September 16

RNI No.: DELENG/2014/59308

www.whereabouts.in

IATO Special Edition

Volume III Issue I SEPTEMBER 2016

Annual Subscription ` 660

Exclusive

What can make

GST a fruitful tax law reform for

Tourism & Hospitality?

ASSOCIATION

STATE

AVIATION

NTO

HOSPITALITY

CONTENTS REGULAR

6 NEWS IN BRIEF 10 TRAVEL BUSINESS 16 MoT 26 NTO 30 HOSPITALITY 34 AVIATION 36 GDS/OTA 37 FACT & FIGURES 38 APPOINTMENT & EVENTS

team@whereabouts

Editor Rajesh Tiwari rajesh@whereabots.in +91 9818525672

Correspondents Jai Kishan Kaparwan Nisha whereabouts.in@gmail.com

EXCLUSIVE 12-15 What can make GST a fruitful tax law reform for Tourism & Hospitality?

Bengal Tourism repositions itself with new brand identity & policy makeover

Advertising Manager Santosh K Mishra +91 8447786636 marketing@whereabouts.in Marketing & Events Manager Lakshman Vashisth +91 9911907050

Principal Advisor

Art Director

Anil Prakash

Mithlesh Gupta

Production Manager Subhash

Legal Advisor Advocate Brijesh Tiwari

Distribution Executive

Advertising

Anoop Singh

Commercial Director Dheeraj Anand +91 9560444678 dheeraj@whereabouts.in

Accounts CA Rishabh Rana

Technical & Web Support Amit Agrahari

All information in Whereabouts is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate and up to date information.

All contents of this publication are reserved worldwide. Reproduction in any manner without prior written permission is prohibited. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of component courts and forums in Delhi only.

Whereabouts is own, printed & published

by Rajesh Tiwari. Whereabouts is printed at Pritika Printers, A-21/27, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi 110028 and published from E-8/401, Nehru Vihar, Delhi 110094. Editor Rajesh Tiwari

EDITOR’S NOTE

NEED TO KNOW 18-21

Chennai Detroit of India and the Gateway of South

WHEREABOUTS 22-24 Women’s Journey Thailand

Dear Readers, As you all know the much awaited tax reform GST has become a reality in India. This is a very significant move from industry’s perspective. However, the tourism and hospitality industry has its own necessities that demands special status from the GST Council. In this issue of the magazine you will have an in depth knowledge about the Goods and Services Tax. The idea is to give you a better understanding about the treatment of taxes and implementation of GST. With the inputs from FAITH the cover story of this issue will let you understand what can make GST a fruitful tax law reform for tourism and hospitality industry.

First-ever month-long women-oriented travel festival in the Land of Smiles

Hope you would like it.

Your feedback is important to us.

Thanks and regards,

32nd IATO Annual Convention

08 ON THE COVER : UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS

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NEWS IN BRIEF ASSOCIATION

PP Khanna elected as new President of ADTOI

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P Khanna led ‘Dream Team’ won with a thumping majority at the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) elections for the XIth Executive Council of ADTOI were held on 10th August, 2016 at Hotel Metropolitan & Spa, New Delhi.

Except for the Treasurer, and Joint Secretary, the Dream Team bagged all the Managing Committee seats in the elections held to select the association leadership for the next two years.

P P Khanna (Diplomatic Travel Point (P) Ltd. has elected as President of the association for two year term 2016-18.

Rajat Sawhney of Rave Tours & Travels declared Vice President, Chetan Gupta of R.G. Destinations Pvt. Ltd. elected as General Secretary, Debashis Dey of ASRA

Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd. elected Joint Secretary and Kamal Gandhi of Transglobal Tours & Travels elected as the new Treasurer.

The members of the newly elected Executive Council are Anil Rajput (Promark Travels Pvt. Ltd.), Ankit Miglani (Welcome Trips), Arvind Khanna (Jyoti Travel Pvt. Ltd.), Ashish Sehgal (Hora Tourism & Hospitality Consulting Services), Jatinder Singh Bhatia (Travel Experts), Manoj Varshney (Tulsi Travels Pvt.Ltd.), Reena Chopra (Magical Holidays Pvt. Ltd.) and Sanjay Saxena (Cordial India Tours and Events)

CIVIL AVIATION

DGCA issues revised Civil Aviation Requirement

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irectorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), which specify the requirements of Flight Duty and Flight Time Limitation (FDTL) for cabin crew.

This information was revealed by PTI. The existing CAR has been reviewed and the revised CAR will be effective from September 1, 2016. Revised CAR lays down the provision for extension of FDTL of cabin crew under unforeseen operational circumstances.

at major airports and regular monitoring of security arrangements through inspections and dummy checks.

Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Government of India, said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha that the security system at airports in India is also reviewed from time to time and upgraded as per requirements with involvement of all security agencies and stakeholders, depending upon threat perceptions. Some of the steps taken to strengthen security arrangements include time bound deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at major airports, deployment of Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs)

ÂÂTo ensure better on time performance, a meeting is conducted by Air India every day wherein Heads of Verticals as well as regional Heads discuss the previous day operation and take corrective steps based on the review.

6 September 2016

The following measures have been taken to improve the punctuality/on time performance: ÂÂInitiatives have been taken to increase the availability of resources in terms of crew and aircraft thereby improving the on time performance. Extra efforts are made to ensure passenger connection.

ÂÂBlock times of flights have been revised to factor in congestion at airports and airspace, so that en-route delays are minimised. ÂÂRegular meetings are held with other stake holders like ground handlers and airports operator to minimise delays.

ASSOCIATION

PATA and Triip. me set to launch GTEC 2016

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he Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), in partnership with Triip.me and with the support of Gobi Partners, FWD Hong Kong and the Seychelles Tourism Board, is all set to launch the Global Travel Entrepreneur Challenge 2016 (GTEC 2016) to nurture entrepreneurship and to celebrate the beauty of local experiences while travelling.

The Global Travel Entrepreneur Challenge is a competition for millennials and young professionals that have an interest in building and operating their own successful travel startup. Young entrepreneurs and students between the ages of 18 and 35 are encouraged to join GTEC 2016 from August 29 to November 15.

As part of the competition, participants will form teams of 1-5 members and create travel tours on Triip.me’s global travel platform. They run that business at every stage from marketing and promotions to optimisation and operations. Winners will submit a business report to compete for the final prizes.

The Grand Prize winner wins a trip of a lifetime to the Seychelles, including free round trip flight and two nights accommodation to attend the Seychelles Ocean Festival (December 3-10), where they will receive their award.

MOT

India’s ranking in Tourism & Travel Competitiveness

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s per the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) 2015, of the World Economic Forum, India ranks 35th in air transport infrastructure and 50th in ground and port infrastructure from 141 countries of the world. India ranks 136th in terms of airport density and 76th in terms of quality of roads according to TTCI Report 2015, while according to the 2013 Report, India ranked 136th in terms of airport density and 85th in terms of quality of roads. The overall TTCI ranking of India has improved to 52nd in 2015 as compared to 65th in 2013

NEWS IN BRIEF MOT

BRICS Convention proposes greater cooperation among member countries

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he two-day long BRICS Convention on Tourism was concluded in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. The BRICS nations were represented by the Minister of Tourism, South Africa D.A. Hanekom and delegations from Russia and China. The inaugural function was also graced by Tourism Minister and ChairmanTourism, Government of Madhya Pradesh Surendra Patwa.

Secretary (Tourism), Government of India Vinod Zutshi stressed about the importance of the tourism sector as a major catalyst for economic growth and a source of job creation, thus contributing to the economy. He welcomed the cooperation extended by all the BRICS nations for mutual growth of tourism between the member countries.

The Minister of Tourism, South Africa D.A. Hanekom expressed his great pleasure for holding the BRICS Convention on Tourism in the historic temple town of Khajuraho and highlighted that India with a long tradition, history, ancient civilization and culture with a large number of World Heritage Sites like Khajuraho is destination to be visited again and again. He also proposed constituting a permanent

BRICS Working Stream on Tourism comprising of the stakeholders of the Government and private sector.

Heads of the delegation of China and Russia also emphasized greater cooperation among the member countries for the mutual benefit for the growth of tourism and looked at the convention as a platform to interact with the travel industry partners.

GDS

ITQ conducts Travel-Tech Knowledge Point for media professionals

CIVIL AVIATION

Indian Flights to offer Wi-Fi soon

I I

n a first of its kind initiative, InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) conducted an exclusive session for media professionals in New Delhi recently. Branded as ‘TravelTech Knowledge Point’ the session was aimed at creating awareness about the importance of GDS in today’s scenario.

Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Commercial Officer, ITQ made a presentation on the recent developments at Travelport and ITQ. During his presentation Dwivedi elaborated on the Travelport Samartpoint solution- a one stop travel booking platform, and responded to the media queries.

InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ), a strategic business unit of InterGlobe Enterprises is a leader in aviation, hospitality and travel related services, contributing to the growth of market through innovation and service leadership by building businesses and represent global brands that deliver quality and value.

Anil Parashar-President & CEO, Sandeep Dwivedi-Chief Commercial Officer and Taruna Soni-Head Marketing & Communications along with the team ITQ were presented on the occasion to interact with the members of media.

f you are one of those Indian fliers who have always wished that Indian carriers too allowed the use of mobile phones and internet services on board like some of the leading international airlines, your wish may just come true. According to Civil Aviation Secretary, Rajeev Chaubey the government is likely to take a decision in the next few days. Currently, the use of mobile phones or on board internet services is not allowed because of security reasons. Security agencies, so far, didn’t have the technology to monitor such data transmission over Indian airspace. However, the Ministries of Home Affairs, Telecom and Aviation are working closely to find a solution that will allow the use of on board use of Wi-Fi services.

Many international airlines offer paid Wi-Fi services on board that allow fliers to keep themselves updated and stay in touch with the outside world. But the use of Wi-Fi is banned over Indian airspace. So, once allowed, it will also benefit international airlines that fly over India or use the Indian airspace.

September 2016 7

Expectations & Reality: Bridging the Gap

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he Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has opted Expectations & Reality: Bridging the Gap as the theme of the convention to be discussed during the 32nd Annual Convention of IATO. The convention is taking place in Chennai from September 18-21, 2016.

The theme is opted to address the challenges of current tourism scenario where the tourism professionals find a lot of gap between the expectation and the reality. Hence there is a need to fill these gaps to gain a sustainable tourism growth. There are areas where tourism depends totally on other partners like airlines, hotels, surface transportation, restaurants services and tour operators can’t take a final decision till getting a confirmation from each of these partners.

The important points expected to be discussed during the convention are as below: ÂÂE-tourist visa (Multiple entry included in e-tourist visa) ÂÂLonger Stay (now restricted to 30 days only etc.) ÂÂPending Tax Rationalization (Luxury Tax, Road Tax and VAT etc.) ÂÂRevision Marketing Development Assistance & Hospitality ÂÂImplementation of GST ÂÂSkill Development Programme ÂÂHighway Development with links to Tourist Centers ÂÂCruise Tourism

KTM 2016 to focus on Responsible Tourism KTM 2016, the 9th edition of the Kerala Travel Mart is scheduled to take place from 28th to 30th September, 2016 at Samudrika & Sagara Convention Centre, Willingdon Island, Kochi. It is the only Travel Mart in the country that showcases a single destination - Kerala.

Jaikishan Kaparwan

T

he Kerala Travel Mart Society in partnership with the Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala hosts this mega event which brings together the business entrepreneurs behind the tourism products and services of Kerala on a single platform. It is perhaps the largest gathering in the tourism Industry of Kerala that facilitates the meeting and interaction of the Buyers, Sellers and the Media.

Tour Operators, Hotels, Resorts, Homestays, Houseboats, Ayurveda Resorts, cultural art centres and many others will showcase their products at the Mart.

From its inception, there has been an overwhelming response from the national and international Buyers which has reflected in the steady escalation in the variety of tourism products and in the numbers of participants, both Buyers and Sellers. KTM 2014 was attended by more than 1100 Buyers.

Over the last 15 years since the first Mart, KTM has attracted over 1500 International Buyers who have established business partners

8 September 2016

among the various sections in the Tourism industry of Kerala. KTM 2016 is expected to host around 1100 buyers from many corners of the world and from other states in India.

KTM (Kerala Travel Mart) is held once in two years during September and the stupendous success of each Mart has inspired the KTM Society to innovate and take each Mart to the next level.

