotel room prices where Indians paid most in 2015 followed by San Francisco priced at INR 14,465 per night for a room while choosing destinations to travel to in the USA. Meanwhile Boston ranked third followed by ‘Beach Destination’ Miami ranking fourth on the list priced at INR 13,423 and INR 13,086 respectively for a hotel room per night.

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India Outbound

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Malaysia showcases amusement products at sales mission PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Various attractions such as Legoland, Kidzania and Hello Kitty Town were promoted during the sales mission by Tourism Malaysia in India recently.

ourism Malaysia successfully completed Sales Mission to India and Sri Lanka between 25 February 2016 and 3 March 2016. Various attractions were promoted during the sales mission. Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotels is one of the main investors in the sales mission, with some of the latest attractions like LEGOLAND Resorts, Malaysia; Kidzania Kuala Lumpur; Hello kitty Town, Nusajaya and Desaru Coast, Johor. LEGOLAND Resorts LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort brings together a LEGOLAND Theme Park, Water Park and Hotel in one Lego themed location. It is a family holiday destination with more than 70 rides, slides, shows and attractions. The theme park is a full day interactive family theme park. The park is divided into seven themed areas containing thrilling rides, exciting lego workshops and the Miniland, where Asia’s interesting landmarks are recreated in miniature using more than 30 million lego bricks. The water park is the biggest legoland water park in the world that features slides, waves, wade pools, interactive water play structure

Voyager’s World > May 2016

and Build a raft river. Visitors can enjoy Water Park on its own or in combination with the Theme park. Some of the interesting rides include Joker Soaker and Lego wave pool.

related role plays spread across 60 various city establishments. As in the real world, children perform jobs and are paid for their work or pay to shop or to be entertained.

The Legoland hotel has 249 lego themed rooms, seven pirate themed deluxe rooms and eight kingdom suites giving guests the choice of playing pirates, commanding a kingdom or embarking an adventure. The lobby features a knight’s castle and the children play area has interactive lego games and activities with over 100,000 lego bricks. The Legoland Park features LEGO Ninjago live show. The show is for 20 minutes and features Bunraku, a traditional Japanese style puppet setting.

KidZania Kuala Lumpur has been endorsed by the Malaysian Ministry of Education, as an ideal destination for students to promote both physical and intellectual growth. The scope of activities in each of the 60 establishments at KidZania can be linked to several areas within the various school syllabuses, effectively supplementing the school’s curriculum as a cocurricular learning programme. KidZania Kuala Lumpur is located at curve NX in Mutiara Damansara.

KidZania KidZania Kuala Lumpur is an indoor family edutainment centre that offers interactive learning and role play experience for kids. It empowers and inspires kids to pursue their life’s dreams by providing them an avenue to explore what it’s like to live and work in a real functioning city. The kid-sized city targets children aged between four to 14 years and allows them to choose over 100 job

HELLO KITTY TOWN The Sanrio Hello Kitty Town theme park consists of walk through attractions, interactive activities and rides, which follow the Hello Kitty theme. Key features include puzzle solving activities, incorporating computer and sensor technology to provide interactive experience for both children and adults. Tasks are given to the visitors once they enter the Hello Kitty House. The Hello Kitty House has six rooms - the living

room, kitchen, bathroom, kitty’s room, secret closet and Mimmy’s room. Visitors can create their very own Hello Kitty themed souvenirs or choose to dress up and decorate themselves as their favorite character at the wishful studio. The Sanrio Hello Kitty Town is located in Puteri Harbour, Iskandar Puteri, Johor, 25 minutes away from the Senai International Airport. DESARU COAST, JOHOR Desaru coast is a luxury resort that presents an integration of modern luxury living and fun activities. Located at the south-eastern tip of Johor along pristine 17km beachfront, it is easily accessible by road, air and sea. It will be completed in stages by 2018. The luxury resorts include Aman Country Club and Aman Villas, Westin Desaru Resort, The Datai Desaru and The Desa Hotel. Desaru Coast also offers lifestyle village to be called as The Riverine. Desaru Coast will have a fully equipped conference centre catering for corporate functions, meetings, exhibitions and entertainment events. A 20 acre water adventure park, championship golf courses will be a part of the Desaru Coast.

Travel Technology

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Where next for airline merchandising as carriers reap volume and yield gains? Courtesy: Tnooz.com

Merchandising is playing a significant role in yielding steady increase for airlines, says Amadeus on digital solutions and merchandising techniques.

madeus has looked at the digital business of 50 of its top performing airline customers to reveal gains not only in passenger volumes but also ticket value.

and selling more products as well as incentivising travellers to buy more through improved merchandising techniques as well as improving the user experience.

The distribution giant is claiming a 15% growth in PNR volume as well as a yield increase of almost nine percent year-on-year for those carriers and believes merchandising is playing a significant role.

On whether there are any characteristics that these airlines share, perhaps in digital maturity or investment, der Arslanian says only that they have aggressive growth strategies and are ensuring that there are increases in both volume and yield as opposed to volume at the expense of yield.

Philippe der Arslanian, vice president of merchandising and digital, Amadeus IT Group, says the growth is being driven both by airlines bringing more volume online either via their websites or other digital solutions as well as employing merchandising techniques to increase ticket value online. He says that carriers are offering

The whole area of merchandising for airlines is progressing with der Arslanian talking of the possibility of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;anytime merchandisingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the ability to offer travellers products and services across the entire trip, whether it be at the time of booking, or the departure day, during a disruption or once on board.

He adds that an airline is currently testing the concept. A tie-up with Plusgrade just announced by Amadeus enabling travellers to bid for a seat upgrade or an additional adjoining seat is a good example. Plusgrade chief executive Ken Harris says more than 50 airlines are seeing revenue growth as a result of its solutions. Amadeus opted for the company because it already works with some of the same airline customers as the distribution giant which meant faster implementation. Robert Booth, head of product marketing, airline merchandising solutions, Amadeus IT Group airline says partners have been requesting sort of capability in RFPs. Findings from the latest IdeaWorksCarTrawler report on ancillary

VADODARA NAGPUR VIZAG AMRITSAR COIMBATORE

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revenue also show how average ancillary revenue per passenger is rising with growth of more than eight percent between 2013 and 2014. And, rivals in the distribution space have also seen a pick-up of airline interest in the whole area of merchandising with Travelport reporting back in March that it had 150 airlines live on its solutions. All in all itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an interesting time to be in the airline space in terms of the evolution of how fares and ancillaries are being sold. Der Arslanian believes the trend this year will move towards a focus on the overall travel experience and helping travellers by offering them additional products and service when things go well as well as in times of disruption.

19, 20, 21 August 2016 14, 15, 16 October 2016 4, 5, 6 November 2016 16, 17, 18 December 2016 20, 21, 22 January 2017

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Hospitality

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mobile search is the star trend of digital marketing PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

Kapil Raina, General Manager, the Sahar Pavilion Hotel, shares his views on the present hotel sales and room automation trends in the hospitality industry.

New trends in hotel sales and distribution strategy - Mobile search is the star trend of digital marketing - The universe of mobile users is massive – 3 in 5 people use mobile devices to search and 80% of local searches on mobile devices convert to purchase. With

Google rolling out a new ranking factor for mobile-friendly sites, it is essential that your hotel website is optimized for mobile search and responsive on all mobile devices. The target is to enhance mobile traffic and ensure a robust and seamless experience with content that can be shared on social media. - Enhancing Your Hotel’s Local Presence - Your website has to tap into the possibilities of enhanced local search. The goal is to create optimized content and local profiles, manage quality citations and directory listings, and deliver a seamless mobile experience across devices. - Hotel Social Media Marketing - In our connected online community,

the synergy of social engagement empowers your digital marketing. Most of the world uses social media sites, including Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Social media is a driver of brand awareness and customer relationships and retention. Ensure your site is optimized for mobile and sharing across devices, and make sure to add OG tags and Twitter cards. Latest room automation trends Some of the trends are leading to great improvements and savings for hospitality industry companies; while some are changing how hotel developers plan their buildings, infrastructure, management

structure and staffing requirements- Wi-Fi infrastructure overhauls Nowadays, hotel guests who travel with devices such as phones, tablets and computers no longer see Wi-Fi as a perk, but as a must-have when they check in at a hotel. - Digital conference facilities Besides being able to offer high density Wi-Fi for conferences and meetings, hotels also need to be able to offer access to audiovisual (AV) and digital facilities for conferences. - Smart room keys - Hotels will increasingly install smart room access systems that allow guests to unlock their doors by simply swiping their phones across a keyless pad on the door.

bloomrooms hotel leverage on ovreall price point IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

Tom Welbury, VP Strategy, bloomrooms hotel, says that for a fairly new entrant in the hotel space, it is nearing stabilization and gives great value for stay. market had been doing well and showing an incredibly positive sign for a new brand. The property is very close to stabilizing within six months to a year unlike larger hotels that typically take two to three years to get steady.

loomrooms hotel, located in Bangalore, offers 42 rooms that has custom built cloudbeds™ andthe award winning Grohe rain showers in each room. “The property has been doing very well in terms of performance since its launch and the feedback has been fantastic,” says Tom Welbury, VP Strategy of the brand, while adding that the

Voyager’s World > May 2016

Travellers Most of bloomrooms customers are business and leisure travellers. Yet, it has been receiving repeat guests, thereby hinting at frequent travellers to consider staying there. Growth and marketing Expecting 80% plus annual growth in terms of occupancy, bloomrooms focuses on online marketing; some of its OTA partners are Expedia, Booking.com, Make My Trip and Goibibo. “We are focusing more on the quality and value for customers. We plan to launch a mobile room

booking app for customers by next year and will also launch a corporate traveller programme in the future.” Upcoming properties It has three properties operational at present - two in Delhi and one in Bangalore. The brand plans to launch one more property in Bangalore in the next six months. Trends “In general, there is an improvement

in the quality of accommodation which has been driven by the influx of international brands. Overall, the number of options for customers is more which is better supply and creates a benchmark by not just building hotels. We are the innovator and pioneer who will help the industry to improve; the best of the brands that looks at the whole industry. bloomrooms is a great place to stay and improves the overall price point,” concludes Tom.

