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` 50/-Vol. XXV No. 12; June 2nd fortnight issue 2013 Pages: 36A DDP PUBLICATION

Letter to Editorfrom FAITH

See full story on page 4

India a 365-daydestination for ME

See full story on page 12

A $3.2 billion FDI windfall forhospitality

See full story on page 22

See full story on page 24

Agents needed todrive medicaltourism

NewsBulletin

The pace of inboundvisitors recently hadfallen behind the

expectations of the inboundindustry. But, it hasn’t heldback the courageous inbound

operators from setting upaggressive targets for them-selves. At the same time,they keep their eyes open forpolicy initiatives that canmake India more inviting.

“The present times arechallenging, but FICCI’s sur-

vey on the present tourismscenario points out that agrowing number of stakehold-ers in the tourism industrynow feel that there could be asurge in inbound touristarrivals in 2013. It is indeed

Terming the furore over safety aspects and its consequentfallout on foreign arrivals overrated, industry experts stayconfident of growth in the forthcoming inbound season.

Contd. on page 14

Jyotsna SuriChairperson & Managing Director Bharat Hotels and Vice President FICCI

Arjun SharmaManaging Director LPTI

Agents fight sluggish inbound trend

TT BU R E AU

Incredible India will haveto develop niche productsto register incremental

growth in inbound arrivalsand register itself as a round-the-year destination, believesone of the very credible voicesin the Ministry of Tourism.

Girish Shanker,Additional Secretary, Ministryof Tourism (MOT) said, “Weare working on promoting various niche products toenhance the attractiveness of Incredible India. In my opinion, Meetings,

Incentives, Conventions &Events (MICE), Golf andCinema will be the niche seg-ments that will show thefastest conversion rate interms of registering increasein foreign arrivals.”

“As part of our strategyto promote MICE in India,the MOT is keen to promoteconvention centres andinternational conventions inIndia. We are also consider-ing a MICE policy for India todevelop such facilities acrossthe entire country. Stateshave been urged to comeforward with land-banks for

creation of MICE infrastruc-ture, with full support from MOT.

In fact, many stateshave already comeforward to workwith MOT to leverage the MICE advantage,”he added.

Further, as per Shanker,at the recently-held UNWTOmeets in India, all the guestswere more than delighted,looking at the MICE events

that India handled withaplomb. “We have been get-ting so many feedbacks from

our guests, who were part ofthe UNWTO meets in AndhraPradesh. They had all beenamazed by the hospitality andMICE amenities that Indiaoffered during the UNWTOmeets,” he added.

On the golf tourismfront, Shanker highlights thata detailed strategy is beingworked out. India, as a globalCinema hub to shoot films,had been recently promotedat the Cannes InternationalFilm festival. The MOT andMinistry of Information andBroadcasting had recently

The Indian States have been urged to come forward with land-banks for creation of MICE infrastructure, and are promised full support from the Ministry of Tourism.

MOT to help states attract MICE

VI V E K SE T H I

Girish ShankerAdditional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism (MOT)

Contd. on page 5

BULLETIN

IATO will host its 29th annualconvention in Kochi from

September 8-11 at the LeMeridien Convention Centre.For the second time, IATO willhost the convention in Kochi,the last time being in 2005. This was revealed byLally Mathews, HonorarySecretary, IATO. Arun Anand,Honorary Treasurer, IATO willbe the Convention Chairmanwhile EM Najeeb, Chairman-Kerala Chapter, IATO andMathews will be co-chairmen.According to Sarab Jit Singh,Senior Vice-President, IATO,there was a consensus amongthe members to hold thisyear’s convention in Kochi.IATO was only waiting for thesupport of the Kerala govern-ment, which is currently sup-porting the convention. Thetheme of the convention is still under discussion.According to Anand, the asso-

ciation is expecting better par-ticipation in the Kochi conven-tion compared to its lastMumbai convention. IATO willalso organise post-conventiontours to the nearby regions fordelegates for two nights andthree days. The destinationsare still being shortlisted.

Giving details about theIATO training sessions atEthiopian Cultural Centre inNew Delhi, Mathews pointedout, “The first in the series oftraining sessions started by

IATO concluded on May 31.Around 30 people attendedthe session. The next pro-gramme that starts on June7 has already received confir-mation from 28 participants.

The topic of thetraining programmeis ‘Using the Internetto do Better Business- How to use search engines, How to use SEO’.

The objective of theskills enhancement pro-gramme is to delve into thepotential of the Internet,social media and educatemembers on evolving technologies and opportuni-ties.” For team-buildingamong the tour operators’fraternity, IATO is also in the process of setting up a cricket team soon. Executive CommitteeMember Ravi Gosain hasbeen put in charge of thisnew initiative.

Arun Anand will be the Convention Chairman, while EM Najeeb and Lally Mathews will be the Co-Chairmen for the event.

IATO Convention: Sept 8-11 in Kochi

TT BU R E AU

(L-R): Lajpat Rai, Arun Anand, Lally Mathews, Sarab Jit Singh and Rajiv Mehra at the IATO meet

VIEWPOINT

The stakeholders in the inbound segmentare keeping their fingers crossed and

hoping that the pace of growth in theinbound space will accelerate as they nearthe peak business season. Most of theseplayers need to realise that the need of thehour is to take courageous businessdecisions and to be ready to take advantageof business opportunities when the tideturns in favour of inbound travel.

Fortunately, there are plenty of businessleaders and travel houses, who haveexpressed the desire to win and reap asmany opportunities as possible to registera steady growth target instead of just sittingon the side and praying for a flat yearwithout seeing red.

It looks manageable to achieve a decentgrowth, keeping in mind today's consumeracross various source markets, who makestravel decisions closer to the actual date oftravel, unlike earlier when people booked6-12 months in advance.

There are more reasons to be preparedfor opportunities as there is no longer anyrestriction on re-entry of a tourist within 60days as per the amended visa norms, thevisa-on-arrival facility has been extendedto five more ports of entry. Further, thegroup landing permit scheme has beenamended to empower the accredited DOTtour operators to stimulate inbound growth.

To top it all, the Ministry of Tourism hasalso launched a new promotional campaigncalled “Find What You Seek’ for theinternational market , which focuses on theneeds of the consumer and marks a shiftfrom the earlier product based approach.

Optimistic players will always focus onthe positives, while a pessimist gets boggeddown by the negatives. The time has comethat even the most conventional playerbecomes positively oriented and startspromoting India with a sense of courage and pride.

Inbound optimism

TRAVTALK is a publication of DDP Publications Private Limited. Allinformation in TRAVTALK is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regret that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this pub-lication, however caused. Similarly, opinions/views expressedby third parties in abstract and/or in interviews are not neces-sarily shared by TRAVTALK. However, we wish to advice our readersthat one or more recognised authorities may hold different viewsthan those reported. Material used in this publication is intendedfor information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific

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Editorial

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READERS’ PAGE

Activities of India Tourism offices in April 2013� India Tourism Office, Tokyoparticipated in the 11th TourExpo DaeguGyeongbuk-2013held from April 11-14, 2013.The ‘Holi Festival of Rainbow’in Yokohama-2013, held fromApril 12-14, was cosponsoredby this office along with theEmbassy of India, Air India andothers. This office also extend-ed non-financial hospitality toa roadshow of Bollywoodmovies in Tokyo and Osaka.

� India Tourism Office,

Amsterdam participated in anart exhibition organised by theEmbassy of India, Brusselsalong with European ExternalAction Service at the EuropeanCommission Headquarters inBrussels on April 9, 2013. Theevent was attended by a highlevel delegation of diplomaticcorps. The press conference forthe Europalia-India event,scheduled to be held duringOctober, 2013 to January, 2014was held at Brussels on April

25, 2013. This office proposedto organise a number of advertising initiatives duringthis event.

� India Tourism Office,Frankfurt participated in theKazakhstan InternationalTourism Fair (KITF) held atAlmaty, Kazakhstan from April24-26, 2013 which is one ofthe most important tourismfairs of Kazakhstan.

� India Tourism Office, Parisparticipated in STIC Barcelona

held in Spain from April 19-21, 2013. This Office also participated in France-Indiaweek organized byMaharashtra Mandala Francein collaboration with theEmbassy of India, Paris fromApril16-20, 2013.

� India Tourism Office,Johannesburg set up the IndiaStand in the Diplomatic Daypresentation which was held inthe Central Baptist Church ofPretoria on April 13, 2013.

In March 2013, visitors fromshort-haul markets to

Macau recorded a 6.2 per cent increase. But, on theother hand, it registered adouble-digit growth of 26.9per cent in Indian arrivals.During April 2013, the provi-sional visitor arrival in Macau

was 2.39 million, representingan increase of 0.7 per centover April 2012. The Indianmarket contributed to thegrowth again with a doubledigit growth of 12.8 per cent.

According to SanJeet,India Repesentative MGTO,“Macau is fast becoming afavourite with the Indiantourists because of its peren-nial charm. Indians love the

opulence of Macau. Fromawe-inspiring UNESCO worldheritage sites like the Ruinsof St. Paul to the MacauTower, the very best in mod-ern architecture; it offers richattractions to everyone.”

MGTO has been work-ing extensively to explore theIndian market. All efforts are

being made to attract theIndian traveller to Macau.MICE movements are alsocontributing significantly tothe upsurge in the number ofIndians travelling to Macau.Macau is considered to beone of the hottest weddingdestinations by the eventmanagement and wedding

planning industry. Hotels areoffering special packages andfacilities for Indian weddingsbeing organised in Macau.

Macau is one of Asia’snewest and most excitingbusiness tourism destina-tions, after a period of rapidand unprecedented infra-structure development.

SanJeet adds, “Macaurealises the importance of thegrowing Indian economy andwelcomes Indians by provid-ing them seamless travel andvalue-for-money. With moreand more luxury hotels andresorts opening up, Macausurely has gained popularityas one of the most sought-

after tourist destination inAsia. In 2013, all efforts willbe made to attract the Indiantraveller. We have been seeing a steady increase innumbers over the past few months, and we are sure the momentum will bemaintained in the comingmonths too.”

The Macau Government Tourist Office recently announced that visitor arrivals from India have recordeda double digit growth in March and April of this year.

Indian arrivals in Macau grow by 27%TT BU R E AU

In 2013, all efforts will be made to attract theIndian traveller

SanJeetIndia RepesentativeMGTO

entered into a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) topromote films in India as asub-brand of ‘Incredible India’at various international filmfestivals like IFFI Goa, theEuropean Film Market, Cannesand other markets abroad.

“Consequent to theagreement, to develop syner-gy between tourism and thefilm industry and to providea platform for enabling part-nerships between the Indianand global film industry, the ministries jointly organ-ised a presentation and anIncredible India booth at theexhibition during the Cannesfilm festival, along with various other activities,”added Shanker.

Welcomingfilms to India

Contd. from page 1

NTO J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 5

ASSOCIATIONS6 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

The Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) had

announced the revised procedure for foreign touristsin groups of four or morearriving by air or sea, sponsored by Indian travelagencies approved by the Ministry of Tourism, andwith a pre-drawn itinerary in April 2013.

The inbound tour oper-ators had been keen to makeuse of the scheme, but hadn’tused it due to the want of cer-

tain clarifications. Here, theIndian Association of TourOperators (IATO) had taken alead by requesting the MHAfor required clarifications andvolunteering to help thecause of attracting foreigntourists’ arrivals.

“We have sought clarifi-cations from the Ministry ofHome Affairs so that this canbe implemented effectivelyand our members can makeuse of this facility. Here, theairlines also need to beinformed that tourists mightbe taking flights without visaand they should be allowed to

board. It can be with computerprintouts, which confirm thatthey are part of the group andthey have applied for CGLP. Asper the Circular no. 423 ofMHA, it is required to fill in the application online onwww.indianvisaonline.gov.in.But, on the website, it is onlyvisa form that too, missionspecific and there is no visibleprovision for submission of group itinerary. It is impor-tant to understand, where theapplication is to be filed by thetourist and which documentsto be submitted by him,” said Subhash Goyal, President,IATO.

“The format of under-taking to be given by touroperators should also beclarified to ensure nothing isleft out. Moreover, theresponsibility of the tour-operator, in case a groupmember slips out, should be limited to reporting thematter to the nearest policestation and/or FRRO regionalor the central office. Thetour-operator shouldn’t be

held responsible beyondthis,” he added. Goyal is alsoquick to highlight that IATO has always worked forinbound tour-operators as aneffective platform.

“We, at IATO, alwaystry to get detailed clarifications from the concerned ministries on issues related to differentministries. We thencirculate them to members for their benefit.”

“Tour operators cannotdictate terms, but can givedirections on behalf of theIndian Government. Thereare some certain rules fol-lowed all over the world,which have to be followedby the visiting tourists. It isnot only in our country thatwe have to give directives tothe tourists, on behalf of thegovernment. There are var-

ious reasons, largely thesecurity reasons, which can-not be compromised.However, Visa-on-Arrivalhas been introduced formany countries, which wasnot there earlier. Similarly,more cities like Goa, Kochi,Trivandrum, Hyderabad andBangalore have been added.So government now under-stands the value of tourismand its contribution in creating employment andrevenue generation,” added Goyal.

Clarifications from the Ministry of Home Affairs were sought to ensure that the group-landing permits are implemented effectively and all inbound players can make use of this facility.

Make group-landings viable: IATO

TT BU R E AY

• How and where to apply and papers/documents requiredfor submission by the recognised tour-operator along withthe list of group members as well as tour-program.

• What will be the format of undertaking to be given bytour operators, to ensure nothing is amiss

• Where and when the fees are to be paid, along withvarious options

• In a group landing permit, what will happen to the air-ticket and tour cost paid by the tourist

Some of the issues for clarification

Subhash GoyalPresidentIATO

Virgin Atlantic hasrevealed the strangestitems passengers leavebehind after travelling withthe airline. A survey showsit’s not just reading glassesand CDs. Some passengers

also leave behind smart-phones, iPods, iPads, wed-ding rings, baby strollers,shoes, and even passports.Any left items that are notclaimed for more than 6months, if not perishable,are donated for charitablecauses. "We were surprisedto find an artificial limb leftbehind by one of our pas-sengers, but were delight-ed that we were able to re-unite them,” said StephenKing, General Manager,Virgin Atlantic- India.

Strangestitems left onairplanes

Edge of India has a set-upof four Co-operative

Destination ManagementOrganisations (c-DMO) inIndia, which was announcedat the recently-held NationalSeminar titled ‘Co-operative

Tourism: The next Socio-Economic Enabler’ in New Delhi.

“Edge of India is a net-work of rural communities inremote parts of India, offeringhomestays in villages 'off thebeaten track' with extraordi-nary cultural and natural her-itage. The network wasdeveloped through a pro-gramme funded by theScottish Government andimplemented by partners in

India and Scotland, includingDunira Strategy, QueenMargaret University and the Strategic Initiatives,Government & Advisory(SIGA) division of Yes Bankand with web developmentby Ezone,” said Andrew J

Frew, Director of Research,Queen Margaret University.