KTM 2016 will reach out to buyers from new markets like Australia, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Middle East, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden and USA. KTM 2016 will focus on raising their quality too.

The Mart will highlight responsible tourism in a big way.

The Mart will project Kerala as the ideal breakaway destination for weddings and honeymoons along with ayurveda and leisure.

These emerging segments are being viewed very seriously by tourist destinations and KTM intends to increase Kerala’s market share to an additional 5,000 crores.

The Hosted Buyer programme is a unique component of the show and it provides the Buyers an opportunity to meet with the exhibitors of their choice for focused one-to-one sessions with prefixed appointments. Selected Buyers will receive complimentary accommodation, local transfers, a Post Mart FAM Tour and participation at networking evenings.

GDS

Indian LCC’s can’t afford to set away from GDS for a long: Anil Parashar Rajesh Tiwari

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espite the fact that a lot of LCC’s (Low Cost Carriers) from world across utilizing the cutting edge technology of GDS (Global Distribution System); the Indian LCC’s are a little hesitant at the moment, whether to join the GDS or not. “In today’s fast paced world where customer wants single window clearance with a host of options at the competitive price, joining a GDS has become a necessity for LCC’s,” says Anil Parashar, President & CEO, InterGlobe Technology Quotient while interacting with Whereabouts at the outset of an event organised by ITQ for media professionals.

“Since a GDS gives an impetus to LCC’s aggressive growth plan through its rich content and branding along with ancillary services like hotels and car rentals the Indian carriers can’t afford to set away from GDS for a long,” added Parashar.

On being asked, against the global trend why the Indian LCCs are not getting onboard, he explains, “The international operations of Indian LCC’s are not more than 5 to 7 percent of their total operations.

Once after extending their international operations the rich content and branding will become a necessity for them, therefore the LCC’s will have to come on board for further reach and to compete with the other airlines.”

Travelport Smartpoint poised to become a ‘Game Changer’ Launched just one and half year ago, Travelport Smartpoint is gaining popularity among the travel agencies across the country, and poised to become a game changer for travel bookings. The latest version (7.1) would further add to the technological evolution thereby making the process of travel booking even more seamless.

Samrtpoint solution is one-stop shop travel booking platform that offers updated content, ancillaries, images of cabins and seats in a single window, accurate product description within the fare and much more.

Anil Parashar President & CEO InterGlobe Technology

“Since a GDS gives an impetus to LCC’s aggressive growth plan through its rich content and branding along with ancillary services like hotels and car rentals the Indian carriers can’t afford to set away from GDS for a long,”

While elaborating on the adoption of Smartpoint by travel agencies, Parashar said “The professionals who have been there for a long and skilled in traditional format of business were a little reluctant for a change initially while the newer generation adopted this technology instantly and find it as a lovely platform to work with for a seamless business.” “The agencies who have upgraded to the Smartpoint solution are swearing by it today,” he added.

Further explaining on the advantage of Smartpoint he said that this technology is a game changer for travel bookings. “In order to compete with the newer or upgraded one, the travel agencies working on traditional format will be compelled to adopt this cutting edge technology soon,” added Parashar.

The company is making all efforts to encourage those who have been upgraded to the system but reluctant to switch over to this format.

CRUISE

TIRUN launches new feature ‘Partner Search’ WH Desk

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ffering simplified travel bookings to travel agents all across the country, TIRUN the exclusive India representative for three brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises, has launched its Partner Search page. The newly-added Partner Search feature on TIRUN provides travel partners and agencies greater ease while searching for cruise vacations, checking for itineraries, and will also allow them to get multiple quotations and make multiple bookings with different dates, all in one go.

The platform displays cruise fares all-inclusive of taxes and gratuities, saving travel agencies and their respective customers from hassles of hidden charges while cruise sailing. Adding to the platform’s flexibility, Partner Search is also accessible from mobile phones to help agents make booking even while they are on the go.

September 2016 9

TRAVEL BUSINESS

Travstarz opens DMC office in Mauritius WH Desk

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ravstarz Global Group continues its growth spree after India and Thailand Offices with the opening of its DMC Office in Mauritius. Sucheta Nagpal, Director & CEO, Travstarz Global Group announced this at their First Participation at the five City Mauritius Tourism Road Show with MTPA starting with Mumbai followed by Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.

“We are of course looking at growing our numbers for Mauritius with our own office there but I personally wish to develop some unique and innovative products for a beautiful destination like Mauritius which according to me needs to be positioned better to utilize its full potential,” says Pankaj Nagpal, Managing Director, Travstarz Global Group Elaborating on Mauritius as a tourist destination Nagpal further said “I want to take away the established image of Mauritius as a Honeymoon Destination only with the regular 3 Full Day Sight Seeing kind

of itinerary that has been selling in India so far.”

“The Destination has a lot to offer for Families, Youngsters, Casino Lovers and Nature lovers and can be much better sold to the young and experimental traveller of today provided they are well educated on the destination by travel professional like us and we will work strongly in that direction,” he suggested.

“As we look to spread our wings further, we are always looking for Strategic Partnerships and Acquisitions with established local DMCs across the world to bring them under the Travstarz Banner. Travstarz Mauritius is another step in the direction where we have acquired Strategic Stake in Holiday Seven Ltd., a well-established DMC in Mauritius which is now Travstarz Mauritius, informed Sucheta.

Fardeen Ebrahimsaib, the Director for Travstarz Mauritius says “We are very glad to be a part of Travstarz Global Group now, which in recent years has been the fastest

HeyBnb enters India with a presence across 17 cities WH Desk

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eyBnb (HeyBednBreakfast) a fast rising global company in the short stay accommodation space announced their entry into India with a key presence in cities like New Delhi, Bengaluru, Goa and Cochin. Headquartered in Singapore, the company works on the concept of shared economy of home sharing concept. Emphasizing on the tagline ‘Wanderers of life’, HeyBnb provides an online marketplace connecting hosts who want to make their extra rooms available and travellers who are looking for comfortable yet affordable short-term accommodations.

Commenting on this, Kenny Blatt, CoFounder, Head strategy, HeyBnb said, “We at HeyBnb are bullish about our expansion plans and we want to rope in as many guests and hosts as possible. We are focusing largely on key cities across Asia, Europe, US and Australia.”

“In India alone, we started our operations this year with 17 cities and expect to increase our room count to 60,000 by endOctober. The global size of the vacation stay market is expected to reach $170 billion by 2019, out of which 5 players own less than 10 percent share, namely Home Away, Airbnb, VRBO, One Fine Stay and Tujian,” he added.

Stan Dong, Co-Founder and Head of Technology, HeyBnb said,“We are enthusiastic about HeyBnb entering Indian shores and are primarily focusing on destination cities/states like Goa, Ladakh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gangtok, Shimla, pilgrimage destinations, forest and hill stations. We want to cater to leisure travellers like youth, families, solo travellers and women travellers, hence most properties listed on our platform are in the price range from INR 1,000 – 13,000. We want HeyBnb to be the one-stop platform for foreigners when they visit India.”

Currently HeyBnb is present across 17 key metros and cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, Varanasi, Sarnath, Dehradun, Agra, Coorg, Bir Billing (H.P.), Thekkady, Trichy and Puducherry etc

10 September 2016

growing Travel Wholesaler & DMC in India driven by the young and dynamic couple duo of Sucheta and Pankaj. We do hope that we will be able to better service the Indian Market now under the Travstarz Banner.”

The Mauritius Office will not only be an Inbound DMC for Mauritius but will also look after the Sales & Marketing of company’s online portal www.travelrezonline.com for the Mauritius and other African Markets.

Travelyaari raises $7 million in Series B funding

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ravelyaari, an online bus booking platform which leverages technology solutions to simplify and streamline bus ticketing processes, has announced the successful closure of its Series B investment round worth $7 million. Led by Gujarat Venture Finance Limited (GVFL), Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd (the Times Group) and other investors, the latest investment will be used to facilitate product development as well as business growth for Travelyaari.

A flagship product of Mantis Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Travelyaari has consistently provided real-time, cancellation-proof bookings with timely confirmations and assured refunds. The platform will be looking to use the funds raised to further augment its service network and increase the online penetration of bus bookings. More than5000+ road travel service providers will be integrated with the platform, along with more channel partners and agents.

Travelyaari will also be looking to increase its customer base by targeting the middle class segment across India. The company had previously raised a Series A investment of $3 million.

September 2016 11

EXCLUSIVE

What can make GST a fruitful tax law reform for Tourism & Hospitality?

In an attempt to understand what can make GST a fruitful tax law reform for tourism and hospitality sector this issue of Whereabouts brings in-depth information on Goods and Services Tax (GST), and recommendations made by the apex body of tourism and hospitality sector FAITH to the GST Council. Find out more…

Rajesh Tiwari

T

he most awaited tax reform since Independence, the GST Bill was approved by both Houses of Parliament to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world’s largest single market. Since more than 50 percent states of the country have passed the Bill in their respective Legislative Assemblies, it will be presented to the Honorable President of India for final approval. The GST is likely to come into effect from the next financial year (April 1, 2017), making it possibly the single-most important economic reform since liberalisation.

Modifications The Draft (GST Bill) has incorporated some of the amendments demanded by political parties. These include dropping of one percent additional tax and giving legal backing to compensation that states would get for revenue loss up to five years. Another major amendment proposed was adjudication of dispute, if any, between the states would be dealt with by a mechanism proposed by the GST Council.

The states’ share of Integrated GST (IGST) would not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India; and the term IGST would be replaced with ‘goods and services tax levied on supplies in the course of inter-state trade or commerce’.

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality’s (FAITH) recommendation to the GST Council The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) is the apex body of tourism and hospitality sector which represents hotels, restaurants, resorts, tour operators and travel agents. The officials of the federation have been in talks with the finance ministry and various state governments on the issue. Apart from this, the federation has shared their concerns with the minister and secretary for tourism who has promised to personally deliver the GST recommendations to the finance minister.

12 September 2016

Once tourism and hospitality is classified as an export service, FAITH will request the GST council for a 0 percent rating of GST on tourism and hospitality exports. This will make our tourism industry extremely competitive globally and remove the uncompetitive 18-25 percent indirect taxation.

EXCLUSIVE The federation has sought amendments to the draft Goods and Services Tax law that include making an exception for tourism and hospitality businesses, and classifying them under 6-8 percent tax slab to boost the growth of this sector.

FAITH since the past 6 weeks has begun an aggressive campaign to make the policy markers aware and has reached out to all the chief ministers, the finance ministers, the tourism ministers, chief secretaries, finance secretaries and the tourism secretaries of all states, apart from the GST committee, the GST empowered ministers, the FM and the PMO. FAITH has sounded the GST commissionerate and the revenue secretary to provide an amendment under Section 2 (44) c to the tourism and hospitality industry. Section 2(44)c, under the draft GST model law describes an export service as one which is rendered abroad. “The Minister appreciated the criticality of amending Section 2(44) (c) in draft GST law for exports status & the significance of keeping a GST rate less than 10% for domestic tourism industry. Dr. Sharma has proposed the very relevant approach to sensitise & engage with key political leadership at the union government level of this criticality and how a favourable GST regime for tourism can spur jobs induced by tourism upto 9 crores across our hinterlands, of how it will boost our forex inflow to ~ $ 30-35 billion annually & reduce the current account deficit of India & how it will add to our GDP through additional infrastructure & demand creation in tourism, informed Aashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, FAITH. The federation has put forwarded the rationale that tourism services to foreign exchange paying tourists can’t be rendered abroad as all our destinations are within India and it is an intangible product and hence an exception needs to be provided in the law itself to the tourism and hospitality industry.

According to the federation, once tourism and hospitality is classified as an export service, it will request the GST council for a 0 percent rating of GST on tourism and hospitality exports.

This will make the tourism industry extremely competitive globally and remove the uncompetitive 18-25 percent indirect taxation.

FAITH will also ask the GST council for a below 10 percent GST rating on domestic tourism. This is in line with global practices where the introduction of GST has seen tourism GST kept at less than half the standard rate of GST. Implementation of both of these recommendations (above mentioned) has the potential to spur tourism forex earnings to $ 30-$35 billion from 13-15 million foreign tourists and domestic tourism to 1.8- 2 billion domestic visitations.