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instant messaging for hotel bookings becomes a necessity IRENE SUSAN EAPEN

People preferring instant messaging for hotel bookings are on the rise as the platform offers a personalized form of communication for their bookings.

Vrushali Kummar, Director of Sales & Marketing, Crowne Plaza Bengaluru

With easy access to internet and information, Instant Messaging is fast becoming a preferred means of booking and access to customer touch points like checking booking status and instant chats.

Firuza Sharma, Director of Sales & Marketing, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar

Technology is a major player as customers prefer to make last minute arrangements for their accommodation through instant messaging and apps. Instant messaging formed about 5% of our total revenue in the past one year.

he hospitality industry has noticed some growth through mobile bookings in the last few years with instant messaging now becoming a common platform for people to make bookings in a personalized form. This platform is still in its nascent stages with guests using their mobile phones right from planning, researching, to making instant reservations, checking in to the hotel and even making payments. Vrushali Kummar, Director of Sales & Marketing, Crowne Plaza, Bengaluru, says that millions of people around the world prefer to book online and are trending towards booking through email, telephone and instant messaging. “With easy access to the Internet and information, various available apps and booking engines make it easy for global travellers and admin personnel to book online. All supporting information, data and pictures are readily available online for most brands through the brand app/ website and a number of channel partners thus offering ease of anywhere booking.” According to Firuza Sharma, Director of Sales & Marketing, Radisson Blu Hotel New Delhi Paschim Vihar, personalized communication

has become very important in the hospitality industry. Guests expect personalized services and experiences and hence, it is important to recognize their needs and cater to them accordingly. In that context, she feels that technology is a major player that is utilized by most guests. They prefer to use their mobile phones to look up the web and do everything from planning, researching, to making instant reservations, checking in to the hotel and even making payments. “Most customers prefer to make last minute arrangements for their accommodation. Thus, bookings or reservations are made through instant messaging or various apps these days. Very soon these apps or messaging, tailored to meet the needs of the recipient, will become a necessity.” Firuza said that Radisson Blu Hotel has seen some growth in the bookings in the past one year as most of its mobile bookings are interfaced with its central reservations and unit reservations. Growth in Mobile bookings Vrushali observes that there definitely has been a surge in bookings since the online platform becomes a one stop solution for travellers for rate comparison and

online reservation. “Around the world, a large number of firms and travellers utilize the Internet as their primary source of booking for both flights and hotels; hence there has been a growth in bookings.” Firuza expects the instant messaging platform to double its usage this year on account of the increased dependence on smart phones and web usage on mobiles in the past few years. Numbers achieved Vrushali says, “There is a very limited scope of booking through instant messaging since instant messaging is a very much a personalized form of communication with no background for authentication and verification of the booking. There is no way of considering the medium as a formal mode communication; hence, very limited numbers are recorded for Instant Messaging reservations.”

pace. “With more and more hotel companies investing in mobile apps, we will see Instant Messaging becoming the preferred means of booking and access to other customer touch points like checking booking status on the go and instant chats that will enable this trend to grow in the future.” She adds that Instant Messaging would also help in engaging with guests at a very personal level for reviews, feedback, anticipating guest needs, checking on ancillary needs and offering a host of instant solutions to their travel needs thus exceeding their expectations.

“Currently, we get bookings through instant messaging and have grown in the past one year. It is about 5% of our total revenue,” Firuza said.

Firuza, too, expects the trend of instant messaging to grow at a very fast rate. She says, “We have the one touch app which is a tool to help ensure guests have a positive experience at the hotel. It helps to inform them about the services available at the hotel and local attractions. The guest can request services from the hotel like ordering his meals and also give his feedback.”

Future trends Having moved from the telephone to the Internet and now to mobile applications, Vrushali predicts that this trend will only continue to gain

Instant messaging is definitely going to evolve into a necessity for the industry as a major platform for bookings, reviews, feedback and anticipating guest requirements.

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Hospitality

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29% hotels are Leveraging Guest Intelligence The findings of the 2016 Guest Satisfaction Management Barometer by Reviewpro seeks to identify gaps in guest feedback management strategy. VW BUREAU

eviewpro recently undertook a worldwide industry study to gather insight into how hoteliers are managing guest feedback to deliver better experiences and to highlight current trends in the industry related specifically to guest survey management. The 2016 Guest Satisfaction Management Barometer surveyed 2,877 hospitality professionals across the globe and provides some eyeopening insights that could help hotels identify gaps in their current guest feedback management strategy. Increasingly, savvy hoteliers are using guest feedback to make operational and service improvements on property to deliver better guest experiences. ReviewPro, leaders

in guest satisfaction improvement, recently surveyed 2,877 hospitality professionals across the globe to gain a better understanding of how hotels manage guest satisfaction and to highlight current trends in the industry related specifically to guest survey management. The findings of the 2016 Guest Satisfaction Management Barometer, the first edition of this industry study, provide some eyeopening insights that could help hotels identify gaps in their current guest feedback management strategy. Although the majority of hotels are already active in this area, the poll indicates there is a clear opportunity for hotels to implement the latest technologies and best practices to manage and act on

Guest Intelligence more effectively, to be able to exceed expectations and improve their online reputation. Key findings of the study include: 94% of hotels feel that it is important to be able to integrate guest survey data with online review analytics but only 29% of hotels are doing so. 67% of hotels feel that it is difficult to manage feedback across multiple sources. - 57% of hotels set & monitor guest satisfaction KPIs but only 41% offer staff incentives/bonuses based on these. - 77% of hotels are planning to invest the same or more in guest survey management in 2016. - 51% of hotels are using electronic guest surveys to gather direct feedback but only 14% are using

in-stay email surveys, which enable hotels to carry out valuable service recovery. - 23% of hotels use the Net Promoter Score® (a powerful metric to benchmark guest satisfaction) when analyzing the results of their surveys. RJ Friedlander, CEO, ReviewPro, commented, “It is clear from the findings that increasing guest satisfaction is vital for hoteliers. To do this successfully, they must have access to actionable insight to be able to make improvements where is matters most. This is why we are 100% focused on helping hotels boost satisfaction and are continuing to innovate and invest in the area of online reputation management and guest surveys.”

ICI Tirupati to start new programme The Ministry of Tourism is undertaking projects with many hotel management institutes to meet the trained manpower requirement in the sector. PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

he first academic session of the Indian Culinary Institute (ICI), Tirupati will commence with a threeyear B.Sc. programme in Culinary Arts from August, 2016. Indian Cuisine is immensely popular all over the world. The market for culinary tourism to India is growing as our culinary traditions continue to draw increasing international attention. To increase the potential, there is a need for an institutional mechanism to promote culinary tourism and document thousands of recipes which have evolved over the age. Though the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has a wide network of Institutes of Hotel Management (IHMs) and Food Craft Institutes (FCIs) under its aegis, these institutions are essentially mandated to meet the trained manpower requirement of the Sector

Voyager’s World > May 2016

at skill and entry-point supervisory / managerial levels. There was no regular credible institutional mechanism at apex level which could provide cuisine specialists to the Sector or groom chefs of international standards. ICI, Tirupati is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism to fill this void. It has been established with a view to explore and propagate the Indian cuisine in its varied hue and to promote it across international borders.

schools functioning in different parts of the world. The Institute is aimed to facilitate building of a specialized food production workforce of international standard. The course curriculum has been designed and engineered by eminent academicians and doyens of the industry. The ICI will provide the students exposure to the latest concepts and technologies and access to state of the art facilities available in the field.