“The four C-DMOs,spread across four districts inUttarakhand and WestBengal, will help build localcapacity through training andmarketing activities andusing co-operative model fordestination management. Wechose India to share the co-operative principles devel-oped by Robert Owen atScotland's New Lanark and

also draws on Dunira's workin destination managementin such places as HighlandPerthshire, and SIGA's workon using tourism as one ofthe tools to achieve an inclu-sive growth model for India,”said Benjamin Carey,Managing Director, DuniraStrategy, who gave the joint presentation.

For small villages thatpreviously almost never sawa tourist, the network istransformational. The net-work has been presented atleading tourism fairs, includ-ing GITB and WTM.

Further, Anand Kumar,Joint Secretary, Ministry ofTourism, said, “The modelbased on participation of thelocal community seems per-fect to develop and promotenewer attraction.”

Here, Tushar Pandey,Senior President and CountryHead, Strategic Initiatives,Government & Advisory(SIGA), Yes Bank said, “Wewill work with the Ministry ofTourism to engage them in promotion and development of newer destinations through theCDMO model.”

The four C-DMOs spread across Uttarakhand and WestBengal will help build local capacity through trainingand marketing activities using a co-operative model.

Promoting co-op tourism

VI V E K SE T H I

(L-R): Pandey, Frew, Kumar and Carey at the seminar

The Association ofDomestic Tour Operators

of India (ADTOI) has set up10 committees to understand

the nitty-gritty of variousopportunities and make all itsmembers actively contributeto growth of domestictourism through ADTOI.

“In the second mem-bers meet held in May, wehave announced setting up of

ten committees which willlook into diverse subjectsincluding IT, hotel relation-ship, railways, airlines, serv-ice Tax, State TourismBoards, members’ drive,Education & SkillDevelopment, Sports &Events and General HouseActivities. These committees

will report to the EC. We arealso keen to announce moresuch committees at a laterstage, which will engagemembers more actively as tocontribute to growth ofdomestic tourism throughADTOI,” said Ravi Luthra,General Secretary, ADTOI.“Some time earlier, we had to

literally fight to open up ourprincipals to be willing topromote India to Indians.Today, the entire world islooking to entice our Indiantraveller. Similarly, all stake-holders in India are nowstriving hard to tap a lion’sshare in the domestic segment,” he added.

Here, Luthra highlightsthe important role thatmembers of the ADTOIshould play to make most of the opportunities in the domestic segment.“ADTOI should become thebest platform and a resourcecentre for all our members.Our members should

feel pride in being part of ADTOI. To strive in this direction, we havestarted work on revampingour website. Further, wewould take all possiblemeasures to grow thedomestic tourism pie in aninnovative and ethical manner,” said Luthra.

The newly-formed committees will look into diverse subjects including IT, hotel relationship, railways, airlines, servicetax, state tourism boards, members’ drive, education & skill development, sports & events and general house activities…

ADTOI sets up 10 sub-committeesTT BU R E AU

The ADTOI should becomethe bestplatform and aresource centrefor all ourmembers

Ravi LuthraGeneral SecretaryADTOI

ASSOCIATIONS J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 7

Thirty-five 5-starhotels have decided to gothe eco-friendly way bysigning a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) thatbinds them to the GreenHotels Guidelines withthe Delhi Government.Chief Minister ShielaDikshit was present at theoccasion. The new greenmeasures that are likely tostep-up the environmen-tal suitability of the hotelscomprise of water treat-ment plants that treatswaste water and makes itfit for re-utilsation, solarpanels for heating water,using bio-degradable fuelas a major source of ener-gy over electricity andnatural gas. According tothe memorandum dead-lines, re-fashioning of thehotels will be complete by June 30

35 Delhihotels sign ‘green-pact’

AVIATION

Indian oil retailers have cutaviation fuel cost (ATF) by

an average of ` 250/kilolitre(KL) from June 1, on the backof softening internationalcrude oil price, making it the third steepest declinesince March 1.

According to the IndianOil Corporation website, theprice for ATF in Mumbai wouldnow cost ` 64,381.15/kl from`64,624.69/kl. This means, inDelhi, domestic carriers will have to shell out`62,416.16/kl against` 62,649.95/kl if they refillfuel. Rates at different airports

vary because of differential inlocal sales tax or VAT. Kolkatawould see price cut of around` 260 to ` 72,250.952 per kl,while it will cost ` 67,925.43in Chennai as against ` 68,191.73 per kl previously.

Arun Mishra, DirectorGeneral of Civil Aviation, tellsTravTalk, “While reduction inATF price is a good develop-ment, the reduction is not sig-nificant (0.3%). This is notgoing to make any perceptibleimpact on airlines’ operatingcosts. The main issue in ATFcosts is the huge sales tax onATF levied by the state gov-ernments. Both Ministry ofCivil Aviation and the airlineindustry have been constantlyurging the states to reduce thetaxes as it will have a goodimpact on lowering of ticketprices as well as improvingconnectivity to states. ATFaccounts for 40-50% of oper-ating cost of airlines.Reduction in ATF prices wouldtranslate into better profitabil-

ity of airlines which meansgrowth of airlines and civilaviation sector in general.”

Amber Dubey, Partnerand Head-Aviation at globalconsultancy KPMG, agrees,saying, “A 25 paise per litrereduction in ATF, which costsanywhere from ` 62-74 perlitre, is welcome but inade-quate. It may have near-zeroimpact on airfares.”

“There is an urgentneed for transparency in ATFfuel-pricing. It should bepriced on an efficient costplus fair-margin basis by oilcompanies, and not on anopaque import-parity pricingbasis. Added to that is the

excessive 22-35% sales taxwhich renders our ATF one ofthe costliest in the world-almost 50-60% costlier thancompeting regions likeMiddle East and SE Asia. ATFin India should be priced at ̀ 42-45 per litre if we haveto achieve our target ofbecoming the third largestaviation market by 2020,”Dubey adds.

Biji Eapen, President,IATA Agents Association ofIndia, “In India, wheneverthere is any increase in ATFprice, our carriers enhanceticket prices immediately,especially Air India and Jet.Variation of fuel surchargeshould be in resonance withATF price variation.However, Indian carriers arenot known to have revisedthe prices downward, evenwhen ATF price fell. Hence,temporary increase ordecrease of ATF has nothingto do with airline profit orloss and the travelling public

should get the benefit ofreduced costs.”

Meanwhile, directimport of ATF by airlinessounds good, but is very dif-ficult to implement. ATFimport, transportation, stor-age and supply to the aircraftis a complex subject and notsomething that airline man-agements would like to wastetheir time and energy on.Dubey points out that theywould become the laughingstock of the world if airlinesdo direct import from foreignsuppliers, since chances arethat it could actually be ATFproduced and exported byour own refineries.

“According to industrysources, last year Indiaexported nearly 50% of itsATF production. Imagine thecost and hassle of importingback our own produce, justbecause we can’t get our tax-ation structure right. Andafter all this, nothing stopsstates that may lose out onATF taxes to impose taxes inthe form of ‘entry tax’, put-ting this whole exercise injeopardy,” he concludes.

Oil companies have cut aviation fuel price by an average`250/kl. However, it’s unlikely to translate into betterprofitability for airlines and lower airfares.

ATF cut won’t lower fares

TE E N A BA R UA H

Temporaryincrease ordecrease ofATF hasnothing to dowith airlineprofit or loss

There is an urgentneed fortransparencyin aviationturbine fuel pricing

This is notgoing to makeany perceptibleimpact onairlines’operatingcosts

Arun MishraDirector General of Civil Aviation

Amber DubeyPartner and Head-Aviation KPMG

Biji EapenPresidentIATA Agents Association of India

In Delhi, domestic carriers will have to shell out` 62,416.16/kl against` 62,649.95/kl if they refillfuel. Rates at different airportsvary because of differential inlocal sales tax or VAT

Kolkata would see price cut of around ` 260 to `72,250.952 per kl, while itwill cost `67,925.43 inChennai as against`68,191.73 per kl previously

Cost of Fuel

HOTELS

In a recent meeting lastweek, key stakeholders of

the Uttar Pradesh hospitalityindustry met with senior offi-cials of the UP LabourDepartment in Kanpur,demanding a separate cate-gory for hotels within thedepartment. This wasrevealed by Vijai Pande, Vice-President, UP Hotel &Restaurant Association andHonorary Secretary, FHRAI.

Talking about the recentdevelopment, Pande saidthere are 59 categories with-in the UP LabourDepartment. “In an effort topush hospitality industry tothe mainstream of govern-ment agendas, we have pro-posed that a 60th categoryneeds to be created to take

care of the concerns of thehotel sector. The members ofthe UP Hotel Associationhave submitted a proposal tothe Lucknow LabourDepartment for approval

after the meeting. We areexpecting to get a feedbackafter a week or so,” he added.The meeting was attended byover 20 members, includingcommissioner and additionalcommissioner of UP LabourDepartment, two other mem-bers from UP LabourDepartment and members ofthe state labour union.

Regarding the affairs ofthe industry in the state,Pandit lamented, “UPreceives so many tourists.Who would give the TajMahal in Agra a miss?However, the hotel industryhas not been able to cash inon the footfalls due todearth of synergy betweenthe hotels, infrastructureand rigid government rules.Our industry is service-ori-ented and thus, until themanpower is kept happy, thestate of affairs cannotimprove.” This has thus,been a long pending move.If this proposal is approved,the industry will be in aposition to facilitate betterwages for the employees.“We believe that if it goesthrough as desired, it willbenefit the industry andgovernment as a whole,” hepointed out.

To push hospitality industry into the mainstream of government agendas, a 60th category needs to be createdto take care of the concerns of the hotel sector.

UP hotels for Labour Dept.

TT BU R E AU

Members of the UP HotelAssociation havesubmitted aproposal to theLucknow LabourDepartment forapproval after the meeting

Vijai PandeVP, UP Hotel & Restaurant Associationand Hony Secy, FHRAI

The meeting was attendedby over 20 members,including commissioner andadditional commissioner ofUP Labour Department, twoother members from UPLabour Department andmembers of the state labour union

Asking More

Starwood Hotels &Resorts Worldwide has

recently introduced its hip-and-trendy brand of hotel-aloft in Ahmedabad.Developed with UrbanedgeHotels and managed by

Starwood Group, this is thefifth Aloft in India afterChennai, Bengaluru,Coimbatore and Chandigarh.The 176-room property is targeting to attract both leisure and corporate travellers. According to Brian McGuinness, Senior VP-Specialty Select Brands,Starwood Hotels; the Aloft

brand is quickly gaining trac-tion in India.

Talking about aloft inIndia, Dilip Puri, MD-Indiaand Regional VP South Asia,Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels& Resorts said, “We see a

huge potential for Aloft inIndia, and will open a secondaloft hotel in Bangalore, AloftBengaluru Cessna BusinessPark later this year, and anAloft hotel at the DelhiInternational Airport Limited(DIAL) in the near future.”

With increasing numberof corporate travellers visiting

Ahmedabad for business,more and more branded hotelchains are making debut in thecity, thus decreasing thedemand and supply gap.McGuinness said, “The ARR(Average Room Rate) does getaffected because of the supplyand demand in the market.However, the market is quitebullish since the scope isimmense. There are a numberof Gujarat IndustrialDevelopment Corporationcompanies nearby that willconstitute a good base for cor-porate travellers. Further, weare placing our hopes on thesheer number of corporatebusiness travellers, which isgoing to rise mainly in themanufacturing, pharma, IT,biotech and textiles.” AloftAhmedabad is offering anintroductory rate (for nextthree to six months) of ̀ 3,750along with breakfast and freewi-fi. For travel agents, it isoffering special deals via GDSand SPG programmes areavailable for its loyal members,informed McGuinness.

More Aloft properties expected to open in Tier-II cities forfrequent business travellers; and the company has bigplans to expand its presence.

Aloft eyes Tier-II markets

(L-R) Dilip Puri, Brain McGuinness, Nelli Yong, Uday Krishnan and Vincent Ong

HA R S H A L AS H A R F R O M AH M E DA B A D

INTERNATIONAL1 2 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

With an aim to tap thetourism potential in the

Gulf and Middle East region,which is emerging as animportant tourism-generat-ing market for India, theIndia Tourism office in Dubaiis making extra effort to proj-ect India as a 365 day-family

destination. The office is notonly working closely with thelocal travel trade, but is alsostrengthening ties with air-lines to enhance air-connec-tivity between both the coun-tries. Tapping every segmentof travellers, the office isunderlining all attractionscovering luxury travel, well-ness, medical, spa, culture,

heritage, nature,mountains, snow,adventure, wildlife,Bollywood and mon-soon tourism.

There has beena consistent and pos-itive growth of for-eign tourist arrivalsfrom the Gulf andMiddle East region toIndia over the lasttwo to three years. In2011, tourismarrivals from thisregion registered anoverall growth ofaround 14 per centover the previousyear. Some of thecountries, particularly TheUnited Arab Emirates, theKingdom of Saudi Arabia,Sultanate of Oman, Republicof Yemen and Republic ofTurkey have registered posi-tive growth and are emergingas major tourism-generatingmarkets for India from thisregion. With the Governmentof India lifting restriction ofthe two-month gap on re-

entry of foreign nationals(including UAE), the flexibilityhas resulted in better acces-sibility and flow of tourists.

Vikas Rustagi, RegionalDirector-Middle East, Gulfand Africa, India Tourism,Ministry of Tourism,Government of India said,“India Tourism is actively pro-moting the ‘Find What You

Seek’ campaign in the Gulf &the Middle East region, sothat tourists can find the des-tination or product that theydesire in India; be it heritagesites, forts, beaches, backwa-ters, lakes, mountains, adven-ture, wildlife, culture, festi-vals, medical, wellness, MICE, religion or shopping.India offers something foreveryone and that is why we

proudly say that India is anincredible destination with arange of products foundnowhere else.”

According to Rustagi,the wellness and medicaltourism sector from MiddleEast and Gulf to India hasbeen growing at the rate of20 per cent year-on-year. Hesaid, “The whole world hastaken a note of the massivetransformation that hastaken place in the Indianhealthcare sector, particular-ly in the secondary super-specialty care in the last twodecades. India is poised tobecome a hub for medicaltourism because of severalfactors, which are world-class hospitals with latesttechnology; highly-skilledIndian physicians and sur-geons; low cost of treatment;excellent quality of care,nursing and Indian hospital-ity; comparatively less wait-ing time for availing medicalservices; and India’s tradi-tional healthcare therapieslike Ayurveda and Yoga.”

