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F A B r u A r y 2 0 1 4 | ` 5 0I n d I A ’ s l e A d I n g T r AV e l T r A d e m o n T h ly
India gives VoA facilityto 180 countries
08 Cover Story Location is the USP ofour hotel: Vineet MishraPage no.
34Page no.
64Page no.
I s s u e 0 5 | V o l u m e V | r n I n o . : d e l e n g / 2 0 1 0 / 3 3 7 2 3
TRAVEL ANDHOSPITALITY
Editor’s Note Quote of the Month
Chart of the Month
owner, Publisher, editor printed: srishti rai at somsons printing works, 1/7, doctor’s lane, gole market, new delhi - 110001,
and published at P- 23/90, Connaught Circus, new delhi 110001; Phone no: 011- 47512200.
Landmark move, more needs to be doneGovernment of India’s recent decision to liberal-ize visa process for tourists intending to visit Indiaand to start electronic travel authorization (ETA)is very significant to facilitate arrivals of foreigntourists in the country. Not surprisingly, the In-dian tourism industry has unanimously ap-plauded the decision. Definitely the new visainitiatives have addressed some long standing de-mands of the Indian tourism industry. With its rich cultural diversity, natural resourcesand great heritages, India has potential to becomeone of the top ranking tourist destinations in theworld. But for different reasons, the country hasnot been able to tap its tourism potentials sub-stantially. There are many challenges the Indiantourism industry is facing today. Lack of ade-quate tourism infrastructure remains a perennialproblem for the tourism sector. Complicated andexorbitant tax structure is one of the other prob-lems for the Indian tourism industry. Such taxa-tion regime not only creates hurdles for theindustry and tourists, but also makes India an ex-pensive destination. Considering the contributionof the tourism industry to the whole economy interms of jobs-creation, income generation andforeign exchange earnings, governments, boththe Union as well as states should accord high pri-ority to the tourism sector to get maximum ben-efits from it. Going forward, governments shouldfocus on improving tourist infrastructure and sim-plifying the existing taxation regime for the in-dustry.
Distance has been no barrier tocommunication between the people ofIndia and Korea since ancient times,and we are determined to bring themever closer in the years that lie ahead.The Cultural Centres set up in Seouland New Delhi have energized peo-ple-to-people engagement. Korean
tourists are visiting India in increasing numbers. I have con-veyed to President Park the decision of the Government ofIndia to extend a ‘tourist visa on arrival facility’ to nationalsof the Republic of Korea. We are also exploring the possibilityof better civil aviation links.Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
Speaking to the media during the recent State Visit of thePresident of Republic of Korea, in New Delhi
source: FhrAI’s Indian hotel Industry survey 2012-2013
“
“
inside the issueFeBruAry 2014 | Volume IV | Issue 11
India gives VoA facility to 180 countries
Indian OTAs focuses on non-air streams todrive revenues
Sirpur Dance and Music Festival 2013 con-cludes
Indian museums should be importanttourist destinations: PM
Romantic Adventures in New Zealand
Air passenger demand sees robust growthrates in 2013
Indian hotels maintains 60.4% occupancyin 2011-12: FHRAI
Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa opensKhyber Spa By L'OCCITANE
4 Thai cities ranked in top 100 city destina-tions
08
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34
38
51
56
59
Cover Story
In Conversation
Promising new TAAI-NR team conducts itsfirst meet62
26 56 30
34
64
205922
In Conversation: Location is the USP of ourhotel: Vineet Mishra64
Royal Caribbean International’s Navigatorof the Seas gets Texas-Sized Makeover22
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Spotlight8
In a significant move for
liberalizing India’s visa
regime, the government
recently approved Visa- On-
Arrival facility, and Electronic
Travel Authorization (ETA)
for all countries barring eight
countries, which include Pak-
istan, Iran, Sri Lanka and
China.
Informing about the deci-
sion Rajiv Shukla, Minister
of Planning said that the gov-
ernment has decided to ex-
tend visa-on-arrival to
tourists from 180 nations. He
said that it would take 5-6
months to put the infrastruc-
ture in place. The new deci-
sion is expected to be
implemented by the govern-
ment from the next tourist
session beginning October.
The move is expected to boost
tourism sector in the country.
The home ministry would no-
tify the decision at an appro-
priate time. Shukla said the
decision will give a major
boost to the country's tourism
sector.
Union Tourism Minister
Dr. K.Chiranjeevi has wel-
comed the decision to relax
the visa regime of India to
promote tourism. Dr. Chiran-
jeevi has thanked the Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh, Congress Vice Presi-
dent Rahul Gandhi, External
Affairs Minister Salman
Khurshid, Union Home Minis-
ter Sushil Kumar Shinde, Min-
ister of State in the Ministry
of Parliamentary Affairs Ra-
jeev Shukla and Deputy
Chairman of Planning Com-
mission Montek Singh
Ahluwalia.
The decision was taken in
a meeting recently convened
by the Planning Commission
that included representatives
from the PMO, ministries of
home affairs, external affairs
and tourism. In the meeting
held under the chairmanship
of Deputy Chairman, Planning
Commission, the following de-
cisions were taken to relax
the visa stipulations to pro-
mote tourism:
•The Tourist Visa on Ar-
rival (TVOA) and Electronic
Travel Authorisation(ETA) fa-
cilities shall be extended to all
the countries except 8 coun-
tries - Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan,
Sudan, Somalia, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and Nigeria. Ministry
of Home Affairs will work out
manpower, infrastructure and
other requirements for ex-
panding the TVOA and initiat-
ing the ETA facility. The new
system of TVOA and ETA
could be put into place by Oc-
tober, 2014.
•All categories that can
be accommodated within the
category “short stay”, i.e.,
stays of 30 days or less should
be put under the category of
short term visas. Short term
visas will not be extended to
categories under a negative
list which could include pur-
poses such as those seeking
paid employment, education
etc. Short term visas would
not be extendable beyond 30
days.
The procedure for ETA
would be as follows: (a)
Prospective visitors will apply
online; (b) They will send
their two-page visa applica-
tion to the Bureau of Immigra-
tion (BOI) online. It will be
examined and within three
days the applicant will be in-
formed whether or not he/she
can travel to India. The gov-
ernment has agreed to extend
ETA to all countries except
the above 8 countries.
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad,
Goa and Trivandrum are
among the nine airports
where visa-on-arrival and
electronic travel authoriza-
tion to citizens of 180 coun-
tries will be initially
implemented. Both facilities
will be implemented by the
end of this year.
At present, India provides
visa-on-arrival to tourists
from 11 countries, which in-
clude Finland, the Philip-
pines, Singapore and Japan.
The government will set up a
website for providing the fa-
cility to foreigners, who plan
to visit India as tourists. To
get a visa, foreign tourists will
have to apply on the desig-
nated website along with the
required fees. They would be
granted an electronic version
of the visa within three days.
The tourism industry had
consistently been asking for
extending visa on arrival to
many other countries. Com-
menting on the new initia-
tives, Subhash Goyal
President, Indian Association
of Tour Operators (IATO),
said, “Visa on Arrival from
180 countries will increase In-
ternational Tourist Arrival to
India by 25% to 50%.” Goyal
expressed happiness on be-
half of the entire tourism in-
dustry and thanked Dr. K.
Chiranjeevi, Union Minister
of Tourism in general and
Parvez Dewan, Secretary
(Tourism, Govt. of India in
particular as without their
help this historic achievement
of Visa of Arrival to 180 coun-
tries would not have been
possible for which we been re-
questing for last 15 years. He
also thanked everyone in the
Ministry of Home Affairs, Min-
India gives VoA facility to 180 countriesVisa-on-arrival facility will be extended to citizens of 180 countries at nineairports across the country by the end of the year.
Subhash Goyal, President, IATO
VoA for 180 countries will increaseInternational Tourist Arrival toIndia by 25% to 50%. The sooner
VoA along with E-Visas is implemented, bet-ter it will be for the country because oncethese are implemented, there will be in-crease in international tourist arrival.
“>>>
Dr. K.ChiranjeeviUnion Minister of State for Tourism
S.M. ShervAni, PreSident, FhRAi
“At a time when we are witnessing the adverse impactof a global and domestic economic slowdown, thesemeasures to simplify visa norms will give a muchneeded impetus towards leveraging tourism's intrin-sic potential to spur job creation and boost our coun-try's foreign exchange earnings.”
�Prem Kumar
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
9Spotlight
istry of External Affairs and
the Planning Commission. He
specially thanked Dr. Montek
Singh Ahluwalia, Vice Chair-
man of the Planning Commis-
sion and Pulok Chatterjee,
Principal Secretary to the
Prime Minister of India for ac-
cording priority to tourism on
its value in foreign exchange
earnings, job creation and
poverty alleviation.
Goyal further added,
“The sooner Visa on Arrival
along with E-Visas is imple-
mented, better it will be for
the country because once
these are implemented, there
will be increase in interna-
tional tourist arrival between
25 to 50%”. He further said,
“On one side, Government of
India was spending millions
of dollars for promotion of
tourism, on the other side
when the tourists wanted to
come, they were facing prob-
lems in getting Indian Visa.”
Goyal mentioned that the en-
tire Executive Committee and
members of IATO are grateful
to the Government of India for
this historic step and what-
ever cooperation Govt. of
India needs, thousands of our
members will cooperate with
the government to make this
landmark step a reality in
achieving the desired goals.
Welcoming the new visa-
on-arrival announcement by
the Government, Dr Jyotsna
Suri, Sr. Vice President -
FICCI and C&MD - The Lalit
Suri Hospitality Group said,"
The new liberalized visa
regime has the potential to
make India one of the most
favoured tourist destinations
of the world. This is a well
timed move just as the next
tourist season sets in. Instead
of 11 countries, travelers from
180 countries will get to avail
visa-on-arrival facility in
India." Dr. Suri further said,
"FICCI has been recommend-
ing steps to promote India as
a natural destination for in-
bound tourism. Our experi-
ence through global
interactions we have organ-
ised such as the Great India
Travel Bazaaar (GITB) in Ra-
jasthan from 2008 to 2013 and
the upcoming 7th landmark
global tourism event, the In-
credible India Travel Bazaar
(IITB), is that this facility is
much-needed and would go a
long way in promoting inflow
of foreign tour operators. The
visa on arrival facility will en-
thuse global participants to
attend over 9000 B2B meet-
ings at the forthcoming IITB,"
Post the announcement,
FICCI expects a surge in
global participation at the
IITB scheduled for April 8-9,
2014 at New Delhi and ex-
pects over 250 leading foreign
tour operators from over 55
countries to join. ”Available
data indicates that despite
'not-so-liberalized visa
regime' last year India re-
ceived 68.48 lakh foreign visi-
tors, registering a growth of
4.1% over 2012. Once the in-
frastructure for granting visa-
on-arrival is put in place India
will not only gain in terms of
more tourists but it will also
have positive spin-off on em-
ployments and earnings", Dr
Suri stated.
Welcoming new measures
to liberalize visa facilities for
tourists, S.M. Shervani,
President, FHRAI said, “On
behalf of FHRAI, I applaud
the historic steps announced
by the Central Government to
modernize India's tourist visa
regime. We are particularly
grateful that the Government
has accepted our proposal to
adopt a system of Electronic
Travel Authorization, which
will offer multiple advantages
of speed, efficiency, conven-
ience and flexibility, while
minimizing security related
risks.” He further said, “With
strong support from the Min-
istry of Tourism, FHRAI had
been assiduously pursuing
this issue with the Union Min-
istry of Home Affairs and we
had emphatically highlighted
that a bold and timely deci-
sion will be imperative to en-
able us to accomplish the
vision of doubling our Foreign
Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) to 12
million within the next five
years.”
According to Shervani, a
seamless and differentiated
visa mechanism to encourage
and facilitate foreign tourist
travel is imperative to posi-
tion India as an attractive and
welcoming destination and
enhance the global competi-
tiveness of our tourism sector.
“At a time when we are wit-
nessing the adverse impact of
a global and domestic eco-
nomic slowdown, these meas-
ures to simplify visa norms
will give a much needed impe-
tus towards leveraging
tourism's intrinsic potential to
spur job creation and boost
our country's foreign ex-
change earnings,” said Sher-
vani, adding, “We look
forward to extending our full
support to the Home Ministry
and other Government agen-
cies to ensure that the requi-
site infrastructure, in terms of
technology and personnel is
expeditiously put in place, so
that this initiative can be op-
erationalised well in time be-
fore the onset of peak tourist
season this year.”
Commenting on the Gov-
ernment’s latest initiatives to-
wards visa liberalization, S N
Srivastava, President & Co-
founder, Clarks Inn Group of
Hotels said that the Govern-
S N Srivastava, President & Co-founder, Clarks Inn Group of Hotels
The Government’s initiatives of ex-tending Visa on Arrival (VoA) tocitizens of 180 countries, and also
the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)are till date the most serious efforts under-taken by the government to facilitate foreigntourist arrival in the country.
“>>>
Dr Jyotsna Suri, Sr. VP, FICCI & CMD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group
The new liberalized visa regimehas the potential to make Indiaone of the most favoured tourist
destinations of the world. This is a welltimed move just as the next tourist seasonsets in. Instead of 11 countries, travelersfrom 180 countries will get to avail visa-on-arrival facility in India.
“>>>
Trade News10
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
ment’s initiatives of extending
Visa on Arrival (VoA) to citi-
zens of 180 countries, and also
the Electronic Travel Authori-
sation (ETA)- are till date the
most serious efforts under-
taken by the government to fa-
cilitate foreign tourist arrival
in the country. Srivastava
commented that despite some
optimism it is no secret that
India tourism has been virtu-
ally stranded where it was
some six years ago. “There is
very little growth to boast of in
the last six years when India
tourism grew from just over 5
Million to 6.8 Million in 2013,”
Srivastava said. “Compare
this with Thailand when ar-
rival of international tourist
grew from 14.5 Million in 2008
has grown to 26.7 Million in
2013. The Indian arrival into
Thailand has grown from
around 500,000 in 2008 to
1,050,000 in 2013.” According
to Srivastava, this kind of Visa
liberalisation is path-breaking
and unheard of before. “We
certainly did not expect this to
happen this soon. My sincere
compliments to industry’s and
government’s effort to make
this a reality,” said Srivastava.
He further said, “If this initia-
tive is implemented within the
set timeframe and backed by
effective implementation than
what we could witness in
terms of foreign tourist arrival
may be historical, similar to
the growth that India wit-
nessed between 2003-2007 pe-
riod when arrival almost
doubled from 2,726,000 (2.7
Million) to 5,080,00 (5.08 Mil-
lion).”
Welcoming the move to lib-
eralize visa for tourists,
Pradeep Kalra, Sr. Vice Pres-
ident, Sales & Marketing,
Sarovar Hotels and Resorts
said, “This is a great develop-
ment that will benefit all
leisure destinations that rely
on Inbound/International traf-
fic. This initiative will propel
International Tourism as get-
ting an Indian Visa is a big
challenge according to Tour
Operators promoting India.”
He suggested that India
should open up the Visa on Ar-
rival for all nations including
UK which is the biggest driver
of tourists to India and the
procedure should be simplified
and easy as is the case of Thai
Visas for Indians. The only
countries which should be
kept out are those that pose a
threat to our security.
Talking about the impact
of the visa on arrival clear-
ance, Surinder Singh Sodhi,
Senior Vice President & Head,
Leisure Travel (Inbound),
Thomas Cook (India) Ltd “At
Thomas Cook India, we laud
the Government for this posi-
tive and progressive move. Ex-
tension of the visa on arrival
(VoA) facility to 180 countries,
together with the introduction
of electronic travel authoriza-
tion (ETA) is indeed wel-
comed, as vital towards
building critical mass-momen-
tum and infusing much-
needed demand into the under
leveraged inbound sector.” He
added, “Destination India has
tremendous latent potential
which these developments will
help tap, however, far more
needs to be done by the Gov-
ernment in terms of develop-
ing infrastructure and
improving safety measures for
our inbound guests. Basic and
practical measures to ensure
success of the VoA initiative
would be the presence of
skilled, multi-lingual man-
power at arrival airports to as-
sist incoming tourist.”
Federation of Associa-
tions in Indian Tourism and
Hospitality (FAITH) also wel-
comed new visa initiatives. A
press statement issued by
FAITH said with new revolu-
tionary steps on visa, India has
changed the rules of the game.
It set the ground for revolution-
izing the Indian tourism and
hospitality industry by approv-
ing the policy both for visa on
arrival and through electronic
travel confirmation for all of
180 countries except 8 coun-
tries. The statement further
said that the early initiative on
this was taken by the dynamic
and visionary minister of
tourism for India, Dr. Chiran-
jeevi. Under his suggestion,
the Tourism Secretary and his
team worked briskly along with
a high powered committee of
FAITH, the newly formed apex
body - The Federation of Asso-
ciations in Indian Tourism &
Hospitality to generate differ-
ent scenarios of the impact on
foreign exchange earnings and
employment accruing from a
visa on arrival regime.
They estimated that in the
short term scenario India can
get an additional 1.5 million
foreign tourists and USD 4 bil-
lion and in the longer term sce-
nario India can target up to 20
million tourists and earn
around USD 36 billion from this
move. This sector in 2012 got
6.5 m international tourists and
USD 17 billion plus in foreign
exchange.
India's smaller neighbours
to its east get between them
around USD 140 billion in for-
eign exchange from tourism
and more than 100 million in-
ternational tourist arrivals.
There is a huge market oppor-
tunity waiting to be tapped.
The tourism sector in India, im-
pacts around 40 million jobs
and 7 lakh crores of economic
output. With a visa friendly
regime, India's route to macro
- economic gains from tourism
would soon be 'just a ticket'
away.
Surinder Singh Sodhi, Sr. VP & Head, Leisure Travel (Inbound),Thomas Cook (India) Ltd
Extension of the VoA facility to180 countries, together with theintroduction of electronic travel
authorization (ETA) is indeed welcomed, asvital towards building critical mass-momen-tum and infusing much-needed demand intothe under leveraged inbound sector.
“>>>
Pradeep Kalra, Sr. Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Sarovar Hotelsand Resorts
This is a great development thatwill benefit all leisure destinationsthat rely on Inbound/International
traffic. This initiative will propel Interna-tional Tourism as getting an Indian Visa is abig challenge according to Tour Operatorspromoting India.
“>>>
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
11Trade News
Expressing his happi-
ness over Modi’s an-
nouncement at the
recent meeting of the National
Council, Goyal said that
tourism gets priority vision for
the country. He also appeals
to all Political Parties to in-
clude tourism in the Political
Agenda and Manifesto. “The
BJP’s Prime Ministerial candi-
date Narendra Modi focusing
on tourism in his 5-Ts is a big
reason for happiness for all
tourism practitioners, the
travel trade in particular,”
said Goyal, adding, “At least,
there is some positive thinking
about Tourism by the Policy
makers (at PM level) and that
is urgently needed to boost
our sagging tourism. This
inter-allia may give more tax
incentives to tourism sector”.
If all the Political Parties give
priority to tourism in their Po-
litical Agenda, tourism can re-
ally be the engine for
development of our country by
creating more employment
even in distant areas and gen-
erating foreign exchange earn-
ings. Goyal further said,
“Since the beginning of the
Five Year Plan in 1951,
Tourism never got recognition
in the Governments Plan
Process. All Successive gov-
ernments also did not show
any priority to tourism though
tourism’s contribution to GDP
is around 6% and contributes
nearly 9% of the total employ-
ment. It holds potential to rise
GDP to 10% if the investments
are made in tourism sector
and it can give the boost for
Foreign Exchange earnings.”
Goyal said that at the first op-
portunity, Tourism Sector is
taxed. “With the result, India is
termed as Tax Loaded Coun-
try for Tourism Sector and in
turn which has made India
Holiday Packages Cost Prohib-
itive. We lose business to our
neighboring countries like
Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia
and Hong Kong, as we cannot
match the price on holiday
packages which they offer due
to high taxation.”
Goyal said that tourism in-
dustry is quite optimistic that
our long pending appeal to de-
clare tourism as an “Export In-
dustry” based on its Foreign
Exchange Earnings will get
priority attention and all such
benefits as given to other ex-
port oriented industries will be
extended to tourism sector
also. This will also boost in-
vestments in tourism related
activities mainly Accommoda-
tion, Transport, Airport, Hos-
pital, Conference Centers on
which tourism growth depend
in a big way. by TNH DESK
IATO welcomes NarendraModi’s 5-Ts announcement Subhash Goyal, President, Indian Association ofTour Operators (IATO) has welcomed 5-Tsannouncement by BJP Prime MinisterialCandidate Narendra Modi.
The part equity, part
merger deal is struc-
tured as a multi
stage process: TCIL Group
will make a Preferential Al-
lotment Investment for ap-
proximately of `187 Cr. into
Sterling, TCIL Group will
purchase shares from Ster-
ling shareholders for `176
Cr., TCIL Group will make a
mandatory open offer for
`230 Cr. And there will be a
merger between the two
companies at a defined swap
ratio of 120:100
The merger brings signif-
icant synergies to both part-
ners - with Thomas Cook
India gaining access to Ster-
ling Resorts’ network of 19
resorts in 16 holiday destina-
tions across India.
The company also has 15
additional sites where it
plans to add new resorts in
the coming years.
Speaking post the an-
nouncement, Madhavan
Menon, Managing Director,
Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.,
said: “Ramesh Ramanathan
and his team at Sterling Re-
sorts are veterans who were
instrumental in developing
the Vacation Ownership cat-
egory in India and we are de-
lighted to partner them via
this merger! The synergistic
opportunities that this new
partnership between
Thomas Cook & Sterling Re-
sorts offers are enormous,
because they create multiple
avenues to grow our respec-
tive businesses and to create
valuable business opportuni-
ties together.” He added: “As
India’s leading integrated
travel and travel related fi-
nancial services Company,
TCIL’s merger with Sterling
Holiday Resorts reaffirms
our commitment to our
stated strategy of investing
in mutually beneficial part-
nerships that broaden our
business services platform to
increase shareholder value.”
Siddharth Mehta, Chair-
man, Sterling Holiday Re-
sorts (India) Limited said:
“The last few years have
seen the resurgence of the
Sterling brand in the Vaca-
tion Ownership and Leisure
Holidays space. Commenting
on the merger, Sidharth Sub-
ramanian, Vice Chairman,
Sterling Holiday Resorts
(India) Limited said, “Ster-
ling was founded by my fa-
ther in 1986 and I am proud
that Sterling is widely ac-
knowledged as the Company
that truly pioneered Vaca-
tion Ownership in India. The
success the Company en-
joyed in the first decade of
its operations led to the
opening up of the industry
with more players setting up
operations. At Sterling, we
have always been passion-
ately committed to our cus-
tomers. That commitment is
what kept us going during our
period of strife. I took over
the helm in late 2007 when
the company was going
through a difficult phase. I
would like to take this oppor-
tunity to publicly acknowl-
edge that we managed to
keep Sterling going because
of the commitment and sup-
port of the Board and a core
group of employees who
stayed the course with us. In
2009, I saw in Bay Capital a
partner who was committed
to turning the Company
around and I am pleased that
together we have brought
Sterling back into a position
of strength.”
Ramesh Ramanathan,
Managing Director, Sterling
Holiday Resorts (India) Lim-
ited stated, “The merger with
Thomas Cook will strengthen
Sterling’s market position as
there are multiple natural
synergies which both compa-
nies will mutually benefit
from. Thomas Cook cus-
tomers will have access to our
pan-India network of well lo-
cated, full-service, quality re-
sorts which offer great
holiday experiences. Sterling
stands to benefit from
Thomas Cook’s iconic brand
reputation and TCIL’s large
base of domestic and inbound
travel customers. There is
also scope to add value to
Sterling’s Vacation Owner-
ship members through the
synergies that exist between
the two companies.” Antique
Group acted as advisor and
ICICI Securities acted as mer-
chant banker to Thomas Cook
for this merger. by TNH DESK
Thomas Cook (India) & Sterling HolidayResorts (India) announce mergerThomas Cook (India) Ltd. (TCIL) - India’s leading integrated travel and travelrelated financial services company, and the 27 year old vacation ownershippioneer, Sterling Holiday Resorts India Limited announced a merger betweenthe companies today. The transaction is expected to close by the fourthquarter of 2014, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatoryapprovals as required.
“The merger with Thomas cook will strengthenSterling’s market position as there are multiple nat-ural synergies which both companies will mutuallybenefit from. Thomas cook customers will have ac-cess to our pan-india network of well located, full-service, quality resorts which offer great holidayexperiences.”
MAdhAvAn Menon, MAnAging director,thoMAS cook (indiA)
“The merger with Thomas cook will strengthenSterling’s market position as there are multiple nat-ural synergies which both companies will mutuallybenefit from. Thomas cook customers will have ac-cess to our pan-india network of well located, full-service, quality resorts which offer great holidayexperiences.”
RAMeSh RAMAnAthAn, MAnAging director,Sterling holidAy reSortS (indiA) liMited
Trade News12
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Highlights of the mergerMerger focused on synergies and jointly
leveraging growing Domestic & Inbound
travel, Vacation Ownership & Hospitality
opportunities
Post merger, Sterling Holiday Resorts to
continue operations under the leadership
of Ramesh Ramanathan with an inde-
pendent Board
Based on equity investments and
merger ratios, the aggregate value of the
two companies is approximately ` 3000Cr.
ixigo.com, India’s leading
travel planning and search
engine, together with GSF, a
leading start-up Accelerator
program in India organized
a 10km marathon run on
February 1 in New Delhi.
More than 100 budding en-
trepreneurs along with lead-
ing Venture Capitalists and
Angels from across the
world came together to learn
from each other’s experi-
ences, discuss challenges
and find viable solutions to
their problems while engag-
ing in a fun, healthy activity.
“The start-up ecosystem
is huge and we at ixigo real-
ize the importance of bring-
ing people together on one
platform so they can mutu-
ally benefit from each other.
A healthy mind starts with a
healthy body and that was
the clear message we
wanted to convey,” said
Aloke Bajpai, CEO and Co-
founder, ixigo.com. “It is by
partnering with GSF that we
got the opportunity to en-
courage young entrepre-
neurs, and support them in
their journey. Who knows a
start-up idea that may have
been nurtured via this plat-
form today goes on to be-
come a big success story
tomorrow.”
“We at GSF are dedicated
to encouraging, supporting
and funding young entrepre-
neurs from across the world.
The marathon run organized
together with ixigo provided
us with an opportunity to
meet young and bright minds
who have the zest to make it
big in their respective ven-
tures. Since ixigo is a suc-
cessful start-up company
itself, partnering with them
for this event was a natural
choice for us,” said Rajesh
Sawhney, Founder GSF.
The marathon run was
flagged off at 7am from San-
jay Van, Qutub Institutional
Area. To ease the networking
activity that was to follow,
special colored bands were
presented to all participants,
clearly differentiating them
into three categories; start-
ups, people who have ideas
and the drive to work to-
wards a start-up and venture
capitalists. TiE came on
board as a knowledge part-
ner to promote the event.
The run culminated with
a healthy breakfast meeting,
where participants got the
chance to effectively network
with each other, share valu-
able experiences and ex-
change useful tips. The
breakfast was sponsored by
Times City.
ixigo.com is India’s lead-
ing travel planning and
search website, voted as the
Product of the Year 2013, in
the Travel category.
Launched in 2007 by IIT, IN-
SEAD and Amadeus alumni,
ixigo.com’s vision is to sim-
plify the life of travelers
through innovative travel
products for Internet & mo-
bile. The website searches,
aggregates and curates
travel information across
hundreds of travel sites and
allow travelers to access rel-
evant information on tourist
destinations, places to visit,
things to do, modes of trans-
port, driving directions, ho-
tels, restaurants, weather
and more. by TNH DESK
ixigo & GSF celebrate thespirit of entrepreneurship!Over 100 budding entrepreneurs, Angels andleading investors join the GSF-ixigo marathon.