The ICIs offer structured regular programmes of study specific to culinary arts leading to graduate and post graduate level degrees, promote research and innovation, organize demand driven certificate and diploma courses, document and create data base specific to Indian cuisine and commission studies and survey on cuisine. It would provide the appropriate training ground at par with the culinary

Meanwhile, a report of the ‘Working Group on Tourism’ for the 12th Five year Plan (2012-17) set up by the Planning Commission, for a projected annual growth of 12% in Foreign Tourist Arrivals stated the requirement of additional hotel rooms under classified category in 2016 over 2010 is estimated to be 190,108. Construction of hotel is primarily a private sector activity. The Ministry of Tourism, Government

of India only classifies operational hotels under its voluntary scheme of classification/approval of hotels. Few schemes such as Five Year Tax Holiday for 2, 3 and 4 Star category hotels located in all UNESCO declared World Heritage sites; Extension of Investment Linked tax incentives for 2-Star category and above anywhere in India to facilitate growth of accommodation in the country, de-linked credits for hotel projects from Commercial Real Estate (CRE) by The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which enables hotel projects to avail credit at relaxed norms and reduced interest rates, Hotel and Tourism related industry declared as high priority industry and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is allowed upto 100% under the automatic route were introduced by the government of India to encourage the construction of new hotels.

mice movement from india! gains upward trajectory Increased awareness about meetings and event facilities and the proliferation of event planners across the globe have succeeded in luring the Indian MICE segment. VW BUREAU

016 will be the year of the business traveller, according to findings by Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT); the study as companies embrace new technologies and ways of working to improve satisfaction for their employee travellers. As per the study titled ‘Travel Trends, Program Priorities: A Traveler-Centric 2016, the top three priorities for corporate travel managers and buyers for 2016 are- Safety and security is by far the highest priority for corporate travel programs in 2016. Overall, 80% of the travel managers surveyed expect it to have a high or very high impact on their programs; for Asia Pacific, Safety and Security is also the top priority for 2016, as ranked by 75% of those surveyed expecting it to have a high or very high impact - 63% of travel managers expect mobile and wearable technology to have a big impact on their travel program next year; - Travel managers are looking for more data on traveler behavior and program performance: 58% said they expect having more data

to consolidate will impact their program. In addition, low-cost carriers (LCCs) will continue to have a high or very high impact on travel programs in 2016, according to 53% of surveyed travel managers. - Growth has been particularly dramatic in Asia Pacific in recent years. - In several domestic markets, such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, LCCs have taken over 60% of capacity share. - In business travel, their share of capacity has increased to 12% overall but varies widely between countries, ranging from only a few percent in Australia and Japan to the bulk of air bookings in Thailand and India. Other studies and analyses indicate that Asia Pacific cities will have the highest occupancy rates in the world for the year. The strongest overall growth will take place in Asia Pacific, with both group sizes and daily attendees sizes anticipated to increase. The demand will remain strong though supply vs. demand

will vary according to the country. On the other hand, East & Partners Asia’s (E&P Asia) ‘Asia Corporate T&E Index’ shows that travel and entertainment expenditure of the Top 1000 corporates from 10 Asian markets has gone up from US$1.52 billion to US$1.69 billion, a 11 percent growth versus 2015. China and India will continue leading the market with their strong forecast growth during 2016. Eight in ten Chinese corporates will increase their T&E expenditure this year and Indian corporates will increase their budget by an average of 8.6 percent. - We expect China and India to remain the strongest T&E growth markets into 2016 - Eight out of 10 Chinese corporates are expecting their T&E spend to climb by an average of 8.6% - 77.9% of Indian corporates are forecasting an increase of 8.6% - Intra-Asian travel continues to increase, with the MICE segment continuing to represent the largest sector of spend

- Event Planners are the preferred route for corporates travel arrangements - Mind share of the top three airlines continues to increase at the expense of smaller players The T&E report is the result of interviews with CFOs and Corporate Treasurers at Asia’s Top 1000 corporates by revenue in 10 markets (ex Japan), analysed and reported to clients by East every quarter. Challenges One of the surveys by Abacus a couple of years back had indicated significant patterns and trends that were expected to impact business travel in the coming years. In the survey, 97% of respondents had received instructions to further tighten business travel policies. There was no relaxation of the rules in sight, despite the more favourable economic outlook acknowledged by all. 73% had reported business clients implementing policies to decrease the number of business trips. Six in ten clients were extending economy class thresholds

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to reduce business class travel. 47% of travellers were also encouraged to opt for lowerstar accommodation. 43% of respondents felt that their role had recently shifted more in favour of business procurement. 73% of business clients had increased their preference to use low cost carriers. Other parameters in the policy included the flight time, booking channel, trip changes, etc. 73% of business travel companies had implemented a business booking tool (CBT). 64% of respondents agreed that a good number of travellers want to deal with travel management companies and agencies, with 55% perceiving business travel itineraries to be too complex a task to undertake themselves. Over 83% of travel management companies and agencies felt that smartphones would have a moderate to significant impact on business. Only 33% had implemented any mobile web or native applications for smartphones, leading with a simple mobile itinerary tool. Though the adoption rates of smartphones and tablets are high in Asia Pacific region, only four in ten enable flight and hotel bookings on mobile. 33% of business travel companies have created a mobile web or native mobile app for smartphones for business bookings. Keeping aside the trends and expectations, there have been many problems faced by the business travel industry such as the ever increasing cost of travel and accommodation. In the last few

Voyagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World > May 2016

years, airfares and hotel room rates have reached astronomical levels and have had subsequent impact on travel budgets. Going beyond complaining, the need to travel is still there. Employees demand access to first class travel and hotel arrangements; hence companies have to design their travel budgets in a way as to keep costs at a certain level. While people talk about technology pervading all levels of travel on the one hand, a lot of people still find it difficult to book a LCC flight. There are several issues pertaining to booking the seat, hand luggage, meals onboard, window seats and making reservations in the first 10 rows, for instance. With varying demands on part of the employees and rising airfare and different airline policies, it is quite a challenge for companies to draw up a costeffective, value for money travel and accommodation plan. Hence, it is not surprising that businesses these days are resorting to a single-window booking system to take care of all the booking aspects. Some of them also engage a separate travel concierge desk in their organizations. This kind of a set up not only eases the process, but also brings about a lot of deals and discounts in hotels and flights for the employees. Besides this, companies can also formulate a meticulous travel policy in order to keep a lid on costs. These policies can be about fixing a ceiling on the accommodation category like star hotels, guest houses or serviced apartments and also go

on to limiting budget on first class travel and opting for economy class. Through this, companies will be able to effect a substantial cut in their travel spending. As for those who face disagreement on such conditions, the best alternative would be to re-look at their suppliervendor contracts. Business travel planners can reach a deal with longstanding suppliers and bring about contracts that reward loyalty while ensuring a win-win situation for both the parties.

is sold at INR 8 /Air Mile and in comparison Mumbai-Ahmedabad is sold at INR 12/Air Mile.

They can negotiate with the airlines and the hotels for a certain number of seats and rooms during a certain period and reach an amicable policy while drafting their request for proposals.

In so far as fares are concerned, Zero Frill Carriers are found to offer a reasonable alternative to the premier carriers. A successful LCC in India is very clear about what it promises to deliver. If the airline charges a fare without any frills, whilst promising a certain standard of service, with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Arriving on Timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; being their USP, then it stands to win hands down in terms of running full or almost full. Meals, water and other such add-ons have to be borne by the passenger.

Other problems encompass increase in the number of new airlines entering the skies, growing passenger numbers, route expansion, need for trained manpower and infrastructure, all required to grow at the same pace. As for price sensitivity, airlines have become cost conscience more than just Passenger Revenue by changing the business models constantly. It is expected that the near future capacity will increase in the domestic market. As of today, the entire industry in India is 62 million passengers annually; but the market will add 40 million passengers over the next four years. LCCs have paved for a new trend with the industry going for adding capacity in short haul segments that are usually more profitable. On an average, a Mumbai-Delhi flight

Airlines in India are following models like Air Asia and Southwest Airlines by charging extra for specific seats like by the window or the aisle seat, reducing baggage allowance and increasing cancellation of ticket and no show charges. Indigo is expected to add nearly 10 aircrafts a year over the next decade or so mostly to operate domestic segments.

This kind of a policy is better than running a LCC and supplying a newspaper, a sandwich and a water bottle. Tiny supplementary costs can go a long way in adding to its overall cost. Business travel managers have implemented compound strategies in order to make sure the lowest reasonable fare is offered to the employee at the time of booking. Here is where policies such as a 7-Advance Purchase, business fare vs. retail fare, day trips and round trip fares are executed. With so

31>> many promotions happening every few months, these strategies ensure that the business does not lose out to the retail purchaser when it comes to negotiating bulk deals. Another hindrance faced by businesses while dealing with travel plans for their executives would be demanding and insistent travellers. With increasing international travel and exposure to world class travel and accommodation standards, today travellers seek the best arrangements. Irrespective of the nature of the travel, work or the company policy, employees anticipate and desire a four or a five star hotel accommodation. Budget accommodation options remain at a secondary level. A business booking tool or an OTA usually facilitates the work. However, an inefficient and unproductive booking tool will not serve the process. One requires the complete booking options to find out the best and most ideal travel and hotel choices that would not only fit in their budget but also be of a certain standard. India still has a very adoption rate for business travel technology in comparison to western markets. An exhaustive travel solution is the need of the hour to ensure the most effective delivery of travel services, be it a simple individual package or complex group itineraries, domestic or international. With online booking tools offering user friendly booking ideas, people still tend to check with their travel concierge or a travel agent over the phone, simply with a need to understand technology by personal communication.

there is the concern of international roaming charges when one is on foreign shores.

user by the airline; again a resultant benefit of access to data. When he uses the same flight the next time, he can utilize these regular miles information to seek upgrades. Again the use of smartphones varies from person to person. Not all employees use a smarphone to communicate booking information. Some would much rather prefer the nitty-gritty of travel to be taken care of completely by the company and only the necessary information be communicated to them. Plus,

In such cases, organizations must look out for those solutions that offer customized or personalized itineraries, like an exclusive app for travel to a particular country. This can help the concierge and the management to effectively be in touch with the executive who is travelling, in real time on their smartphones. For this, they require a cost-efficient, low-cost and secure

mobile access platform. The downside of this is that these complications can lead to the organization deciding to go for videoconferencing or tele-conferencing in order to cut down travel. This would mean fewer trips. Alternatively, they can review their expenditure and budgeting. Issues surrounding last minute cancellation, refund, meals, combining more meetings in one trip for maximum value for money and per diem can all be re-worked to amend the total trip cost.