The India Tourism office recorded tremendous growth in the medical and wellness segments. There has been apositive growth of foreign tourist arrivals from the Middle East region to India over the last two to three years.

India a 365-day destination for Middle EastAN I TA JA I N

The wellnessand medicaltourism sectorsfrom the MiddleEast and Gulf toIndia havebeen growing at rate of 20 per cent year-on-year

Nationality – wise Foreign Tourist Arrivals from West Asia Region to India - 2009-2011

Country of No. of ArrivalsNationality 2009 2010 2011

Bahrain 7,901 7,766 9,587

Iraq 16,400 28,221 30,808

Oman 32,971 3,5,485 40,577

Israel 40,581 43,456 48,089

Saudi Arabia 15,552 21,599 26,268

U.A.E. 47,234 45,482 66,383

Turkey 10,282 15,483 17,359

Yemen 12,695 14,931 14,955

Others 21,227 22,894 24,747

Total 2,04,843 2,35,317 2,78,773Source:India Tourism Office, Middle East

Vikas Rustagi, Regional Director-Middle East, Gulf and Africa, India Tourism, Ministry ofTourism, Government of India

The first edition of the ‘CIITourism Fest’, which is

being organised with the support of all northern stategovernments in Chandigarhon December 5-7, 2013 hasroped in eight states already,and is striving for moredomestic as well internation-al participation.

“Chandigarh will be thehost city and the Governmentof Punjab has agreed to bethe principal partner state.Gujarat would be the ‘partner

state’ in this unique initiative.The states of Jharkhand,West Bengal, J&K,Chhattisgarh and MadhyaPradesh have also confirmedtheir participation as ‘focusstates’. Discussions are onwith Uttarakhand, Gujarat,Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Keralaand Odisha who have showninterest to participate,” saidArjun Sharma, Chairman, CIITourism Fest 2013 andManaging Director, LePassage To India.

“It will also have an international flavour.Thailand has already con-firmed its participation andwe are expecting participa-tion from countries likeGermany, Malaysia, China,

Russia, Australia, USA,Canada, South Africa, Jordan,Seychelles, Sri Lanka,Singapore, Macau, andBritain. Further, the festwould comprise buyer-sellermeets; deliberations onrequired policy initiatives,international dance shows,national and internationalfood festivals, golf tourna-ment, international chefmeets, leisure and excursiontrips,” added Sharma.

The fest will also createawareness about the scope ofrural tourism, destination

management, image buildingand cinematic tourism in theregion. Moreover, CII wouldinvite chief ministers of var-ious states at the conclaveand create a Chief Ministers’Forum to address variousissues like infrastructure,connectivity, security, clean-liness, information sharing,accommodation, food, traveland policies.

Various associations likeOutbound Tour OperatorsAssociation of India, IndiaGolf Tourism Association,Association of Domestic TourOperators of India, Federationof Hotel and RestaurantAssociations of India, Hoteland Restaurant Association ofNorthern India, Indian

Federation Associations ofCulinary World Association of Chefs Societies, and -DDP Publications are supporting the event.

“Various stakeholdersinclude hoteliers, hospitals,tour operators, travel agents,golf courses and resorts, cen-tral and state governmenttourism agencies, tourismboard of various countries,airlines, airports, air chartercompanies, city transportproviders, railways andIRCTC, experts in hospitalityand tourism, administratorsof academic programmes in hospitality and tourism, pub-lishers of journals and aca-demic textbooks, tourismweb portal companies, edu-cational institutes, holidayclubs, spa and wellness centres etc.,” said ManMohan Singh, Chairman, CIIChandigarh Council.

Here, V B Kumar, StateExecutive Director, PunjabHeritage Tourism PromotionBoard (PHTPB), said, “Synergybetween various state governments and the Centreis the key to promote theregion as a tourism hub”.While A K Malhotra, GeneralManager, Tourism, CITCO said that Chandigarh will be beautified to host the first-everTourism Fest.

EXHIBITIONS

Chandigarh is host city; Punjab is principal partner state; Gujarat is partner state; J&K, Jharkhand, MP, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh are focus states for this fest scheduled for December 5-7, 2013.

CII Fest ropes in 8 states

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Arjun Sharma addressing the gathering at the CII press conference in Chandigarh

The states of Jharkhand, WestBengal, J&K, Chhattisgarh andMadhya Pradesh have confirmedtheir participation as ‘focusstates’

The fest will also createawareness about the scope ofrural tourism, destinationmanagement, image building andcinematic tourism in the region

Highlights

Fortune unveils The Savoy, MussoorieFortune Park

Hotels is nowspreading its wingswith the opening ofits 40th hotel FortuneThe Savoy,Mussoorie.Established in 1902,the 50-roomVictorian resort hasbeen restored toreflect the glory ofits century-old past.Conveniently locat-ed on the popularMall Road at Gandhi Chowk, the hotel pro-vides a panoramic view of the snow-cladHimalayan peaks.

FWith this hotel, Fortune Park HotelsLtd. now has 40 operational hotels in addi-

tion to about 30 prop-erties in various stagesof construction andrefurbishment, across54 cities in India.

Talking about thenew development,Suresh Kumar, ChiefExecutive Officer,Fortune Park Hotelssays, “Fortune TheSavoy is a milestoneachievement for us aswe continue to expandour brand portfolio in

the high end leisure segment. The hotel isa judicious blend of old-world charm andnew-age conveniences and an expression ofthe Fortune brand promise of unparalleledexperience and exceptional value.”

COVER STORY1 4 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

heartening to note that 46 percent of (close to) 500 respon-dents feel confident that for-eign tourist arrivals would goup in coming six months. Anequal number of respondentsalso feel there would be noimpact of the slowdown overthe next six months ontourism. This is a markedimprovement,” said JyotsnaSuri, Chairperson & ManagingDirector, Bharat Hotels andVice President FICCI.

Echoing similar senti-ments, Vikram Madhok, MD,Abercrombie & Kent Indiahas set up aggressive targetsin the luxury inbound spacethat they operate. “In the firstthree months of the presentyear, we are about 10 percent below target. But, thebooking trend for Septemberonwards is very positive. Infact, we strongly believe thatthe year will be very fruitfuland we will end the year withover 20 per cent growth,”said Madhok.

Arup Sen, Director,Special Projects, Cox & Kingsalso believe that the forth-coming season will offer goodreturns. “The winter of 2013

is expected to be much betterthan 2012. We expect growthin our inbound segment,”said Sen, confidently.

Thomas Cook India iscommitted to its bullish planson the season ahead in 2013.“We are strongly committed

to the plans and targetswe’ve set ourselves for IndiaInbound season 2013-14,”said Surinder Singh Sodhi,Senior Vice President and Head, Leisure Travel- Inbound, ThomasCook India.

Here, Arjun Sharma,MD, LPTI, promptly brings inthe policy initiatives that arefacilitative in nature to stim-ulate demand. “We had seena gradual deceleration ingrowth since the previousseason. We certainly hope

that policy initiatives likeextending Visa-on-Arrival(VoA) scheme, various strate-gic source markets will cer-tainly help in our objective ofstimulating inbound demand.Steps like extension of grantof VoA on five new ports thatwas recently announced will definitely help revive the sentiment.”

The travel fraternityvehemently condemns allcrimes, including instances ofcrime against women.However, they want to high-light in their own way thatIndia is a safe destination fortourists. In Madhok’s wordsthe furore over the safetyaspects and its consequent fallout on foreign arrivals, espe-cially women is overblown.“The tour operators offer sup-port right from the entry pointtill the departure, which prac-tically means that there are nocircumstances whatsoeverthat lead to the safety of ourguests being put at risk. In ourluxury domain, there has beenneither any cancellation norany query on safety of anyregion,” he added.

“With national andinternational media giving

extensive coverage to theincidents, Incredible India’simage has been impactedadversely, more so with theissuance of travel advisories.Media plays a vital role notjust as influencer, but oftendecision-maker and a balanced approach is mission-critical. They shouldalso highlight the measuresand initiatives taken by theMOT, Central & StateGovernment and administra-tion. They should showcasenew tourism-focused devel-opments; unique upcomingdestinations, concepts andtrends,” opined Sodhi.

Sensationalisation ofall incidents does not help inthe long run, Sen said, giv-ing a practitioner’s perspec-tive. “The Indian media hasits share of portraying thepositive aspects of India, asis the case with most international media. Thereis typically no ‘safe destina-tion.’ All destinations havesafe and unsafe pockets andthis keeps changing fromtime to time. The mediacould perhaps look at thisaspect in a more positivelight,” he added.

Eyes steady on inbound tourism targetContd. from page 1

The media shouldalso highlight theinitiatives takenby the MOT,Central and StateGovernment andthe administration

This winter is expected tobe much betterthan 2012. We expectgrowth in oursegment

We stronglybelieve that theyear will be veryfruitful and wewill end the yearwith over 20 percent growth

Vikram MadhokManaging DirectorA&K India

Arup Sen DirectorSpecial Projects, Cox & Kings

Surinder Singh SodhiSenior Vice President & Head, LeisureTravel- Inbound, Thomas Cook India

How has the response of thetourists been to Arunachalthis summer season?

Having the longeststretch of Himalayas in thecountry, Arunachal Pradeshhas been a favoured destina-tion for tourists in the sum-mer to escape the heat. Whenthe rest of the country is reel-ing under extreme heat,Arunachal is blessed withpleasant weather. This yeartoo, we are witnessing steadyflow of domestic tourists andI am told that hotels aroundthe State have witnessedmore than satisfactory book-ings this summer.

How are you promotingArunachal among tourists?

Arunachal Pradesh is adestination which has some-thing to offer to everyone! Itis a delight for adventureseekers. The state is also atreasure trove of culture andheritage- here you can findthe 400-year-old, secondlargest Buddhist monasteryin the world. The State alsoshowcases a distinct cultureand traditions of more than26 major tribes and over 100sub- tribes. Its unique flora

and fauna makes Arunachala bio-diversity hotspot.

Niche products such asangling, bird watching andwellness activities are alsobeing promoted in a big way.We are also planning to sellthe state as a destination idealfor creative people- writers,painters, lyricists, etc.

Are there any roadblocks inpromoting tourism in thestate? If so, what are those?

I don’t see any road-blocks. Yes, we do have challenges before us, butthen all our efforts are beingmade to overcome these very challenges.

Do you think a dedicated airline in the region will help promote tourism in theNortheast?

Air travel definitely iseasy and a faster mode oftransport as it cuts down a lotof travel time. Presently allmetros are well-connectedwith Guwahati airport. Yes, adedicated airline for travel-ling within the Northeastregion will help integrate allthe tourist destinations of thestates in the region. This will provide a very whole-some package, especially for the foreign tourists.

ITM in Guwahati this yearwas the first-of-its-kind martin the region. How has theevent helped attract touriststo Arunachal?

ITM has been a revolu-tionary initiative of theMinistry Of Tourism. This hasput the entire region on globalplatform as a tourist destina-tion. Arunachal Tourism, inparticular, has reaped a lot ofbenefits from ITM. The statetour operators have had excel-lent networking sessions withboth domestic as well interna-tional buyers, and I am certainthat this season will see them getting increased business.

Sonam Chombay, Secretary, Tourism, Arunachal Pradesh,talks about witnessing a steady flow of tourists this summerand how a dedicated airline can help its destinations.

AP gains from ITM-2013STATES

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA

Sonam Chombay Secretary, Tourism, Arunachal Pradesh

Seaplane enters Kerala’s tourism service

The first seaplane, to connectKerala’s backwater destina-tions, arrived at Kochi airportto a ceremonial water salute.Kerala Minister for Tourism AP Anil Kumar, accompaniedby State Planning Board ViceChairman KM Chandrasekharand state Tourism SecretarySuman Billa, formallyreceived the aircraft as ittouched down at theNedumbassery InternationalAirport, on its maiden flight toKerala. The service would beformally inaugurated by Chief Minister OommenChandy at Ashtamudi Lake inKollam district on June 2.

Air India plans new ways to earnThe government-owned Air India is looking at star ting courier services for Central, stategovernments and big corporate houses by the second half of this financial year, a newsreportsaid. “We are now looking at utilising our surplus capacity and manpower to commencecourier services for Central and state governments, public sector enterprises and corporatehouses,” said airline officials.

NEWS1 6 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

It is not possible for thegovernment to develop the

tourism and hospitality sectorin any state without the sup-port of private stakeholders,Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister,Bihar, feels. Urging privatecompanies to invest in thetourism and hospitality sectorin the state, he said, “We haddiscussions with the traveland tour operators during thelast Udyami Panchayat. I guarantee security to theinvestors, but first theyshould invest.”

Kumar was speaking atthe ‘Bihar Calling: Conferenceon Tourism, Heritage andHospitality’ organised by theState Tourism department inassociation with the IndianChamber of Commerce.“Right now, tourists are com-ing on their own, but oncedevelopment starts, therewould be a lot of competitionin the market, and you shouldmake full use of the opportu-nity now,” he said to the

investors. According to theUnion Government report,over 11 lakh foreign touristsvisited the State in 2012,compared to only 94,000 in

2006. The CM informed thatover 50 lakh visitors areexpected in the State to cele-brate 350 years of Takht SriHarmandir at Patna Saheb in2016. The state had soughtfunds from the Centre to facilitate the event.

Bihar needs to have arefined roadmap for tourismthat concentrates on every element, Shaun Mann,Tourism Programme Manager,International FinanceCorporation (IFC) opines. “We

have signed an agreementwith the Government of Indiaand the Government of Biharrecently in May for developingthe Buddhist circuit in Bihar,

utilising funds to the tune of ` 5 crore. The project is basically aimed at filling up the infrastructure and theresources gaps in the Buddhisttourism sector in India. Wewould start identifying theinfrastructure gaps in theBuddhist circuit in the state bythe end of June,” he added.According to Karan Anand,Director, Cox and Kings,there is a positive vibe in thestate, but much has to bedone in the field of infrastruc-

ture development, hotels andhighways among others.

Kamal Sahi, ResidentDirector, Bihar State Office,

Indian Chamber ofCommerce feels,“We areplanning another event in

October or November thatwill focus on inbound touriststo the state.”

At the ‘Bihar Calling: Conference on Tourism, Heritage and Hospitality’, tourism experts brainstorm on theneed to promote the spiritual heritage of the state through a new branding strategy.

Nitish woos tourism investors for BiharME G H A PAU L

I guaranteesecurity to the investors,but first they shouldinvest

Nitish KumarChief Minister Bihar

Much has tobe done in thefield ofinfrastructuredevelopment,hotels andhighways

Bihar needsto have atourismroadmap thatconcentrateson everyelement

Shaun MannTourism Programme Manager,International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Karan AnandDirectorCox and Kings

We are planning an event in themonths of October and November,focussing on inbound tourists

Kamal Sahi, Resident Director, Bihar State Office,Indian Chamber of Commerce

Travel agents had beengradually pressed to

hunt for newer avenues thatcan yield remuneration,especially when earningsfrom the air-component hadbeen diminishing. One suchoffering has now been offi-cially launched byInterGlobe TechnologyQuotient (ITQ), a strategicbusiness unit of InterGlobeEnterprises throughTravelport’s technologicaltool ‘Travelport Rooms andMore’ for the Indian market.