“The start-up ecosystem is huge and we at ixigo re-alize the importance of bringing people together onone platform so they can mutually benefit from eachother. A healthy mind starts with a healthy body andthat was the clear message we wanted to convey.”
Aloke BAjPAi, ceo And co-Founder, ixigo.coM
“we at gSF are dedicated to encouraging, support-ing and funding young entrepreneurs from acrossthe world. The marathon run organized togetherwith ixigo provided us with an opportunity to meetyoung and bright minds who have the zest to makeit big in their respective ventures. Since ixigo is a suc-cessful start-up company itself, partnering withthem for this event was a natural choice for us.”
RAjeSh SAwhney, Founder gSF
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
13Tech News
Trade News14
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
The first-ever 'Incredible
India Golf Tourism Sum-
mit 2014' will be organized by
the Ministry of Tourism , Gov-
ernment of India in associa-
tion with FICCI and with the
support of India Golf Tourism
Association (IGTA). The Sum-
mit will be held in New Delhi
on October 8-10, 2014, which
would culminate with an In-
credible India Golf Tourism
Award, Incredible India Golf
Tournament and FAM trips to
Golf Courses for the hosted
Tour Operators from across
the world specializing in pro-
moting Golf Tourism.
Ministry of Tourism in as-
sociation with FICCI and with
the support of India Golf
Tourism Association here
today organized a conference
on 'Incredible India Golf
Tourism Summit 2014' to pro-
mote this niche area of
tourism in a substantial way.
The chief guest of the con-
ference, Parwez Dewan, Sec-
retary Tourism, Government
of India, said that the ministry
promotes the 15 signature golf
courses of India at every road
show and opportunity that
arises to attract foreign golf
tourists to India and make the
country a preferred golfing
destination.
Countries like Japan and
Hong Kong have shortage of
golf courses and golfers of
these nations can come to
India and play golf at a com-
paratively low cost, said
Dewan. India has 220 golf
courses, of which 30 are of
professional level and 15 sig-
nature golf courses. Golf
tourism is growing at a rate of
9.3% per year and there are
about 1.6 million golfers who
travel every year to golfing
destinations. Hence, there is a
huge opportunity and scope to
promote golf tourism in India.
On the occasion, Dewan
also announced that the Mal-
divians coming to India for
medical tourism can now
travel visa free for up to 90
days. This comes as a major
breakthrough for the medical
tourism industry.
Anand Kumar, Joint Sec-
retary Tourism, Government
of India, said that India is lo-
cated strategically and can
cater to the European,
ASEAN, Japanese and Chi-
nese golf tourism markets
with ease. Also, India offers
competitive pricing and the
connectivity within and to
India has improved consider-
ably, which can help in pro-
moting golf tourism. But we
have not been able to promote
India as a golf destination ef-
fectively in the past and other
markets like Thailand and
Malaysia have an edge over
India as they started out ear-
lier than us.
However, he said, India of-
fers vast experiences in terms
of setting of the golf courses.
The country has golf courses
near sea, in high altitudes and
has some of the oldest and fa-
mous golf courses. Also, the
country is a preferred desti-
nation for cultural tourism
and wellness tourism and
these can be tied up with golf
tourism to give both golfing
and tourism a boost, Mr.
Kumar added.
Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Senior
Vice President, FICCI, said
that the highlight of the sum-
mit would be the 12 hours of
structured, pre-scheduled
B2B meetings in the two days
between hosted industry
handpicked leading foreign
tour operators from across 30
countries who specialize in
golf tourism with the stake-
holders of this niche area
from India, besides the inter-
active conclave pondering
over critical issues on day
one.
Dr. Suri added that Incred-
ible India Golf Awardees
would be picked from the
promising golf courses, golf
tour operators, golf media,
golf hotels, the most facilitat-
ing airlines and a state gov-
ernment promoting golf in a
substantial way.
Post the tournament, IGTA
would organize FAM trips to
golf courses for the hosted
leading foreign tour operators
from across the world that
would come for the summit.
This will offer a great oppor-
tunity to the willing golf
courses in the country for on-
site marketing of their facili-
ties to their target market.
Dr. A Didar Singh, Secre-
tary General, FICCI, said that
for the first time the Ministry
of Tourism would be leading
the Tourism Summit in Golf
and has offered to promote
and facilitate this important
tourism platform. Further the
support of the industry, India
Golf Tourism Association
lends credence to the summit.
Rajan Sehgal, President,
IGTA, who moderated the ses-
sion, said, Incredible India
Golf Tourism Summit will
highlight the Golf Tourism po-
tential of India, and go a long
way in promoting the golf
tourism in the country.
by TNH DESK
Incredible India GolfTourism Summit 2014 tobe held in Delhi In order to promote golf tourism in India, theMinistry of Tourism (MoT), Government of Indiarecently announced the launch of first-ever'Incredible India Golf Tourism Summit 2014’,which will be held on October 8-10 this year.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
15Tech News
These are dream pack-
ages for not just trav-
ellers, but for travel agents as
well, who can earn commis-
sion up to `3,000 on each
package. As part of these spe-
cial packages, families get the
chance to avail up to 50% off
on their child or free upgrades
to deluxe category.
The family packages are
bundled with exciting inclu-
sions such as excursions at
Indus and Zanskar Rivers,
Indus Valley Monastery tour,
Sindhu Ghat and the Sand
Dunes in Ladakh packages.
These also include overnight
camping at Nubra Valley and
Pangong Lake. There is a
cricket bat factory tour of-
fered in the Kashmir package,
for cricket lovers.
Summer packages of-
fered for Kashmir and
Ladakh:
•Fascinating Kashmir - 6
Nights / 7 Days - Prices start-
ing at `30,999
•Fascinating Ladakh - 7
Nights / 8 Days - Prices start-
ing at `34,999
Speaking on the offer,
Neelu Singh, COO,
Ezeego1.com said, “The com-
munity of travel agents forms
an integral part of what we do,
and how we do it. It is our con-
stant endeavour to delight our
customers with unique pack-
ages and special discounts. In
the same way, we also strive
to make work worthwhile for
every agent associated with
us and believe in aptly re-
warding the deserving ones.”
Tour costs are per person
on twin sharing basis and are
inclusive of return airfare,
hotel accommodation, meals
as per the itinerary, sightsee-
ing, taxes and travel insur-
ance. Ezeego1.com is one of
its kinds online travel com-
pany (Meta search) founded
in 2006 which offers all travel
related services. by TNH DESK
Ezeego1.com introduces specialoffer for Travel AgentsEzeego1.com, a leading online travel search site, has introduced specialsummer holiday packages for India’s most exotic locations such as Ladakh,Kashmir, Sikkim and Darjeeling.
Neelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1.com
It is our constant endeavour to de-light our customers with uniquepackages and special discounts. In
the same way, we also strive to make workworthwhile for every agent associated withus and believe in aptly rewarding the deserv-ing ones.
“>>>
Trade News16
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
In this era of digital changes,
safe global travel is the
buzzword for global travellers.
Here’s one-of-a-kind travel an-
cillary service player in India-
Trawell Tag Cover More of
Sydney that is quite deter-
mined to take up the safety
issue of Indian global trav-
ellers since around 80 per cent
Indian travellers embarking
on global travel do not go for
travel insurance. With an ef-
fort to raise the awareness
among the travel agents about
the need for travel insurance,
Trawell Tag hosted Travel
Agents’ Engagement Pro-
gramme for as many as 350
travel agents in Kolkata some-
time on January 10.
The travel assistance
player took off in 2005 and has
its India operation in Mumbai.
With around 50 offices across
the breadth of the country,
Trawell Tag is looking ahead
to organize similar training
workshops across 20 cities of
India including Mumbai and
New Delhi in this fiscal. Dev
Karvat, Managing Director,
Trawell Tag Cover More ex-
plained, “We have held train-
ing workshops in Ahmedabad
and Chennai. The Indian
travel industry is growing at a
rate of single digit. In Aus-
tralia, the level of penetration
of travel service industry is
quite high at around 65 per
cent. The growth rate of travel
assistance service in India
stands at 50 per cent but the
penetration level is quite low
at around 20 per cent. We
hope the penetration level will
increase to 50 per cent in the
next three to four years’ time.”
Trawell Tag has on offer
one integrated solution under
on roof with five distinct
travel-related services. Karvat
said, “We provide medical in-
surance and tourists taking up
global travel can get in touch
with us in times of emergency
for quick medical help or get
admitted in hospitals with
cashless facility. Besides, we
also have concierge services,
family protection service for
travellers’ household staying
back in India, travel insurance
and online luggage tracking
facilities. It has been found
that nearly 2 lakh baggages
are lost every month at the
time of global travel. We pro-
vide travel tag to outbound In-
dian tourists and we have a
tie-up with global airline
players and ground handlers
in order to recover the lost
baggage.” The travel service
company prides in having
around 7,000 travel agents
across India promoting their
travel insurance products.
“For those interested to ven-
ture on adventure tours and
self-drive, we offer travel in-
surance in association with
National Insurance Company.
Very soon, we are planning to
launch Global SIM Card for
Indian travellers taking up
global travel. It would be con-
venient for them to use in
multiple countries,” added
Karvat.
Turning over a new leafin travel insuranceAimed to provide complete insurance cover foroutbound Indian travelers, Trawell Tag CoverMore has a niche market in the country.
Dev KarvatMD, Trawell Tag Cover More
Services offeredby Trawell Tag:•Medical insurance•Travel insurance•Concierge services•Family protection totravellers’ household•Online luggagetracking
Snapshot
�Swaati Chaudhury
Cox & Kings has an-
nounced that it has been
awarded the official rights to
promote hospitality packages
for FIFA World Cup 2014,
which will take place in Brazil
from 12th June to 13th July,
2014.The match hospitality
packages are available in a
variety of customized options
and include match tickets and
food & beverage during the
match. With prices starting
from USD 1150 per person,
match hospitality tickets can
be purchased in quantities of
4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and so
on till upper limit of 40.
There are exciting pack-
ages for the Aquarela Series,
which has the best-located
private suites between goal
lines. The packages offer top-
class suites for Rio de
Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Belo
Horizonte. Fans can also
enjoy the Aquarela Business
Series at match Private Suites
in Belo Horizonte and private
area in best match Business
Seat Lounge in Rio de Janeiro
and Sao Paulo. Both packages
include OM, 2x SF and F.
Cox and Kings also offers
packages for the venue series
for those who wish to experi-
ence FIFA World Cup in a par-
ticular host city. Venue series
packages are available for
Belo Horizonte, Brasilia,
Cuiaba, Curitiba, Fortaleza,
Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre,
Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Sal-
vador and Sao Paulo. The
Match Hospitality Programme
offers Category 1 hospitality
tickets for Match Pavilion,
Match Club and Match Pre-
mier.
MATCH Pavilion offers
fans a dedicated, but less for-
mal, hospitality option in the
Business Category. This is the
perfect opportunity to enter-
tain your clients and friends
in a shared hospitality area
outside the stadium and
watch the match in a real
spectator environment.
MATCH Club is a shared
hospitality experience where
a casual pub-style setting is
complemented by up-market
snacks and a premium selec-
tion of beverages. Positioned
in the Leisure Category, this
product is available as a Sin-
gle Match Package, in Venue
Series and Team Specific Se-
ries.
MATCH Premier offers
fans the opportunity to secure
their seat at the 2014 FIFA
World Cup Brazil™ with
MATCH Hospitality. This
ticket offers informal hospital-
ity with snacks and bar serv-
ice and is ideal for big groups,
families and those who want
to relish the excitement of the
biggest sporting event in the
world. by TNH DESK
Cox & Kings to promote FIFA’s2014 World Cup in IndiaTicket-inclusive hospitality packages price startingfrom USD 1150 per person
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
17Trade News
The 2014 Summer Holiday
Bazaar will cover 30
cities across India. Travellers
can shop for the best holiday
deals from a choice of destina-
tions (both International &
Domestic) that offer spectac-
ular discounts. The key high-
lights at the road show
include special offers; chance
to win free holidays, cash dis-
counts and free upgrades
amongst others.
Speaking on the launch
Vishal Suri, CEO-Tour Oper-
ating, Kuoni India said, “With
the overwhelming response
and success attained from our
previous road shows, we are
encouraged to repeat success
this current year too. The Hol-
iday Bazaar Road show is a
great opportunity to engage
and strengthen our relation-
ship with our past and
prospective customers while
showcasing our best proposi-
tions with support from
tourism boards and other as-
sociates”.
Deals at the 2014 Summer
Holiday Bazaar include:
15-Day All of Europe:
Visit United Kingdom, France,
Belgium, Netherlands, Ger-
many, Switzerland, Liechten-
stein, Austria, Italy & Vatican.
Your Wife pays only 50% or
your child goes absolutely
FREE
16-Day All of USA: Visit
New York, Washington DC,
Harrisburg, Niagara, Orlando,
Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San
Luis Obispo & San Francisco
and get 3-Nights Bahamas
Cruise FREE and also get
FREE Upgrade to Walt Disney
World Swan & Dolphin Resort
inside Disney Theme Parks OR
FREE Upgrade to a Balcony
Cabin on the Bahamas Cruise
10-Day Oriental Voyage:
Visit Singapore, Kuala
Lumpur, Superstar Libra
Cruise, Penang & Genting
Highlands. Free Upgrade to
Ocean View cabin on Cruise.
Stay 2 nights inside Sentosa
Island, Singapore.
8-Day South African
Splendor: Visit Cape Town,
Hermanus, Knysna, Sun City,
Johannesburg. 3 days Kruger
or 4 days Kenya Free.
10 Days Wonders of Aus-
tralia: Visit Gold Coast, Mel-
bourne, Cairns, Sydney.
Special All Inclusive Price is
Rs 1,99, 900.
Above Packages include:
Airfare, Accommodation,
taxes, visa, travel insurance,
meals, sightseeing, transfers
as per itinerary & services of
our tour manager.
by TNH DESK
Kuoni-SOTC announces ‘SummerHoliday Bazaar’ in DelhiKuoni-SOTC has launched the 2014 “Summer Holiday Bazaar” showcasingits summer holiday propositions in Delhi.
An organization of 80 airlines and
ground handlers at Amsterdam’s
Schiphol Airport has chosen IT provider,
SITA, for another five years in a •26.6
million deal. The Schiphol CUTE Local
User Board (CLUB), which represents
the airport’s common-use technology
users, has signed a new contract for
SITA’s AirportConnect Openpassenger
processing platform. Deployed in a vir-
tual environment, AirportConnect Open
helps provide an efficient journey for the
airport’s 52 million annual passengers.
With SITA’s expertise in near field
communications (NFC), Schiphol has
also become the first airport in Europe
to “future-proof” its passenger process-
ing platform by connecting it with NFC
technology. Using NFC-enabled smart-
phones, passengers will be able to
quickly and easily pass through a spe-
cial boarding gate at the airport with the
simple tap of their phone. The gate will
automatically read their boarding
passes, even if their phones are turned
off or out of battery. This same NFC
equipment will also read the traditional
two-dimensional boarding passes in use
today.
Jan Bruns, Chair of the Schiphol
CUTE Local User Board, said: “We’re
currently celebrating more than 25 years
of collaboration with SITA. During this
time, we’ve worked together on many in-
novations to improve the passenger ex-
perience including common-use
technology, self-service solutions and
now NFC.
“As more smart phones incorporate
NFC, more airlines will start asking for
this technology. That’s why we have al-
ready equipped a gate with NFC and
connected it to our common-use passen-
ger processing system—and we’re invit-
ing airlines to try it.”
Dave Bakker, SITA President, Eu-
rope, said: “The Schiphol CLUB is al-
ways interested in collaborating on new
innovations that improve airport opera-
tions and provide better service. Airport-
Connect Open helps improve operational
efficiency and flexibility, while maximiz-
ing airport real estate. Combined with
NFC, it will help the airport future proof
its passenger processing technology and
enable passengers to board more
quickly.”
SITA’s AirportConnect Open enables
airports, airlines and their handling
agents to access their respective IT ap-
plications in real time on shared equip-
ment. It also allows any airline to use
any agent desk, gate position or self-ser-
vice kiosk for passenger check-in, bag
drop and boarding.
The Schiphol CLUB’s AirportConnect
Open renewal with SITA covers some
700 positions at check-in desks, transfer
and reclaim. It also includes 90 common-
use, self-service kiosks, which passen-
gers can use for check in.
With virtualization, the airport can
run the latest technologies and incorpo-
rate upgrades to its system efficiently
and cost-effectively. It also allows air-
lines to seamlessly operate at any desk,
gate or work station throughout the air-
port, which improves the operational en-
vironment and enhances service. More
than 300 airlines use SITA's AirportCon-
nect Open to process millions of passen-
gers every day in more than 400 airports
around the world.
SITA is also the industry leader in
NFC, which allows passengers with
smartphones to move through airport
checkpoints with a simple tap of their
phone. In 2012, the company’s technol-
ogy research team, SITA Lab, ran the
world's first live SIM-based NFC trial at
Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France.
Schiphol’s NFC gate marks the first
deployment of SITA’s proposed industry
standard for NFC. In 2013, SITA intro-
duced the “Tap n' Fly”TM industry stan-
dard for NFC, which builds on the
GSMA’s vision of seamless, secure and
reliable SIM-based NFC worldwide.
Tap n’ Fly combines a common-use
applet to store passenger information
and a standard boarding pass format to
ensure interoperability, while also allow-
ing airlines and airports some cus-
tomization. It is also backward
compatible with existing bar-coded
boarded passes.
SITA worked with Access IS, specialists
capturing and transferring information into
electronic systems, to certify its NFC read-
ers with the SITA Tap n’ Fly standard and
AirportConnect Open. by TNH DESK
Airlines, Handlers atSchiphol Airport selectSITA for 5 more years SITA technology makes Schiphol first airport in Europe to futureproof passenger processing with NFC.
Tech News18
“The Schiphol CLUB is always inter-ested in collaborating on new in-novations that improve airportoperations and provide betterservice. AirportConnect Openhelps improve operational effi-ciency and flexibility, while maxi-mizing airport real estate.Combined with NFC, it will helpthe airport future proof its passen-ger processing technology andenable passengers to board morequickly.”
DAVE BAKKER, SITA PRESIDENT, EUROPE
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
19Trade News
Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
India’s leading inte-
grated travel and travel re-
lated financial services
company, in a pioneering ini-
tiative, introduces ‘Univer-
sity Tours’ to help Indian
students better understand
and shortlist suitable col-
leges for their studies in the
US. This innovative product
is the latest addition to
Thomas Cook India’s ‘Travel
& Learn’ portfolio and is in
association with The Red Pen
College Tours, USA. Study-
ing in the US is indeed com-
plex; the traditional route of
online research or word-of-
mouth falling short of provid-
ing Indian students and their
parents with either a realis-
tic or hands-on perspective.
To bridge this gap, Thomas
Cook India’s ‘Travel & Learn’
product team had hence cre-
ated specialized University
Tours- aimed at providing a
glimpse into university life
experiences with visits to US
colleges, insightful interac-
tions with both counselors
and students and in-depth
meetings with university ad-
mission advisors. Person-
alised care and attention is
ensured via the expertise of
an experienced Thomas
Cook Tour Manager who ac-
companies the University
Tour group of students and
parents/ family members.
The specially designed
itineraries of Thomas Cook
India’s University Tours cover
a diversity of premium educa-
tional institutions including,
Stanford University, Univer-
sity of California – Los Ange-
les (UCLA), Harvard Univer-
sity, New York University
(NYU) and Princeton Univer-
sity.
Shibani Phadkar, Senior
Vice President & Head -
Leisure Travel (Outbound)
Products, Thomas Cook
(India) Ltd. said: “Education
has always been a strong and
strategic focus area at
Thomas Cook India and I am
delighted to launch our unique
“University Tours” as part of
the “Travel & Learn” product
portfolio. This pioneering ini-
tiative in association with The
Red Pen is aimed at giving stu-
dents a vibrant firsthand per-
spective of what to expect
when pursuing their under-
graduate studies in America.
On-ground counseling and in-
teractions with local students
and counselors make for en-
gaging sessions while ensur-
ing selection of an apt
university.” by TNH DESK
Thomas Cook India targets StudentMarket – launches University ToursThomas Cook India has launched University Tours in association with TheRed Pen.
Educational:
Experienced advisors from The Red Pen, India’s pre-
mier university admissions advising firm accompanies
the group on all admissions-related tours/ information
sessions to ensure appropriate contextualization for In-
dian applicants
Customized sessions and workshops at select univer-
sities
Pre-departure workshop with parents and students
Educational Workshops Conducted On Tour
Post-return individualized Counseling
Travel related:
Visa, flight (international and internal U.S.A) and hotel
accommodation (3-4 star properties)
Round-trip coach and daily local transportation
Entrance to attractions and activities
Daily breakfast and dinner (vegetarian & non-vegetar-
ian options)
Optional add-ons: full time tour from TCIL, supplemen-
tal travel insurance, lunch accommodation (veg/non-
vegetarian), customized tour extensions
Highlights
Balmer Lawrie Tours &
Travels, one of the
largest travel and tour agents
and the oldest IATA accred-
ited agency in India, will
strengthen its foothold by tak-
ing over Mumbai-based Vaca-
tions Exotica, one of the top
five players in the outbound
package tours sector.
This takeover will help
Kolkota-based Balmer Lawrie
to expand its value proposi-
tion and offer end-to-end serv-
ices in the Tours and MICE
segment as Vacations Exotica
brings with it a multi-talented
work force and a wide range of
holiday packages.
“Travel business is going
through a phase of consolida-
tion as service providers are
looking keenly to add value
added services which can en-
hance margin in their busi-
ness,” commented Ajoy
Lodha, partner at Singhi Ad-
visors which facilitated the
deal.
“The reduction of credit
periods in ticketing business
and price wars has pushed
margins down in air ticketing
business significantly. The
packaged tours business espe-
cially outbound has reason-
able entry barriers and also
far better margins and there
for attractive to players strong
in ticketing space,” he said.
Mumbai-based Singhi Advi-
sors has done a couple of deals
in the travel space earlier also.
These include sale of control-
ling stake in “Route Travels’’, a
subsidiary of Great Eastern
Shipping Company to “Air
Travels Bureau Ltd” and acqui-
sition of majority stake and
management control in Rs 430
cr billing company M/S Travel
Services International (TSI) by
India’s second largest online
travel company-Yatra.com in
the year 2011-12.
Vacations Exotica is billed
as one of the leading companies
in the organised outbound
tours space having grown to a
size in excess of Rs. 100 crores
in less than 6 years with offices
in more than 12 cities and fast
growing franchises in several
domestic and overseas mar-
kets. On the back of Balmer
Lawrie, the company has po-
tential to triple its business in 3
years.
Founded by two Scotsmen,
George Stephen Balmer and
Alexander Lawrie, in Kolkata,
Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd.
started its corporate journey as
a Partnership Firm on 1st Feb-
ruary 1867. Traversing the 147
years gone by, today Balmer
Lawrie is a Miniratna I Public
Sector Enterprise under the
Ministry of Petroleum & Natu-
ral Gas with a turnover of Rs
2762 crores and a profit of Rs
223 crores (FY 2012-13).
Balmer Lawrie is a much-re-
spected transnational diversi-
fied conglomerate with
presence in both manufactur-
ing and service sectors. Balmer
Lawrie is a market leader in
Logistics Services, Steel Bar-
rels, Industrial Greases & Spe-
cialty Lubricants and
Corporate Travel. by TNH DESK
Balmer Lawrie takes over Vacations ExoticaBalmer Lawrie & Co., a mini-ratna public sector undertaking with diversifiedbusiness portfolios, recently announced the take-over of holidays brand‘Vacations Exotica’ along with its people and business.
Tech News20
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Rajesh Magow, Co-
founder & CEO-
India, MakeMyTrip
said, “Over the years we
have witnessed a consolida-
tion
and emergence of global
players in the India market,
which has further fuelled
the growth of Indian OTA
segment. Further, the
growth of the Indian travel
market has led Indian OTAs
to differentiate and focus on
non-air business streams to
drive revenue and prof-
itability.”
Indian OTAs’ feats in 2013
Speaking about the achieve-
ments of Indian OTAs in
2013, Magow said, “2013 has
seen some landmark mo-
ments for the Indian Travel
industry. The take-off of mo-
bile internet and applica-
tions has revolutionized the
OTA segment. Access chan-
nels have evolved with the
growing dependency on
smartphones, and today
more and more
p e o p l e
a r e
b o o k -
ing via
mobile, and
this trend is here
to stay for the coming
years.” Giving an example,
Magow said that Make-
MyTrip (MMT) received 20%
of our hotel bookings from
mobile. MMT has also seen
significant growth in online
travel purchase with the
availability of robust online
payment options. “At MMT,
we have options like Pay-at-
Hotel, which lets you book a
hotel for just Re.1 while rest
of the payment can be made
at the time of arrival,”
Magow said. “Also, Big Data
has emerged as an impor-
tant enabler for travel com-
panies to
e n -
gage better with customers
and deliver service effi-
ciently and intelligently. It
provides us a great opportu-
nity to positively impact
both the business-end and
the experience at the cus-
tomer-end through better
decision-making, greater
product and service innova-
tion and stronger customer
relationships that will be de-
livered by new approaches
to customer management,
revenue management and
internal operations.”
Tech trends in 2013
As regards important devel-
opments in terms of technol-
ogy in 2013 in online travel
space, Magow said, “We be-
lieve that the future of
eCommerce is on ‘mobile’.
Mobile applications are
changing the way in which
customers interact with
brands. Therefore, over the
last couple of years, we
strengthened focus on the
mobile channel as a growth
driver. We have launched
free apps for iPhone, Black-
berry, Windows and An-
droid phone users.”
He further said,
“With smart-
phone adop-
tion growing
at a phenom-
enal rate,
the number
of travel-re-
l a t e d
searches and
bookings via
mobiles has sky-
rocketed in the
past year. We feel mo-
bile apps will become an
important point of sale for
us in the near future. Mobile
Technologies will surely
propel eCommerce and
travel buying experience in
the coming years.”
According to Magow,
some of the top emerging
technology trends in 2013
were:
• Personalization - Con-
sumer-focused innovation
• The next level of Search
- Location-based/geospatial
search capabilities and Nat-
ural Language Processing
• Mobile Technologies –
serving and powering the in-
crease in Mobile Bookings
and Research
• Consolidation of indus-
try
• Experiential Travel
What holds 2014 for OTAs
Talking about his expecta-
tion from the New Year 2014
for OTAs, Magow said that
2014 looks bright as the
long-term growth perspec-
tive for India’s travel mar-
ket remains robust.
According to Magow, in this
year, the Indian aviation
market will see new airlines
such as Tata-SIA and AirA-
sia India launching their op-
erations. “These new
investments will definitely
have a positive impact on
the landscape of Indian
travel & tourism industry.
Mobile will continue to be an
important point of sale for
the industry in the near fu-
ture. Mobile Technologies
will surely propel e-com-
merce and travel buying ex-
perience in the coming
years,” said Magow, who be-
lieves that personalization
will be a big part of e-com-
merce moving forward as
guest expectations for more
personal experiences are on
the rise. “Personalization
will play in key role in all
forms of travel whether
business, leisure or activity
oriented. The goal will be to
provide travel experiences
and services that have a
lifestyle appeal, not just
Indian OTAs focuses onnon-air streams to driverevenuesOver the years the Indian OTAs havewitnessed a consolidation and emergence ofglobal players in the India market, fuellingfurther growth of Indian OTA segment.
“2013has seen some
landmark momentsfor the Indian Travel in-dustry. The take-off ofmobile internet and ap-plications has revolu-
tionized the OTAsegment.”