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While it was mentioned earlier that a single window booking system could alleviate booking hassles, what organizations look for are a comprehensive technology solution that covers all aspects of bookings. A solution that would be a one-stop site listing all the types of travel and hotel choices quickly, including ground transportation, is likely to be adopted by a business. Having said that, today the proliferation of smartphones in our personal and professional lives, have necessitated us, employees to be able to have more access to information. While one may have travelled on a particular international airline once, with the booking done by a business, the regular emails and mailers on the flying miles that one accumulates is sent to the end-

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Halal Tourism Conference 2016 discusses opportunities in sector VW BUREAU

The Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey officially opened the International Halal Tourism Conference held from 3- 5 May in Konya, Turkey.

undreds of delegates from over 30 countries attended the opening day of the conference. Mahir Ünal, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, officially opened the two-day conference themed ‘Developing Halal Tourism Industries’ which aims to shape the future of a sector currently worth $150 billion. The event featured a number of high profile guests from across the globe including Dr. Bandar Fahad al Fehaid, delegation of Arab Tourism Organization of the Arab League, Irfan Onal, Director General of Ministry of Tourism Turkey, Tahir Akyurek, Mayor of Konya and Muammer Erol, Governor of Konya. The opening day, held at the Dedeman Convention Centre, featured a number of keynote

speeches on topics such as ‘Technology and its benefits to the Halal Tourism’ and ‘The Muslim Traveller Needs’ alongside panel discussions and workshops. Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Mahir Ünal, said, “We are delighted to host this conference on this historic day. As a Minister of Tourism I will continue to support this kind of tourism and our aim as a tourism destination is targeting 50 million tourists into the country.” Dr. Bandar Fahad al Fehaid, Delegation of Arab Tourism Organization of the Arab League, said: “We are delighted to be part of a global conference and representing the Middle East. An event like this is very important and

how we can unite the world through tourism.” Alongside the conference, there was also a three-day exhibition featuring businesses from across the world. Delegates from over 30 countries with over 110 buyers are attending the conference including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Croatia, Singapore, UK, USA, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar including tourism boards, travel agencies, tour operators, hotels and airlines. This year’s event featured from Hajj and Umrah providers, financial institutions and food and drink businesses. It is the second time this tourism showpiece is being held in Europe following the success of the inaugural event in Andalucía, Spain.

A recent study has revealed that in 2015 the estimated total Muslim visitor arrivals were 117 million representing close to 10% of the entire travel economy. This is forecasted to grow to 168 million visitors by 2020 and 11% of the market segment with a market value projected to exceed $200 billion. Topics and workshops to be discussed over the two days include Halal Tourism & Technology, Opportunities and trends within Muslim women and young travel market, the market opportunity for European destinations, how to meet the demands of the 21st century Muslim traveller and integrating travel and technology to deliver the ultimate Halal friendly travel experience.

Global business travel association launches India wing VW BUREAU

Gaurav Sundaram has been appointed as the India Regional Director for GBTA. The association will focus on establishing a broad-based membership among the Indian business travel community.

he Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) recently launched the GBTA India as part of its continuing global expansion. GBTA’s initial focus in the region

Voyager’s World > May 2016

will be on establishing a broad based membership among the Indian business travel community and developing quality educational content and events.

McCormick, GBTA executive director and COO. “We are pleased to partner with ProKonsul on this endeavour and welcome Gaurav Sundaram as GBTA India Regional Director.”

India is currently the 10th largest business travel market in the world, but with double digit growth rates expected for business travel spend, the region will likely be a top-five business travel market in the next 15 years. “The business travel market in India is one of the healthiest in the world and given its exponential growth rates, there is a clear need for innovative education and training to ensure there are enough qualified business travel professionals to keep up with the rise in demand,” said Michael W.

GBTA has engaged in a collaborative partnership with ProKonsul, a specialized business travel management consultant with expertise in India and Asia. With ProKonsul, GBTA will deliver its core activities of education, research, advocacy and networking in India and Asia Pacific. “GBTA’s entry into India and its partnership with ProKonsul represent very strong commitments to one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The Indian market has a significant demand for professional education, quality research and

industry networking opportunities that GBTA has global leadership in,” said Gaurav Sundaram, President, ProKonsul. “ Ankur Bhatia, Director, Amadeus India, said, “We are delighted to welcome the Global Business Travel Association and look forward to them establishing a broad based membership among the Indian business travel community. GBTA brings together dynamic individuals in business travel on a common platform and nurtures young professionals by training them on necessary skills in using and adapting to solutions being used by corporations including selfbooking tools, duty of care and other technology solutions.”

Travel Events

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otr debuts in middle east, records stupendous success! VW BUREAU

The multi-city, multi-destination roadshow made a remarkable entry into the Middle East with the launch of its series in Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar.

he Outbound Travel Roadshow (OTR) organised its inaugural Middle East edition in Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar from 30 April - 3 May, 2016.

The delegation of exhibitors were from across the globe including countries such as Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, UK and a few

companies more (with global presence) all under one roof. OTR Dubai took place on 1 May, 2016 at the Conrad Dubai, while the Kuwait edition immediately followed on

2 May at the JW Marriott Kuwait City. The Qatar leg was held at the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha on 3 May. The event saw very good response from Middle East market.

OTR middle east 2016

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Travel Events

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Inaugural ‘Himachal Travel Mart’ receives overwhelming response! PRIYAMVADHA BALARAM

More than 65 hosted buyers and media from across India and overseas participated in the exhibition that showcased the best of Himachal’s multi-faceted tourism appeal.

he inaugural edition of ‘Himachal Travel Mart’ 2016 was organised from 22 – 24 April in Shimla at the Ridge. The three-day event brought together 30 Exhibitors from Himachal Pradesh from over 10 diverse segments such as adventure, hospitality, leisure, etc. to meet and do business with more than 65 Hosted Buyers and Media from throughout India and abroad. Located in the prime tourist hub of the hill station, Himachal Travel Mart invited national buyers and media from across various cities in India. International hosted buyers and media were flown in from countries including Australia, Dubai,

Voyager’s World > May 2016

France, Germany, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The B2B seller-buyer networking platform was organised on a prefixed appointment basis. On 22 April, 2016, the inaugural dinner was organised at the Himachal Holiday Home. The Chief Guest for the event was Shri. Virbhadra Singh. The other dignitaries who addressed the audience were Mohan Chauhan, IAS, Commissioner, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh and Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, Vice-Chairman, Tourism

Development Pradesh.

Board,

Himachal

The B2B appointments began on 23 April in the morning at The Ridge, followed by a networking dinner at Hotel Willow Banks in the evening. On 24 April, the last day of the event, the appointments concluded in the evening, after which hosted buyers and the media departed for a short post-event Familiarization tour near Shimla. Mohan Chauhan, IAS, Commissioner, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh said, “Himachal has, over the years, contributed immensely to the Indian tourism

portfolio with its diverse range of products. The inaugural edition of ‘Himachal Travel Mart’ from the 22 – 24 April 2016 is an extension of our aggressive marketing approach to introduce more tourism destinations and attractions and reinforce the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Brand among the media, buyers and stakeholders.” The event received support from major travel trade associations as ‘Association of Domestic Tour Operators Association of India (ADTOI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and Indian Association of Tour Operators IIATO).

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Travel Events

www.voyagersworld.in

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FESTIVALS OF 20-24 June

he Bonfires of San Juan is celebrated in Alicante from 20-24 June with music, colour and fireworks. Thousands of people crowd the streets to experience this fiesta.The large tents serve as a public dance floor. The highlights of the festival include the entry of bands with ladies wearing traditional dress; an international folklore parade, procession featuring international dance troupes, bonfires all over the city ablaze with the merriment of dancing and singing.

Bonfires of San Juan, Alicante, Spain

7 July, 2016

he Boryeong Mud Festival, celebrated every July, attracts youth from different countries. The mud bath train games and vibrant music nights offer visitors a lot of fun time with their loved ones. The other attractions at the festival include the experience of the Songkran Festival and La Tomatina. The visitors enjoy mud wrestling, mud sliding and even swimming in the mud mega tub, take part in the marine mud-training course and relax in the mud massage zone.