This could double the employment induced by tourism to 9 crore jobs from 4.5 crore jobs.

Implementation of both (export service & below 10% GST) of these recommendations has the potential to spur tourism forex earnings to $ 30$35 billion from 13-15 million foreign tourists and domestic tourism to 1.8- 2 billion domestic visitations.

This could double the employment induced by tourism to 9 crore jobs from 4.5 crore jobs

KNOW THE GST How does it Work

Benefits of GST

GST is one indirect tax for the whole nation, which will make India one unified common market. GST is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, right from the manufacturer to the consumer.

Credits of input taxes paid at each stage will be available in the subsequent stage of value addition, which makes GST essentially a tax only on value addition at each stage. The final consumer will thus bear only the GST charged by the last dealer in the supply chain, with set-off benefits at all the previous stages.

For Business and Industry Easy compliance: A robust and comprehensive IT system would be the foundation of the GST regime in India. Therefore, all tax payer services such as registrations, returns, payments, etc. would be available to the taxpayers online, which would make compliance easy and transparent.

Uniformity of tax rates and structures: GST will ensure that indirect tax rates and structures are common across the country, thereby

September 2016 13

EXCLUSIVE increasing certainty and ease of doing business. In other words, GST would make doing business in the country tax neutral, irrespective of the choice of place of doing business.

Removal of cascading: A system of seamless tax-credits throughout the value-chain, and across boundaries of States, would ensure that there is minimal cascading of taxes.

This would reduce hidden costs of doing business.

Improved competitiveness: Reduction in transaction costs of doing business would eventually lead to an improved competitiveness for the trade and industry.

Gain to manufacturers and exporters: The subsuming of major Central and State taxes in GST, complete and comprehensive set-off of input goods and services and phasing out of Central Sales Tax (CST) would reduce the cost of locally manufactured goods and services. This will increase the competitiveness of Indian goods and services in the international market and give boost to Indian exports. The uniformity in tax rates and procedures across the country will also go a long way in reducing the compliance cost.

For Central and State Governments Simple and easy to administer: Multiple indirect taxes at the Central and State levels are being replaced by GST. Backed with a robust end-to-end IT system, GST would be simpler and easier to administer than all other indirect taxes of the Centre and State levied so far.

Better controls on leakage: GST will result in better tax compliance due to a robust IT infrastructure. Due to the seamless transfer of input tax credit from one stage to another in the chain of value addition, there is an in-built mechanism in the design of GST that would incentivize tax compliance by traders.

Higher revenue efficiency: GST is expected to decrease the cost of collection of tax revenues of the Government, and will therefore, lead to higher revenue efficiency.

For the Consumer Single and transparent tax proportionate to the value of goods and services: Due to multiple indirect taxes being levied by the Centre and State, with incomplete or no input tax credits available at progressive stages of value addition, the cost of most goods and services in the country today are laden with many hidden taxes. Under GST, there would be only one tax from the manufacturer to the consumer, leading to transparency of taxes paid to the final consumer.

14 September 2016

Relief in overall tax burden: Because of efficiency gains and prevention of leakages, the overall tax burden on most commodities will come down, which will benefit consumers.

Which taxes at the Centre and State level are being subsumed into GST? At the Central level, the following taxes are being subsumed: ÂÂCentral Excise Duty ÂÂAdditional Excise Duty ÂÂService Tax ÂÂAdditional Customs Duty commonly known as Countervailing Duty ÂÂSpecial Additional Duty of Customs At the State level, the following taxes are being subsumed: ÂÂSubsuming of State Value Added Tax/ Sales Tax ÂÂEntertainment Tax (other than the tax levied by the local bodies), Central Sales Tax (levied by the Centre and collected by the States) ÂÂOctroi and Entry tax ÂÂPurchase Tax ÂÂLuxury tax ÂÂTaxes on lottery, betting and gambling How would GST be administered in India Keeping in mind the federal structure of India, there will be two components of GST Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST).

Both Centre and States will simultaneously levy GST across the value chain. Tax will

be levied on every supply of goods and services. Centre would levy and collect Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), and States would levy and collect the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) on all transactions within a State. The input tax credit of CGST would be available for discharging the CGST liability on the output at each stage. Similarly, the credit of SGST paid on inputs would be allowed for paying the SGST on output. No cross utilization of credit would be permitted.

How would a particular transaction of goods and services be taxed simultaneously under Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST)?

The Central GST and the State GST would be levied simultaneously on every transaction of supply of goods and services except on exempted goods and services, goods which are outside the purview of GST and the transactions which are below the prescribed threshold limits. Further, both would be levied on the same price or value unlike State VAT which is levied on the value of the goods inclusive of Central Excise.

How will imports be taxed under GST? The Additional Duty of Excise or CVD and the Special Additional Duty or SAD presently being levied on imports will be subsumed under GST. As per explanation to clause (1) of article 269A of the Constitution, IGST will be levied on all imports into the territory of India. Unlike in the present regime, the States where imported goods are consumed will now gain their share from this IGST paid on imported goods.

EXCLUSIVE

Bengal Tourism repositions itself with new brand identity & policy makeover In an attempt to leverage the potential of tourism for the growth of state’s economy and the stakeholders of this industry, the West Bengal Tourism is aggressively working towards a new brand identity with the complete policy makeover. Additional Director & Ex-officio Joint Secretary Tourism, Surajit Bose reveals the important initiatives taken by the department in an exclusive conversation with Whereabouts. Here are the excerpts.

Rajesh Tiwari

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ccording to him, after the formation of new government in 2011 the tourism sector came in limelight and placed among the priority sectors of the state. The budgetary allocation for tourism department has increased manifold over the years from Rs 44 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 257 crore in 201516.”

“The government’s keen interest in tourism sector has boosted the confidence of the stakeholders of this industry and given a host of opportunities to expedite the growth of tourism. Therefore, we decided to redefine our policies to bring Bengal at World Tourism Map,” says Surajit Bose.

In association with Ogilvy & Mather one of the prominent names in advertising segment, the tourism board has come up with new logo ‘Experience Bengal’. In the new brand identity the word ‘Beautiful’ has replaced with ‘Experience’ with the tag line Sweetest Part of India.

The tag line not only reminds Bengal’s fame and glory for sweets, but highlights the humility and sweetness of the people towards the traveller from world across. “Friendliness and homeliness of the citizens of the state is going to be the big USP of the overall Bengal Experience in coming days,” says a confident Bose.

“We feel it would be incorrect to identify Bengal only with its places of attractions. To a certain extent visiting the state is a total experience for any traveller. Along with mountains, forests and sea, the experience will include quintessential Bengali culture, cuisine, religion, handicraft, history and lifestyle,” added Bose.

Apart from this Bengal Tourism has created new sets of artworks for print ad, hoardings and FM jingles which are linked with the new logo. “Based on these artworks the state has taken a slew of promotional activities which includes pan India television and FM campaigns, airport brandings, hoardings and bus shelters and aggressive publicity through online and social media to reposition the new brand to the domestic and international traveller,” informed Bose.

Appointment of Sharukh Khan as Brand Ambassador for Bengal Tourism will strengthen its presence among the leading states of the country. “Our TVC’s featuring Shahrukh Khan will be on screen soon. I believe once the campaign comes in full swing, it will bring the state at forefront. We will be able in making our presence felt and attracting millions of tavellers from across the world,” says Bose.

Surajit Bose Additional Director & Ex-officio Joint Secretary, West Bengal Tourism

Begal Tourism has a strong presence in social media and online channels. Its Facebook account has crossed more than seven lakh Likes within a period of two years and is currently a shade behind Kerala and Gujarat. As per Bose, efforts are on to make the official website of the department more clutter free, visually appealing and contemporary in look for synergy. The website in its new form is expected to lunch before the festival (Durga Pooja).

The tourism board is interacting with the travel agents of the country to enhance the awareness about the new projects and destinations of the state. The three-city roadshow conducted recently in Chandigarh, New Delhi and Jaipur have been the part of this strategy.

According to him more than 50 sellers from Bengal interacted with the large number of travel agents of Chandigarh, Delhi and Jaipur.

“We have planned to reach out the potential metros and tier 2 cities to promote our new brand identity and enhancing the awareness of the fraternity about the new offerings and schemes of the state,” said Bose. “Next time we are planning to make a way into the southern cities of the country followed by participation at national and international travel marts,” he added.

Much emphasis has been given to the international markets as well.

Because of the proximity and growing number of outbound travellers China is the preferred market for Bengal. The tourism board is taking a host of initiatives in this area. “We had organised a FAM trip for Chinese travel agents just a couple of months ago. The response was very good, and look forward to host more travel agents in near future,” informed Bose.

To expedite the growth of this segment the Government has come up with Tourism Policy 2016 which has laid down the action plan for development of tourism in the state. The policy has concentrated on six primary tourist circuits in the state i. e. Darjeeling Himalayas, Dooars Foothills, Bengal Heritage, Coastal Bengal, Kolkata and Sundarbans Mangroov.

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MoT

Secretary Tourism visits Shanghai to attract investment from China WH Desk

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n a bid to attract Chinese investment in India’s tourism sector, Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism visited Shanghai recently. Close to 20 prominent investors participated in the event which was a part of roadshows being conducted in different parts of the world to promote participation of investors’ at the forthcoming Incredible India Tourism Investors summit scheduled to be held at New Delhi from 21-23rd September 2016 being organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in partnership with Tourism Finance Corporation of India and the CII. “The Summit will bring together more than 20 States of India unveiling a large bouquet of projects close to around 1000 in number, both of Core infrastructure and those specific to various themes of Tourism be it hospitality , medical, mice, Buddhist, entertainment and Cruise tourism etc ,” the Secretary informed the Chinese Investors.

He also said that what makes this Summit unique is that it would see a large no of B2G meetings and States would offer Single window for foreign and domestic investors interested in picking up their Tourism sector projects in the true spirit of Ease of Doing business. Zutshi also pointed out that never was there a more favorable time to invest in India than now with strong macro-economic indicators and the Current Government’s commitment to investment facilitation like never before.

The Consul General of India in Shanghai, Prakash Gupta who also spoke at the occasion pointed out to the immense synergy that exists between the two large Asian Neighbors in Tourism sector and how Chinese Traveler today has become the highest spender in the World. He said that India must have a policy dedicated to attracting the Chinese tourist/ investor.

Several members who were present from the Chinese side expressed their interest

Vinod Zutshi Secretary Tourism Govt of India

in attending the Summit in New Delhi next month and appreciated the preparation of the Indian Government in attracting Tourism specific foreign investment.

Karnataka Tourism launches special package on Golden Chariot

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epartment of Tourism and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), has launched a special package on the Golden Chariot, to showcase the world famous Dasara of Mysuru, from 1st to 10th October, 2016. The specially designed package is priced at an attractive and affordable Tariff of Rs.30,000 per person, for 2 nights and one day. The Tour would start on 1st October from Yeshwanthpur Railway Station, Bengaluru and would be run every alternate day from Bengaluru, i.e., on 3rd, 5th, 7th and the last run on 9th October. The Golden Chariot has 44 luxury cabins which will accommodate 88 people. The seats are available for booking online through the Golden Chariot website, www.goldenchariot.org. The seats, for the first time, will also be available through Bookmyshow and Makemytrip.

offered a very special package price and the bookings have been made available online.

The train has 18 thematic coaches, with two coach dedicated as the Restaurant, which offers a Menu, fit to please a Royal palate.

The Lounge Bar, the Gymnasium and Spa and a Business Centre are also available for the convenience of guests on this Royal Train.

The Tour would offer the guests a regal 5-star treatment and a wholesome experience, of witnessing Mysuru and Dasara. This is for the first time, KSTDC, is running the Golden Chariot tours for the whole of Dasara exclusively and has

After reporting and High Tea at Hotel Taj West end, Bengaluru, the guests would be taken to the Golden Chariot at Yeshwanthpur, where they would be accorded, a traditional welcome. After getting onboard the Golden Chariot, the

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guest would enjoy the exquisite and unique experience of travelling in the only Luxury Train of South India. On the next morning after reaching Mysuru, the guests would be taken in Luxury buses to Srirangapatna, where they immerse themselves in the Heritage tour, and visit Daria Daulat, Tipu’s Masoleum and drive through the Fort and then proceed to Mysuru. In Mysuru, the Guests would visit the Jaganmohan Palace Art Gallery, Lalith Mahal Palace, where they would have the Lunch, followed by visit to Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion (Folklore Musuem) and Mysore University Centenary Clock Tower.