“Per-sonalization will
play in key role in allforms of travel whether busi-
ness, leisure or activity oriented.The goal will be to provide travel
experiences and services that have alifestyle appeal, not just specificfunctional benefits. At Make-MyTrip our focus for the nextfew years is the solid founda-
tion for personaliza-tion.”
Rajesh MagowCo-founder & CEO-India, MakeMyTrip
�Prem Kumar
specific functional benefits,”
said Magow. “At MakeMyTrip
our focus for the next few
years is the solid foundation
for personalization. For ex-
ample: from a CRM stand-
point, we send targeted mail-
ers and offers basis customer
purchase patterns and be-
havior to drive better conver-
sions and personalize our
interactions with customers,”
he added. According to
Magow, a key challenge for
2014 will be to understand as
to how best the Indian OTAs
can leverage the rapidly ex-
panding mobile space for cus-
tomer engagement as well as
brand building. Also, there is
an increased need to encour-
age Public-Private partner-
ships in the travel space to
ensure better services and
products for the traveller.
MMT’s performance in ‘13
“For us, 2013 has been a year
of continued growth and in-
vestment in the Hotels &
Packages category. The year
began on a good note and we
made some major announce-
ments early this year,”
Magow said. “We sponsored
Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL
team and launched a series of
TVC with the players to build
on our Hotels Lob. Another
strategic partnership came in
the form of in-film placement
in the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai
Deewani where we came on
board as the official travel
partner.”
MMT also continued to
make huge strides on the
Technology front in the last
year. Its focus on the Mobile
platform has paid off well.
“We have the highest number
of travel app download in the
country at 2 million down-
loads till date. We are the
only player to offer apps
across all popular platforms
– iOS, Android, Windows and
Blackberry. Our apps are also
the most functional – allow-
ing customers to do more
than just search, book and
pay, by also offering them lo-
cation-based dining options,
hotel reviews and more,” said
Magow. MMT launched an in-
novative application -
Routeplanner - that makes
travel planning faster and
easier. Developed exclusively
for the Indian traveller,
RoutePlanner integrates
availability of services like
flights, buses, trains and cabs
to display the various connec-
tivity options between any
two places in India.Today,
over 20% of our traffic comes
from mobile apps.
Speaking about plan of ac-
tion of MMT for the New Year,
Magow said, “As the coming
years shape up, one of the
key priorities for us will be to
build products that simplify
travel for customers across
various touch-points and
screens – web and mobile.”
He added, “With a share of
the travel market extending
to more than 50 per cent of all
online sales, we will continue
to roll out new services built
with a ‘mobile-first’ ap-
proach.”
Key points •Key challenge for Indian OTAs is to under-
stand as to how best they can leverage the rap-
idly expanding mobile space for customer
engagement as well as brand building.
•There is an increased need to encourage Pub-
lic-Private partnerships in the travel space to
ensure better services and products for the
traveller.
•Big Data has emerged as an important en-
abler for travel companies to engage better
with customers and deliver service efficiently
and intelligently.
•Big Data provides a great opportunity to pos-
itively impact both the business-end and the
experience at the customer-end.
•Personalization and consumer-focused inno-
vation was a key technology trend in 2013 in
online travel market space.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
21Tech/Trade News
Ideal for holidays and
weekend travel, this ex-
clusive offer will be avail-
able till March 2014 for all the
customers of Avis India who
have a SBI Card, across all
Avis locations in the country.
This unique association with
Avis India will enable SBI
Card customers to plan their
next adventure with comfort
and luxury. Customers will
have the opportunity to
choose their vehicles from a
wide choice of cars including
Audi, Mercedes Benz and
BMW. SBI Card will be extend-
ing this exclusive discount
offer to its retail card and cor-
porate card customers.
Sunil Gupta, CEO, Avis
India, said, “The first three
months this year bring in
many long weekends, which
would mean people wanting to
travel to nearby destinations
with their families. Our tie up
with SBI Card thus, specially
targets the corporate, leisure
& individual travelers. It en-
ables them to hire a premium
car at a more affordable rate,
thereby assuring a comfort-
able journey.”
Speaking about this initia-
tive, Pallav Mohapatra, CEO,
SBI Cards and Payment Serv-
ices Private Limited, said, “At
SBI Card, it is our endeavor to
add value and make every ex-
perience a rewarding one.
This collaboration with Avis
India is one such step towards
adding style and luxury to
every getaway our customer
plans.” He further added, “We
have come up with some great
initiatives in 2013 and cus-
tomers can look forward to
more such attractive proposi-
tions in the New Year.”
With Avis India’s national
footprint and SBI Card’s value
added services, customers can
avail a 20% discount on car
bookings across 20 cities in
India. To avail this discount,
customers can simply log on to
http://www.avis.co.in/sbi.html.
Combining the experience of
premium cars and superior
services from Avis India, cus-
tomers can make every journey
a memorable one.
This offer has been struc-
tured such that, both individu-
als as well as corporate
customers of SBI Card can
avail the discount on booking
cars within India. For an indi-
vidual customer, this offer will
give their families a chance to
experience luxury travel at an
affordable price for that
much-needed weekend get-
away. by TNH DESK
Avis India, SBI Card usher the New Year withan exciting 20% discount on car bookingsBeginning the New Year on a festive note for all its customers, Avis Indiahas tied up with SBI Card to give a flat 20% discount to customers using aSBI Card for bookings with Avis India.
Sunil GuptaCEO, Avis India
Cruise News22
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
As she completes the final
stages of month-long dry-
dock revitalization, Royal
Caribbean International’s Nav-
igator of the Seas is primed to
resume year-round service
from Galveston, Texas, and
WOW the Lone Star State with
the area’ss most innovative and
contemporary Caribbean
cruise vacation. Part of an ex-
tensive fleetwide program to
enhance every Royal
Caribbean’ ship, Navigator of
the Seas will introduce new and
significantly enhanced dining
options; debut a new FlowRider
surf simulator; and offer a
glimpse ahead toward the
cruise line’s highly anticipated
Quantum of the Seas, with new
first-at-sea amenities.
Most anticipated of all the
ship’s revitalizations is the new
FlowRider surf simulator, the
center of the action atop the
deck 13 Sports Deck, as well as
the debut of Royal Caribbean’s
first Virtual Balconies in 81 in-
terior staterooms displaying
expansive, real-time views of
the ocean and destinations. Vir-
tual Balconies were first an-
nounced for Quantum of the
Seas, which debuts October
2014, and vacationers can be
among the first to experience
the innovation on Navigator of
the Seas – even before the
Quantum class is launched. Va-
cationers also can choose new
Panoramic Ocean View state-
rooms, featuring floor-to-ceiling
glass walls facing outward to
provide guests breathtaking,
unobstructed views all the time.
Navigator of the Seas’ guests
also can look forward to an ex-
panded lineup of eight dining
options, led by the debut of an
all-new modern Mexican spe-
cialty restaurant Sabor, featur-
ing a mouthwatering menu of
authentic, modern and unex-
pected Mexican dishes, such as
Oaxacan Ceviche of Red Snap-
per, Spicy Chicken Flautas, or
Chicken and Roasted Corn Em-
panada, topped with Green
mole and spicy peanut sauce –
to name a few. Sabor diners
also can delight in customized
guacamole and salsas, made
tableside right in front of their
eyes, as well as an assortment
of tacos, quesadillas and burri-
tos, all made with the freshest
ingredients. Sabor has a serv-
ice charge of $25 per guest.
Guests can complement their
experience with a curated
menu of tequilas, mezcal, and
Mexican beers, as well as deli-
cious sangrias and tableside-
mixed margaritas, for an
additional charge. Sabor’s
tequila flights also offer guests
a chance to sample a trio of
Plata, Reposado and Anejo
tequila, or savor the nuances
among three Reposado tequi-
las.
Furthermore, Navigator of
the Seas’ guests will be the first
to enjoy the fully revamped and
elevated Chops Grille: The New
American Steakhouse, which
marries contemporary flair to
traditional steakhouse offer-
ings. The first among Royal
Caribbean’s fleet to offer the
new menu, Chops Grille on
Navigator of the Seas will fea-
ture brand new selections, such
as the Veal Chop Parmesan,
slow broiled with caramelized
shallots and topped with
parmesan herb butter, a Slow-
braised Short Rib of Beef with
Bordelaise sauce, and a Dry-
aged Steak Burger served on a
brioche bun and topped with
melted gruyere and pancetta.
Guests also can still enjoy
Chops Grille classic cuts, such
as the 8 Oz. Filet Mignon,
served with Béarnaise butter,
and a 10 Oz. Grilled Sirloin
Steak, as well as a range of
new and delicious signature
appetizers, soups, salads, and
sides – such as new, decadent
Truffled French Fries and
Gruyere Cheese Tater Tots –
that will complete the experi-
ence in the cruise line’s hall-
mark specialty restaurant.
Chops Grille steakhouse has a
service charge of $35 per
guest.
Chops Grille also features
two new premium selections of
the finest quality cuts of beef in
the world, a 16 Oz. dry-aged
NY Strip Steak and a 20 Oz.
dry-aged Porterhouse Steak
(an additional $18 and $19 re-
spectively), each USDA prime
beef, dry-aged for four weeks
to achieve the pinnacle of fla-
vor, tenderness and aroma.
This dry-aged process can only
be found at select steakhouses
around the world, and now, in
a cruise industry first, is of-
fered aboard Royal Caribbean
International’s Chops Grille.
Navigator of the Seas’ guests
also can choose exciting sushi
and Asian fusion dishes in the
ship’s new Izumi Japanese
Cuisine (a la carte menu), and
delicious classic Italian fa-
vorites in Giovanni’s Table Ital-
ian trattoria ($15 for lunch and
$20 for dinner per guest).
Rounding out Navigator of the
Seas’ culinary experiences is
the grand, three-story main
dining room, newly renamed
Sapphire, the casual-dining
Windjammer Café, and compli-
mentary room service from 5 –
12 a.m. Navigator of the Seas’
specialty restaurants are
available for advance online
reservations for booked guests
at RoyalCaribbean.com.
Guests also will enjoy some
of the more popular concepts
that were introduced aboard
Royal Caribbean’s ground-
breaking Oasis-class ships,
such as new digital signage,
bow-to-stern Wi-Fi service,
new flat-panel televisions in
every stateroom, an oversized
LCD movie screen overlooking
the main pool, a new Diamond
Lounge for Crown & Anchor
Society loyalty member guests,
and the Royal Babies and Tots
Nursery for the youngest
guests ages six to 36 months.
Additionally, the ship’s Cham-
pagne Bar has been re-con-
ceptualized into Royal
Caribbean’s signature, retro-
chic R Bar. by TNH DESK
Royal Caribbean International’s Navigatorof the Seas gets Texas-Sized MakeoverShip features all-new wows, including Royal Caribbean’s first-ever virtualbalconies, Flow-Rider surf simulator and new dining program.
Trade News24
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Being the pioneer of film-in-
duced tourism in India,
Ramoji Film City (RFC) is best
known as a world of thematic
destination where every mo-
ment spells magic for tourists
and is sure to take their breath
away. Recognized as the world’s
largest film studio complex by
Guinness World Records, RFC
offers a truly fascinating ambi-
ence and services perfect for a
wide range of itineraries like
leisure, MICE, conventions,
family holidays, weddings and
other events.
RFC in recent times has lined
up a slew of prestigious projects
that would enhance its image as
a prospective global destina-
tion. Ch Vijayeswari, Manag-
ing Director, RFC explained,
“We are emphasizing in areas of
leisure, hospitality and event
management and we have been
successful in enticing the corpo-
rate sector and leisure tourists.
We are targeting to create a
complete spectrum of film
tourism, religious, MICE and
eco-tourism. We have set up
eco-friendly projects including
Butterfly Park and Bonsai Gar-
den that offer up close experi-
ence with nature. Our
prominent new attractions that
would be opened for tourists
are Bird Park and Adventure
Land –Sahas. Being developed
with global experts as Asia’s
finest adventure land, Sahas is
spread into multiple zones and
would offer high-octane adven-
tures like harness course, net
course, paintball, zorbing, bike
rides, archery and rifle shooting,
ATV rides, inflatable zones and
pool area with highest stan-
dards of safety.” Sahas Ramoji
Adventure Land and Bird Park
are in tune with the aspirations
of the Indian youth.
RFC has been targeting to at-
tract a robust flow of leisure
tourists from across India. Vi-
jayeswari added, “The tourist
arrival stands at 1.5 million per
annum and on festive occasions,
the footfall increases manifold
since there is an exciting blend
of entertainment. In the pipeline
are projects like OM that would
comprise centuries-old shrines
of India to be recreated in one
huge complex, Ramoji Interna-
tional Convention Centre, a hos-
pitality district with hotel clus-
ters and Incredible India that
would house traditional homes
of divergent India.”
The most-sought-after hotspots
are Ramoji Movie Magic com-
prising the world of actions,
filmy duniya and Ramoji Tower,
Fundustan- children’s play area,
Eureka or fun zone and Bora-
sura. RFC has a comprehensive
marketing strategy. “We have
been launching novel experi-
ences and our innovative, pro-
motional marketing strategy
involves a mix of direct market-
ing, relationship marketing and
strategic partnerships with
travel groups. It is the domestic
sector that forms our potential
tourist market. We hope to ex-
pand by broad basing our ap-
peal across various spectrums.
The annual flow of tourists to
RFC has been 14 lakhs last year
and we are eyeing to draw 18
lakhs in the current year,” fur-
ther added Vijayeswari.
Magical wonders of RFCIt is the launch of new experiences and a host ofchallenging marketing strategies that contributeto the immense popularity of RFC, the largestglobal film studio.
Attractive proj-ects of RFC in thepipeline:•Sahas Ramoji Ad-venture Land•Bird Park and OM•Ramoji Interna-tional ConventionCentre•Hospitality district•Incredible India
Snapshot
�Swaati Chaudhury
Ch VijayeswariManaging Director, RFC
Emirates, a global connec-
tor of people and places,
operating flights to 141 desti-
nations in 80 countries has
launched a new customer ini-
tiative in India in partnership
with Visas of the World
(VOTW). With VOTW, Emi-
rates’ customers can now di-
rectly arrange their visas
online at www.emirates.com/in
for 10 international destina-
tions at the click of a button.
This service is a first of its kind
for any airline. As an introduc-
tory offer, Emirates will also be
waiving the visa service fee for
the first 100 visa applicants.
Emirates’ customers can
now log on to
www.emirates.com/in to apply
for visas to 10 destinations:
UK, USA, Canada, Switzer-
land, France, Germany, Italy,
Netherlands, Nigeria and
South Africa. With VOTW, Emi-
rates passengers will not need
to physically visit a visa office
to collect their application
forms or check their documen-
tation.
"Emirates has always
been committed to improving
the convenience of its pas-
sengers by providing best-in-
class services both on ground
and on board. VOTW is an-
other initiative to make it
even easier for Indian pass-
port holders to connect with
friends, family and business
contacts in 10 key global
travel destinations,” said
Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Vice
President India and Nepal.
“We are therefore very happy
to partner with VOTW to
offer yet another unique serv-
ice that I am optimistic will
assist our many Indian cus-
tomers to travel abroad with
increased ease.”
“We believe that Visas of
the World is going to make it
even more convenient for
Emirates passengers to
arrange their visas to the 10
initial destinations”, said Mr.
Vishal Suri, Chief Executive
Officer, Visas of the World.
“Through our dedicated
teams, VOTW will provide
trained personnel to ensure
the service offered to Emi-
rates’ customers is of the
high standard that Emirates’
passengers are used to.”
The VOTW service will
initially be offered from all 10
of Emirates Indian gateways
namely, Mumbai, New Delhi,
Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmed-
abad, Bengaluru, Cochin,
Kozhikode, Hyderabad, and
Thiruvananthapuram. In ad-
dition, the VOTW service will
be available in six cities
where Emirates does not op-
erate direct flights; Baroda,
Pune, Goa, Jaipur, Lucknow
and Mangalore. by TNH DESK
Emirates and Visas of the World launchnew visa processing service for Indianpassport holdersFirst 100 Emirates customers to get visa service charge waiver.
Owing to the enthusiasm
Delhiites have for Kites
the three day festival which
started from 24 Jan, 2014 wit-
nessed huge crowds from all
parts of Delhi.
The three day extrava-
ganza remained a hit among
visitors as they witnessed
some of the most unique kites
ever. There were Hexagon
shaped kites, kathakali kites
from Kerala, dragon kites,
guitar shaped kites, eagle
shaped kite, box kites, penta-
gon kites, Bhagat Singh kite
etc.
Delhi International Kite
Festival provided visitors a
perfect opportunity to unwind
and witness kites of all shapes
and sizes which adorned the
skyline of Delhi. There were
kites which were 33 meter
long. Visitors were delighted
to see India’s smallest Kite
whose size was only one inch.
An Exhibition hall on the His-
tory of Kites enlightened visi-
tors about this age old art.
This stall had Kites of differ-
ent sizes from one square inch
to 70 square inch, Kites made
of Tissue Paper, Elastic Paper,
Bamboo, Cloth, etc on display.
The highlights of this year’s
festival were night kite flying
with LED Kites and Kite
Trails which had more than
150 Kites.
The three day festival had
magic shows every day, cul-
tural programs by Sahitya
Kala Parishad & Punjabi
Academy every evening and
there was a special painting
competition for children on
the second day of the event.
Delhi International Kite
Festival had foreign partici-
pants from UK, US, France,
Lebanon, Indonesia and South
Korea. There were 30 Indian
kite flyers who came from Ra-
jkot, Mangalore, Trivandrum,
Chandigarh, Hyderabad,
Ahmedabad, Chennai and
Kerala.
S.K Srivastava, Chief Sec-
retary, Government of Delhi
visited Delhi International
Kite Festival in the concluding
day and applauded Delhi
Tourism for organizing this
annual Kite Festival.
The festival was inaugu-
rated by Somnath Bharti, Min-
ister of Tourism, Law, Art &
Culture and Administrative
Reforms, Govt. of Delhi on 24
Jan, 2014.
Spirit of Delhi soared high
in this one of a kind annual
festival organized by Delhi
Tourism whose sole purpose
is to revive the age old fading
tradition and provide Delhi-
ites an opportunity to wit-
ness patabgbazi out in the
open. by TNH DESK
Delhi International KiteFestival 2014 concludesDelhi Tourism recently organized DelhiInternational Kite Festival 2014 in the nationalcapital wherein International kite flyers dotted thecity's skyline with colourful Kites.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
25Government News
Government News26
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Chhattisgarh Tourism
Board recently organ-
ized Sirpur National Dance
and Music Festival 2014,
which was held on January
4-6, 2014 at Sirpur (Ma-
hasamund District) in
Chhattisgarh. Situated 84
km away from Raipur, the
capital of the state, on the
bank of Mahanadi, Sirpur is
a small town well-known for
its rich cultural heritages
and archaeological monu-
ments. The objective behind
organizing this annual festi-
val is to promote art and
culture of the state, and cre-
ate universal brotherhood
through promotion of art,
culture and music. Well-
known singer of Hindustani
classical music Shubha
Mudgal, Sufi singers Wadali
brothers and many other
noted artists graced the oc-
casion with their perform-
ance.
The Sirpur national
dance and music festival
has been started to create
awareness about the an-
cient Buddha and other her-
itages of Sirpur across the
world and promote Bud-
dhist and other historical
sites of the town, and estab-
lish Sirpur firmly in the
tourism map of the world.
The Chief Minister of the
state Dr. Raman Singh in-
augurated the three-day fes-
tival at the 1,500-year-old
famous Laxman temple of
Sirpur in the presence of
many dignitaries including
the Tourism and Culture
minister of the State Ajay
Chandrakar, Member of Par-
liament from Mahasamund
Chandulal Sahu and local
MLA Vimal Chopra. Repub-
lic of Korea’s Ambassador
to India, Lee Jungu was
chief guest at the inaugural
function.
Explaining the objective
of the Sirpur festival, San-
tosh Mishra, Managing Di-
Sirpur Dance and Music Festival2013 concludesSirpur National Dance and Music Festival 2014 saw the presence ofartists of national and international reputes from across the countryshowcasing rich cultural diversity of India and enchanting audiencewith their outstanding performance.
�Prem Kumar
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
27Government News
rector, CTB said that the Sir-
pur National Dance and
Music Festival is to create
awareness about local tradi-
tional arts and culture and
ancient monuments of the
town. According to Mishra,
this will also help in promot-
ing Sirpur as tourist destina-
tion.
This was the second time
Sirpur National Dance and
Music Festival was organ-
ised. The grand festival
brings together all kinds of
dance and music forms of
the country on one platform,
and showcases the diverse
art forms of the country. This
festival has established its
own unique identity in the
sense that eminent artistes
of national and international
repute participate and per-
form Indian classical, folk
and tribal dances and music
of India as well as Chhattis-
garh on the enchanting
stage of Sirpur in the monu-
mental and archeological
place.
Sirpur has rich heritage
of Buddhism. The town is
home to many remains of
Boudh Vihars. The main at-
tractions for tourist at Sir-
pur are The Laxman temple
Anand Prabhu, Kuti Vhar,
Swastik, Vihar and other
historic monuments.
erala wit-
nessed 7.94 lakh foreign
tourists arrival in 2012 as
compared to 7.33 lakh in 2011.
Compared to 93.88 lakh do-
mestic tourists in 2011, 1.01 cr
domestic tourists visited Ker-
ala in 2012. The Foreign ex-
change earnings had also
gone up from `4221.99 cr in
2011 to `4548 cr in 2012. The
total revenue, both direct and
indirect from tourism touched
`21,125 cr in 2012 compared
to `19,037 cr in 2011.
New Initiatives in God’s
Own Country
Government of Kerala has
rolled out two new initiatives
‘Seaplane Project’ and ‘Pro-
ject Muziris’ in order to en-
hance the travel experience
and add to its array of tourist
sites. Where the former proj-
ect is aimed towards improv-
ing last mile connectivity by
air to its destinations across
state, the latter is directed to
reinstate the historical and
cultural significance of the
legendary port of Muziris.
For the Seaplane Project
the plan is to provide service
initially in the priority circuit,
consisting of the three air-
ports of Trivandrum, Cochin
& Calicut and the prime desti-
nations viz. Astamudi, Punna-
mada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty
and Bekal in the state.
The Muziris Heritage Site
(MHS) stretches across from
the municipality of North Par-
avur in Ernakulam district to
that of Kodungalloor in Thris-
sur district. Project’s objective
is to promote awareness and
understanding of the cultural
distinctiveness and diversity
of Muziris. More than 25 mu-
seums will be there to show-
case the Muziris Heritage.
On the trail of the Spice
Route
Another amazing initiative in
the offing is the Spice Route
Revival Project. Kerala's ini-
tiative to revive and promote
the two millennia-old spice
route, that links the south
western coast of India up to
Europe, through tourism has
received a boost, with the
United Nations World
Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) pledging support to
the venture. Delegates at a
three-day international meet
in August on Silk Road
tourism organized by the
UNWTO in the northwestern
Chinese city of Dunhuang ap-
preciated a presentation on
Spice Route.
Other Noteworthy Projects
Kerala Tourism has come out
with a unique nature based
soft adventure holidays pro-
gram NATVENTURE. The
idea behind this is to use the
key tourism products - -
Wildlife, Hill Stations,
Beaches, Backwaters etc and
engage the possibilities of ad-
venture activities they pres-
ent. Kerala Natventure
activities include Trekking,
camping, Rock Climbing, Jun-
gle, Wildlife safaris, Bird
watching, Cycling, Kayaking,
Canoeing and paragliding.
Another forward initiative
is the virtual world launch of
the new 'Great Backwaters'
campaign. Ahead of the tradi-
tional media, the campaign is
to unveil the state's majestic
backwaters as a single desti-
nation.
A new campaign, Home of
Ayurveda was also launched
to promote Ayurveda through
all medium. Introduced Bake-
lasa new destination in north
Kerala.
From a seasonal tourist
place, Kerala was elevated to
an all season destination
through a successful Dream
Season campaign launched
during the off-season.
To identify and promote
40 new destinations in five
years, over 40 new tourist
centres have been spotted,
project reports prepared and
sanctioned for development.
Real progress in the virtual
world
In a short span of time, Kerala
Tourism has made a mark in
the Digital world. Kerala
Tourism has 852238 Fans on
Facebook, 20818 followers on
Twitter and the Kerala
Tourism YouTube channelhas
5,199subscribers, 7,110,913
views.
New website has been
launched recently with a
fresh look and increased ac-
cessibility with more infor-
mation, 1500 pictures and
3000 videos.
We have tapped into the
vast potential of information
technology for promoting
Kerala Tourism in the global
market. Kerala Tourism’s
website, which attracts the
maximum number of visitors,
has been translated into var-
ious Indian languages like
Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati,
Tamil, Kannada and Telugu,
as well as foreign languages
including Dutch, Italian, Por-
tuguese and Swedish.
Kerala has emerged as
the No. 1 travel destination in
Google search trends, edging
out TajMahal. This is a testi-
mony to the international
recognition of brand Kerala.
Cultural Events showcas-
ing Kerala
Utsavam 29th December to
19th January
Kerala has switched on to
a festive mode to give a feel of
its traditional and folk arts to
domestic and foreign tourists
as the high tourist season got
under way. Branded as 'Ut-
savam', the cultural extrava-
ganza will be staged in 60
venues across all the 14 dis-
tricts of Kerala for three
weeks. 'Utsavam' (festival)
has been an annual event
since 2007.
Nishagandhi Festival
To be held between January
20th - 26th, 2014 this year.
Renowned dancers perform
Bharat Natyam, Mohiniyat-
tam, Kathak, Odissi, modern
ballet and other folk forms.
Artist and connoisseurs of
dance from all over India
come to enjoy this cultural
treat. The festival is organ-
ised by KTDC. by TNH DESK
Kerala Tourismattracts more touristswith New InitiativesRegisters consistent rise in both international anddomestic tourist arrivals
K
Government News28
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Oscar Fernandes, the
Union Minister for
Road Transport and High-
ways has called upon all
stake holders to rededicate
their Road Safety efforts to
reduce road fatalities by 50
per cent in next five years.
Oscar Fernandes, said this
while addressing a confer-
ence of stakeholders in Road
Safety, here today. He said
the Ministry of Road Trans-
port and Highways, being the
nodal Ministry for Road
Safety is working closely
with all other stakeholders
to make a difference in the
near future. Expressing con-
cern over 1.38 lakh lives lost
in around 4.9 lakh road acci-
dents reported during previ-
ous year, Oscar Fernandes
said all out efforts are being
made to strengthen safety on
Indian roads. However, Road
Safety responsibility also
lies with private agencies,
different associations, non-
governmental organizations
and individual road users, he
added. The Minister said It is
necessary for all stakehold-
ers viz. the Government, the
corporate houses, Automo-
biles and Transport Associa-
tions, teachers and parents,
the Electronic and Print
Media, the NGO’s and the Ac-
ademia, to join hands to col-
lectively address the issues
and concerns of road safety
so that precious lives can be
saved.
Earlier speaking on the
occasion, Vijay Chibber, the
Secretary, Road Transport &
Highways informed that bi-
cycle users happen to be one
of the most vulnerable road
users, susceptible to the high
rate of road accidents. Dur-
ing the year 2012, 6600 cy-
clists were killed in road
accidents. Non-visibility of
bicycle rider due to lack of
proper reflective devices in-
stalled on each and every bi-
cycle is the most critical
reasons for the high rate of
accidents with motorized ve-
hicles. Cycle by its definition
is not a motorized vehicle
and the Ministry is not in a
position to do much. How-
ever, the Ministry of Con-
sumer Affairs has been
approached in this respect.