Boryeong Mud Festival, Korea

10 - 12 June, 2016

27 - 29 May, 2016

arnaval San Francisco is generally celebrated for many cultures to come together in one spirit and share their creative expression. The three day event starts from 27 May at the DeYoung Museum. It will showcase the very best Latin American and Caribbean cultural arts and traditions. This is the 38th anniversary of San Francisco’s version of Mardi Gras with annual public events. It features exotic Carnaval dancers with a mixture of Latino, Jazz, Samba, Caribbean influences.

Carnaval San Francisco, USA Voyager’s World > May 2016

he Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival takes place from 10 - 12 June, 2016 in the presence of thousands of athletes from all over the world. At the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat races, the dragon boats are ornately carved and painted ‘dragon’ heads and tails and each boat carries a crew of 20-22 paddlers. Thousands of the world’s top dragon boat athletes battle it out in funky costumes, while spectators indulge with cold beer and live entertainment at Beer Fest – San Miguel BeerFest.

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival

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THE WORLD 11 - 12 June, 2016

he North Beach Festival is considered to be one of the country’s original outdoor festivals starting from 11 - 12 June in the historic North Beach District, known to locals and visitors. The festival includes numerous quaint streets in the heart of the district including Grant Avenues and Columbus Avenues. The event will cover 125 arts and crafts booths, gourmet food booths, and two stages of live entertainment, Italian street painting, beverage garden and kid’s chalk art area.

North Beach Festival, San Francisco, USA

3 - 12 June, 2016

he Philly Beer Week is a 10-day celebration to promote Philadelphia’s beer and hospitality industries, featuring hundreds of festivals, dinners, tours, pub crawls, tastings and meet-the-brewer nights to area bars, restaurants and other locations throughout Greater Philadelphia. This event showcases the region’s top-notch breweries, neighborhood taverns, trend-setting restaurants and rich beer culture and history.

Philly Beer Week, Philadelphia, USA

4 - 5 June, 2016 29 June, 2016

he Pintados Festival takes place on 29 June in Tacloban City. It is a Filipino festival that recalls pre-Spanish history of the native Leytenos from wars with the festive dancers painted from head to toe with designs of the tattooed warriors of old. The folk dances portray the many traditions, indigenous music and epic stories. The rhythms of native instruments beat through the air accompanying the dances on the streets, followed by a parade and merrymaking with a signature traditional Filipino fiesta.

n its 40th year of celebration, the Union Street Festival in San Francisco will feature fashion, technology, local exhibits, crafts, health and fitness. The fashion show is one of the highlights of the festival featuring clothing, jewellery and fashion from Union Street area merchants. The festival will also host a Craft Beer and Wine Tasting Pavilion. The event will include traditional elements like the arts and crafts exhibitors, unique sponsors, festive food vendors and community groups.

Union Street Festival, San Francisco, USA Pintados Festival, The Philippines www.voyagersworld.in

Incredible India

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west bengal: a land of historical,

West Bengal prides itself on a rich history marked by hundreds of years of colonial heritage, royal past and art and culture. Here is a look at some of its historical sightseeing products. HISTORICAL PLACES Murshidabad The last capital city of independent Bengal before British rule was named after Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, the Dewan of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Situated on the banks of the Bhagirathi, it is a city of splendours and is famous for its silk. It was made the capital of Bengal in 1717. The British shifted the capital to Kolkata in 1773. Plassey (Palashi), where the historic battle was fought in 1757 between Nawab Siraj-ud-Doula and Lord Clive of the East India Company, is only 40 km south of Murshidabad. Bankura Swami Vivekananda , the patriot Monk of India, repeatedly told us the method of Practical Vedanta, is “Service to Man is Service to God” and through God worship in Man we can realize the highest Truth. For practical demonstration of the said idea, Swami Nityananda, founder Secretary of Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission, Barrackpore set up a temple named Nara Narayan Temple at village Joyrambati in the district of Bankura where everyday a male child of any caste and religion between 4-5 years is worshipped as deity in the Temple

Voyager’s World > May 2016

and offered flowers, fruits, garments etc. Everyday a separate child is selected. Anybody can worship such child. Bishnupur Bishnupur is a town in the Bankura District of West Bengal about 132 km, from Kolkata. It is famous for its terracotta temples and baluchari saris. The town has a glorious past that is reflected in its rich architecture, music and handicrafts such as pottery and weaving. It prospered in the 17th and early 18th Centuries. Ruled by a line of Hindu Rajas of the Malla dynasty, Bishnupur developed a unique form of architecture and has perhaps the most brilliant and detailed terracotta work in Eastern India that has withstood the ravages of time. The history of Bishnupur can be traced back to 694 AD, when King Raghunath I founded the Malla dynasty. However, it was much later in 994 AD that the place was named Bishnupur. The name is derived from the name of the name of the Hindu God ‘Vishnu’. The majority of the people belong to the ‘Vaishnava ‘ sect. The most powerful king of the dynasty was King Raghunath Singh Dev II, who ruled from 1626 AD. At that time the administration of Bengal was in

the hands of Shahjahan’s son Suja. He developed a close friendship with the king and there followed a period of peace when art and music, already flourishing, reached great heights. It was during this period that the Jorebangla Temple was erected. Hooghly The district of Hooghly is just 47 km north of Kolkata and is steeped in history and heritage. Dotted with several small but important towns, the district is testimony to the rule of foreign settlers-the British and Portuguese at Hooghly, the Dutch at Chinsurah, the French at Chandernagore, and the Germans and Austrians at Bhadreswar. The Portuguese were the first to settle here in 1537, but were defeated by by Shah Jahan in 1632. The British East India Company then followed and set up a factory here in 1651. Chandannagore (Chandernagore) was once a French colony and is still under the influence of French language and culture. Chinsurah was a Dutch settlement from 1656 to 1825. It was later exchanged by the Dutch for the British-held Indonesian island of Sumatra in 1825. The Hooghly, as the Ganga River is called here, dominates the landscape and people use ferries to cross from one

town to another. Cooch Behar Once a princely State, Cooch Behar is known for its fine climate, natural freshness, and beauty. During the 11th and 12th Century AD, the Pala-Senas ruled Cooch Behar. The sculptures and coins of the Sultanate and the Mughal Periods, and the temples and mosques of the medieval and late medieval periods reveal that the ancient kingdom of Kamrup played a role in the development of the present Cooch Behar. The main attraction in Cooch Behar is the palace of the Koch king Maharaja Nripendra Narayan. Designed to resemble the classical European style of the Italian Renaissance, this magnificent palace was built by the Maharaja in 1887. Cooch Behar is also famous for large water bodies. Among them Rasik Bill is famous for a huge population of migratory birds that come every year. The Forest Department has built accommodation here to meet the demands of a growing number of tourists interested in ornithology. Bordering the Jalpaiguri district is the Chilapata Forest Range which is also an interesting trail for nature lovers.

Incredible India

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cultural and natural marvels!!

West Bengal is home to some serene and picturesque getaways and hill stations such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, etc. HILL STATIONS Kalimpong Kalimpong is a sleepy little town that is situated at an altitude of 1,200m and at a distance of 50-odd km to the east of Darjeeling. It was once the hub of the trans-Himalayan trade between India and Tibetmerchants used to ferry goods by mule caravans over the Jelepla Pass on the Sikkim-Tibet border. The name of this town has historic significance. Kalimong was once the headquarters of a Bhutanese Governor. The word “kalim” stands for “the King’s minister” and the word “pong” means “stronghold”; hence “Kalimpong” means “the stronghold of the King’s minister”. The dense forests of goldenoaktrees that are offset by the rich undergrowth of moss and lichen are an ideal setting for balmy walks on the thick cushions of russet leaves. One comes to Kalimpong to slow and be pampered amid nature’s bounties. Kalimpong, located on a ridge overlooking the Teesta River, is a tourist destination owing to its temperate climate and proximity

to popular tourist locations in the region. Horticulture is also important to Kalimpong: it has a flower market notable for its wide array of orchids. Nurseries, which export Himalayan grown flower bulbs, tubers and rhizomes, contribute to the economy of Kalimpong. Home to ethnic Nepalis, indigenous ethnic groups and non-native migrants from other parts of India, the town also is a religious centre of Buddhism. The Buddhist monastery Zang Dhok Palri Phodang holds a number of rare Tibetan Buddhist scriptures. Darjeeling Darjeeling conjures visions of snow peaks, serenity of vibrant green hills steeped in splendour, a land of breathtaking beauty crowned by the majestic Himalayas. Darjeeling is one of the most magnificent hill resorts in the world. This heavenly retreat is bathed in hues of every shade. Flaming red rhododendrons, sparkling white magnolias, miles of undulating hillsides covered with emerald green tea bushes, the exotic forests of silver fir - all under the blanket of a brilliant azure sky dappled with specks of clouds, compellingly

confounds Darjeeling as the QUEEN OF HILL STATIONS. The crest of Kanchenjunga shining in the first dawn light truly supports the title. Darjeeling beckons thousands today for a leisurely respite from the bustle of the madding crowd. The traveler - whether a tourist or a trekker, an ornithologist or a photographer, a botanist or an artist - will find in Darjeeling an experience which will remain etched in ones memory forever. Rishop Rimbik Rated as the best and ultimate site in the Kalimpong area, it is situated at a height of 8250 ft. About 10 kms away from lava and 28 kms away from Kalimpong. Jeepable roads reach until the last four Km(Up Hill), however electricity has not reached here yet giving it a medieval sort of charm. The local Sherpas and Lepchas have built small cottage type tourist accommodation here. The Department of Tourism is keen in promoting this area as a tourist destination. A magnificent view of Himalayas can be seen from here along with a view of the Nathula Pass, Tin Simana, Gangtok and Tibet Hills.