September 2016 17

NEED TO KNOW

Chennai Detroit of India and the Gateway of South

The affluent cultural heritage as well as the historical past makes the capital city of Tamil Nadu more special and interesting along with the spellbinding beauty and charm with which it is wrapped. After going to exciting and unique places of the city, you will be amazed to observe the scenic beauty together with the wildlife, carved temples, ruins of the past, forts, churches, mosques and bird sanctuary, etc. There is a wide range of expeditions which makes your vacation to the city unforgettable and breathtaking. In this edition of Whereabouts we bring more on this fascinating city.

18 September 2016

NEED TO KNOW

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hennai, the city situated at the Coromondal coast of Bay of Bengal is often recognised as the ‘Detroit of India’ and the ‘Gateway of South’. The fourth largest and one of the prosperous cities of the country, Chennai is an attraction in itself. It is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, and fifth most populous city of India. It would not be hyperbolic to designate it as the liveliest city in the entire South India. The city has its own unique charm, which sets it aside from the rest of the big cities of the country.

A great confluence of rich tradition, varied heritage, modern amenities and technology, Chennai is the vibrant place in the vicinity of nature. This unmatchable blend of culture and modernity has designated Chennai with one such city in Tamil Nadu, blessed with an extreme treasure of tourist attractions. The sightseeing tour around the ancient city of Chennai, will completely sweep you off your feet. Besides, there is such wide diversity that you will be amazed at its existence. The picturesque beauty of the city includes beautifully carved temples, serene beaches, colonial monuments and much more.

Monuments in Chennai The capital of Tamil Nadu is home to several historic lives and unforgettable eminent personalities who contributed to the history of the country, significantly representing Chennai and South India on the national platform. The glorious past and rich cultural heritage of Chennai, earlier known as Madras, is quite visible from a vast range of spectacular monuments existing in the city. These monuments are among the main attractions for the tourists coming in from all directions. The ancient city of Chennai is in fact, enlivened with the splendour of these structures, which remind you of the bygone era.

So, on the next trip to Chennai, do not miss an opportunity to these abundant historical and architectural marvels.

Fort St. George: Initially a trading post of British-owned East India Company, St. George Fort is located at the banks of Bay of Bengal.

The fort being the first bastion of Britain within the territory of India, today enjoys the status of being the seat of the Government of Tamil Nadu and embraces the Legislative Council Chambers.

Freemasons Hall: The double-storied building, Freemasons Hall, situated at the Egmore area of Chennai, is a spectacular beauty and is the living example of the cultural and traditional heritage of the people who once inhabited Chennai in ancient times. The structure boasts of its Greek architecture, and the able management and supply of the crafts building materials by the indigenous firms of Chennai.

Government Museum: The Government Museum of Chennai is one of the most popular sightseeing structures in the city. One of the oldest museums of India, it was founded during the Colonial rule.

The museum is embraced with an excellent collection of paintings and sculptures reflecting traditional as well as modern style. Have a look over the description of the Government Museum to enhance your knowledge about the heritage of Chennai.

Kamaraj Memorial House: The structure was built in 1978 to pay homage to the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri Kamaraj. The then Chief Minister, M. G. Ramchandaran inaugurated the House, which reflects various aspects of the political facet of India right after gaining independence as well as the contributions of Shri Kamaraj during that time.

MGR Memorial: MGR Memorial is a yet another cenotaph in Chennai dedicated to the former actor cum politician of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramchandaran. The unique memorial having no sponsor for its maintenance holds the collection of 5,000 photographs, 3,000 shields, his letters, famous cap, dark glasses and various medals and awards won by him, including the Bharat Ratna along with his several other belongings.

Senate House: Senate House of Chennai, built under the able supervision of the skilled architect Robert Fellows Chisholm in nineteenth century, is a wonderful monument in Tamil Nadu. Located at the campus of University of Madras near the Marina Beach, it offers an apt confluence of the Indo-Saracenic style and Byzantine architectural designs.

Thousand Lights Mosque: The sacred place of worship for the followers of Islam, the ‘Thousand Lights Mosque’, is situated at the Anna Salai Road in Chennai. Its name, architecture and the historical and religious importance has made it one of the main attractions for visitors across the world. Here, gain further insight about this magnificent mosque.

Valluvar Kottam: The auditorium with the name the ‘Valluvar Kottam’ is a tribute to the Tamil Poet-Saint Thiruvalluvar. The structure rests on the deserted lake and exhibits the 1330 verses of Thirukkural, the grand epic by Thiruvalluvar. The monument is in the shape of a temple chariot and contains a lively and splendid statue of the poet.

War Memorials: To have a quick tour to the heroic past of India, have a visit to the War Memorials of Chennai where a number of memorials dedicated to the soldiers who laid their lives for the welfare of the nation, as well as those who died as martyrs, serving their nation can be seen.

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NEED TO KNOW Nearby Attractions The other places of attractions include magnificent beaches with shimmering white and golden sand, luxurious resorts and amusements parks which are spread along the coast of Bay of Bengal. For visiting these sites, frequent tourist buses are also available and you can go with your own vehicle too. During your visit to Chennai, you must visit these exciting tourist destinations to add spice and more cherished memoirs to your journey. Some of the most captivating and interesting excursions of Chennai are as follows.

Crocodile Bank: Crocodile Bank is sited at a distance of 40 km south of Chennai along the east coast road with the Bay of Bengal in the background. It is a crocodile breeding and research centre set up by the notable German Biologist, Romulus Whittaker, and is a tourist spot, visited by a large number of visitors every year. Being a natural home to various species of Indian and African crocodiles and alligators, spread over an area of 3.2 hectares, it is the biggest crocodile-breeding site all over India.

Mahabalipuram: Mahabalipuram, earlier known as Mamallapuram is sited at a distance of 60 km from Chennai. It is amongst the most visited site in Tamil Nadu and is globally acclaimed for the town of Mahabalipuram. This 7th century port city of the Pallavas, the ancient dynasty of which belonged to the Dravidian civilization and ruled over the main parts of the peninsular India, is popular for its sandy-sunny beaches and shore temples including Pancha Pandava Rathas, Varaha Cave, Krishna Mandapa and Krishna’s Butterball. Mahabalipuram, together with Kanchipuram and Chennai, forms the well-known Golden Tourism Triangle on shore of Coromandel Coast.

Thanjavur: Thanjavur is known as the ‘Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu’.

Also known as Tanjore in the ancient times, the place served as the capital of the Chola Dynasty and reached the summit of glory and splendour during the 10th to 14th century AD. At that time, it also became the flourishing province in the field of culture and wisdom.

In Thanjavur, many great and marvellous temples were structured and the art of making bronze effigies also came into being during the time of Cholas. Today, Thanjavur is entitled as the culture capital of the region.

Beaches in Chennai The pictorial view of sunset at the Bay of Bengal is really enthralling and breathtaking and to watch this divine view, people from all over the world comes to visit the capital city of Tamil Nadu. It will not be wrong to say that God has blessed the city with affluent innate wealth which makes the inhabitants as well as the tourists delighted and happy. So, whenever if you plan to go to Chennai, don’t forget to visit such beautiful and magnificent beaches. The three most significant and popular beaches are: Covelong Beach: Covelong Beach is one of the most captivating and beautiful beaches which in the past was the most prominent port of the Nawabs of the Carnatic. It is sited at a distance of 40 km Muttukadu: Muttukadu, located at a distance of 36 km from Chennai, is a famous picnic spot as well as a centre for water activities. The backwaters of Muttukadu have been developed by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation to make this place more exciting, fun-loving and scenic for the visitors. Surely, Muttukadu is the best place to enjoy your vacations with water sports.

Pulicat: Pulicat is positioned at a distance of 60 km from the capital city. It is enclosed by the salt-water rivers and ocean and has a total population of about 30,000 inhabitants which are mainly fishermen, which belong to the traditional caste known as Pattanavan. It also has a Dutch cemetery of the 17th century and a fort which was built to ensure a stress-free stay at the Coromandel Coast. Later on, in 1825 it was taken by the British. Explore the article to know in detail about Pulicat.

20 September 2016

NEED TO KNOW love to have chilly or onion pakoda, Vada, Murukku along with filtered coffee. In most of the food items, fresh or dried curry leaves are added for a special taste and aroma. It’s used widely across all of South India.

Shopping Chennai, being one of the metropolitan cities of India and important commercial destinations in South India, has a lot to offer to the tourists who come here. So, if you are a shopaholic then you don’t need to worry at all, for there is a lot in store for you in the lanes of this ethnic city. From traditional shops selling items like pattamara mats, leaf handicrafts from Tirunellveli, bronze and brass castings and traditional jewellery from Kumbakonam, metal works from Tanjavur and stone carvings from Mamallapuram and silks from Kanchipuram to sophisticated malls, Chennai doesn’t disappoint its visitors when it comes to shopping. Plus the growing competition between the shop keepers and the mall owners has proved to be a boon for the buyers. So if you like to shop, there are places in Chennai, which will make you shop till you drop.

from the capital city, stretching along the Coromandal coast. The adventurous water sports such as swimming, windsurfing are very famous. The beautiful palm trees with white sand provide you with mental peace.

Elliot’s Beach: Elliot’s beach is one of the neatest beaches in the capital city, located on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu near Besant Nagar. This beach is also famous as the night beach as it is the most preferred spot for the youths to gather and enjoy in the evening.

Another point of attraction is the Ashtalakshmi Temple near the beach which is built on the sand. Besides this, the Church of Our Lady of Health, Madonna, is also positioned on the beach to welcome people of all faiths.

Marina Beach: Marina Beach is one of the most renowned beaches of Tamil Nadu. Besides this, it is the longest beach in India and also the second longest beach in the world, which stretches to a length of 13 km. It lies on the eastern side of the city, bordering the Bay of Bengal. It provides the visitors with the most captivating view of the scenic beauty.

Cuisine Chennai is home to a potpourri of vegetarian as well as nonvegetarian cuisines and is famous for its exclusive food culture and traditional range of cuisine, which is known as the South Indian food. An actual South Indian person starts the day with a cup of hot filtered coffee, which is the signature beverage of the capital city, and also of the South Indian region. Rice is the staple food of South India and this is why most of the food items are made of rice: be it the breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner.

In breakfast, people prefer to have Idli (steamed rice cakes) or Dosa along with coconut chutney or tomato chutney. Both these are made from a fine paste of rice and lentils. They also like to have upma (made of rava), idiyappam or vada. In lunch, there is a variety of food including steamed rice served with sambar, rasam, kootu, buttermilk, chutney and curry.

The non-vegetarian meal includes curry or dish prepared by Chicken, Mutton or Fish. However, the lunch is incomplete without Pickle, Salad and Papad or Appalam. In the evening snacks, they

Reaching Here Air: The third busiest airport of India is the Chennai International Airport which is located at a distance of 7 km from the main city.

Both, international and domestic flights land at different terminals the international flights arrive at the Anna Terminal whereas the domestic flights at Kamaraj Terminal.

Train: Chennai Central (code MAS) and Chennai Egmore (code MS) are the two main long distance train stations. There are daily trains from Chennai to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Cochin, Hyderabad Kolkata and most of the big cities of India.

Bus: One of Asia’s largest bus stations is in Chennai, the CMBT. There are seven different state owned corporations which drive buses to and from various destinations within South India. There are hourly buses for places like Tirupati, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli etc.

Car: The city is very well connected to other parts of India by road.

The five major national highways radiate toward Kolkata, Bengaluru, Tiruchy/Madurai, Tiruvallur and Pondicherry. Many car rental companies such as Clear Car Rental, Avis and Hertz provide various facilities to the costumers.

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WHEREABOUTS

Women’s Journey Thailand First-ever month-long women-oriented travel festival in the Land of Smiles As a strategy to promote Thailand as a Quality Leisure Destination, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) invited 84 international bloggers, photographers and writers for a familiarization tour to explore Bangkok and four of the country’s major regions from August 1–5, 2016. The celebration of August 2016 as the ‘Month for Women Travellers’ marks Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 84th birthday on 12th August.

It gave visitors a chance to experience firsthand many of the conservation projects initiated by Her Majesty, and aims to boost domestic and global female tourism by targeting the kingdom’s lady tourists. Whereabouts brings more on this very special initiative.