JB Singh, CEO,InterGlobe TechnologyQuotient said, “India is anextremely important,evolved market for ITQ andwe see a great businesspotential here. The technol-ogy platform has been devel-oped keeping in mind theneeds of the travel agencies.It will help them create moreremuneration from the non-air content.” The technologyoffering is aimed at improv-ing the travel agent’s pro-ductivity through the avail-ability of a wide variety ofhotel booking options in thehospitality domain and offerssmarter, efficient and

evolved booking services totravel agents.

“Travelport Rooms andMore is a web-based hotelprice comparison and book-ing engine. We have tied upwith over 26 global hotel

aggregators, along withnegotiating with hotelsdirectly. It serves as a one-stop shop for travel agentsto search, shop and bookfrom a choice of more than6,00,000 hotel propertieswith over a million offers

available across these prop-erties. Currently, the inven-tory accessible to both cor-porate and leisure travelagents in India stands at90,000 properties across theworld,” said SandeepDwivedi, Chief CommercialOfficer, ITQ.

“We have tested ourapplication for a few monthswith 300 travel agenciesspread across India. We hopeto take the tally of agents toover 1,200 by end of theyear, which also will be thesecond phase of this applica-tion. We are also willing towork with smaller hotelaggregators in India. In fact,we have a few other applica-tions ready, which will beshortly released in the mar-ket. We are also launching itin the Sri Lankan market.”

Travelport Rooms and More’ has already been tested for a few monthswith 300 travel agencies spread across India.

300 ayes for Rooms & More

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Currently, theinventoryaccessiblestands at 90,000propertiesacross the world

The techplatform hasbeen developedkeeping in mind the needsof the travelagencies

JB Singh CEOInterGlobe Technology Quotient

Sandeep DwivediChief Commercial OfficerITQ

The technology offering isaimed at improving thetravel agent’s productivitythrough the availability of awide variety of hotelbooking options in thehospitality domain andoffers smarter, efficient andevolved booking services totravel agents.

Enhancing Efficiency

With just 80,000 Indiansa year opting for cruise hol-idays, cruise tourism is oneof the most untappedtourism segments in thecountry. To bring in end-to-end solutions and providecomplete value chain expe-rience for the trade, RoyalCaribbean International isin process of introducing adedicated website in India.TIRUN Travel Marketing,who is representing thecruise company in India, iscurrently working closelywith the trade across Indiaand is positive to launchthe dedicated portal. Theportal will not only provideinformation about the var-ious cruise ships, packages,dates of travel and routes,but also provide accessibil-ity to check availability andonline booking channel. Itwill also act as an onlinetraining portal which willhelp front-line staff under-stand the cruise companyand sell it better to trav-ellers.

Recently, RoyalCaribbean International’sMariner of the Seas shipmade her first Asian stop atMormugao Port, Goa.Speaking on the sidelinesof the event, RatnaChadha, Chief Executive,TIRUN Travel Marketing

said, “With only close to80,000 cruise passengers ayear from India, the poten-tial is huge in the comingyears.” The company tiedup with JetEscapes, theholiday brand from JetAirways, to launch ‘FlyCruise’ packages for

‘Mariner of The Seas’cruiseship. TIRUN TravelMarketing is also workingclosely with trade andexpanding its focus tomini-metro cities. With air-lines intending to removetravel agents from theirsupply chain and reachingout directly to end-con-sumers, Royal Caribbean isstrengthening its relationswith the trade. Chadhasaid, “It is impossible tothink of removing the tradefrom our distribution chain, as they are the mostimportant part of our value chain.”

Royal Caribbean tohave Indian portal

Ratna ChadhaChief ExecutiveTIRUN Travel Marketing

STATES

While most travellerswould typically skip

India during the monsoons,the states are now gearingup to tap this segment bypromoting the unique thrillsoffered by this Indian sea-son. After aggressively pro-moting its backwaters andhouseboats, Kerala is nowpromoting its tourist spots asa 365-day destination.Betting big on monsoontourism in the State, it isexpecting to boost footfallsto the lesser-known destina-tions. The Wayanad mon-soon carnival-Splash is anexample of the joint efforts of the state government and WayanadTourism Organisation(WTO). On the lines of theSamba Carnival in Brazil, themonsoon tourism projectwas first held in 2009. Thishas now become a regularannual feature which leadsto a get-together of trav-ellers, tourism writers andentrepreneurs, who sharetheir joy and concern overnature and tourism.

During the nine-dayprogramme, WTO will offerboth indoor and outdooractivities for tourists. Theoutdoor activities will includecountry rafting, paddy-trans-plantation, crab-tours, localarchery, elephant ride, slushploughing, slush football,

volley ball, rain biking, shop-ping wherein it offers localartifacts, souvenirs, SHGstalls and tribal food stalls.While for the indoor activi-ties, it will organise a photoexhibition on the monsoonsin Wayanad, Ayurvedic reju-venation programme andseminars on coffee, tea,spices, value-addition of localspices, organic farming andtribal protection.

Into its fifth year now,Splash has helped in posi-tioning Wayanad as a mon-

soon destination in both thedomestic and internationaltourism circuits. Givingmore details about theevent, K Ravindran,Coordinator, Splash 2013says, “Designed to offer thelocal flavour of the destina-tion to the travellers, theevent this year will beorganised from July 12-14in Wayanad. The focus ofthis year’s programme willbe the ‘Business To

Business’ meet (B2B) inwhich more than 400 travelagents across the nation areexpected to interact with theproperty owners. We arehappy to say that almost 350 travel agents havealready registered for thebusiness-meet.”

Talking about earlierdays, Ravindran reminisces,“In 2005, Kerala Tourism firststarted talking about the gloryof ‘when the heavens touchthe earth’. This was the state’s first initiative towards

promoting itself as a monsoondestination.” Regarding thepromotion of the project out-side Kerala and its futurestrategies, he informs, “Wewill promote the programmeaggressively at the road showsorganised by Kerala Tourism.We will also launch this pro-gramme in several places suchas Chennai, Hyderabad,Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai,Nagpur, Kolkata, Delhi andPune later.”

Into its fifth year now, Splash has helped in positioningWayanad as a monsoon destination in both the domesticand international tourism circuits.

Making a Splash this season

TT BU R E AU

In 2005, Kerala Tourism first startedtalking about the glory of ‘when theheavens touch the earth’. This was thestate’s first initiative towards promotingitself as a monsoon destination

K Ravindran, Coordinator, Splash 2013

The top 20 global citiesWith Southeast Asian

tourism exploding withthe growth of the region'supper-middle class, it is the rise of the Orient now. According to the new MasterCard GlobalDestination City Index,

Bangkok has pipped London as the most-visitedcity in the world by interna-tional tourists. However, theforeign visitors still spendmore in New York than in any other city by a wide mar-gin. Eleven of the 12 cities

with the fastest increase in air travel connectivity are"east and south of Istanbul,"reflecting the growth ofwealth in Asia and its growingimportance as a destinationfor businesses from the U.S. and Europe.

Top 20 Tourist Destinations

RESEARCH TALK1 8 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Statistics and surveys haveshown the success of

Incredible India reaching outto the world, but to become anAsian tourism giant it still hasa long way to reach that goal.

In PATA’s forecast of vis-itors’ arrivals for 2013-2017,South Asia (Bhutan, India,Maldives, Nepal and SriLanka) shows a respectableincrease of 26 per cent, from10,364,239 visitors in 2013to 14,116,226 visitors in2017. Of these, countries likeIndia and Sri Lanka are mak-ing the maximum effort towoo tourists, with Visa-on-Arrival schemes and afford-able tour packages.

Other forecasts showvisitor arrivals from 2013-2017, South Asia consistentlyscores over and aboveOceania (Australia and NewZealand) and Polynesia {CookIslands, French Polynesia(Tahiti), Hawaii, Niue, Samoaand Tonga}. South Asia has aprojected forecast of 10.36million visitors in 2013,which grows steadily to14.11 million in 2017. ForOceania, the rise is moregradual, but not any lessimpressive. From a projected8.79 million in 2013, the vis-itor arrivals grow up to 9.45million in 2017. Similarly,Polynesia’s growth storystarts from 8.35 million in2013, and has a projectedrise to 9.18 million in 2017.This projection and compar-ison is well in line with pre-dictions of South Asian des-tinations winning visitors asaccessibility and affordabilityrise in the coming years.

Also, variety and the growingfinancial power of Asiantourists will power cross-Asian tourism.

Even within Asia, thereare tourism powerhouseswhich are head-and-

shoulders above others. Indiais still grasping to touch oneper cent of the world tourismpopulation, while there areothers who have gone beyondthe mark. A comparison ofvisitor forecasts of South Asiaand South-East Asia revealsthe wide divide between theneighbours. South-East Asia;which consists of tourist-friendly countries such asCambodia, Indonesia, LaoPDR, Malaysia, Myanmar,Phillipines, Singapore,Thailand and Vietnam; has arosier forecast of attracting96.41 million visitors in 2013alone. This figure rises incre-mentally until it touches118.63 million expectedtourists in the next five year,compared to 14.11 million forSouth Asia in 2017. Visitorarrivals to the Asia Pacificregion will continue to growwith an average annualgrowth rate of 4.1% over theperiod 2013-2017 and reach581 million by 2017.

It is interesting to notethat the Americas (Centraland North America), wholong have attracted massesthe world over, have notflagged in their efforts. ThePATA’s visitor forecast for theAmericas have pegged thenumber at 109.44 million vis-itors for this year, 112 millionfor 2015, and a healthy115.12 million for 2017.

But Asian tourismpower shines through in toto,when the numbers forAmericas’ tourism figures arecompared to Asia, whichinclude China, Hong KongSAR, Macau SAR, Japan,Korea and Mongolia. HongKong SAR has been predicted

to surpass the USA to be thesecond largest inbound des-tination in Asia Pacific in 2015itself. For 2013, PATA predictsAsian tourism numbers to hit364.57 million tourists, andcontinue to rocket to 443.49

million in 2017. This will bein part because China willcontinue to be the topinbound destination in theAsia Pacific, peaking at 147.4million visitors in 2017. It isalso pertinent to note that

Cambodia, the Maldives,Chinese Taipei, Bhutan andMongolia will be the top fivefastest growing destinationsin terms of visitor arrivals

over the period 2013-2017.In return, visitor arrivals tothe Asia Pacific from Chinawill exceed 100 million by2015. This is confirming the

fact of the burgeoningChinese middle-class, whohas now the financial power and the desire to seemore of Asia.

Asia will continue to power the world tourism economy in the next five years to come, with new destinations,attractive packages, more air-routes and sheer visitor numbers. But to achieve dominance will take a lot ofplanning and foresight from the countries’ governments and tourism bodies.

Watch out for S Asia: New tourism giant

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Source: PATA

RESEARCH TALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 1 9

India’s private airlines,which were once seen as

a bright symbol of theircountry’s modernisation,are now coping with enor-mous losses and mountingdebts. CAPA estimates thatIndia’s airlines posted acombined loss of US$1.65billion in FY13 US$1.15 bil-lion (if Kingfisher is exclud-ed), down from approxi-mately US$2.28 billion the previous year. More than 40% of the loss was

incurred in the last quarteralone, squandering theimproved performance posted during the first ninemonths of the year. IndiGo,however, emerged as a clear winner with an estimated US$100-110

million profit on revenue of US$1.5-1.6 billion.

A key contributor tothe overall debt has beenthe industry’s accumulatedlosses since 2007, whichwere approaching US$9.5billion as at March 31, 2013.This has resulted in contin-ued erosion of the net worthof India’s carriers which areestimated as follows: AirIndia FY12 (US$3 billion);GoAir FY12 (US$107 mil-lion); IndiGo FY12 (US$69million); Jet Airways (US$62million); Jet Konnect

(US$311 million); andSpiceJet (US$41million).

Emirates emerges asIndia’s leading internation-al airline in FY13

On the internationalfront, an important develop-

ment was that in FY-13, forthe first time a foreign car-rier, Emirates, claimed thehighest market share fortraffic to/from India. AirIndia, historically the mar-ket leader on internationalroutes, was impacted by the

grounding of its 787s formost of the last quarter. JetAirways only saw a marginalincrease in traffic, as it con-solidated its network anddropped services to pointssuch as New York JFK,

Milan, Johannesburg andKuala Lumpur.

Both Jet Airways and AirIndia remain vulnerable ondomestic routes, especially asthey continue to operate witha full-service cost-structure ina market that has shifted pre-dominantly to low-cost. Untilboth of these full-service car-riers develop a competitivedomestic cost-structure, thesector will remain unviable.

Passenger numbers expect-ed to cross 60 million onceagain in FY-14

The domestic traffic isexpected to expand by fourto six per cent in FY-14, withmost of the growth to occurin the second half of theyear. Starting from Q3, thetraditional festival and hol-iday traffic is expected to besupplemented by increasedpassenger movements driv-en by state elections inNovember, and then by gen-eral elections some timeprior to May 2014. AirAsia’spossible entry in the secondhalf of this financial yearcould also provide some fur-ther growth, although theairline will still be relativelysmall even by the end of theforecast period. These fac-tors could push growth toabove six per cent subject tomarket conditions from Q3onwards. CAPA expects thatby the end of FY-14, domes-tic traffic will have matchedor slightly exceeded the pre-vious high water-mark ofjust over 60 million annualdomestic passengers report-ed in FY-12.

International traffic couldgrow at 10-12%

International trafficgrowth is expected to bemore buoyant than domesticand could grow by 10-12 percent, as Indian carriersexpand and as more bilateralentitlements are expected tobe granted to foreign carriers.As is the case for domestictraffic, the second half of theyear is expected to accountfor majority of the growth.Capacity expansion during

the year ahead is likely to bearound 10 per cent, largelydriven by LCCs. Jet is alreadyprofitable on internationaloperations and is expected tofurther strengthen its per-formance in the coming yearas a result of its increasingcooperation with Etihad.IndiGo and SpiceJet are bothnearing breakeven on over-seas routes.

In toto: Losses to nullifyprofits

CAPA estimated thatIndia’s private airlines couldpost combined profits ofUS$250-300 million or morein FY-14. The projectedbreakdown is as follows-GoAir (US$8-10 million profit); IndiGo (US$100-120million profit); Jet Airways(US$125+ million profit);SpiceJet (US$25-30 millionprofit). However, the overallindustry result is expected to remain in the red, draggeddown by a projected US$750-800 million lossfrom Air India.