Kurseong Kurseong is a hill station (and sub-divisional town) situated in Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India. Located at an altitude of 1458 metres (4864 ft), Kurseong is just 30 km from Darjeeling. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and the winters are not as severe as Darjeeling’s. The local name of Kurseong is “Kharsang” which in the Lepcha language means “Land of White Orchids”. Kurseong is about 47 kms from Siliguri and is connected to the city by road and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The nearest airport is at Bagdogra. The Land of the White Orchids nearest major railway station is New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway station, which is about 53 kilometres from Kurseong. The town is based mainly on schools and tourism. The best times to visit Kurseong are between March end and May and between the end of August and October. The Chogyal (Monarch) of Sikkim ceded Kurseong to the British Empire in 1835. Later in 1880, this small hamlet became a tourist destination for the colonial authorities and was a preferred place for sanatoriums where the sick would recuperate.

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Incredible India

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wicked ride enthuses bikers with premium motorcycle rentals

Vivekananda H.R., Co- founder, Wicked Ride, shares his expansion plans while talking about the role of rental companies in building motorcycle tourism in the country. IRENE SUSAN EAPEN for all our terrains, so we feel that it is better to rent bikes whenever you want it as you have the flexibility to use a motorcycle anywhere in India instead of buying it and maintaining it.”

otorcycle tourism is a budding concept in India and rental companies play a very important role in building this industry. Wicked Ride, a premium motorcycles rental company based in Bangalore, was launched in September 2014 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Udaipur and Bangalore. The main idea behind launching this concept was due to a huge gap in the segment and the desire to ride premium bikes. “We felt that we were not able to get these bikes in India; there was a need to access these motorcycles and we decided to organize that by renting them. We started with two bikes in then and increased the fleet. We did our research and did our pilot test for some time to create a motorcycle rental system. We started with premier motorcycle rentals with Harley Davison, Royal Enfield and triumphs. All our bikes are legally allowed to be rented out as self-drive bikes with proper insurance and license,” says Vivekananda H.R, Co-founder, Wicked Ride. Wicked Ride has 400 motorcycles across 11 cities -Bangalore, Mysore, Hampi, Belgaum, Manipal, Udaipur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Bhuj, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Manali. It is aiming for a pan-India presence in the next 120 days as it wants to include Chennai and Gurgaon and also start services in Kerala and Hyderabad. Vivekananda says that there is no point buying a bike and getting stuck with it; one might rather rent a bike and use it according to one’s flexibility and pay whenever one wants. “One bike will not be enough

Voyager’s World > May 2016

Pricing of Motorcycle rentals The pricing of motorcycle rentals depends on the vehicle one picks. For instance, Harley Davidson can be rented for Rs. 200 per hour. If one is renting a bike for more days, then the rates will reduce. One can rent a bike on an hourly basis, daily basis and even get into a subscription plan with Wicked Ride based on the categories. The three categories include touring bikes, sports bikes, cruisers, street bikes and adventure tourists for rough terrains. Its longest distance ride was from Bangalore to Nepal. It has 28 plus categories of bikes starting from Ducati, Kawasaki, Harley, Triumph, Benelli, Royal Enfield, KTM and many more. Type of customers One set of its customers would like to experience it once in a while; the not-so-serious riders try the bikes just for the kick of it. The serious riders form the other set of its customers. Wicked Ride has biker plans and annual plans. Basically, the customers get the bikes for less than 40% for 20 rides than the actual price for a period of 18 months and the cost comes down with 40%. The company serves about 1200 customers per month across India. Future plans “We are looking forward to become global as we are already in discussions with Sri Lanka, European countries and New Zealand by end of December 2016,” said Vivekananda while dwelling at length about the business aspects of the industry. We estimate premium motorcycle rentals at 5.5 billion USD as an industry. The bulk of our transactions comes from B2C and 20% of our transactions are B2B. We also work with hotels, restaurants,

wedding planners, event management companies, corporate like Titan, movie production houses and ad agencies. India has become one of the wedding destinations with venues in Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala. We have grown at least 18 times since the time we have been operational. We are look forward to have 2000 bikes in each city and about 20,000 to 30,000 bikes across India in three years.” He says that the acceptance of motorcycle tourism in tourism is very high from users, while further informing that there is a need for development of necessary infrastructure and for creating awareness about the concept and support from the government. Motorcycle tourism is a potential market for solo travellers when compared to regular tourist riders. 70% of Wicked Ride customers fall under the age group of 21 - 49 years in domestic tourism. It is working very closely with government tourism boards like Rajasthan and Karnataka. Most of the travellers ride in groups of 10 to 20 riders; 90% are in groups and less than 10% are solo riders. It recently sponsored Sarah Kashyap’s Desert Storm rally; she had participated in rallies and was the only female rider to complete Raid the Himalayas. “Candida Louis works with us and has just completed East to West India tour solo riding. We are coming with exotic tours to places such as Eastern Europe, New Zealand and South Africa. We are also planning to do the South American Che Guevera line very soon.” “The Bikerni and Hop on Hop off girls are two major women riding clubs. We can do custom tours for couples and friends to Leh Ladakh, Bhutan, Kerala, North East and train you on these motor rides three months before the proper schedule. We have done team building activities around motorcycling for corporates like Oracle and IndiGo Airlines. We

have noticed lots of families using the motorcycle concept.” Destinations Leh, Ladakh is the mega market for motorcycle tourism, while other destinations include North East, Kerala, Rann of Kutch, Golden triangle people love to do Jaipur Delhi and Agra. The purchasing power has gone up in terms of consumers. People have just started exploring North East and North East is going to be the next Leh Ladakh. Initiatives We are offering riding classes and promoting motorcycle sport for the two major motorcycle sport events like Raid de Himalayas and the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm. Marketing plans Wicked Ride does a lot of online marketing and it has 93,000 followers on Facebook. It gets about 4000 hits every day to its website. It is presently running a contest on social media from Delhi to Thailand, three winners will be selected and the expenses will be totally taken care by Wicked Ride. “We work with lot of biking clubs we have now created a platform for them ride nation an app for all motorcycling clubs this is in beta version which will be officially launched in the next 15 days. The ride nation is a mobile app where you can create a club, invite members and chat with the members. You can create riding events and you can chat between the clubs.” It also has a mobile app for bookings and for blogs and a website to discover places called mywickedride. com. It is expecting 90% of growth from the mobile app. “We are coming up with Bikation an online platform for the users to select the motorcycle companies they want to ride with, pay the fees online, checkout the features of the tours, select their tours. It is basically a market place for motorcycle touring companies,” he concluded.

Incredible India

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mot steps up efforts to promote india overseas markets

The Ministry of Tourism is taking a series of steps to tap potential tourists from overseas markets to showcase India’s tourism offerings. PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

he Ministry of Tourism, as part of its on-going activities, regularly releases print, electronic, online and outdoor media campaigns in the international markets, under the “Incredible India” brandline, to promote various tourism destinations and products of India with the objective of increasing foreign tourist arrivals to the country. The Ministry of Tourism also promotes various tourism destinations and products through its website and publicity and promotional material produced from time to time.

abroad with the objective of showcasing India’s tourism potential and promoting tourism to the country. These promotional activities include participation in travel fairs and exhibitions; organising Road Shows, “Know India” seminars & workshops; organizing and supporting Indian food festivals; publication of brochures, offering joint advertising and brochure support, and inviting media personalities, tour operators and opinion makers to visit the country under the Hospitality Programme of the Ministry.

In addition, a series of promotional activities are undertaken in important and potential tourist generating markets overseas through the India Tourism Offices

Financial support is also extended under the Marketing Development Assistance Scheme to approved service providers and State Governments/Union Territories for

promotional activities undertaken by them in the overseas markets including Sales-cum- study tours, participation in Fairs/Exhibitions and Road Shows and production of publicity material, Sales Tours etc. The differences in BE and RE were due to an overall cut in the budget of the Ministry of Tourism. Further, the media campaigns for the year 201213 were carried forward and actually implemented in the calendar year 2013. Full-fledged centralized media campaigns could not get released in the next two years due to various reasons including demand for advance payment, lack of response to tender and non-finalization of media plans leading to savings from the funds allocated for undertaking these activities.