Neha Kirpal in Thailand

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he campaign kicked off with a glittering dinner presided over

by Deputy Prime Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn and Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul. Over 150 celebrities, actresses, models and social media influencers, including the Princess of Sharjah Sheikha Hend Fausal Al Qassemi, Hong Kong actress Michelle Yim, and Miss World Australia 2016 were present at the grand welcome reception.

Speaking at the occasion, Patimapragorn said, “This very special initiative is also to mark the royal benevolence of the H M the Queen of Thailand, especially in her promotion of the well-being for the Thai people and the foundation of the arts and crafts.”

Elaborating on the same lines, Wattanavrangkul added, “I am very excited to support the TAT’s Women’s Journey Thailand campaign, being a woman myself, and I encourage all women to strike a work– life balance by taking the time to travel to recharge your life.”

As part of the weeklong promotion, visitors were given a tour of Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaeo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Grand Palace, the Queen’s Gallery, and the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Further, the contingent was divided into four groups, each of which visited several royal initiative projects that were established to boost local economies, promote water conservation, self-sufficiency, the preservation of natural heritage and sustainable development in the country’s diverse Northern, Northeastern, Central and Southern regions.

Delegates who went to the North visited Chiang Mai and Lampang, where they saw local temples and markets, the Nong Hoi Royal Project Development Centre and the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden. Visitors to the Northeast saw indigo fabrics and ceramics work, as well as got to visit Phu Phan’s research and development centre. The tour to the Central region covered Petchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan, with visits to local agricultural projects and spas as well as the Ban Khao handicraft weaving works initiative. Finally, the Southern group visited Phuket and Phang-nga where they witnessed the release of sea turtles and mangrove planting, as well as enjoyed local hospitality in a homestay.

Emphasizing on the sentiment that Thailand has so many hidden treasures yet unexplored by most tourists, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, Executive Director, Advertising and Public Relations Department of TAT, said, “We want to highlight unique local experiences or Thainess to the world. From street food to fine dining, fabrics, forests and mangroves, there are many stories to tell in the country’s small towns and villages.”

Elaborating on the wide range of needs and interests from family vacations, sports, health and wellness that the country caters to, Ayudhya added, “While we will continue to welcome the Instagramming tourists, we are also aiming to target curious people who are interested in experiential travel those who want to stay longer, discover what we have and experience Thailand more deeply.”

Distinguished guests at the welcome dinner

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The trip ended on a high note with a gala farewell party complete with a sumptuous meal prepared by Thai chefs and traditional Thai musical performances. The participants also made speeches about their impressions of the trip and videos of their amazing journeys

WHEREABOUTS categories Beautiful Look, Beautiful Shape, Beautiful Mind, Beautiful Retreat and Beautiful Experience.

Delegates of the Central group posing with Bddhist monks after a merit-making ceremony

TAT is also inviting 33 professional lady photographers from around the world to join the Thailand through Her Eyes 2016 activity, during which they will enjoy uniquely local Thai experiences such as the local communities’ way of life, Thai massage, Muay Thai lesson, Thai cooking class, shopping, spa and tuk-tuk night food tour in five routings across Thailand. TAT is also organizing the Lady Golf Challenge project, a joint effort between TAT’s overseas offices and local travel agencies in their respective markets to offer special golf packages to more than 100 lady golfers from around the world. TAT is also organizing the Lady Celebrities to Thailand familiarization trip, which will bring international bloggers and social media influencers to enjoy a variety of exceptional products and services geared to meet the needs of all women travellers in three routings across Thailand.

Kalin Sarasin, Chairman of the Board of TAT said, “This will surely help strengthen Thailand’s positive image as a welcoming destination for women from all over the world, as well as one of Asia’s most female-friendly destinations.”

were shared. Sugree Sithivanich, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications said, “The 84 Perspective of Thailand trip gave some of the world’s creative writers and photographers the chance to enjoy an intimate understanding of the different regions of Thailand and the sheer diversity of culture and heritage found here.

And by giving our visitors a look at projects initiated and inspired by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, they were able to better understand some of Thailand’s grassroots communities and the important work carried out by the Royal family to boost the welfare of the people.”

Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of Thailand’s total GDP. According to reports, visitors to the kingdom are expected to rise to 32 million this year, which is more than 7 percent higher than last year’s figure of 29.88 million. The growth of international female arrivals whether in groups or as solo travellers has averaged 11.4 percent from 2007–14, compared with the rate of male arrivals at 5.9 percent.

Handicrafts by Thailand’s native hill tribes

The gala farewell party

The Hua Hin Night Market During the course of the month, a wide range of attractions await women travellers, including products, services, events, activities, special offers, discounts and other privileges. TAT has invited a number of women photographers, reporters, celebrities and social media influencers from across the world to visit the country in August. Additionally, a mobile application called “Women’s Journey” has also been developed specially for this month, which provides women travellers detailed information about offers and promotions on sale. The products, services and events are listed under five

Further, in line with the government’s policy to link Thai handicrafts with tourism, an exhibition entitled ‘Discover Her Majesty’s Seven Textile Trails’ is also being held at Terminal 2 of the Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. ‘The Passage of Thai Fabric A Tribute to Her Majesty the Queen’ event is also being organized to strengthen the recognition of Thai fabric and to honour Her Majesty’s continuous contributions to the conservation, development and promotion of a wide variety of Thai fabric to international awareness. The event took place in Bangkok from 20–21 August at Siam Paragon and from 23–28 August at the Plearnary Mall.

Highlights included fashion shows of top-quality Thai fabric clothes by leading and emerging Thai designers, exhibitions on Thai fabric, and showcase of handicraft products.

Throughout the month, TAT also partnered with the country’s resorts, airlines, hotels, spas, gyms, sports clubs and tour operators to create special packages aimed at women. The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale was also extended till the end of the month. Since safety remains a concern, the campaign aims to create a wholesome experience that is suited to their needs. Various special arrangements-such as special

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WHEREABOUTS Eco-tourism in central Thailand There is so much more to discover in Thailand besides its regular sightseeing of temples, beaches and shopping. The King and the Queen have initiated a number of royal projects for the conservation of the country’s natural resources under the Queen’s Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupation and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) and the royal Chaipattana Foundation.

If you’re in the Phetchaburi province and looking to do some offbeat eco-tourism, then here’s what you shouldn’t miss:

airfares for women, lady parking and pink immigration lanes at five major international airports in the country-were catered for female travellers during the campaign month.

Indian connection Over the years, Thailand has emerged as a preferred leisure hotspot among Indians for conferences, weddings, honeymoons, film shootings, bachelor parties and other celebrations. While the destinations most popular on the Indian tourist trail are Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, there is scope to expand this canvas wider to lesser known parts of the country. Despite the delicious Thai food, Indian cuisine remains popular among the locals. Gaggan, an Indian restaurant in Bangkok, has featured twice in the No. 1 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

Speaking about the popularity of Thailand among Indian tourists, Dr Walailak Noypayak, Executive Director, ASEAN South Asia and South Pacific Region Department of TAT said, “We expect about a five percent increase in the number of Indian tourists visiting Thailand this year.” Hinting that the number could touch one million by the end of 2016, Noypayak added, “This year, we are targeting young Indian women travelling in groups. There will be several benefits for them this month, including extra baggage, and discounts on health, cosmetics and beauty products.”

Sirinart Rajini Ecosystem Learning Centre: This is the first learning centre for the rehabilitation of mangroves developed from the shrimp field. A Royal Initiative for the reversal of habitat loss, it is famous for sustainable fishing and nature conservation.

Ban Khao Tao Professional Handicraft Centre: At this Centre, the King organized classes for the villagers to learn the art of cotton weaving using traditional northern looms in order that they could earn a livelihood during the monsoon period.

Hua Hin Artist Village: The base for the Hua Hin Artist Group, the Village displays large galleries of arts and antiques, artist studios, special exhibitions and performance events.

Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park: An agro-tourism site based on an integrated farming system for environmental conservation and forest rehabilitation by finding appropriated water resources for growing crops.

Laem Phak Bia Environmental Research and Development Project: A project that treats both solid waste and wastewater through environmentally and ecologically sustainable methods based on the principle of self-purification or utilization of natural means.

Royal Sea Farming and Aquaculture Demonstration Project: The project aims to serve as a learning centre to facilitate the dissemination of fisheries-related knowledge and techniques to farmers.

The Laem Phak Bia Environmental Research and Development Project

24 September 2016

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NTO

Living Foodz & Tourism Australia brings together the best of food & cricket Following the recent launch of the Australian food and travel show ‘Taste Down Under’, the Living Foodz the leading lifestyle channel organised an event with legendary Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist and popular celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani in collaboration with Tourism Australia.

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he funfilled event was held at The Korner House in Mumbai and was a perfect amalgamation of food and cricket. Australia is fast gaining reputation as the culinary capital of the world. ‘Taste Down Under’, explores Australia’s multicultural culinary heritage, extraordinary landscapes, unique wildlife and iconic city attractions while bringing to the audience cooking

demonstrations by Chef Vicky using fresh Australian produce.

The series takes viewers on a visual treat of Australia showcasing Chef Vicky indulging in some best of Australia experiences including a surfing lesson at Bondi beach in Sydney, a hot air balloon ride in Gold Coast, cuddling a koala in Adelaide, and taking a tour of the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground.

An excited Chef Vicky said, “While visiting Australia for my show ‘Taste Down Under’, I discovered that like India, cricket is almost a religion in Australia, uniting players and fans from all walks of life. I had the opportunity of visiting the Adelaide Oval Cricket Ground, Melbourne Cricket Ground which are iconic landmarks in the cricket obsessed country.”

Living Foodz also organized a contest on Twitter where a lucky winner got the

opportunity to meet Adam Gilchrist and watch Chef Vicky whip up a meal for him!

Followers and fans of Living Foodz also tuned into the event via Facebook Live.

“A culinary journey is one of the best ways to experience Australia and it is fantastic that Chef Vicky and Living Foodz have captured their travel in this fantastic series. I would like to urge Indian viewers to watch ‘Taste Down Under’ and invite them to visit Australia to enjoy a culinary journey of their own.”, said Adam Gilchrist.

SATC targets India as key growth market WH Desk

working closely with trade partners like Thomas Cook, Ottila, Flight Shop and Mercury Travels to include Adelaide as a part of their itinerary. The SATC has committed to spend AUD 1 million during 2016-2017 towards marketing initiatives in India primarily to collaborate with travel agents, airlines and consumer branding programmes.

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ith the significant increase in tourist numbers from India to Australia, the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) has identified India as a key growth market.

According to the recent International Visitor Survey Report March 2016, the number of Indian visitors to South Australia reached 10,000, with record spends of $18 million in the state.

Dana Urmonas, Regional Director, Southeast Asia & India, SATC sees significant growth opportunities in India. “India is one of the world’s fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world and we at the SATC recognize the huge potential this market holds for us. The way Indians are now travelling and spending is changing significantly; they are looking for unique, memorable experiences. With wildlife experiences, pristine beaches, unspoilt nature and fantastic food and wine, travellers can get close to the real Australia in South Australia.”

Among the Indian travellers, the SATC is targeting affluent, global travellers in the age group of 25-55. The core target

26 September 2016

Dana Urmonas Regional Director Southeast Asia & India, SATC

segments include leisure travellers, group travellers, honeymooners and families. To attract these travellers, SATC has been promoting 3 key destinations Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Barossa.

Kangaroo Island is well known for its wildlife and pristine beaches and Barossa is famed for its rolling vineyards and gourmet food.

With the announcement of the 3 years multiple entry visa for Indians, the number of Indian visitors to Australia is expected to go up significantly. In order to capitalize on this, SATC will be

SATC is also working closely with Tourism Australia and travel partners like Singapore airlines to promote key destinations in South Australia.

Key SATC representatives will also be participating at the Indian Travel Mission (ITM) 2016, organized by Tourism Australia, from 18-21 August in Chennai to network with over 100 travel agents and tour operators.

NTO

Israel concentrates on leisure & family travellers for massive growth from India In an endeavour to increase the number of travellers from this part of the world, Israel Ministry of Tourism is keen to change the perception of Indian travellers that Israel is just a holy land.

Concentrating on the whopping number of leisure and family travellers at the moment; the Ministry has made an advertorial campaign to educate the Indians about the tourist attractions in Israel.