Ancillaries expected to begrasped with greatervigour as regulator givesgreen light

The recent green lightgiven by the regulator forunbundling of fares(although technically therewas no formal restrictionearlier) should see airlinespursue ancillary opportuni-ties more aggressively.CAPA estimated that thereis the potential for carriersto generate an additionalUS$500 million per annumthrough this channel to bedeveloped over the next twoyears. Only a fraction of thisis expected to be tapped inthe coming year as it willtake some time to imple-ment new initiatives, how-ever more significant bene-fits can be expected toaccrue from FY15 onwards.Easy revenue options suchas charging for premiumseats and priority check-incould generate an additionalUS$10-12 million relativelyquickly in the current financial year.

A recent CAPA India study highlights that Indian carriers have lost US$1.65 billion in FY13, 40% of annualloss was generated in the last quarter. But, IndiGo came out with an estimated US$ 100-110 million in profit.

Airlines fly through turbulence of FY13

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Reported and Estimated Indian Carrier Revenue and Net Income in FY-12 and FY-13Airlines FY-12 Revenue FY-12 Net Income FY-13 Revenue FY-13 Net Income

Air India USD2.6bn (USD1.4bn) USD3.0bn (USD 950 mn)GoAir USD278mn (USD 24mn) USD 375-400 mn (USD14-16mn)IndiGo USD1.0bn (USD 23 mn) UD 1.5-1.6 bn (USD100-110mn)Jet Airways USD2.7bn (USD 226mn) USD 3.0 bn (USD87mn)Jet Konnect USD340mn (USD 33mn) USD 387mn (USD53mn)Kingfisher USD1.0bn (USD 423 mn) USD91mn (USD500-520+mn)SpiceJet USD720mn (USD 109mn) USD 1.0 bn (USD34mn)Source: CAPA Research and company filings. *Data for unlisted carriers Air India, GoAir, and IndiGo are CAPA estimates. Final results forthese carriers may vary due to one-off accounting adjustments

Source: CAPA

FAMILY ALBUM2 0 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Bringing together over 1,000 sellers and buyers from both its local and international markets, the Canadian Tourism Commission recently hosted itsbiggest annual market place, Rendez-Vous Canada (RVC)-2013. Canada is a major player in the international tourism arena and RVC plays a significantrole annually in driving tourism business to this country. Hundreds of influential international travel buyers assembled at the nation’s capital andthe Ottawa Convention Centre on May 12-15 for 23,000 pre-scheduled face-to-face business appointments with Canadian sellers of tourism productsand services. In all, close to 1,500 tourism delegates attended the four-day event.

A Canadian Rendezvous in Ottawa

Saying YES to co-operative tourismEdge of India recently organised a National Seminar titled ‘Co-operative Tourism: The next Socio-Economic Enabler’ in New Delhi to bringtogether stakeholders from private and public sector for co-operative tourism. The network was developed through a programme funded by theScottish Government and implemented by partners in India and Scotland.

AVIATION

The Delhi-based budgetcarrier has been recently

granted permission by theMinistry of Civil Aviation,Government of India, toimport 28 A-320 aircraft in2013 and 2014. According tothe company statement, “Theadditional aircraft will enableIndiGo to take its low-fareand hassle-free service tomore customers and enablestronger connectivity withinIndia and abroad.”

Recently, IndiGolaunched seven new flightson its domestic network. Itwill now operate a new dailydirect flight between Mumbaiand Jammu, a new directflight between Chennai andKochi, a second daily flightbetween Mumbai andSrinagar, a second non-stopflight between Chennai andTrivandrum. Besides these, itwill also start a second non-stop flight between Mumbaiand Trivandrum, a second

daily non-stop flight betweenJammu and Srinagar andthird direct flight betweenMumbai and Kochi. Also,from June 15, IndiGo willconnect Mumbai and Muscatwith daily and direct flights.These new services will further consolidate IndiGowith 422 flights connecting33 destinations across the nation.

In a recent interview toCNN, IndiGo President AdityaGhosh said he is content withexpanding the network in a

phased manner. “They (otherairlines) fly double the num-ber of planes than we have,but we focus on business,”said Ghosh.

The carrier’s ASKMs, ameasure of capacity in theairline industry, grew 25%year-on-year during January-March 2013 to 5.5 million,even as industry-wideASKMs declined 4% to 18.83million. IndiGo’s increasingcapacity has been furtheraided by its high seat factor.In April, the airline had seatfactors of 83.8% and duringthe first three months of theyear, it averaged 82.7%.

IndiGo has recently launched seven new flights connecting six destinations in the domestic sector,and placed orders for 28 A-320 aircraft worth morethan $15 billion with Airbus.

Six more cities connected

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Aditya Ghosh PresidentIndiGo

It will now operate a new dailydirect flight between Mumbai andJammu, a new direct flightbetween Chennai and Kochi, asecond daily flight betweenMumbai and Srinagar, a secondnon-stop flight between Chennaiand Trivandrum

Flight Plans

Claiming to be the largestand most profitable air-

line of China, Air Chinarecently celebrated its maid-en year of operations fromMumbai (the first flight wasoperated on May 3, 2012).Currently, the airline is oper-

ating a total of 11 weeklyflights from India (Mumbai,New Delhi and Bengaluru) to185 destinations worldwideincluding all domestic desti-nations in China. In just oneyear, the airline has acquiredNo.2 position from No.4 inthe category of airlines oper-ating on ex-Mumbai to Chinaroute which clearly indicatesthe growth and progress ofthe airline in India, informsTang Zhongling, GeneralManager, Air China. He adds,

“In an earnest quest toachieve the No.1 position, theairline strives to adapt to cus-tomer demands in India.”

In 2012-13, Air Chinarecorded an average load fac-tor of 85 per cent and the fre-quency of flights wasincreased from three times a

week to four times a week onex-Mumbai to accommodatethe increased passenger load.According to Zhongling, 65per cent of the travel to Chinais business while 35 per centis leisure and VFR traffic.“The passenger load hasbeen growing, encouragingus to increase our flights fromIndia to other cities in China,”adds Zhongling.

Delhi-based STICTravels has been appointed

as the GSA for the airline tomanage sales in West andSouth India. Commentingon the first anniversary ofthe airline for Mumbai oper-ations, Subhash Goyal,Chairman, STIC TravelGroup said, “We have beenpromoting Air China astheir representatives for

more than two decades andare proud to be a part oftheir growth in India. Trade and tourism between India and China has been growing ata rapid pace, with tradeincreasing from USD 2.92billion in 2000 to USD 66.57billion in 2012. We look for-ward to developing thisroute and working towardsincreasing Air China's foot-print to multiple citiesacross India.”

After becoming the No.2 airline operating on ex-Mumbai-China route, the airline is considering to connect more Chinese cities from India

Air China honours agents

AN I TA JA I N

(L-R): Tang Zhongling , GM, Air China Mumbai, Richa Goyal Sikri, Group Business Director, STIC, Subhash Goyal, ChairmanSTIC with Air China Team Mumbai

The interest of hotel com-panies seeking to invest

in India has not appeared towane. Joint ventures arebeing announced, expansionplans are getting drawn up,both private equity and pen-sion funds are seeking todeploy capital, and newergroups are looking to get afoothold in the market.

This is also indicated by the Foreign DirectInvestment (FDI) in thenation’s hospitality industrythat has surged in the lastfinancial year, amidst animprovement in investmentclimate. According to thedata of the Department ofIndustrial Policy andPromotion (DIPP), the sectorhas attracted FDI worth US$ 3.21 billion during April,2012-February, 2013. TheFDI inflow in the sector in thelast fiscal is significantlyhigher as compared to the flow of US$ 3.37 billion,

which the country receivedduring the last 12 years end-ing March, 2012. The foreigninflows in the hotel andtourism sector did not figurein the DIPP's list of the top-10 recipients of FDI prior toSeptember, 2012.

Much-needed govt boostTalking about the

recent development, NakulAnand, President, HotelAssociation of India says, “Itis definitely good news forthe hospitality and tourismindustry. However, a lotneeds to be done even now.Besides taxation andhuman-resource relatedissues, the governmentneeds to take more steps toboost investment in this sec-tor. There is a need to lookat land-related problems forthe hospitality sector. Therecent DIAL hotels’ issuealso needs to be solved asquickly as possible.”

According to KamleshBarot, Immediate PastPresident, FHRAI, unfriendlytourist taxes and policies willonly detract FDI in the sector.“The previous few budgetsby the Centre have not onlyincreased taxes on accommo-dation, but also on Food &Beverage. Only a few stateslike Odisha have actuallymade tourism-friendly initia-tives at the governmentlevel. The rest of the statesfeel that by making tax per-centages higher, they wouldgather more revenue fortheir exchequer. India is agreat tourism market, andthat is propelling investorinterest. Internationalinvestors typically demandgreater research of the mar-ket and greater transparency,which the country needs tobuild into its system. We rank132 out of 165 in the busi-ness-friendly index acrossthe globe,” he informs.

Unknowingly, manytourist-unfriendly practiceslike the FSI and operating-time regulations under thepretext of security in prime tourist spots likeMumbai, drive investmentsaway from the entire state. “If the governmentfocusses on the industry, wecan leave the InformationTechnology industry far backward. But the gov-ernment needs to prioritisehospitality, as Karnatakaflourished bringing IT to thefore. If we remove the transaction of last year, theFDI inflows would drop toabout 300-400 million dol-lars, which is broadly in linewith the trend in previousyears,” he adds.

Filling the gapResponding to the FDI

increase, Barot remarks,“The challenge for FDIinvestors is that most inter-national hotel operating com-panies would prefer to oper-ate and not necessarilyinvest. Therefore, they alsoobserve the private equityroute or need a third-party tofinance and own the hotel. Tofind reliable and committedhotel-owners is a challenge

for them. And to date, inter-national foreign investmentin India in all forms of realestate, in hotels or assetbuilding is minimal.” In otherdeveloped markets-a lot ofmarkets in the West andsome markets in Asia-thereis significant foreign invest-ment already, whether inoffice buildings or hotels. InIndia, foreign investmentshows the sector has record-ed unprecedented FDI equityinflow. This is impressive,considering the cumulativeinflows over the 12-year peri-od from April 2000 to March2012 were just $3.37 billion.However, the fact is that this

jump is almost entirely onaccount of a very large singletransaction last year, he adds.

Less development riskAkshay Kulkarni,

Regional Director-Hospitality,South & Southeast Asia,Cushman & Wakefield feelscloser scrutiny of the invest-ments that have come in,reveal that the most of thisinvestment is driven byeither structured firms who

have bought existing portfo-lios or through HNIs whomay have bought one or twolarge assets with funds thathave come in through inter-national routes. “One of themajor reasons for theincrease in the FDI is the factthat the development risk isnow reduced, as these assetsare nearing completion orhave been completed,” hearticulates.

Shagun Sethi, Director,Sales and Marketing,Fairmont Jaipur feels tax hol-idays would certainly encour-age FDI and will definitelyhelp in new hotel develop-

After the windfall in FDI in the hospitality industry, hotel experts give their opinion on its impact on the overallindustry. But the fact is that the sudden increase is only because of one single large investment and not a changein investment climate, which would have led to a sustained performance.

A $3.2 billion FDI windfall for hospitality

ME G H A PAU L

ANALYSIS2 2 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Only a fewstates likeOdisha haveactually madetourism-friendlyinitiatives at thegovernmentlevel

There is aneed to look at land-relatedproblems forthe country’shospitalitysector

Nakul AnandPresidentHotel Association of India

Kamlesh BarotImmediate Past PresidentFHRAI

Incentives shouldbe extended to allcategories ofhotels, so that theirexpansion planscan pick up therequiredmomentum

One of the majorreasons for theincrease in FDI is the fact that thedevelopmentrisk is nowreduced

Akshay KulkarniRegional Director – Hospitality, South &Southeast Asia, Cushman & Wakefield

Shagun SethiDirector, Sales and MarketingFairmont Jaipur

Contd. on page 32

Aerocity in New Delhi

TripAdvisor has intro-duced its new feature

Property Dashboard forhotels in the Indian market.The Property Dashboard fea-ture, which expands the ana-lytics services available onthe TripAdvisor ManagementCentre, gives business list-ings subscribers access tostrategic data about their vis-itors, competitors and mar-ketplace. Julio Bruno, GlobalVice President of Sales,TripAdvisor for Businesssaid, “The Dashboard is onlyavailable to TripAdvisor busi-ness listings subscribers, andit provides access to strategicdata about visitors, competi-tors and marketplace. Theseinsights-available only onTripAdvisor-help accommo-dations succeed online.”

The PropertyDashboard casts light on aproperty’s key performanceindicators. Information onthe ‘Your Visitors’ pageenables property owners torefine their property’s target market. The page alsoprovides insights on trav-ellers who view a property,including the countriesthey’re coming from, whythey travel, how long theyplan to stay and how far inadvance they are booking.The page also spotlights theother accommodations in aproperty’s area travellers are considering. The ‘Your Competitors’ pageenables property owners tokeep an eye on their competition and track theperformance of properties

that are closest to them onthe Popularity index. Theycan compare metrics acrossfour properties, includingTripAdvisor rating, totalreviews, reviews in the last30 days, top commenttrends, total photos, activespecial offers, and activeslideshows.

Speaking on the mar-keting plans for PropertyDashboard in India, Brunosaid, “To market this productto hoteliers in India, we needto share more informationabout TripAdvisor in order tohelp hospitality businesses inthe country promote them-selves to travellers searching

for products and servicesonline and to engage withthe TripAdvisor travellercommunity. For this reason,we filmed our first video tes-timonials in India this yearwith three properties includ-ing The Leela Palace NewDelhi, Royal Heritage Haveli(Jaipur), and Hotel Pearl

Palace (Jaipur). We will alsoorganise seminars andevents to help hoteliers dis-cover the array of tools andresources offered by us.” In2012, over 650 hoteliersattended TripAdvisor MasterClass events in Delhi,Mumbai, Kolkata andChennai.

TripAdvisor’s new feature, which has been launched in India, is available only to business listing subscribers.It captures analytics generated by a hotel property, its visitors, competitors and the marketplace.

e-Dashboard edge for the hotel sectorTT BUREAU

The Dashboardfeatures enable propertyowners torefine theirproperty’starget market

Julio BrunoGlobal Vice President of SalesTripAdvisor for Business

The Property Dashboardcasts light on a property’s key performance indicators.Information on the ‘Yourvisitors’ page enablesproperty owners to refine theirproperty’s target market

Tech Edge

TECHNOLOGY J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 2 3

AGENTS2 4 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Tell us about the growthof medical tourism inIndia through the years.