Road Safety is a continuous
engagement and can be en-
sured by making it a mass
movement programme he
added.
Children and youth are
among the most vulnerable.
The age group (15-24 years)
accounted for 32.3 per cent of
total road accident casualties
during the year 2012. It is the
Ministry’s Endeavour to
make road safety a social
movement in partnership
with schools and Universi-
ties. Educational institutions
can play a very important
role in promoting road safety.
They can organize road
safety activities at school and
colleges and create opportu-
nities for students to engage
in road safety programmes.
In order to give a boost to
emergency care of the acci-
dent victims, the Ministry has
launched a pilot project for
cashless treatment up to
`30,000 for first 48 hours for
road accident victims on Gur-
gaon-Jaipur section of NH 8.
Ambulances connected with
the control room through
GPS having toll-free number
1033 for assistance are sta-
tioned to provide treatment
while taking the injured to
the hospitals.
In order to spread road
safety awareness “Road
Safety Week” is observed all
over the country in the month
of January every year. The
25th road safety week was
celebrated from 11st January
to 17th January 2014. The
theme for Road Safety Week
this year is “When on the
road, always say “Pahle
Aap”. The function of the 25th
road safety week was held at
India International Centre on
16th January 2014. The rep-
resentatives from various
Ministries / Departments,
Transport & Police Depart-
ments/ Transport Associa-
tions/ Vehicle Manufacturers
/ School & colleges/Media
Houses etc. attended the
function. by TNH DESK
Resolve to reduce road fatalities by50% in next 5 years: Oscar Fernandes Fernandes recently presented road safety awards to state transportorganisations. On the occasion, new logo was also launched marking 25Years of the Road Safety Week.
All road users must in-
culcate the spirit of “Pehle
Aap” to avoid accidents and
make roads safer. This was
stated by Vijay Chibber, the
Secretary Road Transport
and Highways here this
morning at the beginning of
Road Safety Walk organized
by the Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways
(RTH) at India Gate.The Sec-
retary said that “Pehle Aap”
attitude in “Lukhnavi
Tehzib” has the potential of
creating goodwill among
road users, influencing their
behavior on roads and as a
result reducing number of
road accidents/mishaps. He
said the Ministry will con-
tinue with it’s efforts to re-
duce road accident fatalities
through engaging larger
communities and stakehold-
ers in various awareness ac-
tivities on road safety.
Vijay Chibber, the Sec-
retary, RTH, Taj Hassan,
Special CP Traffic, represen-
tatives of various stakehold-
ing organizations, children
from various schools and
senior officers of the Min-
istry also participated in the
2km walk. As an endeavor to
make road safety a social
movement, the walk aimed
at involving youth, school
and college students and all
stakeholders including Po-
lice, Transport Departments
and others to work together
to raise awareness about
road safety issues, promot-
ing responsible road use,
need to help road accident
victims in time and to miti-
gate sufferings to victims
and their families that result
from crashes and casualties.
All States and Union Territo-
ries (UT’s) are also organiz-
ing Walks today.
The Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways ob-
served 25th National Road
Safety Week from 11th-17th
January this year. The “Na-
tional Road Safety Week” is
observed throughout the
country, in the month of Jan-
uary every year, to highlight
the need to make roads safe
and to give all stakeholders
an opportunity to take part
in concerted efforts for the
cause. by TNH DESK
Inculcate the Spirit of‘Pehle Aap’ to Make RoadsSafer: Vijay ChibberCountrywide Road Safety Walks were organisedrecently to make road safety a social movement
The “National Road Safety Week” is observed throughout thecountry in January every year to highlight the need to makeroads safe and to give all stakeholders an opportunity to takepart in concerted efforts for the cause. The theme of this year’sRoad Safety awareness was ‘When on road, always say‘Pehle Aap’ to educate all drivers in this etiquette of ‘LukhnaviTehzib’ requiring them to be more generous and consideratetowards fellow road users. This attitude of ‘Pehle Aap’ will helpcheck rash driving and make road journeys less stressful.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
29Government News
Government News30
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Inaugurating the bi-cente-
nary celebrations of In-
dian Museum in Kolkata
recently, Dr. Singh said that
on the whole, while our mu-
seums have been successful
in disseminating the rich
past of our country, it is also
necessary to ask whether
they should not attune their
approaches and strategies
so that they are more in
keeping with the enhanced
connotation of the term mu-
seum. He called upon the
management of the Indian
Museum to see itself as an
agent of change and develop-
ment. “As it renews its jour-
ney, it should seriously think
about its role as a purveyor
of knowledge. It is not
enough in today’s world to
house a collection. A mu-
seum needs to document,
study and analyse its own
collections, make compar-
isons with similar collections
held elsewhere and build up
collaborations with other
great museums whose col-
lections reflect and shed
light on what it holds,” said
Singh, adding, “The first re-
quirement for this purpose is
the development of trained
personnel. Unfortunately,
museology is a woefully neg-
lected field in our country.
The Indian Museum can and
must take a leadership role
in making good this defi-
ciency. By doing so, it will
not only enrich its own col-
lection, but will also help
other museums across the
country.”
Dr. Singh further said,
“Museums across the world
are now important tourist
destinations. Many great
cities of our time are defined
by the presence of some
truly outstanding museums
in them. People travel thou-
sands of miles to visit muse-
ums. To be truly enriching,
the visit must be a complete
experience. This means ex-
tensive support in terms of
signage, documentation and
cataloguing. Museums must
become attractive places
where visitors can observe
and learn in a relaxing at-
mosphere.”
The Indian Museum needs
to build up this kind of infra-
structure and take its right-
ful place as one of the great
museums of the world. The
restoration that has been
completed is a very good
start. I would strongly urge
the introduction of multi-lin-
gual audio guides that will
give the visitor a detailed
and authentic account of the
major items and displays.
It should be the objective
of the Museum to become an
essential port of call for any
visitor to Kolkata, especially
those from abroad. It should
offer the visitor an exciting
and educative prospect of
spending a few hours sam-
pling the best of Indian art,
sculpture, and other histori-
cal artefacts, giving a
glimpse of our extraordinary
and rich traditions. The Mu-
seum’s collection is fully up
to providing such an experi-
ence.
Congratulating the staff of
the Indian Museum for the
work they have done in pre-
serving our precious her-
itage and in restoring the
Museum, Dr. Singh urged
them to enhance the magic
of the Indian Museum by
making it a more living and
interactive space that en-
thrals all those who visit here
to experience the wonder that
is, and always will be, India.
On this occasion, Dr. Singh
unveiled the modernised In-
dian Museum and released a
commemorative postage
stamp and a monograph on
the History of 200 years of In-
dian Museum. Dr. Singh said
that it was a pleasure for him
to see the exhibits in their
new restored setting and he
commended the Director and
his staff for the hard work
that they have put in.
This Museum, founded in
1814, has survived two hun-
dred years in the midst of his-
toric upheavals. It was the
first to be established in India
and is perhaps the largest in
the Asia-Pacific Region and
older than the Smithsonian
Institution, which is the
largest museum in the world.
Its establishment served as a
model, not only for other mu-
seums, but also a number of
institutions of national impor-
tance.
Dr. Singh said that it is
ironic that the Indian Mu-
seum was founded by west-
ern academics and
intellectuals and that too at a
time when parts of our coun-
try had already begun to fall
under the colonial yoke. Nev-
ertheless, these enlightened
individuals were products of
the Age of Enlightenment,”
said Dr. Singh, adding that
eighteenth century India was
in any case an interesting
subject for contemporary
western scholars who wanted
to study India’s historical
past and cultural and scien-
tific achievements.
by TNH DESK
Indian museums shouldbe important touristdestinations: PM
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has saidthat the Indian museums should play the role ofinstitutions of learning and important touristdestinations.
“Museums across the world are now importanttourist destinations. People travel thousands ofmiles to visit museums. To be truly enriching, thevisit must be a complete experience. This means ex-tensive support in terms of signage, documentationand cataloguing. Museums must become attractiveplaces where visitors can observe and learn in a re-laxing atmosphere.”
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
31Government News
The Calendar was
launched by Parvez
Dewan, Tourism
Secretary in a function in
the Capital. Launching the
calendar, Dewan said that
every State has been cov-
ered and suitable regions
and regional balance has
been maintained. All the
north-eastern States have
also been represented in
the calendar. Parvez Dewan
said that the calendar cap-
tures the rich variety and
wide spectrum of destina-
tions offered by India.
The calendar has also
been launched digitally
wherein it can be seen at
the website of the Ministry
www.incredibleindia.org.
All the pages of the calen-
dar have been made avail-
able through high
resolution photographs on
the website.
The January month
shows the Kalpeni Island,
Lakshadweep and Spiti Val-
ley, Himachal Pradesh. The
February month takes the
travellers to the Siang
River, Arunachal Pradesh
and Aizawl, Mizoram.
The month of March cap-
tures the Junagarh Fort,
Gujarat and the Royal Ben-
gal Tiger and Sunderbans,
West Bengal. Keeping in
view the festival of
Baisakhi, the month of April
has the picture of Golden
Temple and Sri Meenakshi
Temple, Madurai, Tamil-
nadu.
The month of May de-
picts the scene of the Betla
National Park, Jharkhand
and the Great Buddha,
Bodh Gaya, Bihar whereas
the month of June shows
the pictures of Manda Peak,
Uttarakhand and Hu-
mayun’s Tomb, Delhi.
July month is depicted
with the photos of Cave
Temples & Monastries of El-
lora, Maharashtra and Chi-
trakoot Falls, Chattisgarh.
The pictures of the Jagan-
nath Temple, Tripura and
the Classical Dance Raas
Leela, Manipur adorn the
calender month August.
Aayi Mandapam,
Puducherry and the Tiru-
mala Venkateswara Temple
of Andhra Pradesh are
shown with the month of
September. October shows
the Diu Fort, Daman & Diu
and Dzukou Valley, Naga-
land. The calendar ends
with the pictures of One-
horned Rihonceros, Kazi-
ranga, Assam, Basilica of
Bom Jesus, Goa and Ling-
dum Monastery, Sikkim &
Signature Golf Course, Gur-
gaon, Haryana for the
months of November and
December respectively.
The Tourism Secretary
also highlighted the efforts
of the Ministry on revamp-
ing the website of Incredible
India. He said that the print
ready material would be
made available on the web-
site which would facilitate
the professionals in the
tourism industry to bring
out brochures and other
publicity material. This in-
formation would be pro-
vided in 10 languages –
English, Arabic, Chinese,
Russian, Spanish, French,
Korean Japanese, Por-
tuguese, Italian, and German
in addition to Hindi. Dewan
also highlighted the fact that
information about 15 Sound
and Light Shows have been
provided through YouTube in
Dolby sound which is the
first of its kind in the entire
world. by TNH DESK
MoT launches ‘Incredible India PromotionalCalendar 2014’The Ministry of Tourism ((MoT), Government of India recently launchedthe ‘Incredible India Promotional Calendar 2014,’ which contains 24photographs on double sided paper.
The Delhi-Jaipur Ex-
pressway is one of the
announcements of the
Prime Minister in Novem-
ber 2013 which has been
taken up as a priority proj-
ect of the government. As
on date, there is no ex-
pressway built by the Cen-
tral Government and the
Delhi-Jaipur Expressway
would be the first.
Ministry of Road Trans-
port & Highways has esti-
mated that the total
project cost for the Delhi-
Jaipur Expressway will be
approximately Rs.9,460
crore and with land acqui-
sition and pre-construction
activities, the cost is esti-
mated at Rs.11,750 crore.
The total road length will
be 272 km. The Ministry
plans to sign the State
Support Agreement by
28.2.2014 and the Project
would be awarded by Sept
2014 after completing all
the intermediate steps.
Ministry of Road Trans-
port & Highways has exam-
ined multiple financing
options for the expressway
and will proceed with the
most viable one. If success-
ful, the Delhi-Jaipur Ex-
pressway model can be
replicated for all other ex-
pressways in the country,
which are by and large
parallel to existing Na-
tional Highways.
Ministry of Road Trans-
port & Highways has been
asked to bring a Note to
Cabinet seeking in-princi-
ple approval by February
28, 2014.
by TNH DESK
PM speeds up Delhi-Jaipur Expressway
“Every State has been covered and suit-able regions and regional balance has been
maintained. All the north-eastern Stateshave also been represented in the calen-
dar. The calendar captures the rich variety
and wide spectrum of destinations offeredby India.”
Government News32
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Tourism has bounced
back to normalcy in
Odisha and the
Phailin tragedy is all set to be-
come a thing of the past. In a
major drive to entice global
tourists into the state, Odisha
Tourism is taking the first
step by hosting second Inter-
national Buddhist Conference
at Udayagiri that forms an in-
tegral part of diamond trian-
gle along with Lalitagiri and
Ratnagiri in the state.
The conclave is an at-
tempt to offer a big boost to
the state as a potential Bud-
dhist destination and is held
from February 1 to 3.
Manoranjan Patnaik, Direc-
tor, Odisha Tourism said,
“There are 324 Buddhist sites
identified till today of which
108 sites are equipped with
stupas and monasteries.
Around 300 domestic and
global delegates made to the
conference last year. We are
looking ahead to bring a lot of
global tour operators on des-
tination familiarization trip to
the state in a bid to explore
the tourism potential of the
land. The upcoming Buddhist
destinations are Langudi,
Jaugada, Kuruma, Radha
Nagar and Kayama.”
The department of
tourism is putting a plethora
of emphasis on development
of beach tourism. Patnaik fur-
ther said, “There are a num-
ber of prominent beaches
along the 480 km coastline in
the state and the popular ones
are Puri, Chandrabhaga, Tal-
sari, Gopalpur and Chandipur.
For the first time, we have
come up with mechanized
beach cleaning at Puri beach
and this will be introduced in
other beach destinations. We
are laying stress on rural and
experiential tourism to in-
crease the global tourist foot-
fall. We have launched our
new Tourism Policy in 2013
that provides a lot of incen-
tives to private sector for de-
velopment of tourism. We
have also leased out our prop-
erties to private groups on
long-term basis in an attempt
to create quality infrastruc-
ture and accommodation op-
tions.” The department has
made a premier attempt to
hold tourism road shows
across Indian cities.
The tourism department is
making plans to welcome a
large chunk of tourists at the
Car Festival or Nabakalebara
to be held in Puri in 2015. The
grand event is held once in 12
years. Patnaik added, “The
enchanting tourist places are
Puri, Chilika, Chandipur,
Gopalpur, Talsari and other
eco-tourist spots and we are
hopeful that the flow of do-
mestic and global tourists
would be satisfactory in the
current year. We are focusing
on few potential global
tourism markets like Ger-
many, France, Italy, Sweden,
the United Kingdom and the
South-East Asian countries
like Bhutan, Malaysia, Korea,
Thailand and Japan.”
Odisha Tourism is making
a strong presence in global
tourism marts and is into ag-
gressive promotion in print
and electronic media. “Nearly
1 crore domestic tourists and
71,000 foreign tourists visited
the land last year. We are hop-
ing for 15 per cent growth in
tourist arrival in the ensuing
year,” further added Patnaik.
Odisha Tourism takes significant leapPost-Phailin tragedy, Odisha Tourism is setting a big boost to draw bothglobal and domestic travelers into the state.
Manoranjan PatnaikDirector, Odisha Tourism
•Second Interna-tional Buddhist Con-ference at Udayagiri.•New Buddhist desti-nations opened.•Introduced mecha-nized beach cleaningat Puri beach.•Grand Car Festivalin Puri, 2015.
Snapshot
�Swaati Chaudhury
FTAs: Despite negative
signals from the global econ-
omy, the number of foreign
tourist arrivals in the country
in 2013 showed an increase of
about 4.1 % over 2012. During
the period January- Decem-
ber 2013, 68.48 lakh (Provi-
sional) tourists visited India
against 65.78 lakh in 2012.
FEEs from Tourism: For-
eign exchange earnings from
tourism in rupee terms dur-
ing 2013 were Rs.1,05,836
crore (Provisional) with a
growth of 12.0% over the
same period in 2012.The for-
eign exchange earnings dur-
ing 2012 was to the tune of
Rs.94,487 crore. FEE from
tourism in terms of US$ dur-
ing January to December
2013 were US$ 18.133 billion
with a growth of 2.2%, as
compared to US$ 17.737 bil-
lion with a growth of 7.1%
during January-December
2012 over the corresponding
period of 2011.
Domestic Tourism: Do-
mestic tourism continues to
be the main contributor to the
sector providing much needed
resilience. The domestic
tourist visits during the year
2012 are estimated to be 1036
million (Provisional), showing
a growth of 19.9% over 2011
Infrastructure Develop-
ment: Infrastructure develop-
ment holds the key to India’s
sustained growth in the
tourism sector. Therefore, the
Ministry of Tourism has been
making efforts to develop
quality tourism infrastructure
at tourist destinations and
circuits. Ministry has sanc-
tioned `4090.31 crore for a
total number of 1226 tourism
projects, which includes proj-
ects relating to Product/ In-
frastructure Development for
Destination and Circuits
(PIDDC), Human Resource
Development (HRD), Fairs
and Festivals and Adventure
& Rural Tourism for infra-
structure augmentation.
Broad Basing of Hospi-
tality Education: In order to
meet the huge skill gap in the
hospitality industry, the Min-
istry has adopted a multi-
pronged strategy which
includes strengthening and
expanding the institutional
infrastructure for training
and education. For this pur-
pose, Ministry of Tourism
supports creation of new In-
stitutes of Hotel Management
(IHM) and Food Craft Insti-
tutes (FCI) in States besides
providing financial assistance
for modernization and capac-
ity enhancement of existing
IHMs and FCIs.
The National Council for
Hotel Management and
Catering Technology
(NCHMCT), the administra-
tive body for the Institutes of
Hotel Management (IHMs) is
poised to tie up with Ecole
Hoteliere de Lausanne,
Switzerland for the upgrada-
tion of curriculum and teach-
ing methods at all IHMs in the
country. by TNH DESK
2013 was a successful year for MoTMinistry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India achieved many feats inthe last year.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
33Government News
Government of Chhattis-
garh will consider the pos-
sibility of connecting far-off and
inaccessible tourist spots of the
state by helicopter services for
tourists so that tourists have
easy access to these destina-
tions. This was informed by the
State Tourism Minister Ajay
Chandrakarduring his interac-
tion with the representatives of
the Chhattisgarh Hotels Associ-
ations and Travel Associations.
The interaction took place re-
cently in Raipur, the capital of
the state. Helicopter services to
the faraway destinations may
be launched with cooperation of
travel agents, said the minister.
He also discussed with the in-
dustry representatives possibil-
ity of the industry and the state
government working together to
develop tourist amenities. The
tourism minister said that the
state government is taking all
possible steps to develop tourist
facilities at historical sites and
key locations of natural beau-
ties in the state. The meeting
was organized by Chhattisgarh
Tourism Board (CTB). The min-
ister said that 121 important lo-
cations from tourism point of
view have been identified by
CTB to develop there basic
amenities so that maximum
number of tourists can visit the
locations. The minister said
that these are the destinations
which can easily be put on the
tourism maps of the world and
the country.
Chandrakar said that for bet-
ter accommodation and travel
facilities for tourist coming to
the state, the state government
would work with hotel associa-
tions and travel associations.
On the occasion hotel own-
ers and travel agents offered
many advices to agents. The
tourism minister assured them
to consider their suggestions
seriously. The minister said
that the state government and
the tourism industry would
work together to develop basic
facilities for tourist at tourists
destination at the state, and
solve other problems of the in-
dustry.
Chandrakar informed that list
of registered travel agencies
and information of the process
of registration will be uploaded
on the website of the CTB.
Chhattisgarh to consider linking farawaytourist spots with helicopter servicesThe state has indentified 121 important locations from tourism point ofview to develop there basic amenities in order to attract a large numberof tourists to these locations.
Well-known as the desti-
nation of surprise, the
land of Chhattisgarh with 44
per cent forest area offers a
plethora of options for eco-
tourism. Encouraged by the
tremendous success of Sirpur
National Dance and Music Fes-
tival, the state tourism depart-
ment has set the ball rolling by
taking a series of initiatives to
develop tourism infrastruc-
ture, investment on hospitality
industry, wayside amenities
and has taken up aggressive
promotion and marketing to
bring about comprehensive de-
velopment in tourism.
P Sen Bhowmick, General
Manager, Chhattisgarh
Tourism Board informed, “We
are concentrating on niche
segments of religious tourism
to woo domestic tourists. Our
key focus areas include rural
tourism, photography tourism,
camping and caravan tourism,
cave tourism, wellness and ad-
venture tourism. The state is
also emerging in the market of
MICE tourism. We are concen-
trating our efforts to boost
Buddhist tourism and the visit
of His Holiness, Dalai Lama to
Sirpur highlights the signifi-
cance of the state as a promi-
nent Buddhist site.”
Sirpur National Dance and
Music Festival, the most-
awaited grand event was held
from January 4 to 6 in the New
Year. There are renowned In-
dian artists performing at the
event. “The festival has been
augmenting the grandeur of
the destination and highlights
the best of Chhattisgarh’s tra-
ditional music and dance
forms. This kind of event not
only stimulates the demand in
tourist arrival but also ensures
the economic and social uplift-
ment of the region,” said Sen
Bhowmick.
The department of tourism
is also focusing on cleanliness
drive since the flow of tourists
would be up if the tourism as-
sets are looked upon well. “We
are emphasizing on manpower
training and generating em-
ployment options with a view
to create human resource for
travel trade and hospitality
sector under the scheme –
Hunar se Rozgar Tak. We are
encouraging development of
destinations on public-private
partnership model (PPP).
There were only a few proper-
ties at the time of formation of
the state that have grown to 38
and 14 more properties are in
the pipeline. We have identified
few destinations for integrated
and circuit tourism,” added
Sen Bhowmick.
The tourism department
has published promotional lit-
erature in seven languages in-
cluding Korean, Thai,
Chinese, Japanese, Viet-
namese, Sinhalese and Eng-
lish. “The state is a popular
eco-ethno tourist destination
and we are attracting domes-
tic tourists into our niche seg-
ments. We are trying to tap
global tourists from East and
South-East Asia,” added Sen
Bhowmick. The state had
around 1.5 crore inbound
tourists and 4,172 foreign visi-
tors in the last fiscal.
On a growth curveChhattisgarh Tourism Board has been at theforefront in initiating to develop tourisminfrastructure and is all set to place the state onthe Buddhist tourist map of India.
P Sen BhowmickGeneral Manager, Chhattisgarh TourismBoard
Priorities ofChhattisgarhTourism:•Setting up tourisminfrastructure.•Developing destina-tions on PPP model.•Stressing on clean-liness drive.•New eco-touristspots setting up in abig way.•Few destinations todevelop integratedand circuit tourism.
Snapshot
�Swaati Chaudhury
�Prem Kumar
International Destination34
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Romantic Adventuresin New Zealand
There could be no better place in the world to be whisked away on a romantic adven-
ture of a lifetime than new Zealand.
Lush landscapes, star-filled skies and the breathtakingbeauty of some of the world’s most untouched naturalwonders and pristine beaches makes New Zealand the
perfect place to fall in love.The opportunity to experience an intimate picnic atop the
majestic Southern Alps, hear tales of enduring love at an an-cient island, soak tired limbs in a warm natural spring or be en-chanted by the luxury of one of New Zealand’s premier lodgesis just what dreams are made of.
New Zealand gives couples the chance to escape the hus-tle and bustle of the world and embrace the beauty of thisunique country - and each other.
North Island romantic adventuresNORTHLAND - Tane as your witness
What to do: Allow the ancient and wise Tane Mahuta - King ofthe Forest - to be your witness as you profess your love whileimmersing yourself in one of the most magical cultural experi-ences in Northland.
Let Footprints Waipoua take you on a mystical journeythrough towering native Kauri trees to visit the mighty Te MatuaNgahere (Father of the Forest), the graceful Four Sisters andTane Mahuta - the largest Kauri tree in New Zealand - and kingof them all. Knowledgeable guides bring the forest to life, in-tertwining tales of the stately trees, the role they have playedin the lives of local Maori and the eco-system of the etherealand unforgettable Waipoua Forest.
Where to stay: Take a break from it all at award winningKokohuia Lodge - one of New Zealand’s most romantic luxurylodges. Perched high above native trees - overlooking themagnificent seascape of the Hokianga Harbour in the winter-less North - Kokohuia is as exclusive as it gets, providing a se-cluded retreat for just one couple at a time.
AUCKLAND - Flight of fancyWhat to do: Leave the City of Sails behind as you take flighthigh into the sky and above the volcanic crater of Rangitotoand the beautiful marine playground of the Hauraki Gulf with
The De Havilland Beaver Floatplane can take you to yourdestination of choice around the Gulf and beyond.Enjoy a romantic picnic on a secluded beach, an af-
ternoon of feast and fancy at Waiheke’s delectableOyster Inn or watch the clear blue waters lap the
white sandy shores with an overnight stay onthe rugged and unspoilt Great Barrier Is-
land. Where to stay: Just a short drive from the bustling Auckland
city centre brings you to Mollies Luxury Boutique Hotel. Victo-rian grace mixed with bold contemporary décor makes thisfive-star beauty the perfect place to enjoy a flawless romantic
retreat.Guests at Mollies can relax in the day spa, share a drink in
the beautifully crafted cocktail bar, enjoy dinner on their ownprivate balcony, grab a breath of fresh air in the lush leafygreen gardens or take a stroll to Ponsonby, one of Auckland'shippest suburbs filled with boutique shops and a variety of din-ing experiences.
TONGARIRO - Awe-inspiring adventureWhat to Do: There is nothing quite like sharing an adventure
with the one you love and the world renowned TongariroAlpine Crossing is the perfect place to do just that.
Hailed as one of the best one-day hikes in the world, the di-verse encounters experienced along the Tongariro Crossingtake you on a journey of epic proportions, through mars-likevolcanic landscapes, past sparkling blue and green lakes andrugged slopes filled with wild alpine flora and fauna. Adrift NZ
Where to stay: Experience luxury on Mother Nature’sdoorstep at the Chateau Tongariro Hotel. Couples can while
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
35International Destination
the night away in an executive Spa Suite, indulge at the Ru-apehu Room Restaurant, take a dip in the heated plunge pool,watch a movie at the onsite cinema or play a 9-hole round ofgolf on the highest course in New Zealand. Chateau TongariroHotel
WAIKATO - Wedding fit for a HobbitWhat to do: Visiting the Hobbiton Movie Set in the idyllic vil-
lage of Matamata is a dream come true for many visitors andHobbit fans alike.
Loved-up couples ready to take their relationship to the nextlevel can enjoy a wedding to remember amongst the blooms,birds and hobbit holes at the movie set - made famous in theSir Peter Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings and The HobbitTrilogies. Hobbiton Movie Set Tours
Where to stay: Step out of Hobbiton and into a fairy-tale atthe mesmerising Underhill Valley glamping site. Situated on aworking Waikato farm this secluded spot offers couples thechance to escape from reality.
Built into a hillside and situated on a picturesque pond, Un-derhill Valley allows you to shake off the shackles of modernday life and enjoy being together undisturbed by everything -except maybe the dawn chorus native birds.
ROTORUA - True love never fadesWhat to do: Prepare to feel chills as you visit the setting of oneof New Zealand’s most enduring love stories. Rotorua’s ancientMokoia Island, once home to Maori tribes, was and the placewhere love blossomed between Tutanekai - a young MaoriWarrior and Hinemoa - a Chief's daughter of a rival tribe.
The island is now a sanctuary teeming with native birds,plants and wildlife. Mokoia Island Wai Ora Experiences run dailytrips to the island where their knowledgeable guides offer in-sights into one of the most romantic and mysterious areas of aregion steeped in cultural history.