Rajesh Tiwari

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ccording to Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism India Office, the country is gaining popularity in India since last couple of years, and it has been noticed that the Indians are travelling to Israel in big numbers, which can be seen with the increase of 5 percent from January to June 2016. “However, in order to get the large number of travellers from this market we are making all efforts to change the perception of Indian travellers that Israel is just a Holy Land. Actually the country has a lot to engage all kind of travellers whether it is leisure, family or business,” added Madah.

“Israel has something for everyone whether it is adventure activities, deserts, mountains, culture, fashion or nightlife. We work towards adapting strategies to further promote various travel offerings to Israel in India,” informed Madah.

According to him, the Indian travellers are not aware of Israel’s tourist attractions.

“Therefore, we have made an advertorial campaign to educate the Indians about the tourist attractions in Israel. It was our first campaign in India that was on screen thorough out the month of August,” he added.

Also the Israel Ministry of Tourism has launched a new website (www.goisrael.com/ in) with information about Israel as a leisure destination, the different cities and locations as well as connecting visitors with travel agents and tour operators that offer different types of tours to Israel.

The Israel India Office organised a five-city roadshow comprising New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai in the first week of August to introduce leading Israeli tour operators with the local tour operators and travel agents to encourage face-toface interactions and promoting Israel as a preferred destination.

The event was extremely successful with the maximum footfall of renowned companies from the travel industry leading to over 800 agents in attendance. This is the first time the roadshow had 6 Israeli tour operators and El Al Airlines as a participant. The event all across India was an elegant juncture with meet and greets between travel representatives over cocktails and dinner.

Last year, the country achieved a growth of 13.2 percent by receiving 39,529 Indian tourists as compared to 34,920 in 2014. The growth in tourist footfalls

Hassan Madah Director Israel Ministry of Tourism India Office

to the destination has been around five percent from January to June this year.

“However, the country is now aiming for a double digit growth by the end of the year, with consolidated efforts in improving connectivity and agent availability,” added Madah.

Israel is a vibrant and modern country with vast diversity and rich culture.

Jerusalem - the well known city; is among the most sacred places in the world.

Along the eastern Mediterranean coastline is the vibrant, modern, fashionable and cosmopolitan Tel Aviv. One must explore Israel’s diversity and visit archaeological sites of Eilat, beautiful beaches of Haifa, UNESCO World Heritage Site of Acre (Akko) and fascinating history of Nazareth.

Be it family and leisure getaways, party and nightlife experiences, adventure and rejuvenation, Israel has a variety of holiday options to explore.

World’s first discovery about early use of Stone Age tools made in Jordan WH Desk

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he research team from UVic and partner universities in the US and Jordan has found the oldest evidence of protein residue the residual remains of butchered animals including horse, rhinoceros, wild cattle and duck on stone tools. The discovery draws startling conclusions about how these early humans subsisted in a very demanding habitat, thousands of years before Homo sapiens first evolved in Africa.

New research published in the Journal of Archaeological Science by a team led by paleoanthropologist April Nowell of the University of Victoria reveals surprisingly sophisticated adaptations by early humans living 250,000 years ago in a former oasis near Azraq, Jordan. The findings suggest these early Stone Age hominins were

eating a range of meats, and were particularly partial to horse, rhino and duck.

A team from the University of Victoria, working with researchers in Jordan and the US, unearthed 10,000 stone tools during a three-year excavation in the deserts northwest of the town of Azraq.

While the region is dry and arid today, hundreds of thousands of years ago it is believed to be the site of wetlands ideal hunting grounds.

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NTO

Reunion Island appoints Representation World LLP as India representative WH Desk

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he Reunion Island Tourism Board (French Island in Indian Ocean) has announced the appointment of Representation World LLP as its representative office in India.

Representation World LLP has been tasked to implement ongoing public relations and travel trade programmes, to educate potential travellers on the destination’s unique attributes, thereby attracting a larger number of visitors to Reunion Island from India.

The interest of Indian travellers to the beautiful French Island is increasing and new destination is in demand. Magnificent Beaches, Breathtaking Sceneries, Marvellous trinkets and Interesting culture, Reunion Island is ideal for people wanting to escape from daily activities, enjoy a honeymoon, or even have a great time with family and friends.

“Reunion Island boasts a wealth of modern tourism facilities, from luxurious resort and spas to professional travel and transportation services to high-quality, well-managed attractions. With something

Vineet Gopal, Director Representation World LLP

for everyone, Reunion Island is an ideal destination choice.

Vineet Gopal, Director, Representation World LLP added, “We are thrilled and honoured to represent the Reunion Tourism Board in India. The destination offering will definitely attract Indian honeymooners, family, adventure tourist, etc. Also the 15 Days Short Stay Visa simplification for Indian who wish to travel to beautiful Reunion Island will also boost tourism from India.”

Taiwan: World’s Friendliest Country WH Desk

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arious surveys over several years have rated Taiwan as one of the friendliest countries in the world.

Every traveller who has visited Taiwan insists on how welcoming the people are, how helpful ever citizen can be, how safe the streets are and how fantastic the food is.

There are several factors that contribute towards making Taiwan a friendly destination.

Friendly locals equals to happy travellers: Friendly local people means it’s easy to get around, ask for directions and find people to hang out with. Even sometimes if language is an issue or there is a communication gap, Taiwanese people go out of their way to help out. Travellers find it easy to immerse themselves in the local culture and experiential travel gets a whole new meaning in Taiwan.

Cost of living: A highly industrialised, developed and modern nation, the rate of exchange works in the Indian travellers favour. 1 Taiwanese Dollar equals 2 INR which means items like food, drink; experiences such as dining in restaurants, entry into attractions and theme parks; and hotel rooms are affordable for the India travellers who can enjoy a complete holiday experience in Taiwan.

Safety: Taiwan is a very safe country even for a solo traveller. So you don’t have to restrict yourself to what is recommended in guide books only and can do off-beat activities or something else which is unexplored or sounds interesting to you.

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Oman tourism to conduct four-city roadshow in September

Lubaina Sheerazi India Representative - Ministry of Tourism Sultanate of Oman

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he Sultanate of Oman in association with the national airline Oman Air is planning to conduct a multicity roadshow for the Indian travel trade fraternity in September 2016. The roadshows will be commenced in Hyderabad (at Park Hyatt) on 19th, Kolkata (The Oberoi) on 21st, Ahmedabad (at Courtyard by Marriott) on 23rd, and Pune (at JW Marriott) 26th September.

The objective of the roadshow is to create a platform for the Indian travel trade to establish or enhance commercial ties with the Omani delegates. Representatives from Ministry of Tourism, Oman along with a 15 member delegation representing hotels, DMCs and attractions in Oman will interact with key travel agents and tour operators from India. The roadshow will follow a prefixed meeting format whereby the invited travel agents will get adequate time to meet each delegate from Oman.

Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative - Ministry of Tourism, Oman says, “In 2015, we witnessed 17 percent growth in Indian arrivals and in the first six months of 2016 too we have seen a positive growth. Encouraged by these figures and to penetrate better in tier 2 cities, we have decided to conduct the roadshow in Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.”

“This year, we also identified Kolkata as a new market for Oman and will be conducting our first roadshow in the city. With this new addition, Oman has made presence in 8 Indian cities with Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai being our main source markets,” she added.

September 2016 29

HOSPITALITY

Starwood Hotels & Resorts to debut in The Republic of Palau WH Desk

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heraton Hotels & Resorts, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced the signing of an agreement with Palau Majesty Development, Inc. to unveil Sheraton Palau Resort in Koror, the largest city in the Republic of Palau. Located in the commercial and residential heart of the city, the new-build resort will mark Starwood’s entry into the republic and will become the first international hotel brand on the vibrant island. Boasting ocean and mangrove views, Sheraton Palau Resort is slated to open in March 2019.

“We are excited to partner with Palau Majesty Development, expanding Sheraton’s footprint in the Micronesia region of the western Pacific Ocean,” said Lothar Pehl, Senior Vice President, Operations and Global Initiatives, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific. “Palau serves as a strategic market for Starwood given its lush tropical setting, turquoise waters and superb dive opportunities. The property is a valued addition to the portfolio.”

Sheraton Palau Resort offers 114 exquisitely styled and lavishly appointed guestrooms and nine suites and is steps away from the epicenter of the town. The resort features a wide variety of international dining venues, including an all-day dining restaurant, rooftop specialty restaurant, sushi bar and pool bar. Other facilities

at the hotel include 272 square meters of function space, a stunning swimming pool, Sheraton Fitness Center and a relaxing spa.

An archipelago of more than 500 islands located 650 kms southeast of The Philippines, and part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean, Palau encompasses a pristine collection of limestone and volcanic islands blanketed with forests and fringed by clear lagoons and bays. Surrounding islets and reefs part of the 500,000 square kilometer Palau National Marine Sanctuary provide unrivaled dive sites with a diversity of marine life, inspiring Palau’s nickname as the ‘Underwater Serengeti.

Sheraton Grand Macao unveils DreamWorks Experience Weddings WH Desk

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he first of its kind in Asia, Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel and DreamWorks Animation are making fairytale dreams come true by bringing movie magic to a wedding couple’s big day.

The bride and groom can choose from a selection of DreamWorks wedding themes, from the fairy tales of Shrek to a Kung Fu Panda Chinese-themed wedding or to the island of Madagascar where couples can even invite the Penguins.

After marching in with the bride and groom for a truly unforgettable entrance, the DreamWorks characters can get the party started by posing for photos with guests, lead the first dance and entertain guests throughout the evening.

Couples looking for even more DreamWorks magic can add exclusive hand-made culinary treats to their banquet menu. Guests can snap a picture with the DreamWorks characters eating, together with the happy couple, to make the wedding festivities even more unforgettable.

A Complimentary Honeymoon at Any Starwood Property around the World In addition to creating a dream wedding, SPG members who book their wedding venue at Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel will be eligible to earn three Starpoints for every USD$1 spent. A maximum of 150,000 Starpoints can be earned per booking with no minimum spending required.

Couples will also be entitled to a 15 percent discount on standard room rates for their first anniversary, with special celebratory amenities such as champagne and cake. In addition, SPG will award

30 September 2016

20,000 Starpoints to referring entities or wedding planners who successfully recommend wedding couples to host their big day at Starwood hotels or resorts.

For a list of participating hotels and resorts as well as terms and conditions of the honeymoon offer, please visit www.spg.com/ honeymoon. DreamWorks Fairytale Wedding Experience Packages at Sheraton Grand Macao HotelDreamWorks Experience Wedding Packages are tailored to create the dream wedding for each couple.

For more information, call (853) 8113 0700.

HOSPITALITY

Radisson Blu opens first Resort and Spa in Karjat WH Desk

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adisson Blu Resort & Spa Karjat, located in the sub district of Raigad, announces its opening recently. Situated amongst naturally beautiful surroundings, verdant greenery and aweinspiring hillscapes, Karjat is a popular weekend destination for regional tourism and international travellers.

The 102 key, new build property is Radisson Blu brand’s 29th addition within Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s portfolio in India. A convenient two-hour drive from Mumbai and Pune, the resort offers 360 degree views of the stunning Sahyadri Mountains in which it is nestled, along on the banks of the Ulhas River. It is an ideal choice for all guest types, including couples, families, adventure-seekers, wellness enthusiasts, wedding party guests, and business travellers.

Radisson’s unique Yes I Can! SM service philosophy is on full display at the property, which offers guests unforgettable experiences effortlessly combined with modern design and high-quality service.

Speaking on the occasion, Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group said, “This resort’s opening reinforces our commitment to enhance the brand’s portfolio and

further expand our presence in resort destinations throughout India. With its unparalleled resort experience and commitment to excellence, we are confident Radisson Blu Resort & Spa Karjat will be a shining success.”

Jean-Gabriel takes over as President & CEO of Kerzner International

Mandarin Oriental hotel group launches first spa studio at Bangkok

WH Desk

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erzner International Holdings announced the appointment of Jean-Gabriel Pérès as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. As the outgoing CEO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Jean-Gabriel has overseen the daily operations of the 16,000-staff hotel management company for 17 years.

His role was instrumental in driving the global expansion of the company into Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

He possesses an international work experience that spans more than 30 years in the upscale hospitality and luxury retail industries, with deep knowledge of the Middle East and Asia. Prior to joining Mövenpick, he spent 11 years with Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, following his tenure with engineering firm Matra/Lagardere Group, now known as EADS, where he led strategic partnerships in the United States and the Middle East.