It really took off in 2003with Pakistan’s baby Noor’ssuccessful heart operation inBangalore. Till 2007, only ahandful of internationalpatients were arriving fromNepal and Afghan for treat-ments at Escorts Heart insti-tute, Apollo Chennai andDevi Shetty’s NarayanaHrudayalaya. Apollo Delhiwas simply getting 50-60international patients whenwe entered into an agree-ment with Iraq after the lib-eration. We had to make surethat the patients got bed ontime and had the kind of foodthey needed. But when 100war-ravaged kids arrived atthe hospital for cochlearimplants, we had a tough jobin hand. Looking after theattendants was more chal-lenging than the actualpatient care. Language was abarrier, so we had 24-hourinterpreters on the floor. Wehad to serve their cuisine atthe hospital.

After the procedures,most patients had to stayback for recovery. So weneeded to develop guest-houses as hospital stay wasexpensive. These had to becertified by us for beingsecure, safe, patient-friendly,offering proper sanitation,good food and clean water.Then came challenges likeconverting foreign exchangeat the hospital as thesepatients usually travelledwith wads of cash. And final-ly, the hospital had to dealwith Foreigner RegionalRegistration Offices (FRRO).

Now the hospitality partof healthcare is pretty fine-tuned by now. There are a lotof bed-and-breakfast placescharging between $40 to

$100 per night. Hospitals arearranging visa-assistance let-ters, airport picks and drops.Initially embassies woulddelay, but now a lot ofembassies have gone online.

What are the challengesthat still persist?

Medical tourists areissued a special visa calledN9. But it is twice as expen-sive as an ordinary visa. Butwhy should we charge morefor medical visa? Also,patients or their attendantsneed to go for police verifica-tion the moment they arrivein India. But how can you

expect a patient to be takento the police station? So usu-ally, the attendant has to goto the police station in personafter arrival and at the end oftheir stay. The hospital has toensure that this informationis given to the cops. Also, if aperson needs a visa exten-sion, then the patient or hisattendant has to go to theembassy and the ministry toget an extension and thenapproach the FRRO. Anotherissue is that these medicaltourists can’t return for areview within six months. Areview is particularly crucialfor cancer patients, for a childwho has undergone a heartsurgery, and liver and renaltransplant patients.

CII’s subcommittee onmedical tourism has beenworking on this since the lastseven years. Initially, it wasinvolved in marketing, organ-ising roadshows and travelsin Dubai, UK, US andThailand. But now, it is morefocused on policy matters likevisa issues and other mattersconcerning medical travel.All the major hospitals arepart of this committee,including Fortis, Apollo,Medanta.

What is the market sizeand growth potential ofmedical tourism inIndia?

According to anASSOCHEM study, the mar-ket size of the Indian medicaltourism sector is likely to beworth Rs 10,800 crore by2015. The inflow of medicaltourists in India is also likelyto cross 32 lakh by that time.While health tourisminvolves wellness, Siddhayoga and cosmetic, dental,eye procedures; medicaltourism involves top-notchhealth care procedures likecancer, cardiology, neuro-sciences, orthopedics andtransplants. It is 70 percentof the total business.

Unfortunately, it is notgrowing at a pace that wasanticipated as the level ofhealth-care is fast improvingin countries like Mexico,Costa Rica, Ireland, etc.Thailand and Singapore werealways ahead of us, but nowMexico is catering to theAmericas, as it is closerhome. And nobody will cometo India unless they are sav-ing US $5,000 or more. Also,NHS has improved its effi-ciency by inducting moredoctors and reducing waitingperiods for procedures. So theWestern world is not comingto India. Our source marketlies between India and Africaand also SAARC nations,

Middle East, Central Asiancountries and erstwhileSoviet Union, includingUzbekistan, Ukraine,Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, etc.

But we can’t be compla-cent. Even in the depth ofAfrica, Chinese and Koreandoctors are opening up hos-pitals with local partners. Soour opportunities are fastdepleting and at this pace,the market will slow down inanother 15 years.

Can travel agents revivethis market?

Travel agents have abig role to play in marketingmedical tourism overseas.They can provide hospitalitysupport to patients and theirattendants by providingservices on the ground, liketravel, local transportation,hotels, guest houses andsite-seeing. But more impor-tantly, they should try tobring patients to India asmost of them have officesabroad. They need to pene-trate and liaise with localdoctors, hospitals, associa-tions who can refer patientshere. India, after all, offersworld-class healthcare atone-fifth the cost. I fail tounderstand why IncredibleIndia, which pushes healthand wellness, cannot pushmedical tourism as well.

Travel agents are scaredof the indemnity side of thisbusiness. They feel that if apatient dies, agents may getsued. But they should under-stand that this is not a possi-bility, as the patient is comingto India on his own will, aftersigning a consent form.Otherwise, hospitals wouldbe out of business in no time.We need to address this con-cern, and then travel agentswill be the right arm of med-ical tourism. We can worktogether, pick out a market ortwo and test it out.

The Indian medical tourism sector is set to cross `10,800 crore by 2015according to an ASSOCHAM study. But Anil K. Maini, Chairman, CII SubCommittee on Medical Tourism and Medanta’s senior advisor, insists thatthe sector will not grow unless travel agents penetrate newer markets.

Agents needed to drive medical tourism

TE E N A BA R UA H

Anil K. MainiChairmanCII Sub Committee on Medical Tourism

Started in February 2013,World Travel Studio is all

about personalised holidaysfor FITs at exotic and unex-plored locations in India andoverseas. The companyplans to establish itself onthe B2B and B2C levelthrough word-of-mouth,extensive services, branchoffices and providing end-to-end travel booking experi-ence. Currently based inMumbai and connectedthrough toll-free numberwith pan-India agents andcustomers, it will have pres-ence in New Delhi,Bengaluru and Chennai inthe next one year. It is alsogetting active on socialmedia channels like face-book, LinkedIn, etc and willsoon roll out its portal(www.worldtravelstudio.com) to mark its presence inonline space and tap thetech-savvy travellers.

According to HareshKoyande, Director, WorldTravel Studio; online pres-ence is of utmost importance.He said, “Today, travellers aredoing their holiday researchonline, but still make theirbookings offline as they needspecialist advice and assis-tance in packaging their hol-iday which includes insur-

ance, transfers, sightseeing,visas, etc. Through ourexpertise, we intend to assistmid- and small-sized agentswho are proficient in ticket-ing, but need support inground-handling services.Since we are dealing directlywith DMCs in India, weassure our partners for bestprices, value services andmost of all-convenience.”

To expand across India and provideground handling assistance forinternational packages to mid andsmall-sized travel companies.

World Travel Studiotaps bespoke holidays

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Through ourexpertise, weintend to assistmid- and small-sized agents inground-handlingsupport

Haresh KoyandeDirector World Travel Studio

Plans are in place to allow pil-grims to the Golden Temple,Amritsar, to travel to and fro in afleet of pod-cars. These cars willrun on an elevated course withtwo branches – one from the rail-way the other from the bus sta-tion – leading to the temple. The driverless cars are set to run on adedicated double-decker roadway around Amritsar by mid-2016,according to Ultra Fairwood, a tie-up between a UK-based and anIndian company, which is developing the cars for the city.

Driver-less pod-cars in Amritsar

An endeavour of DexHolidays for its B2B

agents to book hotels andapartments online, room-bookpro.com is a B2B hotelsearch and booking engine.The site searches inventoriesof several hotel chains andmajor consolidator sites forreal-time prices and thenpresents the results in a sim-ple, clean and easy-to-understand format.

Talking about the newdevelopment, Vidur Singal,Director, Dex Group says,“Our endeavour is to bring agents on the room-bookpro.com page to famil-iarise them with its clutter-free look and search for real-time inventory of leadinghotel consolidators all overthe world to ensure that thebest deal is available to book.”

roombookpro.com has aninventory of over 150,000hotels and apartments glob-ally with real-time rates and availability. The website offers best offline support,price guarantee to facilitateagents book hotels and apartments anywhere in theworld, he adds.

Regarding the benefitsfor the B2B fraternity, Singalelaborates, “Incorporating thebest features amongst its com-petitors in the industry, thesite makes the booking processeasier and faster for travelagents who use online bookingsystems. A quick five-stepbooking process, including

taxes enables agents to calcu-late total prices faster andmake bookings quicker. It canalso offer its client API andwhite-labelling solution, whichcan enable agents to rebrandthe product as their own.” Afully-integrated payment gate-way provides multiple pay-ment options including net

banking, credit cards, chequeand direct payment by clientat check out. Agents can alsohold room bookings withoutpaying any additional chargeand they have the option ofpaying in multiple currenciesas well. “To enable moreagents to register and book onroombookpro.com, we are

offering cash back of `1000on all bookings” he confirms.

A quick five-step booking process enables agents to calculate total prices faster and make bookings quicker.This search and booking engine from Dex Holidays offers time-saving tech for Indian travel agents.

Roombookpro.com for faster B2B bookingsTECHNOLOGY J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 2 5

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Our endeavouris to bringagents on theweb page to familiarisethem with itsclutter-free look

Vidur SingalDirectorDex Group

Belgium and VFSGlobal recently opened avisa application servicesin Ahmedabad. The newvisa application centrelocated at the GujaratChamber of Commerceand Industries building at Ashram Road,Ahmedabad; and willremain open from 08:00to 16:30 hrs from MondayAll the applications willcontinue to be assessedand processed by theConsulate General ofBelgium in Mumbai andthe visa will be issued in three working days.

Belgium visacentre inAhmedabad

roombookpro.com has aninventory of over 150,000 hotelsand apartments globally with real-time rates and availability

E-Offering

HOTELS J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 2 7

Alila Diwa Goa, the firstproperty of the Alila

Hotels and Resorts in India,is focussing on tapping thedomestic MICE market in thecountry. Siddharth Savkur,General Manager, Alila DiwaGoa said, “The corporatecrowd is looking towardsdestinations such as Goa toconduct MICE activities. Weare keen on tapping this seg-ment as it has tremendouspotential. Aside from theMICE market, we will alsolook to tap the FIT segmentin both inbound and domes-tic travel. The wedding seg-ment has been very success-ful for our hotel and is veryimportant to us.”

Speaking of workingwith the travel trade, Savkursaid, “Our main feeder market for the hotel isMumbai. We have salesteams present in Bengaluru,Ahmedabad and Delhi.Additionally, we are seeinga lot of demand from Tier-IIcities such as Chandigarh,Surat and Pune. The travel

trade has been crucial in thisaspect, especially thedomestic consolidators andonline travel agents (OTAs)

as online is a key focus areafor us. Rather than just pro-moting the hotel, we plan topromote Goa itself as a destination.”

Recently appointed asGeneral Manager for the AlilaDiwa Goa, Savkur reiteratedthat his goals for 2013 are tomake inroads into the MICE,corporate and FIT segment aswell as see better revenueyields from rooms. “Despite2012 being a tough year for the travel industry, there hasn’t been muchimpact on occupancy in Goayet,” he added.

The Alila Hotel and Resorts property will focus mainlyon the domestic market in the country.

Keen to have MICE in Goa

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The travel tradehas been crucialin this aspect,especially thedomesticconsolidatorsand online travel agents

Siddharth SavkurGeneral ManagerAlila Diwa Goa

Alila Diwa Goa has seen onaverage a growth rate of 10per cent per annum

Their main feeder market forthe hotel is Mumbai. Theyhave sales teams present inBengaluru, Ahmedabad andDelhi. They are also seeing alot of demand from Tier-IIcities such as Chandigarh,Surat and Pune

Highlights

Apart of the Mumbai-based Mirah Hospitality,

Citrus Hotel & Resorts plansto establish 18 hotels in thecountry over the next twoyears, adding a total of 2,000rooms to its inventory.Gaurav Pallial, COO, CitrusHotels & Resorts said, "Thecompany is looking to openhotels in Nagpur, Alibaug,Mumbai and Jodhpur.Currently, Citrus Hotels &Resorts has eight propertiesspread across India. Since wefeel we have critical mass, weare aggressively looking outfor properties under manage-ment contracts and leases.For the moment, we do notwant to go the franchise way."

Citrus has four busi-ness properties in Pune,Gurgaon, Sriperumbudur andBangalore, while leisureproperties are in Lonavala,Mahabaleshwar, Alleppeyand Goa with a total currentinventory of 500 roomsacross the properties. Pallialalso said that Citrus would beinvesting close to ̀ 500 crore

in the expansion plan. Theinitial roll-out would includecompletion of the expansionat Lonavala andSriperumbudur, followedwith the opening of its Pench

and Jodhpur propertiestowards the end of this year.

He added, "We ensureour presence in travel fairs inIndia and abroad to engagewith the trade community.That apart, we have specialoffers for the trade whichcommensurate with the busi-ness that they commit withus. As the number of proper-ties increase, we hope forincreased engagement withthe trade community.Additionally, the New DelhiDMCs have done well for us,and we have developed anexcellent working relation-ship with them."

Citrus will also focusheavily on the online seg-ment to increase bookings.Palliall informed, "We have acentralised inventory, a toll-free call centre, outsourceddata centres, service partnersand a dominating presence inOTAs. The online channel iswhere the future belongs andwe shall be focusing on it. InBangalore and Gurgaon, weare on the Sabre spotlightprogram. We have alsorevamped our website."

As the number of properties increase, Citrus Hotels hopefor increased engagement with the trade community.

Citrus: 18 hotels by 2015

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We have specialoffers for the trade whichcommensuratewith the businessthat they commit with us

Gaurav PallialCOO Citrus Hotels & Resorts

FAMILY ALBUM2 8 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Setting stage for IATO-2013 ConventionIATO conducted its monthly interactive luncheon meeting at Orient Room, The Village Restaurant Complex. The event saw stakeholders in thetravel and tourism industry gathering in huge numbers. The IATO convention dates were also announced during the event.

PATA decodes luxury travel for agentsPATA India Chapterorganised a workshopfor its members on marketing luxury holidays to internationaltourists via tour opera-tors. This informativeand interactive sessionwas conducted by AmitDutta, CEO and MD,Luxury Hues, and provided a better understanding of highnet-worth individuals,brand associations, premium products and their commonthread, the discerningcustomer.

HOTELS J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3 TRAVTALK 2 9

Realising the potential ofthe Indian market, the

new sales office in India isstrengthening luxury chainAnantara’s position to max-imise opportunities from thismarket. Anantara has anambitious five-year plan toexpand its portfolio acrossAsia, the Indian Ocean andthe Middle East from 12 to 50properties. And India features big time in theirplans, says Marion Walsh-Hedouin, Group Director-Public Relations andCommunications, AnantaraHotels, Resorts & Spas.

“This has been a keymove for Anantara. We haveseen a gradual increase inIndian guests at our proper-ties, but understand there ispotential for a lot more. Thegroup is now keen to investin this market and is confi-dent that the new salesefforts in India will soon paydividends,” Walsh said.Anantara is looking at eightproposed properties in Indiaon management contract

with a single developer,reported to be the Wadhawan

Group. The first of the eightis under construction atMahabalipuram. The 130-room resort is expected bythe end of 2014. The groupaims to manage eight hotelsin the next five years inRajasthan, Goa and Kerala.