Where to stay: Laze about in the lap of luxury at Black SwanHotel - a sophisticated boutique lodge-style accommodationsituated on the shores of the stunning Lake Rotorua.Black Swan expertly combines classic elegance with aucourant design, creating a unique accommodation settingcomplete with a personalised service catering to your everyneed. Stop to smell the roses as you walk through the well-man-icured gardens, steal a kiss in the secret grotto before enjoyingsome of the finest Pacific inspired fusion food, overlooking thecalming waters of Lake Rotorua or in your own private dining
setting.
South Island romantic adventuresKAIKOURA/MARLBOROUGH - Gourmet GetawayWhat to do: There is an old adage that states "theway to a man’s heart is through his stomach" and therecould be no better place to test this theory than duringa Gourmet Getaway. The Gourmet Getaway tour beginsin Kaikoura - known for its bountiful seafood, venison andfresh organic produce - and ends in Marlborough - theSavion Blanc capital of New Zealand.
During the getaway couples will experience mouth-wateringdishes created by two experienced Executive Chefs. The foodis expertly matched to some of New Zealand’s most tantalisingwines from Marlborough’s Seresin Estate - purveyors of the or-ganic and biodynamical process of wine creation.
Where to stay: The four night gourmet getaway ensures ac-commodation is taken care of with two nights at the spectac-ular Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses in Kaikoura and two nightsat the exquisite Bay of Many Coves in the Marlborough Sounds.
Couples will literally be one with nature as they look outthrough the canopy of native Manuka trees to the sprawlingPacific coastline and towering Kaikoura Mountains from theirown Upper Branch Tree House at Hapuku Lodge. In contrast -The Bay of Many Coves offers undisturbed views of the world-famous Queen Charlotte Sounds.
CHRISTCHURCH - Bubbles and BalloonsWhat to do: Experience the stillness of dawn as you fly high
above the unfolding New Zealand landscape in the first coun-try in the world to see the sun. Aoraki Balloon Safaris fly youabove ancient Canterbury plains while views of the snow-capped Aoraki/Mt Cook rise above. After the flight guests cancome back to earth gently as they enjoy a silver-served cham-pagne breakfast. Balloon weddings can also be arranged.
Where to stay: If fine dining is your thing then look no furtherthan the award-winning The George Christchurch. This luxuryboutique hotel - located in the heart of the vibrant Garden City- overlooks the iconic Hagley Park and picturesque Avon River.
The George has two award-winning restaurants, 50 Bistroand Psecatore, one of New Zealand’s most sublime contem-porary dining experiences, offering delicious delicacies that willleave you wanting more.
TEKAPO - Starlight, star brightWhat to Do: Get in the mood for love at Lake Tekapo’s
Church of the Good Shepherd. This iconic stone church is sur-rounded by the colourful lupins that grow on the shoreline ofthe turquoise hued lake and is the perfect setting for a wed-ding. Church of the Good Shepherd
When night falls see the Southern-stars reflecting in the eyesof your lover at the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, theminimal light pollution here makes it a perfect place to makea wish upon a shooting star.
Where to Stay: Surrounded by the commanding presenceof the Southern Alps and sitting on the serene shores of LakeTekapo, Peppers Bluewater Resort offers a truly romantic ac-commodation experience and provides a perfect base to ex-plore Tekapo, Mt Cook and the surrounding Mackenzie District.
FIORDLAND - Wondrous wilderness What to do: After a day exploring Franz Josef Glacier- one
of the most easily accessible glaciers in the world - it’s time toimmerse yourself in the steaming waters of the Glacier HotPools.
International Destination36
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Sheltered in lush New Zealand rainforest these hot poolshave their own romantic tale to tell. According to Maori leg-end the pools are fed by the tears o K• Roimata o Hine-hukatere, pining for for her lost love. The Glacier Hot Poolsconsist of three main pools. Secluded private pools can alsobe hired.
Where to stay: Just because you’re in one of the most pris-tine environments in the world doesn’t mean you have toforgo modern pleasures. The 5-star, Enviro Gold rated TeWaonui Retreat offers one of the most indulgent experiencesto be found on the wild and rugged West Coast.
Health, rejuvenation and relaxation are the focus of thisheavenly retreat, while the five-course degustation menu, fea-turing some of the freshest cuisine in the region, will leave youfeeling blissfully fulfilled.
QUEENSTOWN - Picnic on a peakWhat to do: Hailed by Lonely Planet as one of the top hon-
eymoon destinations in the world for 2014, Queenstown offersadventure and luxury in one of the most romantic settings onthe globe.
Over the Top Helicopters can take visitors on a scenic heli-copter ride to a secluded location, atop the majestic moun-tains that rise above the playful town. Here couples can enjoya private, gourmet picnic surrounded by unrivalled panoramicviews.
Where to stay: After a day exploring the thrilling adventureson offer in the alpine resort town it’s time to relax, unwind andindulge. The award-winning Matakauri Lodge, situated onthe edge of the sparkling Lake Wakatipu, offers luxury ac-commodation with a private outlook to the lake and
breathtaking views of the Remarkables mountain rangeand the stately Cecil Peak. Despite being a mere
seven minutes from the buzzing centre of Queen-stown, Matakauri Lodge makes you feel like
you’re a world away.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
37Aviation News
Qatar Airways welcomed
the Airbus A350 XWB as it
made its first-ever landing at
Qatar’s state-of-the-art Hamad
International Airport (HIA), be-
fore departing for its next stop,
the Singapore Airshow. As the
launch customer for the family
of long-range, two-engined
wide-body jet airliners, Qatar
Airways Chief Executive Offi-
cer, His Excellency Akbar Al
Baker, welcomed Didier
Evrard, Executive Vice Presi-
dent, Airbus A350 XWB Pro-
gramme, and Phil Harris,
Senior Vice President Cus-
tomer Business, Rolls Royce, at
the special event commemorat-
ing the inaugural landing.
Following the welcome
notes, a delegation of Qatar’s
distinguished officials including
H.E. Issa bin Mohammed Al
Mohannadi, Qatar Tourism Au-
thority’s Chairman, H.E. Jean-
Christophe Peaucelle,
Ambassador of the French Re-
public to the State of Qatar, H.E.
Angelikai Storz-Chakarj, Am-
bassador of the Federal Repub-
lic of Germany to Qatar and
H.E. Maria Del Carmen De
Labena, Ambassador of the
Kingdom of Spain to Qatar, vis-
ited the A350 XWB displayed
on the HIA tarmac.
The arrival of the A350 XWB
to Doha from its Airbus base in
Toulouse was a unique oppor-
tunity for both Airbus’ flight
crew as well as HIA air traffic
control and ground officials to
experience landing the new
mid-sized wide-body jet on
HIA’s brand new 4,850-metre
eastern runway engineered to
meet the requirements of the
world’s biggest and most ad-
vanced aircraft. HIA’s dual run-
way system comprises a
4,850-metre eastern runway
and a 4,250-metre western run-
way that are two kilometers
apart. Designed for superior
runway efficiency, it will be able
to handle an incredible 100 air-
craft every hour.
Commenting on the occasion,
Akbar Al Baker said: “This is
yet another key milestone in
Qatar’s aviation progress. We
have been steadily investing in
our infrastructure to enable us
to stay ahead of the latest de-
velopments in the global avia-
tion sector. Hamad
International Airport, which
was built for advanced aircraft
such as the Airbus A350 XWB,
is our flagship asset and will
soon be the new home of Qatar
Airways and our modern fleet
of aircraft, including the A350
XWB family.”
Now in its advanced flight test
program phase, the efficient
A350 XWB airliners are sched-
uled to enter into commercial
service in the fourth quarter of
2014. Qatar Airways has or-
dered 80 aircraft to date, lean-
ing towards the larger A350-900
and A350-1000 models, which
better suit its business model
and passenger requirements.
The A350 XWB is a family of
mid-sized wide-body airliners
designed to enhance fuel, oper-
ating costs and environmental
efficiencies during medium-to-
long haul airline operations.
Featuring the very latest in
aerodynamics, design and ad-
vanced technologies, these
highly efficient aircraft provide
better fuel efficiency of up to 25
percent. Over 70 percent of the
A350 XWB’s weight-efficient
airframe is made from ad-
vanced materials combining
composites (53 percent), tita-
nium and advanced aluminium
alloys. The aircraft’s innovative
all-new Carbon Fibre Rein-
forced Plastic (CFRP) fuselage
results in lower fuel burn as well
as easier maintenance.
“It was certainly a proud and
symbolic occasion for Qatar Air-
ways and our team of air traffic
and ground control crew at HIA
to experience landing the new
A350 at our new airport, as it
gave us a unique glimpse into
the exciting developments
around the corner,” concluded
Al Baker. by TNH DESK
Airbus A350 XWB makesinaugural landing atDoha’s HamadInternational airportAirbus A350 XWB recently made its inaugurallanding at Doha’s Hamad International airport.The company also honoured its A350 launchcustomer, Qatar Airways, with a stopover at HIAen route to Singapore Airshow.
Aviation News38
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
The 2013 performance
aligns with the average
annual growth rate of the
past 30 years. Capacity rose
4.8% and load factor aver-
aged 79.5% up 0.4 percentage
points over 2012.
Demand in international
markets (5.4%) expanded at
a slightly faster rate than do-
mestic travel
(4.9%).Strongest overall
growth (domestic and inter-
national combined) was
recorded by carriers in the
Middle East (11.4%) followed
by Asia-Pacific (7.1%), Latin
America (6.3%) and Africa
(5.2%). The slowest growth
was in the developed mar-
kets of North America (2.3%)
and Europe (3.8%).
“We saw healthy demand
growth in 2013 despite the
very difficult economic envi-
ronment. There was a clear
improvement trend over the
course of the year which
bodes well for 2014. Last
year’s demand performance
demonstrates the essential
and growing role that avia-
tion-enabled connectivity
plays in our world. And with
system-wide load factors at
79.5% it is also clear that air-
lines are continuing to drive
efficiencies to an ever-higher
level,” said Tony Tyler,
IATA’s Director General and
CEO.
International Passenger
Demand
International passenger
demand grew by 5.4% in 2013
compared to 2012 with all re-
gions reporting growth. Ca-
pacity rose 4.9%, boosting
load factor to 79.3%, up 0.4
percentage points over 2012.
Asia-Pacific airlines’traf-
ficrose 5.3% in 2013, the
highestincrease among the
three major regions and
slightly above 2012 annual
growth of 5.2%. After a slow
start, carriers in the region
saw a pick-up in demand in
the third quarter, supported
by stronger performance of
major economies such as
China and Japan. Capacity
expansion of 5.2%meant load
factor was virtually flat at
77.7%.
Europeancarriers saw
trafficrise 3.8% in 2013 com-
pared to 2012, a slowdown
compared to annual growth
of 5.3% in 2012. Capacity
rose 2.8% and load factor
was 81%, second highest
among the regions and a 0.5
percentage point rise over
2012. Modest economic im-
provements in the Eurozone
since the second quarter and
rising consumer and busi-
ness confidence are provid-
ing a stronger demand base
Air passenger demandsees robust growthrates in 2013The International Air Transport Association (IATA)announced full-year traffic results for 2013showing a 5.2% increase in passenger demandcompared to 2012.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
39Aviation News
for international travel; and
after weakness in previous
months, job losses in the Eu-
rozone stabilized in Decem-
ber.
North American carrier-
sreported the slowest pas-
senger growth of any region
at 3.0% compared to 2012
but an improvement over
2012 growth of 1.3%.With ca-
pacity up just 2.2%, load fac-
tor rose 0.8 percentage
points to 82.8%, the highest
for any region. The economy
is showing some positive
signs: employment growth
has picked up, as has con-
sumer spending.
Middle East airlines-
recorded the strongest in-
crease in passenger traffic
in 2013, a riseof 12.1% com-
pared to 2012, but below the
15.4% growth recorded in
2012 compared to 2011.Car-
riers in the region have ben-
efitted from the continued
strength of regional
economies, particularly
Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates and solid
growth in business-related
premium travel, particularly
to developing markets such
as Africa. However, capacity
grew faster at 12.8% and
load factor declined slightly
by 0.1 percentage points to
77.3% from 77.4% in 2012.
Latin American carrier-
sposted an 8.1% rise in de-
mand in 2013 over 2012,
down slightly compared to
the 8.4% rise in 2012. This
was the second-strongest
performance (after the Mid-
dle East) and was support-
edby the healthy expansion
of economies like Colombia,
Peru and Chile. Capacity ex-
panded 7.4% year over year,
causing load factor to climb
to 79.2%, up 1.3 percentage
points compared to 2012.
African airlines’demand
rose 5.5%, slightly above the
global average but below
2012 growth of 7.5%. Capac-
ity expansion of 5.2% meant
load factor rose 1.9percent-
age points to 69%, the lowest
among the regions. Overall,
the demand environment is
strong, with robust eco-
nomic growth of local
economies and continued
development of internation-
ally trading industries. But
some parts of the continent
have shown weakness in-
cluding South Africa, which
recently experienced a slow-
down in its economy, with a
corresponding impact on the
demand base for interna-
tional air travel.
Domestic Passenger De-
mand
Domestic air travelde-
mand rose grew by 4.9% in
2013 compared to 2012, up
from 4.0% in 2012 versus
2011. Capacity rose 4.6%
and load factor climbed 0.4
percentage points to 79.9%.
All markets recorded posi-
tive gains, with the strongest
growth occurring in China
and Russia.
US trafficexpanded
by1.9% in 2013 (up from
0.8% in 2012), while capacity
grew at the same rate, with
the result that load factor
was flat at 83.8%, the high-
est for any market. The im-
provement in demand
compared to 2012 reflects
sustained increases in con-
sumer confidence through-
out the year as well as rising
employment activity, partic-
ularly over recent months.
Chinatraffic climbed
11.7% in 2013 compared to
2012, the strongest for any
market. Capacity rose 12.2%
Aviation News40
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
last year, with the result that
load factor declined 0.6 per-
centage points to 80.3%,
which was still the second
best among markets.
Japan’s domestic market
improved significantly in
2013 as annual demand
rose5.2% (up from 3.6% in
2012) while capacity ex-
panded by 5.1% and load
factor was little changed at
64.3%, by far the lowest for
any market. Significant gov-
ernment stimulus led to an
acceleration in the economy
in the first half of 2013 which
supported increases in busi-
ness activity and improving
employment rates, boosting
air travel demand.
Brazil’s airlines
recorded the slowest de-
mand growth last year, with
traffic up just 0.8% com-
pared to 2012. Efforts by the
government to stimulate the
economy have borne little
fruit, however capacity re-
ductions by airlines of 3.3%
pushed load factor to 76.3%,
well above the 71.8%
recorded in 2012.
Indian domestic traffic
rose 4.0% last year, com-
pared to a 2.1% decline in
2012. The demand environ-
ment has been challenging
in view of the weakening
economy, high inflation and
slowing manufacturing and
resource industries. Capac-
ity climbed 3.5% in 2013, and
load factor was 74.6%, up 1.7
percentage points compared
to 2012.
Russia had the second-
strongest domestic market,
with demand up 9.6% in 2013
on a 9.1% rise in capacity.
Russian demand is being
supported by a resilient
labor market and govern-
ment policy focused on
maintaining high employ-
ment and sustained income
levels. Load factor was 74%.
Australianairlines’ do-
mestic traffic rose 2.8% in
2013 compared to 2012,
while capacity rose 3.8%, de-
pressing load factor 1.0 per-
centage point to 76.5%.
Interest rate cuts have failed
to stimulate the economy,
which remains broadly slug-
gish, with rising unemploy-
ment and fragile business
and consumer confidence.
The Bottom Line
Commercial aviation is
celebrating its first century
in 2014. “What was impossi-
ble yesterday is an accom-
plishment of today, while
tomorrow heralds the unbe-
lievable.” With these words,
Percival Fansler, creator of
the St. Petersburg-Tampa
Airboat Line, inaugurated
the era of commercial avia-
tion on 1 January 1914.
“Fansler was right. The first
century of commercial avia-
tion has changed the world.
It has made it a better place
through connectivity. For-
ward-looking governments
recognize the power of avia-
tion to drive economic
growth and spread prosper-
ity. These governments are
laying the foundations for
our next century and in
doing so will reap enormous
benefits. But not all govern-
ments are on the same page.
This anniversary year is an
opportunity to remind short-
sighted governments that
they risk being left behind if
they cripple aviation with
taxes, over-burden it with
onerous regulation, or fail to
provide the infrastructure
that it needs to grow,” said
Tyler.
by TNH DESK
Highlights of IATA’s Air passenger market
analysis 2013
•Air travel markets grew by 5.2% in ‘13 against ‘12, despite
high fuel costs, slow global economic growth.
•Growth in air travel was driven by solid economic expan-
sion in emerging regions, where less mature air travel mar-
kets continue to increase strongly.
•Airlines in mature markets of Europe and North America
experienced the slowest rates of expansion in ‘13, rising
3.8% & 3.0% respectively.
•Both regions saw some recovery in air travel growth in ‘13,
but growth rate was far slower than in emerging market re-
gions.
•Carriers in the Middle East recorded the strongest in-
crease in ‘13, gained 12.1% compared to ‘12.
• Airlines in Latin America saw growth of 8.1% in ‘13.
•Domestic air travel increased by a strong 4.9% in ‘13,
China, Russia recorded the strongest growth rates.
•International air travel recorded robust growth in ‘13, ris-
ing 5.4% compared to ‘12.
•Growth in international travel on Latin American carriers
was also strong in ‘13, gaining 8.1% compared to ‘12.
•Asia Pacific airlines experienced a rise of 5.3% for the
year as a whole, in line with ‘12.
•African airlines international air travel expanded by 5.5%
‘13, solid but slower than in ‘12 (7.5%).
•Domestic air travel in China and Russia recorded the
strongest rates of increase.
•Air travel in China expanded 11.7% in ‘13. It is the
strongest performing domestic market.
•Russian domestic air travel volumes expanded 9.6% in ‘13.
•Other BRIC states – Brazil and India – have seen consider-
ably slower rates of growth in domestic travel, 0.8% and
4.0% respectively.
•Japan’s domestic air travel market improved significantly
in ‘13, expanding 5.2%.
•In the US, domestic air travel expanded 1.9% in ‘13, which
is more than double the pace of growth in ‘12.
•Australia domestic market recorded growth of 2.8% in ‘13.
Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General & CEO
“We saw healthy demand growthin 2013 despite the very difficulteconomic environment. There was
a clear improvement trend over the course ofthe year which bodes well for 2014. Lastyear’s demand performance demonstratesthe essential and growing role that aviation-enabled connectivity plays in our world.,”
“>>>
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
41Aviation News
The daily schedule will
see the addition of a
new daily non-stop flight
between Delhi-Bagdogra,
second non-stop flight be-
tween Kolkata-Bagdogra &
Bengaluru-Chennai, fourth
non-stop flight between
Chennai-Kolkata, ninth
non-stop flight between
Mumbai-Bengaluru and
one stop flight between
Chennai-Bagdogra via
Kolkata, providing seam-
less connection to the air-
line’s entire network
within India.
With 458 flights con-
necting 35 destinations
across the globe, these new
flights will further consoli-
date IndiGo’s position as
the fastest growing airline
in India.
Elaborating on the new
flights, Aditya Ghosh,
President IndiGo said, “We
at IndiGo are delighted to
offer the enhanced connec-
tions to the six cities and
are confident that the new
flights would prove im-
mensely popular with our
passengers. With the in-
creased flow of tourist and
business traffic to and from
the six cities, that have a
perfect balance of metros
and tier-I & II cities, we are
pleased to provide our pas-
sengers the opportunity to
experience the hassle-free
and on-time performance
that IndiGo is synonymous
with. We are confident that
these additional flights will
prove immensely conven-
ient for our passengers.”IndiGo launches 6new flights connectingsix citiesIndia’s largest and fastest growing low-cost andlow-carbon airline, IndiGo has announced sixdaily new flights on its schedule connecting sixdestinations, with effect from February 01,2014.
Key facts•new daily non-stop flight be-tween Delhi-Bagdogra; •Ninth non-stop flight betweenMumbai-Bengaluru •Fourth non-stop flight betweenChennai-Kolkata; •Second non-stop flight betweenKolkata-Bagdogra & Bengaluru-Chennai; •and one stop flight betweenChennai-Bagdogra via Kolkata•With 74 brand new Airbus A320s,6E will now operate¬458 dailyflights, connecting 35 destinations * All inclusive lowest one-wayfare valid for bookings made 90days before travel date. All faresare subject to change withoutprior notice. Limited seats.
Aviation News42
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Inaugurated by Prime Minis-
ter Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Terminal 2 (termed as T2) of
Chhatrapati Shivaji Interna-
tional Airport, Mumbai is built
at an estimated cost of Rs
12,380 crore and is spread
across 439,203 square meters
of area. The airport houses 140
immigration counters 37 trav-
elators, 48 escalators, 72 eleva-
tors and can handle 40 million
passengers. The new terminal
will be operational from Febru-
ary 10 catering to international
traffic. Along with an increase
in passenger capacity, the air-
port will also have an extended
runway to handle bigger air-
crafts like A380.
At present, Mumbai airport
handles close to 30 million pas-
sengers annually, that is more
than the capacity of current in-
ternational terminal, and has
caused issues like airside con-
gestion and inadequate night-
parking bays. Though these
problems that have dogged the
growth of the Mumbai airport
will not change overnight, the
opening of the new terminal
will enable the airport to han-
dle more flights and offer much
better passenger convenience
in terms of check-in, security
hold and baggage delivery —
the areas for all of those are
substantially bigger than the
old terminal.
During the inauguration,
Singh said, “I believe today
marks a very important occa-
sion in the development of the
civil aviation sector in our
country. This shows our abil-
ity to build world class infra-
structure. The T2 is truly first
class terminal. It marks the
beginning of a new chapter in
the growth of civil aviation
sector in the country.” He also
informed that the government
is considering to open about
50 airports for commercial op-
erations in tier-II and tier- II
cities.
According to Sanjay Reddy,
MD, GVK Airports, Mumbai
airport development is consid-
ered as the most challenging
airport expansion project in
the world. “It will be a game
changer for the state’s avia-
tion sector, and it will become
the largest airport in the coun-
try with world-class facilities.
For instance, the ‘Jaya He’ at
the new T2 would showcase
artifacts from 16th to 19th
century spread across 3.2 km
long wall. It is also tagged as
world’s largest public art ex-
position and features around
7000 works of artifacts,” said
Reddy, adding, “By early 2015,
the integrated terminal will
handle both domestic and in-
ternational passengers while
the existing international ter-
minals will be demolished to
make way for the southeast
tier of the new terminal. By
this, the airport would be able
to host 45 million passengers
from the current 30 million
passengers.” Earlier, Mumbai
airport was blamed for heavy
taxation on airlines, conges-
tion in take off and landing,
etc. But with the new termi-
nal, few domestic airlines and
international carriers are
showing keen interest to add
Mumbai on their route map or
increase frequency from the
city.
Manu Monga, VP & Head,
Marketing, Musafir.com said,
“The opening of T2 will be
beneficial for passengers. It is
essential for airports to be re-
ceptive to the comfort of pas-
sengers and meet the highest
standards of efficiency and
safety.”
Mumbai Airport’s T2 opens The four-level mega structure will ease congestionat the airport, giving opportunity to airlines to addmore connections and improve frequency.
�Anand Shah
The preclearance facility al-
lows passengers to be
processed through US immigra-
tion and customs, public health,
and Department of Agriculture
inspections before boarding
their aircraft, eliminating the
need to do so on arrival in the
US.
Indian air travellers, flying
with Etihad Airways, can now
connect from Ahmedabad, Ben-
galuru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyder-
abad, Kochi, Kozhikode,
Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapu-
ram, via Abu Dhabi, to Chicago,
New York, and Washington D.C.
Etihad Airways will con-
tinue to expand and build depth
into its flight network in 2014
benefitting Indian air travellers,
with fights to Jaipur to start in
April, and Los Angeles and Dal-
las-Fort Worth to join the net-
work in June and December
respectively. by TNH DESK
Indian Air travellers get benefit of new USPreclearance facility at Abu Dhabi AirportIndian air travellers, flying with Etihad Airways to the United States, cannow clear US customs and immigration at Abu Dhabi Airport, enabling themto arrive in the US as domestic passengers.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
43Hospitality News
Keys Resorts, an upscale
resort brand of
Berggruen Hotels today, an-
nounced the launch of its first
five star luxury palace prop-
erty, The Pratap Palace, A
Keys Resort, Pushkar - Ajmer.
Located on Ajmer – Pushkar
bye pass, the property has
been launched in association
with Rangwanis Hotels Pvt
Ltd. The Pratap Palace, A
Keys Resort, is Berggruen
Hotel’s first palace property
and marks their venture into
the five star luxury palace
segment.
The third resort property
of Berggruen Hotels comes
with a unique set of offerings
that promises a royal experi-
ence of a singular league. Sur-
rounded by the Aravali hills,
the property is a true amal-
gam of intricate arches,
domes, rich green courtyards,
colorful gardens paved with
marble flooring and railings
which revives the cultural her-
itage of Rajput era.
Fashioned as the epitome
of royalty and magnificence,
The Pratap Palace, A Keys Re-
sort comprises of 80 well fur-
nished palace rooms including
3 suites with one Royal suite.
The resort promises the
bounty of nature’s flora and
fauna. It ensures a heightened
sense of pleasure and serenity
enthralling the guests with its
offerings. It has two confer-
ence halls, a 24 hour global
cuisine restaurant, a fine din-
ing restaurant with bar, a
large swimming pool, gymna-
sium, business center, beauty
shops, spa, meditation room,
several engagement activities,
courtyards, enormous parking
space, water fountains along
with a vast banquet hall with
a 40 feet high grand entrance
to accommodate fairy tale
royal weddings with the
groom and his entourage en-
tering the hall riding an ele-
phant.
On the occasion of the re-
sort opening, Sanjay Sethi,
MD and CEO, Berggruen Hotel
said, “The launch of The
Pratap Palace, A Keys Resort
is a very important milestone
for Berggruen Hotels. This
showcases our relentless ef-
fort in making Berggruen Ho-
tels a holistic hospitality
company. This will provide
travelers to Ajmer, Pushkar
and Mayo School a high qual-
ity hospitality experience. The
Resort is also an outstanding
venue for destination wed-
dings and high profile events.’
Pratap Rangwani, MD
and Visionary, Rangwani Ho-
tels added that this resort is a
great addition to Ajmer. One of
the core attractions of the re-
sort is its location. It is conve-
niently located for visitors to
the Dargah Sharif, Ajmer, The
Brahma Temple and Pushkar
and will be an outstanding lo-
cation for high end events and
weddings. We are sure the re-
sort will soon become an im-
portant attraction in Ajmer
and Pushkar and one of the
top tourist halts across the
globe.
Funded by Berggruen
Holdings, a New York head-
quartered proprietary fund,
Berggruen Hotels was formed
in September 2006. It boasts
of a strong management team
lead by Sanjay Sethi. The top
management has a cumulative
experience exceeding 200
years.
Berggruen Hotels
launched its first brand
‘KEYS HOTELS’ in January
2007 and positioned it as mid-
market hotels. KEYS HO-
TELS already boasts of 33
properties in India including
those under development and
follows the following modes of
growth: Buying land, building
and operating, Management
contracts, Lease arrange-
ments and now franchise. Re-
cently the company launched
its upscale business hotel
brand the Keys Klub.
by TNH DESK
Keys Resorts launches‘The Pratap Palace’The five star palace resort promises distinctluxury and royalty
“The launch of The Pratap Palace, A Keys
Resort is a very important milestone for
Berggruen Hotels. This showcases our re-
lentless effort in making Berggruen Hotels
a holistic hospitality company. This will
provide travelers to Ajmer, Pushkar and
Mayo School a high quality hospitality ex-
perience.