“Jean-Gabriel joins us at a very opportune moment in our journey as we embark on an accelerated growth and expansion plan to take Kerzner to new places around the world, from China to Mexico and beyond,” says Mohammed Al Shaibani, Executive Director and CEO of Investment Corporation of Dubai, and Chairman of Kerzner International.

WH Desk

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s part of a comprehensive renovation of its historic Authors’ and Garden Wings, the legendary Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok has opened Group’s first Spa Studio featuring world renowned beauty treatments that are available for the first time in Bangkok, as well as express services for people on the go.

Located on the first floor of the newly refurbished Garden Wing, the Spa Studio is comprised of private and spacious rooms, luxuriously designed to create a calming yet sophisticated environment in which to experience powerful, effective and less time consuming treatments as well as specialist facial and podiatrist offerings.

The studio also offers waxing and express foot, shoulder and head messages.

The concept is ideal for guests who want to make the most of their time in one of the world’s most exciting cities, and for local residents on the go who frequent the hotel’s renowned outlets and venues for society weddings, business meetings or afternoon tea.

“The hotel has achieved many outstanding firsts in the hospitality industry throughout its 140-year history, and we are delighted that in addition to our very popular, award winning Oriental Spa, we are able to offer guests the chance to enjoy cutting edge and exclusive world renowned beauty treatments,” said Amanda Hyndman, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.

Born and raised in France, Jean-Gabriel holds a Master in Business Administration from the prestigious ESSEC Business School in Paris.

He serves on the Boards of Directors of several corporations and has been an active member of the World Travel and Tourism Council.

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HOSPITALITY

Atlantis The Palm introduces MICE Bookers Incentive Programme WH Desk

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tlantis, The Palm extends amazing incentive offers for all MICE bookings and stay until 31st March 2017. Below mentioned are the incentives offered.

Booking from 100 – 200 Room nights ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit Aquaventure Waterpark ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit The Lost Chambers Aquarium ÂÂVoucher for dinner for 2 adults in Kaleidoscope Bookings from 200 – 300 room nights ÂÂ2 nights complimentary stay for 2 adults in a Deluxe Room inclusive of Breakfast ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit Aquaventure Waterpark ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit The Lost Chambers Aquarium

Bookings from 300 – 400 room nights ÂÂ3 nights complimentary stay for 2 adults in a Palm Deluxe Room inclusive of Breakfast ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit Aquaventure Waterpark

Bookings from 700 – 1000 Room nights

ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit The Lost Chambers Aquarium

ÂÂ3 nights complimentary stay for 4 adults in a 2 bed room Terrace Suite Room inclusive of breakfast

ÂÂVoucher for 1 full body massage for 60mins. in ShuiQi Spa

Bookings from 400 – 500 room nights

ÂÂ4 Complimentary tickets to visit Aquaventure Waterpark ÂÂ4 Complimentary tickets to visit The Lost Chambers Aquarium

ÂÂ3 nights complimentary stay for 2 adults in a Terrace Suite Room inclusive of Breakfast

ÂÂVoucher for dinner for 4 adults in Kaleidoscope

ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit Aquaventure Waterpark

ÂÂVoucher for 2 full body massage for 60mins in ShuiQi Spa

ÂÂ2 Complimentary tickets to visit The Lost Chambers Aquarium

Terms and conditions: • Book MICE groups from Now until the 31st March 2017 to avail the bookers incentive • The reward will be presented to the booker after the group checks out based on the actual number of rooms materialized

ÂÂVoucher for dinner for 2 adults in Kaleidoscope ÂÂVoucher for 2 full body massage for 60mins in ShuiQi Spa

Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi appoints Director Spa

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adisson Blu Plaza Delhi, Mahipalpur, appointed Dr. Jairam S. Nair as Director Spa. Dr. Nair comes with an experience of almost 17 years in Wellness & Spa with various industries including hospitality industry. He was associated with Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort Himachal Pradesh as Director of Spa & Wellness before joining here. With such an enriching experience backing him, Dr. Nair intends to take the success of R The Spa to higher levels.

Prior to that he has worked with Apollo Life Wellness Centers Chennai and Hyderabad, Apollo Life Studios Chennai, Amatra Spa & Three Graces Spa Delhi, Jaypee Greens Golf Resort Greater Noida, Intercontinental Park Royal Delhi, Fort Devi Garh Palace Rajasthan, Shantigiri Ayurveda Center Delhi & Kairali Ayurvedic Health Spa & Resorts Delhi, Lucknow & Palakkad etc.

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DoubleTree by Hilton Pune-Chinchwad appoints F&B Manager

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n industry veteran having more than 11 year of experience, Ashutosh has associated with some of the best hotel brands in the country, Including Le Meridien, Jay Pee Palace Agra, IHG Delhi, Radisson Noida, Four Points by Sheraton.

In his new role, Ashutosh will be responsible for the overall operation and management of the entire specialty restaurant, bar and banquet events.

He will also play a key role in concept creation, business plan, budgeting, staff recruitment, training, vendor development, marketing & F&B positioning. His operational duties will involve revenue generation, customer satisfaction, employee engagement and corporate compliance.

September 2016 33

AVIATION

Scoot spreads itswings to Europe Scoot’s new Singapore-Athens route will be serviced by new and spacious Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners that are fitted with eight crew bunks and a total of 329 seats, including 18 in ScootBiz.

Athens marks Scoot’s first long-haul flight between Asia Pacific and Europe, as well as the longest flight operated by a low-cost carrier (LCC) with flight distance exceeding 10,000km.

WH Desk

Commenting on the announcement, Bharath Mahadevan, Country Head, India, Scoot said, “We are excited about Scoot’s expansion into the long-haul flight sector with which we will be flying to more markets globally. India continues to be an important market for us and we aim to make a mark with our competitive pricing and contemporary travel experience.”

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he commencement of Scoot’s services to Europe is part of the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group’s strategic move to stimulate passenger traffic between Asia Pacific and Europe, as well as to boost connectivity through the Singapore hub.

Asia Pacific’s Best Low Cost Airline1 will fly the spacious 787 Dreamliner on its longest non-stop flight from Singapore to Athens transforming the guest experience in lowcost, long-haul travel.

Scheduled to commence on June 20th, 2017, the new service between Singapore and

Budget-conscious travellers will soon be able to Scoot to Greece at pocket-friendly airfares, immersing in the rich history and culture Athens has to offer. To commemorate its foray into Europe, Scoot is offering attractive one-way Economy FLY fares to

Salalah Air to introduce Flying Club & Adventure Sports Centre in Oman WH Desk

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.E Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, met the founder and CEO of Salalah Air, Sam Owen, to understand the airline’s vision for future cooperation in the tourism sector. The meeting was focused on the development of Salalah Air’s charter services in Oman and between Governorates of the Sultanate. The presentation by the CEO introduced the concept of Oman’s first Flying Club and Adventure Sports Centre that forms part of Salalah Air’s development strategy.

The Flying Club and Adventure Sports Centre will be headquartered in Salalah

and have an operational base located at Sharbitat, which will provide opportunities for aerial sports such as para-motoring and parachuting, together with opportunities for diving, deep sea fishing and sailing.

Speaking of the establishment of the first Air Charter Services in the Sultanate, Sam Owen said, “Salalah Air is entirely Omani owned company chaired by Ali Masoud Al Khashoub, built on Omani cultural heritage and commitment; our vision is to become the number one Charter air service provider in the Sultanate while remaining true to the traditions and culture of Oman, and we intend to work closely with Oman Air and Salam Air to provide complimentary services that will be of benefit to the nation.”

During the meeting at the Ministry of Tourism, Owen spoke about the business model of Salalah Air, which is built on the use of a modified form of the Small Aircraft Transport System, forming a building block for the national development strategy for transport modalities and infrastructures, in particular air transport, with bases planned at Salalah, Sohar and Duqm.

34 September 2016

and from Athens starting from SGD 400, inclusive of taxes; SGD 1170 for ScootBiz. Scoot, the low-cost, medium-haul arm of the Singapore Airlines Group managed by Budget Aviation Holdings, has carried over seven million guests since taking to the skies in June 2012. For more information and to book your next flight, visit www. flyscoot.com.

Turkish Airlines inaugurates direct Erbil flights WH Desk

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urkish Airlines added a new flight to Erbil (Iraq) directly operated from Gaziantep Airport. Started from August 5th, 2016 roundtrip flights between Gaziantep and Erbil will be operated 2 times per week in both directions.

Introductory round trip fares are available from Gaziantep to Erbil (Iraq) starting at 178 USD (including taxes and fees). Additionally, for the operations to the destinations, there is a special offer for Miles & Smiles members, with a 25 percent reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades.

Already having the world’s 4th largest flight network and flying to 290 destinations in 116 countries, Turkish Airlines continues to expand its extensive network. To view the flight schedules please visit www. turkishairlines.com.

AVIATION

Air India commenced Ahmedabad to Newark via London flight WH Desk

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ir India commenced the first ever flight between Ahmedabad to Newark via London on August 15, 2016.

The Flight AI 171 took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The flight is receiving immense response from the passengers, and not only the inaugural flight but all bookings till September 16th are sold out.

The B787 flight to Newark will be the first commercial operation of the aircraft to the US from India. It will meet a long standing need and demand of more than 6 lakh Indians in Ahmedabad and expatriates in Newark and neighboring cities as well as of locals visiting the Indian sub-continent, who have been looking for seamless connections for work and leisure travel to Newark and London.

AI-171 will operate three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It will take off from Ahmedabad at 05:00 hrs and reach London at 10:15 hrs, depart from London at 12:30 hrs and arrive at Newark at 15:00 hrs. The return flight AI172 will leave Newark at 22:30 hrs and reach London at 10:15 hrs next day, leave London at 12:30 hrs and land at Ahmedabad at 02:00 hrs.

The flight will give a boost to tourism as well, as Air India offers convenient connections from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai for onward travel to places of interest and tourism within the country. This flight has generated a lot of enthusiasm in the Indian diaspora in UK and US. Speaking on the occasion, Ashwani Lohani, Chairman & Managing Director, Air India said ‘’Air India is happy to start this new flight on 15th August, 2016. It is a dream fulfilled for the people of Ahmedabad on India’s 70th Independence day. This is the third international flight introduced by Air India and we shall be launching flights to more international destinations soon.”

The first passenger to check in was handed the boarding pass by Chief Guest, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Hon’ble Minister, Revenue, Education (Primary, Secondary and Adult), Higher and Technical Education, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, Govt of Gujarat. Speaking on this initiative, Chudasama said, “This flight was eagerly awaited by the people of Gujarat and has evoked an enthusiastic response. Besides, this flight would also be instrumental in attracting people from all over the world to travel to Gujarat and viceversa.’’

Air India, with its state-of-the-art Dreamliner aircraft, will offer a host of features to passengers such as large overhead bins, cleaner and healthier air for fatigue-free travel, 60 percent larger windows, exclusive in-flight entertainment experience and specially designed gourmet cuisine to passengers.

The other luxury features B787 offers electronically dimmable windows, more seat pitch and recline, 35cm personal LCD screen, one touch technology that converts a seat into 180 degree flat-bed in business class, comfortable mood lighting and in-seat massage function.

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With a fleet of 14 Bombardier Q400 planes, which can seat 78 passengers, SpiceJet is one of the biggest operators of small jets in the country. It also operates the bigger Boeing 737s. Starting October 4, 2016, SpiceJet will start services to Silchar, Gorakhpur and Aizawl.

The passenger will still get airlines’ superlative check-in service, just delivered in a glamorously fitted out new area, and its designers have really gone to town creating a swish new Clubhouse and V-room so that you can indulge yourself before your flight.

The airline looks foraward to move its new Gatwick ‘home’ and welcoming its guest there in January 2017 and beyond.

SpiceJet to add four new aircraft to fleet piceJet will add four new Bombardier turboprop aircraft to its fleet to make the most of the booming passenger traffic in the country’s smaller cities as the government prepares to roll out its ambitious Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).

Virgin Atlantic operations to move to north terminal in 2017 rom 25 January 2017, all Virgin Atlantic departures and arrivals will move from the South Terminal to the North Terminal at London Gatwick. This move is part of Gatwick’s redevelopment plans.