Speaking about devel-oping the India market andtying up with the B2B com-munity, Walsh revealed,“Apart from attractingdomestic and inbound trav-ellers, setting up hotels inIndia would also help in pro-moting our overseas hotels asoutbound travellers fromIndia are on the rise.Targeting leisure clients,these hotels will also cater to the MICE (Meetings,Incentives, Conferences andExhibitions) segment. It is forMICE events that we areincreasingly looking at thetravel agents/tour operatorscommunity as a lot of busi-ness comes in from them.”With the wedding destinationconcept picking up now, thegroup receives a number ofoutbound guests from India.“Anantara Riverside in

Bangkok is popular as a wed-ding venue. India is one ofthe top five source marketsfor the Anantara at KohSamui as well,” she added.

Regarding the chal-lenges of opening an uberluxury brand in India, sheinformed, “We need to tie upwith the right partners,choose the right location,implement the right strate-gies and work with peoplewho know the market.Initially to start with, we shallmanage hotels and laterthree to four years down theline, we might think of own-ing and managing hotels inIndia as well.”

Looking at the scope of high-end hospitality industry in India, Anantarais now set to make its debut with a managed property in Mahabalipuram.

Tapping Indian weddings and MICE

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Apart fromattractingdomestic andinboundtravellers, settingup hotels in Indiawould also helpin promoting ouroverseas hotels

Marion Walsh-HedouinGroup Director-Public Relations andCommunications, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas

Anantara is looking at eightproposed properties in India onmanagement contract with asingle developer, reported to bethe Wadhawan Group. The first of the eight is underconstruction at Mahabalipuram

The group aims to manageeight hotels in the next five yearsin Rajasthan, Goa and Kerala.

Thinking Big

After not making the gradein operating luxury bus

service to Konkan region fromMumbai and Pune, theMaharashtra government isnow considering to hand overthe operations of five luxurybuses to Maharashtra StateRoad Transport Corporation(MSRTC). MaharashtraTourism DevelopmentCorporation (MTDC) had spent`5.48 crore to purchase fiveVolvo buses, branded as‘Konkan Royale’. However, theplan was trashed, after privateoperators who were to run thebuses cold-shouldered it dueto certain factors. The buseswere too long to operate on thewinding, narrow roads in theKonkan region, plus the lack ofmaintenance facilities. Therewas no response from opera-tors, despite three tendersbeing floated.

Earlier, during thelaunch of the service, JagdishPatil, Managing Director,

MTDC said, “We are consid-ering options like deployingthe Konkan Royale buses onlong-route tourist destina-tions.” Currently, the propos-al of giving the luxury busesto MSRTC for operations isunder consideration. Underthe new proposal, one buseach will be operated inNagpur for forest tourism,Aurangabad and the same forNashik, Konkan, Mumbailocal tourism and the fifth bus from Mumbaiairport to Shirdi, Pune.

Tour operators give the cold shoulder to MTDC services as theyfind operation unviable.

Luxury buses for MSRTC

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Jagdish PatilManaging DirectorMTDC

MADHYA PRADESH3 0 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

A royal destinationThe fort was under the ownership of the royals of Rewa, and the forests are hometo Madhya Pradesh’s tigers. An opportunity to visit the place is not to be missed.

Bandhavgarh is a smallnational park; com-pact, yet teeming

with wildlife.Covering 448 sqkm, Bandhavgarh is situatedin Umaria district. The den-sity of the tiger population inBandhavgarh is the highestknown in India. This is the

original home of all the whitetigers alive today. The lastknown was captured byMaharaja Martand Singh in1951.This white tiger,Mohun, is now on display inthe palace of the Maharajasof Rewa. Bandhavgarh isdensely populated with other

species: sambar and barkingdeer are a common sight, andnilgai are to be seen in themore open areas of the park.

The Bandhavgarh Fort isthought to be some 2,000years old. Scattered through-out the park, and particularlyaround the fort, are numerouscaves containing shrines andancient Sanskrit inscriptions.

There are three well-defined seasons-the winter(from mid-October to the endof February), summer (fromMarch to middle of June) andthe monsoon (from the

middle of June to middle ofOctober). The temperatureranges from a maximum of 42degrees Celsius in May and

June, to around four degreesCelsius in winter. Prior tobecoming a national park, theforests around Bandhavgarh

had long been maintained asa ‘shikargah’, or a game pre-serve of the Maharajas ofRewa. In 1947, when Rewawas merged with MadhyaPradesh, Bandhavgarh cameunder the Regulations ofMadhya Pradesh. No specialconservation measures weretaken until 1968, when theareas were constituted as aNational Park. Since then,numerous steps have beentaken to retain BandhavgarhNational Park as an unspoiltnatural habitat.

Your Host:White Tiger Forest Lodge(Madhya Pradesh Tourism).

Bandhavgarh:Bandhavgarh:

What to See:The Fort-

No records remain to showwhen Bandhavgarh Fort wasconstructed. It is thought,however, to be some 2,000years old.

Flora & FaunaTiger- The tigers of theCaspian area have coats witha slightly richer colour thantheir Indian cousins. The Royal Bengal Tiger is found in India, Bangladesh, Bhutanand Nepal.

WildlifeThere are more than 22

species of mammals and 250species of birds. Common lan-gurs, the rhesus and macaquerepresent the primate group.Carnivores include the Asiaticjackal, Bengal fox, sloth, ratel,grey mongoose, striped hyena,jungle cat, leopard and tiger.The common ones are littlegrebe egret, lesser adjutant,crane, black kite, crested ser-pent eagle, black vulture,Egyptian vulture, commonpeafowl, red jungle fowl, dove,parakeet, kingfisher andIndian roller. Reptilian faunaincludes cobra, krait, viper,

ratsnake, python, turtle and anumber of lizard varieties.Wildlife tours-

There are two main ways of getting about thepark- in a motor vehicle or onelephant back.

Jeep safaris are bestundertaken from dawn untilabout 10 am and from about 4pm until dusk, as the animalsare most active during theseperiods. Though tigers have aterritory of 25 square kilome-tres, your guide should be ableto increase your chances ofspotting one.

How to ReachBy Air:The nearest airport is at Jabalpur(190 km). From Khajuraho(237 km), Bandavgarh is a five-hour drive via Panna, Satna andMaihar across stretches of the Vindhyachal. By Rail:The nearest railway stations near Bandhavgarh areJabalpur (190 km) , Katni(102km) and Satna (120 km) on theCentral Railway and Umaria(35km) on the South Eastern Railway.By Road:State/private transport buses ply between Katni andUmaria; and from Satna and Rewa to Tala (Bandhavgarh). Taxisare available at Satna, Jabalpur, Katni, Umaria and Khajuraho.Best Season: November to June. The park is closed from July 1 to October 15 due to monsoons.

A diversity of flora and fauna, and good administrative protection has given it thewell-deserved tag of one of the finest and best administered national parks in Asia.

Kanha’s sal and bam-boo forests, rollinggrasslands and mean-

dering streams stretch over940 sq km in natural splen-dour. Kanha National Park

forms the core of the KanhaTiger Reserve created in1974 under Project Tiger. Thepark is the only habitat of therare hardground barasingha(Cervus Duvaceli Branderi).Depletion of the tiger population in the years thatfollowed led to the area beingmade an absolute sanctuary

in 1952. By a special statutein 1955, Kanha National Parkcame into being. Since then,a series of stringent conser-vation programmes for theprotection of the park’s flora

and fauna has given Kanha areputation for being one ofthe finest and best-adminis-tered national parks in Asia.

What to seeThe best areas are the

meadows around Kanha,where blackbuck, chital andbarasingha can be seenthroughout the day.

Bamni Dadar: Known asSunset Point, this is one of themost beautiful areas of thepark, from where a spectacu-lar sunset can be watched.The dense luxuriance ofKanha’s forests can best beseen from here. Animals thatcan be sighted around thispoint are typical of the mixedforest zone, sambar, barkingdeer, gaur and the four-horned antelope.

Mammalian Species: Kanhahas some 22 species ofmammals. Those most eas-ily spotted are the stripedpalm squirrel, common langur, jackal, wild pig,

chital or spotted deer, baras-ingha or swamp deer, andblackbuck.

Less commonly-seen species:Tiger, Indian hare, dhole orIndian wild dog, barking deerand Indian bison or gaur.Patient watching shouldreward the visitor with a sightof Indian fox, sloth bear,striped hyena, jungle cat, leop-ard, mouse deer, chausinghaor four horned antelope, nilgai,ratel and porcupine.

Very rarely-seen species:Wolves, which live in the fareast of the park, chinkara to befound outside the park’s north-

ern boundary, Indian pangolin,the smooth Indian otter andthe small Indian civet.

Avian species: Kanha hassome 200 species of birds.Watchers should stationthemselves in the hills,where the mixed and bambooforests harbour many species,and in the grassy forest clear-ings. Water birds can be seen near the park’s manyrivulets and at Sarvantal.

Commonly-seen species:include cattle egret, pondheron, black ibis, common

peafowl, crested serpent,racket- tailed drongo, hawk eagle and red-wattled lapwing, various species of flycatcher, woodpecker, pigeon,dove, parakeet, babbler andmynah, Indian roller, white breasted kingfisher and grey hornbill.

Your Host-Baghira Log Huts,Kisli (MPTourism)Tourist Hostel,Kisli (MPTourism)Kanha Safari Lodge,Mukki(MP Tourism)

Kanha:Kanha:How to ReachKhatia (3km from Kisli) & Mukkiare the two main entry points tothe Kanha National Park. FromJabalpur, Kisli is 165 km viaChraidongri, and Mukki is 203km via Motinala & Garhi. Fortravellers from Bilaspur(182km),Raipur (213 km) and Balaghat(83km), Mukki on the StateHighway 26 is more convenient.From Nagpur, Kisli is 259 km viaNainpur and Chiraidongri; andMukki is 289 km via BalaghatBy Air- Nearest airports are atJabalpur -160 km, Raipur-240

km & Nagpur-335 km.By Rail- Most convenient rail-heads are at Jabalpur & Bilaspur.By Road- There is a daily busservice available for Kisli andMukki from Jabalpur and back.Taxis are available for hire fromJabalpur, Bilaspur & Raipur. It isadvisable to reach Kisli beforesunset as vehicles are not per-mitted within the park afterdark. For assistance at Jabalpur,contact MPSTDC’s Tourist officeat the railway station or KalchuriResidency.

See the wild side of Nature

ASSOCIATIONS

3-5 Ludhiana India Travel Mart

3 Kolkata Tourism New Zealand’s KiwiLink India B2B Roadshow

5 Bengaluru Tourism New Zealand’s KiwiLink India B2B Roadshow

7 Mumbai Tourism New Zealand’s KiwiLink India B2B Roadshow

9-11 Aurangabad India International TravelExhibition

16-18 Ahmedabad Travel & Tourism FairAhmedabad

20 Chennai German India Pool’s B2B Event

22 Delhi German India Pool’s B2B Event

23-25 Surat Travel & Tourism Fair - Surat

25-28 Goa Tourism Australia’s India TravelMission

26 Chennai Hong Kong Tourism Board’sB2B Event

27 Mumbai Hong Kong Tourism Board’sB2B Event

29 Kolkata Hong Kong Tourism Board’sB2B Event

30 Delhi Hong Kong Tourism Board’sB2B Event

30-1Sept Mumbai Travel & Tourism Fair - Mumbai

AUGUST

For more information, contact us at: talk@ddppl.com

JUNE19-23 Vancouver Cruise3sixty 2013

20-28 New Zealand New Zealand Tourism’s VIP/Directors Famil

21-23 Beijing Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE)

26-27 New Zealand Tourism New Zealand’s MEETINGS 2013

JULY1 Chennai Visit Indonesia Tourist Office’s

Indonesia Sales Mission

2 Pune Visit Indonesia Tourist Office’s Indonesia Sales Mission

3 Mumbai Visit Indonesia Tourist Office’sIndonesia Sales Mission

5-7 Kolkata Travel & Tourism Fair - Kolkata

5-7 Australia The Wagga Great Outdoor Expo

6-7 Bengaluru Wellness & Health Tourism Expo

5-14 Brazil Expotche

10-11 Honolulu Hawaii Lodging Hospitality &Foodservice Expo

11-14 Germany European Outdoor Trade Fair

12-14 Hyderabad Travel & Tourism Fair - Hyderabad

13-14 Mumbai Times Travel Trade Fair

17 Zambia Mte Exhibition - Zambia: Solwezi

17-28 California California Mid State Fair

19-21 Bengaluru India International Travel Mart Bangalore

19 Zambia Mte Exhibition - Zambia: Kitwe

20-24 Reno STN Expo

24-27 China Asia Outdoor Trade Fair

26-28 Gold Coast Midyear Caravan, Camping, Boating & Fishing Expo

26-28 Chennai India International Travel Mart Chennai

31-Aug 1 Delhi Tourism New Zealand’s Kiwi Link B2B Roadshow

Need FDI in mega-tourism projectsment. “Such incentivesshould be extended to all cat-egories of hotels, so that theirexpansion plans can pick upthe required momentum.Also, these fiscal benefitsshould be extended to theindustry to support itsgrowth, which in turn willaccelerate the growth of theIndian economy. Post Budget-2013, the hospitality sectorexpects more involvement,thought and initiatives fromthe government,” she adds.

Special Tourism Zones According to Keshav

Baljee, Managing Director,Spree Hotels, there is ade-quate foreign and domesticinvestment in hospitality. “Infact, the supply has risenquite significantly over thelast few years and hotels arecoming up in almost everylocation. The problem is ofoversupply in many markets.The FDI that India needs toattract is in mega-tourismprojects such as projects likethe Cotai Strip in Macau orSentosa Island in Singapore.These are transformationalprojects and can be only donewith foreign investments,” heconfirms. To attract big-ticketforeign investments, SpecialTourism Zones along the linesof the SEZs need to be creat-ed. These zones need to haverelaxed norms in terms of

laws and visa regimes, toenable more foreign touriststo come. “They will also needworld-class airports. This canthen lead to mega invest-ments in creations of entirecities that can employ lakhsof Indians while generating

huge foreign exchangeinflows,” he adds.

CAPEX-driven supplyRahul Pandit, President

and Executive Director, TheLemon Tree Hotel Companyinforms India currently has

one hotel room per 10,000people versus the global aver-age of 28 rooms per 10,000people (America has 180 andChina 18 per 10,000 people).Clearly the opportunity forinvesting in the hotel space inthe country is a big one andhoteliers can build inventoryacross segments and acrossdestinations. “Hospitality is acyclical business. Demandincreases at an incrementalrate, and as the supply isCapital Expenditures (CAPEX)driven with long lead times;supply release happens inshorter patches, leading to anupwards/downwards turn inthe cycle. India and China arenow increasingly being seenas part of an exclusive club ofgeographies where marketsare robust, despite the relativegloom in global markets. Thisrise in the base of consumers,with availability of higher dis-cretionary expenditure haspositioned hospitality as a pre-ferred investment sector withfavourable long term returns.