Hospitality News44
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
This is Premier Inn’s third
property in India after
New Delhi and Bangalore and
this edition marks the debut
of Premier Inn hotels in west-
ern India catering to the vi-
brant city’s mid-market
segment. Speaking on the oc-
casion, Aly Shariff, Managing
Director, Premier Inn India
said “The launch of Premier
Inn, Pune is a very proud mo-
ment for us and is essential to
the brand’s growth strategy
of catering to the demands of
the new age smart traveller.
There is immense growth and
development potential in a
burgeoning market like Pune.
We look forward to welcoming
guests to the Premier Inn ex-
perience.”
“Premier Inn, Pune presents
a refreshingly new face of
hospitality to the evolving me-
tropolis, Pune. Located in the
heart of the IT corridor, the
property has been designed to
our global Premier Inn stan-
dards, offering consistent,
world class service to both
leisure and business travelers
seeking hassle-free and con-
temporary experiences. As
with our other properties, our
product and services have
been appropriately adapted
to the Indian and local market
tastes. Our mission is to be
trusted for a good night’s
sleep and great value food
and drink to transform the
hotel market by uniquely
combining high quality with
total commitment to guest
satisfaction, at an affordable
price” said Shwetank Singh,
Regional Vice President, Pre-
mier Inn, South Asia.
Premier Inn, Pune Kharadi
will cater to its guests with
109 rooms including 4 serv-
iced apartments. by TNH DESK
Premier Inn launchesproperty in Kharadi PunePremier Inn India has launched its third propertyin India, in Kharadi Pune. New launchestablishes Premier Inn footprint in WesternIndia.
The new address of luxury
in Noida and Greater
Noida opened its gates to its
guests officially on December
20, 2013. A day of golf, relax-
ation and dining extravaganza,
the hotel hosted 100 elite
guests redefining hospitality
through a thorough experience
of all facilities of the hotel.
Spread over 8 acres, the
hotel has everything to offer
that today’s business and
leisure traveler would desire.
The 400 key-hotel boastd of 272
well- appointed base category
rooms, 62 Club rooms, 49
apartments, 16 suites and 01
Presidential Suite. The well
planned and appointed rooms
with flat LCD TVs, Bose music
system, media hub etc gives
the base room of 36 Sq M, a
sense of space and luxury to
the guests. Noteworthy are the
apartments with a living room
and a well laid out kitchenette
with a dishwasher, convection
heater, microwave, refrigera-
tor, washing machine and
clothes dryer.
The Crowne Plaza Greater
Noida brings in their signature
brands of food outlets ensuring
a gastronomic extravaganza to
the residents of the hotel and
Greater Noida. The 220 cover
All Day Diner – Mosaic with an
onsite kitchen ensures that the
freshest food reaches the
guests with the Chefs more
than willing to interact and
customize. Chao Bella brings
together the world’s two most
popular cuisines under one
roof – Italian & Chinese. Hand
Rolled pizzas, freshly tossed
pastas, soup noodle stations,
luscious dimsums, Pecking
Duck are just to name a few. An
Indian specialty restaurant,
Spice Art serves delicacies
from the North Western Fron-
tier. Mosaic Pastry Lounge is a
34 cover delicatessen serving
an assortment of bakery items
produced fresh in the premises
and backed with an impressive
selection of exotic teas and cof-
fee blends. A hotel is not com-
plete without a watering hole
and Crowne Plaza Greater
Noida takes pride in having
two. While Connexions will be
serving exotic brands with
great music and finger foods,
the soon to open Belgian Beer
Café will be the first of its kind
in India serving Belgian beers
in contemporary settings.
by TNH DESK
Crowne Plaza Greater Noida:new address of luxury Crowne Plaza Greater Noida has become the newaddress of luxury in Noida and Greater Noida.The hotel recently opened its gates to guests.
Aly ShariffManaging Director, Premier Inn India
“The launch of Premier Inn, Pune is a veryproud moment for us and is essential to thebrand’s growth strategy of catering to the de-mands of the new age smart traveller. Thereis immense growth and development poten-tial in a burgeoning market like Pune. Welook forward to welcoming guests to the Pre-mier Inn experience.”
Hospitality News46
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Hilton Worldwide recently
announced the signing of
a management agreement with
Palm Grove Beach Hotels Pvt.
Ltd., a part of the K. Raheja
Constructions Group, to open
the first Conrad hotel in India.
The launch of Conrad Pune in
Maharashtra next year will
mark the global contemporary
luxury brand’s entry into the
country.
“Conrad Hotels & Resorts
has a global portfolio of more
than 23 stylish properties in
key cities and resort destina-
tion that offer a luxury experi-
ence that is personal, flexible,
empowering and connects the
global elite to the world around
them,” said John T. A. Van-
derslice, global head of Lux-
ury and Lifestyle Brands,
Hilton Worldwide. “Pune is a
key gateway destination and
we are delighted to establish
our brand’s presence in India,
one of the key strategic growth
markets for Hilton Worldwide,
starting with this wonderful
city.”
Staying true to the brand’s
essence of providing a world of
style within, while connecting
guests with the local splen-
dours around them, Conrad
Pune will be an iconic struc-
ture towering over Mangaldas
Road, strategically located
within the central business dis-
trict of Pune. It will be minutes
from the commercial and en-
tertainment hubs in Kalyani
Nagar, prime government insti-
tutions in Yerwada and pre-
mier residential
neighbourhoods of Koregaon
Park and Bund Garden.
Kharadi and Ganeshkind Road
will be within eight kilometres
of the hotel and the Pune Inter-
national Airport six kilometres
away.
“The signing of this agree-
ment reiterates our commit-
ment to developing Hilton
Worldwide’s portfolio of
brands in India. At present,
Hilton Hotels & Resorts and
DoubleTree by Hilton, as well
as Hilton Garden Inn and
Hampton by Hilton have a
presence in India,” said Mar-
tin Rinck, president, Asia Pa-
cific, Hilton Worldwide. “In
launching the first Conrad
hotel in India, we are delighted
to have as our partner the K.
Raheja Constructions Group
who understands and shares
our vision of the brand essence
in delivering the Luxury of
being yourself.”
With its foundation in the
Art Deco style, the design of
Conrad Pune will be character-
ized by bold geometric shapes,
dashes of striking colour and
hints of lavish ornamentation.
Providing the backdrop will be
expansive public spaces with
high ceilings of up to 40 feet (12
metres) and dramatic
columns. The hotel will feature
310 tastefully-appointed gue-
strooms with the latest in-room
technology and six-fixture
marble baths. Guests at the
hotel will be spoilt for choice
with six stylish and innovative
dining outlets. The Large Ball-
room, divisible into three, will
have a break-away function
room and a spacious pre-func-
tion area. Additional confer-
ence and event facilities will
include four boardrooms and a
fully-equipped 24-hour busi-
ness centre. Guests of the
hotel will also be able to enjoy
the outdoor swimming pool, fit-
ness centre, luxurious full-ser-
vice spa and a salon.
"We are pleased to partner
with Hilton Worldwide, a lead-
ing global hospitality company,
and we are very excited about
opening the first Conrad hotel
in the country,” said Sandeep
Raheja, managing director,
Palm Grove Beach Hotels Pvt.
Ltd. “We believe that with its
unique offering of luxury that is
contemporary, stylish and inno-
vative, the Conrad Hotels & Re-
sorts brand will set a new
benchmark in the hospitality
industry in the country.”
Hilton Worldwide currently
operates the following hotels
and resorts in India - New
Delhi: Hilton Garden Inn New
Delhi/Saket; Gurgaon: Hilton
Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani
Square and DoubleTree by
Hilton Gurgaon-New Delhi
NCR; Mumbai: Hilton Mumbai
International Airport; Chennai:
Hilton Chennai; Bangalore:
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton
Bangalore; Trivandrum: Hilton
Garden Inn Trivandrum; Vado-
dara: Hampton by Hilton Vado-
dara-Alkapuri; Pune:
DoubleTree by Hilton Pune-
Chinchwad; Goa: DoubleTree
by Hilton Goa-Arpora-Baga
and Shillim: Hilton Shillim Es-
tate Retreat & Spa.
Conrad Hotels & Resorts is
the destination for the new gen-
eration of smart luxury trav-
ellers for whom life, business
and pleasure seamlessly inter-
act – people who know that the
greatest luxury is the luxury of
being yourself. A global brand
consisting of 22 properties
across five continents, Conrad
Hotels & Resorts offer guests
personalised experiences with
sophisticated, locally inspired
surroundings and connections
to people and places around
the corner or halfway around
the world. Intuitive service is
delivered with the Conrad
Concierge App that puts Con-
rad’s services and amenities at
the guest’s fingertips, whether
ordering room service or a
wakeup call to customising the
room’s pillow options or ar-
ranging reservations at our lo-
cally inspired cuisine and spa
offerings. Conrad is a global
luxury brand of Hilton World-
wide with plans to add 12 more
properties to the brand’s port-
folio. by TNH DESK
Hilton signs contract with K. RahejaConstructions GroupHilton Worldwide has signed agreement with K. Raheja ConstructionsGroup to open first Conrad Hotel in India.
“Conrad Hotels &
Resorts has a
global portfolio of
more than 23 stylish
properties in key
cities and resort
destination that
offer a luxury expe-
rience that is per-
sonal, flexible,
empowering and
connects the global
elite to the world
around them.”
““
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
47Hospitality News
Clarks Inn Group of Ho-
tels, India’s fastest growing
hotel chain, recently an-
nounced its foray in Agra, the
city of Taj Mahal and opened
of 58-key Bhawna Clarks Inn
in the city. A contemporary,
new-built hotel, the property
is designed to cater to the
new age well-heeled business
and leisure travellers.
Bhawna Clarks Inn is
strategically located in the
city-center, in close proximity
of Agra’s key corporates and
business hubs and just eight
km from Agra’s biggest
tourist attraction, the TajMa-
hal, and will cater to the
growing demand of reason-
ably priced quality accommo-
dation from the business as
well as leisure travelers in the
city.
The hotel features 58 well-
furnished and spaciously de-
signed rooms across different
categories including Superior,
Deluxe, Family Rooms and
Suites to cater to the diverse
needs and requirements of
the discerning travellers. Key
features of the hotel include
extensive meeting and ban-
queting facilities, 24-hour
multi-cuisine restaurant, a
lounge bar, roof-top fitness
center, seamless Business
services, state-of-the-art Fit-
ness Center, among others.
Hailing the occasion as a
landmark in company’s
growth plan, S N Srivastava,
President, Clarks Inn Group
of Hotels, said, “The opening
of Bhawna Clarks Inn is a
great moment for us and a re-
sult of great demand that we
have witnessed from our busi-
ness and leisure clients for
Agra. Agra is India’s foremost
tourist destination, both in
India and internationally, and
has also emerged as a signifi-
cant economic hub in the re-
gion. Bhawna Clarks Inn
reflects the true values of the
destination as well as Clarks
Inn brand.This property will
continue to deliver on its
brand promise of providing
world-class hotel experience
with luxurious services and
tremendous quality to the
value-conscious travellers.”
The restaurants - Bridge
and the lounge bar - Illusion
are sure to indulge guests’
taste buds. With local delica-
cies; specialties from the
Mugal era and international
dishes dining experience at
Bhawna Clarks Inn will surely
be unforgettable.
With two function rooms
and a ballroom coupled with
state-of-the-art technical facil-
ities and a team of dedicated
and knowledgeable staff,
Bhawna Clarks Inn offers ex-
tensive meetings and events
space. The two halls, Barsha
and Ivory, spread over 1600
and 4600 sqfts respectively,
can take upto 500 guests at a
time and are well equipped
with latest audio-visual equip-
ment, LCD projector and
other such state-of-the-art
amenities and offers ideal
place for cocktail dinners, of-
ficial get-together, confer-
ences, seminars, workshops
training programme and even
social events. by TNH DESK
Clarks Inn entersthe city of TajThe latest addition of India’s fastest growing hotelchain, Clarks Inn Agra promises to redefinehospitality in the historic city of Taj.
S N SRIVASTAVA, PRESIDENT, CLARKS INN GROUP OF HOTELS
The opening of Bhawna ClarksInn is a result of great demandthat we have witnessed from our
business and leisure clients for Agra.Bhawna Clarks Inn reflects the true valuesof the destination as well as Clarks Innbrand.
“
InterContinental Hotels
Group (IHG) has tied up
with prominent real estate
company Jain Group to bring
its popular and most recog-
nized hotel brand, Holiday Inn
to West Bengal. As a part of
the agreement, the hotels will
come up in Kolkata, Siliguri
and Durgapur within the next
two-three years. The hotel will
add to IHG’s strong pipeline of
Holiday Inn brand family ho-
tels, which represent more
than 85% of the company’s
growth in India.
Holiday Inn Kolkata lo-
cated next to City Centre 2 in
New Town, will have 150
rooms, including four deluxe
suites. The hotel will be built
on an area of one lakh sq. ft.,
and will offer three specialty
restaurants, two floors of ban-
queting facilities, swimming
pool, gym and a spa. Holiday
Inn Durgapur will be the first
internationally branded hotel
in Durgapur, located next to
NSHM Knowledge Campus in
Muchipara on National High-
way 2. Built on an area of
80,000 sq. ft., the hotel will
have 100 guest rooms, three
banquet halls, a 24-hour coffee
shop, three fine-dining restau-
rants, swimming pool, gym
and a salon. Holiday Inn Silig-
uri will be the first internation-
ally branded hotel in the city
and North Bengal area. Lo-
cated on Hillcart Road near
Darjeeling More, the hotel will
be built on an area of one lakh
sq. ft. with 80 rooms, three
banquet halls, a 24-hour coffee
shop, three specialty restau-
rants, swimming pool, health
club and a salon.
On announcement of the
partnership, Douglas Martell,
Vice President Operations,
South West Asia, IHG said, “It
is a significant milestone for us
today as IHG marks its entry
into the eastern part of the
country. Holiday Inn as a
brand focuses on needs of both
the business and leisure trav-
ellers and we are confident
that these hotels will address
the increasing demands of
today’s consumers who are fa-
miliar with global standards of
hospitality.”
Commenting on the occa-
sion, Shrayans Jain, Vice
Chairman, Jain Group said,
“We are pleased to join hands
with IHG, one of the biggest
hotel companies of the world,
for our first venture into the
hospitality sector, with the Hol-
iday Inn brand. We are invest-
ing over 300 crores in
developing the properties. The
Holiday Inn, Kolkata is ex-
pected to be operational by the
end of this year”.
by TNH DESK
IHG signs deal with Jain Groupfor 3 Holiday Inn hotels inWest BengalKolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur will witness entryof the international hotel brand in the state.
Hospitality News48
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
After a long hiatus of 24
years, the Taj Group has
thrown open the gates of its
second five-star hotel in
Kolkata known as The Gate-
way Hotel. The upscale
property with 197 rooms on
1.97 acres of area was for-
mally launched on December
18, 2013 and is the premier
venture of Gateway brand in
the city.
Offering affordable luxury
to contemporary travellers,
the five-star hotel enjoys a
number of advantages.
Manu Sharma, General
Manager, The Gateway Hotel
explained, “Our strategic lo-
cation in the city bears a
close proximity to the Infor-
mation Technology hub in
Salt Lake and residential
areas as well. For the time
being, we are operating with
80 luxury rooms and plans
are on to make our other
rooms on third, fourth and
fifth floors operational by
April, 2014. We are catering
to the corporate, free indi-
vidual travellers staying for
long period and we are open
to all corporate tie-ups. Our
guests comprise around 90
per cent contemporary,
business travellers and only
5 per cent are leisure
groups. Our value-based of-
ferings are smart, clean and
functional and we are well-
positioned to take on MICE
groups. It is the unique
quality of our service; well-
trained staff and price fac-
tor that makes our group
stand out in Kolkata.”
The luxury hotel has
rolled out an innovative con-
cept of health food in the
city called Active Food.
Sharma said, “For health-
freaks, there is a separate
breakfast menu serving
super nutritious, home-style
food. We are planning to
come up with a speciality
outlet in the next six months
that would exclusively serve
cuisine from one particular
region. Very soon, a spa and
salon will open.”
There are many chal-
lenges for the newly-opened
hotel. Sharma added, “A
number of five-star groups
are foraying into the city on
E M Bypass and competition
would build up in the hospi-
tality scene. Our challenge
is to sustain high quality
service and offerings for our
esteemed guests.” The hos-
pitality set-up is witnessing
continuous, upward growth
trend. “We are targeting at
least 75 per cent occupancy
for corporate travellers in
the current fiscal,” quipped
Sharma.
Taj Group sets up second luxuryhotel in KolkataThe Gateway Hotel, the newest upscale, five-star property from the TajGroup in Kolkata promises high quality, quick service, value-for moneyproducts and health food keeping with the price point.
The GatewayHotel’s new prod-ucts are:•Introducing ActiveFood.•In-house yoga.•A speciality outletwith cuisine from oneregion.
Snapshot�Swaati Chaudhury
Manu SharmaGeneral Manager, The Gateway Hotel
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
49Hospitality News
Sofitel Luxury Hotels re-
cently announced its
move to a new geography-
based organization, based
on five key regions world-
wide. Inside this new organ-
ization, Sofitel, part of Accor
Group and formerly a stand-
alone brand, is now part of a
newly created luxury and
upscale segment including
Accor hotel brands Pullman,
MGallery, Grand Mercure
and The Sebel. These orga-
nizational changes further
reinforce the Group’s sup-
port of Sofitel’s luxury ap-
proach, and enable Accor to
leverage Sofitel’s expertise
and best practices. As part
of this realignment, the
Accor luxury and upscale
segment marketing and de-
sign functions will relocate
to Singapore in the first
quarter of 2014.
This reorganization fol-
lows the announcement at
the end of 2013 from Accor
Chairman and CEO Se-
bastien Bazin outlining a
new strategy for the Group,
focused on enhanced growth
and sustained value cre-
ation. The vision is to trans-
form Accor into the world’s
most valued and best-per-
forming hotel group.
“This year Sofitel cele-
brates its 50th anniversary,
and moving forward, the
new organization will help
share the excellence and ex-
pertise in luxury that Sofitel
has so strongly developed,”
said Rick Harvey Lam,
Senior Vice President Global
Marketing – Luxury & Up-
scale Brands ACCOR. “With
our marketing and design di-
visions based in Singapore,
we will harness the dy-
namism of this region that
has a high luxury demand,
blending it with a touch of
French elegance as only Sof-
itel can do.”
This new organization
reinforces Sofitel’s core mis-
sion: to be the symbol of
French elegance in luxury
hospitality around the
world. Robert Gaymer-
Jones, CEO of Sofitel World-
wide will be leaving Sofitel
after successfully transform-
ing the brand to be a key
player in the luxury hotel
segment as evidenced by the
multiple global awards and
recognition achieved over
the past years.
Sofitel is the only
French luxury hotel brand
with a presence on five con-
tinents with 120 addresses,
in almost 40 countries (more
than 30,000 rooms). Sofitel
offers contemporary hotels
and resorts adapted to
today’s more demanding and
more versatile consumers
who expect and appreciate
beauty, quality and excel-
lence. Whether situated in
the heart of a major city like
Paris, London, New York,
Shanghai or Beijing, or nes-
tled away in a country land-
scape in Morocco, Egypt,
French Polynesia or Thai-
land, each Sofitel property
offers a genuine experience
of the French “art de vivre”.
Sofitel Legend and &
Sofitel So are two labels that
come to enrich Sofitel Lux-
ury hotels. Sofitel Legend
hotels are iconic and mythi-
cal; they are often centuries-
old listed heritage buildings:
Sofitel Legend Metropole
Hanoi, Sofitel Legend The
Grand Amsterdam and Sofi-
tel Legend Old Cataract
Aswan, Sofitel Legend Santa
Clara Cartagena.
by TNH DESK
Sofitel moves to a new geography-based organizationReinforcing its mission to be the symbol of French elegance in luxuryhospitality around the world, Sofitel joins Accor’s new luxury / upscalesegment.
The philosophy of the In
Balance Spa is Sable –
Sand. The idea behind the
theme is that the feel of sand
and colours can have a signif-
icant effect on our mood, be-
haviour and body. The experts
at In Balance spa have crafted
treatments that use sand as
an effective beauty tool.
Located at the lobby level,
the In Balance Spa has two
Ayurveda rooms, a couple
suite, two western treatments
room and a Salon. Done in
warm appealing color hues
blended perfectly with elegant
sheers and suffused lights,
the In Balance Spa is ideal to
soothe your senses.
To help keep the stress of
modern day lifestyle at bay,
the menu at the In Balance
Spa strikes a perfect balance
between Ayurveda, Eastern
and Western treatments.
Ayurvedic treatments such as
Shirodhara, Uzhichil, Ab-
hyangam, Udwartanam,
Mukhlepa, Shiroabhyangam
and Padaabhyangam use
herbal medicated oils and
herbal powders to help you
de-stress and relax. Western
treatments such as Swedish
massage, Jet-lag recovery
massage, Take load off my
back massages are specially
designed for the modern day
business executives and trav-
elers. While that’s not all the
Eastern treatments such as
Balinese Massage, Foot Re-
flexology and Foot Bliss will
help eliminate stress and
sooth your senses. The treat-
ment rooms are equipped
with individual steam unit, a
shower and a wardrobe.
by TNH DESK
In Balance Spa at Novotel Goa ShremResort now open!Rejuvenating in Goa now has a new address, as Novotel Goa Shrem Resortannounces the opening of their In Balance Spa.
Hospitality News 50
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
The Federation of Hotel
& Restaurant Associa-
tions of India (FHRAI) re-
cently released the latest
edition of its annual publica-
tion, the FHRAI Indian Hotel
Industry Survey, published
in cooperation with HVS
Hospitality Services.
A presentation on the
key highlights and trends
emerging from this year's
survey was made by Manav
Thadani, Chairman-Asia Pa-
cific, HVS, to a select audi-
ence comprising of top
hoteliers, senior government
officials and the media, at an
event hosted by FHRAI at
The Leela Palace, New Delhi
today. Parvez Dewan, Secre-
tary, Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India graced
the occasion as Chief Guest.
On this occasion, adress-
ing the media, S.M. Sher-
vani, President, FHRAI said,
“As the leading national
voice of the Indian hospital-
ity industry, FHRAI accords
high priority to producing
credible research and con-
temporary thought leader-
ship which can shape policy
and guide business strategy.
Our annual Indian Hotel In-
dustry Survey is an exem-
plary reflection of this very
commitment and it is ex-
tremely gratifying that this
publication serves as an in-
dispensable reference and
benchmarking resource for
hospitality professionals,
policymakers, investors,
media persons and other
stakeholders.”
Sharing his assessment
on the hotel industry's per-
formance in the past year,
Shervani said: “Despite sin-
cere efforts, both by the Gov-
ernment and the private
sector, India’s global market
share in tourism remains at
a disappointing 0.68%, with
the country being ranked
41st in the world in interna-
tional tourist arrivals. The
World Economic Forum’s in-
fluential Travel & Tourism
Competitiveness Index,
placed India at the 65th po-
sition among 140 nations in
2013.” Shervani further said,
“It is pertinent to note that
on their three pillars of com-
petitiveness, India was well
assessed in terms of its
human, natural and cultural
resource endowments with a
rank of 21, but scored an
abysmally low position of
110 globally in its regulatory
framework for travel and
tourism and 67 on business
environment & infrastruc-
ture. It is thus amply evident
that India has been unable
to convert its inherent com-
parative advantages into a
sustainable competitive ad-
vantage for our hospitality
and tourism sector.”
2013 was certainly a
challenging year for the in-
dustry on account of the
global and domestic slow-
down, which is also visible in
the pressure, witnessed on
hotel occupancy and aver-
age room rates. In a tough
macroeconomic environ-
ment marked by high infla-
tion, rising interest rates,
currency volatility and a
tepid demand scenario, hotel
companies have prioritized
realignment of their cost
structures, optimizing oper-
ational efficiencies and
adopting flexible business
models. At the same time,
the industry is optimistic
about the long-term poten-
tial of the Indian hospitality
sector and we remain stead-
fastly focused on pursuing
customer-centric innovation,
delivering service excellence
and tapping newer market
segments.
A heartening trend for
the sector in the last few
years has been the robust
double-digit growth in do-
mestic tourism. However, to
sustain this momentum, it
will be imperative to steadily
augment our hotel room in-
ventory in the affordable
tourist accommodation seg-
ment. In order to achieve the
12th Plan target of 1452 mil-
lion Domestic Tourist Visits
(DTVs) by 2017, the industry
needs to add 1,20,000 rooms
in the budget and mid-mar-
ket category, entailing an es-
timated capital investment
of rupees 50,000 crore. The
Government must facilitate
this massive investment by
reducing the minimum proj-
ect cost stipulated for inclu-
sion of hotels in the RBI's
Infrastructure Lending List
from the present rupees 200
crore to a more reasonable
threshold of rupees 50 crore.
FHRAI has also proposed
that bank loans up to rupees
10 crore extended to SMEs
in the hospitality industry
should be permitted to be
classified as “priority sector
lending” under RBI norms.
Achieving a meaningful
growth in Foreign Tourist
Arrivals (FTAs), requires
that the Government must
empower the industry to ef-
fectively compete with our
peers in neighboring desti-
nations such as South-East
Asia, by urgently rationaliz-
ing our complex multiple tax
structure, adopting a
streamlined electronic visa
regime for international
tourists and reviving in-
vestor sentiment in the hotel
sector through measures
such as single-window proj-
ect clearances and access to
lower cost long-term fund-
ing.”
by TNH DESK
2013: a challenging year for thehotel industry2013 was a challenging year for the India hotel industry on account of theglobal and domestic slowdown, which impacted hotel’s occupancy andaverage room rates (ARR).
S.M. Shervani, President, FHRAI
As the leading national voice of theIndian hospitality industry, FHRAIaccords high priority to producing
credible research and contemporary thoughtleadership which can shape policy and guidebusiness strategy. Our annual Indian HotelIndustry Survey is an exemplary reflection ofthis very commitment.
“>>>
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
51Hospitality News
Asteady 60.4% occupancy
by the Indian hotels in
2012-13 is significant in view of
the country experiencing a
slowdown in growth across
sectors, as reflected in GDP
growth of 5% for the year 2012-
13.
HVS estimated that major
cities across the country wit-
nessed a growth of 11% in
hotel room supply in 2012-13,
while demand exhibited a
strong increase of 9.2% during
the same period. The nation-
wide results of this year's Sur-
vey, however, reveal that the
average rates declined by 3.6%
when compared to those in
2011-12.
An interesting trend ob-
served in the survey is the cor-
relation between the supply
and demand growths, with the
supply growing at 17.8% com-
pounded annual growth rate
(CAGR) and demand at 17.3%
from 2008-09 to 2012-13. The
fact that occupancy levels re-
mained generally stable during
this period despite strong in-
creases in supply is indicative
of the healthy growth in de-
mand. As per the survey other
key trend is that hotels are
dropping average rates to at-
tract customers in the face of
increased supply. As a result, a
new customer mindset is
emerging that is sensitive to
the price instead of the tradi-
tional one, which was more
loyal to a hotel/brand. As oper-
ators battle increasing depart-
mental costs and owners
struggle with debt service pay-
ments, hotel companies need
to reconsider their rate strate-
gies.
Increasing contribution from
F&B, Banquets & Confer-
ences to revenues
The FHRA India continues to
receive a greater contribution
from both the Food & Beverage
(F&B) and the Banquets &
Conferences department. The
Banquets & Conferences seg-
ment also recorded a year-on-
year increase of 17.4% in PAR
revenue in 2012-13 (2,26,793)
over that in 2011-12, while
Food & Beverage recorded an
increase of 4.2% in the PAR
revenue (`5,41,494) for the
same period.