QUICK LOOK

Lufthansa celebrates India’s 70th Independence Day o mark the occasion of India’s 70th Independence Day, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines made every passenger feel special by extending an Indian reception at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. On August 15, 2016, Lufthansa passengers were greeted by ground staff donned traditional attire and tri-colour decorations. In addition, passengers were gifted sweets as well as an Indian tri-colour upon check-in.

With this initiative, Lufthansa once again demonstrated that it is an airline with a ‘Soul of Germany and a Heart of India’.

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GDS/OTA

Travelport announces renewal of long-term Emirates partnership WH Desk

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ravelport has announced the renewal of both its global full content and IT agreements with Emirates. The strengthened partnership will see Emirates offer Travelport connected agencies in 180 countries serving hundreds of millions of travellers around the world -continued access to all of Emirates’ fares and inventory through the Travel Commerce Platform.

Furthermore, Travelport has signed an extension of its long-standing IT services agreement with Emirates. This agreement will see Travelport continue to provide Emirates with industry leading pricing, shopping and ticket rebooking technology, enabling Emirates to support advanced shopping and rebooking options within their internal sales channels including www. emirates.com.

On the distribution side, the new deal means Emirates will commence the initial rollout of

Travelport’s airline merchandising solutions giving them the capability to directly promote their fare brands, ancillaries and associated upsell options for the first time to the global travel agent community. Joining approximately 170 airlines now live with Travelport’s merchandising solution (Rich Content and Branding), Emirates will benefit from Travelport’s ability to provide detailed product descriptions, including images and related ancillary options to travel agencies.

Derek Sharp, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Air Commerce, Travelport, commented, “Emirates’ choice to offer agents their branded fares content with detailed descriptions and imagery will enable agents to more effectively upsell Emirates’ services providing an improved service to travellers and hopefully boosting Emirates’ growth across the globe.”

Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Commercial Officer, InterGlobe Technology Quotient, said, “ This contract will enable Travelport connected travel agents to select Emirates,

Sandeep Dwivedi Chief Commercial Officer ITQ

through our high end showcasing tool and merchandising platform. Emirates’ reselection reiterates the value we are providing to the airlines through Rich Content and Branding.”

Make My Trip launches new Yatra.com targets Tier II & III feature ‘Instant Refunds’ cities with ‘Yatra Mini’ App WH Desk

M

akeMyTrip announced the launch of yet another industry first and customer centric feature-Instant Refunds. With this offering, the company will immediately process the refund and notify the customer about the same instantly after the booking is cancelled. The company has already started processing instant refunds on hotels and domestic flights and will be extending this to its other offerings shortly.

Refunds are one of the biggest pain areas for customers across industries. In the case of travel, it is even higher, as the average transaction size is significantly higher than any transactions across other e-Commerce platforms. On an average, it takes about three to four days to process refunds and till then customers keep speculating whether or not will they get their money back and whether it will be the correct amount or not.

With MakeMyTrip’s new feature of Instant Refunds, as soon as the customer cancels his or her booking, the company processes the refund, and confirms the refund instantly. The customer is offered two refund options upon cancellation of the booking. For those who immediately need the refund amount they can opt to transfer the refund to their MakeMyTrip wallet, which will be processed and transferred instantly in the wallet for immediate use and for customers who are not looking at refunding the amount to their MakeMyTrip wallet, the refund will be processed instantly by the company and the amount will be reflected back in their bank accounts as per the bank’s policy.

36 September 2016

WH Desk

Y

atra.com has recently launched a new mobile application, Yatra Mini, targeting value seeking travellers featuring bus, train and budget hotel bookings. The key feature of the app is that it is extremely lightweight at only approx. 4.5 MB and is fast loading even in poor network areas. The app is built to cater even to lower end android phones and is supported by Android 4 & above.

The other exciting feature is that it is a multi-lingual travel app in Hindi & English with more regional languages such as Tamil, Bangla, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu being added very soon to cater to the nonEnglish audiences across the country.

Over the past few years, tier II and III cities have shown higher growth of online travel bookings driven by the rising penetration of smartphones and increased access to the internet. A large chunk of these travellers are travelling by bus and train and choosing budget hotels for their stays on these trips.

Yatra.com is targeting this customer with Yatra Mini that features only relevant product lines in a lightweight app that works well even in poor network a strong mix of elements that appeal to these customers who typically have limitations on memory space on their phones and are extremely focused on keeping their data usage to a minimum.

As per a recent report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), India has 402 million Internet users as of December 2015, thereby overtaking the US in total Internet users.

FACT & FIGURES

Pune: Best Value City for Short Breaks in India Tripadvisor announced sixth edition of its annual TripIndex Cities, which compares the cost of a three-night break during the summer travel period of June to September in 27 key cities around the world.

WH Desk

C

onducted by independent research firm TNS, TripIndex Cities also includes eight Indian cities (New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur) taking into account typical in-destination costs for two people. These include a four-star hotel for three nights, a visit to three attractions, lunch each day, a taxi to and from dinner each day, plus the cost of dinner itself.

The study found that among the Indian cities the average price for a short break is INR 30,415 (excluding flights) with prices varying significantly from the least to the most expensive. Pune is the lowest cost destination at INR 26,595, while Mumbai costs the most at INR 38,444.

Asian cities offer the best value for international travel When looking at the on-the-ground cost of a three-night city break, the 2016 TripIndex Cities report shows that travellers can find the best value in Asia, with four of the top ten cheapest destinations located within South East Asia - Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Bali.

However, travellers must be destination conscious when selecting Asia, as three of the most expensive destinations are also located in this part of the world; Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong.

How Indian cities fare in comparison with other international cities ÂÂOverall: New York, the most expensive city internationally for a three day break for Indians (INR 1,24,201) is over three times more costly than Mumbai, the most expensive city in India and over four times more than Pune (the least expensive city in India). ÂÂEating Out: Tokyo which has emerged the most expensive city for eating out at INR40,587 is almost three times the cost of Hyderabad which is the costliest in India (INR 13,668)and more than four times of Chennai (INR 9,414).

“TripIndex Cities is a great guide for travellers to help them plan and book a holiday within their budget, irrespective of whether they intend to travel internationally or within India. Our research of booking rates on TripAdvisor shows that it is possible to budget for a full trip to Pune for little more than the average cost of accommodation in Mumbai over the same dates. Such information helps travellers assess the various aspects of their trip before going ahead and making the final booking” said Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India.

ÂÂTaxi: Tokyo, which has the most expensive taxi ride at INR7,736 is six times more than the cost in New Delhi (INR 1,224) and more than 12 times in Mumbai (INR 628).At the same time, New Delhi, which has the most expensive taxi fares in India is two-three times more expensive than the cost of taxi rides in international cities like Hanoi, Kuala Lampur, Bangkok, Moscow and Bali.

IndianTripIndex Cities

Listed below are top budget friendly and the most expensive international cities for Indians(green and red indicate least and most expensive destinations for each item respectively). Mumbai is the only Indian city included among the global cities from India hence is included here: CHEAPEST

From the least expensive to the most expensive city (green and red indicate least and most expensive destinations for each item respectively): ÂÂFor eating out, travellers can get the best value for lunch and dinner in Chennai and Pune at INR 9,414 and INR 9,840 respectively. Hyderabad is the costliest for lunch and dinner at INR 13,668.

International TripIndex Cities at a Glance

S.No

Destination

Accommodation (in INR)

Lunch (in INR)

Dinner (in INR)

Attractions (in INR)

Taxi (in INR)

Total (in INR)

1

Hanoi

16,061

5,720

11,213

328

463

33,786

2

Mumbai

24,330

4,872

7,954

660

628

38,444

ÂÂThree taxi journeys of six kms each in New Delhi can set you back by INR 1,224 while the same distance in Mumbai is almost half at INR 628

3

Cape Town

23,679

4,092

7,684

3,262

943

39,660

4

Kuala Lumpur

17,548

6,410

15,036

2,986

651

42,632

5

Bangkok

17,373

6,627

16,512

2,659

662

43,832

6

Moscow

18,069

5,944

13,357

6,254

1,001

44,626

ÂÂPrices to visitor attractions vary significantly, with some destinations predominantly offering free/ low entrance fee attractions such as Pune, New Delhi and Hyderabad compared with other destinations where attractions are a larger part of the overall cost like Jaipur and Bangalore.

7

Bali

29,407

4,273

11,006

930

502

46,119

8

Madrid

23,395

8,131

13,691

2,165

2,481

49,863

9

Berlin

26,531

9,743

17,112

1,804

4,848

60,038

10

Vienna

27,865

11,096

19,567

5,385

2,593

66,506

Taxi (in INR)

Total (in INR)

*The figures above have been rounded off.

Most Expensive S.No. Destination

S.No. Destination Accommodation Lunch Dinner (in INR) (in INR) (in INR)

Lunch (in INR)

Dinner (in INR)

Attractions (in INR)

Total (in INR)

1

New York City

75,247

11,651

23,268

6,691

7,344

1,24,201

2

Tokyo

54,520

13,901

26,686

479

7,736

1,03,322

1

Pune

15,909

2,520

7,320

18

828

26,595

2

Jaipur

13,260

3,036

8,970

222

1,200

26,688

3

Chennai

18,165

3,438

5,976

60

888

28,527

4

Kolkata

18,279

2,598

8,142

102

948

30,069

5

Bangalore

17,721

2,931

8,529

180

1,020

30,381

6

New Delhi

17,574

3,075

8,937

42

1,224

30,852

7

Hyderabad

17,295

3,738

9,930

42

756

31,761

8

Mumbai

24,330

4,872

7,954

660

628

38,444

*The figures above have been rounded off.

Accommodation

Attractions Taxi (in INR) (in INR)

3

London

54,665

11,911

20,268

4,996

4,141

95,981

4

Cancun

67,181

4,722

10,783

8,818

1,236

92,740

5

Paris

51,782

8,741

15,445

2,706

5,130

83,806

6

Singapore

37,106

11,212

25,197

5,052

2,218

80,785

7

Hong Kong

36,800

13,571

24,623

0

2,189

77,183

8

Sydney

34,322

11,547

22,932

2,890

4,629

76,320

9

Rome

36,445

8,407

15,319

2,706

7,637

70,515

10

Rio de Janeiro

38,877

10,167

17,145

2,594

1,227

70,011

*The figures above have been rounded off

September 2016 37

APPOINTMENT & EVENTS DOMESTIC 32nd Annual Convntion, IATO September 18-21, 2016 Chennai, Tamil Nadu Travel & Tourism Fair September 16 - 18, 2016 Mumbai, India Incredible India Investors’ Summit September 21-23, 2016 New Delhi Kerala Travel Mart KTM September 27 - 30, 2016 Kochi, Kerala Sumit Kumar General Manage Hyatt Pune

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is has announced the appointment of Sumit Kumar as General Manager of Hyatt Pune. He will be responsible for the operational development of hotel, including guest and employee engagement and financial performance.

Combining focused leadership with a passion for excellence and an in-depth understanding of the Hyatt Brand, he is responsible for the strategic decision making in the increasingly competitive Pune market. He brings a vast knowledge of the diverse segments of the hospitality.

Rishi Chopra General Manager Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar

Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort and Spa announced Rishi Chopra as the new General Manager.

Rishi has twenty years of experience in the hospitality industry and these skills will lend itself for the required expertise in performing his duties.

He will now be an essential addition to the Starwood Group and will play a key role in planning, preparing and executing the annual budget and business plans for this one year old Resort and Spa property.

INTERNATIONAL

Mukul Sharma Executive Assistant Manager The Westin Mumbai Garden City

The Westin Mumbai Garden City has announced the appointment of Mukul Sharma as Executive Assistant Manager. In his new role Sharma will oversee operations of the hotel under the guidance of the General Manager. Sharma has over fourteen years of experience in the hospitality industry.

He holds Masters Diploma in Hospitality Admn. specializing in F&B (Kit) Management from Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development (OCLD) and Diploma in HM from Institute of Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition from PUSA.

PATA Travel Mart September 7 – 9, 2016 Jakarta, Indonesia JATA Tourism EXPO September 22 – 25, 2016 Tokyo, Japan HICAP October 19 – 21, 2016 Hong Kong World Travel Market November 7 – 9, 2016 London, England ILTM December 5 – 8, 2016 Cannes, France

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