Apart from this, the Ministry has constituted a Task Force on Cruise Tourism has been constituted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Task Force comprises members from the Central Ministries, State Governments, various Port Trusts and Private sector. The maiden Maritime India Summit, 2016 (MIS-2016) was organized by the Ministry of Shipping in Mumbai in April 2016. The objective was to create awareness of the untapped potential of Indian maritime sector and showcase investment opportunities. The focus was on presenting India as an attractive investment destination and encourage investors for investing in the Indian Maritime Sector.

10% GROWTH IN FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS from JANUARY- MARCH 2016 PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

oreign Tourists Arrivals (FTAs) during the period January March 2016 were 25.08 lakh with a growth of 10.0% as compared to the FTAs of 22.81 lakh with a growth of 3.5% in January- March 2015 over January - March 2014. FTAs during the Month of March 2016 were 8.17 lakh as compared to FTAs of 7.29 lakh during the month of March 2015 and 6.90 lakh in March 2014. There has been a growth of 12.1% in March 2016 over March 2015. Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) during the month of March 2016 were Rs. 13,115 crore as compared to Rs. 11,133 crore in March 2015 and Rs. 10,479 crore in March 2014. The following are the important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs from tourism during the month of March 2016. Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs): • FTAs during the Month of March 2016 were 8.17 lakh as compared

to FTAs of 7.29 lakh during the month of March 2015 and 6.90 lakh in March 2014. There has been a growth of 12.1% in March 2016 over March 2015. • FTAs during the period JanuaryMarch 2016 were 25.08 lakh with a growth of 10.0% as compared to the FTAs of 22.81 lakh with a growth of 3.5% in January- March 2015 over January- March 2014. The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during March, 2016 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (14.07%) followed by UK (13.16%), USA (11.84%), Germany (3.74%), Canada (3.57%), Sri Lanka (3.48%), Malaysia (3.45%), Russian Federation (3.19%), China (2.92%), France (2.92%), Australia (2.83%), Japan (2.43%), Nepal (1.72%), Singapore (1.67%) and Thailand (1.60). The Percentage share of

Foreign

Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during March 2016 among the top 15 ports was highest at Delhi Airport (33.82%) followed by Mumbai Airport (15.97%), Haridaspur Land check post (7.83%),Chennai Airport (7.30%), Bangaluru Airport (5.44%), Goa Airport (4.05%), Kolkata Airport (4.02%), Cochin Airport (3.76%), Hyderabad Airport (2.72%), Gede Rail (1.67%), Amritsar Airport (1.63%), Ahmadabad Airport (1.63%), Trivendrum Airport (1.48%), Tiruchirapalli Airport (1.34%) and Gaya Airport (0.96%), Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from Tourism in India in Rs. terms and in US$ terms • FEEs during the month of March 2016 were Rs. 13,115 crore as compared to Rs. 11,133 crore in March 2015 and Rs. 10,479 crore in March 2014. • The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms during March 2016 over March 2015 was 17.8% as

compared to the growth of 6.2% in March 2015 over March 2014. • FEEs from tourism in rupee terms during January- March 2016 were Rs. 40,411 crore with a growth of 15.9% as compared to the FEE of Rs. 34,875 crore with a growth of 3.6% during January- March 2015 over January- March 2014. • FEEs in US$ terms during the month of March 2016 were US$ 1.958 billion as compared to FEEs of US$ 1.783 billion during the month of March 2015 and US$ 1.716 billion in March 2014. • The growth rate in FEEs in US$ terms in March 2016 over March 2015 was 9.8% compared to the growth of 3.9% in March 2015 over March 2014. • FEE from tourism in US$ terms during January- March 2016 were US$ 5.986 billion with a growth of 6.8% as compared to the US$ 5.605 billion with a growth 2.9% during January- March 2015 over JanuaryMarch 2014.

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Happenings

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Indian travel agents experience South Korea luxury Fam trip

Ras Al Khaimah organises Fam for Mumbai travel trade

orea Tourism Organization (KTO), along with Korean Air (KAL) organized a luxury Fam trip for their top business partners to Seoul and Jeju Island in April 2016. The aim of the visit was to showcase the products and offerings for luxury FIT, family group travel and honeymoon market. Representatives from Cox & Kings, Kesari Travels, Akbar Travels, Riya Travels, Korean Air & KTO Team were part of this trip. The group visited the Seongsan Sunrise Peak, experienced deep sea submarine, OneMount Snowpark, saw the changing of guard’s ceremony at Gyeongbuk Palace, watching the NANTA SHOW – the most famous nonverbal performance of Korea and experienced Royal Korean Cuisine.

as Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority organised an exclusive familiarisation trip to Ras Al Khaimah from 29 April to 1 May for six travel trade partners from Mumbai. They included Kesari Tours P Ltd., Cox & Kings Ltd., Zest Tours and Travel, Bhatija Travels, Planet Holidays and the Bella Corsa Destinations. During the trip, the travel trade members visited famous attractions like Iceland Waterpark, Falcon show and luxury properties like Waldorf Astoria, Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort, The Cove Rotana, Banyan Tree Al Wadi and Rixos Bab Al Bahr.

Travstarz Global Group, Constance Hotels & Resorts conduct workshop for Jaipur agents

Promote Iceland organizes three city roadshow in India

ravstarz Global Group recently conducted a workshop and networking dinner for Jaipur agents, along with Constance Hotels & Resorts, at the Fortune Metropolitan Hotel Jaipur and registered an attendance with over 60 travel agents. Sara Juneja of Nijhawan Group who represent Constance Hotels in India, gave a product presentation on the Constance properties at all locations, highlighting their unique characteristics. Sucheta Nagpal, Director & CEO, Travstarz Global Group, the Preferred Wholesalers for Constance Hotels & Resorts in India gave a presentation about the company and its offerings including its newly launched B2B Portal www.travelrezonline. com and its new vertical for DMC Representations in India, DMCConnect. In. Sucheta said, “Our focus cities will initially be our newly opened partner offices in Bangalore, Jallandhar, Pune and Ahmedabad and moving on to Tier 2 cities. We are also planning Fam trips for some of our preferred partners and potential travel agents with Constance Hotels in 2016.”

romote Iceland recently conducted a three city roadshow in India namely Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai to increase tourist footfalls from India.Iceland received over 1000 tourists from India last year. Promote Iceland’s strategy is to target the premium travellers from India as the destination is not for ‘budget’ travellers. Iceland is blessed with beautiful landscapes, roaring volcanoes, monolithic glaciers, icy mountains and deep fjords. Thorleifur Thor Jonsson, Manager - Trade Delegations, Promote Iceland said, “We have not been very active in the Indian market in the past. But now we think that Iceland has gained interest in India and we want to build on the momentum through our maiden roadshows. The roadshow was a platform to meet the travel trade.”

43>>

roomsXML to help GSA and travel agents to build and manage their own brand

ver 400 travel agents visited the roomsXML.com booth at ATM 2016. Apart from giving the visitors the product demo, special emphasis was laid out by the management team to inform GSA and travel agents about the importance of developing and working under one’s own brand rather than depending on the whims and fancy of somebody else. Says Prakash Bang, Managing Director, roomsXML Solutions Limited, “When tied with a third party brand, a GSA and a Travel Agent do have limitations since they lack the flexibility to work as per changing market dynamics. They have no options but to depend on the inventory, mark-ups, vendors, etc. that are offered by the principals. Worst, when the relationship comes to an end, the GSA or the Travel Agent needs to go back to the drawing board. The option is to have one’s own brand. The GSA and the travel agents do have the option of not choosing to work with our feed. There’s no binding. They can be with us as long as we are competitive and have a service that keeps them happy. At roomsXML.com, innovation is the key differentiator. That’s what keeps us leading the pack. Till date we have introduced 11 specific features that are the industry’s first – and many of them are yet to be emulated by others in the line!”

Maharashtra CM hosts dinner for participants of KIP

Argentina celebrates World Malbec Day in Mumbai

Cox & Kings celebrates 10 years with Chamonix Mont Blanc

s a part of the 35th Know India Programme (KIP), hosted in Maharashtra recently, the diaspora youth of Indian origin participating in the programme were invited by the state’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for an official dining ceremony at the State Guest House (Sahyadri) on 5 May. The young professionals of Indian origin but visiting India for the first time were invited from countries like South Africa, Myanmar, Israel, Fiji, Mauritius, Malaysia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Trinidad & Tobago this year. The students interacted with the Minister who spoke about the important aspects of Maharashtra.

he Consulate General & Trade Promotion Centre of Argentina in Mumbai celebrated the sixth edition of World Malbec Day in Mumbai in April at the Taj Mahal Palace & Hotel, along with 64 cities and 50 countries around the world, together paying tribute to Argentina’s flagship grape varietyMALBEC. This annual celebration continues to strengthen our signature grape, Malbec Argentino, as a unique reference for Argentina and the world. This year, the Consulate hosted the event to include a farewell for their outgoing Consul General, H.E. Mr. Tomas Ferrari. The wine of choice for the night was Trapiche, one of Argentina’s oldest and biggest wine producers.

hamonix, which is home to Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe at 4810 metres celebrated the 10th anniversary of its partnership with Cox & Kings at the Cap Horn—Cap Blanc restaurant in Chamonix, France. The partnership was inked in 2006, when this region was formally introduced to the Indian market by Cox & Kings with the unstinted support of Atout France—France Tourism Development Agency in India. To mark the historic occasion, the Deputy Mayor of Chamonix Jacqueline Fattier presented Anand a memento for putting Chamonix on the tourism map of India.