Average Rate Occupancy
According to Economic Survey
2012-13, Ministry of Finance,
Government of India, the rev-
enue contribution (in percent-
age of total revenue) from
Rooms has seen a steady de-
cline over the last five years,
recording a negative CAGR of
4% between 2008-09 and 2012-
13. Going forward, as the com-
petition further increases in
the market with the entry of
new supply, we expect F&B
revenues to continue to con-
tribute a large portion of gross
revenues as they are not solely
driven by occupancies. Addi-
tionally, the burgeoning middle
class and its propensity to
spend will continue to augment
demand for F&B across cities
in India. With hotels focusing
on the Banquets &
Conferences segment in
off-season months to beat sea-
sonality, this department is
also anticipated to increase its
contribution to the total rev-
enue pie.
Declining Net Income (as a
percentage of total revenue):
The FHRAI Survey results in
the last five years have shown
that Net Income as a percent-
age of the total revenue has
consistently declined year-on-
year, as witnessed by a CAGR
of -5.7%. The year 2012-13 has
seen a decline of 4.7% in Net
Income as a percentage of rev-
enue over the previous year.
This phenomenon is mainly at-
tributable to rising departmen-
tal costs, which are a result of
rising inflation coupled with an
increase in Energy costs. The
last year also experienced an
increase in departmental ex-
penses as a percentage of total
revenues, resulting in declin-
ing profits
Revenue and Net Income –
2008-09 to 2012-13
Increasing Utility Costs: En-
ergy costs continue to rise and
pose a challenge to the hotel
industry. The Survey, this year,
has revealed a rise of 13% in
PAR energy costs (1,82,067)
over that in the previous year
(1,61,479). Additionally, the
Survey results show that only
26% of the hotels surveyed
have an energy management
Indian hotels maintains 60.4% occupancyin 2011-12: FHRAI According to the FHRAI Indian Hotel Survey 2012-13, the Indian hotelindustry maintains its occupancy levels at a steady 60.4% in 2012-13 ascompared to 60.9% in 2011-12.
Hospitality News52
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
system in place across India
(Table 1-10). The rise in En-
ergy costs coupled with the
limited conservation measures
employed highlight the dire
need for sustainable practices
to be used in the industry. HVS
is currently tracking a pro-
posed supply of 84,650
branded rooms, of which 60%
is actively under development
and is expected to enter the In-
dian hotel market over the
next five years. Given the an-
ticipated increase in hotel
room supply, together with a
high inflationary environment,
HVS re-emphasizes the need
for operational efficiency and
sustainable practices in order
to curtail further decline of
profitability. Going forward,
companies like HVS sustain-
ability can assist hotels in im-
proving their financial
performance along with the en-
vironmental and social one.
Continuing high manpower
to room ratios: Employee-to-
room ratios in India continue
to be on the higher side when
compared with global bench-
marks, almost twice as much.
The all India average of em-
ployee-to-room ratio stands at
1.6. This can be attributed to
the large chunk of four star
and three-star hotel respon-
dents, which have an average
employee-to-room ratio of 1.7.
Typically, hotels in India pro-
vide services and facilities be-
yond their positioning; hence,
they require more manpower.
With rising manpower
costs, the higher ratios are
posing a problem to hotel com-
panies. Hence, companies are
now seeking ways to ratio-
nalise employee-to-room ratios
and cut down on payroll costs,
which will improve operational
efficiency. Effective manpower
management is the need of the
hour along with effective train-
ing programmes. The training
programmes include cross ex-
posure to other departments,
hotels and brands, conse-
quently incentivising staff and
simultaneously training them
to multitask. This training fo-
cusing on multitasking would
save on manpower and reduce
payroll costs, leading to overall
increase in efficiency.
Additionally, given the in-
creasing supply of new hotels
entering the country, effective
training should be accompa-
nied by growth opportunities
for existing employees and
sound retention policies, to
keep good talent from moving
to the competition. This will
also help stabilize costs over
time, as companies need not
incur fresh costs in hiring re-
placements.
Changing Source Markets:
The United Kingdom and the
United States of America are
the largest international
source markets for the Indian
hospitality sector, contributing
23% of the overall demand in
2012-13. however, it has been
observed that their share con-
tinues to decline as witnessed
by the 4.3% drop this year as
compared to last year’s ar-
rivals. This may be attributed
to the fact that Indian hotels
have seen a greater contribu-
tion from the Middle East, Rus-
sia, and the SAARC nations.
The rise in visitation from Asia
and the Middle East may be at-
tributed to the improved con-
nectivity, easier visa norms
and infrastructure develop-
ment.
Market Mix and Declining
Seasonality: The Indian hotel
industry continues to cater to
the Business traveller, who
contributes the largest share
to the market mix at 39% (Ex-
hibit 4); this is primarily due to
the fact that most hotels are
situated in business cities. The
Survey also reveals an in-
crease in the growth of Meet-
ing Participants segments
(fewer than 100 and more than
100 attendees). As mentioned
earlier, it has been noticed
across the country that hotels
are targeting Banquets & Con-
ferences in off-season months
with attractive packages and
rates in order to off-set the low
occupancies experienced dur-
ing the traditionally slow sea-
son. Additionally, both the
Domestic Business and the Do-
mestic Leisure traveller have
continued to show resilience
and maintain their share of the
pie and overall length of stay,
when compared to the nation-
wide average from last year's
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
53Hospitality News
survey. While the real growth
in 2012-13 came from the Do-
mestic travellers, it is interest-
ing to note that India also
experienced an increase of
5.4% in foreign tourist arrivals
(FTA).
Trends in Indian Hotel In-
dustry – Star Category
Rooms Profile: The Survey
results reveal that the three,
two, and one-star hotels, along
with heritage and others cate-
gory make up 84% of the re-
spondents; this contributes to
the all India average of 58
rooms per hotel. Another ob-
servation is that the average
inventory continues to decline
from higher to lower category,
implying that the lower cate-
gory and smaller hotels do not
benefit from economies of
scale. Their Net Incomes as a
percentage of total revenues
are also lower when compared
with hotels of higher cate-
gories. Going forward, with the
increasing demand for budget
and mid market hotels, HVS
believes that lower category
hotels will increase in number
and also have larger invento-
ries.
Departmental Expenses:
We note that departmental ex-
penses steadily increase as a
percentage of departmental
revenues as the category of ho-
tels decreases. The Rooms ex-
pense is as high as 35.7% and
28.1% for the two star and
one-star hotels respectively, as
compared to 19.1% and 18.5%
for the five-star deluxe and
five-star hotels, respectively.
Poor performance of the
Rooms department with re-
spect to occupancy levels and
low average rates results in
the departmental expenses
being high when represented
as a percentage of departmen-
tal revenue. Also, Food & Bev-
erage expenses range from
63% to 70% of the departmen-
tal income in three and one-
star hotels as against 50% in
five and five-star deluxe cate-
gories.
Key Trends observed in the
survey
•An interesting trend ob-
served is the correlation be-
tween the supply and demand
growth, with the supply 1
growing at 17.8% compounded
annual growth rate (CAGR)
and demand at 17.3% from
2008-09 to 2012-13.
•The fact that occupancy
levels remained generally sta-
ble during this period despite
strong increases in supply is
indicative of the healthy
growth in demand.
•Other key trend is that
hotels are dropping average
rates to attract customers in
the face of increased supply. As
a result, a new customer mind-
set is emerging that is sensitive
to the price instead of the tra-
ditional one, which was more
loyal to a hotel/brand.
•As operators battle in-
creasing departmental costs
and owners struggle with debt
service payments, hotel com-
panies need to reconsider their
rate strategies.
•Despite economic slow-
down in 2012-13 in India as re-
flected in GDP growth of 5%,
the year saw hotels maintain
occupancy levels at a steady
60.4% (60.9% in 2011-12).
•HVS estimated that major
cities across the country wit-
nessed a growth of 11% in
hotel room supply in 2012-13,
while demand exhibited a
strong increase of 9.2% during
the same period.
•The nationwide results of
this year's Survey, however, re-
veal that the average rates de-
clined by 3.6% when compared
to those in 2011-12.
•India continues to receive
a greater contribution from
both F&B and the Banquets &
Conferences department.
•The Banquets & Confer-
ences segment also recorded a
year-on-year increase of 17.4%
in PAR revenue in 2012-13
(`2,26,793) over that in 2011-
12, while Food & Beverage
recorded an increase of 4.2% in
the PAR revenue (`5,41,494)
for the same period.
by TNH DESK
International News54
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
The Nevada Commission
on Tourism recently at-
tended South Asia’s leading
travel and tourism event,
SATTE to open the doors to
Indian visitors, Brian
Krolicki, Lieutenant Gover-
nor, Nevada said. “We know
that Nevada is already a top
destination for Indian travel-
ers and that can only increase
as the Indian economy
strengthens in 2014,” said
Krolicki, chair of the Nevada
Commission on Tourism .
“With more than 50 million
passport holders in India, and
a large – and growing – mid-
dle class with a desire to
travel internationally, India is
primed to be the next big mar-
ket for Nevada,” Krolicki
added.
Krolicki joined members
of the international marketing
organization Brand USA to
address dignitaries and
media in New Delhi while
NCOT and the Las Vegas Con-
vention and Visitors Authority
attended SATTE, an interna-
tional trade show joining des-
tinations with more than 2,000
travel agents and tour opera-
tors in India.
The appointment-style
trade show was an opportunity
for Nevada to meet agents and
tour operators who send trav-
elers to the United States and
encourage them to consider
adding more Nevada destina-
tions to their tours.
“We know that trade shows
such as SATTE directly in-
crease tourism to Nevada, and
this opportunity is strength-
ened by the cooperative efforts
of Las Vegas and Brand USA,”
Krolicki said.
Tourism is a $58 billion in-
dustry in Nevada, employing
more than 450,000 Nevadans
and generating $2.7 billion in
tax revenue for the state. Las
Vegas is a world-famous desti-
nation within Nevada. The
contrast of Las Vegas’ exciting
entertainment and nightlife
with the state’s historic and
natural attractions makes it an
attractive destination for inter-
national travelers. Visitors can
experience the thrill of Las
Vegas and the natural beauty
and serenity of the mountains
and desert in one convenient
vacation.
“Research shows that In-
dian travelers want a destina-
tion with shopping, fine
cuisine, entertainment, cul-
ture, adventure, and beauty,
and Nevada has all of that and
more,” Krolicki said. “I have no
doubt that our time will be well
spent educating South Asia’s
travel industry what Nevada
has to offer.”
by TNH DESK
Nevada joins Brand USAto welcome travellersfrom India
Brian K. KrolickiLieutenant Governor Nevada
In future, visa applicants
can file their visa requests
in sixteen Visa Application
Centres in India and one in
Bhutan. This new service-ori-
ented and customer-friendly
service will avoid major travel
expenses, unnecessary time
spent and speed up the whole
application process.
The Germany Visa Appli-
cation Centres in New Delhi,
Chandigarh, Jalandhar,
Jaipur, Gurgaon, Thimpu,
Chennai, Hyderabad,
Puducherry, Bengaluru and
Mumbai are already serving
the clients of their respective
region. The centres in Goa,
Pune, Ahmedabad, Cochin,
Trivandrum and Kolkata will
be operational over the next
two months.
This new service is being
run by VFS Global, the con-
tract partner of the German
Embassy. Highlighting the
new features of the out-
sourced visa application
process, the German Ambas-
sador to India Michael
Steiner said: “For most Indi-
ans and Bhutanese travelling
to Europe, be it for business
or leisure, Germany is high
on the wish list. Therefore,
the visa application process
should be as smooth as pos-
sible. With our new policy, we
take the visa application
process to the people’s door.
This is good service and cus-
tomer-orientation at its
best.”
Vishal Jairath, Regional
Head-South Asia, VFS Global
said: “The fact that the Ger-
man Embassy has commis-
sioned us with the visa
outsourcing application
process imbibes confidence
in our abilities. I am sure this
association has a long way
ahead. VFS Global in associ-
ation with the German Em-
bassy New Delhi will bring
convenience to all Indian
business and leisure trav-
ellers.”
Catering to the growing
demand of Germany bound
travellers in the region, the
strategic move of the German
Embassy New Delhi is aimed
at offering new services, fa-
cilities and benefits to visa
applicants to support the
growing demand in tourism,
trade and investments, and
strengthening bilateral ties
between Germany and India.
by TNH DESK
Germany eases visa applicationprocess in India and BhutanTravellers from India and Bhutan to Germany willnot require to apply for the necessary SchengenVisa (short-term visa) at the German missions inIndia any more, but can do so much moreconveniently.
•Conveniently locatedand easily accessiblestate-of-the art VisaApplication Centres•Longer operatinghours allowing appli-cants to visit at a timeof their convenience•Shorter waiting pe-riod between makingan appointment andsubmitting the appli-cation•Dedicated countersfor applicants andtravel agents/ tour op-erators
Snapshot
Vishal JairathRegional Head-South AsiaVFS Global
“With more than 50 million passportholders in India, and a large – and grow-ing – middle class with a desire to travelinternationally, India is primed to be thenext big market for Nevada,”
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
55International News
The mention of Great
Barrier Reef, one of
the natural wonders of the
world brings to mind the
spectacular land of Queens-
land that provides an entire
gamut of opportunities for
all segments of travellers.
Tourism Queensland in cur-
rent times is taking a big
stride forward to entice a
major chunk of outbound
leisure travellers from
India.
In the first concrete
step in the New Year,
Tourism Queensland is
hosting “Queensland on
Tour 2014” across five
cities of India like New
Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata,
Chandigarh and Pune. Ryna
Sequeira, Marketing Man-
ager, Tourism and Events
Queensland informed, “For
the first time, we would
step in Chandigarh and
Pune. The latest Bollywood
flick- “Shaadi ke side ef-
fects” has a particular song
that has been shot exten-
sively in Gold Coast -a hot
destination for fun-loving
travellers. We are promot-
ing the film in India along
with Tourism Australia. We
are working with Singapore
Airlines to introduce spe-
cial air fares in February,
this year. Tourists can avail
of our promotional air fares
next month and reap the
benefits till September, this
year. There is also Aus-
tralia Tourism Exchange
2014 event with Indian
travel groups across Indian
metros and they can em-
bark on destination famil-
iarization trips to
Queensland.”
The most-visited desti-
nations for Indian tourists
are Gold Coast, Cairns and
Brisbane, the capital city.
Sequeira said, “India forms
the 10th largest outbound
tourism market for Aus-
tralia and Gold Coast is a
highly popular MICE desti-
nation. India also has a fair
share of MICE tourists to
Queensland. We have joined
hands with Sydney New
South Wales Tourism to or-
ganize road shows in tier-II
cities like Nagpur, Guwa-
hati, Ludhiana, Trivandrum
and Surat in March.”
Maharashtra has the
most number of Indian
tourists visiting Australia
followed by New Delhi and
Bengal ranks eighth in po-
sition. “Around 37,000 In-
dian tourists have toured
Queensland last year of
which 53 per cent were
leisure travellers, 10 per
cent were business tourists
and 4 per cent were stu-
dents going for higher edu-
cation. We are hoping that
there would be a spike of 22
per cent in Indian tourist
arrival this year,” added
Sequeira.
New Year bonanza fromTourism QueenslandTourism Queensland is making a major drive byrolling out events and promotional offers toincrease the Indian tourist footfall. New initiatives of
Tourism Queens-land:•Queensland on Tour2014•Introducing promo-tional fares fortourists.•Australia TourismExchange 2014. •Promoting popularBollywood flick.
Snapshot
�Swaati Chaudhury
Spa News56
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
The Khyber
Himalayan
Resort and
Spa, Gul-
m a r g ’ s
first luxury
resort, opened its world class
international spa, The Khyber
Spa by L’OCCITANE and the
Khyber Wellness Block.
Within a year of its launch (in
December 2012), the resort
has earned accolades for its
design, services and hospital-
ity. It will now offer luxurious
and holistic spa treatments
inspired by traditions and rit-
uals of Provence, France to its
discerning guests from across
the world and India.
Situated amidst the pic-
turesque Himalayas, The
Khyber Spa by L’OCCITANE
located within the resort pro-
vides an experience of
Provence in Gulmarg along
with stunning views no matter
where you are. With three sin-
gle treatment rooms and two
Couple suites, each with its
own private steam chamber,
The Khyber Spa by L’OCCI-
TANE is a place to unwind
and be pampered, be it after
an exhilarating ski session, or
a leisurely walk in the dense
woods or meadows, or at the
beginning of your day.
“We are delighted to be as-
sociated with L’OCCITANE
which is a well recognized
French beauty and wellness
brand across the world. It will
offer world class spa treat-
ments and unique therapies
that will enhance the charm of
Gulmarg,” said Umar Tram-
boo, MD, Pinnacle Resorts
Pvt. Ltd, promoter of The Khy-
ber Himalayan Resort & Spa,
Gulmarg, on the opening of
The Khyber Spa by L’OCCI-
TANE.
“Opening of The Khyber
Spa by L’OCCITANE is a mar-
riage of luxury with style and
well-being. Through The Khy-
ber Himalayan Resort and
Spa we will be able to serve
travelers to Kashmir and pro-
vide an international or
rather Mediterranean experi-
ence in Gulmarg itself.” said
Darpan Sanghvi, MD,
Sanghvi Brands that is L’OCC-
ITANE’s exclusive Spa part-
ner in India. The Spa aims to
bring to life the invigorating
climate of Gulmarg. Be it
spring, summer, autumn or
winter, guests can choose
from a repertoire of signature
treatments specially crafted
with home grown seasonal
flora combined with original
L’OCCITANE products and
pure water from the springs
in the Himalayas.
Just as Provence is a
unique restful place, the spa
at the resort too is your “Piece
of Paradise.” It is a haven of
tranquility where rejuvenat-
ing the body and soul is the
prime focus of the well-
trained staff. The Lemon
Balm signature massage for
instance is a blend of Bali-
nese, Swedish and acupres-
sure massage techniques that
rebalances the skin and re-
vives the inner energy
through the senses. For the
skiers, the Deep Tissue In-
tense Relief massage is an
ideal recuperation after their
exhilarating run on the slopes
of Gulmarg. Apart from this,
the menu offers a gamut of
over 50 rejuvenating treat-
ments from aroma therapies
to concentrated deep mas-
sages to nourishing body
scrubs and body wraps for
complete wellbeing.
The spa experience at The
Khyber Spa by L’OCCITANE
begins with a welcome ritual
and then the guest is taken on
a relaxing journey, sequenced
at every step by soothing and
energizing aromas. The voy-
age continues through mas-
sages, relaxing music and
herbal teas inspired by
Provencal traditions. Wellness
Consultant and Spa Manager,
Dr Praseed Nair is always at
“we are delighted to be associated with l’occi-tAne which is a well recognized French beauty andwellness brand across the world. it will offer worldclass spa treatments and unique therapies that willenhance the charm of gulmarg.”
uMAr tRAMBoo, Md, PinnAcle reSortS (Pro-Moter oF the khyBer hiMAlAyAn reSort & SPA,gulMArg)
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
57Spa News
hand to provide expert advice
on treatments best suited to
an individual.
The Khyber Spa by L’OC-
CITANE is a fusion of Indian
and Mediterranean well
being. In order to preserve the
beauty and natural environ-
ment, the products used are
made of natural materials
with traceable origins. In ad-
dition, features like an in-
house laundry and minimalis-
tic use of utilities ensures the
most hygienic and eco-
friendly experience.
Adjoining the Spa in The
Khyber Wellness Block is a
state of the art gym with the
latest equipment, separate
steam and sauna chambers
for men and women and an
impressive heated indoor pool
offering dramatic views of the
mountain ranges.
The resort in a short span
of just one year of operations
has received recognition from
Condé Nast Traveller India’s,
Readers’ Travel Awards
where it was voted as 1st
Runner Up – Favourite Bou-
tique Hotel – India, for 2013.
Earlier in the year the resort
also featured in the Condé
Nast Traveller India 2013 Hot
List. The resort has also been
featured as one of Asia-Pa-
cific’s best new hotels and re-
sorts for 2013 in the
Destination Asian Luxe List
2013.
The Khyber Himalayan
Resort & Spa, Gulmarg lo-
cated at an elevation of 8,825
ft. in the Pir Panjal range of
the majestic Himalayas is
spread over seven acres in a
pristine pine valley. This in-
ternational class, 85-key re-
sort, clad in timber and
stone, offers breathtaking
views of snow capped Affar-
wat peaks. Also situated here
is The Khyber Spa by L’OCC-
ITANE with stunning vistas
from all its treatment rooms,
offering luxurious and holis-
tic spa treatments inspired
by the rituals of Provence,
France. The Wellness Block
spread over 8000 sq. ft, in-
cludes a Gym, separate
steam and sauna rooms for
men and women and a heated
indoor swimming pool. The
awe-inspiring location of the
resort combined with the un-
folding drama of Gulmarg’s
changing seasons has been
tempting guests to return
again and again. The resort
is an easy walk from the Gul-
marg Gondola, the highest ski
lift in the world.
The luxurious Mediter-
ranean themed Spa L’OCCI-
TANE invites every guest to
open the door to a Spa in
Provence, to experience the
simple warmth of sunny soil
and a unique journey. Every
gesture, every ingredient is
drawn from the L’OCCITANE
grand herbarium, providing
an unforgettable authentic
and sensorial experience for
its guests.
With an incredibly wide
and yet bespoke set, Spa
L’OCCITANE has an unparal-
leled expertise in catering to
the needs of the most individ-
ual and yet diverse tastes.
Our therapists and opera-
tions team receive their
training from the Spa L’OCC-
ITANE team in Paris and
Hong Kong. L’OCCITANE
branded Spas are currently
present in over a dozen coun-
tries worldwide and we
launched the first set of L’OC-
CITANE branded Spas in
India in 2010 to great acclaim
from the Media and Award
associations globally. Within
three years of launch, Spa
L’OCCITANE has become the
number 1 international Spa
brand in India with locations
in 10 cities in India. Every
L’OCCITANE branded Spa in
India will also exclusively re-
tail L’OCCITANE products.
by TNH DESK
“opening of The khyber Spa by l’occitAne is amarriage of luxury with style and well-being.Through The khyber himalayan resort and Spa wewill be able to serve travelers to kashmir and pro-vide an international or rather Mediterranean expe-rience in gulmarg itself.”
dArPAn SAnghvi, Md, SAnghvi BRAndS (l’occi-tAne’S excluSive SPA PArtner in indiA)
International News58
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Memorandums of Under-
standing signed between
the trade associations of the
two countries include MoU be-
tween the European Tour Op-
erators Association (ETOA)
and Travel Agents Association
of India (TAAI), between The
European Tour Operators As-
sociation (ETOA) and Travel
Agents Federation of India
(TAFI), and between Outbound
Tour Operator Association of
India (OTOAI) and UKinbound.
This is the first ever MoU be-
tween UK and Indian trade as-
sociations to enable a positive
business environment for the
travel industries of the two
countries.
The signing of MoUs were
witnessed by Sir James Bevan
KCMG, British High Commis-
sioner to India and Sandie
Dawe, Chief Executive, Vis-
itBritain at the VisitBritain
stand at SATTE, India's biggest
travel exhibition, in New Delhi.
Commenting on the announce-
ment, Sandie Dawe, Chief Ex-
ecutive of VisitBritain said, “As
per our latest data, VisitBritain
is more than likely to surpass
its ambition to attract 425,000
visits from India by 2016 -
worth £380 million in annual
visitor spend. The Indian trav-
ellers visiting Britain last year
were not deterred by the falling
value of the rupee against the
pound, which closed around
INR100-level for the first time in
history in August 2013.
“India is one of the priority
markets for VisitBritain and we
are committed to strengthening
the links between British and
Indian travel and tourism in-
dustries. This strategic engage-
ment between the two trade
associations is aimed at closer
collaboration to significantly
benefit the travel industries of
the UK and India.”
Sir James Bevan KCMG,
British High Commissioner to
India said: “Well over one mil-
lion Britons and Indians travel
between our two countries
every year. This is the lifeblood
of the unique relationship be-
tween our two peoples. The 9%
growth in the number of Indian
tourists to the UK in 2013
shows that this relationship is
going from strength to strength.
I am delighted to see the enthu-
siasm of the British and Indian
tourism industries to take this
to the next stage and offer my
full support to their efforts.”
India & the UK have been
historical trade and investment
partners. This is the first ever
stand-alone participation by
VisitBritain at SATTE with 19
UK travel trade suppliers. This
Memorandum aims at defining
the common territory between
the associations, establishing a
framework within which the as-
sociations can jointly develop,
create programmes and ad-
dress issues. VisitBritain’s stall
at SATTE 2014 also exhibited
the remarkable Mini Cooper – a
car that invokes tremendous
love and enthusiasm among the
UK and Indian audiences.
Holiday visits from India
up despite rupee going down
New figures show that dur-
ing the first three quarters of
2013, visits from India to the
UK were up by 9% on the same
period in 2012 - reaching new
records of 306,000 visits and
£349 million in spending. Con-
sequently, VisitBritain is more
than likely to surpass its ambi-
tion to attract 425,000 visits
from India by 2016 - worth £380
million in annual visitor spend.
The Indian travellers visit-
ing Britain in their scores last
year were not deterred by the
falling value of the rupee
against the pound, which
closed below Rs 100-level for
the first time in history in Au-
gust 2013.
While 2012 saw visiting
friends and family (VFR) over-
taking holiday and business
visits in volume, in 2013 VFR
visits were down by 4% and
visit growth from India was in-
stead driven by 11% and 14%
uplifts in holiday and business
visits respectively. As a result,
holiday visits reached their
highest level for five years -
121,000 in the first three quar-
ters of 2013 - and the amount
spent on these visits hit a
record amount of £62 million,
31% up from the same period
last year and breaking 2008’s
pre-financial crisis record of
£60 million.2
The results are a boost as
VisitBritain commences a
strong programme of 2014
GREAT marketing activity in
India, including the develop-
ment of a Culture is Great ‘Bol-
lywood in Britain’ campaign
launching later this year on the
red carpet.
Supporting the GREAT
marketing programme is Vis-
itBritain’s annual India trade
mission, taking place in Mum-
bai and New Delhi from Tues-
day 28 January until Friday 31
January. This year the mission
is part of SATTE, India’s
largest Travel-Trade exhibition,
giving mission attendees in-
cluding Wimbledon Lawn Ten-
nis Museum & Tour, Historic
Royal Palaces, VisitManches-
ter, St Paul’s Cathedral and
Westfield UK the opportunity to
meet with over 10,000 agents
from all over India to promote
their destinations, tour pack-
ages and attractions, highlight-
ing value-for-money deals and
unique experiences.
Indian perceptions of
Britain are very positive, as
shown in the latest 2013 Anholt
GfK Nation Brand Index. Re-
spondents from India rated
Britain third out of fifty coun-
tries for historic buildings, vi-
brant city life and
contemporary culture, second
for rich cultural heritage and
fifth for natural beauty and
sport. Sandie Dawe, CEO of
VisitBritain, commented: “We
are fortunate that Indians are
choosing Britain once again
with new records broken for
both spend and visits. This is
testament to Britain as an in-
herently attractive and good
value destination with a warm
welcome and huge variety of
locations and experiences – all
of which will be showcased
and sold at our mission this
week.” by TNH DESK
MoU signed between UKand Indian trade bodiesAs per the UK Government’s agenda for India asa priority market, VisitBritain recently announcedthe signing of MoUs between UK and Indiantravel trade associations.
“well over one million Britons and indians travel be-tween our two countries every year. This is thelifeblood of the unique relationship between ourtwo peoples. The 9% growth in the number of indiantourists to the uk in 2013 shows that this relation-ship is going from strength to strength.”