Contd. from page 22

India and China aregeographieswhere marketsare robust,despite therelative gloom inglobal markets

The FDI thatIndia needs toattract is inmega-tourismprojects, suchas the CotaiStrip or SentosaIsland

Keshav BaljeeManaging DirectorSpree Hotels

Rahul PanditPresident & Executive DirectorThe Lemon Tree Hotel Company

To attract big-ticket foreigninvestments, Special TourismZones along the lines of theSEZs need to be created. Thesezones need to have relaxednorms in terms of laws and visaregimes, to enable more foreigntourists to come

Invest to Grow

Tourism has been one ofthe key priority sectors

for the West BengalGovernment. There havebeen significant efforts madeby the State TourismDepartment in the recentpast to develop tourism in thestate, Dutta says. “Since theinception of this chapter,ADTOI has been activelyinvolved in the state’s consis-tent effort towards brand-building, product and infra-structural development and promotion.”

Citing a recent example,Dutta reveals, “Tourist trans-portation in the state hasalways been an area of graveconcern for the private tour-operators. Recently, there hadbeen a tripartite meetingbetween the Department ofTransport-Government ofWest Bengal, Department ofTourism-Government of WestBengal and representatives ofdifferent tourism associa-tions. The meeting addressedthe operational problems

related to the tourist trans-portation in the state. Thishas resulted in the drafting ofa new policy on All-BengalContact Carriage permitexclusively for the inboundtour-operators. It was indeeda great achievement forADTOI to be a part of thetaskforce, formed in the saidmeeting, to represent thetour operators and finalisethe draft proposal to offerhigh-end transportation service to the tourists visitingthe state.”

Talking about spreadingawareness about the tourismpotential of Bengal and theNortheast, Dutta laments,“Unfortunately, the products

and circuits of the Northeasthave not been properly pro-moted or marked in the Indiadomestic tourist market, dueto lack of awareness. It hasalways been considered as aseasonal destination for theprice sensitive mass domesticmarket. That is the reasonwhy 80 per cent of the desti-nations of the region are stillunexplored. Going above theseasonal price war in veryfew conventional destinationsof West Bengal and NorthEast, ADTOI members havealways been encouraged topromote innovative and qual-ity domestic products withthe highest level of servicestandard across the entireunexplored and less-exploreddestinations of the region.”

The B2B alliance is ofutmost importance for thechapter. “A major portion ofthe domestic incoming trafficfrom the national B2B to thisregion has been operated byour members. Some of ourmembers have been extreme-ly innovative in terms of new product development

focusing on specific nationalsource markets across thecountry,” he adds.

speaks to Debjit Dutta, Chairman-ADTOI, West Bengal and North-East chapter to understand the milestones achieved and thechallenges faced in the last one year

NE remains a seasonal destination

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Touristtransportationin the state hasalways been anarea of graveconcern for the private tour-operators

Debjit DuttaChairman-ADTOIWest Bengal and North-East chapter

There had been a tripartitemeeting between the Dept. ofTransport (WB), Dept. of Tourism(WB), and representatives ofdifferent tourism associations.Themeeting addressed theoperational problems related tothe tourist transportation in the state

Planning Ahead

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MOVEMENTS3 4 TRAVTALK J U N E 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 3

Anjana Gosain, Trustee &Secretary, Tiger Trust has been awildlife enthusiast since her stu-dent days. Well-known in thetourism circuit for her advisoryrole, the advocate loves to travel.Vienna is her favourite destina-tion abroad. “I just love the city for its vivid topography andbeautiful buildings. I loveRanthambore and Kanha for therich flora and fauna and keep

visiting these places regularly.” Gosain is also an avidmusic lover. She loves listening to old hindi music, classical and jazz.

Anjana GosainTrustee & SecretaryTiger Trust

Madhav OzaDirectorBlue Star Air Travel Services

Talking People is a special dedicated corner, created as a sounding board for who’s who of the Indian and International travel industry. With Talking People, it is our endeavour to bring you face-to-face with people.

Contributed by: Peden Doma Bhutia, Vivek Sethi & Megha Paul

Sanjay Razdan, Director, Razdan Holidays hasformed a bond with his car that strengthens withevery leg at every rally. “As a child, I would watchmotorists at the car rallies on the television setand would dream that I would be doing this whenI grew up.” After so many motorsport rallies tohis credit, Razdan is still lured back on the track,year after year. “Each time it is a new challenge,every route is a new route and every rally offerssomething new," says the rallyist who recentlyzipped to the first slot this year in the contestorganised by Thar Motor Sports in Jaipur in twocategories-SUV and Gypsy.

Madhav Oza, Director, Blue Star Air Travel Services, likes to read books related to spirituality, like the Upanishad, Gita and Brahmasutra and learn yoga. His wife Sunita isa deeply spiritual person and is involved in publishing of spiritual commentaries. His favourite international holiday destination is Switzerland. In India, he likes to exploreUttarakhand. Amidst all their domestic journeys, the trip to Kedarnath is the most memorable, despite the 17 hours of trekking.

Sanjay RazdanDirectorRazdan Holidays

Surinder Singh Sodhi, Senior VicePresident & Head-Leisure TravelInbound, Thomas Cook India starts hisday with a quick meditation sessionand then hits the gym. He has over 23years of experience in the travel &tourism industry and holds an MBA inmarketing from Delhi University. Hisbetter half is a home-maker and hemakes sure that he goes for at leasttwo short family vacations in a year tostrike a balance between work and life.His favourite destination within India is Varanasi in the northand Puducherry in the South.

Surinder Singh SodhiSenior Vice President & Head-Leisure Travel InboundThomas Cook India

Radisson Blu Marina HotelConnaught PlaceNew Delhi

Dhananjay Kumar has been appointed as theGeneral Manager of Radisson Blu Marina

Hotel Connaught Place in New Delhi.He has 20 years of work experience ininternational brands like Hyatt RegencyDelhi and Dubai, Park Royal NewDelhi, Oberoi Group of Hotels –Bangalore & Mumbai, Shangri-La,New Delhi. He has also been the

Pre-opening Food & Beverage Head, Director-Food &

Beverage at the TheClaridges New Delhi.

Hyatt AmritsarAmritsarBhagwan Balani has been appointed as the General Manager atHyatt Amritsar. He began in the Food and Beverage department

of the Leela Kempinski Mumbai in 1995. InJuly 1999, Balani joined the Sales and

Marketing team of the Leela Kempinski asa sales executive and later got promotedto Assistant Manager of Sales. InDecember 2002, he joined the Park HyattGoa Resort and Spa as Sales Manager,later got promoted as Associate Director

of Sales and then Director of Sales wherehis main role was to assist the Director of

Marketing with market analysis,research and strategising.

Kuoni Business Travel, Kuoni IndiaMumbaiManoj Chacko has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officerfor Kuoni Business Travel, Kuoni India. Chacko holds 21 yearsof work experience with 15 years ofextensive work across the travel andaviation business. Prior to joiningKuoni Business Travel, Chacko ran asuccessful consulting practice that provided business solutions to small/midsize airlines andcompanies in the travel sector. Earlierto that, he was the Executive VicePresident (Commercial) withKingfisher Airlines. He waspart of the start-up team.

Wego.ComSingaporeMatthew Varley has been taken on as the Chief Operating Officerof Wego.com. Varley joins from the Wotif Group, where he heldvarious key senior executive roles forover eight years both in Australia andAsia. Starting with the company in2004 before publicly listing on thestock exchange, he led the OnlineMarketing strategy for five years.With three years of experience inSouth East Asia based in Bangkok,Varley managed the operations of WotifGroup’s Asia business,expanding the team tonine offices.

Courtyard by Marriott Pune ChakanPuneRitu Chawla has been taken on as the General Manager, Courtyardby Marriott, Pune Chakan. She has a career spanning over 16 yearsin hospitality management. Chawla beganher career as a Management Trainee atthe Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Mumbai;going ahead to become one of theyoungest lady General Managers ofthe Taj Group in 2007 at the Vivantaby Taj, Fisherman’s Cove, Chennai.Chawla holds an ExecutiveMBA from SP JainCollege, Mumbai.

Om Tourism MumbaiShelly Chandhok has been appointed as the new Country Managerfor VITO- India. Chandhok is based in Mumbai and has beenassociated with OM Tourism for the pastfour years. Prior to this, she washandling sales for Western India forIndo-China Services. In her currentprofile, Chandhok would head theVITO- India sales team and will beassisted by Mohammad Kaleem -Trade Sales executive (VITO)and Priyanka Kumar.

Hyatt Regency DelhiNew DelhiAseem Kapoor has been appointed as the General Manager ofHyatt Regency Delhi. He rejoins the proper ty where he once

worked in the capacity of Director of Foodand Beverage. Kapoor was mostrecently the General Manager of HyattRegency, Mumbai. A hospitalityveteran with over 20 years of

experience, he began his career as amanagement trainee with Holiday Inn,Mumbai in 1989. He has been affiliatedwith Hyatt since 1995 when he was first appointed Assistant Director

Food and Beverage at HyattRegency Delhi.

ITC HotelsAgraAshutosh Chhibba has been appointed as the General Managerof ITC Mughal, Agra. Chhibba is an alumnus of WelcomgroupManagement Institute and brings with him 21years of expertise in Food and Beverage. Hisjourney began with ITC Hotels in1992 asBanquet Manager in Chola Sheraton,Chennai. Prior to taking charge as theGeneral Manager of ITC Mughal, Agra,Chibba moved to Aurangabad to take charge of WelcomHotel RamaInternational from 2008-2010,and then the General Manager of WelcomHotel, Vadodara in 2010-11.

CRB Cochin PalaceCochinShinoj George Joseph has been appointed as the General Managerfor CRB Cochin Palace. He has an MBA in Human Resources fromNew London College ,UK. He started hiscareer with Kumarakom Lake Resortand then moved to Air India as a partof the hospitality crew. He has alsoworked with Qatar Airways Inflightservices as Cabin Service Directorfrom 2006 to 2008. Joseph has hospitality experience inKumarokom, Thekkady, AshtamudiKollam and Cochin.

HIGHLIGHT

Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2012-13-14; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2012-14 for posting on 1st-2nd and 15th-16th

of the same month at New Delhi P.S.O., RNI No.: 53492/91Date of Publication:14-06-2013

How important is the Indianmarket for Switzerland?

India is one of thefastest-growing markets toSwitzerland and we havestrong demand coming fromthere. Indians are interestedin exploring different cul-tures and Switzerland givesthem plenty of opportunitiesto do that. However, Indiansvisit only the ‘touristy’ spots,while we believe there’s a lotmore to explore inSwitzerland. We have beenworking closely with ourtravel trade partners to focuson the lesser-known parts of Switzerland, like the southof Switzerland, the Italianand French-speaking parts of Switzerland, thenational park of Switzerland- the first and oldest park of the Alps.

All said and done, wehave a very good position inthe Indian market andBollywood has helped a lot. Itstill helps, and we are very,very grateful to them.

What do you intend toachieve with an event likethe STM?

STM is a unique oppor-tunity to meet travel tradepartners, to show them newroutes and to be in touchwith them, especially fornewer markets like Indiaand China. Through STM,we can bring in new routesand tours into the cata-logues of the travel tradepartners so that we cancomplement the offerings.

So, do you think Indiansneed to explore more whiletravelling?

Traditional travelling isnot a bad thing, when youtravel to a country for thefirst time, it’s important thatyou see the very iconic high-lights like the Jungfrau, the

city of Zurich and Lucerne,we don’t want to changethat. But from India, we seemore and more repeat trav-ellers, people who come asecond time with their fam-ilies. We also see multi-gen-erational travels like thegrandparents, parents andkids. We want to show themnew things. And we do thatby showcasing these desti-nations through variousmarketing channels. Bern,the host city for STM-2013,is a small city compared toDelhi or Mumbai, but it hasa lot to offer and presentlyit’s not too popular amongIndians and does not figurein their agenda. Emmental,near Bern, is one of the mosttraditional areas ofSwitzerland, it’s reallyauthentic and it is perfect forIndian travellers. But everycountry starts with the icon-ic highlights.

How important a role doagents play for you?

In a market likeIndia, agents arethe key. Indiansbook their travelthroughagents, thereare very few inthe businesstravel who bookonline directly, buttraveltrade

partners are the key for ourbusiness. They have greatpotential. But I feel they nowneed to add a new dimensionto Switzerland. When I talk toclients, they ask for newthings and sites to visit, andthat’s the next important stepfor us now.

What are the figures thatyou’re looking to achieve inIndia?

We intend to see a dou-ble-digit growth next year,

somewhere between 10-15%. India will con-

tinue to grow andthere’s this newmiddle-class that

has started todevelop and itis here that we

see a greatpotential.

What are the challengesthat you face in the Indianmarket?

One of the challenges inIndia is to grow into the Tier-II cities. We have a very goodpresence in Delhi andMumbai, but there are manymore cities that have startedto develop, and we need toreach out to them. We havealso planned roadshows to afew Tier-II cities this year.

Have Indians evolved astravellers?

Yes, Indians haveevolved as travellers. Thefirst group that we had fromIndia had very less exposure,they worked differently, butnow travellers have maturedand they know how to reactto different things.

What are you focussing onnext in India?

We are now focussingon MICE incentive travelmarket in India, as this seg-ment is now booming and

we see a growingdemand. People want tobring in their employ-ees in order to moti-vate them. And nor-mally, B2B followsthe trail of leisuretravel. So now, we are working on the MICE market.

On the sidelines of the Switzerland Travel Mart (STM) 2013, Jürg Schmid,Director of Switzerland Tourism, talks about the importance of the Indian marketand how Indian travel agents are the key for them to reach out to the market.

Indian agents key to Swiss Tourism

Jürg SchmidDirector, Switzerland Tourism

Switzerland for all seasonsThere are countless ways for visitors to discover

Switzerland. Among them are a host of sporting activities- a mainstay of Swiss tourism since the early days. In win-ters, the Alps are a paradise for skiers and snowboarders,perfect for tobogganing and cross-country skiing. Activitiesthat have become fashionable more recently are availabletoo: more than 2,300km (1,430 miles) of marked snowshoe-ing trails and 5,100km (3,170 miles) of prepared andmarked winter-walking paths offer a unique way of expe-riencing the Swiss winters. Summer activities includecanoeing, sailing, mountaineering, Nordic walking, golfing,and swimming – to name just a few.

PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA FROM SWITZERLAND