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Travel Trends

44>>

Indians most demanding and loyal consumers: Collinson Group VW BUREAU

ccording to new research launched by Collinson Group, Indians are the most demanding and loyal customers in the world. Social Service Institude in Singapore conducted the research on behalf of Collinson Group. 6,125 consumers within the top 10% - 15% of earners in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, UK, USA and the UAE were polled online. High quality and consistent service is expected by 83% of the consumers and 81% of the consumers expect the brands to be easy to do business. This compares with the global average of 69%. 81% of the consumers agreed that programmes make them purchase more while 82% would recommend a brand that offers loyalty programmes. This is above the global average of 66% and 65% respectively. There has been a 24% drop in membership of loyalty programmes among the affluent middle class in India since 2014. Collision’s Group surveyed the programmes run by supermarket and grocery stores, airlines, credit card providers, retailers, hotels, telecom and media companies, coffee shops, and banking. The survey showed drop in the membership in all the areas. Telecoms and media providers were the only sector to have a 2% rise in membership.

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“This is a critical wake-up call to brands using points-based programmes offering only generic rewards. Given the importance of

affluent middle class consumers on the fortunes of companies, brands must lift their game and rethink how they recognise, engage and reward customers,” said Anurag Saxena, India Country Manager, ICLP, owned by Collinson Group. As a result of generic loyalty programmes, the affluent middle class is less likely to repeat purchase or recommend a brand to friends. India, Brazil and China oppose this trend, suggesting these societies are yet to experience the frustration of uninspiring programmes seen in more mature Western markets. Loyalty programmes are requested by 42% of the people while flexibility to choose rewards and benefits are requested by 77% of the Indian consumers to spend more on the preferred brand. “There is a clear appetite for loyalty and consumer engagement initiatives, but consumers are turning their backs on programmes that no longer resonate with them. Brands should tap into what motivates their customers, instead of reaching for only discounts or material goods as rewards,” added Anurag Saxena. Customer expectation is highest in financial services, with four out of five (79%) of affluent Indian middle class customers expecting their bank to reward them for their loyalty. Again, India is the most demanding country, 14% higher than the global

average of 65%. Retail banks and credit card providers can meet this demand by developing innovative loyalty programmes that draw on the wealth of customer data held on record. Of all the industries surveyed, the financial services sector is best placed to succeed, as 77% of Indian respondents agree that their bank knows and understands their needs. This 12% increase since 2014 suggests the sector is learning the value of a relevant and personal customer experience. India also beats the global average of 49% suggesting a forward looking sector. Further, Indian banking loyalty programmes specifically were found to encourage 95% of members to spend more (82% globally), while credit card initiatives positively influenced 85% of respondents (79% globally). The research also uncovered increases in the levels of trust in financial services’ ability to manage personal data (+9%), and faith in institutions to act in their customers’ best interests (+9%). The financial services sector must however be aware of challenges to their business in the form of new fintech start-ups offering services that impact revenues, as well as the reduction in interchange fees which have traditionally been used to fund loyalty programmes. To succeed, financial services and other industries must: • Recognise the value of relevance – The abundance of generic

programmes has diluted the impact of loyalty programmes causing consumer fatigue. Brands need to balance programme objectives for motivating short-term behaviour and driving deeper engagement for longterm loyalty. Personalisation and breadth of rewards and benefits is key for brands to remain relevant. • Address how loyalty programmes are funded – The loss in interchange fees can be mitigated by increasing fees in other areas of business, developing their own loyalty programmes, increasing collaboration with merchant funded programmes and building bank-wide loyalty through account add-ons like insurance. • Embrace digital– The smartphone is becoming the consumer device of choice for many brand interactions. Indeed, 84% of Indian respondents make digital payments when possible and 80% agree that online banking is important to them. Incorporating loyalty programmes into payment card and mobile ecosystems will increase consumer brand affinity. • Move beyond transactional rewards –Although discounts and cash-back provide instant gratification, they do little to drive long-term loyalty. Brands must get to the heart of what matters to customers. For the affluent middle class, this is often their friends and families, so rewards should be more experiential, lifestyle and life-goal oriented.

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Top Appointments

45>> Athena Salim

Sachin Malhotra

General Manager Atmantan

General Manager Hotel Grand Mercure, Mysuru

thena Salim joins as the General Manager of Atmantan the luxury wellness resort in Mulshi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pune. She has done her Bachelors from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute in India and Masters from The Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development.She has worked in various roles including F&B.

otel Grand Mercure, Mysuru appointed Sachin Malhotra as General Manager. He has 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to this, he has worked with Mercure Lavasa and Lavasa Convention Centre as Hotel Manager. He also worked across Accor Hotels properties for over six years.

Kamakhya Singh

Arpit Pant

Food & Beverage Director JW Marriott Bengaluru

Regional Director - South Asia & Middle East Preferred Hotels & Resorts

amakhya Singh joins JW Marriott Bengaluru as the Food and Beverage Director. In his last assignment he has worked with The Westin Chennai Velachery as the Food and Beverage Director. He has an experience of 13 years and has worked at various locations such as Hong Kong, Azerbaijan, Pune and Mumbai.

referred Hotels & Resorts has appointed Arpit Pant as the Regional Director of South Asia and Middle East.He brings with him an experience of 15 years. Prior to this, he worked as the General Manager of The Oberoi Cecil and Suryagarh. He started his career with The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts.

Arun Arora

Anand Desai

General Manager Radisson Blu, Paschim Vihar

Group CIO (Chief Information Officer) RezLive.com - Travel Designer Group

adisson Blu, Paschim Vihar has appointed Arun Arora as the General Manager. He has over 27 years of experience in all aspects of Hotel operations including overseas. He has worked with various hotels like Taj Group of Hotels, ITC Welcome Group Sheraton and Clarks Group of Hotels.

nand Desai has been appointed as Group CIO for Rezlive.com (Travel Designer Group). He comes with over 18 years of experience in the IT industry. He had previously worked in Reuters and Credit Suisse working across New York, Zurich, London, Singapore and India.

Manoj Dev

Damian Niesel

General Manager Shraddha Sarovar Portico, Shirdi

anoj Dev joins Shraddha Sarovar Portico, Shirdi as the General Manager. He has an experience of about two decades in the hotel industry. His previous assignments include as General Manager at Vikram Vantage Inn, Nainital, General Manager at Pine Retreat, Mussoorie and Quality Inn Presidency, Kochi.

Chief Operations Officer, Sterling Holiday Resorts

amian Niesel has been appointed as the Chief Operations Officer of Sterling Holiday Resorts. He is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in Hospitality and Management. Prior to this, he has worked with Qatar National Hotels, Sofitel Luxury Hotels, IHG and Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts.

Nishant Agarwal

Mohd Hafiz Hashim

General Manager, The Westin Pune Koregaon Park

ishant Agarwal is the General Manager of The Westin Pune Koregaon Park. He has over 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He started his career with The Imperial, New Delhi, The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels, Marriott Hotels and The Westin Mumbai Garden City.

Director Tourism Malaysia

ohd Hafiz Hashim has been appointed as the Director of Tourism Malaysia, Mumbai. In his earlier roles, he has worked with Tourism Malaysia offices in Singapore, Sydney,Melbourne and Auckland. He will be responsible in developing the Western India market targeting the Tier2 and 3 cities.

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NETWORKING ISthe THE networking is ke KEY Y May 2016

June 2016

July 2016

August 2016

September 2016

May2016 18, 19, 20 WTM Connect Asia Penang, Malaysia

23, 24, 25 WTM Connect China Hainan Island, China

24, 25, 26, 27 Next Travel Trade Exchange Mexico

June 2016

July 2016

3, 4, 5

16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Kilifair Moshi,Tanzania

GBTA Convention 2016 Denver, USA

15, 16, 17

21, 22

ibtm america Nashville, USA

Global Panorama Showcase Kolkata

28, 29

16, 17, 18, 19 ITE Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Global Panorama Showcase Chandigarh

9, 10, 11, 12

29, 30, 31

Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA) COEX, Seoul, South Korea

India International Travel Mart Chennai

August 2016

September 2016 8, 9, 10 ITE HCMC Hochiminh City, Vietnam

5, 6, 7

21, 22

India International Travel Mart Bangalore

MICE Asia Pacific Exhibition Singapore

19, 20, 21

23, 24, 25

Holiday Expo Vadodara

India International Travel Mart Mumbai

30 September, 1, 2 october India International Travel Mart Gurgaon

IITM EVENTS 2016 - 2017 Chennai 29, 30, 31 July 2016

Pune 25, 26, 27 November 2016

Bangalore 05, 06, 07 August 2016

Hyderabad 02, 03, 04 December 2016

Mumbai 23, 24, 25 September 2016

Kochi 12, 13, 14 January 2017

(Delhi) Gurgaon 30 Sep, 1,2 Oct 2016

Kolkata 24, 25, 26 February 2017 Supported By

Organised By

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