Sir jAMeS BevAn kcMgBritiSh high coMMiSSioner to indiA
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
59International News
Bangkok, the capital as
well as commercial hub
of the country, has been
ranked third in the latest Eu-
romonitor International’s 100
Top City Destinations Rank-
ing (2013 edition), covering
100 of the world’s leading
cities in terms of international
tourist arrivals. Three other
popular Thai cities, Phuket,
Pattaya, and Chiang Mai, were
respectively ranked 15, 17 and
70 in the same listing.
The top two cities ahead of
Bangkok were Hong Kong and
Singapore. Within the top 10,
six cities are located in Asia,
demonstrating the importance
of the region to international
travel, especially the increas-
ing numbers of Chinese and
Russian visitors, according to
Euromonitor International.
Overall, 32 of the top 100
city destinations are in the
Asia-Pacific, 12 more than in
second-placed Western Eu-
rope. Thawatchai Arunyik,
Governor of the Tourism Au-
thority of Thailand said, “The
vast majority of travel move-
ments within the Asia-Pacific
region is taking place between
cities. There is no doubt that
Thai and regional cities are all
changing remarkably to cater
to the demand. We are happy
to see Bangkok, Phuket, Pat-
taya and Chiang Mai rated so
prominently in the rankings.”
According to Euromonitor,
“Continued economic growth
helped (the Top 100) cities
collectively experience a gain
of 6.6% in 2012, outpacing the
4.2% growth of overall inter-
national arrivals.” While
China was the fastest grow-
ing source market and helped
Singapore, Hong Kong and
Bangkok retain their leading
positions, Singapore relies
heavily on arrivals from
Malaysia and Indonesia,
which together account for
slightly more than half of all
arrivals, the report noted.
Chinese tourists were
also a boon to Thailand’s
tourism industry, increasing
by 62% in 2012 to become the
largest source market for
tourists. As a result, Bangkok
edged out London for third
place in the rankings.
The report also stated,
“By 2017, China will lead (the
rankings of the world’s
largest number of outbound
travellers) with Germany in
second place and Russia in
third. Therefore, cities which
appeal to Chinese and Russ-
ian travellers will experience
stronger growth, especially
those in neighbouring coun-
tries.”
In particular, Thailand is
well positioned to benefit
from the strong growth of
both Chinese and Russian
travellers thanks to its prox-
imity, shopping and attrac-
tions although the current
political unrest may under-
mine growth in the short
term, more so for Bangkok
than other destinations
which can be reached di-
rectly.
“In the long term, never-
theless, Euromonitor Interna-
tional expects that Bangkok
will cement its position as the
third most visited city, while
Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang
Mai will continue their ascent
in the rankings.”
The report noted that
countries which relax or
streamline visa processes,
develop strong relationships
with tour operators, imple-
ment targeted marketing and
expand air travel will get an
increased flow of travellers,
which will benefit their main
city destinations.
Euromonitor Interna-
4 Thai cities ranked intop 100 city destinations Four cities of Thailand including its capitalBangkok have been ranked in top 100 citydestinations by Euromonitor International.
Chinatown at Yaowarat Road, Bangkok
Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok
International News60
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
The road show will as-
semble more than 30 key
travel partners from Thai-
land under one roof in each of
these important gateway
cities. “We have brought to-
gether a sizeable contingent
of the most relevant hotels,
DMCs and attractions to arm
the travel agent for the year
ahead,” says Sethaphan
Buddhani, director, TAT
Mumbai Office.
The industry-connect
event also promises to bolster
confidence among travel
agents amidst protests in
Bangkok. There have been
little or no cancellations re-
ported out of India and with
the Thailand elections com-
pleted on February 02; tourist
confidence is expected to in-
crease in the coming weeks.
Travel agents will also gain
macro-level insights into
TAT’s tourism strategy for
the coming months. Pichai
Raktasinha, director of
ASEAN, South Asia and
South Pacific Market Division
will address attending mem-
bers of the travel trade at the
event.
A preview on TAT’s new
strategy: Besides traditional
markets which continue to
serve the destination well
such as budget-seekers,
groups of young people who
visit for its nightlife and first-
time travelers, Thailand is
also looking to attract the
luxury-seeker and the well-
travelled tourist that could be
drawn by unexplored facets
of Thai culture and heritage,
such as Muay Thai (Thai
kickboxing). TAT is also cre-
ating awareness about its
biggest festivals as part of
cultural promotions.
Songkran; Thailand’s New
Year and Loi Krathong; best
recognized by its floating
lanterns are already a big hit
among Indians who have ex-
perienced them.
For the luxury-seeker,
TAT is engaging travel agents
in promoting yacht excur-
sions, limousine transfers
and jet rides, high end hotels
and exclusive dining, shop-
ping and entertainment expe-
riences.
Niches such as rural
tourism, voluntourism and
golf tourism are picking up
from India. Culinary travel is
seeing a large number of tak-
ers even if only as a compo-
nent of a larger itinerary. To
attract India’s gourmets, TAT
is also hosting a Thai Food
Festival at The Four Seasons,
Mumbai from April 8 to April
15, 2014.
Another noteworthy trend
is the expanding scope of
Thailand itineraries: travel
agents reveal that soft-adven-
ture activities such as ziplin-
ing, parasailing and
snorkeling find their way into
almost every Indian itinerary.
Moreover, tourists – 60 per
cent of whom are return trav-
elers – no longer restrict
themselves to Bangkok alone.
The Indian market is moving
beyond Bangkok, Phuket and
Pattaya. Chiang Mai, Chai
Rai, Koh Kut, Krabi, Hua Hin
and Koh Samui are seeing
rapidly escalating demand.
The three-city roadshow
is the latest among a host of
B2B initiatives in Ahmed-
abad, Bangalore and Chen-
nai. For instance, given the
Gujarat market’s focus on In-
dian food while on holiday,
TAT has worked to ensure
that travel agents are
equipped with names and lo-
cations of Indian restaurants
across the Kingdom. Mean-
while, consumer-connect ac-
tivities promoting niches
such as golf and biking trips
in Thailand have been a per-
sistent practice for Chennai
and Bangalore markets. TAT
has escorted groups of
golfers and bikers to the des-
tination. Additionally, across
all three markets, TAT has
been hosting wedding plan-
ners on familiarisation trips
to Thailand.
India remains among
Thailand’s top inbound mar-
kets, having crossed a million
arrivals during 2012. Mean-
while, even as skeptics antic-
ipated sliding outbound
numbers in 2013 due to the
unstable dollar and falling
rupee, numbers to Thailand
remained strong at 1,049, 856
arrivals which corresponds to
nearly 4 per cent growth over
2012. by TNH DESK
TAT to host 3-cityroadshow in IndiaThe Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT)Mumbai Office is getting geared for its annualroadshow, which will take place in Bangalore (10February), Chennai (12 February) andAhmedabad (14 February).
tional’s Top City Destinations
Ranking (2013 edition) was
built from the results of the
global travel research pro-
gramme conducted in 57 core
countries by in country ana-
lysts, which follows Euromon-
itor International’s methodol-
ogy and definitions for travel
and tourism. City arrivals
data was sourced directly
from national statistics of-
fices, airport arrivals,
hotel/accommodation stays
or other methods.
The main secondary
sources included governmen-
tal, inter-governmental and
other official sources; na-
tional and international spe-
cialist trade press and trade
associations; industry study
groups and other semi-offi-
cial sources; and reports pub-
lished by major operators,
travel retailers, online data-
bases and the financial, busi-
ness and mainstream press.
Trade interviews were con-
ducted with national tourist
offices, trade associations
and travel operators to fill
gaps in secondary research.
by TNH DESK
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
61International News
South African Tourism wel-
comed the new-year with its
biggest travel trade engagement
initiative - the annual roadshow,
which was organised in Kolkata,
Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai was
attended by over 1200 Indian
travel agents.
The annual roadshow is an
interactive platform of enhancing
the destination knowledge of the
frontline staff of travel agencies,
helping them in planning itiner-
aries and managing customer
queries.
Speaking on the 11th road-
show commencement, Hanneli
Slabber,Country Manager, South
African Tourism, India, said “We
organize one of the biggest trade
roadshows in the travel and
tourism industry in India. Seeing
the increasing outbound travel
demand from the Indian market
and the year-on-year success of
our roadshows, we have put in
our best efforts to get a diverse
mix of South African suppliers to
this year’s roadshow and are
hopeful to forge many more suc-
cessful partnerships with the In-
dian travel trade.”
Evelyn Mahlaba, Regional
Director, Australasia, South
African Tourism said, “Over the
last decade, the annual road-
shows have proven to be a great
learning tool for us to grow in the
Indian market by improving our
travel trade outreach and engage-
ment in the country. Each year,
our roadshow has provided a
great platform for travel opera-
tors from India to further expand
their understanding of South
Africa as a leisure holiday and
MICE destination. South African
Tourism alongside our partners
from South Africa, have used this
platform to further develop and
strengthen business opportuni-
ties with the Indian travel
agents”.
Last year, the annual road-
show saw participation from over
1100 Indian travel agents and
over sixty-six South African sup-
pliers.
Over the years, South African
Tourism has witnessed a tremen-
dous increase in Indian tourist ar-
rivals to South Africa. 76,116
Indian tourists have visited South
Africa between Jan 2013 to Au-
gust 2013, which is an increase of
8.4% vis-à-vis the same period
last year. by TNH DESK
South African Tourism conducts its11th roadshow in IndiaThis year the four-city roadshow travels to Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennaiand Mumbai with 66 South African suppliers.
The region aims to attract
over 1,75,000 overnights
in 2014 and 2,00,000
overnights by 2015 from India
by promoting unique attrac-
tions, activities and regions.
One of the focus activities for
this year is ‘Stuttgart meets
Mumbai’ – an exclusive wine
event for wine lovers. The re-
gion is promoting Stuttgart,
which has over 430 hectares of
vineyards, wine museums and
wine institutes, to attract In-
dian wine lovers. Moreover, the
tourism board will be conduct-
ing its annual trade and media
FAMs, engage with trade
through online and offline
training programmes and
much more.
Talking during the ‘Stuttgart
meets Mumbai’ event, Hector
D’souza, Director – India,
SouthWest Germany said,
“India is currently the top mar-
ket for our region in terms of
overnights. Indians spend
close to 6.5 nights on an aver-
age in our region and the ex-
penditure goes to EUR 175 per
person per day. This way, India
is one of our top markets and
we will continue focusing on it
through innovative ideas and
events. Additionally, we are not
just positioning our region as a
leisure or business destination
but are also aiming to attract
niche travel segments.
SouthWest Germany aims2,00,000 overnights fromIndia by 2015It received about 1,55,000 overnights from Indiain 2013.
The tourism board has an online specialistprogramme named Cuckoo Specialist. Atotal of 410 travel agents in India areCuckoo Specialist and the tourism boardis aiming to further improve the specialistnumbers through educating agents aboutthe region.
�Anand Shah
Hanneli SlabberCountry ManagerSouth African Tourism, India
Event Watch62
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Promising new TAAI-NRteam conducts its first meetA promising new team of Travel Agents Association of India(TAAI)-Northern Region (NR) recently held its first meeting inNew Delhi. The meeting was conducted differently thanmeetings in the past. Each and every member got a chanceto interact and give valuable suggestions to the committee.This is a step in the right direction since the members are moreinvolved and enthusiastic which will hopefully help TAAI regainits lost glory and cater to the larger interest of the industry.
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
63International News
Having recently partici-
pated at SATTE in
Delhi, Zambia Tourism Board
(ZTB) is all set to tap the
growing Indian market ac-
tively in 2014. Implementing a
stronger marketing campaign
in India will be the main focus
for ZTB this year which will
involve conducting road
shows, organising workshops
and familiarization trips for
the Indian travel trade and
media.
Mato Shimabale, Direc-
tor Marketing, Zambia
Tourism Board said, “India is
a very important market with
great potential as it is among
the top ten in terms of ar-
rivals. We have seen Indian
arrivals of around 20,000 in
the last two years and are
looking at doubling the num-
bers in the next few years. We
will work closely with our
India representative Blue
Square Consultants to im-
prove the leisure arrivals with
increased destination aware-
ness in the Indian market. We
feel Indians are looking at ex-
ploring new and exciting des-
tinations and Zambia in
Africa is a product they will
love. The country has tourist
attractions like parks, lakes,
rich heritage and culture but
the main USP of Zambia re-
mains the World Heritage Site
of Victoria Falls, the only nat-
ural wonder of the World in
Africa and the largest curtain
of falling water in the World.
Another interesting feature of
the falls is the Devil’s pool
rated by Trip Advisor as the
Best natural swimming Pool in
the World. It is right at the lip
of the Victoria Falls providing
a vantage and unforgettable
view of the falls. Zambia also
houses a huge Indian commu-
nity thus making it easier to
tap the Indian market.”
Zambia Tourism debuted
in the Indian market in 2013
when they participated at Out-
bound Travel Mart (OTM),
Mumbai and also won the
award of ‘Best New Destina-
tion’ at the mart. Zambia con-
nects with India through
Kenya Airways, South African
Airways, Ethiopian Airlines
and Emirates.
Zambia is the new face of
Africa and is a safe and se-
cure destination with one of
the fastest growing economies
in the world. With 20 national
parks, including South Lu-
angwa National Park and
Kafue National Park, adven-
ture activities like abseiling,
bungee jumping, microlight-
ing, white-water rafting, re-
sorts and hotels from budget
to luxury, Zambia is an ideal
destination for the perfect mix
of business and pleasure trav-
ellers. The Travel Chanel “An-
imal Planet” has recognised
the South Luangwa as having
one of the highest concentra-
tion of animals in Africa. Zam-
bia receives over one million
arrivals every year. by TNH DESK
Zambia Tourism to augment itsgrowth in Indian marketZambia Tourism is keen to augment its growth in Indian market. ZambiaTourism Board will conduct road shows and familiarization trips for Indianmarket.
There were 16,300 visitors
from India during Novem-
ber 2013, a rise of more than 18
per cent over same month in
2012. A total of 173 500 people
from India visited Australia in
the first 11 months of 2013 – up
more than 13 per cent from the
same period last year. India is
now Australia’s 10th largest
market for visitors.
“It’s wonderful that an ever
increasing number of Indians
are being drawn to Australia’s
diverse and cosmopolitan cities,
as well as our stunning natural
landscapes,” Suckling said.
“I’m confident Australia will
continue to receive more and
more visitors from this country,
which will continue to benefit
our bilateral relationship.”
Just over 40 per cent of the
total number of visitors to Aus-
tralia came to visit friends and
relatives.
“The flow of people between
India and Australia is increas-
ing in volume, and this is deep-
ening and strengthening the
bonds between our two coun-
tries,” Suckling said. Suckling
said Air India’s new direct
flights to Australia - as well as
a renewed marketing campaign
by Tourism Australia which
draws attention to the country’s
stunning attractions – no doubt
contributed to the strong in-
crease in numbers.
Tourism Australia is re-
sponsible for promoting Aus-
tralia world-wide as the world’s
best destination for business
and leisure. Through a wide
range of activities Tourism Aus-
tralia aims to raise awareness
of Australia’s unique attributes
which attract and entice visi-
tors to experience our country.
Our activities in 23 markets, in-
cluding Australia, include ad-
vertising, public relations and
media programs, trade shows
and programs for the tourism
industry, consumer promotions,
online communications and re-
search.
In November 2010 Tourism
Australia unveiled a new strate-
gic approach for Australian
tourism – the 2020 Tourism In-
dustry Potential - to improve the
industry’s performance and
competitiveness. The 2020
Tourism Industry Potential is a
10 year vision for the industry
which aims to grow the
overnight expenditure gener-
ated by tourism to as much as
$140 billion by 2020.
To achieve the 2020 Poten-
tial, Tourism Australia operates
in key markets around the
world offering the greatest op-
portunities for tourism growth
including Australia. This in-
cludes established markets
such as the United Kingdom,
Japan, New Zealand, USA, Ger-
many, Korea, and China; growth
markets such as Canada, Sin-
gapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, India; Thailand, and
Gulf Countries. by TNH DESK
Indian nationalscontinue to flock toAustraliaAustralia’s High Commissioner to India,Patrick Suckling, has welcomed new figuresshowing another increase in the number ofIndian visitors to Australia.
Mato ShimabaleDirector MarketingZambia Tourism Board
In Conversation64
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Explaining key features of his
hotel, Vineet Mishra said, “Our
hotel caters primarily to the
business travel segment, so all
our services, facilities and
amenities are designed to suit
the requirements of the modern
business traveller. Our refresh-
ing lobby is spacious, has a lot
of natural lighting and has pro-
visions for guests to work on
their laptops/mobile
phones.” He further
e x -
plained, “Our
rooms are clut-
ter-free and have
access to high-
speed internet, an
LCD plasma TV, an
iPod station, a lap-
top-sized elec-
tronic safe,
among other
features that en-
able guests unwind. To help
travellers make the most of
their time on the road, we also
have recreational facilities such
as Evviva Sky Lounge our
rooftop bar, an outdoor pool and
a state-of-the-art fitness center.
We also extend outdoor cater-
ing services and have dedicated
on-site wedding specialists.”
As regards the USP of the
hotel, Mishra said, “Our USP is
definitely the location. We are
located right in the heart of the
city and in proximity to the rail-
way station. The airport and
the city’s key business districts
are a short drive from the hotel.
Shopping malls and entertain-
ment hubs are also very well ac-
cessible.”
Marriott Pune City Centre has
done very well over the past six
months. “Our room revenues
have grown by 22.7% over last
year, our F&B revenues have
more than doubled over 2012
and we have seen a manifold in-
crease in the number of social
caterings we do. Our TripAdvi-
sor ratings have also gone up –
we now feature among the top
10 hotels in the city,” said
Mishra.
In 2013, Courtyard by Mar-
riott Pune City Centre focused
a lot on social media and build-
ing and strengthening its pres-
ence on the digital platform.
“Our primary focus was to in-
crease our targeted fan base on
Facebook which was driven by
our creative and interesting
content,” said Mishra. He
added, “Through Twitter we
took the opportunity to connect
and interact with the city’s key
influencers and food bloggers.
We also heavily focus on PR and
consistently participate in food,
hospitality and industry stories.
We also leverage our relation-
ship with online travel partners.
Going forward, we will continue
In conversation with , Vineet Mishra, General Manger, Courtyard byMarriott Pune City Centre talked about various aspects of his hotel.
‘Location is the USP of our hotel’
Our hotel has done verywell over the past six months.Our room revenues havegrown by 22.7% over last year,our F&B revenues have morethan doubled over 2012 and wehave seen a manifold increasein the number of socialcaterings we do.
Vineet MishraGeneral ManagerCourtyard by Marriott Pune City Centre
“ “�Prem Kumar
FEBRUARY 2014|TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
65In Conversation
to reinforce these mediums and
also focus further on search en-
gine optimization and driving in
traffic to our hotel website.”
Every hotel has the basic offer-
ings in terms of rooms and ameni-
ties, but what each hotel does over
and above this to differentiate it-
self is what is crucial. “We at
Courtyard by Marriott Pune City
Centre believe in giving a personal
touch to enhance the guest experi-
ence. For instance, F&B offers are
customized and meal/diet prefer-
ences are monitored for long stay
guests,” said Mishra. He added,
“We even offer in-room check in
and express check out facility to
our repeat guests. We are moving
towards unconventional ways of
conferencing and have started of-
fering theme-based tea/coffee
breaks.”
Courtyard by Marriott Pune
City Centre is working on upgrad-
ing its F&B outlets where it is in-
novating with its menu and dishes
and outlet styling. “Innovative
food promotions are being
planned out for MoMo Café our all
day restaurant and weekly food-
and wine-based and music-based
properties are in the pipeline for
Evviva Sky Lounge,” said Mishra,
adding, “Our sales associates are
technologically-equipped on their
sales calls with tabs to showcase
our hotel and pitch for business.”
The hotel is also exploring differ-
ent and creative set-up formats in
its banquets to enhance guest ex-
perience. “Meetings are going to
be of big focus moving forward,
using guest feedback, we are
working on experiential elements
to make meetings more produc-
tive,” said Mishra. He added, “We
also want to take weddings to a
different level – with our on-site
wedding specialists, theme based
menu offerings and multiple
venue options, we personally con-
nect with the guest to ensure they
are given a very personalized and
tailor-made experience.”
Speaking about the hotel’s dis-
tribution channels, Mishra said
that the hotel’s biggest distribu-
tion channel is property based
which involves its sales and reser-
vations team. “We also have the
corporate driven Global Distribu-
tion System and Marriott.com,
and online travel partners like
Makemytrip, Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
Our main distribution channels
among the OTAs are Expedia and
Booking.com and among GDSs
are Sabre and Galileo. Not many
customers even today prefer
booking through the hotel website
whereas we still see a lot of book-
ings coming through the OTAs,”
said Mishra.
Sharing his assessment of the
current hotel market in Pune,
Mishra said that Pune has been
transformed from a quiet town to
a bustling city. The hotel industry
witnessed an improvement in oc-
cupancy rates in 2011-12 com-
pared to the previous years as per
HVS report 2011-2012. This is due
to the city housing manufacturing
industries especially in the auto-
mobile sector as well as the emer-
gence of the IT sector. Also, the
hospitality sector has seen a rise
in the number of conventions it
has to cater to.
Mishra added that Pune has also
proven to be a very competitive
market for the hospitality indus-
try. In the past five years, the city
has seen a staggering growth of
over 320% in room supply result-
ing in a decline in occupancy each
year as per HVS report 2011-
2012. However hotels are focusing
on improving occupancy rates
and the forecast for 2013-14 looks
positive
As regards the future outlook for
the Pune hotel market, Mishra
said that Owing to the increasing
demand for rooms that was wit-
nessed in the past five years, ho-
tels stepped up their occupancy
capacity manifold. “These efforts
then led to an over-supply of
rooms vis-à-vis the demand,
which has proven to be our indus-
try’s biggest challenge. Due to
this, there has undeniably been a
downward trend observed in pric-
ing. As the growth in supply
plateaus, we look at occupancy
rates to continue to improve.
However, hotels located in the
Nagar Road belt will continue to
face pressure from over-supply of
rooms,” said Mishra.
A major challenge for hotels in the
city is that they operate in a very
competitive market. “Over the
past few years, growth in supply
of rooms is especially being wit-
nessed in the industrial belts of
the city namely Chakan, Pimpri
and Talegaon that are located
along the periphery of Pune,” said
Mishra. He added that hotels in
the city don’t see much of tourists,
and there lies an opportunity.
“With its rich heritage and Pune
being a cultural capital of Maha-
rashtra has potential to become a
tourism hub,” said Mishra. “I also
think that hotels can fill in the
huge hole when it comes to having
attractive and quality F&B op-
tions in the city.”
by TNH DESK
Lemon Tree Hotels has ap-
pointed Rattan Keswani as
Deputy Managing Director of the
Group. Rattan joined the Lemon
Tree Group in May 2012 as
Chairman of Carnation Hotels, a
company he jointly promoted
with Lemon Tree Hotels. He will continue to play
this role. A hotelier for over 31 years, Rattan
Keswani has worked across various hotels in
India and overseas, including in Saudi Arabia,
Colombo, Shimla, Bengaluru, New Delhi and
Mumbai.
Rattan Keswani Lemon Tree Hotels
Musafir.com has appointed Vijay
Kesavan as the new CEO for its In-
dian operations. In this new role,
Vijay will be responsible for driving
Musafir.com’s business strategy
which is aimed at capturing the
brand’s position among the top 5
Online Travel Agency (OTA) in India. Prior to this,
Vijay ran operations for Thomas Cook as the Senior
Vice-President and Head of Online Sales and Distri-
bution. He comes with extensive experience in the
travel industry having worked across the sector with
akbartravelsonline.com and Indigo Airlines.
Vijay Kesavan Musafir.com
The Leela Palaces, Hotels, and
Resorts has appointed Kunal
Chauhan as the General Man-
ager of The Leela Palace Banga-
lore. Kunal brings with him a
broad array of experience in var-
ious senior positions with The
Oberoi Group and The Leela Group. Prior to this
appointment, he was the Resident Manager at The
Leela Palace New Delhi. In his new role, Kunal will
manage the award-winning Leela Palace Banga-
lore that was voted the world’s Favourite Overseas
Business Hotel by Condé Nast Traveller, UK.
Kunal Chauhan The Leela Palace Bangalore
Raghu Sapra has been appointed
GM for DoubleTree Suites by Hilton
Bangalore, a full-service, upscale
hotel conveniently located on Sar-
japur - Outer Ring Road. Raghu is
responsible for the successful
launch of the first DoubleTree Suites
by Hilton™ hotel in India. Raghu has over 17 years
of experience in the lodging industry. He has held
several positions with Marriott Hotels, Hyatt Hotels
and Resorts and The Imperial, New Delhi, in India,
before joining Hilton Worldwide in 2011.
Piiyush Kapoor has been ap-
pointed as the new General Man-
ager at The Lalit Jaipur. His
experience in the hospitality in-
dustry spans over 21 years. Prior
to this, he was associated with
hotel chains such as IHG, Wellworth
Hotels, ITC Welcome Heritage, Jaypee Hotels, Hyatt
Regency and many more. A hospitality-aficionado,
he has cross-functional exposure in both brand ho-
tels and independent properties in India and over-
seas. Piiyush is a management generalist.
Rakesh Mitra is the new General
Manager of the iconic property,
The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata.
His experience in the Hospitality
Industry spans over 17 years,
which includes 5 cities and two
continents, India and Australia. Prior to joining
The Lalit Great eastern Kolkata he was associated
with several other properties under The Lalit Suri
Hospitality Group, such as, Intercontinental The
Lalit Mumbai, Intercontinental The Grand Goa Re-
sort and The Lalit Temple View Khajuraho.
Sofitel Luxury Hotels, Luxury
Brand of the Accor Group has ap-
pointed Biswajit Chakraborty as
GM of their flagship property in
India, Sofitel Mumbai BKC. Respon-
sible in overseeing all the activities
of the hotel, Biswajit joins Sofitel with
over 25 years of hospitality experience. Known for his
acumen in hospitality and understanding of guest and
human nature, coupled with his knowledge of the lux-
ury market, Biswajit Chakraborty brings several
path-breaking ideas and concepts to the table which
will undoubtedly be revolutionary in its effect.
Biswajit Chakraborty Sofitel Mumbai BKC
Bindiya Yadav has been appointed
new Director of Services at JW
Marriott Mumbai. Prior to joining
JW Marriott Mumbai, Bindiya was
working with Vivanta by Taj in
Bengaluru where she completed a
year’s stint. Bindiya brings with
her 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry.
She began her career as a housekeeping assistant at
the Oberoi, Udaivilas and soon moved up the ladder
in roles varying from assistant housekeeper to assis-
tant executive housekeeper and executive house-
keeper at different hotels.
Bindiya YadavJW Marriott Mumbai
Appointment News66
FEBRUARY 2014| TNH (TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY)
Aditya Mata has been appointed
VP & GM of The Khyber Himalayan
Resort & Spa, Gulmarg. Aditya
comes to The Khyber with over two
decades of experience in the hos-
pitality industry across various for-
mats, brands and locations
spanning the Middle East, Nepal, Africa and India. In
addition to his experience in the hotel industry, Mata
has also had a brief association with Manipal Hospital
Bangalore for asset management and healthcare and
a stint with Jet Airways for their inflight services in-
cluding catering and brand standards.
Aditya MataThe Khyber Himalayan Resort &Spa, Gulmarg
Raghu Sapra DoubleTree Suites by HiltonBangalore
Piiyush Kapoor The Lalit Jaipur
Rakesh MitraThe Lalit Great East-ern Kolkata